Political Love

 

In the Peace Column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, a Korean Professor at a Catholic University in the States gives the readers some important considerations often neglected in our thinking about love and its meaning in our daily lives. 

The expression “political aspects of love” appears in Pope Francis’ Encyclical 'All Brothers'. Here, 'love' is 'Agape' in Greek and 'Caritas' in Latin, and it means that our life and orientation change into love, staying in God and achieving unity with God rather than any specific action or emotion. It is the love mentioned in 1 Corinthians 13, and also the love when it is said that “God is love” (1 John 4:8), 

 

This love that Christ taught through life and death exists at the antipodes of the 'desire' encouraged by the neoliberal society. A neoliberal society is a society that is operated by the modal verb of “can” that drives desire. Anything is possible. However, in reality, they live a life of slavery that exhausts them endlessly by mirroring the desires of others.

 

In contrast, love is not an attainable possibility. Because love doesn't allow us to take the initiative. Love begins only when I let go of the conviction that I can “do something” myself. Therefore, love inevitably leads to the transcendence of a being other than myself, violating the order familiar to myself, the world that supported my ability and will, participating in a world unfamiliar to me

 

 "In the depths of every heart, love creates bonds and expands existence, for it draws people out of themselves and towards others. Since we were made for love, in each one of us “a law of ekstasis” seems to operate: “the lover ‘goes outside’ the self to find a fuller existence in another.” For this reason, "man always has to take up the challenge of moving beyond himself" (#88 All Brothers).

  

“Political love” goes a step further here. It is “a love that goes beyond self-centered friendship, which seems like a deep relationship on the surface” (# 89). It is a love that is revealed “not only in intimate and close relationships, but also in macro relationships at the social, economic, and political levels” (#181). The heart of political love is always the most “preferential love for the least” (#187). It means that loving others and the marginalized who live outside the boundaries of the ‘mainstream’ of our society should be the principle of political activity that Christians pursue. In other words, it is not simply looking at them with the eyes of mercy and helping them as much as I can, but looking at their specific faces, realizing their dignity, discovering God in them, and changing my life by loving them is what Christians should aim for. It is political love. The violence that oppresses the lives of the marginalized, “finding a solution to all violations of basic human rights, must be a top priority” (#187) because they block love.

We live in an extremely polarized society. To maintain and gain power, many political leaders highlight the weaknesses of their opponents and criticize and demonize those with whom they disagree. This kind of “mafia politics” that unites my side and strengthens it creates “a bond of dependence and subordination that is difficult to break free of due to a false community spirit” (#28). In the hearts of those who shout loudly that I can and must do it, not others, there is only the ambition to use the marginalized politically for their personal benefit and little concern to change the world to make it a place where everybody's dignity is respected.

 

The pope wore a yellow ribbon in remembrance of the Sewol ferry disaster when he visited Korea in 2014, saying: “We cannot remain neutral in the face of human suffering.” I don't think this should be understood as a question of which party to support or stand with.

 

The Christian's political choice is whether to ignore those who have been beaten and thrown out on the street and cross over to the other side or to reach out and raise their shoulders to become neighbors, not which politician they will side with. The partisanship of Christians is partisanship for the marginalized. Our society's "greatest danger is not to love" (#92) 

 

Growth in the Faith

In the Catholic Peace Weekly a Catholic University priest professor writes about his precious faith.

He hears a lot of people say that faith is difficult. There are times when faith feels like a burden or bondage. Especially in today's world where there are so many things to do and food to eat, having to set aside a certain amount of time for Mass on Sundays is a bit of a concern.

 

When he visits a parish  to help with the Sacraments or special lectures, he meets many people who have doubts about their faith. There is no change, no fun, like a squirrel running on a treadmill, so the thoughts  about whether they should give up their faith. Some people go to confession, but they confess the same sins every time, and they feel skeptical because there is no improvement. The priest jokingly says: "Wouldn't committing the same sin every time be better than committing a new sin every time?", but that is no answer to the problem experienced.

 

There are many people who have conflicts with their children, spouses, or parents because of their faith. Seeing children who do not go to church— I wonder if I am raising them correctly. The guilt of not raising a child well in faith becomes a burden for some people for the rest of their lives. In addition to the religious education of children, there are more and more cases of discord or friction in families due to faith. Even if it is a common phenomenon, it is difficult to shake off the anxiety that comes when thinking about children, spouses, or parents who do not go to church.

