The Year of the Horse

 

 

For many in  Asia the year of the snake is ending and the year of the horse begins. A columnist in the  Peace Weekly introduces us to four Chinese Character phrases (words of  wisdom) that have come down to us mostly from the  ancient classics  of China. They are frequently brought to mind as many search for resolutions to begin afresh another Lunar New Year. The columnist selects a few to ponder, specifying those persons or groups who have settled for one or another of these phrases to guide them through the New Year.  

School teachers have selected the phrase:"Leave your illusions and come be enlightened"(전미개오'(轉迷開悟) --often taken to mean: leave all the deceptions and lies behind and see the light that shines in the world. When President Park was asked by a Chinese journalist how she understood the phrase, she answered: "To be separated from greed and illusion in our lives and see reality as it is; have no selfish motives and only be concerned with the welfare and happiness of our citizens and with the development of the country. All the rest are useless thoughts."

The Peace Weekly selected three phrases which best expressed their maxim for the year: "Not to take away, by our actions, from the glory due to God, for it is then that we will find peace." The second, "Live the whole year by the word of God." And last: "Do everything completely and with a positive active attitude, according to the will of God."

The mayor of Seoul City chose: "Put the  citizens at ease by communicating with them." The mayor feels that with this accomplished, the citizens will have little difficulty with the plans that are made for the city.

The cabinet minister responsible for agricultural issues expressed his concern with the phrase: "To fight to the death." This is because of the difficulties, he said, farmers currently face with many of the  trade agreements that are being negotiated between China and Korea.

This year of the Horse is the 200th anniversary of the war between Japan and China. Each of these countries used Korea as a place to fight for sovereignty. The columnist reminds us of the  Donghak Peasant Movement. Angered at the treatment of the country's farmers by the government, they revolted against the government which  then called in help from China. Japan, seeing the entrance of Chinese troops into Korea, decided to enter the fray, starting the First Sino-Japanese War of 1894.

This year of the Horse also has some memorable events for Catholics to keep in mind: the selection of the third Cardinal of Korea, and the probable visit of Pope Francis.The columnist would prefer using the Korean word 'Mal' meaning "conversation" or "'words" instead of 'Mal' meaning "Horse." He concludes with 3 phrases, one selected by those looking for work: "Keep hoping for opportunities," the second, a phrase selected by those who are working: "Take advantage of the good opportunities offered," and the third, a phrase that he has made his own four word resolve,  taken from the St. James Epistle (1:23): "Be a doer of the Word."

Being Friends with Those you Disagree

"He is a leftist" were the words of a participant at a New Year's event, at which  a famous novelist spoke.  Those who were talking stopped, and again Mr. Mo  repeated: " He is a leftist." The atmosphere in the group became strained, with members staring at each other, not knowing how to respond, aware only that the novelist was not  Mr. Mo's type of person.

The columnist in the Peace Weekly, writing about current events, mentions that he didn't know whether  the novelist was of the right or left. But when he heard the word "leftist" all the novelist's books came to mind, as well as his appearance and even his relationships with others. All conversation among the participants abruptly stopped when the charge was made, and he wonders whether the same dynamics are seen in other groups when "right wing" is thrown into the discussion.
 
The columnist admits to being upset by our habit of dividing ourselves into two camps, the left and the right. This has always been the  case in Korea but during the past year it has developed into an intolerable situation. The columnist knew that Mr. Mo was a man of the 'right' but always had a good feeling toward him because of his many good qualities. Now, because of Mr. Mo's use of the leftist charge, he feels only dislike for him. 
 
The columnist mentions the 10 resolutions that Pope Francis recommends for the New Year: Don't gossip; finish your meals; make time for others; choose the more humble purchase; meet the poor in the flesh; stop judging others; befriend those who disagree with you; make commitments, such as marriage; make it a habit to "ask the Lord;" be happy.

The columnist says that although they are difficult to carry out, he can in some fashion do most of them. Only two of them, he says, will be especially difficult for him: Not to judge others, and to be friendly with those we disagree with. And of the two, the one he can not accept in any way, he says, is the advice to befriend those we disagree with. Many persons came to mind, especially the face of Mr. Mo.
 
