Meritocracy Seen by Jesus

In the Kyeongyang magazine, a member of a research center writes about meritocracy. A system in which people are chosen based on demonstrated abilities and merit.

He singles out a small Japanese TV station that presents animated cartoon films, hiring is not done with the usual methods. The person's qualifications are examined, in the usual way: test results consulted but the selection is 'bomb-like recruitment'. The results of the exams may not have been exceptional but the singular appearance of the applicant was such that he gave promise of potentiality and creativity.  

Since this is known by the applicants the results even if the persons selected have exceptional results from the tests they know what is expected of them.

In the cartoon world, we are entertained with the world of absurdity but shortly we come back to the real world where we deal with competency.

With the gates of opportunity for most sealed off. Naturally, the ability to pass through that narrow gate is the best resource for living in the world.
However, this omnipotent competency theory has a weakness. The aim is to pass the exam but no thought is given to the process to achieve the results. As long as the results were good the person is capable and worthy of praise and ready for everything. The gaps in the process are not seen.

Cultivating one's abilities is not determined solely by effort. Finances, time, etc. are factors involved in the results. There is no reflection on the process only ability with the results that we have another case of the weak being the food for the strong. Consequently the cry of the weak for fairness. This situation of meritocracy is one of the reasons for the many problems we have in society.

With ability, all can be done. Opportunities are guaranteed giving one a sense all is well, while thick walls are going up and doors shut, and class distinctions are strengthened.

This is not difficult to see in society. "A dragon rises from a small stream" was often used in Korea to express the 'rags-to-riches journey' now the remnant of fairy tales.

In Korea half of those who enter the three so-called best colleges are from the wealthy class. Employment of persons who have the time and money to work hard can become regular employees of a good company with a little effort, but it is difficult for a person in economically difficult circumstances to become a regular employee of a good company even if they try hard because they do not have the time.

In a dual labor structure divided into regular and non-regular workers, regular workers live the life of regular workers and non-regular workers the life of non-regular workers. When competencies prevail, the fixation on places in society becomes justice and fairness.

The strong rejection of making nonregular workers regular workers at the Inchon International Airport was a serious incident that clearly shows the problems involved.

Over 2000 years ago Jesus shows us that competency was not his value in selecting workers for the building up of his kingdom. Peter was far from a competent leader with his quick emotional temperament and a fisherman besides.

Peter knew his faults and was bawled out a couple of times by Jesus but after the Resurrection and Ascension, he gathered the disciples and zealously followed the way of the Lord. If Jesus selected the apostles with exams would they have been as faithful?

In the end, as Christians, we must break away from 'meritocracy' prevailing in the world and examine and reflect on Jesus' fairness and the common good values. The real number of abilities is not determined by scores in tests; the need is for all of us to recognize other people's abilities, discover their hidden potentials, and together work to achieve the common good.

Happy With Darkness

In the recent Bible and Life magazine, a religious priest gives the readers a look at what "burnout" means, a word used when one's vitality is exhausted. His own life as a religious is the vehicle by which he explains to the readers his spiritual journey.

He was ordained to the priesthood in 2001 and worked very zealously in his many duties. He was in charge of vocations for his religious order, conducted programs in spirituality, went to graduate school for psychology and religious studies, had an important role in the association of religious superiors. Praised often for his sacrificing work for the association, he worked harder in trying to improve and became a workaholic.

Work became the center of life. Often in conflict with those with whom he worked, his peers, and elders. His head was always filled with work even at prayer. One day it all came crashing down and he could do nothing. He was 'burnout". Everything lost its meaning even his religious life.

Finally, he asked to see the abbot. Thoughts about leaving the religious life were uppermost in his mind. The abbot praised him for his work but nothing the abbot said was heard. In the conversation, the abbot mentioned that religious don't have sabbaticals but he recommended that the writer take a rest and some studies for 3 or 4 years. He had no desire to study but accepted the recommendation.

In 2010 he went to Canada to study modern-day spirituality and prepared to do this by continuing his studies in psychology. In God's providence, he was led to Thomas Merton. In the study of Thomas Merton's spirituality, he learned about the darkness and light that Merton experienced. He compared the ups and downs in his own life with Merton's darkness and the things that annoyed him over the years and began to see them all in a different light. God was there during all the dark times but his eyes were closed. The realization came and his life changed.

What was this spiritual journey in growth and transformation that Merton traveled that opened his eyes to a new life?

Thomas Merton, an atheist, lived a fast life, converted to Catholicism, and on Dec 12, 1941, he entered the Gethsemane Trappist, after two weeks he wrote addressing God: "I will be satisfied with darkness alone." Most people dislike and fear darkness what was Merton's understanding of darkness?

These words express Merton's process in search and discovery of God. When we know that we will never know God fully then we have the hope for the encounter with the God we can meet and the grace, humility for the search.

