Both
Catholic Weeklies had first-page articles and editorials on the anti-missile
system decided for South Korea in cooperation with the United States. Not
only are many of the citizens opposed but the neighboring countries also.
Presidents of the Commissions for Reconciliation and for Justice and Peace of
the Catholic Church reject the military escalation and stress that peace comes
through dialogue and economic development in North and South Korea. They fear
it will make the Korean peninsula, “the center of a new cold war” and increase
the situation that Pope Francis has described as “ a Third World war being
fought in pieces.”
According to the government, this is for the security of the citizens but why
from the very beginning do we have such an uproar from the people? When we have
an issue dealing with the citizens' security and issues that concern them
directly, there is a need to gather with the citizens wisdom and to come to
a consensus. What the editorial sees as a possibility is a return to the cold
war days and the escalation of armaments.
The Church is opposed to all acts that break the possibility of peace.
Self-protection is understood but when this is surpassed and we have the
amassing of munitions this militates against security and peace. "There is
a common belief that under modern conditions peace cannot be assured
except on the basis of an equal balance of armaments and that this factor is
the probable cause of this stockpiling of armaments" (Peace on earth
#110).
“Peace is not merely the absence of war; nor can it be reduced solely to the
maintenance of a balance of power between enemies” (Gaudium et Spes #78). The
Church is opposed because peace is not achieved with the might of arms but
established on a foundation of justice and works of love.
One editorial mentions that it is not the increase of armaments on the
peninsula that will overcome the nuclear threat and we need to rid
ourselves of this illusion. Buildup of armaments will only bring more
stress and be of no help in bringing peace to North East Asia. What we need now
is not a missile defense system but communication and cooperation between the
North and South. We Christians need to pray for this reality to come quickly.
The bishops also cite Pope Francis’s speech at the Blue House (South Korea’s
presidential palace), during his visit to South Korea in 2014. On that
occasion, the pope said that “diplomacy, as the art of the possible, is
based on the firm and persevering conviction that peace can be won through
quiet listening and dialogue, rather than by mutual recriminations, fruitless
criticisms and displays of force. ”For this reason, the Catholic Church wants
South Korean authorities to stop THAAD and Pyongyang to halt its nuclear
enrichment projects. In fact, competition and military escalation carry
"dangers for humanity” and cause “economic suffering among the poor."
What the bishops want is a way to make Korea a nation of reconciliation and
life in cooperation instead of a place of clashing states.
Catholic Times of Korea recently, with a Catholic publishing company in China, had a symposium in which they discussed the role of Korea in the evangelization of Asia. Pope Francis in his trip to Korea in 2014 asked the Korea Church to take a lead in this project and again in the gathering of the young people he made the same request.
Catholicism in Korea has grown rapidly and it is now time to share this gift with the rest of Asia.The two publishing companies in the symposium discussed the methods, problems, and the reality of the situation. The recent edition of the Times wrote up the results of the symposium for the readers.
63 percent of the world's population lives in Asia. China and India have over one billion population each, and seven other countries with over 100 million are in Asia. The Catholic population of Asia is 140 million which is 3% of the total and if we subtract the Philippines we have only 1% of the population Catholic. If we look at East Asia we have 20% of the gross domestic product of the world and 25% of the population.
However, looking at the area from another angle we have over 900 million who live in dire poverty. For these people, the Gospel is to eat. In Asia, we have many areas where the freedom of religion is not respected and in certain areas the inability even to ascertain the human rights' condition of the citizens. The task for the Church involves many difficulties and the carrying of the cross and yet it is a vineyard that can't be ignored. Pope Francis has expressed his wish to visit China, in his trip to Korea, flying over Chinese air space.
The presentation by the Chinese representative showed the many difficult implications of the task. Use is made of the Internet with conscience and in a public way to transfer information. Using the press, books, magazines the usual mass media is nearly impossible, but the internet does allow the opportunity to meet Christians and unbelievers.
Since the social revolution of 1949, religion is controlled by the 'three self-policies': self-governing, self-propagating and recruiting, in a word, no outside control of the church. With this proviso, they understand freedom of religion. This includes the appointment of bishops with no outside interference, even though there has been approval of some of the appointments by Rome.
The conclusion of the article makes clear that one of the ways of evangelization and spreading of religious knowledge in China is by means of the Internet. This is the way the light of the Gospel can be circulated in China. The Korean Church has to endure this cross in spreading the teaching of Christ in the present reality.
A
desert is a desert because of lack of water. In a bulletin for
pastoral workers the writer speaks about a traveler in the desert who
was suffering from thirst and comes upon an oasis.
On
the spot was a pump with a bucket full of priming water and a sign:
"If you drink this priming water you will forever fail to drink the
water of the well. [Priming water was the water that was needed in the
old pumps to create a vacuum and draw the water up for use] Take the
water and pour it into the pump, you will have drinking water, water to
wash yourself and your clothes, and before you leave fill the priming
bucket with water for the next person."
