During the liturgical year we have many reminders of where our
attention should be directed, and today in Korea we think of the poor in
our society and share what we have with them. The third Sunday of Advent
is Almsgiving Sunday in Korea, and also Gaudete, (Rejoice Sunday) reminding us
we are to live with joy in our hearts.
We have a
message from the head of the bishop's welfare committee that reminds us
of the many poor in our society. There are about 4 million Koreans who
are living in extreme poverty. Families with three members that do not have the minimum that the government has determined a family needs to live.
In
the bishop's message he mentions that in a recent survey made, 86 percent
of the Koreans find living difficult. The quality of life in Korea is
one of highest in Asia, one of the economic strong countries in the
developed world, and yet many of the citizens consider life difficult: they work hard and have little time to rest.
There
is good reason for this when we remember that Korea is a divided
country, and with all the talk of war, nuclear armaments, and occasional
belligerency, the ordinary Korean is not without serious worries about
the future. The country is surrounded with three giant countries which
have not always looked favorably on the South.
The top
20 percent of the citizens are earning 6 times what the lower 20 percent
are earning. Neoliberalism is a strong economic philosophy that
influences a great deal of society. The philosophy has helped Korea progress very
quickly in the ranks of the economically strong countries, but also at a
great price. The students are well educated and have shown this in
comparison with other countries but here again the competition is
unrelenting, and for the losers a cloud that remains with them for life.
Christians, the bishop reminds us, can't separate the love of
God from that of our neighbor. We have all heard that even a nation
cannot eradicate poverty, it is the work of all of us. We need to participate in improving the way of life for all the citizens,
and to help all live in the manner fitting a human being. Joy in
life should be a given for all; sharing what we have with those who
have less than what they need is to be doers of the word and not only
hearers.
The Desk Column and the editorial in the Catholic Times presents
us with thoughts on the 'Social Gospel Awareness Week' which follows Human
Rights Sunday, the second Sunday of Advent.
The columnist mentions the respect he has for a friend who graduated
from one of the three premier colleges in Korea, SKY: Seoul National
University, Korea University and Yonsei University. Not only graduated
from one of the best schools but is a member of a well known
Protestant Church, and lives in one of the better areas of Seoul.
However, he has been labelled a follower of the North (meaning for many with Communist sympathies).
He
is not overly concerned with this turn of events and found some
encouragement from Pope Francis' words while in Korea concerning the
North. He feels that his friends just don't understand him, and still has
a bright disposition.
There are many who have a wrong understanding of what the Social Gospel is all about, and think
that it should not be our concern. This he says is not understanding
what Catholicism is all about, for it has to do with the ten
commandments, and living them in our daily lives.
The
teaching of the Social Gospel appears in the Catechism of the Catholic
Church in part three:Life in Christ. When we refuse to accept this
teaching we are abandoning what it means to be Catholic. The popes
in their exhortations, encyclicals, pronouncements have made
this our formal teaching. We are able to see life in society, politics,
economy, labor, peace, the environment, life, human rights, and many
other issues with the vision that comes from the Gospels.
The Church is like a boat making its way on a rough ocean. We need a compass to find the way.The Social Gospel is the compass that shows us the way. When we refuse this direction we are only accepting half of what Jesus has given us. Can we call this a mature faith life?
In Korea there are many things that are illegal but you would
believe were legal. An article in the Peace Weekly begins with the words
of a doctor turned ethicist who mentions a news story where 117
persons were apprehended for child pornography and of that number, half
were in their teens and one third of those were in elementary school.
Doctor
Lee was a well known gynecologist who is now teaching at Catholic
Universities the ethics of life. He received his doctorate in ethics at a
university in Rome last year. In 2008, at the age of 64 he decided
to go on to study moral theology.
He wanted to find
out why God made male and female to be one. Why was the Church
opposed to artificial birth control and condoms? He wanted to find out
where the roots of this teaching on life came from. This desire as a
Catholic to find the reasons for the culture of life teachings,
at his age was difficult, but he was adding to the knowledge he
had as a doctor, which made it very satisfying.
The
doctor was now more interested in the moral issues associated with life than the field of gynecology that he had devoted most of his
life. He was now interested in natural child birth, problems with birth control, abortion, stem cells, suicide and the other issues connected
with the culture of life. He now wants to share his knowledge with
others.
