The Four Gracious Plants

In the mission station, one of the religious sisters has for the last 6 months had a class in ink painting for those interested and has given us some insights into an art form that has a long history in Korea. 

If one puts the word 'Korean ink painting' in a search engine, one will get an understanding of what is meant by Korean Sumuk (ink wash painting).

It was for a long time associated with calligraphy. The separation of the two art forms was made many years ago. In looking at some of the articles on the internet, even for a person with little knowledge of the art world, one can appreciate the beauty and sophistication of this art form. The surrounding countries influenced much of the traditional Korean art, but over the centuries Korea gained its own distinctive characteristics.

Ink painting dates back to China and came to Korea and flourished during the  Joseon dynasty in the 14th century. It's not only brush, ink, and techniques used but a great deal to do with the spiritual and one's understanding of reality, not only expressive of the physical world but of one's inner world.

In the small group workshops and groups as in the mission station, the beginners in the art are often introduced to the four gracious plants: plum, orchid, chrysanthemum, and bamboo. They represent the four seasons. The plum symbolizes courage and spring, orchids refinement and summer, chrysanthemums summer productivity, and bamboo integrity and winter. 

There are many different explanations and the East Asian countries often have different understandings of the symbolism. They often represent the virtues of humility, purity, righteousness, and perseverance, which is why they are commonly seen within traditional Chinese art, and should be the virtues of the Confucian gentlemen.

A good example is the person called  "seonbi", (선비) which refers to a virtuous scholar who pursued a simple and graceful lifestyle during the Joseon Kingdom (1392-1910).

The term was initially used for Confucian scholars, but its meaning later expanded to include people who followed a strict code of conduct ― with or without a government post ― to lead society in the right direction. The spirit of 'seonbi' still lives on, affecting a big part of Korean culture.

'Seonbi' were scholars during the Goryeo and Joseon periods of Korean history. Usually, non-governmental servants  choose to pass on the benefits and authority of official power in order to develop and share knowledge. However, some former bureaucrats were seen as seonbi, as they moved to the countryside after retirement and adopted the seonbi lifestyle.

They do not exist today, although the term is sometimes used metaphorically.  When applied to a person, the meaning can be complimentary, highlighting a person's intelligence, morality, and composure. However, it can also be used negatively,  to highlight a person out of step with the times. Another example of how the times bring great change to a culture.

Digital Addiction

In the Catholic Weekly, a pastor brings up the issue of addiction to social media especially the recent addition of short videos. This is an area we know very little about and the columnist in the Eyes of The Believer column gives the readers his understanding of the situation and concerns.
 
Recently, a new addiction has emerged as a social issue. They are short videos of 60 seconds or less. Short-form video platforms include YouTube's shorts, Instagram's Reels, and TikTok. The problem is that as these short-form videos become more popular, people's fatigue is increasing. All you have to do is click once and move your finger up, and other related videos will continue to appear according to the algorithm, making you addicted without even realizing it.
 
An increasing number of people are complaining that it has reached a point where it is interfering with their daily lives. Even though they are short videos with no need to watch, you end up watching a lot of them without even thinking. This form of addiction has the potential to lead to various problems such as decreased interest in other daily activities, lack of motivation, and depression. It also disrupts the quality of life and has a negative impact on interpersonal relationships and interpersonal communication.
 
The rapid increase in short-form content, which is compared to 'drugs' on social media, is declaring that the era of human loneliness is over. This is because you will never feel bored or lonely as long as you are with your smartphone. It is almost impossible to imagine the future of smartphone humanity, which does not know how to feel lonely.  
 
The absence of solitude and silence is a sign that humans have given up on being human. This is because social media addiction which can lead to anxiety, fear, insomnia, and depression, causes harm not only to the human body and mind but also to mental and spiritual health. The way to regain and recover the lost solitude and silence is, paradoxically, to return to solitude and silence. Only that path can lead to a rich human and spiritual life
 
These days, 'digital detox' for curing digital addiction is emerging as a solution to social media addiction.  People tend to look for isolated, quiet, and tranquil places and spaces such as 'temple stay', 'book reading', or 'searching for solitude'.  The idea is to listen to yourself and discover the story within yourself. You need to take time to face yourself and regain your sense of self. That is why we need 'solitude' as voluntary isolation rather than passive 'isolation' — a time of silence to look inside oneself, reflect on relationships with others, and pursue unity with God, the absolute other.
 
