Where have all the young people gone? From all appearance, it seems the numbers have decreased but no studies have been made of the situation. One of the reasons is we don't have any common understanding of what we mean by young people. A priest who is working with the youth and has responsibility in the work on the national level gives his ideas in the Kyeongyang magazine.
It was during the 19th century that the term young people was first used. Today we have no agreement on who should be considered a young person. Up until 1990 common was to think those who left their teens and before the late twenties were considered the young people. Many now consider those in the late 20s and 30s, before marriage, to be the young.
We need standards in what we mean by 'the young'. Nowadays persons are entering society at an older age, changing our understanding and making those in the 20s and 30s the young people.
The writer states that the Church was not able to decide who were the objects of pastoral concern. The framework for the pastoral care of the young in the 1980s and 90s remained, which did not fit the young people in their late 20s and early 30s.
Another reason for the young people distancing themselves from the church was the parent's emphasis on studies. It started with the third year high school students preparing for college but expanded to the 2nd and 1st year students.
The second reason he lists is the authoritarianism of many of the clergy. This surfaced in a survey made by the bishops of Korea in 2016. The young priests are the same age as many of the young people but with a more hands-on approach than what the young people are accustomed to in a democratic society. This puts a damper on the spirit of the group. Also, assistant priests are not in the parish for more than one or two years, not good for the work.
Young people along with other parishioners often feel pressure and are burdened with tasks for the larger community. Instead of being mission-orientated it becomes task-orientated. The young are to be formed into apostles and instead feel the pressure of tasks. And as the numbers decrease the remaining young people feel more of the burden.
The larger society is making the activity of the young more difficult because of the oppression coming from the society—time and mental stress. The opportunities for employment have decreased and the young have to prepare for this new step into society.
This is not the time to lose hope but to renew our desire as given in the Joy of the Gospel #24. "The Church which 'goes forth' is a community of missionary disciples who take the first step, who are involved and supportive, who bear fruit and rejoice. An evangelizing community knows that the Lord has taken the initiative, he has loved us first (1 Jn 4:19), and therefore we can move forward, boldly take the initiative, go out to others, seek those who have fallen away, stand at the crossroads and welcome the outcast."
When the going gets difficult we face the crisis and challenge necessary for a new spring. We don't give up but with the help of the Holy Spirit we spend time in reflection and look for answers as the Church is now doing with the Synod of bishops. In Rome at present we have the 15th Ordinary General Assembly of the Bishops (Oct. 3-28) discussing the topic: Young people, the Faith, and Vocational Discernment. Let's pray that it will be a success and give us a fruitful way of acting in the future.
In a diocesan bulletin, the writer uses the horror movie After.Life to give the readers some thoughts to ponder about life—real life. After a car accident, a young woman who had everything going for her but far from happy ends up in a mortuary with a funeral director who likes to talk to the dead.
The movie never comes out saying she is dead and the theme of the movie is precisely based on the point— was she ever 'alive'? The mortician tells her she is dead and she maintains she is alive for she is breathing. The difference is the meaning that they give the word live. For Anna, the young woman surviving is living and the mortician tells her that is not what life is.
The mortician tells Anna life is much more than breathing, eating, and basic hygiene. And tells Anna she probably died many years before. Anna and the mortician continue to argue over the issue. The point being made is they both use the same words with different meaning.
The writer wants to know how many are truly alive and not just surviving? The young woman Anna is dead but was she always dead? The movie really never makes this clear, possibly trying to show the way many go through life.
We make efforts to survive as does all of life. Surviving is keeping away from death. The opposite from living. Isaiah tells us: "The living are the ones who praise you..." Isaiah 38:19. How many of us are living"
Gloria enim Dei vivens homo, vita autem hominis Visio Dei. (For the glory of God is the living man, and the life of man is the vision of God). This phrase is often mistranslated into: The "Glory of God is a man fully alive". This is somewhat different from what is meant for living fully in the minds of many is to live on the edge, to experience all, to climb the highest mountain...
