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.
Sunday 30 October 2011
Sunday 23 October 2011
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 (26th 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.
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.
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:
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.
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 (26th 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.
- Matthew dropped "strength" and retained "mind" in the gospel of Mark.
- Matthew held an anthropology different from the ancient Israelites.
- Matthew reported correctly what Jesus had said.
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:
- Matthew based on Mark to write up his own gospel, and
- Matthew wanted to keep the number of elements to three for his Jewish readers.
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.
Tuesday 18 October 2011
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.
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.
Sunday 16 October 2011
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.
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.
Sunday 9 October 2011
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.
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.
Monday 3 October 2011
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.
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.
Sunday 2 October 2011
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.
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.
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