LOST IN TRANSLATION – UNDERSTANDING THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE with my guest WENDY SIU IN HONG KONG

Smitten By Faith Issue # 00034 26th March 2022

When I first ‘published’ my weekly missives in ‘Smitten By Faith’ in July 2021, the objective was to share my guests’ and my personal spiritual journeys and passions. We write about diverse topics which I hope continues to interest and inspire my readers ( of all faiths ) which have now grown from hundreds to thousands. My guests and I are have one thing in common – our faith in God and in all that is good and beautiful. With the current Pandemic and continuing wars, at no point in our lives is faith and love for our fellow men more essential than now. My friend, Wendy Siu in Hong Kong epitomises this raison d’etre of Smitten By Faith. In her sincere article below on how her life has been impacted by the Bible – surely the greatest ‘book’ ever written for mankind – Wendy skilfully shares, with clarity and honesty, her joy in reading, learning and understanding God’s words. For Christians - for Catholics like Wendy and me - the Bible is our lodestar – our clear path to knowing God and to changing and transforming our lives.

Wendy Siu is a beautiful, clever and accomplished entrepreneur able to combine her amazing business acumen with good taste, style and elegance while at the same time – most importantly  - loving God fully. Born in Hong Kong, Wendy was educated in the United States and has worked all over the world before she took the leap to start her own luxury lifestyle business, ‘Heather & March’ in 1998. For her outstanding civil achievements and her genuine dedication, passion and hard work in fostering French culture and business in Hong Kong, Wendy has received a slew of honours from the French Government including the lifetime honours of Chevalier Knight of the National Order of Merit (2005) and Knight of the National Order of Merit ( in 2012 ). Other current titles and responsibilities held by Wendy ( too many to name ) include that of President, Institute international - Les Lumières de Paris, Hong Kong Chapter, Supervisory Board Member, Laurent-Perrier and Vice-President of Alliance Française Hong Kong. In 2017, Wendy received the Bauhinia Women Entrepreneur Honorary Award in Hong Kong.

But there is another side to Wendy Siu as well. Wendy is a devout Catholic who proudly wears her religion on her sleeve. She is a very active member of the ‘Catholic Leaders Multi-Cultural Environment’ (CLME), founded in Hong Kong in 2018, a multi-cultural extension of the French ‘Entrepreneurs et Dirigeants Chretiens’ ( EDC) in Paris in 2000, a continuation of a movement created in France as early as 1957. I was fortunate to be invited to attend some CLME meetings and I was impressed that there is an actual organisation of Christian leaders who accept that the care of the common good is a responsibility of business leaders and managers - intelligent leadership in action based on the Christian perspective where leaders use their positions, influence and innovation in a multi-cultural environment to improve the lives of others, especially in the workplace.

So, let’s join Wendy now as she puts away her entrepreneur’s hat and writes from her heart and soul - about how the Bible has transformed her life.

____________________________________________________________________________

LOST IN TRANSLATION – UNDERSTANDING THE GREATEST BOOK IN THE UNIVERSE

By Wendy Siu              

Hong Kong,  26th March 2022

I am not a professional writer but I do hope I can share some of my personal experiences and, if I may call it, my transformation as a result of following God by understanding and applying His words from the Bible as best I can.

Left : Rembrandt – Moses and the Tablet ( Editor’s Note : The story of Moses is told in the biblical books of Exodus, Leviticus Deuteronomy and Numbers )

Right : Rembrandt - Abraham and the Sacrifice of Isaac ( Editor’s note : The story of Abraham and his testing with the ‘sacrifice’ of his son Isaac is another dramatic biblical narrative in Genesis )

LOST IN TRANSLATION

What do I mean? I am starting off from this perspective having experienced my own failings in understanding the Bible and also having witnessed some of the misunderstanding, misinterpretation and sometimes, even resentment against some of the teachings. I do not purport to know all the answers but I would like to share with you some results of my own experience, supported by over 12 years of continuous Bible studies, numerous fellowships with much candid sharing of our brothers and sisters, supporting and healing one another whether in small or big ways, and also the enlightenment I received through the many exchanges I have had with different wise and kind priests and missionaries over the years.

