Whether we like it or not, the fact is our existence is limited in time and space. However, we are somehow able to get a glimpse of the infinity. Mathematics is a mind game. It is an enchanting game. In our daily life, our first experiences are digital. We are able to count the number of people, the number of pets and the number of cars etc. Even these humble whole numbers are able to lead us to the fascinating world of infinity. Long ago, man proved that there was no end to the number of whole numbers. That is to say, there are infinite number of whole numbers, 1, 2, 3 ... without end.
When I was in Secondary One, my mathematical mind was not mature enough. I disagreed with my mathematics teacher who said that a point has no length. Of course I was wrong. Today, I appreciate that there are infinite number of points in a very short line between two distinct points. Therefore, infinity does not need to span across an infinite space. Infinity can be enclosed within a finite space! We are able to get a glimpse of the universe in a grain of sand, so to speak and the infinite God is able to reside in our finite humanity.
Today, I am not surprised to know that the set of whole numbers is no bigger than the set of even numbers, even though whole numbers are made up of even numbers and odd numbers. Moreover, there are infinite number of real numbers between two adjacent whole numbers. Intuitively, we know that the set of real numbers must be absolutely bigger than the set of whole numbers etc.
Sorry for so much number talk, but this will definitely help us appreciate the sometimes contradictory claims of Jesus about his relation with the Father (John 10:30 vs. 14:28).
Yes, the Blessed Trinity is a mystery beyond our understanding. It is only through the initiative of self-communication taken by God that we know that God is three in one and one in three. We believe that Jesus is the incarnated Son of God. He lived among us as a human being so that we may know something about the God we believe in. Jesus is the visible sign of the invisible God. In theological jargon, Jesus is a sacrament, a visible sign that conveys the grace/love of God.
In the gospel reading today, he told us that
"I have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now" (16:12).
He would send us the Holy Spirit (14:16-17) to help us understand and to strengthen us to follow his commandment --- to love each other just as he has loved us (13:34).
Last Friday, the Catholic teachers had a Bible sharing during lunch and we touched on the eschatological dimensions of some of the sacraments --- how some of the sacraments we receive are related to the eternal life we will enjoy at the end of time. Matrimony was the most heatedly debated. In this present life, husbands and wives sanctify each other in their married life. It is a preparation for our eternal life after resurrection. But after resurrection, there will no longer be marriages. So, will we remain married to each other after resurrection? The reply Jesus gave to the challenge of the thought experiment put forth by the Sadduccees confirms that we will no longer be married to each other after resurrection. We are freed from our marriage vow. Then, what of our relation we built up on earth when we are husbands and wives? This relation is more intimate with any other relations. Will this relation be transformed in our eternal life? Or how shall it be transformed and yet retaining its intimacy to continue in our next life? On earth, we can only partake in the eternal life of the Blessed Trinity in a symbolic, sacramental way. After resurrection, we will partake fully in the eternal life of the Blessed Trinity. What will it be like? Perhaps we will never know until then. But I strongly believe that we can appreciate infinity/eternity within the finite span of our earthly married existence with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
Dear Advocate, enlighten us. Console us with the foretaste of the eternal life in the Blessed Trinity. Amen.
Sunday 26 May 2013
Sunday 19 May 2013
The Images of the Holy Spirit
Among the three Persons of the Blessed Trinity, we know the Holy Spirit the least. It is not our fault. After all, the Blessed Trinity is a mystery. Indeed, the whole book of the Acts of the Apostles shows how the perception of the believers in the early Church gradually evolved in their understanding of the Holy Spirit. Thus the Acts of the Apostles is rightly called the Gospel of the Holy Spirit.
At the beginning, the Holy Spirit manifested itself as physical energies: a loud sound, strong wind and tongues of fire (Acts 2:2-3). Gradually, a personality was developed, or rather say, the believers began to perceive the Holy Spirit as a person. Ananias dropped dead because he lied to the Holy Spirit (5:3-5). One cannot tell lie to pure energy, right? Finally, the Holy Spirit started talking, telling Philip the deacon to go up and join the chariot of an Ephiopian eunuch (8:29). At this point, the personhood of the Holy Spirit is established. The Father spoke "Let there be light!". The Son spoke "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" and the Holy Spirit spoke "Go up and join this chariot." The Christian God is one in three persons!
Today, I heard three different homilies on the Pentecost. The one that impresses me most is that delivered by Fr. John Wotherspoon in the Tai Lam Women Prison. He told us the story of an Italian school boy who had study problems. His father advised him to pray to the Holy Spirit before his homework, before class, before exams etc. Gradually, the boy made advances in school, in university, in seminary and became a priest, a bishop, a cardinal and finally Pope Paul VI. Fr. Wotherspoon himself says a very short prayer "Come Holy Spirit come." for the last three decades. It helps him a lot in his missionary work. He encourages us, inmates and volunteers to do the same. It works.
