Pope Francis Will Shortly Leave Korea--So?

Today in Korea we have all kinds of books appearing about Pope Francis, who is now on his second day in the country. A woman poet  gives her reflections on the pope's visit in the secular Chosun Ilbo. Pope John Paul II came to Korea thirty years ago, and Pope Francis has chosen to make his first trip in Asia to Korea. Tomorrow is the Beatification Ceremony where over 500 thousand will attend, and the ceremonies will be broadcast live to over 150 countries. Even-though most Koreans are not Catholic, there is a good reason for many to see the pope's visit as a family event.

The writer, curious, wanted to find more about the 'man'. She went looking for material about St. Francis. Since the pope selected the name Francis, by knowing the Saint, she would know about the  pope's values and what motivates him. The Saint lived among the  lower levels of society; her father also had the name Francis, a saint whom many loved.

Pope Francis said his patron saint avoided power, luxury, and  pomp. He wanted poverty and humility. He wanted to live with peace, and asked that we condemn immorality. St. Francis worked to realize these values in his life.

Watching television we see the pope's presence saying Mass with the poor in their villages, riding the public transportation, his informality, washing and kissing the feet of the sick and the addicted, his correspondence with the sick.

He is pope isn't he? That is the least he can do. She has no response to this kind of question. All she knows is that he is like her a human being, why don't we see what he sees?

He has told atheists to follow their consciences. The pope, a person who believes in God did not find saying these words easy. She wrote these words on a corner of her pocket note-book. Conscience distinguishes between right and wrong, between good and bad. We have all received this kind of education but when we look over our lives and ask ourselves if that is the way we have lived, our tongues are tied.

Everyday we encounter pain and sadness in what we hear and see. Someone has to be there to do something. The pope on his visit to Korea, along with the  religious events, will be with the families of the victims of the Sewol tragedy, and the grandmothers that suffered as 'comfort women'  for the Japanese soldiers and for other  victims. Our eyes have  been glued on these issues for some time.

We should not look upon the pope as a pair of tweezers. It is our duty to remove the thorns, disinfect and spread the ointment. We should not have high expectations on what the pope can do, but examine ourselves in the way we  block out so much that we should be seeing and go around saying: I don't know. The pope has come to Korea but will shortly leave Korea

Let us Share in the Peace of Pope Francis

This is the message of the president of the bishop's conference on the visit of Pope Francis to Korea taken from Asia News.

Dear brothers and sisters,

In two days,[ pope arrived today]  Pope Francis will pay an apostolic visit to Korea. The Holy Father will join in the young men and women participating in the 6th Asian Youth Day. At the Mass for the beatification of the 124 Korean martyrs, he will also inform the whole world of the witness of our ancestors in faith, who willingly sacrificed themselves for truth.

From the fact that a Pope as the Supreme Pontiff of the Universal Church has never personally participated before in any event of the Asian Youth Day, I may humbly presume that Pope Francis cherishes an intention to invite and encourage every single Asian Catholic youth to become a messenger who communicates the Good News of the redeeming Lord to the Continent of Asia, even though young Asian Catholics belong to a very small faith community, just a handful minority in this vast continent.

It is also an ecclesiastical practice that a papal delegate presides over the Mass for beatification, when it is celebrated at the local Church. Nevertheless, Pope Francis visits Korea to personally preside over the Mass for the beatification of the 124 Korean martyrs. I guess  he wants us to recall the fidelity and faithfulness of the martyrs who sacrificed their lives for truth, especially now when we live a life swamped in the stream of materialism and relativism.

Today our society agonizes over many problems. In other words, our nation is suffering from diverse bitter elements: long-standing de facto cold war between North and South Korea; international conflicts between neighboring countries in Asia; rapidly widening chasm of disparity in wealth in spite of the continual improvement of positive economic indicators; failure of government crisis management system revealed by the Sewol ferry disaster; the scandal of the inhumane physical and psychological violence and abuse in the army, which have become an everyday routine in barracks.

