Recovering What We Lost in the Pandemic

 

The  New Year is about to begin and we are looking forward to leaving the   Coronavirus tunnel with which we have lived in 2020. In an article in the Kyeongyang magazine a priest with a background in education and working in that field gives the readers some thoughts on what we may have lost because of the virus.

Every morning before anything else,  he wants to know how many cases of the virus were discovered the previous day. The news is not good.  In many parishes, the priest says Mass alone in an empty church. The world has changed; the church needs to change. We no longer live in a community, the new normal.

The writer wants the readers to understand how we are overcome with the waves of secularization— separation from religious or spiritual concerns— at a faster rate than before. We have weakened the hold that religion has on our thinking. Some of the reasons are the irrational actions of some of the religions and also the actions and words of some Christian groups and persons have made religion less able to find a place to stand in our pandemics times.

Because of the virus instead of God, material things are the idols many are following. Love and mercy and the belief in God have become what the Danish philosopher Kierkegaard mentioned in a parable.

The parable is about a fire that began before a circus performance. The stage manager sends out one of the performers who was dressed in his clown custom to warn the audience to leave immediately because of the fire. But the audience sees this as part of the show; the more he shouts and gesticulates the more they laugh and the fire engulfs the whole theater.

When the church keeps on shouting the same message, Kierkegaard says, without any change to meet the people where they are, the world will continue to accept the words as part of a familiar show and fail to see a need do something. How do people see Jesus? Does the church convey a correct image of Jesus to the world?

In these times of corona 19, we have empty churches but even before the pandemic, we had a decrease in attendance. We have lost our passion as followers of Jesus. We need to rediscover the merciful and loving Jesus and live his life.

 " Let us not forget that Jesus asked his disciples to pay attention to details. The little detail that wine was running out at a party.
 The little detail that one sheep was missing.
 The little detail of noticing the widow who offered her two small coins.
 The little detail of having spare oil for the lamps, should the bridegroom delay.
 The little detail of asking the disciples how many loaves of bread they had.
The little detail of having a fire burning and a fish cooking as he waited for the disciples at daybreak.

A community that cherishes the little details of love, whose members care for one another and create an open and evangelizing environment, is a place where the risen Lord is present, sanctifying it by the Father’s plan" (Pope Francis Apostolic Exhortation: Gaudete et Exsultate 144-145).

When the Catholic community is a sign of God's love to the worldwide community we have little to worry about. It's not making so many more believers for that is God's doing we make known his love, witness to the Gospel, and live his life. If we don't believe this we are bound to some other mission.

We are experiencing many life changes.The situation we are in is because of the destruction of our environment. In this coronavirus situation, we don't give up—a defeatist attitude is worst than the pandemic for we forget the graces we have and continue to receive. Happy New Year!

Mysticism and the Liturgy

 

In his column, in the Catholic Times, a priest working in the field of spirituality explains the place of mysticism in our understanding of the liturgy.

Mysticism is the belief that union with the divine may be attained through contemplation, prayer, and self-surrender. Through certain spiritual exercises, we can gain a deeper understanding and relationship with the divine.
 

In the traditional Catholic teaching, we have three levels which are continually operative: Purgative, abandoning sin and attachments; Illuminative, practicing the virtues, meditation; and the Unitive Way, detachment from temporal things, enjoying peace not moved by various desires and sinful passions. Union with God experiencing his love and responding.
 
Karl Rahner the German theologian said: "The Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist at all." They will have to have an experiential relationship with God or be without faith.
 
For the liturgy to become reality, not magic there is a need to understand mysticism. The fundamental purpose of the liturgy is to bring forth the fruit of faith. One must understand the mystery of Christ from the reality of symbols.
 
In Romania a large orphanage reopened in 1990, William Snyder photographed the conditions of the children held there and informed the world. The orphanage 'Cradle' he called a "human storehouse". Many children were growing up in a spiritless state; shaking their bodies, pounding their heads against the wall, frowning strangely, they didn't even notice when persons approached them. They had never been abused or hungry, but children were growing up without any communication skills necessary in society— they were neglected.
 
What was the problem? The food provided by the workers did not give them the trust they needed. Children need parents. You cannot grow properly without knowing your parents. Usually, the food giver is the parent. However, the Cradle lacked the necessary workers, so one nanny had to take care of 20 to 30 children. The nanny's job was to distribute food, she couldn't give the children any warm contact or care. The children were able to survive by eating food but did not grow up properly because they couldn't find anyone they could trust.
 
