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Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan, or Cardinal Thuan for short, was arrested for 13 years without trial. Even in hardship, he still carried out his apostolic duties in prison, with an optimistic mindset. His life is a testimony of hope and faith in God.
Cardinal Thuan has been named as Venerable, a significant step towards canonization.
On 30 Apr 1975, the communist North took over the South, effectively reunited the country of Vietnam. While the communist government did not ban religious activities, many could be seen as plotting against the government. Catholics, including priests and bishops, are vulnerable targets.
Immediately after reunification, the government opened many re-education camps, where past South Vietnam soldiers and past South Vietnam government officials were sent into. The camps were meant to "re-educate" inmates with communist ideologies, ensuring their loyalty towards the communist government.
The Vietnamese government was not particularly fond of Catholicism. Evidently, the Apostolic Delegate Henri Lemaitre in Vietnam was expelled from the country. [ref]
On 24 Apr 1975, pope Paul VI appointed Francis Thuan, previously bishop of Nha Trang, to be vice-archbishop of Saigon. There were plans for bishop Francis Thuan to, in future, inherit the title of archbishop of Saigon.
However, soon after the country's reunification, many opposed the appointment of Francis Thuan in Saigon. It was seen as too risky of a move. Furthermore, Francis Thuan was a nephew of Ngo Dinh Diem, the first president of the former South Vietnam. The appointment would be seen as a plot by the Vatican and Catholics against the government.
Unexpectedly, on 26 Jun 1975, the military administration committee issued a decree banning Francis Thuan’s religious activities in Saigon, ordering him to go back to Nha Trang.
On 15 Aug 1975, Francis Thuan was arrested and sent to a re-education camp. He was transported from Saigon back to the re-education camp in Nha Trang, where he used to preside over as bishop.
Being put in jail could not stop Thuan from being a disciple of God. But it was not always smooth from the beginning.
In jail, he wrote two of his best books: the Road of Hope, and Five Loaves and Two Fish. The former consists of 1001 of his reflections, while the latter largely draws from his experience in jail. I present to you the content of the latter book, while drawing relevant parts from the former book.
The books are available here, in Vietnamese.
His message in the preface of the book the Road of Hope best encapsulates the messages that he wanted to send:
”Cha lại đi thêm một quãng đường,
Chông gai, mịt mù và vô định,
Trên đường Cha gặp lắm lữ khách,
Cha đã xem tất cả là bạn,
Xem mọi biến cố là kinh nghiệm quý báu,
Vì tất cả là hồng ân.”
“I am going on another long journey,
Thorny, obscure and uncertain,
On the way I met many travellers,
I considered them all as friends,
Considering every event as precious experience
Because all are God’s grace”
“Chúa đã cho Cha những giây phút đẹp nhất
Không bao giờ có lời cầu nguyện thắm thiết hơn
Không bao giờ có thánh lễ sốt mến hơn
Không bao giờ có cơ hội thuận tiện hơn
Ðể hiệp nhất trong tình yêu Chúa
Ðể thi thố tình yêu giữa hận thù
Ðể gieo rắc hy vọng giữa tuyệt vọng
Vật chất có thể mất tất cả
Chúa là tình yêu
Tình yêu Chúa liên lỉ thúc bách Cha
Hãy yêu như Chúa đã yêu.”
“God has given me the most beautiful moment
There has never been a more heartfelt prayer
There has never been a more fervent mass
There has never been a more favourable opportunity
To unite in love of God
To strive for love in the midst of hatred
To spread hope in the midst of despair
One may lose all assets
God is love
God’s love constantly urges me
To love as God loves.”
Before being imprisoned, Thuan was very active in his ministry: educating seminarians, training youths, teaching catechisms, etc. They were what he was really passionate about.
Then came his arrest. He no longer could carry out his diocesan work. It did not help when the re-education camp he was in was very near his past bishop office in Nha Trang. It gave him the most desperate feeling when he was right near his church, right near his bishop office. Yet, he could not be there to build the Church, to guide Catholics on the new chapter of his country.
But a voice came from inside his mind,
“Tại sao con quẫn trí, hoang mang như thế làm gì? Con phải biết phân biệt giữa Chúa và công việc của Chúa. Những gì con đã làm và tiếp tục làm như kinh lý giáo phận, huấn luyện nam nữ tu sĩ, giáo dân, thanh niên, kiến thiết thánh đường, cư xá sinh viên, mở mang các thí điểm truyền giáo... tất cả những công tác ấy đều là những việc tốt lành, là việc của Chúa, nhưng không phải là Chúa! Nếu Chúa muốn con trao tất cả các việc ấy trong tay Ngài, con hãy làm ngay, và hãy tin tưởng vào Ngài. Chúa có thể làm tốt hơn con muôn nghìn lần; Ngài có thể trao việc của Ngài cho những người tài đức hơn con. Hãy chọn một mình Chúa thôi, chọn thánh ý Ngài, chứ đừng chọn việc của Chúa!”
