Understanding Horrors of War Together

Bishop Lee, the retired Bishop of Taegu, started a youth group in 2004 which he named with the four Chinese characters (如己愛人) that mean "Love Others Like You Love Yourself." Knowing that the youth are the future, the bishop had decided to work with them for peace in the world, following the example of Prof. Paul Takashi Nagai of Japan (1908-1951) who was a strong advocate of loving others as ourselves, a belief he put into practice during the aftermath of the atomic explosions.

When the atomic bomb exploded in Nagasaki, Dr. Nagai was at the medical college where he worked as a radiologist. He saw the destruction and the deaths of his students and his wife. Working among the rubble, Dr. Nagai began a relief effort, putting to use his knowledge of radiation sickness to help the injured, but his efforts to provide healing were not restricted to medical care. He built a hut on the site where his house had stood and spent the rest of his life there praying, writing, meeting with visitors and working for peace. Many in Japan consider him a saint.

The bishop is sponsoring a contest that will select the best book reviews of one of two books by Dr. Nagai. Those who are selected will get a 4-day trip to Nagasaki to visit with other Japanese youths and spend time visiting the museum and being on piligrimage. One of the books selected was the "Bells of Nagasaki," which is the most popular of his books and gives a vivid picture of the destruction of the city and the relief efforts immediately after the explosion.

The bishop hopes that this will help conscientize the young people to the horrors of war, and enable many to actively take part in on-going efforts to make Dr. Nagai's example of love for others a reality for all.

A by-product of this joint exchange between the youth of Korea and Japan should be a greater understanding of each other, overcoming some of the results of a long history of animosity between the two countries.

Apostasy or Martyrdom, a Difficult Choice?

The Japanese Catholics suffered much for their faith over a century before the persecution of the Catholics in Korea. Although martyrdom is an act most of us will never have to face, what would we do in such circumstances? Is there something in life that is more important than life?

Let us suppose you were told that all you had to do was to step on an icon of Jesus, not even well made, and you were told by your captives that it had nothing to do with your convictions, that it was merely a formality, that you would be doing it just to save your fellow Christians from their cruel torture and suffering. What would you do? Wouldn't Jesus be pleased that you would be doing something out of love to save your fellow Christians from horrible torture and death? Jesus lived and died precisely to show us how much he loved us. Wouldn't he look upon such an act as meritorious, even if those who heard about it would be scandalized?

This is the plot of "Silence," a historical novel written by the Japanese writer Shusaku Endo. It deals with the persecution of the Catholic Church in Japan in the 17th century and a Jesuit priest who was sent to find out what happened to the superior of the Jesuits who had stopped sending letters back home concerning his mission. There had been news that he apostatized when captured and tortured.

A monodrama, adapted from the novel, is being performed in parishes here in Korea during Lent, presenting a heady mix of faith and doubt, of love and despair, which will give us much to think about before the beginning of Holy Week.

There is only one actor who takes the part of the priest who went to Japan to get word about the Jesuit superior and finds himself confronted with the same choice of apostasy or martyrdom as the superior, who chose apostasy. But the choice is not a simple one for the priest to make. In the silence that follows his every prayer for guidance--for himself and for the Christians who are being put to death each day because of his refusal to apostatize- he finally hears the God who chose to share human suffering by his passion and death on the cross. "It is to be trampled on by you that I am here." "Trample!"

The play presents you with many questions and the Koreans who see it will have much to think about from their own history with apostasy and martyrdom. The conclusion that Shusaku Endo
presents to us would be considered heretical by many and meritorious by others. There are many that are faced with similar dilemmas in life. It is impossible to see reality as God would; most of the time we see a partial picture and the one that strikes us strongly in the here and now of history.

Patriot Ahn Seen by Japanese and Koreans

Today, the 26th of March, is the 100th anniversary of the death of Ahn Jung-geun--a patriot to most Koreans, a terrorist to most Japanese, who hanged him for assassinating (Oct. 26, 1909) the first resident-general of Korea, Hirobumi Ito. At the time of the assassination, Ahn was viewed as a terrorist by many Koreans, including his bishop who condemned the shooting. However, Fr. Joseph Wilhelm, who had baptized Ahn, did visit him in prison, said Mass and gave him the last sacraments.

