主題：認識自己的聖召
所有天主教徒，上至教宗主教，下至已領洗多年或剛領洗的新教友，無論男女老幼，都有一個傳福音，為復活了的耶穌基督作見証的使命。可是，向一切講求證據的現代人傳福音，所有基督徒無可避免地會遇上同一個挑戰。就是如何證明天主的存在。他們甚至要求說：「如果你所信的天主，現在就出現在我面前，我就會相信！」如何回答是好？連我們自己也沒有親眼看見過耶穌基督本人，難道我們引用聖經金句，甚麼「那些沒有看見而相信的，才是有福的！」（若20:29）便可以說服他們嗎？那些不信的，可能會說：「有福？我纔不希罕哩！」怎麼辦呢？
不用擔心，中古時代的神學家，為了說服有學問的無信者 ，曾提出了五個有說服力的論點，證明天主的存在。所以，這個挑戰基本上已經解決了，不再是挑戰了。另一方面，我會打消他們想天主顯現給他們的念頭。「假如天主顯現給你，我恭喜你，你將會成為萬人景仰的聖人，頭上有光環。不過，你從此會多災多難，甚至不得好死！」執事雖然說話誇張，但句句屬實，聖保祿宗徒就是一個典型的例子！請試想想，如果獻上祭品就可以賄賂到的，又豈是真天主呢？如果我們吩咐祂顯現，祂就顯現給我們，我們豈不變成了天主的主人嗎？這樣的神，不信也罷！因此，規定天主按我們的方法做事，我們實在太局限了自己，而且太看低天主的能力了！請記住，天主不是我們所能操控的！那麼，我們怎樣知道，天主有召叫我們呢？
首先，當天主按祂的肖像，創造我們每一個人的時候，祂的目的就是想我們成為神聖的人。舊約聖經是這樣寫的：「你們應該是聖的，因為我，上主，你們的天主是聖的。」（肋19:2）成為神聖的人，不單是天主教徒，而是每個人的人生目標，就是天主委派給每個人的使命。用我們的慣用語，這是天主對每個人的「聖召」。固然，不是人人都回應天主的聖召，有些人的一生，可說是漫無目的。他們會問，天主在甚麼時候召叫過我呢？祂沒有顯現在我面前，又如何召叫我呢？
聖經記載了很多天主與人相遇的經驗，一部份人在天主的救世計劃中，充當著重要角色的，天主會親自接見他們。其餘的，天主會派遣一些使者，向他們傳遞自己的旨意。例如，天使甚至是會說話的驢。「會說話的驢」？是伊索寓言嗎？不是，是聖經的故事！話說摩阿布王聘請巴郎，為他詛咒以色列人，於是他騎驢出發，前往以色列人的營地。天主派一個手持利劍的天使，阻住巴郎的去路。天使是隱形的，巴郎看不見，驢卻看見天使；並且三次避開他，救了巴郎，但巴郎全不知情，三次鞭打驢。於是驢開口投訴，天使纔顯現給巴郎。後來，巴郎沒有詛咒以色列，反而祝福他們。（戶22-23）
在座各位，天主更進一步召叫你們成為基督徒。我們是經過洗禮入教，成為基督徒的。心裡相信不夠嗎？要洗禮入教才有效嗎？對，洗禮清洗了我們的罪惡（宗2:38，22:16），使我們成為聖潔的，成為名副其實的「聖徒」。所以基督徒是蒙召成為聖徒的（羅1:7，格前1:2），藉著對天主恩寵的開放，我們有更大機會成聖。大家記得洗禮當晚的其中一個環節，新領洗的教友穿上白衣嗎？保祿宗徒告訴我們說：「你們凡是領了洗歸於基督的，就是穿上了基督。」（迦3:27）「穿上基督」有甚麼作用呢？不要以為厄里亞的外衣有甚麼法力，加到他的接班人厄里叟身上，就會令他充滿力量，有如師父一樣！請注意，超人不是穿上超人衣服纔變成超人的；根本他素來擁有超人的力量。同樣，基督徒不是領洗穿上基督就變成了基督。根本基督徒素來擁有成為基督的力量！領洗消除了我們的罪過，恢復了我們原本擁有的恩寵，恢復我們天主子女的身份。所以，穿上基督，引發我們潛在的恩寵，使我們變成另一個基督。這就是基督徒的人生目標，不但要成為聖潔，更要成為「基督」！耶穌基督祈禱，我們祈禱；耶穌基督醫治，我們醫治；耶穌基督釋放，我們寬恕釋放；耶穌基督傳福音，我們傳福音等等。
基督徒團體，需要神職人員，就好像一個城市，需要公務員一樣。公務員為市民服務，令他們能安居樂業，整個社會得以繁榮進步。同樣，整個教會亦需要一些公務員，一些神職人員，為全體天主子民服務，使天主的國得以拓展，達致「一個羊群，一個牧人」的願景（若10:16）。當然，不是每個人都蒙召做神父，做修女的，因為天主自有祂的計劃。勉強做神父修女，祇會帶給教會醜聞，好像近日的新聞一樣！因此，聖召是需要辨明的，要祈禱，要找有經驗的人指導。不要氣餒，無論是甚麼樣的聖召，當我們尋求和回應時，天主必與我們同在，在我們的生活崗位上，協助我們發揮天主賜予的恩寵，成為神聖的，並成為另一個基督。今天是聖召主日，讓我們為自己做基督徒的聖召，並且為司鐸的聖召，用心祈禱。
請注意，我們不必爭辯「會說話的驢」的真實性，正如我們不會理會龜真的和兔子賽跑一樣。我們學習故事的教訓，而不去考究故事內容的真實性。巴郎的故事告訴我們，天主是一個意想不到的天主，祂是一個令人充滿驚喜的天主。因此，我們應該留意天主在我們的生命中，不經意地向我們顯現了，召叫了。天主藉著我們所遇到的人、地和事物，觸動我們，召叫我們成為一個真實的人，一個頂天立地，無愧於心的人。
天主保祐！
2015年反省
Good Shepherd Sunday, Year B
Theme: Know Your Own Vocation
All Catholics, from the Pope and bishops, down to jaded parishioners or the newly baptized, men and women, old and young, have a mission to preach the gospel and to bear witness to the risen Jesus Christ. However, preaching the gospel to those modern people who ask for evidence for everything shall inevitably pose the same challenge to all Christians: how to prove the existence of God. They might even demand, "If your God shows up in front of me right now, I will believe!" How do we answer? Even we ourselves have not seen Jesus Christ with our own eyes. Don't tell me you are going to quote a piece of proof-text such as, "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believed" (John 20:29) to convince them! For those who refuse to believe, they might say, "Being blessed? Who cares?"
