Free Will And Dante's Divine Comedy

"Before me things created were none, save things
Eternal, and eternal I endure. 
Abandon all hope, you who enter here."

The Desk Columnist of the Catholic Times begins his column with the words written above the gate to Hell in Dante Alighieri's  Divine Comedy. He read the poem when he was in middle school, and it left a lasting impression on him. He reflects on the poem in his column.

Dante, at the age of 35, in the evening of the day before Good Friday, was wandering in a dark forest. The next day at dawn he came to a hill which he tried to ascend and  met three wild beasts and his guide, who was like a father to him, the Roman poet Virgil. The poet leads him through Hell and Purgatory, where he meets Beatrice, who will be his guide to Heaven, where his eyes will be opened to the love of God.

The poem begins with sadness but ends with joy. The columnist mentions that the part that bothered him the most in middle school was to see the large number of clerics Dante had placed in hell. He was able to come to an understanding of this later in life:  Dante was showing his disapproval of the corruption of the Church of his time.

The columnist wonders if Dante would see the problems we have in the world today as representative of the hell he described: divisive feelings among people and nations, wars, jealousy, greed, hatred, etc. Our free will choices have been harmful to ourselves and others, as Dante makes clear, especially in the first book of the Divine Comedy: The Inferno. Free will is a gift of God, a faculty that allows  us to accept or refuse what is good or bad according to our reason.

The cantos of Purgatory have a great deal to do with philosophy and free will. It is our choices that will determine the road we will be taking, leading either to happiness or to misery. Dante considers free will the greatest of the gifts we have received.  And when we use it to make the right choices we will meet our Beatrice, who will lead us to heaven.

It is easy to have doubts about our freedom. However, as Christians our freedom is beyond doubt. We can limit our freedom by the  way we live, acting from instinct and habit, influenced by others and losing the ability to love, which only can be an act of a free person. The columnist wonders if hell is the place where we lose all our freedom.             

What Will Happen at the 200th Anniversary?

When Korea became a Vicariate Apostolic 180 years ago, it entered officially into the Catholic world. In 20 more years we will be celebrating the 200th year of the the Vicariate that developed into a Church operating autonomously in 1962 with its own dioceses; no longer could Korea by considered a mission country.

Reflecting on the history of the Church in Korea, a retired history professor, interviewed by the Peace Weekly, expressed surprise that not much attention was given to celebrating the 180 years as a Church. We were different from many other countries in Asia, he said, because the French foreign missioners, unlike the Spanish and Portuguese missioners, felt it important to train the Koreans for the priesthood, which  stimulated the growth of the Church.

During the recent past the efforts of the Church in working for justice for everyone strengthened its relationship with society, contributing to its growth and helping the country to transition to a democratic society.

The professor says that the work of the Church in evangelizing the culture has enabled its numerical growth and  maturity. However, he sees a problem developing today: few young people are in the forefront in  efforts to evangelize the culture. Convincing the young to participate more in this endeavor continues to be an important concern of the Church.

Evangelization is best done when the  Christ  we see and have in  our hearts is the Christ with which we want to evangelize the culture. By inculturating the Church into the culture, we integrate justice  and love throughout society, as we devote ourselves to working for the common good, which requires, says the professor, that we work for the reconciliation of our country.

Thirty years ago, at the age of 37, the professor was involved with the preparation of the 150th  anniversary of the formal  beginning of the  Catholic Church of Korea. At that time, he said that the young, the middle-aged and the old people of the Church were involved. He looks forward to that being true on the 200th anniversary.

Importance of Volunteer Work In Society

The society we live in presents us with the many challenges that come with change.  We are members of society and are building the future. The correct understanding of society has to start with ourselves in love and harmony with our neighbors. A correct understanding of community will come when we have this love and harmony with others. There is no greater value in life than this.

A columnist in the Catholic Times starts her article with the above words and tells us that of the more developed countries in the world Korea ranks fourth as a country with internal discord and in the amount of money allocated to resolve the discord.

This discord is seen most clearly by the increasing disparity between the rich and the poor, a decreasing middle class and, not mentioned by the columnist, inter-religious discord, regional prejudice, and the injustices and indignities faced by non-Koreans living in our society. Removing the discord requires, she believes, a change in all facets of our society. She  wants to see more sharing and voluntary service to the community by all citizens, and more concern expressed and put into practice by the leaders of our society.

The columnist feels that the concept of noblesse oblige in our society is not practiced to the extent that it is in other developed countries. She mentions that in 2001 the UN proclaimed the International Year of Volunteers. Working without recompense has been a  part of all civilizations, contributing to the welfare of others locally and in the larger society.

