Today, our parish celebrated the Mission Sunday though the Diocese had celebrated it publicly in the Hong Kong Stadium last Sunday. There are a lot of things to reflect on.
Preaching the gospel to the world is the raison d'être of the Church. Jesus would have remained on earth but he had not. He ascended to heaven for the sake of the maturity of our faith. Jesus commissioned us to preach the gospel to the world so that our faith in God would have a chance to grow and reach perfection. It is up to us to cultivate this faith or leave it withered through the lack of preaching what we believe and practising what we preach. Last Sunday, the liturgy in the Hong Kong Stadium was grand and many participants found it moving. To a certain extent, the celebration has fulfilled its preaching mission.
Now, let me return to the reflection of the readings today.
Isaiah prophesied what the future Church would be like. It would be catholic and embrace all peoples.
And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising (Isaiah 60:3).
Revelation is revealing. It tells us that the universal Church embraces both saints and sinners.
Behold, he is coming with the clouds, and every eye will see him, every one who pierced him; and all tribes of the earth will wail on account of him. Even so. Amen (Revelation 1:7).
At the end of the world, every eye will see Christ coming down from heaven, including both those who pierced him and those who wailed for him. Who pierced him? They are not just the Roman soldier but all who have sinned. Who will wail for him? They are those sinners who have repented. They wail not only for the sufferings of Jesus but also their sins which are the causes of Jesus' sufferings. Once more, the Bible has shown us that there are both saints and sinners within God's Church. Within the Church, there are people who are prepared to pierce Jesus. There are also those who repent.
The gospel is taken from the last part of Jesus' prayer in the Last Supper. Just as the Father has sent him to save this world, Jesus also sent the Church on the mission to save the world.
As thou didst send me into the world, so I have sent them into the world (John 17:18).
The mission of the Church originates from the mission of Jesus. Just as Jesus was sent by God to save the world, the Church should be prepared to take up a similar mission. This interpretation is supported by another verse below.
The glory which thou hast given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one (John 17:22).
Bear in mind that in the gospel of John, the word "glory" is the code word for Jesus' sufferings. Jesus suffered. So would the Church. Jesus had died an ignoble death. So would the Church. Through suffering, Jesus became one with God. Similarly, through suffering, we will become one with each other in the Church which is Jesus' vine, one with Christ and with God. Many martyrs have already experienced this union. With God's grace, we will receive this "glory".
Dear Lord, in sufferings we are united with You and through You with one another. Bestow on us the grace to embrace martyrdom in building the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Amen.
Sunday 24 October 2010
Sunday 17 October 2010
Is there faith at the end of the world?
The parish celebrates the 29th Ordinary Sunday while the Diocese the Mission Sunday. I attended both and there are two different gospel readings. The Luke story in the Ordinary Sunday is very demanding and comes back to the theme of "faith" once more.
Luke made it clear at the beginning that the parable is about perseverance in prayer.
And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1).
So, what story did Jesus make up to encourage people to persevere in praying?
Jesus made use of an unrighteous judge and a widow. The judge was unrighteous because he neither feared God nor regarded men (Luke 18:2). In the eyes of the modern men, these judges would be ideal judges because they would be impartial.
Morality has changed. The norms have changed. In ancient Israel, there were many legal provisions to protect the rights of the disadvantaged such as widows. For example, Deuteronomy explicitly warned the judges who did not deal with widows fairly.
Cursed be he who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow (Deuteronomy 27:19).
In the parable, the judge brushed aside the case of a widow who kept pestering him to vindicate her case. At last, the widow was able to bend the judge.
For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor regard man,
yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.' (Luke 18:4-5)
So, Jesus seemed to encourage us to persevere in our prayer to wear God out so as to bend His will.
And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?
I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily." (Luke 14:6-8a)
The judge had been unrighteous because he had denied the widow justice. By wearing him out, the widow obtained what was due hers. God is not unrighteous. He certainly will vindicate His chosen ones without waiting for them to wear Him out.
While we think we have already read and understood the parable, Jesus reserves a little surprise for us.
when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth? (Luke 18:8b)
Why did Jesus suddenly turn the topic to the end of the world, "when the Son of man comes"?
Well, we need to read the whole context. Indeed, Jesus was talking about the end of the world (Luke 17:20-37), and this parable of prayer seems to have been inserted before the last half of the text to become 18:8b. Jesus teaches us that perseverance in praying helps us go through all the tribulations and trials at the end of the world. Let's return to the context.
