Merry Christmas 2011

THE WISE MEN WERE SEARCHING
FOR THE NEW BORN KING
WE TOO ARE STILL SEARCHING
FOR THE SALVATION PROMISED BY GOD
GOD IS FAITHFUL
HE KEEPS HIS PROMISE
BY PUTTING AWAY HIS MAJESTY
AND TAKING UP OUR HUMANITY
TO LIVE AMONG US AND DIE FOR US
IN THE MEANTIME
LET US PUT AWAY OUR SELFISHNESS
AND TAKE UP HIS GENEROSITY
REMEMBER THE NEEDY
MAKE THEIR LIFE EASIER AND HAPPIER

MERRY CHRISTMAS
AND A GRACEFUL YEAR AHEAD

Yours in the Risen Lord
Alex Kwok

Mary vs. David

The Annunciation story has been read more than a hundred times. So has the Nathan Oracle. Once every three years, we hear them read together on the 4^th Advent Sunday. We have heard many a priest deliver his homily on them, but it took a Fr. Milanese to join them together meaningfully.

David was raised from a shepherd boy to the status of a king to shepherd the people of Israel. He had been successful all because God had chosen him. So, when he hinted at building a Temple to honour God, Nathan the prophet diplomatically approved of his wish, explaining that God was with him.
And Nathan said to the king, "Go, do all that is in your heart; for the LORD is with you." (2 Samuel 7:3)
What more can we ask of God? If He is with us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31).
From this, we see that David was ambitious. Of course, there is no doubt about his passionate love of God. This was fully demonstrated in public eyes when he, as a king, danced half-naked before the Ark to welcome it into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:14). However, by building a Temple to house the Ark, David would be able to centralize the worship over all the land. This was politically and economically lucrative. When God was put on his side, who else dared to rise up against him?
But David was wrong. He had miscalculated. God did not need to live in any man-made building. He had never complained about living in a tent only.
I have not dwelt in a house since the day I brought up the people of Israel from Egypt to this day, but I have been moving about in a tent for my dwelling.
In all places where I have moved with all the people of Israel, did I speak a word with any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd my people Israel, saying, "Why have you not built me a house of cedar?" (2 Samuel 7:6-7)
God cared more about the people than a building. He wanted the people more than the Temple. Some 300 years later, God spoke again through Isaiah that we would never be able to build anything to contain and thus control God. He wanted not a building, but a human and contrite heart instead.
Thus says the LORD:"Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool;what is the house which you would build for me,and what is the place of my rest?
All these things my hand has made, and so all these things are mine, says the LORD. But this is the man to whom I will look, he that is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word." (Isaiah 66:1-2)
Therefore, Stephen was not wrong in reminding the Jewish authority again. Yet, because of this, he was stoned to death. The Jews killed him because Stephen had blasphemed a building! That was why God had no intention to live in a Temple.

Returning to David, God reminded him of his humble beginning and that his successes were all due to God's support. So, David should not spend his energy building God a magnificent Temple. Rather, he should spend his energy shepherding the people of Israel, guiding them towards God. God wants a congregation, not a temple.
Now therefore thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says the LORD of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel;
and I have been with you wherever you went, and have cut off all your enemies from before you; and I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.
And I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place, and be disturbed no more; and violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly,
from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel; and I will give you rest from all your enemies.' (2 Samuel 7:8-11a)
In similar vein, Fr. Milanese explained that a Church is not built with stones, but with people. Of course, building a beautiful church is good because it uplifts the spirit of the congregation. But the hearts count more than the stones.

Now, let's turn to look at the story of Mary. It is very likely that she was no more than a naive teenage girl, living in Nazareth, the outskirt of the Judea administrative region, a Roman colony. The fate of Mary had already been sealed. She was betrothed to Joseph, of the house of David (Luke 1:27). Fate has finally brought the two into contrast. Mary enjoyed no status nor power. Her place was in the kitchen to raise children for her husband.
But God has an ambitious plan awaiting her. No, not awaiting but unfolding in. The plan has already kicked into motion. Before her conception, God has already prepared her by removing the stains of Original Sin from her. Through the redemptive grace of her son in the future, Mary was immaculately conceived. That explains why when Gabriel hailed her, the archangel described her as κεχαριτωμένη full of grace (Luke 1:28).
Heavens and earth were hushed and listened attentively to the dialogue between Mary and Gabriel. God was inviting Mary to cooperate with Him in the redemption of the whole Creation. All living souls were anxious to hear her consent.
We know that the whole creation has been groaning in travail together until now;
and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies (Romans 8:22-23).
At last, Mary announced
"Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." (Luke 1:38)
Mary is our model. She is destined to be called the Mother of God because of the divinity of her son. That is the theme of the whole Bible. The lowly shall be exalted.

David's story is a bit tragic. He had been lowly and was exalted. But his greatness led to his downfall. Though through Nathan, God declared the eternity of his throne, his kingdom was split and conquered by the Assyrians and Babylonians.
Moreover the LORD declares to you that the LORD will make you a house.
When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom.
He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
I will be his father, and he shall be my son (2 Samuel 7:11b-14a).
David had been a hero until he met Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah (2 Samuel 11). The adultery led to murder and the nameless child died seven days after its birth. The next son was Solomon, the future famous wise king who built the Temple but in which he put idols to please his wives. The kingdom was divided after his death.
When we look back, we understand that my son in this Nathan Oracle does not refer to Solomon, but to Jesus, the Son of God, the Redeemer of all mankind. Jesus was born of a lowly woman. He is fully human and fully divine. He had not built an empire, nor had he waged wars against any earthly princes. He even died a shameful death on the cross. Yet, through him, the Kingdom of Heaven is established on earth and nowadays nearly one fifth of mankind call on his name and await his Second Coming at the end of the world.
As Christmas is drawing near, we should meditate on the life of Mary and avoid making the same mistakes as David.

Come O Lord! Your people are anxiously waiting. Amen.

I need to take the FIRST STEP

Don't trust the date stamp. I can change it to whatever I desire. I am actually three days behind. There were three examination papers and their marking schemes to set. There was a study group on Christology to attend, a deacon ordination celebration and another Diaconate aspirants spiritual formation gathering. However, I know  that if I do not take this first step to write down something, I will never be able to write anything. However again, that does not guarantee my finishing it. Now that I have started writing, naturally I will ask how I will finish. Will I tidy up all the details or will I leave this page unfinished?

This Sunday is the GAUDETE Sunday, the 3^rd Sunday of Advent. "Gaudete", which comes from the first word of the Introit at Mass, means "rejoice". The problem is, as a diabetic, I have to keep my emotion under control. I cannot allow myself to be over-agitated. The experience was terrible. I felt dizzy and nearly passed out one day when I argued with my mum over my moving to Tuen Mun after marriage.. It was my weakness. I always took things seriously and held them dearly to my heart. This was a price I had to pay if I continued to be that dead serious. Now, I am learning to let go and indulge myself a bit in some other distractions. Still, I must be careful. Therefore, I coolly ask myself in what I should rejoice. I cannot offer any quick answer.

It is now Friday, the last School Day for the term. I have been much exhausted rushing through the exam syllabus and finishing oral presentations with the S5 and S6 students. 6T has always been a difficult class and doing Ethics lessons with them is a real challenge. On one hand, I must respect their autonomy. On the other, there is so much about leading an upright life I want to share with them. However, we have communication problems, or put it in another way, we have a huge generation gap. My teaching style is not effective for them. Much of the time, I feel like speaking to stone walls. Of course, there are a handful of responsive students to cheer me up. I have to congratulate myself for being able to follow through these 18 months. After finishing all the oral presentations, I wished them a merry Christmas and a good public exam performance. I started picking up my things and prepared to leave. A student came up and would like to take a photo with me. Then, a few more came up as well. A warm current surged in my heart ...
Thank you students. I do not deserve this. I am just doing my part as a teacher.

The Spirituality of Wilderness

In preparing for the oral examination for Christian Anthropology, I read of a commentary on Genesis 2. There are two versions of the Creation of Man in the book of Genesis. According to the Documentary Hypothesis, Genesis 2 came from the Yahwist Document while Genesis 1 the Priestly. In Genesis 1, man was created last and was the zenith of Creation. Man was created in the image of God. He is the representative of God to rule over the whole Creation. Genesis 2 offers a different account. Man was created first from red-earth in a rather undeveloped Eden. God thought that it was no good for man to be alone. Man needed a helper to cultivate the paradise. Therefore, God made other animals and brought them in front of man to name them. None of them were appropriate helpers. So, God put the man to sleep and from his rib, made a woman. Both of them worked together to cultivate and keep the paradise of Eden.

I find this commentary very meaningful. It confers meaning to our existence and our labour --- we cultivate and develop God's creation. We work to build heaven on earth. God so loves the world as to give His only begotten Son to save the world. Meanwhile, we continue to explore and realize the full potential of the world. Eden was no more than the wilderness. It was not a piece of land flowing with milk and honey unless we worked on it. Thus, man was created for the world, not vice versa. When we talk about salvation, we no longer talk about the salvation of man only as though the world is of no significance. Rather, salvation is for the whole creation and man works for the salvation of the whole creation. No wonder in the gospel of Mark, Jesus sent his disciples to preach to the whole creation (Mark 16:15). It was an echo of Genesis 2.

