Bishop Chang Bong-hun's Message

The congratulatory message delivered by Bishop Chang Bong-hun to mark the 100th anniversary of the foundation of the Maryknoll Society

 1. I congratulate Maryknoll on the 100th anniversary of its foundation. I think it is a great joy and a great honor to offer this Mass of thanksgiving in the cathedral of the Cheongju Diocese.

The entrance of the Maryknoll Fathers and Brothers into the land of Korea in 1923 came at both a turbulent and painful time in the long history of Korea. This is greatly recorded in the secular history of Korea and in the history of the Korean Church. We give praise and thanks to God for the great blessings He has bestowed on the land of Korea through the Maryknoll Society over the last 88 years.

Especially in the Cheongju Diocese Maryknoll laid the foundation; and in providing a base for the present-day flourishing of the Cheongju Diocese, it made a great contribution.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, let us give a round of applause to show our gratitude to Maryknoll for setting the stage for evangelization in the Chungbuk area.

2.In 1953 the Maryknoll Society received the mandate to evangelize in the Chungbuk area and came here for the first time. Later in 1970 the responsibility for ministry was transferred to the Korean priests, and those 17 years were truly a period of great blessings.

In 1953 when the Maryknoll Society came here, the land of Korea had been devastated by the Korean War, and the Chungbuk area in particular was behind and in a very poor and desperate situation.

At that time for the people who were hungry and suffering from sickness, rather than just teach them the word of God, preaching the gospel was to give food and clothing to them and relieve their suffering from sickness. The Maryknoll Society started relief work, giving food to the starving people and providing clothes for those who suffered from the cold. Health services, especially the Maryknoll Sisters Clinic in Jeungpyung and the Free Medicine Service Centers in Okcheon and Boeun offered relief to many ailing people and brought dying people back to life.

The Maryknoll Society also planted the seeds of hope in the remote and desperate rural areas of Chungbuk. It established and managed credit unions in the churches and developed pig cooperatives in the country areas, filling poor people and farmers with hope.

Over the 16 years from 1953 to 1979 the Maryknoll Society secured 25 sites to build new churches, built 80 mission stations, and laid the foundation for evangelizing in the rural areas of Chungbuk Province. It also worked to develop vocations and actively cultivated Korean priests, especially by managing the Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) and running church libraries. Upon this foundation the Cheongju Diocese grew up and today we have evangelized 11 percent of the Chungbuk residents, making this diocese third in the rate of evangelization among the 16 dioceses of Korea. The Cheongju Diocese is bearing the fruit of the efforts of the Maryknoll Society. The Cheongju Diocese is a diocese established by zeal for evangelization and the devotion of the Maryknoll missionaries. Once again I give deep thanks to the Maryknoll Society on behalf of the people of the diocese.

3. The Maryknoll Society is a society of apostolic life established for evangelizing in Asia, Regrettably, however, vocations have decreased rapidly and now it cannot send missionaries to Asia. On this meaningful 100th anniversary of its foundation, the Cheongju Diocese has renamed the Saint Hwang Seok-du Luke Mission Society, which was established by a priest from the diocese, as the "Saint Hwang Luke Seok-du Foreign Mission Society." From now on the Saint Hwang Seok-du Like Foreign Mission Society will carry on the unfulfilled dream of the Maryknoll Society to evangelize in Asia. Also on this meaningful 100th anniversary of its foundation, two priests of our diocese have volunteered to evangelize in China and North Korea.

The Cheongju Diocese will not forget the contribution of the Maryknoll Society. We will make every effort to carry on its founding spirit and passion for evangelization. Again I congratulate Maryknoll on the 100th anniversary of its foundation, and I ask the mercy of God for the deceased Maryknoll missionaries, and I wish the Maryknoll Society the blessings and love of God.

A More Complete Examination of Conscience

In all  seasons in the Catholic churches of Korea you will see lines of people before the confessional, preparing for confession. The desk columnist of the Catholic Times reminds us how strange this would seem to unbelievers. It is one of the  ways Catholics receive forgiveness after Baptism. He reminds us of the blessings of the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
 
Confessions of devotion are confessions in which Christians want to know themselves better, to open themselves up to the  graces of the Sacrament, and to receive forgiveness for their small offenses. The confessions of obligation are made by those who have sinned in a serious way and want to return to the life of grace. At this time of the year you will find both lining up before the confessional. It is a desire to be reconciled with God, with others, and with oneself. A sacrament that gives joy and strength.

It is not the penance given that is the important part of the Sacrament but the sorrow for the sins in one's life. Without sorrow for the sins we have committed the Sacrament becomes a lie. To receive forgiveness in the Confessional is a great event and those who experience it know what is meant. He mentions  that since Buddhism does not have any deity there is no forgiveness like a Catholic believes he receives in confession. Retribution will have to come for the  offenses in this life.
 
There are those that look upon the Sacrament of Reconciliation as a rite of passage. This is not seeing the Sacrament correctly and is a good example of the way the political world chooses to uses the word confession. When the hard-earned tax money is stolen by politicians, there is the so-called general public confession, and the word Catholics use for indulgences is misused to mean forgiveness of sin as if all that is necessary is to receive a bill of forgiveness. The columnist mentions that we are all tired of hearing this when  used in the media.
 