“Why are you so troubled and confused? You must distinguish between God and the works for God. All that you have done and want to continue to do, such as pastoral visits, training seminarians, Catholics, young people, building schools, dormitories, churches, evangelical points, etc, all are good and are works for God, but not God himself! If God wants those back from you, you have to give up all those, and trust him. God can do those a thousand times better than you, and God will entrust your work to someone else more capable. You must choose God, choose his will, not the works of God!”
And he found peace in what was said.
This change of mindset is best captured in his words in the book the Road of Hope. He said,
The Road of Hope, 76
Chương trình đang thực hiện tốt đẹp phải bỏ dở, hoạt động đang hăng say phải bó tay, nhiệm vụ đang quan trọng phải hạ tầng công tác! Uất ức và chán nản! Chúa gọi con "Hãy theo Thầy" hay "Hãy theo việc nọ, người kia"? Ðể đó, Chúa sẽ liệu.
Your programme that was being well-executed had to be abandoned, your activities that you were passionate about had to be stopped, your important task had to be scaled down! Frustrated and fed up! Did God call you to “follow Me” or “follow this or that person”? Just leave it there, God will take care of it.
And in fact, it is important that we listen to God, instead of overriding God's will with what we think is good works for God. That is what humility entails.
The Road of Hope, 77
Con không tin ai, không trao công việc cho ai, không chịu nhường chỗ cho ai. Con toàn năng hơn Chúa nữa sao?
You do not trust anyone, do not delegate work to anyone, do not give up your place to anyone. Are you more powerful/important than God?
The Road of Hope, 78
Tại sao con khư khư ôm lấy công việc nọ, công việc kia, không chịu buông ra khi thượng cấp thuyên chuyển? Việc đó của Chúa hơn là việc của con! Có Chúa lo.
Why do you cling onto this work, that work, refusing to let go when your superiors transfer you elsewhere? That work is God’s business more than yours! God will take care of it.
And perhaps, it is in choosing God that Thuan had a clear idea in mind what to do in prison, and that he stopped missing his past serving as a bishop.
The Road of Hope, 614
Tại sao con cảm thấy đời mình lạc lõng, dở dang? Tại sao con thấy con đang xao xuyến; ngột ngạt? Vì con chưa đánh tan mây mù dày đặc đang che khuất hình ảnh Chúa trong con.
Why do you feel lost and unfulfilled? Why do you feel restless, suffocated? That is because you have not yet dispelled the thick clouds obscuring the image of God within you.
So, perhaps God's will was for him to do something else in prison. But what could it be?
He recounted what bishop John Walsh said when being released after 12 years of prison, "I have spent half of my life waiting." Yes, prisoners, including himself, await freedom every second. But, recounting what he had always been telling himself since his time as a seminarian,
“Nếu tôi mất giờ đợi chờ, không làm gì hết, biết đâu những điều tôi đợi sẽ không bao giờ đến. Chỉ có một điều, dù không đợi cũng vẫn đến, đó là sự chết!”
"If I waste time waiting, doing nothing, what if what I am waiting for will never come. There is only one thing, even if I do not wait for, will definitely come, and that is death!"
And so, he did not wait.
Tôi không đợi chờ. Tôi sống phút hiện tại và làm cho nó đầy tình thương.
I do not wait. I live the present moment and make it full of love.
But he did not know what to do. He could not carry out his apostolic duties like how it was before he was arrested. A voice from inside told him, he could learn from St Paul. When St Paul was in jail, he could not carry out his apostolic duties, so he wrote letters to his dioceses. "It is as simple as that, what complicated thoughts are you having?"
That was how the book "the Road of Hope" was written! The book has now been published in eight languages.
The next morning, just at dawn, in mid-October 1975, he signalled a 7-year-old boy named Quang, who just came out of the 5 AM mass, when it was still foggy and cold: “Quang! Go home and tell your mother to buy you some old calendar blocks, I need them.” In the evening, he brought the old calendar blocks. So every night in October and November 1975, Thuan closed all the doors, took cement paper and stuck it inside, and wrote “Messages from prison” for his parishioners, under the flickering oil lamp, mosquitoes biting. Everyday in the early morning, he gave Quang the calendar pages he had written on the back, so that he would bring them back to his brothers and sisters to copy so they wouldn't get lost.
What can we learn from him?
Teresa Calcutta has one sent a letter to him, saying,
“Điều quan trọng không phải là số công tác đã thực hiện nhưng là mức độ tình yêu ta đã để vào mỗi công việc.”
“It is not about how much you do, but how much love you put into what you do that counts.”
Live every moment like it is the last. Every word, every thought, every action, every phone call, etc, all has to be the best in life. Do not regret any moment in life as though one has not done enough.
Having faith is the basis for salvation. But what does faith exactly entail? Is it the belief that it is a fact that Jesus lived and died on the cross, or is it the faith that Jesus died on the cross for humanity, and that we must cooperate with God's grace to gain eternal life? Is it faith by birth, or faith by one's conscious choice? In fact, Thuan wrote in his book the Road of Hope,
The Road of Hope, 274
Xem hành động của con, phản ứng của con, đủ biết đức tin của con sống động hay là "đức tin nhãn hiệu".
