The Future Parish Communities

 

In the Catholic Times in its Theological Lecture Hall column, the Director of the Catholic Culture and Theology Institute gives readers some helpful advice on how to develop our communities.
 

■ Honest diagnosis of parish reality— Parishes are returning to pre-corona status. Of course, it has not completely returned to its pre-COVID-19 state, and it may not be completely restored.

In the past, many things were done in the parish. Believers spend a lot of time in the parish. It seems that believers spend hardly any time in the parish these days, except attending Sunday Mass. The amount of external time the faithful spend at the parish cannot be a measure of the parish's vitality. However, it would be sad if the parish was just a place to attend Mass.

Individualism and materialism in modern society make people increasingly indifferent to the community. They live for external and material pleasures rather than internal pleasures. In addition, consumerism, the biggest characteristic of modern capitalism, allows even faith to be a matter of consumption. Consequently, the parishioners' life feels like an annoying restriction and restraint. In fact, compared to the past, people's expectations for parishes are much lower. The lowered level of expectations and the parish structure that does not satisfy people's healthy desire and desire for religion are intertwined, further reducing parish vitality.

Is it possible for one priest to pastorally care for hundreds of believers? Could it be that the majority of believers are just participating in the Sunday Mass without a soul? Could it be that we are living a life of faith that seeks only relief and self-consolation rather than community service and dedication? Could it be that the absence of continuous education on faith and spirituality and the operation of a parish centered on a minority are driving believers to lead a passive inactive parish life?
 

Recognized Community of Faith — The church is a community that recognizes and embraces all others in the faith. The healthy interest and recognition of others also give us comfort and strength in the arduous journey of life. As long as we live in relationships with others, we ask for the attention, love, and recognition of others. Healthy attention, love, and recognition make us independent and able to grow.

In all organizations and communities, some form of accreditation system is operating. Sometimes emotional intimacy, sometimes blood ties, and sometimes the depth of various ties affect the recognition system. However, most secular recognition systems are based on capital, power, and ability. To be a church means to be a recognized community of faith. In the early church days, church communities were attractive to people because of their unique recognition system. We practiced interest, love, and recognition for each other only in faith, not in the way of secular recognition. Rich or poor, nobility or slaves, they lived as brothers and sisters in the faith.

What type of accreditation system is operating in today's parish community? Is the recognition of each other only in faith? Is it possible that the secular recognition system is still working in the parish? How do we build a correct recognition system for the Christian faith?

The way the church has pursued large-scale and external growth must change. The life of faith in the future will be centered on small communities. The physical radius within which people can emotionally feel a sense of belonging and intimacy is not very wide. A faith community of intimacy and communion centered on small gatherings is desperately needed.

Faith gatherings in the form of large gatherings will be reduced. Small gatherings can spread and develop into larger gatherings, but it becomes increasingly impossible for strangers to gather and form large gatherings from scratch. Of course, large gatherings that occur in sports and entertainment areas may be possible to some extent in religious events. But events always end at events. Events may provide some stimulation, but no community of faith is formed through events. A true community of faith is always formed based on everyday life.

The experience of the corona pandemic can be a paradoxical medium that promotes the church's small community movement. Faith will be practiced in various places of daily life rather than developing a life of faith centered on a fixed space called a church. The place where we live together will become a community and become a church. The parish of the future will serve as an intermediary to unite and unite these small communities.

The pastoral care of the parish should also take place in the form of a small community. True encounters, dialogue, and communion are always possible only in small groups. If only the celebration of the sacraments takes place in the form of large assemblies, and if the religious spirit of the believers is not transformed into personal faith, that is, if the faith of the believers operates only in the realm of the parish and not in all places of life, then Christianity will simply fall into a cultural religion.
 

In particular, "personal spiritual companionship will be the most important and most necessary pastoral task of the church". The orientation and purpose of spiritual companionship is to cultivate a contemplative attitude toward the world and one's life. To be able to practice spiritual walking, one must become a spiritual and contemplative person. The ministry of spiritual accompaniment must not be reduced to the clergy alone or to the realm of special pastoral care. The duty of spiritual companionship is a duty that all believers must perform.