"For the glory of God is a living human being, and the life of the human consists in beholding God. For if the manifestation of God which is made by means of creation, affords life to all living in the earth, much more does the revelation of the Father which comes through the Word, give life to those who see God" (St. Irenaeus Against Heresies).
In the Scriptures we do hear about living life fully: "Jesus came that they have life, and have it abundantly" (John 10:10). Luke 6:38 "Give, and there will be gifts for you: a full measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over, will be poured into your lap..." (Luke 6:38).
Receiving the Eucharist daily for many should be a sure sign of the life that we should be living. We have been called to participate in the life of God which we hear at each Mass we attend: "By the mystery of this water and wine may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity." Do we need any other words to express what we have been called to be and do with our lives?
In the Kyeongyang magazine, a Korean who immigrated to Sweden about one and a half years ago writes about his experience. A Catholic for just over 10
years, still growing in the faith, ends up living in Sweden
where the Catholics are a tiny group within a Lutheran culture. He gives
us a Korean perspective of life in Sweden.
The
Catholic history of Sweden is one of suffering. Catholicism in Sweden
started around the year 830 AD, becoming a Catholic country around the
year 1100. Uppsala the old capital was the first diocese. In 1523 King
Gustav Vasa freed the county from the control of Denmark and became the
father of the new nation, and importing Lutheranism.
Lutheranism
is called Sweden's Church (Svenska kyrkan), as the name says the church
is subordinated to the Government. The king, like in England, is the
head of the church.
In 1593 all Catholic activity
was forcibly stopped. In 1617 by the King's orders, the church was not
recognized and went underground. In 1781 the country
proclaimed religious toleration to foreigners and in 1873, members of
Lutheranism were given the freedom to convert to Catholicism. But it was
only in 1951 that citizens were given complete freedom to believe in any
religion.
In 1953 they established a
diocese with no more than 3000 Catholics. In the 1960s when foreign
laborers began to enter, the numbers increased. In 1998 the first bishop
was made after a lapse of over 400 years and last year bishop Anders
Arborelius was made a cardinal, the first in Northern Europe.
Of
the 10 million citizens, 119.000 are registered Catholics but are
considered to be about 150,000. There are 45 churches in the country and
half of them are in Stockholm. One of these communities is the Korean
community in the capital. There are about 200 Korean Catholics in the
country. Because of distances and other reasons, many have stopped going
to church and some attend the Lutheran Churches—the services are
very similar to the Catholic Masses with communion.
The
Korean community since last year has a Korean priest saying Mass twice
a month. They are a community of about 50 which slowly is increasing.
Before the priest came they had a Korean sister from Germany who kept
the Korean community together. In 2016 because of age, she returned to
her convent in Germany and they received a Korean priest from Korea.
Lutheranism
is part of the establishment and the citizens see it as a part of the
government. The clergy are seen as civil servants. The respect they have
for the clergy is quite different from what Koreans are accustomed. The
individualism of society comes into play and influences everything. This also has entered the church.
The moral
life of society is much freer than Korea. Marriage is not as in Korea.
Divorce is having another family. Not seen as a problem or
disappointment but something that happens. Living together without
marriage is no problem and seen as marriage. Abortion is a choice one
makes.
Sweden has a central place in the cultural world
of Europe; one of the best countries in which to live but
also the culture which is far removed from a Catholic ethos and sterile for Catholics. He ends the article by hoping Korean
priests will find it possible to come to this 'religiously Catholic
underdeveloped country'—atheistic and secular.
In Korea, as in other parts of the Catholic world, many find it difficult to reconcile the actions of the clergy and religious with the Gospel message. Why do the clergy and religious get involved in politics? An article in Bible & Life by a seminary moral professor returns to the issue for the readers.
The article begins with the Sewol ferry disaster that on April 16, 2014, heading for Jejudo capsized, killing more than 300 people, mostly students. It was one of the worst Korean maritime disasters. The tragedy sparked a public outcry that continues even today blaming the government in large part for poor safety standards and the resulting rescue work.
