When Democrats are not democratic

For practitioners of a religion true to the meaning of the term religion, their faith and morality must be compatible. Their faith will demand a certain behavioural norm. Some "religions" are "cults" because they encourage and practise harmful behaviours to the members within the cults as well as those in the society at large. We will not consider their case. Some practitioners of a religion fail to live up to the norm of their faith. These are hypocrites. We will put them aside for the time being. True believers practise what they believe, what they preach. Most Chinese believers practise their faith silently. They are not expressive in words. That doesn't disqualify them as true believers. Some are more gifted in speech. They are eager to practise and preach. They are true to their faith.

The recent controversy over election reform deals the democratic camp a heavy blow. The Democratic Party is accused of striking a secret deal with the Central Government, thus betraying the pan-democratic camp in their fight for universal suffrage in 2012. The Democratic Party is trying to contain subsequent damages of massive party members quitting.
The Central Government sees huge waves of protests from post-80's and post-90's in the Hong Kong society. They are a force to reckon with. Yet, no political parties in Hong Kong are able to command them. Therefore, the Central Government is prepared to concede moderate demands from the democratic camp in order to contain the waves of protests from these youngsters. It is believed that the Central Government has received and accepted the proposal from the Democratic Party early this year. However, she needs to delay the announcement of her acceptance as close to the voting day as possible so that the other political parties will not have a chance to extract advantages from the Central Government. The Democratic Party has to cooperate with her and keep its mouth shut. This makes the Democratic Party appear to be a traitor in the fight for universal suffrage. Party members have to tolerate verbal and physical abuses from radical legislators within the chamber and hot-blooded youngsters without. Their personal safety is under threat during the annual marching tomorrow ...
Of course, there are different paths to achieve universal suffrage. The Democratic Party has chosen one which make them appear undemocratic. They have failed to practise what they preach. They have compromised the ideal they have been upholding. Alas! Compromises are political realities.

The Israelites had been warned and punished for practising idolatry. Now that they worshipped God, offered Him sacrifices and performed the required rituals, yet, Amos the prophet continued to scold them.
I hate, I despise your feasts, and I take no delight in your solemn assemblies.
Even though you offer me your burnt offerings and cereal offerings, I will not accept them, and the peace offerings of your fatted beasts I will not look upon.
Take away from me the noise of your songs; to the melody of your harps I will not listen.
But let justice roll down like waters, and righteousness like an ever-flowing stream (Amos 5:21-24).
Even though the Israelites performed their rituals, God wanted no part of them. What God wanted was justice and righteousness. God wanted their actions to be compatible with their faith.
Seek good, and not evil, that you may live; and so the LORD, the God of hosts, will be with you, as you have said.
Hate evil, and love good, and establish justice in the gate; it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts, will be gracious to the remnant of Joseph (Amos 5:14-15).
Life was simpler in ancient Israel. Seek good and God would be with them. God loves charity more than sacrifices.
Modern politics is a game with a different set of rules. The Chinese Communist Party is comfortable with only a castrated version of democracy. She will never let go her grip on the power of the Central Government. Western democracy is not her cup of tea. Hers is a different set of good and evil. The game will play on. The Democratic Party is no more than a pawn in her chess set.

Dear Lord, You are our Universal King. The Central Government and all other governments are but pieces in Your chess set. I pray that Your rules of game prevail. Amen.

Feast of Ss. Peter & Paul 2010

The Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Ss Peter and Paul today. These two great Apostles died a martyrdom under Nero on different dates. Since 258, their feast has been celebrated on June 29 in Rome because on that day, their remains were collected and moved to Via Appia ad Catacumbas. The importance of these two pillars of the Church cannot be adequately explained here. Rather, we should meditate on their deeds and find strength to handle our daily dealings. Outside the Bible, there is an apocrypha called Acts of Peter and Paul, which supplies us with details about the rest of their lives.

I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing (2 Timothy 4:7-8).
I am still running, but rather aimlessly. Throughout my life, I have been collecting and gathering a lot of books to feed my curiosity. Alas! Life and energy are short in supply. Perhaps I should narrow down my choices and set my target.
Do I want a crown of righteousness? Not quite. Do I want to see that Day come soon? Not quite. Here, I am a bit selfish and want to tarry a bit longer all because I have not yet set my target. By the day my target is set, surely I want to reach it fast. In the meantime, I will continue to shop around.
At the present moment, I still have three more years of theology study and five more years of teaching to do, if God allows me. These two are my current short-term targets. Surely, I will put up a good fight to reach these targets. Finishing these, I will evaluate my situation to continue the next target. If God allows, I will serve Him and the Church as a permanent deacon. Let this be my final target. Amen.

Dear Lord, You have put me on my course thus far. Be with me to finish the race so that at the finishing line, I can keep my faith in You. Amen.

Feast of St. Irenaeus 2010

Two years ago, I briefly wrote about St. Irenaeus who died a martyr in 202. I did not know him and the historical background well enough. Today, I have made very little progress in the knowledge of early Church history and the writings of the Church Fathers, among whom Irenaeus was one. In the next three days, I will continue the seminar in Patrology. Hopefully, by the end of it, I will be able to appreciate better the contribution of St. Irenaeus in his combat against Gnosticism.

Gnosticism teaches that through gaining "secret knowledge", we are able to attain, you name it, transcendence, salvation, liberation and enlightenment etc. It is very appealing especially when organized religions, such as Buddhism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism and Taoism etc appear to be so rigid and lifeless. Gnosticism has many incarnations. If you are hostile to the supernatural, it offers you "natural healing". If you lose your passion with your faith, it offers you an "alternative religion" which demolishes all boundaries between world religions. If you want to improve your health, it offers you various forms of Qi-Qong and TM etc. Unlike cults of terrorist brand, Gnosticism seems so healthy and does nobody any harm. Why then should the Church be wary against it?

Today, we read again Paul's advice to Timothy.
So shun youthful passions and aim at righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call upon the Lord from a pure heart (2 Timothy 2:22).
I suppose Gnosticism also renders similar advice. Avoid lust. Aim at righteousness, faith, love and peace. Gather with other Gnosticists with a pure heart. Of course, it will replace Jesus with another identity. Perhaps this demarcates Christianity from Gnosticism.
How should Timothy deal with Gnosticism?
Have nothing to do with stupid, senseless controversies; you know that they breed quarrels (2 Timothy 2:23).
Perhaps Timothy was still too young and inexperienced to deal with Gnosticism. Not so with the Church Fathers. One century after the death of all the Apostles, Gnosticism must have been a force to reckon with. The Church Fathers had to defend Christianity lest it became another brand of Gnosticism. I will learn more about it in the next three days.
As for Timothy, he had to deal with it with gentleness and prayed that God might grant them repentance.
And the Lord's servant must not be quarrelsome but kindly to every one, an apt teacher, forbearing,
correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant that they will repent and come to know the truth (2 Timothy 2:24-25).
Dear Lord, I am arrogant and impatient. I have not loved enough. Pray that I become more forbearing with my bosses. Amen.

Thirteenth Ordinary Sunday (Year C)

Today, we attended the third seminar of the year. The topic is Patrology. This course is offered once every two years. It is conducted by Fr. Victor Aguilar, MCCJ from Macau.
Patrology is the study of the writings of the Church Fathers, spanning from the second to the eighth century. They wrote mainly in Greek and later in Latin, to defend Christianity and orthodoxy. Now, we understand more what Tradition means.
Christianity is not and cannot simply be based on the Bible. Christians struggle with problems and difficulties arising from their interaction with the cultural milieu. They could be persecutions from hostile peoples and states. They could be philosophical challenges from the learned. They could be heretical views within the Christian community. Consequently, Christians come up with a more mature understanding of their faith and hand it down through the generations. This is Tradition. Christ is the source of Christianity. Then, the New Testament is first collections of the reflections of the Apostles. Tradition is a further collection of reflections of Christian faith.
We finished today's session with a mass.

After Transfiguration, Jesus headed Jerusalem. They went past a Samaritan village.
but the people would not receive him, because his face was set toward Jerusalem (Luke 9:53).
Jews and Samaritans were not in good terms. The Samaritans did not extend their hospitality because the company of Jesus was heading Jerusalem.
And when his disciples James and John saw it, they said, "Lord, do you want us to bid fire come down from heaven and consume them?" (Luke 9:54)
James and John were known to be hot-tempered. Obviously they were offended by the Samaritans. They had seen the glory of Jesus in Transfiguration. Their hearts were bewildered. Instead of asking Jesus to bid fire come down to consume the Samaritans, they wanted to take justice in their own hands.
When we follow Jesus, meeting difficulties is inevitable. Yet, it is all too human to evade them instead of confronting them. We take short-cuts without thinking carefully the consequences. Jesus would never concur.

Then, we read of three different cases of following Jesus.
A man wanted to follow Jesus wherever he went. Jesus told him to rethink whether he was prepared to lead a poor life.
And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head." (Luke 9:58)
Jesus' life is a life of self-renunciation. It is a life dedicated to following God's will. It is a life of total surrender to God. Are we ready to follow?
Next, Jesus called a man to follow him. However, this man was caught unprepared. He wanted to finish off his unfinished business, to settle his family obligations first. He had a differnt priority.
But he (Jesus) said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:60)
Luke does not tell us what became of this man. He was a skilful author. Luke leaves the end open for all of us to complete the ending. We are the man. Jesus tells us to set our priority right. Proclaiming the Kingdom of God should be the top priority for Christians. Have we re-adjusted our priorities to answer God's call?
The last man volunteered to follow Jesus after he had settled his family relationships. He had set his priorities. He had decided to cut off his family ties. But Jesus had a different thought.
Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:62)
Jesus told the man that there was no need to cut off our family ties. When we follow God, we don't need to look back and worry. God will take care of our worries and the rest.