Look at your actions, your reactions, to know whether your faith is alive, or a “brand-name faith.”
James 2:14,17, What does it profit, my brethren, if a man says he has faith but has not works? Can his faith save him? ... So faith by itself, if it has no works, is dead.
Having faith is having the belief that God can do miracles, and that we need to cooperate with Him, being his instruments. That is the means through which one can do good works. It is not one's own effort, but one's own belief that God can aid him in doing good works. His effort is then to put his belief in God, and cooperate with God.
The Road of Hope, 276
Chúa đặt điều kiện quá dễ: nếu ai có đức tin bằng hạt cải, khiến núi dời cũng được. Tại sao thế? Vì không phải ta làm, nhưng chính Chúa làm.
God set such an easy condition: any has faith even as small as a mustard seed, can move mountains. Why? Because it is not he who does it, but God who does it.
Matthew 17:20, He said to them, “Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from hence to yonder place,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible to you.”
But one is reminded that having that even just that small faith is difficult. And that is what we can pray with God for!
Hãy thành thực cầu xin như các Tông đồ: "Xin thêm đức tin cho chúng con" (Lc 17,5).
Pray sincerely like the apostles, “Increase our faith!” (Luke 17:5) Mark 9:24, “I believe; help my unbelief!”
One is reminded of how precious faith is. It is the ticket to eternal life, which one should not trade for anything else, and should put above everything else. In fact, Thuan said,
The Road of Hope, 16
Thà mất tiền của, chức tước, thà mất mạng sống để giữ lý tưởng, danh dự, đức tin, con chấp nhận. Nhưng không bao giờ con chấp nhận đổi ngược lại: lỗ lã quá!
I would rather lose money, titles, my life to keep my ideals, honor, faith; yes I accept. But I would never accept the opposite: what a loss!
Equally important to one's desire to do good works is one's repentance for his sins. That is, not giving in to temptation. Cardinal Thuan said in his book the Road of Hope,
The Road of Hope, 13
Không nhượng bộ cho xác thịt,
Không nhượng bộ cho lười biếng,
Không nhượng bộ cho ích kỷ ...
Con không thể gọi đen là trắng, xấu là tốt, gian là ngay được.
Do not give in to the flesh,
Do not give in to laziness,
Do not give in to selfishness ...
You cannot call black white, bad good, dishonest right.
Sometimes, it is to go against the wisdom of the world too. Is that considered placing oneself more important than others? Thuan said,
The Road of Hope, 15
Không nhượng bộ, không phải là kiêu căng, tự ái hay ngoan cố. Không nhượng bộ là yêu thương quyết liệt lý tưởng của mình.
Not giving in is not arrogance, pride or stubbornness. Not giving in is fierce love for one’s ideals.
It is not simple to overcome sins. It is a continuous process, requiring constant effort and resolution. Do not assume that you yourself cannot change. Be decisive, and have faith that God will change you.
The Road of Hope, 212
Con đừng mang bệnh nhẹ tính, nhẹ dạ, nó làm chí khí chết mòn. Triệu chứng của nó là hay thay đổi ý kiến và hoạt động. Ðời con đừng chồng chất một đống chương trình không bao giờ thực hiện.
Do not be ill-tempered or light-hearted, for it saps your will. Its symptoms are fickleness of opinion and action. Do not fill your life with plans that are never to be executed.
The Road of Hope, 222
Ðừng nói: "Tôi tự nhiên vậy, sửa sao được". Không, đó là những khuyết điểm bất xứng với con. Con phải "nên người", "nên con Chúa".
Don’t say, “I’m just like that, I can’t change.” No, those are flaws making you unworthy. You must “grow up,” “becoming a child of God.”
One of the sins easiest to miss out is sin of obmission. In fact, this bridges the gap between sins and good works: that it is a sin if one has the capacity for good works yet do not do.
The Road of Hope, 892
Không kiểm điểm "bệnh thiếu sót" là một thiếu sót lớn, đây là một ít hiện tượng: hững hờ làm việc Chúa, tính toán giảm thiểu các hy sinh, khéo léo trốn tránh trách nhiệm, hành động vì lý do trần tục, so đo lánh nặng tìm nhẹ ...
Not examining the “sins of omission” is a great omission, here are a few symptoms: indifference towards doing God’s work, calculating to minimize sacrifices, cleverly avoiding responsibilities, acting for worldly reasons, comparing to avoid the heavy and find the light ...
James 4:17: Whoever knows what is right to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.
Gaudium Et Spes, 43: For Christians, neglecting their duties on earth means neglecting their duties towards others and towards God, compromising their eternal salvation.
On reflecting on one's sins, it must be accompanied by the resolution to avoid those sins in future. It is of no use to recognise one's sins without the effort to avoid them.
Kiểm điểm mấy cũng vô ích, nếu con không dốc quyết cải thiện. Coi máy mà không làm máy lại, xe chẳng chạy được.
No amount of self-reflection will help, if you do not make a conscious effort to improve. Inspecting the engine without repair, and the car will never run.
