主題：如何幫助犯錯的弟兄
今天所聽到的福音片段，是出自瑪竇福音五個論述的第四個，就是有關教會生活的論述。首先，教會是一個團體，是一個聚集了不同背景和經歷的人所組成的團體。有男有女；有老有幼；有本地人也有外國人，有貧窮的和富有的；有曾經坐牢的；也有一生一帆風順的，有健康的也有患病的…多元的成份，不但顯示出天主的慈悲如何包羅萬有，更使這個得救團體的生活，多姿多采！另一方面，不同的人聚在一起，難免產生衝突磨擦。為了保存彼此之間的共融，耶穌基督在這篇教會生活的論述一開始的時候，便告誡我們放下以往的心態和包袱，好像小孩子一樣，不再老謀深算，自謙自卑，進入天國（瑪18:3-4）。
接著，耶穌警告所有的人，不單祗是教會中人，不要在人前立壞榜樣，也不要引誘心智或信仰未成熟的人犯罪和做錯事！「但無論誰，使這些信我的小子中的一個跌倒，倒不如拿一塊驢拉的磨石，繫在他的頸上，沉在海的深處更好。」（18:6）耶穌罕有地作出惡毒的詛咒，「沉在海的深處」即「死無葬身之地」的意思。即是說，引人犯罪的，會死無葬身之地！要知道你的社會地位愈高，你對別人的影響會愈大。這幾天在香港社會擾攘最大的事件，相信是教育局副局長的長子自殺，有人在教育大學學生會的「民主牆」張貼了一句「恭喜」的標語。立刻引起社會上來自四面八方面的譴責。有立法會議員甚至說不能讓這些未來教師，教壞我們的子弟，聯署要求教育大學找出貼標語的人，趕他們出校！
請大家小心閱讀今天的傳媒，它們大部份都是有毒的。為了增加收視率、點擊率和在市場上的生存空間，很多傳媒己喪失了它們的專業，把事件渲染和片面報導，突顯矛盾，製造事件的「新聞價值」！請大家想一想，已經確定了張貼標語者的身份是教育大學的學生了嗎？其次，即使真是教育大學的學生，這也反映了我們的教育制度的失敗。多年來祗著重考試成績，而輕視了學生的品格操守，結果教出了這些憤世嫉俗的年青人。趕了他出校，問題就解決了嗎？最後，教育下一代不可以完全由學校負責，學校是小環境，整個社會是大環境。如果我們譴責肇事同學「冷血、涼薄」的話，歸根咎底是今天的香港社會，太商業化，太著重功利主義。社會所吹捧的成功人仕，大多是聰明的，自私的人。他們高高在上立下了壞榜樣，我們的年青人看不見有其他的選擇。不要以為你是一個沒有地位的人，你的影響有限。你和我最少會影響到身邊的幾個人！因此，我們記著耶穌基督的警告，時常警惕自己，不要立壞榜樣，否則會死無葬身之地！
跟著，耶穌講述亡羊的比喻，向我們保証，祂是善牧，祂不會放棄任何一隻迷失了的羊（18:14）。所以，無論副局長如何不得人心，耶穌是不會放棄她的；縱使全港市民譴責那個張貼標語的人，耶穌也不會拋棄他。為甚麼？因為天主教徒相信，副局長和貼標語的人，都是按天主的肖像所造！
說完這些之後，耶穌纔說今天的教訓。在探索今天的經文之前，我想提出一個聖經的手抄本問題。印刷術還未出現之前，聖經是手抄的。所以手抄本是珍貴的，但有手民之誤。今天的福音就出現了這個情況，一般的手抄本是「得罪了你」（18:15），但有些手抄本卻是「犯了罪」。倘若是「得罪了你」，乃屬私人恩怨，犯不著驚動教會出面干涉。而且，下一個主日的福音，將會處理人與人之間的寬恕問題。所以，我傾向接受後一種手抄本，即你見到你的兄弟犯了罪，做了一些不負責任的行為，例如在教育大學張貼那標語，你關心他靈魂的死活，你和他獨處時規勸他（18:15）。他若不聽從，你就另帶上一個或兩個人去，例如同班同學或者學生會會長（18:16）。若他仍不聽從，便告訴教會，例如告訴大學當局（18:17a）。若他仍堅持自己是對的，就將他看作外教人或稅吏（18:17b）。即是趕他出校嗎？錯！寫福音的瑪竇，自己曾是稅吏。而且，外教人是基督徒傳福音的對象。在瑪竇福音的最後一章，耶穌派遣門徒使萬民，即外邦人，成為門徒（28:19）。所以，不是趕他出校，而是重新召叫他，向他宣講。對於那張貼標語的同學，我們要留他在大學再教育他，由大學一年班從頭讀起，不單完成學士課程，更要完成碩士或博士課程纔畢業！
各位兄弟姊妹，今天的社會積怨很深，很多人的行為喪失理性，不負責任。為了自己的利益，堅持己見，糾黨行兇。還沒有找到真相之前，已群起向學生會，向大學施壓，完全違反福音的精神。要記著，縱使別人做錯了，也不是你做錯事的理由。縱使教育處的高官曾出言「冷血、涼薄」也不是你出言「冷血、凉薄」的理由！縱使別人做初一，你也不能做十五，因為你是天主教徒！請緊記耶穌基督的教訓：放下徧見，要像小孩子一樣，不斤斤計較，老謀深算。警惕自己不要樹立壞榜樣。對於跌倒做了錯事的人，也要尊重他，循序漸進地輔導他，而不是群起而攻之。
天主保祐！
Twenty Third Ordinary Sunday, Year A
Theme: How to Help a Brother who Errs
The passage we hear today comes from the 4th of the Five Discourses in Matthew. It is about life in the Church. First of all, the Church is a community formed by people of different backgrounds and experiences. There are men and women, the aged and the young, locals and foreigners, the poor and the rich, discharged prisoners and people of uneventful lives, the healthy and the sick etc. Not only does this plurality manifest the extensiveness and inclusiveness of God's mercy, it also enriches the life of the community of the redeemed. On the other hand, conflicts within the community shall be inevitable. In order to build up the communion among these different peoples, Jesus Christ begins this Discourse with a child. He exhorts us to let go of our previous attitudes and burdens. We must be like a child, not calculating and humble ourselves in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. (Matthew 18:3-4)
Then, Jesus warns all peoples, not only those within the Church, not to set bad examples to cause those little ones in mentality or faith to sin. "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened round his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea." (18:6) Rarely has Jesus cast such a venomous curse. "To be drowned in the depth of the sea" means do not receive a proper burial after death. That is to say, whoever tempts others to sin shall die without a proper burial! Remember that the higher your social status, the greater your influence on other people shall be. These days, the hottest topic in town is what the suicide of the eldest son of the education undersecretary has stirred up. Some people put up a poster on the Democracy Wall managed by the Student Union in the Education University of Hong Kong to "congratulate". It invited a hurricane of condemnation from all over Hong Kong. One Legislative Councillor claimed that we could not allow our children to be taught by such teachers in the future. He even collected signatures to demand the University to catch the culprits and kick them out.