Above : Detail of the Bible’s Genesis - Michelangelo’s magnificent ceiling fresco - The Sistine Chapel, Vatican City

In short, my recommendation to comprehend the Bible is to go deep. I believe that the Words of God in the Bible can only be understood with a humble, open and contrite heart, coupled with one’s own real-life experience. Seek and go deeper in your relationship with God. Often times, it probably means a life not without challenges and trials because it is only in adversity that one can feel the existence of God, learn humility and rely on him. The Bible is like a mirror; it allows you to do your self-reflection, if you care to be led by the Holy Spirit to listen, understand and repent. God knows your heart and He will always be there for you as long as you ask, seek and knock with submission; and draw holy strength from Him.

 “For when I am weak, then I am strong”.  St. Paul 2 Corinthians 12:10.

I am not suggesting that one needs to have a miserable, sad and dull life full of disappointment or failure in order to understand the words of the Bible. However, one does need to have a certain depth of life’s experience to be able to appreciate, savor and digest His words in order to apply them to one’s life - to achieve inner peace. I then resonate with what Jesus said at the last supper to his Apostles blessing them with the words, ‘Peace be with you’, which is an important phrase all Christians keep repeating at every mass before and after the Eucharist. How important these words are ! Nothing can be done without daily peace in our hearts. From the Bible, I receive lots of treasures which help me to walk my path of faith consistently with peace. Amazingly, when I am puzzled and feel despair, and when I try to gain peace and perspective through prayers and Bible studies, the right verses and words will suddenly pop up in my head or in front of my eyes at the right moment, and I can’t help smiling to myself thanking the Lord for his miraculous tips and guidance. So, I hope you will enjoy savoring the daily spiritual bread guiding us all to the path of a true life of richness, not based on earthly treasures of wealth, achievement, power, beauty – all of which will wither - but based on our true internal treasures stored up in the Kingdom of God that resides daily in our own hearts.

“Do not store up for yourself treasures on earth…. but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven…. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also”    Matthew 6:19-21 

ABOVE LOVE

Right : Painting by Vincent Van Gogh : The Good Samaritan 1890 ( Editor’s note : love for our fellow man)

Left : Painting by Jacques Louis-David 1780 : Belisarius Begging for Alms ( Editor’s note : with love comes charity )

Love is such an important topic; the driving force of all Christians and the core of our belief.

But first, I would like to draw a positive example from my own experience back in 2011 on how I learnt about true love.  Please bear with me for my long story. Thanks to my long-time friend for over 20 years now, who is also my god-daughter, she introduced me to ‘BSF’ which is a bible study group welcoming both Protestants and Catholics. We studied the Book of Isaiah that year together. After just a few weeks, I told the group leader that I would not be coming back… because this Book of Isaiah was just too much for me. There was too much about God’s wrath and punishment and it just didn’t make sense to me. Isn’t God all forgiving and loving? Furthermore, the group that I was assigned to was too diverse in nature, and I preferred to be with people of similar work or educational background for ease of fellowship. I also found the sharing from some members a bit tedious, probably not worth the time to talk about petty stuff like that….so on and so forth. I also told her that I thought it was disappointing to get to know some so-called Christians but only to find that they admit to committing even more terrible faults than non-believers. So what was the point of studying the Bible with doctrines that wouldn’t work in real life ? Being a businesswoman, I also had very little time so I thought these Bible studies would not fit me. The group leader gently told me to be patient and that it was not just a coincidence that I was being brought here. Not everyone could be given the special and free opportunity to study the Bible. It could be God’s wish for me to learn more about the Bible.

Furthermore, what had seemed to be petty to me might not necessarily be so to others as each person’s problem was different and unique. She told me that we should also look up to God for answers and not look back and forth, nor left and right as no one is perfect on earth and we shall be bound to get disappointed if we look at people for answers. Wow, gentle words indeed from a kind lady armed with such great truth and empathy. It dawned on me how arrogant I was to think and determine what problem should be a ‘problem’ and what was not. Who was I to judge? Everyone is different and unique indeed. There it goes ! I decided to stay on probably for just another year and see. Well fast forward to 11 years later; I am now still attending this same Bible study group and have never stopped discovering more and more intriguing stories of the Bible, reflecting the truth of the Words of God, words which continue to nurture me; the daily spiritual bread that I need, in order to survive well in this distorted crazy world today.

