主題：辨明聖召
喜歡看武俠小說，或者看改編自武俠小說的電影電視的人，讀今天福音的時候，總會覺得有點兒不舒服。因為這些小說，除了宣揚「君子報仇，十年未晚」的觀念之外，更灌輸一些「一日為師，終身為師」的尊師重道思想。這些思想不是錯的，但在某些場合，就應該放下。武俠小說的讀者會為若翰洗者不值，又或者覺得那兩個門徒，即安德肋和若望自己，拜師另一個門派，雖然未至「欺師滅祖」，但總是對若翰洗者不敬，不適合中國的國情，不適合做中國信徒的榜樣！
首先，基督徒不主張報仇，因為報仇是天主的專利（申32:35；羅12:19）。基督徒應互相寬恕，相親相愛。
即使我們純粹從福音出發，今天的故事，亦會遇上解釋上的困難。這個耶穌召選首批門徒的記載，對觀福音與若望福音的記載出現了很大的分別。在對觀福音，開宗明義首批門徒都是漁夫。耶穌在海邊召叫他們，他們就立即放下一切，跟隨了耶穌。但今天的故事卻完全是兩回事，這裡沒有海，沒有召叫，沒有拋棄一切，而且人物的組合不一樣。在對觀福音中，耶穌首先召叫安德肋和伯多祿兩兄弟，然後召叫雅各伯和若望兩兄弟。在若望福音，耶穌沒有召叫安德肋和若望，而是他們的師傅指導他們去跟隨耶穌。我們應怎樣處理這些分別呢？
倘若祗有對觀福音而沒有若望福音，這個耶穌召選首批門徒的故事， 的確令人難以信服。那有可能第一次聽到耶穌的召叫，就好像被催眠一樣，拋棄所有來跟隨耶穌呢？難道耶穌是邪教的教主嗎？路加福音嘗試把過程合理化一點，加插了一個網了很多魚的神蹟，把伯多祿的內心掙扎展示出來（路5:4-10）。所以，若望福音的記載，是門徒的心路歷程，補充了對觀福音的不足，多於描述現實世界所發生的事！
即是說，安德肋和若望接受了若翰的洗禮，做他的門徒，聽從若翰的教導。當耶穌出現的時候，若翰認出耶穌是默西亞，並且進一步看到耶穌基督以自己的死亡拯救這世界，所以向門徒作證耶穌是「天主的羔羊」。安德肋和若望開始注意耶穌，遠距離觀察耶穌，然後近距離與耶穌接觸，交談。和所有的猶太人一樣，他們正期待默西亞的出現，當耶穌問他們找甚麼的時候，為甚麼他們不答「找默西亞」，反而問看來毫無關係的「你住在那裡？」（若1:38）其實，這樣問是正確的，因為他們想確定是否值得委身跟隨耶穌這個人。當耶穌邀請他們去看看時，他們接受邀請，與耶穌基督一起生活過，建立了更深刻的關係，並決定跟隨耶穌。請注意，耶穌邀請他們去看看的地方，不一定是一個現實的地方，也可以是一個心靈內的空間！後來，他們向自己的兄弟作證，並引領他們認識耶穌基督。另一方面，他們仍然是生活在現實的世界之中，繼續捕魚為生。最後，對觀福音所描述的，是一段內心經過掙扎後所作的行動，是可見的成果。若望福音所描述的，是他們內心接納耶穌成為默西亞的歷程。
這個事蹟給我們很豐富的反省。門徒首先跟隨若翰洗者，然後跟隨耶穌基督。這裡反映出天主的召喚並不是一次過的，而是在我們一生中，不斷地向我們招手，不斷找機會，把恩寵賜予我們。天主很少直接顯現或報夢，召喚我們，而是藉其他的人地事物，向我們招手。所以我們應抱一個敏銳的態度，辨認天主的召喚，不要怕放棄熟識的安樂窩，不要以為改變舊的信念便是「欺師滅祖」。
其次，瑪竇福音告訴我們，我們的師傅，我們的導師，祗有一個，就是默西亞，就是耶穌基督。而我們現世的老師學生關係，亦祗不過是兄弟的關係，「師兄弟」的關係。（瑪23:8-10）因此，即使安德肋和若望，接受了若翰洗者的洗禮，做了他的門徒，他們與若翰洗者，亦祗不過是「師兄弟」的關係。將來真正的師傅出現時，若翰洗者必定會率領他的門徒，投奔到耶穌的門下；那時，這個師兄弟的關係將會清楚地表現出來。根據瑪竇福音的記載，耶穌到約旦接受若翰洗者洗禮的時候，若翰曾阻止耶穌，並且說他本來需要接受耶穌的洗禮。（3:14）若翰洗者知道自己不是「真命天子」，他知道聖神降在誰身上，誰就是這位等待了很久的默西亞。他一定這樣教導自己的門徒。後來，若翰洗者作証，指出耶穌基督就是「天主的羔羊」，就是拯求世人的默西亞的時候，兩個門徒改投耶穌門下，應該是若翰洗者的指示！因此，安德肋和若望並非背叛師門。所有武俠小說的觀念，並不適合福音的語境。
另一方面，我們作為天主教徒，便有責任好像若翰洗者，或者第一篇讀經中的厄里一樣，幫助其他人辨認天主的聲音，指導幫助他們回應天主的呼召。所以我們有責任宣講耶穌基督，而不是吹噓自己。正如若翰洗者說：「祂應該興盛，我卻應該衰微。」( 3:30)
天主保祐！
2015年反省
Second Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: Vocational Discernment
People who like reading martial art novels or movies or TV series will find reading the gospel story today uncomfortable. It is because besides advocating vengeance, martial art novels also promote the concept of life-long respect for one's Master, despite being a Master for only one day. These ideas are not wrong but should not be upheld in certain situations. Martial art novel enthusiasts would be sympathetic towards John the Baptist or that the two disciples, Andrew and John were wrong for abandoning their Master to follow Jesus. Even though such act was not as inglorious as killing one's Master, it was very disrespectful of them. It went against Chinese sentiments and they could not be exemplars for Chinese believers!
