A Medium the Church Should Not Ignore

A Professor in the theater and movie department at the Suwon College, and a movie critic, had some interesting suggestions for the Catholic Church of Korea in her article in the Kyunghyang magazine. Since 1895 movies have grown to become, either for good or bad, an important part of popular culture. As its immense influence continues to spread, differences of age, sex, education and location are irrelevant.

Over the years, the movie industry has improved its technical capacities enormously, and movie stars are routinely given celebrity status and their personal lives chronicled in scores of magazines and TV programs. Movies have become a quasi religious phenomena, and the Church took notice in an Encyclical in 1936, acknowledging the power of the cinema:

"At the same time, there does not exist today a means of influencing the masses more potent than the cinema. The reason for this is to be sought for in the very nature of the pictures projected upon the screen, in the popularity of motion picture plays, and in the circumstances which accompany them.

"The power of the motion picture consists in this, it speaks by vivid and concrete imagery which the mind takes in with enjoyment and without fatigue. Even the crudest and most primitive minds which have neither the capacity nor the desire to make the efforts necessary for abstraction or deductive reasoning are captivated by the cinema. In place of the effort which reading or listening demands, there is the continued pleasure of a succession of concrete and, so to speak, living pictures."


The writer tells us that there are many movies with a humanitarian outlook on life that few would find troubling. However, there are many movies that would be troubling to those with a spiritual and religious value system. It is precisely for this reason that the Catholic Church in Korea should take an interest in the cinema, but has shown little interest in trying to get programs to evaluate movies, film festivals, movie appreciation days and the like.

The Catholic Church had shown some interest in movie festivals, but not for long. And programs devoted to the cinema on Catholic Brodcasting have decreased in number, and even some of the media groups are not as active as in the past.

An interest in this increasingly important medium will foster, according to the writer, a mature spirituality. The power of movies to provide a window to the culture of our times, to appeal to our feelings, and to achieve rapport with a large segment of society cannot be matched by any other medium. Movies can help us with an ongoing examination of our relationship with the earth, with others and with God and, in the process, renewing and enhancing our spirituality.

This has to be done, at times, with familiarity and joy; sometimes with a sharp intelligence and cold objectivity and sometimes with sensitivity and emotion. It can be a great help in experiencing spirituality. The cinema, used as a helpmate, can be of service to the Church in its teaching role.

Pleasing Others Not Life's Goal

A Korean Religious who has a weekly column in the Catholic Times had an interesting reflection on feelings we can easily empathize with. His Community once a year has a day of sharing on what they have been involved with during the year. He spent a great deal of time and effort to prepare a report on what had been accomplished. On the day of sharing, he was not able to attend but did submit the paper and thought that it would be appreciated and his efforts applauded. .

That evening he met with some members of the community and gently asked about the response to the report. They said it was well received but one of the brothers thought it was strange... Even though only "one of the brothers" had a problem with his report, it was enough to carry an emotional sting, or to be more honest he was angry. One of the brothers who were present at the meeting had praised the report but this did nothing to remove the hurt. The lingering sound of the" one brother' was the only thing that remained with him.

He reflected on how many of us want to have what we do and say respected and applauded by those we are living with or have ties of friendship. It's normal to expect others to appreciate what we are doing, and when they don't most of us will be hurt and possibly angry.

In looking over our lives, we expect all to appreciate us, and what we do but little by little if approval goes from 90% to 70% to 50% and even when it goes to 10%, we should be able to take it in stride and not let it upset us. One should live in peace and without any ill feelings toward those who are not sending us their applause.

The fact is that we would like all to applaud but sometimes, as the Korean Religious pointed out, one person who does not feel inclined to do so is enough to bring frustration, disappointment and loss of peace, even anger. That is the lot of many of us. The writer has determined to change this in his life. It's good advice for all of us.

Overcoming Apathy to Evangelization

In a recent column in the Catholic Times, the lay founder of a school for Catholic Evangelization had some interesting thoughts on Korean Catholicism. He compared the present with the years following the Second Vatican Council. There was an attempt at that time to have a new beginning, emphasizing a strong revival of faith life and a return to an earlier Church commitment to evangelize. One of the movements that were very active in that process was the Charismatic Movement.

They got Catholics to start reading scripture, praying and experiencing the presence of the Holy Spirit, which gave them the passion to participate more fully in the mission from Jesus. They took the lead from the words of Pope John Paul to get involved in evangelization.

The change that came over Catholic life in Korea during this time was very noticeable but the passion that was mostly responsible for the change has cooled down a great deal, and life for the majority of Catholics has reverted to the old ways, with not much concern about evangelization.

