主題：多默素描
耶穌的十二宗徒之中，從對觀福音我們認識較多的，是伯多祿和若望，其他的宗徒祗有名字，沒有行實。若望福音給個別的宗徒，提供了多一些線索，例如斐理伯和多默。今天的福音，更成了後世把「懷疑論者」稱為「多疑的多默」的基礎。多默宗徒真是多疑的嗎？今天我們歡迎新領洗的教友返回堂區大家庭一起慶祝，好像新娘「三朝回門」一樣。且讓我們默想多默宗徒的信仰歷程，作為勉勵。
在若望福音，亦祗有若望福音，提及多默時，三次強調「號稱狄狄摩的多默」。「狄狄摩」是「孿生兒」的希臘文。但對於這位「孿生兒」是男是女，不得而知。由於多默宗徒不是福音的主角，所以留下有關他的文字不多，對他的理解，推測的成份居多，請大家注意這一點。例如，若望福音第一次提及多默，是在「復活拉匝祿」的故事中。多默宗徒在這裡說過一句話，我們很難掌握到它的意思。事緣有人通知耶穌，他的好朋友拉匝祿病了。耶穌沒有立刻去醫治他，並刻意在原地逗留了兩天，纔向門徒表示要前往猶大。門徒擔心猶太人對耶穌不利，對前往猶大有點猶豫。耶穌解釋說，拉匝祿睡了，他要去叫醒他。當門徒不明白耶穌的意思時，耶穌就明明白白地說拉匝祿死了，「我們到他那裡去吧。」（若11:15）多默便向其他的同伴說：「我們也去，同他一起死罷！」（11:16）你覺得多默說的這個「他」，是指誰呢？是指拉匝祿，還是耶穌呢？
如果是指拉匝祿，多默未免有點不莊重，好像個不懂事的大孩子在開玩笑。若望沒有理由把這些「廢話」，記載在福音中。所以大部份的聖經學者，傾向把這個「他」解釋是耶穌。他們把多默說這話的動機，理解為對耶穌的忠心。為了回應其他門徒對前往猶大省的疑慮，多默鼓勵大家與耶穌共同進退，有點像在最後晚餐時，耶穌預言門徒將離棄他時，伯多祿帶頭，然後人人都向耶穌表示赴湯蹈火，絕對効忠。但不竟，這裡不是最後晚餐，而且耶穌並沒有質疑他們的忠心。所以，這個忠心的解釋，有點一廂情願。我仍相信多默所說的「他」是指拉匝祿。那麼，多默真的是個未成熟的大孩子嗎？
是的，多默是未成熟的。但多默的未成熟，是在信仰上的未成熟，當時及以後，他仍倚重他的理性，多於倚重他的信心。當耶穌說拉匝祿睡了，他要去叫醒他。這說法是自然的。但後來耶穌澄清是指拉匝祿死了，那麼「去叫醒他」就變成不合理了，因為人死不能復生。在故事後來的發展中，雖然瑪爾大表示她相信復活（11:24），但不要以為當代所有的猶太人都好像她一樣相信復活。更有甚者，耶穌復活後向自己的門徒顯現時，按福音的記載，當中仍有人半信半疑。（瑪28:17；谷16:11，13-14；路24:41）所以，多默不相信耶穌能復活拉匝祿是合理的，但又不想開罪耶穌，便這了這句俏皮話，表示不信。請記住，多默不是惟一不相信復活的門徒；況且，耶穌在三次預言受難時，重複強調自己要在三天後復活，當時有多少人接受呢？若望保留了這句說話，可能是反映出當時大部份門徒的心理狀態。他們沒有心理準備去見證拉匝祿的復活，和後來耶穌的復活。
耶穌被釘死了，多默所有的信心、所有的希望、所有的憧憬都幻滅了。他惟有再一次倚賴他的理性。所以，當其他門徒告訴多默，復活的主顯現後他們時，難怪多默拒絕接受眼前這一群人的證言。這幾天他們不是一樣悲傷嗎？為甚麼他們會變得如此情緒激昂，如此亢奮，有如神經失常一樣？難道他們受不了刺激，患上「創傷後遺症」，並且互相感染？多默告訴自己，他必須保持冷靜，保持他的理智，不要跟他們一起瘋起來！八天後，多默親眼看見了復活的主。這不是理性可以解釋的。而且，主耶穌還邀請他親手解決自己的疑惑，主耶穌基督並不介意。出於愛，耶穌基督已為我們在十字架上流盡祂的寶血，祂又怎會介意我運用理性去追尋真理呢？
耶穌說：「那些沒有看見而相信的，纔是有福的！」（20:29）是鼓勵我們迷信，鼓勵我們不理性嗎？絕對不是！相信耶穌基督是天主子，相信祂死而復活，除了償還了我們的罪債，更提升我們成為天父的子女。這就是我們的信仰，亦是我們得救的根據。無論我們是出於理性學習，抑或是天主報夢啟示，抑或看見基督徒的愛德見証而相信了耶穌，我們都是有福的。多默宗徒看見了復活的主而相信，一半出於理性，一半感受到耶穌基督那份不離不棄的大愛，對他這個「口出狂言」的不肖門徒的接納。耶穌希望我們感受到，並分享到祂的愛，多於希望我們憑理性去接觸祂。因為人有聰明和愚蠢的分別，但對於愛，無論是嬰孩還是長者、健康的或是患病的、自由的還是坐牢的，一樣有能力感受到！
各位主內的兄弟姊妹，尤其是新領洗的兄弟姊妹，我們每個人的信仰階段不同。您可能仍然依恃您的理性，仍然會運用理性去說服別人信主。但無論如何，感受耶穌基督對我們的愛，是一生人的功夫。我們有幸成為天主教徒，可以領受聖體聖事，與耶穌基督作最親密的結合。請大家多讀經，多祈禱，讓聖體聖事發揮它的效力，讓我們充滿耶穌基督的愛。
天主保祐！
圖片來源：http://www.kidsplaycolor.com
Second Sunday in Easter (Year A)
Theme: A sketch of Doubting Thomas
Among the 12 Apostles of Jesus, we know more about Peter and John from the Synoptic gospels. The others only have names.The Gospel of John supplies us with more clues about individual apostles, such as Philip and Thomas. The text today even becomes the basis of calling skeptics the "Doubting Thomas". Did Thomas doubt? Today, we welcome home the newly baptized, like newlywed brides returning home to celebrate. Let us meditate the spiritual journey of Thomas the Apostle to uplift each other.
