Freedom and Joy in Faith

 

In his column in the Catholic Peace Weekly, a professor at a Catholic University gives the readers an understanding of freedom in Faith.

When we think of faith, the words duty and obedience often come to mind. Faith is thought of something unrelated to or opposed to freedom. To be saved, one must believe in the doctrine taught in the church and keep the commandments. That is correct. But does God want people who live a religious life simply out of a sense of duty?

The Church teaches that faith is obedience of the intellect and will, a free and voluntary response. What is it that we are responding to? It is a response to the invitation to life as a child of God. That life is a life of joy and exultation, not hardship and burden, a truly free life enjoyed as a child of God.

In the parable of the prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-32), the older son was so angry when his younger brother returned that he refused to go to the house to greet his brother. He worked ‘like a servant’ by his father’s side all his life. He could not tolerate his younger brother, who returned after leading a debauched life, and he could not understand his father who welcomed him. He worked hard beside his father, but his heart was not free and he was not generous enough to rejoice at the sight of his younger brother. 

Perhaps we obey our Father's words, go to church diligently, and live by keeping the commandments, but lack joy and freedom. "Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours" (Luke 15:31). God has given us everything, but is it not possible for us to live happily and joyfully as children who stay with our Father and truly receive and enjoy everything? 

Since faith has been vaguely regarded as duty and obedience, it is often thought of as having nothing to do with freedom. But let’s look at Jesus. He was a free man. He also taught those who come to him the path to a free life of joy as children of God.
 
Let us make it clear here that freedom does not mean doing whatever you want. This is an infantile life that follows fleeting desires rather than freedom. Since faith is a personal relationship with God, freedom refers to the attitude of willingly and voluntarily responding to the love of another. Freedom has something to do with spontaneity and willingness. God does not want people who believe by force or out of a sense of obligation, but rather children who respond to his love voluntarily and willingly. 

However, it is also clear that freedom is not something that is given in complete form, but something that is acquired and completed over a long period. It takes time to realize God's love, which is constantly and freely given to me through all creation, his Son, and the Church.  Often it takes a long time to realize our parents' deep love. In that sense, it can be said that faith and freedom continue to grow in an individual life and community life. The better I know God and the deeper my relationship with him through faith and life, the more freely I can love God.
 
If I do not find freedom on my own, I will always live as a slave to someone or something. Let's ask ourselves. Am I free? Am I seeking and yearning for freedom?
                                                                                 God disciplines and nurtures his children through the journey of life with various tests, and wants them to experience freedom and love. So that we can deeply experience and be transformed by his love revealed through Jesus. We are now invited to find and walk the path of such great faith.

 

Standard Operating Procedure For Peace

 

A research fellow, of the  Catholic Northeast Asia Peace Research Institute writes in the Reconciliation Column of the Catholic Weekly about 'The Peace SOP Attitude'.

Countries around the world are in a state of conflict. The war between Russia and Ukraine continues, we  have  the  war between Israel and Palestine and  tensions between Armenia and Azerbaijan appear to be intensifying again. In fact, there have been many conflicts around the world, but since they do not directly affect our lives, we have not felt their severity. However, with grain prices soaring due to the war between Russia and Ukraine and oil prices expected to increase due to the war between Israel and Palestine, war is finally being felt on the Korean Peninsula.

 

Preventing war from occurring may be the top priority, but if war breaks out, what attitude and response should we as believers show? Once a war breaks out, can the subsequent response be left to the independent free will and judgment of each believer? Even now, there are many believers who make judgments and live unrelated to the words of the Bible. Can we truly live according to the teachings of faith?  

 

If we live without any reference point or direction, wouldn't we end up insisting, like 'Eichmann in Jerusalem' who massacred the Jews:  "I only did what the state told me to do, so what's my crime?" After the war is over, what is the meaning of holding meetings to reflect and express sorrow that we did not live as believers during the war? 

 

The columnist in his work has  become familiar with the term SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). SOP usually refers to the process of creating response procedures in advance for situations that may occur in the government, administrative agencies, organizations, companies, military, etc., and responding appropriately when such situations occur.  

