Even With Trials-- Appreciating the Gift of Life

The recent suicide of the popular TV celebrity known as the Happiness Evangelist has elicited many questions and provided a topic for much conversation. A columnist in the  Peace Weekly uses this tragic incident as the introduction to his article, for the  series on the culture of life, which focuses on the frequent occurrences of suicide in Korea.

In comparison to  countries like Greece and Mexico, Korea last year had ten times more suicides, a total of 15,000, about 30 killing themselves daily, many of them either young or old. The number one reason for the deaths of those from 20 to 30 years of age is suicide.

The article notes that in the West those who kill themselves do it, mostly for philosophical reasons, a despairing response to perceiving life as meaningless. In Korea, it is more likely to be alienation in the family or workplace, or loneliness, or poverty and disease that provoke the drastic step. Because of this difference, the numbers of suicides in the West are less but also more  difficult to work for a decrease, but in Korea, we have   larger numbers but if efforts are made, we will see a decrease. It is for this reason that we see suicide as societal murder.

The Korean government  has taken an interest in this societal problem since 2004. But even with a five-year plan to prevent suicides, over the years there has not been a decrease of suicides but an increase. Although efforts have been made to recruit different sectors of society to help in this effort, there has been little change because of a lack of specialists and finances.

Catholics see suicide as a great problem, and we can't remain unconcerned.  Up until now, the Catholic Church  cannot be said to have done all that it could in this area of life that calls for justice and for demonstrating the love we should have for others. How can we remain unmoved by the large numbers of young and old killing themselves? The young are the future of the country, and the old should be enjoying their twilight years without having to contend with problems of health, poverty and loneliness.

There are some hopeful signs. Even though past governmental efforts have not been successful, recently the government has commissioned the Catholic Church to work through  the  'One heart and One Body Movement' in  setting up the Center for the Prevention of Suicides. This should produce some concrete results. The Church will also use Cyberspace, along with education programs for the young, and training programs to get qualified people involved in preventing suicides.

Life is a gift from God, and  the Church should be doing all possible to help those who because of circumstances have difficulty in seeing this.The Church with government  help should be able to work in a manner that befits the situation in which Korea finds itself.

A Lay Missioner Overcoming Obstacles

The Catholic Church of Korea has over 1,000 mission stations: small communities of Catholics who do not have a resident priest.  Stations are part of a parish whose pastor  is responsible for their  pastoral needs and makes periodic visits to the station. Distance is the reason for the designation, the site often developing into a future  parish.

Those who represent the pastor in these stations are volunteers who take care of the spiritual needs of the community, and  conduct the mission station Liturgy of the Word on  Sunday. Mission stations  often have permission to have the Eucharist and in the absence of the priest the community leader would give  communion.

This past week the Peace Weekly had a  front page article profiling a catechist, a lay missioner, who was sent to one of these mission stations by the pastor to instruct the community. The mission station was over 40 years old but never had over ten attending the  Sunday service. The reception was anything but welcoming. Not a person said they were happy to have him there and the head of the community himself was cold to him on their first meeting. It was very difficult to accept, and although he thought of going home, the effort of becoming a lay missioner, his dream of many years, was not easily given up.

He  had left a successful occupation to become a lay missioner. He received permission from his wife who also wanted to become a lay missioner but because of their two unmarried sons has put it off until one of them gets married. Leaving  the family was difficult for him; he goes home 3 or four times a year.

After arriving at his first assignment and receiving a very cold reception, he rented a room in the town and told the Christians that he would be saying prayers in the church each morning at 5:00 am. Not one person came until  40 days later someone  appeared at the door of the Church and said he wanted to join. The lay missioner's joy was hard to describe.  All seemed to change from then on.  7 or 8  came every day for morning prayers.  Gradually,  the atmosphere in the mission station changed. On the anniversary of his arrival the community had a placard placed out in front of the mission station acknowledging the anniversary and celebrated the occasion with the missioner by preparing a banquet.  The community had grown to over 70 attending Sunday Mass. Not once did he ever ask anyone to come out to the church.

