Feast of Vietnamese Martyrs

When the boss summoned me to his office to tell me the SMC decisions, I was troubled by my own peacefulness. There was no anger, nor disappointment. The decisions came out as expected. There was no exchanges of sharp words. The conversation lasted for less than 10 minutes and I left the boss' office. I was troubled because I worried that I had been too successful in suppressing my true feelings.

Of course I know that I am guilty of not following the proper procedure to ask for permission before I used English to teach E&RE. Of course I know that my boss would not adequately represent my views in the SMC. He said that there were too many documents on the table for the managers to handle. Of course I know that managers are unable to understand the situation because they do not enter the classrooms. They do not know me, nor my students. (With the exception of the PTA manager, whose child I am teaching.) But such a trivial matter should never have been brought up in the SMC in the first place. Next time, if a teacher teaches, say Physics, in Chinese, would my boss bring up the matter to the SMC?  I doubt it very much. Then, why should I receive such a special treatment?

What are my true feelings?
I feel sorry for my boss. His chair is too big for him.
I feel sorry for my students. They will be deprived of a chance to stretch their potentials to greater heights.
I feel grateful to Adrian. He has been very supportive and borne most of the brunt of the boss' fury for me.
I myself feel unfulfilled. But I should not be selfish and pay attention to the wider range of learning abilities of my students. Though the NSS Form 5 looks equivalent to the Form Six of the old system, they are not quite the same. While the Form Six students are the cream, the selected few and the elites, the Form 5 students have not gone through the first round of selction. Some of them are weaker and may have difficulty in learn their lessons in English. If I do not adjust my teaching strategies, I am being irresponsible.
When the worst comes to the worst, I have to give up teaching E&RE in Chinese next year. It is unfair to demand an English teacher to teach a subject in Chinese. But I am unable to handle 3 classes of English. It is impossible for me to mark all their exercise books. Shall I quit?

Of course I know that I am not a martyr. I still have a family to feed.
Of course I know that life is not a smooth sail. A project is rarely accomplished without first overcoming obstacles. People say when God closes a door in my face, He will open another window for me.
Great and wonderful are thy deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are thy ways, O King of the ages! (Revelation 15:3)

Dear Lord, I think I know how you felt when people rejected Your good will. You are my true hope. Show me the path and guide my steps on it. Amen.

The 5 defects of Jesus

Late on Friday evening, I read the S.5 E&RE survey results sent by Adrian. I was very depressed because of the findings.
For me, the whole matter has been a humiliation. Why do I deserve to undergo such a persecution? Am I guilty of teaching English in Cantonese in Shung Tak? No! It is all because I have bypassed the Department to teach my S5 E&RE lessons in English in an English College! Have the school received any complaints from parents or students for my teaching E&RE in English? No! Of course, we should be proactive!
The school has been teaching S6 and S7 E&RE in English for years. Now, can I take these NSS S5 students as S6 students of the old system? I simply want to equip them with more English vocabulary and moral reasoning in group interviews. Am I not proactive?

Knowing that he is unable to persuade me to change my mind, he asked the Supervisor to deal with me. I obeyed the Supervisor's instruction and is willing to conduct a survey to gauge students' opinions, to find out if they have any difficulty in learning the lessons in English. To keep my neutrality, I washed my hands and asked the Department to do the survey. I don't want to meddle with the outcomes. However, my boss kept pressing Adrian and demanded that he met the deadline so that the results would be tabled for SMC discussion.

I have no intention to change the language policy of the school. Before the introduction of the 2000  HKCEE RS syllabus, Shung Tak taught RS in English and sat for public exam in English because she is an EMI school. With the introduction of the 2000 syllabus, the school feared that our students would be put in a disadvantage to compete with other elite schools in answering questions of personal and social issues in English. Mrs. Poon, the principal at that time, made a fatal mistake in switching the MOI of RS to Chinese, hoping to secure a good public exam RS result. Consequently, I, a Catholic English teacher, have to teach RS in Chinese! The outcome was unsatisfactory. For the past ten years, the passing rates are below 50% except for 2 or at most three years. Of course, the causes are complex.

As E&RE is not an exam subject. Therefore, I just request a little flexibility in the implementation of the MOI decision made in the SMC. But to rub salts in my wounds, I have to write up the questions in the survey. I feel like erecting my own crucifix to crucify myself. I feel stripped naked to be inspected by two hundred students. My teaching performance is to go under the microscope. Perhaps this is a sign of the time. Since professors in the universities are evaluated by the undergrads. Why not secondary school teachers?

I wrote up 15 questions plus an open-end one: "Other suggestions". However, the boss was not satisfied and insisted on adding question#16. He changed the open-end question into three open-end questions which betrayed the motive of the whole survey. I am afraid the whole survey is invalidated. Boss, why do you drive yet another nail in my coffin?
I was depressed because of the indifference shown in results. Nearly half of the responses to each question is "neutral". The agree's and disagree's split half-half of the remaining half.

I have attended three masses to console myself. In the anticipatory mass at the Holy Cross Parish to celebrate the Election of Permanent Deacon Candidates, Fr. Dominic Chan, V.G. was the chief celebrant. When he talked about the kingship of Jesus on the cross, he highlighted humility. Permanent Deacons should therefore exemplify the humility of Christ in front of the people they serve. Like Jesus, I should suffer injustice quietly and humbly.

This morning, I attended the 10:30 a.m. Sunday Mass at Ss. Peter and Paul Parish to celebrate the first vow of Sr. Mother of Good Counsel Cheung, a Shung Tak past student. Fr. Jorge Montagna, VE, was the chief celebrant. He emphasized the love of Jesus for humanity on the cross. In return for this love, Mr and Mrs. Cheung gave their daughter to Christ the King to build the Kingdom of God on earth and Sr. Mother of Good Counsel Cheung dedicated her whole life to the love of Christ the King. Hearing her vow in the ceremony, I could not hold back my tears. Lord, I have not loved You enough.

At 4 in the afternoon, Fr. Pierre Lam Minh, MEP, V.G., came to celebrate the Feast Day of our parish. In this mass, we also celebrated the Diamond Jubilee of Fr. Lejeune, MEP; Golden Jubilee of Fr. Vincent Corbelli, MM and Sr. Michelle, MM; and thirtieth anniversary of Fr. Milanese, PIME. Other priests were also invited to co-celebrate. On the stage, most of the priests are missionaries and are aging. Fr. Martin is the only young, local priest.
Fr. Pierre made this observation and shared with us his response to priestly vocation. He came from a Chinese community in Vietnam and Fr. Lejeune had been a missionary priest in his parish. Young Pierre wondered whether all priests should be expatriates. Therefore, he made up his mind to become a missionary priest himself. Now, he is the Superior of MEP in Hong Kong, heading Fr. Lejeune! Fr. Pierre exhorted the congregation to pray for priestly vocation as well as considering more attentively their own vocation.
Then he turned to the life of the famous Cardinal Nguyen Van Thuan who had been imprisoned after the fall of Saigon by Vietnamese Communists for 13 years, 9 of which were solitary confinement. In 2000, while he was still an Archbishop, he preached a course of spiritual exercises to Pope John Paul II and the Roman Curia. Later, his talks were compiled and published as "Testimony of Hope". Fr. Pierre told the congregation one section of Chapter 2, "The defects of Jesus".

Cardinal Van Thuan developed this paradox beautifully. He said that he had left everything to follow Jesus because he loved the defects of Jesus (pp, 16-17).

1. Jesus has a terrible memory. Like the reading from today, he forgot the one crucified on the right was a thief. He promised the thief paradise on that day.
   Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise (Luke 23:43).
2. Jesus doesn't know math. He equated 99 to 1. He left 99 sheep behind to go after just 1.
   What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? (Luke 15:4).
3. Jesus knows no logic. A woman can trouble and call together all her neighbours and friends just to announce to them that she has just found her lost coin.
   And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, `Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.' (Luke 15:9).
   The Beatitudes and many other teachings are full of paradoxes (Matthew 5:3-12).
4. Jesus is a risk-taker. He promises that people who follow him will receive 100 times more persecutions and an intangible eternal life.
   ... receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come eternal life. (Mark 10:30).
5. Lastly, Jesus doesn't understand finances or economics. He gave the same amount of wage to workers who have worked for different number of hours (Matthew 20:1-11).

