Korea and NIMBY Syndrome with Death

In Seoul there has been an ongoing problem in getting permission for a place to keep the ashes of those cremated. Many residents living near churches that have planned a mausoleum in the basement would be in opposition. Some years ago the Cardinal's car on a visit to bless a Church, with a mausoleum , was pelted with eggs. The feeling strongly continues to exist.

In Korea there are more cremations than the traditional burials which is a big change from the traditional idea of death and burial. Most Catholics in Korea still prefer traditional burial in spite of the Church's permission and even recommendation for cremation and placing the remains of the dead in diocesan mausoleums. There is ongoing litigation on a charnel house (place to keep the ashes of the dead) in one of the churches in Seoul. Click here for Union of Catholic Asian News report .

The diocese feels the recent decision of the Constitutional Court ruling was ill advised. It prohibited the building of mausoleums in churches that are within 200 meter of a school. Catholics feel that death is a part of life and there is no reason to try to hide this from children. The ruling mentioned that in Korea there has been a traditional avoidance of graves and corpses in residential areas. There is the traditional fear of what this will do to the emotional life of the children. This was approved by a vote of 5 in favor and 4 against

The diocese feels that the repugnance that is expressed with this ruling concerning death is a serious problem in itself. It is a part of the way we have looked at death but does that mean that we must continue doing so? Although there is a movement to increase the number of these mausoleums, people do not want them near to where they live. NIMBY is the acronym for "Not In My Back Yard." It is the rallying cry of residents who are opposed to the establishment of undesirable facilities, such as incinerators, landfills, or prisons, and now in Seoul a place for the ashes of the dead. The diocese feels this attitude is very detrimental to the education of children.

There is much to be said on the respect for the dead that we have in Korea but at the same time we have a great deal of superstition with death and what surrounds it. Changing the way we look at death and our traditional ways, will enable children and all of us to have a healthier appreciation of life . Hopefully we will see a change in this area, in the months and years to come.

Second Part of Discussion on Prayer

Second Part of Fr. Meehan's discussion on prayer

Practical Prayer is primarily one using the senses. Sacraments and Sacramentals are important here. Liturgy as a sensed experience is an important form of prayer of this kind. Other appropriate forms are reading, singing hymns, psalms and other songs, saying the Divine Office, Ignatian meditation; people with this practical bent to life find that a special prayer schedule is a good technique for them. Planning a decision or discernment prayer are often suitable prayer forms for this group.

Imaginative Prayer this prayer is one that makes great use of imagination and intuition.The use of symbols ( the cross, incense, a skull, an icon, raised hands... ) as guides to prayer can be very helpful to the imaginative person. The sacraments in their symbolic nature can be great resources for imaginative prayer. Reflective meditation methods (Augustine, Ignatius, Francis de Sales) which utilize the imagination or intuition are very attractive and fruitful. Some other appealing forms of prayer are: the rosary, the Stations, reflection on death and other major life stages.

Truth Seeking Prayer after the models of St. Domenic, St. Albert the Great and St. Thomas Aquinas, study type prayer can be very much a value. Studying and reflecting on Scripture or theological data, praying on the news of the day, asking what are the clues to God's presence or absence, studying my own life line and discerning the presence of God. Reflecting with the spirit of God on the meaning of my prayer, and dreams. Here too discernment prayer is a very compatible form. (A Life Line is a personal reminiscence of my past life to find where God was leading me. During some of these life events I was aware of God's presence, but in many instances I became aware of God's presence only after I reflected on the the event and its importance in my life.)

Good seeking prayer is prayer that makes full use of the feelings, affective prayer, letting love predominate in prayer. For this group suitable forms of prayer are: zen and centering prayer, Jesus prayer, praying in tongues, reflection that allows full range to my emotions and feelings, angry prayer and compassionate prayer, reflection on the passion and resurrection of Jesus.

Decisive Prayer is well organized prayer. The Divine Office is a major example. The Liturgy of the Eucharist which appeals in different ways to each of the modes is also important here because of its orderliness and regularity. Life line and daily life line prayer also are a value. The Spiritual Exercises, Cursillo, Encounters , planning and discernment prayer, and similar forms of prayer are good for this mode.

Concerned prayer is prayer for the person in no hurry. For this kind of person appropriate prayer forms are waiting prayer, centering prayer, zen prayer, contemplative prayer, compassionate reflection, free flowing prayer, listening to the Spirit, prayer with and for others, dream interpretation prayer, prayer of petition, prayer of thanksgiving.

