Enduring Pain

Each day in the news we hear about persons who because of financial difficulties kill themselves, often with  family members. A university professor writing in the View from the Ark, the Catholic Time, presents a dire picture of those who take their own lives.  

One woman in her thirties, he reports, faced with mounting difficulties, jumped with her four-year old son from the 15th floor of her apartment building; another woman in her sixties, along with her two daughters, died by burning charcoal briquettes and inhaling the poisonous carbon monoxide fumes, and a manual laborer in his sixties, also a suicide who had been living in a rented basement, left behind 1,000 dollars to be cremated.

There are many difficulties associated with the current efforts being made to address the problem: in our welfare programs, the monies allotted, and how much the length of a stagnating  economy and the polarization of  society are contributing to the problem. Our aging society and the number of the elderly who are living alone are also factors that need to be considered. But up till now there has been only a passive and indirect approach to some of these  problems, he laments. The professor hopes that something will be done soon, but he admits he doesn't know much about the welfare system and the other means of addressing the problem. His eyes, he says, are pointed in the direction of the suffering that many have to endure in our society.

An important goal in life, he points out, is trying to understand how to deal with the  pain and anguish that  frequently is so much a part of the lives of many of us. We  try to diminish the amount of pain but this, we know, is not always possible. We try to prepare for the difficult eventualities, but the realities can only be seen vaguely and are difficult to prepare for, realizing that in most cases we have to wait until we come face to face with the problems and then decide what has to be done.

By reflecting on his  own life and experiences in overcoming pain, the professor says it has given him the tools to deal with whatever pain will come in the future. Though the pain he has had to deal with has not been overwhelming, it's the pain that comes from nowhere, and not knowing why we are having the pain, he says, that is the hardest to accept. When this kind of pain comes, how are we to endure it? he asks.

In our lives, irrespective of time and place, we are often faced with severe pain which we do  not understand, but the strength to endure it will come, he says, from acknowledging our innate dignity as persons created and loved by God. We must look beyond this world's standards  and work with the  truths of religion. The transcendent  truths will carry us through the difficult times, and it will be with  dignity. With this way of thinking we can  endure the pain that comes.

Even though everything may happen differently from what had been planned and hoped for, this is the result, he reminds us, of being a human being. As a believer he trusts in the truths of faith to give him the strength which will enable him to endure.

"Be glad  about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can  be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you  will receive praise and glory and honor on the day Jesus Christ is revealed." (1 Peter 1:6-7)

The professor admits that these words, when heard by persons in severe anguish and pain, will come across as empty  and may even make them angrier.  However, it does no good to seek to blame someone or something for our suffering. No matter how much we look for answers or  resist the suffering, it will be to no avail, It is the result of being human.  We are left with the need to endure.

Our Korean John Chrysostom

There have always been those within the Church  who have criticized the organizational structures of Catholicism. The desk columnist of the Catholic Times does not discuss the rightness or wrongness of the criticisms, but feels it would be wrong  to underestimate or condemn them, especially when they are expressed with passion and love.

One of the most extreme was the the declaration to dissolve the Catholic Church of Korea that appeared, at  the beginning of the new millennium, on the bulletin board of the Bishops' website. On ten different occasions a netizen (a person who actively uses the Internet) declared his reasons for putting an end to Catholicism here in Korea. It was not the Catholic Church and its teachings, he said, that was the problem but the way we in Korea have  accepted Catholicism. He calls himself John Chrysostom (taking the name of an early Church Father known for denouncing the abuse of authority by Church leaders). It was a very sensational approach to a troubling issue.

He felt that we have taken the name 'Catholic' and have packaged it to suit ourselves, disfiguring what should be sacred. He had strong words for what he called the arrogance, self-righteousness  and clericalism of the Church; its accumulation of money and playing by the rules of capitalism,  and so on. Because of these faults, he is asking the laity to join him in achieving his goal.

The columnist says he will only treat two of the problems that he sees in the way the writer approached the subject, when he describes Catholicism as a structure that needed to be dismantled.  Of course it is not only a structure, but being an institution is of the very essence of Catholicism. Too often, even Catholics do not understand that to belong to Jesus, means also to belong to His Body, the Church.  The other faults he finds within Catholicism cannot be passed over carelessly, he says, for there are reasons for the netizen's criticisms.  But from the very beginning of his argument, the columnist sees it as overblown, and for a Catholic impossible to accept. However, there are problems he mentions that Catholics should reflect on deeply.

