常年期第十八主日，乙年
主題：信德的奧蹟
大家相信世上有神蹟嗎？大部份現代人都接受過科學教育，事事講求證據，相信邏輯。如果在人前表示相信天主，或者相信世上有神蹟，會顯得迷信和落伍。所以很多天主教徒都不大願意在人面前，表露自己是天主教徒的身份，更遑論向外教人宣講福音，幫助身邊的人相信耶穌基督呢？各位每個主日能夠返聖堂參加彌撒領聖體，已經非常難得了。但大家有沒有認真投入參予，獲得實際的神益呢？正如李神父經常提醒大家，參加網上彌撒，「神領聖體，實領基督」，雖然是疫情中不得已的權宜之計，但總比「實領聖體卻沒有神領恩寵」好得多！所以今天，執事我想從「神蹟」入手，同大家一起默想「聖體聖事」，因為「聖體聖事」是一個神蹟，一個每天發生的神蹟。
首先，做天主教徒比較尷尬，因為基督新教，尤其是一些細小進取的教派，經常引用聖經，說「十誡」禁止崇拜偶像，批評我們天主教徒「拜聖母、拜偶像」。誠然，我們少讀聖經，不像他們能說出聖經章節，招架不了他們的批評。但大家在奧運期間看見運動員的努力，多少也應該感染了「勝敗乃兵家常事」，祇要有「屢敗屢戰」的態度，總有一雪前恥的日子。堂區為了慶祝建堂銀禧，推行了「兩年抄經計劃」；繼之正在推行「三年讀經計劃」。這是一個非常好的機會，不但可以裝備自己，一雪前恥；更可藉著每日讀經，領受神益！
所謂「遠水不能救近火」，三年後纔回應有點遲。現在我們如何回應「拜聖母」的批評呢？簡單的回應是：天主教徒對聖母表達孝愛，實在是遵守救主耶穌的命令，並不是拜偶像。因為按【若望福音】的記載，救主耶穌在十字架上，先囑咐聖母照顧教會，然後吩咐教會尊敬聖母為教會的母親。相信三年後，大家一定能說出救主耶穌的吩咐，記載在若望福音的第幾章第幾節吧。
其實，教堂中的聖像，家中掛在牆上的聖相，或者我們隨身攜帶的唸珠，都不是偶像。因為偶像，例如梅瑟上西乃山領受十誡時，以色列人在山下建造的金牛，引誘人遠離天主；而聖像聖相唸珠是指向天主的標記，引領人歸向天主！同理，今時今日的偶像豈是金牛那麼單純，但凡使人成為奴隸的：例如工作、樓宇、權勢、政治人物甚至手機互聯網等等，倘若它們令人忘記了天主，忘記了天主的愛，它們都是偶像！
另一方面，聖經所記載的神蹟，全部都是指向天主，展示天主慈悲的標記，也有引領人歸向天主的作用。所以救主耶穌在福音中施行神蹟，不是為了展示自己的威力，而是告訴世人天主的臨在，天父的慈悲。
魔鬼建議耶穌把石頭變成餅，滿足人類口腹上的需要，便可以減少人類犯罪的傾向。耶穌基督拒絕了魔鬼的建議，引用聖經回應說：「人生活不祇靠餅，而也靠天主口中所發的一切言語。」（申8:3；瑪4:4）。倘若耶穌依從魔鬼的建議，人類便與豬狗禽獸沒有分別。所以耶穌對魔鬼的回答，展示了天主對人的喜愛，並保障了人性的尊嚴！ 既然要保障人性尊嚴，為甚麼又要行五餅二魚神蹟，讓五千人吃飽，好像依從了魔鬼的建議呢？要知道耶穌並不是一看見五千人聚集，便行五餅二魚的神蹟。按對觀福音的記載，耶穌首先「給他們講論天主的國，並治好了那些急需要治療的人。」（瑪14:14；谷6:34；路9:11）。即是說，耶穌首先照顧了人性在靈性上的需要，後來纔處理物質上的需要！
與五餅二魚對比，魔鬼建議用的是甚麼？是石頭！試想想，餅和魚尚可充飢，尚有營養；但石頭可以吃，可以充飢，有營養可以維持生命嗎？當然不可以，但為甚麼魔鬼這樣「弱智」，教人用不能充飢的東西來充飢呢？魔鬼的建議對天主子固然失效，但對人類卻依然有效。且看今時今日，很多人不但吃有損健康的「垃圾食物」，而且還浪費很長的時間，沉迷在社交媒體，閱讀和轉發大量一面倒的謠言、文宣和自慰的文章視訊等等，這些都是損害心靈的「毒」物，有毒之物。它們會令讀者心靈硬化，激發彼此的仇恨，製造分裂，使讀者變得鐵石心腸！原來魔鬼不是把石頭變餅那麼簡單，而是引誘人吃這些石頭變成的餅，使人的心變成石頭！
在今天的福音中，耶穌基督說了一句很有意義的說話：「我實實在在告訴你們，你們尋找我，並不是因為看到了神蹟，而是因為吃餅吃飽了。」（若6:26）看到了神蹟找耶穌，與吃餅吃飽了找耶穌，有甚麼分別？兩者都同樣帶領人找到耶穌，不是同樣有效嗎？
吃餅吃飽了找耶穌，是想找一個讓你衣食無憂的靠山。太短視了！人生在世，豈止需要照顧血肉上的需求呢？人有無法填滿的慾望，祇有無限的天主纔有能力填滿。所以耶穌繼續教導這些短視的人，生命之糧，即聖體聖事的真理！魔鬼挑戰天主子行神蹟滿足人類的滿求，可是牠造夢也不敢想像，天主子竟然要以自己的體血來養活人類，讓人類分享天主聖三永恆的生命！
各位兄弟姊妹，大家相信神蹟嗎？大家相信耶穌基督是天主子嗎？在最後晚餐，天主子拿起麵餅，並不是說，「這餅象徵我的身體」，而是說：「這是我的身體」（路22:19）。相信這麵餅是耶穌基督的身體，不是迷信。因為除了宗徒們的實踐外，還有歷代神學家的努力辯證，是理性的實踐，一點也不迷信！「聖體聖事」是一個展示天主慈悲的標記，所以是一個神蹟。正如神父在成聖體後所宣佈的，這是一個「信德的奧蹟」，是天主教徒信仰的考驗。大家真的相信天主子借助神父的手所祝聖的麵餅，就是天主子的身體嗎？大家認同從神父，執事或者送聖體員手上接過的麵餅，真是基督的身體嗎？大家知道「亞孟」是甚麼意思嗎？它不是天主教徒領聖體前的暗號。「亞孟」即是今天福音中耶穌所說的「實實在在」的原文，耶穌說了兩次「亞孟」！基督新教已經放棄了，他們祇有「聖餐」，祇有最後晚餐的紀念，而放棄了天主子恩賜的體血，不接受耶穌在【瑪竇福音】最後一句的承諾：「看！我同你們天天在一起，直到今世的終結」（瑪28:20）。大家領聖體時，如果真的相信，請大聲地宣認「亞孟」，「這真是基督的聖體」。
天主保祐！
2018年講道
圖片鳴謝：catholicleader.com.au
Eighteenth Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: The Mystery of Faith
