Right Reason

In the Catholic Times, we have a meditation on the cardinal virtues: prudence, justice, courage, and moderation. These natural virtues are habits that we need to cultivate with human effort.

These four virtues are listed in the Catholic Bible in the Book of Wisdom 8:7. "Or if one loves justice, the fruits of her works are virtues; For she teaches moderation and prudence, justice and fortitude, and nothing in life are more useful for men than these."

"The Latins, as represented by Cicero, repeated Plato and Aristotle: Each man should so conduct himself that fortitude appears in labors and dangers: temperance in foregoing pleasures: prudence in the choice between good and evil: justice in giving every person what is his. This is a departure from the idea prominent in Platonic justice and agrees with the Scholastic definition" (Catholic Encyclopedia).

The priest writer presents to the readers the trolley dilemma. The train has a broken brake. If you keep going, you'll kill five workers on the track. But if you change the direction of the track, only one worker dies. Change direction? In another case, you are with a large person on an overpass. Push the man and the train will stop and the five workers will not die. Would you push that man? Most say they wouldn't push because it's murder. But most would agree it is better to change the direction of the track and choose to kill one person. So, are you a righteous person? What matters is not the answer. It consists in 'contemplating' what is justice.

If you have been cultivating these four virtues you are a person seeking perfection. On the other hand, if you were a religious person and indifferent to the virtues it is highly likely you leaned toward a life that was only looking for blessings. Not 'wise' who search only for earthly things; not just who desire only selfish things; lack courage who are ashamed of living as believers in front of others; and without moderation living a life of excess. So, if you don't care about the virtues, even if you have faith, you are like a person who builds a house on sand.
 
What is natural law according to Catholics?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes it in the following way: "The natural law expresses the original moral sense which enables man to discern by reason the good and the evil, the truth, and the lie: 'The natural law is written and engraved in the soul of each and every man because it is the human reason'.
 
St.Paul in Romans 3:8 makes clear that "we don't do evil that good may come from it."

Beauty in Diversity

In the Catholic Peace Weekly, a university professor of forestry gives the readers some thoughts on the feelings that come in a forest.

The forest gives us beauty in any season, but the forest at this time of year is wonderful and mysterious, truly enchanting. When spring energy begins, the forest begins to find full vitality as the yellow flowers of the cheery and ginger appear. From this moment on, he experiences the forest with passion and focus.

The one-syllable word forest presents us with many meanings and emotions. Just listening to it is soothing. Whether in the East or the West, if you look for the first feeling or word that comes to mind when you hear the word ‘forest’, there are many positive expressions such as ‘God/Creator’, ‘Hometown’, ‘Mother’, ‘Mother’s womb’, and ‘Pure’. Of course, it is sometimes expressed as ‘darkness’ or ‘fear’.

Why do we yearn for forests so much, have positive feelings about them, and actually find comfort in them? The answer can be found in our human history and the relationship with forests. Our ancestors lived millions of years within forests and thousands of years ago began forming societies after leaving the forests.

Therefore, almost all of our history is a history with forests and the genetic design that relies on forests as our hometown remains the same for us living in the modern age. For this reason, exhausted from rapid industrialization and urban life, we have a warm spot for forests and long for them.

After Easter, the green forest begins to grow darker, and the trees and grasses in the forest show off their beauty with colorful flowers. Azaleas, start to bloom in the south, followed by flowers such as wild cherry, royal azalea, and the wild pear begin blooming one after another. After a while, the acacia tree will bloom and fill the forest with its unique scent.

The singing of the birds couldn't be more exciting than at this time. Spring is the season to find a mate, so the birds of the forest show off their abilities to the fullest with their singing. "Since I am cool and capable, this is a proposal to pair up with me". Some even go to special lengths to entice with their song.

