Translate

Sunday, 30 September 2018

容人之量 Tolerance

常年期第廿六主日,乙年
主題:容人之量

若望是耶穌基督最愛的門徒。自然地,我們相信若望,比其他門徒更維護耶穌。當他看見其他人以耶穌的名義驅魔的時候,若望恐怕這人的行為,可能會為耶穌帶來醜聞。所以聯同其餘的師兄弟,出面禁止這人運用耶穌的名字驅魔,然後報告給耶穌(谷9:38)。若望這樣做,雖然犯了「邀功」之嫌,但可能是出於愛主之情。不過,更大的可能性,是出於自我保護。

這事件發生在「耶穌顯聖容」之後。當時耶穌帶著三個入室弟子,上了大博爾山,把自己真身的光榮顯示給他們,免除他們對「人子必須受死」的恐懼。下山時,發現其餘的九個師兄弟,不能驅逐一個「啞吧魔鬼」(9:17),結果要耶穌親自出手,纔治好附魔的兒童。相信這事件給門徒很大的挫折,令他們失去了自信心。
從前,耶穌派遣他們兩個兩個外出傳福音時,曾賜給他們驅魔的權柄(6:7)。現在,竟然有人─相信他是沒有得到耶穌授權的,「因為他不跟從我們」(9:38b)─在沒有耶穌的授權之下,以耶穌的名字驅魔。倘若縱容他,不用跟從耶穌,也可以用祂的名字驅魔,那麼,我們放棄一切來跟隨耶穌基督,還有甚麼價值?所以,你不是我們少林派的人,就不許用我們的少林功夫!

這種「專利」的思想,在現代社會,比比皆是!很多門的專業,例如醫生、律師、工程師甚至神職人員,都是經過長時間的訓練和考核,纔可以執業。這些專業人士,曾付出不少的代價,纔換取到被承認的權威和當事人的信任。他們說一套祇有他們纔懂的術語,履行職務時穿一套特定的服式;他們紛紛成立專業學會,保證執業者的水準及道德操守,以保障當事人的權益。他們這樣做,無可厚非。可是,倘若我們把這種「專利」思想絕對化,壟斷了「救恩」─例如:祇有我們擁有絕對的真理,其他人說的都是歪理;祇有加入我們的團體纔可以上天堂,我們的團體之外沒有救贖等等─便會產生毛病。若望已呈現了這種絕對化的思想,所以耶穌基督糾正若望說:「因為誰不反對我們,就是傾向我們。」(9:40)所謂「條條大路通羅馬,殊途同歸」。雖然我們已掌握了得救的真理,但並不表示其他人的方法無效。雖然教會是「天主之城」,比世上任何政制更完美,但是,我們不竟祇是「天主的子民」,在世途上,與世人一起甘苦與共;「我們這時代的人們,尤其貧困者和遭受折磨者,所有喜樂與期望、愁苦與焦慮,亦是基督信徒的喜樂與期望、愁苦和焦慮。」(【《論教會在現代世界》牧職憲章】#1)祇要他們的道理,與耶穌基督的道理,沒有矛盾,他們的道理,總有得救真理的成份。所以,讓他們發展,犯不著禁止他們。終有一天,他們會接近真理!倘若他們的言行,懷有野心,剝削弱小,我們纔作出回應。請注意,耶穌基督沒有授權我們去禁止別人的自私和野心!

耶穌這輕描淡寫的一句,傳到門徒的耳朵裡,令他們不知所措。因為依照耶穌的教訓去做,是相當冒險的!試想想,身負責任的人,帶領手下去完成任務的人,豈容有失!他們總希望對外能口徑一致,對內就自然會加強對上級的效忠!在現代強調個人自由和權利的今天,要求對上司完全的效忠,談何容易!耶穌基督當然明白我們的心魔,所以祂強調「我的軛是柔和的,我的擔子是輕鬆的。」(瑪11:30)「誰不反對我們,就是傾向我們。」(谷9:40)耶穌基督何曾要求我們履行任務時,祇許成功,不許失敗呢?若以世人的標準量度,祂自己也不見得是個成功人士。「不容有失」是我們自已額外加在自己肩上的軛而已!耶穌基督何曾要求我們剷除異端邪說呢?祂自己的教訓,在當代猶太經師眼中,何嘗不是顛覆當代建制的言論嗎?「宗教裁判」是一些人用來剷除異者的工具,結果帶給教會沉重的內咎!的確,都是我們額外附加的擔子,何其沉重!

