Korea and Music

Confucius gave music a prominent place in the field of study. Koreans within this culture have shown a  great love for music and many have been blessed with talent. There were times when some parents were not happy when their children played a musical instrument because of the pressure of studies, but that has changed. Today we have many famous Korean musicians on the world stage.

“To educate somebody, you should start with poems, go on to ceremonies, and finish with music.” These are the words of Confucius that are often heard. He considered music, after ceremonies, a very important part of life. Koreans have shown this in the easy way they take to music. They sing with ease and do it in their daily life, in the fields and in their fishing boats. They  enjoy watching and listening to  any type of musical program.

The Catholic Times has an article on seven priests from Incheon, who from the time they were in the seminary enjoyed coming together to play their instruments: guitar, drum, piano, clarinet, cello. They are now priests with different pastoral obligations but they still have the same love for music.

They will have a concert this month which will be called "Different But the Same," appropriately named since each of them will be playing their different instruments, while presenting a unified harmony.  A disk of their music was made when they were in the seminary.

Music, they say, helps them to feel the presence of God. They received the support of the seminary and now meet once a week for practice. They are all busy in their different pastoral works but have not been able to set aside their passion for music, wanting others to enjoy the music as much as they do. 

Music is one of the best ways to open up our hearts, one of the young priests said. This love for music is seen even in mission stations when the Christians get together for a big feast or a celebration, with individuals standing up before the group singing favorite songs. The Karaoke craze is not as popular as it was a few years ago, but Norebangs, which is the Korean word for 'rooms for song,' are still seen in many parts of Korea: a visible sign of the place of music in Korean society.

Not the Common Vision of a Book Publisher

Although few publishers will  bother to print a book that has little chance of making money, that has not been the concern of the Bundo (Benedictine) Publishing Company of Korea. They may not have many best sellers, but they have steady sellers, books the president of Bundo Publishing believes will continue to sell a hundred years from now. This year is their 50th year of their formal registration as a publisher, but they go back to 1909 as publishers. The Peace Weekly recently interviewed the president, Fr. Seon.

Each year for the past 12 years Fr. Seon has attended the International Frankfurt Book Fair in Germany to see what is being published in the world of books and to decide what books not known in Korea would be good to introduce here.

When it comes to books on theology, spirituality or the arts, there is little competition among the publishers to gain the copyrights for most of these books. He has no desire to enter that contest; books that are easily read, brilliantly written, and give consolation he knows are popular but that is not the Bundo publishing's vision.  The intention from the beginning, and continues today, is to publish books that the Church and society needs.

He mentioned that occasionally they have published books critical of Church teaching, and have been criticized for doing so. However, Fr. Seon feels that it is the duty of a publisher to make their readers aware of issues and diversity within the Church so that they will be able to have a healthy discussion of these issues.

In order not to be left behind it's necessary to keep up with the different developments in the publishing world. The number of those searching for E-books  is increasing and the Bundo publishers are preparing for this eventuality. But for the most part the books published by Bundo, Fr. Seon said, are the kind you put on your desk, underline and write in the margins, so this new technology will take time to introduce.

Many publishers have had to close their doors in recent years, and others are becoming smaller but Bundo is still operating, thanks, he said, to all their readers.  He thanks them for their love and concern; even thanking those who have on occasion scolded them. He asks us not to turn quickly away from difficult books that Bundo publishes, wanting us to go deeper into the teachings of Jesus, and into all books that can help us change the way we live. Books that will lead us to the good life will continue, he said, to be the intent of Bundo in the future.

Giving the Refugees a Chance to Dream

 The Peace Weekly  has an article about a young man, Mr. Kim, 36 years old, unmarried, who is the head of a family of 10 middle and high-school students. It all started when he met a grammar school student while working as a volunteer helping refugees from North Korea. The student, Ha Ryong, left North Korea with his mother because of the difficulties of life there and made it to South Korea. Seeing the boy living with his mother, who was  without work, with not enough to eat, Mr. Kim found a  job for the mother and took the boy to live with him. That was the beginning of the family of displaced North Koreans.

Working with a group of religious brothers, who were preparing a camp experience in 2005 for 30 young men who had left North Korea for the South, he was moved by seeing their service to the young men, and decided to devote himself to helping the displaced North Koreans.

