耶穌升天節講道
主題：在禮儀中，天主紀念祂的偉大事蹟，再一次親近我們。
今天正值「母親節」，趁這個機會祝福在座各位母親，身體健康，精神飽滿。祝福妳們的子女，健康成長，他日成為社會棟樑。
祝福完各位母親之後，今日我想同大家分享「過節」的意義。
「母親節」與傳統的節日不同，它並不為了紀念過去流傳下來的事蹟和習俗，例如端午節紀念忠心愛國的詩人屈原、中秋節食月餅沿自朱元璋推翻外族的統治的計謀、重陽節有桓景登高免疫的故事等。
「母親節」是一種建基於關係的節日，母子關係的節日。所謂「家家有本難唸的經」，在今天的社會，盡孝並不是一件容易的事。「母親節」正好提醒並鼓勵做子女的，尤其在今天，應關心在身邊的母親，盡孝敬母親的本份。倘若不幸母親已經離世，就應該關心那些無人照顧晚年的母親。「母親節」更提醒並鼓勵母親，不要放棄，繼續愛護照顧自己的兒女，或者失去母愛的不幸孤兒。
大家可能會想起更多建基於關係的慶祝日子，例如太太的生日，結婚紀念日等。結婚紀念日不單紀念多年前某月某日與某女子成親，更提醒你今天無論怎樣困難，亦要繼續履行結婚時許下的承諾，繼續愛你的配偶多一些。
在天主教信仰中，亦有不少節日，紀念過去的事蹟，例如聖誕節、復活節，今日的耶穌升天節和下星期的聖神降臨節等，都是紀念二千年前在巴肋斯坦發生過的事蹟。不過，為信天主的人，「紀念」不單止回憶幾千年前的事蹟那麽簡單，「紀念」一辭是有特別意思的。
例如在二千年前，天主聖子在白冷降生成人，從此天主過著人的生活，在塵世間與人來往，與人同在，展開了救贖世人的工程。今天，當我們慶祝聖誕節時，我們不祗寄聖誕咭，送聖誕禮物那麽簡單。我們不是紀念聖誕老人的生日，而是紀念天主子耶穌基督在二千年前誕生在白冷。另一方面，天主亦會記起二千年前聖子曾降生成人，與人同在。所以今天祂會臨現在因主耶穌基督之名聚集在一起的信徒團體當中，與人同在。二千年前天主與人同在。二千年後，永生的天主依然與人同在。藉著洗禮，我們與耶穌基督結合為一，耶穌生活在我內，我們亦生活在主耶穌內。我們成為了基督的使者、基督的代言人。所以，在聖誕節紀念天主子降生成人的同時，亦提醒我們要「降生」在我們的生活崗位上，活出耶穌基督的面貎，實現出天主與人同在。
所以，基督徒的節日有點像「母親節」，是建築在天人關係之上的節日。它們不單紀念當年的一些事蹟，基督徒的節日提醒我們，不要忘記天主對我們恩賜的慈愛，更重要是在我們的生活中，活出基督，把永生的天主帶給世人。
現在，讓我們重溫慶祝「耶穌升天節」的意義。
我經常在幻想，如果耶穌沒有升天，繼續留在世上是多麽好！如果我們有一個二千歲的教主，世人就不能不信天主教了。我們就毋須辛辛苦苦去傳教。有耶穌繼續留在我們身邊，我們就毋須再為教義而爭論，為教義而分裂，甚至打仗；有任何天災、地震、饑荒，耶穌可以行神蹟解決；有任何世紀絕症，耶穌可以醫治；世界各國有任何糾紛，耶穌可以出面調停。何解耶穌仍要離開我們升天而去，返回天父的身邊，等世界末日又再回來，「滕上滕落」那麽麻煩呢？
首先，我認為耶穌不能不走。倘若他不走，我們便被逼相信他，被逼愛他了。這種被逼的相信，被逼的愛，誰希罕？「彼你都唔要喇」。天主尊重人類的自由，祂不會強迫我們去信祂。天主希望我們對祂的相信，我們對祂的愛，是出於自由的，所以耶穌不得不走。
其次，耶穌升了天，就真的不再留在我們身邊嗎？在這一刻，耶穌是否臨在於我們當中呢？當然臨在喇！耶穌在【瑪竇福音】曾許諾，當我們兩三個因祂的名聚在一起時，祂就會臨現在我們中間（瑪18：20）而且，祂與我們天天在一起，直到今世的終結（瑪28：20）。所以，雖然耶穌升了天，但祂仍然與我們同在。如果耶穌不升天，祂祗停留在地球上的某一點。祂升了天，就不受時空的限制，就無處不在，處處都在了！這一刻，就臨現在我們所聽到的聖言，我們將要領受的聖體之中。耶穌以聖言，以聖體聖事，奇妙地生活在我們每個人的心中。
耶穌升天前，把傳福音的任務委派給我們，要求我們向萬邦宣講悔改，在天災人禍中繼續充滿喜樂地去愛祂，在糾紛中稱謝天主作修和的使者。
今天是互聯網的時代，是智能手機的時代。網絡覆蓋範圍甚廣，功能強大，瞬息萬變，影響深遠。很多神父、執事，甚至已榮休的教宗，已經利用FB，Twitter等平台，帶領網民信主；網上各有各式各樣的Apps，幫助信徒祈禱讀經。所以互聯網可謂兵家必爭之地，是基督徒傳福音，作見証的肥沃土地。但網絡上同時充斥不少有害的資訊與及欺凌毫無防範的用家的群組。所以，使耶穌基督臨現在互聯網世界的同時，必須多加一份審慎來行事。例如，收到一些看似基督信仰的電郵時，最忌不假思索將電郵轉寄各方友好。加上了你的名字，電郵的可信度提高了。結果，網絡上充塞不少垃圾連鎖信，與求救或保衛人權的呼籲，真假難辨。所以，在使用智能手機時，不可不慎。在「耶穌升天節」，買份「公教報」，讀一讀今期的社論，想一想如何使互聯網更基督化。天主保祐！
Homily on the Feast of Ascension
