主題：為甚麼教會不譴責暴力？
天主按祂的肖像造了人（創1:26），祂完全明白人的美麗和人的有限，祇不過人自己不知道。天主明白知識的威力，亦知道有限的人，沒有足夠能力駕馭知識。因此，天主吩咐亞當不要吃「知善惡樹」上的果子（2:17）。不要以為這是神話故事，其實很多神話故事，記載了不少智慧，不少人生哲理。
真的，知識的確帶來力量。且看，人類掌握了越來越多的知識，帶來了越來越進步的社會生活。人類懂得運用火，既可以取暖，又可以驅趕猛獸；還可以煮食，更好地吸收營養，令腦袋更發達，累積更多知識。運用火力，可以不再倚賴動物的能量或天然的風力，穿州過省，遠渡重洋。後來更開發了電的能量，不但照亮黑夜，更可超越空間的限制，進行通訊。今天，人類已經掌握核能，幾乎有用之不盡的能源了！但同時，因為我們沒有足夠能力駕馭知識，我們對善惡的判斷，我們的倫理道德和我們的法律，遠遠落後我們發明的科技。更有甚者，我們的驕傲和自私，令我們凌駕道德和法律之上，有法不依，做出害己害人的不道德行為。結果，我們污染了我們所生活的環境，毀滅了不少地球上其他的物種；連我們自己的基因，也被一些沒有道德底線的野心家，扮演天主，試圖改造！
隨著社會的進步，人民的生活環境改良了不少；人民的教育水平高了，民智提高了。今天的互聯網，使普羅大眾，輕而易舉地接收到很多的資訊和知識。可惜，我們對善惡的標準，對頒布這標準的天主的認識，並沒有相應的提高。難怪耶穌基督在二千年前，已慨嘆：「引人跌倒的事是免不了的。」（路17:1）
是驕傲和自私在作祟，使我們雖然擁有大量的資訊，但我們卻未能從中找到真理，以為自己所見所聞的，就是正確；雖然我們接觸到大量的言論，但我們卻不能判辨善惡，還以為自己站在道德高位；雖然我們每天在社交媒體看到大量的新聞，但我們竟然習慣了暴力場面，對傷者毫無惻隱之心，以為那些「暴徒」抵死；雖然我們每天唸天主經，說甚麼「願祢的旨意奉行在人間，如同在天上。」（瑪6:10）但我們竟然覺得天意難料！倘若我們仍然是自我中心的話，天主的旨意，真是很難掌握啊！
聖經記載了天主的聖言，在那裡我們不難找到天主的旨意。
另一方面，有些教堂，因為個別原因，沒有開放給有需要的人休息避難的時候，又令到部份教友對教會失望！他們可曾體諒，為甚麼聖堂沒有開放呢？
其次，教友蒙召成聖，作為耶穌基督在世的大使，宣講福音。福音是甚麼？就是保祿宗徒說的：「天主在基督內使世界與自己和好，不再追究他們的過犯。」（格後5:19）。所以，我們作為基督的大使，就是做「修和大使」，宣講「與天主修和，與人修和」的說話。怎樣宣講呢？做「時事評論員」嗎？這邊廂，教友覺得教會沒有譴責暴徒掟磚縱火，非常失望，覺得教會在默許暴力，推青年人去死！那邊廂，又有教友怪責主教沒有遺憾不守法的警察，把無辜市民毆打致終身殘廢，助紂為虐，沒有履行教會作為社會良心，作為先知的角色。
請問譴責和遺憾，就是宣講修和嗎？
這120日以來，不少基督教天主教的神職人員，走出教堂，進入人群中間，尋找並安慰受傷的人；或者邀請市民和教友守齋祈禱，唸玫瑰經，明供聖體，參加彌撒和心靈治療工作坊等，讓願意的人，可以與天主和好，尋求身心的修和！六大宗教領袖，
- 於6月12日呼籲政府尊重民意；
- 於6月18日呼籲市民接受特首的道歉；
- 8月31日呼籲政府及示威人士停下來，給大家兩個月的冷靜期；
- 10月2日，呼籲政府與市民克制等等。
天主保祐。
2016年講道
圖片鳴謝：https://www.christiantoday.com/article/3-ways-you-can-cause-others-to-stumble-on-their-faith/90952.htm
Twenty Seventh Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: Why Does the Church Not Condemn Violence? God created men in His image (Genesis 1:26). He knows perfectly the beauty and limitations of mankind, but we don't. God also knows the power of knowledge and the finitude of men. They don't have enough power to handle knowledge. Thus God told Adam not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (2:17). Don't dismiss it as a myth because myths carry much wisdom and lessons of life.