The Pharisees were asking Jesus when the Kingdom of God was coming (Luke 17:20a). Then Jesus mentioned the stories of Noah and Lot to tell the audience that the Kingdom of God would come at the least expected moment.
Now, Jesus' words make more sense. At the end of the world, God's elect will call on the name of the Lord to deliver them and God will vindicate them speedily. God will not forsake them.
But why did Jesus make such an odd statement about how little faith he will find on earth at the end?
Let's do some calculations with the 2 destruction cases Jesus chose. In Noah's Deluge, only eight people survived: Noah, his 3 sons and the wives (Genesis 7:13). In Lot's situation, the situation was worse. Only Lot, his wife and his 2 daughters survived the Sodom and Gomorrah destruction (Genesis 19:15). There were other destruction cases such as the fall of Jericho. Whatever cases you choose, in each, very few people put their faith in God. No wonder Jesus lamented the lack of faith at the end of the world. Perhaps it is the lack of faith that push the world over the edge and only perseverance in praying helps us survive.
Dear Lord, You teach us to remain sober and alert all the time to prepare for Your return. I am too much occupied in my work and in my studies. Help me, Lord, strike the right balance. Amen.
Luke made it clear at the beginning that the parable is about perseverance in prayer.
And he told them a parable, to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart (Luke 18:1).
So, what story did Jesus make up to encourage people to persevere in praying?
Jesus made use of an unrighteous judge and a widow. The judge was unrighteous because he neither feared God nor regarded men (Luke 18:2). In the eyes of the modern men, these judges would be ideal judges because they would be impartial.
Morality has changed. The norms have changed. In ancient Israel, there were many legal provisions to protect the rights of the disadvantaged such as widows. For example, Deuteronomy explicitly warned the judges who did not deal with widows fairly.
Cursed be he who perverts the justice due to the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow (Deuteronomy 27:19).
In the parable, the judge brushed aside the case of a widow who kept pestering him to vindicate her case. At last, the widow was able to bend the judge.
For a while he refused; but afterward he said to himself, 'Though I neither fear God nor regard man,
yet because this widow bothers me, I will vindicate her, or she will wear me out by her continual coming.' (Luke 18:4-5)
So, Jesus seemed to encourage us to persevere in our prayer to wear God out so as to bend His will.
And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge says.
And will not God vindicate his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them?
I tell you, he will vindicate them speedily." (Luke 14:6-8a)
The judge had been unrighteous because he had denied the widow justice. By wearing him out, the widow obtained what was due hers. God is not unrighteous. He certainly will vindicate His chosen ones without waiting for them to wear Him out.
While we think we have already read and understood the parable, Jesus reserves a little surprise for us.
when the Son of man comes, will he find faith on earth? (Luke 18:8b)
Why did Jesus suddenly turn the topic to the end of the world, "when the Son of man comes"?
Well, we need to read the whole context. Indeed, Jesus was talking about the end of the world (Luke 17:20-37), and this parable of prayer seems to have been inserted before the last half of the text to become 18:8b. Jesus teaches us that perseverance in praying helps us go through all the tribulations and trials at the end of the world. Let's return to the context.
The Pharisees were asking Jesus when the Kingdom of God was coming (Luke 17:20a). Then Jesus mentioned the stories of Noah and Lot to tell the audience that the Kingdom of God would come at the least expected moment.
Now, Jesus' words make more sense. At the end of the world, God's elect will call on the name of the Lord to deliver them and God will vindicate them speedily. God will not forsake them.
But why did Jesus make such an odd statement about how little faith he will find on earth at the end?
Let's do some calculations with the 2 destruction cases Jesus chose. In Noah's Deluge, only eight people survived: Noah, his 3 sons and the wives (Genesis 7:13). In Lot's situation, the situation was worse. Only Lot, his wife and his 2 daughters survived the Sodom and Gomorrah destruction (Genesis 19:15). There were other destruction cases such as the fall of Jericho. Whatever cases you choose, in each, very few people put their faith in God. No wonder Jesus lamented the lack of faith at the end of the world. Perhaps it is the lack of faith that push the world over the edge and only perseverance in praying helps us survive.
Dear Lord, You teach us to remain sober and alert all the time to prepare for Your return. I am too much occupied in my work and in my studies. Help me, Lord, strike the right balance. Amen.
