What’s the Right Thing To Seek? 該尋求甚麼正確的事？

Eighteenth Ordinary Sunday, Year C

Theme: What’s the Right Thing To Seek? 該尋求甚麼正確的事？

In the gospel story today, a man asked Jesus to help him get his due. “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me” (Luke 12:13). My first impression of Jesus’ response was that He evaded the issue of justice to talk about something less crucial. In so doing, I felt that Jesus was not doing justice to the man, was He?

When the issue of inheritance arose, the parable of the Prodigal Son immediately came to mind. In the present case, most probably the man’s brother was the elder son who was in control of the inheritance left behind after their father’s demise. For some reasons, this elder brother seemed to be reluctant to share the inheritance with him. Therefore, this man came to seek Jesus’ help because Jesus was not as the scribes. “He taught them as one that had authority.” (Mark 1:22) Hopefully, Jesus’ authority would bend his brother. This was a rather civilized approach. Had this man been a thug, he would have chosen a more violent path and resorted to murder! But Jesus declined to exercise His authority to settle their dispute and turned to the crowd to talk about greed. Would teaching about greed settle injustice?

We have only heard one side of the story and don’t know why the elder brother did not share the inheritance. An obvious explanation is that the elder brother was greedy. But there might be other possibilities. Again the Parable of the Prodigal Son could be helpful. What happened after the younger brother acquired his share of inheritance in the Parable? Probably the elder brother knew that his younger brother would “squander his inheritance on a life of dissipation” (Luke 15:13b) So, the elder brother could be right in not sharing the inheritance! Had Jesus helped the younger brother, He would have engendered an injustice! Of course, it could have been both: the elder brother was really greedy while the younger brother was but a scumbag! Therefore, in teaching against greed, Jesus was not evading responsibility but went directly to the root of issue.

What does Jesus teach? He teaches us to focus on the most essential things in life. He reminds us, “For though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions” (Luke 12:15). Then Jesus tells the Parable of the Rich Fool to elaborate. “You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?” (12:20) This line echoes the same sentiment shown in the first reading today. It is a perennial truth all parents must acknowledge. “For here is one who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and that one’s legacy must be left to another who has not toiled for it. This also is vanity and a great evil” (Ecclesiastes 2:21).

Let’s put aside those who accumulate wealth for themselves to the exclusion of all other people. St. Paul has already condemned those people, “For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have stayed from their faith and have pierced themselves with many pains” (1 Timothy 6:10). The love of money is an intrinsic evil because money makes people feel secure. Money emboldens people to the extent that they would harden their hearts towards the needy, such as the anonymous rich man in the Parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus (Luke 16:19-31), and the rich begin not to feel the need of God. With greater wealth and power, they even start playing God themselves.
Am I exaggerating? No! Take a look at the second reading today. When Paul exhorts the faithful to renounce evil, he says, “Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry” (Colossians 3:5). Why did Paul equate greed with idolatry? It is because idols offer people shortcuts to get rich and to acquire whatever they desire through magic/witchcraft. The worship of Yahweh gave the Israelites freedom from slavery. But fertility cult in Canaan appealed more directly to our needs in the lower hierarchy. It was hard to resist for the Israelites and for humanity in general. Freedom is too abstract to feed the belly!

It is a consolation that not many people can be as rich and as powerful as Messrs. Bill Gates and Li Ka-shing. Yet, it is undeniable that the modern secular world is run by wealth. We can’t live in this city without this resource. We need to prepare for projects in the future and parents need to reserve resources for their children’s consumption though they know all too well that their children might not be able to handle the inheritance properly. As a Chinese aphorism goes, “Wealth never lasts more than three generations”. Thus, the accumulation of wealth is not necessarily evil as long as we take the others into consideration. The key point is how to management our wealth properly. So, what’s the best strategy a Christian should deploy in their investment?

Christ teaches us a philosophy of financial management, “Thus will it be (foolish) for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God” (Luke 12:21). What does it mean by “to be rich in what matters to God”? To a certain extent, Luke was paraphrasing Paul’s teaching. Paul says, “Tell the rich in the present age not to be proud and not to rely on so uncertain a thing as wealth but rather on God … Tell them to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, ready to share, thus accumulating as treasure a good foundation for the future, so as to win the life that is true life” (1 Timothy 6:17-19) In telling the rich “not to be proud”, Paul warns against the illusionary empowerment of money which tempts us to play God. “To do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share” are concrete and practical actions to accumulate treasure in heaven. Why do these actions “matter to God”? It is because in loving our neighbour, we love God (Matthew 25:40). “For whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). Thus, our acts of charity or the lack of them is linked with God.

