Listening to the Poor.

 
"We need to hear stories of the poor and sympathize with their experiences. We need to gather these stories and understand the meaning of poverty, and work to change the structures that permit it."


Catholic Times has an article on the director of the Jesuit Research Center for Advocacy and Solidarity and above is a quote from the director that begins the article. The center works for the  advancement of the rights of the poor and  their  property rights. The director maintains the Church has to be in solidarity and relate with them on an equal  footing.  

Society has  developed but the number of the poor continues to increase. Faces of the poor are many and different: the sick, those because of accidents can't work,  those looking for work,  irregular workers, foreign workers.... 

We have abolished absolute poverty but our development has brought in another type of poverty caused by a lack of technological skills and resources.  At present poverty means being handicapped  financially. The need for both husband and wife to  join the work force is an indication of the change.

One example of this situation would be two students in elementary school. One student  is going to an academy after school and goes traveling with parents  on vacation, the other  child does not. This child will feel deprived in comparison, and the parents feel a burden.

The International Monetary Fund's entrance into Korea decreased the middle class. And those living in poverty increased. A graduate of an engineering school lost his job and began working as a taxi driver. He was a member of the middle class but his life style  changed. We need to move from support for big industry to  a win-win society for the workers: concern for the unemployed, irregular workers and daily workers and work for their betterment.

The director mentions the problem with structures of poverty and the gap between the rich and poor which we have also in the church. In many ways she helps the poor but the poor don't find it easy to approach the church because of time and financial burdens.  They feel more at home in a large Church community than a smaller  and more  active one.

To  help the poor in parishes, industry and organizations, he concludes, is not simply raising funds and sharing it with the poor. The Church needs to be in solidarity with the poor, be one with them and  speak together with them of  the joy of the Gospel.   

Living with Passion

A music professor writing in a diocesan bulletin recalls a time he was satisfied in the way he was  saying the rosary until he heard a  priest talk about the rosary;  his whole mental way of thinking was turned upside down.  He learned  the way he was saying the rosary left a lot to be desired.

His meditations on the mysteries, he doesn't remember when, all very quickly disappeared. He began to work with a new set of meditations. However, they did not develop in the way they were supposed to. He read books on the meditations of the different mysteries, but  there was no progress and  began to feel there was something he was doing wrong.

How can we meditate on the same mystery over and over again? The first sorrowful mystery: "Jesus shed  tears of  sweat and blood." How painful this all must be, was the extent of his meditation. He moves to the second mystery with the same thoughts, and gradually another thought enters and he moves to the next mystery. Each day he says the sorrowful mysteries how can he have different thoughts for the mysteries? This in itself is a mystery, he laments.     

In life there are times, because of need, we are faced with repetition, and we endure. He remembers as a child the piano lessons and the need to practice over and over again the same music which he disliked. 

Those who become performers know the repeated practices and overcoming the boredom, enabled them to  appreciate the beauty of the music. As performers, they have not  stopped doing the repetitions. Before the  performance they practice again and after the performance they  feel there was something missing and they return to practice. Even years later they will return to the music, and are moved to another level of appreciation.                                            

This is not only true of music but many other endeavors. When we love what we are doing there is no boredom but just joy. The writer is not a performer but he can go back to a piece of music and repeat it often and with joy.He discovers something different each time. The joy comes because he loves the music.

He realized that in his saying the rosary he did not find satisfaction because he did not have an affection for the mystery on which he was meditating. The need to go back to the Scriptures and read again the details of the  mystery are important, but to have passion for what you are doing is more important. Developing  passion for the sorrowful mysteries of the rosary is his  aim for Lent. The word ardor, suffer and endurance  come from the same Latin word--- passion.

Knowledge And Wisdom

A Salesian priest writes in View from the Ark, in the Catholic Times,  about the difficulties  parents have in educating  their children. The money they need for the public education is a burden, private academy attendance is many times more expensive.

A TV program in Europe showed the life of a 3rd year high school student who was preparing for college entrance examination: 'We have this going on in our world' was the title of the program.  How can a person put up with this kind of life? -- Was the response of many viewers. 

The difficulties of the young in our school system is well known and the ones who suffer the most are the young. There are many young people not able to adapt to the system, and have even more trouble out- side the system; it needs to be changed. He blames the older generation for the acquisitiveness and selfishness, and those in the teaching profession himself included, for laziness and lack of responsibility in not doing enough to bring about change.                                                                                             

Because of the inhuman type of education, the pressure they are experiencing will affect their emotional  and psychological well being, which does not speak well for the future. They are receiving a  distorted value system. A  time when they are to blossom with their youthfulness, they are given a very heavy cross to carry which only makes them shrivel.

