Young Rebel Becomes Worker For Peace

Korean Poet Pak No-hae, Casper, has just published his latest book of poetry after 12 years of silence. The interview with the poet was written up in this week's Catholic Times.

He was  given a life term for breaking the security law of the country, served over seven years in prison and was pardoned in 1998. As with many of the young people, he wanted to see a better life for the workers, but the country was not ready for his views. After leaving prison, his life changed to one of  silence and concern for the poor in various parts of the world: Africa, Middle East, Asia and Central America. He became an advocate for peace.

Because Korean words meant little to those he encountered in his world travels, he used his camera to  express his feelings. He has 130,000 pictures, which are now being shown in an exhibition in Seoul until the 25th of this month. The poet handed all of his  pictures and poetry to a group of young people to select for the exhibition. Of the 5000 poems they selected 304, and from the130,000 pictures, they selected 160. They thought that some of the pieces that he liked were too much from the head and not enough from the heart.

The article quotes the poet as saying: "Many young people come to me baring their hearts. There are no adults in our society. We  have all kinds of nice words being used, idle solace and lying hope is lavishly given. However, it is difficult to find any who is taking a whip to the souls of the young. These unnecessary human beings, called losers, berating themselves, are looking for those who by their lives can help them but can't find anybody."  He hopes that seeing the pictures and reading the poems will serve as a confessional for many.

The poet mentions four crises in the world: the environment, wars, the disparity between rich and poor, and lack of spirituality. It is to confront these four problems that he presents his revolutionary message.

He says that his last 12 years were not only filled with writing poetry and taking pictures but there was also a change  in him.  He lost his fear, he says, and he is prepared now to go to God. He realizes that it is love that allows him to keep going. He finishes the interview by saying that his mother left him two things: his faith and his poverty. 
He wonders what it means to live life like Jesus. The interview ends with the words of Pak No-hae, "We do not see in the degree we know but  see in the degree we love." 

Finding Reasons to Congratulate

A columnist writing on spiritual themes in the Catholic Times recalls a man  who came to see him once a month. He had little joy in life and no passion for anything and would continually find fault with others, with his family and was down on himself, as well.  The columnist did not hear from him for 6 months and then he received a call that he was coming to see him with his wife.

"My husband has changed a great deal, hasn't he?" was the first thing the wife said. And then the husband asked his wife if he could be alone with the priest for awhile. As soon as she left the room he grabbed the  hand of the columnist and started to cry. thanking him profusely. The columnist didn't know what in the world it was all about.

Six months ago during the last meeting he suggested to the  man that he select a word and during the day meditate on the word. He said he would but it was not said with any enthusiasm. That evening when he returned home, he saw next to the TV a wrapped package on the nearby table.  He asked his wife what it was and she  simply said it was a gift she received at church. Picking up the package, he saw a holy card with the word congratulations on the front of the card. He read it over and over again. Although a common expression it now brought tears to his eyes and the word kept reverberating in his head and heart.

That word was a great inspiration to him. He began to see everything and everyone with this word in mind: his  family, his work, his own self, his wife and daughter--everything was  deserving congratulations. He asked his wife for the holy card and pasted it on the wall of the bedroom.  On leaving the bedroom he would repeat the word to himself.

His family, those at work, everyone and everything as a reason were occasions for him to have a congratulatory attitude. His whole life had changed, he said, because of that one word. The columnist admitted to having a light-hearted chuckle as he finished the column by congratulating himself.

As we know, life is a gift but for many different reasons we are not conscious of what we have received and not ready to congratulate ourselves and others--thankful for the gift. Analyzing the Chinese characters for  the Korean word 'Chuka Ha' (congratulations), we see what the ancients saw in the first word: a person at an altar petitioning heaven, and 'Ha' adds   something material to the mix. It is a very realistic rendering of what we mean by congratulations  even today. We ask for joy for the one we congratulate and show it by some outward sign.  Congratulations are rarely out of place. 

