CHAPTER 18 - CHINA
The late fall air felt crisp and delicious as Brother Francis and Theresa drove along a Chinese highway in her minivan. Their destination was what locals call "the country." Mei Li, Theresa's cousin, was expecting them. Brother Francis’ heart pounded in his chest as they drew closer and closer to their destination during the two-hour ride. Soon he would be speaking with one of the last people to be in possession of the centuries-old Salesian documents he had been poring over in recent days, one of the last links in a long spiritual chain.
The house was simple--small and a bit crowded for five people--but warm and welcoming. A modest vegetable garden flourished behind the house due to Mei Li’s tender care. The dwelling could have used some paint but was otherwise neat and clean. Mei Li heard the car drive in and stood up from her gardening and walked along the side of the house toward the front, wiping her hands on her work apron as she went. Four young children ran out of the front door and embraced Theresa, or at least her knees and ankles, in a tangle of arms and legs.
"Children, where are your manners?" shouted Mei Li with a laugh in her voice. “Please introduce yourselves to our guest.” Starting with the oldest child, each one said his or her name and made a small bow before Brother Francis. Brother Francis bowed back with a broad grin on his face.
The monk then walked over to Mei Li and embraced her outstretched hand with both of his. "It is truly a joy to meet you. May I call you Mei Li? It’s such a beautiful name and, if I have my Mandarin right, it means ‘beautiful.’"
"Please do, Brother Francis. I have a feeling that we have been destined for this meeting for quite some time now," the attractive young woman with long black hair said with genuine warmth.
Brother Francis had a biblical picture come to his mind at that moment. He pictured the Blessed Virgin Mary greeting her aunt Elizabeth. Joy and wonder, mixed with a little fear, crackled between them when both women were pregnant unexpectedly. Mary was to give birth to Jesus, and Elizabeth was to give birth to John the Baptist. The twists and turns of God's plans never ceased to surprise the monk, and this biblical story of the visitation of Mary to Elizabeth was a good example of God’s many surprises.
The group made its way into the house. The children went off to play in another room and the three adults settled in around a small table in the living room. Mei Li had all the tea making equipment at her fingertips in this room. She turned on an electric tea kettle. A tea set created out of red clay sat on the table. A round basin about three inches high and eighteen inches in diameter was topped with a flat clay plate with holes in it. The lid had a fluted edge to keep water in and flowing down through the holes when the three small teacups sitting on top would be washed with the boiling water. A small white porcelain bowl containing dried tea leaves sat on the tea set also.
With practiced skill Mei Li began pouring boiling water over each teacup and then onto the tea leaves. When both tea and teacups had been washed in this fashion, she poured fresh boiling water onto the tea leaves and let the tea steep.
"It has only been a matter of months since you lost your husband Mei Li. I am sorry for your loss and grateful for your time," said Brother Francis gently.
"God has given me a great grace, Brother. While I certainly feel emotional pain, it is bearable enough."
Theresa sat in comfortable silence. The people she had bridged together began to discuss the ancient parchments and their travels through the centuries.
"May I ask how you came to be in possession of the private letters of St. Francis de Sales and St. Jane de Chantal?"
"I believe that question is exactly what God wants of you, and my response is what God wants of me. I do not read French so I have no clear idea as to the contents of the letters. They were given to my late husband and me by my father-in-law on my wedding day. He said that these were very precious indeed and that God had used his family line to preserve them. The letters were passed on to him by his father on his wedding day. He didn't say this specifically, but I got the impression that the letters were handed on from generation to generation around the time of an oldest child's wedding."
The Salesian monk was mesmerized. "Did your father-in-law tell you anything about the letters?"
"Only that I was to guard them and then pass them on. He said that a time would come when the letters were to be made public. He did not know the day or the hour of that time, however. Even though I don't understand the French language, I am a fairly intuitive person. Something tells me that these letters were correspondence between two deeply spiritual people who, while not married, had a bond between them that God had forged."
"Is there anyone I can speak to who knows more about the transmission of these documents?"
"My father-in-law lives nearby. He is not a very pleasant person and actually wants me to take my children to his house and work for him. I have refused to do this. I value my independence. I will take you over to his house if you like, and perhaps he will tell you something more about the materials you are so interested in."
The more Brother Francis listened, the more Mei Li’s life sounded like that of St. Jane de Chantal.