四旬期第二主日，乙年
主題：成聖不是空談
四旬期是以四十天的齋戒祈禱，幫助候洗者準備復活節守夜慶典時，領受三件「入門聖事」。所以，四旬期的主角是候洗者，已領洗的教友是配角。他們陪伴候洗者，重溫自己蒙恩得救的經歷，有點像結婚紀念一樣。基督徒相信耶穌基督是真人真天主，所以四旬期第一主日，默想耶穌基督的人性，如何克服誘惑。人祇要一息尚存，必須滿足肉體上及靈性上的需要。有誰不希望不勞而獲，走捷徑來獲得滿足呢？這就是誘惑的意思。耶穌基督展示了即使是脆弱的人性，亦有本領克服誘惑！信靠主耶穌，我們同樣可以戰勝誘惑。來到四旬期第二主日，我們默想耶穌基督的天主性。
教會的信仰是前人，包括第一代的宗徒和日後的傳教士，代代相傳，把福音接力傳遞下來的。第一代的宗徒並不十全十美的超人，反而是性格上千瘡百孔的凡夫俗子。由這一班有缺憾的人傳遞信息，可信嗎？天主的作風，真的不是我們可以完全理解。正因為宗徒們認識清楚了自己的不足（路5:8；格後12:9），纔讓天主聖神在他們內發揮威力，讓天主聖神把受了傷害的人性，提昇並超越先前的層次！天主子寧願選擇有缺陷的人性，降生成人，而不是降生成完美的天使，這真是一個莫名其妙的奧秘！這觀念是從何而來的呢？就是當日耶穌基督顯聖容時，三位在場的宗徒所體驗。雅各伯是第一位殉道的宗徒（斯德望是第一位殉道的信徒），沒有留下片言隻語。伯多祿和若望就有以下的作證。伯多祿的作證比較單純直接，沒有甚麼隱喻：「我們將我們的主耶穌基督的大能和來臨，宣告給你們，並不是依據虛構的荒誕故事，而是因為我們親眼見過他的威榮…是我們同他在那座聖山上的時候，親自聽見的。」（伯後1:16-18）
我們的信仰，就是建立在這樣脆弱的基礎上，但它卻流傳了二千多年，有不計其數的人曾為它不惜拋頭顱，灑熱血，令人肅然起敬！就憑兩三個人的證言，便足以令這麼多人著迷嗎？不！是耶穌基督親自在個別信徒心中所引發對永生的渴望，改造了人性！而這改造的成果，正展現在各式各樣的殉道中。是甚麼引發信徒對永生的渴望呢？是耶穌基督的言行，和祂實際施予的恩寵。天主父遷就我們的卑微，遣發天主子降生成可見的，有死的耶穌基督，把恩寵與平安，分施給我們（伯前1:2），提昇我們到達天主性的光榮境界。耶穌基督藉「顯聖容」事蹟，告訴我們復活永生的光輝幸福。 耶穌基督自己，就是不可見天主的可見標記，為的是賜予我們恩寵和力量，讓我們預嘗天堂的福樂。所以耶穌基督，堪稱是一件「原始聖事」，「顯聖容」事蹟，展現了祂的光榮，證明了祂有能力幫助信靠祂的人成聖！具體地，耶穌基督建立了祂的教會，交託給脆弱的宗徒和他們的繼承人管理和運作。有組織的可見的教會，便成為了一件「基礎聖事」，在七個不同的場合裡，分施天主的恩寵，協助信徒成聖。這就是天主教會的七件聖事。沒有耶穌基督，便沒有分施成聖恩寵的教會。沒有教會這個基礎，便沒有七件幫助信徒成聖的聖事。「顯聖容」事蹟，便是一個保證，一個「牛刀小試」事件。到了最後晚餐，耶穌基督建立聖體聖事，留下祂的聖體，交託給教會分施給信徒，履行祂天天與信徒在一起，直到末日的承諾（瑪28:20）。
正如耶穌基督是有生命的，聖事也有生命！倘若我們把聖體鎖在聖體櫃內，把耶穌基督的聖容留在聖堂內，我們便把耶穌基督變成化石，化為「有口不能言、有眼不能看…有腳不能行」的偶像，我們也因造偶像而喪亡（詠115:5-8）！且看，耶穌基督與權貴富人來往，與病弱同行，與罪人為伍，甚至服從聖父的旨意，死在十字架上，讓天主聖神復活祂！倘若祂的教會不是跟著這樣做，教會的子女不帶著基督的聖容下山進入社區，而留戀在山上，恐怕聖詠的警告，必然降臨到我們身上！
各位兄弟姊妹，耶穌基督的生平和言行，不應看成為是支離破碎，沒有關係的事件。祂行增餅的神蹟和宣講相關的言論，不應與最後晚餐割裂；祂治病驅魔，與祂蒙羞地釘死在十字架上是有關係的；祂教導我們為迫害我們的仇人祈禱，與我們日後在天上的生活，是息息相關的…讓我們在四旬期的第二周，默想耶穌基督是怎樣經過屈辱死亡，進入復活的光榮。
天主保祐！
2018年講道
圖片鳴謝：Wikipedia
Second Sunday of Lent, Year B
Theme: Sanctification Is Not Fantasy
Lent is a forty-day season to help the elected prepare for Christian initiation at Easter Vigil through fasting and prayers. Thus the elected are the main cast and the faithful take the supportive role, re-living their experience of salvation. For those who were baptized, it is sort of a wedding anniversary.Christians believe that Jesus Christ is truly divine and human. Thus, in the first week of Lent, we meditate how the humanity of Jesus Christ overcomes temptations. While we are still alive, we need to meet our physical as well as spiritual needs. Who doesn’t want to take the shortcut to meet those needs? This is temptation. Jesus Christ shows us that even the fragile humanity is capable of overcoming temptations. Trust in the Lord and we will be able to overcome temptations. In the second week of Lent, we meditate the divinity of Jesus Christ.
