Monthly Archives: July 2022

Catholic 10-point guide to ‘How to Evangelise’

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Prayer, social media, hospitality, events are some of the many tools in our toolkit

In my previous post, Top 10 Catholic excuses for not evangelizing, I left the 10th excuse, “I don’t know how to evangelise” unanswered because it deserves a response that requires a full-length article. So here it is in 10 points.     

How you can develop an evangelistic mindset

1. Pray for the salvation of souls, and not just for world peace, health, employment, or salvation upon death (Purgatory is not a second chance to get to Heaven. If a person ignores God on earth, there is not much hope), etc. Believe that God desires all men to be saved (1 Tim 2:4), so storm heaven for the miraculous conversion of people such as ISIS, Zakir Naik and others. Some find it helpful to list 10 non-Christian friends and pray for them on a decade of the Divine Mercy. Can anything withstand the onslaught of a praying Church?

2. Offer to pray for people in need. Pope Francis suggests ending conversations “with a brief prayer related to the concerns, which the person may have expressed” (Evangelii Gaudium 128). Show them that you genuinely care for their concerns and pray with simple words (formal prayers may mean a lot to Catholics but may come across as mechanical to the uninitiated). For example, after my personal trainer shared that he had concerns about hitting his target, I told him I will be praying for this intention. Recently, a lady had car trouble in church. We tried to help as best as we could but she was clearly traumatised. So, I asked the aunty if she would like us to pray for her. And we did.

3. Share your faith in a natural way on social media. Young people are less on Facebook and more on Instagram. Make your message interesting, clear and Christ-centred. We can do better than “Happy holidays!”, “Compliments of the Season!” or even “Christmas is a season of joy, gift-giving and of families united”. If it’s Christmas, the main celebration is not Santa Claus, Rudolph, snow or mistletoe, but the Christian belief that God became man. Say something about that!

4. Welcome and invite your non-Christian friends to a corporal work of mercy. I serve at a soup kitchen and I’ll just invite my friends to join me in a very natural way. But too often, our evangelization stops there. Serving the poor offers a natural opportunity for us to discuss the meaning of life. I would also invite them for drinks or a meal after serving where we can have spiritual conversations.

5. Initiate conversations with interesting questions like, “What do you think is the purpose of life?”, “If you could meet God today, what would you ask him?”, “How do you decide what is right or wrong?”, “What is your view of God/Jesus Christ/Catholic Church?” and so on. As the conversation progresses, it may be very natural to invite them further to an Alpha (There are chapters in most countries), a prayer meeting, Mass or even RCIA!

6. Be prepared to give an explanation for your faith (1 Pet 3:15). This includes a clear and simple story of how your life has been changed by Christ. Be ready also to share an answer to the question, “So what does Christianity teach?” You can find an example of a Catholic presentation of the Gospel, also known as the kerygma, at Sharing the Gospel.

Be ready to start conversations, even inviting your friends for a meal. Pexels, John Diez

7. Welcome and invite your non-Christian friends to a church event. Include them in religious celebrations like Christmas and Easter (if you are taking them to Mass, be ready to explain the essentials of the rituals or the festivities so that they can appreciate it and follow along as much as they may feel comfortable). If your parish or one nearby is running an Alpha, invite him along.

8. Raise parish hospitality levels. Resist the temptation to create religious cubby holes and cliques with other committed Catholics. “In all its activities, the parish encourages and trains its members to be evangelisers” (Joy of the Gospel 28). In whatever parish ministry you are involved in, be creative on how it can welcome non-believers. For example, for the Parish Family Day, instead of giving bonus points for participants from the same Basic Ecclesial Community (Neighbourhood Christian Community in Singapore), give bonus points instead for inviting non-Christian friends. The Hospitality Team should do more than show people to their seats. Be ready to start conversations, especially with visitors, even inviting them to a meal!

9. Join the Catechetical team that prepares young people for the Sacrament of Confirmation or learn how to be an effective Godparent/sponsor. At 16 years old, the curious-minded are seeking answers to their questions and doubts. Invite them into a relationship with the Lord and train Confirmands with the goal of helping them to become evangelisers.

10. Connect with other missionary-minded Catholics. As hot coals that burn together, hold each other accountable and inspire everyone to persevere in evangelising.

You might even want to form an evangelistic apostolate. Many Catholics are unaware or have forgotten that by the Sacrament of Confirmation, they are “obliged more firmly to be witnesses of Christ by word and deed and to spread and defend the faith” (Canon Law 879). Build conviction and urgency for evangelism, which is the “why”, and coach others in the skills and practice of evangelism, the “how”. Catholics need to understand atonement and salvation. The biggest stumbling block to evangelism is that Catholics cannot explain what happened on Good Friday and are practical religious relativists.

There are very many people eager to engage in spiritual conversations if only there were Catholics who would generously talk to them: the Mormons, the Jehovah’s Witnesses and most recently the Korean World Mission Society Church of God. Get their numbers and call them out for a conversation!

Main Image: Raffaello Sanzio da Urbino’s St. Paul preaching at Athens

Top 10 Catholic excuses for not evangelising

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Christ commissions the baptised as His disciples to evangelise but not all obey Him

Christ calls every Catholic in each age and generation to spread the good news about Him. This command to evangelise to all nations comes after His resurrection and before His ascension into Heaven, when Jesus appeared before His disciples.

All three Synoptic Gospels record the Saviour of the World commissioning us, His disciples.  In Matthew 28, Christ says, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age.”

This Great Commission did not end with the death of the last Apostle, but is given to every baptised Catholic until the “close of age” or until He returns (Luke Lk 17:24, 2 Peter 3:10).

So, knowing what Christ and the Church teach us about evangelism, why do we see many neglecting the Commission He has given to all of us? What are some of the common excuses for not evangelising to those who have not heard or properly understood the Good News about Jesus Christ?

I’ve heard many, but these are the common Top Ten and my response to each one:

1. Everyone already knows about Christianity, they can google search the Internet if they don’t

Today’s generation suffers from information overload. With so many voices on the Internet competing for our attention, it makes a lot of difference when someone accompanies us in our spiritual quest. 

2. I’m not the kind to talk about my faith, I evangelise by my actions

It is true that evangelisation is both by deeds and words. Strictly speaking, evangelisation by words is called “proclamation” or “evangelism” and it is equally important as our lifestyle witness. Pope St Paul VI in Evangelii Nuntiandi (Nos 22) asserts that witness by actions “always remains insufficient, because even the finest witness will prove ineffective in the long run if it is not explained, justified –  what Peter called always having ‘your answer ready for people who ask you the reason for the hope that you all have’ –  and made explicit by a clear and unequivocal proclamation of the Lord Jesus. The Good News proclaimed by the witness of life sooner or later has to be proclaimed by the word of life. There is no true evangelisation if the name, the teaching, the life, the promises, the kingdom and the mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God are not proclaimed.” 

Pope St Paul VI teaches that witness by actions “always remains insufficient, if not explained.

3. I’m not a holy Catholic

Neither was the Samaritan Woman in John 4. And yet, she quickly spread the message about the Messiah, by simply giving her witness to what Jesus had done for her (John 4:29). If we are trying to win people to ourselves, perhaps our personal sanctification may be the most important thing. But actually, who we are winning people to, is the Lord. It will be a big relief to you to know that the Gospel is not about you; it’s about Jesus and the question they have to grapple with is, “Who is this Jesus?”   

Having said that, evangelising will give us a boost to be more conscientious about our personal behaviour and life witness. So, evangelising will help you achieve your goal to be holy!

4. Non-Christians are going to ask me about the sex scandal. Why would we want to invite them to join our Church with all its problems?

Humbly acknowledge that the Catholic Church has messed up big-time. And Jesus made it clear what he thought about hypocrites. While it will be important to eventually talk about the Church, at this point we just want to focus on Jesus.  

5. I don’t know enough about my faith and they will ask me something which I don’t know how to answer

If your non-Christian friend asks you a question that you don’t know, be humble to admit your ignorance and offer to get back to him with the answer. It’s a chance for you to grow in the knowledge of the faith as well. But this question may be a diversion and you can invite him to return to your testimony or presentation of the Gospel. The Samaritan woman also tried to catch Jesus with such a question. He responded briefly and went to the heart of the matter (John 4: 19-26).

6. They already have their own religion and they are even better than us Catholics

Pope St John Paul II explained that respect for other religions “does not eliminate the need for the explicit proclamation of the Gospel in its fullness. Especially in the context of the rich array of cultures and religions in Asia it must be pointed out that ‘neither respect and esteem for these religions nor the complexity of the questions raised are an invitation to the Church to withhold from these non-Christians the proclamation of Jesus Christ’” (Ecclesia in Asia, Nos 20). We are called not to judge, and this includes deciding whether a person needs Jesus or not. Nicodemus was a teacher of the law and yet Jesus told him he had to be born again (John 3). We are called to respect each individual and their rights to know Jesus Christ.

