On
the front page of the Catholic Times, we have a Korean living in
Hong Kong who just finished hand copying the New Testament in four
different languages: Korean, Japanese,Chinese, and English. Obviously,
the task is not to have another copy of the Scriptures but a work of
love and a means to meet God in his word. He is now 71 years old and is
thinking of beginning again with a new language.
In
copying the Scriptures not once did he ever think of discontinuing and
considered it a grace from God. He was baptized while in Hong Kong in
his sixties. Hand copying Scripture is writing out each sentence of
Scripture by hand. A work which most of us would not be interested.
In
the interview with the journalist, he mentioned that he has spent at
times over 15 hours a day writing. He found the time to do it and it was
not difficult. It took him 3 years to accomplish the task. The
different languages all have the same meaning but different nuances were
discovered.
His
words of advice for those who are interested in beginning are many.
Without any preparation, he feels, many will not continue long in their
efforts. Those who want to begin should read the Scriptures at least
twice before beginning.
There are parishes that require the copying of the Gospel of Mark before baptism. Fathers
and mothers often give copies of the books, to the children as a
remembrance of what they think is important in life. It's a gift filled
with love and meaning, they hope the children will never forget. The
copied books become a precious remembrance of their parents.
Starting on the Feast of Christ the King we have the beginning also of Bible Week. This year will be its 32nd year--Nov. 20-26.The theme this year: "The Bible is God's food of mercy." The bishop, head of the committee on Scripture, uses the quote from Luke 6:36: Be merciful as your heavenly father is merciful," as the basis for his comments to the Christians.
With the many study groups in parishes, parishioners copying the Bible, reading articles on the Scriptures in the Catholic press, and spending time with the Scriptures privately the notion that Catholics don't read the Bible is not the reality.
St. Augustine heard the words: "Take and Read" which brought about his conversion. The Catholics of Korea are taking the Scriptures and reading which will deepen the faith of the Christians and make for a strong and mature Christianity.
'Looking Back in Anger' is a play by John Osborne an English play writer. In a column for the Peace Weekly, the writer mentions having seen the movie based on the play, which left him greatly moved.
The theme of this play has been reproduced here in Korea in dramas and movies. It was the end of the second world war and many in society were overcome with despondency, lack of hope. After the war, there was a feeling of loss, young people were depressed, uneasy, angry. This play gave rise to the new phrase, Angry Young Men, and new movements: the hippies, anti-war, and resistance.
Are we entering another one of these periods? We see angry faces all over the world. We saw the English say goodbye to the European Union with the Brexit vote. They cried out: "England First". Globalization, free trade, European Unity, policies on immigration were repudiated. Many other countries were feeling the same. The extreme left and right were advancing in many countries.
The recent American election had some of the similar anger expressed by the white voters. They wanted a wall between them and Mexico, a limit to Muslim immigration, they applauded racial prejudice. The voters turned their back on globalization. Isolation and exclusion don't make for a bright future and anger can bring future calamity.
Korea has not been protected from this anger. Difficulty in finding employment, tuition increases, rent prices, greed, and corruption of our leaders, feeble government, has provoked the repugnance of the citizens. Finally, they took to the streets.
Anger comes to the surface for many reasons: disillusionment, skepticism, frustration, sadness. Anger moves citizens to candle light processions, prayer, sacrifice, and desire to overcome the darkness that is all around. The large numbers point to solidarity, desire, and love. We see the birth of a new hope. Just anger, deeper, in many cases, than religion, becomes the small flame for a just future.
The writer climbed a mountain in the city and looked over the crowd that filled many of the streets in the center of Seoul. He could see the waves of light bobbing all over the center of Seoul. Look, at that great anger! Not isolation but solidarity, not despair but hope, not violence but peace, not sadness but a celebration. Sublimation of candle light into something beautiful. Initial anger was burned away and we were left with pure light.
It was lonely on the dark mountain. The wind was blowing the leaves and he heard a whispering. "For a thousand years in your sight are as yesterday, now that it is past, or as a watch of the night.You make an end of them in their sleep; the next morning they are like the changing grass" (Ps. 90: 4-5).
In a bulletin for priests, the writer mentions his first year in a preparatory school preparing for entrance to the college seminary. During that one year, he experienced an educational method which he had never seen before or after.
Not once was he ever shown his marks. The rector did interview all the students and he remembers being told his weak points and where effort was necessary. He surmises this is what all the others would have heard.
Different tasks that were given to the students for the smooth running of the preparatory year were not given because of special talents, but a way of helping the student in his formation. If a student had difficulty getting up in the morning he would become the regulator, in charge of ringing the bell for rising and lights out. Those who would have problems with reading would be lectors and this was true of the other tasks.