He remembers a young lad who frequented the PC rooms ( a place where one goes to play games and  pays so much an hour). He was a timid and withdrawn person but  with his frequenting of the  PC rooms the priest noticed  a change in his demeanor, his face lit up and his eyes were alive and bright. The priest realized that in the virtual world of the game room the young man was king.  He was able to control everything that he dealt with. In the real world he confronted knots and conflicts, in the virtual world he was in charge. In a short time all disappeared, and he returned to his depressed state.   

This is the portrait of our young people. Once they leave the virtual world they come back to their old selves.  They are faced with the gloom of reality,  anger and the burdens of daily life. This is the reason they don't want to leave the virtual world in which they feel on top of everything. We need to do all in our power to change the system, the young people face in their studies.

He concludes the article with an example of a teacher who knows the problems students face, and is doing something about it. He arrives at school in the morning an hour before class and is greeting all the students as they come to the class room.  He wants to show the students we are not just isolated islands,  and feels good about the efforts he is making to give vitality to the students. 

Jean Valjean Bank

Both editorials in the Catholic papers reported on a special bank that will lend money to those who have been fined and because of poverty can't pay the penalty and end up in jail.  The 'Jean Valjean Bank'  is called a bank but it doesn't function like a bank: it doesn't give interest, has  no building and will be distributing funds to be payed back without interest.
 
There are many in criminal cases not ably to pay the monetary fines levied within 30 days, and go to jail. There are 40 thousand in this predicament.  90 percent of the criminal cases give sentences with  monetary penalties. Many of these are similar to Jean Valjean who stole bread because he was hungry and went to prison: not crimes that cause harm to society. 

This is the first effort  in the world to help young heads of households, and poor young offenders who do not have the necessary funds to keep them out of jail. They have a grace period of six months and a period of a year to pay back without interest what they have received.

Pope Francis has often remarked that one of the  great lacks in the world society is an indifference to the those who are hurting. With the 'Jean Valjean Bank' we see something concrete being done for the   poor of our society. These poor are at the periphery of society, without connections to benefit from the outstretched hand of love, and in most cases not seen. 

In inaugurating the bank the Jean Valjean committee said: "money is able to take away freedom and they want to do something, even if small, to free us from this possibility."  This action is a good sign to the whole of society, and the direction we need to go.  
One of the editorials closes with a wish to see a change in the way we levy fines, more like some of the countries of Europe-- a daily fine. A fine that will be gauged according to the daily income of the offender and the offense committed.

The bank will ask members of society to help in the raising of funds. The idea is a good one and will depend on the  cooperation of society to see it advanced. There is much that can be done in showing concern for those who are on the edges of society;  the very natural concern for our own needs often closes us off to the needs of those most vulnerable in  society.

Mission to Change the World

One of the columns in the Peace Weekly, finishes one year of articles on the Social Gospel of the Church. The columnist is a seminary professor whose specialty is the Social Gospel. Asked what he does, he has an easy answer: he teaches the principles that go to build a culture of love. 

Our society is distancing itself from God, we have doubts about absolute truth, and not conscious of what is happening. We measure all by our personal  standards, no absolutes, and have little concern on what is  going on in the world as long as it doesn't affect us. This apathy, he says, is one of the main afflictions of our age.

We are a bigger Church, more priests and laity but the bonds between the diocese and parishes and  between parishes is not as strong as in the past. Our sense of community and feeling of belonging is weak.  We are not  meant to be concerned only with our own spiritual life but concerned with the salvation of all.

The Social Gospel directly searches for ways to make our societies more human. Seeking to form disciples with the principles and values from Jesus, and his teaching on love.

"The immediate purpose of the Church's social doctrine is to propose the principles and values that can sustain a society worthy of the human person. Among these principles, solidarity includes all the others in a certain way. It represents one of the fundamental principles of the Christian view of social and political organization."

"Personal behavior is fully human when it is born of love, manifests love and is ordered to love. This truth also applies in the social sphere; Christians must be deeply convinced witnesses of this, and they are to show by their lives how love is the only force (1 Cor. 12:31-14:1) that can lead to personal and social perfection, allowing society to make progress towards the good" (#580  Compendium of the Social Gospel).

In conclusion of the series of articles written, the priest admits what he has written is  not something that we can easily carry out in our daily lives. It is difficult but a necessary work that we are called to do, basic to our mission to change the world -- our compass.

