From the very beginning, the story of Jonah can only be a legend, a fairy tale.
One day, if the word of God came to you, do you think you can say NO to God? Like Moses, life would not be easy and could even become hazardous if God had chosen you to carry out His will. Poor Jonah, he was a reluctant prophet.
For a Jew, it was beyond his imagination that God would want to spare a city of sinners. The story of Sodom and Gormorrah makes it clear that God did not spare wicked people. (Genesis 19) During the time of King Saul, they were supposed to annihilate the whole tribe of Amalek because they opposed the Israelites when they came out of Egypt. (1 Samuel 15) God was demanding Jonah to do something which he was not psychologically ready to do --- to warn the Gentiles to repent so that they might escape from God's wrath. Jonah was a reluctant prophet with guts. He dared to challenge God's compassion for the Gentiles and refused to comply. That gave the story teller a good opportunity to tell an exciting and fascinating story.
Jonah tried to run away from God, though he knew very well that his chances of success were slim. As expected, God chased after him, brewed up a storm to cut short his life as a fugitive and sent a whale-like submarine to keep him a captive for three days and nights. In the end, the whale spit him on the shore of Nineveh. All these legendary details are attractive. They serve only one purpose --- God is in full control of everything. Whether you like it or not, you would still be doing the will of God. Of course, here is a question of autonomy. We always believe that God respects our freedom. But the story of Jonah seems to tell us that our freedom is only an illusion. This is a deep philosophical question and I can only deal with it very briefly for the moment.
Human freedom is not absolute. For example, we cannot exercise our freedom to bring harm to the others. Even God's freedom is restricted by his respect for our freedom. In conclusion, our freedom cannot exceed certain limits. Therefore, when it came to a certain point, God had to intervene in order to bring salvation to the people of Nineveh.
The city of Nineveh was a great city, 3 days' journey in breadth (Jonah 3:3). Suppose a man is able to walk 20 miles a day. Nineveh would measure 60 miles x 60 miles, if it was a square. However, from what we read, we can sense that Jonah would not be committed and dedicated in the mission God assigned him. He stopped when he came one third into the city, not yet the centre of the city. Then he spoke aloud very briefly, "Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." (Jonah 3:4) There was no elaboration or no persuasive presentation etc. However, all the people believed God and did penance! How incredible! How we wish our evangelization programmes would be as successful! When we think deeper, we have to put on our humility to admit that even faith is a gift from God. It is an illusion that we believe in God. It is I that choose to believe in God and not other deities. No. let me repeat. It is an illusion that we take the initiative to believe in God. Rather, it is God who arranges so many occasions, things and people so that we may be able to believe in Him. In short, faith is a gift, a supernatural gift given us by God. Jonah's evangelization was not persuasive. Rather, it was God who had compassion on mankind, both the Jews and the Gentiles, so that we may believe in Him. Jonah, Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishers of men. They were God's instruments to bring salvation to the people they met. We do our parts. God does the rest.
Dear Lord, let not our arrogance blind our sight of your compassion. I surrender my freedom Lord. May you make good use of me to help build the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen.
Sunday 25 January 2015
Sunday 18 January 2015
The tenth hour in the gospel of John
Second Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Every Evangelist mentioned the fact that Jesus gave Simon a new name Peter/Cephas. Mark 3:16, Luke 6:14, John 1:42 and of course Matthew 16:18 which is the most elaborate. We cannot challenge the authenticity of Matthew's text because it is canonical. Moreover, even if we follow the tradition of John to claim that Matthew was not there when Jesus named Simon Cephas, we still cannot challenge. Most likely, Matthew and all the others heard the event later from Andrew and John who were there. Perhaps Peter/Cephas had been a nickname which Jesus called Simon to differentiate from another Simon until he made the name official in the Casaria Philippi event. We cannot make use of the tradition of John to deny the primacy of Peter among the disciples. After all, from both the gospel of John and the Acts of the Apostles, we see that Peter worked pretty closely together with John, even more closely than with his own brother Andrew. Anyway, we can always find ways to harmonize the gospels.What is the significance of the 10th hour in John 1:39? It is worth meditating. In the gospel of John, the word "hour" sometimes means "moment" rather than a designation of "hour" of the day. But when John attached an ordinal numeral to it, such as the 6th hour, the 7th hour and the 10th hour, we can safely assume that it refers to the hour of the day. But is there any significance? Here is the list.
The 6th hour: Jesus met the Samaritan woman at the well (4:6) and Pilate teased him King of the Jews (19:14). If we accept the fact that Jesus really died at the 9th hour on the cross, Jesus stayed the shortest time on the cross in John! According to the Synoptic, Mark started at the 3rd (Mark 15:25). There was darkness over all the earth at the 6th and Jesus gave up his soul at the 9th hour, a full length of six hours.
The 7th hour: Jesus healed the son of a nobleman (John 4:52). The son was in Capernaum while the father begged Jesus in Cana!
The 10th hour: the two disciples visited Jesus' living place and stayed with him (1:39). Putting this into the context of the Passion narrative, Jesus was already buried in the sepulcher, the final resting place of the mortals on earth! And according to the resurrection narrative, when John entered the sepulcher, he believed (20:8). Bravo, the first moment they visited Jesus' living place, the 10th hour, the first time John used the word "hour" in his gospel, the 2 disciples were actually visiting Jesus' tomb! But the most crucial point is that they believed. John believed in the resurrection of the Master and Andrew? He had found the Messiah!
