Japanese Bishops' Plea For Peace

In the recent Catholic Peace Weekly, a journalist gives the readers the words of the Archbishop of Tokyo, the president of the Japanese Bishops' Conference, and his fears about the direction of the world.

He appealed on the 6th to join the "Synod’s Journey to Find Peace" as the Japanese Church began the "10 Days of Prayer for Peace."  He expressed his reflection on World War II which broke out in 1939 and asked that the world not be allowed to be caught up in the whirlpool of war and violence again.

On July 16 the Archbishop released a message titled “Indifference Takes Lives (無関心) on the website of the Bishops’ Conference of Japan, expressing concern about the “violence” spreading around the world— Ukraine, Palestine, Israel, and Myanmar. He lamented, “After World War II, the world swore that ‘we will not repeat evil,’ but looking at the world today, I wonder if this pledge is being kept,” and added, “Once (violence) begins, there is no end.”

Archbishop Kikuchi especially noted the phenomenon of ‘human alienation’ that has spread behind technological development, saying, “Along with the spread of artificial intelligence (AI), a ‘globalization of indifference’ is in progress.” Archbishop Kikuchi emphasized; in today’s society, everyone seems to be treated as isolated ‘somethings’ on screens. However, in reality, our brothers and sisters are being deprived of life.” He added, “It is humans who create violence, and it is our indifference that fuels it.”

Archbishop Kikuchi prayed that the upcoming Jubilee of 2025 would be the starting point for the ‘Synod for Peace.’ Archbishop Kikuchi said, “Pope Francis is asking us to walk a synodal journey path, accompanying our most vulnerable brothers and sisters,” adding, “We must remember that only we can stop the violence against life that we have witnessed countless times, and in the depths of despair, the Church must be a pilgrim of hope.”

The Japanese Church has been praying the “10 Days of Prayer for Peace” every August since 1982. This is a time to remember the ‘original sin’ of the past and pledge to participate in actions to protect peace, following the teaching of Pope John Paul II in Hiroshima, Japan in 1981 that “to remember the past is to participate in the future.” During this period, Japanese churches held peace prayer masses, prayer meetings, lectures, and seminars to raise awareness of peace and justice.

Everyone is Destined to Die

In the Catholic Peace Weekly a reporter introduces us to an article from Church Unity and Interreligious Dialogue of the Catholic Bishops' Conference on— Is Reincarnation Real—

“Everyone is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment.” (Hebrews 9:27)

Stories about ‘reincarnation’ that appear in movies and novels are influenced by the New Age movement, which seeks to understand death as a process of being reborn as a new life beyond biological separation.

The New Age movement does not recognize the finiteness of humans. Simply expressed it rejects biblical monotheism in favor of monism or pantheism.  Christianity has firmly rejected these teachings since ancient times. In addition, modern reincarnation theory arbitrarily interprets the Buddhist idea of ​​reincarnation. While Buddhist reincarnation teaches that humans must attain enlightenment and escape the cycle of life and death, which is like a wheel of suffering, modern reincarnation theory insists on an endless cycle of life.

Christians do not believe in reincarnation. Humans are born into this world with the gift of one life from God, and after ending their earthly life through death, and the journey to reach God, who is eternal life. Some people try to justify reincarnation by arguing that a “resurrection battle” is necessary for those who have ended their lives in misfortune. However, humans can never be freed from evil and contradiction by their own power alone. True salvation for humans is given only through forgiveness, peace, and eternal life given by the just God.

Can we be punished or suffer if we serve our ancestors poorly?

“Those who have shown abundant love, endured suffering, and left behind an example of innocence and truth give strength to others. This is the reality of the “redemption” that is the basis of all the mysteries of Christ. Christ’s abundant and overflowing love saves us all.” (Mystery of the Incarnation, No. 10)

The idea that if we serve our deceased ancestors well, our descendants will receive great blessings, and if we serve them poorly, we will suffer misfortune is widely spread among the public. The Confucian belief that “serve the dead as you serve the living” (事死如事生) is connected to the idea of ​​gratitude which has a great influence on our folk beliefs.

Recently, the false belief in “family healing” has been spreading. The belief in family healing, which says that if there are ancestors in the family who committed great sins or died with resentment, the well-being of descendants cannot be guaranteed, so many gifts and prayers should be offered for them, is the result of distorting the idea of ​​filial piety and respect for ancestors within the Christian framework. 

