St. Francis and St. Clare

A Korean lawyer and vocalist, who studied in the States, writes about a spiritual insight she had in her third year of law school. Not until she saw a movie about St. Francis and St.Clare, she explained in her article in the Seoul Bulletin, did she have any interest in saints. And the Italian actor who played the part of Francis was so handsome, she said, that at first he was the focus of her attention, along with the remarkable cast of actors. But she soon forgot them and the beauty of the Assisi countryside, as the force of Francis' personality, particularly his decision to live a life of poverty, resonated with her need to find something she could dedicate her life to.

Though he was the son of a rich cloth merchant and could afford the finest clothes, he gave his fine clothes away, content to wear a rough woolen coat tied about him with a rope (the habit that would soon clothe his first followers), and decided to live a life of intense poverty. Greatly moved by his progress in spirituality, she began to read everything she could find about her now favorite saint, as well as his own poetry and prose. He was, she decided, the saint she would follow.

The words of Jesus, "Take nothing for the journey," and "Whoever wishes to be my follower must deny his very self, take up his cross each day, and follow in my steps" were the reason he became a mendicant monk, she discovered.

She then goes on to tell us about her struggle to understand and live these same words, and confesses that they made her think a great deal. She felt strongly the need to succeed in life, to do better than others, and be financially independent.  She had dreamed of making her mark on the world, but now the thought of living a life of poverty and renouncing the self sounded crazy. Francis' life seemed to her to make little sense in our modern world.

With these thoughts on her mind, she talked to a priest about what was bothering her, and received from him help in justifying her own life. Is it wrong, she asked, to desire to live the comfortable life?  Wanting to know what she thought poverty was, he asked, "What does it mean to deny yourself?" The priest answered for her. Poverty is of many kinds: the difficulties we experience, such as loneliness, stress, uncertainty, sickness, and in general the frustrations that come with living--these are all part of our poverty, he said.  To accept these trials with our whole being, without bitterness, and happily accepting whatever difficulties come our way is to choose poverty and to carry the cross.

The priest's words put her heart at rest, and she thanked God for leading her, by that good-looking actor, to a new understanding of poverty. Pope Francis has done much to bring the attention of many Koreans to the saint from Assisi. Many are reading in the daily papers brief accounts of his life, and why the pope picked the name Francis. Nearly everyone would find the life of St. Francis rather odd, but they would also have a chance to reflect on a way of life without possessions and what such a life might mean in living a more fulfilling life for us who live in a consumer-oriented world.

The "Rescuing Hug"

The "Rescuing Hug" was discussed in the Taegu Diocese Bulletin this past week, as it recounted the story, originally appearing in the American press many years ago, of twin baby girls, Kyrie and Brielle, born prematurely and each weighing about one kilogram. It's a story that is sure to touch the hearts of many in Taegu this week.

The twin sisters were put in incubators, but Brielle was not doing well, her heart was weak and she was not putting on weight like Kyrie, the sister born first. It looked like Brielle was not going to make it. The nurse taking care of them suggested to the doctor that they be put in the same incubator, since they were together in the womb. Though not permitted by hospital rules, the doctor gave his permission.

Now together in the incubator, the first born twin put her arms around her sister, astonishing those who saw it and, miracle-like, her vital signs--breathing and blood pressure--soon began to improve. It was not long before Brielle recovered completely.

Premature twins are usually placed in separate incubators, but after this incident, co-bedding for multiple birth babies became the standard procedure in this hospital, the practice soon spreading to other hospitals.

Many similar stories documenting the healing power of human touch can be found in many parts of the world. Babies who lost their parents and were put in hospitals in years past, receiving no loving care, would often die, and even if they managed to live, we are told the integrity of the adult personality was seriously affected.  
 