The parish priest seeing the results sent him to another mission station, a new station with only one Catholic, started the previous year. Within a year they had a congregation of 13.  Just recently he has been moved again to another mission station where he will undoubtedly be just as sucessful as he has been in his other assignments. .

He finds this life very satisfying.  In the future there will be a greater need for these lay missioners as the church continues to grow.  Many of the mission stations need stimulation from the outside which is the work of these lay missioners. The Church in Korea has had few paid lay missioners in the ranks alongside the priests, brothers and sisters, so to have a whole new group coming into the front lines as lay catechists and  missioners will take some time for our Catholics to appreciate. The programs of study for lay Catholics have been around for many years but finding suitable full time positions for lay people within the Church is not always an easy task.

Gender Equality Programs for Priests and Brothers

Sex is not taboo but a topic for  discussion and understanding. This was the heading of an article in the Catholic Times, discussing the educational program for Jesuit priests and brothers on gender equality held at Sogang University in Seoul.

Clerics and religious are hearing a great deal about sex lately in lectures and workshops because of the clerical abuse cases. One of the presenters at the educational program for Jesuits, a professor and a woman, treated the subject of sexual harassment and violence under the heading of gender equality. She asked them how they understood the term and then proceeded to tell them what might have been for some of them a new understanding of gender equality.

There was an atmosphere of tenseness that was  sensed. The professor gave concrete examples of what was meant when dealing with sexual harassment. Examples had to do with pouring drinks at the table, holding another's hand, making comments about another's appearance or clothes, and a series of explicit examples of where one has to be careful not to be misunderstood.

The article goes on to tell us that what the participants thought was far from their lives as celibates was actually  an issue that came very close to them in their daily lives. They listened carefully to what was said, often surprised to hear what was considered sexual harassment. It made for a lively question and answer session.
 
If we are to rid ourselves of all possibilities of being misunderstood. we need more awareness:  the way we move our hands and bodies, the position of the door during interviews, and trasparency of the bulding by windows. One has to be concerned how another might understand one's actions. She stressed that becoming gender sensitive is the  key factor in understanding sexual harassment. 

The Jesuit superior in his talk after the lecture said: "We priests and brothers have to be alert to what is involved with this issue, not only preventing these incidents from happening but fostering more gender sensitivity in pastoral work ....Most of our congregations are made up of women, but they are run by men. It is necessary that those who make up most of the Church are  properly understood."

These programs were asked to be implemented by Jesuit headquarters in Rome and will  continue in the years ahead.  Maryknoll   has similar programs;  at the beginning of this year, all Maryknollers had to attend a workshop on sexual harassment. Sensitivity on this issue, which has caused much harm while escaping notice by many of us due to the bias of most cultures favoring a masculine view of the male/female relationship is bound to make our social relationships, both for men and for women, just  and harmonious.

Talents of Our Senior Citizens Should not be Wasted

According to the recent statistics, 11 percent of Koreans are over 65 years old. A columnist in the Catholic Times is asking what do we make of that. The standards of the  UN tell us that when 20 percent of a society has a population over 65, it is considered a super-aged society, and Korea will become such a society in 2026. We are racing to this figure four times faster than other societies, he says.

This ageing society poses problems for the larger society. The numbers of those working  to support the aged will decrease and the numbers of those that will be in the labor market will lessen, which will have an impact on the economic growth of the country. Presently, the concern is to help those who are sick or incapacitated in some way, which has to continue and increase but without interferring with other concerns.

There are many who  reach retirement age in good health, have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and can be of great use to society. We  should find ways to use this overlooked treasure. It can be a whole new way of looking at the retirement years. Finding ways of having these men and women return to society with their talents can be a positive help to the country. The care of the many who need it should be improved and  monies allotted but also to bring back into society many who have  talents and gifts that can help  society. 

