主題：相信就足夠了嗎？
今天的故事，是玫瑰經，歡喜五端的第二端，有很豐富的默想材料。而且，非常容易把自己設身處地在故事中，感受故事主人翁的心境。讓我們鎖定背景，進入默想之中。
按習俗，當時的瑪利亞，祇是一個十多歲的適婚少女。從她與總領天使加俾額爾的對話當中，我們可以推測，瑪利亞的志願是以守貞的方式，服事天主。她對天使說：「這事怎能成就？因為我不認識男人。」（路1:34）但她的父母，當時已經把她許配給若瑟，為若瑟生孩子是遲早的事。所以這句話是表達瑪利亞的主觀志願，多於表達一些客觀事實。瑪利亞的問題，反映出她內心的困擾。一方面是自己的志願，另一方面是父母之命。當天使顯現給瑪利亞的時候，相信瑪利亞正在祈禱，尋求天主的旨意，看看她的志願是否一個錯誤的選擇。天使帶來的訊息，好像告訴她，守貞服事天主雖然是一個高尚的志願，但不適合她，因為天主另有安排！瑪利亞謙卑地接受了，並說出了人類救恩史中，永垂不朽的名句：「看，上主的婢女，願照你的話成就於我吧！」（1:38）這將會是2019年世界青年節的主題！
聽了天使的說話之後，瑪利亞的前途是清楚的，她要為天主生下一個「被稱為天主子」的聖者（1:35）。但接著的下一步該怎樣走呢？瑪利亞並不知道。她可以向誰求教呢？和自己的「閨密」商量嗎？她們可能會妒忌。向自己的母親透露嗎？她可能不明白， 認為這是懷春少女的夢話。幸好天使加俾額爾留給瑪利亞一條「求助熱線」，就是她的表姊依撒伯爾。最低限度，依撒伯爾比瑪利亞多六個月的經驗。甚麼經驗呢？就是獲得天主的眷顧，消除恥辱的經驗，不是人人都能擁有的。是那些神貧的人，溫良的人、飢渴慕義和心裡潔淨的人，纔適合擁有的。不出數天，瑪利亞便起程，「急速往山區去，到了猶大的一座城」（1:39）。有甚麼值得瑪利亞「急速」探訪依撒伯爾呢？瑪利亞需要找依撒伯爾「驗証」天使的說話嗎？用不著！自己懷孕與否，過一段時間便會知曉；而且，多等三個月，依撒伯爾產子與否，便可判斷天使的話是真是假。所以，瑪利亞「急速」的探訪，必定另有原因！
很多人認為是瑪利亞的愛心，是她對別人的關心，促使她「急速」地探訪依撒伯爾，因為依撒伯爾已經身懷六甲。為一個年老的女士，肯定是辛苦的，所以瑪利亞第一時間，前往服事依撒伯爾。瑪利亞將來也會在耶穌所行的第一個神蹟之中，顯示出她對別人無微不至的關懷（若2:3）。這關懷可以說是她的「註冊商標」，是她作為「天主之母」、「教會之母」，實實在在的展現，亦解釋了為甚麼她在後世，多次在世界各地不同地點，顯現給耶穌基督交託她照顧的子女（19:26）。
我覺得另一個使瑪利亞「急速」的原因是聖神，聖神已臨於瑪利亞身上，是聖神催促她去找依撒伯爾的。作為至高者的能力（路1:35），聖神經常催促人做事。例如，耶穌受洗後，是聖神催促祂進入曠野，四十天受撒殫的試探（谷1:12-13），是聖神催促教會向外邦人傳福音（宗13:2），是聖神催促瑪利亞探訪依撒伯爾，祝福她的胎兒若翰洗者，成為救主的前驅。瑪利亞所攜帶著的聖神，感染到依撒伯爾腹中的若翰洗者，令他雀躍，又令到依撒伯爾充滿聖神，說出天主的話：「那信了由上主傳於她的話必要完成的，是有福的。」（路1:45）
首先，我們都是領了堅振聖事的人，好像瑪利亞一樣，帶著聖神四出接觸人。當然，不是每一個我們接觸的人，都有福氣領受天主聖神。但我們亦要自問，我們感受到聖神的催促，去祝福其他人嗎？如果感受不到這份催促，恐怕我們要反省檢討，我們有沒有遺失了聖神。如果有，就是一件嚴重的事，要想辦法補救了。
各位兄弟姊妹。這的確是一端喜樂的奧跡。讓我們在生活中，效法聖母，以聖神為動力，以愛德與謙遜在生活中實踐，朝著成聖之路邁進。
剛纔我說「好像」是刻意的，因為天主的威能，的確令人讚嘆不已。「因為在天主前是沒有不能的事。」（1:37）生孩子與守童貞不一定互相排斥，天主是可以兩全其美的！天主護守著瑪利亞的童貞，使瑪利亞得償所願。聖母瑪利亞既是「天主之母」，誕下天主子耶穌基督；她又是「卒世童貞」，在生育的過程前後，毫不損壞瑪利亞的童貞。全能者的確在聖母身上行了偉大的事（1:49）！
其次，真是「相信」便有福嗎？很明顯，有很多不顯眼的事，正在進行中，「祇憑相信」是不足夠的。第一，對別人關愛，是一件美善的事。能持之以恆，變成一種習慣，一種不需要刻意做作的，是德行。愛心就是這樣煉成愛德的。聖母的愛德，就是這樣不經意地表現出來；而她愛德的力度，就在她的急速中表達了。第二是謙遜。謙遜更難察覺，但在天主眼中，一目了然。依撒伯爾說得好：「吾主的母親駕臨我這裡，這是我那裡得來的呢？（1:43）。瑪利亞並沒有把持不捨，自己是天主聖者之母的身份，卻貶抑自己，好像婢女一樣（斐2:6-8），急速趕去服事年老的表姊，並謙遜地向她請安（路1:44）。聖母把愛德與謙遜，完美地展示出來。因此，「惟獨信德」是不足以蒙福，不足以獲得拯救的。
天主保祐！
Fourth Sunday in Advent, Year C
Theme: Is Faith Enough?
