Working for the Common Good

Embracing diversity in Korean society was the topic in the Catholic Times' column written by a diocesan priest. We see many issues that are disputed within society, which poses a problem when you have a need for policy statements for the whole of society. It is not like in the past where you had those for and against democracy; today it is environment, feminism, finding work for the young, all kinds of different societal issues that are taken up by the mass media and reacted to by the citizens.

Catholics, depending on age, gender, place in society, location, and interests, hold different positions on these issues. There was once  a solidarity among Catholics but today with social issues this is no longer true. Each one expresses strongly his individual position and this will continue to be the case.

Whether a fact or not, the priest wonders if this is the reason why many Catholics have difficulty with the Church speaking out on single issues so forcibly. There are  certain positive results for this approach: single issue confrontation gets better results, the issue is made clear, and we have less discord. In the process of  working for the truth  much is learned, all for the good. This was seen in the Church's involvement with the democratization issue in the past.

The problem here is that in a pluralistic society, when confrontational issues are disputed, we often see one segment of society against the majority. Discord can be settled with compromise and mediation but there is also conflict  that requires the selection of one of two  positions.

The first type of discord may have a political solution which can mitigate the discord. In the second case we have a choice for the truth or not. This calls for an intense battle. This dichotomy between good and evil is very clear for many Catholics  but we are not the only ones living in this world.

Different nations have come to an administrative decision; so what has to be contemplated is our response for the common good.

The columnist wants us to consider an "Enhancing Diversity Management"  approach to the problems. It is not simply adapting to the diversity, but to do all that is possible to work with what we have been given for the common good. This is understood not to compromise what we hold as true but to  make the effort to understand and respect the differences of others and to act as  people of faith. We are dealing with traits that are part of our calling: magnanimity, generosity and thoughtfulness.

He hopes that the 19th  National Assembly will be accepting of diversity as the leadership takes office.  The values of diversity, the market and culture are all to be considered, and also the opposing values, and to work toward a synthesis for the common good. He concludes with the hope of St. Paul that we work for the building of one community.

Understanding Lay Christians

The Korean custom during the  weeks before Easter is to visit the different parishes in a deanery for confession with the other priests of the deanery. It's a time for prayer and hours in the confessional, but also time for camaraderie among the priests, with good food and table conversation.

Writing on spirituality in the Catholic Times a priest talks about what was discussed during one of the meals. Each priest had much to say about the time they had spent in the seminary, their pastoral work and daily life--all interesting and enjoyable. There was also a touching admission by one of the priests who had left the priesthood, temporarily, because of serious conflicts in his life and worries that were too much for him to overcome. He opened a sandwich shop for over a year, he said, and learned a great deal about life, and big changes developed which continued after he returned to the priesthood.

He saw the life of the layperson differently. Selling sandwiches, he soon learned that there was going to be little income to live on. He wondered about the life of the Catholics who also had limited incomes and yet were asked to support the church. He was very thankful for what they were giving to the church. It was, he said, after hitting bottom, that he could  appreciate the life of the layperson.

The other priests, after hearing the confession of their comrade, saw with different eyes the service of the women who were preparing the meal and the refreshments for the priests during their breaks from the confessional. They were all moved by the words of the priest, which helped them to make an effort to live more simply and humbly. 

There have been interesting accounts of priests who have decided to spend time during their sabbatical year working, and one interesting  example was the priest who took the time to work as a taxi driver to learn about the life of the lay folks. It was an eye opener, he said, in many ways. The abuse and the kindness he experienced as a taxi driver helped him in dealing with his parishioners in a way that books would never be able to do.

 

Money and Church Attendance

Some years ago a priest, writing in a pastoral bulletin, attended  a village meeting of Catholics where a woman told a group of housewives what she told a neighbor about the expenses of going  to church. The neighbor wanted to know what the financial burden was for a family interested in going to church.

The woman explained all the possibilities: Sunday collections, monthly offerings, support for vocations, building fund, and so forth., but that it was all free will offerings; you give what you feel able to give, she made clear. The neighbor told her what she was giving, and that was the end of her interest in the church.

There are families that find it difficult to prepare the family with the necessary offerings each Sunday because of their limited income.  And when they attend they hear about the money that is needed, and this is stressful to many and makes going to church difficult.

One parish in the country levied each family 3,000 dollars for the building fund, which was the reason many stopped going to church. Money, the priest feels, is why many do not go to church.

The Church grew from the time of the persecution because of the poor that came into the Church.  After the Korean war it grew greatly, and for the most part because of the poor. There was not the pressure to give. However, the Church today, compared to that time, is rich and now the poor have been alienated.