Old Ways of Fishing No Longer Work

A  priest living in  Seoul recalls going to his grandmother's house in the country; it was a great joy to him in his early years. In an article written for priests he remembers the days of  net-fishing with friends. A couple of them would hold the net, and one would scare the fish into the net by splashing water. It wasn't easy, for they had to be careful not to have the net hit bottom and losing the fish. He recalls the recriminations for not doing a good job and allowing the fish to escape.

Reflecting on those early years of fishing, he remembers when  evangelization was easy.  Korea was a golden fish pond then and there was not much searching necessary; they were often coming into the Church on their own accord. However, evangelization is now difficult and the number of tepid Christians is increasing. Many parishes have tried street  preaching and various programs to increase the numbers of the catechumens. In his own parish, the priest mentions that they tried prayer, fasting, and other approaches but with little success.

He tells us that without too much wisdom, he  reproached the parish council, the Legion of Mary and all those who were responsible for the efforts. The community took it very hard as if it was their problem for the lack of results. However, with the passage of time he realized that it was not  the problem of the Catholics. The pastor was comparing it to the time as a child when he went fishing with the net and let the fish escape. He was blaming the Christians for something that was not in their hands to accomplish. He felt like the Pharasee in the parable of the tax collector and Pharasee: self-righteous.

The fruitful years of evangelization have ended so the efforts have to change. Over the years, we have heard theologians tell us that we have to do more in evangelizing ourselves before we can bring our message to others. Here in Korea we talk about the new evangelization, re-evangelization, and the evangelization of the culture. But it all begins with ourselves.

Pope Benedict said in a talk ten years ago to catechists from around the world: "Human life cannot be realized by itself. Our life is an open question, an incomplete project, still to be brought to fruition and realized. Each man’s fundamental question is: how will this be realized – becoming man? How does one learn the art of living? Which is the path toward happiness? In a word, the new evangelization should be introducing the art of living a path towards happiness."

The concern and the joy of seeing so many coming out to the Church will be less, and thus there should be a greater interest in building up our communities to be signs of people on fire with love, and more time spent in evangelizing ourselves to understand and be open to God's love in our hearts. This should show itself in the way we interact with others in the communities we live in. It should also stimulate us to go out to those not of our community, with a desire to make all of society more human in every way. This new evangelization begins with us. It means presenting the art of living given to us by the example supreme, who is himself the path, by living that life ourselves.

At the beginning of his public life, Jesus says, I have come to evangelize the poor (Luke 4:18)--meaning, I have the response to your fundamental question. I will show you the path of life, the path toward happiness. I am that path.

It's helpful to remember that the deepest poverty is the lack of joy, the tediousness of a life considered absurd and contradictory. This poverty is widespread today, both in the materially rich and poor countries. The inability to experience joy presupposes the inability to love, leading to jealousy and avarice--all defects that devastate the life of individuals and of the world.

This is the reason for the new evangelization; if the art of living remains unknown, nothing else will work. This art can be communicated only by the one who brings to us the true fullness of life--he who is the gospel personified. To show this fullness in our own life is to teach this gospel, this art of living. This is the new evangelization.

Future of Catholic Missions In the World

Today we celebrate Mission Sunday in the Catholic World--the very reason for the existence of the Church. The  Church in the Asia realizes how difficult the task it has been given. In the Peace Weekly, a missiologist reflects on this difficulty and attributes it to the cultural roots of the East.

In Africa and South America, although the cultures are unique, the Church environment was sufficiently congenial to those cultures to allow the Church to put down roots.  Asia is different. The Church did not understand the culture, which led to the rites' controversy in China, and this in turn,  the loss of evangelical vitality. 

During the recent Lay Assembly of Asia, held in Korea during the 400th anniversary of the birth of Matteo Ricci, there was an opportunity to review the mission efforts of the Church in Asia. Although the Church here is small, their heroic efforts in the witnessing of Christ were acknowledged. 

The missiologist mentioned that he was on the preparation committee for the assembly and was moved greatly by the different national representatives when they talked. They were enthusiastic  and their faith commitment was evident.