Volunteer work can begin with mutual help, then taking on more difficult tasks such as coping with crises and relief assistance, and dealing with the myriad problems of poverty; this work has many faces and is not confined to the boundaries of any one country.  We know that it is not only a  sharing of God's word but also a sharing of the talents we have received. This will require educational programs to get people more involved with others, increasing the prosperity of society and the happiness of  all. The columnist feels that the sharing of talents will be the catalyst that will change and humanize society, fostering dialogue, building community, providing a sense of mission that  will  contribute to living fully human lives. The light of this effort will brighten the  dark places of our society with love, and she feels confident that when this effort is joined together with others doing the same, we will have lit the torch that will illuminate the whole world.

She concludes the article with the words of Pope Benedict in his encyclical God is Love. "Significantly, our time has also seen the growth and spread of different kinds of volunteer work, which assume responsibility for providing a variety of services. I wish here to offer a special word of gratitude and appreciation to all those who take part in these activities in whatever way. For young people, this widespread involvement constitutes a school of life which offers them a formation in solidarity and in readiness to offer others not simply material aid but their very selves" (#30b).                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Interest in a Sane and Compassionate Society

Misunderstanding and hostility among people is grudgingly tolerated by many as inevitable, as we continually see this discord being played out in politics, in the economy, in ecology, and of course in religion. And  yet the dissension among Christians--perhaps most evident today in the rift between those who  are primarily concerned with having a personal relationship with God and those who extend this concern to all his creatures--is difficult to understand. The words left and right, conservative and liberal, traditionalist and modernist are used as words of insult or praise.

The divisions that exist among Christians concerning theology, discipline, and liturgy are  easier to understand than the  division between those who do not separate God from creation and those who do, as if  concern for society and its members, along with the social structures we have made, is an affront to God and should not be our concern.

The Korean Church has realized that the understanding of our Catholics on what the teachings of Jesus should mean in our daily lives was deficient. For many there was no understanding of the Social Gospel. The Catholic Times gives us a brief summary of the present situation and of the efforts being made to bring more understanding of the Christian life to more people.

In 1994, after the first  meeting of the  Asian Laity meeting  in Korea, the Seoul diocese began a school specifically for teaching the Social Gospel. Now in its 16th year, there have been 72 programs and 3110 graduates who have been sent out into society. Such organized programs that have been sponsored by a diocese and have lasted this long are not easily found in the world of Catholicism.

The success of the programs has influenced other dioceses to start their own Social Gospel Schools, and Social Gospel teachings have been incorporated in educational programs before Confirmation.

Since 2006, the programs for teaching the Social  Gospel have spread into many dioceses of the country. Though the leaders in the Church agree that much has been done, our Christians are far from seeing the crucial importance of Christ's teachings for achieving a humane society. It is hoped that the spread of the Social Gospel Schools will provide the needed impetus to give more of our Catholics a mature understanding of our present society and what a sane and compassionate society, in  comparison, would look like.

Understanding Religion as Praying for Blessings

Shamanism, the folk religion of Korea, and of many other countries throughout the world, has influenced the practice of both Buddhism and Christianity in Korea. Even in our technologically advanced society, many find the possibility of finding quick solutions to personal problems appealing. In one city alone, Seoul, we have hundreds of Shamanistic temples that bustle with clients. It is an influence that turns many people off when they see it in Christianity, since it is so different from the teaching of Jesus.

"Praying for blessings," as many Christians do, is in many ways similar, according to a columnist in the Catholic Times, to a Shaman's attempt to communicate with spirit beings to bring a  benefit to the supplicant, including healing, warding off evil influences, and predicting the future. The columnist wonders which is to be preferred: a Catholic, who goes to Mass every Sunday but doesn't pray for the rest of the week, or one who goes to Mass and prays for personal  blessings? He admits to not being sure of the answer.

In explaining our tendency to ask for personal help to fulfill our desires, he compares it to the natural reflexes we depend on to defend ourselves: the boxer raises his arm to block a punch he sees coming, or the pedestrian who steps back onto the curb when seeing a car coming in his direction. This is a natural response to what threatens us, and a sacred duty for survival built into our very being. Therefore, there is nothing wrong with entrusting  ourselves to God for our well-being, and yet the Church is asking us to rid ourselves of this praying-for-blessings kind of spirituality. Why? the columnist asks. 

Because prayer, he says, is a dialogue with God. But praying for blessings is using God as a means or a tool to gain prosperity or comfort. A person accustomed to this way of praying is prone to covetousness. Instead of instilling a thankful attitude for the things we have, asking for what we don't have nourishes the desire for having more than we need. It is using God to enjoy the  goods of this world instead of using the goods of this world to enjoy God.