7. I don’t want to come across as a pushy religious fanatic. If my friends want to know about Christianity, they can ask me

If you had the cure for cancer, would it be pushy to share it with others who are dying from the disease? We often see Jesus and the disciples take the initiative to enter into towns and preach the Gospel (John 4-5, Acts 8:26-40). There is a difference between disagreeing and being disagreeable. And if they do not want to accept the message of reconciliation, Jesus asks us to “shake the dust off your feet” and leave the situation to God (Matt 10:14).

8. Honestly, I’m scared they will reject me

The fear that some people would react negatively is not groundless. Jesus did not promise his disciples popularity but persecution (Matt 5:11). Christ Himself was rejected and explains, “whoever rejects you rejects me; but whoever rejects me rejects Him who sent me” (Luke 10:16). So don’t take this personally. But this is exactly when we will know if we have true faith when we desire to obey and please God rather than to fear man. American evangelist Bill Bright said it well, “success in witnessing is simply sharing Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God.”

9. I don’t have the time to evangelise

We always find time for what is important. Even if you are not able to invest time to be discipled in evangelism, you can just share naturally with the people around you how God has made that change in your life.

10. I don’t know how to evangelise

Read my next article, Catholic 10-point guide to ‘How to Evangelise’

God’s love remains constant for 28 years

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A priest’s journey began as a mountain too high to climb, but not for Christ

Editor’s Note: Fr Peter celebrated his 28th Sacerdotal Anniversary Mass earlier this evening on the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. He shares with us the homily he preached.

Dear Readers,

Twenty-eight years ago, I was ordained as a Redemptorist priest in Melbourne by Bishop Peter Connor. It was a wonderful celebration and a joyous occasion, which I will never forget.

My journey to the priesthood, which began in Vietnam, was the biggest challenge in my life (read my story here: For God, every dark cloud has a silver lining ). It was like climbing up the highest mountain that has lots of twists and unexpected turns.

Sometimes it was like I had arrived at a dead end and there was no way out. But God rescued me from all those dangerous events and allowed me to settle in Australia. In a foreign land, I was able to start a new life and pursue my vocation. In reflecting on my journey, I am ever more convinced that with God nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37).

On this 28th Anniversary of my ordination, I like to share with you an experience that took place during my Novitiate at the Redemptorist Monastery in Mayfield, Newcastle City in 1987. Since without this spiritual experience, I would not have been ordained as priest.

In fact, I would not be here today to celebrate Mass, in thanksgiving to God, on this most blessed occasion with special friends and parishioners at St. Thomas More College Chapel.

Every Friday during my Novitiate, I had to see my Novice Master for about an hour to discuss how things had been going with me, especially in terms of my spiritual life and vocation. I was asked to reflect on the vows that I must take by the end of my 12-month Novitiate. These included the vows of Poverty, Chastity and Obedience. I told him the hardest for me would be Chastity, since I felt I was not able to live up to its expectation. My Novice Master advised me to pray over this and see what God would say to me.

In the Chapel, Novice Peter Hung heard God’s calling to “Come as you are”.

After leaving his office, I went immediately to the Chapel and was there alone. I poured out my heart to God and I told Him how I felt, especially regarding my future commitment as a member of the Redemptorist Congregation. I felt that I could not keep these vows completely.

I was anxious and wanted to give up on the idea of becoming a priest, since it was too difficult. I was in a state of despair and did not know what I had to do. While I was in that state, I heard the words of the Hymn: COME AS YOU ARE, composed by Sr. Deirdre Brown. It resounded in my mind, especially these verses:

Come as you are, that’s how I want you

Come as you are, feel quite at home

Close to my heart, loved and forgiven

Come as you are, why stand alone?

I came to call sinners, not just the virtuous

I came to bring peace, not to condemn

Each time you fail to live by my promise,

Why do you think I’d love you the less?

Watch and listen to the hymn, Come as you are

I could not believe what I was hearing, it was too good to be true. How could God love me that much, and even if each time I fail to live by His promise, God still loves me as I am.

Listening to the hymn, with those verses appearing vividly in my mind, I cried my heart out and was inconsolable for quite a while. I knew then that God was speaking to me directly with those words. It was very clear He wanted me to know nothing will ever change His love for me, even when I fail to keep my promises. I was so happy, felt strengthened by the experienced and, finally, told my Novice Master I would take my vows, with the knowledge I could fail from time to time.

Today, as I celebrate the anniversary of my ordination, I can honestly tell you that God has done everything in my life. Whatever I have achieved until now, it has been by the grace of God who has empowered and given me the ability to do so. All my being and everything I possess are totally from God, and I still feel I am not worthy of His service.

Fr Peter was blessed his mother, youngest sister (on his left) from Vietnam and two nieces
(on his right) from the United States were in Melbourne for his ordination on 16 July 1994.

I would like to conclude my homily this evening by sharing with you a story that is very meaningful to me. It is in fact just like my own story (The old violin nobody wanted was first published here on 12 July 2022).

There was an auction and buyers competed fiercely to outbid each other for everything that was on offer. Before long, they eagerly snapped up all the items. Except for one: an old violin.

Keen to find a buyer for it, the auctioneer held the string instrument in his hands and offered what he thought was an attractive price, saying “if anyone is interested, I would sell it for $100.”

A deathly silence filled the room.

After a while, it became apparent to the auctioneer that even at that price, it was not enough to convince anyone to buy the old violin. So he reduced its price to $80, but even this did not move anyone to take it off his hands. The auctioneer then lowered the asking price even further to $50, insisting it was the best price he could offer. Still, nobody raised their hands to buy it. Finally, in desperation, he dropped the price to only $20.

Then, after another short period of silence, an old gentleman who sat at the back, raised his hand and asked: “May I have a look at the violin, please?”

“Yes, surely, you may,” the auctioneer replied, relieved that finally, someone showed an interest in the old violin. The measly price did not bother him. At least, the stringed instrument faced the prospect of finding a new owner and home.

The old man rose from his seat at the back and slowly walked to the front and carefully examined the old violin. He took out his handkerchief and dusted the surface of the wooden music instrument. He then gently tuned each string until, one by one, they were in the right tones.

Finally, and only then, did he place the old violin between his chin and left shoulder, lifted the bow with his right hand, and started playing a piece of music. Each musical note he produced from the old violin penetrated the silence in the room and danced delightfully in the air. It stunned everyone and they listened attentively to what was coming out of the instrument in the hands of what was obvious to all: a maestro.

He played a familiar classical hymn. The melody was so beautiful that it quickly enchanted everyone at the auction, and they were awestruck. They had never heard of or even witnessed anyone playing music so beautifully, let alone on an old violin. And they never thought for one moment, it would catch their fancy later on when the auction resumed.

When the old man had finished playing, he calmly returned the violin to the auctioneer, so that he could try and sell it again. But before the auctioneer could even ask everyone in the room, if they would still like to buy it, there was a rush in the raising of hands. Everyone suddenly wanted it after the impromptu masterly performance.

From an unwanted item a short while earlier, the old violin was suddenly the focus, of the most intense bidding competition of the auction. From the starting bid of $20, the price immediately shot up to $500.

The old violin was ultimately sold for $10,000, which was 500 times more than its lowest asking price.

It took only 15 minutes for the old violin to transform from something nobody wanted into the star of the auction. And it had to take a maestro musician to tune up its strings, and play a wonderful melody. He showed that what looked unattractive on the outside, was actually a beautiful and priceless soul, inside the instrument.

Perhaps, like the old violin, our lives normally do not seem to have much worth at first. But, if we hand them over to Jesus, who is the maestro above all maestros, then He will be able to play beautiful songs through us, and their melodies will stun listeners even much more. Our lives, then, will catch the world’s attention, and everyone wants to listen to the music, that He produces out of our lives.

So tonight, I would like to pray for all of us:

“Lord, may our lives become your musical instrument, like that old violin, so that we may be able to produce beautiful music that people can enjoy to listen and bring happiness to their hearts. May we always give You thanks and praise to Your wonderful love that You have bestowed upon us.” Amen.

Battle to evangelise, catechise on the Internet

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Goal of missionary work to win hearts, not minds, in the face of division

I often wonder why God chose to enter human history more than two thousand years ago in Bethlehem. Why not in our day?

Imagine, how Jesus Christ would conduct His ministry in a landscape where the Internet and social media are major gathering points for people to interact and discuss issues. Picture Him having a YouTube channel with a global audience to deliver His “Sermon on the Mount”. Visualise St Peter and the apostles managing Christ’s social media accounts as His keyboard warriors.

They would have gotten the Pharisees hotter under the collar because of His global following. It will drive them mad to shout even louder, “Cancel Him, cancel Him!” But will Christ and His Apostles bow down to their persecutors’ demands? Nope. For sure, He will engage the Pharisees and uncover their hypocrisy on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Whatsapp!

We’d never know in our lifetime why He came to us on that ancient Christmas Day morning instead of now. But we, His disciples, live in this moment of history – the era of instant messaging.

What prompts me to write this column is the increasing incidences I’ve witnessed recently of frictions between people using social media to interact. It has left a trail of broken family ties and long-standing friendships.

Read: Pope Francis warns of toxicity in social media

The fight to bring Christ’s Light into the growing darkness

Communication technology has been advancing to the extent that it has made the world a lot smaller. Chatting with friends, family and even strangers halfway across the world for hours on end is almost cost-free, something that was unimaginable less that 30 years ago.