Theme: In liturgy, God remembers His wonders and comes close to us once more.
On this occasion of Mother’s Day, may I wish all you mothers good health and spirited. May I also wish your children a healthy development so that they will be pillars of the society in the future.
After blessing the mothers, I would like to share with all of you the meaning of “celebrating a festival”.
Mother’s Day is different from traditional festivals. It does not remember past events or customs. For example, Dragon Boat Festival remembers a patriotic poet , Qu Yuan屈原; we eat moon cakes at Mid-Autumn Festival to remember how Zhu Yuan Zhang朱元璋 overthrew the Mongolian Dynasty and at Double Ninth Festival, we remember Huan Jing 桓景who avoided a plague by climbing up high hills etc.
Mother’s Day is a festival based on relations, on mother-child relations. “Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Nowadays, it is not easy to fulfill filial piety towards mothers. Mother’s Day is thus a good opportunity to remind and encourage children to show their mothers love and care, especially today. If unluckily, your mother has already passed away, then care about other mothers who have nobody to take care of them in their old age. Mother’s Day also reminds and encourages mothers not to give up taking care of their children and even those unlucky orphans who are deprived of motherly love.
Perhaps you can think of many more celebratory days such as the birthday of your spouse and the marriage anniversary etc. Marriage anniversary does not simply remember that one day many years ago, you married somebody. It reminds you that no matter how difficult life is, you should continue to honour your marital vow, continue to love your spouse more.
Similarly, Christianity celebrates many feasts to remember events in the past, e.g. Christmas, Easter, Ascension today and Pentecost next Sunday. These feasts celebrate significant events which took place some 2000 years ago in Palestine. But for believers in God, “to remember” is not simply to recall some events in the past. The term carries a special meaning.
