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| Carl A. Anderson |
In September, I received a very special invitation: to join Pope Benedict XVI at Castel Gandolfo to observe the fifth anniversary of the death of Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyên Van Thuân, former president of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace, and to participate in the opening of his cause for canonization.
Cardinal Van Thuân was named coadjutor archbishop of Saigon just days before the fall of that city to communist North Vietnamese troops and the end of the Vietnam War. Soon after the communists entered the city, Archbishop Van Thuân was arrested and began 13 years of imprisonment and three years of house arrest, even though he was never tried for or convicted of any crime. Upon his release, Archbishop Van Thuân traveled to the Vatican where he continued to serve the Church until his death in 2002.
Cardinal Van Thuân would say that while in prison, a prisoner is a man whose daily life is taken up with waiting — he waits for meals, for someone to speak with, for exercise time and most of all he waits for his freedom. The cardinal said he kept thinking of another Catholic bishop who had been imprisoned in China and after his release said, “I have spent half my life waiting.” Cardinal Van Thuân resolved not to let that happen to him. Instead, he was determined to live his life in the present and to make the most of his life as a Christian, even in prison.
Cardinal Van Thuân described a Christian as the “man of now.” He saw every Christian as a person who lives in the present, who acts to make a difference in his life and the lives of those around him now.
The cardinal’s life of holiness is truly inspiring and I am sure that the cause for his canonization will find widespread support. As I sat listening to Pope Benedict speak with great affection of his friend, Cardinal Van Thuân, I could not help thinking of his importance also for the Knights of Columbus. I thought first of the many Catholic men of Vietnamese heritage who have joined the Order in recent years and the many more who will do so in the coming years.
I then thought of Cardinal Van Thuân’s description of the Christian as the “man of now” and how often I have heard a brother Knight say, “Next year, when I become grand knight (or faithful navigator or state deputy) I will really work on membership (or charitable or fraternal programs).”
Too often we are tempted to defer our good ideas or best efforts until some later date. But as Cardinal Van Thuân suggested, postponing our best ideas or work until some later time is often a great mistake.
To the contrary, there is no better time than the present; and if we use the present as fully as we can, we will find that the future will open up even more possibilities for us.
We are well on our way to another successful fraternal year. Let us resolve to follow the example of this holy man who may one day soon be recognized as a saint. Let us resolve to be “men of now” and to write a glorious page in the history of the Knights of Columbus today.
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