When God created the universe in which men were to dwell, he saw that it was good (Genesis 1:31). So, the creation of men was pleasing to God because men were created in God's image (1:26). However, sin crept in and men became ugly, some physically and some spiritually. Still, God does not give men up. Men have become the object of God's salvation plan. Therefore, any act of discrimination against fellow men is an act against God, both because man is an image of God and man is the object of God's salvation. In the gospel reading today (John 9), we read of blatant discrimination against a man born blind and against Jesus.
It was traditional Jewish thinking that being born blind was a punishment from God. Such a way of thinking was inevitable because of a lack of medical knowledge. Jesus did not refute it. The Jews could continue to think in this way because sickness can be self inflicted. Unhealthy and even harmful life styles can cause diseases and even kill. But there is another factor which reinforces such a way of thinking. People want to believe that some diseases are punishments from God because if you are not ill, you are not a sinner. You are righteous in front of God and people. You feel good. So, a lack of knowledge plus a sense of self-righteousness would perpetuate such a prejudice and prejudice is hard to erase.
Jesus restored the sight of a man born blind to show God's compassion for the social outcast. The blind man did not choose to be blind. It was unfortunate that he was born blind. He deserved compassion rather than discrimination. However, discrimination was what he received. Instead of celebration for the restoration of his sight, the man received more discrimination because he defended Jesus. The Pharisees were declaring a war against God and their guilt remained.
Jesus said to them, "If you were blind, you would have no guilt; but now that you say, `We see,' your guilt remains." (John 9:41)
There were good and bad Pharisees. Not all of them, perhaps a minority, were bad such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. There are good and bad Christians. Not all of them, perhaps a minority, were bad. When Christians become self-righteous, they are not different from those self-righteous Pharisees. Being self-righteous suggests that they are spiritually blind to their need of God's salvation. The problem is people want to believe that they have no problem. Others have problem. I am OK. You are not OK. At this moment, I feel good. I don't need God. Don't bother me. Moreover, I enjoy pointing fingers at the others! That is why the blind man was cured while the guilt of the self-righteous Pharisees remained. Alas! Nowadays, there are many self-righteous Christians waging wars, in the name of God, against the homosexuals and ... God. They are blind to the fact that men created in the image of God. Some choose to become saints, some homosexuals. All men are objects of God's salvation.
Dear Lord, let me receive my sight (Mark 10:51). Amen.
Monday, 31 March 2014
Sunday, 23 March 2014
A Salvific Encounter beside the well
When we studied literal types of the Old Testament, Fr. William Lo, S. J. mentioned one interesting typology: an encounter beside the well. When Abraham sent a servant to look for a bride for Isaac, the servant met Rebekah who drew water from a well (Genesis 24). When Jacob ran away from the fury of Esau whose birth-right he had cheated, Jacob met Rachel and helped her roll away a stone covering a well (Genesis 29). When Moses fled from Pharaoh, he met Zipporah beside a well (Exodus 2). All these encounters ended up in marriages. These encounter stories form a literary genre. Usually, Old Testament types are pre-figures / symbols of events in the New Testament. For example, Christians hold the opinions that the Deluge and the Crossing of the Red Sea prefigure Christian baptism; the Passover prefigures Jesus' sacrifice and resurrection; manna the Holy Eucharist etc. Now, what can we make of the "encounter beside the well which ends up in marriage" genre?
In the gospel of John, we read of the encounter beside the well between Jesus and a Samaritan woman (John 4). Jesus did not end up marrying the Samaritan woman. So, how should we interpret the "encounter beside the well" genre?
In the story of the Samaritan woman, we see how Jesus gradually revealed his identity to the woman and brought her salvation. The woman had a scandalous history of marriage. She had had five husbands and the man she was living with was not her husband (John 4:18). In order to avoid meeting accusatory neighbour, the woman came to draw water at noon (4:6-7). However hard we try to avoid men, we cannot run away from God. Had the woman stayed around with her neighbour in their usual meeting time, she would not have met Jesus. This is fate. God chooses to meet you where you are least prepared to see Him, with your pants down. Therefore, the first reaction of the Samaritan woman was defensive. "I am a Samaritan woman. You are a Jew! Get out of my way" (4:9). Of course, when God has chosen you, you have no escape. Step by step, Jesus led her to see her own soul and her actual needs. Once liberated, the Samaritan woman left behind her water jar, the very purpose of her coming to the well, and did the unthinkable --- she ran into the city to meet the people she had previously avoided and told them that she had found the Christ (4:28-30). Now, this is conversion! And salvation follows conversion.
This brings back the question of marriage. There is no marriage in John 4. I would say men and women are unfulfilled without marriage. In marriage, their masculinity and femininity come to full realization. Moreover, this realization brings forth new lives, both biologically and spiritually. Of course, not all men and women are called to marriage. There are other forms of fulfilled life such as celibacy for the sake of gospel and the kingdom of heaven. But that would be anachronistic and demanding the impossible from the Old Testament. Yet, marriage should not be seen as a mere contractual union. The New Testament elevates marriage to a more spiritual level --- the Church as the Spouse of Christ. Marriage becomes a sacrament, a visible symbol for channeling God's grace to the world. Though the encounter beside the well did not end up in any visible marriage, salvation had taken place. Marriage is just one of the many forms of salvation. In marriage, a man and a woman enter into a multi-dimensional union. In salvation, all the Creation enters into full union with our God.
