The paradox of saving our lives

In the gospel reading today, Peter was scolded by Jesus because he tried to stop Jesus taking up his cross.
From that time Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised.
And Peter took him and began to rebuke him, saying, "God forbid, Lord! This shall never happen to you."
But he turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are a hindrance to me; for you are not on the side of God, but of men."  (Matthew 16:21-23)
This reprimand was very severe. "Satan" means enemy. Stopping Jesus from taking up the cross made Peter Jesus' enemy, putting him on the opposite side of Jesus!
Then Jesus said the most paradoxical saying in the gospel:
For whoever would save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.
ὃς γὰρ ἐὰν θέλῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ σῶσαι ἀπολέσει αὐτήν· ὃ δʼ ἂν ἀπολέσῃ τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ εὑρήσει αὐτήν. (Matthew 16:25)
Pardon me for lifting chunks of text from the classics. I find a Chinese passage by Mencius echoing a similar message.
孟子曰：“舜發於畎畝之中，傅說舉於版築之閒，膠鬲舉於魚鹽之中，管夷吾舉於士，孫叔敖舉於海，百里奚舉於市。
故天將降大任於是人也，必先苦其心志，勞其筋骨，餓其體膚，空乏其身，行拂亂其所為，所以動心忍性，曾益其所不能。
人恒過，然後能改；困於心，衡於慮，而後作；徵於色，發於聲，而後喻。
入則無法家拂士，出則無敵國外患者，國恒亡。
然後知生於憂患而死於安樂也。” 【孟子‧告子下】
After reviewing the life of six historical characters, Mencius concluded that when "Heavens" assigned important missions to individuals, these people had to go through many trials and difficulties in order to empower them, to release their potentials （動心忍性，曾益其所不能）. Of course, when Mencius talked about "Heavens", he did not have a deity in mind. He was making observations on human behaviours. In the end, he derived a corollary that people (and countries) survive on challenges and die of boredom and comfort. This corollary has the same paradoxical character as that of Jesus' teaching in Matthew 16:25. With the development and elaboration from the Mencius text, the Gospel passage becomes more palatable. That's why I always believe that we are able to build up a Chinese Christianity when enough effort is paid on correlating texts from Chinese Classics and the Bible.
Of course, we have to bear in mind that the Bible talks about God and our relationship with Him. True, it is more pleasant and acceptable to downgrade the "lose his life" to "undergo difficulties and challenges". However, we have to take into account of the phrase "for my sake". Being a Christian is more demanding than being an Olympic athlete, which was a favourite image Paul usually employed. Therefore, we do not simply undergo trials and challenges to release our potentials. When we think well of ourselves that we have been empowered with sufferings, we will be surprised to find that we are not yet half way through the finishing line. Jesus expects us to be martyrs.
Do Christians have to be so pessimistic? It depends. When the relation between the Church and the State is warm, leading a Christian life will demand a different type of martyrdom, a kind of daily sacrifice/self-denial, burning up oneself slowly as a holocaust to God. Following the example of Jesus, we do God's will, not ours. And most of the time, God's will frustrates our natural tendency a lot. Like many contemporary Jews, Peter expected Jesus to be a political Messiah, not a suffering Messiah. Paul was a Pharisee. Yet, in the end, he became the Apostle for Gentiles! John was a hot-tempered young man, even asking the permission to call down fire from heaven to burn up a village which did not accept them. Yet, in the end, he untiringly preached "love". God would rewire us if we are willing to accept and respond to His call.

My dear Advocate, without Your help, we are unable to transform ourselves. Grant us the grace to embrace martyrdom in our daily life. Amen.

The Cross is folly

Since Christianity became a popular religion, the cross has lost its original horror. Nowadays, we see men and women wearing a crucifix as a jewel or a fashion accessory. Some may even wear it as an amulet to ward off evil. The only place we see its horror in action (though a sanitized version) is to watch the spectacle of public crucifixions in the Philippines during Lent on TV.
Crucifixion was a Roman invention to torture/bleed naked prisoners slowly to death. It was not only meant to be painful, but also shameful. Therefore, early Christians encountered difficulties in preaching a crucified Christ. How could you ask people to put their faith in somebody who himself had died shamefully? Nowadays, there is no capital punishment in Hong Kong, not to mention public executions. Nowadays, capital punishment is carried out behind closed doors humanely with the least amount of pain. So, it is impossible to imagine how difficult it is to put your trust in a prisoner on the death row. Paradoxically, Christians invite people to believe in such a person to be their personal Saviour. Of course, not many people could swallow this. It goes contrary to common-sense. It makes believers look like idiots.
How would Paul cope with such an unpromising/unpopular enterprise? To develop a we-they mentality. He classified people into two camps: we are those who are being saved and they are those who are perishing.
For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18).
And the litmus test is the acceptance of the message of the cross. So, what is the message of the cross?
Jesus embodies the message of the cross. His whole life is a preparation for and a prelude to the crucifixion. He surrenders himself completely to God's will, dies in total obedience. You may not believe in the existence of God. That is not the point. The records kept in the gospel narratives show that Jesus believed in such a Father-God. And this Father-God was the motivation behind this Jesus Movement: his preaching of reform, calling of disciples, charitable work among the poor and needy, conflicts with religious authorities and finally his martyrdom. With or without resurrection, he died a heroic death for his noble cause. What if there were no resurrection?
Resurrection is the foundation stone of Christianity. Without this foundation, Christianity will crumble. But will it? True, resurrection renders sufferings meaningful, and more tolerable. But it seems to me to be a mere icing on the cake of sufferings. Of course, we can invest meaning onto some sufferings. However, there are far too many senseless sufferings. If there were no resurrection, would you still embrace sufferings and death? I would say yes, because death is a certainty and the greatest equalizer. Pope John Paul II died. Mother Teresa died. The worst serial-killer died. Heroic fire-fighters died. Over-dosed drug addicts died. I think it is vanity and a little dose of self-importance that make us carve for people's recognition, remembrance. We want to be remembered after we have left. No. No need. In Chinese, we say 人不知，而不慍，不亦君子乎？ If God allows, I just wish to leave and rest in peace, with no regret. For the time being, probably life has been very good to me. I don't feel the need to be remembered and thus no urge for resurrection.
Before leaving today's reading, let's do a little Greek. Paul quoted two passages. He lifted the whole chuck of text from one, but summarized another passage into 5 words! Here they are.
ἀπολῶ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν ἀθετήσω.
I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will thwart.
(1 Corinthians 1:19)
καὶ ἀπολῶ τὴν σοφίαν τῶν σοφῶν καὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν συνετῶν κρύψω. (LXX)
and the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the discernment of their discerning men shall be hid.
(Isaiah 29:14b)
Notice again that the English was translated from the Hebrew Scripture, but the Greek comes from the Septuagint.
ὁ καυχώμενος ἐν κυρίῳ καυχάσθω.
Let him who boasts, boast of the Lord. (1 Corinthians 1:31)
Τάδε λέγει κύριος Μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ σοφὸς ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ ἰσχυρὸς ἐν τῇ ἰσχύι αὐτοῦ, καὶ μὴ καυχάσθω ὁ πλούσιος ἐν τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτοῦ,
ἀλλ̓ ἢ ἐν τούτῳ καυχάσθω ὁ καυχώμενος, συνίειν καὶ γινώσκειν ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι κύριος ποιῶν ἔλεος καὶ κρίμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἐν τούτοις τὸ θέλημά μου, λέγει κύριος.
Thus says the LORD: "Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, let not the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man glory in his riches;
but let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD who practice steadfast love, justice, and righteousness in the earth; for in these things I delight, says the LORD." (Jeremiah 9:23-24)

My dear Advocate, without resurrection, we will live in despair. We will lose all motivation to make morally courageous decisions. I pray that the hope in resurrection will continue to help me overcome obstacles in following You. Amen.

Feast of Martyrdom of John the Baptist

When people ask what the Old Testament and the New Testament are, the most common sense answer one gets is that Jesus is the watershed. Before his birth, it was the Old Testament. After the first Christmas, it is the New Testament. A pretty good answer for a primary one pupil. A more sophisticated answer would run something like this. "Testament" means a covenant between God and men. The Old Testament was a covenant between God and the Israelites while the New is a covenant between God and all mankind. However, this kind of reason is not thought out well enough because it was Jeremiah who announced a new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31). In the oracles of Isaiah, he already mentioned all peoples coming to worship Yahweh in Zion, the holy mountain where God's holy city, Jerusalem, was located (Isaiah 2:2-3). Therefore, the idea of a new covenant made between God and all mankind had been floating around in the air in around 600 B.C. Therefore, the simplistic idea of cutting history neatly into two parts, the Old Testament era and the New Testament era, ignores historical reality. Remember that while Jesus was preaching and contrasting the Old Testament and the New, he made it clear that he did not come to abolish the Old (Matthew 5:17-18). Therefore, the Old Testament did not vanish into thin air once Jesus appeared. Of course, it was Jesus who was responsible for sealing the New Testament with his own blood on the cross. Therefore, it is safe to say that the New Testament begins with Jesus.
While traditionally, Samuel was the first prophet in the Old Testament, John the Baptist was the last. After him, there was no more prophets of the Old Testament type. He was the precursor of the Messiah who was the fulfillment of the Old Testament. In Matthew, Jesus has the following to say about John the Baptist.
Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist; yet he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he (Matthew 11:11).
Then, Jesus added the following comment based on which people claim that John the Baptist was the last prophet of the Old Testament.
For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John (Matthew 11:13).
Naturally, the Baptist began his mission with the baptism of people. People came to him to confess their sins and received his baptism. As the Precursor of the Messiah, he baptised people to prepare their hearts to receive the Messiah. According to the gospel of John, a few disciples of Jesus actually were disciples of John before they "deflected" to Jesus (John 1:37). As the precursor, John knew his position. So, when Jesus became more popular, like him, baptizing people (John 3:22, 26), John's disciples were very anxious and asked John for his opinion, John told a parable of a bridegroom and his friends. He compared Jesus to a bridegroom and he himself the friends of the bridegroom. He concluded.
He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30).
[The Church insists that Jesus did not baptize. The verses mentioned about in fact talk about Jesus' disciples baptized!]
As a prophet, John the Baptist could not remain reticent when he saw the sins committed by Herod Antipas. As the leader of the Jewish people, the Jews looked up to Antipas. If he set a bad example, people would follow suits. Therefore, John the Baptist had no choice but to reprimand Herod. Consequently, he was beheaded (Matthew 14:10).
The reading in Jeremiah today is a bit sarcastic in celebrating the martyrdom of John the Baptist.
And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its princes, its priests, and the people of the land.
They will fight against you; but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the LORD, to deliver you (Jeremiah 1:18-19).
This passage is a very accurate description of the life of John the Baptist, except for the second half of verse 19.
What did Yahweh mean when He said "... but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, says the Lord, to deliver you."? But Herod had beheaded him! Even if we believe that Yahweh is with us, do we need to wait until Judgment Day for Yahweh to deliver us? If we are lucky, if it is God's will, we may save our skin. Otherwise, we had better pray that we do not lose faith together with our souls.

