THE WAY OF SERVICE: THERE ARE QUESTIONS THAT CAN ONLY BE ANSWED BEFORE THE LORD
Da Lat on a weekend afternoon.
The mist still slowly covers the pine rows. The office gradually emptied of people. The sound of typing on the keyboard was silent, the files were neatly folded, and the computer screen also closed after a day's work.
Everything seems to be done today.
But on the way back, there was a question that quietly followed me.
Today, have I done my job... or have I really served?
I remember a trip to the village not long ago.
The dirt road is still as bumpy as ever. The gardens are still waiting for the harvest season.
An old man grabbed my hand, smiled gently and said softly: "Thank you... jêh ah lă oh mi"
Roughly translated: "Thank you... for everything."
Those words stay in my heart.
I suddenly realized that what people expect is sometimes more than just a support amount or a livelihood model. What they need most is to feel that there are still people in their lives who care, and there are still people willing to accompany them.
And then I asked myself...
How long has it been since I got used to field trips?
How long has it been since documents were just stacks of paper that needed to be processed?
How long has it been since the numbers in the report made me forget that behind each number is a person, a family, a story, a hope?
Perhaps the scariest thing isn't much work.
The scary thing is when your heart gradually gets used to the pain of others.
To the point where the things that used to keep me awake are now just part of the process.
...
Once, when re-reading the Gospel, I stopped for a long time at Jesus' words:
"Whatever you did for one of the least of these My brothers, you did for Me." (Mt 25:40)
I suddenly thought...
If I met God today in a "poor" person, would I still be in a hurry?
If the person sitting in front of me was Christ, would I still work with a "get it done" mentality?
Perhaps, God does not wait for us to do extraordinary things.
He just hopes that we will not let our hearts become normal before the pain of others.
Caritas does not just give support.
Caritas is called to give hope.
But hope is not born from perfect processes, beautiful reports or meticulous plans.
Hope grows from a heart that knows how to bend down, know how to listen, know how to be patient, know how to go the extra mile, know how to stay a little longer with the person in need.
We still get paid for the work we do.
That's justifiable.
But what makes a Caritas servant valuable is never just the salary.
That's trust.
How many generous hearts our benefactors have entrusted to us.
It is the hope of poor people waiting for a chance to stand up on their own feet.
And most of all...
That is God's invitation.
There are days when we are tired.
There are times when we get discouraged.
There are times when the fire of enthusiasm seems to dwindle.
That's very human.
But the most beautiful thing about Christians is that they can always start again.
Every morning walking to the office, every car ride back to the village, every time holding a set of documents in hand... can be a new response to God.
Not to prove you are a good person.
Not to be praised by anyone.
But so that one day when we look back, we can peacefully say to Him:
"Lord, I have tried to love with everything you have given me."
Perhaps, in the end, what God will not ask us is how many projects we have completed, how many reports we have written, or how many funds we have disbursed.
What He will look at is:
In each of those jobs, how much I loved you
And maybe...
That is also a question that each of us can only answer when standing before God. Xuan Khoa - Caritas Dalat Media
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