Who is the student of God?

Without adequate knowledge of inter-testament history, it is all too easy for Christians to identify the Servant of God as Jesus. It is simplistic and can be understood without any trouble. Biblical scholars beg to differ. They would identify the Servant of God in Isaiah 49 as Darius, the Persian king. King Cyrus was explicitly called the anointed, i.e. the Messiah (Isaiah 45:1). Therefore, biblical scholars have enough ground to hypothesize that the oracles recorded in these chapters of Isaiah reflect the political developments at that time. The historical background sheds light on the understanding of these chapters. After identifying the Servant of God in Isaiah 49 as Darius, the next figure, the Student of God in Isaiah 50 would not be Jesus any more.

The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him that is weary. Morning by morning he wakens, he wakens my ear to hear as those who are taught.
The Lord GOD has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I turned not backward (Isaiah 50:4-5).
A professional has to go through training before he practises. God is the primordial teacher and He needs no teacher. Jesus taught and his teacher was God the Father. But Biblical scholars would prefer another candidate because Jesus arrived at the scene some 500 years later. Now, we have to tolerate a tension between Jesus and this other candidate whom some Biblical scholars identify as Zerubbabel. He was the leader in Jerusalem responsible for the building of the second Temple.

This Student of God has a mission to cheer up, to sustain weary people. He studies diligently every morning. He is not rebellious and does not turn backward. He works hard until his mission is accomplished. I have never been an obedient student. I love to explore different paths. Therefore, I sometimes turn backward and as a result, I am diversified and not quite focused. In a sense, I am not a good student.
But this Student of God has to go through a different kind of training. Here is the training manual.
I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
For the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been confounded; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
he who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me (Isaiah 50:6-8).
What kind of mission requires training of such ill-treatment of insults? With my limited knowledge, I can only think of Jesus. With full confidence in the backing of God, Jesus has endured all such ill-treatments in his Passion.

Dear Lord, with Your Passion just one day away, carry us under the shadow of Your wing through Your Paschal Mystery. Amen.

The identity of God's servant

The Servant of God is one of the major themes of the book of Isaiah. But who is this Servant?
Listen to me, O coastlands, and hearken, you peoples from afar. The LORD called me from the womb, from the body of my mother he named my name.
He made my mouth like a sharp sword, in the shadow of his hand he hid me; he made me a polished arrow, in his quiver he hid me away.
And he said to me, "You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified." (Isaiah 49:1-3)
So, Israel is this Servant of God. But is this Israel a nation or a person? Let us read on.

And now the LORD says, who formed me from the womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back to him, and that Israel might be gathered to him, for I am honored in the eyes of the LORD, and my God has become my strength (Isaiah 49:5)
Here, we see the mission of this Servant. His job is to bring Israel back to God. This Israel is to bring Israel back to God. Obviously, this Servant Israel is a person who is to bring Israel the nation back to God. Let's call him the Messiah.
In the gospel of Matthew, we read of the story of a Canaanite woman in Tyre and Sidon. She doggedly begged Jesus to free her daughter from the possession of a demon.
He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." (Matthew 15:24)
This was the instruction Jesus gave his apostles when he sent them out to preach the gospel (Matthew 10:6). In his public ministry, Jesus confined himself to the evangelization among the Jews. Because of God's promise to Abraham, the Jews had the priority to receive the good news first. It was after his resurrection that Jesus sent his apostles to evangelize the whole world (Matthew 28:19).
Though the Jews may disagree, Jesus is this Servant Israel. This understanding sheds some light on the problem of Jesus' baptism. Without sins, why did Jesus insist on receiving John's baptism? There are many explanations. By identifying Jesus with Israel, we gain an extra perspective to look at the question of Jesus' baptism. Jesus represents Israel as a people to reconcile with God through baptism. The oracle that God will be glorified in Israel is fulfilled in Jesus whose resurrection glorifies God.

In fact, the oracle of Isaiah is not confined to the people of Israel only. Here is what Isaiah has to say.
he says: "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." (Isaiah 49:6)
God has the whole world in mind. He does not look at Israel only. Therefore, God initiates a whole series of events: the Passion and Resurrection of Jesus, the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the believers to form the Church to continue Jesus' unfinished mission. Therefore, the mission to bring salvation to the whole world falls on the shoulder of the Church which Jesus established. May God's will be done.

Can we carry out this mission outside the Church?
The Church evangelizes through proclamation and social services. There are social services provided by charities and the Church also evangelizes through social services. She provides social services with a difference. Like Jesus who healed the paralyzed man, the Church serves not only the physical needs, but also the spiritual thirst of the needy. There are government hospitals and NGO hospitals and the Church also builds hospitals. She heals with a difference. While secular hospitals heal the body, Christian hospitals heal the souls first. There are schools provided by many other sponsoring bodies and the Church also runs schools. She provides education with a difference. Like Jesus, the schools run by the Church do not only teach knowledge, but also the Christian formation of the souls. I do not see how these secular organizations are able to take care of the spiritual needs of their clients. Empowered by the Holy Spirit, the Church targets the spiritual needs of humanity. This is more easily said than done. When the Christian organizations lose sight of their core mission, they are not doing their jobs properly. May God have mercy on their souls.

Dear Lord, I thank You for including us Chinese to share Your eternal life. May we put our efforts on the right target and move ahead. Amen.

God's servant will bring forth justice

I must admit that my faith in God is rather weak. Perhaps as a result of my upbringing, I am diffident and easily discouraged.
The Catholic Church in Hong Kong decides to bring her case to the Court of Final Appeal. The Hong Kong Government passed an amendment to the Education Ordinance, stipulating that all School Management Committees of government subsidized schools should include representatives from parents, alumni, teachers and members of the community. The SMC's should be incorporated, i.e. becoming legally liable. The Sponsoring Body (i.e. the Catholic Diocese) can still appoint up to 60% of the SMC members and control decisions on school policy.
This amendment looks reasonable and attractive on the surface. After all, all diocesan schools are spending public money. Their administration should be made more transparent to public scrutiny. But we cannot simply look at things on the surface.

Sr. Beatrice Leung, SPB, has done a research on the history of school buildings in Hong Kong, The missionaries were the first peoples who provided education for the citizens. The colonial government was not much concerned about this. Schooling was to provide elites to serve the society. Things took a turn when many communists started infiltrating local schools. The colonial government requested the Christian churches to build more schools to counteract the infiltration. Since then, many Christians schools mushroomed to provide education for the majority. The Church and the colonial government were partners. Now that Hong Kong has returned to Communist China, the education ecology is slowly transformed. The Church can no longer provide Christian formation of the young without political interference. Moreover, the government is reluctant to shoulder all compensations arising from damages or injuries. She wants to shift the burden to the incorporated SMC's. This is a rough and biased sketch of the background behind the amended Education Ordinance. That is also why the Catholic Church continues to appeal against this ordinance since its passing in 2004. The Church supports the democratization, the accountability and transparency of SMC's. What she objects to is the sole model of IMC for all aided schools.

I have no intention to join the debate. As a burnt-out teacher, my teaching days are numbered. I cannot deny the satisfactions I gain in teaching. But I cannot deny the frustrations either. There are good principals, teachers, students and parents. But there are also incompetent principals, irresponsible colleagues, restless students and immature parents as well. Coupled with armchair education officers locked inside air-conditioned rooms to churn out unrealistic policies, teaching is not a rosy career. Pardon me for the bitter language, I sometimes fancy that if I were the Bishop of Hong Kong, I would close down the diocesan schools and channel the thinned out resources to more fruitful fields.
The Vicar General has a different view. In one of the Scrutiny Rites he officiated, he asked the candidates how many of them had attended diocesan schools. Many hands were raised. He further asked how many of them had decided to become a Catholic after joining some evangelization functions. None! He concluded that the Church should continue to work in the educational field to evangelize. The VG has his point. I have been wrong in being so weak in faith. But that is what I now am.