Do you believe in miracles?Most modern people have received some scientific education. They demand proofs and place their trust in logic. They would feel embarrassed if they admit before others their belief in God or in miracles because they would look superstitious and backward. Thus, many Catholics are reluctant to reveal their Catholic identity before the others, not to mention helping people believe in Jesus Christ. When you come back to Church on Sundays and receive the Holy Eucharist, you’re already very good. But do you participate actively and effectively receive God’s grace? Just as Fr. Simon Li always reminds us these days, even though participating online masses, receiving spiritual communion and uniting with Christ is a better than nothing alternative, it is better than those who are able to receive actually the Eucharist but gain no spiritual grace. Therefore today, I would like to mediate with you the Sacrament of Eucharist from the perspective of miracles because this sacrament is a miracle which happens every day.
First of all, it is uneasy to be a Catholic because many Protestants, especially those small and aggressive sects always quote the Bible, saying that the Ten Commandments forbid idolatry and criticize us Catholics for worshipping the BVM and adoring idols. Indeed, we read very little Bible. Unlike them, we’re not able to quote the Bible or to counter their criticisms. But seeing the athletes during this Olympic season, we are touched and to some extent adopt their indifference to losses. One day, we’ll be back. In order to celebrate the Silver Jubilee of the establishment of our parish, we mobilized the parishioners to spend two years to make a manuscript of the entire Bible. After this, we are now running a Three-Year-Bible-Study Scheme. It is a good opportunity, not only to equip ourselves to confront challenges, but also to receive spiritual benefits through daily scripture readings!
It would be too late to answer challenges three years from now. At the moment, how do we answer the criticism of our “worshipping the BVM”? Simply put, Catholics honouring the BVM are in fact obeying the command of Jesus, not idolatry. It is because according to the gospel of John which tells us that on the cross, Lord Jesus requested the BVM to take care of the Church. Then he told the Church to honour the BVM as her mother. I believe three years from now, you’ll be able to quote from which chapter and verses Lord Jesus made the request.
