Synodality in Catholic Life

In celebration of the election of the new Pope Leo XIV, the Catholic Korean Times conducted a survey titled ‘The Pastoral Tasks of the New Pope - Asking 70 Theologians.’ The aim was to identify the most important pastoral tasks of the Pope, who will lead the church. This will reveal the mission of the entire Catholic Church and teach us how the entire people of God will cooperate and devote themselves to practicing that mission. This is a brief summary of the survey results. A new pope and the path forward for the people of God.

In the survey, theologians selected ‘implementing synodalitas and building the church according to the synodal spirit’ as the most important pastoral task of the new pope. Half of the 70, or 35, responded that building a synodal church is the only way for the church to become the true people of God. One participant responded—

“The implementation of Synodalitas is a continuation of what Pope Francis has been doing. Now, the church cannot go back to the image of just listening. Until now, we have only tried to teach without asking what the people of God want. We must walk together and ask and answer together. The church will no longer create hope if it does not attempt to renew itself and remain immobile. 

Theologians have chosen Synodalitas as the most important pastoral task of the Pope for four reasons. First, Synodalitas is the condensed content of Pope Francis’ efforts to renew, and Pope Leo XIV declared that he would continue that reform. 

Second, Synodalitas is another name for church renewal. Its principle is the spirit of the Second Vatican Council, a larger concept than other pastoral tasks.

Third, Synodalitas goes beyond the church and moves toward communion with the world and nature. The Synodal Church attempts to correct the injustices and unreasonable realities of the world, such as war and peace, poverty and inequality, and the climate crisis. 

Fourth, the journey toward realizing Synodalitas is still far away. Most local churches still have not yet figured out the correct understanding and practice of Synodalitas. Therefore, theologians believe the new Pope Leo XIV should focus more on its full realization.

Pope Francis mentioned Synodalitas in his 2015 speech commemorating the 50th anniversary of establishing the Synod of Bishops. Since then, it has been emphasized as a fundamental principle of the Church's life and activities. In particular, the 16th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, held for three years from 2021 on the theme of Synodalitas, was the culmination and synthesis of Pope Francis’ efforts to renew the Church.

The Synod's final document was prepared after two plenary sessions, asking for the opinions of the entire people of God, starting from the diocesan and parish levels, and going through a process of listening, dialogue, and discernment. By explicitly approving this document, the Pope made it a document of the magisterium. He instructed each local church to make arduous efforts to implement Synodalitas over the next three years and share the results. In this way, the entire universal Church is now in the full swing of implementing Synodalitas in the concrete life of the Church.

Theologians said that Pope Francis' core task of renewal is contained in the Synodalitas and that the new pope will continue that task.

One Theologian said: "Pope Francis wants from the Church in the Third Millennium the Synodal journey and that Synodalitas is the essence and way of existence of the Church," and that "building a Synodal Church is an important task for the new pope."

Another Theologian emphasized that "Pope Francis presented a clear roadmap for the renewal of the Church called Synodalitas " and therefore, "Pope Leo XIV's most important task was to faithfully implement the follow-up measures scheduled for 2028 and show that the Church is continuously renewing."

Theologians said that church renewal is necessary to implement Synodalitas, which is consistent with the spirit of the Second Vatican Council. Furthermore, they recognized Synodalitas, church renewal, and the realization of the conciliar spirit as a superior status concept that encompasses all other pastoral tasks.

“Synodalitas is the realization of the conciliar spirit and is a concept that contains the expectations and hopes of believers who desire church renewal.” A senior researcher said, “The synodal church encompasses all tasks such as expanding the role of the laity, church reform, integration of conservatives and progressives, and integration of the episcopal body into Synodalitas.”

Another participant said, "Church renewal and the construction of a synodal church refer to the same goal," and "the church's efforts to return to the spirit of the Gospel. A  Director of Planning in a diocese said, "It is still in the early stages, but I am confident that the church will change if we continue to devote ourselves to formation for the construction of a synodal church."

