Hope Beyond Death

In the recent  Catholic Weekly Eyes of the Believer column  a former journalist meditates on Death and New Life. 

The year passed quickly and here it is now November. As we approach the end of the year, the cold wind blows and the chilly temperature forces us to add more clothes. The  red leaves of  autumn  are all around us.  

花無十日紅 —No red flower remains red for over ten days— Why do these words of the  wise  come to his mind at this time?

 

As seen in the change of seasons, the changes in nature are natural and orderly. So, in a small way, we look back on the past year, and in the long term, the ups and downs of the life we have lived.

 

Last week, he heard about the death of an elementary school classmate. When he was young, he lived without any economic problems but bone marrow cancer struck him ten years ago. He recovered somewhat with the primary bone marrow transplantation, but his long battle with the disease slowly destroyed his body, and he died at the age of 60. His death may have been expected. Thomas, who died last August, was a sudden death. He had no chronic disease, but collapsed from a cerebral infarction. He misses his welcoming voice and bright smile, which burned with a sense of justice.

 

Watching the death of friends and acquaintances, he reflects on the  disposition of God, the Lord of life. 

"You fool! This very night your life shall be required of you. To whom will all this piled-up wealth of yours go?"(Luke 12:20) Have we not like the 'foolish rich man' coveted only large storehouses to store grain and riches? Wasn't he more stingy than rich before God? Have you been living practicing His life-giving words and commandments?

 

The first day of November is celebrated as the "Feast of All Saints". Christians believe in the "communion of saints" and try to follow the example of the saints who glorify God. That is, we congratulate the heavenly saints for their glory and ask them to intercede for us, who are still pilgrims in this world. It also remindes believers that we are to live a new life after death.

 

In the liturgical calendar of the Church, the second day of November we remember all the dead (All soul's day), a day to pray sincerely for the  souls in purgatory so that they may enter the kingdom of God as soon as possible. In particular, the church dedicates the whole month of November to the souls in purgatory. The Church teaches that we must keep those who have died in our thoughts, prayers, good deeds and sacrifices.

 

There are three maxims to remind us to prepare for death. A short phrase written in two Latin words, familiar to everyone's ears. These are memento mori, carpe diem, and amor fati. The first means to remember that every human being must die; secondly,  to live fully in the present; and thirdly to love one's own destiny. [This third phrase may need a Christian interpretation since it has been used in many ways. In Romans 8:28 St.Paul says: "We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who have been called according to his decree"].

 

How about reading the three aphorisms aloud every day or writing them down in a notebook? May it be your motto to always be humble, to focus on the here and now, to enjoy, and accept our destiny.

 

It is an unchanging truth that we will all die. Wouldn't it be like a black hole if the one-time life on earth ends with the grave? If so, life would be a great tragedy. But we have a strong bond of hope in the resurrection. The hope that even death will not prevent us from enjoying eternal life in the kingdom of God.

 

"Indeed for your faithful, Lord,
life is changed not ended,
and, when this earthly dwelling turns to dust,
an eternal dwelling is made ready for them in heaven."
(Preface for All Souls Day)

What Is the Science on Happiness?

 

Who is the happy person? In the Kyeong Hyang magazine an emeritus biotechnology department university professor gives the readers his opinion on happiness.

He recalls a trip to a resort where 4 streams flowed out from a fountain each had a name: material goods, long life, wisdom, love.  What was the name  of the four when combined? Would that be what happiness is?

Is money the reason for happiness in life? Scriptures say the poor are blessed. Is that the reality? The person who gave the name to the 4 streams of the fountain did not think so. Once a person experiences an empty stomach those words are not used.

At this point of the studies made on the subject it seems that money is a condition for happiness up to a certain degree. However, beyond a certain point that is not the case. What is observed is that with the same income the environment is what determines the happiness attained.

A study team in its research selected two poor countries the Solomon Islands and Bangladesh and compared their happiness quotient with the Scandinavian countries whose happiness quotient is one of the highest in the world. The two poor countries' happiness level was the same. These two poor countries have 1/15 tenth  of the income of Korea. We are told my the professor not to miss the point—where one lives is important in determining happiness. Country people are happier than those living in the city.

