In a booklet from Bible Life, the writer introduces us to a Korean maxim: "my heart tells me one thing but there is no evidence." Sadly, this is the reason for many problems and hurts that we encounter in life. Following your gut feeling or your hunches may be a wise move at times, but far from reliable.
We are hurt, and others may be hurt with this approach to behavior. We make judgments on fragments of speech we heard, make guesses, follow vague memories, deceive ourselves, and go in search of illusions.
The writer introduces us to Francis Bacon (1561-1626) a devout Anglican who gave us the ways we can be deceived by what we hear and believe. He called them idols, and the four of them: he described as idols of the Tribe, Cave, Marketplace and Theater.
Idols of the
Tribe come from our human nature; idols of the Cave are the problems
that come from our faults and failings; idols of the Marketplace are the
problems with understanding words; and the Idols of the Theater
come from philosophy, theology and tradition. These are all ways that
prevent us from attaining truth and are hindrances that come from
falseness and unreasonableness.
The writer concludes his article wanting us to beware of these idols that are all pervasive, and wants us to experience truth that is open to experience. We can be familiar with the Scriptures and the teachings but without the experience of God in our lives, we will always be going on impressions. Knowledge that comes only from these impressions does it make us Christians?
Paradoxes in Christianity are many; where the culture conflicts with Christian values, we can easily see what makes a Christian. Society wants us to be winners; Christianity sees strength in losing. Weakness is not always bad, to be empty is the means of being filled, what we see is not as important as what is not seen, and dying to ourselves is the way we begin to live. It is only when we are able to experience these truths and similar ones in our lives can we consider ourselves disciples.
In recent months, we have heard a lot about peace on the Korean Peninsular. Recently, the relationship has become frozen with the nuclear experiments and the long-range rocket firing. South Korea in retaliation has closed the Kaesong factory complex managed together with the North. International sanctions against the North will be tightened and expanded. In the Peace Weekly column, the display of military power on both sides is a return to the cold war days.
What is the reason for the sudden drop in the temperature of the cold war? The columnist sees it in a lack of trust. In many areas, the North has brought about the situation with the nuclear experiments and the launching of the rocket but here, he says, we have two issues we need to remember.
Can we say that South Korea has shown trust towards the North in its policies? If we say we have steadfastly trusted the North in our policies we are....
For well over a half a century our relations with the North have not been one of trust. We have been weary in our relationships; if we were somewhat more flexible, we would not have closed down the Kaesong project: a symbol of our desire for unification.
Have
we acted to receive trust from the North in our policies? Our humanitarian aid often has been politically motivated. We have considered
unification as hitting the jackpot. This motto has not been a reason
to nurture trust. During the cold war the iron fence was in place, the
South envisaged unification by the collapse of the North, while the North considered communization of the South. The North
would not countenance the former nor the South the latter, which makes
the unification dream unrealistic.
If we want
reconciliation and peace we need the two sides to meet and begin talking: more often the better. The
closing of the Kaesong factory complex is a great sadness. It doesn't
mean that we want to use some magic words to reopen the factory, but we do not want to slacken our consciousness and we need to continue looking for openings to
begin talks. Christians have prayer always available.
We need to think hard and in depth on what is
necessary for the two Koreas to put aside their estrangement and
sit and talk.
A bulletin for priests this month, recalled some of the words of the late Cardinal Stephen Kim found in his writings.
Let us live without fretting by sharing.
By discarding and emptying there is the filling: sharing is the way to go.
No hating or holding a grudge against someone.
No anger, the one who gets angry hurts oneself.
The angry kill themselves and others, no one will approach them, and they will be lonely and friendless.
Prayer removes rust, and is like a streak of light that enters an age-old cave. Rather than clenching one's fist those that fold their hands in prayer are stronger.
One who has much and the one with little can both be happy in the world in which we live.
A wealthy person with material goods has the burden of worries. One with a wealthy internal life is loaded with happiness.
When we die, we only bring our virtues and the bliss we have spread.
The days we have to love are limited and so also the days to give thanks.
Let us not grieve over the amount of time we have in life.
When we discard and are empty, we are filled.
