Evangelization Jesus' Way

In continuation of yesterday's blog there is a great deal to be said about evangelization:what to do and what not to do. We are not good carriers of the message that Jesus gave us. Catholics are not united as we should be, although in Korea we do have a certain type of unity; there are serious divisions among Protestants, and in recent times, not obvious in the past, fundemental issues separating Christians in the different Churches. The unity a very important part of Jesus' message is not considered important enough to make it central to our thinking.


This lack of unity is no help in the work of evangelizing that Jesus gave us to do. One has little difficulty seeing how mystified are those without religion looking upon us with religion. In Korea as in other parts of the world the numbers of those without religion is becoming one of the largest segments of society very likely most of the blame belongs to us.

In the presentation that was made at the symposium on Evagelization the conclusion was to do a better job in presenting our message. One of the suggestions was to use the three Cs approach to evangelization which is taken from the business world: Content, Community and Commerce. The case was made that in our world it is no longer duty that speaks but grace, gift. One has to experience the gift of grace or else we get nowhere. We have to use the operating methods of the market. The competition to bring people to Jesus is great, there are just too many out there doing what we do and those who do a better job in the marketing will get more followers, we are dealing with consumers.


The conclusion was to have a diverse spiritual product that fits the culture. We have to draw plans that fit the mental world of our people and build the future community.

This reminds me of Maryknoll's own attempt many years ago to use some of the know how from the business world to do a better job as missioners. I have forgotten the order but some of the words we were using were: aim, plans , targets and goals. We can learn a great deal from business and other areas of life but grace will always be what it is all about.

Catholics have to be the example of what it means to be persons of grace. The life of grace has to be seen: persons of joy, peace love... the gifts of the Spirit. The future will have the product speak for itself. It will not be words or our selling but the attraction of what we are. What we need is saints who can show us the way of grace. That will be attraction enough. It was Jesus' way.

Religion and Politics in Present Day Korea

An academic meeting on 'the relationship of the state and religion in the present society' was reported on by the Catholic Peace Weekly. Professor Kang of Hanshin University maintained in his delivery that the influence of any religion decreases in proportion to the growth of its political influence.

The professor mentioned that many who are of the conservative bent in religion feel that it will be profitable for them to get involved in politics but in doing so lose the confidence of the people and the good feelings toward the religion decreases.

He showed how this has worked out for the Protestants from the 1940s on. There was a decrease in the number of Protestants from 1940-1945. At this time many of the upper classes of Protestant society favored the Japanese: there was a drop in the number of Protestants.

In 1955-62 when Syngman Rhee was in control many of the Protestants who had studied overseas were given places in the government and again a decrease in the number of Protestants. In the United States Provisional Government of the 50 Koreans who were given high positions 35 were Protestants.

Again from 1995-2005 there was another drop in the numbers. President Kim Yong Sam an elder in the Protestant Church was followed by Kim Tae-chung and the Sunshine Policy and Roh Moo-hyun who continued that policy but most of the conservative Protestants were against the policy and we had another drop in the numbers.

The professor has cited two principles that he feels are necessary for a religion to get involved successfully in politics. One is the trust of society, the society has to acknowledged the virtue of the leaders of the religion. Secondly, mutual understanding between the society and the religion. They have to use words that both understand, and in harmony. The professor feels without this the religion is going to receive a death blow.

The Professor feels that President Lee Myung -bak as an elder of the Somang Church has involved the conservative element of Protestants and given the impression of selfish interest instead of the common good. He has also divided the conservative and progressive elements in Protestantism and brought division between religions and within groups in society.

There was a very serious period when the the Buddhist took to the streets which is not their way, after they felt and rightly so, that they were being discriminated against. There was a very noticeable pro- Christian bias in the selection of his cabinet and filling places in government, along with slights to the Buddhists. He has publicly apologised and has attended a Buddhist event for the first time since in office. It seemed to be a reconciliatory gesture aimed at mending the bridges. Korea has had a fairly good history of toleration and the President, belatedly has acknowledge the results of his actions and taken measures to remedy the situation.

Proposals for Korean Catholic Church

The Catholic Press this week gave good coverage on what transpired at the symposium on Evangelization sponsored by the Korean Bishops' committee on Evangelization. It was an honest appraisal of what is happening and the signs are far from positive. It seemed clear that we are going the way of the West . In the headline for the article in the Catholic Peace Weekly, the grade they gave the Catholic Church was, " external splendor internally empty".

