Thirteen years of ordination, it is already something. What makes me happy in my life as a priest? Many things. The first thing, of course, is the friendship that I have to maintain with God, each day, with more or less depth, according to the joys and pains and frustrations of life. To know that God is there in all circumstances and to have the mission to announce that He loves us, there is no '' profession '' more beautiful than this one. What impresses me, too, is the wisdom of the Church, the fact that she keeps on talking about what is really Love, namely the giving of oneself, linked to the cross, to truth, humility, and joy. I have not yet met anyone who speaks of Love with such depth as Jesus in the Gospel and I am also impressed by the texts of the Church, embellished with the example of the Saints of yesterday and today, all solidly theorized by the texts of the Church. Pastoral care also fascinates me, meeting people and accompanying them in celebrations of the Eucharist, baptism, marriage, confession, in short, all the sacraments is a beautiful mission. What desappoints me sometimes or often? First, the lack of coherence between my convictions, my ideal and my way of living with this essential question: Am I really a man more faithful and more generous today than yesterday and less than tomorrow? I'm not so sure though I hope so… The consecrated life is beautiful but demanding and these requirements are not always welcomed by me with seriousness and personal commitment.
with altar servants and young men receiving the sacrement of confirmation.
At the Spiritan level, I have often been disappointed by the lack of dialogue, of attention, and the lack of common work in the communities where I live(d). Individualism is very present and I am unfortunately part of it. It seems that everyone finds solace outside the community while the confreres should build the community and help each other above all else. I am wondering about my possible return to Vietnam and I still have not received answers to my numerous questions. Confreres tell me: we wait for you in a few months, end of the story! It is quite desappointing. I continue to believe in Spiritan life, to learn to look at my brothers as a gift from God, but in practice I sometimes find it difficult to practice my ideal and I know that for my brothers, to accept my own limits and my sins is also a challenge. As a priest, I am often shocked by the criticism that people who live far from the Church, who never invest in it, allow themselves to do, with a boldness that is often indecent, superficial and shows only one thing, that people do not know the Church and the treasures it contains. Some people I love have never shown the slightest encouragement for what I live, for my life dedicated to God and to men. Fortunately, I meet thousands of men and women who tell me that my life makes sense to them and seeing their lives, I say to myself, what a joy for us to know Christ! I end with a joke a bit scary. It is said that priests should celebrate their 12.5 years of consecrated life because they are not sure of arriving at 25. I ask your sincere and regular prayers for fidelity to become anchored day by day in my life, so that 12 years later, I can continue to say: yes, life dedicated to God is worth it, yes I am proud and happy to be a priest.
A priest reaches everybody with a welcoming smile, people with strong commitment to the Church, people at the margin.