Christians believe that all the dead are in the arms of God and can hope for God’s mercy. Also, Christians who believe in the “Communion of Saints” believe that the souls of the deceased receive the necessary help through the intercession of all saints and the prayers of the entire Christian community, beyond the family circle.

Where should the graves of the deceased be located?

“The Church offers the children of grace to the Father in Christ, and buries in the ground the seeds of the flesh that will rise again in glory.” (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1683)

'Feng Shui' (Chinese geomancy, is a traditional practice that originated in Ancient China and claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment) It is the study of good land to block the cold winds of winter and obtain water for farming. Feng Shui, which developed based on the theory of yin and yang and the five elements, closely connects the natural environment with human life and determines human fortunes and misfortunes based on geographical conditions. They have good places to live  not only to the house where they live extends to  the grave site, where the dead are buried.

The folk belief that descendants will be blessed if  they bury their deceased ancestors in a comfortable place arose when 'Feng Shui', which has a long history in our people, met with the Confucian idea of ​​filial piety. In the late Joseon Dynasty, there was a great obsession with good burial sites, to the point that there were constant disputes between families trying to secure good burial sites.

The attitude of valuing ancestral burial sites is a unique religious nature of ours that stems from filial piety to place ancestors in a comfortable place. However, the obsession with good burial sites because of the good or bad fortune of descendants can obscure the true meaning of filial piety and respect for ancestors and can become a worldly desire of descendants. Furthermore, this does not conform to the Christian faith.

When a person dies, he or she goes before God hoping to enjoy eternal life. Therefore, entrusting the dead to God’s mercy and praying for them is the attitude of a true believer.

All Works Together for the Good!

 Since Korea has lived within the Chinese Cultural Sphere, Chinese character words are well known in the citizens' daily lives. They often use four-character idioms or idioms derived from historical events with four syllables. Recently, there has been an increasing interest in these idioms at job interviews or college entrance exams. A priest who writes regularly for the Catholic Times gives the readers a look into a few of these maxims and uses a story from the Bible to illustrate one of the better-known maxims— 'saeongjima' (塞翁之馬) which means that fortunes and misfortune are difficult to predict because life changes so often.

The good things are often mixed— the fly in the ointment— (好事多魔), and disasters are changed to good things— Blessings in Disguise(轉禍為福) are the words used frequently. It is often said that life is a changeable and unpredictable phenomenon. He goes into detail with (塞翁之馬) and exemplifies it with the life of Joseph of the Old Testament. We have our own 'Felix Culpa' (Happy Fault) from the Easter Saturday Liturgy at the Exultet.

(塞翁之馬)

An old man had a horse — the horse represented all his assets and very valuable to him. One day, the horse ran away, and all the villages expressed their sorrow for the loss, he however,  simply answered: “Who knows whether that is good or bad?" Some weeks later the horse returned, bringing with him another horse, and thereby doubling the riches of the old man. The villages rejoiced for the old man, but he cautioned: “Yes, this is good, but sometimes bad comes with good.”

Afterward, the man’s only son tried to ride the new horse and was thrown from it, breaking his leg. Once again the villages commiserated with him, but the Old Man was calm and reminded them that even in a turn of bad luck, there may be the seeds for good. Within a few weeks, a regional war began which included his village, and all the able-bodied young men were drafted, and many were killed in the conflict. But, because he had a broken leg, the son of the old man was spared being drafted, and recuperated at home, safe from the war.

There is much that will happen to us throughout our lives.  Almost everything that might happen to us has seeds both for good and bad within it. It is up to us to see those seeds for what they are: opportunities, in the case of good things, and warnings and lessons, in the case of the bad.

Truly we must appreciate all the good in our lives, but we must also seek out the deeper truths that might be warning to us of the less desirable things that may come our way and be prepared.

Conversely, in the bad which will be part of our lives, there is a path outwards that leads to the good — and that path many times brings us to a good much greater than the “bad” experienced.

The columnist thinks the character in the Bible that fits these idioms well is Jacob's son, Joseph. In a word, he lived a life full of dramatic twists and turns. Jacob openly favored Joseph, born from his relationship with Rachel, whom he loved. Naturally, the other sons were jealous of Joseph and hated him. The result of monopolizing their father's love eventually became a cause of pain and suffering for Joseph.

One day, the other brothers took the opportunity to sell Joseph into slavery to Egypt. However, it worked out well for Joseph, and he eventually became the prime minister of Egypt. Joseph’s brothers came down to Egypt to seek food because of the famine, and when they were questioned as spies, they met Joseph again, but they did not recognize him. When his brothers finally returned home and brought Benjamin with them, Joseph confessed everything, hugged them all, and cried and reconciled. His life journey was like riding a roller coaster. But it all ended well.