 

Another reason why faith is difficult is because of the faith itself. What faith demands is not unusually difficult. When he was studying in France, a professor priest said this: "Being a Christian is  difficult and a long-term task." To be a Christian, you have to endure many inconveniences. This is because one pursues values that are different from those of the world. The ethical life taught by faith is far from, and sometimes conflicts with, what is accepted in society. Same-sex marriage, capital punishment, abortion, euthanasia, etc., there are many social problems in our society that conflict with faith.

 

The difficulty of faith is not only the case with lay believers. One day, he went to the parish with a senior priest to help with the Sacraments, and he heard him say this: "I help with the sacrament of confession every time during this period of the year but people work hard to come and receive the sacraments, but I think there is a limit to everything." He knew that he had a conflict with the priesthood, but after a while he heard that he had left the priesthood. It was a big shock.

 

He also personally went through many difficulties. Once, after joining the seminary, he felt skeptical because the ideals he had and the reality faced at the seminary were too far apart, and the seminary priests seemed unwilling to change or renew themselves. He met Father Vincent, a member of the Paris Foreign Missions Society, who came to visit him he spent several days with him, and finally he brought up his concerns. The priest listened intently to his story and then said: “Paul,  I understand that feeling. I have times like that too. But wouldn’t it be a little better to see the students entrusted to you changing a little every day?” These words of Father Vincent opened my eyes wide. Yes. The students entrusted to me are living with me, changing and growing, but I had a sense of skepticism by only looking at the 'ideal' that was too far away.

 

"There is nothing wrong with worrying about your faith or having difficulties. Rather, it would be more dangerous  without having conflicts and questions about faith  All theologians and pastors have gone through that path. He hopes you will also have the courage to keep asking and seeking about your faith and moving forward." Difficulties experienced in faith may vary, but usually arise in the process of finding one's faith. And one day he realizes that the difficulty has become a great nourishment for the growth of faith.  

 

When faced with such difficulties, the stories of those who have walked the path first help a lot. The Bible also contains stories of people who walked such a path, not perfect heroes of faith. In fact, if you look around you, there are many ‘adults next door’ who have grown up overcoming the difficulties of faith. We too can be the adults next door. If only we could stay within the church community and take good care of the faith we have received.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Korean Word for Pope

 

A pastor has asked the question of whether the word we use to address the pope in Korean is one that we should be comfortable with today. He presents this to the readers in his essay in the Catholic Times.

Many people think the title that we give the pope is not that important but the present title for the pope in Korean is: ‘Hwang’ (皇) which in Korean means emperor (皇帝, emperor). We call the king of an imperialist country 'Emperor'. If you have the opportunity to meet personally with Pope Francis, ask him: "Do you know that in Korea, you are called the emperor—‘Religious Emperor’ (the Emperor of the Catholic Church)?” The writer would like to see the expression on his face.

“Imperialism” refers to aggression that seeks to build a great nation by colonizing other countries and peoples. European imperialism colonized Africa, Asia, and the Americas, plundered, massacred, and destroyed indigenous cultures and religions. That pain continues to this day. In fact, the Pope in the Middle Ages exercised the authority of the emperor not only religiously but also politically, inciting the Crusades, and transplanting imperialistic civilization in the name of God and the Church during the ‘age of voyages’ that began in the 15th century.
 
At the Amazon Synod in October 2019, Pope Francis deeply apologized for the mistakes of the church in the era of imperialism. “With shame, I humbly ask forgiveness for the terrible crimes throughout the history of the Amazon, the crimes committed against the indigenous tribes in the so-called conquest of America, and also for the wrongs committed by the church itself.” Apostolic Exhortation 「Beloved Amazon」 Paragraph 19) And in July 2022, he visited a boarding school for Canadian Indians and once again begged for forgiveness for the evils committed by Christians against indigenous peoples and their children in the past. And in March 2023, the Vatican officially rejected the ‘Doctrine of Discovery’, which justified the colonial occupation by Western imperialist countries by papal decrees, and declared that this is “not the teaching of the Catholic Church.
 
