主題：你是惡園戶嗎？
基督徒的聖經分為「舊約」和「新約」兩部份。自古以來，有很多人覺得「舊約」部份所記載的天主，與耶穌所描述的慈悲的天父不一樣。「舊約」的天主喜怒無常，凶殘成性，殺人無數。曾經有人認為對於基督徒，「新約」已經足夠了，他們建議把「舊約」部份剔除。聖葉理諾和聖奧思定反對這種狹隘的思想，兩位聖人認為「新約」是「舊約」的應驗。沒有「舊約」，我們看不到天主的全盤計劃，看不到天主在人類的歷史中，逐漸把救贖的工程啟示出來。舉例，耶穌在傳福音時所行的神蹟，與【西遊記】的孫悟空所行的法術，簡直是小巫見大巫。不過，我們知道耶穌所行的神蹟，「舊約」的先知也行過類似的神蹟。所以耶穌所行的神蹟，是一個標記，提醒猶太人，天主正在實踐祂的諾言，他們期待已久的默西亞已經出現了。又例如今天福音中的葡萄園比喻，就是引申了「舊約」時代依撒意亞先知的「葡萄園」詩歌。這首歌指出以色列人原是天主一手栽培的民族，可惜他們的所作所為，令天主非常失望，於是天主決定借助外國勢力來教訓他們，令他們亡國充軍，過了七十年纔回國重建聖殿。沒有這個背景，當代的司祭長和法利塞人是不會對耶穌如此痛恨的。
要認識聖經，我們還要對聖經時代的一些習俗，略識一二。例如，「十誡」很清楚禁止殺人，為甚麼那些園戶會動殺機呢？難道他們連天主也不怕嗎？原來做一個僕人希望有出頭的日子，要滿足兩個條件：祗要你升級成為管家，而且你的主人沒有繼承人。例如，當天主說會豐厚報酬亞巴郎的時候，亞巴郎抱怨沒有兒子，家業會由他的管家繼承。（創15:2）有誰願意看見自己一生的努力成果，拱手讓人呢？為了堵塞這個漏洞，保證產業不流到外人手中，於是梅瑟定了「代兄立嗣」的法律，對於死後沒有兒子繼承家業的人，他的弟弟有義務娶亡者的寡婦為妻，為亡者立嗣（瑪22:24）。當然，倘若亡者沒有弟弟，或者寡婦素來不育，更或者寡婦過了生育的年齡，當管家的便可以坐享其成，繼承產業了。這樣，便解釋了今天比喻中，園戶的殺人動機了。
耶穌改編了依撒意亞先知的「葡萄園之歌」，猶太人不再得天獨厚，自動成為上主的產業，上主的葡萄園。他們與其他民族，即他們所歧視的外邦人有相同的地位，祗是租戶。葡萄園象徵了天國，天堂中的一席位。當然，看在聖祖亞巴郎的份上，天主把葡萄園優先租給亞巴郎的子孫。可惜他們沒有珍惜這個優先權，沒有果實繳納給天主。天主要求的果實是甚麼？依撒意亞先知說得很清楚：「萬軍上主的葡萄園就是以色列家，而猶大人即是他鍾愛的幼苗。祂原希望正義，看，竟是流血；他原希望公平，看，卻是冤聲！」（依5:7）對天主派去的先知，不但不聽從，甚至老羞成怒，殺人滅口。耶穌更預言，身為天主子的他，會遭受同樣的命運。
如果當年猶太人與外邦人有相同的機會，進入天國；那麼，今天的基督徒與非基督徒一樣有同等的機會進入天國。祗要符合天主對正義與公平的要求，非基督徒一樣可以，甚至比基督徒，先進入天國。我們的優勢在哪？就在於我們生活在教會內。我們可以透過七件聖事，領受天主的恩寵，幫助我們克服世俗的誘惑。教會內有神職人員的牧養，解釋及教導天主的正義與公平。教會內的兄弟姊妹之間的共融，幫助我們實踐耶穌基督彼此相愛的教訓。因此，我們有責任反省自己的生活，是否與我們的身份相稱，我們是不是一個名副其實的基督徒，能繳納正義與公平的果實給天主。曾子提出了三個反省的方向，值得我們借鏡。他說：「為人謀而不忠乎？與朋友交而不信乎 ？傳不習乎？」（論語‧學而）
第一，「傳不習乎？」是指我們有沒有實踐老師的教訓。即是說，我們有沒有每日讀聖經，默想反省耶穌基督的教訓，並在日常生活中，活出祂的教訓？
各位兄弟姊妹，倘若我們不按時繳納正義與公平的果實，我們便會拱手把天國讓給按良心生活的非基督徒了。請記著，「應常歡樂，不斷祈禱，事事感恩。」
為甚麼猶太人可以不理會十誡的命令，去殺死一個無辜的人呢？因為他們接受了大司祭的「功利主義」，認為耶穌的言行，足以煽動群眾起義，會招至羅馬人的殺戮。犧牲耶穌一個，以免連累大家，是符合眾人的利益。天主所要求的正義和公平，全部拋諸腦後，難怪依撒意亞先知，痛心疾首地唱出那首「葡萄園之歌」。
第二，「與朋友交而不信乎？」我們是否經常戴著假面具做人，好像福音中的法利塞人一樣虛偽呢？我們是否說一套「彼此相愛」，做一套「鉤心鬥角」呢？抑或是出於謙遜和對人的尊重，真誠地與人來往，並且跟隨耶穌基督的教訓，以寬恕的心接納別人的過失呢？