Reading Isaiah on the Servant of God today, I feel ashamed.
Behold my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my Spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations.
He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;
a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
He will not fail or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his law (Isaiah 42:1-4).
God will not delight in me. Sometimes, I raise my voice in frustration against my students. My patience runs thin when I see my students waste their time fooling around instead of studying. I am easily discouraged when principals build decorative things to please their superiors instead of supporting educational activities proposed by us. I really have an attitude problem with my bosses.

Dear Lord, You know best. If You still delight in me, soften my attitude and pour out Your Spirit. Amen.

Passion Sunday 2010

It is not easy to maintain our inner peace when we feel unfairly treated. In face of injustice, we would be more resentful when there is nothing we can do. Perhaps Jesus' attitude during the Holy Week can help us better deal with such situations. The most solemn Holy Week began today with the blessing of the palm branches and procession around the church building. Today, we read of the Passion of Jesus according to Luke. The gospel according to St. Luke is a prayerful gospel. It was written with the aim of helping readers contemplate the life of Jesus, seeing how it is relevant to our present day situations. I would say his Passion narrative is the most beautifully written among the 4 canonical gospels.

Fr. Martin Ip pointed out the characteristics of the Passion narrative of Luke to us. While the Jesus depicted in the Passion narratives of the other gospels was judgmental and accusative, the Jesus in Luke maintained his peace throughout. Not only did Jesus not resist arrest, but he also healed the High Priest servant whose right ear Peter had cut off (Luke 22:51). After Peter had denied Jesus three times in front of the others, only the Jesus in Luke turned and looked at him, to melt down his defense (Luke 22:61). Of course, we have one of the most famous prayer of Jesus on the cross.
Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do (Luke 23:34b)
Very often, we know not what we do. We believe that we are right and others are wrong. We feel justified in punishing them, even hurting them. The infamous Holy Inquisition was an example. But who else are not?

Fr. Martin quoted an example from the perspective of a "victim". One widow shared the following experience with him and the prayer group he was leading. Her husband had a few close friends. But after his death, not one of them turned up in his funeral. The widow was very resentful about this. One day, she received a call from the wife of one of these close friends. He was dead. The widow could no longer hold her resentment and blasted over the phone. "When my husband died, where was your husband? Now that your man is dead, how dare you have the cheek to tell me so!" From the receiving end of the line came a calm voice. "Before your husband died, he borrowed money from his close friends. We did not attend your husband's funeral because we did not want to appear to come to collect debts from you when you were desperate." The widow was dumbfounded. Her resentment was totally unwarranted.
Jesus was not resentful. He set us an example not to be resentful in face of injustice.

Paul Siu is one of the deacon candidates. He accidentally tore his ligament and suffered a lot. Yet, he shared with me personally that it was a blessing in disguise. God must have a reason to allow things to happen. He humbly confessed that though he did not understand, he thanked God for this accident. In his convalescence, he appreciated Ignatius' Spiritual Exercise more. God blesses Paul. His spirituality is deep indeed.

Dear Lord, I am a resentful man. My defences are strong and I cannot hold my peace. Turn to look at me to melt away my defences. Amen.

Divisions vs. Diversities

From an evolutionary perspective, division seems to be a kind of survival instinct. When food and mates are short in supply in a given region, organisms sharing similar genes must spread out in order to maximize the chances of survival in order to pass on their genes. If they stick together, all would perish. Of course, without sharp claws and teeth, human beings needed to stick together. There is always a tension between this staying together and spreading out, both of which serve the purpose of our survival in different manners. The tendency to stay together gains the upper hand most of the time. Still division is inevitable. Both tendencies seem to be built-in elements of the human nature as a result of evolution.

I don't like you and I can live without you. Goodbye. That was how a united kingdom split into Israel and Judah after the death of Solomon. That was how the Roman Church in the West split with the Orthodox Church in the East in the eleventh century. That was how the Catholic Church in Europe further split into many Protestant Churches until today. Along with division come a lot of killings and sufferings. Reading Ezekiel today, I wonder how God is going to join Judah and Israel together into one again, to join the Christian Churches into one again.

say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: Behold, I am about to take the stick of Joseph (which is in the hand of Ephraim) and the tribes of Israel associated with him; and I will join with it the stick of Judah, and make them one stick, that they may be one in my hand (Ezekiel 37:19).
If I have not misunderstood this prophecy, God ends all divisions. Only God can unite them. Israel and Judah may become one again in God's hand. The Roman Church and the Orthodox Church may become one again in God's hand. The Protestant Churches and the Catholic Church may become one again in God's hand. But there seems not to be enough sufferings. When will God come to stop them all?
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.
They shall not defile themselves any more with their idols and their detestable things, or with any of their transgressions; but I will save them from all the backslidings in which they have sinned, and will cleanse them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God (Ezekiel 37:21-23).
Why are there still divisions? Are we not Your people, and You our God now?
My dwelling place shall be with them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Then the nations will know that I the LORD sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary is in the midst of them for evermore (Ezekiel 37:27-28).
Is Your dwelling place not in our midst now? Or was Ezekiel being over-optimistic? How long shall we live with such divisions?

Perhaps these are not divisions but diversities. It has been nearly 500 years since the Reformation and 1000 years since the Great Schism between the West and the East. Each has developed their own traditions catering for their specific needs. Each is nurtured and maintained by their own customs and practices. Many more peoples find their desires and needs satisfied. I always imagine what if there were no Reformation. Christ's Church would not shed her European outlook. Reaching out to the Americas and Asia, the Church encountered many different civilizations and her theology is much enriched. Uniformity is never a beneficial option. Unity allowing for diversities is what we need. Diversities are to be celebrated.

Dear Lord, You die for all and share Your eternal life for us all. In this coming Holy Week, we celebrate Your Paschal Mystery. Allow us to celebrate our diversities in unity, one heart, one soul. Amen.

The faith of Jeremiah

Jeremiah was an unpopular prophet. When he opened his mouth, words unpleasant to the ears came out.
For whenever I speak, I cry out, I shout, "Violence and destruction!" For the word of the LORD has become for me a reproach and derision all day long(Jeremiah 20:8).
It is very natural for us to appear good in front of the others. For better ones, they remain in good terms with their neighbour. They do not offend people. For some, they resort to hypocrisy in order to command esteem. However, for the chosen ones of God, they have no choice but staying unpopular. They are true to their call and cannot shut in God's words.
If I say, "I will not mention him, or speak any more in his name," there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I am weary with holding it in, and I cannot (Jeremiah 20:9).
Things can turn really bad. The chosen ones of God can easily become scapegoats, or marginalized or even persecuted.
For I hear many whispering. Terror is on every side! "Denounce him! Let us denounce him!" say all my familiar friends, watching for my fall. "Perhaps he will be deceived, then we can overcome him, and take our revenge on him." (Jeremiah 20:10)
Doesn't it sound familiar? Your bosom friends want to see you fall while you cannot take justice into your hand. Perhaps it is the pain of man only. It cuts and hurts deeply to be betrayed by friends. True to ourselves, we accept these blows without uttering a sigh, maintaining our integrity.

When all supports are gone, God becomes our sole refuge. Perhaps this was how Jesus had gone through patiently his physical as well as spiritual torments. He placed his trust in God, believing that he would be vindicated in the end. Jeremiah showed a similar faith. Of course, Jeremiah belonged to the Old Testament era. He wanted to see revenge exacted. He left it to God.
O LORD of hosts, who triest the righteous, who seest the heart and the mind, let me see thy vengeance upon them, for to thee have I committed my cause(Jeremiah 20:12).
Here, we find a line of prayer repeated in nearly identical wording.
But, O LORD of hosts, who judgest righteously, who triest the heart and the mind, let me see thy vengeance upon them, for to thee have I committed my cause(Jeremiah 11:20).
However, who is righteous? Who can claim to be blameless? Our problem is being stubborn and refuse to turn back.
This morning, I had to turn back. As usual, I went to the McDonald's to say my morning prayer in breakfast. I approached the counter only to discover that I had forgotten to put on my waist belt on which my purse was attached. Now, I had no money, no mobile phone and no Octopus card. Since I have been visiting this McDonald's for a long time, the waiters recognize me. If I insisted and explained to them, I was sure they would allow me to pay later. But what about the remaining of the day? I had to turn back.
I have not gone to confession for quite a while. I feel the need to, but do not gather the resolve to do it. I need to turn back to God, to repent.

