During two weeks, while I was sharing “The life of faith of Vietnamese people
after the events of 1975” with different parishes in Zurich, Switzerland, a
young lady expressed her “alongkind participle” as follows, “Brother, you have
presented the life of faith of Vietnamese people after the events of ‘75 in a
rather optimistic perspective as if the Vietnamese people more or less had
recognized that these events are a kind of awakening bell - I don’t dare say as
Divine or Providential gifts, from certain angles - that God providentially has
given them. If it’s really like that, then... thank God!
Frere, what do you think?”
It’s true that responding to the above question, with two words YES or NO, would
be quite easy and simple. However, it’s also true that, with the same words YES
and NO, we must say that it is not so simple, just as we might say, “Life Is
Simple, But Not So Simple.”
Someone said that “Yesterday is the Past. Tomorrow is the Mystery. Today is the
Gift that we call the Present.” At the first reading and/or hearing this thought
we might think it simple, but reflecting about our way of receiving, and
applying it - realistically - into one’s own life, the Gift of the Present does
not seem so simple.
***
By way of conclusion, I think that the problem is not to conceive the matter
as “Simple” or “Not So Simple.” It’s rather that the way to receiving and using
“the Gift that we call the Present,” i.e. the Gift of Life from God the Creator
to each of His creatures - consequently the relationship between the Creator and
His creatures - and among created and created things themselves as well, is more
important. The more Relations - between the Creator and His created and vice
versa, and among His created themselves - become perfect, the more Life, which
reflects the greatest Gift from God the Creator to His created, becomes truly
happy and worth living.
Everyone of us has more than once experienced after any reversals that have
happened in our life that there are some flashes of HOPE which have made us rise
up. Such flashes of HOPE could be a smile expressing comprehension and
compassion from a friend, or a gesture of encouragement, or a cordial hug, or
even a handshake, etc.
Through so many ups and downs that have happened in my life, I discovered and
now realize that, living in this lacrimarum valle - valley of tears - no
one is perfect; therefore, interpersonal relationships with any of my brothers
and sisters is The Threshold of New Hope which raises me - and all of us as well
- up and up again.
Isn’t this the Providential Gift?