Nothing is Free

Once upon a time, as stories in the olden days often began, there was a king who loved his people and wanted them to live the good life. But how could he best do this, he wondered. He decided to bring together the wisest men of the kingdom, and told them to set down in writing what the the people needed to know to live a life worth living.

Hundreds of sages, after much discussion, put together 12 volumes of wise sayings, and presented them to the king. He told the sages that the people were too busy and had no time to read 12 volumes, and that they should reduce the number of books. After reducing the 12 volumes to one, and presenting it to the king, the sages again were told to reduce it further so the people would be able to quickly understand how to live the good life. After some months of further discussion and deep thought, they came back to the king with one sentence:  "Nothing in the world  is free." Of all the wise sayings that have been passed down to us over the years, the sages found this saying to be the most valuable.

The Desk Columnist  of the Catholic Times wants us to reflect on the wisdom of this parable. In Europe, they say: Only the cheese in the mouse trap is free. We know that in life if  one side gives and the other side only receives, this kind of relationship  does not last long. There has to be a mutual giving and receiving to have the relationship continue. That's why our ancestors' "spirit of mutual help," "exchange of services and labor," and "the bucket and water relationship" have been so important to Korean thinking.

God is always giving, but we have to cooperate with what was received and is being received with our 'yes'. The 'free' gift that Jesus gave us, as a token of his love, came with a cost. The whole idea of grace may be misunderstood if we believe it demands nothing from us. Grace is indeed free and is moving us continually, but we can choose  not to  cooperate, to receive but not to give back. This whole idea of justification (whether by grace or by works) has led to one of the most contentious issues between Protestants and Catholics. It is surprising that we have not been able to overcome this misunderstanding  by what we have experienced in life.

Though the saying that "there is nothing free on the earth" may seem not to be true, since we tend to think that the most valuable things on the earth are free, we would be forgetting that even the seemingly free things we are blessed with on earth are not without cost, as the columnist makes clear. If we have received something, even if it seems free, it involves a debt we have to repay, an exchange  between the giver and the receiver, a relationship expressed by "The way we plant is the way we will reap." A principle we do well in following.

Fan Clubs and Sunday School

There seems to be always somebody looking for reasons why something is not going well. In recent years Sunday school programs have not been doing as well as expected, with decreasing attendance the norm in all the parishes. To deal with this situation, and others, many of our young priests are going on for degrees in youth studies, which will bring new ideas into pastoral work with the young.

A  Peace Weekly article profiled a young priest who wrote his master's thesis on the fan clubs now popular with many of our young people, specifically on how much time young people will devote to participation in society as a result of their participation in fan clubs. The clubs can be dedicated to any of various interests concerning the stars they adulate, but in all cases the clubs are run by the  members.   The priest sees a similarity between the deference given to celebrities by their fan clubs and the way Catholics participate in the Church.  Even though club members have never met the stars they adulate, they think of them often, wanting to do what they do, but desiring  nothing in return.

To put it bluntly, we are Jesus' fan club; we are his enthusiasts. While the priest was studying for his thesis a member of a famous band had to leave the band because of what he had said publicly.  For 3 months the fan club marched in silence to have him reinstated.

To gain first-hand knowledge of these fan clubs, the priest joined a club that decided to help a preschool group of children. It was during this time of sharing deeply with the fan club members, seeing their energy, creativity and spontaneity, that gave him the opportunity to discover some answers to the Sunday school problem.

We often say the stagnation we see in the Sunday school programs is due to the passivity of the young people. However, the priest's experience with the group that helped the preschool children clearly showed that passivity  was not the problem. He found that young people, when properly motivated, can be very active; in this particular case, hiring buses, preparing for a concert, and all the while giving the praise for how well the work was progressing to the group they were helping, even though it took time away from their own personal lives.

The priest feels that utilizing  the fan club format and its built-in enthusiasm will help solve the problems besetting our Sunday school programs. We need to make use of the  same energy shown by the fan clubs, he says, its potential for creative and  dynamic action to invigorate the Church programs. As they are now designed, our programs follow the cramming method of education, and the students are not given any opportunity to participate.

