"The Wisdom of Letting Go"

Renunciation, traditionally associated with religious or spiritual practices, extends beyond these, taking on some very secular ideas.

Instead of withdrawing from the world, modern renunciation is giving up attachments to things, ideas, or anything that prevents us from growing mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. Some would express this as minimalism: getting rid of anything that doesn't add value to life. Excessive consumerism, technology, and external gratification for a more internal focus on what is considered essential.

In the Wisdom of the Desert Fathers column of the Catholic Times, the Benedictine monk presents St John Cassian's three stages of renunciation. "The first stage is to give up the desire for this world's riches and possessions. The second is to reject past habits of mind and body, vices, and passions. The third is to turn our hearts away from all that is temporal and visible, to look only to the future, and to long for what cannot be seen." 

Renunciation leads monks to constant prayer. A monk who attains purity of heart through renunciation and ceaseless prayer advances to pure prayer, achieving union with God and living in his Kingdom. Without this renunciation, neither ceaseless prayer, purity of heart, union with God, nor the Kingdom of God is possible. This is the teaching of the Desert Fathers, passed down to us through Cassian.

One day, Macarius the Great, upon encountering some monks asked, "How can I become a monk?" They replied, "Unless I renounce everything in the world, I cannot become a monk".  Therefore, according to Cassian, monks were called "Renunciants". A monk who possesses God's things in his cell renounces the things of this world. In fact, as one elder put it, those who have tasted the sweetness of non-possession find even clothing and a water pitcher cumbersome. Because his mind is now elsewhere. 

The Desert Fathers also emphasize the renunciation of one's own will. One famous Father said, "There are three things that are precious in the sight of the Lord: to face pain and life's difficulties with gratitude; to perform all one's work purely in the presence of God; and finally, to completely renounce one's own will and remain under the spiritual master. When one renounces one's own will, God reconciles with him and accepts his prayers."The human will is a brass wall and a stumbling block between him and God.

"Renunciation" is a prerequisite for following Jesus. But we know from experience that letting go of something we own is never easy. Letting go of our own will is even more difficult. That may be why following Jesus, living as his disciple, is so difficult. Letting go is a discipline that requires practice.

We came into this world empty-handed. Yet, as time passes, we spend too much time and energy trying to possess and hold onto so many things. The things of this world we cling to will eventually vanish in an instant.  Our lives are such that we come empty-handed and must return empty-handed. When we free ourselves from attachment to everything in this world except God, we will become true disciples of Jesus. The Desert Fathers invite us to the wisdom of letting go.  

Don't Be Afraid

A seminary professor in the Catholic Peace Weekly Preciousness of Faith Column offers readers some thoughts on Matthew 14:31.

“Lord, save me.” As Peter walked on the water and saw the strong wind, he became afraid and began to sink into the water. He cried out, and the Lord reached out His hand and caught him, saying, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?”  When they got into the boat, the rain stopped.

We, too, are sailing the ship of life, navigating rough seas and moving forward. There can be no life without wind and waves, and we cannot help but be afraid. However, the Lord comes toward us, reaches out His hand to hold us, boards the ship with us, calms the wind, and gives us the courage to start anew.

Our fundamental problem is that our faith is weak and we fall into doubt. When doubt follows doubt and consumes our thoughts and hearts, we find ourselves in a situation from which we cannot escape. What we need in such situations is to welcome the Lord who comes toward us and entrust all our worries and concerns to Him. “Cast all your anxieties on Him, for He cares for you. God always cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

We often fall into anxiety and worry by imagining too much about what is to come. However, the things we fear do not actually exist. They are merely figments of our imagination, and we are bound by the power we have created. The Lord says to entrust all our worries to Him. There is nothing we cannot handle. The Lord has already prepared the path for us and always gives us the help we need.

Another step toward overcoming fear is realizing how precious we are as beings cared for by God. “So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows” (Matthew 10:31). These words express well God’s heart and plan for us. Even before we were born, we were part of the Lord's plan. In the words of St. Alphonsus, God loved us even before the world existed.

Therefore, we must not be afraid. God knows better than anyone else the anguish of our hearts in times of trial, and He gives us the courage and strength to rise again and continue to move forward with hope.

At the root of uncertainty about the future lies the suspicion that God is not there, that God has abandoned us. When we pray together with the church community and reencounter God's love in the Word and the sacraments, when we experience being entirely accepted by God, when we experience how precious and noble we are before God, our fears will disappear. When we believe that God allows us to exist and cares for us to the end, and entrust our existence and future entirely to Him, everything will be resolved.

I remember the words of advice a priest gave me during confession when I was a foreign student, quoting Galatians 2:19-20. “Father, Jesus loved you and gave his life for you. So take courage and be strong.”

