What are some of the things in life that I wish were different? A
priest writing in the Kyeongyang magazine, often at Masses, starts off
his sermons with a question. He did this recently asking the congregation what they would like not to have been in their life. Some answered they had no problem with what they experienced. He is not too bright, he responded, and better discontinue his sermon, and with a smile continued.
He
mentions the third year in high school when he was preparing for
college entrance: he was on automatic pilot during the year, and living
in a prison. Each year when the students are going through this
period he remembers them in his prayers.
In Korea all
males have to spend two years in the military, this is another period
of his life that he would like not to have been. He had no opportunity
of going to Mass for 6 months, and no vacation, not only physically cold
but the atmosphere, and environment was cold.
When he
received his first assignment as pastor two of his parishioners drowned
in the Sewol Tragedy. One of the students was the leader of the altar
boys, and was dreaming of becoming a priest, loved by all in the
Sunday School program. He would like to have that whole chapter erased
from history-- none of the children would have gone on-board the ship
to Jejudo.
After the tragedy the priest feeling low, decided to take a
vacation in the country. He spent time with the wild flowers and the butterflies that came to visit. It all begins with an egg, becoming a caterpillar, at which time it will shed
its skin four or more times-- molting. Stage three is
the chrysalis or the pupa, and from here it flutters its wings and
becomes a butterfly. And lives for about a month and dies.
He was angry when he went on vacation but seeing nature it made him reflect on the will of God.
Endurance is built into nature. We are all invited to accept death
as a part of life, and to think of life and resurrection. After all its struggle to go from an egg to a butterfly, the caterpillar with its
short span of life does not complain. Jesus walked that very journey
and left us an example. Holy Week will give us plenty of time to reflect on this central teaching of Christianity.
The recent issue of the Maryknoll Magazine had an article by Chris Smith, a Maryknoll Affiliate, on The Clash Over Jeju. Below are sections taken from the article highlighting some of the issues involved, and efforts made to educate the public.
"After years of protests and delays, the South Korean Government is pushing forward with plans to build a 4.3-million square-foot naval base on Jeju Island to house a new destroyer fleet to patrol the East China Sea between China and Japan.
The base is being located on the site of a 450-year -old village that supports the livelihoods of 1,500 farmers and fishermen and has been designated a U.N. World Heritage site. The local population first expressed its overwhelming opposition to the naval base-- with a 94 percent no vote-- when the plan for construction was announced in 2007.
More than 50 farmers have cited damage to their crops, and water for drinking and farming has been contaminated by dust and oil generated by construction, which has already begun and is threatening the coral reef habitat offshore. The South Korean government argues that the base will help promote tourism and bring jobs to the island, but opponents say the most likely jobs will be in bars, brothels and souvenir shops, hardly compatible with the farming and fishing backgrounds of the local population.
Recent events on Jeju Island, which is South Korea's most popular tourist destination and is known as the "Island of the Gods" because of its unique natural environment, have underscored how strongly residents and activists from around the globe are determined to block the completion of the naval base....The Catholic Bishops Conference of Korea has also weighted in on the naval base, supporting the demonstrators' position against construction.
Under the terms of the Mutual Defense Treaty and Status of Forces Agreement between the United States and South Korea, the U.S. military retains the right to use the base for operations in a regional conflict.
As the movement to stop the Jeju Island naval base enters its eight year, the Ecumenical Working Group on Korea (along with other allied organizations) is planning to send a multifaith peace delegation to North and South Korea this year. The protests and actions against the base construction are expected to continue this year as part of a greater movement to reclaim Jeju Island's future for its inhabitants. Since 2010, more than 450 activists and residents have been detained or arrested protesting the naval base.
The story of Jeju Island is hardly new-- a small population's interests and needs for sustainable future are sacrificed for the interests of 'national security' and the military."
"Trafficking in persons” shall mean the recruitment, transportation,
transfer, harboring or receipt of persons, by means of the threat or
use of force or other forms of coercion, of abduction, of fraud, of
deception, of the abuse of power or of a position of vulnerability or of
the giving or receiving of payments or benefits to achieve the consent
of a person having control over another person, for the purpose of
exploitation. Exploitation shall include, at a minimum, the exploitation
of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation,
forced labour or services, slavery or practices similar to slavery,
servitude or the removal of organs..."
In the Kyeongyang magazine a lawyer, working for a human rights group, writes about human trafficking and slave labor in the 21st century. Part of the Palermo Protocol, quoted above, is the United Nations' internationally accepted definition of human trafficking.
The article begins with the story of Lia a girl from the Philippines who had a talent for singing. She heard about a girl from her village who was going to Korea to work in the entertainment field, and she wanted to do the same. She was introduced to the entertainment agency and came to Korea. She ended up in a night club exclusively used by foreigners, it was next to an American military base.