He has admired Pope Francis but on reading these two resolutions which the pope recommends he has postponed the possibility of being his disciple. At his age, he says he doesn't want to go against what he feels himself to be. And yet, he muses, the difficult things in life are often the good things we should be doing. Making friends with those we disagree with would help bring peace into our personal world, and ultimately--if followed by everyone--into the whole world. Obviously not an easy thing to do, even within one's own world, but he has decided to work at managing the transition.

Befriending those he disagrees with, he says, will be his goal beginning with the coming Lunar New Year. And even if he does not succeed, the effort will make him better, he says, and all his relationships should benefit from the effort. Happy Lunar  New Year!

Details Are Important

Details are important and not paying attention to them can develop into future problems, says a member of the Bishops Committee for Life. Writing in the Kyeongyang magazine, he suggests that we need to be interested in details because, as we are told in the Tao Te Ching: The difficult comes from the easy, and the big comes from the small. We are often enabled to see the whole from the parts, he says, by noting their future direction. Ignoring details is not an insignificant habit we fall into, he points out, and that advertisers are well aware of this tendency, devising their ads to take advantage of this tendency.  

The same writer (cited here in a past blog) mentioned the rather insignificant rosary ring on a girl's finger in one ad promoting condoms. Some would see this as making much over little and exaggerating a small point, but the writer says it is the "map and compass" of where the company wants to go with the ad: desensitizing Catholics on how they are to look upon per-marital sex.
 
During the  Advent season, Durex (a condom manufacturer), in one of their ads, showed two young people before a table with the Advent candles. In the background are four more candles and the playing of romantic music. When the young man attempts to kiss the girl, the sprinkler system is activated and they are drenched. He takes a  condom from his pocket and covers the sprinkler. This makes the condom unusable. He shows great disappointment and the girl then takes out a condom from her pocket and they respond with laughter. So ends the ad with the Durex logo: Love Sex.

During the Christmas season it is a well-known fact that many young people find their way to a motel for sex.  But why would they want to use the Advent symbolism for a condom ad? he asks. Catholics use the symbolism of the four candles: dark purple, light purple, pink and white to show the approach of Christmas. But the ad very cleverly changes the intention. When the four candles are lit, it signals the time for sex, Jesus being replaced by sex. 

Catholicism is shown to be, unwittingly, accepting of premarital sex in the way the ad is designed. This is one way mass media changes the way we look on  many aspects of life and gives rise to many problems. One can see it as merely a blatantly deceptive marketing attempt to increase sales, but more deviously, also, as a means to change the way society looks upon one aspect of morality that the company sees as anachronistic in today's world.
 
In regards to the rosary ring: The Bishops Committee for Life did complain and the company responded, saying they were sorry; they had no intention to offend Catholics.This was accepted at face value but was their apology sincere? asks the writer. The second ad using the Advent candles removed all doubt: the ad was withdrawn after the Committee for Life complained.

The writer ends by quoting from the Chinese classics: "Nothing stands out as much as what is being hidden....And what at first appears small often turns out to be very big."

The Beauty Of Life

The world is beautiful but we need help to see its beauty, says a religious sister writing in the Bible & Life magazine. Our attention is distracted, she says, by the not-so-beautiful. To see the beauty surrounding us, we need to make a concerted effort to pay less attention to our daily habitual routines and more attention to the life that made those routines possible.

From the time she made her first vows, she has been asked why she became a sister.  Because the world is so beautiful is her answer. And for over 35 years being a sister, she answers in the same way.

One day before she became a sister, feeling bored with life, she went into a bookstore and picked up a book with the title "Why Pain?" Opening it, she read  "I am happy now because someone suffered pain. There are many people who endured pain and difficulties for me." The lines surprised her, bringing to mind her parents, the many meals they prepared for her, and the sacrifices they made for her as she was growing up.

As she reflected on the sacrifice of her parents, the help of her siblings, the concern of her friends, and all those, known and unknown, who had given help and shown concern, she realized that it had all been given unconditionally. It was not dependent on any particular quality she possessed but was given freely; for this she felt only gratitude. It was because of their love, she said, that she began to see God's unlimited love: "This is my body to be given for you"  (Luke 22:19).
 
