When we put our trust in the Lord, His powerful hand will lift us to overcome all trials

On the morning of last Thursday, August 31, during our annual retreat of priests in the Archdiocese of Perth, Western Australia, I was very fortunate that God gave me a spiritual experience. It was about His love which is so wonderful and profound that I want to share it with you.

The famous words of Victor Hugo, the French writer, come to mind: “The great happiness in a person’s life is knowing that he or she is loved.” Yes, that is true! Who among us doesn’t want to be loved and remembered by others? Especially when we are no longer present in this world. Who among us does not desire to have true love, a love that is strong and committed, and lasts forever?

Once we feel we are freely loved, it will make us extremely happy, confident, and valuable. This will bring us joy and we will be filled with vitality and energy to move boldly forward into the future. I think all of us can see this significant difference in children raised in a warm family atmosphere, loved and cared for by their parents and siblings, compared to those raised in orphanages or childcare centres. Because to develop into a mature and balanced human being, we need to develop synchronously in the following areas: physically and psychologically, especially the ability to love oneself and others. This includes the ability to give and receive, or what we may call reciprocal love.

On that Thursday morning, the sky in Western Australia was clear and sunny. Under the beautiful heavens, I took the time to go for a leisurely walk on the path around the beach. Along the way, I prayed and reflected on my life’s journey over the past five decades, silently recalling what I had gone through and experienced, especially when I began to study at primary school. At the same time, I also reflected on the important events in my life, those that I cannot forget even though they had been very sad or heart-breaking.

But they also had a positive element that taught me many valuable lessons. Because I had to go through these difficulties as I was growing up, it enabled me to try harder to reach my goals. It also helped me learn to be patient and never to become discouraged and give up easily.

God arranges everything to strengthen us

In my later years, when I was more mature, I gradually realise a truth – that everything that had happened in my life, whether they made me happy or sad, whether I failed or succeeded, and even when I fell into a dead-end and hopeless situation, I believe that everything was arranged by God’s hand. He constantly supported and gave me strength and willpower so that I could rise up and overcome everything. Therefore, I always thank God for all that He has given me, particularly when He graciously called me to be His disciple through the priesthood. For me, it is a great grace and I don’t think that I could ever repay this great favour from God.

I still remember very vividly the devastating event of 30 April 1975, when South Vietnam fell into the hands of the Northern Communists. I was 15 at that time and witnessed the bombs destroying houses, forcing people to flee and leave their properties behind in search of safe places to hide.

Countless people were killed and many children were left orphaned as a result. The Communists’ brutal takeover of South Vietnam changed everything for those of us who made our homes there, from the type of government we had to our way of living. Many families fell victim to poverty because there were no longer any jobs in the wake of the horrifying carnage.

Adding to the misery of families who survived, a large number of fathers were marched to concentration camps to be re-educated because they had been soldiers of the Republic of (South) Vietnam army. My family was also caught in this unfortunate situation and three years later in 1978, I had to temporarily put aside my high school studies to stay home and help my parents labour in the fields.

This period was one of great sadness in my life because I had been very passionate about studying since I entered school and wanted to devote my whole life to studying. I dreamt of doing well in my studies and eventually having a successful career so that I could help those in society who are in dire need of support. That beautiful dream was destroyed when the Communist bombs fell in my homeland and forced me to leave school, as my family no longer had the financial means to support my education.

God listens and answers our prayers

With a hoe replacing pens and books in my hand, I entreated God in prayer, “Lord, if one day you let me have the opportunity to go back to school, I will invest all my abilities and intelligence in studying, and I will study until the end. I promised God that I would not be lazy or lax in my academic duties.”

God indeed listened and answered my earnest prayers. At the end of 1981, He led me to successfully escape Vietnam by boat to Malaysia, where I stayed at a refugee camp in Pulau Bidong for eight months. In August 1982, He gave me the chance to settle in Perth, Western Australia, and the golden opportunity to return to school there which had a wonderful education system.

From there, I went on for further studies and earned a Bachelor of Theology at Melbourne College of Divinity on the side of the country in 1992. Five years later I returned to Western Australia for my Master of Moral Theology at Notre Dame University in Fremantle. This academic journey led me to Rome in 2003 when I obtained a doctorate in Moral Theology at the Alphonsian Academy, which is affiliated with the Pontifical University of John Lateran.

Now, when I look back at the events that had taken place in my life, especially the sad moments in Vietnam, there have been times when I felt I never would have the chance to rebuild my life and fulfill my dream. But truly, God’s Word is mighty and has the power to transform, if we know how to put all our trust in Him, as there is nothing that He cannot do (Luke 1:37). I have always been convinced of this, because of the many times God intervened in my life. I have experienced His love for me firsthand because He wants to strengthen my faith and at the same time wants to show me His incomparable power.

As I was thinking about these things while walking by the seashore that morning, I felt from the bottom of my heart a deep appreciation of the immensity of God’s love which He has bestowed on me since I was a young boy. I was deeply moved and my heart fluttered because I was happy. I knew I was loved and the one who loved me was a God who is full of mercy and compassion, slow to anger, and always ready to forgive me whenever I make a mistake or fail to live out my commitments.

So, I remembered the lyrics of the Vietnamese hymn, The immeasurable love of God, composed by musician Giang An (Bao la tình Chúa, sáng tác do nhạc sĩ Giang Ân). I have heard this song many times previously, but perhaps, in those times, it did not have enough impact for me to experience deeply about God’s love. But strangely now, when I listen to this hymn, it gives me a very special feeling and ecstatic happiness. I feel like I am immersed in the sea of ​​God’s love and enjoy the sweetness and softness of that love.

How happy are the souls that God allows to experience and taste the wonder of His immeasurable love. Therefore, Victor Hugo said very wisely, “The great happiness in a person’s life is knowing that he or she is loved.” Especially when that love comes from God, the source of true and unconditional love.

---

God made every person in His Image, and there is a unique gem in each of us

In light of Pope Francis’s August intentions for World Youth Day, I want to share with you something beautiful for all young people, many of whom were at this event in Lisbon, Portugal, earlier this month.

They have received many wonderful messages from Pope Francis, our beloved Holy Father. Although I did not attend the WYD, I did follow the significant events through YouTube and listened to the Holy Father sharing his insights with the young people through his sermons and speeches. I found them extremely valuable and believe what he said will become a wonderful guide for us in the near future, especially in our faith journey.

As for me, I have something dear to my heart that I would like to share with you. I remember reading a story once about a man who was exploring some caves by the seashore. He found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls in one of the caves.

It was like someone had rolled up some clay and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn’t look like much, but they intrigued the man so he took the bag out of the cave with him.

As he strolled along the beach to pass the time, he threw the clay balls one at a time out as far as he could into the ocean. He thought little about it until he dropped one of the balls on a rock and it cracked open. Inside was a beautiful, precious stone. Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure.

He found thousands of dollars’ worth of jewels in the 20 or so of the remaining clay balls he had not flung into the sea. Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time and had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasures into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have had tens of thousands had he not thrown away those clay balls.

Every person is wonderfully made by God

You know, sometimes it’s like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn’t look like much from the outside. It isn’t always beautiful or sparkling so we discount it. We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well-known or wealthy, instead of taking the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person.

There is a treasure hidden in every one of us. We are wonderfully made. Not just our physical bodies, but our spiritual selves, which are sometimes hidden from others by the “earthen vessel.”

If we take the time to get to know that person and ask the Holy Spirit to show us that person the way He sees them, then the brilliant gem begins to shine forth. The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, nor the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship. It is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when he discovers that someone else believes in him and is willing to trust him with friendship.

Too often we don’t take the time to find the hidden treasures inside the people we meet. We are like the man who threw the 50 or 60 balls into the ocean, only to realise later he had thrown away riches he would otherwise treasured. This brings to mind the saying that I love, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.”

Each one of us is truly God’s wonderful creation. He created everyone in His own image and endowed each person with unique abilities. Human dignity is no less than that of the gods as described in Psalm 8:2-10.

2 O LORD, our Lord,

how awesome is your name through all the earth!

I will sing of your majesty above the heavens

3 with the mouths of babes and infants.

You have established a bulwark against your foes,

to silence enemy and avenger.

4 When I see your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and stars that you set in place—

5 What is man that you are mindful of him,

and a son of man that you care for him?

6 Yet you have made him little less than a god,

crowned him with glory and honour.

7 You have given him rule over the works of your hands,

put all things at his feet:

8 All sheep and oxen,

even the beasts of the field,

9 The birds of the air, the fish of the sea,

and whatever swims the paths of the seas.

10 O LORD, our Lord,

how awesome is your name through all the earth!

Psalm 8:2-10

In this extract of the Psalm, while marvelling at the limitless grandeur of God (Ps 8:2–3), the psalmist is struck first by the smallness of human beings in creation (Ps 8:4–5), and then by the royal dignity and power that God has graciously bestowed upon them (Ps 8:6–9).

The Beauty and the Beast

It reminds me of the story, The Beauty and the Beast, which was made into a marvellous movie and attracted countless viewers through the ages. The content of that film was inspired by the story with the theme, that only true and selfless love from a soul will have the extraordinary ability to transform a “monster” such as “the beast” into a handsome Prince.

It can be said that the vast majority of us have a hidden “monster” quality in our souls. All of these things need to be transformed into precious jewels and radiate a radiant light in order to reveal the inner beauty from the depths of our souls and for it to become a reality, each of us needs to be touched by true love and unconditional love in order to radically transform who we are. (See below about what is true and unconditional love)

That genuine and unconditional love comes first from God, who has loved mankind from all eternity, even before the creation of the universe, and that love has always been given to us through God’s beloved Son, Jesus Christ, the Word made flesh and dwelt among us.

Through Christ’s self-sacrificing love and through a tragic death on the cross, God’s only begotten Son shed his blood for the redemption of mankind and to atone for our sins.

He did this so that we might be reconciled to God, restored completely our old self and transform it into a new creation, thanks to the sanctifying and transforming power of the Holy Spirit given to us after His resurrection. This One conquered sin and death in order to free man and woman from sin and give us eternal life, living in glory and immortality in favour with God.

Secondly, true and unconditional love need to be received and given from people living in the same family, or in a parish or religious community, in an academic environment, at work place, among others. There is only true and unconditional love that can inspire and transform each of us into people who know how to live for others and are ready to commit themselves to selfless service.

I wish our young people to realize the beauty and nobility in the very heart of others, given by God Himself when He placed us in this universe, and I wish that beauty is like a precious jewel, will be shining every day through our good actions for others and through the authentic life that we live.

May God bless all our efforts and endeavours in the future journey.

What is the Difference Between True Love and Unconditional Love?

True love is a love that is based on mutual respect, trust, and understanding, and it is characterized by selfless devotion to the well-being of the other person, while unconditional love is a pure and selfless form of love that is given freely and without reservation, and it is not influenced by the other person’s flaws or imperfections.