Rev 2:4-5, But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first. Remember then from what you have fallen, repent and do the works you did at first. If not, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you repent.
It was hard in prison. Time passes by really slowly during solitary confinement. Our ancestors had said in the proverbs: “Nhất nhật tại tù, thiên thu tại ngoại”, or “one day in prison, [equals] thousands of years in freedom.”
There were days that he was in absolute darkness, and there was only a small hole with light coming in, he placed his nose there to breathe. Sometimes insects came in, there were worms, long worms crawling around. But he was too weak to do anything about it.
Two other priests recounted what happened to him: a nurse brought them to him and said, “I let two of you see Thuan, he is already about to die!” But in this hardship, God has saved him.
Sometimes he was too weak to just pray one full prayer. Then he remembered Jim’s story. [ref]
Everyday at 12PM, the old Jim comes to the church to pray with a simple prayer, "Jesus, it's Jim." At one point, Jim fell ill and was hospitalised. In his ward, when he arrived, slowly but surely, things changed. Men stopped grumbling, and were cheerful and content. The hospital staff members were very surprised, and asked him what made him so happy. Jim said, it was his visitors that made him happy. But the staff saw no one. Who could it be? Everyday at 12PM, the visitor came to his side, and said, "Jim, it's Jesus."
Prayer is not a matter of fancy words. It is our desires expressed to God. It is supposed to bring change to others.
Mother Mary reminded him to pray through a communist. Mr Hai was in the same cell as him to spy on him, later on they became friends. Hai said, his house was only 3 km away from La Vang, he could go to La Vang to pray to mother Mary for him. He believed in his honesty, but doubted that a communist would pray to mother Mary for him.
For a bit of context, La Vang was where mother Mary appeared to Catholics in hiding in forest, in around 1800, when Catholics were under persecution by king Canh Thinh of Tay Son dynasty. Mother Mary appeared in the traditional Vietnamese costume ao dai, with baby Jesus in her arms. While the forest presented many dangers to those running away, mother Mary taught them to boil a specific kind of leave to cure diseases, and protected them from dangers. The series of apparition became well known, and a church was built to commemorate the event. [ref]
Later, shortly after Hai and Thuan parted ways, Thuan received a letter from Hai.
“Anh Thuận thân mến, tôi đã hứa với anh, tôi sẽ đi cầu nguyện Đức Mẹ La Vang cho anh. Mỗi Chủ nhật, nếu trời không mưa, lúc nghe chuông La Vang, tôi lấy xe đạp vào trước đài Đức Mẹ, vì chiến tranh bom đạn đã đánh sập nhà thờ rồi. Tôi cầu nguyện thế này: Thưa Đức Mẹ, tôi không có đạo, tôi không thuộc kinh nào cả. Nhưng tôi đã hứa sẽ đi cầu nguyện Đức Mẹ cho anh Thuận, nên tôi đến đây. Xin Đức Mẹ biết anh Thuận cần gì thì cho anh ấy”
“Dear Thuan, I have promised you that I would go to pray to Our Lady of La Vang for you. Every Sunday, if it does not rain, when I hear the La Vang bell, I ride my bike to Mary’s statue, because the war bombs have destroyed the church. I prayed like this: Dear Mary, I am not Christian, I don’t know any prayer. But I have promised to come here to pray for Thuan, so here I am. Please be aware of what Thuan wants and grant his wish.”
The Eucharist is very central to the Catholic faith. And it is not an exception for Thuan. He has said in his book the Road of Hope,
The Road of Hope, 363
"Dù thiếu tất cả, dù mất tất cả, nhưng còn Thánh Thể là còn tất cả vì con có Chúa Thiên đàng dưới đất"
“Even if I lack everything, even if I lose everything, having the Eucharist means I still have everything, because I have God [who reigns] both on earth and in heaven.”
Even under the strict monitoring of the re-education camps, Thuan managed to carry out the Eucharist. Where did he get the bread and wine to consecrate? In his letters to the outside, he wrote, "please send me some wine, the medicine to treat the gut"
The people receiving his message understood what he meant. They sent him a small bottle with unleavened bread and wine, outside with the sticker “medicine to treat the gut”. This passed the security checks.
In the bunker inside the boat moving him to the North, he used bags as the altar to conduct mass. In camp, initially he conducted mass when people were bathing after morning exercise. Then, when he has been familiar with the schedule in the reeducation camps, at night, inmates were divided into groups of 50. In his group, people tried to arrange such that there were at least 5 Catholics besides him. At 9:30PM, when the lights were off, he conducted mass, and distributed the Eucharist under the anti-mosquito nets. They made small paper bags by reusing cigarette covers, to keep the Eucharist. Jesus was always with us. We believed in a power: the Eucharist. The body and blood of Christ kept us alive: I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly. (John 10:10)
And all of that effort to keep the Eucharist was not in vain. They managed to see a lot of miracles.