Let us remember the love that has given us new life. We are beings reborn through love that conquers death. We are precious beings because we can recognize God’s mercy and love and respond to them in kind. Let us ask for “courage,” “boldness,” “patience,” and “perseverance.” Peace and joy will come.

Respect for the Elderly

  

In the Philosophical Counselling column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, the professor revisits the problem of ageing.

The world is now entering the “homo hundred” era, where the population over 100 years old is rapidly increasing. South Korea, in particular, is experiencing the fastest and most widespread aging of its population globally, due to declining birth rates and increasing average life expectancy.

The problem lies in the fact that society perceives the elderly as unnecessary beings without economic capacity in terms of normality and usefulness. The unfair social perception that isolation, loneliness, economic deprivation, and dependence on others are inevitable destinies of old age serves as a principle justifying stigma, discrimination, and exclusion against the elderly. Simone de Beauvoir's (1908–1986) statement that “perceptions of old age evoke feelings of disgust greater than those associated with death itself” aptly expresses how psychologically dreadful we consider old age to be.

American philosopher Martha Nussbaum (1947–) distinguishes between “primitive disgust” and “projective disgust.” Primitive disgust is a natural emotion that arises from self-protection and survival instincts, formed when one feels fear of the possibility of being contaminated by animalistic substances such as bodily secretions, decaying corpses, vomit, excrement, insects, and blood.

On the other hand, projective disgust is an emotion that reflects the psychology of society's members, causing them to reject certain groups or individuals by attributing repulsive characteristics to them. Disgust is an emotion that straddles the boundary between life and death, and behind it lies a deep sense of anxiety and fear of death. The elderly, who stand at the boundary between life and death, remind us of decaying animalistic qualities, which stimulates anxiety in those who see them. In the process of resolving this anxiety, people develop a desire to actively exclude them.

As a result, a society that hates the elderly implicitly separates the elderly and the young through artificial and imaginary boundaries, maintaining an idealized image of the young and productive body, thereby instilling fear within us. Thus, the phenomenon of aging, which was once accepted as a natural part of life, has been pushed out of the realm of life and reduced to an object that must be actively managed. However, hatred becomes widespread in all rigid and fixed areas where differences are turned into boundaries. To counter hatred, the elderly themselves must overcome exclusionary boundaries to avoid becoming victims of self-hatred.

To radically change society's view of old age, individuals must first defend themselves against ageism, which breeds hatred. The rigid and fixed worldview is dependent and vulnerable.

To bring about a radical change in society's view of old age, individuals must first defend themselves against ageism, which causes hatred. Elderly people, who are dependent and vulnerable, should be respected. A shift in perspective is needed to recognize them as unique beings with dignity and value.

Only then can the elderly break free from the stereotypes they have internalized, gain the inner strength to resist discrimination and exclusion by breaking the hierarchical order of society, and break the paradigm of projective hatred that society constantly reproduces, allowing them to age healthily.  Old age is the final stage of life on earth, a time to live with grace, a precious gift bestowed upon us.  

Vatican—100% Renewable Energy by 2050

The Catholic Peace Weekly columnist explains our need to harness the power of the sun in the workings of our world.

Our ‘common home’ Earth is boiling. With temperatures exceeding 40℃ and extreme rainfall, the intensity of climate change is reaching a catastrophic level. While the Earth suffers in this way, humans turn a blind eye, content with the immediate benefits. Selfish indifference is leading to the destruction of all creatures. 

The primary cause of the climate crisis is the increased emission of greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, resulting from the extensive use of fossil fuels. The international community’s awareness of climate change began with the adoption of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change at the Rio Conference in Brazil in 1992. Since then, 29 Conferences of the Parties (COPs) have been held every year to limit greenhouse gas emissions, but they have failed to stop the rise in the Earth’s average temperature. 

At the 21st COP held in 2015, the Paris Agreement was adopted, which limited the increase in the Earth’s average temperature to 1.5℃ and contained greenhouse gas reduction goals for each country. However, last year, the average global temperature rose by 1.55 °C compared to pre-industrial times, marking the highest level ever recorded. To prevent the climate crisis, it is essential to transition away from fossil fuels and toward sustainable, renewable energy sources. 

Renewable energy refers to all forms of energy that already exist in nature, such as solar energy, hydroelectric power, and wind power. Among them, solar energy plays a key role in renewable energy. 

In June 2024, Pope Francis announced the motu proprio Fratello Sole, an ‘urgent order’. He ordered the construction of an ‘agricultural solar power plant’ on the Vatican grounds outside Rome with the goal of ‘zero’ carbon emissions. Pope Leo XIV followed suit and announced ‘Vatican RE100’ to cover the entire Vatican with 100% renewable energy by 2050. 