Here are a number of proposals that were offered by the head of the Woori Theology Institute:

1) The program that we have for the military should be strengthened so that those who are baptized know what they are doing and are led to a change in life before baptism.

2) Those in the upper middle class should be an example of Catholic Morality and share their time and material goods with others.

3) Help those who are entering the Church to continue to renew their faith life.

4) The family has to make their faith life part of the family life and stress this with the children.

5) The Church has to emphasize its activity in the larger society.

6) The older Catholics have to be inspired to become interested in participating in the work of the Church

7) Help the woman between the ages of 30 and 40 to get involved by being more concerned with them and changing the way this group was approached.

8) Take note that the polarization does not increase in the Church between those who have and those who don't. The Church should be concerned for those who feel alienated and get involved in society to help them.


The head of the Institute mentioned the parish is not the possession of the priest and this thinking has to be eliminated . The pastoral care of the parish is not to be run according to the likes and dislikes of the pastor but according to the short and long term plans of the community.

These thoughts have been heard and in print for some years but it is getting heard now by an even larger audience. The contents of the symposium was reported in both the Catholic papers this past week. This will no doubt be the concern of the Bishops' Committee for years to come.

There was in the same issue of the Catholic Peace Weekly a press report that the Bishops will be taking a greater interest in those from other cultures who have immigrated to Korea. There will be a meeting of priests from the different dioceses in Masan in the middle of the month, to discuss the pastoral approach to these immigrant groups. This will continue for the future.

Chuseokㅡ Remembering the Dead

Today is the 15th of the 8th month of the Lunar Calendar, the August Moon Festival known by the name Chuseok or Hangawi. It is one of the more popular festivals deserving of three days of rest from work to be with family. Since we have the older generation here in the mission station there isn't the exodus to the country that you would have in the city parishes.


The morning of Chuseok there is the memorial service for the ancestors and if nearby the visit to the grave. The phrase is often used in English of ancestor worship but for a Catholic more correctly would be respect or veneration for the dead . It is a beautiful custom and although arrived at late by the Church , by many torturous paths, the Church has accepted this into the liturgy as the inculturation that is part and parcel of the teaching of Vatican II


Before Vatican II the National Holidays were not celebrated in the liturgy but since the 1960s we have a Chuseok liturgy in all the Churches of Korea. This morning at 10:30 am, during the Mass, the Catholics approached the altar, putting a stick of incense in a cup filled with rice to remember and pray for their ancestors. After the sermon we also had the short office for the dead. All those who have died are remembered in the Mass. To celebrate the day we also had a meal together to exchange our joy in a more material way.


The Church has decided that the Gospel of the day would be Luke 12:15-22. It is about the foolish rich farmer who was perplexed on what to do with the great harvest. One of the points of the parable is to be rich but of things that count and do not end with death. We are blessed in Korea to have a number of these festivals remembering the dead, that have become part of our liturgy. We still have the Feast of All Souls on November 2nd but the Feast of New Year and Chuseok does give Koreans more time to reflect on the most important aspect of life which is death.

A CEO Who Had No Place To Lay His Head

Chief Executive Officers are paid a great deal of money to run their business enterprises and make money for the investors, pay the workers and sell a good product to the public. In the Catholic Times this week, we have a professor who teaches in the department of business administration with a proposal and example for the future.

The management of a business enterprise calls for the leadership to steer the actions of the investors, consumers and employees in a positive way to help the enterprise. Many of our companies have two keywords: competition and efficiency that gives meaning to all that is done. Greed is the motivation, anything that will benefit the company without pause. There is no responsibility for the consumer, little interest in the environment, the dignity of the person and the common good.

The author spends some time explaining the word behavior contrasting this with the word action in Korean. When the word behavior is used there is no force or control understood but a movement of free will , a personal value judgment, coming from one's own initiative. Since we are made to search for meaning, the key to the success of the enterprise will depend on the meaning found by the investors the employees and the consumer. The way that many of our companies are run there is little room for considering the common good and respecting the dignity of the employees. They are in a sense robots programed for the companies bottom line.

He tells us that we are all made to search for ultimate meaning : finding out who we are and giving ourselves to altruistic love. In conclusion looking over history we have few examples with companies that have put the person first over money that have succeeded. He concludes the article by giving us Jesus as the exemplary CEO, who 2000 years ago started his enterprise with some very common people . It was a monumental project that he began that changed the world. He did it with the cross the sign of his love. This is the the example that we have to take as the future of leadership.

