Family is where it hurts most

Leo Tolstoy's book Anna Karenina begins as follow:
"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way."
Tolstoy's theme sentence captures the spirit of a similar Chinese idiom "Every family has a difficult prayer to say 家家有本難念的經". Perhaps like the Oedipus myth, family is an existential crisis everybody has to go through.
As Homo Sapiens evolved and wealth accumulated, the institution of family was set up to serve several essential socio-political functions. As long as man is mortal, begetting and raising offspring is the solution to the preservation of the gene pool. In order to pass on the hard gain wealth of material and knowledge, marriage is set up to legitimize inheritance. Thus, family provides a relatively permanent environment to raise up children. Families are the building blocks of a society. With harmonious families, the stability of the larger social community is ensured. Thus, families have to be protected from assaults resulted from social changes. Today, the Church celebrates the Feast of the Holy Family. From the Holy Family, we learn the core values of family.

The Holy Family suffers all sorts of assaults like any other families. To begin with, the setting up of a family between the BVM and St. Joseph did not go smoothly. The first challenge came from the unwed motherhood of the BVM. Divine intervention had to be incurred in order to cement the marriage. With the birth of Jesus, the Holy Family came into existence. Immediately, political persecution forced the Holy Family to flee to an alien country, Egypt, where their patriarchs had once stayed to flourish only to be enslaved. Once divine intervention delivered the Chosen People so that they could settle in the Promised Land. Again, divine intervention ensured the safety of the Holy Family. From Egypt, the Holy Family returned and settled in the outskirt of this piece of Roman colony, Galilee where Jesus spent his childhood.
Every year, the saintly couple went to Jerusalem at the Feast of Passover (Luke 2:41). From his parents, child Jesus had been brought up in a pious family. According to custom, when Jesus came of age at 12, his parents brought him up to Jerusalem to spend the Feast of Passover together. Perhaps it was a kind of passage rite. Jesus was recognized as a grown-up Jew at 12. For the first time in his life, Jesus was brought into the Temple, the house of Yahweh, his heavenly Father. Here, Jesus began to be conscious of his destiny and true identity, the son not just of the BVM, but of his heavenly Father.

The story goes that Jesus stayed behind without his parents' knowledge to deepen his consciousness of his filial relationship with Yahweh. This resulted in inflicting pains on his parents who searched for him desperately for three days.
"Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously." (Luke 2:48b)
Children have to grow up and gain independence. If they are suffocated by parental care, they will never mature. Letting go of children is painful for parents because their bond is very intimate and strong. Parents are supposed to be mature and strong enough to let go. We parents cannot expect our children to understand our feelings well enough. It is part of parenthood to suffer for the good of our children. It is also a part of our growing up and growing up is very often painful. Family is where it hurts most.

Nowadays, we witness many incidents of domestic violence, obsessive gambling, substance abuses, internet addiction, divorce and what not. Furthermore, long working and studies hours are eroding our family life but material abundance cannot replace quality family time. Family members are the most intimate among all relations. The wounds sustained hurt the most. We came from families and lead most of our lives in families. This is the existential crisis we all have to go through. We all fall but we must stand up again stronger so that we can withstand the next fall. But where lies the strength to stand up tall again? I believe that love and forgiveness are the answer. We cannot afford to allow our families to break up. Family has to be defended at all costs, for the young and the aged as well. Where do love and forgiveness come from? We must go back to the source of our existence in order to overcome this existential crisis, God who is faithful and is always there ready to intervene when we place our trust in Him.

Jesus had chosen the better portion to stay in his Father's house (Luke 2:49). He had brought his parents back to the Temple, to a deeper relation with the heavenly Father. Their pains were not yet over. Greater pains would follow: the demise of St. Joseph, witnessing the rejection of her son by his own people, his death and burial. In God's guidance, the Holy Family went through all familial sufferings for the redemption of humanity.

Dear Jesus, You know our wounds in the family. Transform them to be instruments of our redemption. Amen.

Admission to Permanent Diaconate Candidacy

At the anticipatory mass on the Feast of Holy Family, I was admitted among candidates of permanent deacons of the Hong Kong Catholic Diocese. Celebrating the occasion on this Feast is meaningful in a particular way for me. At twelve, Jesus was awaken to a new awareness of his destiny and true identity. Tonight also marks the beginning of a new level of my consciousness as a deacon candidate.

Way back in 1976, I offered my graduation gown on a Sunday Mass to express my wish to offer my talents to serve God. At that time, I was not dedicated enough to consider the vocation of priesthood. I met Erminia and got married. Due to an unhealthy life style, I contracted diabetes and plunged into depression. With the support of Erminia, I gradually emerged psychologically as well as physically. About 12 years ago, my three children were relatively independent. Saturnia, then the youngest daughter was  already primary three. At that time, Deacon Karl Tsang gave a talk to promote permanent diaconate among the parishioners. I was among the audience. Yet, God has a schedule for me. Erminia was pregnant again with Symphorian. So, God wanted me to be a dedicated husband and father rather than a permanent deacon, I thought.
In 2008 when Shung Tak celebrated her golden jubilee, an encounter with the Vicar General, Fr. Dominic Chan aroused in me again the vocation to serve the Church in the capacity of a permanent deacon. From then on, with the support of Erminia and my children, I embarked on my formation program as an aspirant. There are two major obstacles which I need to overcome: my poor health and my aversion to authority abuses. While I was contemplating the gospel reading of Jesus' sitting among the teachers in the Temple, the image of the poor widow offering two copper coins floated in my mind.
And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.
For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living." (Mark 12:43-44)

Jesus praised the poor widow because she loved the Lord her God with all her heart, with all her soul, with all her mind, and with all her strength (Mark 12:30), while the others loved God out of what they spared. This is a good lesson for all of us. We should not serve God only in our spare time, with our spare money. Like the poor widow, we should serve and love God even when we cannot spare our time and money. I should not wait until my health is totally recovered. I should not wait until my personality is perfect. I am fully aware that my diabetes is incurable and my morality is chronically flawed. God is actually granting me grace to cure my inadequacy. It is out there for me to grab. At least, for this moment, I partly realize that God is handing me the grace which I cannot even dream of. He is purifying and strengthening my health, my character, my relationship with Erminia, my children, my parents as well as the others, in particular with my mother. It is my redemption!

6 Deacons, 2 Parish Priest, Fr. Dominic Chan, V.G.
Erminia & Alex; Anthony & wife.

Sitting side by side with Erminia during mass, I was deeply moved in the liturgy. Many people came to congratulate and support me and Anthony Sin, another aspirant from St. Joseph Parish, Kowloon Bay. I did not deserve the honour granted me by the presence of 6 permanent deacons, other deacon candidates and aspirants, my classmates of the BRS program, well wishing parishioners and in particular, Peter Lo and his wife Joan all the way from Canada. My God touches me once more.

Dear Jesus, I am an unworthy servant. Make up what I lack to glorify You. Amen.

Merry Christmas 2012

God has given us
an invaluable present
Jesus Christ.
Make room for Him in our hearts.
Savour the ineffable peace He brings.
Merry Christmas

What does it mean to be blessed?

Christmas is just 2 days away. We have entered the final preparation for Christmas. The best thing to do is to make a good confession so as to make room for Jesus in our hearts.

An old friend of mine, Daniel Mok, who had emigrated to England for many years, called me the other day to greet us merry Christmas in person. More than two decades ago, we met in Golden Arcade, Sham Shui Po, the IT Paradise which all tourists must visit. In those days, we cracked software and jokes. He is a Protestant and I am a Catholic. We have no quarrel but lively sharing of our faith. In view of the 1997 handover, his whole family left Hong Kong for England and had to struggle hard for quite a number of years in order to gain a footing. Now that his two sons have married and got good jobs, Daniel can finally enjoy a peaceful life. He told me that he was able to see God's hand guiding and granting them favour all these difficult years. I am consoled to see my friend successful both spiritually and temporally. He and his family are blessed.

In the gospel reading today, we heard of Mary being blessed among women (Luke 1:42). Mary is blessed in a special way because she believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord (Luke 1:45). So, what does it mean to be blessed for us?

Traditionally, many people would count longevity as being blessed. People who died young could not lead their lives to the full and have their ambitions fulfilled. They were deemed cursed. Nowadays, people value the quality of life more than its length. In a culture of death, people look for euthanasia as an exit. Longevity is no longer a sign of being blessed. Many people would count material abundance as being blessed. They would have no worries for daily necessities in their life. More demanding people would take esteem and respect from others as being blessed. However, most of the time, their lives are corrupted by power and end up in tragedy. Then, how can possessing esteem and respect be regarded as being blessed? From Maslow's point of view (the hierarchy of needs), material abundance and power only satisfy our needs. Having needs satisfied cannot be counted as blessed because we are not free. When our happiness depends on something external to us, we cannot enjoy our happiness freely. How can we count ourselves blessed? Thus, we have to look for blessedness beyond material and social dimensions. Being blessed must be spiritual.

