September is the month dedicated to the martyrs in Korea. When
Catholics hear the place names of the persecutions: Sinyu, Chonghai,
Ulhae--memories come to mind, bringing a heaviness to the heart. And the
memory of this time is not only distressful to Catholics but to all
those who know the history of martyrdom in Korea. A bishop emeritus
writing in a Catholic Weekly hopes this feeling of oneness with the
martyrs will not disappear but act to stimulate a more dedicated life.
The
Church is now researching, we are told by the bishop, the lives of
past and recent martyrs; news we all can be thankful for. In the past,
looking for answers concerning the deaths of Catholics who died at the
hands of the Communist in the North, from 1949 to 1952, was not
encouraged. The political stalemate in Korea required a more prudent
response, a desire not to put more live coals on a volatile situation.
The need for caution has for the most part disappeared, and the process
to beatify the 38 martyrs of the North is underway and nearing
completion. The bishop, who has been involved with the beatification
process, is asking his readers if they fully understand what is meant by
"martyrdom." Whether they believe there are martyrs today and not only
among Catholics. These are questions normally asked during the month of
the martyrs.
There are many reasons for the questions, he
explains. Today, there will be no "deny your faith or lose your head."
Today's martyrs, called by many the nameless ones, our gray martyrs,
will not be as easily recognizable nor their beliefs as clearly set
forth as they were in the past.
Nowadays, it's not easy, says
the bishop, to give up everything for one's belief or convictions.
Even when a person does sacrifice his or her life, whether actually or
by refusing the material comforts of life, the reason for the sacrifice
is often not apparent.
We are now more conscious, living in our increasingly
pluralistic world, that many of our citizens are being guided in life by
very different values from our own Christian values. This moral
discrepancy is an obstacle to our coming together and working for the
common good. Even giving witness to one's strongly held moral
convictions becomes difficult, and human actions, now often judged by
personal convictions, have lost their intrinsic meanings. Those who
speak out against the moral confusion are, like the martyrs we are
honoring this month, voices in the wilderness. Nobody seems to be there
to hear.
"Sharing
is the foundation of happiness. Sharing our material things is sharing a
little. Sharing our wisdom is sharing a lot. Sharing our love is
sharing everything"--a quotation that introduces the comments of the desk
columnist of the Catholic Times, who goes on to tell us about a
fortunate person, an orphan, who receives an unexpected gift.
Jerusha Abbott, the orphan and heroine of Jean Webster's novel Daddy Long-Legs and of several movie adaptations, including the Korean movie "Kidan Ajeossi, is the beneficiary of someone who decides to share. Jerusha, now 18 years of age and working at the orphanage where she was brought up, is told that a benefactor would help her financially and give her what is necessary to live during her college years; she has only to write him once a month, addressing the letters to a made-up name. He will never reply to her letters, which take up most of the novel, nor will she ever know his identity. She did catch a glimpse of him once, leaving the orphanage, but noticed only that he was tall and long-legged.
Though the
unselfish motive of the benefactor, content to give anonymously, is to
be applauded, the
columnist believes we all have a desire to know our "Daddy Long-Legs,"
to know who has helped us and to express our gratitude for what was
received.
All have different possessions to share. Some have an abundance of material things; others have wisdom and knowledge to share, while others little of these to share, but possess a loving heart. However, just possessing means little. Sometimes the sharing of love is the best way to know it was in our possession to begin with, and is the surest and the most direct way to experience happiness.
Jesus has shown us this kind of love, and we have been commissioned to show this love to others, but we often are content to express only a verbal 'thank you' for the love received--in whatever form it's given--without sharing it with others.
We
are by nature social creatures and cannot be truly satisfied without
relating and sharing with others. Sharing what we possess to help
others, and receiving from others what we need should be a second-nature
response. Being a "Daddy Long-Legs" to others is a win-win
situation for all of us.
We come across all kinds of obstacles in daily life. Some are called
stumbling stones; others are called stepping stones. Writing in a bulletin
for priests, a pastor reflects on the results such 'stones' may have in a
person's life.
A 90-year old grandmother in his parish, who
rarely misses Mass, met with him to discuss a problem in the family.
Among her
many children her daughter's husband died and shortly the daughter died, leaving the grandmother to raise their two children. One child, who attends
morning Mass with her, is mentally handicapped; the other had been in a
car accident 10 years ago and now solves his problems by
excessive drinking; both are unmarried.
The grandmother wanted
the
priest to make contact with city hall to find out what they would
suggest for her grandson's drinking problem. The priest did arrange for a
rehab program but when the grandmother talked it over with her grandson
and was told he was not interested, she asked the priest to cancel the
program. It was then that he began wondering whether the grandchildren
were stumbling stones or stepping stones for the grandmother.
If
we look, he says, only at the heartaches and the
worries, the grandchildren can be seen as stumbling stones.
If we look, instead, at this troubling situation as an opportunity to
bring added meaning into the grandmother's life, then the grandsons,
even though causing her much grief, can be seen as stepping stones.
