Why are the young people leaving
the churches? is a question many are now beginning to ask. The problem
being addressed is not solely a Catholic
or a Protestant concern but one common to all beliefs. The young are
obviously not finding what they are looking for among the present
religious establishments.
The desk column of the Catholic Times attempts to find an answer by
introducing us to the Taizé Movement.
Taizé, a little village in France, is home to a
community of brothers who hold everything in common and live a simple
life as celibates. Brother Roger, born in Switzerland, founded the
community in 1940. Three times a day they gather together for
prayer, which is the center of their communal life. Each Sunday
thousands of young people come for prayer, reflection and sharing; and
each year over 100 thousand visitors, mostly young people, make the trip
to Taizé from all over the world.
When
the young join the community for short periods of time, they do what
the brothers do: pray three times a day and join in the work of the
community. It's a very simple life and yet visitors from all over the
world are motivated to leave home and share this simple lifestyle.
To
those who leave the churches in Korea this kind of thinking is foreign to them, says columnist, and she
wonders why this is the case. She found the reason by reading the book
The Community Called Taizé. The author asked many of those at
Taizé why they came. Most said they had the feeling of being accepted by
the community of brothers. Race and religion had nothing to do with
being accepted; it was the first time they had experienced this kind of
acceptance. Moreover, the brothers of the community showed great trust
in them, they said, allowing them to make their own plans for service
and work, which gave them an unexpected sense of freedom.
The
columnist quotes from a news account from a
State-side newspaper on the results of a questionnaire that asked the
young why they
had left their churches. The answers were not what we would have
expected. Many of them explained that it was the inability of the
churches to satisfy their thirst for the spiritual. The messages given
by the churches were not clear, they said, and their answers to the
problems of life were superficial. "The young are looking for faith and
are offered only entertainment" was a typical view of the problem.
Another put it this way, "If you
really believe that the church can change for the better the behavior
of others, why is this not more readily seen in the behavior of
Christians?"
She
concludes with the observation that the questionnaire was for the young
in the United States, but that it also had a great deal to teach us.
Those who have authority in the Church and the older generation should
take a hint from what has been accomplished at Taizé, she advised, and
from the thinking of many of the young who have left the churches.
St. Mary's Hospital, managed by
the diocese of Seoul, was selected as the number-one hospital in the
country for the outstanding services provided to its patients. In giving
the award, the Korean Standard Association considered all business
enterprises, not only hospitals. And this
is not the first time for
such praise, as the the editorial in the Peace Weekly points out, as
does an accompanying article. Over the years, they have received other
awards for the extraordinary care shown their patients. The credit
belongs, say hospital personnel, to the respect they have for life,
which is the motivating
force behind the running of the hospital.
"The
hospital that doesn't satisfy the desires of its patrons will not
continue to exist" is their motto. St. Mary's has made it a regular part
of their service to patients to listen carefully to those who come to
the hospital, and has done everything possible to please them: doctors
monitor patients around the clock, nurses follow the angel system of
nursing, and first-time patients are accompanied by hospital personnel while at the hospital, and there are many other ways they try to satisfy the needs of their patients.
Another
reason for welcoming the award, the editorial cited, is that the
hospital is following the teachings of Jesus. Our Lord told us to love
our neighbor as ourselves. This is the reason the Church exists and the
reason for all its works. Of all the works managed by the Church,
hospitals especially, and other places that care for the sick, should be
model examples of this kind of compassion.
The
editorial notes that though there are many different operations run by
the Church, too many to count, if these operations do not show the
compassion of Jesus, there is no reason for their existence. The reason
the Church is running these operations is not to make money, it goes on
to say, but to express and share the love of Christ.
When
customers are happy dealing with a Church-run organization, such as St.
Mary's, it's a sign the organization is acting in a Christ-like way.
The editorial expresses the hope that St. Mary's will be the model for
all operations of the Church.
On the spirituality page of the
Korea Times, the columnist discusses his accidental meeting with a
priest friend, who had recently returned from a pilgrimage to Egypt and
Israel.
During
dinner at a restaurant that evening, he asked him what was most
memorable about the visit. Nothing really stood out, the priest said.
All of it was a great experience, and he was full of gratitude that he
was able to make the pilgrimage. However, there was one place where he
learned a lot about himself; it was on Mount Sinai.
His
curiosity aroused, the columnist asked what he meant. The priest
mentioned that they began the trip up the mountain at two o'clock in the
morning. Each climber had a hand-flashlight and they began the ascent
slowly. When they arrived at the top of the mountain, they were greeted
with the thrilling sight of the sun's rays. Meeting God in this place
was the feeling he had, and he relished the time. During the climb he
reflected on his life as a priest, the meaning of the ten commandments
and the law of love to which they pointed. It was, he said, a meditation
of great satisfaction, joy and thanks.
"Father, what did you do when you descended?" asked the columnist.
"My
thinking was not healthy and I fell into temptation." replied the
priest. "My body had become accustomed to many bad habits."
They were surprising revelations, which prompted the columnist to ask for an explanation.