These two types of love are similar as they both involve a deep and enduring affection for another person. However, there is a subtle difference between true love and unconditional love.

What is True Love

True love is a strong, deep, and enduring affection for another person. It is characterized by selfless devotion and a willingness to put the needs and happiness of the other person before one’s own. Moreover, it is a love that is unconditional. It is not based on superficial qualities or circumstances.

In today’s society, love tends to be superficial. Romantic love in modern relationships is usually based on attraction, infatuation, or a desire for companionship. It may be more self-centered and may be more easily influenced by negative feelings or circumstances.

However, true love is a rare and precious thing. It requires a great deal of effort and commitment to maintain. It is not always easy, but it is worth striving for.

What is Unconditional Love

Unconditional love is a type of love that is not dependent on any particular conditions or qualities in the loved one. It is a love that a person gives freely to another and without reservation and is not contingent on the loved one meeting certain expectations or standards. We generally associate unconditional love with a deep, abiding affection and a sense of caring and compassion for the loved one. It also involves acceptance, support, and a willingness to forgive. It is a love that is given without expectation of anything in return and is not influenced by the actions or behaviours of the loved one. Some people believe that unconditional love is the highest form of love, as it is.

Everpresent in our everyday lives, the Almighty never ceases to watch over us

I’d like to share something that happened to me a few months ago on 30 March. This incident has left me with so much joy and deep gratitude to God, who has done so many great things in my life.

On that particular morning, I went to my office at St. Thomas More College, which is opposite the University of Western Australia at Mounts Bay Road in Crawley, Perth. Later at about 10.30 am, I made my way to the College’s Chapel to get everything ready for Mass that I was celebrating at Noon for the students. The first thing I did was to prepare the bread and wine, and then go through the readings for the day. I skimmed through the first reading, taken from the book of Genesis (17:3-9), about God making a covenant with Abraham, because God wanted to make him the father of many nations.

3 Then Abram fell on his face; and God said to him, 4 “As for me, this is my covenant with you: You shall be the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 5 No longer shall your name be Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you the ancestor of a multitude of nations. 6 I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. 7 I will establish my covenant between me and you, and your offspring after you throughout their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. 8 And I will give to you, and to your offspring after you, the land where you are now an alien, all the land of Canaan, for a perpetual holding; and I will be their God.” 9 God said to Abraham, “As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations.

Then I read through the response, from Psalm 104, verses 4-9, and my eyes were fixed on the words: “Remember the wondrous things the Lord has done.” It was these words that moved me so intensely as though they wanted me to take time to reflect on the wonders and marvellous things that God has done in my life. The most important, of course, was when I had to leave my homeland to search for freedom and for the continued pursuit of my own priestly vocation that I felt when I was a teenager.

(Both stories are documented in The Search for Freedom: Memoir of a Vietnamese Refugee in Australia, available at Amazon, and The Tempestuous Road to the Altar, published by Shalom Tidings Magazine)

After I finished going through the Genesis and Psalm readings, I slowly walked to the first front pew in the chapel and sat there, as I wanted to let my soul really settle down. Alone in the silence of the Chapel that morning, I began to reminisce on the wonders and great things that God has been doing in my life, from the time I was growing up to the present moment. Then, my life began to unfold before my eyes, as I watched the significant events that have taken place over the past 40 years. It was like a slow-motion movie complete with its twists and turns and thrilling moments, especially when I had to hide and run away from the Military Police and local authorities, as I was a fugitive at the time.

I could not contain my emotions when I recalled the moments when my life was hanging like a thread in the wind. All that was needed to break the fragile thread was a gust of wind to end it all, which was my life. This took place when I had to escape from Vietnam in a rickety boat through stormy seas in 1981. The journey was treacherous and fortunately, after five days we somehow landed safely on Pulau Bidong Island, Malaysia. It was a place where other Vietnamese refugees were held temporarily, as they wait for third countries to relocate them.

He works miracles every day in our lives

How our boat got to that island is puzzling because we were just drifting aimlessly in the open sea without a compass or map to guide us. It can only be the work of God’s hand to save me and the other 50 other people on that wooden boat. God did snatch us from the jaws of death. For me, it was a momentous event, a great miracle that God performed right before the eyes of all of us who were on the boat. So, whenever I have the opportunity to reread passages in Scripture, such as The Book of Exodus, I like to quote passages from Ex 14:5-31 and 15:1-19 to remind me of our God who does wondrous things not only during biblical times but now every day in our lives:

⁵ When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the minds of Pharaoh and his officials were changed toward the people, and they said, “What have we done, letting Israel leave our service?” ⁶ So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him; ⁷ he took six hundred elite chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. ⁸ The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the Israelites, who were going out boldly. ⁹ The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, his chariot drivers and his army; they overtook them camped by the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

¹⁰ As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord. ¹¹ They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? ¹² Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone so that we can serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” ¹³ But Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today, for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. ¹⁴ The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to keep still.”

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. ¹⁶ But you lift up your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground. ¹⁷ Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them, and so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his chariot drivers. ¹⁸ Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained glory for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his chariot drivers.”

¹⁹ The angel of God who was going before the Israelite army moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from in front of them and took its place behind them. ²⁰ It came between the army of Egypt and the army of Israel. And so the cloud was there with the darkness, and it lit up the night; one did not come near the other all night.

²¹ Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and turned the sea into dry land, and the waters were divided. ²² The Israelites went into the sea on dry ground, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left. ²³ The Egyptians pursued and went into the sea after them, all of Pharaoh’s horses, chariots, and chariot drivers. ²⁴ At the morning watch the Lord, in the pillar of fire and cloud, looked down on the Egyptian army and threw the Egyptian army into a panic. ²⁵ He clogged their chariot wheels so that they turned with difficulty. The Egyptians said, “Let us flee from the Israelites, for the Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”

The Pursuers Drowned

²⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, so that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots and chariot drivers.” ²⁷ So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at dawn the sea returned to its normal depth. As the Egyptians fled before it, the Lord tossed the Egyptians into the sea. ²⁸ The waters returned and covered the chariots and the chariot drivers, the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea; not one of them remained. ²⁹ But the Israelites walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters forming a wall for them on their right and on their left.

³⁰ Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. ³¹ Israel saw the great work that the Lord did against the Egyptians. So the people feared the Lord and believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. (See Exodus 14: 5-31).

Exodus 14:5-31

The Song of Moses

15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
    horse and rider he has thrown into the sea.
² The Lord is my strength and my might,
    and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him;
    my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
³ The Lord is a warrior;
    the Lord is his name.

⁴ Pharaoh’s chariots and his army he cast into the sea;
    his elite officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
⁵ The floods covered them;
    they went down into the depths like a stone.
⁶ Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power—
    your right hand, O Lord, shattered the enemy.
⁷ In the greatness of your majesty you overthrew your adversaries;
    you sent out your fury; it consumed them like stubble.
⁸ At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up;
    the floods stood up in a heap;
    the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
⁹ The enemy said, ‘I will pursue; I will overtake;
    I will divide the spoil; my desire shall have its fill of them.
    I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’
¹⁰ You blew with your wind; the sea covered them;
    they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

¹¹ Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
    Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
    awesome in splendour, doing wonders?
¹² You stretched out your right hand;
    the earth swallowed them.

¹³ In your steadfast love you led the people whom you redeemed;
    you guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
¹⁴ The peoples heard; they trembled;
    pangs seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
¹⁵ Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed;
    trembling seized the leaders of Moab;
    all the inhabitants of Canaan melted away.
¹⁶ Terror and dread fell upon them;
    by the might of your arm, they became still as a stone
until your people, O Lord, passed by,
    until the people whom you acquired passed by.
¹⁷ You brought them in and planted them on the mountain of your own possession,
    the place, O Lord, that you made your abode,
    the sanctuary, O Lord, that your hands have established.
¹⁸ The Lord will reign forever and ever.”

¹⁹ When the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his chariot drivers went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground.     

Exodus 15:1-19

Whenever I reread such passages of Scripture, I am always overwhelmed with a feeling of joy and excitement. That day in the chapel, my heart was filled with joy, for I was convinced that it was the mighty and powerful arm of God that saved me. He brought me from the valley of death to the land of the living and gave me a chance to survive and rebuild my life.

That is why, today when I have the opportunity to reflect and review the wondrous things that the Lord has done for me, my heart cannot help but swell and sob. I want to give God a deep feeling of thanks from the bottom of my heart to express my gratitude for all that He has done in my life up till now. God has given me a chance to continue living and pursuing my priestly vocation. This has always been the big dream of my life.

Oh Lord, my God, what a mighty and merciful God, You are. Your love extends from generation to generation and throughout the ages. You have always remained faithful to the covenant that You made with us and for that we revere and love you. We want to praise you forever.

Watch the Shalom Media video where Fr Peter tells the story of his dramatic escape from Vietnam.

Have confidence that even in our most dire moments He will walk with us to a new life

3rd Sunday of Easter homily

Today, the third Sunday of the Easter, the Church lets us listen to the Gospel passage of Saint Luke through the story of the two disciples on their way back to Emmaus. After having waited for nearly three days, they still have not seen Jesus rise from the dead, just as He had promised, so the two men were filled with disappointment and despair.

They had put all their hope in the Messiah who would free them from the domination of the Roman Empire and give the Israelites a bright future by Jesus Christ Himself. That has now disappeared into smoke and because of that, they feel a crushing defeat and no longer had any hope and set off to return to their home city. Return to the old ways of life and doing things.

The disciples were disappointed and discouraged after witnessing the fact that Jesus was crucified and tragically died on the cross and decided to resume their lives as fishermen (Lk 24:13). But amazingly whenever you want to give up and go back to your previous lifestyle, at that very moment, the risen Christ or the resurrected Jesus would appear and walk side by side with you as He did with the two disciples on the way to Emmaus (See Luke 24:13-35).

What can we learn from that example and what lesson does Jesus want to teach us? It is at the very times when we feel like an utter failure and want to give up and no longer have the will and enthusiasm to move forward, to pursue our vocation or to persevere in our commitments, whether it is a commitment to a marriage or to the Priesthood or Religious life. At these critical moments, when we almost lose all our hope and fall into despair, the risen Jesus will come and appear to us. He comes to sustain us, to comfort us and to strengthen us, so that we will not give up.

In the midst of darkness, Christ brings light into our lives

There have been times in my life when I myself have fallen into a dead end, with no way out, no hope, and I did not feel the presence of God in the darkness of life. I was depressed and felt really down. I wanted to give up and didn’t want to continue my priestly vocation journey.

At that time, in the early 1980s when the Vietnamese communists were hunting me down, I only wished that God would come and take me home with Him. That would solve my problem and release me from my sufferings of living without freedom, education and prospect of a future. Indeed, the worst of all is being hunted down by your enemy. In such a situation, life indeed has no meaning at all. In such cases, sometimes death is considered better, and that thought had flashed through my mind.