Why is doing good work such an essential step? Let’s take a look from another perspective. Doing good work has to do with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit a spirit of charity. It was the Holy Spirit who inspired us to love the needy and to love the unlovable. On the other hand, Paul likens the Holy Spirit as God’s down payment of our inheritance in heaven (2 Corinthians 1:22; 5:5, Ephesians 1:13-14). Last week, we read that our Father in heaven is eager to “give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him” (Luke 11:13). But don’t forget, God would also take the Holy Spirit away from us (1 Samuel 16:14, Psalms 51:13). Thus, not only should we aim at the possession of the Holy Spirit, but we should also take care to preserve the Holy Spirit given to us. The BVM is an excellent exemplar. She is full of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35) and as a carrier of the Holy Spirit, she moves around to extend a helping hand to whoever is in need (1:39-40, John 2:3)! That explains why doing good work is an essential step in the preservation of the Holy Spirit in us, thus ensuring that we’ll get rich in heaven.

Brethren! Don’t be short-sighted when we handle worldly business which would easily occupy our full attention. Take time off to seek the right thing! Seek not immediate fairness because it might not last long. Instead, set our sight to eternal richness and seek it! Amen.
God bless!
2016 Reflection
Picture Credit: wikipedia

Why is Persistence needed in Prayers? 為何要恬不知恥地切求？

The Seventeenth Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: Why is Persistence needed in Prayers? 為何要恬不知恥地切求？

The Israelites were a people eager to imitate. For example, during the Age of the Judges, whenever they were attacked by nations in the neighbourhood, God would raise “national heroes” whom they called “Judges” to unite the twelve tribes to fight back. Later after Samuel had retired as the Judge, the Israelites demanded to have a king to lead them, “We too must be like all the nations, with a king to rule us, lead us in warfare, and fight our battles” (1 Samuel 8:20). This was not a wise request. They forsook God because He was invisible. Rather, they sought after a visible king.

Similarly, in the gospel text today, we read of one of Jesus disciples’ request, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” (Luke 11:1) Probably it was too early for Jesus’ disciples to know that Jesus is the Son of God. Nevertheless, this disciple was actually PRAYING to God! However, like most of us, this disciple was not petitioning to the best of his own interests. He was like an inexperienced housewife buying expensive yet low quality groceries instead of the best buys. John the Baptist was only a forerunner for the Messiah. His teachings could never be on a par with those of Jesus’. Yet, this disciple prayed for it, like what most people do in their prayers, viz. asking for second-class benefits!

As the narrative unfolds, Jesus taught us the shorter Lukan version of the Lord’s Prayer (11:2-4). Then like what He used to do, Jesus told us a parable to encourage us to persist in our prayers, “I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.” (11:8)

I would argue that persistence is NOT necessary for prayers and here are the reasons: First of all, elsewhere when Jesus teaches about prayers, He says, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:8) Immediately after that, He teaches the Lord’s Prayer (6:9-13). Now, if our Father already knows, why bother praying and persist in praying? Therefore, there must be something other than simply acquiring what we want when we pray and that something may have nothing to do with persistence!

Secondly, when we persist in asking for lethal things, would God give us? Of course He wouldn’t as it is shown by what Jesus continues to say a few verses below, “What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?” (Luke 11:11-12) God would not harm us so as to teach us a lesson. But what if we are praying not for harmful things but for second class benefits, would our persistence make God give us? I would like to point out an unwarranted assumption in this question! This question assumes that we won’t change our requests in our persistence and that we don’t adjust our requests during the course of prayer!

Let me make use of a well-known story to explain why this assumption is unwarranted. It comes from the story of Abraham in the first reading today. At that time, Abraham intended to make his nephew Lot his inheritor because Abraham had no son. Lot was staying in Sodom but God wanted to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of the gravity of their sins (Genesis 18:20). In order to save Lot, Abraham began a series of bargaining with God to intercede for Sodom (18:23-32). Abraham started with fifty righteous people in Sodom. Seeing that God was willing to spare the wicked, Abraham adjusted his requests cautiously to maximize his gain. He made God lower the threshold from 50 to 45, 40, 30, 20 and lastly 10 righteous people! Abraham’s persistence set us a good example. It shows that persistence gives better results because we are able to adjust our target and reach an optimal outcome.