In the gospel reading today, we heard the story of John the Baptist in the wilderness. The Israelites had a romance with God in the wilderness. It began with their ancestor Abraham who was a nomad living in the wilderness. Once they settled in Egypt, one of the four ancient civilizations in the world, they were enslaved by the Egyptians. True, there were meat pots in Egypt. There were food and security, the two most basic levels of human needs. No wonder the rebellious Israelites kept on grumbling to Moses and demanded returning to Egypt. However, no sooner had the Israelites entered the Promised Land which was flowing with honey and mild, they began to worship idols, thus displeasing God. If I were God, I would prefer the romantic time spent in the wilderness to the ungrateful and rebellious encounters in the Promised Land. So, when John the Baptist was calling the Israelites to repent and return to God, he did it in the wilderness. He was making a statement --- turn away from the luxury and comfort in life. Return to God who is found in the wilderness, be it the literal desert or your inner most heart. Nowadays, if we have to choose between wilderness and the Promised Land, we should be wise enough to choose the wilderness to encounter God.

Of course, a land flowing with milk and honey  is what most people desire. It is a place of plenty. Nobody needs to worry about filling up the belly. It also promises the generation of new lives. The future is bright in this Promised Land. However, the paradox is that riches will eat up our souls. When life becomes easy, we become lazy and laziness brings poor health --- high cholesterol, high blood sugar and high blood pressure etc. Moreover, an easy life poses no challenge to our mind. Our brain becomes rusty and few people are grateful to the blessings they receive from God who becomes irrelevant in their life.

The wilderness threatens our life. Most of the time, we are alone. Even if there are sights of company, you cannot tell whether they are foes or friends. The environment is hostile and always poses problems for our survival. The temperatures are extreme. We need to fend for ourselves, look for water and food, fight off wild animals and robbers. We cannot afford to lead a convenient life. Life in the wilderness must be kept as simple as possible. Both our body and our mind are being challenged. We cannot afford to be complacent and have to stay alert all the time. Strangely, God seems to be closer in such situations.

Technically speaking, here in Hong Kong, there is no wilderness. So, creating a wilderness in our heart becomes an alternative. When we feel exhausted, that we have used up the last ounce of our strength, that we are going to exhale our last breath, it is high time we surrendered our soul and allowed the Holy Spirit to pray within us.

Dear Lord, I know that You are near. Allow me to be the host to wait on You in my heart. Amen.

I was overwhelmed

If God recalls me tonight, I will be caught unprepared.
I should have written this blog yesterday. Now I'm writing it but it will be the shortest blog.
I am not complaining but my hands are full. Jesus teaches me to stay alert, to keep watch over my soul. I know I know. But there are always so many things to take care of. Taking care of my soul becomes lower in priority. It is not as urgent as the things which I MUST handle at the moment.

Dear Lord, save me. Amen.

Good News and Bad

Thank God, my younger brother was discharged from the hospital yesterday, Saturday. The doctors said there was nothing more the hospital could do. Five further consultations have been arranged in the next few weeks to monitor his situation. In the meantime, he has to keep his cholesterol level within limits.
My brother was an electrical engineer. True to his colours, he manages to contain the damages and minimizes the troubles his illness causes. The previous Saturday when he was released from the hospital "on holiday", he bought a netbook computer together with a 3G wireless router. From his hospital bed, he would be able to make video calls to our parents and to me. However, the damage has been done. Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) shows extensive blood clogs in his brain. Sometimes, not only does he lose some memories, but he also displays minor symptoms of mental retardation. On the other hand, my parents are old and on medication. My father always mixes up the pills which he and mum have to take both in the mornings and in the evenings. My younger brother could not hide his worries. He requested another holiday last week to attend to the medication problem. The best arrangement at the moment is to persuade my parents to move to Tuen Mun, to live near us so that we don't have to travel across the territory from west to east to cater for their daily needs. My brother joins me to persuade my parents. But moving back to Tuen Mun is an uprooting venture. My parents don't like the idea but they show signs of concession. Erminia has started looking for flats here in Tuen Mun with nearly identical designs with that of theirs in Chai Wan, hoping that they would suffer the least convenience.

This Saturday, I was shaken by a bad news. Five of us attended on the same day a Psychology Test conducted by Fr. George Zee, S. J. to help us discern our vocation as permanent deacons. We successfully became aspirants and began our deacon formation. Three of us enrolled immediately in the theology course while Fred did the same one year later. We study together and build up quite a deep bond. We admire each other, Cosmas for his righteousness and Titan for his resourcefulness and me, knowledge of the Bible. BB Joe, our senior, was the first to quit. He wrote a polite resignation letter to hide his bitterness. Fred could not complete his Year One course due to his day time work. The remaining three of us become more emotionally attached. During the summer, Cosmas was elevated a Candidate. Titan and I were happy about it. After nearly two and a half year, we began to see the first sign of success. We are patient because we know that the vocation would not be an easy path. When Titan told me that he would be meeting the Vicar General who is also the Formation Director of the deacons, I congratulated him, expecting to see him elevated. In the evening, I was shaken to read his email, informing Cosmas and me that the Director asked him to leave the formation programme, citing the reason that the Spiritual Director of Titan did not recommend his staying in the formation programme any more. The VG felt obliged to respect his recommendation. My faith in the hierarchy was shaken.
If there be any unsatisfactory performance on the part of Titan, shouldn't he be advised of the defects and given help to improve on them? There are perhaps many more reasons about which Titan has not told me or Titan himself has not be told. I have to tell myself that nothing could have happened without God's consent. His will is behind every event that happens and His arrangement is always the best for us. Titan is talented in his own way. A pre-Vatican II Catholic, he knows a lot of Latin hymns. He is a Chinese Literature/History panel-chair in the Salesian School. His Chinese language is impeccable and very often able to point out the typographical errors that plague the Diocesan publications and handouts from the professors etc. He has been very resourceful and he knows where his strength lies: history. As a Salesian, Titan, I am sure, is spiritually mature enough to cope with all the repercussions of this expulsion. On the other hand, I am not so sure about myself.

In the morning, Fr. Martin brought to our attention those who are currently most in need in Tung Chung and Tin Shui Wai --- the hawkers. From a recent TV documentary, we can catch sight of the plights of this group of people. Nobody is willing to become a hawker unless forced upon by the situation. However, unemployment bites both the body and the soul. Losing a job, a person loses his dignity as well. Becoming a hawker is the only way out if you don't have the cheek to beg for Comprehensive Social Security Allowance from the Social Welfare Department.
Fr. Martin told us to reflect on our spending habits. It is truly convenient to be able to buy everything in one go in a supermarket. However, supermarket chains is a monopoly which is squeezing the survival space of some needy people. Let us be aware that our spending habit, our love of convenience is indirectly killing off some poor people in our society. If we do not make appropriate adjustments to our habit, we will become the cursed group on the left hand side of the King on the Judgment Day (Matthew 25:41).

Fr. Michael Yeung, another Vicar General, came to our parish to celebrate our Feast Day. His homily was not theological. He made good use of the occasion to help us count the blessings we have received from God in these 38 years. He also made use of the occasion of the Rite of Confirmation to help us meditate the life of Christ to discover when he acted like a king. He warned us of the two extremes which most people easily fall into when they think about the Kingdom of God. On one extreme, people fold their hands and do nothing to wait for the breaking-in of the Kingdom of God. On the other extreme, people work so hard as to force the hand of God to realize the Kingdom of God on earth. Both of them are wrong. For Fr. Michael Yeung, the Kingdom of God is now, this moment. Open our heart to embrace the will of the Father, like Jesus. The Kingdom of God is God's business. He will actualize it through us. He encouraged the recipients of Confirmation to lead a Christ-like life, always seeking the will of the Father.

Dear Lord, I pray for the recovery of my brother. I pray for the vocation of Titan. May he continue to serve You and receive Your grace. Amen.

How talented are you?

In my undergrad days, Personality was a compulsory course in Psychology. Part of the course dealt with a topic called "The Chinese Personality". It centred around a textbook of the same title edited by a Professor Li from Taiwan. At that time, we were very much fascinated and were not capable of criticizing its flaws. In hindsight, the methodology and theoretical basis were weak. At most, you can only draw some very vague generalizations of the attitudes of most Chinese of a particular age-group in a particular region. Even such a humble aspiration is full of pitfalls. What was true in the 1970's is no longer true today!
Does it mean that it is impossible to make any general comment on the behaviours of a certain people compared with others? But daily observations do confirm that Chinese immigrants are more hard working than the indigenous people and they do advance quickly in foreign societies. Chinese are not physically stronger. Nor are there any evidence of their superior intelligence. The social structure of a foreign society definitely does not favour them. So, how do we explain such successful phenomena without appealing to their personality?

As a Hong Kong Chinese, I suppose I am qualified to say something about the Chinese way of thinking as I understand it. Today, I want to focus on one particular aspect of Chinese culture: the way they deal with talents.
Every culture glorifies heroes and heroes are outstanding and talented. Unfortunately, different generations value and glorify different talents. In Tang Dynasty, poets were highly prized. Today, very few poets are able to survive the high living standards in Hong Kong. You do better if you are a computer wizard like Bill Gates or Steve Jobs. Therefore, if you have the "wrong" type of talents, you are unfortunate, to say the least.
But Bill Gates and Steve Jobs were not only gifted. They were path-breakers. They went all the way out to make things happen. Not so for the Chinese. Even if you have the right kind of talents, you need somebody who is able to discover your talents.  A Chinese idiom expresses it well: 世有伯樂然後有千里馬 In this world, you need a Pak Lok to discover a wonder horse. Woe to many whose talents are doomed not to be discovered and they die with bitterness. To console their bitterness, Confucius tells them to remain unagitated because they will be called a gentleman 人不知而不慍，不亦君子乎？ Many Chinese suffer their frustrations and wait patiently to be discovered.