 

Looking at the recent conflicts in various countries, a secular thought occurred to him that we, believers, should also create SOPs for peace. And within that, he thinks there should be a maximum and minimum behavioral standard, like the ‘golden rule of love’ in the Bible. He also thinks that if we do not prepare the SOP for peace in advance and practice what we believe, when war breaks out, our thinking and behavior will be no different from that of non-believers.

 

Shouldn’t the saying "that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16) also apply to wartime?

 

Meal Table for Life

The Catholic Times in its recent issue has a cover story and two articles on a very important topic that demands a great deal of thought in its coverage. Where does the food that we eat come from?

This is a world where you can buy countless foods regardless of the season by just going to the supermarket. However, if you make a study of what is sold it is full of meat that has antibiotics, vegetables grown in land contaminated with chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and genetically modified grains. Can a table filled with these foods truly be considered a complete meal that protects health?
 
The production process of favorite foods such as meat emits enormous amounts of greenhouse gases and pollutes the land and becomes food again for our dinner table.

The climate crisis is a phenomenon that arises from this environmental pollution—economic logic took precedence, such as using petroleum-based chemical fertilizers to harvest more quickly than nature permits.  A way of life humans live without considering creation.

In his recently released exhortation "Praise God", Pope Francis said: "Finally, we can add that the COVID-19 pandemic brought out the close relationship of human life with that of other living beings and with the natural environment. But especially, it confirmed that what happens in one part of the world has repercussions on the entire planet. This allows me to reiterate two convictions that I repeat over and over again: 'Everything is connected' and 'No one is saved alone'" (paragraph 19).

As experts point out, 'In the 21st century, food’s impact on the Earth has become the largest in history in terms of size and speed'. Food now is also a means of responding to the climate crisis. Preparing the table with living agricultural products is an effort to preserve God's created order and is an ecological apostolate activity that transforms our table into a table of life.

The problem of the dining table is a problem of the global community in which we must live and a problem of life. Church communities and Christians walking the ‘Laudato Si’ 7-year Journey’ must rethink our meals concerned with the climate crisis.

'Life agriculture', which reduces carbon emissions without using chemical fertilizers and pesticides, is the starting point of the solution. Consumers can achieve life agriculture together by choosing organic food and Eco-friendly food. In the Korean church, the Catholic Farmers' Association and the Headquarters of the Movement to Revive Our Rural Areas are at the forefront of 'life agriculture'.

The Bishops' Conference Ecology and Environment Committee said in its 28th Farmers' Sunday Message: "Christians consider it more and more important to protect and respect all life by choosing organic farming, rather than participating in industrial agriculture, which can lead to the mass slaughter of living things. "We have to do it," he said.

The prices of Eco-friendly organic products are not cheap. When you think of a thin wallet, you might hesitate. But this is a matter of choice. Despite the rise in inflation, the price of rice did not change significantly. The ‘rice price of 300 won per bowl’ demanded by farmers has not yet been achieved. An official from the Movement to Revitalize Our Rural Areas recommended: "If you can’t change all your food, start by changing your staple food, rice."
 
The head of the Seoul Archdiocese's Rural Restoration Movement Headquarters said: "Making our table a table of life and justice is a choice for all of us and a choice for Christians living the 'Laudato Si’ 7-Year Journey.'" He also emphasized, "Preparing the table with living agricultural products is an effort to preserve God’s created order and is an ecological apostolate activity that transforms our table into a table of life."

What we eat creates the future of our common home. This is why the Christian meal table must change. The choice of finding organic crops and Eco-friendly food is the beginning of change. Let’s look at the dining table as a matter of life.
 

Are We Prepared to Love Our Enemy?

In the Light of the World  column of the Catholic Times the columnist brings to our attention a teaching we would prefer not to know.