Furthermore, he suggests us seeing the Holy Spirit in water of all forms. When we get up from the bed and wash our faces, imagine that it is the Holy Spirit that refreshes us. When we drink, let the Holy Spirit quench our thirst. When we take a shower, let the Holy Spirit cleanse us and caress us. Let us praise the Holy Spirit when it rains, when we see the stream or river or the sea ... The image of water will definitely help us see the Holy Spirit in a more understandable way.
Remember, it is the Holy Spirit who helps us pray, help us understand the teachings of Christ. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us, strengthens us, sends and accompanies us to evangelize the world. When Jesus told us to forgive, it is with the power of the Holy Spirit that we may overcome our selfishness in order to release ourselves as well as our brethen. Throughout our Christian life, the Holy Spirit is closer to us than we know all the time.
Come, Holy Spirit come. Renew the face of the earth and kindle in our heart the desire to love God and our fellow men. Amen.
At the beginning, the Holy Spirit manifested itself as physical energies: a loud sound, strong wind and tongues of fire (Acts 2:2-3). Gradually, a personality was developed, or rather say, the believers began to perceive the Holy Spirit as a person. Ananias dropped dead because he lied to the Holy Spirit (5:3-5). One cannot tell lie to pure energy, right? Finally, the Holy Spirit started talking, telling Philip the deacon to go up and join the chariot of an Ephiopian eunuch (8:29). At this point, the personhood of the Holy Spirit is established. The Father spoke "Let there be light!". The Son spoke "How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?" and the Holy Spirit spoke "Go up and join this chariot." The Christian God is one in three persons!
Today, I heard three different homilies on the Pentecost. The one that impresses me most is that delivered by Fr. John Wotherspoon in the Tai Lam Women Prison. He told us the story of an Italian school boy who had study problems. His father advised him to pray to the Holy Spirit before his homework, before class, before exams etc. Gradually, the boy made advances in school, in university, in seminary and became a priest, a bishop, a cardinal and finally Pope Paul VI. Fr. Wotherspoon himself says a very short prayer "Come Holy Spirit come." for the last three decades. It helps him a lot in his missionary work. He encourages us, inmates and volunteers to do the same. It works.
Furthermore, he suggests us seeing the Holy Spirit in water of all forms. When we get up from the bed and wash our faces, imagine that it is the Holy Spirit that refreshes us. When we drink, let the Holy Spirit quench our thirst. When we take a shower, let the Holy Spirit cleanse us and caress us. Let us praise the Holy Spirit when it rains, when we see the stream or river or the sea ... The image of water will definitely help us see the Holy Spirit in a more understandable way.
Remember, it is the Holy Spirit who helps us pray, help us understand the teachings of Christ. The Holy Spirit sanctifies us, strengthens us, sends and accompanies us to evangelize the world. When Jesus told us to forgive, it is with the power of the Holy Spirit that we may overcome our selfishness in order to release ourselves as well as our brethen. Throughout our Christian life, the Holy Spirit is closer to us than we know all the time.
Come, Holy Spirit come. Renew the face of the earth and kindle in our heart the desire to love God and our fellow men. Amen.
Sunday 12 May 2013
互聯網是福傳的園地
This is my third homily delivered in my parish on Sunday. An English version can be found after the Chinese one. As usual, I delivered it from memory and left out some parts. I hope I can improve.