The
priest mentioned that they all returned to their quarters, where they
were to have breakfast, go to their rooms to wash up, and then begin the
next leg of their pilgrimage. The whole place reeked of spices, he
said, and he didn't like what was on the menu. He lost his appetite, and
only had a glass of water before going to his room. The quarters were
seen as expensive by the local inhabitants, but he saw them as horrible.
He wanted to put water in the tub to rest his tired body, but this was not possible: the shower was in poor shape, with little water
coming out, and the soap and shampoo had seen better days. The air
conditioner wasn't working, and now fuming with rage and drenched in
sweat he went outside.
The
members of the group, on seeing him, greeted him, with one individual
remarking, "Father, your face this morning, when you arrived at the top
of the mountain, was full of joy." This hit him like a ton of bricks. It
was true, he said. Arriving on the mountain top after meditating on the
Commandments and deciding to begin living a more loving life, he did
feel filled with joy. And yet he had to admit that just a few hours
later, not able to gratify his needs of comfort, he was filled with
displeasure and criticism.That
afternoon, he said, he had plenty of time to think about the kind of
person he was. It's easy to be overcome with fine sentiments when
meditating and seeing yourself the way you want to be seen, he mused,
but it's often quite another thing to see yourself in less than ideal
circumstances, with results that are quite different. We are "animals
that easily forget" concluded the columnist. In our thoughts, we can
flatter ourselves by believing we have made substantial progress in
living a more loving life. Our actual living, however, is more difficult
than settling for the self-serving reflections we make on the way we
live. It was a lesson the priest did not expect from the pilgrimage but
one he gratefully accepted.
Living
in the information age we are bombarded by information, much of it of
low quality and not verifiable, which makes discernment difficult. The
internet adds to the problem, as does this blog and millions of others
that abound in the blogosphere. To navigate this flow of information,
what is necessary is the art of discernment. We know well the saying of
St. Augustine, "Love God and do what you will." If we are living a life
in harmony with the will of God, seeking his will in all things, then
our thoughts and desires will direct us correctly in making the right
judgements. This is the traditional Catholic teaching on discernment.
The View from the Ark in
the Catholic Times presents us with one of these occasions where
discernment is necessary. The columnist, referring to an article that
appeared in Focus, the magazine of the British Broadcasting Company,
mentions the most sinful nations of the world, according to the article,
and what capital sins those countries have the most difficulty dealing
with. Korea, overall, was listed as the 8th most sinful country of the
world, and placed number one in the lust category. This was determined
by the amount of money spent on pornography, in comparison with other
countries.
The
distinctive quality of a nation is not determined by the intelligentsia
or popular leaders, he says, but by the ordinary citizens. No matter how
good the laws and structures are, if the citizens do not follow them
they are of little worth. When the citizens have a sense of dignity and
are moved by conscience and good habits, this will be reflected in the
personality of the country.
Korea
went from a GNP of 100 dollars in 1960-1970 to over 20,000 dollars in
2010, which is the envy of many developing countries. In 1987, Korea rid
herself of a dictatorship and became a democracy. There is little need
to point out, the columnist notes, that economic improvement and
political maturity allowed Korea to join the group of free and
prosperous countries of the world. And in the last ten years, the
influence of Korea's culture has spread to many parts of the world.
However,
individual consciousness has not kept pace with economic development,
he says. Greed, lust, envy, hunger for power, and the like are seen as
the likely reasons for the immorality and corruption which has earned
the country the low moral rating described in the Focus article. How can
we rid ourselves of the stigma of being the 8th most sinful country in
the world? he asks. We have to refine our moral education, work on our
self-improvement, and work for the common good. Helping to change
Korea's image in this all-important area of life, says the columnist,
should be the duty of everyone.
The
wrong-headed desires of some politicians to gain power is offset by the
virtues of sincerity, authenticity, and justice exhibited by others.
The overwhelming desire of all citizens is that the individual should
live as a caring human being, and that our society, made up of such
human beings, is working for the common good.
Korea is the most wired country
in the world, having also the highest percentage of smart phones. Not
only is this a positive sign of the efforts made to promote internet
technology but like everything else when taken to an extreme often has a
negative result, which seems to have occurred in Korea.
Stories
abound on how the internet has been abused, similar to what has
happened in other countries. The result of this addiction is causing
great concern around the world. An article in the Peace Weekly, which
discusses a paper given by Doctor Lee Jung-hun, a psychiatrist at the
Catholic University of Daegu, gives us some interesting facts on the
situation. So serious has it become, according to Dr. Lee, that the
government has started tailored programs to deal with the addiction,
providing special classes in internet addiction and organizing holiday camps to wean students off their dependency to smart phones and the internet.
In
2012, a survey was made of youngsters, from the ages of 10 to19, who
were considered internet addicts; it showed an increase in addiction
from 7 percent from the previous year to 18.4 percent. The addiction
rate of those from 10 to 49 years old was 11.1 percent. The result of
the study indicates that there may be problems with the emotional life
of those addicted to using smart phones.
Dr.