In modern society, a new type of community is needed to radiate the presence and charisma of faith. The traditional parish community format alone will not respond well to the challenges of modern society. In fact, new interpretations and ideals of the community are re-emerging today. But we will not give up the form of the parish. There is an urgent need for a new form and content of parish composition and management that can revive the essence, purpose, and orientation of the parish. 

A new type of community will emerge, a new center where clergy and laity can jointly share the Gospel. "Centers especially for spirituality and spiritual accompaniment" may become the center of pastoral and religious life. The parish of the future should be a place not only for the celebration of the liturgy and sacraments but also for synodalitas meetings and dialogues between the People of God, true education in the faith, spiritual formation and accompaniment, communion, service, and charity towards the world.

War Orphans Remembered

The News Desk Director of the Catholic Peace Weekly reminds us that July 27th is the 70th Anniversary of the end of the Korean War.

The Korean War lasted for three years and a month. The director mentions how terrible the experience was for him. But two operations reflected a tearful and warm desire for the return of humanity. In December 1950, there was the "Heungnam withdrawal operation" on the sea road and the "Kiddy Car Airlift" on the sky road. This was the 'Miracle of Christmas'.

Captain Leonard LaRue of the Meredith Victory, an American transport ship carrying 14,000 refugees, and Col. Russell Blaisdell, chaplain of the US 5th Air Force, evacuated 1,000 war orphans from Seoul to Jeju Island by truck and C-54 transport. The two went beyond heroes of the Korean War and became symbols of humanism.

Colonel Blazdel, who escaped with the war orphans safely under fire, was handed over to a military trial for disobedience to orders, said: "If my mission is to let children die, I will be discharged immediately." Colonel Dean Hess, a fighter pilot who joined the operation said: "We are fighting for victory, but what's the point of victory if all the children are gone?"

The biggest victims of the war are children. Children do not know what war is or why it is fought. They are separated from their parents by war, taken away from home, hungry and terrified. The right to run and play, study, and dream is taken away. They don't feel the warmth of family life. Pope Francis urges those responsible to stop the shameful and destructive war committed by adults, saying: "The cries of children who have been deprived of basic rights by the war continue to increase.
 
More than 4.5 million soldiers and civilians were killed in the Korean War. More than 10 million separated families and more than 100,000 war orphans were born. The Ukrainian war, which began with the Russian invasion has lasted for a year and five months, and so far exceeded 1.5 million refugees. 500,000 children have fled, and among them, it is estimated that 19,500 Ukrainian children were kidnapped and taken by Russia.

I met a person who lost both his parents in the Korean War and was sent to a  nursery school as an orphan at a young age. He healed the wounds of the war with faith and became a professor through tribulation, and he said this about the hardships of his hard life. "No matter the difficulties, the prejudice that was not recognized by society  because I was an orphan was the heaviest cross." Still, he recalled that he was able to overcome the difficulties with his faith in the Lord.

The desperate efforts of a Ukrainian mother, who wrote her name, date of birth, and contact number on the back of a two-year-old child for fear of becoming an orphan of war, touched the hearts of people around the world. "Even if my husband and I die, my daughter will know who she is." The photo of the child, known on social media, was a tearful cry and pain from parents informing us of the horrors of war and to protect their daughter.

Now, the Vatican is struggling with humanitarian mediation diplomacy (peace mission) to return Ukrainian war orphans who were taken to Russia to their parents. It is an opinion that humanitarian action should come first, whether it is a truce or an end. Pope Francis believes that the war can be stopped only when an environment is created to continue dialogue rather than exchanging shells. "I am willing to do everything that must be done. Peace is made through open channels. Don't say things aren't going well. You can create a situation. Let's stop the battle of destruction. Peace is not a dream, but a way for us to live."

The cries of Korean war orphans 70 years ago are coming from the battlefield far away: "Mom! dad! teacher! friends! Sister! I miss you all." We all hope that the Lord will help the return of these war orphans and add our own prayers to those of so many in the world today.