My dear Advocate, life may not be a bed of roses. May we not lose sight of our call and heroic examples set up by the saints. May our life be a pleasant melody, singing praises to Your kindness. Amen.

Feast of St. Augustine

The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St. Augustine today. Augustine was an important theologian of the Church in the 4^th century. When Christianity enjoyed freedom from persecutions, she could afford spending her energy to ponder over theological problems. Some ideas were blind alleys. Luckily, we have Augustine to fight against many of these heresies. He wrote The Confessions and The City of God. In The Confessions, he left us a very beautiful prayer in Book 10, Chapter 27. With a simple search on the Internet, it is not difficult to locate both the Latin original and an English translation.

Too late did I love You, O Fairness, so ancient, and yet so new! Too late did I love You! For behold, You were within, and I without, and there did I seek You; I, unlovely, rushed heedlessly among the things of beauty You made. You were with me, but I was not with You. Those things kept me far from You, which, unless they were in You, were not. You called, and cried aloud, and forced open my deafness. You gleamed and shine, and chase away my blindness. You exhaled odours, and I drew in my breath and do pant after You. I tasted, and do hunger and thirst. You touched me, and I burned for Your peace.

Sero te amavi, pulchritudo tam antiqua et tam nova, sero te amavi! et ecce intus eras et ego foris, et ibi te quaerebam, et in ista formosa, quae fecisti, deformis inruebam. mecum eras, et tecum non eram. ea me tenebant longe a te, quae si in te non essent, non essent. vocasti et clamasti et rupisti surditatem meam: coruscasti, splenduisti et fugasti caecitatem meam: fragrasti, et duxi spiritum, et anhelo tibi, gustavi et esurio et sitio, tetigisti me, et exarsi in pacem tuam.

For the next three weeks, we will be reading the first Epistle to the Corinthians. Let's learn from their experience.
The Church in Corinth faces a number of problems. Though Paul needed to reprimand them, he was still able to locate some good points to praise them. Though the church was plagued with problems, Paul was able to see God's grace working in them.
I give thanks to God always for you because of the grace of God which was given you in Christ Jesus,
that in every way you were enriched in him with all speech and all knowledge --
even as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you --
so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift, as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 1:4-7)
The church is a church of sinners. Sinners are people who need God's help, who know that they need God's forgiveness, God's grace. Therefore, we should learn to accept and help sinful people inside the church. Of course, this is easier said than done. But we are called to be saints (1 Corinthians 1:2).
With God's grace, the Corinthians were enriched with all speech and all knowledge (1:5).
I see myself among the Corinthians. I spend a lot of effort to enrich myself in languages and knowledge. Assembly, BASIC, C, Fortran, Greek, Hebrew, HTML, Javascript, Pascal, Prolog ... Some people even flatter me by calling me a walking encyclopaedia. Yes, I have put in a lot of effort intellectually. Yet, I have not put enough effort to love my neighbour. To love the lovable is easy. To love the contemptible requires effort. Usually, we don't want to put in effort in this area. Now, I begin to appreciate the beauty of Augustine's prayer.

My dear Advocate, I pray that I do not love you too late and that I do not love my neighbours too late. Amen.

Feast of St. Monica

St. Monica was the mother of St. Augustine. She was remembered for her patience and persistence. Her prayer for the conversion of Augustine lasted for seventeen years. The Catholic Church celebrates her feast today.
Today was a rather hard day for me. In the morning, the first English Panel Meeting lasted three and a half hours and I was responsible for minutes taking. We rescheduled the RS panel meeting for this afternoon. As a tradition, we had a sharing session with all Catholic teachers before the panel meeting proper. This year, we have two new teachers, again from the English Department. The sharing was fruitful. Many practicable ideas had been tabled. For example, we will try to centralize the morning prayer on Tuesdays and Fridays when we do not have morning assemblies but class teacher periods instead. We also plan to organize a retreat for Catholic students and teachers on one Saturday. Brenda said that religious activities need to be more visible and John commented that we are just doing what we should do but have failed to do for a long time. The mood was enthusiastic.
Today we also finish the Second Epistle to the Thessalonians. Chapter 3 begins with a note of caution.
Finally, brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed on and triumph, as it did among you (2 Thessalonians 3:1).
Indeed, St. Monica, please pray also for us that we may learn from your patience and persistence. It is not easy to spread the word of Jesus among the students. We have RS lessons, but students are very pragmatic. They are not motivated to study hard for a subject they think unimportant. The challenge for us is to make the subject relevant and captivating. Brenda was right. Religion should be more visible. The spreading of the word of God is bound to come across obstacles and resistance. That is why St. Paul asked the Thessalonian Christians to pray for them in the preaching of the good news. In Shung Tak, we don't have people as charismatic as St. Paul. Yet even St. Paul needed to seek support from the others. Our prospect is rather dim though not impossible. We have to rely more on God.
Verse 5 is a bit puzzling.
May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the steadfastness of Christ (2 Thessalonians 3:5).
All along, St.Paul addressed Jesus as Lord Jesus, Lord Jesus Christ etc. Therefore, the Lord is synonymous with Jesus who is the Christ. Now St. Paul prayed that the Lord (Jesus) would direct their hearts to the steadfastness of Christ (Jesus). What does that mean? How do you direct people's heart to your steadfastness? Here, it sounds like there are 3 people involved, where the Lord no longer equal to Jesus, the Christ.

My dear Advocate, following St. Paul's cue, I pray that the word of God may speed on and triumph here in Shung Tak. I rely on You to help me out. Amen.

St. Paul wrote about the Coming of the Lord

We have to remember that the Bibles we are reading are translations. When we come upon some ambiguous passages, probably the original are no better.
When Paul wrote this second epistle to the Thessalonians, he was trying to clarify the misunderstanding arose from the first epistle he wrote. Both epistles are closely related and should not be read out of context. The first epistle provides the background. The second clarifies. The whole issue arose from wild guesses of the coming of the Lord. The end of the world is an evergreen topic. There is always a market because there must be someone not happy with the status quo, the present situation of the society. They are not necessarily terrorists who are eager to bring down the System. But nobody wants to be caught unprepared, to be left behind. It would be most regrettable if you spent your last day on earth without knowing that it were the last. That is why people will always want to know anything about the end.
However, the end of the world is always elusive. No crystal-ball gazer has been able to track it down. It also slips out of their fingers. Since nobody knows the exact moment, the best strategy is to be ever ready (Mark 13:32). This is a basic Christian attitude towards the end of the world. Complications arose among the Thessalonian Christians. In his first epistle, Paul dealt with the problem of priority, i.e. whether those who had died suffered any disadvantage at the end of the world (1 Thessalonians 4:15). Paul authoritatively declared the sequence of events leading to the end of the world (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17) and concluded that those who were alive did not have any advantages over those who had already died.
But that did not solve the problem. Paul had to write again. Did he misunderstand the question in the first instance, so now he wrote again to clarify? Or had new misunderstandings arisen so now he wrote to deal with the new issues? Either case, how did Paul guarantee that he would not misunderstand this time? Why do I suspect that Paul misunderstood the problem? It is because of the ambiguous translations.
In the first epistle, Paul dealt with the moment of general resurrection. In the second, he talked about things leading to the moment.
Let no one deceive you in any way; for that day will not come, unless the rebellion comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition
Μή τις ὑμᾶς ἐξαπατήσῃ κατὰ μηδένα τρόπον. ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ ἔλθῃ ἡ ἀποστασία πρῶτον καὶ ἀποκαλυφθῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἀνομίας, ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας, (2 Thessalonians 2:3).
This man of lawlessness, this son of perdition proclaimed himself God (2 Thessalonians 2:4b) and Paul had told the Thessalonians about this person when he was still with them (2 Thessalonians 2:5). The Lord Jesus would defeat this person (2 Thessalonians 2:8). The coming of this person is the result of the activity of Satan and it would be spectacular (2 Thessalonians 2:9).
This much is certain. However, in between verse 5 to verse 8, things are a little bit sticky.
And you know what is restraining him now so that he may be revealed in his time.
For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains it will do so until he is out of the way
καὶ νῦν τὸ κατέχον οἴδατε εἰς τὸ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ καιρῷ. τὸ γὰρ μυστήριον ἤδη ἐνεργεῖται τῆς ἀνομίας· μόνον ὁ κατέχων ἄρτι ἕως ἐκ μέσου γένηται. (2 Thessalonians 2:6-7).
Verse 2:6 presents a problem of background. The Thessalonian Christians knew what was restraining the person but we don't. Was it a kind of power or a person? The man of lawlessness has been held back. His time has not yet come. He is still nobody.
Verse 2:7 is an enigma. What did Paul mean by the mystery of lawlessness? What kind of mystery is it? The restraining force became a person now. What does the 'out of the way' mean? How 'out of the way' is the restraining person? However, the Greek literally means 'from the middle' and is translated into 'out of the way'. The original is ambiguous. The translation can do no better.
The Jewishness of Paul is once again demonstrated in his treatment of those who perish at the end of the world because they do not love the truth (2 Thessalonians 2:10). Paul describes this as an action of God.
Therefore God sends upon them a strong delusion, to make them believe what is false,
so that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness (2 Thessalonians 2:11-12).
This is very much similar to saying God hardened the heart of Pharaoh so that he refused to release the Israelites, thus inviting God to send 10 plagues to Egypt (Exodus 4:21)! This is a very typical Jewish way of thinking. However, there is a problem. If God makes me to do something evil, am I morally responsible for the evil done? Shouldn't God take at least a part of the blame? It is rather difficult to defend.