Korean society has little teaching on sex which
is a large problem. Schools have given up on sex education which makes
it open for all kinds of distorted views. By the coupling of the male and female, we have new life and the meaning of this life:
morally, philosophically, is to be taught within the Church. There are
certain elements that can't be taught with medical and
scientific knowledge.
Doctor Lee has entered late into
the movement for life. Even though he is well on in years, he feels
it is a call of God, and wants to dedicate the rest of his life to the
movement.
In Evangelium Vitae (#5), Pope John Paul II addressed an appeal to all of us: "in the name of God: respect, protect, love and serve life, every
human life! Only in this direction will you find justice, development, true
freedom, peace and happiness!"
On the spirituality page of the Catholic Times the columnist writes about the heart of a young person. A quality that most of us find very attractive especially as we get old.
The columnist met a follow priest at the cathedral parish who was there to get some Mass wine. They hadn't seen each other for some time so they went to a coffee
shop for quiet time. His friend mentioned they started a
catechism class in the parish and one of the new catechumens was an
unique individual.
What do you mean by unique? asked the
columnist. His friend mentioned the man was in his 50s and a person who was successful in life. The reason he gave for wanting to come
into the Church was the example of the pope in his visit to Korea. The
man followed very closely what the pope was doing on TV, and was greatly
impressed with what he saw.
The appearance of the pope
was that of a young person, said the man. He wanted to have that same
kind of heart and joined our catechism class. Hearing his story the
friend was embarrassed in comparison, for he was doing it all without any religious belief.
Although he was the president of a company that
was successful he did his own driving, and his clothes were very simple
as was his life style. From the profits of the company he was putting some of it back into the society to help the poor, and was personally involved
in helping others. The only person that knows about his service to
others was his fiance
The columnist was surprised to
hear that he was in his fifties and not married. His friend was not able
to give him any information on his home life for he hadn't questioned
him yet, but his whole manner was one of humility and simplicity, said
the friend.
Persons young of heart may not be a quality
that is easily recognizable but it has an irresistible power to
attract. We are all searching for peace, security, happiness, and in the
whirlpool in which we live these qualities of life are not easily possessed. The man in his fifties was attracted to an old man, the pope,
who showed the spirit of youth. This was his motive for entering the Church. This is a rare motive but one that should be more common. St. Paul did tells us that the body grows
old but there is no reason why the heart (spirit) has to grow old. In
Jesus, we will find that the dreams and youthfulness that should be a
part of our life even as we near death, can be found in him.
"We can count on many lay persons, although still not nearly enough, who
have a deeply-rooted sense of community and great fidelity to the tasks
of charity, catechesis and the celebration of the faith. At the same
time, a clear awareness of this responsibility of the laity,
grounded in their baptism and confirmation, does not appear in the same
way in all places. In some cases, it is because lay persons have not
been given the formation needed to take on important responsibilities.
In others, it is because in their particular Churches room has not been
made for them to speak and to act, due to an excessive clericalism which
keeps them away from decision-making" (#102). And again,"I readily acknowledge that many women share pastoral responsibilities
with priests, helping to guide people, families and groups and offering
new contributions to theological reflection. But we need to create still
broader opportunities for a more incisive female presence in the
Church" (#103). Words of Pope Francis in the Exhortation: Joy of the Gospel.
The
issue of women in the Church is ongoing, and the Korean Church
has been concerned with the lack of satisfaction on the part of many
women for a long time. Pope Francis has shown his interest in expanding
the role of women within the Church and the Korean Church continues to
work to implement what has been the direction, but there are
roadblocks along the way.
The Bishops' Subcommittee For
Women was begun with a need to empower the women in the Church. The
recent seminar of the Subcommittee discussed women's work in the present and future. Both Catholic papers had articles on the seminar
and mentioned a presenter who very clearly expressed the opinion that we
have heard often that the clergy have to change their way of thinking
and attitude towards women if we want to see change.
The
first presenter at the seminar, a seminary professor, who expressed the
above opinion also expanded to say in the Korean Church women's role
has been a supporting one, and discrimination is readily seen. In the
questionnaires and surveys taken among the women we continue to see a
desire for a smoother way of communicating between priests and women, a desire to see a change in the patriarchal mind caste, and to be in
the decision making in parishes. All realize without the participation
of the women with their special gifts, sacrifices and capabilities we
would not be able to maintain the parishes.
