Preparing for Holy Week

Lent is coming to an end. This Sunday is Passion Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week, the climax of the liturgical year. Both Catholic papers prepare us for our own renewal and rebirth. One spiritual writer explains the need for the forty days. We need the time to reflect on what God desires of us, obeying, being reconciled with others and  showing mercy.

When we visit the Blessed Sacrament, attend Mass,  read the scriptures, we are always open to receiving directions for our life. We have to prepare the receptacle remembering the words of St. Thomas: "Whatever is received is received according to the manner of the receiver." Which means that we can do much to distort the message we receive with our personal receiving set. 

The spiritual life includes all of life, everything we do all the time. The writer mentions that to become proficient in mathematics you have to start with something like the multiplication table; to learn English you need to know vocabulary with these basics you begin the mastery of your subject: the same is true in the spiritual life.
 
There are those that say you don't need a religion to be good, to love your neighbor, to be humble. Yes, but without a rock-like  foundation, he says, all will crumble. We have to know why we are to be good, be humble. It is when we know the answers that when the rain comes we will not be overcome.

With the rock foundation, we are changing every day. Every day is met with freshness, and hope. There are so many who meet the new day, he laments, without meaning. They are fools he says.
 
With a mature spiritual life, each day is full of great joy and expectation we can enjoy to the full; the morrow  is momentous and precious. God has put everything that we need inside of us. We are programed to follow God's blue print for us. Those who have done this know the joy that comes from this kind of life.

Working for the Common Good of Northeast Asia

Land disputes and North Korea's nuclear aspirations are just two of many issues causing tension in Northeast Asia. Japan's move to the political right, the weakening global influence of the United States, and China's increasing influence in the region are being watched closely.

Writing in the opinion column of the Catholic Times, a Jesuit professor of sociology sees these developments as having a great impact on Korea. Because of the geographical location of Korea, her future--political, financial, cultural--will be influenced by Japan, China, and of course by North Korea, and as always by the still substantial economic, political and military outreach of the United States.

Historically, the influence on Korea in the first half of the 20th century was wielded primarily by Japan; in the second half of the century by the United States, and it now is obvious to many that China will be the big influence on Korea during the first half of the 21st century. If this turns out to be the case, the Church, with its concern for peace and the common good of Northeast Asia, will also have to prepare for the changes to come. Though the threat of instability that this shift in influence suggests, desiring peace for our country alone, the professor says, is a short-sighted goal without the possibility of success.  If there is a head-on collision between China and Japan, as in the past, Korea will be involved so the Church needs to be concerned with the problems of the region.

The social doctrine of the Church (unfortunately not well-known) should be propagated in every way possible, he says, to mitigate the likely negative effects resulting from shifting geopolitical influences in the region. By emphasizing the need to search for  the common good, the reduction of armaments, the solidarity of humanity, and the other universal principles in its social message, the Church, he believes, should be working to  spread its message throughout the Northeast Asia region, making the evangelization of the region one of its priorities. The 16th century Catholic Church did not hold back on the personnel sent or the monies it spent in evangelizing China and Japan, but despite all the efforts and resources the results were small, and Catholicism in these two countries is still considered a foreign import.

Korea on the other hand did not receive the personnel nor the financial help given to China and Japan, and yet the results in Korea are far superior.  The Church after the Second Vatican Council was involved in trying to solve the  many social   issues that Korea faced which he feels contributed to  the development of Catholicism in Korea.

He wants the  Church to  transmit this learning experience to Northeast Asia.  Cardinal Stephen Kim often said that the Church does not exist for itself but for the world. More important than personnel and monies, the learning that the Korean Church has garnered from its experience should be given to the churches of these countries. He hopes the religious leaders of Korea, China and Japan will continue to meet often to deepen this learning experience and their understanding of their common mission in the region.

The professor sums up his thoughts by recalling how, after liberation, the Korean elite were educated by America, and he fears that there will be a similar educational move by the pro-American and pro-Chinese  factions within the country, if the common good is ignored, that could lead to conflict. This is reason enough, he says, to use the social doctrine of the Church to educate our future leaders to work for the common good of the region.                                                                                   

The New Pope's Intuition

Usually the secular press has little interest in things Catholic, but with the resignation of Benedict and the new Pope Francis, we have seen an increase in media coverage. One journalist expressed joy in reading about the new pope, noting that this pope doesn't make anyone feel uncomfortable by what he does, like some of the saints of the past. What Pope Francis has done the past few days anybody could do, which gave him much peace, the journalist said.

The pope's actions brought to mind, he said, religious leaders--Catholic, Protestant, Buddhist--who were of the same mold. There were some negative remarks made, he said, but they have subsided; he takes this as a sign that Francis had already won the hearts of many who might at first had reservations. 

When the pope came out on the balcony, for his first public appearance after becoming pope, his face seemed at peace; it is the face, he says, that often shows what is in the  heart. The pope's first words were words of humility, referring to himself not as the pope but as the bishop of Rome, and said the cardinals had to go to the ends of the world to find him, and jokingly asking God to forgive them for electing him.

