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23-11-2006, 02:36 PM
Saint Simon PHAN ĐẮC HOÀ
Physician
(1774-1840)
* Through the One Who Loves Me.
“What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the saber?” (Roman 8:35).
The misery that Simon Hoà suffered since his arrest because of his faith was similar to the preceding verse: more than 20 sessions of savage torture by cane, or at time by cold vise, or by red hot vise... making his flesh rotten and his wounds bloody. Then his love and responsibilities to his family: wife and 12 children, one just a few months old who had not seen the father even once.
Nevertheless, as in this case, the martyr’s truth is always right: to them, suffering is not the sign of failure. Suffering is also not the goal, but is the trial that martyrs have to overcome to achieve everlasting reward. Simon Hoà’s attitude and that of all the martyrs still are:
“In all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.” (Roman 8,37)
* A Convert’s Example.
Phan Đắc Hoà was born in a pagan family in the village of Mai Vĩnh, Mông Thôn Township, Thừa Thiên Province, in 1774. At the early age, he was known as Thu. His father died early, his mother uprooted the family and moved to Lưỡng Kim village, then to Nhu Lý village, Quảng Trị province, to work for a Catholic family.
Living with Catholics, seeing their shining example and heard the good things about the new religion, Simon Hoà became attracted and asked his mother to let him attend catechism classes and to be converted. He was just a young boy of 12, and chose the Simon as his patron saint. Loving Christ was not enough; he also wanted to be close and to serve God as a religious. After spending some time in the seminary, and through the superiors, he realized God’s wish for him to live and bear witness for Him in the midst of humanity.
Even though he did not realize his dream, Simon Hoà still kept frequent contact with the seminary and the superiors. After getting married and becoming the father of 12 children, Simon Hoà strove to fulfill his responsibilities of bringing up and educating his children, very fitting to be the shining model for all families in the village. Supporting his family, Mr. Hoà practiced medicine: “ a physician is like a mother.” He treated many sick people and helped them recover, so by words of mouth, more sick people came to his doors. As a result, he had ample opportunities to help the poor. Earning more money, he contributed some of his savings to charity works and church construction projects...
Leading a pious life, physician Hoà was nominated to be the leader of the parish council. Working for the community, he performed his duties wonderfully: to those who misbehaved or lazily neglected their duties, he would find ways to help them straightened up, either by scolding, charms, or by encouragement and teachings; to gambling or alcoholic addicts, he treated them sternly. But no one disliked him; instead everyone continued to respect him, because everyone knew that whatever he did was because of his love for them and his responsibilities, not because of any personal benefits. Besides, Mr. Simon Hoà was always ready to help and protect the elderly, the weak, widowed and orphans. He deeply appreciated the meanings of the Eight Beatitudes prayer, recognizing Christ in others, especially the destitute. There was a time when he picked up a sick person lying by the side of the road one day, took him to a guards station, then had food brought to him.
* Extraordinary Courage.
When King Minh Mạng declared his edict of persecutions, Mr. Hoà had an opportunity to show his courage: he let foreign priests stay in his home even though he knew that his action would be dangerous to his life as well as his family. Bishop Cuénot Thể once spent some time in his house. He conscientiously arranged sanctuary for the priests. If his house was not safe, he found safer places. The night of 4/13/1840 when the boat, which he and Bishop De la Motte Y were in to go to Hoà Ninh village, was spotted and pursued by the authorities. Soldiers arrested him and the bishop, brought them Dương Xuân district, later jailed them in Quảng Trị for two months, and finally took them to Huế.
In prison, the good doctor did not only helped his fellow inmates by getting medicine for them, he also counseled and urged them to be faithful to God to the end. Tormented like other inmates sometimes even more, but Mr. Simon Hoà remained steadfast in his faith. The tortures with uncountable wounds did not softened him into giving up, contrarily, he even felt happier for his unity with Christ nailed on the cross.
* Sufferings and Happiness.
Mr. Simon Hoà was tortured at least 20 times, the authorities probably thought that by torturing him, he would divulge information on missionaries, but all was for naught. The authorities did not succeed; moreover, they had to listen to his speech on the principles of Christianity. So they retaliated by beating, vise grips, and savage torture... until the good medicine man fell and could not get up. However, the good doctor’s faith did not fall. He endured all pain and sufferings. Additionally, he was determined to sacrifice his life to bear witness to his faith, even though he had to give up the most treasured things in his life. When his children came to visit, he advised them:
“I love you and always take care of you. But I have to love God more, you have to accept God’s will and don’t be sad. Live with mother, love one another and maintain the take care the household. From now on I can no longer provide for you. God wants me to suffer, I will accept wholeheartedly.”
At that moment, Dr. Hoà’s heart really was:
“Loving God and heavy heart for home
Thousands of bitter hardships I still bear."
In 1840 King Minh Mạng approved the sentence of death by beheading with the head to be displayed for three days. Leading Mr. Hoà to the execution site, the mandarins still tried to press him to trample on the cross, to urge him to renounce his faith, or at the least to throw the icon away to be free, but he determinedly professed his faith.
The charitable doctor of the village of Nhu Lý had overcome the last trial. He had achieved victory by entrusting completely in God on 12/10/1840 in Công Chém, next to the open market of An Hoà.
Pope Leo XIII elevated Dr. Simon Phan Đắc Hoà to the rank of blessed on 5/27/1900.
