Hong Kong (SE): “God allows painful experiences to happen in our lives to help us realise or learn how to encourage and support one another in love,” said Jesuit Father Stephen Chow Sau-yan, the bishop-elect of Hong Kong, in Music Moment, an online music programme on Boiling Point youth online platform, supported by the Diocesan Audio-visual Centre and the Diocesan Youth Commission.
Father Chow, the Jesuit provincial superior, joined two members of the Catholic music band, AMDG, to sing seven Chinese and English hymns and songs during the a 50-minute live performance.
Commenting on the Covid-19 pandemic, the bishop-elect cited the example of the crisis that led to the conversion of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Referring to the 500th anniversary of the conversion of the founder of the Jesuits [the Society of Jesus], Father Chow talked about the life of the Spanish saint when he was still a soldier.
St. Ignatius was badly wounded when his leg was shattered by cannon fire during an attack by the French army in 1521 at the siege of Pamplona. Together with his leg, his dreams for prestige and glory, as well as his self-image were also destroyed. But this gave him a chance to draw closer God while he was healing up.
“In the face of trials, we can see its blessings if we can view it from a new point of view,” Father Chow said. He shared his own experience of shattered dreams recounting how he toiled for more than three years to establish a Jesuit university in Hong Kong, when his superior told him to stop in 2015.
“We were all upset because we had exerted so much effort on this project,” he said. However, after giving up the plan, he discovered that he had more time to carry out different missions and take part in educational affairs.
While many people may feel frustrated about the present situation in Hong Kong, Father Chow said they might discover what they need to do if they widened their view instead of focusing narrowly the problems immediately in front.
