Note from the Editor

Dear Reader,

I recently started playing tennis again after a knee injury. During a game, I was reminded that I should not grip a tennis racket too tightly because it can negatively impact my swing and game. Thinking about it, I realised that this was a very apt metaphor for us as Christians. How should we play the "game of life" according to the Gospels? We play it well only if we hold the things of this world "lightly", and not grip tight. We need to be detached to ourselves and the world, but attach ourselves to Christ as the true vine, and this months magazine issue reflects on this type of attitude we ought to hold.

As we finish our last series on the theological virtues of "faith, hope, and love", we now embark on a new journey through the Beatitudes, which Jesus shared with the people as part of the Sermon on the Mount. Modern culture tells us that we are blessed if we are proud, merciless, devious, fighters and prosecutors of those who wronged us. Jesus, however, tells us that "blessed" are those who live in a manner that is very much opposite of this.

For this month’s issue, we begin with the first Beatitude: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." To be “poor in spirit” means that we should acknowledge our need for God’s mercy, to embrace spiritual poverty as the path to true freedom, and to welcome the grace of the Divine into our lives. Jesus calls us to recognize the richness of humility, vulnerability, and dependence on God.

Let's explore the first beatitude together, and encourage one another to live a life of humility and trust in an amazing God!

In Him,
Esther Tan
Editor, Catholic Reflexions

Interview with A Catholic: Tess Suhyun Lee

Each month, we have an intimate chat with a practicing Catholic. We discuss why they believe what they believe, the difference Christ has made in their lives, and any lessons learned from their faith journey. For this month, we feature TESS SUHYUN LEE, who worked for the Staff Counsellor’s Office in the Division of Healthcare Management And Occupational Safety and Health (DHMOSH) at the United Nations Headquarters in New York, as the Staff Counsellor / Consulting Psychologist.

Can you share a bit about your upbringing and how your Catholic faith has played a role in your life? I was raised a cradle Catholic. In Korea, there is a 6 a.m. Mass at any church, and attending that first mass every morning is my parents’ routine. Whenever I’m back in Korea, I try to attend the Mass with my parents.

I attended Sunday School and grew up in the church. I've always participated in various programs within the Korean church. Some of my closest friends have become priests and nuns. When we are together, we still hang out as friends and it has been such a blessing. These people are literally my brothers and sisters. Our family has few relatives, but God has created a true big family within the church. Church is my true home. Wherever I am in the world, the Lord's house is the first place I seek, and it is the most important haven for me.

What are some significant moments or experiences that have deepened your faith journey? The experience I had while serving at the protocol team during the 2014 Pope Francis’s visit to Korea remains truly special. During the visit, I had the honor to meet many cardinals, bishops, and even Pope Francis himself. What struck me the most was that despite their age and their exhaustion from the time difference, rather than expecting to have special treatment, they showed great care and consideration for all the volunteers. They would always share delightful stories from the Vatican making the atmosphere enjoyable. When it rained, they came out with an umbrella to greet us first. I was deeply moved by their warm-heartedness and humility.

I often wondered how I was invited to such an honorable position. I realized that it wasn’t due to luck or my abilities, but because I was baptized and became a child of God. I felt that it was my deep relationship with the Lord that brought me to that blessed place, and once again, I realized that I belong to Him. It was right to devote my entire life to Him.

How do you think your Catholic values have impacted your work and interactions with colleagues? Becoming a psychologist/mental health counsellor was a calling to serve those who are suffering mentally and marginalized. I offer my time, ear, and heart to help them feel better. Just as Jesus did, I believe this is my own way of saving lives.

Through my profession, I am blessed with the ability to continuously listen to the great or small pains of others. I thank God for my calling because I get to listen to each person's hidden struggles behind the scenes, and my empathy and understanding for people can only deepen. I don't get too angry with colleagues nor have conflicts because if something’s not right, I understand that there may be difficulties I am unaware of, that they are facing.

