Faith In Search of Understanding

A newly baptized Catholic asks the Peace Weekly Answer-man a question many have but rarely express.  What does it mean to be always obedient? When his Godfather told him to be obedient he couldn't rid himself of the depressive feeling that overcame him, remembering the past relationship with his father, just doing what he was told, and not being allowed to say what was in his heart. Was this, he wondered, what he was  called to do in his new life of faith?

The columnist tells him this is a misunderstanding of the faith life. We are not asked to submit blindly to the teachings nor are we forbidden to entertain any inklings of doubt. This misunderstanding arises from the way the lives of the saints and the heroes of  our society are written. Their lives are manicured, beautified and idealized, removing all the failings and imperfections the author thought would detract from the saint's holiness. Those who read the biographies are left with an idea of obedience that is not justified by how the  saints actually lived.

Referring to the life of St. Theresa of Avila, for example, the columnist says she often mentioned that if you are too meek you will find the religious life difficult. The pictures of St. Theresa you find on convent walls remind us more of a hawk than of a dove. She reminds us of what spiritual psychology would call  healthy resistance. Many feel that resistance is always bad because of the unnecessary trouble that it can cause. However, for a person's growth in maturity it is a necessary part of life. When a person accepts submissively whatever is being said, interior growth is often delayed. 

Resistance is of two kinds: healthy and unhealthy. Unhealthy resistance is the desire to destroy unconditionally the old because it is old--the actions of one who lives in his own world. This is the result of mental negativity. This resistance not only militates against interior growth but this stubborness is an obstacle to normal relations with others.  When we have little concern for how others see the world, everyone ultimately suffers. There is little concern for important things, so we have much loss and many mistakes. Healthy kind of  resistance objects to the shackles on our mental world and tries  to free us from  them, to break the hold of unhealthy thinking and to challenge it. With this healthy resistance we are open minded, can listen to others and are full of energy.Then he reminds us that this was the life most of the saints lived and St. Theresa of Avila was a good  example of such a life.

All parents want obedient children, the columnist admits, but those who are  obedient to the extreme are a cause for concern. It's the healthy kind of resistance, he emphasizes, that is a sign of maturity.                                                                    
   

Refugees From the North Living In South Korea

A Korean Religious Sister, working with displaced persons from North Korea, writes in her column in the Peace Weekly about the questions they are frequently asked. Do you often think of home?  Do you want to return? Home, however, is a place they can't go back to, no matter how much money they have. And to talk about the desire is painful, believing. as they do, that they will not be able to return home in their life time.

At this time, with the North-South crisis at its worst,  the displaced North Koreans are finding it especially difficult to think about going home. When questioned about Yeongpyong Do, they don't know what to say when they hear this kind of  reproach. The Korean Society is still not able to distinguish between the North and North Koreans living in the South.

The displaced North Koreans (about 1300 of them living in the Incheon area) have received all that is necessary to become citizens; they now are South Koreans with all the protections of the nation,  but the invisible wall of refugee status is there, which makes it difficult for them to feel at home.  The sister meets regularly with those between 20 and 40 years of age, and has started a group of women to help the refugees build self-confidence, find emotional strength and feel at home in the South.

The women from the North have a strong motherly instinct. No matter how difficult life is they have no thought of abortion. If there is no one to take care of the child, the mother will strap the child to her back and go off to work. On one occasion, going to the center to  report the birth of her child, a woman was greeted with laughter: North Koreans have many babies, they said. She reported that to Sister and wanted to know if it is a sin to have a baby. If the baby comes, the woman said, we accept it. How can we get rid of it, she said with sadness.

The love of the North Koreans for their children is great. Even during the cold months they turn off the heat to save money for the  education of the children. Their desires are few: to have enough to eat, children in school, have a bank card where they can save some money and see it grow, and wait for the day when they will be able to receive and give greetings to those they left behind. The difficult environment of their previous life in the North has toughened them, but their hearts still can be hurt and, unfortunately, often are.

Efforts Needed to Prevent Medical Mistakes

The efforts made for a culture of life in Korea extends far beyond abortion and fetal experiments: we have  suicide, animal experiments, cosmetic surgery, smoking and drinking, gambling, drinking and driving,  and many others. The article in the Catholic Peace Weekly by a professor emeritus of Seoul University, gives us another, the problem in hospitals because of medical mistakes.

Hospitals are considered safe havens but those who work in hospitals know that for the old and children with little immunity, they are a dangerous place, and the medical teams  are the first to be upset with the situation.

In recent years, we have the introduction of  new equipment, and up grading but this has not decreased the number of medical mistakes but increased it.  The hospitals in Korea do not publish or make known, or is there any system to find out statistically the number of these mistakes in order to prevent it from happening again.