Dear Jesus, submerging in the living water you give us, allow us to drink to our full union with You. Amen.
In the gospel of John, we read of the encounter beside the well between Jesus and a Samaritan woman (John 4). Jesus did not end up marrying the Samaritan woman. So, how should we interpret the "encounter beside the well" genre?
In the story of the Samaritan woman, we see how Jesus gradually revealed his identity to the woman and brought her salvation. The woman had a scandalous history of marriage. She had had five husbands and the man she was living with was not her husband (John 4:18). In order to avoid meeting accusatory neighbour, the woman came to draw water at noon (4:6-7). However hard we try to avoid men, we cannot run away from God. Had the woman stayed around with her neighbour in their usual meeting time, she would not have met Jesus. This is fate. God chooses to meet you where you are least prepared to see Him, with your pants down. Therefore, the first reaction of the Samaritan woman was defensive. "I am a Samaritan woman. You are a Jew! Get out of my way" (4:9). Of course, when God has chosen you, you have no escape. Step by step, Jesus led her to see her own soul and her actual needs. Once liberated, the Samaritan woman left behind her water jar, the very purpose of her coming to the well, and did the unthinkable --- she ran into the city to meet the people she had previously avoided and told them that she had found the Christ (4:28-30). Now, this is conversion! And salvation follows conversion.
This brings back the question of marriage. There is no marriage in John 4. I would say men and women are unfulfilled without marriage. In marriage, their masculinity and femininity come to full realization. Moreover, this realization brings forth new lives, both biologically and spiritually. Of course, not all men and women are called to marriage. There are other forms of fulfilled life such as celibacy for the sake of gospel and the kingdom of heaven. But that would be anachronistic and demanding the impossible from the Old Testament. Yet, marriage should not be seen as a mere contractual union. The New Testament elevates marriage to a more spiritual level --- the Church as the Spouse of Christ. Marriage becomes a sacrament, a visible symbol for channeling God's grace to the world. Though the encounter beside the well did not end up in any visible marriage, salvation had taken place. Marriage is just one of the many forms of salvation. In marriage, a man and a woman enter into a multi-dimensional union. In salvation, all the Creation enters into full union with our God.
Dear Jesus, submerging in the living water you give us, allow us to drink to our full union with You. Amen.
Monday, 17 March 2014
A disfigured graduate and a transfigured Jesus
I don't like the idea of chain letter because it is a waste of resources. In particular, they are noises in the Internet, jamming those authentic stress messages. Therefore, I am cautious in treating forwarded messages/emails, in particular those asking me to forward them to my friends. In many cases, I received them because my friends simply pressed the forward button without thinking. As a responsible user of the Internet, I would try to spend some time to verify the information before I forward them. In many cases, I ended up not pressing the forward button.
Today, before I sat down to write this blog, I received an email asking me to help a certain Mr. Wong Pui Miu (王培淼), a Catholic who received a Bachelor of Education degree from CUHK and was supposed to be a primary school teacher. However, because of some medical blunders at birth and cerebral palsy (suggesting that he is suffering from some physical disfigurement), no headmaster is willing to hire him etc. As usual, I was skeptical and did a little research on the Internet. This time, my skepticism was proved wrong.
Mr. Wong left a Lunar New Year greeting message in Guest Book of the homepage of Tsuen Wan Catholic Primary School while he was still looking for a teaching post half a year after graduation. The next thing I could find is an entry in the HKEdcity forum 歧視不存在，世界更可愛！ in 2005, expressing his despair after six years of struggle and mentioned of suicide. 14 people responded and poured in words of consolation and encouragement. After this, I found his name, if he has been using his real name, in signature campaigns and comments to news items of current social, educational and political issues. He supported Cardinal Zen's position against the Patriotic Church in mainland China etc. So, Mr Wong is real and is struggling to make ends meet.
Life has been difficult for a disfigured university graduate in Hong Kong! Being a Catholic does not seem to relieve much of the hardship he has to endure. Modern society provides convenient and comfortable life. But time is in short supply. People focus on the first impression which takes less than 10 seconds to establish. Once it is cast, you are done. Modern society is highly competitive. Disfigured people are in great disadvantage because they look unhealthy. Their packaging is not marketable.
Jesus did not start with an impressive packaging. He was only a carpenter's son from Galilee. Luckily, Jesus was able to work miracles and exorcise demons. Moreover, he revealed his glory to his core apostles in Transfiguration to boost their faith. However, he was crucified by the Romans. Therefore, Christianity did not start with an impressive packaging. Only through God's intervention in time does Christianity prove its worth. However, time is in short supply in interpersonal interactions in the modern society. How Christians reveal the face of the transfigured Jesus within 10 seconds is a real challenge to us all. It is truly an impossible mission. But for God, nothing is impossible. The transfigured face of Jesus is a promise which God will honour us all at the end of the world. Then, our disfigured faces, including Mr. Wong's will be transformed into their perfection. Meanwhile, we continue to live with a disfigured human face with faith in God who always beats the powerful with the lowly and weak to prove that He is our God. Our faith is fueled by the stories of Gideon leading 300 men to defeat Midianites; David defeating Goliath etc. When God is with us, what powers on earth can triumph over us?
