主題：得來不易的恩寵
聖誕節，尤其是平安夜，總在紛亂的世情中，帶來一點安寧。最為人樂道的莫過於發生在第一次世界大戰的停戰。1914年的聖誕，在戰壕四周築起聖誕裝飾，響起聖誕歌聲，作戰雙方進行聯合崇拜，德法士兵甚至進行足球賽…事後，各自返回殘酷的戰壕現實，繼續你死我活的火併！聖誕給無情的生活，蓋上一片希望。
讓我們默想天主聖父多世紀以來，在世界各地走訪不同的民族，為天主聖子尋找一個適合的母親。可能經過了不知多少次的被拒，終於找到了一個願意祭獻自己兒子的「信德之父」，經過超過1800年的經營，培育出一個以色列民族，在這些亞巴郎的後裔中，找到一位說「願照你的話成就於我吧」（路1:38）的瑪利亞！
瑪竇福音所記載的耶穌基督族譜，非常有意義。一般父系社會的族譜，不會記載母親的名字，但瑪竇記載的族譜，卻罕有地記載了五位女性！倘若把眼光放到這五位女性身上，可以得到一個結論：恩寵是得來不易的。女性在父系社會，備受剝削歧視；而且，經常成了男性失敗的代罪羔羊。作為女性，能在耶穌基督的族譜上留名，真不容易！
聖母瑪利亞，可以說是這四個女人的縮影。發生在這四個女人身上的事，都可以在聖母身上，找到痕跡。雖然聖母不是外邦人或者妓女，但她生在納匝肋，一個位於北方備受輕視的小鎮（若1:46），那有地位尊嚴可言？即使父母如何愛護她，相信聖母也有不少逆來順受的遭遇，例如許配給若瑟，一定不是自由戀愛的結果。聖母沒有像塔瑪爾和辣哈布一樣，為爭取主導自己命運而作出努力，她甚至屈服於上主旨意之下，放棄守貞事主的宏願（路1:34）。福音在耶穌十二歲後，已再沒有提及若瑟。在耶穌開始祂的傳福音工作時，馬爾谷更稱耶穌是「瑪利亞的兒子」，而不是「若瑟的兒子」，相信瑪利亞亦度過了不短的寡婦歲月。瑪利亞為他人的益處出力，與盧德相似，但沒有得到可見的賞報。聖母伴隨耶穌四出奔波傳道，直到十字架下。聖母在艱難環境中所表現的信德和望德，令我們更能理解辣哈布的辛酸。看來，天使讚美聖母為「充滿聖寵者」，真是得來不易！這五位出現在耶穌族譜的女性，可以說是社會不公義下的沉默受害者。
可是聖母不是那四個女人的縮影那麼簡單。
最後，瑪利亞是跑最後一棒的運動員，肩負全隊的成敗得失。前面四位，接力到巴特舍巴時，可說是一路領先的，在文化及信仰上，到達了頂峰。可惜，在撒羅滿之後，以色列分裂了，亡國了；雖然上主曾派遣先知們鞭策，但猶大已國不成國，掉進了信仰的谷底。就在這時，瑪利亞溫良潔淨地，以她的謙遜，帶給了世界和平之王，祂要使世界與天父修和，重啟天門。
各位兄弟姊妹，我們不但可以看見聖母如何以溫良和潔淨的心，與天主合作，化解社會制度不公義的剝削，看見真福八端的實踐；而且，充滿聖寵的聖母，更是聖神的載體，把聖神帶給渴慕天主的公義，即天主的救贖的人。願聖母溫良、潔淨的榜樣，啟發我們在這將臨期及以後，緊隨基督的步伐，促進天父與這世界的修和，帶來真正的平安。
首先，瑪利亞是溫良的。她不像塔瑪爾一樣爭取自己的權益。瑪利亞亦沒有像辣哈布一樣，冒著生命危險做英雄的事。她倒像盧德和巴特舍巴一樣，順從著上主的旨意行事。但與盧德和巴特舍巴不一樣，因為她們兩個的順從，總會帶給她們改嫁的益處。但瑪利亞的順從，做成日後未婚懷孕，對她絕對沒有任何好處！即是說，她的溫良，是絕對超越了「承受土地」的應許（瑪5:5）。
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其次，瑪利亞是心裡潔淨的，五個之中，祇有她看見了天使。要知道即使是奉天主派遣的天使，不一定會現身給人看見。例如我們的護守天使；又或者在巴郎的故事，若非上主開了他的眼睛，巴郎也看不見那能說話的驢子所見到的天使（戶22:31）！當然，匝加利亞也能看見加俾額爾總領天使，因為他「是義人，都照上主的一切誡命和禮規行事，無可指摘」（路1:6）可見，聖母有關遵守誡命和禮規方面，比那四位受社會制度欺壓的女士，更勝一籌。而且，瑪利亞的無玷聖心，比任何人都更潔淨。意思是，聖母對天主一心一意的信靠，令她可以看見那肉眼不能見的天使和天主（瑪5:8）。
天主保祐！
2017年講道
圖片鳴謝：Wikipedia
Fourth Advent Sunday, Year B
Theme: Can't Take Grace For Granted
Christmas, in particular Christmas Eve, brings tranquillity to this chaotic and disordered world. No event is more fondly remembered than the truce during World War I. In the Christmas of 1914, trenches were decorated. Carols were sung and both sides took part in joint worships. German and French soldiers even enjoyed a match of soccer … Afterwards they returned to the cruel reality of trench warfare and continued to exchange fire! Christmas cloaks the senseless world affairs with a sense of hope.