The gospel story today is the Second Joyful Mystery of the Rosary. There are a lot of meditation materials. Moreover, it is easy to put yourselves into the story to feel what the characters feel. Let us lock into the situation and enter meditation.
According to Jewish customs, Mary was in her teens and marriageable. From her dialogue with Archangel Gabriel, we may deduce that Mary's intention was to serve the Lord in celibacy. She says to the Angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" (Luke 1:34) But she was already betrothed to Joseph. Giving birth to children was a matter of time. Therefore, her statement expresses more her intention than objective reality of her situation. Her question reveals the trouble she experienced in her heart. On the one hand, it was her ambition. On the other, it was parental arrangement. When the Angel visited her, Mary must have been praying to seek God's will to discern whether her intention was a wrong choice. The Angel's message "seemed" to tell Mary that even though celibacy was a noble ambition, it was not hers because God had other plans for her! Mary humbly obeyed and uttered an immortal saying in salvation history, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word" (1:38). This will also be the theme of the World Youth Day 2019.
After Annunciation, the future of Mary became clear. She would give birth to the holy Son of God (1:35). But what was the next step to be taken? Mary had no idea. To whom should she turn? To her girly friends? They might be jealous! To her mother? She might not understand and dismiss it as girly dreams. Luckily, Gabriel left Mary a "hotline", Elizabeth who was six months more experienced than Mary. What experience? That of God's patronage and of the removal from shame. Not everybody could enjoy this experience. It is reserved for those who are spiritually poor, meek, hunger and thirst for God's righteousness and pure in heart to be blessed to possess this experience. "During those days, Mary set out and travelled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah." (1:39) Why did Mary travel in haste to visit Elizabeth? To verify the Angel's words? It was not necessary! After a while, Mary would know whether she was pregnant. And after three months, when Elizabeth gave birth to a boy, she would know whether Gabriel was speaking the truth. Therefore, there must be other reasons why Mary travelled in haste to visit Elizabeth!
Many people attribute her haste to Mary's charity, her care and concern for the others. Elizabeth was old and you can imagine how difficult it would be for an old lady to be pregnant. Thus, Mary took the first opportunity to help her. In the future, Mary would show again her concerns for the needs of the others in Jesus' first miracle (John 2:3). Showing concerns for the needs of the others seems to be her trademark, an expression of her being the Mother of God and the Mother of the Church. That also explains why in subsequent ages, Mary has appeared many times in different locations to the children Jesus Christ entrusted to her on the cross (19:26).
I am of the opinion that Mary's haste is due to the Holy Spirit which has overshadowed her. The Holy Spirit drove her to visit Elizabeth. As the "Power of the Most High" (Luke 1:35), the Holy Spirit always drives people into action. For example, immediately after Jesus' baptism, the Holy Spirit drove him out into the desert where he remained for forty days to be tempted by Satan (Mark 1:12-13). It was the Holy Spirit which drove the Church to evangelize the Gentiles (Acts 13:2). Thus, it was the Holy Spirit which drove Mary to visit Elizabeth to bless the fetus, the future John the Baptist to be the precursor of the Saviour. Mary carried the Holy Spirit to enliven the fetus which leapt in its mother's womb. Mary also made Elizabeth filled with the Holy Spirit to speak out God's word, "Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." (Luke 1:45)
First of all, all of us have received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Like Mary, we carry the Holy Spirit and come into contact with people. Of course, not everyone we meet is blessed enough to receive the Holy Spirit. But we need to ask ourselves, do we feel the urge of the Holy Spirit to bless other people? If we do not feel such an urge, we need to ask ourselves. Have we lost the Holy Spirit? If we have, it is a grave matter and remedy has to be taken.
Brethren! This is truly a Joyful Mystery. Let us follow the exemplar of the BVM and allow the Holy Spirit to be our driving force, practise charity as well as humility in our daily life; and march onwards to sanctification.
Just then I deliberately said "seemed" because God's might is stunning. "For nothing will be impossible for God." (1:37) Giving birth to a child and celibacy are not mutually exclusive. For God is able to accomplish both at the same time! God is able to protect the virginity of Mary to make her wish come true. The Blessed Virgin Mary is the Mother of God who gives us Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Her virginity is also perpetual. Before, during and after giving birth, Mary is always a virgin. The Mighty One has done great things for her (1:49)!
Secondly, is it enough to believe to become blessed? Obviously, something unassuming is going on. It is not enough to believe alone to be blessed! For one thing, it is good to care about the others. If we persevere, it becomes a habit and a virtue without the need of deliberation. This is how loving care becomes charity. The charity of Mary came so naturally. The intensity of her charity was expressed in her haste to visit Elizabeth. For another, it is humility which is more difficult to detect but in the eyes of God, it is crystal clear. Well said Elizabeth, "And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" (1:43) Mary did not regard her identity as the Mother of God something to be grasped. Rather, she emptied herself, taking the form of a handmaid (Philippians 2:6-8) and humbled herself to serve and greeted Elizabeth (Luke 1:44). The charity and humility of the Blessed Virgin Mary are clearly displayed. Thus, "Sola Fidei" is not enough to be blessed, to be saved.
God bless!
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