聖人難做 How Hard It Is To Be A Saint

聖人難做（瑪4:18-22）

按聖教會的傳統，安德肋曾經沿黑海宣講福音，直到當今烏克蘭首都基輔。因此，聖安德肋成了烏克蘭、羅馬尼亞及俄羅斯的主保聖人，是第一位君士坦丁堡宗主教。如今「俄烏戰爭」已持續超過22個月，不知道聖安德肋如何為同根生的雙方轉禱呢？所謂「好人難做」，看來聖人更加難做！

我們在四部福音中，能找到十二宗徒的資料，並不均衡。有關伯多祿的記載多，其他的很少，可能因為伯多祿在帝國首都羅馬開教罷！連作為伯多祿兄弟的安德肋，我們所知的亦不多。在十二宗徒名單中，安德肋從當初的第二位（瑪10:2），跌到五旬節聖神降臨前的第四位（宗1:13），原因無從稽考。最後在耶路撒冷主持大公會議的，已經不是伯多祿，而是次雅各伯，並且亦沒有提及其他宗徒，卻多了一批長老（15:6, 13）！我們不用替安德肋抱不平，他可能在黑海的傳教路上，未能出席耶路撒冷大公會議！始終在教會發展的歷史中，羅馬宗主教的地位脫穎而出，已是不爭的事實了。但不可不知的，就是有名的首次增餅神蹟，是安德肋找來五餅二魚的（若6:8-9）。

我們已經到了禮儀年的最後一周，讀過了不少末日的言論。末日後的天國好比一個婚宴，充滿了完美的喜樂。但在末日前，地上的天國，即旅途中的教會，我們眼見的，仍是多事之秋。那麼，天上的天國，即勝利的教會，又會是怎麼樣的呢？因為我們和他們，諸聖相通，彼此血脈相連，恐怕他們仍要為我們的安危操心、為我們骨肉相殘而心痛。和我們一樣，多麼渴求末日早日來臨。
聖安德肋，為我等祈。亞孟！

How Hard It Is To Be A Saint (Matthew 4:18-22)

According to Church Tradition, Andrew proclaimed the gospel along the Black Sea, reaching present day Kiev in Ukraine. Thus, Andrew becomes the patron saint of Ukraine, Romania and Russia. He is the first Patriarch of Constantinople. Now that the recent Russo-Ukrainian War has continued for more than twenty-two months, I wonder how St. Andrew would intercede for these two countries from the same root. It is already not easy to be a good man. How hard it is to be a saint!

In the four canonical gospels, the amount of information of the 12 apostles is uneven. Most of the materials are about Peter and few for the rest. Probably it was because Peter established the Church in Rome, the capital of the Empire! The information of Andrew, the brother of Peter is not much. Among the lists of the Twelve, Andrew came second at the beginning (Matthew 10:2) and dropped to the fourth in the eve of Pentecost (Acts 1:13). We can only speculate the reasons behind. Lastly, in the Jerusalem Council, it wasn’t even Peter to steer the meeting but James the Lesser. Moreover, a group of elders attended (15:6, 13)! We don’t have to feel that Andrew was unfairly treated. He was probably preaching along the Black Sea and did not attend the Jerusalem Council! After all, in Church History, the Patriarch of Rome came forth as a leader among the Patriarchs is indisputable. However, be not ignorant of the fact that Andrew found the five loaves and two fish in the first miracle of multiplication of bread (John 6:8-9).

We have arrived at the last week of the Liturgical year and have read many discourses on eschatology. The Kingdom of Heaven after the Judgment Day is like a wedding banquet filled with perfect joy. But before the end, the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, that is the Pilgrim Church, is still suffering turmoil in our eyes. Then, what is the situation of the Kingdom of Heaven above, that is the Triumphant Church? We are saints in communion with each other. I am afraid our spiritual welfare worries them and our infightings ache their hearts. Like us, how much they desire the Judgment Day comes!
St. Andrew! Pray for us. Amen!

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生命恩泉
Picture Credit: johnsanidopoulos.com

末世系列（二）何必曰利？ Why Talk About Benefits?