My dear Advocate, St. Paul has enlightened us on the perils happening around us before the end of the world. May we heed his warnings and lead a sober and alert life to welcome Your second coming. Amen.

The Jewishness of St. Paul

We will read 2 Thessalonians this week. Scholars generally agree that St. Paul wrote this epistle in 52 A.D. in Corinth. This was the MO (Mode of Operation) of St. Paul. He travelled along the communication network of the Empire. He built up churches along the way but he did not stay. He would assign his coworkers to consolidate what he had begun. When these local churches needed any help, they would appeal to the Apostle for support. Therefore, Paul would either write to them or visit them in person. This epistle is one of the earliest Pauline epistles. It shows that Paul's thoughts were evolving. In his early years after conversion, he was still pretty much a Pharisee, very knowledgeable about the Torah, the first 5 books of the Bible. So, when he 'quoted' Torah passages,  he simply translated them into Greek in his own words. As for the other books, such as Psalm, he would copy from the Septuagint, a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scripture in 200 B.C. Moreover, his theology was very Jewish at this stage. This is shown very clearly in chapter one.
Paul begins with his usual manners of greeting. First of all, he praised the Thessalonians for their unfailing faith and steadfast love. These were not theological abstractions but painful experiences under persecution. It was admirable of the Thessalonian Christians to endure sufferings and still retained their faith.
Therefore we ourselves boast of you in the churches of God for your steadfastness and faith in all your persecutions and in the afflictions which you are enduring (2 Thessalonians 1:4).
Then came Paul, the Pharisee.
since indeed God deems it just to repay with affliction those who afflict you (2 Thessalonians 1:6).
Instead of praying for those who persecuted them (e.g. Matthew 5:44), St. Paul encouraged them that God would revenge for them. This agreed much with many psalms which call on God to vindicate the author. His God was still a wrathful God of justice, unlike the Christian God of mercy. Even in his more mature writings where he encouraged the believers not to take revenge in their own hand but leave it to God, to treat their enemies kindly because in so doing, they were heaping burning coals on the heads of their enemies (Romans 12:19-20). The motive was still vengeance on the enemy and not kindness to the neighbour.
After all, the Christian ideal is an ideal. The Jewish attitude is more down to earth. They are more concerned with justice. For them, God is more righteous than being merciful. With this mentality, difficult life is more bearable because God would fight for you, would vindicate your innocence. Seeing our persecutors persecuted would soothe our injured heart and boost our crestfallen spirit.
They shall suffer the punishment of eternal destruction and exclusion from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might (2 Thessalonians 1:9).

My dear Advocate, You are the Spirit of Truth and Love. Remove our hearts of stone and enkindle a loving heart in us so that we are able to unite even with enemies just like brothers. Amen.

The foundation of the Church

And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, 
κἀγὼ δέ σοι λέγω ὅτι σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν,  (Matthew 16:18a).
Based on this verse, the Catholic Church declared Peter the first pope. The pope is the bishop of Rome. Peter and Paul did not started the church there but both of them died there on the same day. Therefore, the church in Rome was blessed by the two greatest apostles. Consciously, she has taken up the role to defend the tradition handed down by the apostles. It was a long process for the church in Rome to build up her primacy among all other churches. When controversy arose, other churches naturally sought her judgment because she occupied the heart of the Roman Empire. In the age of persecutions, she drank her full cup of martyrdoms.
When Caesar Constantine made Christianity the official religion of the Empire, the church no longer needed to suffer the martyrdom of blood, but a martyrdom of a different type: politics. Anticipating the influx of barbaric invasions, the Empire moved the capital east to Constantinople, leaving the bishop of Rome to take care of the city. He had to deal with local nobilities within and barbarians without. When theological arguments flared up, such as the relation between the humanity and the divinity of Jesus, the Caesar would intervene as the defender of faith! He would side with his favourite bishop(s) who might not be the bishop of Rome. So, life would be rather difficult for the popes when they found themselves entangled in European politics. In the meantime, the bishop of Rome sent missionaries to Christianize the continent as well as the British Isles ...
Of course, it is impossible to do justice to all the 266 popes to talk about them in such a brief space. Interested readers should consult books such as Saints and Sinners: A History of the Popes or similar books.
Fr. Martin Ip celebrated the 11 a.m. Mass this morning. In his homily, he invited us to imagine what was racing through the mind of Simon when Jesus said he was the rock on which Jesus would build his church.
In hindsight, I don't have to worry about the failures and shortcomings of the church officials because behind them, Jesus is working. Moreover, the church does not belong to Benedict XVI, nor to Peter. She belongs to Jesus. Yet, Jesus needs our cooperation. He needs someone more accessible to the mortals. He needs a rock.
But Peter did not see any rock nor any church when Jesus spoke to him. This would only unfold in time. He did not understand Jesus. His misunderstanding was amply demonstrated 6 verses later when he attempted to stop Jesus from taking up the cross. As a result, Jesus scolded him and called him Satan (Matthew 16:23). Like any mere mortals, Peter took time to mature. He made mistakes, some very terrible ones. But his faith and his love for Jesus did not grow dim in time. On the contrary, even before Pentecost, he had already demonstrated his Christian style of leadership (Acts 1:15-26).
Father Martin pressed his point home. Jesus calls each one of us. He awakes the potentials in us. The ball is now in our court. How shall we respond to this call to perfection and holiness? The gospel gives us one of the examples in Peter: he confesses that Jesus is the Son of God; he preaches the gospel after receiving the Holy Spirit and he dies a martyr in Vatican. Legend has it that he was crucified upside on his own request. As for us, we are Catholics and we believe that Jesus is the Son of God. (Jews accept Jesus as a Rabbi and Muslims one of the prophets.) Not many of us take the second step to preach the gospel. Our talents and potentials are buried. From Jesus' point of view, it is a great pity.

My sweet Jesus, we are not generous enough to respond to Your call. We still have worries and cares in our hearts. We are very much like seeds sown among thorn bushes. I know it is our business to clear up the field. I pray that more young people (and not so young people as well) respond generously to Your call. I pray for my children. If they are pleasing to You, may they become Your instruments of peace. Amen

Do we love God enough?

I haven't written about my mum for one week. Last Saturday, after spending six days in Chai Wan, I left unhappily. Everyday, before mum drank, we could talk sensibly. When alcohol reached her stomach, literally, all hell broke loose. Mum would make use of the alcohol to vent her anger and frustration towards people around. I experienced firsthand how difficult daily life is for my father and my younger brother. They probably have developed their ways to cope with her. I have not. Half of my genes came from her. Whatever she is doing or failing to do, I will be doing the same when I reach her age. If she cannot kick her addiction, neither will I be able to in my future. Family members around me will suffer like my father and my younger brother. The prospect is bad! Therefore, during dinner, I lost my composure and traded a few yells with her. I started shaking. I knew what would happen. It was the second time since my DM. I put down the chopsticks, did not say anything, took long, deep breathes to allow myself to calm down. Aware of what she had done to me, Mum restrained herself. I finished my meal, leaving my glass of red wine undrunk. Mum ordered my younger brother to accompany me home. For the next couple of days when mum called, I was not able to bring myself to speak intimately with her anymore.
When she called today, she was not drunk. She broke the news that back in mainland China, the younger brother of my father suffered a stroke and was hospitalized due to his chronic alcoholism. She decided not to drink anymore. My younger brother has warned her of the dangers of alcoholism many times before. His words have fallen onto deaf ears. Now, this man, who had given her some hard times when she first married my father, has fallen. She would not like to follow his path. What has happened to my uncle is more persuasive than our continuous pleas. Don't make me wrong. I can imagine how my father feels when his younger brother suffers a stroke. Surely he would feel sorry for him and his family. But this time, if mum can really emerge from her addiction because of this, I sincerely thank God and Our Lady for granting her such graces. Somehow, God is able to bring forth goodness out of evil. This is His mysterious way of working which is beyond our understanding. Of course, I pray for the health of my uncle as well, though it came as a second thought. (I am too bad a Catholic!)
Today, we wrap up with our reading of Ezekiel.
Ezekiel 37 is the famous vision of the valley of dry bones. God determined not to give up His Chosen People. To sustain them in the future, God would give them His Spirit.
And you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves, and raise you from your graves, O my people.
And I will put my Spirit within you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land; then you shall know that I, the LORD, have spoken, and I have done it, says the LORD (Ezekiel 37:13-14).
Moreover, their kingdom will not be a divided one anymore.
then say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will take the people of Israel from the nations among which they have gone, and will gather them from all sides, and bring them to their own land;
and I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king over them all; and they shall be no longer two nations, and no longer divided into two kingdoms (Ezekiel 37:21-22).
If the Church is the new Israel, the new Chosen People, we have more divisions today than simply Israel and Judah. We have failed Ezekiel's prophecy! Then, are we still qualified to be the new Israel?
Ezekiel 38-39 are oracles against Gog. When Israel were dwelling securely, Gog attacked them. This action angered God (Ezekiel 38:14-18). God killed so many people of Gog that the house of Israel needed to take seven months to bury the dead (Ezekiel 39:12)! What a massacre!
Then we come to the part Ezekiel himself most interested in --- the measurements of the new Temple. He spent chapters 40-42 to describe it in great details. The new Temple was dear to his heart because Ezekiel had been a priest before he came into exile.
and he said to me, "Son of man, this is the place of my throne and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the people of Israel for ever. And the house of Israel shall no more defile my holy name, neither they, nor their kings, by their harlotry, and by the dead bodies of their kings." (Ezekiel 43:7)
The Temple was the throne of Yahweh. That is understandable. But why were the dead bodies of their kings so offensive, as offensive as idolatry? What had they done to the corpses of the kings? Worship their mummy?
Then for the rest of the chapter, Ezekiel continues to talk about the cleansing and the consecration of the new Temple.

