If you have been an avid follower of Netflix trends, you would have probably heard of a new arising Korean drama which talks about a mother coming back to life, which seemed too bizarre or too mainstream to watch. Here's a post telling you about it so you don't have to watch it and cry buckets after every episode, I've done that for you.
So, what is Catholic about this show? Or perhaps, how does a mere Korean drama about a mother's love resonate with the Faith? Please allow yourselves to indulge in the beauty of virtues in the following points.
No greater love than laying down one's life.
You pretty much know the plot of the whole series, where an expecting mother met with an unfortunate event and decided to save her child over her life. Cha Yu-ri, the young mother, was told not to leave the house especially since she would be in labour soon, but did so out of passion for her work. She did what every caring mother would do - sacrifice her life so her baby could be saved first. However, she left her husband widowed just a few years after their marriage. Throughout the early episodes, we could see how much her husband was struggling to raise a little girl, while balancing his work life as a known doctor. Due to the accident that caused his wife's life, he left the surgical department to settle only outpatient services.
As we look into the Faith, we recall how we are called to put others' needs before ourselves. We are taught that there is no greater love, than laying down one's life for a friend (John 15:13). We don't have to wait for an accident to happen before we lay down our lives to help those we love, every day is a chance to deny oneself with selfish desires, to offer up help to those closest to us.
It could be offering up your time to check in on your friend, over a video call or just a simple text.
You could set a schedule for yourself during this quarantine time so you have enough time to spend with your family members after completing all that is necessary for the day.
The list goes on, and we all know what we have to do to live as better Christians, to live our life with greater intentions - not just for ourselves.
2. Live life to the fullest.
As Yu-ri follows her family around everyday for 5 years, she watched how much her husband suffered raising up a child on his own. She saw how much her friends and family cried during the night as they thought of her. Many times, she could be seen crying beside them & attempting to comfort them with constant apologies. She was so sorry about leaving them to live on their own without her in it. It was painful for her not to be able to touch & comfort them. She wished she was still alive to do all the things she could have done, but chose not to.
This is a very good reminder for us to pick up virtues so that we may live life with no regrets. To treat all our brothers & sisters in Christ with the love that the Lord has willingly bestowed onto us as a gift. Simple acts of love can be offered up to all those around us, even those whom we may not really like. Seize every opportunity you have to show your love to your family & friends, before time is taken away from you.
3. Be kind. Every soul has a story to tell.
As we are showed the lives of the fellow companions of Yu-ri, we see the different stories they all have to share. Each of them had gone through their fair share of struggles, the rich, the old, the young, the misjudged, the grumpy, etc. People act the way they do because of the circumstances in their lives, which may or may not be disclosed for others to know about. In the beginning, the spirits were indifferent towards every new spirit ever. Slowly, they understand each other's struggles, given their circumstances as wandering spirits.
Before we jump into conclusions about a person, before we start a new gossip about them, before even spilling the tea, sis!! Take the time to understand them & why they act a certain way. Some may be uncomfortable sharing, but let's be the face of Christ to them and show them empathy. I think the biggest regret I personally experienced, was almost losing my chance to be friends with the nicest girl I initially thought looked too arrogant for my liking. She's now one of my closest girl friends whom I treasure, & we've been friends for 5 years now!
If I didn't allow myself to be open to whatever she was going to share, we wouldn't have been friends & it would've been my lost.
Be Christ to others, they may be the face of Christ to you in due time!
4. Not everyone who comes after you is your enemy.
Especially for the ladies! For me, this has yet to be the greatest plot of any k-drama at all. We're all so used to having that character we all despise, because of how much trouble they caused the protagonist. In this series, everyone has a story to tell & they're all their own protagonist -- okay, except for the exorcist (shout out to all the Crash Landing On You fans!). When Yu-ri came back to life, she could've easily kicked her husband's second wife outta their lives immediately, but she chose not to. Yu-ri knew how much her husband loved his new wife and how her daughter treats her step-mom like the only real mom she's ever gonna have. Yu-ri chose to stand by the lady whom her husband now loved, and even allowed herself to be friends with her. The ladies stuck together and fought together too. Oh to have friends who charge with you..
Most of us have a defense mechanism of disliking anyone who replaces/shares in our light to others. It could be a new girl in your group of friends who now have to share the attention that used to only be for you. It could be the new person whom your friends jio-ed (asked along). This brings us back to one of the greatest commandments - to love one another as God has loved us. There is no need for hate, so this drama has taught us. Yu-ri accepted her circumstances & chose not to deprive others of their own opportunities in the lives that they're currently living.
We too should strive to desire the best for others, not for our own selfish ways. Yu-ri had to learn it the hard way, but every waking day is a chance for us to offer up our lives for the service of others because we are meant for something greater than ourselves.
5. A mother is truly the greatest intercessor.
While we got carried away by Yu-ri's love for her daughter, Yu-ri's mother, Ms Jeon, has yet to be the greatest character of the story. Her mother dedicated every single day in prayer, to have her daughter in her arms again. Before Yu-ri came back alive, Ms Jeon prevented her family members from being in contact with Yu-ri's husband so that he could move on from the tragedy. She displayed a great example of denying herself for the better of the other. The later episodes also revealed that it was only Ms Jeon who knew her every move & thoughts. Through her persistence, God gave her daughter another chance to say goodbye to her loved ones. She even knew her daughter's greatest desires - for her husband to be free from self-inflictions.
Let us be assured of a human mother's great love for her children. Now, let us be reminded of the great love that Jesus's Mother has for us. Our Lady is our greatest intercessor, she who prays for us and with us, that we may be brought closer to Christ. She's one who went through so much more sacrifices, so much more pain. Just as Yu-ri was brought back to life, Christ is now risen! & he lives within us all. There is nothing a mother cannot do for her children, so let us run to our Lady so that she may pray for us! Jesus desires for us to love what He loves, just as he loves His mother, we too should love her. May we ask our Mother Mary to relentlessly intercede for us, that we may be brought back to life with the Holy Spirit, all the days of our lives!