Chung Wah spoke first. He said that gifts in time of needs were the most precious. His neighbour was busy renovating the house. It so happened that Chung Wah met him and invited him over for dinner because Chung Wah saw that he did not have time to prepare meals. His neighbour appreciated this gesture of generosity very much.
Deacon Tse saw the star in Fr. Savio Hon, SDB who was recently made Archbishop to take up the post of the secretary of the Congregation of Evangelization. The Catholic Church has long been perceived as a Western religion tied up with the history of Europe. Since the discovery of the New World and the Reformation, the Church has seen the need to reach out to the other continents. The Congregation of Evangelization aims at just this. Deacon Tse saw Fr. Hon as a rising star and invited us to pray earnestly for him.
Deacon Tsang had a totally different experience. He saw deacons as stars of beacon. He shared with us his pastoral experience with an old patient in the hospital. The patient has been very hesitant in receiving Catholic baptism because he had been troubled by the sale of indulgence and the "worship" of Mary in the Catholic Church. As a deacon, Tsang had no problem in resolving his doubts. In this, he saw himself as the star pointing the way for seekers of the truth.
However, there are frustrating cases which are beyond his capacity. Most of these come from aggressive Protestant family members. For example, though he is the Catholic Chaplin in the Tuen Mun Hospital where Jason Leung is staying, he is barred from visiting Jason at the request of the Protestant aunt of Jason! In another email Tsang sent to all the deacons, he shared with us the frustration of conducting funeral services of deceased Catholics who have Protestant family members. They are very hostile to Catholics. This is another issue deacons need to face in their pastoral work.
Comas saw the fragile Messiah in one of his pupils who was hospitalized. The doctors were not able to find out the cause. The pupil managed to survive and was very anxious to return to school. Comas visited him and asked himself what he could do to help the boy and his mother. In fact, he has to accept the fact that there was not much the medical staff, the school principal and teachers can do to help the boy. They could not entrust the life of this boy to God.
Cecilia, wife of Deacon Ng, meditated on offering the Holy Infant gifts. Her daughter-in-law suffered from cancer and was healed. However, recently, she relapsed. Cecilia had to take intensive care of her and do a lot of house chores. In times, she felt a kind of indescribable helplessness. Somehow, in this helplessness, she was able to feel God's abundant grace. Now, daily chores become her prayers.
Deacon Li saw the star of inspiration in his daughter who wants to study space science. Li had been very worried about this choice until recently he watched a TV documentary on the known universe. Light travels with a finite speed and it takes years for the light of the nearest star outside our solar system to reach us. Very often, we fail to admire God's wonders and works with a sense of gratefulness.
Fred's wife had undergone micro-surgery on her knees. Before the operation, she received a short message from a friend to cheer her up. She felt much relieved and felt God's blessing through her friends. We too could to the same for our neighbours. This agreed inadvertently with what Fr. Milanese preached today in his homily.
Fr. Milanese told us the story of Artaban, the Fourth Magi, who spent his whole life searching for the true king of the cosmo. On his way, he was delayed and missed the rendezvous with the other three Magi. He tried to follow their footsteps and was always one step behind, from Bethlehem to Egypt, back to Jerusalem and Nazareth etc. In the meantime, he spent all his treasures which he intended for the king on the poor and needy until some thirty years later, he returned one last time to Jerusalem where he heard that Jesus of Nazareth was rejected as the king of the Jews and on his way to be crucified. Artaban still had one last pearl and he wanted to ransom this king of the Jews ...
It is a touching story and encourages us to seek Jesus our King among our needy neighbours all the days of our life until we give out our last breath. We often complain that God is elusive. But in fact, Jesus has already told us where to find him.
My mood had been a bit negative on those days because I was acutely aware of my hearing impediment. I know my kidneys are failing as a consequence of my chronic diabetes.
During the sharing, Herod the Great kept ringing inside my head. Though a famous builder, Herod was a paranoid and notorious for his cruelty. Why did his image, and not the Magi, nor the star, keep popping up in my mind? I had no idea but this evil man had successfully done a good job for me. He cautioned me not to follow his examples. In trying to secure his own kingship, he denied himself an opportunity to receive the Messiah, whereas the Magi were ready to sacrifice whatever was needed to seek the True King. In my vocation of deacon, seek the Lord. In seeking Him, I may find my true self.
Dear Lord, now I know that seeking You is a life long journey. The TV station has just broken the news of the demise of Szeto Wah. He spent his whole life building democracy in Hong Kong. If I am not mistaken, he was also a Christian. He has set a brilliant example of what a good Christian can be. In him, we may be able to get a glimpse of You.May his soul find eternal peace in You. May his example continue to inspire those who follow his footsteps. Amen.
Photo Credit: life.mingpao.com
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