My dear Advocate, You work with the bigger picture which is beyond our understanding. We are in no position to offer suggestions or strike a bargain with You. It seems to me that the only option we have is to trust in You and to love You. Strengthen our faith. Enkindle our passion. Amen.

Queenship of Mary

Today is the birthday of Symphorian. Today, typhoon signals number 8 was hoisted at around 7:40 a.m. and number 9 at 1:15p.m. Poor Symphorian, there was no celebration for him, no birthday cake and no going out to buy birthday gifts. We could only stay home, watching TV, napping in the afternoon, working with the computer etc. He must have been bored to death. Luckily, after dinner, Saturnia called from Kyoto, telling him that she had bought him a present for his birthday from Japan. His face brightened. Perhaps he could write 'My Most Memorable Birthday' with all these trivialities.
Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Queenship of Mary. The Catholic Church has a long tradition of venerating the Blessed Virgin Mary. Because of her close relationship with our Saviour, who is the King of kings, many Church Fathers in the first few centuries of church history, when persecutions were rampant and martyrdom a norm, invoked Mary, the Mother of their King, for spiritual support and protection. Mary, our heavenly mother, is always sought after by the faithful in times of troubles. The twentieth century witnesses the horrors of two world wars and the onslaughts of global Communist Revolution. Therefore, Pope Pius XII proclaimed the Queenship of Mary in October 1954. Once again, in times of troubles, the Church encourages her children to seek shelter in Our Lady.
In the Isaiah 9 we read today,  we find two verses which have been very popular.
The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light;
those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shined (Isaiah 9:2).
This has been quoted by Zechariah in the gospel of Luke to refer to the mission of John the Baptist. The second verse is immortalized by the Messiah of Handel.
For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;
and the government will be upon his shoulder,
and his name will be called "Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6)
These two verses celebrate the salvation of God's Chosen People. In the salvation project of humanity, Mary occupies a very strategic role. She enrobed the Word of God with flesh. She fled with the young baby from the murderous attempts of Herod the Great to Egypt. She followed closely behind the entourage of the missionary Jesus until the foot of the cross. She took up the motherly role to take care of the church her son left behind. She continues to pray for her children on earth after her Assumption into heaven. Mary, our mother, is also our Queen, the most powerful piece in the game of chess. Who else will anyone turn to in times of troubles and dangers? Our Mother and our Queen.

Hail Mary, Full of Grace, the Lord is with You. You are the Queen of the Apostles, the Queen of the Angels. Pray for your children on earth that they may reach home from this pilgrimage on earth. Amen.

Feast of St. Pius X

I was baptised, a modern Catholic after Vatican II. I have never attended any Mass in Latin. Therefore, I may not appreciate how enormous an impact these new changes have introduced into the life of the Catholic Church. Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of St. Pius X (1835-1914), a Pope in the early twentieth century. He was canonized 40 years after his death in 1954. Most of the popes of the first 500 years were saints because they were martyrs. Since 1000 AD, there are only 5 canonized popes: Leo IX, Gregory VII, Celestine V, Pius V and Pius X. It is not easy for popes to lead a saintly life since most of them, wanted it or not, are inevitably involved in European and in this latter days, global politics. After all, the Catholic Church is a power which most national leaders ignore at their perils. May God grant our Pope wisdom to steer through the tangles of global politics.
In reading Ezekiel 35 today, I felt funny to find Ezekiel cursing Mount Seir at the command of God. Why should a prophet prophesize against a mountain? How could a mountain offend God to deserve cursing? Ezekiel gave the following reason.
Because you cherished perpetual enmity, and gave over the people of Israel to the power of the sword at the time of their calamity, at the time of their final punishment (Ezekiel 35:5)
The answer only comes to light in the last verse. Mount Seir is another way to refer to Edom.
As you rejoiced over the inheritance of the house of Israel, because it was desolate, so I will deal with you; you shall be desolate, Mount Seir, and all Edom, all of it. Then they will know that I am the LORD (Ezekiel 35:15).
Immediately, Ezekiel blessed the mountains of Israel. Since Israel had suffered in the hands of the other nations, God would compensate them for their sufferings.
therefore thus says the Lord GOD: I swear that the nations that are round about you shall themselves suffer reproach.
But you, O mountains of Israel, shall shoot forth your branches, and yield your fruit to my people Israel; for they will soon come home (Ezekiel 36:7-8).
Did God love Israel? Did God have pity on these descendants of Abraham? Well, not quite!
Israel rebelled against God. So, God made use of Assyria and Babylon to chasten them.
I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed through the countries; in accordance with their conduct and their deeds I judged them.
But when they came to the nations, wherever they came, they profaned my holy name, in that men said of them, 'These are the people of the LORD, and yet they had to go out of his land.'
But I had concern for my holy name, which the house of Israel caused to be profaned among the nations to which they came.
Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: It is not for your sake, O house of Israel, that I am about to act, but for the sake of my holy name, which you have profaned among the nations to which you came (Ezekiel 36:19-22).
God delivered Israel. He raised the Persian king, Cyrus to conquer Babylon and release the exiles home. Yet, God's motive seemed rather selfish. He did it not because He had pity on Israel but to keep His holy name untarnished! Most moralists would frown on God's motive. If I do good things for the sake of keeping my reputation, I am not a virtuous person. Shouldn't God be doing similar or even better things to set up a model for us to imitate? May be God is God. He is above and beyond human morality so that we may not judge Him according to human criteria. He saves and kills, inflicts injuries and heals. We are supposed to be pious and awestricken rather than judgmental.
For the sake of His holy name, God showers us with lavish gifts. He will forgive all our sins (Ezekiel 36:25), transplant in us a new heart of flesh, to be charitable (Ezekiel 36:26), give us the Holy Spirit to help us observe the law (Ezekiel 36:27), restore our inheritance (Ezekiel 36:28) and free from famine (Ezekiel 36:29-30). Well, what more can you ask from God?
In Ezekiel, "they/you will know that I am the Lord" appears 60 verses. It appears in only 16 other verses in the rest of the books in the Old Testament. Ezekiel stresses a lot that God does so many things because He wants all of us to know that He is Yahweh. Ezekiel was very anxious/desperate/eager to tell the exiles in Babylon that God was still with them. Therefore, theologians who claim that God is elusive are not completely right.

My dear Advocate, now I know that You are eager to reveal Your mercy to us. We have not been receptive enough on our part. Please remove our hearts of stone. Be our God and we be Your people.  May we glorify, instead of profaning Your name before people who don't know You. Amen.

Egypt = Israel?

I was wrong to think that Tyre received special treatment from Ezekiel because scholars have counted seven oracles against Tyre, compared to one or two oracles against the other neighbours. These 7 oracles amount to two and a half chapters. Today, I came across another traditional enemy of Israel, which Ezekiel devotes 4 chapters to denounce! It was Egypt. Again, there are 7 oracles, though they span across 4 chapters. Therefore, length alone is not very reliable.

God would punish Egypt because she proudly said
My Nile is my own; I made it (Ezekiel 29:3c).
However, when you continue to read how God punished Egypt, you would probably mistake her for Israel.
And I will make the land of Egypt a desolation in the midst of desolated countries; and her cities shall be a desolation forty years among cities that are laid waste. I will scatter the Egyptians among the nations, and disperse them among the countries.
For thus says the Lord GOD: At the end of forty years I will gather the Egyptians from the peoples among whom they were scattered (Ezekiel 29:12-13)
Babylon was the executioner. But that did not seem right. Egypt was conquered by Alexander the Great, not Nebuchadrezzar.

