From the Depths of Despair to Hope

Persons with HIV/AIDS in Korea are relatively rare, so understanding the disease is often lacking. Until this year, those with HIV were not allowed to come into the country. But foreign English teachers, after arriving in the country, are required to be tested for the disease. If they are found to be positive, they are deported. Part of the reason for this is the failure of many of our citizens to understand how the disease is transmitted. An article in the recent Kyeongyang Catholic magazine tells us the story of a young man of 28 who discovered that he was HIV positive.

As a child he was made fun of by his classmates because he was fat. He was timid and lacked confidence, which made his early years unpleasant.  His father, when drinkingwould beat his mother in his presence, which made the home environment difficult. His pleasure at that time, to help him forget what he had to face daily, were drawing and fortune telling.
 

As an adult he joined the army, and during those years he found peace by going to a Buddhist temple. His time in the service passed without any problems; he credited this to the peace he found by going to the temple.                

Discharged from the army, he returned home to find the conditions worse than they had been. Poverty had forced the family to break up. It put an end to his desire to finish his education. He left to find work but manual labor on a continual basis was too much for his body, so he found work in the field of entertainment. This did not improve his life, so he went into the sex trade. Although the money was good, he was thinking of getting out of it. But before that happened, he came down with PL (People Living with HIV/AIDS).

The news hit him like a bombshell. He didn't want to believe it; it felt like the end of everything.  If only he  had been more careful, he thought, this wouldn't have happened. He was told that with medication, he could lead a normal but this did not help. He became depressed and the side effects of medication made his life miserable. He even attempted to kill himself but failed. There seemed to be nothing to live for.

He returned home hoping to renew the old ties, but it was not to be. One of his relations introduced him to a Religious Sister, but although he met her a number of times he was not able to open up. On one occasion the Sister told him not to see her as a religious but as just another human being talking to another. She asked him to make a retreat with her, and he accepted, surprisingly. From the time, he was a child, he hated to see pictures of Jesus and the cross; they gave him a headache.

However, he did go on retreat with the Sister for the full six days. There were prayers, talks, and attendance at his first Mass. He received the laying-on of hands, asked for healing, spent time before the Blessed Sacrament in prayer, and had feelings that he had never experienced before. He heard a  whisper in his heart "Live. It is not too late. Love."

During the months that followed, he would often hear the word "Live" and with it a feeling of gratitude for being in the world. He no longer felt it was money and honors that were important but a belief in the value of life was important. He was surprised by the change that took hold of him. A taste of happiness had  come into his life.  He began the study of the catechism, thanked God for the change in his life, and now has a loving relationship with him. 

Korea Catholic Red Ribbon is an Internet site that provides a warm and welcoming atmosphere for persons struggling with the disease. The site is also translated into  English: redribbon.kr

In Treatment of Animals When Do We Go Too Far?

News coverage of the cruel treatment of animals in factory farming is increasing, and a Catholic Times' columnist made it  the subject of  her weekly column. She saw a TV documentary recently and was deeply disturbed. It showed chickens on a conveyor belt being electrically shocked into a state of a convulsion, killed and packaged for market. Seeing what was involved in getting the chickens ready for market, she was haunted by the images she had seen. 

Another issue covered by the documentary was the fur industry and the wholesale killing of animals for their skin and hair. She understands why women would want to be seen wearing such elegant accessories as fur coats and hats. But she believes this is not a good reason to justify killing animals to strip them of their fur when so many other materials can do the job, though most likely not so elegantly.

Though fur is usually an item of clothing for women, most of us have at least one item of clothing lined with duck or goose feathers.  How many animals have to be killed, she wonders, to satisfy our desire for unusual and stylish clothes. She doesn't want us to become entangled in questions of right or wrong but merely to think of what is involved when we desire and buy these articles of clothing.


We are faced with the fact that we have to live together with animal and plant life.We must also face the fact that economic development and the management of wealth often depend on utilizing nature to achieve these goals.  On which side do we find ourselves? In answering the question, it would be well to keep in mind, she says,  that we have been given the command to rule over creation, God  saw all of it as good,and it was given to us as a gift.

Our columnist, being a poet, has treated the subject delicately, knowing that it is a controversial issue and will continue to be for years to come. The Church has principles that should guide us in  seeing the issue with  balance. Pope Benedict, before he became Pope, expressed his opinion in these words: "Certainly, there has been an industrial use of creatures, so that geese are fed in such a way as to produce as large a liver as possible; hens live so packed together they become just caricatures of birds. This degrading of living creatures to a commodity seems to me to contradict, in fact, the relationship of mutuality that comes across in the Bible."
      
The Catechism of the Catholic Church  says, "The seventh commandment enjoins respect for the integrity of creation. Animals, like plants and inanimate beings, are by nature destined for the common good of past, present, and future humanity." The Catechism spells out clearly what is expected from Catholics dealing with creation. The problem comes when an effort is made by some to place the rights of animals on a par with the rights of  humans.  This extreme position the Church cannot accept. Cruelty to animals, or for that matter, to anyone is of course not accepted by the Church. However, what some consider cruel treatment in preparing animals for market in the factory farm system would very likely be considered a necessary unpleasantness by others. Each of us must come to our own conclusions on the matter.