耶穌升天節講道
主題：在禮儀中，天主紀念祂的偉大事蹟，再一次親近我們。
今天正值「母親節」，趁這個機會祝福在座各位母親，身體健康，精神飽滿。祝福妳們的子女，健康成長，他日成為社會棟樑。
祝福完各位母親之後，今日我想同大家分享「過節」的意義。
「母親節」與傳統的節日不同，它並不為了紀念過去流傳下來的事蹟和習俗，例如端午節紀念忠心愛國的詩人屈原、中秋節食月餅沿自朱元璋推翻外族的統治的計謀、重陽節有桓景登高免疫的故事等。
「母親節」是一種建基於關係的節日，母子關係的節日。所謂「家家有本難唸的經」，在今天的社會，盡孝並不是一件容易的事。「母親節」正好提醒並鼓勵做子女的，尤其在今天，應關心在身邊的母親，盡孝敬母親的本份。倘若不幸母親已經離世，就應該關心那些無人照顧晚年的母親。「母親節」更提醒並鼓勵母親，不要放棄，繼續愛護照顧自己的兒女，或者失去母愛的不幸孤兒。
大家可能會想起更多建基於關係的慶祝日子，例如太太的生日，結婚紀念日等。結婚紀念日不單紀念多年前某月某日與某女子成親，更提醒你今天無論怎樣困難，亦要繼續履行結婚時許下的承諾，繼續愛你的配偶多一些。
在天主教信仰中，亦有不少節日，紀念過去的事蹟，例如聖誕節、復活節，今日的耶穌升天節和下星期的聖神降臨節等，都是紀念二千年前在巴肋斯坦發生過的事蹟。不過，為信天主的人，「紀念」不單止回憶幾千年前的事蹟那麽簡單，「紀念」一辭是有特別意思的。
例如在二千年前，天主聖子在白冷降生成人，從此天主過著人的生活，在塵世間與人來往，與人同在，展開了救贖世人的工程。今天，當我們慶祝聖誕節時，我們不祗寄聖誕咭，送聖誕禮物那麽簡單。我們不是紀念聖誕老人的生日，而是紀念天主子耶穌基督在二千年前誕生在白冷。另一方面，天主亦會記起二千年前聖子曾降生成人，與人同在。所以今天祂會臨現在因主耶穌基督之名聚集在一起的信徒團體當中，與人同在。二千年前天主與人同在。二千年後，永生的天主依然與人同在。藉著洗禮，我們與耶穌基督結合為一，耶穌生活在我內，我們亦生活在主耶穌內。我們成為了基督的使者、基督的代言人。所以，在聖誕節紀念天主子降生成人的同時，亦提醒我們要「降生」在我們的生活崗位上，活出耶穌基督的面貎，實現出天主與人同在。
所以，基督徒的節日有點像「母親節」，是建築在天人關係之上的節日。它們不單紀念當年的一些事蹟，基督徒的節日提醒我們，不要忘記天主對我們恩賜的慈愛，更重要是在我們的生活中，活出基督，把永生的天主帶給世人。
現在，讓我們重溫慶祝「耶穌升天節」的意義。
我經常在幻想，如果耶穌沒有升天，繼續留在世上是多麽好！如果我們有一個二千歲的教主，世人就不能不信天主教了。我們就毋須辛辛苦苦去傳教。有耶穌繼續留在我們身邊，我們就毋須再為教義而爭論，為教義而分裂，甚至打仗；有任何天災、地震、饑荒，耶穌可以行神蹟解決；有任何世紀絕症，耶穌可以醫治；世界各國有任何糾紛，耶穌可以出面調停。何解耶穌仍要離開我們升天而去，返回天父的身邊，等世界末日又再回來，「滕上滕落」那麽麻煩呢？
首先，我認為耶穌不能不走。倘若他不走，我們便被逼相信他，被逼愛他了。這種被逼的相信，被逼的愛，誰希罕？「彼你都唔要喇」。天主尊重人類的自由，祂不會強迫我們去信祂。天主希望我們對祂的相信，我們對祂的愛，是出於自由的，所以耶穌不得不走。
其次，耶穌升了天，就真的不再留在我們身邊嗎？在這一刻，耶穌是否臨在於我們當中呢？當然臨在喇！耶穌在【瑪竇福音】曾許諾，當我們兩三個因祂的名聚在一起時，祂就會臨現在我們中間（瑪18：20）而且，祂與我們天天在一起，直到今世的終結（瑪28：20）。所以，雖然耶穌升了天，但祂仍然與我們同在。如果耶穌不升天，祂祗停留在地球上的某一點。祂升了天，就不受時空的限制，就無處不在，處處都在了！這一刻，就臨現在我們所聽到的聖言，我們將要領受的聖體之中。耶穌以聖言，以聖體聖事，奇妙地生活在我們每個人的心中。
耶穌升天前，把傳福音的任務委派給我們，要求我們向萬邦宣講悔改，在天災人禍中繼續充滿喜樂地去愛祂，在糾紛中稱謝天主作修和的使者。
今天是互聯網的時代，是智能手機的時代。網絡覆蓋範圍甚廣，功能強大，瞬息萬變，影響深遠。很多神父、執事，甚至已榮休的教宗，已經利用FB，Twitter等平台，帶領網民信主；網上各有各式各樣的Apps，幫助信徒祈禱讀經。所以互聯網可謂兵家必爭之地，是基督徒傳福音，作見証的肥沃土地。但網絡上同時充斥不少有害的資訊與及欺凌毫無防範的用家的群組。所以，使耶穌基督臨現在互聯網世界的同時，必須多加一份審慎來行事。例如，收到一些看似基督信仰的電郵時，最忌不假思索將電郵轉寄各方友好。加上了你的名字，電郵的可信度提高了。結果，網絡上充塞不少垃圾連鎖信，與求救或保衛人權的呼籲，真假難辨。所以，在使用智能手機時，不可不慎。在「耶穌升天節」，買份「公教報」，讀一讀今期的社論，想一想如何使互聯網更基督化。天主保祐！
Homily on the Feast of Ascension
Theme: In liturgy, God remembers His wonders and comes close to us once more.