Dear Lord, as we are approaching Passion Sunday, let us contemplate Your sufferings. It is our sins that make You suffer. Help me go to confession. Amen.

Appendix:

(Jeremiah 11:20) וַיהוָה צְבָאוֹת שֹׁפֵט צֶדֶק, בֹּחֵן כְּלָיוֹת וָלֵב; אֶרְאֶה נִקְמָתְךָ מֵהֶם, כִּי אֵלֶיךָ גִּלִּיתִי אֶת-רִיבִי
(Jeremiah 20:12) וַיהוָה צְבָאוֹת בֹּחֵן צַדִּיק, רֹאֶה כְלָיוֹת וָלֵב; אֶרְאֶה נִקְמָתְךָ מֵהֶם, כִּי אֵלֶיךָ גִּלִּיתִי אֶת-רִיבִי

Feast of Annunciation 2010

Today, I celebrate my 40^th anniversary of baptism. Confucius said, 「四十而不惑」 "Forty and not hesitant. Quadragesimo, jam non haesitabam" . He began his studies in 15 and after 25 years, he attained the stage of non-hesitant, the stage of clarity. I pray for myself that after 40 years of becoming a Catholic, I may do God's will without hesitation. Amen.

Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of Annunciation. Angel Gabriel visited the Blessed Virgin Mary (Luke 1:26) and announced to her God's plan of salvation (Luke 1:30-33). At first, Mary was puzzled (Luke 1:34). Gabriel reassured her and cleared away her hesitation (Luke 1:35-37). Mary consented.
And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her
εἶπεν δὲ Μαριάμ, Ἰδοὺ ἡ δούλη κυρίου: γένοιτό μοι κατὰ τὸ ῥῆμά σου. καὶ ἀπῆλθεν ἀπ' αὐτῆς ὁ ἄγγελος.(Luke 1:38).
Thanks to the BVM. She was willing to cooperate with God and to clothe the Logos in human flesh. She kick-started the Salvation Project by carrying Christ to this world. The BVM is truly the first Christian.

Incarnation is a mystery. It was a hard nut to crack for the theologians of the first few centuries. Many failed to understand how the divinity of God and the humanity of Jesus were combined in the person of Christ. Nowadays, we enjoy the fruit of their hard work without knowing much about the controversies involved. When time comes, I will study Christology and hopefully I will be able to know more. In the meantime, let us study a bit from the Epistle to the Hebrews to get a glimpse of this mystery.
For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins (Hebrews 10:4).
For more than a thousand years, the Israelites had been offering the blood of bulls and goats to God to clear away their sins. Before the coming of Christ, death was the only way to do away with sins. Sins were disposed of with the death of sinners, but sins had never been undone. They remained and others continued to live in a sinful environment. In order to undo sins, a more effective remedy is needed. Christ entered the scene.

Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, "Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me;
in burnt offerings and sin offerings thou hast taken no pleasure."
Then I said, 'Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God,' (Hebrews 10:5-7a)
The author of Hebrews was quoting from Psalm 40 (Psalm 39, LXX). King David was inspired to write this psalm (Psalm 40:1). This inspiration came from God. So, when Christ was quoting David, he was reclaiming his authorship. However, this is beside the point. The key point is that Christ came to take up our humble flesh to execute God's will. God wills to save all men and to do away with sins and the consequence of sins --- death. Therefore, Christ must die in order to shed his precious blood to undo the sins of the world. He must come back to life to defeat the last enemy of men --- death. This is the essence of Christianity. To destroy death, Christ must die first and then come back to life. In order to die, Christ must be fully human first. This is the mystery of Incarnation. This is the wisdom of God. Praise be God forever. Amen.

Dear Lord, may I follow the example of the BVM and of Christ to make good use of my flesh to do Your will. Amen.

Appendix:
θυσίαν καὶ προσφορὰν οὐκ ἠθέλησας, σῶμα δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι·
ὁλοκαυτώματα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ εὐδόκησας.
τότε εἶπον· ἰδοὺ ἥκω, ἐν κεφαλίδι βιβλίου γέγραπται περὶ ἐμοῦ, τοῦ ποιῆσαι ὁ θεὸς τὸ θέλημά σου.(Hebrews 10:5b-7)
θυσίαν καὶ προσφορὰν οὐκ ἠθέλησας, ὠτία δὲ κατηρτίσω μοι, ὁλοκαύτωμα καὶ περὶ ἁμαρτίας οὐκ ᾔτησας. τότε εἶπον Ἰδοὺ ἥκω, ἐν κεφαλίδι βιβλίου γέγραπται περὶ ἐμοῦ,
τοῦ ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημά σου, ὁ θεός μου. (Psalm 39:7-9a LXX)

The three friends of Daniel

The book of Daniel begins with the conquer of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. He carried away the king and thousands of people except the poorest.
He carried away all Jerusalem, and all the princes, and all the mighty men of valor, ten thousand captives, and all the craftsmen and the smiths; none remained, except the poorest people of the land.
And he carried away (King) Jehoiachin to Babylon; the king's mother, the king's wives, his officials, and the chief men of the land, he took into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon (2 Kings 24:14-15).
Among them were four young men of nobility of the tribe of Judah.
Among these were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.
And the chief of the eunuchs gave them names: Daniel he called Belteshazzar, Hananiah he called Shadrach, Mishael he called Meshach, and Azariah he called Abednego (Daniel 1:6-7).
They were treated well and served in the court of the Babylonian king.
Once, the king had a strange dream of a statue and only Daniel was able to interpret it. Daniel was elevated and continued to serve several Babylonian kings in his career. Somehow, the king was "inspired" by the dream and made a gold statue and commanded all subjects to bow down and worship it. The three friends of Daniel refused and were summoned and interrogated before the king.
Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we have no need to answer you in this matter.
If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace; and he will deliver us out of your hand, O king.
But if not, be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the golden image which you have set up." (Daniel 3:16-18)
The king was enraged and ordered them to be bound and thrown into a fierce furnace. In the furnace, the three young men sang praises to God and God sent an angel to protect them.
Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the door of the burning fiery furnace and said, "Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come forth, and come here!" Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego came out from the fire.
And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the king's counselors gathered together and saw that the fire had not had any power over the bodies of those men; the hair of their heads was not singed, their mantles were not harmed, and no smell of fire had come upon them (Daniel 3:26-27 RSV, 3:93-94 LXX).
With God's miraculous help, the three young men were unscathed. Their hair and garments were not burnt. There was no smell of fire.

The book of Daniel was written when the Jews were persecuted under the Greek Empire. They were forbidden to observe their customs such as circumcision and Sabbath. Pork was offered in the Jerusalem Temple to defile it. They were not allowed to study the Torah. Therefore, legends were made up to fill the spiritual void. God was mightier than these Greek conquerors and torturers. As the people of God, the Jews should live up their faith and shun all sorts of tortures. Into the mouth of the Babylonian king, the following words were put.
Nebuchadnezzar said, "Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who has sent his angel and delivered his servants, who trusted in him, and set at nought the king's command, and yielded up their bodies rather than serve and worship any god except their own God." (Daniel 3:28 RSV, 3:95 LXX)
The Jews were encouraged to defy the king's command. They should be prepared to yield up even their bodies rather than worship idols. They were really a people of martyrs. It was out of the question for them to run away from persecutions. Following the footsteps of their spiritual ancestors, many Christians of the first few centuries chose martyrdom. Nowadays, Christians do not have to shed their blood in order to uphold their faith. They are to die a slow martyrdom. Therefore, it is of paramount importance for Christians to stick together in communities in order to support each other, like the three friends of Daniel. Left alone, they cannot stand.