最後，「為人謀而不忠乎？」即是說我們有沒有盡力完成自己的責任？甚麼是基督徒的本份？我們處事的態度，相似耶穌基督嗎？保祿宗徒給了我們一個很簡單的指標：「應常歡樂，不斷祈禱，事事感恩。」（得前5:16-18）以天主作為我們生活的中心，所以能以祂的眼光看這個世界。態度積極，凡事向好的方向想。不斷以祈禱保持與天主的親蜜關係。所謂「塞翁失馬，焉知非福？」面對得與失，都是看到是天主為我們所作的最好安排，所以能事事感恩。
天主保祐！
Twenty Seventh Ordinary Sunday (Year A)
Theme: Are you a Wicked Tenant?
The Christian Bible consists of the Old Testament and the New Testament. Ever since ancient times, many people have felt that the God of the Old Testament was not the same merciful Father depicted by Jesus. The God of the Old Testament was emotional, blood-thirsty and had killed many people. Some people even suggested that the New Testament was enough for Christians and proposed to remove the Old Testament from the Bible. St. Jerome and St. Augustine disagreed with this narrow-mindedness. They explained that the New Testament is a fulfilment of the Old Testament. Without the Old Testament, we would not be able to read the whole scheme of God, to see how God gradually revealed the salvation project through human history. For example, Jesus worked miracles during his public ministry. Compared with the wonders worked by the Money King in Journey to the West, Jesus' miracles were dwarfed. However, we know that those miracles had been worked by prophets in the Old Testament. Therefore, Jesus' miracles were signs reminding the Jews that God was honouring His promise. The Messiah they had been waiting for had arrived. Another example is the parable of the Vineyard in the gospel we read today. It is an adaptation of the Vineyard Song sung by the prophet Isaiah in the Old Testament. The Song sang of how God had built Israel up into a nation. Yet, their performance was disappointing. Thus God made use of foreign powers to teach them a lesson, conquered and exiled them. After 70 years, they would return to rebuild the Temple. Without this background, it is difficult to understand why the contemporary chief priests and Pharisees were so furious against Jesus.
