Ngày 6/4 Thánh Paul LÊ BẢO TỊNH

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April 6
Saint Paul LÊ BẢO TỊNH
Priest
(1793-1857)

* From Hermit to Martyr

A hermit and a martyr are contrasting images. But to Saint Paul Lê Bảo Tịnh, the importance was not imageries or life style but BELIEF: God is everything. Life style could change, only belief remains the constant and essential foundation. That belief had guided Paul Tịnh’s life, from a hermit to a dedicated missionary, a committed professor and to the grace of martyrdom.

* Isolated Forest and Mission

Paul Lê Bảo Tịnh was born in 1793 in the village of Trinh Hà, Hàng Hoá district, Hà Trung prefecture, Thanh Hoá province, He was the third child in a devout Catholic family. At the age of 12, he resided with Fr. Duệ, pastor of Bạch Bát parish. After three years, he was sent to Vĩnh Trị seminary (Nam Định). In the seminary, he was an examplary student. His intelligence was average, but he was better than most in diligence, spirituality and self-denial. He fast on Fridays, inflicted pain on his body, and slept on the floor. The tendency for austerity was the first steps culminating in his desire for a contemplative life in solitude.

It could be said that Lê Bảo Tịnh was a man of idealism. He had decided to offer his life to God; he had chosen God and desired to implement it wholeheartedly. As a result, he had collected cook rice, dried it, and quietly left the seminary for the forest to be able to pray and be united with God through austere and solitary living.

However, no man can live his own spiritual life; God who invites man to collaborate in his economy of salvation, will have a specific plan for him. Therefore, Bishop Longer Gia had directed other priests: “If Mr. Tịnh goes to confession, no one can hear his confession, but tell him to go see the bishop immediately.”

And the Piusus hermit had discovered God’s secret plan for him through the bishop. After a year in the forest, he now had to leave it to receive new sacrifices and new responsibilities that the Church had for him.

* Missionary in Laos

To prepare Paul Tịnh for greater responsibilities, the bishop sent him back to the seminary for theology studies. He received early Holy Orders and continued to teach classes. Bishop Havard Du, Bishop Gia’s successor, sent him to Macao to accept grants given to the diocese. He made two trips in two years, both times avoiding death from the hands of pirates and storms.

In 1839 the bishop started an evangelization program in Laos, Mr. Paul Tịnh enthusiastically volunteered. After a year of successful missionary work, he returned to the diocese to ask for more missionaries. But, conditions in Vietnam had changed. At the king’s behest, Governor Trịnh Quang Khanh ordered severe persecution in his province. Fr. Jacob Đỗ Mai Năm and Mr. Anthony Nguyễn Đích were arrested and martyred; the Vĩnh Trị seminary had to be closed. Bishop Havard Du had to go into hiding and passed away on July 5, 1838. Bishop-designate Borie Cao was martyred before receiving his post. Therefore the evangelizing team had to leave Laos and returned home.


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* The First Prison Term and Banishment

Bishop Retord Liêu, Bishop Havard Du’s successor, sent Mr. Paul Tịnh to teach catechism to catechumen in the village of Thạch Tồ, Bích Trì parish, Hà Nam province. Late 1841 Thạch Tồ village chief ambushed and captured Paul Tịnh. Parishioners tried to bribe the village chief to buy his freedom, but Mr. Tịnh proudly told the chief: “If you free me only because of money, then I don’t want.”

Therefore he was taken to Hà Nam prefecture, then on to Hà Nội. Wherever he went, he always dressed simply, walked barefoot, and wore a cangue, but his spirit was just and determined, though he was a slender person. Even mean-spirited mandarins could not overwhelm him. So they sent a petition to the royal capital for a decapitation sentence. Fortunately, when King Thiệu Trị assumed the throne, anti-Catholics feelings subsided. Six petitions were sent to the royal capital, six petitions denied; the seventh petition was changed to life in exile in Phú Yên (Bình Định).

On the way to his banishment, the prisoner with a slender frame but full of determination always demonstrated the loyalty to the faith he embraced. He strongly protested when others called Christianity “bad religion,” and explained his religion to them.

He was not far into his banishment when King Thiệu Trị passed away (11/4/1847). King Tự Đức became king and granted pardon to all prisoners. Returning to the diocese, he obeyed the bishop and entered the priesthood; he was 56 years old. The following year he was appointed director and professor of Vĩnh Trị seminary. Because previously he had cured Nam Định Governor Nguyễn Đình Hưng’s eye problem, he was able to obtain a permit to partly open the seminary, under the guise of teaching the Nho language and medicine.

* Fr. Paul Tịnh’s Portrait

At first glance, Fr. Paul Tịnh was a thin and tall priest with a serious and austere look. But only those, who met him, could recognize that he was a charitable, simple, wise, and experienced priest. Probably his extended travel together with his advanced age had affected his pastoral ministry. He used his time wisely to achieve maximum benefits. Although buried with so many activities during his tenure at Vĩnh Trị seminary, he still found time to write. His works included the following books:

- Guide to the Bible.
- General Catechism.
- Examination of Conscience.

When counseling seminarians, he often advised them to maintain discipline because he himself had experienced it profoundly: discipline was the benefactor leading to the love of God and sustaining the religious life. Moreover, Fr. Paul Tịnh concentrated on teaching seminarians the life of prayer. According to him, a missionary with little zeal for prayers would deliver unconvincing homilies. Even though he did not directly minister to a parish, but he diligently sat at the confessionals helping people reconciliation with God. Another additional part of his life was the love of the cross. It seemed like shadows of the cross followed him wherever he lived. When he was arrested, he had so many crosses that mandarins joked among themselves: “This old man is addicted to the Cross.”

