Synodalitas in Politics

The director of an Institute for the Lay Apostolate in the Peace Column of the Catholic Peace Weekly wants to see Synodalitas in our politics.
 
In a democracy, political viewpoints can be different and when they are similar there are nuances however in Korea the writer sees the parties colliding at every turn. It's a bit subjective, but that's the behavior of the ruling and opposition parties as he sees it.
 
It is rare to find cases in which a party expresses agreement with the policies or proposals of the opposing party. It is like a railroad track running parallel to each other. While there are differences in the platform policies of the two parties, there are similarities. Nonetheless, the two parties seem to be putting all their efforts into confrontation, friction, and mutual criticism, as in a dog-cat fight.
 
In a word, the ruling party is in a hurry to notice the president and the opposition party is urgent to notice the party leader. There is no lack of self-examination and criticism internally, but it seems to have little results.
 
This kind of behavior is not only far from the people's hope for politics, and for the right future of the country, but also increases the people's distrust of politics. This is the shameful reality of our country, which has entered the ranks of the world's top 10 developed countries economically but is backward in the political field. Is there no way out of this backwardness?
 
It is often said that politics is the art of dialogue and compromise. All conversations start with listening to the other person. Listening is not about finding an excuse to criticize, but about trying to understand what the other person is saying. Listening should not be one-sided. There should be mutual listening. But in our political reality, such listening is seldom found. Only one-sided self-assertion or criticism of the other party is rampant. Without listening, there is no room for dialogue, and without dialogue, there can be no compromise.  
 
In the Catholic Church, the wind of 'Synodalitas' is blowing fiercely. The abstract noun ending '-tas', means 'spirit, state, quality', etc. Synodalitas, 'the spirit of the synod' is 'the journey together'.
 
This 'synodalitas' is a term not easy to understand even for believers, let alone ordinary people, but the meaning of this word is clear. Synodalitas is an essential and essential element in the life and activity of the Church. There are several things here. The documents (preliminary documents and handbooks) provided by the Holy See regarding the Synodalitas suggest 10 points. One of them is 'listening'. Listening is the first step on the journey of being with the People of God.
 
If the life of the church is a 'journey together' to achieve the kingdom of God or God's will, the life of the government and the ruling and opposition political circles can be basically a journey together for the happiness of the people and the future of the nation. The first step here is 'listening'. The opposition party should listen carefully to properly check and criticize the government and the ruling party and present reasonable alternatives. The same goes for the ruling party in the government. It is difficult to break free from self-righteousness if we do not listen to the opinions of the opposition party.
 
However, this 'listening' is missing from our political culture. If the voice is loud and the power is big, it is considered a victory. If this is the case, political advancement can never be achieved. The starting point for dialogue and compromise is 'listening'. We urge fierce self-reflection not only for the president and the ruling party but also for the opposition party.

Education for Life

 

In the 'Diagnoses of Society' column of the Catholic Peace weekly a philosophy professor in the Catholic University gives the readers his ideas on education.
 
What our society needs most now is to change the understanding and system of education. Infant abandonment is a problem, the disregard for life that is so widespread throughout society and culture is a phenomenon that occurs because the value and meaning of life are not properly recognized.
 
After liberation, Korean society succeeded in establishing a democratic society and achieving economic growth. Such success is worthy of praise, but the side effects and harms that accompany it are by no means small. The culture of death, which does not recognize the nobility and mystery of life, its meaning, and value, and considers life only as a means, is widespread. There will be no one who will not agree that we must create a culture and society that respects and saves lives. It is self-evident that the most urgent and necessary task in leading a culture of life beyond the culture of death is education for life.
 
Education that awakens the dignity and nobility of life is possible when the mystery and value of life are revealed. That education cannot be merely tautologically repeating that life is precious. The meaning and content of life should be deeply reflected on and education based on it should be conducted. This is why the philosophy of life is necessary. This is because when we understand the essential mystery and meaning of life, education based on it becomes possible.  
 
The philosopher Immanuel Kant, who founded the modern Enlightenment, argued that morality and ethics are possible only on the basis of metaphysics, which regards humans as the first principle of all values. In this respect, the understanding of life-based on the metaphysics of life is inevitably the foundation of life education. At that time, not only elementary and secondary education in our society but also higher education can be achieved through life education that achieves the essence of education and reveals the nobility and mystery of life.
 