Brethren, beware of what you read in the media. Most of them are poisonous. In order to improve their hit rate and their survival space, many have betrayed their professionalism. They exaggerate and cover a portion of the whole story, highlight confrontations in order to make the story more newsworthy! Think about it. Have we identified the culprits? Are they Education University undergrads? Even if they are, our education system fails them. For decades, we focus on examination grades and ignore the character formation of students. We make them antisocial cynical youngsters. Can the problem be solved by kicking them out? Lastly, schools are not solely responsible for educating the future generation. Schools are situated within the greater realm of the society. If we condemn these students as callous and cold-blooded, we should instead blame the Hong Kong society which is too commercial and utilitarian. The society popularizes smart and selfish people who make money. They have climbed up the social ladder and set up bad examples. Our young people do not see any alternatives. Do not think that your social status is low and thus your influence is limited. You and I can at least influence a few people around us! Thus, bear in mind the warning of Jesus Christ. Don't set up bad examples. Otherwise, you shall die without a proper burial!
Then, Jesus tells the parable of the Lost Sheep. He promises that He is a good shepherd. He shall not abandon one single sheep (18:14). Though many people oppose the appointment of the education undersecretary, Jesus will not give her up. Even though many citizens join voices to condemn those who put up the callous poster, Jesus will also not abandon them. Why? It is because Catholics believe that the education undersecretary and those who put up the poster were created in the image of God!
After talking about all the above, Jesus begins to talk about the passage we read today. Before exploring the text today, I want to draw your attention to a manuscript problem. Before the invention of printing, bibles were copied. Thus manuscripts are valuable but there are typographical variants. As for the piece of text we read today, most manuscripts have "If your brother sins against you" (18:15) but some do not have "against you". If it were "sins against you", it would only be a personal argument and would not need the Church to intervene. Furthermore, the gospel passage we read next Sunday will deal with forgiving your brothers. Therefore, I prefer the latter variant. That is to say, you see your brother commit sins, doing some irresponsible behaviour such as posting the callous poster on the campus of Education University. You care about the wellbeing of his soul. Therefore, "go and tell him his fault between you and him alone" (18:15). If he does not listen, take one or two others along with you such as his classmates or even the president of the Student Union (18:16). If he refuses to listen, tell it to the church, the administrator of the University (18:17a). If he insists on his righteousness, "let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector" (18:17b). Does it mean kicking him out of school? Wrong! Matthew the author of this gospel had been a tax collector himself. Moreover, we are supposed to preach the gospel to Gentiles. In the last chapter of the gospel, Jesus commissions the apostles to "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations" (28:19). Therefore, we should not kick that student out. Rather we need to enrol him anew and teach him. We should keep that student to re-educate him. Go back to Year One. Not only should he finish a Bachelor degree but a Master or even a PhD before graduating!
Brethren, our society is embittered. Many people act irrationally and irresponsibly. For their own interests, they insist on their opinions and gather into mobs. Before identifying the culprits, they already storm the campus and exert pressure on the Student Union and the University Office. These actions go against gospel teachings. Bear in mind, other people's fault cannot be your excuse to do wrong. Even though government officials have made cold-blooded and callous remarks before, it cannot be your excuse to make cold-blooded and callous remarks. Tit for tat is not a Catholic option. Keep in mind Christ's teachings: let go of your prejudices and be child-like. Do not be calculating. Be alert not to set up bad examples. Treat people who err with respect. Counsel them step by step instead of lynching them.
God bless!
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