主題：慈悲的天主是絕望中的希望
中國人對寡婦並沒有好感，覺得這些女性命硬，帶給丈夫不幸，甚至剋死丈夫。相反聖經對寡婦是同情居多。先知書和聖詠，經常警告以色列人不可欺負她們，並且提及天主會照顧她們。聖經這樣寫是因為在舊約中，天主經常用夫妻的形象，表達自己對以色列人的愛。可惜以色列人經常背逆天主，好像這個對她好的丈夫，已經死了一樣；到頭來把自己趕進絕境，好像寡婦一樣。不過，舊約中亦提及很多有名的富寡婦，個別甚至成為救國救民，殺死敵國首領的女英雌。因此，以色列人對寡婦的心態，是既憐憫，又害怕，是充滿矛盾的。
福音之中有一個很有名的「耶穌稱讚窮寡婦」的故事，加強了我們認為「寡婦就是窮」的錯覺，憐憫她們的處境。其實，福音中的寡婦和舊約時的寡婦一樣，不一定是窮的。否則，耶穌就不會批評那些貪財的法利塞人，說他們「吞沒寡婦的家產，又以長久的祈禱作掩飾。」（路20:47）寡婦窮與否，當然是由她的亡夫有多少遺產所決定了。
在古代的父系社會，女性的地位低是一個現實。中國人所說的「三從」相信是大部份父系社會所奉行的規矩。「在家從父，出嫁從夫，夫死從子。」可以說是古代父系社會，女性命運的寫照。倘若夫死而又無子，這位寡婦的命運，在當時沒有綜援的社會中，將會是相當坎坷的。在沒有男人照顧之下，她可能淪為乞丐，甚至娼妓。為甚麼會這樣呢？第一：外嫁女已不屬於父親的家族，自己的兄弟沒有供養這個外嫁女的本份。第二：既然沒有兒子，寡婦憑甚麼向夫家要求亡夫的遺產或者要求供養呢？夫家的人是樂意見到寡婦被逐出門，少一個對手瓜分亡者的遺產。
說來奇怪，我們好像舊約的以色列人一樣，不知不覺，把自己打造成一個寡婦，一個絕望的人。今天是六四的二十七周年，作為一個中國人，面對把「六四」和「文革」視為禁忌的龐大政權，我們憑甚麼可以與這政權爭奪呢？我們的困難處境與納因城的寡婦，不遑多讓。作為一個市民，面對一個官商鉤結，利益輸送的政府，我們憑甚麼可以和政府抗爭呢？我們變得失望、變得無奈。但是作為一個天主教徒，我們有耶穌基督作我們的後盾，我們要謙遜和忍耐，祈禱時不需要求這樣，求那樣，天主自有安排的。
倘若政權和政府為我們這些蟻民，實在是太龐大，太高不可攀的話，不妨看看我們身邊的人吧。有一些令我們失望、無奈的人嗎？他們不聽從我們的意見，屢勸不改，教而不善。我們何來時間精力「寬恕他們七十個七次」呢？我們大多選擇放棄他們，不理會他們，我們對自己說，我們對這些人絕望了。我們憑甚麼可以與他們糾纏呢？但是作為一個信靠天主的教徒，我們相信聖經，相信教會的訓導。我們能相信這些人，都是按天主的肖像所造成的嗎？我們相信無論他們如何不善，天主仍不離不棄地愛護他們的嗎？
我們可有對自己絕望嗎？出賣耶穌的猶達斯就是一個很好的說明。他的過錯與伯多祿一樣。可是，猶達斯選擇了自殺，沒有給天主寬恕他的機會。他對自己絕望，認為天主不會寬恕他。他太不認識天主的慈悲了。在今天的福音裡，我們看到耶穌基督對人的憐憫。雖是寡婦沒有奢望甚麼，耶穌基督卻主動地把最大的安慰，賜予納因城的寡婦。天主是會主動來探訪我們的，請不要像猶達斯一樣心硬，拒天主於千里之外。
感謝天主，四十年的教書生涯，讓我接觸到的，大部份都是還有能力改善的青年人。大家在日常生活所接觸的就不一樣了。他們的性格幾乎已定了型，要改變並不容易，而且他們未必覺得需要改變自己。所以，我們需要對耶穌基督，懷有極大的信德。他必定會像對待納因城的寡婦一樣，幫助我們這些容易失望，無奈的人。
今天福音中，納因城的寡婦就不幸了。在起初，丈夫死了，她還有兒子，「為兄立嗣」的法律不能應用在她身上。她母憑子貴，可以管用亡夫遺下的家產。現在兒子死了，她頓失依靠。雖然福音說「有本城的一大夥人陪著她。」（7:12）我可以大膽推測這一大夥人，大部份都是婦孺，現在來安慰這寡婦，但對她的未來，幫助有限。這一大夥人中的男人，若不是親手來埋葬亡者的話，恐怕都是一些帶著被耶穌批評貪財的法利塞人來，準備接管家產的人了。寡婦憑甚麼可以與這些夫家的人爭奪呢？她的處境是沒有希望的，寡婦成了絕望的人。這個時候，天主成了她惟一的希望、惟一的依靠了。
天主保祐。
The Tenth Ordinary Sunday (Year C)
Theme: The Merciful God is the Hope in Despair
Chinese do not treat widows kindly. They believe that the widows' horoscopes must have been detrimental to their husbands' so much as that the husbands die. On the contrary, the Bible is more sympathetic. Prophets and Psalms warn Israelites not to mistreat widows and that God will eventually take care of them. The Bible was written as such because in the Old Testament, God always chose the image of husband and wife to express His love of the Israelites. Unfortunately, the Israelites always rebelled against God, treating God as if He were dead. In the end, they drove themselves into desperate situation like widows. However, some famous rich widows were also mentioned in the Old Testament. Some were even able to kill the army generals of their enemies, thus saving their country in the role of heroines. Their feelings towards widows were full of contractions, having compassion on one hand and fear on the other.