Therefore thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I will give the land of Egypt to Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon; and he shall carry off its wealth and despoil it and plunder it; and it shall be the wages for his army (Ezekiel 29:19).
Since Babylon was the strongest nation at that time. Therefore, Ezekiel might mistake Alexander the Great for Nebuchadrezzar in his visions.
Reading Ezekiel 29 gives me the impression that he was talking about Israel instead of Egypt.
The oracle in Ezekiel 30 also warns against the supporters of Egypt.
Thus says the LORD: Those who support Egypt shall fall, and her proud might shall come down (Ezekiel 30:6a);
Ezekiel 30 tells the readers that God and Babylon worked together to conquer Egypt.
Ezekiel 31 sings praises to the greatness of Egypt, comparing it to 'a cedar in Lebanon' (Ezekiel 31:3a) Yet, she would fall and be sent down to the nether world (Ezekiel 32:18). Assyria, Elam, Meshech and Tubal, Edom and Sidon were her neighbours found in Sheol. That ends Ezekiel's prophecies against Egypt.

Ezekiel 33 is a re-run of Ezekiel 18. It repeats the theme that the righteous deeds of the righteous will not save them from God's punishment for their iniquities (Ezekiel 33:13). Similarly, when a wicked man repents and does good, God would ignore his previous wickedness (Ezekiel 33:16).
In Ezekiel 34, accusations were directed towards the leaders, shepherds of Israel. They were not doing their jobs properly. God would punish them.
You eat the fat, you clothe yourselves with the wool, you slaughter the fatlings; but you do not feed the sheep.
The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the crippled you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them.
So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd; and they became food for all the wild beasts (Ezekiel 34:3-5).
In the end, God would take up the role of a Good Shepherd Himself.
They shall no more be a prey to the nations, nor shall the beasts of the land devour them; they shall dwell securely, and none shall make them afraid (Ezekiel 34:28).

My dear Advocate, Saturnia is spending a couple of days in Kyoto. I entrust her into Your hand. May she benefit much from this trip. Amen.

Between excess and deficiency

Most of the prophets did not just criticize Israel or Judah. They also passed judgments on the traditional neighbouring enemies.
In Ezekiel 25, God passed judgments on Ammonites, Moab, Edom and Philistines.
Ezekiel spent chapter 26 up to the first half of chapter 28 to criticize Tyre, nearly 10 times the amount of materials. Why did Tyre receive so much attention in Ezekiel?
Ammonites were punished because they rejoiced when the Temple was defiled (Ezekiel 25:3).
Moab because they said Judah was like all other nations (Ezekiel 25:8).
Edom because they had acted revengefully against the house of Judah (Ezekiel 25:12).
Philistines because they acted revengefully and took vengeance with malice of heart to destroy in never-ending enmity (Ezekiel 25:15).
However, when Ezekiel spent the whole chapter of 26 to pass judgments on Tyre, it was all because of one sentence Tyre had said against Jerusalem, the holy city of Yahweh.
Aha, the gate of the peoples is broken, it has swung open to me; I shall be replenished, now that she is laid waste (Ezekiel 26:2b).
For the whole chapter of 27, it was another sentence: I am perfect in beauty (Ezekiel 27:3c). Understandably Tyre said this because she had prospered through trade. Her trading successes were sung in Ezekiel 27:4-25. What a record! But what was so wrong about being beautiful and successful?
The answer began to emerge in chapter 28.
Because your heart is proud, and you have said, 'I am a god, I sit in the seat of the gods, in the heart of the seas,'
yet you are but a man, and no god, though you consider yourself as wise as a god (Ezekiel 28:2b).
God was offended by this arrogance and vanity, thinking oneself as god. This is excess. On the other hand, though Israel and Judah did not elevate themselves to the status of gods, they worshipped idols. Instead of being arrogant, they lacked self-confidence. This was deficiency. The Virtue Ethics of Aristotle suggests we take the mean, i.e. virtue, between excess and deficiency. In this case, piety to God.
Deep down in the human psyche, there is a desire to be like God. Therefore, Adam and Eve fell prey to this temptation. Man is painfully aware of his own limitations. So, whenever they attain anything, say a PhD, money, status or authority, they allow themselves to indulge in them, to abuse them. By exercising their authority over the others, they feel like god. No wonder power is such a powerful temptation and Jesus had to go through one such temptation after baptism.
Then Ezekiel spent 4 verses to pass judgment against Sidon. What a contrast with Tyre!

Our dear Advocate, guide our feet so that we are able to tread the middle way. Allow us to understand that we already have You to be our God. We do not need any other gods. Amen.

Explicit language of Ezekiel

The language of Ezekiel is difficult. I don't mean the grammar, but the images he depicted. Of course, he began with very fascinating extra-terrestrial UFO images and some symbolic actions. They are interesting to read. However, sometimes, his language is rather explicit, sexually speaking.

Like other prophets, Ezekiel compared the idolatry practised by the Israelites to harlotry and adultery. It is interesting to find these three English words ending in similar ways. However, when we reach Ezekiel 23, the language is sexually explicit. For example,
they (Samaria and Jerusalem) played the harlot in Egypt; they played the harlot in their youth; there their breasts were pressed and their virgin bosoms handled (Ezekiel 23:3).
Yet she increased her harlotry, remembering the days of her youth, when she played the harlot in the land of Egypt
and doted upon her paramours there, whose members were like those of asses, and whose issue was like that of horses.
Thus you longed for the lewdness of your youth, when the Egyptians handled your bosom and pressed your young breasts (Ezekiel 23:19-21)

As if that is not enough, Ezekiel 24 offers a depressing image of the siege of Jerusalem.
And utter an allegory to the rebellious house and say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Set on the pot, set it on, pour in water also;
put in it the pieces of flesh, all the good pieces, the thigh and the shoulder; fill it with choice bones.
Take the choicest one of the flock, pile the logs under it; boil its pieces, seethe also its bones in it (Ezekiel 24:3-5).
The worst of all, God was determined to butcher Jerusalem (or the Rape of Jerusalem?).
I the LORD have spoken; it shall come to pass, I will do it; I will not go back, I will not spare, I will not repent; according to your ways and your doings I will judge you, says the Lord GOD (Ezekiel 24:14)
The image is sickening and disturbing. On top of that, something actually happened.
So I spoke to the people in the morning, and at evening my wife died. And on the next morning I did as I was commanded (Ezekiel 24:18).
The death of his wife was also part of a symbolic action because Ezekiel was a sign to the people.
Thus shall Ezekiel be to you a sign; according to all that he has done you shall do. When this comes, then you will know that I am the Lord GOD (Ezekiel 24:24).
Yes, it is disturbing to read Ezekiel.

My dear Advocate, it is difficult of us, who are living in peaceful times, to appreciate the terrible experience gone through by Ezekiel. May his words remind us of Your kindness, as well as the mistakes our spiritual ancestors have made. Pray that we follow Your path and make steady progress towards our heavenly home. Amen.

Jesus, a racist?

Today, we read the Matthean version of the story of Canaanite woman whom Jesus implied 'a dog'. To the ears of modern men, Jesus' statement was very racist. It is embarrassing for modern Christians to defend this racist statement for their beloved Jesus. Isn't Jesus always a compassionate Saviour, the champion for the poor, the defender of the underdogs? Traditional apologists would defend Jesus' statement that Jesus was testing the faith of the woman. True, Jesus praised her faith in the end (Matthew 15:28). But I wonder if the audience of the first century would feel it this way.
It all began when Jesus clashed with the Pharisees. The Pharisees started criticizing Jesus' disciples for not washing their hands according to the manners prescribed by the tradition of the elders (Matthew 15:2). Jesus retorted that they did not follow God's commandment to honour their parents and quoted Isaiah to expose their hypocrisy. Predictably, the Pharisees were offended (Matthew 15:12). Yet, Jesus did not stop and continued to criticize their false teachings.
Let them alone; they are blind guides. And if a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit (Matthew 15:14).
After that, Jesus retired to the region of Tyre and Sidon (Matthew 15:21), a Gentile region.
Now, a certain Canaanite woman came (from behind) to beg Jesus to exorcize a demon from her daughter (Matthew 15:22). This Matthean version has the woman calling Jesus, the Son of David. Moreover, this version also provides an occasion for Jesus to explain to his disciples why he did not show his mercy.
He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24)
The woman in the Marcan version was a Greek and Mark does not have this extra bit of information, making Jesus more blatantly racist.
Back to Matthew, the woman knelt before Jesus to beg him. Now, here comes the embarrassing statement.
And he answered, "It is not fair to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs." (Matthew 15:26)
We have no way to know exactly what Jesus spoke in Aramaic. But the Greek word for 'the dogs' τοῖς κυναρίοις is neuter in gender, not feminine. Still, for modern ears, the language is offensive because Jesus degraded the Canaanite to the status of dogs! The reason Jesus gave for refusing to help the Canaanite woman was that she was not an Israelite. Worse, Jesus compared her to a dog!
But I suspect that this debasing connotation is probably a modern phenomenon.
When we turn to the Old Testament, we will see some interesting relations between man and dogs.
You shall be men consecrated to me; therefore you shall not eat any flesh that is torn by beasts in the field; you shall cast it to the dogs (Exodus 22:31).
So, dogs are pretty useful. They work like scavengers for man. When people die as a punishment from God, dogs help eat up their corpses to clean up the places (1 Kings 14:11, 16:4, 21:23, Psalm 22:16, Jeremiah 15:3). Dog licked blood, the blood of both Naboth and Ahab (1 Kings 21:19, 22:38, Psalm 68:23). It is interesting to note that God helped Gideon select 300 soldiers who lapped water with their tongues like dogs to fight against tens of thousands of Midianites and Amalekites (Judges 7:5).
Of course, dogs, because of their diet, were despised animals. Goliath was furious to see David come to challenge him with sticks only.
And the Philistine said to David, "Am I a dog, that you come to me with sticks?" And the Philistine cursed David by his gods (1 Samuel 17:43).
You humbled yourself by calling yourself a dog (2 Kings 8:13) or even a dead dog (1 Samuel 24:14, 2 Samuel 9:8). Of course, you (Abishai) can curse your enemy (Shimei) a dead dog (2 Samuel 16:9). By calling people 'dogs' in their faces was (and is) meant to humiliate them.
In Matthew, only two occasions mention 'dogs'. The other one appears earlier.
Do not give dogs what is holy; and do not throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under foot and turn to attack you (Matthew 7:6).
Here, dogs and pigs are mentioned in the same breath. They represent people who reject the good news, the generous invitation of God. They are both Jews and Gentiles. Therefore, the use of 'dogs' in this context is not racist. It does suggest people who are ungrateful to God, ignorant of God (Isaiah 56:10) and even hostile to the evangelists.
Jesus did not call the Canaanite 'a dog' directly like Abishai. He was speaking rather objectively, stating some facts of life, though the implication was very strong. Now, it would be insulting only if you admit that you were a dog! Jesus didn't say it to that effect. Here comes the superiority of the woman's answer.
She said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters'  table."  (Matthew 15:27)
OK, let's talk objectively about dogs!
Either the master is too generous so that there are leftovers for dogs, or that the children (the Pharisees) dislike your food (salvation). Both ways, dogs win! Am I a dog? That is not the question. The Canaanite woman beat Jesus hands down! (Do you see, in your mind's eye, a dog going off with its tail between its legs? I am only joking!)