"Your brightness is my darkness. I know nothing of You, and, by myself, I cannot even imagine how to go about knowing You. If I imagine you, I am mistaken. If I understand you, I am deluded. If I am conscious and certain I know you, I am crazy. Darkness is enough." (Merton's Journal)

In 1950 he encountered another darkness in his life. He had dreamed of the life of prayer in the religious life but his superiors wanted him to write and left Merton with great dissatisfaction. He thought that the evil spirit of writing, which he wanted in the world, had even entered the holy monastery and devoured him.

Rather than writing, he wanted to give his time to the mystery of God and the contemplative life. The conflict between contemplation and action he began to see suddenly: "It doesn't matter whether you become a contemplative or writer. What is more important is to live for God."

In 1958 March 3rd, on a street on which he was walking seeing the people walking by he received a new light which changed him. He was meeting Jesus in this situation. Religious vocation his priesthood was not everything, he was just like all these ordinary people that made a deep impression on him.

This realization transformed him into a person dedicated to the world and a person helping to change people's consciousness.

However, in 1960 he was having difficulties with his superior and fell in love with a woman which was another period of darkness. This darkness reminded him of the transcendence of human love, the cry of the one who was captured by God's love again goes beyond the human situation.

In 1968 he came to Asia for a meeting of leaders of different religions and expressed his new understanding: "All is emptying all is mercy."
 

The same darkness that Thomas Merton experienced, we all in some way encounter in life. In conclusion, the writer emphasizes that darkness is just the start of a new light that will enter. He is happy with the darkness and gives thanks and waits for the new way God will enter his life.

What is the Social Gospel?

A nun living in the same neighborhood as a begging grandmother, one day asked the grandmother: "Why don't you come to church?" The grandmother said: "Can I go?" The nun answered: "Why not?" The grandmother repeated her question. At that moment the nun seriously wondered whether the grandmother would be welcomed.  Like the nun, many wonder whether the current Catholic Church is really a community that opens the door to the poor.
 
The column Light of the World of the Catholic Times gives the readers something to think about with its first paragraph.
 
Social doctrine is an instrument of religious and moral discernment. Love of God and neighbor is basic, social teaching is concerned with our neighbor and the society in which we live. At the center of the teaching in the church, documents are found concepts and principles: chief among these are justice, human dignity, the common good, the principles of participation, solidarity, subsidiarity, and the option for the poor.
 
Through this, we interpret what is happening in society and suggest the right path for humans and the world. However, it is not limited to theory, but also an action that aims for a better world in God's eyes through love, sharing, and service.
 
Social catechesis compared to the past, and the frequency of education has increased. Nevertheless, opportunities for social education in parishes and parishes are still scarce. Of course, topics such as the Bible and the life of faith are important. However, to bear the fruits of the gospel in society and daily life, we must know the social doctrine.
 
For example, the protection of the ecological environment in the social doctrine is an urgent topic for young people. One needs to be exposed to the social doctrine frequently. Several dioceses of the Korean church have urged the protection of the ecological environment and the restoration of the faith community that has been destroyed due to COVID-19.
 
Amid the growing sense of crisis and anxiety not only in the church but also around the world, we need to overcome the crisis through cooperation, education towards faith, spirituality, and solidarity.

In the midst of this, social doctrine helps us to develop an evangelical perspective on the world and society based on human dignity, the common good, and the love of neighbor. Efforts of the dioceses, institutions, and parishes are required, but all Christians need to be exposed to the social doctrine for a world where we all love each other, live fully human lives, and in peace together as God desires.
 
Christians know that as a starting point for promoting solidarity, humanitarianism, principles of reflection, standards of judgment, and guidelines for action can be obtained in the social doctrine of the Church.
 
Promoting this doctrine is, therefore, a genuine pastoral priority. To enable people to interpret today's reality in the light of this doctrine and to find an appropriate course of action. The teaching and dissemination of the social doctrine is part of the mission of the gospel and Church.
 

What is Justice?

In Bible and Life magazine a diocesan priest working in Justice and Peace issues gives the readers some thoughts on the meaning of Justice.

When torrential rain hits a certain area of the country all the inhabitants do not experience the rains in the same way. Some will lose everything and will be found wailing at the scene of the devastation while another person will be sitting in his living room listening to the sound of the falling ran drinking a cup of coffee. 

 

Natural disasters are universal in extent but many times selective in the harm done. Some people are harmed and some are fortunate. Depending on their situation in society and environment, results are often greatly different.

This is not only the situation with natural disasters but also revealed in the value systems that exist. An example is seen within the laws of a country. All the citizens are under the law but not all are influenced the same. One person who has falsified a certificate may be in jail while another person through forgery or fraudulent accounting, may escape going to jail for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars. The law also which is universal can be selective. The law should be the same for all but at times one is treated with an iron hammer and another with a cotton club.