His conclusion, using prayer as an example, is to start praying before you start defining what prayer is, before you start reading about it in books. After praying, then share your thoughts  on what was felt, and only then go on to the theory.  We should never forget that before speculating on how to deal successfully with our young people, we need to start by listening to them. remembering that whatever is finally done to correct the present difficulties with the Sunday school programs, our young people are and should remain our main focus.                                                                                                                                                          

Negative Aspects of Religion Easily Seen

A professor emeritus writing in a Catholic magazine contends that Christianity is being challenged by the current attacks on all religious beliefs and by an increasingly secular civilization. The first challenge comes from the "New Atheism," which is receiving a lot of media attention lately, and the second challenge, from the materialistic values aggressively promoted by our consumer-driven civilization.

Atheism as a movement  is not new but can be traced to the Renaissance and  the humanism that followed.  The present atheism is a different strain from those of the past and what we saw in Communism. Current opposition to the belief in God is more intense than in the past, and the number of  those who sympathize, both intellectually and emotionally, with the atheistic position continues to grow.

Those who think that this atheism is a result of Communism are living in a dream world, says the professor. He believes that the atheism we have today was born in a Christian culture and matured in the civilization of Europe, and that the monotheism of the three religions based on the faith of Abraham--Christianity, Islam, and Judaism--is especially the object of much of the criticism. After the destruction of the twin towers in New York, many who are not atheists have come to agree with them that  religious beliefs can and have become problems in achieving and maintaining peaceful societies in many parts of the world.

Probably, says the professor, there are Catholics in Korea who believe since Catholicism has a good reputation in Korea these problems should not be our concern. But he disagrees; he believes it will be necessary for Catholicism to be open to the pluralistic society, showing tolerance and going beyond the simple moral guidelines of good and evil.

Christianity forms the basis of the civilization of the West, with its values of equality, justice, love and the dignity of the human person. The words of Jesus, now known as the Golden Rule, briefly summarize his teaching: "Treat others the way you would have them treat you." This teaching refers to all persons. Jesus made this clear in his parable about  the Samaritan, its message being:  accept all persons as brothers and sisters irrespective of race, nation, social status, money, religion or ideology. This is not easy, but it provided the moral foundation  of our Western civilization.

In our present society, little attention is given to the lessons of history. However, within history lies a purpose and meaning to help guide us through life. As is often said, "Those who forget history are doomed to repeat it." And as a Church, the professor reminds us, we can't afford to forget this warning. What is important, he believes, is to keep the general direction and intention of our history in mind. Society today is concerned with all kinds of material values and is  busy quarreling  about money matters and how  to get ahead. What is important is to keep the general direction and intention of our  civilization in mind. The professor ends by saying he feels  God is happiest when  we remember the purpose and intention of history in our lives.
 

Buddhist Temple-stay Visit of Benedictine Monks

Korean media found  it worthwhile  to  publicize  the visit of eight young German Benedictine monks who have come to Korea for a 40-day exposure to Korean culture.They are also interested in seeing their elder Benedictine monks, as they pursue their work in and around the Waegwan monastery, to gain a deeper appreciation  of their own mission call.

They are living at the Benedictine monastery, where they are learning about the culture of the country, hearing lectures on the language, politics, finances, and  the history of Catholicism in Korea. They will visit the many works that have been undertaken by the Benedictines over the years--and it has been many years. The Benedictines, the first male religious order to settle in Korea, arrived in the country more than 100 years ago.

During 3 days of this month, the young monks spent time in a Buddhist monastery to experience  the life of Buddhist monks.  To help them to know themselves better, the chief monk, on the first day of their temple-stay, gave them a question they were to reflect on while at the temple. His question:  "How many points do you have to have to enter heaven? Is it 100? 70? 50? And who gives the points?" The Benedictines thought it was an interesting question to ponder.

In silence, they went mountain-climbing, listening to voices from the heart. Like the Buddhists, one of the Benedictines said Catholics also respect all of life, and that doing the bows was a way to appreciate the others religion. When eating, they knew that they were to take only what they could eat, not leaving any food on the plate. The temple-stay was a helpful time for the Benedictines, and one monk said the experience helped him in his own prayer life.

