Remembering the Pope's Visit

The Catholic media will be filled with reminiscences of Pope Francis' visit to Korea and its meaning for the Korean Church for years to come. Our own Maryknoll family here in Korea had the opportunity to meet the pope and shake his hand. The emotional content will remain for years.

One journalist  writing in the Catholic Times mentions during the five days of the pope's visit the word most often heard was 'envy',  for as long as he can remember there was never an occasion for him  where this mood of 'good envy' was present. From the time of the pope's arrival to the Mass of reconciliation on the day of departure--when distant 30 meters, when close less than one meter--close enough to hear him breathing was the good fortune of many.

During the five days, the journalist was following the pope he mentions the many times he was overcome with emotion. At the times the pope was reacting with different people, many were experiencing what the journalist experienced. Tears came to his eyes not infrequently.

Not only Korea but in other parts of Asia, many were feeling the distress of the pope in many of his encounters. What made for this enthusiasm? The journalist feels for him, using one word, the authenticity which he saw.

Poverty is a word that comes easy to mind, not something easily lived. Humility is easy to talk about, but also difficult to have it become part of who we are. Before he became pope, Francis was living this kind of life, and many people were moved by the encounter.

During difficult times when we remember the happiness of the  past, we are given strength to overcome our problems. The visit of the pope to Korea will have different meanings for all of us, and it will depend on the way we remember the visit in the future that will influence our lives.

Reflection on Pope's Visit to Korea

The two main reasons for the visit were the attendance at the Asian Youth Meeting, to encourage the young people, and the  second, the beatification of 124 martyrs. The beatification went  back to the past to give life to the present and future.
 
At the Asia Youth Meeting, the pope gave the youth hope, dreams and encouraged them to look ahead to joy, not  fear, and put the wisdom of their faith in all the  facets of their lives. He challenged them to be witness to Jesus, and be his disciples.

He urged the Christians to go to the peripheries to meet those who were hurting. In the sermon for the beatification, he wanted us to go back to the dawning of Christianity in Korea, and have the heart of those first Christians, and their joy. The professor stresses that the first Christians did not separate the love of  God and neighbor as our society so easily does today. The pope asked all of those with good will to remember we have been called to work for a just, free and reconciling society.

In the visit to Korea, the pope was kept busy and left behind many messages for the country and the Church. He wanted the clergy to avoid clericalism; the religious to be conscious of poverty and the practice of love. He asked all the Christians to have concern  for the poor, and be in solidarity with them. He encouraged all of us to  have an optimistic hope for the future, and give ourselves to the works of  love, justice and peace.

It may be that  Korean society was hoping the pope would help solve some of their problems, but he asked us to take care of the poor, and the  marginalized.

He did not come to Korea to solve problems but to commiserate and advise.  He applauded those who were doing something to benefit society and left Korea with suggestions that will help us grow to a more mature Catholicism with a blueprint for the future.

Black and White Thinking

Korea is now a first world country; little difference from other countries enjoying material prosperity. A professor writing in the diocesan bulletin continues his discussion with obstacles to communication, and this time it is the black and white thinking: either-or fallacy-- all or nothing. With  material prosperity we seem to be  prone for this either-or outlook.

In society we have: the conservative progressive divide, right and left, the government in power and those wanting the power, the young and old, city and country, the polarization is becoming more serious. The country is divided into camps of black and white thinking.

Logic makes clear that  we are dealing with contradictory positions. There is no middle way. The black denies the white and the white the black. Right or wrong, good or bad they are against. Both positions are not able to exist together-- one has to  overcome the other.This kind of thinking does not allow for co-existence but confrontation and conflict.

In the past when the left confronted the right and the right the left, we talked about the center. Those in the center disliked both positions. Black and white thinkers  saw the center as opportunists without a position.They were not accepted by either group-- objects of scorn and ridicule. When two whales are fighting the squid in between gets squashed. While the fight continues both are hurt as is the society in which they live.

This black and white position does not allow for dialogue and prevents dialogue from happening. Each group is wedded to what they agree, and will not open the door to understanding something new. The idea that communication has to do with what is similar and what is different is a premise for communication which has little value to these two  antagonists, and the reason for using force and violence. This is the reason we have violence in the family, school, society, work place, in politics and religion.