In modern jargon, Abraham was testing God’s bottom line. When he reached ten, Abraham dared not to risk what he had acquired so far. Had he bargained harder, God might be angry with his “greed” and overturned everything or God might tighten His definition of “righteous people” to disqualify all. After all, it is God who inspects and decides whether a person is righteous, “If I find …” (18:26, 28-32) Not only did Abraham show persistence, he showed prudence as well! Some scholars speculate that God’s bottom line is one. Among human beings, there is one indisputably righteous person: Jesus Christ! God intends to reconcile the whole world to Himself in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:19). Out of His mercy, the Son of God took flesh to become man. “For our sake He made Him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteous of God in Him.” (5:21) The mystery of Incarnation is truly unfathomable!

Thus, Jesus did not tell this parable to encourage us to be stubborn. Rather, He tells us that God is very patient. He already knows what we need before we pray and that we always ask the wrong things. Though to err is human, the ability to learn and to fine-tune is a human advantage! Thus, the Father gives us an opportunity to persist until we reach through many adjustments, not necessarily the best but the most optimal outcome. It doesn’t matter even if the optimal is of lower quality than the best. In the end, God will be extremely glad to give us the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). “For we do not know how to pray as we ought, the Spirit itself intercedes with inexpressible groanings.” (Romans 8:26)

Brethren! Have faith in Jesus and in the Holy Spirit. With persistence, we’ll be able to reach the optimal prayer which the Father is pleased to grant. Thus, Jesus is able to boldly announce an impossible pledge: “And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.” (Luke 11:9) With the support of the Holy Spirit, we’ll surely have all our prayers answered.
God bless!
2019 Reflection
Picture Credit: scripturescript.wordpress.com

The Autumn of Life

The Autumn of Life

Deacon Alex

In 1999, His Holiness Pope John Paul II wrote a personal letter to the elderly¹. “As an older person myself, I have felt the desire to engage in a conversation with you.” (para. 1) Following the famous Roman orator Cicero, the saintly Pope called old age “The autumn of life”. If I may paraphrase a popular political jargon, old age is our “harvest time”. Compared with another imagery of the “setting sun”, “the autumn of life” is forward-looking indeed!

The life expectancy of ancient people was very much shorter than modern men. They rarely lived beyond seventy. So goes the Psalms, “Seventy is the sum of our years, or eighty, if we are strong.” (Psalms 90:10) Nowadays, medical technology has so greatly advanced that if a person or his family is able to afford, it is possible to lead a life beyond one hundred and twenty which is a limit set by God (Genesis 6:3). Isn’t that a blessing to be born a modern man?

Regrettably you would all agree with me that beyond fifty, our health could go in only one direction. The most men could do is to slow down the ageing process which seems to be irreversible. Working out and taking dietary supplements to stay young have become a lucrative market. The worst nightmare modern people fear is the Alzheimer’s disease. Not only are your precious memories slipping through your fingers like water, but your control over your body parts is also losing. You start not recognizing your beloved ones. You fall involuntarily and have difficulty swallowing etc. Life becomes miserable to yourselves as well as to your care-takers!

In ancient times when knowledge grew at a snail’s pace, senior citizens enjoyed respect and dignity because they were the embodiment of wisdom! But nowadays, knowledge explodes at such a pace that nobody on this planet is able to master a small fragment of it even if they have the will and the power, not to mention senior citizens who lack both. Senior citizens are no longer able to command respect because fast-paced modern people don’t buy their “wisdom”! As such, longevity is becoming more a curse than a blessing!

Let’s stay positive my dear older brothers and sisters! Memory failure is not as bad as you imagine. There are indeed many happy people who only remember “good” things in their lives. They are grateful to everybody they have met. Losing those good memories seems to be a pity. On the other hand, for those bitter people who only remember how others have cheated them and have bullied them, isn’t losing those bad memories a good thing? Exactly! Alzheimer’s disease is an indifferent equalizer. It wipes out both good and bad memories without showing any favouritism. Why then did I exhort you at the beginning of this paragraph to stay positive? It is because charity is a Christian duty. Stay positive, be grateful and remember only good things in your lives so that in your old age, you as well as your care-takers in the future will be happy! Stay negative, be cynical and remember only bad things in your lives, you’re heaping coals of fire on your own heads as well as your future care-takers’. Everybody suffers until Alzheimer disease comes to your aid!