In that particular moment in my life, I prayed fervently to God every night for a whole month and begged Him to take me home, just as Tobit did in his prayer in the Bible:  

Then sad at heart, I groaned and wept aloud. With sobs I began to pray:You are righteous, Lord, and all your deeds are just; All your ways are mercy and fidelity; you are the judge of the world. And now, Lord, be mindful of me and look with favour upon me. Do not punish me for my sins, or for my inadvertent offenses, or for those of my ancestors. They sinned against you, and disobeyed your commandments. So you handed us over to plunder, captivity, and death, to become an object lesson, a byword, and a reproach in all the nations among whom you scattered us. Yes, your many judgments are right in dealing with me as my sins, and those of my ancestors, deserve. For we have neither kept your commandments, nor walked in fidelity before you. So now, deal with me as you please; command my life breath to be taken from me, that I may depart from the face of the earth and become dust. It is better for me to die than to live.”

Tb 3:  1-6

But fortunately, God listened to my pleas and He came and rescued me from my misery. He gave me a way out and finally opened up a new horizon and a new life for me. Promising a new future, when I successfully escaped by boat from Vietnam to Malaysia at the end of 1981. I was freed from the life of a fugitive and from the fear of living as a hunted person.

Today, the Word of God through the Gospel of Luke is resounding in the hearts of each one of us, to remind and encourage us, especially those who are in a situation of hopelessness and can’t find their way around. If we could not find a way out for ourselves at the moment, we should not be completely disappointed, but need to put our trust and confidence in God. He will then come and accompany us in the darkest moments of our lives when we have no hope at all. It is in such terrifying moments that the risen Christ will appear and accompany us. He comes to us in order to explain and help us understand the mystery of suffering and death that we have to go through in our lives,  before we can enter into glory and triumph. Just as He calmly explained to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus:

Then Jesus said to them: O foolish, and slow of heart to believe in all things which the prophets have spoken. Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and so to enter into his glory? And beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he expounded to them in all the scriptures, the things that were concerning him  (Lk 24, 25-27).

Luke 24, 25-27

May you always recognize the presence of God in your life, through events that take place in your daily routine or through the moment of sadness or happiness, through miserable and unsuccessful events and especially when you are faced with difficult problems in life. May you never lose hope and trust in the power of the Risen Jesus, who has conquered everything through his death and resurrection.

It’s a hard life, but at the service of Christ they need assurance it is not in vain

In 1998, four years after I was ordained priest, I returned to Vietnam after the Redemptorist Provincial Superior there invited me to teach Moral Theology at the Redemptorist Seminary in Saigon city. There I met my fellow Vietnamese priests of our Order. They are currently missionaries in the highlands of the country, where there are a great number of ethnic Vietnamese. The following article was originally published in the 2009 Winter edition of The Swag, a quarterly magazine of the National Council of Priests of Australia. I’ve updated it for publication in the Asian Fisherman and want to dedicate it to the Redemptorist missionaries in the Vietnamese highlands. I also want to dedicate it to the diocesan priests working in the countryside or in distant regions to express my sympathy for the difficulties and isolation they bravely accept in their missionary work.

Michel Quoist is a rather familiar name to most of us. He has become famous for a number of publications, especially his book Prayers of Life (Dublin: Gill and MacMillan). This work has been translated into 24 languages, and more than two million copies have been distributed all over the world. 

Quoist wraps up in this composition almost all of the very precious experiences of a priest’s life. He sincerely and wholeheartedly shares all his sadness, sorrows, happiness, hardships, loneliness and disappointments. 

This masterpiece gave me the understanding and spiritual support of a senior priest who has been through a lot, and stumbled and tasted the sweetness and bitterness of life. I admire Quoist very much even though I have never met him and only know him through his publications. It is the same as having not received the blessing of seeing Jesus Christ as the disciples of His time, but I have met and known Him through His Words, Words that have become flesh and live among us. 

It is thanks to my meeting with Jesus that my life has been transformed. I changed the direction of my life when I was a teenager and eventually became His disciple in my mission as His priest.

Quoist impresses me greatly, especially with his writing, The Priest:  A Prayer on Sunday Night.

People ask a great deal of their priest, and they should. But they should also understand that it is not easy to be a priest. He has given himself in all the ardour of youth, yet he still remains a man, and every day the man in him tries to take back what he has surrendered. It is a continual struggle to remain completely at the service of Christ and of others. A priest needs no praise or embarrassing gifts; what he needs is that those committed to his charge should, by loving their fellows more and more, prove to him that he has not given his life in vain. And as he remains a man, he may need, once in a while, a delicate gesture of disinterested friendship… some Sunday night when he is alone.”

Michel Quoist, The Priest: A Prayer on Sunday Night

Bringing the Good News to those society has forgotten

While reading the above lines, my thoughts were directed to my companions who are currently scattered all over Vietnam and overseas in the course of their missionary work.  They are missionaries from the Redemptorists Province in Vietnam and filled with the spirit and burning fire to bring the Good News to the poor and disadvantaged, those forgotten by society and the Church.  

For this reason, they have not hesitated to travel long distances to reach the small villages in the highlands, and even dwellings on the borders of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.  They live in extremely poor circumstances and yet they still preach God’s Words enthusiastically, Living Words that have the power to give new life and transform their listeners from selfish individuals indifferent to others’ needs to generous people who can give and live completely for others.

In 2004, when I was stationed in Vietnam, I was once allowed to accompany the Provincial of Australia to visit members of the Vietnamese Province at the missionary locations in the highlands of Bao Loc, Pleiku, Kontum and similar places. On reaching those places, I was somewhat shocked and very surprised because I wondered what had motivated the young priests of the Vietnamese Province to sacrifice their life and happily serve there. 

When I was invited into the hut in which they were temporarily residing, I saw that their lodgings were so bare and poor that it was beyond what I had expected. I could not hold back my tears. Their bedroom was furnished with a single mat on the floorboard and old pillows for each of them. Their office was also very modest, some used their suitcases as work desks.  Food for them was meagre and sometimes they did not have rice to cook and instead ate sweet potatoes or corn the villagers gave them. 

As for remuneration, they were paid bunches of bananas, gourds and pumpkins.  In spite of this extreme poverty, great joy emanated from them. They constantly smiled and were always happy. These missionaries seemed to experience something very mysterious, a joy in giving even one’s own life to love and serve the poor, those who were shunned and rejected by society.

Loneliness is often a constant companion

I also thought about my fellow Vietnamese priests serving in distant country dioceses in Australia. They have shared with me their feelings of loneliness because they lived in isolated environments, too far away for parishioners and friends to visit them. Some priests said they had to drive over 100km to celebrate Mass for only four or five Catholics. Once they were done, they drove a similar distance to celebrate Mass at another location. However, the parishioners’ friendliness, respect and love for them compensated for the long distance. This helped them feel they were truly supported on the spiritual plane.

As for myself, when I was a religious priest then, I lived with the community of my Order.  All daily activities were clearly regulated such as meal, prayer and Mass times. This was a great help for me in my life as a religious priest. I got the support of the community in good and bad times and always had someone to confide in when I needed it. There was always someone by my side. 

From 2005-2007, I had the opportunity to serve in a rather active parish, Saint Martin de Porres in Avondale Heights, Melbourne. In this parish, Catholics attended Mass regularly on Sundays and weekdays. Here, I learnt a lot from the experience of Fr Tony Kerin, the diocesan parish priest, who was very diligent and capable. He was always joyful, welcoming and ready to help his parishioners. God has blessed him with such a helpful attitude that he rarely refused any request.

I worked and lived with him for two years. We were very close, ready to share our daily tasks and burdens.  We respected and reserved the necessary time for each other.  I loved Saturday and Sunday evenings when both of us were home after we celebrated the Eucharist and closed the Church. We cooked, had dinner together and often opened a bottle of red wine to enjoy, because “good wine needs good company”. Sometimes during meals, we discussed parish business or future programmes and plans. Other times, we confided in and shared with each other our feelings about life or our missionary work.

I remembered once he went on vacation for a month and I had to look after the parish alone. When evening arrived, especially on weekends after celebrating Mass on Saturday nights, I helped a few parishioners to close the church, and returned to the empty and quiet Parish house. As I was alone, I just ate anything that happened to be available in order to finish dinner quickly and turn in early so that I could get up the next morning to celebrate another three Sunday masses. Once, I got a cold during the week and had a fever. I was coughing a lot and could not sleep much. The secretary tried to find a replacement priest, but to no avail, as it was too close to the weekend. All the priests within reach were too busy to help me out.

So, I had to soldier on. Though I still felt weak and nearly lost my voice, I had to make a great effort to get out of bed and carry out the timetable of three masses. I tried hard to give a homily, but after doing so, I lost my voice again. 

In times like these, I thought of my fellow priests, particularly the diocesan priests, who were serving in parishes and who could be experiencing the same dilemma as I was.  They had my sympathy because I had been through this test, having to look after myself in sickness while still manning the parish and performing all tasks as scheduled. After spending two years at Saint Martin de Porres, I empathise and understand somewhat the life of diocesan priests. They have heavy responsibilities and can be under very stressful conditions. They work hard to respond to all the needs of parishioners, from baptism and marriage to weddings and funerals. They take on the role of leader, Good Shepherd, counsellor, advocate, mediator, peacemaker, and even the safe target for everyone to shoot at when there are conflicts between various groups. In summary, they are truly the “servant of a hundred masters”.

This role is very hard to execute especially when there are harsh “masters” who delight in dishing out sarcasm, criticism, and disparaging remarks but rarely support, encourage, or give sincere praise.

This is why I find the ideas expressed by Father Michel Quoist very realistic, and to conclude this personal sharing, I would like to quote him again:

People ask a great deal of their priest, and they should. But they should also understand that it is not easy to be a priest. He has given himself in all the ardour of youth, yet he still remains a man, and every day the man in him tries to take back what he has surrendered. It is a continual struggle to remain completely at the service of Christ and of others.

His love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us (Rm 5:5)

Over the past few years, I’ve often struggled and questioned myself: How can I love God, who is invisible, with all the power of the love of my heart, and how intense and real that love is, as if I were loving a human being with real body and flesh?

This happened because God himself has poured His love into my heart through His Holy Spirit (Rm 5:5). I believe this is a great gift that God has given to me.

Why have I been able to experience so vividly God’s love for me through the years, so to speak, since I gained wisdom and discovered it in my own simple heart from the time I was a child?

And then in the course of time as I grew up, and especially when I reached adulthood, I discovered God’s call for me to commit myself to follow Him as His disciple. I was 19 then, an age when I dreamt, thought about romance and remember the silhouettes of girls my age. I also secretly wished I had a beautiful and talented girlfriend with many virtues.

Everything is God’s Grace

But then I dismissed those thoughts, after I discovered the Lord’s call rose so strongly in my heart that I couldn’t resist the urge of His invitation. God’s call was increasing in urgency every day and welling up in me. I discovered His will for me – He wanted me to become a priest and dedicate my life to serving the Church through others.

