復活的心態

常年期第三十二主日（丙年）
主題：復活的心態

我們在福音中常聽到「法利塞人」，比較少聽到「撒杜塞人」，一不留神以為他們與法利塞人差不多。的確，在政治上，法利塞人和撒杜塞人曾聯手對付耶穌。但實際上，他們是敵對的。
撒杜塞人的由司祭組成的政黨，他們的權勢與聖殿息息相關，亦因此，他們的勢力範圍就局限在耶路撒冷。在信仰上他們祗承認梅瑟五書是經典，不承認先知書和聖詠的啟示權威。在梅瑟五書之中，他們找不到死人復活的記載，所以他們否認復活。
不要以為他們是膿包，看他們的論証手法，便知道他們是思路精密的高級知識份子。首先，他們表面上認同對手的立場，然後推論出對手的論點會得到矛盾的結果，這一招「反証法」是邏輯學上常用的手段，用來處理一些無法直接証明的道理。
撒杜塞人認為人死不能復生。現在不會有復活，將來都不會，永遠都不會。
要証明現在不會有復活並不難，因為從來沒有人親眼見過死人會復活。不過，現在不會並不表示將來不會。要直接証明連將來都不會有復活是非常困難的。於是撒杜塞人巧妙地用反証法証明復活是錯的。
首先，他們設下一個七兄弟按梅瑟訂立的代兄立嗣法律，先後成為同一個女人的丈夫的局面。然後假設有復活，於是在復活之日，就會出現一個女人同時有七個丈夫的姦淫局面。法律是不會互相矛盾的，天主的法律更加不會互相矛盾。十誡不應該與代兄立嗣的法律矛盾。十誡禁止姦淫，復活就會導致姦淫。所以錯不在十誡，錯在有復活。十誡是永恆的，所以，復活是永遠不會有的。撒杜塞人的思路的確厲害。

為甚麽這班司祭不想復活呢？復活有甚麽不好呢？撒杜塞人真心關懷姦淫的問題嗎？絕對不。
司祭素來都是肋未一族的專利，而且還是世襲的。除非發生了一些不幸事件，例如天生殘障令一個人不能當司祭，或者一些特殊事故如天主召收或者是亡國，否則一出世在司祭家族裡，就註定衣食無憂。厄則克耳在亡國之前是司祭，亡國後充軍時蒙召成為先知。若翰洗者的爸爸是司祭，若翰原本可以繼承父業做司祭，結果做了基督的前驅，死在黑落德手上。這兩個是特殊的個別例子，一般的司祭都是京城中的既得利益者，是特權階級。當耶穌清理聖殿的時候，就是向他們借聖殿偷呃拐騙的惡行宣戰，於是損害了他們的利益，開罪了他們。

從第一篇讀經我們可以領會到復活是帶有審判意味的。世間實在有太多的不公義，相信大家近日在新聞都看了不少。連當權者亦加入為有錢人服務的時候，這一切的冤假錯案，就祗有等天主在復活之日為受害人申冤了。
所以，如果心裡沒有復活，既得利益者就可以繼續不公義地享受既得的利益，最緊要「維持穩定，按程序公義辦事，循序漸進改良社會。」他們所信的天主對貪污會隻眼開隻眼閉，對孤兒寡婦，小數族裔會袖手旁觀，就不會平反冤獄。這群撒杜塞人就會天不怕，地不怕，把仁愛和公義拋諸腦後，有風就要使盡艃，為富就可以不仁，不用顧憂「最尾的兩年」。

作為耶穌的門徒，我們相信耶穌為了我們，從死者中復活過來了。那麽，復活對我們每天的生活，有甚麽意義呢？我們如何以一個復活的心態來面對不公義呢？
我們相信復活，表示我們相信天主自會照顧。所以在不斷重複的平淡生活中，我們抱著天主自會照顧的信念，每日以仁愛關顧身邊有需要幫助的弱勢社群，愛人如己，服務在病弱者身上臨現的耶穌君王。
我們相信復活，表示我們相信天主會為受壓迫者申冤。在面對發生在身邊不公義的情況時，不要置身事外，明哲保身。因為天主曾因亞巴郎的求情，會為十個義人而不毀滅索多瑪。耶穌曾應承我們有兩三個人因他的名聚集的時候，他會臨現在我們中間。所以我們懷著復活的希望，相信天主會為受壓迫者申冤的承諾，我們與受壓迫者同行。天主會因我們的臨在，耶穌的臨在而為他們出頭。天主絕對不會等我們出事後才出手。因為天主不是死人的天主，而是活人的天主。

