主題：天主的慈悲有限期嗎？
天主按自己的肖像，創造了人類（創1:26）。雖然人類並不完美，但人類始終擁有天主的特質。我們相信「公義」是天主的本質之一，所以人類與生俱來，渴望公義。
我們相信一個有如慈父的天主，當我們遇上任何困難挫折，天父必定會出手援助，祂不會讓我們遭遇不幸！這種思想不但給予我們很大的安慰，而且這是真理，是聖經的真理。另一方面，我們相信天主是公義的。所以，即使現世看不到正義的伸張，我們仍深信有「最後審判」，「賞善罰惡」的天主，會還含冤受屈者一個公道！這是真理，但不是真理的全部。雖然人類吃了「知善惡樹」的果子，有知善惡的能力，但是我們心目中的善惡，不一定符合天主心目中的善惡。因為我們受到原罪的影響，受私慾偏情所束縛。我們認為好的，可能祇滿足一己的私慾，沒有考慮到為身邊的人帶來甚麼影響。人類的思想，始終不及天主的思想（依55:8-9）；我們對於公義的尺度，始終不及天主的公義。所以當痛苦發生在我們身上時，我們很容易受到「賞善罰惡」思想的影響，以為疾病，災難或者任何的不幸，都是天主懲罰我們所犯的罪。今天的福音，正要處理這個問題。
首先，請注意耶穌基督的用詞：「…比其他所有的加里肋亞人更有罪，纔遭此禍害嗎？…比耶路撒冷的其他一切居民罪債更大嗎？」（路13:2，4）耶穌基督用了「所有人」和「一切居民」，言下之意，所有人或多或少都有罪。保祿說：「所有的人都犯了罪，都失掉了天主的光榮」（羅3:23），就是這個意思。今天社會進步了，科學昌明了，很多生存的問題已解決了，人的自信加強了。要現代人承認自己是個罪人，一個有缺陷的人，一個虧欠了天主的人，非常困難！而且，我們生活有後資訊科技的時代，當權者操控傳媒，製造假新聞，散播謠言，找社會上的弱勢群做代罪羔羊，轉移群眾對當權者的不滿，令大部份人真假難分，看不清誰來負上道德責任！請記著！無論我們是有權勢，抑或是蟻民；是富有抑或是貧窮；站在道德高地抑或是被千夫所指，在天主面前，我們全部不合格，浪費了天主所賜的「塔冷通」，喪失了天主所賜的恩寵與光榮（瑪25:25）。當我們慶幸自己沒有犯罪，並且鄙視那些「公開罪人」時，我們祇不過是「五十步笑百步」而已（路18:11）！我們忘記了自己的好大喜功，忘記了自己的執著，忘記了自己正在「好心做壞事」，忘記了自己正在做「怪獸家長」，令自己和身邊的人受苦，違反了愛德！我們真的全部不合格。
因此，當災難發生在某一小撮人身上時，並不表示他們更有罪。所謂「生有時，死有時。」（訓3:2）他們祇不過時辰到了，他們用完了他們在世的時間而已。好像一般的天災人禍一樣，可能他們剛巧在錯誤的時間，出現在錯誤的地點，結果死於非命，甚至死無葬身之地！因此，說在這些事件中死去的人「更」有罪，並不符合邏輯。所以，耶穌基督忠告聽眾，「如果你們不悔改，你們都要同樣喪亡。（路13:3，5）這句說話，耶穌基督不是說了一次，而是兩次，可見祂是如何焦急。因為世人時常被似是而非的謬論，例如「善有善報，惡有惡報」、「多勞多得」等所誤導！
真理其實並不複雜，聖經說：「天主是愛」（若一4:8，16），又說：「天主願意所有的人都得救，並得以認識真理」（弟前2:4）。既然天主愛我們，又願意所有的人都得救，天主一定不會讓我們落地獄的！錯！天主的愛並非溺愛，縱容人類犯罪。犯罪使我們遠離天主，天主豈會自我矛盾呢？十年前，榮休教宗本篤十六世，發表了【在真理中實踐愛德】的通諭，說：「本人深知愛德能迷失方向，也能喪失它本有的意義…我們有可能誤解愛，把它排除於倫理生活之外…使愛德不能發揮應有的功效…所以，我們一定要將愛德與真理相提並論。」（CV #2）天主透過耶穌基督，教導我們真理。所以我們有責任認識耶穌基督，認識真理，力行仁愛，在真理中實踐愛德，使愛德能發揮它應有的功效！這就是耶穌基督所指的「悔改」（路13:3，5），就是按福音的精神，即「真福八端」的精神生活！
今天聽到福音的第二部份是一個種植無花果樹的比喻。無花果樹（13:6）象徵了甚麼呢？三年（13:7）象徵了甚麼呢？糞（13:8）代表甚麼？眾多教父的釋經之中，我認為聖奧思定的解釋貼合路加的寫作動機，所以我探取他的解釋。聖奧思定認為「無花果樹」象徵全人類，「三年」象徵三個天主接觸人類的時代：聖祖時代、法律與先知時代和福音時代。很令天主失望，三個時代都交白卷，沒有結出信德的果實！可幸天主是仁慈的，是很有耐性的。「糞」象徵謙卑。天主願意開展第四個時代，加強謙卑，希望人類會回頭悔改，信從福音，按真福八端的精神生活！那麼，第四個時代何時結束呢？會不會結束呢？天主的仁慈有限期嗎？沒有，但我們每個人都有自己的大限，是我們所不知道的。即使天主的慈悲沒有時限，我們總不能任性妄為，錯過了自己的大限，死不悔改！