When praying for blessings there is usually little thought of others but only of personal desires. When concern for others comes into play, there soon follows the breakdown  of the praying-for-blessing way of living. The columnist reminds us that breaking the habit of  praying for blessings, and replacing it  for a more mature prayer life, is far from easy, precisely because in many cases the habit has been with us for a lifetime. Praying for others, he feels, should help  break down the habit.

As an example of what prayer should be, the columnist refers to the prayer of Jesus as he hung on the cross: "Father, if it is your will, take this cup from me; yet not my will but yours be done." In this prayer, he says, we have the integration of personal desire and the will of God--there could not be a more perfect example.                                                    

Religious Freedom Understood Differently

Religion in North Korea is not an easy subject to talk about. There is a disconnect between appearance and reality that goes back to the time when North Korea based its policies on Marxism, considering religion superstition, the opium of the people, a tool of imperialism to exploit the masses. There have been significant changes since then, and an adviser to the Bishops Committee on Reconciliation with North Korea brings us up to date with her article in the Kyeongyang Magazine. 

From 1970, signs of change appeared with a thawing of the relations with the West. The religious federations began to come back to life and churches were restored. In the 1980s religious books and Christian religious services were allowed, including Catholic Masses; and churches were built.  Religion was grafted onto the Juche Ideology (independence and self-reliance).

In the country's constitution of 1972, it states: "Citizens are free to practice religion and  to speak against religion." It was amended later to: "Citizens have freedom to practice religion, build religious buildings and have religious services." The proviso that one has the freedom to speak against religion was dropped and replaced by "No one has the right to use religious influence to hurt the order of  society." Which the government is free to interpret in any way it wants. In the 1980s the  attitude toward religion again changed, as problems with the economy brought a desire for presenting to the world a better image of the country. The idea of bringing the South under their control was no longer pushed. Instead, the government decided to work with religious groups for a united Korea, with religion grafted onto their Juche ideology.

The way  people see the  religious issue in the North can be divided, says the writer, into two groups. One group sees churches being built, religious services being held, and religious groups being active, giving proof, they feel, that there is  religious freedom in the country. The other group says there is no real freedom of religion because of the divinization of the country's leader, and because the activities of the religious groups are more political than religious. Another viewpoint would agree with both groups, adding that though the practice of religion does exist in the North, if we look closely at the statues of the Labor Party of the North, they make no reference to religion, allow no freedom to evangelize and preach freely, and those who do are punished.

And also not to be forgotten, there has been persecution of many who have practiced their faith in the North. A house group in 2010 was dispersed, and the three leaders of the group executed, the others sent to prison. The writer suggests that the Church in the South, in its work of evangelization, set as one of its goal the task of helping the North  extend the current changes to a more meaningful appreciation of the value of religion.

Thoughts of a Parish Priest

As is true for most of us, a priest, writing for priests, expresses dissatisfaction with the situation he finds himself in. After 13 years in the priesthood, he finds himself in a rut, doing what he has always done and probably always will do. In his own life he has made, he feels, some improvements, but wonders whether living within the present structures caused him to lose his creativity and become  passive.

Yearly baptisms continue, but the total number of Christians doesn't increase, and fewer persons are going to the sacraments and attending Sunday Mass. He compares his situation to a frog in the water; each time the temperature increases the frog becomes more languid. Having become accustomed to the gradual increase in heat, the frog fails to realize what is happening.

Although he attempts to meet the guidelines that have been set, there is little progress. For five years he has felt that his efforts were like trying to grab hold of the passing clouds. Catholics are proud of being Catholic, he said, but they don't have great loyalty to the parish. When he compares this with what his Protestant clergy friends are experiencing, he finds this all the more disturbing.

When a priest is moved out of a parish and another arrives to take his place, we have a tendency to expect changes in the parish. The parishioners are prepared for something different from what they have been used to. Catholics experience pastoral care as the receiving objects of the care and do not, for the most part, participate as subjects of the care. In parishes we also have much moving of families because of finances or the educational needs of the children; this moving to another parish community can be difficult for both the families and the parish community.

We seldom stop to consider, he said, if this might also be true of the priest who has a stay of three to five years as a pastor of a parish. Is that sufficient time to make plans, become devoted and focused on the work? he asks.  He has serious doubts about the wisdom of these Church regulations.

Overcoming the temptation of being just a functionary within the Church can be achieved, the priest believes, with more and better education both for the parishioners and for the priests. How can they learn together? How can the Catholics  become the subjects of the faith life--not the passive objects of the faith life--enabling them to see  the  world with the eyes of the Gospel? How can what they learn help change the community?  If we continue doing as in the past, he concludes  the needed changes will not come and things will remain the same. Change, if it is to come has to come from the community, be accepted and understood by the community. Guidelines and regulations that served well the needs of the Church in the past must be overhauled to meet the present needs of the people and of the priests who minister to them.