主題：對聖母瑪利亞應有的態度
今天的福音故事，是講述耶穌行的第一個神蹟。這個故事十分簡單，沒有甚麼特別的情節。把水變成酒並不像其他驅魔，治病，復活死人，或者平息風浪那麼轟動。門徒因見了耶穌把水變成酒，一個連其他三部福音也沒有記載的雞毛蒜皮事件，便信從耶穌也沒有甚麼值得奇怪。要信的，無論耶穌做了甚麼，始終都會相信；不信的，無論耶穌做一百件，一千件驚天動地的神蹟，仍然不會滿意。例如，耶穌在行了很多神蹟之後，不信的法利塞人仍然要求耶穌行一個來自天上的神蹟。（谷8:11）信與不信是人的自由，耶穌沒有義務，行神蹟迫使不信的法利塞人相信祂。整個故事最令人驚奇的，反而是耶穌稱呼自己的母親為「女人」。聽來耶穌很粗魯，沒有禮貎，沒有尊重，難道這是猶太人的習俗嗎？倘若各位有猶太朋友，請代為求証。但在未有確實証據之前，我認為這種稱謂不會是習俗。那麼，耶穌為甚麼這樣稱呼聖母瑪利亞呢？
很多教父曾提及過一個很好的解釋，他們指出這個「女人」就是在原祖父母犯罪後，天主所許諾的原始福音中的「女人」（創3:15）。身為天主的耶穌在這裡肯定聖母的地位。這是一個毋庸置疑的定論。這裡我想指出另外的一個觀點。在若望福音，耶穌用過「女人」這個稱謂一共四次。第一次在加納婚宴，是對聖母說的。第二次在井旁對一個撒瑪黎雅婦人說的。剛開始對話時，耶穌連「女人」也沒有說，祗直接問那陌生的撒瑪黎雅婦人要水喝，經過一輪針鋒相對的交談，直到那婦人親口承認耶穌是個先知後，耶穌纔開口稱呼她做「女人」。第三次在十字架上，耶穌交託教會給聖母照顧時說的。最後一次，耶穌在復活後對跟隨他，在他復活後第一個見到他的門徒，瑪利亞瑪達肋納說的。從井旁的撒瑪黎雅婦人的故事和復活顯現給瑪達肋納的故事可知，在若望福音，耶穌會稱呼那些和祂建立了師父徒弟關係的婦人為「女人」。即是說，身為天主的耶穌，把聖母瑪利亞，當作他的門徒看待。不過聖母瑪利亞不是一個普通的門徒，她是第一個基督徒，是把耶穌基督帶到世上來的基督徒，而且她的諸多德行，使她成為所有基督徒的典範。在今天的福音的故事中，聖母對天主子的信靠和對世人的關懷，表露無遺。她毫不猶疑地把新郎的需要，直接了當地轉達給耶穌基督，並且教導僕役，跟隨基督的指示行事。她不是所有基督徒應該效法的典範嗎？所以是值得天主子在被釘在十字架上時，把教會，甚至整個世界，交託在她手上。
每年一月十八日開始至廿五日，即聖保祿歸化節，是「基督徒合一祈禱周」。今年的主題是「被召去宣揚上主的德能」（伯前2:9）天主教內有很多的教友會感到疑惑，以為所有基督教徒都會批評天主教拜聖母，又怎能合一呢？其實，這是一個錯覺。首先，不是所有基督教徒都批評天主教拜聖母的。例如東正教，他們對聖母的敬禮，比天主教有過之而無不及；又例如香港的聖公會，在銅鑼灣就有一座聖馬利亞堂，奉聖母為主保。
記載在路加福音的【聖母讚主曲】中，就有幾句宣揚上主的德能，正合今年基督徒合一祈禱的主題。請聖詠團在領主詠之後為我們唱出，提醒大家吧。聖母的一生，就是一首讚美上主德能的詩歌。讓我們學習聖母的德行，關懷身邊的人有何靈性上和物質上的需要，信靠天主，把他們的需要，向天主轉達。這樣做，就是履行慈悲了。
其次，那些批評天主教拜聖母的基督教徒，不一定是真正的基督教徒，祗是自稱基督教徒而已。為甚麼呢？因為所有的基督徒都是蒙召成聖的，但不是單打獨鬥地成聖，而是共融合一地成聖的。不但是與其他人一起成聖，而是與其他人一起共融在天主內成聖。所以缺少了其他人，或者缺少了天主，都不能成聖。
在所有成功成聖的人中，聖母瑪利亞是最重要的，是不能少了聖母的。因為她不但是第一個基督徒，把天主子帶來人世間，而且正如總領天使加俾額爾所說的，聖母瑪利亞是充滿聖寵的（路1:28），她已經在天主內，與天主共融了。又正如耶穌在十字架上說的，她是我們的母親，所有聖徒的母親。試問拒絕接受聖母作為母親的，拒絕耶穌基督的指示的，又如何成聖，如何稱得上是基督徒呢？
侍奉母親，對母親孝愛是所有子女的本份。天主教、東正教、聖公會等對聖母的敬禮是履行子女的本份，與崇拜天主不同。把我們對聖母的孝愛，對聖母的敬禮說成崇拜，輕則出於誤會，重則出於譭謗。我相信那些批評天主教拜聖母的人，多數是出於誤會，我們有責任向他們解釋，消除他們的誤會。
天主保祐。
Second Ordinary Sunday (Year C)
Theme: The proper attitude towards Our Lady
The gospel story today tells the first miracle of Jesus. This story is very simple. There is nothing extraordinary. Unlike exorcism, healing, raising the dead or calming the sea, turning water into wine is not stunning. That after seeing so trivial a miracle which the Synoptic Gospels do not bother to write down, his disciples believed in him is nothing surprising. For those inclined to believe, whatever Jesus did, they would believe. For those who refused to believe, no matter how many earth shaking miracles Jesus had done, they would still not be satisfied. For example, after Jesus had already worked many miracles, the unbelieving Pharisees still sought from Jesus a sign from heaven (Mark 8:11). To believe or disbelieve is a human choice. Jesus does not have any obligation to perform miracles to force the unbelieving Pharisees to believe. I think the most surprising part of the story is rather that Jesus called his own mother "Woman". How could Jesus be so rude, so impolite and without respect? Could this be a Jewish custom? If you know of any Jewish friends, please verify this for me. But before there is any conclusive evidence, I do not think that this could be a custom. Then, why did Jesus address Our Lady in this manner?