Lectio Divina: The Prayer of St. Benedict.
It can be noted that certain kinds of prayer incorporate all of these modes in one way or another and therefore appeal to all. Thus for example: the four stages of the prayer of St. Benedict use all of these modes. These stages are:

Lectio Divina: slow , careful reflective reading of the Bible.
Meditation: reflection on one part of the reading or Mystery
Oratio: affective prayer, with love of God predominating
Contemplation: responding to God as experienced.

Great St. Teresa's Prayer incorporates all the modes since by its very nature it leads to God driven prayer which transcends all the others. Teresa describe prayer as beginning with the individual person in meditation, then moving upward to affective prayer, from then on all advances into the various forms of contemplation are direct freely given gifts from God to the person praying.

Prayer as communication

Prayer like all other forms of communication and conversation between individuals is a very personal thing. Every person has a special way of doing it.This means that my prayer has to be the subject of personal discovery for me. I can learn much from others, but in the final analysis, I am the only one, with the help of the Spirit who can discover the best prayer for me. Any and all kinds that help my relationship with the Triune God to grow are good for me.

Different forms of Prayer for Retreat

Fr. John Meehan's words on prayer.
Shortened for a two blog format.

First Part


Every human being seems to have a deep personal conviction that she or he is distinctly different from every other person. There are many qualities in common and others that are different. The similarities are very helpful for us in learning to live with one another whereas the differences give us each the uniqueness that makes such living together interesting and creative. In some cultures, over the course of history and even in some now not existent, there has been a tendency to live and to operate as if every one is somehow the same . Today most would agree that this tendency is a mistake. This is particularly true in the realm of spirituality. Thus even in prayer one person will discover his or her self very different from others. To adequately work this out for my own life, I have to experiment and discover the prayer forms that are most valid for me. As Anthony De Mello says about the prayer life " Don't cut the person to fit the coat and the Sun that gives sight to the eagle blinds the owl."


I need to experiment and discover my own best prayer forms for this time in my life. As I change I will realize that my prayer often needs to change as well. What is valid and useful today may not be so tomorrow, experimentation will have to become a permanent part of my spiritual discipline.


Among the many attitudes for relating to the world and to others, there are several which appear to be basic. Thus I find people who relate to the world in the following ways:


Outgoing or in turning
Practical or imaginative
Truth seeking or good seeking
Decisive or concerned


Using this framework, I will discuss some of the different kinds of prayer that seem to work best for people who relate to each way.


In turning Prayer has traditionally been most discussed and written about. Almost all that you and I have heard about prayer has been of this type. I will spend more time with the other kinds. Much of the prayer for the other types will include this kind of in turning prayer.


Outgoing prayer as its name indicates is discovering God in the world outside our inner self. It is a kind of journey outward rather than inward. This kind of journey is basically one of growing in awareness of the presence of God in all. It is becoming attuned to the presence and experiencing communion with the Trinity as operative in the world. There are three kinds of experiences which make this kind of prayer: Creation, Compassion, and Communion. Here are a few examples of the almost limitless possibilities.


Creation: writing poetry; teaching someone; using any art form; studying, cooking, making bread, dancing, making love, gardening. Photographing, writing letters...


Compassion: helping others where they decide they need help; being with others in their weakness and strength without judging; keeping others company in their journeys; counseling; serving as a spiritual friend; being friend; being a prophet fighting injustice; living in solidarity with the poor. (Exercise: If an appropriate person is available, I will take an Emmaus walk with that person. An Emmaus Walk (Lk 24:13-35) two people walking along talking about the things that Jesus has done in their life. It is a faith sharing of what has happened in my life because of my belief in Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus will walk with us, even though we may not recognize him.)


Communion: Contemplating nature: sunrise, sunset, beauty, music, enjoying poetry, practicing aerobics, swimming, being together, grieving with someone, holding hands, watch people, experiencing (sacrament) unity with good of any kind .


Outgoing prayer is a prayer of doing, of surrender to the will of God in the world, and participation in the pascal mystery of Jesus. I have not found this prayer to be an easy one for me. I suspect the problem is due to my own lack of experience in its use.

Part two will continue tomorrow.

Korean Priest looks at American Catholicism

Many of our Korean Priests have now spent time in Korean Parishes in the States and gone on for degrees . They find it very easy to compare what they see to what they have in Korea and what they have heard from other parts of the world. Some see the conditions in the States as a preview for the Catholic Church of Korea.

Reading one such account I was surprised at what I thought was the accuracy of what he had to say. He was pastor of a Korean Parish and went on for a Doctorate in Theology while in the States.

He mentioned how in the States there is no embarrassment when politicians bring in Christianity, demanded by much of the electorate. This is not the way of Europe, even though it has a longer history with Christianity and a Catholic one. Catholicism due to its decline in Europe gave birth to secularism and was the object of attack from the ideology of the Enlightenment. Consequently he would see The United States as more Christian in the Protestant mode and more religious than Europe.