For the Church, the Internet provides an unprecedented tool to evangelise and catechise. Since the birth of the Internet in the 1990s, Popes St John Paul II, Benedict XVI and Francis have called on the Church to be ever present and visible on this online universe.

There is now a large presence of bishops, priests, deacons, religious men and women, and lay who are writing for Catholic news outlets, and their personal or group blogs and social media pages. Many are informative and live up to the Church’s mission of evangelising and catechising.

But just as many are misleading Catholics and we would do well to avoid them for our spiritual health. They have become channels of division and anger, especially against the Pope, his predecessors and their teaching Magisterium. They have and are pushing faithful Catholics on a path that is away from the Light.

There is now a large presence of Catholic clergy and lay on the Internet. Image: Pexels, Sora Shimazaki

To be sure, Pope Francis extols the Internet’s extraordinary possibilities in his 2019 World Communications Day message. He says the Web is “a source of knowledge and relationships that were once unthinkable,” adding that “It is an opportunity to promote encounter with others.”

But there are also major obstacles hampering the Internet from maximising its positive potential. Social media, for one, can be anti-social, anti-human and anti-Christian when they are used to increase differences, fuel suspicion, spread lies and vent prejudice.

It is too often based on opposition to the other, the person outside the group: we define ourselves starting with what divides us rather than with what unites us, giving rise to suspicion and to the venting of every kind of prejudice (ethnic, sexual, religious and other).

This tendency encourages groups that exclude diversity, that even in the digital environment nourish unbridled individualism which sometimes ends up fomenting spirals of hatred. In this way, what ought to be a window on the world becomes a showcase for exhibiting personal narcissism.

Pope Francis

A clutch of clergies, several who are popular and command a huge following in either their personal blogs or social media, are among those guilty of fuelling this division in the Church. They affirm and feed what their followers crave.

They are deeply critical of not only Pope Francis but also of John Paul II during his pontificate, especially when he initiated the historic 1986 inter-faith summit in Assisi and kissed the Koran in 1999 when he received Muslim dignitaries.

While a Pope’s private opinions and actions can be questioned, they have regularly gone beyond this. Without any serious attempt to verify facts, the Holy Father’s critics, for example, often misquote and misinterpret what the current Pope says. Every opportunity is also taken to vilify him to the point of demanding that he resigns.

The pen, as the adage goes, is mightier than the sword. Or the keyboard for that matter. As Christ warns, “what defiles us is what comes from the heart” (Matt 15:18). The apostle James reiterates this point that “the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell” (James 3:6).

Pride and prejudice

But social media discussion groups pose a greater danger to any idea of unity. They have followers that range in numbers from their tens and hundreds of thousands to millions. Catholic Facebook groups have not been spared.

The problem here is that they are populated with people with impressive learning backgrounds who yield power to sway opinions. They have influence but there are those who misuse their talents that unwittingly result in pitting Catholics against the Church and Her Shepherds.

What a Pope says and does can be misinterpreted and used to attack him online, as when Pope John Paul II kissed a Koran a the Vatican in 1999.

Their most common, and deadly, sin: Pride overflowing with big egos!

Often, the culprit of this temptation is the instant response feature of social media. In their desire to hammer the people they engage with, they post replies that demean those who oppose their views. Stepping back and letting some time to lapse are always better. If not, chances are high, interactions will end in destructive put-downs. Charity is always the victim.

This is precisely the point Pope Francis is making because social media is a double-edged sword that can either help people grow in their faith or destroy souls. What is the solution the Holy Father proposes? He first asks, “can we find our true communitarian identity, aware of the responsibility we have towards one another in the online network as well?”

A possible answer can be drawn from a third metaphor: that of the body and the members, which Saint Paul uses to describe the reciprocal relationship among people, based on the organism that unites them. “Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak the truth, each to his neighbour, for we are members one of another” (Eph 4:25).

Being members one of another is the profound motivation with which the Apostle invites us to put away falsehood and speak the truth: the duty to guard the truth springs from the need not to belie the mutual relationship of communion. Truth is revealed in communion. Lies, on the other hand, are a selfish refusal to recognize that we are members of one body; they are a refusal to give ourselves to others, thus losing the only way to find ourselves.”

Pope Francis

Truth and, I might add, humility are what we need to engage others on social media. Without a doubt, I’ve been guilty of transgressing this wisdom many times.

We need to remember that in evangelising and catechising, missionary work is about planting seeds on fertile ground. And where can we find this fertile ground? It comes from the heart that loves our neighbour to quench their thirst for God’s Truth. It certainly does not flow from one that is conceited.

Main image: Pexels, Soumil Kumar

The old violin nobody wanted

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Often, it takes a maestro to help an instrument play beautiful melodies

A friend narrated this beautiful story about 20 years ago and it struck a chord and stayed with me ever since. I am sure many people can identify with it as well.

There was an auction and buyers competed fiercely to outbid each other for everything that was on offer. Before long, they eagerly snapped up all the items. Except for one: an old violin.

Keen to also find a buyer for it, the auctioneer held the string instrument in his hands and offered what he thought was an attractive price, saying “if anyone is interested, I would sell it for $100.”

A deathly hush filled the room.

After a while, it became apparent to the auctioneer that even at that price, it was not enough to convince anyone to buy the old violin. So, he reduced its price to $80, but even this did not move anyone to take it off his hands. The auctioneer then lowered the asking price even further to $50, insisting it was the best price he could offer. Still, nobody raised their hands to buy it. Finally, in desperation, he dropped the price to only $20.

Then, after another bout of silence, an old gentleman who sat at the back, raised his hand and asked: “May I have a look at the violin, please?”

“Yes, surely, you may,” the auctioneer replied, relieved that, finally, someone showed an interest in the old violin. The measly price did not bother him. At least, the stringed instrument faced the prospect of finding a new owner and home.

So, the old man rose from his seat at the back and slowly walked to the front and carefully examined the old violin. He took out his handkerchief and dusted the surface of the wooden music instrument. He then gently tuned each string until, one by one, they were in the right tones.

Finally, and only then, did he place the old violin between his chin and left shoulder, lifted the bow with his right hand, and started playing a piece of music. Each musical note he produced from the old violin penetrated the silence in the room and danced delightfully in the air. It stunned everyone and they listened attentively to what was coming out of the instrument in the hands of what was obvious to all: a maestro.

In the hands of a maestro, the violin played like a charm.
Image: Unsplashed, Victor Chartin

He played a familiar classical hymn. The melody was so beautiful that it quickly enchanted everyone at the auction and they were awestruck. They had never heard of or even witnessed anyone playing music so beautifully, let alone on an old violin. And they never thought for one moment it would catch their fancy later on when the auction resumed.

When the old man had finished playing, he calmly returned the violin to the auctioneer, so that he could try and sell it again. But before the auctioneer could even ask everyone in the room if they would still like to buy it, there was a rush in the raising of hands. Everyone suddenly wanted it after the impromptu masterly performance.

From an unwanted item a short while earlier, the old violin was suddenly the focus of the most intense bidding competition of the auction. From the starting bid of $20, the price immediately shot up to $500.

The old violin was ultimately sold for $10,000, which was 500 times more than its lowest asking price.

It took only 15 minutes for the old violin to transform from something nobody wanted into the star of the auction. And it had to take a maestro musician to tune up its strings and play a wonderful melody. He showed that what looked unattractive on the outside was actually a beautiful and priceless soul inside the instrument.

Perhaps, like the old violin, our lives normally do not seem to have much worth at first. But if we hand them over to Jesus, who is the maestro above all maestros, then He will be able to play beautiful songs through us and their melodies will stun listeners even much more. Our lives, then, will catch the world’s attention and everyone wants to listen to the music that He produces out of our lives.

Lord, may our lives become your musical instrument, like that old violin, so that we may be able to produce beautiful music people can sing to with You forever to give thanks and praise to Your wonderful love You have bestowed upon us.

Written at Puffendorf, Germany, on 16 July 2002, the Feast of Our Lady of Carmel and the eighth anniversary of my ordination.

Postscript: After studying in Rome (Italy), I went to Puffendorf in 2002 before returning home to Melbourne, Australia. Four years later, on the 12th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood, I spotted the above painting in a Melbourne shop and bought it. I framed and hung it on the wall and ever since have taken it with me whenever I move to a new place. It has become my treasure because it reminds me of the story of the old violin.

Desiderio Desideravi: Christ’s passion for all humanity

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In Apostolic Letter, Pope Francis takes us to the heart of the Eucharist in the Mass

If you translate the title of Pope Francis’ latest Apostolic Letter, Desiderio Desideravi, it reads “With desire I have desired”. The significance of a repetitive word may not be apparent to the English reader.

But in Latin, as in some Asian languages such as Chinese, Japanese and even Malay-Indonesian, it captures the essence of what it means. Desiderio Desideravi is taken from the Church’s Latin Vulgate of Luke 22:15, “et ait illis desiderio desideravi hoc pascha manducare vobiscum antequam patiar.” In English it is, “And he said to them: With desire I have desired to eat this pasch with you, before I suffer”.