Dear Lord, have You called me? To what life-station have You intended me? Help me set my priorities right and I trust You will take care of the rest of my life. Amen.

Weep with Jeremiah

Written languages convey both meanings and sounds. Each language has its own peculiar characteristics. Therefore, it is difficult to translate a piece of text from one language to another.
One of the difficulties has to do with meaning. Every word carries more than one meaning. Even for synonyms, each of them carries different shades of the same meaning. Moreover, the ways a particular word is used in a particular culture will evoke different feelings even among synonyms. Words are like clouds and no two clouds are identical. This difficulty happens within every language.
What is worst, many concepts, thus words, do not find their counterparts in another language. For example, there is only one word for "love" in Hebrew but at least three in Greek.
Another difficulty comes in the style of a language. For example, Hebrew has no comparatives. It expresses comparatives with repetitions or contrasts. Therefore, to say that you love one thing more, Hebrew says that you love one and hate the other!
Alas! Nobody is able to translate with 100% accuracy in meaning. Poetry is even more problematic.

Today, we read Lamentations 2. It is poetic. Prophet Jeremiah wrote Lamentations to express his grief over the destruction of Jerusalem.
There are 22 Hebrew alphabets and there are 22 verses in Lamentations 1, 2, 4 and 5. Guess what! Each verse begins with an alphabet in sequence. This kind of poems is called acoustic. There are 66 verses in Lamentations 3. Three verses form a stanza and begin with the same alphabet. To the best of my knowledge, no English translation is able to do this acrobatic trick. Chinese language has no alphabets and cannot be acoustic. So far, we have not touched upon the problem of sounds and rhythm. It is hopeless. That is why we need to learn Hebrew in order to appreciate Hebrew poetry.

In reading poetry, we try to grasp the imagery created. Alas! Images are culturally conditioned. For example, which animals are cunning, serpents, foxes or rabbits? How do you express sadness with tears? In Chinese, we "wash our face with tears". In Hebrew, "tears become our food all the days". So, it is difficult to convey an image with the same force.

We have been living in comfort and convenience for too long. We may no longer be able to feel what Jeremiah felt. Anyhow, reading Lamentations will enrich our hearts so that we will be better able to weep with those in despair.

My eyes are spent with weeping; my soul is in tumult; my heart is poured out in grief because of the destruction of the daughter of my people, because infants and babes faint in the streets of the city (Lamentations 2:11, RSV).
我的眼痛哭，至於失明，五內沸騰，肝腦塗地。眼見我的女兒—人民遭受摧殘，眼看著幼童乳兒昏厥在城中的街道上。

כָּלוּ בַדְּמָעוֹת עֵינַי, חֳמַרְמְרוּ מֵעַי--נִשְׁפַּךְ לָאָרֶץ כְּבֵדִי, עַל-שֶׁבֶר בַּת-עַמִּי: בֵּעָטֵף עוֹלֵל וְיוֹנֵק, בִּרְחֹבוֹת קִרְיָה

Dear Lord, we have not loved enough. We are not able to feel what others feel. Help us to love more. Amen.

The last days of the Southern Kingdom

The following is a summary table of the kings of Judah after Josiah.

Name of King	Age	Duration	Mother	Judgment	Reference
Jehoahaz	23	3 months	Hamutal	evil	23:31-32
Jehoiakim (Eliakim)	25	11	Zebidah	evil	23:36-37
Jehoiachin	18	3 months	Nehushta	evil	24:8-9
Zedekiah (Mattaniah) uncle of Jehoiachin	21	11	Hamutal	evil	24:17-19

Josiah was killed by Pharaoh Neco in Megiddo (2 Kings 23:29). People made Jehoahaz, son of Josiah, king. Pharaoh captured him and demanded a tribute of a hundred talents of silver and a talent of gold (2 Kings 23:33). Pharaoh made Eliakim, son of Josiah, king and changed his name to Jehoiakim (2 Kings 23:34). Jehoahaz died in Egypt. After the death of Jehoiakim, his son Jeoiachin reigned (2 Kings 24:6). Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came and besieged Jerusalem. Jehoiachin did not resist.
And the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon all the men of valor, seven thousand, and the craftsmen and the smiths, one thousand, all of them strong and fit for war (2 Kings 24:16).
This was the first Babylonian Captivity.
Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon (2 Kings 24:20b).

And in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came with all his army against Jerusalem, and laid siege to it; and they built siegeworks against it round about.
So the city was besieged till the eleventh year of King Zedekiah.
On the ninth day of the fourth month the famine was so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land (2 Kings 25:1-3).
Jerusalem was besieged for three years and was breached. Zedekiah fled and was captured.
Then they captured the king, and brought him up to the king of Babylon at Riblah, who passed sentence upon him.
They slew the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, and put out the eyes of Zedekiah, and bound him in fetters, and took him to Babylon (2 Kings 25:6-7).
The last thing King Zedekiah saw was the death of his sons! What a terrible fate.
Then the Babylonian captain burnt down the Temple, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, carried away more people into captivity.
And the rest of the people who were left in the city and the deserters who had deserted to the king of Babylon, together with the rest of the multitude, Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried into exile.
But the captain of the guard left some of the poorest of the land to be vinedressers and plowmen (2 Kings 25:11-12).
This was the second Babylonian Captivity.

Dear Lord, Your law is the way of life. Let us choose life and obey Your law. Amen.

Nativity of John the Baptist 2010

Like John the Baptist, each Christian should be a precursor of Christ. John the Baptist preached a baptism of repentance to prepare the hearts of the Jews to receive the Messiah. We Christians should do likewise to prepare the hearts of our people to receive Jesus Christ.
Today, the Church celebrates the birth of John the Baptist. There are many things about the Baptist we can meditate upon.

One strikes deeply in my mind.
He must increase, but I must decrease (John 3:30)
How often I want to be important! How much I want to be the focus of attention! In such occasions, I have forgotten the Baptist. I have forgotten Christ.
I have forgotten how meagre I am. I have forgotten who made me what I am.

Dear Lord, make me see my true nature. Make me see my potentials. May I be Your faithful precursor to bring people to You. Amen.

Josiah rediscovered the Law

The Books of Kings follows a certain format to record historical events. It begins with the age at which a certain king began to reign and how long he had reign. It is followed by the name of his mother. Then there is a judgment on whether the king had done evil or right in the sight of God. For example,
He (Hezekiah) was twenty-five years old when he began to reign, and he reigned twenty-nine years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Abi the daughter of Zechariah.
And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, according to all that David his father had done (2 Kings 18:2-3).
Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Hephzibah.
And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, according to the abominable practices of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel (2 Kings 21:1-2).
Amon was twenty-two years old when he began to reign, and he reigned two years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Meshullemeth the daughter of Haruz of Jotbah.
And he did what was evil in the sight of the LORD, as Manasseh his father had done (2 Kings 21:19-20).
Josiah was eight years old when he began to reign, and he reigned thirty-one years in Jerusalem. His mother's name was Jedidah the daughter of Adaiah of Bozkath.
And he did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, and walked in all the way of David his father, and he did not turn aside to the right hand or to the left (2 Kings 22:1-2).

Name of King	Age	Duration	Mother	Judgment	Reference
Hezekiah	25	29	Abi	good	18:2-3
Manasseh	12	55	Hephzibah	evil	21:1-2
Amon	22	2	Meshullemeth	evil	21:19-20
Josiah	8	31	Jedidah	good	22:1-2

The table above is a summary of the kings of Judah between Hezekiah and Josiah.
The lengthy reign of Manasseh did the greatest harm. He rebuilt the high places and Baal altars in the Temple to worship idols. He burnt his son as an offering and dealt with witches (2 Kings 21:3-7). The Law of God was never heard of for more than half a century!

In the eighteenth year of his reign, Josiah decided to do maintenance work for the Jerusalem Temple. Hilkiah the high priest took this opportunity to offer the book of Law to the king.
And Hilkiah the high priest said to Shaphan the secretary, "I have found the book of the law in the house of the LORD." And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it (2 Kings 22:8).
Then Shaphan the secretary told the king, "Hilkiah the priest has given me a book." And Shaphan read it before the king.
And when the king heard the words of the book of the law, he rent his clothes (2 Kings 22:10-11).
Which book was it? Leviticus? Deuteronomy or the Torah?
It was unlikely to be the Torah which would only be finalized at the time of Ezra and it would take seven days to finish reading it all (Nehemiah 8:18). Therefore, what Josiah heard would only be a fragment of the Torah.
Why did Josiah react so violently in hearing the words of the book of the Law?
And the king commanded Hilkiah the priest, and Ahikam the son of Shaphan, and Achbor the son of Micaiah, and Shaphan the secretary, and Asaiah the king's servant, saying,
"Go, inquire of the LORD for me, and for the people, and for all Judah, concerning the words of this book that has been found; for great is the wrath of the LORD that is kindled against us, because our fathers have not obeyed the words of this book, to do according to all that is written concerning us." (2 Kings 22:12-13)
At last, after ruling as a king for 18 years, Josiah discovered the cause of their troubles. It was the wrath of God which was aroused by their disobedience. Josiah would want to know whether the curses would come true, whether there was any means to neutralize the curses. Josiah sent his men to ask the advice from Huldah the prophetess (2 Kings 22:14). And here came the answer.