Don't worry. Medieval theologians had already put forth five persuasive arguments to prove the existence of God to convince educated non-believers. Thus, the challenge is challenge no more. On the other hand, I would try to dissuade them from demanding God's apparition. "If God appears to you, congratulations! You shall be a saint venerated by the millions and shall have a halo on your head. However, from then on, your life shall be full of hardships and you might not die a good death!" Though I exaggerate a bit, I speak the truth. The life of St. Paul is a typical example! Just think about it. A deity which you may bribe is no God at all. If I command a deity to appear and he obeys, then have I become the master of this deity? Is such a deity worth believing in anymore? Thus, in forcing God to follow our ways of doing things, we are actually restricting ourselves and have underestimated the power of God! Remember, we cannot control over God! Then, how do we know that God has called us?
Firstly, when God created us according to His image, He wanted us to become a holy people. The Old Testament says, "You shall be holy; for I the Lord your God am holy." (Leviticus 19:2) To become holy is the goal for everybody, not just for Catholics. This goal is the mission God gives everybody. In our jargon, this is God's vocation. Of course, not all people respond to God's call. Some people are listless throughout their lives. They might ask, "When did God call me? He has never appeared before me. How did He call me?"
We can find many encounter experiences between God and men in the Bible. Some men occupy important roles in the salvation plan of God who spoke to them in person. For the rest of us, God would send some messengers to hand down His will, for example, angels and a talking donkey. A talking donkey, are you talking about Æsop's fables? Of course not, it is a biblical story! The king of Moab paid Balaam to curse the Israelites. Balaam rode his donkey towards the camps of Israelites. God sent an angel with a drawn sword in his hand to block Balaam. The angel was invisible. Balaam could not see him but the donkey could! For three times, the donkey dodged the angel and saved Balaam who, not knowing the truth, struck the donkey three times. So, the donkey started complaining and the angel appeared to Balaam. Later, instead of cursing the Israelites, Balaam blessed them. (Numbers 22-23)
Note that it is not necessary to argue the truthfulness of "a talking donkey", just as we don't bother to verify whether the tortoise actually had raced against the hare. We learn the moral and ignore the details of the contents. The story of Balaam tells us that God is a God who always surprises us. Thus, we need to pay attention to the accidental appearances of God when He calls us. God shall make use of people, places and events to touch us, to call us to lead an upright life, standing tall between heavens and earth.
My dear audience, God further calls you to be Christians. We were baptized into the Catholic Church to become a Catholic. Is faith alone not enough? Do we need baptism in order to be effective? Right! Baptism cleanses us of our sins (Acts 2:28, 22:16) making us clean and becomes genuine saints. Thus Christians are called to be saints (Romans 1:7, 1 Corinthians 1:2). When we are open to the graces of God, we have a greater opportunity to become saints. Do you remember one of the rites during baptism on Easter Vigil? The newly baptized put on a white cloth. Paul the Apostle told us, "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ." (Galatians 3:27) What's the use of putting on Christ? Don't ever think that the cloak of Elijah was magical. Putting on this cloak would make Elisha his successor full of power, like his master! Pay attention. Clark Kent does not become Superman after changing into his suit. The power has always been within him. Similarly, Christians do not put on Christ to become a christ. The power to become Christ has always been within them! Baptism cleanses us of our sins, restoring in us the original graces and the status of being children of God. Thus, putting on Christ activates the hidden graces within us to become another christ. This is the purpose of life for all Christians. Not only should they be holy, but they should also become christs. Jesus prays, we pray; Jesus heals, we heal; Jesus liberates, we forgive and liberate; Jesus evangelizes, we evangelizes etc.
The Christian community needs clergy just as a city needs civil servants. Civil servants serve the citizens to help them lead a safe and stable life and to make the city prosperous and progress. Similarly, the Church needs some civil servants, the clergy to serve the People of God and to expand the Kingdom of God and achieve the vision of "One Flock, One Shepherd" (John 10:16). Of course, not everybody is called to become priests or nuns because God has His plan. If we force ourselves to become priests and nuns, we would scandalize the Church, just like recent news! Thus, vocation needs discernment, needs prayers and needs guidance from experienced mentors. Don't be discouraged. Whatever the vocation, when we seek and respond, God shall definitely be with us. He will help us in our stations of life to manifest His bestowed graces, to be sanctified and become other christs. Today is Vocation Sunday. Let us pray for the vocation of being Christians and pray fervently for priestly vocation.
God bless!
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