Forests are not just trees and grass. Numerous wild animals, birds, insects, and mushrooms are also proud owners of the forest. Countless microorganisms are invisible to our eyes. They also do their job in the forest to maintain the ecosystem. The word 'eco' in 'ecology' is a Greek word meaning 'family'. Everything in the forest works for each other as members of a family, the ecosystem is what influences each other.

A forest harmonizes by properly utilizing the individual natures of each member, building up the  beauty of the whole. Wisdom we need to learn from the forest. Unlike our society, which compels us to join the mainstream, the forest silently allows all members to be what they are. Although it is still cold, some trees show impatience to bloom before the leaves appear, and some trees do not budge even though they are all in bloom. He dreams of a world where everyone is recognized and valued so that they can show their God-given characteristics and talents.
 

Common Elements of Tunnels and Dialogue

In one of the parish bulletins, the writer shows the readers the similarity of tunnels to dialogue.

Korea is a land of mountains and valleys. When we move from one area to another we are moving over mountains to valleys. Koreans are people who live in the heart of the mountains.

Civil engineering technology is well developed in Korea and is recognized throughout the world. This is shown with the construction of tunnels. Wherever we go in Korea no longer necessary to go over mountains for we have tunnels that have decreased the time for travel and made it comfortable with the removal of obstacles of the past.

He dreams of a time when we will remove the obstacles between people like the tunnels that increased the comfort of travel. What do you see as the technique that will enable us to overcome the obstacles that prevent easy encounters with others? Our writer sees this as dialogue. The ability to express what is inside of us to another and to hear what the other wants to convey without any obstacles or hesitancy.
He believes that dialogue is the first step in solving problems we have among ourselves.

Of course, dialogue is not always accompanied by pleasant emotions, words that are easy to accept, and always positive. We often hear just the opposite. Is this not very natural and to be expected? It is by going thru this give and take, saying what is inside without any obstacles and hesitancy that the possibility of understanding is present.

In dialogue one thing is important and that is to listen. We need to ask ourselves how much time is spent listening to the other. Talking without listening is worse than not talking in the first place.

Pope Francis in his 56th Communication Day Message gives us some important issues to ponder in our capacity to listen.

"In reality, in many dialogues, we do not communicate at all. We are simply waiting for the other person to finish speaking to impose our point of view. In these situations, as philosopher Abraham Kaplan notes,  dialogue is a duologue: a monologue in two voices. In true communication, however, the “I” and the “you” are both “moving out”, reaching out to each other.
 
"Listening is therefore the first indispensable ingredient of dialogue and good communication. Communication does not take place if listening has not taken place..."
 

Go Into the Whole World

Talking with theologians, religious, the faithful, and the young, about Christ and the Church, His Beloved Bride, is exciting and joyful, both for the doer and the listener.
 
In the Catholic Peace Weekly, a professor in a Catholic University in her column expresses her feelings when she meets the young students in her class, obliged to take a Christian-related course. Her mind awakens as if suddenly she came out of a greenhouse in the middle of winter. How can we tell them that the life and message of Jesus, a young man of Nazareth, who lived 2,000 years ago, is "meaningful" to them? It seems to be the same dilemma Pope Saint John XXIII and the 3,000 bishops had, gathered at the council half a century ago.
 
The church does not exist only for those who are saved to be comforted and happy in it. Of course, Christians will and should receive comfort, courage, and strength. Yet the church is chosen to enjoy such joy, and at the same time includes the mission to invite others to enter.
 
In Christianity, acceptance of the invitation and mission are two sides of the same coin. Moses, the prophets, the apostles, the founders of the Religious Orders, etc. all clearly exemplified this characteristic, the same for all Christians. Christ's command to preach the gospel to the end of the world has been given to all disciples. As St. Thomas Aquinas said, no one is excluded from the proclamation of the truth of the Gospel. Jesus Christ is not only a truth we make our own but a truth to be proclaimed 'from the rooftops'.
 