The article did seem idealistic but coming from a business administration professor it did mean more than one written by one of us. There are many who are using the word servant leadership in the business world in recent years, a sign that this may be more than pie in the sky for the future.

What Does It Mean To Be Blessed?

One often sees the Chinese Character for blessing on furniture, on walls, on presents and in combination with other words. It is a common verbal and written greeting. 幸福, Happiness. We all desire to be blessed and want others to be blessed.



The icon on the purse on the top left can be analyzed in many different ways; one easy to follow: the left side has two lines on top and three lines coming down vertically. The two horizontal lines signify the heavens and the three vertical lines signifies the Sun, Moon and Stars. On the bottom right you have the field which produces food, above that you have the mouth that eats. This character also is an icon for a glass of alcoholic drink used in sacrifice. In short you have all that is necessary for happiness the influence of the heavens and plenty of food and drink for our needs.



The word 오복 (five blessings ) is heard often and used in many different ways. Even part of the name of stores and companies. The five blessings are listed as longevity, health, wealth. virtue and a peaceful death. They are ardently desired not only in the East but where ever you have humankind.



In teaching Catholic Doctrine the thought comes to mind often that Jesus our teacher was not blessed with any of these except health. He did not live a long life, he had nowhere to lay his head, was considered a worker of the devil and died a very cruel death. This statement can't help but makes us think what does it really mean to be blessed.

1926 Korea Seen by Catholic Missioners

An old book The Catholic Church in Korea was published in 1926 and was reprinted again before the bicentennial of Christianity in Korea. It was a book that our older Maryknollers spent a great deal of time studying as they started the new mission in Korea in 1923. I found the final remarks and the conclusion on the obstacles to the spread of Catholicism in Korea an interesting sign of what our early Maryknollers faced in their work in Korea. It was a much more difficult environment in which to work than we faced coming to Korea after Independence.
A few political changes can do a great deal in changing the way of seeing the country. What follows is the chapter on Final Remarks :

We have already mentioned the fact that there are many different religions in Korea. Each one of these makes more or less vigorous efforts to influence the minds of the people.

Buddhism and Shintoism are especially protected by the government. They are official religions. The government also protects and favors Confucianism. Then there are the Heavenly Teachers, the Heavenly Guard, the Religion of Tankoun, etc., etc. These latter claiming to be purely Korean and therefore, the only really national faiths. Owing to this claim they win many followers. These followers are also attracted by the semi-political, semi-religious dreams of these sects and by the mystery in which several of them shroud their ceremonies and their true aim.

In speaking of all these religions, we also drew attention to the particular influence which this confused mixture of heterogeneous beliefs has had on the soul of the Korean. He has been led to develop a species of religious eclecticism. Nothing counts except exterior ceremonies, As for beliefs, there is no reason why they should not vary according to individual taste and to circumstances. The final result of this in some instances, practically amounts to atheism.

It is not difficult for Koreans having this kind of a mentality to show tolerance: one religion is as good as another in their opinion. If anyone argues with them, and especially if that person be a foreigner, they will reply; "Let each one follow the religion which appeals to him most." But in the bottom of their hearts, they have a leaning towards one of the religions of their own country, because it is a national religion. They have no objections to observing the ceremonies of several of these religions, even if the religions teach opposite doctrines. Such contradictions do not trouble them at all.

Sometimes Koreans admire the beauties of Catholic dogma and of the Church's moral teachings. He even expresses a more or less genuine desire to become a member of this religion which promises so much. But he is amazed when he learns what sacrifices he must make in order to remodel his life in conformity with the Divine precepts. He must abandon his idle superstitions, and, above all, he can no longer worship his ancestors. If the grace of God has not taken full possession of him, he will find it impossible to follow a religion which excludes all else. The Catholic religion will appear to him as rigid and narrow. This is the first obstacle that Catholicism meets with in Korea.

The second is the materialism, which has followed in the wake of the new civilization. It is useless to describe the materialism. This civilisation has produced the same fruits everywhere it has penetrated. It is hardly surprising that a nation which, until recent years, had practically no intercourse with foreigners should be easily captivated by the material aspect alone of modern culture. For such a nation, this brilliant aspect is the only one of any importance. It fascinates and attracts. Korea has not any principles in itself by means of which this attraction can be overcome.


At the present time, a wave of socialism and Bolshevism has swept over the peninsula. These ideas have bet with special success in Korea, for the Koreans love something new.