My dear Jesus, I still hold you dear in my heart. You are still very compassionate for me. You did not deny the Canaanite woman salvation, but had given her a show time. I pray that I am able to see every obstacle an occasion for me to flex my muscle, to love You more. Amen.

In a perfect world

Ezekiel 16 is very long and erotic. It criticizes Israel for her idolatry, describing her in the image of a prostitute.
Ezekiel 17 develops a common theme found in Psalm and the other prophets, with a twist.
Psalm 80 describes Israel as a vine God brought out of Egypt. God cleared the ground for this vine to grow and thrive. The Psalter did not mention the sins of Israel, but asked why God allowed her to suffer in the hands of the other nations.
The Vineyard Song in Isaiah 5 offers an explanation. Israel suffered because the vine yielded wild grapes. God looked for justice and righteousness but Israel gave none (Isaiah 5:7).
Jeremiah developed the same theme along a line similar to Isaiah 5.
Yet I planted you a choice vine, wholly of pure seed. How then have you turned degenerate and become a wild vine?  (Jeremiah 2:21)
Both Isaiah and Jeremiah were prophets before the Babylonian exile. They put the blame of the fall of the Divided Kingdom on idolatry. Babylon did not appear in their pictures. Ezekiel had a different opinion on the fall of Judah. In hindsight, it was wrong to put their faith in Egypt instead of Yahweh. So, Ezekiel 17 describes two eagles, one for Yahweh and His representative Babylon; and the other for Egypt. The first eagle took a seed from Lebanon and planted a vine.
But there was another great eagle with great wings and much plumage; and behold, this vine bent its roots toward him, and shot forth its branches toward him that he might water it. From the bed where it was planted
he transplanted it to good soil by abundant waters, that it might bring forth branches, and bear fruit, and become a noble vine (Ezekiel 17:7-8).
Of course, Egypt would not be able to support Judah which ended up in exile to Babylon.
The last three verses of Ezekiel 17 seem to predict the future People of God.
Thus says the Lord GOD: "I myself will take a sprig from the lofty top of the cedar, and will set it out; I will break off from the topmost of its young twigs a tender one, and I myself will plant it upon a high and lofty mountain;
on the mountain height of Israel will I plant it, that it may bring forth boughs and bear fruit, and become a noble cedar; and under it will dwell all kinds of beasts; in the shade of its branches birds of every sort will nest.
And all the trees of the field shall know that I the LORD bring low the high tree, and make high the low tree, dry up the green tree, and make the dry tree flourish. I the LORD have spoken, and I will do it." (Ezekiel 17:22-24).
The whole chapter of Ezekiel 18 is devoted to the discussion of God's justice. Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah refuted a Jewish proverb.
In those days they shall no longer say: 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge.' (Jeremiah 31:29)
What do you mean by repeating this proverb concerning the land of Israel, 'The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge'?
As I live, says the Lord GOD, this proverb shall no more be used by you in Israel. (Ezekiel 18:2-3)
Ezekiel 18 continues to make it clear that God will judge everyone according to his ways. Therefore, give up the vices you are doing and proceed to do good.
Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, says the Lord GOD. Repent and turn from all your transgressions, lest iniquity be your ruin.
Cast away from you all the transgressions which you have committed against me, and get yourselves a new heart and a new spirit! Why will you die, O house of Israel?
For I have no pleasure in the death of any one, says the Lord GOD; so turn, and live (Ezekiel 18:30-32).
The world of Yahweh is a perfect world in which the good guys will be rewarded and the bad guys will be punished. However, in the real world, the bad guys almost always get away with bearing the consequences/punishments while the good guys suffer for no reason. Just bad luck. In view of such injustice, it is understandable why the Jews entertained the proverb mentioned above. Probably, it was a warning to the bad guys. Don't think that you will get away with it. Even if you do, your children might suffer. Who would not care about their children, their future?
However, Yahweh disagrees with this practical wisdom. Twice in the Bible, He insists that sinners will be punished. But in Ezekiel, He makes it clear that He doesn't want to see anyone punished.
But every one shall die for his own sin; each man who eats sour grapes, his teeth shall be set on edge (Jeremiah 31:30).
When a righteous man turns away from his righteousness and commits iniquity, he shall die for it; for the iniquity which he has committed he shall die.
Again, when a wicked man turns away from the wickedness he has committed and does what is lawful and right, he shall save his life (Ezekiel 18:26-27).
Ezekiel's version is more sophisticated. Not only will your father's good deeds/sins not be counted, but also your previous good/bad deeds!

My dear Advocate, You have a large heart. You don't want to see anyone of us perish. Grant us the grace to appreciate Your kindness to prod us on. Amen.

Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady

Today, the Japanese commemorate their unconditional surrender in WWII. Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady. This feast has a long tradition and various churches celebrated this feast on different days. In 1950, it was officially proclaimed a dogma of the Catholic faith by Pope Pius XII, making use of the infallibility of the Pope for the first time. As a Catholic, of course, we rejoice in this elevation of this devotion to Our Lady. However, this action of Pius XII's created a huge obstacle in the ecumenical efforts with the other Christian traditions, including the Eastern Orthodox as well as the Reformed denominations. It involved the exercising of the Pope's infallibility which offended all churches, Orthodox or Reformed, and promoting the veneration of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which offended the Protestants. I have no clue as to why Pius did it. Since this event did not attract the attention of the authors of the New Testament, not even Luke, it is impossible to find any records in the Bible. Therefore, we can only leave all the theological technicalities to the big shots above.
Why should Catholics believe in this event, that after her death, the body of Our Lady was taken up (assumed) into heaven? Isn't the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, who is fully human, enough guarantee for our resurrection and ascension into heaven (assuming that we will end up in heaven and not hell)? What good/help does this dogma do for our salvation? I was baptized after Vatican II. The religious atmosphere has since changed. I do not think the local diocese or parishes have done enough to promote this Marian devotion. Though a Pope has declared this a dogma, I am afraid nowadays, not many Catholic know that they should believe in this article of faith in the same manner as the belief that Jesus is both God and man. I have not studied Mariology or any other branch of theology. Therefore, I am in no position to defend or explain this dogma. Since there are many Marian apparitions in the last two centuries. Therefore, I have no problem in upholding this dogma. But if you ask me to prove it, I have to apologize that I cannot.
I am happy to have a mother on earth and another mother in heaven. I pray to Our Lady to help my mother to kick her alcoholism. This morning, she started off well and ate one and a half hash-browns and half a Fillet-O-Fish. Despite her toothache, her appetite was good because she did not drink last night. She went to the grocers and prepared the dishes for meals. She did not complain about the relatives and cousins in our talks. Just trivial stuff. Good girl. Other than that, she did not do much, no knitting of cotton vests, no watching of TV. No nothing. She bathed and she took a nap. Around 3 p.m., she went out to buy two bottles of brandy (she intended four but brandy was out of stock). The atmosphere turned tense. We did not talk, nor looked at each other in the eyes when she entered the flat. She knew that I was not happy about it.
Yet, she was disciplined enough. She started drinking at 6 p.m., not 4:55 p.m. Tonight, she only drank one glassful of brandy, roughly one fourth of a bottle. That was not too bad after all. She knew she was addicted and it was not easy to kick the habit. She probably felt a bit guilty about it. To save her face, she said it was no good to cut it abruptly. She promised to wane it gradually. Throughout dinner, she repeated the same old stories of the hardship she went through. I would only echo verbatim what she said, instead of criticizing her. Yes, life was difficult. Yes, life is difficult. Yes, you were good not to abandon us. Yes, you were tough. Nobody could take advantage of you. Yes, the elderly approved of you, praised you. Yes, ... I became a Yesman. Dear BVM, what else can I do?

My dear Advocate, I thank You for choosing Blessed Virgin Mary to be the mother of our Saviour, the incarnated Son of God. She is blessed for her humility and faith in God. I believe that for our good, You have taken her, both spiritually and bodily, up to heaven before Judgment Day. She has the advantage of being full human. What You have done to her is a guarantee for what we will receive on Judgment Day. I pray that we may benefit from contemplating this glorious mystery. I pray for my mum that she may receive the blessing from our heavenly mother. Amen.

