Let’s imagine. There is a boy in Asia who has a happy childhood. One day he and his brother decide to become Catholics that most in their family have never heard of. In the Buddhist cultural society, becoming a Catholic means you are different, different from many including your own family. And then what if the boy furthermore pursues to enter the seminary to become a priest? It is a shock. I remember my grandma came to my college graduation. She heard something unthinkable and came to say to me, “H.Paul! What’s wrong with you? Aren’t you going to get married and have many, many children like your father?” I couldn’t help her, unable to say a word, just smiling. And then I entered the seminary on the next day.
Something needs to be explained here. Before that, I want to talk about my grandpa. He died when I was in the military service. The family knew I loved him so much that they didn’t inform me his critical illness and death because of fear that I couldn’t finish the military service. It left a deep gash in my soul. I started wondering what happened to my grandpa who never heard of Jesus Christ, but lived a loving, compassionate and respectful life. He was a living Buddha as well as a living saint to me. What would happen to him after his death?
Another story. When I was in the seminary in Korea, I made a 30-day silent retreat. One day, I was reflecting on the Spirit who led Jesus into the desert to be tempted by devil. Suddenly, I felt the same Spirit who led me into the mountain to experience the presence of God. It was everywhere—in the corner of path, in the dining hall, in the snow, and in my heart. I saw that the Spirit of God is free like a wind we don’t know where it comes and where it goes.