Today we celebrate the 20th
Farmers' Day in Korea-- remembered each year on the third Sunday of
July. The Korean bishops established Farmers' Day to bring the problems
of the farmers to all the parishioners and to mobilize concern for the
farmers in 'save the farm movement'. They were also concerned to thank the farmers for their participation in the work of creation.
In the two editorials in
the Catholic papers, sadly, we learn that during the past 20 years
matters have become worse. The money invested in farming and the
farmers' assets have decreased. The potential for growth also has
eroded.
Production
has increased by 20 percent and the prices have increased by 39
percent; farming materials have increased by 112 percent and gross
income has decreased by 36 percent. The import of farm products have
increased two fold and commodity prices have increased 82 percent. The
gap between city and country has also increased. With the free trade
agreement and the import of foreign rice, which is much cheaper, does
not point to a bright future for farming.
"Solidarity and
Fraternal Charity" is the theme of the the bishops' message to the
Church. All the citizens need to be concerned with the life on the
farms. Many have been interested in cooperatives, and buying locally and
working for food sovereignty: the right to healthy food produced and
controlled by the farmers. These efforts have been made but with little
success.
The
government has been concerned with the growth of the industrial
section for good reason for that is where the biggest
changes are found, but for the good of the country and the future of
Korea it may be the time to think deeper and not put all the eggs in the
same basket.
Young people are leaving the country for the cities, and the elderly farmers are not
being replace which means that we will see changes in the country in the
years to come. Farming is a treasure and the benefits for the whole
country are not readily seen and once lost will be difficult to regain.
"For the glory of God is a living man; and the life of man
consists in beholding God. For if the manifestation of God which is made
by means of the creation, affords life to all living in
the earth, much more does that revelation of the Father which comes
through the Word, give life to those who see God" (AH IV, 20, 7).
We
use these words often not always with the meaning that St. Irenaeus had
when he wrote them. Life is a gift but not always enjoyed, and the
reasons are many. As Christians we have both the vertical and horizontal
aspects of life which expands our vision and should make life more
joyful and meaningful but one of the problems is our relations with
others is not always smooth, nurturing and beneficial for the two
parties, which will affect our relations with God.
Jesus was strong in the wording he
used to show us the importance of being on good terms with others. "If
you bring your gift to the altar and there recall that your brother has
anything against you, leave your gift at the altar, go first to be
reconciled with your brother, and then come and offer your gift" Matt.5
A
priest in the labor apostolate gives us his thoughts in Bible & Life
that come from his years working in labor groups within society.The
article is about the liturgical meetings he has in the work place for
the Catholic workers once a month. He recalls one of the Masses where he
told the workers after they retire they are welcomed back to the
meetings. He knew that this would be a difficult thing to do but he sent
out the invitation.
One of the men who had retired came to the monthly Mass and made
everybody have a good laugh for the reason he came was to see if the
group was continuing without his presence. There was another man who
the priest noticed did not seem to pleased with the presence of the
retired worker.
Before the Mass the worker
approached the priest and wanted to talk; they quietly left the group
spent some time together. He told the priest that the retired individual
was his boss in the factory and although outside of his work position
he was pleasant to be with in the work place he made the work difficult.
And was sorry to see him join the group. They finished the conversation
and went back to the group and the Mass.
After
Mass they went to the meal but the priest noticed that the two were
missing. He was afraid some thing not nice had happened but the retired
person returned and told the priest about the problems the two of them had in the past but that night they were to go out together for a drink.
He concludes the article with life is difficult
but we make it more difficult by not maintaining good relationships with
others. The two were taking the steps to improve their communication,
and he would like all of us to be on good terms with all especially
those of the community of faith. This would go a long way in improving the environment of parish life, and fill us with joy that we would want to share with others.
Catholicism has for the last 25 years compared to other religions,
the greatest amount of trust among citizens in the surveys that are
made by different groups in Korean society. In an article in Now/Here
(Catholic-news) the writer reviews the contents of the surveys for
readers and gives us his opinion.
He mentions some red lights that are seen and
one of them would be in comparison to other religions Catholicism does
have more trust but not in comparison to other organizations in society.
Citizen organizations have 27.8 percent public confidence, second is
the press with 10.6 percent, and religion is 3rd, with
9.2 percent, and the writer says this is continuing to fall.
Women
had a higher rate of confidence in Catholicism than men. Those in their
50s had the highest index of confidence when comparing ages, and 32.7
percent of unbelievers had the highest rate of confidence, and the more
education the higher the level of confidence in Catholicism.
The
writer mentions the confidence level will not change in the near future
but he gives five reasons why this confidence in Catholicism in
comparison to the other religions in society could change overnight.