As a Buddhist, gaining enlightenment is blessed. As a Christian, gaining God's favour is blessed. Perhaps you would object because this blessedness depends on God, on some Being outside and beyond us. We cannot command God to give us favour nor can we work hard to gain His favour. We all depend on God to grant us favour at His pleasure. However, we know and we believe that God wants all of us to be saved, to be freed from the bondage of sin and death (1 Timothy 2:4). His love is unconditionally because God is our heavenly Father. It is not through our works that we gain His favour. God has extended His invitation. It depends on whether we are willing to accept it. When we surrender our stubbornness and believe in His love, His favour will immediately descend on us and we are blessed. Mary has set us a model to copy. We believe and become blessed like Mary.

Sweet Lord Jesus, allow me to surrender my arrogance, believe in Your love and be counted blessed. Amen.

Gaudete Sunday 2012

It is a coincidence that the graduation ceremony of Saturnia, my daughter, was held today, the Gaudate Sunday, the third Sunday in the Advent Season. Christmas is just around the corner. Following the advice of St. Paul in Philippians 4:4-6, we should "Gaudete in Domino semper (Rejoice in the Lord always )".

Her graduation today is truly a joyous day. Her birth marked my gradual recovery from diabetes which will always never go away. It cheers me up to emerge from depression. She is such an adorable girl and I must work harder to stand on my feet again to live with my diabetes. She sat for HKCEE RS examination as a private candidate and scored an A, which washed away my shame in Shung Tak where the passing rate of my students barely went beyond 50%. It was a matter of candidates' attitude towards the subject. I rejoice in the Lord and am proud of Saturnia.

Erminia, Saturnia and me in the Grand Hall of Convention & Exhibition Centre

What is my secret of joy? Not money, not status, nor a comfortable life.
I am able to earn enough money to maintain my family. I evade authority and power to stay away from troubles. I live with my diabetes which is rather inconvenient. Yet, I am used to it.
John the Baptist says,
His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor, and to gather the wheat into his granary, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire (Luke 3:17).
It is the Lord who clears his threshing floor, not us. We incur troubles on our heads when we take over the job of the Lord. Therefore, judge not and we will be happy. Stay in my station and collaborate with my colleagues to discharge my duties faithfully. Stay simple and this is my secret of joy.

Dear Lord, let me and my family rejoice in You always. Amen.

What is Salvation?

We are all children of Adam and have inherited the Original Sin. Perhaps St. Paul had this in mind when he wrote that all had sinned and fell short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). Now, after studying theology for a short while, we know that "inherited the Original Sin" does not articulate the truth properly. Rather, we should say "lost the Original Grace". Out of His benevolence, God created us. However, the first parents rebelled and did not live up to God's intention. Not only did our first parents fall short of the glory of God, they had done something that damaged part of the faculties of the soul. Thus, we have lost the Original Grace which is God Himself! Rejecting God, the human species rejected life.

Are we not living? Are we not breathing, eating and reproducing? Yes we are, but this is only the biological level. Even on the biological level, we suffer genetic mutation and incurable cancers. On higher levels, we establish interpersonal relationships and build up social networks. Are we not living socially? Yes we are, but on this social level, we suffer gossiping and bullying. We have developed economic prosperity and improved our living standard.  Yet, on this economic level, we exploit the developing countries through globalization. On the political level, there are greater freedom and democracy than before. Yet, our arsenals have enough weaponry to blast up this planet several times. All levels of our existence is stained. The story of the Forbidden Fruit attempts to explain our present plights, but with a twist, with a promise of salvation.

There would be conflicts between the Tempter and the Woman, the children of Women and the children of the Tempter. God would be on our side so that the Woman would trample on the head of the Tempter (Genesis 3:15). The Epistle of the Romans is a theological reflection on this conflict. Luckily, God did not abandon us. Throughout the ages, God announced through the prophets His determination to deliver us. St. Luke and the early Christians saw John the Baptist come to make the final announcement that the Saviour had finally arrived. Quoting Isaiah 40:5, Luke wrote all the flesh shall see the salvation of God. (Luke 3:6). So, what does this salvation mean? I think salvation means different things to different people because any abstract, universal definition, such as a restoration or even transformation of our relationship with God, will not be meaningful to us at all.

My mum has been an alcoholic but she does not admit it. From our point of view, alcoholism is seriously damaging her health and her relationships with us. Kicking the habit is her salvation. However, from her point of view, she has no problem. She denies drinking even though her breath is saturated with alcohol. Arguments over her drinking problem do not yield any improvement. We have tried different ways, e.g. accompanying her to distract her attention when the  hiding away the bottles of wine she purchases, asking her doctor to prescribe drugs, locking the door to prevent her from going out, following her and signal the grocers not to sell her etc. and have to admit that we have reached our wits' end.

When we were desperate and wanted to give up, God sent a parishioner to help us. She has been a janitor in a public hospital and is very experienced in dealing with old people. She is in a much better position to handle my mum's situation. After all, she is my mum. There are too many emotional complications involved to hinder our trying to make her quit drinking. Thank God and our parishioner friend, my mum begins to show signs of improvement. She still drinks. She still denies drinking but she can communicate better.

Dear Lord, I dare not beg You to make my mum quit drinking completely. I wish that she shall one day go to Church to praise You with me. Amen.

Christians welcome the end of the world

Don't make me wrong. I do not mean Christians are doomsday cult members who welcome or even try to initiate the end of the world, the Armageddon, the Parousia, the Judgment Day or whatever fancy names the concept of the end of the world would conjure up. No. Christians should not be like these fanatics. Rather, the end of the world marks the return of Christ whose second coming has long been waited for. Christians welcome the second coming of their Lord to bring them justice denied them by the world.

Now when these things begin to take place, look up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near (Luke 21:28).

The concept of the end of the world is alien to Asian Pacific minds which also believe in an afterlife. When the idea is mixed with the concept of justice, heaven and hell are born. Heaven is an extremely happy world 極樂世界 while hell is littered with tortures of all imaginable kind. This much Christianity shares with Eastern folk religions. It parts company with the Asian counterparts when Christianity believes in an end of this known world. The Bible invents an apocalyptic language to describe the novel situation which is something totally beyond the present-world experience. Just imagine, how would you describe the taste of chocolate if you have never eaten any chocolate before? Or the activities of silicon based life forms in another planet in another solar system? Here is how Luke describes it.

And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the earth distress of nations in perplexity at the roaring of the sea and the waves,
men fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world; for the powers of the heavens will be shaken (Luke 21:25-26).
We know tsunami, but what does "the powers of the heavens will be shaken" mean?
So nowadays, movie makers produce all sorts of doomsday films, such as asteroids hitting our earth, to capture the idea. However, this is modern astronomy which was unknown to authors of the Bible. They only knew astrology. Therefore, those heavenly signs described in the apocalyptic writings in the Bible should be interpreted astrologically instead of astronomically. When scientists try to identify the Star of Bethlehem to fix the year in which Jesus was born, most likely they will miss it if they apply Newtonian physics to calculate the paths of the stars. Once again, consult astrology almanacs would be a better approach.

Today is the beginning of the Advent Season, the beginning of a new liturgical cycle. The Church marks out the whole year for us to remember of our redemption history: the Incarnation of the Son of God, his earthly ministry, passion, resurrection, ascension, the descent of the Holy Spirit and the ministry of the Church etc. It is now the season of Advent, a preparation for the coming of Christ. Christ has come and will return again to fulfill our redemption. In his homily this morning, Deacon Karl Tsang invited us to meditate on our redemption. What are we supposed to become? There are many obstacles for us to fully realize our potentials. Many of us whose lives have been cut short to attain their fullness, whose ambitions have been frustrated and whose relations have never been satisfying etc. We look forward to their fulfillment when Christ comes the second time to elevate us to our fullness.

Dear Lord, come quickly to quench our thirst. Amen.

Who wants a King?

Since Enlightenment, the idea of freedom gains popularity. The popularity reached the climax when Charles I of England was tried and executed in 1649 and when the French people chopped off the head of Louis XVI with the guillotine in 1793. In 1869, J.S. Mill wrote a treatise On Liberty to defend personal liberty from the encroachment of the governments and tyrants. Indeed, most of the kings were disliked by the people because they were perceived as tyrants and levied heavy taxes for their enjoyment. Their words were laws but these were no more than their whims. Civil wars and revolutions usually meant the dethronement of tyrants.
Nowadays, there are still kings in this world despite the baptism of the two World Wars. In Europe, the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II, performs a symbolic, yet very influential role in British as well as global politics. In Asia, the Japanese and Thai emperors do likewise. These royal dignitaries are loved by their subjects who are proud to have a king/queen ruling over them. They provide a sense of glorious tradition for their peoples. They went through hardship and economic prosperity with their peoples and earned their respect. Therefore, these peoples are willing to "feed" their royalties from the taxes they pay the government.

Do modern Christians want a king?
Seeing the lack of respect for Jesus from modern men, in 1925, Pope Piux XI issued an encyclical to encourage the whole Church to celebrate the Feast of Christ the King to mark the end of the whole liturgical year. There is nothing better to express this deep-seated need of Jesus as our King than the video of Psalm 42, "As the Deer". Let it be my closing prayer as well.
Enjoy.