Didn't Korea also suffer as a colony of Japanese imperialism, and the nation has continued to suffer since it was divided into North and South Korea? Is it really right for us, who are suffering such pain, to use the title of emperor as the title for the highest pastor of the church? Where in the gospel does the imperialist emperor-ship come from? The priest's face gets hot whenever he uses the word 'our emperor' when he says Mass every day. He discussed it with the parishioners and promised to call him '교종' (pope) in the parish.
 
The present bishops of Korea also prefer the present term for pope but the priest writer does not agree with the position of the bishops' terminology committee that changing the word would only confuse believers.
 
There will continue to be discussions on this point for years to come for all realize that the word now used in Korea is not following the traditional understanding of who the pope is. The word we use to address him has too much that is contrary to what we Koreans understand the pope to be.
 
If you look at Paul's epistles, the early church called believers 'saints' (聖徒). However, the current Korean church calls believers "lay believers" (平信徒) and distinguishes them from "holy priests"(聖職者). This term, which distinguishes between the holy and the ordinary, also makes us see how the Catholic Church is trapped in a hierarchical and vertical paradigm. All baptized believers are priests participating in the universal priesthood. What if we also use the title of “saints” as in the early church? The terminology needs to be changed so that the thinking can change and the structure can also be changed. At this time when we are struggling to establish a synodalitas church—A church that walks together—would it not be nice to change the word we use for the pope as ‘pope’ and the laity as ‘saints’.
 

The Illusion of Fairness

 

In the Catholic Peace Weekly, the director of the Jesuit Human Rights and Solidarity Research Center gives the readers some thoughts on education and its meaning in our society.  

A few years ago, a large-scale college admission fraud case broke out in the United States. Well-known wealthy parents spent huge sums of money writing applications, fabricating test scores, and bribing admissions officers with all sorts of extracurricular activities to get their kids into elite universities. Over this incident, there was a lot of criticism that education itself betrayed the 'meritocracy' that embodies the talent, effort, and will of the student, not the background of the parents. But why did rich parents in the US try to pass on college admissions rather than stocks to their children?

Political philosopher Michael Sandel saw in “The Illusion of Fairness” (original title “The Tyrant of Ability”) that these parents are buying something that is not as tangible as money, but that they consider to be much more valuable. At first glance, it is the value of ‘ability’ that seems fair. In an unequal society, the privileged firmly believe that their success and achievements are their own through their talents and hard work. That is why we need the ‘myth’ of meritocracy that one’s achievements are one’s own, not others’

Whether in Korea or the United States, the results of standardized tests are proportional to parents' income and wealth. High grades make me mistakenly believe that the hidden privileges behind the competition only come from my abilities. It is not that the principle of meritocracy has not been implemented, but meritocracy itself has nothing to do with fair qualifications or equality of opportunity.

Not long ago, the government's order to exclude 'killer questions' from the CSAT caused great controversy. This was not said out of a sense of desperation to address the educational inequality that makes Korea the most unfortunate country on earth. If so, the enormous impact of institutional change would have been observed very closely. Policies, deliberations, and agreements are not orders or shouts.  

For the privileged parents of Korea, education and housing (land) are living “gods.” So the problem lies not in the utility or fairness of the testing system, but in a much deeper abyss. We need to rethink what our life achievements are and question our socially constructed capacities.  

As long as the vain ideology of success and ability is left intact, private education and the ranking of universities will never disappear even if the exam system is changed. Why are we educated? Education has an 'inherent value', which is good in itself and not because of anything else. It is to achieve human welfare and happiness by cultivating knowledge, skills, attitudes, and inclinations that are helpful not only for myself but also for others. The power of education enables us to grow and change, and to become people who contribute to the well-being of others. This process is dynamic in that not only schools but also families and communities as a whole are involved in education.The face of education is the face of society.  

When we see education as a tool to determine status rather than its original aspect, the face of society changes completely. In an environment where only a few are winners and the rest are losers, everyone ends up in an unhappy society. If we've experienced these failures, shouldn't we go about changing it now?

Pope Benedict XVI made this request. “The educational field is the place where God is with us and gives life to our work. Here our young people find the joy of entering into Christ who exists for others. It is moving from 'I' to 'we' and becoming a member of God's people.” ('Meeting with Catholic Educators', April 17, 2008) How far is the distance between the person who insists on claiming his talent as mine and tries to pass it on at any cost and the person who considers it a privilege that is owed to others? Between the two there is a world of difference.

