Why Is Self-Emptying So Important in Both East And West?

In the Gospel for today we hear our Lord tell us what is necessary to be his disciple: "Anyone who does not take up his cross and follow me cannot be my disciple." A priest reflecting on this passage, in the bulletin for clergy, refers back to the beginnings of Confucianism and Buddhism and shows that our Lord was speaking from a "blueprint"  that other wisdom teachers have discerned from life.

When taking up our cross, a willing acceptance of a personally painful matter in our journey through life, we should be clear, says the priest, about what that is. My cross may be anything in my daily life that is painful to deal with, but necessary if I am to live as a  Christian and as a full human being, we must not deny our crosses or run from them. Our Lord asks us to carry them willingly.

To do this, the prerequisite is to empty ourselves. The writer makes clear that all the higher religions make this a starting point--getting rid of the personal self. If the glass is filled with what is not wanted and not necessary we have to empty it to receive what is needed and life-giving.

He quotes from the "Analects of Confucius," Ninth Book, Section 4: "The Master recognized four prohibitions: Do not be swayed by personal opinion; recognize no inescapable necessity; do not be stubborn; do not be self centered--or, as the writer puts it,  no wilfulness, no necessity, no stubbornness and  no self. One of the interpreters of the Analects explained that a person does something because it is what the person wants to do; he usually does not bother to ask what more may be involved. He goes ahead and doesn't stop until he achieves what was intended. It  is this attachment to the  results that  brings on the mental pain that most of us experience in life.

The early Buddhists saw that freedom from the personal self, and the accompanying mental pain would earn them emancipation from the ties of this world.  By abiding in the awareness of no-self, an important concept in Buddhism, there would be no worldly desires.

Jesus makes the same point, although Christians come from a different understanding of life. In Galatians, St. Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ, and the life I live now is not my own; Christ is living in me."  For the Christian, Jesus is the Lord, he is the Lord of everything I have and do. I try to conform my life to his. The writer concludes that we as Christians should be careful that we are not living our lives as if it all depended on us, on our own will and strength.

Reading the preceding, one can understand the fatalism, the resignation that is associated with much of the East. This fatalism is not only part of  eastern wisdom but also part of the mostly unknown patrimony of the West. In one of our antiphons to the psalms, we frequently repeat "Surrender to God, and he will do everything for you." This trust in God with the acknowledgement of our freedom of will makes all the difference.

The Movement For Life Continues to Grow in Korea

A movement to unite the pro-life forces in Korea is gathering momentum in an effort to strengthen their opposition to the laissez faire approach to abortion by most of society. This movement is not unopposed by those that see the right to choose as a human rights issue, and they are also beginning to unite to make their voices heard.  A report that the government is considering legalizing abortion has further motivated the pro-life forces to join together in the battle for public approval.

The first group was the doctors who came  together attempting  to put teeth into the law as it now stands. Abortion is illegal and they want the government to acknowledge this and   enforce it. The second group to associate was the young people, and now we have the lawyers who are uniting. The pro-life  teachers also have plans to unite.

The lawyer heading the group, as quoted by the Peace Weekly, said,  "The different  pro-life groups feel  a great loss in not having the lawyers with them.  We will join you in thinking about right-to-life problems and related topics, becoming more aware of what is involved, and join with you in the movement for life."

He has made it clear that all citizens should get behind the movement because "pro-life"  is not a religious question but a human question. He says, "...the so- called progressive stand of certain segments of our society, although they push for the dignity of women, the handicapped and foreigners, are disregarding the right to life issue. They are self-interested to the point  of making life a commodity, and the affection we should have for life is lost."

The lawyer group has about 50 members and striving to add many more. They are a religiously motivated group that is not only interested in the elimination of abortion and changing or removing the laws that allow abortions by skirting the restrictions but interested as well in promoting respect for all life. Also on their agenda for the future is a network that will focus on educational programs to get their message across on respect for life issues.

The "We Can" Approach to Life's Problems

A common problem for social welfare programs is finding ways to help the handicapped. Many who have succeeded in life, as we know, had handicaps: the four-fingered pianist, the Chinese young man who lost both arms in an accident and plays the piano with his toes, the blind who have graduated at the top of their class. However, those who are mentally disadvantaged are not so successful in life and are also the most difficult to help.

A Religious Sister in Seoul wanted to do something about the problem, so she started the We Can Center. Her intention was to form a company that hires only the mentally handicapped workers and also to make a quality product: a premium cookie using only the best home-grown organic ingredients available.