The Catholic spirit was established by systematizing the gospel of Jesus on Earth into a culture based on Greek philosophy. The vivid kerygma of the early church met Greek philosophy and was systematized. After that, it was reinterpreted in a historical context and incarnated into the culture and society of that era. Despite their diversity, the foundation has always been the Gospel. It can only be that the core of education is the teaching of Jesus on earth, who is "the way, the truth, and the life".
 
This is why Catholic education is essentially the education of life and truth. In any case, church education should be based on life and the word of truth, not practicality. The early church fathers, who incarnated the Gospel Word, understood the relationship between man and God especially according to the spirit of Plato's speaking education, paideia.[The education of the whole person in the humanities] The idea that God is the one who eternally draws man into his being is entirely based on this educational concept. Compared to that, the perspective of understanding education in our society is too ignorant and blind.  
 
A while ago, the political debate over the issue of the college entrance exam ended in absurdly futile thinking of education as just a means without understanding the philosophical principles of education. The church also runs many educational institutions, but we must thoroughly ask if this education is based on the Catholic spirit.
 
Catholic education can never be conducted as entrance exam education or employment education without reflection, dazzled by the small achievements of the past that succeeded in modernization. Educational institutions run by the church must be based entirely on the Word of Life and Truth. Because otherwise, a culture that respects life and reveals its nobility and mystery would never be possible.
 

 

Educating for Wisdom

 

"Merchants exaggerate the value of their products. Doctors, lawyers, and businessmen pursue economic success without taking proper care of their families. Sometimes we discover that we are becoming that way, and even though we don't like it, we excuse ourselves by saying that we have no choice." So begins the column Light of the World by the priest columnist in the Catholic Weekly.

Just recently he mentions the flooding of an under pass where 14 died, the stabbing near a subway station in Seoul, and the news of an elementary school teacher who sadly passed away at the age of 24 giving him great sadness.  In particular, the falling status of the teaching authority sounded a serious alarm to the educational reality of today's Korean society and the current state of our perception of teachers. The ultimate goal of education is to develop character under the ideology of Hongik Ingan and to realize the ideal of common prosperity for mankind. (Article 2 of the Framework Act on Education)

 

['Hongik Ingan' is a philosophy, a guiding principle,  coming down from the  Korean past  based on the idea that individuals should strive to improve themselves and the world around them for the betterment of all humanity. It is principle that is meant to guide 

education and organizations in South Korea.]

 

However, now in the  field of education, in addition to

plutocracy, meritocracy, excessive private education, and ranking of academic backgrounds,situations not easy to solve any time soon, absurd situations are occurring in which teachers' right to live is threatened. For this purpose, correct identification of social issues and warm love for neighbors are important. This ultimately presupposes correct education.

 

Catholic social doctrine very often mentions the importance of education in relation to character formation, morality and spirituality, social development and the role of the family. Education is a necessary process for fulfilling one's moral and social responsibilities according to conscience  and the pursuit of truth and is the duty of all parents and adults.  Healthy individuals and societies cannot survive without it.  

 

Nevertheless, what do you think is the reason for the unfortunate situation of the fall of teaching authority? Did the student human rights ordinance introduced in 2010 to promote student human rights have an impact on teaching rights? Or is it because of the opinion that students should be embraced unconditionally? The human rights ordinance and the opinion that students should be embraced are not the essence of this situation. The fundamental responsibility lies with us adults who have lived only in pursuit of money and success.

 

The correct appearance of adults is important If you look at it coldly, today's education reality has been reduced to education by capital and for capital. On the other side of it lies the reality of being chased by competition and capital, and the dark shadows of our affluent but increasingly harsh society. Naturally, in today's society, the focus of education is on ownership, qualifications, academic background, and financial success rather than teaching people to be loving, concessional, and considerate. It can't be a big defeat.

 

However, the essence of education is people and love, and we must live it out and show it, starting with adults. So the Catholic Church calls for the special efforts of parents and adults. Parental love is fully expressed in the task of education, and parents, as primary educators, work together with other educational institutions to teach children the fundamental virtues of justice and love, dialogue and encounter, sociability, legality, solidarity and justice.  We all need evangelical reflection for a healthy educational field and teaching authority that must be urgently restored. 