Meanwhile, theologians recognized the implementation of synodalitas not only as a task of communion within the church, but also as the only way to move toward a relationship of communion with the world and nature.

Another participant said, “In a modern society that has become disconnected from God and has lost its relationship with nature and people, the church must form a community of communion that reveals the relationship of the Trinity. " Another participant said, “When the church is rooted in the communion of the Trinity and becomes a place where people experience the fullness of human relationships, it can become a source of hope for humanity and all life.”

A senior researcher said, “The synod church primarily means internal renewal of the church, but the church must also walk together with the world,” and “What this era demands of the church is to be present, that is, to empathize with the pain of the world as its own.”

The journey to the Synodal Church is still far away. According to theologians, it is still only the first step, and its results fall short of expectations and hopes. However, such a reality makes it imperative for the new pope to make Synodalitas the most important pastoral task.

Another theologian said, “It has been a long time since the synodal journey began, but there are doubts about the specific changes and results.”  Another participant said, “The new pope’s attention is vital to continue efforts to realize the spirit of Synodalitas in the individual situations of each local church.”

A lay editor of a Catholic newspaper considers Pope Francis one of the most reforming leaders in the Church, but he sees no interest in change in the local church. In reality, there is absolutely no interest in synodality at the parish level. We must work to instill the will for reform among all levels of the church and to recognize synodality as an urgent task."

Hope Makes Faith Grow

A Jesuit philosophy professor's meditation on hope for our lives appears in the Philosophy column of the Catholic Peace Weekly.

"Abandon all hope, ye who enter here." This is the phrase written on the gates of Hell in the Inferno section of Dante’s “Divine Comedy” (1265-1321). Hope is an essential element of human life. A life without hope is like hell. In that sense, the philosophical question of what hope is to humans is fundamental.

The “Pandora’s Jar (Box)” in Hesiod’s “Theogony”, which describes the origins of the Greek gods, tells a mysterious story about “hope”. Zeus punishes Prometheus for stealing his fire and giving it to humans. He doesn’t stop there, and sends a woman named Pandora to his brother Epimetheus in order to bring disaster to humans who had become powerful through fire. Curious, Pandora opened the jar that she shouldn’t have opened, allowing all sorts of disasters to enter the world, and when Pandora, surprised, closed the jar, only 'Hope' that had not yet been released remained in the jar. What is this story telling us?  Are we to be tortured by 'hope', initially a disaster? Or do you still have hope even in the midst of disaster?

The French existential philosopher Gabriel Marcel (1889-1973) argues that hope (espérance) is fundamentally different from desire (désir) or wish (souhait). Desire and wish are based on expectations of possibilities outside my being, while hope belongs to the realm of the impossible. In other words, hope is the emotional experience of existence felt under limiting circumstances and is a response to the being that makes me exist. Humans can endure even tragic and desperate situations because there is hope. Marcel paradoxically states that there is also no hope where there is no trial. He claims that our souls exist only through hope. Through trials, hope sprouts, and this hope is non-objective and non-possessive, deriving solely from 'courage for, and joy of existence'. Therefore, simply hoping allows one to continue living without giving up.

Hope is a leap beyond necessity, different from a specific basis of belief or conviction. For a person drifting in the vast sea where nothing is visible, hope is not merely a hand of salvation that may come at any time, but something that sustains and endures. Of course, it is not easy to bear the entirety of one's existence amidst trials, so we tend to rely on an absolute existence (God). Therefore, Kant (1724-1804) argues that 'hope is possible only when morality is supplemented by religion.'

The absence of hope gives rise to despair. According to Kierkegaard (1813-1855), despair arises from a 'mismatch in one's relationship with oneself.' However, even in moments of despair, one can hold onto hope by genuinely wanting to become oneself. Kierkegaard emphasizes that, to not lose hope amidst despair, one needs an absurd 'paradoxical faith', as exemplified by Abraham's faith in sacrificing Isaac.

