Korean Ancestors' Appreciation of Life

The culture of life column in the Peace Weekly goes back to  Korean oral history to pick out some of the customs that Korean  ancestors followed in showing concern for the environment. The columnist laments that the young are following indiscriminately the  ways of the West and have forgotten the meaning behind our customs.
 
Because of the ecological problems we are facing, going back to the ways our  ancestors respected and protected nature will help us to confront and eventually solve, he believes, many of these problems. He then reminds us of the ways they showed this in life--in their symbiotic relationship with nature.
 
There was the custom--when eating at cemeteries, during mountain climbing, or on a waterside excursion--of throwing some of the food on the ground. This was part of their belief in a spirit world  surrounding them. But the columnist makes note that the ones who benefited were the ants and other insects and animals.
 
This was also the case at the 'kosa,' a shamanistic practice of sharing food with one another and also with the spirits outside the house, with insects and animals mostly benefiting. And there was also what they called "food for the magpies." When they harvested fruit from the orchards, they would always leave some of the fruit for the birds and animals.

Their respect for life  was also seen in their taboos. When a magpie or swallow was killed they were thought to have taken on sin. When they confined a cicada they would have a dry spell. If you captured a bird that came into the house you would have a fire.  If you cut down a large tree you would die. If a large tree fell something bad would happen. If you burnt a lot of fire wood the mountain spirit would hate you. If a house plant died something bad would happen.  Digging up the earth without reason would bring bad luck.
 
They felt they would be repaid for kindness to animals. They personified the animals; you would not praise another animal in front of an ox because this would make him jealous. Farmers during the winter months would give the ox a hot bean and straw gruel and cover the ox with something warm.  They would be slow to slaughter their animals and even have rites for the animals when they died.  When there was snow on the ground and animals would come into the villages, they would not kill the animals.
 
We no longer follow these customs and there is no reason to do so, of course, but we should not forget, he says, that the loving concern our ancestors had for nature is admirable, and the same concern should be ours as well.                             

Seeing Beyond the Manger

Meditating on the Christmas scene many thoughts can come to mind, such as the helplessness of a baby, which is the thought a Catholic Times columnist wants his readers to consider.  A baby needs the help of others; without it the baby will die.
 
God came to us as a helpless infant. He came in a way that needed our help to live. He says to us, "I need clothes that will cover me, milk from the breast to nourish me, the warmth of a loving family to comfort me, and the joyful gaze to welcome me." This is the way God-man expressed his trust in, and love of, humanity. He could then grow in mind, body and soul because of the concern he received.
 
However, there are many young persons that are not that fortunate. In Korea  the number one reason for deaths among those  15 to 24 is suicide. In 2010 those under 19 years old who killed themselves was 353.   Statistics show that 10 percent of our youth (based on those answering a questionnaire) have had thoughts of suicide. The columnist lets us know that they are crying out, "It's too cold here....I'm not welcomed.... I'm not necessary....There's nobody that shows any interest in me."

The reasons given for the suicides: grades and preparation for college (37.8 percent), family problems (12.6 percent), loneliness (11.2 percent), financial problems (10.5 percent) and so forth.  There is even the pressure to volunteer to be of service to others. Praise is given to those who know how to take care of their own needs first; society is full of praise for those who are capable of fending for themselves.
 
Consequently, we need to be more concerned for those who are hurting, caring for the whole person regardless of status in life. Although there are many in society ready to give help, this has to be made known to the young. They have to know their problems will be kept private  and that they will be respected for who they are. Secondly, efforts to change the environment both in the families and the school have to accompany the counseling. Thirdly, there should be in place proven ways of providing help to students who are having difficulty in thriving under the established methods of study. Fourthly, there has to be efforts made to find work for recent graduates, and counseling for those who are unable to find work.
 
The columnist, who works in the field of welfare under Catholic auspices, wants the Church to take a greater interest in this problem.  The aim of Catholic education: to educate the whole person should be the incentive for the Church to be a leader in helping our students who are finding it difficult to succeed. These thoughts, he tells us, should expand our insight as we look at the Christmas scene.

