常年期第廿三主日（丙年）
主題：知罪蒙恩
聖經中有些章節，驟眼看來非常不近人情，叫人難以接受。尤其是向來強調「孝道」的中國人社會，會對這些令中國人尷尬的章節，避而不談。例如創世紀所記載的造女人，建立婚姻的故事，教人「離開父母，與妻子結合，二人成為一體」的一段，雖然個中有很深刻的道理，不竟是向中國人傳教的一大絆腳石。今天的福音教人做耶穌的門徒，要惱恨自己的父母，解釋起來的確困難重重。所以，我覺得做一個中國天主教徒是一個很大的挑戰，我們生活在兩個偉大的文化之間，我們有責任使耶穌的教訓在中國的文化土壤中，紥根成長，並把它昇華，將它基督化。
解釋任何經文，無論是中國的經典，抑或是聖經，最忌「斷章取義」，按文字的表面意思，望文生義，甚至穿鑿附會。解經須要看上下文的關係，看文字背後的文化背景。聖經的教訓是天主的教訓，是絕對不會互相矛盾的。「十誡」既然命令我們孝敬父母，福音又怎能同時要求我們離棄自己的父母，惱恨自己的父母呢？反過來說，福音既然要求我們惱恨父母，我們又如何既惱恨又孝敬父母呢？所以當中一定有更深層的意義，不可以按字面斷章取義地解釋。
創世紀的人物之中，以雅各伯最有人性。他既信頼天主，又能運用天生的聰明才智克服逆境；既欺騙孿生兄弟的長子名份和祝福，又用二十年的時間賺取本錢與兄弟和解。娶了兩個表妹，並生了十二個兒子，獲得天主的祝福。原來，以色列人的文學作品中，要表達對兩個妻子，子女等親人不同程度的愛護時，除了說「雅各伯愛辣黑耳甚於肋阿」之外，接著又說「肋阿被雅各伯憎惡」。
如果雅各伯真的憎惡肋阿，肋阿又怎樣可以為雅各伯生下六個兒子及一個女兒呢？所以，對親人的所謂「惱恨，憎惡」，是指愛得不夠多，不能與憎恨仇人，憎恨惡事同日而語。所以解經須要掌握經文的文學背景。
另外，「以經解經」亦都是一個可取的辦法。例如瑪竇福音也有與今天的福音同樣的記載，瑪竇的寫法是「誰愛父親或母親超過我，不配是我的；誰愛兒子或女兒子超過我，不配是我的。」（瑪10:37）瑪竇加上了自己的演繹，這樣寫令讀者更容易明白了。
既解決了「惱恨父母」的經文問題，讓我們回頭默想今天福音的教訓。今天的福音之中，最矚目的是三句「不能做我的門徒」。從經文的表面看，耶穌好像開出三個做他門徒的條件，不能滿足其中任何一個條件，都不能做他的門徒。愛親人多過愛耶穌的，不能做門徒；不背起自己的十字架的，不能做門徒；不捨棄一切所有的，不能做門徒。隨後，耶穌說了兩個籌算的比喻，教我們先籌算能否付出代價，才做他的門徒。耶穌真是這樣苛刻嗎？如果真是這樣，當今世上，恐怕祗有孤兒和乞丐纔能做耶穌的門徒了！
所以，讓我們試用「以經解經」的方法，看看耶穌的真正教訓是甚麽。
路加福音第四章記載了耶穌受魔鬼試探後，開始他的傳福音的任務。在安息日，他在會堂宣讀了依撒意亞先知有關默西亞的預言，作為他來到世上的任務的宣言。依撒意亞的預言這樣說：默西亞的任務是「向貧窮人傳報喜訊，向俘虜宣告釋放，向盲者宣告復明，使受壓迫者獲得自由。」當中並沒有一句要求那些窮人愛他多過愛父母，沒有一句要求那些盲人背十字架，沒有一句要求那些俘虜捨棄一切所有的。可見耶穌來到世界拯救世人，並無對人要求任何條件。
其實，當我們認識到自己的缺失，了解到自己的軟弱不足，感受到自己被罪惡奴役，陷於水深火熱，不能自拔的狀態時，我們接受並相信耶穌從天而降，死而復活救贖了我們。這生命是耶穌為我們爭取回來的，我們還有甚麽可以保留呢？以往我們因為罪性，可能出於利害關係去愛我們的親人，如今，我們愛得更真。以往我們會因為挫拆，病苦而盲目地埋怨，如今，我們樂意背起自己的十字架與耶穌一同救贖世界。這種再造之恩，我們就算傾家蕩產，亦難以為報。
可是，為何耶穌開出這三個條件呢？原來，當時耶穌在上耶路撒冷的途中，吸引了大批投機份子，以為耶穌是推翻羅馬帝國統治的「默西亞」，想跟隨耶穌去打天下。所以耶穌開出這三個條件，要他們反省自己是否知罪蒙恩。如果不是知罪蒙恩，而是想投機取巧，渾水摸魚，跟隨耶穌祗會浪費時間，白費心機。
各位，這個星期，讓我們默想，我們知罪嗎？上一次辦告解是幾時呢？我們蒙恩嗎？上一次感謝耶穌賞賜恩寵是幾時呢？我們跟隨耶穌，是否出於知罪蒙恩，抑或是渾水摸魚呢？
天主保祐。
23rd Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: Know our sins and receive pardon
Superficially, some biblical passages are unreasonable and difficult to accept, especially for the Chinese communities which emphasize filial piety a lot. They will avoid mentioning some embarrassing passages. For example, in the story of making woman and establishing the institution of marriage, the Bible teaches a man to leave their parents, cleave to his wife and they become one flesh (Genesis 2:24). Although the teaching is profound, the passage is a major stumbling block to evangelization among Chinese. Today, the gospel teaches us to hate our parents in order to become Jesus' disciples (Luke 14:26). It is truly difficult to explain. I always feel that it is a big challenge to be a Chinese Catholic. We live within two great cultures. We have the responsibility to make Jesus' teaching "incarnate" and grow in the Chinese soil, to sublime it, Christianize it.
