主題：做基督徒先守好舊約的兩大誡命
首先我們要澄清的，是一個美麗的誤會。很多人以為「愛人如己」是耶穌的教訓。今天是一個很好的機會，認識清楚這個誤會的來龍去脈。
讓我先回答第二個疑問。
回到第一個疑問，公元前一千年的猶太文化，猶太法律，今天仍有價值嗎？
在工業革命之前，通常子承父業，已經足以維生，所以耶穌亦曾是一個木匠。今天經濟繁榮，有賴工作多元化和專門化。發展速度之快，以至父親已不能傳授足以維生的技能給兒子了。從前的習俗是盲婚啞嫁，生兒育女，從一而終的。今天講究自由戀愛，因誤會而結合的婚姻，可以因了解而分開再重新組合，繼而發展同居，同性婚姻，甚至連性別也可以改變，並且立法強迫其他人承認個人的意願等等。請問，那一種婚姻和家庭制度，令人更幸福呢？
從前沒有這麼多選擇，這麼多可能性的時候，人沒有機會「三心兩意」。所以，選擇天主，因為祂是最好的。然後全心、全靈、全意愛祂，是相對容易的。今天除了天主之外，還有很多選擇，「愛天主在萬有之上」？太難了！
當加音出於妒忌，殺了自己的弟弟亞伯爾之後，天主問加音他的弟弟在哪時，加音答：「難道我是看守我弟弟的人？」（創4:9）加音可以推卸這份守護兄弟的責任嗎？當然不可，因為天主願意我們愛人如己。但倘若我們不理會近人的死活，我們與加音有何分別？我們配做耶穌基督的門徒嗎？所以我們離開聖堂的時候，要放眼看看天水圍社區，有沒有弟兄需要我們的守護。政府現正諮詢應否立法「性別承認」。倘若立法，對青少年將會造成極大的傷害。青少年正處於反叛期，因為他們的心理發展，正面臨身份危機，他們需要建立自己的身份和角色，尤其是他們的性別角色。「性別承認」立法後，他們的性別角色會更混亂，一直「男不男，女不女」下去！為了守護香港的青少年，請大家在十月三十一日（星期二）前，向工作小組提出書面反對。
梅瑟在西乃山，從天主手中領受刻有「十誡」的兩塊石版，作為天主與以色列人所立的盟約，即我們所稱的「舊約」，的信物。用今天的術語，「十誡」是最高的憲法，是大原則。至於如何落實到日常生活，便需要進一步更細緻地立法。結果，以色列人演繹出613條法律，散見「梅瑟五書」之中。以色列人稱這五本書為Torah，它指導他們如何生活。就這樣，一個法利塞黨的法學士挑戰耶穌，要求他從這613條法律中，找出最大的誡命，目的是引發辯論，從而找出耶穌的錯處！所以，耶穌的答案是出於舊約「梅瑟五書」，是梅瑟的教訓，而不是耶穌的教訓。最大的誡命是出於申命紀六章四至五節，是有名的Shema，是猶太人每天必須誦唸的日常禱文之一。至於「愛人如己」是出於肋未紀十九章十八節，吩咐以色列人如何對待自己的同胞。這些都是猶太民族在公元前一千年的文化結晶，到今天還有用嗎？而且，新約不是取代了舊約嗎？做耶穌的門徒，還要遵守舊約的法律嗎？
新約的確取代了舊約。所以，我們不用遵守那六百多條猶太法律。例如，我們沒有在「安息日」休息，而在主日，即星期日，一周的第一天休息！的確，六百多條法律之中有些是古代以色列文化背景的法律，例如割損禮、代兄立嗣等。所以我們不用遵守了。在瑪竇福音的第五章「山中聖訓」中，耶穌說過他不是來廢除法律，而是使它成全。（瑪5:17）所以耶穌選擇了部份舊約法律，予以提昇，這些都記載在第五至七章之中。不過，舊約的法律之中，也有些放諸四海皆準的好法律，例如今天我們所聽到的。今次，耶穌沒有修改它，而是肯定了它的價值。所以做耶穌的門徒，也要遵守部份舊約的法律。
今天的人講求民主、自由和人權，好像與梅瑟五書的教條，格格不入。是的，自由人權是這幾百年來，人類辛苦經營得來的成果。天主說：「人單獨不好。」（創2:18）所以人是群居的動物。群體生活難免發生爭執衝突，需要設計一些共同遵守的規則，便發展出法律條文。遵守規則，便意味著要放棄一些權利，一些自由了。從前的經濟條件低，生活相對地簡單，沒有那麼多選擇，沒有那麼多權利和自由可言。現代人的教育水平普遍提高了，對生活質素的要求高了，大家會要求更多的權利。經濟好了，選擇變得多了，甚至到了令人無所適從的地步。
從前大家都是經濟落後，彼此會守望相助。今天的人經濟發達了，有更多的選擇，要求更多的權利，「愛人如己」？太難了！
基督徒啊，你們連舊約的法律也守不了，憑甚麼去做新約的人哩！倘若要成為名副其實的基督徒，我們就要從很多的選擇，很多的可能性當中，堅決選擇天主。例如從很多的女朋友中，選擇一個去深深愛她，與她結婚，從一而終。或者，從很多的行業中，選擇一份不但可以發揮所長的工作，更可以在這份工作中，光榮天主。
讓我們在生活中，履行連耶穌也確認的「愛主愛人」大誡命。
天主保祐！
Thirtieth Ordinary Sunday (Year A)
Theme: Observe the Two Great Commandments before you can be a Christian
Let us clarify a common misunderstanding. Many people think that Jesus teaches us to love our neighbour as ourselves. Today is a good opportunity to clarify this misunderstanding.
