Who Wants To Be Poor 誰願貧窮?

Fourth Ordinary Sunday, Year A
Theme: Who Wants To Be Poor 誰願貧窮?

Five years ago at the Feast of St. Joseph when Pope Francis issued an Apostolic Exhortation to discuss the call to holiness in today’s world, he chose the last verse of the Beatitudes as its title “Gaudete et Exsultate Rejoice and be glad” (Matthew 5:12a). In the document, the Pope says, “Ipsae sunt veluti testimonium identitatis christiani The Beatitudes are like a Christian’s identity card” (GE #63). Then he spends a whole chapter explaining the Beatitudes one by one, each of which is a path to sanctification. Thus nobody can say too much about the importance of the Beatitudes for Christians. After two millennia, has the world become an easier place for Christians to practise the Beatitudes? It is regrettably a categorical no. The Pope admits, “They clearly run counter to the way things are usually done in our world” (#65). Perhaps being so is a blessing in disguise! Who on earth wants to be poor, to be pushed around, to mourn and to suffer persecutions?

We are living in a post-industrial society whose mode of production has not changed much from that of industrial societies. We still must go through the production-distribution-consumption procedure. Economy of scale still works. Therefore, in order to be productively efficient, producers tend to over-produce to save costs. When supply overtakes demand, prices will fall. The savings in production costs would be written off. In order not to earn less, producers work hard not only to produce more but also to increase or create demands which might not at all be essential for our survival! Thus an advertisement industry emerges on the scene to encourage conspicuous consumptions which satisfy the ego only. GDP increases, workers’ income increases and they increase spending. Everybody is making money, spending money and happy!

Who then are the enemies of producers, and thus the society? The poor consumers who have no money to buy goods! Not only will they be hated by producers, but also the society in general! It is because the value of a person is measured by how much he is able to contribute to the GDP of the society. Why are you poor? Unlike life in an agricultural society in which only lazy people were poor, in an industrial society, a poor person is one who possesses low-end skills which do not increase GDP! Just think about it. In ancient times, the literary works of poets, paintings of artists and music of composers were in great demand among the aristocrats because not only did those commodities uplift the souls but they also boosted the patrons’ fame. However, in post-industrial societies, writing computer programs earns more than writing poems. Many a pragmatic poet would learn to write software which helps users write better business letters if he did not want his family members to starve.

What if you become really poor in the post-industrial society? You live on social-welfare. You are turned into a social security number and an eye-sore to those who happen to know you. You feel worthless because nobody in the society will affirm your poetic talents. You don’t expect the luxury of dignity. Your voice will not be heard … Of course, you don’t need to buy the value-system of such a society. Yet, you feel unfulfilled because you have nowhere to publish or no audience to listen to your poem recitals! What kind of life is this? Though Jesus says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit …” (Matthew 5:3), however convincingly scholars interpret “in spirit”, frankly who wants to be poor? The society we’re living in does not work in this manner!

On the other hand, economists have to admit that there is no such thing as a free lunch. Every piece of goods carries a price. When we turn the underbelly of economic prosperity over, we’ll find a lot of contaminations to the very habitat we’re living in; corruptions among the powerful and exploitations of the poor cum the vulnerable. Prices have to be paid and injustice arises when prices are not paid by the perpetuators but by handy scapegoats. Who would be the scapegoats? Immediately, people who are living downstream physically, socially or temporally come to mind. They are the poor and the disadvantaged in the society, the poets-turned-scavengers and their children! By the time the ripples of contaminations, corruptions and exploitations reach the powerful and the wealthy, all of them have been gone a long time ago! In short, they don’t have any incentive to take any preventive measures because it will reduce their profits! So once again, who wants to be poor to bear the brunt of greed of the powerful and wealthy in the society?

The Poet of Old gave our poor this piece of consolation, “Put no trust in princes, in children of Adam powerless to save. Who breathing his last returns to the earth; that day all his planning comes to nothing” (Psalms 146:3-4). Even the powerful with a good heart are unable to solve the problems created by greed because greed is beyond their power to overcome within their life time! So “Scientia potestas est Knowledge is power” could at most be a half-truth only because the carriers of power are unable to last forever. The Poet’s son went even further, “The wise person will have no more abiding remembrance than the fool; for in days to come both will have been forgotten. How is it that the wise person dies like the fool” (Ecclesiastes 2:16)! Death is indifferent. It embraces all, even the Son of Man!

If we are able to learn anything from the recent COVID pandemic, we now know that not only is death indifferent, but the deadly virus is also ubiquitous. The poor and vulnerable might fall first but the powerful and the rich would only sustain a painful longer! Suddenly, the powerful as well as the wealthy realize that they are riding the same boat with the poor and disadvantaged. So, let’s put away the contrast between poverty and wealth, power and weakness, masters and slaves etc. for a while and look from the other end of the tunnel, the great equalizer of death! In the end, when we all return to our Creator, what counts more significantly? Knowledge and power, wealth and authority? The consolation of the Poet of Old continues, “Blessed the one whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord … secures justice for the oppressed, who gives bread to the hungry … The Lord shall reign forever, your God, Zion, through all generations! Hallelujah!” (Psalms 146:5-10).