As Pope Francis usually approaches first those who suffer from their life, I believe that he as the Successor of Saint Peter will bring the Gospel of comfort and hope to heartbroken Koreans. The apostles of the early Church used to be on missionary journeys. In the history of the Church, St. Paul the Apostle is known to make the longest missionary journey for the communication of the Gospel, paying a visit to many local churches in person. His visits aimed at, first of all, the communication of the Word of God, and, secondly, the manifestation of his encouragement and support for the local churches sharing in their difficulties, so that they could get on their feet again overcoming despair. Pope Francis will communicate the Word of God to us, as it is desperately needed in our present situation. He will also proclaim the divine love and hope to those who suffer from their life, as he looks and listens to them sharing in their difficulties in person.

The Holy Father in my opinion chose Korea in the Far East as the first destination of his apostolic visit to the Continent of Asia, because he wanted to pray together with us for the peace of the Korean peninsula as well as for this continent in whole, sharing in our most cherished desire. He will leave for a country located in the other side of the earth, even giving up his summer vacation, which should not be disturbed, when his advanced age is duly respected. I hope that we can embrace with each other in the spirit of tolerance and harmony in full accord with the 'love and hope', which the Holy Father wants to communicate to us. In this regard, I also hope that the seeds of reconciliation and peace will sprout vigorously on this land.

I want to invite you all to join in the warm welcome with one accord for the Holy Father as a distinguished guest. On the other hand, it would be much appreciated, if I can acquire your generous understanding for the inconvenience, which will be developed from the big gatherings and events during the apostolic visit.

I also would like to urge the government and the National Assembly to do their best for the speedy legislation of the so-called "Special law on Sewol ferry disaster", which will guarantee a proper investigation as well as a rigorous follow-up measures in regard to the Sewol ferry disaster, in deference to the desire of the bereaved families of the victims, who are now going on a hunger strike at the Gwanghwamun Plaza.

May the peace of God be with all men and women in Korea in abundance.

Who is Opposed to the Pope's Visit?

One of the reasons for the quick visible  growth of the  Catholic Church in Korea  was the example
 of the the underground movement  for a free    society during the totalitarian years of army control. A second reason was the events both within and  outside the  country that became known to the larger society, especially the two visits of Pope John Paul II to Korea. These seem to have  increased the numbers of those entering the Church.

The Desk Column of the Catholic Times reviews an issue that he feels needs to be brought to the light. Most of the citizens are happy with the visit of the pope, but we do have a few in society who are opposed  and have shown this by preparing a petition. No matter, the moral justification they have for the opposition, he feels that it is a question of not  understanding Catholicism. One Internet newspaper asked that they rid themselves of their material concerns in their valuation on the visit, and suggests they show neither joy nor grief over the visit.

The opposition he feels is mostly from a small group of  Protestants. The columnist feels the majority have no problem with the visit. There are only a few with prejudice and selfish interests that motivate them, and  who consider Catholicism heretical, and continue openly to criticize the Church.

There are many  who are not opposed to the visit but have problems with certain aspects of the preparation and visit. The Pope has made it clear his desire to be with the poor but the way the Church of Korea is making preparations he wonders if there is an understanding  and a willingness to change the way we  express our understanding of Catholicism.

The pope in a few days will be with us, and the columnist has no doubts the pope  will make very clear the kind of Church he would like to see in Korea. Those who are interested in seeing what he will say only need to carefully read his exhortation Joy of the Gospels.

There is no reason to expect the popularity of the pope will see an increase in the  number of Catholics. No reason for the Protestants to fear that the Pope will be taking away Christians. He will be trying to get Catholics to understand the teachings of Jesus more clearly.

The lack of time for preparation should not be a problem. As the Vatican has stressed this is not to be considered an 'event' or even less, a marketing venture.  The visit of the pope should be for us an opportunity to give more attention to his teaching, and to see a change in our lives. 

ICPE Mission

'We are Laity, Catholic, and Radical' is the way the ICPE Mission introduces itself in one of its web sites. The 'Institute for World Evangelization' was founded in Malta and received canonical recognition in 1992 and has spread to various countries of the world, In 2002 the Institute was recognized as an international association of the faithful of Pontifical Right. Korea is part of the movement and is active with formation programs, teaching in prayer groups, running Bible Study groups, weekend retreats and various seminars.