Dear Lord, shine forth your glory through your people. Amen.
Today, before I sat down to write this blog, I received an email asking me to help a certain Mr. Wong Pui Miu (王培淼), a Catholic who received a Bachelor of Education degree from CUHK and was supposed to be a primary school teacher. However, because of some medical blunders at birth and cerebral palsy (suggesting that he is suffering from some physical disfigurement), no headmaster is willing to hire him etc. As usual, I was skeptical and did a little research on the Internet. This time, my skepticism was proved wrong.
Mr. Wong left a Lunar New Year greeting message in Guest Book of the homepage of Tsuen Wan Catholic Primary School while he was still looking for a teaching post half a year after graduation. The next thing I could find is an entry in the HKEdcity forum 歧視不存在，世界更可愛！ in 2005, expressing his despair after six years of struggle and mentioned of suicide. 14 people responded and poured in words of consolation and encouragement. After this, I found his name, if he has been using his real name, in signature campaigns and comments to news items of current social, educational and political issues. He supported Cardinal Zen's position against the Patriotic Church in mainland China etc. So, Mr Wong is real and is struggling to make ends meet.
Life has been difficult for a disfigured university graduate in Hong Kong! Being a Catholic does not seem to relieve much of the hardship he has to endure. Modern society provides convenient and comfortable life. But time is in short supply. People focus on the first impression which takes less than 10 seconds to establish. Once it is cast, you are done. Modern society is highly competitive. Disfigured people are in great disadvantage because they look unhealthy. Their packaging is not marketable.
Jesus did not start with an impressive packaging. He was only a carpenter's son from Galilee. Luckily, Jesus was able to work miracles and exorcise demons. Moreover, he revealed his glory to his core apostles in Transfiguration to boost their faith. However, he was crucified by the Romans. Therefore, Christianity did not start with an impressive packaging. Only through God's intervention in time does Christianity prove its worth. However, time is in short supply in interpersonal interactions in the modern society. How Christians reveal the face of the transfigured Jesus within 10 seconds is a real challenge to us all. It is truly an impossible mission. But for God, nothing is impossible. The transfigured face of Jesus is a promise which God will honour us all at the end of the world. Then, our disfigured faces, including Mr. Wong's will be transformed into their perfection. Meanwhile, we continue to live with a disfigured human face with faith in God who always beats the powerful with the lowly and weak to prove that He is our God. Our faith is fueled by the stories of Gideon leading 300 men to defeat Midianites; David defeating Goliath etc. When God is with us, what powers on earth can triumph over us?
Dear Lord, shine forth your glory through your people. Amen.
Sunday, 9 March 2014
「悔改」即打破因循
四旬期第一主日（甲年）
主題：「悔改」即打破因循
「聖誕期」剛結束了大概兩個月，不覺又到了「四旬期」。顧名思義，四旬即四十日。當年，耶穌接受若翰的洗禮後，便進入曠野四十日，接受魔鬼的試探、考驗，為將來傳福音建立天國作好準備。同樣，教會亦為候洗者安排四十日的最後淨化，幫助他們好好準備在復活前夕領受洗禮。已經洗禮的我們，就用這四十天的時間，一方面陪伴候洗者淨煉，領洗重生；另一方面也好像耶穌一樣整裝待發，在五旬節聖神降臨後，向世界宣講福音。