There are members of the laity, the columnist points out, who have a sense of mission and work hard at being disciples of Jesus. However, they  feel limited and often frustrated with what they see. But it is clear, he says, that there are those who find it difficult to live the life of a disciple, and who have a thirst for something more than what they are receiving, and thus live with a great deal of dissatisfaction. Many either leave the Church or compromise, guided by self-interest in the way they follow Jesus.

Pope Francis, in his Apostolic Exhortation (#275) The Joy of the Gospel,  tells the workers in the Church, while showing compassion for the difficulties they often face: "This attitude makes it impossible to be a missionary. It is only a malicious excuse for remaining caught up in comfort, laziness, vague dissatisfaction and empty selfishness. It is a self-destructive attitude, for 'man cannot live without hope: life would become meaningless and unbearable.'

"The joy of the Gospel is such that it cannot be taken away from us by anyone or anything. The evils of our world–and those of the Church–must not be excuses for diminishing our commitment and our fervor. Let us look upon them as challenges which can help us to grow.

"In the second chapter, we reflected on that lack of deep spirituality which turns into pessimism, fatalism, and mistrust. Some people do not commit themselves to mission because they think  nothing will change and that it is useless to make the effort. They think: Why should I deny myself my comforts and pleasures if I won’t see any significant result." 

Words like these will help us to see a change in the way we relate with the Church, the columnist predicts, adding that it will be the 'Francis Effect'  on the Church.

Living with a Devastating Diagnosis

 

Adversity comes in many forms, sickness being one of the most common, and a diagnosis of Hansen's disease being perhaps the most devastating. The Peace Weekly, in a front page feature, tells the story of Mr. Ha, who at the age of 20 received the devastating diagnosis. The story chronicles his battle to make life meaningful, and how his encounter with Jesus helped him to overcome the agony and pain of the disease.

"Because of Jesus I  gained courage and confidence," he explained. "Seeing his arms and legs nailed to the cross, seeing his suffering, enabled me to accept my own pain and to overcome the fear that I faced because of what Jesus had gone through."

Ha (Moses) is 65 years old and has lost both his arms and legs to the disease and has been fitted with artificial limbs. He likes to recite a poem he is fond of:  "Many are the seasons with  pain that I have seen/ my heart with quiet ardor  has given birth to a flower/ The journey of the heart has given me unlimited contents to  my story/ the contents seem to be graspable, but they are not/ they go around in empty space and have disappeared/ At least once in a lifetime one receives an opportunity for change/  My life is like the wretched weeds that have been trampled/but new sprouts have broken forth from the  earth! (From "My Way")

He first noticed the onset of the disease while in elementary school. Fishing one day with friends, he fell into one of the gullies between the paddy fields and felt his arms go numb. His hands began to curl and shake. He sought the advice of the best Oriental medical doctors, but he continued to get worse. Some who knew him in the village suspected it might be leprosy and reported it to the public health center, and at the age of 20 he was diagnosed with Hansen's disease.

The family was isolated from the village community, and Mr. Ha went to the Catholic  hospital in Taegu for skin diseases, where he was treated by the religious sisters working in the hospital. In 1978, he moved to a village for those with the disease and during that time  was baptized, but he continued to feel unwanted and isolated because of the discrimination.  On one occasion, when he went to buy some food, the owner of the shop hastily closed the front door and refused to sell him anything. He began to hate seeing himself in the mirror and to avoid coming close to people when walking on the sidewalk. The hatred, he said, was so intense he tried to kill himself a number of times.

However, he continued to go to Mass and say the rosary, and gradually his feeling of self-hatred receded and he began to accept himself, understanding  the feelings of those who would point their fingers at him. Thinking of Jesus on the cross enabled him to accept all that was happening. His eyes were able to see not his own troubles but those of others. He also became  the errand and odd-job  man in the Sacred Heart Community. When he left the community, after more than 30 years, he cried uncontrollably, waving farewell to those he had known for over 30 years.

Moses was not able to get rid of his physical handicaps and he still felt the stinging silent rebuke he continued to receive, but  something happened inside of him that enabled him to live with his difficulties."To live with Jesus makes me rich," he said. "When a stranger shuns me, I'm not scared by the meeting."

The article ends with the words of Moses: "In life all of us, sooner or later, have to face sickness or disabilities of one kind or another, and even though we now might not be suffering such problems, wouldn't it be helpful to interact with those who now have such problems with warmth in our eyes, giving them courage and strength to carry on, rather than a cold unfeeling gaze?"

Road Etiquette

During Lent we are often encouraged to do something that will deepen our spirituality or help us practice some virtue. In the Taegu  Diocesan Bulletin, a priest writes about a very simple act of kindness that takes little energy and yet has a great deal to do in making us more conscious of others.