Our faith is handed down from the first generation apostles and missionaries who came after them. The first generation apostles were not perfect supermen. On the contrary, all of them were mortals with flawed personalities. Many people would doubt whether the messages passed on by these handicapped people are credible. God’s modus operandi is ineffable. Just because the apostles knew their inadequacies (Luke 5:8; 2 Corinthians 12:9), they allow the Holy Spirit a free hand to ignite God’s power within the damaged humanity to sublime and surpass previously unknown levels! The Son of God prefers incarnation in the defective humanity to becoming a perfect angel. This is another unfathomable mystery! How did this concept come about? It was the experience of the three apostles who were present during the Transfiguration. James was the first apostle to suffer martyrdom (Stephen was the first Christian martyr) and he did not leave behind any words. Peter and John bear the following witnesses. Peter’s witness is comparatively simple and direct, without much symbolism, “We did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we had been eyewitnesses of his majesty … We ourselves heard this voice come from heaven while we were with him on the holy mountain.” (2 Peter 1:16-18)
John did not record the Transfiguration incident in his gospel. Be careful. Historical records must be selective. It is impossible to write everything down. Absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. Moreover, sometimes, even written records are deliberately obscure. For example, 666 would be perfectly understandable for contemporary readers, but not readers in subsequent generations. Thus, how did John bear witness? He says, “What was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we looked upon and touched with our hands concerns the Word of life” (1 John 1:1) What did John look upon? The crucified and pierced Jesus Christ! What did they touch with their hands? We see the silhouette of doubting Thomas touching the wounds Jesus Christ keeps after resurrection! These wounds He keeps are signs of transcendence of humanity. John did not mention the glory of Jesus’ Transfiguration. John focuses less on the glaring glories (Matthew 17:2; Mark 9:3; Luke 9:29), but how Jesus Christ shows the malleability and transcendence of humanity! If you think that the witnesses of Peter and John are not credible. I’m sorry. I have no more persuasive proof.
Our faith is based on such a fragile foundation but it has propagated for more than two millennia. Countless people were willing to die martyrdom for it and commanded respect. Is the witness of two or three people adequate to enchant so many people? No way! It is Jesus Christ who inspires the desire of eternity that transforms humanity! The fruit of such transformation is martyrdom of different shades. What inspires this desire for eternity? It is the words, deeds of Jesus Christ and the grace He bestows. The Father takes into consideration our inferiority and sends the Son to become the visible and mortal Jesus Christ in order to grant us grace and peace (1 Peter 1:2) in order to elevate our humanity to attain His glorious divinity. The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ informs us of the glorious blessedness of resurrection and eternal life.
Jesus Christ Himself is the visible sign of the invisible God. He gives us grace, power and a foretaste of heavenly bliss. Thus, Jesus Christ is the Primordial Sacrament. The Transfiguration shows His glory, proving that He had the capability to help those who trust in Him attain sainthood! In concrete terms, Jesus Christ established His Church, handed her over to the fragile apostles and their successors to manage and run. As a visible organization, the Church becomes a Fundamental Sacrament which, in seven different occasions, ministers God’s grace to help the faithful attain sanctification. These are the seven sacraments of the Catholic Church. Without Jesus Christ, there would not be a Church to give sanctifying grace. Without the foundation of the Church, there would not be seven sacraments to facilitate the sanctification of the faith. The Transfiguration is a guarantee and a pilot project of sacraments. In the Last Supper, Jesus Christ established the Holy Communion, left His body behind and commissioned the Church to minister to the faithful to honour His pledge to be with them always until the end of the age (Matthew 28:20).
Just as Jesus Christ is full of life, the sacraments are too. If we lock the Holy Communion up inside the Tabernacle, if we leave Jesus Christ’s countenance behind inside the Church, we turn Jesus Christ into a piece of fossil, idols which “have mouths but do not speak, eyes but not see … feet but do not walk” and we perish because we are idol makers (Psalm 115:5-8)! Look, Jesus Christ mixes with the powerful and the rich, has compassion on the sick as well as the disadvantaged and stands by sinners. He even died on the cross to obey the Father’s will and let the Holy Spirit raise Him! If His Church does not follow His footsteps and the children of the Church prefer staying on the mountain to going down and carrying with them the countenance of Christ into the community, I’m afraid the warning of the Psalm will befall upon us!
Brethren, the words and deeds of Jesus Christ cannot be taken as debris and unrelated incidences. The multiplication of loaves and the related discourses cannot be separated from the Last Supper; healings and exorcisms cannot be decoupled from His shameful death on the cross; praying for those who persecute us is closely linked with our subsequent life in heaven … Let us meditate in the second week of Lent on how Jesus Christ enters the glory of resurrection through His humiliating death.
God bless!
No comments:
Post a Comment