A priest remembers the time doing pastoral work on an island where he had a small home for grandmothers. He writes about his experience in a Pastoral Bulletin. When the Chuseok holiday approached a few people would come to visit and bring gifts to the elders at the home.
The grandmothers cleaned the grounds around the house and put their best clothes on for the holiday. He recalls the visit of four or five community leaders who came around noon in a van carrying some gifts. The grandmothers received the boxes of fruits and gifts in front of the house. They took some pictures and the guests returned to the van waving, explaining they were busy and had to leave. The seniors bowed deeply thankful for the gifts and the van drove away. The guests waved with a feeling of satisfaction.
Somehow, in the place of love, there seemed to be a big gap between the giving and receiving. The writer did not see any signs of closeness, love, or oneness. The grandmothers were small people who waited and bowed. To the contrary, those bearing gifts were the givers, doing good things, and feeling good about their actions. There was no spiritual exchange or meeting through conversation, but only the externals of giving and receiving.
There is a saying in Asian teaching about charity. When you help a person, three things should not be seen: the person giving, the recipient, or what is given. People desire to make themselves and their help appreciated.
Jesus also said not to reveal our charitable giving. "When you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right hand is doing; your almsgiving must be secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you" (Matt. 6:3).
The writer mentions there are many people in difficult circumstances where he lives. He wants to help but is hesitant about what to do. Many experts advise us to be wise in giving unless a real need is present for we can make persons beggars.
There was an unfortunate family he wanted to help but to do it directly he saw problems. He sought the help of people with professional knowledge in helping those in need. They visited the home, counseled and determined the needs of the family which he helped to meet. There are many ways to help people with difficulties: financial help, education, and personal development.
In modern times, there are many who have shown us different ways to love. One is to go into the world of the poor and suffering and live with them. It is not giving or teaching anything, but accepting and acknowledging others as brothers and sisters and spending time with them. We have the example of many eminent persons who have done just that by living with the unfortunate people and sharing their lives with them.
One of these is Jean Vanier who began the L'Arche movement over 50 years ago. In L'Arche movement, each person participates, helps and receives help, it is founded on mutual relationships. Vanier has a doctorate in Philosophy for his thesis on Aristotle. The research was on happiness, which he defined as loving and being loved. This was also the path that Jesus showed us in showing love for the outcasts of society.
Is this water really clean? She wonders as she takes the cap off the bottle of spring water. She drinks but not without serious doubts about the health benefits. So begins an article in a Diocesan Bulletin. As a child, she remembers the older generation saying in the near future we will be paying for the water we drink. The time is here.
We live in a highly scientific civilization; concerned with clothes, food, and shelter but our thinking about food has changed the most. In the past, it was the expensive and good food we desired especially different kinds of meats but recently with the appearance of the 'well being' movement, interest in vegetables and fruits has grown greatly. Despite this, water is still one of the most important elements of good health. The secret of a long life is regular exercise, control of one's eating, and water. Drinking 3 liters of water a day to get rid of waste products and clean the blood.
At present we have water with different ingredients and this will continue with great variety. Water with vitamins, calcium water, rock water, alkaline ionized water, and the like, with labels and priced accordingly, even now there are types of water that are more expensive than kerosene. Water purifiers remind the buyer that good water protects one's health. In order to sell the purifiers, they use all kinds of words to tempt the customers to buy their product. Now you can have both hot and cold water and easy to use. There is even the kind that will make ice cubes, all pointing to the importance of water.
Many are the side effects in search for clean water. No matter how expensive and well made the water purifier, without the changes in the filters you have a useless machine and the abandoning of underground water sources and mineral springs. Few are the places in the country where we can find first-class natural water.
Back in the 60s and 70s in the country, we had village wells and even pumps in the homes. Most would go to the village well where they dropped their buckets and returned home with drinking and water for household use. With a splash and the drop of the bucket we had not only fresh drinking water but were able to converse and build community, now just memories.
The village priest would come to the well on rare occasions. He was one who would be drinking tap water and mineral water. He would buy mineral water but finally came to the conclusion that he had been drinking tap water all his life without problems and returned to drinking tap water. He bought an earthen pot in which he poured the tap water and after the impurities went to the bottom it became his drinking water. After deciding on the merits of purified water and the tap water the tap water won.
With the progress of civilization we have gained a great deal in comfort but the smell that came from our humanity began to disappear. Not able to drink water without concern is a sign of what we have done to the environment. Ice caps are melting, glaciers are disappearing and we are getting strange weather—extreme heat and floods and natural disasters because of our indiscriminate understanding of development. Even with the drinking of mineral water, the heart is not at rest. She concludes with yearning for the old days at the village well.
