Catholic education in many parts
of the world means little; for the Catholic element is seen as
peripheral to the educational process. This is not the case in Korea.
Pope Benedict said in regard to education: "Are we ready to commit our
entire self--intellect and will, mind and heart--to God? Do we accept
the truth Christ reveals? Is the faith tangible in our universities and
schools? Is it given fervent expression liturgically, sacramentally,
through prayer, acts of charity, a concern for justice, and respect for
God's creation? Only in this way do we really bear witness to the
meaning of who we are and what we uphold." These words and similar words
addressed to educators by the Church are taken seriously in Korea.
Both
Catholic papers introduce us to the new president of Sangji, a two and
four year technical school in the Andong Diocese. One of the first
Catholic
technical schools in Korea, it was founded by three Luxembourgian nuns
of the order Soeurs de la Doctrine Chrétienne.
The
purpose of the school is to educate students for an occupation. This
choice will help them find happiness in the life which will soon be
known, some believe, as 'Homo-Hundred'. Until 1990, there was no country
where the average lifespan exceeded 80 years. Since then, six nations,
including Japan, Italy and Australia, have exceeded this average
lifespan, and in 2020 it will be over 30, including Korea.
The
president of Sangji says the school will
be 'teaching for happiness'. Striving to be number one is not what the
school is all about, he said, but to form students who will be happy in
life. Those that
find the present emphasis on competition foreign to their way of
thinking, he recommends their going to the Sangji Technical School. They
will find there, he said, a different kind of competition. Too many
students, in the usual school environment, have to deal with
stress and Sangji is forming students for a different goal.
They
present their students with small goals which, when achieved
systematically, will give them the courage and the ability to dream and
go on for loftier goals.
All
students during a semester have to spend 40 hours in service to
others. Mass is offered daily at the school, and 30 religious sisters
are there to guide the students, giving the school a Catholic
atmosphere. Technical knowledge is imparted but combined with the
holistic formation of the person.
Over
80 percent of their graduates
have found work after graduation, and the school is aiming still
higher.This
emphasis on something else besides marks and success is a welcomed
relief. Parents should be thankful that such schools as Sangji exist,
providing them with the opportunity to send their children to a school
where educating the whole person is the top priority.
"Living is spirituality," words difficult to understand and requiring many more words to get the point. The columnist of the Catholic Times recounts how he was able to come to an understanding and used these words as the title of his column.
The columnist recalls attending the funeral of a religious hermit. After the funeral service and while drinking tea with a follow priest, a classmate of the deceased approached them and asked how they knew the deceased. He introduced himself as a classmate of the deceased.
He received them with great joy and after the columnist heard that the classmate was a counselor on spirituality the writer asked him what does he understand spirituality to be. The answer was brief and puzzling: "living is spirituality." The writer was expecting something quite different which he showed by the expression on his face. "Father, that is not all there is to say on spirituality,is it? What are your real thoughts on spirituality? Realizing that the columnist wanted more he explained what he meant to say.
He reiterated what he said that spirituality for him was life, and he explained. The reason he expressed it in the way he did was because we can tell what a person's spirituality is by the way one lives. And the quality of our life will often tell us whether there's a relationship with God, which will also tell us, he added, about their relationship with the world.
Ultimately, spirituality appears in the way a person lives, and is the reason, the counselor said, for making the statement that puzzled the columnist.The way life is lived is a sign of the spirituality we possess and a healthy spirituality will show harmony and balance in life. God has put this image of himself in us and when this become activated we have harmony and balance in life.
Hearing the explanation, the columnist realized there was no need to be puzzled, now understanding the counselor's cryptic statement was saying that doing all that we can do in life to the best of our ability is spirituality, doing the right thing with all the energy we can muster, and avoiding evil with all our strength. Micah expressed it somewhat differently but with the same meaning:"Only do the right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God.(Micah 6:8).
On returning to his own monastery the columnist resolved to live with this admonition as his goal, and sang the hymn that the deceased enjoyed reciting: God, you have given us an abundance of mercy; we return this in life with joy and happiness."
Expressing our spirituality can be done in many ways, and the simpler the better. For a Christian, our spirituality is primarily God working within us; we cooperate by saying yes. The life we live will show the results of God's work in our lives.
What is a Catholic world view? Simply put: A comprehensive view of life
that provides us with a way of living guided by the teachings
of Jesus, with God as the source of true joy. "Whatever brings us true
joy,
whether the small joys of each day or the greatest joys in life, has its
source in God, even if this does not seem immediately obvious" were the
words addressed this year to the young people on Youth Sunday. Joy is a
sign
of a life lived according to the teachings of Jesus; sadly this is
not always understood. Overwhelmed by so many other teachings, we
sometimes forget why the other teachings are there.
Our young
people are no longer attending our community functions as in the past,
most dioceses acknowledging this fact as the most serious problem now
facing the
Church. How to deal with this problem is certainly not a one-time
effort, but
an ongoing pastoral concern. The Christian values given to the young
have not been able to withstand the pressures to conform to the secular
values of society and the pervasive materialistic concerns of the
present age, particularly as it manifests in our educational system and
in the media.