As a Catholic, we believe that God knows us all and gives us talents to serve. Today, the gospel reading (Matthew 25:14-30) tells us to make full use of our God-given talents because when we return to God, we need to settle account with Him. If we do well with our talents, we can enter into the joy of our master (Matthew 25:21b, 23b). If we "bury" our talents, God will cast us into the outer darkness, there men will weep and gnash their teeth (Matthew 25:30).
So, the next question is what God wants us to do with these talents. The answer is immediately given in the Parable of Sheep and Goats that follows (Matthew 25:31-46). God wants us to feed the hungry, drink the thirsty, shelter the homeless, clothe the naked, tender the sick and visit the imprisoned. It should be noted that the Lord will not judge whether we are baptized or not, whether we go to church regularly or not. Rather, he will award us for doing the six actions which do not require special talents, just a compassionate heart.  He will not cast us into the outer darkness for being slow in extending our helping hands to the needy. Better late than never. Moreover, he will give us many chances to make up what you have missed. You will be punished only if your hearts are so hardened that you do not even stop to buy a flag on the street from an enthusiastic student on Saturdays. Perhaps I am over-optimistic but it is my belief that God does not want to see us cast into the outer darkness. All in all, we do not need much talents to attain eternal life. Of course, being successful in this world is a different story.

Last Monday evening, my younger brother collapsed in his bath. He suffered a minor stroke and was hospitalized. God is very merciful to us. The limbs of my younger brother are not affected. He only loses some of his memories, his favourite Tang poems and he speaks more slowly than he used to do. Sometimes when he speaks, he cannot find the phrases he needs ... There is one more problem. He has difficulty swallowing the food. He loses his appetite. This is the worst and it worries us.
My younger brother retired early and remains single to take care of our aging parents who are now in their eighties; and release me to build up my family. We know that our happiness hinges on his sacrifice. He was an electrical engineer. He is independent, effective, systematic and resilient. On his sick bed, he reads and reads the pamphlets to rebuild his language. His attitude is very encouraging. May God have mercy on us to restore his health. In the meantime, Erminia and I will do whatever we can to repay him. It is our duty, not only our affection.

Dear Lord, I entrust my younger brother into thy hand. May he re-discover his faith in You. Grant him health, spiritual as well as physical. Amen.

Were the Wise Maidens Selfish?

We are approaching the end of the liturgical year which finishes at the Feast of Christ the King. It is only two weeks away. Therefore, the scripture readings in the Mass remind us again and again the importance of staying alert because nobody knows when the end comes, his personal end and the end of the world. Let us not be caught with our pants down.

The gospel reading today is the Parable of 10 Bridesmaids found in the gospel of Matthew only. The setting was a Jewish wedding scene. Wedding must have been the greatest and happiest event for a Jew. Therefore, there was nothing better than the wedding to symbolize the Kingdom of Heaven. This is how the parable begins.
Then the kingdom of heaven shall be compared to ten maidens who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom (Matthew 25:1). 
The Kingdom of Heaven is the major message Jesus proclaimed in his earthly ministry. At that time, Judah was no longer an independent nation. It was conquered by the Roman Empire and became its colony. Of course the Jews desired independence. Therefore, they were eager to hear what Jesus could offer to tell them about the upcoming Kingdom. They expected to hear something about the restoration of the Jewish state. But Jesus had a much bigger vision to tell them --- the Kingdom of Heaven. This idea was brilliant but intangible. Its contents were too difficult to grasp because it is something so unearthly. Therefore, Jesus employs parables to explain this vision which is so difficult to visualize. This time, Jesus wants to tell them that the Kingdom of Heaven will appear at the least expected moment. Therefore, stay alert and prepared for it will suddenly appear at the most unexpected moment.
Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour (Matthew 25:13).

This parable is situated after Jesus had explained the end of the world to his disciples and before two more parables about the end of the world. Therefore, there is no doubt that the Kingdom of Heaven refers to the end of the world. However, I think it is also possible to think of it as our personal demise.  At the end of the day, when we die, we leave this world. Isn't it the end of the world to us? On the personal level, "the day or the hour" may refer to our death. Nowadays, many people, even young people die a sudden death. Therefore, Jesus' advice is pragmatic. Stay prudent like the five wise bridesmaids for you do not know when you will meet your death which may sudden come when you least expect it. Of course, this interpretation is flawed because there are ten bridesmaids which means the story is about a community. It is not intended to be personal. But there is still personal relevance because each one of us has to face the end as a group and as an individual.

Then all those maidens rose and trimmed their lamps.
And the foolish said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.'
But the wise replied, 'Perhaps there will not be enough for us and for you; go rather to the dealers and buy for yourselves.' (Matthew 25:7-9)
As a group, should we not support each other? As good Christians, should we not extend our charity and help the needy? Does it mean when the end of the world comes, we may relax our Christian ethics and care only of ourselves and ignore the plight of the others? Therefore, the reply of the wise bridesmaids sounds really selfish, though prudent.

On a second thought, we can easily see that there are things which we have to do ourselves and cannot delegate them to the others. As teachers, we prepare our students to sit for examinations but we cannot do the examination papers for them. We discourage them from copying homework because it is part of their trainings. Like athletes, they must do it themselves otherwise they will gain/learn nothing. This is blatant cheating! Unfortunately, we are living in a world of technological wonders which numb our sense of honesty. Medical technologies have opened up many such opportunities for cheating. From plastic surgeries to duping in sports, they are called enhancements. From surrogacy in child-bearing to tailor-made babies, they are called treatments etc. No wonder we easily overlook the importance of our participation and our responsibilities.

Why are the bridesmaids called wise? In Matthew, "wise" appears for the first time in chapter 7 (forget about the Magi in chapter 2 which some translations render "wise men").
Every one then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house upon the rock (Matthew 7:24)
Christ is the bridegroom and all of us are the bridesmaids. The bridesmaids are wise because they have prepared well. They listen and do what Jesus has challenged us to do in Matthew 5-7. They have made good use of all the opportunities and potentials God has given them.
Indeed, the whole parable should be read together with chapter 7. There you will find the foolish bridesmaids who hears these words of mine and does not do them (Matthew 7:26). You will also find the famous "Lord, Lord" and "I do not know you" segments (Matthew 7:21-22, 25:11).
But doesn't Matthew 7:7 says that God will always answer our prayers, our needs?
Read more carefully what the foolish bridesmaids did when they returned and found the door shut. They didn't knock! How careful Matthew wrote his gospel!
So, how shall we knock? This is a good question for all of us to meditate. Share with us what God has revealed to you.

Dear Lord, I am wayward and timid. Boost my confidence so that I will be brave enough to put my foot out. Amen.

Authentic Humility

This morning, Fr. Martin Ip delivered a beautiful sermon with an instructive story about true humility. I will try my best to translate his story into English. In this way, many more people, English speaking people in particular, will be able to benefit from it.

The story took place in ancient China. A mandarin was posted in a county for a number of years and he had earned praises from all the people living there. Many would say that he was truly a "parents-like official", a mandarin who looked after his people like his children. People there could quote many examples.
One day, he was travelling on the main street of the county in a sedan carried by two coolies. The sedan suddenly stopped because one of the wheels of an ox-drawn cart in front was caught in a muddy depression on the street. The wheel refused to let loose despite the effort of two bystanders who tried to help. Seeing this, the mandarin ordered the two coolies to join the effort. Still, there was no progress. The mandarin came out of the sedan, rolled up his sleeves and joined the pulling. At last, the wheel was free and all the bystanders gave the mud-stained mandarin a huge round of applause. He disregarded his silk mantle and went all the way out to clear up the mess. He was truly a "parents-like official".
The other day, the mandarin was riding a horse along the river. He spotted an old man looking around. The mandarin understood and descended from his horse, put the old man on his animal, waded and led the horse across the river. When they reached the opposite bank, all the bystanders put their thumbs up. The mandarin threw away his dignity to help an old man cross the river. He was really humble.
Some time later, the Emperor heard about all these and summoned the mandarin into the palace. Everybody congratulated the mandarin, expecting to see him rewarded and promoted. Instead, the mandarin was demoted to the far off border to be a sentry. Why?
The Emperor decreed that road maintenance and bridge building were the duties of a mandarin. He failed to discharge his duties properly, thus causing so much inconvenience but earning a lot of praises for himself. He should be demoted. How wise the Emperor was!
Jesus said, "whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (Matthew 23:12)
To be authentic, humility should never be self-directed, should not be practised for the sake of earning praises from the others. Otherwise, this kind of humility is self-defeating.

Cultural differences make evangelization to Chinese difficult. Genesis 2:24a is one such example.
Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and cleaves to his wife, and they become one flesh (Genesis 2:24).
Jesus told a man to abandon his parents to join a woman. For a Chinese, this is blatant impiety towards one's parents. If this verse is not handled sensibly, many a Chinese refuses to become a Christian. Similar examples can be found in the gospel reading today. Many Protestants like to quote this to attack the reverence Catholics pay to the clergy, calling them Pope (Papa), godfather and Holy Father etc., not knowing that such an attack also drives many Chinese away as well.
But you are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brethren.
And call no man your father on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
Neither be called masters, for you have one master, the Christ (Matthew 24:8-10).

