日久見人心 Authenticity Will Manifest In Time

日久見人心（瑪23:13-22）

「毋忘初心」是近年來流行的「潮語」，我覺得這句話膚淺有餘，浪漫不足！有些人真的是放棄了理想，改變了初衷，向現實低頭了嗎？抑或他們根本在混水摸魚，是我們自己天真，以為這些人有高尚的「初心」而已！所謂「路遙知馬力，日久見人心」，我們終於認識到他們的真面目。

公元前586年，巴比倫帝國滅了南國猶大，把猶太人充軍到巴比倫去。耶路撒冷聖殿被毀，再沒有舉行祭祀的地方。所有司祭突然失業，人民的宗教生活蕩然無存。眼見天主選民的身份漸漸消失，就在這時候，出現了一群經師和法利塞人，制定了猶太的法律和經典，拒絕與外族通婚，拒絕為巴比倫帝國服務，以保天主選民的身份和血統的純正。他們真是高風亮節，以不流血的筆墨，救國救民。在充軍到巴比倫時，這些經師和法利塞人，可算是金庸所定義的「大俠」了。

同樣是亡國，猶大成為了羅馬帝國的殖民地。但時移勢易，「大俠」已無用武之地，經師和法利塞人已經變成了協助統治者迫害自己同胞的幫兇。加入這個行列的人，從來沒有救國救民的「初心」。 他們掌握的，是讓人得救的法律和經典。可惜他們所追求的，不是天主的救贖（天國），而是一己的私利。難怪耶穌批評他們「給人封閉了天國：自己不進去，也不讓願意進去的人進去。」（瑪23:13）

各位兄弟姊妹，耶穌基督是慈悲的，即使經師和偽善的法利塞人不再是「大俠」，耶穌基督絕對不會放棄任何一個「以色列的師傅」（若3:10）。所謂「愛之越深，責之越切」，難怪耶穌用「禍哉」這樣嚴厲的語氣斥責他們。希望能喚醒他們，悔改回頭，信從福音。
主啊！讓我們認識祢的「初心」，跟隨祢的引導，邁向天國。亞孟。
生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：ifiwalkedwithjesus.com

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Authenticity Will Manifest In Time (Matthew 23:13-22)

In recent years, “Forget Not the Initial Aspiration FNIA” is a popular slang. I think it is more naïve than romantic! Do people really forsake their ideal, give up their initial intention and yield to reality? Or we have been too naïve to think that their “initial aspiration” is noble but in fact, they fake to take advantages! As the aphorism goes, “The stamina of a horse will be known in long distance and in time the authenticity of the heart will be revealed.” At last, we know their true colours.

In 586 B.C., the Babylonian Empire conquered Judah and the people were exiled to Babylon. The Jerusalem Temple was destroyed and there was nowhere to offer sacrifices to God. Suddenly priests became unemployed and people had no more religious life. Their identity as God’s Chosen People was vanishing. At this critical moment, a group of scribes and Pharisees emerged to formalize their laws and scriptures. In order to defend their identity as God’s Chosen People and the purity of their bloodline, they refused to marry Gentiles nor to work for the Babylonian Empire. Their character was truly noble and they saved the country and her people, not with steel and blood but ink. During the Babylonian Captivity, those scribes and Pharisees were heroic.

Now that they were under the Roman colonial rule, the situation had changed. The scribes and Pharisees were national heroes no more but accomplices of colonial rulers to subjugate their own fellow countrymen. Those who joined the rank did not have any “initial aspiration” to save the country at all. They possessed the laws and scriptures that are salvific. Regrettably, they sought not God’s redemption (aka kingdom of heaven) but self-interests. No wonder Jesus criticized them, “You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter.” (Matthew 23:13)

Brethren! Jesus Christ is merciful. Though the scribes and Pharisees were national heroes no more, He would not forsake one single “teacher of Israel” (John 3:10). The deeper the love is, the more burning the chastisement is. No wonder Jesus uses such harsh words as “Woe to you” against them, hoping to wake them up to repentance and belief in the good news.
Lord! Allow us to know Your “IA”, follow your lead to march towards the KH. Amen.