Indeed, the priesthood and consecrated life are very mysterious and an equally mysterious experience for me. I sometimes cannot explain it at all when people wondered and asked me about it from the time I decided to become a seminarian until I was ordained a priest on July 16, 1994. Even to this day.

For example, when I was a seminarian, studying at the Inter-Religious Theological Institute in Melbourne City, Victoria State, Australia, I was often asked: “Why do you want to become a priest?” The question seems very ordinary and simple, but answering it is really not easy. Because a call (vocation) comes from God. It is a gift from Him. We often hear the saying: God calls many but chooses few.

And only those who are called and chosen by God is able to complete their vocation journey and be faithful to the consecrated life until the last moment of life.

Having spent nearly 29 years as a priest, I gradually discovered this and I am convinced of one thing: “Without the grace of God, we who live the consecrated life and will not be able to complete our journey, if God does not bless and sustain us.” And those who live the consecrated life are not only bishops, priests and deacons, but include religious brothers and sisters.

So, for me, Everything is God’s Grace and I’ve always been convinced of this: He has done everything in my life.

There were many times and several nights I prayed to God and said to Him dearly, “Lord, You know how much I love You, even though I am a sinful and weak human being. But You know my heart and the love I have for You. I cannot lie to You, because You know everything, even before I utter a word, You understand my feelings and thoughts. As Psalm 139 itself states:

1. You have searched me, Lord,
    and you know me.
2. You know when I sit and when I rise;
    you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3. You discern my going out and my lying down;
    you are familiar with all my ways.
4. Before a word is on my tongue
    you, Lord, know it completely.
5. You hem me in behind and before,
    and you lay your hand upon me.
6. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me,
    too lofty for me to attain. (See Psalm 139:1-6)

In fact, people can use their lips with beautiful words to praise and flatter each other for their personal benefit. They can also use charming words to flirt and seduce the listener to get what they want! However, for God who is sublime and has boundless wisdom, He understands everything, even the maneuverings and plottings of man.

Approaching God with honesty

Because of that, every time I come to God, I am always aware and understand that He knows everything and there is nothing that I can hide from Him. So, the best way for me is to be honest with a sincere and simple heart whenever I am in the presence of God. I should honestly share with Him my own difficulties, concerns, dreams and ambitions.  I should also talk to Him about what I still lack and ask for His support so that I can overcome these shortcomings and challenges, especially with my wrongdoings or mistakes that I often make. Including what I consider to be the deepest thing in my soul that I can only share honestly with God, because I believe He understands what is going on in my heart and my inner turmoil.

People’s lives and journeys are not always smooth sailing, and the path each of us will go through is not always a smooth one, without stones and obstacles. There are always bumps and bends on the road in our journey. I think about this point all the time because each one of us cannot avoid them and have more or less our respective personal experiences.

For me, the sentiment and lyrics of the song, “God is not mistaken” are apt. It was composed by Fr Kim Long who is also a well-known musician in Vietnam.  I believe this song is his unique experience as a priest. He is one of the elder priests in Vietnam whom I have admired for a long time, although I have never met him. But I have heard a lot about him from my close priest friends. I think what Fr Kim Long is trying to express through the lyrics of his song is also something that almost each of us priests, including those who live a consecrated life, can sympathize and attest to. It is a very real experience for us priests and those in religious life.

In closing, I would like to borrow the lyrics of his song, because I am interested in what Fr Kim Long wrote, which is also my personal experience.

God is not mistaken, when He calls me to follow
Even though life is drifting like duckweed
Because God has known from the time before I was born
Once the breath is not over
It’s a life that hasn’t been overcome with grief
God is not mistaken, when He lifted me up
No matter how low my life is
Because God has known from time immemorial
Sometimes I’m not faithful
It’s because I’m not a god
God is not wrong, when He taught me to love
Although there’s a lot of wrongdoing on the road of love
Because God has known from time immemorial
Every second flutters in my heart
Is every second of hot breath

Chorus:

But God’s heart is so vast
No matter how many times I’m weak
Sincerely beg for repentance
It is He who forgives.

I found the inspiration for writing this article based on the second reading (Roman 5:5) on the Third Sunday of Lent, 12 March 2023.

The ties we build in charity are forged with the Lord’s grace

“Let all that you do be done in love.” (1 Corinthians 16:14)

God’s love expressed through friendship is a topic I have been wanting to write and share with readers, especially my dear family and friends. It is based on my ties with many people from around the world whom God has gifted me to meet and know them.

These are very real experiences and it is my conviction for many years it was God’s plan for me. Especially from the time when I was forced to leave my homeland, family and all my loved ones behind in Vietnam in 1981 in search of freedom and to pursue my vocation to the priesthood (Read my story). This, I personally felt then, when I had just entered my twenties.

I eventually settled in Perth in Western Australia in 1982, which has been my second home in the last 40 years. During that time, I’ve also lived in many other cities in my adopted country: in Sydney when I joined the Redemptorist Order and then in Melbourne, where I was ordained priest in July 1994. I then returned to Perth to continue my studies in Psychology, while also working in ministry at the Redemptorist Monastery in the north of the city.

In the places and cities I have lived in, I was fortunate to always meet good friends who wholeheartedly supported me spiritually and materially. Among them, some have become my benefactors who have been generous and love me with sincere hearts. I cannot name every single person, but I cherish and engrave deeply in my heart each of them with sincere thanks and deep gratitude for what they have given me. I always remember these wonderful friends and benefactors in my prayers and in the Masses I celebrate. This is my way of expressing gratitude to them.

I have met many of them over the years in places and cities I have visited or studied, particularly when I studied Moral Theology at the Alphonsian Academy in Rome City, Italy (1999-2003). But distances and different time zones have prevented me from doing so since then.

There are times when I think of them and wish for another chance of meeting all of them again. It is for this reason I am writing this article so that if you read it, you will understand how much I want to express my deep gratitude to you. You are always in my heart, and I will keep each one of you in my prayers.

I am no longer in touch with many of these friends and I don’t know where are they now, what they are doing and what their life is like. But even so, in my heart and in mind they are still very much alive, and I will never forget them and all the things they have done for me. I always pray to God and ask Him to act on my behalf to bless and repay them abundantly.

God forges new friendships

I have been in the United States since August to attend the Fall 2022 Sabbatical programme at Mercy Center in Colorado Springs. While here, I have been able to interact with some Vietnamese people I have never met before. It was thanks to my family members and dear friends who have resettled in the United States that I was able to get acquainted with them. But I know it was God who brought us together.

I meet them only on weekends as I have to attend classes from Monday to Friday. These new friends took me and another Vietnamese priest, a close friend from Australia, to visit some of the more well-known attractions in Denver and the State of Colorado.

During my travels, whether far or near, I am always fortunate that God’s grace has always allowed me to have special meals with new friends for us to learn and get to know each other. Thanks to such occasions we develop a deep understanding of one another and eventually become close friends.

In my current visit to the United States, I am extremely grateful to those I’ve met for the first time for what they have done for me, sacrificing their precious time to take me and my friend out to many interesting places in Colorado Springs for an unforgettable experience. The sights were amazing and made me think about God’s wonderful creation in His love for mankind as members of the human family.

God certainly loves each one of us in a uniquely special way. But He created a universe so mysterious and wonderful for everyone to enjoy that I don’t think there are words to adequately describe all the splendour of nature. In the past two months, I have visited and witnessed its beauty from the waterfalls at Seven Falls to mountains and hills covered with tall pines. We also visited “Garden of the Gods” and “Pikes Peak” which rises 4,340m above sea level, and the Rocky Mountain National Park, a famous landmark of not only Colorado but the entire United States.

I also had the chance to see the white snow that was recently formed in the soaring mountains, the “Sprague lake” where water had begun to freeze, and the hot pools of the Strawberry Park Natural Hot Springs. All these scenes were so magnificent and vivid that they took my breath away and I could not but raise my voice in praise of God.

God’s marvelous creation and love for mankind

The trip to these places was approximately a four-hour drive from Denver and my companions and I were so ecstatic by what we saw that it compelled us to contemplate God’s great work in creating the universe. All of us must sing praises to Him for He made a beautiful universe for all of us to marvel at.

I thank God for His great love for us and also thank each one of you, my dear friends, for permitting me to experience His providence and love through your special friendship, love and affection. I am truly blessed. I am truly grateful and may God unite us as brothers and sisters in His great family so that we may become witnesses of His love in our world today.

May God continue to bless our friendship and the affection that we have for each other. And may God help you, whether priests, religious or lay people, to become God’s witnesses of love and mercy by the way we live, and by the love that we have for each other. Finally, may we do everything for others out of love (1 Cor 16:14). Amen.

Written for my dear friends, past and present. Loving all of you.

Main Image: Thoma Boehi, Pexels
Other Images, Fr Peter and friends, and Mercy Center staff

“We are exactly what He wants us to be”

(Note: In the headline I’ve written for this reflection, replace “I am” with your name)

We are into Week 8 of our Sabbatical program at Mercy Center in Colorado Springs and our presenter requested that we reflect on the four ways of contemplative prayer, as St Teresa of Avila narrated in her book, The Interior Castle.

Two days ago, on the morning of 26 October, we were asked to concentrate on the
Prayer of Focus that normally will take place during the fourth dwelling place, or the fourth mansion, according to St. Teresa.

The extract from our class notes reads: The fourth dwelling place begins a moment of natural rhythm and a deepening relationship in partnership with God. This deeper level of friendship has become more intense and leads us to a profound sense of otherness. The fourth dwelling place becomes a sanctuary for silence, solitude and contemplation. This comes from “In His Image: A Journey with St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila” which was given to us.

Please allow me to extract a paragraph from our class notes that talks about the Prayer of Focus.

Within this stage, a person can discipline the senses and faculties. The person is able to create empty space within their thoughts and feelings and welcome God’s personal visits. Here a person focuses on the object of prayer. By focusing on something particular, e.g., a candle, a crucifix, or the Blessed Sacrament, a person is able to achieve great peace and stillness and welcome inspiration and enlightenment. Prayer of Focus includes: Here and now – keep eyes open “Let all creatures speak of their Maker” and how does this focus speak of its Maker (God)?

As a result, I was asked to focus on an object, such as an icon, a religious painting, a statue of our Lady or Jesus, or even a sculpture. So, I went into our living room where a lot of these items are beautifully displayed. I looked around in search of the object I wanted to focus on for my prayer time. I finally decided on a sculpture that has an image of a father who allows his child to lay on his bosom and the child sleeps in peace without any fear or anxiety.

I would like to invite you to have a look at the photo that I took from the living room, before sharing with you my reflection as it occurred to me.