The bulletin article recommends that we also reach out to others by offering a healing touch whenever appropriate. A hug, a reassuring tap on the shoulder or arm, a handshake--all show a loving concern for the other. This show of human warmth and love, judging by the many remarkable healings that have resulted from such simple gestures, may at times be more important than medical help.

Retirement in a Mission Station

"I eat, play and  live well. I like the quiet life, and  this mission station  is perfect for me"--words of Bishop Chang Ik, retired from the Chunchon diocese in 2010 and now living in a small village mission station taking care of the spiritual needs of the community.

His life as bishop was very satisfying, he explained during a recent interview by the Peace Weekly, but said he was always pressed for time; now he has the time to reflect and see the world through refreshed eyes, and regrets that so many do not have the same leisure time he has to fully appreciate their  lives. In the old days getting information was difficult, he said; today it is at your finger tips. But we still have seen, he said, a drop in the number of readers which comes as a  surprise to him.

Our young people, especially today, are living on the fast track because of the demands of the digital world they live in. But fruits do not ripen quickly, he reminds us, and we can't make rice grow any quicker by pulling at the rice stock. Desiring a faster lifestyle, he warns, is just going to bring us more problems.

The bishop laments  the loss  of our value for truth and the acceptance of relativism. With each person having a different take on what is happening, there is less opportunity to sympathize with another person's opinion, and our understanding of universal truth is quickly disappearing. Because the majority thinks one way, he added, does not necessarily  mean that is the correct way.

When asked what can the Church do when relativism is so wide spread, he recommends that all of us in the Church follow the example of  Pope Francis, who took upon himself the role of a servant and is preaching by example. The bishop believes that is what we all should do.

He told the interviewer he was reading Smell the Mother Three Hours Each Day, which surprised the interviewer who felt that the book, judging by its title, did not match his serious demeanor; the bishop admitted he learned about the book from a radio broadcast.

He recommends that parents read the book, especially parents. There are too many children today who live separated from their mothers, he said. Up to the age of three, children should spend at least 3 hours with their mother to ensure emotional health. The book also lays out the basic reasons young people are having problems adjusting to our society. That bit of information alone should make the book a valuable contribution to our efforts toward solving our many societal problems. 

Knowledge in Search of Wisdom

We have been hearing lately the same sad refrain about the need to change society but few positive suggestions on how to bring about meaningful change. Our society, according to most observers, seems fatigued and in danger mode. Writing in the Peace Weekly, a professor in the Sogang University philosophy research department turns to a Korean scholar who  teaches in Germany and is the author of The Society of Fatigue, in which he writes that "Everyone living in the self-displaying modern society has been worn out and frustrated."

Our society is sick and drifting, the writer says, and we don't know where it is headed. She  goes on to cite several reasons for this dire assessment, calling it a crisis of life: intense competition for college entrance, graduates  are finding it difficult to find work, high unemployment, escalating small business bankruptcies, more 'tin house' transactions (Buying a house and finding that the present price is 80 percent lower than the price you paid years earlier),  increase of the homeless, the skyrocketing suicide rate--all  indications we are living in a severely dysfunctional society and the reason so many are looking for healing.

The writer tells us about a young woman who, while in college, was filled with energy even though her situation at the time was difficult. Today, with no steady employment, she looks tired and without a sense of belonging. She is attending an academy at government expense and working part-time in a Shabu Shabu  shop, making about 400 dollars a month. Never did she imagine  this as a possibility for a graduate of a distinguished teachers college. Although we can say there are no  noble or  base occupations, when college graduates are forced to look for jobs as domestic helpers, they are taking the work that normally goes to older women. Where are the older women going to go?

The numbers going to college have increased but not enough jobs are available when they graduate. What is the reason for this situation? the writer asks. She feels that we have not been educated in a way that will help in solving these societal problems. The emphasis on memory-style education, she says, leaves no room for creativity, and when faced with problems, we find it easy to give up. Living means that we are going to have problems, but they are solvable problems, she says, when we are properly educated.

