Only Love Gives LIfe And Hope

In the Light of the World column of the Catholic Times the priest writer begins with a quote from a book on Cardinal Kim Su-hwan. "Loved ones are troubled. I shed tears. I pray. No one only advocates for justice. Claim more, insist more. But think about it. The couple was made for love. When a husband and wife sit face to face and ask: 'What are your rights?' and 'What are your duties?' from morning to evening, what do you do at the end? Divorce is the only thing."
 
No more conflicts and divisions! Many people are frustrated and resentful because of the prolonged COVID-19 situation. As we spend more time alone, social skills and sense of companionship have diminished, left with a sense of helplessness and depression. We hear many stories of how to be patient, but the situation of those suffering from poverty is extremely distressing and will remain so.
 
Confrontation prevails, the world of politics, poor and rich, religion, generational gaps, regional problems, men and women, etc. Today's Korean society is diagnosed as a 'super-conflict society'. Ahead of the presidential election, some politicians are ignoring the livelihood of the people, instigating conflict, and dividing the people. The damage is passed on especially to the marginalized and weak in society.
 
What took our love away? Do you think that our society has become harsher than before? Many people regret that there is no friendship between neighbors and that exchanges and meetings are disappearing. In fact, warm love is the most devalued and cheapest entity anywhere in modern society. In many places, right and wrong are debated, justice is discussed, but love is rare. That is why many people say they feel exhausted and thirsty for love. Why did this happen?  
 
The result of either diagnosing that humans are imprisoned within a material civilization (Max Weber); or seeking only possessions, instead of life (Erich Fromm);  lack of human rights, life, service, and sharing, so love and happiness have naturally become distant (Albert Schweitzer).
 
What touches our hearts? A column in the daily press, expressed power as a battle for position, the nature of politics; the atmosphere of the current political board is expressed as 'If we lose the election, we all die'. It was a column that awakened a sense of urgency and called for action, but it was depressing because it made the world into a 'squid game'. But we grew up and live in such an environment. "I have to win, if I lose it's the end of the game, I have to live before others."
 
 A few days ago, he heard the story of a seminary student at the Joseph Clinic in Seoul, who was organizing the belongings of the late Seon Joseph  (founder of the clinic with free medical services, was called "the Champion of the Homeless" or "the Albert Schweitzer of Korea"). Among the belongings, there was a letter from a homeless person, in which the doctor was addressed as 'the priest'. He was grateful that he received free treatment, so he called the doctor 'Father'. The doctor treated him like a human being with love, and love blossomed in the poor homeless man's heart. The core of the Church's teachings is love and sharing. This reality, in which we must face hardships soberly, is strict, but only true love gives us life and hope.
 
"The commandment of mutual love, which represents the law of life for God's people, must inspire, purify and elevate all human relationships in society and in politics. To be human means to be called to interpersonal communion" (Social Doctrine #33).

 

Happy Lunar New Year!

The Virtue of Listening

 

The journey of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which started last October, will reach its climax in Rome in October 2023. In each parish in Korea, efforts are being made in various ways to live the spirit of the synod with the themes of fellowship, participation, and mission. So begins the Eyes of the Believer column of the Catholic Times by a parish priest.
 
The handbook of the Synod of Bishops emphasizes listening and dialogue so that the People of God can have a voice within the local Church. The expressions 'listen attentively', 'give ear', and 'hear', which often traditionally appear in church documents have the same meaning.
 
According to the Hebrew meaning of the word 'truth' in the Bible, to 'hear', 'receive the word of God' means not just to listen carefully, but to open one's heart to the word of God. (cf. Acts 16:14) It also refers to the practice and obedience to God's Word (cf. Mt 7:24-26).
 
In the handbook, the word 'listening' in some form is used 141 times. 'Listen attentively' is used to emphasize the attitude of accepting each other’s opinions without prejudice and with mutual trust and an open mind and heart. 'Give ear' is used when it is necessary to pay attention not only to the words of God (the Holy Spirit), to the traditions of the Church, and to the signs of the times, but especially to the cries of the marginalized among the people of God. 'Hear' is used to emphasize not only the word of God (the Holy Spirit) but also the experience of various social classes, especially the open mind to the voices of the marginalized.
 

