Never Lose Hope— Happy Easter!

The Preciousness of Faith columnist at the Catholic Peace Weekly offers some thoughts in preparation for the Feast of Easter.

We are in the Jubilee, but the columnist laments that he feels there is strangely no Jubilee atmosphere. The current situation in our country, which is extremely chaotic, may not be unrelated to this atmosphere.

Pope Francis set the theme of the Jubilee as ‘Pilgrim of Hope’ — the Church will light a flame of hope in this era of wounds and loss of hope. But what kind of hope can the Church convey to the world in this dark era? As the biblical text of the Jubilee says (cf. Romans 5:5), how confidently are we conveying that hope?

The priest columnist recently read an article about a book called "I Wish Today Was Tomorrow". The author tells the story of a mother who chose euthanasia (assisted death) while suffering from terminal cancer and invites us to deeply reflect on life and death. The remaining time in a state where there is no hope of recovery will be a more painful experience than death. How painful must it have been for a patient in Zurich, Switzerland, who was waiting for tomorrow, the day of her “planned death”, to say that she wished the day would come sooner?

Since the columnist was at the side of his mother, who suffered from pancreatic cancer and passed away in the arms of God, he could relate to the above story. However, on the other hand, he also felt regretful that it had to be that way. This is not just because the church prohibits euthanasia. In fact, this is a problem that all people, not just terminally ill patients, have to face.

At some point, whether due to old age or illness, we will stand before the “cliff of hope” where all human hope falls to the ground. When there is no hope, what meaning and value does the time left until death have? We will fall into depression and spend our days in misery, and we will even resent God for still keeping us alive. In this way, we are all weak beings who cannot live even a single moment without hope.

However, we Christians have hope beyond death. And that hope changes everything. The moment we place our hope in God, who governs life and death, the time we have left becomes an incredibly precious time to prepare for meeting God, organize our relationships, and reorder our lives. He experienced this at a hospice and wished he could convey this hope to the people of the world. Wouldn’t it have been possible to change the decision to choose assisted death?

At this point, we can say, as author Han Kang said, “The dead save the living.” Believers who have walked this path before us tell us to find what hope we have. How blessed, precious, and great that hope is. They tell us not to realize it too late but to find that hope, organize our lives now, prepare for a beautiful death, and live today beautifully and brilliantly, given to us as a gift.

Jesus set foot on Jerusalem after the holy transfiguration. Wasn’t the reason he went to Jerusalem to walk the path of pain, suffering, despair, and death before us so that he could be with us and become our hope when we reached the valley of death?

Let us remember that Lent is a pilgrimage to Jerusalem with the Lord and a journey to find the hope that the Lord wants to give us. The world desperately longs for hope. However, it is not easy to dream of hope beyond death alone. If we believers stand up and boldly spread hope, living in it confidently, won’t the world become brighter and more hopeful?  Happy Easter!

Silence is Golden

In one of the columns in the Catholic Times, a Benedictine monk gives the readers some good advice from the Desert Fathers on the value of silence.

One of the most significant weaknesses of modern society is the difficulty of listening to others. People are good at expressing themselves because of their strong opinions and personalities but are not used to listening. In fact, we have all experienced that it is much more challenging to listen to others than to speak. This is a common experience for all of us.  Wasn't Adam, our first human, also expelled from paradise because he didn't listen to God? 

A monk asked the abbot, "I can't control my tongue. What should I do?" The abbot  asked, 'Are you at peace when you speak?' He replied, 'No'. The abbot said, "If you are not at peace, why are you speaking? Keep your mouth shut. It is better to listen than to talk." 

This adage emphasizes the wisdom of listening. Words do not guarantee us peace. Excessive and empty words rather deprive us of inner calm and peace. We live in an era where words are too many. There can never be peace in a place where you don't have listening, and you can't expect dialogue, compromise, reconciliation, and unity. That may be why our society struggles to overcome conflict, confrontation, violence, and division. What we need more than anything is listening. Why is that?

