Encouraging Vulnerability

"There is much suffering in the world: physical, material, mental. The suffering of some can be blamed on the greed of others. The material and physical suffering are suffering from hunger, from homelessness, from all kinds of diseases. However, the greatest suffering is being lonely, feeling unloved, having no one. I have come more and more to realize  being unwanted is the worst disease  any human being can ever experience."

These words of Mother Teresa of Calcutta are well-known and there are many who would have little difficulty in agreeing. Writing in his column as a prison chaplain in the Peace Weekly, he recounts the story of a prisoner who spent his twenties in prison and after release came back for a visit.

Usually when they come back to the Center, they will meet each other with their eyes and welcome each other with a handshake. The young man had  great regret for his past life and was resolved not to hurt another person again. The chaplain gave the man some encouraging advice and asked indirectly if he was  going to church. The young man said that the church was on the opposite side of the street from  his house and did attend Mass on a few  occasions, but  stopped. In the evening, he would go for an hour long walk around the church saying the rosary.

The priest asked for the reasons he stopped going, and the answer gave him much sadness. When he went to the church, he felt so lonely he stopped going. The Catholics after Mass were  greeting each other, drinking beverages and talking, but no one ever showed  him any concern. He was like a person from another planet. Each time he decided to go to church his feet became heavy.
 
The young man wanted  the priest to help him enter the parish community, and if that was impossible to allow  him to come to the Center for Mass. The priest with a heavy heart refused. If he got involved everybody in the parish would know he was once a  convict released from prison. Because of the prejudice, this  would make his relationship with the community worse.  Coming to Center for Mass would make entering the  parish community more difficult.

Exchanging the greeting of peace at Mass, we extend our hands and  great each other with words of peace. The hand outstretched at this time is not only to those around us but to all those who need our help, love and kindness. We should be extending our hand of kindness, the hand of God, to all especially those with a greater need. 

Alienation from  God, the self and others are all too common. The young man of the story has a problem with the community of faith that lacks sensitivity and a full understanding of what they are doing at each Mass in which they participate. However, the young man also needs the wisdom to understand how the alienation he feels has to be faced and overcome by not retreating but in making the situation he experienced a means of growth for himself and the community to which he belongs. This expectation is difficult and demanding, but avoidance of the problem is not the answer. We as Christians need to understand how vulnerability is a great help in spiritual and human growth.      

Feast of St. Kim Taegon Andrew

July 5, was the Feast Day of St. Kim Taegon Andrew. In most parishes  the feast day was transferred to Sunday. St. Kim Andrew is the first Korean priest to be ordained after the introduction of Catholicism to Korea at the end of the 18th Century. He was ordained in China in 1845 and was martyred the following year.

The Catholic history of Korea is unique. Before the first priest entered the country there were already 4000 who considered themselves Catholic. The first priest was Fr. Chu Moon-mo, a  Chinese priest who entered in 1785 worked for 6 years and was martyred on 1801. This community was again without bishops or priests for close to another 30 years and was able to produce Christians of great faith willing to die for what they believed.              

The Parish Foreign Mission Society was given  the territory of Korea and when they entered in 1836 they found dynamic Catholic communities led by lay people.They selected a number of young boys from the strong religious families and sent them to the seminary in Macau to study for the priesthood. Kim Andrew was in this group. He was  ordained in China and trying to find ways to help the French missioners  to enter Korea was arrested and with repeated questioning and torture  was beheaded in 1846.

He has left  us a number of letters that he wrote while in prison which are a lesson to all of us on what  a spirituality of martyrdom should encompass. One of the readings for the office of the day is taken from one of his letters from prison. 

"Hold fast, then, to the will of God and with all your heart fight the good fight under the leadership of Jesus; conquer again the diabolical power of this world that Christ has already vanquished. I beg you not to fail in your love for one another, but to support one another and to stand fast until the Lord mercifully delivers us from our trials.There are twenty of us in this place and by God’s grace we are so far all well. If any of us is executed, I ask you not to forget our families. I have many things to say, yet how can pen and paper capture what I feel? I end this letter. As we are all near the final ordeal, I urge you to remain steadfast in faith, so that at last we will all reach heaven and there rejoice together. I embrace you all in love."

For the feast day the second reading for the liturgy is a good reminder of what a spirituality of martyrs is all about."We know that afflictions makes for endurance, and endurance for tested virtue, and tested virtue for hope. And this hope will not leave us disappointed, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been give to us
(Rm. 5:1-5).

Making Religion a Private Matter

Religion, its place in society is a topic we hear a lot about, but not always with clarity. Not a few think that our religious beliefs are a private matter and not open to public discussion. However, a professor writing on the opinion page of the Catholic Times gives us a different understanding of the issue.

He uses the example of the recent nominee for prime minister who resigned after questions were raised about his  fitness for the job. For a few days, the public sector was  noisy. In a talk to his church, some years ago, he  described the Japanese colonial rule as  "God's will." The talk became known to the public, which generated a negative response that led to the resignation.