Let me answer the second question first.
Let us return to the first query whether those 1000 B.C. Jewish heritage, Jewish laws are relevant today.
Before the Industrial Revolution, a son was able to feed his family when he inherited his father's trade. Thus, Jesus was also a carpenter. Today, the prosperity of the economy depends on diversification and specialization. The speed of development is so fast that a father is no longer able to pass on his bread-earning skills to his son. In previous generations, marriages were arranged by parents. They were life-long arrangements to raise children. Today we talk about free love. Marriages as a result of misunderstanding could be dissolved and rearranged due to better understanding. New arrangements are emerging such as cohabitation and same-sex marriage. Even gender can be modified and legislations have been passed to force all people to recognize individual choices etc. Ask yourself, which kind of marriage and family institution is good for human society?
When there were fewer options, fewer possibilities, people had less opportunity to be double-minded. So, chose God because He was the best. Then loving Him with all your heart, and with all your soul and with all your mind would be relatively easy. But today, there are more options other than God. Loving God above everything is too difficult!
After Cain had killed Abel out of jealousy, God asked him the where-about of his brother. Cain retorted, "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:9) Could Cain shuffle off his duty of taking care of his brother? Of course not. It is because God wants us to love our neighbour as ourselves. If we don't care about the plights of our neighbour, we are not different from Cain! Are we qualified to be Jesus' followers? When you leave this Church, look around the Tin Shui Wai community and look out for brothers who need to be taken care of. At the moment, the Government is doing a consultation exercise on the legislation of Gender Recognition. If GR laws are passed, they will do extremely great harms to our youngsters. During adolescence, young people are rebellious because in their psychological development, they are undergoing an identity crisis. They need to establish their identity and role, in particular their sexual role. After passing GR laws, their sexual roles will be more confused and young people will be suspended in a state of neither male nor female. As keepers of youngsters in Hong Kong, submit your objection to the workgroup before October 31, Tuesday.
On Mount Sinai, Moses received the two stone tablets on which God wrote the Ten Commandments as a token of the covenant between God and the Israelites. We call this covenant the Old Testament. Using modern day jargon, the Ten Commandments are the Constitution of the Israelites as a people. They are high level principles. There was a need to translate them into more down to earth regulations to put into practice in their daily life. Consequently, some 613 laws were written down among the Pentateuch. The Israelites called them the Torah. It gave them instructions how to lead their life. Thus, a Pharisaic scribe challenged Jesus to locate the greatest commandment among these 613 laws in order to trigger a debate in which they hoped to find fault with Jesus. Therefore, Jesus' answers came from the Pentateuch. They were the teachings of Moses, not those of Jesus. The greatest commandment was the Shema found in Deuteronomy 6:4-5. It was a daily prayer which every Jew had to recite. The second greatest commandment came from Leviticus 19:18. It told the Israelites how to treat their countrymen. You may question whether these 1000 B.C. Jewish laws would still be relevant today. Moreover, has not the New Testament replaced the Old Testament? Do followers of Jesus have to observe the laws in the Old Testament as well?
Truly, the New Testament has replaced the Old Testament. Thus, we don't have to observe the six hundred plus Jewish laws. For example, we do not rest on Sabbath but on the Lord's Day, Sunday, the first day of a week. Truly, among the six hundred plus laws, many came from the cultural background of ancient Israelites. For example, we don't have to observe circumcision and the levirate law anymore. In Matthew 5, the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that he did not come to abolish the law but to fulfil them. (Matthew 5:17) Thus Jesus chose some laws and sublimed them. This is written in Matthew 5-7. But some laws in the Old Testament are universally applicable, for example what we have read today. This time, Jesus did not modify them but affirm their value. Therefore, followers of Jesus have to observe some of the Old Testament laws.
Today, we talk about democracy, freedom and human rights. They seem to be incompatible with the teachings found in the Pentateuch. Yes, in the past few centuries, men had fought hard to earn these freedoms and human rights. God said, "It is not good that man should be alone." (Genesis 2:18) Thus, men are social animals. Conflicts are inevitable in communal life. Men need to design regulations to be kept by all. Following regulations means the giving up of some rights and freedoms. When economy was poor, life was relatively simpler. There were not many choices, not many rights or freedoms. Today, the education level of most people is raised. They have higher expectations on life and demand more rights. The better the economy, the more the options so many so that people are overwhelmed.
When everybody was economically backward, they supported each other. Today, people are economically advanced. There are more options and people demand more rights. Loving your neighbour as yourself is too difficult!
Christians, if you are not able to observe these Old Testament commandments, what makes you think you belong to the New Testament! If you want to be a true Christian, you should insist on choosing God among all that many options and possibilities. For example, among your many girlfriends, choose one to love deeply, marry her and stay together forever. Or among the many occupations, choose one in which you are able to actualize your potential. Moreover, you can glorify God in this job.
Let us put these two great commandments, which even Jesus affirms, into practice.
God bless!
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