On this occasion of Mother’s Day, may I wish all you mothers good health and spirited. May I also wish your children a healthy development so that they will be pillars of the society in the future.
After blessing the mothers, I would like to share with all of you the meaning of “celebrating a festival”.
Mother’s Day is different from traditional festivals. It does not remember past events or customs. For example, Dragon Boat Festival remembers a patriotic poet , Qu Yuan屈原; we eat moon cakes at Mid-Autumn Festival to remember how Zhu Yuan Zhang朱元璋 overthrew the Mongolian Dynasty and at Double Ninth Festival, we remember Huan Jing 桓景who avoided a plague by climbing up high hills etc.
Mother’s Day is a festival based on relations, on mother-child relations. “Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Nowadays, it is not easy to fulfill filial piety towards mothers. Mother’s Day is thus a good opportunity to remind and encourage children to show their mothers love and care, especially today. If unluckily, your mother has already passed away, then care about other mothers who have nobody to take care of them in their old age. Mother’s Day also reminds and encourages mothers not to give up taking care of their children and even those unlucky orphans who are deprived of motherly love.
Perhaps you can think of many more celebratory days such as the birthday of your spouse and the marriage anniversary etc. Marriage anniversary does not simply remember that one day many years ago, you married somebody. It reminds you that no matter how difficult life is, you should continue to honour your marital vow, continue to love your spouse more.
Similarly, Christianity celebrates many feasts to remember events in the past, e.g. Christmas, Easter, Ascension today and Pentecost next Sunday. These feasts celebrate significant events which took place some 2000 years ago in Palestine. But for believers in God, “to remember” is not simply to recall some events in the past. The term carries a special meaning.
For example, some 2000 year ago, the Son of God incarnated and was born in Bethlehem. From then on, God led a human life, walked among men and lived with them in order to carry out His redemption project. Today, when we celebrate Christmas, we do not simply send Christmas cards, give Christmas presents. We do not celebrate the birthday of Santa Claus. Instead, we celebrate the birth of the Son of God, Jesus Christ in Bethlehem two millennia ago. On the other hand, God also remembers His Son incarnated 2000 years ago, to be with men. So, today, He will be present in the community which is gathered in the name of Jesus Christ, to stay with them. 2000 years ago, God was with men. Today, the ever living God still stays with men. Through baptism, we are united with Jesus Christ. Jesus lives in me and we live in Jesus. We become ambassadors of Christ, the spokespersons of Christ. So, while we celebrate the incarnation of the Son of God at Christmas which also reminds us to incarnate in our daily life, to reveal the face of Christ to men and to actualize God’s presence among men.
Therefore, Christian festivals are similar to Mother’s Day in that they are festivals built upon the relation between God and men. They do not only commemorate some past events, but they also remind us of God’s love for us. More importantly, they help us live out Christ and to bring the everlasting life of God to men.
Now, let’s reflect once more on why we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus.
I always fantasize what if Jesus had not ascended into heavens. How nice life would have been if Jesus had continued to stay with us. The Catholic Church would have a founder of more than 2000 years old! People on earth would naturally join the Catholic Church. We would not have to work so hard to evangelize. If Jesus had continued to stay with us, there would not have been doctrinal controversies, schisms and even wars. If there were any disasters, earthquakes and famines, Jesus would work miracles to relieve us. If there were any plagues and pandemics, Jesus would heal. If there were any disputes between countries, Jesus would settle them. Why then did Jesus still leave us and ascend into heavens, return to His heavenly Father, only to come back at the end of the world? Why took the trouble to travel up and down?
First of all, I think Jesus could not afford NOT to leave. If he stayed, we would be forced to believe in him, to love him. Who wants this kind of coerced belief and forced love? God respects our freedom. He will not force us to believe in him. God wants us to believe in Him, to love Him out of our free will. Therefore, Jesus must leave.
Furthermore, does Jesus really leave us behind when he ascends into heavens? At this very moment, is Jesus present among us? Of course! Jesus promises us that where two or three are gathered in his name, he is there in their midst (Matthew 18:20). Moreover, he is with us always to the close of the age (Matthew 28:20). Therefore, although he has ascended into heavens, he is still with us. Had Jesus not ascended into heavens, he would only have existed at a particular point on earth. Now that he has ascended into heavens, he is no longer confined within time and space. Nowhere does he not exist. He is everywhere. At this moment, he is present in the Word we hear. He is present in the Holy Communion we will receive. Therefore, through the Word and the sacrament of Eucharist, Jesus lives miraculously in the heart of each and every one of us.