A bird needs both the left and right wing to fly.  When one of the wings  is out of commission the bird can't fly. But even with the two wings the bird can't fly for it is the body that gives the wings the motor power necessary. The wings have to be attached to the body to fly; with two equal wings we have harmony and balance.The wings with harmony and balance are able to carry the bird to where it wants to go. A conflict between the wings brings disaster. 

What is necessary to overcome this black and white thinking is to allow this middle area to have some different in-put. When the black and white join together we have all kinds of different colors that enter into the mix, making for harmony and balance. We have communication and co-existence. We have a healthy society.

Pope's Homework for Korea

At the conclusion of Pope Francis' trip to Korea, the Korean Catholic Community has begun reflecting on his message. Editorials, articles in the Catholic press, lectures and sermons convey to us  areas for future effort and hope.The Peace Weekly editorial expresses well the divisions, conflicts, indifference, selfishness, compromises, and values that need to be replaced with justice, peace, and unity.

Pope Francis was the center for this hope in his visit to Korea. His actions were humble and friendly, absence of walls, but not frivolous. His words were both  soft and strong; they matched his actions. From the beginning to the end, he was a  pastor and  yet moved people without overt religion,

He came to Korea and the Church with a very clear message. In every one of the places he stopped: at the airport, the Blue House, with the Asian youth, the beatification ceremony, meeting the Asian Bishops, the Flower Village, the Mass of Reconciliation, with each encounter, there was a united message where the words matched the actions.

He came with a gift. We have a blueprint with which to work with in the future. The Church needs to understand  what to do, and work to realize and implement the pope's message. The Peace Weekly will work, it says in the editorial, to make the pope's message known to the readers in the years to come.

The editorial wants us to understand the message he  left us in his  five days in Korea. There was a unity in all that was done. From the time of his arrival to the time of departure, the message was the same. He met the families of those who died  in the Sewol tragedy. On the plane back to Rome he said we can't be neutral in the face of suffering. When we don't face truthfulness and authenticity and fail to  empathize, we refuse to see. Pope Francis listened to the hurts of those he met and was moved.

We need to learn from humility. Simplicity and  spirit of poverty are closely related to this humility. They have moved  us as a community of faith. In a word, we need to be Christians. The pope was welcomed by many not as a celebrity or a politician, and he did not behave as such. He was a sinner and a follower of Jesus. He did not talk about himself but about  Jesus. He has left Korea, but the message remains, the future work of the community.

Obstacles in communicating

One of the obstacles in communicating is authoritarianism. A professor of philosophy and ethics treats the subject in our diocesan bulletin. He admits that we have come a long way in our struggle to rid ourselves of the problem; however, we have the remnant still in politics, economics, family, education, in the workplace, and in religion.

He begins with the difference between authority and authoritarianism. An  example  is the relationship of a father to son. The role of the father and the role of a son are both understood. When the father is most  father-like, he is fulfilling the role of a father. When the son says the father is the best, he acknowledges the authority of the father. Acting like a father the authority of the father will be recognized by the son. When the father is not acting like a father and makes the son recognize his authority, we are dealing with authoritarianism.

A teacher who uses his authority well does not necessarily mean he would also be a good father. The  authority of each roll and capacity  in society has to be  seen separately. A good teacher does not necessarily mean a good father.

In our traditional society, the relationship, we have with others is vertical: superior and inferior, subordination easily gives  birth to authoritarianism. There is little concern for quality of behavior and roll, but rather with  power and position and almost unknowingly, force. Consequently, strength is exhibited, demand for respect,  saving face, ostentation, ceremonies,  bluff, embellishment and hypocrisy. Content is less important than to please the superior. The vertical structure of our society, the professor maintains, is the reason for many of our problems. Briefly, authoritarianism is when a person is naturally expected to do one thing and doesn't, still wanting to have his position respected. 

The stronger the authoritarianism  shown by the  superior the more those who are subordinates will be watching how the wind is blowing, be passive and negative. They   try to curry favor with their actions. In the family when the father is authoritarian the children find it difficult be independent; a  teacher with this attitude will have students without creativity, initiative and spontaneity. Authoritarianism   not only stop with the objects of the authority, but extends to   others. We have a lack of face to face   and the absence of communication. 

When authority is horizontal, we have communication. Being accepted, is less important than to  accept others, instead of reigning, concern for others, instead of arbitrary decisions, cooperation, instead of soliloquies, dialogue, more than external concerns internal matters become important we become more mature. When we have authority and not authoritarianism, we have in the family, society and the church people communicating with each other.