The Catholic Times reports on the success of the enterprise: Started in 2001, the company is committed to producing a quality product, and when on a number of occasions the only ingredients available did not meet their high standards, they preferred to close down rather than compromise their commitment to quality. In  2008  they increased sales by 44 percent and made a modest profit for the first time. This  past year they had  over a million dollars worth of sales. But, Sister says, success will not come simply because of the sympathy many have for the handicapped, but because of a good product that can compete with others in the marketplace. And with the interest in the product increasing,  she believes this will spur more people to show an interest in the  handicapped.

The Center is interested not only in producing a premium cookie but also in helping their workers become premium members of society. Therapy programs are available to all workers in order to build confidence, gain respect for themselves, and be more responsible and socially aware. The Sister is helping them fit more easily into God's plan for creation. "Our company is interested in people more than money," she says. "The company can run with 6 or 7 employees, we have 37. And there's always the possibility of using cheaper ingredients to increase income;  we have never given in to that temptation."

The article concludes with an invitation to drop by and taste the product at the We Can Center--they are waiting to serve you. For online shopping, they can be contacted at  www.wecan.or.kr.

Unmarried Young Women Who Want To Remain So

The marital situation in the Korea of today is not like it was just a few decades ago. It has changed quickly. A writer for the Korean Times, in a recent column ponders the reasons for the sadness often felt by mothers of daughters in their 30s and 40s who  are still unmarried. She is herself the mother of an unmarried daughter, and often thinks of the loneliness her  unmarried daughters must feel.

The columnist reminisces on how faithful her daughter has been in her faith life.  The daughter even wrote a letter to the Pope  welcoming him to Korea; the Apostolic Delegate responded and his letter is now framed and on her living room wall as a treasured souvenir. However, her sadness is always there; the daughter is 40  and remains unmarried. If she were married, the mother believes, her daughter would be happier and she would worry less about her.

The reasons girls are avoiding marriage are many and reflect the currently accepted norms of our society. Women are better educated and have easier access into the business world. Some of the men are not as capable or as successful as the women, making it difficult for women to find suitable partners. You hear that women have had to lower their expectations, which for many has not been easy. They also like the freedom they now have and dislike the paternalism they find in society, a norm which influenced the thinking of many men in their early years. The feminist reaction that occurred in some other countries seems not to have influenced most of the women here.

However, the refrain that is heard repeatedly is that money is needed if one wants to marry well.  Society does not make it easy to begin married life on a shoe string, which  was often the case in the past.   Willingness to sacrifice, to make do with less, is not what one sees in our society, and what is not readily seen, no matter how beneficial, will have little influence on our youth.

 The mother goes on to describe buying a finger rosary for her daughter. The daughter was never interested with body accessories--necklaces or ear rings-- so she broached the subject very delicately and the offer was accepted graciously. The mother took the size of the ring finger and bought a  gold finger rosary, and then they both went to a priest to have it blessed. The mother was pleased with the gift and the results, as was the daughter, who mentioned the times people, surprised to see she was a Catholic, had asked what her baptismal name was. The daughter said she felt closer to her mother and to Jesus and Mary thanks to the ring.

The finger rosary does serve many purposes. Those who do not have a car and take the ferry to the mission station, seeing a finger rosary on the fingers of the drivers makes it easy for those without cars  to ask for a ride.  It does save some embarrassing moments,  for  requests are cheerfully accepted. This indicates the importance that Catholicism would have for many of our Koreans and who are  willing and happy to make that commitment known to others.

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What Are the Important Things in Life?

The writer of the desk column in the Catholic Times this week mentions that although he likes to drink with friends, the singing was not of any interest --until recently. Now, as a member of the parish council, he goes with them to the 'song rooms' (karaoke) and feels disappointed when they do not pass him the microphone.

The song he enjoys singing is "Essay and Car." It refers back to the time in  life when we could become emotionally involved by seeing a good movie and could also desire to be like the good hero in the cartoon world. However, today we want to know what car he drives and where he lives; we have lost our dreams, losing not only the small things but as the years go by, also the important things in life. The song allows us, the writer believes, to ponder this crucial matter.

He goes on to reflect on the opportunities the older generation misses when confronting the difficulties of life, retreating as the years go by to a careful, less challenging way.  Although young people taking " big step on thin ice" do not see the dangers, they  learn a great deal in the process. And because of their innocence can sacrifice and risk loss repeatedly. This is, he believes, the real beauty of youth.

Those of us with faith also have to become young. We need the courage of youthful thinking and feeling to walk on thin ice. Isn't this what Jesus was asking of Peter in Matthew 14:29?

As we age, we should not lose what we considered important when we were young. Our inner lives can be tarnished with the difficulties we have met along the way, but if it is only the material things in life that interest us and we are overcome with these difficulties, the Holy Spirit will not be able to work in our hearts.