At night, inmates adore the Eucharist. With the silent presence, Jesus Christ made many miracles. Many Catholics came back to faith enthusiastically. Their testimony of love and service had a great impact on other inmates. Even many Buddhists and agnostics converted into the faith. The power of Jesus’ love is irresistible. And so the darkness of night became the light of Easter, the seed has been sown in the middle of a storm. Prison became a school for catechism. Catholics conducted baptism for fellow inmates and became their godparents.
Jesus fed the people who followed Him in the desert, and in the Eucharist, Jesus continued to be the food for eternal life.
Mỗi lúc dâng lễ, đọc lời truyền phép, với tất cả tâm hồn, tôi làm lại lời “giao ước mới, giao ước vĩnh cửu” với Chúa Giêsu. Không phải để sống an nhàn, nhưng để bắt đầu một cuộc cách mạng, đổi mới nhân loại, được máu Chúa cứu chuộc, sống xứng đáng phẩm giá con Thiên Chúa, trong văn hóa của tình thương và sự sống. Trong Thánh Thể chúng tôi loan truyền sự chết của Chúa Giêsu và tuyên xưng sự sống lại của Ngài.
Everytime I celebrate mass, recite the words of consecration, with all my soul, I renew the words of the new, eternal covenant with Jesus. Not to live in comfort, but to start a new revolution, to renew humanity, redeemed by the blood of Christ, live worthy of the dignity of children of God, in the culture of love and life. In the Eucharist we proclaim the death of Jesus and his resurrection.
John 13:34-35
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
To be a witness of the Gospel is to do the above.
One time, he was in great pain, and he told a warden, "I am in pain, please take pity on me and give me some medicine." He replied, "There is no love/pity here, only duties." That was how is was in prison.
But that was not the case all the time. There was a period where, they had to rotate the guard team once, so as not to be "poisoned" by him. After a while, they stopped, as the superiors were afraid that the whole department would be poisoned. In reality, they were only allowed to reply him with "yes" or "no", nothing else, so as to avoid being poisoned. It was as if he was labelled with "treason" that they hated him so much.
Not deterred, a voice in his head told him,
"Tại sao con dại thế? Con còn giàu lắm: Con mang tình thương Chúa Giêsu trong tim con. Hãy yêu thương họ như Chúa Giêsu đã yêu con"
"Why are you so foolish? You are really rich: you carry the love of Jesus in your heart. Love them as Jesus has loved you."
So he started to open up with the wardens. He talked about his past experience in other countries like Canada, Japan, Phillipines, Singapore, France, Germany, Australia, Austria, etc, prompting them to enquire and ask him questions. Many of them wanted to learn foreign languages, he helped them. Even the superiors started to send their people to learn with him.
John 25, 39
Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me.
This attitude of loving your enemies is best captured in his words in the book the Road of Hope. Love is to forgive others, pray for others, and do not expect them to reciprocate your love.
The Road of Hope, 104
Trước những vô ơn, phản bội, vu cáo, đau đớn, nhất là những ác ý phi lý, do những nhân vật không thể ngờ được, phản ứng của con là:
Như vậy, con càng khỏi dựa vào sự an ủi thế gian.
In the face of ungratefulness, betrayal, false accusations, pain, especially unjustified malice, caused by those unexpected, your reaction should be:
In this way, you no longer rely on worldly consolation.
Matthew 5:44, But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you
During one of his conversations with a superior, the superior asked Thuan about his opinion on a Catholic news outlet, "Người Công giáo". And he said, there needs to be more conversations between Catholics and non-Catholics, to foster understanding. And so, Thuan agreed to write a "lexicon" in multiple languages, French, English, Italian, Latin, Spanish, Chinese, Vietnamese, to explain Catholic terms, differences between Catholicism and Protestanism and Orthodox, as well as other Catholic matters such as finance of the Church, priesthood, relation between the Church and the people, etc. Many were open to conversation and understanding.
At one time, there were 20 young soldiers learning Latin so as to read Catholic documents. One of them asked Thuan to teach him a song in Latin. He offered many songs, and he chose, Veni Creator, which means prayer for Holy Trinity to come. He was moved that a communist fellow sung the song in a communist jail. Another one chose the song, "in rememberance of Thomas Thien." Thomas Thien was one of the Vietnamese martyrs canonized as saint.
He earned the trust of many wardens.
He once requested for a piece of wood, for him to cut it into a cross. The rule in the camp forbids any religious relics. But because he was friend with the warden, they agreed to keep it secret, and the warden passed a piece of wood to him.
In another instance, he requested for a copper wire. The wardens were taught, any inmate that wants to keep a copper wire is planning to suicide. But of course, priests are the least likely to do so. So Thuan explained to the warden, he wanted to make a chain to carry the cross. The warden was hesitant due to how risky it could be. They eventually agreed to keep it secret, and the warden gave him 3 hours and a clipper to finish his job. Thuan managed to finish.
The cross was not to remind him of the prison days, but to remind him that,
Không phải dùng khí giới, đe dọa, áp lực mà có thể thay đổi được lòng người; chỉ có tình yêu Chúa Giêsu mới thay đổi được.
It is not by weapons, threats, or pressure that can change people's hearts; only the love of Jesus can do that.