Dear Lord, may all Christians stand together to bear witness to Your sovereignty. May Your people stay unharmed when they leave this world. Amen.

The Bronze Serpent

The Israelites were wandering in the wilderness. They came to Edom but the people of Edom did not allow them to pass through.
Thus Edom refused to give Israel passage through his territory; so Israel turned away from him (Numbers 20:21).
The Israelites arrived at Mount Hor, on the border of Edom. On Mount Hor, Aaron died.
And Moses stripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son; and Aaron died there on the top of the mountain. Then Moses and Eleazar came down from the mountain (Numbers 20:28).
They continued their journey but grew impatient.
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the people became impatient on the way (Numbers 21:4).
The Israelites, as usual, murmurred against God and Moses. God sent serpents to bite the people and many died.
And the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people (Numbers 21:7).
God gave Moses a prescription to heal the people. But curiously, this prescription contradicted the Ten Commandments!
And the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and every one who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live." (Numbers 21:8)
According to the Ten Commandments, the Israelites were forbidden to make graven images as idols.
You shall not make for yourself a graven image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
you shall not bow down to them or serve them; for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate me,
but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments (Exodus 20:4-6).
How could one reconcile these conflicting commands from God? God instructed you to build a bronze serpent. If you didn't, you would disobey God. If you did, you would breach the Ten Commandments. But did Moses breach the Ten Commandments when he made the Bronze Serpent? Moses was only following God's instructions. Since God would not contradict Himself. Therefore making the Bronze Serpent would not breach the Ten Commandments.
A casual look is enough to see that this Bronze Serpent was not an idol for worship purposes but an instrument for therapeutic purpose. It was set on a pole. It was only a sign, in itself there was no therapeutic value. But by looking up and beyond, the Israelites found God, their source of healing. They had looked away from God for too long. It was high time they repented, they turned back to God. Idols are bad because they intercept our sight, catch our attention on them when we should look beyond them. Alas! There are too many worldly cares which capture our attention and prevent us from looking up to heavens and beyond.

What had become of the Bronze Serpent in the later generations?
It was called Nehushtan. It had attained the status of an idol. So, when King Hezekiah of Judah, son of Ahaz, reigned, he smashed the Bronze Serpent into pieces.
He removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had burned incense to it; it was called Nehushtan (2 Kings 18:4).
When Jesus discussed with Nicodemus about the necessity to be born again, he likened himself to the Bronze Serpent.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of man be lifted up,
that whoever believes in him may have eternal life." (John 3:14-15)
What Jesus did not say also came true. As the serpent was smashed into pieces to abolish idolatry, Jesus was crucified to abolish our sins. How closely the Old Testament is connected with the New Testament! No wonder the Church excommunicated Marcion for rejecting the Old Testament.

Dear Lord, Your design is beyond our capability to fathom. Let us hear Your voice and proceed steadily ahead. Amen.

The story of Susanna

The Hebrew text of the book of Daniel ends at chapter 12 but the Greek text in the Septuagint is longer. There are two more stories: Susanna (Daniel 13) as well as Bel and the Dragon (Daniel 14). Today, we read of the story of Susanna.
And he (Joakim) took a wife named Susanna, the daughter of Hilkiah, a very beautiful woman and one who feared the Lord.
Her parents were righteous, and had taught their daughter according to the law of Moses (Daniel 13:2-3).
Two outstanding characteristics of Susanna are mentioned: she was beautiful and she feared the Lord. Her beauty nearly cost her her life but her fear of the Lord saved her.

Two anonymous elders were appointed judges that year and frequently stayed in Joakim's house to handle law suits (Daniel 13:5-6). They had lusted after the beautiful Susanna for a long time and conspired to rape her when she was alone in the garden.
When the maids had gone out, the two elders rose and ran to her, and said:
"Look, the garden doors are shut, no one sees us, and we are in love with you; so give your consent, and lie with us.
If you refuse, we will testify against you that a young man was with you, and this was why you sent your maids away." (Daniel 13:19-21)
Lustful men could truly be stupid and evil at the same time. Nobody sees them! But doesn't God's voice speak in their conscience? They were overcome by their lust and did not think about the consequences of their actions. When caught, both the adulterer and the adulteress would be stoned to death. They knew the law well enough to become judges. But their lust had clouded their mind.
Susanna sighed deeply, and said, "I am hemmed in on every side. For if I do this thing, it is death for me; and if I do not, I shall not escape your hands.
I choose not to do it and to fall into your hands, rather than to sin in the sight of the Lord." (Daniel 13:22-23)
Women were placed in vulnerable positions in ancient societies. They were less fortunate than their present day sisters who can always cry rape to bring men into troubles. Not so in ancient times. They were not given a chance to defend themselves. The rules of the game have changed.
Then the two elders stood up in the midst of the people, and laid their hands upon her head (Daniel 13:34).
These two elders knew the law so well that they abused it. They followed the law to lay hands upon her head to bear witness against her and sentence her to be stoned to death (Leviticus 24:14). In truth, they were breaching the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:16).
Because of the status of the two elders, the congregation believed in their witness and condemned Susanna to death.
When everybody misunderstands you, God is your last hope.
Then Susanna cried out with a loud voice, and said, "O eternal God, who dost discern what is secret, who art aware of all things before they come to be,
thou knowest that these men have borne false witness against me. And now I am to die! Yet I have done none of the things that they have wickedly invented against me!"
The Lord heard her cry (Daniel 13:42-44).

Then entered Daniel.
And as she was being led away to be put to death, God aroused the holy spirit of a young lad named Daniel;
and he cried with a loud voice, "I am innocent of the blood of this woman." (Daniel 13:45-46)
Exercising his common sense, Daniel refused to look at things on the outside. The trial procedure had been flawed. Therefore, he cross-examined the two elders separately in front of the whole congregation to expose the inconsistency of their statements. One saw Susanna doing the shameful deed under a mastic tree (Daniel 13:54). The other saw it under an evergreen oak (Daniel 13:58). Daniel had cleared the reputation of Susanna. Her faith in God saved her.
Thus innocent blood was saved that day (Daniel 13:62b).
This is a very edifying story. Though being innocent does not necessarily exempt us from sufferings, God protects the innocent. Good prevails over evil. Let us put our trust in God.

Dear Lord, Daniel saved the innocent Susanna, but You saved an adulteress! You are merciful indeed. You give us sinners hope. In You we trust. Amen.

Fifth Sunday in Lent (Year C)

Today, we read of the famous story of the Adulteress Woman in John 8. This story was not found in the original John text and was later inserted in around the Second Century. Scholars find the text rather Lukan than Johannine. Some manuscripts even have it inserted in Luke 7. It remains a disputed pericope. However, this story must have been circulated around in the early Christian community for it to find a niche in the gospels. For us modern readers, learning its lessons is more important than deciding its status.

They went each to his own house,
but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives.
Early in the morning he came again to the temple; all the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them (John 7:53-8:2).
The Jews were debating among themselves the identity of Jesus to no avail. They returned to their homes while Jesus went to the Mount of Olives to pray. Early next morning, Jesus went to the Temple to teach the people. This was the setting of the Adulteress Woman. The scribes and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught at the act of adultery.
they said to him, "Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery.
Now in the law Moses commanded us to stone such. What do you say about her?" (John 8:4-5)
They already had a decision but they wanted to put Jesus in a dilemma. If Jesus let the woman go, he did not obey the law of Moses. If Jesus followed the law of Moses, Jesus would not be a Saviour of sinners. Jesus was not unfamiliar with such situations. He had been confronted by such prejudiced people before. Jesus needed to resolve their pre-judgment. What was their pre-judgment?