我們沒有熱衷於耶穌基督「彼此相愛」的誡命(若13:34),反而熱衷於捍衛自己的「專利」。我們沒有彼此告罪,彼此祈禱(雅5:16),反而彼此內訌指摘,試圖壟斷得救的途徑。我們都把焦點放錯了!
請不要灰心喪志,我們祇不過犯了若望的毛病!讓我們一起祈求耶穌基督,賜我們聖神,好能體會祂那寬宏的心意,擁抱罪人的大愛。亞孟!
天主保祐!

2015講道


Twenty Sixth Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: Tolerance

John is the beloved disciple of Jesus Christ. Naturally, we believe that he is more anxious to defend Jesus than the others. When he saw somebody exorcize in the name of Jesus, John worried that the behaviour of that person might scandalize Jesus. Thus, he joined hand with the other disciples to forbid that person from exorcizing in the name of Jesus. Then he reported to Jesus (Mark 9:38). Although John had made a mistake of taking credit for this action, he probably did it out of loving Christ. However, it was more likely that he did it out of self-protection.

This incident took place after the Transfiguration. Jesus brought the core of the apostles up Mount Tabot to reveal the glory of his divinity so as to dispel their fear of the inevitable death of the Son of Man. When they went down the mountain, they found that the remaining apostles were unable to drive out a deaf and mute spirit (9:17). Eventually, Jesus had to take the exorcism into his hand to heal the young boy. This incident must have inflicted great frustrations upon the disciples. They had lost their self-confidence.
At first, when Jesus sent them out two by two to proclaim the gospel, he gave them authority over the demons (6:7). Now, somebody could --- I believe Jesus had not authorized this "somebody" to perform exorcism in his name, "because he does not follow us" (9:38b) --- exorcize in Jesus' name without his authorization. If the apostles turned a blind eye to such behaviour, then what's the point of giving up everything to follow Jesus Christ? Thus, since you are not a Shaolin monk, you should not use Shaolin kungfu!

This kind of "patent" mind-set is pervasive in modern society. Many professionals, such as physicians, lawyers, engineers and even clergy, have to undergo long period of trainings and assessments before they may practise. These professionals have paid tremendous price in exchange for recognized authority and trust from clients. They speak jargons which they alone can understand. They put on special vestments when they discharge their service. They set up guilds to guarantee the proficiency and moral standard of their practitioners. What they do is unobjectionable. However, problems arise when they absolutize this "patent" idea to monopolize "salvation", for example, we alone possess the absolute truth, whatever the others say is bullshit; only by joining our group can you go to heaven, outside our group there is no salvation etc. John was showing such a symptom. Thus, Jesus correcting John, says, "For whoever is not against us is for us." (9:40) "All roads lead to Rome". Although we have mastered the salvific truth, it doesn't invalidate other people's ways. Although the Church is the "City of God", better than any other political institutions in the world, after all, we are only "the People of God". We share the same destiny with humanity. "The joys and hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ." (GS #1) As long as there is no contradiction between their ways and the teachings of Jesus Christ, there must be some truth in their ways. Thus, allow them to develop and do not forbid them. One day, they will be able to approximate the truth. If their words and deeds are ambitious and exploit the underprivileged, we should respond. Pay attention. Jesus does not authorize us to forbid others from being selfish and ambitious!

A simple statement by Jesus makes life difficult for his disciples! It is too risky to follow Jesus' teaching! Just think about it, how can people in responsibility, people leading subordinates to accomplish a task afford to fail? They always want a united front and thus demand loyal! Total loyal is more easily demanded than done in modern society when personal freedom and rights are the norms. Of course Jesus understands our obsession. Thus he emphasizes, "My yoke is easy, and my burden light." (Matthew 11:30) "For whoever is not against us is for us." (Mark 9:40) When did Jesus Christ demand that we were not allowed to fail in our missions? According to secular standards, Jesus himself is not quite successful. "No Failure Is Permitted" is only an extra burden we put on our shoulders! And when did Jesus tell us to root out heresies? In the eyes of contemporary Jewish scribes, weren't Jesus' teachings subversive to the establishment? For some, the Holy Inquisition was an instrument to root out dissidents. Subsequently, it puts a difficult yoke of guilt on the Church! Indeed, all these are extra burdens. How heavy they are!

