Today I would like to teach you 2 Chinese characters. Maybe some of you know them already. Then, treat it as a revision, a repetition. The first word is composed of two parts, on the left side of the character is the symbol of a man 人 (or a human), and on the right-hand side of the character is the symbol of the number two 二. 2 persons. The word is pronounced as 仁 “REN”. And what does this Chinese character mean in English? Benevolence, Charity, and Mercy. So, whoever invented this character had the insight and wanted to remind us that whenever two (or more) persons are together, there’s got to be charity and mercy in their midst and relate them. Put it in another way, Charity -mercy-benevolence is the virtue to practice when one person meets another.
The second Chinese character is LOVE. 愛 “AI”. And what does the character look like? It is also composed of two parts. First, you have the character which means the HEART 心. Then you put the heart inside another character 受which means ‘to take in, to accept, to keep, to bear…’. And so, the composition of the Chinese character LOVE already tells us its definition … It is a matter of the heart, an act of the heart. It is …to take into heart the other person, to accept the other down to the level of the heart, and to bear even when it hurts to love.
Sometimes, I can be still so amazed by how the gospel values have been implanted in ancient cultures already, such as in the Chinese written language, and how that can actually make evangelization much easier. In fact, when the Chinese hear Jesus’ teachings in the Gospel, we can easily associate them with our traditional values and virtues, whether it be from Confucianism or Taoism, even Chinese Buddhism. Concepts like ‘Love your enemies, toleration and forgiveness,… universal love…these are fundamental spirit of Confucianism. Also, the Tao, that is the origin of all beings, indiscriminately embraces and tolerates everything, everyone, and the Tao takes care of all beings without distinction. And we are asked to follow the Tao. That is why when I first heard the Sermon on the Mount when I was a teenager, I felt familiar and comfortable, very close. The Holy Spirit can certainly work powerfully across times and cultures to lead us toward unity, on the path to the Kingdom of God, but not division, aggression, and retaliation.
I said all these, because to me, these two words are so rich and deep in meaning that I can use them to contemplate the teaching of the gospel reading today: 仁and 愛, rich enough for the day.
Let us hope and pray that God the Father continues to be patient with each one of us and wait for our ever renewed conversion, that we may imitate his son Jesus to truly believe and practice charity, mercy and compassion, and that the Holy Spirit be our strength and our courage in walking on this journey of 仁 愛.
Dom Anastasius Li, OCSO, Procurator General
Homily given at the Regional Meeting, June 17, 2025 , on the memorial of Blessed M. Joseph Cassant, OCSO