One professor in a medical school here in Korea taking his information from a research paper from  the States and considering  the numbers of patients entering hospitals, estimates that we would have about 36,000 deaths in Korea because of medical mistakes. The writer compares it to the 7,000 deaths from  car accidents each year. To prevent these accidents, we use air bags, changed the traffic system and use all our ingenuity to lessen the accidents.  If we made a similar  effort  in our hospitals he feels we could diminish the numbers by about 40%.

 From  the last years of the 1990s, the developed countries  have made studies of the problem and taken steps to change. Here in Korea this has not been done. Mistakes are made in giving medicine, there is the problem with hospital infections, mistaken diagnosis, mistakes in surgery, and no effort to determine the causes and  prevent them from happening again.

He mentions that in 1999 in the US 100,000 died of medical accidents. The World Health Organisation has asked in its 2002  general meeting that all the national  members remember that the problem is not only a national  problem but a world problem, and they resolved to recommend  patient safety  programs to the national members.

The professor emeritus quotes a  professor from the Seoul Medical School: "Like the US we as individuals or as a medical team, without names and  maintaining  secrecy  should  report our medical mistakes. Not to question our responsibility, but so it  doesn't happen again; to examine what went  wrong  and to notify all the other hospitals, so they also will know what to do."    

The professor finishes the article asking that the government take an interest in legislating, so the  patient's safety will be taken into account.

Inviting the Sisters Out to a Meal

One of the women journalists writing for the Catholic Times gives us a glimpse of Catholic life in Korea. She mentioned that as is the custom in Korea, she made the rounds visiting relatives and friends giving the saebae, (low bow),  wishing those so greeted with the best for the New Year.

In the parish to which she belonged lived  sisters who attended daily Mass. She, also being a daily Mass goer came in contact with them often. For some time, she wanted to do something more than pay her respects but also to  invite them  out to a meal.   She had wanted to do this for some time. That Sunday after Mass, they were seated close to  her,  she quickly wrote a note giving  her telephone number and asking them to call her at their convenience.

As soon as she reached home the call came from the sisters. She asked them if they would be free sometime during the week to accept her invitation to a meal. The sister said she would bring the invitation up with the superior and let her know.  That afternoon the call came from the sisters, since they would be busy during the week,  that  evening would be fine.

She drove her car to the convent with a box of tangerines and was ushered into the house. She had a chance to look around and then when the sisters were ready they went to the restaurant that she had picked. They had a pleasant conversation and a good meal at the end of which a gentleman kept on looking into  the  room, since the  door was slightly ajar. The journalist thought it was  someone whom the sisters knew but the gentleman then opened the door and came in.

"Sister, I was so happy to see the sisters that I came in. My father's sister was a religious sister who loved me greatly;  she died a few years ago. Seeing  sisters was like seeing my aunt again and without notice came in. I have been busy these days, is the excuse, but seeing you has made me very happy and also sorry for not being faithful to my religious practices. Please, I want to take care of the bill for your meal."

The journalist stood up and told him that was impossible,  since they were her guest and the meal was on her.

He grabbed the bill in front of her plate and ask that she understand and acquiesce. The sisters also sided with him, so she gave in but gave him her notebook asking him for his name and address.  He said no, but she  implored and he responded that he has a public office and doesn't randomly  give his address. The journalist said she wants to pray for him and at least would he gave his baptismal name and his aunt's name.

She told the sisters, after he left,  she wanted to do something for the sisters, and it was taken away from her. However, the superior said  they enjoyed the time together and the meal was wonderful,  at the   same time the gentleman did something very nice; what  he did was a great consolation to him--sisters all agreed with her.  Her good deed was taken away from her, but she was left with a good feeling and will be praying for John and Bernadette.

Pirates Enabled Him to See the Marginated Differently

A  priest had watched the film 'Black Hawk Down', which was based on a true story about the efforts of an elite team of U.S. soldiers to capture two subordinates of a Somalia war lord. The movie goes into detail on the efforts of the U.S. military. It was his first interest in the country of Somalia.

The second incident about Somalia was the  pirate attack on a Korea ship. He was angry at seeing a group with guns and knives kidnapping a boat and asking for millions in  ransom for the men they kidnapped. These young men could be working, and they spend their time capturing  foreign ships  and asking for ransom. He dreamed of the Government sending a special military team to get rid of them from the world's oceans. Being a priest he doesn't want his feelings known. And when that actually happened he was overjoyed. They will leave the Korean ships alone.

When these pirates were imprisoned in Busan the writer was surprised how  they accepted everything so naturally. The food was 'good, good', 8 of their compatriots were killed  yet they had no difficulty sleeping,  and they showed a happy face. This brought tears to his eyes. How bad must have been life in Somalia to make their stay here in a foreign country as criminals so easily accepted? What was it that allowed them to enjoy the food and the sleep in the prison with  the naturalness that they showed on Korean TV? He wanted to know more about the country.

He started surfing the Internet to get information on the country. Somalia was in the North East part of  Africa with a  population of 10 million, an  independent country since 1960 with an average life span of 49 years. The GDP  is 600 dollars, a poor country, devastated by a continual civil war for over  20 years. What  he learned from  surveying the history, changed the way he saw the country: a lost country, people without hope, "I am not able to give them words about morality in the condition they are in."

