How Should One Live?

How should one live? is a question reflected upon recently by the desk columnist of the Catholic Times. There are people, he says, who live as though life were a bouncing ball, following it wherever it bounces. And there are those who fatalistically leave everything up to heaven. The Christian, however, believes that living in God's glory is the eternal goal of  life and attempts to do so daily.

The only time of life when we had no worries was infancy, soon followed by school, work, raising a family, financial concerns, and other pressures of life. Until death, this is the life experienced by most people.

Animals, outside of the time of sleep, do not shut their eyes. They are completely controlled by their five senses. With their eyes closed they are not able to judge anything. People without belief in God are not much different, says the columnist. They may shut their eyes briefly for meditation and reflection, but they put their trust solely in their senses and intellect. Decision making comes from their innate capabilities that they muster from the data available: seeing a wall they avoid it, lacking money they worry, feeling pain they grieve, and having the good things in life they are happy.

The real Christian deliberately closes his eyes, trusts in God, listens to his voice, reflects on his words, prays, finds joy in life despite its sadness, and sees hope in  pain. She not only trusts the information from the senses and intellect but trusts in our faith in God. 

There are many that do not ask why they live, concerned only with what they see before them. The columnist compares this to the paduk player who forgets the  stone in the middle of the playing board and rejoices with the making of a few houses on the fringes. When we forget the ultimate meaning of life, when we have no strategy for the future, concerned only with tactics for the here and now, we may win a small victory but we will surely lose the greater victory.

He is reminded of the words Cardinal Kim left us. "Lord, I will not think of this or that. I will not be concerned about how much I love you.  I will just look upon you and walk with you. Everything is yours and will entrust it all to you." The cardinal's words, he acknowledges, have deeply affected him, bowing his head whenever they come to mind.

This is the way of experiencing joy in life, which we try to share and practice with the alienated of our society. With God with us, we can overcome everything.

Both Catholic papers ran articles and editorials focusing our attention on a serious problem in the world: the degradation of the environment. June 5th being World Environment Day, the chairman of the bishop's committee on the environment also published a message, reminding us that we are cooperators with God in taking care of the garden we have been given.

Because of the worldwide demand for more energy, we are increasing the amount of carbon dioxide gas in the air. In the Namsan area of the city, we have had a deforestation 17 times what it was 35 years ago, which sends us a message that development has not always been positive but has in many cases destroyed the ecology of the area.

Sensitivity to the problems of the  environment, and a desire to find solutions to this ecological crisis are now more universal than ever, with governments and big business more accepting that there is a problem. However, it is not enough to just know the problem, the editorial stresses, it is necessary that we do something to change our way of living to an environmentally friendly one.

The Church has for sometime now been conscious of the environmental concerns and has begun programs to help ameliorate the situation. Along with other segments of society, the Church needs to discover and implement more concrete programs if an effective solution is to be found. 

One program the Church has inaugurated is the  "Enjoy Living the Uncomfortable Life" movement. This requires not a little sacrifice on the part of the participants, as we turn our eyes to an area of life that was not a concern in the past.

One example of this 'Green Movement' has taken root in one of the parishes, where they have listed 10 ways of enjoying living the uncomfortable life: decrease the house temperature in the winter; lower the use of the air conditioner in the summer, being careful always to conserve the use of electricity; reduce the use of plastic bags, and the like. Even kindergarten children are being exposed to this way of thinking, which promises that we will continue to have many to take care of the beautiful garden of earth that we have inherited.

A Splendid Life Is Doing Splended Work

St, Thomas Aquinas said: "A splendid life is doing splendid work." So begins the Peace Weekly article on labor. Since labor is a big part of life it is a serious issue for many. Humans have to labor to eat, drink, and live, but we know this is not all that labor is. Labor that has meaning is preferred over that without meaning. Work that is meaningful gives meaning to life.

The columnist asks, what is meaningful work?  It provides our clothes, food and a place to sleep, and these objectives obviously should not be underestimated, but these goals do not exhaust all that can be said about meaningful work.

Korea's financial progress in the last few decades has been dazzling, but we also have a high rate of suicide and a low happiness index compared to other developed countries. This speaks loudly, the columnist reminds us, that working for material progress is not the ultimate answer to all our problems.

More to the point, he says is to compare the working enterprises we are engaged in to organisms made up of still smaller organisms, the cells, which to maintain the vitality of the larger organism have to be nourished. When these cells, in this case the workers,  have a positive appreciation of the work, the competitive ability of the larger organism, the enterprise, is greatly increased. This "transcendent humanism" is referred to in the Encyclical Truth in Charity:

"Integral human development on the natural plane, as a response to a vocation from God the Creator, demands self-fulfillment in a transcendent humanism which gives [to man] his greatest possible perfection: this is the highest goal of personal development( #18).  And adds (in #11), "Only through an encounter with God are we able to see in the other something more than just another creature, to recognize the divine image in the other, thus truly coming to discover him or her and to mature in a love that becomes concern and care for the other.” 

