超越舊我 Transcending the Old Self

常年期第三主日（乙年）
主題：超越舊我

進入乙年，是從頭閱讀馬爾谷福音的好機會。
馬爾谷是伯多祿的徒弟，當伯多祿逃離黑落德的追殺，在羅馬傳福音的時候，馬爾谷成為了他的秘書，他的翻譯員。馬爾谷福音的資料來源出自伯多祿，因此，馬爾谷福音可以說是「伯多祿福音」。
那 麼，為甚麼伯多祿不親自寫下耶穌基督的生平呢？是否他祗是一個漁夫，教育水平低；甚至不懂希臘文或拉丁文，需要由馬爾谷代為翻譯，代為書寫呢？這個教育水平低的解釋並不令人滿意。因為新約的27部書之中，就收集了伯多祿的兩封書信。 即使有些聖經學者懷疑這兩封書信的作者，可能是託伯多祿的名義而寫，也不能否定在路加所寫的【宗徒大事錄】中，聖神降臨後的伯多祿，如何成為了一個脫胎換骨的人。所以教育水平低的解釋不成立。

另一個可能性是伯多祿正在訓練馬爾谷，培養他成為教會的領袖。耶穌基督以祂的死亡和復活，已拯救了這個世界。但祂卻建立教會，把未完成的救世工程，交給我們手中，然後離我們升天而去。耶穌基督願意我們有機會參與自己的救贖工程，藉此把潛藏在我們身上的天主肖像，發揮到盡善盡美！同樣，伯多祿跟隨他師傅的榜樣，不會獨攬所有的工作，而是與其他宗徒合作，並扶植後進。福音就讓馬爾谷寫了。

馬爾谷福音的資料既然來自伯多祿，因此，伯多祿沒有提及的事件，很大機會馬爾谷就沒有記載在他的福音裡。最明顯的例子就是有關伯多祿步行水面的記載。在五餅二魚神蹟後，耶穌打發門徒往對岸，自己獨自上山祈禱到深夜，然後步行水面，趕上門徒的船。瑪竇福音記載了十二宗徒中，祗有伯多祿跳入水中，跑向耶穌（瑪14:28）。馬爾谷福音卻沒有記載。又例如當伯多祿明認耶穌是默西亞，是天主子的時候，瑪竇福音記載了耶穌立伯多祿為教會的磐石，給他天國的鎖匙，赦罪的權柄，然後首次預言受難（16:16-21）。馬爾谷又沒有記載立伯多祿為磐石的片段而直接記載首次預言受難。為甚麼會這樣呢？請大家牢記在心，我們所傳的福音，主角是耶穌基督而不是我們。倘若大吹大擂自己的豐功偉蹟，我們便不是傳福音而是在自我宣傳。這是驕傲自大，而不是基督徒應有的態度。

今天我們所讀到的耶穌召叫首批門徒的描述，可謂輕描淡寫，把回應聖召的內心掙扎，輕輕略過。就憑耶穌的一句「來跟隨我！我要使你們成為漁人的漁夫」（谷1:17），安德肋和伯多祿竟然立刻丟下一切，好像想也不用想，便跟隨了耶穌。請記著，是「立刻」！雅各伯和若望兩兄弟也是一樣，的確令人難以置信，耶穌好像是一個邪教教主，催眠了他們一樣！幸好我們有其他的福音，可作參考。的確，路加福音引入了一個捕漁的神蹟，解決了伯多祿跟隨耶穌的猶豫。上星期所讀的若望福音，更告訴我們，耶穌的首批門徒，都是經過若翰洗者和親兄弟的作證，自己親自接觸耶穌基督，並且與他一起生活過，纔皈依耶穌。因此，今天所讀輕描淡寫的描述，其實是經過之前一段時間的內心掙扎和辨明之後的成果。

這個故事帶給我們三個教訓。

1. 天主的聖召不是一次過的，而是一生一世的。我們都是按天主的肖像所創造， 但我們卻生活在世俗之中，種種的世俗因素阻礙我們把這個獨一無二的肖像，發揮得淋漓盡致。因此，我們不應停留在舒適的舊我之中，而是抱開放的態度，細心聆聽並回應天主的召叫，領受天主為我們預備了很豐富的恩寵。
2. 天主不斷地召叫我們，為了使我們完滿。約納素來對外邦人，尤其是尼尼微人，懷有偏見。天主偏偏派約納向尼尼微人，宣講悔改，藉此讓約納有悔改的機會。伯多祿可能安於做加里肋亞湖上一個寂寂無名的漁夫，但天主卻要提昇他成為「漁人的漁夫」，宗徒之長，教會的磐石，基督在世的代表。所以，我們應給自己，給天主提昇我們的機會。
3. 我們必須與耶穌基督同在，藉祈禱、讀經、領聖事與祂接觸，看看祂住的地方，與祂建立密切的關係。祂是「道路、真理和生命」（若14:6），藉著對祂開放，我們更認清自我，更有力量回應天主的聖召，獲得提昇，更有力地履行教友的使命，成為「地上的鹽、世界的光。」（瑪5:13-14），甚至天主子民的牧羊人。