The temple-stay program, which the government inaugurated and helped finance, enabled foreigners, as well as interested Koreans, to learn something of the traditional culture of the country. However, at the end of last year the government cut  some of the funds for the program, causing friction with the government. The president, a devout Presbyterian, is seen by Buddhists as not being friendly to their interests: at the beginning of the year, all members of the government's ruling party were banned from attending  Buddhist events. But this situation has changed. The government has reinstated the funds to their former level, and after some misgivings the  Buddhists have extended their hand in peace, and the government has reciprocated.

Catholic monks making a temple-stay should be a sign to  Koreans that the Church desires to see harmony between all segments of society, especially when it occurs between religions;  their efforts to understand and to dialogue with each other sends a message that speaks loud and clear to all of us.  It could also be a sign of what will be required to ameliorate the situation between the North and the South.

Substraction May Be More Important Than Addition

Preparing for my sermon yesterday on "Blessed are those who are poor in spirit," I was helped by a passage  from a book written by a Korean priest. He mentioned that while studying in Austria, he was invited by a Korean family to come over to their house for a meal. He was forewarned that they had a mentally handicapped daughter who would often run around the dining room table making all kinds of noise.

That evening , while they were eating desert, the girl very quietly came to sit at the table, took a napkin and wiped from the lips of her father some of the desert that still remained there. The wife, with tears in her eyes and a choked voice, said, " Father, we have no special  expectations for the child, but it is moments like these that we live for." The girl knows that she breaks her parent's heart, and these acts are in compensation for the love she receives. These little acts are a great consolation to the parents.

In daily life, it is not the big things that give us strength and happiness but the small things.  It is when we get rid of our desire for material things that the road to happiness opens up before us.

Catholics are disposed to believe that the evangelical counsels of the Gospel are a blueprint for happiness, but the values of our culture say no, and there continues to be a conflict between the two. But it is more than likely that in time there will be sociological surveys that will put to rest which view of life is more conducive to happiness. The culture wants facts, and when the culture decides to uncover the facts, values will change.

Speaking from his own experience, the priest has been convinced that when we live without the  burden of  covetousness, we can expect great happiness in our lives. Though good appearance and health, achieved by losing weight, are goals appreciated by all, the priest would like to see the same effort given to decreasing the weight in our inner life. Whether it is the body or the spirit, the less baggage the more happiness. We should, he says, be more proficient in the art of subtraction than in the art of addition.                                                                                                                                                                                 

Temptation to Lie is Always Present

All of us find it convenient at times not to tell the truth, to deceive and, sometimes, to tell outright lies.  In the competitive worlds of politics and business, politicians and merchants often feel it necessary to lie to achieve their goals. And many others have come to accept lying as an unavoidable strategy for those who intend to succeed in our highly competitive societies.

Moral theologians have always had trouble with giving wiggle-room not only for the mundane lie but also for the lie that people feel necessary to save the life or reputation of another. Even the Catechism of the Catholic Church (#2483) has come down on the side of strictness: "Lying is the most direct offense against the truth. To lie is to speak or act against the truth in order to lead someone into error. By injuring man's relation to truth and to his neighbor, a  lie offends against the fundamental relation of man and of his word to the Lord."In an earlier edition of the Catechism the words "in order to lead into error someone who has the right to know the truth," have in recent editions been  removed.

We will never know, on this earth, the damage done to society because of lies. But we do know, on a personal level, that when trust is lost it harms not only others but ourselves.

We can all recount stories of deception we have experienced, and in a Catholic magazine a number of  persons from the literary world have decided to tell their stories and how they feel about lying.  One of the writers mentions the time she was riding on the subway when a well dressed man approached her, saying he came to Seoul to be with his classmates but  had too much to drink and didn't have enough money to return home. He showed her his business card and told her he would send the money to her as soon as he returned home. The card indicated that he was a school teacher and listed his telephone number. Shortly after he left,  she felt he may not have been what he said, and called the number. "This number you have called is not listed," she was told. She had a good laugh.