It is also not just about obtaining a one-way spiritual food, but it is also a window to allow me to give back; participate as a listener, to hear and support other brothers and sisters. The sharing of problems which sounded so tedious to me before is no longer tedious anymore. With the change of heart, I respect everyone’s sharing and challenges, and it is such a blessed opportunity for me to lend at least, a supporting ear, if not a possible helping hand to others. I have learnt that through fellowship we are also building unity and love among others. No one needs to know our intention because God knows our heart.

“Miss no single opportunity of making some small sacrifice, here by a smiling look, there by a kindly word; always doing the smallest right and doing it all for love." -St. Therese of Lisieux

So what happened next? Rewinding back to 2012. I studied the ‘Acts of Apostles’ during my second year. My most precious take away that year was learning about LOVE!

 “Love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud, it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects always perseveres. Love never fails.”  St. Paul 1 Corinthians 13:4-8

I felt rather ashamed after reading this truth of love, because if I have to correlate this with my reality of love and my conduct of love on a score of 1-10, my score would reach probably no more than 2 to 3! I said to myself… How could I be so wrong… No wonder the ongoing and challenging marriage situation for me and my husband even after 16 years of marriage! Just like what the Bible says, love is really not about ego or about yourself. It is about the love you have for others, be it your parents, your spouse, your brothers and sisters, your friends. It is not about constantly demanding the other side to fit into your needs and wants but it is quite the reverse. My husband and I were both busy business people, each focusing a lot on our own career, goals and achievements. Especially in our younger days, we thought that we were smart, intelligent; we were prone to be proud and not really listen to one another. This pride finds no place in true love. Think about it, if you really love a person, why do you want to do anything to push or hurt him or her against his or her wish, just to satisfy your own needs? This calls for self-reflection and humility to do so. Bad communication also doesn’t help. I was communicating with lots of pride and judgement, and it does not help in building a loving relationship. Love really is not about that. It is about respect, protecting each other’s dignity; about understanding. That if you really love that person, you should let him and her to do what is the best for him and her even if not the best for you, and by doing that, harmony will naturally be sown and joy and happiness will follow naturally.

You may then ask - but why? This kind of love is just one-sided then.. is it also not fair for me then? What about me? Why should I be the one to sacrifice? Shouldn’t love be fair to all? Well, you see, if you are really doing this sincerely with purity of heart, the recipient does know; he or she may not realize your kind deeds the first, second nor even the third time, but eventually the other party does realize and be moved by what you are doing. What we call this action in the Christian world is  having one’s life transform the life of others. When you have gradually grown to have this big loving heart, you will naturally be at ease and willing to take the first proactive step to initiate the positive change because you will no longer be staying at the lowest level of love, nor having a superficial loving relationship but, you would have grown to become a bigger person with a bigger heart.

By bringing positive change, your relationship with your spouse or loved ones will naturally become close, filled with warmth, understanding, respect and love because both parties treasure the sacrifice, forgiveness and the mercy that one extends to the other based on selfless love. Sometimes you lead and sometimes you need to be led; this give and take, yin and yang interaction is kind and natural. It keeps no record of wrongs. In my case, once I put down my defences and tried to love selflessly, my husband was touched and moved with my change of heart and my behaviour, and from then on, he also delivered a change of positive behaviour and our relationship after 29 years of marriage has turned out to be a solid, happy and loving one.

ABOUT OUR TONGUE

During this period of Lent for Christians, I would like to pick on this subject and to discuss what Bishop Robert Barron had shared about the poison of gossip and how Pope Francis condemns gossip which brings mental damage to one’s life as deadly as physical damage to one’s body.

“The tongue is a small part of the body but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is like a fire, a world of evil among the parts of the body. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of his life on fire and is itself set on fire by hell.”  James 3:5-7

Need I say more ? Just look at our society today, full of detrimental gossip, false accusations, fake information, and verbal bullying. We praise success and beauty but pay no attention to conduct and morals. People smear other faces in the mud with their unkind words. You see this in the political, business and social world and even in families. Sadly, a lot of times, we may also fall into the trap ourselves and be the carriers of gossip without even knowing.  I see normal and extreme cases everyday no matter what society or group these people belong to, from highly privileged groups to normal and moderate ones. I can hear hardly any good words coming out from their mouths. Whenever there is an opportunity of opinions requested, don't be surprised that almost 80% of the people we encounter will start off with their unforgiving criticism. It seems that no one is good enough except themselves.