各位兄弟姊妹，讓我們響應教宗方濟各，在【你們要歡喜踴躍】宗座勸諭的呼籲，按真福八端的精神，活出基督徒成聖的寵召！
可惜我們所生活的社會中，充斥著各式各樣，我們認為不公義的事物。雖然眼見作惡的人消遙法外，正直的人受盡挫折，但我們仍然相信，這個世界是有公義的，有報應的。「善有善報，惡有惡報，善惡到頭終有報」等是多麼合理的思想，它可以保持我們心理健康。倘若長時間生活在不明朗的環境中，對發生在身邊的事物，長期得不到合理的解釋，不能作出合理的預測，我們的心靈會很困擾，精神容易崩潰！可惜，這些思想都是錯誤的！
天主保祐！
Third Lenten Week, Year C
Theme: Shall God's Mercy Expire?
God created men in His own image (Genesis 1:26). Although men are not perfect, men possess God's characteristics. We believe that justice is one of God's characteristics. Therefore, the desire for justice is innate.
We believe in a fatherly God. When we encounter any difficulties, God will deliver us from evil. This idea is not just consoling but is also a truth, a Biblical truth. On the other hand, we believe that God is righteous. Thus, even if justice does not prevail in this world, we strongly believe in the Last Judgment. God, who rewards the good and punishes the evil, shall see justice done to the oppressed! This is a truth, but not the whole truth. Although we have eaten the fruit of the tree of "Knowledge of Good and Evil" and have the ability to know such, the good and evil in our hearts may not be the same as in God's heart. It is because we are affected by the Original Sin, stumbled by concupiscence. What we see as good might only satisfy our selfish desires. We might not have thought about how it affects people around us. Our thoughts are not God's thoughts (Isaiah 55:8-9). Our measure of justice does not match God's justice. Thus, when sufferings fall upon us, we are easily affected by the idea of "rewarding good and punishing evil". We think that illnesses, disasters or misfortunes are punishments for our sins. The gospel today deals with this problem.
