"I can't remember making my mom happy. Not once… So sad."
Not long ago, Mrs. M, who lost her mother, with a trembling voice crying like a baby, uttered these words. Her sadness was so deep that the religious sister writing in her weekly Catholic Times' column remarks how she couldn't help but be deeply moved by the sadness of the woman and it brought to mind that she also could not remember incidents in her life where she brought joy to her mother.
The sister grabbed the woman by the hand and they cried together. At the same time, trying to think of a moment of happiness that she gave her mother. "There were such moments."
When the sister's mother received a lung diagnosis she had the same feeling as Mrs.M. "Ah, there's nothing I did for my mother. What should I do?" She was in a hurry to get home for a month's vacation. Looking back, all she remembered was the feeling of guilt in failure to please her mother.
She urged her mother to go out in the sun even though she was sick and hard to move. To help in her recovery, she forced her mother to eat the food she didn't like. Hearing her cough during the night she would go to her room and embrace her and say: "How difficult it is?" She restrained herself from crying before her mother not wanting to add to the suffering. Thinking of her mother there was no time to think of the gratitude she had for being with her mother during those last days. In retrospect, she did recall the feelings of gratitude.
Why do we keep bringing up bad memories? Do we have more painful memories? Is it not that we expect happiness to be enormously magnificent, and consequently coop up all the joys of life deep in our imagination? In addition, the pain that hurts us, big or small, strong or weak are bugaboos that seem to cover over all the joys we have. Is that not the reason pain is remembered more than happiness?
Sometimes the memory of pain hurts more than the pain itself. The memory of the suffering of the past prevents us from enjoying the joys of the present. Sometimes seeing the small dark clouds in the sky we worry about the future and forget the shining sun in the present sky. Even under the bright sunshine, the memory of the dark clouds of the past prevents us from basking in today's sun. If we deny the present, our fears will increase and multiply the pain.
Even if there's an enormous amount of happiness, "Isn't this a dream? Can this be happening to me…" Bewildered one can miss the very moment of joy. In our daily lives, everything seems to be routine and no different from the day before: 'that's life' and we don't notice the small moments of joy.
Every day should be filled with joy—writing, meeting people, eating, talking. All of this should be moments of joy. Isn't this the daily life of most? All want to enjoy life, we need to carefully give ourselves to what we are doing as completely as possible and with thanks in our hearts.
The end of the past is the present. We greet the present with memories of the past. So what I remember and live tells me what I will do today. The memory of the past will be helping to make my present and the future.
God has allowed me to come to this moment in time and I am thankful and also tonight, even tomorrow morning. Of course, at some point, this will not be the case the chances are good that we will fall and be hurt. It will hurt a lot. It is then that we return to the past and remember the moments of joy in life and ask for the strength to endure the pain of the present.
The seeds of the Gospel were brought to Japan in 1549, 250 years earlier than Korea. The zeal for the Gospel was present in Japan for some time but was quenched by severe persecution, but even during the persecution, the hidden Christians kept the fire of faith for 250 years without a priest. At present, there are just under 0.5% of the population Catholic. The Catholic Times has an article by a Korean Jesuit missioner working in Japan that gives the readers an idea of Christianity through his eyes.
'Zainichi' is a word that refers to Koreans in Japan. In Japanese society, even if they are naturalized and acquire Japanese nationality, they continue to be called 'Zainichi' and treated as foreigners.
Japanese immigrants in the United States and South America are called Japanese Americans or Japanese-Brazilians. Then why doesn't Japan, likewise, call Koreans who have moved to Japan and acquired citizenship "Korean-Japanese"? You don't want to call them Japanese, there is a certain social distance you want to keep, this is understandable to a point but you go beyond that. Using the word 'Zainichi' casually is horrible discrimination.
Whenever the writer has a chance he wants the Christians in the community to use the word Korean Japanese or Philippine Japanese when addressing the other national groups but without results. Is it that the time is not right or that he doesn't understand the situation?