First,
he doesn't believe the confidence is directed to
Catholicism but rather a lack of confidence in the other religions. Once
the other religions make some positive changes and portray a different image the relative ascendency of Catholicism will change.
Secondly,
the Church can continue to weaken its strong points. Unity has been one
of the images of the Church. Protestantism is seen with their many
divisions, and Buddhism with their religious factions fighting with
each other, something the Koreans did not see in Catholicism. On the
other hand with the democratic movement in society, and the Church's
authoritarianism, we see a negative
response by some.
Unity as a strong point is no longer what it
was. When we have dissent being expressed within the institution,
the unity becomes weakened.Within the conference of bishops we have
agreement and some bishops speaking,and behaving
differently from what was decided. We have groups like the Patriotic
Catholics for Korea which don't care for some of the directions the
Church is taking. We have the Justice and Peace Priests not always
understood, and some devotional groups that speak differently on
traditional teaching. All these will be seen as disunity and lower
the confidence of the public in the Church.
Sex scandals
that became known in the States was a great problem. We have some
Catholics who with some Protestants have an unfriendly attitude to
other religions. Sex scandals and financial corruption in works of
welfare given to the Church by the government, and bankruptcy will all
lower the trust in the Church.
Thirdly we have the
possibility of seeing the Church as overly strong and pushing its might
on society. Fourthly, not continuing their work of service for society
as in the past. Our religious are getting older and retiring from their
work and they are not being replaced which will make a difference in the
way society looks upon the Church. Fifthly, we have the way society
looks upon the Vatican: at present it is very positive but like Europe it
could change.
As was mentioned in the beginning the
confidence that religion has in society is 10 percent points lower than citizens' groups. The Gallup poll that was
made in 2014 mentioned that religions over the last 30 years continue to
get criticized and the writer reminds the Church to be humble and
keep a low profile.
Why did Cain kill his brother Abel? A priest from the Seoul Diocese
asks the question and surprises us with an answer which you rarely hear,
and it makes a lot of sense. The first Israelites
were sheep herders, and the story is a teaching story for their
descendents, and it all fits together. He explains his interpretation
in an article in the Kyeongyang magazine.
We usually
say it was jealousy on the part of Cain but if we leave it at that we
make God the one who aroused the jealousy. Did God prefer meat over the crops, fruits and vegetables of the land? The
writers want us to understand that Cain was a sedentary farmer with a
lot of land and rich, while Abel was a wandering shepherd with his little
flock going from one pasture to another. He was not what we would call
a large stock farmer. He had to work in the rain, and cold; he was a poor
shepherd. God appreciated the life of Abel and accepted his sacrifice.
We
today in the Church take the example of God in choosing to be on the
side of the poor.This choice is not always easy. Pope Benedict after he
retired was considered a very conservative pope, but in his Encyclical
Charity in Truth he was called a German Communist in certain areas of
the World. Here in Korea we have the same response when anyone speaks
for the poor, listens to their complaints, and becomes active in their
cause-- they are labeled 'followers of the North'.
What
kind of world are we living in? We still have many who are without
property and are living a difficult life. We meet many of them in Korea.
Marxism was a movement that wanted to liberate them and at one time had
over half of the world in their control. The curtain came down on their
efforts, workers were hoping that a change would come in their
situation, but it has deteriorated. Today the gap between the rich and poor has grown
larger. We have another Cain and Abel story.
The priest
looks at the situation in Korea. As a member of OECD ( Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development) it has the
largest number of suicides and the lowest birthrate, a sign that life is
not very attractive to many Koreans. Land is no longer easily bought. The
number of industrial disasters is the highest, hours of work
are the second longest in OECD. Of all the countries money
spent on welfare is the lowest, and family debts are high.
The
middle class is ceasing to exist and the rich are getting richer.
Young people are finding it difficult to find work, and the many irregular workers always in danger of being fired. The condition of the old people in society is the worse in the OECD, and we are absorbed in
improving the situation for the wealthy, and this is the reality in most
of the world.
He concludes the article with a hope that
instead of greed, disobedience, and jealousy we will accept modesty, humility and be influenced by the teachings of Jesus. The dignity
of all human beings, hopefully will be recognized. We should not only
help the strong we need to work for a society in which we are all brothers and sisters. We all need to work for a society in which we all
are holding hands working together.
Pope John XXIII defined the common good as "the sum total of social
conditions which allow people, either as groups or as individuals, to
reach their fulfillment more fully and more easily" (Pacem in Terris #
55). Common good is a term that appears often in the social teaching of
the Church and a basic concept.
A priest with a doctorate
in social studies and now working in the labor apostolate
sees the lack of sensitivity for the common good as one of the primary reasons
for the MERS epidemic, contagion and death that resulted from the
epidemic. He writes about the spread of MERS in his column, and gives a
great deal of the blame to seeking efficiency over the common good.