天主保祐！

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Third Ordinary Sunday (Year B)
Theme: Transcending the Old Self

It is Year B. It is high time we started reading the gospel according to Mark.
Mark was a disciple of Peter. When Peter had escaped from Herod's murderous attempts and proclaimed the gospel in Rome, Mark was his secretary, his interpreter. The gospel's source of information came from Peter. Thus the gospel according to Mark can be said to be the gospel according to Peter.
Then, why didn't Peter write the biography of Jesus Christ himself? Was it because he was only a fisherman, had not received any education; or that he was illiterate in Greek or Latin and thus in need of Mark's interpretation and penning the gospel for him? This explanation was not satisfactory. It is because among the 27 books in the New Testament, there are two epistles written by Peter. Even though some biblical scholars question the authorship, maintain that some other people wrote in Peter's name, it is undeniable that the Peter described in the Acts of the Apostles was a transformed person after the descent of the Holy Spirit. Thus low education level does not explain.

Another possibility was that Peter was training Mark up to be a Church leader. Jesus Christ has redeemed the world through his Passion and Resurrection. But he established the Church to continue his salvation project. He left the unfinished work in our hands and ascended to heavens. Jesus Christ wants to give us the opportunity to participate in our salvation in order to manifest to its fullness the image of God hidden in us. Similarly, Peter followed the example of his Master. He did not take everything in his own hands. Rather, he cooperated with his fellow Apostles and built up the followers. Thus Mark wrote the gospel.

Since the materials of the gospel came from Peter, what Peter did not say would most likely not appear in Mark's gospel. The most obvious example was Peter's walking on the water. After the Five Loaves and Two Fish miracle, Jesus sent his disciples to the other side of the lake and went up the hill to pray beyond midnight. Then he walked on the water past the boat of the disciples. According to the gospel of Matthew, only Peter among the Twelve jumped onto the water and ran towards Jesus (Matthew 14:28). Mark did not cover this story. Again after Peter declared that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the living God, we find in Matthew that Jesus made Peter the Rock of the Church and gave him keys to the Kingdom of Heavens, the power to forgive sins. Then Jesus foretold for the first time his upcoming Passion. (16:16-21). Mark left out making Peter the Rock of the Church and went directly to the first prediction of Passion. Why is it so? Please bear in mind, Jesus Christ is the focus of the gospel we proclaim, not us. If we boast of our achievements, we are not doing evangelization but self-promotion. This is pride and arrogance, not a proper attitude of any Christian.

The calling of the first disciples we hear today is only a summary and has skipped the inner struggle the disciples experienced in answering the call. With one sentence spoken by Jesus, "Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men" (Mark 1:17), Andrew and Peter, without thinking, immediately left everything behind and followed Jesus. Remember, it is "immediately"! The same happened to the brothers James and John. This is hard to believe. Jesus worked like a cult leader, hypnotizing them! Luckily we have other gospels to refer to. Indeed, the gospel of Luke moves in a miraculous catch to resolve Peter's hesitation to follow Jesus. The gospel of John we read last Sunday tells us that the first batch of disciples followed Jesus only after hearing the witnesses of John the Baptist and their siblings, getting in contact with Jesus themselves and living with Jesus. Thus the sketchy narrative we read today is in fact the fruit of a previous period of inner struggles and discernment.

This story today teaches us three morals.

1. God's call is not a one-off event but a life-long one. We were created in the image of God. But we live in a secular world. Many secular factors prevent this unique image from full manifestation. Thus, we should not stay within our comfortable old selves. We should keep an open attitude, listen attentively to God's call and respond accordingly to receive the abundant graces God has prepared for us.
2. For our perfection, God keeps on calling us. Jonah harboured prejudice against Gentiles, especially people of Nineveh. God deliberately sent Jonah to proclaim repentance to people of Nineveh in order to give Jonah an opportunity to repent. Peter probably felt comfortable to be an ordinary fisherman on the Sea of Galilee. But God wanted to elevate him to be a fisher of men, the Prince of the Apostles, the Rock of the Church, the Vicar of Christ on earth. Thus, we should give ourselves and God an opportunity to upgrade us.
3. We need to live with Jesus Christ through prayers, bible studies and receiving the sacraments to see where He stays, to build up an intimate relation with him. He is "the Way, and the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6). When we open ourselves to him, we know ourselves better, gain greater strength to answer God's call and be elevated. We become more capable to discharge our mission as Catholics, to be "the salt of the earth and the light of the world" (Matthew 5:13-14) and even shepherds of the People of God.

God bless!