A Journey of Life -Gift to Family

Read recently in the Catholic Times, where a group of grandmothers, without fail, would go daily to a large department store and meet at the tea room on the fifth floor. They would all arrive around 11:00 in the morning as if going to their place of work, eat together , drink their tea and spend the time talking until 4:00 at which time, return to their homes. They would be elegantly dressed and one would think they lived comfortable lives.

They talked about their families, daughter-in- laws, son- in- laws, the grandchildren, their dreams and other sundry topics but this eventually came to an end and the few that continued to show up would just stare intently at each other's face with no laughter or anger, in silence with nothing to say.

You would think that if they had nothing to say they would stop coming, but no they were happy just to stare at each other. The group, according to those that were familiar with the situation, started out with 7 but the numbers decreased until you only had two coming out and they would spend the time gazing at one another. The writer mentioned, in a way it was very sad, but also at the same time beautiful. They were all in their eighties and at that age it was not easy to keep active; it was probably an attempt to forget their pain.

The older one gets, it is a blessing to enjoy the company of others but for good health, it is also necessary to find some way to entertain oneself. She would recommend writing your own life story to leave with the family. It would not be important to have it well written but each page would be unique to you. It would also make the years ahead more significant and a great gift and example to the children.

In the retreats we make, on occasions, we are asked to write a 'life line' of important events that we remember from our earliest years. It would be in chronological order from the earliest memories that we have. For a religious person it is a way to see how we are being led by God. It can help to focus us on where we are now in the journey of life. To write an autobiography sounds intimidating but it would be a 'life line' with a lot of fill in, a great hobby and a wonderful gift to leave the family.

How Koreans See Themselves??

This following post is taken from the Korean Internet: how Koreans see themselves and think others see them.
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A developed country that is not in the first ten and yet heaps abuses on other countries.

Death from cancer, the consummation of liquor, the import of Western liquors, traffic accidents, incidents of our young people smoking, all kinds of government debt, gets us listed in the first three places in world ranking and we can't move out.

The Korean potential for economic growth has made the Jews and the Japanese seem lazy.

The Korean students have been in the top of their classes in first class colleges of the world and have placed if not first in the World Skills Competition, 2nd or 3rd.

A country that enjoys a culture of eating hot spicy food.

Although a small country they have produced many talented people.

A country that doesn't known the names of their soccer players and yet had 700 thousand come out on to the streets.

Although we don't have the power or strength we are always ready to challenge.

A country that was able at the time of the IMF economic crisis to rebound within two years.

The offspring of nomadic people but are leading in the world of Information Technology and Communication.

The only country in the world that is divided.

One of the few countries in today's world with a monoculture.

A country that spends more money than any other country on the elements of English teaching and is the 1ooth in the ability to speak

A country that has children go to school at 7:40 am and stay to 10 pm and 11:00 pm for many years on end and can continue to do so.

A country that loves their children like no other.

The more expensive an item is the more they buy


The 88 Olympics and 2002 World Cup have made Korean known.

Those running the government cry we will be ruined , ruined, and we are not ruined thanks to the great endurance of the people.

A people who study English for 10 years and can't say a word in English to a foreigner.

A people who enjoy systematic violence in their movies

Rather than the development of cosmetics, cosmetic surgery is developed.

A dynamic country whose people feel that the next year will be better than the present year.

An egoistic people who feel they are the best.

Sexual crime cases are the worst in the world and the country does little to educate concerning sex.

A people that believes the person with the loudest voice wins.


This is not an objective sociological look at the Korean way of life and flawed in many ways. It was good for laughs, was a response. There are some facts listed but not many. I believe it was a response to an Internet question that made the rounds. The Koreans in this group at least could laugh at themselves.

Sanctification of the Family Week in Korea

Today is Holy Family Sunday; the chairman of the the bishops' committee for family life in his message for all the Catholics gave his attention to the Sacrament of Matrimony. The Korean Church has a week set aside for the sanctification of the family. It begins on Sunday the 27th and continues to Jan. 2nd.

