On August 23, the Manila hostage crisis has triggered the people in Hong Kong into another collective memory of "shared emotion and experience". The valiant behavior of Mr. Leung Kam Wing, Ken has inspired many people to tears.

At that time, I was attending a priests' gathering in Switzerland and some participants from the Philippines have also expressed their deep regret and sadness.

We all know that no matter what the intention was, the act of taking hostages is a selfish deed. Furthermore, the killing of innocent people is a shameful act. However, only God can judge whether the accused was right or wrong at that time.

Many people might ask: Why would God allow these things to happen?

Perhaps, the voice of Jesus crying out on the cross could give us an answer, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”

The absolute love of Jesus shows that not only does he love those who deserved to be loved but his love extends to those who sentenced him to death. Even the Roman soldiers who crucified him are included. He substitutes himself into each person, particularly those who do not know how to love. There is no doubt that Jesus would feel extremely sad for individuals such as Judas who committed suicide and Pilate who betrayed the truth.

Similarly, Jesus loves the eight Hong Kong victims and “shares the emotion and experience”. But he also treats the police officer in the same way yet carrying a feeling of infinite regret and sadness.

The entire event does not involve any inter-ethnic hatred, but rather an unfortunate incident in the world. It is not necessary to describe in length here as full details have already been covered by the media.

Can God do anything about this? Certainly yes, but we need to cooperate. We need to care about people around us and we need to be more concerned about social developments. Do not look at things with the attitude of “none of my business”. When we play our part, the work of God will be reduced. Wouldn't we like God's work to be cut in half?

Last time I mentioned about a parish in Switzerland. A group of residents with no legal permits were allowed to stay despite being a legal offense. However, the court decided that the party was not guilty as the decision was based on human conscience and empathy for our brothers and sisters.

Only with gospel as the foundation of society, can humanity find a turning point.