Paradox of Alcoholic Harm

A professor in the Social Welfare Department of a Catholic University gives the readers of Catholic Peace Weekly some interesting insights into the problems of alcohol addiction.

Orthodoxy is a theory recognized as dominant among various theories or claims. A paradox is a claim opposed to an established theory. The claim that drinking a lot of alcohol causes harm from drinking is an established theory. Most people understand this from their experience.
 
Contrary to orthodox theory, however, the drinking level among the low-income class is either the same or lower, yet the levels of harm associated with drinking are higher. Drinking harmful effects have been verified in several studies. Studies on this were conducted mainly in Europe. In a study that analyzed data collected from 1700 adults, people with a lower socioeconomic level drank less alcohol than those with a higher income. However, they experienced more harm from drinking.
 
A study conducted in the UK also compared areas with the highest levels of socioeconomic deprivation and those with the lowest levels of deprivation. The levels of alcohol consumption were similar in both areas or lower in areas with higher levels of deprivation, but alcohol-related mortality rates were greater in areas with higher levels of deprivation. The paradox of drinking harmful effects was also confirmed in a study in Korea. It was found that the low-income class experienced more severe harm from drinking than the high-income class, even though they did not drink more.
 
To express the meaning of the paradox of drinking harms differently, it means that there is a gap between classes in the harm that comes with drinking. Our society is divided into income and health inequality. However, inequality in drinking harmful effects also exists.
 

Then, why do low-income people experience more drinking harm? This involves various factors. First, limited access to medical services. The low-income class may experience more harm from drinking as they cannot use necessary medical services in a timely manner due to medical expenses or poor working conditions such as overtime and holiday work.
 
Second, low-income groups are more likely to engage in health-risk behaviors. Smoking is a representative health risk behavior, and the smoking rate is higher in the less-income group than in the high-income group. Individuals who both drink and smoke will experience more health problems than individuals who only consume alcohol or smoke. In addition, it is known that the low-income class has a poor rate of healthy eating habits and does not consume enough nutrients. Diet is one of the risk factors related to death. In summary, low-income people have more health-threatening factors, so they experience more harm from drinking even though they consume relatively less alcohol.
 
Just as our society strives to eliminate inequality in various areas, the professor hopes people will pay attention to resolving inequality in drinking harms. Employees of hospitals, welfare centers, and self-sufficiency centers located in areas with relatively high socioeconomic levels of deprivation must identify health risk factors along with drinking problems and provide necessary services, and connect these residents with appropriate health and welfare resources.  

The government hopes to resolve the inequality experienced by the socio-economically vulnerable, including the low-income class, by first expanding the infrastructure for preventing and solving addiction problems, including the drinking problem of local residents, in socio-economically weak areas.

Wise Old Age-

 

A former journalist gives the readers of the Catholic Times some help in living with wisdom in old age.

You have barely finished the first half of your life, and the second half remains. He recommends that you try to work with youthful energy befitting your age. 

 

"Christians seem to be happy in their old age if they keep the Ten Commandments." Pre-seniors  these days  are called 'young seniors', and also called 'active seniors' because they are as active as young people.

 

A few days ago, he posted a short "old age aphorism" in a Catholic media chat room, and various reactions poured in. The aphorism was '5 yeses and 5 noes'  (refers to 「What to do and what not to do」) by the late professor of folklore. It was an exhortation to 'be calm, generous, informed, think, and move' while staying away from 'nagging, anger, drowsiness, obsession, and dwelling on the past'.

 

Above all, the hearts of seniors who cared for juniors who were far away until the age of 65, which is the standard for seniors under the Elderly Welfare Act, were not recognized; nor did they seem to like the word old.  We are after all in the "100-year-old era", we are reluctant to readily admit aging. Even if we care not to refer to old age we can and should talk about generations.

