This year was the 25th year of the formal beginning of the Small Christian Communities in Korea. The movement had already been incorporated in parishes but the Seoul diocese was the first diocese to make it part of their pastoral planning.
Last year a questionnaire was given to a number of the participants to find ways to improve and examine the reality of what has happened.This has been done before but this is the first time they have made an in-depth study. The results of the study have been reported in both Catholic Weeklies, much space was devoted to the survey and the results.
The Small Christian Community movement was imported from South America. The four elements of community: fellowship, sharing the word of God, prayer and service all have their place.
The results of the survey showed a need to adapt it to the life in the city. A symposium on the results proposed the meeting of different age groups and different interests groups but the fear of dividing the community was strongly expressed. The younger groups have shown a decrease in attendance and the elderly have increased.
Comparing those who participated in the monthly or weekly meetings and those who did not, in most cases there was a difference in the participation in parish life. Participants were more active in difficult works, more active in church activities, read the Scriptures more often, and had a better understanding of the liturgical year. More interested in the poor, helping others, and helping financially, however, the difference was slight.
The issue that was noticed and commented on was the lack of interest in social matters where those who did not attend the weekly or monthly meeting showed a higher interest in social concerns, although this was only a minimal difference. This was unsettling in what it was saying to the diocese. The church has not been living the teachings of the Second Vatican Council.
Materialism, individualism, and worldliness has influenced the church greatly. The Holy Spirit has been with the movement and in the years ahead efforts will be expended to make it a leaven for the whole church community.
Crisis are opportunities for change. It takes time to change our physical condition so also the change for the better in the small community meetings. By a process of trial and error this will improve. The problems discovered will be the fertilizer that will help the movement to improve.
Even if it's only temporary there is a restaurant that makes all the patrons happy. One may order a hamburger and get ravioli, order noodles and get pork cutlet. It's a strange restaurant, a university professor in a diocesan bulletin introduces the readers to a restaurant known in Japan, absurd as it sounds: 'meal order mistakes in abundance' restaurant. Consequently when ordering it is wise to not expect to get what you ordered.
The reason is that waiting on the tables are 6 grandmothers who work part-time in the restaurant. All 6 have different degrees of Alzheimer's disease to contend with. When they take the orders, an everyday occurrence is not remembering the order and returning with something the patron did not order.
However, there are no patrons who are angry at the mistakes that are made. Like a child, the patrons have a good laugh and try to explain to the grandmothers what the mistake was and in the process, enjoy communicating with the grandmothers.
Patrons wait to see what kind of meal will come from the kitchen and the grandmothers rather than afraid of the mistakes made are given the courage to continue in their work.
The restaurateur began the work wanting to change the thinking and the prejudice towards those with dementia. His efforts have done much to attain his goal.
Without any provocation, often over some small mistake, we have many who are not able to accept the inconveniences that result. We are exposed to a warlike atmosphere over trifles, we have persons going for the collars of another to assuage their so-called grievance. The professor would like to see more of these 'meal order mistakes in abundance' restaurants appear in many of our towns and villagers.
He concludes the article with a wish that many of our weak and marginalized citizens would find a place in these type of restaurants were all could spend time together in a joyous atmosphere of acceptance.
Exclusion is the strongest where contact is the least: an easy way to understand some of the problems we have in society. We have social exclusion often of migrant workers, persons with disabilities, some racial exclusion and many other ways we fail to go out to the alienated in our society. How to multiple contacts and communication with the marginalized is a goal of a healthy society.
In a poem by Bertolt Brecht (1898-1956) a university professor gives us her meditation on his words in an article for the Kyeongyang magazine. A literal translation of the poem from Korean: " I know that it was only good fortune on my part that I lived longer than my friends. Last night in a dream I heard the voices of my friends. 'The strong are the ones who live.' Thereupon I hated myself."
During Nazism and Hitler's hold on Germany, he exiled himself from his home country of Germany. This poem was censored in Korea during the dictatorship which ended in 1988. The young people in Korea during the dictatorship recited often these lines of the poem, experiencing a feeling of guilt for not suffering the pain of others.
The professor recalls the suffering experienced by Brecht which came from his own history. She also remembers the suffering of many in Korea and the debt that we have towards them. We may not have the sorrow that Brecht had for the past but it is part of our history and are content and satisfied being alive. However, we are faced with another war like situation, with which for the most part we are ignorant.
She remembers a student in her class who with cancer is paralyzed from the waist down. How are we to understand this? "Are you going to die right away?" No, she tells the young man to do everything possible to fight against the sickness but she is filled with regret and sorrow.
Recently we have heard about abuse of servicemen by their commanding officers. The strong oppressing the weak is something we are familiar with. But many who perpetrate this violence see it as necessary to maintain order in society and the right they have from their position. A politician's sexual harassment on the golf course was dismissed by him as just some friendly pats that he would use with his daughter and granddaughters. What allows this kind of violence against the weaker elements of society?