"We are called to be places of peace in society. It is up to us to overcome fear and create a tomorrow filled with brotherhood. I ask in the name of God that we cherish every moment of life" ( Prayers of Hope with Pope Francis)

 

Balance between prayer and activity You probably know the story of Mary and Martha. (Luke 10:38-42) It is the story of two sisters, Mary, who loved the word of the Lord and stuck close to Him, and Martha, who was busy serving Him. Mary has symbolized prayer and contemplation, and Martha has symbolized activity and service. However, the key is that the roles of the two  be harmonious. Harmony between prayer and activity is very important. Activities without prayer can lose their spiritual value and become preoccupied with worldly affairs, and can also lead to exhaustion both in work and human relationships.

 

Prayer without activity can also lead to ignoring reality or becoming indifferent to neighbors and the community, and can be out of sync with the teachings of faith that require us to take up the cross and love our neighbors. Harmony between the two is very important not only for individuals, but also within society. Both are pillars that support society.

 

Vicious cycle of violence–– The Russian-Ukrainian war has been going on for two years. And recently, in modern society where science, technology, culture, and intelligence have blossomed to their peak, we are clearly seeing surprise attacks being carried out, innocent people being killed, and even hostages being taken. Of course, the conflict between Israel and Palestine stems from a long history of conflict in which it is difficult to regard either side as a one sided victim.

 

However, what is surprising is that these two countries are countries with greater religious zeal than most other nations. So why doesn't war and violence stop? Of course, we know that forgiveness is not that easy. Is it because there is no word about forgiveness in their scriptures? It's not  that. Perhaps it's because it's difficult to overcome the hurt and pain we've experienced in the past. However, if forgiveness is impossible, the vicious cycle of violence will repeat.

Fruit of spirituality, love for enemies—He mentioned earlier the balance between prayer and activity. Prayer means spirituality, and its core is love for enemies. Of course, this spirituality must be carried out along with activities that promote social justice, give priority to the weak, and pursue the common good, and not only in places where war is taking place, but also in each person's life. Therefore, love for one's neighbors must include even enemies  and should imitate the love for enemies and self-sacrifice shown by Jesus.

War and the sacrifice of innocent people must stop.  Worldwide attention and prayers are urgently needed. In addition, we must all live out the spirituality for reconciliation, forgiveness, and love for enemies in our daily lives through a balance between prayer and activity, and bear the fruits of that spirituality.

 

 "Even if our neighbor is our enemy, we must love him with the same love that the Lord loves him. And one must be prepared to make sacrifices for him, even the ultimate sacrifice, the sacrifice of one's life for one's brother" (Summary Social Doctrine, paragraph 196).

 

!00th Anniversary of Maryknoll Society's Entry Into Korea

 

The Catholic Peace Weekly published an article on a Symposium on the work of the Maryknoll Society in East Asia in its recent issue.

In commemoration of the 100th anniversary of Maryknoll Foreign Mission Society's entry into Korea this year, the Korean Church History Institute held an international symposium on the 14th at the Spirituality Center of the Archdiocese of Seoul with the theme of 'Maryknoll Foreign Mission Society's East Asia Missionary Activities' — a reflection on the meaning of missions in East Asia by the Maryknoll Society.

  

The Maryknoll Society was founded in 1911 in the United States for the purpose of missionary work in Asia and began missionary work in Asia in 1918 after receiving its missionary mandate to China from the Vatican. It entered Korea through Pyongyang in 1923, 100 years ago, and into China before that in 1918 and Japan in 1933.

 

Father James J. Najmowski of the Maryknoll Society said in his keynote lecture: "The reason the Maryknoll Society carried out its first missionary work in China was because of the request for American missionaries by the clergy of various mission societies." At that time, political instability in various regions due to factional fighting in China caused hardships for the poor, and the need for education and medical care arose. Abandoned babies, lepers, peasants, and women needed urgent concern.

 

The Maryknoll Society, which entered Korea in 1923, worked to expand the number of parishioners and to evangelize in the Pyongyang Vicariate. After the Korean War and liberation, it moved from North to South Korea due to the communist rule in North Korea.  

 

After the Korean War, the Maryknoll Society carried out evangelization projects in the southern regions of Korea, in the Diocese of Cheongju and Incheon, and also contributed to the development of social welfare by establishing orphanages, nursing homes, and hospitals. Father Najmowski said: "Missionary activities are a mirror of Christ’s love for people, especially love for the poor. As I look back on the missionary activities practiced by the Maryknoll Society in the Far East and the reason for starting the activities, I realize the missionary mission of Christ." 

