The Place of Mary in Korean Catholicism

In Korea, in the eyes of many, the Catholic Church is known as Mary's Church. The Protestant Church would be Jesus' Church. The reason for this is not difficult to understand since we see statues of Mary in front of Catholic Churches and in many Catholic homes. There is a great love for Mary among the Catholics of Korea.

This is the month of Mary, and we will have many events showing our love and respect for Mary during the month. The assistant bishop in Seoul has an article in the Peace Weekly explaining the reasons why Catholics honor our Blessed Mother. He points out that Catholics make distinctions when using the words "worship," "honor" and "veneration." For Catholics this is not a problem but the bishop does admit that there are excesses. The distinctions that Catholics make on this issue are difficult for Protestants to appreciate; they find the differences hard to grasp. The abuse, however, should not diminish the traditional honor that Catholics have given Mary from the time of the Fathers of the Church.

In our teaching, we make it clear that we are asking Mary and the Saints to pray for us. We are not praying to Mary but with Mary to God.

The 5 reasons the bishop gives for honoring Mary:

1) Christians, from the time of the founding of the Church, have loved the Blessed Mother. In theological language this is the Sensus fidelium (sense of the faithful)-- the feelings Catholics have towards our Blessed Mother. We have theological reasons for honoring Mary, both intellectually and from tradition, but the feelings of Christians are also important for it is something that God would want.

2) Mary is the mother of Jesus, the one we love and respect more than anybody, so it is natural for us to honor his mother.

3) She is of all holy places the holiest because her womb was Jesus' home for 9 months, and he lived with her for 30 years.

4) She is the example of what a follower of Jesus should be; no one has carried the cross that Mary had to carry. (This is the reason we consider her the disciple among disciples.)

5) The honor of Mary is taught by the Scriptures.

There are many Protestants who have a great deal of respect for the Blessed Mother but in Korea you do not hear much talk in Protestant circles of the role of Mary in our Lord's life. In the past you would hear the word Gi- Dok-Gyo, meaning Protestant in opposition to Catholic; Chun-Ju-Gyo would be our designation. However, this is no longer the case; Catholics have taken it upon themselves to make it clear that we are all Gi-Dok-Gyos-- Christians who believe in Jesus. This was probably part of the reason many thought that Catholics were not Christian. That thinking has, for the most part, disappeared.

How Much of This Speaks to Us?

Buildings are taller but our personalities lackluster.
Turnpikes are wider, our visual fields narrower.
Buying more goods, our consumption is greater
While our enjoyment is less.

Building bigger houses, the home is forgotten.
Having more conveniences, we have less time for ourselves.
More schooling but less common sense,
Information increases, judgment ceases.

Where specialists abound, more problems are found,
More medicines are given and less health.
Using things without thinking and laughing a lot less,
We drive ourselves too fast, impetuously causing disasters.

We have multiplied our possessions,
Only to find they are worth less than we thought.
We have created more words,
Only to find it easier to lie, and less easy to love.

We've learned how to earn a living but forgotten how to live.
Increased the years for living but lost the meaning of living.
Have travelled all the way to the moon, and back,

But find it difficult crossing the street to meet our neighbors.

We may have conquered outer space
But are losing our inner life.

We have instruments to clean the air
But few to scrub our spirits clean.

We break the atom to harness its energy

But hardly notice that breaking our prejudices
Would harvest a world of good will.
Good intentions waver as temptations enslave us.

We are taller in stature, but dignity has withered.
Searching for more profits our relationships have suffered.
Anxious for more leisure time,

Peace of mind escapes us.

There's more and faster transportation,

More disposables, more advertising, more of everything

We think we need, while our consciences

Get duller and happiness harder to experience.

This was an e-mail I received recently and freely translated. Filled with pessimism, it may speak to many of our Koreans and others. Our ancestors probably saw life in the same way. The optimist and the pessimist exist in each of us. The Koreans, because of their history, may be more on the side of the pessimist. But there will always be the question, who is more realistic: the optimist or the pessimist? For our health it is always better to see the brighter side than the darker, and for a Christian, we can be guided, among many other teachings, by advice from scripture: "I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. Choose life,then, that you and your descendents may live..." (Deut. 30:19). Basking in the sun gives you the strength to withstand the darkness when it comes.

Another Problem for the Korean Farmers

Farmers in Korea have a difficult time making a profit in the best of times, but when something unexpected happens, such as a farm epidemic, it becomes even more difficult. In the beginning of the month, there was an outbreak of the foot-and-mouth disease here in Gangwha Gun, which resulted in the slaughter of many cows and pigs.

I slept over night in a Gangwha Gun parish a few days ago and the pastor mentioned how disappointed the farmers are. The head of the parish council in a nearby parish had to kill all his animals. The government does compensate, but does not cover the total loss to the farmers, and there is constant wrangling over what they should be getting.