I took time to look at the object and I was focusing all my attention on the image, after a while, the sculpture began to speak to me and revealed its meaning as I could understand. It seemed that God was speaking to me and helping me understand the significant meanings of this sculpture. So here was what I received:

• The child was the focus of this sculpture. He was sleeping peacefully, and it seemed that he/she has no fear or anxiety
  
• At a closer look, the child is like a baby lying in the womb before it is born. This suggests that God is not only a father figure, but he is also a mother, who is able to carry each one of us in God’s womb
  
• The father gazes lovingly at the child which has his utmost attention and concern. Perhaps his whole focus is on the child as he looks at him. It seems to me that the father’s only concerns are about the child and nothing else
  
• His two hands are supporting him and the child. He does not hold the child but let him to be free, that could mean God wants him to be himself. As I was gazing on this sculpture, I felt that God has been my refuge and my shield. He will protect me, since I am his child, and will care for me. God’s only concerns are about my well-being and safety. I also believe this applies to all of us.

I was extremely happy and felt deeply grateful to God who has revealed this amazing insight to me, so I can be closer to Him, who is my Creator and loves me unconditionally as his loving child.

I find it difficult to put into words what I experienced this morning as I was gazing on the beautiful sculpture. I just wanted to treasure it in my heart and will continue to reflect and meditate on it.

Written at Mercy Center, Colorado Springs

Armed with the Rosary, the mission to save souls from the Devil

(Editor: The Month of October is dedicated to Mary and the Rosary. Today, 13 Oct, commemorates the day Mary declared she is the Lady of the Rosary at Fatima in 1917 before a huge crowd witnessed her Miracle of the Sun)

A few years ago on 2 October 2015, I was invited by a friend, Father Nguyen Huu Quang of the Don Bosco Order, to preach at a three-day retreat for the Brunswick parish, in Melbourne, Australia.  This was in conjunction with the Catholic Church dedicating the month of October each year to the Most Holy Rosary.

This is linked to the annual liturgical feast Our Lady of the Rosary on 7 October that Pope St Saint Pius V established in 1573 in honour of the Blessed Virgin aiding a Catholic naval force in defeating an invading Turkish armada.

During the retreat in Melbourne, I shared with Vietnamese parishioners the meaning and origin of the Rosary, woven with the Hail Mary. When we meditate on the essential mysteries in Jesus’ life, from his conception in the womb of the Virgin Mary to his birth, then into adulthood when he goes forth and preaches the Good News of salvation so that all those who hear and believe may receive salvation, we are contemplating the mysteries of the Rosary.  Here is my reflection on the Holy Rosary and the power of the Hail Mary.

Jesus’ public preaching and life of ministry tragically and lamentably ended on the cross which is reflected in the Sorrowful Mysteries. At Calvary, where He was crucified, Christ was suspended between two thieves. The Most Holy One, the only begotten Son of God, was in essence counted among the thieves, reviled and mocked, despised and ridiculed.

Those who passed by derided Him saying, “If you were truly the Son of God, come down from the Cross. He saved others; raising the dead; causing the lame to walk, the dumb to speak, the blind to see… so save yourself” (Matt 27:39-44). Faced with arrogant and obscene words, utterly challenging his power, Jesus kept silent. He did not get angry and punish the blasphemer who dared to profane God. That is also a valuable lesson for us. Jesus once said, “Learn from Me, for I am meek and humble of heart.” (Matt 11:28-30)

God’s fountain of grace flows from the Rosary mysteries

Then, in the Rosary, we too are invited to meditate on the Glorious Mysteries. This is our hope because Jesus has conquered death. Death and sin from then on will forever have no power over Him, for Christ was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. Death has been abolished by God through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The powers of the Devil will not be able to do anything to us if we know how to unite ourselves with the resurrected Jesus Christ if we know how to give up our old self to put on a new self and live according to the spirit of Jesus Christ.

Since Christ is the head of the body, the Church, He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead. He is the principle of our resurrection and later raises our bodies (Col 1:18).”

“And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you (Rom 8:11).”

Therefore, the Rosary helps us to meditate deeply on the main mysteries the Catholic faith teaches – the Incarnation (Joyful Mysteries), the Passion (Sorrowful mysteries) and finally the Resurrection (Glorious Mysteries). It is through this sincere meditation that we draw from God’s fountain of grace, reviving our religious life, and making it active and holy. I would like to quote the affirmation of the late Pope St John Paul II who said:

The Rosary has accompanied me in moments of joy and in moments of difficulty. To it, I have entrusted any number of concerns; in it I have always found comfort. Twenty-four years ago, on 29 October 1978, scarcely two weeks after my election to the See of Peter, I frankly admitted: the Rosary is my favourite prayer. A marvelous prayer! Marvelous in its simplicity and its depth … The simple prayer of the Rosary marks the rhythm of human life.”

Pope St John Paul II’s apostolic letter on the Rosary, Rosarium Virginis Mariae

As a child, I did not have the privilege of having knowledgeable Catholics, especially those older than me, teach me about the meaning of the graces of praying the Rosary. I remember vividly when I was about 9 years old, I accidentally picked up an old black plastic Rosary. A third of its crucifix was broken, but even though this rosary looked a little ugly and not very attractive, I liked to wear it around my neck.

I was so young then and I did not know how to pray the Rosary and meditate on the mysteries of Jesus’ life. I only knew how to say the Hail Mary. When it came to meditating on the Joyful, Sorrowful and Glorious mysteries, I did not learn them by heart and so did know how to recite them. But I was convinced the Rosary had some invisible power and believed the Devil fears it and will not dare to disturb me if I wore it around my neck.

As I got older, especially after I entered the seminary in Vietnam to become a priest, and when I joined the Redemptorist Congregation in Australia in 1983, I gradually developed a devotion to Mother Mary. In time I discovered my love for her and understood why she sent me a Rosary when I was nine. Although it was battered and a bit ugly, it was Our Lady’s way of expressing and making known her love for me at such a tender age to prepare me for my priestly vocation.

Subsequently, over time, I also discovered God’s love for me. Mother Mary has given many signs to tell me of my future mission and journey: That I will be a priest, even though there were times when I felt this was something unimaginable that will never happen.

Read also:
Mary: The Mother God gives the world
The Rosary: A powerful weapon against evil
Hail, Full of Grace

The Hail Mary protects us from the Devil

Later, when I was ordained to the priesthood on 16 July 1994 at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Church at Maidstone in Melbourne, I thought of this prophecy and silently thanked God and Our Lady from the depths of my grateful heart. After many years of hardship and suffering in my vocation journey, God finally allowed me to become His priest and the beloved son of Mother Mary, since I had consecrated myself to her on 15 September 1979 at my Vietnamese parish church in Duc My.

From what I have learnt, every time we say the Hail Mary, we share the joy of Mary’s heart. The greetings are the formation of so many spiritual roses offered to the Virgin Mary as if adorning her with a magnificent tiara, a garland on her head. In return, our Mother will place on the heads of her children an invincible crown of roses, of divine grace. This is the meaning and purpose of reciting the Hail Mary.

For me, the Hail Mary is my most favourite prayer. It is always on my lips and in my very breath. A good habit of mine is to always say the Hail Mary before I start doing something, especially important things: whenever I drive, particularly on long trips, and when I travel by air.

I do this because I desire Mary’s protection and I want to thank her for keeping me safe on my journeys. There is one thing that perhaps up until now, I have not been able to fully understand: that is whenever I am in danger or under attack by the Devil.

These situations usually happen in dreams, but sometimes, I felt as if I was fully conscious and aware of what was going on. There were times when I was so frightened that I screamed for help, hoping my friend in the next room or anyone at all, would hear my cry and quickly come to my rescue. At such times I was unable to speak and only murmured some sounds.

Too frightened, all I could do was to reach over my headboard and pick up the Rosary, usually hung at the top of my bed. With Rosary in hand, I was filled with courage and prayed the Hail Mary. Sometimes I said it out loud, sometimes just silently in my head, but in either mode, the Devil gradually left, and I was saved.

I now like to share with you a dream that is quite mysterious but very special to me, which I have recorded in my diary. Honestly, I still don’t fully understand its meaning, only some of it.

One evening a long time ago, I dreamt of many demons flying in the air, trying to catch the souls of many who were also flying. Whenever a demon touched any of them, that soul belonged to the Devil. I was troubled when I saw this and told Mother Mary that I wanted to snatch back the souls from the demons and save them for God.

I suddenly found that I had a Rosary in my hand and flying easily in the air, like “Batman”. I was amazed that I could fly and did my best to fly faster than the demons so that I could touch the souls first. Those I managed to touch were saved and the demons stopped chasing them. In my quest to save many souls for God I had to fight with those demons. Then, I woke up suddenly drenched in sweat, maybe because I was too scared or tried too hard to fly!

During the course of the day, I wrote in my diary all the details and feelings I still remembered, because I knew this was no ordinary dream. This could have been a vision the Lord had revealed to me, to let me know this was my priestly mission. I need to save souls and bring many back to God. The way, therefore, I can save these souls is through the Rosary as if it were a powerful weapon to fight against the Devil and bring victory to the Lord.

The mission to save souls with the Rosary

If I ever could have a better understanding of the meaning of the dream, I will be somewhat satisfied. What I have yet to understand, I believe God will slowly reveal this to me in His own time when I am ready to receive what He wants to tell me.

Coming back to the dream after waking up, I regained peace when I raised my voice to pray the Hail Mary and it seemed to me that Mother Mary also gave me strength. It can be said this prayer is quite powerful and the sharpest of weapons.

In saying this, I am fully aware and agree that the celebration of the Eucharist and the Church’s official prayers are preferable. Since the Eucharist is the source of grace and the summit of a Christian’s life.

But the Devil is very afraid of the Hail Mary. Every time we mention the name of our Mother – Holy Mary, Mother of God, and the super important name of Jesus Christ – blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus, demons are terrified and flee in disarray.

The holy patriarchs and saints of the Middle Ages confirm this, as well as the saints and past and present Popes who have had and have a special devotion and love for Mary.

Throughout the journey of my vocation, all the hardships I have endured, from childhood and adulthood to my time in the seminary, ordination and up till now, the one thing I cannot deny is this: if not for the love and protection of Mother Mary, I would not be where I am today. Her protection and support have helped me to overcome countless difficulties.

There were challenges that sometimes I thought I would never be able to conquer. I became dispirited and fell into despair many times. In such moments, I had wanted to give up and quit. I wanted to run away and leave it all to the flow of life, but Mother Mary never abandoned me. She didn’t leave me in despair, came to my rescue and helped me solve every problem so that I could continue my journey up to this day. Because of this, I made a vow to never forget the blessings she has bestowed on me. I will be forever grateful to her and God, who is a kind and loving Father.

As I wrote previously there are two women I cherish the most in my life. The first one is Mother Mary, my spiritual and holy Mother, who with her graces shaped me in the likeness of her Son, Jesus. The second one is my biological mother, who conceived and gave birth to me, raised me and taught me to love God and my neighbours as myself.