Many wardens were perplexed by his attitude towards them, who should have been seen as enemies. And his reply was,
Vì Chúa Giêsu đã dạy tôi yêu thương; nếu tôi không tuân giữ, tôi không đáng gọi là Kitô hữu nữa
For Jesus has taught me to love; if I do not keep the commandment, I am no longer worthy to be called a Christian
We as Catholics do not do great works, we are simply instruments of God: just like the boy who had as little as 5 loaves and 2 fish. But that was all it needed, because God did the rest: he multiplied it and fed five thousand people.
And one should not love only at his own convenience: one is to commit all of himself into loving others. In fact, Thuan encourages his readers to not just keep Jesus' love to himself, but share with others widely. It is through interaction with others and loving others, like how Jesus loves us, that one is making his best effort in doing apostolic work.
The Road of Hope, 613
Con không muốn làm một mình, con muốn làm cho người khác cũng biết làm,
Con không muốn dâng hiến một mình, con muốn người khác cũng dâng hiến,
Con không muốn tạo cảm tình cho cá nhân con, con thúc đẩy người khác mở rộng vòng tình cảm đến anh em như một hòn đá tung xuống nước cứ gợn sóng tràn ra mãi.
Ðể lôi kéo họ ra khỏi chính mình, và trở nên con người như ý Chúa muốn từ đời đời.
You should desire not to do it alone, but desire to do such that others know how to do.
You should desire not to commit alone, but desire others to commit too.
You should desire not to satisfy your own feelings, but urge others to extend the circle of love to their brothers and sisters, like a stone thrown into water creating ripples that spread forever.
To draw them out of themselves, and become the people God intended from the beginning.
And when committing oneself as a disciple of God, one is to stick to and learn from reality. Only from there that one can improve his works.
The Road of Hope, 616
Có người nhắm mắt ngoảnh mặt để khỏi nhìn, có người bịt tai giả điếc để đừng nghe. Nhưng sự thật vẫn là sự thật. Con hãy nhìn rõ, nghe kỹ, học với thực tế, học với người khác. Thực tế là bài học, người anh em là thầy con.
Some people close their eyes and turn away to not see, some people cover their ears and pretend to be deaf to not hear. But the truth is still the truth. Look clearly, listen carefully, learn from reality, learn from others. Reality is the lesson, your brothers are your teachers.
Matthew 13:15, For this people’s heart has grown dull, and their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears,
The Road of Hope, 620
Con có phải là hạng công giáo ngoan đạo, sống quanh quẩn phòng thánh và đã hoá nên "nửa thần, nửa thánh, nửa người" không? Hãy theo Chúa Giêsu: Thiên Chúa thật và người thật đến với trần gian. Xin con hãy "nhập tịch" người lại.
Are you a devout Catholic who lives in the sanctuary and has become “half god, half saint, half man”? Follow Jesus: true God and true man who came to earth. Please “naturalise” back to humanity.
To commit to God is to commit to God's grand plan of things. It is not to exclude oneself from the world, but to dive into the world and contribute to the growth of it. God has created you into this world for a reason. It is not to detach from the world, but to make a change in this world.
The Road of Hope, 621
Ðừng để thiên hạ xây dựng thế giới này mỗi ngày mà con không hay biết, không khám phá, không thao thức, không nhúng tay vào. Chúa đã cứu chuộc con, và đặt con vào thế gian trong thế kỷ này, thập niên này, môi trường này. Ðặt con, chứ không phải cục đá! Khác nhau lắm! Ðừng làm "công giáo bù nhìn".
Do not let the people build this world everyday without you knowing, discovering, anticipating, getting involved. God has redeemed you, and placed you in this world in this century, this decade, this environment. Placed you, not a rock! It is very different! Do not be a “puppet Catholic”.
The Road of Hope, 626
Con phải chọn cách dấn thân, căn cứ vào khả năng của con, nhu cầu của anh em, môi trường con đang lặn lội. Con không làm được tất cả, nhưng làm tất cả những gì con làm được, vì làm với "đức tin".
You must choose how to commit yourself, based on your ability, the needs of your brothers and sisters, the environment you are navigating in. You cannot possibly do everything, but you have to do everything you can, because you are doing it with “faith”.
In committing to God's call, suffering is bound to come. Our attitude towards suffering is important. While it is hard, it is what choosing God entails.
The Road of Hope, 714
Thử thách gian khổ là "giấy phép theo Chúa" để hưởng hạnh phúc hân hoan với Chúa: "Nếu ai muốn theo Ta, thì hãy chối bỏ chính mình, hãy vác lấy khổ giá và hãy theo Ta" (Mt 16,24).
Trials and hardships are the “license to follow God” to enjoy happiness with God: “If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me” (Mt 16:24)
Matthew 7:13-14: Enter by the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is easy, that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard, that leads to life, and those who find it are few.
