School Prayer

Both Fr. Lejeune and Fr. Martin mentioned the same point in their homilies --- God has been very generous in sowing the seeds. God seems to be a bit wasteful when He sows the seeds on the roadside only to be eaten by the birds, on rocky grounds only to be scorched by the sun and on thorny ground only to be smothered. Had God been more choosy, those seeds would not have been wasted. But God is merciful to everybody. He gives everybody a chance or indeed more than one chance.

Tonight, I had dinner with my LSC old students of 1981. They came from the same class --- 5C which was an elite class in an elite school. In their younger days, some had already shown their academic might. Some were less promising. Yet, today, they are all successful professionals contributing to the Hong Kong society and serving in mainland China. This gives me a different understanding of the different types of land described in the parable of sower (Matthew 13:3-9).
Those are not four different types of hearts or people. Rather, they are 4 possible conditions of hearts. A single person may goes through these 4 different conditions. He does not necessarily stay in one condition for his whole life. Men are redeemable. They are able to undergo conversion.
Therefore, a person may start with the condition like roadside. First of all, he needs to drive off the birds to give himself a chance. He needs to hear and seriously pay attention to the Good News of Jesus. If he works hard enough to plough the land (his heart), he might be able to change the rock into soil and start taking roots. Remember, we are not passive recipients of external influences from the environment. We are able to modify the external environment to meet our needs. Of course, worldly worries are inevitable as long as we continue to live in this world. There are just never-ending chores to handle. We need to learn to choose the good things for our body as well as our soul.
Remember what the gospel taught last week. It talks about being child-like to accept the kingdom of God. It talks about being gentle and humble. This is the right kind of attitude we need to cultivate our hearts.

If there is one thing Shung Tak is superior to La Salle, it is that La Salle does not have a school prayer but Shung Tak has. The Shung Tak School Prayer just captures the right spirit to cultivate our hearts.

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SHUNG TAK SCHOOL PRAYER
Make us receptive and open.
And may we accept your kingdom
Like children taking bread from the hands of their father.
Let us live in your peace
at home with you
all the days of our life.
Amen.

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