Forgotten Questions

Two years ago Fr. Cha Dong-yeop of the Future Pastoral Institute of Incheon received five  sheets of paper, 24 questions,  written by one of the richest industrial tycoons of Korea. These questions were given to a priest friend of the tycoon for answers in 1987. The priest gave the questions to the then Catholic University rector who was going to meet with the industrialist, a meeting that never occurred because of his sudden death.  These are the questions that many years later Fr. Cha received from the one-time Catholic University rector. The  24 questions are the   basis for  the new book by Fr.Cha: The Forgotten Questions. 

Fr. Cha feels they are questions that all have wondered about at one time or another.  They all are questions about the nature of our existence, such as, Can you give proof for God's existence? If God loves us, why do we have pain, unhappiness and death? Why did he make some people evil? Why does he permit us to sin? If we don't believe in Catholicism, does that mean we can't go to heaven? Are the rich sinners? What is my reason for living?

We all have similar questions and do not always hear answers that are very satisfying. Fr. Cha during his recent sabbatical year spent time in  prayer and meditation preparing to write the book. He has divided the book into four parts, and in the prologue begins with the question which is behind most of our other questions, why do we have life?

The Catholic Times interviewed Fr. Cha on his reason for writing the book. It  is not meant to be a philosophical treatment of the subjects discussed, said Fr. Cha, but a book intended to be easily understood by the ordinary reader.

As soon as the book was published, he received criticism  that in these very sensitive times he is giving publicity to one of our largest business conglomerates, and being used. He answered that all his books use the same approach, an attempt to satisfy the thirst of  those living in the 21st century. We who believe in the Scriptures are told to give answers to what we believe, he said. To a priest, there is not rich or poor, high or low, but only those who are thirsting for a better life.

He uses the example of two celebrities who are very popular now in Korean society. Their message in comparison to what Jesus has given us, he said,  is unbelievably insipid and merely a temporary relief and does not satisfy the deep longing of our humanity. He feels that we are living in a generation with much anger. The Church should be one of the first to alleviate this anger and to satisfy the longing of our people for the spiritual. Our work is not only to criticize others and society, but to help bring about a new value system and lasting change. We have to keep examining  both ourselves and the world in order to see what the Church can give to society in our present reality. Fr. Cha has tried to do this by answering  the 24 questions.       

Finding Saints to be Mentors

Mentor and mentoring are words we hear often. Taken from Greek mythology, the words refer to Odysseus' old friend Mentor, who was to be the guardian and tutor of Odysseus' son while his father was away. Used now, the words commonly refer either to the person who counsels a less-experienced  person or to a situation that provides a young seeker of knowledge the opportunity to learn from an older and wiser person.
 
The editor of  Catholic Publishing recounts, in the Catholic Times, her efforts in finding a mentor. Her father was her first mentor; his death, when she was in first-year high school, came as a great shock and left her struggling about the meaning of life.  Though living her faith life as a Christian, she was filled with doubt; it was as if God no longer existed. She had no place to turn to ask for help.
 
In her years of schooling, she respected many of her teachers but was not able to find anyone who could serve as her mentor.  Seminary professors were also possible mentors; she respected them as well, but  they were too busy with the seminarians to have time, she thought, for her and her problems. And she also didn't want to bother others with her problems, and soon started to walk around with her head down as if looking for a coin, which prompted others to give her a nickname alluding to this habit.
 
Where she is now in life, she says, requires someone as a mentor, but she lacks the capability, energy and charity necessary to find one, although the need is all the more present.
 
However, everything recently changed when she came upon the book, "My Mentor and My Saint." A book her publishing  company has translated from the English.  Written by the Jesuit writer James Martin and titled in English as My Life With the Saints, the book introduced her to her mentors. In the book, the  Jesuit listed a number of saints, those canonized and those who have lived saintly lives.  The Jesuit has used these saints as mentors in his life, friends who  have influenced him.  The  columnist has finally found her mentors she will be living with during this new year.

Beginning Anew

Beginning the new year we make resolutions, knowing that most will not be kept.  The effort does make us feel better since we  hope and dream for something different and better in the future. In the bulletin of a mission station, a writer reminds us of the often-used Spanish proverb: When the first button is not buttoned correctly, there is no place left for the last button.

It is the time to bring determination and resolve into our lives, he says.  So beginning the new year he is determined to start off correctly by doing whatever comes along, no matter how seemingly trivial, to the best of his ability.