The End of the World

Chinese do not subscribe to a linear conception of history. Very few of them would be bothered by the worries of the end of the world which is the hallmark of a linear history. In such a view, the universe has a beginning and an end. If my understanding is not wrong, Chinese believe in a spiral view of history. A circular conception of history believes that what happened in the past would happen again in the future. A spiral conception is a little bit different in that what happens again will not be identical to that happened in the past. Advocates of spiral conception optimistically believe that it will advance one step forward to a brighter future.

Is history linear, circular or spiral? This is a rather philosophical question and everybody is entitled to subscribe to whichever one that fancies him. Christians subscribe to the linear view. They believe that God created our universe some time in the past. They also believe that the world as we know it will come to an end when Christ comes the second time to judge the living and the dead. This is the famous Judgment Day which is a logical necessity because there have been so many miscarriages of justice and corruption. Our justice system is not airtight. Many political heavyweights attempt to bend the law in their favour. There have been tyrants whose whims were laws. Therefore, Christians welcome the idea of the end of the world when Christ would vindicate the injustice they suffer.

On my shelf there is one book which I will definitely not throw away. It is a hardcover book which means its sale was not good. Otherwise I would only have bought a paperback. This book predicted that the world would come to an end in 2009! I keep this book to show the stupidity of people trying to predict the end of the world.
In the gospel reading today (Mark 13:24-32), two embarrassing verses about the end of the world need clarification. Jesus was talking about the terrible things which would happen before the end of the world. The sun would be darkened, the moon would have no light to reflect to earth, stars (perhaps meteors) would fall from heaven and the powers in the heavens would be shaken (Mark 13:24-25). Then we hear the following verse.
Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things take place (Mark 13:30).
A generation is roughly thirty years. Suppose Jesus died at 33 and scholars estimate that the gospel of Mark was written in around 55 A.D. So, has Mark reported a stupid prediction by Jesus?
This verse actually reflects the belief of early Christians. They believed that Jesus would return soon. Money would be of no more use. Therefore, they handed over their property to the Apostles to share among all believers. But Mark could not put words into Jesus' mouth and Jesus would not say such stupid thing. Therefore, Jesus must be talking about something else. The only possibility would be the destruction of the Holy Temple in 70 A.D. Indeed, Jesus was talking about just this at the beginning of the chapter (Mark 13:1-3).

The next embarrassing verse is one of my favourites. My students have been troubled by members of some doomsday cults. So, I teach my students to defend themselves by quoting the following.
But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Mark 13:32).
So, when those doomsday cults members scare my students with the end of the world, my students should be able to counter-attack that those people are more powerful than Jesus Christ! They must be the Father!
This verse definitely would defend and save my students from falling into the snare of those doomsday cults. However, it backfires when we come to the theology of the Trinity which deals with the tension between the unity and distinction among the three Persons of God.
The three Persons are in unity. They have the same divinity, the same essence and are equal in glory etc. That is why they are one. Now, here is the difficulty. If the Son and the Father are one, how is it possible for the Son not to know about the end of the world, only the Father knows?
The Three Persons are also distinct. The Father did not die on the cross to redeem mankind. It was the Son. The Son did not enter the womb of Mary directly to become Jesus. It was the work of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, it is the Holy Spirit who turns bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus. Christ does not do this during Mass. In short, the three Persons have their own independent wills. Therefore, it is possible for the Son not to know the day or the hour of the end of the world because the Son and the Father have different and independent wills.They are different persons.

Dear Lord, keep us alert to expect Your second coming. Amen.

Generosity of the poor widow

In times of plenty and security, we rely more on our ability to fend for ourselves. We tend to forget that our existence is totally dependent on God. Only in desperate times do we realize our limitations and our complete reliance on God's providence.

Elijah and Elisha were legendary prophets of the Old Testament. Unlike the 4 Major Prophets and 12 Minor Prophets, Elijah and Elisha did not leave us any writings. However, in the books of Kings, there are collections of their legends which Biblical scholars called "Elijah cycle" and "Elisha cycle" respectively. These legends tell us the greatness of God through the acts of these 2 prophets. However, the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-16), like the rest, is not meant to entertain modern ears. Besides the incredibility of the endless supply of flour and oil, the behaviour of the widow was unreasonable. How could a widow mother follow the instruction of a total stranger at the expense of her own life and that of her only son? Perhaps the story could attract ancient audience, but not modern people who may find some of the stories, such as 2 Kings 2:23-24, offensive.

There were many widows in the early Church. Perhaps one of them was the main character in the story of the poor widow in the gospel of Mark. This story cannot be treated as a legend because every detail of the story was very authentic, except one and this exceptional detail was praised by Jesus.
And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.
For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living." (Mark 12:43-44)
Once more, modern people find the story hard to accept. Did the widow have children? Did the widow not care about her own livelihood? How could a sensible person hand over everything she had, her whole living? If she wanted to gamble with God, she would definitely lose!
Depending on which purpose the treasury collection served, the act of donation demonstrated both the love of God and the love of the needy. If the treasury collection helped maintain the Temple and feed the priests, donation was a love of God. If the treasury collection was meant to support the poor, donation was a love of neighbour. Jesus praised the poor widow because by donating all, she was able to love God with all her heart, and with all her soul, and with all her mind and with all her strength. If the treasury collection was meant to support the poor, the widow demonstrated a unreserved love of her neighbour as herself. Without reservation for her own, the poor widow was able to put the two greatest commandments into practice. How did she do it? Perhaps we will never understand because it is rather impossible for us to put ourselves in her position, to see what she saw and to experience what she experienced.

To be sure, her life was harsh. There was no CSSA. If her deceased husband had no brothers, there would be nobody to support her. Perhaps she was receiving relief from the very treasury she contributed. In her difficult life, she understood very well the plights of similar people like her. Other than God, to whom could she turn? So, if we think that it is unreasonable, irrational of her to contribute all, it is because we have not learned to be generous. We don't understand how important generosity is for us! God has always been faithfully generous to us. Without His providence, we are not. Without the incarnation, passion and resurrection of Jesus, our existence is pitiful. Therefore, our generosity is microscopic in front of God.

Dear Lord, generosity is Your blessing. May we make good use of our generosity to serve the needy. Amen.

Love men in order to love God

Historians and social scientists would see Christianity as an outgrowth of Judaism. To a certain extent, they are correct. Christians and Jews share half of the Bible and they keep the same Ten Commandments. What is more, the founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ, was himself a Jew, even a respectable Rabbi though Jesus was by trade a carpenter.
Jesus knew the Hebrew Scripture, in particular the book of Deuteronomy, very well. When he was tempted by the Devil during his fasting in the wilderness, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy to answer the Tempter. Today, we read of the story of a Jewish Rabbi who challenged him to name which is the first commandment of all "Ποία ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη πάντων; ", Jesus answered again from the Deuteronomy, the famous "Shema Israel".
Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one;
and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength'" (Mark 12:29-30, Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
Today, I will not talk about the extra "with all your mind" Jesus inserted into Shema Israel. In fact, the Rabbi challenger was closer to the Deuteronomy original in Mark 12:33. Interested readers might also compare the Matthean and Lucan versions of the same story and try to explain why the Evangelists reported different sayings from the same Jesus! It will be a good Synoptic Gospel assignment ... etc.

No. Today, I want to focus on this total love of God --- "to love God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength". Naturally, one shall wonder if there is any room and any time to love anybody else. We all live in a web of relationships, some of which may be instrumental. However, there must be some relationships in which genuine love is nurtured, for example parents and children, husband and wife, brothers and sisters, friends and comrades etc. If we follow this commandment literally, we will become very selfish to those who love us because we love God so completely that we have no room to reciprocate. In real life, other than monks, nuns and religious fanatics, who can love God so totally? Therefore, the Shema Israel is an impossible commandment for ordinary people.
Here, Jesus provides us with an escape clause. He continues to teach the second commandment.
The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:31, Leviticus 19:18b)
The significance of the second commandment is first revealed in the Good Samaritan story in Luke 10:30-37 and in the Last Judgment story in Matthew 25:31-46. The needy are our neighbour. When we help the needy, we are serving the Jesus Christ present in them. Now that Christ has come to us, it is possible to follow the Shema Israel literally because when we love the needy, we are loving Christ who is God. Blessed Mother Teresa and her nuns are doing just this. God would not command us to do things beyond our capability to do. The Son of God incarnated to put on our humanity to become a lowly needy man. He taught us to love the needy and our enemies. Commandments and laws are not able to uplift us. The Age of Law is over. Christ has come to inaugurate a new age, the Age of Grace in which He gives us grace to seek God's will, to partake in God's eternal life. Now, we may love men in order to love God.

It is a bit unsatisfying to bark about love. No. we should not just talk about love. Instead, we should do it. Action speaks louder than words. So, just do it.

Dear Lord, I thank You for making God's commandments practicable. May I be generous enough to answer Your call. Amen.

What is Faith?