Their fate was sealed. God would surely bring evil to Judah and her people because they committed idolatry.
Thus says the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place and upon its inhabitants, all the words of the book which the king of Judah has read.
Because they have forsaken me and have burned incense to other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the work of their hands, therefore my wrath will be kindled against this place, and it will not be quenched (2 Kings 22:16-17).
As for the king, he would be spared the pains of seeing the evil because he had a penitent heart and humbled himself.
because your heart was penitent, and you humbled yourself before the LORD, when you heard how I spoke against this place, and against its inhabitants, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and you have rent your clothes and wept before me, I also have heard you, says the LORD.
Therefore, behold, I will gather you to your fathers, and you shall be gathered to your grave in peace, and your eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place (2 Kings 22:19-20a)
After hearing this, Josiah decided to reform the religious life of the Jews. However, it was done too little, too late and collapsed at the wake of his untimely death.

Dear Lord, let us learn from the lessons of history. Let us not make the same mistakes again. Amen.

Assyria failed to conquer Judah

After conquering Israel, naturally, Assyria targeted Judah next. It was during the reign of King Hezekiah of Judah. The war was recorded both in the Second Book of Kings (2 Kings 18:13-19:37) and Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 36:1-37:38). The two texts are nearly identical. Of course, we cannot base on this identity of texts to prove the status of Kings as books of Prophet. Somehow, we have more "evidence" to accept the classification of Kings as books of Prophet.

Let's review.
In the fourth year of King Hezekiah, which was the seventh year of Hoshea son of Elah, king of Israel, Shalmaneser king of Assyria came up against Samaria and besieged it
and at the end of three years he took it. In the sixth year of Hezekiah, which was the ninth year of Hoshea king of Israel, Samaria was taken (2 Kings 18:9-10).
Notice that the author of Kings wrote "Samaria was taken" instead of "Israel was taken".
In the fourteenth year of King Hezekiah Sennacherib king of Assyria came up against all the fortified cities of Judah and took them (2 Kings 18:13).
To save Jerusalem from the plundering of the Assyrians, Hezekiah was willing to pay a heavy tribute.
And Hezekiah king of Judah sent to the king of Assyria at Lachish, saying, "I have done wrong; withdraw from me; whatever you impose on me I will bear." And the king of Assyria required of Hezekiah king of Judah three hundred talents of silver and thirty talents of gold.
And Hezekiah gave him all the silver that was found in the house of the LORD, and in the treasuries of the king's house.
At that time Hezekiah stripped the gold from the doors of the temple of the LORD, and from the doorposts which Hezekiah king of Judah had overlaid and gave it to the king of Assyria (2 Kings 18:14-16).
Sennacherib would not be satisfied that easily. He intended to wage a psychological warfare, backed up with a huge army.
And the king of Assyria sent the Tartan, the Rabsaris, and the Rabshakeh with a great army from Lachish to King Hezekiah at Jerusalem. And they went up and came to Jerusalem. When they arrived, they came and stood by the conduit of the upper pool, which is on the highway to the Fuller's Field (2 Kings 18:17).
Rabshakeh shook the confidence of the court officials of Hezekiah with 2 strokes. Firstly, the defeat of Egypt.
Behold, you are relying now on Egypt, that broken reed of a staff, which will pierce the hand of any man who leans on it. Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who rely on him (2 Kings 18:21).
Secondly, the "sins" of Hezekiah, his removing of the high places and altars for Baal. But if you say to me, "We rely on the LORD our God," is it not he whose high places and altars Hezekiah has removed, saying to Judah and to Jerusalem, "You shall worship before this altar in Jerusalem"? (2 Kings 18:22)
In the eyes of Assyrians, Hezekiah was a sinner because he had removed the high places and altars for idols. Therefore, it had to be god's will for Assyria to conquer Judah. Rabshakeh was logically correct but he had totally misunderstood true religion.
Moreover, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this place to destroy it? The LORD said to me, Go up against this land, and destroy it. (2 Kings 18:25)

Then Rabshakeh spoke to the people of Jerusalem in the language of Judah!
Firstly, he assured them of the benevolence of the king of Assyria. He might not be telling lies. It was a humane attempt to reduce the number of casualties in taking the holy city which the Jews would surely defend to the last man!
Do not listen to Hezekiah; for thus says the king of Assyria: 'Make your peace with me and come out to me; then every one of you will eat of his own vine, and every one of his own fig tree, and every one of you will drink the water of his own cistern;
until I come and take you away to a land like your own land, a land of grain and wine, a land of bread and vineyards, a land of olive trees and honey, that you may live, and not die.' (2 Kings 18:31-32a)
Secondly, Rabshakeh tried to make the reliance on God a superstition, a deception cooked up by the king. He was very scientific, backed up with lots of empirical evidence. All the gods of the countries had failed to protect their countries and it looked as if Yahweh was no exception. This was a real test of the Jewish faith.
And do not listen to Hezekiah when he misleads you by saying, The LORD will deliver us.
Has any of the gods of the nations ever delivered his land out of the hand of the king of Assyria?
Where are the gods of Hamath and Arpad? Where are the gods of Sepharvaim, Hena, and Ivvah? Have they delivered Samaria out of my hand?
Who among all the gods of the countries have delivered their countries out of my hand, that the LORD should deliver Jerusalem out of my hand? (2 Kings 18:32b-35)

King Hezekiah sent Eliakim to Isaiah for help (2 Kings 19:2). Two things happened.
Firstly, psychological warfare for psychological warfare.
Isaiah said to them, "Say to your master, 'Thus says the LORD: Do not be afraid because of the words that you have heard, with which the servants of the king of Assyria have reviled me.
Behold, I will put a spirit in him, so that he shall hear a rumor and return to his own land; and I will cause him to fall by the sword in his own land.'" (2 Kings 19:6-7)
The Assyrian king heard rumours and turned his forces to fight against Libnah and Ethilopia (2 Kings 19:8-9).
Secondly, whatever Rabshakeh had said about the failures of gods of the nations, the God of Israel defended the city of David. Isaiah sent Hezekiah the following message.
Therefore thus says the LORD concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city or shoot an arrow there, or come before it with a shield or cast up a siege mound against it.
By the way that he came, by the same he shall return, and he shall not come into this city, says the LORD.
For I will defend this city to save it, for my own sake and for the sake of my servant David (2 Kings 19:32-34).
That night, God sent an angel to kill all 185,000 Assyrian army. The Assyrian king returned home and was later assassinated.
Then Sennacherib king of Assyria departed, and went home, and dwelt at Nineveh.
And as he was worshiping in the house of Nisroch his god, Adrammelech and Sharezer, his sons, slew him with the sword, and escaped into the land of Ararat. And Esarhaddon his son reigned in his stead (2 Kings 19:36-37).
Judah was on the verge of religious reformation. It would take another century before Judah fell into the hands of the Babylonians.

Dear Lord, defend Your Church. Defend her various departments, institutions and the personnel for the sake of Your name. May they prosper and bear witness for Your gospel in the hostile world. Amen.

Feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga 2010

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Aloysius Gonzaga (1568-1591). Strictly speaking, St. Aloysius was not yet a priest before he died. He was in his fourth year of theology and would have been ordained had he not died in serving the sick in a plague. His charity was noble and his example a living Christ. Good people die young. In previous years, it did not occur to me that I should write about him. As 2010 is the Priestly Year. The story of St. Aloysius, though brief, is worth mentioning. He was canonized by Pope Benedict XIII in 1726.

Today, we read of the story of the demise of Israel, the northern kingdom. Not only does the Second Book of Kings describe the events, but it also passes judgment and explains why such a fate befell Israel.
Hoshea was the last king of Israel. Again he did what was evil in the sight of God (2 Kings 17:2). Then God sent Assyria to invade Israel.
Against him came up Shalmaneser king of Assyria; and Hoshea became his vassal, and paid him tribute (2 Kings 17:3).
Somehow, Hoshea followed the example of the Egyptian king and did not paid tribute to Assyria.
Then the king of Assyria invaded all the land and came to Samaria, and for three years he besieged it.
In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria captured Samaria, and he carried the Israelites away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and on the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes (2 Kings 17:5-6).
The ten tribes of Israel were dispersed and vanished in history. The Second Book of Kings explains why (2 Kings 17:7-18).
God delivered the Israelites out of the slavery in Egypt. But when they settled down in Canaan where God had driven out the nations for them, the Israelites picked up the idolatry of the land. The Second Book of Kings lists their evils in great details.
and (the people of Israel) walked in the customs of the nations whom the LORD drove out before the people of Israel, and in the customs which the kings of Israel had introduced.
And the people of Israel did secretly against the LORD their God things that were not right. They built for themselves high places at all their towns, from watchtower to fortified city;
they set up for themselves pillars and Asherim on every high hill and under every green tree;
and there they burned incense on all the high places, as the nations did whom the LORD carried away before them. And they did wicked things, provoking the LORD to anger,
and they served idols, of which the LORD had said to them, "You shall not do this." (2 Kings 17:8-12)
The Israelites did all these until King Solomon built the First Temple. The centralization of Temple worship did not succeed in abolishing idolatry. Then God sent prophets to warn them but they did not listen. They refused to follow the commandments of God (2 Kings 17:13-15).
After the Kingdom was divided, the northern king Jeroboam built 2 golden calves, one in Bethel and the other in Dan, for the people to worship because the Temple was located in Jerusalem, in the southern kingdom (1 Kings 12:28-33). More horrible things followed.
And they forsook all the commandments of the LORD their God, and made for themselves molten images of two calves; and they made an Asherah, and worshiped all the host of heaven, and served Baal.
And they burned their sons and their daughters as offerings, and used divination and sorcery, and sold themselves to do evil in the sight of the LORD, provoking him to anger.
Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his sight; none was left but the tribe of Judah only (2 Kings 17:16-18).
Who had burned their sons and daughters as offerings? It was forbidden in Deuteronomy 12:31, 18:10.
The king of Moab did (2 Kings 3:27). King Ahaz of Judah did (2 Kings 16:3). King Manasseh of Judah did (2 Kings 21:6). Of course, the Bible does not have a complete record. Among the records in the Second Book of Kings, only sons were mentioned. Furthermore, there is no record of kings of Israel burning their sons. It only indicates the incompleteness of records. Otherwise, Deuteronomy would not have forbidden it. It was horrid.