One little step forward

Tonight, Mum did not drink! To support her, we didn't drink too. At the same time, there was no more complaint stories. Throughout the day, we only talked about trivial things. She insisted that I should put on a pair of trousers to hide the scars on my feet. Probably due to a hangover, she didn't have any appetite for McDonald's breakfast. Her tooth is aching. Dad went to the doctor to pick up coughing syrup for her. The grocer cheated her of one dollar etc. Thank God for granting her peace.

We continue the reading of Ezekiel. In chapter 11, Ezekiel pronounced judgment on 25 princes in the Temple. One of them, Pelatiah the son of Benaiah, died on the spot (Ezekiel 11:13).
Then, God promised to gather all the dispersed remnants of Israel and give them a new heart and a new spirit.
Therefore say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: I will gather you from the peoples, and assemble you out of the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel.'
And when they come there, they will remove from it all its detestable things and all its abominations.
And I will give them one heart, and put a new spirit within them; I will take the stony heart out of their flesh and give them a heart of flesh,
that they may walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances and obey them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God (Ezekiel 11:17-20).
We will find the same prophecy repeat once more in Ezekiel 36:24-28.
In chapter 12, Ezekiel performed another symbolic action. He carried an exile baggage and went into exile by day in the full sight of the people. At night, he dug through a hole in the wall with his own hand and walked through it into the darkness in their sight.
Say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD: This oracle concerns the prince in Jerusalem and all the house of Israel who are in it.'
Say, 'I am a sign for you: as I have done, so shall it be done to them; they shall go into exile, into captivity.'  (Ezekiel 12:10-11)
Though the book of Ezekiel puts this symbolic action as an oracle, a prediction, to me it reads more like a reenactment of historical events, perhaps an annual ritual to commemorate the national exile.
In chapter 13, Ezekiel prophesied against the false prophets.
Thus says the Lord GOD, Woe to the foolish prophets who follow their own spirit, and have seen nothing!
Your prophets have been like foxes among ruins, O Israel (Ezekiel 13:3-4).
The existence of false scholars/prophets is a perennial problem for any nation. Therefore, there is no time limit for Ezekiel's warnings against false prophets. They are forever applicable. Other oracles about God's chastisement of Israel and Judah, about famines, wars and exiles sound more like history than predictions. These prophecies follow a formula: such and such shall fall on you/them and you/they shall know that I am the LORD. (Ezekiel 6-7, 11-13). God punished His Chosen People in order to remind them that He is the LORD. They should not worship other gods. Probably, Ezekiel needed to remind the Jewish exiles in Babylon not to follow local idolatry for convenience's sake. They should remember Yahweh instead.
In a foreign land, there might be false prophets meting out cheap consolations, or false teachers encouraging cultural integration into the Babylonian empire or witches promoting magic and superstitions. Probably, Ezekiel was combating against all of these or more. Well, thus far, I can only put forth some hypotheses. I am still piecing together a big jigsaw puzzle.

My dear Advocate, I pray for Mum. Have kindness on her soul and continue to grant her peace. Living up the Catholic faith in this pluralistic society demands true knowledge and diplomacy. Grant our government officials and leaders integrity and truthful hearts. Amen.

Piece together a jigsaw puzzle

Mum complains because she feels that nobody, not even my father, understands her sufferings. Her husband did not appreciate how much she had suffered after marrying him! Did he not?
Mum constructs her own reality. Her self-esteem is high. In her drunkenness (she had consumed one third of a bottle tonight), she keeps telling the same story of the wife of a good friend abandoning the husband and children and how she, despite poverty, had persevered to these days. She would not do such irresponsible things. Usually, my father keeps quiet without saying anything to contradict her. But tonight, he broke his silence and simply added one crucial detail which Mum has missed: the husband forced his own wife to prostitution in those harsh days!
Though Mum's story is incomplete, it makes sense and helps build up her self-esteem.

The book of Ezekiel is full of symbolic actions. Interpretation of these symbols is not a science, but an art. We may not have the whole story. Our job is to try our best to construct a sensible picture out of what is at hand. We have seen some UFO in chapter 1. We have seen Ezekiel eating a scroll in chapter 3. There are more to come.
In chapter 4, God instructed Ezekiel to lie on his left side for 390 days to symbolize the number of years the house of Israel would receive punishment. Well, this is not prophecy. Ezekiel was already in exile. Israel had been conquered more than 200 years ago.
For I assign to you a number of days, three hundred and ninety days, equal to the number of the years of their punishment; so long shall you bear the punishment of the house of Israel (Ezekiel 4:5).
And when Ezekiel had finished, he would turn and lie on his right side, this time for 40 days only. Now, this is good news for those Jewish exiles in Babylon.
And when you have completed these, you shall lie down a second time, but on your right side, and bear the punishment of the house of Judah; forty days I assign you, a day for each year (Ezekiel 4:6).
Notice that in these symbolic actions, God counted one day for one year. For example, Moses sent men, one from each tribe, to spy on Canaan. They spied on the land for forty days.
According to the number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for every day a year, you shall bear your iniquity, forty years, and you shall know my displeasure. (Numbers 14:34)
Instead of occupying the land immediately, the Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years.
OK, even if we accept this numbering convention, we still have difficulty in harmonizing the prophets. Jeremiah prophesized 70 years of Babylonian Captivity (Jeremiah 25:11-12). Now, Ezekiel said 40 (Ezekiel 4:6). How shall we harmonize them? Furthermore, Israel never recovered from Assyrian Captivity. So, what did the 390 years Ezekiel refer to? These are good questions a Biblical Institute student should ask.
In Ezekiel chapter 5, God told Ezekiel to shave (the book did not say how much) off his hair and beard with a sharp sword. Weigh it with a balance. Ezekiel was to burn one third in the fire, to strike with sword another one third and to scatter to the wind the last one third (Ezekiel 5:2). This action symbolizes how the population in Jerusalem would suffer. Again, this was not prophecy, but what Ezekiel witnessed with his own eyes what had happened during the fall of Jerusalem. In the vocabulary of Ezekiel, God chastised them with pestilence, the sword and famine.
In Ezekiel chapter 8, God showed what evil people in Jerusalem had done in secret. In chapter 9, God sent a man to mark on the foreheads of those who were righteous in Jerusalem. Then after him, God sent 6 executioners to butcher those without the mark.
And the LORD said to him, "Go through the city, through Jerusalem, and put a mark upon the foreheads of the men who sigh and groan over all the abominations that are committed in it."
And to the others he said in my hearing, "Pass through the city after him, and smite; your eye shall not spare, and you shall show no pity;
slay old men outright, young men and maidens, little children and women, but touch no one upon whom is the mark. And begin at my sanctuary." So they began with the elders who were before the house. (Ezekiel 9:4-6).
Later in chapter 10, Ezekiel saw the UFO again. This time, he was able to identify them as the Cherubim of God.
In conclusion, the books of prophets do not necessarily foretell the future. Sometimes, they needed to package history in apocalyptic terms to press on his message. As for a proper interpretation of Ezekiel, we need to construct a fuller picture. Now that we only have a few jigsaw pieces, we need to read more before we can draw any meaning conclusions.

My dear Advocate, I really admire those who are able to read people like a book. I find people fascinating. Every man is a mystery. They live in a virtual reality constructed by themselves. Help me understand them better so as to be able to reach them and channel Your peace to them. Amen.

Am I my brother's keeper?

Probably Mum tries to retain her memories. She repeats the same stories without variation: how her husband's younger brother used abusive languages against her (Fxxx your mum etc.) in her husband's absence; how she retorted (Speak again and I'll stretch your dick and tie a knot with it!); how she warded off the groping hand; how the wife of a friend abandoned her two little children; how ...  I listen patiently. Sometimes I teased her. Sometimes I tried to look at the incidents from another perspective etc. Of course, she will not change her mind, her self perception and pride.
Mum made progress. This evening, I said my evening prayers in her room at 5 p.m. She did not bother me and let me finish my prayers. At half past five, we chatted, mostly trivial things. At 5:50, she poured a glass of brandy and started eating her meal. My brother and myself have accepted the fact that it is impossible for her not to drink. We only hope that she drinks happily, without any wailing and complaining. When she wanted to drink another glass, I deliberately stood beside her, watching her pour the brandy. She was restrained. She poured only one-fifth of a glass. Indeed, she is capable of controlling her drinking. It is only a matter of will. Throughout dinner, there was no wailing, though a bit complaining. Thank You, Lord.

Today, we continue reading Ezekiel 2-3. There are no more otherworldly visions, but down-to-earth mission statements. Ezekiel was sent to a rebellious and stubborn people. He had to speak, whether or not they would listen to him. God made it clear that the mission of a prophet is to pass on God's message. A prophet should not worry about the end result. It is God's business, not mine.
The people also are impudent and stubborn: I send you to them; and you shall say to them, 'Thus says the Lord GOD.'
And whether they hear or refuse to hear (for they are a rebellious house) they will know that there has been a prophet among them (Ezekiel 2:4-5).
Therefore, don't make any excuse not to teach the Bible. Unfortunately, some Catholic schools give up the teaching of CEE Religious Studies. Instead, they only offer some watered-down version of Religious Education or even Moral Education lessons instead. I insist the teaching of CEE RS, whether the students or parents are interested or not. They should be given a chance to know about God. On Judgment Day, they have no excuse.
Then Ezekiel entertained us with the vision of eating a scroll.
and he spread it before me; and it had writing on the front and on the back, and there were written on it words of lamentation and mourning and woe (Ezekiel 2:10).
What taste would you expect from this scroll of mourning and woe? Bitter? Sour?
Then I ate it; and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey (Ezekiel 3:3b).
Strange huh? The Psalmist, Jeremiah and Ezekiel found that the word of God is sweet! For Ezekiel, even words of lamentation, mourning and woe are sweet! We really have a lot to learn from them. Probably, lamentation is a kind of sweetness we mistakenly run away from. We have to learn.
Ezekiel took it his responsibility to speak out. As a prophet, we should never be reticent. If we do not speak and people perish, it is our fault (Ezekiel 3:18, 33:8). If we speak and people do not listen, it is their fault (Ezekiel 3:19, 33:9). Though Cain denies it, he is, after all, Abel's keeper. Matthew extends this teaching further.
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother (Matthew 18:15b).
Of course, prophets should extent this and see all the people as their brothers. We should speak up if people are not doing what is right in God's eyes. If people listen to our warning and repent, we have gained our brothers. Otherwise, they would die in their iniquities. Are you happy to see them die? As sons, we cannot bear to see Mum perish.

