常年期第十七主日，乙年
主題：不要眷戀
香港教區響應羅馬教廷的呼籲，未來三年的牧民重點是「牧靈更新」。我個人認為用三年時間是明智的，要知道人性傾向因循，要求堂區內的人更新難，要求善會會員更新，難上加難！
最近疫情緩和，堂區恢復舉行公開彌撒。堂區負責禮儀的人員，包括輔祭、讀經員、歌詠團和送聖體員等等，顯得既興奮又緊張，出錯在所難免。出錯後更加緊張，做成惡性循環！其實除了當事人，外人根本不知道錯在哪裡。但為了做好自己份內的事，他們花費了很長的時間開會檢討，結果少了靈修或信仰分享的時間，本末倒置了！另一方面，把花費長時間檢討得來的珍貴結果付諸實行，對禮儀的氣氛並沒有改善，反而給人喧賓奪主的感覺！他們的努力是可取的，可是，抱著因循的思維，不但於事無補，反令情況變差！
且讓我多舉一個例子。敝堂區在新界西北，從前交通設施不足，很多人要晚上八時後纔返回到本區。因此，堂區在晚上舉行的會議、慕道班、活動、祈禱會和彌撒等，都安排在八時三十分舉行。2004年西鐵通車，往返市區的交通改善了。但直到十七年後的今天，晚上舉行活動的時間，依然是八時三十分，真的不能小覷因循的威力！是懶惰嗎？是眷戀過去的成就嗎？還是為了保障小數人的特權呢？雖然好像原地踏步，但「事事有時節」（訓3:1）。十七年算甚麼？有些人領洗了幾十年仍是依然故我。不要讓這些小事令我們對天主失去信心。
另一句值得回味的，是主對「碎塊」的態度。祂對門徒說：「把剩下的碎塊婦集起來，免得糟蹋了。」（6:12）表面上好像耶穌基督也是一位環保人士，但祂的另一句說話，令我深信這句說話有深刻的慈悲意味，絕不是環保那麼膚淺。在其他的福音中，祂一再告訴我們天父無微不至的照顧，我們祇需要追求天主的國就足夠了。因為我們比飛鳥麻雀還要珍貴，天父照顧牠們，又怎會忽略我們呢（瑪6:26，10:31；路12:6）？耶穌基督連麵餅的碎塊也珍惜，何況人的靈魂，尤其是罪人的靈魂呢？小信德的人啊…你們祇要尋求祂的國（12:28-31），為罪人的回頭而努力，其餘的事，天主自會處理！
有關「那時，猶太人的慶節，即逾越節，已臨近了。」（6:4）一句，早前曾寫過很簡單的反省（「五餅二魚是解放」），今天我想更深入地默想「解放」的主題。
當撒殫在曠野試探耶穌基督的時候，顯示出牠非常熟識聖經。當主耶穌以聖經回覆牠的試探時，撒殫驕傲地在天主聖言面前班門弄斧，引述聖詠，挑戰耶穌從聖殿頂躍下（瑪4:6，路4:10-11，詠91:12）。其實，撒殫在第一個試探時，也有使用聖詠，但沒有引出。牠引誘耶穌基督把石頭變成餅，滿足罪人在物質上的需要，使他們不再犯罪，其實是在挑戰耶穌基督另一句聖詠：「我是上主，我是你的天主，是我由埃及國將你領出，你張開口，我要使它滿足。」（81:11）但撒殫造夢也沒想到，天主不會用石頭給人類虛假的滿足，而是要以自己的體血來滿足我們！撒殫所建議的三個救世方案，全部都是似是而非的陷阱，不能真實地解決罪惡的問題。可惜不少政客，仍不斷拋出這幾個方案，欺騙世人。
這次五餅二魚神蹟的結果，亦並不理想。群眾祇停留在物質層面，以為天主向梅瑟所應許的那位先知（申18:18，若6:14），是一位讓他們衣食無憂的先知，而不是一位解放他們脫離罪惡的奴役，讓他們獲得自由的先知。第二天，當耶穌基督嘗試教訓群眾有關「生命之糧」的意義時，結果「他的門徒中有許多人退去了，不再同他往來。」（6:66）耶穌並不符合他們的期望，不是一位使他們衣食無憂的先知！
各位兄弟姊妹，群眾離開了耶穌基督，放棄了永生的機會（6:68）。他們眷戀著舊的思維，不願意走出自己的安樂窩。他們有如自己的祖先，離開做奴隸的安樂窩，在曠野吃苦時，不斷抱怨梅瑟，寧願返回做奴隸的地方（出16:3）！我們應該反省，是否好像以色列人一樣，眷戀舒適的舊思維，不願吃苦，為福傳而作出牧民上的更新呢？大家願意放棄自己或自己所屬團體的功績，而去爭取靈性上更大的進步嗎？多一點走出聖堂，接觸區內的居民，甚至弱勢社群，向他們介紹天父的慈愛嗎？多行一點愛德，寬恕別人不合理的批評嗎？
天主保祐！
2018講道
圖片鳴謝：freebibleimages.org
Seventeenth Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: Be Indifferent
The Diocese of Hong Kong supports the Roman Curia’s appeal and makes “Pastoral Conversion” the focus of our pastoral ministry for the next three years. Personally, I think it is a prudent decision to run the project for three years. We know all too well that it is human nature not to rock the boat. It is difficult to require parish members to renew and even harder for members of the lay associations to renew their zeal!
Recently, the pandemic is turning for the better. Parishes begin to celebrate masses publicly. People responsible for liturgy, for example the acolytes, lectors, choir and extraordinary administrators of the Eucharist have become elated as well as nervous. Making mistakes has become inevitable. They would become more nervous once a mistake is made, initiating a vicious cycle! In fact, except for the doers themselves, outsiders would seldom be aware of any mistakes. But in order to discharge their duties without mistakes, they spend long hours assessing their past performance. Consequently, less time is spent on spirituality and sharing. They put the cart before the horses! On the other hand, putting into action their precious resolutions does not improve the ambiance of the liturgy. On the contrary, their actions outshine the solemnity of the liturgy! Their efforts are commendable. However, their complacency does not help but making things worse.
