2023/03/20

83. Information Named Mystery

The Japanese Zen tradition is deeply embedded in Japanese culture. As a Japanese, I find that the Zen experience is about seeing nothingness through practice, that is, coming into contact with informationlessness. A person is already a mass of information from the beginning of embryonic development steps, i.e., a fertilised egg. And a cluster of information welcomes the person at birth. People seek information, grow up absorbing information, use it and live amid it. So, even though people might be aware of the existence of "informationless information" deep within themselves, they avoid it instinctively, so to speak, and pass by it. Zen practitioners, however, are brave enough to pay attention to this inner "informationless information" and try to get close to it. Zen is not mysticism. By sitting in silence, they put the functioning of their brain, which integrates the five senses, in abeyance and try to get in touch with the reality of "informationless information," which lies even deeper inside the voice, the sixth sense, which draws the words from the unfathomable bundle of memories. Hence, they must not be drawn to the information named mystery. 

On the other hand, the Christian looks at the Eucharist, which is the reality of God. When Jesus said, "A little while, and you will see me no more; again a little while, and you will see me" (John 16:16), he was referring to the risen body of Christ in which God is present (cf. Blog № 79), i.e. the Eucharist. The ultimate desire of the Christian who trusts in Jesus' promise: "Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you in my name" (John 16:23), is to be given the Eucharist. 

Now the Eucharist is the "image" of Christ, the risen human person, the holy humanity of Christ and the God who is with the Christian and becomes one with them by being eaten, making them brothers and sisters and mothers in Jesus and making them united. He is the very one to whom the Christian should say, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). Therefore, Jesus said: "Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. And when he comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment" (John 16:7-8). Then, he taught that "concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no more" (John 16:10). He is saying here that it is righteous for Christians to no longer see Jesus after he has gone to the Father. 

The Eucharist, which Jesus himself prepared for the Holy Spirit, is the body of the risen Jesus and becomes the sign that the Holy Spirit has come in the name of Jesus. The Christian looks to the Holy Spirit and remains in front of the silence of the Eucharist, the reality of the divine informationlessness, and accepts that they no longer see Jesus Christ. Hence, the Christian has nothing to do with mysticism. We must not be drawn to the information named mystery.

Maria K. M.

 2023/03/13

Mt. Fuji (Japan)

82. The Japanisation Part 3

In Japan, as in Western Europe and the USA, structural economic changes have led to social polarisation since the 1970s amidst the progressive liberalisation of divorce and the sexual revolution. According to sociologist Masahiro Yamada, introduced in the previous article, in the West, where individualism was well developed, the "marriage-indispensable society" transitioned into a "marriage-unnecessary society," whereas in Japan, which had experienced modernisation without enough development of individualism due to historical factors, the society shifted into a "hard-to-marry society," where people who wanted to get married could not. In addition, due to the unique tradition of strongly linking marriage and childbirth, pregnancies out of marriage tend towards abortion to avoid children born out of wedlock. As a result, Japan is stuck in a society with one of the lowest fertility rates in the world, to the extent that it is said that the Japanese people are an endangered species. The government has shown no leadership in this regard and has postponed things. 

On the other hand, the Catholic Church, which has enjoyed a long history of the richness of spirituality, introduced mysticism, which described the relationship between believers and Christ in terms of a marital relationship with a highly theological expression, into 20th-century theology. As we have seen, mysticism has left its mark on the documents of the Second Vatican Council. In this context, believers living in the polarised society, the society of liberalised divorce and the sexual revolution in the 1970s onwards, sought to experience Christian spirituality and mysticism, attracted by the words "encountering God" and "encountering Christ," without understanding the spirituality of Christ, the worldview of Jesus Christ. And various spiritualities, charisms and piety were then born. At the same time, sexual abuse by priests was a frequent occurrence around the world, but the Church continued to cover them up. As these e

These phenomena have happened because theologians and mystics from Origen to the 20th century have drawn into the Church the ancient trend of using the relationship between a man and a woman depicted in the Song of Songs, said to have been written by Solomon, as an analogy for understanding God, and have formed a back road of mysticism, or nuptial mysticism, which aimed for spiritual union with God. As abrupt as it may sound, this was a gross disregard for Jesus' feelings towards Solomon (cf. Luke 11:29-31, 12:27-32). In this very time that Jesus called the "evil generation" (Luke 11:29), the Church has sought the sign of "mystery," being spiritually concerned and worrying about what to eat and drink and has pursued spirituality and principles that "all the nations of the world seek" (Luke 12:30). Even though Jesus said, "Your Father knows that you need them. Instead, seek his kingdom, and these things shall be yours as well" (Luke 12:30-31), the Church has not paid attention to the Holy Spirit telling Jesus had done everything (cf. blog № 59, № 60).