I can’t agree with the bible more.

“All kinds of animals, birds, reptiles and creatures of the sea and being tamed and have been tamed by men but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison.”   James 3:7 

But why? Why this habit of saying unkind or even hurtful words instead of saying just a word of kindness? This tendency of building fake confidence is a no-win situation because it is not built on the cornerstone of God’s wisdom and love but on our own devilish desires and standards. What a great reminder from the Bible again about men’s sinfulness being the slaves of our own desires !

“We were slaves of our own desires, seeking pleasure of every kind, we live in malice and envy, hateful and hating each other. But God our Saviour revealed his eminent goodness and love for humankind and saved us, not because of the good deeds we may have done but for the sake of his own mercy, to the water of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit poured over us through Christ Jesus our Saviour so that having been justified of his grace we should become heirs in hope of eternal life. Titus 3:3-7.

Jesus also warned us:

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in our brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?    Matthew 7:3-5

Above : Painting by Domenico Fretti : The Mote and the Beam

What a big knock on our heads and how true that is ! Stop judging; stop criticizing - especially if our words will hurt our neighbours, loved ones, brothers and sisters, as we ourselves are not so perfect either. Just look at the hypocrisy of geopolitics today with countries condemning the actions of others like the Pharisees in the Bible. Yet, what they do is equally bad and destructive if not more. If there is really nothing good to say; there is nothing wrong to stay silent, and if one must declare his and her views, at least, share your views in a civilized manner with care and empathy. When we have a heart filled with empathy of love, we will naturally exercise our self-control to speak kind words and do kind deeds. Let’s draw another good example from the Bible,

“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen.”  

Ephesians 4:29.

That’s it.  Build people up with good words but not shooting people down with poisonous weapons of accusation and criticism; nor being cold and indifferent to people’s good action.  We cannot build a harmonious family, society or country if we continue to use words of destruction bringing people down and not building people up. I must admit that I do not come out totally clean on this all the time, and this virtue is such a great and constant reminder to me! Our society is breeding so much vulgarity and ruthlessness that it is getting into an unbearable stage of causing harm to mankind. As Christians, let’s be leaders to help stop the breeding of this bad culture of vulgarity and bring more unity and beauty to society. Let’s start to sow seeds and words of kindness now to save this sickening world. 

HUMILITY

Above : Painting by Heinrich Hoffmann : Christ and the Rich young Ruler

Lastly, I want to touch on humility, a critical virtue of Christianity.

I mentioned before that in order to understand the Bible, one needs to have a certain degree of life experience and often-time a life not without challenges. Why? If one’s life is just full of song and dance, wealth and success, without trials and challenges, one probably would not be too happy for too long.  As what Jesus had once said :

“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God”. Matthew 19: 21

Jesus also said to the young rich man who eagerly wanted to follow him ( see painting above ) :

 “If you wish to be perfect, go sell your possessions and give the money to the poor; and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

Why did Jesus say this ? This is typically controversial to modern thinking. One might ask, who on earth will listen to these preachings? Well, what I can say is that we are probably more fortunate today to have wider access to clearly understanding the Bible; not just by following dogmatically the words but to bring them alive in our own lives. The meaning of giving up everything turns people away but the real meaning is not about this. The crucial message here is not so much about giving up all your real possessions but it is about letting go of your attachments, emptying yourself and letting go of your ego and worldly materialistic possessions . Our happiness or even better, our sustainable joy and peace at heart which is everlasting, is not built on external gains, success, power, money, beauty nor endorsement of others. Until one can really understand God’s way, one will still be lingering at the lowest level of one’s existence, subjecting ourselves to all sorts of temptations which only leads to despair because we will never be at peace and can never be satisfied. Don’t get me wrong, Jesus does not condemn wealth at all; Jesus wants us to be happy but it is the belief and the attitude of how one handles ones’ wealth, power, talents, assets, beauty, authority etc, etc that matters. It is indeed lost in translation when people quote this passage from the Bible out of context.

So one might ask, why there is the need to inherit the Kingdom of God; the Kingdom of Heaven?

