When I help someone less fortunate than myself, who is helping whom? When I console someone, who is helping whom?

Discussing his early experiences in his Autobiography, Marcel Văn writes,

Ordinarily, I very much liked to talk to the poor and to console them even if they were not of my religion. (178)

For Little Văn, the reality of poverty broke down barriers between religions, though he later discovered many situations in which the deplorable condition of those who either were not poor or did not accept their poverty in conformity with God’s will, also crossed barriers of religion and, especially, made situations and suffering worse outside of visible membership in the Catholic Church.

He continues:

In these conversations I always had the chance to hear instructive words from their mouths which reminded me of my mother’s words on conformity to the holy and mysterious will of God. I also had the impression that only the poor can easily discover the will of God. Their words are as sincere as their hearts, that is to say, they can only say what they feel, and only know how to complain or to implore because they are suffering. God has declared the poor blessed, and I find this beatitude conforms completely to the truth and it is worthy of the hearts of the poor. (178–179)

Poverty embraced in conformity with God’s will gives simplicity as a virtue. No double-talk. No manipulation. No plans that rely on bending wills. Nothing like that. Just simplicity and conformity to God’s “mysterious” will of both happiness and sufferings, often happiness and joy only coming through the acceptance of suffering.

What’s remarkable is that someone so young (around seven years old) could discover and unpack all of this. But the secrets of heaven are given to little children! So maybe it is not surprising at all…

Little Văn also knows that if one helps someone, it is really Jesus whom one helps. From his mother, who had a profound intuition of the parable of the sheep and the goats, he has been taught to see Jesus in his neighbours, especially his neighbours in any kind of need. So if Marcel consoles a poor person, he consoles Jesus.

Now, this poses a very clear question. Children see this right away. Maybe our adults heads make it harder to see. But children can see this right away. The question is this: Does Jesus ever receive from us without giving anything in return? In fact, can we ever give to Jesus without receiving something from him first?

The answer is easy:

Nope. Never. Not at all. When it comes to Jesus, of course we have to receive first. Always.

This is why Văn – like any of us – only truly gives to someone in a situation of poverty (material, spiritual, of circumstances, of unsteadiness, and so on) by first receiving. What is there to receive? Everything! The measure of poverty is a measure in which, if accepted, God fills with wisdom. Of course, we must also give, if we indeed see Jesus. But in the end, who is helping whom? “Both” – or “each is helping each”. That’s the way Jesus wants his Church to be.