Internet Savvy Public

The Catholic Times Desk Columnist, returning from three and half years of study in the United States, recounts his difficulty in becoming comfortable with the smart phone culture of Korea. He experienced how the non-established media  plays a big part  in conveying  the news by way of the internet. The established media continues, of course, but the internet media is a serious threat to its dominant role in society. One motivation of the internet news programs is a distrust of the established news media, but its attempts to provide accurate reporting, although often immediate, is also often incomplete.  

News delivered by internet requires little equipment. It's revolutionizing the delivery of news and breaking down the boundaries between the  makers of news and the receivers.  Now everybody can be a maker of news. The receiver of the news can also become the purveyor of the news. Anyone can now set up a 'newspaper' and  'broadcasting station,' the established media no longer being the sole gatekeeper of the news.

This online communication  has also changed the discussion within the church concerning the news makers and the recipients of news. The content of the traditional teachings  was controlled by the  leaders and clergy  of the Church. This was to be expected since the content of the faith is something  received, but the new media has changed the way this  teaching is communicated.

In the modern age, the invention of printing had a great deal to do with the advancement of learning of  the general public. This  threatened the monopoly that the clergy had in the past. This is now happening again by the new flow of information.  Something to be noticed is that the automatic authority and  trust that accompanied what was reported in traditional media are not transferred to online reporting. Online authority is more dependent on the nature of what is being reported. 

The content of what the authorities of the Church present online is reinterpreted and evaluated by Christians online, who are not only the receptors of the news but also by their interpretations of what they have received become, when sending out their views of what has been received,  producers of news themselves.

This new way of communicating, the columnist says, presents the Church with a dilemma.The horizontal means of communication that the Second Vatican Council recommended is a good thing. But, at the same time, how can the Church teach what it has been given to a society that has accepted relativism as an important value?

Adding more applications to the smart phone, the columnist says, is not going to solve the problem. What is necessary is a fundamental reevaluation of this new media, discerning what has taken place in the thinking of an internet-savvy public, and finding ways to deal creatively with this new reality in order to keep our traditional values intact.                                                                                                 

Special Works have their Own Attraction

Catholicism in Korea has enough priests and religious to help solve some of the problems in our society, reports a columnist for the Peace Weekly. Many of them are in mass media, the maritime apostolate, working with the handicapped and migrants, providing assistance in overseas Korean communities, and in many other activities. The columnist, assigned to the worker's apostolate in his diocese after  returning from pastoral work with a Korean parish in Vietnam, reflects on what this has meant to him.

The work with laborers in Korea has a high priority and his assignment, coming  unexpectedly, left him dazed. He had spent two years as an assistant priest before going overseas for work in the Korean parish in Vietnam. Parish work is varied and challenging, and he envied his classmates when they talked about their parishes.

As an assistant he was busy with a very tight schedule: preparing the liturgy and sermons, visiting with parishioners, lecturing, interviewing; he  felt he was not always in control of his time.  

His special pastoral work has many different aspects: going to an office, having to follow a work-shift--all this going and coming were strange experiences for him. Sitting at a  desk was awkward, and the number of Masses and meetings were few. He was physically comfortable, but there were many restraints in  the work which bothered him. He was not busy like  a parish priest, and though he could go mountain climbing, if he wanted, on Saturdays, being creative in his work did not come easy.

Unlike working in a parish, he would interact not only with Catholics but with activists from the  different segments of society, which was often awkward. They did not always see the  problems facing the workers in the same way he did. His values, justice and love, were not always their values, but when he could meet the workers in their place of work and talk with them, all changed. This gave him great satisfaction in being able to bring the concern of the Church to these poor and alienated workers.

When he saw the acute difficulties that some of the workers were facing, he felt helpless and wanted to run.  However, in these painful circumstances of injustice the laborers had to face, he knew he was not only representing the Church but could act in a pastoral way as a priest.

Looking over his new assignment, quite different from a parish in which he was always busy and pressed for time, this opportunity to be in control of his time, while being of service, had its own attraction.

'Aha' Moments in Life

Human noise is a part of our daily living. We experience it in our homes, in society and confront it in our interaction with others. On the spirituality page of the Catholic Times, the columnist wonders how this noise can be toned down. He believes it can be done with respect and awe.

How do we become more of what we are meant to be, the person God wants us to be? The answer again is respect and awe. Respect includes love, and awe goes to a higher level, to a respect that includes awe, somewhat like what can be experienced when in contact with the beauties of nature.

Only humanity has the possibility for this respect and awe; it's not found in the animal world. This ability makes us who we are, and we should practice and develop these qualities. They come into play, especially when we come in contact with our brothers and sisters. All of life is filled with the possibilities for awe, looking up at the sky, or down on the earth;  not only in  nature, but seeing a car pass on the street and gazing at a  building can trigger this awe.

