: Frances Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan
: The Road of Hope: A Gospel from Prison
: Orion Wellspring
: 9781635820966
: 1
: CHF 10.50
:
: Christentum
: English
: 200
: DRM
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan is one of the most inspiring voices of the twentieth century, a true modern-day hero. During a time of political unrest in Vietnam, he was arrested for his faith and spent the next thirteen years in prison. There he endured harsh treatment and deplorable conditions. Nine of those thirteen years he spent in solitary confinement. During those long years of isolation and imprisonment, instead of giving in to despair and self-pity, Van Thuan learned his greatest lesson. He found God in the darkness; he was never alone, never without comfort. He discovered that his life still had purpose, even in the midst of incredible suffering. He began using scraps of paper to compose messages of hope and courage for his fellow believers, which were smuggled out and eventually published. These short messages of encouragement, 1,001 in total, were instantly popular with the Vietnamese people, many of whom also knew what it was like to suffer for their faith. And now, from the damp darkness of a prison cell thousands of miles away, these messages of hope and light have passed through barbed wire, traveled across oceans, and been handed down over many years to speak to your heart today to offer you hope and light for your path.
Fourteen: The Apostle
The apostle makes present again the life of Jesus.
291. Being an apostle requires being like the apostles. Therefore, if you wish to be an apostle reflect on the Acts of the Apostles and strive to understand them.
292. In the early Church, an apostle was commonly described as one with Christ in his heart, in his speech, in his actions—that is, in his whole demeanor—and even in his body. In short, an apostle was one who was filled with Christ and radiated him to others.
293. Apostolic work involves the sanctification of the environment by those in the midst of it. The worker is the apostle of the workers, the student is the apostle of the students, the soldier is the apostle of the soldiers.
294. “He who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 10:22). There will be more rejoicing in hell over the fall of one apostle than over the fall of a host of any others. Let us therefore pray for and support one another.
295. Good works by themselves do not make an apostle. The true apostle does good works because they are part of God’s work.
296. Granted we live in a different period from that of the apostles, with different needs which demand different approaches in the apostolate. Nevertheless, Christ did give this assurance: “Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age” (Matthew 28:20). He is still with the Church and continues to give it a new Pentecost.
297. Work away at your apostolate with your entire heart and soul. However, be prepared to share your energies with everyone and to cooperate with those less capable than yourself. Do not monopolize everything as if nothing could be done without you.
298. There are some things which you may yearn to do, but are unable to accomplish. These desires are often more meritorious, more pleasing to God, than all the results which give you self-satisfaction.
299. When you encounter difficulties, do not allow yourself to be discouraged. Simply ask yourself: “Is this God’s work or mine? Is God doing this or am I?”
300. Before you complain about someone, ask yourself: “Is my salt still sharp to the taste? Is my lamp still burning bright?”
301. In dealing with other people, it may sometimes be necessary to be selective. However, it is never necessary to criticize, distrust, or despise others. The disciples Jesus chose to build his Church were filled with imperfections, but he asked them only to be childlike and to follow him loyally.
302. To the extent to which you permit your ego to grow, to that same extent your apostolic work will become a failure. The more you let your ego die, the more your apostolate will flourish.
303. Be ready to sacrifice those comforts which are unbecoming to a true apostle. Do not create “needs” that are not really necessities.
304. Do not allow yourself to become a person of many words and little action. On the other hand, do not become strong in action, but weak in prayer. Do not accept freely yet give sparingly. Do not