We are able to find faults with Jesus only from the point of view of human logic.
Therefore, as a disciple of Jesus, I should follow his examples to have a poor memory, to forget what my boss has wronged me. I can do this in my head. But I am afraid I still cannot do this in my heart.
As a follower of Jesus, I should also know no math. I should not be calculating, should not count the costs. If it is a right thing to do, do it whatever the costs. Jesus is God and has infinite resources and love. Of course he does not need to count the costs. But I am all too human. My remaining days are numbered. I have to be selective in my choices. My only chance is to get connected to Jesus to channel his resources onto me ...

Dear Lord, Your defects have cheered me up. Please engrave Your defects in me so that I will be depressed no more. Amen.

A Wise Man makes good use of things

Xun Zi 荀子, a Confucian philosopher, was born in 313 B.C. Countering the view of Mencius 孟子, another Confucian philosopher, that man is born good, Xun Zi taught that human nature is evil and men need education to bring them back to the path of righteousness. He left us 20 essays, the first of which exhorts men to learn 【勸學】. In this essay, I found the Zacchaeus of Luke. Let me quote it.
吾嘗終日而思矣，不如須臾之所學也。吾嘗跂而望矣，不如登高之博見也。登高而招，臂非加長也，而見者遠；順風而呼，聲非加疾也，而聞者彰。假輿馬者，非利足也，而致千里；假舟檝者，非能水也，而絕江河。君子生非異也，善假於物也。
Once I meditated all day. It was not as good as a moment's study. I stood on my heels to look into the distance. I did not see as much as I do from on high.  From on high I wave. My arm is not lengthened but people can see from afar. I shout in the leeward direction. The sound is not amplified but hearers will perceive it clearly. Riding a horse, my legs are not quickened but I cover thousands of miles. Sailing on boats, I am not able to swim but I ferry the rivers. A wise man is born no different from the others. He only makes better use of things.

Nowadays, new technology provides us with much convenience and extends much of our capabilities. We have machines that lift tonnes of iron, aeroplanes that fly in the air, telephones that enable people at great distances to talk with each other and computers that manipulate data in lightning speed. Homo Sapiens are truly sapient. They invent tools to amplify their muscular as well as intellectual strengths.

The story of Zacchaeus is enlightening. According to Luke, he was a chief tax-collector of Jericho. His stature was short. When Jesus came to Jericho, he attracted a huge crowd. In order to take a look at this legendary Jesus, Zacchaeus climbed up a sycamore tree (Luke 19:4). This was the first time Zacchaeus showed his wisdom in making use of things to his advantage. Back to his house, when he was dining with Jesus, he declared that he would give half of his goods to the poor and whomsoever was cheated by him before, he would restore 4 times (Luke 19:8). With this generous gesture, he earned the blessing of Jesus.
And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation has come to this house." (Luke 19:9a)
Zacchaeus made good use of his money to earn eternal life! Once more, he showed wisdom.

I love the story of Zacchaeus because I am short in stature too. I always admire his wisdom. Most important of all, Zacchaeus shows me that in finding Jesus, we find our true identity.
He was a public sinner because of his job. He was rejected by all the Jews, his countrymen. Would his loyalty to the Romans bring him any advantages? I doubt very much. The Romans made use of him to collect tax and supplied him with just enough protection to do his job. Of course he could purchase a Roman citizenship. However, it would only be a second class citizenship and he still could not walk tall.
Jesus dined with him but it was an unplanned supper. Zacchaeus did not expect Jesus to notice him. So, when Jesus called out his name (Luke 19:5) and expressed his wish to stay in his house, Zacchaeus was overjoyed, so much so that he gave up half of his property and promised Jesus to repay fourfold whomsoever he had cheated. He must have been out of his mind! Yet, he attained his salvation and identity: a son of Abraham (Luke 19:9b).

Making good use of things is wise. But I think it is even wiser to make good use of men. Mrs. Mary Poon, my ex-boss, was a retired civil servant before becoming our principal. One of her administrative strengths was to hook the potential of her subordinates. She made use of her apparent weaknesses in Maths and Science to mobilize the senior teachers to work for her. She empowered them and held them responsible.
Her successor was burdened with a PhD title. While teachers in other schools meet many times to write up the School Self-Evaluation Report for External School Review, teachers in Shung Tak  were spared the agony because the Report was penned by one man, our PhD ex-boss. In every subject area, he wanted to command respect. In so doing, he alienated most of the teachers and nobody wanted to put in any effort for the school. Let him handle it since he is a PhD. He left three years ago ignobly.
So be it that not making good use of people and things can be detrimental to one's career.

Dear Lord, You are our Good Shepherd. You call out our names one by one. Bring me back to the fold. Amen.

Salvation outside the Church

I am one day behind in reading the First Epistle of John. Still, I want to meditate more on the topic of "salvation outside the Church" in the light of 1 John.
In the 1960's, the Catholic Church went through a transformation by convoking the Second Vatican Council. Some 2500 bishops from all over the world attended to kick off this reformation. The Catholic Church had to proclaim the gospel to the modern world. She needed to enter into dialogue with the pluralistic environment in which she was living. However, she was burdened with the dogma which claims that outside the Church, there is no salvation. She needed to refashion this exclusive chain because God's salvation is meant for the whole world.
and he (Jesus) is the expiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2:2).
Jesus has opened up the possibility for all mankind to receive God's salvation. This mission is left to the Church he set up on the Pentecost. The Holy Spirit is to accompany her to accomplish this mission.

When John wrote his epistles, there was no hierarchical Church as it is today. There were only communities of believers. The boundary was fluid. It was through the behaviour of the individual members that decided who was in and who was out. Therefore, membership was determined by "knowing Jesus". Of course, the Jewish conception of "knowing somebody" was more than intellectual. It involved actions. "Knowing Jesus" was only a summary way to express the complexity of becoming a follower of Jesus.
And by this we may be sure that we know him, if we keep his commandments (1 John 2:3).
Therefore, keeping Jesus' commandments was the first criterion of membership. In the gospels, we are able to find the teachings and thus commandments of Jesus. Inheriting the Jewish tradition, keeping the 10 Commandments was the initial step. For example, when the rich young man wanted to follow Jesus, the first condition Jesus put forth was the 10 Commandments (Mark 10:19). When a teacher of the law challenged Jesus' knowledge of the Torah, Jesus quoted him the famous Greatest Commandment in Deuteronomy 6:4-5 and Leviticus 19:18. This is a summary of all the 613 laws in the Torah. As such, Jesus did not come to change the law, but to affirm and fulfill it. Lastly, in the Last Supper, Jesus gave a new commandment.
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another (John 13:34-35).
This new commandment is more demanding than the Torah. Previously, in the Beatitude in Matthew 5-7, Jesus had already reset a higher standard than that stipulated in the 10 Commandments. Now, near the end of his ministry on earth during the Last Supper, Jesus set an even higher standard. It is more than loving your neighbour as yourself because to be the disciples of Jesus, we have to love as Jesus has loved. To love ourselves, we love our life. But to love as Jesus has loved, we have to be ready to forsake our life for the love of our neighbour!

That was why when John wrote his epistle, he said that he was not writing them a new commandment.
but whoever keeps his word, in him truly love for God is perfected. By this we may be sure that we are in him:
he who says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.
Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment which you had from the beginning; the old commandment is the word which you have heard (1 John 2:5-7).
It was nothing new because disciples ought to follow the footsteps of Jesus, to walk in the same way in which Jesus walked, all the way from Galilee to Mount Calvary. On his way, Jesus preached the message of the Kingdom of Heaven. He reached out to the disadvantaged and the abandoned with compassion. He healed their illnesses and freed them from the demons. He challenged the rigidity of ritual observations and the abusive authority of the powerful. At last, he lay down his life to free all mankind from the bondage of sins. He taught with words and actions.

