主題：建立家庭傳統
在所有團體組織中，家庭是最細小的。農業社會以大家庭為主流，雖然大家庭不及村和鄉的廣泛，但總算可以自給自足。家庭成員在特定的場合聚集慶祝，例如生辰、死忌，漸漸形成了個別大家庭的傳統。這傳統承擔著大家庭的凝聚功能，使大家庭不會輕易瓦解。到了工業社會，為了配合工廠的生產模式，核心家庭成為主流。核心家庭人數少，甚至是沒有兒女的二人世界，或者是單親家庭。這樣細小的家庭，怎樣建立傳統呢？沒有了傳統，沒有了大家庭作後盾，各方面的支援變得脆弱。離婚和家暴的個案，節節攀升。這是盲目地追求經濟發達所付出的代價。所以，現代的家庭生活是艱難痛苦的。那麼，維持一個現代天主教家庭，是否更艱難呢？
對不起，相信耶穌基督的人沒有特權，對人世間的罪惡和痛苦，並沒有免疫。梵二的《教會在現代世界》牧職憲章，開宗明義說：「我們這時代的人們，尤其貧困者和遭受折磨者，所有喜樂與期望、愁苦與焦慮，亦是基督信徒的喜樂與期望、愁苦和焦慮。」（GE#1）半世紀以來，天主教會站在弱勢社群一邊，倡議保障他們的尊嚴和權益。備受衝擊的家庭制度和遇上困難的實體家庭，亦是天主教教會所關注。無可否認，聖召源於家庭，受傷的家庭，又怎能培養出健康的聖召呢？所以，教會不能漠視家庭的困景。教宗方濟各在2016年頒佈的《愛的喜樂》宗座勸諭，坦白地說：「天主的聖言並非一連串抽象的理論；為所有經歷困難和痛苦的家庭來說，天主的話在旅途上陪伴他們，並指出旅途的終站，那時候，天主要拭去他們眼上的一切淚。」（AL#22）所以，與天下間所有各式各樣的家庭一樣，天主教家庭同樣會遭遇困難和痛苦。但他們擁有一個優勢，就是降生了的天主聖言，與他們同甘共苦，陪伴他們到達終站，天上的家鄉！
教宗方濟各在勸諭中，推薦納匝肋聖家作為，不祇是教友家庭，而是所有家庭的典範！他說：「所有家庭都應奉納匝肋聖家為典範。聖家的日常生活有其勞苦，甚至遇上惡夢般的經歷…一如瑪利亞，家庭也蒙召不論環境順逆，也要懷著勇氣和平安，面對各種挑戰，並把天主成就的大事默存心中…」（#30）在勸諭總結時，更為我們編寫了一篇《聖家禱詞》（#325）
西默盎與亞納的出現，填補了聖家，這個核心家庭的空缺。今天的商業社會，以賺錢能力衡量一個人的價值，認定大部份長者為社會的負擔，分薄了賺錢的資源，很少人會欣賞長者們的經驗和智慧了！福音中的這兩位長者，向世人發出清晰的訊息，不可無視天主的存在！雖然福音沒有記載亞納的一句說話，但她六十三年來在聖殿的生活（路2:36-37），響亮地告訴世人，即使在羅馬帝國六十三年來的殖民統治下，天主仍沒有離棄，一直照顧著她，照顧著猶太人民！
在天主子面前，西默盎所說的話（2:29-35），算不了甚麼預言，甚麼智慧！對了，這是長者應有的態度。不應依恃豐富的人生經歷，便目空一切，迫年青的一代接受已過時的方法和局面！這亦是教宗方濟各在《愛的喜樂》中重複提及的德行之一：溫柔。且讓我列舉幾處：
各位兄弟姊妹，不要放棄，讓我們繼續祈禱，求天主聖神暖化我們冷卻了的愛心，在家庭生活中，彼此溫柔地互相扶持，朝成聖之路邁進。
若瑟、瑪利亞和耶穌，是典型的核心家庭。聖家三口，服膺猶太的傳統，行取潔禮與及奉獻耶穌於聖殿，這是首生子出生後四十日的猶太習俗（路2:22）。天主聖子來到世上，無意推翻人世間的習俗和法律，而是來成全它（瑪5:17）。聖言成了血肉，提昇了卑陋的人性到超性的層面，是何等神奇的一步。把披上血肉之軀的聖子奉獻給天父，象徵了天主悅納這曾蒙污的肖像，重回祂的懷抱。天父的慈悲，是何等的包容。所以，按傳統習俗生活，是家庭生活的一個不可或缺的部份。一個家庭除了一般的維繫家庭成員關係的傳統外，應建立與神明有關的「信仰傳統」，以維繫天人的關係。例如，年初一到廟宇上香，或者某些特定日子祇吃齋等。同理，天主教家庭也應在家庭生活中，注入信仰的元素，建立信仰傳統，並在履行傳統中，與天主相遇。
對！溫柔是一種德行，不是與生俱來，而是經過學習和實踐，培養出來的。更重要的，溫柔是「真福八端」之一，是賦予應許的一個德行（瑪5:5）。怎樣培養溫柔的德行呢？在破碎了的家庭可以嗎？在充滿家暴，對配偶、長者或兒童的家庭可以嗎？倘若這是天主的旨意，不是完全沒有可能的（路1:37）！但在一般的情況下，應該好像聖家一樣，是建立了信仰傳統，能讓聖神自由地吹送的家庭，纔容易培養溫良的德行。
天主保祐！
2017年講道
圖片鳴謝：彩虹邨聖家堂，haikudeck.com
Feast of the Holy Family, Year B
Theme: Establish A Family Tradition
Among all kinds of communities, family is the smallest. In agricultural societies, extended family is the norm. Although extended families are not as comprehensive as villages, they manage to be self-sufficient. Family members come together at specific occasions to celebrate, e.g. birthdays or death anniversaries. Gradually, those occasions become traditions for individual extended families. These traditions bring family members together so that the extended families would not disintegrate easily. For industrial societies, nuclear families become the norm because they work best in factory mode of production. The number of family members is small, such as couples without children or even single-parent families. How could such small families establish their traditions? Without traditions, without extended families to fall back to, support becomes fragile. Divorces and domestic violence soar. This is the price to pay when people seek economic prosperity blindly. Thus, modern family life is harsh and painful. Then, is maintaining a modern Catholic family even harder?
