04/07/2022, 13.54
RED LANTERNS
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Fr. Wilhelm K. Müller: The boy at the feet of the Mother of the Divine Word

by Fr. Vincenzo Han Duo*

A reflection on the 60th anniversary of the priestly ordination of a spiritual father, a lover and deep connoisseur of China. A life spent teaching young seminarians. "Pray and love God with all your heart," is the advice he always gave.

Rome (AsiaNews) - If you've ever visited the Pontifical Urban College "De Propaganda Fide," an elderly German priest most likely left a deep impression on you. Familiarly known as "Mi Laoyezi" (the Old Father), he transforms what people hear as Western into Chinese, writing and speaking the language flawlessly.

If you've had the good fortune to be his student or spiritual child, you have been truly blessed, as I have been. If you have had the opportunity to develop a deeper contact with him, to listen to his experiences from the past, then you will almost certainly have been shown a little picture he holds very dear, the "Mother of the Divine Word".

It is a reproduction of a painting in the chapel of the Missionary House of the Divine Word in Germany: Mother Mary wears a diadem on her head, conveying an atmosphere of maternal goodness. In her arms the Child Jesus extends his hands, lowering his gaze. Under her long blue and white mantle, children of different colors and costumes huddle together; among them, on the right, a small Chinese boy with a pigtail can be seen.

Fr. Wilhelm K. Müller will tell you about this image of Our Lady and the relationship it has with his vocation: he will say that from the moment he entered the missionary house of Sankt Wendel (1947), where he spent his eight years of seminary formation, he, like the other minor seminarians, processed before this Madonna every evening and greeted her.

Three months after his entrance, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, the seminary held a performance of Our Lady: Fr. Müller was chosen to impersonate the little Chinese boy. He was then eleven years old! Our Lady, Mother of all children on earth, has accompanied him for 75 years. The little Chinese boy of that time appears to him today as a prophecy of his missionary life and his prayer for the Church in China and in the world. He chose this little picture to thank Our Lady who accompanied him in his formative years and in his missionary life in and for China.

In the service of culture. Nostalgia for China          

Laoyezi was born in 1936 in Germany into a working-class family. He entered the Society of the Divine Word, and during his period of study he had the good fortune to meet Chinese Cardinal Tian Gengxin of Beijing, who was visiting the seminary. This meeting stimulated his interest in China, awakening in him the desire to go there in the future.

After studying philosophy, theology and ethnology in Austria and Germany, Fr. Müller became a priest on April 7, 1962. With the encouragement of his superiors he then began to study Chinese. Shortly thereafter, his superiors sent him to the East.

Unfortunately, because of the internal political situation, he could not go to China, but to Taiwan and Japan. He then moved to the USA, where he studied and taught Chinese at the University of California/Los Angeles (UCLA), while doing pastoral work in a parish in Hollywood.

Inspired by Buddhist culture, he began to study Chinese, Japanese, Tibetan and Sanskrit literature in depth. Having understood how Buddhism became intimately immersed in Chinese culture, he wanted to explore the possibility and necessity of the union between Christianity and Chinese culture.

In 1976, after receiving his doctorate in Oriental languages at UCLA, he returned to Germany. He became a member of the Institute of Chinese Studies of the Society of the Divine Word (founded in China in 1933). He lectured on Buddhism, always with a view to dialogue between religions and Chinese culture, and in the diocese of Cologne he devoted himself with great joy to pastoral work, especially for Chinese Catholics.

In 1987, invited by the Fu Ren University Alumni Association of Beijing, Mi Laoyezi's original dream came true: he could set foot in China. As a promoter of intercultural exchange, for 10 years he lived in contact with many scholars, helping them in the publication of their works - among others an English journal of Tibetan studies.

In Beijing he taught Chinese and German students, providing pastoral service to various groups: German, French, Spanish and English, as well as Africans. It can be said that these 10 years were the dearest and most unforgettable of his life.