Maria K. M.

 2023/03/06

Himeji Castle (Japan)

81. Japanisation, part 2

The term "Japanisation" was coined some ten years ago in response to fears that Western economies would follow the same path as the Japanese economic downturn. It described a lack of political leadership and a postponement of things. Last time, I wrote about whether the Church, having failed to embrace modernism, consciously jumped on the classical nuptial mysticism at the Second Vatican Council out of a sense of crisis that it might fail to control the times. But, reading Fergus Kerr's Twentieth-Century Catholic Theologians, introduced in this blog № 77, it appears that they rather shared and accepted the modern view of marriage of the time. 

According to Masahiro Yamada, a well-known Japanese sociologist involved in the government's measures to combat the declining birth rate, in Western Europe and the USA, modern societies, which were highly individualistic, were where getting married was essential, unlike pre-modern societies. And marriage was based on economic rationality and mutual affection. However, in the 1970s, structural changes in the economy created the social polarisation while the legalisation of divorce and the sexual revolution advanced. These factors strongly affected the two foundations of marriage, gradually reducing the rationality and inevitability of getting married and resulting in a shift towards a "marriage-free society." In fact, according to the OECD report, the proportion of children born outside of marriage rose rapidly in Europe and the USA during this period, from less than 10% in 1970 to over 40% in most countries in 2020. This shift in views on marriage is one of the factors supporting these regions in their efforts to recover from declining fertility. We can see it as a reflection of the fact that people in today's society begin to focus on the parent-child relationship rather than the man-woman relationship. 

According to Fergus Kerr, "the rehabilitation of Origen" was set about in 1948 in the Church. Then he writes that Henri de Lubac was already reintroducing a highly theological process, in which the relationship between the faithful and Christ was expressed as a wedding-song like relationship, and it would later blossom in the writings of Hans von Balthasar and Pope John Paul II. So, the Church might have thought it could lead the social value by expressing the relationship between Christ and the Church in the analogy of marriage, just as it was able to play a considerable role in international politics during the Cold War. 

The Second Vatican Council stated in Lumen Gentium: "Christ loves the Church as His bride, having become the model of a man loving his wife as his body"(Lumen Gentium, section 7). And this was incorporated into priestly education. However, Jesus, having made it clear that God and the Church are parent and child, and that the Church is brother and sister and mother to him, fervently prayed at the last supper that the name of his heavenly Father would protect his disciples (cf. John 17:5-26) because he knew that the heel of the Church would be bruised in this way (cf. Genesis 3:15).

Maria K. M.

2023/02/27

1500-year-old cherry tree (Japan)

80. Japanisation Part 1

Jesus repeated the name of his heavenly Father in answer to his disciples' questions until just before his ascension (cf. Acts 1:4-7). To the Apostles who heard this voice of Jesus, and to the female disciples, "who provided for them out of their means" (Luke 8:3), it was well known that God and the Church were parent and child and that for Christ, the Church was his "brother, and sister, and mother" (Matthew 12:50). However, as persecution intensified, and people no longer knew Jesus directly, the Church took over the tradition of the Israelite wedding songs. 

The scene of Jesus' ascension is the last of three accounts of the ascension in the Bible. The first is in Genesis, where, after God said to Jacob, "Israel shall be your name" (Genesis 35:10), "God went up from him in the place where he had spoken with him" (Genesis 35:13). The second is the following scene after the prophet Elijah answered Elisha's request: "And as they still went on and talked, behold, a chariot of fire and horses of fire separated the two of them. And Eli'jah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2 Kings 2:11). These three ascensions have a storyline that links them to each other. 

God had told Jacob that "kings shall spring from you" (Genesis 35:11). Among these kings was Solomon, whom God intended to establish a father-son bond with him, but this did not happen because his misguided marital relationship was seen as evil. Later, in the same way, Ahab, who became king of northern Israel, took Jezebel, the daughter of Ethba'al, king of the Sido'nians, and willingly served and bowed down to Baal as the result of this false marriage relationship. The prophet Elijah, commanded by God, competed with Jezebel's prophets. It is written that then Elijah "took twelve stones, according to the number of the tribes of the sons of Jacob, to whom the word of the LORD came, saying, 'Israel shall be your name'; and with the stones he built an altar in the name of the LORD" (I Kings 18:31-32), which is the recall of the above incident between God and Jacob. 