Tuesday 12 October 2010
I am grateful
I am grateful to the boss of my boss. Our Supervisor is understanding and flexible. More importantly, she is able to make me know my mistakes.
Teachers are experts in picking up mistakes made by students as well as others other than themselves. I know this Archilles heel and am grateful to students and friends who are generous enough to point out my mistakes. It is a precious gift.
Moreover, my cheek is thick. I have no qualms about admitting my mistakes in front of my students, especially when I was teaching RS in Chinese. Very often, I asked my students how to write a certain phrase in Chinese. I am aging. I tend to forget how to write the first word of a particular Chinese phrase though I remember the second! I was not a bit embarrassed when students pointed at the mistakes I wrote on the blackboard. After all, to err is human. As students, it is not their faults to make mistakes. They should make mistakes!
My boss meant what he said. He did bring the matter up to the Supervisor. So, I was asked to see the Supervisor during recess time on Monday. Sr. Michelle was direct. She expected me to know why I was summoned and she would like to hear my side of the story.
She was very understanding and knew most of my points. Perhaps she had already read my Sunday blog entry. As the Supervisor of a Diocesan school, she should uphold the mother tongue policy of the Diocese. Turning to me, she threw me the following queries.
Isn't it easier to talk to the hearts in mother-tongue?
Don't I share in the parish communities in Cantonese? What makes it so difficult for me to teach RS in Chinese?
My reply is this.
In the parish, we share the same faith. We speak the same language. However, my students in Shung Tak are Band One grade-conscious non-believers. Bible and RS did not help them enter S6. Or in junior forms, grades in RS do not affect their class positions. It is challenging indeed for RS teachers to make RS relevant to their school life. However, if I teach them in English, at least, their English proficiency will improve. Don't forget, much of the English language is the outgrowth of the Bible. Many English idioms and allusions come from the Bible. Bible and the teachings of the Church will creep in imperceptibly. Had Shung Tak been a Band Three school, I would not have insisted using English to teach RS. I am sure the Diocesan policy makers at the Catholic Education Office have taken this into consideration. When the heads of schools implement this policy, they forsake the ethos of their schools and blindly follow the wishes of their bosses at the CEO.
Have I won this battle hands down? Not at all. Sr. Michelle made me realize my mistakes. I took matters into my hand and bypassed the panel head and the school principal. I realize that I have put Adrian, my panel head, in a difficult position and may jeopardize his promotion. I have not thought out the consequences thoroughly enough.
Sr. Michelle suggested conducting a survey to find out how much my students have benefited from this switching of MOI. These data would justify my actions and allow me to identify the difficulties the students may encounter. Of course, I have no objection, though I found it paradoxical to justify using English to teach RS in an English school!
Dear Lord, I am grateful to Sr. Michelle for her tolerance and flexibility towards me. I am also grateful that she makes me realize my mistakes. It is a precious gift. Thank You, Lord. Amen.
Teachers are experts in picking up mistakes made by students as well as others other than themselves. I know this Archilles heel and am grateful to students and friends who are generous enough to point out my mistakes. It is a precious gift.
Moreover, my cheek is thick. I have no qualms about admitting my mistakes in front of my students, especially when I was teaching RS in Chinese. Very often, I asked my students how to write a certain phrase in Chinese. I am aging. I tend to forget how to write the first word of a particular Chinese phrase though I remember the second! I was not a bit embarrassed when students pointed at the mistakes I wrote on the blackboard. After all, to err is human. As students, it is not their faults to make mistakes. They should make mistakes!
My boss meant what he said. He did bring the matter up to the Supervisor. So, I was asked to see the Supervisor during recess time on Monday. Sr. Michelle was direct. She expected me to know why I was summoned and she would like to hear my side of the story.
She was very understanding and knew most of my points. Perhaps she had already read my Sunday blog entry. As the Supervisor of a Diocesan school, she should uphold the mother tongue policy of the Diocese. Turning to me, she threw me the following queries.
Isn't it easier to talk to the hearts in mother-tongue?
Don't I share in the parish communities in Cantonese? What makes it so difficult for me to teach RS in Chinese?
My reply is this.