Brethren! Let our souls dance in tune with the Poet’s rhymes BECAUSE everything else fails to deliver. It doesn’t matter whether we are poor in spirit or in material. As long as we hope in the Lord and have the God of Jacob as our liberator, we belong to Him. His justice will prevail when we are pushed around and being persecuted. He’ll feed us and satisfy whatever our hunger is. He sets us free from our own obsessions and bondages imposed by the others. He gives sight for us to know the truth to free us (John 8:32) … In the end, “To be, or not to be, that is NOT the question”. “With God, or without God, that’s the question” because to live without God or to die without God are both deplorable! Our God created this known universe. Are we with Him? But the powerful and the proud choose to protest and plot against the Lord (Psalms 2:1-2). Are we with them?
Our Lord says, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Amen, alleluia!
God bless!
2020 Reflection
Picture Credit: chubaoyolu.org

說新語言 Speak New Tongues

說新語言（谷16:15-18）

雖然「太陽之下決無新事」（訓1:9）是至理名言，但它始終是舊約的智慧，應用到現代，有它的局限。例如，「十誡」禁止我們偷竊（出20:15）。倘若你的財物原封不動，而我卻擁有一份拷貝。在古代社會，算是盜竊嗎？當然不是盜竊，因為你沒有任何損失！今天法學家制訂了一個古代沒有的「版權」觀念，當我在未獲得你的許可而複製了你的創作，我便侵犯了你的「版權」，犯了「十誡」。可見，太陽之下一定有新事物，因為社會在不斷地進化。所以我們不能墨守成規，固步自封。否則遇上新事物時，便會束手無策了。耶穌基督不是教訓過我們，「應把新酒裝在新皮囊裡」（瑪9:17）嗎？

耶穌基督復活後，派遣門徒向一切受造物宣傳福音（谷16:15），並應許信者有奇蹟相隨（16:17）。「奇蹟」是天主臨在的標記。在古代，按手在病人身上治病足以令人信服天主。今天醫學昌明，還有人看見按手病人身上治病痊癒而信天主嗎？「手拿毒蛇，喝致死毒物」，在古代和今天，恐怕不應是傳福音的手段，而是保護信徒人身安全罷了。今天教會仍然舉行驅魔禮，因耶穌基督之名驅逐魔鬼。自古以來，傳教士學習「本土語言」，向本土人士傳福音。明朝的利瑪竇神父便是一個好例子，今天的香港教區，仍有賴不少操流利粵語的傳教士和修女，為基督作見證。

可是，我們有沒有對新事物保持開放呢？今天，附魔祇發生在個別人士身上嗎？倘若有一群人集體附了魔，教會如何奉耶穌基督之名驅逐魔鬼呢？有集體附魔嗎？有使用過社交媒體的人，一定明白互聯網是集體附魔的溫床！

今天的世界，資訊爆炸，人類依靠互聯網生活，有如空氣食水一樣。無可否認，互聯網上流傳著很多新語言，營造了五光十色的語境，可惜其中不少偽資訊和謠言，讓原本是推動民主的生力軍，讓弱小者有機會發聲的平台，變得污煙瘴氣。教會有足夠的胸襟，足夠的智慧，在互聯網「說新語言」，驅逐魔鬼，宣傳福音嗎？
且讓我們一再呼求聖神吧！
天主保祐！
生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：The Mirror

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Speak New Tongues (Mark 16:15-18)

The aphorism “Nothing is new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9), which is a piece of Old Testament wisdom, has its limitations when it is applied in modern times. For example, the Ten Commandments forbid stealing (Exodus 20:15). Imagine your possession is untouched and yet I possess a copy. In ancient times, had I committed theft? Of course not because you did not lose anything! Nowadays, legists have invented a concept of “intellectual property” to cover the loophole. When I replicate your creation without seeking your prior consent, I infringe your intellectual property and breach the Ten Commandments. Thus, there are always new things under the sun because the society is evolving continuously. We need to let go the tradition when the time comes. Otherwise, we’ll suck. Hasn’t Jesus Christ taught us to “pour new wine into fresh wineskins” (Matthew 9:17)?

After His resurrection Jesus Christ sent His disciples to proclaim the gospel to every creature (Mark 16:15) and promised that miracles would accompany believers (16:17). Miracles are signs of God’s presence. In ancient times, laying hands on the sick to make them cured was sufficient to convert people. But nowadays, with the advancements in medical sciences, will people believe in God after seeing these faith-healings? In ancient times as well as nowadays, being unharmed by serpents or deadly drinks is probably more a protection of personal safety of believers than means of evangelization. Today, the Church still conduct exorcisms, driving out demons in the name of Jesus Christ. Since ancient times, missionaries learnt local dialects to evangelize. Matteo Ricci was an excellent missionary exemplar during the Ming Dynasty of ancient China. Even nowadays, the Catholic diocese of Hong Kong still relies on many missionaries and nuns to bear witness for Christ in fluent Cantonese.

However, are we open to new phenomena? Today, is possession limited to individuals only? What if a group of people are mass-possessed, how does the Church exorcize in the name of Jesus Christ? If you doubt the existence of mass-possession, people who have made use of social media will assure you that the Internet is a hot-bed of mass-possession!
In this age of information explosion, people live on the Internet like air and water. Undeniably, many new languages are flourishing on the Internet creating a glamorous milieu. Regrettably, it has been contaminated by fake information and rumours. What would have been a bulwark of democracy, a platform for the minorities to air their advocacy had turned into a swarm of dungs! Does the Church embrace sufficient wisdom to speak the languages of the Internet, to exorcize demons over there and proclaim the gospel?
Let us invoke the Holy Spirit once more!
God bless!

