"Help me, Lord.
Please help me!" This is one of my
spontaneous prayers that I often repeat before sleeping these days.
"Help me, Lord!"
Those young students who died recently in a ferry disaster
would have cried and prayed desperately in the same manner. "Help me! Help me,
please!"
Hearing the fragile and miserable destiny of many innocent people, I often ponder on the life jacket and ask myself, "Would
I be willing to give in and hand the life jacket to others if I were in the
same boat? Can I immediately, spontaneously, gracefully, and even joyfully give
my life for the good of others?"
When I feel like floating in the air, the urgent petition
asking for help becomes real and vivid. I feel like floating here and there especially when I realize
myself not wholly belong anywhere. I left my home country and I am still struggling to adjust to the
different circumstances of a foreign country.
In between two countries, I am undergoing the endless
journey of initiation and purification. Especially when facing my weakness, limitations, cultural and
personal difference, misunderstanding, and repeated mistakes, I just feel I am
floating and even flying about in the air.
I don't know what will happen next. I might be either burned by the
strong sunlight or fall down to the ground. Everything is up to God's providence.
The only good thing is that I have a firm and strong sense
of apostolic mission for diverse people including lots of migrants. That sense of mission inspires,
empowers, and sustains me to go on this spiritual journey.
I just live the moment, this very moment, doing my best. When I think of falling down from
floating in the air and on the water, I'm scared but at the same time, I feel
the most compassionate hands of the Lord holding me tight and leading me to
appreciate each moment with gratitude and wonder.
Driving in Singapore is quite safe. Motorcyclists passing by in between
the lanes are speedy but drivers are hardly speedy. I often observe most of them are
attentive, considerate, generous, kind enough to be patient, and generous enough
to wait for others.
The roads and exits in Singapore are quite well organized. Every road looks so systematically
and conveniently organized and interconnected to one another that I often think
the original designers of the road map must have been very creative,
intelligent, and clever.
Once I make the right exit, it takes no time to arrive at my
destination. However,
when I choose the wrong exit because of my limited knowledge and information
about roads, it naturally takes more time and energy as I wander around and
make detours.
Finding the right exit is something like picking up the
encouraging, empowering, and inspiring word of God at the right moment.
When we are sad or feeling down, it is easy to rely on human
connection. However,
Pope Francis encourages us to "pick up the word of God and go to Sunday
mass" when we have the blues.
He keeps saying, "Receive communion every Sunday and
read the Gospel every day to keep discouragement and the blues away. The word of God and the Eucharist
always fill us with joy!"
Along the journey of our diverse lives, we can be saddened,
burdened, worried, dejected, and even despairing, but our hearts can burn again
with joy, hope, and enthusiasm when we encounter and experience the risen Christ
vividly living in the word of God and in our daily lives as well.
Life sometimes hurts us in many ways because reality
looks indifferent and cruel; we can't avoid life's difficulties and
disappointments due to natural differences.
But the word of God constantly rekindles our hearts to be
filled with faith, hope, and love. It is the word of God that gives us direction and guidance for
further steps.
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2020/11/137_157324.html
The Korea Times/ Thoughts of the Times/ May 17-18, 2014
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