Theology of the Body

A  Catholic Times article reports on the first Korean international academic meetings on the the "Theology of the Body," the name given to Pope John Paul's reflections and vision of the human person, with particular attention focused on the proper relationship of body and soul. They were delivered in 129 Wednesday audiences, between the years 1979 and 1984, and are of great interest for scholarly discussions of marriage, celibacy and sex--topics which have not always been treated correctly. One of the journalists of the paper expresses her ideas on what she picked up from the academic meeting.

There have always been biased views on the subject of the human body. The Church, a strong advocate for a right understanding of the human body, has over the years also enabled a distorted thinking of the body, which has been evident, she reminds us, in the teachings of the past.
 
The body, for example, was denigrated by the way the Church expressed the three enemies of the soul: the world, the flesh and the devil. Of course, this can be understood correctly and has been so understood over the years, but there is also the possibility of pushing the idea to a point where the body is seen in opposition to the spirit, a dualism which can distort the teaching.  She also mentions that there were priests who would say that women were the way the devil would tempt us, and there were times in the past when women were told not to receive communion during their monthly periods. This is not the teaching in modern history, but shows how this would engender fear in women.

Another side of this negative understanding of the body is the worship of the body, its outer appearance considered our greatest asset, extolling youth and the beauty of  the body, which today is ever present because of the electronic media. The likely consequences are the disorders of sex, the increase of divorce, and the destruction of families--all deriving from a misunderstanding of sex and its gift to humankind.

Pope John Paul II wanted us to get back to the teachings from Genesis on what marriage is. This requires a change in how we see sex. A change from seeing the soul in opposition to the body and recovering the sacramental reality of the body.

The academic meeting on the "Theology of the Body" will renew the pastoral thinking about the subject of marriage and sexuality within the Korean Church, and will make possible, she says, a new look at marriage and its meaning. Many of the old ways of viewing marriage will be revisited, discussed and improved upon, and will no doubt enter the teaching in the seminary programs of the future.

Walking for Health

A religious brother reflects on his life which was filled with horrific scars. At the age of 10 he had witnessed his mother committing suicide, and he could not rid himself of his anger and hate toward his father who was addicted to gambling and dissipation. The scars remained dormant but were ever present, he knew, in the way he related with his religious family. It became so serious that he felt he had to leave, going to Spain with a Spanish friend. In the Catholic Digest he writes about his healing.
 
Sleep did not come easily, even in Spain, and his friend told him that walking was a good way to regain health, and recommended that he go on a pilgrimage  to the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, a walk of 800 kilometers he had always wanted to make, and finally did.

During the walk he met many people from many countries, with many different ways of acting and talking; they are memories, he says, that will remain fresh and will be treasured.   One Spanish family accepted him like a son, and even got in touch by telephone with his family back in Korea. In the evening they did the town together, as they enjoyed wine and cocktails over dinner. But the most memorable event of the whole trip was the Mass he attended in one of the churches along the way.

One very hot day, when he was covered with dust from walking, he showered and prepared for Mass at the church, which had been built during the Middle Ages. Slowly the pilgrims began to enter and completely filled the church before the Mass was celebrated. The atmosphere, he noticed, was remarkable, quiet and peaceful.

The Spanish priest spoke both in Spanish and in English. At the time of the Our Father, each person was invited to pray in their own language. He was the only person from Asia, and when asked what country, all eyes, he said, seemed to turn toward him.

His face flushed and his heart beating fast, he answered, which prompted the priest to ask him to recite the Our Father in Korean. He closed his eyes and recited the prayer with the greatest composure and devotion he could muster. While saying the prayer, he said he felt an emotional response that sent shivers all over his body.

Suddenly, all the hurt that came from the death of his mother, the feelings against his father and his religious family all melted away. He prayed that the remaining visit to the Cathedral of Santiago would be without mishap, and with the sprinkling of holy water the Mass ended. For him it was  a beautiful Mass of healing.