Confession has mostly dealt in the past with offenses against the love of God and neighbor. Is there now a  need, the columnist asks, to  include  offenses against God's creation? He concludes by asking us to reflect on the ways we have done harm to God's creation, along with our usual examination of conscience we have been accustomed to doing in the past.This would be a great addition to our concerns for the New Year.

How to Live a Happy New Year

A religious sister, a much-loved poet whose widely read books of poetry transcend all religious persuasions, writes in "Bible and Life" magazine about the art of seeing, hearing and speaking with more awareness.  She has been fighting a battle with cancer which gives her words more meaning.
 
Though every moment has meaning, why do we usually come to this realization, she laments, only much later in life.  In this coming New Year, she wants to 'read' every moment of every day and everyone she meets as if she were reading the Scriptures, as if life itself were a Lectio Divina.
 
She recalls the sensitivity of Mary at the feast of Cana, where the eyes of her heart could see quickly the need for more wine. The sister wishes to have the same sensitivity in seeing what is needed in any situation she is in, responding not out of frivolous curiosity but out of concern for the welfare of others.
 
Hearing is not less important than seeing, she says, and wants to be delivered from listening absentmindedly to others so that she can listen more attentively, as if the one talking were the only person in the world. But how many times, she wonders, is our listening done without attention and interest, a listening that can easily be interrupted by the ever-present hand phone. When she is not pleased with what she hears, she wants to show appropriate interest and not jump to conclusions or humiliate the other; she would like, instead, to bless and show the kindness of Jesus to the other. Remembering her own times of bullheadedness when she found it difficult to hear, she hopes to make amends and follow the advice of St. James, "Be quick to hear but slow to talk."

Sister tells us that in her purse she carries the Scriptures and a book of poetry. In the future, when traveling and meeting with others, she will take out the Scriptures or the book of poetry and ask if she could read some passages before the meeting, words that will give strength to the tired, help one grow in wisdom, and open us to graces. "Never let evil talk pass your lips; say only the good things you need to hear, things that will really help you" (Eph. 4:23).

She ends by praying that she not be taken up with her importance but be able to see the sadness and joy in her life objectively and to speak from there. On her pilgrimage to God, she wants to get rid of any lingering selfishness and live with love that will allow her to see, hear, and speak well. This is the way of the saints and the way we trust in the God within us. She wishes all a "Happy New Year."

                                                                                                                                 

Measuring Standard for Happiness

Among the developed countries Korea is listed number one in the number of suicides of the young, and in the lowest rank in the  subjective index for happiness. 

These are the facts that begin an  article on a priest's dissertation for his doctorate written up in the Catholic Times. The doctorate is on youth studies and the standard that  determines the level of happiness of our young people and the theory behind its development.
 
Happiness is determined by external, internal and spiritual elements that are in harmonious  balance, and the dissertation attempts to find tools and the  theory that will help in their measurement. The desire of the priest is to help in the pastoral work with the young and in determining programs, policies and  structures in working with the young.

Although it is a dissertation within the field of sociology, revelation,  spirituality and other important elements have been considered, which gives meaning to those involved in the work with Catholic youth. In the dissertation, he expresses the feeling that there has been a blind spot in the examination of human existence on the part of many studies because they are limited by their sole interest on possessions, existence, pleasure, personal fulfillment and with  the exclusion of the spiritual. We can, he says, distinguish  the   special qualities of our existence, but we cannot  separate the spiritual, physical and  mental and when we do we will not understand happiness.

The dissertation  brings to the center for the measurements of happiness: achievement, relationships, life satisfaction,  life's meaning and value, and the place of transcendence etc. in the construct.

In order to verify  his conclusions he had a  questionnaire answered by 1,275  of those in the 15-20 age group which gives  credibility to the study. Max Weber many years before said  we have "specialist without soul" it is this understanding that the dissertation tries to exemplify. It is this absence of the spiritual in our society that brings to the fore the unhappiness which we see all around us.
 
He hopes  the thoughts he has worked with will help those working with the youth. The programs and structures  should be helpful in having our young people realize their place among God's people  and to dream of the   liberation  they have received. 

As we begin the new year, St. Paul's counsel in Roman's (14:17) should be always with us:  "The kingdom of God is not a matter of eating or drinking  but of justice, peace, and the joy that is given by the Holy Spirit."  

Difficulty in Letting Go

On the spirituality page of the Catholic Times a priest, who recently moved from the center house of the order, writes about what he learned in the process of moving. Since the house was being remodeled after many years of use, he and his fellow priests had to move to other, smaller houses of the order. This required putting much of their belongings in boxes to store, and taking only what was necessary to the temporary home until they could move back to the center house.

The process of moving brought to his attention that he had acquired more possessions than he needed. He had entered the community with few possessions and with the intention of living a simple life. Now, after more than 20 years, he wonders when his way of thinking changed. In his room were too many things, many of them once considered important but now much less so. "Why in the world did he keep them?" he asked himself. What would his fellow priests think, if he died suddenly, and they saw all the unnecessary objects he had gathered over the years, besides the books. They would be tut-tutting among themselves, he was sure.

