你所備置的，將歸誰呢﹖ The things you have prepared, whose will they be?

七月三十一日
常年期第十八主日（路12:13-21）
「糊塗人哪！今夜就要索回你的靈魂，你所備置的，將歸誰呢﹖」（路12:20）

與人爭論，在所難免。但如果發現自己理虧的話，怎樣脫身呢？不外乎兩度板斧：鬥大聲或者訴諸權威。鬥大聲太不文明了，是目不識丁之人所為。我們是知識份子，當然不屑做這種低層次的行為。今天福音裡的兄弟，肯定是文明人。可惜是理據不足的一方不甘心，否則，決不會請耶穌出手幫忙，為他主持「公道」，合理地分家產。其實請第三者客觀地裁決，頗有現代人的法律精神。所以我說這兄弟是文明人。不過，有法律精神並不保證是理據充份的一方。耶穌不願意被人利用，捲入爭奪家產的糾紛之中，所以拒絕了。但耶穌看到更深遠的問題，所以趁這個機會，教訓他們。

更深遠的問題，在於人的心裡，始終有著一種「騎在別人頭上指手劃腳」的慾望。今天耶穌已不在我們身邊，當我們理虧的時候，沒有問題，祗要捧出記載了耶穌說話的典籍，作為自己的理據，問題便迎刃而解了。倘若權威不在身旁，不便隨傳隨到，就索性自己當上權威吧。從功利主義角度看，自己變成權威，百利而無一害。 有些人選擇累積財富，有人累積銜頭，有人累積權力、累積…哈哈，要租個更大的貨倉，纔有足夠空間存放所有的金條、股票、証書、藏書和委任狀了！
問題又來了，當我們的心靈充塞著金條、股票、証書、藏書和委任狀時，哪裡找來空間，容納天主的慈悲呢？天主今夜要索回我的靈魂？你拿權威來唬人，我纔不服！真的，當權威遇上了木匠耶穌的時候，死的是木匠耶穌，而不是擁有權威者。你能不小心選擇嗎？

天父啊！請給我吃之不盡的神糧，喝之不竭的神飲，好讓我心靈飽足，不用再騎在別人頭上。亞孟。

《論盡神學》

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Fool! This night your soul is required of you; and the things you have prepared, whose will they be? (Luke 12:20)

Argument with others is inevitable. But when we discover that we are short of reasons, how do we get off-hooked? There are but 2 ways: speak louder or appeal to authority. Overwhelm your opponents with volume is uncivilized, the MO of illiterates. We are intelligentsia. Those behaviours are below our dignity. The brothers in the gospel today had to be civilized. Unfortunately, short of reasons, one brother asked Jesus to get what he thought was a fair share of inheritance. Asking an impartial third-party to adjudicate merited praises because the legal spirit was rather modern. That is why I said previously that the brothers were civilized. However, abiding by the spirit of law does not guarantee that you are on the right side. Jesus did not want to get entangled in inheritance disputes. He refused to play the game. But Jesus saw a more deep-seated problem. So he took the opportunity to teach them a lesson.

The deeper problem is the desire to manipulate other people. Today, Jesus is no longer around us. When we are short of reasons, no problem, we can quote Jesus’ teachings in the scriptures to be our reasons to solve the problem. If authority is not on our side or cannot be invoked at will, make ourselves authoritative. From a utilitarian point of view, becoming an authority ourselves is invincible. Some accumulate wealth. Others accumulate titles. Yet others accumulate power, accumulate ... Alas! We need to rent a bigger warehouse to store our gold bars, stock certificates, diplomas, books and letters patent etc.

Here comes a new problem, when our hearts are filled up with gold bars, stock certificates, diplomas, books and letters patent, where can we find room for God’s mercy? You tell me the gospel says God would take back my soul? You want to shove your authority down my throat? I don’t buy. Truly, when authority encountered carpenter Jesus, the carpenter was killed, not the one with authority. Should you not choose carefully?
Heavenly Father, feed me with inexhaustible food and drink me with living water. Fill up my soul so that I don’t need to manipulate others. Amen.