At that time, he was not a Catholic and asked the Sisters what was a religious brother and the answer he got, he told the journalist, laughing, was "a male sister." He was impressed by the way the brothers reacted with the young men. He was working as a volunteer with the Perpetual Help Sisters, who were responsible for the "Becoming One Group." Not once during the years as a volunteer did the sisters ask him to come out to the church or become a Catholic.  They saw his willingness to serve and gave him responsibility; he even became the group's leader. Eventually, moved by what he experienced, he became a Catholic.

It was this experience that prompted him to start the group home for 10 displaced North Korean children. Official approval was necessary and is the reason it became a  group home. The first boy, Ha Ryong, introduced him to other young boys with similar difficulties, who had left North Korea because of hunger, swimming the Tumen river between North Korea and China. They were among the fortunate ones, for there were many who drowned because of the swift currents or were shot by the border patrol.

Mr. Kim finally gave up his job and devoted himself full-time to the group house. He majored in art while in college, and in an effort to have the children search for their dream he began teaching  art and music. He wants each child to have a specialty. The fruit of the effort was an exhibition of the works of the students in 2010; last year, he had a concert. He also  takes an interest in their religious life.

His own future work and marriage are important but right now his first mission is to raise these children well. Living with the children, and seeing the new opportunities that are now available to them, he has come to a new understanding of the preciousness of life, and takes satisfaction in sharing the joy which the boys in the home are now able to experience.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

Korea and abortions

The Window from the Ark column in the Catholic Times visits again the issue of abortions in Korea. Still the leader in the number of abortions in the developed countries, Korea, the columnist reminds us, has done little to change this reality.   

The Church has been clear in its opposition to the Mother-Child Health Act, promulgated 40 years ago. In one way abortions are illegal in Korea but when continuation of a pregnancy can cause serious health problems to a woman, abortions are easily accessible and has been allowed as a means of population control.             

Before 1960 it was clearly illegal, a crime with prison as a penalty.  The martial law government changed this at a time when public discussion was not easily expressed. The bishops have always been clear in their opposition and have also opposed experiments  with embryonic stem cells.  

Forty years ago, because of the economic difficulties of life it was permitted, today, when Korea is 13th on the list of developed countries, economics is again the motivation. 

In 2005 the government published the figure of 350,000 abortions yearly. The columnist notes that abortions are generally considered to be over a million, and since we have 450,000 births each year, the number of abortions are a staggering figure.

Deciding whether to have an abortion is considered by many as falling within the legitimate right of a woman to choose what happens to her body. This is the position, says the columnist, of the radical women feminists, but it ignores the right to life of the embryo. The columnist sums up the problem as a  lack of an understanding of life and and of economics. The Movement of Life, including doctors, teachers, the young and lawyers, are working for a change. 

On June 16th there will be a march for life in Seoul.  It will be the first time that Korea will participate in such a movement, following the example from the States.  It will be composed of women and the young under 25 years old. The slogan they intend to use: "No Longer the World's Capital for Abortions." 

                                                                             
                                                                                                                                          

Evangelization of Asia

The Peace Weekly editorial this week reflected on the meaning of the recent statistical report from Rome for the year 2010. The implication of the report, according to the editorial, was that Korea has to increase its efforts in the evangelization of Asia.

The number of Catholics in Asia is 3.1 percent. The countries with the largest number of Catholics are the Philippines, India, Indonesia, Vietnam and Korea. Four of these countries have a serious lack of energy for the work of evangelizing.

Following is a breakdown of the percentage of Catholics in the continents:

Americas 63.2 percent
Europe 39.9 percent
Oceania 26.0 percent
Africa 18.3 percent
Asia 3.1 percent

The Philippines were evangelized by the Spanish and is the only Catholic country in Asia, but it does not have the finances, atmosphere, and ease to concern itself with  the need for missions outside the country. Indian Catholics represent only 1.6 percent of the population, Indonesia only 3 percent, and Vietnam, because of the socialist system of government, has to deal with many difficulties, which leaves Korea as the only viable representative today of the Asian Church.

Korea, with 10 percent of its population Catholic, has the personnel and money to undertake the requested evangelization of Asia. Since 1990 the Vatican has been asking Korea to take more of an interest in the task of evangelizing. The Church in Asia is a small minority in a very diversified field of religions within many different cultures, and many of the Catholic communities are subject to discrimination and persecution.

