主題：對於守法的應有態度
紀律部隊需要步操和體能訓練，方可在惡劣的環境下，履行任務。運動員需要嚴格的訓練，纔可以在比賽場上，創造佳績。舞台上幾分鐘的演出，需要台下經年的苦功。靈性生活，何嘗不是如此！自古以來，很多聖人聖女都是過著澹泊、清貧的隱居生活，守齋克己，並且服務貧困病弱。他們這樣做，正是履行全心全靈全意愛主與及愛人如己兩項大誡命。守誡命就是靈修上的一項操練。
的確，信仰一個宗教，不祗為了心安理得，求福免禍，生活上得到神明的庇祐報答。人總希望超越現況，提昇自己。不過，這些目標，總不會從天上掉下來，總要人努力爭取。縱使救恩是天主採取主動為我們安排了，我們仍需要自己動手去拿取的。所以，在培養靈性生命的路上，祈禱、讀經、領聖事和愛德服務是不能或缺的。
耶穌是猶太人，生來就是猶太教徒，他的門徒全部都是猶太教徒。一個猶太教徒的生活方式，不離遵守誡命。因為誡命是梅瑟在西乃山上，從天主手中接過來，教導人民如何生活的指示。因此，守誡命是得救的具體方法。對於誡命的演繹，法利塞人和經師是權威。所以耶穌說：「凡他們對你們所說的，你們要謹守遵行。」（瑪23:3）作為一個猶太教徒，甚至任何宗教的教徒，你可以不求甚解，人云亦云，跟著經師和法利塞人的指導生活便可以了。但你也可以好像耶穌一樣，超越現況，看得到有很多可以改善的空間。耶穌基督看透了法利塞人和經師的毛病。就是祗說不做，而且做的時候不是為了敬拜天主，而是為了在人前炫耀。因此，耶穌基督警告門徒不要跟隨這些宗教權威的壞榜樣。對於那些祗說不做的人，或者那些教導人祗要信，不要做的人，和那些偽善的人，他們都是自欺欺人而已，不會結出好的果實。反觀那些默默地克己苦身，服務窮人的聖人，例如加爾各答的聖德蘭修女，不但感化了不少世人，而且在天主前亦得到了光榮的冠冕。
基督徒是天國的公民，為了獲得救恩，遵守天主的法律和教會的法律是理所當然的。同時他們都是生活在塵世的市民，所以他們也要遵守當地的法律。享有雙重國籍的我們，既要納稅和當陪審員，也要奉行上星期福音中所提及的愛主愛人兩大誡命。在此之前，曾有人設下陷阱，把耶穌迫進一個兩難的處境。他們問耶穌應否向凱撒納稅。如果耶穌反對向凱撒納稅，在羅馬帝國殖民統治之下，耶穌犯了顛覆國家，煽動叛亂的死罪。如果耶穌贊成向凱撒納稅，他成了猶太人的公敵，是漢奸走狗。當然，耶穌識破他們的陰謀，並以「凱撒的歸凱撒，天主的歸天主」，教導了所有基督徒應有的政治態度。除了天主的法律外，塵世的法律，基督徒也要遵守。
香港的政治條件比較好，政府在立法前總會花一些時間，諮詢受影響的團體。因此，當教會看到政府打算通過一些惡法的時候，教會便有機會提出反對，因為一旦通過了，教會必須要遵守，因為「凱撒歸凱撒」是耶穌基督的教訓。例如，2004年，政府提出「校本條例」，成立法團校董會，引入更多持份者，例如家長、校友、教師、社區團體等進入校董會，表面上是辦學更民主，但卻大大削弱了辦學團體推行他們的辦學理念。天主教，聖公會，循道衛理聯合會等強烈反對，因為一旦通過，他們不得不遵守，以至影響他們傳揚福音。天主教香港教區用了六年的時間上訴，當時教會內有人支持陳日君樞機，也有人反對陳樞機。可以看到，教友不一定支持教會的立場，而教區，除了在信理和倫理的問題上，是不會強迫教友支持教會的立場。最後，香港教區於2011年遭終審法院裁定敗訴。有趣的是，時到今日，有關法團校董會的運作，連教育署也要反過來向香港教區取經！
「校本條例」一役，並不觸及教會的信理或者倫理訓導，祗是學校行政，阻礙傳揚福音而已。可是，當世間的法律與天主的教訓發生衝突時，基督徒別無他選，要按天主的法律行事。因此，當政府提出「性別承認」諮詢時，作為基督徒便意識到這不是行政問題，而是觸及教會的信理和倫理訓導。所以，趁惡法尚未通過前，要努力提出反對。因為通過後，教會及她轄下的機構，如學校，醫院，社會服務等，必需依法行事。作為基督徒，我們不可盲目反對，我們必須認識清楚，「性別承認」怎樣違反教會的信理及倫理訓導。在這方面，我們自己是要下苦功，不能人云亦云的。我們可以請教神職人員，與他們交換意見。但最後，我們應該按自己良心的判斷，有自己的立場。雖然是信理和倫理的問題，直到今天，香港教區仍沒有下令教友必須提出反對立法的意見。今時今日做教友，真不容易啊！
試問有甚麼事物不屬於天主的呢？雖然凱撒的歸凱撒，但連凱撒也是屬於天主的，所以到了最後，基督徒仍要本良心，按天主的法律行事。試問有甚麼為我們得救的事物，天主還沒有做到呢？雖然得救是憑恩寵與信德，說到底，基督徒仍要本著良心，為自己的得救，付出努力，愛主愛人。
天主保祐！
Thirty First Ordinary Sunday, Year A
Theme: The Proper Attitude towards Abiding Laws
Disciplinary forces need foot drills and physical exercises to ensure that they are able to discharge their duties in adverse conditions. Athletes need hellish coaching in order to smash records in competitions. A performance on stage for a few minutes takes years of hard work. The same goes to spirituality. Ever since ancient times, many saints have led a simple secluded life in poverty, in fasting and in serving the sick and needy. In this way, they were putting the two great commandments into practice, i.e. to love God with all their hearts, and with all their souls and with all their minds, and to love their neighbour as themselves. Thus, abiding by the laws is also a spiritual exercise.
