Many are the signs of a society that is far from healthy. One of the columnists on the education page of the Peace Weekly paints a bleak picture of the kind of persons we find in society. From an early age, we see young people with abnormal mental traits with which they have to struggle. In many, feelings of lethargy in an uneasy society, confusion about identity, extreme lack of self-worth, social awkwardness, selfishness, greed, no concern for the virtues, frequent violence against the body, lack of communication, addicted to the material, and a paralysis in the emotional life.
Some of these traits we see in the adult society in which we live, among our leaders and the famous: maintaining one's image, searching for power, wealth and fame. Many are addicted to drugs, liquor, eating disorders, killing the person they are, with cosmetic surgery, to resemble the stars. We have the government, federations, education and leaders in religion who don't see how our environment makes our life possible, and we remain as children.
Men dream of success, and women for the ideal male hero with whom they can
spend the rest of their lives. Women also dream of the woman hero,
corresponding to men's ambition. We are like people lost in the
wilderness not knowing where to go. We wait for God or some magic being
to save us.
Westernization of our society has introduced us to sexual maturity, independence, individual fulfillment. We have no inkling on how to discover the spirit and the larger world of nature beyond the self. A few centuries ago, we got rid of the vitality in our lives by our traditional rites of passage, and considered our inner life like so many skins that we could throw off. Today we see what this has done to our young people in the culture we have given birth.
A healthy childhood requires roots in nature and family and in much of our culture, we find this missing. The young have become sexual objects. We are failing in the formation of queenly like women, and instead from an early age, we celebrate beauty pageants.
However, if the youth with an understanding of mental and spiritual adventure: remember why they were born, what gifts they have to give to the world, and the sanctity that rests within, they will know the road that is laid out before them. Characteristics of hope and potentiality will do much to integrate the culture with our natural environment and be a beacon to all.
There are many events in which no invitations are received but people
attend. Writing in the
Peace Weekly a columnist mentions a recent event in which lay people
were outside the church in the hot sun, and remained there during a
sudden down pour in which they were soaked, but remained silent and in
place, thankful for the relief. Most of them were elderly.
There
should be no discrimination for those attending the table of the Lord
but at these big events those who are invited are the 'somebodies' in
society. Those who have nothing but their faith find it difficult to
enter the door.
Last year after the visit of the pope
to Korea everybody in the Church were using the words: 'solidarity with
the poor'. These words signify our concern for the poor. We are concerned with the weak outside the church but
we forget the weak, the 'nobodies' within the church.
For
many Christians the threshold of the church is still too high.
When a parishioner comes to the parish office often they are asked:
Where are they from? what parish area, have they talked to the
district leader, have they made an appointment with the priest, are some of the questions by which they are greeted. Those who would like
to have some time in the confessional to speak find it difficult, and
those who are handicapped have to size up the situation every time they
attend Mass.
Why is this the case? The columnist feels the customs have hardened, centered around the clergy and religious. " We have always done it this
way." Group lay leaders accepted this kind of
thinking, which makes it difficult for the ordinary person to be
comfortable within the community.
We have in Luke 6:32,
"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even
sinners love those who love them." Could it be that those who are no longer coming out to
church found a parish atmosphere which did not permit them to
ask priests, religious and lay leaders to share a little bit of their
love?
Pope Francis makes it a point to accept warmly all those
he meets which is the reason for his popularity. He welcomes all the weak to center stage, and this sincerity is seen which comes from
mercy based on humility, and the reason for his concern for others. With a
little bit of warmth from the priest, a word of greeting, a
handshake, can bring about great change.
At the last
Mass in Korea, Pope Francis was in a sense inviting all those who were
the weak of the country as special guests to the front rows, and our
columnist would like that to be the case in all our Masses. Clergy
need to have this understanding of their pastoral role and have this pastoral discernment when relating with the community.
The story of a baseball player, Tim Burke, who retired from baseball to be with his family, made the Korean Internet and was used as an article in the bulletin for priests. He retired from baseball at the age of 34, well before the need to retire, giving up a salary of over 2 million dollars to be with his wife, and adopted children who were all in some way handicapped.
He played for the New York Mets as pitcher, and left baseball very quietly to be with his wife and five handicapped children. His eldest daughter, Stephanie, was born prematurely in Korea with a hole in her heart and was rejected by her parents. He took care of the operation that was necessary and adopted the child.
The second child was from Guatemala, Ryan, who had a thyroid problem and mental illness. The third child, Nicole, also was born in Korea without a left hand, had a heart problem, and epilepsy with repeated seizures each day, and was abandoned by the parents. They heard about the child and adopted her. The fourth child, Wayne, had an impaired leg, a Vietnamese child, who was abandoned by the parents. The fifth child is a girl born in Guatemala like Ryan. She had a cleft lip and after adopting the child had the necessary operation. In order to adopt more children, they have built a house with nine rooms.