 

In addition to the keynote lecture, a professor of Daegu University gave a presentation on the theme of 'The Maryknoll Society's Entry and Adaptation to China', mentioning the duality of the discovery and adaptation of China as a mission field, and the Maryknoll Society's efforts to 'indigenize'. 

 

A senior researcher at the Korean Church History Institute also examined the situation of the Maryknoll Society that entered Korea during the Japanese colonial period with the theme of 'Japanese religious policy and Maryknoll Foreign Mission Society’s advancement into Korea'. "In the 1920s, the Korean Church sought the expansion of the Maryknoll Society into Korea in response to the expansion of Protestant churches, the impact of World War I, and Japan’s Protestant-oriented religious policy after the March 1st Movement. In 1923, the Maryknoll Society was able to enter Korea."

 

A Japanese professor at Nagasaki University of Foreign Studies revealed the interrelationship between the Maryknoll Society’s expansion into Japan and Korea in his presentation 'Kyoto District Establishment and Its Significance'.

 

In his congratulatory address, Father James M. Lynch, Vicar General of the Maryknoll Society, said: "In all our missionary activities, including East Asia, we have tried to witness to the true nature of the church’s mission. In particular, the Maryknoll Society has been enriched by the faith of Koreans. We were invited into the joys, hopes, sorrows, and pains of the Korean people, and witnessed the light of Korean faith that enriched the universal church. Thank you for your faith, virtue, and charity.”

 

In his welcoming address, Bishop Son, Chairman of the Korean Church History Institute, said: "This is an academic symposium that looks at the evangelization activities carried out by Maryknoll missionaries in Asia from a larger perspective." He looked back on the passion and efforts of the Maryknoll Society for a century and prayed for evangelization in a new era. 

Growth in Faith

A professor at a Catholic University in his column in the Catholic Peace Weekly discusses the process that we experience in our growth in faith.

In Jesus' parable, there is a story of two sons who were commanded by their father to work in the vineyard (see Matthew 21:28-32). The older son initially responded: 'I don't want to do it,' but later changed his mind and went to work, while the other son said he would go and didn't go. In the end, it was the eldest son who carried out his father's will. When you hear this story, you may think of ‘turning your life around’ or ‘turning things around at the last minute,’ but it is actually a story about faith and obedience to the Father’s will.

Like the father in the parable, God never forces himself on his children. He seeks and asks and expects you to answer for yourself. He waits for you to understand and follow His will. This is God's method of education.

Faith is voluntary obedience. It may seem contradictory at first, but through experience, one realizes that true obedience in faith can only be voluntary. This is similar to the process of a child growing up and becoming an adult. When you are young, you do whatever your parents tell you, regardless of your will. Your parents' world becomes your world, and your parents' thoughts become your thoughts. However, as children grow up, they become ready to take responsibility for their own lives—dream of the future, prepare for a career, and learn to do on their own what needs to be done.  

In this process, the child becomes conscious of his own thoughts and will and begins to challenge themselves, rather than challenge, the authority of his parents or teachers. Through this difficult, but necessary, period for both parties, the children become adults who take responsibility for their own life. And as they live their lives they go through various trials and make mistakes. In particular, they go through what their parents went through and recognize that their parents' thoughts and will were right. In the end, they voluntarily obey their parents.

The same goes for faith. When young, you held your parents' hand and went to church, but as you grow older, you may feel that faith is a shackle that makes you uncomfortable and unfree in many ways. There are times when your body and mind become distant from the church. However, as we are being tossed around by the winds of the world, we eventually return to the Father, realizing that God's Word and the Church's teachings are right, and that the only ones who believe in me and wait for me are God and the Church.

This is very important to understand the path of faith you are walking and to raise your children in faith. At some point, when your child asks about faith and expresses dissatisfaction, you need to view it as an opportunity rather than a crisis. This is because it is a process of moving from passive faith following the authority of parents to voluntary faith on one's own. We also need to acknowledge that we have walked that path, and we need to understand and sympathize with what our children experience as a process of growing into believers.

