One of our priests, scholar Monsignor Tjeng Eui-chai, has just published a book, "All is Grace." Born in North Korea in 1925, the monsignor, who has held important positions in the Church, is still an active and outspoken elder who once sent an open letter to the previous Premier with advice on how to govern better.
 
His book is written in the question and answer format, with the questions coming from Fr. Cha Dong-yeop, head of the Future Pastoral Institute of Incheon. Serialized in the Pastoral Information Magazine, the book examines the problems facing Korean society and the Church. He is very circumspect in dealing with the issues surrounding the Four Rivers Project and our relationship with North Korea, and, as always, conservative in evaluating the problems facing society, except when he talks about the young.

He has a great deal of respect for young Koreans. In his travels around the world, he found that they were praised for their creativity. He hopes Korea does not follow the example of the Japanese, who did not accept the help of the young in their revamping of society. Instead, they  continued to glory in the past;  Korea should not make the same mistake. Motivated more by instinct than by theory, young people, he feels, could put to good use this instinctual response in helping to govern the country, if only the government would allow them more of a voice in the decision making.

Society is now awash with ideas that the establishment doesn't appreciate. We need more openness to these ideas and a new vision, the kind that young people can provide. But government policies continue to exclude them from the decision-making process; the older generation is still very much in control. If the government just prepares the ground for more participation by the young, the monsignor believes that the future for the next 40 or 50 years will be bright.

He would also like to see a Korean Peace Corp that would send our young people overseas to the underdeveloped and  developing countries to help them with their dreams. This would take care of many of our problems of finding work for the young people here in Korea. It would also help develop markets in the future with the good will that would be shared, and also mitigate the tensions now being felt between the older and younger generations.

Reading what the monsignor had to say was very uplifting, but I couldn't keep from thinking that his ideas for Korea were very similar to  those of the West.  I suppose it's natural to expect a personal benefit from what we do to help others. He mentions that since the discovery of America it has been the G5 or G6 countries that have been in control. After the Second World War, it was increased to G7 to G8, which helped to further global development but also continued to hurt the underdeveloped countries. He wonders whether the G8 countries at the recent G20 meeting of major economic powers might still have been in control. One solution to this control would be increasing the number of participants to G 77 so the  underdeveloped countries would be in a position to speak out and make known their plight and  desires for a more equitable  relationship with the economically developed countries.
          

Korean Youth Enjoying the Music of their Grandparents

Immigrants are faced with the same problem missioners face when going to another country: learning a new language and culture.  Our generation of missioners--unlike the older missioners who depended more on a trusted companion for help--had an easier time finding the tools for study, though becoming  comfortable with the language and culture was not so easy. We were blessed with better books and schooling and more opportunities to maneuver freely within the new country. The internet has also made it easier.

Though always remaining a problem, getting to know the culture and the language lessens misunderstandings but some will inevitably crop up. One particularly annoying misunderstanding results when trying to understand imported foreign words, often used by the media. My experience with the word "teuroteu,"which was used to describe a vocalist, illustrates the difficulty.

I could not find the word in several dictionaries, but because the word sounded like throat, I thought it might refer to a vocalist with a throaty voice. Asking aound and  doing some sleuthing, I was told (confirming it later) that it comes from the syllable "trot" of foxtrot, the name of the popular upbeat dance music, the kind I have been hearing on our parish bus trips and never gave it a thought. 

The problem I had with the word disappeared when I looked into the history of the foxtrot and remembered that  Korea was under Japanese domination from 1910 to 1945. Up until  1930 the interchange of music  between Japan and Korea was on a large scale. The Koreans would  take Japanese songs and translate them into Korean and vice versa. It was natural that the melodies would be similar, but in 1930 when the Japanese attempted  to do away with the Korean language there was a  concerted effort to assimilate all Korean music into Japanese music.

Japanese music was called Enka and this is what we now call by the name "trot" in Korean.  It was music the older generation grew accustomed to, and grandmothers and grandfathers loved to sing, probably because they were mostly about the trials and sadness of life.

For a long time, the younger generation cared little for this kind of music; it did not meet their emotional needs, but this has changed. Being simple and easy to learn and not  subtle in what they have to say, the songs are appealing to many, even the young. Whether the music is traditionally Korean or an off-shoot of Japanese Enka is unimportant. Music, an international language, is available to all. By adapting it to suit our needs we make it our own.