讓我們來默想今天第一篇讀經中創世紀所記載人類墮落的故事。首先，我們要撇開性別歧視的問題，不要把責任全部推卸在女人身上。在聖經中，人類所說的第一句話，亦是男人對女人說的第一句話，不是「這真是我骨中之骨，肉中之肉」嗎？既然做夫妻，「有福同享，有難同當」是理所當然的，豈可獨善其身呢？其次，會說話的蛇祗會在「寓言故事」中纔會出現。所以，創世紀的故事是一個「寓言故事」，告訴小朋友為甚麽蛇用肚爬行，告訴男人為甚麽在天主所創造的美好世界中還要如此辛苦地工作，告訴女人為甚麽要服從男人等等。脫去這些外衣之後，我們可以了解故事的真正意義。人是天主的肖像，人渴望永恆，想超越作為受造物的有限。就算沒有魔鬼，這心魔始終是揮之不去的，因為人是天主的肖像。其實天主是明白這一切的，在時機成熟，天主會提昇我們的存在。怪祗怪原祖沒有耐性等待，所以不要怪魔鬼。渴望相似天主，扮天主是人類的死穴。
在今天的福音的故事中，耶穌以血肉之軀抗拒魔鬼的誘惑，為人類勝回一仗，証明人類是有能力抵抗誘惑的。誘惑是甚麽呢？我認為誘惑是來自需要和渴望得不到滿足。要生存就要滿足生存的需要，例如生理上的需要，安全的需要。人要生活就需要愛、需要尊嚴、渴望實現潛能、渴望超越自我、渴望天主等等。誘惑就是嘗試以不正當的手段來滿足需要，走捷徑來滿足合理的渴望。
為我們的益處，耶穌留下三個試探的經驗。其實在耶穌的公開生活中，這些誘惑以新的形式，不斷出現。例如，魔鬼誘惑耶穌將石頭變餅充飢，可以理解成為以經濟手段，解決貧窮的問題。耶穌在伯達尼宴會上，有個女人用昂貴的香水為他洗頭，猶達斯就表示不滿，認為浪費了可以救濟窮人的機會。耶穌抗絕這個誘惑，為那個女人的行為辯護。耶穌在抗拒魔鬼的試探時，祗引用【申命紀】的教訓，指出人不單祗要解決物質上的貧乏，亦要處理靈性上的貧乏。吃過知善惡樹的果子，人有了判辨是非的能力。祗要按聖經的教訓，就足夠對抗魔鬼的試探了。
教宗方濟各在今年的四旬期文告中說得十分清楚明白：耶穌以他的貧乏，令我們富足，所以基督徒有責任令身邊貧乏的人富足。今天的貧乏有三：第一，物質上的貧乏。就算這最簡單的貧乏，經濟手段亦不能滿意地解決。所謂「不患寡而患不均。」解決物質上的貧乏有賴我們按公義分配社會上的資源。第二種貧乏是倫理上的貧乏。教宗列出四種現代人容易陷入的奴役：酒精、毒品、賭博和色情。另外，有些人覺得生存沒有意義，與及在社會上受到歧視和剝削。第三種貧乏是靈性上的貧乏。現代人離棄天主，拒絕天主的愛，遇上困難時不懂得轉向天主求助。教會有責任幫助人脫貧，不但脫離物質上的貧乏，更要出力消滅社會性的罪惡並以福音恢復人類靈性上的富足。
具體地說，四旬期是我們打破因循、慣性和惰性，向天主開放的好時機。生活習慣固然是好的，既省力又舒適，但容易令人偷懶，容易放棄基督徒的價值，容易隨波逐流。守齋、祈禱和施捨不是我們格外多做的克己。這些原本是我們平時都做的事，祗不過四旬期，我們打破因循，改變了優次而已。所以，今年的克己，除了做慣了的守齋、施捨和祈禱外，不妨多做一件事：不要推卸責任。天主問亞當為何食禁果，亞當把責任推到天主和女人身上；天主問女人的時候，女人把責任推在蛇的身上。這真是人類的劣根性。大家都見到推卸責任不但不能解決闖出來的禍，更會將問題擴大。
所以，今年四旬期，如果是自己做錯事，就不要賴人。做錯了捱罵是應該的，並要虛心聆聽，不要爭辯。耶穌在真福八端不是教訓過我們「是就說是，非就說非，其他的都是出於邪惡」嗎？善後工作固然不要連累他人，但亦不要驕傲，應要謙遜地接受別人的幫助。
如果你是另外一種極端，凡事都攬到自己身上話，你就應該把責任放回應該負責任的人身上。「做好人」固然好受，但你正在剝削他人成長成聖的機會。今年試一試「做醜人」的滋味吧！
願耶穌陪伴我們在四旬期克己，洗心革面。到復活節一起做新人。天主保佑。
First Sunday of Lent (Year A)
Theme: To repent is to break our routines
Just two months after Christmas, we have reached the season of Lent. Lent lasts for 40 days. After baptism, Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness to undergo tests from Satan in order to equip himself for evangelization and the building up of the kingdom of heaven. In like manners, those who will receive baptism are going through the final stage of purification, to prepare themselves for baptism to start a new life on Easter Vigil. For us who were baptized, not only are these 40 days a good time to accompany those awaiting baptism to go through their final purification, it is also a preparatory time for Christians to reorganize themselves to proclaim the gospel to the whole world after Pentecost.
Let us begin by a meditation on the story of the Fall of our first parents in Genesis. First of all, strip the story of sexual discriminatory elements and do not put the blame of the Fall on women. Isn’t the first sentence man spoke in the Bible, a sentence spoken toward the woman “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23)? Being spouses, we should “share the same prosperities and plights”. How can we wash our hands and leave the others to blame? Secondly, a talking serpent can only appear in fables. Therefore, the Genesis story is only a fable, explaining to children why snakes crawl on the belly, consoling men why they still have to work so hard when God had created a good world and telling women why they should submit to their husbands etc. Removing these literary strappings, we will be able to understand the true meaning of the story. God created man in his image. Therefore, man longs for eternity, longs to transcend the limitations of being a creature. Even if there were no Satan, man would never be able to shake off this obsession because he is an image of God. God understands all these. It is a matter of time when God will elevate our being. Our first parents just could not wait. Longing to be like God, to play God are our Achilles heels.