Before he ascended into heavens, Jesus commissioned us to preach repentance to all nations, to love him joyfully in all natural and human disasters, to become joyful ambassadors of reconciliation in disputes.
Today is the age of the Internet, the age of smart phones. The Net is extensive, powerful, transient rapidly and influential globally. Many priests, deacons and even our Pope Emeritus have made use of the platform of FB and Twitter etc. to evangelize. There are all sorts of Apps to help us read the Bible and pray. Therefore, the Internet is a strategic field to fight battle, a fertile ground for Christians to evangelize and to bear witness. At the same time, there are a lot of harmful information and social networks that bully gullible users of the Internet. Therefore, we must be cautious while making Christ present in the virtual world of the Internet. For example, when we receive some seemingly Christian emails, don’t forward them without a thought to your contacts. Stamped with your names, these emails would gain more credibility. Consequently, the Internet will be flooded with many junky chain letters, making it difficult to tell them from genuine distress calls or human right appeals. So, we must be careful in using our smart phones. On this Feast of Ascension, buy a copy of Kung Kao Pao today, read its editorial and think about how to Christianize the Internet.
God bless.
耶穌升天節講道
主題：在禮儀中，天主紀念祂的偉大事蹟，再一次親近我們。
今天正值「母親節」，趁這個機會祝福在座各位母親，身體健康，精神飽滿。祝福妳們的子女，健康成長，他日成為社會棟樑。
祝福完各位母親之後，今日我想同大家分享「過節」的意義。
「母親節」與傳統的節日不同，它並不為了紀念過去流傳下來的事蹟和習俗，例如端午節紀念忠心愛國的詩人屈原、中秋節食月餅沿自朱元璋推翻外族的統治的計謀、重陽節有桓景登高免疫的故事等。
「母親節」是一種建基於關係的節日，母子關係的節日。所謂「家家有本難唸的經」，在今天的社會，盡孝並不是一件容易的事。「母親節」正好提醒並鼓勵做子女的，尤其在今天，應關心在身邊的母親，盡孝敬母親的本份。倘若不幸母親已經離世，就應該關心那些無人照顧晚年的母親。「母親節」更提醒並鼓勵母親，不要放棄，繼續愛護照顧自己的兒女，或者失去母愛的不幸孤兒。
大家可能會想起更多建基於關係的慶祝日子，例如太太的生日，結婚紀念日等。結婚紀念日不單紀念多年前某月某日與某女子成親，更提醒你今天無論怎樣困難，亦要繼續履行結婚時許下的承諾，繼續愛你的配偶多一些。
在天主教信仰中，亦有不少節日，紀念過去的事蹟，例如聖誕節、復活節，今日的耶穌升天節和下星期的聖神降臨節等，都是紀念二千年前在巴肋斯坦發生過的事蹟。不過，為信天主的人，「紀念」不單止回憶幾千年前的事蹟那麽簡單，「紀念」一辭是有特別意思的。
例如在二千年前，天主聖子在白冷降生成人，從此天主過著人的生活，在塵世間與人來往，與人同在，展開了救贖世人的工程。今天，當我們慶祝聖誕節時，我們不祗寄聖誕咭，送聖誕禮物那麽簡單。我們不是紀念聖誕老人的生日，而是紀念天主子耶穌基督在二千年前誕生在白冷。另一方面，天主亦會記起二千年前聖子曾降生成人，與人同在。所以今天祂會臨現在因主耶穌基督之名聚集在一起的信徒團體當中，與人同在。二千年前天主與人同在。二千年後，永生的天主依然與人同在。藉著洗禮，我們與耶穌基督結合為一，耶穌生活在我內，我們亦生活在主耶穌內。我們成為了基督的使者、基督的代言人。所以，在聖誕節紀念天主子降生成人的同時，亦提醒我們要「降生」在我們的生活崗位上，活出耶穌基督的面貎，實現出天主與人同在。
所以，基督徒的節日有點像「母親節」，是建築在天人關係之上的節日。它們不單紀念當年的一些事蹟，基督徒的節日提醒我們，不要忘記天主對我們恩賜的慈愛，更重要是在我們的生活中，活出基督，把永生的天主帶給世人。
現在，讓我們重溫慶祝「耶穌升天節」的意義。
我經常在幻想，如果耶穌沒有升天，繼續留在世上是多麽好！如果我們有一個二千歲的教主，世人就不能不信天主教了。我們就毋須辛辛苦苦去傳教。有耶穌繼續留在我們身邊，我們就毋須再為教義而爭論，為教義而分裂，甚至打仗；有任何天災、地震、饑荒，耶穌可以行神蹟解決；有任何世紀絕症，耶穌可以醫治；世界各國有任何糾紛，耶穌可以出面調停。何解耶穌仍要離開我們升天而去，返回天父的身邊，等世界末日又再回來，「滕上滕落」那麽麻煩呢？
首先，我認為耶穌不能不走。倘若他不走，我們便被逼相信他，被逼愛他了。這種被逼的相信，被逼的愛，誰希罕？「彼你都唔要喇」。天主尊重人類的自由，祂不會強迫我們去信祂。天主希望我們對祂的相信，我們對祂的愛，是出於自由的，所以耶穌不得不走。