The Vatican’s call for Korea to minister to Asia is the motivation for the Korean leader of the movement to begin his work. The Holy Father called Korea, in particular, to minister to Asia because of its freedom through the devout, practicing Korean Catholics.

ICPE missions are communities that promote and support missionary vocations among members of the laity by providing training in evangelization and by developing missions in various parts of the world. The core of their apostolate is the commitment to prepare lay men and women dedicated to mission and capable of responding to the call to holiness.

The Leader of the group in Korea writes in his column in the Catholic Times, on the way to discern the will of God. All of us who are Christians are in search of the will of God. He is always impressed when he meets young people who are interested in doing the will of God.

However, when he hears these words,  he wonders if this is the best way to look upon the issue: searching for the will of God. For those who were born Catholic or became Catholic at an early age from the time they reached the age of discretion they  have been searching for the will of God as something very natural. He will introduce the readers to the principle that he considers most important. He doesn't want it to sound like a big deal.

For him the important principle is to know who we are, and  to think, act and  speak  accordingly. That's it. If this be the case, is it not  wonderful? He doesn't feel anything  else is necessary, but without these last words  there is a sense of incompleteness. We are made to imitate God and God loves us, and we are to return this love by loving others, otherwise the principle has no meaning. I am loved unconditionally and that is the love I am to give. With this  attitude and  understanding isn't every thing we done the will of God?

The Possibility of Addiction is Always Present

Family is the place where we receive affirmation for  our emotional needs, become acquainted with love, and  establish our identity. We all want to live well and have good  relations with others, this all begins in the family. These are the  first words of an article in the Kyeongyang magazine by  a specialist on family matters, who goes on to show us the ever-present  dangers of addiction.

Do the families answer our needs?  Industrialization, inundated with information, nurtured with ultra individualism, and in a rat race: we are overcome with  stress, and sickness is becoming more frequent. Family, is where we should be regenerated; however, instead find stress and bickering.

In attempting to rid ourselves of stress, we search for pleasure, when it comes, we repeat it, and from habit, it becomes an addiction. We no longer have control, and we are under its control and lose ourselves; the false-self takes over.  He uses the work of Dr.Murray Bowen, psychiatrist, and shows how this relates to addiction. The objects of addiction (dependence): smart phone, Internet games, pornography, liquor,  tobacco, television, coffee, food,  drugs, shopping, stock market, gambling,  work, sports, cosmetic surgery, dissipation, sex, religion, people,  and the like, these are only some of the many different types of addiction.

When a person loses his sense of worth and value for life, anger is  expressed towards others and oneself. Addiction can do great damage to family and health. When one has an addiction one is not able to control it  alone, but a greater difficulty is the failure to understand that they are addicted. They feel they can stop when they want, and have all kinds of justifications for their actions. The co-dependence of family and others on the one addicted is always present, and the one addicted becomes less in control, feels guilty and shame and can't resist the anger.

To become free of addiction one needs to change the way one  sees the problem. The object of the addiction is no help, and has to be seen as the problem. This has to be accepted with the head and heart.

He wants us to examine ourselves on the possibility of addiction. Once we realize the problem we are on the road to recovery. The place of the family he concludes is extremely important. There are many families were the children are not respected and trusted, and are controlled with pressure, which is sad. The family should be the cradle for life and love, a place for rest and peace, a place to be renewed.

Each person in the family is important. One person who has this real-self and lives the sensible healthy life, the energy will overflow, and  the joy of the  Lord, will spread to the rest of the family.

Conflict in Community

Humans need other people, and we do this by forming communities. Since we all differ, there is no way we can avoid discord and confrontation. Imperfect human beings, if like God, were perfect, would not need others, and we wouldn't have conflict. A university ethics professor, in the diocesan bulletin, presents us with the problem and a solution.