In the gospel reading today, we read of how Jesus overcame the temptation of Satan in his humanity. Jesus won back for human one battle, proving that human beings are able to resist temptation. So, what is temptation? I think temptation comes from needs and desires unfulfilled. In order to survive, we need to meet our needs: physiological needs, security needs. To live, a man needs love and dignity. He desires to actualize his potentials, to transcend himself and he longs for his Creator. Temptation is an attempt to satisfy these needs with inappropriate means, to fulfill reasonable longings with shortcuts.
For our sake, Jesus left us three temptation experiences. In fact, these temptations resurfaced in new forms during his public ministry. For example, Satan persuaded Jesus to turn stones into bread to feed his hunger. This can be understood as solving the problem of poverty with economic means. In Bethany, a woman washed the hair of Jesus with expensive ointment. Judas protested that it was a waste of money which could have relieved many poor people. Jesus rejected this temptation and defended the action of the woman. In combating the Devil, Jesus only quoted the teaching of Deuteronomy, pointing out that not only does man have to solve the problem of material poverty, but he also needs to handle his spiritual poverty. After eating the fruit on the tree of knowledge of good and evil, man has the ability to judge right from wrong. It is enough to follow the teachings of the Bible to resist temptations.
Pope Francis made it clear in his Lenten message: Jesus enriches us with his poverty. Therefore, Christians have the responsibility to make people living in destitution enriched. Nowadays, there are three types of destitution. Firstly, it is material destitution. Even for this simplest form of destitution, economic means are inadequate to handle it satisfactorily. We need to allocate resources in the society in a fair and just manner. Secondly, it is moral destitution. The Pope listed four types of slavery for modern men: alcohol, drugs, gambling and pornography. Besides, there are people who find life meaningless and those who are discriminated and exploited. The third is spiritual destitution. Modern men have abandoned God, have rejected his love. They would not seek help from God in times of difficulties. The Church has the duty to deliver people from material poverty. Moreover, she needs to eradicate structural evils in the society and restore the spiritual rich of men with the gospel.
To put it into practice, Lent is a season for us to break our routines, habits and inertia. It is a good opportunity to open ourselves to God. Habits are good. They make life efficient and comfortable. However, they also make us lazy and abandon our Christian values to follow the crowd. Fasting, prayers and almsgiving are not extra things we do for the sake of self-renunciation. These are ordinary things a Christian should do in his daily life. In Lent, we break our daily routines and give these three a higher priority. Therefore, for the purpose of Lenten self-renunciation, on top of fasting, prayers and almsgiving, I invite you to do one more thing: do not put the blame on others. When God gave Adam an opportunity to explain his disobedience, Adam put the blame on God and the woman. When God asked the woman, she put the blame on the serpent. What a human nature! We can see that not only did this passing the buck fail to solve the problem, it intensified the problem.
Therefore, during this Lent, if it is your fault, do not blame the others. Being scolded is to be expected. Listen with humility and do not argue back. Hasn’t Jesus taught us that “let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”? Of course, we should not bring in others to clean up our mess. Yet, don’t be arrogant. We should humble ourselves to receive the generosity of other’s help.
If you are on the other extreme of the spectrum such that you always take on yourself others’ faults, you should lay the responsibility where it is due. It feels good to be the good guy but you are taking away others’ opportunity to grow and to sanctify. This Lent, try to be the bad guy.