The same can be said of any liturgy that does not bear the fruit of 'faith'. The primary purpose of the liturgy is to show how grace allows us to believe in God as a father so that we can live like children of God. However, no matter how many times one receives the Eucharist if one does not realize its meaning, faith will not grow.
 
The liturgy is not magic. Liturgy is a reality that changes people. In order for the liturgy to become real, catechesis for the liturgy is necessary to lead people to understand its meaning.

The liturgy is made up of 'symbols'. Liturgical catechesis aims to initiate people into the mystery of Christ (it is 'mystagogy') by proceeding from the visible to the invisible, from the sign to the thing signified, from the 'sacraments' to the 'mysteries' (CC 1075). (The liturgy is the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed; it is also the font from which all her power flows)(1074).
 
This is why education is essential in order to participate in the living liturgy that bears the fruit of faith. Sunday we celebrated the Feast Day of the Holy Family and followed, in Korea, was a week spent learning ways to sanctify the family. Would not the desire to become a mystic be a good start?

A Mustard Seed of Love

A lawyer writes in the Eyes of the Believer column on the darkness he sees in our society because of Corona 19 pandemic.

He received an e-mail from a priest who wrote: "It is the first time in my life, ordained 40 years, and was not able to say Mass on Easter or Christmas. It's dark and messy everywhere. I don't know how the year has passed. It would be just a dream to hope that Jesus' way of life would bring a radiant New Year."

The writer agrees that it's really dark and unsettled everywhere. The whole world is depressed because of the coronavirus infection-19, and we see no end to the hardships that the poor people suffer. And in the midst of all this, we see greed, foolishness, and anger which is scarier than Corona 19.

Yesterday, he watched a TV program in which a crowd gathered outside the house of a sex criminal who was released from prison after serving his term. A riot developed outside the house with the police. Stones were thrown at windows, people were climbing up gas pipes, standing on cars, it was free for all. Why were they acting in this way? It turns out that they were broadcasting on YouTube. The more people who watch the broadcast, the more money they make, so they didn't hesitate to gain attention. They are not the only ones. All of us act in the same way at times.

A friend of the writer sold an apartment for 600 million won and moved to a rented house. The price of the sold apartment increased to 1.8 billion won in just 4 years, and the wife was so upset she was bedridden.
People blame the president and the ministers but if we are honest, we are responsible. Even though the government has tried to stop speculation, it is difficult to avoid real estate speculation. Everybody desires that their house price go up. They scream and blame others for what they are doing. It is our greed, foolishness, and anger.

These days, some people are raising their voices toward the parliamentary dictatorship, which has passed the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials. In the days of what was called 'Renovation', a third of the lawmakers were appointed by the president. At which time he mentions how his friends were arrested by plainclothes police officers at their school and taken to jail without the chance to say anything.

Today no matter how much one complains, calling the parliament a dictatorship, no one is hauled off to jail. The establishment of a criminal investigation center for high-ranking public officials was a system that both parties were committed to in the past. It was supposed to make sure that there was a separation between the police that investigated and those who prosecuted. When this was achieved it would eventually be eliminated. However, according to many, the majority of the National Assembly is labeled a dictatorship, and the media spreads it and drives people into extreme confrontation, which is also a measure of greed, stupidity, and anger.

But in the old days, 2,500 years ago, Plato already had the same lament. When politics are in the hands of an oligarchy, wisdom, and justice is forgotten we have profit, and a focus on material goods. In democratic politics, indulgence and disintegration are rampant, and when you have a tyrant as a leader who has an obedient crowd we have repression of the citizenry.

It was the same in the days of Jesus. It was a world where all the leaders, political and religious had vested interests, as well as the followers of Jesus who vied for a higher position in the kingdom, they also were greedy, foolish, and angry. Jesus did not despair in such a dark and confusing world, he planted a little mustard seed of love. Then, even though he knew that he would die on the cross, he walked this path of love to the end.

The priest asked the writer at the end of the Christmas e-mail. "Would it be just a dream expecting Jesus' way of life to make a difference in the New Year?  If we all followed the path that Jesus took, Jesus would come through us so the New Year would be bright.

Courage to be Born Again

A religious sister in the field of spirituality writes in the Kyeongyang magazine on the courage to be born again.

