New Wine in Old Wineskin

Today is the First Sunday of Lent (Year A). However, since it is also the first Sunday after Lunar New Year, Fr. Patrick Sun chose another set of readings.
The first reading was taken from Genesis 12. It is the well known story of God calling Abraham to leave everything behind and begin an adventure. It was truly an adventure, full of promises and unknowns. Fr. Patrick did not dwell on this passage. Instead, he took issue on the circulation of obscene photos of the local celebrities.
He began with an explanation of "to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God" (Romans 12:1). We offer a living sacrifice θυσίαν ζῶσαν, not a dead one to God. A sacrifice is something dedicated exclusively to God. In most religious rituals, sacrifices usually involve death, either because the sacrifices will be sent to the other world or because the sacrifices take our place to die for our sins. So, death becomes inevitable in all sorts of sacrifices. However, St. Paul asks us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, something good and valuable, exclusively to God. As long as we belong exclusively to God, we are already, whether alive or dead, a sacrifice, not for ourselves but for the others. But St. Paul urges us to be a living, not a dead sacrifice. Now, this is more demanding because death is a one-off event and you remain in that state. This means that the sacrifice carries the blemishes at the moment of its death. But to be living is a drawn-out process, where there are lots of up's and down's. Surely we have demerits and weaknesses, but we still have time to improve on them before we die. In our dedication to God, we may at times, be enthusiastic or indifferent, but we still have opportunities to attain perfection before we die.
A sacrifice is something good, respectable and valuable. So, our bodies should be good and respectable too. Many religions despise the body and treat it with contempt because it is the source of many temptations. Marriage is a necessary evil because it involves sex and sex is a taboo, to be frowned upon if the topic is brought up publicly. Though Christianity has its own dose of conservativism, it treats the body in a more positive manner. It believes in the resurrection of the body, not just of the dead (Be careful of the translation. In the ancient Apostles' Creed, it was still the resurrection of the body σαρκὸς ἀνάστασιν, whereas in the Nicene Creed we recite in Mass today, it is the resurrection of the dead ἀνάστασιν νεκρῶν).  Sexual pleasure is not something bad, on condition that it is sought between husband and wife and for the purpose of procreation. (Pretty conservative, uh?) Therefore, pornography is something Christianity condemns. Man is created in the image and likeness of God but pornography reduces the human body into an object for pleasure seeking.  (Don't tell me you are appreciating God's image when you are reading a porno!) Human dignity is ignored and the relationship between the two sexes is distorted. What is worse, it is detrimental to the development of a healthy sexual attitude among the youngsters. Obviously, the circulation of those obscene photos of celebrities debases the female body to the status of an object of lust, something to be spent, to be exploited. This is blatantly immoral. In view of the easy accessibility of the Internet to the youngsters, this incident is something every responsible adult should be worried about.
My attention wandered off again when Fr. Patrick touched on the issue of new wine in old wineskin (Matthew 9:17). I remembered a mistake I made in dealing with Mr. Peter Tse, a colleague in La Salle.
Mr. Peter Tse was the English panel chair in the Junior Forms and an experienced RS teacher. He even sat for the first notorious Language Proficiency Benchmark Test for English teachers after his retirement! I met him in the examination centre where I sat for my test. Peter graduated from the teaching college and taught in La Salle Primary for some years before he taught English in La Salle. He had been a senior Scout Master for a long time and had coached Speech Festival competitors all the years he taught in La Salle. A very dedicated Catholic indeed. He insisted on speaking in English even with his colleagues in those days, though regrettably, this admirable act had not been properly reciprocated. (That is one of the reasons why I feel that Shung Tak is providing a far better English speaking environment than La Salle. I make more use of English here than in La Salle!) After his retirement, he remains active in the Rosary Parish, translating the lyrics of Chinese hymns into English for the Philippino community there.
I made my mistake when Peter was approaching his retirement. He got used to using stencils in typing examination papers. But I was so used to using computer that I was insentitive to his situation. Amending a single mistake in stencil amounts to retyping everything all over again! In one RS paper he set, I asked him to make corrections for three times!! How stupid I was! I was forcing my new wine into his old wineskin! No apology is enough to soothe his frustrations. Mind me, my wineskin is getting worn. There are so many new technologies popping up that it is my turn to burst.

My God, I pray for the youngsters who are exposed and excited by the circulation of those obscene photos. Blessed are the pure in heart. May You move the adults to keep the purity of the hearts of our youngsters. I pray for the victims. May their traumas be reduced to a minimum. I pray for the soul of those culprits. Damages have been done and many may have fallen. May their conscience recall them to repentance and obtain Your mercy. I pray for my soul in this Lent season. May all these incidences purify me so that I may be a living sacrifice acceptable to You. Amen.