To emphasise its meaning, the bibles of most Catholic dioceses around the world translate it as “I have ardently longed” (New Jerusalem Bible) or “I have eagerly desired” (New American Bible).

So, “With desire I have desired” can also be understood as a “passionate desire”.

It recalls the overwhelmingly successful movie, “Passion of the Christ”. Yup, that Mel Gibson movie. Not that he is a big fan of Pope Francis, as he has been stirring up discontent against the Holy Father’s motu proprio, Traditionis Custodes, that restricts celebration of the Traditional Latin Mass.

Since it was released in July 2021, there has been much unhappiness among TLM followers. They accused the Pope of being a heretic for tampering with the “Mass of the Ages”, among other things. This is the underlying reason why the Holy Father wrote Desiderio Desideravi, which is addressed to all Catholics — clergy, religious and lay.

Rubrics’ purpose in the Mass

With his usual depth, the Pope sees the outroar over the TLM as not just about the Latin language or Mass. It goes far deeper than that. In his Apostolic Letter, Pope Francis takes us back to the heart of what the Eucharist is about, beneath all the rubrics.

In essence, the Holy Father points to Christ’s two great commandments: The first and greatest is “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind”. And the second, “Love your neighbour as yourself”.

Both were not meant to supplant or justify the 10 Commandments (or ten thousand, as the Pharisees would have it), but to indicate what the entire Law was supposed to achieve. Christ did that because the Pharisees had reduced the Law to burdensome, hard-to-follow rules.

Rubrics guarantee the beauty of the Eucharistic celebration. Image: Unsplash, Josh Applegate

This is exactly what Traditionis Custodes’ opponents have done. They are obsessed with rubrics to the point of forgetting why they are there. In Desiderio Desideravi, Pope Francis reminds us of the role they perform in the primary reason why the Eucharist exists.

The rubrics guarantee the beauty of the Lord’s Last Supper in the Mass: that it performs all its purposes. This is because the Eucharist is full of symbolic language, as it is based on the Passover, which is replete with symbolism.

When Christ said, “Do this in memory of me”, the “this” didn’t simply refer to the acts of breaking bread and sharing wine. It refers to the entire Passover celebration. This is why we call Christ the “Passover Lamb”.

In Desiderio Desideravi, Pope Francis explains how Christ coopted the Passover symbolism for Himself.

The first element is a celebration of God delivering the Jews from Egypt. In the Last Supper, Christ elevates the symbolism to God delivering all of mankind from the clutches of the Devil. Pope Francis highlights that the Eucharist is meant to be for “every man from every tribe, every nation” (Rev 5:9, cited in Desiderio Desideravi, Para 4).

In the original Passover, the Matzah bread is broken to denote the parting of the Red Sea in Exodus. As Pope Francis narrates, the Eucharist has replaced this with the breaking of Christ’s Body and Blood on the cross in cavalry.

And all of this is connected by the desire of Christ to be God-with-Us. As the Pope explains, the core of the Good News is that Christ desires to share this Last Supper with every person in the world due to the intensity of God’s love for us. In this sense, the Eucharistic celebration is the embodiment and the manifestation of Christ, “more than just a representation” (DD, Para 9).

The Old and New Creation link

The Church, as an assembly, is part of this ongoing Supper until Christ’s Second Coming. Our participation in this unfolding of God’s love begins when we are baptised and inducted into the Body of Christ. Pope Francis shares that water in the baptismal rite is a symbol of life and rejuvenation all the way from Genesis, where the Spirit of God hovered over the waters of formless creation.

And since Jesus is also the Water of Life, the baptismal font is the Christian’s first experience of the same Paschal Mystery of the Last Supper. At the Eucharist, we are plunged into the depths of God’s love just as we are plunged into water at baptism. What is common to both is the experience of being totally immersed in something. Because since God gave his full passion and dedication to us, we are obliged to return the same.

In the event of the Passion, the Church bursts forth from Christ’s side on the Cross, just as Eve bursts forth from the side of Adam in Genesis. Here, Pope Francis applies the famous metaphor of the Church as bride of Christ in a fresh way. Although, as Christians, we are nominally familiar with regards to Eve as Adam’s bride, but we don’t quite automatically make that link on the lance that pierced Christ’s Body.

There were no bridal salons in Eden, after all! Nonetheless, Pope Francis use of this reminds us of the eschatological link between the old creation in Genesis and the New Creation made by Jesus in the Gospel.

The liturgy is an event where God is with Us as Jesus was with His disciples at the Last Supper.

With this understanding at the core, we can approach the Eucharist from a proper perspective. The Eucharist must demonstrate the transcendent beauty of the Last Supper and provide for the participation of all members of Christ’s Mystical Body.

Although the Real Presence is real, the other elements of the ritual are also symbolic, bearing the transformed symbolism explained earlier in this article. Even the bread and wine are, in a certain sense, symbols. Although they are the true Body and Blood of Christ in the Eucharist, they are also symbols of the entire Body of Christ, the Church.

Liturgy is where God is with us

Returning to the Apostolic Letter, the focus is on Christ, not on any individual Christian. The Liturgy, as an Event, is a free gift from Christ. It comes from God to man. It is not a performance of man for God. At the same time, it is a gathering. The physical bread that is broken as the Body of Christ is united again in the Mystical Body of Christ, which is that all believers are gathered to worship Him as one Body.

Pope Francis emphasises to us that the Liturgy is about the group, and not about individuals. If we forget this, then we fall into a Gnostic subjectivism, which is one of the results of secular post-modernism, with its focus on subjective feeling. Or else, we fall into a salvation-by-works neo-Pelagianism, where we believe a specific form of prayer achieves salvation.

In a sense, then, the Liturgy is neither made-for-us or made-for-God, but is an event where God is with Us as Jesus was with His disciples at the Last Supper.

The latter is the core problem with the opponents of Traditiones Custodes. They have focused too excessively on specific rubrics, such as the priest facing the altar instead of the people. In doing so, they have missed the spirit of the rubrics. Although Pope Francis does not make any allusions here, this is precisely the spirit of the Pharisees who chastised Christ for healing people on the Sabbath. It was for such that Christ provided the Two Great Commandments.

The key part of the Pope’s reflection is found in paragraph 31, where he comments that the point of the liturgical reform at the Second Vatican Council was to enable the Liturgy to allow Christians to “better grow in our capacity to fully live the liturgical action”.

With this in mind, the Church can consider how to help priests to properly understand what the Liturgy entails, which attains its perfection when it fully reveals the glory of God to all present. The rubrics are there to ensure perfection, so they cannot be improvised. And yet they are not totally irreformable, because liturgy is an art with its own intrinsic beauty. There is flow and pattern in the liturgy and all its various ritual gestures. This is the Art of Celebration, or Ars Celebrandi.

The rubrics are there to provide norms, just as when a professional artist trains his protégé in drawing forms and filling in colour.

This finally brings us to the position of the celebrant, who takes on Persona Christi at the liturgical celebration. The presiding role of the celebrant is itself a symbol of Christ’s presence at the Last Supper. And the rubrics are there to guide the priest on embodying this presence in the celebration, since this presence is the “highest norm” (DD, Para 57).

What we get ultimately is a unique channel of grace directly from Heaven to the entire body of Christ, where the celebrant – priest or bishop – is not the mediator of Lord Jesus, but His instrument or sign instead. And, in particular, he is the sign of God’s fathomless love for us.

Main Image: Unsplash, Ashwin Vaswani

Peace envelops us when we live God’s Will

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Our hearts will be filled with joy, even when we must go through raging storms

I’d like to share with you two major incidents in my life as a priest. The first took place in Vietnam at the Redemptorist Monastery, where I was teaching at the Redemptorist Studentate Seminary between 1998 and1999. The second while I was studying in Rome for my doctorate at the Alphonsian Academy from 1999 to 2003. These two events reinforced something that I have always been convinced of: God is always present in my life.

The following is an extract that I wrote in my dairy:

Redemptorist Monastery, Monday, 28 September, 1998.

“Behold, I come to do your will”(Hebrews 10:7)

The Lord sent me this phrase while I was lecturing on moral theology at the Redemptorist Studentate. After nearly a year of my stint there, I came up against some unexpected difficulties, brought on by external circumstances. It reached a point where I wanted to leave my Order’s assignment for me in Vietnam. I wanted to return to Australia, so that I could be free and able to breathe in some fresh air!

“Human beings are only truly happy when they fulfill and walk the way that God has outlined for them. The most important thing in our lives is how to discover God’s Will and what He wants us to do in life. Sometimes God’s Will can go against what we have planned or envisioned for ourselves. His Will can also invite us to accept a reality that we find difficult or insurmountable. But if God has invited us to commit and serve Him in such a situation, then, of course, He must have a contingency plan. The important thing is whether we have the courage to trust in God.”

Discovering God’s Will for us

Once we obey and walk in God’s ways, or in other words, we live His Will in our lives, we will be at peace, no matter what the external circumstances seem. What matters is not where we live, but where we are and where God wants us to be. That’s why Saint Francis de Sales very rightly said, “Where God planted me, there I blossomed.”