The Japanese Church will celebrate the feast day of the 26 martyrs of Nagasaki on February 6th. They were a group of Catholics who were executed by crucifixion on February 5, 1597, at Nagasaki. Their martyrdom is especially significant in the history of the Catholic Church in Japan. The persecution against Catholics continued. Another day on September 10, they remember those who were martyred in other parts of Japan from 1617 to 1632. Their nationalities include seven countries, besides the Japanese and Koreans.
Japan is a country that cannot be reached without crossing the sea. Nevertheless, this diversity of nationalities of the martyrs is intertwined with the circumstances of the times. Japan opened its ports to these countries and traded with them but forbade Catholicism. They came to preach the Gospel and were martyred.
This shows that the 'Japanese Early Church' was a church formed with a multinational culture. No nationality is involved in the construction of the kingdom of God. This grace continues even after 400 years.
The parish in which the writer has pastoral duties is one of the largest in Japan. The church near Shinjuku in Tokyo attracts more than 5,000 believers at Sunday Mass. Japanese language (5 times, 2296), English (1120), Spanish (173). Mass, biweekly or once a month Vietnamese (1092), Indonesian (80), Polish (78), and Portuguese (61).
On October 6, the total number of pilgrims attending Sunday was 4740. According to statistics, more than half are foreigners. Currently, the Catholic Church of Japan is overwhelmingly foreign more so than any other denomination. As a result, the Tokyo Archdiocese has experienced the cultural differences and unity of heart, and since last year, has established and practiced "consensus within diversity" as a pastoral guideline.
The Japanese church is now trying to respond to other ethnic and multicultural realities. When more than half of the church's believers are foreigners, the Japanese do not feel the church is being taken away from them, but a chance to build the current Japanese church together.
On the lawns of the church, children from different countries, different hair, skin colors, and languages are seen speaking in Japanese and playing together.
One day, an elementary school student asked his father what nationality was the child with whom he was playing. The father replied: "Yes, his name is Thomas." Before distinguishing, the father, a mature Christian, was teaching his son that the person comes first. The Church of Japan as well as the Jesuit parish in one sense, is already living in the kingdom of God. If they are conscious of this fact and learn to pass it on to the next generation, the Japanese church can be said to be heading in the right direction.
There are many international religious groups in the Japanese Church, dedicated to evangelization and missionary activities with strong resources and manpower. The Jesuits were at the beginning in charge of the Hiroshima Diocese; they are still present (Busan is the Sister Diocese). They have a College of Music, Secondary Schools, Retreat Houses, Labor Education Center, 20 parishes and kindergartens.
Thirty years ago they realized that they would lack vocations so they divided the dioceses into districts. It was late but the Order moved ten years ago. The biggest difficulty in the process of change was the uncooperative attitude of the older members. They thought that the work they had carefully prepared during the last 60 years would all end. At this time, the leadership of the Diocesan and Provincial Directors was important. You should be able to celebrate failures.
From November 23, Pope Francis comes to Japan from Thailand. Is it a coincidence that both countries have a small number of believers and the church is operating in less than ideal conditions. They are waiting for the warm touch of Pope Francis.
In the early 1960s in front of the gates of elementary schools, one would see banners with the motto: Intellectual, Moral, Physical. They were taken from the Chinese characters: wisdom(智) virtue(德)physical(體). It was the understanding of society on what constituted a robust education.
In recent years they have been replaced with 'Happy Education', 'Dreams for the Future', 'Let us Greet Each Other With a Smile' and the like. Society was not too happy with the results of the old educational system where exams were everything, studies based on rote memory and knowledge for the college entrance— which in the eyes of many determined the future, and filled the children's growing up years with unnecessary pressure.
However, little has changed and the pressure still exists and the number of depressed students and suicides because of the exams is still with us. Efforts continue to be made but the rite of passage into adulthood by way of college is difficult and unhealthy but what to do doesn't come easy to the mind because of history and culture.
