The encounter with Christ "changes every perspective, it is a radical force"
Taipei (AsiaNews) - All the problems that used to affect him "came to a fundamental turning point with Jesus. He gave us light, and changed every perspective," said Prof Wang (王 年 燦 教授), who has taught digital animation for the past 23 years at the National Taiwan University of Arts) as he spoke about the changes conversion brought to his life.
"I was baptised in 2008 by Father John Jao (饒志成 神父)," he said, "whilst my wife joined the Church in 2009, at the Holy Family Parish in Taipei."
Prof Wang's life was not easy. "I had attended Catholic kindergarten with nuns; it was close to my house and it was free. At that time, most people and families were poor. I studied and worked hard to get a good education and a solid technical training."
"Perhaps the greatest risk I took was going to England. I had a young son and my wife and I went out on a limb. All three of us left and I did a PhD in computer-assisted design in the UK.
"The doctorate made me pioneer of digital animation in Taiwan. It was a great choice, but it was not easy at that time. We were living in a friend's house, and I got confirmation that I had won a scholarship only after we got there. "
After the doctorate, "I got back in touch with Catholics. A dear friend from Taipei was a nature enthusiast, as well as a Christian and an oncologist, someone who had turned his profession into a mission. He was my example."
"Through him and other friends, I met Jesus," Wang said. "Through my friend's passion and Fr Jao's personal commitment to follow those who approached the catechism, my wife and I joined the Holy Family parish group in Taipei in 2006. I did the catechism and preparation for two years and then I was baptised."
Joining the Christian faith changed everything. "At that time, I had two children in Canada who were in secondary school. Now they have completed college. There was economic pressure to pay for my children's education. Each problem got bigger but, with faith in Jesus, we felt a fundamental shift. He gave us light, and changed every perspective for us."
Even at work, things changed. "I used to work on first generation digital animation. Now my students have all started companies of their own in digital animation, video games, and urban designs. A couple even have a company connected to the aerospace industry."
"I was in charge of Siggraph Asia (the leading world conference of digital animation) until 2005. Now I work with my team on other major events. But beyond all the successes, ours or those of our students, the most important thing is the human values we believe in and for which we live."
Faith in Jesus, he said, "helped me in my family and professional life. Now my work is concentrated on fundraising for the Catholic Church and the charitable foundations linked to it. My wife and I feel incredible strength. She pushes me more and more to work for the mission of the Church."
Things have changed even with students. "Now that I am Catholic, they feel that this gives a special flavour to my relationship with them. Other friends say that faith has changed me for the better and allows me to listen to other people's problems. What I am going through with my family and the Catholic community, I am also going through professionally at the university.
"From my point of view, passing on values is the most important thing. Often, young artists are confused; they need reference points. We came to understand that the values proposed by Jesus and the Church are very attractive."
"As for the Christian community to which I belong, it has helped me work with others and feel their encouragement. Sharing a mission is something that gives everyone strength. Likewise, the spirit of fund raising for important projects means giving everyone the opportunity to be leaders in a shared mission."
Finally, this Lent, "I pray for my family and everyone, especially for my students in difficulty, so that they can receive the power of the spirit of Jesus."
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