Korea has arrived at point where we are following the rest of the Western world in areas that up to a few years ago the Korean culture was able to keep the family life strong and where Catholicism felt right at home. Today the young are delaying their marriages: they do not have the money, no steady employment, they have yet to find their place in society, and they have an easy, open way of looking at marriage. Artificial birth control puts off having children until they feel ready. There are many marriages between people of different cultures and the marriage between Catholics and non-Catholic is on the increase, sacramental marriages are decreasing.The thinking among many parents is that they want their children to decide for themselves on their religious beliefs after they grow up. Some even make this a question of human rights. Consequently, they do not feel a need to be overly concerned about their children's spiritual health.


With all these problems it is difficult to decide what to do. The editorial in the Catholic Times and Peace Weekly listed these problems. The need is to see the meaning of marriage in the Catholic context as a start in trying to find a remedy to the many problems facing family life.

What is the meaning of marriage for Catholics? Many enter marriage with no idea of what marriage means but only as a rite they have to pass through to get married. The eternal love of Christ for the Church is the symbol of the marriage covenant between husband and wife. That is why there is no divorce in Catholic thinking. It is impossible to see Christ separating from the Church and that is the same thinking that the husband and wife should have of their commitment to each other.

If the thinking now going around, in some parts of the community of believers, is to let the children decide what they want to believe, we have a sure sign that many are not fully convinced what they have is a good for the children or even of great value to themselves. Is it any wonder that those Catholics who marry are no different than the majority of the Koreans.

The bishop did make a plea to accept those who are marrying into a different culture to be kind and warm in greeting them when they come to the Church. The number of international marriages in Korea has topped the 10% line and of these over 11% end in divorce. They have their own problems to solve.

The bishop concluded: "When Christian spouses understand the proper meaning of marriage and do their duties on the basis of it, the anti-life culture which threatens the marriage and family can be overcome."

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A Cardinal's Hobby

The Cardinal of Seoul Cheong Jin-suk has just published his new book of essays on Catholic teaching: "From the Hill of Pouring Sunshine". The Seoul Cathedral is on a hill, Myong Dong, which over looks the city of Seoul. The Cardinal, besides being the Catholic Ordinary of Seoul, is a scholar and has written and translated many books during his years of priesthood.

He wrote his first book of essays in 1969: "Shepherd's Song", this second book, after 40 years, is to remember his mother's 100th year of birth. He has over the years published his books around his Christian name day, St. Nicholas' feast day, Dec. 6th. He hopes to be of some help to the Christian's spiritual life. In the introduction to the book he writes: "We see the rough outlines of truth as in a deep fog, my heart's wish is to be a friend in words, to help those who are interested in progressing in the search for a better understanding and clarity of these truths."

To those who feel that God is not listening to them in prayer he gives the example of a radio. "If we want to hear God's whispers we have to turn on our heart's radio receiver and raise the volume and be on the right frequency with the message of love being sent."


The Cardinal has been writing and translating since 1955 and turns out one or two books every year. It is one of his hobbies, it is difficult but he finds peace and quite devoting himself to the writing. He often gets up at around 3:30 or 4:00 am and writes before his work day begins.

This year the Cardinal in his Christmas Message wants us to reflect on making material goods the center of our lives. He said: "today our society's greatest single problem is being overcome by the centrality of the material; it is making all the other values powerless. Our life should be directed to the important values of the mind and spirit." This is a message that will be made in one way or another in most parts of the West.

Cardinal Cheong is now 78 years old and his year of retirement has past. By church law one is required to submit his resignation to the Holy Father at 75 but he does not step down until it is accepted by the pope. The Ordinary of a diocese has as his first duty one of teaching and Cardinal Cheong does this not only in the administrating of the Diocese but also in the teaching through books. May he have many more years of publishing before and after retirement.

A Blessed and Joyful Christmas

In the monthly newsletter for December a priest of the diocese had a meditation on Christmas and those who first met Jesus in the Gospel.

The shepherds were the first to encounter our Lord. They were the the 'nobodies' of that society.Their life was not one of hope but pessimism, they saw no way of ridding themselves of their fate. They were led to the stable and meeting Jesus they received great joy and a new life. A new meaning to what they were doing.

"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. (Isaiah 9:1)

The second group who met our Lord where the Magi. They were in search of truth, the true light of life. They strived all their life to find it and were left with dryness.They were forever in search. One night they saw something they new was different and they followed it to find Jesus. They had difficulties on the journey in following the star. They went to the King for help, and with the help of the learned of that society they resumed their journey.The Star appeared again and led them to Jesus. With great joy they returned to their homeland.

