- From my homily for the Missionaries of Charity sisters -
You, sisters, might well know the meaning of the homily that I am about to deliver today. Because it is about the luggage people are carrying in their life.
In our seminary house in GangWha island, seminarian brothers change their rooms every half year. While doing that, they are supposed to throw away unnecessary things or share them with other brothers. They also can recognise how many things they are possessing. Of course, they can compare that with others as well.
After I was ordained last January, I left the seminary house and moved to our main house in Seoul. I found I have a tremendous amount of luggage compares to what I had had when I was a student brother. I was ashamed.
As time goes by, I forgot how many things I had. But then, after just one year, I was assigned as a master of pre-noviciate. I had to come back to our seminary house on GangWha island. This time, I was supposed to move on my own. So I moved my stuff little by little several times to make people who see me think I have a small amount of luggage. So every time I come here and see you, sisters, I feel sorry and ashamed.
I read what one of my friends who is a priest and working in the USA wrote on his Facebook a few days ago. He said,
"Korean community here in the US is the place people are becoming helping each other naturally, and they want and wait for someone ask their help. When someone immigrates here, people in the Korean community pay their eyes on the newcomers. If the newcomers, who have not many things, can get into the community quickly, people eagerly want to help them. However, if the newcomers are wealthy and possess many things, people are thinking about how they can benefit from them.
However, if the newcomers bring many things, people here in the Korean community might think that means " I am ok, I am a successful man, leave me alone." So they would found that it is not easy to adjust to that society.
"Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike."
This todays' Gospel reminds me of this article, and I got this a straightforward and precise massage.
"If I want to get into God, I don't need to bring many things, and I don't need to be a successful man." What I need to do is only ask God's help.”
So today, I will stay on this massage. And I give my thanks to you sisters for giving me this lesson with your life.