The Saints We Need Today

In the Eyes of the Believer column of the Catholic Times, a parish priest gives the readers his thoughts on one of the latest saints, Saint Titus Branzma.

On May 15, this year, Pope Francis held his first canonization ceremony in St. Peter's Square in Rome after the spread of COVID-19. They included Charles de Foucault, the "hermit of the Sahara Desert" and Devasahayam Pillai the first lay martyr of India.

 

Among those who entered the ranks of saints, in particular, Saint Titus Branzma, a martyr and journalist of the 20th century, stood out. The canonization of a journalist is a great lesson in an era in which fake news is rampant and the truth is threatened while post-truth is being used as a mechanism politically and in economics.

 

Born in 1881, Saint Branzma was a Dutch Carmelite friar, a theologian, and a reporter for the Catholic newspaper, and had a special affection for the church press working as an adviser. 

 

After the Nazi invasion of the Netherlands in 1940, he wrote boldly against Nazi propaganda and defended Catholic education and Catholic freedom of the press against Nazi pressure. He was arrested for refusing to stop publishing any further articles of resistance against the Nazis, and in January 1942 transferred to a concentration camp, where he was subjected to biological testing.

 

The following month he was executed by lethal injection at the age of 61. The saint who tried to convey the message of truth, justice, love, and peace, through his own death showed the true identity, mission, and responsibility of a journalist, and became an example for all journalists. 

 

Pope Francis said in his Apostolic Exhortation Rejoice and Be Glad "holiness is not achieved by heroic gestures, but by the numerous small acts of everyday life." This was a reminder of the Pope that we are all called to holiness when we faithfully fulfill our duties in life.

 

Saint Branzma deeply recognized his identity as a journalist and priest, and faithfully lived his beliefs and convictions. As a result, through his devotion and sacrifice, he provided an opportunity for the church to communicate with the world and became the protagonist of an evangelical event that made the public aware of how the truth can change the world. 

 

Saint Branzma is the patron saint of the press in the post-truth era. In today's world, where lies by politicians and fake news on social media create social conflicts and divisions and promote hate and discrimination, adult commitment to the truth should be a model for all journalists. Fake news is a public enemy and evil of society. Anyone can become a victim of fake news and creates distrust, confrontation, fear, and anxiety in society, it is also a criminal act. 

 

There is a constant war without gunfire over the truth between power and the press, the press, and citizens, and the progressive and conservative media. It can be seen that there is a great deal of distrust in the media. Distrust in the media leads to social distrust, and the shadow in society will inevitably grow. The truth needs to be restored. Even in this age, the 2nd and 3rd Brandsma must appear. 

 

A Russian journalist who won last year's Nobel Peace Prize auctioned the medal to help Ukrainian refugees. He is Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of the independent press, who exposed the corruption of the Vladimir Putin regime and was threatened by the Russian authorities but continued to report the facts with courage and determination. 

 

He is scheduled to deliver a televised speech at the SIGNIS World Congress to be held from August 15 to 18 in Seoul. His story and those of his colleagues are eagerly awaited, as they do their best to report the truth. His independent press will help in restoring the credibility of the press. I want to nominate him as the second saint of Branzma.

Problem with Isolating the Disabled

In the Now Here Web Site a reporter has published an interview with Fr. Noel Cheon (Patrick Noel O'Neil) a 90 year old Columban Foreign Missionary who was ordained in 1956 and came to Korea the following year. He worked as a parish priest for 24 years before he began working with the developmentally disabled for the last 40 years.

In 1978, a 19-year-old person with developmental disabilities living in a Rehabilitation Center died of pulmonary tuberculosis.  Fr. Noel was at that time volunteering once a week with parishioners at the Center. He got a call from a Rehabilitation worker that Maria Kim, a 19-year-old intellectually disabled patient was in critical condition from acute pneumonia. He visited Maria Kim at the hospital. She passed away after she took Fr. Noel's hand and said "thank you".

 

Together with the parishioners of the parish they buried Maria Kim in a Catholic cemetery and erected a tombstone with the words asking for forgiveness. They asked for the body of Marie for dissection but the priest refused. She was not respected for her 19 years of life and felt that would not be the proper end to her short life.