Jesus, who, as the true king, fulfilled God's desire for God and man to become a father and child, ascended to heaven, calling God Father. Thus, the stories of the Old Covenant point towards Jesus, who taught us clearly that God and the Church were parent and child and that for Christ, the Church was his brother, sister and mother. 

However, the Church continued to weave the bridal theology, initiated by Origen, from the tradition of the wedding songs of the Israelites and inspired the theology of the twentieth century. The inspiration influenced and was incorporated into the Second Vatican Council. The Church propped up this old tree with many stakes and dressed it as if it were a big 1,500-year-old tree about to blossom. 

For those living in Japan, a Christian frontier country whose civilization is classified as unique and independent (cf. blog № 1), the circumstances of that time, 60 years ago, can only be known by learning. It is said that the Catholic Church did not take the inside movement to accept modernism seriously, and suppressed it at its doorstep, so to speak, without proper discussion. Did not the Church, in fact, jump on board with classical nuptial mysticism at the Second Vatican Council out of a sense of crisis that it may not be able to control the times? 

Maria K. M.

 2023/02/20

79. Collaborator

In Japan, which traditionally has not adopted the eunuch system, the term "eunuch" in the following words of Jesus is translated as "one who does not marry" or "one who has become a bachelor": "There are eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. He who is able to receive this, let him receive it" (Matthew 19:12). But that is not the case. Indeed, Jesus is saying, "eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs." These words must have sounded poignant for his male disciples at the time because "eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven" meant Jesus himself (cf. blog, № 29). 

The advice above shifts the vocation of men from being collaborators of women, the bearers of human life, to being collaborators of the Holy Spirit, the bearer of God's presence, giving God and the Church a parent-child relationship. At the same time, men's vocation to be collaborators of the Holy Spirit gave women two new vocations (cf. blog № 70) in the special way of being called near the cross of Jesus as "Beloved Disciples" and gave birth to Jesus' "my church" (Matthew 16:18). 

The "Beloved Disciple" is the disciple who, like Jesus, lives his whole life as "eunuchs who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven." Jesus bound his mother, who had become a collaborator for Jesus' birth filled with the Holy Spirit, and the disciple in a parent-child bond. This bond became a sign that the disciple would succeed Jesus' mother and become a collaborator of the Holy Spirit for the birth of the Eucharist. The Eucharist represents the risen Jesus because the bread and wine are the wheat and the grapes that once died and arose. 

The following passage is found in the Gospel of John's description of the risen Jesus appearing to Mary Magdalene for the first time: "Jesus said to her, 'Mary.' She turned and said to him in Hebrew, 'Rab-bo'ni!' (which means Teacher)" (John 20:16). From these words we can understand that when Jesus said, "But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren" (Matthew 23:8), in the Gospel of Matthew, the "teacher" refers to the risen Jesus. Now it is the Eucharist. 

Jesus continues, "And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven" (Matthew 23:9), and commands us first to see our earthly father as Jesus' brother so that we, gathering around the Eucharist, may become "all brethren." The true meaning of these words is expressed in the words of Jesus when his parents, having lost sight of the boy Jesus, found him in the temple in Jerusalem: "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" (Luke 2:49). 

Jesus further continued, "Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ" (Matthew 23:10). The word "master" in these words signifies the Holy Spirit, who, sent in the name of Jesus, guides the faithful and makes them like Christ. Thus, the words of God promising David, "I will be his father, and he shall be my son" (2 Samuel 7:14), are fulfilled between God and the Church.

Maria K. M. 

 2023/02/13

78. Two Lives and the Vocation of Men

As discussed previously, if we delve into the words of God to the woman in Genesis, "Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you" (Genesis 3:16), from the male perspective, we will uncover the responsibility for reproduction, or life, that God has asked men to have dominion over, and discover their male vocation. 

There is a clear difference between the words that God said when he created the creatures of the water and the air and blessed them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth" (Genesis 1:22), and his words when he created man male and female and blessed them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth" (Genesis 1:28). From God's words to them, "Fill the earth and subdue it", we can infer that God had endowed humanity with the ability to practice birth control once human beings fill the earth. That is because they must not become extinct through starvation due to their continuing increase without end. We later find that this ability was bestowed on men as a mechanism of the male body, by the words "he shall rule over you," rather than on women, to whom God declared, "Your desire shall be for your husband." 

