'Eucharist Has Zero Calories'

On the spiritual page of the Catholic Times, the columnist tells us about a professor, he and many others admired. He  was a respected teacher within the church who was fighting a number of diseases;  one of the them was diabetes and was doing it for thirty years and joyfully.

Exercise, and control over his eating, was always done carefully; on a work trip, he would check his blood sugar. On trips with the columnist, he would come to his room and ask to check the columnist's  blood sugar.
He would  habitually  check  the amount of food he ate: the  calories in each meal. If you were beside him, you would hear him give each food the number of calories.  On one occasion the columnist hearing the counting  of the calories and the number given to one particular food, said to the professor: "Hey, that couldn't have that many calories!" He was right on;  out of curiosity, the columnist did his checking, and his count was accurate.

On  one occasion at a meeting with the professor, there was a table set up for snacks. As in the past each plate was given the amount of calories, and he  ate accordingly. One of the dishes was cups of noodles. This would have exceeded his caloric intake on that day, and he passed it up. After the snack and a period of rest, they  headed for the area for the liturgy of the Mass. One of the study group members asked the professor how many calories in the Eucharist.
The question came from one who hadn't been baptized very long and  left the columnist  with a strange feeling. He must have heard all the talk of bread from heaven, and  the bread of life and wanted to satisfy his curiosity.

The professor answered: "Eucharist has zero calories." These words were greeted with a period of silence and the nodding of heads in agreement. The columnist found the answer ripe for meditative reflection. A young scholar asking a vivid, graphic question, the professor without thought: zero calories, and the columnist tongue tied but with many thoughts running through his head.

That night the professor and the study team at the Mass each would have different responses to the 'o' calories of the professor. The columnist was at the back of the church and at the elevation of the Eucharist, the meaning of 'flesh and  bread'  came to him with more force than in the past.

Do we Enjoy our Driving?

View from the Ark in the Catholic Times has a meditation on driving, by a pastor who was assigned to a busy area in his rural diocese and one with  many accidents. According to OECD statistics, Korea continues to be in the number one or two spot. Speed of life may be one of the hidden reasons for the  large number.

The columnist  says that  although in the country, he feels  there are  more accidents than in Seoul and believes the  few cars on the road, speed, and a relaxed  understanding of traffic regulations may be the problem. 
In front of the church, he mentions the large number of illegal left turns that are made. He has  reported the problem to the authorities on many occasions, but they seem to be more interested in aesthetics than preventing accidents. Pedestrians with their jaywalking are at fault, but he puts  more of the responsibility on the drivers who are in the possession of a very heavy machine, with speed. They are very efficient, and we find it difficult to resist the dangers that are present.

On long trips he finds himself asking:  Am I driving safely?  What does it mean to drive well? What does it mean to drive? Seeing the other cars he asks himself why are they driving so dangerously?  Why don't they  use the signal light?  Why is the driver going so slow in the first lane? 

One day suddenly, this thought came to him:  we are all traveling on the same road shouldn't we be cooperating? Others also have a destination, and we should be helping each other. Like in life, we should have trust and love, and concern for those who are using the roads with us. We should be looking on them as cooperators,  neighbors,  associates, but often we see them as competitors, obstacles and even enemies. He  wants to see them as the Samaritan saw the poor man on the side of the road.

Driving, we can be concerned only with  our situation: we are in a hurry, tired; the traffic is backed up for miles; other drivers are breaking the rules. However, when I am in the driver's seat and my hands are on the steering wheel I am in a position to practice graceful living: concern for the other, trust and love, for we are  traveling together to our respective destination. If we saw the other driver as an associate, cooperator and brother/sister traveler, wouldn't this kind of attitude  make life more enjoyable?

Suicide Prevention in Korea

 Korea has for the last ten years, as a member of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development, placed first in the number of suicides: recorded was 29.1  persons for every hundred thousand, which was twice the average. Peace Weekly News gives the readers an understanding of the situation within the church.

From 1985, most of the countries which are members of the OECD have decreased in the number of suicides but Korea continues to increase, which makes for a gloomy future. Efforts are made to throw off the stigma by programs and seeking to understand those who are contemplating suicide. They have hope to decrease the numbers. Finland and Japan did succeed, and are good examples for Korea to follow.