Henry David Thoreau, the author of Walden, was a wise man who chose voluntary isolation at a young age by building a cabin by the lakeside and living there. People who choose solitude do not feel lonely. This is because solitude is not isolation in which relationships with the outside world are cut off. Only deep inner solitude can pursue inner richness through reflection and discovery. In particular, for believers who think they are addicted to social media or who want to prevent it, we suggest the following various 'experiences of solitude' for Catholics.
 
The first is the 'Subiaco Cave' where Saint Benedict, known as the father of the Western monastic order, was born again while living as a hermit. We need to form our hearts into a cave as a place of solitude and silence to meet ourselves and God and listen to his word. The second experience of solitude is 'Adoration of the Eucharist', a pious act of paying special respect in front of the tabernacles in our churches. The third method of experiencing solitude is 'retreat'. By following the words of Jesus, “Go to a solitary place by yourselves and get some rest” (Mark 6:31), you can truly rest in God, recover your energy for life, and be sent back to the world with a new body and mind. There are many other ways to experience voluntary solitude. In an age where solitude has been lost, the effort to restore solitude is an act of faith.
 

Chronic Diseases of Society

The Peace Column of the Catholic Peace Weekly gives the readers some problems we face as a Society and Church and one of the solutions.

Chronic disease according to the standard Korean dictionary refers to 1) an illness that has been suffered for a long time and is difficult to cure and 2) a bad habit that is difficult to correct because it is long-standing. Chronic illness as a disease mainly applies only to individuals, but chronic illness as a bad habit applies not only to individuals but also to groups and societies. For example, if a person has a bad habit of getting drunk whenever he drinks, one can say it is a chronic problem with him.
 
The problem is that bad habits or chronic problems that occur can be passed on to other people. Children who grow up with parents who have chronic kleptomania are more likely to fall into kleptomania than children who do not. The same goes for children who grow up watching their parents tell lies and gossip about others. Of course, there are cases where this is not true, but it is clear that chronic problems are contagious to some extent.
 
The contagiousness of chronic problems seems to be related to the mind. As the saying goes: "A good person, out of the good accumulated brings out things that are good, and a bad person, brings out that which is bad" (Matthew 12:35). Jealousy does not allow others to do well; stubbornness makes one stick to their own thoughts no matter what others say; self-righteous thinking believes everything one says is right and what other people say is wrong or lacking; selfishness that never wants to lose anything that has to do with oneself, etc. People with this kind of mindset are definitely prone to chronic problems.
 
What are some of the chronic problems of our society? Regional collective egoism that can be easily confirmed in the NIMBY phenomenon— an acronym for the phrase "not in my backyard" opposed to some development that is close to them—the behavior of political parties that claim to support the people's livelihood but in reality are obsessed with party-oriented strategies, and self-interest in bullying the weak with wealth and power behind them, as shown in school violence and violations of school rights. A senseless pursuit of self-interest, a careerism that believes that all you need to do is acquire wealth, fame, or power at any cost... He believes these are the chronic ills of our society.
 
The serious thing is that in our society, there are quite a few people who suffer from these chronic problems but don't realize it. These aspects of chronic illness can be witnessed frequently even within the church. A typical example is authoritarian behavior that uses church status or authority to treat church staff or other people carelessly. In fact, when it comes to authoritarianism in the church, it is easy to think of clerical authoritarianism, but the problem of lay authoritarianism is just as serious as clerical authoritarianism.
 
At the root of many of these chronic diseases that our society is suffering from, is not rational reason or logic, but violence and emotion caused by power. As a result, there is no room for respect or consideration for the other person. Words turn into violent language, and conversations end with one-sided claims or coercion, resulting in non-communication rather than communication. Therefore, it is necessary to learn proper conversation methods based on respect and consideration for the other person.
 
How do we have the right conversation for communication? The Catholic Church has confirmed through the synod process over the past two years that true dialogue begins with listening. Listening is not simply hearing. Out of respect for the other person you are talking to, you should abandon any preconceptions or stereotypes about the other person and listen with all your heart, understanding the tone of voice and facial expressions of the other person. If I listen actively and wholeheartedly, the other person will also listen to me.

In this way, if listening becomes mutual listening and this also leads to true dialogue and communication, many chronic social diseases will be healed little by little by listening.
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Characteristics of Life

 

A professor of philosophy at a Catholic University gives us a meditation on life in Diagnosis of the Times of the Catholic Peace Weekly.