Lord, let me walk in Your ways and that You continue to guide me. May Your Will be done in me.

The second episode occurred when I was sent to study for a doctorate at Rome’s Institute of Moral Theology at the Alphonsian Academy, where the professors were Redemptorists. There, God again revealed to me the importance and benefits of spiritual life when I commit to living and following His Will, especially in entrusting my life to Him as the Captain of my ship.

The event in question happened one Friday morning in 2001 when I was researching and starting to write my doctoral thesis on the topic of Euthanasia and Assisted suicide. When writing the thesis, I usually stayed up late to work and sometimes I did not go to bed until 2.00am or 3.00 am. It meant I often woke up a bit later and could not join the Community for morning prayers.

On such occasions, I usually went to the chapel and said morning prayer by myself. This chapel was named after Saint Alphonsus Liguori, founder of the Redemptorist Order in the 17th century. He was canonised in 1839, proclaimed Doctor of the Catholic Church in 1871 and is the patron of moral theologians.

Saint Alphonsus was a prominent moral theologian and had great influence in renewing moral theology after the 17th century until before the Second Vatican Council. This chapel is quite artistic and beautiful. It helps us to easily lift up our minds and hearts to God in prayer.

That Friday morning, I went to the chapel and said my morning prayer. When I came to the intercessions, I slowly responded in Italian, “Nella tua volontà, è la nostra pace, o Signore.” In English this means, “In your Will is our peace, Lord”, which is the Intercession response for Friday morning, week II of the psalter. 

Jesus is the only One who can give us a joyful peace that overcomes all adversities.
Image: Carl Heinrich Bloch (1834-1890)

A peace the world cannot give

For some reason, when I finished reading the intercessions, I felt as if the response had been seared into my mind a long time before that Friday morning. It is clear, even today.

I was in awe and prayed silently, asking God to enlighten and guide me, so that I could understand what He wanted to reveal to me at that moment. A while later, I realised He wanted to remind me that as long as I live and obey God’s Will, I will have inner peace. This is a priceless gift for those who are committed to following the Lord and want to become His true disciples.  As Jesus said:

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives.”

John 14:27

That is, this peace only comes from Jesus and He is the only One who can give this to us. The world cannot give it.

I was delighted when I discovered this and thanked God for revealing it to me that Friday morning. It was truly a mystery of God’s revelation because He knows I really needed His gift of peace. For me, perhaps inner peace is one of the most important blessings in life. Because if we have this in our hearts, we will have joy and happiness, even though, we may encounter dark clouds or terrible storms in our lives.

And I was facing quite a few dark clouds in my journey as I have shared with you in my previous postings in The Asian Fishermen. The biggest storm was my journey by boat from Vietnam to Malaysia on the open sea, where 50 others and I nearly perished.

I pray that each of us will be able to discover the Will of God in our lives and have the courage to follow it, as I am convinced that if we do so, we will be able to experience genuine peace, joy and happiness in our daily living.

Then this past Sunday morning on 3 July, I had the opportunity to re-read the spiritual journal I wrote during my study in Rome. I was astonished by what I penned about 20 years ago in 2002, especially the following passage:

In the past few days, I have felt a special peace of mind, especially the sentiments of a life of complete abandonment to God, which I often experienced in my life. I have surrendered myself to God’s mysterious plan. After doing this, I felt very calm in my heart and a joy arose in my soul, I thought: ‘If I could always abandon myself to God and surrender my life to Him. I would be very happy and will experience the inner peace. How much happy we would be if we could abandon ourselves to God’s providence.’

The difficulty is that we still have very little faith in God. I have not yet fully surrendered and obeyed God’s will. Maybe I’m still afraid, because I worry about what will happen in the future, or maybe what God wants me to do is not the things that I want to do, or perhaps, I still cling to my own thoughts and what I desire to follow. So, once again, I ask God to strengthen my faith in Him and to let me know how I can live a total self-surrendering to Him, since Saint Jerome Nazianzeno said: ‘Your will is my peace.’

In this book, Pope St John XXIII extols Saint Jerome Nazianzeno’s prayer, “Your will is my peace”

I am sharing this personal experience, especially with the young people and our beloved readers, as a living testimony. I hope this conviction will inspire other young Catholics and faithful to learn how to follow the Will of God in their lives. If we do so with a firm belief that if we surrender ourselves to Him and do His will, then our lives will be blessed with joy, happiness and an inner peace.

As Pope St John XXIII in his writing in the Journal of the Soul (Il Giornale dell’Anima – Milano: San Paolo, 1989) extols Saint Jerome Nazianzeno prayer, “Your will is my peace.”

Vietnamese version: Thánh Ý Chúa Là Sự Bình An Của Con

Thánh Ý Chúa Là Sự Bình An Của Con

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Con người chỉ hạnh phúc thực sự khi biết tuân thủ và vâng theo thánh ý Chúa

Các bạn trẻ thân mến,

Hôm nay cha muốn chia sẻ với tất cả các bạn về một kinh nghiệm cá nhân đã xảy ra hai lần đối với cha vào hai thời điểm quan trọng, hầu minh chứng với các bạn trẻ một điều mà cha hằng luôn xác tín, đó chính là, Chúa luôn hiện diện bên con.

Học viện Dòng Chúa Cứu Thế Sài Gòn.

Thứ Hai, ngày 28 tháng 9 năm 1998.

Này con xin đến để thực thi thánh ý Chúa

(Dt 10:7)

Lời này đã được Chúa gởi đến cho cha trong thời gian cha đang phục vụ tại Học viện Dòng Chúa Cứu Thế, với tư cách là giáo sư bộ môn thần học luân lý. Trong khoảng thời gian gần một năm giảng dạy tại đây, cha đã gặp phải một số khó khăn ngoài ý muốn, do ngoại cảnh đưa tới…, đến độ, cha muốn rời bỏ nhiệm sở nơi cha đã được gởi đến để phục vụ, cha muốn trở về lại nước Úc để hít thở bầu khí trong lành và được tự do đi lại…!

Và dưới đây là những gì mà cha đã ghi lại trong sổ tay nội tâm của mình, cha xem đó như là lời nhắn nhủ của Chúa dành cho cha, vào thời điểm đặc biệt này. Giờ đây cha mạn phép chia sẻ với quý bạn trẻ và độc giả.

“Con người chỉ hạnh phúc thực sự khi chu toàn và bước đi trong đường lối mà Thiên Chúa đã vạch ra cho họ. Điều tối quan trọng trong cuộc sống của chúng ta là làm sao khám phá ra thánh ý của Chúa và những gì mà Ngài muốn chúng ta thực hiện trong cuộc đời.

Đôi lúc thánh ý của Chúa có thể đi nghịch lại với những gì mà chúng ta đã dự tính hay phác họa ra cho chính mình. Thánh ý của Chúa cũng có thể mời gọi chúng ta chấp nhận một thực tại mà chúng ta cảm thấy đầy khó khăn, khó có thể vượt qua nổi. Nhưng nếu Thiên Chúa đã mời gọi chúng ta dấn thân và phục vụ Ngài trong một hoàn cảnh như vậy, thì ắt nhiên là Ngài phải có một kế hoạch phòng bị. Điều quan trọng là liệu chúng ta có can đảm và có dám tín thác nơi Chúa hay không?

Một khi chúng ta tuân theo và bước đi trong đường lối của Chúa, hay nói một cách khác, là chúng ta sống thánh ý Chúa trong cuộc đời, thì chúng ta sẽ cảm thấy thư thái và bình an, cho dù hoàn cảnh bên ngoài xem ra có vẻ hơi bất lợi cho chúng ta.

Điều quan trọng không phải là cái nơi chốn mà ta đang sống, nhưng hệ tại ở chỗ: đâu là nơi mà Chúa muốn tôi ở. Bởi lẽ đó Thánh Phanxicô đệ Salê đã nói rất chí lý: ‘Chúa trồng con ở đâu, con nở hoa ở đó.’     

Lạy Chúa, xin cho con biết bước đi trong đường lối của Chúa và xin Ngài tiếp tục hướng dẫn con. Xin cho thánh ý Chúa được thực hiện nơi con.”

Sau này khi cha được gởi sang du học ở Rôma (nước Ý) cho học vị tiến sĩ về bộ môn Thần học Luân lý tại Học viện Thánh Anphongsô (Alphonsian Academy) do các cha giáo sư của nhà Dòng Chúa Cứu Thế (DCCT) đảm trách. Tại đây một lần nữa, cha đã được Chúa mặc khải cho cha về tầm quan trọng và ích lợi của đời sống thiêng liêng khi cha biết sống và tuân theo thánh ý của Chúa, nhất là biết tín thác cuộc đời của mình cho Chúa và để cho Ngài an bài.

Sự kiện này đã xảy ra đối với cha vào một buổi sáng thứ Sáu của năm 2001, khi ấy cha đang nghiên cứu và bắt đầu viết luận án tiến sĩ của mình về đề tài An tử và Trợ tử. Trong thời gian viết luận án, thông thường cha hay thức khuya để làm việc, đôi khi đến 2 hoặc 3 giờ sáng, cha mới đi ngủ, vì thế, cha thỉnh thoảng dậy hơi trễ và không thể tham dự giờ kinh sáng cùng với các anh em linh mục sinh viên trong cộng đoàn, nơi cha đang theo học.