Let us live with hearts full of love and thanksgiving.
Let us make a practice of learning to laugh. Laughter is a preventive and cure for many diseases. It makes the older joyful, and we become children again.
Real love understands, welcomes, embraces, assimilates, is intimate and humble in conversation.
It took me 60 years to have love move from the head to the heart.
The Old Testament shows us the fight between idols of death and the God
of life. Exodus from Egypt is the victory over idols of death. An article in the Catholic Times reminds us of
this religious truth and goes to explain its meaning.
With the help of God, Moses and the Israelites overcame oppression and exploitation of the Egyptians to reach freedom: only to complain endlessly in the desert. Finally making an idol of a calf they knew from their stay in Egypt as their God that delivered them. They escaped from Egypt, got rid of their external chains but not the internal ones. They were still under the control of greed and the material attractions they left behind, symbolized by the golden calf they made in the desert.
Even when they arrived in the promised land, they began worshiping the Canaanite God Baal. We have the incident explained in the Book of Kings 10:18-27. Baal worship was so wide spread they even called Yahweh, Baal, the God of abundance. This fight against the idols in society was a recurring theme in the Old Testament, and not merely a local religious cult; the root of this idol worshiping goes much deeper. The golden calf and Baal promised wealth and abundance: material prosperity was their craving.
Not so conspicuously as our ancestors in the faith but with other illusions, we seek abundance and in the process make chains for ourselves with oppressive and exploitative structures.
We people of faith continue to make idols which continue to challenge us. Words of Pope Francis in Joy of the Gospel #55 express this well: "One cause of this situation is found in our relationship with money, since we calmly accept its dominion over ourselves and our societies. The current financial crisis can make us overlook the fact that it originated in a profound human crisis: the denial of the primacy of the human person! We have created new idols. The worship of the ancient golden calf has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose. The worldwide crisis affecting finance and the economy lays bare their imbalances and, above all, their lack of real concern for human beings; man is reduced to one of his needs alone: consumption."
This kind of thinking is expressed well by the words: efficiency, competitive strength, economic development and the like. Our industrial complexes have to do well if the citizens are to live well are the unverified words, we often hear. Economic development and profits from industry do not return to the welfare of the majority of the citizens. The article concludes with the observation that when
'bread' is plentiful it does not mean we are all living well. It is not a sign that we are living as humans.
Chastity, is a word which calls forth ridicule. A sign of where we
are as a culture. Procreative sex necessary, but technological
advances have made recreational sex "safe and healthy". Sex outside of
marriage no longer a problem. Catholic Times visits the topic showing
that Korea is no different than most of the West.
We are given some examples of the ways we are
being desensitized in the area of sex by the mass media: advertising,
movies, sitcoms, drama. Subtle and not so subtle dialogue and pictures
that work on our mental faculties, move the heart and can easily
influence our actions.
One example from an
advertisement we have a woman being compared to food which the man finds
attractive and wants to eat. These and similar examples show how often
we objectify the opposite sex. In this case the objectifying of the
woman degrades her to less than human, to satiate the need of the man.
Dramas,
movies and the like when romance begins we have physical contact and
intercourse as the natural course that will follow. Dating without a sex
mate is 'no fun', romance requires the 'honey and fun'. These words
have become common among the young on the Internet.
The
popular media has accepted the premarital sexual encounters of the
young and chastity before marriage is understood as a quaint 'left over'
from the past. Those who want to live chastely are odd balls, stuffy
people out of touch with reality: considered by some as not respecting
the freedom of women. In a word you are made to feel guilty for your
antiquated understanding of sexuality: a sign of the desensitization
that has occurred in culture.
In a recent survey made
among unmarried 2113 young people: 47% have had a one night experience.
71% see no need to worry about premarital sex. Only 9% found it
necessary to be chaste before marriage. A survey made among those in
their twenties, about half feel no need to be chaste before marriage.
The head of a research institute is quoted as saying that to objectify a
person gives pain; when sex loses its meaning life also loses its
meaning.
Premarital sex, by many, is seen as a good preparation
for marriage but the article mentions the studies made in the States
show the number of divorces of those who have had premarital sex
are two times the number of the chaste.