Eight years later, whenever he has difficulties he closes his eyes and remembers that small church and his whole being relaxes and becomes peaceful. He is now in a home managed by his religious community where he is counseling those with alcohol problems.  He laughs and cries with them, many of them with more scars and pain than he had. God helps him to be a conduit for healing. We are all wounded healers helped by Jesus  the Wounded Healer.

One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic

We talk about unity within the Church as one of the signs of Catholicism: One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic. Oneness, however,  has  to be explained, often with many words, to give the word credibility. It was probably less so in the past when  words like heretic and schismatic would come easily to mind, but the present cultural sympathy for irenicism in dialogue has raised a potential problem among Catholics: how does one avoid conflict when the differences of opinion deal with serious problems.  Conflict, however, is not always bad, provided we continue to search for the truth together with humility and respect.

Writing in a bulletin for priests, the columnist mentions a walk he took along a river bank and reminisced on the words: "Live fish swim against the current," as he watched the fish doing just that. 
 
The popular thinking of every historical period influences, he believes our fashions, and the perceptions and conceptions that form our values, the "flowing river of an age." Living wisely requires at times,he says, that we swim against this current in search of the source, the true dimensions  of our humanity.

Our present situation demands, he says, that we go against the current. Here we are faced with a dilemma: as a Christian we have to read the signs of the times; if we don't, we will be like driftwood buffeted by the winds. To do nothing is not a possibility for a Christian, when so often it is necessary to go against the flow.  Many have lost the meaning of life, and go like dead fish along with the flow, he says, with empty cravings, chasing after illusions.

Jesus is the example of the fish who swam against the flow to go to the source. Ichthys (Greek for fish) was used as a symbol for Jesus during the early years of persecution. When everybody was saying "Yes," he was saying "No." And when they where saying "No," he was saying "Yes." He was one who gathered strength from what should be. He fought against all that would separate us from God.
 
Everything we consider important was put in its proper place: long  life, popularity, material goods. He did not accept the way things were being done, and expressed this by words and actions that brought him death. 
 
In Korea, the problems with unity in the Church are not as serious as in other areas of the world but they do appear. "In all things charity" is understood by all, but for some, speaking the truth is charity even when it hurts, while others feel the truth can be expressed in ways that do not hurt. Opposition to the direction of government is one example that brings conflict within the Christian community. The prophetic calling we have as Christians may be easier for some than for others, and when the calling is felt and acted upon by some, this rubs many the wrong way. Can one answer a  prophetic calling, and not hurt others? The new academic study of conflict resolution may help in acquainting us with more of the dynamics involved with this pressing problem, and suggest ways of resolving the problem.

Dfficulties of Communicating Within Society

The Seoul Bulletin recently profiled the World Catholic Association for Communication-Signis, a Catholic lay ecclesial movement for those in communications and media. The Signis World Congress 2013 was scheduled for Oct. 20-23, in Beirut, Lebanon, but because of the turmoil in that part of the world it was cancelled. About 700 professionals are currently involved in the movement. And the writer says that even among them, communication is not easy; communication and mutual understanding are problems for everybody.

All agree that successful communication is absolutely necessary if anything worthwhile is to be accomplished. When there is a breakdown of communication in politics and society, we know all too well what usually happens. The difficulties arise from both those who speak and those who listen.  An Indian proverb says "Those who only speak are deaf." A German proverb says "Those who preach do not listen to the preaching of others."  Both proverbs point to the difficulties of understanding one another: each is speaking or hearing, he says, from their own circumstances. 

The writer mentions that he has been producing radio programs for over 30 years. The need to listen to the needs of the listeners is imperative, he says, and cites the Golden rule: What we desire from the other we should first give; he cites another expression well-known in the West: To walk in another's shoes for awhile before we criticize. In the East there is a similar concept: "Yeokjisaji" which is composed of  four Chinese characters meaning to exchange the place where we are standing for the place of the other. 