After working a cure miracle, Jesus usually said, "Your faith has cured you. Go in peace." The gospel reading  today is an example. When Jesus was heading Jerusalem, he passed by Jericho. A blind man, not a born blind, sought Jesus' help despite discouragement from the bystanders. At last Jesus cured him and we hear Jesus say "Go your way; your faith has made you well" (Mark 10:52).
Such stories make Jesus look like a faith-healer. Elsewhere, we read of the inability of Jesus to work miracles because of the lack of faith of the villagers of Nazareth where Jesus spent his childhood.up until he became an adult (Mark 6:1-6). We conclude that faith is the key to open up God's power. To the ears of unbelievers, faith is superstition. Believing in God is irrational, unscientific and thus not appropriate for modern life in the society.

To celebrate the golden jubilee of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Benedict XVI kicked off the Year of Faith in October 11, 2012. So, the Catholic Church will spend the next 13 months (October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013) to rethink their faith in God. Is the Catholic faith in God a superstition? Is faith irrational and unscientific? I have no intention to bore my readers to death through philosophical discourses on the complementality of faith and reason. I just happen to remember a famous story in ancient China that illustrates the importance of faith in any endeavour, the story of He's Jade 和氏璧.
In around 750 BC, Bian He 卞和 discovered a piece of precious jade which was encrusted with rock. He offered it to King Li of Chu 楚厲王 who told his royal craftsman to examine it. The craftsman reported that it was just a piece of ordinary rock. The king was angry and ordered to have the left leg of Bian He amputated. After the death of King Li, his son King Wu 武王 succeeded. Once more, Bian He offered the precious jade and this time, his remaining leg was amputated as well. King Wu reigned for 51 years and died in 690 B.C. King Wen 文王 who succeeded King Wu heard that Bian He had wailed for 3 days and nights. King Wen sent an officer to ask about it. Bian He reportedly said that he did not wail for the loss of both legs. He wailed because the precious jade was mistaken as a piece of ordinary rock and a loyal officer was mistaken to be a cheating mandarin. King Wen ordered his craftsmen to remove the crust and the precious jade at last came to light.
This is a well-known story in Chinese History. How does it relate to faith?

Religion and science are not mutually antagonistic. The same goes to faith and reason. They are pairs of legs for us to walk on. Without one, we are crippled. It is well known that many great scientists are deeply religious. In fact, without faith, whether in God or in some other intangible belief, an experimental scientist would miss the chance of discovery. It is well known that many discoveries were made after hundreds of experimental failures. For example, Dolly, the first successfully cloned sheep, was the fruit of 277 attempts. Had the scientists given up after 276 failures, they would never have cloned Dolly. Faith, the confidence/belief in something unseen, something intangible, sustains these scientists.
Perhaps now you begin to see the story of He's Jade in a different perspective. The story tells us that Bian He had faith in his judgment. He also had not lost faith in his kings. He believed that no matter how stupid the previous kings had been, there would still be one king who would understand. His story also tells us one more important thing about faith. In defending his faith, Bian He had paid a heavy price. Faith exacts a price from all who insist. Are you prepared to pay such a price which may be unknown at the very beginning?

Dear Lord, faith in You does not come cheaply. Help us be willing to pay the price. Amen.

Appendix:
楚人和氏得玉璞楚山中，奉而獻之厲王，厲王使玉人相之，玉人曰：「石也。」王以和為誑，而刖其左足。及厲王薨，武王即位，和又奉其璞而獻之武王，武王使玉人相之，又曰「石也」，王又以和為誑，而刖其右足。武王薨，文王即位，和乃抱其璞而哭於楚山之下，三日三夜，泣盡而繼之以血。王聞之，使人問其故，曰：「天下之刖者多矣，子奚哭之悲也？」和曰：「吾非悲刖也，悲夫寶玉而題之以石，貞士而名之以誑，此吾所以悲也。」王乃使玉人理其璞而得寶焉，遂命曰：「和氏之璧。」【韓非子‧和氏十三】

Christians, are you ready?

Today is Mission Sunday. All the readings are exciting.

In the second reading, St. Paul gave Timothy some practical advice in evangelization despise all sorts of shortcomings and failures. As a bishop consecrated by God, Timothy should work exclusively for the will of God who is our Saviour and
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.. (1 Timothy 2:4).
If there were one soul which God was unable to save, God would not be worthy to be a God. This verse gives us optimism in evangelization. All men can be saved no matter how stubborn they are or how morally evil they are. Even our enemies and those who oppose our efforts, God is able to find ways to change their hearts. Patience and tolerance will bear fruits. The prayers of agonizing parents over their children will not go unanswered.

In the first reading, Zechariah gave us a challenging vision.
Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." (Zechariah 8:23)
Christians, you are the religious successors of the Jews. So, are you ready for such a day on which people beg you to tell them more about your God? Such a day has been designed by God long before your coming into existence. When that day comes, are your prepared/equipped to explain to people why it is good to believe in your God?

So, how is your God better than other deities? Simple.
Firstly, our God is almighty. Heavens and earth were His creation. Most civilizations have their own creation myths. But the creation myth in Genesis agrees with the findings of modern sciences. The Big-Bang Theory and Evolution Theory find their inspiration from Genesis 1.
Secondly, our God loves us. Most other deities can be bribed and manipulated to do us good. Our God cannot be and need not be bribed. Instead, He took the initiatives to bring us to safety by sacrificing His only beloved Son for our sins. The Son of God incarnated and lived among us as Jesus of Nazareth two thousands years ago in Judaea. In complete obedience to the will of God the Father, the Son of God died on the cross to deliver us from the bondage of sins.
Thirdly, the Son of God sent the Holy Spirit to unite his followers into a Church. While other religions are exclusive, meaning those who are members of the religion can benefit from joining the religion, the Christian Church is Catholic in outlook, meaning salvation is for all men (1 Timothy 2:4), not just for an exclusive group. She is more inclusive and universal. The Holy Spirit is still working through the Church to redeem and transform the world.

However, be forewarned that believing in Christianity is not at all easy. It is difficult in both their faith tenets as well as their code of living. Not only do they go to Church on Sundays, but their sexual ethics are also known to be very demanding. Divorce is forbidden. Homosexuality and transsexualism are frowned upon. Politically, they opt for the poor and fight for social justice. Consequently, they often stand in opposition to the status quo and clash with the State.
 Theologically, their faith tenets are mind-boggling. They believe in one God, yet there are Three Persons in this one God. Why the trouble? Why not simply believe in three Gods? They believe that Jesus is both truly human and truly divine. Jesus is unique in the sense that he is the only God-man in human history. In other religions, their founders were mere mortals but at last attained divinity. But Christianity is different in the sense that the divine incarnated and took on humanity. The divinity of the Son of God did not destroy or absorb the humanity of Jesus such that there is a wonderful union in which the divinity and humanity retain their independence.
Worse still, the mother of Jesus becomes the Mother of God. Those who deny Mary this title denies the divinity of Jesus! How can God allow a human being to be His mother? If your only accept Mary as the Mother of the Son of God, you go against the dogma of monotheism. There is only One God, not three!
The worst of all, a nightmare to the Jews, from now on, it is legitimate to make icons and images of Jesus and saints because Jesus is the image of God (John 14:9). If you want to show off your purity of faith by smashing all these images, you deny the humanity of Jesus! It is really challenging to be a believer of Christ these days in a pluralistic environment. You have to respect other cultures and religions. Moreover, you have to love, even your Muslim neighbour who is living next door. Lest you still have any doubt about the severity of the challenge, just read the gospel of Mark. Just before he was taken up into heaven, Jesus instructed his followers to preach the good news to the whole creation, not just pagans or infidels (Mark 16:15)! Surely my youngest son will be all too happy to speak to his turtles about how much God loves them! Do you respect and love the environment, its grass and the waters, as a steward should be and relieve them of their agony?

Dear Lord, it is our privilege to become your followers, your ambassadors to bring reconciliation to the whole creation. We are blessed. Amen.

God alone is good

The Old Testament describes God as holy and Jesus says that our heavenly Father (God) is perfect (Matthew 5:48). Today, we heard Jesus mention yet another attribute of God.
"And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone" (Mark 10:18).
As usual, Jesus' saying was a bit enigmatic. Given that God alone is good,  does Jesus admit/claim that he is God? For Christians, the answer is affirmative. Yes, Jesus is God and he accepted the rich young man's salutation.

How do Christians describe their God? They say that God is omnipotent (all-ruling, almighty), omniscient (all-knowing) and beneficent. Very few people bother to challenge the omniscience of God. If God were not all-knowing, i.e. knowing all that could be known, this God would not be God. Again, very few people bother to challenge the beneficence of God. If God were not good, God would be the Devil. Now, people are more interested in undermining the omnipotence of God, in particular, the combination of omnipotence with beneficence. Let's discuss them one by one.