Are there any particular saints, prayers, or devotions that inspire you or that you feel a strong connection to? I was named “Tess” after Thérèse of Lisieux, also known as "The Little Flower," a French Carmelite nun and one of the most beloved saints in the Catholic Church. Since childhood, I have been strongly connected to St. Thérèse. The name of the private counselling office I had was “Little Flower”. She is best known for her concept of the "Little Way," which emphasizes simplicity and humility in the pursuit of holiness. She believed that one did not need to perform grand acts of virtue but could instead find God in everyday life and small acts of love. She believed that spiritual growth could be achieved through childlike faith and reliance on God's grace. My goal is to practice my mission and love in small, everyday tasks, becoming smaller and smaller like a little child and eventually going to heaven.

Have there been challenges or obstacles along your faith journey, and how have you overcome them? As a foreigner living away from my homeland, I often feel anxious and uncertain about the future. However, I try to think of suffering as a blessing from God and strive to believe in and wait for His plan. I know that there is not even a slight error in His plans, so I try to stay patient and wait for better things to come.

How does being a Catholic influence your everyday decision-making and problem-solving in your daily life? I practice the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, which allows me to discern in every moment and reflect on my day through everyday self-examination. Through constant conversations with the Lord, I get to make better decisions and solve problems. Even if I make mistakes which happens all the time, I would examine those with God. Also, when I’m struggling, I would just ask Mother Mary “what would you have done?”

In what ways do you participate in the Catholic community outside of work, such as through church activities or volunteer work? Every week, I lead a youth bible study group. Twice a month, I attend the Ignatian Spiritual Exercise group. Every other week, I attend a prayer group. I help the nuns at Kkotdongnae, NJ which is home for people with disabilities and the elderly, and those in need.

Can you share a memorable moment where you felt God’s presence or guidance in your life? I was in a contemplative prayer with Genesis 3:8, listening to the sound of the Lord, walking in the garden in the breeze of the day. I was struggling at the time and had so many questions that I needed answers from Him. So, I chased after Him and began throwing questions at Him in a hurry. Then he told me to be still. As soon as I became quiet, a cascade of colorful grace poured down from the heavens. It was such a beautiful moment. When I am still, the Lord is at work. Remembering that moment, I try to remain silent and wait for Him to work directly at me, whenever I face difficulties.

How do you balance your Catholic faith with the demands of your job and personal life? My faith is always my priority. For me, balance means revolving around God. I know that when God is at the center, no matter how difficult work and personal life may be, everything naturally falls into place and peace returns. Prioritizing faith does not mean that other things or people are unimportant. Rather, because they are so precious, I need the Lord's help to handle them better.

What advice would you give to fellow Catholics striving to integrate their faith into their professional lives? I believe mental, physical, and spiritual aspects must be maintained together to support each other. When you’re burned out or mentally struggling, don’t hesitate to seek help from a mental health professional. Keeping mental health can help your spiritual journey become more fruitful.

I truly believe our spiritual life and professional life can align! It should not be separated. There are many challenges in the secular world, but we have “eternal life” that God has given us. It is a huge comfort. So, with courage, right here and now, at the workplace, we must endure more suffering, forgive many sinners, and continue to forgive and forgive. Let us offer all our hardships, injustices, anger, anxieties, and shortcomings to the Lord as is. Then the Lord will surely rejoice and guide us. Let’s walk together in Him towards eternal life and for our true happiness.

Those Who Are "Poor in Spirit" Are Blessed

Each month, we invite an original article or feature an existing article by a respected Catholic author.

Matthew 5:3 - "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."  This is the first of eight brief sentences, in which we have the essence of the ʻgood news of the kingdomʼ(4:23). We must first look at the significance of the word translated here as ʻblessedʼ. The Greek is makarios, which itself translates the Hebrew ashre. Some English translations use ʻhappyʼ. However ʻhappyʼ comes from the same root as happen and haphazard. Happiness is a feeling which one happens to have, by chance or good fortune. The translation ʻblessedʼ correctly directs our attention to God whose blessing is the source of the joy which Jesus is describing.