末世系列（二）何必曰利？（路21:12-19）

在當今惟利是圖的商業社會和國家，找代罪羔羊、彼此出賣、結黨謀私、排擠異己，甚至謀殺，已經是意料中事。即使你沒有投入這「權力遊戲」的意向，你亦不能置身事外；你甚至成為了「造皇者」，成為兩大鬥爭派系須要爭取支持的極少數派。之後，又變成用完即棄的「棄子」！雖然聽來殘酷，但這是當今世代的現實寫照！耶穌基督所說的「這一切事之前」（路21:12a），即世界末日之前要發生的事，不就是當今世代正在發生的事嗎？所不同者，是被出賣的原因。是因為政權的鬥爭，還是宗教迫害，甚至是借國家安全的理由謀私！

當今世代，沒有人覺得【聖經】可信，沒有個人或團體覺得【聖經】有參考價值。因此自稱信奉一本沒有利用價值的【聖經】的信徒，對社會便沒有影響力，可以不理！這樣，還有社會國家找基督徒作「代罪羔羊」嗎？還有人會出賣基督徒來獲取榮華富貴嗎？各位基督徒，當沒有人迫害你們的時候，你們應該慶幸，還是應該悲哀呢？

至於我和我的家族（蘇24:15），我樂意為愛耶穌基督的名字被拘捕、迫害、解送到會堂、並囚在獄中和押送到君王及總督之前（路21:12），因為耶穌基督會給我憑十年寒窗苦讀也磨練不到的「口才和明智，是我的一切仇敵所不能抵抗及辨駁的」（21:15）。即使我被出賣、被殺死、受眾人的憎恨又有何難受呢？即使是投火被焚（格前13:3），連最後一根頭髮也化為灰燼，又有何懼？慈悲的主耶穌基督一定有本領從少許的DNA，與我所能保存的靈魂（路21:19） 結合，把我重塑回來，並且提昇到另一個光榮的層次！

主啊！請寬恕那些殺害我們的人罷，因為他們為了自保，為了害怕【聖經】的威力，天主聖言的生命力，做出連自己也不知道是甚麼（23:34）的惡行。亞孟！

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Eschatology II: Why Talk About Benefits? (Luke 21:12-19)

Nowadays in commercial societies and countries where only benefits count, you can only expect scapegoating, backstabbing each other, forming rings, cornering rivals and even murders. Though you have no intention to take part in those power games, you are forced to. You may even become the king-maker minority whose support is much sought after by two rivalling parties. In the end, you become a dispensable chess piece! Though it sounds cruel and pessimistic, it is an authentic portray of the modern world! When Jesus Christ says, “Before all this happens” (Luke 21:12a), that is things to happen before the end of the world, are they not happening nowadays? The difference is the reason of betrayals. Are the betrayals political conflicts, or religious persecutions or even using national security as an excuse to fatten oneself?

Nowadays, nobody found the Bible credible and no individual or community found the Bible relevant. Believers in a Bible of no utility had no social impact and were negligible! Then would any country scapegoat Christians? Would people betray Christians in order to get promoted? Dear Christians, when nobody persecutes you, should you be relieved or sorrowful?

As for me and my household (Joshua 24:15), I am honoured to be seized, persecuted, handed over to the synagogues and to prisons, and led before kings and governors because of Jesus’ name (Luke 21:12). It is because Jesus Christ would give me a wisdom of speaking, which I won’t be able to attain even after spending decades of theology studies, that all my adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute (21:15). Even if I were betrayed, killed or hated by all, it would be no big deal. Even if I handed my body over to be burnt (1 Corinthians 13:3), and my last strain of hair turned to ashes, of what would I be afraid? The merciful Lord will, with a grain of my DNA, combined with the soul I have secured with perseverance (Luke 21:19), reconstruct another me and raises me to another glorious level!

Lord! Forgive those who murder us because they want to save their skins and are afraid of the power of the Bible, the vitality of the Word of God and know not what evil they are doing (23:34). Amen! 生命恩泉：
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末世系列（一） 不受騙，不驚惶 Don’t Be Deceived, Don’t Be Terrified

末世系列（一） 不受騙，不驚惶（路21:5-11）

人類真是很好奇的生物，他們不停地探索身邊事物的意義。他們很有趣，祇選擇性地承認自己有限認知能力得來的片面真相，而在更宏偉的真理面前，卻傲慢地否認它！

現代人覺得【聖經】是二千年前的產物，當中的故事和教訓，對當今的世代，毫無參考價值。例如《創世紀》中人物的歲數：亞當活到930歲（創5:5），最長壽的默突舍拉969歲（5:27）等，現代人都認為是無稽之談。十七世紀偉大的科學家如牛頓，把【聖經】族譜裡人物的年歲疊加，算出地球的年齡不超過六千歲！可見【聖經】真的不可信。除了對「世界末日」的預言例外！