He has already shown that he will continue living the life of poverty that he did in the past as the ordinary of Buenos Aires. Once he  figures out what to do with his police escort, the columnist sees the possibility of meeting him someday riding in the same subway car. 

The journalist  comments on the many problems the Church faces: bureaucracy, financial abuses, fallen-away Catholics, the sexual abuse of children, and an increasingly vocal society asking for a change in the Catholic understanding of abortion, contraception, euthanasia, same-sex marriages, woman priests, and the like. Priests themselves are also divided into conservative and progressive camps, and there are also European and non-European differences in outlook.

Francis has given us an answer to this confused state of affairs by his simplicity and humility. Although in doctrinal matters he is conservative, he has indicated that he will work to alleviate poverty and alienation wherever it is found, which will go a long way, the journalist says, to help close the gap between the conservative and progressive factions within the Church. With his warm disposition and casual, unpretentious manner, the new pope has given hope to many that at least some of the problems the Church currently faces will be addressed and solved.

The 115 Cardinals had to have the help of God to pick Francis for it took only a few days to realize that they had made the right choice. There was no brain storming on what to do after getting the votes of the Cardinals, Francis knew intuitively  what was needed and acted accordingly, very much in  harmony with the Cardinals who elected him. 

Their success should serve as a model, the journalist suggests, for both political parties here in Korea. If they were to study the cardinals' two-days of deliberations and their quick agreement concerning the best way for the Church to move forward in the years ahead, he believes the politicians of both Korean parties might succeed in uncovering what has been bothering our citizens for the past few months, and do something finally to resolve the matter. 

A Lesson learned in Mongolia

The first trip overseas by a priest who is now working here with seamen and the foreign community was to the land of the descendents of Genghis Khan. He took note of the wide-open plains, the blue sky and the many horses and sheep. Though the language was different, their facial features were the same as his own.

He went to Mongolia to help a Korean missionary priest who had gone there some ten years earlier. During the priest's visit, he traveled far and wide and ended up at an isolated ranch. Mongolians are famous for their portable  tents, and it was in these circumstances that he had his first experience of  the nomadic life. No electricity, no water and no toilets made life extremely difficult, but it was the lack of toilets that was the biggest hardship.

A small hole in the ground, surrounded by a fence, right behind the tent, was his toilet. Eating and defecating were seen as similar activities, both without needing privacy; in fact there were no rocks, trees or other objects that would provide privacy. The children, especially, felt no need to find a  private place, any place would do. They just lowered their pants and did their business. There was no need to avoid the eyes of others; laughing, they would look at you. It was the priest who was embarrassed. 

Last week, the priest went to a center for children of foreign workers. The weather was cold, and he wondered how the Mongolians in their country were making out. The recent move of the children's center to this new area, which was a factory area, had been completed and everything was in order. The Mongolians here in the city are no longer nomads but making money in the factories. On that day he was caring for three of the Mongolian children who were sometimes crawling on the floor and sometimes walking and falling, and always shouting.

He spent time playing with the children using the  toys available. Conscious of a strange smell he thought was from the factories surrounding the center, he took one of the children and placed him on his knee while riding a toy horse. He noticed that the child was wet with a chestnut-sized dropping from the back side of the child; the child was laughing. Too much dissimulation is not a good thing, the priest reflected, when eating and excreting waste from the body is part of the natural process.

He lowered the child's pants and saw the big 'Mongolian spot' and the child laughing all the while. He remembered the children he met 10 years ago in Mongolia who were out behind the tent, laughing and relieving themselves. You guys grow up strong, he silently wished, and hoped that their lives back in their country riding their horses would be happy.

Search for Happiness

Everybody wants to be happy, and there's plenty of advice making the rounds on how to find happiness. For the  religious person, happiness is not something you find or achieve but is a by-product of a life lived well. And if we look for happiness outside of ourselves,the columnist in the open forum of the Catholic Times says,    we will always remain unsatisfied.
 
This external search for happiness usually results in a belief that if only we had this, or had that, we would be happy, but most know this is rarely the case. He recalls the time, not that long ago, when Koreans experienced what was called the 'barley hump' period before the early spring barley harvest. At that time, after the fall harvest had been consumed, many Koreans would be looking for edible grasses and herbs in the mountains and surrounding areas. Few of them would say they are happier today simply because of a "full stomach."

The columnist wonders if we tend to look for the big things, the unusual things of life, and forget to give thanks for the more common, but precious little things;  it's a great loss, he says.  We are running after the big things, even though we would find it difficult to explain why; maybe the reason, he suggests, is because everybody else seems to be doing it. 

One of the more common, precious little things of life we could not do without is of course the brain. Though a small part of our body, it does a great deal of the work, and a great deal of gratitude needs to be given to that body part. Today I was able to study, the columnist says, have breakfast, go to work, and write and read this message. There are people praying for me, we have enumerable number of things for which we can give thanks. When Jesus said the poor in spirit are happy, isn't this what he meant?