Firstly, Christians do not advocate vengeance which is God's privilege (Deuteronomy 32:35, Romans 12:19). Christians should forgive each other, love each other.
Even if we confine ourselves to the gospel context, we encounter harmonization problems in today's story. This is a narrative of Jesus' calling his first disciples. The difference between the Synoptic gospels and John's gospel is huge. In the Synoptic, the first disciples were fishermen. Jesus called them at the seashore and immediately they abandoned everything to follow Jesus. Today's story is totally different. There was no sea, no call, no abandonment of everything and the grouping of disciples was different too. In the Synoptic, Jesus called Andrew and his brother Peter first, then James and his brother John. In today's story, Jesus did not call Andrew and John. They followed Jesus after their master the Baptist instructed them to do so. How shall we harmonize these differences?
Had there been only the Synoptic without John, the story of the call of the first disciples would have been unconvincing! How could it be possible for the disciples to abandon everything to follow Jesus the first time they heard him, like being hypnotized. Would that Jesus was actually a cult leader? The gospel of Luke tries to make the process more reasonable by inserting a miraculous catch to highlight the inner struggles of Peter (Luke 5:4-10). Thus, the gospel of John is more a description of the inner journey of the disciples to supplement the inadequacy of the Synoptic than a narrative of what was actually happening in the real world!
That is to say, Andrew and John were baptized and became disciples of the Baptist and followed his instructions. When Jesus appeared, the Baptist identified him to be the Messiah. Furthermore, he saw that Jesus Christ would deliver the world with his death. Thus the Baptist said that Jesus was "the Lamb of God". Andrew and John began to pay attention to Jesus, observing him from a distance. Then they drew near to come in contact and dialogue with Jesus. Like all other Jews, they were expecting the Messiah. When Jesus asked them what they sought, why didn't they answer, "The Messiah", but instead asked a rather irrelevant question, "Where do you stay?" (John 1:38) Indeed, this question was absolutely right because they needed to find out whether it was worthwhile to commit their lives to this Jesus. When Jesus invited them to go and see, they accepted the invitation and stayed with Jesus to build up a deeper relation. They decided to follow Jesus. Pay attention, Jesus invited them to go and take a look. It is not necessary to be a physical place. It could be an inner space in our hearts! Later, they bore witness to their brothers and led them to know Jesus Christ. On the other hand, they were still living in the physical world, making a living with fishing. At last, what the Synoptic tells was the visible fruit of an invisible inner journey of struggle. What the gospel of John tells is the journey of an inner acceptance of Jesus as the Messiah.
This incident is a treasure trove for spiritual reflections. The disciples followed the Baptist first and then Jesus Christ. It shows that the call of God is not a one-off event. God keeps beckoning us throughout our life, looking for opportunities to grant us grace. God seldom physically appears to us or speaks to us in dreams. Rather, He prefers to beckon us through other people, things, events and places. Thus, we need to stay alert to discern the vocation of God. We should not be afraid to abandon our comfort zone, not to uphold that changing old habitual way of thinking is killing the master.
Secondly, Matthew tells us that we have only one teacher, one master who is the Messiah, Jesus Christ. Our teacher-students relationships on earth are only brotherhood. (Matthew 23:8-10) Thus, even though Andrew and John were baptized by the Baptist and became his disciples, they and the Baptist were only brothers. When the true Master appears, the Baptist would lead his disciples to follow Jesus. By then, this brotherhood would be clearly visible. According to Matthew, when Jesus came down to River Jordan to be baptized by the Baptist, the Baptist tried to prevent him, saying that he needed to be baptized by Jesus (3:14). The Baptist knew that he was not the Anointed One. He also knew that on whomsoever the Holy Spirit descended, that person would be the long awaited Messiah. He must have taught his disciples such. Later, the Baptist bore witness and pointed to Jesus as the "Lamb of God" who came to save the world, the two disciples must have followed the Baptist's instructions to follow Jesus. Thus, Andrew and John had not deserted their master. The ideas of martial art novels do not work in this context.
On the other hand, we are Catholics. We have taken up the responsibility of a Baptist or an Eli in the first reading, to help others discern the voice of God, to help them answer God's call. Thus we have the duty to proclaim Jesus, but not to boast ourselves. Just as what the Baptist says, "He must increase, but I must decrease." (3:30)
God bless!
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