主題：有疑惑是健康的
在耶穌召叫他之前，瑪竇是一個在加里肋亞省，葛法翁城工作，名叫肋未的稅吏。瑪竇所寫的福音有一個特色，就是耶穌公開的傳福音生活中最重要的時刻，總是在加里肋亞的某座山上進行。例如，耶穌在加里肋亞省的城鎮傳福音一段時間後，便上了一座山，向群眾宣佈「天國的大憲章」，就是記載在瑪竇福音第五至七章的「山中聖訓」。福音並沒有記載山的名字。同樣，在耶穌公開生活的轉捩點，即他轉向耶路撒冷完成他的救贖工程之前，亦曾在加里肋亞省的一座高山上─一般的意見是大博爾山─顯聖容。今天，當我們讀到瑪竇福音最後的五節時，同樣是發生在加里肋亞省的某座山上。可能是大博爾山，也可能是宣講「真福八端」的那座山。但無論如何，這是瑪竇福音的特色。
瑪竇福音第廿八章，即最後一章，記載了耶穌復活和顯現的事蹟。四部福音都肯定地記載，耶穌首先顯現給婦女，然後向其他門徒顯現。瑪竇福音的記載很奇怪，耶穌吩咐婦女報告他的兄弟，即他的門徒，約他們到加里肋亞見面。整個第廿八章給人的印象，好像耶穌從來沒有在耶路撒冷顯現給門徒。當然，沒有記載並不表示沒有發生過，這是讀聖經的一個很重要的原則。其實，這些線索反映了瑪竇的團體所遭遇到來自耶路撒冷的壓迫。他們是信耶穌基督的猶太人，即是猶太教的叛徒，所以他們承受到來自當時猶太教的宗教領袖很大的壓力，例如他們散播謠言，說「耶穌並沒有復活，是門徒偷走了他的屍體。」所以瑪竇當務之急，是反駁「偷屍」的指控；沒有提及耶穌在耶路撒冷的顯現，是可以理解的。何況他們大部份人，都是來自北部加里肋亞省的。
雖然福音說「十一個門徒就往加里肋亞，到耶穌給他們所指定的山上。」（瑪28:16）但這樣寫亦不排除還有其他人同行。如果部份同行的門徒，在耶路撒冷沒有看見復活了的耶穌的話，「雖然有人還心中疑惑。」（28:17）便容易明白了。從若望福音的印證，這個人不會是多默宗徒或其餘十個宗徒。所以出發加里肋亞的，不祗十一個宗徒。很有趣，當有人還心中疑惑的時候，耶穌竟派遣他們去使萬民成為門徒，為他們施洗，加入教會。為甚麼耶穌沒有清除所有疑惑之後纔派門徒去傳福音呢？是耶穌趕時間返回聖父的身邊嗎？我認為這個理由並不令人信服！因此，我大膽假設「心中疑惑」對傳福音是健康的。
第一，當我們傳福音的時候，一定會受到聽眾挑戰。他們會因著不同的理由，拒絕輕易接受耶穌復活的事實。他們不是第一個懷疑耶穌復活的人，且看，連接觸過耶穌的第一代門徒也有疑惑，何況是廿一世紀，接受了科技洗禮的現代人哩！倘若我們自己沒有疑惑的經驗，我們如何與人分享，說服別人，幫助別人解惑呢？
第二，梵二之後，我們認識到傳福音不再是神職人員的專利，而是整個教會存在的理由。不傳福音的話，教會是沒有存在價值的，我們便失去了生命的主宰耶穌基督了。不過，很多天主教徒會用同一個藉口，推卸這個使命。他們會說，「我們對道理的認識不足，恐怕教錯慕道者。」試想一想，如果對天主的道理認識不足，你心中一定會產生疑惑。那麼，你會怎樣處理這些疑惑呢？ 置之不理嗎？所謂「病向淺中醫」。倘若置之不理，但仍然參加彌撒領聖事，漸漸地，我們的信仰生活會變成機械化的例行公事，恐怕最後連僅有的信德也失掉，不再相信天主了。為了解除疑惑，我們可以透過進修和讀經，加深對天主的信仰。而且，還可以祈求聖神的光照，使我們明白天主的旨意。
第三，如果傳道者自己沒有疑惑，他不會改良自己的教材，會變得因循，漸漸離開了聽眾！疑惑令我們不舒服，催促我們要努力解惑。這樣做，我們的信仰變得更合理，我們的表達更適合聽眾的需要，我們的信仰就不會是迷信了。
最後，我們傳福音的時候，「祗問耕耘，不問收穫。」因為成果不是我們的努力，而是天主聖神的恩賜。有生命的主宰耶穌基督，天天與我們在一起，有甚麼事情是辦不到的呢？傳福音又有何難呢？
天主保祐！
Mission Sunday (Year A)
Theme: It is healthy to doubt
Before Jesus called him, Matthew was called Levi, a tax collector at Capernaum in the province of Galilee. There is a peculiarity in the gospel of Matthew. Important moments in the public ministry of Jesus almost always took place in some mountains in Galilee. For example, after preaching for some time in towns of Galilee, Jesus went up on the mountain to proclaim the "Magna Carta of the Kingdom of Heaven", the Beatitudes recorded in Matthew 5-7. No name of the mountain was mentioned. Similarly, at the turning point of Jesus' public ministry, i.e. when he turned towards Jerusalem to accomplish his mission, he went up a high mountain in Galilee --- mostly agreed to be Mount Tabor --- and transfigured. Today, when we read the last five verses of the gospel, we find that it happened in a mountain in Galilee, perhaps Mount Tabor and equally likely the Beatitude Mount. No matter what, this is a characteristic of Matthew's gospel.