 

In this world, there are many situations where things that are universal in themselves when applied we see differences and discrimination occurring and the results vary from one person to another. Dealing with the same incident the news media depending on the way they want to cover the story can change the way the public will view the incident. Likewise doing the same work under our present system the value and compensation are different, even though we enjoy the same life, one life is considered more important than another.

There are certain universal values: justice, equality, freedom, peace, life, love, rights, etc. These universal values should be equally open for all to acquire, however, if the process is unfair then the values become choices that many are not prepared to receive.

What we need in the world is a fair process. We need a starting field that is level so that all may strive to achieve universal values. What is this justice (fairness) and how do we go about achieving it? 

In general, people understand the meaning of fairness as a method, an impersonal automatic procedure. For example, if the hourly wage is 10,000 won, a person who works 8 hours will get 80,000 won, and a person who works 2 hours gets 20,000 this is considered fair. This would be the common understanding of fairness.

However, the fairness we seek needs to go well beyond these dimensions. Because it's not possible to contain the whole of life within these impersonal limitations. Even if each person's situation is different should we not see the whole of life fairly. Therefore, we have to pursue fairness on the objective and organic level, going beyond the methodological and impersonal levels. 

To take the previous example again, a person who worked 8 hours should receive 80,000 won, and a person who worked 2 hours should receive 20,000 won, but in some cases, a person who works 2 hours can get 80,000 won like a person who works 8 hours. Although he was only able to work for two hours for various reasons, if he was in a situation where he had to earn 80,000 won to lead a basic life as a human being, he should be able to receive 80,000 won. Here, what is important is organic cooperation achieved through the sympathy and consensus of community members to achieve the goal of leading a human life for all without exception.

Is this not what Jesus showed us in the parable of the vineyard where the persons who work only one hour received the same pay as those who worked all day (Matt. 20: 1-16).

Unfolding God's justice in the world we live in is the realization of universal values, working towards the common good, we are helping to build the kingdom of God in this world.

Sound and the Scriptures

  In the Kyeongyang magazine, an emeritus university science professor gives the readers a meditation on Sound and Scripture.

Since you can't see sound he considered it a difficult subject and so for about 30 years was occupied in making sound visible. With the advance of technology, they began to see the origin and the transmission of sound. Applying this principle in reverse we can make sound heard in any place we wish or prevent its transmission, of course with the limitations of time and space. An example: in a car, the driver can hear the sound of the navigation instrument, in the back seat one can be watching a movie and the person on the seat beside the driver can be listening to music.

When he was beginning the study of acoustics he had many questions and after a class, he approached the professor with his questions and was invited to go to the lab with him. The professor told him he will begin with the simplest first. What would that be? 

When we read from the Scriptures we come in contact with many parables. In the Old Testament, we use a map of the times to understand the situation but often it's difficult to make sense of what we read. But just like the study of acoustics one has to begin slowly from the first steps.

There are 3 aspects to sound: origin, diffusion, hearing. We have the making of sound: whistling, clapping one's hands, etc. with the movement of the air and the vibrations we have sound without the air no sound. 

When we have barriers to the vibrations of sound we have different forms that reach the hearer. A small barrier will scatter the sound slightly, with a larger barrier we have greater diffraction, when the obstacle is extremely large we have reflection and transmission phenomena appearing.

When the vibrations enter the ear it collects the vibrations and sends them to the ear canal where the sound is amplified. From there the sound waves travel toward a flexible, oval membrane at the end of the ear canal called the eardrum. Sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate and move three small bones again to reach the cochlea in which the ciliary cells like small piano keys are arranged.

The sound waves enter the inner ear and then into the cochlea, a snail-shaped organ. The cochlea is filled with a fluid that moves in response to the vibrations. As the fluid moves, nerve endings are set into motion. These nerve endings transform the vibrations into electrical impulses that then travel along the auditory nerve to the brain. The brain then interprets these signals, and this is how we hear.

Depending on the space, the shape of the sound is also different. Echo is created by numerous reflections. If you like to sing while showering in the bathroom, you can see that you are enjoying the sound you make. A concert hall for which there is an admission fee becomes like a bathroom that makes a good sound to hear.

When you read the psalms or gospels of the Bible, God's word can sound like a mathematical equation. The meaning can be in the words implicitly. If you don't understand the meaning, you have to think hard and ask again and again. Only then can you be invited to Jesus just like the writer was invited to the professor's lab when he began the study of acoustics.

As all sound can be understood with the three elements of generation, propagation, and hearing, is this not true also with the word of God? The word can be broken, diffracted, distorted, and at times understood. Long statements are less shattered and distorted, but small expressions can be more deformed. It can be seen that it is similar to the phenomenon that occurs in sound propagation.

To hear the original sound before distortion, we need to examine the causes that interfere with the transmission. In the case of the Bible, you need  to look at the historical situation in which the utterances were recorded, the lifestyle of the time, etc. It is important to make an effort to find out who wrote it under what circumstances, then the words that seemed difficult may be heard properly.

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."