The answer to why he kept so many useless objects for so long seemed obvious to him now: they brought back fond memories, and the recurring thought that someday some of it might be needed. However, among his belongings, embarrassingly, were objects whose shelf-life in memory had long ago passed. And not only was there less space in his room to move around in, he laments, but he was sure his mind had also become narrower.

He wonders how much of this 'hoarding' had to do with what psychologists call the obsessive compulsion disorder. There are many with charisma, money and influence in society with this malady. But this was no consolation to him.   

Since the New Year will soon be here, it would be a good time to give what we don't need to others who can use them. It would be a sign of our faith in a benevolent future. Giving away what we don't need now, we believe we will receive what is needed when it's needed. Letting go is a sign of our faith. What we let go of, we may come to realize we never needed.     

Silence Please in the Public Square

To what degree should Christians take an interest in the world? This is a question that many have difficulty with. One of the most influential and largest Korean dailies criticized the Catholic Church for getting involved in the things of the world. The caption for the editorial: "When religion takes an interest in the things of the world, this earthly religion will foster interference." The editorial was very critical of the Catholic bishops' Justice and Rights Committee. 

Sad to say, this is not only the thinking of a secular newspaper but also the thinking of many of our Christians in Korea and in other parts of the Catholic World. It is difficult to understand how this thinking developed without blaming the Church for a lack of proper instruction on a very basic teaching of Christianity.

We are to be the salt of the earth, its light and yeast; and into this world we have been sent to be these things to each other. We are told in Philippians, "...so that nobody thinks of his own interests first, but everybody thinks of other people's interests, instead." In the Magnificat, the Church's evening prayer, Mary is shown to be very much interested in the goings-on in society. The words can even shock those who read them for the first time, and we know Mary is the model of what the Church should be.
 
Misunderstanding comes with a superficial knowledge of the meaning of the scriptural line, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's....," and thinking it implies the separation of Church and State. When religion is thought to be solely a private matter that should remain private, it can lead to a misunderstanding of what is meant by a legitimate separation of Church and State.
  
The editorial relied on a faulty understanding of the  separation of Church and State when it blamed the Church for speaking out on social issues. It is this misunderstanding that is prevalent not only in society but also in Christianity. For many it is unpatriotic or illegal for a Church or an individual to express an opposing opinion publicly. It is seen by the editorial as telling non-Catholics, as well as Catholics, what to do with their life. 

Like any individual or institution, the Catholic Church and its members have not only the right to participate in society but have a duty to participate. Korea is a democracy and all its citizens and institutions have a right to express their opinions. The Church and Catholics, therefore, also have this right when, following the teachings of the Church, they express their opinions, and to do so without facing efforts by government or the media to silence them. This allows others as well to have opposing opinions. When efforts are made to silence these legitimate expressions of opinions, it will impair all other efforts to develop a mature and informed society.

The Hard Decision of the Black Kite

Korea has no serious problems with the changes that came with the Second Vatican Council. Most Catholics entered the Church after the Council was over. Few  remember the Latin Mass or the liturgical life of the past. Nostalgia is not part of the thinking of our Catholics. The Society of Pius X (followers of Archbishop Lefebrev) has few members in Korea.
 
The desk columnist for the Catholic Times recalls that next year is the 50th anniversary of the start of the Second Vatican Council. This Council was the foundation on which the Church grew in Korea.

'Renewal' is the word that is often used when talking about the Council. Nowadays all of society is using the word renewal: you and I are to become 'renovated.' But the columnist is disturbed when the desire for renewal is used as a motivational tool to get us out of some crisis we are presently in. It should be much more than that, he says.

What is necessary is to know oneself. Knowing yourself, he says, is the beginning of change. Socrates knew he didn't know everything, which enabled him to search for wisdom.
 
For a Catholic, renovation comes, he says, when we desire to become more like Christ. It is the promise of Jesus and the Holy Spirit's presence in us that leads us to wisdom--the message of the Gospel. To be evangelized is the first duty of a Christian.
 
But what is self-evangelization? he asks. It is to become familiar with God's word in the Scriptures. Reading and study of the Scriptures is the first step in the change that will come.

The columnist uses an example that the internet has made popular but without any basis in fact. It probably goes back to Psalm 103: "Your youth is renewed like the eagle." Instead of the eagle, in Korean it is the black kite. The story is presented in video's and articles that try to inspire us to change in all facets of life. As a prod to change it may have some value even if not true. The story, briefly, is about a black kite with a life span of 40 years. To live to 70 it has to make a hard decision. At 40 its talons can no longer grab prey, its beak becomes bent, its feathers become thick and stick to the breast. It is faced with the option of dying or getting renewed. The renewal is painful, requiring that it break its beak against a rock, pluck out its talons and feathers, and wait for them to grow back; doing the difficult and painful thing, it lives another 30 years.

The columnist concludes the article by comparing our life with that of the black kite. It takes much more than just thinking about change to bring about change; it takes making some difficult decisions. If we are satisfied with the way things are, we will not mature and life will end in failure. Change requires effort and pain.