Korean musical instruments with Chinese silk


The makers of Korean string instruments, to maintain the
Deep sounds try to obtain the materials from Korea.
However, the silk that goes into making our instruments
Has to be obtained from China.
We have farmers who raise silk worms but only for medicinal
Purposes and not for the silk.
The Chinese know well that we are not producing silk
So every year the price goes up.
Our artisans have no choice but to buy,
The Chinese producers of the silk are in control.

We are little by little giving up what we can do
And becoming subservient to others.
Do you think this is only in the area of silk?

From an e-mail.

The Difficulties of Korean Farmers

Korea is now ready for a new rice harvest and still much of last year's rice remains. In a news letter for priests we are being asked to be enthusiastic in helping the farmers to sell their produce by dealing directly with the people in the parishes. This has been one of the goals of Save Our Farm Movement.

Cardinal Stephen Kim's homily at the Mass that inaugurated the movement back in in 1994 said : "If we lose the farms we lose our birthplaces. If we ruin the farms it is like ruining ourselves. The pain of the farmers should be our pain."

The desire is to link the farms with the city dwellers to sell the farm produce. There are many outlets in parishes that try to facilitate this direct buying from the farms. The reasons for this concern are listed as:

1) To take care of our health and lives we must avoid becoming subservient to other countries at the table and to avoid tainted foods.

2) Understand the place of food for Korea's national security.

3) The place of farms in balancing the economics of the country.

4) To protect our national lands and environment.

5) Keep the population from gravitating to the cities.

6) The driving force behind development and a resource for tourism.

7) To provide natural settings, rest areas and to experience the verdure of the country.

8) To have an alternative to the industrial society that we have made.

The pastor's intention in the article was to alert us to the plight of the farmers and asking us to support the farmers in selling their produce. Rice production of the country has been abundant in recent years with very good harvests, while the populace is eating less rice. Younger people have not continued the eating habits of the older generation; imports especially from China have hurt the farmers with the cheaper prices. Farming co-ops take the premium types of rice but the other varieties the farmers have to find their own markets, a problem for many. The international price of rice is much cheaper so we can see what will happen when we have tariff barriers disappear.

The Four Fingered Pianist Lee Hee Ah

The Catholic Times had an article about the 4 fingered pianist ( she plays with two fingers in each hand) Lee Hee Ah (Hyacintha) who is well know around the world having a number of YouTube appearances and many concert appearances overseas.

Her story is heart-wrenching right from her birth to now at the age 23. The mother knew before Hyacintha was even born that she was handicapped. Her family wanted her aborted and even after she was born some wanted her to be put up for adoption overseas. The hospital told the mother that she would not live long.

The mother was sure that this was a gift of God and never doubted this for a moment. She now has a daughter that stands tall where ever she goes.

Her last concert was on September 10th and 11th in Taiwan and she is booked in November to go to Indonesia and Hong Kong. One priest has said she is one who has changed her destiny. Her Catholicism is important to her and she enjoys being able to make God known where ever she goes.

The article mentions that the mother wanted to teach the child how to play the piano so she would be able to hold a pencil. She tried to get her into many piano academies with no luck but with extraordinary patience and effort on the part of Hyacintha she did succeed.

What I found interesting was the attitude of many still towards the handicapped. I am not surprised for it is a feeling not easily lost. Because of her disability she was told that people have a loathing to have her on same program and when she went to make a record she was told who wants to hear a two fingered pianist? Even though her name was widely known many were saying that her popularity would disappear and her chances to perform would cease. The predictions were wide of the mark.

She is now well know in her own country, Korea. " This is not the work of humans . It is the work of God and the intercession of our Blessed Mother. God wants me to live as a necessary person in this world 'the way we look is one thing to discriminate is not right' this I want to make known. "

From childhood she dreamed of being a nun. But today without the religious habit she is able to give joy and comfort to many. She has given many charity performances and recently one for the disabled in North Korea.

The Political Left And Right In Korea

In the recent Pastoral Bulletin one of the diocesan priests had a humorous black and white caricature of the difference between the left and right in Korean politics. It would be for some a slander but also not without a basis in reality.

The right is interested in financial well being. A friendly atmosphere for business, doing away with obstacles for their success; lessen the taxes of the rich, flexibility with labor, making it easy to fire workers. Government stays out of labor disputes as much as possible. They want a small government. Moreover, the things that have to do with the citizenry for the most part , health insurance, mass media, electricity, gas etc. they want to put in the hands of the private sector. If big business and the rich do well we all do well.

This is the strategy that we have had in England and the United States with the results we have seen in recent years.

The left is for distribution and equality. Tax money has to be well distributed. Citizens to live well, the government has to distribute the tax monies evenly. Welfare for the poor requires the concern of the government. Tax benefits not only for the rich but for the ordinary citizen. This requires positive regulations by the government. This effort to help the masses live the good life is the aim of the left.

From Chosun times, for the last 200 years Europe has been in the hands of the left. Citizens when sick can go to the hospital, the government provides childcare, and education. The old get a pension to enjoy their life. To have these benefits they have to pay exorbitant taxes, especially the rich. All have to be resigned to sacrifice.

How was this brought about? It was built on the foundation of 200o years of Christianity. Catholics and Protestants working in the field of welfare and the attempt at living the Christian life has brought this about in Europe. The teachings of the ancestors has made this the reality.