Information
on the spread of the disease, and the name of the hospitals involved
was not made known at the start, and keeping this secret did much to
help the spread of the disease: more concern for private
issues than for the common good.
The desire of the Church
is to work in the area of the common good. He finds the government
retreating in the areas of public health and promoting private health
endeavors. This he also sees as a reason for some of the problems
experienced during the MERS epidemic.
His thoughts come from reflection on creation. God gave the goods of creation to all of
us. We should all benefit: not especially difficult to understand. There are times when a decision made will result in a loss either
materially or in humiliation, but the public
good benefits. The columnist gives blame for the quick development of capitalism
in society where efficiency is everything. Medical care, education, labor, and lodging all become commodities in the market, and those who
are sacrificed for efficiency we do not see.
In conclusion, he wants us to learn a lesson from the MERS
epidemic. More than to maximize efficiency in our society we need to increase our concern in working for the common good, which will promote a more peaceful life for all. Also help us to live according to
the order of creation and the road we Christians are called to follow.
Godparents for the baptized is a tradition seen in many
Christian groups. Tertullian, in the 200s AD mentions the use of godparents in his book on Baptism. In
the early Church the baptized were mostly adults, and had a godparent of the
same sex. They assumed the responsibility as mentors for the newly
baptized.
The Peace Weekly has a 'cover story'
on godparents and their godchildren. Godparents are to guide their
godchildren in the life of faith but this is not what happens. Often it
is only a name that goes in the baptismal book, and merely a formality
that one follows, without meaning. Godparents are to pray, and lead their godchildren in imitating Jesus but few take the
responsibility with any seriousness.
The Weekly
prepared a questionnaire that was given to 446 parishioners to determine
the situation in the present Church. According to the questionnaire over 50 percent have no contact with their godchild. 38
percent of the godchildren have no contact with their godparents. 15
percent do not know who their godparents are.
55
percent say the distancing from the godparents came from the lack of
contact. 25 percent said that they didn't know the godparent when they
were baptized so quickly lost contact. To prevent this from happening a
priest is quoted with five steps to be a good godparent. Praying for
the godchild, talk and listen to them, study to answer their
questions, introduce them to the liturgy
of the Church, and keep in contact with the godchild.
How
is the situation going to improve? One suggestion in the article from a
Sunday school teacher recommends to match the godparents with the ones
to be baptized into three groups: infants and children, young people, and
adults-- for infants close relatives, for young people Sunday school
teachers and devoted young people, and for adults,
members of the different societies in parish communities.
Serious
efforts to change the way godparents are chosen and programs to educate
those who are in such a spiritual relation will do much to change the
atmosphere of a parish and make for a community of faith.
In the question and answer section of the Peace Weekly a priest asks: In private conversations he is often asked why does the
Catholic Church disregard the countries' security problems, and
continue to criticize the government. When he hears words which incites
people he is upset but when he gets these questions he is at a loss for
words, and feels silence is the best answer but remains irritated.
The
columnist understands his perplexity. He doesn't agree that the Church
has no interest in security. Korea is surrounded by strong countries,
and North Korea has has shown hostility to the South. No one wants to
abandon our security. However, the Church's understanding of security
is much more extensive than the ordinary citizen, and looks towards
the future. Many see security only as related with
Communism.
He gives the example of the training of
children in Japan.They are taught to be considerate of others. In order
to get them accustomed to the cold, children wear short pants in the
winter. They receive leadership courses, patience is considered a great
virtue, and are taught frugality. There is a difference in the way we
can look upon this formation: on the short term we can see the sincerity
of the Japanese, in the long view we can see them wanting to form a
strong populace, and in case of war be able to withstand the difficulties
of daily life.
The columnist compares the Japanese
children with Korean children. If the children does well in studies
parents have a tendency to ignore their behavior. This later shows up in society. We have even in small things uncontrollable emotional
outbursts, and those with little knowledge want to solve difficulties
with emotions.
The Church is an alternative community
which tries to deal with these problems. To have care for the other,
respect the other, to educate the whole person to live with
others. It is education for life.
One of the maladies
of our society is the McCarthyism syndrome: (a witch hunt, unscrupulously
accusing people of disloyalty by saying they were Communists). When we
hear criticism of the government, persons speaking honestly and see a need to change certain behavior,
we have those who consider it a subversive act. We still are dealing with this kind of thinking in Korea. It
is an emotional problem.Those that point out the problems in
government may truly love the country and are doing more for the security
of the country than those who do not criticize.
We need to
understand each other and respect each other's opinions.When we don't
allow the others who think differently to speak and call them communists
we are dividing the country, and we can see this happening in many
countries of the world. As Christians we should see this kind of attitude as working against building the kind of world that God wants.