May Jesus our Lord accompany us in our self-renunciation in Lent so that we may rise together a new man in Easter. God bless.
主題：「悔改」即打破因循
「聖誕期」剛結束了大概兩個月，不覺又到了「四旬期」。顧名思義，四旬即四十日。當年，耶穌接受若翰的洗禮後，便進入曠野四十日，接受魔鬼的試探、考驗，為將來傳福音建立天國作好準備。同樣，教會亦為候洗者安排四十日的最後淨化，幫助他們好好準備在復活前夕領受洗禮。已經洗禮的我們，就用這四十天的時間，一方面陪伴候洗者淨煉，領洗重生；另一方面也好像耶穌一樣整裝待發，在五旬節聖神降臨後，向世界宣講福音。
讓我們來默想今天第一篇讀經中創世紀所記載人類墮落的故事。首先，我們要撇開性別歧視的問題，不要把責任全部推卸在女人身上。在聖經中，人類所說的第一句話，亦是男人對女人說的第一句話，不是「這真是我骨中之骨，肉中之肉」嗎？既然做夫妻，「有福同享，有難同當」是理所當然的，豈可獨善其身呢？其次，會說話的蛇祗會在「寓言故事」中纔會出現。所以，創世紀的故事是一個「寓言故事」，告訴小朋友為甚麽蛇用肚爬行，告訴男人為甚麽在天主所創造的美好世界中還要如此辛苦地工作，告訴女人為甚麽要服從男人等等。脫去這些外衣之後，我們可以了解故事的真正意義。人是天主的肖像，人渴望永恆，想超越作為受造物的有限。就算沒有魔鬼，這心魔始終是揮之不去的，因為人是天主的肖像。其實天主是明白這一切的，在時機成熟，天主會提昇我們的存在。怪祗怪原祖沒有耐性等待，所以不要怪魔鬼。渴望相似天主，扮天主是人類的死穴。
在今天的福音的故事中，耶穌以血肉之軀抗拒魔鬼的誘惑，為人類勝回一仗，証明人類是有能力抵抗誘惑的。誘惑是甚麽呢？我認為誘惑是來自需要和渴望得不到滿足。要生存就要滿足生存的需要，例如生理上的需要，安全的需要。人要生活就需要愛、需要尊嚴、渴望實現潛能、渴望超越自我、渴望天主等等。誘惑就是嘗試以不正當的手段來滿足需要，走捷徑來滿足合理的渴望。
為我們的益處，耶穌留下三個試探的經驗。其實在耶穌的公開生活中，這些誘惑以新的形式，不斷出現。例如，魔鬼誘惑耶穌將石頭變餅充飢，可以理解成為以經濟手段，解決貧窮的問題。耶穌在伯達尼宴會上，有個女人用昂貴的香水為他洗頭，猶達斯就表示不滿，認為浪費了可以救濟窮人的機會。耶穌抗絕這個誘惑，為那個女人的行為辯護。耶穌在抗拒魔鬼的試探時，祗引用【申命紀】的教訓，指出人不單祗要解決物質上的貧乏，亦要處理靈性上的貧乏。吃過知善惡樹的果子，人有了判辨是非的能力。祗要按聖經的教訓，就足夠對抗魔鬼的試探了。
教宗方濟各在今年的四旬期文告中說得十分清楚明白：耶穌以他的貧乏，令我們富足，所以基督徒有責任令身邊貧乏的人富足。今天的貧乏有三：第一，物質上的貧乏。就算這最簡單的貧乏，經濟手段亦不能滿意地解決。所謂「不患寡而患不均。」解決物質上的貧乏有賴我們按公義分配社會上的資源。第二種貧乏是倫理上的貧乏。教宗列出四種現代人容易陷入的奴役：酒精、毒品、賭博和色情。另外，有些人覺得生存沒有意義，與及在社會上受到歧視和剝削。第三種貧乏是靈性上的貧乏。現代人離棄天主，拒絕天主的愛，遇上困難時不懂得轉向天主求助。教會有責任幫助人脫貧，不但脫離物質上的貧乏，更要出力消滅社會性的罪惡並以福音恢復人類靈性上的富足。
具體地說，四旬期是我們打破因循、慣性和惰性，向天主開放的好時機。生活習慣固然是好的，既省力又舒適，但容易令人偷懶，容易放棄基督徒的價值，容易隨波逐流。守齋、祈禱和施捨不是我們格外多做的克己。這些原本是我們平時都做的事，祗不過四旬期，我們打破因循，改變了優次而已。所以，今年的克己，除了做慣了的守齋、施捨和祈禱外，不妨多做一件事：不要推卸責任。天主問亞當為何食禁果，亞當把責任推到天主和女人身上；天主問女人的時候，女人把責任推在蛇的身上。這真是人類的劣根性。大家都見到推卸責任不但不能解決闖出來的禍，更會將問題擴大。
所以，今年四旬期，如果是自己做錯事，就不要賴人。做錯了捱罵是應該的，並要虛心聆聽，不要爭辯。耶穌在真福八端不是教訓過我們「是就說是，非就說非，其他的都是出於邪惡」嗎？善後工作固然不要連累他人，但亦不要驕傲，應要謙遜地接受別人的幫助。
如果你是另外一種極端，凡事都攬到自己身上話，你就應該把責任放回應該負責任的人身上。「做好人」固然好受，但你正在剝削他人成長成聖的機會。今年試一試「做醜人」的滋味吧！
願耶穌陪伴我們在四旬期克己，洗心革面。到復活節一起做新人。天主保佑。
First Sunday of Lent (Year A)
Theme: To repent is to break our routines
Just two months after Christmas, we have reached the season of Lent. Lent lasts for 40 days. After baptism, Jesus spent 40 days in the wilderness to undergo tests from Satan in order to equip himself for evangelization and the building up of the kingdom of heaven. In like manners, those who will receive baptism are going through the final stage of purification, to prepare themselves for baptism to start a new life on Easter Vigil. For us who were baptized, not only are these 40 days a good time to accompany those awaiting baptism to go through their final purification, it is also a preparatory time for Christians to reorganize themselves to proclaim the gospel to the whole world after Pentecost.
Let us begin by a meditation on the story of the Fall of our first parents in Genesis. First of all, strip the story of sexual discriminatory elements and do not put the blame of the Fall on women. Isn’t the first sentence man spoke in the Bible, a sentence spoken toward the woman “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh” (Genesis 2:23)? Being spouses, we should “share the same prosperities and plights”. How can we wash our hands and leave the others to blame? Secondly, a talking serpent can only appear in fables. Therefore, the Genesis story is only a fable, explaining to children why snakes crawl on the belly, consoling men why they still have to work so hard when God had created a good world and telling women why they should submit to their husbands etc. Removing these literary strappings, we will be able to understand the true meaning of the story. God created man in his image. Therefore, man longs for eternity, longs to transcend the limitations of being a creature. Even if there were no Satan, man would never be able to shake off this obsession because he is an image of God. God understands all these. It is a matter of time when God will elevate our being. Our first parents just could not wait. Longing to be like God, to play God are our Achilles heels.