The Road of Hope, 700
Trong gian khổ có ba điều con nên tránh:
In suffering there are 3 things you should avoid:
In fact, this is consistent with what Thuan said when people asked him about his sufferings in jail. He rather preferred not to bad-mouth about the communists. In the preface of the book Five Loaves and Two Fish,
Nhiều lúc tôi cảm thấy khó chịu trong lòng vì người ta phỏng vấn, muốn thúc giục tôi nói những chuyện giật gân, trong thời gian lao tù, ... Đó không phải mục đích của tôi. Nguyện vọng lớn nhất của tôi là trao lại cho các bạn trẻ một sứ điệp của tình thương và sự thật, của công lý và hòa bình, của tha thứ và hòa giải, để xây dựng.
Many times I felt uncomfortable because when people interviewed me, they urged me to expose sensational stories during my time in prison ... That is not my purpose. My greatest wish is to convey to the young people a message of love and truth, of justice and peace, of forgiveness and reconciliation, for constructive actions.
What he heard in front of Our Lady of Lourdes: “Bernadette, I do not promise you happiness and consolation in this world, but promise you suffering and trials.”
He was frightened, but accepted and entrusted into her hands.
Once he prayed,
Lạy Mẹ, Mẹ muốn con làm gì cho Mẹ? Con sẵn sàng thi hành mệnh lệnh của Mẹ. Ngày nào Mẹ thấy con không còn ích lợi gì cho Hội Thánh nữa, thì xin Mẹ cho con được ơn chết trong tù. Nếu Mẹ thấy con còn có thể làm được gì cho Hội Thánh thì xin Mẹ cho con được ra khỏi tù vào một trong những ngày lễ kính Mẹ
Mother Mary, what do you want me to do for you? I am ready to carry out your orders. If you think I am no longer of any use for the Church, please let me have the grace to die in jail. But if you think I am of any use for the Church, let me out of jail in one of your celebrations/occasions.
He was out of jail on 21 Nov, 1988: the presentation of the blessed virgin Mary.
After lunch, he met Mai Chi Tho, the head of the department for internal affairs.
Mai Chi Tho was baffled. Thuan continued.
Then, turning to his subordinates, Tho said: let Thuan be granted his wish
In choosing God, one has to be decisive. As he said in his book the Road of Hope,
The Road of Hope, 62
Chọn lựa bao giờ cũng tiếc nuối, do dự, suy nghĩ, nhưng cuối cùng phải quyết định dứt khoát.
Making a choice always involves regrets, hesitation, deliberation, but in the end, you must be decisive.
Mark 10:21-22, And Jesus looking upon him loved him, and said to him, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow me.” At that saying his countenance fell, and he went away sorrowful; for he had great possessions.
One is to try to please God, not please men. When offered the choice between pleasing God and pleasing men, one should have the peace in mind to choose God.
The Road of Hope, 102
Mọi người khen con, mà Chúa chê con, khốn cho con. Mọi người nhục mạ, vu cáo, ghê gớm con, nhưng Chúa khen con thì hạnh phúc cho con, vì nước thiên đàng là của con.
Everyone praises you, but God disapproves of you, then woe to you. Everyone insults you, slanders you, but God praises you, then happy to you, for the kingdom of heaven is yours.
Galatians 1:10, Am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still pleasing men, I should not be a servant of Christ.
The Road of Hope, 103
Mọi người khen con, mà Chúa chê con, được ích gì? Mọi người nhạo cười con, mà Chúa khen con, hạnh phúc cho con. Khi dân chúng kêu: "Xin tha Baraba!" Baraba vẫn là kẻ trộm. Khi dân chúng la lối: "Hãy đóng đinh nó!" Chúa Giêsu vẫn là Con Thiên Chúa vô tội.
What good is it if everyone praises you, but God disapproves of you? If everyone laughs at you, but God praises you, then happy to you. When they cried, “Release Barabbas!” Barrabas was a thief. When they cried, “Crucify him!” Jesus was the innocent Son of God.
Would loving others be considered pleasing men? Should I then stop loving others then? Well, humans are not exactly that simple. I love a quote by Mother Teresa Calcutta,
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.
It is pleasing to God that one loves others, even when others disapprove of it.
Many asked him, how can one truly follow God, in this world full of tumult? So here are his 24 stars, each of which is a guide on "one" thing.
All plans I, II, III would not make him suffer, on the contrary, he would happily accept.
If you only fear sin, then no one is stronger than you.
After release, he was allowed to stay at the bishop office in Hanoi, but was not allowed to carry out his religious duties. [ref]
In September 1991, he travelled to Rome to seek medical attention for his disease. While in Rome, the Vietnamese government declared that Thuan was banned from re-entrance to Vietnam. He lived in Rome since.
In 1994, Thuan resigned from the position of vice-archbishop of Saigon, and was appointed by the Vatican to be the vice-president of the Holy See's Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. He taught and presented at many places, including a cathedral in Paris, Catholic universities, an event in Mexico (May 1998) with more than 50k participants, the USA. [ref]
Pope John Paul II invited Francis Thuan to conduct the homily for the preparatory lenten service in Rome in the first mass in the third millennium, 2000. The topic was: the testimony of hope. The content was then written into a book, and the book was published.