In
each life there is bound to be many obstacles, but whether they become
stumbling stones or stepping stones will depend on the way
we accept the troubling situations. When we rest in the knowledge of
God's love, the priest says, stumbling stones can become stepping
stones.
Philippians (4:6-7) tells us "Dismiss
all anxiety from your minds. Present your needs to God in every form of
prayer and in petitions full of gratitude. Then God's own peace, which
is beyond all understanding, will stand guard over your hearts and
minds, in Christ Jesus."
It's helpful to meditate on the
chameleon-like nature of the obstacles that come into our life. When we
fully realize that how we behave is largely determined by how we see
reality, and while resting in the peace beyond all understanding,
turning stumbling stones into stepping stones will become commonplace.
Subsidiarity, a word
often used to refer to an important principle discussed in the social
gospel of the Church and sometimes causing confusion, is not difficult
to understand. Our dignity as humans is protected by this principle,
which is on the shortlist of important principles that should govern the
way we should see, judge and act.
Church teaching
explains the principle of subsidiarity in the following manner: "A
community of a higher order should not interfere in the internal life of
a community of a lower order, depriving the latter of its functions,
but rather should support it in case of need and help to coordinate its
activity with the activities of the rest of society, always with a view
to the common good" (#1883 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church).
The
Korean Church has worked to develop a sensitivity not only to the
subsidiarity issue but to all issues of justice that affect many of our
societal problems today. The lack of a Christian understanding of these problems has prompted the Church to begin conscientizing
our Catholics by bringing greater awareness of the social teachings of the Church through lectures, educational programs and publications. The Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church,
issued by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, identifies four
principles of Catholic social teaching that are valid always and
everywhere: human dignity, the common good, subsidiarity, and
solidarity. Let us look more closely at the principle of subsidiary as
explained by a diocesan bulletin.
When
a person or a group is able to handle a problem it should not be
interfered with by a group belonging to a higher order. This is
regarded as an obvious truth. When a child, for instance, is finally
able to tie his or her shoelaces,
the parents should stop doing it for the child.
Subsidiarity is opposed to certain
forms of centralization and bureaucratization.The
non-governmental groupings in society should be helped to foster the
common good and the participation of all the citizens. This
participation is an important component of the subsidiarity principle.
For the principle to work effectively, citizens
should have the education, the information, the right standard of values
and view of history that will contribute to mature citizenship, preparing them to select the most qualified people to work in
government. When this functions properly the higher ranks of society will be
helping the lower ranks to fulfill their rightful role.
Misunderstanding
the social gospel teachings becomes more likely when there is
"either/or thinking" instead
of "both/and thinking." When we are concerned with our brothers and
sisters,
this does not mean we cease being concerned with our relationship with
God. Matthew 25:32 gives us plenty of reasons why the two are seen as
one in the teaching of Jesus.
For most of us, the aging of the body is not something we can control,
responding to our bidding whenever we would like. When we see the
elderly full of energy and life despite their advancing years, all of us
take notice of this unexpected achievement. And that is what the
Catholic Times did recently with its interview of 86-year old Teresa
Hong, who has recently published her 17th book of poetry.
Although
she has had two serious operations recently, she continues her reading
and writing, and has no plans to stop. "When my hand is no longer able
to hold the pen, that may be the end to my writing," she says, adding a
"but" at the end, perhaps implying that even then she will find a way to
continue writing. She admits to having misgivings about much of what
she has written--and she has written since 1945--telling the interviewer
she no longer desires to hear her poetry read, though she is resigned
to these inevitable events. Her satisfaction now comes, she says, from
recalling 70 years of loving relationships with others; the joys, the
suffering, and the pleasures of life have all become part of her story,
and part of her poetry.
Whatever she has seen, heard and thought
during her long years of life have found their way into her poetry and
other writings. Writing for her is like breathing, she says, but she
never thought her writing had any great merit. Though people call her a
poet, and she accepts the title, all she is doing, she insists, is
answering the call to write, and the pages just follow naturally.
When
she finished her 15th book of poetry, she thought that was a sufficient
goal to have in life, but she has exceeded that goal by two. It was
during this time that she had the operations and was distressed that her
writing years might be over, but God allowed her to take pen in hand
again and continue writing. The pain and personal struggles she endured
during this time have been the miracle drugs, she says, that enabled
her to return to writing, purified and hardened.
More than the
energy that comes to her when she writes, it is her faith, she says,
that is all important, even though she has not been consistently
faithful. She is always conscious of the many graces she has received in
life, and grateful for being a life-long Catholic. After publishing
her last book of poems, all that is left, she says, is to prepare for
death with dignity and a firm resolve. Thankfully, she will leave behind a remarkable body of work for
all of us to reflect on and enjoy.
That prayers are not answered is a common complaint and can
bring the obvious question: Is there a God to answer our prayers? Our
ancestors were faced with the same questions."Even when I cry out for
help, he stops my prayer. He has blocked my ways with fitted stones, and
turned my paths aside" (Lamentations 3:8-9). "Oh my God, I cry out by day, and you answer not;
by night and there is no relief for me" (Psalm 22:3).