As I have mentioned before, Heaven, Earth, Emperor, Parents and Teachers are the five elements that make up what we are. We are taught to pay respect, reverence and piety to them. Apprentices/Disciples call their masters "Teacher-Father 師父". We can always hear on their lips "Being our teacher of just one day is our teacher for life 一日為師，終身為師." If we learn other skills from other teachers, we are guilty of "cheating our teachers and annihilating our ancestors 欺師滅祖" etc.
There were two archer stories in Mencius, one of the Four-Book which was a compulsory syllabus for all students. In the first story, a disciple murdered his master because he thought that he had learned all his master's skills. His master was the only person better than him on earth. The second story was told to show that the first master was guilty for his own demise because he had not chosen his disciples carefully. In the second story, an archer was sent to capture his enemy who happened to be the teacher of his teacher. On that day, his grand-teacher was sick and could not take up his bow. The archer was in a dilemma. On one hand, he did not want to harm his grand-teacher with the skill he passed on to him. On the other hand, he was performing the king's task and had to discharge his mission faithfully. In the end, the archer took four arrows, removed the heads, shot and hit his grand-teacher. Then the archer turned around and left. His grand-teacher was unharmed. Mencius might be guilty of idealizing the incident because there was an independent report in 左傳‧襄公十四年 that the archer pierced the arm of his grand-teacher with his arrow. No matter what, the second story surely sank deeply into the minds of all students. The lesson is: Thou shalt not betray thy teacher.
逢蒙學射於羿，盡羿之道，思天下惟羿為愈己，於是殺羿。孟子曰：「是亦羿有罪焉。」公明儀曰：「宜若無罪焉？」曰：「薄乎雲爾，惡得無罪？鄭人使子濯孺子侵衛，衛使庾公之斯追之。子濯孺子曰：『今日我疾作，不可以執弓，吾死矣夫！』問其仆曰：『追我者誰也？』其仆曰：『庾公之斯也。』曰：『吾生矣。』其仆曰：『庾公之斯，衛之善射者也，夫子曰「吾生」，何謂也？』曰：『庾公之斯學射於尹公之他，尹公之他學射於我。夫尹公之他，端人也，其取友必端矣。』庾公之斯至，曰：『夫子何為不執弓？』曰：『今日我疾作，不可以執弓。』曰：『小人學射於尹公之他，尹公之他學射於夫子。我不忍以夫子之道，反害夫子。雖然，今日之事，君事也，我不敢廢。』抽矢叩輪，去其金、發乘矢而後反。」【孟子‧離婁下】

Of course, it is understandable for Christians to respect Christ as their sole teacher and master. So do Chinese. But unfortunately, before they follow Christ, they have already followed some other teachers who have taught them to read, to write and to live like a Chinese. So, how can we abandon them and do not call them rabbi or teacher! Chinese respect Confucius for political reasons and Chinese are also very capable of deity-making. Therefore, it is unimaginable for them to call Confucius their brother! Chinese are also very skillful in building their social networks. In doing so, they do not hesitate to call the benefactors/seniors by various father-titles such as 仲父、義父、乾爹、契爺 etc. Neither do they hesitate to add one more father and call the Father of Jesus their Heavenly Father.
Building bridges is not the exclusive duty of mandarins. Chinese Christians also have the duty to build bridges meshing Chinese culture and Christianity. To save mankind, the Son of God took human flesh and incarnated. To be authentic followers of Christ, we should also put our efforts in incarnating the messages of the Gospel in the Chinese soil, divinizing the Chinese culture rather than arrogantly condemning it.

Dear Lord, in You we find our true humanity. May we lead an authentically humble life. Amen.

Spiritualization of Love

Before I start, I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge my indebtedness to Fr. Lanfranco Fedrigotti, SDB, who has been very patient in lending his ears to my mumbling.
Though I studied science in the secondary school, I gradually discover that I am fascinated with languages. The study of the Bible opens up new terrains for me: Hebrew, Greek and Latin. Four weeks ago (26^th Ordinary Sunday, Year A), the reading of the Parable of Two Sons in Matthew brought up the thorny issue of translating the Bible. The translators face the problem of finding the best possible rendering of the text when there are different manuscripts to choose from. Today, the reading of the Greatest Commandment raises another issue. The same story appears in the three Synoptic Gospels in different ways. Mark and Matthew agree much. The Lucan version is a beautiful literary invention in which the Parable of the Good Samaritan is included. Therefore, today, I will focus on the first two Gospels.

The basic plot is the same. A teacher of the Law challenged Jesus to name the greatest commandment among the 613 Jewish laws. Jesus quoted Deuteronomy 6:5 and Leviticus 19:18 to answer him. Of course, the teacher of the Law refused to be silenced. This brought about the beautiful story of the Good Samaritan in Luke. Today, I would like to deal with the first part of the answer from Deuteronomy. I will list the text in Hebrew, Greek, Latin and English respectively.

וְאָהַבְתָּ, אֵת יְהוָה אֱלֹהֶיךָ, בְּכָל-לְבָבְךָ וּבְכָל-נַפְשְׁךָ, וּבְכָל-מְאֹדֶךָ

καὶ ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς δυνάμεώς σου. (LXX)
diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo et ex tota anima tua et ex tota fortitudine tua. (Vulgate)
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength.(Deuteronomy 6:5)

So far, so good. Let's read the Matthew version.
Ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ καρδίᾳ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ ψυχῇ σου καὶ ἐν ὅλῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ σου. (GNT)
diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo et in tota anima tua et in tota mente tua. (Vulgate)
Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. (Matthew 22:37b, KJV)

Immediately, we spot a difference. Where has the "strength" gone? It was replaced by "mind". Can "mind" replace "strength"?
We agree that Mark was written before Matthew. So, let us turn to Mark to see what was being written.
καὶ ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ψυχῆς σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου.(GNT)
et diliges Dominum Deum tuum ex toto corde tuo et ex tota anima tua et ex tota mente tua et ex tota virtute tua hoc est primum mandatum (Vulgate)
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment (Mark 12:30, KJV)

There are 4 elements in Mark, not three! Was Mark guilty of adding extra things into the Law, into the Scripture? Yes he did but, I would defend that the society has long changed and Mark was not writing to the Jews, but the Gentiles. For the Jews, the three elements: heart, soul and strength were enough to describe the whole person. For Gentiles under the influence of the Greek civilization, they needed four: heart, soul, mind and strength. For a similar "sin" of putting words into Jesus' mouth, see the unthinkable position of women divorcing their husbands in Mark 10:12.
When we turn to the word "strength", we see that Mark (ἰσχύος, virtute, strength) was actually using a word different from that in Deuteronomy (δυνάμεώς, fortitudine, strength). Mark's is more ethical (ability, courage and might etc.) while the Deuteronomy's more physical, if I am allowed to make such a differentiation. No matter what, time has changed and the usage of the same word changes as well. In time, the same idea might need newer words to describe.

The situation of Matthew, that he had replaced "strength" with "mind", is more difficult to explain because there are so many different ways to look at the situation.

1. Matthew dropped "strength" and retained "mind" in the gospel of Mark.
2. Matthew held an anthropology different from the ancient Israelites.
3. Matthew reported correctly what Jesus had said.

Let us deal with Possibility#3 first.
What did Jesus actually say? This is the most crucial question which unfortunately we can only rely on the credibility of the Evangelists. Between Mark and Matthew, whom should we trust? Given that Luke also reports 4 elements (Luke 10:27), should we reject Matthew? Impossible! After all, Matthew was an apostle but Mark and Luke were only second generation disciples. That is also why Matthew is placed before Mark in the canon even though nearly all modern Biblical scholars agree to the priority of Mark.
Moreover, Matthew has an extra support. As Jews, Jesus and Matthew must have been reciting everyday the Shema Israel (Deuteronomy 6:4-5). Therefore, there must be only three elements instead of four. The problem is: Did Jesus say "mind" or "strength"? Unfortunately, we have no way to decide the truthfulness of Possibility#3.

Possibility#2 is a bold assertion. As far as we understand, heart, soul and mind are all psychological/spiritual aspects in modern terms, while strength is more physical/material. While we traditionally interpret the 3 elements (heart, soul and strength) to represent the whole person, both flesh and spirit in the Old Testament theology; the anthropology behind the Matthew version is rather spiritual. He has already spiritualized the Law of Moses in the 3 chapters of Beatitude (chapters 5 to 7). It would be highly likely that Matthew was doing the same here, advocating a theology which John later immortalized in the verse: God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship (and love Him) in spirit and truth (John 4:24).
As a working hypothesis, I propose that Matthew has spiritualized the greatest commandment by replacing "strength" with "mind".  Under the influence of Greek civilization and Gnostic ideas, Christians were beginning to approach God in a more spiritual way. Ethically, blessed are the poor in spirit. Anger is as serious a sin as murder. So is lust as adultery etc.

Let's turn to Possibility#1. It makes two assumptions:

1. Matthew based on Mark to write up his own gospel, and 
2. Matthew wanted to keep the number of elements to three for his Jewish readers.

We can rule out the stupid answer that Matthew kept the first three and dropped the last because in Luke, the first three are heart, soul and strength. "Mind" is the last! Now, the question becomes why Matthew chose to retain "mind", but not the traditional "strength". Then we return to Possibility#2. Therefore, the most possible answer is that Matthew has spiritualized the love of God.

Thank God. Jesus is truly human and truly divine. He has made humanity divine and opens up the possibility of our becoming divine too, our divinization. In the same Matthew, we read of loving God materially by serving the needy, the least of these brothers (Matthew 25:31-46). So, Matthew has both spiritualized and materialized the love of God.

Dear Lord, how should I approach You? You have shown me the way. You have taught me to meet you in our needy brothers. See You and serve You there. Amen.

Last Meeting with Ms. TM

We intended to explore my relationship with Erminia. However, I steered the discussion away without much effort. Perhaps it would be too emotional, and Ms. M knew that it would be too painful for me to come out from my comfort zone. I quickly came to the topic of seeking father figures in my life.