What is the reason for this weakening of zeal that was present after the Council? The writer tells us it is because most Catholics in Korea have been baptized for less than 40 years. With only 20% of them being old Catholics, our Catholic roots are not very deep.

Many have little experience or conviction of their faith; it's mostly expressed in accidentals: attendance at Mass, offering of money, preparing for the big feasts by going to the Sacraments, belonging to parish groups and joining in their activities. That is what is seen as necessary for being Catholic. To these Catholics, the idea of evangelization means very little.

One is not required to evangelize; it's something that has to come from within, or it will not be present. The motivation has to come from a relationship with God before evangelization will have any meaning.

The Church needs to continually make an environment that will stimulate Christians to go deeper into their faith life. There has to be programs for the education of Catholics after baptism and for training in the Christian life as on-going efforts to get the Catholic to give witness to Jesus and his message.

The life most Christians are exposed to has little to do with the spiritual. It will always be a struggle to give any importance to the internal. There is too much stimulation from worldly concerns that distracts from more meaningful pursuits. However, when this motivation for the spiritual is present and inspiration comes, then you will have a person on fire, with the struggle ending in satisfaction and peace.

Addiction to Gaming a Serious Matter

A Religious Sister who studied media and teaches in a seminary starts her article in this month's Catholic Kyunghyang Magazine with a story that is hard to believe. The parents of a three month old baby girl were so taken up with raising a virtual girl on an internet game site that they neglected their own child, who died of malnutrition. This is only one of the very sad and shocking stories that result from some form of game addiction.

Do we know what is going on in this world of cyberspace? Some, like the parents of the baby who died, find it difficult to separate the real from the virtual; others find the virtual more real than the real world. The parents of the baby who died met on the internet, married, and were so taken up with raising the virtual girl in the world of cyberspace (MMORPG:Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game) that they left their real girl in the house unattended. The parents, spending the whole day in an internet cafe to play, were later arrested by the Korean Police for neglect.

Those who develop these games maintain that the players can construct their own world and stress the positive elements of the games: gaining confidence, enhancing motivation for study, developing a better self image, fostering creativity and the powers of imagination. In other words, a game that helps us grow into more accomplished human beings.

Sister, however, tells us that online gaming has also its dark side. It also changes the world we are in. It gives us a taste for fueling our competitive and gambling instincts. Its only strategy is to win. There is no place for sacrifice for the other, no place for growth through experiencing pain and disappointment or for any hope beyond the hope of winning at playing a game. The only goals are the power and pleasure of victory.

Studies have shown that those who are from the lower middle class are the most easily addicted to the games. Possibly, because of difficulties at home, lack of discipline and self respect, they try to forget it all in the virtual world of gaming.

The games are programmed in such a way that the more time you spend at gaming the more involved you become. To combat this tendency, the Sister has given 5 suggestions for parents to help keep their children from becoming addicted to gaming:

1) Parents should know something about how the internet functions.

2) Prepare a time-plan, deciding with their children how much time to spend playing the games.

3) Learn how to use online gaming in a proper way. Find out the story line and talk about it with the children.

4) Accompany the use of the internet with proper growth in emotion and mental health.

5) Use some of the parents' leisure time to be with their children, enjoying the outdoors and cultural aspects of the country.

Social Teaching's Importance in Catholicism

One of the Korean laymen who can be considered the father of the study of Catholicism and Society has retired from his professorship at a university in Seoul and has made his feelings known in the Catholic Peace Weekly: "The topic of Religion and Society has been outside the interest of most people and now that a new horizon is beginning to appear it gives me great satisfaction. Those who will be coming to the field I hope will delve deeper into this field of Religion and Society."

The professor, before his 40-year study of the role of the Church in society, was inspired as a young man to take up this study by seeing so many different religions living peacefully together in Korea. But he soon found it to be lonely work; few were interested in what he was doing. Though the topic has been discussed endlessly; sadly, there has not been much progress. The professor, however, has not been embarrassed to point out the failings of the Church in implementing its social teachings, and the crisis that it faces. It is time, he says, to work for reform and come to a new level in the growth of the Church.

He makes clear that the Catholic Church has had a numerical growth that is exceptional but the interior growth has not kept up with the external growth. Our society, with its philosophy of growth at any price, has grown materially, but the Church has also moved along with this same thinking in many areas. Many in the Church have not been able to follow the dictates of reason and faith to foster the growth of a healthy Catholic Culture.