In the parish, we share the same faith. We speak the same language. However, my students in Shung Tak are Band One grade-conscious non-believers. Bible and RS did not help them enter S6. Or in junior forms, grades in RS do not affect their class positions. It is challenging indeed for RS teachers to make RS relevant to their school life. However, if I teach them in English, at least, their English proficiency will improve. Don't forget, much of the English language is the outgrowth of the Bible. Many English idioms and allusions come from the Bible. Bible and the teachings of the Church will creep in imperceptibly. Had Shung Tak been a Band Three school, I would not have insisted using English to teach RS. I am sure the Diocesan policy makers at the Catholic Education Office have taken this into consideration. When the heads of schools implement this policy, they forsake the ethos of their schools and blindly follow the wishes of their bosses at the CEO.
Have I won this battle hands down? Not at all. Sr. Michelle made me realize my mistakes. I took matters into my hand and bypassed the panel head and the school principal. I realize that I have put Adrian, my panel head, in a difficult position and may jeopardize his promotion. I have not thought out the consequences thoroughly enough.
Sr. Michelle suggested conducting a survey to find out how much my students have benefited from this switching of MOI. These data would justify my actions and allow me to identify the difficulties the students may encounter. Of course, I have no objection, though I found it paradoxical to justify using English to teach RS in an English school!
Dear Lord, I am grateful to Sr. Michelle for her tolerance and flexibility towards me. I am also grateful that she makes me realize my mistakes. It is a precious gift. Thank You, Lord. Amen.
Sunday 10 October 2010
Faith and Gratitude
We have multiple ten's today. It is the tenth day of the tenth month in the year 2010. Moreover, in the Gospel reading, we hear the story of ten lepers (Luke 17:11-19). Coincident?
Fr. Milanese brought our attention to the theme of "faith" which runs through the gospel readings of these two weeks. Last week, the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith. Then Jesus told them the teaching of "worthy servants". We are stewards of God. We should put our faith in Him and be humble when we have done our duties.
This week, Jesus healed 10 lepers and only one, who was a Samaritan, returned to glorify God. The rest perhaps followed the customs to be examined by priests, cleansed and offered the sacrifices demanded (Leviticus 14:1-32). They performed the rituals required but they did not return to thank God. Of course, we cannot conclude with certainty that they were not grateful to God.
And Jesus said to the Samaritan leper, "Rise and go your way, your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:19).
Fr. Milanese explained that lepers were regarded as sinners in ancient time. When lepers were cleansed, their sins were forgiven. He extended Jesus' teaching. Not only does the forgiveness of sins require repentance, but it also requires faith and gratitude. Faith had healed the leper and it was gratitude that gave him (and us) new life.
In the gospel of Luke, the formula "your faith has saved you / made you well" appears four times: the sinful woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears (Luke 7:36-50), the bleeding woman (Luke 8:43-48), this Samaritan leper (Luke 17:11-19) and the blind man of Jericho (Luke 18:35-43). In each case, the person involved was a representation of sinners directly or indirectly. In each case, we may detect a sense of gratitude in the person involved and in each case, the person started a new life. Therefore, these stories are about the sacrament of repentance.
These few days, I ran into trouble again with my boss. He is incredibly inflexible though he always tells students to "Strive for excellence, Think out of the box, Christ as model". He is not able to practise what he preaches. He really thinks out of (from) the box! The story is a long one.
When I first arrived at Shung Tak, I was honoured to be able to participate in the team to appeal for the EMI status of Shung Tak. After winning the appeal, the RS department came into a dilemma. As an EMI school, all our subjects, except for the Chinese subjects, must use English as the MOI, unless that subject had obtained the approval from the SMC to use Chinese.
The panel head, Ms. Rose Lee, was an ex-nun majoring in the teaching of Chinese Language. Two years later, our students would sit for the new 2000 RS syllabus. In previous years, Shung Tak students only had to study one Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. They had done it well in English. However, the new syllabus consisted of a section on Personal and Social Issues. Fearing that our students would not be able to compete with candidates from elite schools, Rose succeeded in persuading the Principal and the SMC to use Chinese as the MOI. Moreover, the Diocese had always been advocating switching to the use of mother tongue in teaching, despite the fact that many Diocesan schools had already plunged in their banding as a result. These two reasons sealed the fate of the RS HKCEE results for the next ten years. We have never scored the average passing rate of the territory! There are many factors contributing to such a poor performance. It may not prove the failure of the Diocesan mother tongue policy. However, if people insist on burying their heads in the sand to look for the benefit of using the mother tongue for the evangelization in a Band One English school, they had better ask the boss to submit the number of students baptized/confirmed in the last ten years, or do an opinion poll on the religious atmosphere of the school.