Hope is the opposing concept to despair, but it does not mean rebellion or escape from despair. Rebellion or escape is merely another form of despair. Instead, hope is based on a firm belief that does not give up on oneself even in despair. Faith nurtures hope, and hope strengthens faith and makes it grow.

New President For Korea!

South Korea will elect a new president on June 3rd. The recent Diagnosis of the Times column of the Catholic Peace Weekly explains the turmoil in the country's political situation and divided society.

Since the declaration of martial law on December 3 last year, many citizens have been living in political instability and turmoil. Everyone has their own opinions regarding the conflict surrounding the president's impeachment and the early presidential election. Anger and hatred sometimes appear unfiltered. When exposed to strong, sharp language for long periods, people feel tired and want a rest. That’s why they say, “Please don’t talk politics.”

What exactly is talking about politics? It's never limited to supporting or criticizing a specific politician's policy. Sometimes, in the midst of confusion, we cannot separate policies from politicians and are trapped in the language of hatred.

However, some policies are far removed from the agenda of mainstream politics. This kind of agenda is sometimes categorized as a ‘progressive’ or ‘leftist’ agenda. Without examining how much it actually connects with progressive or leftist thinking, when unfamiliar and uncomfortable, it is often considered  ‘progressive, leftist, or communist.’ Environmental issues generally fall into this category. Preserving the environment can be extremely anti-progressive on the one hand, a minority agenda.

Small agendas have few people who speak up, so you are not heard unless you shout. Why would you occupy a stage, pitch a tent, and protest without following the procedure? If you follow the procedure, you will be blocked every time. It is natural that it can be tiring to hear the same story over and over again. However, urging such people to “stop talking about politics” is a political act in itself. It is an act of those who do not have to shout and want those who need to be heard to keep quiet.

In environmental issues, creatures who are the subject of the agenda cannot speak for themselves. Therefore, those who sympathize with their suffering speak on their behalf. Their voices can be tiresome and noisy. When Bartimaeus, a blind beggar in Jericho, cried out to Jesus’ companions as they passed by, “Have mercy on me,” someone scolded him to be quiet. But he cried out repeatedly, and Jesus stopped and said, “Call him.”

Shouldn’t we listen to why the ones who are shouting are angry? The ones who should stop talking about politics are not the poor, the suffering, and the alienated, but those who make hatred and exploitation look politically plausible. And it is precisely this politics of hatred that we can guide and sometimes rebuke to pay attention to the suffering of our poor brothers and sisters. That is the politics we can do.

The 21st presidential election is approaching. Let us not hesitate to correctly identify and speak out to create a world where the voices of the little ones are not stifled, but where there is hope and a better tomorrow.

Desert Fathers' Understanding of Sin

A Benedictine monk's Catholic Times column on the Wisdom Learned from the Desert Fathers brings to our attention the Capital Sins—the ways that make the inner life sick and control the mind.

They are gluttony, lust, greed, anger, sorrow, acedia, vainglory, and pride. John Cassianus introduced these eight evil thoughts to the Western Church. Pope St. Gregory I made them “the seven deadly sins” by combining Sorrow with Acedia, to become Sloth and Vainglory, to Pride, and adding Envy. They are now listed in the Catholic Catechism as: pride, avarice, lust, envy, gluttony, anger, and sloth. They are considered "capital" sins because they engender other sins and vices. Their wise teachings, derived from experience, will help us, living in the modern era, purify and govern our hearts.

Pride— is the root and summit of all evils. The evil spirit of pride leads the soul to the most profound corruption. It prevents the soul from recognizing God's help and makes it believe it is the cause of its good deeds. It makes others who do not acknowledge this aspect look foolish and arrogant. It is an attitude of thinking of oneself as the best, ignoring others, and rejecting God's help.

“A proud monk does not need other evil spirits, for he is an evil spirit and his own enemy.”  That is why the Desert Fathers called pride the chief of all vices. The cure for pride is remembering the mercy and help that one has received from God, remembering the examples of the saints, and never forgetting that one owes everything to Christ. Pride is a sin committed by the fallen angel Lucifer and the first human being, and is destroyed through humility.

