主題：升呢
我們已經來到路加福音的第五章。過去兩個主日的福音，焦點放在耶穌身上，告訴我們耶穌是默西亞，是貧窮和受壓迫者的慈悲救主。可是，出於徧見，納匝肋的鄉親父老拒絕了耶穌，並且把天主趕走了。今天，我們讀到關於耶穌身邊的宗徒的故事，就是伯多祿和其他漁夫的蒙召。馬爾谷福音祗有很簡單幾句的敘述，目的祗想表達四個漁夫，怎樣爽快地捨棄了一切來跟隨耶穌。這個故事在路加筆下，就變得多姿多彩了。
我不是漁夫，對於如何在加里肋亞湖捕魚，沒有認識。廿多年前曾帶領四個學生到馬來西亞，參加該學校的亞太區生活體驗，認識貧窮與社會公義的關係。我們曾在一個漁村，度宿一宵，認識了一點當地漁民的生活方式。他們都是在夜間捕魚，用火炬發出的光，在黑暗中吸引魚群游近，然後下網。這種方法，不是馬來西亞所獨有，因為在電視台一些介紹日本的旅遊節目，也曾見過。所以，在晚間用火光和網來捕魚，相信是漁民在淺水地方的一般作業方式。淺水，是因為火光不足以穿透到深水裡去。
耶穌來到湖邊講道，一定不是在晚上。漁夫們已經網了一晚的魚，回到岸上洗網。試想像您是伯多祿，您操勞了一晚，一無所獲，正在岸上洗網的時候，忽然來了一個陌生人，跳上您的船，要借用您的船作為講壇，並請您放下您的工作，替他把船划離岸邊（路5:3）。您還有甚麼可以做呢？他已經坐在您的船上了，而且有一大群聽眾在岸邊等著，難道要趕他下船到別處嗎？如果是這樣，您可能會在心中咒罵這個帶給您麻煩的人。然後與其他伙計，收拾未洗好的網，回到船上。划開少許，他有他講道，您有您繼續洗網，或者也坐下休息，或者想辦法如何懲戒這個麻煩人，令他尷尬也好。另一個可能是在這事件之前，您已聽聞過耶穌的大名，也希望有機會聽他的福音，但忙於工作，沒有機會。今天有幸他光顧您的船，是您的榮幸。於是您與其他伙計，收拾未洗好的網，回到船上。划開少許，聽他講道。
無論您是歡迎耶穌與否，跟著發生的事，都是不合理的。因為耶穌在講道後竟然命令您划到深處，撒網捕魚。您是習慣了在夜間捕魚，正如前面說過，您的設備祗適合在淺水作業。如今划到深處，又在白天，怎樣吸引魚群從深水游上來呢？按常理，這次捕魚，肯定會白費心機…
伯多祿說自己是一個罪人，請耶穌離開他。有學者認為，伯多祿不是犯了甚麼殺人放火的大罪，而是在這神蹟面前，深深感受到天主的臨在、天主的榮耀和自己的不堪當、自己的欠缺，一如第一篇讀經中，依撒意亞先知蒙召時的感覺一樣。伯多祿掙扎，他不想離開安樂窩，他不想接受天主的召叫委派，竟然想天主離開他！伯多祿實在太傻了！天主既然已經把伯多祿趕出了安樂窩，自然會安排他一份更有挑戰性的任務，讓他發展未開發的潛能。天主要他「升呢」，從捕魚「升呢」到捕人。倘若伯多祿拒絕了，他的領導才能又如何得到發展呢？將來又如何成為宗徒之長，教會的磐石，第一任教宗呢？
各位兄弟姊妹，您意識到天主對您所懷有的計劃嗎？您認識天主的旨意嗎？您聽到您的聖召嗎？您感覺到天主對您的愛嗎？您愛天主有多深呢？您願意更信靠天主，放棄一些日常生活的例行工事，如打機，傾電話，煲劇…投放多一些時間讀經祈禱，實踐神哀矜、形哀矜嗎？
但伯多祿的心中已出現了微妙的變化，無論當初耶穌上船的時候，伯多祿對耶穌的印象如何，現在，伯多祿稱呼耶穌為「老師」了。路加沒有記載耶穌在船上講道的內容，或者記載伯多祿聽到了多少。無論如何，伯多祿已有所改變，信服了耶穌。因此，神蹟出現了。請記住，不是神蹟加強人的信德，而是信德引發出神蹟。這個神蹟，值得我們深刻地反省。
習慣是舒適的，因為不需要傷腦筋。我們在不知不覺的情況下，建立了一個安樂窩，做一些行之有效的步驟，犯不著改變現狀。「無驚無險，又到五點。」是很多人生活的常態。在夜間以火炬吸引魚群上水面來捕魚，是行之有效的步驟，犯不著划到深處下網。但耶穌來了，把伯多祿踢出他的安樂窩，要他做一些人力不可為的事─在白天，用淺水網到深水捕魚。不可能的事竟然發生了。與天主同在，有甚麼事是不可能的呢？