In the country with less money they are able to meet  their daily needs. They are less sensitive to the need for money. The Bangladesh country side reminds the writer of our own Korean country side. During the summer warm weather they would go to the river to bathe and in the evening sit around a small fire to keep the mosquitoes away and eat roasted potatoes. They borrowed each other's containers and felt at peace with the little they had; they had what was necessary to live.They knew each other and felt comfortable with each other. It was a happy village.

If money is not the prerequisite for a happy life what is it? The professor makes it clear that both in Bangladesh and in the long-living areas of the world you notice the strong ties among the people, close relationships, communities.

He recalls making a telephone call to an older man. He was so happy to receive the call as if he was waiting for the call all day long. He had moved with his wife to the country and shortly after his wife died. He was a very outgoing  person and after the loss of his wife he become very lonely. Although he had all the conveniences that life could give him he was sorry for having left Seoul where all his friends were. He died shortly after.

When one is lonely life is short. In an American research institute on aging, loneliness was considered like smoking 15 cigarettes a day and shortens the life span by about 15 years.

Loneliness in the young brings about depression which is also the biggest reason for suicide. The main reason for death  between the ages of 10 to the 30s is suicide.  According to OECD, Korea is number one for suicides. 

Before the appearance of agriculture humans lived in the forests where predatory animals were all around,  humans had little physical defenses so needed the help of others which made for grouping of people.This was the way we advanced. When my food gave out we were helped by the food of others. Community was an essential component of evolution. This was the way our brains developed helping one another, helping us to enjoy our lives. Do you want to be happy build community. Fit in with others.

In the encyclical On Fraternity and Social Friendship (Tutti Fratelli) the Pope mentions the need to build community in our society To bring happiness into our lives.

"No one can face life in isolation. We need a community that supports and helps us in which we help one another to keep looking ahead. How important it is to dream together." #8

Developing A Kindly Heart

 

In the Peace Column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, the writer gives the readers some thoughts on achieving a feeling of goodness by doing good.

A volunteer who was working together with the writer at a soup kitchen where he was the director, posted a photo on Instagram and captioned it: "I become a good human being by doing volunteer work." He told the young man he saw it differently: "It’s not that, but rather  this is what brought out the goodness you originally had." It was true. Without his goodness of heart, he would not have set foot in the soup kitchen in the first place." There is no reason for a young man who lacks time to work and play to come to the kitchen, where he does only dirty work.

There are moments in life that make one feel good. You are in the elevator and see someone hurriedly approaching, you feel good when you see the person's grateful eyes when he enters the elevator while you keep on holding the elevator door. It is a very easy and simple way for anyone to feel good.

Maybe it is because the goodness that people have from the beginning appears at this time? That goodness brings happiness to those who just make the elevator and to those who wait holding the door. Some people press the close button quickly pretending not to notice the situation. But after doing that, most people will wonder, 'Why did I do it?' or 'Has anyone seen it?' make some feel uncomfortable. He believes there was something there from the beginning but believes this initial goodness is buried in the harsh world in which we live.

He closes his eyes and thinks about it in the evening when irritable and dizzy. He thinks about what happened during the day, such as holding on to the elevator or holding the door open at the supermarket. And when he reflects on those things, he can't help but smile. Doing these little acts of kindness brings happiness not only to the recipient but also to himself. Some say that the selfish mind is human nature. He doesn't know which is the correct answer, but what he does know for sure is that trying to live as well as possible makes him happy.

Living selfishly may be comfortable today, but it makes you constantly look back and regret it. In his heart, the voice that encourages him to live selfishly according to his greed and the voice that encourages him to live with a good and caring heart, fight with each other. So which side should he take? It is always said that the answer is to be on the good side, but in reality, the side of selfish temptation is also quite strong. So, in this fight, He thinks that trying to choose the good side and winning the fight against selfishness is fighting according to God's will. And when he looks back later, he feels comfortable living on that side.
 
