Eighteenth Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: How to Survive On the Outskirt
In the 1960's, I used to listening to the radio. In those years, people believed more in science than in God. Pastors were embarrassed when they mentioned the miracles in the gospels. They preferred talking about a Jesus who was a moral teacher to a Jesus Christ who is the Son of God.
One Sunday, a preacher explained on the radio the miracle of Five Loaves and Two Fish. He tried to downplay the miracle by saying that the generosity of the child moved the people so that they handed over the food they had brought to share among all. Therefore, everybody had eaten to the full and there were 12 baskets of leftovers. This explanation was adequate to satisfy a young boy at that time. The passage we read today questions the validity of such a moralistic explanation.
Jesus says, "Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate loaves and were filled." (John 6:26) That is to say, there were people who ate loaves but did not know that the loaves came from a miracle. There were more than 5000 men sitting on the grass. Imagine 5000 students from 5 schools sitting on the playground. People on one side shall have difficulties knowing what is going on in the centre or on the opposite side. Therefore, only a small group of people, the core of Jesus' company of apostles, knew that the loaves and fish came from a child. In fact, only John reported this. Even Matthew fails to mention the child. Therefore, the majority of the people only knew that the bread came from Jesus. Therefore, it was good to follow Jesus because they would never be hungry anymore! Last week, we read that they tried to carry Jesus off to make him king (6:15). The passage we read today refutes a moralistic explanation of the Five Loaves Two Fish miracle. Yes! It was a miracle. Yes! It was Jesus Christ, the Son of God who worked this miracle. It was a miracle similar to the one which the Father worked to feed 600,000 Israelites for 40 years in the wilderness. However, this Five Loaves and Two Fish was a more powerful miracle because it is a rehearsal of the Last Supper and the Sacrament of the Holy Communion. I explained this on last Sunday when I mentioned the Passover marker.
The gospel passage today tells us the story of people on the peripheral. They did not know there was a miracle. They came to Jesus because they wanted to secure food supply. Many people in the society live on the peripheral. Unlike government officials who make policies of the livelihood of the citizen, common people live in sub-divided flats and even on the streets. They have no jobs or their salaries are so low that they cannot support their families with a decent life. In the Church, most of us are not clergy or religious nuns. We are not members of decision making commissions of the Church. All of us are people on the peripheral.
But Jesus Christ was compassionate. He understood the low level desires of the Jews who came to look for him but he did not turn them away. Jesus Christ embraces all, be they saints or sinners, princes or paupers. He wanted to show all of us what was more valuable. He says, "Do not work for food that perishes but for the good that endures for eternal life which the Son of Man will give you." (6:27) Jesus will never deny us eternal life. Rather, it is we who work towards the wrong direction and thus miss the road that leads to eternal life. We work hard to obtain things that only satisfy our basic needs. If we have been successful, we are able to make a lot of money to meet those needs. Unfortunately, those needs shall never be fully satisfied as long as we live. Moreover, Jesus promises us an eternal life. What would happen? Would those needs be eternal as well? No. Since God is infinite. He is able to meet all our needs throughout eternity. It is as simple as that.
Jesus Christ is compassionate and embraces us all. Therefore, even though we do not belong to the inner circle of the apostles, it is possible for us to gain inroad into the centre. How? Capernaum was a town where Jesus began his public ministry and to where he often returned to take a break. Like the Jews who came to Capernaum to look for Jesus (6:24), we may look for Jesus where he often goes. Where does Jesus often go?
- Jesus often went to the wilderness to pray before dawn. Therefore, if we want to look for Jesus, the best place should be prayer and in particular, prayer early in the morning. There, away from the noises and disturbances of urban life, we may meet Jesus, listen to his prayers to the Father. Remember, just listen to him. Don't disturb him.
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Jesus always goes to the synagogues on Sabbaths. Thus, we should come back to Church on Sundays to meet Jesus in mass. In the synagogues, Jesus taught the Jews the Scriptures and how the texts were fulfilled. Similarly, we should pay attention to Sunday homilies to find out how God's promises are fulfilled in our lives.
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Jesus always goes to heal the sick and cast out demons in order to liberate them from the bondage of sins. Similarly, we should also meet Jesus where he is needed, among the poor and the sick, the homeless and the imprisoned. Moreover, we should also forgive in order to heal the wounds inflicted on us. Jesus taught us to forgive because it is the medicine to heal the wounds in our hearts. Jesus forgave those who betrayed him, who tortured him, who crucified him and pierced him on his side. Why? It is because in inflicting those wounds on Jesus, those perpetrators were in fact inflicting wounds on themselves. Like a thief who steals and a murderer who kills, unknowingly they wound themselves and are in need of healings. Jesus forgave them in order to heal them. Thus, in forgiving people, we meet Jesus who will never deny us eternal life.
Brethren, don't be discouraged because of our insignificance and because we are on the peripheral. Pray, come to Church, help the needy and forgive. There, we will meet Jesus Christ and receive eternal life from Him.
God bless!