奉行天主旨意的秘訣 The Secret To Do God’s Will

奉行天主旨意的秘訣（谷3:31-35）

能夠成為天主子的兄弟姊妹，是多麼榮幸的一回事！可是，「奉行天主的旨意」（谷3:35），為我們這些凡夫俗子，談何容易！
首先，天意確實難料，甚麼是「天主的旨意」呢？且看「信德之父」亞巴郎的例子，他曾與天主討價還價，想保存羅特一家的生命，可見他與天主的關係非常密切！天主曾許諾他的子孫有如天上的繁星（創15:5），可是他的妻子撒辣依不生育（11:30），天主如何兌現祂的許諾呢？於是撒辣依出主意，由她的婢女哈加爾代替她生育（16:2）。果然亞巴郎一索得男，哈加爾為他生了依市瑪耳（16:15）。可是，天主卻堅持祂對世人的祝福，是出自撒辣依所生的（17:18）！當然，正如天使加俾額爾所說：「在天主前沒有不能的事。」（路1:37）可是，在當時的處境，亞巴郎還有更好的辦法嗎？連「信德之父」亞巴郎也未能參透天主的旨意，何況是我們呢？耶穌基督教導我們要在最少的兄弟身上服事祂（瑪25:40），試問有誰可以肯定自己所做的服務，是服膺天主的旨意，而不是出於個人的好惡或榮辱呢？

其次，人的意志力有限，能堅持到底而成功的，寥寥無幾！且看以色列的第一位君王撒烏耳，他被培肋舍特人圍困在基耳加耳時，等了約定的七天，撒慕爾卻仍未現身獻祭。撒烏耳眼見軍民四散逃跑，惟有擅自奉獻了全燔祭，向天主求援（撒上13:12），結果反被天主所擯棄（13:14）！試問有誰開始了天主的工作，能堅持到底而得救呢？

各位親愛的兄弟姊妹，我們始終是受造物，沒有能力參透天主的旨意。但同樣是受造物的童貞聖母瑪利亞給我們示範了，即使在不明不白的情況下，仍能奉行天主的旨意，從孕育天主子起，直到十字架下！秘訣在於聖神一直陪伴著她！而她所做的，祇不過是「把這一切事默存在自己心中，反覆思想」（路2:19）而已。的確，倘若沒有聖神的啟導，沒有人能領會天主的旨意；沒有聖神的助祐，單憑人力，沒有可能奉行天主的旨意。且讓我們繼續呼求聖神吧！亞孟！
天主保祐！
生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：aleteia.org

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The Secret To Do God’s Will (Mark 3:31-35)

How honoured we are to be brothers and sisters of the Son of God! However, for us mere mortals, “doing the will of God” (Mark 3:35) is easier said than done!
First of all, it is difficult to fathom God’s will. What is the will of God? Take a look at Abraham our Father in Faith. Once he bargained with God to save the family of Lot, showing how close his relationship with God was! God had promised him countless descendants (Genesis 15:5), but his wife Sarai was barren (11:30). How would God honour His pledge? So Sarai suggested Hagar her Egyptian maidservant giving birth in her stead (16:2). Hagar successfully bore a first-born son Ishmael for Abraham (16:15). However, God insisted that His blessings should flow from the descendants born of Sarai (17:18)! Of course, just as archangel Gabriel says, “For nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37). However, in that particular situation, was there a better option for Abraham? Even the Father of Faith was unable to fathom God’s will, could we do better? Jesus Christ teaches us to serve Him among the needy (Matthew 25:40). Who on earth can be sure that his ministry is serving God’s will and not personal interests and glory?

Secondly, our will-power is limited. Only a handful of people are able to persevere to see success! Let’s take a look at Saul, the first king of Israel. He and his outnumbered army were sieged by the Philistines at Gilgal. He waited seven days, until the appointed time Samuel had set. Yet Samuel did not turn up to offer sacrifice and the army deserted him. In desperation, Saul sacrificed the burnt offering to seek the Lord’s blessing (1 Samuel 13:12). Consequently, he was rejected by God instead (13:14)! Who on earth is able to start the work of God and persevere to see salvation?

Dear Brethren! After all, we are mere creatures and do not have the capability to fathom God’s will. But the BVM, who is also a creature like us, has shown us how to do God’s will even without understanding it, from the conception of the Son of God until her standing under the cross. The secret is to have the accompaniment of the Holy Spirit all the time! What she only had to do was that, “Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). Indeed, without the guidance of the Holy Spirit, nobody is able to understand God’s will and without the blessings of the Holy Spirit, with human effort alone, nobody is able to do God’s will. Let’s continue to invoke the Holy Spirit! Amen!
God bless!

To Exorcise The World 為這個世界驅魔

為這個世界驅魔（谷3:22-30）

天主是愛（若一4:8），而三位一體中的「聖神」，正是聖父與聖子之間彼此交流著的愛，而整個宇宙本來就是浸淫在這個愛的氛圍之中。所以天主聖神不但是「真理之神」（若14:17），更是「愛德之神」。憑著這份愛，耶穌基督甘心在十字架上，代替罪人償還罪債。撒殫再沒有口實可以指控人類，天主子從惡魔手中，奪回了這個被罪惡污染了的世界（16:33）。

世界本來有賴天主聖言所創造與維持，可惜世界墮落了，不接受這位天主子（1:11），並與天主為敵。天主子來到世上，並非審判世界，而是拯救世界（3:17），把世界從惡魔的奴役中，解放出來。驅魔就是解放世界的其中一個表達，天主子給撒殫的一個「下馬威」。
魔鬼以「罪惡」奴役這個世界。「罪惡」究竟是甚麼呢？簡單地說，罪惡就是愛的否定。即使是極精密極周詳的法律，也不能防範或者杜絕罪惡發生。倘若立法的出發點不是愛，也祇會淪為「惡法」！因此企圖以守法來尋求在天主前，無可指摘，簡直是癡人說夢。