The Lee Jae-myung government’s energy policy is an ‘energy mix’ that utilizes existing nuclear power plants to the maximum extent and expands renewable energy. As of 2023, the share of power generation in our country is only 31% coal and nuclear power, 27% LNG, and 10% renewable energy. During his candidacy, President Lee said, “Nuclear power is cheap right now, but it can be costly when you consider waste disposal and risk costs.” He also said, “We cannot export due to international greenhouse gas regulations,” and “The sun, light, and wind belong to us all.” 

The Catholic Church advocates for climate justice through ‘decarbonization’ such as coal phase-out, denuclearization, and de-transmission towers. However, its stance on nuclear power as an energy source is cautious. 

As discussions continue on the role of nuclear power in the process of transitioning to RE100, the threat of nuclear power and the stability of waste management must be addressed. Currently, investment and momentum in nuclear energy are increasing worldwide, and our country is a leading exporter of nuclear power. 

The Vatican is the smallest country in the world with no industrial facilities or trade. However, the Vatican’s efforts to promote RE100 could have a significant impact on the global energy industry. Because it can serve as a compass guiding the future of the energy industry and driving the expansion of ESG (environmental, social, and governance performance standards). Investment based on moral authority, vast diplomatic power, and the presence of 1.4 billion Catholics worldwide. 

To prevent climate change and fully preserve the Earth, inexhaustible solar energy is essential. The power of all-natural energy is the sun. The climate crisis can be an opportunity. To do so, we need to empathize with the crisis, unite, and act together. To produce renewable energy, we need to establish a low-carbon economic structure and create new jobs and markets. The sun, the eldest brother of the planets, is now speaking to the Earth. “I will eliminate climate disease and take good care of the Earth! Make more use of me.” 

In Search of the Abundant Life

 

In the Preciousness of Faith column in the Catholic Peace Weekly, a seminary professor reflects on the many who have left the community of faith.

Among the friends he made during his first communion, very few attend church. This broadens his perspective and leads him to ask those who do not believe. Why do they not believe? However, from their point of view, we who attend church must seem even stranger. They might wonder: why do you believe? In fact, whether we believe it or not, we are all walking the same path. We may be lost or paused for a short or long time, but in search for the meaning of life—what is it all about?

For some, questions will arise quickly, and for others, slowly. How should we live our lives to be valuable and meaningful? What must we do to achieve the fullness of our lives? Jesus's following words are profoundly significant for us who ask these questions: "For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them." (Matthew 13:12)

In light of experience, spiritual growth will regress if it is not continually pursued. Some of us may have paused our faith for a short or long time. At first, the lack of church attendance and religious practice may feel comfortable and freeing. We become engrossed in things we haven't done before, things that immediately attract us. But when worldly temptations crash down on us and we flounder, there comes a moment when we realize we have become impoverished.

Like the younger son in the parable of the lost son (Luke 15:11-32), in tatters of body and soul, we begin to ask ourselves: how did I end up like this? Then, memories of the joy and happiness experienced during times of faith surface. We resolve to start living our faith again.

In returning to the Father's house, we come to realize what it means to live as a child of God in a community united in prayer and song. Although we do not often feel it, through our routine spiritual practices, we receive spiritual and physical nourishment, maintain our health, and seek God's blessing.

Korean Liberation Day

A researcher from the Jesuit Human Rights Research Center offers insights in the Catholic News Paper on the 80th anniversary of liberation.  

The summer of 1945 was a season of liberation from Japanese colonial rule. However, it was also a season marked by the end of the war, with countless lives lost on the front lines, and the dropping of atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, which brought about an irreversible tragedy in human history. 

The result of sacrificing countless civilians to end the war was not merely the conclusion of the conflict. It marked the beginning of another war, one that entangled narratives of perpetration and victimization, even dividing the very ways in which memory is constructed.

Thus, the memories of August 1945 were layered on top of each other, with Korea's liberation, Japan's defeat, and the destructive power of nuclear weapons witnessed by the world. Japan commemorates this period as “memories of war damage” and emphasizes the atomic bomb damage in Hiroshima and Nagasaki. These memories mainly emphasize the horrors of war, while at the same time obscuring the responsibility for the war of aggression. The responsibility and apology for the Japanese imperialism's long-standing aggression and colonial rule over its Asian neighbors, as well as the numerous atrocities committed under the name of the Greater East Asia War, remain vague.

The argument that we should forget the pain of the past and move toward reconciliation for a better future is also problematic when power inequality is at play. In particular, when forgiveness is forced upon victims without regard for the context and conditions of forgiveness, it is tantamount to another form of violence.