A representative from Pakistan said that despite difficulties of mission work in Pakistan the Catholics are dialoguing with Islamism and do not consider them enemies but brothers. In most  countries where Islam is predominant there is continual friction between the two faiths. In this environment, you have to risk your life in preaching Christ, but they are sustained by their belief that it is the Holy Spirit that is leading them.

Catholic Times' editorial  on Mission Sunday mentioned that the problems we are having in mission work stem from a failure to understand this mission we have been given. Although we are always conscious of our call to mission, during October, especially, we are given the opportunity to renew that interest and our commitment to mission work. 
Are we to go along with the way we have done mission in the  past? And the answer can be found, it suggests, in the life we choose to lead--our whole life must be prepared for mission. Since the society we live in has changed, and our way of thinking and our living patterns have changed, our way of delivering the message  also has to change.

The exemplary lives of Christians were always the best way of delivering the message. With all the different ways of commemorating this month of mission, we should begin by renewing our efforts centered on the meaning of  who we are as followers of Christ. The ultimate mission method is to live our Christian life correctly and completely. The editorial concludes that this  is the indispensable  tool for mission work of the future.

Lectio Divina Not of the Head but the Heart

In this month's Kyeongyang Magazine, a Benedictine priest brings us back to the topic of Lectio Divina (Holy Reading). This simple and unique ascetic practice of reading scripture not with the head as study but with the heart as the living word of God was passed on to us by the early monks. When read with a quiet mind and an open heart, the words of scripture are easily kept in memory, staying with us all day and uniting us with God.
 
With this ascetic practice, the words of the scriptural passage the monks were reading took deep roots in their hearts and enabled them to live a  fuller life. Combining Lectio Divina with the Eastern way of meditating brought about the Holy Reading Retreats we now have in Korea.

The Benedictine  laments that  in recent times many of our Christians, feeling a spiritual thirst and an emptiness in their life and wanting to satisfy it, have been  attracted by  other forms of spirituality and have ignored a true and proven  way.

The early Church  stressed that Lectio Divina is an important help for all Christians in living the words of scripture. Gradually, however, this legacy was lost and only remained with the monks. This was seen especially in the monastic life of the monks in Egypt, in the inspirations they received and in the life they lived. This method of prayer continued up until the time of  scholasticism and  the Renaissance, but  then began to disappear only to be revived by the Second Vatican Council.

The practice of Holy Reading includes meditation, prayer and contemplation. This prepares one with a 'spiritual ladder': from where we are now to  contemplation. The first step of the spiritual ladder is reading, full attention to vocal reading and listening to the word. The second, meditation, is to keep repeating in mind the words we have read; this period is also called rumination. The third, prayer, is giving our  hearts over entirely to God, and the fourth, contemplation, is to rest with a quiet mind, feeling oneness with God.

A noticeable feature of Holy Reading is that it is simple. There is an emphasis on purity of heart; it is at that time that we receive God's knowledge (Gnosis). With the  continual repetition of the word of God, we are living with the word and in the word and then, suddenly, one day we appreciate the meaning of the words we have been living with--bringing us closer to God and receiving strength, wisdom and discernment.

Our Benedictine is concerned that with all the different approaches to Lectio Divina and the interest we have today in Holy Reading, there is a strong possibility that it will become merely an intellectual pursuit. The reason the early Christians and monks made it an important part of their spiritual life  may be completely forgotten.

Standing Aside to Look at Life and Oneself

 In the Kyeongyang Magazine early this year a retired priest gave his reflections on life and leisure. During his last years in the seminary, he realized  there was something missing in his emotional life. He attributed  this to the poverty of his family, not being able to finish school, and the difficulties of the war years. Without a better emotional life bringing a necessary balance into his life, he believed his personality would not improve.

While in the seminary he felt working with music would help him cultivate a more balanced emotional life, so he started with the guitar. He went to the  accordion and just before he retired, he  borrowed a saxophone, but when the owner asked for its return the interest in music disappeared.

In the beginning of his priestly life, he enjoyed tennis and fishing. For reasons of health, he volunteered to go to an island where he took up writing and poetry and continued this interest into his retirement years, when he published a book of poetry.