Since many priests and religious were on the side of the victims and wanted answers, this was seen as getting involved in politics by some of the citizens. A yellow ribbon was the symbol of the Sewol tragedy and for many years after the tragedy, a tiny yellow ribbon was seen on clothing and many other articles. A sign of solidarity with the families of those suffering and in remembrance of the dead.
The ribbon is also a sign of division as much as unity. A division between the 'right' and 'left', seen also within the church community. The professor mentions one of the Catholics, seeing the actions of the church in regards to the Sewol Disaster, wanted the funds he gave for the formation of priests returned to him. Did the person feel priests and religious were to leave these problems to others and concentrate on prayer and the Gospel?
This issue is one that has to do with the very life of the church. The Second Vatican Council stressed we are the people of God, all of us are called to follow the Gospel message. We are all members of society and when society is not directed to the common good— faced with injustice, corruption, it's necessary to sound the alarm. This is the social gospel which with the doctrine of faith are not to be separated. They do not depend on our taste nor is it a matter of choice but to know and do.
Teachings on our social life was always recognized but in 1891 Pope Leo 13th in his encyclical Rerum Novarum (Of New Things), the teaching took on a different aspect with the rights of laborers and their problems—considered by many as the labor charter.
This teaching has a firm foundation within the church, giving us four basic principles of the social gospel. Human dignity: we are created in the image and likeness of God. The common good: is to desire the good of the other and to take steps to secure it. This is the good of all, made up of individuals, families who make up society. Subsidiarity: an organizing principle where matters ought to be handled by the smallest competent authority. Solidarity: all one family in the world, building communities that empower everyone to attain their full potential, through each respecting each other.
When the rights of others are not respected and injustices are rampant than we are going in the opposite direction in building up God's kingdom. When this is the case how can the church remain silent? This is not politics. "Go out to the whole world; proclaim the Good News to all creation." (Mark 16:15). This is the primary mission of the church.
As the capitalist economy takes root, rank, and order of Korean society becomes more embedded and the living harder. We have been hearing the word 'Hell Chosun' for some time—one finds it hard to better oneself no matter how hard one tries. So begins the Peace Column in the Peace Weekly by a commentator on welfare issues.
In a recent incident, we have a parent who arranged in getting the questions to an exam the students would be taking in their final semester. A parent's desire to help a child not lose their place in society.
Another aspect of our ordered society is the treatment of the physically impaired and those with birth defects. Those who are at the lowest places in the society, defined by humans, are treated as being deficient in a society where ability is given priority.
As of 2016, the participation rate of disabled persons in the workforce was 38.5%, which is half of the total population participation rate (63.3%). Despite the desire for employment, they are excluded from the labor market because of disabilities.
President Moon is preparing measures to solve the problems of the disabled people including the Basic Plan for Employment Promotion of Disabled Persons. However, social prejudice and discrimination against them still make employment difficult.
People with disabilities must deal with two kinds of suffering. One is the fact they have a disability, and the other is the lack of understanding and indifference of society. One is not discriminated because of disabilities but becomes disabled because of discrimination is often heard.
In a capitalist society, rankings necessarily exist, but the dignity of human beings should not be equated with their economic worth to society.
Pope Francis continues to make "social justice" an important issue of his pontificate which can be seen in many statements along with the pope's actions. The pope emphasized the need to reject the inhuman economic model that alienates the socially underprivileged. Society gives hope only by maintaining openness in employment, a way of granting human dignity to all. He also criticized the inhuman, cruel society that cannot accept suffering people, and share their pain with compassion.
Of course, it can be expected that the government's 'Community Care' initiative to support the settlement of vulnerable groups will contribute to a certain level of social integration into the local community. In other words, a person with a disability must be understood as a human being with a dignity.
The vested powers in society with their economic, cultural abundance, authority, and their ranking should not be setting the priorities for society. It is time to listen to the cries of the oppressed and to find the true center to see where we should stand.
In the educational field, we hear a lot about the Intelligence Quotient but we know it doesn't mean a high IQ will necessarily return good results. Complementing the IQ with the Emotional Quotient EQ: an attitude that doesn't get frustrated even when stressed, and ability to empathize is an important measure of academic success. A writer and composer in a diocesan bulletin writes about the ultimate quotient the Transcendental Quotient.