To illustrate what she means, she quotes a line from the Analects of Confucius. "When we learn only by gathering information and don't think, we will perish; and learning only by thinking without sufficient information is dangerous." She adds that knowledge that does not bring luster to our lives is dry knowledge. Our college students these day learn to meet specifications that society has given them to succeed, but this is not going in search of wisdom, she says, and ends by expressing her desire that our educational methods will ultimately educate the whole person and enable our students to think creatively and search for  wisdom. Creative thinking and wisdom will help in the urgent tasks of solving our societal problems.

Influenced by St. Francis and St. Ignatius

A Jesuit priest writing in the Catholic Times tells us of two saints he admires, St. Francis of Assisi and St. Ignatius Loyola. Francis lived a life of sagacious poverty and Ignatius, the founder of the Jesuits, enlarged the horizons of the Church.

The writer said he fell in love with Francis when seeing the movie about his life, during his second year of college. He then read every book published in Korean about the saint, and some of them twice. During the lifetime of Francis (1181-1226), the power of the papacy was at its zenith, with many movements working for reformation and renewal. Francis was not interested in such activities. Being attracted to Jesus and the example of his life, and consequently loyal to the Church, he decided his spiritual path would be a simple imitation of Jesus. Though apparently an inconsequential decision at the time, it would lead to a radical change in the lives of many Christians, which brought about a new way of being Church.

A few years after seeing the Francis movie, the writer encountered Ignatius for the first time and was deeply moved, seeing him as a romantic and fabricator of grand dreams. Reading the autobiography of St. Ignatius, you would not easily understand who he was, he said. Only after the writer entered the Society of Jesus and took the one month Ignatian spiritual exercises did he fully appreciate the genius of Ignatius and his trust in providence.

Although there are many differences between the two saints, the writer points out significant similarities. Both were mystics; both had the crucified Christ as their motivation and goal; and both considered themselves as nothing. They knew the light and love that came from Jesus, and consequently also knew their avarice and weakness, which made them humble. Instead of blaming others they were merciful toward others. And both had a great love for poverty; Francis called poverty his esteemed wife; Ignatius loved poverty as he loved his mother. They both had no need to talk about poverty, they lived it. They were loyal to the Church, but living at a time which called for change they also desired to see it reformed. They did not however agitate for reform or make plans for renewal, but were content to experience the mystery of Jesus; imitating Jesus was their only goal, and yet their  influence, paradoxically, was felt far and wide.

At the time of St. Francis the movement of the Waldensians was calling for the reformation of the Church. They started out as reformers but ended by leaving the Church. At the time of St. Ignatius the Protestant Reformation had plunged all of Europe in turmoil.  Luther, seeing the corruption in the Church, in protest chose to leave the Church. And within the Church itself, there was a growing skepticism and opposition to Francis and Ignatius, and yet they remained loyal to the Church to the very end. Many young people were moved by what they saw and joined their movements, which helped to renew the Church.

Our new pope, a member of the religious order founded by Ignatius, was selected from a country considered outside the center.  A cardinal from Brazil, when congratulating the newly elected pope, asked him not to forget the poor during his pontificate, which immediately brought to mind Francis of Assisi and convinced him that would be the name he would choose as pope. The legacies of Francis and Ignatius having come together in this new pontificate will undoubted give direction to the pope's pastoral and teaching role in the years to come, a direction the priest hopes will inspire the followers of Francis and Ignatius, and all of us, to be more understanding and friendly to the poor.



 

What is True Healing?

Books on the bestseller lists often deal with healing and the young, an increasingly  popular topic of discussion for nearly everyone nowadays. And now even religion has joined in by offering  remedies for what ails us.How does religion help? asks a priest writing for priests.