The journey of the wise men is our journey. Some times we have the sparkle of light in our lives but it disappears.We have doubt and skepticism enter and we hesitate on our way. If we continue with others and make the effort, the star will again appear.

The next to meet our Lord were the two old people in the temple. Simeon and Anna. They were old and their bodies were giving them trouble. They did not have what they wanted they were also searching for the light. Simeon took the child Jesus in his arm: "Now , Master, you can dismiss your servant in peace; you have fulfilled your word. For my eyes have witnessed your saving deed displayed for all the peoples to see..." (Luke 2:29)

The Gospels have many stories of people in darkness meeting our Lord and leaving with great light and happiness. We try to reflect the light that we have received and make it shine on those that we come in contact, bringing joy into their lives, especially those on the fringes. A Blessed and grace filled Christmas.

A Grandmother's Christmas story.

"While they were there the days of her confinement were completed. She gave birth to her first-born son and wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the place where travelers lodged." (Luke 2:6)

Some years ago this Christmas story was retold by the pastor of the parish in which a grandmother named Martha gave the Christmas sermon. She was over seventy and lived most of her life as a farmer.What follows is an account of her Christmas sermon written up in the Pastoral News letter by the pastor of the parish.

Martha was married to a poor farmer. They lived in a rented room of a farm house. Martha was pregnant and coincidentally, so also was the woman of the house. They were both to give birth the same month. Superstitiously, if two babies were born in the same house it was believed that one would die so the owner of the house asked Martha to leave until the baby was born. It was the month of December and very cold. Her unfortunate circumstances were for her almost too hard to accept. Embarrassed, and not able to find another house she found a shabby stable and that is where the child was born without the help of a midwife. The labor pains were such that she lost consciousness.

After some time,when she regained control of her senses, she felt something leaning on her and turned around to see an ox. She pushed the ox away but it came back leaning on Martha's back, and giving her heat. Martha thought that the ox was commiserating with her condition. The baby not able to overcome the cold seemed to be dead and she blamed her poverty. She took the baby and went back to her rented room. The heat of the house was enough to bring the baby back to consciousness. This is the story that Martha gave on that Christmas Evening. (This account happened after the Korean War when life was quite different from the Korea of today)

The baby grew up and has become a mother she is the director of the parish kindergarten. She sang that evening in the choir. Her daughter, Martha's grand daughter, was the accompanist and her grandson, the altar boy at Mass.

The priest mentioned in the recounting of the Christmas Story he doesn't feel moved by the events of the first Christmas because of the rich life style that we are living. Poverty is hard to understand unless you have lived it. The story of Martha was helpful in seeing the first Christmas in a new light. Yes, Jesus was born in a stable 2000 years ago.

The Korean Four River Project Controversy

A large part of the Catholic Church in Korea is on record in being against the Four River Project that has been started by the government. There is a great deal of controversy and the country is lining up in camps for and against.

The project got started last month, an attempt to remake the four longest rivers in Korea: the Han, Nakdong, Yeongsan and the Geum. The project is to control flooding and improve quality and supply of water and build new tourist attractions along the waterways besides giving work to many for years to come.

The project will cost $ 19.2 billion dollars. Those who are opposed see it is an ecological disaster. The Catholic movement against the project sees many problems and does not believe it is well conceived. The government did have a plan to build a canal to Pusan that was dropped because of the opposition of the people and many feel the Four River project is a copy of this canal project.

The editorial in the Peace Weekly mentions what the government is saying about the project is not straightforward, verification of the feasibility studies are not known, the opinion of those opposed to the project have not been studied, and the basic itemized cost is not known by the public.

The Church has made clear they are not opposed to human development and good use of natural resources but desire the use of God's creation in a mutually benefiting way, resulting in harmony in the development. Human greed and the principle of economics first, without sufficient reflection, is not in harmony with the Creator and his Providence.

The editorial ends mentioning that one of the reasons for the controversy over the Four River Project is distrust of the government. If this project was truly for the good of the people and the country as the government stated, then even though it would take time, an attempt should have been made to persuade public opinion for the project and get the citizenry on board.

The Bishops of Korea have made this point a number of times before. The government does little in considering the people as educated and entitled to know why a project is deemed necessary and helpful to them and the country. It is top down.The government knows best and goes its merry way. This can also be the way in many other areas of Korean life and is not infrequently found in the Church.