【神貧系列（VI）】
以貧窮悅樂天主（若12:24-26）
歷史上，有不少人為了堅持某些信念，竟然願意賠上自己的性命，我們尊稱他們為「烈士、殉道者」。究竟這些信念，有甚麼值得以性命來交換的價值呢？例如：「啟蒙時代」倡議的「與生俱來的人權」與「人人平等」的思想，鼓舞著在北美洲的殖民，反抗大英帝國殖民地政府不公平的苛政。美國獨立戰爭的成功，鼓舞了受君主與貴族壓榨的法國平民，喊著「自由、平等、博愛」的口號，為了這些信念戰死，推翻帝制，進入共和；整個世界開始步入「革命時代」了。看來這些信念，即使為不相信天主存在的人，的確具有值得以性命來交換的價值，更何況，這些價值並沒有否定福音的「真福精神」（瑪5:3-10），所以是值得支持，是與無神論者相遇和合作的契機。而且，在與他們合作時，基督徒更應身先士卒，樂意首先成為殉道者。
雖然我們樂意與無神論者並肩作戰，為受壓迫的人爭取應得的權利和平等的待遇。但基督徒參與俗世的社會運動時，必須跟隨福音的「真福精神」，以貧為先。即是說，當俗世的人選擇把資源投放在爭取其他的人權時，身為基督徒的我們別無選擇，必須繼續以具體的行動，照顧和服侍臨在窮人身上的耶穌基督（25:40）。
聖老楞佐，請為我們轉求，使我們也能成為悅樂天主的祭品。亞孟。
天主保祐！
Poverty Series (VI)
To Please God In Poverty (John 12:24-26)
In history, many people uphold their convictions at the expenses of their lives. We honour them with the title of “Martyr”. What values do those convictions have so that people are willing to exchange with their lives? For example, during the “Age of Enlightenment”, people advocated the ideas of “natural human rights” and “everybody is born equal”. Those ideas animated the North American colonists to rebel against the unfair exploitation of the British colonial government. The success of the American War of Independence inspired the French commoners to overthrow the oppressive monarch and aristocrats. They chanted the “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity” slogan, took up arms to overthrew the French monarchy and died for the establishment of the Republic. The whole world entered the “Age of Revolution”. Those convictions, even for people who don’t believe in the existence of God, possess values worth sacrificing their lives for. Not to mention that those values do not contradict the beatific spirit of the gospels (Matthew 5:3-10). These convictions are worth supporting and they provide an opportunity for us Christians to encounter and to cooperate with atheists. Moreover, when we work with them, Christians should enter the front line and be happy to become martyrs first.
Although we are happy to march shoulder to shoulder to fight for the equal treatments of the natural rights of the oppressed, we should follow the beatific spirit of the gospel to opt for the poor when we Catholics participate in secular social movements. That is to say, when worldly people choose to invest their resources to fight for other human rights, Christians have no choice but to continue in concrete actions to care for and serve Jesus Christ present in the poor (25:40).
As the patron saint of deacons, St. Lawrence clearly demonstrated the spirit of the Beatitudes. He defended the rights of the poor without reservation to the point of surrendering his life. Not only did he abandon wealth, fame, status, personality and knowledge, but he also offered up his life to bear witness. Just as St. Paul has taught, “I urge you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship” (Romans 12:1).
St Lawrence! Pray for us that we may become pleasing sacrifice to God. Amen.
God bless!
生命恩泉
Picture Credit: artrenewal.org
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