Today's Ornament of Grace for Friday of the Second Week of Advent is Tran Minh Nhat.
Matthew 11:16-19
“What comparison can I use to describe this breed? They are like children squatting in the town squares, calling to their playmates: ‘We piped you a tune but you did not dance! We sang you a dirge but you did not wail! In other words, John appeared neither eating nor drinking, and people say: ‘He is mad!’ The Son of Man appeared eating and drinking, and they say, ‘This one is a glutton and drunkard, a lover of tax collectors and those outside the law!’ Yet, time will prove where wisdom lies.”
In today’s Gospel, Jesus calls out those who write off John because they did not like his way of life; they specifically complained about John’s sacrificing food and drink. Then, this same group apparently finds fault with Jesus because He eats and drinks. Obviously, it’s not a lesson about food or no food. Rather, Jesus confronts harmful biases and unfair preconceived opinions of others. He shows the childishness of quick, closed-minded decisions to shut a person out.
Of course, our human brains are wired to categorize almost instantly based on our experiences, our education, and much more. This can be handy. If we need to pick up fruit from the produce department, we don’t have to head down the cereal aisle. It’s not so good, however, if we do not allow ourselves to find true wisdom because we categorize people, writing them off before really trying to understand them.
Being open to understanding both the gifts and the needs of all our brothers and sisters can be costly. Jesus welcomed all: the tax collectors, the outcasts, the poor, the sick, and those from other regions and faiths, and it cost Him everything. If we try to do the same, we can expect to suffer, too. Yet, what wisdom it is to know the joy awaiting those who suffer for justice!
As a Catholic Christian, Tran Minh Nhat understood the need for openness to opposing views and to just practices. As a journalist, he wrote articles for the Vietnam Redemptorist News, established by The Catholic Order of Redemptorists who have been bringing the Good News of Jesus to the poor and abandoned of Vietnam since 1925. Tran’s articles focused on human rights, social justice, and religious freedom.
In 2011, Tran Nhat wrote in support of a multi-party political system and for freedom of speech. He also organized protests against China’s mining operations in Vietnam’s Central Highlands and other toxic practices. For these good works, he was arrested in Ho Chi Minh City for “…activities aiming to overthrow the people’s government.” This was a legal clause that empowered the Vietnamese government to criminalize people promoting democracy in any form.
In 2013, Tran was sentenced to four years in prison followed by three years of probation. Prison conditions were inhumane, and he did not receive needed medicines; nor was he allowed reading materials. He went on a hunger strike to protest not only his own treatment, but also the treatment of his fellow prisoners who suffered grievously. Finally, he was released in 2015. Still, even after his release, Tran and his family continued to suffer almost constant verbal and physical harassment. He was beaten and subjected to toxic substances. His family’s plants and property were damaged and then burned.
Tran Minh Nhat chose truth and justice, Jesus’ way, over safety. This Advent, let us be as courageous as Tran. Let us listen in love to all our brothers and sisters before w
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