Called to a Life of Joy

In the Catholic Peace Weekly a Catholic University professor gives the readers his thoughts on the joy of the life of a child of God. 

"When we meet Jesus, our lives change into a joyful feast." It is a phrase that beautifully expresses the Christian life.
 
The Gospel of John announces the beginning of Jesus' public life with the story of the wedding feast at Cana.  This may be to convey that because the Word became human and lives among us, our life with Him becomes a feast that cheers the heart like wine.
 
Just as alcohol cannot be left out at a banquet, if Jesus is missing from the life of a Christian, it will be as dull and sluggish as ‘steamed bread without anchovy’. Faith is a life with Jesus and a joyous feast. This is the core message of the New Testament. In fact, Jesus lived his life like a feast and invited everyone to that life of joy.
 
The 'Sermon on the Mount' contains the core of Jesus’ teachings—an invitation to a life with God. Jesus taught us how to live joyfully, not through old-fashioned teachings or commandments imposed as obligations but the life of a child of God who knows God and calls Him 'Abba, Father!'  

The God Jesus taught us is a merciful Father who creates and cares for all things in the world and generously provides for his children.
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!" (Matthew 7:11).
 
The life of a child who calls God their father can only be one of joy and delight. It is the comfort, consolation, and reassurance that one feels in the warm embrace of one's father, free from all the cares and worries of the world. So there is no need to worry, Jesus says. "So don’t worry about tomorrow. Tomorrow will worry about tomorrow. Enough are the troubles of each day!"(Matthew 6:34)
 
Of course, human life is full of hardships, trials, and worries. Everyone's life situation is different. There are times when we are poor, times when we are sad, times when we hunger and thirst for righteousness, and times when we are persecuted. There are times when the world ridicules us because we are gentle, merciful, pure in heart, and dream of peace. However, God's children see God the Father's great will and plan beyond what the world sees, and we believe and hope in the kingdom of God promised to our children. And although everything in the world will pass away, he is confident that God the Father's promises will be fulfilled in His children, and that His justice and mercy will ultimately triumph.
 
The joy of living as a child of God does not come automatically. It is a series of spiritual battles that fight against despair and discouragement without giving up hope in the face of the hardships that come with it every day. In order to win that fight, we must believe in the presence of God the Father, who is always with us, and place our hope in His promise that He will care for and protect us until the end. In order to do so, we must listen to the voice of God who always speaks to each of us anew, and open our eyes to the love of God who gave everything for us through his Son. 

But it is also a battle of joy. No matter what situation we are in, when we are confident that God is with us with infinite love and will protect us until the end, we will overcome many situations for which no human solution is possible, and we will experience true happiness as children of the Father. Because you will taste it here and now.

Overcoming Conflict in Society

 

The Diagnosis of the Times column of the Catholic Peace Weekly gives the readers some background on the relationship between the Wisteria and Arrowroot plants and problems that may arise.

The priest columnist was born and raised in the city and consequently has little knowledge about plants and animals. When he climbs a mountain near Seoul or goes to the countryside he is amazed to see how much people know about the different trees and flowers.  Nevertheless, there is one tree that he knows well, and that is Wisteria.

When he was a child, there was a bench made of rattan in one corner of the school playground and in a vacant lot of an apartment complex. Wisteria, which climbs iron pillars and provides cool shade, is a familiar plant even in urban areas. The Kudzu plant is similar to the arrowroot plant and they both cling to what they come in contact with in their growth.

When watching TV programs that mainly introduce the lives of people living in remote mountainous villages, scenes of digging up roots of kudzu trees often appear. The plant whose roots can be drunk as juice or dried and used is similar to the arrowroot plant.

Wisteria and kudzu are both stem plants and are said to grow by climbing up other trees. However, it is said that when these two plants meet each other, it becomes difficult to separate them.  As the kudzu  grows, it wraps itself around the other tree in the right direction, while the wisteria grows in the left direction, so if these two plants meet, it will be impossible to untangle them. The word in Korean that comes from this contact is 'Conflict (葛藤,)', he thinks it is a good name.

When he looked up the Korean word conflict in the dictionary it was defined as: 'hostility or conflict between individuals or groups due to different goals or interests'— labor-management conflict, generational conflict, regional conflict, etc. 