那麼，耶穌基督憑甚麼來戰勝邪魔，拯救世界呢？就是愛，就是聖神；天主子以愛征服這個被罪惡污染了的世界，以聖神恢復它的生命力！耶穌基督以無比的大愛，在十字架上為罪人犧牲了自己的性命，償還了古往今來人類所欠下的所有罪債，從邪魔手中搶救了全部人質，使撒殫也要屈服在天主子的大愛之下！天主子就是憑著這真理之神與愛德之神，戰勝並拯救了這個世界！所以，把聖神的愛講述成為邪魔的法力，不但有違真理，更是對愛徹底的否定。所以主說：「褻瀆了聖神，永遠不得赦免」（谷3:29）。

各位兄弟姊妹，天父樂意把聖神賞賜給我們（路11:13）。求吧！讓我們有足夠的力量，與基督一起，解放這個被撒殫奴役的世界。亞孟！在年初二，恭祝大家充滿聖神，承行主旨！
天主保祐！
生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：smmsisters.org

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To Exorcise The World (Mark 3:22-30)

God is love (1 John 4:8) and the Holy Spirit of the Blessed Trinity is the interflow of love between the Father and the Son. This known universe is sustained in this milieu of love. Thus, not only is the Holy Spirit the “Spirit of Truth” (John 14:17), but He is also the “Spirit of Love”. With this love, Jesus Christ is willing to repay on the cross the debts of all sinners. Satan has nothing remain to accuse us before the Father. The Son of God has captured the sin-infested world from the hands of the Devil (16:33).

The world was created and sustained by the Word of God. Regrettably, the world had fallen and did not accept this Son of God (1:11) and antagonizes God. The Son of God did not come to condemn the world but to save it (3:17), to liberate the world from the slavery of the Devil. Exorcism is one of the expressions of liberating the world and with it, the Son of God shoves the fear of God down Satan’s throat!
The Devil enslaves the world with sin and what is sin? Simply put, sin is the negation of love. No matter how detailed and water-proof a piece of legislation is, it is unable to prevent crimes. Had the legislation been based on something other than love, it would only become an evil law! Thus, justification before God by the observance of laws is only day-dreaming.

Then, with what did Jesus conquer the Devil and saved the world? Love, i.e. the Holy Spirit. The Son of God conquers this sin-infested world with love and restores its vitality with the Holy Spirit! With incomparable love, Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself on the cross to repay all debts in their entirety from of old to the end of the world in the future and to extract all hostages from the control of the Devil. Satan has to surrender to the grand charity of the Son of God! With the Spirit of Truth and the Spirit of Love, the Son of Man conquers and rescues the world! Thus, framing the love of the Holy Spirit as evil magic is not only wrong but the total negation of love. Thus, the Lord says, “Whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit will never have forgiveness …” (Mark 3:29).

Brethren, the Father is eager to give us the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13). Ask! Let us be filled with sufficient power to liberate together with Christ this enslaved world. Amen! On the second day of the Lunar New Year, may I wish you all filled with the Holy Spirit to do God’s will!
God bless!

Be Patient To Be Light Of The World 成為世界的光要忍耐

Third Ordinary Sunday, Year A
Theme: Be Patient To Be Light Of The World 成為世界的光要忍耐

I’m not a prophet in the sense of being capable of foretelling what would happen in the future. Instead, I posted this reflection after five weeks it’s supposed to have posted. I was frustrated because it seemed to me that God’s inspiration had tried up. My hands were full in those weeks trying to output articles whose deadlines were near. But frankly, I had not made good use of my time, tarrying here and there doing irrelevant things probably because my brain was badly in need of convalescence from COVID infection. “Enough is enough” does not describe my present mood because deep in my heart, I trust that God is teaching me a lesson. Yahweh be praised!

“The people who walked/sit in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:1, Matthew 4:16) caught my attention the first time when I mediated on the weekly gospel. What does it feel to walk, sit or live in darkness? The first thing which comes to mind is fear. When I studied psychology in my college days, I learnt that in order to brush away fear, our ego develops a defence mechanism called “identification”. Sigmund Freud hypothesized an “Oedipus Complex” to explain “like father like son”. It works like this: when we walk in darkness, say walking home along a dark alley at night, uncontrollably we fantasize being stalked by ghosts. Walking in a fast pace is not sufficient to ward off the fear, but keep telling ourselves that we ARE ghosts is. What a relief when we first see; and finally reach brightness at the other end of the dark alley! Identification also explains well why some prison inmates or resistance fighters betray their comrades. Since not everyone has a will of steel to overcome fear, some would crack under pressure when they saw how brutally their comrades were tortured! To overcome this overwhelming fear, they identify themselves with the torturers and turn against their comrades, even torturing their own brothers with their own hands!

After all, fear is not a bad thing because it is an essential emotion for our survival. Confronted by overwhelming life-threatening situations, we either fight or flight. Evolution shows favour to fear because most fighters would hardly remain in the end. Heroically they sacrifice themselves to buy time so that the others might survive to pass on their genes. Yahweh be praised! After all, isn’t the “Fear of the Lord” one of the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:3)? Nowadays, with the advancement in physical sciences and the development of powerful technology, fear in our hearts is in short supply. Without fear in general, we might not survive the next disaster. Morally speaking, we despise people who do good out of a fear of God’s punishment. But without the fear of the Lord, we fail to genuinely identify with our Creator God!