He  took up calligraphy and oriental painting. He was intent on doing everything possible to cultivate his emotional life. During his sabbatical year, he  even studied oriental painting.

Leisure allows one to step back and look at one's daily concerns. It is like the painter who steps back with a cup of tea in his hand to look with a mature eye at  what he has just finished painting.  Just as oriental painting has to have blank spaces if it is to have life, in our own lives, if we are to have fulfillment, we have to have this leisure--life's blank spaces.

When one steps back from his daily work, he can see it from a different perspective. He can see the 'I,' the ego, with a different eye for it is not uncommon that we deceive ourselves. When we become too attached to the work we can forget who we are and who we are working for. When we are conscious of  the bishop and the Christians and what they will think, we can lose our identity and develop a false self; we fail to practice virtue and walk the road to holiness.

There is a possibility of getting so involved in the work for God that we forget God: the work becomes our satisfaction, our glory. He reflects that  during the years as pastor, it was his ideas and plans that he wanted implemented; he wasn't interested in hearing what his pastoral council advised. Being a late learner, he realized at retirement that it was often when he didn't get  what he wanted  that God's will was done.

He tells us that having a little pressure in life is not all bad; it keeps us from being sloppy and falling apart. (This reminds me of a ditty from the seminary days: No stress, no strain, no unusual moods, stay loose but don't fall apart at the seams.) To show us what he means, he introduces us to  his blog that he has kept going for five years-- Spirituality from the Water Spring, www.catholicspirit.org.  This keeps him young at heart. His approach is a good example of the contemplative attitude toward life which is becoming harder to follow in this competitive and result-oriented society..

Making Young People Feel at Home in the Church

There is a great deal of talk  within the Church on the falling away of the young people as they get older. Symposiums in many dioceses are now trying to determine what can be done to keep them within the Church, some suggesting that there needs to be more attention given to improving the faith life of the young.
 
The Synod in the diocese of Incheon concluded that "Family education is the most important factor for the holistic growth of young people, especially for growth in the faith...Parents have a great responsibility for educating their children in the faith but usually leave this duty to priests, religious, and to religion teachers. Furthermore,  parents restrict their children's faith life and church activities during the preparation time for national entrance examinations."
 
This is the difficult reality the Church in Korea is faced with. Understanding the obstacles is necessary before we can begin to discuss the situation. The Peace Weekly, in a review of a symposium in the Suwon diocese, mentions  understanding the obstacles is a prerequisite before anything can be done. 

One of  the participants said, "The future of the Church is the young," but, unless the Church implements this understanding with concrete proposals and programs this slogan will remain only a slogan. We have done little in our parishes to make a viable culture where the young will feel comfortable and  thrive.

The diocesan bulletin made the same point with cases of problem children. There is the tendency to put them all in the category of children who have difficulty with puberty or to consider them all juvenile  delinquents--another example of a failure to understand.

The youth in the Church are just like  the other youth  in society they associate with daily. To create a more welcoming environment for our young people, the Church needs to create a culture that is not so radically different from what youth are generally exposed to in the society at large, provided that it does not deviate from the standards of good conduct. Coming to Church will then be something our youth can identify with.

If adults were to look at what the young people see by putting themselves in their position, not expecting them to automatically accept the established adult culture, adults might be more accepting of youth culture. Youth culture can be divided into two categories: school culture and popular culture. In school culture, demands are made on the students, which are accepted at times, compromised with and opposed at other times. Knowing that students will often respond negatively with the school controlling culture, adults should not be surprised at their response outside of the school milieu.

A participant in one symposium pointed out that we are living in a materialistic society that emphasizes its sexual aspects. Even though we are an economically developed country, we have no sex education programs in the schools or in our churches; our young people are getting their sex knowledge from pornographic videos, magazines, books and the internet, among other sources. Consequently, we have one of the worse records in sexual conduct among the young.

The Church should be a place where young people are helped in making decisions involving sex. A step in the right direction would be to have seminaries offering courses in sexual education, the Church providing training for those who teach in Sunday school programs, and setting up centers where the young can go for consultation. The Church should take the lead in order to counteract the free-for-all sexual culture that we have made.