Praying to be Changed-- a Necessary Intention

A priest columnist for the Catholic Times writing on things spiritual mentions a grandmother who would say the rosary before and after Mass. One day, feigning to  do some work near her, he  went to her side, and when she stopped praying asked if she will be saying the rosary again. She looked at him strangely, as if there were Catholics who did not pray the rosary. When she nodded yes, he asked what were the intentions of her prayers.She just laughed. Turning on all the charm he could muster, he asked her to pray for him.

"Is there a need to have an intention when praying?" she asked. The Blessed Mother knows what is best for us, so she puts everything into her hands. She doesn't want to bother her with such  trifles.

When we meet someone who we feel is spiritual, we often ask them to pray for us. And when someone tells us they will pray for us, we are pleased. However, what is important is to have the prayers we offer change both the one praying and the one for whom we are praying. We pray because of our Lord's example; spending time with the one who loves us and the one we love is a natural response when we love or receive love. This is  sufficient reason for prayer;  we know that the results of prayer will be for our good and the good of the other.     

"The Spirit too helps us in our weakness, for we do not know how to pray as we ought; but the Spirit himself makes intercession for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in speech. He who searches hearts knows what the Spirit means, for the Spirit intercedes for the saints as God himself wills" (Rom. 8:26-27).

Once we realize that God is love and wants the best for us, we allow him to come into our lives to change us. As the English poet Francis Thompson expressed so eloquently in the "Hound of Heaven," we no longer fear being pursued by the Tremendous Lover and embraced. We know his will is for our good; for it is in being loved that we are changed.

Lessons Learned from the Poorest City in the World-Calcutta

A university professor recounts his trip to Calcutta, India, with a group of 20 students who had volunteered to spend two weeks working for the Sisters of Charity. Arriving at the airport in Calcutta, the professor and students had their first taste of what awaited them in this foreign land. The air was sultry, filled with the smell of the city; the public square in front of the airport a jumble of people and rickshaws moving quickly about. They took a bus to the Mother House of the order and after some difficulty arrived at their destination. .

The next  day, the cultural indoctrination continued in earnest. With a temperature over 38 Celsius, they were all sweating profusely. A city of more than 10 million, the poorest city in the world, Calcutta is a stark reminder of the poverty in many parts of the world: people sleeping on the sides of streets, beggars approaching foreigners with outstretched hands, young children carrying babies asking for alms, people drinking unclean water from pumps, street vendors with their merchandiize in no discernible order, revered cows rambling unattended along the streets, dogs sleeping together with their owner, red communist banners fluttering in the occasional breeze, and, of course, the untouchables--all of it leaving an unforgettable impression on the professor and his students.

The spirit of Blessed Teresa (1910-1997) still moves many from all  over the world to come for some short period of time to continue the work she  started. The day at the Mother House starts with a prayer and a hymn, and then each group is given their assignment. The professor's group was assigned to a sanatorium housing the terminally sick, the handicapped, orphans and homeless women. It was a busy  two weeks for the Korean volunteers.

They were in Calucutta for the 100th anniversary of the birth of Blessed Teresa, which was celebrated in the chapel, mostly with the volunteers in attendance. It was an emotional time for the students, as it must have been for many others in India. She is greatly respected by the people of Calcutta, although the city is 80% Hindu. She told them, "You pray to your God, and I will pray for you to my God." She  sacrificed herself for humanity:  willing to undergo the dark night for over half a century taking care of her sisters and brothers in the most poverty stricken city of the world. Those who have volunteered at the Mother House, on returning home know that they have not only helped others but helped themselves--now conscious of a  world that is mostly unknown to many of us.

Desire for the 'One Shot Big Kill'

Addiction to gambling is not only a problem in Korea but a worldwide  problem seen mostly in the economically advanced countries. The effects of gambling on our society were examined by an article in the Catholic  Peace Weekly. Legal gambling takes place at horse race tracks, cycling tournaments, casinos and where lottery tickets are sold.

There is no denying that gambling is a great money maker for the country and much good comes from the taxed revenues, like funding public welfare projects, and , no small matter, it puts people to work. However, this should not blind us to problems that society has to deal with because of the addiction of over 2 million citizens: divorce,  family problems, suicides,  sickness, loss of work and  larceny, to name just a few. In recent years, with the economic slow down, the numbers frequenting the legal gambling establishments has increased greatly. But the media continues to treat the addiction lightly, and the government does not see it as urgent--and here we are only considering the legal gambling. Illegal  and online gambling is even more pervasive than the legal gambling, and it goes on without any controls.