We are not enthusiastic with Jesus' commandment to love one another (John 13:34). Instead we are enthusiastic to defend our "patent". We do not "confess your sins to one another and pray for one anther" (James 5:16). Instead, we accuse each other and try to monopoly salvation. We have put our focus in the wrong places!
Don't be discouraged, we are only making John's mistake! Let us pray to Jesus Christ to grant us the Holy Spirit so that our hearts may beat as His tolerant heart and embrace sinners with love. Amen!
God bless!

Sunday, 16 September 2018

教會的十字架 The Cross of the Church

常年期第廿四主日,乙年
主題:教會的十字架

今天的福音故事,發生在耶穌基督傳福音的最鼎盛時期。據馬爾谷福音的記載,耶穌基督在北方加里肋亞省境內,先後兩次增餅,滿足了四、五千人的飢餓。即是說,耶穌基督的傳福音活動,吸引了成千上萬的群眾,甚至追隨者。傳福音祇是耶穌基督拯救世人的其中一步,基督需要建立教會,繼續祂的救世工程。教會是一個有組織的團體,她需要一個領導人。所以,耶穌基督問了兩條問題,找出誰是教會的磐石。馬爾谷福音祇記載了伯多祿宣認耶穌基督是默西亞的身份,而沒有記載耶穌基督,立伯多祿為教會的磐石。這是可以理解的,因為馬爾谷是伯多祿的書記,他寫福音的資料來自伯多祿。伯多祿不說,馬爾谷就不會寫。為甚麼伯多祿不說,而瑪竇,另一位宗徒卻說了呢(瑪16:18-19)?很明顯,伯多祿不想在教會內抬高自己的身價地位。這是明智的,伯多祿清楚知道自己能力有限(路5:8),並且在危急關頭,三次否認耶穌(谷14:66-72)。所謂「磐石」,祇不過是一塊平平無奇的石頭,並不是一塊怎樣了不起,力挽狂瀾的大麻石。一開始,這塊磐石便被耶穌基督責斥為「撒殫」,意思是「敵人」,是阻擋去路的人(8:33)!

於是,耶穌基督提出作為跟隨者的條件:「誰若願意跟隨我,該棄絕自己,背著自己的十字架,跟隨我。」(8:34)這條件除了適用於個人身上,我認為,它也適用於整個教會的身上。
首先,十字架根本不是甚麼聖物、裝飾物,而是死刑的刑具,更不是普通的刑具。因此,耶穌基督提出的,是一個徹底的要求。「棄絕」有別於「放棄」。「放棄」可以是短暫的,可以捲土重來的。「放棄」更可以是一種交換的手段,妥協的手段,為了爭取更重要的事物,所謂「棄車保帥」。「棄絕」卻是完全的、徹底的、連根拔起、置諸死地的動作。當然,因為我們跟隨的,是復活了的主基督,是生命的主宰。所以這徹底的「棄絕」背後,是充滿生機的。

為甚麼要徹底地放棄呢?因為那些對現世財富和權勢的慾望,是永生的障礙,降低了我們享受天主的生命的能力。在新天新地裡,我們不再需要財富提供給我們安全感;在天國裡,我們都是天主的子女,權勢已再沒有意義了。最後要放棄的,就是我們的「個人意志」。雖然我們每年都耹聽耶穌基督在山園祈禱的片段,每天都誦唸天主經,但放棄個人意志,不竟是最困難的事!我們要背著的十字架,就是按「真福八端」的精神生活:選擇貧窮、對世界的罪惡和不幸,感同身受、溫柔良善、渴慕天主的救贖、對人慈悲、心無二志、締造和平、拒絕明哲保身。這是基督徒「棄絕自己,背著自己的十字架」的應有態度,讓我們在生活中實踐罷。

教會是天主子民所組成的得救團體,所以「棄絕自己,背著自己的十字架」,也是整個教會應有的態度。但教會與個人不同,人祇有數十寒暑的歲月,教會卻要經歷上千年的「洗禮」(10:38)。教會的十字架,就是她的內憂外患。
從五旬節聖神降臨,教會成立之初,便因信仰上的分歧,而被自己的同胞所拒絕並迫害。結果教會離開自己的發源地,即耶路撒冷,走向世界,把福音傳遍羅馬帝國。加入教會的人數越多,便產生了分裂的危機,結果教會選立了七位執事,去應付問題。可見教會的內憂外患,即她的十字架,是天主用來幫助她成聖的工具。教會既然是基督的身體,她就應該好像耶穌基督─即教會的頭一樣(哥1:18,弗5:23),接納擁抱她的十字架。

