主要的愛，你放到哪？Where Have You Laid the Love Requested by the Lord?

主要的愛，你放到哪？（路21:1-4）

耶穌在聖殿銀庫讚賞窮寡婦的事蹟，讀來有點懸疑。耶穌真的在稱讚那位窮寡婦呢？還是借窮寡婦來批評其他人呢？
首先，聖殿銀庫裡放著的「獻儀」，除了維持聖殿的運作、維修和司祭的生活費用之外，還包括了窮人的照顧。例如【路加福音】第二章提到的另一位寡婦，女先知亞納（路2:36-38），聖殿供養了她不少於六十年！

其次，這些「獻儀」都是自願的，不是強制的，強制的是「殿稅」。即是說，除了必須的、指定的祭獻之外，眾人都可以量力而為，自願地為聖殿或為窮人作出奉獻，如金錢、屋契等。沒有人會知道你的意向是為窮人還是為聖殿，你已把「獻儀」的使用，全權交給了管理聖殿的司祭了。窮寡婦所奉獻的，與其他人一樣，都是「作為給天主的獻儀」（21:4b）。

因此，耶穌基督已鎖定了奉獻的意向，就是對天主的愛。對比便十分鮮明了，就是「多餘的」（21:4a）與「不足的，她所有的，一切生活費」（21:4c）。
【瑪竇】與【馬爾谷】，把「最大誡命的挑戰」放到耶穌基督在聖殿施教的環節（瑪22:34-40; 谷12:28-34），停留在理智和辯論的層面上，但【路加】怎會放過這個深化「最大誡命」的機會哩！既然眾人都知道：「你應當全心、全靈、全力、全意愛上主，你的天主」（路10:27），那為甚麼你們祇奉獻上「多餘的」呢？哦！主耶穌，對不起，你誤會了，我沒有這樣大的本事，我祇是為了幫助窮人而已，並不是為聖殿、為天主。慈悲的主耶穌便說：「那麼，你為甚麼祇拿『多餘的』來愛自己呢？主要的愛，主所要求你付出的愛，你放到哪？」

主啊！可憐我這個糊塗蟲罷！我竟然不辨輕重、本末倒置、迷失在世俗事務、個人榮辱之中。請伸出援手，速來救助我。亞孟！

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Where Have You Laid the Love Requested by the Lord? (Luke 21:1-4)

Jesus’ praise of the poor widow at the Temple treasury poses a puzzle in the readers’ mind. Did Jesus genuinely praise the poor widow? Or did He make use of the poor widow to criticize somebody else?
Firstly, besides providing the livelihood for priests, the Temple treasury kept offerings for the running of the Temple, its maintenance and helping the poor. For example, the Temple had supported another widow Anna, the prophetess for at least six decades (Luke 2:36-38)!

Secondly, those offerings were voluntary. Temple taxes were compulsory. That is to say, besides offering compulsory sacrifices, people could offer voluntarily according to their means for the Temple or for the poor, such as money and title deeds etc. Nobody would know the intentions of your offerings. You have surrendered the right to possess/utilize totally to the priests who managed the Temple. What the poor widow offered was the same as any other people. It is “unto the offerings of God” (21:4b). Therefore, Jesus Christ has locked in their intentions to show their love to God. The contrast is sharp. It is between “their surplus wealth” (21:4a) and “her poverty, her whole livelihood” (21:4c)!

Matthew and Mark put the challenge of the greatest commandment along with Jesus’ teachings in the Temple (Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34). They remain in the rational level. How would Luke let go of this opportunity to deepen the meaning of the greatest commandment! Since everybody knows, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27), then why do you offer your surplus only and not all? Sorry, Lord Jesus. You have misunderstood me. I don’t have such great capabilities. I offer to help the poor only, not for the Temple or for the love of God. Then the merciful Lord would ask, “Why do you love yourselves with spares only? Where have you laid the love the Lord requests?”

Dear Lord! Have mercy on this stupid me! I prioritize wrongly and lose myself in secular matters and personal vainglory. Make haste to save me! Amen!
生命恩泉
Picture Credit: dominicans.ie