Recently on TV we had young celebrities who have made known their desire to remain chaste before marriage. You have those who feel that in our society this
kind of talk is playing to deaf ears, and not necessary; the other side
thinks giving oneself to another in the loving embrace of
unity is done too easily and without preparation. The article concludes
with a wish for more discussion on the meaning of sexuality in our lives
and society.
In a recent symposium on Korean Religious Women's life, participants went directly to the secularization of their lives. They examined their present life and look forward to the future by analyzing the results of a questionnaire. Both, Catholic papers had articles on the symposium.
The first presentation was the present reality and future vision. They divided the topic into three parts: community life and friendship, ecclesial dimension of the consecrated life, and the social dimension.
As a community, they want more mature relationships with others (44 %). As individuals, they want growth in the spiritual life (53%). Discern the works of religious sisters, and reorganize to make the works fit their identity and aptitudes as religious (61%). Reorganize the community so that it will be a sign of togetherness (37%).
One of the presentations mentioned the atmosphere of religious life as comfortable, conservative and worldly: middle class living. Because of rank and vertical order of religious life, dialogue is difficult: the environment does not facilitate an easy exchange.
70% of the religious have a negative view of the Korean Church. 39% found it stagnant; 30% see it both internally and externally in crisis; and 16% see it on the decline. About one fourth saw the environment of the parishes as one in which the clerics are ruling over the people.
Conflict with the clergy comes from authoritarian and unilateral decision making (50%). They would like to be considered as partners in the work. Sisters would like to see a little more understanding of religious life (32%); they want the clergy to be a role model, and show a correct pastoral approach to the work (25%).
48% felt women
religious were adding a great deal to the pastoral life of the Church.
Over 50% felt that the religious in their work in schools, hospitals and
welfare have contributed much to society.
The burden of overwork and responsibility was the biggest difficulty for many. Lack of necessary knowledge and ability was a problem, and conflict with fellow religious was listed; lack of meaning and fruitfulness and problems with the clergy was mentioned.
Sisters would like to be catalysts to help move society away from materialism and hedonism and in search of Gospel values and true happiness. Over half of the sisters agreed with this. They see their future in being on the side of the poor and marginalized.
One article concludes with the observation from a religious sister that the times are different. We need to go beyond the boundaries we have in place with a new model that will maintain our religious life and see it grow. This will require resolve on the part of religious sisters. There is a need for religious to be formed maturely: psychologically, intellectually, spiritually, and have concern for evangelization; desire a change in our relationship with the diocese, and women's role within the Church.
In the beginning, there was silence: from a formless wasteland God gave us light and the beginning of earth and speech.
Silence preceded speech, a gift and attribute of God. Speech is not able to imitate silence, essential, while speech is extrinsic. Words can't convey the meaning of silence. These words begin an article on the editorial page of the Peace Weekly: a tribute to silence.
Where
silence ends we have the beginning of truth. Words are not able to
express a full truth. Those who search for the first mysteries go beyond
words. In silent contemplation, they go in search of God. Only in
complete love and openness, does silence approach God.
Words
enable understanding and also hamper it. True communication goes
beyond words. Buddha for many years preached but gave up on words, and
grasped a flower. Where words are useless silence takes over.
In the womb before words, we learned silence, born with love. Pain came with the opening to the world of words we first heard.
"One
man is silent and is thought wise, another is talkative and is
disliked. One man is silent because he has nothing to say; another is
silent, biding his time. A wise man is silent until the right time
comes, but a boasting fool ignores the proper time. He who talks too
much is detested; he who pretends to authority is hated" (Sirach
20:4-7).
Election
time is here. Politicians are busy with spreading their words on
banquet tables. They extol personal merits and cut down their opponents
with their stinging words. Silence gives rise to love and humility;
toxic words scatter and build up pride and self-righteousness. Words
that carry poison often return to the breasts of those uttering them.
It is time for us to reduce the number of our words remembering the ashes on the first day of Lent and our death. Silence will lead us on to a deep appreciation of the Easter Mystery.
