A Jesuit priest writes in the Kyeongyang magazine about one of the most basic questions humans can have: Why are we here? The first question in the Korean catechism.
He remembers asking his father this question as a child. His father told him about a dream he had about his son. He saw a worm which changed into a snake and then a dragon and went up into the heavens. (In Korea dragons are revered as benevolent) His father said he would be a great person if he accepted his parent's teachings. He thanks them for the faith life they passed on to him.
How to live is still the question. Personally, he finds it better to have a clear picture of the future instead of a blurred one. He thought his father knew everything and asked again for more details. His father told him the "I" is not as important as the "We". He quotes from article #23 of the 'Spiritual Exercises' which explained in detail what he considered his father to be saying:
"Man is created to praise, reverence, and serve God our Lord and by this means to save his soul. The other things on the face of the earth are created for man to help him in attaining the end for which he is created. Hence, man is to make use of them in as far as they help him in the attainment of his end, and he must rid himself of them in as far as they prove a hindrance to him. Therefore, we must make ourselves indifferent to all created things, as far as we are allowed free choice and are not under any prohibition.Consequently, as far as we are concerned, we should not prefer health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to dishonor, a long life to a short life.The same hold for all other things. Our one desire and choice should be what is more conducive to the end for which we are created."
As a young man, he understood his father's words as a short explanation of what he learned later on as a Jesuit seminarian. This he feels is the mission that we have all received. They are the first principles and foundation of our lives. The golden mean is given to us as the ideal. Another expression would be indifference to many goods in life. We don't consider our likes or disposition as the final position on what is to be done but look towards the reason for which we were created.We choose the path that will lead us closer to God.
Our choice of coming closer to God is what is important. We all would prefer health to sickness, riches to poverty, honor to dishonor, a long life to a short life but when the former would take us away from our reason for life, we are open to the latter.
The rich will have concerns because of their wealth and so the poor with their poverty. All of us no matter the circumstances have to keep our hearts attuned to what God is saying to us in these circumstances. We all have a vocation, the call from God, and in life, there are many forks in the road and here the principles and foundation of God's call are to be the signposts to take. If we carefully ponder over what road to talk we will not take the wrong path. We need to take the road that gives greater glory to God. He will always bless this choice.
When we go in search of the call received, this becomes an experience in life and our teacher. When we remember the times we have felt fully alive, God has been leading us. Elders have helped him on this path and many have influenced his future. When we work for the common good, God is leading us. My call is the universal call of all.
Sympathy, empathy, are words that express a value in the present world society. Politics, finances, science, art and religion and many other facets of life engender for many a sympathy for where society finds itself. We can't say we are in touch with our world society without this sympathy. A newspaperman who worked in an editorial room writes in the Catholic Times on his views of the Catholic Church's media savvy.
Sympathy comes from communication. It grows into a means of change.To sympathize does not mean to approve but to understand the other's situation. Pope Francis in one of his Peace Day messages: "The clear distinction between the producer and consumer of information is relativized and communication appears not only as an exchange of data but also as a form of sharing. This dynamic has contributed to a new appreciation of communication itself; which is seen first of all as dialogue, exchange, solidarity, and the creation of positive relations."
The empathy index is a way of measuring a person's ability and disposition. According to the writer, the Church knows little about media, empathy, and communication. It pays little attention to these areas of life.
The Church has the duty of scrutinizing the signs of the times, dialoguing with the world and using the light of the Gospel to interpret what is seen. After the Second Vatican Council, these phrases are often heard.
He mentions a committee affiliated with the Bishops Conference that recently changed its name from Mass Communication Media Committee back to Public Relations Committee. Why would they do this in a world in which communication is so important and go back to an earlier age?
He feels they have deliberately mistranslated the word communication to public relations or PR. At the Council, the media of social communication was used but the Church deliberately chooses to go back and use public relations instead of communication.
Public relations or PR is to make know our position. Expressing what we want and avoiding what we don't want to be known. In the past this was our way of acting but in a society of open communication, going back to a relic of the past is a failure to understand media, communication, and empathy. And we see this thinking expressed in the way many of the issues are treated.
He mentioned two incidents relating to church institutions that the general mass media covered in most cases negatively but without any complete coverage of the issue in the Catholic Press. Granted, there may be a need for a difference from the social media, in the way news is covered but if the Catholic press fails to be a conveyor of truth we lose our reason for being.This is true when we are only interested in publicity and a conveyor of only what is for our benefit and not the whole picture.
He quotes a priest who in the use of the new media for evangelization recommends to the young people that they don't overextend themselves and go beyond their abilities but use their efforts to ferret out beautiful things that will be helpful to others. He found these words shocking.
Laypeople will find these kinds of words disconcerting. In the present situation no matter how qualified a layperson, if a priest says no, that's it. In the Church today laypersons have little influence in the decision making and this is truer in the world of communication.
Priests who are in the know about the mass media are few and he ends the article hoping this will change. Authorities, he hopes, will spend more time developing classes in the seminary on the subject of the mass media and communication.