In the gospel reading today, we read of how Jesus overcame the temptation of Satan in his humanity. Jesus won back for human one battle, proving that human beings are able to resist temptation. So, what is temptation? I think temptation comes from needs and desires unfulfilled. In order to survive, we need to meet our needs: physiological needs, security needs. To live, a man needs love and dignity. He desires to actualize his potentials, to transcend himself and he longs for his Creator. Temptation is an attempt to satisfy these needs with inappropriate means, to fulfill reasonable longings with shortcuts.
For our sake, Jesus left us three temptation experiences. In fact, these temptations resurfaced in new forms during his public ministry. For example, Satan persuaded Jesus to turn stones into bread to feed his hunger. This can be understood as solving the problem of poverty with economic means. In Bethany, a woman washed the hair of Jesus with expensive ointment. Judas protested that it was a waste of money which could have relieved many poor people. Jesus rejected this temptation and defended the action of the woman. In combating the Devil, Jesus only quoted the teaching of Deuteronomy, pointing out that not only does man have to solve the problem of material poverty, but he also needs to handle his spiritual poverty. After eating the fruit on the tree of knowledge of good and evil, man has the ability to judge right from wrong. It is enough to follow the teachings of the Bible to resist temptations.
Pope Francis made it clear in his Lenten message: Jesus enriches us with his poverty. Therefore, Christians have the responsibility to make people living in destitution enriched. Nowadays, there are three types of destitution. Firstly, it is material destitution. Even for this simplest form of destitution, economic means are inadequate to handle it satisfactorily. We need to allocate resources in the society in a fair and just manner. Secondly, it is moral destitution. The Pope listed four types of slavery for modern men: alcohol, drugs, gambling and pornography. Besides, there are people who find life meaningless and those who are discriminated and exploited. The third is spiritual destitution. Modern men have abandoned God, have rejected his love. They would not seek help from God in times of difficulties. The Church has the duty to deliver people from material poverty. Moreover, she needs to eradicate structural evils in the society and restore the spiritual rich of men with the gospel.
To put it into practice, Lent is a season for us to break our routines, habits and inertia. It is a good opportunity to open ourselves to God. Habits are good. They make life efficient and comfortable. However, they also make us lazy and abandon our Christian values to follow the crowd. Fasting, prayers and almsgiving are not extra things we do for the sake of self-renunciation. These are ordinary things a Christian should do in his daily life. In Lent, we break our daily routines and give these three a higher priority. Therefore, for the purpose of Lenten self-renunciation, on top of fasting, prayers and almsgiving, I invite you to do one more thing: do not put the blame on others. When God gave Adam an opportunity to explain his disobedience, Adam put the blame on God and the woman. When God asked the woman, she put the blame on the serpent. What a human nature! We can see that not only did this passing the buck fail to solve the problem, it intensified the problem.
Therefore, during this Lent, if it is your fault, do not blame the others. Being scolded is to be expected. Listen with humility and do not argue back. Hasn’t Jesus taught us that “let your communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay: for whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil.”? Of course, we should not bring in others to clean up our mess. Yet, don’t be arrogant. We should humble ourselves to receive the generosity of other’s help.
If you are on the other extreme of the spectrum such that you always take on yourself others’ faults, you should lay the responsibility where it is due. It feels good to be the good guy but you are taking away others’ opportunity to grow and to sanctify. This Lent, try to be the bad guy.
May Jesus our Lord accompany us in our self-renunciation in Lent so that we may rise together a new man in Easter. God bless.
Monday, 3 March 2014
The Femininity of God
All the 73 books in the Bible were written by male authors and the Author behind these is God. Therefore, it is understandable that God is presented mostly in masculine images. However, Genesis 1:26 makes it clear that God created human beings in His image, male and female. Therefore, we cannot ignore the feminine images of God in the Bible. We will not search in vain for feminine images of God and in the readings today, we found one in Isaiah 49:15.
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
It is both consoling and revealing to read it. Consoling because we may rest assured that God will not abandon us. Revealing because the human situations can make life difficult. In particular, working women are torn between career and child-rearing in our modern society so much so that they my forget their children. Living standards are so high that many couples have to work in order to maintain a decent life. They are not working for a luxurious way of life, just a more comfortable and convenient one. In view of the structural exploitation gradually built up these days, some families even could not keep their heads above waters no matter how hard they have tried in earning a living. Whether you work to keep your heads afloat or to enjoy luxury, it is now well-known that these families have to pay a price --- their children, if they have any, suffer the most. When we look back, Jesus' teaching is once again revealing.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. (Matthew 6:33)
Let us put down, for a while, the criticism against the Church's teaching on women. The Church has on intention to impose her view on non-believers. But I am sure feminists definitely do not buy this. Women, and women alone, are capable of bearing children. They are indispensable and there can be no substitutes. Therefore, following the logic of Natural Law, the highest achievement a woman can have is to give birth to children and rear them in cooperation with her spouse. This is exactly what feminists don't want to buy. Many of them see this as a male conspiracy to enslave them. Both sides are right. In predominantly patriarchal societies, giving birth and rearing children were the highest vocation for a woman. It became so oppressive that some women did rebel. After all, there has been a long and respectable tradition in the Catholic Church, of women becoming nuns, partly in order to run away from this obligation. These nuns must have been the first feminists!
