The Pentecost scene depicted in the Book of Acts is both amazing and realistic: The disciples are neither known for their cosmopolitan disposition nor linguistic prowess; yet they begin to tell of the wonders of God in different languages (Acts 2: 5-11). We see that speaking one’s mother tongue matters ever since the beginning of the Church. Pope Francis has also highlighted the importance of passing on the faith in one’s mother tongue. This is especially so with Catholic immigrants, of which I am one. To be Catholic is to be universal, yet that doesn’t eliminate the difficulty posted by a completely different language and a different style of worship.
Fortunately for me, I was not left unattended. For six years of my young adulthood, I had the privilege to have been involved in the Western Canada Chinese Catholic Living Camp (WCCCLC). This living camp - usually held over the Labour Day weekend - has been geared towards those who are of ethnically Chinese origin, with the majority of them of Hong Kong origin. The goal is to give the participants a taste of living their Catholic faith with fellow young people, so to give them a boost in their subsequent involvement on the local church level.
God has always worked his wonders through the living camp, especially through human foibles and logistical fails. That being said, even profound spiritual insights or experiences need to be tested and nurtured on a communal level, lest they become ephemeral moments, a flash in the pan. WCCCLC also provided for such a space, as it has chosen to organise itself over the span of one year, translating into frequent gatherings and meetings with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. Given such a high exposure to each other, WCCCLC has transformed itself into a kind of community regardless of its original intention.
While the importance of fellowship and community holds true almost universally, their importance is that much more heightened within the immigrant context. In the 90s, the majority of the WCCCLC young adults - including yours truly - immigrated to Canada with our families. We were juggling between two cultures: At ease with the Hong Kong culture while studying, working, and ultimately living in the Canadian culture. We were too Canadian for Hong Kongers, all the while too Asian for Canadians. A similar tension existed with our operating languages, that being Cantonese and English. Despite living in one of the most multicultural cities that is Vancouver, we did not quite fit in. WCCCLC provided the time and space for us - we first-generation immigrant young adults - to simply be, and be with each other. This unique cultural context set the foundation for our faith to rekindle and grow. When considered in this manner, WCCCLC was like the good soil on which the Word of God had fallen; it provided the environment for the Good News to take root and sprout.
The attraction of WCCCLC for me lied not in any inspiring ideals or life-changing teachings; rather, it was simply a warm and firm encouragement to practise our Catholic faith with intention and fervor. It was a kind of learning through the living witnesses of our “older brothers and sisters” (a Chinese way to refer to one’s older peers) at the living camp. As St. Paul VI writes: “Modern man listens more willingly to witnesses than to teachers, and if he does listen to teachers, it is because they are witnesses.” (Evangelii Nuntiandi, 41) Through the examples of the role models in the WCCCLC community, I realised that God does love us personally; that there is joy in living as a Christian and that such a living is worth the time and effort. This has helped me to be more intentional about my relationship with the Lord: Having a life of prayer, a desire to be more rooted in the Catholic faith, and to evangelise in whatever way. All of these have served to nurture my vocation, eventually leading me to answer God’s call to become a Jesuit priest.
We cannot practise our Christian faith on our own as if it is simply a matter of an individual spiritual quest. Our Christian faith is personal in that it is centred on a personal relationship with the Lord, but this faith is not individualistic. To be a person is to be in relationships, like the three Persons of the Trinity. We pray together. We worship together. We share our joys, sorrows, doubts and frustrations together. Not only does a Christian community better enable us to proclaim the Gospel; the togetherness in itself is a realising of the words of Jesus, “...that they may all be one.” (John 17:21a) As we launch ourselves into the world to sow the seeds of God’s mercy, let us also be attentive to the soil on which the seeds fall and help cultivate it.