The
traveler was faced with the dilemma since he was dying of thirst. If he
drank the water he would save himself. However, if he used the water as
primer and it did not draw up water from the well he would die of
thirst. If the priming did bring up the water he would be able to use
water to his heart content.
Filled
with worry he poured the water into the pump. At first no water and he
kept on pumping furiously, and after a feeling of despair the water
began to flow and he was at peace, He filled the bucket with water and
went on his way.
We
are told in the Gospels that we can do wonderful things with the gift
of faith even if it is no bigger than a small mustard seed. Too often
the culture influences us more than the gift of faith and tarnishes all
that we do.
The
gift of faith for the writer, is like the priming water of the old
fashion pumps of days gone by. We need to trust that when we pour the water into the pump and begin to pump furiously we will be
rewarded. [Living the faith life]
Each
day we wake up to a new reality. Different from the day before. We sing a new song, born again to a new day. Having these
thoughts is what our faith life gives us. The new day will
brings new possibilities, new deterrents, old problems remain, but we
believe and hope that doing what we are missioned to do, all things will
work together for the good.
Life of a Christian is to trust in what we have been given, the gift of faith. Like priming water it will bring
us an over abundance of what God wants to give, but are required
to want and do what will enable us to receive what God always gives. "I am the servant of the Lord" is our daily confession. Daily we
become the priming water and trust in God's abundance.
In both Catholic papers we have book reviews of Monsignor Sim Sang-tae's Theology of Inculturation of the Korean Church. [Inculturation is the term used in Catholicism to denote an encounter between the Christian Gospel and a particular culture] Monsignor is the Director of the Research Institute for Korean Christian Thought, and a seminary professor.
While
preparing for the diaconate in Munster Germany in 1970, and on a
retreat at a monastery in the outskirts of the city where the abbot of
the monastery happened to be Asian: he asked about issues facing the church in Asia, and was quickly answered: What is 禪? This is the
Chinese Character for Seon the Korean variant for Zen.
He, the priest, was a Korean who knew little of his own history and spirituality.
Knew little of his ancestors, and had little interest in their way of
life but knew the thinking in the Middle Ages of Europe. No
knowledge of the Buddhist ascetic practices, and decided from that moment
on to make inculturation his life study.
Christians
need not only believe, pray together but to live what we believe.
And to remember we are influenced by Confucianism, Buddhism Taoism
and other cultures. Book contains: Church's teaching, and the concept
of inculturation; direction of inculturation; road taken and the present
reality of inculturation; study of different areas of inculturation.
He
mentions when persons are interested in becoming Catholic it is
important to show from where they are coming, and the relationship to Catholicism. Similarities and differences will make a person's faith life more
comprehensive and active.
Monsignor
sees the Korean Church as narrow minded and exclusive as the pre-Vatican II Church of the West. He thinks the Church is more Roman
than the Roman Church which he hears as a criticism of the present
church, and warns of the results. We still depend on books
of theology translated from the West and are not open to discussing the
Korean way of thinking, the structures and concepts and influence of
the main religions of Korea on the thinking of Koreans. With
this understanding we can come to a greater knowledge and depth of Jesus' teachings and behavior.
If
we don't leave this thinking of the West in its world view,
manner of life, and ways of evangelization we will never get far in our
task of evangelizing Asia. We need a new ardor, new methods, new
expressions from the ways of the West.
If
we are not to follow in the footsteps of the West we have to find ways
to experience what we believe,and to change to a spirituality proper to
out mental make up, and this is what inculturation wants to do.
Let's live the simple lifestyle. "If you have anything to throw away bring it to the country, and we will find a use." An article in the Catholic Times is captioned: "Revolt against the fanning of consumption--'Throwaway Culture' needs to go."
The sale of books on how to live the simple life, continues to increase and this year in the first three month, we have 13 times more books sold than the previous year. A Japanese book on ten minimalists: "I want to live in room without anything" translated into Korean, is a good example of the trend.
We can see this expanding on SNS with information passed on and received by those who want to simplify their lives. The article goes on to mention this is not a recent phenomenon but goes back to the sixties in Japan and the United States. After the Second World War, many saw the barbarity of our civilization, and began to shun the unnatural and artificial. People have always followed the natural and a life of non possession, and it appears again.
In
2011 with the earthquake and Tsunami in Japan, many precious
items suddenly disappeared. Water was transformed into a
murderous weapon, changing the thinking of many on the value of goods and
their possession.
This attachment to material goods is also seen in Korea. With its quick economic growth, Korea was engulfed within the whirlpool of extreme competition, materialism and consumerism, accompanied with ostentation, bringing fatigue in its wake. A person's personal improvement, healing and mentoring, etc. did not permit the pursuit of a splendid lifestyle, and price required. Problems with continual progress, and the stagnant economy had something to do with the change of thinking. Problems with environment and new ecological understanding also played a part.