In recent years, however, the Church has shown some interest in the Yongsan problem--where citizens were violently removed from their homes and place of work--and in the recent 4-River Development Project. It is the work of the Church to be concerned with what is happening in society and to do what it can to have society develop in a healthy manner.

There is much talk these days on the propriety of working for the external growth of the Church when there is not a similar internal and spiritual growth. The bishops will have to take notice and work to strengthen the catechumenate and help the Christians to understand the social teaching of the Catholic Church and the reasons this teaching was developed.

Many Catholics do not adequately understand that the social teaching of the Church is an essential part of Catholic faith.

From a Choir Director to a Loving Pastor

In the recent issue of the Catholic Magazine, a priest who had spent most of his early life in the pursuit of musical knowledge gives an apologia for his life that was extremely interesting and insightful. He wanted to take a break from his seminary studies to study music but was told to finish seminary first. After a short time in pastoral work, he went on to study music in Italy, in the States, as well as here in Korea.

In the article he mentions that he was a professional musician who, after many years teaching music in the seminary and college, was assigned to a parish where he was able to use the music skills he had learned. But this time the members of the choir were his parishioners. However, this did nothing to change his method of teaching: when they did not do what he wanted--he would get angry. After all, he told himself, when he was teaching music that was the way he dealt with the members of the choir. He was the one who would point out the tone, the breathing, the timber, the timing, and when they were not right he would have them practice until they were right. He would not listen to objections. There was one way of doing it--his way--and he would push them until it was achieved.

Because of this drive for perfection, he had great difficulty in the parish dealing with people who didn't see it his way, especially those who weren’t interested in perfection. Doing it passably, adequately, was not to his taste. He could not accept the thinking that doing something in any fashion was proper. In the parish, he did not see the good that parishioners were doing but only the things that needed correction. Instead of praising, he was always criticizing. When he asked that something be done and he did not get the kind of response he was expecting, the good relationship with the person disappeared, replaced with his own angry response.

With this kind of relationship with the people of his parish, what kind of response could he expect to receive? Questions like this finally forced him to face himself as he was being seen by his parishioners: not a very loving pastor who took pains to be concerned with his parishioners but a pastor who was always finding fault. It was a revelation to him but one that made him realize that he didn’t have the necessary finesse that was necessary to deal with people successfuly. It came late but he wanted to make a change and did so by taking courses to improve his social skillls.

He took the Seven Habits Workshop, the Carnegie Training Programs, and kept up on his reading--applying all of it to his parish work. He knows now that it is possible to change, and it was impressive to see his humility when he realized that the problems he had were not the fault of the parishioners. It was a new way of seeing for him, and he was grateful for the change. In the article, he pointed out that he has become the proselytizer of a new way of dealing with others. Seeing the change in himself, he wants all of us to realize that to change is a very normal part of life. When our Christians are being changed for the better, so do those in pastoral work need to change.

A New Face for the Myeong Dong Cathedral?

An item in today's newspaper mentioned plans to develop the area around the Myeong Dong Catholic Cathedral in Seoul. The plans are for the construction of the underground parking and two
9-story aboveground buildings. The diocese has been thinking of this for many years. Cardinal Cheong has approved the plan for the construction, and the diocese hopes they can begin in October of this year.

At present, cars are permitted to approach the Church but future construction will make the area around the Cathedral a-no-car area. The two buildings will house the many offices that are now scattered here and there. The new plans for the Cathedral are an attempt to make the Cathedral grounds attractive and convenient for the many Catholics in the Diocese, including a plaza, common before churches in many parts of Europe. The Diocese plans to be ecologically sensitive with trees and other greenery out in front of the Cathedral.

The Cathedral is considered a National Treasure and historical site, and has to receive approval for any construction by the Cultural Properties Administration. The administration was given information on the construction but has postponed any decision until they have time to visit and examine the reports that were submitted. They will have to determine whether there is a possibility of damage to the Cathedral from problems that come with the building of high rises.

Many see problems with the construction. The laws on building near National Treasures are complicated and there are those who feel that the view of the Cathedral will be sacrificed
and that building underground parking lots will demand the use of piles, which will possibly do damage to the Cathedral.

The Cathedral is a landmark in Seoul and a must-see for many visitors. So the City will be very much involved in the study of the feasibility of the planned construction. The Cathedral was,in the 1970s and 1980s, a focal point for the democracy movement in Korea and played an important role in social development and the expansion of human rights.Factors that the Diocese
will also value very highly, and will make sure that the wishes of the Cultural Properties Administration are followed.