Listening is the premise of the conversation. We share our thoughts and opinions through conversation and get to know each other. To do this, we first need to listen to the other person. If you don't listen, the conversation won't work. The conversation goes nowhere if you only emphasize your words, thoughts, opinions, and arguments. The same goes for prayer, which is a conversation with God. First, if you constantly repeat yourself rather than listening to God, it's not prayer. That's why listening is essential and must precede.

It's important to listen, but you must listen carefully. If you listen incorrectly, you can get a wrong response. It's always the same answer when people listen to what they want. The prerequisites for listening well are silence and an open mind. These two must go together. No matter how silent you are, you can't hear the other properly if you close your heart. This is because stereotypes, prejudices, and biases that make for a closed mind prevent us from hearing properly. 

Listening half-heartedly is not authentic listening. Listening should be done with respect. Such listening will enable genuine dialogue and pave the way for peace, free from conflicts, confrontations, grudges, and division.

Listening is directly related to obedience. Christians know why obedience is essential in our faith journey. 'Obedientia', derived from the Latin verb "audire," means "to listen." "Be obedient to your parents" is like "listening to your parents carefully." As such, obedience begins with listening. However, it does not stop at simply listening but is completed when you practice what you hear. 

By obeying God, we return to Him again. This means listening to God and living according to His word. At the heart of God's word is love. Therefore, the path of obedience is the path of love. Jesus set us an example of obedience. He took a path of obedience to his father, which was possible because of his love for God and us. As disciples of Christ, we will return to God through this path of obedience, the path of love.

With the 'Desert Fathers', 'listening' was the word emphasized by disciples. A disciple was a person who listened to and practiced what his teacher taught. The disciple had to obey everything the teacher said unconditionally. Obedience to the teacher was thought to be obedience to God. The disciple cleared his mind and tamed his passion by obeying, eventually achieving inner peace.

A monk is a 'listener'. This means that he is a disciple who learns rather than teaches. His true teacher is Christ. We Christians are also disciples of Christ. That is why you must always remain a listener and practice what you hear. A disciple of Christ is a person who always listens to God and practices his will while trying to listen to and respond to the world and people. He is a constant learner.

You can become more talkative as you get older through your accumulated experiences. You can also be tempted to teach others with more intensity.  In order not to be treated as an old fogey, you must reduce your words and show the wisdom one has gained from experiences through actions and life. In our era of talking a lot, listening and speaking with our lives may be more effective. Listening is a sign of a student. If we want to be true disciples of Christ, we need  to be the 'listener' rather than the 'talker.'

Faith And Reason Contemplating Truth

In the Catholic Peace Weekly's Preciousness of Faith column, the priest offers some thoughts on a serious problem in our understanding of the church and our behavior as Catholics.

German political theorist Hannah Arendt used the term "the banality of evil". This term means that evil does not arise from particularly evil motives or wickedness but from everyday thoughtlessness and avoidance of responsibility. Of course, this cannot be generalized, but crimes and evil deeds due to lack of thought are common.

When religion becomes distant from Reason, it becomes a dangerous entity that causes significant harm to society. When such religion colludes with politics, it risks becoming a tool of agitation and a puppet of politics. 

We are witnessing this worldwide, especially in today's Korean society. Catholics are often criticized as being "unintellectual". They go to church diligently, but when asked about the Bible or doctrine, they usually say they do not know much. They generally think that what happens at home or in society is separate from faith. "Faith and life are separate" is the problem.  Such non-intellectual faith will easily descend into false piety or pseudo-religion.

Some believers protest why the church is involved in politics and social issues. Some believers have declared that they will no longer attend church after giving up their decades-long religious life because of bishops and priests who support the impeachment of the president.

Korean society is currently in a very chaotic situation. In times like these, we need to calm our minds and reason about what is happening in society, especially from the perspective of the church and faith.

The church has always emphasized the importance of Reason in faith. Pope John Paul II said Faith and Reason are "like two wings that fly to contemplate the truth" (Encyclical Faith and Reason). Reason without faith cannot reach the highest level of thought, and faith without Reason runs the risk of falling into blindness or myth. When faith and Reason help each other and develop, they greatly benefit humanity.