Dear Lord, Your commandments are sweet. They prevent us from committing horrible sins. Let us contemplate them and act accordingly. Amen.

Father's Day 2010

Today, Jesus asked his disciples two crucial questions.
Who do the people say that I am? (Luke 9:18b)
In the eyes of the people, who are you following? This question is important but not as crucial as the second one.
When the society becomes more highly developed, people are unable to know each other thoroughly. They rely on labels. So, you are a teacher, a professional, a Catholic, a liberal Democrat and a father of four etc. From these identities, people can safely expect you to follow certain norms and act within a certain pattern of behaviours. They expect you to be punctual, articulate in speech, highly intelligent, rational, conservative in morality and very disciplined etc.
Therefore, when Jesus asked his disciples what labels people stuck on him, he was gauging the expectations people had on him and his disciples.
And they answered, "John the Baptist; but others say, Elijah; and others, that one of the old prophets has risen." (Luke 9:19)
The Jews looked up to Jesus as a prophet and expected him to act like the prophets of old, challenging the evil conducts of people in authority, working miracles, teaching God's messages and turning the hearts of the people back to God. Jesus had done all these well. But this was not the most crucial point. Here comes the most crucial question.

And he said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" (Luke 9:20a)
This question is the most crucial for all of us. It challenges us to reflect on our personal relationship with Jesus.
The Synoptic gospels record Peter's answer.
Peter answered him, "You are the Christ." (Mark 8:29b)
Simon Peter replied, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16)
And Peter answered, "The Christ of God." (Luke 9:20b)
Taking into consideration the theological outlooks of the three Christian communities, these answers reveal their common understanding of the role of Jesus. Jesus is Christ, the Anointed One of God. It may mean that Jesus is their Saviour, delivering them from the Roman occupation. It may mean that Jesus is their Lord, bringing in the Kingdom of God on earth. It may mean ...
But what is our personal relationship with Jesus at this moment?

At this moment, we receive the Holy Communion. In our daily life, we work towards a complete union with Jesus. What is Jesus is what will become of us. In our daily life, Jesus acts and speaks through us.
Jesus has never fathered any children. Yet, he is the father of his disciples. He patiently teaches them, guards them and gives up his life for them. On this Father's Day, it is meaningful to reflect on how to fulfil the role of a father like Jesus has done.
Today, the two choirs threw a surprise birthday party for me. After mass, I found myself suddenly surrounded by the members of the two choirs. They sang a birthday song for me, gave me presents, hugs and kisses. Other parishioners joined them. I was overwhelmed. I thanked the Lord. I thanked them all. Their warmth affirms my contribution to this community. It is the best Father's Day and birthday I ever have.

Dear Lord, I totally surrender myself to You. Act and speak through me so that Your face may shine forth. I pray for my father and all fathers, physical as well as spiritual. Grant them good health and strong spirit to better discharge Your love of us all. Amen.

An ungrateful orphan king

Orphans usually arouse pity in our hearts. Joash was no exception. But this orphan turned out to be an ungrateful one.

King Ahab had a daughter called Athaliah who was married to Joram (Jehoram), king of Judah. She bore Joram a son called Ahaziah who would succeed Joram as the king of Judah (2 Kings 8:26). When Jehu wiped out the house of Ahab, he shot dead Joram, son of Ahab (2 Kings 9:24). At the same time, Ahaziah was mortally wounded by Jehu as well (2 Kings 9:27). After the death of Ahaziah, king of Judah, Athaliah killed all the king's son to become the queen of Judah. One boy managed to escape. It was Joash who was saved by his aunt.
But Jehosheba, the daughter of King Joram, sister of Ahaziah, took Joash the son of Ahaziah, and stole him away from among the king's sons who were about to be slain, and she put him and his nurse in a bedchamber. Thus she hid him from Athaliah, so that he was not slain;
and he remained with her six years, hid in the house of the LORD, while Athaliah reigned over the land (2 Kings 11:2-3).
Joash was under the protection and coaching of Jehoiada the priest. In the seventh year, Jehoiada engineered a coup d'état to put Joash onto the throne. Athaliah was killed in the king's house (2 Kings 11:20).
Joash was seven years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years in Jerusalem; his mother's name was Zibiah of Beersheba.
And Joash did what was right in the eyes of the LORD all the days of Jehoiada the priest (2 Chronicles 24:1-2).

Jehoiada grew old and died 130 years old (2 Chronicles 24:15). He was buried among the kings in the city of David (2 Chronicles 24:16).
Now after the death of Jehoiada the princes of Judah came and did obeisance to the king; then the king hearkened to them.
And they forsook the house of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and served the Asherim and the idols. And wrath came upon Judah and Jerusalem for this their guilt.
Yet he sent prophets among them to bring them back to the LORD; these testified against them, but they would not give heed (2 Chronicles 24:17-19).
What had happened to Joash? He had been doing well when Jehoiada was still alive. Why did he listen to the princes of Judah and make a U-turn after the death of his mentor? Hadn't Jehoiada's teaching been internalized? As an orphan, Joash was badly in need of a father figure. Jehoiada must have been the best candidate. But had Jehoiada been too strict and anxious in bringing him up so that when opportunity arose, Joash rebelled? We can never tell.

Jehoiada could not be harsh to Joash. Here is the evidence.
Then the Spirit of God took possession of Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest; and he stood above the people, and said to them, "Thus says God, 'Why do you transgress the commandments of the LORD, so that you cannot prosper? Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.'"
But they conspired against him, and by command of the king they stoned him with stones in the court of the house of the LORD.
Thus Joash the king did not remember the kindness which Jehoiada, Zechariah's father, had shown him, but killed his son. And when he was dying, he said, "May the LORD see and avenge!" (2 Chronicles 24:20-22)
Joash was ungrateful and was fully responsible for all the evils he had done. We cannot put any blame on Jehoiada.
The people conspired against Zechariah. Perhaps they bad-mouthed him in front of the king. Shouldn't Joash summon Zechariah to find out the truth before commanding him to be stoned to death? King Joash's decision was totally unacceptable.
Later, the Syrians defeated Judah with a small army, leaving Joash wounded.
When they (the Syrian army) had departed from him, leaving him severely wounded, his servants conspired against him because of the blood of the son of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed. So he died; and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings (2 Chronicles 24:25).
Joash, the ungrateful orphan king did not deserve a dignified burial in the tombs of the kings. Instead, Jehoiada was buried among the kings. History has passed judgment on Joash.

Dear Lord, to all our benefactors, let us be grateful. To all who treat us badly, let us be grateful too because they drive us closer to You. To You, let us sing with a grateful heart. Amen.

I was arrogant

I am a difficult person to deal with. Today, I exhibited my arrogance.
Today, a guest speaker, Sr. Damian Lai SPC, a retired ex-principal of St. Paul Secondary School, came to share her view on "Teacher as a Reflective Practitioner". It was a good topic and Sr. Damian was well prepared. She delivered her sharing with a detailed PowerPoint. Sister was gentle and soft spoken. Her pace was appropriate. She did not rush though she had a lot of ideas to share with us. Her choice of words, such as "espoused", was elegant and learned. She did not rely on a script. The PowerPoint was her script and it was massive. She spoke for about 40 minutes.

Sister does not know us, except for Joseph Fong, her former employee. Joseph invited her to come. Sorry, Joseph. I was arrogant to your former boss.
Sister wore glasses. The reflection on her glasses prevented me from making out whether Sister had established eye contact with us. Perhaps she had. But I am afraid she failed to establish a rapport with her audience. I noticed that some colleagues had lost their way in the course of the sharing.

After her talk, Brenda raised the first question, asking Sister to clarify a point in her sharing. I followed with two questions.
My name is Alex. I teach RS. Pardon me for being blunt. Can you tell us what expectations you have on us? Your sharing has been very substantial. Can you tell us in a few words the key ideas you want to tell us?
Why did I raise these two questions?

I think we were rather unprepared for the sharing. We did not know what to expect from this sharing. We only knew that it was something to do with being a reflective teacher. But did Sister have any expectation on us? If she had, what was that expectation? It turned out that she didn't! Had she had, she would have adapted her sharing to our level and adjusted accordingly in the course of her sharing. We were just any audience.