“The Kingdom of God is not coming with things that can be observed nor will they say ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘ There it is!’  For in fact, the Kingdom of God is among you”.    Luke 17:20-21

What a powerful clarification from Jesus! What great news! I was thrilled to get this answer which was validated by my own experience. Indeed, seeing my own change of heart helped me to build true confidence which did not rely on my own desires. I have joy and peace to live my life; I finally understand what that passage from the Bible means.

We really don’t have to wait till we die to inherit the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of Heaven because it actually resides within each of us when we turn to God. By inheriting this Kingdom of God in you, it is actually a most powerful and precious gift which will lead to your transformation to become more Christ-like, living with the image of God as His child, making you more in tune with God and to be able to walk the path He destined for you. Thus you will naturally be joyful and peaceful in your life. In fact, not everyone will be given the grace of God to understand Him. Not to say that God is prejudiced but whether the grace is given really depends upon your own will and heart. Remember God loves us; that is why we have our free will which also explains His almighty unconditional love. He never forces us. It is our choice. As I mentioned earlier : if you seek, ask and knock sincerely - God will answer. God only reveals himself to those who are pure, humble and meek.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.    Matthew 5:8.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven     Matthew 5:3  

Above : Painting by Carl Bloch : The Sermon on the Mount ( Editor’s Note : At this Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached the Beatitudes or the 8 Blessings in the Gospel of Matthew )

Our relationship with Jesus is rather personal, and unique. God has different plans for different people. So don’t look left and right but look up when it comes to your relationship with God. To inherit the Kingdom in you means that you apply His way with humility, submission and thankfulness; follow His wish because His plan is the best for you and just walk with Him. His way is the best because it is full of Godly wisdom and treasure; all good stuff filled with love, mercy, solidarity, forgiveness, gentleness, charity. It also comes with His loving warning telling us not to fall short into temptation from our own earthly desires based on a sinful nature. The devil is smart and attacks your weakest link, be it your pride, anger, sadness, ambition, materialistic desires, beauty, jealousy - so on and so forth. When we follow God; when we abandon the attachment and obsessions in our lives; when we let  God guide us; we will then inherit true spiritual richness and health. We can become a better person with a God-like soul. This transformation of goodness brings you real happiness, joy and peace and thus you will shine with real solid full confidence.

It took me many years to eventually understand that we really do not control our destiny but God does. If we are successful, it is because He allows us to. Believing and trusting God saves you because you are no longer the slave of your own desires. Desires driven by earthly wishes subject itself to all sorts of temptation and some temptations can be very destructive. Believe in God requires humility. See how Adam and Eve stumbled, subjecting themselves to the temptation of the devil because they wanted more, more, more, because of their own deep desires and they wanted to be better and wiser than God, This is exactly what Jesus said about the difficulty for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God than for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.

Above : Painting by Rembrandt : The Prodigal Son ( Editor’s Note : The famous philosopher and theologian Henri Nouwen loved this painting and the Parable of the Prodigal son - how it shows biblical lessons of humility, mercy and forgiveness ; how man can be ‘touched by the compassion of God’. )

Finally, I wish to conclude with my gratitude and thanks to God for guiding me to live a joyful life filled with the fruits of the Holy Spirit - love, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control and meekness. Yet it does not mean weakness, stagnation or escape from the secular world. Some people think they would be bound and lose their freedom by believing in God as there seem to be so many things we cannot do. However, I can share from my own experience that it is indeed quite the opposite. By believing in God, I have in fact gained true freedom; a profound and deep internal freedom that has really set me free.  

_________________________________________________________________________

Editor’s Note :

Dear Reader, thank you for reading this weekly edition of SMITTEN BY FAITH. 

ALL articles in every issue are FREE.

For those of you who upgraded to be a PAID Subscribers for US$ 60.00 a year, thank you so much ! All proceeds go to the Regina Apostolorum Foundation to promote Catholic higher education. 

PAID Subscribers will also receive via Bitly link ( see the posts pinned above available only to paid subscribers ) the digital copy of the recent book by Joan Foo Mahony, ‘LATE HAVE I LOVED THEE’ and THE COLLECTED ARTICLES, VOLUME ONE 2021 of Smitten By Faith, a DIGITAL COMPILATION of all the previous year’s 2021 articles.

And, at the end of 2022, you will receive THE COLLECTED ARTICLES, VOLUME TWO 2022.

Simply click on the relevant Bitly links to receive the publications.

Paid Subscribers will also receive additional exclusive material from time to time.