A validly established life culture becomes possible when we understand its internal characteristics, not its external form. To do this, it is necessary to understand the meaning and characteristics of life. Philosophy of life attempts to do this. Discourse limited to slogans without a proper understanding of the mystery of life and its beauty is useless. Therefore, life philosophy is a prerequisite for culture and ethics.
 
Let us briefly explain the essential characteristics of life in terms of the sexual principle and self-examination. A natural scientific understanding of life is a prerequisite. This is because reflective work done without factual conditions and knowledge about them would be a delusion.
 
All living things on Earth have a common origin. Life comes from the first life that appeared on Earth at some point. All life on Earth is the same organism, originating from the same ancestor. Current life is what this living organism has developed in the flow of time by internalizing its own life and its own characteristics necessary for life. All life has the same living conditions and mechanisms.
 
At the same time, living beings are communal beings that need each other in relationships. This does not simply mean that living things need other life forms to live, but the body of the living thing itself is a place where numerous living things live together with other living things— literally symbiosis.
 
Communal life lives in interaction with other life forms. From a microscopic perspective, life is in a relationship of struggle and conflict, but from a macroscopic perspective, living things need each other. Living things have the same identity, but along with them, they also have differences that arise from historical processes. The basis for reflecting on these characteristics, namely the identity and difference, interactivity, and historicity of living things, is the meaning that can be given to life. These principles can be presented as living characteristics.
 
At the same time, life has the will to preserve its existence as a living organism. It is insufficient to simply accept this as a desire for survival. This is because living things go beyond the desire to blindly maintain their own lives and move toward achieving their own existence as living things and the will to move toward the future. These characteristics can be verbalized as the intentionality of living things. As humans, characteristics such as self-control and self-emptying (kenosis) are concepts that can only be understood and accepted when we reflect on the intentionality of living things. It is in the philosophical interpretation of life that the general intentionality of living things can appear as transcendental characteristics.
 
It is only through this process that the characteristics of self-realization by abandoning oneself and self-transcendence that can never be understood from a biological perspective are revealed. Even the most outstanding religious characteristic, spirituality, is impossible without this self-transcendence.
 
Life is contradictory in itself— Life wants to live but ends in death, living for oneself needs the help of others, and life has the same principle but cannot exist without differences trying to unify this contradiction. The reason why this contradiction can be reconciled and internalized within oneself is because of the ontological horizon of life, and it is never possible without transcendence based on the intentionality of living things. Life culture and bioethics will be properly founded only on the basis of this verbalized vitality.
 

Speaking Our Convictions

On the spirituality page of the Catholic Peace Weekly a priest writes about the need for the participants to the 16th World Bishops' Synod to speak their convictions in the Lord in his weekly column on the Synod.

While the importance of humble listening was emphasized during the 16th World Bishops' Synod journey, it received little attention for its relative boldness. 

 

Pope Francis lamented the rigid ways of meeting the synod from the beginning. He pointed out that it is against the spirit of the synod that those present at the synod assume that the pope is thinking something different and do not speak according to their conviction. 

 

Through the first plenary session of the 14th World Bishops Synod held in 2014, Pope Francis explicitly expressed his views on speaking in accordance with the 'synodic' spirit. Pope Francis emphasized during the synod that everything that the participants feel in the Lord should be said without hesitation.

The synod must therefore be conducted in an honest and positive atmosphere. Don't worry about how others will judge what you're trying to say, but speak clearly. You should not be afraid of anything you face in the  synod meetings. Through this, synod participants face various real-world problems and encounter moments of anguish that we don't want to see. Be careful of the temptation to finish quickly because you have something else to do. During the Synod progress incomplete situations experienced during the synod should not be recognized only as discord and raptures. These little gaps allow the grace of the synod to come into our lives.
 

Bold speaking in the spirit of the synod provides an opportunity for leading players in various fields to speak with sufficient freedom. This reflects the understanding of God's people in the Second Vatican Council. Specifically: "Laypeople, by reason of the knowledge, competence, or outstanding ability which they may enjoy, is permitted and sometimes even obliged to express their opinion on things that concern the good of the church.(Paragraph 37 of the Constitution of the Church)

 

To speak courageously in accordance with the spirit of the synod is to participate in the activity of the Holy Spirit, which unites members of the church with their different thoughts, callings, and mission as one dynamic subject. But in reality, this oneness in the  synod processes is difficult to experience. Rather, it seems that the tension encountered in synod meetings more often leads to an atmosphere of contention. Practical efforts are needed to proceed with the synod in an atmosphere that is active, prudent, and without worry or anxiety  while maintaining tension.
 

