Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope… 1 PETER 3:15
In 1975, Cardinal Nguyễn Văn Thuận had just been named a coadjutor archbishop of Saigon when the city fell to the North Vietnamese. Soon after, he was detained.
He remained imprisoned for thirteen years, nine of them in solitary confinement.
Since his release in 1988 and his death in 2002, now Venerable Văn Thuận has been beloved as a “witness to hope.” His life and words are powerful expressions of what Peter calls us to here—for he does, indeed, give reasons for his hope.
The most succinct expression is in his “Ten Rules of Life,” which are rooted in the experience of confinement. What were his reasons for hope during those dark times? Central was living in the present moment, holding firm to prayer, keeping the Cross at the center of his understanding and, quite importantly, the Eucharist.
Using wine sent for “medicinal purposes” and tiny portions of bread, the Cardinal celebrated Mass daily at 3 p.m., the hour of Jesus’ death. When able, he did so for others and even managed Adoration and sharing the Lord with others outside his cell block.
The reason for Văn Thuận’s hope in such a seemingly impossible time? Jesus, present in suffering. The fruit? “No, I will not spend time waiting. I will live the present moment and fill it with love.”
Jesus, center my heart on you, in hope.
Visit nguyenvanthuan.com/ten-rules-of-life.html to learn more about this witness to hope, Cardinal Nguyễn Văn Thuận and his “10 Rules of Life.”
Excerpted from Hope: An Anchor for the Soul, 30 Daily Devotions by Amy Welborn. ©2024 Creative Communications for the Parish. Used with permission. All rights reserved.