St. Francis de Sales and Spirituality

In the Peace Column of Catholic Peace Weekly, the director of an Apostolate for the Laity gives the reader his thoughts on the laity's spirituality.

There is a story that has been around for a long time about the spiritual or religious life. Contemplation, prayer, or activity—What comes first? Those who argue that contemplation comes first base their arguments on Jesus' words to Martha and Mary. "Martha, Martha! You worry about many things. But only one thing is needed. Mary chose the better portion" (Luke 10:42). On the other hand, those who insist that action comes first, are based on: "Faith without works is dead" (James 2:17).

Traditionally, it seems that the argument is that contemplation, that is, prayer comes first, has a relative advantage over activity. And this led to the idea that contemplative monasticism is better than active religious life. In addition, the life of religious and clergy is a higher calling than that of lay people. However, the Second Vatican Council made it clear: "Every Christian, in whatever state of life or position they are called, is called by the Lord in 'everyone's own way' to reach 'full holiness', just as God the Father is perfect" (LG 11).
 
Despite these Council teachings, many lay people still place the priestly or religious life above the lay life. Certainly, a layperson with all kinds of worries about their daily life would at times yearn for the life of a religious. This is even when they want to spend time alone in prayer. In this reality, they wonder how they can lead a spiritual life in which prayer, work, contemplation, and activity are harmonized?

Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622), Bishop of Annecy, who died 400 years ago, offers an excellent prescription for this. The saint explains: "Contemplation itself is better than action or life in action. But better still if you find a deeper union (with God) in a life of action." Do not separate contemplation and activity, but seek unity with God while offering the activity itself to God

These words of a saint are in line with those of American human rights activist Reverend Martin Luther King (1929-1968). It means putting your soul into your work. If you are a street sweeper… Clean the streets like Michelangelo painted… Clean the streets like Shakespeare wrote his poems. Sweep the streets to such an extent that the myriads of heaven and earth are forced to stop and say, 'Here lived an excellent street sweeper who did his job well'.
 

Saint Francis de Sales further explained false piety in this way: "Some who are devoted to fasting… think themselves faithful because they do not eat. While some would not let even a drop of alcohol or water wet their tongues, and yet have no difficulty with gossip and slander. Others will consider themselves sincere because they recite prayers all day long, not paying attention to their evil, proud, hurtful words. Another is willing to open their wallet to give alms to the poor, but cannot find the meekness to forgive their enemies. All these good people are generally considered faithful, but they are not.

On Dec. 28, Pope Francis issued his Apostolic Letter, "Everything Belongs to Love," to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Saint Francis de Sales' death. The full text of this letter was translated into Korean and posted on the Bishops' Conference homepage on June 14th. It is about 10 pages long, but it is a document full of nourishment for this age's spiritual life. He recommends all believers read it thoroughly.

 

The Culture Of Life

A Catholic University philosophy professor wants the readers of the Catholic Peace Weekly to do something about the culture of death that he sees all around us.

The encyclical 「The Gospel of Life」(1995) defines modern culture as a culture of death and emphasizes the duty of Christians to restore the culture of life. Pointing out that "the culture of death and various unprecedented threats to human life are increasing." The writer emphasizes the need for a gospel about the greatness and nobility of life. Although this encyclical points out the cultural phenomenon of death faced from various angles so also the crisis that life faces is many-sided.

As the Encyclical points out, "new forms of threats to human dignity are spreading along with the new prospects made possible by the development of science and technology" (The Gospel of Life). In addition, capitalism and the liberal political economic system, which brought us unprecedented economic prosperity and enabled us to enjoy political freedom, are also destroying human life.

Almost 30 years after the encyclical was published, the phenomenon referred to as the culture of death is growing out of control, rather than decreasing. Are we, as Christians, properly fulfilling our God-given task of life? Rather, aren't we living while abandoning the task of being a Christian, being seduced by the material success and abundance that modern society has brought us?  

In Greek philosophy, which verbalized life, this word life distinguished between organic life (zoe) and life (bios) that we are living. Of course, this word is used differently depending on the era. (can we say that life seen obectively is zoe, and bios is the  life of the physical body, or the psychological life of the human soul).