Teams were formed for sports. Each day for an hour they would recreate together playing a different sport. It mattered little whether the student liked it or not. His past was not considered important but preparation for the future: changing attitudes would change behavior. No matter how inexperienced or lack of knowledge, with new learning one would gain confidence and become a new person.
A person with talent instead of just trusting on what he possessed, was to look at his weak points and humbly work to overcome them and let the Holy Spirit lead to a new way of being: not restrained by habits of the past and letting efficiency and functionality be the only motives. When one forgets the presence of God within him, the community to which he belongs is paralyzed.
When God gave his mission to Abraham he was already an old man and he chose Moses who had a speaking problem. Jesus also picked 12 who did not have the qualities we would see as necessary for the work. They learned by working on the job they were given to do.
Function is not as important as being. This concept is not easy for us to understand in this present world. When we continue learning, trust in God and trust in the movements of the Spirit we will be free and open to new experiences.
Pope Francis in his address in Rio De Janeiro at the World Youth Day said: "[Functionalism] Its effect on the Church is paralyzing. More than being interested in the road itself, it is concerned with fixing holes in the road. A functionalist approach has no room for mystery; it aims at efficiency."
Korean society has a great trust in qualifications (specs, specifications). We are lost in the world of functionalism. Our young people are overcome with this burden that society makes them face in finding a job. When we follow this way of the world in our parishes we are continuing to burden our young people.
Do we believe that God is leading us with his graces? When we do the whole community of faith changes and will not this change the atmosphere of the community to which we belong? "God chose those whom the world considers absurd to shame the wise; he singled out the weak of this world to shame the strong" (1 Cor. 1:27).
Infertility is a problem that many couples who want a family have to endure and up until the recent past efforts were made to look for the cause of the problem but with 'in vitro' fertilization came a big change in methods. Efforts to find the root causes are skipped and artificial reproductive technologies have taken over.
Infertility is considered by many as a symptom of an underlying disease. They don't only hinder fertility but also are the causes of long-term health problems. Infertility also, as we know, has many emotional problems.
Na-Pro Technology (Natural Procreative Technology) is a topic we have been hearing about recently in the Catholic press. A Catholic Hospital in Seoul has begun working with the new technology; an editorial and article in the Peace Weekly introduce readers to what is happening on the issue here in Korea.
In the Na-Pro fertility clinic of the hospital that started in May of this year, 8 women with a fertility problem, three of them within two months were pregnant. Previously one of them was unsuccessful with 'in vitro' attempts.
Last month the results of the Na-Pro fertility programs in other parts of the world and recently at the Na-Pro Fertility Clinic were introduced to a group of legislators interested in questions of life at a meeting of policy matters. A professor mentioned that not like many other infertility treatments Na-Pro has no side effects, easy to learn, and less expensive than the other methods.
The government is helping those infertile couples with the money needed to use the artificial methods and those at the meeting are hoping this will also extend to the Na-Pro method. In 2006 the Ministry of Health and Welfare reported that Korea had close to 180,000 infertile couples and this increased to 215,000 in 2014.
Na-Pro's success rate is higher than artificial insemination and 'in vitro' methods and the Na-Pro Technology method is natural. Since it shows concern for the whole woman's health problems without artificial means, Catholics should find this attractive.
Recently we had an academic seminar on the word love in which four participants expressed their understanding on the topic: "Life and love--Recovering their true real relationship." The topic was approached from a medical, human, scriptural and church point of view. Each participant speaking from their own specialty. Both Catholic papers reported on the seminar.
First, presenter quoted psychologist Robert Sternberg as defining love as passion, intimacy, and commitment. Depending on the degree of love, different types can be differentiated. When all are equivalent we have the highest form of love.
When one uses the word love each has their own meaning.To nurture a happy relationship in love each needs to have an understanding of its meaning and expectations and what one needs to do to meet the expectations.
Another two authorities were quoted with their division of love into six types: love between friends, spiritual, romantic, possessive, altruistic, and playful love. Several of these come into each relationship and depending on whom one is relating the type changes.
In developmental psychology, love is not something that naturally develops but grows in relationships, by study, and with maturity. Many think women are romantic and men are realists but is that the reality? According to many sociologists, it is just the opposite. Women are more logical, more possessive, want a love between friends, while the male wants a playful, romantic, relationship. In altruistic love, there is little difference between the sexes.
Another participant speaking about human love says it's the preface to life, freedom, chastity, gazing out together, starting a journey of completeness together. Love is what makes a person live like a human being. From ancient times in all traditions, love was the beginning of life.
Freedom in love allows one to know another and change the other. When in love all is beautiful, all is lovable. One is not confined but allows one to love all, otherwise, it is not true love and will imprison one with shackles.
Purity is a dimension of the body while chastity of the soul: charity is the internal completion of the external purity. Life of purity is becoming one with the person who is loved. Chastity is another step where two in their sexual relationship become one in their individuality giving life to others.