My dear older brethren! At the end of the day, we are all path-finders showing people how to cross over the threshold to eternal life --- death. Sooner or later, all of us would return to our Creator and eternity is our destiny. We’ll either be gaining infinitely good experiences in eternal life in the company of all the angels and saints or infinite bitterness in hell in the company of Satan. The present social milieu is a depressing one. Let our remaining days be a guidepost to those around us, showing them different paths to eternity which shall be bitterness or sweetness of different degrees. With the support of Our Lady of Mount Carmel who went all the way to support her elderly cousin Elizabeth, let us show people the true colours of autumn and a gleam of hope in eternity. Amen!
God bless!

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¹ https://www.vatican.va/content/john-paul-ii/en/letters/1999/documents/hf_jp-ii_let_01101999_elderly.html

Admixtures of Martha & Mary, 瑪爾大與瑪利亞的混合體

The Sixteenth Sunday, Year C
Theme: Admixtures of Martha & Mary, 瑪爾大與瑪利亞的混合體

The Parish Feast Day, July 16 fell on yesterday. For one, I have to assist in two different masses, the Feast Day Mass as well as the Ordinary Sunday Mass. The gospel readings are different: the wedding at Cana (John 2:1-10) for our Feast Day as well as Martha & Mary (Luke 10:38-42). This combination evoked an interesting meditation.

The gospel of Luke depicts a Blessed Virgin Mary who is both active and contemplative. Immediately after the Annunciation, Mary travelled in haste to a town in Judah to visit her needy cousin Elizabeth (1:39). No matter whether she wanted to verify Gabriel’s message or to help the elderly Elizabeth, Mary was active. The BVM is also well-known for keeping all things in her heart and reflecting on them (2:19, 51). She was contemplative. In the story of Martha and Mary, I see the two sides of one and the same Blessed Virgin Mary. I see the active Mary hasting to help Elizabeth in Martha and the contemplative Mary reflecting on things happening in her namesake. In the story of the wedding in Cana, we see an active Mary who sought the help from Jesus her son. We also see a contemplative Mary who was able to overcome the initial “disappointment” and to quickly grasp the Lord’s will. Subsequently, the BVM was able to direct the servants to listen to Jesus’ instructions (John 2:5).

The only reasonable conclusion I can come up with is that each and every one of us is an admixture of Martha and Mary of unique proportions. In other words, each and every one of us can be a BVM! Nobody is purely active or absolutely contemplative. There must be a bit of both in everybody. Sometimes, we need to go full speed ahead in order to meet deadlines and to get things done. Times and again, we need to go contemplative in order to recoup and recharge our energy. Therefore, in my reflection of the gospel text today, I see the perennial contradiction inside everybody, an internal tension between being active and being contemplative at the same time. For some people, being active wins the upper hand most of the time, while for others being contemplative.

We usually make the mistake of microscopic vision and read pieces of text out of context. For example, Jesus says, “There is need of only one thing. Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.” (Luke 10:42) Then many of us would focus on “the better part” of Jesus’ defence for Mary against Martha and prematurely jump to the conclusion that contemplative life is better than active life. A better approach is to take into account as well the “only one thing”. What is this one thing which is good as a whole and there exists a “better part” within?

I suppose you would agree with me that “this one thing” is love which is absolutely good as a whole. As believers in God, not only do we know that God is love (1 John 4:8, 16), but we should also obey the two commandments of love He gave us to live by: “You shall love the Lord, your God, with your whole heart, and with you whole being, and with your whole strength, and with all your mind, and love your neighbour as yourself” (Luke 10:27, Deuteronomy 6:5, Leviticus 19:18). Both Martha and Mary were showing their love to Lord Jesus but in different manners. Even though Jesus employs the word “better” in the gospel passage today, I’m sure He appreciates the loves shown in two different flavours by the two sisters. Let me assure you again. Jesus appreciates the love shown by both of them. Since Martha complained (Luke 10:40), therefore Jesus took the opportunity to assure her that she has done a great job in her anxieties and concerns for all the hospitality details (10:41). After all, this is her unique personality. Martha would not have been Martha had she not taken care of those hospitality details. Indeed, she has already fulfilled the “love your neighbour as yourself” commandment! On the other hand, Mary has chosen the “better part”, viz. loving the Lord her God with her whole heart, and with her whole being, and with her whole strength, and with her all her mind! As long as Lord Jesus is there, nobody will take this away from Mary!