The important thing is not to persuade with a perfect argument (that's not what your child wants), but to talk openly and honestly with each other and maintain a trusting relationship. Here, sharing parents' experiences about faith and life is very important. Children will be able to continue to find what is good and right on their own through conversations with their parents who listen to their stories and share their life stories honestly.

The God we meet through this process is not someone trapped in doctrine or the Bible, but someone who lives in our lives. He wants his children to be joyful and happy, filled with mercy, justice, becoming freer and experiencing more of his love. You discover that we are walking this beautiful and joyful path of faith.

​

Difficulties of Migrants

 

The Catholic Peace Weekly  in its Religious Platform column asks the question why do they use Korean to explain the English Exam? The columnist is the  Diocesan Director of Migrant Pastoral Care Center.

The columnist unexpectedly became a Jeju resident 10 years ago. Life on Jeju Island is still good, where you don't have to run to avoid missing the subway. It's still possible to live without the need to rush. For the first 2-3 years, if a friend came from Seoul, he could easily go there after work and have dinner even if it was far away, but now he can't. This is because he has become a 'Jeju Islander' who considers 'movements longer than 30 minutes' needing a special itinerary.

Jeju residents have sincerely welcomed the construction of a '15-minute Jeju city', which is a key pledge of the new provincial governor. [An urban planning concept in which most daily necessities and services, such as work, shopping, education, healthcare, and leisure can be easily reached by a 15-minute walk, bike ride, or public transit ride from any point in the city. This approach aims to reduce car dependency, promote healthy and sustainable living, and improve well being and quality of life for city dwellers]

The real Jeju language, although Korean, is more difficult than foreign languages. Even though it has been 10 years since he moved here, he still only knows a few words. Even though he is  confident that his listening skills have improved a lot, he feels a sense of shame  when he listens to the grandmothers' stories. He is aware that it takes a considerable amount of time and effort to become familiar with a new language.

He works at the Naomi Center, affiliated with the Catholic Diocese of Jeju’s Migrant Pastoral Committee. It is a place that helps foreigners, such as immigrants and refugees. It offers an English Mass every week, a Mass in Vietnamese and Timor-Leste every month, and a Mass in Filipino every other month. Free medical treatment in internal medicine and obstetrics and gynecology is also provided. And for foreigners who are not eligible for health insurance, they have introduced the Foreign Medical Mutual Aid Association through business agreements with 21 hospitals, including Jeju National University Hospital, to support the immigrants and refugees.

The study room within the center is attended by 'children with migrant backgrounds' who have lived in various countries such as Yemen, Sudan, India, and Vietnam. The children’s thoughts and actions are as varied as the countries are diverse, so it is always new and interesting.  

The common language in the study room is, of course, Korean, and the common menu(?) is chicken. Unlike beef or pork, there is no country or religion that taboos chicken. If there is a new menu item that is added over time, it is a 'Spicy Cup of Noodle Soup'. Children eat food from their country of origin at home, eat Korean food outside, and grow up to be 'multicultural' children who know how to enjoy food from various countries.

One day, a 5th grade elementary school student from India, who is not yet good at Korean, complained and said, "I took the English test today and I got three questions wrong!" When the study room guidance teacher expressed regret that an Indian whose main language was English got three questions wrong on the English test, she complained while the child rolled his eyes. "Why are we taking the English test in Korean? I got three questions wrong because I couldn't understand the questions written in Korean." The columnist who was next to him, said: "I’m taking the test in Korean because I’m Korean~", but he thought there was some truth to what the child said. He was able to think again about the English test system in which Koreans get better scores than native English speakers.

When he was young, he remembers being scolded by adults because he couldn't use chopsticks properly. Nowadays, if a child cannot use chopsticks, instead of scolding him, we give him a fork.  Western cooking utensils are used to eat Korean food. Just as the newly changed Korean food culture is no longer unfamiliar with Western food culture, we look forward to an educational environment where foreign students can live together in harmony.