What is the Social Gospel?

A nun living in the same neighborhood as a begging grandmother, one day asked the grandmother: "Why don't you come to church?" The grandmother said: "Can I go?" The nun answered: "Why not?" The grandmother repeated her question. At that moment the nun seriously wondered whether the grandmother would be welcomed.  Like the nun, many wonder whether the current Catholic Church is really a community that opens the door to the poor.
 
The column Light of the World of the Catholic Times gives the readers something to think about with its first paragraph.
 
Social doctrine is an instrument of religious and moral discernment. Love of God and neighbor is basic, social teaching is concerned with our neighbor and the society in which we live. At the center of the teaching in the church, documents are found concepts and principles: chief among these are justice, human dignity, the common good, the principles of participation, solidarity, subsidiarity, and the option for the poor.
 
Through this, we interpret what is happening in society and suggest the right path for humans and the world. However, it is not limited to theory, but also an action that aims for a better world in God's eyes through love, sharing, and service.
 
Social catechesis compared to the past, and the frequency of education has increased. Nevertheless, opportunities for social education in parishes and parishes are still scarce. Of course, topics such as the Bible and the life of faith are important. However, to bear the fruits of the gospel in society and daily life, we must know the social doctrine.
 
For example, the protection of the ecological environment in the social doctrine is an urgent topic for young people. One needs to be exposed to the social doctrine frequently. Several dioceses of the Korean church have urged the protection of the ecological environment and the restoration of the faith community that has been destroyed due to COVID-19.
 
Amid the growing sense of crisis and anxiety not only in the church but also around the world, we need to overcome the crisis through cooperation, education towards faith, spirituality, and solidarity.

In the midst of this, social doctrine helps us to develop an evangelical perspective on the world and society based on human dignity, the common good, and the love of neighbor. Efforts of the dioceses, institutions, and parishes are required, but all Christians need to be exposed to the social doctrine for a world where we all love each other, live fully human lives, and in peace together as God desires.
 
Christians know that as a starting point for promoting solidarity, humanitarianism, principles of reflection, standards of judgment, and guidelines for action can be obtained in the social doctrine of the Church.
 
Promoting this doctrine is, therefore, a genuine pastoral priority. To enable people to interpret today's reality in the light of this doctrine and to find an appropriate course of action. The teaching and dissemination of the social doctrine is part of the mission of the gospel and Church.
 

What is Justice?

In Bible and Life magazine a diocesan priest working in Justice and Peace issues gives the readers some thoughts on the meaning of Justice.

When torrential rain hits a certain area of the country all the inhabitants do not experience the rains in the same way. Some will lose everything and will be found wailing at the scene of the devastation while another person will be sitting in his living room listening to the sound of the falling ran drinking a cup of coffee. 

 

Natural disasters are universal in extent but many times selective in the harm done. Some people are harmed and some are fortunate. Depending on their situation in society and environment, results are often greatly different.

This is not only the situation with natural disasters but also revealed in the value systems that exist. An example is seen within the laws of a country. All the citizens are under the law but not all are influenced the same. One person who has falsified a certificate may be in jail while another person through forgery or fraudulent accounting, may escape going to jail for stealing hundreds of thousands of dollars. The law also which is universal can be selective. The law should be the same for all but at times one is treated with an iron hammer and another with a cotton club.

 

In this world, there are many situations where things that are universal in themselves when applied we see differences and discrimination occurring and the results vary from one person to another. Dealing with the same incident the news media depending on the way they want to cover the story can change the way the public will view the incident. Likewise doing the same work under our present system the value and compensation are different, even though we enjoy the same life, one life is considered more important than another.

There are certain universal values: justice, equality, freedom, peace, life, love, rights, etc. These universal values should be equally open for all to acquire, however, if the process is unfair then the values become choices that many are not prepared to receive.

What we need in the world is a fair process. We need a starting field that is level so that all may strive to achieve universal values. What is this justice (fairness) and how do we go about achieving it? 

In general, people understand the meaning of fairness as a method, an impersonal automatic procedure. For example, if the hourly wage is 10,000 won, a person who works 8 hours will get 80,000 won, and a person who works 2 hours gets 20,000 this is considered fair. This would be the common understanding of fairness.