These words complicate our minds, like two intricately twisted vines, like a twisted skein of thread that we don't know where it begins and where it ends. Efforts to calmly unravel each tangle quickly reach their limits, and the urge to chop down the plant with an ax or cut off the tangled parts. Not only do we need to think about social and political aspects, but conflict is one of the things that everyone wants to avoid, but cannot avoid. We have to deal with others with whom we are in conflict, misunderstand, and distrust within families, the workplace and society. So, is there an easy way to resolve the conflict?

Recently, conflict on the Korean Peninsula has been increasing. On August 18, President Yoon, U.S. President Joe Biden, and Japanese Prime Minister announced the ‘Camp David Principles, Spirit, and Pledge’, which contains the joint vision and partnership of Korea, the United States, and Japan. Evaluations continued that it raised security cooperation between the three countries to a new level and formed a collective security system that effectively keeps China in check. Some argue that security has become stronger due to strengthening ties between value alliance countries, while others argue that security has become more unstable due to the breakdown of balanced diplomacy between the United States and China

He doesn't know how the outcome will play out, but it seems difficult to deny that the conflict structure between Korea, the United States, and Japan versus North Korea, China, and Russia has become more solidified. Right now, North Korea's arms trade with Russia is increasing, and its dependence on China is also increasing. The conflict between North and South Korea was difficult to resolve just by coordinating the positions of the parties and restoring trust, but it is being sucked into a confrontational structure even further within the international situation.

Let’s pay attention to the definition of 'conflict' again. If you cannot cut down or burn the other side's trees, the conflict should be managed rather than escalated. Care must be taken to prevent it from developing into a bigger conflict. This is by no means a cowardly act, but a wise one. It is relatively easy to speak harshly and act aggressively. It is much more difficult to come up with a solution to resolve the conflict. Although it is difficult, he hopes we can take the path toward peace. That's why politicians exist, and isn't politics necessary for the community?

"I am Having a Hard Time"

 

One Mind One Body Suicide Prevention Center priest columnist of the Catholic Times mentions the society where it is difficult to say: “I am having a hard time.” He is the director of Spirituality in the Department of a Catholic Hospital.
 
A famous broadcaster publicly revealed that he suffers from panic disorder. Until then, panic disorder was unknown to the public and was only seen as an excuse for people trying to avoid social responsibility, but after that incident, the columnist became interested in what panic disorder entailed and the pain experienced.
 
As a result, awareness of panic disorder changed and patients who had previously been unable to reveal themselves in public were able to reveal themselves one by one. They say that although their situation has not changed, people's perception has changed and just being recognized can provide comfort.
 
The number of suicides in our society exceeds 13,000 every year, and this number has steadily increased since the IMF. The pain of suicide does not end with the death of the suicide but has a huge impact on those left behind. When a person commits suicide, there are about 20 family members who are emotionally connected around them, and these people are called 'suicide bereaved family members'.
 
It is estimated that about 200,000 suicide bereaved families will occur each year alone, and looking at the cumulative number each year, it can be inferred that the entire Korean society is becoming a huge bereaved family society. However, despite this large number, it is difficult to find suicide-bereaved families. Suicide is not something we can easily speak about in our society.
 
Family members bereaved by suicide are unable to recognize the pain of someone close to them and feel shame and guilt about not being able to foresee the death, which makes it difficult for them to reveal it to those around them. There are cases where the death is not even made known within the family.
 
At the same time, conflicting feelings of betrayal and anger arise towards the deceased who caused such pain, and these complex and contradictory feelings make it even more difficult to bring the subject up in conversation. Moreover, there is an added social stigma that sees suicide survivors as problematic people, causing them to experience the pain of enduring everything alone. Even family members hesitate to approach each other after a suicide and their relationship becomes distant, and this isolation also puts the bereaved family in further danger.
 

In English-speaking countries, survivors of suicide are called 'suicide survivors'. However, these days, many people appear to be fine to others, but inside they feel an unbearable loneliness, and the pain repeats over and over again, They become numb and find it difficult to even utter the words, “I’m having a hard time.” I even worry that if I say it's difficult, I might make things difficult for the listeners.
 