Many Church Fathers have proposed a good explanation. They pointed out that this "woman" is the "woman" in the proto-gospel God promised after the Fall of our First Parents (Genesis 3:15). Jesus, our God, confirmed the role of Our Lady in this occasion. This is a conclusion beyond doubt. Here, I would like to propose another view.
Every year, from January 18 to 25, the Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul, it is the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This year, the theme is "Called to proclaim the mighty acts of the Lord" (1 Peter 2:9). Many Catholics would be puzzled. How can there be Christian unity when all Christians criticize Catholics for "worshipping" Our Lady? In fact, this is an illusion. First of all, not all Christians criticize Catholics for worshipping Our Lady. For example, the Eastern Orthodox has more elaborate devotions to Our Lady. Another example, the Sheung Kung Hui (Anglicans) of Hong Kong has a St. Mary's Church dedicated to Our Lady in Causeway Bay.
In the Magnificat found in the gospel of Luke, there are verses proclaiming the mighty acts of the Lord. They are appropriate for the theme of Prayer for Christian Unity this year. I would like to invite our choir to sing this to refresh our memory. The life of Our Lady is a hymn praising the mighty acts of the Lord. Let us imitate the virtues of Our Lady, care about the spiritual as well as physical needs of our neighbour, trust in the Lord and intercede for their needs. In this way, we are practising mercy.
In the gospel of John, Jesus said "Woman" four times. The first time was addressed to Our Lady in the wedding banquet at Cana. The second time was spoken to a Samaritan woman beside a well. At the beginning of the dialogue, Jesus asked the Samaritan woman stranger for water directly even without addressing her "woman". Only after a series of sharp exchanges, until the woman admitted that Jesus was a prophet, did Jesus address her "woman". The third time was on the cross when Jesus asked Our Lady to take care of the Church. The last time was when after his resurrection Jesus spoke to Mary Magdalene who was the first disciple to witness his resurrection, a woman follower. From the stories of the Samaritan woman and Mary Magdalene, we can draw a conclusion that in the gospel of John, Jesus would call those women who had established a master-disciple relationship with him "woman". That is to say, as God, Jesus treated Our Lady as his disciple. But Our Lady was no ordinary disciple. She was the first Christian. It was her who brought Jesus Christ into this world. Furthermore, her many virtues make her the exemplar of all Christians. In the story today, Our Lady shows her trust in the Son of God and her loving care for humanity. Without hesitation, she told the needs of the bridegroom to Jesus Christ and instructed the servants to follow the instructions of Christ. Shouldn't she be the exemplar for all Christians to imitate? That is why she deserves to have the Church, and even the whole world entrusted into her hands when the Son of God was crucified on the cross.
Secondly, those Christians who criticize Catholics for worshipping Our Lady might not be genuine Christians. They only claim to be Christians. Why? It is because all Christians are called to be saints. They are called to be sanctified not individually but in a communion. Not only are they called to be sanctified with the others, but to be sanctified in a communion with others in God. Without the others, or without God, there can be no sanctification.
Among those who have successfully been sanctified, Our Lady is the most elevated and indispensable. It is because not only has she the honour to be the first Christian to bring the Son of God into this world, but she is also "full of grace" (Luke 1:28) just as what the Archangel Gabriel has said. She is already in God, in communion with God. Again, just as what Jesus said on the cross, she is our mother, the mother of all saints. Then, how can those who reject Our Lady to be our mother, those who refuse to follow the instructions of Jesus Christ be sanctified, be called Christians?
Serving our mother with filial piety is the duty of children. Devotions to Our Lady in the capacity of her children in Catholicism, Eastern Orthodoxy and Anglicanism are not the same as worshipping God. Twisting our Marian devotions into "worship" is either out of misunderstanding or deliberate defamation. I believe that those who criticize Catholics for worshipping Our Lady are mostly out of misunderstanding. We have an obligation to explain to them, to eliminate their misunderstanding.
God bless.
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