In the Peace Weekly, Question and Answer column, a reader asks: does religion require unconditional belief? A young person who had been looking around for a religion found Catholicism to his liking, but those that introduced him to religion, when he had questions, repeated what the apostle Thomas was told by Jesus: blessed who believe without seeing. Since he has a desire to understand and study, and go deep into what he believes, he wants to know if this is wrong for a Catholic?
Priest columnist answers that the young person has the correct attitude and on the right path. St Thomas, the apostle, despite all that he saw and heard still doubted, and it was this that Jesus was addressing.
Religious people are searching and will do so until death. Spiritual mentors often say: faith is receiving answers but at the same time asking questions. We continue to ask questions and look for answers.
Life is a school always open 24 hours a day, where we learn about love, forgiveness,honesty, fear, patience, adaptation and the like: we are learning to become human. Like the butterfly that sheds its cocoon we leave infancy to become a mature adult.
A person who studies is like a mental wanderer, a person on a voyage of discovery. We see this often in the Scriptures. Abraham in his old age became a wanderer, and we have Jesus sending his disciples on a journey. When we are closed to new ideas and a deeper understanding of our Lord's teachings, we put obstacles in the way to spiritual growth and the movements of the Spirit.
When we close ourselves off from new thoughts and ideas we punish ourselves and even when prayer is devotedly attended, a person loses the joy of life. Many who are sick and near death have written great pieces of literature because they were mentally alert and their hearts still searching, and on fire.
He concludes with the words from Sirach."Wisdom instructs her children and admonishes those who seek her. He who loves her loves life; those who seek her out win her favor. He who holds her fast inherits glory; wherever he dwells, the Lord bestows blessings" Sirach (4:11- 13 ).
We have moved into a New Year, and according to the wisdom from ancient Korea each person becomes one year older but with a twist, young people add a year but the old, subtract: one year from life. As a society, we are getting older writes a history professor in the Peace Weekly, and many meet the new year with sadness.
Life begins slowly, with age it gets faster: true, also of countries, beginning with development, but followed by infirmity and collapse. Speed in our lives doesn't allow us to reflect, and we became careless. We look forward to a new year and hope for change.With the start of the new millennium, we experienced great euphoria, and we had a baby boom but shortly after a financial slump, and unemployment caused suffering. This was true of other countries where we had Lone Wolf millennium terrorism.
The lunar calendar tells us many things and in 2006, we had the year of the two springs, a very rare occurrence. In that year, we had a leap month in July, which made for a long year. The number of marriages increased over the previous year by 16,630, and the year of the pig 2007, a favorable year for births; we had 45,000 more births than the previous year. This year is the election year, and we will have many messiahs appearing.
Steve Jobs in his commencement talk to the students of Stanford University in 2005 quoted from something he had read: "If you live each day as if it was your last you'll be right. I have looked in the mirror every morning and asked myself: If today were the last day of my life, would I want to do what I am about to do today? And whenever the answer has been 'No' for too many days in a row, I know I need to change something." The professor recommends to his readers this as a healthy approach to a way of living each day fully.
Yi Sun-sin the Korean Admiral is the professor's example of a person who overcomes his own desire to do what was necessary in his situation. It was at the battle of Myeongnyang Strait where he called all his staff officers and ship captains: " He who seeks his death will live and he who seeks his life shall die." Under impossible odds, he was victorious.
He concludes his column with a desire for himself and readers to begin the new year in the way Steve Jobs and Admiral Yi looked upon the work they were to face. We should see this year as the last one and make sure that we live to do all the things that we want and need to do before the New Year of 2017, and not lose time with trivialities.
Both Catholic papers wish the readers a happy and mercy filled New
Year, and a reminder the sun will rise again tomorrow. 'View from the
Ark columnist,' a college journalism professor, begins his column with
the words of Ephesians 5:16: "Make good use of every opportunity you
have, because these are evil days."
He mentions a number of young people who face an unknown future. One graduate student in his journalism class, started to cry, talking about the future and lack of job opportunities. Many students have finished their college and dreaming of a place in journalism. Now in their late twenties and early thirties, in graduate school, and having difficulties finding a place in society. He mentions many students are struggling and expressing this frustration to teachers; not easy to do. He feels the pain, hearing their plight.