Enterprises that search for this common good are helping the workers to appreciate  the value of their work. This will help prevent countries that have accepted the capitalistic system from becoming tools for greed  and exploitation. Efforts of the enterprises and the workers are necessary to prevent this from happening.

Hildegard of Bingen said: "When we are able to do good work we are like a garden full of flowers: Able to communicate with the universe." When the goals of the enterprises are attractive to the workers, the resulting work will be as life enhancing to society as light and salt is to our individual lives.

Religion Has to do a Better Job

Efforts  made by religions in Korea to live harmoniously together without any serious problems is an example of healthy coexistence. However, the Catholic Times editorial asks if religious people are also giving a good example to those without any religion. Recently, we have a number of books that appear in our book stores that tell us that society would be better off  without religion.

There is interest in these books; a sign that secularism is part of the society in which we live. The message to Catholics and other religious people is our efforts to show transcendence and religious values to society have  not been successful. We have to reflect on how much we have been an example to the non-religious  persons and groups in society.

Many scholars who have  studied the issue no longer see society listening to religious talk.  Words have lost their attraction it is an example of a life well lived that inspires: authenticity and genuineness.  

Looking at the lives of religious believers how much of an example are we to others? We have to be able to critique our own lives. Politicians who are religious believers have not been a good example  to those without any beliefs. Religion doesn't make much difference in the way life is lived. We have seen the moral life of religious people censured repeatedly for conduct that is not in keeping with what they believe.

There have been scandals within religious groups that have hit the press recently that have shown the weakness and immorality of believers. These stories do little to endear non-believers to think twice of the benefits of belief but rather to turn them away from what they see as hypocrisy. 

The editorial mentions that, for the time being, Catholicism is relatively highly respected   and is considered a strong bulwark for the upholding of conscience. However, this should not be taken lightly nor should we  rest satisfied   remembering  the honor that we had in the past. To continue to have this respect we have to be open and concerned with the  tensions in our society.

Educating the Whole Person

Teaching gospel values in educating the whole person is taken for granted in Catholic educational theory. The practice of these values, however, is not so easily taught in our schools, which usually designate their teaching of the whole person, made in the image of God, as holistic, humanitarian, character education, among other terms--all of which take into account that  we are a composite of mind, spirit and  body.

Catholic Schools in Korea face the dilemma of being unduly influenced by societal thinking as they try to incorporate more gospel values in their educational programs. The article in the Catholic Times deals with this serious issue.

Government regulations, the article explains, takes away the freedom of the schools to decide what programs of study to provide, what students to accept, and what teachers to appoint.  The government requires that private school imitate the public schools.

Another serious problem is the emphasis given to preparing for the college entrance examinations, in effect paralyzing any desire to work for the education of the whole person, success or failure of one's education being determined by grades and the chances of entering a first class college. This unnatural emphasis attempts to change the values of parents and society, with the relationship between the providers of education and those who seek it being weighed in favor of the consumer. Competition in society is the obstacle that makes educating the whole person difficult.

There have been some examples where schools  have managed to control half of their courses and freely accept Catholic  students. By having seminarian classes like a "seminary," they don't have to follow the school group system. There have been some famous cases were the schools have followed the education for the whole person and have done very well in the government exams for college. One Catholic school principal stresses there is no conflict between studies and growing as a human being.

The principal of Nonsan Daegeon High School was honored for developing a new education model, described as utilizing an approach  to education that sought to balance the physical, emotional, and spiritual aspects of a person, while also balancing study and service in the school. Surprisingly, the  spiritual was at the center of the program. There was a great deal of opposition to the change but when 96 percent of the students went on to college, this brought a big change into the thinking of the community and the teachers. Many thought the whole effort was a waste of time and money. But for a small high school to achieve the results they did and not have to jettison their educational ideals made many take a second look at his balanced approach to educating the whole person.               

From the Diary of a Prison Chaplain

Although there are some law breakers who have become altruistic members of society after leaving prison, following many years of crime and imprisonment, most ex-convicts have a different story to tell. In his pastoral diary in the Peace Weekly, a prison chaplain recounts his experience with those who have left prison, only to return after committing another crime, which is a concern for those who have to deal with this sad reality.