The pastor in Gangwha Gun does not want to enter the farming area for fear that he may be a carrier. The farmers are also not happy to have visitors. Cars are sprayed, and even before entering Church we are given antiseptic foot pads to disinfect our shoes.

Foot-and-mouth disease is not a problem everywhere in Gangwha, but for those raising animals it is a very trying time. The virus is not a problem for humans, although we can be carriers. The disease has already spread to other parts of Korea and concern is growing that it will become a national problem.

Land for farming is limited in Korea so the overcrowding necessary to raise the animals in a confined area does not help in controlling the epidemic. Though the use of antibiotics is high in Korea, the government has banned the use of seven antibiotics in animal feed, and there is a movement to eliminate entirely the use of antibiotics in the raising of animals. The Koreans are very conscious of the quality of the foods they will eat. Good publicity for a particular food insures it will sell, and when there is negative reporting the demand disappears.

Just recently we have seen a change when our community gathers to eat. The beverage of choice for the men had been Soju, but about a month ago there was a change to makkoli--rice wine. A wise decision by the men to help the economy by using some of the rice that is otherwise not being used.

The efforts that are made to help the farmers are many. The nation knows the importance of the farming sector of the society and wants to promote it. Subsidies to the farmers are offered to encourage them to enter other areas of farming besides rice. The foot-and- mouth epidemic is very expensive for both the government and the farmers and a cause of great concern. But the biggest concern may be the hopelessness that comes when the farmers feel powerless to control a frightening situation. It is this destructive effect on the morale of those who work raising livestock that has to be acknowledged and overcome.

Gratitude For the Twilight Years

Ageism is not a word those in retirement spend much time worrying about, but when this attitude takes hold in a society it can negatively influence those of us who are older. The term is used to describe discrimination against older adults, an attitude based solely on age. And the group that reflects this prejudice probably more than any other group may be the elderly themselves. Age for many is something to deny and hide, but we have spent years preparing for these wisdom-filled years, and should they not be the fruitful years?

The Maryknoll Society prepares its Maryknollers for retirement with workshops, literature and talks in an effort to provide us with what we need to know for a peaceful and fulfilling retirement. Each country has its special challenges if the Maryknoller chooses to retire in the country he worked in. Korea has a great many benefits as a place of retirement, and one important benefit would be a Christian community very devoted to their priests. One negative is that elders are not a vibrant part of the society. A partial reason for this is that parents give all of what they have, while they are still healthy and mentally alert, to the children and are then reduced to asking for help from their children when a need arises. They become dependent on their children when that should not be necessary--a sad example of a custom in our society that takes some of the zest out of the life we should be living.

As Maryknollers, our problems are few since the Maryknoll Society takes good care of us. What problems we have tend to come from personality issues, our health, lack of hobbies or interests, and an attitude that doing is all important; the leisure life is seen as an embarrassment. However, being a workaholic is not a good preparation for retirement. If we were asked, when younger, what we did, most would answer: "our work," not that we were enjoying the life God gave us. Doing maybe what consumes most of our time but being is what life is all about. It is the being that is going to influence everything we do, and it will continue to be so when we are no longer able to be doing.

It is important for Maryknoll to have happy retirees for that means health will be enhanced. The members can continue to help the Society and everyone they meet and, as a consequence, the society they live in. The happier we are as members, the fewer the problems the Society will have.

Last Sunday was vocation Sunday. We have all received the call of Jesus to be his disciples and this does not cease when we can no longer work. This call continues throughout life. With a contemplative attitude towards life we should enjoy every day as a gift, a grace, this is our thanks to God, especially the twilight years before we return to the one who gave us the gift.

Murderers Do Change and Become Useful

The morality of capital punishment in Korea is very much a controversial subject, with citizens in favor of the penalty by a 6 to 4 margin. Although the government supports the penalty as a justifiable punishment for serious crimes, no one has been executed in recent years. In many countries the citizens, although opposed, have abolished the death penalty.

A lawyer appealing for a death row criminal gave his views on the subject in a recent article. His account, the story of a condemned criminal, Jacob, encourages us to once again reflect on the value of this ultimate punishment. .

The lawyer met the condemned man and the priest who had baptized him in the court house where he was appealing the verdict, and offered to defend Jacob.

The condemned man had been renting in the house of the murdered man and did confess to the crime. While in prison he wrote many letters of remorse to the Religious Sister, who regularly visited the prison. The judge of the case-- the last case he worked on before his promotion --was persuaded to change the punishment to life in prison--very fortunate for Jacob.

For the last 20 years in prison, Jacob had been sending a letter to the lawyer which arrived on every Wednesday of the week, without fail. The letter was full of praise and thanks to God and described how he was serving others who were in prison with him and about the joy that was in his life. That had been a goad for the lawyer in his own faith life.