生活無憂，是我們每個人，包括信徒，很自然會產生的願望，而且天主亦沒有特別的理由，想我們生活困難。加上電視台和傳媒的鼓吹，擺風水陣來趨吉避凶已成為時尚，連接受過科學教育的年青人，也不介意暫時拋棄科學的頭腦，找個風水師父改運，使事業順利，姻緣美好。歸根究底，這些現象都是人想自己操控自己的命運，不想由天主操控。不錯，天主的確尊重我們的自由，讓我們自由地發展。但始終天主對我們是有要求，有指標的。天主希望我們認識祂的愛，回應祂的愛。倘若我們未達標，倘若我們信靠風水而不是信靠操控風水的天主，祂會派遣祂的使者，邀請我們回頭悔改，達到天主的要求，符合天主的旨意。
既然蒙召，天主自會保護他，伯多祿從此不再犯錯，不再犯罪嗎？錯。且看他日後如何為了保命，三次否認耶穌。天主從來沒有遠離伯多祿，沒有遠離我們任何一個，問題在於伯多祿，或者我們，信靠天主有多少。倘若伯多祿祗信靠自己，例如在山園祈禱耶穌被捕之時，他便會慘敗。倘若他信靠天主，他就能做更偉大的事，成為教會的磐石。
天主保祐。
Fifth Ordinary Sunday (Year C)
Theme: Upgrade
We have reached Luke 5. In the previous two weeks, the texts focused on Jesus, telling us that Jesus is the Messiah, the merciful Saviour of the poor and oppressed. However, out of prejudice, the Nazarethians rejected Jesus and sent God away. Today, we read the story of the apostles, that is, the call of Simon and the other fishermen. Mark only briefly mentions the story in a few verses, trying to show how swiftly and completely the four fishermen abandoned everything to follow Jesus. In the hands of Luke, the whole story becomes very colourful.
I have never been a fisherman and know nothing about fishing in Lake Galilee. More than two decades ago, I brought along four students to Malaysia to participate in an Asian Pacific immersion program of the La Sallians to know about the relation between poverty and social injustice. We spent a night in a fishing village to know something about their livelihood. The villagers went out catching fish at night, using torches in the dark to attract fish to swim near in order to catch them with a net. I believe this method of fishing was not exclusively Malaysian because I have seen similarly techniques in tourism shows on TV about Japan. Therefore, this way of fishing must be a common routine for shallow water fishing. It is "shallow" because light from torches cannot penetrate into very deep waters.