Joseph never got disappointed or blamed God at any point, but kept his faith. Joseph realized that no matter how well a person plans, it is God who accomplishes it. The strength that sustained him through the hardships and despair he experienced in his life was his faith. That faith was a great legacy inherited from his ancestors. When we look at the lives of believers, many elements cannot be called coincidences. God is the one who plans and leads our lives. God uses hardships, failures, and even sins to produce good fruit. If we learn from Joseph’s faith, we can see that if we keep our faith in God without being overjoyed or depressed, we will eventually produce good fruit.

In all situations, no matter what pain or difficulty comes, we must not let go of our faith in God. 

World Youth Day in Seoul Korea 2027

The  Catholic Peace Broadcasting Corporation, a radio & television network of South Korea recently had an interview with Father Yang Ju-yeol / Secretary General of the 2027  Korea World  Youth Day. Below is a summarized translation of the interview.

They had some difficulting inviting someone so busy in preparation for the Seoul World Youth Day, just three years away. The interviewer:  

▷Hello Father! The inauguration ceremony and inaugural Mass have come to a successful conclusion. Let's hear your thoughts on the event.

▶The inauguration ceremony and inaugural Mass were held at the Myeongdong Cathedral, in Seoul, three years before the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day. We invite and welcome young people from all over the world.  Let's prepare for World Youth Day together.  It's an opportunity to start preparing for the 2027 World Youth Day in earnest, with a message of hope for the youth, the Korean church, Korean society, and the entire world.

▷ It seemed like the priest was welcoming everybody with open arms. Those who have been watching CPBC News Plus regularly will probably know about World Youth Day, but there are definitely some who still feel unfamiliar with it. It is abbreviated in English as WYD. Could you explain in detail what kind of event it is?

▶ The abbreviation for World Youth Day is WYD— World Youth Day is celebrated every year on Christ the King Sunday on the Diocesan National level. However,  St. John Paul II since 1986, once every two to three years, the Pope invites young people from all over the world to a specific region for a World Youth Day. The 41st World Youth Day will be held in Seoul in 2027.

▷ Since World Youth Day has been celebrated since 1986, it can be said to be a very historic day. Among them, you mentioned that the 2027 Seoul WYD, which will be held in Seoul, is the 41st. So, how should we understand the meaning of the 2027 Seoul WYD?

▶ If I were to sum up World Youth Day in one word, it would be a ‘festival of encounters.’ An encounter is someone meeting someone else, and in particular, the Pope and young people meet. And young people meet young people. And young people meet the church community. And in this encounter, experiencing the living Holy Spirit who is active, and meeting God is the opportunity for World Youth Day. As I have mentioned many times, the World Youth Day held in Seoul is the first World Youth Day to be held in a non-Christian culture. So it has a very missionary meaning. I think it will be a good opportunity to think again about how the love of God proclaimed through Jesus Christ has meaning in a non-Christian culture and how people can understand it. When we talk about missionary meaning, it usually gives off a feeling of conquest or aggressiveness. However, when we talk about evangelization here, we can say that the meaning of the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day is to provide an opportunity for young people and the Pope to meet and discuss how we can live together in peace in the merciful love of God who created this world for the good of all, and to create a new world — a new world for young people to live in.

▷Listening to the priest's words, I think we can interpret it this way: we meet the Lord when we face each other.

▶Yes, that's right.

▷In particular, the fact that the Seoul WYD is being held in a non-Christian culture feels special. Can we assume that the theme of the 2027 Seoul World Youth Day will be announced soon?

▶Yes, that's right. Because the previous World Youth Day was held in Lisbon in 2023. However, the 2027 World Youth Day is the first to be held between World Youth Days, which is also a special feature of the 2027 World Youth Day. Therefore, two themes were announced around the Jubilee. As we live this year, 2024, the theme for 2024 is ‘Rejoice in Hope.’ The theme for 2025 is ‘Those who put their hope in the Lord walk tirelessly.’ In 2025, we will face the Jubilee of the Youth, and the theme of this Jubilee is also ‘Pilgrims of Hope.’ However, I think that the Pope will soon announce the theme for 2027, beyond the theme of hope.

▷ I am very excited about what the theme will be, and I am hopeful here as well. Finally, is there anything you would like to say to the faithful and the people?