That the Catholic world view was not able to withstand the assault was
not the problem of the world view but its absence, the failure to
successfully evangelize this core message of the faith.
The Year
of Faith is an attempt to focus our energies on improving this
evangelization process, especially with regard to our youth. Picking up
on this important issue, two editorials in the Catholic Times have
recently discussed the youth problem as a manifestation of systemic
problems both in society and in the Church. The first concern discussed
was the need to
show a more pastoral interest in young people, and a willingness to use our finances to promote the work with the young. The second concern was the
large number of suicides in Korean society
and the widespread discontent of the younger generation. Among developed
countries, Korea leads
in both of these categories, with suicides among the young the
number-one reason for deaths in this age group.
One editorial
mentions that many of the dioceses are taking great interest
in the pastoral care of the young precisely because of the lack of
values, pluralism, the ever-present secularization and relativism of
society. The need for a new mentoring system was suggested as a possible
help for young people in finding their rightful place in the present
and future future society.
Putting these thoughts together with the large numbers
of youthful suicides, we can see a connection. Society has improved
economically, doubling where it stood in 2000, and yet the rate of suicides
continues to climb, more than doubling where it was in 2000. The increase of material prosperity has
not increased the happiness quotient of Koreans. According to the OECD,
Korea ranks 31st of 32 countries surveyed in the happiness index.
The
number of suicides
is a good indication of the health of a society. With Korea's high rate
of
suicides, it is difficult to say we are a developed country. The
government should of course not hinder but help its citizens to find
happiness, and the Catholic Church also needs to determine how much of
the unhappiness in
society is due to the cultural climate we have created.
It
should be remembered that the fullness of a Christian life will
overcome all the difficulties of life, even a toxic culture, and give us
a joy that nothing can
take away. In an attempt to make this reality more available to all,
parishes are looking for ways to be more welcoming to their members.
Fellowship and a family atmosphere are often missing in the typical
parish, resulting in more Catholics leaving the faith, and less success
in attracting more converts. We can go a long way toward changing this
troubling scenario by combining our Catholic worldview with a warm
loving atmosphere whenever we gather together. This will help put
Jesus and the joy he came to give us back into our lives.
In big business we see a mentoring system which works well. We have the older worker mentoring the young. The mentees are given the knowledge that their seniors in the work force have gained over the years. There is a relationship built up between the mentor and the mentee that is good for the individuals and for the company. This mentoring system is part of the strategy of the work place where the seniors help the juniors become competent in their work.
Within the Church an almost perfect mentoring system was handed down from ancient times. A priest, writing in the Catholic Times, laments what we have lost, and reminds us what it was.
The family would be responsible for teaching the newly added member of the family the Christian way of life. Baptism would incorporate the new member into a larger family of the faith and the parents would begin teaching the child. The family would feel a need for outside help and there you have the godparents to help in the raising of the child. And besides, when baptized you gave a child the name of saint whose example would always be there to spur the person on to imitate them in the way they imitated Jesus.
This system looked at objectively seems ideal and yet the reality we have is quite different. Those that follow the intentions of the mentoring system are few and what we have in the books has become a formality and without meaning, there are little results to show. No matter how wise certain programs are when they are done without meaning and perfunctorily the results are easily seen.
Tertullian said in the ancient Church that the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the faith. In 1984 Pope John Paul canonized 103 martyrs. How many of our Catholics know and are familiar with the lives of these martyrs? He asks. We have another 125 that have been researched and are waiting for approval from Rome for beatification and canonization. These are all worthy examples to help us to be more serious followers of Jesus. And yet the writer feels that we show little concern for these elders in the faith.
This month is the month of the martyrs and we will begin the year of Faith next month. We need a new mentoring system. The Protestants have a one on one approach. The Catholic Church has recommended that we have a spiritual director but this is no easy step for many to make. We need help to travel the journey that we have been given and to do it with joy requires companions in the faith. He hopes that with the beginning of the 'Year of Faith' we will see some results in the new evangelization with a mentoring system that fits our present reality.
The loss of Christians to new religions is a common occurrence when there is a sudden change in the way of life of the citizens.
This is especially true in Korea, says a professor emeritus, interviewed
by the Catholic Times for its four page coverage of this issue.
Drawing on his life-long study of new religions, the professor believes that Korea provides a fertile breeding place for new religions because of the country's unique religious culture and the structure of its society. The rapid transformation of the culture has brought unexpected changes affecting the lives of many, says the professor, leaving them feeling uprooted, insecure, weary, and searching for a more meaningful life.
Another
reason cited by the professor: The established religions have not been
able to answer the desire for a
deeper spirituality, being more concerned with gathering new converts
and failing to respond to the needs of their own members when they feel
hurt, alienated and oppressed.
The new religions found their
reason-for-being, the professor says, in Protestant fundamentalism, with
its emphasis on doctrinal exclusivity, its interest in growth and
opposition to the mainline Protestant churches. The professor sees these
new religions as providing a quick and easy way of escaping what many
consider the heartless pursuit of materialistic goals, and returning us
to a world we once knew: open to mysticism, transcendence, and
spirituality.
