Lord Make me an Instrument of your Peace

Korean Catholics are familiar with, and enjoy reciting, the prayer for Peace of St. Francis of Assisi. A Catholic Times' columnist also finds the prayer consoling and reminds us of the well-known words:

Lord make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love,
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair,hope;
where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
Oh Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be    consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive;
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

Today, there are many who have difficulty experiencing peace. We tend to be easily upset and angered; hateful and fearful thoughts are common. And not only among those without belief but among Christians as well. Because of the difficult times nowadays, many are living lives without much peace and joy. 

The columnist believes that  without experiencing pain and the tribulations of life one will not know real joy. He compares life to a long journey, a marathon. When one puts off running because of some perceived difficulty, such as the wind, cold, heat, rain or storms, one does not relish the joy that comes at the end of the race.

Jesus reminded us that his peace is not like that given by the world. "Peace, is my farewell to you. My peace is my gift to you. I do not give it to you as the world gives peace" (John 14:27). It is a life lived with him. It is transcending our present conditions: not forgetting our difficulties but facing them with Jesus.

Existence gives off its own fragrance, and a proper attitude toward life makes that fragrance ours; our life history and vision will become our future and our ideals. Living today fully is what is important: to be thankful for the day, and to do all in our power to live each moment completely will bring us peace.

One of Korea's Hot Potatoes

 A journalist for the Catholic Times writes an opinion piece about the current 'hot potato' being passed around, dividing the country, the village and the Church. The naval base in Cheju  island also written Jeju, on the southwestern tip of the peninsula, is considered by some as one of the seven natural wonders of the world.  The project to continue building the naval base has aroused strong opposition.

Environmentalists,  activists, opposition politicians, peace lovers, have all raised their voices against the project, the way it was begun and whether the naval base was needed in the first place. The opposition to the project by many Gangjeong villagers and by the larger Cheju, community has resulted in many arrests and imprisonments. The Catholic Church is also active in siding with the opposition.

Recently, Catholics went to Cheju on a walking pilgrimage and went to the Gangjeong village where they  saw the work in progress: excavators, trucks, and the like. The noise of the construction in the background the pilgrims looked out at the Gureombi Rocks--rocks that are considered by some to be a cultural heritage. Each of the pilgrims would have their different ways of viewing what was going on. Some would be praying with tears in their eyes, some with anger in their voice. Alongside those who were demonstrating against  the project would be those who supported the project; the clergy also being divided on the issue.
 

The lack of unity within the Church is  easily seen at the Gangjeong village. It is a school of learning for Catholics. As a journalist he sees so many crisscrossing opinions concerning  Gangjeong. We say the Church should be more active in  the world and yet  are afraid to do so:  a thought that he is not able to shake off. Embarrassingly, the solution to many of our current problems is forgotten; while perhaps 98 percent of Christians, he estimates, know what should be done, only about 2 percent have the courage to act on what they know.

The journalist feels that the fundamental problem is a lack of understanding of God, along with a lack of courage. We are not the persons we should be--persons sent out to evangelize but rather persons who are concerned about ourselves. He concludes with a quote from Hosea:  "For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice, a knowledge of God, rather than holocausts" (Hosea 6:6). These words keep ringing in his head.  Without an effort to know God no sacrifice will be pleasing to him. The clue to solving our problems, including the current one surrounding the building of the naval base, can be found, the journalist believes, by opening ourselves up to a deeper understanding of God.

Flight from God

"Truth will make us free," a quote from Scripture that begins the columnist's Notes on Life, will be the source of our bliss, he says, if we live close to this truth.  However, we have to be careful in discerning its meaning; without understanding correctly we can be hurt.

Practicing truth we are also living the truthful life. But from the beginner's understanding to the loftiest, there is a great  variety of behaviors. We have many examples of this, and for a Christian Jesus is our prime example: living the  truth that overcame the natural attachment to earthly life.

This way of life requires the  preparation of the vessel and its capacity to be filled with the truth that makes us free; otherwise, with vanity, we will be faced with  embarrassment. The columnist dreams of this search for truth but not for martyrdom. He tells us of his own preparation of the vessel: not wanting to be lazy but  diligent, not wanting to be deceptive but always speaking the truth, not wanting to judge things foolishly but with a correct understanding, wanting to rid himself of greed, not indulging in overeating or drinking, be accepting of an empty stomach,and more than that, to enjoy the condition. And wanting, perhaps above all else (he is a poet), to write a better line of poetry. He considers all this preparation as bringing him coming closer to the truth. The columnist has bared his soul; he is striving for the truth, trying to achieve a little more than what he now possesses. He admits that his feelings are packaged with his own wrapping paper.