各位兄弟姊妹，記著時時懷著復活的心態，使復活的基督，臨現在我們身上，臨現在不公義的社會裡。天主保祐。

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32^nd Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: A Resurrection mentality
We often hear about Pharisees in the gospels and very little of the Sadducees. If we are not careful, we may think that they were different names of the same group of people. Indeed, they had joined forces in order to eliminate Jesus. However, they were in fact, antagonistic.
Sadducees were a political group made up of priests. Their influence was coupled with the Temple and thus, their power was confined within Jerusalem. Sadducees held that only the Torah was canonical. They did not acknowledge the revelatory authority of the books of prophets and psalms. Since they could not find anything about resurrection in the Torah, they dismissed the idea of resurrection.
Do not think that they were blockheads. Their dialectics showed that they were intelligentsia of high calibre. At first, they appeared to agree with the opponents’ stance. Then, they demonstrated that such a stance would lead to contradiction. This reductio ad absurdum is a common way to prove some truths which cannot be demonstrated directly.
Sadducees denied resurrection. There was no resurrection here and now, or in the future. There would be no resurrection forever.
To demonstrate that there was no resurrection here and now was not difficult because nobody had witnessed the dead coming back to life. However, that there was no resurrection now cannot guarantee that there would be no resurrection in the future. To demonstrate directly that there would be no resurrection in the future is very difficult. But the Sadducees had found a clever way to prove that the whole idea of resurrection is wrongheaded.
Firstly, they set up a scenario in which seven brothers, following Mosaic levirate marriage law, became husbands of the same woman consecutively (Luke 28:32, Deuteronomy 25:5-6). If there were resurrection, on the day of resurrection, the woman would be the wife of these seven brothers at the same time. A scenario of adultery would result. Laws cannot be self-contradictory. The more so are the laws of God. The Ten Commandments should not contradict with the levirate marriage law. Now, the Ten Commandments forbid adultery. Resurrection would lead to adultery. The fault lies not with the Ten Commandments. It must be the fault of resurrection. Since the Ten Commandments are eternal. Therefore, there would be, for eternity, no resurrection. How impeccable their dialectics were!

Why did these priests not want resurrection? What was so bad about resurrection? Did these Sadducees care about adultery? A categorical no!
Priesthood had always been the exclusive franchise of Levites. Moreover, it was hereditary. Unless some unfortunate impediments happened, such as handicaps rendering a man unable to become a priest, or some special events such as God’s call or exile, a person born into a priestly family would have nothing to worry about for the rest of his life. Ezekiel was a priest before the Babylonian Exile. Later God called him to become a prophet. The father of John the Baptist was a priest. John would have inherited his father’s job to become one. Subsequently, he became the forerunner of Christ and was beheaded by Herod Antipas. These two are exceptional cases. In general, priests were vested interests in Jerusalem. They were a privileged class. When Jesus cleansed the Temple, he was declaring war against their evil deeds of turning the Temple into their money spinner. Jesus antagonized them by ruining their interests.

From the first reading today, we gather that resurrection involves judgment. There are too many injustices in this world. I am sure you have heard enough of news coverage these days. When the government serves the rich, these cases of injustice have to wait until the day of resurrection when God’s justice shall prevail.
Therefore, if there is no resurrection in their hearts, the vested interests would continue to enjoy their interests in an unjust way. For them, “maintaining stability, following procedural justice and gradual piecemeal improvement of the society” are of top priority. Their God would be blind to corruption, would let the orphans, widows and ethnic minorities fend for themselves. His justice would not prevail. These Sadducees had nothing to fear. Charity and justice were not among their vocabulary. They would exploit the disadvantaged to the fullest. They would harden their hearts with their wealth. They did not bother about their last days.

As disciples of Jesus, we believe that Jesus died and came back to life for us. So, what does resurrection mean for our daily life? How shall we confront injustice with a resurrection mentality?
To believe in resurrection means we trust in the providence of God. In our routine boring daily life, we believe in God’s providence and opt for the underprivileged around us. We love our neighbours as ourselves, serving Christ the King present in the sick and the weak.
To believe in resurrection means we trust that God’s justice shall prevail. Confronting injustice, we shall not stay away for safety’s sake. It is because Abraham once bargained with God to make Him spare Sodom if there were ten righteous people. Jesus has also promised us that when two or three of us gathered in his name, he shall be present among us. Therefore, with the hope of resurrection and a strong belief in God’s promise to rectify justice for the underprivileged, we stay with the oppressed. God would deliver them because of our presence, because of Jesus’ presence. God shall not allow us to perish because "he is not God of the dead, but of the living" (Luke 20:38).

Brothers and sister, bear in mind the mentality of resurrection to make the risen Christ present in us, present in the injustice of the society. God bless.