John the Baptist and Eli acted as mentors to the two disciples and Samuel respectively. The two disciples and Samuel faintly detected God's call. But they were unable to confirm whether it was truly their vocation. Like Samuel, the two disciples did not know Jesus and the word of God had not yet revealed to them (1 Samuel 3:7). They needed John the Baptist to point out to them that Jesus was the "Lamb of God" (John 1:36). Once connected, Samuel and the disciples took up the prophetic office. God would not allow their words to fall to the ground. (1 Samuel 3:19) They needed to do point out to the world that Jesus is the Lamb of God. Jesus is God.
Dear Lord, may we become humble like salt so as to manifest your holiness to the world. Amen.
Tuesday 13 January 2015
Call you upon the Lord while he is near (Isaiah 55:6b)
I am attending an intensive spirituality formation course. The spiritual directors, Fr. Benedict Lam, Fr. Francis Tam and Ms. Jennie Chan designed a combination of Franciscan and Ignatian 9-week programme for the permanent deacons and candidates.
At the very beginning, I was ambitious and confident. I knew that my spirituality was still shallow but I was confident because there had never been any task I was unable to accomplish --- cracking computer software locks, learning different languages, composing webpages, music, mathematics, puzzles, chess, bible and theology etc. You name it. I am a universalist and am patient as an ant. Give me enough time and I am sure I would accomplish. However, after going through three quarters of the spirituality programme, I found myself far far behind the schedule. There are more and more prayers that I miss during each week, from zero at the beginning to five during the last week.
During the last meeting, I shared my overconfidence in the group. Fr. Benedict said crisply that I didn't have to prove my ability. It only demonstrated my lack of confidence/faith! Embarrassed by the revelation, I shyly replied that from the very early stage of dating, I already knew that my faith was not as strong as my wife's. I did not know why I answered in this way to hide my nakedness.
I don't want to excuse my failure to stick to the schedule. An idea gradually emerges but that could only be an excuse. I feel that perhaps each person has his own characteristic style of prayer. What this programme provides is perhaps an initiation to equip us with the necessary mentality to proceed along our path in spirituality. In this week, we are supposed to meditate on the Hidden Life of the Lord. This is part of the "call to growth" in the growing intimacy in discipleship. But this week, one particular story kept emerging, the healing of Bartimæus (Mark 10:46-52). Perhaps it is because last week (we meet on Monday), I needed to prepare my Sunday homily and Isaiah 55:6b acted as a catalyst. I strongly felt identified with Bartimæus because I could not "see" Jesus in my prayer. I could feel that Jesus was passing by and if I missed this chance, I would remain blind spiritually forever! There was an urgency in the feelings. So, instead of following the set gospel stories of Annunciation, Visitation and Nativity etc. I prayed over the story of Bartimæus instead.
It dawned to me that Bartimæus had been blind for quite some time. Therefore, I should be patient with my blindness. It might not be the right time for me to see again. Be patient.
Then, in my blindness, sexual images began to emerge but I was not embarrassed. I began to understand why I had been so rational and cerebral. Perhaps I tried to suppress these sexual fantasies. Now that I am ageing, I am no longer afraid of my sexual urges. I do not feel ashamed of them. The urge to see fades into the background. A feeling of Jesus' presence is enough to console me. Amen.
At the very beginning, I was ambitious and confident. I knew that my spirituality was still shallow but I was confident because there had never been any task I was unable to accomplish --- cracking computer software locks, learning different languages, composing webpages, music, mathematics, puzzles, chess, bible and theology etc. You name it. I am a universalist and am patient as an ant. Give me enough time and I am sure I would accomplish. However, after going through three quarters of the spirituality programme, I found myself far far behind the schedule. There are more and more prayers that I miss during each week, from zero at the beginning to five during the last week.
During the last meeting, I shared my overconfidence in the group. Fr. Benedict said crisply that I didn't have to prove my ability. It only demonstrated my lack of confidence/faith! Embarrassed by the revelation, I shyly replied that from the very early stage of dating, I already knew that my faith was not as strong as my wife's. I did not know why I answered in this way to hide my nakedness.
I don't want to excuse my failure to stick to the schedule. An idea gradually emerges but that could only be an excuse. I feel that perhaps each person has his own characteristic style of prayer. What this programme provides is perhaps an initiation to equip us with the necessary mentality to proceed along our path in spirituality. In this week, we are supposed to meditate on the Hidden Life of the Lord. This is part of the "call to growth" in the growing intimacy in discipleship. But this week, one particular story kept emerging, the healing of Bartimæus (Mark 10:46-52). Perhaps it is because last week (we meet on Monday), I needed to prepare my Sunday homily and Isaiah 55:6b acted as a catalyst. I strongly felt identified with Bartimæus because I could not "see" Jesus in my prayer. I could feel that Jesus was passing by and if I missed this chance, I would remain blind spiritually forever! There was an urgency in the feelings. So, instead of following the set gospel stories of Annunciation, Visitation and Nativity etc. I prayed over the story of Bartimæus instead.
It dawned to me that Bartimæus had been blind for quite some time. Therefore, I should be patient with my blindness. It might not be the right time for me to see again. Be patient.