My life is truly happy because I always have Mother Mary. She will forever be the spring of my consecrated life to God. Mother Mary is everything to me and I, therefore, invite all of you to kindly repeat the short consecration prayer Pope St John Paul II composed. Please repeat each of the following sentences after me:

O my Mother, I am all yours
And all I have is yours,
Please guide me in everything

Pope Saint John Paul II The Great’s Prayer to The Virgin Mary, Totus Tuus

I wish that you will consecrate yourselves to Mother Mary by repeating this short consecration prayer. In doing so, we will become Marian soldiers, bearing crosses and Rosaries to fight for the success of her plans, and preparing for Christ to return in glory. Amen.

Main Image: Leonardo da Vinci’s Annunciation

POPES ON THE ROSARY

Pope Francis: The Rosary “is the weapon against the Great Accuser who ‘goes around the world seeking to accuse.’ Only prayer can defeat him.”

Pope Benedict XVI (2005-2013): The Rosary is “the prayer of the Christian who advances in the pilgrimage of faith, in the following of Jesus, preceded by Mary … it is a means given by the Virgin for contemplating Jesus and, meditating on his life, for loving and following him always more faithfully.”

Pope John Paul II (1978-2005): “The Rosary is my favourite prayer … I would therefore ask those who devote themselves to the pastoral care of families to recommend heartily the recitation of the Rosary.”

Pope John Paul I (August 26–September 28, 1978) in Homily in 7 Oct 1973 before he was elected Pope five years later: “The Rosary, a simple and easy prayer, helps me to be a child again, and I am not ashamed of it at all.”

Pope Paul VI (1963-1978): “If evils increase, the devotion of the People of God should also increase … Pray ardently to our most merciful mother Mary by saying the Rosary during the month of October. This prayer is well-suited to the devotion of the People of God, most pleasing to the Mother of God and most effective in gaining heaven’s blessings.”

Pope John XXIII (1958-1963): “The Rosary is a magnificent and universal prayer for the needs of the Church, the nations and the entire world.”

Pope Pius XII (1939-1958): “We do not hesitate to affirm publicly that We put great confidence in the Holy Rosary for the healing of evils of our times.”

Pope Pius XI (1922-1939): “A powerful weapon to put the demons to flight” … “Kings and princes, however burdened with most urgent occupations and affairs, made it their duty to recite the Rosary.”

Pope Benedict XV (1914-1922): “The prayer of the Rosary is perfect, because of the praises it offers, the lessons it teaches, the graces it obtains, and the victories it achieves.”

St. Pius X (1903-1914): “The Rosary is the most beautiful and the richest of all prayers to the Mediatrix of all grace; It is the prayer that touches most the heart of the Mother of God. Say it each day!”

Pope Leo XIII (1878- 1903): “The Rosary is the most excellent form of prayer. It is the remedy for all our evils, the root of all blessings. There is no more excellent way of praying.”

Pope Gregory XVI (1831-1846): “The Rosary is a miraculous means, the most capable one amongst other means, to destroy sin and regain divine grace.”

Pope Innocent XIII (1721-1724): “The Rosary had been instituted by St. Dominic to appease the anger of God and to implore the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

Pope Paul V (1605-1621): “The rosary is a treasure of graces”

Pope Gregory XII (1406-1415): “The Rosary is a wonderful instrument for the destruction of sin, the recovery of GOD’s grace, and the advancement of His glory”

Pope Julius III (1550-1555): The Rosary is “the Glory of the Church.”

Pope Adrian VI (1522-1523): “The rosary is the scourge of the devil.”

Pope Leo X (1513-1521): The Rosary “was instituted to oppose pernicious heresiarchs and heresies.”

Pope Sixtus XI (1471-1484): This method of prayer, the Rosary, “redounded to the honour of God and the Blessed Virgin, and was well suited to obviate impending dangers”

Pope Gregory XI (1370- 1378): “The Rosary is this wonderful means to destroy sin and recover grace.”

Pope Benedict XII (1334-1342): “The Rosary is a sovereign remedy to errors and vices.”

Pope Urban IV (1261-1264): “Every day the Rosary obtains fresh boom for Christianity … There is a pious rite which, to be protected against the dangers threatening the world, consists in reciting … the Ave Maria, as many times as the Psalms of David, while saying before each decade the dominical prayer… With our Apostolic authority, we approve this psalter of the Virgin.”

Christ entrusts us to the Blessed Virgin to teach, guide us to become His disciples

(Editor: The Month of October is dedicated to Mary and the Rosary)

For a long time, I have wanted to write and share with my family and dear friends about the love between me and Mother Mary, whom I have always loved. It can be said that my love for the Virgin Mary is passionate and sincere and it has been growing over time in my heart.

When I was a child, I often prayed to Mother Mary because I felt a closeness with her. Whenever I was misunderstood or bullied and could not explain or vindicate myself, I would go to our Blessed Mother and silently confide in her. I told her my sorrows because I knew she could understand what was in my heart, as she could see everything that had happened to me.

Because of this, I put my trust in Mother Mary and often went to her, especially when I needed help. Over time, I felt the Mother of God’s favour and love, especially the maternal love she had for me.

In my teenage years, I became a catechist and consecrated myself to the Blessed Virgin Mary at my Duc My parish church, where my family had lived since 1963. A few of them still live there.

Consecration to Mary and God’s plan

I subsequently joined the consecrated group of Mary with the purpose of asking Our Lady to guide me in my spiritual life, so that I could become the “beloved disciple of Jesus” and lead many lost souls back to the Lord, her Son.

Honestly, at the time, especially during the years from 1975-1979, I had no clue that it was God’s plan to train and prepare me for a future journey. In His own time, when it was ripe, He would call and invite me to commit myself to follow Him and be His disciple as a priest.

Before joining the Lam Bich Seminary – then an underground Catholic institution in the Diocese of Nha Trang in 1979 – I was both a catechist and choir member in my parish. In addition, I was also the leader of the altar servers. Thanks to this job, I was close to the Lord’s altar every day and, perhaps, through this proximity my heart was continuously kindled by the Lord’s sweet fire of love for His Eucharistic table, that is, the Mass.

Two years after I started my studies at the seminary to become a priest I had to escape Vietnam by boat in 1981 because the communist military was hunting me as I refused to join their military training to fight a war (read my story)

I was forced to continue my vocation elsewhere but faced an uncertain future for months in a refugee camp at Pulau Bidong island in Malaysia. Fortunately, in 1982, the Australian government allowed me to resettle in their country. There, I was able to continue to pursue my vocation.

During these trials, I became more aware of God’s will and what He had already planned for me. I was convinced that since I was a child, He had prepared my journey to the priesthood, and with time this fact had increasingly become evident, as He plainly revealed His will to me.

Unworthy of God’s call

At first, when I discovered God’s will for me to become His priest, I was scared and felt unworthy. I was afraid I would not have the ability and intelligence to pursue Seminary studies as I knew it was not easy. Furthermore, I did not think I had the qualifications and piety to be a disciple of the Lord and had countless times rejected His call.

But with God there is nothing that He cannot do, and no one can run away from His hand, if He has chosen a person to make a commitment to follow Him. Those who have experienced God’s will to be priests or religious men and women will testify to this conviction on my behalf.

Whenever I had the opportunity to meet with my brother priests and religious men and women, we exchange notes on our vocation journey. All of us had similar stories: we discovered the will of God and were ultimately convinced of our respective vocations. A common theme among my brother priests is that they initially also tried to refuse the Lord’s invitation, as the vast majority felt unworthy of the great mission God wants to entrust them with.

One among their number remarked, “Running in the sky can’t escape the sun!” We all affirm that no one can escape the hand of the Lord or run away from his sight if God has chosen a person.

Psalm 139:1-14 confirms this:
1 You have searched me, LORD, and you know me.

2 You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.

3 You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.

4 Before a word is on my tongue you, LORD, know it completely.

5 You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me.

6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence?

8 If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.

9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea,

10 even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

11 If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,”

12 even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb.

14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.

Now, on looking back after being a priest for 28 years, I am evermore convinced that entering a religious life requires a vocation and God’s grace. If He calls and chooses us, then we can faithfully follow Him. Otherwise, even with our own human strength, it will be impossible to remain steadfast in our vocation, be it as a priest or a member of religious life. No matter how strong our will is, or whether it is because our parents or family members wish for us to become a priest or nun, it will not come to pass if God does not call a person. And if it is not His will, no one can go forward and be faithful to the very end. I am convinced of this through personal experience. I don’t think that I would have become priest if God did not call me.

The priesthood is such a great and wonderful gift from God and He has given it to me. This is not something I will ever be able to thank Him enough.

Read also:
The Rosary: A powerful weapon against evil
Hail, Full of Grace
The power of the Hail Mary

Christ entrusts us to Mary

I now want to return and share more deeply the love that Mary has shown me over the past 60 years. I have confided several times to my dear friends that there are two women whom I love the most. One is my beloved biological mother who conceived and gave birth to me. She worked so hard to raise and teach me to respect and love God. She passed on to me her great faith. The other is the Virgin Mary, my spiritual Mother. Mary conceived me in the spiritual life and gave birth to me as a child of God.

Indeed, if we take the time and learn about Mary’s role in God’s work of salvation, it was Jesus who entrusted His beloved Mother to us, when He was hung on the cross (See John 19:25-27).

Meanwhile, standing near the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, ‘Woman, here is your son.’ Then he said to the disciple, ‘Here is your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.

John 25-27

When Jesus knew that he was about to leave this life to return to the Father, His love for His disciples to the end was evident. He entrusted each of us to His beloved Mother Mary, so that she can continue to teach and guide us on His behalf on how to become “the disciple whom Jesus loved.”

What is unique and very profound about the author of the Fourth Gospel, understood to be Saint John, is that he does not specify the name of “the disciple whom Jesus loved”. So, any of us can become that disciple, provided we have no fear and do not forsake Him in the Passion, but courageously follow the Lord and to dare stand at the foot of the cross. Only, then, can we be worthy of being “the disciple whom Jesus loves.

He wants us, like St John, to take Mary into our home. Which is to welcome her into our hearts, into our family, so that she will become a spiritual mother, the Mother of all Christians and the Disciples who Jesus chose.

Continue to Part 2

(Editor: The Month of October is dedicated to the Blessed Virgin and the Rosary)

Continued from Part 1

Mary was the first teacher in Jesus’ life from the moment He was born till He began His public ministry. Today, she continues that role for us, who are her children. The Blessed Virgin will use the graces that God has given her to surround us, and at the same time, use the privileges that God has given her to consecrate us, making us excellent children of God.

Let’s recall the story of how Rebecca covered Jacob’s hands with wool. It is the story of Jacob receiving the blessing of his father Isaac through the care and skill of his mother.

Mary and the Story of Jacob

Years after the elder son, Esau, sold his birthright to Jacob, their mother, Rebecca, who loved her second child deeply, obtained this blessing for him by her own skill.