In the recent assignments in the Seoul Diocese, 129 received new posts of that number 30 priests entered various kinds of training programs and sabbaticals. New pastors came from priests ordained in 2002. Which means assistants have a long wait before they receive a parish. So begins the Peace column in the Catholic Times.
Strange as it may sound the growth of priests in the diocese is serious. This is true also in the special works in the diocese. Currently, there are 232 parishes in the diocese and 430 priests are involved in parish work. Except for the 232 pastors, the rest are assistants. Beyond the parish apostolate, 270 priests are involved with special works.
In the diocese considering the regional characteristics of Seoul, beginning new parishes is no easy task and adding to the special works will be difficult. However, we can't say the number of priests in the diocese is sufficient. As of 2017, the average number of priests for each believer in the country is 1093 while Seoul has 1,720 believers for each priest. The number of priests available for the believers is much less than the rest of the country.
Looking at the situation from another angle and even bringing this topic up he does with great caution, but the Catholic Church in Korea is strongly clergy oriented. Objectively, the dependence of believers on clergy is great. This can be confirmed by the fact that the priests who are devoted to their work have conspicuous results in their pastoral work. This would also be the case with the religious. Looking at the situation negatively, we have a clergy centered church culture, authoritarianism, but it shows clearly that Korean believers respect priests and religious people despite this reality.
With this situation in the diocese are there ways in which priests can find works of responsibility to devote themselves to the needs of the laity?
In the diocese alternative pastoral approaches: joint pastors and team ministry have been suggested and sometimes implemented, but in the Seoul Diocese, they have proven ineffective. But there can be other ways.
One of them is to get involved in the reality of life in the here in now. (Would he be suggesting something like the worker-priest movement in France? The movement lasted for many years with different results. At times reluctantly accepted by the Church and later efforts to stop the movement but much was learned and good results were seen.)
At presently dedicated priests are sent to large hospitals to work in the hospital ministry in the same fashion sending priests to work in other workplaces, presently with the police and in markets. He would like to see this extended to many other areas of life.
This pastoral work should not be only saying Masses and giving the Sacraments at fixed times. Just as a shepherd looks for lost sheep, it is necessary to find believers, understand their anxieties, pain, and attempt to foster healing and return people to a renewal of life— the role of the 'field hospital' emphasized in the Joy of the Gospel by Pope Francis is the aim.
In order to enter this way of pastoral work will require the overcoming of many problems and difficulties. The pastoral workers will have to become of one mind and wisely look forward to a common purpose. The passion for mission is necessary. He concludes the article with the example of the Protestant Ministers in the way they go about planting a new community where none existed. With this kind of motivation and passion, one will not fail.
Jealousy and inferiority feelings seem to go together which is not surprising. What is surprising is that humility is not considering oneself inferior. Humility is a virtue and the inferiority complex is not. Humility is centered on a relationship with God while the other is centered on oneself—big difference.
The head of a counseling service writes in the Catholic Times about how jealousy makes life difficult. She uses the data of two professors of psychology who showed how jealousy produces blindness. Those who are jealous are confused with their unpleasant emotions and unable to perform their tasks properly. The human brain gives priority to the emotional stimuli that appear. Jealousy is a comprehensive and complicated state of anxiety, anger, and humiliation.
Jealousy affects all of us, it brings great harm to relationships. A neighbor who threatens a good marriage relationship, a new friend shaking a deep friendship. Jealousy occurs between two people: "I want to have what you have." The problem is that you think you have to have what others have, which comes from our egotistical understanding of what we need.
Usually, jealousy is a painful emotional experience, but among psychologists, jealousy is a kind of signal that warns us to be awake. It is a kind of warning that reminds one that a precious relationship is in danger. When jealousy is triggered, it should be a chance to check once again the affection towards the family, the loved one, the friend and develop it into a better relationship. In this respect, jealousy may be a necessary emotion because it helps to maintain a healthy relationship that may not be seen without jealousy.
In some cases, jealousy may cause the most serious problems in life. In the movie 'Black Swan' directed by Darren Aronofsky, Nina was jealous of another actress Lily and was mentally disturbed enough to think that she had stabbed her rival for the role but instead stabbed herself. Jealousy often brings about the death of oneself both literally and figuratively.
Dostoevsky said emotions are strong and jealousy is the strongest. Once it arises it just doesn't disappear by itself. But when a person is the object of jealousy for a long period of time they can live happily without ever knowing that someone is jealous of them. So, for our own sake, we don't want jealousy to take hold in our lives.
