COMPASSION IN ACTION
“Let them listen to them.” - Lk 16:19-31
Today's gospel reading brought my mind and heart to Fr. Joseph Devlin, SJ, who baptized me at a refugee camp in Thailand. As I reflect on his influence as a chaplain to thousands of Vietnamese refugees fleeing from Communism and how he helped guide my parents' choices and trajectory, I am moved with deep gratitude for his commitment, generosity, and compassion to not look at others as statistics but as individual human beings. And when I reflect and connect the dots of my life, I can identify how God's love and grace have sustained me through and through.
I can still recall visiting Loyola Marymount University's campus for the first time, and while praying in the Sacred Heart Chapel, a feeling of home welcomed me. I remember asking God, "How?" Living in the Mar Vista Gardens Projects with my parents working arduously to support our family here and in Vietnam and with me working part-time as a caregiver at a convalescent home would not be enough to cover tuition. It seemed impossible. With the encouragement of a dear friend, I took a chance with hopes of a scholarship, grant, and loan. I did not realize then how attending Loyola Marymount University was a part of my resurrection story. I was exposed to the university's commitment to the care of the whole person, introducing me to the Jesuit tradition of a call to service, education, and social justice.
As the second week of Lent unfolds, I have found myself reimagining ways to engage with the world around me with God. What legacy would I want to leave on this earth? What values would I want to impart? It reminds me of what my mentor from the Art of Spiritual Eldering shared, "Do we want to be remembered for the number of rooms in our house or the model of a car in our driveway? Or are there much more important contributions we have made in our lives? Do I want the buildings of a campus to be my legacy? Or do I want the legacy to be what happens in those buildings to make a difference in the lives of the people I serve in them? I hope the latter is the legacy I leave behind."
Where am I called to listen attentively and serve with compassion?
Tam Lontok