Regret to say, believers in Jesus Christ do not enjoy privileges. They are not immune from sins and sufferings in this world. "Gaudium et Spes", the pastoral constitution of Vatican II, makes it clear from the start and says, "The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the men of this age, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, these are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ." (GE#1) For more than half a century, the Catholic Church stands with the disadvantaged and advocates the protection of their dignity and rights. She also cares for the much assaulted family institution and concrete families in difficulties. Undeniably, vocation comes from families. How can wounded families produce healthy vocations? Thus, the Church cannot afford to ignore the difficult situations families are facing. In the apostolic exhortation "Amoris Laetitia" he promulgated in 2016, Pope Francis says, "The word of God is not a series of abstract ideas but rather a source of comfort and companionship for every family that experiences difficulties or sufferings. For it shows them the goal of their journey, when God will wipe away every tear from their eyes" (AL#22).Thus, like all sorts of families in the world, Catholic families will encounter the same difficulties and sufferings. But they have an advantage. The incarnated word of God shall accompany them in joy and sorrows until they reach the goal, the heaven above!
In the apostolic exhortation, Pope Francis recommends the Holy Family to be an exemplar, not just for Catholic families, but for all families! He says, "Every family should look to the icon of the Holy Family of Nazareth. Its daily life had its share of burdens and even nightmares … Like Mary, they are asked to face their family's challenges with courage and serenity, in good times and bad, and to keep in their heart the great things which God has done …" (#30) In concluding the exhortation, he even writes us a "Prayer to the Holy Family" (#325).
The emergence of Simeon and Anna filled up a void in the Holy Family, a nuclear family. Today, commercial societies measure the worth of a person in terms of his capability to make money. Most senior citizens are regarded as burdens of the society, thinning out resources to earn more. Few people care about the experiences and wisdom of the aged! These two senior citizens in the gospel speak clearly and loudly that people should never ignore the existence of God! Although Anna does not say a word in the gospel, her spending 63 years of life in the Temple (Luke 2:36-37) proclaims loudly to the world that even under the 63 years of Roman colonial rule, God has not abandoned. God takes good care of her and the Jewish people!
Before the Son of God, the words of Simeon (2:29-35) is nothing, not prophecies or wisdom! Right! This should be the proper attitude of the aged. They should not bank on their jaded experiences and impose their outdated methods or visions on the younger generations. This is also a virtue Pope Francis keeps talking about in Amoris Laetitia: tenderness. Let me quote a few passages:
Brethren! Don't give up. Let us keep praying to the Holy Spirit to inflame our frozen heart of charity so that we may support each other with tenderness in our family life and head off to sanctification.
Joseph, Mary and Jesus form a typical nuclear family. They observed Jewish tradition to complete purification and to present Jesus to the Lord. This is a Jewish custom to be observed forty days after the birth of the firstborn son (Luke 2:22). The Son of God who came down to earth did not intend to abolish the law or customs but to fulfil (Matthew 5:17). The Word took up flesh to elevate the inglorious humanity to a supernatural level. What a marvellous move! Offering up the Son clothed in flesh to the Father, symbolizes the acceptance of the tarnished image of God and a return to the bosom of the Father whose mercy is boundless. Thus following tradition is an indispensable part of family life. Besides traditions to maintain the relationships among family members, it is advisable to establish religious traditions in relation to deities. For examples, offering incense to deities on the Lunar New Year, or abstain from meat on certain days. Similarly, Catholic families should infuse religious elements in their family life and establish traditions of faith so as to encounter God while observing them.
Right! Tenderness is a virtue, not an inborn aptitude. It is cultivated through learning and practising. More significantly, tenderness/meekness is one of the Beatitudes which carry a promise of reward (Matthew 5:5). How do we cultivate the virtue of tenderness? Can we do it in broken families? Can it be done in families with domestic violence against spouses, elderly and children? If it is God's will, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37)! But under ordinary circumstances, families like the Holy Family in which religious traditions have been established to allow the Holy Spirit to blow freely would be more promising.
God bless!