If membership is determined by how we behave, as long as we do what Jesus has told us to do, we abide in him.
In Matthew 25, Jesus has set us a "syllabus" of six actions. Salvation is attained by fulfilling these six.
Then the King will say to those at his right hand, 'Come, O blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world;
for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me,
I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' (Matthew 25:34-36)
Jesus did not require us to be baptized, He did not ask us to attend Sunday mass. He gave non-Christians all the opportunities to attain eternal life by feeding the hungry, satisfying the thirsty, welcoming the homeless, guarding the dignity of men, attending to the sick and siding with the imprisoned. These can be achieved by all, Christians and non-Christians alike. Therefore, there is no doubt about salvation outside the Church. So, what is the advantage of becoming a Christian? I will leave this for tomorrow or later.

Dear Lord, to follow Your footsteps, we have to preach the good news of the Kingdom of Heaven. May Your Holy Spirit continue to guide us and empower to fulfill our duties. Amen.

Give us some room please

Many of my colleagues were exhausted and tried hard not to fall asleep in the talk this afternoon but to no avail. Our eyes were very heavy because we had been slaved since 8:30 in the morning. Our boss wanted to occupy every single minute of ours in today's Staff Development Day. He wanted to take control over all our time. Perhaps he thought that we would not manage our time well. Only he knew best how we should spend our time.
We had two Staff Development Days within September, a particularly hectic month in the academic year. Perhaps his intention was good. He would like us to pick up all the skills in these workshops and apply them in our classes early in the academic year. He thought that the skills promoted by the speaker were useful for us. Alas! We, teachers from six schools, were forced to sit in a school hall and listen to the same man for three times, at least three hours each.
Perhaps the gentleman was capable to entertain a small group of principals, or even the middle managers of the participating schools. However, when he came to meet an audience of more than three hundred notorious students --- teachers, he was stretched beyond his capabilities. No doubt, he had prepared a lot and had his own ideals and visions. Yet, facing more than three hundred cynical students, this gentleman would feel more like being publicly tortured than sharing some tips for teaching students of mixed abilities. Each one of us has our own style. What has been practicable for him might not be practicable for us. I am not him. We don't have his charisma.

God knew the spiritual needs of the remnant. He ordered them to resume the project of rebuilding the Temple. For various reasons, all the returned Jews minded their personal business rather than working together to rebuild the Temple. For their benefits, God commanded them to put down their current work, pick up the building project.
For thus says the LORD of hosts: Once again, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land;
and I will shake all nations, so that the treasures of all nations shall come in, and I will fill this house with splendor, says the LORD of hosts.
The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, says the LORD of hosts.
The latter splendor of this house shall be greater than the former, says the LORD of hosts; and in this place I will give prosperity, says the LORD of hosts(Haggai 2:6-9)
Once again, does God need those silver and gold? Of course not. Eventually, they would belong to the Jews. Does God need the glory and splendor of the Temple? Of course not. The glory and splendor would only boost up the national identity of the Jews, stir up their patriotism.

Perhaps our boss wants to play God, trying to control over our time like God had commanded the remnant to rebuild His Temple. But he is no God and we have no time. Our boss has introduced many new procedures. We find them disruptive as well as unproductive. Many teachers find themselves working until very late but still cannot perform some basic professional obligations --- marking exercise books. Give us more time, not procedures please.

Dear Lord, forgive me for being candid. For the first time, I feel very tired to continue writing. Strengthen us. Amen.

A sense of helplessness

My blood sugar level was low when I was reading the latest edition of Kung Kao Pao, the Chinese Catholic weekly. My breathing was heavy and my sight was blurred. My eyes were fixed on the two pages of name lists of principals of all Catholic schools in Hong Kong, diocesan and religious, secondary, primary and kindergartens. Some names were familiar to me but hypoglycemia probably affected my mood and my mind was shrouded in a mist of indescribable helplessness.

I was reading chapter five of the First Epistle to Timothy. The last two verses rang the loudest in my ears.
The sins of some men are conspicuous, pointing to judgment, but the sins of others appear later.
So also good deeds are conspicuous; and even when they are not, they cannot remain hidden (1 Timothy 5:24-25).
Now I know why I felt so helpless. Truly, the sins of some men are conspicuous, but the sins of others appear later. The verse immediately conjured up a few figures in my mind. My mind wandered away, fancying a meeting with all these principals to deal with evangelization or anti-drug-abuse initiatives among Catholic schools in Hong Kong. I felt that I would be unable to motivate them.
Very quickly, the teaching of Fr. Robert Ng emerged from the depth of my mind. He told us that it was easy to point the fingers at the others and to expose the faults of the others. However, it was more precious to be able to find faults with oneself. The Catholic Church was able to do that. She was able to do self-reflection, to see whether the hierarchy practised what she preached, whether social justice was pursued by the Church. Therefore, I shouldn't be so frustrated. Who am I to pass judgment on these principals? Only God can judge their conscience. Not me.

I should be wary with myself as well. Who knows? My conscience might be so clouded that I sincerely wished to do good, yet I was actually doing evil things. I might be one of the "others" whose sins appear only later. In the end, I myself need God's salvation. So, who am I to judge the principals?

Dear Lord, I pray for all students in Hong Kong. Not many of them are receiving adequate ethical trainings under the NSS system. May Your mercy guide them so that they may grow up being responsible and reasonable citizens. Amen.

Human efforts without grace

My boss cares very much about how people look at his achievement. He is very proud of the effort he has put into his career, how he works his way up to the present position. After HKCEE, he did not receive any support from his family and he worked part-time to support his post-secondary studies. Nowadays, he calls himself an administrative expert. Bring him your problems and he will solve them for you. He is our Administrator Almighty. However, he probably is not aware that he himself is the root of many of our problems. He creates a problem situation for us and comes to "save" us.
I have no intention to belittle his efforts. His present achievement is admirable. However, he does not listen, does not put himself in our position. He wants things done in his ways and grabs all the honours. He enjoys highlighting the faults of his subordinates. If things go wrong, he will blame you and doesn't take up his share of responsibilities. Would you serve him like serving the Lord? (Colossians 3:23-24)

That probably illustrates why Paul emphasized so much about grace. As a Pharisee, Paul knew the mentality of most Pharisees who believed that their efforts to keep the laws down to the minutest details would guarantee salvation. Such a worldview was shattered on the road to Damascus. Throughout his life, Saul had been observing the laws. Yet, such piety did not bring him any closer to God.
In his eyes, Christians were dangerous heretics because they believed a carpenter to be God. Just as he was sincerely persecuting these fellow Jews, hoping to bring them back to their right mind, Jesus revealed himself to him.
Saul came to the understanding that it was grace, the free gift from God that brought him salvation. All his previous efforts in piety did not.
I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,
and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:13b-14).
Grace and mercy come from God. The theological virtues of faith and love also come from God who enables us to believe in Him and to love Him. Therefore, is there anything we can be proud of? Can our piety and hard work be our pride? Rather, we should be humble and grateful for the opportunities God offers us to serve Him. Yes, I serve God and my boss is not my God. At most, he is only His agent. But am I not His agent as well? So, bosses. Don't boss around.
St. Paul did not see himself Paul Almighty. Rather, he saw himself only an instrument of God for the benefits of the others. He was setting his example for a budding bishop.
The saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. And I am the foremost of sinners;
but I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience for an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life (1 Timothy 1:15-16).
Of course, it is enjoyable for oneself to be honoured. But isn't it a higher-order enjoyment to empower your subordinates to achieve honour? Then, as the mentor of your subordinates, his honour will definitely and finally go to you. Paul was doing this. I would like to follow his footstep. Hey boss, would you?

Dear Lord, may honour and glory go to You, not to me. I am only an unworthy servant. I pray for my boss, hoping that he will one day see the truth. I pray for myself that I can steadily follow the footstep of St. Paul. Amen.