The professor considers the talk about friendliness to Japan a minor issue. A more serious problem is the way his religion sees God working in the world. He has asked some theologians and priests he knows, and the answers he received were what he has always believed. God does not cause  pain for those he created. He does not wish pain for us. The pain that we meet and experience in life is not God's wish for us. It is something that we have to undergo; it is a given in life. There is much we need to patiently accept, God allows it to happen, but he gives us the strength and hope to overcome it. Of course, God also will draw good from all that we suffer but the pain is not of God's willing. 

The issue that the media took as the main issue was his pro-Japanese stand. A lot of bad reporting and distortion of the news was involved, but this the  professor says, is only a minor issue. The bigger issue is the understanding of religion.This misunderstanding of religion is a greater danger in one who is to be a public servant.

There are those who will say a person's private beliefs have nothing to do with a public office.That was actually the issue on a panel TV show recently: what a person believes should not be an issue in his public life. The professor stresses those who speak this way do not understand religion. When one states that religion is only  a private matter and  has little to do with our public life, we have a misunderstanding of religion. What one believes, and this is not only true for the religious person but is true for all those with convictions and without convictions, they can  influence every facet of his or her life.

Many are those with  great passion and sacrifice in their religious life but do not have a correct understanding of religion. A person with blind religious beliefs is open to making wrong judgements and performing acts that will cause harm to those with whom he relates. A person in a public office should have concern for what he believes.

The professor is saying something, which is not easily digested, but is something with a little thought is rather obvious, for what we hold to be true and believe, is going to affect what we say, think and do.

Mercy and Justice

The Desk Columnist  of the Catholic Times reminds us that he does not know Pope Francis with any depth, but in his position, he does a lot of reading of the foreign news and  translating, so he does have a little better grasp of what the  pope is saying and doing than the ordinary Catholic.

He would like to know, he says: how he lived his early years, his personality, his hobbies and interests, the food he likes, the woman whom he may have  loved. These and many other  areas of the pope's life,  arouse his curiosity and have to be satisfied with a fragmentary understanding of Francis the pope.

However, since becoming pope, he has said many things, which have been unconventional, but have shown a certain consistency and have  won the admiration of many which as a journalist perks his curiosity.

For him, the number-one trait that impresses him the most is the pope's  mercy and justice. He can harmonize the justice with mercy. In dealing with the inhuman qualities of the economic structures, he is  critical of the neo-liberalism type of capitalism and at the same time showing mercy to the poor. On one occasion, it is  justice that comes first at another time it is mercy.This embarrasses the journalist.

The document in preparation of the October Synod has been released and there is the concern on how to make the teachings of the Church acceptable to our Catholics; it is not to review the teachings themselves. The emphasis of Francis is: How do we show mercy? There are many who are not following the teachings of the Church, the relativism that permeates all of society also has entered the Church. This along with many other unavoidable reasons have made married life, family life and the teaching on life difficult for the Christians. Pope Francis wants ways to show mercy.

Francis shows his mercy to the poor who are   harassed  and exploited by an immoral financial system and expresses this with a just anger. This mercy and justice are seen often in Francis. This, says the columnist is the reason for the admiration that is shown the pope. Mercy and justice go together. When mercy is necessary, and you thrust justice out in front you have oppression, and when you need to show a  courageous act of justice and you, recoil  and pull back, you are being a coward. The pope distinguishes the two clearly and with resolve, and without hesitation. Which makes his stand all the more attractive. He is waiting anxiously for his visit.

The problem of how to reconcile the two is difficult and  many are not able to see how they are compatible. St. Thomas said: "Mercy without justice is the mother of dissolution;  justice without mercy is cruelty."

Peace-building

Conflict is a part of life. We see it in the family, village, society, church and the world. Most of the time we are passive spectators  and learn to live with conflict. Kim Young Ai, who represents the Saeurinuri Peace Movement writes about peace-building. Recently, she successfully completed a three-day Ganghwa-Gyodong Peace Leadership Camp. She has made a study of how to resolve conflicts, and the leadership program was a concrete expression of one of her dreams. Conflict resolution is now understood by many as conflict transformation. Conflict is an opportunity to come to a new understanding of the problem.

Conflict is not only something negative but can help us to grow, help us to transform the way we live. We first have to know the context of the problem. In Korea, the opposite of peace is war: the cessation of conflict, factionalism, fighting. Many of our conflicts end with victory for the strong, with a legal victory, or a cultural victory of a religious way of thinking, but those who lose  usually do not change and often the anger makes them resort to revenge. Peace is when the victors and losers can accept the results. Working together for peace means that we already have a kind of peace.

She mentions first the transformation of the conflict. This requires, first of all, the awareness of the conflict and its reason.There is no reason to blame oneself for conflict we have conflict because we are social animals. We have to understand what  the conflict is before we can hope to solve the problem.

The second step  is to analyze the conflict:  see it objectively and  without emotions; accept the others as our equal, and search for the roots of the conflict. The conflict could have historical roots or cultural roots. It may have to do with authority, material goods or health. Usually the roots are like those of a tree with a variety of reasons, a composite of reasons. We need also to know what are the results of the conflict and what it is doing to us. Understanding the conflict, the reasons for the conflict, and the influence that it is having on us  are necessary for the transformation we desire.

