Bowing Instead of Genuflecting & Sign of Peace.

While genuflecting upon entering and exiting a church may be on the decline in various countries in Japan, from what Ive observed, a sign of reverence is done by around 50% of the parishioners.  Instead of genuflecting people bow in the direction of the tabernacle upon entering and exiting the church.  At the sign of peace, at mass in Japanese, people bow to each other and say “Shu no heiwa” which means peace of Christ.  It certainly goes a lot faster than at some churches like in my hometown where people try to shake hands with half the church.  Ive been to English masses here where the priest shook hands with everyone in the front row.  There weren’t that many people but still is it really necessary to do that?

This post reminds me of something that really bothers me and that is how people act when going to adoration of the Blessed Sacrament and how they act when going to receive the Eucharist.  I am not aware of churches around me that have adoration so I have no comment on this for Japan but rather other places including my hometown.  When I last visited my parents I went to adoration and my mom instructed me that I should kneel down on both knees when entering and exiting the church.  That’s fine I can do that no problem.  The majority of other people there also did so, and that’s great but WHY NOT DO IT ALL THE TIME?!  The rule should be on your knees at communion time too!  Why are people instructed to be so reverential at Adoration but at Communion time they receive like the priest is handing out an ordinary snack.  Oh now there’s the instruction that people should bow to show reverence before they receive.  Ha just a bow?  Get on your knees and open your mouth for it is  your king, your God not a cookie.  I know a lot of people are just doing as they have been taught, heck I did the same for a long time too.  I know that years before I was born people received at an alter rail on their tongue but I doubt Vatican 2 said to throw all that out so who caused this mess?  I suspect that while people may not be fully aware of what they are doing/who they are receiving Satan is and he is very happy to see the Eucharist treated badly even desecrated.  

Our Father in Latin

In Japanese, Gospel gradually blooms

I came across an article from a Baptist site as I was searchingng for news and thought it made one very good point in particular.

http://www.sbcbaptistpress.org/BPnews.asp?ID=27883

Quote “Yet many Japanese who come to faith in Christ do so 10, 20 and even 40 years after they had some contact with the Gospel.”

I completely agree.  As I mentioned before my friend who went to see The Passion with me, and who has also attended mass with me didntbeg to be baptized a week later or anything like that,nor did I try to dunk them.  My friend does take particular interest in the Eucharist though because for one Japanese love to eat, and love to eat things they consider special and valuable like toro or kobe beef (yum yum).  So for my friend to see me eat this most mysterious food that they could not have really got their attention.  I think the idea of the Eucharist as the most precious and valuable of all foods  could really get the interest of many Japanese.  That is also why I think everyone should receive on the tongue so if non Catholics are watching they can see hmm there is something special here, this isn’t just a cookie.

Anyway God and my friend are on their own time and they will work things out when they are ready.  I will be around but Im not going to force anything. 

WYD Cross in Japan?

As far as I have found by googling the wyd cross and icon have never been here.  This Vatican site lists places the cross has been to excluding 2008.

http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/laity/Colonia2005/rc_pc_laity_doc_20030805_cross-history-gmg_en.html

I know that the cross did not come here on its way to Australia so there was yet another missed opportunity.  I know what people would say “well Japan is not a Catholic country so there probably isn’t that much interest” to which I would reply and how could people ever think of Jesus and His Church if they are not promoted a bit?  There are definitely enough youth to carry that cross around Tokyo a little, and what an awesome chance to evangelise.  As I have said before Catholicism here has not failed it has barely had a chance, and having the wyd cross in Tokyo would be so powerful.  It would make people who see it think and even have a chance to come in contact with Catholics.

I am a fan of Cardinal Arinze and one of my favorite quotes from him is “you can propose but you dare not impose”  and I think the cross would be a great way to propose Christ.  I have already emailed the CBCJ about this and will see what kind of reply I get, if any, since I just used the info address on their main site.  info {at} cbcj.catholic.jp

The Passion in Japan

I took this photo April 29 2004 on the Yamanote line platform at JR Shibuya station.  Those familiar with Tokyo will know what I am talking about.  For those who have no idea Shibuya is a VERY busy station, and the crossing at Hachiko exit appears in many movies.  I don’t know how long the posters were displayed for but at any rate if it was even for one day thousands of people saw them.

I went to the movie of course.  First of all I was very surprised it was even going to be shown here, secondly I was surprised there were other people in the theater, a lot of people.  The showing I went to wasn’t full but maybe half full?  When I left the theater there was even a line of people waiting to enter the exact screen that was showing The Passion.  I couldn’t believe it.  The movie was shown in the original languages plus subtitles in Japanese and English.  Lots of people cried, heck I cried and I thought I wouldn’t!  I went with a non Christian Japanese friend and after we both had no appetite and barely said anything to each other as we were both overwhelmed and were thinking about what we saw.