 

The family has a completely original and irreplaceable role in raising children. The parents' love, placing itself at the service of children to draw forth from them (“e-ducere”) the best that is in them, finds its fullest expression precisely in the task of educating. “As well as being a source, the parents' love is also the animating principle and therefore the norm inspiring and guiding all concrete educational activity, enriching it with the values of kindness, constancy, goodness, service, disinterestedness and self-sacrifice that are the most precious fruit of love”(Brief Social Doctrine 239).

 

Korean Entrance Exams for College

 

All  of us have started  establishing our worldview as children and become influenced by the spirit of the times, our consciousness has to work with this reality as we mature

A director of  a theological research center gives the readers of the Catholic Weekly some ideas how the Korean college entrance exams invades the lives of many students and parents.

August 8th is the 100th day before the college entrance exams, and she received a text message that the 100 days prayer for the entrance exam will begin. Nothing brings greater comfort than prayer for those who are having a hard time, and moreover, the love and sincerity of parents who pray for their children is truly valuable.  Praying for 'good fortune' is a natural human trait, but this is because the blessings we ask for from God tend to be aimed at satisfying our human desires such as success, wealth, and health.

It is said that the 100-day prayer for the college entrance exam is for all who are studying hard, but in the end, one  cannot hide the parents' own desire for their own child to achieve good results in the fierce competition for college. If you pray with such an orientation, you will measure and compare the results of the CSAT as if it were a reward for your sincerity in prayer or the size of the grace and blessings bestowed by God. Perhaps because of this reality, some parishes do not hold 100 days of prayer for the college entrance exam, but parents are upset that such a parish policy is indifferent to teenagers. It is difficult to arbitrarily judge whether it is good to pray for the CSAT in the parish or not, but she would like to share some thoughts while participating in the 100-day prayer for the college entrance exam at the parish level two years ago for her oldest child.

The child was delighted that his parents were praying for him. However, the more she prayed, the more she doubted whether the direction of the prayer was right. She remembers watching a movie called ‘Happiness is not in the order of grades’ when she was in school. This is a film about the death of a teenager who couldn't stand the annoyance of parents who insisted that only grades were everything in life. She wondered if the prayers offered by parents  would be a prayer that gives strength to the child or a prayer that puts another burden on them. So, she changed her prayer intention not for the CSAT test, but to the prayer of entrustment, trusting that God will lead the child's life as he wills.

 

In her parish, the names of the students who desire the prayers are at the  entrance to the church. She wondered what her peers, whose names were missing, would think when they saw that name tag.

 

On the other hand, she was grateful that the church members prayed together for the children, but it was quite burdensome to see them asking and comparing the results of their college entrance exams, as if to confirm the efficacy of the prayers. 

 

Parents whose children have been accepted into good universities work harder at the church out of joy and gratitude. When she started the 100 Day Prayer, she was surprised that there were so many students in the  parish. After the CSAT, she was surprised again to see that the youth and their parents who had previously appeared at the parish were not visible.

Now that we have become a generation of parents who know that college is not everything in life, we must be vigilant so that our prayers for our children do not express our greed as parents. It is good to pray for one hundred days as if to celebrate a special anniversary, but she wants to be a parent who always prays for her children on a daily basis.

 

The Power Of Listening

 

 The Catholic Peace Weekly has an article on listening written by a priest working in the field of spirituality and gives the readers some important aspects of the synod way of life which the Church is trying to introduce us to follow.

The attitude of listening and conversation requested during the synod process is "more open to the voices of people who have different ideas than we have and those we  tend to ignore and exclude." It's hard to accept that we have to  listen to people we don't want to talk to.

There's a saying about marketing:"Strong phrases can attract consumers' attention, but they're not enough to get them to buy." You can try to accept the importance of listening, but  you need some preparation in the  synod way of life to be willing to listen and talk to people in uncomfortable relationships.

First, listen and experience improving relationships with others. We need to learn how to  listen step by step, but for now, we need to sincerely listen to other people in the here and now. Through this process, we will learn and  experience the great power that comes from listening. 

 

If you feel that the other person listens to your voice sincerely, the way the other person treats you will change. First of all, listen to the other person's voice sincerely. At some point, you will feel that the other person's voice has softened. Experience the power of listening. Listening is not just listening to the other person's words, but also  at what the other person wants to convey, and giving feedback.