其次，耶穌升了天，就真的不再留在我們身邊嗎？在這一刻，耶穌是否臨在於我們當中呢？當然臨在喇！耶穌在【瑪竇福音】曾許諾，當我們兩三個因祂的名聚在一起時，祂就會臨現在我們中間（瑪18：20）而且，祂與我們天天在一起，直到今世的終結（瑪28：20）。所以，雖然耶穌升了天，但祂仍然與我們同在。如果耶穌不升天，祂祗停留在地球上的某一點。祂升了天，就不受時空的限制，就無處不在，處處都在了！這一刻，就臨現在我們所聽到的聖言，我們將要領受的聖體之中。耶穌以聖言，以聖體聖事，奇妙地生活在我們每個人的心中。
耶穌升天前，把傳福音的任務委派給我們，要求我們向萬邦宣講悔改，在天災人禍中繼續充滿喜樂地去愛祂，在糾紛中稱謝天主作修和的使者。
今天是互聯網的時代，是智能手機的時代。網絡覆蓋範圍甚廣，功能強大，瞬息萬變，影響深遠。很多神父、執事，甚至已榮休的教宗，已經利用FB，Twitter等平台，帶領網民信主；網上各有各式各樣的Apps，幫助信徒祈禱讀經。所以互聯網可謂兵家必爭之地，是基督徒傳福音，作見証的肥沃土地。但網絡上同時充斥不少有害的資訊與及欺凌毫無防範的用家的群組。所以，使耶穌基督臨現在互聯網世界的同時，必須多加一份審慎來行事。例如，收到一些看似基督信仰的電郵時，最忌不假思索將電郵轉寄各方友好。加上了你的名字，電郵的可信度提高了。結果，網絡上充塞不少垃圾連鎖信，與求救或保衛人權的呼籲，真假難辨。所以，在使用智能手機時，不可不慎。在「耶穌升天節」，買份「公教報」，讀一讀今期的社論，想一想如何使互聯網更基督化。天主保祐！
Homily on the Feast of Ascension
Theme: In liturgy, God remembers His wonders and comes close to us once more.
On this occasion of Mother’s Day, may I wish all you mothers good health and spirited. May I also wish your children a healthy development so that they will be pillars of the society in the future.
After blessing the mothers, I would like to share with all of you the meaning of “celebrating a festival”.
Mother’s Day is different from traditional festivals. It does not remember past events or customs. For example, Dragon Boat Festival remembers a patriotic poet , Qu Yuan屈原; we eat moon cakes at Mid-Autumn Festival to remember how Zhu Yuan Zhang朱元璋 overthrew the Mongolian Dynasty and at Double Ninth Festival, we remember Huan Jing 桓景who avoided a plague by climbing up high hills etc.
Mother’s Day is a festival based on relations, on mother-child relations. “Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Nowadays, it is not easy to fulfill filial piety towards mothers. Mother’s Day is thus a good opportunity to remind and encourage children to show their mothers love and care, especially today. If unluckily, your mother has already passed away, then care about other mothers who have nobody to take care of them in their old age. Mother’s Day also reminds and encourages mothers not to give up taking care of their children and even those unlucky orphans who are deprived of motherly love.
Perhaps you can think of many more celebratory days such as the birthday of your spouse and the marriage anniversary etc. Marriage anniversary does not simply remember that one day many years ago, you married somebody. It reminds you that no matter how difficult life is, you should continue to honour your marital vow, continue to love your spouse more.
Similarly, Christianity celebrates many feasts to remember events in the past, e.g. Christmas, Easter, Ascension today and Pentecost next Sunday. These feasts celebrate significant events which took place some 2000 years ago in Palestine. But for believers in God, “to remember” is not simply to recall some events in the past. The term carries a special meaning.
