主題：真正的信德由感恩開始
現代科學昌明，已發現到很多疾病的發病源頭，並找到治療的方法。例如今天福音所提到的痲瘋病，它是一種真菌感染的疾病，雖然不會致命，但在二十世紀發現「盤尼西林」之前，始終是不治之症。中國人認為它是一種風流病，以色列人把它看成是天主的懲罰，與今天的「愛滋病」不惶多讓。接受了科學教育的現代人，可能會取笑古人迷信，殊不知是現代人自己膚淺，忽略了疾病的心理及社會幅度。
你生病，從病理角度固然可以找到是因為病菌或者病毒所做成。可是，我們不是每天和成千上萬的病菌或者病毒一起生活的嗎？為甚麼是你病了而不是其他人呢？所以，如果你生病，首先你應該檢討自己的生活方式，是甚麼事物削弱了你的抵抗力呢？是你的飲食習慣嗎？作息模式嗎？還是你經常出入高危的環境等等。可以說，你病倒了是因為你沒有好好的照顧自己。你需要與自己修好。
無論古今中外，痲瘋病或者其他傳染性高的疾病，都會威脅到整個團體的安危，所以，為了保障團體中其他成員的安全，患者會被隔離，不准進入村內。與人相遇要站在逆風的一邊，不停喊叫「不潔、不潔」，警告與他相遇的人。所以，痲瘋病人是罪人的寫照。和罪惡一樣，這疾病傷害自己、傷害別人，並且使罪人與外界隔絕。所以，不要奇怪檢驗痲瘋病是否痊癒的，不是醫生，而是司祭。祗有司祭纔有資格驗証他們是否已得到天主的寬恕，並獻上贖罪祭。
故事中的十個痲瘋病人都是有信德的，他們來求耶穌可憐他們，就是信德的表現。耶穌對他們動了憐憫的心，治好了他們，並吩咐他們按法律的規定，找司祭檢驗，並且奉上贖罪祭（路17：14）。這一細節告訴我們，耶穌並不反對遵守梅瑟的法律，即是說，遵守梅瑟的法律是得救和獲得永生的基本要求（谷10：19）。不過，祗遵守法律並不充份，因為，這樣做容易令人以為憑一己的努力和功勞，便可以達標，可以做到在天主前無可指摘。就像「蕩子比喻」中的弟弟，在潦倒的時候也曾這樣想，希望回家當一個僕人，自力更新。他造夢也不敢恢復兒子的名份，因為他知道無論他如何勤力工作，也不能補償從前辜負了父親對他的期望和愛護。同樣，人無論如何努力守誡命，也不足以在天主前無可指摘。惟有天父，纔可以幫助我們達標，幫助我們無可指摘。我們所能做的，祗有感恩。
雖然耶穌問：「那九個人在那裡呢？」（路17：17）表面上，耶穌好像怪責他們忘恩負義。其實不然，那九個人不是在按耶穌的指示找司祭檢驗嗎？在情在理，他們一點也沒有錯。他們與守誡命的以色列人、甚至法利塞人、與大部份按本子辦事的政府官員和守本份的我們，沒有多大分別。他們跟守本份的我們，祗欠缺了第十個癩病人的感恩之心。他們正趕忙找司祭，恢復他們喪失了很久的社會地位，趕忙去與家人團聚慶祝和趕忙去追回失去了的歲月等等。惟有第十個癩病人，第一時間想起天主，回來光榮天主。
耶穌對他說：「你的信德救了你。」（17：19）注意，耶穌不是說：「你的信德醫治好了你。」即是說，天主已經與第十個癩病人和好了。其他九個癩病人是痊癒了，可能與自己修和了，可能得到社會的接納了，可能回家與親人修如了。看來，他們仍未與天主修好。他們祗是醫治好了，但並未得救，天主仍在等候。
各位主內的兄弟姊妹，在病癒時感謝天主，是很自然，很容易的事。讓我挑戰大家。你能否在生病時感謝天主？在失業時感時天主？在失戀或失意時感謝天主呢？請緊記聖保祿宗徒的教訓：「不斷祈禱，事事感謝。」（得前5：17-18）
你生病，必定會影響到你身邊的人。縱使你的病不是傳染病，你亦加重了身邊的人在金錢上、感情上和精神上的負擔。你需要感謝身邊的人，甚至要與他們修好。
你生病，不一定是天主對你的懲罰，即使你是吸煙引到肺癌，或者酗酒導到肝硬化，甚至吸毒引至腦退化，這一切都是自然的後果，與天主無關。不過，我們的身體是天主所賜的具體恩寵，我們祗不過是這些恩寵的管家。當我們沒有做好管家的本份，糟蹋了天主的恩賜，並且逐漸遠離了我們的造物主，結果生病的時候，正好是重新親近天主的時候，與他修好的時候。所以，以色列人認為痲瘋病是天主的懲罰，並非出於迷信。
在上星期的福音，宗徒們求耶穌增加他們的信德。今天的福音給了一個漂亮的答案。原來「感恩」是可以增加信德的。耶穌因為十個癩病人都有信德，所以治好了他們。他們按耶穌的指示行事，他們的病不會復發。可是，亦有一個人有感恩的心。他的信德因而增加了，使他能與天主修好，令他得到全人的痊癒。所以，一切得救、成義，皆從感恩開始！
天主保祐！
Twenty Eighth Ordinary Sunday (Year C)
Theme: True faith begins with gratitude
Nowadays, medical advances are able to discover the causes of diseases and their cures. For example, the leprosy mentioned in the gospel passage today is a kind of fungal infection. Though not fatal, it was incurable before the discovery of penicillin in the twentieth century. Chinese thought that it was a venereal disease and ancient Israelites believed that it was a punishment from God, not much different from AIDS today. For those brought up in scientific education, they might tease ancient people for their superstitions. It never occurs to modern people that it is they who are shallow, who have neglected the psychological and social dimensions of diseases.