First of all, pay attention to Jesus' wording, "… Were they greater sinners than all other Galileans? … Were they more guilty than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem?" (Luke 13:2, 4) Jesus Christ uses "all other" and "everyone else". In other words, everybody is somewhat sinful. Paul says the same when he writes, "All have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God." (Romans 3:23) Today, the society has become progressive. Science is so advanced that many existential problems have been solved. Men have become more confident. It is extremely difficult for modern men to admit that they are sinners, are inadequate and owe God something! Moreover, we are living in a post-Information Technology era. People in power manipulate the media, farm fake news, spread rumours and make scapegoats out of the underprivileged to divert people's dissatisfaction. Many people are unable to tell truth from fallacies, to see clearly who are morally responsible! Remember! Whether you are in power, or are just commoners, rich or poor, morally impeccable or publicly scandalous, all of us fail before God. We waste God's given "talents" and lose God's grace and glory (Matthew 25:25). When we are glad that we have not sinned, and despise public sinners, we are only pots calling kettles black (Luke 18:11)! We forget that we are ambitious, that we are stubborn, that we are doing evil in good intentions and that we are "monster parents" etc. We make ourselves and people close to us suffer. It is against charity! Truly, we all fail.
Therefore, when disaster strikes and a group of people demise, it does not mean that they are more sinful! "A time to give birth, and a time to die." (Ecclesiastes 3:2) Their time has come. They have used up all their time on earth. Just like any other disasters or accidents, they just happen to turn up in the wrong place at the wrong time. Consequently, they die an untimely death and even cannot be properly buried. Thus, it is illogical to say that these people are more sinful. Thus, Jesus Christ advised the audience, "If you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!" (Luke 13:3, 5) Not just once, but twice. How anxious Jesus was! It is because people are often misguided by fallacies such as "The good shall be rewarded and evil punished" and "Efforts pay" etc.
Truth is not complicated. The Bible says, "God is love" (1 John 4:8, 16) and that "God wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth." (1 Timothy 2:4) Since God loves us and wills that all shall be saved, God will not send us to hell! Wrong! God's love is not an indulgent love which allows humanity to commit sins which drag us away from God. How can God be contradictory? Ten years ago, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI issued the encyclical "Caritas in Veritate" which says, "I am aware of the ways in which charity has been and continues to be misconstrued and emptied of meaning, with the consequent risk of being misinterpreted, detached from ethical living… hence the need to link charity with truth." (CV #2) Through Jesus Christ, God teaches us the truth. It is our responsibility to know Jesus Christ, to know the truth and practise charity. Practise charity in truth so that charity can be relevant in different fields of human lives! This is what Jesus Christ teaches about "repentance" (Luke 13:3, 5). It is to lead a life in the spirit of the gospel, in the spirit of the Beatitudes!
The second part of the gospel we read today is a parable of planting a fig tree. What does the fig tree (13:6) symbolize? Three years (13:7)? Dung (13:8)? Among the exegesis of Church Fathers, I think that of St. Augustine comes close to Luke's writing purpose. Thus I choose his interpretation. St. Augustine opines that the fig tree symbolizes the whole humanity. Three years symbolizes the three ages in which God came into contact with humanity: the Patriarchs era, Law & Prophet era and the Gospel era. Disappointingly, they bore no fruit of faith! Fortunately, God is merciful and patient. Dung symbolizes humility. God is willing to kick off a fourth era in which He shall strengthen humility, hoping that men would repent, believe in the good news and lead a life in the spirit of the Beatitudes! Then, when will the fourth era close? Will it come to an end? Has God's mercy an expiry date? No, but the days of each of us are numbered and we don't know when. Even though God's mercy never expires, we cannot lead a reckless life and meet our doomsday before we repent!
Brethren! Let us follow the appeal of Pope Francis in his Apostolic Exhortation, "Gaudete et Exsultate", lead our life in the spirit of the Beatitudes, a life called to sanctification!
Unfortunately, the society in which we live in is full of all sorts of injustice in our eyes. We see the wicked prosper and the righteous frustrated. But we still believe that there is justice in the world. "Good and evil shall be rewarded accordingly". "In the end, justice shall prevail". Such ideas are very reasonable. They help maintain our sanity. If we stay in uncertainty for too long or things cannot be reasonably explained for too long or we cannot make reasonable predictions, our minds will be disturbed. Our sanity will collapse. Unfortunately, these ideas are wrong!
God bless!
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