主題：天主慈悲，使聖言成了血肉，居我人間
要理解今天讀的福音並非容易，因為若望福音是最後成書的福音，是若望宗徒六十多年來神學反省的心血結晶。它甚少重覆前人曾提及過的事蹟。例如，對觀福音不覺得把水變酒有甚麼大不了，但若望是耶穌最愛的門徒，若望最能體會耶穌的心意。他看到這神蹟的重要意義，所以特別把這事蹟記載下來，補充前人之不足。有機會再深入默想其中的意義，今天我們要集中默想這篇若望福音的序言。
前文提到若望福音甚少重覆前人曾經提及過的事蹟。既然瑪竇和路加已記載了聖誕的故事，若望沒有必要重覆。經過多年來，在聖神內的反省，若望領會到耶穌的存在，其實是在創世之前。在這裡，我們找到聖誕的真正意義。聖誕就是紀念天主出於慈悲，天主子降生成人，親自來到世上，拯救世人的奧蹟。
若望是第一代信徒，是猶太人。在猶太人的信仰中，天主用祂的說話創造了這個適合人類居住的宇宙。經過很多世代，很多階段的反省，這有創造能力的「天主的話」，漸漸地包括了猶太人的律法和智慧。這裡所說的智慧，並不是指一些抽像的人生哲理，而是已經發展成人格化的智慧，即是中國人所說的「智慧的化身」。不過，不單是一個化身，而是智慧的真身、智慧的本體。在接觸到希臘文化後，若望借用了希臘文化中λογος的概念來表達，把聖經翻譯成中文思高聖經的神父，用「聖言」來翻譯λογος這個字。若望用了六十年的時間反省與耶穌一起的三年生活，得到了這個結論─耶穌就是這個創世之前已存在的Λογος聖言，這個有創造力，有生命力的智慧。聖言就是天主。耶穌就是天主。
若望以詩歌體裁寫這篇序言，以極濃縮的字句，展示出全本福音的主要思想。所以，讀這一段詩歌的時候，要放下邏輯推理。因為它是一份邀請。若望邀請大家欣賞一幅「神愛世人」的名畫。若望要告訴讀者，他們所相信的耶穌基督，在創世之前已存在，並且是由他一手造成天地的。所以，他用舊約【創世紀】的第一個字「在起初」，提醒他的讀者，他們正在誦讀創世紀第一章。創世紀第一章是一首讚美天主用六日創造天地萬物，為人類提供生存空間的詩歌，所以這篇若望福音序言亦用了詩歌體裁。
耶穌基督就是不可見的天主，可見的慈悲面容。與他接觸過的人，無論是受到耶穌醫治的病人、被解放的附魔人，抑或是旁觀者、甚至是與耶穌為敵的權貴或者是讀者…所有人都能在這接觸中，感受到天主慈祥的邀請。有些人作出積極的回應，有些人卻拒絕了。
讓我們在這慈悲禧年，善用時機，開放自己的心，接受天主的邀請，投入祂的光，祂的永恆生命。
若望不是在改寫創世紀，他是在發揮創世紀中，未完全表達的神學思想。例如，天主是充滿生命力的天主，但按創世紀的記載，天主在第一日創造了光，要到第三日纔造出植物，未免遲了一些。若望很有創見，他看到天主的生命力，在天主造光的時候已經表達了。所以若望說：「在他內有生命，這生命是人的光。」（若1:4）
按創世紀的記載，天主在第六日按自己的肖像造了人類。這個描述已經很好，給予人類在受造界中最崇高的地位，因為人有天主的特質，能與天主溝通來往。但創世紀功虧一簣，要等待若望來完成。按照創世紀的表述，天主可能是創造了一些有能力與祂溝通的寵物。但若望說：「凡接受他的…好成為天主的子女。」（1:12）因為祗要他們接受耶穌基督是天主子，他們便能成為天主的子女。子女是生出來的，或收養的，但決不是製造出來的。可是，我們又不是天主生的，所以祗能是領養的。出於天主的恩寵，天主的慈悲，我們的地位都被提昇了，可以有資格分天主的家產，分享天主的永恆生命。
天主行出第一步，降生成人，取了人性，願意捱受人性的限制，人性的軟弱。「寄居」一辭，原文是紥營的意思。若望是提醒讀者，以色列人未建築好聖殿前，不可見的天主，是臨在於可見的會幕之中。讀者已經由創世紀讀到出谷紀領十誡、讀到申命紀，天主在會幕中頒發各種生活的提示了。
猶太人相信祗有遵守梅瑟所傳授的法律，纔可得救。因為誡命是很實實在在的，是由梅瑟從天主手中接來的指示。但作為基督徒的我們，知道無論我們如何努力遵守法律，都是枉費心機的。因為得救不在於我們個人的努力，否則，對出世不久就夭折的嬰兒是不公平的。得救是出於天主的慈悲，白白賜予我們的恩寵。所以若望說：「法律是藉梅瑟傳授的，恩寵和真理卻是由耶穌基督而來的。」（1:17）
天主保祐。
Christmas Day (Year C)
Theme: Out of God's Mercy, the Word was made flesh and pitches its tent among us
It is not easy to read the gospel of John which was the last of the gospels to finish. It is a condensation of 60 plus years of theological reflection of John, the Apostle. It seldom repeats what has previously been written by the others. For example, the Synoptic Gospels do not consider the changing of water into wine a big deal, but John was the most beloved disciple of the Lord. He understood what Jesus thought. He was able to catch a glimpse of the important messages of this miracle. Thus he put it down in writing to complete what previous people had left out. We will consider it when the time comes. At the moment, let us meditate on this Prolog to the gospel of John.