 

It just so happens that today is the third "World Grandparents' Day". Established by Pope Francis when COVID-19 broke out in 2021, the church is always with the elderly. The pope reminded the elderly of their calling, namely, "protecting roots, transferring faith to young people, and taking care of small people." This year, the day coincides with the Lisbon World Youth Congress, which will be held from August 1 to 6. The pope stressed that the two generations of the elderly, grandparents, and young people share friendship of life and faith, mutual gifts and gratitude, and testimony of hope and sharing of love.
 

There are only three years left  before Korea becomes a the super-aged society (more than 20% of the total population aged 65 or older). However, the Korean Catholic Church has already entered the super-aged church (23% of believers aged 65 or older) two years ago. Therefore, the church's interest and support for senior affairs cannot be overemphasized.
 

How can the life of the elderly be slow when the elderly can ride free on the subway? One of Catholicism  leading spiritual teachers of this era, saw that aging requires several virtues: calmness, patience, warmth, freedom, gratitude, and love.  

 

First of all, he hopes you continue to do what you like or do well. Our writer walks barefoot these days. Walking for nearly an hour in the mountains of the neighborhood he feels improves his physical condition, he  feels at one with the dirt road. Nearly half of the people you meet in the mountain are barefoot. Also, why don't you find your specialty and make it your routine. Personally, he has three pleasures: reading, writing, and walking, are the irreplaceable pleasures.
 

A former MBC producer, recommends three attitudes. Not to argue, not to be upset about trivial things, and be with your friends when they gather. "○○○, please listen with your earphones on." This is what a young nurse said to a patient in his late 60s. He was watching YouTube while raising the volume on his cell phone in a five-bed room hospital ward. Such an ugly scene is often seen on the subway. We support the wise old age, which teaches rich experiences, protects public morality, and we don't hear: "kkondae" (an older persons who believes he is always right  and you are always wrong).

 

 

 

"Rejoice and be glad"

 

"Rejoice and be glad!" Is the Apostolic Exhortation of Pope Francis given in 2018 where he explained the importance and nature of holiness in the Christian Life? He suggested joy and a sense of humor as one of the signs of holiness in the Christian life.

The Catholic Times has this topic as the cover story of its recent edition headlined: Is Cheerfulness Distant from the Life of Catholicism? It is also featured in two articles in this week's paper. In section 122 of this Apostolic Exhortation, the pope said that the saints, who were models of holiness, were always happy and had a rich sense of humor, escaping timidity, sullenness, bitterness, depression, and bored expressions, and requested that the Christian life be joy in the Holy Spirit.

 

A Catholic psycho-spiritual counselor, asks: “Why does the church where he attends Mass every week always have the atmosphere of a funeral home? It is Pharisaism that makes Jesus solemn.” The church has talked only about sin for a long time, and only recently has it started to talk a lot about happiness."

 

The question has long been asked why the church lacks stories of humor and laughter. In the July 12, 1970 issue of the 「Catholic Times」, a philosopher's claim that 'the church has no humor' was published. He argued that the laughter of Jesus is not found in the Bible, that the church history, which was consistent with persecution, was a series of tensions, and that there was no time to find the beauty of humor in the life of faith. 

 

A counterargument to this was published in the August 2 issue. He argued that the Bible is full of parables and metaphorical humor, such as the wedding at Cana, the woman caught in adultery, the rich young man, and the disciples who fell asleep in Gethsemani. In fact, in the midst of suffering and persecution, the positive contribution of satire and humor is greater.

 

Jesus was a man full of sorrow, the tragedy of man falling into sin, the disappointment of those who did not love enough to be worthy of God's mercy, and the devastating fear of the coming Passion and death. However, at the same time, he was also a man full of joy with his extreme love for saving mankind through his incarnation, his unshakable trust in his Father's omnipotence, his affection for his clumsy but loving neighbors, and his hopeful reward for the future salvation of mankind

 

From the very beginning, Pope Francis exhorted us to enjoy the Gospel with joy. The first part of the Apostolic Exhortation, "The Joy of the Gospel", begins with "The joy of the Gospel fills the hearts and lives of all who meet Jesus." Therefore, the evangelist must never look "like someone just returned from a funeral," but must live "a life that shines with zeal, first accepting the joy of Christ".

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.