主題：送禮給主耶穌
相信大家，尤其是小朋友，收過不少生日禮物，也煩惱過送怎樣的生日禮物給別人。在價錢方面，生日禮物可以是便宜的，例如：一張生日咭或者一件生日蛋糕；可以是昂貴的，例如：一部最新型號的手機或者金銀珠寶。在價值方面，可以是不實用的，例如：請舉世知名的大提琴家馬友友，到你的生日會上演奏「生日快樂」！送生日禮物的確是一件傷腦筋的事，所以很多人送現金、封「利是」了事。雖然實際，但顯不出誠意！對，送禮物固然要考慮對方和自己的身份，但「誠意」始終是最重要的，價錢或實用與否是次要。所以，我們不應批評一個男朋友，送999朵玫瑰花給女朋友作生日禮物是浪費。這不是浪費，是浪漫！
說到送禮誠意的問題，大家可否記得福音中，曾記述一個婦人，用價值約300塊銀錢的香液為耶穌洗頭的故事嗎（谷14:3-9）？猶達斯曾批評此舉浪費，說把這300塊銀錢施捨窮人更實際（若12:5）！300塊銀錢即300日的工資。以一天工作八小時計算，今天的最低工資是$34.5，合共$82,800，如果用來買飯派發給露宿者，的確可以供給約3,000人，每人一盒飯。歌劇「萬世巨星Jesus Christ Super Star」中，猶達斯唱的歌詞就說：「飢寒交迫的人比你的腳和頭髮更為重要」。但猶達斯是出於偽善，纔為窮人發聲！耶穌為婦人的愛心辯護，說「她是為了安葬自己」之餘（12:7），耶穌亦維護猶達斯的尊嚴，並沒有揭穿他的偽善，祇是說了一句「你們常有窮人和你們在一起，至於我，你們卻不常有。」（12:8）這個故事，一再告訴我們，天主不看表面，祇看人的心，看人的誠意（撒上16:7）。
讓我們看看賢士們送給耶穌聖嬰的禮物吧！
人類向天主呈奉禮物，一般是進行祭獻，而祭獻應該由司祭主持。各位兄弟姊妹，請放心！我們領洗入教，歸於基督，亦分享了祂的三重職務，其中一個就是司祭職務。所以我們有資格主持這個祭獻。但我們是卑微的受造物，而且，我們的一切都是天主所賞賜。耶穌基督是真天主，那麼，我們還有甚麼可以祭獻給耶穌基督呢？從亞伯爾的故事中，我們認識到天主所中悅的，是我們的誠意。所以我們應該把最好的東西，奉獻給耶穌基督。
無可置疑，黃金、乳香和末藥都是貴重的物品，可惜並不實用。末藥在醫療上可以止痛，所以耶穌在十字架上時，有人「拿末藥調和的酒給他喝，耶穌卻沒有接受。」（谷15:23）按當時的習俗，末藥也是用來傅抹屍體用的。所以，送末藥給耶穌聖嬰，的確沒有甚麼實用價值，而是用來象徵耶穌基督的先知身份和是真人的身份。
乳香祇會在聖殿祭獻時纔用得著，在日常生活中根本找不到甚麼用途。所以送上乳香更加不切實際，它祇是用來象徵耶穌基督的司祭身份和是真天主的身份。
在三份禮物中，黃金應該是最實際吧！錯！在日常生活中，你會不會拿黃金往街市購物呢？有沒有大額的買賣交易，需要動用黃金呢？而且，作為低下階層的平民百姓，擁有黃金可能會帶來麻煩，你怎樣解釋黃金的來源呢？是搶刧得來的嗎？所以，收到黃金作生日禮物，也是得物無所用，它是用來象徵耶穌基督的君王身份而已！賢士的禮物固然表達了他們的誠意，而且還彰顯了耶穌基督多方面的身份：祂既是真天主，又是真人，這是「降生奧蹟」。此外，這些禮物還總結了舊約時代三個重要的，天人交往的職務：就是君王、司祭和先知。
我們是按天主的肖像所造（創1:26），所以天主是我們生命的主宰，而我們祇是這生命的管家。既然我們的生命受到原罪的污染，失去了天主的光榮，所以我們能夠奉獻給天主最有誠意的禮物，就是一個恢復了天主光榮的生命，一個成聖了的生命。天父派遣耶穌基督降生，拯救人類，教導我們成聖之道。所以，奉獻給耶穌聖嬰的禮物，莫過於按照耶穌基督所教導的「真福八端」去生活，活出成聖的生活。執事在這裡，再一次呼籲大家，閱讀和學習教宗方濟各去年頒佈的【你們要歡喜踴躍】宗座勸諭，窮一生的努力，實踐如何在現代社會中，成聖的方法。最後，可以把成聖了的生命，奉獻給耶穌聖嬰了！
天主保祐！
Epiphany, Year C
Theme: Giving a Gift to Lord Jesus
I believe all of you, especially children, must have received many birthday presents, as well as suffering headache figuring out what birthday presents to give. Money-wise, birthday presents can be low-cost such as a birthday card or a birthday cake. They can be expensive such as the latest model of i-phone or even jewellery. Value-wise, they can be impracticable, such as hiring the world renowned cellist Ma Yau Yau to play "Happy Birthday to you" at your party. Giving birthday presents is really brain-bending. Thus many people simply give money in the form of lai-see. Although it is pragmatic, it lacks sincerity. Right! Besides considering the statuses of both parties, sincerity is the primary concern. Money or value are secondary. Thus, we should not criticize a boy-friend who gives 999 roses on his girl-friend's birthday for being extravagant. It is not. Rather, it is romantic!