Rightly so, Fr. Paul Tịnh did not try to satisfy his “addiction” to the cross by having it in all places, but because of his adoration of Christ’ Passion as well as his desire to bear the cross and to contribute to the blood of the Most Holy Teacher who had spilled his blood to redeem to world. His love of the Cross had been demonstrated through the austere living as a hermit as well as director of the seminary. His daily meals were composed of bowls of rice, fish sauce, and boiled green vegetable. He often slept on the floor. His body, though deteriorated, was filled with a powerful spirit and sharp intelligence.

His buried his body in austerity, but gave his life to others. He often visited, consoled, gave sacraments, and helped the poor, especially the sick including the incurable lepers. It is not wrong to say that Fr. Paul Lê Bảo Tịnh had martyred in his life before he actually shed blood for faith.

* The Second Arrest

In 1857 Reverends Kỳ and Hào came to celebrate Mass at Phát Diệm church. Besides the Mass, a big and solemn procession was also organized. This packed gathering was maliciously reported to the Ninh Bình mandarin: “The priest raised the flag and feted soldiers.” The authorities rushed to Phát Diệm, but both Fr. Kỳ and Fr. Hào had left for Vĩnh Trị, so the Ninh Bình authorities requested Nam Định mandarins to arrest the two priests. Still feeling grateful to Fr. Paul Tịnh who cured his eyes, Nam Định Governor Nguyễn Đình Hưng tried to stop the arrest, but he was unsuccessful. The arrest was planned for 2/27/1857 under the direction of Nghĩa Hưng prefecture mandarin.

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In the meantime, Governor Nguyễn Đình Hưng sent warning to Fr. Paul Tịnh in Vĩnh Trị. Unfortunately the messenger fell ill and could not delivered the arrest warning, therefore life at Vĩnh Trị seminary was carried on as normal until the authorities surrounded the village. After an emergency meeting, Bishop Retort Liêu and other priests fled leaving only Fr. Paul Tịnh behind to deal with the authorities with the hope of avoiding destruction. Fr. Paul Tịnh calmly invited the Nghĩa Hưng mandarin and Mr. Phan Trứ in for tea and showed them the school permit granted by the governor. However, noticing many contrabands such as Latin books as well as objects sent from overseas, the mandarin had everything inventoried and asked Fr. Paul Tịnh to go to the provincial capital for more questioning.

Before he left for the provincial capital, Fr. Paul Tịnh went to the chapel to pray and said goodbye to the seminarians, his dearest children. Bishop Retort Liêu tried fruitlessly to buy the freedom for Fr. Paul Tịnh before he was led away. The bishop then sent an intermediary to the governor to request his intervention. The following day, Mr. Phan Trứ escorted the priest to the capital. The permit given to Fr. Paul Tịnh led the governor into a bind. Other mandarins suspected that the priest had to give the governor a large sum to obtain that permit.

The governor was faced with a predicament. He already knew Fr. Paul Tịnh personally, now he had to preside at the interrogation. So at the tribunal, the governor did not ask any question, only urged the priest to walk over to cross to be freed. But as a priest, Fr. Paul Tịnh could not comply with the suggestion.

Five days later, Fr. Paul Tịnh was again brought before the court. The same question was asked and the same response came back. When the governor counseled his priest friend to admit to only teaching the Nho language and medicine to avoid death, Fr. Paul Tịnh thanked the governor for the advice, but continued to maintain his testimony of belonging to the priesthood of which he was very proud, and expressed his willingness to suffer for that honor. At the end of the trial, still trying to save his benefactor, he wrote the sentence, then added:

“Recognizing that Lê Bảo Tịnh is over 60 years old, as the law prevents execution of the elderly, please imprison him in Nam Định and keep him there as a matter of convenience.”

* My Soul Belongs to God

Fr. Paul Tịnh was jailed in Trại Vệ while awaiting the king’s approval of the sentence. The 37 days imprisoned there was an opportunity for him to solidify the faith of weak Catholic prisoners; he arranged for them to receive spiritual nourishment as well as material assistance. As a result, they gained more courage to give witness to God in the most hopeless moments. Personally, the days in Trại Vệ were time for Fr. Paul Tịnh to prepare himself for the grace of martyrdom by regularly reading short prayers. He also did not forget the beloved seminarians at Vĩnh Trị. Twelve days before being executed, he wrote the seminarians an emotional letter filled with spiritual advices.

On 4/5/1857 the verdict came back; the governor was the most anxious person. The king changed the life sentence to death by decapitation. Holding the verdict, the governor tried one last time to urge Fr. Paul Tịnh to renounce his faith. But after a lifetime of dedication to God and a lifetime of thirst for the grace of martyrdom, he refused and responded to the governor:

“I sincerely thank you for always trying to save me. My body is in your hands, torment it as you wish; I am very happy and will not complain. It will die, but later will resurrect in glory. My soul belongs to God, nothing will make me give it up, and nobody can shake my faith. Christianity is a just and true religion. I have loved and maintained that faith since very young, and even if I die I will not reject it.”

Those candid words resulted from a brave and well-thought-out decision. He had decided to choose a courageous death because he believed that: he will have eternal life (John 12:25). He received the reward of everlasting life on 4/6/1857 at the execution site of Bảy Mẫu (Nam Định) after leaving these words of farewell: “Brothers and sisters, stay behind in peace; try your best to keep faith and be brave and strong; don’t fear death!”

Pope Pius elevated Fr. Paul Lê Bảo Tịnh to the rank of blessed on 5/2/1909.


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