However, the fairness we seek needs to go well beyond these dimensions. Because it's not possible to contain the whole of life within these impersonal limitations. Even if each person's situation is different should we not see the whole of life fairly. Therefore, we have to pursue fairness on the objective and organic level, going beyond the methodological and impersonal levels. 

To take the previous example again, a person who worked 8 hours should receive 80,000 won, and a person who worked 2 hours should receive 20,000 won, but in some cases, a person who works 2 hours can get 80,000 won like a person who works 8 hours. Although he was only able to work for two hours for various reasons, if he was in a situation where he had to earn 80,000 won to lead a basic life as a human being, he should be able to receive 80,000 won. Here, what is important is organic cooperation achieved through the sympathy and consensus of community members to achieve the goal of leading a human life for all without exception.

Is this not what Jesus showed us in the parable of the vineyard where the persons who work only one hour received the same pay as those who worked all day (Matt. 20: 1-16).

Unfolding God's justice in the world we live in is the realization of universal values, working towards the common good, we are helping to build the kingdom of God in this world.

Sound and the Scriptures

  In the Kyeongyang magazine, an emeritus university science professor gives the readers a meditation on Sound and Scripture.

Since you can't see sound he considered it a difficult subject and so for about 30 years was occupied in making sound visible. With the advance of technology, they began to see the origin and the transmission of sound. Applying this principle in reverse we can make sound heard in any place we wish or prevent its transmission, of course with the limitations of time and space. An example: in a car, the driver can hear the sound of the navigation instrument, in the back seat one can be watching a movie and the person on the seat beside the driver can be listening to music.

When he was beginning the study of acoustics he had many questions and after a class, he approached the professor with his questions and was invited to go to the lab with him. The professor told him he will begin with the simplest first. What would that be? 

When we read from the Scriptures we come in contact with many parables. In the Old Testament, we use a map of the times to understand the situation but often it's difficult to make sense of what we read. But just like the study of acoustics one has to begin slowly from the first steps.

There are 3 aspects to sound: origin, diffusion, hearing. We have the making of sound: whistling, clapping one's hands, etc. with the movement of the air and the vibrations we have sound without the air no sound. 

When we have barriers to the vibrations of sound we have different forms that reach the hearer. A small barrier will scatter the sound slightly, with a larger barrier we have greater diffraction, when the obstacle is extremely large we have reflection and transmission phenomena appearing.

When the vibrations enter the ear it collects the vibrations and sends them to the ear canal where the sound is amplified. From there the sound waves travel toward a flexible, oval membrane at the end of the ear canal called the eardrum. Sound waves cause the eardrum to vibrate and move three small bones again to reach the cochlea in which the ciliary cells like small piano keys are arranged.

The sound waves enter the inner ear and then into the cochlea, a snail-shaped organ. The cochlea is filled with a fluid that moves in response to the vibrations. As the fluid moves, nerve endings are set into motion. These nerve endings transform the vibrations into electrical impulses that then travel along the auditory nerve to the brain. The brain then interprets these signals, and this is how we hear.

Depending on the space, the shape of the sound is also different. Echo is created by numerous reflections. If you like to sing while showering in the bathroom, you can see that you are enjoying the sound you make. A concert hall for which there is an admission fee becomes like a bathroom that makes a good sound to hear.

When you read the psalms or gospels of the Bible, God's word can sound like a mathematical equation. The meaning can be in the words implicitly. If you don't understand the meaning, you have to think hard and ask again and again. Only then can you be invited to Jesus just like the writer was invited to the professor's lab when he began the study of acoustics.

As all sound can be understood with the three elements of generation, propagation, and hearing, is this not true also with the word of God? The word can be broken, diffracted, distorted, and at times understood. Long statements are less shattered and distorted, but small expressions can be more deformed. It can be seen that it is similar to the phenomenon that occurs in sound propagation.

To hear the original sound before distortion, we need to examine the causes that interfere with the transmission. In the case of the Bible, you need  to look at the historical situation in which the utterances were recorded, the lifestyle of the time, etc. It is important to make an effort to find out who wrote it under what circumstances, then the words that seemed difficult may be heard properly.