Fake Early Manuscripts about Korean Catholicism

Recently, some of the material that (John Baptist) Yi Byeok, one of the scholars who had a great deal to do with  the beginnings of Korean Catholicism, was judged  a fake. Yi Byeok was the one that convinced  (Peter) Yi Seung-hun to be baptized, Korea's  first Catholic.  He brought back books from China that were used to study Catholicism, and they began forming a community of believers.

A Protestant minister who was interested in  early  Christianity in Korea began collecting manuscripts from the these days.  One of writings was Seongkyo Yoji, (Essentials of the Holy Teachings) supposedly written by Yi Byeok. In an essay written by Fr. Youn in the Catholic Times, a priest who has studied the issue for three years, published a book giving reasons whey the manuscript was a fake. The minister donated his collection to a museum  and in 1967, the manuscript was discovered and many Catholic scholars, he says, without verification began using the material.

In the essay, he says  there never was any reference in the writings of the early Church that Yi Byeok ever wrote anything. In the manuscript, there are words that the early Christians did not use, but words that were in use by the Protestants years after the death of Yi Byeok. The book is filled with examples that the early Catholics would not have known from the reading of the books that they had received from China.

The priest mentions that Protestantism came to Korea a hundred years after the beginnings of Catholicism. Thirty years after the death of  Yi Byeok, Protestant Missioners in China were translating the Scriptures into Chinese and these words, that were unknown  to the Korean Catholics appeared in the manuscripts that were supposed to have been written by Yi Byeok.

These facts already were known by the  bishop's committee on beatification back in 2003. However, some had difficulty in accepting this news and even today we do have a few who have problems, however, the majority accepted the information by the priest.

Apparently, the minister who was gathering manuscripts back in  the  1930s  was paying good money for these writings so that they would not get in other people's hands, which  prompted others to see the possibility of making  easy money and began to make  copies of the history of the early church, supposedly written by martyrs. The essay mentions even today there are those that are trying to sell manuscripts from the early days and hopes that we don't continue to fall for these hoaxes.

Fr. Youn finishes the essay by telling those who want to study the matter in more detail, before concluding we are dealing with a fake, facts do  not change.  These people feel that  we are defaming the Church and Yi Byeok, and he finishes by saying what is not true has to to be proclaimed as not true.

Much to Learn on the Subway

On the opinion page of the Peace Weekly the columnist, a poet and college professor, tells us about his experience as a salary man for ten years before becoming a professor. He recalls the drudgery of taking the subway for seven and half years during rush hour. He was completely bushed; arriving home in the evening, he would have to rest.
 
During the summer months, this daily drudgery and pressure were all the more annoying. " I am getting off' one had to yell to get to the door. Getting off one train and getting on another that was even more crowded was the daily fare. His white shirt would be dripping with sweat;  the first thing he would do arriving at the office was to go to the lavatory to wash.  One day, a proposition became embedded in his head: a hundred years henceforth  none of those riding in the electric train would be with us, and decided to get rid of all his irritations. We are all going to die, why is he letting them be an obstacle to finding  peace? He was not going to be upset by his follow travelers.

For a few days, he was overcome with work and on his trip home, he had a nose bleed. Pushed and  being pushed his shirt became bloodied and also others unknowingly would have been splattered with the blood. There were those who that day seeing the blood on their clothes would have been completely perplexed.

Many are the times we cause harm to another unintentionally. We miss the opportunity to apologize, have regrets, and spend time reflecting on the way we are abused. Often we have been harassed and irritated, and fight back, a common occurrence on the electric train.Those riding with him are fellow countrymen, neighbors, the other. Persons I am related to in a small or big way numbers in the thousands.

Our Lord has told us to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. We can't live this in our daily lives. Those with whom I am relating will die before or after me, and I should open my heart to them. We know that this world's goods do not satisfy us; there are other more important realities.

When in the subway, we know that no matter how hard we try we will look at certain people with a scowl on our faces. He has difficulty with those who noisily chew gum; ride the subway with their mountain-climbing  gear and speak in loud voices; lovers who are caressing each other seeming to want others to see them; loudly expressing  their political views are those who in the family are authoritarian. He would like those who preach in the subway to refrain from using hell as the main topic. Unbelievers are not going out to a church who makes them fear God. 

When we care for others in our given space, and we are polite we see the other differently. The writer does not drive so he uses buses and subways daily and sees, hears and feels much. The Chinese character for person is written: . The columnist wants us to see this as two people leaning on each other.