主題：家庭生活中的「味」
人有五官，包括視覺、聽覺、嗅覺、味覺和觸覺，都是為了生存而進化出來的。不過，隨著生活環境的改變，我們倚重了某些感官，包括視覺和聽覺，而忽略了其餘感官。科學家對視覺聽覺作了很多的研究，可見我們對它們的重視。反觀其餘的感官，就少了研究，並不那麼重視。其實這是不妥當的，因為其餘這三種感官所接收的訊息，在我們的神經系統中停留的時間比較長，所以有助我們的記憶。相信大家都有經驗，嗅到某些香氣，嚐到某些味道，立刻令你記起某個地方、某些人物或某些事件，鉤起您的感情。
在進食的時候，我們通常把味覺和嗅覺聯合運用，講究食物的香和味。生活水平高了，更要求食物在視覺上悅目；再進一步，追求進食過程中，色香味的變化。人的味覺能辨別酸、苦、甘、辛和鹹；除了味的類別之外，還有濃淡的分別。我們更把人生的際遇與味道配對，用「含辛茹苦」、「辛酸血淚」來形容艱難的生活，用「甜蜜」來形容談戀愛，甚至用「味如嚼爉」來形容枯燥無味的生活。而五味之中，「鹹」是最重要的，它能調和及提昇其他味道的感覺，令它更適合人的口味。最為人熟悉的例子莫過於吃西瓜的時候要加少許鹽，襯托出甜味。用味道來形容生活，的確是十分傳神。所以，今天的福音是特別有意義的，因為生活必須有味道。度有意義的生活，令人回味無窮。否則，生活失去意義，生活變得枯燥無味。
可惜社會變了，生活傾斜了。人的生活富裕了，追求快樂，逃避痛苦變得理所當然。在香港，很多外國引入的食物，全部加甜了。為甚麼呢？科學家告訴我們，甜的食物，例如朱古力，在我們的身體內產生「安多酚」，給我們愉快的感覺。其實要產生「安多酚」除了吃甜品外，還可以做運動，出一身汗。吃甜品和做運動，您會怎樣選擇呢？「好逸惡勞」是人類，尤其是現代人的傾向。所以很多人寧可食甜品而放棄做運動，結果變得癡肥甚至患上糖尿病。
今天的福音是緊隨「真福八端」之後，而「真福八端」是基督徒生活的大憲章，指導我們如何生活。生活就是祗顧「一味」追求快樂，追求甘甜的味道，濃郁的味道嗎？「真福八端」不是這樣說。神貧，是苦中帶甜的。哀慟，是酸辣的，令人流淚的。溫良是清淡溫馨的甜，飢渴慕義是辣的；憐憫是鹹和苦的；心裡潔淨是澹泊而酸甜的；締造和平，四出奔走是酸甜帶鹹的。最後，為義而受迫害，可以說是濃烈而五味俱全的。
今天的福音，把基督徒比喻為「地上的鹽」（瑪5:13a），是有道理的。基督徒應該是最有味道的人，而五味之中，以鹹味最為重要。所以基督徒應有「鹹」味。是甚麼意思呢？是指基督徒應有人情味，當他們按「真福八端」生活的話，他們便是充滿人情味的人。跟著，耶穌警告說，「鹽若失了味…再毫無用途，祗好拋在外邊，任人踐踏。」（5:13b）所以，當福音說「鹽失了味」，就是指失去了基督徒本質的有形無實的基督徒，即是那些自稱基督徒，但不按「真福八端」來生活的人。
教會以各種形式，幫助基督徒按「真福八端」生活。去年的慈悲禧年，就特別強調「哀慟、溫良和憐憫」。今年教區以「婚姻、家庭、生命」作為牧民的焦點，延續慈悲禧年的精神，就是在家庭生活中，實踐真福八端，尤其是「哀慟、溫良和憐憫」。
對家人「溫良」，就是溫柔地對待家人，小心翼翼地相處，唯恐傷害了他們；應尊重他們，不願強加自己的意願到他們身上。這甜蜜是清淡的。夫妻是相愛的，兄弟姊妹是友愛的，見証「天主是愛」。做子女的，有沒有顧及父母工作的辛勞，分擔他們的家務呢？有沒有渴望換手機，而沒有顧及家中的經濟狀況呢？子女選科的時候、參觀大學開放日的時候，作為父母的有沒有變成怪獸呢？
「哀慟」就是鼓起勇氣，面對罪惡和痛苦，所以是酸的，是辣的。基督徒是不會停滯在哀慟的階段。他們憑天主的恩寵，化哀慟為力量，解決產生罪惡和痛苦的問題根源。新婚夫婦是濃情蜜意的，日子久了，很多事情變得理所當然了，缺乏溝通了，甚至因工作關係，出現第三者了…繼續逃避痛苦，離婚收場嗎？還是以「哀慟」的精神面對問題，尋求輔導去處理問題呢？用諱疾忌醫的態度對待病苦，或者交通意外、失業和老化，還是面對現實去處理呢？
作為基督徒，作為「地上的鹽」，要有人情味，活出「真福八端」的精神，體驗天主賜予我們一生之中的各種種滋味，不枉此生。
首先，我們應該實踐的，就是「憐憫」家中的成員，不以自我為中心，卻從其他家庭成員的益處出發，體諒他們的困難，原諒他們的過失。這將會是有血有淚的，所以是痛苦的，所流的眼淚是鹹的。在家同檯吃飯的時候，您祗顧著自己的手機嗎？您夾餸的時候有沒有留給其他人呢？您有關懷家人近來遭遇到甚麼事件，還是祗顧吃自己的飯呢？一家人是不可以懷有「隔夜仇」的，「不可讓太陽在你們含怒時西落。（弗4:26）
天主保祐！
Fifth Ordinary Sunday (Year A)
Theme: Various tastes in family life
We have five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch which are consequences of evolution for survival. As our living environment changes, we rely on some senses, such as sight and hearing more than the others. Scientists have done a lot of researches on sight and hearing. This shows the importance of these two senses. The remaining senses receive less attention. However, it is not proper because the information received through these senses stays longer in our nervous system and facilitates our long term memory. I am sure all of us must have gone through such experiences as when you smell or taste something, immediately you recall a location, or a person or some events and their accompanied emotions.