Lia had the job to fill the glasses of the customers with booze. Each month her quota was more than 300 glasses, if she did not achieve that goal she would receive a Bar Fine-- which meant that she would have to sell herself for sex. She refused but she was told they would send her to a even more difficult club, so she chose the Bar Fine.
Lia told the owner of the club she wanted to return to the Philippines; and was told she had a contract for 6 months, and if she left she would have to pay the debt incurred by coming to Korea. She was deceived into taking a stimulant to help her in her work that was supposed to be for health. She complained to the agency that arranged her trip to Korea, and was sent to another more inferior establishment.
The article mentions the abuses that an Indonesian citizen received on a Korean deep sea fishing vessel that was sailing from New Zealand. He received the work by giving his house ownership documents as security. He was abused, overworked and given little food. Because of the documents he left at the agency in Indonesia he was afraid he would not be making the 300 hundred dollars per month, that had been promised.
He recounts many other incidents in the article that show slavery and human trafficking is not something of the past. We may look at the past and lament at the cruelty and inhumanity of the treatment, but many have no idea of what is happening in many parts of society even today with the handicapped, women and foreigners.
He concludes his article by wondering what will future generations think of us. Are we concerned with those who are treated as slaves and have lost their freedom as humans? Our answer to that question will determine how the future will look on this generation.
In Bible & Life magazine there are five articles on copying
the Bible by hand.The movement started among the Protestants but it has
spread quickly among Catholics. When one thinks of what is involved in copying the whole Bible by hand we realize it is no
easy task. Depending on the time spent it could take many years, or for
those that are determined to do it within a one year span, a great
deal of will power, a certain amount of physical endurance and a love
for learning.
Korea's religious history includes
Shamanism, Buddhism, Confucianism and within the last 300 years
Christianity--all have influenced the culture. All helped to
make Koreans respectful of religion, even if they do not have any religion
or belief.
Statistics show Korea to be one of the more atheistic
countries of the world, and listed high are those with no religious belief, but
the terms used need a lot of explanation. Love of learning and
their deep love of nature opens them to the unknown and world of blessings.
The
articles show how the copying has brought blessings to the families and
to the individual in many different ways. One parish has required the copying of the Gospel of Mark before baptism. There are
parishes that have given prizes for the completion of the copying.
There are many who have copied the Bible not only once but many times.
Fathers
and mothers often give copies of the books, to the children as a remembrance of what they think is important in life, and a
gift filled with love and meaning, they hope the children will never forget. The copied books become a precious
remembrance of their parents.
One article by a priest
mentions the emptiness that some of his parishioners feel after
finishing the copying and they return to copying again. Here, the
priest mentions that even such a noble task can become
unhealthy an addiction, and wants the parishioners not to forget to use their
energy also in helping their neighbors.
Thomas a Kempis the
author of the Imitation of Christ is known to have copied the whole Bible four times in his life and the books are still existent. Before
the printing press books where precious and expensive but today when we
have so many copies of the Bible in every possible language and so easily available, with little expense, it is truly a
work of love to spend the time copying the words of Scripture. Would be surprised to hear of other countries with this kind of devotion, by so many, expressed in this way.
Where is God? Twenty years ago many would point to heaven but that is
no longer the case. However, in the Our Father we do say, "Our father
who is in heaven." Where is God? A priest who works in the pastoral
office of a diocese, in his article in Bible & Life, wants us to
reflect on this question.
He recalls the famous
words: 'the foot prints on the sand'. In a dream the writer went back in life and remembered the intimate relationship with God, but
during the times of difficulty he noticed that there were only one set
of footsteps in the sand. He brought this to the attention of God:
"Where were you when I was having trouble?" "I was carrying you during
those times" was the response.
We may be moved by these
words but the fact is we cry out when the pain is too much. The mother with the diagnosis of an incurable disease for a child or the
death of a child. The mother prays but who can blame her for being
overcome with a heavy heart and deaf to all? The person who worked hard
in his job and was fired, the person who was selling his wares along
the sidewalk and was told to move along, the student who worked hard in preparing for the exam and continually fails, the person who was
deceived by a friend who took off with all his savings; was God with
them in their difficulties?
"My burden since your birth,
whom I have carried from your infancy. Even to your old age I am the
same, even when your hair is gray I will bear you; It is I who have
done this, I who will continue, and I who will carry you to safety"
(Isiah 46:3-4).
I believe that you will save me and raise
me on the last day. But is there nothing that you can do with the pain
I am suffering now? Carried at the breast, on the back, but what is the
reason for the bitter-poison like pain that I have been made to
swallow?
When he goes up to the altar to say Mass and
looks over the congregation that has come to the Mass and sees those who
have their eyes filled with tears and his eyes meet their eyes he
greets them: "The Lord be with you."