There are many who do not have this respect and awe for others. They have not developed this virtue. They think only of themselves: proud, righteous and centered on themselves and  family. Their  world and  numbers are small, but sometimes they are in powerful places in our society.  The columnist tells us that we develop these traits of respect and awe with an attitude of contemplation.

We all have a radiance, he says. It may come from our eyes and mouth when we look or talk compassionately with another, or when looking on creation with thanksgiving. Even when we use the most expensive tooth paste, this aroma will not be present on our lips. It is only when we utter praise and thanks that the aroma will be present.

Christians  know that God made us by infusing into us his breath. This is part of who we are. When we give off this radiance and realize what is happening,  we are contemplating. When radiance does not emanate from us, this is not contemplation but rather, he says, indulging in personal satisfaction or pseudo-contemplation.  True contemplation can also see the radiance that is given off by creation, helping to strengthen our own, and giving rise to respect  and awe within us.

The columnist ends by reminiscing  on the studies he has made in theology and the many books he has read and studied on contemplation. They were, he now knows, just partial presentations, theoretical, word-based understandings that stayed in his head. The 'Aha' moment came when he went down on his knees and experienced true contemplation, respect and awe resonating within him from a life lived in harmony with God's will.

Learning to Live with Diversity

In the Salt Jar section   of the Bible & Life magazine, the writer reminds us of the mystery of community life. In religious life, members do not choose who they will live with; their companions are selected for them. What joins them together is their commitment to imitate the life of Christ and, following his teachings, to grow spiritually into a vibrant community with all its diversity. They follow the evangelical counsels and become enraptured with the desire for unity in the Lord.

This ideal is not always achieved, the writer reminds us. There is the stress of dealing with each other's failings. And the failure to sublimate our differences brings immature behavior. In minor manners this can be overcome; in serious matters this will work against the attainment of the goals of the spiritual life that the members want to achieve.

A Korean religious sister mentioned an incident she found instructive while living with a community of nuns in Switzerland. Sister A of the community returned from a walk and  put a flower in front of the statue of the Blessed Mother.  Admiring the flower the Korean sister standing  before the statue was approached by sister A  and asked: "Beautiful is it not?" She tells the Korean sister she was so impressed with the flower, she regretted that she was the only one  to see it and  took one of the  flowers from the field and placed it before the statue for all to see.

Shortly after, sister B came by and reprimanded sister A for cutting the flower and preventing others from seeing the beauty of the flower in  its original environment. This brought other sisters to the statue and they began quibbling over what had been done. The Korean sister, half laughing and embarrassed, left and began to reflect on our differences.

Because of these differences, we often have conflict and misunderstandings. She reminds us that differences are not always errors or mistakes. There are different ways to climb a mountain, and notes that though in the Korea of the past there was only one brand of coffee, today there are many different types to choose from. We also have the Synoptic Gospels which present the same Jesus seen by three different sets of eyes, which enable us to get closer to him.

In many of our big meetings and chapters of  religious organizations, it is not rare to have a facilitator, a member not of the community, invited to help the organization or group to work more effectively. They do not take sides but work to help the group accomplish what they want to do.They are servants to the community to help the group work through some of the areas of conflict, resolving the differences by coming to a mutual understanding that will enable the group to reach their goal.

With the many different personalities and theologies, the cultural influences, and our personal failings, to come  to some understanding of what we are to be as Church is far from easy. The facilitator is just one way to help us work within the Church to be more open to Jesus and his call to mission.

Laity of the Korean Catholic Church

The Catholic Lay Apostolate Council of Korea has recently made known its white paper after 40 years of growth. The sleeping giant within the Church has reflected on its work over the past years and sees where it stands today within the Church. Both Catholic papers had articles and editorials mentioning that the Lay Apostolate Council is not content with the results they have achieved  and will continue to work for a greater  role within the Church.

They will build on the foundations laid down during the past 40 years. They acknowledged that at times  they have acted in a similar way to  clericalism, and  fallen away from a legitimate role of the laity into what could be called 'laity-ism,' which has brought them into an unnecessary conflict with the teaching authority of the Church.

The Apostolate Council has also not been relating well with the different lay groups within the Church.Mentioned was the lack of a systematic pattern of programs, instead of  attention being directed to taking care of emergencies. Evangelization has not been concerned with the direction of society or following the lead of the president of the Lay Council. They have been weak in both welfare programs and evangelization and, because of a lack of capability, have been slow to work in the international arena and in reconciliation with the North.

Listed are a number of areas on which they intend to expend more effort in the years ahead.

First: They will  become familiar with the social teaching of the Church and work for justice--an important point of departure. In  the political field,  finances, society,  life issues, environment, and so forth, they will work for the common good, and sound a warning bell when necessary.