In the media the movie was even talked about on movie preview shows, and there were even trailers aired during regular commercials.  According to this site which shows box office sales for the movie it made $10 million US here as much which as it made in Germany.    http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=intl&id=passionofthechrist.htm

I am still friends with the person I went to the movie with, and they have even been to mass with me, however, it`s up to them and God if they will become Catholic someday.  They did stop smoking cold turkey several weeks later which is an interesting ”coincidence.”  The movie did make a convert, actually a revert, out of one of us though and that would be me.  The movie was a real kick in the pants for me to really examine my life and the Hound of Heaven eventually got me back into the fold

 

Confession, Communion, and Taize

Reading a post about confession on another blog reminded me of an experience I had while waiting in line for confession here several months ago.  The confession line at St Ignatius in Tokyo is very competitive because you have to get there before the 5pm start time or else you had better bring a book, or a rosary, and be prepared to wait for around one hour.  Don’t worry there are chairs to sit on while waiting.  So I’m sitting, waiting, and the evening mass has started which is fine but the line isn’t moving that quickly and it is now into the liturgy of the Eucharist.  Time comes for the faithful, and in a state of grace, Catholics to receive the Holy Eucharist and I don’t because I’m still unconfessed waiting in the line.  This is where it gets tricky as three or four Japanese women (well their books were in Japanese) one or two even wearing a mantilla leave the line and go get the Eucharist, then return to the confession line!!!  First one went then the others followed in a sort of uncertainty, although I got the impression they looked more worried about leaving their bags or losing their chairs in line than uncertainty if they should get the Eucharist or not.  Maybe they only had venial sins and could actually go who knows but I thought it looked bad.  Plus I think the church should get a second priest hearing confessions to meet the demand so people can have time to confess their sins BEFORE going to Communion.

By the time I was squeaky clean absolved the mass had ended long ago and a taize prayer thing had started in the church sanctuary.  I had heard of the word taize and knew it wasn’t Catholic in origin but I had never actually heard what goes on at one of their meetings before and it was spectacularly awful!  I couldn’t stand their “singing” it was like cats in heat scratching their claws on a blackboard.  Maybe it`s great to listen to for people who are into smoking a joint, banging bongo drums, and swaying around a campfire but not in the church sanctuary.  They didn’t have bongos just a guitar I think but you get the idea.  Listening to that was already like a penance but I got my absolution, rushed out, and said my real penance on the train.

Fumie

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fumie above photo also from here.

I have never made my way to a museum to see one personally, however, these online photos give such an up close look it`s the next best thing.  From the Tokyo National Museum.

http://www.tnm.jp/jp/servlet/Con?pageId=F08&processId=01&col_id=17427&Title=%93%A5%8A%47&Artist=&Site=&Period=&FromNo=&ToNo=

http://www.tnm.jp/jp/servlet/Con?pageId=F08&processId=01&col_id=17428&Title=%93%A5%8A%47&Artist=&Site=&Period=&FromNo=&ToNo=

http://www.tnm.jp/jp/servlet/Con?pageId=F08&processId=01&col_id=42659&Title=%93%A5%8A%47&Artist=&Site=&Period=&FromNo=&ToNo=

I first heard of fumie in the novel Silence which I read a long time  ago and didn`t like for reasons I forget.  Anyway looking at photos of real fumie it raises many questions in my mind.   Would I have the courage to NOT step on it, to stand up for my faith when put to the test?  How is stepping on this any different from some of the liturgical abuses CathCon puts up on his site?

 

Honda checked with Vatican on Robot Ethics

I came across this article about Honda`s early robot building, and as much as I wanted a robo butler when I was a kid I was more impressed by this statement.

“In addition to the obvious technical hurdles, the company was worried about how people would react to robots shaped like humans.

Honda officials even visited the Vatican, the center of Roman Catholic faith, for help with their ethical quandary. A company spokesperson recalls that they were told: “God trusts humankind. There is no problem.”

After 10 years, Honda unveiled its P2 robot in December 1996. It was the world’s first self-contained, bipedal humanoid robot.”

http://www.theautochannel.com/news/2008/04/06/083466.html

I wonder if Honda also talked with anyone else about the ethics of building humanoid robots?  Actually I am surprised they sought the Vatican`s input in the first place.  Too bad more companies don`t check with the Vatican first, and actually listen, when it comes to ethical questions.