Let’s mediate on another dimension of darkness. In darkness, our sight fails to function and we have to rely on our other senses. But when there’s no sound, warmth or any nearby objects, the enveloping dark space is homogeneous. This emptiness is a great void. Worst of all, this emptiness might be created by us. When a man turns his back to God, not only is a great emptiness left within him, but his world is also getting dimmer. So he works hard to find God-substitutions to fill up the void and to brighten up his life. For example, he starts creating idols and tells himself that they are his gods. The golden calf in Exodus when Moses left the Israelites for forty days on Mount Sinai to get the Ten Commandments immediately comes to mind. But idols exist in many different forms. For example, rational people will tease people who worship golden-calf as superstitious because it is unscientific whereas scientific researches are objective and real. Alas! Scientific researches cannot be objective because they are funded by lucrative industries and motivated by money-making! Once, a medical professor lamented that these days most medical students chose cosmetic surgery over geriatrics! There is yet another motive behind scientific researches which is embellished by a noble aphorism, “Knowledge is power”. With greater power, man is able to command more resources, thus becoming richer! When one becomes richer, one has more resources to unearth more knowledge and attain even greater power. So money-gods and warrior-gods are twin partners! But will those twin partners be able to satiate the insatiable void which only God can satisfy?

The longer one stays in darkness, the slimmer his hope becomes. Darkness really tries one’s patience. Sooner or later, people would throw up their hands and exclaim “Enough is enough”. They have lost their hope and would wait no more. They would take desperate and most of the time irrational measures, such as suicide or attacking scapegoats. Recently, a mother, probably in her seventies, called the parish in distress because her son locked himself up in the bedroom and refused to talk. Her son had borrowed from loan-sharks and he was unable to repay. She was afraid that her son would commit suicide etc. Immediately we paid her a visit and found that her son had already “stormed” out of the room and vanished. Apparently, the lady was desperately in need of somebody to talk to. She kept asking why God didn’t answer her prayers and there was no more hope. I felt sad to see a beautiful Chinese painting in colour hanging on a side wall, most probably painted by this old lady in her younger days. At the moment, she was consumed by loneliness and very likely depression as well …

For the last five weeks, I wasn’t able to sit down and write properly about it until news about two elderly women being pulled out from Turkey earthquake rubbles more than two hundred hours after the quake came to my ears. Yes, this miraculous rescue defies scientific explanation but the merciful Lord Jesus Christ is truly the light of the world. He brought hope, light and salvation to the people. “He went around all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and curing every disease and illness among the people” (Matthew 4:23). Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!

Brethren! When we celebrated the Feast of Epiphany in which the Magi, led by the Bethlehem Star, found the Holy Infant, we pledge once more our commitment to evangelize. Like the Star of Bethlehem, let our flickering lights bring people to the Holy Infant. Today, when we meditate on how when Jesus started His public ministry, He chose the first apostles to build up the Church to continue His ministry (4:18-22). So, like Jesus Christ, let us bring hope, light and salvation to this world, reassuring people that the Father is merciful. Nothing will be impossible for Him (Luke 1:37). Amen.

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2020 Reflection
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Let’s Talk About Rabbits 兔年談兔

Let’s Talk About Rabbits 兔年談兔

By Deacon Alex

In the Lunar New Year of the Rabbit, may I wish you all an agile and fertile year ahead like rabbits. Rabbits look innocent and have long been domesticated, becoming our friends. They supply us with food and clothing. Culturally, the rabbit has been employed as symbols in various areas. For example, Aesop left us the famous fable of “The Tortoise & the Hare” to warn us not to be overconfident. Rabbits appear in modern children stories as friendly characters. Their fertility inspires the construction of the famous Fibonacci series in mathematics. Nowadays, many people keep them as pets.

Rabbits also occupy a place in the Chinese culture. For example, in Chinese literature, the moon is often romanticized as the “Jade Rabbit 玉兔” because legend has it that there is a rabbit on the moon accompanying the lonely Chang’e 嫦娥 who has stolen the elixir of immortality from the archer emperor Houyi 后羿, taken it and flown to the moon. There is also a well-known poem about the story of Mulan 木蘭 who joined the army in her father’s stead. After the war, her comrades were surprised to discover that Mulan was a girl fighting alongside with them in battles. The final stanza of the poem says, “(When stationary) The legs of male rabbits are restless撲朔, the eyes of female hazy迷離. But when they run side by side, who can tell the female from the male?” From this stanza comes the idiom “pu shuo mi li撲離迷離” which means “mysterious”. But the most well-known idiom is “Crafty rabbits have three lairs狡兔三窟” which has a biblical connection!

Lord Mengchang 孟嘗君was a statesman of the Qi Kingdom齊國 during the Warring States Period 戰國時代 in ancient China. He was famous for hospitality, keeping around three thousand guests at any one time. One day, Lord Mengchang asked one of the guests Fengxuan 馮諼 to help him collect debts in a local county and buy what he lacked. Instead of collecting debts, Feng wrote them off, telling the county people how Lord Mengchang cared about their livelihood. When he returned to the Lord, Feng reported that he had purchased for him benevolence and righteousness. Lord Mengchang was unhappy but did not drive Feng away. Later, when Lord Mengchang lost favour with the Qi king and was forced to leave his own household for the local county, he was surprised to meet a huge welcome party! Then he understood what Feng had prepared for him. But Feng said that one lair was not safe enough for a rabbit. He had to do two more things for the Lord in order to secure his safety and later his political ascent. The famous idiom was derived from his three strategic manoeuvres. Do you find this story familiar? Yes, Jesus tells us the Parable of the Dishonest Steward (Luke 16:1-8) to teach us to make prudent use of temporal goods for eternal life. Biblical scholars have long been puzzled and have difficulty explaining the last verse. Why did the master praise the dishonest steward who had embezzled him (16:8)?

Had biblical scholars known the Chinese story of Lord Mengchang and Fengxuan, they would have easily come up with a satisfactory explanation. By reducing the debts, the dishonest steward had created a three-win situation: the debtors were relieved, the master was highly praised for his benevolence and the steward had a safety net if the master fired him! That explains why the master praises the prudence of this dishonest steward! As a Chinese, we’re honoured to have the Son of God made use of our plot as His teaching materials.