On Nov. 14 the senior high school students will be taking their college entrance exams. The mystique built up over the years on this one exam is hard to describe but it is not healthy. Not only students but the whole society knows in numerous ways that this is the day the student's future will be decided. They are all trying to get into the best colleges and they all know what they are and what is required to enter. Consequently, there are many in society that want to see a change in this craziness.
Making a quick search of the old slogans on the internet it was interesting to find that not a few wanted to change the order of the ancient three aspects of education. You have those that wanted the physical first and you have also virtue listed in the first place.
Those who wanted physical in first place recalled the old Latin phrase: Anima Sana in Corpore Sano (A healthy soul in a healthy body). For those who find the use of the word anima (soul) uncomfortable they used the word 'mens' (mind) instead. ASICS the Japanese athletic sports company uses the acronym Anima Sana In Corpore Sano as their logo.
The problem comes when the word wisdom is downgraded to the level of knowledge— a great tragedy. In our world knowledge and wisdom are often confused. Those who didn't care for the old order misunderstood the word (지) in Korean for knowledge which they did not want to see listed first. However, even the four capital virtues on which all the other virtues hinge the first one is prudence and has the character for wisdom in Korean, the same (지).
If our educational system had wisdom as the goal all would change and if society would see this value, the hell that we have made for the children would cease to exist. A famous English philosopher has left us with these words of wisdom: "The limits of my language are the limits of my world."
Wisdom is to understand what is going on in the world and to think and act accordingly, so begins an article on wisdom in the Kyeongyang magazine by a psychiatrist. A wise person is not one who knows a lot. What is it?
The Seoul National University's motto is Veritas Lux Mea (Truth is my Light). Sogang, the Jesuit University's motto is Obedire Veritas (Obey the Truth) and Yonsei University's motto Veritas vos Liberabit (Truth will make you free). Australia National University's motto is Naturam Primum Cognoscere Rerum (First to know the nature of things). These are not only foreign Latin expressions as some would like to say for truth is truth here and everywhere.
The word truth and wisdom appear in the Christian Scripture often. It appears a little bit less than love but more often than faith, hope or salvation. This is also true in the Asian classics. In Confucian literature, wisdom is one of the four necessary qualities of a right living individual.
We live in a world where everything is reduced to money, consequently, even learning has been reduced to a means of getting a job and money. Classes in how to get a job are very popular and literature, history, and philosophy no longer attractive. True also in the continual study of teachers deciding on how much the monetary returns will be from their studies. The search for truth has become only a means for material well being—are persons like Socrates who failed to succeed in life are we to say they weren't wise?
Wisdom is not sought for success. It is valued for itself. Creation and the world order are examined and the thinking gives birth to other truths. It doesn't matter that there are no material benefits. If this was not true the colleges would have as their mottos worldly and material success as their goal.
Do we leave the search after wisdom to the scholars? No says the writer for is not the heart more important than the head? More than intelligence is sensitivity. Moreover, when the heart is on fire we can compensate for what we lack in mental capabilities— "The heart has its reasons of which the reason knows nothing."
St.Thomas Aquinas in our tradition was not famous only because of his learning. He made known that the study of truth was a way of approaching God, a holy endeavor. God is the truth and when we close our eyes to the truth we are turning our backs on God.
For thousands of years, God was found in the study of nature and creation. Ancient knowledge continued to be dressed in new clothes. The search for wisdom has always been the same. The book of nature has given us much wisdom. This study in itself is a college education.
Few can say they have a natural disposition to study but we do have the ability. We have the natural capacity to be curious about the workings of nature. When we remember the rote memory of our school days we should not associate it with the search for truth. The study of nature is satisfying, completely different and a reason for great joy.
Both Charles Darwin and Isaac Newton studied theology intending to become Anglican clergy but they abandoned this desire, although not orthodox they had great respect for nature from their studies.
