"Grief Will be Turned to Joy"

Current predictions by the World Health Organization foresee that by 2030, melancholia will be the leading cause of illness. Korea presently is a leader in the number of cases of melancholia, so  begins the article by a Salesian priest writing in the Bible and Life magazine. Widespread is a structure of excessive competition, materialism, inhumanity, the sudden appearance of the nuclear family, making us islands, and disposing us to feelings of depression. Melancholia  has many forms, he says, the young person's depression, those taking exams, after giving birth, buying on credit, seasonal depression, after success...  nobody is far from depression.

The Sewol ferry tragedy has exposed us to  these feelings. The families of  the dead, those who survived, those who witnessed the tragedy, the citizens have experienced great sadness.  The families of the victims have lost an important meaning for life. We have to cry with these families.

In Scripture, we have prominent examples of those who suffered from this malady: David, Jonah, Elijah. David in psalm 31:10 cries: Have pity on me, O Lord, for I am in distress; with sorrow, my eye is consumed; my soul also, and my body."

The priest mentions as a youth having to fight against sickness for a number of years. During this period, he suffered from depression. In the morning when he opened his eyes it was not how he was to live happily that day, but was he going to make it through the day. Everything seemed insignificant, meaning for life disappeared and all he wanted to do was to avoid  the gaze of others. It was, he said,  a frightful experience.

In the beginning, melancholia is like a cold of the spirit and can be handled by the person's efforts. With exercise, walks, mountain climbing, emptying ourselves and the like does work. When it gets too much for us, we can go to the specialists for help.  Christians have a primary physician in Jesus, and he will free us from our depression. There is nothing like a positive and active life of faith as a treatment for depression.

The reason for melancholia he suggests is despair. A loss of hope and the despair comes from too much of a trust in oneself and others. We are all disposed to despair. As Christians, we can always get up with the help of Jesus.We are not  discouraged or frustrated, and we don't want the melancholia to increase so we get up and continue to hope.

He gives us the example of a prisoner of war in a concentration camp. Never sure if there would be another day. One of the prisoners died of sorrow, and he decided to do something. In the same cell were citizens of other nations who spoke different languages, and he suggested they learn each other's language.The cell block from a place of great boredom became a high-class language school.  He learned during the two years that remained: English, Spanish,  Portuguese and Polish enabling him to converse in these different languages with a certain amount of ease. After he was released, he began his own Trade Company and did well.

For a Christian, difficulties are only the  prelude to happiness, Even at times when we do not see any meaning to life God is there and when we realize this, all becomes possible.The priest  finished the article  with the passage from  John 16:20:   "I tell you truly: you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices; you will grieve for a time, but  your grief  will be turned to joy."

Challenges to Christian Family Life

Korea in 1975, 88.2 percent of the families had a man as the householder; the hierarchical order had the father as the center of the family. The Desk Columnist of the Catholic Time tells us that in her own family, the father was 'heaven' and the mother was his helper. This was the  accepted understanding of family.  When the father was the oldest son of the family, he was responsible for the care of the parents and would live with them. 

After 40 years what is the situation of Korea today? According to the office of statistics, one of four families  has a woman as the householder, about 27.9 percent of the families. Families composed of husband and wife, almost half are both working full time. One can't but see the noticeable difference from the past. Postmodernism has brought in a value system and understanding which have influenced the family life.

The Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs reports that half of the citizens don't have any big  problems with the culture of young people living together without marriage. A survey of 1000 men and women between the ages of 20 and 56, a total of 46.1 percent approved of the living together without marriage. Those in their 20s,  53.1 percent  and those in their 30s, 59.2 percent saw it positively. 35.5 percent said marriage was fine, and they had no problem with those  who did not want to marry,  a matter of choice. Those that said marriage was necessary was only 25.6 percent. 67.7 percent opposed the thinking that the  relationship with the children was more important than the husband and wife relationship.

Professionals in the field see a decease in the size of families,  simplification,  and the increase of those living alone. These are challenges to the Church's pastoral care of families.