However, prudence is not wisdom. Chinese are very pragmatic in thinking ahead with Plan-B, Plan-C and Plan-D etc. But as a Catholic, being prudent and pragmatic is not good enough. Instead, we are called to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48). We trust in the Father and He will provide (Genesis 22:8). Jesus Christ teaches us to be clean of heart so that we will see God (Matthew 5:8). Furthermore, He reassures us once again that we should “Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides” (6:33).

Brethren! We don’t need any extra lairs. Let’s invoke the Holy Spirit to breathe fire into our hearts, purify them so that we desire God and God alone. Amen.
God bless!
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From Not Knowing To Knowing 由不認識到認識

Second Ordinary Sunday, Year A
Theme: From Not Knowing To Knowing 由不認識到認識

What caught my attention today was the Baptist’s declarations that he did not know Jesus, not once but twice (John 1:31, 33). My first question was whether the Baptist was denying Jesus like Peter did in the future. A search for relevant texts of Peter’s denial yields four instances of “I do not know him/this man…” (Matthew 26:72, 74; Mark 14:71; Luke 22:57). In Greek, the verb is in perfect tense. That is, the situation has finished but continues. Peter denies knowing Jesus in the past and at the moment of speaking, he does not know Jesus! However, in the case of the Baptist, the verb is in pluperfect tense. That is, the situation had finished at some point of time in the past. Some other things happened. Whether the situation continues to the present is open. That is to say, long time ago, the Baptist did not know Jesus. Now he knows! No wonder, he was able to testify that Jesus is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29) and later that Jesus is the Son of God (1:34)!

Logically, we should continue to wonder how the transition from not knowing to knowing took place. Let’s rewind to the beginning, the very beginning of the Baptist’s existence. From the gospel of Luke, we know that there was a first encounter between the Baptist and Jesus when they were still in the wombs of their mothers (Luke 1:41, 44). When the BVM visited Elizabeth, who was in her sixth month of pregnancy, the Baptist was animated by the Holy Spirit so much so that he leapt in joy in his mother’s womb though he did not see Jesus! After their births, they each went separate ways until they met again some thirty years later at the River Jordan. Before that time, they had hardly met. Then how did the Baptist recognize Jesus?

According to his own testimony, John says, “I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit’” (John 1:33) So, it was a private revelation in which God spoke to the Baptist and gave him an indicator to identify the Messiah, the Son of God. The indicator was Holy Spirit who is also known as the Spirit of Jesus in other places of the New Testament (24:49, Acts 16:7 and Galatians 4:6 etc.). When the Holy Spirit comes down and remains with a person, that person is the Messiah, the Son of God (John 1:34). Imprinted with a brief animation by the Holy Spirit when he was still in the womb of his mother, the Baptist, very much like a Geiger counter, could now be able to sense the presence of the source of the Holy Spirit, namely Jesus Christ who came for his baptism! Moreover, the Baptist has a deeper understanding than his contemporaries. He knows that the Messiah does not come to overthrow the Roman colonial rule. His role is much bigger because the Messiah is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the whole world (1:29)!

By the way, this sign of “coming down and remaining” suggests a corollary about our relationship with the Holy Spirit. Though we are given the Holy Spirit through the sacrament of Confirmation and His seven gifts (Isaiah 11:2-3), in reality the Holy Spirit may not remain with us forever so that we may be able to bear the nine fruits (Galatians 5:22-23)! Unlike Jesus who shall never lose the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit is His Spirit, we may lose the Holy Spirit!
The first thing that comes to mind when we talk about losing the Holy Spirit is sin. For example, in the famous repentance psalm, David prays that God does not remove the Holy Spirit from him (Psalms 51:13) because he had committed adultery and murder. But sometimes, God may remove the Holy Spirit from us for our good! For example, John the Baptist had experienced the animation by the Holy Spirit when he was still in his mother’s womb. Perhaps for the health of both Elizabeth and the Baptist, the Holy Spirit did not stay for long. Imagine how much suffering a “hyper-active” Baptist in her womb would cause an aged Elizabeth! Thus for our wellbeing, sometimes God would withdraw the Holy Spirit from us. Besides animating us to forge ahead, sometimes, the Holy Spirit prevents us from doing obviously good things (Acts 16:6). God’s wisdom is truly unfathomable. Like wind, the Holy Spirit blows where it wills (John 3:8). Therefore it is only natural that we are not able to possess the Holy Spirit and may lose Him!

In the narrative of the gospel of Matthew, the Baptist has expressed his intention to be baptized by Jesus (Matthew 3:14). Jesus declines and the Baptist is denied the opportunity to receive the Holy Spirit. Perhaps this lack of the Holy Spirit in the Baptist is one of the reasons why “the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he” (11:11). If that is the case, then the possession of the Holy Spirit is essential for partaking life into the kingdom of heaven. Brethren! How can we not know the Holy Spirit and establish a good working relationship with Him if we want to go to heaven?