Buttons are a very small and insignificant part of our clothing but when we miss the first hole then all the rest are incorrectly inserted, and we destroy the overall appearance, which eventually makes us go back to the beginning, to start over again.
 
The author confesses that he often has 'not correctly inserted the first button in the correct hole' because of inattention and apathy to the task before him. However, this year he resolves to examine all that he does with full attention and interest.

The problem for him seems to arise when he is in a hurry or impatient. When this is the case, he loses time and has to spend more effort to remedy the situation. This also happens in life when the foundational first steps are not carried out correctly.

When one  knows the first button is in the wrong hole and  goes ahead and ignores the  mistake, out of carelessness or a lack of responsibility, one only postpones the inevitable.  In time, what was done must be undone by going back to the beginning.  This is basic and a first principle.

Similar to a fork in the road, one going West, the other East: If one wants to go East and takes the one going West, the quicker the mistake is realized the better. Being an Asian he will have a chance in just a few weeks to live his resolve for the new year as he prepares for the real New Year, the lunar New Year.
 
The opportunities, however, are not only limited to a time on the calendar; every new day is a chance to start over and begin afresh. The only problem we might have is the lack of a desire to begin anew.

Wonderful Life

Kyeongyang Magazine has an article by a woman who for  seven years has interviewed famous celebrities in Korea. She begins by noting how members of the Masai tribe in Africa answer when asked how many children they have. They don't give a number but say the name of each of their children. She considers that a very telling way of reminding us what unique individuals we are and that numbers are not able to do that.

So far she has interviewed more than 80 people and mentions that there are times when those close to them are not familiar with what they have revealed about themselves. During the interviews she is learning about  humanity and doing a lot of loving. If she doesn't have an attraction for her subject, she finds it difficult to write up the interview.

She has discovered that the persons being interviewed fall into certain categories: those who find it easy to talk, those who show their importance, those who exaggerate, and those who are very introspective. But she has no difficulty with the many different ways we use to look back on our life. Most start off with the high points, but the failures remain very strong in the retelling. 
 
She reminds us that the interview reveals what the person remembers of his or her life and what she wants to bring to our attention. It is not her life as such, but the way the person being interviewed sees their life.
 
She mentions the Japanese movie Wonderful Life in which the souls who have just died have to be processed before entering heaven. Each one has to give a memory of their life that for them was the happiest or most significant. The team doing the processing make a movie of the incident and return to show it to the person waiting to go to heaven. They see it and disappear with that one memory into eternity.
 
What, she asks us, would be our memory of the happiest or most significant moment in our life? She asks this same question of all those she interviews, both for amusement and interest. If we do not have happy memories and are not satisfied with our memories, she believes we should spend the rest of our years preparing to give an answer that would satisfy us.

Culture of Life

The priest who is the Executive Director of the Culture of Life Committee  writes, in the Peace Weekly, about the importance of not lying to those who are dying.    Lying is forbidden, but it doesn't mean that the doctor dealing with those who are dying should speak all the truth no matter the condition of the dying patient. The doctor has the obligation to speak the truth, and this precedes all medical and human considerations since it is dealing with eternal life and justice. 

The efforts to be loving and to give comfort to the individual and the family by lying is not permitted. When is the proper time for the doctor to tell a dying patient the truth about his condition? That's for the doctor to decide, but the truth has to be given and not hidden behind wordy subterfuges that tend to keep the full truth from the patient. It is difficult, but this is no reason for not doing it.
 
All have a right to know the facts of their medical condition in order to assess their  earthly situation and to do what is necessary to prepare to meet God. No one has the right to take this freedom away. What therapy to use must also be the choice of the patient, and this obligation is not satisfied by discussing this with someone other than the patient.
 
How this obligation is handled by the medical staff depends on their judgement, wisdom and sensitivity. It doesn't mean that all has to be done  objectively but it should be done with love and kindness. Also important is determining the best time to make the situation known so that it will be accepted by the patient and taken to heart. This will require  wisdom on the part of the medical team.
 
What is most important is the rapport between the doctor and the patient. In the ideal situation, death then becomes not just an inevitable fact, a painful ordeal, but rather when the truth is given the patient, he  will not despair because the truth has allowed him to share  intimacy with others.
 
The patient facing death is no longer alone but feels understood and loved, has a peaceful and personal  relationship with others, and comes to an  understanding of death, with optimism and transcendence.