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.
