為義而受迫害 PERSECUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS' SAKE

為義而受迫害
今天讓我們來默想按耶穌基督的教訓行善卻仍受人迫害的事件。 三月十五日，星期二，教宗方濟各在樞機會議上，宣佈五位真福，最早將於今年六月，最遲十個宣聖。其中包括德蘭修女。梵蒂崗將於九月四日（主日），就是德蘭修女的逝世前夕，為她舉行宣聖彌撒。

在慈悲禧年為德蘭修女宣聖，是最恰當不過的了，因為她是慈悲的化身。她一生蒙受兩次聖召。第一次，在十八歲的時候加入洛雷托Loreto女修會，十九歲奉派往印度教書。三十六歲那一年，感受到更深刻的召叫，要在最貧窮的人身上服事耶穌基督。三十八歲，她開始脫去修女的會衣，換上一襲白色滾藍邊的傳統印度服飾sari。白色代表純潔，藍色代表聖母瑪利亞。她由一個從事教育工作約二十年的修女，開始了為最窮的人服務。她每日非常具體地實踐神形哀矜。她的慈悲行動，比世上最優秀的布道家，還要感化了更多的人。她在世時，很多人已把她當代二十世紀的活聖人。

可是，樹大招風，有很多人會攻擊她、利用她。
固然，有人與出於嫉妒而攻擊她，但不要以為攻擊她的人，一定是壞人。要知道，她是梵二之前長大的天主教徒，在信仰上、誡律上是保守和嚴謹的。她經常唸玫瑰經，反對避孕及墮胎。甚至在接受諾貝爾和平獎的演說上，亦毫不掩飾她酷愛生命，反對墮胎的立場。這些言論，當然與致力改善貧窮的有志之士，南轅北轍，因為很多人相信印度的貧窮，是出於人口過剩。亦有很多善心人士，擔心她心地良善，容易被人偶像化，受人利用。所以，她也受到善心人士的攻擊和反對。

固然，利用她的名譽和善心的，大有人在，而且德蘭修女，心地善良，不會怕被利用而不接受富有的人的捐助，亦不會因為被人利用了而仇視富有的人。受攻擊、受委屈，她的心靈是痛苦的，但她仍願意為奉行耶穌基督的旨意，為一切的人祈禱，包括攻擊她，利用她的人。

耶穌基督在世的時候，何嘗不是做善事而受到攻擊，受到迫害，甚至死在十字架上嗎？作為耶穌基督的跟隨者，不但要按照基督的教訓行善，亦要跟隨基督的榜樣，跟隨他行人生的苦路，默默地忍耐行善所招致的迫害。天主保祐。

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PERSECUTED FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS' SAKE

  This evening, let us meditate the persecution we receive when we follow Jesus' command to do good.
Last Tuesday, March 15, Pope Francis announced the canonization of five Blessed's during an ordinary public consistory, including Blessed Mother Teresa. The earliest will take place in June and latest in October. Vatican will celebrate her canonization mass on September 4, the vigil of the anniversary of her death.

To canonize Blessed Mother Teresa during the Jubilee of Mercy is the most appropriate of all because she was a personification of mercy. She experienced two calls in her life. Firstly, when she was 18, she entered the Sisters of Loreto. At 19, she was sent to teach in India. She experienced a deeper call when she was 36 to serve Christ among the poorest. At 38, she took off her Loreto habits and put on a traditional white sari with blue border. White symbolizes purity and blue the BVM. After teaching for nearly 20 years, she started serving the poorest. Daily she concretely performed corporal as well as spiritual works of mercy. Her works of mercy touched the hearts of more people than the most effective evangelists and preachers. Many people have already regarded her as a living saint of the twentieth century.

Of course, her fame had brought her attacks and manipulations.
There were people who attacked her out of jealousy. But do not think that all who attacked Mother Teresa were bad guys. We have to understand that she was raised a pre-Vatican II Catholic. Her faith and the precepts she kept were conservative and strict. She always recited the Rosary and opposed contraception and abortion. Even in her Nobel Prize Acceptance Speech, she did not shy away from telling the audience her intense love of life and her opposition to abortion. These stances went against people of good will who wanted to eradicate poverty because many people believed that over population was the root cause of poverty in India. There were also people who worried about her being taken advantaged of or being idolized because of her simple kind-heartedness. Therefore, even good people attacked and opposed her.

Of course, there were not a few people who had manipulated her fame and kindness. She was meek but would not refuse the donations from the rich out of fear of being taken advantage of. Nor would she hate the rich after they manipulated her kindness. Being attacked and misunderstood was spiritually painful. Yet, she was still willing to perform the will of Jesus Christ and to pray for all people, including those who attacked her as well as took advantage of her.

Wasn't Jesus Christ attacked, persecuted and even died on the cross for doing good? As followers of Christ, not only do we follow Jesus' command to do good, but we should also follow his example to go through the stations of the cross in our daily life, quietly enduring persecutions for doing good.
God bless.