He listens to curses and screams of the children playing on the field of the welfare center, students attending the study program. These students are always dealing with anger.  At home, at school, on the street, you meet them all over. We stare at them with sympathy and with a cold gaze, these  children in turn look at the world with a cold heart. The writer with  his knowledge of Somalia enabled him to see the pirates and the children whom he sees daily in his work with different eyes. He hopes others will be able to make the same leap.                         

Accountability and Evaluation in the Church

In a small country town, a church association of men between the  ages 40 and 50 meet regularly to direct  the functions of the parish. Named after the first Korean martyr, the association has been a great help to the Church. Besides the work of the Church, they often get together to eat and drink; so much so that the families of a few of the members complained because they stayed out late to drink, neglecting their families.

Frequently, the group would get together to fraternize without  any special purpose. When a parish event or finances were involved, there would be good attendance and lively discussion. However, when it  came to Gospel values or their mission as Christians, they said little. The place of the Church in the greater society and what the signs of the times demanded of them were not part of their discussions. A priest from the diocese deals with this problem in the bulletin for priests this month.

This past autumn  they had their parish field day;  they used the  neighboring grammar school grounds. The men's group took responsibility for the event and did a good job. It was the men who were involved, the women and the older people were mostly spectators. And again this year there were complaints for making too much noise with the speakers.  At the end of the day they got together for a meal and drinks.  There was a great deal of talking about what happened but no critique of what they did or what changes would be necessary for the future. Rarely would there be an evaluation of any event to improve if for the next time.

It is  good to have a successful event and to enjoy it, but at the same time it's important to see if the religious purposes  have been accomplished: To see what was boring, what was well done, what has to be changed. Were all able to participate? Did they leave any  out  at the event? Did all behave in the proper way during the event?

Although the Church has many events and activities, the writer feels  we have little evaluation to determine how successful they have been.  It is for this reason that despite the events and activities their effect on faith life, on our way of living, and on our society has been negligible. There is a need to have programs to alert us to what the possibilities are, to see and learn from others. Instead, we listen and do what we are told and follow age-old habits--that's easy. But gathering those involved, examining what was done with new eyes, evaluating and being accountable--that  does not come easy.

Dippping Into History Unwisely

Occasionally, we hear of people dipping into history to persuade others of the correctness of their position. Surprisingly, this has been attempted in a recent article in a Catholic publication discussing the invasion of Korea by the Japnanese in 1592. Such articles, often seen in the West but in Catholic matters rare in Korea, are usually attempting to ridicule the actions of those who are "conservative" in thinking.

History is filled with serious failings of Catholicism to live up to the teachings of Jesus. This is a fact no one wants to deny, but at the same time it is necessary to see the context of that history in order to make a fairer judgment on what happened; not to white wash but to make sense of what was done.

The article mentions that  in the invasion of Korea in the Imjin War under Hideyoshi, one of the Generals, Konishi Yukinaga, the first General to enter Korea, was a Catholic with a large force of Catholic troops. He was an 'outstanding lay person' (said in an effort to emphasize the point being made) and important enough to ask the Jesuit superior in Japan to send him a chaplain for the troops. The Spanish Jesuit Gregorio de Cespedes (1551-1611) was sent, the first European attested to in history to have set foot on Korean soil.

The article mentions that at the height of the invasion there would be more than 2,000 soldiers attending  Mass each evening. In later years, when Konishi  returned to Japan, he was Catholic enough to refuse to commit suicide after being defeated in battle and was willing to accept the humiliation that came with his refusal, which was worse than death.  He finally was decapitated.

Konishi  was a  very zealous layperson, who during the daytime  would be out slaughtering  the innocent Koreans and in the evening going to Mass. There was also a quote to this effect from a popular historical  novel of recent  times. The article admitted that few today would see him as an example of what a Christian should be. It was not the likes of Konishi that brought the faith to Korea, the article goes on to say,  but  young scholars who went to the poor with  open hearts.

The point is  that here we have a very zealous Japanese  layperson following the Church's teachings and yet killing thousands of innocent Koreans. There must be a better way of making this point without going back into history, forgetting  the context and  cultural values of the time, and using a person's Catholicism to show 'hypocrisy'.                                                        

Many  of us do not live up to the teachings of Christ even though  in our daily lives we try to follow what our religion teaches. Most often our thinking is influenced by the cultural values of our society. There is no need to  go back into history to find examples of this; we have plenty of them in our own day, which clearly show  a failure of religious maturity,  of understanding  and a weakness of character. We can be seen as hypocrites by those who are not seeing the effects of  culture, life styles and values  on our thinking and actions. It is not honest to dip into history, without seeing history in context, to find examples to revile those who are trying to live what they deem to be the guidance of  their conscience in today's world.


 
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