現代人真奇怪，即使他們認為大部份【聖經】的內容不可信，但很多人卻對當中記載的「末世言論」，鍥而不捨地研究。除了「好奇」和「貪婪」之外，我實在找不到更合理的解釋！要知道「末日」是一門大生意，可以出版書籍，拍攝電影，售賣「末日逃生包」等，是一個很有潛質的市場。近日以色列與哈瑪斯的衝突，便引發了不少人士在社交媒體發表「末日」的言論了，可見這市場有多龐大！

在今天的福音中，耶穌基督祇不過說了耶路撒冷聖殿的毀滅，並不是說世界的末日，便引起了「談論聖殿如何莊麗」的人注意。試問，世間有那一座建築物，能永遠屹立不倒呢？即使如今仍在的「萬里長城」，祇不過是2500年歷史，中國也祇不過是5000年。誰可保證萬年之後，它們仍然屹立不倒呢？

所以，耶穌基督便借用人類的好奇心，啟示有關末日的訊息。但好奇的人，祇關心「發生的時候，將有甚麼先兆」（路21:7），但在最重要的真理面前，無動於衷！末日的真理是甚麼？耶穌說：「至於那日子和那時刻，除了父以外，誰也不知道，連天上的天使和子都不知道。」（谷13:32）。面對末日最重要的態度就是「你們要謹慎，不要受欺騙…切不可跟隨他們」（路21:8）；「不要驚惶」（21:9），有多少聽眾領會得到呢？

親愛的弟兄姊妹，你謹慎嗎？你能不受騙、不驚惶嗎？若望宗徒說：「在愛內沒有恐懼，反之，圓滿的愛把恐懼驅逐於外」（若一4:18）。若望宗徒的忠告，對你有啟發嗎？
天主保祐！

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Eschatology I: Don’t Be Deceived, Don’t Be Terrified (Luke 21:5-11)

Humanity is a curious animal. They keep searching for meanings of things around them. They are funny in that they selectively acknowledge the partial truth they obtain from their limited cognitive powers but in face of a grander truth, they arrogantly deny!

Modern people think that the Bible was written two thousand years ago. Thus, its stories and teachings are totally irrelevant for modern people. For example, the ages of people in Genesis: Adam died at 930 (Genesis 5:5) and Methuselah, the longest living man, had lived 969 years and died (5:27) etc. Modern people would dismissed them as fairy tales. Sir Isaac Newton, the greatest scientist in 17th century, once added up the ages from genealogies in the Bible and came up with the age of the earth to be less than 6,000. The Bible is not worth believing in except for doomsday prophecies!

Modern men are strange. Even though they reject almost all the contents of the Bible as incredible, many people continue to do researches on eschatology. Besides curiosity and greed, I cannot think of a more reasonable explanation! You should understand that “doomsday” is a big business. You may publish books, make movies and sell “End Time Survival Kits” etc. to meet the demands of a lucrative market. The recent conflicts between Israel and Hamas have triggered a flood of “doomsday” posts by KOL’s on the social media. Now you know how lucrative this market is!

In the gospel text today, Jesus only mentioned the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple and not the end of the world. It was sufficient to draw the attention of those who were speaking about how the Temple was adorned. Just think about it, what buildings on earth could stand forever? Even the still standing Great Wall is just 2,500 years old and China a mere 5,000. Who can guarantee that it shall not fall in 10,000 years?

Thus, Jesus Christ made use of the curiosity of humanity to reveal what would happen on the last days. Curious people only care about “When will this happen? And what sign will there be” (Luke 21:7) but untouched before the most important truth! So, what is the truth about the end days? Jesus says, “But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father” (Mark 13:32). The most important attitude to confront the end time is “See that you not be deceived … Do not follow them” (Luke 21:8); “Do not be terrified” (21:9). How many among my readers have heard and understood?