The chaplain mentions an odd fact that when some ex-convicts return to spend time in a prison other than the one from which they were released, he hears about it from his former prison inmates. Surprisingly, they know, in addition to the prison they are now in, when and what they did and all the details of their crime.  How can prisoners separated from societal life be so knowing so quickly? He remains perplexed.

He recalls one of the inmates who received the chaplain's blessing before being release, and after a crime returned to the same prison, saying to him--as most have done on returning to prison--"I'm sorry." But there are those who do not acknowledge their past relationship with him, and avoid him.  All know what crime the person returned to prison has committed, even though there are those who shamelessly tell a different story.

Some of them can't forgive themselves, he says; they suffer alone, hating themselves. They need a great deal of consolation and therapy. Often you also meet, he says, those who have no qualms of conscience for their criminal acts, no remorse for what they have done. in an attempt to do whatever is necessary to reach them, he has sometimes gone with the religious sisters to a police station to talk to those they knew well when they were in prison, after they were picked up again for a crime.

What is true in prisons is also true in detention homes for the young, he said. The inmates are familiar with what has happened to their companions, and their conversation is very much like those in the prisons.

The reason for prisoners returning to prison, in the chaplain's opinion, is their difficulty of fitting back into society. Society is not welcoming to those with a record of crime; the opportunity to rehabilitate is generally not available. It's the same story the chaplain hears from most of the prisoners who have not made a successful return to society.

Many of them are not familiar with the basic family life that all should have, leaving them with emotional scars not easily healed. The efforts to correct the problem are ongoing but the needs of those who are seeking to make amends for their life are great. The chaplain ends by asking his readers to be open to embracing those with this history of crime and who seek to rehabilitate themselves to an honest and productive life in society.

Spring 2012 Visit to North Korea

 A partial report of Father Gerard E Hammond's  visit to North Korea is printed below with his account of the Holy Mass for the Foreign Community in Pyongyang DPR of Korea.

As has been my usual custom for more  than ten years, this spring I traveled to the Democratic People's Republic of Korea with the Eugene Bell Foundation. Other members of the delegation included Dr. Stephen Linton and his wife Hyuna Linton, Dr. K Justin Seung from Harvard University, Professor Teresa Moriss-Suzuki from Australia National University, and Father Berard Christophe of the Paris Foreign Mission.

This spring's visit was scheduled for April 16th through May 1st but a Maryknoll Asia Regional conference in Hong Kong meant I had to leave North Korea on April 26th. Gratefully, I was able to celebrate Holy Mass at the Polish embassy for the foreign community in Pyongyang as usual.

North Korean authorities limit the number of delegations permitted per year as well as the number of days a delegation can stay in their country. Consequently, much must be accomplished in a relatively short period of time. On most days our delegation leaves the hotel no later than 6:30 am and returns long after dark. Because multi-drug-resistant tuberculosis is such a dangerously contagious disease, most of our work takes place outside. For this reason, our visits are scheduled for the spring and fall; when the  weather is most agreeable. Despite these precautions, however, we sometimes have to spend wet, cold days out of doors, and this spring was no exception.

Occasional discomforts notwithstanding, I really enjoy these trips and this spring was not exception. As each group is different, usually two or three members on our delegations are complete strangers. I serve as the official delegation chaplain. Despite our busy schedule, the absence of cell phones, internet connections and other engagements provides many opportunities  to discuss issues related to faith, particularly around the supper table on days we do not make site visits. For some who are not used to seeing so much suffering, these visits can trigger a spiritual re-awakening. Those who have a Catholic background often attend their first Mass in years in North Korea....

For the past few years, it has become a tradition for the Polish Embassy in Pyongyang to invite the foreign community to a celebration of the Holy Mass when I visit North Korea. This  spring the Mass took place on April 22nd.

Celebrating Mass for Pyongyang's foreign community by visiting priests has now become an accepted custom. While it is still too early to expect that North Korean authorities will permit regular visits by priests, they have  no objection to my ministering to foreigners when I am there to engage in humanitarian work with the Eugene Bell Foundation.

On Sunday April 22nd, Ambassador Edward Pietrzyk opened his  mission and home to  Pyongyang's foreign community and sent First Secretary Michaal Skotnicki to our hotel to conduct us to the Polish Embassy for the Mass. During the service, I was assisted by Father Berard Christophe of the Paris Foreign Mission. Approximately, fifty people attended from more than a dozen nations.

After, we were invited to a dinner prepared by Madame Anna Pietrzyk. I was deeply moved when the Ambassador and his dear wife got up from the table and served us themselves. On this and other occasions, by word and action, Ambassador Pietrsyk gives  amble evidence of his deep reverence for the Church and the priesthood. My prayer is that God will expand this small beginning into a regular Mass for Pyongyang's foreign community.

Father Gerard E. Hammond