 

In the  front page of the same issue of the Catholic Times we are told that 44 percent of our Catholics are involved in volunteer service work. This was the highest of all the religious groups. Protestants were second with 37 percent and Buddhists had 23%. 64 pecent  of Catholics do this periodically.

Many of our Catholics have taken the mandate at each Mass to go  and give back in some way what they have received to others. 44 percent is a good number but hopefully many more will take up the invitation.

There is much talent among Catholics who are retired and in good health and involving this group in works that will  benefit society should be encouraged. Government  should fund programs for these senior citizen, and the Church, with its close contact with this group on a frequent basis, should be creative in the way they are utilized in the works of the Church.

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Young Rebel Becomes Worker For Peace

Korean Poet Pak No-hae, Casper, has just published his latest book of poetry after 12 years of silence. The interview with the poet was written up in this week's Catholic Times.

He was  given a life term for breaking the security law of the country, served over seven years in prison and was pardoned in 1998. As with many of the young people, he wanted to see a better life for the workers, but the country was not ready for his views. After leaving prison, his life changed to one of  silence and concern for the poor in various parts of the world: Africa, Middle East, Asia and Central America. He became an advocate for peace.

Because Korean words meant little to those he encountered in his world travels, he used his camera to  express his feelings. He has 130,000 pictures, which are now being shown in an exhibition in Seoul until the 25th of this month. The poet handed all of his  pictures and poetry to a group of young people to select for the exhibition. Of the 5000 poems they selected 304, and from the130,000 pictures, they selected 160. They thought that some of the pieces that he liked were too much from the head and not enough from the heart.

The article quotes the poet as saying: "Many young people come to me baring their hearts. There are no adults in our society. We  have all kinds of nice words being used, idle solace and lying hope is lavishly given. However, it is difficult to find any who is taking a whip to the souls of the young. These unnecessary human beings, called losers, berating themselves, are looking for those who by their lives can help them but can't find anybody."  He hopes that seeing the pictures and reading the poems will serve as a confessional for many.

The poet mentions four crises in the world: the environment, wars, the disparity between rich and poor, and lack of spirituality. It is to confront these four problems that he presents his revolutionary message.

He says that his last 12 years were not only filled with writing poetry and taking pictures but there was also a change  in him.  He lost his fear, he says, and he is prepared now to go to God. He realizes that it is love that allows him to keep going. He finishes the interview by saying that his mother left him two things: his faith and his poverty. 
He wonders what it means to live life like Jesus. The interview ends with the words of Pak No-hae, "We do not see in the degree we know but  see in the degree we love." 

Finding Reasons to Congratulate

A columnist writing on spiritual themes in the Catholic Times recalls a man  who came to see him once a month. He had little joy in life and no passion for anything and would continually find fault with others, with his family and was down on himself, as well.  The columnist did not hear from him for 6 months and then he received a call that he was coming to see him with his wife.

"My husband has changed a great deal, hasn't he?" was the first thing the wife said. And then the husband asked his wife if he could be alone with the priest for awhile. As soon as she left the room he grabbed the  hand of the columnist and started to cry. thanking him profusely. The columnist didn't know what in the world it was all about.

Six months ago during the last meeting he suggested to the  man that he select a word and during the day meditate on the word. He said he would but it was not said with any enthusiasm. That evening when he returned home, he saw next to the TV a wrapped package on the nearby table.  He asked his wife what it was and she  simply said it was a gift she received at church. Picking up the package, he saw a holy card with the word congratulations on the front of the card. He read it over and over again. Although a common expression it now brought tears to his eyes and the word kept reverberating in his head and heart.

That word was a great inspiration to him. He began to see everything and everyone with this word in mind: his  family, his work, his own self, his wife and daughter--everything was  deserving congratulations. He asked his wife for the holy card and pasted it on the wall of the bedroom.  On leaving the bedroom he would repeat the word to himself.