Shepherds are called to listen attentively to the parishioners entrusted to their care, and laypeople are called to express their views freely and frankly. The handbook also emphasizes that the synod process must go through the stages of listening, discerning, and participating. Pope Francis said that the main goal of the first process is listening to the word of God and hearing the cry of the people of God together with God until it is in accord with the will of God.
 
Man is a being who hears the word of God. Still, why do we emphasize listening in its many forms in the Bible as well as in church documents? This is because, in the past, humans did not listen to God, disliked hearing, and did not listen to God's appeal. As we can see from the biblical world, God often speaks through the voices of those whom we easily exclude, dismiss, or ignore.
 
So we must try to listen to the voices of those we consider unimportant and those who can change the way we think and give us new perspectives. The courage to speak out to others requires humility to listen. Even a good opinion is of no use if there is no one around to listen. Despite the barriers of age, gender, wealth, ability, and education that sometimes threaten to separate us, we must be willing to change our minds based on what we hear from others.
 
When the priest says Mass at dawn during winter he is very sensitive to the cold, so he puts on several different layers of clothing under his cassock. When he went into the sacristy to prepare to celebrate for an early morning Mass, as usual, two young altar boys were waiting for him. One of the altar boys told the priest he was cold.
 
When the priest asked: "Is it very cold?", they replied: "Yes, it's very cold." At a family meeting that week, they decided to buy cloaks for the altar boys. After the cloaks arrived, the reactions of the adults and the altar boys were quite different. "Father, what is the cloak?" However the altar boys: "Father, the cloaks are so warm. Thanks for listening to us."

Inequality Kills

"The COVID-19 pandemic brought us to face an uncomfortable truth. Inequality in income and opportunity does not stop at creating an unfair, unhealthy, and unhappy society, but is actually killing people." These are the words that begin the featured article on the collection on Jan.30, for Overseas Aid Sunday in the Catholic Times by a staff reporter. 

 

The writer quotes a professor of economics from the US who said that sharing vaccine manufacturing technology could save more lives by producing and distributing the vaccine in more regions, but we didn't. While the poor were dying, he said, billionaires amassed more wealth than ever before, becoming wealthier and some of the biggest corporations are generating unprecedented returns. Thus, the disaster of the pandemic has deepened inequality. And the reality of inequality isn't just making the rich, richer and producing more of the poor, it's actually killing people. 

 

On January 17, Oxfam, an international relief organization, released "Inequality Kills," a report analyzing income inequality around the world after the pandemic. 

 

According to the report, from March 2020, when the World Health Organization declared a pandemic, to the end of November last year, an income of 99% of the world's population decreased and 160 million fell into poverty. Inequality such as poverty, lack of medical benefits, and climate problems, killed one person every four seconds and at least 21,300 people a day.

 

On the other hand, during the same period, the wealth of the world's 10 richest people more than doubled from $700 billion to $1.5 trillion. That's an increase of 1.3 billion dollars per day. These 10 people have six times the wealth of the world's poorest 3.1 billion people. And every 26 hours, a new billionaire is born. 

 

10% of the wealthy, 76% of the world's wealth These figures are also confirmed by other research organizations. The World Inequality Lab (WIL), a research institute affiliated with the Paris University of Economics, France, released the '2022 World Inequality Report' on December 7 last year. 

 

According to the report, from 1995 to last year, the richest 1% of people accumulated 19 times more wealth than the bottom 50% of income earners. The top 10% accounted for 52% of total income, and the bottom 50% earned only 8% of total income. The polarization of holdings is even more extreme. The richest 10% own 76% of the world's wealth, while the bottom 50% own only 2%. 

 

According to CNN Business of the United States, the wealth of the world's 500 richest people increased by 1 trillion dollars last year, and in 2020 when the pandemic started in earnest, the assets of the 500 richest people increased by 1.8 trillion dollars. 

 

On the other hand, according to the World Bank (WB), the number of people living in absolute poverty living on less than $1.9 a day (about 2,300 won) increased by 97 million in 2020 and 100 million last year. The World Bank predicted in its 'World Economic Outlook Report' released on January 11 that inequality among countries around the world will become more severe than before the pandemic due to differences in the speed of economic recovery. 

 

In the early days of the pandemic, it was thought that humanity was faced with a "common crisis". It was thought that everyone was in the same tragic situation, regardless of country, ethnicity, gender, or social class. However, the expectation that a vaccine would become a public good for mankind ran into a wall of selfishness and monopoly from the beginning. The world has been divided into countries that can vaccinate and countries that cannot, and the death rate from COVID-19 in developing countries is twice that of developed countries. Pharmaceutical companies took people's lives and became billionaires.