Then, after facing great difficulties, there are so many people who cannot find anyone and endure everything alone, collapsing and having to make the final decision alone. Has it become a courtesy and a virtue in this era to pretend that it is not difficult even though the situation is already unbearable?
 
 Even if it's difficult to solve it right now, how great would it be if we could create a social atmosphere where people could just say: "I'm really having a hard time," and those around them would listen carefully to those words? If we can’t even do that, we might all be ‘suicide survivors’.

'Peace On Earth' Encyclical's 60th Anniversary

The Secretary of the National Reconciliation Committee of the Bishops' Conference in his column of the Catholic Times reminds the readers of the teaching of our recent popes on War. 

Last March, a forum was held at the University of Notre Dame in the United States under the theme, ‘New and old wars, new and old challenges toward peace.’  Cardinal Robert W. McElroy proposed 'a true renewal, restructuring and expansion of Catholic teaching on the legitimacy of war'. He emphasized choosing active non-violence and explained the meaning of Pope St. John XXIII's encyclical "Peace on Earth" as follows:

 

 "The impact of ‘Peace on Earth’ not only on the Catholic community but also on the international community is enormous. This encyclical, written in the midst of the Cuban missile crisis, was based on the conviction that the Church, with its rich tradition of peace, must speak strongly on peace issues, especially with deep concern for the signs of the times. Pope John XXIII not only provided a deep reflection on the meaning of the existence of the international society that emerged in the 1960s but also outlined the basic human rights that can create lasting peace, laying the overall framework needed to establish true world peace."

 

Since "Peace on Earth", all succeeding popes have strongly condemned the "evil of war". In particular, Pope St. John Paul II also raised his voice against the military operation in response to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. On January 17, 1991, when U.S. and multinational forces launched Operation Desert Storm, the Pope said: "I strongly assert that war cannot be an adequate means of completely resolving the problems that exist between nations. It has never been the case or be the case in the future." 

 

Russia's invasion of Ukraine appears to be inciting a global arms race. Among European countries, Finland and Lithuania, which border Russia, have increased their military spending significantly, and military spending in Sweden and Poland has also increased significantly. According to the ‘2022 Global Military Expenditure Trends’ report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), last year’s military spending in Central and Western Europe exceeded in real terms for the first time that of 1989 during the Cold War. The institute also assessed that China and Japan are leading the military expansion in Asia.

 

The dark cloud of the ‘Cold War’ is gaining ground again. Today's church must more boldly proclaim the teachings of Pope St. John XXIII, who emphasized: "Everyone, however, must realize that, unless this process of disarmament is thoroughgoing and complete, and reaches men's very souls, it is impossible to stop the arms race or to reduce armaments, or—and this is the main thing—ultimately to abolish them entirely. Every one must sincerely cooperate in the effort to banish fear and the anxious expectation of war from men's minds. But this requires that the fundamental principles upon which peace is based in today's world be replaced by an altogether different one, namely, the realization that true and lasting peace among nations cannot consist in the possession of an equal supply of armaments but only in mutual trust. And We are confident that this can be achieved, for it is a thing which not only is dictated by common sense but is in itself most desirable and most fruitful of good." (No. 113 of Peace on Earth).

Season of Creation Sept. 1st to Oct. 4th

The director of a Theological Research Institute gives the readers of the Catholic Times another reminder of what is a constant theme in our society: the weather change and consequences in the Eyes of the Believer column.

Although the midday sun is still hot, the breezes in the morning and evening feels cool. She is  glad that it is fall now. As each year passes,  the summers become more difficult to endure, this year there were many days with oppressive heat which  reduced  energy. Maybe it's because she is getting older, but she also thinks it's  because the average temperature of the Earth is rising and our country is gradually turning into a subtropical climate.

 

The World Meteorological Organization (WMO) announced that the Earth's surface and sea surface temperatures in July of this year were the highest ever, and that it was close to the 'temperature rise of 1.5 degrees compared to pre-industrial levels', which is considered the Maginot line of climate change. In addition, it was predicted that there is a 66% probability that the temperature will exceed 1.5 degrees within the next five years. Seeing this, the UN Secretary-General warned that the era of ‘global warming’ is over and the era of ‘global boiling’, in which the Earth is boiling over, has arrived. One scientist even said that “this year will be the ‘coolest summer’ of the rest of our lives,” as future summers will become increasingly hotter

 

Even without looking at scientific data, we are all already feeling the climate crisis. Last summer, as the extreme weather changed with continued scorching heat followed by sudden heavy rain, the number of deaths and patients from heat-related illnesses increased significantly compared to previous years, and many casualties  of heavy rain occurred, including the Osong underground car disaster.  