We are all sinners. But we prefer seeing others as sinners rather than ourselves as sinners. This is our pre-judgment. Jesus needed to make us see that we are sinners in need of God's forgiveness. To the challenge posed by these biased people, Jesus responded in a unique way.
Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground (John 8:6b).
Most people will be curious of what Jesus wrote, but this is unimportant. The act itself was significant. Jesus did not want to partake in their judgment game. Who were they, themselves sinners, to pass judgment on other sinners? We find Jesus' teaching on judgment in Matthew.
You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother's eye (Matthew 7:5).
God alone is the judge. He wrote the Ten Commandments on the stone tablets with His fingers (Exodus 31:18). He wrote three judgment words on the wall of the palace against the King (Daniel 5:5). Jesus reclaimed his exclusive judgment. Sinners should not judge. God alone judges. The scribes and Pharisees did not understand and continued to press on Jesus. Jesus explained his action.
And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, "Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her." (John 8:7)
Who is without sin? God. If somebody can cast the first stone, this somebody must be God.
The crowd began to understand Jesus' message. They left one by one, beginning with the oldest. In the end, a beautiful scene emerged.
Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him (John 8:9b).
In the end, all of us shall stand alone before Jesus, naked perhaps. Imagine ourselves standing in front of a man with X-ray vision. He knows us in and out. He knows us better than we know ourselves. There is nothing we can hide from him. Turning to him, we know more of ourselves instead. Though the whole world misunderstands us, he does not. What a wondrous moment, an unspeakably sweet one!

Jesus looked up and said to her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said, "Neither do I condemn you; go, and do not sin again." (John 8:10-11)
That no one condemns us does not mean we have no sins in us. Many of us are so successful in hiding our sins from the sight of the others that we appear to be almost saints before them. No. We are no saints though we are called to become saints. We need a push from God to escape the gravity of our sins. God is very generous and merciful to bestow us this undeserved grace. He is very willing to give us a second chance to begin anew. The ball is in our court now.
Neither do I condemn you; go, and sin no more.

Dear Lord, our faith is weak. Continue to accompany us on our way to a new life. May we look for merits rather than shortcomings in our neighbours. Amen.

God judges our hearts and minds

The Biblical God is not only a God of Creation but also a God of morality. He is the absolute standard against which our morality is measured. Since He is almighty, He is also the executioner of justice. This was what at least the Israelites in ancient time believed in. Modern people prefer relativism. Everything is relative, including ethical behaviours. What is right for you may not be right for me. Man becomes the standard of measurement. Therefore, nobody except me can pass judgment on my actions. I am free to do what I believe is the right thing to do. Man seems to be enjoying true autonomy and freedom.

Relativism cannot stand because it cannot claim to be absolutely correct. Nothing can be absolute, including its own claim. If relativism is right, it is wrong at the same time. It is self-defeating. Therefore, somehow, there must be an absolute standard against which we can measure the validity of our claims. Logically for the Jews and the Christians, this absolute standard is God. Since man is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26), we also have a sense of justice in our hearts. This inborn capacity is called conscience. Conscience is the little voice deep in our hearts, telling us what the right thing to do is. Knowing the right thing to do is one thing. Actually carrying it out is another. In difficult circumstances, we often lack the moral courage to do the right thing. We yield to the pressures of the situation.

Today, we read of one of the prayers of Jeremiah. His enemies were plotting against his life. Jeremiah felt vulnerable like a lamb led to the slaughter (Jeremiah 11:19). He prayed to God for help, perhaps with Psalm 7.
But, O LORD of hosts, who judgest righteously, who triest the heart and the mind, let me see thy vengeance upon them, for to thee have I committed my cause (Jeremiah 11:20).
O let the evil of the wicked come to an end, but establish thou the righteous, thou who triest the minds and hearts, thou righteous God (Psalm 7:9).
The concept of conscience is universal. It is found in all civilizations. Though the Israelites did not have a Hebrew word for conscience, they expressed it with the simple term "heart". Our conscience does not only tell us what is right, it also passes judgment on our actions. That is why we regret doing the wrong thing. The two verses quoted above also mention "righteous". From this context, we can conclude that the Psalmist and Jeremiah were talking about conscience. Whether we like it or not, God has written His laws in our conscience to guide our actions. So, let us commit our cause to God and work hard not to leave a guilty conscience. There is nowhere we can hide our hearts and minds.

Dear Lord, tame my heart and mind. They are wild at times. Strengthen me on my way to follow Your will. Amen.

Feast of St. Joseph 2010

Christianity is all about faith. But what is faith?
Faith means different things to different people.
Modern men have been conditioned to measure the validity / truth of a statement against empirical evidences. Therefore, they prefer speaking of confidence instead of faith because they are able to quantify confidence, but not faith. Statistically speaking, confidence is expressed as a percentage. Adding up all available evidence, a broker can state that he has a 95% confidence that tomorrow, a particular stock will rise; a scientific officer can predict with a 72% confidence that the weather will be suitable for fireworks display next Tuesday etc. Such a way of speaking is appropriate for the science community but not for the world of interpersonal relationships. We do not say a child has a 86% confidence that its mother loves it. Nor do we say that this business partner has an integrity level of only 62%. No. Such a language is inappropriate for social interactions. We do not express faith in terms of percentages. In the end, faith in God is boiled down to interpersonal relationship.

God freely enters into relationships with men. Here, "freely" does not mean being casual, being playful and irresponsible. It means "not out of necessity". There is nothing to force God to do so. If God does it in order to achieve another purpose, then this "it" is a necessity and God is not free. But God is free. It is out of His whatever that God builds up relations with us. For the time being, I am still unable to fathom the motive of God. Thus, this "whatever" is a place-holder only and I don't mean to offend my readers.
Though there is an infinitely big gap between God and men, God is able to make His presence felt in human history. Because of this difference in positions and levels, God set the relation up as a covenant. Covenant is a promise to be honoured by two parties. But in this case, the two parties are not of equal status. God is in a superior position and we are lowly in front of His majesty. Therefore, God's covenants are pretty much lopsided. There is not much we can do for God, to God but He can do a lot for us, to us. God promises us an eternal life which we do not deserve. The only thing we are required to do is to believe in Him, to have faith in His promises. The story of Abraham is one such example.
In hope he believed against hope, that he should become the father of many nations; as he had been told, "So shall your descendants be."
He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead because he was about a hundred years old, or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah's womb.
No distrust made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God,
fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised (Romans 4:18-21).
This is a reflection of the life of Abraham by St. Paul. The experience of Abraham is an excellent illustration of what faith is. It is meaningful to talk about faith only in a relationship. A promise is made by one party and calls for a response from the other. The other party can decline but if he accepts, he accepts with faith. Of course, the other party can demand a guarantee but no guarantee can increase the faith. Either the first party honours the promise or he does not. That is all. A guarantee can only raise the stakes. If the first party does not honour the promise, the other party can at least get some advantages. Out of His benevolence, God gives a guarantee, His Spirit. The Holy Spirit will stay with us until the end of time, until the promise finally actualized. In the meantime, the Holy Spirit teaches us all we need to attain this promise of partaking in the eternal life of God.

St. Joseph was a righteous man (Matthew 1:19). He did whatever he could to support Mary and her child. He might never be able to understand thoroughly God's promise. Yet, he faithfully executed his mission quietly behind the scene. St. Joseph, pray for us before the Lord.

Dear Lord, I believe. Help my unbelief (Mark 9:24). Amen.

The Lord repented

Today, we read of the response God had when the Israelites built a golden calf to lead them through the wilderness. Moses had gone up the mountain to get the Ten Commandments. He had left the Israelites behind for forty days and they grew impatient. Therefore, they forced Aaron to build them the golden calf.
And the LORD said to Moses, "I have seen this people, and behold, it is a stiff-necked people;
now therefore let me alone, that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them; but of you I will make a great nation." (Exodus 32:9-10)
Moses declined the offer, reminded God of His promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses had successfully persuaded the Lord to change His mind.
And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do to his people (Exodus 32:14).