Seeing that he was old, Isaac wanted to bless his children before he died. He called and told Esau, his beloved son, to hunt and bring him something to eat, before he would bless him. On learning this, Rebecca immediately told Jacob what was going on and sent Jacob to fetch two young goats from the family’s herd. When Jacob gave them to his mother, she cooked them the way Isaac liked and served him the dish. She then dressed Jacob in Esau’s clothes and covered his hands and neck with goat skin. Isaac, who was blind and despite hearing Jacob, thought it was Esau when he touched the skin of his hand.

But he was surprised on hearing a voice he thought was Jacob’s and summoned him to come nearer. Isaac felt the hairs that covered Jacob’s hands and said although the voice was indeed Jacob’s the hand was Esau’s. After he finished eating and drinking, Isaac kissed Jacob, thinking it was Esau and smell the scent of Jacob’s clothes. He blessed the younger son and asked him to pour down upon him the dew of heaven and the fruit of the earth. He made Jacob the master of all his brothers and ended with these words: ‘Woe to those who curse me and blessed to those who bless me’.

This story (Gen 25:19-34) helps us to understand the importance of the intervention of Rebecca, Isaac’s wife, in blessing their second son. With her guidance and support, Jacob was blessed by his father. This also helps us to understand the meaning and role of Mother Mary in interceding with God to ask Him to bless us as her children.

Mary will know how to adorn us with the privileges she has, and it is through this splendid adornment that we will go forth courageously and proudly before the presence of God. He will then pour out countless blessings on our lives. It is, for this reason, Saint Louis de Montfort encouraged and suggested that we consecrate ourselves to the Blessed Virgin Mary. He explained clearly and convincingly how to practise devotion to her in his work, True Devotion to Mary. This devotion has been openly endorsed by many Popes (see below) in the Catholic Church.

Before I officially consecrated myself to Mary, I had the opportunity to read Saint Louis’ work in the Vietnamese language and that book had a great influence on me. He helped me see the importance of the act of consecration to Mary because through it she will lead us directly to Jesus, her beloved Son. At the same time, Mary will also give us, her children, the privileges she has received from God in order to sanctify us and to make us most perfectly like Jesus. This is the safest and most secure path to holiness that Saint Louis wants to teach us.

Our Mother in Heaven has God’s ears

Before I decided to escape from Vietnam in November 1981 in the hope of continuing my vocation, I prayed to Mother Mary. I asked her to grant me three special petitions:

1. Please allow me to escape from Vietnam successfully

2. Please let me become a priest

3. Please let my brother-in-law, Tran Dinh Viet, who was at the Vinh Phu’s concentration Camp in the North, be released and reunited with his family.

All three of my petitions were answered by Mother Mary. She granted my first petition because I successfully escaped Vietnam to Malaysia on a small wooden boat. Despite the big waves and strong winds, and fierce storms, the boat finally landed safely at Pulau Bidong, Malaysia, after 5 days at sea. For us, those who were present on the rickety boat, this was a great miracle from God to manifest His mighty power to rescue us from all our troubles and give us a chance to survive and rebuild our lives.

The Mother of God also granted my second petition as I was ordained a priest in July 1994, almost 12 years since arriving in Australia.

The final petition the Blessed Virgin granted came in 1984. After the communist government put my brother-in-law in a concentration camp in Vinh Phu province for nearly 10 years, they finally released him to be reunited with his family. This was a great joy for our family, especially for my eldest sister, his wife.

Read also:
The Rosary: A powerful weapon against evil
Hail, Full of Grace
The power of the Hail Mary

Mary’s immense love for all of us

For me, these were clear signs of Mother Mary’s kindness and immense love for me, because she granted me everything I had asked of her. Needless to say, I was extremely happy and will always be eternally grateful to Mary and God.

Whatever she has given me, I consider them gifts from her generosity, because I do not dare to ask her for more favours. Only in recent years, I have secretly thought and wanted to tell her the one last thing I have been dreaming of and this is to please come and take me to heaven when I close my eyes to leave this world.

This is probably my deepest and last dream. I hope that Mother Mary will answer my petition.

My prayer to Our Blessed Mother

O Mary, my beloved Mother. You know how much I love you. My life is happy because you are always with me. You saved me from death on my journey across the ocean. You also helped me overcome many hardships and difficulties when so many times I wanted to give up, as I felt these things were beyond my capacity. Your love has supported me throughout my life, and you have given me the grace to be able to do the things that I want to do. Everything I have is yours and I acknowledge that You have done everything in my life. May I always belong to you, and love you till the end of my life.

I would also like to thank God with all my heart for He has loved me immensely, despite my sinfulness. May I always be faithful to you, my dearest Mother Mary till the end of my life.  

Your beloved son,
Fr Peter Hung Tran

THE POPES ON TRUE DEVOTION TO THE BLESSED VIRGIN

Pope Saint Pius X (1903–14): “I heartily recommend True Devotion to The Blessed Virgin, so admirably written by [Saint] De Montfort, and to all who read it grant the Apostolic Benediction … There is no surer or easier way than Mary in uniting all men with Christ.”

Pope Benedict XV (1914–22): “A book of high authority and unction.”

Pope Pius XI (1922–39): “I have practiced this devotion ever since my youth.”

Pope Pius XII (1939–58): “God Alone was everything to him. Remain faithful to the precious heritage, which this great saint left you. It is a glorious inheritance, worthy, that you continue to sacrifice your strength and your life, as you have done until today.”

Pope St Paul VI (1963–78): “We are convinced without any doubt that devotion to Our Lady is essentially joined with devotion to Christ, that it assures a firmness of conviction to faith in Him and in His Church, a vital adherence to Him and to His Church which, without devotion to Mary, would be impoverished and compromised.”

Pope St John Paul II (1978–2005): “The reading of this book was a decisive turning point in my life. I say ‘turning-point,’ but in fact it was a long inner journey . . . This ‘perfect devotion’ is indispensable to anyone who means to give himself without reserve to Christ and to the work of redemption.” . . .” It is from Montfort that I have taken my motto: ‘Totus tuus’ (‘I am all yours’). Someday I’ll have to tell you Montfortians how I discovered De Montfort’s Treatise on True Devotion to Mary, and how often I had to reread it to understand it.”

SECOND VATICAN COUNCIL ON MARY (1962-1965)

‘The maternal duty of Mary toward men in no way obscures or diminishes this unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power. All her saving influence on men originates not from some inner necessity, but from the divine pleasure. It flows forth from the superabundance of the merits of Christ, rests on His mediation, depends entirely on it and draws all its power from it.’ . . . ‘The practices and exercises of devotion to her recommended by the Church in the course of the centuries [are to] be treasured.’ (Lumen Gentium: 60, 67).

As the Desert Fathers discovered, the Lord meets us in the stillness of isolation

On Tuesday, a fortnight ago, I had an opportunity to visit Helen Hutt Falls in North Cheyenne Cañon Park. Three days later I went to Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. Both are in Colorado Springs, and on those occasions, in my solitude, I had an encounter with God that opened the way to find Him in me.

Solitude is a state of being completely cut off from all human contact, and sometimes stresses a loneliness such as that of a hermit.

Today, I like to share with you these two spiritual experiences that touched me very deeply and helped me to be aware that God is present in our inner being – that we could find Him within ourselves. This experience echoes the prayer of St Augustine of Hippo (354-430) “Late Have I Loved You” which he wrote in his book, Confessions,

Late have I loved you, O beauty, ever ancient, ever new!
Late have I loved you.
And see, you were within and I was in the external world and sought you there,
and in my unlovely state I plunged into those lovely, created things which you made.
You were with me, and I was not with you.
The lovely things kept me far from you, though if they did not have their existence in you,
they had no existence at all.
You called and cried out loud and shattered my deafness.
You were radiant and resplendent, you put to flight my blindness.
You were fragrant, and I drew in my breath and now pant after you.
I tasted you, and I feel but hunger and thirst for you.
You touched me, and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is yours.

Finding God in stillness and solitude

As I was reading this magnificent prayer of St Augustine by the bank of the stream, my eyes focused on the still water that ran so calmly and smoothly. The shallow water was so clear and still that I could see right through to the bottom of its bed.

As I was sitting there silently, I entered into a stillness and solitude, listening to the water flow gently. It created a beautiful sound that calmed me, and, in that tranquillity, I was able to see myself clearly as who I am. I discovered a great insight: If I want to see me as I am, I need to enter solitude and be still. In absolute stillness and solitude, I can find me and if I can do this, then, I will be able to find God’s presence within me.

I was so happy at this great discovery because it helped me to understand that this way, all of us can find God within ourselves. But it is important we must first have to be still and enter into solitude. Without these conditions, it will be difficult to encounter the Lord. In saying this, I am not denying the possibility some of us could still find God in the marketplace.

My second spiritual experience was on Friday, 23 September at the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument. The purpose of this exercise was to find God in the forest, to experience Him in nature and see how He manifests Himself through His creation.

So, I set out alone and walked slowly on the trail that led me through the meadows and forests of so many beautiful pine trees. During my stroll, I could hear clearly the sound of winds which gently blew on my face. It refreshed me and I felt so energetic and eager to walk for a longer distance.

The breathtaking majesty and beauty of the entire landscape motivated me to embark on this quiet journey. They revealed the presence of God in His marvellous creations. I was so overwhelmed with joy that as a result experienced a deep inner peace, as though I was one with nature. It was totally relaxing, and I felt as if my body was afloat.

The secret of the Desert Fathers

I contemplated the beauty of nature that was enveloping me and, at that moment, an inspired thought appeared in my mind: If I have the courage to enter solitude and not be afraid of the silence or loneliness or anything else, I can experience God’s presence and find Him in me. This insight was like a treasure that I just discovered after so many years of searching for it. I thanked God from the bottom of my heart for revealing it to me during my walk in the forest.

Perhaps, this is a spiritual secret of the Fathers who lived in the desert many centuries ago. They had found God in their solitude and in the silence of the desert.

Through this personal experience, I also discovered why Jesus was taken into the desert and for 40 days. I believe that in such a place we can encounter God and be united with Him.

As we witness from the Gospels, Jesus often goes into a lonely place or up a mountain to be alone in solitude to pray. Up there or in the desert is a special location where we can easily experience God within ourselves.

Next time, if you want to encounter God, you should do a silent retreat, visit a forest or national park or sit by the riverbank by yourself, in quietness and solitude. I am certain you will be able to find God in your own heart.

Do not be afraid to journey alone into the desert or forest. Only by doing this courageously, you will be able to find Him who is always longing to meet you. He will reveal to you as He really is, the God of love and mercy, slow to anger and ready to forgive us for all our sins.

Excerpt from the handout for the Sabbatical Program (Fall 2022) at Mercy Center in Colorado Springs:

In being alone I became one with all creation. Fyodor Dostoyevsky, a famous Russian novelist, says, “Being alone from time to time is more necessary for a common human being than eating and drinking.”

