"A Song for Nagasaki" 나가사키의 노래

        (written in 2003)

We want peace, not war. We look for a peaceful world. We are afraid of nuclear weapons. When North Korea claimed they are a nuclear power, we were so worried that we consulted the United States government. What can nuclear weapons, war, and terror, bring us? Nothing but hatred, failure, and destruction. Nevertheless, M. L. King, Jr. once said that "wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows". It's true that there is still hope because something meaningful and hopeful is hidden in the midst of suffering and disaster.

 "A Song for Nagasaki", written by Australian Marist Paul Glynn tells the true story of Dr. Takashi Nagai, a pioneer professor of radiology and graduate of Nagasaki Medical University, who was born in 1908 and died from radiation poisoning in 1951, six years after his wife died. It is also the story of his spiritual pilgrimage from Shintoism to atheism and then to rationalism. He learned to pray from Pascal's "Pensees" and finally converted to Catholicism by the time he married.

 While studying, he was consumed by the mysteries of the body and couldn't but confess to the wonderful power of God. He spent all his time and energy in the laboratory. Nevertheless, his wife, Midori, never complained. She made clothes for her friends, but she herself was frugal and simple without using any make-up. Her hands were rough because of working in the field, but she always carried a gentle womanhood. Nagai was working in his hospital when the bomb detonated; he was severely wounded but worked continually without rest to take care of the dying. He later found the remains of his wife,  her hands joined and eyes turned toward heaven… She was a sacrifice standing atop the mushroom cloud of the bomb.

 God's works can't be figured out at one glance, but everything is surely in the hands of God. Nagai thought he lost everything in the nuclear wilderness, but he also discovered he had everything. Being a peace-seeker and anti-militarist, he pointed out that our society is used to solving the problem of suffering by removing pain. But by accepting it, we can have a new insight to find meaning and hope in spite of difficulties.

 So, it's necessary for us to rise above the pain and radiate fun and joy. Surely, physical suffering is an opportunity to gather treasure for heaven. After making efforts to overcome and carry burdens, we can be renewed and joyful. If we deny pain, the hidden meaning is also lost. Thus, it's better to look at anger and sorrow as they are, seek inner strength to endure to the end, and choose a better way with the right resolution.

 He wrote about 20 books, including "The Bells of Nagasaki", "The Chain of the Rosary", "Towards the Eternity", and "My Dear Children". "The Chain of the Rosary" and "Towards the Eternity" were published in Korean by Pauline and became steady sellers. After listening to his doctor's opinion that he would live only two or three years, Nagai began to write, sick in bed with leukemia.

 He wanted to leave something precious for his children. He had nothing but a tiny hut, but he was happy to let his children be God's children. He realized that there are things that science cannot always explain. And we have to heal the victims' physical wounds and be witnesses by means of self-giving love and prayer. Because of his strong faith, he was willing to live in poverty and give royalties to orphans, the wounded, and the impoverished. "Love others as yourself" was his lifetime slogan.

 He regarded those who died from the atomic bomb as a burnt offering to God. In fact, he believed that the cross at Calvary is something like the navel of the world. It's not a symbol of self-preoccupation but it tells us that our bodies and lives are gifts. It stands for love, goodness, and maternal-like sacrifice that reveals God's grace. Being a witness of the truth, many people respected him: more than 20,000 attended his funeral ceremony and 300 messages were read to pay homage to his noble spirit. William Johnston even compared him with Gandhi, Martin Luther King, Dorothy Day, and Thomas Merton.

 He said: "Love everyone, trust His Providence, and you will find peace. I have tried it and can assure you it is so. I must be honest with you, my children. You will drink a bitter chalice as orphans. You will have to struggle against the temptation of resentment... Don't live negatively by blind fate but live meaningfully and lovingly and experience the Father's personal providence... As a doctor I sometimes had to give bitter medicine... sometimes it seems bitter because our taste is sick. But persevere!"

 The Korea Times/ Thoughts of the Times/ June 17, 2003