Then, in my blindness, sexual images began to emerge but I was not embarrassed. I began to understand why I had been so rational and cerebral. Perhaps I tried to suppress these sexual fantasies. Now that I am ageing, I am no longer afraid of my sexual urges. I do not feel ashamed of them. The urge to see fades into the background. A feeling of Jesus' presence is enough to console me. Amen.
Sunday 11 January 2015
我們都是天主所喜悅的 God is pleased with all of us
主受洗節（乙年）
主題：我們都是天主所喜悅的
上星期日康太問我一個頗有意義的問題，我想拿來和大家分享。請大家翻開手上的【將臨期及聖誕期主日感恩祭】第78頁，看一看裡面的圖畫。圖畫上描繪了三個福音的故事：賢士來朝，耶穌受洗和加納婚宴，把水變成酒的神蹟。是甚麼主題把三個故事串聯在一起呢？
我們在上個主日慶祝「主顯節」，紀念賢士來朝的事蹟，更正確地說，慶祝天主降生成人，不單是為了猶太人，而是全人類。東方的賢士代表我們這些外邦人，山長水遠，帶著禮物，積極地回應天主的啟示的事蹟。加納婚宴的神蹟，紀念耶穌帶著門徒參加婚宴，在聖母的關照下，耶穌初試啼聲，牛刀小試，把自己天主子的光榮，稍微地顯露出來。當時婚禮中的人有何回應呢？根據若望福音的記載，「他的門徒們就信從了他。」（若2：11）今天我們慶祝「主受洗節」，讓我們默想天主想啟示甚麼給我們，而我們又可以作出甚麼回應呢？
其實，身為天主子，沒有罪的耶穌根本不需要接受若翰洗者的洗禮。所以，耶穌在約旦河接受若翰的洗禮，真正的原因是為了向我們啟示一些與我們的得救絕對有關係的道理，並邀請我們作出回應。
首先，很多人不喜歡儀式，認為是無謂的繁文縟節。他們會辯說祇要相信天主就可以得救了，無須洗禮入教，無須守誡命，唸經領聖事這樣麻煩；倘若不信，不論唸多少經，獻多少彌撒也是無益的。這種邏輯聽來頗有道理，但把它推而廣之，應用到其他範疇，就會顯出它的破綻。例如說祗要兩個人真心相愛就可以了，何必註冊擺酒，大費周章；倘若沒有愛，一紙婚書也不能保障一段婚姻的幸福，聽起來振振有辭，好像很有道理。又例如做生意講信用，何須簽合約那麼麻煩；倘若有心欺騙，如何精密的合約總會找到破綻…等。對於這些歪理，你以為耶穌會如何回應呢？
且看耶穌，他並沒有爭論為了得救，是否必須洗禮，他亦並不質疑若翰洗者的洗禮是否有效，是否能夠赦罪。他二話不說，謙遜地接受「連為他解鞋帶也不配」的若翰為他施洗。(谷1:7)沒有人比耶穌更相信天主。連耶穌也接受洗禮，我們算是甚麼，可以不用洗禮而得救呢？所謂「誠於中，形於外」。就算內心如何愛一個人也應該有外在的行為配合來示愛。更何況這些外在的行為反過來加深內心的愛意。同樣，祈禱、參加禮儀、領聖事、默想聖經等等都有助加深我們對天主的信仰。如果連主日教友也做不來，慢慢就會變成CEO教友、潛水教友了，這樣，又如何維繫天主和你的關係呢。
其次，耶穌在約旦河受洗的故事，是天主在人類歷史中，第一次啟示自己是「三位一體」的天主。創造天地的天父，為降生成人，救贖人類的聖子耶穌作証，証明耶穌在世將要做的一切，都是天父所喜悅的。而且天父更以聖神為聖子傅油，突顯出聖子耶穌的超然地位。君王在眾人之前受傅，表示他是天主所揀選的人，替天行道，管治百姓。耶穌在領洗，領受聖神之後，亦正式展開傳揚福音，建設天國的任務。所以耶穌在約旦河受洗，可說是他登基為王的開國大典，是被天父祝聖成為永恆的大司祭（希6:20），成為梅瑟所預言的「像梅瑟一樣的先知」（申18:15）。讓我重複一次，耶穌在約旦河受洗，正式領受並履行「君王、司祭和先知」的三重職務。那麼我們呢？
我們領受入門聖事的時候，也曾領受聖神，我們也成為了「受傅者」，成為了「默西亞」。更具體地說，我們有幸領洗，有份參予，分擔耶穌的三重職務。即是說，領洗後，我們搖身一變，變成君王、司祭和先知。我們以履行這三重職務，來回應耶穌受洗的啟示。
粗略地說，我們是君王，我們在各自的生活崗位上替天行道，拓展天國。我們是司祭，我們代表世人，包括還未信主的人，向天主禱告，獻彌撒。我們是先知，不是那些未卜先知的先知，而是天主的代言人，代表耶穌傳揚福音。今天，我想和大家反省多一點司祭的職務。
我們會把初領洗的新教友比喻為靈性上初生的嬰兒。他們做齊唸經，望彌撒，領聖事，守大小齋等。但是他們始終都是初生的嬰兒，信仰沒有多大的深度。大家就不同了，各位都是領了洗多年的熱心教友，資深教友。讓我們捫心自問，我們多年來是否仍然慣性做著初領洗時同樣的唸經，望彌撒？我們是否仍然是吃著初領洗時的奶呢？我們每天有固定的時間祈禱，讀聖經嗎？我們的祈禱有深度嗎？可以感覺到耶穌就在你面前與你談心嗎？當你的修煉達到這個階段，相信你的君王和先知職務一定可以無往而不利，影響身邊很多的人皈依基督，因為你能感受到耶穌和聖神時刻在你的身邊與你一起工作。
你可能會抗議說，沒有時間。的確，香港的生活緊張繁忙，不過時間始終是天主賜予我們自由安排的。沒有時間多數是藉口。你又或者說沒有人教，不知道如何作有深度的祈禱。大家可否知道在香港教區信耶穌是很幸福的，我們有很多的課程，很多的避靜營地，有神師指導我們靈修。告訴大家一個事實，長洲思維靜院教授聖依納爵的神操，他們的課程和場地設施，經常爆滿，而百份之九十的使用者，是基督教派的兄弟姊妹。
大家是否願意繼續安於停留在吃奶的狀態，抑或是都急起直追，回應天主的啟示，切實履行君王，司祭和先知的職務，爭取更豐富的恩寵，成為天父的愛子，天父因你而喜悅呢？天主保祐。
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Theme: God is pleased with all of us.