Put it in another way. It is not a matter of deciding which is better, being active or being contemplative. No, both are required in obeying the two commandments of love. We cannot love God with a contemplative approach alone, arguing that “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in Spirit and truth” (John 4:24) because the same John exhorts that “For whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20). We must love God with both active and contemplative approaches together. Through loving the visible needy neighbour, we love the invisible God who is Spirit.
On the other hand, loving our neighbour in an active approach alone without a contemplative support, Christian charity is no different from social welfare! In fact, there is always a danger of turning Christian charity into social welfare by forgetting the contemplative side of love. We deacons are prone to such stumbling blocks in our diverse diaconate ministries. We focus too much on services without seeking God’s will! I’m sure many of the laity associations in the diocese such as Lay Prison Evangelical Organization, Legion of Mary, St. Vincent de Paul Society and The Community of Sant’ Egidio etc., to name a few, would easily fall prey to the temptation of being exclusively active in practice!

Brethren! Both the Blessed Virgin Mary and the sister of Martha remind us of the importance of staying focused on the better part of the one necessary thing, viz. loving God with our whole being. Like them, we should listen to the word of the Lord all the time. Of course, we may encounter Him in daily bible studies. But don’t forget, the good Lord also speaks to us through the people we meet and serve as well as incidents that happen to us in our daily life. Be attentive to the movements of the Holy Spirit. I’m sure you’ll be able to “sit beside the Lord at His feet listening to Him speak” (Luke 10:39)!
God bless!
2019 Reflection
Picture Credit: brokenbelievers.com

God Turns Evil Into Good天主化腐朽為神奇

Fifteen Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: God Turns Evil Into Good天主化腐朽為神奇

God is God because He turns evil into good. Without His continuous sustention, I’m afraid the known universe would have degraded to chaos long long time ago! We were created in the image of God and are creatures only. The best we are capable of doing is to preserve and develop what has been given us. We have to accept the reality that we’re not the Creator and are unable to make something out of nothing. Regrettably, when humanity has lost their original graces, in other words, when the Original Sin contaminates everybody without exception, we’re making a mess out of God’s creation. Most of the time, we turn good into bad and from bad into evil!

For example, God gave us intelligence and rationality. We might make use of them to discover God, His wonders and His love. Moreover, we might make use of them to improve our lives, to modify our living environment so that we’re able to enjoy greater convenience and to generate more wealth. Not only are our scientific and technological achievements getting better but we are also able to breakthrough limitations, sending probes into the outer space and men to the moon or editing our own genes. Our life-expectancy is lengthening and we’re exterminating previously incurable diseases etc. However, while we’re enjoying our convenience and prosperity, we do so at the expense of our environment. We’re choking and suffocating our Mother Earth with our pollutions. Unfortunately, there is a price to pay, not by ourselves but by people living down-streams, namely our neighbour next-door and our children of future generations!

A Chinese aphorism goes like this, “To go beyond is as wrong as to fall short 過猶不及” (The Analects, Xian Jin). We have a tendency to overdo. Take the example of the first miracle of Jesus at Cana. “Jesus told the servers, ‘Fill the jars with water.’ So they filled them to the brim.” (John 2:7) Jesus didn’t tell them to fill the jars to the brim, did Jesus? I could imagine Jesus shaking His head in disbelief how lack of faith people were! While Jesus stayed there, surely He would continue to multiply the wine whenever it ran short even if all those jars were half-filled in the beginning! Of course the servers had no idea what Jesus was capable of doing. Therefore, it was understandable that they filled the jars as fully as possible. Who could blame them for overdoing?

But let’s consider one more example. God gave us the Mosaic laws as guidelines for our daily life. He expects us to make use of the Ten Commandments to find our way back to Him. However, instead of using the Law to help us do good, the enemies of Jesus made use of the Law to pass judgment on Jesus, accusing Him of curing the sick on Sabbath! They turned the Law into a weapon for condemning people instead of building up people. Nowadays, we see similar things happening in the Catholic Church. Haven’t you heard of the arguments AGAINST receiving the Holy Communion in hands? Some Catholics insist that such a manner is impious and even blasphemous! They have forgotten Jesus’ teachings in various gospel passages, such as Matthew 7:1 and John 4:23. In short, we were created in the image of God and we enjoy playing God and passing judgment on others. In so doing, we overstep our being creatures! Let’s bear in mind that there’s a price to pay when people overdo. For example, God allowed the Assyrians to chasten the idolatrous Israelites (Isaiah 10:6). Yet the Assyrians overdid and were in turn punished by God (10:12).