He reminds us that those who have become famous in radio broadcasting came across as if speaking on a-one-to-one basis. Those of us in the Church who are concerned with evangelization should be very conscious of this same trait when evangelizing, he says. We are not imposing but  proposing. It all can be reduced to the  love of the another.
Interestingly, when we think of communication we think of the great communicators and their secrets. How do they succeed so well in persuading others?  There are many tricks that are helpful, he says, in persuading others but that is not the only aspect of a  good communicator. Difficult as it might be, he suggests that our individual search for truth should be replaced by a mutual search for the truth, for mutual understanding and humble listening, along with the speaking. A good communicator with charisma,can also be dangerous when he doesn't listen.

In Korea the North and the South have been trying to communicate for over 60 years, with very little success. Each is adamant in trying to  convince the other of their position, with little concern for efforts to better the relationship for all concerned. We have bright people on both sides and yet neither one has succeeded in overcoming the present stalemate. Perhaps it's time,  to change over to "Yeokjisaji" communication if we are put some bridges in place so that both sides can feel comfortable in listening to the  other.

Our Future Leaders in Fostering Unification

A newly published memoir, An Eleven Year Old's Will, by a North Korean defector, Kim Eun-ju, is the focus of a Peace Weekly article written by a professor who has been concerned with these defectors to the South (she prefers and uses a less controversial term than 'a defector to the South') for about 8 years, and every time the plight of these newcomers is mentioned, she admits that it is deeply disturbing to her.

The memoir, the story of an 11-year child who endured the famine in North Korea during the 90s, recounts those difficult days of hunger and fear, and finally her departure from North Korea. Her father had recently died and her mother and sister gave her enough money to buy a block of bean curd, and then left in search of food. They told her they would return in 2 or 3 days but never did. After waiting for six days, she left a message for her mother:  "Mother, I waited for you, didn't I? 6 days have passed, I feel I will die. Why haven't you returned?"

While attending  University a few years ago, during mid-term exams, a student from the North told the teacher that she didn't understand what she wanted her to do for her assignment. The teacher told her that she was sitting close to the front of the class and shouldn't have had difficulty in hearing the assignment; the student answered that while in North Korea she never learned any English. The teacher was surprised because she wasn't speaking in English, but then, all of a sudden, it came to her what the student meant: words the teacher had used, such as, text, orientation, keyword, cyberspace-campus, and similar words that have become part of the Korean language were the "English" the student was referring to.

This difficulty, among others, is one reason for not easily transitioning into the culture of the South and  getting the credits necessary for graduating from school. The professor was taking time out of her schedule to teach them basic English, but she realized this wasn't the only problem; in leaving North Korea, their education was severely compromised. She is often dumbfounded, she says, by the questions they ask, such as "Was Shakyamuni a human? Was Socrates a woman? Nobel--Is that a name of a person? A  frog? An insect?

Her own family has scars from the conflict between the North and South. Anytime her maternal grandmother heard a door slam, even while sleeping, she would  sit up and fold her hands in prayer. The professor knew that during the Korean conflict, the grandmother's son was dragged away by the militia, and never knew whether he was alive or dead. 

These are the common  scars that remain in the lives of many Koreans. With the passage of time and the unification of the country will these scars be healed or be aggravated? the professor asks. In answering that question, she says it's helpful to keep in mind that the North and the South have different cultural systems, habits, values, educational methods that will continue to separate the two sides.

We need to continually nurture those who will help to overcome the chaos that we have between our two peoples, she says.  She thinks the North Koreans who are now living here and studying in our schools will be the bridge to the future harmony of the country. That, she says, is one good reason, among many others, why we need to be concerned for their welfare.

