Feast of Holy Martyrs and Blessed of China
Theme: All People Are Called To Martyrdom眾人皆蒙召作見證
In the past few weeks, we have heard of Jesus’ sending the Apostles to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven. What Jesus says to the Apostles also applies to us. We have the duty to proclaim the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven as well. It is because when we were baptized, we partake in the threefold ministry of Jesus the Son of God, namely the ministry as a king to serve, as a priest to offer prayers and sacrifices and lastly as a prophet, a spokesman for God, to proclaim God’s will. Therefore we are also apostles and ambassadors sent forth by Jesus Christ to proclaim the gospel of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:20).
Jesus continues to warn us beforehand that evangelization is a challenging mission. Don’t ever think that when God sends you as an ambassador on a mission and therefore life should be as easy as a piece of cake. On the contrary, life with a mission is demanding. It is because God the Father respects our autonomy. He will never impose His good will on us. People are free to accept or to reject their own salvation. Therefore, we should expect to meet oppositions, to stumble upon obstacles and rejections. Don’t lose heart! Our work will never be done in vain. Jesus says, “Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven”(Matthew 5:12a).
Last week Jesus mentions our rewards in an indirect manner. He told us that if people accept our witnesses, they would receive reward according to the capacity in which they receive us. When we were baptized, we vowed to reject Satan to lead a holy and righteous life. Therefore, if people accept our proclamation because we are righteous people to them, then they would receive a righteous person’s reward. As I have mentioned earlier, when we were baptized, we become a spokesman of God. So if people accept our proclamation because we are prophets, then they would receive a prophet’s reward (10:41). Assuming that you were not baptized as an infant but went through catechetical instructions for eighteen months before baptism. Then have you not received a righteous person’s reward and a prophet’s reward in the first place so that you decided to attend catechumen classes? Therefore, when we bear witness to the coming of the Kingdom of Heaven, we are handing out salvation to people. Of course they have the autonomy to accept or to reject. If they accept, they receive a disciple’s reward, which is Jesus Christ Himself (10:42)!
Jesus Christ is the Son of God and is eternal. Therefore, the truth He teaches us is universal and eternal. It applies everywhere and in every age. The Beatitudes are a summary of His teachings and we call them the Magna Carta of the Kingdom of Heaven. They apply everywhere and in every age. Don’t ever say that Jesus taught them two thousand years ago in an agricultural society and therefore they have become irrelevant today in post-industrial and post informational societies like Hong Kong nowadays. Wrong. Not only are the Beatitudes still relevant today but practising them in a commercial society is also becoming more challenging!
It is more challenging because how can we live in poverty when there are so many opportunities nowadays to make money easily? Who wants to mourn when life is so stressful everyday? We prefer watching comedies to watching tragedies, drinking red wine to drinking herbal medicine. Who wants to be meek and be pushed around when being assertive makes you a successful person and helps you climb up the social ladder easily? Who wants to spend time and energy to uphold righteousness when you insist on righteousness, you will earn less and most likely will lose your business? Who wants to be merciful to rivals in a cut-throat society where all interactions are zero-sum games and where there can only be one winner? Which project manager in his right mind do not have plan A, plan B and plan C etc. up his sleeves to lead his team-members? When making peace will lose money, who will not bad-mouth, gossip, smear, stab the back of their competitors and stir up troubles etc.? When we uphold righteousness and advocate for the needs of the exploited, we will be fighting against powerful kingpins and even corrupt government officials. Doing so would cost you your lives. Who wants to die and lose everything? Nobody in his right mind will do this.
Brethren! Let’s examine carefully what the Beatitudes are. They are not moral precepts with airtight logics such as utilitarianism. No. We cannot explain the merits of the Beatitudes in terms of cost-benefit analysis. Not only can we not lead a beatific life with our intellect alone, but we also cannot lead such a life with a strong faith alone too. Instead, we need a strong enough love of God and a love of neighbour in order to lead a beatific life. How can we explain the motives of martyrs who are willing to bear witness to their noble causes with their lives, if not for a love of God or a love of their compatriots?
Why are Christians willing to lead a life of poverty? Sustainability is insufficient to explain such a life style. Instead, it is a love of one’s neighbour because by giving up our wealth, we enrich the lives of the needy.
Why are Christians mournful instead of being cheerful? It is because of their loving care of the well-being of the souls of their neighbour! God does not want to see the wicked die. Instead, He wants to see them repent (Ezekiel 18:32). So Christians do not hide behind merriments. Instead, we mourn for the sufferings of our neighbour from evils.
Similarly, we remain meek and gentle when people push us around because St. Paul reminds us that fighting back will only escalate mutual destruction (Galatians 5:15). God says, “Vengeance is mine” (Romans 12:19, Isaiah 63:4). We do not play God. We follow Jesus’ instructions not to resist evil and turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39).
Nowadays, few people care about eternal life but we Christians care. Therefore, we hunger and thirst for the salvation of souls. In Old Testament jargon, God’s righteousness is salvation and He shows righteousness when He delivers us from evil. So on top of earning a livelihood, our priority is the salvation of souls, the righteousness of God.
Nowadays, a culture of complaints pervades the society. People do not forgive and do not give people a second chance. But our God is patient and wants to build us up. Therefore, for the love of our God and His creatures, we too should be merciful. As disciples of Jesus Christ, we should give people seventy times seven chances (18:22).
A Chinese aphorism goes thus, “To calculate is human and to accomplish is divine 謀事在人，成事在天”It captures very well the essence of Christianity: God’s will be done, not ours! Thus, Christians set sight on doing God’s will and it is not necessary to draw up any other insurance plans.
As ambassadors of reconciliation of Jesus Christ, all of us are peacemakers to reconcile sinners with each other and with God. We will become unpopular and handy scapegoats. We will be overwhelmed by fear but John the apostle assures us, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet perfect in love” (1 John 4:18)
Lastly, brethren! With a perfect love of God and our compatriots, let us be ready to lay down our lives to uphold God’s righteousness and become heroic martyrs. God bless!
2017 Reflection
Picture Credit: infoans.org
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