Jesus told the parable of the lost sheep leaving 99 sheep to go after the one lost one. At a recent missions conference held by a church in China, one of the speakers commented that the ratios for China are almost the opposite with leaving five sheep to go after the 95 lost ones.
This is an invitation to listen to the echoes, following the recent Fourth Lausanne Congress on Evangelization held in Incheon, South Korea. When the noise dies down and silence starts to reign, what are we hearing and seeing? What is rising within? Here I share a small glimpse from the lens of an observer and virtual participant.
As I reflect on my past, I see that much of my struggle with identity came from trying to reconcile different worlds—my Chinese heritage, my upbringing, and the newfound faith that challenged everything I once believed. In a society where success is often measured by status and power, surrendering to Christ felt like a contradiction. Yet, in that surrender, I found my true identity.
We hope you will see that Chinese Catholics live with a strong awareness of Our Lord Jesus’s presence with them amidst many challenges, that they live in hope in exceedingly challenging times, and they remain faithful to him in ways that can inspire us all.
China’s Catholics continue to endure their present circumstances, attending services, meeting in their homes for private prayer and study, and supporting one another in their Christian faith.
![An image of the Maryknoll Convent School in Hong Kong today. Sister Rose Maryknoll Duchesne Debrecht (principal, 1965-1972) said, “[The] Convent School has created a priceless history. Each and every person, who has been a participant in the school’s life, is to be given a grateful pat on the back for contributions so steadfastly made...”](https://media.chinasource.org/uploads/2024/10/03-WEB-QAR2024-02-Chu-Catholicism-in-China-Catholic-Nuns-Hong-Kong-Christian-Education-ChinaSource-Quarterly-300x150.jpeg)
Sister Rose Maryknoll Duchesne Debrecht (principal, 1965-1972) said, “[The] Convent School has created a priceless history. Each and every person, who has been a participant in the school’s life, is to be given a grateful pat on the back for contributions so steadfastly made...”
Perhaps Wu’s important message for Christians (and perhaps former Christians, or “nones”) in the West, is that we need to recover to the experience of joy that follows from interior harmony, as was known by Christian mystics.
Chinese Catholics are called to witness to their fellow citizens that they are Christians and good citizens, like all others, working for the common good of the whole country and in keeping with their own culture.
Will this problematic Agreement be abandoned or renewed on better terms for the Catholic side? Can the Vatican achieve better results in dealing with China with the assistance of its new bridging figures?
I hope that through such sharing, it will not only help people better understand the Chinese church, but also help those who are willing to lend a helping hand to the underground church in a better and more effective way.
In our catechetical teaching, we cannot only mention love of God and man, but need to holistically bring out “love of God, love of humans, and love of the Earth.”
At this crossroads, perhaps Wu Jingxiong points the way forward… In an era when conflict threatens to dehumanize us all, Wu Jingxiong’s Christian humanism remains to this day a beacon of hope.