 

After his ascent to the papacy, Pope Francis, who issued the exhortation The Joy of the Gospel and preached that "an economy of exclusion and inequality should not be," has constantly criticized the structural evils of inequality and economic alienation. 

 

On February 7, 2015, Pope Francis urged that "wealth inequality is the root of all evil" and that "we must first give up the market’s absolute autonomy and financial speculation, and make a decision to eliminate the structure of wealth inequality."

 

In a Wednesday general audience on August 26, 2020, when the pandemic was spreading rapidly, the Pope lamented that “the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized and exacerbated inequality. 

 

Prior to this, the Pope pointed out at the International Conference of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences on February 5, 2020, that "today, extreme poverty continues to occur in the center of wealth" because "our neglect and unconcern have created the greatest poverty in history." 

  

The Pope went on to say, "All economic inequality stems from the structure of sin brought about by 'globalization of indifference' and 'idolization of money, greed, and speculation,'" adding, "We can intensify social inequality and violence or humanize the socio-economic system by our choices." 

 

Oxfam and the Institute for Global Inequality argue for the need for tax increases for the wealthy, whose assets have soared during the pandemic as a way to resolve the global inequality situation deepened by the pandemic. In other words, it is necessary to support the vulnerable groups suffering from the reality of inequality by injecting the financial resources obtained by raising taxes on the wealthy who have accumulated enormous wealth to use for global health, medical care, education, and response to the climate crisis. 

 

Along with these measures, the Church emphasizes the spirit of sharing and fundamental concern for neighbors based on 'fraternity' in order to respond to the unequal world reality. Like Jesus Christ, who stayed by the side of the poor and shared their destiny, it can be said we too should be on the side of the poor and marginalized, our neighbors suffering oppression and discrimination, and a willingness in  interest and love to share their destiny.

'The Word War Should Not Be On Our Lips'

 

On the 5th, North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the East Sea. Also, missiles were fired on the 11th, 14th, and 17th, drawing great attention to the security issue on the Korean Peninsula. In particular, the missiles launched on the 5th and 11th are estimated to be hyper-sonic missiles. This begins the column in the Catholic Peace Weekly by a priest.
 
Presidential candidates also took a stand against it. An opposition party's candidate said: "We must put pressure on North Korea through global diplomacy and stop North Korea's nuclear advancement. There is no way to stop it except with a pre-emptive strike."
 
Nevertheless, as a presidential candidate, there is controversy over the use of the term pre-emptive strike, a concept of a quasi-wartime operation. In fact, the issue of North Korea has always been at the center of controversy in past presidential elections.
 
Various solutions were presented, ranging from the position that North Korea should be made to change  behavior through strong economic sanctions, to the position that the problem should be resolved through patience and dialogue. However, what must be premised on various solutions is that there should be no more armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula.
 
Most wars in history start with the decisions of middle-aged men, but  most victims are the weakest: women, the elderly, and children. Moreover, modern warfare is a weapon system with unimaginable destructive power, and even a victor has a possibility of meaningless annihilation.
 
If it is possible to lower the security crisis on the Korean Peninsula with the remarks of a pre-emptive strike, what kind of remarks as a presidential candidate will have any problem? However, rather than being directed at North Korea, we cannot help but worry because it makes us think of war as an option.
 
The temptation to resolve conflicts by force easily arise within us. However, there should be no armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula under any circumstances. Jesus also said, "You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth'. But I tell you Do not face the wicked. Rather if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek as well" (Matthew 5:38-39). India's wise man Mahatma Gandhi also said in response to this: "If we live with 'Eye for an eye' the whole world will be blind."
 
I hope our Christians overcome the temptation to solve problems with force in their daily lives and realize true peace can only be made peacefully.

Listening to God's Word

Cleaning out her bookshelves for the New Year, the columnist for Eyes of the Believer of the Catholic Times Weekly found a notebook from which she had copied the Gospels sometime in the past. As she opened her notes she remembered the thoughts that came to mind transcribing the Scriptures.

While writing down every single letter of the gospel every day, she often found unfamiliar words and phrases in the Bible that seemed unknown to her even though New Testament Studies were her major in graduate school. She was embarrassed by the new words that appeared. She would stay for a long time and reflect on the words as if she did not study properly in the past.