Therefore, the professor was able to understand the soul that makes life by connecting it with breath. The Spirit of God is the breath of God, meaning the wind of life. The soul is the breath of life (pneuma), and it refers to the principle and substance that makes life life. Life without a soul does not exist. The soul is the power that gives life life, its essential principle, its purpose, and its meaning. 

Humans, who embody life itself, are beings with organic life and the reality of life, and furthermore, have the duty to make their souls give life. Life can only be life when all these dimensions are integrated. Also, only at that time, human beings can carry out the task of life given by God, the duty to protect the reason for the existence of all life on earth by naming it.

However, human beings are now destroying the foundations of life and driving life itself to destruction. This warning of destruction is not just a warning of ecological crisis or extinction of life. Looking back at Korean society, various indicators related to life are at the bottom of OECD countries. The low birth rate, which does not change even after spending more than 100 trillion won, and the youth suicide rate, which is the highest index, have not changed for several years. Social inequality is an important cause that threatens the dignity of life. Nevertheless, the understanding of spirituality is difficult to find.

We have to make a U-turn. Pope John XXIII said: "If you want peace, change your life!" If warnings about life are overflowing and life is moving towards a culture of death, this path needs to be changed. If the soul of life is dying and we are not responding to the voice of the soul, the spirituality of life must be restored. To save our existence and the lives of all beings, we must listen to the sound of life.

 

 

 

Remembering Chernobyl

In the Eyes of the Clergy column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, we are given some of the facts behind a few items in today's world news.

Alla Yarosinskaya, a former member of the Supreme Soviet of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, used a 600-page report on the Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident that the Soviet Union had thoroughly concealed after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The report described how the Soviet Union fabricated and concealed the truth about the Chernobyl nuclear accident in Ukraine. Yarosinskaya, who obtained the report, exposes the truth of Chernobyl in a book titled "Chernobyl, The Hidden Truth" (Crime Without Punishment) long after the nuclear accident.
 
According to Yarosinskaya, at the time of the Chernobyl accident, the Soviet authorities knew the damage was serious, but thoroughly concealed it. The standard values were manipulated to reduce the number of radiation exposure victims and changed to deaths from natural causes. With the state's lies, the Chernobyl nuclear power plant explosion looked like a small accident, but the people suffered greatly. Diseases such as cancer and leukemia have led to a great increase in premature deaths and numerous birth defects. Alla Yarosinskaya, who faced the truth long after the nuclear accident, confesses: "The most dangerous material from the Chernobyl nuclear power plant is neither cesium nor plutonium, it is a lie."
 
The discharge of contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant in Japan has entered a countdown. Tokyo Electric Power Company has virtually finished the construction of the water tunnel from the nuclear power plant to the sea and has begun sending seawater into the water tunnel. Experts expect that Japan will begin discharging the water after the final investigation by the International Atomic Energy Agency this month. Currently, 1.33 million tons of contaminated water are stored in the tank, and once discharged, the contaminated water will flow into the sea continuously for the next 28 years. Ahead of Japan's discharge of contaminated water, we repeat Yarosinskaya's point. It is the lie of the state.
 
The former prime minister, himself was a pro-nuclear power plant proponent who pushed for nuclear power, but after he learned the truth about nuclear power, he confesses that he has now become an anti-nuclear activist. Despite numerous Japanese declarations of conscience, including the former prime minister, we do not fully know the truth about the Fukushima nuclear power plant.
 

Buddhist monks visited the Japanese embassy to condemn Japan's discharge of contaminated water, and Catholic nuns visited the Japanese embassy to urge an official apology for the comfort women issue. On the spot, the monks and nuns who are working with truth prayed together. The nation marched together to tell us not to lie and to tell the truth and apologize if we did not. I don't know if it's because the nuns read the lies of the state that covered the truth, from comfort women, and the monks from the victims of Fukushima and Chernobyl.
 
Therefore, the discharge of contaminated water is an ethical issue. Our judgment on whether the state is lying or not is important. We must look at the discharge of contaminated water in Fukushima with reverence for the life given by the Creator. The writer wonders if the people who have improved their environmental knowledge with RE100 should be the ecological ethics experts in our society. [RE100 is the global corporate renewable energy initiative bringing together hundreds of businesses committed to 100% renewable electricity]