The international Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) with the World Health Organization (WHO) has established the World Suicide Prevention Day  which we remember today. The day alerts us to the ways we can prevent suicidal behavior, lessen the effects and educate those working to prevent suicides.
Preparing for the day were many events, educational programs and campaigns in society and churches. The Catholic Church also has programs for the prevention and to spread the culture of  life movement.

One Heart One Body Center of Seoul in preparation for September 10,  conducted a survey and published their results. This is the first survey made  dealing only with suicide. They wanted to determine the attitude and understanding of suicide  within the church in order to establish programs in the future. 

81% of those that responded felt that the  problem was more with society than with the individual. With a change in society 84 % thought we would see a change in the number of suicides. 86,38 % had never had contact with those who were contemplating suicide. The majority have never attended any programs in the prevention of suicides. 78 % thought there was a need for such programs. 

Respondents to the survey 88.54 % never had any suicidal thoughts-- reasons given: religious convictions 19.18 %, children 16.2 %,  spouse/sweetheart 13.2%, parents 12.4%.  The longer they lived and deeper the  religious life, less  thoughts of suicide. This coming December there will be a symposium with a Japanese counterpart in which the Center wants to conclude with a strategy for the future in suicide prevention.

Korea's Chaebol Culture

Korean  conglomerates helped by the government have done much to bring about the economic growth in Korea, but at the same time we have many negative results.

The Catholic Times has an article on Korean economics and the 'chaebols' ( business conglomerates). Both government  parties have  promised to make the 'chaebols'  more transparent and democratic.

Is this not a  sign that all see the abuses that we have and the need  to remedy the situation? They have done much to develop Korea no one denies, but there is something else besides material development and  economic growth. Many of the problems in Korean society stem from this close arrangement with the government.

The article sees two aspects of the problems with the chaebols. One problem is that a small number of businesses are influencing how industry, and the market are going. One easy example  to illustrate the point is the way the big super markets have stopped the flow of money in the small stores and our traditional markets. Few people know, says the columnist, that it is not only the super markets, but the chaebols are the main share holders in many other businesses. A reason why the independent operations, and the ordinary folk have difficulties in the market.

The second problem is the chaebol families have control over many affiliates and subsidiaries. Consequently, their influence on economic matters is great  even when their share of the financial holdings is small.  Easing the control of  a few of these chaebols on the market will make for a more democratic competitive playing field, and a brighter  future for the  independent entrepreneurs  and the labor force,

In the encyclical Quartragesimo Anno (1931), Pius XI stressed how financial monopolies hurt the economy and also that it is the death of  capitalism's central tenet of freedom for competition, Pope Pius also saw    spreading to the political area as it did in Germany.

In our society, this monopolistic tendency continues and is hurting the free and healthy movement of our economy. Without efforts made to remedy the situation the condition of the citizens  will be difficult. What we need is not the reformation of the labor force, but the reformation of the chaebols; necessary is to work for the democratization of the economy.

Synod of Bishops on the Family

"The mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation. What is called resignation is confirmed desperation." This quote from Thoreau's Walden we hear often, and sadly it may be truer to our reality than  we would like to believe, not only individually but in families, and for his reasons.

In the Kyeongyang magazine, we have an article on the scars inflicted on the family and the church's concern. On October 4-25 we will have the  Fourteenth Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, the topic:  “The Vocation and Mission of the Family in the Church and the Contemporary World.” 

The family in modern society  is in extreme difficulty. The Church tried to surround the family with all kinds of protection in its laws and other safe-guards, but they have been seriously damaged. We need efforts and wisdom to work for a new culture and understanding of the Gospel to protect the family.

Pastoral care  has a variety of environments  in which we find families:  immigrants, foreign workers,  separated,  prison, refugees, exiled,  alienated/marginalized in the city,  homeless, single parent, living with grandparents, handicapped,  families with drug addicts, and alcoholic related problems. Families for cultural or societal reasons feel alienated, families who experience discrimination for one reason or another, elderly living alone. Families because of church laws have left the community,  have divorced, remarried and living separated from their mate are all a concern for the church.The nation and society need to help these families with  structures and systems. Those who are in the community of faith and facing these many problems are the concern of  the church.