For example, some 2000 year ago, the Son of God incarnated and was born in Bethlehem. From then on, God led a human life, walked among men and lived with them in order to carry out His redemption project. Today, when we celebrate Christmas, we do not simply send Christmas cards, give Christmas presents. We do not celebrate the birthday of Santa Claus. Instead, we celebrate the birth of the Son of God, Jesus Christ in Bethlehem two millennia ago. On the other hand, God also remembers His Son incarnated 2000 years ago, to be with men. So, today, He will be present in the community which is gathered in the name of Jesus Christ, to stay with them. 2000 years ago, God was with men. Today, the ever living God still stays with men. Through baptism, we are united with Jesus Christ. Jesus lives in me and we live in Jesus. We become ambassadors of Christ, the spokespersons of Christ. So, while we celebrate the incarnation of the Son of God at Christmas which also reminds us to incarnate in our daily life, to reveal the face of Christ to men and to actualize God’s presence among men.
Therefore, Christian festivals are similar to Mother’s Day in that they are festivals built upon the relation between God and men. They do not only commemorate some past events, but they also remind us of God’s love for us. More importantly, they help us live out Christ and to bring the everlasting life of God to men.
Now, let’s reflect once more on why we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus.
I always fantasize what if Jesus had not ascended into heavens. How nice life would have been if Jesus had continued to stay with us. The Catholic Church would have a founder of more than 2000 years old! People on earth would naturally join the Catholic Church. We would not have to work so hard to evangelize. If Jesus had continued to stay with us, there would not have been doctrinal controversies, schisms and even wars. If there were any disasters, earthquakes and famines, Jesus would work miracles to relieve us. If there were any plagues and pandemics, Jesus would heal. If there were any disputes between countries, Jesus would settle them. Why then did Jesus still leave us and ascend into heavens, return to His heavenly Father, only to come back at the end of the world? Why took the trouble to travel up and down?
First of all, I think Jesus could not afford NOT to leave. If he stayed, we would be forced to believe in him, to love him. Who wants this kind of coerced belief and forced love? God respects our freedom. He will not force us to believe in him. God wants us to believe in Him, to love Him out of our free will. Therefore, Jesus must leave.
Furthermore, does Jesus really leave us behind when he ascends into heavens? At this very moment, is Jesus present among us? Of course! Jesus promises us that where two or three are gathered in his name, he is there in their midst (Matthew 18:20). Moreover, he is with us always to the close of the age (Matthew 28:20). Therefore, although he has ascended into heavens, he is still with us. Had Jesus not ascended into heavens, he would only have existed at a particular point on earth. Now that he has ascended into heavens, he is no longer confined within time and space. Nowhere does he not exist. He is everywhere. At this moment, he is present in the Word we hear. He is present in the Holy Communion we will receive. Therefore, through the Word and the sacrament of Eucharist, Jesus lives miraculously in the heart of each and every one of us.
Before he ascended into heavens, Jesus commissioned us to preach repentance to all nations, to love him joyfully in all natural and human disasters, to become joyful ambassadors of reconciliation in disputes.
Today is the age of the Internet, the age of smart phones. The Net is extensive, powerful, transient rapidly and influential globally. Many priests, deacons and even our Pope Emeritus have made use of the platform of FB and Twitter etc. to evangelize. There are all sorts of Apps to help us read the Bible and pray. Therefore, the Internet is a strategic field to fight battle, a fertile ground for Christians to evangelize and to bear witness. At the same time, there are a lot of harmful information and social networks that bully gullible users of the Internet. Therefore, we must be cautious while making Christ present in the virtual world of the Internet. For example, when we receive some seemingly Christian emails, don’t forward them without a thought to your contacts. Stamped with your names, these emails would gain more credibility. Consequently, the Internet will be flooded with many junky chain letters, making it difficult to tell them from genuine distress calls or human right appeals. So, we must be careful in using our smart phones. On this Feast of Ascension, buy a copy of Kung Kao Pao today, read its editorial and think about how to Christianize the Internet.
God bless.
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