Males of animals other than humans perform reproductive behaviour subordinately to the female's oestrus. In contrast, in the case of humans, males act dominantly, independent of the female's oestrus. In other words, men can proactively carry out birth control. Therefore, men can prevent pregnancy and stop lives from being born that may be aborted. When a man reaches puberty, cells that give rise to sperm begin to divide inside his testes, and spermatozoa are produced. Men then have a cycle in which new sperm are made, and old sperm are absorbed into the body. In contrast, a woman's eggs are already fixed in number when she is a foetus, and no new ones are produced in her body after birth. In addition, a woman has no control over her own menstruation caused by the cycle of maturation and ovulation of her eggs for herself. God has made it the source of female sexual desire. Therefore, women have no function to control fertility in their body mechanisms. It is generally accepted that men have a stronger sex drive, but God has entrusted the ability to control conception to men. 

In the Bible, the last time God said, "fill the earth," was when he saved Noah's family from the flood that destroyed the whole earth. At that time, God made it clear that this vocation of responsibility for life was to men. The Bible states: "And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth'" (Genesis 9:1). This was God's plan behind the fact that Jesus chose the twelve Apostles among men. The reason for instituting the Sacrament of the Eucharist at the last supper, to which only men, the Apostles, were invited, was to bring them into collaboration with the Holy Spirit in the birth of the Eucharist, in which God is present by the Holy Spirit. God's plan, as it has been from the beginning, chose men as collaborators of women, the bearers of human life, and the Holy Spirit, the bearer of God's presence. The Church must therefore provide the best educational programmes for men who have the mission to defend two lives to be called by their name (cf. blog №77), the human life and the life of the Eucharist.

Maria K. M.

 2023/02/06

77. The Basilica of the Agony: Two Lives

When I came across Fergus Kerr's Twentieth-Century Catholic Theologians, I got to know the term nuptial mysticism for the first time, and I was greatly impressed by the book. I was surprised to find that the image of marriage, inherited from the Old Testament, was planted like leaven in the Church's teachings, unexpectedly becoming theology over the course of two millennia. The Church has interpreted the Bible from the first page, where the family of Adam and Eve appears, to the last page, where the wedding feast of the Bride and the Lamb appears, linking Christ to the groom and the Church to the bride. They must have had an impression that the marital institution, placed in the man-created society as its foundation, was immortal. Although saying this image is an analogy, the Church has actually employed it as an expression and reflected it in the education of believers. However, when using the expressions groom and bride, or husband and wife, which presuppose sexual union between a man and a woman, the terms father and mother take on nothing but a secondary connotation. The theology of the Church has diverted from God's plan to unite God and man in a parent-child bond directly. 

In addition, the Church, which has incorporated the image of the marital institution directly linked to the patriarchal system, could not break free from the hotbed of power and authority. And the Church, accustomed to the image of marriage, continues to produce priests who cause sexual abuse issues and lay people like Jezebel (cf. blog №76), forming "the great harlot who is seated upon many waters" (Revelation 17:1). As a result, the Church in the 21st century is asked for a heavy price for the mistakes it has accumulated from the past. 

One example of this is that even now, there are lives within our Church and society that disappear without ever hearing their name. They are two lives in a very similar situation, namely, the Eucharist and the life of aborted children. They are lives that are too fragile to do anything on their own. The Eucharist is born in the Holy Communion but never hears his name, "the Christ, the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16), from the mouths of the priests and lay people who receive him. That is because once the priest and the faithful proclaim his name in the presence of the Eucharist, the image of marriage would be dispelled, and the reality that the priest is not configured to Christ, the groom, and that the faithful are not Christ' bride would be revealed. There would appear the brothers, sisters, and the mother of Jesus invited to the Passover meal, where no status and no disparity exists. That is because they responded to the angel's words, "Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb" (Revelation 19:9), with "true words of God" (ibid.). 

Similarly, the life to be aborted never hears its own name called, even though born in the mother's womb. Abortion is preceded by pregnancy. In every pregnancy, a man who had sexual relations with the woman is involved. For the aborted life, the appearance of that man before it is a step towards salvation. Catholic clergy, who are men like them, must speak to and dialogue with them. They must listen to their words, elucidate the responsibility for the sexuality that God has asked men to reign in his word to the woman, "your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you" (Genesis 3:16), and for life and discover together the truth of the dignity and mission of men, and link it to education.

Maria K. M.