主題：天主聖三的愛
何謂「迷信」？「迷信」就是以為做一些毫無關聯的儀式，便會獲得一些利益，或者避免一些損失。例如向某石像燒香叩頭七七四十九次，便會發財；摸摸某神像的腳趾，便會有孕等。不要以為古代的人科學知識水平低，所以迷信。殊不知在科學昌明，互聨網發達的今天，仍然有人收到一些連鎖信，說甚麼在十二分鐘內轉發給十二個朋友，十二分鐘後便會獲得意想不到的好運，否則會遇到不幸云云，便轉發給其他人。這種轉發行為，除了不負責任之外，或多或少反映了當事人抱著「縱使不合情理，亦寧可信其有，不可信其無」的迷信心態，相信連鎖信內詛咒的法力。
我們信的天主是這樣的一個天主嗎？聖經說：「上主天主是忌邪的天主」（出20:5），祂不喜歡以色列人拜偶像。看來有點像統治者的技倆！試想一想，難道天主也承認有其他的神明存在嗎？天主會把這些木頭石頭放在眼內嗎？天主豈不抬舉了這些木頭石頭嗎？當然不會。這祗不過反映出舊約時代的統治者，借天主之名，要求人民忠心不二的一種表述。舊約中的天主，被塑造成大開殺戒、唯我獨尊的唯一真神。可憐的天主被抹黑了！
基督徒不是相信三個天主，而是唯一的天主（申6:4）。經過了幾十年的反省，聖若望宗徒得到一個「一語道破」的結論：「天主是愛。」（若一4:8）因為愛是充滿生命力和創造力的，所以我們說，出於祂滿溢的愛，天主創造了天地萬物，並且按自己的肖像創造了人類。（創1:26）天主創造的方法很特別。祂祗要說一句話，發出一道命令，「事就這樣成了。」（1:6, 9, 11 ...）聖若望宗徒發現，天主所說的話，即天主聖言，就是為了把不可見的天主聖父啟示給我們，而降生成人的天主子耶穌基督。天主聖父是出於愛，纔說出這創造世界的話，這救贖世人的話。這「話」，就是天主聖子。這「愛」，就是天主聖神。所以天主聖神除了是「真理之神」之外，更是「愛德之神」。
今天的福音說：「天主竟這樣愛了世界，甚至賜下了自己的獨生子，使凡信祂的人不至喪亡，反而獲得永生。」（若3:16），把「天主聖三」的奧秘，圓滿而簡潔地表述了。
其次，由天主子是怎樣愛聖父呢？祂為了完成聖父拯救世界的旨意，便以絕對的服從，「聽命至死，且死在十字架上。」（斐2:8）天主聖子是絕對自由的，但祂選擇放棄了這自由，「不要照我所願意的，而要照祢所願意的。」（谷14:36），表達出對聖父的愛和信任。那麼，聖父眼看自己的獨生子受苦而死，而不出手救他，是愛祂嗎？天主子取了人類的本性，降生成耶穌基督，為的是要治療被原罪所傷害了的人類本性，並提升它，使它能分享和參予超越的天主性。天主聖父沒有立刻出手，是因為沒有死亡，何來復活？沒有復活，又怎樣將可朽壞的人類本性，提升到不可朽壞的超性層次呢？天主對人類的慈愛，是何等令天使們所妒忌的啊！
天主聖父與聖子之間的愛情，就是聖神。耶穌升天，聖神降臨，世界進入了「聖神的時代、教會的時代」。聖神透過教會，即基督的奧體，在人類歷史中，藉不同的人物：傳教士、殉道者、神職人員、修道的修士修女；和不同的恩典：以愛德的服務、以聖事的聖化、以真福八端的大聲疾呼，為天主對世人的慈悲作見証。從這一切的事業之中，我們看到天主聖神的德能和天主聖父及聖子的慈愛。這就是天主聖三的奧意，使可朽壞的人性有能力分享超越的天主性的奧秘。
作為基督徒，我們在生活中，如何彰顯天主聖三的大愛，是每日的修練。愛必須有對像，愛永遠以對方的益處為起點，永遠尊重對方的自由，一如天主聖三一樣。因為是愛，是有對像，有關聯的。所以相信天主是合情合理，而不是迷信的。讓我們從家庭做起，把自己的家庭，建設成為有如天主聖三一樣的小團體。
那麼，信天主算是迷信嗎？有人說這個世界沒有天主。「天主」祗不過是人創造出來的概念，為了安慰受苦的人，或者為了導人向善，或者為統治者服務，痲醉人民。
所以，時期一滿，不可見的天主聖父，派遣天主聖子降生成人，生於女人，（迦4:4）成為可見的耶穌基督，把聖父的慈悲大愛顯示給人類。我們把這份大愛，稱為天主聖神。基督徒所相信的唯一真神很特別，與之前的猶太教或者之後出現的伊斯蘭教所相信的唯一真神不同。基督徒的唯一真神是三位一體的。注意，「三位一體」是一個按聖經啟示衍生出來的神學術語，是一個說不清，十分複雜的神學論述的一個簡寫。
首先，天主父愛自己的獨生子嗎？當然。聖父怎樣愛天主聖子呢？試問有誰不享受，不愛自己所說的話呢？尤其是那開天闢地的話。縱然是衝口而出，令自己後悔的話，我們也會硬著頭皮，使它兌現，何況是天主呢？所以天主父必定愛祂的聖子，並引以為榮。既然這世界是天父出於愛，藉天主子所創造的，是聖父聖子合作的成果。所以縱使它被罪惡污染了，天父仍是愛著它。聖父對被罪惡所污染了的世界仍然不離不棄，是因為祂愛護聖子！
天主保祐！
Solemnity of the Blessed Trinity (Year A)
Theme: The Love of the Blessed Trinity
What is "superstition"? Superstition is doing some unrelated rituals in order to obtain benefits or avoid losses. For example, burning incense or worshipping a statue 49 times in order to get rich; or rubbing the toe of another statue in order to get pregnant etc. Don't ever think that ancient people were illiterate in sciences and therefore superstitious. Even on these days of scientific progresses and easy accessibility to the Internet, there are still people who forward chain-letters which promise good luck after 12 minutes if you forward the letters to 12 friends within 12 minutes. Otherwise, bad luck would befall etc. Not only is this kind of behaviour irresponsible, but such a thinking is also a kind of Pascal's Wager. It encourages superstition and questionable belief in the existence of curses within these chain letters. Then, does believing in God superstitious? Some people claim that there is no God on earth. "God" is only a concept created by men to console those who suffer, to encourage people to do good or to help leaders make the people numb and unable to rebel.