Can’t Afford to Be Complacent 不能安於逸樂

Twentieth First Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: Can’t Afford to Be Complacent 不能安於逸樂

Even though some Chinese reject Christianity, saying that it is an alien religion, actually a lot of Jesus’ teachings sound very much like traditional Confucian teachings. Of course, if you want to, you are able to find a lot of differences. After all, the two cultures speak different languages and employ different images to convey similar messages. Today, Jesus uses the metaphor of a ”narrow door” to tell the followers that they need to be strong enough in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven which is liken to a walled city with only one opening, a narrow door (Luke 13:24). This is a very vivid image which his audience knew well.
It is true even in China that ”A man’s home is his castle”. In China, the houses of the rich and powerful were a miniature of a walled city. There was a huge middle door in the front to receive government officials and dignitaries and a narrower side door for daily uses. Some even have a small narrow opening for dogs which carries a famous ambassador story 晏子使楚which goes like this. A king wanted to insult an ambassador from a rival kingdom who was short in stature but was very quick-witted. The welcoming party attempted to insult him and showed the visiting ambassador to a narrow opening to enter the capital. The witty ambassador says, ”People enter a country of dogs through a door for dogs. Am I visiting a country of dogs?” The story continues to show off the wits of the ambassador to accomplish his mission in dignity. So, Chinese audience might not find resonance in this ”narrow door” metaphor because it will conjure up a different image in the Chinese mind. Don’t worry. The Chinese have the same teaching expressed in other ways.

Mencius 孟子 belonged to the third generation of Confucius’ disciples. He was responsible for extending Confucianism to new contexts. In one of his treatises, he began by quoting the lives of historically outstanding individuals. He analysed, drew lessons from their lives and came to a paradoxical aphorism that ”People prosper in tribulations and perish in comforts.生於憂患，死於安樂” Of course, we will not be able to find any teaching on the Kingdom of Heaven in Mencius’ writings. However, Confucianism also teaches her version of an ideal society in which every individual is able to fully utilize his talents and every piece of land can fully yield its resources etc. Isn’t this ideal society similar to our concept of the Kingdom of Heaven in which justice and peace prevail?

Moreover, does Mencius’ teaching sound familiar? Yes, we find it in the second reading today. ”My son, do not disdain the discipline of the Lord or lose heart when reproved by him; for whom the Lord loves, he disciples; he scourges every son he acknowledges” (Hebrews 12:5-6) In one stroke, the author of Hebrews answers the perennial mystery of why good people suffer. If God loves good people, why does God allow good people to suffer? The story of Job tries to answer this mystery. But modern people would feel that God was bullying Job, rubbing salts on his wounds instead of answering the mystery. In the light of Jesus’ Passion and Resurrection, the author of Hebrews is able to find meaning in sufferings. God loves good people and therefore disciples them so as to bring the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who are trained by discipline (12:11) This ”peaceful fruit of righteousness” is the ”healing” mentioned in 12:13. Whereas in the language of Mencius, it is not ”healing” but ”successes and achievements on the national level”! So, both Christianity and Confucianism agree that sufferings help people develop whereas comforts and complacency would only lead to downfall!

The Jews were proud of their ancestor Abraham because he was a good friend of Yahweh. Yahweh was faithful and pledged to make Abraham’s descendants a Chosen People. God made them wealthy and powerful and the United Kingdom of Israel reached her zenith in the dynasty of King Solomon, the son of King David. They felt secure and became complacent. Inevitably, when their prosperity went up, their morality went downhill and consequently, they were conquered by the Assyrians and again by the Babylonians. Before Jesus’ public ministry, John the Baptist scolded the Jews that ”Do not begin to say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father,’ for I tell you, God can raise up children to Abraham from these stones” (Luke 3:8) because they had ignored Isaiah’s prophecy in the first reading we hear today. It is an excerpt from the last chapter of the book of Isaiah. It is a prophecy about the future Kingdom of Heaven which is catholic, universal and all-inclusive. We read of names of foreign places which had never known God. Therefore, God scattered the Jews all over the world in order to spread the knowledge of God to foreign peoples. God also intended to make the Jews let go of their mistaken concept of being an exclusive Chosen People of God. Isaiah says, ”They shall bring all your kin from all the nations as an offering to the Lord” (Isaiah 66:20). The wordings in the last chapter of Isaiah were ambiguous. The meaning of ”your kin from all the nations” can be interpreted narrowly as the Jews scattered all over the nations. But it can also be interpreted as the converts from all the nations. Those converts had become the brothers and sisters of the Jews.
Despite the ambiguity of wordings, one thing is certain. All those who enter the Kingdom of Heaven must be the best ones because they are worthy like ”an offering to the Lord”. In Genesis, God did not look with favour on Cain’s offering because Cain did not act rightly (Genesis 4:7). We assume that Cain did not offer the best to God. He reserved the best produce for himself and offered to God the spare and disposables. Interpreted in this manner, the best people would enter the Kingdom of Heaven. To further clarify the point, Isaiah continues, ”Some of these I will make priests and Levites, says the Lord.” (Isaiah 66:21) It was unimaginable for the Jews to have priests and Levites consecrated from Gentiles. Similarly, it is unimaginable to have woman priests in the Catholic Church while it is perfectly legitimate for Protestants to have woman pastors! Nowadays, we know that the narrow interpretation is wrong. The Kingdom of Heaven is catholic, universal and is not exclusively Jewish. It requires an open-mind, not a complacent attitude in order to enter.