Many are the students working part-time to earn their tuition at low-paying jobs. Mass media uses the word 'Sampo' generation: compelled to give up romance, marriage and children. 'Sam' is the word for three and 'Po' give up. This give-up-generation now adds four more things they have to give up: home owning, social life, and recently added was dreams and hopes.
He wants students who come for counseling to hold their head up high, look up at the sky, know what they want in life, and go for it. When he tells the students to look up at the sky, what he is saying is keep their ideals, become the journalist they desire to be, and work to make persons the center of their mission. He recommends they take a trip, look over their lives, confirm their mission and when they return view the full marathon course, and be determined to begin.
Each New Year symbolizes a new beginning with resolves and dreams. Young people are the future. They need to dream, when they fail they need another opportunity. He mentions the movie 'Gone With the Wind,' at the last scene of the movie the heroine Scarlett tired, broken and depressed returns home and says: "Tomorrow the sun will shine again."
Even when all looks black, we still have to go on living. We have to fight against anger and hate and begin the new year with hope, and use the time given us well. We live in our place in history. Young people should look beyond the present reality to a new horizon with renewed strength. He finishes the column with a cry of encouragement: Keep on dreaming, stand up and change the world. Happy New Year!
In English, we often use the phrase: born with a silver spoon in the mouth; meaning, the person was from birth born into wealth and high society. The Peace Weekly brings to the attention of the readers a topic of discussion among the young.
Young people have made their own spoon hierarchy: gold spoon, silver, bronze, and clay. Gold would be wealth from birth and social standing. Each spoon decreases the inheritance and lifestyle until you have the clay spoon: no inheritance and simple living.
Some of the young people do not care for this division. Rafaela was brought up in wealth and went to the best schools but when told she was born with a gold spoon, denies this vigorously, and if you want to use these words, she says, laughing: " I am a stainless spoon." She will be married next year and will spend only about 1,250 dollars for the wedding not including the meal. "If I were a gold spoon person wouldn't I have the reception in some prestigious hotel?"
Kim Matthew, whose family upbringing would be closer to the clay spoon group maintains that he is a gold spoon person. His parents taught him the way to live and how to be happy. His mother lived by her convictions, his father quietly worked doing his best in everything, and both taught him what was necessary for a happy life. "Since that is the life I am living is that not a gold spoon existence?" If we used other values besides financial capability: self-respect, no complaining about one's condition in life, no feeling of inferiority, and each one pursued happiness, this spoon hierarchical thinking will disappear.
Park John
feels that using the word 'clay spoon' is disrespectful of one's
parents. The very fact that we are using the analogy of spoons shows we are
not living in a healthy society.
Justice and Peace Committee of Seoul mentions that the young people's bantering about spoons is a sign of their frustration with salaries, education and inheritance of wealth and their influence in society.
Many irregular workers have a hard time meeting expenses. Parents pass on opportunities for education, status and employment to their children. This passing between generations through inheritance is seen as one of the reasons for inequality in South Korea.
In a recent survey, the percentage of those who think they can raise their status in society by hard work continues to decrease. Peace and Justice community of Seoul, proposes that the policy of money and finances take second place, and persons and the environment take first place. Making these our values would be a good way to begin the New Year.
An article in a pastoral review for priests, starts with a report of a labor and management dispute that happened over 20 years ago in a church establishment. Police were called to break up a demonstration of the employees and some of them were detained. It became a legal problem; priest representative was called before the court of law.
"Did you call the police to break up the demonstration?" asked the lawyer. "No" answered the priest. The lawyer showed the signed statement by the priest that was in the possession of the police asking them to break up the demonstration, and called the priest a liar. This incident was written up in the press and caused surprise in the eyes of many. The priest continued in his position for a few years but the writer mentions that he left the priesthood.
Recently a parish council and pastor were in conflict. Trust had been lost and the priest tried to squirm out of the mess with excuses and evasion, which made the matters worse.
Lies are endemic in society, politics, finance, and in religious society. We look at our own actions and we are no different from others. This makes for a lack of trust, difficulty in dealing honestly with others, finding love in society, and a reason relationships fall apart.