Allow me to illustrate with another example. Our parish is located in the north western part of the New Territories. Previously, the transportation facilities were not adequate. Many people returned from works after eight at night. Thus, in our parish, many meetings, catechumen classes, functions, prayer meets and masses etc. are usually held at 8:30 p.m. In 2004, West Rail started her service. Transportation to and from the urban area has improved. Yet, now seventeen years after the commencement of West Rail operation, most of our activities are still held at 8:30 p.m. The obstacle of complacency is something we can’t ignore. Is it laziness? Or is it that we don’t want to give up the security of past achievements? Or do some people want to retain their privileges? Although it seems that no progress is made, “There is an appointed time for everything” (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Seventeen-year is no big deal. Many who have been baptized for decades remain the same. Don’t lose our faith in God for these trivial matters.
Today, we meditate on the well-known miracle of five loaves and two fish, the John’s version. The Synoptic gospels put the miracle in the context of the apostles’ completion of evangelization. They had attracted a large crowd of people on whom Jesus Christ felt pity. He worked this miracle to relieve the crowd of their hunger. But John says nothing about the evangelization mission of the Twelve. Instead, he says, “A large crowd followed him because they saw the signs he was performing on the sick.” (John 6:2) John himself was one of the Twelve sent forth to proclaim the gospel but he does not take the credit of attracting the crowd. Instead, the credit goes to the signs performed by Jesus Christ. The humility of John is exemplary. When our efforts are not recognized, we feel frustrated and take every opportunity to tell people our contributions. How much do we desire glory, even vainglory which is not proportional to our efforts! John is indifferent to personal glory. Not only did he observe the commandments, but like Jesus Christ, he also quietly put the spirituality of Psalms into practice. Like what the Psalmist says, “Not to us, Lord, not to us but to your name give glory because of your mercy and faithfulness.” (Psalms 115:1) This “Son of Thunder” (Mark 3:17) who once asked for the Lord’s permission to call down fire from heavens to consume a Samaritan village which did not welcome them (Luke 9:54) has matured! Punishing impolite people can only satisfy our own ego and does not help impolite people become polite. After this event, John let go of his “thunder” and was able to grow up. It is not a bad thing to narrate the achievements of evangelization. It is a faithful reporting but it also reveals our desires for achievements. Not saying a word about achievements, John is truly “the beloved disciple of the Lord” (John 19:26)!