Brethren! Jesus has taught us to be poor, mournful and meek (Matthew 5:3-5)? How can we be poor, meek and mournful but at the same time strong enough to enter the Kingdom of Heaven through the narrow door (Luke 13:24)? Obviously, Jesus is not talking about physical strength and a physical door but spiritual strength and spiritual gate. Now, the second reading today becomes even more meaningful. God allows us to suffer not only to discipline us, but also to strengthen us so that we may be strong enough to enter through the narrow door. We become spiritually poor when we are comfortable to let go of our wealth. When we spend our riches to help the needy and disadvantaged in the society, we become less burdened by worldly worries. We become lighter and slimmer spiritually and will easily go through the narrow door of heaven. Look at it from another perspective, good habits become virtues through constant practices. Charity becomes a theological virtue when we establish good habits to serve the needy. In another Last Judgment story in Matthew, Jesus lay down six corporal works or mercy: to feed the hungry, to drink the thirsty, to cloth the naked, to give shelter to the homeless, to care for the sick and visit the imprisoned (Matthew 25:35-36). These works are not exclusively Christian. Any people of goodwill, whether they know Jesus or not, are able to do. Once more, the catholicity of the first reading is confirmed.

Brethren! Be strong by doing more corporal works of mercy so that we may enter through the narrow gate.
God bless!
2019 Reflection
Picture Credit: tfscc.org

What Kind of Division Is Good? 怎麼樣的「分裂」是好的？

Twentieth Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: What Kind of Division Is Good? 怎麼樣的「分裂」是好的？

Christians are called to become saints and in following the commandments of our Lord Jesus Christ, loving each other as He has, we form a community of saints. He leaves behind His Body and Blood so that when we celebrate the Eucharist and receive the sacrament of Holy Communion, we become one in the Lord (John 17:11, 21-23). We treasure this communion and see division as a bad thing. However, in the gospel reading today, Jesus says, “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” (Luke 12:51) Let us meditate on this apparent contradiction.

Let me make myself clear. I believe that not all divisions are bad. Times and again, division is beneficial for the well-being of a community. Why? The book of Genesis tells us that we were created in the image of God. Each and every one of us is unique but we are not omnipotent like God. It follows that we are incomplete simply because while we are good at doing one thing, we are inefficient in doing other things. That’s why after creating Adam, God says, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suited to him.” (Genesis 2:18). Then came the first division, the division of genders and division of labour! Division of labour helps a community grow and prosper. More groupings are welcome.

Men live from the produce of the earth. They live in groups to support each other. Some gather fruits while others hunt. Some plough the field while others keep cattle etc. Their population grows until the land is no longer able to feed them all. Regrettably, resources are scarce. Further division is necessary for the survival of all. Some groups need to move away to look for new resources. Otherwise, the community need to start killing off the weaker ones so that the whole community might continue to survive. Therefore, natural division is beneficial. It’s only when people in power start imposing arbitrary divisions that unnecessary sufferings multiply!

On the other hand, we see that peace in the form of stability is actually very fragile. The world is changing all the time. Worse still, with the advancements of technology, changes are taking place in an accelerating rate so that many people are unable to catch up! At the same time, our wants are insatiable and we are depleting resources very quickly so that many people are competing with each other in order to maximize their benefits and fight for the control of essential resources. Disputes and conflicts arise among factions. Sometimes they even resort to violence which leads to bloodsheds of the innocent. In order to resolve disputes among individuals and groups in a peaceful manner and to protect the innocent, governments pass laws to settle disputes. However, some empires don’t trust the subjects they govern. So, they build up invincible armies to crush rebellions and pass laws beyond reasonable proportions, turning the empire into a mega-prison. They pride themselves and give it a beautiful name: Pax Romana! Probably, Jesus was referring to Pax Romana when He says, “Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth?”