Not important to select a few of these abuses of the weaker members of society for it enters into all the facets of our life. We kowtow to the strong in society and turn to the weaker ones and act similarly. A fact of life, and is it not the reason many strive with all their energy to become strong in society? They don't want to be neglected.
However, our dignity does not come from our rank in society. Where do we stand? Are we satisfied with little victories, and become filled with pride and become depressed with failures? Do we compare ourselves with others, see the different ranks in society and desire to be part of the elite? Why is pain so often the lot of the weak and marginalized?
A healthy embarrassment comes when we take upon our self the sacrifice, the tears, and sadness of the weak of society. We need to identify with those pushed to the sides. If we are not to be shamed with disgrace we have to keep our eyes wide open and look around us. We must see and see again whether or not the exercise of legitimate power takes place over the wounds of others. Reflecting on the life that we live is making us fully alive, and we will be living with less shame.
In Matthew's gospel 16:13, Jesus asks his disciples: "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" A priest writing for the Bible Life magazine from this question asks the readers: Who are we and what kind of world do we want to build? Religion gives us the answer to these two questions.
In John's gospel, he tells Mary Magdalen to tell the disciples: "I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God." We are all God's children. In Matt. 6:48, Jesus raises our dignity: "You must, therefore, be perfect just as your heavenly Father is perfect."
Buddhism and Confucianisms both have a similar teaching. They also have a spirituality. Everybody is of great value and possess dignity, a teaching of all religions. However, in our daily lives, we see discrimination and unfair treatment of others. We can't help but ask why this discrepancy from what we know to be true. This whole area of discussion is complicated but we have a responsibility to examine the reason for the ambiguity we face. Over 120 years ago both Buddhism and Confucianism were rebuked precisely on this point.
The writer mentions the English world traveler Isabella Bird Bishop who visited Korea in 1894 and in a period of 4 years traveled widely within the country and wrote Korea and Her Neighbors. In her book, she wrote: "In Korea, we have two classes, the plunderers and the plundered. The nobles and bureaucrats are vampires who have the license within society, four-fifths of the citizen are members of the lower class, commoners. The lower classes are to supply blood for the noble classes." According to this foreigner, the king and nobles divided society into higher and lower. A peaceful mandate, which would maintain the status quo and their privileges, despite the harm to the greater society.
During this time Buddhism and Confucianism were inconsistent. Catholicism was busy building churches and looking down on the royal house from their high knolls. During this difficult time, there was one philosophy that was progressive and this was Tonghak. ( 'Eastern Learning' a nationalistic, syncretic religion that opposed Western culture and wanted social reform and the equality of all the citizens).
These were miserable times but many valued the presence of God within and if we accepted the presence of heaven within us we would have a brand new world order. Tonghak taught that we need to help one another whether one was wealthy or poor. When we have many doing this we will have heaven on earth. No reason for war and killings we can make a society without prejudice, without receiving or giving wounds, we will have a world of saints. We need not wait for a heaven after death but we will have it here on earth. These were the words of a leader of Tonghak to his daughter before being executed.
The desire of putting the spirit of the Tonghak movement into the preamble of the new Korean constitution is heated. The leaders of the movement are praised and thanked for their efforts for independence and a new order: hundreds of thousands died for these ideas and a desire to give support to the movement for their sacrifice to the nation. The first leader of the movement left four Chinese characters for his first disciple which asked him to fly high and far and spread the teaching of the movement.
The writer concluded the article asking the readers
during the month of October, the mission month, to
fly high and far to spread the goodness of God to the whole world.
One of the strange realities of life is the lack of education for the most important events in our lives. Catholics are required to attend a course of instructions before marriage but it's very short.
In the Catholic Peace Weekly a woman who began a school in teaching about love, remembers that before her own marriage she spent only 4 hours in preparation and she believes it should be for a least a semester. Looking back on her own experience before marriage she decided to begin her school for communication and healing-- Love School. She is interviewed by a journalist for the paper.
The divorce rate continues to rise and even among the couples who have lived together for many years. Divorce is not contemplated but many marriages are not happy. She had for 8 years given talks on marriage and met many married couples and was familiar with their concerns and concluded that if they were to love correctly they would have the solution to many of their difficulties. She spent time preparing the course and will begin this month.
How does one go about loving? Sweethearts, couples and family members can leave scars in their encounter with the other. They express love for the other and at the same time, out of their mouth they spit out poisonous words. Isn't this because they have not learned what is happening in the encounter with the other? The reason for our writer to begin her school for communication and healing.
In the program, the participants will spend a great deal of time learning about themselves. Examine one's tendencies. How does one express what is going on inside, what are the feelings and how to express them and to practice how to make a request and say no. We need to know our hearts and bodies if we are to love. 'Love another as we love our self' but we understand this in our own way. For many, it calls for loving the other more than oneself. She maintains this is not loving but a sacrificial act.
