教宗方濟各，在《你們要歡喜踴躍》宗座勸諭中，提及到「沉溺於自己的軟弱」是一種誘惑(#15)。最明顯的例子，就是天主教徒以聖經/教理知識不足為理由，不去履行傳福音的使命。他們沉溺在一份信仰的無力感之中，不思進取！
福音中的十個癩病人，比今天不思改進的天主教徒幸福得多。他們受到癩病的折磨，有動機尋求治療！天主教徒不傳福音，感受不到有多大的痛苦，沒有動機尋求改進。癩病人懂得向耶穌基督尋求醫治，不願傳教的天主教徒還有甚麼可以求耶穌基督呢？
今天故事的焦點，集中到感恩的撒瑪黎雅癩病人身上，是恰當的。放心，主耶穌的氣量比任何人大，祂決不會因為那九個癩病人不感恩，而收回治療的恩寵。因為從一開始，主耶穌已經知道他們不會感恩。為甚麼主仍會治療不感恩的人呢？祂鼓勵我們不用感恩嗎？當然不是！無論人類感恩與否，他們都是天主的肖像。主耶穌祇會造就他們，讓他們得到充份的發展，而不會向他們斤斤計較！
倘若感恩與否是沒有分別，那麼，感恩又有甚麼意義呢？從獲得治療的角度看，感恩好像沒有作用。但是，祇要細心一想，感恩與否的分別，就很明顯了。懂得感恩，既是愛的表現，因為痊癒不是理所當然的；更是信德的表現，因為你相信是創造你的天主，而不是如來佛祖使你痊癒的。所以主耶穌說：「起來，去罷！你的信德救了你。」（路17:19）不懂得感恩，顯得信德和愛德，並不成熟！小心，這兩種超性德行，是不進則退的。倘若不悉心栽培，恐怕有朝一日，會變成一個鐵石心腸，無信無愛，然後無望的人！
同樣道理，不傳福音的人，終日沉溺在信仰乏力的狀態中，不思改進，是缺乏了感恩之心。有朝一日，他們可能會好像那九個癩病人一樣，變成無愛的人，不理會別人靈性的生死；變成一個無信的人，最終成為無望的人。
因此，不傳福音的人啊！「起來，去罷！」天主保祐你！
How to Become Hopeless (Luke 17:11-19)
Pope Francis mentions "the temptation to dwell on your own weakness" (GE#15) in his latest apostolic exhortation "Gaudete et Exsultate". The most obvious example is Catholics who are reluctant to discharge the duty to evangelize with the excuse of a lack of biblical and catechetical knowledge. They indulge themselves in a religious impotence and do not try to improve themselves!
The ten lepers mentioned in the gospel passage today were more blessed than those slothful Catholics. Suffering from the pains of leprosy, the ten lepers had the motivation to seek cure! Not evangelizing, Catholics do not feel any pain. They have no motivation to improve. Those lepers sought Jesus Christ for healing. What would motivate Catholics who are reluctant to evangelize to seek Jesus Christ? It is appropriate that the focus of the gospel passage falls on the grateful leper. Don't worry. Lord Jesus has a large heart. He would not take away the grace of healing from the nine ungrateful lepers. It was because from the beginning, Lord Jesus already knew that they would be ungrateful. Why then did the Lord still heal those ungrateful people? Did He encourage us not to be grateful? Of course not! No matter humanity is grateful or not, they are images of God. Lord Jesus would only edify them and help them fully develop. He shall not haggle over every ounce with them!
If being grateful or not makes no difference, why bother being grateful? From the perspective of healing, being grateful does not count. But think deeper and the difference becomes obvious. Being grateful is an expression of love because healing cannot be taken for granted. Moreover, it is an expression of faith because you believe that your healing comes from your Creator and not from Buddha. Thus Jesus says, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you." (Luke 17:19) Being ungrateful shows that your faith and love are not mature! Beware! These two theological virtues will wither if they make no progress. If we do not tender them with care, one day, our hearts would be so hardened that we become faithless, loveless and finally hopeless!
In a similar manner, people who are reluctant to evangelize indulge themselves all days long in a state of religious impotence. They have no motivation to improve because they lack gratitude. One day, they probably would become, like those nine lepers, loveless and do not care about the life and death of others; become faithless and finally hopeless.
Therefore, people who don't evangelize, "Stand up and go!" God bless you!
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