However, it is not easy to realize this mission in the world in which we live. In this world, values, consciousness, and lifestyle change quickly, even material things. This change is unpredictable and difficult to grasp or understand. Moreover, the generational gap is so large that one wonders if we are really contemporaries. At some point, our society divides generations, Baby Boomers, Generation X, Generation M, Generation Z, and children born after 2010 are now called the Alpha Generation. Young people are collectively called the MZ generation, but do they fall into one category? Even the youth of Generation Z are different from each other.
 
Many people try not to enter or let others into their lives. When it comes to love that requires effort, sacrifice, and patience, there are those who do not want such painful love. Some will make concessions right up to the time they will lose money. What is interesting is that Baby Boomers and Generation X are also following the individualism of young people. The generation gap in this regard is getting smaller.
 
In this context, how can we proclaim Jesus Christ, who was willing to sacrifice himself, accepting irrational treatment and insults, when it was his Father's Will to serve. However, can this truth not be reduced or distorted in order to please people? The truth we must proclaim is "the same Christ yesterday, today, and tomorrow." How do we proclaim this enduring truth in this ever-changing world and people? This was the concern of Catholic intellectuals in the rapidly changing modern society of the 19th century. Pope John XXIII in the 20th century, the bishops of the Council, and later popes, and now this is the concern of all of us. How can the Church be the "soul of the world" to borrow the expression of Article 40 of the Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World?

Forming Virtues

 
 

Virtue is a word used often. In Korea, it is mostly found in compound words making it often difficult to understand its traditional meaning as habits of the body and soul. A director of a Spirituality Center in the Catholic Times Weekly gives us some thoughts to ponder on the subject.
 
Virtue (德) is a factor that makes human beings more dignified. People can be divided into those who are virtuous and those who are not. The virtues considered important to Christians are the theological: (faith, hope, love), the three evangelical counsels (poverty, chastity, obedience), and the four cardinal virtues (wisdom, courage, justice, and temperance). The Apostle Paul exhorts us: "Finally, fill your minds with everything true, noble, good and pure, everything that we love and honor, and that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise (Phil 4:8).
 
How, then, is virtue formed within us?
"A virtue is a habitual and firm disposition to do the good. It allows the person not only to perform good acts but to give the best of themselves. The virtuous person tends toward the good with all their sensory and spiritual powers; he pursues the good and chooses it in concrete actions" (Catechism of the Church 1803).
 
He recalls the director of the 'God of Study' program, who has made several attempts to get students to study. He has explained the program but with little success. You have to make them want to do it. So he created a motivational program and gave a lot of advice. But it lasted for a very short time.
 
In the end, it was 'making habits' that made children study. A study at the University of London found that repeating the same thing for 66 days can make it a habit. Based on this, he created a habit calendar and had them fill in the blanks day by day for 66 days.
 
The results were very surprising. The children who started learning study habits turned into study-loving children after 66 days. We have Lent, a 40-day habit-forming period. If you can fight and overcome vices for 40 days, you can survive for 3 years the time of Jesus' public life. And if you can survive three years, you are well on to making it a habit for life.
 
If you begin a program of 6-weeks wanting to quit the use of alcohol, the first two weeks will be hell. For the next two weeks, you have to fight the thought: 'Why do I have to suffer like this?' For the last two weeks, it's more like: 'Oh, it's easier than I thought?' But when you become arrogant, you fall apart. If you can endure that for three years, you will become a person with the habit of abstinence.
 
The author of the book Grit, Angela Duckworth, was often told by her father, that she didn't have the 'smarts' and wouldn't succeed. However, at the age of 43, she received a prestigious award, that was awarded to only 20 from all over the world.
 
In psychology, 'grit' refers to 'the power to endure to the end when one reaches the limit'. The ability to persevere to the end creates a habit, and when it becomes a virtue, you have reached your desired goal. To develop grit, she says, make a 'habit of getting things done, even the little things."
 
For good health, just a simple exercise is enough to start with— the set plan must be completed 'unconditionally' to the end. "If you don't succeed, it's not because you don't have the capability, it's because you gave up," she says.
 