In 1997 Fr. Müller left China and arrived in Rome. Although already at an advanced age, he did not waste his remaining strength, rather sharing his warmth and light. Under the direction of Propaganda Fide, the Urbanianum College became a place of formation. The Urbanianum University commissioned Laoyezi to teach Confucianism. He went on to become the first and only rector of the John Paul II Asian Cultural Center, desired by the pope and organized by Card. Sepe. Counting everything, up to now he has trained more than 100 Chinese and Vietnamese priests: Fortunately, I was one of them.

Fr. Müller knows the depth of the Chinese language. The empathy behind this knowledge of Chinese culture has led him to learn more about, and be tolerant of, Chinese students. Not only with those at the Urbanianum College, but with everyone who has met him.

Worshipper of Love

In my journey of study, from being a seminarian to becoming a deacon and then to the priesthood, at every stage I received support and encouragement from Fr. Müller. He taught me to have an open mind as a key to understanding life. However, what really struck me was his veneration for the Lord, especially during the prayer of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Eucharist. Wherever you meet him, you find him praying.           

Laoyezi once said that singing was one of his favorite ways to pray, because it is the most authentic way to express our love for Jesus. It also helps to communicate between our hearts and God. So often, late at night, while the sanctuary was empty, you would find him singing his favorite songs in Latin, praising the Lord.

A listener of hearts

There is a Chinese hymn called "Listen Softly," one of Fr. Müller's favorites. At every spiritual retreat for new seminarians, he often sang it. It was like an introduction for them, teaching them about solitude in a complicated environment. If we have a peaceful heart, we can hear the voice of the Lord, and peace and contentment of heart is the best expression of the relationship between God and man.          

I was fortunate to have him for more than 10 years as my spiritual father. When I was tired, I found refuge and comfort in him: he always encouraged me to talk about my personal experience. He did not analyze mistakes or successes, nor did he make judgments, but he was always like a teacher who gave instructions and rules for the spiritual life. Many times I would listen to him with a smile as a companion of the soul.

He would listen carefully and patiently to your past, with all the difficulties, challenges and failures, but also with the joys and successes in life. Sometimes he would share his personal experience to give references and to learn from him, "Pray and love God with all your heart," was the advice he always gave.

Practicing God’s word

Laoyezi taught me that we must treat the people around us as a gift, and serve them as we would have wanted to serve Jesus. He lived in an exemplary manner, putting the teachings of the Gospel into practice in every moment of life. The proverb "teaching by example is far more important than teaching by words" is very visible in him. When new students did not speak Italian well, he would ask them to go to his room to show them how to pronounce words fluently and correctly.

When one of the formators or brothers in the community was sick, he would regularly go to the hospital to visit them. There was once a seminarian from Africa who had a very contagious disease and had to be isolated because his condition was delicate and dangerous. To encourage him, Fr. Müller would call him on the intercom, telling him to trust in God.

Last words

Laoyezi is aging and walking slowly. Last summer he had to retire to his community in Rome. As soon as he moved, he called me on the phone in a weak voice, "Han Duo, can you take me to the hospital? I fell and lost a lot of blood." By the time I reached his new residence, his fellow brothers had already taken him to the hospital, where they applied 6-7 stitches to his hand. I asked him why he had called me before members of his community. He replied, sorry, that he was like a child, and that at Urbanianum College he was used to always calling me in moments of need. Hearing this my heart trembled and I was about to cry.

Now I visit him whenever I can and we talk. He is always available for the Chinese church, the life of the Chinese priests and women religious in Rome. He says there is nothing he can do except put us in God's hands and remember us in his prayers.

I recently looked at the calendar and saw the date April 7. Those who know his life may recall that today is his 60th anniversary as a priest. With this special day, I can't help but recall the memory of the past and be moved. Above all, I would like to wish him good health and every blessing.

 

*Priest of the diocese of Mindong. He lived many years with Fr. Müller.

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