Indeed, believing in a religion is more than psychological consolation, avoiding disasters, seeking blessings, protection and even rewards from deities. Men always want to breaking through the status quo, to transcend oneselves. But all these targets do not rain down from heavens above. Men need to work hard to achieve them. Even though God has taken the initiative to arrange salvation for us, we still need to seize it ourselves. Thus, on the formation of our spirituality, prayer, Bible studies, sacraments and works of mercy are indispensable.
Jesus was born a Jew. He and all the disciples came from Judaism. Observing the Torah is their way of life. It was because the Torah was handed down by God to Moses on Mount Sinai, instructing the people how to lead their life. Thus, observing the Torah was a concrete way to attain salvation. As for the interpretation of the laws, the Pharisees and scribes were authority. Thus Jesus said, "So practise and observe whatever they tell you." (Matthew 23:3) As someone practising Judaism, indeed any religion, you may just do without understanding, say what the authority says and follow the instructions of the scribes and Pharisees. But you can also acts like Jesus, to transcend the status quo and see many rooms for improvement. Jesus Christ saw through the faults of the Pharisees and Scribes. They preached but practised not. Even when they did, they did not do it to worship God but to show off before people. Thus, Jesus Christ warned his disciples not to follow the bad examples of those religious authorities. For those who preach without practice, or teach other to believe but not work and those hypocrites, they are simply self-delusional. They will not bear any fruits. As for those saints who renounced themselves and helped the needy, for example St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, their examples converted many souls and they have received their glorious crown before God.
Christians are citizens of the Kingdom of Heaven. In order to attain salvation, observing God's laws and ecclesiastic laws is mandatory. At the same time, they are also citizens in a secular world. They have to obey local laws. Enjoy double nationalities, they have to pay tax and serve as a juror on one hand, they also have to observe the two great commandments mentioned in the gospel on last Sunday. Before that, somebody trapped Jesus in a dilemma. They asked him whether they should pay tax to Caesar. If Jesus objected paying tax, under the Roman colonial rule, Jesus's speech was sedition and inciting rebellion punishable by death. If Jesus supported paying tax, he would become a common enemy of the Jews, a traitor and a running dog for the Romans. But Jesus saw through their trick and taught them the proper attitude of Christians towards politics with the famous "Render unto Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God." Besides God's laws, Christians must also obey secular laws.
The political conditions in Hong Kong are good. Before legislation, the government always spends time consulting the people affected. Thus, when the Church sees any evil laws pending for passage, she still has a chance to voice her objection. Once they are passed, the Church must follow because of the "Caesar unto Caesar" teaching of Jesus. For example, in 2004, the government passed laws to implement "School-Based Management Policy", bringing in more stakes holders, such as parents, alumni, teachers and community members into the school management committee. Superficially, school management would become more democratic but it would bring many more obstacles for the school sponsoring body to carry out their missions. Catholics, Anglicans and the Methodist Church rigorously opposed because once passed, they had to obey and it would hinder evangelization. Hong Kong Diocese spent six years appealing. At that many in the Catholic Church, some people supported Cardinal Zen while some disagreed. Thus we see that parishioners do not necessarily support the Church and the Diocese, unless in case of doctrine and moral, seldom demands the faithful to toe the Church's line. In the end, the Hong Kong Diocese lost her appeal at the Court of Final Appeal in 2011. Paradoxically, as of today, the Education Bureau comes to consult the Hong Kong Diocese on matter about the running of Incorporated Management Committees.
This school based policy has nothing to do with Church doctrines and morals but school administration which hinders evangelization. But when conflicts arise between secular laws and God's teaching, Christians have no choice but to follow God's laws. Thus, when the government consults the citizens on "Gender Recognition", Christians know that it is not an administrative problem, but it comes into direct contradiction with the doctrinal and moral teachings of the Church. Thus, before it becomes law, we have to work hard to oppose. As Christians, we cannot blindly oppose. We need to understand how gender recognition contradicts the teachings of the Church. Here, we cannot be lazy and say what other people say. We can consult the clergy, exchange views with them. But in the end, we should follow the judgment of our conscience and establish our own stance. Although it is a doctrinal and moral question, so far, the Hong Kong Diocese has not instructed the faithful to voice against legislation. Today, it is not easy to be a Catholic!
Is there anything not belong to God? Though we should render to Caesar what belongs to Caesar's, Caesar also belongs to God. In the end, Christians should follow their conscience and follow God's laws. Is there anything God has not done for our salvation? Though salvation comes from grace and faith, in the end, Christians need to follow their conscience to work hard for their own salvation. Love God and love neighbour.
God bless!
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