By Kim Ae-ran
Throughout the history of religious life, "fraternity in communion" has been an important issue. Witnessing fraternal life was most necessary to follow the spiritual ways of life.
Even in my case, when I first entered the religious congregation, what I had to concentrate on was not to study but to live the community life well. The priority of my religious life was to learn and put into practice how to be with others and how to belong to the community. In that sense, I think I got an "F" grade during my initial formation period.
At that time, I couldn't renounce my longing to study at once; nevertheless, I had to give up my sincerity for further study. Since then, many years have passed away, and now my hair is growing white.
Thanks to the providence of God, I could join in the Charism course in Rome from September 2016 to May 2017. In that course, I encountered Hermeneutics for the first time. It was very interesting to analyze the given text precisely from the perspectives of Hermeneutics, which requires another reflective point of view to read and analyze the symbolic meaning of the text more thoroughly.
Being attracted to Hermeneutics, I kept thinking of studying further on it. Especially because it helps me to understand the original text and translate appropriately, I was eager to pursue the study.
However, considering my age as I am growing older, I made up my mind to take some free time to study Hermeneutics by myself.
Along the way, I was introduced to "Roundabout way of Interpretation" written by Prof. Kim Han-sik at Chung-Ang University. Through his generous help, I was acquainted with several other books by Paul Ricoeur (1913-2005): "The Symbolism of Evil," "The Conflict of Interpretations: Essays in Hermeneutics," "Time and Narrative," and "From Text to Action." But I found them difficult to read by myself alone.
Anyway, in this way, my interest in Hermeneutics has deepened and progressed, and these perspectives give me more insight on the present.
In the Year of the Ox in 2021, we are learning the critical value of community life living in a "common house." Through various disasters in nature, we are experiencing that all of us, whether small or big, rich or poor, are closely interconnected. Interdisciplinary research is not applied to academic fields only; everything in every corner of our lives is closely interrelated to one another.
Pope Francis in his extraordinary moment of prayer on the empty piazza of the Vatican on March 27, 2020, confessed that "we are on the same boat, all of us fragile and disoriented… all of us are called to row together."
In the encyclical "Fratelli Tutti," he invites us to be the Samaritans, to act together, to live fraternity and social friendship, to dream together. What matters most is not to pass by but to share people's afflictions and wounds, caring for others, and being close to those in need.
The author is a member of the Daughters of St. Paul (fsp.pauline.or.kr.) living and giving the Good News to the world by means of social communication.