My father had to work for about 12 hours a day in the shop. He did not have time to talk with me. Therefore, I have been seeking father figures to fill up the void throughout my subsequent life. I paid respect to teachers, especially male teachers. As a result, the late Mr. Chow Ti, the biology panel of Choi Hung was my godfather of Baptism and Mr. Joseph Lau, only 7 years my senior and my S2 class teacher, was my godfather of Confirmation in the year 1970. I follow another characteristic of my father --- long term acquaintance. I kept in contact with Mr. Chow until he passed away and up till today, Mr. Joseph Lau and I are more like friends than godfather and godson. Our age difference becomes insignificant as we advance in the years.
I looked up to my senior colleagues in La Salle. I mentioned two in particular: YK and CYH. YK had been my intellectual mentor, except for the Bible. It was he who introduced me to computer programming and it was cracking locked software that brought about my diabetics which, combined with the upbringing from my domineering mother, prevented me from taking up senior posts. It was also he whose abuse of authority had so disgusted me that I quit La Salle. All things are related indeed. But I hold no grudge against YK. Perhaps he had a very noble intention to streamline the teaching qualities of the La Salle teachers who had previously been notoriously idiosyncratic. So, recently when we met in the 30th anniversary of graduation of the 1981 Class, we shook hands and asked after each other's station of life. He had retired.
When it came to CYH, I highlighted his support for me ever since the eruption of my diabetics. I showed Ms. M the Waterman fountain pen CYH introduced me to use. I explained how CYH made up opportunities for me to "help" him fix his software problems etc. Of course, how could I miss out his romance with Ms. Chui, how they dated each other for decades and got married only after their retirement and migration to Canada. I remained in my comfort zone when I talked about the others. Ms. M did not smoke me out of my lair.

Ms. M asked me to describe my relationship with Erminia. I summarily stated categorically that at the moment, it has never been better. In the early years of marriage, I had taken things for granted and concentrated on cracking locked computer programmes. Poor Erminia was literally a computer widow. Most of the time, she only saw my back. To a certain extent, my diabetics brings us closer emotionally. I pay more attention to her health, her exhaustion in taking care of two little boys and a big one. Me! Now that the children have grown up, except for Symphorian, we can share more time together.
Ms. M then turned the subject to temptation. Has there ever been time I am attracted to other females? Are there females who project their love to me because I have always been tender and helpful? Frankly speaking, some ladies did shed their tears when I announced that I was getting married and I was leaving La Salle. But the world continues to move on with or without me.
I paused to search my memory for an appropriate answer to the question Ms. M put forth. Then I came up with a new discovery. My diabetics is truly a blessing in disguise. It prevents me from being unfaithful to Erminia. I just cannot afford extra marital affairs physically as well as financially. If I were not sick, I really could not tell whether I would fall into the temptation. God has protected me with diabetics. It brings reconciliation between my mother and me. It shields me from the intrusion of other females.

In the end, Ms. M gave me some feedback. From her observations, she does not find me to be as rational as I claim. She can see the restrained emotional side of me. It is there. Only that I do not allow myself to be overwhelmed by it. My upbringing makes me diffident. Therefore, I only allow myself to do things which I surely will not fail. I am not brave enough to come out of my comfort zone. That doesn't help to boost my confidence. At the moment, new opportunities and relations are opening up to me. She encourages me to try them out so that I can become more confident and be a better servant of God. She wishes me a fruitful career as a deacon. I thanked her, shook hands and left her office.

Dear Lord, I have faith, but not enough. Help me believe more. Amen.

Render unto God what is God's

My younger brother has an inspiring joke based on the gospel reading today.
In his younger days, he learned Japanese. Nowadays, his Japanese is a bit rusty. So, whenever we ask him anything about the language, he would precede his answer with the following joke:  
Render therefore unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto teachers what is teachers' (Matthew 22:21).
What great wisdom!

For us Chinese, we recognize 5 elements that make up what we are: Heaven, Earth, Emperor, Relatives and teachers. Heaven gives us our human nature and potential. Earth nourishes our body. Emperor gives us protection, territory and our identity. Parents and relatives weave the social network in which we grow and move about, and teachers help us know the truth. Of course, as Christians, we know that God provides us all.

In Chinese mythology, there is a fascinating tragedy about giving to parents what belongs to parents. It is found in the epic "The Knighting of the deities封神榜". The epic is about the overthrowing of the Xiang 商 Dynasty after which, the heroes were deified one by one. After all, Chinese are very good at Deification Movements.
One of those heroes was General Li Qing 李靖, whose name appears again in novels of later generations. He served the Xiang Dynasty but later rebelled and joined the righteous army to fight against the tyrant he had previously served.
His third son is the famous mighty but mischievous Naja 哪叱. His might turned out to be his curse. His parents could not manage him and in the end, he killed the prince of the Dragon Emperor of the Eastern Sea. Unable to reprimand Naja, the matter was brought before the Heavenly Palace. Of course, Naja was defeated and had to lay down his life to repay his crime. But Naja was a pious son. So, he returned his flesh and soft tissues to his mother and his skeleton to his father and died. Destiny had it that his soul was given a second chance. A guru fairy made him incarnate into lotus root and Naja resurrected into a good boy again. He fought alongside his father in the revolution against the tyrant and gained a seat in the Heavenly Palace. The tragedy has a happy ending.

This myth brings up an important theme. We don't just give back what belongs to the rightful owner. It is not enough to return just our flesh to our mother and bones to our father. More is demanded. In modern economics term, repayment must be made, including the interest. Therefore, it is Chinese customs to return a borrowed bowl with some food, and even a red packet literally on top of the food, to show our gratitude and good wish for the convenience and favour rendered by our neighbour and friends.

Many people know the gospel reading today. Asking whether it was (ritually) legal to pay the Roman tax was a trap which Jesus easily saw through. I wonder how many of us know another taxing story about Jesus. It can be found in Matthew 17:24-27. This story is more mythical. It seems to prove that Jesus was the Son of God and therefore did not have to pay the half-shekel tax. Yet, Simon Peter also benefited and did not have to pay from his own pocket. So, there must be other meanings to be uncovered. I can only leave this for future meditation. Let me return to the trap.

Paying tax or half-shekel is actually paying interest. If we give back our life to Caesar, to parents or to God, we will no longer be able to pay anything in the future. Therefore, giving our life back is the last repayment. Anything prior to that is partial principal plus interest. No matter what, we must repay in our life. Reading this together with the gospel reading about forgiving two weeks ago, we know that we will never be able to repay the principal to God in full.
Paying tax to Caesar is easy to follow because it is something tangible. We may actually repay in money, or in jury service, in voting or standing in election, in taking to the street to voice our opinions, in helping to fight crime etc. However, what does paying to God mean? What currency is God using, the half-shekel?
I believe charity is the currency of God. There is no law stipulating blood donation. But I believe it is a grace of God if I can donate blood or organs again. As a diabetes, I cannot and I am not supposed to be a recipient of organ transplant too because it would be a waste of the organ. The hospital authority would give it to other patients in whose bodies the organ might have a better chance to survive and to serve longer. I can only share with my students how proud I was to be a one-gallon donor before and my regret for not being able to do so now. Since blood donation is out of question, I have to look elsewhere to pay tax to God.

Dear Lord, may my tax find favour in Your eyes. May my eyes be open to see more opportunities to repay You. Amen.

Make us worthy of joining the heavenly banquet

This Sunday, Fr. Thomas Law made us attend the Byzantine liturgy at 11:00 am in the Mother of Good Counsel parish, San Po Kong. It is counted as part of the assessment of the Eucharist course. He had invited a priest of the Ukrainian Rites from Australia to expand our horizon. The Roman Rites are not the only Catholic rites. There are other traditions.
I remember visiting that Church only a few times after getting married and moving to Tuen Mun. There are not many fond memories of people or events, except that of the unpopular ex-boss. I pray for him because he underwent coronary bypass surgery and his baby face shows signs of aging in a solo photo of a 2009 New Zealand Study Trip with students of Ng Wah College.

I use to call my mother at the McDonalds after I have finished my breakfast and on my way to school or when I am having breakfast with my wife and Symphorian before going to mass on Sundays. These days, my mother has been calling intrusively: while I was having interview with Ms. Mak, I was attending lectures, I was still in bed or I was travelling in LRT etc. and I have to confess that it annoys me so much so that sometimes I just left the mobile vibrating/ringing unanswered. I sense that something must have been troubling her but she was unable to express it. This morning, she called after I had brushed my teeth. Though frustrated, I answered. Later, when I called her again at the McDonalds, she broke the news that her youngest brother had died earlier in the morning. Her relation with this only male heir of the family had never been good because of the favouritism shown by grandfather. Gone one by one, her only surviving relation with relatives in China is her fourth sister. I cannot say I understand my mother enough. But I am sure she has not managed the complexity of her relationships well enough. She literally cuts nearly all relations, including ours, with relatives way back home. On my way to San Po Kong, I said a decade of Rosary for the soul of my uncle and I think of how his soul migrates to the throne of our Lord.

The Byzantine liturgy is all pomp and ceremony. Joined by choirs of angels and saints, participants are brought across the threshold of God's Temple and enter into the presence of God. The Liturgy lasted for two hours of chanting and a lot of crossings ourselves, in the Byzantine manner from right to left. The deacons did a lot of impressive chanting and incensing. The Eucharist is leavened, not unleavened. Once, the Ukrainian priest remarked that the Romans were disciplined and efficient. This was demonstrated in the army, government as well as their liturgy. The Byzantine spirituality is different. They make encounter with God on earth.

My mind did not follow the gospel reading, which was taken from the Lukan story of 10 lepers. I was still thinking of the Matthean royal banquet. What makes us worthy of joining the heavenly banquet, my uncle, my mother and myself.
In my memory, my uncle had never visited Hong Kong and I have never known his ever hearing the Gospel. Christianity in the part of county where he lived has been unheard of. Therefore, when his soul arrived before the judgment seat of the Lord, he will not be judged according to the Christian standard. According to my understanding of the Catholic faith, so long as he had led his life according to his conscience, the merciful Lord will surely award him heaven. My uncle was living in a disadvantaged position because he did not have the scripture to give him guidance. He did not have the Church and the sacraments to strengthen and purify his soul so as to make him desire the Lord more. I can speculate all these because my uncle has departed. Such is not the case of my mother and myself. Though my mother refuses to hear the gospel on religious ground, I pray that the sweet Lord works in His mysterious way to deliver her soul.