Avarice (greed)—is the attachment of the mind to worldly goods and material things. “Greed brings to mind long old age and inability to work, future hunger and disease, the pain of want, and the shame of receiving necessities from others”. In a word, greed comes from anxiety and worry about the uncertainty of the future.

Jesus said, “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself” (Matthew 6:33-34). It is a lack of trust in these words. “Avarice (Greed)  is a root of evil. It causes hatred, theft, envy, discord, hostility, anger, revenge, cruelty, and murder.” 

In reality, all the evils around us stem from greed. People compete fiercely to have more, exploit each other, and even go to war. The cure for greed is poverty. Poverty is entrusting everything to God’s providence and escaping from worldly worries. This is the essence of evangelical poverty. Only those who have tasted heavenly things will not be obsessed with earthly things.

Lust— is closely connected to gluttony, according to Climacus, who said a soul that succumbs to gluttony is given over to lust. Cassianus’s following words clearly show how difficult the fight against lust is. “The second fight is against the spirit of lust. It lasts a long time, is more persistent than all the others, and few people achieve complete victory. It is a terrible fight … It does not end until all the other vices have been overcome.”  “He who extinguishes the fire of the flesh with spiritual fire and drives out fleshly love with divine love is pure.” 

The fight against Lust begins with the control of the sexual desires of the flesh and ends with their transformation. In this way, chastity aims not at the suppression of flesh and natural desires, but at their transformation, transforming human love into divine love. Whether married or single, we will all live sexually transformed lives in heaven, for there we will all be like angels.

Envy— is, according to St. Thomas Aquinas, "sorrow at another’s good." It is a feeling of sadness or resentment because someone else possesses something we desire.

Gluttony— The Desert Fathers considered the stomach the cause of all human ruin and said that those who conquer the stomach make significant progress on the path to purity. Gluttony is dangerous precisely because it serves the lusts. Overcoming gluttony is not easy; overcoming other passions depends on overcoming gluttony. Evagrius’s prescription may sound unrealistic and useless in our present reality.

The Desert Fathers saw Anger as a terrible passion that drives away the Spirit of God from our souls. 

The columnist thinks one of the serious problems in our society today is anger control disorder. Many people are impatient, easily get angry, and are consumed by anger. The Desert Fathers saw anger as a terrible passion that drives away the Spirit of God from our souls. When anger enters our souls, it distorts our vision, clouds our thoughts, confuses our minds, and renders us helpless against the attacks of Satan. Evagrius says, “Anger is the most violent passion… It is the one that, above all, takes away our spirit in prayer by recalling the face of the one who has made us sad”. He advises that no evil can transform the spirit into an evil spirit as much as anger, and that those possessed by anger should say the Jesus Prayer” frequently. 

The Fathers saw anger as the greatest obstacle to prayer and the greatest enemy of the contemplative because it distracts our minds and prevents pure prayer. The remedy for anger is meekness. The path to meekness is to first not respond angrily to those angry at us, to not think harshly about them, and to not pay attention to those who attack us. Evagrius says that practice is a process of moving from anger to meekness.

Sadness, Acedia (Melancholy), Sloth come from not getting what one desires, and are sometimes accompanied by anger.” Sadness comes from a lack of desire, from unfulfilled longing. A monk who has retired to the desert could become obsessed with thoughts of his home, parents, and former life, and could fall into sadness due to the lack of such things. Those who are in the world fall into sorrow when they lose a parent or a loved one, or when their intentions do not go their way. This is a natural sadness that can lead us to frustration and despair. The cure for sadness is to turn away from worldly pleasures.

Evagrius says, “A person who abstains from all worldly pleasures is an inaccessible watchtower for the evil spirit of sadness… 

Acedia means spiritual negligence, sloth, and lethargy. It is a vice found among celibate monks, and it is a state in which the covenant with God is broken due to our negligence. Climacus, in particular, describes the symptoms of this vice very vividly. “Acedia is a paralysis of the soul. It weakens the mind and neglects ascetic practices. It praises worldly wealth, slanders God’s mercy and love for man, neglects the recitation of psalms, and makes one weak in prayer.”  Acedia is also called the “noontime evil spirit” (Psalm 91:6) because it attacks monks more strongly around noon.

