This book consists of 12 conversations between the author and his wife, daughter, colleagues, and young people, such as 'The Reality of Humanity', 'Forgotten History', 'Compassion and Empathy', 'Disgust and Exclusion', 'Life', 'Ethics of the Body', 'The Essence of Faith', 'Religion', 'Spirituality' and 'Sacredness', 'Friendship' and 'Others', 'Rest' and 'Peace', and 11 letters that are like the warmth of a light shining from afar. This book looks at the dark everyday life with different eyes and reveals the beauty of life and the enlightenment of faith that we miss and live with.


Whether through conversation or letter, the wisdom and observations of author Kim Ki-seok, who has served as a messenger of the word throughout his life through intellectual dialogue with countless intellectuals from around the world, have the power to change the perspectives of those involved in the conversation and lead them to a state of self-reflection, repentance, and self-purification.
Moreover, those who are weary of life, those who view life cynically, and those who are completely insensitive to all problems will receive comfort and encouragement, and will also be challenged to awaken and take responsibility.

Caring for people is the true beginning of life.
We can never be truly human if we do not know how to care for those who have been left behind, especially those who have not adapted to the pace of the world, those who have no voice, and those who are defenselessly exposed to violence.
--- From "There is nothing to spare"

“For learning, gain every day; for the path, lose every day.” This may sound presumptuous, but it is a quote from Lao Tzu that I have posted in my office. “For learning, add every day; for the truth, take away every day.” I use this quote as my daily guideline.
--- From "Letter from the Mountains in May"

Isn't the essence of religion to tell people about the heavens that they have completely forgotten, to wipe away the tears of those who are crying, to prepare a table for the hungry, and to breathe the breath of eternity into the everyday moments?
--- From "Do Not Divide the Sky"

Jesus' teachings were often mediated by the body.
Just thinking about Jesus holding the hand of Simon's mother-in-law who was sick with a fever and raising her up, touching the wounds of a leper, and touching the eyes of a blind man, makes me feel purified.
A hand filled with compassion and empathy for the pain of fellow human beings is truly a hand of life.
--- From "Beyond Straight Time"

My heart races every time I think about the fact that Jesus saw the rock, Peter, in Simon, a simple Galilean fisherman.
While the eyes of this fallen world are accustomed to finding fault with one another, it is heartening to think that Jesus' eyes see the small potential hidden deep within each person.
The moment I realize that the Lord's gaze toward me is like that, my life, which seemed gray, suddenly turns into a bright life.
--- From "Even if it is a sad and difficult life"

Sometimes we need to stop and look back at the path we've taken.
Why has the soul become so harsh, why does it react so impatiently to even the smallest stimuli, and why has it become so insensitive to the pain of the world?
--- From "The Song of Life Singing in Silence"

The most mundane routines sometimes make us feel motion sick.
Often times, those closest to us are hell.
But it is precisely these simple daily lives and the complex web of relationships that fuel our lives.
Everyday life can be a stumbling block that trips us up, or it can be a stepping stone that propels us forward.
The small glances and gestures we exchange in our daily lives are flickering lights between life and death.
Those lights come together to create life, right?
--- From "Stories Drawn from Everyday Life"

The author says that the bread and wine of everyday life are transformed into the bread and wine of the Eucharist when we empathize with the pain of others and embrace truth and brotherhood in our hearts.
A holy transformation occurs when the crushed and downtrodden embrace each other's pain.
Isn't that the mystery of the Eucharist?
--- From "The Eucharist in Dangerous Times"

The refusal to admit that one might be wrong is the root of all fundamentalism.
Violence against others often stems from the absolutization of one's own thoughts.
--- From "Masks and Bare Faces"

But what you must keep in mind is that if you are bitter not for the sake of coexistence but for the sake of satisfying your own desires, you are likely to be abandoned.
What I'm saying is that bitterness itself is not the goal.
When autumn comes, you must embrace sweetness.
Even though it's autumn of life, there are still people who feel bitter.
--- From "Beyond the Boundary"

You said that humility frees us from the weight of pride, service washes away obsessions, and study requires us to use ourselves as a text?
--- From "The Beginning of Rest and Peace"

The reason our lives become miserable is because the ego we have to protect is too strong.
Well, it may seem like a fence in our lives, but in fact it is a wall and a trap that confines us.
The ego, which is the sediment of past life, tries to move autonomously like Frankenstein.
Perhaps we try not to break down the fence of our ego even if it means losing everything.
--- From "The Beginning of Rest and Peace"

When I see people who turn away from the truth, who care more about their empty pockets than their empty souls, I think, 'When the human soul is corrupted, it is nothing more than a piece of meat.'
--- From "Between Memory and Oblivion"

It is truly unfortunate that the church, which should be the embrace of the abandoned, is hurting those who are like birds flying in search of a resting place.
Jesus, who had no place to lay his head, became everyone's embrace.
But many churches that have become wealthy have instead lost their strength.
--- From "The Painted Bird"

I think this way.
The further a person is from the path of truth, the more likely he is to point out other people's faults.
To a clean person, everything is clean, but to a dirty person, everything is dirty.
Jesus had no one to reject, but he was displeased with all those who claimed to be righteous.
Such people become increasingly reckless, deceiving people with empty words and disrupting the world with their unrighteous actions.
They are abominable, stubborn, and incapable of good.
What truly matters to us isn't words, but life itself. Often, a person's back is more honest than their front.

--- From "The Sign of a Fallen Soul"