▶Both believers and citizens are complaining about high prices and the difficulties of people’s livelihoods domestically, and at the conference level, they are still experiencing difficulties due to war, nationalism, and powerful leaders. Pope Francis said that the reason poverty exists in the world is not because of a lack of goods, but because of a lack of solidarity. Although asking each person to solve their own difficulties may feel like the reality of each person living for themselves, what we need is a time of meeting to meet, listen to each other’s voices, and talk. In particular, listening to the realities of young people and talking together is the way to prepare for World Youth Day and is also the purpose of World Youth Day. Therefore, everyone can participate while remembering what the needs of young people are, that young people are not living their own lives but living together, and that World Youth Day is a conference where young people are the main characters and the church community works together with them for their growth. There are various ways to participate, such as as a pilgrim, as a homestay family, as a volunteer, and through prayer. I think that showing much interest in World Youth Day and praying especially is the most important way to prepare for the event. I ask for your prayers.

▷ I would like you to pray with me. Today, I spoke with Father Yang Ju-yeol, the head of the Seoul WYD Regional Organizing Committee, who gave us his precious time on this site. Thank you for your words today.

Concern for the Developmentally Disabled

 

In the Diagnosis of the Times column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, the director of a Diocesan Social Welfare Research Institute reminds the readers of society's problems in showing care for the Developmentally Disabled.

On July 10, the Korea Caritas Association and the National Human Rights Commission (HRC) jointly held a public discussion on the “Customized Care Support Plan for the Developmentally Disabled”. This discussion provided an opportunity to examine the progress of various policies targeting the developmentally disabled, including the “Deinstitutionalization and Community Self-Reliance Support Roadmap”  announced by the Ministry of Health and Welfare in 2021, and how realistic these policies are for the developmentally disabled who are the target of the policies.

The developmentally disabled are referred to as persons with an intellectual disability (IQ 70 or lower) with below-average intellectual function and autism spectrum disorder characterized by a lack of empathy, difficulty in communication, and limited and repetitive behavior. Through this discussion, the HRC emphasized the specialness of the developmentally disabled. In other words, the main content of the discussion was that various policies for the disabled are still insufficient in many ways to contain the specialness of the developmentally disabled. In particular, it is pointed out that the new direction for the disabled in facilities centered on independent housing, as mentioned in the deinstitutionalization roadmap, may rather cause various side effects.

Among the 2.5 million disabled people in Korea, the proportion of people with developmental disabilities is around 10%, which is not a large proportion, and since it is difficult for them to work on their own, the ‘specialness’ of people with developmental disabilities is not properly reflected in policies for the disabled.

All disabilities have their own specialness. In other words, there are ‘differences’ depending on the type of disability. Among these, the difficulty in communication and the decline in self-protection ability clearly represent the characteristics of people with developmental disabilities. According to the data from the Rights and Interests Commission, 23.9% of people with developmental disabilities have difficulty expressing their own opinions. In addition, the proportion of people who cannot recognize letters is around 30%. 46.2% of people do not recognize disasters or emergency situations on their own, and 55.3% of people are unable to report them to fire stations or police stations on their own.

However, without considering the situation of these people with developmental disabilities, or without recognizing the diversity of disabilities, some of the alternatives are not realistic. In particular, people with developmental disabilities have more difficulty expressing themselves than other people with disabilities. It is difficult for them to assert their rights as members of society, and it is also difficult for them to defend themselves in special situations.  Not considering the special nature of these people with developmental disabilities will be difficult to guarantee a dignified life for them, who are among the socially vulnerable.

The Church traditionally speaks of preferential options for the poor. The practice of love for poorer neighbors shows the identity of the Church. As “those who have no hope for a better future” (Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church, paragraph 182,184), the Church recommends that we approach fundamental problems not only through charitable acts but also from a social and political perspective. 

In this sense, the Church’s concern for people with developmental disabilities and its efforts for them can be said to be an essential mission that the Church must carry out. By becoming an advocate for the severely developmentally disabled, who have difficulty protecting themselves and are at risk of social isolation, even among the disabled, we can light a new spark of hope for those who are in despair.

Living Alone

The Catholic Peace Weekly recently had an article by one of their journalists on the observations made by the director of the Catholic Cultural Institute of Korea on the makeup of the family units that frequent our  Churches in present-day Korean society.

"Nearly 40% of people who come to church are single-person households. The proportion of single-person households was 34.5% in 2023, but since there are many elderly believers in the church, the number of single-person households will increase. Despite the increase, there is no pastoral care for single-person households." 