Beloved brethren! Are you prudent? Can you be not deceived, not terrified? John the Apostle says, “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear” (1 John 4:18). Do you find inspiration in the advice of John the Apostle?
God bless!
生命恩泉
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主要的愛，你放到哪？Where Have You Laid the Love Requested by the Lord?

主要的愛，你放到哪？（路21:1-4）

耶穌在聖殿銀庫讚賞窮寡婦的事蹟，讀來有點懸疑。耶穌真的在稱讚那位窮寡婦呢？還是借窮寡婦來批評其他人呢？
首先，聖殿銀庫裡放著的「獻儀」，除了維持聖殿的運作、維修和司祭的生活費用之外，還包括了窮人的照顧。例如【路加福音】第二章提到的另一位寡婦，女先知亞納（路2:36-38），聖殿供養了她不少於六十年！

其次，這些「獻儀」都是自願的，不是強制的，強制的是「殿稅」。即是說，除了必須的、指定的祭獻之外，眾人都可以量力而為，自願地為聖殿或為窮人作出奉獻，如金錢、屋契等。沒有人會知道你的意向是為窮人還是為聖殿，你已把「獻儀」的使用，全權交給了管理聖殿的司祭了。窮寡婦所奉獻的，與其他人一樣，都是「作為給天主的獻儀」（21:4b）。

因此，耶穌基督已鎖定了奉獻的意向，就是對天主的愛。對比便十分鮮明了，就是「多餘的」（21:4a）與「不足的，她所有的，一切生活費」（21:4c）。
【瑪竇】與【馬爾谷】，把「最大誡命的挑戰」放到耶穌基督在聖殿施教的環節（瑪22:34-40; 谷12:28-34），停留在理智和辯論的層面上，但【路加】怎會放過這個深化「最大誡命」的機會哩！既然眾人都知道：「你應當全心、全靈、全力、全意愛上主，你的天主」（路10:27），那為甚麼你們祇奉獻上「多餘的」呢？哦！主耶穌，對不起，你誤會了，我沒有這樣大的本事，我祇是為了幫助窮人而已，並不是為聖殿、為天主。慈悲的主耶穌便說：「那麼，你為甚麼祇拿『多餘的』來愛自己呢？主要的愛，主所要求你付出的愛，你放到哪？」

主啊！可憐我這個糊塗蟲罷！我竟然不辨輕重、本末倒置、迷失在世俗事務、個人榮辱之中。請伸出援手，速來救助我。亞孟！

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Where Have You Laid the Love Requested by the Lord? (Luke 21:1-4)

Jesus’ praise of the poor widow at the Temple treasury poses a puzzle in the readers’ mind. Did Jesus genuinely praise the poor widow? Or did He make use of the poor widow to criticize somebody else?
Firstly, besides providing the livelihood for priests, the Temple treasury kept offerings for the running of the Temple, its maintenance and helping the poor. For example, the Temple had supported another widow Anna, the prophetess for at least six decades (Luke 2:36-38)!

Secondly, those offerings were voluntary. Temple taxes were compulsory. That is to say, besides offering compulsory sacrifices, people could offer voluntarily according to their means for the Temple or for the poor, such as money and title deeds etc. Nobody would know the intentions of your offerings. You have surrendered the right to possess/utilize totally to the priests who managed the Temple. What the poor widow offered was the same as any other people. It is “unto the offerings of God” (21:4b). Therefore, Jesus Christ has locked in their intentions to show their love to God. The contrast is sharp. It is between “their surplus wealth” (21:4a) and “her poverty, her whole livelihood” (21:4c)!

Matthew and Mark put the challenge of the greatest commandment along with Jesus’ teachings in the Temple (Matthew 22:34-40; Mark 12:28-34). They remain in the rational level. How would Luke let go of this opportunity to deepen the meaning of the greatest commandment! Since everybody knows, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your being, with all your strength, and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27), then why do you offer your surplus only and not all? Sorry, Lord Jesus. You have misunderstood me. I don’t have such great capabilities. I offer to help the poor only, not for the Temple or for the love of God. Then the merciful Lord would ask, “Why do you love yourselves with spares only? Where have you laid the love the Lord requests?”