It is natural for the school to ask Catholic teachers to teach RS. However, the situation in Shung Tak is special in her own way. Most of the Catholics are English teachers (six), except for Agnes (Chinese). Adrian (RS) and Dennis (Chinese) joined us last year. This year, Joe Cheung (Maths & Science) joins. If we look at the number of Catholics qualified to teach RS, there are only five. Brenda, Donna and me are English teachers. Adrian can teach in English and Agnes not.
Another factor to consider is the language proficiency of the students. They are Band One students and should have no problem in taking RS, examination or non-examination syllabii, in English. Why should we deprive them of the opportunity? Were Shung Tak a Band Three school, I have no qualms about using Chinese in RS lessons.
I see the NSS syllabus as an opportunity for Shung Tak to switch back to the use of English in the teaching of Ethics and Religious Studies. In a briefing session for S3 parents, I explained the benefits of choosing English as the MOI for the NSS ERS syllabus. In the same session, the school told the parents that LS would be done in Chinese. Some parents objected. The boss yielded to the requests of the LS teachers to use Chinese and to fend off the complaints from the parents, the boss gained the approval from the SMC to approve the use of Chinese in LS, bundling ERS and ERE with it, quoting again the same reason for using Chinese in RS ten years ago. Enough is enough. My students and I had suffered for more than 10 years my teaching RS in Chinese. (10 again?) Therefore, I refused to teach the NSS ERS elective. The school employs Adrian to take it up.
This year, I am assigned to teach Ethics and Religious Education from S5 to S7. Of course, I do it in English. At the end of September, my boss discovered that I was not doing it in Chinese. He put pressure on Adrian. I would not yield. He patiently tried to persuade me to follow the policy approved by the SMC. I shall not.
My boss will talk to the Supervisor tomorrow. I would like to see how Sr. Michelle would handle it. Cannot there be flexibility in this MOI policy? After all, we teach ERE in Chinese from S1 to S4. Who can complain that we are not following the MOI policy? Only my boss!
Dear Lord, Your compassion and flexibility towards sinners had landed You on the cross. In this MOI issue, if I have defied the Diocesan mother tongue policy, You know that I follow my conscience. I pray for Adrian that he would not get caught in our cross fire. Amen.
Fr. Milanese brought our attention to the theme of "faith" which runs through the gospel readings of these two weeks. Last week, the apostles asked Jesus to increase their faith. Then Jesus told them the teaching of "worthy servants". We are stewards of God. We should put our faith in Him and be humble when we have done our duties.
This week, Jesus healed 10 lepers and only one, who was a Samaritan, returned to glorify God. The rest perhaps followed the customs to be examined by priests, cleansed and offered the sacrifices demanded (Leviticus 14:1-32). They performed the rituals required but they did not return to thank God. Of course, we cannot conclude with certainty that they were not grateful to God.
And Jesus said to the Samaritan leper, "Rise and go your way, your faith has made you well." (Luke 17:19).
Fr. Milanese explained that lepers were regarded as sinners in ancient time. When lepers were cleansed, their sins were forgiven. He extended Jesus' teaching. Not only does the forgiveness of sins require repentance, but it also requires faith and gratitude. Faith had healed the leper and it was gratitude that gave him (and us) new life.
In the gospel of Luke, the formula "your faith has saved you / made you well" appears four times: the sinful woman who washed Jesus' feet with her tears (Luke 7:36-50), the bleeding woman (Luke 8:43-48), this Samaritan leper (Luke 17:11-19) and the blind man of Jericho (Luke 18:35-43). In each case, the person involved was a representation of sinners directly or indirectly. In each case, we may detect a sense of gratitude in the person involved and in each case, the person started a new life. Therefore, these stories are about the sacrament of repentance.
These few days, I ran into trouble again with my boss. He is incredibly inflexible though he always tells students to "Strive for excellence, Think out of the box, Christ as model". He is not able to practise what he preaches. He really thinks out of (from) the box! The story is a long one.
When I first arrived at Shung Tak, I was honoured to be able to participate in the team to appeal for the EMI status of Shung Tak. After winning the appeal, the RS department came into a dilemma. As an EMI school, all our subjects, except for the Chinese subjects, must use English as the MOI, unless that subject had obtained the approval from the SMC to use Chinese.