How could God change His mind? Listening to the judgment Ezekiel passed on the bloody city, 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).
Isn't God eternal and all-knowing? Should we understand the portrayal of God in Exodus as an anthropomorphism?
In Torah, this is the only place where we find God repented of the evil He intended for the Chosen People. In order to have a fuller picture of God's repentance, let me do a little survey to find out where else God had repented.

Amos served as a prophet in 750 B.C. We find God repented after Amos begged Him to stop sending locusts and fire to punish the people.
I said, "O Lord GOD, forgive (cease), I beseech thee! How can Jacob stand? He is so small!"
The LORD repented concerning this; "It shall not be," said the LORD (Amos 7:2b-3, 5-6).
Here, we read of how a prophet interceded for the people and God repented. The Exodus story rings a similar tone.
Jeremiah served as a prophet in 626-586 B.C. His prophecy was unpopular. The priests and prophets spoke against Jeremiah in front of the princes and the people. They wanted to put Jeremiah to death (Jeremiah 26:11). Some elders of the land defended Jeremiah, quoting the case of Micah of Moresheth who prophesied in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah.
Did Hezekiah king of Judah and all Judah put him to death? Did he not fear the LORD and entreat the favor of the LORD, and did not the LORD repent of the evil which he had pronounced against them? But we are about to bring great evil upon ourselves (Jeremiah 26:19)
In this case, it was a king, King Hezekiah who entreated the favour of God and God repented.
Jonah was a legendary prophet serving in 450 B.C. He fled from God's commission to proclaim judgment on Niveveh. Nevertheless, Jonah accomplished his mission but he was angry of the mercy God shown to the people of Niveveh. In his prayer, Jonah expressed his understanding of the mercy of God.
And he prayed to the LORD and said, "I pray thee, LORD, is not this what I said when I was yet in my country? That is why I made haste to flee to Tarshish; for I knew that thou art a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repentest of evil." (Jonah 4:2)
In this case, God did not need a mediator to intercede for the sinners. God is merciful by nature.
Joel served as a prophet in about 400 B.C. The Jews had already returned from the Babylonian Exile for more than a century. The editing of Torah had probably completed but the spiritual life of the people was deteriorating. Joel urged them to repent.
"Yet even now," says the LORD, "return to me with all your heart, with fasting, with weeping, and with mourning;
and rend your hearts and not your garments." Return to the LORD, your God, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love, and repents of evil.
Who knows whether he will not turn and repent, and leave a blessing behind him, a cereal offering and a drink offering for the LORD, your God? (Joel 2:12-14)
Joel taught the people to return to God because God is merciful and repents of evils.
The Prophets are relatively easy to date but it is more difficult to do likewise for the Torah and other history books such as Samuel's because they are works of compilation. For example, we find the Lord repented that he had made Saul king over Israel (1 Samuel 15:35) or when the Lord sent an angel to kill off the Israelites because David had conducted a census, God repented and stopped the angel of destruction (2 Samuel 24:16). It is difficult to determine what stage of development of this concept of God's repentance had reached.
In short, through the stormy relation which the Chosen People had engaged with God, we know that God is merciful. It takes only one person to persuade God to turn away from His intended punishments of the people.
Throughout the whole Old Testament, men failed to listen to God, obey His words and keep His commandment on their own. Time and time again, God had to withdraw His intended punishments, to give men a second chance, a third chance and many more chances. The age of Law was a failure. Thus, God initiated the age of Grace. It is the New Testament. Perhaps God has grown tired of chastening His Chosen People. Therefore, God forgives them once and for all through Jesus.

Dear Lord, through Your passion, You have earned for us our redemption. May we partake in Your fasting and sufferings so that we may become truly the sons of God. Amen.

A Chosen People is a Covenant

The Chinese translation of the word "prophet" is a bit misleading. It means "somebody who knows the future" 先知. Prophets are spokesmen of God and prophecy is only part of the messages they convey to us. Since the Chinese do not have a comparable and respectable title, we can only accept the second best candidate.
We should remember the intended readers when we read books of prophets. Prophets seldom spoke to individuals. Most of the time, they addressed the nation as a whole. Today after passing the middle of the Lent season, we meet Isaiah again. He was bringing good tidings to the Chosen People who had gone through their punishment.
Thus says the LORD: "In a time of favour I have answered you, in a day of salvation I have helped you; I have kept you and given you as a covenant to the people, to establish the land, to apportion the desolate heritages;" (Isaiah 49:8)
No doubt, God did not intend to abandon the Chosen People. How could He? The Chosen People is God's covenant with all humanity. Whatever blessings and curses that fall on them, they fall on all mankind. If God blesses the Chosen People, God blesses all the peoples on earth. If God punishes the Chosen People because they disobey, God shall do likewise to all nations.
I find God's promise very encouraging.
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you (Isaiah 49:15).
Sometimes, God can be very feminine. He does not shy away from conjuring up the mother image in our heart. Meanwhile, we are put into an infantile relationship with Him. Put down our calculating mentality and recall the innocence and naivety of a sucking child. Whenever this child cries, its mother will respond immediately and come to take care of its many needs. If this child grows healthily, the mother will be satisfied and happy. Its little smiles and babbles are her reward.

Yesterday, I sat for the Philosophy examination. We have covered some modern European philosophers. One of them is the French philosopher Gabriel Marcel. He approached the topic of Being through creative fidelity and hope.
In faithful relations, we discover and create our "self". Of course, he was discussing the human sphere. But that does not stop us from extrapolating to God. God enters into faithful relations with us though we are more often than not, unfaithful. God is prepared to be betrayed and He leaves it open and invites us to stay open towards Him. In fidelity, we discover our true self. Analogically, I would speculate that God enters into faithful relations with us to discover and manifest His "self". At times, God can be wrathful and merciful. In the end, God is faithful. The Bible is a record of part of His "self-discovery" as well as ours.

Dear Lord, it is the time of favour in Lent. May we open ourselves more to Your compassion and salvation so that we may rise once more in Easter. Amen.

The living water flowing from the Temple

Ezekiel had been a priest before he was exiled to Babylon. It was in Babylon that he took up the role of a prophet since the Jerusalem was destroyed. There was no more priestly role to play. During the Babylon Captivity, Ezekiel had a new mission. It was to console the Jews and to keep their faith glowing until Cyrus the Persian King released them back to Judah. As an ex-priest, Ezekiel was "obsessed" with the Jerusalem Temple. Thus, starting from Ezekiel 40, he began to draw up the blueprint of a new Temple.

A temple is a lifeless structure without people. People would desert this building if they found no benefit in performing temple services there. But this Temple is going to be the meeting place for God and His people. God shall breathe life into this Temple. In his vision of this Temple, Ezekiel saw a living water flowing out from the threshold of the Temple.
Then he brought me back to the door of the temple; and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east); and the water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar (Ezekiel 47:1).
Water brings life wherever it goes. This water will regenerate all forms of life it touches.
And wherever the river goes every living creature which swarms will live, and there will be very many fish; for this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes (Ezekiel 47:9).
Moreover, this living water will heal.
And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing (Ezekiel 47:12).
What is this living water?

In John 7, we read about the teaching of Jesus in the Feast of Tabernacles.
On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and proclaimed, "If any one thirst, let him come to me and drink.
He who believes in me, as the scripture has said, 'Out of his heart shall flow rivers of living water.'"
Now this he said about the Spirit, which those who believed in him were to receive; for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. (John 7:37-39)
Jesus was alluring to Isaiah.
For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour my Spirit upon your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring (Isaiah 44:3).
Therefore, as John has explained, this living water is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit would be given after Jesus was glorified, i.e. after Jesus was crucified. The passion of Jesus shall release to the world the undeserved grace from God. This grace will heal and bring life.

Dear Lord, give us this living water so that I may not thirst (John 4:15) and labour for drinks that don't quench. Amen.

