主題：回應天主的召叫
聖經收錄了不少「聖召」的故事，有些主角成功地回應了天主，結果留芳百世；有些人的回應未如理想，最後甚至與耶穌基督為敵，結果遺臭萬年。今天我們重溫「賢士」從東方前來朝拜耶穌聖嬰的故事，是一個信仰反省的好材料。故事告訴我們，天主以我們熟悉的事物向我們招手，邀請我們超越自我，接受更多更大的恩寵。
從聖經裡，我們很容易找到一些非常戲劇化的情節，描述天主如何召叫一個人。例如，天主在焚燒的荊棘之中召叫了梅瑟（出3），祂四次在睡夢中呼叫撒慕爾的名字（撒上3），後來派遣了總領天使向聖母瑪利亞傳話（路1）等等。
的確，現代人曾嘗試從天文學的角度解釋這顆「白冷之星」，即耶穌出生時出現的星，有人說是「掃帚星」，有的說是「超新星爆炸」，眾說紛紜，可惜並不成功。近年來，科學家纔猛然想起耶穌時代還沒有天文學，祗有占星術。故此，重新出發，並運用電腦計算當年當地的星空圖，果然發現在公元前六年的四月十七日，太陽系幾顆肉眼可見的行星，都聚集在白羊座。運用占星術，可以解釋為在猶大地方出現了一位新生的君王。公元前六年是對的，因為屠殺無辜白冷嬰兒的大黑落德是在公元前四年去世的。而四月份比十二月更適合牧羊人在戶看守羊群。另一方面， 希臘文原文中的「賢士μάγοι Magi」除了解作有學問的人之外，亦可解作術士、祭司等的人。如果大家往郊外露營，看到滿天星斗時，你可認得出哪顆是火星、哪顆是土星呢、白羊座在哪呢？所以，祗有懂得占星術的人纔能看得懂這些星象，而不是一般人可以容易明白的，或者有興趣研究的。因此，「白冷之星」的出現並不像電影那樣戲劇化，而是受過訓練的眼睛纔看得見的。
天主教不是禁止信徒占卜算命的嗎？對，這樣做是缺乏信德的表現。當年，以色列的君王，阿哈齊雅從樓上的欄杆上跌下病了，便派人往厄刻龍向巴耳則步神問卜，看看自己甚 麼時候康復。先知厄里亞斥責他說：「你派人去求問巴耳則步，難道在以色列沒有天主嗎？」結果阿哈齊雅一病不起死了（列下1）。可見天主是非常厭惡偶像和拜偶像的人，反對占卜算命！可是，今天天主竟然運用奇異的天像，吸引懂得占星術的術士的注意力；然後，把全人類的救主，啟示給這些外邦人，真是奇怪！
這個故事給我兩個思想。首先，要知道瑪竇福音是寫給有猶太教背景的基督徒。猶太人素來以「天主的選民」自居，瞧不起外邦人，用今天的術語，就是「種族歧視」。所以，這個運用奇異的天像，向外邦人啟示的故事，其實也是為了打破猶太信徒的狹隘思想，告訴他們天主接納普世萬民。到了福音的最後一章，復活了的耶穌基督，更派遣宗徒去使萬民成為門徒，給他們授洗，教訓他們遵守耶穌所吩咐的一切。（瑪28:19-20）可謂首尾呼應。
其次，即使我們還是迷失的時候，還是把我們的精力放錯了地方的時候，還是背棄了天主，甚至犯罪的時候，天主對我們仍是不離不棄。祂的慈愛是何等偉大！另一方面，祂的智慧是何等不可思議，當我們廢寢忘餐地做自己喜歡的事物的時候，天主就在那裡向我們招手，一如天主以奇異的星像，向術士們招手一樣。我相信他們不會是惟一看見奇異星像的術士，其他的術士可能因為種種原因，沒有回應。可能他們的功力不及福音中的賢士，推算不到這星像的重要性，所以沒有來尋求真相。可能他們有能力推算到，但不願意離開目前的「安樂窩」，不願冒險，來不了朝覲救世主。又可能他們缺乏資金，付不起沉重的代價。要知道攀山涉水，跨越沙漠，經歷一年半載的時間，是一個非常昂貴的旅程。一年半載？因為大黑落德下命屠殺兩歲以下的嬰兒。同樣，做了耶穌的門徒之後，要按「真福八端」的態度來生活，是非常具挑戰性，甚至要為信仰而遭受迫害。我們願意付出這代價嗎？
各位兄弟姊妹，當初天主召叫我們，領洗入教，享受作為天主子女的恩寵。我們如何報答天主這份大愛呢？天主有沒有進一步召叫我們，在日常生活中，服務有需要的人，為天主的慈愛作見證呢？更進一步，天主有沒有召叫我們，放棄現在的舒適生活，作為教會的聖職人員，拓展天國，令更多的人得救呢？請大家在這個星期反省這些問題，在我們喜歡做的事物當中，細心耹聽觀察，看看天主有沒有向你招手，準備送給你更多的恩寵。
如果你以為今天的故事，可以歸類到戲劇化的啟示，你便大錯特錯了。執事，這話怎說？難道耶穌降生，天上出現異星，不是戲劇化嗎？我們的祖先，也相信帝皇將相的生與死，在天上都有星宿配合。例如，在「三國演義」之中，諸葛亮在五丈原與司馬懿決戰之時，甚至以「七星燈」的方術，增強自己的壽命。所以，古今中外的人，對占星術是非常著迷的。
天主保祐！
Solemnity of Epiphany
Theme: Answering God's Call
The Bible can be said to be a collection of Vocation stories. Many heroes responded to God successfully and became famous. Others did not respond so well, or even became enemies of Jesus Christ, and turned infamous. Today, we read again the story of the Magi from the East which is good food for reflection. The narrative tells us that God beckons us in ways we are familiar with. He invites us to transcend ourselves to receive more and greater grace from Him.