The panel head, Ms. Rose Lee, was an ex-nun majoring in the teaching of Chinese Language. Two years later, our students would sit for the new 2000 RS syllabus. In previous years, Shung Tak students only had to study one Gospel and the Acts of the Apostles. They had done it well in English. However, the new syllabus consisted of a section on Personal and Social Issues. Fearing that our students would not be able to compete with candidates from elite schools, Rose succeeded in persuading the Principal and the SMC to use Chinese as the MOI. Moreover, the Diocese had always been advocating switching to the use of mother tongue in teaching, despite the fact that many Diocesan schools had already plunged in their banding as a result. These two reasons sealed the fate of the RS HKCEE results for the next ten years. We have never scored the average passing rate of the territory! There are many factors contributing to such a poor performance. It may not prove the failure of the Diocesan mother tongue policy. However, if people insist on burying their heads in the sand to look for the benefit of using the mother tongue for the evangelization in a Band One English school, they had better ask the boss to submit the number of students baptized/confirmed in the last ten years, or do an opinion poll on the religious atmosphere of the school.
It is natural for the school to ask Catholic teachers to teach RS. However, the situation in Shung Tak is special in her own way. Most of the Catholics are English teachers (six), except for Agnes (Chinese). Adrian (RS) and Dennis (Chinese) joined us last year. This year, Joe Cheung (Maths & Science) joins. If we look at the number of Catholics qualified to teach RS, there are only five. Brenda, Donna and me are English teachers. Adrian can teach in English and Agnes not.
Another factor to consider is the language proficiency of the students. They are Band One students and should have no problem in taking RS, examination or non-examination syllabii, in English. Why should we deprive them of the opportunity? Were Shung Tak a Band Three school, I have no qualms about using Chinese in RS lessons.
I see the NSS syllabus as an opportunity for Shung Tak to switch back to the use of English in the teaching of Ethics and Religious Studies. In a briefing session for S3 parents, I explained the benefits of choosing English as the MOI for the NSS ERS syllabus. In the same session, the school told the parents that LS would be done in Chinese. Some parents objected. The boss yielded to the requests of the LS teachers to use Chinese and to fend off the complaints from the parents, the boss gained the approval from the SMC to approve the use of Chinese in LS, bundling ERS and ERE with it, quoting again the same reason for using Chinese in RS ten years ago. Enough is enough. My students and I had suffered for more than 10 years my teaching RS in Chinese. (10 again?) Therefore, I refused to teach the NSS ERS elective. The school employs Adrian to take it up.
This year, I am assigned to teach Ethics and Religious Education from S5 to S7. Of course, I do it in English. At the end of September, my boss discovered that I was not doing it in Chinese. He put pressure on Adrian. I would not yield. He patiently tried to persuade me to follow the policy approved by the SMC. I shall not.
My boss will talk to the Supervisor tomorrow. I would like to see how Sr. Michelle would handle it. Cannot there be flexibility in this MOI policy? After all, we teach ERE in Chinese from S1 to S4. Who can complain that we are not following the MOI policy? Only my boss!
Dear Lord, Your compassion and flexibility towards sinners had landed You on the cross. In this MOI issue, if I have defied the Diocesan mother tongue policy, You know that I follow my conscience. I pray for Adrian that he would not get caught in our cross fire. Amen.
Sunday 3 October 2010
We are Unworthy Servants
My Xanga account is closed and I cannot edit or add any blog entries though the entries are still available for public view. I will continue posting weekly Sunday commentaries here.
The Deacons shared their feelings on this passage last Sunday.
Deacon Lee first compared these servants with the elder brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son. In his own eyes, the elder brother thought highly of his own service. Therefore, he demanded reward. This was a mistake. He had done what was his duty (Luke 17:10).
Deacon Tse asked who the "master" was. Was he the clients we served?
Deacon Chow brought our attention to the structure of the story. It began with the disciples asking Jesus to increase their faith (Luke 17:5). Then, Jesus told them the power of faith even as meagre as a grain of mustard seed (Luke 17:6). Suddenly, Jesus changed the topic to talk about the master and servants. What is the relationship between "faith" and the "master", the "unworthy servants" or even the "master-servant" relation?
Cosmas Kwong attempted to relate the "worthlessness" of the servants with "faith". Since we are unworthy, we must acknowledge our limitations. Therefore, we need to put our faith in God.
Louis Wong reminded us of the teaching of St. Paul.
he (Jesus) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
For when we are weak, unworthy, the power of Christ is manifested.