 

NY Times article – On Japan’s Catholic Outposts…

On Japan’s Catholic Outposts, Faith Abides Even as the Churches Dwindle

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/04/06/world/asia/06japan.html?_r=1&ref=world&oref=slogin

My two yen.

“…are Roman Catholic, an extraordinary percentage in a country where Christianity failed to take root.”

Did it fail or were the believers killed and religious freedom unheard of until recently?  People have barely had a chance to hear about Catholicism here so it really annoys me when people write that Catholicism has failed to take root here as if everyone, all fully educated in world religion, unanimously decided not to be Catholic!  Yes the Meiji reformation was 130 years ago but WW2 really stopped outside thinking again for a while then post war everyone was so focused on rebuilding, recovering, and actually having some money no one had time to do serious religious thinking.  If people wanted religion the easiest way would be to seek out the familiarity of Shinto or Buddhist practices, or they didn’t have to seek them out since it was already a part of their culture such as the family butsudan.  With some good evangelization by Japanese speaking versions of Cardinal Arinze or Fr Botros things might change.

I also question the number of Catholics stated in the article as the number only includes Japanese people not the number of foreign, registered Catholics.  The latter number I read on the Bishops of Japan website as being around 500 000 foreigners.

“Away from the archipelago’s Catholic villages, more and more of the young now live in cities with few churches and believers.”

Few churches?  There are actually lots of Catholic churches if one actually looks for them on the internet or asks around.  Saying there aren’t that many churches is a lame excuse for people who don’t want to go to church!

“The bishop of Nagasaki once said that when Catholic kids go out into a city, it’s a religion’s graveyard,” said Kyushiro Urakoshi, 77, a member of Komeyama Church.”

Wow what a pessimist!  I wonder what kind of work that bishop has done to change the situation?   My impression is that many of the older priests and bishops here are kind of miserable and have no fire, no energy to change things.  Fortunately the young priests and religious from other countries may change that.

” The growing ties with non-Catholics have already changed some practices at Ohso Church, nearer the center of town.  Parishioners now say prayers for the dead during the Buddhist festival for ancestors in mid-August, one of Japan’s biggest holidays. Catholics also gather and, following Buddhist custom, pay tribute to a relative one year or three years after a death.

“In this age,” said Mitsunori Ikuta, 60, Ohso’s lay leader, “we have come to accept these things.”

No wonder people aren’t converting when even the so called Catholics are willing to let things slide and treat Buddhist customs as equal, even if it is their spouse`s family custom and doing so keeps peace in the family.  Jesus said he didn’t come to bring peace, He came to set son against father etc. 

I think what Catholics in Japan and the world need to worry about is not quantity but rather quality.  At my parish this past Easter vigil eight people were baptized and ten total brought into full communion with the church.  Two were protestants who already had valid baptisms.  If these ten people are now knowledgeable, faithful, practicing Catholics I think it is better then having 100 lazy uniformed Christmas and Easter Catholics.  I was one of the latter group for a while and I know I wasn’t doing much good at that time for anyone, least of all inspiring others to consider Catholicism.   

Why Easter is not celebrated in Japan

Of course the obvious response is Japan is not a Christian country and that is true.  On the other hand Japan has adapted a commercial version of Christmas along with Valentines day and Halloween, so why isn’t Easter commercialized and profited from too?  I have several personal hypothesis as to why Easter is not mentioned here.

In no particular order 

1.  It is a movable feast.   Trying to introduce and market a foreign holiday that keeps moving every year may seem too annoying and difficult.

2. Marketing.  In many countries where people celebrate a secular version of Easter it is treated as more of a spring festival with bunnies and eggs and such.  Japan already has a bunch of spring themes for marketing such as plum blossoms and cherry blossoms so that marketing spot is already filled.

3.  Too much happening.  With Easter moving around between the end of March and sometime in April that puts it in a busy season in the Japanese calendar.  March 3 is hina matsuri which is like a festival for girls with plenty of products and marketing for that.  March 14 is white day the month later cousin to valentines day and a day when men have to buy women something white.  Next the plum trees bloom which isn’t as big a fuss and the cherry blossoms blooming at the end or March or beginning of April in Tokyo at least.  March is graduation time and April is the start of the new school year as well as the time new employees enter major companies.  With all of this going on there isn’t really much room or probably interest to market something else.

For whichever reason Easter is not marketed here I am very happy for that.  I like that it hasn’t been distorted and commercialized, especially in the way Christmas is here.   Of course it also means that the Easter message is unknown but then again one could say the Japanese celebrate Christmas, however, many people have no idea of the message of that either.