Những lần như vậy, cha vào nhà nguyện của cộng đoàn và tự đọc kinh sáng một mình. Đây là ngôi nhà nguyện mang tên Thánh Anphongsô, vị sáng lập nhà Dòng Chúa Cứu Thế vào thế kỷ thứ 17 và đồng thời cũng là tiến sĩ của Hội Thánh Công Giáo, và cũng là Đấng bảo trợ của các thần học gia luân lý, vì ngài chính là một nhà thần học gia luân lý lỗi lạc và đã có công lớn trong việc canh tân nền thần học luân lý từ sau thế kỷ thứ 17 cho đến tiền Công Đồng Vaticanô I. Ngôi nhà nguyện này khá cổ kính và trang trí rất độc đáo và mỹ thuật, giúp cho chúng ta dễ nâng tâm hồn mình lên với Chúa trong lúc cầu nguyện.

Sáng thứ Sáu hôm ấy, cha vô nhà nguyện và đọc kinh sáng một mình, khi đến phần LỜI CẦU, gồm các lời nguyện cho kinh sáng hôm đó, cha đọc chậm rãi câu thưa bằng tiếng Ý: “Nella tua volonta, è la nostra pace, o Signore” tiếng Việt có nghĩa: “Lạy Chúa bình an của chúng con ở trong thánh ý Chúa” câu đáp này nằm ở phần “Lời Cầu” của giờ Kinh Sáng Thứ Sáu, Tuần II [1] .         

Không hiểu vì lý do gì mà khi đọc xong câu thưa đó, nó tự nhiên nhập tâm và in đậm trong trí óc của cha, như thể cha đã học thuộc lòng câu đáp ấy từ lâu lắm rồi. Cha rất đỗi ngạc nhiên…, và cha thinh lặng cầu nguyện để xin Chúa soi sáng và hướng dẫn cha, hầu cha có thể hiểu được điều mà Ngài muốn mặc khải cho cha trong giây phút đó.

Khoảng một lúc sau đó, cha đã nhận ra được thánh ý của Chúa và điều mà Ngài muốn nhắc nhở cũng như nhắn nhủ cha, đó chính là: bao lâu mà cha sống và vâng theo thánh ý của Chúa, thì chính cha sẽ cảm nhận được sự bình an nội tâm. Đây chính là món quà vô giá cho những ai dấn thân bước theo Chúa và muốn trở thành người môn đệ đích thực của Ngài.

Như Chúa Giêsu đã từng tuyên bố: “Thầy để lại bình an cho anh em, Thầy ban cho anh em bình an của Thầy. Thầy ban cho anh em không theo kiểu thế gian.”(Ga 14, 27). Nghĩa là sự bình an này chỉ đến từ Chúa Giêsu và Ngài là Đấng duy nhất có thể ban sự bình an đó cho chúng ta, và ngược lại, thế gian không thể ban tặng.

Cha vui mừng và sung sướng khi khám phá ra điều này, và cha tạ ơn Chúa vì Ngài đã mặc khải cho cha trong giờ kinh cầu nguyện sáng thứ Sáu hôm ấy. Quả thật là nhiệm mầu sự tỏ bầy của Chúa dành cho cha, vì có lẽ Chúa biết, cha thực sự rất cần món quà bình an của Ngài. Đối với cha, có lẽ sự bình an nội tại là một trong những điều quan trọng nhất trong cuộc sống.

Vì nếu chúng ta có bình an thực sự trong tâm hồn, chúng ta sẽ có được sự thư thái, niềm vui và hạnh phúc, cho dù ngoài kia… có biết bao sóng gió đang nổi lên và bủa vây xung quanh chúng ta, như thể muốn lôi cuốn và nhận chìm chúng ta vào cõi hư vô.

Rồi sáng hôm nay, chúa nhật ngày 3 tháng 7 năm 2022, cha có dịp đọc lại cuốn sổ nội tâm (the soul’s journal) của chính mình mà cha đã ghi chép trong thời gian cha du học tại Rôma (Từ giữa tháng 10 năm 1999 cho đến đầu tháng 4 năm 2023), và cha vô cùng ngạc nhiên khi chính mắt của cha lại nhìn thấy những gì mà cha đã viết cách đây khoảng 20 năm về trước (2002). Trong đó có đoạn cha đã ghi như sau:

Trong những ngày vừa qua, mình cảm thấy bình an trong tâm hồn một cách đặc biệt, nhất là những tâm tình của đời sống phó thác trọn vẹn nơi Thiên Chúa thường xuyên đến với mình và mình đã cầu nguyện và phó dâng mọi chuyện cho sự an bàinhiệm mầu của Thiên Chúa. Sau khi làm công việc này, mình cảm thấy rất bình thản trong lòng và một niềm vui tự trong tâm hồn dấy lên, mình thiết nghĩ: ‘Nếu cuộc đời của mình luôn sống được điều này, nghĩa là luôn luôn xác tín cách tuyệt đối nơi sự quan phòng của Thiên Chúa thì hạnh phúc biết bao.’

Cái khó ở chỗ là vì mình còn kém lòng tin nơi Chúa. Mình vẫn chưa phó thác cách trọn vẹn và tuân theo thánh ý Chúa. Có lẽ mình vẫn còn sợ hãi, vì lo lắng những gì sẽ xảy đến trong tương lai, vì có thể những điều đó nó đi nghịch lại với ý muốn của mình hoặc đôi khi mình còn bám vào ý nghĩ riêng của chính bản thân. Cho nên, lại một lần nữa, mình xin Chúa ban cho mình thêm niềm tin và lòng cậy trông nơi Chúa. Xin Chúa cho mình biết sống ‘tâm tình phó thác’, đặc biệt là phó dâng cho Chúa tất cả những gì trong tương lai của mình. Mọi sự mình chỉ biết xin vâng theo thánh ý Chúa, như Thánh Giêrôriô Nazianzenô đã nói: ‘Thánh ý Chúa là sự bình an của con.’[2]

Mọi sự mình chỉ biết xin vâng theo thánh ý Chúa, như Thánh Giêrôriô Nazianzenô đã nói: ‘Thánh ý Chúa là sự bình an của con’

Hôm nay, cha chia sẻ điều này với các bạn trẻ và với quý độc giả để minh chứng một điều mà cha đã từng xác tín từ lâu, đó chính là: “Thánh ý Chúa là sự bình an của con.”[3]

Cầu chúc cho các bạn trẻ Công Giáo và mọi tín hữu luôn biết tuân theo thánh ý Chúa trong cuộc đời của chính mình, để tất cả chúng ta sẽ cảm nhận  được niềm vui đích thực trong tâm hồn và tận hưởng sự hạnh phúc viên mãn ngay tại đời này lẫn ngày sau trên thiên quốc.

[1] . Xem Kinh Phụng Vụ, Kinh Sáng Thứ Sáu, Tuần II, trong phần “Lời Cầu”.       

Đáp: “Lạy Chúa bình an của chúng con ở trong thánh ý Chúa.”

[2] . San Gregorio Nazianzeno, “La tua volontà, o Signore, è la mia pace.” Trích trong cuốn Sách, “Il Giornale dell’Anima” của ĐTC Gioan XXIII, trang 18. Do Loris F. Capovilla (Biên soạn),  Il Giornale dell’Anima  e altri scritti di pietà (Milano: San Paolo, 1989).

[3] . Thực sự cha cũng không ngờ là niềm xác tín của chính bản thân cha cũng đã được Thánh Giêrôriô Nazianzenô tuyên xưng “la tua volontà, o Signore, è la mia pace,” và ĐTC Gioan XXIII đã trích dẫn lại trong cuốn sổ nội tâm của ngài, Il Giornale dell’Anima” của ĐTC Gioan XXIII, trang 18.

English version: Peace envelops us when we live God’s Will

38 million unborn babies aborted each year in Asia

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Why countries outside the US must not be too obsessed with Roe vs Wade ruling

When the United States Supreme Court reversed the decades-old Roe vs Wade case that recognised women’s constitutional right to have abortions, it received prominent news coverage around the world.

There is a sense of widespread relief among pro-life supporters. Why is this so? The latest ruling is not about abortion rights as it is about an interpretation of the US Constitution.

What the US justices ruled is that the Court’s previous decision in 1973 that the 14th Amendment protected abortion rights was “an abuse of judicial authority” and relied on “egregiously wrong” reasoning.

They returned to the 50 states the responsibility of deciding whether abortion should be allowed in their respective territories. At the time of writing, it is still legal in many states. Depending on which party is in power, who is to say Roe v Wade won’t make a comeback?

But this latest ruling has no bearing outside the United States. And Roe vs Wade should not be of any concern to Asia.

Why? Because of this grim statistic from the US-based Guttmacher Institute: The lives of 38 million unborn children killed in their mothers’ wombs each year in Asia. This includes almost six million in Southeast Asia from 2015 to 2019, which is an increase of 21% from the 1990-1994 period.