No! Jesus intends to build the Kingdom of Heaven on earth in justice and love. That’s what He meant when He says, “I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!” (Luke 12:49) He is going to accomplish this mission through His Passover, viz. His Passion and Resurrection. He calls His crucifixion, burial and resurrection “a baptism with which I must be baptized” (12:50). Out of love, He willingly obeys the will of the Father to die on the cross to redeem us. He defeats Satan’s scheme of disobedience with total obedience, defeats evil with goodness! “And when I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to myself” (John 12:32) Only when evil is banished can genuine peace then be established. It is peace in Christ.

Pay attention to the description of division in Jesus’ words. He talks about two against three and not one against four. It was because one against four would give a superficial peace either in the form of democracy in which the majority rules and the minority exploited, or in the form of totalitarianism in which the minority rules and the majority exploited. Both forms of peace are fragile.
Why does Jesus mention only the division within the family and not some bigger groupings? It is simply because if you are unable to manage yourself and your family, how are you able to manage your country? The first reading today illustrates this well. It was a tragic story.

It was God’s will for the Babylonian Empire to conquer Judah to make her repent for her idolatry. During the first conquest, the king of Judah was killed in action and the Babylonian conqueror made Zedekiah a puppet king to serve Babylon. Jeremiah was speaking God’s will to the people, telling them not to resist but to surrender (Jeremiah 38:2). Of course those words fell on deaf ears and antagonized the hawks among the government officials. Thus, Jeremiah was arrested and sunk into mud (38:6). The weakness of King Zedekiah was shown when an Ethiopian court official came to speak for Jeremiah. The King overturned his previous decision and ordered Jeremiah to be withdrawn from mud (38:10)! Zedekiah was truly a puppet. He created confusion instead of peace when he did not discharge his authority properly. When authority is not properly exercised in justice, there can be no genuine peace.

Brethren! We have chosen to follow Jesus Christ or rather Christ has attracted and chosen us to follow Him. Do we share the same passion for the building of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth as Jesus does? If we do, we will be disrupting the status quo because the secular world is made up of structures of sin to exploit the disadvantaged. If we do, we will surely meet oppositions and cause divisions! If we do, we will be marginalized or persecuted by abusive government officials. If we do, we’ll be receiving a similar baptism Jesus has undergone (Mark 11:39)! The second reading today says well, “Consider how He endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart.” (Hebrews 12:3) Yes, for our sake, He’s been there. So, don’t lose heart. Persevere to the end and we’ll be saved (Matthew 14:13)
Bear in mind that the Father has chosen us to be ambassadors of Christ to reconcile the world to Himself (2 Corinthians 5:20) Have faith in the Lord that divisions will only be temporary. In the end, in the justice and mercy of God, genuine peace will prevail in the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.

2019 Reflection
Picture Credit: landofredemption.com

Have Faith in the Master 對主懷有信心

Nineteenth Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: Have Faith in the Master 對主懷有信心

Faith is a thread that runs through all the readings today. Let me start from the second reading.
“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, NAB) The word “realization” is one of the many choices of rendering the Greek word “ὑπόστασις”. KJV renders it “substance” while RSV “assurance” and NIV “confidence” etc. Similarly, the word “evidence ἔλεγχος” is rendered “assurance” in NIV and “conviction” in RSV. Thus, the choice of word reflects the theology advocated by the translators. Therefore, the margin in an understanding of a word in a particular context can be wide. Let’s take an everyday dictionary meaning of “faith” to mean “trust and confidence” in order to continue with our meditation.

We have experience of the things we know. There is no need of having faith or putting faith in them at all. We are even able to chart their courses of development. For example, we know and have experience of sunrise. We don’t need to have faith in the sun for it to rise tomorrow. We simply wait and we are even able to countdown for the first light of the morning to burst forth. For things which we are less familiar, we still don’t need faith in them in order to chart their course of development. It is because we have experiences with similar things and we are able to generalize the experiences and apply the generalization to similar situations. For example, in general clergy keep promises; policemen protect the lives and property of citizens; sooner or later, gamblers will lose all their money, unpunished corrupt officials will fall with their governments and plurality survives longer than uniformity etc. Of course, there are always exceptions to these rules of thumb but the hit-rate is good enough and we feel comfortable to embrace these generalizations. When the proportion of uncertainties increases, the role of faith becomes more prominent.