Of course, it is not easy for individual believers to think and judge all the world's problems from a religious perspective. That is why it is necessary to listen to the church's official position and make it their own. The church, with the help of experts in each field, theologically reflects on various problems of the present age that the world and the church are concerned about and expresses an official position on them. Of course, the church cannot force uniform thinking on believers. Still, by pointing out various errors in the world and suggesting a direction toward truth according to the teachings of the church, it encourages Christian believers to expand their thinking in the truth freely, engage in dialogue with the world, and participate in building a more humane, just, and peaceful world.

The Episcopal Conference clearly stated the church's official position regarding recent political issues related to the declaration and lifting of martial law and the president's impeachment. Of course, this is not doctrine, but since it is based on Catholic teaching and the scriptures, believers must understand the spirit of the church contained in it and strive to avoid any errors that may arise.

Human Reason is weak and easily entangled in vested interests. The Bishops'  teaching helps us make prudential judgments to help our dulled Reason. In this time of political turmoil, we must find a way to realize the kingdom of God on this land through faith, free from personal interests and ideologies, and pray that the truth is realized, that lies and violence disappear, and that justice and peace come. 

Palm Sunday the Passion

In his weekly column in the Catholic Peace Weekly, a science teacher offers some thoughts at the beginning of Holy Week to help us understand some of the difficulties we face in life. 

On a bright, quiet night like the Milky Way, it is difficult to tell the dawn, and the wind is weak. The first rooster’s cackle is so pleasant to hear...

This is part of a poem by Yongjae Seonghyeon, a great scholar and man of letters from the early Joseon Dynasty. He was also well-versed in music, and under the order of King Seongjong, he compiled a book with two others in 1493, which is called the textbook of Joseon music.  With outstanding talent in literature and music, he romantically described the rooster's crowing that breaks the dawn's silence through his poetry. So why do roosters crow at dawn, just before daybreak?

In the case of vertebrates, there is a pineal gland, a hormone-secreting tissue resembling a pine cone, in the brain's center. Melatonin hormone is synthesized and secreted here, and melatonin acts as a biological clock that creates a daily rhythm of physiological and behavioral activities according to the circadian cycle of day and night. Melatonin secretion is promoted at night when the light is weak, inducing sleep, and secretion is suppressed during the day when the light is strong, maintaining a state of wakefulness. This is why sleeping is difficult if you don’t turn off the lights in your room at night. 

Mammals receive light through their eyes, but birds receive light directly through the skin on their heads and stimulate the pineal gland, so they have a life cycle that is much more sensitive to light than other animals. For this reason, birds wake up early from sleep due to decreased melatonin secretion, even in the dim light at dawn, and chirp diligently from early in the morning. Chickens also serve as alarms to let people know morning has come. The first rooster crow at dawn must have been pleasant to the ears of Seonghyeon, but to Saint Peter, it sounded like a thunderclap.

In this week’s Passion Sunday Gospel, there is a scene where Peter says at the Last Supper, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison and die with you” (Luke 22:33). Jesus says, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny me three times” (22:34). In fact, Peter denied knowing Jesus three times when Jesus was taken away before the first rooster crowed in the morning. Peter remembered what the Lord had said and “went outside and wept bitterly” (22:62).

Saint Peter’s human weakness, caused by his fear of the powers that persecuted Christ and his self-abasement, is transformed with the first rooster crow. He serves as the church's foundation, dying hanging upside down on a cross. 

In his 1953 award-winning poem, “The Rooster of Jerusalem,” the pro-life poet Chung Ma Yoo-hwan reflected, “Have I not participated in evil by turning away in the face of hypocrisy's denial of goodness?” “Every dawn, in the distant city of Jerusalem, the rooster cries out (⋯), and I wet my pillow with tears of resentment, sinfulness, and self-reproach."

Lent is a time of conversion, deep reflection, and change in behavior toward the world and ourselves. Before we hear a rooster crowing somewhere, let's see if we've turned a blind eye to the injustices, hypocrisies, and inadequacies of the world and ourselves.