 

The  Rehabilitation Center  included  alcoholics, orphans, the  developmentally disabled, the elderly living alone, tuberculosis patients all living together. Father Noel witnessed this reality, persons living together without concern for their different disabilities and circumstances who found it difficult to say what they wanted. And thinking of the society that was indifferent to the tragic death of the young woman, he decided to respond to the silent cry of the disabled. Father Noel  started a group home for the first time in Korean society and has continued for 40 years.

 

He realized that he didn't know anything about work with the disable  and went  looking for opportunities to learn during a sabbatical year after 24 years in parish  pastoral work. He studied facilities in New Zealand, Germany, the US, Ireland, the UK, and Australia, and listened to many seminars on the subject. The year 1980 was designated as the "year of the disabled" by the United Nations. 

 

He visited the 'L'Arche Community', a self-reliance community for the disabled founded by Jean Vainer, and lived with them for a month. He visited a large facility in New Zealand where about 1,500 people lived and was told by the staff, don't do it like us.

 

He was  deeply influenced by Denmark and Germany's welfare ideology, the 'principle of normalization' (The disable need the same experience of growth and development as the non-disabled and freedom of choice that fits their life cycle). After the Holocaust in Germany during World War II, it was a period of guilt in Western society which he experience in his travels. "I didn’t know anything about the welfare of the disabled, and even when I came back with a 17th-century mindset, I was learning 21st-century concepts."

On his return he immediately started living in a two-story house with a friend and a volunteer from the rehabilitation center. For those who left the rehabilitation center, it was the first 'de-institutionalization', and for Father Noel, it was the first time doing pastoral care for the developmentally disabled. "At that time, everyone thought I was crazy."

"There was a common perception in the local community that de-institutionalization and independence of the disabled did not fit into Korean culture— it was impossible to live with non-disabled people in the local community. He believed that de- institutionalization and self-reliance were not for him  alone, but for the people of society to work together. But among those who criticized his choice during the day, came to him to ask if a member of their family with a developmental disability could come and live with him.

 

After the interview, he visited the group homes  together.with the reporter. There are currently 14 group homes in Emmaus. "Cardinal Kim said that society is changing the church rather than the church changing society. That's the problem", he said. He also spoke about the pastoral care of the disabled in the current church.

 

Father Noel  said he understands the position of parents and families with developmental disabilities who are concerned about de-institutionalization. However, when other countries first pushed for de-institutionalization, he explained that the approval rate was about 17 percent at first, but 76 percent supported it 10 years later. 

 

He continued: "The biggest problem with the church is indifference. If the church itself is to be renewed, it must stand on the side of the marginalized."

 

 

Limits of Obedience to Authority

 In the Catholic Times, 'We see as much as we know" the priest columnist considers the issue: when can we resist public power? A serious issue in the past and present.
 
There was a time when the enemies of Jesus, preparing to trap him, asked if they should pay taxes to Rome. It's like asking a Korean if one should have paid taxes to Japan during the Japanese colonial period. No matter how you answer it, you are an enemy to one side. Jesus said, "Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s" (Matthew 22:21). After all, he is saying that we should pay taxes to the countries that have taken our country away. Not good news for independence activists.
 
In Philemon, the Apostle Paul sends Onesimus a runaway slave who stole from his master back to him. This is Paul's theology.
 
Obedience to Authority: Let everyone obey the authorities that are over him, for there is no authority except God and all authority that exist is established by God" (Rom. 13:1).
 
The Apostle Peter also speaks of slavery: "You household slaves,obey your masters with all deference, not only the good and the reasonable ones but even those who are harsh (1 Peter 2:18).
 
The Catholic Church thus explicitly presents a "duty of obedience" (1900) even to secular authorities. However, Adolf Eichmann, who was the murderer of the Jews at Hitler's command, also obeyed authority. Then he must be innocent. We face a difficult dilemma here. It is necessary to set a standard for how far one must obey.
 