Last Sunday, Mrs. Hong, an experienced catechist in our parish asked me a thoughtful question which I would like to share with you. Please turn to page 78 of the liturgy book for Advent and Christmas Season. There is a picture of three gospel stories: the Magi, the Baptism of the Lord and the Cana banquet in which Jesus turned water into wine. What theme do the three stories have in common? Last week, we celebrated the Feast of Epiphany to remember the Magi story. To be more exact, we celebrate that the Son of God incarnated not just for the Jews but for all humanity. On behalf of us Gentiles and carrying gifts, the Magi from the East travelled from afar to respond actively to God’s revelation. In the miracle of Cana banquet, we remember Jesus who brought along his disciples to attend a wedding banquet. At the prompt of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jesus turned water into wine. In his debut, Jesus revealed the glory of the Son of God in an extremely restrained manner. What was the response of the people? According to the gospel, “his disciples believed in him.” (John 2:11) Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Let us meditate what God wants to reveal to us and how we shall respond.
Indeed, the Son of God, the sinless Jesus did not need to receive the baptism of the Baptist. Therefore, through the whole incident, God must have intended to reveal to us some essential truth about our salvation and invites us to respond.
First of all, many people do not like rituals, thinking that those rites are tedious and meaningless. They would argue that all we need to be saved is faith in God. It is not necessary and is troublesome to receive baptism, to observe commandments, to say prayers and receive sacraments. If we do not believe, no matter how many prayers you say or how many masses you offers, it is of no use. This kind of logic appears to be reasonable. However, when we extrapolate this logic to other realms, we will see its loophole. For example, some people would say that love is all that matter. It is not necessary and a waste of resources to register or throw a wedding banquet. If there is no more love, a marriage certificate is unable to guarantee the happiness of your marriage. The reasoning seems sound. For yet another example, to do business is a matter of trust. Why bother signing contracts. If one party intends to defraud, no matter how air-tight the contract has been written, the devil is always in the details ... etc. Facing these fallacies, how would Jesus reply?
Look at Jesus. He did not argue whether it is necessary to receive baptism in order to be saved, nor did he question the validity of John’s baptism, whether it was able to forgive sins. Without muttering a word, Jesus humbly received the baptism of someone who was not worthy to stoop down to untie the thong of his sandals (Mark 1:7). Nobody believes in God more than Jesus. If Jesus received baptism, what am I not to receive baptism and be saved? As a Chinese idiom goes, “sincerity within is manifested without”. However much you love somebody, you should express it with appropriate gestures. What is more, these gestures would in turn deepen your love. In the same way, prayers, liturgy, sacraments and bible meditations help deepen our faith in God. If we cannot even be a practising Catholic, we would gradually become a CEO Catholic and an invisible Catholic. In such circumstances, how could you maintain your relationship with God?
Secondly, for the first time in human history, God revealed Himself as a God of Trinity in the story of Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan. Father the Creator bore witness to the incarnate Son, Jesus, proclaiming that the Father would be well pleased with whatever the beloved Son would do in the future. Moreover, the Father anointed the Son with the Holy Spirit, highlighting the supreme status of Jesus, the Son of God. When a king was anointed in front of the people, it showed that he was chosen by God to carry out His will to govern the people. After the anointment with the Holy Spirit, Jesus began his mission to preach the gospel to build up the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan can be thought of as the coronation ceremony of Jesus. He was also anointed the eternal High Priest (Hebrews 6:20), the Prophet like Moses prophesized by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). Let me reiterate. When Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan, he officially took up the triple offices of king, priest and prophet. What about us?
In the Sacraments of Initiation, we have received the Holy Spirit. We have become anointed ones, messiahs. To be more concrete, we are blessed enough to be baptized and to partake in the triple offices of Jesus. That is to say, after baptism, we are transformed into kings, priests and prophets. We discharge the duties of the triple offices to respond to the revelation of the baptism of the Lord.
Roughly speaking, we are kings. We carry out God’s will to extend the kingdom of heaven in our specific stations of life. We are priests. We represent all mankind, including the non-believers to offer up prayers and masses to God. We are prophets, not those who are able to foretell the future, but as spokesmen of God, to represent Jesus to proclaim the gospel. Today, I would like to go deeper into the office of priests.