Now, it is my turn. I must admit that I have not made good use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I seldom go to confessions, not because I have no sins to confess. Rather, I tend to forgive my indulgences and shortcomings. Everyday I pierce my finger to get a drop of blood for the sugar test and I have to inject insulin four times. Sometimes, I would think of it as a penance for the sins I have committed. May the merciful Lord sanctify these routines to purify my soul. Studying the Bible and theology may have amplified the rationality tendency in my thinking and the rationalization of things I do. I have not paid enough attention to the needs and feelings of the people around me, especially Erminia my love. To a certain extent, I act in manners very much like my mother, dominating nearly everything within my reach. I know it is not good and I am still learning to let go. I am still learning to love the Lord more. I know that having a baptismal record in the Church perhaps can guarantee me an entrance into the hall of heavenly banquet to meet the guests for a short while. And I know that it does not guarantee that I will not be kicked out into the darkness outside.Yes. all these I know ...

Dear Lord, show Your mercy to the souls of my uncle and my mother. May they attain final reconciliation in Your bosom. While I am still on my pilgrimage, be with me and bless all the things I do to love You. Amen.

Second Meeting with Ms. TM

Today, we explored together my personality development and my relation with my mother. There were brief emotional moments when I needed to hold back my tears. I cannot afford to allow my emotions to fluctuate freely. Otherwise, my blood sugar level will follow suit.

Still, the eruption of diabetics is the watershed. I was cheerful, capable and confident. As a result of diabetes, I am no longer energetic physically and I have become more withdrawn. Perhaps I need to save my energy to handle the daily chores in school.

As for my personality development, there is no doubt that my father has set me a role model. He is the first born and so am I. I always give credit of my religious piety to him because in my memory, I saw him offer incense sticks every morning before he went to work. He has served only two bosses as a shopkeeper in stamp-collecting shops and I two schools. He kept visiting his former boss' wife after he quit. He keeps lasting acquaintances and I try to follow suit. My father had to work long hours and for many years, I did not have the opportunity to talk with him. There had been time I looked up to other father figures, such as my teachers, my colleagues in La Salle to fill up the void. Up to now, there are fewer and fewer candidates and I myself have become a father figure to many.

I was instructed by my late principal, Mr. Joseph Liu, since S2 and was baptized at the Feast of Annunciation in S4. Ms. Mak helped me traced back how I was led to the belief in Jesus. I would credit this to an S4 big brother, Tse Kam Hon, whom I met when I first entered Choi Hung Estate Catholic Secondary School, my alma mater in which I spent seven years. He was a legionary and an enthusiastic Catholic. He was considerate, a son of filial piety and guided me in school life under his wing. In my mind, he was beatified by his early death of cancer.
On my own, I was  nothing. I was lucky to have met him and Fr. Tapella and Lazarus, both PIME assistant parish priests in Choi Hung. Their dedication in youth work and handicapped children service has inspired a charitable heart in me and a group of enthusiastic and generous young men and women. Those were our heroic days and if I can choose my area of service in the future, I will choose rehabilitation work with the handicapped, if God wills.

My mother is still a domineering woman. She keeps calling me daily and my mobile rang while I was having interview with Ms. M! To a certain extent, I blame her for my lack of ambition. She holds me tightly so much so that I cannot fully actualize my potentials. She bought a flat in Amoy Garden, where SARS erupted a decade later, and wanted me to live near her after my marriage. Though I moved to Tuen Mun against her will after marriage, she still demanded me to stay overnight in Choi Hung with Erminia in weekdays. Reconciliation came at last with my becoming a diabetic. At last, she had to accept the reality that no matter how much she wishes to possess and protect me, she could not suffer the disease for me. My disease, my life is mine to live with. She has to, however reluctantly, surrender me over to another woman. Somehow, this life long disease is a blessing in disguise.

I feel that I owe my younger brother much. He remains single to take care of our aging parents, sparing me to build up my own family. He graduated from Aberdeen Technical School and was on friendly terms with the Salesians, though he had never met Cardinal Joseph Zen. However, when I was baptized, my mother refused to let him be baptized together with me because she wanted him to offer incense sticks to her after she returned to the Western Ultimate Happiness World. Mom, as a Catholic, I can also offer you incense sticks in the future! Consequently, my younger brother was deprived of the opportunity of meeting good Catholic girls. Perhaps, the unnecessary difficulties she created in my early years of marriage might also affect my younger brother's confidence in marriage. I am heaping all the blames on my mother for the single life of my younger brother! But this accusation is a bit far fetched.

I owe Erminia, my wife, a lot. From the start, she has been a gift sent from God. I did not have enough faith in people as well as things that I did.  It is Erminia that boost my confidence. There was a depression period in the first years of diabetics. Though rationally, I told myself that diabetics was no more than shortsightedness. Adjust the drug like the lens and I would be OK. Unfortunately, I was overwhelmed by the thoughts of the diabetics complications --- kidneys failures, blindness and amputation of legs etc. I decided to prepare Erminia for widowhood! Emotionally, I tried to detach myself from her. How stupid and unfair I was! Still, Erminia stands by me and patiently raised the kids. With the birth of Saturnia, I could feel that my strength had finally returned. Thanks my love, for pulling me out of the tomb I buried myself.

Ms. M points out to me that I have been hiding behind my comfort zone for a long time. I was not adventurous enough to try new things out. Now that I am able to stand again on my feet, I am prepared to engage in new relations, to make new friends and try my hands on new projects to gain more experiences. With unexplored potentials and the blessings of God, I am sure I will be able to excel in new things that I am going to do.

Dear Lord, Be with me. Whatever I do, make it prosper. Amen.

Eat the cake we bake

The study of theology is not about gaining more knowledge or understanding of God. Rather it sharpens our awareness of the tension within what we believe about God. For example, God is supposed to be omnipotent, to be almighty. To quote Jesus, "... with God, all things are possible" (Matthew 19:26b). Yet, surely there is one thing God is unable to do. He respects our autonomy. Therefore, He is unable to force us to believe in Him. We are free to choose between heaven and hell. If some of us prefer hell to heaven, God cannot kidnap us into heaven. This is the beauty of Christianity. God does not condemn us. Only we and we alone can condemn ourselves. We are fully responsible for our fate.
People may question the Christian teaching of the "Original Sin". Why are men born with "Original Sin"? Why are men responsible for the sins of Adam & Eve? Theologians have a better understanding nowadays. Sin is understood negatively as a lack of grace. Therefore, "Original Sin" is not a sin of commission. Rather it is an omission of grace, an absence of grace as the consequence of the disobedience of Adam & Eve. After Adam, men have been born into an environment which lacks grace, an environment which is contaminated with sins. Unfortunately, this concept of an absence of grace has been handed down to us through a misleading label, the "Original Sin".
From this doctrine of the "Original Sin", we logically move on to the next topic: Salvation. The Second Person of the Blessed Trinity incarnated to save us.
When we think about why the Son incarnated, taking up our flesh and dwelled among us, there are two different schools of thoughts. One school holds that the Son came down to redeem us. Immediately, people would challenge them with a hypothetical question which they cannot decline. What if Adam & Eve had not eaten the forbidden fruit, would the Son come down to redeem us? According to their reasoning, they would say no. But something seems to be wrong and they are uncomfortable to say that the Son of God would not incarnate.
Another school comes to their rescue. They hold that the purpose of Incarnation is not so much for the redemption of men. Rather, God wants to upgrade our human nature to share His divinity. So, the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity incarnated to take up our flesh to raise its nature to a higher level etc.

Enough of theological speculations. Let us return to the gospel message today (Matthew 21:33-46).
Jesus modified the famous Vineyard Song in Isaiah 5:1-7 to warn the Jewish leaders. If the Israelites are the Chosen People, they are chosen to stand before all nations as an example of encounter with God. They are our models. Among them, there have been successful people, great prophets, great kings, great poets and great apostles, leaving behind great cultural heritage of beautiful legends, literature and liturgy for the future generations.  However, there have also been stiff-necked people who refused to respond to the invitation of God. They believed that they were on the right and Jesus was a subversive, a trouble-maker. In the end, they handed Jesus over to the Romans for crucifixion. I don't think they had ever regretted what they had done. The gospel of Matthew has been accused of being anti-Semite in particular. For example, Matthew 27:25. Today, we find another piece of anti-Semitic saying. In contrast to the Markan version of the same story, Matthew had the Jewish leaders passed judgment on themselves (Matthew 21:41). They were willing to eat the cake they baked.

Therefore, when Fr. Martin Ip talked about regret during mass, it did not ring a bit in my mind. Of course, I agree with him that we should seize the moment and live fully our life today. I only dismiss the idea of regret. In my view, regret is useless unless there is still a second chance. But no two situations are identical. There will not be any second chance. You miss a train and you miss it. You may never step on that train again. Surely you may catch the next train but the next train will carry a different group of passengers. Our story would have been totally different if we had taken the previous train. So, there is no point regretting. So have the Jews been. The Jews have no regret killing Jesus and have no remorse suffering the consequences. They continue to walk tall on the surface of this planet, continue to produce geniuses in many varied fields of endeavour. God has made a good choice.
This was the Lord's doing and it is marvellous in our eyes (Matthew 21:42b).
No doubt, God wills all men to be saved. He invites all to share His eternal life. Yet, we respond in different manners. Some are eager, some are slow and some even downright reject the invitation. Still, nobody knows how it will end. We should not jump into condemnation too soon, too quickly. Learn to take a long, long look into the future with God's eyes. We should not be discouraged by the evils we experience today.