New heavens and a new earth

Jerusalem holds an important place in the book of Isaiah, second only to Jeremiah. It appears nearly 50 times in Isaiah and nearly double in Jeremiah. The Holy City is held dearly by the major prophets and the Jews. Of course, when we read the Bible, we should keep in mind both the good and the bad. Jerusalem was punished for her iniquities. She would also be the dwelling place of the Lord. The dwelling place of the Lord is not immune from desolation.
And he who is left in Zion and remains in Jerusalem will be called holy, every one who has been recorded for life in Jerusalem,
when the Lord shall have washed away the filth of the daughters of Zion and cleansed the bloodstains of Jerusalem from its midst by a spirit of judgment and by a spirit of burning (Isaiah 4:3-4).
God would clean up His dwelling place. That is for sure. Since God is dwelling among His people, He would clean up the earth. This is what He is going to do, according to Isaiah.

For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.
But be glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create; for behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy (Isaiah 65:17-18).
It seems that there will be a total break from the current universe. The former things shall not be remembered, its glories as well as its pains. But surely this new universe will be inhabited by God's people. God assures us that we shall rejoice in the new creation.
Due to the limited horizon of Isaiah, he could only express his vision in his vocabulary. Something more than his vision shall be in store.
I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and be glad in my people; no more shall be heard in it the sound of weeping and the cry of distress (Isaiah 65:19).
More than the Creation story in Genesis 1, God shall be not only satisfied but also happy with this new creation. He shall be glad in His people. In the Creation story, God made man to engage in dialogues with Him. In the new creation, God shall be happy with what His people do.
From the limited horizon of Isaiah, he hears no more pains and distress. It was already the best Isaiah could ever articulate.
No more shall there be in it an infant that lives but a few days, or an old man who does not fill out his days, for the child shall die a hundred years old, and the sinner a hundred years old shall be accursed (Isaiah 65:20).
Longevity was the best Isaiah could ever think of. But wait a minute! There is still death! Moreover, in the book of Genesis, we find people living more than 900 years. This is understandable because the book of Genesis was completed after the Babylonian Exile. Still, the concept of eternal life was beyond the reach ofIsaiah. What is worst, we find sinners of a hundred years old in Isaiah! There are still sinners and death in his "new creation". His vision is flawed. We have to wait until the writing of the Apocalypses of John to have a full revelation of the new heavens and the new earth. We have to read the Bible with a critical mind.
Despite all these defects, the following oracle is extremely reassuring.
Before they call I will answer, while they are yet speaking I will hear (Isaiah 65:24).
Thank you, my Lord. Thank you, Isaiah.

Dear Lord, while we are journeying on earth, may our eyes be set towards the new creation so as to keep us from falling along the roadside. Amen.

Laetare Sunday (Year C)

Today is the Fourth Sunday in Lent, the Laetare Sunday. It is the middle Sunday in Lent. There is reason to rejoice because we have travelled thus far, half way to the celebration of the Resurrection of our Lord. After all, the Church is not too conservative and always sets her face like a flint (Isaiah 50:7).

The gospel reading today is the famous Parable of the Prodigal Son in Luke 15. In his homily, Fr. Milanese focussed on the three stages of life of the younger son who symbolizes explicit sinners. I call him explicit because the elder son represents the self-righteous, thus implicit, sinners. Alas! Most people want to appear good in front of the others. Some even go so far as to finger the deficiency of the others in order to show off their righteousness. The Pharisees portrayed in the gospels are prime examples. They are represented by the elder son in parable.
and the younger of them said to his father, 'Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.' And he divided his living between them (Luke 15:12).
When people want to take control over their own life, they play God. This is the first stage of their downfall. They soon mess up their life. Recognizing their difficulties, they come to their senses, Still, they rely on their own efforts to regain their ground. This is the second stage.
But when he came to himself he said, 'How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger!
I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you;
I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants."' (Luke 15:17-19)
Treat me as one of your hired servants. They still believe that they can still rely on their own efforts to regain heaven.
In fact, had the father not gone out to protect him, to escort him, the younger son would never have reached the house. He would have been driven off by the villagers.
And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him(Luke 15:20).
Had Jesus not come down from heaven to die for us, we would not have had any chance of returning to God. This is the final stage explained by Fr. Milanese.

Actually, there are two 'minor' parables preceding this famous parable. Today, in the rehearsal time, the choir members studied them.
The first one is the Parable of the Lost Sheep. In reading Jesus' parable, we should keep in mind to look for unexpected elements in the parable. Jesus made use of these elements to stimulate our thoughts.
What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? (Luke 15:4)
How could the shepherd leave 99 sheep in the wilderness to seek for the lost one? It just doesn't make sense at all. We usually iron out this illogical element by hypothesizing the existence of other shepherds. But Jesus did not say that the man left the 99 sheep to the care of other shepherds. Jesus wanted to make a point.
In fact, which one of the one hundred sheep is lost? Anyone among them. Which one of us is a sinner? All of us. Most of us want to appear good and remain implicit sinners. Jesus did not care. As long as someone goes astray, Jesus would go out to bring him back. The focus is the joy and satisfaction God finds when a sinner repents.
The second minor parable is the Parable of the Lost Coin. If the first one is masculine, the second one is feminine. If the first one is outdoor, the second one is indoor. It takes place inside the house, perhaps the Church.
Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? (Luke 15:8)
Silver coin is not a good translation. In Greek, it is a drachma δραχμὴν, the second lowest in denomination, weighing 4.25 gram of silver.
This second parable highlights the troubles it takes the woman to find the lost coin. Wulstan remarked that the cost of lighting a lamp and sweeping the house might outweigh the value of a drachma! God takes all the troubles to save a sinner. He saves us at all costs! Love does not count costs.

As for the question of translation, the Chinese one is problematic for it introduces an extra element not warranted in the Greek original.
συγχάρητέ μοι, ὅτι εὗρον τὸ πρόβατόν μου τὸ ἀπολωλός.
Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost (Luke 15:6b)
你們與我同樂罷！因為我那隻遺失了的羊，又找到了。
συγχάρητέ μοι, ὅτι εὗρον τὴν δραχμὴν ἣν ἀπώλεσα. 
Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost (Luke 15:9b)
你們與我同樂罷！因為我失去的那個『達瑪』又找到了。
The Chinese word in red means "again". What spirituality does the Chinese translation want to inspire?

Dear Lord, we are too overconfident in ourselves so much so that we are not able to see the reality. When shall we come to our senses? We cry to You. Without Your loving care, we are lost, forever. Come to our aid and carry us home. Amen.

To destroy and rebuild

One of the many ways to cure an illness is to deconstruct and then construct. That partly explains why most of the drug rehabilitation programs in Hong Kong fail. More than 75% of the ex-addicts pick up illegal drugs again after discharge from the institutions. The reason is simple. Once discharged, these ex-addicts meet their "old friends" again. Their will-power is unable to resist the peer-pressure. Therefore, in order to be more effective, the institutions need to pull down the social network of an addict, build up a new one for them. That explains why among those rehabilitation programs, the Christian ones are more successful. Their inmates are converted to Christianity. Their faith in Jesus strengthens their will-power to resist the temptation of drugs. They belong to a fellowship and do not need to rely on their "old friends" after discharge. Less than 25% of discharged ex-addicts pick up drugs again.
Come, let us return to the LORD; for he has torn, that he may heal us; he has stricken, and he will bind us up.
After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up, that we may live before him (Hosea 6:1-2).
That is why we believe that the Bible contains truths for our salvation.