First of all, Christians believe that God is omnipotent. People would challenge the Christian God to create a rock so heavy that even God is unable to move. The logic is simple. They try to put God in a dilemma. Either God is unable to create such a rock, or God is unable to move this rock He creates. Either way, God is not almighty. The Christians lose. Their God is not worth believing. Period. Actually, they don't have to be so creative. Simply ask God to tell a lie. God is faithful and He cannot lie. (I wonder if anyone is able to tell whether what God says is a lie.)
Well, let me tell these winners, the Christian God is really incredible. Have you ever seen a deity that is willing and able to downgrade Himself into lower levels of existence? Have you ever  heard of a deity that is mortal? Ask the Christians. As if people would never be satisfied with mountain-melting, ocean-splitting or food-raining for forty years, the Christian God stuns the believers by becoming a man and later a piece of wafer. The Christian God even died on a cross. The Bible tells us these stories about God who works in a totally different logic system from us (Isaiah 55:8). Logical dilemma or even trilemma? God does not bother.
According to our primitive logic, a being cannot is and not-is at the same time. However, in the more exciting real life situations, there are many grey shades between black and white, true and false, on and off. (For your information, true and false are digital logic and grey is analog. If 3-5 volts mean ON, 0-2 volts mean OFF, what do 2.4 volts represent? ON or OFF?) Just think about what happen when we tell lies. We tell people that we are telling the truth but actually we are telling lies. Is telling lies not a contradiction? We are able to do it all the time. Yet God never tells lies (Titus 1:2). Luckily, the Bible leaves unwritten a lot of things about God, such as the unmovable rock. This allows us to think up a lot of things which God will not do or is not able to do. Perhaps one day, God will show us how to create a rock which He is unable to move, and yet that does not lead to any contradiction. For the moment, rest assured that God is not able to tell lies!

Now, let me approach the more challenging issue about an omnipotent, omniscient and beneficent God and the existence of evil. Adding the omniscience attribute makes God morally responsible. If God does not know, God is not morally responsible for the sufferings caused by evil. In brief, the existence of both evil and an omnipotent, omniscient and beneficent God is contradictory. This problem of evil is attributed to Epicurus (341-270 B.C.) So, this challenge is not anti-Christian at all. Any religion that believes in an omnipotent, omniscient and beneficent deity has to answer this challenge. Buddhism believes in reincarnation and karma. It has no difficulty answering the challenge. Christianity does not allow for reincarnation to purify our karma. It has a hard time trying to answer the challenge. If God is beneficent and omniscient, He should have prevented evil from happening and people from suffering. Yet, God does not stop evil and sufferings. (On October 4, SCMP reported a Lamma Ferry-Collision survivor's claim that her God had saved her family in that collision in which 39 people died. An indignant reader protested and put forth this Epicurean paradox to counter-claim that this Christian God is cold-blooded.) Either God is not omnipotent or God is not beneficent at all. Either way, believing in God is outdated. Frankly speaking, this is a very thorny question Christians have been trying to answer. So far, every answer is flawed. For example, some Christians argue that God allows evil to exist for the greater good of man. Misfortunes make man mature. For example, in the story of the Forbidden Fruit in Eden, God knew beforehand that man would fall into the temptation of the Serpent. Yet, God respected our freedom of will and allowed Adam to breach His command, thus entered Sin and Death into the Creation. Bad as it is, through this evil, man, the mere creature from dust, is able to partake in the eternal life of God etc. However, try tell a surviving girl that the death of her parents in the ferry-collision is a greater good for her. I cannot do this. In this disaster, I prefer consoling the pitiful girl to offering an armchair theological argument. At the end of the day, we have to admit that our system of logic is flawed and suffering is a mystery.

Dear Jesus, You do not need my defence. Just allow me to do good to the needy. Amen.

To divorce, or not to divorce

Since there was no records or evidences, it is commonly speculated that savages lived in groups to protect each other from wild animals. They took cues from animals and were promiscuous. Nine months later, babies were born. It would take a quantum leap in intelligence  for savages to discover who fathered those babies.
Gregarious animals take care of their young ones. Human beings are no different. It is so natural. Perhaps in the course of evolution, female humans discovered that staying with the same male would provide a greater chance for the survival of their babies. The human clan painfully and slowly developed the "institution" of marriage. Meanwhile, spare resources were accumulated into wealth. Perhaps some time along the evolution of society, women became part of the wealth of the head of the clan, the Alpha male. They were given out for 'marriage' in exchange for more resources. Sex had to be regulated. Laws on sex, marriage and divorce were written down and enforced to prevent members from doing harm to the society.

Of course, the picture painted above is different from the story in Genesis 2, which is a highly symbolic myth about the creation of humans and the institution of marriage. It was the product of a highly civilized literate people. The story enshrines the ideal of the institution of monogamy. Though many people complain about the Bible because it has been used to justify different kinds of discrimination in the society, such as the subjection of women, slavery, homophobia and genocide of other religious believers etc., the story of Genesis 2 shows that such accusations are misplaced.
First of all, God took a rib, not any other spare bones to make a woman (Genesis 2:21). A rib is close to the heart and protects the heart. Therefore, women should not be slighted.
Secondly, the man exclaimed that the woman was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh (2:23). Therefore, women did not come from Venus and men from Mars. Men and women share the same human nature. They are not aliens. Subjection of women is wrong.
Thirdly, the Bible teaches that children should grow out of their parents. They should become independent not just physically, but also emotionally, financially and politically (2:24). In the eyes of parents, even octogenarian children are always their baby children! On the other hand, adults living with parents still foster some degree of reliance on parents. Therefore, marriage is good because it catalyzes the maturity of people.

Nowadays, we pay more attention to the welfare of children. People who oppose divorce usually put forward harms caused by divorce on children as an argument. These people would be disappointed with Jesus' reply to the question of divorce because Jesus made no mention of children at all (Mark 10:2-12). It does not mean that children are not important for Jesus. Jesus blessed them to show their importance immediately after the question of divorce (10:13-16). As for Jesus, he does not enter children into the equation of divorce because fidelity alone is enough to condemn the practice of divorce.
Marriage is good for the maturity of man but married life is not at all an easy life. Man should not enter marriage, using divorce as a safety valve. That is, if anything goes wrong or goes against expectation, man may resort to divorce to solve their problems. Had marriage been a legal contract, divorce would have been tolerable. However, Christian marriage is a sacrament, not a contract. It is an encounter of one's being with another's being, a life-long commitment. That rules out the option of divorce. Infidelity breaks down the integrity of a person. We have to pay a price for taking shortcuts. Divorce as a shortcut to solve interpersonal problems exacts a heavy price on many people involved.

Monogamy and "till death we part" are ideals. In reality, the Catholic Church annuls many marriages annually (annulment is another name for divorce). Nowadays, many Christians marry non-Christians. Their marriages are not sacramental and therefore dissoluble. The marriage of two Christians are indissoluble. Of course, leading a sacramentally married life is not easy. However, since their marriages are consecrated by God, God will give them enough grace to grow in love and to overcome all difficulties.

Dear Lord, I pray for those who contemplate to lead a married life. May Your unfailing grace support them on their way of sanctification. Amen.

How literally can you follow the gospel?

Today, we read of a challenging passage in the gospel of Mark. To say that the passage is challenging is an understatement because if we follow it literally, we will be maimed.
And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life maimed than with two hands to go to hell, to the unquenchable fire.
And if your foot causes you to sin, cut it off; it is better for you to enter life lame than with two feet to be thrown into hell.
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out; it is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into hell (Mark 9:43, 45, 47).
I always quote this passage to tease those who insist on interpreting the bible literally. Had we followed it literally, heaven would have filled with handicapped people. Heaven would be a heaven of disabilities. In fact, no such heaven would exist because according to theologians of the Middle Ages, God would restore and make perfect our risen body. We will only be handicapped in this life, not in the next.

When I was doing my annual research paper, I came across the ethics of mutilation in medical ethics. I came across Origen, a Church Father who castrated himself after meditating on the same gospel passage. The Church was not happy about it. In the end, the Latin Church did not ordain him and never canonizes him. Why? Why is it acceptable to amputate the limbs, but not the sexual organ?

It is easier for those who interpret the Bible literally to answer my questions. Why? Because the gospel does not say "If your sexual organ causes you to sin, cut it off, it is better for you to enter life as a eunuch than with your balls to be thrown to hell." Therefore, it is ethically not acceptable to castrate yourself in order not to allow your balls to cause you to sin. Therefore, if you see a beautiful girl and lust after her. You follow her to a quiet place, overpower her with your hand and rape her. Then you should amputate your hand and foot, pluck one eye out but not castrate yourself! Don't you think it is better and more effective simply to remove your balls than to do so many things?

For those who interpret the Bible figuratively, they have an even better time. The message of the passage is more important than the letters. The passage tells us to have the courage and determination to cut yourself away from circumstances leading to sin. Therefore, if you see a beautiful girl and etc., don't do it next time. Don't look at beautiful girls. Don't go to quiet places. Don't ... etc. Don't you think it is hypocritical? Castrate yourself to demonstrate your determination and courage!

I read of an explanation. It states that the Church does not want us to take a physical shortcut. We should keep our sexual organ, limbs and eyes which are the sources of all these temptations. Engage in the spiritual struggle instead.

Dear Lord, give my mum strength to struggle against her alcoholism. Give me a humble heart to accept her addiction and a love that can motivate her to kick the addiction. Amen.

