作者 John Khong 鄺崇望
I am very happy that Ms. Rae Yang gave me and other mid twenty folks a chance to write about our experience here at SJCCC. My journey started out in Santa Clara when my family and I emigrated from Singapore in the latter part of November in 1984. Not long after, we moved to San Jose. We went to many churches around the area, but ended up planting our roots in a small, but growing Chinese community at St. Clare’s in Santa Clara. From what I can remember, my first Chinese mass at St. Clare’s was quite welcoming. We were among familiar faces; we were among Asians who spoke Mandarin. It was there at that mass that I met my bosom buddies, Gabriel Lai and Peter Yang. I also made other friends that day: Kim Yang, Isabel Chou, and Joanne Hsia. Please forgive me if I forgot your names; I am great with recognizing faces, but names are more of a challenge.
My growth as a Catholic Christian has been a slow, but rewarding one. I was baptized as an infant and wasn’t really given the choice to follow Christ. The choice was made for me. From as far back as I can remember, being a Catholic was more of a routine than a way of life. I would go to mass on Sundays more to see my friends and hang out with them than to see God. When did I really become a Catholic Christian then? It was during college at UC Davis, a place where my faith in God was tested and cultivated. Before UC Davis, I never had a true longing for God in my life. I never felt a genuine need for Him. I can remember the day my Dad picked me up from my dorm after my finals were completed. I made the final check of my room and left for the parking lot. When we got on the road, I started to share with my Dad how my quarter and year went. I had a tremendous year, academically, physically and spiritually. Academically, I had a great year and finished strong that last quarter in 1995. Physically, I overcame a severe flu that second quarter. I had never been so ill in my life; I had to deal with the illness and my classes at the same time. It was a long road to recovery. I was extremely grateful to God that I made it through that quarter. Spiritually, I started to explore what other Christian denominations were like at Intervarsity, a collegiate, nondenominational fellowship. It was truly refreshing to see how other Christians viewed God and worshiped Him. I picked up the habit of reading more Scripture and tried to apply it to my life. I did not, however, lose sight of the fact that I was raised a Catholic. I love the traditions that Catholicism has to offer and the seven sacred Sacraments pretty much hooked me, especially the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Anyway, as I started to share my last quarter with my Dad, I started to cry. It was the first time that I cried that heavily in front of my Dad. I still can never forget what he told me that day. He said that he saw many hardships to come in my remaining years at UC Davis. His words were prophetic because for the next three and a half years, I endured many “storms” in my life; some of the storms were so severe, I thought I wasn’t going to make it.
How did I endure those “storms” in my life? It was God, and He came in the form of my family and my friends at the San Jose Chinese Catholic Community (SJCCC). I started to share my “storms” with my Dad first and then with my Mom. Before I knew it, my whole family, expect for my sister, shared my crosses with me. I had to overcome the fear of sharing my “storms” with my family and my friends at church. I found out that there was no room for any fear in sharing my “stormy” experiences with them because they are my family and friends, the ones who love me regardless of what I might say. They were my support and source of strength and they still are.
God also came to my help in Scripture. When I was in need of God’s comfort and help during hard times, I referred to Isaiah 43:1-5 and Hebrews 13:5-6. These were not the only Bible verses I relied on in times of need. The book of Psalms was also an excellent source of hope, comfort, and strength. These Bible books are also very useful now. Besides reading Scripture, I prayed a lot during hard times, especially in the Rosary. I have my Mom and Dad to thank for that. They taught us how to say the Rosary awhile back and instilled in us the importance of prayer. I am very grateful to have learned it. You can’t have too much prayer and besides, God doesn’t mind you praying to Him; He doesn’t mind you nagging Him either. He is probably the only being that will welcome nagging. Take advantage of that.
The road to becoming a Catholic Christian was definitely not an easy one; it was full of hardship and moments of discomfort. The funny thing is that it was all worth it, all of it! I wouldn’t have been able to make it this far without God in the form of my family, my friends, Scripture, and prayer. Never forget God, because He never forgets you and He loves you immensely! God Bless.
