在開始閱讀之前，請閉上眼睛一會兒，想像兩隻羔羊在狼群中，會發生甚麼事？
請大家再細心體味依撒意亞先知所見到的是甚麼：「豺狼將與羔羊共處，虎豹將與小山羊同宿；牛犢和幼獅一同飼養，一個幼童即可帶領牠們。」（依11:6）還有，「豺狼和羔羊將要一齊牧放，獅子要和牛犢一般吃草，塵土將是大蛇的食物；在我的整個聖山上，再沒有誰作惡，也沒有誰害人：上主說。」（65:25）原來耶穌基督派遣我們「猶如羔羊往狼群中」（路10:3），是為了履行祂藉依撒意亞先知所許下的諾言。我們的任務，就是拓展天國，建築天主的聖山，宣佈天主的主權。當天主作主的時候，再沒有誰作惡害人。
傳福音不一定成功，不一定受歡迎。我們害怕失敗，害怕迎接我們的，是那慘無人道的可能性。所以我們躲在安樂窩中，不敢回應天主的派遣，去收割天主的莊稼。我們不想成為被撕裂的羔羊，但被撕裂了的羔羊，不就是被撕裂了的耶穌基督的化身嗎？傳教士不就是土人所需要的祭獻犧牲嗎？打在頭破血流的示威者身上的每一棍，不都落在耶穌基督的身上嗎？耶穌基督不也在被蹂躪的百姓中嗎？
我相信大部份人的腦海中，會浮現一連串血腥的畫面：羔羊被狼群咬著咽喉，爭相撕裂、傳教士被土人祭殺、手無寸鐵的示威者被凶狠的警察毆打、老弱婦孺被入侵的敵兵虐殺蹂躪等等。這是多麼慘無人道的恐怖世界！但這卻是我們慣常的思維，是傳媒甚至教科書所灌輸給我們的思想方法：「弱肉強食」再加「煽情」烹調，很多人會樂在其中。
天主說：「那侮辱你者的辱罵落於我身」（詠69:10b，羅15:3）。天主所需要的是羔羊，藉牠們馴化豺狼；是傳教士，帶給土人文明；是和平的示威者，繼續倡議社會公義；是無辜的平民百姓，讓侵略者珍惜和平。
天主啊！能與祢一起背負十字架，是我們的榮幸。亞孟。
The Lambs of God (Luke 10:1-12)
Before you start reading, close your eyes for a while. Imagine two lambs in the midst of a pack of wolves. What would happen?
Let us now hear and feel what Isaiah saw, "Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat; The calf and the young lion shall browse together, with a little child to guide them." (Isaiah 11:6). More than that, "The wolf and the lamb shall pasture together, and the lion shall eat hay like the ox --- but the serpent's food shall be dust. None shall harm or destroy on all my holy mountain, says the Lord." (65:25) Indeed, Jesus sent us "like lambs among wolves" (Luke 10:3) in order to honour the promise made through Isaiah. Our task is to extend the Kingdom of Heaven, to build up the holy mountain of God, whose sovereignty we proclaim. When God becomes the Lord of all, nobody shall harm or destroy.
Evangelization may fail and evangelists be rejected. We are afraid of failures, of the terrifying possibilities that welcome us. Thus, we hide in our comfort zones and refuse to answer God's commission to reap God's field. We don't want to be torn lambs, but isn't the broken lamb the incarnation of Jesus Christ? Are missionaries not the sacrificial lambs the natives offer? Does each beating on bleeding protesters not land on Jesus Christ? Is Jesus Christ not among the abused people?
I believe many of you will conjure up a series of bloody images: wolves biting the throat of the lambs, tearing them apart; natives sacrificing missionaries; ferocious policemen beating unarmed protesters; invading soldiers butchering old men and babies, raping women and girls etc. How terrifying such an inhuman world! But this is our mind set, a way of thinking fed by the media and even textbooks: the Law of the Jungle seasoned with sensationalism. Many of us enjoy it.
God says, "The insults of those who insult you fall upon me." (Psalm 69:10b, Romans 15:3) God needs lambs to tame the wolves; missionaries to civilize the natives; peaceful protesters to advocate social justice and innocent people to make invaders hold dear peace.
God, it is our honour to carry crosses with You. Amen.
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