To do that, I first need to find out my inner desires. It is not 'I have to be number one' but 'I want to be number one'; not 'I should be prettier' but 'I want to be pretty too'. We should not compare with others nor hide what we feel from ourselves. We work to achieve what we want. No matter what the end results of the effort, I choose not to be unhappy because of the happiness of others.
Korea was a late comer to the world where animals became pets and compainions but has progressed rapididly, no doubt due to the economic changes in the life of the citizens. In the past royality and the wealthy had animal pets but the ordinary citizens would be busy with other concerns.
The dog was the first to be domesticated and that goes back to the stone age, for dog bones were found in the graves with their owners. Cats followed many years later. The dog and and cat were first domesticated for their ability to help owners with problems that came along in life. Dogs helped to defend the family from the wild animals and help in the hunt and cats would be helpful in taking care of rats and other predators stealing from the storehouses.
According to a survey by a Financial Goup, it is estimated that 30.9 % of the total households are raising pets. The money expended in the pet market will increase from 950 billion won in 2012 to 5.81 trillion won in 2020.
In an article of the Catholic Peace Weekly by a social critic, shows how Korea has gone from calling animals house pets to companions. Animals have become members of the family. In the above mentioned survey, 68.3% of the respondents agree that companion animals are members of the family.
The World Animal Day, was established in 1931, on October 4, the anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi. The saint was proclaimed the patron saint of ecology by St. John Paul II in 1980. On this day, in many churches all over the world we have ceremonies with the blessing of animals. In
Korea, the blessing of animals have been held in many churches from the beginning of 2010, and continues to increase.
We have funerals for animals and the writer mentions one of the prayers that is used at the death of a companion animal. 'O Lord, God, the pet that brought so much joy in life, is dead , and I am thankful for all the good times and happiness that he has given me caring for me, so that the memory of him will lead me to love and care for the people around me. May I also praise you by respecting the life of all creation. Amen.'
On the other hand, there is the reality of animal abuse. There
are 57 revisions to the Animal Protection Act promulgated in the first
half of the 20th Congress, but there is a pressing need to change the
perception of society as a whole. What is the church's position on animals in this reality?
'Responsibility and Practice for the
Restoration of the Order of Creation' (2010) compiled by the Korean Catholic Bishops'
Conference is a guide to our care for the environment, section 30: God loves not only man but all creation of the world. It is natural that one cares for animals because God created, cares, and protects them. St. Francis of Assisi and Philip Neri who treated animals with love, set an example for us in this regard.
A religious sister in a Catholic Peace column recalls an incident while studying spirituality overseas. She was living in an international community where she met Paul a very impressive individual. She was introduced to Paul in this manner: "Very responsible, faithful bright and thrifty." But nobody wanted to spend time with him.
At meals, the places next to him were always for the latecomers. When we went out as a group, the car that Paul drove would be the last filled. Why was everybody avoiding Paul who was doing his best? She soon found out.
One day, engaged in small talk with a group of friends, where English was not the mother tongue; yet the conversation was lively, heart to heart and wonderfully sympathetic. Paul suddenly entered the conversation and looking at each one of them pointed out were the pronunciation, grammar or context was not correct. The atmosphere of the group turned cold and the expressions on their faces hardened. From that time on, the writer also avoided Paul.
She was nervous when she sat down and Paul was present. When she spoke, she was more concerned about how she was speaking than what she wanted to communicate. He only knew sentences that were correctly formed. She had no hate in her heart for Paul but it was uncomfortable communicating with him.
She reflected watching Paul: "Does Paul know the uncomfortable feelings he is arousing in his listeners?" Paul did not care about the reaction and feelings of others. She found this a mystery.
Was Paul a free man who doesn't worry about what people think? Paul, she says, was trapped in his own world. Rather than being free from other people's feelings and reactions he had stopped them from entering his thoughts.
A truly free person feels the gaze and feelings of others but doesn't react to them. Freedom is not just what I like, but also concerned about what others do not like. Above all, a free person is not afraid to reveal their own mind. I know where my mind is and want to communicate it with my heart. Communication between persons is transmitted not only by words but by the heart.
Paul seemed to ignore his feelings. Someone told him: "I am talking to you now, and you lecture me?" He was given a stinging rebuke but you would never guess this by the expression on his face. Paul hearing the complaint and the person making the complaint seemed to be separated like water and oil. Paul was not able to communicate with those he was living. They praised Paul's sincere and honest behavior but something was seriously missing.
St. Don Bosco said: one of the greatest goods is to achieve a meeting of hearts between people. Only one's heart is able to speak to another person's heart. Sadly, in our world, we have many who are 'tone deaf'— insensitive to the feelings of others, not concerned to change, or feel a need to change.
