常年期第十七周星期四（瑪13:47-53）
「在那裡有哀號和切齒。」（瑪13:50）
梵二後的教友辦告解少了。原因很多，例如聖召不足，少了神父聽告解；例如社會日趨多元化，道德觀念變得相對化，對「罪」的觀念模糊化了。這些問題，我們能改善的空間不多。所以，今天我想反省的，是一個我們可以處理的課題，就是「我們誤會了天主的慈悲。」
在神學上，梵二後強調「因為祂願意所有的人都得救。」（弟前2:4）的神職人員多了，提及「那裡有哀號和切齒。」（瑪8:12, 13:42, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30; 路13:28）相應地少了，不那麼時尚了。今年我們正在慶祝「慈悲禧年」，天主的慈悲好像把一切罪惡都掩蓋了。諷刺地，全球的殺戮，有增無減，好像在向天主挑戰：「且看祢的慈悲能支持多久！」好像証明了中國人的一句致理名言：「姑息足以養奸。」真叫人洩氣！
教宗在【慈悲禧年詔書】指出，「正義與慈悲不是兩項相矛盾的事實，卻是同一事實的兩個幅度，逐步揭示，以達到高峰──愛的圓滿。」(詔書#20)「慈悲並不相反正義，卻表達天主向罪人伸出援手，給他新的機會去再次省察、悔改，以及相信…天主的義怒只維持一會兒，天主的慈悲卻永遠存留。」（#21）簡單地說，出於慈悲，出於對罪人的憐愛，天主也會在現世懲罰罪人，幫助他們回頭，好像蕩子淪落到與豬爭豆莢時纔回頭一樣。
今天的福音，提醒我們要正視在末日，「天主所預備了」的懲罰。因為是末日了，所以是永遠的了，不再像詔書所說的「只維持一會兒」了！
天父啊！不要讓我們陷入濫用祢慈悲的誘惑，但救我們免於末日的凶惡。亞孟。
《論盡神學》
Thursday in the 17th Ordinary Week (Even Year)
"There men will weep and gnash their teeth" (Matthew 13:50)
Catholics go to confession less since Vatican II. There are many reasons. For example, there are less priests hearing confessions than before because of a lack of vocation. The society is becoming more pluralistic and morality has become relativistic. The concept of sin is blurred. There is little room for improvement in these areas. Therefore, today, I would like to deal with a more manageable topic: we have misunderstood the mercy of God.
Theologically, since Vatican II, more clergy stress on "God our Saviour desires all men to be saved." (1 Timothy 2:4) and less on "there men will weep and gnash their teeth" (Matthew 8:12, 13:42, 22:13, 24:51, 25:30; Luke 13:28). It has become less fashionable. This year, we celebrate the Jubilee of Mercy. The mercy of the Father seems to have covered all evils. Ironically, killings are rampant and on the rise across the globe. They seem to tease God in his face, "See how long your mercy could last!" It seems to have proven the Chinese idiom which reads "Tolerance breeds evils". How frustrating!
The Pope wrote in his Bull that "Justice and Mercy are not two contradictory realities, but two dimensions of a single reality that unfolds progressively until it culminates in the fullness of love." (Misericordiæ Vultus #20) "Mercy is not opposed to justice but rather expresses God’s way of reaching out to the sinner, offering him a new chance to look at himself, convert, and believe ... God’s anger lasts but a moment, his mercy forever." (MV #21) Simply put, out of mercy and compassion for sinners, God still punishes them in this world to help them convert, like the Prodigal Son who returned to his father after having to fight with swine for pods.
The gospel today reminds us of the need to take seriously the punishment God has prepared at the end of the world. It lasts forever, not the same as what the Bull says, "God’s anger lasts but a moment."
Heavenly Father, lead us not into the temptation of abusing Your mercy, but deliver us from Evil on the last day. Amen.
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