Now if the Angel of Solitude leads you into this experience of your humanity, then you lose all fear of loneliness and of being left alone. I wish the Angel of Solitude for you. I hope it will lead you into a fruitful solitude, where you can get to know yourself as you really are, where there’s no point in making yourself interesting to others.

Solitude is an essential part of everyone’s Spiritual Journey. Jesus endured solitude when he fasted for 40 days in the wilderness.

Now I suggest that you take 15 minutes to find a quiet place to endure solitude, come back and share with others what you discovered about yourself.

Main photo: Fr Peter Hung Tran

In the face of greater challenges, the more we must cling to His Sacred Heart

For two days earlier this week on 19 and 20 September, my group from the Sabbatical programme at the Mercy Center in Colorado Springs visited the picturesque Colorado natural landscape. Soaring waterfalls and a majestic mountain range that was wooded with tall pine trees offered us stunning scenes that were akin to the romantic hills I am familiar with in Vietnam’s Da Lat city.

On the morning of the third day, I had an opportunity to walk alone in this place on a path under the pines along the cliffs. In my solitude, these cliffs looked as though they were reaching up to touch the passing clouds in the blue sky. It was mesmerising. I was in awe of nature’s beauty in the midst of this enchanting scenery of great mountains and trees.

Somehow, I became fascinated with the tall sturdy pine trees and wondered how their roots were able to penetrate the ravines and solid rocks to find their way as deep as possible into the ground. The roots beneath the surface keep a pine tree anchored firmly in place and from breaking during heavy thunderstorms and strong winds.

Nutrients allow pine trees weather storms

I was so intrigued with what I witnessed with my own eyes that I whipped out my mobile phone to take photos of this phenomenon. I wanted concrete proof of this truth so that no one would doubt me if I told them this incredible story.

I spent some time admiring nature’s work with the pines because they grew and thrived in a very difficult, harsh environment. They must strive to find soil to take root, unlike the pines we often see along roadsides of luxury boulevards, or in national parks that get them with ease. Those were planted by people.

In the wild of these mountains, the pine trees had instinctively found a way to survive. And this they did with their roots winding their way through ravines and the crevices of rocks in the canyons or gorges until they find fertile soil, where there are nutrients to feed the tree trunk and allow it to grow into tall, large pines.

I gazed with fascination at the pine trees that stood before my eyes, as they stretched their shoulders up to the sky.

Alone in my thoughts, I pondered on the miraculous growth of these pines. Then, a light flashed in my mind to help me understand the meaning and value of the spiritual life, as well as the ordinary. These are issues that each of us often encounters in our daily lives. The more trials and tribulations we encounter, the more we must hold on to God. Only in this way, can we draw intense vitality from God, the source of life and of all graces. He is like the nutrient-rich soil wild pine trees feed on.

I was rejoicing and happy because God opened my heart and mind so that I can understand the wonderful truths about life. Even for me, there were times when faced with adversities or difficulties, I did not make an effort to let my roots grow – which is my relationship with God. I failed to let them be deeply entrenched in His Sacred Heart and feed on His graces and love. It would have allowed me to grow more in strength and faith in His abiding love for me.

I was deeply moved when I discovered that for a pine tree to grow big and stand tall its roots must go deep into the ground. But sometimes when it’s full of rocks they must find their way in between crevices of rocks, so that the roots can grow. Then, with time, these taproots (or main roots) will be able to penetrate deep into the nutritious ground to help the trunk become strong and stay upright, instead of wobbling or falling. Only, then, can it stretch its shoulders up into the sky.

God’s Nutrients (Graces) allow us to weather storms

I was extremely happy in the Colorado outdoors because I discovered a wonderful explanation for my own problems and when I faced trials and tribulations. Recently, for example, I was lying in bed for 10 days, as I was not able to move my legs or body. I could not get out of bed without any help from others.

Then, there were times when I was confined to bed with back pains and could not walk for days. In such times, I fell into depression and did not want to do anything anymore. But I did turn to God in prayer and asked for Our Mother Mary’s intercession to heal me from my illness. I pleaded for strength to overcome the unbearable pain in my body, especially the lower back.

When I was finally able to get out of bed on my own without any pain, I was overjoyed and thank God and Mother Mary with all my heart for restoring my health. At such times, I become conscious of what my grandparents used to say: Only health is more precious than anything else. Health is like gold.

If you have good health, then you can have everything. If we are sickly and confined to bed, even if we are wealthy, the sense of helplessness and unworthiness envelops us. It robs us of any desire for anything. Those who have experienced illness will sympathise and agree with what I am sharing here.

Sickness, terminal illness, failure, abandonment, loneliness and all such unfortunate circumstances are all challenges that each of us needs to face and try to overcome. It is like a pine tree growing on cliffs in the Colorado mountains where its roots must find a way through ravines and rocky crevices to find nutritious soil to stay alive.

For us, too, every adversity and trial are opportunities that God sends to us to put our roots along the ravines and to go deep to hold on to Him. Therefore, the more trials and tribulations we face, the more we must cling to Him and let the roots of our love to be deeply anchored in the heart of the Triune God.

I would like to ponder the words of Psalm 39 to conclude my sharing.

1. For the leader, for Jeduthun. A psalm of David.
2. I said, “I will watch my ways, lest I sin with my tongue;
   I will keep a muzzle on my mouth.”
3. Mute and silent before the wicked, I refrain from good things.
   But my sorrow increases;
4. My heart smoulders within me.
   In my sighing a fire blazes up,
   and I break into speech:
5. LORD, let me know my end, the number of my days,
   that I may learn how frail I am.
6. To be sure, you establish the expanse of my days;
   indeed, my life is as nothing before you.
   Every man is but a breath.
7. Man goes about as a mere phantom;
   they hurry about, although in vain;
   he heaps up stores without knowing for whom.
8. And now, LORD, for what do I wait?
   You are my only hope.
9. From all my sins deliver me;
   let me not be the taunt of fools.
10. I am silent and do not open my mouth
    because you are the one who did this.
11. Take your plague away from me;
    I am ravaged by the touch of your hand.
12. You chastise man with rebukes for sin;
    like a moth you consume his treasures.
    Every man is but a breath.
13. Listen to my prayer, LORD, hear my cry;
    do not be deaf to my weeping!
    For I am with you like a foreigner,
    a refugee, like my ancestors.
14. Turn your gaze from me, that I may smile
    before I depart to be no more.

All images: Fr Peter Hung

The writer is on Sabbatical leave in the United States

Share on FacebookTweet

It is the identity and badge that true disciples of Christ always carry with them

“O Christ, we adore you; We bless you, for you have redeemed the world by Your Cross.”

On Wednesday, (14 Sept ) the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church celebrated the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, for it is through the Cross of Jesus that mankind has been saved. I would like to invite you to reflect on the mystery of the Cross, especially through the readings in our liturgy for the Mass for the Feast (Numbers 21:4-9; Philippians 2:6-11; John 3:13-17).

In the first reading, we are told that the Israelites cried out against God and Moses for taking them out of Egypt and allowing them to die in the desert. They complain that there is no bread to eat, no water to drink, and are tired of this boring food of the Mana.

Therefore, God sent fiery snakes out that bit many people to death. They then ran to Moses and said, “We have sinned in complaining against the Lord and you.  Please pray that the Lord take the serpents from us.” So, the Lord said to Moses, “Make a bronze serpent and hang it on a pole, and if anyone who has been bitten looks at it, they will live.”

In the second reading, the letter of Saint Paul to the Philippians tells us,

Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Phil 2: 6-11

Then in the Gospel of John, the Evangelist affirms, “Just as Moses hung the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may not perish forever.”

We can clearly see a very special connection between the three readings in today’s celebration of the Exaltation of the Cross. They revolve around one theme: Through the cross and death of Jesus Christ, all mankind and the universe received the gift of salvation and reconciliation with God, after mankind had sinned and deserved eternal punishment.

Dimensions of God’s love on the Cross

Saint Paul reflects on the mystery of the Cross and repeatedly states eloquently that the Cross is the culmination of God’s love for humanity.

Every time we look up at the Cross, we can discover every dimension of love that God wants to show to us: From the height to the breadth and depth He reveals in the death of Jesus Christ. In short, if we want to know how much God loves us, we just have to look up at the Cross and there we can contemplate all the dimensions of the great love which God wants to manifest to humanity.

As Saint John writes,

Truly, God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that everyone who believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life, for God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

Jn 3:13-17

And Jesus confirms this statement as well, “I have come to give you the fullness of life and I give my life as a ransom for many.” He also affirms, “Greater love has no one than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (Jn 15:13).

Through this, we discover that there is no love that can be higher or comparable or equal to the “self-sacrificing love” – that is, the love that freely gives, even at the cost of our own life in order to bring happiness and true liberation to the ones we love. Jesus did this for us through His shameful death on the Cross, and through that tragic death all humanity was renewed and redeemed, by His resurrection.

Because Jesus Himself willingly obeyed the will of God the Father, until His last breath God, therefore, glorified and gave Him a name that is above every name, so that anyone who hears the name of Jesus, every creature in heaven, on earth and in hell will bow down, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil 2:8-11).

The mystery of the Cross of Jesus Christ is also the reality for each of us who are Christians. For this reason, Jesus himself says,

If anyone wants to come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow Me every day, or Whoever does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me. (Mt 10:38). The Cross, therefore, is always associated with the disciples and with those who want to follow Jesus Christ.

Mt 16:24, Mt 10:38

True disciples identify with Christ’s Cross

The Cross, therefore, is always associated with the disciples and with those who want to follow Jesus Christ. It is the identity of the disciples and their badge/emblem. Anyone who wants to be a disciple of Christ but does not want to carry His Cross as Jesus Himself declares, “He/she is not worthy to be His disciple”. Therefore, we can boldly profess that “A true disciple of Jesus Christ is the one who always carries on his body the Cross of Christ, which is the symbol or embodiment of the love we show to our beloved Master”.

May each one of us, no matter what is our position in the Church or in society, or in whatever state of life that we find ourselves in, if we have identified ourselves as Christians or as disciples of Jesus, may we always love the Cross that has been given to us in our lives. For it is through it that we are united to the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ and become His true disciples.

May we understand and believe deeply the mystery of the Cross, which is also the mystery of redemptive love. This will give us strength whenever we have to face our own sufferings, from the body to the spirit, the failures in our lives, the crises and disappointments that make us frustrated and want to give up.

At these critical moments, we need to ask for the strength from Jesus who was hanging on the Cross to help us to overcome these obstacles, since He has conquered the world and all its evil power. Christ will give strength to those who want to commit themselves and follow Him in His footsteps.

Written on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Wednesday 14 September 2022, in Colorado Springs.

Fr Peter Hung Tran is on Sabbatical leave in the United States