He said: "Traditionally, the church’s pastoral care has focused only on normal families with parents and children. We must research and develop pastoral programs for single-person households and devise ways to utilize them in parishes."

 "Since the Catholic Church has long focused on normal families (consisting of parents and children), we are not feeling the increase in single-person households. The church must adapt to the changing times."

The director, who is serving in an area with a high concentration of single-person households, explained: "Our parish is populated with officetels rather than  apartments (An officetel is a type of building that combines an office and a residence in a single unit). Young single-person households are still flowing in, and the streets are filled with young people at night."

The priest has long spoken out about the need for pastoral alternatives for single-person households. In 2021, the Catholic Institute of Korea held a seminar on "The Church’s Pastoral Response and Prospects in the Era of Single-Person Households." In 2022, a survey was conducted targeting 253 young single-person households. At that time, 24.9% responded that they wanted emotional support programs, followed by programs for gatherings, rest areas, and human exchange programs.

He emphasized, "If parishes conduct retreats or camps for families and couples, and only give sermons to families with parents and children during Mass, people who live alone will be left out, consequently the need for concern for single-person households.              

"Individualism is rampant, and now even the phenomenon of avoiding mandatory communities is revealed. They want loose solidarity based on their tastes and hobbies."

"People who live in single-person households, whether voluntarily or involuntarily, feel lonely due to ‘isolation’ and suffer from mental problems such as depression. Churches can operate psychological counseling programs and provide places where communities can be created."

"In the era of single-person households, a sense of community is important. It is still important to live together in solidarity. However, we cannot return to the extended family where grandparents lived together to restore a sense of community. The same goes for the church. We need a church community that fits this era. The truth and the gospel remain unchanged, but the culture of the church must change with the times."

He emphasized: "We must approach single-person households from various angles and provide help in various ways. The church must read the changing social situations and signs of the times and show that it always welcomes and accommodates everyone."

Strength In Weakness

In the Catholic Peace Weekly, a seminary professor gives us some thoughts on weakness and the spiritual life in his weekly column.

We know from our own life experiences how difficult it is to live holy as children of God. The same experience is reflected in the following words of the Psalmist:

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping your word.” (Psalm 119:9)

The only thing we, weak as we are, can rely on is the word of God. However, it is not as easy as it sounds. What is clear is that faith, which is a relationship with God and the overall plan of life, penetrates human weakness. Our weakness cannot be denied and should not be. If that is the case, isn’t it God’s will that we continue to move toward perfection while embracing weakness, rather than a perfect faith without weakness?

However, in reality, not only faith but also our entire life is marked by weakness. This is especially true in human relationships. How many wounds and pains have we experienced due to betrayal? How weak is the love we have experienced? And yet how beautiful and strong is that love? Pope Francis said in Amoris Laetitia 113:

"We all need to realize that we are intricately intertwined with light and shadow. (⋯) I do not claim that love must be perfect to know the true value of the other person’s love. The other person loves me to the best of his or her ability. However, just because love is not perfect does not mean that it is false or untrue. Even if it has limitations and is worldly, it is true. (⋯) Love is living together with imperfection, forgiving, and living together."

The limitations,’ ‘imperfections,’ and ‘imperfections’ contained in the Pope’s words are something that everyone experiences. This applies not only to couples but also to religious and priests. Each person experiences their own limitations, imperfections, and weaknesses as they live their faith. However, they can live because of the prayers and encouragement of the believers who walk the path with God, who sanctifies us, who are imperfect. If we do not forget that our faith and love are not false but true, even if they are weak, we can continue to move forward. We all move forward little by little, embracing our weaknesses.

God recognizes such human weakness and accomplishes His salvation through that very weakness. God never gives up on us. He always announces a new beginning and suggests that we walk a new path.

When we look at our weaknesses with a positive perspective, our lives will be completely new. How disappointed we have been in ourselves so far. And how much energy have we expended to hide our weakness? God tells us that we don’t have to do that. He tells us that our very existence, our weak and limited existence, is good and beautiful, and precious in God’s eyes.

We are weak. We are easily hurt. However, it is okay for us to be weak. This is because God exists, who embraces our existence with love, heals us, and walks with us. That love is a love that creates anew, a love that makes everything possible, a love that risks being hurt. It is a love that creates the world and saves humanity. Since everything is done in the Lord's providence, and since God is always starting anew with His children, we just need to entrust ourselves to Him take courage, and step forward. God will fill in the rest.