The interviewer asked what did she think was the biggest problem between lovers. Thinking that they are loving was her answer. The male thinks it is by doing something for the loved one but the loved one has no desire for what was given. This is a common event between lovers. The female by talking feels she will achieve pleasing the other. Each fails to understand the other.
She was asked what did she believe was Jesus' understanding of love? M.Scott Peck, in The Road Less, Traveled defined love thus: "The will to extend one's self for the purpose of nurturing one's own or another's spiritual growth." She gives the example of not caring for a fish meal but eating it on occasions for the other. This extends me for the other. This is not forcing oneself but doing it willingly for the other and for one's personal growth in virtue. This is what love is. Not using the other, controlling or using the other as an accessory for that is not love.
Korea is a society which encourages the drinking of liquor. In a recent popular TV drama, the drinking to excess was romanticized in two consecutive episodes. In a preview for a drama, they had a caricature of drinking from a barrel for spring water filled with Soju (Korean liquor). They used famous young people as models. Beer is cool and Soju is smooth everybody can enjoy, are the methods to tempt the viewers. The mass media just shows the pleasure and delights of drinking with few of the dangers and the need for control.
An authority in the field begins his article in View from the Ark in the Catholic Times with the above words. He reminds the readers that in the developed countries liquor comes with a warning. No well-known entertainers are used to push the products and all is done very simply by the display of liquor products. In the movies, you don't see scenes where you have conflict and the drinking to excess but only at banquets where it is done very naturally and without fanfare.
In our society it is different. Our young people are continually exposed to drinking scenes. 'I want the opportunity to drink like the entertainers.' 'When things are tough and spirits are low it's time to drink.' ' Drinking to a point where losing control of yourself is romantic.' Our young people drinking is no longer considered misconduct. 75% of juveniles have experienced drinking and 25% drink at least once or more a month.
When he meets a juvenile at the hospital because of drink he is baffled. They drink despite the efforts of parents. When they meet the police officers they respond: "Don't all the adults drink? We have started a bit early is there any big difference?" The writer is disappointed that the schools and society are not pro-active in trying to dissuade the young from drinking.
The brains of the young people are still being formed. Young people drinking causes a number of problems. They are not able to control their drinking. Usually an adult who drinks too much will be faced with drowsiness, headaches, nausea, and will stop but this is not the case in the young. In their brain the brake mechanism does not react. In one years time there are about 4000 acts of violence perpetrated by drink in the young. What is worse is that the young exposed to drink at an early age are 5 times more open to becoming alcoholics.
Once a person becomes an alcoholic the chances of change are difficult. Preventing the problem is much easier. Among the 30 nations of the OECD, the efforts made to control the abuse of alcohol-- Korea is near the bottom at 22nd place. The developed countries do not look upon the merriment that comes with alcohol as something good. Their culture sees restraint and carefulness as something to be attained.
In many countries the selling of alcohol and the places where drinking is allowed are regulated. Advertising is regulated with strict guidelines. Adults need to be concerned with the temptations that alcohol has for the young and take responsibility.
Pope Francis had these words for the young in one of his talks:"You are the makers, the craftsmen of the future, Go out and 'make noise' because where there are young people there must be noise. Be courageous, and when people say 'have a little alcohol, take a bit of drug', No. Go against this civilization that is causing us so much harm."
A radio performer writing in a diocesan bulletin gives us her thoughts on death. She does a lot of traveling and during her night trips which she takes often there is one person she remembers. He is the author of the well-known, The Little Prince--Antoine de Saint-Exupery.
He studied architecture at the School of Fine Arts and became an aviator. In his bestseller The Little Prince, he did his own illustrations. The book quickly received the love of many in the different cultures of the world. His image was on the French 50 franc paper currency indicating the respect and love he received from the French people. In 1944 on a flight over the Mediterranean he disappeared.
When the writer was in her twenties she was sorry seeing that he died so young but since he mysteriously died similar to the way the Little Prince exited from the narrative she found this charming. Like the stars in a desert that keep on moving they both returned to the stars....
However, a few years later on a night trip to South Africa, her thinking changed. She no longer considered Saint-Exupery's death something beautiful but painful and lonely: leaving this world in deep darkness and alone.
She believes these thoughts on death come to her now because of age. She was talking to her friend about the blessings of death. Her friend is ready for death if it comes in her sleep. She is prepared for it now or if it comes in 10 years she will welcome death.
The writer, however, is not so open about the situation. We are all afraid of death. We all have to experience death for the first time and bribes don't work. Just a few weeks ago while in bed she had an excruciating headache that prompted her to even think of calling 119 (emergency telephone number). While in that condition she was overcome with drowsiness. She asks the readers if they could imagine what was going through her head at that time.
She didn't want to go to sleep for she feared that she would die in her sleep. She couldn't help but laugh at her thoughts. She hadn't written her will and wasn't ready to die. She got up the next morning with the sun and gratitude in her heart.
She remembers a French popular song from the 1980s: 'Tout le mond veut aller au ciel mais personne ne veut mourir." Everybody wants to go to heaven but nobody wants to die.