After finishing the day of serving he sits in front of the lunch table and there is warm soup and the meal that awaits. When he thinks of the kind hearts of the volunteers who have come to help even in a difficult situation due to the Coronavirus, all the people working there are energized. When he sees them working with a bright smile, he wonders if there is another better image of an angel.

On days when there are too few volunteers, he worries about what to do and his shoulders are heavy from the start. When it comes time to start work, and when he sees the volunteers with bright smiles on their faces, he is energized. So after work, he thanks them all: "You are angels. I sincerely bow my head and thank you."

Controlling Our Thinking and Desires

 

In the Catholic Times  Light of the World, the priest columnist gives us his thoughts on the need to control our thinking and desires if we want to see the transformation of our faith life.

Many in our society are taking medicine because of insomnia due to work stress. A lot suffer from panic disorder, depression, and various other disorders. Many find it difficult to enjoy life and overcome the daily difficulties they face. 

Are you taking care of your mind? It's a part we often miss in our busy lives, isn't it? It is said that if you take good care of your mind, you'll find peace. That's why St. Ignatius of Loyola said, "If the mind is changed, the world changes through us." On the other hand, we can't always control our minds, so we fall into severe emotional ups and downs and negative perceptions, and end up discouraged and frustrated. 

Many of the mental illnesses suffered by many in society have various causes, both internal and external, but in the end, it is said that they are caused by the inability to control the mind and desires well.

We have numerous expressions of pessimism about life due to despair and stress, such as: 'My life is ruined' and 'N-Po generation'. [ the expression used nowadays by the young on the number of things they have to give up, more than can be numbered]. 

He wonders how much effort is expended to manage our minds and whether we have given up on them. This is certainly the dark side of the present age, where people get tired easily in a society where competition is excessive and are unhappy because of comparisons with others.

The essence of unhappiness, for the writer, is comparison and greed. There are many negative indicators in Korean society— Suicide rates, depression, social conflicts, working hours, and even high alcohol consumption (3rd in the world). At the same time, it is also a self-portrait of our inability to control our minds. Warnings about materialism have been repeatedly heard. The essence of the situation is that despite a high income, one is not happy, and material things have become one's primary purpose in life. Not introspection, but constant possessiveness and comparison are affecting our lives.

Richard Easterlin's words are heard often: "a lot of income makes you happy to a certain extent, but above a certain level, income and happiness are not proportional" (Theory of Intellectual Happiness). In fact, comparisons makes us forget about satisfaction, and if we do not control our endless greed, happiness and a healthy personality disappear.

How to care for the Christian's mind and heart? It is difficult to suggest that neighbors who are pushed to the extremes of life just reflect on their hearts. Therefore, social interest in people's livelihood and institutional alternatives are urgently needed. But even so, taking care of your mind is very important. And the measure is the gospel and faith. To be happy the most important thing necessary, rich or poor, is to control our hearts and minds with the gospel and faith and resist temptations that draw us away from God. 

"If a night moth were to direct its will to a star or something like that, it would be impossible. But moths don't do that. A moth seeks only that which has meaning and value to it, what it needs and what it must have." (Hermann Hesse, from Damien)

A Meditation on Korean Mission Stations

 

In the Catholic Peace Weekly a  professor in the art department of a university gives the readers  his thoughts on 'healing' that come to mind on his visits to the mission stations. His words were especially of interest for this blog since he uses the Korean word for mission station 'Gongso'(公所)  which is  where this blog: Catholic American Eyes in Korea originates.

In our daily life, the word "healing" is used a lot.and often used directly from the English. One of the important aspects of this healing is food, and when you turn on the TV, so-called 'mukbang programs' overwhelm many channels.[A 'mukbang' a combination of the word eating and program also known as an eating show—an online audiovisual broadcast in which a host consumes various quantities of food while interacting with the audience].

Eating is one of the human instincts, but the writer wonders if he was ever passionate about eating. There are people who seek healing through eating like this, but each person has different ways of seeking healing.

He loves to drive through the country roads away from the hustle and bustle of the city. It is good to change the scenery according to the season, but above all, for him traveling in the green fields is more enjoyable and exciting. What's more, the country road is always free from the traffic congestion and allows one to enjoy a quiet and open road. That's why the road to the Gongsos is healing for him, most of the Gongsos are located outside the cities.