The Catechism thus teaches that public authority is only effective "within the limits of the moral order" (1923) and "when striving for the common good of society" (1921). That means you don't have to obey the captain of a pirate ship. It is God who gave the authority, but God who gave the law of love. Human beings have been empowered by God, but when that authority gives orders that undermine 'Respect for Man' (1907), 'Social Well-being' (1908), and 'Peace for Humanity' (1909), one may listen to those opposed.
 
Let's say a person belonged to a group that obeyed bin, Laden. He was a terrorist who promoted a religion of terrorism. Therefore, obeying that person contradicts the law of conscience, which is to love our neighbor. To not grant freedom of religion is to not respect human dignity. This is true of other situations in our world which will continue to cause pain for many.
 
However, when you still do not know how to behave concerning the authority of public officials, Catholics need to respect the decisions of the Church. We are believers in Jesus his body the church, not politicians.
 
"Whoever receives you receives me, and whoever receives me receives him who sent me" (Matthew 10:40). The late Cardinal Kim Su-hwan told a high-ranking police official who said he would send the police into the Myeongdong Cathedral to arrest the students. This was just before the June 29 declaration for democratization: "If you want to arrest students, step on me, then on the priests and nuns and go in."

Conveying what is not Experienced

In the Here and Now Site was an interview with the director of the Research Institute of the New Generation on the Catholic Sunday School Program of the Church. Some of the random thoughts  were that teenagers who are bright are not deeply religious. The longer the religious life, the more unhappy and want to leave the church. The parish community must come together for a personal encounter with God.

This is a brief summary of some of  the thoughts in the interview. Youth ministry is said to be in crisis. Teenagers say, "After graduating from Sunday school, they won’t go to church anymore," and they do what they say when they graduate from secondary school Sunday school. The director makes clear  that children not coming to church once they are  adults is not something new. Rather, the church was taking this for granted because of its long history.

 

The "Guidebook for Korean Catholic Youth Pastoral Care" published last year by the Bishops’ Conference redefines the concept of youth pastoral care while analyzing the causes of youth pastoral crisis and suggests the direction of pastoral care required by the times. The church officially diagnosed the youth pastoral situation as a crisis from its research. 

 

Was there a reason to create a guidebook? There has been no substantial change in youth pastoral care, but at least in the Korean Catholic Church, the release of this guidebook is a change. If you look at the 'Guideline', it was determined that the long-standing debate without practice is the biggest cause of youth ministry not being dynamic.

 

There are problems with pastoral systems and programs.  The debate over the causes of youth pastoral crisis has been going on for a long time, but why hasn't it changed?  There are a lot of problems with youth pastoral care in the church, and the contents are outlined in the guidebook. But how much you agree with it is another matter. There is a big difference in consciousness between the priests who have been engaged in youth pastoral care and the priests who have been in charge of youth pastoral care.

The reality of youth pastoral care through his study the director learned important facts. Children go to church because their mothers and grandmothers tells them to go, and even children who work hard at Sunday school say that after Sunday school, they will no longer come to church.

 

The crisis of youth pastoral care as seen by Pope Francis emphasizes joy in faith, but why isn't this the reality? One does not find the meaning for living a life of faith in the here and now. Researchers have conceptualized this as a 'personal encounter with God'. One is not  happy because one does not have a personal encounter with God. After reading the Pope's book, he was convinced of the credibility of the book's conclusions. In the Apostolic Exhortation of  Pope Francis Christ Lives to young people the story of accompaniment with God is given, and it can be seen that this concept of 'personal encounter with God' is in line with what the universal Church is talking about. 

 

If we understand that Jesus is with us all the time, but we do not recognize it, and that the failure to meet God personally is the reason why we are not happy even after a long life of faith, the answer is simple. He is convinced that knowing that Jesus is with them and nurturing this  personal encounter with God will change the way children accept their faith. Consequently we have hope for youth ministry.

 

There are many people who are not positive about this.  They've already been with teenagers and it didn't work out. However, examine closely, you are not accompanying them, but are accompanied by them. 