Sister did not answer my second question. Even before she tried, Emily had already voiced her comments to save the day. Emily saw that I wanted to press on and so she interrupted immediately. She showed her appreciation of her sharing, in particular, the part on celebrating success with the students, colleagues and even other schools. Joseph followed by telling us what a disciplinary teacher he had been and how he was converted. Ms Koo also shared her reflective experience with her environmentally friendly class. The sharing session ended amiably. I wish Sister did not feel offended.
When I returned to the staff room, Donna, the native English teacher blasted me for my arrogance. Yes, Sister had been very theoretical but Donna expected me to be among the "enlightened" few to be able to understand. I was too arrogant to demand Sister to summarize in a few words what she had said in 40 minutes. Donna had never reacted so fiercely towards me. Raymond tried to defend me by sharing the blame. He said he had been guilty of encouraging me to raise my questions. No. Raymond. It was not your fault. The fault is mine. I am not reflective and considerate enough. Perhaps my blood sugar level was getting low. Up to this moment, I am still unable to figure out what triggered my raising the second question. Was I disappointed or frustrated? If I was disappointed, what was my expectation which this sharing session failed to meet? I don't know.

Dear Lord, I am sick. Let me discern my illness and heal my wounds. Amen.

What did people say about Elijah and Elisha

Today, we read of a passage in the Book of Ben Sirach which was written in Greek and was included in Septuagint. The Catholic Bible includes this book in their Old Testament while the Protestant one rejected it because there was no Hebrew version of Ben Sirach.
Greek books cannot be ignored. They hand down God's revelation during the Greek Empire. It is the link between the Persian Empire and the Roman Empire, a transition from Hebrew Scripture to Greek New Testament. They also show us how the Jews understood the Hebrew Scripture during this era. The passage we read today is a good example.

Then the prophet Elijah arose like a fire, and his word burned like a torch.
He brought a famine upon them, and by his zeal he made them few in number.
By the word of the Lord he shut up the heavens, (Sirach 48:1-3a)
This is the famous famine which lasted for three years (1 Kings 18:1).
"and by his zeal he made them few in number". We have no record of how severe the famine was and how many people perished. But this famine must have starved many (1 Kings 18:2). Moreover, many others died in Jehu's campaign against Ahab (1 Kings 19:17).

and also three times brought down fire (Sirach 48:3b).
Elijah brought down fire for the first time when he held a contest against the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:38).
Ahaziah succeeded Ahab to be king of Israel (1 Kings 22:51). He did evil things in the sight of God. Once he fell through the lattice in his upper chamber. Instead of praying to God, King Ahaziah sent messengers to inquire Baalzebub, the god of Ekron (2 Kings 1:1). Of course, God was furious and sent Elijah to intercept the messengers to send them back. Twice, King Ahaziah sent 50 soldiers and their captains to arrest Elijah. Twice, Elijah called down fire from heaven to consume them (2 Kings 1:10, 12). The third time, an angel of the Lord advised Elijah to follow the captain to see King Ahaziah (2 Kings 1:15). From Ben Sirach, we can see clearly that the Jews were very fond of Elijah's behaviours.
How glorious you were, O Elijah, in your wondrous deeds! And who has the right to boast which you have? (Sirach 48:4)
Early Christians still hanged on to the Jewish tradition. Like their fellow Jews, they expected Elijah to appear before the coming of Christ. They recognized Jesus as the Messiah because the miracles of Jesus reminded them of the miracles worked by Elijah.
Once Jesus and his disciples passed by a Samaritan village. The people would not receive them. James and John wanted to repeat Elijah's miracle to destroy the village but Jesus rebuked them (Luke 9:52-56). It seems that Jesus did not quite approve of Elijah's action. However, the key issue was that the disciples had abused the power of miracles. Miracles are signs of God's presence, God's mercy. Vengeance and punishment belong to God, not men.

You who raised a corpse from death and from Hades, by the word of the Most High (Sirach 48:5).
This is the story of Elijah raising the dead son of the widow in Zarephath (1 Kings 17:17-24). Jesus too raised the dead son of the widow in Nain (Luke 7:11-17).

who brought kings down to destruction, and famous men from their beds (Sirach 48:6).
This refers to Ahab and his sons. Elijah had always been a "trouble-maker" for Ahab in Israel. His son, Ahaziah, never left his bed and died after his fall (2 Kings 1:16-17).

who heard rebuke at Sinai and judgments of vengeance at Horeb
who anointed kings to inflict retribution, and prophets to succeed you (Sirach 48:7-8).
This refers to God's epiphany to Elijah on Mount Horeb when Elijah ran away from the death squad of Jezebel (1 Kings 19:9-18). First came a strong wind, then an earthquake, then a fire. When he heard a still small voice, Elijah knew that God had come (1 Kings 19:11-12). Then God instructed Elijah to anoint Hazael the Syrian king, Jehu the king of Israel and Elisha his successor.

You who were taken up by a whirlwind of fire, in a chariot with horses of fire (Sirach 48:9).
This is the famous story of Elijah being taken up to heaven (2 Kings 2:1-11). Like the Enoch in Genesis, Elijah had not tasted death (Genesis 5:24). That was why the Jews expected Elijah to return at the end of the world to prepare the way for the Messiah. This was clearly expressed by the prophets and Ben Sirach.
you who are ready at the appointed time, it is written, to calm the wrath of God before it breaks out in fury, to turn the heart of the father to the son, and to restore the tribes of Jacob (Sirach 48:10).
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.
And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse." (Malachi 4:5-6 RSV, 3:23-24 MT)
These are the last two verses of the Old Testament, the end of the Prophets section of the Hebrew Scripture.

As for Elisha, the successor to Elijah, his miracles were too numerous and impressive. Even his bones worked miracles!
As in his life he did wonders, so in death his deeds were marvelous (Sirach 48:14).
This took place after the death of Elisha.
So Elisha died, and they buried him. Now bands of Moabites used to invade the land in the spring of the year.
And as a man was being buried, lo, a marauding band was seen and the man was cast into the grave of Elisha; and as soon as the man touched the bones of Elisha, he revived, and stood on his feet (2 Kings 13:20-21).
No wonder a cult of martyrs and relics flourished ever since the birth of Christianity. We can trace its root to the bones of Elisha!
Ben Sirach is an important Greek book. It hands down God's revelation during the Greek Empire.

Dear Lord, may we study the Bible diligently so that we may learn from the experience of our forefathers in their spiritual journey. Amen.

Elisha took the place of Elijah

God had arranged Elisha to replace Elijah. However, Jesus would frown on the story of the call of Elisha.
And the LORD said to him, "Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus; and when you arrive, you shall anoint Hazael to be king over Syria;
and Jehu the son of Nimshi you shall anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah you shall anoint to be prophet in your place." (1 Kings 19:15-16).
Syria would rise and become a threat to the national security of Israel. Jehu would cut off the house of Ahab and Elisha would replace Elijah as the prophet of Israel. Here is how Elijah called Elisha to follow him.
So he departed from there, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was plowing, with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he was with the twelfth. Elijah passed by him and cast his mantle upon him.
And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, "Let me kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow you." And he said to him, "Go back again; for what have I done to you?"
And he returned from following him, and took the yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the yokes of the oxen, and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he arose and went after Elijah, and ministered to him (1 Kings 19:19-21, RSV).
Elisha was a farmer and he was ploughing his field with 12 oxen. Which means Elisha was not poor. When Elijah put his mantle upon him, what made Elisha know that Elijah wanted him to become his follower or even his successor? Perhaps it was an Israelite custom. Perhaps it was God's revelation to Elisha. No matter what, this was Elisha's perception of the situation and he understood what it entailed. He begged Elijah to allow him to bid his parents farewell first. Elijah's answer was a bit ambiguous. But don't ignore the word "again". A literal translation will show you why.
Go, turn back, for what have I done to thee? (Young's Literal translation, 1862)
Go, and return back: for that which was my part, I have done to thee. (Douay-Rheims, 1752)
Go back again; for what have I done to you? (KJV, 1611)
There are actually two imperative verbs: "go" and "turn back", but without and. Since KJV, the English translations merge them into one.
The Douay-Rheims translation was based on Vulgate, the Latin translation. It retained both verbs and added an "and". An interpretation was also added to make Elijah's ambiguous answer more understandable. It turned the question into a statement!
So, literally, Elijah permitted Elisha to bid his parents goodbye and return to him. He asked Elisha a question to remind him of what he had done for him --- putting his mantle upon him to make him his successor.

Elisha returned to kill all his oxen, boiled their flesh with the yokes and gave it to his people and they ate. This was how Elisha "kissed" his parents. It was also a total renunciation of his current career. He was a farmer no more.
His story was well known in Jewish folklore. So, when a man tried to follow Jesus, he too wanted to bid his family goodbye and settle his business first. However, Jesus rejected him.
As they were going along the road, a man said to him, "I will follow you wherever you go."
And Jesus said to him, "Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man has nowhere to lay his head."
To another he said, "Follow me." But he said, "Lord, let me first go and bury my father."
But he said to him, "Leave the dead to bury their own dead; but as for you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God."
Another said, "I will follow you, Lord; but let me first say farewell to those at my home."
Jesus said to him, "No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God." (Luke 9:57-62)
Jesus seemed to be very harsh but he was telling a hard truth. Among the three people, two volunteered to following Jesus. Perhaps they had not thought deeply enough. So, Jesus discouraged them. Jesus only called the second one to follow him. The second man wanted to settle his business first. Jesus set him straight the priority. He should proclaim the Kingdom of God. The first two cases are also recorded in the gospel of Matthew (Matthew 8:18-22). The third case is found in Luke only. We expect the Jewish Christians to be familiar with the story of Elijah calling Elisha. Yet, it took a Gentile Luke to see the significance of Elisha's story: being a missionary requires the renunciation demonstrated by Elisha.