Second: They will endeavor to strengthen the educational programs for lay people in order to generate more expertise and capability.

Third: They will be more selective in assigning work to the laity. In the past, it was difficult to differentiate between the work of priests, religious and laity. They will work to understand subsidiarity and solidarity in the work of the Church. And the laity are not only to serve the clergy and religious but to have their own area of expertise and activity. Stressed throughout the white paper was the importance of evangelization.

Fourth: the place of the laity in work for the weak and poor in society: in coop programs,  helping the unemployed, and  in  welfare programs etc..

Fifth: Work for the reunification of the country,  help in programs of relief  for the North and  prepare for the day when they are  able to help in the evangelization in the North.

Lastly: To make the infrastructure of the Lay Apostolate Council able to take upon itself this work in the future, it  will be necessary to strengthen the bonds with the different diocesan pastoral groups, and setting up a  'think tank' to help guide the work of the Council.









                                                         

The 386 Generation of Korea

Born in the 60s they are called the 386 generation (named after the PC model of that time). In the 1980s they were of college age and active in the democracy movement of the 80s. They are now the elite of our society. They were brought up not experiencing the poverty of their parents, but they did experience the financially difficult times when the country received funds from the International Monetary Fund. They saw that the societal safety net was not in place, which helped move the generation to the right.

Writing in the opinion column of the Catholic Times a priest calls them the smart generation, having grown up in the digital world we live in today.  They were prominent in backing the politically independent mayor of Seoul last year. The priest wonders if they are not again coming to center stage.

The priest in his experience with this generation sees them concerned for the future. They are realistic. They come  quickly to terms with the new and at the same time inwardly feel uncomfortable about the future. There are those that say they will be the last generation to live with their parents and the first to be left behind by their children. They will be the bridge between the young and the older generation.

Our columnist feels that the way this 40-plus generation works at bridge-building between the generations will make a difference in the future. The problems pending are becoming more acute and diversified. He has no way of knowing the future but would like the Church to start communicating with this generation.

To speak to this generation it will be necessary, he says, for the Church to change both the content of its message and its current methods of communicating. This generation has already been instrumental in changing society so any attempt at one way  authoritative communication will meet with rejection, and make the transmitting of the Gospel message difficult. Engaging in a more open dialogue, he feels, will bring a sympathetic response.

What they want, he says, is genuineness, understanding and hope. They want more Christians gathering to discuss the Gospels, to pray and be a part of devotional groups, natural and spontaneous groups that can feed their desire for a better future, for them and for the country.

If the members of this young and influential generation, especially those showing leadership qualities  are able to grow spiritually in the varied  communities of the Church, he has no doubt that they will play a key role as bridge builders, and be a valuable resource for a healthy Church and society.  
  

The Joy of Life

A columnist for the Catholic Times wonders where is  his standard of judgement. How much does his Catholic belief affect his life? He suspects that the values of the world have an inordinate influence on his life: the desire for peace and security.

He reviews the many different ways we wish each other well. We often say: good health to you, become rich, meet a great partner and marry, hope you get a good job soon, study hard and get the school you want, and so on.

Shouldn't we as Christians, he asks, have a different set of greetings? Shouldn't we be saying: Follow God's will, be faithful in your life of faith, I will pray for you, be true to the Scriptures, I will pray that you be filled with grace and  peace, and so on. 

Most of our worries and troubles come, the columnist says, from our judging according to a worldly value system, from not seeing from a Godly viewpoint but seeing from our own self-interest and personal desires. This is true even though we believe that everything moves according to God's providence. Many fail to turn their worries and problems over to God but work as if everything depends on them, becoming lost and facing life with difficulty.  It is when one turns everything over to God that peace and joy can come into our life.

As a baby grows daily we also in our faith life should grow in maturity in a healthy way. In the same way as we expend our efforts and passions  on our dreams and hopes, shouldn't we, as believers, be expending the same kind of effort in having a mature faith life?

Our earthly life is short, the columnist reminds us, and it will soon disappear. As a believer we have values that go beyond this life; shouldn't they also deserve our efforts and passion? This transitory life, he points out, can be faced in many ways. The hedonist says "since I will die, I will eat drink and be merry." The nihilist says "life is empty," and the existentialist says "life has no substance and our plans are useless." The columnist asks what is the proper disposition of a person of faith facing an unknown future?  Human confidence on our continual health and possessions can lead to pride: We don't need God; we can do it alone. For the Christian, this is not one of our options. We want to live doing the will of  God.

When we look at our faith life, we can see many reasons for thanks. This gives us joy; we have maturity and a grace-filled life. This joy results not from giving thanks for the joy of life, but rather it is the thanks that gives joy to life. When I can truly give thanks for what I have received, then joy will enter my life and the desire to respond joyfully will be there.