主題：地獄不空
今天的福音，講述耶穌基督如何戰勝撒殫的試探，為我們作出完美的示範。耶穌基督是天主子，面對誘惑當然穩操勝券。我們先天不足，面對試探便要加倍小心了。
為甚麼在我們的生活中會出現試探呢？試探其實是一個警號，顯示我們的生活出現了危機。當我們財政穩健時，金錢決不能吸引我們。正因為沒有儲備應急的現金，所以金錢突然變得十分吸引！當我們的婚姻美滿的時候，美色決不能令我們心動。正因為夫妻缺乏溝通，婚姻出現了裂痕，第三者纔能乘虛而入，破壞家庭。正因為政治前景不明朗，當權者纔會埋沒良知，找個代罪羔羊開刀，讓自己覺得仍然大權在握。
所謂「有危必有機」，出現危機的時候，祇要處理得恰當，便是翻身的機會；處理錯了，便會一敗塗地。從信仰角度看亦是如此。天主容許試探的出現，必會給我們足夠的恩寵應付，讓我們返回祂的懷抱，給予我們更多的恩寵。例如亞巴郎獻子的考驗，亞巴郎成功了，日後成為了萬民的福源。倘若他自私地不願捨棄百歲得來的愛子依撒格，「萬民之父」將會是另有其人了！又例如達味，他原可以輕易取去追殺他的撒烏耳王的首級。倘若他這樣做，他固然可以取代撒烏耳成為以色列王，但達味必然失去天主的歡心，日後便不能成為默西亞的祖先了。因此，我們應該認真地看待試探，不能掉以輕心。
另一方面，「心神固然切願，但肉體卻軟弱。」（瑪26:41）聖經中不乏抗拒誘惑失敗的人物！從對拉匝祿無慟於衷的富翁，到利用色迷心竅的黑落德，借刀殺人，殺死洗者若翰的黑落狄雅，還有出賣耶穌基督的猶達斯。雖然教會沒有宣佈猶達斯或者黑落狄雅一定會被懲罰到地獄裡去，但大家都心裡有數！沒有殺人放火，祇是對窮人鐵石心腸的富翁也要在地獄受苦，何況那些流無辜者的血的凶手呢？雖然聖保祿宗徒告訴我們，「天主願意所有的人都得救。」（弟前2:4）但人類以往的「業績」，實在太差勁了。他們經常濫用了自由，拒絕了天主的忍耐和慈愛。所以，我們祇能對聖保祿的說話，保持審慎樂觀，「地獄」應該不是空空如也的！
既然地獄是真實的，並不是虛構來恐嚇世人行善的手段，我們對生活中所遇到的試探考驗，就不能掉以輕心了，因為一旦屈服在一次試探之下，便離開天主遠一些，接近地獄多一些。福音所記述的三個試探，是有代表性的試探。它們在耶穌基督日後的公開生活中，以另外的形式出現。因此，這些試探，將會在我們的世俗生活中，包裝成另外的形式出現。
例如互聯網和手機，就是今天最流行的試探了。在起初，互聯網帶給世人一個自由民主的願景。從前祇有大企業家，大財團纔有足夠的財力物力，出版書藉、報紙、雜誌，投資拍攝電影，在電台或電視台廣播等。這些傳媒，可以監察政府的運作，可以製造輿論，督促政府。有了互聯網，大家都可以成為企業家、作家、出版家、電影電視紅人等。表面上是民主化了，但明顯地，媒體的質素低劣了。大家經常在群組內，接收到一些不費吹灰之力轉發出來的謠言和假新聞，真叫人煩惱，卻又捨不得脫離這些群組。為甚麼我們願意把自己的精神和時間，被這些劣質的資訊充塞呢？因為我們害怕空虛！這也就是撒殫對耶穌基督的第一個試探。
肚腹的空虛，可以藉著吃適當和適量的食物，把它填滿，帶來滿足感。不過，人為了追求這種肚腹的滿足感，饑不擇食，甚至暴飲暴食，結果食出病來。同樣，心靈的空虛，我們也會想辦法把它填滿，得到心靈上的滿足感。可是，人為了追求心靈的滿足感，或者逃避一些心靈上的寂寞、痛苦、罪惡感，而「饑不擇食」，無事忙，做一些沒有多大意義的事情來填滿自己的時間。互聯網和手機，就是最應手，最能充塞時間的工具。的確，今天很多人，不但染上毒癮、賭癮，更成為工作狂、購物狂和上網成癮，都是為了填滿空虛的心靈。
在四旬期，我們預備心靈，慶祝耶穌基督的逾越奧蹟，迎接耶穌基督戰勝死亡，復活升天所帶來的永生。為甚麼我們選擇以守齋的方式來預備心靈呢？因為守齋讓我們保持肚腹空虛，處於一個空虛的狀態而不去填滿它，滿足它。我們忍受這份空虛所帶來的軟弱，並不逃避。我們倚靠的是甚麼？就是倚靠天主！我們知道，選擇垃圾食物來填滿空虛的肚皮，會影響健康，並且變成癡肥。同樣，我們可以不選擇無聊的八卦網媒，而是選擇閱讀勵志的聖人著作，使自己的心靈更健康，更渴慕天主。因此，在四旬期守齋之餘，也應該為自己的心靈，訂下促進神益的閱讀材料和閱讀計劃。守「互聯網」齋和「手機」齋！騰出時間來閱讀滋潤心靈的雞湯！
執事在這裡，推介教宗方濟各這三年來頒佈的兩份宗座勸諭：就是【愛的喜樂】和【你們要歡喜踴躍】。【愛的喜樂】探討如何藉著婚姻及家庭生活成聖。它重申彼此尊重的重要性，我們不應強加自己的意願，到配偶及子女身上。這正是針對魔鬼的第二個試探：權力慾，控制慾！所以，執事邀請大家在四旬期內，默想這兩份文件的教訓，以取代「上網癮」和「手機癮」所浪費了的時間，親近天主，遠離地獄的永火。
天主保祐！
First Lenten Sunday, Year C
Theme: Hell Is Not Empty
The gospel today tells how Jesus overcame Satan's temptations. It is a perfect exemplar for us. Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He surely overcomes all temptations. But we are inadequate. We should be more careful with temptations.