This teaching is fundamental to the Scriptures, as the following typical statements from the psalms indicate: ʻBlessed are those who trust in Godʼ(Psalm 2:11). ʻThe Lord takes delight in his people. He crowns the poor with salvationʼ(Psalm 149:4). While Godʼs blessing is fundamental to what Jesus is saying here, his focus is on the special joy which we experience when situations that could so easily be destructive are rendered meaningful by our union with him.

To understand what Jesus means by being ʻpoor in spiritʼ we will have to watch him to see how he is poor in spirit. He is presenting this as the fundamental attitude of a disciple, only because it is his fundamental attitude also. The blessedness, the bliss, the profound delight of intimate communion with God, which the disciple experiences is a sharing in the religious experience of Jesus. Our understanding, therefore, of what Matthew means by ʻpoor in spiritʼ will deepen as we continue our contemplation of Jesus. Here, however, we should make an initial attempt to point our reflections in the right direction.

The word ʻspiritʼ, when applied to human beings, always refers to our relationship with God. The word ʻpoorʼ applies to those who do not have the resources to meet their own needs. We are ʻpoor in spiritʼ, therefore, to the extent that we recognise that everything we are and everything we have is a gift from God, on whom we totally depend. Jesus is telling his disciples that they will share his communion with God to the extent that they recognise their own powerlessness and complete dependence on God, give up all self-reliance, and look to God as the only source of their hope and salvation, trusting that God wants only to love them. It should be obvious from Jesusʼ own commitment to the poor and oppressed that he is in no way justifying material, economic poverty, nor is he saying that there is anything good about any of the deprivations experienced by the oppressed poor. Certainly, when our lack of resources to meet our pressing needs is obvious, we are less likely to think of ourselves as self-sufficient, than when our material welfare is secured. The deceptive and superficial self-reliance that goes with wealth is a trap that caused Jesus to say: ʻIt will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heavenʼ(19:23). However, it can be hard for the poor, too, because of the temptation to envy or to despair. The ʻpoor in spiritʼ are those who recognise their need and cry out to God in their distress.

The whole biblical tradition is that the God of Israel will always heed this cry: Then the Lord said, ʻI have observed the misery of my people who are in Egypt; I have heard their cry on account of their taskmasters. Indeed, I know their sufferings, and I have come down to deliver them from the Egyptians … I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egyptʼ. – Exodus 3:7-8,12  As we watch Jesus, we see that he, too, cannot resist the cry of the poor (4:23-24), and later he will call his disciples to share in his mission of liberation (9:36-38). When he meets a person who wants to be his disciple and who has resources to help the poor, he asks him to rid himself of his possessions — of the riches that burden and ʻpossessʼ him — and to give them to those who need them. Only then will he be free to follow Jesus (19:21). Whatever resources we have, we will be judged on how we shared them with those in need (25:25-26,42-43).

Jesus, therefore, is not praising poverty of any kind. He is calling his disciples, whatever their situation, to recognise that they are not independent, that they do not have the resources in themselves to be or to do anything, but that they are totally dependent upon God. In this first beatitude, Jesus is assuring them that if they do this and act accordingly they will experience now the communion with God that will satisfy their deepest need and their deepest longing.

A perfect image for the ʻpoor in spiritʼ is found in Psalm 131. Here, the psalmist places before us for our imitation a little child, utterly dependent, simply and totally looking to the mother, and doing so joyfully because of the security provided by the motherʼs love. Later in the gospel, we will hear Jesus saying: ʻUnless you change, and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heavenʼ(18:3). It is this attitude that accounts for the extraordinary intimacy of Jesusʼ religious experience, causing him to speak to God as ʻmy dear Fatherʼ (Abba).