Opposition to spending was in the current context of resistance to the consumerism of capitalism. In the West, it was not only their ideology but a result of practice. France has the 'Vide Grenier', (cleaning out the attic) which in English would be a flea market sale. For the last ten years, the number of sales and people attending continue to increase. The press calls this a fight against waste. Economic crisis is involved but more so the lack of virtue and the superficiality of capitalism; minimalists are determined to not thoughtlessly be taken in by words. In France the key words, according to the writer, are organic, just trade, togetherness, and second hand.
'Planned obsolescence' is a phrase, an open secret, where products are made to wear out. This is the phrase used to criticize the way many businesses operate.
He
finishes the article with quotes from Laudatio Si. "This task [social and ecological awareness] will
make such tremendous demands that (we) could never achieve it by
individual initiative or even by the united effort of men bred in an
individualistic way... The ecological conversion needed to bring about
lasting change is also a community conversion."
Death makes us, reflect with respect, on a serious happening in life. We don't dwell on the failings of the deceased. Is there anyone without fault? We pray for the repose of the person's soul.
Words we use at the death of someone, are not used randomly. We think, and are discrete in what we say and do. An article in the Peace Weekly discusses our feelings when faced with death of someone. Many words are used, and each one has a slightly different feel: died, deceased, a person left us, went to another world, left this world, passed away, breathed her last, returned home, passed into Nirvana and many others.
With these expressions, we extend our condolences and respect for the deceased to family and friends. According to the way a person lived and died, there are differences in the expressions used. He shows us this with the accounts of the way the deaths of some well-known persons in Korea were written up in the press. Some died, some left this world, others passed on, etc..
Those who believe in an after-life usually have a different expression. Buddhism will often express having attained Buddhahood or entered nirvana. Protestants often say they have heard the call of God and returned to him: a meaningful way to express the meaning of death for a Christian. Catholics use an abbreviated expression meaning: "lived a good life and finished it well." Our writer feels what is missing is no allusion to the after-life.
These expressions, says the writer, do show a graded way of dealing with death. A bishop who recently died, in one of the papers was reported to have expired. He has no problem with people using whatever they feel comfortable with, but to avoid discrimination using the Catholic expression for all, would be proper, would-it-not?
Reporting on deaths that are accidental or have come about with circumstances far from proper makes it difficult for the press, at all times, to use words of respect and consolation. Even the Catholic paper in which the writer represents, does not find the same words used. At times, we have the Catholic expression of 'lived a good life and finished it well' but also 'left this world' which has little religious meaning.
He concludes the article with a reflection that death for a Christian is in God's realm. A person returns to God and on our part, we pray for them, use words of kindness and don't judge.
We can
learn a lot from games and the Seoul Diocesan family bureau gives us
such a game. The premise is a family flying, and emergency
lands in a desert. No one is hurt but they are 62 miles from the
nearest inhabited area. The temperature was 116 Fahrenheit and before
the plane went up in flames they removed 14 items:
Flashlight,
knife, map of the area, compass, emergency medicines, a pistol with
ammunition, parachute, a bag of salt, 2 quarts of water for each, a book
on how to live in the desert, sun glasses, a bottle of whisky, overcoat
for each one, and a cosmetic hand mirror. These were the items that they
want the readers to list in the order of importance. The answer comes
from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from their
studies on disasters and rescues.
The
list begins with the least important of the 14 items which is salt (14).
Whisky (13), book on life in the desert (12), is of no use since you
don't have time to read and expend energy. Map of the area (11), they
should stop any one who wants to go in search of help. No need
for a compass (10), for they know from the rising of the sun and the
North Star the directions on the compass. No need for the emergency
medical supplies (9), no one was injured. From the 8th on we have
what is necessary to stay alive in the desert.
A
pistol which will show their location (8), sunglasses needed (7), pocket knife to make juice from the cactus and aloe (6), parachute (5) can be used as a tent and to gather dew
in the morning for drink. Flash light to give the location to the rescue
team (4), water (3) no need to explain its importance. Overcoats (2), to protect from the hot sun and in the morning from the cold
temperatures of the desert. A cosmetic hand mirror (1) which is used to
reflect the sun to show location to the rescue party.
The
object of the game explains the writer can be summarized by the
passage from proverbs: "The way of the fool seems right in his own eyes,
but he who listens to advice is wise" (Proverbs 12:15). Talking this
over with a group will usually give better results, but always
the danger that those with the loudest voice, rank, the oldest, men
rather than women, adults more than children will be heard.
In
this exercise what may be considered the most important is not in
reality important, and that which is thought least important becomes the
most important. Is this not true in our own lives? What we think is important drives out what should be important but we don't realize this truth
until too late.
