Some Texts

To summarise the ideas you have meditated on in this book, I hope that every day you will try to remember these simple points, which are like signposts on your journey of hope:Per riassumere le idee che hai meditato in questo libro, spero che ogni giorno tu cerchi di ricordare questi semplici punti che sono come cartelli indicatori sul tuo cammino della speranza:

 

979.    You want to bring about a revolution: to renew the world. You will be able to accomplish this precious and noble mission that God has entrusted to you only with “the power of the Holy Spirit.” Every day, in the place where you live, prepare for a new Pentecost.

 

980.    Commit yourself to a campaign that aims to make everyone happy. Sacrifice yourself continually, with Jesus, to bring peace to souls and development and prosperity to peoples. Such will be your spirituality, discreet and concrete at the same time.

 

981.    Remain faithful to the ideal of the apostle: “To lay down one’s life for one’s brothers.” Indeed, “no one has greater love than this” (Jn 15:13). Spend all your energy without ceasing and be ready to give yourself to win your neighbour for God.

 

982.    Cry out a single slogan: “That all may be one.” This means: unity among Catholics, unity among Christians and unity among nations. “As the Father and the Son are one” (cf. Jn 17:22-23).

 

983.    Believe in one power: the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of the Lord, which will give you life. “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10:10). Just as manna nourished the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land, so the Eucharist will nourish you on your journey of hope (cf. Jn 6:50).

 

984.    Wear only one uniform and speak only one language: charity. Charity is the sign that you are a disciple of the Lord (cf. Jn 13:35). It is the least expensive badge, but the most difficult to find.

Charity is the main “language.” St. Paul considered it much more valuable than “speaking the languages of men and angels” (1 Cor 13:1). It will be the only language that will survive in heaven.

 

985.    Hold fast to one guiding principle: prayer. No one is stronger than the person who prays, because the Lord has promised to grant everything to those who pray. When you are united in prayer, the Lord is present among you (cf. Mt 18:20). I advise you with all my heart: in addition to your “official” prayer time, set aside an hour or, better still, two hours each day for personal prayer, if you can. I assure you that it will not be time wasted! In my experience, over all these years, I have seen the words of Saint Teresa of Avila confirmed: “Those who do not pray do not need the devil to lead them astray: they will throw themselves into hell by themselves.”

 

986.    Observe only one rule: the Gospel. This constitution is superior to all others. It is the rule that Jesus left to the apostles (cf. Mt 4:23). It is not difficult, complicated, or legalistic like the others: on the contrary, it is dynamic, gentle, and stimulating for your soul. A saint who is far from the Gospel is a false saint!

 

987.    Follow loyally only one leader: Jesus Christ and his representatives, the Holy Father, the bishops, successors of the apostles (cf. Jn 20:22-23). Live and die for the Church as Christ did. Do not believe that only dying for the Church requires sacrifice: living for the Church also requires a great deal of sacrifice.

 

988.  Cultivate a special love for Mary. St John Mary Vianney confided: “After Jesus, my first love is for Mary.” If you listen to her, you will not lose your way; whatever you undertake in her name will not fail. Honour her and you will gain eternal life.

 

989.  Your only wisdom will be the knowledge of the cross (cf. 1 Cor 2:2). Look to the cross and you will find the solution to all the problems that plague you. If the cross is the criterion on which you base your choices and decisions, your soul will be at peace.

 

990.  The Lord had only one ideal: to be turned towards God the Father, a Father who is all love. The whole life of the Lord, every thought and action, had only one purpose: “That the world may know that I love the Father and do what the Father has commanded me” (Jn 14:31), and “I always do what is pleasing to him” (Jn 8:29).