Let us meditate how the Father roamed around the world throughout millennia, visiting different peoples to seek a mother for the Son. Having lost count of how many rejections, the Father at long last found the "Father of Faith" who was willing to offer up his own son in holocaust. After more than 1800 years of labour, an Israelite people were made. Among the offspring of Abraham, one Mary says, "May it be done to me according to your word" (Luke 1:38)!
The genealogy of Jesus Christ in the gospel of Matthew is imbued with meanings. Usually, patriarchal genealogies seldom put down the names of mothers. But five women are found in Matthew's genealogy of Christ. If we focus on these five ladies, we arrive at an inescapable conclusion: we can't take grace for granted. In patriarchal societies, women were exploited and discriminated. Moreover, they were handy scapegoats for men's faults. It is extraordinary to find women in Jesus' genealogy!
The Blessed Virgin Mary captures all that happened to these four women. Traces of what happened to these ladies can be found in Mary. Although she was not a Gentile or a prostitute, the BVM spent most of her life in a despised town of Nazareth in the north (John 1:46). What status or dignity could you expect? Even though she was well taken care of by her parents, many things must have happened to Mary against her will. For example, her betrothal to Joseph was definitely not a consequence of free love. The BVM did not take her fate into her hands like Tamar or Rahab. In order to obey God's will, she was even willing to surrender her ambition to serve the Lord in chastity (Luke 1:34). The canonical gospels do not mention Joseph since Jesus was 12. When Jesus began His public ministry, the gospel of Mark calls Jesus "the son of Mary" (Mark 6:3) instead of "the son of Joseph". I believe the BVM must have become a widow for quite some time. Like Ruth, Mary sought the good of others without any visible rewards. The BVM followed Jesus up to the foot of the cross. The faith and hope she showed in adversity illuminate the harshness Rahab had undergone. Indeed, the angel's praise of Our Lady's fullness of grace can't be taken for granted! These five ladies can be regarded as silent victims of social injustice.
But Our Lady is more than a miniature of the four ladies.
Secondly, Mary's heart is immaculate. Among the five, only she was able to see the angel. Even if God sends angels to us, the angels might not reveal themselves, e.g. our guardian angels, or in the story of Balaam, not until the Lord opened his eyes was Balaam able to see the angel whom his talking donkey saw (Numbers 22:31)! Of course, Zachariah was able to see Archangel Gabriel because he was "righteous in the eyes of God, observing all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly" (Luke 1:6) Obviously, Mary beats these four discriminated ladies in observing commandments and ordinances. Moreover, the immaculate heart of Mary beats us all in purity. Which means her dedication and total surrender to the Lord enables her to see the invisible angel as well as God (Matthew 5:8).
Lastly, the BVM is the last leg of this relay. She shoulders all the successes and failures of the whole team. The team was leading and reaching the zenith of culture and faith until Bathsheba. Regrettably, after Solomon, Israel was divided. Both kingdoms were conquered. Although God had sent prophets to chasten, Judah never became a country again and had fallen into the bottom of religious life. At the end of time, Mary meekly, in purity and humility, brought the Prince of Peace to this world who would reconcile the Father and the world. He would reopen the gate to heaven.
Brethren! Not only do we see the meekness and purity of the BVM who works with God to eliminate the exploitation of social injustice but also the putting into practice of the Beatitudes. Moreover, the BVM is full of grace and is the carrier of the Holy Spirit. She brings the Holy Spirit to all those who hunger and thirst for God's righteousness, i.e. God's salvation. In Advent and hereafter, may the meekness and purity of Our Lady be our exemplar, enlighten us to follow the footsteps of Christ to be ambassadors of reconciliation and bring about genuine peace.
Tamar was the daughter-in-law of Judah. After the death of her two husbands, Judah denied her Levirate right to marry the brother of the deceased. Tamar took her fate into her hand and in the end managed to give birth to a pair of twins for Judah (Genesis 38, Matthew 1:3). Rahab was a harlot in Jericho (Joshua 2:1, Matthew 1:5). The discrimination she suffered could be imagined. In faith she put two Israelite spies into hiding and by faith she and her family survived when Jericho fell (Hebrews 11:31). Ruth was an Amorite widow. She was virtuous and pious to her mother-in-law. In the end, she became the great-grant mother of King David (Ruth 4:21-22, Matthew 1:5). King David was lustful, committed adultery with Bathsheba and murdered her husband (2 Samuel 11, Matthew 1:6). The fate of Bathsheba fell totally in the hands of David. Unlike Tamar, she could only accept whatever befell her. Among the five women, Bathsheba was the most pitiful. To be fair, whether in the Matthean genealogy or Lukan, the sons she bore to David, Solomon and Nathan, became ancestors of Jesus Christ.
Firstly, Mary is meek. Unlike Tamar who fought for her destiny, nor Rahab who risked her life for heroic causes, Mary is more like Ruth and Bathsheba in obeying the will of the Lord. But unlike Ruth and Bathsheba whose obedience somehow brought them the advantages of remarriage, Mary's obedience the outcome of which was unwed pregnancy absolutely brought her no benefit whatsoever! That is to say, her meekness absolutely goes beyond the promise of "inheriting the land" (Matthew 5:5).
God bless!
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