Church needs  to help the nation assist  families with their rights, with laws and structures, and help families gain these rights. Furthermore, we have families that because of church laws are having difficulties; their rights as believers have been taken away, concern has to be shown to them and the bishops in the synod will search for ways according to God's will to help these families. 

Each diocese has a marriage tribunal to help with  the process for annulments and concern for those with marriage problems. In many of the dioceses, the number of clergy whose concern is to help those with family problems continues to increase, which is encouraging.

The synod will have as its goal to help families live  with less difficulty, and we need to pray  for the success of the gathering of bishops in finding the will of God in these matters. The future of the world depends on family life and the reason our prayers need to be heart-felt.

Renewal of Priests in the Seoul Diocese

Priests of Seoul gathered in their fourth meeting after the visit of Pope Francis to Korea last year. The topic of this meeting was how to move from a quantitative to a qualitative growth. The bishop in attendance reminded the participants that they were discussing for the whole diocese. The discussion was written up in the Catholic Times.

In attendance were about twenty priests. The results  were not open to the public but with groupware programs, the priests of the diocese would be notified of the results. The inaugural talk  dealt with the renewal of the priests of the diocese. "From the year 1980, we have heard requests for the renewal within the church and at the center was the renewal of  priests." He explained this was saying  we  were not living up to our calling.

The priest took 7 points of renewal from Pope Francis' Joy of the Gospel.

*Does the Seoul Diocese have the will to renew?
 
* Do we have the will to see the decentralization of authority to the different zones in the diocese?
 
* Are the diocese and parishes willing to make the poor the central dimension of the work?
 
* Do we know the structural reasons for poverty, and have the courage and energy to work to improve the situation?  Do we have the willingness to get involved with the Social Gospel?
 
*Do we have a plan for our own renewal?
 
* Specialization for city work.
 
*Improve the place of women within the church.

The priest presenter stressed the most important of these seven was the renewal of priests and programs to implement what is decided.  He would like to see a committee established with clergy, religious, and laypeople present, and religious and lay people in the decision making.

This requires the solidarity of priests and the need to make decisions known to all-- a (manifesto). Study of Scripture, Church documents, and study in small groups would be required for our development. He would like to  see all the clergy tithing; with the best of intentions the renewal, if we take it seriously, will  have results after 10 or 20 years.

Ecozoic Era

What do we mean by an ecological spirituality?  Improvement of life in the 21st century will  depend on our actions. We are already seeing the numbers of species reduced, and many  continue to die. A column in the Peace Weekly acquaints us with this area of our spiritual life. 

Thanks to the recent encyclical of Pope Francis we are all a little more understanding of the problems involved. We have the choice of destroying life and in the process killing ourselves. Or with our great potentiality, we can follow the direction of nature that continues to renew itself.  

He mentions a number of authorities  one of them  David Korten: The Great Turning: From Empire to Earth Community. In this book during   the empires, we had an unequal distribution of power and benefits. Our corporations are versions of the empires of the past, and as destructive of communities and the environment.

Problems that will arise will help us to change our way of thinking to concern for our 'Earth Community'.  Understanding of ecology is spreading to various  aspects of society. Movements are working for clean, safe  and sustainable energy: wind, water,  sun energy and bio-fuels. We have the 'Triple Bottom Line' thinking with more than profit as a goal but also the social and environmental results of work.

Eco-literacy is the study of the relationship between humans and nature. A  connection not always measurable but a desire to have a good rapport with  nature is a healthy result. The Rio Conference on the environment is continuing to get more participants and bodes well for the future.

Thomas Berry introduces us to the Ecozoic era. Earth is a communion of subjects not a collection of objects and  exists and can survive only in its integral functioning. He  gives us another era he calls the Technozoic--technology, which for a short-term benefit, nature is abused and controlled to an extreme. He compares the thinking of these two mentalities. Understanding the Ecozoic era is the only future that we have. Here we understand the rhythms of the earth and live accordingly.

In  Ecozoic thinking, the whole earth  and nature are all one body. We need to respect all of nature and protect the different species. Berry  considers this new understanding as a grace. We need to be open to all life on the planet; the future of life will depend on our understanding of this reality.