The Biblical God is peculiar among the deities of human civilizations. Most of those deities are symbols of unknown forces of the nature. They are invoked to shower down rains, to pacify storms, to strike enemies with thunders and lightning and to guarantee harvests etc. Usually, the communication is one-way. Men have learnt to offer sacrifices to bribe them into actions or placate their angers. Men are not interested in building up any personal relationships with these deities, safe those pragmatic ones. The Chinese customs are more sophisticated. Parents would arrange their infant children to be adopted by a local deity in order to defeat infantile mortality. Even though these children are "adopted" sons or daughters of the deity, the relation, if we may call it so, remains one-way.
However, the Biblical God is a personal God in the sense that He is eager to build up personal, social and even national relations with mankind.
However, the Biblical God is a personal God in the sense that He is eager to build up personal, social and even national relations with mankind.
Psalm 23 is a beautiful song singing the relationship with God on a personal level. On the social level, the Biblical God is a God of morality. He gave the Ten Commandments for us to guide our social relations with each other and He Himself is the judge of final appeal. He takes no bribe and executes justice for the defenceless.
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.
He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing (Deuteronomy 10:17-18).
On a macro level, God establishes covenants with mankind. It began with the covenant with Noah (Genesis 8:21-22), then with Abraham (Genesis 15) and his children. At last, God built up the Sinai Covenant with Israel (Exodus 19:5-6). Today, we read of this covenant again in Deuteronomy.
You have declared this day concerning the LORD that he is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his ordinances, and will obey his voice;
and the LORD has declared this day concerning you that you are a people for his own possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments,
that he will set you high above all nations that he has made, in praise and in fame and in honor, and that you shall be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he has spoken (Deuteronomy 26:17-19).
Had Israel kept the covenant, she would have been a nation high above all nations in praise and in fame and in honour. Her failure did not discourage God from building relations with mankind. God sets up the New Covenant with all mankind through the incarnation, passion and resurrection with Jesus of Nazareth. The Church Jesus sets up embodies this Covenant and acts as an authentic vehicle to channel God's blessings to mankind until the end of time.
For the LORD your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the terrible God, who is not partial and takes no bribe.
He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing (Deuteronomy 10:17-18).
On a macro level, God establishes covenants with mankind. It began with the covenant with Noah (Genesis 8:21-22), then with Abraham (Genesis 15) and his children. At last, God built up the Sinai Covenant with Israel (Exodus 19:5-6). Today, we read of this covenant again in Deuteronomy.
You have declared this day concerning the LORD that he is your God, and that you will walk in his ways, and keep his statutes and his commandments and his ordinances, and will obey his voice;
and the LORD has declared this day concerning you that you are a people for his own possession, as he has promised you, and that you are to keep all his commandments,
that he will set you high above all nations that he has made, in praise and in fame and in honor, and that you shall be a people holy to the LORD your God, as he has spoken (Deuteronomy 26:17-19).
Had Israel kept the covenant, she would have been a nation high above all nations in praise and in fame and in honour. Her failure did not discourage God from building relations with mankind. God sets up the New Covenant with all mankind through the incarnation, passion and resurrection with Jesus of Nazareth. The Church Jesus sets up embodies this Covenant and acts as an authentic vehicle to channel God's blessings to mankind until the end of time.
Lent is a season of personal conversion. It is also a time to tidy up the social structure of the society in which Christians live. The Catholic Church in Hong Kong makes "Who is my neighbour" the theme of Lent Campaign this year. This was the question raised by a teacher of the law to challenge Jesus (Luke 10:29). Jesus answered with the famous parable of the Good Samaritan. The Hong Kong Government is doing her part in maintaining a healthy society but there are inevitably many neglected spots which need to be taken care of. Catholics have their part to play to manifest God's love in Hong Kong. The government cannot legislate charity. It is up to us to practise charity on the societal level to support the disadvantaged and the needy. To quote Mother Teresa, when we touch the poor, we touch Christ. Let us call up friends we have forgotten. Let us visit those we have not visited for a long time.
Dear Lord, we are not on a par with You for You are majestic. Yet You come to us and stay with the poor and needy. Give us the strength and determination to serve You among the unwanted and the neglected. Amen.
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