復活期第三主日，乙年
主題：不怕失敗纔能更新
為響應教廷的號召，香港教區在未來三年的牧民方向，是「堂區更新」，即是以傳福音為堂區的首要目標。堂區將要成為一個「團體中的團體」，一個以傳福音為存在目標的團體。堂區內的成員、架構和所有的活動，將要因應個別堂區的特殊環境，彰顯出天主聖三那包容一切的共融。所以更新將會是全面的，包括成員個人的更新，與整個堂區團體的更新，讓四周的人能更容易被福音所吸引，加入天主聖三的共融之中。香港教區每年都在一月，連續三日舉行「聖職人員學習營」，集思廣益，就來年的牧民方向，達成某程度的共識和調整，然後返回堂區落實。今年因為疫症的影響，押後到四月纔舉行。疫症使以往慣常的禮儀生活，起了不少的適應，例如祇能在網上舉行公開彌撒，教友在一段頗長的時間內，祇能神領聖體而未能實領聖體等。剛好在聖周前恢復了公開彌撒，但為了減少互相感染的風險，政府限制了聖堂的可容納人數，在坐位的三份一之內。為了滿足教友的需要，不少堂區要加開彌撒，以疏導人群！另一方面，可能教友長時間適應了參加網上的彌撒，返回聖堂參加彌撒的人數，並沒有預期的多。究竟是因為人數有限制的緣故，還是參加實體彌撒的意欲降低了，尚未有定論。由此引申，在可見的未來，倘若有甚麼堂區更新的措施，要量度其成果並不是一件容易的事！
今天的答唱詠唸來頗為諷刺，「上主，請祢向我們顯示祢光的儀容。」（詠4:7）福音卻告訴我們，耶穌基督顯現給門徒時，「眾人害怕起來，想是見了鬼神」（路24:37），主耶穌要出盡九年二虎之力，纔能令門徒接受祂復活了的喜訊！也難怪，人始終是「習慣的動物」，要花一段時間，辛辛苦苦地建立起一套習慣，可以是行為上的習慣，或者是思想上的習慣。要改變這些習慣真的不容易。 耶穌基督在公開傳道的最後階段，曾三次透露給門徒知道祂的救世大計，就是受難後復活，目的是徹底地摧毀罪惡和死亡。可惜，「人死不能復生」的觀念，實在牢不可破。雖然舊約曾有厄里亞和厄里叟復活過死人，但這些都是極罕有的個案；雖然耶穌基督的一少撮門徒，也曾經在三個不同的場合，見證過祂復活死人，但不足以保證耶穌基督死後可以復活。正如厄里叟雖然生前曾復活死人，但他死後，並沒有復活一樣！在描述耶穌復活後顯現的故事中，路加不同於馬爾谷，他所記述的耶穌基督，並沒有怪責門徒的無信，而是耶穌基督憐憫門徒的軟弱，想盡辦法幫助他們相信。
跟著，耶穌基督為了證明祂不是一個天使或者鬼靈般的純粹靈體，是有骨有肉的，便邀請他們觸摸祂（24:39b）。結果門徒仍然是不敢相信（24:41），因為喜出望外，現實完全超出了他們可以接受的程度！我可以用甚麼相比呢？有點兒像粵劇的橋段，一個婢女與另一個認識多年的僕役結婚，後來纔發現這位男僕竟然是流落民間的太子，這個婢女一夜之間成為了皇后吧！
最後，復活了的主在門徒前吃了一片烤魚，證明了復活後的祂，並沒有放棄人性，仍願意與一眾罪人，甘苦與共。甘，因為祂已戰勝了死亡，祂願意與我們分享這份復活的光榮。苦，因為人間仍然存在著很多尚未清理的罪惡所帶來的罪苦，很多人仍然生活在不公義的制度下，仍然捱受著結構性罪惡的奴役。復活了的耶穌基督願意不離不棄，擔起全人類的苦況！
所以，堂區的更新，堂區教友的更新，有如門徒們所接受的挑戰。就是打破舊有的因循思維，向天主開放。天主經常使我們喜出望外，賜給我們不敢想像的恩寵和喜樂。保祿說得好：「天主為愛祂的人所準備的，是眼所未見，耳所未聞，人心所未想到的。」（格前2:9；依64:3）當基督徒相信復活是理所當然的時候，容易忘記了初期教會接受死後復活，原來可以是十分困難的。倘若是容易接受，人就不會怕痛苦，怕失敗了。這也是在「聖職人員學習營」中提出的其中一個重點！有誰願意擁抱痛苦，擁抱失敗呢？更新的人，更新的堂區要有這種心理質素！
保祿說得好：「如今我在為你們受苦，反覺高興，因為這樣我可在我的肉身上，為基督的身體─教會，補充基督苦難所欠缺的。」（哥1:24）祇有不怕痛苦，不怕失敗，纔可以更新，纔可以傳福音！至於我們，我們「因祂的名向萬邦宣講悔改，以得罪之赦。你們就是這些事的見證人。」（路24:47-48）。一如保祿所說，我們就是「代基督作大使了，好像是天主藉著我們來勸勉世人…與天主和好罷」（格後5:20）
主內的兄弟姊妹！我們願意成為修和大使嗎？願意幫助世界與天主修和嗎？那麼，我們要不怕苦，不怕失敗，更新自己，承擔福傳的使命！
天主保祐！
2018年講道
圖片鳴謝：freebibleimages.org
Third Easter Sunday, Year B
Theme: Embrace Failures To Renew
In response to the instruction of the Roman Curia, Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong makes “Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community” the focus of diocesan actions in the coming three years. That is to say, evangelization shall be the primary aim of all parishes. A parish shall be “a community among communities”, a community whose raison d'être shall be evangelization. All the members, structures and activities shall manifest the all-inclusive communion of the Blessed Trinity according to the particular circumstances parishes find themselves in. This conversion shall be total, including personal conversion of all members and the whole community so as to make the gospel more attractive to all the people around and help them join the communion of the Blessed Trinity.
Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong holds a three-day Clergy Study Camp usually in January to pool all the brains together to come up with some sorts of consensus and adjustments for pastoral care to be implemented in the parishes in the coming year. This year, the study camp was postponed to April because of the pandemic which has disrupted the routine liturgical life of the faithful. For example, masses could only be publicly celebrated online. For a rather long time, the faithful could only receive the Holy Communion spiritually. Just before the Holy Week, public masses would be publicly celebrated but in order to reduce the risk of infection, the government limits the seating capacity to 30%. In order to meet the spiritual needs of the faithful, many parishes celebrate extra masses in order to thin out the congestion! On the other hand, probably the faithful have got used to attending online masses, physical church attendance is found to be less than expected! So far, we can’t tell whether it is because of the limitation of seating capacity or that the desire to physically join mass has decreased. Interpolating from here, in the foreseeable future, it is not easy to measure how effective the implementation of pastoral conversion of the parish communities shall be!
The Responsorial Psalm we read today was a bit paradoxical, “Lord, show us the light of your face!” (Psalm 4:7) But the gospel tells us that when Jesus Christ appeared to the disciples, “But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost.” (Luke 24:37) Lord Jesus worked hard to help them accept the joy of resurrection! Well, what else could we do? After all, men are “animals of habits”. They spend a lot time to develop a set of habits, be they habits of operations or habits of thoughts. It’s not easy to modify these habits. During the last days of the public ministry of Jesus Christ, He revealed to the disciples the action plan of salvation, viz. to die and then come back to life in order to conquer sins and death. Unfortunately, that nobody is able to come back to life after death is casted hard in people’s mind. Even though Elijah and Elisha had raised some dead people, those cases were rare. Although Jesus Christ had raised the dead in three different occasions in the presence of a small group of disciples, that did not guarantee that Jesus would come back to life after death, just as Elisha did not come back to life despite the fact that he had raised the dead! The apparition narratives of Luke are less harsh than those of Mark. Jesus did not blame the disciples for their disbelief. Instead Jesus Christ shows mercy towards the weaknesses of the disciples, helping them believe by all means.
First of all, Jesus Christ keeps His stigmata after resurrection. These stigmata were unique. They belong to Jesus Christ only. Only Jesus Christ has come back to life. The others are gone for good. Even if people survived crucifixion, they only had 4 wounds and not five. Even though the fifth wound might not be mortal, it made sure that Jesus had to die (John 19:34)! Jesus Christ showed the disciples the stigmata He kept to convince them that they were not seeing a ghost but the Jesus Christ who had been crucified! “Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself” (Luke 24:39a) Then, in order to prove that He is not an angel-like spirit or ghost, that He had flesh and bone, Jesus Christ invited them to touch Him (24:39b). The disciples “were still incredulous for joy and were amazed” (24:41) because it was too good to be true! It went beyond their expectations! What can I compare their reaction with? It was like a Cantonese opera in which a handmaid married a man servant whom she had known for many years. It turned out that the man servant was a prince in exile for many years. Now, he ascended the throne and she became a queen overnight! Too good to be true!
Lastly, the risen Lord ate a piece of baked fish in front of them to show them that He has not forsaken His humanity after resurrection. He’s still willing to rejoice and suffer with all sinners. Rejoice because He has defeated death and is will to share the glory of resurrection with us. Suffer because there are still a lot of sufferings brought about by sins which have not yet been wiped out completely. Many people are still living in unrighteous institutions, still living in the bondage of structural sins. The risen Jesus Christ is willing to embrace the painful situations of all humanity!
Therefore, renewal of the parish and the parishioners is as challenging as that encounter of the disciples. It is to break away from complacent mind sets and open up to God who is always a God of surprises. He is delighted to give us grace and joy which we dare not to imagine. Paul says well, “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him.” (1 Corinthians 2:9, Isaiah 54:3) When Christians have taken resurrection for granted, they will easily forget how difficult it was for the early Church to accept resurrection after death. Had it been easy to accept, men would not have feared pains and failures. That was also one of the key points brought up in the Clergy Study Camp! Who is willing to embrace pains and failures? Parishes and parishioners who want to renew must possess this psychological characteristic!
Paul says well, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of His body, which is the Church” (Colossians 1:24) Only when we are not afraid of pains and failures can we evangelize! “That repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in His name to all the nations …You are witnesses of these things.” (Luke 24:47-48) Yes, we are witnesses of these things. In Paul’s word, “We are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing though us … be reconciled to God.” (2 Corinthians 5:20)
Brethren! Are we willing to be ambassadors of reconciliation? Are we willing to help the world reconcile to God? Then, don’t be afraid of pains and failures. Renew ourselves to take up the mission of evangelization.
God bless!
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