主題：應向窮人伸手施惠
2016年慈悲禧年閉幕時，教宗方濟各宣佈，把每年的常年期第三十三主日，即「耶穌基督普世君王節」前一個主日，定為「世界窮人日」，今年已是第四屆了。在慶祝末日時，天主子耶穌基督君臨天下之前，提醒世人關懷窮人，回應耶穌基督在瑪竇福音第二十五章的忠告：「凡你們我這些最小兄弟的一個所做的，就是對我做的。」（瑪25:40）是非常恰當的。今年的主題是「應向窮人伸手施惠」，在疫情變成生活的新常態的今天，真是別有一番意義！
與死亡一樣，病毒無分貴賤，上至總統王子，下至露宿者或者獨居長者，無一倖免。在經濟受到重創的今天，人人都受著不同程度的打擊。雖然富人的財產「蒸發」了很多，但窮人因為缺乏保障，儲蓄不足，承受著比富人更沉重的傷害！因此，因為收入減少了甚至失業了，而硬著心腸，不肯伸手幫助比自己處境更惡劣的窮人，理據並不充份。其實，倘若你想做一件事，你會有一百個理由去做；同樣，倘若你不想做一件事，你也會找到一百個藉口不去做！例如星期六的賣旗，你會考慮賣旗的機構是「黃」還是「藍」，或者引述這個社福團體，性侵當地兒童的陋聞，又或者這個組織把百份之八十的捐款用在行政費上等等的理由，拒絕捐助這些機構…在這一點上，耶穌基督的另一個教訓是一針見血的。
今天的福音提醒我們，要善用上主所賜予的「塔冷通」，倘若以任何藉口把它埋沒了（25:25），天主一定會找我們算帳。誠然，每個人從天主所領受的「塔冷通」，各有不同，有的多，有的少。有些人天才橫溢，聰明伶俐，人脈廣闊，令人羨慕；有些人卻智商低，自閉，缺乏教養！但每個人最少也有一個塔冷通，這一個塔冷通是甚麼呢？
在俗世生活中，我們的心容易變盲，看不見天主在不斷工作，甚至好像伯多祿陷入恐慌時，否認他的師傅一樣。當初，是伯多祿宣認耶穌基督是默西亞，纔「賺得」教會磐石的地位。不要怪責伯多祿，因為耶穌基督尚未升天，聖神尚未降臨。且看五旬期聖神降臨後，伯多祿怎樣脫胎換骨，真的成為了教會的磐石！
各位兄弟姊妹，你們求聖神罷！求祂從天放射燭照心靈的真光。聖神被稱為「窮人之父」，求祂讓我們認清自己的貧窮，渴求在天主內得到永恆的富足。在生活中，慷慨大方，向窮人伸手施惠！
要知道天主是愛（若一4:8）而天主是按自己的肖像創造我們每一個人（創1:26）。即是說，每一個人都有愛和接受愛的能力，這就是天主交給每個人的，最基本的一個塔冷通！在這個基本的塔冷通之上，再添加聰明才智，壽數和際遇，這些都是點綴品。在孩提時代，我們有能力接受父母的愛，兄弟姊妹的愛，師長和朋友的愛。倘若長大後，我們拿不出天主的愛，親人的愛，師長朋友的愛，去關顧愛護遇上困難的「最小兄弟中的一個」，這表示我們自私，喪失了感恩之心，白白浪費了天主和祂安排在我們身邊栽培我們的人的努力！正如福音另一處所描述的不結果的無花果樹一樣，主人吩咐園丁：「你砍掉它罷，為甚麼讓它荒廢土地？」（路13:7）那麼，為甚麼拒絕行善的人，沒有「現眼報」，即時殘廢又或者暴斃呢？因為耶穌基督是慈悲的園丁，祂願意「在周圍掘土，加上糞」（13:8）給我們更多幫助窮人的機會，直到末日。不過，心腸硬化了的人，能夠看見這是機會嗎？
各位兄弟姊妹，相信大家已領受了堅振聖事，天主藉著這件聖事，賜下「聖神七恩」。憑著聖神七恩，我們也可以有如伯多祿一樣，脫胎換骨，成為勇敢的天主教徒，在日常生活中，不怕艱難，為福音作見證。「智慧」是第一個神恩。智慧是甚麼呢？
首先，聖神的「智慧」，不是那些經歷過很多世事的得失，而沉澱出來的人生哲理，不是這些。這樣的話，恐怕真是要七八十歲的長者，纔有資格成為「智慧老人」了，小孩子免問！但耶穌不是說過，「你們若不變成如同小孩子一樣，決不能進天國」（瑪18:3）嗎？大家還記得上星期的福音嗎？胡塗的童女被拒諸天國的門外（25:12）。所以，無論是甚麼年紀的人，若缺乏了聖神的智慧，便會好像胡塗的童女一樣，失去了進入天國的機會。
第二，聖神的智慧，幫助我們看到人生短暫的成就，不能與永生的福樂相比，從而幫助我們渴望親近天主！因此，即使是幾歲的小孩子，在父母和主日學導師的諄諄善誘之下，也可以得到渴求天國永生的智慧。
天主保祐！
第三屆世界窮人日
圖片鳴謝：vaticannews.va
Fr. Casey, OFM made a thought-provoking video that dwarfs my meditation. Enjoy it.