'Staying Awake Is Wisdom'

In a recent column in the Catholic Times, the author discusses what we can learn from the wisdom of the Desert Fathers: Stay Awake! Being Awake is an inner attitude of the mind, always prepared for something.

In the Gospel, Jesus often advises his disciples to ‘stay awake’ (see Luke 21:34-36). The apostles also repeated this teaching. The Desert Fathers, like Jesus and the Apostles, also emphasized ‘wakefulness.’ They considered it very important for monks to remain awake everywhere. One brother took this so seriously that he would stop at every step and ask himself, “Now, brother, where are we?” when moving to a different place. 

What does it mean to be awake? The primary meaning of wakefulness is not to sleep. However, not sleeping is not the true meaning of wakefulness. Wakefulness is having a clear mind. The Apostle Paul exhorts, “Let us be awake with a clear mind” (1 Thessalonians 5:6). Wakefulness is an internal attitude of the heart.

The early monks were constantly oriented toward God by keeping their minds awake. This inner watchfulness involves being conscious of everything, concentrating on the moment, and doing one's best when doing something. Strictly speaking, it is an attitude of always being awake to God and oneself, always on guard for evil thoughts, and ready to reject temptations as soon as they come. This defensive attitude is called ‘vigilance’ or ‘caution’ of the mind and heart.

Watchfulness is also a state of being always ready for something. Jesus says, “Watch, for you do not know on what day your Lord will come” (Matthew 24:42). In other words, we must be ready to welcome the Lord, who may come at any time. 

We remember the story of the ten virgins in the Gospel (Matthew 25:1-13) preparing to welcome the Bridegroom. All of them were awake and waiting for the bridegroom, but they fell asleep. When the bridegroom came, only the five virgins who had prepared oil for their lamps were able to welcome him. A monk is always awake, prepared to welcome the Lord. 

Awakeness is connected to prayer. Jesus advised, “Be awake and pray always” (Luke 21:36). The Apostle Paul also said, “Be awake and pray with thanksgiving” (Col 4:2). The Psalmist sings, “My eyes are awake before dawn, that I may meditate on your word” (Psalm 119). And “At midnight I rise to praise you” (Psalm 119:62). In this way, staying awake at night without sleeping is for prayer.

The Desert Fathers also tried to stay awake and pray according to the admonition of the Lord and the Apostles. They especially got up in the middle of the night to pray. This is the midnight 'Vigil prayer' passed down through the monastic tradition. As anyone who has experienced it knows, staying awake and praying at night is difficult. It is not easy to even get up in the middle of the night to pray when everyone is asleep. Above all, there is a struggle with sleep. It is not easy to stay awake and pray even when you wake up because of the drowsiness. Nevertheless, the monks have stayed awake and prayed while the world was asleep and continue to do so.

Not only does sleep hinder prayer, but also an impure and unstable heart. Therefore, wakefulness is also about keeping the heart pure and calm. “If we stay awake, all these temptations disappear.”  One Abba asked, “Which is better, physical abstinence or inner wakefulness?” he answered, “Man is like a tree. Physical abstinence are the leaves, the inner wakefulness is the fruit. As it is written, ‘Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire’ (Matthew 3:10), so all our attention should be directed toward the fruit. 

The Desert Fathers are exhorting us, who live in these turbulent and confusing times, to “stay awake!” To be awake means to be conscious, to keep the heart pure, to be conscious of everything, and to live in the present. This is the state of “inner awakeness” that the Fathers spoke of. In this state, we will not succumb to the temptations of evil that constantly attack us. We must always be awake so that all vain human desires do not dominate us. No one can defend himself against this danger if we are not awake. And without inner depth, we remain at a superficial level. What is important is each of our inner attitudes. No matter where or how we live, we must stay awake internally without losing consciousness of the self. Otherwise, we will continue to wander in delusion.

Catholic Church And Youth

The recent Catholic Times cover story and editorial remind us that young people have been involved in the church's history. Based on the historical and cultural context of Jesus and the 12 Apostles, it was likely young adults, possibly in their late teens or early twenties, with some possibly older, who were the members of Jesus' core disciples. 