We are coming to the end of the year 2020, a year in which all was confused. Plans and people she was to meet never happened. Corona 19 screwed up everything, something she couldn't even imagine at the beginning of the year. She finally arrived at a time when a certain amount of order came into her life and the year is practically ended.

The liturgical year however, is here again to give us hope and consolation. We just celebrated the 4th week of Advent, consoled by hope to humanity that the child Jesus in the manager brought to us.

A few days before, Sister received a telephone call from a woman: "Sister can an old person like myself make a retreat?" She was 83 years old but no indication of this from her voice. "Sister, I have been alone after the death of my husband 4 years ago. My children have all married and live in other parts of the country. I am living each day in preparation to meet our Lord. My only wish is to grow old with grace and meaning." Elizabeth was a reader of the Kyeongyang magazine and her words moved Sister greatly.

We all experience ups and downs in life. Each person wants to live an upright life. Does not Elizabeth have the desire to be born again?
Sister mentions a French poem: 'dare to be born again'—Oser naitre. Not the outer person but the desire of the inner person to be born again. We easily think that the person we were yesterday is who we are today but that is not the case. If one realizes this reality they are born again. When one does not experience a love that was not expected yesterday but does today that person is born again.

"Believing means entrusting oneself to a merciful love which always accepts and pardons, which sustains and directs our lives, and which shows its power by its ability to make straight the crooked lines of our history. Faith consists in the willingness to let ourselves be constantly transformed and renewed by God’s call. Herein lies the paradox: by constantly turning towards the Lord, we discover a sure path which liberates us from the dissolution imposed upon us by idols" (Pope Francis Encyclical Lumen Fidei #13).
 

Today we will celebrate Christmas. Each year at this time the Church gives thanks to God for the gift of Jesus that gives us the faith to live fully the gift of life. Jesus gives us the reason to open ourselves up to be born again daily to new life. Merry Christmas!

Responsibility of the Media

A Political Science Department professor gives her views on the media in the Current Event column of the Catholic Peace Weekly. 

The world is still in a crisis situation due to the Corona 19 pandemic. Incidents and accidents that cause public resentment. The conflict in the differences between the ruling and opposition politicians remain.

The reality of the society we encounter through the media seems to be full of things that evoke feelings of depression and negativity rather than news that warms the heart. At this time of year, you usually have the Christmas spirit appear— people giving a helping hand to their neighbors in need. However, we hear little of the medical staff, epidemiological investigators, and public officials dedicated to the fight against COVID-19. And the many citizens working and showing concern for those in need, the media does not see. We need to remember the press has the characteristic of paying attention to issues that are negative, exceptional, and deviant.
 
The professor has in the past focused on issues where the media has not done well and feels a responsibility to be critical of the media's actions. However, constructive criticism also requires we point out also what is being done well. She wants to revisit some of the things that the media has performed properly in their social roles and responsibilities this year.
 
In April of this year, the media established rules for reporting on the pandemic. The reporting rules aim to avoid speculation and exaggeration— reporting based on accurate facts, and prioritizing and listing preventive measures and rules of action. The media must fulfill its role and responsibility in preventing the spread of rumors and preventing social chaos. It is a good example of journalistic practice in that journalists themselves voiced a need to review the media's social role, responsibility, and ethics.
 
Prior to this, in January, nine media organizations launched a "declaration of media practice against hate speech". The spread of expressions of hate is contrary to the media's duty to work for social integration. Careful attention to the dissemination of hate speech is also necessary to expand opportunities for diverse opinions to be shared without discrimination in society. This year the media has been faithfully continuing the role of watchdogs.
 
In addition to publicizing the seriousness of the cyber crime triggered by the N-bang incident (criminal case involving blackmail and the spread of sexually exploitative videos), the media has fulfilled its original mission by revisiting issues facing various parts of our society, including reporting on the status of labor, and the welfare of non-regular workers leading to improvement.
 
"Why do you look at the speck in your brother's eye, but not the log in your own eye?" (Lk 6:41) We as news users need to examine our perspectives and values, honestly. Given the social influence of the media, we must try to discover the failings in the media but realizing our own faults in what we perceive. In addition, we must actively promote and support good journalism. Good journalism is realized through the efforts of the press but also those of us who use the media.

North Korean Literature in the South

 

The novel "Friends" by Nam-ryong Paek, a well-known writer from North Korea, was selected as one of the ten best literature masterpieces of 2020, published by Columbia University Press in May of this year. The book was written in1988 and translated by a professor at George Washington University.
 