One of the dioceses in a recent marriage seminar reported that over 2270  who had taken the pre-nuptial  programs, 8.5 percent were pregnant and 8.9 percent were living together. 90.2 percent had been sexually intimate. The report said there was little difference in those who were Catholic and others.

Oct. 5th to the 19th  Pope Francis has called  for  the III Extraordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to treat the topic: The Pastoral Challenges of the Family in the Context of Evangelization. "The Church, fully aware that family life is not ultimately defined by difficulties and that people do not have problems only, willingly recognizes the efforts being made, primarily by young people, to bring about a new springtime for the family."

The preparatory instructions  published, deal with cohabitation, divorce, unmarried mothers, homosexual unions,  and the like. Pastoral challenges that families will be facing will be the area of concern for the Synod. The signs of the times and the challenges that the families are experiencing will be the areas of discussion.

She, in conclusion, quotes a moral theologian: "Today with the  societal trend  and value system  that has a  wrong understanding of  sex, marriage and family the  Christian has the task by living according to the teachings of the Church and at the same time carrying the cross  to renew the world." This mission of establishing Christian like families is the work entrusted to Christians.

Unification of the Korean Peninsula

During the last 20 years, a columnist in the Catholic Times who writes on North Korean issues, a researcher on the subject, introduces us to the two questions that are most frequent. "When will we have unification? This was the number-one question regardless of age, gender or position in society.

When he receives this question he returns: When do you want unification? It is not something that will just happen. Division is something we lived with, for a change we have to be the subjects and  need to work for change. Unification will be a product of our work, bringing great changes to  Korea.

The second question is: What will be greater the cost or the benefits of unification? This is also a foolish question. Expenses are for a limited time, and  the benefits of unification will go on for ages.

Don't these two questions show that we have become accustomed to the division of the country and evidence that we have little feeling for unification? With the improvement of our financial situation,  we are more interested in what happens on the New York Stock Exchange than unification and more sensitive to what happens in the money markets of the world, then the nuclear testing in North Korea. The passage of time, he laments, has made us forget that we are one country.

We forget that because of the division of the country, there are numerous  abnormalities in our daily lives. Two million  of our young people are facing each other daily with the muzzles of their guns. Korea is a peninsular but the only way we can leave the country is by boat or airplane. Our products by boat have to go a long way around to go to Europe or South Africa. With the united country, we could move our goods by train and truck. At present, there  is no easy way for us to go to Europe.

Life in the North continues under three generations of totalitarian rulers. Hunger and crises are common. Living with a loss of human rights and in a security state, makes their life one of fatigue: the product of our division. The trust on armaments continues the totalitarian hold on the North Koreans by the government.

Becoming one country is not  a choice but a duty that we have to  undertake. Many of the tragedies on the military zone separating the North and South have been the results of our division.Our young people again should be able to take a train to Paektu mountain, go to Mongolia and the plains of Siberia, by means of the  peninsula to which we belong. What is necessary on our part, concludes the columnist, is the will and effort. We are not passive spectators but need to be  active participants working for unification.

The Land of the Morning Calm

At the beginning of the 20th century, a Benedictine Priest from Germany came to Korea, Land of the Morning Calm. The priest took movies and still life pictures of the early years of the 20th century. A Religious Sister writes in the Seoul Diocesan Bulletin about how far we have come from  a land that was so calm. Those who can understand Korean a visit to the Youtube (In the Land of Morning Calm Korea, 1925 -) would be worthwhile. Put what is in parentheses in your browser and click.

The expression: Land of the Morning Calm, is filled with sentiment, the light of  dynamic hope that was always alive. A simple, peaceful people that found it  easy to relate with others, an expression with  meaning for Koreans.

We have come a long way from the calmness of the past. The image of calmness in our society is difficult to find. The warm energy that made us one has disappeared, she says, and today we have the two camps: traditionalists and the  progressives, those on the right or on the left with harsh criticism of each other. Each facing the other with eyes of discomfort  and without any reasonable arguments in support of their positions, and  using all the power they can muster to bolster their position.Where do we look for the reasons for this forming of camps? she asks. Is it the honest search for the common good on the part of each group or the search for personal worldly benefits of each position?  