To understand the Bible, we need to know also a little bit about the customs of biblical times. For example, the Ten Commandments forbid murder. Why did the wicked tenants want to murder the son? Did they have no fear of God? Well, in order for a servant to get rich, he needed to fulfil two conditions: he had to become a steward of the house and the master had no heir. For example, when God promised to reward Abraham greatly, Abraham complained that he had no heir. His steward would inherit his house. (Genesis 15:2) Who wanted to see the fruit of labour of his entire life inherited by outsiders? In order to close the loophole, Moses drew up the Levirate law. The brother of a deceased heirless man should marry the widow to give birth to an heir for the deceased. (Matthew 22:24) Of course, if the deceased had no brothers, or the widow had been barren or even gone beyond the fertility age, the steward would inherit the house. That explains the motive of the tenants.
Jesus rewrote Isaiah's "Vineyard Song". Jews were no longer the Chosen People to become God's inheritance, God's vineyard automatically. Jews and Gentiles whom they despised were only tenants. The Vineyard symbolizes the Kingdom of Heaven, an allocation in heavens. Of course, in order to honour His promises to Abraham, God gave his descendants the priority to enter the Vineyard. Unfortunately, they did not make good use of this priority, did not pay the fruits that God wanted. What did God want? Isaiah makes it clear, "For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry!" (Isaiah 5:7) Not only did they not hear the prophets, but they also killed them in fury. Jesus even prophesized that the Son of God would meet the same fate.
If in Jesus' times, Jews and Gentiles had the same opportunity to enter the Kingdom of Heaven, then today Christians and non-Christians should also enjoy the same opportunity to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. If they meet God's demand of justice and righteousness, non-Christians may, and even earlier than Christians, enter the Kingdom. What then are our advantages? Our advantages lie in our Church life. We can obtain graces to overcome secular temptations through the seven Sacraments. We have the clergy to explain and teach us the justice and righteousness of God. The communion of brethren helps us practise Jesus' commandment to love each other. Thus, we have the duty to reflect on our life to see if it is genuinely Christian or not, if we can produce the fruits of justice and righteousness which God demands. The proposal of Tseng Tse is worth practising. He says, "An pro aliis quid tractaverint, et non fuerim fidelis; an cum amicis versatus, non fuerim sincerus; an traditam disciplinam haud factitaverim." (Analect I:4)
First of all, "an traditam disciplinam haud factitaverim". Do we put the teachings of our master into practice? That is to say, do we study the Bible every day, meditate the teachings of Jesus Christ and live out his teachings in our daily life?
Brethren, if we do not give God the fruits of justice and righteousness in their seasons, we forfeit the Kingdom of Heaven to non-Christians who live by their conscience. Remember, "Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances."
Why did the Jews ignore the Ten Commandments to murder an innocent person? It was because they accepted the utilitarianism of the High Priest. He suggested that Jesus' words and deeds would incite rebellion against the Romans who would massacre them. It would be better for one Jesus to die for the people and that the whole nation should not perish. That was common good. They had thrown the justice and righteousness which God demanded out of the window. No wonder Isaiah sang the heart-breaking "Vineyard Song".
Secondly, "an cum amicis versatus, non fuerim sincerus" Do we lead a life behind a mask hypocritically like the Pharisees in the gospels? Do we preach "love each other" and practise "back stabbing"? Or do we humbly respect others, sincerely interact with them and follow the teachings of Jesus Christ to forgive the faults of the others?
Lastly, "an pro aliis quid tractaverint, et non fuerim fidelis". Do we put in our effort to fulfil our duties? What are the duties of Christians? Is our attitude Christ-like? St. Paul writes us simple indicators, "Rejoice always, pray constantly, give thanks in all circumstances." (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) Make God the centre of our life. Look at the world through His eyes. With a positive attitude, think in a positive manner. Pray constantly to maintain an intimate relationship with God. Failure can be a blessing in disguise. Always believe that God shall make the best arrangement for us. Thus, we give thanks in all circumstances.
God bless!
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