Why are there temptations in our daily life? Temptations can be an alarm showing the emergence of crises. When our financial situation is sound, money is not attractive. Just because there is no emergency fund, money suddenly becomes attractive! When our marriages are sweet, lust cannot lure us. Just because there is a breakdown of communication between the spouses, cracks appear and the third-party comes plundering. Just because the political scene is unclear, people in power will unscrupulously butcher scapegoats in order to feel that they are still in power.
Crises come with opportunities. If they are handled properly, we can overturn the tide. Otherwise, we will fall. The same applies in faith. God allows temptations and will give us enough grace to handle them so that we shall return to His bosom and obtain more graces. For example, Abraham passed the test to offer Isaac in holocaust and became the fount of blessings to all nations. Had Abraham been reluctant to give up this beloved son in old age, the Father of Many Nations would have been somebody else! David is another example. He would have easily beheaded Saul who ran after his life out of jealousy. Had David done so, he would have replaced Saul as the King of Israel but he would also have lost favour before God and failed to become the ancestor of the Messiah. Thus, we should take temptations seriously.
On the other hand, "The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:41) The Bible is littered with people fallen prey to temptations. From the Rich Man who was indifferent to Lazarus, to Herodias who killed John the Baptist with the hand of a lustful Herod, and Judas who betrayed Jesus Christ. Although the Church has never announced that Judas and Herodias were condemned to hell, few people would doubt it. Even though he had not murdered anybody, the Rich Man suffered in hell all because he was indifferent to the plights of the poor. So, what would happen to those who drank the innocent's blood? Although St. Paul tells us, "God wills everyone to be saved," (1 Timothy 2:4) the past records of humanity are too disappointing. Men always misuse their freedom and rejects God's patience and mercy. Thus, we should be cautiously optimistic with St. Paul's view. Hell will not be empty!
Since hell is for real and is not a fabrication to scare people into doing good, we should face temptations in our daily life squarely. Once we fail, we come closer to hell and farther away from God. The three temptations in the gospel are typical temptations. They appeared again in different guises later in the public ministry of Jesus Christ. Thus, these temptations shall be packaged and appear in other manners in our secular life.
For example, the Internet and the mobile phones are the most popular temptations today. In the beginning, the Internet gave us an appealing vision of freedom and democracy. Before the Internet, only cartels, entrepreneurs had the resources to publish books, newspapers, magazines; to invest in movies and to broadcast in radio and TV stations. These mass media were able to monitor the running of the state and to shape public opinions to put pressure on the government. With the Internet, all of us can be entrepreneurs, authors, publishers, movies and TV stars etc. Superficially, the media have become democratic, but obviously, the quality of the media is sickening. We are often overwhelmed by rumours and fake news in our social media groups. They could be forwarded without any effort. It is troublesome but we don't want to leave the groups. Why are we willing to fill up our time and energy with such low quality information? It is because we are afraid of emptiness! This is also Satan's first temptation to Jesus Christ.
When our stomach is empty, we fill it up with appropriate amount and kinds of food and it brings satisfaction. However, some people seek that satiation and eat without restrain. Consequently, they develop eating disorders. In a similar manner, we also want to fill up the emptiness in our hearts in order to obtain spiritual satisfaction. Some people seek spiritual satisfaction while others perhaps want to run away from spiritual loneliness, pain and guilt. They fill up their time with meaningless activities. The Internet and mobile phones are the handiest tools to fill time up. So, nowadays, not only do many people abuse substances and obsess with gambling, but they also become workaholic, shopaholic and addicted to the Internet in order to fill up the void in their hearts.
In Lent, we prepare our hearts to celebrate the Passover of Jesus Christ who defeated death, came back to life and ascended to heaven to bring us eternal life. Why do we choose fasting to prepare our hearts? Fasting keeps our stomach empty and we choose not to fill it, not to satiate it. We refuse to evade from enduring the weakness brought about with an empty stomach. Upon what do we rely? God! We know that choosing junk food to fill up an empty stomach will be harmful to our health and make us obese! Similarly, we choose not garbage social media but soul lifting holy writings of saints to make our hearts healthier and desire God more. Thus, on top of fasting in Lent, we should set up a reading schedule for our spirit. Abstain from the Internet, abstain from mobile phones! Make room for time to read chicken essence for our souls!
Here, I would like to recommend for your spiritual reading two recent Apostolic Exhortations issued by our Pope Francis: Amoris Laetitia and Gaudete et Exsultate. The former explores Christian sanctification through married and family life. It reiterates the importance of mutual respect. We should never impose our own will upon our spouses and children. This is a direct answer to the Satan's second temptation: the desire for power, the desire to control! Thus, I would like to invite all of you to meditate on the teachings of these two documents in Lent to make up the time wasted on the addiction to the Internet and mobile phones. Get close to God and stay away from the eternal life of hell.
God bless!
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