Letter sent to Song Ngoc parish

(Baonghean.vn) - We obey what is in accordance with God's will, but for things that go against God's will, everyone should have the courage to offer their opinions.

"Father Nguyen Dinh Thuc incites parishioners."

"The inflammatory rhetoric of Nguyen Dinh Thuc and Dang Huu Nam"

This is the fourth year since leaving my hometown after the Lunar New Year holiday. Song Ngoc (Quynh Ngoc) has returned to the company in Binh Duong to continue her work. From the 15th day of the first lunar month until now, although the time hasn't been long, it's been enough for me to deeply understand what it means to practice and uphold the faith in our parish.

Dear parents and all my siblings, I know that as Catholics, through the Sacrament of Baptism we become children of God, but that does not mean that through baptism we become perfect, or become children of God in a subjective, imposed way.

Although far from home, as a Catholic who received the sacrament of baptism, I vow to live my life pure, noble, and worthy of God's calling: "You are the light of the world... Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matthew 5:16).

But since Tet (Lunar New Year), especially in the last two or three weeks, I have been constantly receiving phone calls from the parents of my siblings who are in communion with my hometown, praying for our fellow believers who are being beaten by the communist authorities while participating in protests and petitions... I am truly shocked by this information.

Dear everyone, dear parents, in this information age, this flat world, even the slightest movement, anytime, anywhere, we, the Song Ngoc siblings far from home, can quickly grasp what's happening back home. Parents and older siblings may not know this, but our relatives back home are also fed up with the practice of abandoning farming and market work to participate in lawsuits and attend religious services that feel like standing before a judgment seat.

I am not making things up, nor am I listening to anyone's words, but the media of the group of brothers in our parish, who call themselves "fighting for justice," is spreading everywhere. The image of Father Nam, who has no pastoral responsibility in our parish, holding a microphone with an aggressive expression and shouting loudly in our church, I find it truly offensive. Our church was built for worshipping God, for reading and meditating on His Word, not for Father Nam or anyone else to come and hurl insults, swear, and shout slogans like a marketplace. Every day, every week, my friends and I, who share the same faith, make time to attend Mass at the church where we rent our rooms.

"People back home are also fed up with people abandoning their farms and market work to participate in lawsuits and attend religious services that feel like they're standing before a judgment seat."

Although we are all Catholic, in our area and many other places throughout Vietnam, the priests understand the hardships of the people in general, and the Catholic community in particular. Therefore, they make an effort to celebrate Mass earlier, not prolonging sermons so that farmers can go to the fields to plant and harvest, workers like us can get to the factory in time, and business people can go to the market earlier so that the fish and vegetables are fresher.

And what about here? From one Sunday to the next, Father Thuc and Father Nam constantly pressure everyone to go fight, to protest, for one day, two days, a week, we persevere in the struggle... Dear parents and siblings, our youngest son called me yesterday morning and couldn't even speak. He's still young, but he understands that you and Father Nam and Father Thuc have been gone for a whole week, unable to earn enough money to buy notebooks, a scarf, or a backpack for him. I know you and your siblings are very sad, and everyone else too, but because of divine authority and the law of obedience, we grit our teeth and endure.

Even innocent children who attend church services are exploited.

On their way to church, some young people were seen riding motorbikes without helmets, carrying flags and banners. (Photo taken on March 19, 2017 at Song Ngoc parish).

In the current situation in our homeland, our lives of witness are more persuasive than the eloquent sermons in church by Father Nam and Father Thuc, which are instilling ethnic hatred in our minds.

I don't understand why you two, both born and raised in Vietnam, whose rice and clothes are made by the people of this country, who studied in the schools of this nation, and who, along with your families, are enjoying the social welfare provided by this country, would want to overthrow this regime. We, like everyone else, can clearly see that only a national and democratic revolution can bring freedom to all citizens as we have today. We haven't seen any religious unrest or violence that has had a positive effect on Catholics; it only brings more suffering to us.

The priests keep saying our country lacks democracy, but we and everyone else are free to follow or not follow any religion, free to choose any kind of work, production, or business as long as it's not prohibited by law. If you keep criticizing your country like that, why don't you ask for asylum in the promised land?

Not only did Nguyen Dinh Thuc and Dang Huu Nam exploit church sermons to slander the regime and incite people, but they also went out into the streets using loudspeakers to incite people to file complaints.

For weeks now, no one has been able to work in peace, no one has been allowed to offer opinions, yet Father calls this a democratic struggle. Parents, it is time for us to boldly speak up as true Christians. As the Second Vatican Council stated: “The laity are especially called to make the Church present and active in places and circumstances where, without them, the Church would not be the salt of the earth…” Conversely, if believers in Christ “compromise” and accept lifestyles that contradict all the values ​​of the Gospel, as Father Thuc and Father Nam are preaching, then we ourselves are effectively denying Christ in the eyes of the world.

Dear parents and siblings, we should understand that the Church of God on earth is not a place where all the saints, men and women, are gathered—that is, people without any blemish to be criticized. On the contrary, we must honestly acknowledge that the Church is only a place that invites sinners who want to be saved, who want to become holy, but are still in the process of perfection and have not yet reached that goal. Therefore, we should not blindly worship and obey everything our two priests say; we should obey what is in accordance with God's will, and as for things that go against God's will, let everyone have the courage to offer their opinions.

When reading these heartfelt words I sent, please don't misunderstand that I want to speak ill of or slander our priests. Rather, this is the heartfelt wish of a parishioner to revitalize the Church, to free our villagers from unnecessary troubles, so that our village may live in peace, and our parish may fervently offer good things to God every day.

I also ask that those who have good intentions and wish to contribute to the building, development, and protection of the Church do so in the spirit of the Gospel and within the framework of the Church's teachings on the roles and responsibilities of all members of God's people in the Church. If we see real bad examples in the lives of one or more people in the local Church, if there is "abuse of the pulpit" to attack individuals or spread things outside the scope of sharing God's word, or if we see deviations in the liturgy, we should be ready to speak out so that the religious life of our parish can return to its former state.

Or, in the recent behavior of Father Thuc and Father Nam, who cursed the government and threatened people, including those old enough to be their fathers or uncles, our first duty is to courageously and frankly express our views wisely in order to change their behavior and help them quickly return to the path of God's love.

I also want to urge the two priests to respect the parishioners and stop forcing them to do wrong things, because their role and position are for the purpose of building and developing God's Church, which is the means of salvation for all people, all nations, in all ages. Respect helps us to fulfill our duties and responsibilities in the Church.

Nguyen Van Binh

(Binh Duong, March 23, 2017)