Lee presented a paper on addiction to smart phones and the internet at
the annual meeting in San Francisco of the American Psychiatric
Association. He made a study of 276 high school students, from four
schools, who were 16 years old, and found that the higher the incidence
of addiction, the more the students were prone to accidents and problems
with attention deficit disorders. They also had problems with
depression, anxiety, delinquency, aggressiveness and relating.
Problems with reasoning correctly were also uncovered. He also found
behavioral differences with how the smart phones were used. Using them
in the toilet, before going to bed, and when making personal contact via
the social network service were also signs of addiction.
There
are numerous applications for smart phones, and they continue to
develop them, making them increasingly attractive and causing many to
move away from the PC to the smart phone. The earlier one begins to
access the Internet, the easier it is to become addicted. Efforts to
discover the reasons for the addiction, Dr. Lee said, should continue
to be made. It is a
serious problem and
though Korea has started to take appropriate steps to deal with the
problem, it will not be easily solved, since Korea has developed more
than other countries in the world of cyberspace.
The United States Supreme Court
recently struck down the defense of marriage act as unconstitutional.
The Korean Times desk columnist discusses the subject, seeing it from a
Korean Catholic layperson's perspective. The bishops responded to the
decision with sadness, he says, since it gives approval to same-sex
marriage, contrary to the understanding of the Catholic Church.
In
society today, he goes on to say, the Church has to deal with
secularization exemplified in the cases of sexuality and life issues:
abortion, artificial insemination, capital punishment, euthanasia. With
the recent advances in science and in collusion with commercial
interests, there is also growing disagreement over embryonic stem cell
research.
When
we look into the controversy surrounding these issues, we see society
distancing itself from the certainties of religion and the ethical
standards of the past. When it comes to the present situation in the
States, we notice that even though Christianity has been an important
part of the American culture, the traditional influence of bishops on
life issues is losing its ability to sway the people. In polls, the
numbers supporting the Catholic position continue
to decrease.
In Korea, it is easy to see that even though Catholicism
has respect within society, the influence of the Church, as a newcomer
to the scene, is less important among the majority of Koreans, which
makes the teaching of life issues mostly a Catholic concern.
However,
the problem is not only a failure to influence the larger society, for
even Catholics overall are not in agreement with what the Church
teaches, which is the greater problem. In many of the issues of life:
abortion, artificial insemination, contraception, homosexuality, and the
like, the response of Catholics is no different from others, and even
at times more in opposition. This is the present reality, and the
columnist sees this as the central dilemma that the Church has to face.
The numbers of
those in the West who see homosexuality as a serious issue is not
small. It is not only the small number of those who see it as a sickness,
but the Church itself requires respect for all; even when it
considers homosexuality not normal, it has to be concerned about the
pastoral issues dealing with this inclination, which he says is another
dilemma which the Church faces.
Koreans still have a very unified Catholicism, and it's easy to understand the way Catholics would tend to look upon the
Catholicism of the West, though the thinking of Korean Catholics is probably not much different
from the Catholicism of the West, only not as
vocal and as opposed as some in the West. In promoting the culture of life, the Church faces many difficulties, says the columnist, which will not be easy to overcome.
The Catholic Forum recently met
with experts and activists to
discuss the reasons for the weakening of community and to find
solutions. Among the problems discussed: increasing polarization between
those that have and those that don't, the large number of suicides, and
the gradual breakup of communal society--all side effects of rapid
economic development.
One
of the participants, the mayor of Seoul, said that one of the
principles behind the market is its omnipotence (though we have seen its
failures); we need to change this thinking, he said, and go from
competition to cooperation, from an emphasis on quantity to an emphasis
on quality. A professor agreed with this assessment and said that
although our material prosperity puts us among the developed countries,
little of it has to do with the happiness of our people. Going along
with neo-liberalism has increased the country's financial growth, he
said, but many of us are having difficulty overcoming poverty, and the
increasing number of suicides is showing us that something is seriously
wrong with our society.
The mayor suggested several alternative
ways of changing society: more emphasis on fostering a social economy,
working for the common good, creating autonomous operations and a
person-centered economic environment which we have seen, he said, being implemented already in developed countries, in an attempt to fill the
gaps made by capitalism. There are many already with the financial
means to back work cooperatives and social businesses, the mayor said,
and he promised to assist in any way he can.
Another
professor said we have to get rid of the idea that the welfare policies
of the government are free, and even if it were possible, it would not
continue for long. A priest
mentioned that the wealthier we become the more need for an increase
in
our spiritual values. Cardinal Kim was a good example of this, as he
continually searched for the transcendent in life, always being thankful for what life had to offer, living detached and willing to
take up the cross.
The active motivating force for society, said another, should be love. The value
of love, in contrast to law and ethics, is its dynamic staying power to move
us with mutual respect, forgiveness, reconciliation--always moving us toward
unity and cooperation.
The article ends
with the words of one who works with cooperatives. "Cooperatives are now
being talked about as another alternative, but there are voices of
concern. To see them continue and develop without any protection and security within society is just
talk. A realistic goal must be spelled out, and there has to
be a relationship of solidarity among them, were his words of advice.