Is the God in whom we believe such a god? The Bible says, "For I the Lord your God am a jealous God." (Exodus 20:5) He hated idolatry among the Israelites. This smells Machiavellianism. Just think about it. Does God acknowledge the existence of other deities? Would God bother with pieces of wood or rock? If so, wouldn't God have elevated these pieces of debris? Of course not! This only shows that in Old Testament time, rulers demanded absolute loyalty in the name of God. The God of the Old Testament was portrayed to be an atrocious, aloft and supreme God. Poor God! He has been bad-mouthed!
Christians do not believe in three gods but one Lord (Deuteronomy 6:4) After decades of reflection, St. John the Evangelist came up with an insightful conclusion: "God is love" (1 John 4:8) Since love is lively and creative. Thus, we say out of His love, God created heaven and earth. And in his image, God created men (Genesis 1:26). God created in a particular way. He spoke, gave a command "and it was so." (1:7, 9, 11 ...) St. John the Evangelist concluded that the word of God, that is the Logos, is Jesus Christ the Son of God who for the sake of revealing the invisible Father to us, incarnated. Out of love, the Father spoke the Word of creation and the Word of redemption. This "Word" is the Son. This "Love" is the Holy Spirit. Thus, the Holy Spirit is not only the "Spirit of truth", but is also the "Spirit of Love".
The gospel passage today summarizes the mystery of the Blessed Trinity well, "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:16) It is a complete and yet simple expression.
Then, how does the Son love the Father? The Son loves the Father through absolute obedience to do the Father's will. He "became obedient unto death, even death on a cross" to save the world. (Philippians 2:8) The Son of God was absolutely free. Yet he chose to forsake this freedom, "yet not what I will, but what thou wilt" to show his love and trust of the Father. (Mark 14:36) Then, the Father saw the Son crucified right under his nose and yet did not save him. Could this inaction be love? I would say, the Son took up humanity, incarnated in Jesus Christ to heal the wounds which Original Sin inflicted on humanity. He further elevated it so that it will be able to partake in the transcendental divinity of God. The Father did not save the Son immediately because without death, there would be no resurrection. Without resurrection, there would be no way to elevate the wounded humanity to the incorruptible transcendental level. How the angels would envy God's mercy towards men!
The love between the Father and the Son is the Holy Spirit. After Jesus' ascension and the Descent of the Holy Spirit, the world has entered the Era of the Holy Spirit and the Era of the Church. Through the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ, in human history, the Holy Spirit empowers different people: missionaries, martyrs, clergy and religious etc. with different graces: charitable services, consecration with sacraments and advocacy of the Beatitudes, to bear witness to God's mercy towards men. From this enterprise, we can see the power of the Holy Spirit and the mercy of the Father and the Son. This is the mystery of the Blessed Trinity, the mystery of corruptible humanity partaking in the transcendental divinity of God.
As Christians, it is a daily exercise to manifest the great love of the Blessed Trinity in our daily life. Love must have an object. Love always starts with the good of the other party. Love always respects the freedom of the others, like the Blessed Trinity. Since it is love, there is an object and is thus related. Therefore, believing in God is reasonable and is not superstitious. Let us begin with family, our family. Build it up like a small community of the Blessed Trinity.
So, when the time had fully come, the invisible Father sent forth his Son, born of woman (Galatians 4:4) to become the visible Jesus Christ in order to show humanity the great love and mercy of the Father. We call this great love the Holy Spirit. So, the one true God whom Christians believe in is peculiar, unlike that of the preceding Judaism or that of the latter Islam. The one true God Christians believe in is three in one. Pay attention that "the Blessed Trinity" is a theological jargon derived from Biblical revelation. It is difficult to erudite and is the shorthand of a complex theological treatise.
First of all, does the Father love the only Son? Of course! How does the Father love the Son? Think about it, who does not enjoy speaking, does not love the things he says, in particular, words that are epoch making? Even if we have spoken impulsively something we regret we will do whatever is needed to honour our words. How much more will God do the same? Thus, the Father will absolutely love the Son and be proud of the Son. The world was created out of the overflowing love of the Father through the Son. It was the fruit of cooperation of the Father and the Son. Even though it was contaminated by sins, the Father still loves it. Despite the contamination of sins, the Father does not abandon the world because He loves and honours the Son!
God bless!
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