There’s another verse which is worth meditating. It is the Lord’s attitude towards the fragments left over. He says to his disciples, “Gather the fragments left over, so that nothing will be wasted” (6:12). Superficially, Jesus Christ seems to be yet another environmentalist. But His other verses make me firmly believe that this verse has a deeper meaning of mercy and not a shallow environmental protection teaching. In other gospels, Jesus repeatedly tells us of the Father’s meticulous care. It is enough for us to seek the kingdom of heaven. It is because we worth more than birds and sparrows which the Father feeds. How can He neglect us (Matthew 6:26, 10:31; Luke 12:6) Fragments left over concern Jesus Christ. How much more would He care about souls, in particular souls of sinners? O you of little faith … Seek his kingdom (12:28-31) and work hard for the repentance of sinners, and God will do the rest!
As for the verse “The Jewish feast of Passover was near” (6:4) I have written a simple reflection (“The Liberation by Five Loaves & Two Fish”). Today, I would like to meditate deeper on the theme of “Liberation”.
When Satan tempted Jesus Christ in the wilderness, it showed extensive knowledge of the Bible. When Jesus replied its temptations with quotations from the Bible, in vanity it quoted the Psalms to dare Jesus to jump down from the top of the Temple. (Matthew 4:6; Luke 4:10-11; Psalms 91:12) In fact, during the first temptation, Satan already made use of the Psalms but did not quote it. It persuaded Jesus Christ to turn stones into bread to satisfy the physical needs of sinners so that they don’t have to sin anymore. Satan was challenging Jesus Christ “I am the Lord your God, who brought you up from the land of Egypt. Open wide your mouth that I may fill it” (81:11). It would never have dreamt that God would not use stones to give humanity fake satisfaction but His own flesh and blood! The three proposals of Satan to save the world are actually paradoxical traps that are not able to actually solve the problem of evil. Regrettably, many politicians still make use of these proposals to cheat their constituencies.
The outcome of the five loaves & two fish miracle was not satisfactory. The crowd stayed at the material level, thinking that the prophet promised by God (Deuteronomy 18:18; John 6:14) was a prophet with unlimited supply of food and not a prophet who would liberate them from the slavery of sins, a prophet who would help them attain freedom. The next day, when Jesus Christ tried to teach the crowd about “the bread of life”, “Many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied him” (6:66). Jesus did not meet their expectation to be a prophet who would deliver an unlimited supply of food!
Brethren! The crowd deserted Jesus Christ and had forsaken the opportunity of gaining eternal life (6:68). They indulged in old way of thinking and were reluctant to leave their comfort zone. Like their ancestors, who had left the comfort of slavery and suffered in the wilderness, they kept complaining against Moses and preferred returning to slavery (Exodus 16:3)! We should reflect on this. Are we like the Israelites who indulged in comfortable outdated mentality and are reluctant to suffer, to undergo pastoral conversion for evangelization? Are we willing to give up our achievements or achievements of our groups to struggle for a greater progress in spirituality? To go out of the Church, meet the people in the neighbourhood, even the disadvantages to tell them the Father’s mercy? To do more charity, forgiving unreasonable criticisms of the others?
God bless!
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