The search for truth doesn't lead to the making of money nor becoming famous, although this may happen, it is not the intention but only the result. A fisherman's joy doesn't come from a big fish, likewise, the joy that comes from the search for truth is in the process. The joy that comes in the possession of wisdom is eternal truth.
A retired newspaperman gives readers in the Eyes of the Believer's column in the Catholic Times something to think about.
It was in the early centuries after Jesus that the Bible was made into codices that took the form of books we have today (all books were scrolls before).
However, these Bible books were difficult to own for ordinary people. It was too expensive, made by hand and took a great deal of time. Covers were decorated with precious stones and pictures and lettering were works of art. It was the exclusive luxury of the powerful and rich.
Forget the possessing of a Bible it was difficult to borrow or even see one to read. This was true for a millennium.
Gutenberg invented moveable metal type and revolutionized typography around 1440. Gradually, the Bible, which was printed in large quantities on paper, was owned by many, regardless of power or class. Not only was the religious world benefited but all of human society was opened to knowledge and information. A revolution was beginning.
Of course, in print culture, Korea was far ahead in the world with a book published in 1377 with a moveable metal type, more than 80 years before Gutenberg's Bible. But the demand was confined within the royal family and the government and did not bring about social transformation. Guttenberg was able to popularize the invention for the millions and begin a revolution.
In the development stage that followed the invention of writing and letters, Gutenberg's invention of the type printing system was a revolution in the supply of media technology, production, and distribution. With the entrance of the digital media, the barriers maintained to entry to the printed word since Gutenberg— technology, production, and distribution all vanished.
The media system has been reorganized around one-person media. Everyone, both young and old, without equipment, production personnel, can produce news content for everyone. There is no need for a lot of heavy-duty equipment, production personnel, printing press, and supply network. These one-person media producers are at the same time consumers and producers. The media revolution was one of the most fruitful in human civilization.
Torrents from the revolution are inevitably confused. Let's condense the focus to journalism. As the ecosystem itself changes, the principles of journalism worshiped in the temples of former ecosystems are shaking. Above all, 'facts' are missing.
The central discipline for maintaining journalism are facts. Facts need to be distinguished from opinions, and the opinions of the reporters should not manipulate or distort the news. You should also identify the source, or sources so that you can verify facts. This was a basic condition for objective reporting, an essential device for the accuracy and transparency in reporting.
But today's reports from both the traditional and digital media: newspapers, broadcasts, the internet and YouTube you don't know what to believe. Of course, many contain fake news. Even if it is not fake news that manipulates facts, there are too many things that are not real news, but distorted news. They don't reveal the sources, often use opinions such as their own tastes or beliefs, or use passive styles such as "is known'' or "was heard'' and abuse the use of the term anonymous.
This is nothing new for, in the past, the need to distinguish facts from opinions was always present, but in the digital media this has become the mode of operation. News providers and consumers of single media often do not value objective facts or truth. What matters is their taste and belief. This is an attribute of departure from the truth era.
Traditional media such as newspapers and broadcasts are following this trend. This may be due to the survival instinct to adapt to a new ecosystem. Journalism ethics, the legal system, and education that responded to public media in the past find it difficult to adapt to the private media-oriented ecosystem.
A good example of the distortion of news is the recent Amazon Synod which met in Rome from Oct. 6 to 27. Most of the Korean news reports centered on the accepting of married priests in the final report; the rest was merely an attachment. Dishonesty, deception, and failure in concern for the common good.
In Bible and Life, the head of a Happiness Research Center gives his ideas on resolving conflicts. Many who come to his center have got tired of fighting and before separating want to give counseling a try; many find their way to the research center as the last resort.
Many problems in society, politics, religion, in families, and between individuals, Prof. John Gottman, a well-known researcher who has studied divorce and marital stability, says that 69% are long-lasting issues— disposition, personality, way of thinking, convictions, values, dreams, etc. and are not easily changed.