Scholars of different schools have devised many other indexes. Book titles are followed with the Q letter, giving us all kinds of indexes. Determining how wise parents are we have the parent index, the success index, charisma index and so forth.
Are we not also able to have a belief (faith) index? God is not interested in numbers, measurement rulers, and the like, although we humans have no difficulty evaluating the faith of others with our earthly measurements. We know what is first, in God's reckoning may be last and the last first.
Faith, without doubt has stages and depth. However, no matter how we go about trying to discern a person's faith index—it's no easy task. How can we give a numerical figure to pure love, a sincere heart, obedience, sacrifice, there is no way we can objectively quantify these attributes. When it's a question of a human quality, it's possible but when we are dealing with the presence of grace everything changes and becomes pointless. No matter how developed our human technology in certain areas humans are incompetent.
The universe continues to expand. Our knowledge, great as it may be is a grain of sand on the seashore. No matter what we think we have done, and merit, for a Christian it's all the movement of grace, following the lights we have received. We come to a moment when all our human efforts give way to the transcendent being which carries us beyond our human quotients to the Transcendental Quotient—TQ.
The writer has long ago given up trying to figure out the meaning of space and time. However, she has entered the world of faith where she meets the Alpha and Omega, the being of unending love that words can't describe. She has entered the narrow gate where everything opens up to her in the mystery of faith. She has received this invitation and the response on her part is only joy and gratitude.
As an epilogue, in our Scholastic Philosophy, the Transcendentals are not just the true, good and beautiful but 'oneness' is added. They are the attributes of God and we search for them in life knowingly and unknowingly leading us to God.
Search for truth, goodness and the beautiful in science, religion and art can depend on our personal efforts but unity requires the assistance of others which makes our striving difficult if not impossible. However it should be our goal, although it will be only in the afterlife that we will achieve what we should desire in this life—the one, true, good and beautiful.
Often we make judgments that after a period of time we realize were made too quickly. A religious sister explains to the readers of the Catholic Peace Weekly that there are times we have to step back to see clearly.
She was impressed by a sister from the same community hearing her soft voice, calm, kind and friendly appearance and thought it would be nice to live with her in a community. The day did come and she says it may have been because of the expectations but it was uncomfortable living together. When she felt the unkindness and had her faults pointed out with a soft voice and a smile the respect she once had disappeared. One needs to live with another to know them.
It's not easy to respect the persons you live with. People who have heard her lectures say: "She is respectful, passionate, speaks clearly" but that is not her ordinary attitude, she says. A nun who lived with her said to sister: "Sister, I know you're smart but isn't it shallow? She thought of herself as a precise and sharp person but this remark shows a person who makes mistakes and says what everybody knows.
Is there not a saying that it's difficult to live in a house with a saint? Of course, with a certain age difference, and different roles, a distance is maintained. However, when we eat, work and sleep under the same roof, the distance disappears. When distances are gone, it is hard to maintain 'respect' even though affection remains.
A son enters the military and is distant from his parents and then his letters are filled with respect for his parents. When her parents were alive she was not quick to show respect but after their death, she remembered all that they did and respect was deeply felt. Respect often comes with distance.
Nowadays digital information mixes private and public matters with no sense of distance. Famous entertainers and politicians we have never met are known to us from gossip. We speak to one another bringing up things we have seen on TV or the internet, talk about people we have never met and strangers become friends for a moment.
One person becomes a demon another an angel. At times it is chit chat and other times we slander others. Digital information draws strangers into our private space at times honorably and other times an object of our dislike.
Jesus was not respected in his hometown. Likewise, we live in a global village in which we can communicate quickly and easily. The hometowns of Europe, America and Korea are all the same. President Trump and Moon Jae-in, often appear as just another"him".
How about distancing yourself from the digital world? Trees and flowers need a proper distance to grow well. On highways, the distance between cars must be maintained for safe driving. In order to love and respect each other, distance is needed. Proper distance prepares one to have a proper respect for others.