Matthew 28, the last chapter, talks about the resurrection and apparitions of Jesus. All the canonical gospels agree that Jesus appeared to the women first and afterwards to his disciples. The Matthean account is curious. Jesus told the women to tell the disciples that he would meet them in Galilee. The entire chapter 28 gives the impression that Jesus did not appear to his disciples in Jerusalem. Of course, it is an aphorism in Bible studies that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. In fact, this suggests rather the pressure experienced by the Matthean community in Jerusalem. They were Jewish Christians, i.e. apostates of Judaism. Thus, the Jewish religious authorities were hostile towards them. They said, "Jesus did not come back to life. The disciples stole his corpse only." Thus, it was more pressing for Matthew to rebuke this accusation. It is understandable that he did not mention the apparition of Jesus in Jerusalem. After all, most of them came from Galilee in the north.
Although the gospel says, "Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them." (Matthew 28:16) Writing in this way does not exclude a bigger company of people going. If some of them had not seen the risen Jesus in Jerusalem, it is easier to understand "but some doubted". (28:17) From the testimony of the gospel of John, Thomas and even the other ten would not be among the "some". Thus, there must be more than 11 disciples leaving for Galilee. More interestingly, while some doubted, Jesus sent them to make disciples of all nations, baptize them and bring them into the Church. Why didn't Jesus clarify all the doubts before sending them out to preach? Was Jesus in a hurry to return to the Father? I don't think such a reason is convincing! Thus, I boldly hypothesize that doubts are healthy for evangelization.
Firstly, when we preach, we will be challenged by our audience. For different reasons, they refuse to easily accept the resurrection of Jesus. They are not the first to doubt the resurrection of Jesus. See how even the first generation of disciples who had lived with Jesus doubted. How can people of the twenty-first century who have been baptized by STEM not doubt? If we do not have any experience of doubt, how can we share, convince and help people cast off their doubts?
Secondly, after Vatican II, we know that evangelization is no longer the monopoly of the clergy. It is the raison d'être of the Church. If she does not evangelize, the Church has no reason to exist and we will lose Jesus Christ, the Lord of Life. But many Catholics would make use of the same excuse to evade this duty. They would say, "We do not know catechism well enough. We are afraid to teach people wrong ideas." Imagine. If you do not know God's teaching well enough, there will be doubts in your mind. Then how would you deal with these doubts? Leave them alone? We should consult a doctor soon enough. If we don't care but continue to join masses and receive sacraments, gradually, our religious life would become mechanical and routine. In the end, we would lose the little faith that we had and no longer believe in God. To resolve doubts, we can attend courses and study the Bible to deepen our faith. Moreover, we can pray to the Holy Spirit to illuminate our intellect to understand the will of God.
Thirdly, if a catechist has no doubts, he would not improve his teaching materials. He would become complacent and lose touch with the audience! We don't feel comfortable with doubts which drive us to work hard to resolve them. In this way, our faith will become more reasonable. Our expressions would be more adaptable to the audience. Then our faith is not superstitious.
Lastly, when we evangelize, we work without bothering about the produce. It is because the fruits are not our efforts but the grace of the Holy Spirit. If we have Jesus Christ, the Lord of life with us always to the close of the age, is there anything impossible? Will evangelization be difficult?
God bless!
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