Joy in Waiting: A Night of Hope and Grace with Fr. Hien Vu

The third night of the LNS Parish Advent Retreat at St. Thomas Church in Willoughby unfolded with a spirit of warmth, anticipation, and deep reflection. Led by Fr. Hien Vu, assistant priest of Our Lady of Dolours, Chatswood, the evening took up the theme of the Third Sunday of Advent: “Joy in Waiting.” And true to its title, the night became a powerful reminder that waiting, though often difficult, can become a sacred space where God’s grace reveals itself.

Fr. Hien began with stories from his own life, sharing candidly about seasons of waiting during his journey as a seminarian, a deacon, and later as a priest. These were not easy periods. They were marked by uncertainty, personal challenges, and moments of discouragement. Yet, looking back, he recognizes that scattered within those long stretches were pockets of joy, joy that did not spring from external success or favourable circumstances, but from God Himself. These glimpses of grace sustained him and shaped him into the priest he is today.

He emphasized that true joy is not something we manufacture. It is not the fleeting thrill the world promises. Rather, it is the quiet, steady radiance that comes from trusting God’s presence, especially when the road is long and unclear. This trust, he said, does more than carry us, it transforms us into sources of hope and kindness for others.

To show how quickly joyful anticipation can turn into frustration, Fr. Hien recounted a recent experience with the ACYF pilgrims. Just last week, he and the young pilgrims had arrived at the airport full of excitement, ready for their flight to Melbourne. Spirits were high, until the announcement came: the flight had been cancelled. What followed was nearly ten hours of waiting, shuffling queues, repeated changes, fatigue, and disappointed expectations. They eventually boarded the last available flight and landed in Melbourne at 11:00 pm, far later than planned. The pilgrims stepped off the plane not with the lightness of anticipation but with the weight of exhaustion. It was a small but very human experience of how waiting can test patience, resilience, and joy.

Yet even here, he offered a deeper reflection. Citing Simone Weil’s profound words: “Waiting in expectation is the foundation of the spiritual life”, Fr. Hien invited everyone to pause and ask: Do I allow myself to receive joy, or am I too busy to notice God’s small gifts? Waiting, he reminded us, is not empty time. It is a place where God speaks softly. But we must be attentive to hear Him.

He then drew upon the teaching of Pope Benedict XVI, quoting his well-loved line: "Being Christian is not the result of an ethical choice or a lofty idea, but the encounter with an event, a person (Christ), which gives life a new horizon and a decisive direction."  This encounter requires openness. It asks: Am I willing to let God change my fixed ideas and surprise me again? Advent, after all, is a season of holy surprise, where God arrives in ways we least expect.

But the most powerful moment of the evening came when Fr. Hien turned to the extraordinary witness of Cardinal Francis Xavier Nguyễn Văn Thuận who was arrested in 1975 after the fall of Saigon. The Cardinal spent 13 years in communist prisons, nine of those in solitary confinement. These were years of extreme hardship and deprivation. Yet they became, for him, a school of hope.

Instead of despairing, Cardinal Văn Thuận believed that even in prison, God was at work. He wrote The Road of Hope, a collection of 1,001 spiritual reflections, on scraps of paper that were secretly smuggled out to encourage his flock. He crafted a small crucifix from bits of wood and wire. He celebrated Mass in secret, using drops of wine and tiny crumbs of bread. His confinement, which should have suffocated his spirit, instead became a place of profound communion with Christ.

Quoting the Cardinal’s striking words: “In my darkest nights, I discovered the joy of belonging to God alone”, Fr. Hien invited each of us to reflect: How can I fill the present moment with love, even when life is difficult?  Joyful waiting, he concluded, is possible even in the darkest places because joy flows not from circumstances but from hope in Christ.

Fr. Hien closed the evening by returning to his own ministry. In his work at Our Lady of Dolours, Chatswood, especially in welcoming pilgrims from within and beyond the Broken Bay Diocese, he experiences a joy that he describes as “inexpressible and truly remarkable.” His journeys with young people, his recent pilgrimages with diocesan school leaders, and the many encounters he has in daily parish life continue to teach him that joy is found in giving oneself fully to God’s call.

With this, he encouraged everyone to embrace St. Paul’s invitation during this Advent season: “Rejoice in the Lord always.” Even in waiting. Even in uncertainty. Because God is near.

The night concluded just as richly as it began, with a warm cuppa, lively conversations, and a deep sense of shared hope. Those who attended left feeling uplifted, grateful, and ready to enter the remaining days of Advent with renewed joy.

Truly, it was a night that filled our parish community with the quiet, steady light of Christ, the joy that comes from waiting with faith.