He goes on to say that Protestantism was a big part in the birth of the nation and capitalism went right along with it. In Europe modernization and secularization were born because of the decline of Catholicism. The Enlightenment was in opposition to Catholicism and for what it stood. In the States, to the contrary, Protestantism became the motivating drive for modernization, democracy and progress.

Catholicism was never the mainstream in the States. There has been prejudice against Catholics from the beginning. It was an immigrant Church from Europe, in recent years from the East and now many Catholics are coming in from Central and South America. In recent years we have the sex scandal of some priests having sexual encounters with minors; this was big news in the States which brought out some of the prejudice that was dormant.

The priest writer believes that not having been in the mainstream of American Society was and is good for the Catholic Church. In Europe, Catholicism was mainstream and dislodged to the periphery where it has little influence in the way things are done.

Catholics in the States are 1/4th of the population and 40% of these Catholics are Hispanics. The Protestants are the white mainstream. In looking over the History of the Church when the Church went mainstream the teaching was distorted. When it is on the fringe of Society the Church is able to speak and not be compromised by the political and cultural situation. He feels precisely because of the problems the Catholic Church faced, it was open to dialogue; the lay people activated to take an active part in the working of the Church. He wondered when the day will come in Korea when we will have a lay person teaching theology in the seminary. He hopes that the Church in Korea never becomes mainstream but feels it is leaning in that direction.

Practice of Discernment in Retreats

In our personal retreats there is often a need to discern to make a decision. Fr. John Meehan used his knowledge on directing retreats to explain a procedure which he left us in his writings. I have taken the liberty of changing some parts.

1) Discernment with the aid of the Holy Spirit. The entire context is prayer.
2) Discuss the question to make clear choices.
3) Understand the background.
4) State the reality clearly.
5) Study the word of God and learn what it says about the attitudes of Christ which relate to my discernment.

St. Ignatius of Loyola used and developed a method of discernment which he gathered from his reading of the Scriptures and his experience. Today through the continued development of the method , especially by the Society of Jesus, this discernment prayer has become even more powerful as a Christian prayer for decision making.

Ignatius added to the prayer a way of testing the inspiration of the choice made. This test is a major part of the prayer as is his other addition of beginning with a prayer to achieve holy indifference or openness to what ever choice the Spirit of God leads one into making. Since discernment prayer is important it often takes a long time. The time involved is directly related to the importance of the decision to be made. Minor decisions take little time, major ones can last for months.

Stage I : Prayer for complete openness

In my experience both with myself and others, the initial prayer for indifference to the outcome is often the most difficult one. To enter into this prayer I need first to look clearly at the options that I have and attempt to reduce them to two major ones .For example: a young man or woman can use this prayer to decide whether their calling or vocation is to a life of married love or to one of celibate love.

To begin the process of discerning, I need to pray for a full and deep understanding of both options as very good choices and as leading to a life of happiness and blessing. When I can honestly say that I am open to answering either option I know this prayer has been answered. Once this state is reached I am ready for the discernment proper.

Stage II: Discernment Prayer for Decision Making

1) The reasons why celibacy is a good choice for me.
2) The reasons why marriage is a good choice for me.
3) Why celibacy is not a good choice for me.
4) Why marriage is not a good choice for me.

All prayer begins best by calling upon the Holy Spirit to be with me and continue to help in my discernment. Included in my reasons are all those that I can think of which come from God's word in Scripture. I look carefully at the elements of my own character which point toward the ability to lead a celibate life. I need to look at my own interests, likes and dislikes, preferences in life style, ways of thinking, strength of my prayer life, ability to love others deeply, self discipline, love of self, others and God. The help of a spiritual friend is often very important in this prayer. When I am not able to find other reasons this prayer comes to an end.

I will spend a day checking through each set to discover whether I have missed anything of importance.Then with the help of the Spirit I enter into the process of making a choice and a decision.

Stage III: Prayer to test the Discernment.

St. Ignatius moved by the words of Scripture: IJohn 4:1-3, Mat 7:17, Gal 6:4,
searched the scriptures and discovered for himself a good test for the presence or absence of the Spirit. St. Paul provided the test for the fruit of the Spirit in Galatians 5:22: "The fruit of the Spirit is Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Generosity, Faithfulness," Ignatius learned this and started to use it in his own prayer. I need to use it in my own discernment.

If the Spirit of God has been involved in my prayer and decision, these fruits will be present, in the depths of my spirit, soul or heart. Our spirit is like the ocean, very deep and teeming with life. As with the ocean, the surface will very often be in turmoil
while the depths are quiet. It is in these depths of my spirit that I need to test for the fruits of the spirit. Of all these fruits the one that is easiest to detect is that of peace. So peace becomes the test.

