My blood sugar level was low when I was reading the latest edition of Kung Kao Pao, the Chinese Catholic weekly. My breathing was heavy and my sight was blurred. My eyes were fixed on the two pages of name lists of principals of all Catholic schools in Hong Kong, diocesan and religious, secondary, primary and kindergartens. Some names were familiar to me but hypoglycemia probably affected my mood and my mind was shrouded in a mist of indescribable helplessness.
I was reading chapter five of the First Epistle to Timothy. The last two verses rang the loudest in my ears.
The sins of some men are conspicuous, pointing to judgment, but the sins of others appear later.
So also good deeds are conspicuous; and even when they are not, they cannot remain hidden (1 Timothy 5:24-25).
Now I know why I felt so helpless. Truly, the sins of some men are conspicuous, but the sins of others appear later. The verse immediately conjured up a few figures in my mind. My mind wandered away, fancying a meeting with all these principals to deal with evangelization or anti-drug-abuse initiatives among Catholic schools in Hong Kong. I felt that I would be unable to motivate them.
Very quickly, the teaching of Fr. Robert Ng emerged from the depth of my mind. He told us that it was easy to point the fingers at the others and to expose the faults of the others. However, it was more precious to be able to find faults with oneself. The Catholic Church was able to do that. She was able to do self-reflection, to see whether the hierarchy practised what she preached, whether social justice was pursued by the Church. Therefore, I shouldn't be so frustrated. Who am I to pass judgment on these principals? Only God can judge their conscience. Not me.
The sins of some men are conspicuous, pointing to judgment, but the sins of others appear later.
So also good deeds are conspicuous; and even when they are not, they cannot remain hidden (1 Timothy 5:24-25).
Now I know why I felt so helpless. Truly, the sins of some men are conspicuous, but the sins of others appear later. The verse immediately conjured up a few figures in my mind. My mind wandered away, fancying a meeting with all these principals to deal with evangelization or anti-drug-abuse initiatives among Catholic schools in Hong Kong. I felt that I would be unable to motivate them.
Very quickly, the teaching of Fr. Robert Ng emerged from the depth of my mind. He told us that it was easy to point the fingers at the others and to expose the faults of the others. However, it was more precious to be able to find faults with oneself. The Catholic Church was able to do that. She was able to do self-reflection, to see whether the hierarchy practised what she preached, whether social justice was pursued by the Church. Therefore, I shouldn't be so frustrated. Who am I to pass judgment on these principals? Only God can judge their conscience. Not me.
I should be wary with myself as well. Who knows? My conscience might be so clouded that I sincerely wished to do good, yet I was actually doing evil things. I might be one of the "others" whose sins appear only later. In the end, I myself need God's salvation. So, who am I to judge the principals?
Dear Lord, I pray for all students in Hong Kong. Not many of them are receiving adequate ethical trainings under the NSS system. May Your mercy guide them so that they may grow up being responsible and reasonable citizens. Amen.
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