Today is the Dragon Boat Festival. I have had a few drinks and am a bit intoxicated. I am not able to write on the story of Elijah being taken away in a whirlwind. Perhaps I should leave it later.

Dear Lord, human nature seems to favour short-cuts and avoid conflicts. Therefore, we find some of Your teaching harsh. Make us see clearly Your will. Amen.

Ahab repents

Some people pun on the word "history", saying "History is his story." There is a grain of truth in it. History has been written by men and from the perspective of men. Naturally, women become scapegoats of whatever failures and disasters inflicted on men. This is doing history in a lazy way. If we cut corners and find an easy way to explain away an issue, we will never be able to unearth the truth.

Jezebel was a Sidonian princess. Ahab took her for wife (1 Kings 16:31). Then the author of the Kings blames her for all the idolatry flourishing in Israel.
There was none who sold himself to do what was evil in the sight of the LORD like Ahab, whom Jezebel his wife incited.
He did very abominably in going after idols, as the Amorites had done, whom the LORD cast out before the people of Israel (1 Kings 21:25-26)
It was Jezebel who acted on behalf of Ahab to murder Naboth (1 Kings 21:8). It was Jezebel who murdered the prophets of Yahweh (1 Kings 18:4). Whenever her name was mentioned, she was described as a murderess and Ahab her puppet. But it was Ahab who reaped the benefits. I have no intention to defend Jezebel because I am not a historian and evidence is lacking. I think we cannot ignore the syncretism happening in Canaan at that time. Yahwehism had to fight its way into Canaan. Prophets and Sidonian princess were only players in this drama under the influence of historical forces.

God pronounced His judgment.
And you shall say to him, 'Thus says the LORD, "Have you killed, and also taken possession?"' And you shall say to him, 'Thus says the LORD: "In the place where dogs licked up the blood of Naboth shall dogs lick your own blood." (1 Kings 21:19)
Ahab was guilty of two sins: murder and stealing. Therefore, blood for blood. Dogs would lick Ahab's blood where they licked up Naboth's blood. Ahab was expected to die a violent death. However, historical legends cannot go against history. Ahab did not die a violent death, though he was bled slowly to death in a battle (1 Kings 22:34-37). To harmonize historical facts and to save the dignity of King Ahab, the author of Kings made Ahab repent.
And when Ahab heard those words, he rent his clothes, and put sackcloth upon his flesh, and fasted and lay in sackcloth, and went about dejectedly (1 Kings 21:27).
When sinners repent, God repents. No matter how bad a sinner is, God changes His mind when sinners change their way of life.
Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before me? Because he has humbled himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days; but in his son's days I will bring the evil upon his house." (1 Kings 21:29)
In delaying the punishment, God retains His justice. Therefore, seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near (Isaiah 55:6).

Dear Lord, Ahab's story gives us confidence in Your mercy. Let us ignore not our minor offences and become complacent. Make us turn away our selfish and sinful ways of life. Amen.

Structural Poverty

Societies evolve, some faster while some more slowly. Take Hong Kong as an example. It was a fishing port in the nineteenth century. The British understood the value of its deep water harbour. They occupied it and turned it into an entrepot until the 1950's. Shipping, banking and logistics industries developed to serve the port. Less and less people earned their living as fishermen. Jobs change as the society changes. New breeds of workers emerge while others wither. Whatever the skills required, diligence has always been one of the ruling norms in work ethics.
However, as the Hong Kong society evolves into a so-called "knowledge-based" society, only those who possess newer and more professional skills are offered jobs. Diligence alone no longer guarantees a decent livelihood. A section of the society, especially those who newly arrive from mainland China, suffer from "structural poverty" because, coupled with the high standard of living in an affluent society, they lack the skills required to make the ends meet. However hard both the parents work, the families lead a sub-standard living. Their children do not have enough resources to take piano lessons, to participate in extra-curricular activities and to jump onto the tuition bandwagon etc. Their next generation will continue to suffer from this "structural poverty". Naturally, we will ask. Is there any social injustice?

The reading today is the story of King Ahab taking possession of the vineyard of Naboth (1 Kings 21:1-16).
The Israelite society was undergoing transformation. It evolved from a tribal society into a kingdom. To maintain a kingdom, the king was engineering a concentration of land into the hands of a few elites. Small land owners were sacrificed in the course. Naboth was such a victim. Land transactions were forbidden in tribal societies. People feeding on a piece of land were protected. However, to maintain his court, a king needed to feed many people who did not own land. A king needed to take away pieces of land from somewhere. He could start a war to conquer more land from neighbouring nations. But then he needed a strong army. To feed his soldiers, a king needed to confiscate land from within his kingdom. Defenceless Naboth was such a victim. Was there any social injustice?

Naboth was offered land or money in exchange. However, he refused.
And after this Ahab said to Naboth, "Give me your vineyard, that I may have it for a vegetable garden, because it is near my house; and I will give you a better vineyard for it; or, if it seems good to you, I will give you its value in money."
But Naboth said to Ahab, "The LORD forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my fathers." (1 Kings 21:2-3)
From a modern point of view, Naboth was not wise to refuse. Of course, he had the freedom not to participate in this land transaction. After all, he was the rightful owner of his vineyard. But King Ahab had not be unfair to him. Then Jezebel entered the scene. She murdered Naboth to take possession of the vineyard. Here is the injustice. There was no procedure to check and balance her greed. This is structural injustice.

Return to our knowledge-based society, are there any laws and procedures to check and balance the greed of a handful of business tycoons? Do we have enough legislature to protect the workers and the disadvantaged in the society? Can the voices of the poor be heard inside the legislation chamber? I am sure we have many King Ahab's and Naboth's nowadays. Who will speak for the defenceless Naboth's?

Dear Lord, You remain to be our shield and our guarantee. Strengthen the love in the hearts of the legislators so that justice and peace may prevail in our society. Amen.

Love and Forgiveness

In the Gospel reading today, Jesus remains ambiguous about the relation between love and forgiveness. Is there a causal relationship? If there is, which is the cause and which is the consequence?

It was all about a woman who anointed Jesus in a house. Some such things had actually happened in Jesus' public ministry. However, different Evangelists made use of the event and reported it in different manners.
Mark and Matthew focused on the anointment as a preparation for the burial of Jesus. Jesus had made a stir in his entry into Jerusalem. He had clashed with the Jewish authority in the Temple. The feast of Passover was near. His death was imminent. The incident took place in such a background. When people saw what the woman did to Jesus, they criticized the way money was wasted (Mark 14:3-9, Matthew 26:6-13).
Luke mentions a similar incident in which he focuses on love and forgiveness (Luke 7:36-50). It took place in the early phase of Jesus' public ministry. Jesus had had conflicts with the Pharisees and teachers of the law. Yet, a Pharisee invited him to dine in his house. Perhaps he intended to bring reconciliation between his party members and Jesus.
There are two things in common. Firstly, the host was Simon (Mark 14:3, Luke 7:40). The Simon in Mark had been a leper while Luke's was a Pharisee. It could be both. Then, Jesus had healed a Pharisee of leprosy. In giving thank to Jesus, he invited Jesus to dine in his house. Secondly, the woman carried an expensive vast of ointment. In both cases, the woman was of questionable character, a known sinner.

Now when the Pharisee who had invited him saw it, he said to himself, "If this man were a prophet, he would have known who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him, for she is a sinner." (Luke 7:39)
The issue was not a waste of money, but the integrity of Jesus. The Pharisee questioned the integrity of Jesus because in his narrow mind, a righteous person should not mix with sinners, not to mention allowing the sinful woman to caress him in public.
In his homily, Fr. Martin brought this into focus. Many of us know in theory what truth and charity are. But we fail to apply them in our daily life. The Pharisees knew very well the law. They knew that they should not commit any sins. They knew that they should love their neighbours as themselves. They knew that they should not mix with sinners.  They knew ... Whatever they know, Jesus knows too. But Jesus knows deeper. Jesus knows that God loves us and gives us laws to guide our lives. Law is not meant to define sins but to steer us away from sins. God loves us all, be us saints or sinners. He wants us all to lead a life of holiness. When we fail to do so, God gives us chances. The Pharisees have missed this point. They do not give sinners chances because they have cut the link between truth and love. Jesus tried to help them rebuild this link. He told Simon a story.
"A certain creditor had two debtors; one owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty.
When they could not pay, he forgave them both. Now which of them will love him more?" (Luke 7:41-42)
Simon's answer was cautious.
Simon answered, "The one, I suppose, to whom he forgave more." (Luke 7:43a)
Simon understood Jesus well. He was able to anticipate Jesus' teaching. But he still had reservation in accepting sinners. Jesus did not.

Jesus confronted Simon with the contrast between him and the sinful woman.
Then turning toward the woman he said to Simon, "Do you see this woman? I entered your house, you gave me no water for my feet, but she has wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair.
You gave me no kiss, but from the time I came in she has not ceased to kiss my feet.
You did not anoint my head with oil, but she has anointed my feet with ointment.
Therefore I tell you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little." (Luke 7:44-47)
Who loves God more, Simon or the sinful woman?
Of course, Simon loves God, but not as much as the sinful woman. His self-righteousness had prevented him from seeing his own sins, his need of God's mercy. Simon has blocked himself from receiving God's unconditional love. Likewise, many of us have made similar mistakes. We have not loved God enough.