If the Holy Spirit has been with me in my discernment, I will discover peace with the decision. If I find peace there, my prayer is finished and I have decided with the Spirit.

On the other hand if down deep I am in turmoil upset, anxious or not at peace with the decision, then I have to begin again and continue my discernment prayer until a decision is made that leaves me at peace down deep.

Waiting With Hope

In His Own Words Fr. John Cioppa Maryknoller in Hong Kong.

In 1972 shortly after he was released from a Chinese prison Bishop James Walsh was at the Kai Tak airport waiting for a plane to take him to the US. He said, "Here I am waiting again. In 1950 I waited to be sentenced to jail, I waited for 20 years to be released, and now I am waiting again. I have spent half of my life waiting." He was not angry. He was just commenting , relaxed and smiling. "Waiting " for Bishop Walsh had become his spirituality. He had integrated waiting into his life. He was not anxious or worried. He had learned that waiting also meant hope.

Some researchers say we spend about 8 years of our life "waiting". A mother waits 9 months for her child to be born, another year waiting for him to walk and five years more before going to school. We wait to see the doctor. We wait to pay bills, wait for exam results, wait for job interviews and wait to get married.We even wait to die. I hope Jesus doesn't keep us waiting at heaven's door. Waiting brings fear and anxiety but it also brings hope and joy: a new child born, release from prison, high exam marks.

The Jews waited 500 years for the Messiah to come; 40 more years with Moses wandering in the desert and 50 years in captivity in Babylon longing to be back home in the Holy Land. Life for the Jews seemed to be one waiting after another. And as we know they are still waiting.

I believe waiting has a very profound meaning. It is a deep-seated longing for our hearts and souls to go home. Waiting is basically homesickness. We are restless and anxious and can never settle down because the place we are standing is not home. Saint Augustine put it well when he said, "Our hearts were made for God and they will not rest until they are again with God."

I thing that is what Advent is all about. It's a reminder that we are on a journey- a long journey back to the Father. We wander in a strange place searching for the road home. We long to be back again with our Father. If you have even been homesick, you know what I mean. Advent is a reminder that we live our lives in ambiguity. We live in the presence of God, yet live in the expectation of His coming again. We celebrate His coming but wait and long for Him to be with us again. Somehow deep in our souls there is a memory of being with God . Advent reminds us that we live in that memory hoping and anxious to be with God again. That was the feeling of Jesus when He was on earth and that is the spirit of Advent. A waiting with hope .That hope also brings peace and joy and that's what we celebrate on Christmas.

Waiting makes us uncomfortable and brings with it feelings of fear, anxiety, loneliness and helpless. But it also brings with it hope, joy and new life. Advent reminds us that we are homesick and our hearts will not be in peace until they are again with the Lord. Advent is not a sad time. It is a time of hope, a time to feel the peace and joy of the Lord who is here, but has yet to come.

The Korean Welfare System

It has been said, and it has the ring of truth, missioners are not the best ones to ask for an understanding of the environment in which they work. We probably identify too closely with the people and do not see the larger context. Be that as may, I have certain feelings about the Korean welfare system from my dealings with the Catholics over the years. I have heard criticism of the welfare system but from my experience in Korea, the welfare system is doing very well.

I can recall in the early 70s when a grandmother who was senile, was dropped off in front of our kindergarten in the town in which we had the parish. I saw her on my trip to the kindergarten and told the catechist to take care of her. The next day she was still there; I was upset but there was little he could do he said. We washed her and brought her to the nearby Catholic Hospital where they said her legs were frost bitten and have to be amputated. We went to the different government offices in the town but they could do nothing. That was one of the reason they moved the street people from one provincial district to another. They did not have the facilities.

What would I be faced with now that I had responsibility for this senile grandmother who couldn't walk? After much worry and gathering of information, the Sisters in the parish told me, if she could walk she would be accepted at House of Hope in Taegu were the Sisters were working. We bought artificial limbs and for a week taught her how to walk. In the end she was accepted and a big worry disappeared. In those days the Korean Welfare system was just not in place.

Today seeing what the welfare system is doing is just marvelous. The government I am told is trying to enhance the quality of life, reduce unemployment, poverty and inequality; what I see is the poor when sick go to the hospital, if they are without family they are given an allowance, the poor children in school are given computers. The Government also helps the private welfare sector once a program has been started with the buildings and personnel, if the conditions are met, they contribute to the operation of the facility. I do not hear any quibbling about it being run by a religious organization or not. The private and religious groups are also very active in this welfare system. I am very much impressed with what the Government has done over the last 30 years. There may be holes in the system but what I see is tremendous improvement over the past. May the treatment of the weak and poorer segments of our society continue to be a concern of those in Government.