In John, and John alone was Thomas mentioned three time, "Thomas, which is called the Didymus". Didymus means "the twin" in Greek. But we know not what gender the other twin was. Since Thomas the Apostle was not the major character in the gospels, few texts mention him. Thus, we can only speculate. This you must bear in mind. For example, the first time the gospel of John mentions Thomas is in the story of the "Raising Lazarus". There Thomas spoke something enigmatic. This is how the story goes. Somebody informed Jesus that his good friend Lazarus was sick. Jesus did not go immediately to cure him but deliberately tarried for two more days before telling his disciples to go to Judaea. His disciples showed their concern about the safety of Jesus and hesitated to go to Judaea. Jesus explained that Lazarus had fallen asleep. He wanted to awake him out of sleep. When the disciples did not understand, Jesus spoke plainly that Lazarus was dead. "But let us go to him." (John 11:15) Then Thomas said to his fellow disciples, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." (11:16) Whom do you think Thomas referred to with the "him"? Lazarus, or Jesus?
If it was Lazarus, Thomas was a bit not serious, like a spoiled big boy cracking jokes. There is no reason for John to put this "rubbish" in his gospel. Thus, many biblical scholars prefer interpreting the "him" as Jesus. They speculate the intention of Thomas was to demonstrate his loyalty. In response to the worries of other disciples about going to Judaea, Thomas encouraged everybody to go along with Jesus, even to die. It is like what happened during the Last Supper when Jesus predicted that all his disciples would abandon him, Peter took the lead and other followed to express their loyalty to die for Jesus. After all, this occasion was not the Last Supper and Jesus did not question their loyalty. Therefore, this "loyalty" interpretation is a bit wishful thinking. I still believe that Thomas' "him" referred to Lazarus. Then, was Thomas an immature big boy?
Yes, Thomas was immature. But his immaturity was in his faith. At that time and hereafter, he relied more on his rationality than his faith. When Jesus said that Lazarus had fallen asleep and he wanted to wake him up, this was reasonable. But after Jesus had clarified that he meant Lazarus was dead, "waking him up" became irrational. No such thing had happened before. In the course of the story, although Martha expressed her belief in resurrection (11:24), we cannot conclude that all the contemporary Jews believed in resurrection like her. Worse still, when Jesus appeared to his disciples after resurrection, according to the gospels, some doubted (Matthew 28:17; Mark 16:11, 13-14; Luke 24:41) Therefore, it was reasonable for Thomas not to believe that Jesus could raise Lazarus from the dead. But he did not want to offend his Master. Thus he cracked this joke to express his disbelief. Remember, Thomas was not the only disciple who did not believe in resurrection. Furthermore, how many of them believed when Jesus foretold three times that he would die and stressed that he would come back to life after three days? John kept this "joke" probably to show the mind set of most of the disciples at that time. They were not psychologically ready to witness the resurrection of Lazarus and the subsequently resurrection of Jesus.
Jesus was crucified. All the faith of Thomas, his hope and visions of the future had vaporized. He could only fall back on his rationality. Thus when the other disciples told Thomas that the risen Lord had appeared to them, we cannot blame Thomas for rejecting their witness. Were they not mournful these few days? Why did they become so emotionally heightened and excited like those mentally deranged? Was it that their mind snapped and they suffered "post traumatic syndromes" and infected each other? Thomas had to tell himself to keep cool, to retain his sanity and refuse to turn mad. Eight days later, Thomas saw the risen Lord with his own eyes. This could not be explained with rationality. Moreover, Lord Jesus even invited him to resolve his doubts with his own hands! Lord Jesus Christ did not mind. Out of love, Jesus Christ had poured out all his blood for us for the cross. How could he mind our pursuing the truth with rationality?
Jesus said, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe." (20:29) Does Jesus want us to be superstitious? Does he encourage us to be irrational? Of course not! Believing Jesus Christ to be the Son of God and that he died and came back to life, that not only did he redeem all our sins but also elevated us to be the children of the Father, is the core of our faith, the basis of our salvation. Whether we learn this with rationality, or God reveals this in our dreams, or we believe in Jesus Christ after seeing the witnesses of Christian charity, we are blessed. Thomas the Apostle believed after seeing the risen Lord, partly out of rationality and partly feeling the unreserved love of Jesus Christ who accepted this arrogant big mouth disciple! Jesus wants us to feel and share his love more than reaching him through rationality. It is because people have different levels of intelligence but everybody is capable of feeling love, whether they are babies or the aged, the healthy or the sick, the free or the imprisoned.
Brethren, in particular, the newly baptized, we are at different stages of faith. We may still rely on our rationality more, still want to persuade people with rationality to believe in the Lord. But feeling the love Jesus has for us is the work of our entire life. We are lucky to be Catholics, to be nourished by the Holy Communion and be united with Jesus Christ in the most intimate ways. Let us read the Scriptures more and pray harder to make the sacrament of Holy Eucharist more effective. Let us be fully infused with the love of Jesus Christ.
God bless!
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