無論在羅馬帝國時代,或是向世界傳教的時代,教會總會遇上掌權者的迫害。遭受迫害的原因總離不開政治因素。當執政者感覺教會威脅到自己的權威和管治時,又或者教會是順手的代罪羔羊,用以轉移視線時,當權者是不會猶豫,發動迫害的。這些外患是無可避免的。因為連溫良和善,對任何人都沒有威脅的耶穌基督,也因為宣傳天主的公義,即天主的拯救和解放,而遭受迫害。倘若教會好像伯多祿一樣,為了自保,在面對迫害時便退縮,噤若寒蟬,豈不是又一次否認自己的師傅嗎?所以,教會仍然需要保持「溫良、慈悲、渴慕正義和樂意為義而受迫害」的心態,背著來自政治上的十字架。

另一方面,教會面對各式各樣的內憂,也要抱著「真福八端」的態度面對。歷史告訴我們,當羅馬帝國逐漸沒落,野蠻民族入侵的時代,教會負起了教化蠻人,保存文化,推廣教育,甚至連管理帝國的責任,也落在教會身上。權力大了,人便腐敗了。所以千多年來,教會內不斷傳出為了權力鬥爭的暗殺、貪污腐敗和性罪行的醜聞。千多年來,天主亦很有耐性地,在教會內扶植不少聖人。他們提倡不同的靈修、司鐸培育、社會服務和制度上的改革,使教會能撥亂反正,獲得醫治。這些改革都是圍繞著「貧窮、哀慟、心靈純潔和締造和平」的教訓,棄絕「高高在上,真理導師」的心態;脫下令人肅然起敬的祭衣,束上腰,以僕人的身份,為臨現在弱勢社群中的耶穌基督洗腳。對,教會也要「棄絕自己,背著自己的十字架」,來應付內患,跟隨耶穌基督。

作為平信徒,我們都是基督奧體的一份子。既然領洗加入了教會,難道我們要與犯了罪的神職人員,劃清界線嗎?既然二千年來,天主沒有放棄建築在千瘡百孔的伯多祿身上的教會,耶穌基督並沒有放棄祂的朋友(若15:15),所以我們也不可以放棄。我們要棄絕的,不是這些!請大家在九月,按主教的指示,棄絕自己,繼續為教會內遭受性侵犯的受害人,與及相關的神職人員,守齋祈禱,作為補贖。願慈悲的天主,寬恕和醫治我們。
天主保祐!

2015年講道


Twenty Fourth Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: The Cross of the Church

The gospel story today took place at the zenith of Jesus' public ministry. According to Mark, Jesus multiplied loaves twice to feed 5000 and 4000 men in the province of Galilee. That is to say, Jesus was able to attract crowds of thousands of people and even followers in his evangelization activities. But evangelization was only one of the many steps in the redemption of mankind. Christ needed to establish the Church to continue the redemption project. The Church is an organized community. She needs a leader. Thus, Jesus Christ asked two questions to uncover who the Rock of the Church was. Mark only mentions Peter's confession about Jesus and not Christ's making Peter the Rock of the Church. This is understandable because Mark was Peter's secretary. His information came from Peter. If Peter was reticent, Mark did not write. But why was Peter silent while, Matthew another apostle talks about it (Matthew 16:18-19)? Obviously, Peter did not want to elevate his status and importance within the Church. This is the virtue of prudence. Peter knew his inadequacies (Luke 5:8). In life-threatening circumstances, he even denied Jesus three times (Mark 14:66-72). This "Rock" is an ordinary stone only, not any extraordinary slab of majestic granite. At the very beginning, Jesus rebuked this Rock, calling it "Satan", which means adversary, an obstacle on your path (8:33)!