Brethren! When we don’t make use of our knowledge, sooner or later we’ll forget it. Perhaps that explains why we lose the Holy Spirit even if we don’t commit any mortal sins. Of course the analogy doesn’t mean that we are able to make use of the Holy Spirit like book knowledge. No we can’t! We can only invoke Him and pray that He accompanies us in our works and speaks through us to the people we meet. That is why we need to evangelize. Evangelization opens up an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to exercise His power. Animating us in love, the Holy Spirit will be able to work miracles (Mark 16:17-18). Therefore, if we don’t proclaim the gospel to people we meet, we’ll be losing the Holy Spirit and will be unable to know God and partake in His eternal life. May the love of the Holy Spirit be with you all, amen.
God bless!
2020 Reflection
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We Are Stars 我們都是星星

Solemnity of Epiphany, Year A
Theme: We Are Stars 我們都是星星

The Solemnity of Epiphany celebrates God’s revelation of His salvation not only to the Chosen People, but also to all the peoples on earth. It is instructive to see this story being told in the gospel written for Jewish Christians. Orthodox Judaism saw themselves as God’s Chosen People to inherit God’s inheritance. Gentiles were only second class citizens if God ever admitted them into the paradise. However, Christians embrace a more catholic and inclusive perspective. God’s salvation is for all peoples. This theme is clear in the other two Synoptic gospels whose intended audiences were Romans and Gentiles. In contrast, it is impressive to see the gospel for Jewish Christians to play down their nationalistic pride.

Matthew spends the first two chapters of his gospel to prove the Messiahship of Jesus Christ for his Jewish audience. First of all, he constructs a genealogy of Jesus to show that he is the “Son of David”, meeting one of the criteria of being the Messiah. Then he continues to show that the birth of Jesus fulfil five prophecies: namely that the Messiah was born of a virgin (Matthew 1:23) in Bethlehem (2:6). The Messiah was the Son of God and would be called back from Egypt (2:15). Innocent infants would be massacred for His sake (2:18) and the Messiah would be settled in Nazareth (2:23). One might wonder why Matthew does not include the most conspicuous prophecy of all, i.e. the prophecy about the “Star of Bethlehem”. Perhaps that Star prophecy came from Balaam, somebody summoned by Balak, the king of Moab (Numbers 22:4-6) to curse the Israelites. Instead of cursing them, Balaam, who saw that God was protecting the Israelites, blessed them instead. And Balaam prophesized, “I see him, though not now; I observe him, though not near: A star shall advance from Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise from Israel, That will crush the brows of Moab, and the skull of all the Sethites” (24:17). Actually, this prophecy can be interpreted as a continuation of the blessings/prophecies Jacob gave his children before he died. Jacob blessed Judah with these words, “The sceptre shall never depart from Judah, or the mace from between his feet, Until tribute comes to him and he receives the people’s obedience.” (Genesis 49:10) The word “sceptre” appears only twice in the Pentateuch and it is associated with Jacob/Judah. Therefore, Balaam’s prophecy must be pointing towards the Messiah as well. However, Matthew does not include it, probably having Bethlehem was sufficient enough to prove the Messiahship of Jesus.

Nowadays scholars understand the “Magi” mentioned in the Nativity story (Matthew 2:1) as people other than knowledgeable “wise men” or “kings”. Scholars are of the opinion that Magi were astrologists who knew how to interpret astrological events in heavens. Such knowledge gave them power and wealth over the commoners. They believed that the universe is holistic. Obviously what’s happening in heavens would affect our lives on earth and vice versa. Namely, what’s happening on earth would be reflected in heavenly phenomena as well. For example, when a powerful person, say an emperor or a military leader was born, a star would appear in heavens. The fall of such a star indicated the fall of the corresponding person etc. The Jewish culture would regard astrology as witchcrafts and would never tolerate such exotic knowledge. Search the Torah and you’ll discover that the word “star” appears only once in the Numbers text quoted above. Moreover, if the Jews wanted to know God’s will, there were plenty of prophets. Astrology did not have a market in ancient Israel! Had Matthew interpreted the “Star of Bethlehem” as a fulfilment of Balaam’s prophecy about Jacob/Judah’s offspring, Matthew would have been guilty of condoning astrology/witchcraft! Though the Star played a prominent role in the Epiphany narrative, Matthew would not want the audience to think that Christians condoned witchcraft! It’s prudent of Matthew not to quote this questionable prophecy.

Who were able to read the meanings of those astrological signs? Certainly not the Jews. Therefore, though the Star of Bethlehem was seen by all, only the Magi would appreciate its meaning. Had the Magi not sought for the new born king of the Jews in Jerusalem, Herod the Great would not have been aware of an imminent “threat” to his throne and taken action to nip the threat in the bud by ordering the massacre of innocent infants under two in Bethlehem (2:16)! It is not right to blame the Magi for the massacre. The responsibility should be placed squarely at the foot of Herod the Great. It was his choice to reject and neutralize the Messiah while the Magi chose to go through all the hardship in order to pay homage to the new born king of the Jews. Confronted with the birth of Christ, everybody has to make a choice and to act accordingly.

The Star of Bethlehem brought the Magi to Jesus, the great light prophesized by the Prophet, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; Upon those who lived in a land of gloom a light has shone” (Isaiah 9:1) Thus, each and every one of us are stars, no matter how tiny and insignificant our lights are. After all, we were created in the image of God and bear His likeness. Though we are harmed by the Original Sin, we are still capable of loving others. There should be a purpose for our charity. Like the Star of Bethlehem, our actions should be guiding people towards Jesus. It is not necessary for us to be as bright as supernovae. We just do our part humbly. “I do not busy myself with great matters, with things too sublime for me. Rather, I have stilled my soul, like a weaned child to its mother, weaned is my soul.” (Psalms 131:1b-2) In fact, even if you shine brightly like supernovae, not all people are able to understand your message. Misunderstanding will arise. Learn from the Nativity story of Matthew. Only the Magi were able to interpret the significance of the Star of Bethlehem. So do people who see our good deeds. Some “may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (Matthew 5:16) while most will ignore you or envy you! The Star of Bethlehem was indifferent. So we shouldn’t be bothered by people’s reactions.