Two women
who are now presidents of the parish council gave
talks at the seminar. One stressed the need for educational programs for women. The first women to have the position as parish council
president in her parish mentioned how difficult it was: physically,
internally and externally. The atmosphere in the parish was cold but
with her efforts in being the first to greet the parishioners, and going out of her way to be of service to the community the gaze of the
parishioners soften, and she began to get people encouraging her.
One
of the men mentioned that a woman president gives the women confidence,
and inspires them and we have a mellower way of being a leader but we
are not able to sit down for drinks and relate easily with the women. In
our traditional society to be in that position is cause for uneasiness
for many.
The time away from the family is a
problem for a woman, and the misunderstanding that may arise in the
family. One of the men mentioned the need for the woman, if she is a
homemaker, to make good use of her time and not to hear from the family
that she is spending too much time at the Church.
The
efforts of the Church to bring the women into the decision making of the
parish life continues, since most of the workers in a parish are women,
we will see an improvement with the conscientization we have had over the years.
For the past two weeks our diocesan bulletin has treated the subject of Neoliberalism. The writer is a priest who is responsible for the formation of the young. He finds it more of a problem than Postmodernism. Neoliberalism is also known as the 'age of the market' or 'age of competition'. From the 1980s it began taking hold in our society, and today it is deeply imbedded.
Competition has found a home in the society because it is believed to improve the goods and services. The underside that follows will make our young people pay the price in the years to come.
Neoliberalism breaks down the solidarity of our society and secondly drains us of our natural resources. He uses the sociologist Richard Sennett's words which acknowledges the positive aspects of Neoliberalism but also the evils that followed: loss of freedom and self respect, fear, and a resignation to the present reality giving birth to passivity.
The children try to better their classmates in getting good grades, and to attain these grades they come home from the academies late in the evening. The young people are preparing their list of specifications, for their personal history, to find work. Those who have a job in their thirties fear losing them. Those in their forties are thinking of going to an academy to learn English to make sure they will have a job as the young people enter the labor force.
The writer gives us some suggestions and alternatives the society needs to make. Excessive competition needs to be controlled. Maintain the good elements and decrease the bad and work for a change in the way we do politics to improve the situation. Work for a better welfare system, and say farewell to the supremacy of competition and materialism. We need to do away with the egotistical society we have made and form a new culture.
He finishes his article with two proposals: help the weak in society to have a new start. Secondly, we need a deep study of the cultural of Neoliberalism and what it is doing to the society.
Pope Francis' management style has received a great deal of analysis.
In the Peace column of the Peace Weekly the writer introduces us to
a recent book published by the American Management Association, Lead with Humility:12 leadership Lessons from Pope Francis. The author, Jeffrey A. Krames, is Jewish, he also wrote the book about the management style of Jack Welch of General Electric.
The
contents of the book shows that a good leader is one who mixes with
those with whom he works, leaves his office, cuts down on exorbitant
meals, and other excessive expenses, and dispenses with many of the
privileges of his office. He encourages his priests and laity to widen
their experience and being an example of what to do by doing it. The
pope goes outside of the borders of the Church trying to bring all
closer to God. Humility is the virtue that he exemplifies in his life.
Even
if we are not interested in the way Krames expresses the management
style of the pope, we understand his actions from our common faith
life. As soon as he became pope he visited the island of Lampedusa. He wanted to be with the refugees who were looking for work. On his
birthday he invited the homeless to be with him at table.
We
need not go to the news for information on the pope's informality for
we saw it on his visit to Korea this past August. He refused a chair,
and stood with the handicapped for an hour. We no longer see this as
something exceptional but see it as who he is.
The word 'audience' used with the pope clashes with what he
has shown us. In
the Korean dictionary the word audience is defined: "to visit someone
you respect, a formal meeting with one in a higher position." The word
in the past was used in meeting the king or the pope. The process was
complicated. In Korea on the visit to the Qing dynasty emperor the Qianlong Emperor (Chien-lung) of China a Korean history book mentions
the long kneeling, bowing, raising the buttocks and crawling for the
audience. In the West an audience with the emperor in the third century
required the kissing of his feet before the audience.
The
columnist reminds us in the status society of the past to look a person
in the eyes was not permissible, for those in a supposedly lower level
in society. With the pope we have selfies taken with smartphones. No
longer is he living in the apostolic palace but in the house for
pilgrims. Does the word 'audience' fit with Pope Francis when we see
what was meant in the past?
The pope's meeting with
those who are alienated from society and his warm greetings to all, the word 'audience'.... No matter how much the columnist tries, the word does not fit.