It is in unfamiliar or even unknown situations that we need faith to maintain our composure because we have nothing in hand to refer to. For example, in one-on-one competitions such as chess, boxing and tennis etc., competitors would study the performance of rivals and draw up plans of engagement. They try to eliminate as many uncertainties as possible. But there are always unheard of “dark-horses” and “giant-killers”. In the end, players can only rely on faith in their own skills in order not to make too many mistakes. In situations never seen before, people can only rely on their faith in God.

Take the example of the first reading today from the book of Wisdom, chapter 18. Starting from chapter 11, the author wrote a commentary on the story of Exodus. In the particular excerpt today, the author comments on the last plague and the Passover. “That night was known beforehand to our ancestors, so that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith, they might have courage.” (Wisdom 18:6) The Israelites had settled in Egypt for more than 400 years. Egypt was fertile and conducive to their growth in population. Yet the Egyptian environment was filled with idols which provided easy solutions to different aspects of social needs such as fertility, health, agriculture and warfare etc. Yahweh worship failed to take root and to occupy a significant presence in this piece of alien land. Yahweh had become an unknown deity for the Israelites. They had lost their cultural identity as God’s Chosen People. So, when God revealed Himself to Moses, God says, “I am the God of your father, He continued, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:6) Had any Israelites ever seen any of those remote ancestors before? They had absolutely no experience of them, not to mention the God whom those Patriarchs worshipped. It was a miracle indeed for Moses to be accepted as a liberator sent from a God of their ancestors by those Hebrew slaves! In the mind of the author of the book of Wisdom, the Hebrew slaves had only one thing to rely on: namely, the promises/oaths God had made with their ancestor Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3, 15:5, 17:4-8). Either they believed in Moses and followed his Passover instructions or rejected them. As the story unfolds, it pays to have faith in God!

If you have faith in an idea, you would start digging up evidence to substantiate the idea. Otherwise, you can only keep it open. Let’s take another example. Many people buy the idea that men evolved from chimpanzees. But the evidences are sketchy at best. There are simply too many “missing-links” in evolution. To these days, the choice between creationism and evolutionism is no more than a matter of faith/conviction! In the case of Christianity, all those who had once lived with Jesus Christ have died. Nowadays, no Christian has any concrete experience of their Lord Jesus Christ, except for a handful of mystics whom God has granted the privilege of private revelations. What about the majority of us who are simple ordinary followers? Where and how do we dig up evidence to substantiate our faith in Jesus Christ? Most of us can only experience Jesus Christ through sacraments of Eucharist and Penance. Through those visible signs, Catholics receive invisible graces which are supposed to enhance their relationship with God.

Alas, doesn’t the priest announce, “The Mystery of Faith” after the consecration of the Eucharist during mass? Isn’t it tautological for faith to substantiate faith? We’re back to square one. Perhaps we need to turn elsewhere. Jesus makes a bold pledge at the end of one of the Synoptic gospels. He says, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Do we have faith in this promise? Luckily, Jesus leaves us two clues to discover His presence. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (18:20) and “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (25:40) That is to say, we’ll be able to substantiate our faith in the gatherings of the community of Christians, e.g. prayer meetings and joining Sunday masses. Furthermore, helping the needy and the disadvantaged in the society is an opportunity to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ. The latter is echoed in the gospel passage today. “Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven … For where your treasure is, there also will your hearts be” (Luke 12:33-34) Not only is alms-giving a philosophy of Christian financial management, but it is also a way to substantiate our faith in Jesus and enrich it.

Of course, our faith guides our actions and a lack of actions reflects a deficiency of faith. When we know the teachings of Jesus but do not put them into practice, it signals a lack of our faith in Him. No wonder Jesus says this when He continues to exhort us to be vigilant. “That servant’s master … will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely.” (12:46-47) Optimistically, this warning is directed towards Jesus’ servants, viz. the clergy of the Church. When the clergy are abusing their ministry, Jesus would punish them severely and assign them a place with the “unfaithful”. Hopeful, it means they will be our target of evangelization to turn them into faithful gain!
Brethren! Faith is a theological virtue. As a virtue, we can work hard on it to bring it to perfection. As it is also theological, it is bestowed by God. So to enhance our faith in the Lord, let us meet more in Church and go out more to serve the marginalized of the society.
God bless!
2019 Reflection
Picture Credit: christian.art

What’s the Right Thing To Seek? 該尋求甚麼正確的事？

Eighteenth Ordinary Sunday, Year C

Theme: What’s the Right Thing To Seek? 該尋求甚麼正確的事？

In the gospel story today, a man asked Jesus to help him get his due. “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me” (Luke 12:13). My first impression of Jesus’ response was that He evaded the issue of justice to talk about something less crucial. In so doing, I felt that Jesus was not doing justice to the man, was He?