The 'Gongso' is called  the 'seed bed of the faith'. A Gongso is a community of faith where the priest does not reside. The early religious life of Catholicism in Korea began from places of this type and even when persecution was at its peak, the flower of faith was able to bloom here. It is often compared to the Western catacombs (catacombs of the early church era),  in this way, our ancestors of faith practiced God's love by holding their breaths in prayer in these mission stations.

It is said that 30 years ago, there were about 1,900 'Gongsos', but now the number has been greatly reduced. Moreover, most of them are getting old not able to withstand the passing of time. The shabby mission stations  are sometimes newly rebuilt, but many disappear altogether. Some are well-maintained, but many are neglected and filled with cobwebs.

He is particularly interested in a Korean style Gongso  he visits from time to time, the roof tiles are broken, the altar is left in a corner with a thick layer of dust, and the Crucifix lies on the floor, along with rat droppings and grass growing on the floor. He can't help but feel sad to see how the place is so neglected that was once the  house of God. Just as a brochure was created to promote pilgrimage sites he thinks it is time for special measures to be taken for these Gongsos.

The Gongsos are quiet; no hassle; they are pleasant places to  pray with simplicity. There are no restaurants around, no coffee shops, and the restrooms are inconvenient, but he would like us to visit these places that are out of the way but found on many pilgrimage routes. Only the concern of believers can prevent the devastation of this precious religious heritage. 

These Gongsos are like the  grain of wheat that  fell to the ground and became the root of our faith. We will feel the healing of our body when we put our hands together in these Gongsos, which convey the ardent fervor of our ancestors in the faith.

Hijap And Death should not be Connected

The United Nations,the European  Union  and many other organizations have objected strongly on the abuse of human rights in Iran. The Catholic Peace Weekly has in its Diagnoses of the Times, an  article by the secretary-general of the Citizen's Solidarity for Human Rights in Korea on a recent human right problem in Iran.

A Twenty-two-year-old Iranian woman Mahsa Amini  was on a family trip to Tehran, when  arrested by 'Guidance patrol officers' at the entrance of a subway station. Often referred to as religious police, they move in groups of four and check whether a woman's hijab is worn correctly. Guidance patrol arrested Mahsa for wearing her hijab incorrectly. She had to cover all of her hair, but some came out of the hijab. According to the patrol's subjective judgment, that is a violation of the law. In this case, they are fined, taken to a detention center called a re-education center, or beaten. It is a human rights violation that is hard to find anywhere else in the world, and it is a clear national crime. 

 

Mahsa Amini fell unconscious within hours of her arrest, and she died three days later. Although her murder was apparent, Iranian authorities announced that the cause of death was multiple organ failure due to cerebral hypoxia, and that she died suddenly from a fall. 

 

However, there are testimonies that police officers hit Mahsa in the head with their clubs while she was being taken away. Relatives also testify that she was in good health. When police arrested the 22-year-old young woman who could  travel long distances with her family, no one believed the authorities' announcement that she suddenly died of a heart attack. 

 

Iranian women were outraged. Protests for freedom,  for life, erupted everywhere.They could no longer endure the human rights abuses in which the guidance patrols continued to act atrociously towards young women, they were being targeted and taken away. The fact that a part of a women's hair came out of her hijab could not be the reason she was killed...

 

Sixteen-year-old Nika Shakarami disappeared in Tehran on Sept. 20 after burning her headscarf in protest and being followed by security forces.She considered the death of Mahsa Amini's death her concern and could not contain her anger.She went out to protest, but soon disappeared, and after ten days she was found dead.

 

 Mahsa Amini's death was not considered her business. She couldn't contain her anger. She went out to protest, but she soon disappeared, and after ten days she was found dead.  Her last words in a phone call with her family was that she was being chased by security forces.

 

Over the past month or so, hundreds of women in their teens and twenties have been killed in protests. The Iranian government is repeating lies, saying that they died of an illness or that they jumped from a building. The truth of death may not be revealed for a long time, as all the deaths of women must be due to illness or accidents for the Iranian ruling power, who believes that their regime is threatened by women's protests. 