Fourth World Day of The Poor
Theme: Stretch Forth Your Hand to The Poor
At the close of the Jubilee Year of Mercy in 2016, Pope Francis decreed every thirty-third ordinary Sunday, i.e. the Sunday before the Solemnity of Christ the Universal King, to be "World Day of The Poor". This is the fourth year. Before we celebrate the second advent of Jesus Christ as the Universal King, it is appropriate to remind humanity to care about the poor in response to Jesus' advice in the gospel, "Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me" (Matthew 25:40). The theme of this year is "Stretch Forth Your Hand to The Poor". It acquires a new meaning when the pandemic has become a new norm today!
Like death, virus does not discriminate. Presidents or princes, homeless or home alone, virus takes no hostages! The global economy has undergone serious damages. All humanity suffers different degrees of impact. Although much wealth of the rich has evaporated, the poor, due to the lack of protect and scarcity of savings, suffer heavier brunt! Thus reduction of incomes or even job losses cannot be an adequate reason not to extend a help hand to the poor whose situation is worse. Indeed, we can think of hundreds of reasons to do what we desire and similarly hundreds of excuses not to do what we don't want to. For example, flag selling on Saturdays, you may have a second thought because of their political background, or you may think of scandals of sexual abuses of indigenous children, or that they spend more than 80% of donation on administration etc. to reject their appeal for donations … On this point, Jesus' teaching is penetrating.
After His triumphant entry into Jerusalem, Simon the leper invited Jesus to dinner at Bethany. A woman came up to Him with an alabaster jar of costly perfumed oil and poured it on His head. Judas who was in charge of finance was indignant and said it could have been sold for much and the money given to the poor (26:6-9)! Jesus defended the woman and said, "The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have me." (26:11) Frome cradle to grave, Jesus Christ was poor. He was born in a manger and buried in somebody else's tomb. In this occasion, He affirms once more that He opts for the poor. Not only is whatever doing to the poor doing to Jesus, similarly whatever is done to Jesus is serving the poor! We should note that we do not often have the opportunities to serve Jesus Christ directly! That is to say, stretching forth our hands to the poor is the opportunity God gives us every day to serve Him! Thus, the excuses to refuse helping the poor are hypocrisy, hiding our selfishness in the name of justice! Consequently, we lose once again an opportunity to serve the Lord!
The gospel passage today reminds us to make good use of the talents God has given us. If we bury them in the ground for whatever excuses (25:25), God will definitely punish. Truly, everybody receives different talents, some more and some less. Some are genius, smart, well-connected and admired by many. Some are dumb; suffer from ADHD and lack of self-discipline! But everybody must have at least one talentum. What is this talentum?
Our hearts turn blind easily in this secular world. We are unable to see God working and even like Peter who denies his master out of fear. At first, it was Peter who declared that Jesus Christ is the Messiah, thus "earning" the status as the Rock of the Church. Don't blame Peter because Jesus Christ had not yet ascended into heavens and the Holy Spirit had not yet descended. Look at how Peter was transformed after the Pentecost and truly became the Rock of the Church!
Brethren! Ask the Holy Spirit! Beg Him to send forth His beaming radiance to brighten our hearts. He is called "Father of the poor". Ask Him to allow us to see clearly our poverty and to desire the eternal consolation in God. Let us generously stretch forth our hands to the poor in our daily life!
Be known that God is love (1 John 4:8), and God created each one of us in His image (Genesis 1:26). That is to say, everybody has the capacity to love and to be loved. This is the fundamental talendum God gives us! On top of this basic talentum, God adds smartness, longevity and encounters as toppings! In childhood, we have the capacity to receive parental love, sibling love and love from teachers and friends. If after we mature, we are unable to take out God's love, love of friends, relatives and teachers to care about the "least of these brothers of mine", it shows that we are selfish and have lost gratitude. We have wasted the efforts of God and the people whom God have arranged around us to build us up! We are like the barren fig tree mentioned in another part of the gospel. The master tells the gardener, "Cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?" (Luke 13:7) Then, why don't people who refuse to do charity incur immediate punishment, crippled or even drop dead? It is because Jesus Christ is the merciful gardener who is willing to "cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it" (13:8), giving us more opportunities to help the poor until the end of the world. But for people whose hearts are hardened, are they able to see the opportunities?
Brethren! I'm sure you have received the Sacrament of Confirmation through which God gives us the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. With these gifts, we can be transformed like Peter to become courageous Catholics, undeterred by difficulties to bear witness to the Gospel in our daily life. Wisdom is the first gift. What is wisdom?
First of all, the Wisdom of the Holy Spirit is not the aphorisms distilled through many successes and failures in life. No, not those. Otherwise, only septuagenarians or octogenarians can be called wise. No children can be wise! But hasn't Jesus said, "Unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:3)? Do you remember the gospel last week? The foolish virgins were locked out from the kingdom of heaven (25:12). Thus, whatever the age, lacking the wisdom of the Holy Spirit will lose the opportunity to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Secondly, the wisdom of the Holy Spirit helps us see the achievements in this short earthly life are incomparable to the beatific happiness of eternal life. Therefore, wisdom helps us desire to come close to God! Thus, even children, under the guidance of parents and instructors in Sunday School, can obtain the wisdom to desire eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.
God bless!
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