Ask rightly

Since Enlightenment, men have relied less and less on God. As our father, God should be happy with our achievements. We have grown up and become more independent. As children, we asked God what we needed, what we wanted. As adults, we think that we have the ability to satisfy our needs so we do not ask. We simply do what we fancy without truly satisfying our needs. Thus, we want to cheer up our spirits with wine. In the end, we feel more depressed and perhaps become addicted. We want to earn more money to lead a more comfortable life. In the end, we spend most of our time working, leaving very little time to enjoy life with our loved ones. We want to win the election so that we may serve the public. In the end, power corrupts our souls and we compromise our ideals and principles to cling to our position. How true is the words of St. James.
"You do not have, because you do not ask.
You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions" (James 4:2b-3).

Let's take a look at the first line which tells us at least two things. First of all, as Christians, we believe in God who is the source of all our good.  All that we have we receive from God. We do not have what God has not given us. Secondly, we have grown too arrogant that we do not ask God what we need. Of course, we have made a lot of technological advancements and we rely less and less on God for our material needs. Still, there are spiritual needs to be taken care of. These needs can only be satisfied by an infinite God. However, our technological achievements have blinded us with a materialistic outlook of existence. We care less and less of our spiritual life and consequently, an unspeakable void is created deep down our hearts and souls. This blindness makes us unable to ask God, the source of all our good. Simply put, we have forgotten God. People tell us that God is dead. We have no faith in God whom men have banished.

For those who still cling to God, they face a problem of a different level. They feel their needs and ask God for help. Yet, they do not receive and St. James explains that it is because they ask wrongly. How is it possible for a person to ask wrongly? If you are hungry, you ask for food. If you are thirsty, you ask for water. What else will you ask?
On the physiological level, probably we will not be wrong. However, when we move up to higher level such as psychological, inter-personal, social, political and even spiritual, we can be wrong because the path to hell is paved with good intentions.
We have a history. We have been raised up through a complex process in which many things can go wrong. If you were not raised by abusive, dysfunctional parents, you were lucky. See the many single-parents families around you. If your buddies did not bully, smoke or shoplift, you were lucky. See the many juvenile delinquent around you. If the organization you work in is not involved in any insider-tradings or corruption charges, you are lucky. See the many under-table dealings exposed by newspapers. Many of us are still struggling with our past wounds. However, we dare not to face them, to seek healing because we feel exposed, we feel insecure in front of the others most of whom are our rivals. In short, we do not know ourselves and thus our needs. We ask wrongly.
Then what is the right thing to ask for? The gospel reading today may shed us some light.

The disciples were arguing who was the greatest after Jesus had told them for the second time his imminent Passion (Mark 9:34). Here, the disciples were engaging at the sociopolitical level. Jesus told them that he would be going to Jerusalem to meet his death. How could the disciples still be fighting for the top job? Because in their mind, Jesus was the Messiah who would enter Jerusalem to chase away the Romans and build up the Messianic Kingdom. Of course, they cared about who would take up the top job. At this level, very few people will not get lost.
Of course, it is not wrong to be ambitious, to aim at the top job. Somewhere, somehow, somebody has to shoulder the responsibility. However, the occupant of the top job should possess the right attitude. Otherwise, many people, including himself, would suffer unnecessarily. In this occasion, Jesus taught his disciples "servant leadership". To be a leader, one must be the servant of all the people under his leadership (Mark 9:35).
Therefore, it is wrong to ask God to give you the top job to satisfy your lust for power, vainglory and privileges. Rather, we should ask God to give us the humility to serve the needy. The top job would land on your lap if it be God's will. Ask rightly and carefully because the path to hell is paved with good intentions.

Dear Lord, enlighten me to seek Your will. Amen.

Why can't government officials see?

I have no intention to join the controversy of imposing national education in the school curriculum. Nobody can put forth any reasonable objection against national education. However, the insensitivity of government officials has spoilt the whole project, turning a good thing into bad. They have lost touch with the reality and sentiment of the citizens. Simply put, the citizens see mainlanders as intruders and locusts. The mainlanders come to push up the prices of everything, from milk-powder to housing, from maternity ward to school places. Teachers of national education are fighting a losing battle against just one piece of bad publicity news from the mainland --- journalists being illegally detained for more than 44 hours while interviewing dissidents, vandalism during anti-Japanese demonstrations or a mother being punished for petitioning the public security to save her daughter who had been kidnapped and sexually abused etc. When one of these pieces of 'bad' news comes to light, no amount of national education can make the children love their mother country.

Why can't people see the reality?
Simply put, for many people, the reality is too difficult to imagine/accept. Perhaps they have a political agenda to achieve and turn a blind eye to people's sentiment only to back off disgracefully later. Mainland officials see sending visitors to Hong Kong as a benevolence to the livelihood of the local residents. They see themselves showering gifts to save the economy of Hong Kong. They send astronauts and Olympic medalists to entertain and cheer up the patriotism of the citizens of Hong Kong etc. Hong Kongers are too ungrateful. They should learn to love their mother country, beginning with young children in primary schools. For a longer term in the future, mainland officials fear that the universal suffrage of Chief Executive in 2017 will return someone who does not obey them ... etc.
The officials of the SAR Government have underestimated the anti-government sentiment of the citizens stirred up by the "China Model" teaching materials published by the National Education Service Centre which is financially dependent on the government. They think that monetary incentives ($530,000 for each school that implements national education) as well as implicit threats of folding up uncooperative schools (by not sending enough students to their primary one classes) are powerful enough to force schools to implement the curriculum.
Hong Kong citizens see the situation differently. They see the Liaison Office pulling the strings behind the SAR Government. They see mainland visitors absorbing their resources and welfare, pushing up prices to make their daily lives difficult. They don't want to see their children turned into Red Guards, class struggling their parents in the public. In short, they don't want Hong Kong to become one of the Communist Chinese cities. These kinds of sentiment are created by the Central Government and SAR Government together. A national education curriculum definitely cannot solve the problem.

Today, in the gospel reading, we found St. Peter scolded by Jesus because Peter was not able to accept the reality that the Messiah had to suffer and die. Like most of the contemporary Jews, Peter expected the Messiah to be a political and military saviour to drive out the Romans. Peter and his fellow apostles gave up everything to follow Jesus who worked miracles. They bet all they had on this Galilean carpenter-Rabbi to build up a new kingdom etc. Instead, Jesus told them that he was going to be killed.
And he began to teach them that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again (Mark 8:31).
This went totally against the political agenda of Peter, even the apostles and all the followers of Jesus. So Peter tried to dissuade Jesus from doing such a stupid thing.
But turning and seeing his disciples, he rebuked Peter, and said, "Get behind me, Satan! For you are not on the side of God, but of men."  (Mark 8:33)

Who doesn't make mistakes? Even St. Peter made mistakes. He made mistakes up to the very end: he struck people with a sword to prevent Jesus from being arrest (Mark 14:47). He was scolded by St. Paul for avoiding the uncircumcised company in the presence of Judaizers (Galatians 2:11-14). Legend also has it that Peter fled Rome during persecution, only to meet Jesus on the way. So, he returned to be crucified upside down on the hill of Vatican. Therefore, government officials can make mistakes. If you are a small potato, your mistakes will not bring too much harm to too many people. However, if you are big, your mistakes will definitely bring a lot of harm to a lot of people. So, see clearly which side you are on, God's or men's. You may not enjoy the special privilege and protection Peter had enjoyed.

Dear Lord, I pray for officials of both governments. Enlighten their minds and brighten their eyes so that they are able to see which side they are fighting against. Amen.

Do you hear?

We are living in a noisy world. Our hearing is flooded with noises of all kinds so much so that we have become practically deaf. Of course, to defend against the invasion of 'unwanted' noises, we choose to hear selectively.

There are different kinds of noises. Some are propaganda trying to persuade us and through repetitions, even brainwash us or simply to desensitize us. Some are misinformation / misrepresentation to crowd out the truth. Some play on our emotions, such as fear or sympathy, to impose their will upon us or to blackmail us. What frustrations hearing brings us! No wonder we develop a habit to hear selectively to protect ourselves.
The examples listed above are noises from the outside but very often, we make noises for ourselves. Nowadays, we can see many people listening to their music in public places with earphones or even a headset. These people know how to enjoy life and do not spare their senses a moment of rest. They must have all their senses fully occupied in order to make life full. Other people are fully occupied with greed, lust and ambition. These too generate a lot of inner noises to crave for these vices. Thus all of us are deaf in different degrees.

Being a Catholic, I want to be able to hear the voice of God. Unfortunately, God speaks so softly that His voice is overcome most of the time by other noises. I want to find a quiet place in order to hear Him better. Unfortunately, what I hear are a lot of inner noises coming from my psyche. I want to speak to some saintly priests to attain peace in my soul. Unfortunately, I am too busy to afford the time. I want to read some spiritual books to obtain inspiration. Unfortunately, I fall into drowsiness before I am able to finish a few lines. I am in a shabby shape and in need of the Lord's delivery.