On the other hand, God came to turn useful the messes created by us. For example, out of greed or perhaps ambition, Caesar Augustus decreed a census (Luke 2:1). God made use of this ‘evil’ to fulfil a prophecy: That the Saviour would be born in Bethlehem (Matthew 2:6). Moreover, astrology had always been an ‘evil’ in the eyes of the Jews but God made use of it to lead the Magi from the East to seek the newly born Jewish king! The adoration of the Magi opened the mind of Jewish Christians to accept Gentiles into the Church. Of course the path was not a smooth one. The Apostles had to convoke a Jerusalem Council to settle the issue (Acts 15). In Church history, the Reformation was an unlucky and evil event no matter which side you’re on. Many people were killed in wars between the Catholic countries and Protestant countries. Within Catholic countries, many Protestants were martyred and vice versa. However, without Reformation, the Catholic Church would have remained complacent and European. She would have continued enjoying her security in a comfort zone built up in previous centuries. Peoples in the America’s, Africa and the Far East might not have the opportunity to listen to the liberating gospel of Jesus! Of course, the missionary history is not free from scandals. Reading these stories, how can we not be humble before our Creator?

Humility is always in short supply. Take a look at the gospel story today. A scholar of the Law stood up to test Jesus (Luke 10:25)! In his eyes, Jesus was an enemy and this hostility blinded the scholar of the true identity of Jesus, the supreme Giver and Teacher of the Law! Despite this, Jesus turns this challenge into a teaching occasion and leaves behind the famous parable of the Good Samaritan for our benefit! With this parable, Jesus hopes to save the scholar from his egocentrism. It is wrong to ask “Who is my neighbour?” (10:28) because all of us are our brothers’ keepers (Genesis 4:19). We should put on their shoes and feel from their perspective. “Who is the neighbour to the robbers’ victim?” (Luke 10:36) is the right question to ask. Jesus has demonstrated it well. He had compassion on the scholar and was able to see and feel from the scholar’s intention, how eagar the scholar wanted to trap Him. With compassion for all humanity, whether they are likeable or unlikeable, Jesus was able to jump out of the box to help the scholar turn around. Jesus did not reason with the scholar in logic and words alone. He won the scholar over by showing the scholar compassion, just like the good Samaritan who showed compassion to the injured enemy. Jesus teaches in words and deeds.

Brethren! Learn from Jesus. Have compassion on even unlikeable people. We’ll never overdo to have compassion on the others. Even if we’re incapable of following Jesus’ exemplar, at least we should heed the advice of St. Paul, “Have the same regard for one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly; do not be wise in your own estimation. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; be concerned for what is noble in the sight of all. If possible, on your part, live at peace with all.” (Romans 12:16-18)
God bless!
2019 Reflection
Picture Credit: wikipedia

Why Pray to Master of Harvest to Send Labourers? 為甚麼求莊稼的主人派遣工人來收割？

Fourteenth Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: Why Pray to Master of Harvest to Send Labourers? 為甚麼求莊稼的主人派遣工人來收割？

On the last few days, the Permanent Deacons went to their annual retreat. The theme of this retreat is “To discern the Diaconate Vocation and to understand how to assist parishioners discerning the will of God in our ministry”, a very broad and grand theme indeed. We were given five passages to meditate as a warm up. The next day, we met our spiritual directors who would assign further passages for meditation according to the movements of our spirit. Mine turns around the theme of “Judgment”. Superficially, it is not much related to the theme of retreat. However, on a second thought, it enriches the main theme.

Among the last batch of texts for meditation is Matthew 9:35-38. It mentions of Jesus’ compassion towards the distressed crowd which looked like sheep without a shepherd. Fair enough, as a sign of the servant role of the Church in the world, we deacons should have compassion. From the text, we learn that Jesus taught the crowd, cured them of their illnesses and subsequently even fed them. This is Jesus’ judgment understood as salvation. Whoever desires and welcomes Him, Jesus would naturally show them compassion and deliver salvation. But Jesus came and disrupted the status quo which was a comfort zone for many. Comfort zones cut many people’s connection with God away. In trying to shake up the status quo, Jesus made many enemies who were hostile and actively sought evidences and opportunities to eliminate Him. Yet, Jesus still showed them mercy and tried patiently to win them over while preserving their faces and dignity. Jesus is merciful and embraces all shades of sinners. This is His justice. This is His judgment/salvation.
In a similar manner, we deacons should preach the gospel to all sorts of people with patience like Jesus, heal the vulnerable and give people hope. In this way, we’re simply doing what the Lord requires of us: “Only to do justice and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8b), one of the warm-up readings.