Brethren! Instead of cursing darkness, let’s us shine forth our insignificant brightness to light it up. This is the purpose of being alive as images of God. Though very few people or even nobody appreciates our good deeds, keep charity up until the end.
What would happen when those tiny little lights meet the great light in the end? I speculate that they would be “absorbed” into the Great light and shine forth brightly together! God bless!
2022 Reflection
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To Meditate the Mercy of God With Hearts 用心默想天主的慈悲

Solemnity of the BVM, Mother of God, Year A
Theme: To Meditate the Mercy of God With Hearts 用心默想天主的慈悲

The more we meditate upon the events happening to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the more we’ll be able to see the mercy of God. Usually, we expect life to become easy once we trust in the Lord. Why not? We’re doing God’s will. Shouldn’t all obstacles and troubles be cleared and wiped away before us? It only proves that we are not hardworking enough studying the gospels and don’t know the Lord’s teachings thoroughly enough so that we harbour such unrealistic misconceptions about the Lord, our God! Doesn’t He say, “Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:10) and “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (16:24) etc.? How can we expect ours to be a bed of roses when the Holy Infant made a manger His crib?

Today, we celebrate the Solemnity of Blessed Virgin Mary, the Mother of God. Catholics believe that the virginity of the BVM is perpetual. That is to say, the BVM was a virgin before, during and after giving birth! Some people find it mind-boggling because a “virgin mother” is a contradiction. How can a mother be forever a virgin? Regrettably, some Christians have given up this ancient dogma. Similarly, some other people find it another contradiction to call the BVM, the Mother of God. They would rather call her the Mother of Christ only, because God is eternal. If God had a mother, thus an origin, thus some person existing before Him, then this deity would not be God as we understand it! Once again, it was an ancient heresy which had been settled. Bishops and Church Fathers at the Council of Ephesus (A.D. 431) saw this as an indirect attack on the unity of the divinity and humanity of Jesus Christ. This heresy would create two persons, one divine and one human, of Jesus Christ and the BVM could only be the mother of the human part of Jesus Christ because she is only a creature. In fact, those Marian dogmas remind us of the limitations of human reasoning. The mystery of God remains and the BVM has set us an exemplar, “And Mary kept all these things, reflecting on them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). So, let us make more use of our hearts than our brains for our meditations.

The Christian God is three-in-one and He is love (1 John 4:8). In other words, our God is a community of love and this love is not narcissistic. When love is outgoing, it generates life and wonders. The wonderful universe, which seems to be specifically designed to be suitable for human existence, exists because God is love and God loves His Creation, in particular human beings in a motive beyond our understanding. Genesis tells us that God created men in His own image (Genesis 1:26). In other words, we are the masterpieces of God’s Creation, showing off His glory. Yet, reality is cruel. In religious jargon, “all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Reality is cruel. In physical jargon, there are all sorts of corruptions, exploitations, pollutions, trafficking and wars etc. God’s images are abused, defaced, enslaved and twisted. In frustration, God would have been angry and would completely wipe us out of existence. Whether He would rebuild His project like an artist is none of our business! But He hadn’t. We find an enigma in the Bible, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers. They will strike at your head, while you strike at their heel” (Genesis 3:15) and human history began to unfold as the Salvation History, starting with the story of Noah, then Abraham, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, David and Solomon etc. How blessed we are because God does not give us up. But so far, the enigmatic woman remains unknown.

Among the Judges, there was Deborah the prophetess who delivered the Israelites from the hands of their neighbouring enemies (Judges 4-5). But Deborah was not the enigmatic woman. Judith, a beautiful and rich widow, beheaded the commander of army invading Judah (Judith 13-14) and yet this heroic Judith was not the enigmatic woman. Esther the Jewish Persian queen saved the Jews from the murderous plan of Haman (Esther 5-8) and yet Esther was not the enigmatic woman. Not until the New Testament was the identity of this enigmatic woman revealed and she turned out to be a young virgin betrothed to a carpenter in Nazareth!
The Ancient Serpent would surely take a proactive approach and took the initiative to disqualify many promising candidates previously, men and women alike. Truly, the Devil seems to have gained an upper hand so far. When we go through the lists of liberators in the Bible, none of them were flawless. Either they had questionable personalities or they had made some less than desirable choices in their lives. Not only is God’s mercy beyond our understanding, but is probably also beyond the Devils’ understanding too. In the story of Job, Satan was also allowed an audience with God (Job 1:6)! Remember, Satan knows God better than we do. It has greater confidence in God’s mercy than we do. So, Satan does not suspect what God has been preparing.

With special graces, God prepares a virgin who was conceived without Original Sin. Satan did not bother because it was confident that somehow, this virgin would get married. Her husband would know her and she would give birth to a son to pass on the Origin Sin of the husband etc. Gabriel’s annunciation would not be a secret to Satan. Here, probably Satan has underestimated this “Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father” (Luke 1:32). Well, even David committed adultery and murder while Solomon allowed idols to be erected in the Temple! In its pride, Satan would deem this Son of the Most High just another imperial idiot. Of course, it would not spare Jesus and put Him through tests to weaken His trust in the Father. It never occurs to Satan that the Lord God decides not only to redeem us, but also to adopt us as His children! How would God prefer an inferior creature to angels! Yet, God does! How did God accomplish this finesse? The second reading today tells it. “God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to ransom those under the law, so that we might receive adoption … So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God” (Galatians 4:4-5, 7) God cannot be dishonest. Satan as well as the heretics of subsequent generations are victims of other own pride!

How can the Son of God retain His divinity and eternity when He was born of the BVM, became flesh and made His dwelling among us (John 1:14)? Well, allow me to suspend my rationality to quote Gabriel, “for nothing will be impossible for God” (Luke 1:37). Furthermore, let’s see how God’s mercy is able to make the Ancient Serpent repent. Amen!
2017 Reflection
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