Collection of Prooftexts

We continue reading Paul's preaching in a synagogue on Sabbath in Antioch of Pisidia during his first missionary journey. It seems that Christians have collected, over the years, a set of Old Testament quotations to prove their points among Jewish believers. Later, they used them even among Gentiles. In this piece of preaching recorded in Acts 13, we are able to trace a certain outline.
First of all, Paul delivered a summary of the history of Israel to his audience. Of course, history has always been presented in a highly selective manner. The motive of the presentation is more important than the collection of historical facts. Here, Paul tried to lay the background so that he would prove that Jesus was the Saviour.
Of this man's (David's) posterity God has brought to Israel a Savior, Jesus, as he promised (Acts 13:23).
How would Paul prove that Jesus was the Saviour? Paul could not claim to be an eye-witness of Jesus' resurrection as Peter and the other apostles in Jerusalem could. But hadn't the risen Jesus appeared to Paul on the road to Damascus? Yes, but it was a personal revelation, not a public one. Peter, the other apostles and other people in Jerusalem could support the witness of each other but Paul could not because he was alone. Therefore, he had to rely on something else in common with his audience, the Scripture. Paul needed to demonstrate that all that happened to Jesus, including his crucifixion and resurrection, fulfilled the Scripture. In this particular preaching, he stated without proof that Jesus' suffering fulfilled the Scripture.
Though they (people in Jerusalem and their rulers) could charge him with nothing deserving death, yet they asked Pilate to have him killed.
And when they had fulfilled all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid him in a tomb.
But God raised him from the dead (Acts 13:28-30)
To prove Jesus' resurrection, Paul quoted Psalm 2:7b. This quotation appears also in Hebrews 1:5, 5:5.
Paul continued to quote Psalm 16:10b which Peter also used on Pentecost.
Therefore, it seems to me that Christians had found in Psalm 2 and Psalm 16 texts to prove Jesus' resurrection.
Nowadays, we do not rely on these quotations to accept the resurrection of Jesus. We rely on the witnesses of generations of Christians.
Paul was an original thinker. He boldly claimed that forgiveness of sins could only be achieved through faith in Jesus and not through keeping the law of Moses. Paul fully developed this idea in his epistle to the Galatians.
Let it be known to you therefore, brethren, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,
and by him every one that believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses (Acts 13:38-39).
The Vicar General has received my application to become an aspirant of perpetual deacon. He has kindly arranged an interview with me two weeks later. Seeking God's will has always been my first priority and it is even more so now. Many saints have been blessed with a very clear knowledge of God's will. I am not. Probably since I hold on too stubbornly to my own views, I am not able to discern the will of God very clearly. In my teens, Theresa Kwok made a very perceptive remark about me. Alex Kwok would not make a good leader. I know she was both right and wrong at the same time. She was right. I have never liked to lead. That is why I refuse to head the RS panel. Even when I did in La Salle, I stepped down at the earliest convenience. She was wrong because I prefer eliciting the strength of other people instead of mine. If drawing out people's potentials can be a philosophy of management, then I can make a good leader. Of course, success can be measured with different criteria. If getting things done is one, our boss is successful. She manages to clean up the mess left behind by our ex-boss and has put up a beautiful Golden Jubilee show. If winning the hearts of her subordinates is one, our boss has a lot of room to improve. Like many other principals of the Diocesan Catholic secondary schools, our boss hates being contradicted. She can contradict herself, not us. I pray that God's will coincides with hers.

Dear Jesus, help me explore and clarify Your call. My Lord, Your will, not mine, be done. Amen.

Appendix:
Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee.
υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε. (Acts 13:33b, Psalm 2:7b)

I will give you the holy and sure blessings of David.ὅτι δώσω ὑμῖν τὰ ὅσια Δαυὶδ τὰ πιστά. (Acts 13:34b)
καὶ διαθήσομαι ὑμῖν διαθήκην αἰώνιον, τὰ ὅσια Δαυιδ τὰ πιστά. (Isaiah 55:3)

Thou wilt not let thy Holy One see corruption.οὐ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν (Acts 13:35b)
οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν. (Psalm 15:10b LXX, 16:10b MT)

Behold, you scoffers, and wonder, and perish; for I do a deed in your days, a deed you will never believe, if one declares it to you. ἴδετε, οἱ καταφρονηταί, καὶ θαυμάσατε καὶ ἀφανίσθητε, ὅτι ἔργον ἐργάζομαι ἐγὼ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ὑμῶν, ἔργον ὃ οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε ἐάν τις ἐκδιηγῆται ὑμῖν. (Acts 13:41)
ἴδετε, οἱ καταφρονηταί, καὶ ἐπιβλέψατε καὶ θαυμάσατε θαυμάσια καὶ ἀφανίσθητε, διότι ἔργον ἐγὼ ἐργάζομαι ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ὑμῶν, ὃ οὐ μὴ πιστεύσητε ἐάν τις ἐκδιηγῆται. (Habakkuk 1:5).

I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the uttermost parts of the earth.τέθεικά σε εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν τοῦ εἶναί σε εἰς σωτηρίαν ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. (Acts 13:47b)
τέθεικά σε εἰς διαθήκην γένους εἰς φῶς ἐθνῶν τοῦ εἶναί σε εἰς σωτηρίαν ἕως ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς. (Isaiah 49:6b)

Sin no more (John 8:11)

Today, we read the famous story of Jesus and an adulterous woman (John 8:1-11). From this story came the idiom "to cast the first stone", meaning to be the first to attack a sinner. However, many scholars believe that the original gospel did not contain this beautiful story because among reliable ancient New Testament manuscripts, a few of them do not have it. Somehow, a scribe inserted this story in one of the manuscripts and it got copied in latter generations and survives. Of course, this is just a hypothesis and we can also argue otherwise. Perhaps, one scribe found this story unpalatable and removed it from his manuscript! Adultery was too grave a sin to tolerate and this scribe did not want to see Jesus not condemning it. OK, let's stop speculating. The fact that this story survives indicates that it is God's will to remind us not to be self-righteous.
Indeed, this story is totally compatible with Jesus' teaching. True, Jesus objects to divorce and adultery because such actions destroy the sanctity of marriage. However, Jesus is also merciful to sinners. He called public sinners to be his apostles. He accepted the anointment of a woman with dubious background. He died in place of Barabbas, a murderer. He received a thief into the paradise when he was crucified on the cross. Jesus was the walking mercy of God among men. Therefore, his defence for this adulterous woman was compatible with his teachings and attitude.
This morning, it was Brenda's turn to address the morning assembly. She was supposed to talk about the Sunday readings. The reading was taken from John 12.
Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit (John 12:24).
The hour was drawing near for Jesus to be glorified. "Glorified" is a code word for "crucified" in John. In this context, Jesus was explaining the purpose of his death to his apostles: Philip and Andrew. Brenda made use of this beneficial concept of death and advised the congregation that our "old self" should die.
We Christians are not afraid to die because we know that beyond this physical death, an eternal life is beckoning to us. Everyday, our "old self" must die so that we may renew and improve ourselves continuously. Very often, we are selfish and egocentric. In particular, we assert that we are right and the others are wrong. We cannot be wrong. It is not our fault. Not me! Brenda made the point dramatically by openly apologizing to Emily for the heated argument they had over the P6 interview last Saturday. Emily was so moved that she could not hold her tears in front of all the students. However, I am afraid Brenda's effort was a total waste because her intended audience was lecturing the S4 students in the school hall! Let's put down our self-righteousness for the time being and turn to the finger of Jesus.
But Jesus stooped down, and with his finger wrote on the ground, as though he heard them not (John 8:6b).
Throughout the ages, people have been speculating what Jesus wrote on the ground. Some suggest that Jesus was writing the sins of those who tried to trap him with the adulterous woman. Pressed further, Jesus made the famous line of casting the first stone.
He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her (John 8:7b).
Then he returned to his writing on the ground.
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst (John 8:9).
In the gospel of John, there are two places where fingers are mentioned. The first one is in this story of the adulterous woman. The other one is about Thomas, the famous empiricist.
The other disciples therefore said unto him (Thomas), We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe (John 20:25).
When Jesus appeared again to the 11 apostles, he invited Thomas to put his fingers into his wounds to unearth the truth. So, in the gospel of John, fingers are somehow related to the truth. Jesus is God and whatever he wrote on the ground must be the truth, whether it be the sins of the people or the Torah.
I think the former is most unlikely because it is not yet the Judgment Day and the first time Jesus came, he did not come to condemn, to pass judgment (John 3:17). Moses brought down two tables of stone written with the fingers of God. They were the tables of covenant, containing the words of God, the words of life (Deuteronomy 9:9-10).
In the end, only two people remained, Jesus and the adulterous woman. Jesus did not pass judgment on her.
When Jesus had lifted up himself, and saw none but the woman, he said unto her, Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?
She said, No man, Lord. And Jesus said unto her, Neither do I condemn thee: go, and sin no more (John 8:10-11).
When Jesus is not around, we tend to play the "not me" game, pointing our fingers at others. When such finger-pointings abound, there is no Jesus. Self-righteous people, like their ancestors the Pharisees, find no room for Jesus. Maybe we should put down our arrogance, our self-righteousness and invite Jesus to be our Lord. He brings the truth and the truth shall make us free (John 8:32), free from our weaknesses, our sins, our "old-self".