Had they just run away from their obligations, some of them would not be canonized. The crucial factor is that they were responding to the call of God to serve Him and the needy. They attain Christian perfection as religious nuns, not as wives. However, married life should not be despised. In the last century, the Catholic Church honoured family life with what it deserves. Family life is hard and another form of martyrdom. A humourous story circulates in the Church. A pope had dinner with his mother. The conversation drifted onto the topic of sacraments. The pope casually said that the sacrament of Holy Orders was more respectable than matrimony. His mother immediately retorted that with her matrimony, there would not be a pope at this moment lecturing her. The pope squeezed an embarrassing smile on his face and turned into a good baby of his mother.
Here, rationality fails. There can never be any hard and fast rules to help strike the right balance between making money and serving God, though we cannot serve both God and mammon (6:24). Many people are able to serve God and the needy with their money. This is the reality of life. Most of the time, we are working both for God and for money. But we need wisdom to discern when we have overworked for money and to stop to work for God. To put it in another way, our children should be good reminders that we should not overwork ourselves at their expenses. Here lies the wisdom which only God and give.
I, for one, am a perfectionist and sometimes work towards a goal whatever it takes, even beyond my means. For example, I did not go to Church this morning but returned to school to do something which could only be done there. I had attended mass last night but somebody had paid a price for me. My mother could not attend mass. Thinking back, the thing which I did in school this Sunday morning might not worth the effort I put into it. Yet, I craved for getting the thing done before Monday!
Dear Lord, Forgive me for my craving. Grant me the wisdom to discern when and where I should stop to turn to Your righteousness. Amen.
Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.
It is both consoling and revealing to read it. Consoling because we may rest assured that God will not abandon us. Revealing because the human situations can make life difficult. In particular, working women are torn between career and child-rearing in our modern society so much so that they my forget their children. Living standards are so high that many couples have to work in order to maintain a decent life. They are not working for a luxurious way of life, just a more comfortable and convenient one. In view of the structural exploitation gradually built up these days, some families even could not keep their heads above waters no matter how hard they have tried in earning a living. Whether you work to keep your heads afloat or to enjoy luxury, it is now well-known that these families have to pay a price --- their children, if they have any, suffer the most. When we look back, Jesus' teaching is once again revealing.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. (Matthew 6:33)
Let us put down, for a while, the criticism against the Church's teaching on women. The Church has on intention to impose her view on non-believers. But I am sure feminists definitely do not buy this. Women, and women alone, are capable of bearing children. They are indispensable and there can be no substitutes. Therefore, following the logic of Natural Law, the highest achievement a woman can have is to give birth to children and rear them in cooperation with her spouse. This is exactly what feminists don't want to buy. Many of them see this as a male conspiracy to enslave them. Both sides are right. In predominantly patriarchal societies, giving birth and rearing children were the highest vocation for a woman. It became so oppressive that some women did rebel. After all, there has been a long and respectable tradition in the Catholic Church, of women becoming nuns, partly in order to run away from this obligation. These nuns must have been the first feminists!
Had they just run away from their obligations, some of them would not be canonized. The crucial factor is that they were responding to the call of God to serve Him and the needy. They attain Christian perfection as religious nuns, not as wives. However, married life should not be despised. In the last century, the Catholic Church honoured family life with what it deserves. Family life is hard and another form of martyrdom. A humourous story circulates in the Church. A pope had dinner with his mother. The conversation drifted onto the topic of sacraments. The pope casually said that the sacrament of Holy Orders was more respectable than matrimony. His mother immediately retorted that with her matrimony, there would not be a pope at this moment lecturing her. The pope squeezed an embarrassing smile on his face and turned into a good baby of his mother.
Here, rationality fails. There can never be any hard and fast rules to help strike the right balance between making money and serving God, though we cannot serve both God and mammon (6:24). Many people are able to serve God and the needy with their money. This is the reality of life. Most of the time, we are working both for God and for money. But we need wisdom to discern when we have overworked for money and to stop to work for God. To put it in another way, our children should be good reminders that we should not overwork ourselves at their expenses. Here lies the wisdom which only God and give.
I, for one, am a perfectionist and sometimes work towards a goal whatever it takes, even beyond my means. For example, I did not go to Church this morning but returned to school to do something which could only be done there. I had attended mass last night but somebody had paid a price for me. My mother could not attend mass. Thinking back, the thing which I did in school this Sunday morning might not worth the effort I put into it. Yet, I craved for getting the thing done before Monday!
Dear Lord, Forgive me for my craving. Grant me the wisdom to discern when and where I should stop to turn to Your righteousness. Amen.
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