For example, some 2000 year ago, the Son of God incarnated and was born in Bethlehem. From then on, God led a human life, walked among men and lived with them in order to carry out His redemption project. Today, when we celebrate Christmas, we do not simply send Christmas cards, give Christmas presents. We do not celebrate the birthday of Santa Claus. Instead, we celebrate the birth of the Son of God, Jesus Christ in Bethlehem two millennia ago. On the other hand, God also remembers His Son incarnated 2000 years ago, to be with men. So, today, He will be present in the community which is gathered in the name of Jesus Christ, to stay with them. 2000 years ago, God was with men. Today, the ever living God still stays with men. Through baptism, we are united with Jesus Christ. Jesus lives in me and we live in Jesus. We become ambassadors of Christ, the spokespersons of Christ. So, while we celebrate the incarnation of the Son of God at Christmas which also reminds us to incarnate in our daily life, to reveal the face of Christ to men and to actualize God’s presence among men.
Therefore, Christian festivals are similar to Mother’s Day in that they are festivals built upon the relation between God and men. They do not only commemorate some past events, but they also remind us of God’s love for us. More importantly, they help us live out Christ and to bring the everlasting life of God to men.
Now, let’s reflect once more on why we celebrate the Ascension of Jesus.
I always fantasize what if Jesus had not ascended into heavens. How nice life would have been if Jesus had continued to stay with us. The Catholic Church would have a founder of more than 2000 years old! People on earth would naturally join the Catholic Church. We would not have to work so hard to evangelize. If Jesus had continued to stay with us, there would not have been doctrinal controversies, schisms and even wars. If there were any disasters, earthquakes and famines, Jesus would work miracles to relieve us. If there were any plagues and pandemics, Jesus would heal. If there were any disputes between countries, Jesus would settle them. Why then did Jesus still leave us and ascend into heavens, return to His heavenly Father, only to come back at the end of the world? Why took the trouble to travel up and down?
First of all, I think Jesus could not afford NOT to leave. If he stayed, we would be forced to believe in him, to love him. Who wants this kind of coerced belief and forced love? God respects our freedom. He will not force us to believe in him. God wants us to believe in Him, to love Him out of our free will. Therefore, Jesus must leave.
Furthermore, does Jesus really leave us behind when he ascends into heavens? At this very moment, is Jesus present among us? Of course! Jesus promises us that where two or three are gathered in his name, he is there in their midst (Matthew 18:20). Moreover, he is with us always to the close of the age (Matthew 28:20). Therefore, although he has ascended into heavens, he is still with us. Had Jesus not ascended into heavens, he would only have existed at a particular point on earth. Now that he has ascended into heavens, he is no longer confined within time and space. Nowhere does he not exist. He is everywhere. At this moment, he is present in the Word we hear. He is present in the Holy Communion we will receive. Therefore, through the Word and the sacrament of Eucharist, Jesus lives miraculously in the heart of each and every one of us.
Before he ascended into heavens, Jesus commissioned us to preach repentance to all nations, to love him joyfully in all natural and human disasters, to become joyful ambassadors of reconciliation in disputes.
Today is the age of the Internet, the age of smart phones. The Net is extensive, powerful, transient rapidly and influential globally. Many priests, deacons and even our Pope Emeritus have made use of the platform of FB and Twitter etc. to evangelize. There are all sorts of Apps to help us read the Bible and pray. Therefore, the Internet is a strategic field to fight battle, a fertile ground for Christians to evangelize and to bear witness. At the same time, there are a lot of harmful information and social networks that bully gullible users of the Internet. Therefore, we must be cautious while making Christ present in the virtual world of the Internet. For example, when we receive some seemingly Christian emails, don’t forward them without a thought to your contacts. Stamped with your names, these emails would gain more credibility. Consequently, the Internet will be flooded with many junky chain letters, making it difficult to tell them from genuine distress calls or human right appeals. So, we must be careful in using our smart phones. On this Feast of Ascension, buy a copy of Kung Kao Pao today, read its editorial and think about how to Christianize the Internet.
God bless.
Sunday 5 May 2013
The Father is greater than Jesus
Chinese culture can offer an alternative philosophy to explain Christianity which came about in a Greek culture. Early Christians had no choice but to explain their belief in Greek terms. Therefore, we have substance, essence and person etc. in Christian theology. Greek philosophy is analytic, i.e. breaking down a concept into its components. On the other hand, Chinese philosophy is holistic. Like Greek philosophy which is dualistic, materials and ideas. Chinese philosophy is also dualistic, ying and yang. I have in mind the philosophy of I-Ching. Greek philosophy favours ideas and despise materials which decay and change with time. Chinese philosophy embraces both ying and yang. Both ying and yang keep changing into each other. One is not better than the other.