A religious sister talked about love in the Scriptures. In these times talking about love is a challenge to the hearers. Especially when Jesus tells us to love our enemies, does this make sense to those who hear it? Jesus taught this concretely by his life.
A Priest concludes with love within the Church. Love is the central message: love of God and others. God is Love. We are made in the image of God and made to love. The word love (agape) comes from the words used by the writers of the New Testament: the love that Jesus showed us. The Church gives support to the passionate love of man and woman but sees it only within marriage.
The Minoans have an important place in world history, building the first civilization to appear on European soil. Minoan civilization existed on the Greek island of Crete.
Writing in the Peace Weekly, the columnist begins by telling us the Cretans had a bad reputation. He is responding to the recent scandals that have rocked the political scene in Korea.
According to St.Paul in his letter to Titus 1:12, "Cretans are always liars, wicked beasts, and lazy gluttons" these are not Paul's words but quotes from one of their own prophets.
The writer accepts that Epimenides the Cretan Philosopher wrote these words. However, Epimenides is a Cretan so what he says is it true? Here we have the famous Epimenides Paradox. Being a Cretan then all he says if false what he said about Cretans is also false, so Cretans are not all liars. On the other hand, if what Epimenides says is true the statement is false. Here we go around in circles and left with the question: What is truth? How much lying must have gone on in Crete to give rise to this statement?
A Japanese news medium reported: "Koreans lie like they breathe." The Japanese News medium quoted the Korean National Police Agency statistics and berated Korea for being the world's biggest 'con' country. According to the statistics, they have 66 times the fraud, perjury and libel compared to Japan and if we take into account the population it would be 165 times that of Japan.
The whole country is a practice site for lying. "From the President down to the other leaders in society, all are adept at lying." The report is malicious but they have hit a raw nerve. The countries have different ways of behaving but it is not worth trying to explain ourselves, says the columnist.
"I can look up at the heavens without a speck of embarrassment." These are the words of a public servant who later was tried and convicted of a crime. What was his belief when he was calling heaven as his witness?
Will we all go ahead and lie? You can lie and I can. Let us give each other the permission to lie. Does this make sense? We are giving ourselves permission to deceive and be deceived. Individual lying needs to be strictly differentiated from lying in the public place. Leaders of a country who lie prevent the country from being trusted. This is the reason why those who are in positions of authority have to be addressed differently than individuals.
We have become familiar with the landscape where money and power embrace one another. They involve many others in the web. Eventually, seeing what is happening many are overcome with nausea. "He who conceived iniquity and was pregnant with mischief brings forth failure(Ps. 7:15 ).
Korea is a member of the club of developed nations: OECD. Of these countries, two stand out with a birth rate that catches the eye: Israel and France. An article in the Peace Weekly introduces us to a serious problem in Korea.
In 2014 Israel women had an average of 3.08 children the highest in the list of OECD countries. Korea has a rate of 1.24 the lowest in the list of OECD countries. Continuing this growth rate, Israel with a population of over 8 million will have over 11 million by 2035.
France's rate is the fourth after Israel, Mexico, and Turkey. In 1990 the rate was 1.75 in 2014 it rose to 1.98.
Both countries are members of the OECD but the reason for the increase is different for each, Isreal, from their tradition, has a belief in the sacredness of life and blessings that come from children. The Super Orthodox Tradition is to have on the average eight children which has influenced society.
On the other hand, the old traditional French customs have collapsed and they are bringing in a new system which has increased the birthrate. This is a contract between two adults for their joint life, it is not a marriage but a joint agreement filed at a district office-- a civil solidarity pact known as PACS. Once this is done an allowance is provided for the birth, rearing, and education of the children. 55% of the children are born in these circumstances.
In 2012, 150,000 were PACS' couples and 230,000 were marriages but the PACS had the larger number of children. A French scholar, Jacques Attali sees by 2030 the number of marriages will disappear, and 90 % will be PACS. Korea in 2015 according to Office of Statistics had a little more than 300,000 marriages which are the lowest number since 2003.
The writer agrees that economics is a problem limiting marriages in Korea but he believes those of marriageable age no longer see marriage as necessary but only a choice. We will, he believes, see more non-marriages in Korea. However, he doesn't see Korea going in the direction of France because of the traditional Korean ways and culture. Consequently, without marriage, we will not see Korea going in the way of the French and a continual drop in the birth rate.
According to Gallop in 2014 half of the Korean population has a religion. Religious people usually have a positive outlook on children and marriage. Efforts need to be made to encourage marriage and children, and ways to support marriage and to press for changes. The reason the PACS system has been so successful in France, the writer concludes, is the burden that is felt by the young people in having a Church wedding.