When the issue of inheritance arose, the parable of the Prodigal Son immediately came to mind. In the present case, most probably the man’s brother was the elder son who was in control of the inheritance left behind after their father’s demise. For some reasons, this elder brother seemed to be reluctant to share the inheritance with him. Therefore, this man came to seek Jesus’ help because Jesus was not as the scribes. “He taught them as one that had authority.” (Mark 1:22) Hopefully, Jesus’ authority would bend his brother. This was a rather civilized approach. Had this man been a thug, he would have chosen a more violent path and resorted to murder! But Jesus declined to exercise His authority to settle their dispute and turned to the crowd to talk about greed. Would teaching about greed settle injustice?

We have only heard one side of the story and don’t know why the elder brother did not share the inheritance. An obvious explanation is that the elder brother was greedy. But there might be other possibilities. Again the Parable of the Prodigal Son could be helpful. What happened after the younger brother acquired his share of inheritance in the Parable? Probably the elder brother knew that his younger brother would “squander his inheritance on a life of dissipation” (Luke 15:13b) So, the elder brother could be right in not sharing the inheritance! Had Jesus helped the younger brother, He would have engendered an injustice! Of course, it could have been both: the elder brother was really greedy while the younger brother was but a scumbag! Therefore, in teaching against greed, Jesus was not evading responsibility but went directly to the root of issue.

What does Jesus teach? He teaches us to focus on the most essential things in life. He reminds us, “For though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions” (Luke 12:15). Then Jesus tells the Parable of the Rich Fool to elaborate. “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” (12:20) This line echoes the same sentiment shown in the first reading today. It is a perennial truth all parents must acknowledge. “For here is one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and that one’s legacy must be left to another who has not toiled for it. This also is vanity and a great evil” (Ecclesiastes 2:21).

Let’s put aside those who accumulate wealth for themselves to the exclusion of all other people. St. Paul has already condemned those people, “For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have stayed from their faith and have pierced themselves with many pains” (1 Timothy 6:10). The love of money is an intrinsic evil because money makes people feel secure. Money emboldens people to the extent that they would harden their hearts towards the needy, such as the anonymous rich man in the Parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), and the rich begin not to feel the need of God. With greater wealth and power, they even start playing God themselves.
Am I exaggerating? No! Take a look at the second reading today. When Paul exhorts the faithful to renounce evil, he says, “Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). Why did Paul equate greed with idolatry? It is because idols offer people shortcuts to get rich and to acquire whatever they desire through magic/witchcraft. The worship of Yahweh gave the Israelites freedom from slavery. But fertility cult in Canaan appealed more directly to our needs in the lower hierarchy. It was hard to resist for the Israelites and for humanity in general. Freedom is too abstract to feed the belly!

It is a consolation that not many people can be as rich and as powerful as Messrs. Bill Gates and Li Ka-shing. Yet, it is undeniable that the modern secular world is run by wealth. We can’t live in this city without this resource. We need to prepare for projects in the future and parents need to reserve resources for their children’s consumption though they know all too well that their children might not be able to handle the inheritance properly. As a Chinese aphorism goes, “Wealth never lasts more than three generations”. Thus, the accumulation of wealth is not necessarily evil as long as we take the others into consideration. The key point is how to management our wealth properly. So, what’s the best strategy a Christian should deploy in their investment?

Christ teaches us a philosophy of financial management, “Thus will it be (foolish) for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God” (Luke 12:21). What does it mean by “to be rich in what matters to God”? To a certain extent, Luke was paraphrasing Paul’s teaching. Paul says, “Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God … Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19) In telling the rich “not to be proud”, Paul warns against the illusionary empowerment of money which tempts us to play God. “To do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” are concrete and practical actions to accumulate treasure in heaven. Why do these actions “matter to God”? It is because in loving our neighbour, we love God (Matthew 25:40). “For whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). Thus, our acts of charity or the lack of them is linked with God.