As for me, I have no regret failing to follow the call of Christ earlier, much earlier. It is a different type of cake God allows me to bake and I savour every mouthful of it. I have travelled a much longer trek to this day and have collected a different set of gems. The Lord's doing is marvellous in my eyes.

Dear Lord, adjust my course of activities so that I can do Your will more properly. Amen.

Some more translation problems

The Catholic Chinese Bible has been in use for nearly 60 years and is undergoing revision because the language Chinese used six decades ago engenders some unnecessary misunderstandings nowadays. Furthermore, the Franciscan friars want to rectify some errors, typograhpical as well as interpretational ones. Translating texts is a notorious task. Translators can unintentionally open up loopholes for misunderstandings.

I usually pick up the English readings to compare the different translations. Today, I accidentally discovered a totally different Chinese translation of the Gospel. It is Matthew 21:29-30.

他回答說：主，我去。但他卻沒有去。
他對第二個也說了同樣的話，第二個卻答應說：我不願意。但後來悔悟過來，而又去了。【思高版】
And he answered, 'I will not'; but afterward he repented and went.
And he went to the second and said the same; and he answered, 'I go, sir,' but did not go. (RSV)

Puzzled, I went home to check the other versions.
他回答說、我不去．以後自己懊悔就去了。
又來對小兒子也是這樣說、他回答說、父阿、我去．他卻不去。【和合本】
ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν, Οὐ θέλω, ὕστερον δὲ μεταμεληθεὶς ἀπῆλθεν.
προσελθὼν δὲ τῷ ἑτέρῳ εἶπεν ὡσαύτως. ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν, Ἐγώ, κύριε: καὶ οὐκ ἀπῆλθεν.  (NA26)

A note of translation: The Greek word in red "hetero" means a different one, another one, the other one etc. Since there were only 2 sons, translating it into the second son is accurate. However, the translator of the Chinese Protestant version has made one more assumption --- the father had asked the elder son first. Given that the first born always enjoyed a higher priority in the eyes of the father who might had already sent the elder son on a more important errant, or that he preferred sending the younger son to do some chores first or that the brothers might even be twins. Therefore, it is unwarranted to translate "the other one" into "the younger son".

The Chinese Catholic translation fares no better, It is different from all others by switching the roles of the two sons. Why? The next verse Matthew 21:31a is even more damaging.
τίς ἐκ τῶν δύο ἐποίησεν τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός; λέγουσιν, Ὁ πρῶτος.
Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said, "The first."
二人中那一個履行了父親的意願？」他們說：「後一個。」【思高版】
你們想這兩個兒子、是那一個遵行父命呢。他們說、大兒子。【和合本】
The Greek word in red means the first.
Consistent with their translations, the Chinese Protestant version translates it into "the elder son" and the Chinese Catholic version translates it into "the latter one"! What a blatant betrayal of the original text!

I am not learned enough to defend the Franciscan friars who were saintly Biblical scholars. Perhaps they had, in their possession, a certain Greek manuscript which carries such a rendition. Still, they owe us an explanation why they chose this manuscript and did not follow the Textus Receptus, the "Received Text".
The only reason which I can think of is that such a rendition follows Jesus' teaching: the first will become the last and the last first.
Since Genesis, God has consistently chosen not the first born. Isaac was the second son of Abraham. Jacob was the second son of Isaac. Judah was the fourth son of Jacob. Moses had an elder brother Aaron. King David was the last son of Jesse etc.Therefore, in this parable of the two sons, the Franciscan friars chose the latter one. This is the only hypothesis I can think of. What do you think?

This morning, Deacon Tsang brought up a new insight. Both sons did not keep their words though one of them did the father's will! No matter what, only doing the Father's will counts.

In the evening, I attended the Matrimony of my niece. Father Simon Li Chi Yuen, an alumus of my alma mater, officiated at the ceremony. He gave a new understanding of the famous line "and they become one flesh" (Genesis 2:24b). Usually, we interpret this text to mean the two persons share physically, psychologically, financially and spiritually.
No! The woman was made from the rib of the man. They were originally one flesh. Therefore, it is wrong to say that the wife is the other half of the man. Rather, the man finds himself in his wife and the woman herself in her husband. That is why when a man loves his wife, he loves himself.
let each one of you love his wife as himself (Ephesians 5:33a).
This is a brilliant opinion.

Dear Lord, strengthen us to do the Father's will. Amen.

---

Today, I brought up the issue to share with my new colleague Louis in school. He also noticed the discrepancy when he was preparing his address for the Morning Assembly in school this morning. Later, he showed me a book published by the Franciscan friars: 【思高聖經原著譯釋版系列──福音】Revised 3^rd edition, February, 2011. In the footnote #15 on page 192, the friars confirm that there are manuscripts containing the text they chose. Moreover, their choice fits better with the context of the whole chapter and the next.

September 26, 2011.

Is God being unfair (I)?

The Gospel reading today is a single parable of 15 verses long plus one verse for conclusion. Unlike many other shorter parables of a few verses in length, this parable is a sophisticated one. There are many things we can learn in this story. I am sure some of us will look at it from the perspective of management and find it difficult to accept Jesus' logic which is fine for salvation but not for social justice.

Today, Fr. Joseph Yim, who taught us homilectics, came to our parish in the capacity of the Chief Executive of Caritas to promote the upcoming Caritas annual fund raising campaign. It is a wonderful opportunity to watch him deliver his homily. His delivery was attention arresting. The congregation responded to every move he made. The contents were incisive.

First of all, Fr. Yim pointed out that the master of the vineyard would have avoided the resentment from the labourers who came first if he had given them the agreed wage first. Instead, he chose to give the last labourers their wages first, thus creating an expectation on the part of the first labourers. It was not a smart decision as a manager. He was creating troubles for himself. I would defend that even if he gave the first labourers their wages first, sooner or later, they would find out the fact that he gave all labourers the same wage. Therefore, the complaint would still arise. The complaint will be inevitable when a manager is perceived to be unfair. Then what is the reason behind this perception of injustice?
For the sake of discussion, let us assume that a price tag / a value can be assigned to the labour/service offered. In a workplace, justice means equal work, equal pay. This is intuitively enough. As a corollary, different work should be paid differently. A doctor receiving a higher wage than a hospital janitor is fair because the system puts more value on the work of a doctor than that of a janitor. Fair enough. Now, the labourers in the parable were doing the same job. Therefore, it is fair to pay them equally if they work equally. Now that the first labourers had worked for 12 hours whereas the last batch of labourers had worked for only 1 hour, their work had been unequal. Unequal work should be paid unequally. In a cliché popularized by a stomachache pill, more work more pay. Therefore, the master of the vineyard was being unfair to the first batch of labourers by paying all the same wage though it had been agreed beforehand.
Fr. Yim disagreed. Indeed, he challenged the corollary of more work more pay. He did not query the validity of the logic. Of course, the logic is flawed. If equal work implies equal pay, we can only conclude that unequal pay implies unequal work. Take another approach. Assuming that justice really means equal work, equal pay in a workplace, this principle has a limited scope of application. Those who invoke this principle may not intend to apply it to the society at large. It remains to be proved that we can apply this principle in the context of the whole society. If we apply it to the whole society without the necessary proof, we commit the fallacy of composition. What works in a workplace may not work in the larger society.

Back to Fr. Yim. He argued instead from another perspective. He said that if we applied this corollary, a third of the congregation would receive nothing because they, senior citizens and minors did not work, not to mention the patients in the hospitals. Those who hold the more-work-more-pay corollary would argue that the seniors had already received their pay in the past and the minors will receive their pay in the future. It is not fair to subsidize them now. Yet, they receive huge allowances from the government which might fight back arguing that denying the minors the necessary welfare, they would not be able to develop their potentials and receive their pay in the future, while denying the seniors a decent dignified retirement life would be inhumane. Besides justice, we should also consider beneficence. Therefore, people who apply the "more work more pay" corollary are wrong. Of course Fr. Yim did not mention the fallacy of composition and he could very easily relate the themes of the three readings. His homily is exemplary.

In Justice --- what's the right thing to do?, a bestseller written by Michael Sandel, a Harvard professor, the author introduces us to John Rawls' arguments against making moral desert the basis for distributive justice (pp 160-164). More-work-more-pay is an example of moral desert or meritocracy. People who work better and/or harder deserve to be rewarded more. According to Rawls, our inborn talents and/or our family background, i.e. our initial starting point in society are not our merits. We do not deserve such advantages or disadvantages. We are born into them, thrown into them by destiny. It is not our merits. Therefore, we do not deserve to claim whatever achievements we gain later as a consequence of these "lucks".
This logic throws a new light onto the understanding of the parable. The initial starting points of the labourers were not their merits. They were not better, more skilful workers. Even if they were born/trained better labourers, it was also not their merits. Perhaps they were even slower, lazier workers who took more time to finish the same job. Thus the master gave them a head start. I wonder if John Rawls is a Christian.

In the afternoon, I attended the annual workshop organized by the parish. The topic is "Looking at Sufferings from different perspectives". The parish invited Fr. William Yip, our philosophy department head in the seminary, Fr. John Baptist Kwan, our ex-parish priest and Dr. Vincent Tse, an oncology consultant and experienced speaker on the topic of hospice and death.
The Church was full-house. The three speakers did not disappoint us. But I want to mention Fr. Yip in particular because I went there just to listen to his philosophical approach to sufferings.