Truly, knowledge brings power. See how more and more knowledge men accumulate, social life is getting more and more advanced. Men discovered fire which gave warmth and chased away wild beasts. Moreover, with cooking, men were able to obtain more nutrition and their brains developed and accumulated more knowledge. Using fire power, men no longer relied on animal forces to travel or wind forces to sail across the oceans. With the discovery of electricity, men were able to work longer hours even when night fell. We were even able to communicate across vast distances. Today, humanity seems to be able to harness infinite power with nuclear energy! But at the same time, we do not have enough power to handle knowledge. Our judgment of good and evil, our morality and laws fall far behind the technology we have invented. Worse still, our pride and selfishness put us above the law. We do not follow proper procedures, taking unethical actions which harm everybody. Consequently, we contaminate the environment we live in and destroy many other species. Some unscrupulous and ambitious people even want to play God to modify our own genes!
With advances in the society, the living standard of people has improved. Most people are literate. The Internet is making much information and knowledge accessible to most people. Unfortunately, our standard of good and evil as well as our knowledge of God who sets the standard have never been raised. No wonder Jesus Christ lamented two millennia ago that "Things that cause sin will inevitably occur!" (Luke 17:1a)
It is due to our pride and selfishness. Although we can gain access to a large amount of information, we are not able to discover the truth. We think what we have seen and heard are true. Although we come into contact with many opinions, we are not able to discern good from bad. We think that we are standing on moral high ground. Although we are fed much news every day from the social media, we get so used to violent scenes that we do not feel sad about the victims. We believe that they deserve to be beaten up. Although we recite the Lord's Prayer daily, saying "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10), we find God's will evasive! If we are self-centred, God's will can be evasive!
The Word of God is found in the Bible where it is not difficult to discover God's will.
First of all, God loves the disadvantaged. Many passages from the Torah, Psalms, Prophets and Apostolic Epistles confirm that God works righteousness for the fatherless, widows and aliens and warn that if we ill-treat them, God shall make our children fatherless and our wives widows. (Exodus 22:22-24; Psalms 68:6, 146:9; Isaiah 1:17; James 1:27) In the famous Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus Christ teaches us to disregard races, religious affiliation as well as political stance and extend a helping hand to the needy indiscriminately so as to practise the commandment of "loving thy neighbour as thyself". In the discourse on the Last Judgment, he makes it clear that "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me." (Matthew 25:40)
Non-believers, such as editors of takungpao.com and delegates of CPPCC, criticize the Church for sheltering the rioters, giving them place to hide, to change clothes to evade police arrest etc. It is understandable because they do not know the teachings of the Bible. Regrettably, some learned members of the laity criticized our priests in similar manners. They even wrote to the Cardinal to complain! Don't they know that helping the needy is an indisputable stance of the social teachings of the Church?
On the other hand, some members of the laity are disappointed because some churches, for some reasons, were not open to shelter the needy! Have they ever tried to understand why those churches were not open?
Secondly, we are called to sanctification, to be ambassadors of Jesus Christ to proclaim the gospel. What is the gospel? St. Paul says, "God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them." (2 Corinthians 5:19) Therefore, as Christ's ambassadors, we are ambassadors of reconciliation, proclaiming words of "reconciliation with God and reconciliation with men". How do we proclaim? Shall we become commentators of current affairs? On one side, some members of the laity are disappointed that the Church did not condemn rioters who threw bricks and set fire. When the Church is silent before violence, she is pushing young people to die! On the other side, other members of the laity blame the bishop for not reproaching the Police who do not follow the procedures, crippling innocent bystanders. She is supporting a repressive regime, not acting as the conscience of the society and discharging the ministry of a prophet!
I would like to ask, are condemnation and reproach appropriate ways to proclaim reconciliation?
On the previous 120 days, many Christian pastors and Catholic clergy went out of the church, entered the crowd to seek and to console the wounded; or to invite people and faithful to fast, pray, say the rosary, adore the Holy Eucharist, join masses and attend spiritual healing workshops etc. For those who are willing, the Church helps them reconcile with God and with themselves! Leaders of six major religions in Hong Kong
- appealed to the government to listen to the demands of the people on June 12,
- appealed to the people to accept the apology of the Chief Executive on June 18,
- appealed to the government as well as the rioters to stop and calm down for two months on August 31 and
- appealed to the government to restrain on October 2 etc.
God bless!
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