 

991. There is only one evil you must fear: sin.          
When the court of the Eastern Emperor met to discuss the punishment to be inflicted on St. John Chrysostom for his frank denunciation of the Empress, the following possibilities were suggested:          
a. to throw him into prison: “But,” they said, “there he would have the opportunity to pray and suffer for the Lord, as he has always desired”;
b. to exile him: “But for him, there is no place where the Lord does not dwell”;         
c. to condemn him to death: “But then he would become a martyr and fulfil his aspiration to go to the Lord. None of these possibilities constitute a punishment for him; on the contrary, he will accept them with joy”;       
d. there is only one thing he fears greatly and hates with all his heart: sin; “But it would be impossible to force him to commit a sin!”        
If you fear only sin, your strength will be unmatched.

 

992.  Cultivate only one desire: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10). May the peoples of the earth know God as He is known in heaven; may everyone on this earth begin to love others as in heaven; may there be on earth the same bliss that is in heaven. Strive to spread this desire. Begin now to bring the happiness of heaven to everyone in this world.

 

993.  Only one thing is lacking: “Go, sell what you have, and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come and follow me” (Mk 10:21). This means you must decide once and for all. The Lord wants volunteers, free from all attachments.

 

994. For your apostolate, use the only effective method: personal contact. Through it, you enter into the lives of others, understand them, and love them. Personal relationships are more effective than sermons and books. Contact between people and heart-to-heart exchanges are the secret to the longevity and success of your work.

 

995.  There is only one thing that is truly important: “Mary has chosen the better part” when she sat at the Lord's feet (cf. Lk 10:41-42). If you do not have an interior life, if Jesus is not truly the soul of your activity, then... But you already know this, there is no need to repeat it.

 

996.  Your only food: “the will of the Father” (Jn 4:34). It is with this that you must live and grow, your actions proceeding from the will of God. It is like food that makes you live stronger and happier. If you live far from the will of God, you will die.

 

997.  For you, the most beautiful moment is the present moment (cf. Mt 6:34; Jas 4:13-15). Live it fully in God's love. Your life will be wonderfully beautiful if it is like a large crystal made up of millions of such moments. See how easy it is?

 

998.  You have a “magna carta”: the Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:3-12) that Jesus pronounced in the Sermon on the Mount. Live them fully: you will experience a happiness that you can then communicate to everyone you meet.

 

999.  You have only one important goal: your duty. It does not matter whether it is small or great, because you are collaborating in the work of the heavenly Father. He has determined that this is the work you must do to fulfil his plan in history (cf. Lk 2:49; Jn 17:4). Many people invent complicated ways to practise virtue and then complain about the difficulties that arise. But fulfilling the duty of your state is the surest and simplest form of asceticism you can follow.

 

1000.  You have only one way to become a saint: the grace of God and your own will (1 Cor 15:10). God will never fail to give you his grace: but is your will strong enough?

 

1001.  There is only one reward: God himself. When God asked St. Thomas Aquinas, “You have written well about me, Thomas: what reward do you want?” St. Thomas replied, “Only you, Lord!”

 

 

The bell tolls, grave and deep

Vietnam prays

The bell tolls again, piercing, full of emotion

Vietnam weeps

The bell is heard again, shrill, pathetic

Vietnam triumphs

The bell tolls, crystal clear

Vietnam hopes

 

You have a homeland, Vietnam

A country so beloved, throughout the centuries

It is your pride, your joy

Love its mountains and rivers

Its landscapes of silk and satin

Love its glorious history

Love its hard-working people

Love its heroic defenders

 

The rivers flow impetuously

Like the blood of its people

Its mountains are high

But higher still are the bones that pile up there

The land is narrow, but your ambition is vast

O small but renowned country!

 

Help your homeland with all your soul

Be faithful to it

Defend it with your body and your blood

Build it with your heart and mind

Share the joy of your brothers

and the sadness of your people

 

One Vietnam

One people

One soul

One culture

One tradition

 

Vietnamese Catholic,

Love your homeland a thousand times over!

The Lord teaches you this, the Church asks this of you

May the love of your country be as one with the blood that flows through your veins