For this, Pope Francis' explanation of listening may be helpful ((The Joy of Gospel」, paragraph 171). "We need to practice the art of listening, which is more than simply hearing. Listening, in communication, is an openness of heart which makes possible that closeness without which genuine spiritual encounter cannot occur. Listening helps us to find the right gesture and word which shows that we are more than simply bystanders. Only through such respectful and compassionate listening can we enter on the paths of true growth and awaken a yearning for the Christian ideal: the desire to respond fully to God’s love and to bring to fruition what he has sown in our lives. But this always demands the patience of one who knows full well what Saint Thomas Aquinas tells us: 'that anyone can have grace and charity, and yet falter in the exercise of the virtues because of persistent contrary inclinations'. In other words, the organic unity of the virtues always and necessarily exists in habitu, even though forms of conditioning can hinder the operations of those virtuous habits. Hence the need for “a pedagogy which will introduce people step by step to the full appropriation of the mystery”. Reaching a level of maturity where individuals can make truly free and responsible decisions calls for much time and patience. As Blessed Peter Faber used to say: 'Time is God’s messenger' ".

 

 

 

 

 

Limits of Freedom

On the Spirituality Page of the Catholic Peace Weekly, a priest gives the readers an understanding of the limits of freedom.

Humans are free beings. However, human freedom is also a limited freedom. The mere existence of any freedom other than mine greatly limits my freedom. But other than that, humans encounter numerous obstacles in their lives that limit their freedom.

Since humans are born and conditioned from within, how mature a person is depends on how much he or she accepts the limits of freedom.
Parents know very well that if they give in to everything their child wants, the child will not grow properly. As a child lives with others in a daycare center, kindergarten, or school, he or she grows up learning that they cannot have everything their way.

The Bible conveys this truth through the story of the fall of our first ancestors on earth (see Genesis 2:4-3,24). Although God gave everything to humans, he also drew a line that should not be crossed. In other words, you must not eat from the ‘tree of knowledge of good and evil'. (The "tree of the knowledge of good and evil "symbolically evokes the insurmountable limits that man, being a creature, must freely recognize and respect with trust. Man is dependent on his Creator, and subject to the laws of creation and to the moral norms that govern the use of freedom (#396 Catechism of the Catholic Church). That is the innate condition of human beings and the innate limitations of human freedom.

This means that human freedom requires nurturing and care. It takes a long time of preparation to become the master of one's own life. You must learn what life is and how to live it from your parents and through interpersonal relationships in various environments.

Faith is similar to this. Through the Sacrament of Baptism, we are reborn as free beings freed from sin and evil, but that freedom is still fragile and can easily go out like a lamp in the wind. Just as a long period of nurturing and preparation is needed to lead one's own life, protection and care are needed to adopt one's parents' (church's) faith as one's own.

This allows us to look at the issue of children's religious education in a new way. One day, when your child expresses difficulties with faith, you must be able to understand it as a problem of freedom. When your child is dissatisfied with the infant baptism he or she received and asks why you took away their religious freedom by making him a Catholic, or when he threatens to stop going to church, you first need to acknowledge that this attitude is natural. Just as puberty during adolescence is essential in the process of human growth, a child must naturally go through such times of rebellion and conflict to make faith his or her own.

However, at the same time, we need to recognize that human freedom is limited. Just as we prepare for 20 years (or more!) to live our own lives, we must be able to realize that we need more time to understand the principles of faith and its meaning. However, this cannot be forced; it is something a child must learn on their own. Therefore, we have no choice but to wait. Even if your child does not accept it right now if you trust God and the church, have patience, talk and trust each other, and continue to walk along the path, you will find that your child will grow little by little and choose faith on his own after overcoming the adolescence faith.

However, you should not stop fertilizing. The best fertilizer for your child's faith and freedom to grow is building trust. Leading children to build trust in God, the Church, their parents, and themselves will serve as the most important cooperation in helping the Holy Spirit work in the child's journey of faith.