In the West, half of the churches have been closed, and in many churches many of the seats are empty. First, it was the workers and the poor that left; after this the intelligentsia left. This is also happening in Korea, he says. Jesus had a special love for the poor and when we are not concerned with the poor, we are separating ourselves from Jesus.

It has been said by one of the dioceses that the reason for the money pressures on the Christians is the building programs. It is necessary to build because of the increase in the numbers but there are buildings that are large and luxurious, and some of them are not being used. It is a crime, the priest says, that this pain is being inflicted on the Christians.

The 50th anniversary of  many parishes and dioceses is being commemorated this year with building programs. In the Scriptures, the Jubilee Year was a year of liberation, freeing Christians from their many obligations; now the Jubilee year imposes more financial burdens, not giving joy but pain.  

Genghis Khan was a first class tactician when it came to leading his people, the priest said.  Better than thinking of plans to help the people, Genghis Khan said that it is wiser to take away some of the burdens they are presently struggling with. That would be more helpful than plans believed to be helpful.             

Prayer and Work (Ora et Labora)

The pray and work, (Ora et Labora) principles of the Benedictine religious life has remained with us for 1500 years, coming to us from the time of St. Benedict. Although the saint is not known to have used these words, his rule of life can be expressed with these words.

The diocesan bulletin has an article that introduces us to the life of the Benedictines in our own day. The writer is the novice master of the Benedictine monastery in Waegwan. Because of the influence Benedict had on European culture, Pope Paul VI, in 1964, proclaimed Benedict the patron saint of Europe. 

The novice master tells us that when he arrived at the monastery 20 years ago it didn't take him long before he knew what those two words meant. It was in that year that the Benedictines began  planting rice  fields without the use of insecticides. Their environmentally friendly approach to farming was a stark contrast to the neighboring rice fields. More than ten monks worked all day in the muddy fields, constantly fighting the weeds. 

There is also the work in the carpenter shop, making benches, kneelers, altars and other church articles.   Wood has to be dried, which takes two to three years of seasoning.

If this was all that the monks did, religious life would be difficult. At five o'clock, they wash up and prepare for chapel and prayers, often fighting the desire to doze. The old and young monks arrive together to the chapel, after the sweat of the day, with one heart and one voice praising God; you feel, said the novice master, that the prayer and the work are the same offering to God.

The chapel, the refectory and the different work areas become the life of the monks. They meet five times a day in the chapel, three times in the refectory, and in the different work places were they cooperate with one another. Without this rhythm in their lives there would be problems.

The novice master concludes the article by reminding us that the family dinner hour is disappearing: many parents and children no longer eating together. The result is a lack of dialogue, intimacy, and a lack of prayer. Isn't it important that there is a balance between work and prayer?  The monk feels that the Benedictine practice of combining work and prayer is an ancient wisdom tradition that should also become a part of our daily routine.
           

Humor Can Be Dangerous

Trying to be funny can be dangerous to your health, says the desk columnist of the Catholic Times. Expecting someone to laugh and fearing for your life at the same time is the topic he wants to explore in his column.

What is it they want us to laugh about? he asks. He goes to the Scriptures for some help in understanding what is meant. Jesus experienced all the emotions of joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure, but we understand that he was too busy with his mission to enjoy making people laugh or to find reasons to laugh. He knew well the bitter chalice of the cross that awaited him, yet we get an inkling of his refined humor.

When asked on whose authority do you teach in the temple, he, in turn, asked them from whom did John the Baptist's authority come? From heaven or from earth? The question was cleverly phrased. When they could not answer he also refused to answer. He wore the white uniform of ghosts and walked on the water like a spirit hovering over the water. After the resurrection, he appeared to the disciples gathered in the upper room with the doors locked and asked, Are you in peace? The journalist  feels that they must have come close to fainting when he unexpectedly appeared. .

These incidents can be seen with some  humor, and yet they were filled with love for the disciples. Jesus showed his power and  concern for them. His humor was based on truth in God; without this it is difficult to understand the crucifixion and resurrection.

Jesus was open to his surroundings even though many were opposed to everything he stood for. He was quick to go beyond whatever prevented him from  showing love and mercy. Everybody,no matter where they were, had the possibility of experiencing freedom by taking his words and actions to heart.

We find in life those who want others to laugh and have to fear for their life. This is true especially for entertainers and comics who are often closely scrutinized for what they say. Some sensitive religious people can also overly scrutinize movies that are seen as slightly defaming of religion, with the result, sometimes, of inciting a movement to censor the movie. There are times when some religious symbols are made light of  with no desire to ridicule them, but some are moved to 'kill' the perpetrators.

What is the reason for this? Is it a case of a black and white approach to life? Or is it the difficulty of living in our competitive society? Are we losing the ability to laugh. One reason suggested by the columnist is a lack of love and, consequently, little toleration for others who are not like us, not accepting them with with respect and honor and an inability to accept their perceived weaknesses or foibles with humor. 