For the sake of comparison and depending on whether it’s the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) or Guttmacher’s statistics are used, between 630,000 and a million mothers opt for abortions each year in the United States.

The problem as the numbers show is that this crisis is about 38 times more acute in Asia. In Southeast Asia only Brunei, Laos and the Philippines prohibit abortion outright.

In Singapore from a peak of 23,512 abortions in 1985 the numbers have steadily dropped to 4,029 (Ministry of Health) in 2020. Across the Causeway, the Federation of Reproductive Health Associations Malaysia estimates that about 90,000 pregnancies are aborted annually. The figure in Indonesia was 1.7 million in 2018, and 437,000 in Thailand during 2015–2019, according to Gettmacher’s data.

There are no official statistics for Vietnam, but the country’s news outlet, VN Express, reported in 2016 that 40% of all pregnancies in the country were terminated. This would put the number of abortions at about a million in that year which had 1.49 million live births.

Unplanned pregnancies have led many, especially impoverished women, to opt for unsafe abortion.
Pexels, Nicole Ganze

What it takes to stop the killing of unborn babies in Asia?

The answer to this is about changing hearts and minds. For Catholics, non-Catholic Christians and people of goodwill, this is the only sure-fire way to protect the lives of the unborn.

But the obstacle towards this goal is massive because not all cultures and religions believe that life begins at conception. Compounding it, legislation to provide “safe” access to abortion has been around since 1948, with Japan the first to legalise it in Asia, to curb the “population bomb” in the world’s biggest continent.

Adding to this problem, many secular governments are quick to rebuff religious teachings, especially the Catholic Church’s, as not being in touch with the times.

This point was underlined in passing the Singapore Abortion Bill in 1969 against the backdrop of too many women “resorting to dangerous do-it-yourself home procedures” or “to back-street and illegal abortionists, usually with tragic results”.

The then-Minister of Health Chua Sian Chin highlighted three main objections to the Bill, the first of which was religious:

Briefly the basis of objection is that abortions destroy the life of a foetus. Since the foetus is the beginning of human life, induction of abortion is equivalent to murder. This is a matter of viewpoint. Learned men, medical or otherwise, for centuries have not been able to agree on whether the foetus is human life.

In my view abortion is not murder. The destruction of the early conceptus differs in no essential way from destruction of the sperm cell or egg cell before the act of fertilization. No one mourns for a sperm killed by a spermatoxic contraceptive cream or an ovum permitted to die twelve hours after ovulation, because the woman from whose ovary it came knew how to prevent its survival by practising the rhythm technique of birth control.

After 53 years, is this the prevailing view today? I have no doubt it is with the growing secularism among Asians, even among not a few Catholics and in unlikely places such as in the Philippines. The Catholic majority country is under pressure from advocacy groups such as the Philippine Safe Abortion Advocacy Network to pass abortion laws. Rogue priests often aid their cause.

What must Christians do?

It is one thing to teach that abortion is the killing of an unborn human life and a grave sin. It is another thing not to address the underlying causes that lead women to end their children’s lives.

As cited in Singapore’s passing of the Abortion Bill in 1969, the causes are the same everywhere: unplanned pregnancies have led many, especially impoverished women, to opt for unsafe abortion. They have nowhere and no one to turn to for comfort and advice. The fear that they are bringing a baby into dire poverty is often the trigger to kill their babies before birth.

At the height of abortion cases in Singapore in 1985, Redemptorist Father Edmund Dunne started the Family Life Society (now known as Catholic Family Life) to offer pregnancy crisis counselling and help to all women, regardless of religious background. Two years later he started Pregnancy Crisis & Support, a hotline for those in dire need of a friendly listening ear. It was the first of its kind in Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Fr Dunne’s efforts led to other non-Catholic groups reaching out to women facing a pregnancy crisis. Did all this good work lead to a decline in abortions over the decades? I have no doubt it did.

But this isn’t enough. Catholics cannot twiddle their thumbs and leave the heavy lifting to those like the late Fr Dunne. It takes a village to transform hearts and minds, and if we are to achieve this, every Catholic must get on board.

It begins with catechising our fellow Catholics, especially our young, on the sanctity of life and why sex outside of marriage can only lead to knots such as unplanned pregnancies. Abortion has never been and never can be a human right. Pope Benedict XVI emphasised this point in Vienna in 2007 in his address to diplomats and representatives of international organisations:

It was in Europe that the notion of human rights was first formulated. The fundamental human right, the presupposition of every other right, is the right to life itself. This is true of life from the moment of conception until its natural end. Abortion, consequently, cannot be a human right. It is the very opposite, it is a deep wound in society.

Pope Benedict XVI

Read: EU Bishops say ‘No such thing as a right to abortion’

The Jesus way to changing hearts

Faced with crisis, Catholics are often in the habit of asking, “What would Jesus do?”. That’s the wrong question because Christ left us a template on what to do. So, the question should be, “What did Jesus do?”.

Christ never forced His listeners to follow Him or do what He did. Instead, He invited people to listen to His Gospel, the Good News of Salvation. Christ spoke with love for the people who heard Him and the numbers who followed Him grew because they could not get enough of what He was teaching them. His following swelled to such an extent that it frightened the Jewish leaders into plotting to crucify Him on the Cross.

This is why activism in any form, for or against causes, never convinces anyone. Instead, it creates animosity, hatred and division.

Beyond catechising every Catholic first and creating disciples to spread this truth about the evil of abortion, we must evangelise the unbelieving world. And we must use every scientific evidence at our disposal and rope in such scientists to help us enlighten the sceptics of the world.

Read: Science on when human life begins

Only when we can speak of the Catholic truth about the beginning of life, we will have the vaccine to protect the unborn from the increasing abortion legislation to execute them before they are given a chance to live from womb to tomb.

When people realise this is what is actually written in their hearts about the reality of life and murder, then, our efforts to stop the killing of millions of babies in their mothers’ wombs in Asia and beyond can make real headway.

福传: 翻译中的迷失

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教会的存在是为了传福音，这也必须是我们的使命

作为天主教徒，你我都从未在传福音的文化中长大。一位在我们青年团演讲的神学院学生甚至大胆地断言，”教会不再传福音了”。在成长过程中，我相信所有的宗教都是一样的，只是通往天主的道路不同；我是一个宗教相对论者。我认为一种宗教的排他性主张是令人反感的新教。

当我阅读到圣人传记时，他们对灵魂的热忱听起来比我所领受的天主教信仰更像新教，这对我的宗教思想是一种冲击。16世纪亚洲福音事工的先驱、传教士的守护者圣方濟·沙勿略 （St. Francis Xavier）写道：

“这里有许多人没有成为基督徒，原因只有一个：没有人使他们成为基督徒。我一次又一次地想去欧洲的大学，特别是巴黎，像个疯子一样到处喊叫，吸引那些学识多于慈善的人的注意：”真是一场悲剧：由于你们，多少灵魂被关在天堂之外，落入地狱！”

事情开始改变了。我开始自己阅读圣经，并意识到如果我认为基督教的独家主张是偏执，那么耶稣就是源头。祂说。”我是道路、真理、生命，除非经过我，谁也不能到父那里去。” （若望福音14:6）。而现代教会在《在新世界中傳福音》（1975年）、《救主的使命》（1990年）、《教会在亚洲》（1999年）、《主耶穌》（2000年）和《福音的喜乐》（2013年）等文件中，从未改变过她的信息和对福音事工的迫切性。

教皇的教诲与信徒们在教堂里实行的天主教教理之间存在着巨大的鸿沟。不服从耶稣，甚至无视祂的命令：”去使万民成为门徒”（玛窦福音28:19），都需要被指出其本质所在：不服从祂，甚至是一种罪过。

我们在哪里出了这么大的问题？

1962-1965年召开的梵蒂冈第二届大公会议为现代世界的背景更新了天主教会的教导。圣神在这次大公会议中的引领从未受到怀疑（除了边缘地带的疯子）。但可以肯定的是，天主教会对其他宗教及其信徒的态度，发生了180度的变化。世界上的主教们感觉到圣神在呼唤教会在各教派中和宗教间的对话中建立桥梁，而不是开除教籍、诅咒和叫停异端邪说。

这并不意味着教会改变了她对基督和教会的独特作用的教导。她仍然相信耶稣是唯一的救赎途径，在教会之外不可能有救赎；但不同意别人的信仰并不意味着她必须是讨人厌的。

不幸的是，对于99%的天主教徒来说，这些细微的差别在翻译中丢失了。耶稣是唯一的中保，而其他宗教的人也能得救，这两个论断之间的矛盾仅仅意味着所有的宗教都是一样的，我们不需要再传福音了。因此，梵二大公会议之后的时期，对于没有谷歌搜索（Google Search）来检查神学院教授和讲道坛所传的内容的一代人来说，是令人困惑的。成片的天主教传教士开始怀疑他们是否浪费了自己的生命并离开了修会。在失去了为天堂改变灵魂的目的后，他们成了人道主义救济的代理人。

那么我们该怎么做呢？

天主教徒不应回避与穆斯林、佛教、印度教、不可知论者或无神论者的邻居建立热情的友谊。天主教徒应该秉持维护生命，站在家庭问题的最前沿，为移民服务并关心创造物。但天主教徒也应确信，”如果不宣布纳匝肋耶稣、天主的名字、教训、生活、许诺、天国及奥迹，则不是真正的宣传福音。” 在新世界中傳福音 22)。面对庞大的传教领域，如果有20亿亚洲人的灵魂，大使命，也就是耶稣的遗言，必须成为每个天主教徒的首要任务：培养能培养传教士的传教士。

对你和我来说，传教的转变将是非常巨大的。如果你爱主并希望参与这一变化，请加入我们的网页，我们将逐一解开这些问题。

English Version – Evangelisation: Lost in Translation

God’s unfathomable love for humanity

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He never abandons us, and is always ready to forgive our sins and heal all

One of my greatest desires in life is to yearn for God’s love and to love Him in return. This has been one of the reasons why I’ve always wanted to be a priest since I was a teenager in Vietnam.

