「叫你個耶穌出嚟見我」 Tell Your Jesus To Appear Before Me

「叫你個耶穌出嚟見我」（谷6:45-52）

很多人瞧不起信天主，信耶穌的人，認為他們迷信，不科學。有時甚至挑戰信徒說：「叫你個耶穌宜家就出嚟見我，我就信佢喇！」耶穌當然不會顯現給這些人，因為「他們的心，還是遲鈍。」（谷6:52）還沒有準備好！且看十二宗徒，即使剛剛見證了五餅二魚的神蹟，仍然未能接受能夠步行水面的天主子，「以為是個妖怪」（6:49）！

「五餅二魚」神蹟，是天主兌現祂在先知書及聖詠所許下的承諾（則34:16, 23；詠81:11），因為猶太人的牧者沒有做好牧養的職務，天主要親身餵養自己的羊群。可惜宗徒們和群眾的心遲鈍，眼光祇放在現世的事物，未能領悟增餅神蹟的意義，更難以藉「五餅二魚」，體會到耶穌基督是天主。在舊約中，厄里亞（列上17:16）與厄里叟（列下4:42-44）也曾增餅，故此群眾祇認為耶穌基督「確實是那要來到世界上的先知」，祇滿足於擁立祂為王（若6:14-15）。

耶穌基督惟有再進一步把自己是天主的身份，啟示給門徒。其實，耶穌基督在講解了天國的比喻後，曾平息風浪（谷4:35-41），把自己是天主子的身份，啟示過一次，而部份人已經有所認識（瑪14:33），但馬爾谷的團體卻是「非常驚懼」（谷4:41）罷了！今次在黑暗中（6:48），耶穌基督在水面上步行，有如創世紀所載，「深淵上還是一團黑暗，天主的神在水面上運行。」（創1:2）我們不會奢望馬爾谷的團體能夠藉此而領會到「天主聖三」的奧義。倘若他們明白了，就會伏地朝拜耶穌基督了。但當時，他們祇是「心中越發驚奇」（谷6:51）而已；後來耶穌基督還要為三位入室弟子「惡補」，在山上顯示祂的真貎和與聖父的關係（9:2-8）！

信仰是以天主的眼光看待這個世界，絕對不是迷信。尤其是天主教的神學，非常理性，沒有足夠的哲學根基，不要妄想涉獵！所以，沒有充足的準備之前，不要奢望你能「近取諸身，遠取諸物」，看見天主留下的蛛絲馬跡。如果耶穌基督真的顯現給你，我替你領受到成聖光環而高興！但從此你有如聖保祿宗徒一樣，多災多難了！
天主保祐！
生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：wikipedia.org

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“Tell Your Jesus To Appear Before Me” (Mark 6:45-52)

Many people look down on those who believe in God and in Jesus. They opine that those who have faith are superstitious and unscientifc. Sometimes, they even challenge believers, saying “Tell your Jesus to appear before me immediately. Then I would believe in him!” Of course Jesus would not appear to them because “their hearts were hardened” (Mark 6:52). They’re not ready! See the Twelve? Even though they had just witnessed the miracle of five loaves and two fish, they could not accept the Son of God walking on the water, thinking “it was a ghost” (6:49)!

God honours His pledges made in the books of prophets and psalms (Ezekiel 34:16, 23; Psalms 81:11) with the miracle of five loaves and two fish because the Jewish leaders had not discharged their shepherd ministry properly. Thus God came to feed His own flock in person. Regrettably, the Twelve and the crowd were dumb. They focussed only on secular things and were unable to grasp the meaning of the multiplication miracle. It would even be more difficult for them to know that Jesus Christ is God through these five loaves and two fish. In the Old Testament, Elijah (1 Kings 17:16) and Elisha (2 Kings 4:42-44) had also multiplied bread. The crowd could only identify Jesus Christ as “The Prophet, the one who is to come into the world” and were satisified to make him king (John 6:14-15).

Jesus Christ, perhaps reluctantly, had to further reveal to his disciples His divine identity. In fact, Jesus Christ had already calmed the sea after telling them parables of the kingdom of heaven (Mark 4:35-41). He had already revealed His Son of God identity once and some were able to acknowledge that (Matthew 14:33). But Mark’s community “were filled with great awe” only (Mark 4:41)! That Jesus Christ walked on the water in the dark (6:48) reminds us of the hymn “the earth was without form or shape, with darkness over the abyss and the Spirit of God hovering over the waters” (Genesis 1:2). We would not expect Mark’s community to understand the mystery of the Blessed Trinity. Otherwise, they would have made homily to Jesus Christ. Instead they were “completely astounded” only (Mark 6:51). Consequently, Jesus Christ had to reveal His glory and relation with the Father to three core members of the apostles on a high mountain (9:2-8)!

Faith is to see the world in God’s perspective. It is absolutely not superstitious. In particular, Catholic theology is extremely rational. Without sufficient training in philosophy, it’s next to impossible to study it. Thus, without adequate preparations, one is blind to the clues left behind by God in everything within and without us. If Jesus Christ actually appeared to you, I would congratulate you for the halo you received! But from then on, you would suffer much like St. Paul the apostle!
God bless!