We usually compare the newly baptized to new born spiritual babies. They recite prayers, join masses, receive sacraments and fast etc. Still, they are newborn babies spiritually. Their faith is not deep. You are different. All of you have been baptized for decades and are active pious Catholics. Ask ourselves. All these years, do we still routinely say the same prayers and join the same masses just as when we were newly baptized? Are we still drinking that same “milk powder” we drank when we were newly baptized? Do we reserve a relatively fixed time slot to pray and meditate the Bible everyday? Is our prayer deep? Can we experience engaging in dialogue with Jesus standing before you? When our sanctification has reached such a level, I believe we will have no difficulty discharging our duties as kings and prophets. We will be able to convert many people to Christ because we can feel Jesus and the Holy Spirit working alongside with us.
You may protest that you have no time. True. Life in Hong Kong is tense and hectic. But at the end of the day, time is given by God for us to freely allocate. Having no time is most likely an excuse. Perhaps you would complain that nobody teaches you how to do deep praying. Do you know that it is very lucky for us to be Catholics in the Hong Kong Diocese? There are many formation courses, retreat houses and spiritual directors to guide us in spirituality. Let me tell you a reality. The Xavier Retreat House in Cheung Chau offers courses and facilities on Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. Their resources are always fully booked and more than 90% of the users are Christians of other denominations.
Are we willing to continue staying at the stage of drinking milk? Or are we willing to catch up, to respond to God’s revelation to faithfully discharge our offices of kings, priests and prophets, to fight for more graces and become God’s children with whom God is well pleased?
God bless.
主題：我們都是天主所喜悅的
上星期日康太問我一個頗有意義的問題，我想拿來和大家分享。請大家翻開手上的【將臨期及聖誕期主日感恩祭】第78頁，看一看裡面的圖畫。圖畫上描繪了三個福音的故事：賢士來朝，耶穌受洗和加納婚宴，把水變成酒的神蹟。是甚麼主題把三個故事串聯在一起呢？
我們在上個主日慶祝「主顯節」，紀念賢士來朝的事蹟，更正確地說，慶祝天主降生成人，不單是為了猶太人，而是全人類。東方的賢士代表我們這些外邦人，山長水遠，帶著禮物，積極地回應天主的啟示的事蹟。加納婚宴的神蹟，紀念耶穌帶著門徒參加婚宴，在聖母的關照下，耶穌初試啼聲，牛刀小試，把自己天主子的光榮，稍微地顯露出來。當時婚禮中的人有何回應呢？根據若望福音的記載，「他的門徒們就信從了他。」（若2：11）今天我們慶祝「主受洗節」，讓我們默想天主想啟示甚麼給我們，而我們又可以作出甚麼回應呢？
其實，身為天主子，沒有罪的耶穌根本不需要接受若翰洗者的洗禮。所以，耶穌在約旦河接受若翰的洗禮，真正的原因是為了向我們啟示一些與我們的得救絕對有關係的道理，並邀請我們作出回應。
首先，很多人不喜歡儀式，認為是無謂的繁文縟節。他們會辯說祇要相信天主就可以得救了，無須洗禮入教，無須守誡命，唸經領聖事這樣麻煩；倘若不信，不論唸多少經，獻多少彌撒也是無益的。這種邏輯聽來頗有道理，但把它推而廣之，應用到其他範疇，就會顯出它的破綻。例如說祗要兩個人真心相愛就可以了，何必註冊擺酒，大費周章；倘若沒有愛，一紙婚書也不能保障一段婚姻的幸福，聽起來振振有辭，好像很有道理。又例如做生意講信用，何須簽合約那麼麻煩；倘若有心欺騙，如何精密的合約總會找到破綻…等。對於這些歪理，你以為耶穌會如何回應呢？
且看耶穌，他並沒有爭論為了得救，是否必須洗禮，他亦並不質疑若翰洗者的洗禮是否有效，是否能夠赦罪。他二話不說，謙遜地接受「連為他解鞋帶也不配」的若翰為他施洗。(谷1:7)沒有人比耶穌更相信天主。連耶穌也接受洗禮，我們算是甚麼，可以不用洗禮而得救呢？所謂「誠於中，形於外」。就算內心如何愛一個人也應該有外在的行為配合來示愛。更何況這些外在的行為反過來加深內心的愛意。同樣，祈禱、參加禮儀、領聖事、默想聖經等等都有助加深我們對天主的信仰。如果連主日教友也做不來，慢慢就會變成CEO教友、潛水教友了，這樣，又如何維繫天主和你的關係呢。
其次，耶穌在約旦河受洗的故事，是天主在人類歷史中，第一次啟示自己是「三位一體」的天主。創造天地的天父，為降生成人，救贖人類的聖子耶穌作証，証明耶穌在世將要做的一切，都是天父所喜悅的。而且天父更以聖神為聖子傅油，突顯出聖子耶穌的超然地位。君王在眾人之前受傅，表示他是天主所揀選的人，替天行道，管治百姓。耶穌在領洗，領受聖神之後，亦正式展開傳揚福音，建設天國的任務。所以耶穌在約旦河受洗，可說是他登基為王的開國大典，是被天父祝聖成為永恆的大司祭（希6:20），成為梅瑟所預言的「像梅瑟一樣的先知」（申18:15）。讓我重複一次，耶穌在約旦河受洗，正式領受並履行「君王、司祭和先知」的三重職務。那麼我們呢？
我們領受入門聖事的時候，也曾領受聖神，我們也成為了「受傅者」，成為了「默西亞」。更具體地說，我們有幸領洗，有份參予，分擔耶穌的三重職務。即是說，領洗後，我們搖身一變，變成君王、司祭和先知。我們以履行這三重職務，來回應耶穌受洗的啟示。
粗略地說，我們是君王，我們在各自的生活崗位上替天行道，拓展天國。我們是司祭，我們代表世人，包括還未信主的人，向天主禱告，獻彌撒。我們是先知，不是那些未卜先知的先知，而是天主的代言人，代表耶穌傳揚福音。今天，我想和大家反省多一點司祭的職務。
我們會把初領洗的新教友比喻為靈性上初生的嬰兒。他們做齊唸經，望彌撒，領聖事，守大小齋等。但是他們始終都是初生的嬰兒，信仰沒有多大的深度。大家就不同了，各位都是領了洗多年的熱心教友，資深教友。讓我們捫心自問，我們多年來是否仍然慣性做著初領洗時同樣的唸經，望彌撒？我們是否仍然是吃著初領洗時的奶呢？我們每天有固定的時間祈禱，讀聖經嗎？我們的祈禱有深度嗎？可以感覺到耶穌就在你面前與你談心嗎？當你的修煉達到這個階段，相信你的君王和先知職務一定可以無往而不利，影響身邊很多的人皈依基督，因為你能感受到耶穌和聖神時刻在你的身邊與你一起工作。