Only Love Gives LIfe And Hope

In the Light of the World column of the Catholic Times the priest writer begins with a quote from a book on Cardinal Kim Su-hwan. "Loved ones are troubled. I shed tears. I pray. No one only advocates for justice. Claim more, insist more. But think about it. The couple was made for love. When a husband and wife sit face to face and ask: 'What are your rights?' and 'What are your duties?' from morning to evening, what do you do at the end? Divorce is the only thing."
 
No more conflicts and divisions! Many people are frustrated and resentful because of the prolonged COVID-19 situation. As we spend more time alone, social skills and sense of companionship have diminished, left with a sense of helplessness and depression. We hear many stories of how to be patient, but the situation of those suffering from poverty is extremely distressing and will remain so.
 
Confrontation prevails, the world of politics, poor and rich, religion, generational gaps, regional problems, men and women, etc. Today's Korean society is diagnosed as a 'super-conflict society'. Ahead of the presidential election, some politicians are ignoring the livelihood of the people, instigating conflict, and dividing the people. The damage is passed on especially to the marginalized and weak in society.
 
What took our love away? Do you think that our society has become harsher than before? Many people regret that there is no friendship between neighbors and that exchanges and meetings are disappearing. In fact, warm love is the most devalued and cheapest entity anywhere in modern society. In many places, right and wrong are debated, justice is discussed, but love is rare. That is why many people say they feel exhausted and thirsty for love. Why did this happen?  
 
The result of either diagnosing that humans are imprisoned within a material civilization (Max Weber); or seeking only possessions, instead of life (Erich Fromm);  lack of human rights, life, service, and sharing, so love and happiness have naturally become distant (Albert Schweitzer).
 
What touches our hearts? A column in the daily press, expressed power as a battle for position, the nature of politics; the atmosphere of the current political board is expressed as 'If we lose the election, we all die'. It was a column that awakened a sense of urgency and called for action, but it was depressing because it made the world into a 'squid game'. But we grew up and live in such an environment. "I have to win, if I lose it's the end of the game, I have to live before others."
 
 A few days ago, he heard the story of a seminary student at the Joseph Clinic in Seoul, who was organizing the belongings of the late Seon Joseph  (founder of the clinic with free medical services, was called "the Champion of the Homeless" or "the Albert Schweitzer of Korea"). Among the belongings, there was a letter from a homeless person, in which the doctor was addressed as 'the priest'. He was grateful that he received free treatment, so he called the doctor 'Father'. The doctor treated him like a human being with love, and love blossomed in the poor homeless man's heart. The core of the Church's teachings is love and sharing. This reality, in which we must face hardships soberly, is strict, but only true love gives us life and hope.
 
"The commandment of mutual love, which represents the law of life for God's people, must inspire, purify and elevate all human relationships in society and in politics. To be human means to be called to interpersonal communion" (Social Doctrine #33).

 

Happy Lunar New Year!

The Virtue of Listening

 

The journey of the 16th Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which started last October, will reach its climax in Rome in October 2023. In each parish in Korea, efforts are being made in various ways to live the spirit of the synod with the themes of fellowship, participation, and mission. So begins the Eyes of the Believer column of the Catholic Times by a parish priest.
 
The handbook of the Synod of Bishops emphasizes listening and dialogue so that the People of God can have a voice within the local Church. The expressions 'listen attentively', 'give ear', and 'hear', which often traditionally appear in church documents have the same meaning.
 
According to the Hebrew meaning of the word 'truth' in the Bible, to 'hear', 'receive the word of God' means not just to listen carefully, but to open one's heart to the word of God. (cf. Acts 16:14) It also refers to the practice and obedience to God's Word (cf. Mt 7:24-26).
 
In the handbook, the word 'listening' in some form is used 141 times. 'Listen attentively' is used to emphasize the attitude of accepting each other’s opinions without prejudice and with mutual trust and an open mind and heart. 'Give ear' is used when it is necessary to pay attention not only to the words of God (the Holy Spirit), to the traditions of the Church, and to the signs of the times, but especially to the cries of the marginalized among the people of God. 'Hear' is used to emphasize not only the word of God (the Holy Spirit) but also the experience of various social classes, especially the open mind to the voices of the marginalized.
 