Consequently, it is not a question of solving but of managing. The professor sees the problem, not as a superficial difference of viewpoint but a remembrance of emotion. An example would be someone married for some years. Whenever there is a meeting of the family clan we have the raising of voices and conflict. The wife would like the husband to understand her feelings, he is always trying to cover over the problems that arise and tries to get all to relate peacefully. His efforts refused, denied, misunderstood, and he gets angry and becomes frustrated.
In the counseling session, he is asked can one change their personality? Which viewpoint is correct, more objective, reasonable? He replies this is not a matter of who is right or wrong or personality difference but two different subjective realities and both with their own particular viewpoint seen correctly. So what does one do in such a situation?
He introduces us to Anatol Rapoport a psychologist who made a study of wars that resulted in peace or destruction. In his viewpoint, conflict is a fork in the road, one to destruction and the other win/win and peace and he maintains this is not a question of luck.
In Rapoport's view, it's a very simple formula that can be applied to all relationships and even between husband and wife. You put your own position on the back burner and listen to the other, looking into their eyes and fathoming their hearts— getting rid of trickery, looking for the other's weak points, trying to better the other, but rather really to understand the other.
You have each person express the opponent's position as clearly, vividly and exactly to a degree that the person hearing the words will show gratitude for understanding the position. You then list the points of agreement that would not be generally understood as such and mention what you learned from the other. It is only after this, one has the freedom to rebuttal or criticize.
In Korea, would it not be wonderful to have this approach to handle our problems: conservatives and liberals, North and South, Japan and Korea, political party squabbles. Would it not be a blessing if they had the well being and happiness of the citizens in mind? Listened to each other, sympathized with the other's opinions while expressing one's own and learning from each other, always with the good of the citizens in mind?
In life, many face undeserved treatment for mistakes made by others. Truth does shine on occasions after a great deal of suffering to the innocent party; others remain victims until death. An editorial and article in the Peace Weekly give us the story of Yun Vincent who was imprisoned for twenty years for a murder that recently a serial killer in prison for another murder, confessed.
The editorial mentions the lessons learned from this incident. Work done in correctional institutes is again attested to by the words of a man who suffered unjustly for 20 years. He entered the community of faith during the time in prison which enabled him to make it thru the twenty years.
He was imprisoned in 1989 with the sentence of life in prison. Many are the names of Catholics who were with him during those years that gave him strength and welcomed him into the community of faith. They listened to his complaints of injustice, helped him financially and when released found him a job.
The first lesson is to realize how important the ministry of correction is in the testimony of Mr. Yun, who was helped to live those years by his faith.
The other lesson is how often the legal system is not able to filter out poverty and ignorance of those they are to judge because of discrimination.
The second trial has yet to be conducted, the confession of the serial killer, the police investigation, and the testimony of Yun and the prison guard's testimony, clearly indicate that there was a big hole in our judicial system from 30 years ago. The question that can be asked is the ignorance, brutality of government power something of the past?
Support for prisoners, those released, and helping to prevent the punishment of the innocent victims are all part of the corrective ministry. This incident should reflect on whether the law is too harsh for the powerless and socially weak and whether on the other hand the powerful are indifferent and make light of the law.
Vincent Yun in a recent interview with reporters: "While in prison I thought often of a retrial but since I had no new evidence those close to me advised against it. God has entered the picture and I will have a new trial. If everything goes well I will try to live a life for others."
"While under examination they questioned me for four straight days without sleep so I confessed. I was afraid of the death penalty. I asked for another examination of the evidence but was refused. At that time a lawyer would have cost me 15.000 dollars, the money I didn't have so they gave me a lawyer who only saw be three times in all and at the trial, he hoped that all would be done well."
It's easy to see how blind spots and prejudice were involved in this case. We let culture, personal habits and discrimination control our thoughts and behavior often to the harm of others. It is difficult to empathize with another, walk in their shoes and open ourselves up to seeing what is before us and not only what is in our heads.