Learning How To Live Like A Fool And Be Better For It

The best-selling author of "Blessing of the Rainbow," Cha Dong-yeop, has another book now available in bookstores. In "Be Foolish," Fr. Cha, a seminary professor and founder of the Future Pastoral Institute, again shows us how to fully awaken our latent abilities.

He  follows the path of others who have praised the wisdom of foolishness.  St. Paul considered himself a fool, and we hear about the foolishness of Christ. "We are all fools on Christ's account" (Cor. 4:10).  Erasmus in his satirical way wrote one of his most popular books on folly, "The Praise of Folly." It was a devastating, humanistic look at the foolishness in society and in the Church. And with the eyes of a one-time priest, he knew well the failings within the Church. He  considered Jesus a Divine Fool to come to us as a Savior. It is not always easy when reading Erasmus to distinguish when his foolishness is intended to be seen positively, but there are times when it clearly is.  Fr. Cha, however, leads us without sarcasm to see that the wisdom of the world is not always what it is purported to be.

He says we have all been called fools at one time or another. It is often applied to those who are  simple and sentimental, those who try to realize important ideals and are not stopped by pressure from the outside. He tells us that many who have done great things for society were often considered fools. They broke the mold in which society wanted them to live. His book shows us how to free the fool in us and break out to the joy and success that the spirit within is calling us to.

In an interview with The Catholic Times, Fr. Cha refers to the prologue in the book where he writes: "In the old days when I did not know something I tried everything not to hear the word fool. But when I heard the words 'he's quite a brain,' it puffed me up, and I worked to exhaustion to merit those words and not be seen as a fool, not to be listed among the drop outs. I  struggled with all this, troubled by the pressures I was feeling. Isn't this our common self portrait?"

How do we become fools? Fr. Cha lists 12 ways to achieve this "foolish" awakening.  

 1) Be skeptical of common sense
 2) Nurse your fantasies
 3) Act immediately
 4) Consider the small things big
 5) Consider the big things small
 6) Go beyond what you can see
 7) Don't be tied to what others think
 8) Walk ahead like an ox
 9) Be honest
10) Be transparent
11) Share generously
12) Keep  laughing

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Love for Books is a Great Blessing

Books are no longer gifts young people find attractive. Spending one's leisure time reading books, when there are so many other activities available today, has pushed this once popular pastime into the background, and not only for children. Chesterton once said "There is a great deal of difference between an eager man who wants to read a book and a tired man who wants a book to read." The tired man, to "kill time," will more easily do so in today's world without picking up a book to read because of the many other options provided by mass media. 

This  past month, Korean high school graduates took their college entrance exams. A  columnist for the Catholic Times, previously a teacher for many years, recalls her own anguish when faced with that ordeal and offered up some fervent prayers for those parents and students about to take the test.

How wonderful it would be, she feels, if we would find more time for reading. For her, sitting down with a good book is a great pleasure; she has tried to encourage others to do the same with little success.

She believes that  children who have made reading a habit from a very early age will be more successful in the college entrance exams. They will have been exposed to a wide spectrum of knowledge, and will know how to maneuver within this world. Having become familiar with the power of thought, and honed skills of comprehension, they will have acquired not only the  ability to write well but the confidence to compete with others.

The advantages of reading are many; it can be as close and comforting to us as a friend when one does not have the health to travel or indulge in the activities we once enjoyed at a younger age. How do we get children to see the benefits? A good way would be seeing their parents reading books more often, and by parents reading to their preschool children when they are not yet capable of reading on their own. Setting up a welcoming atmosphere for book reading in the home cannot be overemphasized.

Another benefit of reading: readers are not afraid of being alone, in fact, they don't ever have to be alone as long as they can pick up a  book and read. They have so many books they want to read that when one is read, they are anxious to start the next one. The columnist mentions that when she hears from her friends,  they feel lonely and life is dreary it's time to send them a book to read. However, most often she hears that they have read a few pages, and then their eyes begin to give them trouble, and they get a headache. If only they had realized at a younger age the joys of reading, they would never lack the presence of a great friend in their older years.

She ends her column by telling us she spends date-time with God by reading his Scriptures. Reading spiritual books and works of literary value is a source of great joy to her. She regrets that she has not been able to share this joy with many of her acquaintances.

"Declaration of Human Rights" And Second Sunday of Advent

Today is the 29th observation of Human Rights Sunday in Korea. A reminder of our human dignity and of the ways we have personally and as a society violated these God-given rights.