Then, Jesus Christ spells out the conditions of discipleship, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me." (8:34) In my opinion, not only do they apply to Christians, but they also apply to the Church.
First of all, a cross is no sacred object or ornament. It is a capital punishment, not even an ordinary torture. Thus, what Jesus Christ demands is a total demand. "To deny" is different from "To ditch". To ditch can be temporary. You may later reclaim. To ditch can also be an exchange tactic, a compromise in order to retain something more important. To deny is complete, thorough, uprooting and mortal. Of course, since we are following the Risen Lord, the Author of life. Behind this total denial, there is life.

Why do we need to deny totally? It is because the desire for wealth and power is an obstacle to eternal life. It diminishes our capacity to partake in the life of God. In the new heavens and new earth, we do not need wealth to provide us security. In the Kingdom of Heaven, we are children of God. Power becomes meaningless. The last thing we should deny is our will. Although every year we read of the Agony of Jesus in Gethsemane and we recite the Lord's Prayer every day, denying our will is the most difficult thing of all! The cross we take up is to lead a life according to the Beatitudes: to opt for poverty; to mourn for the evil and tragedies of the world; to be meek; to hunger for God's salvation; to be merciful; to be single-minded; to make peace and refuse to compromise. This is the proper Christian attitude "to deny oneself and to take up one's cross". Let us put it into practice in our daily life.

The Church is a community of God's People. Thus, "to deny oneself and to take up one's cross" should also be the attitude of the entire Church. But the Church is different from individuals. Individuals only live for decades but the Church has to undergo millennia of "baptism" (10:38). The cross the Church takes up is her internal and external troubles.
Since the establishment of the Church at the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Pentecost, she underwent rejection and persecutions from her fellow kindred because of differences in beliefs. Consequently, the Church had to abandon her birth place, Jerusalem, and ventured into the world, thus spreading the Gospel throughout the Roman Empire. When more people joined the Church, a crisis of division arose. In the end, seven deacons were chosen to handle the problem. Thus, all these internal and external troubles are the cross of the Church. God make use of them to sanctify her. Since the Church is the Body of Christ, like Jesus Christ, her head (Colossians 1:18, Ephesians 5:23), she has to accept and embrace her cross.

Whether it was during the age of the Roman Empire, or subsequent ages of active evangelization, the Church would meet persecutions from people in power, all for political reasons. When the head of a state feels/imagines that the Church is a threat to his authority and governance, or the Church is a handy scapegoat to divert attention, those powerful people will not hesitate to engineer persecutions. Thus external troubles are inevitable. Even the meek and harmless Jesus Christ was persecuted because he proclaimed God's justice, i.e. God's salvation and liberation. If the Church follows the example of Peter for self-preservation, withdraws and keeps quiet in face of persecutions, isn't she denying her Master once more? Thus the Church has to keep up with the attitude of being "meek, merciful, thirsty for justice and joyful in face of persecution for the sake of justice" to take up the cross which comes from politics.

On the other hand, the Church should also engage all sorts of internal troubles with the Beatitude attitudes. History informs us that during the decline of the Roman Empire, in the age of Barbarian Invasion, the Church took up the tasks of taming the barbarians, conserving the culture, promoting education and even the governance of the Empire. Power corrupts. Thus, for a millennium, incidents of power struggle assassinations, scandals of simonies and sexual abuses have been rampant. For a millennium, God has been patiently grooming many saints who advocated different spirituality, priesthood formations, social services and institutional reforms to put the Church back on the right tract and attain cure. These reforms centre on the teachings of "poverty, mourning, purity of heart and making of peace". The Church has to deny the mentality of the Supreme Teacher of the Truth. She has to take off her awe-inspiring chasuble, gird her loin and wash the feet of Jesus Christ who is present among the underprivileged. Right, the Church has "to deny herself and take up the cross" to handle internal troubles and follow Jesus Christ.

As a member of the laity, we are members of the Mystical Body of Christ. As we were baptized to join the Church, can we part company with sinful clergy? For two millennia, God has not forsaken the Church built upon the feeble Peter and Jesus Christ has not given up his friends (John 15:15). Neither should we! We are not denying them! Remember the appeal of our Bishop. Let us deny ourselves in September. For the victims of sexual abuses and the sinful clergy, let us fast and pray to do penance. May the mercy of God forgive and heal us.
God bless!

Sunday, 9 September 2018

Do You Hear God?

Twenty Third Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: Do You Hear God?