In ancient patriarchic societies, the low status of women was a reality of life. The Chinese "three followings" of women must have been a custom practised by most patriarchic societies. "Before marriage, a girl follows her father. After marriage, a woman follows her husband. After the death of the husband, she follows her son." This must have been an authentic description of the fate of women in ancient patriarchic societies. The fate of a widow without a son would be terrible in a society without social securities. Without the protection of men, she would become a beggar or even a prostitute. Why? First of all, a woman married out no longer belonged to her father's house. Her brothers did not have any obligation to support her. Secondly, without a son, what could a widow rely on to demand the inheritance or support? The kin of the dead man would be all too glad to drive her away, thus eliminating one rival to compete for the inheritance.
Strangely, like the Israelites in the Old Testament, most of us unknowingly make ourselves a widow, a desperate person. Today is the 27th anniversary of June Fourth. As a Chinese coming face to face with a gigantic regime which makes June Fourth and Cultural Revolution taboo topics, what can we rely on to fight against such a regime? Our difficulties are no less than those facing the widow of Nain. As a citizen coming face to face with a government colluding with merchants, what can we rely on to stand against it? We become disappointed and throw up our hands very easily. But as a Catholic, we have Jesus Christ who backs us up. We need to be humble and patient. Do not ask for this or that in our prayers. God will provide.
If states and governments are too big for us, why not look at the people around us. Are there people who disappoint us, making us helpless? They do not listen to our opinions and do not make changes for the good. Where comes the time and strength for us to "forgive them seventy times seven"? Mostly of us would choose to abandon them or to ignore them. We tell ourselves that we lose hope in them. What can we rely on to continue meddling with them? But as a believer in God, in the Bible and in the teachings of the Church, do we believe in these people who were created in the image of God? Do we believe that no matter how bad they are, God still love them, not giving them up?
Do we lose hope in ourselves? Judas the traitor is a prime example. His sin was the same as Peter's. But Judas chose to kill himself, not giving God an opportunity to forgive him. He lost hope in himself, thinking that God would not forgive him. He did not know the mercy of God. In the gospel story today, we see Jesus' compassion towards men. Though the widow of Nain did not ask for anything, Jesus took the initiative to give her the greatest consolation. God will take the initiative to visit us. So do not harden our hearts and reject God.
I am grateful to God. In my forty years of teaching career, I came in contact with young people who could change for good most of the time. But the people you meet may not. Their characters are fixed and do not easily change. Worse still, they don't feel the need to change. Therefore, we need to have strong faith in Jesus Christ. He shall treat us who can easily be disappointed and helpless the same way he treated the widow of Nain,
There is a famous story in the gospels in which Jesus praised a poor widow, thus strengthening our impression that widows were poor and have compassion on them. However, like their counterparts in the Old Testament, they might not be poor after all. Otherwise, Jesus would not have criticized those greedy Pharisees "who devour widows' houses and for a pretense make long prayers." (Luke 20:47) So, whether widows were poor or not depended on how much their deceased husbands left them.
The widow of Nain in the gospel today was really unfortunate. At first, at the demise of her husband, she still had a son, thus the levirate law was not applicable to her. With her son, she could still live on the inheritance of her deceased husband. Now that her son was dead, she suddenly lost all her supports. Even though the gospel says "a large crowd from the city was with her" (7:12), I would boldly speculate that most of them would be women and children. Now they came to comfort her, but their help in the future would be limited. Those men in the crowd, if they had not come to buy the dead young man, would, I am afraid, be people bringing along Pharisees whom Jesus criticized to take over the inheritance. What could the widow rely on to fight for the inheritance? Her situation was hopeless. She was in despair. Now, God became her only hope, her only reliance.
God bless.
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