He gives us an example of a priest who did not manage his work correctly and heard many complaints. Parishioners were downhearted and began finding fault. A few days later after Mass he apologized for his blunder sincerely, and said he would work to put things in order. Complaints disappeared and many were moved by the apology. People are moved by honest and frankness. Just one lie is enough to merit disdain.
In a1980 survey by a public opinion organization stated that Catholic priests were the most trusted in society.
Often people feel honesty makes life difficult, and almost unconsciously resort to lies. Consequently one has to make an effort to speak the truth on all occasions. It is not easy to be thoroughly honest. We see lying prohibited in the ten commandments, and find the admonition often in the New Testament. "A lie is a foul blot in a man, yet it is constantly on the lips of the unruly" (Sirach 20:23).
In a recent diocesan bulletin, a college professor, remembers dreaming of being a writer, and remembers reading with great pleasure the poem: Stopping by the Woods on a Snowy Evening by Robert Frost.
What
grabbed his attention was the title. As a child during the cold winter
with his stomach on the heated floor with no desire to go outside he
could see himself at the edge of the woods, moved by the reading.
Both the title and contents made a deep impression on the child. Riding the small horse the traveler stopped before the wooded area captivated by the scene before him. The trip had miles to go, but it was like seeing the last scene of a movie.
Strangely, the professor was fascinated with the mention of the owner of the wooded area. He would know about all the trees, location, how large the property, etc., but would he know what period of the year the wooded area has its greatest beauty? The difference between seeing the woods in the morning or evening? Does he know how charming the paths are in the wooded area? Without this knowledge, can he say the woods are mine?
We are not able to possess completely what we own, just a part, but we think we are the owners. Living in the village and thinking that the wooded area was his, is false. He concludes his meditation by asking his readers did not Jesus come into the world to shows us how unreal it is to make something mine?
Dealing with the natural virtues the wisdom of the ages has proclaimed, "Virtue stands in the middle." Use of what we call ours should have an understanding of this wisdom, which we call detachment: a much healthier approach to what we believe we possess, both materially and spiritually.
What is the Christmas Message? Many ideas are afloat, but the Gospel scene does speak for itself. God chooses an image of absence, a lack, instead of fullness and abundance. Poverty is the first of the evangelical counsels, and it speaks to us starkly in the Christmas scene. Detachment is the word that gives meaning to poverty.
An article in the Kyeongyang magazine reminds us of the place of poverty within the Church. He quotes Pope Francis in his talk to the bishops of Korea on Aug. 14th of last year. "There is a danger, a temptation which arises in times of prosperity: it is the danger that the Christian community becomes just another 'part of society', losing its mystical dimension... When this happens, the poor no longer have their proper role in the Church. This is a temptation from which particular Churches, Christian communities, have suffered greatly over the centuries; in some cases, they become so middle class that the poor even feel ashamed to be a part of them. It is the temptation of spiritual 'prosperity', pastoral prosperity. No longer is it a poor church for the poor but rather a rich church for the rich, or a middle class church for the well-to-do."
Why does the Church have to be poor? This question he attempts to answer, using the words of a priest who began a committee to work with the poor in the Seoul Diocese.
1) Jesus was poor.
2) At the beginning of his public life, he chooses absolute poverty.
3) He wanted those that possessed and those that did not, to share.
4) He wanted his disciples to be poor.
5) The Eucharist is an invitation to poverty.
When the Church is not poor it participates in the corruption and injustices of society and becomes an accomplice. It borrows strength from the world and works with their principles.
"Religion, of course does bring large profits, but only to those who are content with what they have. We brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it; but as long as we have food and clothing, let us be content with that. People who long to be rich are a prey to temptations; they get trapped into all sorts of foolishness and dangerous ambitions, which eventually plunge them into ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root of all evils and there are some who, pursuing it, have wandered away from the faith and so given their souls any number of fatal wounds" (1 Tim. 6: 6-10).
Heavy words to hear at this time of year when we want to make people happy, and enjoy the many gifts we have received. Jesus was laid in a manger, a trough used to feed animals. Mentioned three times in Luke's Gospel, not an insignificant word, and full of meaning; the only word to describe Jesus' birth location. We may easily be distracted with the stable and animals and forget the message Luke was giving us. Blessed Christmas.