Let's start with the habit of making the sign of the cross when we go to bed and wake up. The day will come when prayer becomes a virtue and part of life.

What Makes a House a Home?

 

What makes a house a home? Different are the ways we choose to express ourselves but certainly, it is not the external, physical aspects of the house in which we live. Is it not more a feeling, the quality of life one experiences?

In a diocesan parish bulletin, a university professor gives us some thoughts on the subject and the reasons for family members to present a verification certificate of their place in the family.

May is the month of the family. He recommends that parents and children, husband and wife, and other members all list their place and role in the family.  Looking at the list they will have a new understanding and feeling down deep in their hearts towards the family.

When you see the content of the relationship we are so familiar with, one can't help thinking about the preciousness of each and every member of the family. However, there is one more document needed: a verification that God requires of us.

A family relationship certificate is just that. How is the 'home' different from family? The family [가족] represents blood kinship, while the 'home' [가정] represents the space in which the relationship is lived, the family community.

A family relationship certificate is sufficient to prove who the family members are, but the family relationship certificate will not show how well the family members communicate and relate with each other.
Not everybody who lives in a family lives in a home. Even if they are together, together as islands, the family relationship exists but not family life.

Living apart from the family does not make family life impossible. If hearts are connected in love, the community of joy with the family exists for they are connected with family with calls, mail, and with love. On the other hand, if one remains in the house but closes the door of one's room and lives without conversation one is living alone with the family.

Have a happy month of May, completing a family relationship certificate that is not ashamed before God and more meticulously prepared than our tax documents.

Human Rights And Covid-19

It has been more than two years, writes a lawyer in the Catholic Peace Weekly since they worked with human rights activists, and researchers, to organize guidelines on human rights issues surrounding COVID—suggest laws and policies for improvement, and intervene in individual cases of human rights violations. 

We need to begin again, talk and reflect and bring about change for those who still need help, those who have been left behind, and those who will be victims in the future. What have we learned from COVID-19 and what can we change?
 
They have met the families of the victims affected by the COVID-19 vaccine and attended memorial services for the dead. Shortly after receiving the COVID-19 vaccine, people have died or their health deteriorated, but authorities say the virus has nothing to do with it. Anger and distrust are bound to increase. 

The Infectious Disease Prevention Act stipulates that the state compensates for 'adverse reactions after vaccination' and death 'regardless of negligence', but there are only a few cases where the relationship is recognized. Although partial assistance is available for some, it is often not possible to maintain a level that can compensate for damage or the continuation of treatment.
 
It was just recently that the voices of the numerous COVID-19 deaths, seriously ill patients, and their families began to be heard. Attend press conferences and memorial services. The Infectious Disease Prevention Act clearly stipulates that 'People have the right to receive diagnosis and treatment for infectious diseases under this Act at a medical institution, and the state and local governments must bear the costs for this. The regulations limit the scope of support to 'quarantine. If there is no death during 'quarantine', it will not be included in the death toll due to COVID-19.
 
The issue of health equity has continued to appear in human rights-related meetings, and in various discussions and lectures. There have been many discussions and issues raised regarding problems with discrimination against workers, migrants, disabled, homeless, and prison inmates but the improvement has been slow and only partially improved.
 
In fact, there is no plan for mourning and remembrance for the more than 20,000 people in this 'roadmap'. So far, there has been little concern for the socially underprivileged, vulnerable groups, and health equity. There are practically no specific measures for those who have died or are seriously ill with COVID-19, and the target and scope of support for vaccine victims will  slightly increase. There is no plan for the establishment of an organization in charge of human rights, with experts and civil society. It seems clear that this falls short of what most members of society had expected and wanted.
 
The post-COVID-19 world must be different. Those with authority and responsibility need to have a sincere attitude of 'unlimited responsibility' and 'listening'. Letting go of 'politics, arrogance, and carelessness'.