Thirdly, we need to have plans and policies to overcome the discord that we experience. The transformation of the conflict is many faceted. Compromise, concession and negotiation are all part of the process. The process does not only depend on practice and skills, but a need to make  the process a natural  human one. This will take a great deal of time, but the beginning is important and as the Koreans say, to begin is to already be half way to our goal.

A great sadness is that many do not think anything is possible.They have given up and  feel it is hopeless.  Many are willing to live with the discord and inability to communicate, which is a great tragedy for that is not what Christians are called to do. Theresa ends her words with a reminder that Christians with the analysis of the conflict and meditation, and  our continual spiritual training; we should be familiar with much of what is required for the transformation of  conflict.

Non-believer Writing a Book About a Catholic Martyr

There have been many books, plays, movies and even an opera about the celibate couple: Lutgarda Yi Sun-i and John Yu Jung-cheol. They are on the list of 124 martyrs who will be beatified on Pope Francis' visit to Korea. We have already written about them in a blog for Oct. 18, 2010.

Usually the interest on matters of this type would be limited to those who are Catholic, but a non-believer and university professor has written a book about Lutgarda Yi Sun-i: Beyond Death--Letter from Prison. A non-believer writing a book about a martyr is without question, rare.  He was moved by the high values that the martyr had  facing death. He wrote the book about Lutgarda not so much about her Catholicism but as a woman of the late Choson Dynasty with high ideals that he wanted to bring to our attention. Studying the  period  acquainted him with Catholic values. 

He became familiar with Lutgarda from reading the History of the Catholic Church in Korea by Father Charles Dallet. It was in this book he heard about the letter.The letter was written to her mother and two older sisters in Korean script. Her deep faith could be seen not only in  each word that she wrote, he said, but she was talking about giving their wealth to the poor since her husband John Yu Jung-cheol was a member of the wealthy class of that time. Few at that time had this kind of belief and concern for the poor. This impressed the professor in the reading of the history. If the martyrs are a sign of blessing, then Korea is a blessed country, he says. 

The professor has been gathering  information on the martyr for many decades without any recourse to the Church. He wanted to be as objective as possible and last year he began lecturing on the martyr.

Lutgarda was considered a great sinner and during those days of persecution when the Choson Dynasty was coming in contact with the modern day thinking her vision helped the  country to grow. He would like to have the young people  read  the letter that was stronger than death filled with her revolutionary convictions.

The book begins with Lutgarda and the family of her husband at the place of martyrdom. They were meeting their death in the way water flows, was the professor's way of describing the way they faced death. He then examines the letter in detail.

John was 22 when he died, and Lutgarda was 20. These ages apparently have a great deal to do with the professor's wishes to see these two martyrs be an example to the young people of our time. They had strong convictions and were willing to die for them, which is attractive to people of all ages and times. He would like to see the story of these two martyrs go beyond the confines of Catholicism.

Sister, Don't Cry

For years we have had protests against the electrical tower project in Miryang in the South Gyeongsang Province. The residents recently were removed forcibly from their sit-in camps by the Korea Electric Power Corporation, police, and government officials. An official of a human rights organization expresses his opinion, in the Peace Weekly, seeing a picture of a religious sister crying at the forcible driving out of the protesters.

The human rights committee of the bishops has tried to get the two sides to dialogue, but the electric power corporation was not interested and using military tactics cleared the area of protesters, so they could continue the work of setting up the towers. All that was left for the protesters was to cry out their fears and displeasure.

Over 20 religious sisters who were sympathetic to residents were removed with force, some suffered violence, in the struggle some of the sisters' veils were stripped off, and  one sister's leg was broken. A picture of a  sister who was crying appeared in the paper. They were following the words of Pope Francis when he told the young people to go out into the streets and become a Church that is hurt, wounded and dirtied. The sisters were doing just that--  showing love for those who were hurting.

A  minister was quoted  as thanking the sisters in showing him how to love, and the writer concludes his article with thanks to the sisters for showing solidarity with the weak. The sisters without any power, being ousted, alerted us to what love means. On that day, the sisters showed us the beauty of failure.

In the hardhearted world where everyone is concerned with their own interests, it is refreshing to see some people who are concerned with wiping the tears and crying with others.

The editorial in the paper addresses the need to be with the people.  Some of the more 'progressive' members of four different religious groups had a press conference on the problems in society. They do not represent the religious groups, said the editorial, and the editorial does not agree with all their proposals,  but  they wholeheartedly agree that people should always come first. The Catholic social principles are very clear, says the editorial: human dignity of all persons, searching for the common good, subsidiarity, solidarity, being on the side of the poor etc..These principles are very clear but many of the problems  in society are handled with a different value system.

In conclusion, the clerics of the four religious groups suggested there is a need for the government to use more common sense, more dialogue, and to find ways to have a win-win situation. The editorial hopes the government will work to achieve some of the desires of the citizens where people come first.