The charismatic leaders of the new religions, with
passion and enthusiasm, are giving their members what they desire.
Their teachings, according to the professor, emphasize the emotional
content of belief rather than its intellectual content, which many find
easier to accept. He believes this feeling approach to ones faith should
prod the Catholic hierarchy to work at developing more fellowship as a
first step in answering the desire for more spirituality among its
members.
The professor mentions the well-known fact that these new religions find it easier to approach Catholics more than they do Protestants. The encounter with Catholics is not only easier but more productive, he says. Leaders of these new religions are quick to say that many of their members were once Catholics. The reason for this, according to the professor, is the failure on the part of many Catholics to make the connection between their personal concerns and their Catholicism. Protestants are also better grounded in Scripture than are Catholics, who often don't have an adequate understanding of Catholic teaching, he says. Furthermore, Protestants are instructed about heretical ideas, which makes it more difficult for the new religions to find a willing listener.
Although there are more than 5 million
Catholics in Korea, the professor feels that until Catholics understand
their faith in more depth, making it their own, the real number of
Catholics would be
much less. He recommends that the Church study the new religions, with
an eye toward cutting down the number of Catholics who leave the faith,
and also provide programs to debrief those who leave
these religions and want to return 'home'--all the while endeavoring to
make that home more welcoming for them than it had been in the past.
September is the month dedicated to the martyrs in Korea. When
Catholics hear the place names of the persecutions: Sinyu, Chonghai,
Ulhae--memories come to mind, bringing a heaviness to the heart. And the
memory of this time is not only distressful to Catholics but to all
those who know the history of martyrdom in Korea. A bishop emeritus
writing in a Catholic Weekly hopes this feeling of oneness with the
martyrs will not disappear but act to stimulate a more dedicated life.
The
Church is now researching, we are told by the bishop, the lives of
past and recent martyrs; news we all can be thankful for. In the past,
looking for answers concerning the deaths of Catholics who died at the
hands of the Communist in the North, from 1949 to 1952, was not
encouraged. The political stalemate in Korea required a more prudent
response, a desire not to put more live coals on a volatile situation.
The need for caution has for the most part disappeared, and the process
to beatify the 38 martyrs of the North is underway and nearing
completion. The bishop, who has been involved with the beatification
process, is asking his readers if they fully understand what is meant by
"martyrdom." Whether they believe there are martyrs today and not only
among Catholics. These are questions normally asked during the month of
the martyrs.
There are many reasons for the questions, he
explains. Today, there will be no "deny your faith or lose your head."
Today's martyrs, called by many the nameless ones, our gray martyrs,
will not be as easily recognizable nor their beliefs as clearly set
forth as they were in the past.
Nowadays, it's not easy, says
the bishop, to give up everything for one's belief or convictions.
Even when a person does sacrifice his or her life, whether actually or
by refusing the material comforts of life, the reason for the sacrifice
is often not apparent.
We are now more conscious, living in our increasingly
pluralistic world, that many of our citizens are being guided in life by
very different values from our own Christian values. This moral
discrepancy is an obstacle to our coming together and working for the
common good. Even giving witness to one's strongly held moral
convictions becomes difficult, and human actions, now often judged by
personal convictions, have lost their intrinsic meanings. Those who
speak out against the moral confusion are, like the martyrs we are
honoring this month, voices in the wilderness. Nobody seems to be there
to hear.
"Sharing
is the foundation of happiness. Sharing our material things is sharing a
little. Sharing our wisdom is sharing a lot. Sharing our love is
sharing everything"--a quotation that introduces the comments of the desk
columnist of the Catholic Times, who goes on to tell us about a
fortunate person, an orphan, who receives an unexpected gift.
Jerusha Abbott, the orphan and heroine of Jean Webster's novel Daddy Long-Legs and of several movie adaptations, including the Korean movie "Kidan Ajeossi, is the beneficiary of someone who decides to share. Jerusha, now 18 years of age and working at the orphanage where she was brought up, is told that a benefactor would help her financially and give her what is necessary to live during her college years; she has only to write him once a month, addressing the letters to a made-up name. He will never reply to her letters, which take up most of the novel, nor will she ever know his identity. She did catch a glimpse of him once, leaving the orphanage, but noticed only that he was tall and long-legged.
Though the
unselfish motive of the benefactor, content to give anonymously, is to
be applauded, the
columnist believes we all have a desire to know our "Daddy Long-Legs,"
to know who has helped us and to express our gratitude for what was
received.
All have different possessions to share. Some have an abundance of material things; others have wisdom and knowledge to share, while others little of these to share, but possess a loving heart. However, just possessing means little. Sometimes the sharing of love is the best way to know it was in our possession to begin with, and is the surest and the most direct way to experience happiness.
Jesus has shown us this kind of love, and we have been commissioned to show this love to others, but we often are content to express only a verbal 'thank you' for the love received--in whatever form it's given--without sharing it with others.
We
are by nature social creatures and cannot be truly satisfied without
relating and sharing with others. Sharing what we possess to help
others, and receiving from others what we need should be a second-nature
response. Being a "Daddy Long-Legs" to others is a win-win
situation for all of us.