In the gospel reading today, we heard of Jesus on the run. He had antagonized the Jewish authority and in order to stay away from troubles, he wtihdrew into Gentile regions: Tyre, Sidon and Decapolis (Mark 7:31). That did not stop him from working miracles, driving out demons, healing the deaf-mute and multiplying loaves to feed the hungry. Saint Mark wrote his gospel for Gentile readers. It came as no surprise that he included these miracles in Gentile soil to show that Jesus' mission is for all humanity. Even in his self-imposed exile, Jesus cared about the needy, be they Jews or Gentiles.

I know very little about the world deaf people live in. All I know is that it is a silent world. Human beings have relied on their sights for survival so much that hearing becomes secondary. The deaf are even deprived of this sense so that they are always living at the perils of impending dangers around the corner. e.g. a screeching car or a collapsing roof. They are not able to share the intensity of the laughters of their friends and their ability to articulate the subtlety of feelings is limited by the sign language they speak. On the receiving end of the channel, ordinary people know only a little. Deaf people must be very frustrated and lonely in their daily life. Therefore, after being healed by Jesus, the deaf-mute must have felt a kind of liberation, an unprecedented freedom and ability to build up relations with his fellow villagers.
Of course, for people isolated by misunderstanding, their frustration is no worse than the deaf-mute. To reestablish the communication channel takes effort and perhaps even external help. Unless you are prepared to live in an isolated lonely world of silence, you had better reach out or to seek help. Open your heart to hear the voice of God.

Dear Lord, open not just my ears, but also my mind and my heart. Fill my heart with Your loving grace and my lips will sing praises to You. Amen.

A list of 12 or 13 vices

In the gospel reading today, we heard of accusations directed against Jesus by Pharisees and scribes from Jerusalem because some of his disciples ate with ritually unclean hands (Mark 7:1-5).
Usually, when we read this story, we seldom ponder on who Jesus' disciples were. We take for granted that they might be the Twelve or some followers. This morning, Fr. Milanese gave a new interpretation in his homily. He related this story with the miracle of 5 loaves and 2 fish. Wow! This is a new insight! It makes sense when we consider the context of the story. It happened after the miracle. Of course, Fr. Milanese extended the definition of disciples to include the crowd of 5000. They listened to Jesus' teaching before they ate. According to the gospel of John, many of them sought Jesus because they had eaten. To a certain extent, they were qualified to be disciples. If we confine the disciples to the Twelve, it means the Pharisees and scribes had to spy on Jesus in order to obtain the evidence against him. So, Fr. Milanese's interpretation is reasonable.

Near the end of the story, we heard of Jesus listing 13 vices that came from the heart and they defile. Here is the list:
evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly (Mark 7:21b-22).
From what we learned in the Biblical Institute, this list is catechitical, i.e. it is a list of vice taught to the community from which Mark worked. The Christian community was told not to do these vices. By the way, if we read the list in Greek, it rhymes.
οἱ διαλογισμοὶ οἱ κακοὶ ἐκπορεύονται, πορνεῖαι, κλοπαί, φόνοι,  
μοιχεῖαι, πλεονεξίαι, πονηρίαι, δόλος, ἀσέλγεια, ὀφθαλμὸς πονηρός, βλασφημία, ὑπερηφανία, ἀφροσύνη^.

No list is ever complete. For example, drunkenness, domestic violence, gambling and homosexuality were not mentioned. Perhaps such vices were not problems in the Marken community.  Anyway, let us meditate on how these vices defile.

Evil thoughts is a broad term. They affect our relations with other people. They make us ugly.
Unchastity is more specific. Engaging in unrestrained sexual activities defile our bodies.
Theft is specific. But how does taking away others' things makes us unclean? Possessing things that are not earned degrades our capability. It makes us cheap.
Murder takes away the life of innocent people. Our hand is defiled by the blood shed.
Adultery destroys our marriage and those of other couples. It harms a lot of adults as well as their children. Once more, it degrades our sex and makes it cheap.
Greed is not just internal. When we take advantage of others and obtain more than we deserve, we look cheap.
Malice is a wish to harm others. It poisons our mind. The rest is dirty.
Deceit makes us look good but in fact we are not so good. We are not true to ourselves and to others. We are scam.
Licentiousness is sexually dirty.
Envy makes us green, not our true colour.
Blashpemy makes our mouth foul.
Arrogance drives away people because it sends out dirty signals.
Folly makes us stupid.
I have to admit that my repression is deep and I dare not dig too deep into it lest I may collapse. So I cannot offer any better meditation on these vices. Perhaps my readers can throw better lights on them.

Dear Lord, in the days ahead, expose me to my vices and grant me enough grace to overcome and uproot them. Amen.

The ambiguous attitude towards the flesh

The Bible is a library of only 73 books penned by different authors. Though Catholics believe that God is the author behind all human authors, it takes a lot of their efforts to harmonize the apparent inconsistencies, inaccuracies and sometimes even contradictions found in the sacred texts which provide the foundation for the faith and beliefs of all Christians.

First of all, God is truthful. He cannot tell lies or contradict Himself and the truth. The message He gives us must be the truth.
Secondly, God must guarantee that His truth is correctly conveyed to us. He must protect the earthly authors from making mistakes or misrepresentations of His truth.
Lastly, God must make sure that the readers anywhere in space and time will read and understand His truth correctly. He gives them the Holy Spirit to guarantee the correct reading of His will.
Therefore, the first inaccuracy which all modern Christians must answer is the six-day creation story recorded in Genesis 1.
Here comes the first lesson of Biblical Interpretation --- the genre of a piece of text. We do not expect a love poem to be scientifcally accurate. Since the creation story in Genesis 1 is a celebration hymn and not a scientific report, we do not expect it to meet the criteria of peer review of papers submitted to Lancet or Nature. It is a hymn because there are a lot of repetitions and refrains such as "God saw that xxx was good" and "And there was evening and there was morning, day nn" etc.
What is a day? What did a day mean before the creation of our sun? If you insist on a 24-hour definition of a day, you cannot be correct.
Other inconsistencies require greater understanding and a broader attitude to resolve. In the readings today, we come face to face with yet another kind of inconsistenc which is a harder nut to crack.

In the second reading, we heard of the words of St. Paul to the Ephesians. He told husbands to love their wives.
For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it (Ephesians 5:29)
Immediately afterwards, we heard in the gospel of John Jesus' words which seem to despise our flesh.
It is the spirit that gives life, the flesh is of no avail (John 6:63).
So, should we follow Paul's advice to cherish our flesh or Jesus' to despise it? Both versions come from the same God who does not contradict Himself. So, how are we to harmonize them?

I think such a dilemma arises because we stubbornly want to seek an absolute and universal truth, a sort of theory for everything that is applicable in all contexts. Even today when all of us are enjoying the convenience provided by quantum mechanics,  people are still puzzled by the duality of light. How can such a common phenomenon be both a wave and a bunndle of particles at the same time? Human beings dislike ambiguity and try their best to resolve it. It takes a lot of effort for us to accommodate diametrically opposite ideas and to put them together in our heads. However, if we work very hard to come up with the truth which is abstract and universal, have we sacrificed the richness of it? Can truth be so embracing and universal that people can only see one of its many facets?
The Bible is just such an encyclopedia. You will find it praises the goodness of wine and on the next page, warns people of its evil; or advises you to do good for people to see so that they may praise God in heaven and several paragraphs below, exhorts you to do good in secret. How do you harmonize both?
I will leave it as an exercise for my beloved readers. But I will drop you a hint. The teachings of the Bible is NOT situational ethics. Got it?

Dear Lord, Your teaching is richer than gold and sweeter than honey. To quote St. Peter today, Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life (John 6:68). Amen.

It wouldn't happen to me

Post war people have enjoyed economic prosperity for nearly seven decades. Many of them have lost a sense of crisis. One year after the earthquake cum tsunami cum nuclear disaster, even a modern country like Japan has not taken care of all the victims. Some of them are still living in relief camps. Comparatively speaking, China is not too backward in taking care of their disaster victims. In short, many people are too complacent.

Reading St. Paul's epistle to the Ephesians today in the context of present day situation, we should learn to stay alert. Christians in the first century believed that the return of the Lord was imminent. The contemporary generation would pass away very soon. All the worldly evil powers and corruption would be defeated. In short, Christians of the first century were not complacent in their life. They stayed highly alert because the end was near. A sense of crisis permeated their daily life. With this context in mind, we will appreciate better what Paul was trying to tell the Ephesians.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise,
making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 
Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is  (Ephesians 5:15-17).
Unwise? Certainly it wouldn't be me.
Many of us have benefited from compulsory education and reached at least the post-secondary level. We have learned science and mathematics. We have been enjoying the convenience provided by the advances in science and technology. We are able to explain many things scientifically which ancient people could only superstitiously cling to their myths etc. God is one of those myths and we have no need of God in our equations. How arrogant!
Here, St. Paul wrote in the context of the imminence of Parousia. There would not be much time left so he advised the Ephesians to make good use of the remaining time which was going to be cut short soon, to keep away from the evil of the world in order to prepare for the Second Coming of the Lord. In this sense, it is wise of Christians not to tarry and to waste their time doing foolish things. Rather, understand the will of the Lord and act accordingly. Here lies the wisdom of Christians of any generations.