Deacon Ng brought our focus back to "faith". He asked how much we believe in ourselves, how much we believe in God.
I love their sharings. These deacons and deacon candidates are people of high intelligence and deep spirituality. By the way, this sharing session was conducted by Deacon Tsang in the absence of the Vicar General. It seemed to me that they felt less restrained with their sharing when the VG was not there.
Here is my share. I think we are both masters and servants. We are masters when we command the others to serve us. However, we need faith to be masters. We need faith in ourselves as well as in our servants. With faith even as meagre as a mustard seed, a sycamine tree would obey us (Luke 17:6). In this mode of thinking, we would not be grateful to our "servant", be this servant a sycamine tree or even our God (Luke 17:9)!
In most cases, we are only servants, unworthy servants. We need faith to be servants as well. If we don't have faith in our master or in his design, we fail. Therefore, when we accomplish our duty, we have only completed a part, perhaps a very tiny part, of a master plan. Most of the time, we don't see the master plan. That is why, as servants, we beg Jesus to increase our faith.
To me, faith is not one-sided. Most of the time, we speak of our faith in God, putting our trust in Him. However, isn't it amazing that in reality, God has faith in us, His creatures! We do not have enough faith in ourselves. Alas! The question Deacon Ng raised was a deep one.
Fr. Milanese brought home the importance of faith in our life. Most of the time, we are frustrated. We keep praying day after day and week after week. Yet, the world does not change much. Bad news keeps popping up on the newspapers. That is why we are frustrated. However, we need to have faith. Without faith, we will not even try to do something to change the world. Without faith, nothing would be accomplished.
Dear Lord, increase our faith in ourselves and in You. Amen.
The Deacons shared their feelings on this passage last Sunday.
Deacon Lee first compared these servants with the elder brother in the parable of the Prodigal Son. In his own eyes, the elder brother thought highly of his own service. Therefore, he demanded reward. This was a mistake. He had done what was his duty (Luke 17:10).
Deacon Tse asked who the "master" was. Was he the clients we served?
Deacon Chow brought our attention to the structure of the story. It began with the disciples asking Jesus to increase their faith (Luke 17:5). Then, Jesus told them the power of faith even as meagre as a grain of mustard seed (Luke 17:6). Suddenly, Jesus changed the topic to talk about the master and servants. What is the relationship between "faith" and the "master", the "unworthy servants" or even the "master-servant" relation?
Cosmas Kwong attempted to relate the "worthlessness" of the servants with "faith". Since we are unworthy, we must acknowledge our limitations. Therefore, we need to put our faith in God.
Louis Wong reminded us of the teaching of St. Paul.
he (Jesus) said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." I will all the more gladly boast of my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities; for when I am weak, then I am strong." (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
For when we are weak, unworthy, the power of Christ is manifested.
Deacon Ng brought our focus back to "faith". He asked how much we believe in ourselves, how much we believe in God.
I love their sharings. These deacons and deacon candidates are people of high intelligence and deep spirituality. By the way, this sharing session was conducted by Deacon Tsang in the absence of the Vicar General. It seemed to me that they felt less restrained with their sharing when the VG was not there.
Here is my share. I think we are both masters and servants. We are masters when we command the others to serve us. However, we need faith to be masters. We need faith in ourselves as well as in our servants. With faith even as meagre as a mustard seed, a sycamine tree would obey us (Luke 17:6). In this mode of thinking, we would not be grateful to our "servant", be this servant a sycamine tree or even our God (Luke 17:9)!
In most cases, we are only servants, unworthy servants. We need faith to be servants as well. If we don't have faith in our master or in his design, we fail. Therefore, when we accomplish our duty, we have only completed a part, perhaps a very tiny part, of a master plan. Most of the time, we don't see the master plan. That is why, as servants, we beg Jesus to increase our faith.
To me, faith is not one-sided. Most of the time, we speak of our faith in God, putting our trust in Him. However, isn't it amazing that in reality, God has faith in us, His creatures! We do not have enough faith in ourselves. Alas! The question Deacon Ng raised was a deep one.
Fr. Milanese brought home the importance of faith in our life. Most of the time, we are frustrated. We keep praying day after day and week after week. Yet, the world does not change much. Bad news keeps popping up on the newspapers. That is why we are frustrated. However, we need to have faith. Without faith, we will not even try to do something to change the world. Without faith, nothing would be accomplished.
Dear Lord, increase our faith in ourselves and in You. Amen.
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