Going from the Concrete to the Nebulous

In Korea placards, banners, posters can be seen everywhere. Years ago at the entrance to schools you often would see Knowledge, Virtue, and Body (Health). It was the wisdom from Confucian values that they were emphasizing. It was the Confucian holistic approach to learning: the head, heart and body. These days it has changed to: dream your dream, be part of the future and the like. The meaning is obscure but very appealing but no way as powerful and concrete as the old. We are less attracted to the here and now but rather to the vague and ambiguous. The very word virtue has almost completely disappeared. Could this also be an import from the West?

A Preposterous Understanding of Words

In Korea at present we have a debate on “death with dignity” and what it means. One of the bishops was upset, with the preposterous understanding of the natural death of Cardinal Kim. The Bishop's formal pronouncement a few days ago mentioned the way certain sections of the society have taken the recent death of Cardinal Stephen Kim as an example of “death with dignity” meaning assisted suicide. They are using his death as an example to push for legislation to approve of assisted suicide and euthanasia. The Bishop made very clear that The Cardinal’s death came from old age, a death he could no longer avert and he accepted with humility.

In Korea as in other parts of the world it is not surprising to see how words can be manipulated by the press and interested parties to make anything serve their particular purposes.

Comparisons Are Odious

I was just reading an article by a Korean Priest who had a very interesting take on a book he read on the happiness quotient of Koreans. He noted that a person who wins the gold medal is the happiest. You would think the one who won the silver would be the second happiest but it does not seem to follow. He is looking at the one who won the gold and is disappointed while the bronze winner is looking behind at all those that did not make it and is very happy.
In Korea this "gold medal stress syndrome" seems to apply to other areas also. The example was given of a person who is making 5 or 6 thousand dollars a month. If his salary is decreased for some reason he is disappointed as we all would be. The reason however for the disappointment comes because he looks at those who are making more than he is instead of seeing all those that are way behind in the wage scale. It is a good lesson that it does very little for our happiness to compare ourselves with others as our Lord made so clear on so many different occasions.

South Korea Church trains new priests for North

Jon Herskovitz and Kim Junghyun

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The Roman Catholic Church of South Korea has started training priests to serve in North Korea, a country criticized by the United States and others for stamping out religion, for the first time in about 40 years.

"It's not something North Korea wants us to do. We are doing this with an eye toward the future when the two Koreas unify," Monsignor Matthew Hwang In-kuk, the Episcopal vicar of the Pyongyang Diocese, said in an interview with Reuters on Thursday.

Communist North Korea, which Church officials estimated had a Catholic community of about 55,000 just before the 1950-53 Korean War, does not allow priests to be permanently stationed in the country.

The five candidates began studies a few days ago for the priesthood, Monsignor Hwang said. The Church plans to recruit a new group each year.

It will take about 10 years to complete preparations and even then, they may not be allowed into the North.

Priests from the South do occasionally visit the hermit state, usually to accompany the delivery of aid or the start of a humanitarian project, and a visiting priest reportedly celebrated mass in Pyongyang when Pope John Paul II died.

There used to be about 20 priests in the Pyongyang diocese, which was incorporated into the Seoul diocese in 1970. The priests worked in the South but only seven of the group are still active, including Monsignor Hwang, who was born in Pyongyang in 1936 and fled North Korea during the Korean War at the age of 14.

"At the time when the Pyongyang diocese was incorporated into the Seoul diocese, it was a precondition for priests like myself to go back as soon as the two Koreas unify," he said.

The same applies to the five who just entered training for the priesthood, who are not been given any special preparation for serving in one of the world's most isolated states.

"Who Are These Guys Anyway?"

Well, Korea lost but it was a well fought match. It was a 10 inning 5 to 3 win for Japan in the World Baseball Classic. For the Japanese it was the second in a row as champions of the WBC.

The feelings between these two countries goes very deep and the rivalry between the two countries goes back many years. It will take many more years to remove much of the animosity that the Koreans feel towards the Japanese. One of the articles on the game posted in Korea gave credit to the Japanese for a strong win but it was with a lack of sportsmanship on the part of a team that was defending champions. They were considered to be very cunning. Very interesting insight is it not?

Baseball in Korea is rather recent and the children do not play sandlot baseball as we are accustomed to in the States. It is a tribute to the Korean's competitive spirit that shows itself not only in sports. In 2006 when the Korean team bested the Americans in the second round of the WBC the American press in surprise: "Who are these guys anyway?" They are already planning for the next WBC Championship.

The Humble Work of the Legion of Mary

The Legion of Mary is a very strong movement in Korea. This is true of most of the movements even when they seem to be sluggish in other parts of the world. I continue to marvel at the enthusiasm and dedication of the members; their obedience to the different higher levels of the Legion. The group with which I am associated with as chaplain, will be going out with bags and gloves to clear the area around a nearby mountain of paper, cans, bottles, glass and all kinds of litter that was left behind by unthinking travelers. This is down to earth ecology at its best.

Planning for the Future

The men from our Local Korea Group met in our " second after Chapter meeting "with our Vicar General and Asia Regional Superior. It was a profitable and energizing two days dealing with 6 topics taken from the Chapter deliberations.

1) Renewal and Society Life

2) Recruitment/formation and Society Identity and Membership

3) Partnership and Mission and Ecology

We randomly made 3 groups and discussed each of the 3 topics in 3 sessions. We came together for the plenary and group reports. We will have much to think about before our next meeting.