Like the morning fog, however, everything in this world has limits. Honors and power, especially, along with what most of us desire, don't last for long, he reminds us. The family wealth passed on to children, he says, rarely lasts for more than three generations. This is not saying we do not need material things. A follower of Jesus still works diligently, and is thankful for the honors and material wealth given, and uses it for the alienated and poor in society.

But when our hearts are filled with material things then no matter how precious, beautiful and vital are the non-material things surrounding us, there often is no room left in our hearts for bringing these higher values into our lives. The columnist would like us to reflect on this during these last days of Lent, and to find ways of doing less with the material values of life and doing more with the higher values that give meaning to our lives. 




                                                                                                                                                                                               

Modern LIfe and Depression

 We are living at a time of great change, with the need for the economy to respond quickly to recent developments in technology. As a result, industry is cutting back, firing is common, and the resort to mergers is adding to the 'downsizing' syndrome, and more unemployment. Having a life time job has pretty much disappeared. Unlimited competition, the flexibility of employers to hire irregular workers, the government's emphasis on economic development, the numbers of unemployed and suicides are all related.

A professor in preventive medicine at the Catholic University medical school begins her culture of life column in the Peace Weekly with the above observations. She makes clear that what is happening in the financial world is having a decided influence on  those in their forties who are suicide-prone. Family ties and societal support systems are  weak and are not able to overcome the daily stresses people routinely encounter today.

Stress, we know, is a part of  life; it permeates all of society, but many are not able to deal effectively with it. A survey of 600 workers found that 33 percent believed the work they were doing was excessive. Many found the pressure was too much and contemplated leaving their work. One out of three had some psychogenic illness and felt they were heading toward burnout.

When faced with stress, she says, there is a change in our bodies and minds. Our minds become troubled, putting us on edge and irritated, often without any good reason. Because of these feelings of uneasiness and depression, the quality of our lives is greatly diminished.

Depression is now as prevalent in our society, the professor says, as the common cold, and is a problem we have yet to deal with successfully. One out of four women struggles with it, and one out of ten men.  All ages and classes, in fact, are susceptible to bouts of depression, but those from 40 to 50 are said to be the most vulnerable.

Because of a loss of confidence in dealing with life, a loss of self respect, many depressed people consider themselves losers, failures. And there is nobody, they think, that can help them resolve the problems they face. And when they reach bottom, without hope, suicide becomes a possible way out for them. Some try to alleviate the problem by drinking, which only makes matters worse. But in the beginning stages, 80 to 90 percent can be helped to return to a normal life.

All of society has to be concerned with this problem. We have to see it as something that can be overcome and not give up our attempts to help. There are of course different ways to do this, to give strength to those having difficulties: Government, especially, has to increase society's safety net, along with all of us pitching in, preparing ourselves to help those facing stress by offering to  do whatever is necessary to help those who see life without hope to see it less pessimistically.  And in the religious world, we have to make it easier for people to express  their worries and problems, as well as being there for them with words of encouragement.

Korean Catholic Church's Overseas Missions

During the general meeting of the Seoul diocesan priests, the topic receiving the most discussion was how to find ways of shortening the time assistant priests have to wait before becoming pastors. A priest who is pastor of the Bishops Committee for Missionary Work Overseas expresses his opinion on the topic in a recent issue of the Peace Weekly dealing with the encyclical of Pius XII, Fidei Donum, which called on bishops to face the challenges of the universal mission of the Church by making priests available to other continents.

Answering  the call of the Pope to go to mission countries, he says, may be the answer for those priests who feel their talents are not being effectively used by the home church. He was saddened, he said, to learn of the large number of priests who are frustrated and not able to do what they feel capable of doing as assistants.

The pastor had himself spent six years as a missioner in Chile, where there were over 4 million Catholics in his diocese. In the year he returned to Korea, the diocese in Chile had only one ordination to the priesthood. Today, two-thirds of the priests in Central and South America can be called Fidei Donum priests, but most of them are now elderly.

About 200 priests, religious and lay people from Korea are now working as missioners in Central and South America, where the work is often difficult.  One priest has 60 mission stations to take care of. Over 80 missioners are in Africa, where they are exposed to malaria  and a rugged life. Others work in South Asia, Oceania, Europe, and in other parts of the world. Those who return have a soft spot for mission work and do miss the time spent in these countries, despite the difficulties.

The priest uses his writing to recruit volunteers for these mission countries, but is aware that the allure of materialism tends to corrupt our way of thinking, making us content to live the easy life and to justify it--reliving the faults of the Pharisees recorded in the scriptures. So when a priest becomes  a Fidei Donum priest, we should all rejoice; the diocese will be blessed, and new life will be born.

In order to encourage the process, the diocese has to invest money in the education of these priests and  have programs to facilitate the study of languages. He tells those interested that they will experience the help of God in language learning, and not to fear the study of  languages. Financial help also needs to be given overseas because these areas of the world are often very poor. He ends by promising those who do become Fidei Donum priests that they will be rewarded many times over for their labors on behalf of the poor in the most needy countries of the world.