Those of us who have been baptized where are our hearts? Is it not that we have followed the ways of the world? Are we willing to sacrifice and pay taxes so that all of us can live well? If we look into this carefully we can see that this is more in keeping with the Gospel. In Korea those who are opting for this kind of government are looked upon as Communists and he blames past Presidents Syngman Rhee and Park Chung-hee.


In the States stereotypically the Democrats are considered as the left and Republicans as the right. The Democrats want more government regulations and interested mostly with social issues. The Republicans want few regulations and more concerned with moral issues. In Korea the political parties are not known by the ordinary citizens, to have these obvious differences.

Health Benefits of Some Exotic Foods

Food is an important part of our daily lives and living in a different culture requires at times that you eat unfamiliar food. There was an article in the Kyeong-Hyang Catholic Magazine a few months ago in which a Korean lay missioner in the Philippines ate her first balot. A balot is a fertilized duck (or chicken) egg with a nearly-developed embryo inside that is boiled and eaten in the shell. It was a memorable event which she remembers with fond memories, not necessarily with the desire of eating one again.

Just this evening I was invited to eat mudfish (loach) and jellyfish in the home of a parishioner. I have eaten both of these items in the past and didn't find them that difficult or distasteful. It always makes a hit with the host when one eats what is given. Most of the foods that an American would have reservations in eating, come with a list of medicinal benefits.

"We are told that the main substance of loach is protein and it also contains lots of iron, calcium and vitamins. The fat is unsaturated, so it melts cholesterol. Loach soup is used for the patients with high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis and obesity. Mineral, high protein and calcium which are needed for moderns are also in loach soup so popular and recommended. It is good for eye sight and strengthens the immune system by building up the respiratory organs."

Jellyfish are supposed to stop the aging process and help the memory. Koreans, Japanese and Chinese are big eaters of jellyfish. We do have the recent report from Japan's Health and Welfare Ministry reporting that the number of centenarians in the country has reached over 40,000.

There are few scientific facts on the truths of these claims but the food, for many is tasty and a treat which tells us much of our likes and dislikes are influenced by the culture from which we come. We can for the time being, leave out eating dog, which for the Korean also has many health benefits.

Wanting to See External Results

Maryknoll missioner Fr. Clarence Witte mentioned in yesterday's blog, stated in his book: "The following is something that is particularly true in Japan and does not apply everywhere but we can take a lesson from it. We see our people outfitting themselves with the best equipment for a whole range of activities, often without being very expert in the performance of those activities. Whether it be skiing, golfing, fishing , or whatever, the equipment has to be the best, but the performance doesn't always measure up to expectations. And this doesn't apply only to sports. In many aspects of life, including business, politics, and some home life too, putting on a good front often hides a less attractive backside."

This approach to life is often found in Korea and often found in other cultures but probably not as noticeable as Japan or Korea. The Italians also are reported to have a need to "fare una bella figura." Literally it means to put your best foot forward or to make a good appearance.

"We too need to be careful not to make the same mistake. Our missionary endeavor is certainly well-organized, and we have a plethora of equipment and gadgets. But we do not get the results that we would like. There! That"s it! Results! That's the dirty word! We need to clean that word up a bit! In fact we do get results, the only trouble is that they are invisible---- invisible to us, but not to the Holy Spirit, who is really running things. It is good for us to remember what our Lord said when one of the Apostles asked him, ' Is this the time Lord, when you are going to restore the kingdom to Israel? ----the time when we are going to see the results' Our lord's answer was, to put it in the vernacular, That 's none of your business. My Father will take care of that. You get on with the job I gave you."

"If we have to see the results of our efforts, we really do not have faith, for faith is 'the evidence of things that are not seen and the substance of things to be hoped for.' "

Words of Wisdom from an Old Missioner

One of our Maryknoll Missioners, Fr. Clarence J. Witte, who worked in Japan for many years and was also Society Superior for Japan and Korea before the title was retired wrote a book ,"What It's All About." It was a reflection on his life as a missioner. "His life was often interrupted by war and other calamities, has paralleled the history of Maryknoll, which was founded one year after he was born. This parallel gave him an unusual perspective in making worthwhile observations on missionary work." He died in 2001.

" What was it that got Maryknoll off to such a good start? It was what our Founders put into us. He did not know Fr. Price but his influence was still with us in the early days; his principal legacy was a life of prayer----a lived conviction that our life must be an uninterrupted prayer, a life of absolute dependence on God and of uninterrupted communion with Him. Bishop James Anthony Walsh had that also, but he was at the same time a very practical man. And he taught us a lot of things---- mostly by example, but also by word and precept. The list runs the gamut of the virtues, but we can emphasize a few of them:

Honesty------ admit when you are wrong.


Humility------ when you get put down stay there.

Generosity------ do more than anyone expects you to do.

Dedication------do the dirty work and shut up about it.

Patience------accept the short end of the stick with a smile.

Poverty of Spirit------give away your last dollar with the assurance that you won't starve to death.

Confidence in God------ don't allow yourself to be frustrated, or even discombobulated by the Sisyphean character of your work, because, for those who love God, all things do, indeed work together for good.


And to sum it all up------ don't ever stop laughing at yourself.