In the column of the Catholic Times on Unification, a researcher on Peace in North-East Asia introduces the book to the readers as an interesting glimpse of North Korea. 

It is possible by reading the book to indirectly view the social life of the North, a controlled society, and acquaint ourselves with changes that have appeared. Literary works reflect the reality of an era very vividly since it is a reflection on the social aspects, and because it is impossible to draw the images only from our imagination. 

The writer enjoyed reading the book. The plot is what happens when a young woman who is active as a singer in an art group filed a divorce lawsuit against her husband in court. This novel depicts the pain experienced by the parties and their families, and the judge who took the case and proceeded with the preparations for the trial, made him reflect on his own marriage. (Judges in the North are social workers, detectives, and counselors besides representing the law) 

The fact that they had 'divorce' in the north was surprising to the writer and that a novel was written with the subject of 'family', where he thought each individual would be living a standardized life, surrounded with propaganda. 

When he heard the news of this selection, he thought Korean literary works from North and South in the Korean language, also recognized in the international community should  have a positive effect on the unification of the two Koreas. Nothing makes us feel homogeneous in the international community as much as using the same language. Also, since it is possible to translate into a language acceptable to the international community this would increase the likelihood of awards such as the Nobel Prize in the future.

However, above all else, he hopes that acceptance of North Korean literature in the South  will increase— not only accepted in the international community. This is because it is necessary that we, who are parties to unification, first come in contact with each other's life.
 

There is always the presence of propaganda in the North Korean system, but the writer thinks that it is beneficial to allow literary works to help us understand the life and perceptions of the North Koreans and work to resolve the sense of disparity.
 

If the two Koreas were allowed each other's literature to be freely shared it would be more than great, but even if it is only one way: to allow North Korean literature based on the confidence of our society under certain conditions would help to decrease the hostility that now exists.

The Culture of Life

The dictionary meaning of the paradigm refers to "a system of perception, a way of looking at the opinions and thoughts of people of a certain period." An article
by an ethicist in the Catholic Times gives the readers some thoughts on the subject of abortion.
 
Since a paradigm shift means a shift in the perception of our opinions or thoughts—a critical view on why the shift is necessary and how the paradigm is to be shifted is needed.
 
Of course, a paradigm shift in itself is not a solution to the problem. Nevertheless, we are often deluded by the word 'paradigm shift' itself. Those who advocate the abolition of abortion demand a paradigm shift in the relationship between the right to life of the fetus and the right to self-determination of women.
 
This perspective faces difficulties in solving problems related to abortion because the right to life of the fetus and the right to self-determination of women are viewed opposite to each other. So we expect them to have some alternatives for both women and fetuses. However, it is difficult to see how the paradigm shift wanted is a way to overcome the opposing relationship between the right to life of the fetus and the right to self-determination of women.
 
This is because to prevent the conflict between the right to life of the fetus and the right to self-determination of the woman, it is argued that the mother and the fetus should be seen as a united relationship, prioritizing the maternal self-determination rights —abortion as an act of removing part of the mother to be. Therefore, the paradigm shift they speak of requires the denial of life to the fetus (a culture of death understanding).
 

Is there no solution for both the fetus and the woman? The paradigm shift that we really need is first to restore the fundamental value and meaning of life. The value and meaning of life are distorted, respect for women, and consideration for pregnant women is under attack. Because if you think of abortion as just a matter of choice, such demands or pressures will gradually disappear, and all pregnant women will be paying the price.
 
Second, a deeper reflection on the special relationship between the fetus and the mother is needed. The fetus is a separate life form from the mother and depends entirely on the mother for its maintenance and growth. However, it does not exhaust the mother or use the mother only as a means for obtaining nutrients. The mother and the fetus communicate with each other while thoroughly respecting the difference between them to preserve the lives of both, in a biologically mysterious way.
 
Unhappiness begins when we understand that we can pursue happiness while destroying this particular bond. It cannot be overlooked that maternal self-giving implies an ethical attitude toward the other as well as the unborn child and is an example of human self-completion.
 
Third, the legal system should protect both the fetus and women and the institutional arrangements should be prepared to improve their living environment through policies. She concludes the article with the words of two judges."Females are responsible for childbirth, but the government, society, and men should bear the economic burden of childbirth. Through these legislative and institutional improvements, it will be possible to effectively guarantee the right to life of the fetus and to protect women's right to self-determination."