Why is doing good work such an essential step? Let’s take a look from another perspective. Doing good work has to do with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit a spirit of charity. It was the Holy Spirit who inspired us to love the needy and to love the unlovable. On the other hand, Paul likens the Holy Spirit as God’s down payment of our inheritance in heaven (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5, Ephesians 1:13-14). Last week, we read that our Father in heaven is eager to “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:13). But don’t forget, God would also take the Holy Spirit away from us (1 Samuel 16:14, Psalms 51:13). Thus, not only should we aim at the possession of the Holy Spirit, but we should also take care to preserve the Holy Spirit given to us. The BVM is an excellent exemplar. She is full of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35) and as a carrier of the Holy Spirit, she moves around to extend a helping hand to whoever is in need (1:39-40, John 2:3)! That explains why doing good work is an essential step in the preservation of the Holy Spirit in us, thus ensuring that we’ll get rich in heaven.

Brethren! Don’t be short-sighted when we handle worldly business which would easily occupy our full attention. Take time off to seek the right thing! Seek not immediate fairness because it might not last long. Instead, set our sight to eternal richness and seek it! Amen.
God bless!
2016 Reflection
Picture Credit: wikipedia

Why is Persistence needed in Prayers? 為何要恬不知恥地切求？

The Seventeenth Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: Why is Persistence needed in Prayers? 為何要恬不知恥地切求？

The Israelites were a people eager to imitate. For example, during the Age of the Judges, whenever they were attacked by nations in the neighbourhood, God would raise “national heroes” whom they called “Judges” to unite the twelve tribes to fight back. Later after Samuel had retired as the Judge, the Israelites demanded to have a king to lead them, “We too must be like all the nations, with a king to rule us, lead us in warfare, and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:20). This was not a wise request. They forsook God because He was invisible. Rather, they sought after a visible king.

Similarly, in the gospel text today, we read of one of Jesus disciples’ request, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1) Probably it was too early for Jesus’ disciples to know that Jesus is the Son of God. Nevertheless, this disciple was actually PRAYING to God! However, like most of us, this disciple was not petitioning to the best of his own interests. He was like an inexperienced housewife buying expensive yet low quality groceries instead of the best buys. John the Baptist was only a forerunner for the Messiah. His teachings could never be on a par with those of Jesus’. Yet, this disciple prayed for it, like what most people do in their prayers, viz. asking for second-class benefits!

As the narrative unfolds, Jesus taught us the shorter Lukan version of the Lord’s Prayer (11:2-4). Then like what He used to do, Jesus told us a parable to encourage us to persist in our prayers, “I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.” (11:8)

I would argue that persistence is NOT necessary for prayers and here are the reasons: First of all, elsewhere when Jesus teaches about prayers, He says, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:8) Immediately after that, He teaches the Lord’s Prayer (6:9-13). Now, if our Father already knows, why bother praying and persist in praying? Therefore, there must be something other than simply acquiring what we want when we pray and that something may have nothing to do with persistence!

Secondly, when we persist in asking for lethal things, would God give us? Of course He wouldn’t as it is shown by what Jesus continues to say a few verses below, “What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?” (Luke 11:11-12) God would not harm us so as to teach us a lesson. But what if we are praying not for harmful things but for second class benefits, would our persistence make God give us? I would like to point out an unwarranted assumption in this question! This question assumes that we won’t change our requests in our persistence and that we don’t adjust our requests during the course of prayer!

Let me make use of a well-known story to explain why this assumption is unwarranted. It comes from the story of Abraham in the first reading today. At that time, Abraham intended to make his nephew Lot his inheritor because Abraham had no son. Lot was staying in Sodom but God wanted to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of the gravity of their sins (Genesis 18:20). In order to save Lot, Abraham began a series of bargaining with God to intercede for Sodom (18:23-32). Abraham started with fifty righteous people in Sodom. Seeing that God was willing to spare the wicked, Abraham adjusted his requests cautiously to maximize his gain. He made God lower the threshold from 50 to 45, 40, 30, 20 and lastly 10 righteous people! Abraham’s persistence set us a good example. It shows that persistence gives better results because we are able to adjust our target and reach an optimal outcome.

In modern jargon, Abraham was testing God’s bottom line. When he reached ten, Abraham dared not to risk what he had acquired so far. Had he bargained harder, God might be angry with his “greed” and overturned everything or God might tighten His definition of “righteous people” to disqualify all. After all, it is God who inspects and decides whether a person is righteous, “If I find …” (18:26, 28-32) Not only did Abraham show persistence, he showed prudence as well! Some scholars speculate that God’s bottom line is one. Among human beings, there is one indisputably righteous person: Jesus Christ! God intends to reconcile the whole world to Himself in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:19). Out of His mercy, the Son of God took flesh to become man. “For our sake He made Him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteous of God in Him.” (5:21) The mystery of Incarnation is truly unfathomable!