A monk caught up in this vice falls into idleness and laziness, and is tempted to run away from his cell (the arena: the arena of spiritual struggle) and return to the world, surrounded by all sorts of distractions. As a remedy for this vice, Evagrius suggests manual labor and the memory of death, Climacus suggests perseverance and communal living, and Cassianus suggests zeal for work.

The laurel of victory that one obtains after overcoming evil habits through the battle against them is purity of heart and equanimity (apatheia) that is not shaken by any temptation. Only in such a pure and peaceful heart can one converse with God.  The Acronym PALE GAS is often used to remember the 7 Capital Sins.

Meditation on White Smoke

In the Catholic Peace Weekly newspaper, a science teacher offers a meditation on fire in his Faith and Science Column, with an interesting conclusion we can apply to our lives.

In Greek mythology, Prometheus stole fire from Zeus and gave it to humans. Humans who used fire developed civilization and advanced culture, elevating humanity to a different level of existence.

So, when did humans first start using fire? Scholars estimate that humans first used fire that was ignited naturally by lightning or volcanoes during the Paleolithic Age, when Homo erectus lived about 1.4 million years ago. Fire was crucial in helping primitive humans, ruled by nature, overcome nature and gain an advantage over other animals. 

Fire played a significant role in not only the way of life but also the advancement of civilization, such as by dispelling the darkness of night, increasing human activity time, and reducing the physical energy required for digestion by cooking meals.

In “Sapiens,” Yuval Harari said, “Humans could control their infinite potential by taming fire.” The Industrial Revolution in the 18th century, which was achieved by humans domesticating fire, was a representative event in which the steam engine used the combustion reaction of coal. Combustion is a chemical reaction in which a substance rapidly combines with oxygen, producing light and heat. The traditional fuels humans used to obtain light and heat were organic substances such as wood or straw. 

Modern fuels such as petroleum, natural gas (LNG), and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) are composed of carbon and hydrogen. When sufficient oxygen is supplied during the combustion process, complete combustion occurs, and the elements in the fuel produce carbon dioxide and water (water vapor), generating nearly transparent or white smoke. However, when the amount of oxygen is insufficient or the temperature is low during combustion, incomplete combustion occurs, generating carbon monoxide, and the carbon in the fuel is released into the air in the form of fine particles, generating soot and black smoke.

Since smoke is visible from a distance, it was used to convey messages before the development of wired and wireless communication. When a major national incident occurred, such as an enemy invasion, a signal was sent to a distant place using smoke or light. 

Just as people in the past paid attention to the smoke rising from beacon towers, people all over the world paid attention to the color of the smoke coming out of the chimney of the Sistine Chapel in the Vatican right after the conclave. It is known that in the past, when a pope was elected, white smoke was created by completely burning ballot papers in a stove, and when a pope was not elected, black smoke was created by incomplete combustion of damp straw. Since the election of Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, chemicals have been used to make the smoke color clearer.

Just as we produce white smoke right after the Conclave, we must light the hearth of our conscience in our daily lives and completely burn all our hypocrisy, impiety, negligence, distrust, and hatred toward others to produce white smoke. We must ask God to prevent our wrong thoughts and actions from being incompletely burned within us and producing black smoke. 

What do you Want to do?

In the Sunday Talk Column of the Catholic Times, a documentary filmmaker asks, "What do you want to do?"

She writes in words and videos. When asked what she does, she says, “I look into things for a long time and ask questions.” It’s not a very clear answer, but the truth. She asks questions; it's her job. She has met many important people and understood others through questions and the world in which they live.

While working as a medical documentary filmmaker for 17 years, she's met countless patients. Many suffered from serious illnesses. They were at the crossroads of life and death. 