2015講道
常年期第十八主日，乙年
主題：在外圍的生存之道
在上世紀六十年代，聽收音機是擴闊人生的消遣。那些年，人們相信科學多於相信天主。對於講解福音中的神蹟，牧者們感到尷尬。他們寧願宣講一個教人做好人的耶穌，也不大願意講論一個天主子耶穌基督。
在一個星期天的早上，電台播出一位宣道員解釋五餅二魚的神蹟。他盡力避而不談神蹟，祇把事件解說為一個孩童的慷慨，感動了全場的人，令他們願意拿出自己的所有，與眾人分享。所以，眾人吃飽以後，收集了十二籃的碎塊。這樣的解釋，已滿足了當時的我。今天的讀經卻質疑這倫理解釋的正確性。
耶穌說：「我實實在在告訴你們：你們尋找我，並不是因為看到了神蹟，而是因為吃餅吃飽了。」（若6:26）即是說，有人吃飽了餅，卻不知餅是來自神蹟。五千人坐在草地上。試想想。從五所學校來的五千個學生，坐在操場上。坐在一邊的人很難知道場中央或者場另一邊正在發生甚麼事。所以，恐怕祇有一小撮人，那些在耶穌身邊的門徒，纔知道餅是來自一個小孩。事實上，四部福音之中，祇有若望獨家報導餅是來自一個小孩，連瑪竇也沒有記載。因此，大部份人知道餅來自耶穌，所以跟隨耶穌不再捱餓！上一個主日，我們讀到「他們要來強迫他，立他為王。」（6:15）今天，我們所讀的章節，推翻了「五餅二魚神蹟」的一個倫理解釋。對！是一個神蹟，是天主子耶穌基督所行的神蹟。這神蹟與當年天父四十年在曠野養活六十萬以色列人的神蹟相似。但五餅二魚神蹟更偉大，因為它是最後晚餐和建立聖體聖事的綵排。我上一個主日，指出若望留下「逾越節」的記號時，已解釋過了。
今天的福音，講述生活在邊緣的人的故事。他們不知道發生了一個神蹟。他們找耶穌是希望得到源源不絕的食物供應。今天，很多人生活在社會邊緣之中。不像那些制定影響民生政策的政府官員，市民生活在水深火熱之中，在劏房甚至露宿街頭，失業或者低收入以致過著一個非人的生活！在教會內，大部份信徒都不是神職人員或者修會會士，我們都不是定決策的委員會成員。我們都是生活在邊緣的人。
但耶穌基督是富於憐憫的。祂明白那些尋覓祂的群眾，低層次的願望。但祂並不因此而拒絕他們。耶穌基督擁抱眾生，無論他們是聖人還是罪人，王子還是乞丐。祂希望我們認識更寶貴的東西。耶穌說：「你們不要為那可損壞的食糧勞碌，而要為那存留到永生的食糧勞碌，即人子所要賜給你們的。」（6:27）耶穌希望賞給我們永生，反而是我們朝著錯誤的方向跑，錯過了達至永生的道路。我們努力賺取滿足基本需要的事物。縱使我們成功地賺取了許多錢財來滿足那些需要，不幸地，祇要我們一息尚存，那些需要是揮之不去的。況且，耶穌許下賜給我們永生，那麼，那些需要會永遠不離不棄我們嗎？甭怕，天父是無限的。祂能在永恆中，滿足我們一切的需要。就是這麼簡單！
耶穌基督憐憫眾生，擁抱世人。雖然我們不是祂的入室弟子，我們一樣有辦法接近祂。怎樣做呢？葛法翁是耶穌出道的城鎮，祂又經常返回當地休息。我們可以倣效今天福音中的猶太人（6:24），到耶穌經常「出沒」的地方找祂。耶穌經常在那裡出沒呢？
- 耶穌經常在黎明前到荒野祈禱。所以，如果我們想遇上耶穌，最好的地點是祈禱，尤其是大清早的晨禱。在那裡，我們遠離都市的繁囂，靜聽耶穌向天父的禱告。緊記，祇要聽，不要騷擾。
- 耶穌在安息日，一定到會堂施教。所以，我們在主日返聖堂參加彌撒，可以遇見耶穌。在會堂裡，耶穌向猶太人解釋天主在經文中的許諾，如何得到兌現。同樣，在彌撒中留意神父的講道，可以發現天主的許諾，如何在我們身上獲得應驗。
- 耶穌經常治病驅魔，把眾人從罪惡的奴役中解放出來。同樣，我們去那些需要耶穌的地方，貧者、病者、無家者和在囚者，就可以找到祂。而且，我們應該以寬恕，治療所受的創傷。耶穌教導我們寬恕，因為寬恕是治療心靈傷痛的靈藥。耶穌自己寬恕那出賣祂的人，那鞭笞祂的人，那釘祂和刺透祂的人。為甚麼呢？因為向耶穌下毒手的人，實在是傷害著自己。一如竊賊和殺人兇手在犯案時，在不知不覺之中，其實對自己留下了深刻的創傷，他們需要治療。耶穌寬恕他們，實際上是替他們進行治療。因此，當我們寬恕別人時，我們便會遇見耶穌 ，祂會賜給我們永生。
各位兄弟姊妹，不要因為自己是微不足道的邊緣人而氣餒。祈禱，返聖堂參加彌撒，幫助窮困弱小和寬恕罷！在那裡，我們可以找到耶穌基督，並獲得祂所賜的永生。
天主保祐！