Experiencing this enormous love of our Lord, the world, she believes, was filled with beauty. That thought brought a change into her life; she wanted to repay the pain of many who had nurtured her life by her own sacrifices and life. While growing up she never gave the religious life a thought, she said, but the moment she  became aware of God's love she ran to him. And now because of this great love, she is in a convent, living the consecrated life. However, she feels as if she still fails to measure up to living such a life; there is much to endure, she says, as she makes her way through the valleys and the crooked, rough ways of life.  But despite it all, she is able to give thanks and turn her eyes to the Lord and give praise.                        

Such a life is not only for those who have formally chosen the religious life, she maintains, but for everyone: "Thus it is evident to everyone that all the faithful of Christ, of whatever rank or status, are called to the fullness of the Christian life and to the perfection of charity" (Constitution on the Church #40). "In a word, you must be made perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect " (Matt 5:48). "Treat others the way you would have them treat you; this sums up the law and the prophets" (Matt. 7:12 ).                                                         

Because of the dedication of many who have been called to living the fullness of Christian life, we hope to see, she says, its fruition in many more people living with thankful hearts. She prays that she also will be living each day with thanks in her heart, and that this will continue into the future.

Living What We Believe

Misunderstandings of common sense phrases and ideas sometimes used in our daily conversations occur frequently, such as "God helps those who help themselves," or a similar expression "Pray as if everything depended on God and work as if everything depended on you" (Found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church #2834). This way of thinking has  a long  history in the West, as it does it in the East. It appears in the Chinese phrase:盡 (All)人(Person)事( Work) 待 (Await) 天 (Heaven)命 (Orders), meaning "Do all you can and wait for heaven." We see these words framed on the walls of many homes and places of business here in Korea.

In our Scriptures, we find in Thess. 3:18 "Anyone who will not work should not eat." And in Mark 9:23 "Everything is possible for the person who believes." All such expressions point to the fact that as humans  we do what is possible and then leave the rest to God. But many feel that prayer is sufficient, as if God will do all with his grace.

The misunderstanding of these expressions tends to appear when there is a misunderstanding of grace; grace also seeks to move our feet and body to accomplish what we pray for. Though all is grace, it requires some thought to understand what this means without denying what is being said by the statements quoted above. As Catholics we know that grace cooperates with nature. There are obviously circumstances where the phrase "All is grace" is used where it shouldn't be--as a put-down of the poor and weak--but the basic truth of the idea is imbedded in everything we do as Christians: to cooperate with the graces that are given.

Rev. Timothy Yu Gyoung-chon and Rev. Peter Chung Soon-taek O.C.D. were named auxiliary bishops of Seoul recently. Bishop-elect Yu in his book To the 21 century Believer, reviewed recently by the Catholic press, says "The concrete putting into practice what we believe is necessary if we want to see a change in the world. Without this engagement with the world, no matter how much we pray it will be only empty words." It is understood that he is talking about those who are able to do something and do nothing.

There is little justice in the world, mostly distrust and war which obviously is not the will of God. When we ignore the reality we see around us, as the bishop says, we are not living the life we have been called to live. He wants us to be aware of this calling that we have as Christians. Even though we might not see or experience injustice in our own lives, we are not free to ignore the call we have received to improve the world we live in.

The need to improve the world is not some new way of thinking, he reminds us, but the way Jesus lived during his time here on earth. We have all been called to put into practice what we believe and what we say, confessing by our actions what our hearts know about this God we need to experience.

A Mature Spiritual Life

What direction should a spiritual life take?  An article in Bible & Life magazine, by a priest-professor of spirituality, begins by  telling us that he used the short Apostle's Creed at Mass but changed recently to the longer Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.

It's important, he says, for a Christian not to have a personal imagining of God according to ones likes or dislikes; doing so, a correct  faith life will not follow.  History has shown us that those who have followed their personal preferences have gone far afield. Consequently, one needs to have the correct understanding of Jesus if one is going to have a healthy spirituality.  For a Catholic, the two sources of our faith life are the Scriptures and Tradition, the truths of the gospel that were kept alive orally and finally written down in the Scriptures. From the beginning there was always  a tension between our spirituality and the Scriptures.