In fact, the icons in the Church, the holy pictures we hang on the wall at home and even the rosaries we carry are not idols. It is because idols, like the golden calf the Israelites built when Moses went up Mount Sinai to receive the Ten Commandments, tempt people to turn away from God, while icons, holy pictures and rosaries are signs pointing to God and lead people to approach God. Similarly, idols are no mere simple golden calves nowadays. All those that enslave people, for example work, houses, power, politicians and even mobile phones and the Internet etc., if they make people forget God or forget God’s love, they are idols!
On the other hand, all the miracles recorded in the Bible are signs which point to God, exhibit God’s mercy and lead people towards God. Thus, when Lord Jesus performs miracles in the gospels, He is not showing off his power but telling people the presence of God and the mercy of the Father.
Do you remember the story of Jesus’ Temptation after his baptism in River Jordon? At that time, Satan persuaded Jesus to perform various miracles to solve the problem of evils in the world. Sorry, God would not work miracles to show off His powers, or to solve the problems of starvation, pandemics, power struggles or even world peace. These problems are caused by human beings and we have the responsibility to make use of truth and love to resolve them. We should not invite God to intervene. But I believe that Jesus Christ mentions in particular these three temptations for our sake. Perhaps he wants to remind us to beware of these three Achilles’ heels! In fact, the first temptation is closely coupled with the five loaves two fish miracle!
Satan persuaded Jesus to turn stones into bread to satisfy human hunger so as to reduce their tendency to sin. Jesus Christ rejected Satan’s suggestion and replied with a quotation from the Bible, “One does not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” (Deuteronomy 8:3, Matthew 4:4). Had Jesus followed Satan’s suggestion, men would have become no different from animals. Thus, Jesus’ reply to Satan shows God’ love for men and it protects human dignity!< > If Jesus wanted to protect human dignity, why then did He perform the five loaves two fish miracle to feed 5000 people? It seemed after all that Jesus had actually been persuaded by Satan. Well, we should know that Jesus did not work the miracles after seeing the gathering of the crowd. According to the Synoptic gospels, Jesus “spoke to them about the kingdom of God, and he healed those who needed to be cured.” (Matthew 14:14; Mark 6:34, Luke 9:11) That is to say, Jesus took care of the spiritual needs of humanity before he met their physical needs!
In the gospel today, Jesus Christ utters a very meaningful sentence, “Amen, amen, I say to you, you are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled” (John 6:26) Is there any difference between looking for Jesus after seeing signs and looking for him after eating to the full? Both of them bring people to Jesus. Aren’t they the same in effectiveness? Looking for Jesus because the people had eaten to their full, they wanted to follow a leader who had inexhaustible resources. They were too short-sighted! Living involves not only the gratification of physical needs. Men have insatiable desires which only an infinite God is able to satisfy. Therefore, Jesus continued to teach these myopic people the truth of the Bread of Life, i.e. the Sacrament of the Eucharist! Satan challenged the Son of God to deploy miracles to meet human needs. But it would never have dreamt that the Son of God would feed humanity with His own body and blood, to allow us to partake in the eternal life of the Blessed Trinity!
Brethren! Do you believe in miracles? Do you believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God? During the Last Supper, the Son of God took bread into His hand and not said, “This bread is a symbol of my body”, but says, “This is my body” (Luke 22:19) Believing this bread is the body of Jesus Christ is not superstition. It is because on top of the practice of the apostles, theologians throughout the ages have debated vigorously. It is a rational practice and not a bit superstition! The Sacrament of Eucharist is a sign which shows us God’s mercy. It is a miracle. Just as the priest proclaims after consecration that “This is a mystery of faith”, it is a test of faith for all Catholics. Do you really believe that the bread which the Son of God makes use of the priest hand to consecrate is truly the body of the Son of God? Do you acknowledge the bread which is handed over to you from the priests, deacons or extraordinary ministers is actually the body of Christ? Do you know the meaning of “Amen”? It is not a password for Catholics before they receive the Holy Communion. It is the original words Jesus says today and he says it twice! Protestants have forsaken it. They only have “sacred meals” as a remembrance of the Last Supper. They have forsaken the body and blood of the Son of God. They have forgotten Jesus’ pledge in the last verse of the gospel of Matthew, “And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Therefore, when you receive the Holy Eucharist and truly believe, please proclaim aloud “Amen”, “This is truly the Body of Christ”
God bless!
Picture credit: eatnplay.hk
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