常年期十三主日，乙年
主題：不能再逃避自己
運用電腦多年的我，仍然犯上最低級的錯誤，真是汗顏！重新安裝操作系統時，在未安裝防毒軟件之前，竟然心急地下載來歷不明的軟件，中了勒索病毒；清理硬盤的啟動分割區時，不慎令硬盤從電腦消失了；在恢復硬盤內數據的過程中，一步一步地令數據變得不可讀…買了一部可以撥電話的平板電腦時，插入新電話咭後，一直未重新開機，以致電話號碼兩天以來，一直沒有註冊…這兩個星期，不知浪費了多少冤枉的時間，一事無成！我漸漸感覺到，天主正在考驗我，訓練我的謙遜！今天，我看到了曙光…
保祿的一句有關我們獲得救恩的說話，我們比較少反省。他說：「因為我們得救，還是在於希望。所希望的若已看見，就不是希望了；那有人還希望所見的事物呢？」（羅8:24）的確，是那份希望和堅持，令血漏婦人一次又一次地希望落空，遭受損失，但她並沒有放棄。看在天主眼中，她這份努力，為她獲得了多一份天主的憐憫。在她身上，我看見了自己頑固和盲目的影子，希望天主會憐憫我，一如祂憐憫血漏婦人一樣。
當時候到了，耶穌基督開始天父的救贖工程時，困苦的人會陸續得救！但得救絕非我們憑自己的努力不懈，憑觸摸耶穌基督的衣裳(谷6:28)，便可以成就的，而是要有耐性地，謙遜地等待時機，與天主邂逅。
其實，需要補救的，何止是健康和電腦呢？我自己的人際關係，我所認識的親友教友，很多人在人際關係上，都處理得不好；更廣闊些，整個社會在近期的動盪中，加劇了團體內和團體間的分裂，考驗著信徒們對耶穌基督的信德！無疑，許多人的性格和動機，對和諧的關係不利；再加上社交媒體的排波助瀾，情況令人擔心。不少教友對聖職人員的表現失望，嚷著要離開教會；很多人受了氣，便向身邊的人發洩…不少人不但心理需要輔導，甚至他們的婚姻也亮起了紅燈…
血漏婦人知道自己病了，還能尋求醫治。終於，她的信德和望德，為她帶來痊癒。可借今天很多人明知自己有病，卻諱疾忌醫，不斷逃避，令身邊的人替他們空著急！能夠成功地逃避自己，要付出非常高的代價，到頭來，會變成精神分裂或者妄想狂！相比之下，這個血漏婦人真是幸福得多，她的病鎖定了她，使她不能逃避，最終卻得到康復。忽然，我看見了被釘在十字架上，不能動彈，不能逃避，任人侮辱的耶穌基督！我開始明白為甚麼祂選擇死在十字架上，原來祂是為了拯救那些逃避自己的罪人。
主啊！請寬恕我們的驕傲自私，幫助我們脫離罪過的奴役。我們承認自己的無能，沒有祢的助祐，我們便一事無成。請補助我們的無信，憐憫那些我們力有不逮，未及照顧的靈魂，獲得治療。亞孟。
2018年講道
圖片鳴謝：nousapeiron.com
Thirteenth Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: Can’t Run Away From Oneself Anymore
I’ve been using computers for decades. Yet, I’ve made the most elementary mistakes recently. What a shame!I had to re-install the operating system. Before I installed some anti-virus software, I had rushed to install programs from unfamiliar sources. In the end, the computer was infected with ransomware! While trying to clean up the partition table, I turned the hard drive invisible. Trying to recover the lost data in the hard drive, I step-by-step made the data unreadable … I purchased a tablet which is able to make telephone calls. After inserting the SIM card, I forgot to reboot the tablet so that the phone number was not registered for two days … During these two weeks I spent and wasted many fruitless hours, always returning to square one! Gradually, I sense that God is testing me, training me to be humble! Today, I saw a glimpse of light …
Mark puts two healing miracles together to amplify the power of the Son of God. Not only was He able to cure diseases but He was able to raise the dead. While meditating on the cure of the bleeding woman, I came up with some fresh understanding. The woman suffered from menorrhagia, a non-fatal ordinary gynaecological illness. A general practitioner was able to handle it. Yet, no progress was made in twelve years! Was Mark fair in his complaint that “She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors” (Mark 5:26)? Did incompetent doctors cheat her of money one after another? Didn’t even one single competent or ethical doctor turn up in those twelve years?
Paul says something about salvation which we seldom meditate. He says, “For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees?” (Romans 8:24) Indeed, it was hope and perseverance that cost the woman money again and again. She was disappointed repeatedly and yet she did not give up. In God’s eyes, her perseverance earns her a greater portion of God’s mercy. In this bleeding woman, I see my own stubbornness and blindness. I hope God have mercy on me like His having mercy on the bleeding woman.
When time came, Jesus Christ began the Father’s salvation project. Poor people would be saved one by one! Salvation is not the merit of our efforts, or through touching the cloak of Jesus Christ (Mark 6:28). Rather, we have to wait in patience and humility to encounter the Lord.
Health and computers are not the only things which need remedy. My interpersonal relationships and those of my friends’ and my parishioners’ are not handled properly. In a wider context, the society is severely divided through recent social unrests. There are a lot of infightings within and among communities. The faith of the believers of Jesus Christ is under scrutiny! Without doubt, the personalities and motives of many people are detrimental to harmonious relations. The situation is worrying when social media are stirring up divisions. Many a laity is disappointed by the performance of the clergy and declares to leave the Church. Many people pick up easy victims to vent their frustrations … Not only do many people need counselling, but their psychological problems are also taking toll on their marriages …
The bleeding woman knew that she was sick. She went about to seek treatment. In the end, her faith and her hope brought her health. Unfortunately, many people know that they themselves are sick and yet, they don’t want to talk about it. They run away from themselves, making their loved ones worry! One needs to pay an extremely high price in order to run away from oneself successfully. In the end, they may become schizophrenic or paranoid! In contrast, this bleeding woman was luckier. She was “locked up” by her illness. She could not run away and finally she was cured. Suddenly, I saw in her Jesus Christ crucified. He could not move. He could not run away from the cross and the humiliation from people! I begin to understand why He chose to die on the cross. Jesus Christ wants to save sinners who run away from themselves.
Lord! Forgive us of our pride and selfishness. Deliver us from the slavery of sins. We acknowledge our incompetence. Without Your help, we could do nothing. Help us of our lack of faith. Have mercy on those souls who are beyond our reach to care. Help them regain health. Amen.
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