Talking about sincerity reminds me of a gospel story. A woman anointed Jesus with an ointment worth more than 300 silver pieces (Mark 14:3-9). Judas criticized her for being wasteful and said that giving 300 silver pieces to the poor benefited more people (John 12:5)! Three hundred silver pieces were the wage of 300 days of labour. Take an eight-hour working day and the minimum wage today of $34.5 per hour, gives $82,800. If we buy lunchboxes for the homeless, surely more than 3000 people would benefit. In the musical, Jesus Christ Superstar, Judas sings, "People who are hungry, people who are starving matter more than your feet and hair!". Of course, Judas voiced for the poor out of hypocricy. Jesus defended the charity of the woman, saying "she keeps this for the day of my burial" (12:7). But Jesus also defended the dignity of Judas without exposing his hypocricy. Jesus simply says, "You have the poor always with you, but me you have not always." (12:8) This story affirms once more that God does not look on outward appearance, but on the heart, on the sincerity (1 Samuel 16:7).
Let us take a look at the gifts of the Magi to the Holy Infant!
Men offer God gifts usually in the form of sacrifice and sacrifices are presided by priests. Brethren! No problem. Through baptism, we belong to Christ and share his threefold ministries. One of them is priesthood. Thus, we are qualified to preside over this sacrifice. But we are only humble creatures and all we have are given by God. Jesus Christ is truly divine. Then, what can we offer to Jesus Christ? From the story of Abel, we know that God loves our sincerity. Therefore, we should offer our best to Jesus Christ.
Without doubt, gold, frankincense and myrrh are precious gifts. Unfortunately, they are not practicable. Medically, myrrh kills pain. Thus when Jeus was hanging on the cross, some people "gave him to drink wine mingled with myrrh; but he received it not." (Mark 15:23) According to customs, Jews anointed the dead with myrrh before burial. Thus, giving myrrh to infant Jesus was not practical. It only symbolizes the prophetic role of Jesus Christ and his being truly human.
Frankincense was only used in Temple sacrifices. It found no use in daily life. Thus, giving frankincense was even more impractical. It only symbolizes the priestly role of Jesus Christ and his being truly divine.
Among the three gifts, gold should be the most practical, righ? Wrong! In ordinary daily life, would you buy groceries with gold? What mega-value transactions do you need gold? In particular, for low-class commoners, possessing gold could be problematic. Where did the gold come from? From robbery? Thus, receiving gold as birthday present is useless. It only symbolizes the kingship of Jesus Christ! The Magi's presents not only show their sincerity, but they also manifest the many roles of Jesus Christ. He is truly divine and truly human. This is the Incarnation Mystery. Moreoever, these gifts summarize the three most crucial ministries of divine-human interactions in the Old Testament: king, priest and prophet.
We were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26). So, God is the author of our life and we are only stewards of this life. Since this life has been contaminated by the Original Sin and missed the glory of God, the most sincere gift we can offer God is a life restored of God's glory, a sanctified life. The Father sent Jesus Christ to save mankind and to teach us the way of sanctification. Therefore, no gift for the Holy Infant is better than leading a life according to the Beatitudes taught by Jesus Christ, a life of sanctification. Here, I appeal to you once more, study and learn from "Gaudete et Exsultate", the Apostolic Exhortation which Pope Francis issued last year. Put the effort of our whole life into practizing sanctification in the modern world. Then, we may offer this sanctified life to the Holy Infant!
God bless!
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