My God, we are approaching the end of the Lent season. Let us work harder to rid ourselves of self-righteousness. Imbue in us Your spirit of humility so that we can love You and our neighbours more freely. Amen.

Jesus' first miracle in Jerusalem

Ezekiel was a prophet of visions. In his last vision, he saw the new Temple and much living water come out from the south of the altar flowing to the east (Ezekiel 47:1). This living water goes down into the Arabah and when it enters into the stagnant waters of the sea, the water will become fresh (Ezekiel 47:8).
And wherever the river goes every living creature which swarms will live, and there will be very many fish; for this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes (Ezekiel 47:9). Jesus is our living water. Everything will live where Jesus goes.
In John 5, we read of the first healing miracle Jesus performed in Jerusalem.
Now there is in Jerusalem by the Sheep Gate a pool, in Hebrew called Bethzatha, which has five porticoes (John 5:2).
A lot of sick people waited for the water to be stirred and the first one who entered the water at this moment would be healed. Jesus saw a man who had been ill for 38 years, lying there with nobody to help him. Jesus asked him if he wanted to be healed.
The sick man answered him, "Sir, I have no man to put me into the pool when the water is troubled, and while I am going another steps down before me." (John 5:7)
Jesus told him to rise, take up his pallet and walk. The man was healed. However, it was Sabbath.
Some scholars draw our attention to the 38 years the man had been sick. They suggest that this man might symbolize the Israelites who wandered for 40 years before entering the Promised Land. For me, this link seems rather remote. I think I have to study more before I am able to discern the relationship. I leave my mind open.
So the Jews said to the man who was cured, "It is the sabbath, it is not lawful for you to carry your pallet." (John 5:10)
How stagnant the mind of these Jews was! Instead of celebrating the healing of this fellow man, these Jews accused him of breaking the Sabbath law. Their mind had become so rigid that they failed to share the joy of liberation of the others. They were restrictive in their mind and wanted to impose restrictions on the others as well. How unreasonable!
And this was why the Jews persecuted Jesus, because he did this on the sabbath (John 5:16).
Of course, the healing could not be undone. God's liberation cannot be confined. Neither time, nor space, nor human institutions and prejudice can stop it. It bursts forth like the river of living water, animating everything it touches. For a long time, men have been fettered by sins. Now that Jesus has come, he liberates whoever that wants freedom and life, like the man who had been sick for 38 years.
My colleague Edmund is now in a precarious situation. His probation period is not yet over. Previously, the boss harshly criticized him for not organizing enough religious activities in the Evangelization Week, amidst many curricular activities organized by other committees last week. So, Edmund drew up a series of activities about St. Paul, such as pilgrimage, poster design competition, Biblical calligraphy competition, bible reading, bible quiz on Paul etc. He consulted the other Catholic teachers, gained their support and put forth the proposal to the boss who banned it because it would clash with other activities on the proposed week in May!
What conclusion can I draw? The boss is not appreciative of the efforts we have put into our work.
Anyway, Edmund's major difficulty is his classroom management skill. Whatever he does, the boss will find fault with him. Today, the boss reprimanded him for not bringing the prayer book to the class during the Centralized Morning Prayer in the class-teacher period. He had set a bad example in front of the students. Poor Edmund! He got another entry in the boss' record book. In the end, the boss gave him a one-month deadline to improve his classroom management. Otherwise ...
I do not complain about the boss for her being harsh. Probably other people's feelings do not enter into the boss' equations. For example, in a debriefing of the "Parent Drama" during the morning assembly yesterday, the boss criticized the parent concerned as reckless in front of a thousand students and teachers. If you were the two children of this parent, what would you feel? 
Well, the school is entering a harsh educational milieu in the years ahead because of the demographic changes in the region. Our life has been cosy for too long. Harsh criticism from the boss might probably be a good dose of stimulant. However, indiscriminate prescription of stimulants might cause substance abuse. I am afraid some of my colleagues, perhaps I as well, begin to show signs of withdrawal. It is pretty discouraging especially when it comes from a fellow Catholic in Christ.

My Jesus, surely you understand our situation because you yourself have met much hostility for doing good from your fellow countrymen. Cheer us up, Lord. Liberate us from depression, Lord. Through your wounds, we shall be healed. Amen.

God suffers patiently

We have parted company, my boss and me. Don't be alarmed. I have NOT resigned. After "suffering" for more than 9 years under the wrong choice of using Chinese as the Medium of Instruction for the RS (2000) syllabus, I have been longing to use English in the teaching of the upcoming New Senior Secondary Ethics & Religious Studies. No! My request was denied. Fine. I will NOT resign for this reason. I will continue my teaching in Shung Tak as long as God allows me.
Last Friday, after the hunger meal activity, my boss thanked us for a job well done. However, it sounded very hollow. The hard feelings generated a day earlier by her scolding Agnes for more than 45 minutes, were still fresh.
Why should I be so stupid as to take an active role in my school work when my efforts have been wasted and unappreciated? Probably, this was what God felt in His dealing with the stiff-necked Israelites.
I was ready to be sought by those who did not ask for me; I was ready to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, "Here am I, here am I," to a nation that did not call on my name.
I spread out my hands all the day to a rebellious people, who walk in a way that is not good, following their own devices;
a people who provoke me to my face continually, sacrificing in gardens and burning incense upon bricks;
who sit in tombs, and spend the night in secret places; who eat swine's flesh, and broth of abominable things is in their vessels;
who say, "Keep to yourself, do not come near me, for I am set apart from you." (Isaiah 65:1-5b)
I am not God. God could blast Israel and Judah, put the inhabitants to the swords. I could not. Therefore, I should suffer patiently and quietly because I am a Catholic. Right?
To be true to myself, I will continue to sit in Edmund's lessons. Hopefully, I can help him improve his classroom management skill which the boss has already found fault with. My S.5 classes have gone to prepare for their HKCEE. I can have more free time to prepare for the Ethics & Religious Education teaching materials next year. In the meantime, I will continue to clarify if God really wants me to serve  Him in the capacity of a perpetual deacon. Last Sunday, I talked with Fr. Lajeune and sought his advice. He has reservation about the whole concept of perpetual deaconship. He thinks that this is the work of ordinary Catholics and it is not appropriate to absorb it into the church hierarchy. Of course, he knows that he is in no position to oppose God's call. He will pray for me.
For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.
But be glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress.
No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed.
They shall build houses and inhabit them; they shall plant vineyards and eat their fruit (Isaiah 65:17-21).
I am not God and I will not play God. If it is God's will, He will bless my work and see it through.

My God, You promise to answer me before I call, hear while I am yet speaking (Isaiah 65:24). You want me to call and speak so that I may understand Your will better. Remove my stubbornness and put me on Your path. Amen.


Comment by Parsimony:

Because someone will appreciate it.