My dear Advocate, Mum is making progress. She is still bitter and we know bitterness hurts. Have mercy on her and grant her peace. Amen.

Honour your parents

Saturnia is a good girl. She is willing to take time to show kindness to grandma. In fact, we all inherit grandma's genes to a certain extent. If there be any liabilities, they can all be found in our genes. We are the extension of her genes, her generosity and her vulnerabilities. If we are able to outlive her defects, we survive.
Grandma is very smart. I know her hours. So, around 5 p.m., I deliberately said my evening prayers in her room, watching over her bottles of brandy. Yet, she managed to conjure up some excuses to send me out of her room. Then she felt comfortable (actually, she was cheating herself) to pour her glass of brandy. I protested in vain. Tonight, she was restrained because her granddaughter would have dinner with her. Yet, in her drunkenness, she repeated to Saturnia some unpleasant stories of hers.
Why would someone act in such a way to make oneself unhappy? Drinking is not a problem as long as you drink happily. But every time Mum drinks, she always wails and complains. She is unhappy and makes everybody unhappy. She is really domineering. It is not easy for us to understand the psychology of aged parents. We are too involved. No rational reasoning of senior citizens makes sense to me. Why has she systematically cut herself off from all relatives and friends? Doesn't she care that every action she takes will exact a price on us? Is her self-esteem low, but she is always proud of herself?
My younger brother is a retired electrical engineer. He lives with Dad and Mum and bears all the brunt of her frustrations. He is able to see the grim future. He tries his best to delay the last days. I spend these days in Chai Wan with Mum. I do not expect to gain any breakthrough. I accept what cannot be changed and simply want to stay a couple of days with her. Hopefully, I will be able to share some of the burden off my younger brother. He is not married. He has sacrificed a lot so that I can have a family of my own. I don't know how to repay him. After all, he is my brother. We share the same gene pool.

Today, we start reading the book of Ezekiel. It is a book of images and symbols. His language is enigmatic. His background was similar to the other major prophets. Together with Isaiah and Jeremiah, Ezekiel was also a priest.
the word of the LORD came to Ezekiel the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans by the river Chebar (Ezekiel 1:3).
The Jews were already in exile in Babylon. It was no use to warn them against idolatry. They were already suffering the consequences of such bad behaviours. Therefore, the oracles of Ezekiel are full of promises and hopes. Yet, Ezekiel used a lot of images which were difficult to decipher: the four winged living creatures, the wheels and the human form seated on the throne above the firmament over the heads of the living creatures which had four faces: of a man in front, a lion on the right, an ox on the left and an eagle at the back (Ezekiel 1:10). Nobody knows for sure what Ezekiel was trying to tell us. The truth is, even man himself puts up more that four faces in his daily dealings. Man is a mystery.

My dear Advocate, grant me understanding. Without understanding, our actions of goodwill will only be futile. May our actions be pleasing to You and to men. Amen

Staying focussed

Today, Fr. John Baptist Kwan co-celebrated the 11 a.m. Mass with a visiting Chinese priest who is on his way to Manila to further his theological training. Fr. John Kwan is a very experienced pastor. To warm up, he casually touched on the Beijing Olympic Games and how the athletes went through tough trainings etc. He believes that the key to the successes of the athletes is their ability to stay focussed.
As Christians, we believe in one true God. Yet, all of us have different perceptions of our God. Unfortunately, a wrong perception would only lead us to disasters. The first reading today came from 1 Kings. It talks about the epiphany of God to Elijah. God appeared to Elijah in Mount Horeb (1 Kings 19:8-14).
Since God is almighty. We expect Him to be powerful, mighty and decorated with wonders of all sorts. Yet, the story tells us that God was not in the strong wind that rented the mountains, not in an earthquake, nor in a great fire. God was in a still voice (1 Kings 19:11-12). The story of Elijah tells us that God is found in where He is least expected. Similarly, when the Messiah was born, who could have imagined that he was to be found in a manger? When Jesus began his ministry, who could have thought that the son of a carpenter was the Messiah? However, a wrong perception is not simply a hit or a miss. It could be life-threatening as the Matthean story of Jesus' walking on the water testifies.
The Matthean version includes some interesting details not found in Mark. It tells us how Peter, knowing that it was Jesus walking on the water, attempted to walk from the boat to Jesus over the water.
And Peter answered him, "Lord, if it is you, bid me come to you on the water."
He said, "Come." So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus; (Matthew 14:28-29).
Now, what prompted Peter to risk his life, to put himself in such a precarious situation? Peter was a seasoned fisherman. He should know better than anyone else the perils at sea. Why then did he take such a stupid action?
This incident happened just after the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand. As a true believer and a true disciple, of course Peter would want to do what his master had done. What's more, Jesus bid him go. Therefore, it was not a 'mistake' to walk on the water to Jesus. That is to say, Peter would have been successful and made a name in history to be the first man to walk on the water. (Though Jesus is truly a man, he is too special for us to count him in the Guinness World Records.)
Fr. John Kwan explained that Peter failed because he did not focus on Jesus. How can we guarantee that we do not misunderstand God? We have to stay focussed on Jesus. Only then can our perception be purified. Only then will we not be distracted from worldly worries. Had Peter focussed on Jesus, he would not have been distracted by the winds and waves. He would have succeeded.
but when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, "Lord, save me." (Matthew 14:30)
On the contrary, Jesus was able to focus exclusively on God. Therefore, he was able to reject the mob's attempt to crown him king after the miracle (Matthew 14:22). Moreover, he stayed tuned to God's will all the time through prayers (Matthew 14:23).
In conclusion, Fr. Kwan urged the congregation to stay focussed on Jesus through bible study and prayers.

My dear Advocate, many times we impose our wills on You instead of seeking Your will. May we always stay tuned to Your will. Amen.

The Righteous shall live by faith

Mum did not have a good appetite this morning. Last time when we had breakfast in the McDonald's in Tuen Mun, she ate a Fillet-O-Fish and two more hash-browns. However, this morning, she could only eat half a Fillet-O-Fish and brought home the other half. The whole morning and after lunch, she busied herself in the kitchen, preparing the dishes for dinner.
Before noon, a niece made a call to ask after the senior uncle and aunt. Among this generation of cousins and nieces, this half-sister of mine is Mum's favourite. It is because she is grateful and knows the manners. Then Mum started complaining one after another how ungrateful the other cousins and nieces have been. Mum has showered them with gorgeous presents and gifts at their weddings and other occasions. Yet, these ungrateful lots! Actually, Mum finds most of them, even her siblings and in-laws, fall short of her expectations. They are ungrateful, unappreciative of what she has done for them. Mum is really bitter. It is still early. I hope Mum will not overdrink again tonight.

Today, we read the book of Habakkuk, a minor prophet. Again, he left us with only three chapters. He was a contemporary of Jeremiah. People remember him most for a verse which St. Paul quoted several times.
ἐὰν ὑποστείληται, οὐκ εὐδοκεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν αὐτῷ, ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεώς μου ζήσεται.
Behold, he whose soul is not upright in him shall fail, but the righteous shall live by his faith (Habakkuk 2:4).
ὅτι δὲ ἐν νόμῳ οὐδεὶς δικαιοῦται παρὰ τῷ θεῷ δῆλον, ὅτι ὁ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται·
Now it is evident that no man is justified before God by the law; for "He who through faith is righteous shall live" (Galatians 3:11)
δικαιοσύνη γὰρ θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ἀποκαλύπτεται ἐκ πίστεως εἰς πίστιν, καθὼς γέγραπται·ὁ δὲ δίκαιος ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται.
For in it the righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith; as it is written, "He who through faith is righteous shall live." (Romans 1:17)
ἔτι γὰρ μικρὸν ὅσον ὅσον,ὁ ἐρχόμενος ἥξει καὶ οὐ χρονίσει·
ὁ δὲ δίκαιός μου ἐκ πίστεως ζήσεται,καὶ ἐὰν ὑποστείληται, οὐκ εὐδοκεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου ἐν αὐτῷ.
For yet a little while, and the coming one shall come and shall not tarry;
but my righteous one shall live by faith, and if he shrinks back, my soul has no pleasure in him (Hebrews 10:37-38).
Of course, Habakkuk deserves more attention. He was a mystic and his hymn in chapter 3 is recited on Friday mornings in the second cycle of the daily Office.
It was 4:50. Mum's drinking urge returned. This time, she did not hide herself to drink. She poured a glass of brandy and we talked. During dinner, she drank only a quarter of a glass. She was very restrained tonight. She needs someone to talk to and there is a lot of things she wants to tell me. Though my younger brother lives with her, I am still her favourite son, the apple in her eyes.

My dear Advocate, make me a good listener. Mum deserves somebody to listen to. Grant her peace. Amen.