What will you do?  We can choose to follow the social teaching or follow the way of the world-- it is our choice.

Abolishing the Death Penalty

The Church in Korea has for some  time educated Catholics to oppose the death penalty. The Catholic Times has an interview with a religious sister who has been working with  prisoners, and since  1988 with those condemned to capital punishment.

"There repentance  was as great as the evil perpetrated...  their appearance was beautiful to see...."   She   kept repeating these words indifferent to whom might hear them. She had a lot to do with preparing  a grave site for those whose life had been taken, and for good reason called the mother of those condemned to die. When her thoughts become deep or when cares are many, she makes the trip to the cemetery where 30 condemned men are buried. The existence of the burial grounds are unknown to most. At death they are accompanied only by a  few; she stayed with them to the end.

One of the condemned men said  he received love for the first time while in prison. Hearing  these words she couldn't help but cry. We have been born to receive God's love, and those condemned to die need to receive that love.... Are we able to imagine the pain they feel?

She was given the prison pastoral mission in 1976 and in 1988 she began pastoral work among those condemned to die. She  remembers how she felt with the new assignment: afraid and began to tremble. With frequent visits and contact all changed. She began to see the condemned men as they were meant to be seen. They also with time began to change. The secret was love. Those who never received love are not able to love.... Receiving  love they are changed. This is the reason she shows concern for them.

Is it not a miracle to see these men who have committed horrible crimes and by receiving love are born again as angels? She realizes this is a gift of God's grace and  the reason that in her eighties she is against capital punishment. When a person has changed and the life is taken away is this not another evil?

She is present at events that work for the abolition of the death penalty. She also visits the homes of the victims of the horrible crimes and in the name of the condemned offers her sorrow and help.

Those sentenced to death have done wrong, but God is the  one who gives life  and we who are creatures do not have the right to take life away, and when we do we add another offence. She hopes more people will come to realize this truth.

Korean Gallup Survey on Religion

A Korean Gallup survey based on 1500 adults over the ages of 18 made last year was published recently, and  reported on by the Catholic Times. There is much in the report that leaves some Christian's sad.

The number of religious people has declined from what it was 10 years before. Those in their 20s and 30s who have abandoned religion have increased, and the age of those with religious beliefs has increased. Ten years ago, 45 percent of the young had a religious belief, today it is only 31 percent.

Buddhists, according to the report have the largest number of believers with 22 percent, Protestants are second with 21 percent and Catholics, 7 percent. The figure for Catholics at 7 percent is much lower than the 10 percent the Church understands to be Catholic.   
45 percent  of the  Koreans  are not believers because they have no interest.  Most look to religion for  peace.  58 percent of the Catholics have this as their purpose.  In 1984, 57 percent of the respondents  prayed at  least once a day, on the recent survey this has dropped to 30 percent.  Catholics who never read the Bible 10 years ago was 11 percent this has increased to 30 percent, and those who go to church at least once a week was 59 percent.

Those who think that religion is important has also decreased. Catholics in 1984, 97 percent considered their faith life important, this has decreased to 81 percent in 2014. Protestants continue to maintain the importance of their faith life with a percentage over 90 percent.

Those with religious belief, 37 percent would agree that  if the  horoscopes are not harmonious it would be wise not to marry. Catholics in 2014, 26 percent agreed,  in 2014 this increased to 32 percent. 45 percent of the Catholics feel that a propitious grave site would be favorable to the descendents.

The difference between Catholics and those without any religion was slight in what they believe on moral questions.  Religion's influence on society, according to the respondents, has dropped from 68 percent in 1984 to 47 percent.  87 percent of the Protestants,  79 percent of the Catholics, and 67 percent of Buddhists and 48 percent of non believers think religion is a help to society.

What is the degree of religious people's observance in practicing love and mercy?  In 1984, 56 percent of the citizens answered this positively, and of the believers,  67 percent did.  In 2014 only 34 percent of the citizens saw religious people positively, and those with a religious belief it was 45 percent.  

How many of the clerics and religious leaders do you believe are not qualified to be in their position?  There are  many: 22 percent.  There are some: 65 percent,   only 13 percent disagreed.  In 2004,  46 percent  thought the  authoritarianism of the  clergy was a problem, but this dropped to 33 percent in 2014.  68 percent of Koreans think that religions want to raise their numbers and not in search of truth.

In the question what do you want to say to your religious leaders, the number one issue for Catholics: they want the clergy to  refrain from talking about any thing that is not religious, 5 percent of the respondents saw this as important. There is a lot in the survey that is not new;  the results should provide matter for discussion and planning for the  future.