We are able to find in the Bible dramatic narratives of how God called people. For example, God called Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3). Four times He called Samuel in dreams (1 Samuel 3) and lastly, He sent an archangel to the Blessed Virgin Mary (Luke 1) etc.
Surely, modern people tried to explain the "Star of Bethlehem" from an astronomical approach. Some proposed a comet, others a supernova explosion. None has been satisfactory. Recently, scientists suddenly recalled that there was no astronomy during Jesus' time, only astrology. Thus, scientists took a different approach and made use of planetarium software to map the distribution of stars at a particular time and location. Thus, they discovered that on April 17, 6 BC, our solar planets which could be seen with naked eyes all came together in the constellation of Aries. Interpreted in an astrological way, it means a new king was born in Judaea. 6 BC is right because Herod the Great who ordered the massacre of innocent infants in Bethlehem died in 4 BC. Moreover, was not April a more reasonable month for shepherds to keep watch by night in the field than December? Furthermore, the Greek word for Magi μάγοι not only means wise men, but also magicians and priests etc. If you go camping in the wild and look up the starry heavens, are you able to recognize which star Mars is, which Saturn is and where Aries is? Thus, only astrologists could understand these celestial phenomena, not common folks like us. Thus, the Star of Bethlehem, unlike what have been depicted dramatically in movies, could only be perceived by trained eyes.
Isn't fortune-telling forbidden for Catholics? Yes, it is! It indicates a lack of faith! When Ahaziah, king of Israel fell from his upper chamber in Samaria and lay sick, he sent messengers to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron whether he would recover. Elijah the prophet scolded him, "Is it because there is no God in Israel that you are going to inquire of Baalzebub, the god of Ekron?" (2 Kings 1) We see that God hates idols and their worshippers. He objected to fortune telling! But today, God made use of wondrous heavenly signs to attract the attention of astrologists. Then He revealed to them the Saviour of mankind. How bizarre it is!
This story strikes me at two fronts. First of all, we should know that Matthew wrote for Christians with a Jewish background. Jews were always proud to be "The Chosen People of God" and despised Gentiles. In today's jargon, it was racial discrimination. Thus, this narrative of using wondrous heavenly signs to reveal the Messiah to Gentiles aims at smashing the prejudice of Jewish Christians, telling them that God accepts all peoples. At the end of the gospel, the risen Christ instructed the Apostles to make disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to observe all that he had commanded them. (Matthew 28:19-20). What an inclusio.
Secondly, even when we are lost, when we have misplaced most of our energies, when we betray God and even commit sins, still God does not forsake us. How great His mercy is! On the other hand, His wisdom is ineffable. When we spend all our time doing things we desire, there God beckons us like what He did with the wise men from the East. We believe that they were not the only ones who were able to see the signs. But the other astrologists did not respond for various reasons. Probably they were not as skilful as those wise men in the Gospel and were unable to calculate the significance of the signs and seek the truth. Or they had the ability but were not willing to leave their Comfort Zone. They did not want to risk and thus failed to meet the Saviour. Or perhaps they lacked the resources or were unwilling to pay the heavy price. You should understand that it was a very costly journey, climbing mountains, wading rivers and traversing deserts. It took nine months or more. Why? It was because Herod the Great ordered to have infants two years old or under in Bethlehem to be butchered. Similarly, when one becomes a Christian and leads his life according to the Beatitudes, it is very challenging and even being persecuted. Are we ready to pay the price?
Brethren, God called us to be baptized, to become a member of the Church to enjoy the grace of being the children of God. How do we repay His great love? Does God continue to call us to serve the needy, to be a witness of His mercy in our daily life? Furthermore, does He call us to abandon our comfort zone to become a member of the clergy to expand the Kingdom of Heaven, saving more people? Let us reflect on these questions in this week. Listen and observe carefully what we desire to do most and see if God beckons us to receive more graces He has prepared for us.
If you think that today's story is another dramatic incident, you are totally wrong. Deacon, how could it be? Wasn't the appearance of a Wonder Star at the birth of Jesus dramatic enough? Our Chinese ancestors also believed that the births and demises of kings, generals and heroes were reflected by the stars in heavens. For example, during the confrontation between Zhuge Liang and Sima Yi at Wuzhang Plains, Zhuge even made use of the magic of "Septa-Stellar Lamps" to extend his life. Thus, peoples throughout the world and ages have been fascinated with astrology.
God bless!
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