The Japanese, who should be regarded as wise according to modern standards because they have all the technology to minimize the possible damages caused by active tectonic movements of the plates under the Pacific Ocean, were caught with their pants down. Their sufferings have taught the world a lesson on the dangers of nuclear power generation. It also showed how feeble our technology was before the might of the elements. Yet, I wonder if the world has ever learned to seek the will of the Lord from these natural and human disasters. Many still think that it would not be me. Disasters wouldn't happen to me.



So Jesus said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of man and drink his blood, you have no life in you;
he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.
For my flesh is food indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.
He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him (John 6:53-56).
Who can swallow this, to eat the flesh of Jesus and drink his blood?
His saying is hard to listen indeed unless we accept the fact that Jesus loves us so much that he lay down his life for us all. His love is unfathomable yet we reject it at our peril. If we say it would not happen to me, we turn our back to the eternal life offered by Jesus.



Dear Lord, let us not insist on our arrogance. Let us open our heart to invite You into our unworthy heart. Let me partake Your eternal life. Let it happen to me. Amen.

Jesus is the Bread of Life

Last evening, the old students of 1987 Class celebrated their Silver Jubilee of graduation in the auditorium of their alma mater. It was my privilege and honour to be invited among other ex-teachers to join this enjoyable big-family event. Many old students whose younger faces I could still remember, came up to greet me, introducing their wives and children.  Many old (literally) colleagues cracked jokes on the good old days. They are still energetic and stylish (with greenish silvery hair). The LaSallians (students as well as teachers) truly possess a special kind of air that mark them a class of their own.
I miss one particular person whom the organizers claimed to have invited, Brother Alphonsus Chee FSC, my former boss. Every year since I left La Salle, I send him through email feast day greetings. He replies politely everytime except for this year. I worry about his health. The La Salle Brothers who retired from the post of principal in LSC Hong Kong, almost without exception, suffer from cancer of some sort. I entrust them in the care of the loving Lord.

Nobody is able to see their own future, including prophets of God. Had they been able to see their future, I wonder if they would have done what God had sent them to do. Seers of all ages made predictions about others but not about themselves. A veil of ignorance is necessary to get jobs done.
However, the for the true religion of God was able to sustain the true prophets to accomplish the mission God gave them even though they had known what would happen to them afterwards. Elijah had just finished competing with the false prophets of Baal and Asherah, 850 in all, defeated and killed them all. Yet, he had to run for his life because he had antagonized the Queen. Behind him were assasins sent by the Queen. Before him was a vast wilderness which nobody would normally survive. He escaped into the wilderness and travelled for one day. He had had enough. Elijah wanted to die but he could not kill himself. So, he prayed to God for his death.
But he himself went a day's journey into the wilderness, and came and sat down under a broom tree; and he asked that he might die, saying, "It is enough; now, O LORD, take away my life; for I am no better than my fathers." (1 Kings 19:4)
Of course, God had more missions for Elijah and would not let him die. God sent an angel to feed him with bread and water. With renewed strength, Elijah continued travelling for 40 days and nights and reached Mount Horeb. There, God would reveal Himself to Elijah and sent him off for further missions to rebuild the Yahwist religion in Israel.

With the limitations of our humanity, who would not get tired? Frustrated with the labour, the miserable results and perceived obstacles, who would not throw up their hands in the air? But God would catch us and hold us in His hand. He would feed us and sustain us in our efforts. Jesus assures us that God would give us him and His Holy Spirit.

In the gospel reading today (John 6:41-51), we heard Jesus systematically explain the claim he made that "I am the bread which came down from heaven." (John 6:41)
First of all, it is a mystery of faith and faith is a gift from God. Faith does not come from sight but from hearing (Romans 10:17). Unfortunately, man relies more on sight than on hearing. For the survival in the wild, sight perhaps is more essential than hearing. But in human relations, hearing is more essential in that we hear a person's words, observe his actions and only then pass judgment.聽其言、觀其行。
Secondly, we may not be able to verify what we hear. The gospel of God is breaking into the world and transforming it. It takes time to fulfill. Meanwhile, there is only faith to accompany us before the fulfilment of the total reconciliation with God. But of course, God continues to sustain our faith with continual interventions.
Thirdly, Jesus promises us eternal life which again cannot be verified. We either believe this promise or reject it.
Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes has eternal life (John 6:47).
Throughout our life, we see in ourselves and others that God is faithful. His words have never failed. He keeps all His promises. So, there is no reason to reject it.  Bingo!
Lastly, in his eagerness to assure us that his promise is not an empty one, Jesus invites us to eat him! Here is another leap of faith. It defies all human logic and is the greatest obstacle to overcome. This is not a rational language but a language of love, of intense love of which I cannot write anymore.

Dear Lord, I surrender myself to Your intense love. Amen.

Standing before a Sign

Among Christians, Catholics, Orthodox and Protestants have different practices regarding the Lord's Supper. Catholics believe that the bread is the real body of Jesus. Thus, in the first few decades of missionary works anywhere in the world, from ancient Rome to Qing China, Catholics were accused of practising cannibalism.

Catholics follow the gospel teaching to use unleavened bread to celebrate the Lord's Supper, i.e. Mass. Eastern Orthodox does not use unleavened bread as Holy Communion. Protestants go even further to deny the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Communion. They make use of Jesus' words: This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. (Luke 22:19) and insist that the bread is only a remembrance, only a sign and not a real presence.

Signs signify something. For example, red lights signify 'stop' and swastika signifies luck etc. However, there is a special kind of signs which signify themselves. They are called real signs. For example, our body, which is visible, is a sign of the invisible person 'I'. But I am embedded in my body. Without my body, I do not exist anymore. So, my body is a real sign of the person 'I'. With this understanding, Catholics insist that the unleavened bread is a real sign of the body of Jesus. It is Jesus himself. Put it in a different way, the Holy Communion is another incarnation of Jesus, the Son of God, in yet another sign.

Today, the gospel reading continues to tell us what happened after the 5 loaves 2 fish miracle. A miracle is a sign pointing to a transcendental presence, God intervening once more in human history. This miracle recalls what God did to the hungry Israelites in the wilderness. They had consumed all their food which they had brought out of Egypt and they were in the danger of starvation. So, God rained down manna from heaven everyday, except on Sabbath, to feed them for the next 40 years until they entered the Promised Land. This much the Jews knew but they could not know that the manna in the wilderness was only a pre-figure of the sacrament of the Eucharist in the future. In the gospel reading today, we hear what Jesus tried to explain to them. Jesus is the true Manna.

I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me will never hunger, and whoever believes in me will never thirst (John 6:35).

When the Jews had eaten enough, they wanted to make Jesus king to guarantee that they would be well fed (John 6:15). The next day, they came to Jesus and of course, Jesus knew their intention. So Jesus taught them not to labour for food that would perish.

Truly, truly, I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of the loaves.
Do not labor for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of man will give to you; for on him has God the Father set his seal (John 6:26-27).

The Jews did not understand the true meaning of the miracle. They were physically satisfied but did not go one step further to discover the spiritual meaning which a miracle is supposed to convey. I suspect that the Jews even didn't know that they were fed in a miracle. They had eaten but did not know where the food came from. Had they known, they would not have challenged Jesus to work a feeding miracle again to persuade them to believe in him.

So they said to him, "Then what sign do you do, that we may see, and believe you? What work do you perform?
Our fathers ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written, 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" (John 6:30-31)

Here lies the paradox of a miracle!!
In order to see a sign as a miracle, people need to have faith first, not the other way round. The Jews had put the cart before a horse. They wanted to see a miracle before they believed in Jesus. They were surely scientists but they would be disappointed because science could not capture God.

Through the eye of faith, a sign is not just a sign, but a miracle. Without faith, a miracle is only an ordinary sign and nothing more.

Fr. Milanese did a good demonstration in his homily this morning in explaining the meaning of signs. He pointed at the huge exalted crucifix hanging behind the altar and asked what Christians and non-believers would see.

As for a non-believer, he would only see a wooden bearded man whose hands are raised. Behind him is a wooden cross. For a Christian, he would see the once dead but now risen Lord, his Saviour. The crucifix is a miracle, a victory of life defeating death and an ammunition during exorcism. Therefore, with the eye of faith, we see not just a sign, but a miracle. Without faith, the wooden object is at most a piece of art work.

Fr. Benedict Lam, while he was our parish priest, told us a personal story about his father. It was a miracle. When the Japanese invaded their village, his father was rounded up together with the others to march toward the forced labour camps from where very few would return. Suddenly, he discovered that his shoelaces were loosened. So he bent down to tie them up. When he stood up again, the column of forced labourors had long gone. For him, it was not luck. He thanked God. It was a miracle that he could cheat death ...

Standing before a sign, it takes faith to see a miracle. Holding in your palm a piece of wafer, it takes faith to see the body of Christ and his great love of humanity. Swallowing the piece of wafer, you don't need faith any more to feel the intimate union Jesus wishes you to partake. Faith is a supernatural gift from God. Let us pray that this gift is worthily received.

Dear Lord, with a faith as meagre as a mustard seed, You promise us to move mountains. I pray that this faith may grow day by day so that we may more easily meet You wherever we go. Amen.