A Catholic University professor of ethics writes in Bible & Life in response to a person who wants a Mass said for a dog. He has for many years been afraid of even the smallest dogs which bark and come towards him. This was not always the case but bitten once on the thigh all changed.
The incident left him with a trauma on seeing dogs. A few months ago, a celebrity whose family dog bit a neighbor, who died shortly after, was the reason for much talk in society about dogs and owners.
When the change took place he doesn't know but we called them pet dogs, now they are companions. Up until 10 years ago, you would never hear talk about a dog cafe, hotel or funeral home but they have quickly appeared. The new understanding of pets in society can depend on many factors but the nuclear and one person families have multiplied in society. Loneliness is experienced and many look for the companionship of pets, they are faithful and fill a need of warmth in the life of many. Guide dogs and rescue dogs give a service the humans cannot do.
This is all true but there is another thought that should enter when we consider this subject. Is there a problem when we treat animals like human beings? During this time of the year we have not a few people who are cold and hungry; do we see any problems dog cafes where dogs are treated almost like humans? There is an entrance fee and you are able to feed the dogs. In ethics, we have the words for the moral subject and moral object. An example would be giving a poor neighbor some coal briquettes: the one giving would be the moral subject and the one receiving the moral object.
If, he says, he took an abandoned dog and raised it the dog is the moral object of his action. He is the moral subject and the one responsible for the dog. All human actions towards nonliving objects are not moral acts. An example would be the kicking of a soccer ball is not the same as the kicking of a dog. The soccer ball does not have life.
Respect for life is an obligation of a moral subject but here we can see a problem when we have a homeless person and our companion dog drowning at the same time. Where does our attention go? The dog that has been our companion, eaten, slept and lived together has a greater loving attraction than a nameless homeless person. That is why people leave their wealth to pets and some want Masses said for their pets.
From prehistoric times humans and animals have lived closely together. They have been our food, they have given us our clothing have helped us do our labor. In recent history have helped us cure diseases, extend life and that is not all. According to the Scriptures animals were created just before humans and were named by the first humans. They are to be respected but remembered they are of a different level of life.
The article finishes with the story of a classmate who has a white Maltese dog which he raises in the rectory. It's a friendly loveable little dog. He doesn't know how long it will take but his fear of dogs, he says, will disappear.
On the night before he died, the Lord took bread, said the blessing and gave it to his disciples, saying: "This is my body for you." Afterward, he took the cup and gave it to his disciples, saying: "This is my blood to be shed for you; do this in memory of me."
"Do this in memory of me " are words that ask us to remember what the Lord did at the Last Supper. In a diocesan bulletin, a university professor tells us of the four ways these words can be viewed.
1) Not remembering the words and not acting on them
2) Remembering them but not acting
3) Doing them but not remembering why
4) Remembering and carrying them out
A Catholic who doesn't remember or act on these words is a person who has lost his sense of direction. Today one way tomorrow another way, a person who doesn't know what is important.
A person who remembers but does not act on what he remembers can be called lazy. He knows what needs to be done but hesitates. The response is rationalized to make one feel good.
Those that carry out the words but don't remember why, are living by habit. When one repeats the acts it becomes second nature and no longer remembers why.
Remembering and acting is the act of a person who is at peace and not moved by the mundane. A person happy in all that is done.
Most historical Christian Churches believe in the literal meaning of the words of Jesus at the last supper. The later Christians began to see this as a metaphor and a symbol of encountering Jesus. Strange, "Do this in memory of me" in the context given it's difficult to give a symbolic, poetical, or metaphorical meaning to the words.
Sad also that one of the most important imperatives to the Church before his death could have been misundersood for so many centuries. 'Faith in search of understanding' is a humble approach to the encounter with Jesus.
During the Unity Octave from Jan.18 to Jan 25, we prayed to understand the words of Jesus as he wanted them understood. We can begin with a long, deep look at the words at the Last Supper and try to enter the minds and hearts of the early Christians to understand why they would take these words as literal when doing so cost them so much during the many years of persecution.
In a pastoral bulletin, a priest tells us about a big ball a child received for Christmas in an orphanage in India. It was the first gift he ever received from anyone, a constant companion. He would sleep with it, never leaving his hands. One, day while playing with the ball on the rooftop it ended up on the street where it was run over by a truck. Going down to the street his feelings were like the flattened ball he picked up.
He cried and cried. A religious brother tried to console the child, patted him on the back. The crying continued. However, the next day the brother saw him playing with his friends and laughing and enjoying himself. The Brother was happy to see that he had forgotten the ball and could go on to find joy in other aspects of life.
He introduces us to a man who showed great interest in buying a new car. He was not well off and with great difficulty bought a foreign car. Since all his attention was concentrated on cars he went for what he considered the best. He was filled with great joy but it required cutting back on his lifestyle. He avoided friends and meetings that would cost money. His car took away the freedom that he once enjoyed. His connection and vanity with the car took away his freedom. He was possessed by the car.
Many are the wise who have told us the less we possess the more we own. The less attachment to the material the more we enjoy the material. Voluntary poverty is freeing oneself from obsession and a life of grabbing and clinging.