Living with self-discipline will not be detrimental to  a long life, he wants to reassure us. We know that overeating is not as beneficial as eating little, that competing  excessively, with its attendant stress, is not as healthful as living calmly with some uncomfortableness. In brief, the columnist feels that this faith life of accepting  blessings fits rather well into his philosophy of life.

The flow of civilization in the 20th and 21st centuries is decidedly against this disciplined approach to truth--not being particularly interested in things of the mind but worshiping the material. He concludes with the words of Max Picard who defined this age as "fleeing from God."

There are, he feels, too many temptations leading us away from truth. In the Analects of Confucius is found the phrase, "A virtuous man will have a long life."  In silence, living prudently, will they not lead to a long and fruitful life?

Unselfish Life of Service

Some years ago two nuns, Marianne and Margaret, left Korea to return to their home country of Austria. A bulletin for priests wrote up the story in the recent issue, perhaps to give us an example of service without seeking any return.

The nuns were asked in 1962 to come to Korea to serve leprosy patients on the island of Sorok. When they arrived, there were 6,000 patients and 200 children, and little in the way of medicines or persons to help them in their work. It wasn't long before they realized that their work on the island would be a lifetime task.

They arranged to take care of the infants, treated untold numbers, gave medicines even when the patients were uncooperative, treated wounds without gloves, and when surgery was needed they would call the necessary medical teams; they even prepared gruel for some of the patients and baked cookies. There were countless things to do for so many in need.

When Marianne and Margaret left, after forty years of service, the number of patients in the sanatorium was reduced to 600. The nuns came to Korea in their twenties and left as grandmotherly elders. They refused, during their many years of service, to be interviewed, to talk about their work, or to accept celebrations in their honor, following the instructions of their Lord and master. They were, however, recognized by their own Austrian government and by the Korean government.

The money they received from the Austrian Sisters Association was used to help those who, when cured, would be leaving for a new life outside the sanatorium.

When it came time for the nuns to leave the island they refused all farewell parties and took with them the single bag they came with 40 years before.They left early in the morning and,from a distance. seeing many of their patients on the shore waving farewell, they were overcome with emotion. They left because, being now old, they did not want to be a burden on anybody so they thanked all those who helped them over the years and all the members of the island community; and asked for forgiveness for any hurts they may have given anyone.

The Koreans are very thankful for kindnesses shown and when a priest, religious sister or brother leaves for another assignment, it usually is an elaborate send off, with gifts and nothing left undone. When one demurs, you hear the often-used proverb that even the guests and those who play the flute eat well at a farewell. It is difficult to refuse the many kind acts of those who were served. But the  two nuns knew what they wanted: an understanding of service that did not allow for these external demonstrations of love.

Finding Ways to be of Help to the Needy

The  Chosun Daily newspaper profiled the religious life of a Franciscan brother. After graduating from high school and working in a small advertising company he  decided to leave it all and become a Franciscan. "What have I  accomplished now that I'm in my early thirties?" he asked himself. What have I contributed to society during those years?" These were the questions that led him to the Franciscans.

By becoming a religious brother he believed it would contribute to making the world a better place to live in.  At the age of 40, he enrolled in a nursing school. It was after becoming a Franciscan that he began to see the real plight of the poor and those who were sick. It provided the motivation for going to nursing school.

In 2008 he lived in the Philippines, on assignment, helping out in a poor area of the country. . It was during this time that he saw much that changed the way he saw life.  On one occasion, he went with a medical team from Korea to an out-of-the-way mountain village. Because of the unpaved  roads it took them a whole morning to arrive at their destination. A  young man with a growth the size of a fist on his ankle came to see them. For the young man it was just the  start of  serious problems. Why did you not come before?  he was asked. Money was his simple answer. 

In the nursing school of a class of 300, there were only 20 males, and he was the oldest. Studies did not come easy and he remembers the phrase from the past the "black are the words the white is the paper".