More disconcerting than our sometimes overzealous desire for knowing the truth is our fanatically unhealthy attachment to the truth when we finally believe we know the truth, disparaging truths that seem out of line with ours. In good faith we need to  respect the certainty of another, but selfishness cuts us off from the other by our lack of good will. Reasons for my certainty should allow me to acknowledge reasons and grounds for the certainty of the other. Rather than trying to convince the other by love, we condemn and use pressure in attacking the views of the other. This tires out both parties to the dispute. When we are asked to laugh, let us laugh and after we laugh it is not too late to return to the dispute, refreshed. 

Translating this column I liked what was said, but I wonder if all was said that could have been said and should have been said. An important topic, but one that  needed more words than were used, granting that the  attempt at the summary had serious problems, and yet I thought it worth the effort.

Living the Good Life

The happy life is thought to be virtuous; a virtuous life requires exertion and does not consist in amusement." An article in the Kyeogyang magazine, by a priest professor of philosophy,  begins with  the words from the Nicomachean Ethics of Aristotle, who defines the good life as happiness and a life one  daily tries to understand. It is not what we see presently with the  eyes but is composed of our history, our outlook towards a future joined to our ultimate purpose in life.

Life is not just the passage of time but a continuous disciplining activity, which attains life's ultimate objective by our completing a dynamic journey. It  has to be distinguished  from  existence, for the good life is an ideal pattern that is made clear to us. With Aristotle, the good life and  life itself are distinguishable; however, we  feel some regret in the way he expressed it.

The reason for this, the professor believes, is that we are not able to see much beyond what we  momentarily face in life, the coarseness and the present pressures, making it difficult to see what the  philosophers think is important: seeing beyond the present moment to a totally grace-filled life.

He goes on to tell us that to live the good life with joy, it is necessary not to overlook the abyss we live in, and the constant pressures of life.  The word 'life' brings many thoughts to mind, both  bewildering and difficulty.  And yet those who can say the word 'life'  serenely, simply and positively, is a sign that the person is living  the good life, the professor says.

However, compared to those who see the happiness and elegance of life, a greater number feel the anguish and the extreme sadness of life, kept from living the good life by focusing on the future pressures of life that await them.

The wise from all the different cultures of the world and in different ages have seen the beauty of life, and many living today lament that the life they live is not in that mold. But we forget that the good life does not depend on our situation in life.

He gives examples of 'survivors,' who have not been destroyed by what they have experienced. One is the Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki, who wrote the masterpiece, Princess Mononoke; also two Chinese novelists, Yu Hwa in his novel To Live , and Mo Yan in Life and  Death Are Wearing Me Out. These writers have praised the nobility of life, and without needing to say so personally have by their creative works shown a desire for the good life.  

The exalted life of a survivor is the fruit of one who has understood the meaning of life, its fundamental goodness, and is earnestly in search for happiness in the  journey of life.

Korean New National Assembly

This past Wednesday, the 11th, we had the national elections for parliament. The editorial in the Catholic Times expressed expectations of what they would like to see from those elected to the assembly.

There were Catholics elected and yet a lot of sadness because of what had not been accomplished in the past by many who were elected to the assembly. The editorial expresses hope that being elected is not only a reason for thanks and celebration but also an opportunity for all  to see what part of their service has been carried out with fidelity to the common good.

The Second Vatican Council expressed what is expected of our elected officials, in # 75 of the Pastoral Constitution: "Political parties should not prefer their own advantage over the common good." Those elected should have the will of the people in mind, the editorial said,  and for the Christian elected members, it hopes that they will follow Christian teaching.

For the Catholic, their Gospel vocation will be asking much of them. Of primary importance, we are told, is to get rid of self-interest and desire, and to resolutely  overcome an excessive concern for party interests and tactics. The domain of politics, the editorial pointed out, should be guided by virtue, morality and the common good.  For the person of faith, respect for life and for the inalienable rights of each person is a serious obligation.  Those who are Christians will work, it is hoped for the common good with unselfish service. The upcoming activities of the assembly are sure to be measured, criticized and judged, said the editorial, with a precise yardstick.

Surprising to many were the election results since it was thought that there was a lot of dissatisfaction with the administration. In the past, a 55 percent voter turnout was a good indication that the opposition would benefit, but this was not the case this time. The conservative Saenuri Party (New Frontier Party) won with a small majority in parliament, which is a sign to many that the opposition did not win its case with the people, with its opposition to the Free Trade Act and some other controversial issues backed by the administration. The daughter of past President Park Chung-hee, Park Geun-hye, now the leader of the party, was given credit by many for the surprising election results.