 

"The handbook finds a key principle in youth pastoral care, especially in 'the image of Jesus who was with the two disciples on their way to Emmaus and became the gospel to them'. It is the presence as a companion for evangelization. The Church hopes that priests, religious and laity, following the example of Jesus, will actively participate in the art of companionship with youth. 

 

The handbook provided a great direction for a "personal encounter with God" and is useful for learning how to view youth and how to approach pastoral care. However, the specific action to be taken remains the task.

 

It can be difficult if we go into the problem of method specifically. When the director asked the priests if they had experienced God as a teenager, no one answered yes. It's  difficult to convey what one should know but never experienced. But is it really that difficult? Those who have a personal encounter with God among those who live a religious life can tell us. All you need to do is to meet someone who is devout and makes you want to be like them. There are probably a few people like that in the parish. The problem will be solved when the youth meet with those who have experienced personal

encounters with God—those alive with a strong faith life. Our parish offers a community experience of praying together and a program that connects various people in the parish to meet children.

 

The key is to make me feel that Jesus is with me in my life. That's why Synodalitas is so important. The handbook describes it as an 'educational pastoral community', but the pastoral care of youth should not be left only to catechists, religious and priests. The entire parish must be involved.

 

Lastly, the director mentioned what he would like to emphasize about youth ministry. We talk a lot about paying attention to the youth, but the church is not youth-friendly and welcoming. He  wants to do a proper research on youth. In fact, the church doesn't do research in other fields well, but if they don't understand the youth of today, what will happen in the future? In Europe, there are some priests who are worried that the church will be sold because there are no believers. Please, before it's too late, he hopes the church will pay attention to research that is in the guidebook to understand young people, and to prepare for the future.

 

 

 

Superstition in Korean Society

  

 

Shamanism and Superstition are two words with many subdivisions. Before the entrance of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Christianity into Korea, Shamanism was present. Korean shamanism seeks to explain both natural and supernatural influences on human life and a way of contacting the spirit world.

Fortune tellers have a similar goal but different approaches. Shamans are often called 'mudangs' and fortune tellers often consider their workplaces the philosopher's room. Their identity is not limited to any special name or location; they are doing very well in Korean society. For the most part, they work to make people happy for that means they will have a bright future.

This way of life doesn't require any license or certification. Open to all who are interested and with the employment opportunities in society being what they are we see an increase of Shamans and fortune tellers.
 

In the Catholic Times, Honorary Journalist Column the writer recounts going to a restaurant with a friend she hadn't seen for some time. On the TV that was turned on in the dining room a celebrity who visited a shaman was talking about fortune-telling and emphasizing that he was a 'Catholic believer'.

At a table behind the writer, she heard the mocking remarks about Catholics who have no trouble visiting 'mudangs' to learn about their future. The writer was not happy to hear what the celebrity was saying but she felt she was sitting on a cushion of thorns.

Shamans and superstition-related content are increasing through broadcasting and YouTube. No matter how much the content is used for fun she is worried that believers will get soaked into shamanism like what happens when out in a drizzle. In particular, in the last election, news reports on shamanistic doings in society, Shincheonji Church (a newly Christian Church Movement) were often in the news.

These days, it feels that various strange teachings, shamanism, and superstitions that were hiding in the dark are coming out to the sun and walking around with boldness. It was for her a time to go a little more deeply into the different areas of this life style.

Western divination methods are mixed up with our own physiognomy, fortune-telling, zodiac signs, tarot cards, lucky days, the four pillars, (year, month, day, and hour of birth) things to do when moving or celebrating, spraying salt to chase ghosts that followed after going to a house, marriage beliefs, and many folk beliefs and superstitions that permeate our lives.

These folk beliefs and superstitions are not what a Christian should be concerned with and she concludes her article by telling the readers that she was proud that she didn't believe in these superstitious ways of so many but after thought, surprised that she unknowingly was involved with some of these beliefs and superstitions. She prays that we will be awake to the shamanism and superstitions that penetrate society.
 

Hellenism And Hebraism

The Catholic Times  On Reconciliation and Unification of the Peninsula column  gives us an Asian understanding of the place of Hellenism and Hebraism in the world society.

