Jesus must be a man worthy of high respect for so many Chinese
Catholics to risk their lives to follow Him and His ways, enough for
people to give witness to and accept the horrors of persecution by the
Chinese Communist government in His name.
Who is this Jesus who gives such courage to these Chinese
bishops, priests, and laiety and whom large numbers of Chinese
everywhere believe in?
The history of persecution of Catholics in China goes back to
the 1950s, when the last papal representative was expelled by Mao
Tse-tung’s Communists. The
loyal Roman Catholic Church and its millions of faithful were driven
underground. As reported
in a January 1997 New York Times
article, even today, they are spied upon and periodically assaulted by
authorities under order. Places of worship are destroyed and their
celebrations are banned. Many
share the fate of the
late Bishop Joseph Fan, who had already spent 41 years under
surveillance, in prison or in labor camps, totally disappeared in
1990. In April 1992, his
frozen and tortured body was returned to his city.
Yet,
in the face of this horrible, intense persecution by a powerful
government, why do the Chinese Catholics still defend their faith? It was reported in the January 1997 New York Times article (Patrick Tyler) that “government statistics
say there are four million Catholics in China, but church
organizations and Western academics say 8 million to 10 million is a
more reliable estimate. Whatever
the number, it is growing, as is the threat that Communist Party
leaders perceive.”
In
Jesus, the Chinese Christians find comfort and see hope in their
mournful lives. Their
image of Him is that of a humble man who quietly suffered to save us
from eternal death. Even
now, He is with each person and is the shepherd who carries his sheep
when they are tired or in pain. In
Jesus, Chinese Catholics see a glorious reward waiting for them after
death together with Him in Heaven:
Jesus brings them the true justice they deserve.
When
people lead desolate lives such as so many of the Chinese, knowing
that nothing they can do will change their unhappy situation because
the government controls almost everything and most of them live in
poverty, they become desperate and hungry for hope that this life is
not in vain. It gives
them, especially the Christians, confidence to know that there is life
after death, contrary to the communist theory that there is no god and
therefore no afterlife. Jesus’
promise of eternal life in Heaven gives them this hope.
The
persecuted Chinese Catholics find their strength in knowing there is
glory after their life here on earth. Bishop Jacobus Su, Bishop of the
Baoding Diocese in China, secretly issued a pastoral letter to his
people in June 1996, which shows the great courage and serenity of the
Bishop and Chinese Catholics during such profound persecution.
He reminds his people, “For us…the goal of life is to seek
the future life beyond this world.
The world for us is temporary.
Being baptized to renounce this world, we consider our life in
this world as a sojourn. The
Lord taught us that His Kingdom is not of this world”(Bishop Su, 3).
Bishop Su asks them to pray fearlessly (Bishop Su, 3), “to
bear the Cross daringly and joyfully, and climb up to the mount of
Calvary to accept the victory of the Risen Lord…accepting it without
complaints to any one in Heaven or on earth.”
The passion of Jesus inspires them to accept all of their own
physical and mental tortures “without complaints to any one in
Heaven or on earth”(Bishop Su, 4).
Just as Jesus, who was a King, came down from Heaven in His
great humility, became man, and lovingly suffered for them, they
should be willing to do the same for Him.
They are conscious of the fact that Jesus loves them and will
never leave their side. This
alone consoles them, especially in their times of trial and suffering.
Though Jesus was deserving of all honor, He was willing to
suffer great pains in silence – for man! - and so He is very much
the perfect role model for the persecuted as well as the other Chinese
Catholics…and probably non-believers too.
To
Chinese Catholics, Jesus is the man who sorrowfully suffered and died
for them, to open the gates of Heaven to man.
He is the loving shepherd who continues to carry them in their
difficult times. He waits
to reward them with eternal peace, doing them justice.
Bishop Jacobus Su’s words mirror exactly the Image of Jesus
in Chinese Christian culture, not only of mainland China but all over
the world. He says,
“Let us all keep the faith firmly that the future of the Church is
bright, because Jesus said: ‘Know
that I am with you always, until the end of the world!’ (Mt 28, 20)
‘Blessed are the persecuted for justice’s sake.
The Kingdom of God is theirs.’ (Mt 5, 10). Those who oppose God, will fall into pieces.
We have on our side Our Lord Jesus Christ…He has conquered
all evil and death, and loves us deeply.
So, who else can there be to defeat us?”
Let
us pray for the strength of Chinese Catholics in faith.
-
Wimmie Wong
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