The disciples used the Old Testament as their text in sermons. The Church Fathers spent a great deal of time commenting on the Scriptures. This was the way they understood the revealed message and the identity of Jesus. It was not an intellectual and speculative study of the Scriptures. It was the foundation of their spirituality, as it was of the Desert Fathers, who spent much time  reading the Scriptures to map out their spiritual journey.

The religious of the middle ages worked with Lectio Divina (Divine Reading) to develop their spirituality: reading the Scriptures, meditating, praying and contemplating on what was read, which gave a structure to the 'Divine Reading'. But unfortunately, at the same time, universities were appearing, and with the beginning of systematic theology there was a separation of spirituality from Scripture.  There were a few religious groups who had difficulty accepting this new trend, but the majority went along with this speculative and intellectual approach to the spiritual life, which gave a  false understanding to the spiritual life, according to the writer.

At the beginning of modern times, there has been a return to volition and feelings as a foundation for the spiritual life as presented in the Scriptures. The attempt was to get closer to the words of Scripture, in meditating on the  humanity of Jesus and his public life. During the middle of the modern era, however, there was a return to the intellectual  pursuit of knowledge, which again influenced the Church. This was the period of enlightenment, positivism (scientific knowledge) and historicism (a theory that events are determined or influenced by conditions and inherent processes beyond the control of humans). Many feared that if they did not participate in this intellectual pursuit they would be left behind and, consequently, meditating on the Scriptures was not considered important.  Biblical criticism became the highest form of study of the Scriptures in the eyes of many.

In conclusion, the writer stressed that our spiritual life has to begin with the Scriptures. Only through the Scriptures will we get  to know Jesus. When the study of Scripture becomes an exercise in intellectual curiosity, then we are bound to block the real message of Scripture from affecting the full flowering of our spiritual life. We have to meet Jesus in the Scriptures. When reading the words of Scripture and are genuinely moved by the love of Jesus, we will be filled with his grace and feel a oneness with him. Christian prayer without this basic understanding of Scripture, not only lacks Christian meaning but can lead us in a wrong direction.

Love is a Decision

The book The Invisible Gorilla  reminds us that what we often think we know, we do not.  An article in Bible and Life returns to the experiments conducted some years ago by two professors that showed that when we are concentrating on something, we miss seeing other things happening around us, which tends to self-deception and an illusory view of reality.

Loving is not any different. We have seen the portrayal of love in numberless movies, dramas, poetry and novels. We have experienced love in a variety of ways which has left us with a feeling that we understand what love is.

The priest-writer quotes from a poem in which a lover revels in the thought of buying a present for the loved one. The very thought of buying a present fills him with great joy;  he has someone he loves. When we think of love the first thought that often comes to mind is this emotional expression of love. But when we hear  what Jesus had to say about love his words leave us  perplexed.

"The command I give you is this, that you love one another" (John 15:17). This is the command that was given at the Last Supper to his disciples.  This is a strange kind of love. A command is what a superior tells a subordinate to do:  A mother commanding her child to stop watching TV., an officer telling a soldier to dig a trench. Jesus told his disciples to follow him and to take up their cross, but commanding another to love is different, says the writer. It's an entirely different command than the those given above.

Love, most of us think, has to do with the heart and our feelings. Is Jesus asking the disciples to like each other, to have a warm feeling toward the other? Is this possible? asks the writer. Can anyone command another to have a loving feeling toward another?  Of course not, and Jesus knew this well; he was not asking us to do what we often understand love to be.

The article goes back to the Book of Leviticus and the command to love (19:11-18). You shall not steal, lie, swear falsely, defraud, withhold the wages of your day laborer, act dishonestly or spread slander and stand idly by when your neighbor's life is at stake, but love your neighbor as yourself. Loving in this very concrete and practical way has nothing to do with feeling, says the writer.

Love is not limited to the field of emotions. Love has to do with the structures of society, with justice. The command of Jesus is to help those who are in need of our help: the weak, the poor, those whose rights have been trampled; that we are to work for justice in society.

Love must manifest in doing, he says. And now is the time for us to do the work that will bring the justice and peace of God into society. This is love. This is our duty.