Jacob was called "the monk" while in jail. In every trade or program offered by the prison, he either was awarded a licence or was certified as capably finishing the program. He won the tennis tournaments each year and in recent years had learned over 300 hymns that he could play with the harmonica.

Because he was a model prisoner, his sentence was commuted from life to 20 years, and just recently he was paroled. The lawyer finishes his article by asking for prayers for Jacob and his family.

There are many reasons for or against the death penalty but the fear of putting the innocent to death is uppermost for many. The difference between manslaughter and murder many times is a judgment made by lawyers and judges, but we also tend to forget the pain of the criminal's innocent family, as we tend to focus on the pain of the victim's family. What is often forgotten, however, is that those guilty of even the most serious crimes, whether intended or not, can turn their life around through remorse, as Jacob did, and become useful members of society.

A Korea Without Suicides

For some time, the Korean Catholic Church, in an effort to conscientize the public on the problem of suicides, has joined with other groups and other religions, and with the government to try to eradicate the problem-- the goal, a society without suicides. Last year, the Catholic Press published several articles and continues to do so, on different aspects of the problem, and the Church has recently set up a center with a hotline and programs to provide counseling.

The rate of suicides in Korea is one of the highest in the world, about 12,000 suicides ever year. Suicide places fourth as the reason given for overall deaths, and for those in their twenties and thirties it is the number one reason.

A doctor who worked in preventive medicine in the Catholic Medical School, and is on the Committe for Life, has written in the Peace Weekly that with the growth of material wealth and the aging of the population, there is an increase in the number of suicides also in other countries. For each hundred thousand deaths, the usual number of deaths from suicide is 20, with a slight drop after one hundred thousand. In Korea, there has been no drop but an increase from the year 2000.

In addition to the problem of suicide in our society, it is generally recognized that Koreans do not have a high respect for life when compared to other countries. This is reflected in not being particularly concerned about the health of the aged, which is especially bothersome in a society with a rapid increase of the aged population.

The industrial development of the country from the 1960s has been cited as perhaps the prime reason for this callousness toward life. What was seen as important at that time was economic development so that the country could compete with the other industrialized countries. As a result, there has been an increase of abortions, pollution, occupational injuries, and educating specialists, while neglecting educating for a mature value system and a people-friendly culture.

We are told as Catholics that life is precious, that it is something we have to constantly preach. The Church is helping with their hotline center, but the media must also do their part. Often the way suicides are written up make them look heroic, an act of courage. This has to change. We are dealing here not only with a person who dies but with their family and friends. They are almost always traumatized by the suicide and the effects will be felt for generations. Our society must take note of this and decide to do more to realize the goal of a society without suicides.

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Breaking Down Walls With Organic Farming

It is said that "Asia is going green." And in the forefront of the green movement is S. Korea, with 81% of its current economic stimulas package consisting of green projects. (In China it's 38%, in the USA 12%.) As evidence of Korea's commitment to organic agriculture, the next World Congress of IFOAM (International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements) will be held in Korea in 2011. Started by a gathering of five nations in France in 1972 and held every three years, IFOAM intends to spread the use of organic agriculture throughout the world.

The Gyeonggi Province of Korea has committed 2 billion won (US 2 million) to "encourage sustainable agriculture," and, in the words of Gyeonggi's Governor: to make Korea "the world's most environmentally friendly country by 2011.

The Catholic Church is also doing what it can to encourage the organic movement, and many are heeding the call. Two parishes have entered a sisterhood relationship to help further the production and exchange of organic products. Though not the first of these sister relationships in Korea, it has been given a great deal of publicity, the Peace Weekly covering it on the front page in a recent issue.

The parishes--one from a poor farming area with 8 mission stations and the other from one of the wealthiest areas of Seoul-- will have regular exchange of pastors, each pastor getting to know what the other is doing and learning from their parishioners as well. Both men are the same age, just under 50. Their pastoral mottos are similar: "Going along together," while the other is "A beautiful journey together."

The country parish produces 40 percent of the Chinese black mushrooms that enter the market. To help the farmers continue the organic farming, the city parish sends $2,000 to the country parish, and the country parish sends the produce to the city where the parishioners will have direct access to the farm goods. The pastor of the country parish has been working with farmers for a number of years and has a background in ecological studies. The plan is to have not only farm goods going to the city but an exchange of pastors and assistants; with the youth and other parish groups visiting each other in a variety of outings. Each parish will then have a fuller knowledge of the life of the other, bringing the two parishes closer together.

Will the two parishes have the passion to continue to work at realizing this vision? In Korea, as in many other countries, the priests are in a parish for a period of years, usually about six, and then changed. So the nature of this exchange will be determinied by those who follow, and will no doubt be influenced by how successful they will be in tearing down the walls that tend to arise in the course of time, making each parish an independent community. Such walls are not a sign of our Catholicism. May this understanding grow with the success of these movements.