Even if we need something, we need time and effort until we get used to it naturally. For example, people want to lose weight. So they  take extreme weight loss methods, but  rarely do they succeed. People who have confidence in weight management while reducing overeating and increasing exercise time on a normal basis seem to be relatively successful. The same goes for listening. As daily experiences of listening accumulate, you will have the power to listen to the words of the person who may even be rough and clumsy in the the way they express themselves.

Not long ago, he heard the story of a writer who practiced listening and started his life anew as his relationship with people around him improved.  The author said that there was a time when he evaluated himself as a loser. Then he happened to read a book the message being simply to listen to the people around him and respond and he could feel that their attitude towards him changed and the author confesses that this change was the beginning of a new life for him.

 

Listening is more than just listening. You need patience and effort to focus on the other person's voice. Even if you try to listen, it is difficult to continue the attitude of listening if the other person shows an attitude of being wary of you. Nevertheless, the synod emphasizes a conversation of listening that sincerely listens to the other person's story. The synod's demand that we even listen to the voice of the person we want to exclude seems unrealistic. But if the changes in relationships that occur through listening are beneficial not only to the other person, but also to ourselves, it certainly seems worth making the effort so he concludes with: Let's get started listening carefully to others.

Mega-Events

 

In the Eyes of the Clergy column of the Catholic Peace Weekly, we hear about some of the mega-events in our Society.

Large-scale events with enormous ripple effects internationally are called ‘mega-events’. The Olympics, World Cup, and Expo are often called the world's three mega-events. Other events include the Asian Games and the World Athletics Championships. Most of them are centered around sporting events.

Mega-events are often associated with the "Olympic Curse". The ‘Curse of the Olympics’ refers to a country hosting the Olympics, spending a lot of money to leap forward. Instead, it sits in a pile of debts.  The biggest reason for the curse of the Olympics is that the economic return on investment is not very high. Following the Expo, the exhibition hall spaces became useless and some facilities were demolished. In Pyeongchang, where the stadium was built as a temporary building from the beginning, there is only a memorial building. There is no trace of the Winter Olympics.

Therefore, mega events are desired for their publicity effect rather than economic profit. However, it is said that this is not suitable for the 21st century where communication has developed. In an era where you can watch your favorite sports star in a match in London, England, or BTS' performance in Los Angeles, USA, with just a smartphone, mega-events that attract large numbers of people at the cost of a lot of money is said to be unnessary for publicity. Rather, promotion is more effective by nurturing media such as broadcasting stations and the like.

Community unity through mega events is mentioned as one of the benefits.The 2002 World Cup brought Korea together. IMF people gained strength through soccer. We became one by holding hands with strangers and raising our voices to cheer them on. Therefore, the state is trying to use mega-events politically. No free country participated in the 1980 Moscow Olympics and no communist country participated in the 1984 LA Olympics. It is the Cold War pain.

Mega events accompany the expansion of national or regional facilities or the maintenance of outdated facilities. The Eiffel Tower in Paris, France was built for the Paris Exposition in 1889. A KTX station was installed in Yeosu, where the 2012 Expo was held. Facility maintenance and expansion, volunteer recruitment and maintenance, etc. are all the results of these events. 

A lot of money is needed to hold a mega event. That is why mega-events are also called "wars of money". In addition to state budgets, leading companies finance events as sponsors. For companies, a mega event that attracts the world's attention is an excellent market to advertise and sell products. Mega events boost the airline, hotel, and tourism industries.

Catholics also have mega-events. World Youth Day, a gathering of young people from all over the world, is a representative example. World Youth Day, which began in Rome in 1984, attracts hundreds of thousands to millions each year. In 2008, 400,000 people in Melbourne, Australia, were the smallest number of participants in World Youth Day. More than one million people are expected to participate in this year's Lisbon World Youth Day. The economic effect is significant. According to consulting firm PWC Portugal, the added value of hosting the World Youth Day in Lisbon was estimated at 564 million euros (approximately 800 billion won). In terms of productivity, it is predicted that there will be an effect of up to 1.1 billion euros (approximately 1.5 trillion won).

The government is trying to attract the 2030 World Expo to Pusan. The city of Seoul has submitted a bid to host the future Summer Olympics. Local governments organize countless other events. No matter what event they host, if they think it is just a lucrative one-time business, they will fall under the 'Olympic Curse'. Based on the values pursued by mega events, it is important to create events that continue to have an impact on the host country and the world after the event.