When we have our meals, usually we make use of our senses of smell and taste together. When our living standard improves, we demand the food to look pleasing. Still more, we seek changes of colours, smell and tastes during the process of consumption. Our taste buds can detect five different sensations: sour, bitter, sweet, chilly and salty. On top of that, our tongue can tell difference in concentrations. Furthermore, we like to label our life experiences in terms of tastes. For example in Chinese, we use "to savour chilliness and drink bitterness", "chilly, sour and bloody tears" to describe a harsh life and "sweet like honey" to talk about dating. We even describe a meaningless and routine life as "taste like chewing wax". Among the five tastes, saltiness is the most important. It is able to harmonize and sublime other tastes to make them more enjoyable. The best known example is to add a pinch of salt on water melon to bring out its sweetness. Using tastes to describe life is very vivid. Therefore, the gospel passage today is meaningful in a special way because life must be savoured. Leading a meaningful life brings infinitely many tasteful memories while a meaningless one is void and tasteless.
Unfortunately our society has changed and become lope-sided. Our life has become affluent. Seeking happiness and avoiding pains have been taken for granted. In Hong Kong, many foreign dishes are sweetened. Why? Scientists tell us that sweet food, such as chocolate, stimulates our brain to secrete endorphin which produces the sense of happiness. There are other ways to produce endorphin such as working out. Now between eating desserts and working out, what would you choose? Laziness is a human, in particular modern men's, inclination. Many people prefer eating sweet snacks to working out in gymnasium. Consequently, many people become obese or have contracted diabetes.
The gospel passage today follows immediately the Beatitudes form the Magna Carta of Christian life. They are guidelines of how Christians should lead their life. Do we seek only pleasure, sweetness and strong tastes in life? The Beatitudes say not. Spiritual poverty is bitter and sweet. Mournfulness is sour and chilly. Meekness is lightly and warmly sweet. Hunger for justice is chilly. Mercy is salty and bitter. Purity of heart is a dilute sweet-sour. Running around for peace making is sweet-sour mixed with saltiness. Lastly, persecution for the sake of justice is a strong taste of all five.
In the gospel passage today, it is reasonable for Jesus to compare Christians to the "salt of the earth" (Matthew 5:13a). Christians should be tasteful people. Among the five, saltiness is the most important as shown above. Thus Christians should be "salty"! What does that mean? It means Christians should be compassionate. When they follow the Beatitudes to lead their life, they will be full of compassion. Jesus warns, "If salt has lost its tastes ... it is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trodden under foot by men." (5:13b). When the gospel says, "salt losing its taste", it means losing the essence of being a Christian. Such a Christian only claims to be Christian but is no longer a Christian because he does not lead his life according to the Beatitudes.
The Catholic Church helps us to lead a life in accordance with the Beatitudes in various ways. Last year, the Jubilee of Mercy stressed more on being "mournful, meek and merciful". This year, the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong makes "marriage, family and life" the focus of pastoral ministry in order to continue the spirit of the Jubilee of Mercy. That is to say, we put the Beatitudes, in particular mournfulness, meekness and mercy into practice in our family life.
First of all, we should be merciful towards our family members. We should not be egocentric but start with the benefits of the other family members, understand their difficulties and forgive their faults. Surely there will be blood and tears. That is why mercy is bitter and the tear of mercy is salty. When you have meals at home, are you still holding your mobile phone? When you take the vegetables, do you leave some for the others? Do you care about what is going on recently with the others or just eat your own dish? Family members should not hold grudges overnight. St. Paul says, "Do not let the sun go down on your anger." (Ephesians 4:26)
Meekness towards family members means to treat them tenderly, cautiously lest hurting them. Respect them and refrain from imposing your will on them. This sweetness is light. Love between husband and wife, among siblings bears witness to "God is love". As children, do we care about the exhaustion of parents and share the house chores? Do you desire to buy a new mobile without caring about the financial situation of the family? When children choose subjects, visit open days of universities, do parents turn "monsters"?
Being mournful is to face evil and pains courageously. Thus it is bitter and chilly. Christians do not stop short being mournful. With the grace of God, they turn mourning into strength to deal with the sources of evil and pains. Newlyweds are sweet. But in time, many things are taken for granted and communication is in want. Because of work, the "third party" appears ... Should we continue to evade pains and end up in divorce? Or should we face the problem in the spirit of mournfulness to seek counselling to handle the problem? Are we reticent and refuse to talk about illness, accidents, unemployment and ageing in the family or face the reality to handle them?
As Christians, as the salt of the earth, we must be compassionate to live up the spirit of the Beatitudes, to savour all sorts of tastes God bestows us in our life. Then we will not waste our life.
God bless!
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