你可能會抗議說，沒有時間。的確，香港的生活緊張繁忙，不過時間始終是天主賜予我們自由安排的。沒有時間多數是藉口。你又或者說沒有人教，不知道如何作有深度的祈禱。大家可否知道在香港教區信耶穌是很幸福的，我們有很多的課程，很多的避靜營地，有神師指導我們靈修。告訴大家一個事實，長洲思維靜院教授聖依納爵的神操，他們的課程和場地設施，經常爆滿，而百份之九十的使用者，是基督教派的兄弟姊妹。
大家是否願意繼續安於停留在吃奶的狀態，抑或是都急起直追，回應天主的啟示，切實履行君王，司祭和先知的職務，爭取更豐富的恩寵，成為天父的愛子，天父因你而喜悅呢？天主保祐。
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
Theme: God is pleased with all of us.
Last Sunday, Mrs. Hong, an experienced catechist in our parish asked me a thoughtful question which I would like to share with you. Please turn to page 78 of the liturgy book for Advent and Christmas Season. There is a picture of three gospel stories: the Magi, the Baptism of the Lord and the Cana banquet in which Jesus turned water into wine. What theme do the three stories have in common? Last week, we celebrated the Feast of Epiphany to remember the Magi story. To be more exact, we celebrate that the Son of God incarnated not just for the Jews but for all humanity. On behalf of us Gentiles and carrying gifts, the Magi from the East travelled from afar to respond actively to God’s revelation. In the miracle of Cana banquet, we remember Jesus who brought along his disciples to attend a wedding banquet. At the prompt of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Jesus turned water into wine. In his debut, Jesus revealed the glory of the Son of God in an extremely restrained manner. What was the response of the people? According to the gospel, “his disciples believed in him.” (John 2:11) Today, we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. Let us meditate what God wants to reveal to us and how we shall respond.
Indeed, the Son of God, the sinless Jesus did not need to receive the baptism of the Baptist. Therefore, through the whole incident, God must have intended to reveal to us some essential truth about our salvation and invites us to respond.
First of all, many people do not like rituals, thinking that those rites are tedious and meaningless. They would argue that all we need to be saved is faith in God. It is not necessary and is troublesome to receive baptism, to observe commandments, to say prayers and receive sacraments. If we do not believe, no matter how many prayers you say or how many masses you offers, it is of no use. This kind of logic appears to be reasonable. However, when we extrapolate this logic to other realms, we will see its loophole. For example, some people would say that love is all that matter. It is not necessary and a waste of resources to register or throw a wedding banquet. If there is no more love, a marriage certificate is unable to guarantee the happiness of your marriage. The reasoning seems sound. For yet another example, to do business is a matter of trust. Why bother signing contracts. If one party intends to defraud, no matter how air-tight the contract has been written, the devil is always in the details ... etc. Facing these fallacies, how would Jesus reply?
Look at Jesus. He did not argue whether it is necessary to receive baptism in order to be saved, nor did he question the validity of John’s baptism, whether it was able to forgive sins. Without muttering a word, Jesus humbly received the baptism of someone who was not worthy to stoop down to untie the thong of his sandals (Mark 1:7). Nobody believes in God more than Jesus. If Jesus received baptism, what am I not to receive baptism and be saved? As a Chinese idiom goes, “sincerity within is manifested without”. However much you love somebody, you should express it with appropriate gestures. What is more, these gestures would in turn deepen your love. In the same way, prayers, liturgy, sacraments and bible meditations help deepen our faith in God. If we cannot even be a practising Catholic, we would gradually become a CEO Catholic and an invisible Catholic. In such circumstances, how could you maintain your relationship with God?