The reason for leaving base ball was the child Nicole. She was in the hospital at that time for treatment of her heart condition. Tim received notice of his trade to the New York Mets from the Montreal Expos while in the hospital. It was this incident when he had to walk away from his daughter before undergoing open-heart surgery that decided his future.He realized that his place was not in the ball park but to be with his wife and children. The family was more important to him than the cheers of the fans, popularity, money and baseball itself.
He told the journalists who came to interview him: "baseball will continue very well without me but my children need a father. I am the only one that can do that." His wife who was beside him also spoke to the journalists.
"Our children were not wanted. Someone has to care for them. We are able to do that with a warm heart. We helped change the future of these children. Without help, these children would have died. We also have been changed by our children. These children have learned from us gratitude and happiness and we all by overcoming our difficulties realize what it means to be a Christian."
A religious sister writing in the diocesan bulletin recalls the great
strides Korea has made in the last 50 years, and the
growth of the Church in Korea with over 10 percent of the population
Catholic. This reality is envied by the Church of the West for the
dynamism and progressiveness of the Korean church--the number of women,
according to recent statistics, numbers 58.2 percent within the Church.
However,
with the economic growth of the country after 1990, interest in
religion and the zeal of the Christians has decreased.
With the economic improvements, the democratization of the country
and the entrance of women into the work force we are experiencing
the problems the Church in the West experienced after the Second
Vatican Council.
The church is concerned with the poor,
the weak, the abuses of nature and the oppression under patriarchal
thinking that women have endured. We need to return to the original
beginnings of creation when all was in the correct order. For the Church
to respond to this call we have to change the structures of injustices,
and distance ourselves from them with counter proposals.
"
Each one of you is a son of God because of your faith in Christ Jesus.
All of you who have been baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves
with him. There does not exist among you Jew or Greek, slave or freeman,
male or female. All are one in Christ Jesus" (Gal.3: 26-28).
Equality was a hallmark of the first communities, all worked for the building
up of God's kingdom according to their ability. We are all members of
the body of Christ, this is our mission and we listen to Jesus on how to do it.
There are many in the Church,
especially women who see the discrimination within the Church and are
dissatisfied but they don't want to speak about it for fear they
will be a headache to others. This fear of
bringing up the subject is one of the customs we face. The reason
we don't see any change is that we are afraid of conflict,
but without it how can we change?
Women have to get involved. In decision making in parishes and meetings, women's voices need to be heard. In parish events we can have the
women and the men take turns preparing. We have to start in small things
in breaking down the stereotyped thinking that we have. This will make
for a more vibrant and active community.
The society
in which we live has many problems. We are God's children; men and
women need to pool resources, share and cooperate to make one
living community. Together as equals we can do much to heal the problems
we have in creation. This common vision of equality, sister concludes, is necessary for a
correct order in all of creation.
A recent survey of 1000 citizens from high school up to those in their 50s on the degree of heat in their hearts, was publicized in the Korean press-- understood as psychological warmth or hope in the future. The average response was 14 degrees below zero. Fourth-year college student response was the lowest at 24.2 degrees below zero. Difficulty in finding work, and the competitive society in which they live was the reason.
Today in Korea, we celebrate the feast day of 103 martyrs: Sts. Andrew Kim Taegon, Paul Chong Hasan and Companions. In Korea, we no longer have the fear of the knife and torture in practicing our faith life, but the coldness of our hearts does prevent many of us from finding joy in life and wanting to extend this joy to others.
Not only in Korea but in many parts of the world, the numbers leaving the community of faith continue to increase, and without any external force, no knives and no torture; subtly and not so subtly, the influence of society continues to work very gradually on the thinking and feelings of many of this generation.
The readings for the Feast present us with a number of issues we may tend to forget: reasons we are followers of Jesus. We are reminded often that to become a Christian for what we will receive is not the way it is presented to us by Jesus. We are told in today's Gospel, Luke 9:23, the first step is to forget our-self, second, to carry the cross daily, and thirdly to follow Jesus: clear and precise explanation of the mission we have been given. Looking over the examples of those who followed Jesus to the cross we are given the other very necessary requirement.
At the cross those who were looking for some material recompense for their devotion to Jesus were no longer with him when he needed them most. Those who were present were the women who were not following Jesus for any earthly rewards, expecting a place in his cabinet in the earthly kingdom, as did the apostles. They accepted his love and that was sufficient, and helped him with their funds. The only other one present, of his inner circle, was the one who accepted Jesus's love. All of us who feel the love of God in our lives are present there at the cross with the beloved disciple.