The second to the seventh beatitude (5:4-9) will spell out important aspects of being ʻpoor in spiritʼ.

Excerpt from Fallon, M.: Commentary on Matthew’s Gospel available here.

Speaker Notes: Life of St. Thérèse of Lisieux: A Talk by Brother François Marie Fontanié

Each month, we summarize a talk previously presented to our members.

Brother Francois Marie Fontanie shared a talk with our UN Catholic Club members on 11 January 2024. The talk focused on the life and spirituality of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, also known as "The Little Flower." Brother Fontainie, a Franciscan friar, shared his reflections on how St. Thérèse's approach to faith, known as "The Little Way," is a powerful model of holiness that is accessible to ordinary people. Despite living a short, secluded life as a Carmelite nun in 19th-century France, Thérèse left a lasting legacy that continues to resonate with people across the world, both Christians and non-Christians alike.

Thérèse's "Little Way" is rooted in the belief that holiness does not require grand, extraordinary actions but rather a deep, childlike trust in God and the willingness to do small deeds with great love. Thérèse lived this spirituality in her own life, marked by struggles, spiritual dryness, and psychological challenges. Despite these hardships, she transformed her ordinariness into a testament to God's love, showing that even the smallest acts, when done with love, can become extraordinary. One of her key metaphors was the image of a child trying to climb stairs but being too small to succeed. The child is then lifted by their mother, representing how God, in His tenderness, lifts us when we fall short.

Brother Fontainie shared that Thérèse’s spirituality deeply influenced his own life, especially during times of personal struggle. He recounted his first encounter with Thérèse during a pilgrimage as a teenager, a time when her message of God's unconditional love comforted him. Years later, when he faced a dark period in his religious life, Thérèse’s teachings again helped him find strength and trust in God’s love, even when everything seemed bleak.

Thérèse’s psychological struggles, including an avoidant personality disorder, make her all the more relatable to modern readers. Despite facing anxieties, loss, and depression—she lost her mother at age four and later suffered a breakdown after her sister entered the convent—Thérèse remained faithful to her path of trust in God's love. Her ability to overcome self-absorption and focus on loving others, especially those difficult to love, is one of the reasons she is considered a Doctor of the Church, as proclaimed by St. John Paul II. Her concrete expressions of love, such as caring for a difficult sister in her convent, demonstrate her commitment to the "Little Way."

In conclusion, St. Thérèse's life teaches that holiness is not beyond anyone’s reach. Through small acts of love, trust, and acceptance of our own weaknesses, we too can participate in God’s grace. Thérèse’s spirituality remains a profound reminder that even in our brokenness, we are capable of extraordinary love and holiness.

The full talk is available here.

Spiritual Life Tips: Practising the First Beatitude In Our Daily Life

Each month, we offer practical advice and tips related to our Catholic faith and spirituality.

Proud people don't ask for help, they can't ask for help, they can't ask for help because they have to prove themselves self-sufficient. And how many of them need help, but pride prevents them from asking for help. And how hard it is to admit a mistake and ask for forgiveness!

When I give some advice to newlyweds, who ask me how to carry on their marriage well, I tell them: "There are three magic words:  may I, thank you, sorry. " These are the words that come from the poverty of spirit. You don't have to be pushy, but ask permission: "Do you think it's good to do this?", so there is dialogue in the family, dialogue between husband and wife. "You did this for me, thank you I needed it." Then you always make mistakes, you slip: "Excuse me." 

And usually, couples, new marriages, those who are here and many, tell me: "The third is the most difficult", apologize, ask forgiveness. Because the proud can't do it. They can't apologize: they are always right. They are not poor in spirit. But the Lord never tires of forgiving; unfortunately, we grow tired of asking for forgiveness. The tiredness of asking for forgiveness: this is an ugly disease!

Source: Homily of Pope Francis Catechesis on the Beatitudes - Poor in Spirit

For inquiries, or potential contributions to the magazine, please contact unitednationscatholicclub@outlook.com