Secondly, for the first time in human history, God revealed Himself as a God of Trinity in the story of Jesus’ baptism in the River Jordan. Father the Creator bore witness to the incarnate Son, Jesus, proclaiming that the Father would be well pleased with whatever the beloved Son would do in the future. Moreover, the Father anointed the Son with the Holy Spirit, highlighting the supreme status of Jesus, the Son of God. When a king was anointed in front of the people, it showed that he was chosen by God to carry out His will to govern the people. After the anointment with the Holy Spirit, Jesus began his mission to preach the gospel to build up the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, the baptism of Jesus in the River Jordan can be thought of as the coronation ceremony of Jesus. He was also anointed the eternal High Priest (Hebrews 6:20), the Prophet like Moses prophesized by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). Let me reiterate. When Jesus was baptized in the River Jordan, he officially took up the triple offices of king, priest and prophet. What about us?
In the Sacraments of Initiation, we have received the Holy Spirit. We have become anointed ones, messiahs. To be more concrete, we are blessed enough to be baptized and to partake in the triple offices of Jesus. That is to say, after baptism, we are transformed into kings, priests and prophets. We discharge the duties of the triple offices to respond to the revelation of the baptism of the Lord.
Roughly speaking, we are kings. We carry out God’s will to extend the kingdom of heaven in our specific stations of life. We are priests. We represent all mankind, including the non-believers to offer up prayers and masses to God. We are prophets, not those who are able to foretell the future, but as spokesmen of God, to represent Jesus to proclaim the gospel. Today, I would like to go deeper into the office of priests.
We usually compare the newly baptized to new born spiritual babies. They recite prayers, join masses, receive sacraments and fast etc. Still, they are newborn babies spiritually. Their faith is not deep. You are different. All of you have been baptized for decades and are active pious Catholics. Ask ourselves. All these years, do we still routinely say the same prayers and join the same masses just as when we were newly baptized? Are we still drinking that same “milk powder” we drank when we were newly baptized? Do we reserve a relatively fixed time slot to pray and meditate the Bible everyday? Is our prayer deep? Can we experience engaging in dialogue with Jesus standing before you? When our sanctification has reached such a level, I believe we will have no difficulty discharging our duties as kings and prophets. We will be able to convert many people to Christ because we can feel Jesus and the Holy Spirit working alongside with us.
You may protest that you have no time. True. Life in Hong Kong is tense and hectic. But at the end of the day, time is given by God for us to freely allocate. Having no time is most likely an excuse. Perhaps you would complain that nobody teaches you how to do deep praying. Do you know that it is very lucky for us to be Catholics in the Hong Kong Diocese? There are many formation courses, retreat houses and spiritual directors to guide us in spirituality. Let me tell you a reality. The Xavier Retreat House in Cheung Chau offers courses and facilities on Ignatian Spiritual Exercises. Their resources are always fully booked and more than 90% of the users are Christians of other denominations.
Are we willing to continue staying at the stage of drinking milk? Or are we willing to catch up, to respond to God’s revelation to faithfully discharge our offices of kings, priests and prophets, to fight for more graces and become God’s children with whom God is well pleased?
God bless.
Sunday 4 January 2015
What draws us to Christ?
Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of Epiphany to commemorate the Lord's revelation to Gentiles. According to Matthew, God made use of a star to attract the attention of the Magi who had to travel a long way from the east to come to adore what they had not expected, a baby in a shanty. This is the well-known mysterious Star of Bethlehem. In recent years, scholars hypothesize that it was not an astronomical, but an astrological phenomenon. Whatever the Star of Bethlehem might be, the real puzzle is what draws these Magi, and us, to Christ?
Theologically, we know that men were created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). It follows that our needs would find no satisfaction in finite things on earth --- money, fame and power etc. Therefore, our needs can only be satisfied by our infinite Creator. Moreover, we will not sit idly to be fed but will take the initiative to seek gratification.
So, what drew those Eastern astrologists to come? Frankly speaking, it is difficult to verify the truth of the story with extra-biblical evidence. Ancient historians could not bother to put down in writing the story of an obscure Galilean rabbi who was crucified by the Romans. Matthew could have made up the whole story in order to prove that Jesus was the Messiah anticipated by the Jews --- from the genealogy, the virgin birth, the Bethlehem Star, the Magi, the massacre of the Holy Innocents, the flee to Egypt etc. In contrast, Luke's nativity story is mutually exclusive with that of Matthew's, except for the 17 out of 56 ancestors (Lukan version from Abraham to Christ) overlapping with those 42 ancestors of Jesus (Matthean version). Luke chose to record the Annunciation, Visitation, the Census, the Shepherds, the Presentation in the Temple and the 12-year old incident in the Temple etc. Speaking from the narration point of view, the two Evangelists could have full autonomy in the choice of materials because they had different intentions and different target audiences. As a believer, we should focus more on the messages/intentions of the Evangelists rather than on the historicity of the nativity stories. The reality might be more dramatic than fictions.
The story of the Magi reminds us of the story of the queen of Sheba visiting King Solomon. Attracted by the fame and wisdom of King Solomon, she brought along a lavish amount of gifts. Perhaps she wanted to show off, or to buy an alliance, or to test his wisdom etc. (1 Kings 10:1-13) Of course, she returned home, contented and profited. What about the Magi? They were led by a mysterious Star of Bethlehem which moved and stopped rather unnaturally, if you believe in the wording of the Evangelist (Matthew 2:9). The Star was truly miraculous. Like the queen of Sheba, the Magi also brought along lavish gifts such as gold, which the Holy Family would never have any chance of using, frankincense and myrrh. Like the Magi, the queen of Sheba was attracted by the fame and wisdom of King Solomon, which could be considered the Star of Bethlehem for the queen of Sheba. Of course, we can find many parallels wherever we want.