In his article in Bible & Life,
a priest reminds us that our ancestors in the faith, being unconcerned
whether an answer was received or not, continued in prayer and examined
themselves, finding a response by redoubling their efforts in following
the will of God.
It was prayer that helped them uncover God's
will. The response to the prayer was not as important as the
relationship, the intimate conversation, the daily understanding--all of
it came as a gift of love, the essence of prayer.
If we are to
discover God's will--unconcerned with our own--patient waiting is
necessary. The answer to prayer may take a lifetime. God's way is not
our way, scripture tells us. Consequently, when praying we need to pray from the heart and give words to our prayer that is pleasing to God.
And yet,
many have spent hours in fervent prayer with important requests...but
the loved one died, a son never returned from the war, a business
failed, and the divorce did happen. Not surprisingly, many of them gave
up prayer as useless.
Scripture tells us to ask and
it will be given to us, but this is not what most of us experience. The
priest wants us to know that in prayerful asking we are asking for the
Holy Spirit, and that everything
comes with this gift. With the help of the Holy Spirit, we can be
unconcerned about whatever comes our way, welcoming both the inevitable
sorrows and the joys of life. The more empty we are of ourselves, he
points out, the freer the
Spirit is to work within us.
When a favorable breeze blows we
do not need the oars. When the Spirit within us is
allowed the freedom to move us, prayer becomes easy and a joy.
A
doctor, writing in the
Catholic Digest, asks "Who is the healthy person?" The dictionary
meaning
of health, often cited and generally thought to be accurate, is to be
free of mental and physical ailments, and to have a robust constitution.
According to this definition, the doctor says he would have to exclude
many friends, acquaintances, and patients he considers healthy. He gives
examples of what he means.
A friend
of his, another doctor, who has a crippled leg from polio, doesn't
hesitate whenever his patients need his help, often being the first one
to be at their bedside. At home, though often tired from long hours at
work, he plays hide-and-seek with his daughter--not an easy game for
someone with a crippled leg. And when his son, like all inquisitive
children, asks a difficult question, he always takes
the time to respond thoughtfully and appropriately. Can we say, he asks,
that his friend does
not have good health.
A man in his fifties, having recently
climbed one of the highest peaks in Korea, was told a few days later
that he had stomach cancer. Are we to think that from the moment he had
the
diagnosis he no longer was healthy? That he somehow lost the health that
enabled him to climb that mountain? Or for that matter, should anything
in the natural world that once was young and vigorous be described as
having lost health as it ages?
A 78-year old diabetic
grandmother, overly preoccupied with health, leaving the doctor's office asked: Doctor are you in good health? She just completed a physical exam, and yet she wants another MRI, just to make sure
she's healthy. Can we say she is in good health?
We don't normally
consider anything old as being healthy. But
even in the natural world, taking as an example an old persimmon tree.
Yes, it was once vigorous and producing fine fruit but now is producing
small, ugly fruit, eaten only by birds. Who would consider the tree as
not being healthy? Some of course would, but not our doctor.
He
clearly has difficulty with the generally accepted meaning of health
that restricts the word to a period of life where physical growth and
fruitfulness are most evident, and that describes the period of life
where physical powers decline as a lack of health. To focus solely on
the physical manifestations of health. he says, will lead to many
contradictions.
Instead of saying that health
is the absence of any physical and mental problems, the doctor would
prefer to say a person who lives his daily life without insecurity, and
enjoys physical, mental and spiritual peace is the healthy person. This
more holistic understanding of health includes even those who take
medicines to control their high blood pressure, those who
have been operated on for cancer and are living a normal life, those
who are taking medicines to control depression and yet are able to work
helping others, those who are handicapped and are out there teaching
others--all of them could be considered healthy, the doctor insists,
despite their physical problems.
A grandfather, after x-rays revealed the possibility of TB, was told to undergo more tests to
be sure. The doctor did not want him to take strong drugs that may not
be necessary and may prove harmful, but the grandfather
wanted to start taking the drugs, not for his own health but not to endanger the health of his grandchildren. He had lived a full life and the health of his
grandchildren was now his primary concern. Can we say the grandfather was not in
good health?
He gives us another example. A 45-year old man who
was
diabetic and obese, not wanting others to think he was unhealthy,
refused medicine but decided to exercise 4 hours a day, eating only the
best food. During the weekends, he would go golfing and mountain
climbing. He also cut down on his weekly workload and avoided foods he
previously wanted to eat. The family did not enter into the picture and were very much upset by his decision. Let us suppose, the
doctor says, that everything turned out normal after his efforts, can
we say he was in good health?
The doctor suggests that a
first step in correcting this misunderstanding of true health might
start with changing how we greet one another, which would also help rid
us of what he calls the "health neurosis" of our society. Better than
wishing other people good
health, which is normally understood to mean physical health, he wants
us to get into the habit of wishing them "Joy of life," "Be filled with
God's
graces," "Be happy," 'May your wishes come true"--all stressing the
importance of mental and spiritual health. It is our narrow
preoccupation with physical health, he says, that deflects many of us
from pursuing the health that counts, The real health that makes any
physical ailment of little significance.