Looking back on the transcription of the Gospel was a time to listen to God's words to her. "When we pray, we speak to God. But when reading God speaks to us," words attributed to St. Jerome.

 

In the early 5th century, Bible scholar St. Jerome who translated the New Testament into popular Latin laid the foundation for the Bible we read today: "Not to know the Bible is not knowing Christ."

September 30, 2019, on the 1600th anniversary of the death of St. Jerome, Pope Francis published the Apostolic Letter: Open Their Hearts, establishing the third Sunday of the year as 'Word of God Sunday' to bring us closer to God's Word, the Bible. 

The reason for choosing the 3rd Sunday of the year was to emphasize the unity among Christians who believe and follow the same word of God as it coincides with the 'Christian Unity Prayer Week'. It also feels like a subtle encouragement to us Catholics to imitate the passion for the Scriptures of our Protestant Sisters and Brothers.

While some Protestants are obsessed with "fundamentalist" reading and interpretation of the Bible, clinging to a literal meaning, there are many believers who seek to draw strength from the Word of God and live by it. According to the results of a survey conducted by Protestants recently, about 60% of the respondents answered that 'meditating on the Bible and praying' was the most helpful thing for Protestants to live their faith in the COVID-19 situation. In a situation where face-to-face worship and small groups are limited due to the pandemic, Protestants seem to maintain their faith through the words of the Bible.  

On the other hand, perhaps because Catholics are more accustomed to catechesis organized by the teachings of the church, surprisingly few people read or study the Bible directly other than the readings and sermons they hear during the liturgy of Mass. If you look at the statistics of the total number of graduates who participated in Bible lectures and meetings in the church statistics released every year, it turns out that an average of 170,000 people participated in Bible education every year during the 10 years before the pandemic (2010-2019).  

At the same time, the average number of believers is 5.5 million, which is only about 3%. Of course, some people participate in small community gatherings centered on sharing the gospel or reading the Bible individually, but according to various surveys within the church, about 40% of believers say that they do not read the Bible. 

Looking at the pastoral notices of the dioceses announced by each parish in the new year, there are quite a few parishes that emphasize reading the Bible. The invitation to read the Bible and listen to God's Word is not just to increase our knowledge of the Bible, but rather to discern and know how to live as Christians.  

 "Listening to the Bible and practicing mercy is a great challenge in our lives. The Word of God has the power to open our eyes and lead us out of our suffocating and withered individualism and into new paths of sharing and solidarity" (Open Their Hearts #13).

 

"Justice Peace Integrity of Creation"

   The Catholic Times in a featured article gives the readers some idea of what and how the women religious are working in this area of mission. They are looking for the essence of apostolic activity in a prophetic role sensitive to the demands of the times.
 
Today, the concept that refers to the church’s participation in society is "Justice Peace Integrity of Creation". JPIC has been universalized in the church by religious, especially female religious, who are looking for the essence of apostolic activity in a prophetic role sensitive to the demands of the times. Consider why women religious see JPIC as their renewed role.
 
When imagining female religious, we usually picture them offering prayers in the church, caring for the sick, and children who have lost their parents. However, over the past decade, it is not unfamiliar to see nuns in numerous social scenes, shouting loudly for justice and peace, protection of life, and the ecological environment.
 
Nuns meet at the scene of injustice. It is not only recently that the religious have joined the scene of injustice. Since the Second Vatican Council, the Church has constantly strived for social justice and peace, and the religious have been with the priests and laity at the scene. When the spirit of the Council began to permeate into the Korean church and society, it was a period in which democratic order was destroyed by the dictatorship, social justice, and human rights violations were committed.
 
The Church has struggled at the forefront of political democratization, exposing injustice and striving to achieve justice. Women religious were also involved, but strictly speaking, the participation of priests and lay members in society at that time was remarkable, and the woman religious activities were relatively limited.
 
After political democratization took place, the church grew rapidly based on its reputation and trust as a bastion of the democratization movement. During this period, social participation was centered on the life and environmental movement, and their social participation was insignificant. However, since 2008, social participation activities within the church have been expanded. This trend has continued now in the form of the so-called (JPIC).
 
 In 1984, during the bicentennial pastoral meeting of the Catholic Church in Korea, the issue of religious women was discussed, and concerns about their identity and role in the renewal of the apostolate began in earnest. Concerns about religious life demanded a return to the founder's spirit, revitalization of their unique charisma, a prophetic role sensitively responding to the demands of the times.
 