The article points out that the desire for the 'one shot big kill', and getting something you have not worked for are the main motivating factors behind the addiction.  Many who are working to help gamblers deal with their addiction believe that the efforts to help have not kept up with the spread of the gambling establishments. The government has not kept up and little money is going into prevention and therapy. 

The media also seems unconcerned; even the Church has not been involved to any great degree. Revenue and  employment possibilities from gambling are a great help to the economy but the price being paid is high. It is like the bingo parties the Catholic Church in the States uses to help fund their charity and school work. Does the end justify the means? --we might ask. Catholicism does not see gambling as a moral problem until it becomes detrimental to the person and the family. This happens in too many cases and then we are likely dealing with someone who is sick and needs help. Those who are helping on the therapeutic side of the issue see a need for more people to become interested in prevention and therapy, with more money allotted to help those who are addicted.

Stepping-stones to a New Society

The recent editorial in the Peace Weekly wants us to use the problems in our society as stepping-stones to a better future. Differences of opinion are to be expected when people live together, and, as we learn from history, can be the beginning of future progress.

Today, disagreements among members of our society are deep and acute: North and South, rich and poor, young and  old, city and country, and, recently, the  policies of the government.

The Cardinal of Seoul, in his message for the Assumption and Liberation Day, said this discord presents us with an opportunity to reflect on finding ways to help solve our disagreements. The key is to be willing to dialogue and not have personal or group opinions prejudice the way we approach the problems. He mentioned the importance of keeping in mind that it is justice and love that will help get us out of the quagmire we are in.

The Bishop of Taejon. in his message, referred to the words of Gandhi, found inscribed near his grave site:


Wealth without Work
Pleasure without Conscience
Science without Humanity
Knowledge without Character
Politics without Principle
Commerce without Morality
Worship without Sacrifice 
Are the downfall of society.   

Reading these words again, the bishop confessed that they made him somewhat depressed, knowing that they are still part of our reality: no less true today than they were 50 years ago when they were written. Reflecting on these words and making them a part of  our philosophy of life-- like the stepping-stones referred to in the editorial--could very well help avoid Gandhi's "downfall of society" and bring about a better future society for all.

Calling the Catholic Laity to see beyond their own Country

The Pontifical Council for the Laity with the cooperation of the Korean Bishops will convene The Congress of Catholic Laity in Asia from August 31 to September 5, with the theme:."Proclaming Jesus Christ in Asia today."  Attending the Congress here in Seoul will be 180 members and associate members of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences and about 200 Korean laity.

There will be panel discussions on the following topics: "Imitation and Christian  instruction of the laity; participation of the laity in the life of the parish and small communitites; the witness given by lay people in various sectors of society (work, education, media, politics; the engagement of the laity in the inculturation  of the Gospel and in the dialogue between faith and culture; experiences of the laity in ecumenical and inter-faith dialogue; witnesses of Christian charity and service to the poor; questions regarding religious freedom in the lives of Christians; the laity as builder of peace and justice."                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

A Catholic Times' editorial pointed out the important question the Congress must face and answer: Are we, as Asians, prepared to be troubled enough with our situation to deal with it effectively. Not only should we be concious of the mission we have been given from the time of the apostles but we should be prepared to help solve the problems we are faced with.

Over 60 percent of the world's population lives in Asia; the  number of Catholics about 3 percent (1/6th of the African total). Half the population lives in poverty and must deal with all kinds of  social problems: paternalism, discrimination between the sexes, low birthrates, aging of the population, imigration, and the problems that come by living in a foreign culture.

The editorial goes on to tell us there are some bright spots on the Asian landscape. While in the West the numbers of Christians are decreasing and faith life is weakening, the opposite is happening in Asia. Here, the numbers of Christians and vocations are increasing. Although there are still many conflicts, the sensitivity we have for the spiritual makes Asia a field of great potential.

We need to take advantage of this potential by extending our vision beyond our own country and drawing up concrete proposals.  Laity should be prepared to reconsider their calling  and see themselves as major contributors to Asia's future.