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.