When he received his driving license in 1996, there were fewer cars on the road and gas was a lot cheaper. He remembers hearing from his seniors and friends about the manners of the road--road etiquette. When, for instance, the driver in front moves over to create more space for the driver in back to pass, waving one's hand to acknowledge what the driver has done is considered road etiquette. This has nothing to do with law but merely a kindness, and he says it was like a promise that all would keep. But today, he says sadly, it is rare. There are those who turn on and off their emergency light when appropriate, but those who don't are by far the greater number.

Can we say this is a sign of a lack of concern for the other? Or, more likely, when driving, do we consider the other to be a stranger that we need not acknowledge? Our road kindnesses are disappearing, he says, as he remembers with fond memories "the good old days." In Titus 2:7, it is said "In all things, you yourself must be an example of good behavior." Christians have been called to spread the good news and to practice charity.

While we are sharing the roads with those with whom we have no  connection, Christians should not forget who we are, and even on the roads show concern and kindness to others. A wave of the hand is a small act but with it, will we not be showing our love and gratitude? he asks. Will it not make the roads of the nation that are so impersonal and lacking in concern, much friendlier and our driving less of a chore?

When we show others these little kindnesses, we are conveying an important message to others, who may feel overwhelmed by our busy and often impersonal world, that there is in fact some who will go out of their way to be friendly and appreciate their being here in the same world we live in. He would like Christians to be the leaders in this effort to spread "good will" on the roads of our country.

The word virtue is slowing disappearing in our society.  Often, in Korea  we would hear the word 'way' which would be the equivalent of what we would mean by the word virtue. However, today we hear more about values, less so than in the States, but rarely do we hear the word virtue used outside of religious circles.

In Korea we talk about polishing or piling up the virtues, meaning that they require repeated effort to make them a part of who we are. They need to soak into our being is the way it is expressed. The effort of practicing the virtues of kindness, concern and love even on the roads of the country will make us more conscious of  the need to do this in all our actions.

 

Discussing What Is Meant by Mission

The Columban Missionary Society recently met in a two-day seminar to remember their 80 years of service in Korea and to discuss plans for improving the quality of missionary work in the challenging times ahead. Many specialists, both Catholic and Protestant, came together to share their ideas on the subject. The Catholic Times devoted  two articles and an editorial on the seminar.

In today's world, it was noted, we can't ignore the influence of native cultures and religions when discussing the role of missions. We have seen in Korea the presence of many foreign workers, intermarriages and the mingling of cultures, which is today another way of being Korean. The Church in Korea is also faced with this new reality, and was one reason the Columban Missionary  Society felt the need to discuss this emerging reality and the best steps to take to maximize the efforts of missionary work  in responding to this new world. 

Most of the dioceses and religious groups of the country are sending missionaries to other countries of the world: a sign of the growth and competence  of the Korean Church and the need for continued programs for the education of our missionaries. Because of the present challenges faced by the Church, the question many tried to answer, as they pondered the general topic of discussion, Missio Dei (Mission of God), was: Is there a need for a new way of doing mission?

One participant mentioned that God was always there as the motive force to help one to do good and avoid evil. Jesus came to show us the relationship between the love of God and the love of our fellow humans. Jesus connected the two. If we want to meet God, it is necessary  to do it through our neighbors. When we alienate others  and use God in the process we are making idols  to serve ourselves. Our discipleship to Jesus will depend on our response to our neighbor, on the love and forgiveness we have for others and  we manifest in our daily life, which is our faith life. There is a disposition for God in our DNA, said one participant, that we need to  discover in our mission work.

A Protestant minister said that the missioner should not be primarily interested in increasing the numbers of their community, but be more interested in making those we are evangelizing realize they are children of God and thus brothers and sisters. The ultimate goal of the missioner, it was pointed out, is to help people meet God. And what was to be avoided was making our thinking  the absolute criterion of mission work. God, not the evangelist, is the subject of mission work. Rather than setting the boundaries of our mission work from the perspective of our different religions, it was necessary to bring the people to Jesus,which is the Missio Dei.

Another priest participant said that because we are in a world with many different religions, we need to remember that Christianity is only one of many, and we should not lose sight of that reality. Conscious of this pluralistic world will keep us grounded and prepared to face the challenges ahead. Instead of thinking that each  party  of a dialogue has all the truth, it is better to think it is somewhere between us.

This will require looking for different ways of doing mission. * Learning from one another * Having open conversations with everyone, not only with believers, but with the atheist and the non-believer * Cooperating with those who are suffering  * Going  beyond isolationist spiritual thinking* Making our dialogue take flesh and doing it all with humility.