The Wise Leader

Personal relationships, such as father and son, ruler and citizen, among others, are important and often mentioned in Korean culture. Writing in the Peace Weekly, a columnist gives us two understandings of the ruler and citizen relationship. Han Fei, an ancient Chinese philosopher, is quoted as saying: When the ruler is not virtuous, citizens will work hard not to be wicked but will be deceitful and and look out for themselves. Confucius said that when the ruler governs citizens with etiquette, they will respond with service and loyalty.

Confucius considered the relationship between ruler and ruled as based on etiquette and loyalty. Han Fei saw it as based on a shared understanding that each would be looking out for their respective self-interests. Each sage stressed different aspects of the relationship. 

The columnist applies this ancient understanding of the ruler/ruled relationship to the political realities of today: a president and civil servants. It is obviously not a father and son relationship, he points out, but a relationship in which each is looking after their own interests. This can be easily seen in the business world, with its management team on one side and the workers on the other.

"People around you determine everything."  Words of wisdom that have come down from the past and the columnist uses these words to describe what is going on in our society. When a capable person leaves a job, and another person not as capable takes over, serious problems frequently arise. That is why, the columnist says, those in a leadership position, both in a country or in business, have to think long before assigning someone to an important  position.
 

In Korea there have been persons who have been forced to resign  for inappropriate behavior. Some of those who have resigned  made decisions for their own good and have not been interested in service and loyalty.

Confucian recommendations are more important for some; others see Han Fei's recommendations as proper. Though Fei says that when the ruler is not virtuous there will be problems among the citizens, it is also true, he says, that when the ruler thinks he is always right and doesn't admit when he's mistaken, we will have citizens acting similarly.

When the ruler selects those for positions in government who are calculating and not looking for truth but what can benefit themselves or the party, the common good suffers. Lack of virtue of those in government will negatively influence much of society, and give rise to many problems, says the columnist. The article ends with the dire statement that not only do those around a leader determine everything that is likely to issue from that leader, but they also can be the reason very little is ever accomplished under that leader.

Shamanism: Matrix of Religion in Korea

Religion and spirituality arise from our human inclination to search for ultimate answers to our problems or, another possibility, because of humanity's search for wholeness, says a professor in a Catholic Research Institute. He went on to note that some scholars of religion, when discussing the origins of religion, believe that humans have a disposition for religion without  religion. His comments were in an article in the Peace Weekly.

Looking at the whole of Korean religious history, the professor details a plurality of religious inclinations that have been transformed and manifested in various ways. Religious spirituality is basic to our mental life, he says, and is not the result of our man-made cultures but is a primitive expression of mankind's innate religious feelings.

The religious sensitivity of Koreans has been influenced by shamanism, which sees culture, art and religion as joined together harmoniously with nature, resulting in a fusion with spirits from which  blessings and good fortune are received. This thinking, he believes, is at a primitive level in a Korean's psyche, with one's good fortune considered to be a safe, protected existence. This is like the "shalom" of Judaism and  Christianity, and not unlike the supernatural salvation from above.

Shamanism has fused together with the religions that have come in from outside Korea, such as Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism. Buddhism and Confucianism have mostly accepted this fusion with Shamanism. In Buddhist temples you can see the adaptations from Shamanism;  in Confucianism, it appears in the rice cake ceremonies. Christianity, though, has looked upon shamanism as something primitive and to be abolished, but there are those that see shamanism as the womb from which religion has grown in Korea.

Korea is unique as a country where religions can co-exist with respect for each other. This receptivity, the professor says, has a great deal  to contribute to establishing peace among the religions of the world. The basic religious sensitivity Koreans have for religion can be the reason, he speculates, for this ability to accept each other.

We should not condemn shamanism unconditionally, as being out of step with modern thinking because it was the matrix of religious life in Korea. But neither is it proper, he warns, to extol it. It's necessary to see shamanism's  limits and areas of dysfunction and have a proper balance in our criticism. When we look closely at the other religions, discounting their cultural expressions, seeing their common elements of truth, we will be able to see, the professor says, our own beliefs more clearly and live them more deeply.