 

As seawater temperatures rise, subtropical marine life is being discovered one after another in the waters surrounding the Korean Peninsula, and the cultivation of subtropical crops is also increasing in rural areas. Some people are watching these changes closely and feel a serious sense of crisis, but most are just indifferent and ignore the warnings sent by nature.

 

When it comes to choosing an ecological life, it is said that deciding to live an eco-friendly life for one's health or for economic benefit does not last very long. It is a task that must be continued despite the inconveniences  so when conditions change, the body quickly returns to a familiar and comfortable life. However, it is said that actions that come from a heart of empathy, compassion, deep love and solidarity for suffering lives do not easily change. This is why Pope Francis emphasizes ‘ecological conversion’ in Laudato Si’ and why it is said that the religious community must take the lead in this ecological crisis and move and change people’s hearts to live a life of moderation and sacrifice.

 

She was curious about ecological activities in other religions.  Buddhism proposes the vegetarian culture as an alternative in the era of ecological crisis, and is said to be carrying out activities to encourage vegetarianism, such as holding a vegetarian campaign on Dog Day. In order to respond to the climate crisis, Won Buddhism is said to be carrying out activities to create small forests by planting trees equal to their age, and is increasing the number of ‘Sunshine Churches’ that convert the electricity used in churches into renewable energy. It is said that Protestant churches provide a lot of ecological spirituality education through publishing ecological education materials and environmental campaigns. 

 

In particular, this ‘Creation Season’, when all Christians pray together in solidarity, is called ‘Creation Festival’ like Lent or Advent, and we pray and act to take care of this world created by God.    

[On September 1st, the Feast of Creation, also known as World Day Of Prayer For The Care Of Creation, kicks off the 2023 Season of Creation under the theme 'Let Justice and Peace Flow.'To celebrate, Pope Francis calls everyone to listen to the 'victims of environmental and climatic injustice' and to 'put an end to this senseless war against creation. Feast of Creation Care of Creation concludes on October 4th, the feast of St. Francis of Assisi.    

In our Catholic Church, there are many dioceses that encourage people to practice sacrifice and self-control in the spirit of green martyrdom during this creation period, which overlaps with the Holy Month of Martyrs.

As today’s Gospel says, “If two of you on earth agree about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). Christians and religious people who love the world are taking the lead. She  sincerely ask that prayer and action can flow like a river of justice and peace and change the ecological crisis that is a mountain of injustice

 

Searching for Reasons

 

In the Let's Us All Be One column of the Catholic Times a university professor in the social welfare department, reflects on our need to reveal the evils of the disaster-stricken society.

The news we hear these days is shocking in itself. In a situation where we are already exposed to politicians' deception, hypocrisy, incompetence, and defeat daily, the addition of these shocking incidents further brings great sadness to those who hear about them.

 

Just thinking about some of the recent events, such as the Itaewon disaster, the deaths of field workers (including suicides), the suicides of victims of rental fraud, the successive deaths of newborns, the Osong underpass disaster, the suicide of an elementary school teacher, and the recent repeated murders gives us sorrow and questions.

The trauma caused by the shock of a disaster causes problems in the way we think, preventing victims from escaping the painful time and space where the incident occurred, and preventing them from returning to the healthy emotional state present before the injury. 

  

Moreover, the more complex the nature of the disaster, the more difficult the trauma can be for victims to understand and recover from what has happened to them. For example, if it appears to be a natural disaster on the surface but is in fact a man-made disaster, or if it is clearly a social crime (physical, sexual abuse, and violence) but the perpetrator is a family member, the victim may suffer greater emotional pain.

 

The role of the state in the face of unexpected disasters is truly important. It is necessary, but it is also the reason for the existence of the country. First of all, it is important to clarify responsibility for disaster occurrences and reveal why they occurred. And what has been revealed must be reported to the victim or bereaved family as is. And we must properly reorganize the social system to prevent this from happening again. This is the way for victims and their families to recover.

