The Vatican held the \u201cCardinal V\u0103n Thu\u1eadn: Witness of Hope\u201d conference at the Apostolic Palace of the Lateran in Rome on March 25.<\/p>\n
Asian Catholics paid tribute to Venerable Francis-Xavier Nguy\u1ec5n V\u0103n Thu\u1eadn to mark the 50th anniversary of his spiritual writings compiled in the book \u201cThe Road of Hope: The Gospel from Prison.\u201d<\/p>\n
To honor the legacy of the late Vietnamese prelate, the Vatican held the \u201cCardinal V\u0103n Thu\u1eadn: Witness of Hope\u201d conference at the Apostolic Palace of the Lateran in Rome on Wednesday. The event was attended by hundreds of people including members of V\u0103n Thu\u1eadn\u2019s family.<\/p>\n
While imprisoned by the communist government in Vietnam during the 1970s and 1980s, V\u0103n Thu\u1eadn, who was coadjutor archbishop of S\u00e0i G\u00f2n at the time, wrote a series of spiritual reflections on scraps of paper that were clandestinely sent out to persecuted Christian communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese 1,001 meditations [traveled] from family to family, from prison cells to prison cells, to reeducation camps to reeducation camps, and finally they crossed oceans with the \u2018boat people\u2019 and arrived in different countries in the world,\u201d V\u0103n Thu\u1eadn\u2019s sister \u00c9lisabeth Nguy\u1ec5n Th\u1ecb Thu H\u1ed3ng said at the March 25 conference.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn a spirit of faith, joy, and gratitude, we all witness the power of God\u2019s presence in the story of this shepherd who, while separated from his flock, remained intimately united with all of them through the word of God,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Both Cardinal Lazzaro You Heung-sik and Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle spoke at the event and shared personal stories and impressions of the prelate decreed \u201cvenerable\u201d by Pope Francis in 2017.<\/p>\n
Describing V\u0103n Thu\u1eadn as a man of \u201cgreat gentleness, serenity, and inner freedom,\u201d You Heung-sik praised him for being \u201ca true model of Christian and priestly life.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHis life was marked by extremely harsh trials, but it was precisely in those trials that the greatness of his faith was revealed,\u201d the Dicastery for the Clergy prefect said.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe drew strength every day from Jesus in the Eucharist when, while in prison, he celebrated holy Mass in secrecy with three drops of wine and a drop of water in the palm of his hand,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Tagle, who recalled first meeting V\u0103n Thu\u1eadn at a 1995 Federation of Asian Bishops\u2019 Conference meeting in Manila, said he was immediately struck by his kindness and warmth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was not a trace of bitterness and hatred in him. I could not get my eyes off his radiant and smiling face,\u201d the Filipino cardinal said. \u201cBefore going our separate ways, he said, from now on, call me \u2018uncle.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
When V\u0103n Thu\u1eadn died in Rome at the age of 74 due to stomach cancer, Tagle said he attended the funeral at St. Peter\u2019s Basilica in the presence of St. John Paul II in September 2002.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis suffering did not prevent him from making others happy,\u201d he said with emotion. \u201cSadness was palpable in the air but also gratitude for the gift of this servant of God and the Church.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vietnamese communities abroad also paid tribute to V\u0103n Thu\u1eadn to commemorate the 50th anniversary of his prison meditations, including from Australia \u2014 the country his family fled to as refugees in the 1970s.<\/p>\n
Father John Nguyen, OFM Cap, the first Australian-born priest of Vietnamese heritage in the country, told EWTN News V\u0103n Thu\u1eadn\u2019s love for the priesthood and the Eucharist continues to be a source of inspiration for him.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of Cardinal V\u0103n Thu\u1eadn\u2019s writings that stood out for me, since I came across it in late 2008 when I just entered postulancy with the Capuchin Franciscans, was \u2018If you lack everything or have lost everything, but still have the Blessed Sacrament, you actually still have everything,\u2019\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a constant reminder that if one day, despite losing everything around me, be it people, material things, or plans that have fallen through, as long as I have Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament, I actually have everything since God is our everything,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n
Denne artikel blev oprindeligt udgivet af EWTN News English.<\/p>\n