Reading out of context is the most unforgivable mistake in the exegesis of sacred scriptures and Chinese classics. In a proper interpretation of scripture, the location of a piece of text and its relation with the preceding text and the text that follows has to be understood. We need to know the cultural background as well. The teachings of the Bible are the teachings of God. They can never be contradictory. Since the Ten Commandments order us to honour our parents, how can the gospel demands us to leave our parents and hate our parents? On the contrary, since the gospel requires us to hate our parents, how can we hate and honour our parents at the same time? Therefore, there must be some deeper meanings and we should not interpret the passage literally.
Among the personalities in Genesis, Jacob is the most human. He believes in God and makes use of his inborn wits to overcome adversities. He cheated his twin brother Esau of his birthright and blessing and yet, Jacob spent twenty prime years of his life to make enough money to reconcile with Esau. He marries two cousins who gave birth for him 12 sons. Jacob receives many blessings from God. From his story, we learn that Hebrew literature expresses different degrees of love in a peculiar way. Besides saying "Jacob loves Rachel more than Leah", the Bible immediately says that Leah was hated by Jacob (Genesis 29:30-31). Had Jacob truly hated Leah, how would Leah have given birth to six sons and one daughter for Jacob? Therefore "hating family members" means "not loving them enough". It is not the same as hating an enemy or hating evil. We need to understanding the cultural background in doing exegesis.
Furthermore, explaining the scripture with scriptures is also a helpful skill. For example, the gospel of Matthew also carries the same teaching found in today's gospel. Yet, Matthew puts it this way, "He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;" (Matthew 10:37) Matthew's interpretation makes it easier for the readers to understand Jesus' intended teaching.
After untying the knot of "hating one's parents", let us meditate on the teaching of today's gospel. The most conspicuous elements in the gospel today are the three "whoever … cannot be my disciple." Superficially, Jesus laid down three criteria, failing anyone of which, one cannot be his disciple. Loving one's family members more than Jesus cannot be a disciple; not bearing one's cross cannot be a disciple; not renouncing all one has cannot be a disciple. To substantiate, Jesus told two parables, teaching us to count the cost before becoming his disciple. Were Jesus really so demanding? If he were, I am afraid only orphans and beggars could qualify.
So, let us try to explain the scripture with other scriptures to find out the real teaching of Jesus.
In Luke 4, after the temptation, Jesus began his public ministry. On the Sabbath he read Isaiah's prophecy about the Messiah to declare his Mission Statement on earth. According to the prophecy of Isaiah, the Messiah's mission is "to preach good news to the poor, to proclaim release to captives and recovering of sight to the blind and to set at liberty those who are oppressed." (Luke 4:18) In his Mission Statement, Jesus does not ask the poor to love him more than their parents, does not require the blind to bear their crosses, nor impose any demand on the captives to renounce all they have. Thus, when Jesus comes to save the world, he does not set up any condition for us to meet.
Indeed, when we know our faults, understand our weakness and inadequacies, feel the bondage of sin and discover that we land in hot troubles from which we cannot extract ourselves, we accept and believe that Jesus came down to die and to rise in order to save us. This life is earned for us by Christ, what else can we reserve for ourselves? In the past, because of our sinfulness and concupiscence, we love our family members out of advantages. Now, we truly love them. In the past, we are easily and blindly frustrated by our failures and sufferings. Now, we are willing to bear our crosses to save the world together with Jesus. We are not able to repay this grace of rebirth even with all our possessions.
But why then did Jesus lay down these three criteria? It was because Jesus was on his final trip to Jerusalem. He had attracted many opportunists who thought that Jesus was the Messiah to overthrow the Roman sovereignty over the Jews. They wanted to follow Jesus to make a fortune. Therefore, Jesus laid down these three criteria, forcing them to rethink whether they knew their sins and whether they were prepared to receive God's grace. If they did not undergo conversion but only wanted to make a fortune, they would be wasting their time and disappointed.
Dear brothers and sisters. This week, let us meditate if we know our sins. When did we last make our confession? Have we received God's grace? When was the last time we thanked Jesus for the grace we received? We are Jesus' disciples. Do we follow him because we know our sins and have received grace or do we follow him to make a fortune?
God bless.
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