He offers several ways that have been suggested by the German sociologist Ulrich Beck. He argues that our modern society is fostering sickness by encouraging a change from loyalty to the institutions of society to an extreme concern for ones personal welfare; the individual self is becoming, he says,the primary agent of meaning. The traditional structures of society--religion, family, nation--for the most part have been pushed into the background, and their legitimacy seriously questioned. As a result, religion, family and community have been weakened, making society less harmonious, the person all important. In the process we are losing our original self, which is social by nature, becoming more isolated, and damaging the long-term health of our community.

The writer wonders whether the  strong movement toward healing is a sign that societal problems have begun to affect our daily lives, creating more personal problems for us to deal with. Healing takes for granted that we have areas that are hurting. Why have these hurts begun to appear? Examining carefully, the reasons for the pain is the first step to finding a remedy for the pain.
 
He refers to the plot of a famous novel and movie: A young boy, the only son of his mother, was kidnapped and killed. The murderer was caught and put in prison. The mother became a Christian and was convinced by others that she should forgive the killer, who was waiting for the day of his execution. When she went to the prison to forgive him, she was surprised to see the peaceful look on his face and was told that he was forgiven by God. Being told he had been  forgiven by God, she was so upset that God had seemingly taken away the right she had to forgive that she renounced her Christianity and fell into deep despondency.

Her religious belief were no help to her in healing her pain. Rather, it enabled her to deceive herself; it was a drug to sooth her, a refuge. She had been using her belief to heal herself from the pain she did not want to feel, and never went beyond that.

Healing is not something distant from us, nor something that others bring to us. When  we are in crisis and come up against opposition, losing our equilibrium, illusive feel-good feelings alone will not help. We should be looking for healing that will last and support us in all difficulties. He quotes a famous phrase: True light is not one that glitters. We have to 'stay the course' and in silence go the way we know. Faith is not a superficial exercise in our search for the truth, but the central motive behind the search for the truth that will set us free, allowing us to live in  a way that will promote healing for all. 

Education for a New Level of Faith Life

With the passage of time, our faith life is becoming more individualistic and self-contained, according to an editorial in the Peace Weekly. Jesus came on earth to proclaim his kingdom and bring us salvation. When we put this call on hold, concerned only for personal peace, the central message of Christianity is being distorted.

Peace of mind is the natural first desire of many people; without it we will not be interested in the poor nor in working for the common good. These days life is difficult and the future unclear;  peace of mind can't help but be important. However, when one believes that by focusing on a personal spirituality we are becoming more spiritual, even though it often means moving away from the Church and its teachings, there is a misunderstanding of the meaning of spirituality, which always includes in some fashion communal life. Christians meeting at the table of the Lord and becoming one with the other members is no longer seen as important.

If we seek and rely on personal spirituality, it's easy to understand how looking for blessings is the upper most thing in one's thoughts. Looking for happiness and spiritual peace, we use God as a means to gain what we want. God becomes a means to achieve our earthly ends. This is superstition and not true religion.

Christians are not just to see the partial, individualistic goals, but to have a view of the whole. The desire for healing all manner of ills is a very important element in our society but it is not the central message of Christianity. Sermons to always address this  point  and desire to give comfort is not what the sermon is  meant to do. Why did Christ come to us, die on the cross and leave us with a mission has to be explained.

The limited, individualistic way of Christian thinking is not only a trait of Korean Catholics but a common trait among all believers. A seminary professor is quoted in an accompanying article as saying that Koreans have a desire to rid themselves of Han (unresolved resentment to some injustice received) more than having a desire to accept and understand the teachings of Christianity and truth. They have a great interest in the spiritual life but less interest on what exactly needs to be done to live this life. Because of a general uneasiness evident in our society, religion for many is seen as a way to resolve the uneasiness.

Those who have studied the problem make it clear that the Church is not interested in setting the blame for this limited understanding of Christianity, but is trying to lead its members to a more mature understanding. That many of our Christians are still looking for blessings is not surprising, but the work of the pastoral workers is to help purify the motivation of Christians, so they can move up to a new level of belief.