Through the process of identification, the female religious recognized that their essential mission was to play a prophetic role. For about 10 years since 2008, they have realized the apostolate of this age is social participation.
 
The JPIC activities of female religious were organized by the leaders of the Catholic Association of Women Religious Orders rather than at the level of individual religious orders. A dedicated person was dispatched to the Social Pastoral Division (later the Life and Peace Division), which was the predecessor of JPIC, to secure professionalism, solidarity, and networking with others were strengthened. Naturally, related activists were nurtured and appointed in each religious order.
 
Expansion of JPIC for female religious is based on the spirit of the Second Vatican Council. After the Council, since 1966, the Vatican and the World Council of Churches (WCC) have discussed social justice issues in mutual exchanges. JPIC was first proposed by the World Federation of Reformed Churches (WARC), an association of Presbyterians, and was adopted at the WCC General Assembly held in Vancouver.
 
In 1990, the JPIC Seoul World Congress was held and the Catholic Church participated, making JPIC known in Korea as well. In particular, the reason this event was held in Seoul was in consideration of the situation of Korea as a divided country and the environmental destruction caused by years of dictatorship. Through this conference, the social movement of the Catholic Church expands the paradigm of justice and peace by adding the concept of an ecological environment.
 
Today, Korean women's religious groups perceive JPIC activities as a new apostolic role in the consecrated life of constant renewal. It is a return to the spirit of the founders an important direction for the religious who consecrate themselves to God and discern the demands of the times in prayer for the Church and the world. Such commitment is not exclusive to the religious but is the responsibility of all Christians who profess Jesus Christ as Lord.

Synodality and Dialogue

  

In October of last year, we began the two years of Synodality within the Church. A walking together: "By walking together, reflecting on the journey made, the Church will be able to learn from what it will experience which processes can help it to live communion, to achieve participation, to open itself to the mission."

In Korea, we have already experienced the Synod process in many dioceses. Spent time and money in discussions and plans to revive faith, hope, and love within the community, deepen our relationship with Christ, become more a community of faith that Christ meant us to be.

However, one big barrier is the lack of experience with the art of conversation. At present face-to-face conversations have decreased greatly. We have forgotten their importance. It is not only the Covid pandemic but the many means that are available for non-face-to-face contacts that have lessened our need for face-to-face conversation.

The connection with one another in a face-to-face conversation can not be replaced with digital technology. The face-to-face encounter is our natural way of encountering the other. With the meeting of the other, it is not only words that are exchanged.

"Not to talk with people although they can be talked with is to waste people. To talk with people although they can't be talked with is to waste words. A man of understanding does not waste people, but he also does not waste words." These words are from The Analects of Confucius.

In Korea at present because of masks, distancing and fear of the virus we have less face-to-face social contact than in the past. How this is affecting us is still not fully known, but electronic means will not fill the void.
 
The Catholic Church in Korea has for some time emphasized the meeting together in small groups within the parish community usually in village and district groups. Although unsatisfactory feelings were many forming basic Christian Communities was the hope: cooperation, fellowship, unity, and learning the art of conversation was envisioned.

In the beginning, the Bishops' Conference translated the Latin Synodalitas as Consultation but went back to the Latin word for fear that it would be seen as a human endeavor without the input of the Holy Spirit. Conversation (dialogue) reveals the human elements of our personality and in turn, humanizes us. 

It is not easy for us to share what is in our hearts with others. It requires training. Are you good at communicating? Can it be a heart-to-heart exchange? Most are less and less satisfied with superficial human contact. If you don't know certain facts, you may have gained something while contributing to the electronic society, but you will also have something to lose. You will not be familiar with what Jesus desired in dialogue. The dialogue that our church desires are not small talk, discussion, discourse, monologue, and conveying one-sided information, but exchanges of hearts on an equal footing.

"Like apples of Gold in a silver setting is a word that is aptly spoken" (Proverbs 25:11). We can develop the art of the aptly spoken word. This requires an attitude of reverence for the other, a willingness to hear and understand the views of others. Conversation requires giving and taking, questions and answers.

We all continue to pray that this coming Synod on Synodality will make for a holier and maturer Church and Christian. "We stand before You, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in Your name. With You alone to guide us, Make Yourself at home in our hearts; Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it."