The writer concludes his column by referring to his own experience of the sentiments expressed in the song. Riding his bicycle to work for the past 5 months (a 25 mile round trip), he found that his health had improved but he also missed the reading he could do if he had taken the bus to work.  Food for the inner life, as the title of the song seems to suggest, and the writer wants us to ponder, is more important than the kind of car, or any material good, the other person has or I should have. They are not the kind of dream that gives life.

Waiting For A New Han River Miracle

In an opinion piece in the Chosun Ilbo, the writer reflects on a recent seminar discussion that suggested the unhappiness many Koreans experience is attributable to a fondness for the materialistic attractions of society. One of the presenters at the seminar, an American professor well-known in his field, studied 130 nations to determine the level of unhappiness in each country. On his index of happiness scale, Korea placed just below the middle range. And when ranking the countries on the importance of the material side of life, Korea placed higher than the very economically advanced countries of Japan and the United States. The professor feels that this trend will continue no matter how much economic progress Korea continues to make.

The writer acknowledges that we all have a desire for the material goods of life but wonders why Korea should be so high on the scale. He offers as an explanation the one proposed by many scholars: that Korea's rapid rise from poverty to having one of the world's most advanced economies is the  fondness for the material things of life--the aftereffect, perhaps, of the sudden transition to the prosperous life.

In surveys that study religion in Korea, about half of those surveyed acknowledge having no religion, thus tending to make the material world the center of their beliefs, along with an amorphous religiosity. The writer alludes to this by mentioning that when a foreign company starts their operation in Korea, they will often  display a pig's head and offer rice cakes to the spirits--a shamanistic practice (Kosa) when worshiping the spirits.

Some would say that this attraction to the material world and the Korean passionate disposition have been the reasons for the country's quick progress. "Let us live well" was a popular motto.  One social scientist believes it is precisely the non-religious base of Korean society and the corresponding materialistic focus that is responsible for the country's economic progress.

This worldly philosophy of life   made possible the "Han River Miracle," a phrase that uses the name of the river flowing through Seoul to describe the transition, within just 50 years, of an economically underdeveloped country to the Korea of the present.


This "Han River Miracle" may have another side to it. Not only is it a catch phrase for Korea's quick rise to economic prominence, but it could also explain why Koreans register low on the Professor's index of happiness. It may indicate, more importantly, that life is not what they expected it to be-- despite the material attainments and opportunities for pleasure the purposefulness of life did not keep pace. A less materialistic miracle than the "Han River Miracle" may be what is needed now.

What Gives One Strength To Keep Searching for the Oasis

He never saw an oasis except in pictures and paintings, but from the time he was a child, they always fascinated him. Now, writing for the Catholic Times, he reflects on what the oasis might mean to a traveler in the desert who is looking for a place to rest and quench his thirst. 

He compares finding this resting place to what a traveler on the ocean must feel when seeing seagulls and the beacon from  a light tower. Depending on the condition of the traveler, mirages in the desert can often deceive the exhausted traveler.  Seeing or not seeing an oasis is the difference, the writer believes, between life and death, hope and despair, reality and dream.

A student with cerebral palsy, a graduate from Seoul National University, is mentioned by the writer to explain how an "oasis mirage" can be applied to many of our everyday problems.  Here was a man who was looking for an oasis, but for many years it was a mirage. He dreamed of getting a good job but with his physical condition the difficulties were great. After five years of mirage-like searching, he finally did get accepted by a  big corporation, with no preferences given to him because of his condition; more than 60 others had competed for the job. Only he knows the difficulties he had with school, finally graduating and finding a job. Above all, he did not despair.

Despair, Kierkegaard said, is a disease that brings death. Many different opportunities are available to us provided we do not despair. Even when wandering in a seeming desert of hopelessness, if we reject this mirage, an oasis will appear.

On the 18th of this month, the grandson of one of the biggest industrialists in Korea killed himself. The grandson was living by himself in a rented apartment and buying goods in the neighborhood on credit. After the suicide, there were no preparations for a funeral, no room set aside for his picture and for meeting family and guests. The body was kept in the mortuary until it was taken by the family to a crematoria for a private ceremony. Even this family, with its  resources was not able to help a family member that very much needed help. Where was the mirage here?  Was it with the grandson who was not able to express his need or not open enough to the help that was certainly offered? Or was it with the family that failed to persevere in providing the help that was needed? 

Life, it is said, is not always fair. We can talk about the oasis and the beacon but there are many who are not able to see them; they do not register or give any meaning-- one of the symptoms of the disease.  One of the hardest things to do is to ask another for help. This is one reason we stay mired in the difficulties, we get ourselves into; it closes many doors, often even shutting out the help that God  gives.  This is what makes this sickness,  so seemingly hopeless--until  we ask for help. With the help, many will arrive at their oasis.