Earlier on I mentioned that John seldom repeated what others had already covered. Since Matthew and Luke had already told the Nativity story, it was not necessary for John to repeat. After years of reflection with the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John understood that Jesus had already existed even before the Creation. Here, we can locate the true meaning of Christmas. In Christmas, we celebrate the mystery of God's mercy out of which the Son of God incarnated and became a man. He came to deliver us in person.
John was a Jew, a first-generation Christian. In the Jewish belief, God created with His words a cosmos suitable for human beings to live. After many generations and going through different stages of reflection, this creative "Word of God" has gradually included the Jewish Torah and Wisdom which is not a collection of human aphorisms. Rather, it has developed into a personified wisdom. It is even the essence, the being of Wisdom herself. After the encounter with Greek culture, John made use of a Greek term, λογος, to express this concept. John spent 60 years to reflect on the three years he stayed with Jesus and came to the following conclusion --- Jesus is the Λογος which is a creative wisdom full of life. The Λογος is God and Jesus is God.
John wrote this Prolog in the form of a hymn, using a very condensed language to articulate the main themes of his gospel. When we read a poem, we put our logic aside because it is an invitation. John invites us to enjoy an art work of "God so loves the world". John wants to tell the readers that the Jesus Christ they believe has existed before the Creation. The cosmos was created by him alone. Therefore, John began this Prolog with the first words of Genesis "In the beginning Ἐν ἀρχῇ" to remind the readers that they are reading Genesis 1 which is a hymn to praise God's act of creation in 6 days to provide humanity with a habitable space. Therefore John also wrote this Prolog in the format of a hymn.
Jews believe that only by following the Torah can they be saved. It is because the Torah is concrete and handed down from Moses who received these instructions from God. As Christians, we know that it is futile no matter how hard we try to follow the Law. It is because salvation does not come from personal efforts. Otherwise, it would be unfair to babies who die immaturely. Salvation comes from God's mercy which we receive without paying. That is why John says, "For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." (1:17)
Jesus Christ is the merciful face of the invisible God. Whoever encounters him, whether they be the sick whom he healed, the possessed whom he exorcised, or bystanders, or religious leaders who opposed him or us readers etc. they can feel God's merciful invitation in the encounter. Some respond a positive manner. Others reject.
John was not rewriting Genesis. He was trying to express more fully its theology. For example, God is a deity who is full of life. But according to Genesis, God created light on the first day and only on the third did God make plants. It seems a bit late. John's idea was a breakthrough. He saw that the vitality of God was already there in His creation of light. So, John says, "In him was life; and the life was the light of men." (John 1:4)
According to Genesis, on the sixth day, God created men and women in His own image. This narration is already good enough. It gives human beings the highest position in the whole creation because humanity has the characteristics of God and is able to communicate with Him. But Genesis is still one step too short and needs John to complete it. According to Genesis' narration, God could have created a pet capable of communicating with Him. But John says, "But as many as received him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God ..." (1:12) If only they accepted Jesus as the Son of God, they would become the sons of God. Sons were born or adopted, never manufactured. But we were not born of God. So, we can only be adopted. Out of God's grace, God's mercy, our positions were elevated. We are qualified to inherit God's assets, to partake in God's eternal life.
God took the initiative to incarnate, to take flesh up, willing to go through the limitations and weaknesses of human nature. "... to dwell among us σκηνόω ... " means to set up a tabernacle/tent among us. John reminds the readers that before the building of the Temple, the invisible God has been present in the Tabernacle. The readers have moved from Genesis, to the Ten Commandments in Exodus and Deuteronomy. God gave all sorts of instructions in the Tabernacle to help us lead our daily life.
Let us make good use of the opportunities provided in this Jubilee of Mercy, open up our hearts to accept God's invitation. Plunge into His light, His eternal life.
God bless.
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