復活期第四主日，乙年
主題：天主願意甚麼？
我們對於司鐸聖召的短缺，感到不安。但我覺得任何聖召短缺的分析是沒有意義的。我們成立不同的委員會研究原因，不同的工作小組、周年聖召祈禱會甚至展覽會等，試圖改善聖召短缺的情況。倘若我們找到原因，我們藉著天主的助佑，應該已經解決了問題，應該有足夠的司鐸，牧養天主子民。但聖召仍然下降，是不爭的事實。因此，可能聖召下降的原因永遠不能解答，或者知道了原因也是於事無補。另一方面，營商的管理層經常掛一句說話在嘴邊：「尚有改善空間」。因此，有些教會的管理層也認為，可能我們實行的聖召策略不夠效率，我們應檢討改善云云。明顯地，我們忘記了「尚有改善空間」祇是一句老生常談。為甚麼？因為這種態度並不像天主的行為模式。綜觀歷史，天主從來沒有用「最好」的工具去執行祂的計劃。一如保祿所說：「天主召選了世上卑賤的和受人輕視的，以及那些一無所有的，為消滅那些有的」（格前1:28）。因此，一個有效的策略，不在於它是否完美地設計和執行，而在於是否符合天主的意願。既然原因不可知，策略不可改善，我們便應該把精力放到別處。
首先，我們的思維太功利了。生活在當今世上，我們正享受著經濟繁榮的成果。現代人不知不覺地自動作出成本效益分析，以期達到最大的收獲。例如上升的收入，工時和壽數等。我們喜歡運用數目字，因為它們容易量度。我們不但定出目標和生意額，我們以運用更少的時間超額完成為榮。現代的教會也訂定目標，例如每年領洗的人數，主日彌撒的出席率，正在接受培育的修生數目等。當我們運用數目來思考，而數目未能達到期望時，我們感到不滿，例如，彌撒出席率下降，修生數目減少和神父老化等。
其次，功利主義思想迷信分工和專門化是完成目標的最有效率方法。所以，神父傳道比較好，因為他們接受過訓練。他們的職務是牧民，照顧天主子民的神益，而平信徒沒有超越慕道班的，有份量的神學培育。教會不會期望平信徒能成功地傳教，傳福音是聖職人員的專屬特權。最少，現代的教會不能把龐大的管理機器交在天主的手中。教會太龐大了，經不起失敗。從這個角度看，教會並不跟隨天主的工作模式運作。為甚麼平信徒不能傳福音呢？倘若教廷是由聖職人員為聖職人員而組成，為甚麼平信徒不能另起爐灶，與現代世界分享他們的信仰呢？
相信天主賜給每位信徒獨特的神恩，並透過他們工作救贖世界是一回事，這是神學。但放手讓平信徒一展所長是另一回事，這是審慎。而且，平信徒本身對自己的能力和成就，沒有信心。他們覺得祇要虔誠地相信天主便滿足了。我很懷疑，有沒有一位現代的堂區神父，放心把傳福音的重擔，交託給堂區內的信眾！
在古代，當神父們還不是功利主義者，當堂區不用交數，堂區還沒有專門的導師教慕道班，「上主天天使那些得救的人加入會眾。」（宗2:47）不是聖職人員把天主子民的數目增加，而是天主。當時沒有培育聖職人員的修院，是聖神培育著一個傳福音的團體。當然，教會內的聖職人員，良莠不齊，教會不能對別具用心的人，拒諸門外；但收留他們在教會內，對團體必定構成威脅。教會不能聽天由命而不作出預防措施。不願意失敗實在是很人性的！
把矛頭指向聖職人員，甚至羅馬教廷，對他們實在有欠公平。倘若在聖經時代，天主召選了世上卑賤的和受人輕視的人去拯救世界，難道今天天主不可以召選差勁的，不道德的聖職人員，替祂實現心目中的救贖嗎？或者我們應該用一個天文的，長遠的眼光看待教會，而不是微控她。給我們一個更長的時間參照，耐性地看事態的發展。我覺得當我們把持更多事物在自己手上時，我們把天主的手撥開，阻止祂進入我們的領域，賜給我們極度缺乏的恩寵。
各位兄弟姊妹，教區在未來三年的牧民目標是「為傳福音，堂區團體的牧民皈依」。讓我們祈求天主，照亮我們的心目，看到如何邁進。
天主保佑！
2018年講道
圖片鳴謝：whispersofworth.com
The Fourth Easter Sunday, Year B
Theme: What Does God Will?