Shepherds are called to listen attentively to the parishioners entrusted to their care, and laypeople are called to express their views freely and frankly. The handbook also emphasizes that the synod process must go through the stages of listening, discerning, and participating. Pope Francis said that the main goal of the first process is listening to the word of God and hearing the cry of the people of God together with God until it is in accord with the will of God.
 
Man is a being who hears the word of God. Still, why do we emphasize listening in its many forms in the Bible as well as in church documents? This is because, in the past, humans did not listen to God, disliked hearing, and did not listen to God's appeal. As we can see from the biblical world, God often speaks through the voices of those whom we easily exclude, dismiss, or ignore.
 
So we must try to listen to the voices of those we consider unimportant and those who can change the way we think and give us new perspectives. The courage to speak out to others requires humility to listen. Even a good opinion is of no use if there is no one around to listen. Despite the barriers of age, gender, wealth, ability, and education that sometimes threaten to separate us, we must be willing to change our minds based on what we hear from others.
 
When the priest says Mass at dawn during winter he is very sensitive to the cold, so he puts on several different layers of clothing under his cassock. When he went into the sacristy to prepare to celebrate for an early morning Mass, as usual, two young altar boys were waiting for him. One of the altar boys told the priest he was cold.
 
When the priest asked: "Is it very cold?", they replied: "Yes, it's very cold." At a family meeting that week, they decided to buy cloaks for the altar boys. After the cloaks arrived, the reactions of the adults and the altar boys were quite different. "Father, what is the cloak?" However the altar boys: "Father, the cloaks are so warm. Thanks for listening to us."

Inequality Kills

"The COVID-19 pandemic brought us to face an uncomfortable truth. Inequality in income and opportunity does not stop at creating an unfair, unhealthy, and unhappy society, but is actually killing people." These are the words that begin the featured article on the collection on Jan.30, for Overseas Aid Sunday in the Catholic Times by a staff reporter. 

 

The writer quotes a professor of economics from the US who said that sharing vaccine manufacturing technology could save more lives by producing and distributing the vaccine in more regions, but we didn't. While the poor were dying, he said, billionaires amassed more wealth than ever before, becoming wealthier and some of the biggest corporations are generating unprecedented returns. Thus, the disaster of the pandemic has deepened inequality. And the reality of inequality isn't just making the rich, richer and producing more of the poor, it's actually killing people. 

 

On January 17, Oxfam, an international relief organization, released "Inequality Kills," a report analyzing income inequality around the world after the pandemic. 

 

According to the report, from March 2020, when the World Health Organization declared a pandemic, to the end of November last year, an income of 99% of the world's population decreased and 160 million fell into poverty. Inequality such as poverty, lack of medical benefits, and climate problems, killed one person every four seconds and at least 21,300 people a day.

 

On the other hand, during the same period, the wealth of the world's 10 richest people more than doubled from $700 billion to $1.5 trillion. That's an increase of 1.3 billion dollars per day. These 10 people have six times the wealth of the world's poorest 3.1 billion people. And every 26 hours, a new billionaire is born. 

 

10% of the wealthy, 76% of the world's wealth These figures are also confirmed by other research organizations. The World Inequality Lab (WIL), a research institute affiliated with the Paris University of Economics, France, released the '2022 World Inequality Report' on December 7 last year. 

 

According to the report, from 1995 to last year, the richest 1% of people accumulated 19 times more wealth than the bottom 50% of income earners. The top 10% accounted for 52% of total income, and the bottom 50% earned only 8% of total income. The polarization of holdings is even more extreme. The richest 10% own 76% of the world's wealth, while the bottom 50% own only 2%. 

 

According to CNN Business of the United States, the wealth of the world's 500 richest people increased by 1 trillion dollars last year, and in 2020 when the pandemic started in earnest, the assets of the 500 richest people increased by 1.8 trillion dollars. 

 

On the other hand, according to the World Bank (WB), the number of people living in absolute poverty living on less than $1.9 a day (about 2,300 won) increased by 97 million in 2020 and 100 million last year. The World Bank predicted in its 'World Economic Outlook Report' released on January 11 that inequality among countries around the world will become more severe than before the pandemic due to differences in the speed of economic recovery. 