She asked them, “If you could come out of the operating room alive, if you could live again, what would you want to do?” The question was always the same, and surprisingly, no matter who they were, their answers were always similar.

“If I could live again, even for just a few years, I would travel with my family and spend time with them.”

Their wish was to live and travel with their family. So why travel? It’s not because they suddenly want to see strange things, famous buildings, or beautiful scenery. There is only one reason people think of traveling when on the edge of life’s cliff. They want to create memories that will be remembered. 

The condition is ‘together’ with loved ones or family. They want to travel with their loved ones. What is travel? It is a time that frees one from work and daily life. 

The following are the responses, the desire to say to a wife, husband, daughter, or son, "I love you." If it was simple, why couldn't they say that easy phrase? Many people felt regret. It might be because of the conditions attached to their love. However, love is unconditional. It means that I will unconditionally support, cherish, and welcome you no matter what.

Those who face the biggest challenges in life learn painfully. We also learn through those who have learned painfully. We are all like unwanted orphans in this world; confessing "love" to those we have lived closest to is the highest tribute to life.

I ask people questions as a means of work and learning, and listen to their answers. Armed with those responses, I pose questions back to the world. So today, what do you want to do during your limited time on this earth?

Need For Joy in Life

"Rejoice in the Lord always. I repeat, rejoice” (Phil 4:4). In the “Preciousness of Faith" column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, a seminary professor offers readers an understanding of true joy.

Happiness and joy are different in that happiness is related to the external situation one is experiencing, while joy is more closely related to an internal state. “Happiness” can be described as an emotion, while “joy” is more directly associated with a state of one’s being. A gift of the Holy Spirit. Even when facing death, Jesus said: I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete (John 15:11).

What if there is no joy in faith? Pope Francis, who recently passed away, says in his first document, Evangelii Gaudium: “The joy of the Gospel fills the heart and life of all who encounter Jesus.” The essence of Christianity is joy. We cannot proclaim the Gospel without joy. Without joy, there is no reason or meaning in faith. So, how much joy do we experience in faith?

The Bible is full of those who experienced this joy. The Magi were extremely happy when they saw the star again. Those who experienced great joy at the birth of Jesus were the shepherds on the road and Simeon and Anna. Jesus invites everyone to the joy of living as children of God through the Beatitudes. “Rejoice and be glad, “Your reward is great in heaven.” (Matthew 5:12)

Jesus’ parables often feature scenes of joy. Joy comes when one discovers the kingdom of God, the most precious thing in life, and it is also the joy of God, who welcomes repentant sinners. In the parable of the prodigal son, when the younger son returns, the father rejoices and prepares a great feast. That joy is so great that the younger son’s ingratitude is no longer a problem. The older son is not able to accept the joy of reconciliation.

But wasn’t the joy of the disciples the greatest when the Lord, who had died, was resurrected? “The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.” (John 20:20) The Lord had conquered death and was with them; death had lost its power and the Lord himself had become their hope— it was the driving force that made them spread the gospel of the Lord to all parts of the world without sparing their lives.

However, that joy was filled with suffering and death. Jesus said, “You will weep and mourn, but the world will rejoice. “You will be sad, but your sadness will be turned into joy” (John 16:20). Jesus said that the disciples would see him again and rejoice and that no one would be able to take that joy away from them. This joy comes after trials and suffering. 

Whenever he shares the experience of resurrection with believers, he confirms that we cannot experience the true joy of resurrection unless we die to ourselves and become low and humble. The suffering and trials we face come in the form of worries and pain, but when we endure them in faith, we discover hope that soars higher and realize that the death that accompanies suffering and trials was necessary. We also learn that true joy comes when we entrust our lives to the Lord's will, not our will or desires.

Joy also comes from doing the Lord’s work. Even in the Lord’s work, there are moments of difficulty and pain. However, when we entrust ourselves to the Lord and persevere to the end, the work of our hands is given as gifts. Joy comes from recognizing that everything is a gift from the Lord. 

Let's ask ourselves. What kind of joy are we pursuing today?