The decline of priestly vocation in the Church is a reality with which we don’t feel comfortable. But I think it is meaningless to do any analysis of the causes of the decline. We have set up various vocation commissions to study the causes and task forces, annual vocation prayer meets and even exhibitions etc. to attempt various initiatives to arrest the decline. Had we known the causes, we would have solved the problem with God’s help. Then we would have had enough priests to serve God’s People. In reality, the decline persists. Therefore, either the causes are unknowable, or it is futile to know the causes. On the other hand, most business administrators often make this remark, “There is room for improvement.” Thus, some administrators in the Church opine that perhaps the vocation initiatives we implement are not effective enough. We should modify and improve our initiatives etc. Obviously we have forgotten that “There is room for improvement” is nothing but a cliché. Why? It is because that attitude seems not to be God’s operandi modus. Throughout history, God never uses the “best” tools to carry out His plan. Just as what Paul says, “And God chose the lowly and despised of the world, those who count for nothing, to reduce to nothing those who are something” (1 Corinthians 1:28) Therefore, what makes any initiative effective is not how best the initiative is designed and implemented. Rather, does God will the initiative? Now that neither the causes are knowable nor the initiatives improvable, we should spend our energy elsewhere instead.
Firstly of all, our mentality is too utilitarian. Living in the world today where we have been enjoying the fruit of economic prosperity, modern men tend to do cost-benefit analysis automatically in order to maximize the gain, namely all sorts of rising figures such as incomes, working hours and life expectancy etc. We tend to think in terms of numbers which can be measured. Not only do we set up targets or quota to meet, we tend to be proud of doing more in less time. The Church in modern time also set up targets, e.g. the number of adults baptized each year, Church attendance on Sundays, the number of seminarians undergoing formation programmes etc. Once we think in terms of numbers, we would feel uncomfortable when numbers do not meet our expectation, e.g. Church attendance is falling, the number of seminarians is reducing and priests are ageing etc.
Secondly, utilitarian mentality is superstitious about the division of labour and believes that specialization is the most efficient way to get things done. Therefore, priests are better in preaching because they were trained to do so. Their ministry is pastoral, looking after the spiritual needs of God’s People, the laity who have not undergone sufficient theological formation beyond catechism. The Church does not expect the laity to be successful in evangelization which has long been the privilege of the clergy. At least, the Church in modern era could not afford to leave her gigantic administrative machine in God’s hand. She is too big to fail. Seen in this light, the Church is not following God’s operandi modus. Why can’t the laity evangelize? If the Roman Curia was set up by the clergy for the clergy, why can’t the laity set up something else to share their faith with the modern world?
It is one thing to believe that individual believers are gifted with unique charisma and God works through them. This is theology. But it is another to give the laity a free hand in doing their best. This is prudence. Moreover, the parishioners themselves do not have faith in their own abilities and achievements. As long as they believe in God and are pious, they are satisfied. Would a parish priest in modern age feel comfortable in entrusting the parishioners with the Herculean task of evangelization? I doubt it.
In ancient time when priests were less utilitarian and where there was no quota to meet and no catechists to run catechumen classes, “And every day, the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47) It was not the clergy who increased the population of God’s People. It was God. There were no seminaries for clergy formation. The Holy Spirit was forming the evangelization community. Of course, there were lousy clergy and immoral clergy. The Church could not prevent people from joining her with ulterior motives and keeping them in the Church could pose a threat to the community. Nor could the Church leave the whole matter to God and took no preventive actions. It is all too human for her trying not to fail!
It would be unfair to point the finger exclusively to the clergy in general and the Roman Curia in particular. If in biblical times when God chose the lowly and despised to save the world, would God not choose those lousy and immoral clergy to carry out the redemption He has in mind today? Perhaps we should take an astronomical long shot of the Church instead of micro-managing her. Allow ourselves a longer time-reference, and be more patient in seeing how things unfold. I think when we take more things in our own hands, we brush God’s hand aside, preventing Him from walking into our turf and giving us the grace we desperately need.
Our Lord Jesus Christ has shown us what it meant to fail. He says, “I will lay down my life for the sheep.” (John 10:15) Which are His sheep? He died shamefully on the cross and was, without any doubt, a failure in secular standard. Moreover, He died not just for those who have been destined to be saved, those righteous but also for the wicked who do not repent even until the end! Wouldn’t it be a waste to shed His Precious Blood for the wicked (12:5)? If you think in utilitarianism, Jesus’ crucifixion was truly not efficient. There must be better ways to improve the intended effectiveness. No. God does not operate in utilitarianism. God chooses to work even with lousy and wicked clergy to carry out His will. Therefore, we should spend our energy in finding God’s will. Evangelization is definitely God’s will. Then, let us not confine evangelization to one specific form. Learn to see evangelization in whatever every Christian is doing at the moment, viz. praying, studying the scriptures, talking with neighbours, going to the grocery, doing house chores and consoling the sorrowful. It is the purism and elitism that we pick up in theological formation that prevent us from seeing the silent witnesses of the laity of the Church and lament the decline of priestly vocation. Why can’t the decline be a blessing, an opportunity for the laity to raise their awareness of and the effort they put into the mission the Lord entrusted them?
Brethren! The Diocese shall be spending the next three years in Pastoral Conversion of the Parish Community for the purpose of evangelization. Let us pray for God’s enlightenment to see what is the best way to proceed ahead.
God bless!
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