You fall sick. From the pathological perspective, your sickness might be caused by bacteria or virus. However, don't we live with thousands of these microorganisms every day? Why do you fall sick and not the others? Thus, when you fall sick, first of all you should take a hard look at your life style to find out what weakens your resistance? Is it your eating habit? Or is it your mode of work and rest? Or do you expose yourself to high-risk situations etc? I bet, you have not taken good care of yourself and that explains why you fall sick. You need to reconcile with yourself.
Throughout generations and localities, leprosy and other infectious diseases threaten the safety of the whole community. Thus, in order to protect other members of the community, lepers or other infected members had to be quarantined and refused entry into the villages. When they encountered people, they had to stand on the windward side and keep chanting "unclean, unclean" to warn the people they encountered. Thus, lepers depict sinners. Like sins, leprosy harms oneself and the others. Moreover, sinners are shut off from others. No wonder only priests were qualified to examine lepers, not physicians. Only priests could determine whether God had forgiven them and offered sacrifice of atonement.
The ten lepers in the story had faith. That they came to beg Jesus for cure shows their faith. Jesus had compassion on them, cured them and told them to show themselves to the priests (Luke 17:14). This piece of detail tells us that Jesus did not oppose the observance of the Law of Moses. That is to say, observance of the Mosaic Law is the basic requirement to obtain salvation and eternal life (Mark 10:19). However, observance of the Law is not sufficient. It is because this will make people think that one can reach the target, can be righteous before God with one's own efforts. This mentality is also shown by the Prodigal Son. When he was desperate, he had thought of going back to his father to work as a servant, to earn his own living. He dared not to dream of the restoration of his sonship because he knew that no matter how hard he worked, he would never repay his father's expectations and love which he had frustrated. Similarly, no matter how hard we try to observe the commandments, we would never become righteous before God. Only the Father can help us reach the target, help us become righteous. What we can do is to be grateful.
Jesus seemed to blame the nine lepers for being ungrateful when he asked, "Where are the nine?" (Luke 17:17) However, weren't the nine following Jesus' command to show themselves to the priests? They had done nothing wrong! They were not much different from the Israelites who lived by the Law, even the Pharisees, or our government officials who follow procedures and us who have done all the precepts and obligations. They, similar to us who have done all our obligations, lacked the gratitude of the tenth leper. They were hurrying to show themselves to the priests to restore their long-lost social status, hurrying home to reunite and celebrate with their family members and to catch up the lost years etc. Only the tenth leper remembered God and returned to glorify God at the first instance.
Jesus said to the tenth leper, "Thy faith hath made thee whole." (17:19) Notice that Jesus did not say, "Thy faith has cured you." That is to say, God had reconciled with this tenth leper. The other nine were cured, had reconciled with themselves and were perhaps received by the society and had reconciled with their family members. However, it seems that they had not yet reconciled with God. They were cured but not yet saved. God was still waiting for them.
Brethren, it is easy and natural to be grateful when you are cured. Let me challenge you. Can you be grateful when you fall sick, or when you are fired or dumped by your girlfriend/boyfriend or when you are frustrated? Remember the teaching of St. Paul, "Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks." (1 Thessalonians 5:17-18)
You fall sick. This will definitely affect people around you. Even though your sickness is not infectious, it will increase the financial, emotional and spiritual burden of people around you. You need to thank them and even reconcile with them.
You fall sick. It is not necessarily a punishment from God. Even though you smoke and have lung cancer or you drink and have cirrhosis, it is a natural consequence and has nothing to do with God. But our body is a concrete grace bestowed by God. We are stewards of these graces. If we do not discharge our steward duties properly, spoil God's grace, distance ourselves from God and consequently fall sick, it is high time we came close to God and reconciled with Him. Therefore, when the ancient Israelites taught that leprosy was a punishment from God, it was not at all superstitious.
The gospel today gives a beautiful answer the question raised by the apostles in the gospel passage of last week. Gratitude is able to increase faith. Jesus cured the ten lepers because all of them had faith. They followed Jesus' command and I am sure their leprosy would never relapse. However, only one of them was grateful. His faith was increased, made him reconcile with God and obtain a holistic cure. Thus, all salvation and justification begin with gratitude!
God bless!
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