Synodalitas, Evangelization, Mission

In the Theological Lecture Hall column of the Catholic Times, the director of a theological cultural research center gives the readers some background on the situation of the church in society and its mission.

The growth of the church seems to have reached its limit. In the latter half of the 20th century, beyond the strong waves of secularization, religion seemed to be becoming more active to the extent that we heard the words: 'return of religion'. Except for the European churches, all churches in the world were seeing growth. In the 1990s, the Korean church reached its peak of expansion. 

However, in the 21st-century era of post-secularization, religion is losing its influence. Korean churches are also shrinking. Of course, there are parishes that grow thanks to the individual capabilities of their pastors. There are also parishes that grow due to social factors such as expansion of population. However, the overall trend of the church is a period of contraction rather than growth.

 

A crisis always brings back fundamental questions. What is church? What is the church for? It is a question about identity and mission. Identity and mission are connected as one. 

The church exists to carry out the mission of evangelization. A missionary church is what the church is. Recognizing its own identity and mission again and rebuilding it is the church's way of responding to times of crisis. All of Pope Francis' efforts are an extension of this. Synodalitas is the internal renewal of the church  

to become a missionary church.

In general, when the church defined missions as "proclaiming the gospel and planting churches" (Mission Decree, Article 6 Vatican II Documents), there was a tendency to equate proclaiming the gospel with evangelization. In other words, evangelization was understood as an element of mission. However, a new concept was needed because the traditional concept of missionary work was considered to have a kind of colonialist tendency, showing the characteristics of Western centrism.

 

 

Evangelii nuntiandi (Evangelization in the Modern World; is an apostolic exhortation issued in 1975 by Pope Paul Vl on the theme of Catholic evangelization.

It affirms the role of every Christian, not only ordained ministers, priests, and deacons, or religious, or professional church staff, in spreading the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It provided a holistic and new understanding of the concept of evangelization. The

concept of evangelization came to be established as a concept encompassing the mission and activities of the church.The changed understanding of evangelization led to the acceptance of missionary activities as an element of evangelization. In other words, it emphasizes mission as evangelization.Evangelization as an element of mission changes to mission as an element of evangelization.

 

Evangelization includes all three aspects of the church's mission and activity. Evangelization includes general pastoral care that "helps believers to respond more fully to God’s love in their lives by orienting themselves towards spiritual growth" and new evangelization (that helps "those who were baptized but did not live according to the demands of baptism" to experience conversion). It includes both re-evangelization) and missions "proclaiming the Gospel to those who do not know Jesus Christ or to those who still reject Him" (foreign missions). (The Joy of the Gospel, paragraph 14)

 

Evangelization, missions, and pastoral care have no clear boundaries and are closely interconnected. The concepts of evangelization, mission, and pastoral care allow us to understand the mission and activities of the church from various angles. The traditional understanding of missions and pastoral care had an aspect of strengthening clergy-centered church activities. However, a changed understanding of evangelization also results in a new understanding of church activities and an expansion of the scope of lay participation. The concept of evangelization is a comprehensive thing that encompasses mission and pastoral care, and is positioned as a theological term that can promote change and renewal of the church in various aspects.

Synodalitas The method of evangelization also varies depending on the way the church exists and operates. If evangelization is not carried out properly today, it ultimately means that there is a problem with the way the church exists and operates. Evangelization can be better carried out through the evangelization of church members and church structures. The evangelization of the world and the evangelization of the church always go together.

The church is not a socially or culturally autonomous space. The church is always under the influence of times and culture. The church borrows much from the culture of its time. However, the church creates its own unique culture by renewing the borrowed things from the perspective of the gospel. Synodalitas reflects the church's movement to better carry out its mission of evangelization by renewing its structures, relationships, and methods of communication within the church. Synodalitas is the Church's effort to become more effective in carrying out her mission of evangelization in the world.

Synodalitas does not simply aim to change the way the church operates at a functional level. It is an effort to breathe newness into the way the church exists and works, and it is an effort to pursue new church methods at the spiritual, pastoral, and institutional levels. It is an effort to reorganize the church according to the times and culture, and an effort to find models for carrying out the mission of evangelization in various theological, cultural, and institutional forms.

It is a time when we must deeply think about the evangelization of the church for the evangelization of the world. Will we prepare for a new beginning through change and renewal, or will we live in the old way and follow the path of decline?