I’d like to share a personal experience that happened to me last year.

On that day, 21 May, around 2.00pm, I left my office and went over to the chapel of St Thomas More College to get the Monstrance (The golden sacred vessel that is used to display the Blessed Sacrament during Eucharistic Adorations). 

After locating it in the sacristy, I opened the Lectionary and read a passage from the Gospel of John 17: 20-26 to prepare my homily for Mass the next day at the University of Western Australia. I’ll quote the full text of that verse:

I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one. As you, Father, are in me and I am in you, may they also be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one,I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me.I made your name known to them, and I will make it known, so that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.

I then sat in the chapel and reflected on this Gospel passage. After some time in prayer, I felt deeply – at my very core – the unconditional love that God has enfolded me in the past 60 years of my life: from the moment I was born, my childhood and adolescent years, to my entry into religious formation in the Redemptorist Congregation, ordination and my life as a priest.

The six decades of my existence have been marked countless times with the seal of God’s love, through all important milestones and challenges in my journey as His disciple.  His love follows and remains with me unceasingly, even in my human weaknesses: when my love for Him runs dry and lukewarm, or in moments when I haven’t been my best self or lived up to what is expected of me.

Meditating John 17:20-26 before the Blessed Sacrament in the chapel, I came to a deeper understanding of God’s love for humanity.

God doesn’t abandon me, but continues to love me still and ever ready to forgive my flaws, heal my wounds, and embrace me back into a loving relationship with Him. To be honest, it is impossible for me to count each of God’s blessings in my life, for they are innumerable. I simply recall and engrave them in my heart, so that I will never forget what He has done for me.

In reading John’s Gospel that afternoon in the chapel, I was again touched by his immense love, especially this line,

I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.

John 17:23

I came to a deeper understanding that God’s love for humanity, which includes you and I, is manifested in the love that He has shown for His only Son, Our Lord Jesus Christ. As I meditated on this, I felt so blessed and fortunate that God the Father loves me with the very same love that He has for His only Son. Upon realising this, I immediately felt a force enfolding my entire body, as if it wants to protect and shield me. It actualised within me a deep sense of joy and serene peace.

As the French writer, Victor Hugo once said, “The greatest happiness of life is the conviction that we are loved, loved for ourselves, or rather loved in spite of ourselves.”

Everyone desires happiness and to be loved, for no one is able to truly live without (or lacking) love. A person who doesn’t love (or be loved) may be physically alive, but spiritually dead.

This is why I truly felt so blessed, for I have at least more than once in my life, experienced God’s immense and everlasting love. It is from this same love that motivated me to respond to His invitation to be His disciple by sharing in the gift of His priesthood, which I have received 27 years ago in 1994.

I continued to silently sit there in the Chapel before the Blessed Sacrament and savoured the sweetness of His unconditional love for me in spite of my unworthiness.

It is also this same love that compels me to give of myself each day in the proclamation of the Gospel – the Good News that God loves humanity and desires to save us all.

Christ desires for us to be with him in His heavenly kingdom, imploring His Heavenly Father,

Father, I desire that those also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory, which you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.

John 17:24

I am always convinced that after our earthly journey, we will all be reunited with Christ, our most venerable and compassionate Master/Teacher, in our heavenly kingdom, where we will be able to see the Glory of God, to gaze at Him face to face and share in His everlasting joy and eternal happiness.

I’d like to share with you this special spiritual experience in order to give thanks to God for His great love for me and the many blessings He has continuously been giving me in my life. I will never forget His unfathomable love for me. All I want to do is to give my entire life to Him and to love God and His people with all my heart.

Main Image: Heinrich Hofmann

Catholics not doing enough to win souls

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Share Christ’s Gospel to help others know Him and leave the rest to the Holy Spirit

What is evangelism?

A Google search will give the definition as, “the spreading of the Christian gospel by public preaching or personal witness”. In 1974, key Protestant leaders at the Lausanne Conference reinforced this meaning by differentiating evangelism from social action and political liberation. For Catholics, the proper word for this initial presentation of the kerygma, is “proclamation”.

But “proclamation” feels like such a big word! It feels so formal and carries the connation that it is to be done by experts. So, I prefer to use the word “evangelism”.

Now let’s look at three misunderstandings of evangelism.  

Evangelism is not proselytisation (for Catholics at least)

“Proselyte” is an anglicisation of a biblical Greek word that refers to converts from paganism to Judaism (Matt 23:15, Acts 2:10; 6:5; 13:43). This is where it gets a bit more complicated. While in general English usage, “proselyte” simply means a new convert to any religion, in Catholic language, this word has negative connotations.

Pope Francis explained the difference in the context of the prosperity gospel, implying that the person who is proselytised is attracted not by Christ but by a vice – for example greed. It violates the conscience. Proselytisation is triumphantly obsessed with numbers rather than that the person has discovered eternal life.

Are concerns about proselytisation still valid?

Christians in India are still being accused of “rice bag conversions”. Even in Malaysia, one Sarawakian indigenous youth shared that conversion to Christianity is often because of gratitude for past help, or to gain a social standing. The issue is complex and sometimes we can swing to the other end of the pendulum where we offer corporal works of mercy but don’t share the faith.

A girl who had recently converted to Protestantism shared how she had studied at the library of a Catholic Church but no one struck up a conversation with her, let alone introduced her to Jesus. Well, she was spiritually hungry and when Protestants invited her to receive Christ, she joyfully accepted.

I wonder if the preparation for the Sacrament of Confirmation might bear some tinge of proselytisation. Granted, the young person is already baptised, but there is the social pressure of going along with the herd. Sometimes, the young person is told that he will not be able to receive the Sacrament of Marriage in future, if he doesn’t get confirmed (which isn’t actually what Canon Law teaches).

Godparents should ask the young person to explain clearly and objectively why he believes in Jesus and the Catholic Church, and if necessary, to lovingly discern and discourage him if he is not ready, while promising to journey with him.

Pope Francis explained that a person who is proselytised is attracted not by Christ but by a vice – for example greed.

Evangelism is not evangelisation

“Evangelisation” is sometimes used interchangeably with evangelism (Catechism of the Catholic Church 905) but generally, it has a wider meaning that covers preaching, teaching, being a channel of grace, reconciling sinners with God, and perpetuating Christ’s sacrifice in the Mass.

Having said that, “there is no true evangelisation if the name, teaching, life, promises, kingdom and mystery of Jesus of Nazareth, the Son of God, are not proclaimed. (Evangelii Nuntiandi 14, 22).

How many of us have heard it said, or even personally repeated this phrase, “I just evangelise through my actions. If non-Christians want to know more about the Faith, they can always ask”. Another way that we have tried to sooth our conscience and say that we are obeying the call of Pope Francis to become a more missionary church is to re-categorised existing ministries as evangelisation.

Therefore, Migrants Ministry, Prison Ministry, Orang Asli Ministry, Children’s Home, St Vincent De Paul, Soup Kitchens, etc, are under the Ministry of Evangelisation. And so, the average Catholic deftly sidesteps getting trained and encouraged to take the initiative to proclaim Jesus.  

Conversion is really a work of grace and sometimes, the person may simply not be ready at the moment.

Evangelism is not converting others

While we hope those we evangelise come to accept Jesus and be baptised, success in evangelism is simply “sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ in the power of the Holy Spirit and leaving the results to God” (Bill Bright).

We are merely sharing information to help others make a decision. Conversion is really a work of grace and sometimes, the person may simply not be ready at the moment.

Having said that, too often, Catholics simply present information. We want our Sunday school students to memorise dates like when Francis Xavier came to Melaka rather than imbibe his missionary courage.

We celebrate feast days of saints but secretly hope that none of our children serve the church until they are in their 70s. We emphasis that we are not to hold hands during the Our Father but fail to call Catholics to obey the Great Commission.

We need to talk about personal life issues through the lens of faith, in a way that is heartfelt and persuasive.

Conversations can end in an invitation, “What would you like Jesus to do for you today?”, “Would you like to know more about Jesus?”, “Would you like to have a relationship with the Heavenly Father?” and so on. Even if the listener assents, becoming a believer and a disciple is a step-by-step journey so don’t get impatient or discouraged!