In the Catholic Peace Weekly Diagnosis of the Times column, a Catholic University professor considers our present times and the crisis of life that he sees. The cultural crisis in modern society is by no means trivial. This is because culture and lifestyles have changed rapidly since the Industrial Revolution and no philosophical system to explain it. Of course, the European Enlightenment and the philosophy of modernity attempted to explain this phenomenon. However, as subsequent history has shown, this system not only set humans as the masters of existence but also caused dysfunction by ..read more

The Catholic Times Sunday Chat column by a college professor emeritus gives the readers some interesting reading on heaven.  In a Gallup survey, 63.4% of people answered that ‘Paradise or heaven is not in the other world, but in this world,’ which showed that the people’s thinking is largely centered on this world. Humanity has dreamed of an ideal world since time immemorial. Where on earth is that place? In the East, people longed for the heavenly world where the Jade Emperor and the immortals lived. Carl Busse, a 19th-century German lyric poet, said in his poem ‘Over the Mountains ..read more

The Catholic Times View From the Ark column had an article on the divisions in society that a priest wanted to make known to the readers of the paper. It is well worth reading. The general election is over. He is not normally interested in political news. Only after the election campaign materials arrived at the rectory did he know who the candidates running in his local constituency were.  Even then, many political parties were unable or did not send public information due to lack of funds.  He had to go to the search bar and go through the trouble of finding the information.  ..read more

The journey of reconciliation with God and with oneself is completed through reconciliation with others. The three are connected as one. It is not right to offer gifts to God while fighting with one's neighbors. Jesus says. “Therefore, if you are about to offer your gift at the altar and you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar and go away and first be reconciled to your brother. Then return and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24) If you were asked to name the most difficult of the three types of reconciliation, wouldn't most people ..read more

  In the recent Catholic Times View From the Ark column, a college professor expresses his appreciation for the missioner known as the cheese priest of Korea. Father Ji-Hwan Jeong (池正煥, Didier t’Serstevens) was born in Brussels, Belgium in 1931. Upon graduating from high school in 1950, he joined the Belgian Missionary Society (La Société des Auxiliaires des Missions) founded by Father Vincent Lebbe (1877-1940). He wanted to go to the poorest country in the world and live among them as a brother of the people, learning from them and doing with them what they wanted to do through what the ..read more

  In a report from the Catholic Peace Weekly News Service a priest columnist reminds us of a tragedy from the past. April 16, 2014. The Sewol ferry, which departed Incheon and was on its way to Jeju Island, sank off the coast of Jindo, Jeollanam-do. The captain, wearing only his underwear, was the first to escape from the sinking ship. About 300 people, including students from Danwon High School in Ansan, were on a field trip and could not return to their families. Paengmok Port becomes a sea of tears. Citizens hung yellow ribbons, saying something had to be done in response to the risin ..read more

The author of  Climate Crisis and Ecological Spirituality reminds us of the need for concern for our environment. The Catholic Times Diagnosis of the Times column brings this to the attention of the readers.  Looking at the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament, God created the heavens and the earth, separated light from darkness, made day and night, plants and animals, as well as seasons and days, and blessed them with the words, "Be fruitful." It tells the story of the creation of humans on the last day of creation and the creation of plants and fruit trees tha ..read more

The Catholic Time's View from the Ark column by a religious sister gives us a view of the foreign community of young people in Korea.  Looking over the status of multicultural students for the past 10 years, the number is increasing every year from 46,954 in 2012 to 160,056 in 2022. The proportion of multicultural students among all students is also continuously increasing from 0.7% in 2012 to 3.0% in 2022. Looking at the proportion of multicultural students over the past five years, the proportion of those born domestically (internationally married) is still the highest but is gradually ..read more

   A professor in the sociology department of a Catholic University shares her thoughts on the kind of life she envisions in our world. Although he has now left the political arena, the primary slogan of a former politician still resonates with people. It was 'life with dinner.' "An economy that takes on a human form in a life with evenings." (This expression suggests a vision for an economy that values work-life balance and human dignity). This slogan captured people's hearts with an image that seemed to counteract the rapid growth of our society and the fatigue it caused. Imagin ..read more

The recent Catholic Times featured an article on Fr. Ham Je-do a Maryknoll Priest who was born in August 1933 in Philadelphia, USA, the son of an Irish immigrant family.  At that time the United States was going through a very difficult economic period. His parents also had a hard time finding work. After many twists and turns, his father worked at a tobacco shop and his mother worked at a department store. Father Ham,  grew up in a devout Christian family. It was when he met the late Bishop Jang Ik (John), (1933-2020) that Father Ham came to know the unfamiliar Korea across ..read more