Living in a contemporary society of progression and depression partly due to overconfidence and too rapid a rhythm of life as Anselm Grun recently pointed out, many people are looking for something more spiritual.
We are constantly seeking spiritual stimulation and transformation. I recently read a retreat meditation by Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan and was touched by his living message.
Nguyen Van Thuan was born in 1928 at Hue in Vietnam, which has the largest Roman Catholic community in Asia, after the Philippines. Coming from a family of martyrs, he was raised to be a witness of faith.
His mother played an important role in his religious formation. She told him stories from the Bible and martyrs every night. She always prayed for her son to be faithful to the church and remain where God wants him. She was truly a good example with deep faith and a great sense of humility.
He joined a minor seminary and was ordained in 1953. He was appointed deputy archbishop in 1975 but jailed by the Communist government. Unfortunately, he spent 13 years in a Communist re-education camp; during that period, he was confined in a solitary cell for nine years.
While staying in prison, he found a way to console his people by sending them messages written on scraps of paper. "The Road of Hope," "Prayers of Hope: Words of Courage" and "Five Loaves and Two Fish" are three books that he wrote in prison.
He was freed in 1988 but forced into exile. So, John Paul II accepted his situation and let him live in the Vatican; he naturally handled issues such as Third World debt at the Pontifical Council of Justice and Peace.
During the Jubilee Year 2000, John Paul II invited him to preach at the annual retreat at the Vatican and asked him to give a talk on his experience as a living martyr.
His talks were later published under the title of "Testimony of Hope" with 22 topics of meditation to give joy and hope even in the midst of suffering and beyond the fear of death. He was 74 years old when he died of cancer in 2002.
His description of isolation and abandonment, as well as his secret for finding hope in despair, moves our hearts. Based on his touching experiences, he suggested 10 rules of life as follows:
1. I'll live the
present moment to the fullest.
2. I will discern
between God and God's works.
3. I will hold
firmly to one secret: prayer.
4. I will see in
the Holy Eucharist my only power.
5. I will have
only one wisdom: the science of the Cross.
6. I will remain
faithful to my mission in the Church and for the Church as a witness of Jesus
Christ.
7. I will seek the
peace the world cannot give.
8. I will carry
out a revolution by renewal in the Holy Spirit.
9. I will speak
one language and wear one uniform: Charity.
10. I will have
one very special love: The Blessed Virgin Mary.
In spite of facing darkness, we have a reason for confidence; the only reason is Christ, the ultimate hope of the world.
This hope for Christ always filled him with joy, warmth, and love. Whatever came his way never became an obstacle. The greatest lesson he left behind is hope, for he truly lived his hope.
He was able to see God in every person and tried to see only the positive aspects. He was not able to say mass in prison, but he did it by placing two drops of wine and one drop of water on his palm.
He was not allowed to write anything, but he wrote something on the backs of calendars or other used paper, and these writings were later published into three collections of meditation. He was not able to make anything, but he made the cross using electrical wire.
Living and loving the present moment is the key to a spiritual life. Without trust, hope, and love, we will not be able to endure the hardship of life.
Trust, hope, and love will surely lead us to happiness, peace, and consolation going beyond the ups and downs of human relationships.
https://www.koreatimes.co.kr/www/opinion/2007/11/137_13290.html
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