The message from the Bishop's Justice and Peace Committee reminds us of the  ways many in our society  have been hurt, and their dignity not respected: the plight of many irregular workers, foreign workers, the discrimination towards those  who have immigrated here, and the many refugees. The editorials in the two Catholic papers have brought this to our attention. The way we have opted for development instead of looking to the needs of our citizens and the environment would include present construction of the Four River Project. The  Bishops feel there is no justification for the project and that the effort and money allocated should have been directed to eliminating the discrimination and exploitation of the weak ones in our society--that would be a project worthy of the concern and support of the country and the Churches.

The ways we can be cruel to one another are often beyond the normal person's comprehension, such as the recent artillery attack from the North on Yeongpyeong island. Most of the islanders, having fled to the city of Incheon, are still suffering from trauma from the shelling, some with heart palpitations, headaches and stomach problems.  

The Peace Weekly has an article on a priest who provides support to the victims of crimes in his area, crimes that often result in broken families  and mental disorders that can last a lifetime. The priest recalled several incidents that needed the support of his center: a farmer who was shot by a hunter and lost his sight in one eye, which brought on depression and the avoidance of others; a teacher on her way home from school  was beaten by teenagers, leaving her whole body paralyzed. She now lives with anger and pain and regrets her time teaching.  In many of these cases they never find the culprits. These support centers provide a much needed service. Unfortunately, compared to other countries, there are too few of them in Korea.

Friday, Dec. 10, is Human Rights Day. The Catholics in Korea are reminded of  this each year on the second Sunday of Advent. Sixty-two years ago, on December 10, 1948,  the General Assembly of the United Nations adopted and proclaimed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It was a big step and surprising in many ways. However, after all these years since the Declaration, it's far from clear whether the recommendations of that wonderful document have had much of an effect on our behavior.                               

How to Make Advent Environmentally Friendly

Some parishes in Korea, during the period of Advent, are attempting to raise the level of environmental awareness. The Peace Weekly gives us some examples of parishes that are doing this by following the Bishops' guidelines on how to take care of the environment by keeping our actions in harmony with God's creation.

Subjects of some of the talks: Saving our farms, eating wisely, setting up guidelines for dealing with the environmental crisis--always remembering that working to restore the natural order in creation is our mission.

There has always been those who have felt a need to confess their offenses against the environment but this is becoming more pronounced with the recent interest in ecological  problems. Not only are we concerned today with our relation with God, with others, and with ourselves but with creation, as well.

In the Bishops' guidelines we are told: "We  no longer can separate love for God and others from the  love we should have for creation... because of my greed and carelessness when I randomly  destroy part of God's creation,  I should come to the realization that I am sinning. This is something we have not been familiar with in the past but  is now one of  our social  sins."

It is easy to understand our personal offenses but not so easy to understand that even when buying a ten-dollar cup of coffee something is happening in our  society that is not good. Here we are in the order of social sin.

Our mass production and consumption on a large scale has brought us global warming, scarcity of food, and the disappearance of many animal species. To begin to reverse this trend we must take steps to live in a simpler and less comfortable way.

The article ends with a number of suggestions on how to do this: use less water, eat a better diet, save energy, avoid throw-away goods, walk or take public transportation whenever possible, cut down on eating out, prefer environmentally friendly farm goods, use cleaning materials made with natural ingredients and whenpossible,recycle everything.

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The Place of Women in Church Life

Women far outnumber the men attending Mass here in Korea. For every two men at Mass, there are three women. And of those involved in parish work and other church activities, women are participating at an even greater statistical rate than men. In short, women are the ones that do most of the work and yet few are members of pastoral councils, except for one diocese, Kwang Ju, where they number more than the men. 

The editorial in the Peace Weekly brings these facts to our attention and laments that we do not have more dioceses like Kwang Ju. Women, following the traditional image of Korean women, whether appreciated or not, are represented more than men in all kinds of service work and in most of the unpleasant jobs in our society.

The recent meeting of the Women's Subcommittee on Women Affairs focused their discussion on "What can women give to  society and the Church?" They  considered their situation within the Church  and came to some understanding of their place in apostolic work and how to be a catalyst in the  work they do.

At present, there are, not surprisingly, many women with the same abilities as men, but they do not have the same opportunities that men have to use their abilities for the  Church; it was one of the main complaints of those attending the meeting. One participant complained that women are not in a position to express their opinions and get into the decision-making progress within the parish communities.

One priest suggested that the way to begin changing this policy was by getting women organizations to work for solidarity, to educate women for taking leadership roles, and to raise funds for this work.

One woman said that women are only involved in service work. Consequently, when an opportunity presents itself, which may benefit others with their special talents, they are reticent to speak out. The atmosphere has to be prepared for this to happen. This can be done by formation and leadership programs, among others: women as staff members on the payroll in parishes.  One difficulty in accomplishing the goal of getting women involved in Church affairs is that, not infrequently, the women want their husbands to be more involved and will step aside so that he will become the more active one in Church work. The women are often more concerned about their husband's spiritual state than what they  would be able to do for the community.

The bishop who is responsible for the Women's Subcommittee said that not all that should be done can be put into the hands of the bishops. Getting together to talk is an important first step and will stimulate the active presence of women in the decision-making process in parish life.