Quoting from his book, as Pope John Paul II has expressed his trust in the experience that Thuan had, in his letter to Thuan,
Hiền Ðệ đã dựa vào Kinh Thánh và giáo huấn của các Giáo Phụ, cũng như trên kinh nghiệm bản thân mà Hiền Ðệ thủ đắc đặc biệt khi bị cầm tù vì Chúa Kitô và Giáo Hội của Người, Hiền Ðệ đã làm nổi bật sức mạnh của Lời Chúa, Lời mà, đối với các môn đệ của Chúa Kitô, vốn là “sức mạnh của niềm tin, là lương thực cho tâm hồn, và là nguồn mạch tinh khiết và trường cửu cho đời sống thiêng liêng của họ”
You have drawn from the Scripture and the teachings of the Church, as well as your own experience that you have acquired when imprisoned because of Christ and his Church, you have highlighted the power of the Gospel of the Lord, the Word which, for the disciples, is the strength for the faith, the food for the soul, the pure and everlasting source of their spiritual life.
He humbly acknowledged that he was not very oratorical, but was only a past-prisoner.
“Lạy Chúa Giêsu, con phải làm sao đây? Con không quen nói nhiều về khoa học và thần học. Chúa biết con chỉ là một cựu tù nhân”.
“Hãy nói như con cảm thấy. Hãy làm như Ðức Giáo Hoàng đã bảo con. Với tâm tình khiêm tốn, đơn sơ!”
"Jesus, what should I do? I am not used to talking about science and theology. You know that I am only an ex-prisoner."
"Say what you feel. Do as the Pope told you. With a humble, simple heart."
He passed away in 2002.
Personally, I am the most moved by his last message in the book of Five Loaves and Two Fish: I choose God. It encapsulates what one should believe and how one should act: that one is to choose God and listen to what He says, rather than following your own path, even when you think that it is the right way to follow God. God may have other plans that will eventually turn out much better, if you really listen to Him.
Lord Jesus,
On the path of hope for the past 2000 years,
Your love is like a wave
That attracted many pilgrims.
They have loved with a vibrant love,
Expressed through thoughts, words, deeds,
With a soul stronger than all temptations,
Stronger than all sufferings, stronger than death,
They lived the word of God on earth,
Their lives were a revolution,
Reforming the face of the Church.
Looking at those shining examples,
Since childhood I have had a wish:
To dedicate my life completely,
The only life I have,
To a lasting ideal that will never collapse.
And I am determined.
If we do Your will,
Then You will finish it,
I will commit myself to this miraculous adventure.
I have chosen You,
And I will never regret.
I heard You tell me:
"Abide in me, in my love."
How can I abide in another person?
Only Your love can do miracles.
I understand that You want my whole life:
"All for the love of God."
I follow Your every step on the road of hope:
Wandering step to the stable in Bethlehem,
Nervous step to hiding in Egypt,
Anxious step returning to Nazareth,
Excited step into the Temple with Mary and Joseph,
Laborous step working for thirty years,
Loving step preaching the Gospel for three years,
Restless step searching for lost sheep,
Sorrowful step into Jerusalem filled with tears,
Lonely step into the court without any follower,
Humiliating step carrying the cross to the Calvary,
Failure step buried into the grave,
With no money, no silver,
No clothes, no friend,
Even the Father seemed to have forsaken You,
But You entrusted everything into the Father.
Lord, kneeling before the tabernacle,
Alone with you,
I finally understand:
I cannot choose another way,
Other ways are more comfortable,
Other ways are more glorious,
But they are without You, my eternal Friend,
My only Friend throughout my life.
In You is heaven with the Trinity,
All earth with all mankind.
Your suffering is mine,
Mine, the misery of the souls by your side,
Mine, all that is not peaceful, joyful, beautiful, happy, lovely ...
Mine, all that is sorrow, disappointment, separation, abandonment, misery ...
Which is Yours, because You have borne it all;
Which is in my brothers, because You are in them;
I believe firmly,
Because You have taken the triumphant step and have risen:
"Be courageous, for I have overcome the world."
For You taught me:
Take giant steps,
"Go around the world and preach the Gospel."
I will wipe the tears of sorrow
And the hearts of discouragement.
I will gather
The souls that are far apart;
I will burn the world with the fire of love,
Burning up all that should be destroyed.
Leaving only truth, justice, and love.
But God! I know I am weak!
Help me abandon selfishness, comfort-loving.
Let me not fear hardship and torment,
that make me unworthy of being Your disciple;
Let me be ready to take risks,
Going against the wisdom of the world;
I want to be the "crazy child"
Of You, Mother Mary and St Joseph;
I want to put myself into challenges,
Accepting all consequences,
Because You have taught me to risk my life.
If You teach me to lie forever on the cross,
Or enter the silent tabernacle until the end of the world,
I still want to risk my life to follow.
I will lose everything,
But You are still there!
Your love is still there!
Flooding my heart,
To love all.
And with that I am content.
Therefore I repeat:
"I choose You!
I only want You!
I only want to glorify You."