The Catholic Weekly 17 May 2020

18 17, May, 2020 C omment catholicweekly.com.au large scale immigration and the topic has always been po- litically DOA. But as the Japanese pop- ulation shrinks and ages, the country is slowly but surely becoming increasingly reliant on foreign workers. The work- ing-aged population of Japan (those aged 15 to 64 years old) decreased by 379,000 people in 2019 and now ac- counts for less than 60 per- cent of the total population – the lowest proportion on record. The number of those aged 65 and older rose by 307,000 to nearly 36 million people – 28.4 per cent of the population – and more than half of these 36 million peo- ple are 75 or older! Japan’s population decline and its ageing are showing The shrinking land of the rising sun P erhaps it is no sur- prise, but for the ninth year running the Japanese popula- tion has declined. According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Com- munications, at the beginning of October last year there were 126,167,000 people liv- ing in Japan, a figure 276,000 lower than the year before. This population decline of 0.22 per cent is the largest de- crease on record, but the de- cline would have been even worse if the number of for- eign residents living in Japan had not increased by over 200,000 in 2019. This means that the num- ber of Japanese citizens is decreasing by nearly half a million people a year (to 123,731,000) but around half of that number is being re- placed by foreigners each year. This is slowly changing what has been an historical- ly homogenous culture: now nearly 2 per cent of the pop- ulation is made up of foreign residents. While this seems like a very small amount overall (for example in New Zealand about a quarter of the pop- ulation was born overseas) the growth in the number of foreign residents in Japan is significant: the country has traditionally been opposed to no signs of abating. They will be part of the global story for years and decades to come. This will have an impact on its position as the third largest economy in the world. It will also be vitally important in a geostrategic sense: Japan is a key ally for the US and is geo- graphically close to China as Cold War II between the two superpowers becomes more apparent. Japan is also the canary in the coalmine: how it reacts and manages its population changes will be watched with interest throughout much of the rest of the world. Marcus Roberts teaches torts and contract law at the Uni- versity of Auckland – www. mercatornet.com Hope in a time of Pandemic H ope is indeed a good thing and for Catholics it is one of the theological virtues we receive at baptism. At this time of confinement, it is important for us to cultivate this virtue and to remember that our true hope is in the risen Lord, a hope we are cel- ebrating in the Easter season. The social distance re- strictions associated with COVID-19 were easily relat- able to the season of Lent. We are all experiencing a forced detachment or penance from various entertainments and pastimes, from restaurants, from social gatherings, etc. This “penance” however is far less easily relatable to the Easter season, which is a call to feast with joy. So how to live Easter joy in this time of pandemic? The key is hope. Hope is the virtue that em- braces the present (it is realis- tic) but in the context of prov- idence and eternity. Hope is neither optimistic nor pessi- mistic, both of which are per- sonality traits. Rather, hope is seeing things supernaturally through the eyes of faith. This supernatural faith be- lieves in God’s plan for me, believes in salvation history, believes in Jesus Christ, the saviour of the world, believes that he rose from the dead, Christian hope is the opposite of navel-gazing, which absorbs our attention in ourselves. PHOTO: SERMON ON THE MOUNT CARL BLOCH 1877 Pope Francis greets the crowd before celebrating Mass in Tokyo Dome in Tokyo 2019. CNS PHOTO/PAUL HARING This thing we are all going through can at least focus our gaze on what’s really important in life believes in the resurrection of the body, etc. To see the past, the present, and the future through eyes of faith gives us hope. In more colloquial terms, hope is the virtue by which we “keep our chin up”, looking to the horizon. It is the opposite of “navel-gazing”, which is a self-absorbed looking at my own situation and difficulties. Christian joy is borne from this hope. In this time of seeming penance we can cultivate Eas- ter joy in many ways, but one way that may be particularly helpful is focussing on peace. The world around us is more silent, calm, and conducive to listening to God. With public worship not possible, it is in our homes or gardens where we need to hear the voice of God. St Francis de Sales, in his spiritual classic, Introduction to the Devout Life , writes that we need to listen to the inspi- ration of the Holy Spirit, who is constantly whispering little words of counsel. If we hear this inspiration, we will contemplate it and it will give us delight. If we con- sent to it, we will grow in vir- tue and holiness. With fewer distractions this Easter season perhaps we will be more at- tentive to the Holy Spirit and can grow in virtue. In previous times of pan- demic there has been a re- newal of spirituality with- in the Church. This renewal focussed on the humanity of Christ, especially his suffer- ing, and was focussed away from the normal environs of the parish church because of disease. For many of us this time is marked by solitude and the phrase, ‘social distancing’ has a rather menacing tone. A spirituality of the human- ity of Jesus invites the Lord into our home as a friend. Jesus was alone, he wept, he ate, he slept, he drank, he prayed, he obeyed, he was a child, he played, he (we pre- sume) laughed, he visited and healed the sick, he was scared, he sweated, he was in- sulted, he was angry, he bled, he loved, he was betrayed, he died, he rose from the dead. It is this Jesus who we invite into our home and hearts, it is this Jesus who is our hope and joy. At the end of Shawshank Redemption , the hope of the two prisoners is realised. Andy has dramatically es- caped and Red is finally pa- roled. As he travels to Mexico to see his friend Red says to himself, “I find I’m so excit- ed that I can barely sit still or hold a thought in my head. I think it’s the excitement only a free man can feel. A free man at the start of a long jour- ney whose conclusion is un- certain. I hope I can make it across the border. I hope to see my friend and shake his hand. I hope the Pacific is as blue as it has been in my dreams. I hope.” Dr Paul Morrissey is Presi- dent of Campion College Marcus Roberts Columnist Dr Paul Morrissey Columnist