Feast of St. Joseph, Husband of the BVM

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Joseph, the husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the foster father of Jesus on earth. We find only a few verses about his earthly life in the gospels. Therefore, a lot of legends have sprung up to satisfy our curiosity, our desire to know more. When Jesus began his public ministry, Joseph had already vanished from the scene. Only the Blessed Virgin remained to accompany her son. When Jesus was rejected in his home town Nazareth, people referred him as Mary's son (Mark 6:3, Matthew 13:55). Only Luke reports that he was Joseph's son (Luke 4:22). Therefore, Joseph must have died by then.
Only Matthew and Luke give us the Nativity story of Jesus. The Lucan version focusses more on Mary whereas the Matthean on men. In Matthew, the major players are Joseph and Herod the Great, the righteous versus the wicked, son of David (Matthew 1:20) versus a half-Jew. Let's take a look at Matthew to find out how he painted a righteous Joseph.
Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child of the Holy Spirit;
and her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly (Matthew 1:18-19).
God sent His Son to redeem mankind. He needed the cooperation of Mary to give flesh to Jesus. Mary must have told Joseph that her pregnancy was the work of the Holy Spirit. Now Joseph was facing a problem. Whether he believed Mary or not, he still had to deal with this problem. Joseph was a just man. Which means he had to follow the law of Moses. According to the law, both Mary, a betrothed virgin, and the man who impregnated her should be put to death (Deuteronomy 22:23-24). Perhaps out of love or mercy, Joseph did not want to put Mary to shame. He had to solve this problem according to the law. The only available option was to write Mary a bill of divorce so that she would be free to marry anyone she cared (Deuteronomy 24:1-2). Now, God had a problem. There was no man but the Holy Spirit. But Jesus would need a foster father to give him a legal status in a Jewish society. The Holy Spirit could not give Jesus this status. God intervened. The rest of the story is history. Joseph did an excellent job in providing for the safety and necessities of the mother and the child.
Naturally, modern people would ask if Joseph ever had sex with Mary. Catholics uphold the Perpetual Virginity of Mary and will say no. Protestants do not accept this position because it will be convenient to explain the brothers and sisters of Jesus mentioned in Mark 6:3. The crucial text is found in the last verse of Matthew 1.
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him; he took his wife,
but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus (Matthew 1:25).
Protestants would graphically interpret this verse to mean Joseph did not have sex with Mary until she gave birth to Jesus.
How would Catholics defend?
My teacher in the Biblical Institute suggested that Joseph dared not touch Mary because she was God's woman. He had to serve her like serving his God. I agree and I would add that the sexual life of people living two thousand years ago is up to our speculation. Whichever direction we want to pursue, it is no better than mere speculation. No more, no less. It will not be fruitful.
St. Joseph followed the law and had a big heart. He suffered patiently and quietly. St. Joseph is our model.
Our boss continues to offend people and tramples our morale. She has decided to use Chinese as the medium of instruction for NSS Ethics and Religious Studies. I have made it clear that I will not take it. Agnes is the only teacher capable to handle it in Chinese. Yet, today, she talked harshly to Agnes for nearly 45 minutes. She was disappointed with Agnes who, as an RS teacher, was expected to be more active and visible in taking part in religious activities organized in school. She threatened to give Agnes a zero in her appraisal! Poor Agnes. She has been working patiently and quietly behind the scene, like St. Joseph. God knows.
I told Brenda about it while we were on our way to the SCMP "Homes of Hope" kickoff cocktail reception. Brenda suggested that we should be more direct in pointing out our boss' mistakes. There are a lot of things she does not know, yet she thinks she knows everything. We need to help her learn.

Dear Lord, may we continue to follow the model of St. Joseph, working patiently and quietly for the promotion of religious atmosphere in our school. St. Joseph. Pray for us. Amen.

Appendix:
but knew her not until she had borne a son; and he called his name Jesus καὶ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν αὐτὴν ἕως οὗ ἔτεκεν υἱόν· καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν. (Matthew 1:25).

We need the prayers of others

My boss has fought a long and hard battle to attain her present position in a Band One EMI school. Every time she shares her experiences, she has to fight back her tears. At the end of the Benediction Bible Service yesterday, she spoke to the senior students in plaint Cantonese of her pains after the HKCEE. Her mother decided not to support her further studies. She had to fend for herself. It was a candid sharing but I don't know how much our S.5 & S.7 students resonated with her feelings. She needs our prayers.

In wrapping up his epistle, the author of Hebrews also asks his readers to pray for him and his co-workers.
Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a clear conscience, desiring to act honorably in all things (Hebrews 13:18).
We wish to do good because it is a pleasing sacrifice to God.
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God (Hebrews 13:16).
Yet, there are many internal weaknesses and external obstacles hindering us. We need the prayers of others. We need support from our God. We need God to work in us.
Now may the God of peace who brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great shepherd of the sheep, by the blood of the eternal covenant,
equip you with everything good that you may do his will, working in you that which is pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen (Hebrews 13:20-21).
We wish to do good, but our 'good' may not be God's will. Seek God's will. Make it our good. Pray that we may be equipped with His support. Open ourselves up to His will and let go. Let God work in us.

My Lord, show me Your will. Grant me the support I need. Work in me so that I may be Your handy instrument of peace. Grace be with us. Amen.

Feast of St. Therese of Lisieux

St. Therese of Lisieux (1873-1897) died very young, at 24. She was fondly remembered as the "Little Flower" of Jesus. She did not go on any mission. Yet she was one of the patron saints of the missionaries. Like many other saints, she was able to offer up her life, in many little ways, for the love of Jesus. Her short life inspires and encourages generations of Catholics because from her examples, saintly life is accessible to ordinary people. Her life is a song, Psalm 131.
O LORD, my heart is not lifted up, my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul,
like a child quieted at its mother's breast; like a child that is quieted is my soul.
O Israel, hope in the LORD from this time forth and for evermore (Psalm 131:1-3).

When one takes up a new position, who does not have any ambitious expectations? Who does not have any renovative plans to heal the present ills?
When one takes up authority, who does not want more power in order to get things done according to one's way?
Many of my ex-bosses could not wait to push forth their ambitions, to make changes without examining carefully the ethos of the situation. Some have been successful while others not.
Nobody is born an expert administrator. Neither was St. Therese. But she was successful because she had found, in her "little ways", the favour of God and the love of the people. Therefore, if anyone wants to author yet another business leadership book in the footstep of Jesus CEO (1996) or Moses CEO (1999), St. Therese of Lisieux CEO is probably a good choice. In many little ways, not conspicuous gestures, she was able to overcome big obstacles, like water eroding hard rocks. There is wisdom in her little ways which demands patience and stillness.

My dear Advocate, You favour the little ways of St. Therese. Probably this is the ways You prefer to work. Pray this we follow her example and are able to obtain the fruit of salvation. Amen.

Doing the right thing at the right time

Starting from today, we will be reading the Proverbs. It is a collection of advice and wisdom of the Jewish culture. Here are the few pieces of advice we read today. They are framed in negative terms.
Do not withhold good from those to whom it is due, when it is in your power to do it.
Do not say to your neighbour, "Go, and come again, tomorrow I will give it" -- when you have it with you (Proverbs 3:27-28).
Well, should I do something because it is in my power to do it? No, it may not be the right thing to do.
Given that this something good is due somebody, then it is the right thing to do now. Why would we withhold? Why would we procrastinate? Well, perhaps it is not the right time, the right moment to take action. We must have been occupied with something of higher priority. Or at that moment, we are doing something of higher value. Therefore, we don't take the trouble to do good things within our power.
My God, are You telling me that I should take up the post of the RS panelchair? Why did I decline? It was personal in two senses. My first excuse is health. It was an excuse because I managed to obtain my Biblical Diploma within three years. (Is an excuse a lie? Then, am I telling lies that my health does not permit me?) The second reason was the frustrations built up with the boss. He failed to win my loyalty. We failed to develop a good rapport. I have no intention to attack the integrity or character of my ex-boss. It was only unlucky that our personalities did not match.
Sometimes, the book of Proverbs would frame an advice in contrasting pairs. The reading today finishes with these contrasts. We will be reading more of these in the following days.
for the perverse man is an abomination to the LORD, but the upright are in his confidence.
The LORD's curse is on the house of the wicked, but he blesses the abode of the righteous.
Toward the scorners he is scornful, but to the humble he shows favour.
The wise will inherit honor, but fools get disgrace (Proverbs 3:32-35).

