A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark 1:14-20
14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” 16 And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zeb’edee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them; and they left their father Zeb’edee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed him.
In my country before Perestroika (döi mái), in each of the two dioceses of Langson and Bac Ninh in North Vietnam, only two priests were left, and they could not freely leave
their residences. Cardinal Giuse Maria Trinh Nhu Khuê recounts: “Small groups of two or more lived the Gospel daily and helped one another in every way; and in their reciprocal gift they experienced the presence of the One who said, ‘But take courage; I have conquered the world!’ (Jn 16:33) ”
Above all, it is thanks to these small groups…that the Church in my country survived. Everywhere, in fact, one could verify the presence of Christ, even among two Christians who met in the market or among two men who worked side by side in a re-education camp. It was not necessary to speak to each other. A particular context was not needed. It was enough to be united “in his name,” which means in his love. One experienced the presence of the Risen One who enlightens and comforts…
Precisely when all was lost, Jesus began to walk the streets of our country again. He left the tabernacle and made himself present in the schools and in the factories, in the offices and in the prisons.
Card. François-Xavier Van Thuan
Testimony of Hope
Pauline Books, Boston 2000, p143-144
(published by the Priestly Branch of the Focolare Movement)
1月11日 耶稣走访我们的国家
越南是我的国家，在北部有两个教区兰森和北宁，在改革开放之前，每个教区只剩下两位神父，而他们也受到管制，不得自由出入离开居住地。若瑟枢机主教（cardinale Giuseppe Trinh Nhu Khuê）记述说：“这些由两个或两个以上的人组成的小团体，每日以福音为生活准则，在各方面彼此帮助，在这种互为礼物的经验中，他们体验到主的临在，他曾说过‘你们要有信心，我已经战胜了世界！’（若：16，33）”。
有赖这些小型团体，（……）我国的教会得以幸存。其实，在任何地方，都可以证实基督的这种临在；甚至在市场相遇的两位基督徒，或一起在劳改营中工作的两个人，他们不需要说什么，不需要什么特殊环境。只要‘因他的名’聚在一起，即留在他的爱内，就能经验到复活之主的临在，经验到他的光照和安慰。……
正当一切都被粉碎时，耶稣再次走访我的国家，他走出圣体龛，来到学校，工厂，办公室和监狱。
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