Scriptures are clear on the stress for  harmony against divisions.  Anything  that fosters factions is not the will of God. "You shall not repeat a false report. Do not join the wicked in putting your hand, as an unjust witness, upon anyone" (Ex. 23:1). These words she feels are appropriate for the mass media of today and the lies that are being spread. Often anything that will benefit oneself or one's position is permissible and little interest or rather a frigidity towards virtue.
 
In the Exodus passage above in the same  paragraph: "Neither shall you allege the example of the many as an excuse for doing wrong, nor shall you, when testifying in a law-suit side with the many in perverting justice." These words give us the limits of our democratic society. Most of the democratic nations  follow the will of the majority, a healthy way of government, but here  also is a weakness we need to remember. The will of the majority is not always correct and often the opinion of the minority has no place to stand. When the will of the majority is not mature in its stand on freedom, and justice, there is the possibility of the  unreasonable use of force to justify the position of the majority. The will of God is not in the use of violence but in dialogue and the respect for the other. She concludes her words with a prayer: "God, let us not  be divided because of ideological thinking  but work for harmony in a land of calm and hope. Amen."
 
The search for truth and for the common good makes for easy talk, but in most cases, it is often something besides truth that colors everything we say and do. Korea has many issues in which the two camps fight for the  righteousness of their cause. Little incentive is shown to understand each other, and to find ways that will not promote violence.

The Neocatechumenal Way

In the recent issue of the Peace Weekly, reported was the interview of the  ambassador emeritus  to the Vatican with  Kiko Arguello, the founder of the Neocatechumenal Way. The movement  began in Spain in 1968 and has spread throughout the world and received approval from the Vatican in 2008. 20,000 communities exist in 124 countries. 34 communities exist in Korea. The movement has had criticism over the years for the way it conducts their teaching, liturgy  and for not being sensitive to the cultures in which they work, but the popes continue to give approval to the movement.
 
Mr. Thomas Han  asked about the beginnings of the movement.  After the Second Vatican Council at a time when many were trying to come to terms in what happened during the Second World War, the atrocities and the suffering moved Kiko to go to a shanty town to live with the Gypsies bringing along only his Bible and guitar. It was at this time that he began teaching the catechism and forming communities.
 
Pope John Paul gave the movement approval as a valid spirituality for the present age. Why did the pope describe the community in this way?  The parishes are places in which the sacramental life is lived, but many are not familiar with the Jesus they receive in the Eucharist. The first gospel imperative is the love of one another. This does  not begin in the church but within ourselves.
 
In response to his recent book, Kerygma, which has been translated into 26 languages, Kiko mentioned the word means to proclaim the Gospel. By the Gospel message, we are liberated from all that keeps us from the joy of life. The book is the story of his life with the movement which he was asked to write by Cardinal Antonio Cañizares, prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, and he complied in a wish to be of service.
 
St. John Paul II  often said that the third millennium would be the time for the evangelization of Asia. What did Kiko think of this  and the place of Korea in this future? God is inviting us to participate in this work. This is a reason I have come to Korea. We have a number of countries that are under the influence of atheism and communism, which is a reason to make the message of the Gospel heard.
 
Neocatechumen way, for this reason is concerned about  fostering priests for the work. At a meeting in Manila, 200 young man have volunteered to become priests. At baptism, we received the Holy Spirit  that makes us a part of the new creation. We are new people. 'Love each other and you will be my disciples be united, and the world will believe.' When this becomes a reality, all will change.
 
What is the relationship with the family? Young people are searching for the truth. They want their lives to be in harmony with God's will.  The devil is fighting against the families.  Christian families  will save society and the Church. The marital act has to be open to life is the teaching of the Church and  in Europe at the present  those who are following the neocatechumen way are having more children than Muslims. In many parts of the world members of the Way are volunteering  for missionary service overseas. Members of the way are trying to live the way the early Christians lived.
 
In conclusion, Kiko was asked what meaning do we need to accept from the teaching of the martyrs. They have a lot to teach us, and they should be an occasion to give new life to the Church and bring about renewal.