Fr. Yip did not speak too philosophically. He shared his painful experience of the death of his father. Four years ago, his father suffered a stroke and deteriorated to such an extent that at a later stage, he lost his memory. As a philosopher, he reflected.
Firstly, it took at least three hours to visit his father in the hospital from the seminary. He would have done many things with his tight schedule. Even if he went there, the health of his father would not improve. If he did not go, his father would not remember. So, what is the point visiting his father? This is a typical utilitarian reasoning which Fr. Yip would definitely reject. He followed the reasoning of duty ethics/virtue ethics. If he does not go, something would be missing in his life. He further explained how his mother passed away abruptly and peacefully without giving them any advanced warnings and troubles. In the funeral parlour after the vigil service, he wanted to stay behind longer to stay with the corpse of his mother. Now that his father was not yet dead, why shouldn't he take the opportunity to stay more with his father so that he would not regret in the future?
Secondly, he turned philosophical to explain the philosophy of the body. On the sensation level, all of us are alone. If you can feel all the sensations I feel, how do we tell the two different persons, you and me, apart. Therefore, we have to face the fact that in suffering pains, all of us are alone. Of course, on the psychological and social levels, we can still build up an empathy to feel partially the pains of others' pains. Luckily, we have the sacrament of Eucharist, the body of Christ. Jesus enters into our body and integrates bodily with us. In our blood stream flows the blood of Jesus and our cells are built up by the body of Jesus. We can be one with Jesus, bodily and spiritually. Our pains are his and his ours. It is transformative. It is very consoling and enlightening. Thank you, Fr. Yip.

Dear Lord, Your thoughts are higher than ours but You are willing to lift us up. Transform us so that we can love You and our neighbour more. Amen.

First Meeting with Ms. TM

I arrived on time. She was still seeing a client. I took a look around the office. It was not quite fully decorated. There were 2 rolled up colour backdrops on the left hand side of her interview room, like what you find in a studio. There was no partition, just a translucent curtain. A bookshelf stood on the right hand side of the interview room, lining with books which can be borrowed. The lady receptionist turns out to be a substitute because the secretary was off today. She read her book while I sat on the sofa, waiting and looking casually around the room.

Ms. M is a pleasant lady of thirty something. She is a bit slim and her dress flows along with her movements. She made me feel comfortable in the otherwise cool waiting region. We entered the interview room and sat opposite each other. She jotted notes here and there during the interview. To begin with, she explained that it is a new arrangement for the formation of the permanent deacons. At the end of the interview when I filled in my personal particulars, I found my reference number to be VG006. I am Number Six (not Number Four, nor 007!).
I felt comfortable perhaps my psychology training three decades ago assures me that she is trying to help me explore and know myself better. Truly, meeting new people can be enriching. Perhaps at the back of my mind, beneath my subconscious, I am confident that I would recognize the psychological tricks up her sleeves. (Sorry, her dress is sleeveless!). OK, let's go to the main course.

After some warm-up exchanges of my background, she turned to my worries in the course of my exploration of my diaconate vocation. There are mainly two: my hesitation to approach authority/power and my health. I mentioned the health problem second because I think I have overcome it. It is true that I have been troubled by my diabetes. I suffered depression. It is sipping away my strength. My mood fluctuates with my blood sugar level ... etc. and etc. For some time, I was not confident if I would be able to serve the Church in the capacity of a deacon. However, I have read signs, showing that God has been very merciful to me and been restoring my health. The births of Saturnia and Symphorian confirm my optimism. Rationally, I begin to take up the view that God will protect me, keep me healthy enough to carry out His mission. I learn to put myself in God's hand. On my own, I am truly incapable. No health insurance would ever cover diabetics. However, how can I forget to set my eyes on God whose loving mercy will cover me?

Let me return to the first worry: the abuse of authority. I am a simple (minded) man, leading a simple life. I am not used to using authority though in my daily life, I am able to command a rather absolute authority over the people around me: my family, my students and even the parishioners. In many situations, family and school alike, relationships are rather power-oriented. Even in parish life, my seniority and biblical knowledge give me leaverage over most of the power relationships.
In reality, I have seen too much abuse of authority, the major cause for my leaving La Salle; and I lament having little feedback from people to point out my mistakes. My major worry is that one day, I may abuse my authority and harm the people and the Church I mean to serve. I don't want to bring scandals to the Church I love. As for now, very few people come forth to point out my weaknesses and my mistakes. What about the future when I am further cladded with the authority of a clergyman?
Who have ever told me my mistakes? Erminia, my wife for one. She is able to remind me of things I have overlooked, have overdone or failed to do. Sometimes, she would complain. However, this is limited to the interactions between a man and his wife. What then can prevent me from abusing authority to bring scandals to the Church?

Dear Lord, I am badly in need of a retreat, a luxurious 7-day retreat or even longer. May these appointments with Ms. M shed light on my vocation. Bless this pleasant lady. May her work as well as her family flourish. Amen.

Is traditional marriage outmoded and unconstitutional? What is marriage?

This morning, we three E&RE teachers attended a seminar on homosexuality and marriage. It was organized by the Diocesan Committee for the Pastoral Care of Persons with Same Sex Attraction and was not an open seminar to the public. The participants turned out to be heavy weights in the Catholic Church --- Bishop John Tong, Vicar Generals Michael Yeung and Pierre Lam, Chancellor Lawrence Lee and the Holy Spirit Seminary Rector Benedict Lam etc. Many other priests and nuns turned up and only 18 teachers and principals signed up. The keynote speakers were Mr. Denis Chang QC, SC, LLD; Dr. Lam Chiu-wan, an Associate Professor at Hong Kong Polytechnic University and Mr. Gordon Truscott, a secondary school English teacher who happens to be working actively for the gay people, founder of Caring Friends.

Mr. Denis Chang presented his views from the legal perspective. His speech and PowerPoint were very clear and informative. We understand better why Ms. W lost her case to marry her boyfriend. Though she is anatomically a female, she does not pass the biological criteria set out in the Corbett vs. Corbett case in 1970: chromosomal, gonadal and genital. In a court of law, these three biological factors at birth is determinative of a person's sex for the purpose of marriage. Way back in 1866, the Hyde vs. Hyde case defined marriage as a voluntary union for life of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. Neither same sex marriage nor civil union is currently legal in Hong Kong. If Ms. W still wants to get married, she has to go elsewhere.
Mr. Chang continued with a sampling of Church teachings from the popes and Catechism of the Catholic Church. Before he finished with several challenges the Church has to face, he rounded off with the 10 principles of marriage and public good.
He made some off-the-record remarks which I think are more meaningful. First, he said that many present day challenges from the human rights groups are actually effected by a handful of lobbyists. This remark was followed up by the other two speakers who agreed that we should counteract by actively voicing our positions in the media. Do not let this minority monopolize the media.
Secondly, Mr. Chang said that we should speak more on the public good of marriage. Very often, we soften and show sympathy towards the human rights arguments.
Lastly, in enumerating the challenges, he showed worry about the Church being forced to obey secular laws that go against the core values of Christianity.

Dr. Lam was also systematic and pretty much philosophical. A front-line social worker turned academic, he analyzed the situation in 5 levels.
On the factual levels, he was rather optimistic in his interpretation of divorce and single-parent families statistics.
On the epistemological level, he believed that sexual preference is changeable. Gay people don't have to be gay throughout their life.
On the level of social policy, it was important to take care of the interests of the minority.
On the linguistic level, he made it clear that language could never be neutral. He warned that we should not allow gay people to hijack our language by, say demanding the Gay Parade Day to be celebrated and called Dragon Boat Festival because the patriotic poet was believed to be gay!
On the cultural level, we should follow the principle of continuity and preserve our core values. On this last level, I beg to disagree. Change is eternal. There can be evolutions, revolutions as well as paradigm shifts. The problem is, people reject revolution which when the time is ripe, will roll you over if you are unprepared.

Mr. Truscott was lively but he turned me off when he made use of his time to promote the book he wrote.

To end the seminar, Fr. Michael Yeung led the closing prayer. He did not lose the opportunity to say a few words on the topic, to enrich it theologically. He agreed with Mr. Chang that people nowadays suffer from relational poverty. Therefore, it is the more important to handle the pastoral issues with greater sensitivity. Though the pain of being imprisoned in the body of the wrong sex is genuine, we should not forget that God has a plan for all these sufferings. He finished his prayer with a reading from Romans 8 and a Hail Mary.

All in all, I think the speeches have failed to answer the question adequately. They only barely met the requirement of the sub-title --- what is traditional marriage. To deal with the question whether traditional marriage is outmoded, we need to approach it from the socio-cultural perspectives and the legal perspective is but one such perspective. Our society today is very different from the agricultural society in which the institution of marriage had served well. Outside the Church, marriage has long lost its sacramental significance. It is currently regarded as a contract, a business deal. Modern couples have long severed the bond between the unitive and procreative meanings of marriage. The kind of production activities, the mass media and our life styles have long changed. The core values advocated by the Church have been under severe attacks. But we still believe that the marriage of one man and one woman is God ordained. I am sure the dignitaries among the audience are well pleased with the speeches today. Yet, I am not satisfied.

---

p.s.
I was a bit puzzled about the Hyde vs. Hyde case way back in 1866. There wasn't any sexual alignment technology. I do not count castration. Therefore, the case should not be about the gender of the Hyde's. It must be something else. A simple search on the internet confirmed my suspicion. The case shows that the British legal system does not accept polygamy as a form of marriage. The British Matrimony Law only accepts the marriage of one man and one woman. Therefore, the British Matrimony Law cannot dissolve a polygamous union because such a union is not a marriage in the system. No divorce can be granted. Neither is there any alimony of one-third of husband's income etc.

September 14, 2011