Over the years, there has been a gradual shift in how Ahn is regarded by the vast majority of Korean Catholics, including many Chinese and some Japanese. He is now seen as a hero, a freedom fighter fully justified in killing Ito, who masterminded the push to colonize Korea and the Chinese territory to the north, and as resident-general of the country was responsible for the torture and killing of thousands of dissidents. Killing Ito was, for Ahn, a duty--"It is the duty of a soldier to give his life for his country" (from his calligraphic collection of sayings). He did not consider himself an assassin but a soldier at war with an enemy intent on subjugating his country. What he did was, in his view, what a soldier is required to do--protect his country.

The Church, reversing its original position, now considers Ahn a great patriot for peace, an example of what it means to be a soldier in the army of justice, and close to being a saint. The late Cardinal Kim called the killing "a heroic deed of self-defense." Although the Catholic Church has not made any doctrinal statements on the morality of removing a tyrant by force, St. Thomas and many others have concluded, "He who kills a tyrant (i.e. a usurper) to free his country is praised and rewarded."

He was born in North Korea so now the return of his body will have to bring in China, North Korea and South Korea, and Japan has no desire to bring this to an end that will please all. Japan still does not see the justification for what was done, and allow this chapter of history to be concluded with a happy ending at least for the Koreans.

For those who can read Korean, the website (hero1909.chosun.com) will have a great deal of information on Patriot Ahn Jung-geun.

Problems With Korean Ancestral Rites

The ancestral rites, performed a number of times during the year, is a very important cultural event in the life of many Koreans. The Catholic Church looks upon the rites as a beautiful custom and hopes this form of respect and prayer for the dead will continue. However, for many it is not always performed without problems.

At the time of the rites, ancestors are believed to be again present to their relatives, who gather from different parts of the country to remember what the ancestors have bequeathed to them: their last words, their wisdom, the family precepts, their good works--all becoming part of the family reflection.

In the old Korea, a distinction was made between the Ordinary Koreans and the noble classes in the practicing of the rites. Up until the change of the social status system of Korean society, the common people would have the rites only for their parents. After the change all were free to observe the rites going back four generations Considering the efforts required to do this, we can more easily understand the value of filial piety for the Korean.

Because of the many religions that have come into the country, the Confucian rites for the dead have not always gone well. The financial condition of the household and the long hours spent preparing the meals are part of the problem, but the most serious problem occurs when family members have different religious beliefs. Some consider bowing to be idolatry; others will not eat the ceremonial meals. Because of these difficulties, a family that comes together to honor the dead, expecting an atmosphere of peace and harmony, will often find, instead, a family in conflict.

A writer, recently commenting on these difficulties, criticized the behavior of those who see the rites as a form of idolatry. It should be a time of harmony, remembering the dead, and renewing the bound of family, but when anyone in the family group has difficulty in participating, everyone in the family suffers.

The Catholic Church has made the move from opposition to acceptance, and the writer wonders what more can be done so that all can participate in the rites to strengthen the family bonds of love and unity.

It was suggested that scholars of the different religious groups in the country could get together and work out ways to help all to participate in these rites. The Catholic Church could do it, and it would be a blessing if some of the other groups that have difficulties with the custom could work to remedy the problems. Families would then be able to come together and celebrate the ancestral rites in an atmosphere of harmony and peace.

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All The Way to Heaven is Heaven

If God is Love why did he make Hell? Below is a letter that a Korean priest received on this subject and included in a newsletter.

"Why is it that parents will die in a fire for their children but no matter how bad the child is parents would never have them burn in a fire? Why then would God send his children to a hell of fire? Furthermore, if a person does sin can that be considered a one person's problem, isn't that a problem with God, who made us? With a problem child, you usually have problem parents. Since God is all powerful isn't that a problem in God? How could He who gave his life for us send us to hell? If someone says to me do you know how much I love you then why don't you love me; if you don't love me, I will throw you into hell's fire. What are we to make of that? Will one feel sorry or rather think that is crazy? If God loves us how could he send us to hell. I can't accept that kind of God. "

This is a problem for many people and brings fear into their lives. The writer explains that God is not the creator of evil nor did make hell. Hell is the choice of the person.