His family, those at work, everyone and everything as a reason were occasions for him to have a congratulatory attitude. His whole life had changed, he said, because of that one word. The columnist admitted to having a light-hearted chuckle as he finished the column by congratulating himself.

As we know, life is a gift but for many different reasons we are not conscious of what we have received and not ready to congratulate ourselves and others--thankful for the gift. Analyzing the Chinese characters for  the Korean word 'Chuka Ha' (congratulations), we see what the ancients saw in the first word: a person at an altar petitioning heaven, and 'Ha' adds   something material to the mix. It is a very realistic rendering of what we mean by congratulations  even today. We ask for joy for the one we congratulate and show it by some outward sign.  Congratulations are rarely out of place. 

Old Ways of Fishing No Longer Work

A  priest living in  Seoul recalls going to his grandmother's house in the country; it was a great joy to him in his early years. In an article written for priests he remembers the days of  net-fishing with friends. A couple of them would hold the net, and one would scare the fish into the net by splashing water. It wasn't easy, for they had to be careful not to have the net hit bottom and losing the fish. He recalls the recriminations for not doing a good job and allowing the fish to escape.

Reflecting on those early years of fishing, he remembers when  evangelization was easy.  Korea was a golden fish pond then and there was not much searching necessary; they were often coming into the Church on their own accord. However, evangelization is now difficult and the number of tepid Christians is increasing. Many parishes have tried street  preaching and various programs to increase the numbers of the catechumens. In his own parish, the priest mentions that they tried prayer, fasting, and other approaches but with little success.

He tells us that without too much wisdom, he  reproached the parish council, the Legion of Mary and all those who were responsible for the efforts. The community took it very hard as if it was their problem for the lack of results. However, with the passage of time he realized that it was not  the problem of the Catholics. The pastor was comparing it to the time as a child when he went fishing with the net and let the fish escape. He was blaming the Christians for something that was not in their hands to accomplish. He felt like the Pharasee in the parable of the tax collector and Pharasee: self-righteous.

The fruitful years of evangelization have ended so the efforts have to change. Over the years, we have heard theologians tell us that we have to do more in evangelizing ourselves before we can bring our message to others. Here in Korea we talk about the new evangelization, re-evangelization, and the evangelization of the culture. But it all begins with ourselves.

Pope Benedict said in a talk ten years ago to catechists from around the world: "Human life cannot be realized by itself. Our life is an open question, an incomplete project, still to be brought to fruition and realized. Each man’s fundamental question is: how will this be realized – becoming man? How does one learn the art of living? Which is the path toward happiness? In a word, the new evangelization should be introducing the art of living a path towards happiness."

The concern and the joy of seeing so many coming out to the Church will be less, and thus there should be a greater interest in building up our communities to be signs of people on fire with love, and more time spent in evangelizing ourselves to understand and be open to God's love in our hearts. This should show itself in the way we interact with others in the communities we live in. It should also stimulate us to go out to those not of our community, with a desire to make all of society more human in every way. This new evangelization begins with us. It means presenting the art of living given to us by the example supreme, who is himself the path, by living that life ourselves.

At the beginning of his public life, Jesus says, I have come to evangelize the poor (Luke 4:18)--meaning, I have the response to your fundamental question. I will show you the path of life, the path toward happiness. I am that path.

It's helpful to remember that the deepest poverty is the lack of joy, the tediousness of a life considered absurd and contradictory. This poverty is widespread today, both in the materially rich and poor countries. The inability to experience joy presupposes the inability to love, leading to jealousy and avarice--all defects that devastate the life of individuals and of the world.

This is the reason for the new evangelization; if the art of living remains unknown, nothing else will work. This art can be communicated only by the one who brings to us the true fullness of life--he who is the gospel personified. To show this fullness in our own life is to teach this gospel, this art of living. This is the new evangelization.