 

The resistance of Iranian women is growing stronger. You can't die in the streets in vain like you do now. The women's slogan was thus summarized in three words: "Women, life and freedom."

 

The hijab is just one type of scarf worn by a woman on her head. Although hijab remains a regional, ethnic or religious practice in most Islamic regions, it has become a strict duty in Iran. Without a hijab, you cannot go to school or get a job. There are also repeated cases of being detained or beaten by the guidance patrols in street checkpoints. The barbaric oppression of women has resulted in numerous victims. It is to maintain the theocracy established after the Islamic revolution in 1979, but if it is a system that can only be maintained by forcing the hijab, wouldn't it be better to change the way they treat the infractions? 

 

Allah, God, Lord, Sangje, Yahweh, Jehovah, it doesn't matter what his name is called. It is blasphemy to require only women to be modest in his name, to force only women to wear special clothes, and to harass people by saying that their hair must not come out of the hijab. God's name should not be used to discriminate against people and violate their human rights and dignity.

 

Trying to Find Peace on the Peninsula

Seeing the Light of Hope for Peace on the Korean Peninsula in the Exchange of Bishops from the Republic of Korea and the United States was expressed in a  front page article in both Catholic Weeklies. 

 

In the Catholic Peace Weekly the writer gives us the following summary.The bishops of South Korea and the United States took the first step together on the journey for peace on the Korean Peninsula. Bishops belonging to the Bishops' Special Committee for National Reconciliation  and the Bishops' Committee for International Justice and Peace of the Bishops of the United States participated in the 2022 Catholic Korean Peninsula Peace Forum held in Washington, D.C. This is the first time for bishops from the United States and South Korea to discuss the issue of peace on the Korean Peninsula in public. 

 

The bishops of the two countries visited the US State Department and Congress on the 6th and met with government officials to share their opinions on reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula, easing sanctions against North Korea, and the reality of North Korea's nuclear program. The bishops of the United States showed active support for the work of Korean bishops for national reconciliation and peace on the Korean Peninsula.

 

One Korean bishop said: "We have taken a big step in solidarity with the American church for peace on the Korean Peninsula." Another bishop: "With the solidarity and fraternal support of the bishops of the United States, a new journey for peace on the Korean Peninsula has just begun." Bishop David Mallory said: "The Korean church has been dedicated to resolving conflicts through various activities, so I think the Korean bishops will be able to give the helpful advice to the US government." 

 

On the 5th and 6th, a meeting of Korean, American, and Japanese scholars and experts familiar with inter-Korean relations and international political issues was held at the Catholic University of America. About 20 experts gathered in one place online and offline, sympathizing with the importance of peace on the Korean Peninsula for world peace, urged them to find a new solution away from the sanctions-oriented North Korea policy. In addition, previews of the documentary films 'Crossing' and 'Outing of veterans' were held for local university students, adding meaning to the documentary film about the reality of division between the two Koreas. 

 

The 2022 Catholic Korean Peninsula Peace Forum was co-hosted by the National Reconciliation Committee of the Bishops' Conference, the Catholic Institute for Northeast Asian Peace, and the International Justice and Peace Committee of the American Bishops' Conference, and is the 6th international academic conference hosted by the Catholic Institute for Northeast Asian Peace. This forum was able to be held in the United States because the Catholic Institute for Northeast Asian Peace has been holding an international symposium on the topic of peace on the Korean Peninsula since 2017 and has maintained close exchanges with the International Commission for Justice and Peace of the Bishops of the United States.

 

At the height of the crisis on the Korean Peninsula in 2017, the US International Criticism Commission delivered an open letter to the White House security adviser that the Korean church's position was to resolve the Korean Peninsula problem through dialogue, not force. In 2018, Archbishop Timothy Brolio, who was then chairman of the International Relations Committee, made a solidarity visit to Korea. In 2019, Archbishop Brolio shared a document containing the 2019 Korean Solidarity Visit and Requests from the Korean Catholic Bishops' Conference with the entire American bishops and delivered it to the US State Department,Washington, D.C.