When we do something wrong we are ashamed or have a guilty conscience. This guilt prompts us to run away from God. In this whirlpool of confusion we still have to decide what to do. When we finally acknowledge our guilt, there are three possible responses to God: admitting our shame and turning toward God, living with the guilt and the despair, or deciding that life is not worth living. .

God will let us know what our faults are and when we have done wrong. A person of faith when presented with this knowledge gives thanks and in shame goes to God. If we live our faith life in this way, there is no way that we will inflict the pain of hell on ourselves.

This does not speak very clearly to me and this whole question is one that is not easy to understand, but it is the revelation that the Church has received and will continue to try to understand up until the Second Coming. There are a few things that are clear. God doesn't send anybody to hell. It is the choice of the individual; God, having made us free, has to respect that. That is far from a satisfactory answer but for Christians, when we become members of the body of Christ and do nothing to separate ourselves. we are already living the blessed life of heaven.

A Visit With The Korean 'Han'

One of the Japanese Corporations that do business in Korea is the athletic equipment company ASICS, named for the five letter acronym of the Latin words no one seems to know: Anima Sana in Corpore Sano--a sound mind in a sound body. Few will deny today that the mind can have profound effects on the body and that the body can affect the mind.The two have been found to be so interconnected in neurobiological studies that the words "mind" and "body" are often joined and discussed together in the expression "the mind-body connection."

One of the priests in the diocese frequently asks me about my health: am I eating well, sleeping well, and having good bowel movements. This is his criterion for bodily health.
However, we must not forget the role of the mind in achieving and maintaining health.

Recently I read that to have a healthy mind three things are necessary. They are expressed by the same Korean words--with different meanings--used to describe the health of the body: expressing feelings honestly, stopping self-tormenting criticisms and learning to relax, and dealing with everyone without discrimination.

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The article goes on to explain why this approach is necessary; without it we can feel regret and sorrow when our desires are not satisfied--a state of mind that Koreans call "han." Whenever desires are not satisfied, it is believed that there is a build up of han, which results in a tense and anxious condition, and confused feelings that sometimes cause us to do what we know we should not do. With deep-seated han the heart is said to become heavy as if one has been sentenced to death on trumped up charges.

This han is considered something uniquely Korean and the "soul of Korean literature," and yet it's a complex feeling difficult to describe precisely--at least 22 definitions have been attempted. Park Kyong-ni, one of Korea's most respected contemporary writers, describes it as being a feeling "both of sadness and hope at the same time," as if living at "the core of life," with its many difficulties and dualities. Sadness comes, she says, when we realize and accept that difficulties are an unavoidable part of life. Hope comes from the will to overcome the difficulties, no matter how impossible this may seem.

Christians deal with the han by getting closer to our Lord by living the Paschal mystery. We die daily to be born again. The sorrows and failures we experience are a birth to even something better following the example of our Lord.

Putting Insult On the Menu

Eating a great many things that are not digestible is very Korean. They can eat insults, age, fright and a long list of uneatables. One priest spent some time in a newsletter telling us about what eating of insults should mean to us as Christians.

He tells us that we are all going to have our share of eating insults, abuse or shame. We should prepare ourselves for this possibility. Our Lord has made this clear in his teaching and by the example of his life. To avoid eating abuse means that you avoid doing anything.

The writer uses the passage from the Scripture where a friend comes at night asking for bread and doesn't take no for an answer. He accepts the possibility that the owner of the house used some unpleasant words during the give and take and finally did get up to give him the bread he asked for. (Luke 11:5-8).

In every society, a person that is going about his work will eat insult. If we are going to achieve anything then we should be prepared to eat insults. In Korea to eat insult means you will live a long time. Excepting the things that are done in hurting others or the society in which we live, eating insults tell us that when we don't hide what is in us, and we honestly say what we feel this is very good for our health. When we don't repress what is in us, we show a more relax exterior, even if we are scared and eat abuse we will have peace and we will be building up energy.

A person that is trying to avoid eating abuse is going to have to hide a great deal from others and is going to be conscious of what others are thinking and fear. According to the writer we may be praised for being a kind man but will not be doing many important things, and be open to many health problems.

He finishes his articles by telling us it is important not to eat abuse, but if we spend all our time trying to avoid the possibilities, we will not be living in the truly Christian way. For Jesus who is our example did not avoid eating abuse and that is the reason he died on the Cross.