Many people suffer from hearing problems, not just the senior citizens. Of course, old people do not hear well because of the deterioration of their health. But some people do not hear well as a result of occupational hazards, such as those who spend most of their working time in very noisy environments. Many others do not hear well because they choose not to. Why do I say this? Look at people in MTR or West Rail. They plug their ears with ear-phones to enjoy their music or watch their videos. This is a common sight nowadays. Times and again, it can be a problem. They do not hear because they choose not to pay attention to the people around them. Why don't they pay attention to the others? One possible answer is that they are too egocentric. They only care about themselves and ignore the others.

Is it a problem? Yes, it is. If we do not pay attention to the others, the others are unable to teach us or share with us new knowledge. They cannot even warn us of immediate dangers ahead. That can be life-threatening. Moreover, hearing is essential for speech learning. A person is not able to reproduce what he cannot hear. Therefore, if a baby does not start talking, parents check its ears first rather than its tongue.

In the gospel story today, Jesus went through a number of places. We are familiar with the Sea of Galilee which was in the north, close to Gentile world outside. What about Tyre, Sidon and Decapolis? Well, they were Gentile cities. Therefore, Jesus performed this healing in a Gentile environment. Next chapter, Jesus will perform one more multiplication miracle to feed 4000 Gentiles. This is significant. It shows that God's salvation is not limited to the Jews. It tells the Jewish readers not to be ego-centric.

This deaf person suffered also from a speech impediment. It was to be expected. Most likely, this person had suffered deafness since a very young age, thus preventing him from learning speaking. That speedy recovery of speech made the healing all the more miraculous. This previously deaf person took no time to pick up the ability to speak. Was it not miraculous? Moreover, restoring the hearing opens up a whole new world of sounds to this previously deaf person. Life becomes rich in textures, colours and sounds together with their interactions.

What has this healing to do with us?
First of all, all of us need to check our hearing. Of course I don't mean our physical hearing. I mean to challenge you. Of all the things in the world, the most important thing we need to hear is God's message. Do you hear God? In your prayers, do you hear God? You might say, "Well Deacon, we don't need to hear God because God's words are in the Bible. We can simply read the Bible if we want to know His words and to know His will."
You are both correct and mistaken! You are correct that God's words are written in the Bible. We can read them and know God's will. But you are mistaken because the words we read have different meanings in different contexts. Which meaning is the correct one? Well, we can read more books written by scholars and experts to discover the correct meaning. Let me assure you. Reading more books does not help much. Most of the time, it only adds to greater confusion.
There is another reason why reading more books shall lead to confusion. It is because many of us already have some preconceived ways of thinking. It would be difficult for us to change our mind. For example, people brought the deaf-mute to Jesus, expecting him to "lay his hand on him" (Mark 7:32). People felt comfortable with the "laying of hands". But what did Jesus do? His actions were unhygienic and might be disgusting for some: "He put his fingers into the man's ears and, spitting, touched his tongue" (7:33) Are you comfortable with new ways of thinking and doing things? Beware! God always does new things!

Therefore, instead of reading more books, I suggest praying over the passage we read. In praying, we stay quiet. We do not speak. We open up ourselves and listen to God and receive His revelation.
We all know very well how difficult to stay quiet. In praying, many noises and thoughts come up from within to distract us. What can we do? Before we read the Bible, pray to the Holy Spirit. Pray that the Holy Spirit will enlighten us. Pray that the Holy Spirit will strengthen our desire to love God. Then, start reading in such a way that you hear your own voice. Read slowly and repeat a few times until you settle down on a few phrases. There, God speaks to you. When noises and thoughts come up, don't worry. Soon, they will die down. Let the Holy Spirit take care of them. Build up this habit and you will be able to hear more clearly.

After we are able to hear God, we should start speaking about God. We should start speaking about God to our neighbour. Speaking will reinforce our hearing. Evangelization will enhance our understanding of God. Why? Jesus promises us that when we speak, it is the Holy Spirit which speaks through us. That is to say, we are not speaking about ourselves and our knowledge, but the knowledge of God. Here is another opportunity to hear God. That is why speaking will reinforce our hearing and our relationship with God.

Brethren, most of us are weak in hearing God. Receive this healing from Jesus Christ so that we may be able to hear the most important thing in the world, that we may be able to hear God. Then sing praises to the Lord. Speak of His mercy to your neighbour.
God bless!

2015 Homily