 

Today's Western civilization is said to have originated from the fusion of Hellenism and Hebraism. Hellenism refers to the Greek way of thinking, and culture. 

 

Alexander the Great of Macedonia advances to India in the East through an expedition to Persia, an enemy of Greece. As a result, the kingdom of Macedonia became a great empire that stretched from the Persian Gulf to the Mediterranean coast. The culture that merged the  worlds of the Orient and Greece were merged into one called Hellenism, one of the pillars of Western culture, spreading to the entire territories of the Roman Empire.

 

On the other hand, Hebraism refers to the Jewish way of thinking, and culture. Hebraism originated in Judaism, but later blossomed in Christianity. Christianity spread to the Roman Empire through the Apostle Paul,  officially recognition in 313 and state religion in 392, forming another central pillar of Western culture. 

 

If the characteristics of Hellenism emphasize human reason earthly oriented, polytheistically oriented, objective and logical, Hebraism emphasizes the divine realm the  afterlife, monotheistic, intuitive, and emotional. If Hellenism based on reason developed European scientific civilization and humanism and resulted in the expansion of Europe externally, it is said that Hebraism sublimated the relationship between humans in society, religiously and morally. In this way, in the Renaissance era, Hellenism and Hebraism harmonized together and blossomed in Europe. 

 

In a way, the blending of two opposing flows during the Renaissance advanced Western civilization. 

 

This is a part that is difficult to understand at first glance for those of us who live in the era of extremes today. But this is the point where we learn that rapprochement rather than rejection can have bigger and better results [But this as with all things requires discretion and discernment].

 

We turn to look at our geopolitical position. The Korean Peninsula is said to be the intersection of continental and maritime powers, and I wonder if we can play a role in fusing the two currents that look like extremes— North and South—Hoping to say: "Violence will no longer  be heard of in your  county, nor devastation and ruin within your frontiers. You will call your walls  'Salvation' and your gates 'Praise'" (Isaiah 60:18).

 

Prayer Is Not Doing Nothing!

 

A director of the Catholic Spiritual Counseling Center gives his advice to the readers of a diocesan bulletin on how to resolve the conflict and hostility we find in society.

The new ordinary of the Archdiocese of Seoul was installed at a time we had one of the hottest elections for the president of the country. There were a lot of concerns around the New Ordinary among the Catholics. What kind of action would he take in the ongoing crisis? It seems certain—a strong will to keep the place of prayer before the Christians.

Holy hours of prayer with believers. Many believers joined the new ordinary in prayer.

Looking at the archbishop the writer thinks we may have forgotten we are to be a praying people. Some people criticized the behavior seeing it as avoidance of needed action.

The writer who is working in the field of psychology believes the archbishop has chosen wisely. Prayer is not of the right or left, liberal or conservative, south or north.

This is because there is a fierce division between the left and the right, not only in the media but also in the personal communication network. Naturally, there are differences of opinion and there are standards for judging, this difference of opinion is a desirable phenomenon in creating a democratic society. However, when one sees the opinions of others not only as different but considers the other as an enemy we are dealing with an unhealthy society. This is because hostility inflicts fatal blows on both sides.

That is why some journalists lament that our country is already in a state of civil war even if the citizens don't have guns in their hands. This division among the citizens of this small country is not something we are experiencing for the first time. For in the past, we have had regional rivalry, class conflict, and other divisions that eat away at society like a malignant tumor.

As a result, incidents like the Jeju 4,3 massacre of good people have occurred. In this kind of atmosphere, people who do not know each other often fight and even friends over a drink. The fundamental problems are divisions and hostility. And it is not the politicians who want to profit by instigating divisions who will solve this problem, but the selfless people and their greatest weapon is prayer.

Prayer is the best way to cool down the burning hostility and cool down the spiraling emotions, and this is not doing anything. As we pray, talk, pray, and talk, we hope that the land we live in will not be a hell burning with hostility, but a peaceful meadow where the whole nation can rest together.

Facing disagreement, resentment, and hostility makes many angry and upset, this is not the attitude of those  looking for wisdom. Many things need to be resolved before the talking that will produce results, not always what we desire but to search for truth in humility and love.