Because of the small number of Christians in Asia, few have 'seen the face of Jesus.' The Korean Church has the job to go to this vast population who have not been exposed to the Christian Gospel and spread its message of joy. The editorial hopes that the dioceses with the most priests will send some of them to these countries, many of which find it difficult to get to a priest even once a year for the Sacraments.






 

Rheology and Theology

A professor writing in the Kyeongyang Magazine introduces us to his musings on the science of rheology,which is concerned with the flow characteristics of matter.   A professor  in Israel, who worked with his colleague Bingham who gave  the name to the science, added the  Deborah number which characterizes the fluidity of materials.

To name the number, the Israeli professor used the verse from Judges 5:5, "The mountains trembled (flowed) in the presence of the Lord."  This was the song  by Deborah, the prophetess of the Lord. Even solids, given enough time, will flow; the smaller the Deborah number indicates that the material is less solid and will flow more easily; the larger the number the more solid it is and the more time it takes to flow.

The professor notes that with the change of the first letter of rheology, from R to T, results in the word 'theology.' Although the word for flowing, in Greek, is 'rheo,' and the reason for the name, the studies in the science of rheology have helped his theology, the professor says. He has over 30 years of study in science, and in his life time he has not seen the mountains moving. But with God, in whom a thousand years are like one day, he has little difficulty in seeing the mountains flowing like the rivers.

He admits to not understanding all that he studies, and there are more than a few times when he has been completely flabbergasted. The more he studies the more he realizes how much he doesn't know. The  science of polymers, his field of study, considers the properties of "numerous natural and synthetic compounds of usually high molecular weight, consisting of up to millions of repeated linked units, each a relatively light and simple molecule."  It's a world where he can contemplate, he says, the wonderful workings of God's creation.

For those who say God is dead he recommends they study the world of natural science. The more they enter that world and try to uncover the mysteries they encounter there, the more they will praise God. It was during his college years, when he began his study of science, that he made his acquaintance with God  and was "born as one of his children."

Studying polymers has deepened his understanding of God. It allowed him to see more of the hidden intention of God, his providence and his presence. He feels this in the depth of his heart.

Is It 'Cool' Not To Be Thankful?

A recent column in the Catholic Times focuses on the implications surrounding the Danish word 'Tak'. The columnist reminds us that there is a great deal to be said for the word, which means 'thank you'. She points out, humorously, that though it is only one syllable long and can be said easily and frequently, it goes a long way to helping maintain a positive attitude and to more living with laughter.

In Korean, the word used most often to say 'thank you' usually  has four syllables and is not easy to say. Gratitude, expressed with words, is not a big part of Korean culture.  All of us are rather stingy in our expression of thanks, and quick to get angry at any slight. On the internet and in news broadcasts, women and men often use blunt, immoral, violent and insulting words, seemingly giving voice to the context of the society we currently live in. 

She attributes this to our failure in not being helpful to others.  She believes the young people's understanding of the English slang word 'cool' influenced the young in adopting this disregard for others.  'Cool' has been accepted as a word that concentrates on the individual, and ignores as unimportant the ways of the established culture. This word could be used, she believes,  to show what has happened in society over the past decades. It has taken on a meaning in Korean that does not follow the understanding of most in the English-speaking world, which would include the ideas of neat, elegant, bubbling with life, no bad after-effects--not needing to say thanks is not one of them.

The columnist introduces us to a diocese that has decided to do something about this trend. One of the greetings they have decided to use is: "How can I be of help," which has developed into a movement among the Christians, which coincides with the diocese celebrating its 50th year since its founding. The movement's goal is not only to bring about a more open attitude on the part of the individual but also as a way of spiritualizing their life. The Movement hopes this will also take hold in the greater society. The complete slogan is "Thanks, how can I help you?  I love you."

We know that words are not the answer to problems facing society. The fast moving scientific culture and excessive materialism of Korean society has made us indifferent toward our neighbors, and our sensibilities toward our traditional ethical values and the dignity of life have been distorted. The "What can I do for you?" movement is a way of turning our gaze to the other, setting aside our unconcern and lack of sensitivity to what others are experiencing, in an effort to do something about the impoverishment of our inner life.