The key concept of 易 has three distinct meanings, viz. changes, unchanging and simple. We see changes everywhere, but changes is an unchanging law. It is a simple law which incorporates all changes 易. A single concept is enough to encompass seemingly contradictory phenomena of perpetual changes and unchanging eternity. Of course, the philosophy of I-Ching has its limitations. It deals with changes in our everyday social and political life on earth. So far, I am not knowledgeable enough about the application of I-Ching in the transcendental sphere. Yet, I am confident that the philosophy of I-Ching is a promising tool in explaining some of the tenets of Christianity.
The Blessed Trinity and the dual nature of Jesus are the corner stone of Christianity. In Greek terms, there is one God in 3 Persons and Jesus is truly divine and human at the same time. Throughout the ages, even after the Nicaea and Constantinople Councils in the fourth century, theologians continue to wrestle with the theology of Trinity and Christology in order to find better articulations for these two basic mysteries.
Jesus once claimed that "I and the Father are one ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν" (John 10:30).
On the other hand, in the gospel reading today, we heard him say that "for the Father is greater than I ὅτι ὁ πατὴρ μείζων μού ἐστιν." (John 14:28).
Together, the two statements are contradictory. How do we harmonize them?
Of course, the two statements were made in different contexts and thus may not be contradictory after all. Jesus is telling us the inner life of the Godhead. He is saying that he and the Father are of one divinity. That does not necessarily imply that Jesus and the Father are identical. They must be two distinct entities or Persons. Otherwise, the Father would be crucified and killed together with Jesus on the cross!
We can find some other texts in the gospel to illustrate the distinction between the Father and the Son. For example, in Mark 13:32, Jesus told his disciples that of the day or hour of the end of the world, nobody knows, "not the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Therefore, both Jesus and the Father are divine, yet they are distinct.
Jesus is God's revelation. He shows us that God is love. In order to partake in the inner life of God, we must become LOVE ourselves to enter into a loving relation with God. Love is outgoing. Therefore, we must shake off our self-love in order to reach out to other people. Love demands self-sacrifice, like what Jesus has done for us all. Let us follow his example to love until it hurts.
These days, my aging parents are living with my family. This is rather challenging, yet enriching. As for me, I am given an opportunity to confront my weaknesses and the root of such failings. Spousal love and filial love are what I have at hand to handle all difficulties. May the risen Lord help me.
Dear Lord, may Your love kindle and inflame my being to a greater love of You and my family. Amen.
The key concept of 易 has three distinct meanings, viz. changes, unchanging and simple. We see changes everywhere, but changes is an unchanging law. It is a simple law which incorporates all changes 易. A single concept is enough to encompass seemingly contradictory phenomena of perpetual changes and unchanging eternity. Of course, the philosophy of I-Ching has its limitations. It deals with changes in our everyday social and political life on earth. So far, I am not knowledgeable enough about the application of I-Ching in the transcendental sphere. Yet, I am confident that the philosophy of I-Ching is a promising tool in explaining some of the tenets of Christianity.
The Blessed Trinity and the dual nature of Jesus are the corner stone of Christianity. In Greek terms, there is one God in 3 Persons and Jesus is truly divine and human at the same time. Throughout the ages, even after the Nicaea and Constantinople Councils in the fourth century, theologians continue to wrestle with the theology of Trinity and Christology in order to find better articulations for these two basic mysteries.
Jesus once claimed that "I and the Father are one ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν" (John 10:30).
On the other hand, in the gospel reading today, we heard him say that "for the Father is greater than I ὅτι ὁ πατὴρ μείζων μού ἐστιν." (John 14:28).
Together, the two statements are contradictory. How do we harmonize them?
Of course, the two statements were made in different contexts and thus may not be contradictory after all. Jesus is telling us the inner life of the Godhead. He is saying that he and the Father are of one divinity. That does not necessarily imply that Jesus and the Father are identical. They must be two distinct entities or Persons. Otherwise, the Father would be crucified and killed together with Jesus on the cross!
We can find some other texts in the gospel to illustrate the distinction between the Father and the Son. For example, in Mark 13:32, Jesus told his disciples that of the day or hour of the end of the world, nobody knows, "not the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." Therefore, both Jesus and the Father are divine, yet they are distinct.
Jesus is God's revelation. He shows us that God is love. In order to partake in the inner life of God, we must become LOVE ourselves to enter into a loving relation with God. Love is outgoing. Therefore, we must shake off our self-love in order to reach out to other people. Love demands self-sacrifice, like what Jesus has done for us all. Let us follow his example to love until it hurts.
These days, my aging parents are living with my family. This is rather challenging, yet enriching. As for me, I am given an opportunity to confront my weaknesses and the root of such failings. Spousal love and filial love are what I have at hand to handle all difficulties. May the risen Lord help me.
Dear Lord, may Your love kindle and inflame my being to a greater love of You and my family. Amen.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)