My dear Advocate, have mercy on me. I am too arrogant. Help me see my weaknesses and improve. Amen.

Comment from evaward:

郭sir 你好 ,, 我在f.4 , f.5 都一直有睇你的website ,, 好感謝你 ^^ 因為你令我在 rs 這一科得到很好的成績..
今年f.6 也選修了 er(as) ,, 但我找不到跟你相似的site ( 有齊 past paper 而且更分晒topic )  請問你有er website 的介紹嗎?

My Reply:

@evaward - 謝謝妳（希望沒有弄錯閣下的性別！）很高興妳考到理想的成績，而且繼續 ERS (AS) 的挑戰。網上應有很多討論倫理及宗教問題的網頁，例如 www.bbc.co.uk/religion  和 www.bbc.co.uk/ethics ，可作參攷。

Speaking in tongue/English

In contrasting the gifts from the Holy Spirit, Paul was a utilitarian.
According to the opinion of St. Paul, speaking in tongue benefits only the person who speaks.
He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself (1 Corinthians 14:4a)
When a person is possessed by the Holy Spirit, he enters into a trance. God and he are in union. He is in ecstasy. He begins to speak in tongue which nobody nearby understands. In most cases, he becomes the envy of everyone. In fact, how many of us can be so lucky as to be blessed with the opportunity to enjoy a close encounter with God? But since nobody will understand his utterance while in trance, that is why St. Paul said that only the person himself is edified.
I insist on speaking in English in Shung Tak, the school I am currently teaching in. As an English teacher, of course I speak English most of the time. Moreover, Shung Tak is an EMI school. It provides a very good environment for students to build up their English proficiency. But in a bilingual environment in which most people speak Chinese, I have to switch to and fro between the two languages. It does not pose any problem for me. The problem is, the current principal and the previous one are not insistent enough to speak in English.
Shung Tak is in full swing preparing for the celebration of her Golden Jubilee. We will invite the Vicar General to officiate at the ceremony. He expressed his wish to deliver his homily in Chinese. I am responsible for writing up the prayers in the liturgy. In my mind, Shung Tak is an EMI school and we are the host. I took it for granted that the ceremony would be in English and prepared the liturgy accordingly. Of course, the celebrant is free to deliver his homily in whichever language he likes. For the benefit of the congregation, he should deliver his homily in Chinese.
When I put forth my reasoning in support for an English liturgy, I did not check the details and claimed that it has been our tradition to hold all these celebrations in English. The principal proved me wrong. She looked through the pamphlets of previous ceremonies and found that there were occasions in which the ceremonies had been conducted in Chinese! The truth is those ceremonies had been prepared, not by me but by the ex-pastoral assistant. The curious part is that I participated in them. Yet, I thought they were conducted in English! Suddenly, it dawned to me that all along, it had been my wish to see that Shung Tak has a tradition to conduct her religious ceremonies in English. Furthermore, it brought up grudges buried long time ago. Subconsciously, I have been trying to forget those unpleasant experiences but unfortunately, they come up again. My God, help me keep in mind that the present principal has nothing to do with those old grudges.

My dear Advocate, speaking in tongue edifies myself and not the others. But in our situation, conducting the ceremony in English is certainly edifying for the parents. Once more, they are assured that Shung Tak offers quality English education for their children. I pray that the principal will change her mind. But I understand that love does not insist. May You be glorified in our celebration. Amen.

Abstract Thinking vs. Application

Which is more important for the building up of knowledge, logical thinking or application? Beware, framing a question in this way may not appropriate because both of them may be important. Neither one is dispensable. However, for the convenience of discussion, it may be appropriate to put them in opposition so as to evaluate the relative importance of both.
Mathematics has been my favourite subject. Reading mathematics popularizers is an enjoyable pastime for me. Mathematics is a mind-game. But sooner or later, its value becomes apparent when application arises. What is the use of studying differential calculus or number theory? You don't need them in buying groceries in the market. However, they are indispensable in modern engineering and in cryptography which secures Internet transactions.

When we read Matthew today, we found that Jesus sounded very anti-intellectual.
At that time Jesus declared, "I thank thee, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hidden these things from the wise and understanding and revealed them to babes (Matthew 11:25).
Traditionally, scholars would interpret this preference for babies to refer to their purity and humility of hearts. Other passages reinforce such an interpretation. For example, when the disciples asked Jesus who would be the greatest in the Kingdom of God, Jesus gave the following answer.
and said, "Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." (Matthew 18:3)
There are many more passages in which Jesus criticized the teachers of the Law for their legalism and literalism. Consequently, the gospels give us an impression that being an intellectual, being a learned man is no good at all. This is an incorrect understanding. Otherwise, Thomas Aquinas would not be canonized a saint and honoured with the title of Angelic Doctor. The truth still is a preference for children. Why?
Perhaps Jean Piaget's cognitive theory may throw some lights on this issue. Piaget was an important philosopher, natural scientist and developmental theorist in Europe. Every trained teacher should know something about his theory of cognitive development. Piaget charted 4 stages of cognitive development which all people must go through.

1. Sensorimotor stage (roughly from birth to 2) in which the baby is egocentric and it builds up a knowledge of the world through movements and senses.
2. Preoperational stage (roughly from 2 to 7) in which the world is manipulated through magic.
3. Operational stage (roughly from 7 to 11) in which the world is known through concrete actions.
4. Logical stage (roughly from 11 and beyond) in which the world can be understood through abstract reasoning.

The majority of the audience of Jesus did not receive formal education. Very little did they know any proper procedure of defending a thesis, or logical syllogism. Therefore, learning through practice, learning by putting theory into concrete actions are more appropriate for the audience. There was no point debating whether God had created the universe in six days or the number of angels dancing on the tip of a needle. For them, there is no point who my neighbour was. The point is rather whether I actually go out of my way, my usual routines, to lend a helping hand to the needy. What is the use of being a PhD if, instead of putting your learning into actualizing your team members' potentials, you pull out all the stops to punish your subordinates?

My dear Advocate, You have created us with an intellect. May we apply it in a way pleasing to You. Amen.

Taking things for granted

Among all the teachers in Shung Tak, I work most closely with Brenda and John. Yet, insufficient communication causes misunderstanding even among comrades fighting for the same good cause. We are too busy and our hands are too full. We take things for granted and easily forget to lubricate our communication. We follow the famous Newton's first law of motion:
Every body continues in its state of rest, or of uniform motion in a straight line, unless it is compelled to change that state by forces impressed upon it (The Law of Inertia).
However, in our daily life, there are a lot of frictions which work against our actions and movements. Therefore, we need to put in effort to overcome these frictions, these noises within any communication channel.
Over a casual conversation, both Brenda and I felt that it was a good idea to hold the Staff Development Day out of campus. The school hall is too familiar a place for us to work with. It might be a good idea to put away all our daily routines and go far away, say to a retreat house, to do a more fruitful Staff Development Day. In the end, we booked the Honeyville Canossian Retreat House in Mount Davis Road. Consequently but unknown to both of us, Brenda and I have different conceptions of this Staff Development Day. She thought of it as a sort of religious retreat, conducted by a priest to help teachers reflect on their present situation in life. I still thought of it as a Staff Development Day, a chance to do some team building and wounds healing after a traumatic 2007 in Shung Tak. Things only came to light when Ms. Lau, the principal-designate inquired about this upcoming Staff Development Day.
Ms. Lau is working to know the running of Shung Tak and the people. Today, I was working with Sham Bun, the acting Computer panel head, on the Teachers' Handbook. He helped to draw up the new Organization Chart sketched by Ms. Lau. After the first draft was drawn, Mr. Sham discovered some discrepancies. Probably, we had misunderstood her handwritten sketches. It so happened that Ms. Lau was in school but she was discussing things with Dr. Wong. It had already passed noon, so Mr. Sham went out for lunch. When Ms. Lau was free, she gave me a private audience and we had a good sharing.
First of all, she clarified her ideas on the new chart. It proved that we had misread parts of the sketch. Then she turned to the running of religious activities in Shung Tak. She assured me that for the newly created Religious and Moral Education Committee, we only needed to continue to do whatever we had been doing. She needed time to understand the inner working of Shung Tak and was not too anxious to make drastic changes. We could count her in and she would throw in her full support simply because she is a Catholic. I then explained to her the running of morning assemblies, the use of prayer books, hymn singing and the subscription of Kung Kao Pao etc. She expressed her interest in meeting S1 students during lunch time and regular meetings with Catholic students in school. Two thumbs up! She is willing and is able to reach out to people. Mr. Long and Mrs. Poon, our ex-principals, did so.
Then I confided to her a bit of my past, my years in La Salle and Shung Tak. In return, she was generous in telling me the secondary school she had studied in. What is more, she used to be a Legionary! Of course, I need to be 'cautiously optimistic'. Winnie was also a Legionary for more than ten years. I don't know whether she share my pains of the 'Prisoner of Shung Tak'. I still have to wait and pray. Our Lady, all generations will call you blessed. You don't deserve such humiliation for so long here in Shung Tak. May God's will be done.