I think it is no coincidence that the second half of the meditation text resurfaces in the gospel text today. Now that I have given up most of my charity ministries, what remain are ministries at the altar and of the Word. I enjoy writing web pages and computer programs these days to make the Bible relevant in the modern world. Have I departed from the right path? The merciful Lord wants me to delve deeper on my diaconate vocation with this piece of text. So, allow me to suspend judgment for the moment and meditate on the text first.
“The harvest is abundant but the labourers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out labourers for his harvest.” (Matthew 9:38, Luke 10:2) The text is puzzling and questions naturally arise. Why do we ask/pray to the master/God to send labourers for His harvest in the first place? The harvest is His. He would definitely send labourers for the harvest, wouldn’t He? It’s illogical NOT to send. He would not allow His harvest to rot or allow robbers to plunder/destroy His harvest, would He? Surely He has His schedule of sending labourers. Who are we to force the hand of the Master?

Let’s consider the harvest. If the Master respects the freedom and will of His harvest and would not force any of them into His barn, then we should also respect the will of His harvest and should not impose our good will on them by sending out labourers to harvest, shouldn’t we?

We should also consider the labourers. The Master should not impose His will on the would-be labourers as well. Of course, the Master would put up a classified ad, enumerating the wages and benefits and lay down the job description. Those who want to join would apply.

There are two very probable outcomes: Those who respond might eye the benefits only and might not be interested in the well-being of the harvest, especially when the Church is popular and powerfully established. On the other hand, those who genuinely care about the well-being of the harvest might feel that they don’t meet the qualification. Therefore, ordinary advertisements are not appropriate. Jesus put up a classified ad which surely will filter away the candidates He is not looking for. Pray to the Master of the harvest. In so doing, you show your genuine care of the harvest and you do not come to steal fame and power. What about those who do not meet the minimum requirement of becoming a clergy or missionary? Brethren! Is there any minimum requirement? Have you forgotten the story of the poor widow who offered up two brass coins in the Temple? Have you not understood God’s MO? He likes to elevate the poor and the weak to humiliate the haughty and the powerful.

Why do you, and not others, care? I think the prayer is an awakening of what your true identity/mission is. “Before birth, the Lord called me, from my mother’s womb, He gives me my name” (Isaiah 49:1) “But when God, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart and called me through his grace, was pleased” (Galatians 1:15) Before the creation of the known universe, God had written a script for you. He sets you apart and calls you to accomplish a mission. Through your prayer/discernment, you awake to your true mission. When I look back, I realize that the people I met helped unfold my final destiny as a deacon. My cousin and the evangelization van which offered free medical services opened my life to Christianity. My alma mater and Fr. Tapella, PIME planted in my heart the seed of mercy and service etc. You will know when you hear your name called. The events are unique because each one of us is unique. In fact, I had thought about becoming a priest in the early years of my baptism. But I was not able to let go. So I promised God, “Let me love more before I respond to the priestly vocation.” I don’t think I knew the gravity of what I said to God. Read 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a and substitute every “love” with “God”. Then you’ll know.

Brethren! When you care, you pray. Then you’re elected a labourer, a servant and a deacon to meet the needs of the depressed crowd! Do what Jesus does: teach them, heal them, feed them and do whatever you do best! Have no fear for your poverty because it is the Holy Spirit who shall speak and work through you.
Dear Lord! I’m sorry that I have wasted the efforts and time of organizers of the last few retreats because I could not let go. I thank You for helping me let go during this one. The two thousand plus dollar price tag is nothing. I’m free from bondage and am able to savour the graces infused in this retreat.
Lord, the Internet and the social media are an abundant harvest. These technologies have become a necessity, not a luxury for modern people. Here is a field of abundant harvest, an uncharted West to explore and to evangelize. Lord, help me venture into this turf to populate it with signs of your presence and of your mercy. Amen.
2019 Reflection
Picture Credit:stceceliachurch.org