Jesus in the Beatitudes tells us: "How happy are the poor in spirit; theirs is the kingdom of heaven." This is an important teaching of Jesus. If we are detached we will be free. It is not having much or little but not being bound and free for everything.
St. Paul was a free man. " I am not talking about the shortage of money: I have learned to manage on whatever I have. I know how to be poor and I know how to be rich too. I have been through my initiation and now I am ready for anything anywhere: full stomach or empty stomach, poverty or plenty" (Phil. 4:11).
We all are familiar with the Evangelical Counsels: Poverty, Chasity, and Obedience. They call us to the spirit of detachment. Most Catholics would understand Chastity of life and Obedience to God but when it comes to Poverty we are open to all kinds of interpretations. They apply to all baptized Catholics but possibly few would accept this in the manner of life we choose.
Ironic as it may sound poverty calls us to have more not less. When we are attached to the material we miss so much that is immaterial because our gaze is only on what we see. Poverty allows us to be more interested in what is good, true and beautiful and the oneness of life. When obsessed with the visible does it not close our eyes to the important things in life?
As the digital culture continues to develop in the 4th industrial revolution our lives are being transformed beyond imagination. At the same time, we see the dark side of this emerging culture. A diocesan priest writes in the Catholic Times' column of what he has heard on studies on the use of smartphones in Korea.
We call the society in which we live the addicted society. An addiction that destroys our humanity and the society in which we live. Humorously we say in one family the father was addicted to pornography, the mother to shopping, the daughter to SNS, and the son to games. These addictions bring serious harm not only to the individual and families but they break down the spirituality and the trust among believers: the church lost in the culture of death.
Children and infants are the ones potentially the most venerable. This problem has been with us for some time but appearing even among infants under 5 years old who can't be separated from their smartphones.
As smartphones become a necessity for children the average age of first use is just under 3 years of age. The problem is the use of smartphones at an early age according to some experts are serious obstacles to brain growth and development. Researchers found an imbalance in the brain chemistry of young people addicted to smartphones and the internet.
A child's brain develops unevenly making it difficult to learn, remember and judge information. Language development may be delayed. Peer relationship may not be smooth and communication difficult and aggressive. The writer mentions talking to an authority in the field who was overly concerned about the harm being perpetrated on our young people.
His words showed the inability to compromise, to sympathize and feel the pain and suffering of others. This is not a good sign for society as we get more who are indifferent to what is happening in society and this will continue to old age. No room for love, experiencing and showing mercy to others.
There is a new word used 'Smombie', a smartphone zombie: combination of the word smartphone and zombie. A pedestrian who walks slowly and without attention to their surroundings focused on the smartphone, now a significant safety hazard.
Silence is now being marketed as more people are escaping from the digital noise. Noise detox products are released. The 'Buddhist Temple Stay' is popular because people seek silence, calm and peace.
The Catholic Church has also begun 'Seoul Stay', a period of retreat away from the digital world and a time for silence, self-examination, meditation, a time for prayer and renewal. A believer taking time out for a retreat once a year will be a good opportunity to get away from the digital noise, addiction and to look over one's life.
Without love, we have hell, with love, paradise. A college teacher in a Catholic Peace Weekly column gives the readers a meditation on Love. A couple who have lived together for a life time make this trip to heaven and hell a few times a day. Love is not a word but a way of life. Husband and wife, mother-in-law and daughter-in-law, between brothers and sisters this journey is made often.
Giving and accepting of love is more difficult the closer the bond is. A well-known family code of conduct shows the truth of this by clearly saying: "if love is found in the family you can love everybody."
Jesus asked of us two things: a reverential awe of God, and secondly to love one another. All the other virtues can be said to be contained in these two precepts.
The writer mentions a woman she has been concerned with for some time and lives alone. On a visit to the woman she found her living in an unheated room with a blanket on the floor of the room. She spiritualized the whole issue and saw no problem.
She asked how much she has to live on each month. With the money, she got on welfare and the other income it was not much, not enough to take care of her heating bill. She left some money to help in heating the house. On another visit, the woman was still on the floor with her blanket. She told the teacher it was still no problem with the cold and gave the money that she received to help some of the refugees from the North. She was like the widow in the Gospel with her offering in the temple.
On one occasion she asked about the writer's father who she knew was sick. She told her that being the daughter she should be close to her father during these difficult times.The writer knew what was behind these words. She told the woman that if anything happens in the future to contact her. "I will be with you." She was relieved to hear these words from her friend.
Love is concern for another in little things, a little hillock that a person can use to rest. We can not save our country. We can make small contributions to the poor living in Africa but we can't have a direct impact on them. However, I can convey my interest and love to the people I meet daily.
She is an educator who teaches students. Nowadays, most of the students acquire their knowledge through the internet, and show little concern for the lectures they hear in the classroom. She reminds the readers that in the future it is said that artificial intelligence robots will do a much better job giving lectures and the teaching profession will disappear.
She finishes her article telling the readers she has changed her way of teaching from imparting information to the conveying of love. To do this we have to get rid of authority, practice patience and be closer to the students. Forming a loving community: is there anything more educative than that as an aim for an educator?
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