Today, we read the story of king Ahaz in Isaiah 7. It was the time of Syro-Ephraimic War. Syria and Israel wanted to force Judah to join them in rebellion against Assyria. Our of fear, Ahaz was thinking of seeking help from Assyria, instead of turning to God.
We humans are animals of habits. We take a lot of things for granted and react routinely. Worldly power and might are more tangible than the invisible God. Naturally enough, Ahaz would turn to the stronger power for help. Thus, God sent Isaiah to Ahaz and announced the famous Emmanuel Oracle.
For the head of Syria is Damascus, and the head of Damascus is Rezin.
(Within sixty-five years E'phraim will be broken to pieces so that it will no longer be a people.)
And the head of Ephraim is Samaria, and the head of Samaria is the son of Remaliah.
If you will not believe,
surely you shall not be established (Isaiah 7:8-9).
If we do not communicate with God, surely we will not believe in Him. If we do not believe in Him, surely we will never understand Him. Ahaz needed to believe in God in order to keep his kingdom. In the same way, we need to communicate with God so that we may believe in Him and lead a truly Christian life.

My dear Advocate, I pray for the principals, teachers, parents and students of Shung Tak. May we continue to walk Your path of justice and peace. May we overcome obstacles to build up a strong team to offer quality Catholic education for our students. Amen. 

Meeting with the new principal

It is not the first time the principal-designate, Ms. Lucia Lau, came to meet the senior teaching staff. She needs to get herself familiar with the people and with how Shung Tak has been running so far. Today, they met again to fine-tune the school calendar and the division of labour among teachers. I was included in the duty list out of courtesy. Frankly speaking, I do not have much say there and most of the time, I was only an observer.
Ms. Lau, yes Ms. Lau. Unlike the previous principals, she does not insist on our addressing her Mrs. So and So, nor Dr. So and So. I believe she is younger and full of energy. They spent about an hour debating the proposed discretionary holidays. In the end, no major changes were made. But all present reached a better understanding of how the rationale behind the design of the school calendar, why EAC put the school picnic on a certain date, how we might better utilize the days for post-exam activities etc. I am afraid in previous years, only a handful of senior teachers knew.
Then, Ms. Lau put forth the homework she had done: a revamp of the organization chart of the school. Probably a revamp is an overstatement. In actual fact, she preserved most of the existing committees but rearranged them in a more reasonable manner. She followed the 4 major areas discussed in the External School Review Report: School Management; Teaching and Learning; Student Support and School Ethos; and finally Home-School-Community. Only two new committees were introduced: Religious and Moral Education which goes under the Student Support and School Ethos; and Trading and Tuck Shop which goes under the Home-School-Community. The reasoning was easily understandable and the whole structure was accepted by all without many amendments. She allowed us to make changes freely. She seemed to be receptive to suggestions. Before the meeting broke off for lunch at noon, most of the heads of the committees were allocated. Teachers present were so eager to get the work done that they agreed to meet again at one.
While the others were debating about where the Award Committee should go, Ms. Lau came over to me to ask who the Catholic teachers were and whom I would include in the Religious and Moral Education Committee. Her social skills win hands down. She made use of this opportunity to tell me that Catholic education was high on her priority list. She seems to be more amicable to work with and I pray that, if God allows, I may contribute more to the building up of the religious atmosphere of the school. After lunch, they spent two and a half hours to deploy all teachers into different committees. The important thing is: more people are involved in the design of this deployment scheme and more people understand the rationale behind. This has been a very good professional development experience.

Shung Tak has been a Catholic school in name for a long time. We have RS lessons, morning assemblies, several religious ceremonies etc. Yet, God is still marginal and dispensable.
Bring no more vain offerings; incense is an abomination to me.
New moon and sabbath and the calling of assemblies -- I cannot endure iniquity and solemn assembly (Isaiah 1:13).
Yes, we need to strengthen not just the religious atmosphere of the school. We need to put students on the right path in life. It is not enough to perform social services. Our students need be able to choose the right action to take.
Wash yourselves; make yourselves clean;
remove the evil of your doings from before my eyes;
cease to do evil, learn to do good;
seek justice, correct oppression;
defend the fatherless, plead for the widow (Isaiah 1:16-17).

My dear Advocate, I pray that we be Your channel of love and understanding. May we work hand in hand under the new principal to bring in a new era of Shung Tak, of opting virtues. Amen.

When your action backfires

We have been fed passages from Amos and gained the impression that he was a social critic. He prophesized against Israel and the rich who exploited the poor of the land. When we read the whole book this week, we form a somewhat different impression. Today, I would like to collect from Amos passages which tell us that God would frustrate our evil plans.
For thus says the LORD to the house of Israel:
"Seek me and live; but do not seek Bethel, and do not enter into Gilgal or cross over to Beersheba;
for Gilgal shall surely go into exile, and Bethel shall come to nought." (Amos 5:4-5)
Therefore because you trample upon the poor and take from him exactions of wheat,
you have built houses of hewn stone, but you shall not dwell in them;
you have planted pleasant vineyards, but you shall not drink their wine (Amos 5:11).
Woe to you who desire the day of the LORD! Why would you have the day of the LORD?
It is darkness, and not light;
as if a man fled from a lion, and a bear met him;
or went into the house and leaned with his hand against the wall, and a serpent bit him (Amos 5:18-19).
O you who put far away the evil day, and bring near the seat of violence? (Amos 6:3)
Do horses run upon rocks? Does one plow the sea with oxen?
But you have turned justice into poison and the fruit of righteousness into wormwood --
you who rejoice in Lodebar, who say, "Have we not by our own strength taken Karnaim for ourselves?"
"For behold, I will raise up against you a nation, O house of Israel," says the LORD, the God of hosts;
"and they shall oppress you from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of the Arabah." (Amos 6:12-14)
What conclusion can we draw from these passages?
One sentence: 謀事在人，成事在天。
Whatever our plans, if they bend justice, God will frustrate us. If they do not follow God's will, God will surely not be happy. He will allow the plans to go all the way to fruition. Then, they backfire and burn us. God will allow us to build pleasant vineyards, but we shall not drink their wine. God will allow us to carry out our selfish plans, but God will extract a high price from us.

These days, our boss seems to have emerged from his depression which has lasted a long time. He has successfully brought down his subordinates. A different person has surfaced, more lively, more friendly. Yet, he will be leaving us soon. Too little, too late. Six long years have been wasted.

My Advocate, I pray for his best. May he realize his ideals in the new posting. May he get along well and make everyone he meets a little bit happier, a little bit more fulfilling. Amen.