 

In the early days of the pandemic, it was thought that humanity was faced with a "common crisis". It was thought that everyone was in the same tragic situation, regardless of country, ethnicity, gender, or social class. However, the expectation that a vaccine would become a public good for mankind ran into a wall of selfishness and monopoly from the beginning. The world has been divided into countries that can vaccinate and countries that cannot, and the death rate from COVID-19 in developing countries is twice that of developed countries. Pharmaceutical companies took people's lives and became billionaires.

 

After his ascent to the papacy, Pope Francis, who issued the exhortation The Joy of the Gospel and preached that "an economy of exclusion and inequality should not be," has constantly criticized the structural evils of inequality and economic alienation. 

 

On February 7, 2015, Pope Francis urged that "wealth inequality is the root of all evil" and that "we must first give up the market’s absolute autonomy and financial speculation, and make a decision to eliminate the structure of wealth inequality."

 

In a Wednesday general audience on August 26, 2020, when the pandemic was spreading rapidly, the Pope lamented that “the COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized and exacerbated inequality. 

 

Prior to this, the Pope pointed out at the International Conference of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences on February 5, 2020, that "today, extreme poverty continues to occur in the center of wealth" because "our neglect and unconcern have created the greatest poverty in history." 

  

The Pope went on to say, "All economic inequality stems from the structure of sin brought about by 'globalization of indifference' and 'idolization of money, greed, and speculation,'" adding, "We can intensify social inequality and violence or humanize the socio-economic system by our choices." 

 

Oxfam and the Institute for Global Inequality argue for the need for tax increases for the wealthy, whose assets have soared during the pandemic as a way to resolve the global inequality situation deepened by the pandemic. In other words, it is necessary to support the vulnerable groups suffering from the reality of inequality by injecting the financial resources obtained by raising taxes on the wealthy who have accumulated enormous wealth to use for global health, medical care, education, and response to the climate crisis. 

 

Along with these measures, the Church emphasizes the spirit of sharing and fundamental concern for neighbors based on 'fraternity' in order to respond to the unequal world reality. Like Jesus Christ, who stayed by the side of the poor and shared their destiny, it can be said we too should be on the side of the poor and marginalized, our neighbors suffering oppression and discrimination, and a willingness in  interest and love to share their destiny.

'The Word War Should Not Be On Our Lips'

 

On the 5th, North Korea launched a ballistic missile into the East Sea. Also, missiles were fired on the 11th, 14th, and 17th, drawing great attention to the security issue on the Korean Peninsula. In particular, the missiles launched on the 5th and 11th are estimated to be hyper-sonic missiles. This begins the column in the Catholic Peace Weekly by a priest.
 
Presidential candidates also took a stand against it. An opposition party's candidate said: "We must put pressure on North Korea through global diplomacy and stop North Korea's nuclear advancement. There is no way to stop it except with a pre-emptive strike."
 
Nevertheless, as a presidential candidate, there is controversy over the use of the term pre-emptive strike, a concept of a quasi-wartime operation. In fact, the issue of North Korea has always been at the center of controversy in past presidential elections.
 
Various solutions were presented, ranging from the position that North Korea should be made to change  behavior through strong economic sanctions, to the position that the problem should be resolved through patience and dialogue. However, what must be premised on various solutions is that there should be no more armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula.
 
Most wars in history start with the decisions of middle-aged men, but  most victims are the weakest: women, the elderly, and children. Moreover, modern warfare is a weapon system with unimaginable destructive power, and even a victor has a possibility of meaningless annihilation.
 
If it is possible to lower the security crisis on the Korean Peninsula with the remarks of a pre-emptive strike, what kind of remarks as a presidential candidate will have any problem? However, rather than being directed at North Korea, we cannot help but worry because it makes us think of war as an option.
 
The temptation to resolve conflicts by force easily arise within us. However, there should be no armed conflict on the Korean Peninsula under any circumstances. Jesus also said, "You have heard it said, 'An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth'. But I tell you Do not face the wicked. Rather if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other cheek as well" (Matthew 5:38-39). India's wise man Mahatma Gandhi also said in response to this: "If we live with 'Eye for an eye' the whole world will be blind."
 
I hope our Christians overcome the temptation to solve problems with force in their daily lives and realize true peace can only be made peacefully.