Young people have been the church's main subjects of change and renewal. Young disciples of Jesus Christ played an important role in spreading the gospel and establishing the church. The Korean church has also grown through the dedication and sacrifice of young believers amidst persecution and chaos. 

However, many young people are leaving the church today. This is a matter not only of personal faith but also of the church community. If young people feel alienated from the church or their faith is not connected to their lives, it may be because the church has not listened to their voices. 

Above all, we must create an open church where young people can actively participate. Various activities and communication channels must be provided so that young people can become subjects who participate in the church's mission, not simply passive believers. In addition, the church must strive to help young people practice their faith and quench their spiritual thirst. When young people go beyond the church's fence and play the role of light and salt in the world, the church will become more energized and find new hope.

The Korean church is now at an important turning point. The upcoming 2027 Seoul World Youth Day could be the test. The church should welcome young people as mature companions and support them so that they can participate proactively. For young people to become the church's hope, the church should welcome them, and young people should become the leading players who change the world with the power of faith.

Pope Francis begins his Apostolic Exhortation to the Young 'Christus vivet' with the words: "Christ is alive! He is our hope, and in a wonderful way, he brings youth to our world, and everything he touches becomes young, new, and full of life. The very first words, then, that I would like to say to every young Christian are these: Christ is alive, and he wants you to be alive!"

The pope acknowledges that “the church members do not always act like Jesus”. He criticizes the church's reality, saying, “Rather than paying attention to young people, there is a widespread tendency to provide stereotypical answers and outdated solutions without allowing young people to ask their real questions or accept their challenges.”

However, we hear from the young who still have a spiritual longing, “I can’t talk about God in the church.” In the article, some of those working in Youth Spirituality discovered that many young people want to talk about religion, church, and God, but say if you talk about "God" in the Church, the atmosphere becomes awkward, or you are looked at as strange. Although there are youth groups in the church, it is often more of a volunteer group for social gatherings or church events than a place to talk about God.

This response from the young people can be interpreted as evidence that the church has failed to understand their spiritual yearnings and has failed to accompany them in discovering their vocation.

One of the leaders working with the young, “I was impressed by the appearance of young people who are seeking their own sanctuaries, such as the meaning of their existence and the meaning of their lives planned by God,” and added, “Young people’s religious interests and questions are very serious, but we need to look back and see if the church is taking the spiritual longings of young people too lightly.” Also added, “If young people cannot find their individual sanctuaries within the church, they will not be attracted to the church.”

Parish youth groups focusing on fellowship or service fail to understand young people's spiritual thirst and their spiritual needs. 

“I think the most important thing is to sympathize with the difficulties of young people, talk to them, and help them overcome those difficulties with faith. It is most important for young people to receive comfort and hope from the church and the words and love of Christ.”

This is a youth pastor's response regarding youth ministry. Although it seems like a good policy for youth ministry, a sociology professor believes this misunderstands the problem. “(Many youth pastors) express similar opinions,” and “This position leads to the absence of will to retain and attract young believers.”

In “A Study on the Phenomenon of Young Believers 'Leaving Religion'”, the professor conducted in-depth interviews and comparative studies with youth pastors from five religious organizations located in Seoul. He pointed out that “even if they recognize the need for innovative measures, the practical measures prepared according to this need tend to not go beyond the fence of the traditional paradigm created by the teachings of the Catholic faith.” Many young people have left the fence, but ministry is still being carried out only within the fence.

In the “Comprehensive Statement of the Korean Church” written through the listening process of the 16th Synod of Bishops, the Korean Church stated that “almost all dioceses have failed to become full companions to them (young people)” and confessed that “while the Church mentions the importance of young people, it does not actually approach them, and although it claims to be together with them, it lacks efforts that young people can feel.”

Of course, there have been efforts to reach out to young people outside the fence, such as youth restaurants started by various religious orders and dioceses. However, parishes, the front lines of pastoral work, lack efforts in this ministry.