Another participant, a professor, saw the way God was working in the many different cultures of the world. God is also the God of all these other people, he said, citing Rom. 3:29. God manifested himself sacramentally in a variety of ways in the different cultures and religions of the world. These cultures and religions can lead many to go beyond their values and come to a true understanding of the Gospels.

One of the articles ends with the words of a  priest: The place of God in the life of the believer is continuing to decrease because of the secularization that is taking place. One of the works of mission is to make God present in that reality. When this is done, he said, mission bestows meaning to evangelization.

I Give You My Blessing

“As Christians and Jews, following the example of the faith of Abraham, we are called to be a blessing to the world. This is the common task awaiting us. It is therefore necessary for us, Christians and Jews, to first be a blessing to one another.”

These words of Pope John Paul remind us that we are all called to bless others, to be a benediction to others, and that which promotes well being is our common task.  

A rector of one of our seminaries, in his book I Give You My Blessing, puts it this way: "The first step is to realize who we are. Like standing before a mirror to check our outward appearance, we need to spend time before the mirror of our inner self, acknowledging who we are in thought, feelings and actions." The book wants us all to take time in silence to open our hearts and to be open to the blessings we are receiving. 

In Korea it has been the custom for centuries, he says, to wish others at the holidays, blessings. This has begun to disappear, replaced by complaints and backbiting. It is precisely here that we need to hear the words of blessing. In giving the blessing we are activating the blessings we have already received in the past.

The book is divided into three chapters: Know, Believe and Love, each one showing concretely the way they manifest the life of blessings. We need the  mirror of God to see ourselves as we are, to rid ourselves of the excess packaging we have acquired over a lifetime. When we have an understanding of our real value, then we will gain strength and our hope is made stronger. 

He encourages us to give as often as possible our blessing to others: those we love, those we don't, those we need to forgive, and not forgetting whenever we leave the presence of others to give them our blessing. In Korea, the younger person has cultural difficulties in blessing an older person, but the book makes clear that it's not because the younger person cannot but simply because of his inability to surmount the cultural conditioning.

There are many things like this that we should be doing but don't. Many are sick who would welcome being visited, and our troubling relationships with others might be improved if we paid more attention to them. We need to set aside more time, the book urges us, to focus on the many ways we can share the blessings received from God with all those who have come into our lives to share their lives with ours.  

Why Do the Poor Make Us Feel Uncomfortable?

In Korea, says the bishop writing on religion and economics in the Korean Times, we need not go back beyond one generation to see the poverty that was experienced. 

We all know that there were many more poor people a few years ago than we have now. Rag-pickers would be rummaging through the dumps, aimless people would be wandering the streets, beggars would be everywhere. But they were our neighbors and our friends.  We went to the same schools, played marbles and cards with them in the streets. When a grandmother would leave her house with a heavy load on her head, someone from the community would soon appear to offer help.

There were times when someone from the community would  beg for food. They would not be turned away even though it was giving them some cold rice.  It was unheard of that anyone would die of hunger or freeze to death. Sharing was one of our values and compassion was shown to those having difficulty making their way in life.

How is it today? To start with, we don't even know our  neighbors. Not too long ago, we considered that near-neighbors were  better to have around than distant cousins, but today we are likely to study the expressions on our neighbor's face before engaging them in conversation. And it is not uncommon to have serious fights over trifling matters. 

The problem, many believe, is the impact of our highly competitive economic system on our human value system. Up until a few years ago we didn't classify people by what they possessed nor would it determine how we would react with another person. What was it that changed the way we responded? What caused us to see them as non-persons? The hungry, the thirsty, the poorly dressed, the vagrant, the prisoners, are routinely seen as non-persons, as surplus people, as burdens to society, and even seen as public enemies.

Because of the feeling of uncomfortableness they were making others feel,  a few of the poor would hide their whereabouts  from the rest of us. Even the ordinary folk without realizing it were influenced by this kind of thinking, and came to see the poor as a burden to be shunned and ignored. The poor, feeling the stigma, began to look for out-of-the-way places to live, often winding up in the darkness of ghettos. 

Was it that suddenly the personalities and genes of many of our citizens changed?  Why was it that those we considered our neighbors were no longer seen as such but were considered burdens, useless and surplus people? This was not only true in society at large, but we have seen it also in our churches, which has brought many tears to our eyes.

During the time of the International Monetary Fund relief, many of our neighbors disappeared from sight. We all remember those days. We have to reflect if we should accept some of the blame for their leaving our communities. When we do not see the poor who are living among us, it is a sure sign the world is not getting better, but a sign we are not living close enough to the love that Jesus came to show us.