Thus, Jesus did not tell this parable to encourage us to be stubborn. Rather, He tells us that God is very patient. He already knows what we need before we pray and that we always ask the wrong things. Though to err is human, the ability to learn and to fine-tune is a human advantage! Thus, the Father gives us an opportunity to persist until we reach through many adjustments, not necessarily the best but the most optimal outcome. It doesn’t matter even if the optimal is of lower quality than the best. In the end, God will be extremely glad to give us the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). “For we do not know how to pray as we ought, the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” (Romans 8:26)

Brethren! Have faith in Jesus and in the Holy Spirit. With persistence, we’ll be able to reach the optimal prayer which the Father is pleased to grant. Thus, Jesus is able to boldly announce an impossible pledge: “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9) With the support of the Holy Spirit, we’ll surely have all our prayers answered.
God bless!
2019 Reflection
Picture Credit: scripturescript.wordpress.com

The Autumn of Life

The Autumn of Life

Deacon Alex

In 1999, His Holiness Pope John Paul II wrote a personal letter to the elderly¹. “As an older person myself, I have felt the desire to engage in a conversation with you.” (para. 1) Following the famous Roman orator Cicero, the saintly Pope called old age “The autumn of life”. If I may paraphrase a popular political jargon, old age is our “harvest time”. Compared with another imagery of the “setting sun”, “the autumn of life” is forward-looking indeed!

The life expectancy of ancient people was very much shorter than modern men. They rarely lived beyond seventy. So goes the Psalms, “Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong.” (Psalms 90:10) Nowadays, medical technology has so greatly advanced that if a person or his family is able to afford, it is possible to lead a life beyond one hundred and twenty which is a limit set by God (Genesis 6:3). Isn’t that a blessing to be born a modern man?

Regrettably you would all agree with me that beyond fifty, our health could go in only one direction. The most men could do is to slow down the ageing process which seems to be irreversible. Working out and taking dietary supplements to stay young have become a lucrative market. The worst nightmare modern people fear is the Alzheimer’s disease. Not only are your precious memories slipping through your fingers like water, but your control over your body parts is also losing. You start not recognizing your beloved ones. You fall involuntarily and have difficulty swallowing etc. Life becomes miserable to yourselves as well as to your care-takers!

In ancient times when knowledge grew at a snail’s pace, senior citizens enjoyed respect and dignity because they were the embodiment of wisdom! But nowadays, knowledge explodes at such a pace that nobody on this planet is able to master a small fragment of it even if they have the will and the power, not to mention senior citizens who lack both. Senior citizens are no longer able to command respect because fast-paced modern people don’t buy their “wisdom”! As such, longevity is becoming more a curse than a blessing!

Let’s stay positive my dear older brothers and sisters! Memory failure is not as bad as you imagine. There are indeed many happy people who only remember “good” things in their lives. They are grateful to everybody they have met. Losing those good memories seems to be a pity. On the other hand, for those bitter people who only remember how others have cheated them and have bullied them, isn’t losing those bad memories a good thing? Exactly! Alzheimer’s disease is an indifferent equalizer. It wipes out both good and bad memories without showing any favouritism. Why then did I exhort you at the beginning of this paragraph to stay positive? It is because charity is a Christian duty. Stay positive, be grateful and remember only good things in your lives so that in your old age, you as well as your care-takers in the future will be happy! Stay negative, be cynical and remember only bad things in your lives, you’re heaping coals of fire on your own heads as well as your future care-takers’. Everybody suffers until Alzheimer disease comes to your aid!

My dear older brethren! At the end of the day, we are all path-finders showing people how to cross over the threshold to eternal life --- death. Sooner or later, all of us would return to our Creator and eternity is our destiny. We’ll either be gaining infinitely good experiences in eternal life in the company of all the angels and saints or infinite bitterness in hell in the company of Satan. The present social milieu is a depressing one. Let our remaining days be a guidepost to those around us, showing them different paths to eternity which shall be bitterness or sweetness of different degrees. With the support of Our Lady of Mount Carmel who went all the way to support her elderly cousin Elizabeth, let us show people the true colours of autumn and a gleam of hope in eternity. Amen!
God bless!

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¹ https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_01101999_elderly.html