In a COVID-19 survey conducted by the Catholic Pastoral Research Institute of Korea in 2023, young people chose ‘authoritarian culture’ as the first place that needs to change the most in the Korean church and ‘the arbitrary decision-making structure of priests’ as the second. While calling young people the ‘hope of the future’, the attitude toward them as immature beings who need to be taught and not as the ‘hope of the present’ is an obstacle preventing them from staying in or entering the church.

A young man in one of the parishes said, “When I ask questions about issues with youth activities in the parish or the conflicts between life and faith, if I hear answers like ‘This is how we have traditionally taught,’ or ‘You still lack faith, so you think like that,’ it is deeply hurtful for young people who are struggling to live as true Christians.” He added, “Ultimately, the young people who ask questions become uncomfortable, and the door to dialogue closes, and they seem to become increasingly distant from faith.”

Pope Francis, in 'Christus vivet' (Christus Alive), acknowledges that “the members of the church do not always act like Jesus” and criticizes the church's reality, saying, “Rather than paying attention to young people, there is a widespread tendency to provide stereotypical answers and outdated solutions without allowing young people to ask their real questions or accept their challenges.”

A Korean Institute for Christian Thought leader explained the traditional paradigm of youth ministry by saying, “It has been customary for youth ministry to apply programs unilaterally created by pastors and church organizations to young people.” He suggested, “Rather than providing resources and programs for a ‘church for young people,’ we should create a ‘church of young people,’ a church where young people gather and share their own spiritual experiences and ideas, and where their spiritual and religious needs are expressed.” He means that young people should be welcomed not as the protagonists of the ‘future,’ but as the protagonists of the ‘present.’

Seeing with the Mind's Eye

The  Science and Faith columnist of the Catholic Peace Weekly gives readers a meditation on eyes and what they can teach us.

Why do humans have two eyes? Science books say they give us a sense of perspective and depth. But this doesn't explain why we have two eyes; it's the consequence.

The advantages of having two eyes are clear. The angle that forms between your eyes and an object is called the optical angle, and depending on the size of the angle, your brain recognizes whether the object is far or near. The angle between our eyes and the ends of the object of sight, the visual angle, gives you a three-dimensional sense of the object's size. While the eyes are sensors that receive light stimuli and allow us to detect the shape and color of objects and determine their location, not all animal eyes perform as many functions as human eyes.

For example, underwater, distant objects are difficult to see, and most fish can only see close objects and don't have color-sensitive cells in their eyes. Frogs, snakes, and reptiles also have imperfect eyes that rely on other senses to identify prey and distinguish colors. Birds can see five to ten times farther than humans, which is related to their survival requirements of flying and foraging at high altitudes.

Dogs cannot distinguish red and have vision blindness similar to human red-green color blindness. Still, their excellent sense of smell and hearing compensates for their eyes' imperfections. Only humans and some primates, such as chimpanzees, can see the many colors in nature. They use their eyes to perceive perspective and grasp the size of objects.

However, despite having more developed eyes than other animals, humans often fail to adjust their inherent perspective on the world and other people. There are things in the world that can only be seen properly from a distance, and conversely, there are things that can only be seen up close and with attention. We need to get as close as possible to our inner selves, reflect on all, and step back from the faults of others and the events of the world to see the big picture.

The columnist goes to a watercolor class once a week. He often wonders if he's getting the color right in his sketchbook. His art teacher often says, “You can't see it up close; try looking at it from a little further away.” He is reminded of what that means these days. He needs perspective on the world and others and spiritual vision.

In this week's Gospel for the Fifth Sunday of Lent, the scribes and Pharisees insist that a woman caught in sin should be stoned to death. When Christ says, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her” (John 8,7), “when they heard this, they went away one by one, starting with the older ones” (John 8,9). 

We must adjust our perspective and look closely at ourselves before condemning anybody. When did we lose the vision of the mind's eye, seeing things too close and too big when they should be seen at a distance and seeing things at a distance we should see close. We must remember this when tempted to use unkind words and easily angered by others.