The word for discord in Korean is made up of two Chinese characters: the word for arrowroot and the wisteria vine. Both are vines, when they climb the trunk of a tree, they  clash with each other to achieve their separate goals. Asian ancestors living close to the earth learned much from the natural environment. Conflict, on first  perception has a negative message; however, it is not all negative, he says.

When conflict is low we have peace: stagnant, loss of motivation, and spiritlessness (apathy), and the danger of being influenced from the outside. When the degree of conflict is high, we have divisions, disorder, absence of  goals, and the desire to better the situation disappears. When an appropriate amount of conflict is maintained, we have the  possibility of change, and efforts to achieve change have a better chance of succeeding. We don't rid ourselves of conflict but manage it.

He lists four ways in which we can deal with conflict. The worst possible way is to avoid it. When this is done not only does the conflict remain, but we have the least degree of satisfaction among the parties.

Concession, giving in to the other: we have lowered the degree of  conflict but at the price of having  the degree of satisfaction of  those who conceded lowered and those who received the concession increased. This is also not the best possible solution.

Force, where pressure is put on the other party, the level of conflict subsides, but at a great price, for those who have been forced to go along will have a low degree of satisfaction.

The best way is to dialogue and compromise. We maintain an appropriate amount  of conflict, and the level of satisfaction is raised. An appropriate level of stress is present which allows the participants to come to a new level of understanding, to cope with the external changes, and allows the birth of other possibilities that were not envisioned.

In community and in relationships with others, we will never get rid of conflict. There is always a need to keep the level of conflict within permissible levels  where we can dialogue and compromise. The professor knows this is not easy. When we have variations in the way, we see a truth, we have to  continually work to fine-tune what is presented to us, and this is precisely what we mean by the art of communication.

Even Whales Dance When Praised

At the end of a meeting about lay-Catholic matters the Peace columnist of the Peace Weekly recounts for the readers what happened. They all gathered to eat and continued the talk on what transpired at the meeting. One participant said: " A bishop with whom I was talking said to have change, the priests have to change." Another in response:  "When you hear the priests talk; the bishops have to change." Another volunteered: "Pope Francis is putting pressure on the bishops."

He doesn't remember the whole story but one of those at the meal recalled a priest who was the pastor of his parish and recounted what happened when he was assigned to the  parish that needed  a church.

He called one of the parish council members and told him to take care of all the education and spiritual programs. He would give himself to the building of the new church. The parishioners were, for the most part, living in small 50 square meter apartments built for the poor. He took the key money used for the lease of his apartment and put it into the building fund and lived in the sacristy. Those who came to morning Mass would carry some of the bricks to the building site before going to work.

The plans that they had for the church building had to be changed because one of the houses they wanted to buy, the owner refused to sell. It seemed he wanted to make money on the house and was waiting for the price to  go up. They decided to make the church smaller than first envisioned. The owner, for some reason, as time passed  decided to sell the property. The members of the building committee were going to buy the house at half the price that was first agreed upon, and thought the priest would be very happy to hear the news. However, he wasn't. He told the building committee to give the owner the price that they were willing to pay at the beginning of the negotiations. At the signing of the contract, the owner of the house cried. Of course, the owner was not a Catholic, and they don't what  happened after he moved.
 
The columnist reminds us there are priests who like Pope Francis are not doing what we expect and surprise us. We find it easy to speak ill about our priests, more finding fault than giving praise. " Praise even makes a whale dance" is an expression used in Korea. All of this has great relevance for the preaching of the Gospel, if we are really concerned to make its beauty more clearly recognized and accepted by all. "We need to remember that all religious teaching ultimately has to be reflected in the teacher’s way of life, which awakens the assent of the heart by its nearness, love and witness." (Joy of the Gospel #42) 

With all the self-examination of the Church in Korea in preparation for the visit of Pope Francis, the clergy are under the spotlight. They are being compared to the words and actions of Pope Francis.This is putting pressure on the clergy, but the columnist reminds us that seeing the good and giving thanks is also a valid way of stimulating and energizing those in pastoral roles within  the community of faith.