(Meditations by Servant of God F.X. Card. Nguyen Van Thuan)
These are as guiding stars, signposts on the Road of Hope, laying out a rule of Life for the Lay Apostle.
1. You want one revolution: to renew the world. You will be able to fulfill this precious and noble mission that God has entrusted to you only with “the power of the Holy Spirit.” Every day, where you live, prepare a new Pentecost.
2. Commit yourself to one campaign, the goal of which is to make everyone happy. Sacrifice yourself continually, with Jesus, so as to bring peace to hearts and souls, and development and prosperity to peoples. This will be your spirituality, discrete and concrete at the same time.
3. Stay faithful to the ideal of the apostle: “Give your life for your brothers and sisters.” In fact, “No one has greater love than this” (Jn 15:13). Spend all your energies without rest, and be ready to give yourself to “conquer” your neighbor for God.
4. Shout one message: “All one,” that is, unity among Catholics, unity among Christians, and unity among nations. “As the Father and the Son are one” (cf. Jn 17:22-23).
5. Believe in one strength: the Eucharist, the Body and Blood of the Lord that will give you life. “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (Jn 10:10). As manna nourished the Israelites on their journey to the Promised Land, so the Eucharist will nourish you on your road of hope (cf. Jn 6:50).
6. Wear one garment and speak one language: charity. Charity is the sign that you are a disciple of the Lord (cf. Jn 13:35). It is the least expensive brand-name, but the hardest to find. Charity is the principle “language.” Saint Paul considered it more precious than “speaking the languages of men and angels” (cf. 1 Cor 13:1). It will be the only language in heaven.
7. Hold firmly 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 recommend this to you with all my heart: in addition to times of communal prayer, withdraw every day for an hour, or even better for two if you can, for personal prayer. I assure you that it will not be wasted time! In my experience over these years, I have seen confirmed in the words of Saint Teresa of Avila: “Whoever does not pray does not need the devil to lead him off the path: he will throw himself into hell.”
8. Observe one rule: the Gospel. This “constitution” is superior to all others. It is the constitution that Jesus left his apostles (cf. Mt 4:23). It is not difficult, complicated, or legalistic like others. On the contrary, it is dynamic, gentle, and stimulating for your soul. A saint separated from the Gospel is a false saint!
9. Loyally follow one leader: Jesus Christ, and his representatives on earth: the Holy Father and the bishops, successors of the Apostles (cf. Jn 20:22-23). Live and die for the Church as Christ did. Do not forget, however, that living for the Church entail[s] as much sacrifice as dying for the Church.
10. Cultivate a special love for Mary. Saint John Mary Vianney used to confide: “After Jesus, my first love is Mary.” If you listen to Mary you will not lose your way. Whatever you undertake in her name will not fail. Honor her and you will gain eternal life.
11. Take as your one wisdom the science of the cross (cf. 1 Cor 2:2). Look to the cross and you will find the solution to all the problems that assail you. If the cross is your criterion for making choices and decisions, you will be at peace.
12. Have one ideal: to turn toward God the Father, a Father who is all love. The whole of our Lord’s life, his every thought and deed, had but one goal: “the world must know that I love the Father, just as the Father has commanded me, that is what I will do” (Jn 14:31), and “I always do what is pleasing to him” (Jn 8:29).
13. There is only one thing you must fear: sin. When the court of the Greek emperor held a meeting to discuss the question of how to take revenge on Saint John Chrysostom for his forthright denunciation of the empress, the following plans were suggested:
a. Cast him into prison. “But there he will have the opportunity to pray and suffer for the Lord as he has always desired.”
b. Banishment. “But, for him, everywhere is the Lord’s country.”
c. The death penalty. “But, thus he will be a martyr and we will satisfy his aspirations to go to the Lord. None of these plans will cause him to suffer; on the contrary, he will joyfully accept them.”
d. “There is only one thing of which he hates above all else – sin; bit it would be impossible to force him to commit sin!”
Therefore, if your only fear is sin, no one will be stronger than you.
14. Cherish one desire: “Thy kingdom come; The will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Mt 6:10), so that on this earth everyone will begin to love one another as in heaven; so that also on this earth there will be the beatitude that there is in heaven. Make the effort to spread this desire. Begin now to bring the happiness of heaven to everyone in this world.
15. There is only one thing lacking: “Go home and sell all that belongs to you; give it to the poor, and so the treasure you have shall be in heaven; then come back and follow me” (Mk 10:21). You have to make up your mind once and for all. Our Lord wants volunteers free from other attachments.
16. For your apostolate use the one most effective means: personal contact. With this you enter into the lives of others, and you understand them and love them. Personal relationships are more effective than preaching and writing books. Contact between people and “heart to heart” exchanges will be the secret of your perseverance and your success.
17. There is only one truly important thing: “Mary chose the better part” when she sat at the Lord’s feet (Lk 10:41-42). If you are not living an interior life, If Jesus is not the very life and soul of your activities then. . . . . You fully understand the consequences of such living and so there is no need for me to repeat them here.
18. Your only food: “The Father’s will” (Jn 4:34); that is, you live and grow by the will of God. Your actions proceed from the will of God. The will of God is like food which makes you live strongly and happily; if you live apart from the will of God, you will die.
19. You have only one moment which is the most beautiful: the present moment (cf. Mt 6:34, Jas 4:13-15). Live it completely in the love of God. If your life is built up like a large crystal from millions of such beautiful moments, it will be a wonderfully beautiful life. Do you see how easy it is?
20. Have one “magna carta”: the Beatitudes (Mt 5:3-12). Jesus proclaimed them in the Sermon on the Mount. Live according to them and you will experience a happiness which you will then communicate to all whom you meet.
21. Have only one important objective: your duty. It is not important if it is large or small, because when you do your duty you are collaborating with the Heavenly Father, who has determined that this is the work that you alone must do to carry out his plan in history (cf. Lk 2:49, Jn 17:4). Many people invent complicated ways of practicing virtue and then they complain how difficult it is, but doing your duty is the most certain and simplest path of virtue you can follow.
22. Have one way of becoming holy: the grace of God and your will to live by grace (cf. 1 Cor 15:10). God will never be lacking with his grace; but is your will strong enough?
23. You have only one reward: God himself. When God asked Saint Thomas Aquinas: “You have written well me, Thomas; what reward do you desire?” Saint Thomas replied, “Only you, Lord.”
24. …You have one homeland ….