The French Revolution is a chapter of European History, difficult to understand and appreciate the ramifications both for society and the church. Gallicanism was understood by many long before the revolution that the power of kings was independent of the power of popes, the opposite was Ultramontanism.
The American Revolution (1775-1783) and the United States Declaration of Independence (1776) greatly influenced the French Revolution (1789-1794). France allied with the United States provided military assistance during the war with the United Kingdom. The military exchanges between the two countries created an ideological exchange of liberalism and republicanism. But after the revolution, the Catholic churches in both countries had a totally different result. So begins a college professor of spirituality, explaining the French Revolution to the Catholic Peace Weekly readers.
Before the French Revolution, Modern France was an absolute monarchical kingdom, as in the Middle Ages. In many countries of Europe, including France, there were three social classes. The first was the priests and monks who accounted for 0.5% of the total population, the second was the nobles (1.5% of the total), and the third the remaining 98%, the citizens. The king was beyond any of the classes. The common people paid the taxes. In France, there was a council composed of representatives of the three divisions of society which existed from the beginning of the 14th century, but not convened until 1614.
Louis XVI, reigning 1774-1792, convened the assembly in June 1789, to resolve the financial problems of the kingdom through taxation adjustments, as the finances of the kingdom worsened. When the priests and nobles, heard they would be taxed they rebelled. Here, too, the commoners complained and rebelled against the methods of the assembly and separated from the main group. They met in a building with a tennis court, where they pledged they would not disperse until they had a constitution. This happened On July 9, 1789, the National Assembly was renamed the National Constituent Assembly and prepared for a constitution. The French Revolution occurred when the citizens of Paris attacked the Bastille prison on July 14, 1789.
The Civil Constitution of the Clergy decided to abolish the tithing in August 1789 and in November of that year to nationalize the property belonging to the Catholic Church. In July 1790, they established the Catholic Church as dependent on the French government. Parish boundaries and national administrative boundaries were to be the same, citizens elect clergy, and the state appoints bishops. Pius Pius VI (1775-1799), told the priests to refuse to take the oath of allegiance.
The Vendée was the largest counter-revolutionary uprising of the French Revolution. Provincial residents weren't interested in the Paris-based revolution or its ideas and took up arms against the National Convention. Eventually, the forces supporting the French Catholic Church in and around Vendee in western France opposed the basic laws of the clergy and about 30,000 to 400,000 people died during the rebellion (1793-1801).
Napoleon Bonaparte appears on the stage (1769-1821), the first president of the First Republic of France made a concordat with Pope Pius VII (1800-1823). The French government guarantees that the liturgy of the Catholic Church can be freely and publicly held, while the president appoints bishops and priests who are not opposed to government policies and demanded a pledge of loyalty from the clergy. Also, after the revolution, the property confiscated by the government was not to be resisted. Pope Pius VII approved on July 1801 the Convention for the spiritual benefit of the Church, although many objected to the Convention because of the disadvantages to the Church. Later, Napoleon lost the support of the Catholic Church by occupying the Papal States in 1809. The Catholic Church regained the Papal States in the Wiener Kongress (1814-1815).
Gallicanism advocating the supremacy of the French king was strong. In the 18th century, French Catholic priests who were politically inclined tried to stay close to the French royal family, not only because of the aftermath of Gallicanism but also because of the economic advantages of tax exemption. The French Revolution, which showed displeasure to the French royal family and nobles, was equally disdainful of the Catholic Church, which had close ties with the French royal family.
An aristocratic politician, Cardinal Richelieu (1585-1642), became the prime minister of Louis XIII (1610-1643). In The Three Musketeers, a historical adventure novel, written in 1844 by Alexandre Dumas, the Cardinal was portrayed as a member of the villains which shows the antipathy the commoners felt for the Catholic Church after the Revolution.
In 1816 the higher clergy pledged unconditional obedience to Pope Pius VII and the writer Joseph de Maistre (1753-1821) wrote in 1819 in the book "Du Pape" (On the Pope) in which Ultramontanism was the theme. Fortunately, the French Catholic Church began rebuilding its church and Catholic faith in France from the 1820s.
Externally the French Revolution was the reason for material and spiritual damage to the French Catholic Church— forfeiture of church property and banning liturgy. But internally, the French Revolution brought to the attention of the French Catholic clergy the hard lives of ordinary people and because of their privileges and attachment to earthly power were blind to what was happening in society. Thus, the French Revolution was paradoxically an opportunity to restore spiritual vitality to the French Catholic Church. A deep study of what happened has many lessons for the Church today.