During the studies he kept up all the duties he had as a brother in his community. During his first year he never went to bed before two in the morning. He would get up at five to do his duties and go on to school at nine. During the second and third years he went to hospitals for practical training and would not return to the monastery before 10 at night  Last month he received accreditation as a nurse.

This year he entered a program to receive a bachelor's degree in nursing. In the fall he will be going to a monastery to take care of the older members of the Franciscan community and hopes also to be of help to the sick in the surrounding  community.  Some day his dream is to go to the North.

Women in Korean Catholic Seminaries

Most of us would not expect to hear women's voices in Catholic seminaries in Korea, but if they were to visit the campus of the Seoul seminary, they would be surprised. Their voices have been there, and plenty of them for the past 40 years, the Peace Weekly reports. Seminaries traditionally have been where men were educated for the priesthood; we now have religious and lay people studying along-side the seminarians.

Two of the lay  students when asked why they chose to attend a seminary responded first by saying that it was a question they had heard often. One said she wanted to come in touch with the basics, and that God was the adequate subject of such an inquiry. The other said she wanted to confront and solve the problems she faced in life, and believed the answers to those problems could be found in the study of theology.

Another said she believed it was necessary to get rid of the dreams of what campus life would be. There are no couples walking hand in hand, women  do not use much makeup nor do they go to classes with short skirts. One of the women remarked that this would be a distraction to the  young men.

The atmosphere is controlled by those who are studying for the priesthood, so there are limits that are set. The non-seminarians are only allowed to go to the lecture hall and the library. At lunch, the seminarians eat separately, provoking one of the female students interviewed to admit that it was not to her liking. Up until third year the seminarians are not allowed to leave the property, and after classes must return to their dormitories.

The study load is equivalent to what a third-year high-school student needs to take in preparation for college exams. 8 to 10  subjects are taken during a semester. The required subjects take most of the time, one of the students said. Homework is not excessive, but more time is required to prepare oneself for the philosophy classes. One of the women said that taking Latin, Hebrew and Greek for those who are not accustomed to the study of languages is difficult, but that was okay with her because she believed they were necessary to understand the Scriptures in depth. 

One of the lay students said that he  did not feel he belonged, but the way the professors treated the lay students made us want to study. Working on the  studies and aware of God the difficulties are overcome, he said.

A big problem for the Church in Korea is how to take advantage of these many young people with degrees in theology. This is one of the worries that the lay students are faced with as they proceed through the course. One of the  professors, expressing the same concern, said that the need was for more students with master and doctoral degrees, but where will they have an opportunity to work? he asked. At present, there are 216 students in the seminary and 72 are laity. At the graduate level, there are 151, of which 45 are laity.  

Distinquishing Between Essentials and Non-essentials

Historical dramas depicting the time of the Chosen dynasty are very popular on Korean TV. The desk columnist of the Catholic Times, after being away from the country for a  number of years, comments on seeing one of these dramas and the importance given there to the expression 'royal command' often used.

Before the use of the expression, there would be bickering and discussion among the retainers but once the royal command was issued all were quick to obey. There was no longer a desire to see things differently. They recognized the authority of the king. To do otherwise was to be a traitor.

Why doesn't the king from the very start say this is a royal command? Wouldn't it save a lot of trouble and energy on the part of the king? the columnist asks.  Isn't it  the  king's intention, before using his omnipotent power, to have unity and harmony among his people?

During the Chosen dynasty one of the means of deciding the outcome of any deliberation was to discuss the problems of the country with the retainers and come to an agreement, or to let the crown prince, with the help of tradition, make the decision at some future time. Discussion of ideas led to an agreement on a way to act. Consequent to this we had the royal command which was the  summation and judgement of the discussion that preceded.

The columnist wonders if by overly using the royal command unilaterally, the king's regal authority was not in some way decreased.  He mentions the often cited phrase: "Unity in necessary things; liberty in doubtful things; charity in all things." These are the words of a 17th century Archbishop, Marco Antonio de Dominis, in his book on the Church.  Necessary things, the essentials,  the columnist considers to be few in number; doubtful things to be many.  However, he points out that where one chooses to place one's attention will result in different understandings. 

We should not be fearful of discussion in areas of doubt. When we combine what is essential and what is in doubt, and fail to make a distinction between them, we are not, he says, being charitable. The columnist clearly has a desire to address the executive part of government and its 'royal decrees.'