This morning, I officiated the School Opening Prayer Service in Tung Chung Catholic School (Secondary Section). The theme was "Passover in Life". The new principal Mr. Lam was invited to do sharing before my homily. Since not many Catholic Schools brought their students to visit the Mother Teresa Exhibition organized by the Diocesan Ad Hoc Committee of Jubilee of Mercy, in collaboration with the St. Vincent de Paul Society, I decided to present the theme through the biography of St. Mother Teresa.
Students & Teachers,
First of all, I would like to thank Mr. Lam for sharing his most intimate experiences with us. It is very generous of him to open up his heart to reveal his previous vulnerability, which is no longer bothering him. In other words, he has been liberated.
The story of Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt is a story of liberation. It was not a revolution because Moses did not have the intention to overthrow the Egyptian government. So, Passover is only a matter of liberation from slavery, not a revolution to achieve independence. Do not think that there is no more slavery nowadays. There are many such instances, even in Hong Kong. The foreign domestic helpers are examples. They are not allowed to live outside. They are 24-hour on duty. Most of them do not have the privacy of a bedroom on their own etc. It is true that they have holidays. Otherwise, it would truly be blatant slavery and an international scandal for Hong Kong. Human trafficking, leading to forced labour and prostitution is another example of slavery. Thus, there is slavery even nowadays. The freedom of many people has been exploited.
But there is slavery or bondage even on a personal level. Unbeknown to the victims, they build up comfort zone to enslave themselves. In order to break away from these human bondages, we need Passover in life.
Yesterday was a big day, not only because Mother Teresa was canonized, but also because it was the polling day for the Legislative Council in Hong Kong. The voting rate was at least 4% higher than that of 2004. Quite a number of young post-umbrella movement local candidates have been voted into the Council. What happened two years ago? What were the opinions of the adults towards those youngsters? "
They are immature", "
They are easily misled by evil people", "
There are foreign influences controlling them" or even "
They behave like Red Guards." etc. Why did the adults make mistakes in their assessment of the Umbrella Movement? It was because they were living in their comfort zones and the Movement threatened their security. They did not see this as an opportunity to initiate political reform for good. They forgot that the Liberal Studies had trained these young people to think independently ... Yesterday, many people came out to vote. Whatever their political affiliations, there was one common theme running through the election campaign --- for the good of our children, we must come out to vote, to improve our legislature. Students, four years later, you will be entitled to vote. Start caring about what is going on inside the Council chamber. Start learning and equipping yourselves. Start building up your social network instead of hiding yourselves in your comfort zone of online games. Start knowing more about yourselves, your bondage and your talents.
Mother Teresa was a good example for us to see how we passover our bondage. She had already done very well in renouncing all to become a missionary Loreto nun. She left her Albania roots and travelled to Calcutta to teach in a convent school and even became the principal of this elite school. She loved her career and her students who loved her too. But it was also her comfort zone. So, on her way to Darjeeling, she received a "call within a call". Jesus summoned her to leave her comfort zone to serve him among the poorest of the poor. She followed Jesus' call and began helping out poor children, feeding and teaching them. You see, teaching was still within her comfort zone. So, a more demanding call compelled her to work for the dying.
Mother Teresa began to realize that material poverty was not poverty at all. The truly terrible poverty is a poverty of relation. Feeling rejected and abandoned. So, she began to serve the dying, picking them up on the street, washed them and taking care of them so that they might leave this world with a little dignity and being loved.
Students, enjoy the following 14-minute excerpt from a 2003 movie "
Mother Teresa of Calcutta" and see how she passovered her comfort zone to ascend sainthood. Mother Teresa said that being a saint is not the privilege of a handful of elites. God calls us to be saints and He surely will help us. Rely on God. Beware of your own comfort zone. It prevents you from developing your real potentials. Now, let us watch and enjoy the video.