 

In addition, the full support and accommodating attitude shown by the state to the victims and their bereaved families gives ordinary citizens who observe this the belief that they can be protected by the state under any circumstances.

 

Regarding suicide and murder cases, we should not limit ourselves to the individual offender's problem, dismiss it as the individual's mental illness or criminal tendencies, and only strengthen punishment. Suicide is a suicide, and a murder is a murder. Individual incidents must be deeply analyzed to find commonalities between seemingly separate incidents and to understand the essential meaning of the social structural context in which such incidents occurred.

 

James Gilligan, a psychiatrist who studied the social context of suicide and murder, also said that the state's attitude in responding to the problem of suicide and murder is not to focus only on individual treatment and punishment, but on the 'lethal violence' in suicide and murder. The goal is to improve the political and economic systems that promote inequality, shame, and despair in society.

 

In fact, the majority of suicide deaths and murders are caused by family and social environmental problems such as family discord, absence of care, violence and abuse, sexual violence, school maladjustment, long-term social isolation, unemployment, a sense of unreality, and severe financial pressure since childhood. 

The ancient Chinese philosopher Xunzi said: "A good farmer does not stop farming just because there is a drought." In this dizzying time of disaster, The columnist misses the image of a benevolent farmer.

A Community Approach to Public Education

The cover story of the Catholic Times this past week were some problems with public education that have recently appeared  with the death of an elementary school teacher.

A young female teacher at the school where she taught students she loved took her own life. For the deceased, who became an educator to ensure a happy life for the  children and seeking happiness herself, school was a place where she could no longer find happiness. The teachers and students mourned her passing: "We are sorry we couldn't protect you." The teacher left a note: "I hope the school will be a happy place for the teachers and students..."

The sad death of a teacher reminded us of what values families, schools, and the educational community need to regain. Comforting the teachers who cried out: "We must become a school of communication, not abuse of power and complaints," the church presented an alternative called ‘Restoration of an educational community that walks together.’

On August 12, on the road of one of the subway stations in Seoul teachers dressed in black gathered together to demand an investigation into the truth and guarantee the right to education. They called for "normalization of public education that restores trust between teachers and students." Teachers took to the streets every week, and designated September 4th, the 49th anniversary of the deceased’s death, as ‘Public Education Stop Day’ to commemorate the deceased and appeal for the restoration of public education.

The teacher's death was a protest against the collapsed teaching authority. The reality of teachers who have become ‘emotional workers’, some students  have become outlaws, parents who blindly protect their children, and the complacency of schools and education authorities who ignore the reality that education has disappeared – all of this is a tragedy. This is why community efforts for true education are desperately needed.

According to the 'Emergency Teacher Survey to Recognize Teaching Rights Violations and Prepare Countermeasures' published by the Korean Federation of Teachers' Associations on July 27, 99% of the 32,951 teachers in kindergartens, elementary, middle, and high schools nationwide said that 'teachers are emotional workers.' Parents ranked first with 66.1% of those causing stress. As reasons for the increase in parents' violations of educational rights, current teachers cited the neglect of public education due to entrance-oriented education and the social situation in which parents' failure to learn consideration and cooperation in a competitive society is reflected on their children, leading to a child-centered educational system.

 A teacher at an elementary school in Seoul, said: "There are many parents who are more angry at their child for feeling shame or negative emotions due to it than for the child’s mistake." He added, "Because of such complaints, they are unable to provide proper discipline or education. Therefore, many teachers complain of feelings of self-destruction and helplessness," he explained.

The irresponsible attitude of schools and education authorities, which transfers the response to malicious complaints solely to individual teachers, is a factor that greatly worsens the situation. Therefore, teachers point out, if the school system that does not protect teachers is not improved, restoration of teaching rights is far from possible no matter what laws are enacted.

In the educational field, students, teachers, and parents coexist. If power is concentrated on one side and the balance is lost, it is natural for education to collapse. The Church early on emphasized the importance of the educational community.

The article ends with a quote from a Catholic High School principal: "The solution to solving problems occurring in the educational field is ultimately to find the value of love within the community.Teachers, parents, and school authorities, as members of the educational community, must work together for true education. We must make a concerted effort," he emphasized.