Now the most crucial question is whether the Magi returned home contented and profited, like the queen of Sheba. To be fair, at least they should not be disappointed because of the performance of the Star. But the Star was only an appetizer. The Holy Infant was the main course. What satisfaction could the Magi find in a baby living in a shanty with migrant parents, (surely no longer in a manger!)? Not much unless you have the wisdom and faith of the Magi to see through the superficial poverty of the Holy Family. If the Magi returned home contented, their encounter with the Holy Infant must have given them an extraordinary experience or unspeakable revelation. With the background and tradition of the Old Testament, the Jewish Christians should have known better than the Magi in God's revelation. If the Magi left contented, should not the Jewish Christians be more contented as well when they had found and believed in Jesus? Remember, Matthew's target was not the Gentiles, but the Jewish Christians. Of course, life can be more complicated because later in his life, Jesus was rejected by his own people in Nazareth. Familiarity might not be an advantage (Matthew 13:54-58).
What about us, believers and followers of Christ? I don't think I can speak for the other believers. Many of them have pure and clear intention when they first decided to follow Jesus. My path has been rather tortuous. I did not always start with good intentions but on my way, God has shown me His mercy and I modified my view and my purposes along the way. I believe that whatever purposes we might harbour before we approach God, like a magnet, God will always turn us to the right direction.
Dear Lord, with unspeakable grace, lead me on my way to seek you. Amen.
Theologically, we know that men were created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). It follows that our needs would find no satisfaction in finite things on earth --- money, fame and power etc. Therefore, our needs can only be satisfied by our infinite Creator. Moreover, we will not sit idly to be fed but will take the initiative to seek gratification.
So, what drew those Eastern astrologists to come? Frankly speaking, it is difficult to verify the truth of the story with extra-biblical evidence. Ancient historians could not bother to put down in writing the story of an obscure Galilean rabbi who was crucified by the Romans. Matthew could have made up the whole story in order to prove that Jesus was the Messiah anticipated by the Jews --- from the genealogy, the virgin birth, the Bethlehem Star, the Magi, the massacre of the Holy Innocents, the flee to Egypt etc. In contrast, Luke's nativity story is mutually exclusive with that of Matthew's, except for the 17 out of 56 ancestors (Lukan version from Abraham to Christ) overlapping with those 42 ancestors of Jesus (Matthean version). Luke chose to record the Annunciation, Visitation, the Census, the Shepherds, the Presentation in the Temple and the 12-year old incident in the Temple etc. Speaking from the narration point of view, the two Evangelists could have full autonomy in the choice of materials because they had different intentions and different target audiences. As a believer, we should focus more on the messages/intentions of the Evangelists rather than on the historicity of the nativity stories. The reality might be more dramatic than fictions.
The story of the Magi reminds us of the story of the queen of Sheba visiting King Solomon. Attracted by the fame and wisdom of King Solomon, she brought along a lavish amount of gifts. Perhaps she wanted to show off, or to buy an alliance, or to test his wisdom etc. (1 Kings 10:1-13) Of course, she returned home, contented and profited. What about the Magi? They were led by a mysterious Star of Bethlehem which moved and stopped rather unnaturally, if you believe in the wording of the Evangelist (Matthew 2:9). The Star was truly miraculous. Like the queen of Sheba, the Magi also brought along lavish gifts such as gold, which the Holy Family would never have any chance of using, frankincense and myrrh. Like the Magi, the queen of Sheba was attracted by the fame and wisdom of King Solomon, which could be considered the Star of Bethlehem for the queen of Sheba. Of course, we can find many parallels wherever we want.
Now the most crucial question is whether the Magi returned home contented and profited, like the queen of Sheba. To be fair, at least they should not be disappointed because of the performance of the Star. But the Star was only an appetizer. The Holy Infant was the main course. What satisfaction could the Magi find in a baby living in a shanty with migrant parents, (surely no longer in a manger!)? Not much unless you have the wisdom and faith of the Magi to see through the superficial poverty of the Holy Family. If the Magi returned home contented, their encounter with the Holy Infant must have given them an extraordinary experience or unspeakable revelation. With the background and tradition of the Old Testament, the Jewish Christians should have known better than the Magi in God's revelation. If the Magi left contented, should not the Jewish Christians be more contented as well when they had found and believed in Jesus? Remember, Matthew's target was not the Gentiles, but the Jewish Christians. Of course, life can be more complicated because later in his life, Jesus was rejected by his own people in Nazareth. Familiarity might not be an advantage (Matthew 13:54-58).
What about us, believers and followers of Christ? I don't think I can speak for the other believers. Many of them have pure and clear intention when they first decided to follow Jesus. My path has been rather tortuous. I did not always start with good intentions but on my way, God has shown me His mercy and I modified my view and my purposes along the way. I believe that whatever purposes we might harbour before we approach God, like a magnet, God will always turn us to the right direction.
Dear Lord, with unspeakable grace, lead me on my way to seek you. Amen.
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