When Jesus came to preach, it could not be night time. The fishermen had already finished a night's labour and returned to the shore to wash the nets. Imagine you were Simon Peter. You had worked the whole night without a catch. While you were washing your nets, a stranger boarded your boat and used it as a pulpit (in Luke, it is the first encounter between Jesus and Peter). He asked you to put down your work at hand and put out a little from the land (Luke 5:3). What else could you do, now that he was already sitting in our boat and a large crowd was waiting? Could you drive him away to other boats? In such a situation, perhaps you would be cursing this troublesome man in your heart. Then together with your partners, you picked up the unwashed nets to the boat, rowed out a little bit. Jesus did his preaching and you your washing, or perhaps resting, or thinking about how to punish or embarrass this guy. There is also another possibility. Perhaps you had heard of Jesus and wished to have an opportunity to hear his preaching but you were too busy to have time. Today, you were lucky and honoured to have Jesus patronizing your boat. So, together with your partners, you picked up the unwashed nets to the boat, rowed out a little bit to listen to his preaching.
Whether you welcomed Jesus or not, what followed was illogical. After preaching, Jesus told you to put out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch (5:4). Your routine was to fish at night. Just as previously be explained, your equipment was only suitable for shallow water fishing. Now putting out into the deep and it was day time, how could you attract shoals from the deep to swim up? Logically, this catch would be a waste of effort...
Habits are comfortable because we don't need to rack our brains. Gradually and imperceptibly, we build up our comfort zone, doing effective procedures. We don't bother to change the status quo. "No frills no thrills, it is five o'clock" is a norm for most people. Catching fish at night with fire torches is an effective procedure. Why bother putting out into the deep? But Jesus comes to kick Peter out of his comfort zone, asking him to do some impossible thing --- using shallow water nets to fish in the deep in broad daylight. A miracular catch happens. With God, what cannot be done?
A worry-free life is the wish of everybody, including Christians. Furthermore, there is no particular reason for God to want our life to be difficult. With the promotion of mass media, setting up fung-shui matrix to avoid evil and to lead an auspicious life has become a fashion. Even young people who have received scientific education are willing to suspend their scientific mind to seek advice from fung-shui masters to improve their careers and marriage prospects. At the root of the phenomenon is men's desire to take fate into their own hands and do not want God to meddle. Truly, God respects our freedom and allows us to develop freely. But at the end of the day, God has demands and sets targets for us. God wants us to know His love, to respond to His love. If we miss the target, if we trust in fung-shui, but not God who controls fung-shui, He will send us messengers, inviting us to repent to meet God's demands and to do His will.
Peter said, "Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord." (5:8). Scholars argue that Peter had not committed any mortal sins but was deeply thrilled in the face of an awesome miracle. He was shaken in the presence and glory of God. He felt inadequate and unworthy just like what Isaiah felt when God called him in the first reading today. Peter struggled. He did not want to leave his comfort zone. He did not want to accept God's call but wanted God to leave him alone. How silly Peter is! Now that God had kicked him out of his comfort zone, God would arrange a more challenging mission for him to develop his potentials. God wanted Peter to upgrade from a fisher of fish to a fisher of men (5:10). Had Peter rejected, how would he have developed his leadership? In the future, how would he have become the Prince of the Apostles, the Rock of the Church and the first Pope?
Since he left everything to follow Jesus, would God protect him so that Peter would never sin, would never make mistakes in the future? Of course not. See how he denied Jesus three times to save his own skin. God has never abandoned Peter and is never far away from anyone of us. The problem lies in how much Peter, or we, trusts in God. If Peter trusted in himself, such as what he did when Jesus was arrested after the Agony in Gethsemani, he would lose. If he trusted in God, he would be able to achieve bigger things and become the Rock of the Church.
Brethren, are you aware of God's plan for you? Do you know God's will? Have you heard God's call? Do you feel God's love for you? How deeply do you love God? Are you will to trust God more, to give up some of your daily routines, such as playing computer games, chatting on the phone, watching TV dramas ... and spend more time reading the Bible, prayer, performing spiritual and corporal works of mercy?
But some delicate changes had taken place in the heart of Peter. Whatever impression Peter had about Jesus when he boarded his boat, now Peter addressed Jesus as "Master". Luke has not written down what Jesus preached on the boat or how much Peter had heard. No matter what, Peter had changed and believed in Jesus. Thus, a miracle appeared. Remember, miracles do not strength faith but faith triggers miracles. This miracle is worth deep reflection.
God bless.
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