In the Old
Testament we have God being with his people. When the angel appeared to
Mary she heard: "Rejoice, O highly favored daughter! The Lord is with
you" (Luke 1:28). Jesus in his last words in the Gospel of Matthew: "And
know that I am with you always, until the end of the world."
In the Catechism of the Catholic Church: "Our Father who art in heaven
is rightly understood to mean that God is in the hearts of the just, as
in his holy temple. At the same time, it means that those who pray
should desire the one they invoke to dwell in them."
The article concludes with the priest saying that he looks into the eyes of the woman in pain, who is appealing to God, and in the Mass before the last blessing he raises his voice and speaks out: "The Lord be with you!"
When children grow up in a home where parents love and respect each
other the memory of the relationship is their reference point, and the
blueprint for their marriage. On the other hand, when you have divorce,
separation or children living with a parent who has remarried they have
many different models of married life.
A priest who is
working in pastoral work for families writes about the topic in a
diocesan bulletin. Children who saw love and joy in the lives of their parents, becomes the blueprint for their own marriage; when they did not
find this in their own family they will look for another blueprint: they will
vow to do things differently. Depending on the maturity of the
children they will internalize their experience as an example to
follow, or not.
Since
husband and wife have different experiences of family, this can
result in family squabbles. Mother may have not liked the way the
father was authoritarian, and the father may have disliked the mother's
sentimentality and fragility. They both may want to work against what
they did not like in their own upbringing, but this is not always easy
to do.
Not always surprising is when the parent ends up
imitating the very things that they didn't like in their own home life. The conditions of the work place can influence the workings in the
family and this often unconsciously.
Family experience
will be a great help to the young couple; they will also look for an ideal of family life from the popular culture. Those with a strong
spiritual life will look for answers from their faith life and the
family of Nazareth.
Young people have been exposed to
family life from an early age in the popular culture as seen on TV,
movies, popular songs etc.. They did not understand all they saw and
heard but has been absorbed. Often what they have received is not
going to be helpful, and forms their convictions that will
influence their married life.
Common ideas
about marriage the young have heard are many: a spouse should be this kind of person-- satisfaction in marriage should be of this degree-- married life is something to be endured-- married life is heaven, is hell--
these and many other expressions have been heard and remain with
the young.
Married life brings changes and the environment changes. This is part of the married journey. Much of the common expressions are false, and this has to be understood. He concludes the article by asking: are not the common notions that have been accepted about marriage going to prepare for the hurts that are experienced?
Recently, the law criminalizing adultery was found “unconstitutional”
by the Constitutional Court of Korea. The results from the decision have
been noisy. The Catholic Times has an article on the issue by a priest director of a research center on family. There is a fear, on the part
of many, that the sexual act will be seen outside the context of
marriage to the detriment of marriage.
The
Constitutional Court said the criminalization of adultery infringes on
the right of the sexual determination and privacy of the individual, and freedom in one's personal life; the duty of maintaining the family bond rests with the individuals in the marriage and not the government.
Times have
changed and adultery is no longer a violation of the
constitution, however, society is still swayed by Confucianism, and
religion continues to influence society. In Catholicism marriage is the
joining of husband and wife by God. Marriage opens a couple to be in service to life, realize the blessings of God in history, and share the image of God with others. In the marriage act the couple are
cooperators with God in passing on life.
Sex is not
merely a biological act but the way a husband and wife give themselves
completely to each other, and relate to each other in one of the deepest manners. With
sex the couple gives themselves to each other until death. "I
promise to take you, N, to be my husband, I promise to be true to you
in good times and in bad, in sickness and in health, I will love you and
honor you all the days of my life." Catholics believe in the indissolubility of marriage and therefore for a Catholic divorce is not
possible.
For the crime of adultery to be established it
was necessary to assume divorce proceedings, had already begun. This was the practice in society. The partner who was suing for divorce, was saying they no longer were able to live with the person in
the marriage bond. The Constitutional Court saw the question as one of legality and excessive punishment. There was no need for the nation to
enter and punish adultery as a crime; it was a moral issue, where
censure was in order and not a case for criminal law to solve.
No
longer was adultery to be punished by law but was a question of
morals and ethics and the concern of religious convictions and moral values. Seeing adultery as a crime was not an area the church had much to say.
Adultery was seen in society as the beginning of divorce proceedings. Catholicism had higher values to follow,
so the issue is not meaningful for the church.
We are
sexual beings but not limited to this, we need to be directed to the
spiritual. The church goes even beyond the act of adultery to the 9th
commandment where even impure thoughts are forbidden. With the
abolition of adultery as a crime, couples have to be
concerned with the weakening of the marriage bond in society where
pleasure of sex is the only issue, and the trend towards selfishness becomes paramount, consequently, the family needs to straightened the precious standards of family life.