Christ's forgiveness is often misunderstood in this context. In fact, there are reports that among victims of domestic violence, it is Christians who suffer the deepest inner pain. This is because even within the church, the “theology of forgiveness” has functioned as a tool to force victims into silence. Victims are too often told, “We must forgive the perpetrator as Jesus forgave us” and “We must accept our suffering as Christ suffered.” However, these words serve as a means of justifying the continuation of violence and can become a double burden of pain for victims, silencing them on top of their wounds.

On the other hand, do we have the courage to break away from the familiar narrative of seeing ourselves only as victims? Korea was certainly a victim that endured a long history of colonialism, but at some point in modern history, it also stood in the position of the perpetrator. For example, the massacre of civilians by the Korean military in the villages of Phong Ni and Phong Nut in Quang Nam Province, Vietnam, has yet to be properly investigated and apologized for to this day. When we acknowledge that we cannot simply be victims before the court of history, and when we accept that anyone can be both a victim and a perpetrator, then the process of forgiveness and reconciliation based on honest memory will finally become possible.

Forgiveness is not about covering up the past, but about making a commitment to ensure that such a past is never repeated. Remembering the summer of 80 years ago, which was both liberation and another form of oppression, light and darkness at the same time, we must ask again: How do we forgive, what do we apologize for, and why must we remember?

Need For Communication

 

In the Catholic Times View from the Ark column, a professor in a university Department of Urban Engineering gives the readers something to reflect on.

Communication is more effective when it is two-way rather than one-way. You must give God a chance to speak. He prefers prayers in which you ask for His will and listen carefully to what He wants from you.

How does God speak to me? He may convey His will through the “people” I meet in my life. Sometimes He reveals His heart through “events.” And more often than not, He expresses Himself to people through nature, which serves as a medium for His words and messages.

Even during the recent heat wave, if we listen carefully, we can hear what He is trying to tell us through the heat. That is, if we stop and listen attentively.  Even though the heat is painful and annoying, if we can hear God's voice in the heatwave and find the path He is pointing us toward, then enduring this long summer will be worthwhile.

In the suffocating heat, I hear God's voice, "Stop tormenting the earth!” I also hear Him say, “Please take the lead in reducing carbon emissions so that the Earth does not get any hotter!” In the early 1990s, the 15 member states of the European Union sensed the global carbon crisis and have been working hard to reduce carbon emissions for the past 30 years. 

As a result, they reduced carbon emissions by nearly 20-30% in sectors such as construction, power generation, and agriculture. However, carbon emissions from transportation increased by 30%, so they are now focusing on reducing carbon emissions in the transportation sector. France has taken steps to reduce carbon emissions by eliminating short-haul flights that can be covered by train in two and a half hours or less. Are we making such efforts? Or are we moving in the opposite direction?

Caring for this world, which God created with love, is the duty and mission of us believers. Let us listen to God's voice in the heatwave. When we see outdoor air conditioners blowing hot air, let us realize that they are heating up our villages and cities even more to cool our rooms and homes. If we have been idling our cars without thinking, out of concern for our loved ones, let us realize that this is making the air outside our cars even hotter.

Professor Kim Seung-seop, who has studied the social causes of disease, shares the story of the “lessons from the Chicago heatwave disaster” in his 2017 book, “When Pain Becomes a Path.” That July, Chicago experienced a heatwave with a heat index of 48 degrees Celsius, which persisted for days, resulting in over 700 deaths. It was a disaster of unprecedented proportions.

An analysis of the causes of death due to the heatwave revealed that those who died were often sick individuals, those living alone, and those who could not escape the heatwave.

An analysis of the causes of death revealed that those who were sick, lived alone, remained in their homes despite the heat, or were socially isolated were more likely to perish. In some cases, the mortality rate from heatstroke differed by more than tenfold between neighboring communities, with areas where community cohesion had broken down and public safety was unstable showing significantly higher death rates.

Four years later, in July 1999, another heatwave struck. The mayor of Chicago activated an emergency climate response strategy, opening 34 cooling centers where people could escape the heat and operating free buses. When it was determined that there were insufficient cooling centers, 31 schools were quickly added within a day. Visits and health checks were also conducted for over 30,000 vulnerable individuals. The number of heatwave-related deaths that year dropped to 110. This was the result of knowing the cause and responding swiftly.

Let us listen to God's voice speaking through the heatwave. Let us reflect on why our common home, the Earth, is becoming so hot, and seek out and practice what we can do. If we have come to realize that the socially vulnerable are even more vulnerable in the face of disasters like heatwaves, our communication with God will have deepened, and our reflection and action will resonate throughout the world as God's clearer and more powerful voice.