Those who do not experience this Love are at a great disadvantage and why that should be the case certainly has something to do with our environment and those with whom we associate. God's love is a given, and we are programmed to receive. According to the survey at the beginning of this article when one is cold one looks for heat and when it is the psychic and the spirit that is cold it is a different type of warmth needed. The recompense is there, but we have to remember it is a by-product and not the direct results of our actions: a distinction with great meaning.
We all wonder what the chances are for unification of the country. 70 years have passed, and we are no closer to a meeting of minds or seeking opportunities to talk. In the Catholic Times, a columnist who writes about reconciliation of the country asks is it possible.
She introduces us to one of her relatives who she admires a great deal and with whom she can speak without reservations on any topic. The person is very sensitive to abuses in society, and doesn't hesitate to talk about the injustices that abound. This quality in her relationship has always attracted her. However, recently, the person said something to her that was very much unlike what she understood the person to be. "I am not looking forward to unification" she remarked. The columnist hearing these words were like getting punched in the stomach. She has never talked about unification with the person which was a reason for surprise and disappointment.
Her relative was in the early forties and the reason given for the opinion: no knowledge of those in the North. "I don't know people in the North and consequently, to live in harmony with them will not be easy. It will double and triple the conflicts we have in society and divide the country more than it is at present." Contact with the refugees in the South from the North is well known; many are not interested in getting to know them. Her relative confessed (?) that she understands with her head the refugees from the North, but she is not inclined in her heart to get close to them.
The columnist respected the honesty and courage with which her relative approached the subject of North and South; it did not in any way diminish the respect she had for the relative. This way of thinking is well-known in the South. "Unification must be realized" all subscribe to this but when they reflect on the reality many express serious concerns: economic difficulties and culturally the country will be in chaos and unstable.
In the beginning, we saw the open hand and warm greeting, compassion, curiosity, words of encouragement but with the increase of numbers and hearing about some of the shameful things done, many began to distance themselves from the refugees. Those from the North also do not know the ways of the South, and wonder whether they will be able to live in harmony together.
Both
sides have the same worry. With unification will we have harmony? Will
it not be wise then to get rid of all our worries anticipating reunion?
Is it not necessary to understand that with 70 years of separation the
North will be different from the South? We need to accept these
differences of the North and see them in a positive way. We have to
change our thinking and not see what is different as wrong. We need to rid ourselves of our feelings of superiority, and see the North as
our brothers and sisters and start making efforts to know them.
Korea is a country considered to be in the top ten of unbelieving countries. Irreligious, atheistic, unbelieving are all ways surveys describe the situation. Citizens have different understanding of these words, and you see the contradiction when you have a Buddhist or Christian say they are non-religious or even atheists.
Korea, according to the census of 2005: Buddhist number 22.8%, Protestant 18.3% and Roman Catholic 10.9 percent. Korea has no majority religious group but the figure of the unbelieving usually is put at over 50 percent. Our president considers herself an atheist with connections to Buddhism and Catholicism.
Korea is very respectful of religious beliefs even more so than the United States. A Pew Report on the recent visit of Pope Francis to Korea had over 86 percent of the citizens with a favorable opinion of the pope higher than the States, and even higher than the opinion of U.S Catholics towards the pope.
An article in the Peace Weekly reminds us of the influence that Korea has received from the different insights present in distinct times in her history. In ancient times, we had shamanistic practices, totemism, animism and similar nature worship. During the Goryeo years (918-1392), Buddhism, the State Religion, influenced society. Confucianism was the pillar of society during the Joseon Dynasty which began in 1392 and ended with the Japanese occupation of Korean in 1910, and continues to shape society. Today Korea is a show case for almost all the religions of the world.
It is not difficult to understand why unbelievers, atheists and agnostics continue to increase. Religion's values continue to be attacked, and with the multiplicity of religious views, often in opposition to one another, one can easily doubt the value of religion. We have the appearance of new religions, and anti-Christian values continue to spread. The columnist sees the need for a martyr's mentality to overcome the difficulties.
We no longer in Korea have to face death to remain a Christian, and in reality it takes a great deal less for members of the community to abandon what they thought at one time was important. Over 80 percent freely choose after baptism to abandon the community they once accepted as precious.
The columnist tells us that this is true in his diocese as it is in the country as a whole. The reasons are many and he wants the Christians to see it as harassment to their faith life: lack of trust in community, bad examples, clericalism, the duties of a busy life, temptations that militate against a life of faith, and the search for pleasures. These and many other reasons move us to jettison what we don't see for what we do, and in the process fail to live in the way programmed by the Creator, which is to live with joy.