Bản dịch của Hoàng Tôn Thất
Physician
(1774-1840)
* Through the One Who Loves Me.
“What will separate us from the love of Christ? Will anguish, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or the saber?” (Roman 8:35).
The misery that Simon Hoà suffered since his arrest because of his faith was similar to the preceding verse: more than 20 sessions of savage torture by cane, or at time by cold vise, or by red hot vise... making his flesh rotten and his wounds bloody. Then his love and responsibilities to his family: wife and 12 children, one just a few months old who had not seen the father even once.
Nevertheless, as in this case, the martyr’s truth is always right: to them, suffering is not the sign of failure. Suffering is also not the goal, but is the trial that martyrs have to overcome to achieve everlasting reward. Simon Hoà’s attitude and that of all the martyrs still are:
“In all these things we conquer overwhelmingly through him who loved us.” (Roman 8,37)
* A Convert’s Example.
Phan Đắc Hoà was born in a pagan family in the village of Mai Vĩnh, Mông Thôn Township, Thừa Thiên Province, in 1774. At the early age, he was known as Thu. His father died early, his mother uprooted the family and moved to Lưỡng Kim village, then to Nhu Lý village, Quảng Trị province, to work for a Catholic family.
Living with Catholics, seeing their shining example and heard the good things about the new religion, Simon Hoà became attracted and asked his mother to let him attend catechism classes and to be converted. He was just a young boy of 12, and chose the Simon as his patron saint. Loving Christ was not enough; he also wanted to be close and to serve God as a religious. After spending some time in the seminary, and through the superiors, he realized God’s wish for him to live and bear witness for Him in the midst of humanity.
Even though he did not realize his dream, Simon Hoà still kept frequent contact with the seminary and the superiors. After getting married and becoming the father of 12 children, Simon Hoà strove to fulfill his responsibilities of bringing up and educating his children, very fitting to be the shining model for all families in the village. Supporting his family, Mr. Hoà practiced medicine: “ a physician is like a mother.” He treated many sick people and helped them recover, so by words of mouth, more sick people came to his doors. As a result, he had ample opportunities to help the poor. Earning more money, he contributed some of his savings to charity works and church construction projects...
Leading a pious life, physician Hoà was nominated to be the leader of the parish council. Working for the community, he performed his duties wonderfully: to those who misbehaved or lazily neglected their duties, he would find ways to help them straightened up, either by scolding, charms, or by encouragement and teachings; to gambling or alcoholic addicts, he treated them sternly. But no one disliked him; instead everyone continued to respect him, because everyone knew that whatever he did was because of his love for them and his responsibilities, not because of any personal benefits. Besides, Mr. Simon Hoà was always ready to help and protect the elderly, the weak, widowed and orphans. He deeply appreciated the meanings of the Eight Beatitudes prayer, recognizing Christ in others, especially the destitute. There was a time when he picked up a sick person lying by the side of the road one day, took him to a guards station, then had food brought to him.
* Extraordinary Courage.
When King Minh Mạng declared his edict of persecutions, Mr. Hoà had an opportunity to show his courage: he let foreign priests stay in his home even though he knew that his action would be dangerous to his life as well as his family. Bishop Cuénot Thể once spent some time in his house. He conscientiously arranged sanctuary for the priests. If his house was not safe, he found safer places. The night of 4/13/1840 when the boat, which he and Bishop De la Motte Y were in to go to Hoà Ninh village, was spotted and pursued by the authorities. Soldiers arrested him and the bishop, brought them Dương Xuân district, later jailed them in Quảng Trị for two months, and finally took them to Huế.
In prison, the good doctor did not only helped his fellow inmates by getting medicine for them, he also counseled and urged them to be faithful to God to the end. Tormented like other inmates sometimes even more, but Mr. Simon Hoà remained steadfast in his faith. The tortures with uncountable wounds did not softened him into giving up, contrarily, he even felt happier for his unity with Christ nailed on the cross.
* Sufferings and Happiness.
Mr. Simon Hoà was tortured at least 20 times, the authorities probably thought that by torturing him, he would divulge information on missionaries, but all was for naught. The authorities did not succeed; moreover, they had to listen to his speech on the principles of Christianity. So they retaliated by beating, vise grips, and savage torture... until the good medicine man fell and could not get up. However, the good doctor’s faith did not fall. He endured all pain and sufferings. Additionally, he was determined to sacrifice his life to bear witness to his faith, even though he had to give up the most treasured things in his life. When his children came to visit, he advised them:
“I love you and always take care of you. But I have to love God more, you have to accept God’s will and don’t be sad. Live with mother, love one another and maintain the take care the household. From now on I can no longer provide for you. God wants me to suffer, I will accept wholeheartedly.”
At that moment, Dr. Hoà’s heart really was:
“Loving God and heavy heart for home
Thousands of bitter hardships I still bear."
In 1840 King Minh Mạng approved the sentence of death by beheading with the head to be displayed for three days. Leading Mr. Hoà to the execution site, the mandarins still tried to press him to trample on the cross, to urge him to renounce his faith, or at the least to throw the icon away to be free, but he determinedly professed his faith.
The charitable doctor of the village of Nhu Lý had overcome the last trial. He had achieved victory by entrusting completely in God on 12/10/1840 in Công Chém, next to the open market of An Hoà.
Pope Leo XIII elevated Dr. Simon Phan Đắc Hoà to the rank of blessed on 5/27/1900.
Bản dịch của Hoàng Tôn Thất