Modern education systems forbid corporal punishments. They advocate dealing with school children leniently. There is some truth in such a philosophy, but it is not the whole truth. The same sentiment was expressed by Hosea. He shared the mentality of the Chosen People.
Let us know, let us press on to know the LORD; his going forth is sure as the dawn; he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rains that water the earth(Hosea 6:3)
The Chosen People expected God to treat them leniently. God would come as the showers, as the spring rains. Alas! God came with wrath and judgment.
What shall I do with you, O Ephraim? What shall I do with you, O Judah? Your love is like a morning cloud, like the dew that goes early away.
Therefore I have hewn them by the prophets, I have slain them by the words of my mouth, and my judgment goes forth as the light (Hosea 6:4-5).
God hewed, slew and brought down judgment. Surely, we are created with two hands. One of the hands is gentle and the other harsh. Both hands need to work in coordination in order to succeed. As parents, we play both roles: the good guy and the bad guy, the nurturing mother and the law-enforcing father. In our schools, most teachers want to play the good guys only. They want to be loved by their students. Parents even tell lies in order to protect their children from punishment. Their children are the apples of their eyes. Our education officials are afraid of complains. They want to appear good before the public. Our education system fails because the stake holders resent playing the bad guys. Our children would end up in prisons and would not thank us in the future.

Dear Lord, give us moral courage to be bad guys for the sake of our future generation. Amen.

God shall heal us

Yesterday, I wrote from the human point of view. I talked about the justification for our rebelliousness.
Today, let us listen to the word of God. He promises to forgive and to heal. It is not enough just to forgive. God heals.

Hosea is one of the twelve minor prophets. He was a prophet of the Northern Kingdom and in his time, the kingdom was in total chaos. Four of the six kings were murdered in coups. God told Hosea to marry a prostitute who engaged in affair after affair with other men. At last, Hosea was reconciled with this prostitute wife. His marriage was a symbol of the relation between God and Israel. Israel was married to God in the Sinai Covenant. Yet, being unfaithful to God, Israel continued to worship idols. Her life is a portrayal of our relationship with our Creator.

I will heal their faithlessness; I will love them freely, for my anger has turned from them.
I will be as the dew to Israel; he shall blossom as the lily, he shall strike root as the poplar;
his shoots shall spread out; his beauty shall be like the olive, and his fragrance like Lebanon (Hosea 14:4-6 RSV, 14:5-7 MT).
Being rebellious exacts a price on us. It hurts to be rebellious. Wounds are inflicted and need to be healed. We are injured bodily. Interpersonal relationships are damaged. Our hearts are hardened and our souls worn and torn. We may be able to cure bodily injuries but we may not be courageous enough to mend fences. Worst of all, we have no medicine to heal our souls. We need God to dress our spiritual wounds.
God Himself will be as the dew to us. He will treat our souls gently but effectively. He Himself is our medicine. Then, we shall blossom, strike root, spread out our shoots and sent off fragrance. Praise be to God.

We tend to punish swiftly and harshly lest our children will forget and behave badly very soon. However, we should learn from the patience of God and deal with our delinquent gently like dew. Give them time to allow the cure to sink deeply into their hearts and souls. What we lack is patience, not time.

Dear Lord, You are our wonder medicine. Heal our spiritual wounds so that we may bear witness to Your faithfulness and mercy. Amen.

On Rebellion

Adults should tolerate the rebelliousness of young people. It is part of their growing up.
Being rebellious is essential for the healthy personality development of adolescence and it is also indispensable for the progress of the society. Otherwise, there would only be conformist young adults who would easily fall prey to dictatorship in various disguises. They would only follow orders without asking some basic questions. Gradually, they would become machines to maintain the status quo. Democracy would not have any chance. Corrupt officials would fatten their bellies unchallenged.
Moreover, the society would be drained of creativity and become complacent. She would not be able to catch up with her neighbours.  She would lose her competitiveness among rival cities and would gradually wither away. The computer giant IBM is a point in case. She was complacent with her success in building mainframe computers when some hobbyists started building microcomputers. The age of personal computers dawned. In turn, she is able to sustain her life by going micro.
In short, being rebellious is beneficial for individuals, for organizations as well as for the society as a whole.

Jews are a stiff-necked people. They dare to question and disobey God despite punishments fallen on them. As a result, they contribute a lot for progress of civilizations. The Egyptian court nurtured a Moses who later turned marginal. He discovered his Hebrew origin and fled a fugitive only to return as a liberator. When Jesus appeared on the scene from the margin of the society, he was critical of the religious establishment. He dared not to compromise with the Jewish authority. Jesus met a violent death and Christianity was born. The world needs rebellious Saviours.

For in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, I did not speak to your fathers or command them concerning burnt offerings and sacrifices.
But this command I gave them, 'Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be my people; and walk in all the way that I command you, that it may be well with you.' (Jeremiah 7:22-23)
God does not want offerings and sacrifices. He wants obedience. No doubt, His words are truth and wisdom. However, it is not at all easy to learn the truth. Man learns from making mistakes. Man tests the boundary to learn. In the end, they build a faulty society in which men prey on each other.
From the day that your fathers came out of the land of Egypt to this day, I have persistently sent all my servants the prophets to them, day after day;
yet they did not listen to me, or incline their ear, but stiffened their neck. They did worse than their fathers (Jeremiah 7:25-26).
God does not give us up. In the end, He sent His beloved Son to be a rebellious Saviour to break down our system to rebuild the Kingdom of God. To this day, we still question and disobey God. This is the human drama.

Dear Lord, forgive us and give us yet another chance to learn Your truth and Your wisdom. Open our hearts to give heed to Your command. Amen.

Keeping God's commandments is wisdom

I have to learn to let go.
Whenever I take up something, whether I am assigned to do so or I do it out of my own initiative, I invest a lot intellectually as well as emotionally. I enjoy teaching RS and spend a lot of time studying the Bible. I am assigned to be one of the class teachers of a Secondary Three mediocre class. I put my heart into the development of my students. Of course, my energy is limited and at times, I can be exhausted, both mentally as well as emotionally.

There are several repeaters in this class. One of them, let me call him SC, is a smart boy. He is lazy and has an attitude problem. His handwriting is illegible and often fails to hand in his assignments. Even if he hands them in, they are of low quality. Of course, he learns at his own pace and in his own way. He is able to answer questions in class. He is not tall and plays basketball to improve his height. He likes to date S3 girls and comes into conflicts with a boy in another class over girls. For me, it is understandable and tolerable. After all, he is still growing up and there are a lot of things he needs to explore.
He has given many teachers a lot of troubles in class. So, last month, Brenda and I paid him a home visit to meet his parents. The impression we got was that his personality is very much like his mother. Their relationship is not cozy and SC was rude and impolite towards his mother. Perhaps they are villagers and do not give due respect to women in general. I saw a family photo which they took some years ago in San Francisco. That cute little pleasant boy was the troublesome SC nowadays. Children before seven are really angels. As they grow up, they lose these angelic qualities.

Yesterday, SC ran into trouble in my hand. It was Day 1 and a day before, I had reminded the class to bring back their Listening Textbook. On Day 1, we do listening. SC forgot to bring his textbook. This is March, not early September. This is not his first time and will not be his last. So, I sent him out of the classroom, still within my sight. Some time later, he requested to get a book to read. Of course, it would be better to read than to do nothing. However, his behaviour was a bit stealthy for his slipped a book quickly inside his jacket. He was up to something but I had a whole class to take care of. I let him off hook for a while.
During the break, I asked him for his book. It turned out to be a translated Japanese novel called "My Compensation Dating Journal at 16"! He wore his usual sly grin on the face, showing no sign of remorse. Perhaps he was embarrassed but did not know how to express himself. I was infuriated by the title of the novel as well as his attitude. I decided to punish him harshly, sending him to the Discipline colleague to give him one major demerit. I prefer punishing my children harshly to their getting punished even more harshly by the society. It would be too late for them to reform by then.
An erotica is worse than a pornographic magazine because it stimulates their imagination more than nudity photographs. The harm is more long lasting on young people's mind than on adults. The distortion of sexuality and sexual relationships is more difficult to rectify. Punishment is not the best solution, but what better can we do? SC needs to be followed up by the Guidance team. I myself suffer as well.
Only take heed, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things which your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life; make them known to your children and your children's children -- (Deuteronomy 4:9)
Make God's commandments known to my children and my children's children. Help them learn wisdom.

Dear Lord, You have entrusted these kids into my hands. Help me teach them not only how to score high marks in exams but also Your wisdom to lead an upright and happy life. Amen.