Keep Walking

The Catholic Church in Thailand may be small in number, but I ever find its history rich and fascinating.  Last week, I had recourse to delve further into its history, discovering new pearls in its over 450 year history.  I read about Bishop Florens, an MEP missionary, who was Vicar Apostolic of the Siam mission, in the 1820s.  By 1824, he was alone in Bangkok, being the only priest missionary in Bangkok.  Just imagine that.  He was naturally concerned for the future of the mission, fearing it may die.  So he petitioned his MEP superiors to send him more men.  

One appeal in support of his cause, from his superiors, was that he did not share any great stories of the mission, to which he replied that nothing of much colour happened in the mission.  Despite his expressed and felt sense of despair, he did continue, doing his bit to build up the mission and thus, he left his mark.  

There is a simple lesson in this little bit of history - no matter what befalls us, we keep moving.  If one speaks from a sense of resignation, it is simply put as, "What else can we do?"  Beyond that simple lesson, I saw how the contradictions of life, that befall us all, may easily hold us back, but the challenge is to rise above them and keep going.  

In Sermon 169, St Augustine expresses it clearly and precisely.  Just keep walking.  He was speaking in the midst of the chaos of his own world, which was watching the decay of the Roman Empire, in quie spectacular ways.  He succinctly sums up the human spirit's strength and drive to overcome all for the sake of both, human survival and human betterment.  We can do it.