Past Problems of Catholic Missions In China

 

In a recent issue of the Kyeongyang magazine a priest seminary professor in the history department and director of the diocesan history research center gives the readers a look into an important issue in the history of the Asian Church.

The professor was present at the Maryknoll Mission Society's 100th anniversary of mission work in Korea. At the ceremony celebrated in the diocese of Cheong Ju, the professor met some of the old missioners still here in Korea.

The society began mission work in China in 1918 and in 1923 they moved beyond the borders of China to the diocese of Pyongyang where the relationship with Korea began.

With the Communist takeover of the North in the Korean War, the society's presence in the North ended, and the beginning of work in the South. For the last 70 years, they have experienced the results of the upheaval from a divided Korea and are now a small group of old and sick missioners. They are slowly disappearing. Extermination is a sad concept to deal with but with the missioners, it has another meaning. Like the wheat seed that has to die to give new life.

Foreign Mission work was not at one time seen as temporary. He mentions a 1935 article that appeared in a mission magazine which stated: if the missioners are so needed in our situation why are they so lukewarm in their mission work? Along with this provocative question, the writer emphasized that missioners should be working to put themselves out of a job. Many of the missioners at that time did not see themself as temporary and the response met with controversy, opposition, and anger among many.

The missioner's excessive sense of ownership of their mission area was a problem that emerged from the early days of world missions that began with the Age of Discovery. More than a person's conviction or attitude the colonialism's structure in which they were involved was more of a problem. The priest gives the readers an understanding of the Padroado, Protectorat, and Concession policies of the times.

The Padroado was the missionary jurisdiction that was given by the Church to a country. Very easy to understand the problems that would arise. Protectorate was another word for 'protected state'. Protectorates are weak territories protected and partly controlled by stronger ones. And we have the Concessions of China: residential areas in China are classed as "settlements" and "concessions," regions set apart by the Chinese Government within which foreigners may reside and lease land. The writer mentions the movie 55 Days at Peking which dramatized the siege of the foreign legations in Peking now Beijing during the Boxer Uprising in the summer of 1900.

Although the movie was made in 1963 it was easy to see the way the Western countries looked upon the Chinese. It was a minority but within that group, we had those with their feelings of superiority and controlling instincts that put the whole work of evangelization in a bad light and incited the Boxer movement in China, and gave rise to those who fought strenuously against this 'protectorate' of the status quo in China. Two such persons were Fr. Vincent Lebbe 1877-1940 and his close friend Fr. Anthony Cotta 1872-1957.

After the Opium War, the great powers slowly influenced the continent greatly and through a series of treaties the church, gained vitality. Skipping over the problems of the time that the professor describes in detail freedom of religion is a modern concept. It was a kind of acquiescence, but the church quickly became a part of imperialism with the help of the powers encroaching deep into China.
 

The church's reputation hit rock bottom. Lebbe's understanding of a Chinese Church of the Chinese went beyond the Jesuit idea of the Accommodation Policy of the Jesuit Missionaries. He wanted to put the yeast into the Chinese flour and let it permeate the whole mass. This was not only external but internal. He wanted to be Chinese not only in food, clothing, and shelter but also in his thoughts and attitudes.
 
This approach to the missions in China at that time was not received well by his own society or the Church established in China.  

In 1915 Lebbe and the Chinese Catholic founded the Catholic newspaper Yishibao which became one of the great Newspapers of that period. It is not necessary to see the heroic efforts of Lebbe as the only reason for changes. Recognizing the harmful effects of mission protection early on, the Vatican also attempted to establish direct diplomatic relations with China despite repeated disturbances by France from the end of the 19th century and completely broke the link with formal diplomatic relations with China in 1946.

On October 28, 1926, the first 6 Chinese bishops ordained in modern times were consecrated by Pope Pius XI in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. At the ceremony in Rome Fr. Vincent Lebbe was present. What is sad was the first Chinese bishop was consecrated in 1685.
 
History is not only the will of a few authoritative people, but also the experience gained by society from the inspiration and awareness of the unknown, and often the dedication of the outcasts like Fr. Vincent Lebbe and Fr. Anthony Cotta, which gradually catch on and become part of our reality.