So, what is the relation between love and forgiveness?
From Jesus' parable, it seems that we have received forgiveness and therefore, we return love. But from Jesus' conclusion, it seems that the more we love, the more we are forgiven in return. Therefore, the relation between love and forgiveness is not a simple causal one, but a dynamic one. Love and forgiveness reinforce each other. But one thing is certain. God loves us first. He forgives so as to initiate our love. In return, we generate more forgiveness from God and more love from men.

Dear Lord, we have not loved enough. Our world is in need of Your love. Help us generate more love in our world. Amen.

Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary 2010

After celebrating the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the Catholic Church celebrates immediately the Feast of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Many people oppose the devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary. They fear that it would turn into idolatry. Isn't the worship of God enough?
For me, God is too lofty. The Sacred Heart of Jesus is so perfect that it leaves me little room to meditate. When we pray on the words and actions of Jesus, we easily fall into the blind alley of deism. Jesus is God. We will never understand his words and actions. They are mysteries.
The heart of Mary is different. It is not sacred. Her psychology is more explicable because she is a woman and a mother.

Torah teaches us to love God with all our hearts (Deuteronomy 6:4).
The Blessed Virgin does so. When Gabriel informed her of God's plan, Mary was puzzled at first. With further assurance from Gabriel, Mary immortalized the proper attitude for all Christians.
And Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38)
The Blessed Virgin did not understand. She simply accepted the will of God and cooperated without doubt. Her heart was constantly amazed by the unfolding events.
When the shepherds visited the Holy Infant at his birth, the gospel tells us that Blessed Virgin pondered over the event.
and all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them.
But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart (Luke 2:18-19).
The heart of the Blessed Virgin kept pondering the meaning of all these events.
Imagine how the Virgin's heart would react when Simeon prophesized the pains she would suffer with her child.
and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in
Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against
and a sword will pierce through your own soul also, that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed." (Luke 2:34-35)
When the twelve-year-old Jesus was lost in the Temple for three days, the Blessed Virgin suffered the first stab in her soul. After finding Jesus among the teachers in the Temple, she expressed her anxiety to the Son of God (Luke 2:48). Jesus' answer did not relieve the Blessed Virgin of her troubled heart. It added more puzzles. The Blessed Virgin would take a long time to understand. She kept all these in her troubled heart.
and his mother kept all these things in her heart (Luke 2:51b).
The Blessed Virgin would never fully understand her divine son. Yet, that did not prevent her from caring for the needy. She would bring up the needs of the people to her son and actively engineering his involvement. With her immaculate heart, the Blessed Virgin was able to see God, to see God's plan unfolding in the life and death of her son.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God (Matthew 5:8).
The Blessed Virgin has loved God with all her heart. In so doing, she also caters for our needs.

Dear Lord, we thank You for setting up Your Mother to cater for our deficiencies. May her example inspires us to love You with all our hearts. Amen.

Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus 2010

On the second Friday after Pentecost, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It is a devotion to the rejected love of God. God loves men but this love is often rejected. The Wounded Heart of Jesus symbolizes this rejected love.

This devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus is beneficial to human souls. First of all, it was mystical. It began among the mystic religious orders such as the Franciscans who practised meditations on the Five Wounds of Jesus. In fact, this devotion is destined to belong to the whole Church. Why not? The Church sees herself born from the water and blood gushed out from the pierced side of Jesus. Therefore, it is appropriate for the whole Church to meditate on her own origin. This devotion is never meant to be a private one, belonging to a handful of mystical elites.

Once Peter boasted of forgiving his brethren seven times. Jesus told him to forgive seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22). If man is to forgive others seventy times seven, how much more God will forgive us sinners! Seeing that men are unable to save themselves, God manifests His mercy by sending His Only Son to die for us. Men do not sit passively waiting for this mercy. In accepting it, men must return love for love. This is the motive behind the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Dear Lord, may our hearts appreciate the love manifested in Your Wounded Heart. May our love overflows to our brethren as well. Amen.

Elijah vs. Ahab

Ahab was the King of Israel and Elijah the man of God. Ahab reigned for 22 years and did badly in the sight of God.
And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the LORD more than all that were before him (1 Kings 16:30).
Ancient history usually puts the blame on women. Ahab's case is no exception. Historians put the blame on Jezabel, the wife of Ahab.
he took for wife Jezebel the daughter of Ethbaal king of the Sidonians, and went and served Baal, and worshiped him (1 Kings 16:31b).
Jezebel was brought up to worship Baal. When she became the queen of Isarel, naturally she would put a stop to the worship of Yahweh, the traditional religion in Israel. Therefore, Jezebel ordered the extermination of prophets of Yahweh (1 Kings 18:4). Obadiah, who managed the house of Ahab, saved 100 of them and hid them in caves (1 Kings 18:4b). He had frustrated Jezebel's attempt to wipe out Yahwehism in Israel.
Elijah proved to be a thorn for Ahab, making his life uncomfortable. He announced the punishment of drought (1 Kings 17:1) and left Israel. When he returned, Ahab called him the troubler of Israel (1 Kings 18:17). But Elijah retorted.
And he answered, "I have not troubled Israel; but you have, and your father's house, because you have forsaken the commandments of the LORD and followed the Baals." (1 Kings 18:18).
Elijah proposed the contest between him and the prophets of Baal. This was a contest between the worship of Baal and the worship of Yahweh. Israel was in need of a revival of Yahwehism and Elijah carried the day. At the end, Yahweh won the contest hands down and 450 prophets of Baal were killed by the people. Yahwehism returned with a vengeance. What was the reaction of the King of Israel?

Ahab couldn't care less. At the suggestion of Elijah, he went up to eat and drink (1 Kings 18:42a)!
What did the man of God do after winning the contest?
And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he bowed himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees (1 Kings 18:42b).
Can you do this trick, putting your face between your knees? Mind you, this can only be found in this particular verse in the Bible.
Obviously, Elijah was praying to God. What did he pray for? Did Elijah pray for the souls of the false prophets? Did he pray for rain? No matter what Elijah prayed for, the author of the First Book of Kings certainly had put Ahab in a bad light. Unlike their contemporary counterparts, kings in ancient time cared little for the welfare of their subjects. We are left only with prophets to worry about the well-being of the people, spiritual as well as physical. As a dramatic finale to the story, Elijah outran Ahab who rode on a chariot to return to Jezreel before the rain caught them both.
And in a little while the heavens grew black with clouds and wind, and there was a great rain. And Ahab rode and went to Jezreel.
And the hand of the LORD was on Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel (1 Kings 18:45-46).
The author of this Elijah cycle was a master story-teller. What better way than this one can one think of to end the story?

Dear Lord, You respect our freedom to choose our way of life. I humbly exercise my freedom to choose You as mine life. Amen.

Putting God to the test

The Ten Commandments do not forbid putting God to the test. This is an embarrassing loophole. So, we find such a law in Deuteronomy.
You shall not put the LORD your God to the test, as you tested him at Massah (Deuteronomy 6:16).
When Satan challenged Jesus to jump down from the top of the Temple, Jesus resisted the temptaion with the above verse (Matthew 4:7, Luke 4:12). Was there any similarity between the two situations? Not quite.

In the wilderness, the Israelites complained about the lack of water. They found fault with Moses, blaming him for the lack of leadership by camping at Rephidim where there was no water supply.
All the congregation of the people of Israel moved on from the wilderness of Sin by stages, according to the commandment of the LORD, and camped at Rephidim; but there was no water for the people to drink.
Therefore the people found fault with Moses, and said, "Give us water to drink." And Moses said to them, "Why do you find fault with me? Why do you put the LORD to the proof?" (Exodus 17:1-2)
Why did Moses deem it as putting God to the test? Moses had direct communication with God and knew that God would provide. The Israelites did not had direct contact with God. They relied on Moses as their mediator. But they were not satisfied with the leadership of Moses. In some other occasions, some of them even conspired a coup d'état to strip Moses of his power. So, they found fault with Moses and could not wait for God's providence. It was directed against Moses. Yet, Moses saw himself the sole representative of God and thus labelled the complaint a temptation of God. They were finding fault with God.
In the temptation of Jesus, the situation was different. While the Israelites were led into a passive position, Jesus' situation was active. The Israelites camped at Rephidim according to the commandment of God. They were passive, waiting for God's providence. Had they not complained, sooner or later, God would have provided the water they needed. But Satan created a situation to put God to the test. Had Jesus succumbed to the temptation, Satan would have forced God's hand to intervene.