Another writer quotes the Korean proverb, "Lying well is better than having a small rice paddy." He believes lying can be a help in conducting ones life, explaining that to lie well is not to do harm to nature or to others. But also says that lies like this are extremely rare. There is little doubt that lying does prove helpful in achieving the material goals many desire, but these goals are often pursued mindlessly in the competitive world we live in, and we don't  see what happens to us and to others as a consequence of this behavior.

One writer concludes his essay with a listing of scripture quotes on lying. "Each one deceives the other, no one speaks the truth.They have accustomed their tongues to lying, and are perverse, and cannot repent" (Jeremiah 9:4). " Delight not in telling lie after lie for it never results in good" (Sirach 7:13). "A liar's way leads to dishonor, his shame remains ever with him" (Sirach 20:25). "The false witness will not go unpunished, and he who utters lies will perish" (Proverbs 20:9). "Do me justice , O God, and fight my fight against a faithless people; from the deceitful and impious man rescue me" (Psalms 43:1).

And we all can say: "Lord, help me to guard my lips from lying. Amen."               

Problems with the Naval Base in Jeju-do

Bishop Kang U-il of Jeju-do  has sent an open letter to the Korean media in support of the opposition to the naval base being built on the island of Jeju-do. Considered to be one of the seven wonders of the modern world, the island, because of its idyllic, peaceful environment, has been affectionately dubbed the island of peace  The bishop's letter explaining the Christian opposition to the naval base was an unprecedented  act by the bishop, who is also the president of the Bishops Conference.

The Catholic Times discusses the controversial issue on its editorial page. The villagers of Gangeong, where the naval base is being built, and many others who have enjoyed the peaceful ambiance of the island, are opposed to the project.  The government has boasted of the  beauty of the island, and now that same government is dealing it, say the opponents to the project, a deadly blow.  Even on this beautiful island the ocean bottom of Gangeong is known for its  natural beauty,  turning the harbor into  concrete is hard to understand.                   

The bishop also mentions another problem: the way the site was selected.  It did not take into account the people who would be affected; there was no  consultation with the people of the island, and there was also, he said, evasion of the law. It was a top-down  decision.

Having a naval base on the island will provide an additional reason for conflict among  the  countries in the Far East. The bishop goes on to tell us the history of Jeju-do and the emotional scars that have been left on the hearts of its people.  The editorial chose not to mention this painful history, but the bishop went into great detail to explain what he meant. The revolt in Jeju-do in 1948, against the plans for elections in the South, was so intense and frightening that many chose to go to Japan. It is a history few Koreans are familiar with because of the  efforts of the government. Even today one does not find it easy to bring up the matter in conversation. History, our history, the bishop says, has to be remembered when the naval base is considered.

The Catholic Church has been opposed to the naval base since July of 2007. The Bishops Committee of Justice and Peace issued at that time a public declaration of opposition. In an urgent meeting of all the diocesan Justice and Peace committees, the dioceses agreed to be united with the diocese of Jeju-do in its opposition, indicating that they were determined to keeping the island the island of peace.

All Koreans are interested, as are all people everywhere, in the security and peace of their country. But the competition in amassing armaments is not the way to avoid war; instead, it makes the possibilities for war even greater. Pope Paul II in the encyclical  Centesimus Annus (The 100th Year) #18, said, "An insane arm's race swallowed up the resources needed for the development of national economies and for assistance to the less-developed nations. Scientific and technological progress, which should have contributed to man's well-being, was transformed into an instrument of war: science and technology were directed to the production of ever more efficient and destructive weapons. Meanwhile, an ideology, a perversion of authentic philosophy, was called upon to provide doctrinal justification for the new war."

The editorial ends by proposing that the conflict and confusion in Jeju-do be resolved by the decision of the government to stop the project, returning the island to its naturally peaceful ways. It is hoped, the editorial goes on to say, that the incident will allow us to reflect on what true peace requires, and that all our citizens will learn to appreciate the preciousness of our environment.