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Enjoying a summer of love in Vietnam

Caritas testifies to God's love among us and for all people, especially the poor
Enjoying a summer of love in Vietnam

Caritas workers and seminarians visit a poor family in Bui Chu Diocese. (Photo courtesy of gpbuichu.org)

Published: August 20, 2021 10:39 AM GMT
Updated: August 25, 2021 06:59 AM GMT

We spent meaningful summer holidays with the Caritas family in our diocese of Bui Chu and realized how great God’s loving providence is, especially in this Covid-19 pandemic.

Caritas is love and charity, a definite sign of God’s voluntary and boundless love for people.

We seminarians had an opportunity to actually experience that love through the sparkling eyes of an old woman with a thin figure taking on the hardships of life.

On the first day of our mission, we accompanied priests, nuns, and benefactors to visit her new house repaired by Caritas. She was elated to live in the house she had dreamt of for a long time.

Caritas testifies to God’s love among us and for all people, especially the poor.

During our two summer months, we paid unexpected visits to 1,200 households living in difficult situations in the diocese.

Many families live in rickety and precarious houses, suffering from a lack of both spiritual and material needs

Although not all families were living in abject poverty, they were in desperate need of somebody’s presence, love and care.

Many families live in rickety and precarious houses, suffering from a lack of both spiritual and material needs. But, above all, they exert an iron will to better themselves and implicitly trust in divine providence.

An octogenarian man told us: “I would like to thank you all most sincerely for visiting my family. I cannot forget this precious moment for the rest of my life.”

Through meetings and visits, we witnessed their will to live a good life and the spirit to rise above adversities in life. They continue to write new pages of their life, especially faith life, during the coronavirus pandemic.

Stories of studious students with remarkable academic achievements really touched us all deeply. They were granted scholarships by Caritas.

Although they are in a terrible situation, they persistently pursue their studies for the sake of very pure and simple dreams of becoming teachers, engineers, doctors, priests and nuns.

When asked why he wants to be a doctor, a scholarship candidate said: “I am devastated to see my relatives having cancers and the world suffer from the atrocious Covid-19 pandemic, so I want to study well so that I can work as a doctor to cure patients.”

Caritas walks with the children and their families to keep alive their lifelong dreams to prolong God’s love for humanity.

We also took part in a Caritas program, “Sending love to people with physical disabilities.” Supporting disabled people is one of Caritas workers’ major activities.

Disabled people are given wheelchairs to move around and work to support themselves. We find delirious joy and hope on their faces when they receive food and finance from Caritas workers.

When people come together to love and care for members with physical disabilities, they themselves have God’s boundless love and mercy.

As Pope Francis’ apostolic exhortation Amoris Laetitia says, “People with disabilities are a gift for the family and an opportunity to grow in love, mutual aid and unity.”

Our summer is full of human love and God’s wondrous love. From children to elderly people, from individuals to associations, from parishes to deaneries and congregations take constant efforts to contain the coronavirus outbreak, pray for Covid-19 victims, and make generous contributions to the southern dioceses stricken by the contagion.

That's what Caritas is, sounding so dear and genuine.

The little people who are abandoned by society and surrounded by diseases and poverty are the masters who teach us great lessons

Caritas comes from Jesus’ abiding redemptive love. Our summer of love is not limited to the past two months but lasts forever with our dedication, determination, and enthusiasm to the apostolic mission in our life.

Deeds of charity, smiles, cries and fond memories of all people we have met in our summer ministry are indelibly imprinted on our minds and hearts. Our summer of love has ended but its memories are necessary preparations for us to walk on the path of following Jesus.

The little people who are abandoned by society and surrounded by diseases and poverty are the masters who teach us great lessons.

We learn that doing charity requires sacrifice and even patience to clear up misunderstandings. Those who carry out charity work need good health and, above all, tender hearts that beat in rhythm with the hearts of poor and miserable people, and vibrate in the lives of forgotten people.

Indeed, benevolence and love are noble sentiments among people at all times. That lofty sentiment transcends space and time like a rope pulling people closer together in the cold of the universe.

Thank God that it is when we serve people in misery we develop deep empathy, care and love between us and others. It is also why Pope Francis invites us to “practice charity as the best way to evangelize.”

Nam An is a seminarian from Bui Chu Diocese. This article was summarized and translated by a UCA News reporter from a Vietnamese article published on gobuichu.org here. The views expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official editorial position of UCA News.

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