In the Elijah story today, had Eljiah ever thought that he had put God to the test?
Three years of drought had passed, Elijah returned to challenge the 450 prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel.
Now therefore send and gather all Israel to me at Mount Carmel, and the four hundred and fifty prophets of Baal and the four hundred prophets of Asherah, who eat at Jezebel's table (1 Kings 18:19)
Elijah forced the people to decide which deity they should worship, Baal or Yahweh.
And Elijah came near to all the people, and said, "How long will you go limping with two different opinions? If the LORD is God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him." And the people did not answer him a word (1 Kings 18:21).
The people did not answer Elijah. Assuming that they were politically forced to worship Baal, their reticence was understandable. But if they wanted to worship Yahweh, why did they not speak up? The people needed proof, tangible irrefutable proof.
So, Elijah proposed such a proof. The 450 prophets would offer sacrifice to Baal and Elijah to Yahweh in front of the people.
And you call on the name of your god and I will call on the name of the LORD; and the God who answers by fire, he is God." And all the people answered, "It is well spoken." (1 Kings 18:24)
Elijah had proposed a tangible procedure to prove the existence of God. This is a proof scientists, philosophers and theologians have been dreaming for throughout the ages. Elijah was putting God to the test.
Why should God submit to such a game? Did God submit in order to convince the Israelites to believe in Him again?
Whatever God's motive, I don't like this game because it sets a bad precedent. If God yielded to man's demand this time, He is not morally justified to refuse other demands in the future. But had not Jesus refused to perform miracles in front of the Pharisees to prove that he was sent by God?
I am not Yahweh. Yahweh played along with them for reasons I may never understand.
And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces; and they said, "The LORD, he is God; the LORD, he is God."
And Elijah said to them, "Seize the prophets of Baal; let not one of them escape." And they seized them; and Elijah brought them down to the brook Kishon, and killed them there (1 Kings 18:39-40).
Elijah's story ended in God's victory. 450 prophets of Baal were slaughtered by the Israelites with the instigation of Elijah. But the kingdom of Israel continued to worship Baal under King Ahab. God won a battle but not the war against idolatry. Elijah's story continues to circulate in the psyche of the Israelites. He is a man of God.

Dear Lord, I count myself blessed to be able to hold on my faith in You. Help me resist the temptation of putting You to the test. Amen.

Is God a poor logistic manager?

When the brook had dried up, God instructed Elijah to move out of Israel.
Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you (1 Kings 17:9).
Previously, God commanded ravens to feed Elijah.
You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there (1 Kings 17:4).
Now, God commanded a widow to feed Elijah. The same word "command צִוִּיתִי" is used. This word appears first in Genesis 2 when God commanded the man He newly created not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:17).
Come back to Elijah. Of course, ravens did not object. But what about the widow? She complained of not knowing the command. Here goes the legend.
So he arose and went to Zarephath; and when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks; and he called to her and said, "Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink."
And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, "Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand." (1 Kings 17:10-11)
I suppose Elijah was making a request of water from the widow. Out of customs or what not, the widow complied. She did not ignore Elijah. Perhaps in ancient time, women were supposed to comply. It was their customs.
Now when the widow turned to bring water, Elijah suddenly demanded more than just water. He wanted bread. Was Elijah being unreasonable?
Not quite. I think at first, Elijah was not aware that the widow was the one God had chosen. Therefore, he simply asked for water. But suddenly, Elijah seemed to have realized that the widow was probably the widow God had arranged to feed him. Then he demanded bread in order to find out. What was more interesting was that the widow did not seem to know that God had commanded her to feed Elijah.

Wait a minute! Had not God commanded the widow to feed Elijah? I always thought that God had told the widow beforehand. But it turns out that the widow was not aware of this command of God herself. Rather, Elijah was the one to bring God's command to the widow in feed him! God must have been a poor logistic manager!
For some reasons, God had not revealed His command directly to the widow. Rather, He revealed it indirectly through Elijah. In other word, had Elijah not brought the command, he would not have been fed! In order to get fed, Elijah had to pass on God's command.
Take this analogy one step further. God has promised His salvation for us. We always think that God has prepared it beforehand in heaven. Once we finish our pilgrimage on earth, we will receive this salvation which has been waiting for us in heaven. But it turns out that we have to bring it about like Elijah. In order to attain our salvation and the salvation of the world, we need to preach the good news of salvation. Yes, we cannot sit and wait passively, hands folded, for our salvation.

The widow was obviously annoyed. She opened up and swore.
And she said, "As the LORD your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of meal in a jar, and a little oil in a cruse; and now, I am gathering a couple of sticks, that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it, and die." (1 Kings 17:12)
How did Elijah identify this woman to be the one promised by God? Perhaps from her swearing: "As the Lord your God lives, ..."
Then Elijah told her the good news that God would provide for them throughout the drought.
And Elijah said to her, "Fear not; go and do as you have said; but first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make for yourself and your son.
For thus says the LORD the God of Israel, 'The jar of meal shall not be spent, and the cruse of oil shall not fail, until the day that the LORD sends rain upon the earth.'" (1 Kings 17:13-14)
In our eyes, Elijah's persuasion was anything but convincing.
Elijah was probably right in recognizing the fear in the widow's response. When starvation was approaching slowly, it would stir up a fear of cannibalism in the widow's heart. Though fear is a strong emotion and is powerful enough to bend a will of steel, I doubt very much whether Elijah was manipulating the fear of this widow. After all, her heart was filled with love, the love of her only son. Love would drive out fear. Rather, I prefer to read this "Fear not", as a clique of God's messengers. The angels and Gabriel in Luke always precedes their messages with this phrase. I always joke that the angels must be very ugly (imagine a creature with six wings plus a head, without limbs, without torso etc.) so that they have to pacify human beings with this phrase.

Anyway, the widow believed. It turned out that she had a large household (1 Kings 17:17) to take care of. She was sort of a matron of a household and from the way she responded to Elijah, she was a tough woman not to mess around with. How could she possibly believe in Elijah, giving up their ration to feed him? Once again, it must be the work of God. Preaching the gospel is our duty. Conversion is God's.
In feeding Elijah, the widow was fed. God fed them both. God's command turns out to be a blessing, a deliverance.

Dear Lord, very often, we forget that we have to earn our own salvation. Let us not remain complacent but preach Your gospel with our words and actions. Amen.

God will provide

Today, we begin reading the First Book of Kings. First of all, let me briefly explain the background.

Christians treat the Hebrew Scripture as their Old Testament, part of the Bible, the Holy Book. Of course Jews do not look at it this way. The Hebrew Scripture is the Holy Book in its totality. Furthermore, Jews categorize the various books of the Scripture in their own way. The first 5 books form the Torah, the Law. Joshua, Judges, Samuels and Kings form the Former Prophets. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel and the 12 minor prophets form the Latter Prophets. Therefore, there are 21 prophetic books. The rest: Job, Psalms, Proverbs, Ruth, Daniel, Ezra, Esther, Chronicles etc. are Holy Writings. These are books of wisdom.
Around 200 B.C., most of the Alexandrian Jews no longer spoke Hebrew. They needed a Greek translation of the Hebrew Scripture for their worship. The Septuagint, or LXX, came into existence. The Septuagint introduced 2 new features. It rearranged the order of the books. Ruth, Ezra, Esther, Chronicles were put alongside the Former Prophets to create a new category of History books. Daniel was moved behind Ezekiel to become the fourth Major Prophet. The second feature was the inclusion of some books written in Greek such as Judith, Tobit, I-IV Maccabees, Ben Sirach etc. into the History and Wisdom sections. When Christians made their Bible, they roughly followed the Septuagint to form their Old Testament. Some books such as the III-IV Maccabees, Psalm 151 etc. were not included.

Now, let me return to the Kings and explain why the Jews treat them as Prophetic books.
First of all, "Prophet" has a wider meaning. Not only do they convey the messages of God (angels do likewise), but they are also witnesses of the Covenant with God. Abraham was a prophet (Genesis 20:7). Moses too was a prophet (Deuteronomy 18:15). They were witnesses to the Covenant with God. Joshua, Judges, Samuels and Kings provide a record of how well or badly the Israelites had kept the Covenant. Therefore, these books form the Former Prophets in the Hebrew Scripture.
Prophet is sometimes called "a man of God" (1 Samuel 9:6) or "Seer" (1 Samuel 9:9) with which we are more familiar. Today, we read the story of Elijah who was regarded as the greatest prophet of all because he was directly taken up to heaven and would come back to prepare the way for the Messiah. But that idea was a development of a later age. Though he was the greatest, Elijah did not leave us any writing like Isaiah did. There are only legends about him (the Elijah cycle) and Elisha, his disciple (the Elisha cycle). The Elijah cycle begins at 1 Kings 17 when Ahab was the king of Israel, the Northern Kingdom.

Influenced by his wife Jezebel, Ahab worshipped idols (1 Kings 16:31). As the King of Israel, Ahab failed to keep the Covenant with God. God sent Elijah to announce His punishment.
Now Elijah the Tishbite, of Tishbe in Gilead, said to Ahab, "As the LORD the God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there shall be neither dew nor rain these years, except by my word." (1 Kings 17:1)
Elijah's word was God's word. Elijah executed his office of prophet. Then following God's instruction, Elijah left for the border of Israel.
Depart from here and turn eastward, and hide yourself by the brook Cherith, that is east of the Jordan.
You shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you there (1 Kings 17:3-4).
God provided Elijah with bread and meat.
And the ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook.
And after a while the brook dried up, because there was no rain in the land (1 Kings 17:6-7).
When the brook dried up, God sent Elijah away elsewhere for three years. God will provide.

Brenda will not quit Shung Tak. To a certain extent, it seems good for Shung Tak, but bad for Brenda. It seems good for Shung Tak because her English standard will be guaranteed. It is bad for Brenda because her integrity is thrown into question.
But is it really good for Shung Tak? Not quite. The English Department will continue to rely on Brenda and the panel members will never be able to realize their true potentials. Edmund was sacked by the principal and God provided us with an Adrian. Who knows if God will not provide Shung Tak with a better English teacher than Brenda? Brenda's decision does not seem to be a win-win option. But God will provide.

Dear Lord, for Your name's sake, clean us of our sins and frustrations so that we may be able to glorify Your name in the region. Amen.