Dear Lord! Have mercy on this stupid me! I prioritize wrongly and lose myself in secular matters and personal vainglory. Make haste to save me! Amen!
生命恩泉
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Who Are The Goats? 誰是山羊？

Solemnity of Christ the King of Universe, Year A
Theme: Who Are The Goats? 誰是山羊？

What do you expect to see in a courtroom scene nowadays? The scene consists of a judge, probably a jury panel, a plaintiff, a defendant and advocates from both sides. Charges, pledges, cross-examinations, defences, judgment and finally sentencing would play out in order. Today, in the parable of Sheep and Goats, Jesus Christ gives us a preview of what would happen in the courtroom scene on the Judgment Day. Actually, before the Judgment Day, the heavenly court is extremely busy. Satan acts as the plaintiff accusing each one of us (the defendant) daily before the Father. Jesus Christ acts as our defence advocate (Revelation 12:10; Romans 8:34). The Judgment Day scene will be different because it will be the last courtroom scene. It will be a case of The Son of God vs. the whole humanity. But for sub-cultures and modern societies which are unfamiliar with shepherding, they need to know more about the images of sheep and goats. We need to go back to the Old Testament to learn more about shepherding practices and their symbolism.

The first Israelite king that was able to unite the twelve tribes of Israel was King David who began his career as a shepherd. In time, shepherds became a symbol of kings and government officials. However, not all kings and mandarins were good. Some of them failed to overcome the corruption by authority and became self-seeking and self-fattening at the expenses of the commoners! This is what the first reading talks about today. The Lord God accuses the shepherd-mandarins of power-abuses. “For thus says the Lord God: Look! I myself will search for my sheep and examine them” (Ezekiel 34:11). Why did God revoke the authority delegated to the mandarins? It was because “You consumed milk, wore wool, and slaughtered fatlings, but the flock you did not pasture. You did not strengthen the weak or heal the sick nor bind up the injured. You did not bring back the stray or seek the lost but ruled them harshly and brutally” (34:3-4). The Lord God would take up again the role of the Shepherd of Israel, in the person of Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd shall do what the power-abusive shepherds fail to do, “The lost I will search out, the strays I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, and the sick I will heal; but the sleek and the strong I will destroy. I will shepherd them in judgment” (34:16).

We are able to understand the first half of verse 34:16 easily. If we pay attention to the sequence of afflictions in 34:4, namely “sick, injured, stray, lost” and in 34.16, namely “lost, strays, injured, sick”, we will see a chiastic structure! Therefore, we can locate the key message, a Judgment, in the middle: “Thus says the Lord God: Look! I am coming against these shepherds. I will take my sheep out of their hand and put a stop to their shepherding my flock, so that these shepherds will no longer pasture them. I will deliver my flock from their mouths so it will not become their food” (34:10). Another prophet echoes the same judgment by proclaiming, “My wrath is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the leaders …” (Zechariah 10:3). The Lord God has spoken at least twice. Shepherd-mandarins! Have you not heard?

Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd will make up what shepherd-mandarins have failed. But why does the Good Shepherd want to destroy the sleek and the strong and “shepherd them in judgment” (Ezekiel 34:16b)? Obviously, those sleek and strong sheep must have colluded with the wicked shepherds so that they fatten themselves together. Moreover, when the Good Shepherd appears, there is no need for mandarin-shepherds anymore. They turn into either sheep or goats as well and the Good shepherd will shepherd them all. In older translations, the tone is stronger and reads, “… but I will destroy the fat and the strong; I will feed them with judgment” (34:16b, KJV)! The Hebrew word רָעָה can be rendered “to shepherd” and “to feed”. The former translation is milder while the latter one sounds a lot harsher! Either way, how would the Good Shepherd destroy the wicked sheep? Didn’t the same prophet speak in God’s stead that “Do I find pleasure in the death of the wicked --- oracle of the Lord God? Do I not rejoice when they turn from their evil way and live?” (18:23)? The only reasonable explanation is that when the Good Shepherd comes finally on the Judgment Day, the fat and strong sheep have not turned from their evil ways!

What do you expect to hear or see in this final courtroom scene where trillions upon trillions of souls coming from all ages and all lands gather? Would angels on Satan side lay bare our sins in front of the whole world while angels on Christ side would report our good works? Then would Christ weigh them on a balance so that everybody is able to see which way the balance tilt? We shall be disappointed. Not a single evil deed shall be mentioned on the Judgment Day. We will not hear of juicy accounts of murders, rapes, thefts, perjuries on individuals; nor evils on a structural level such as genocides, human trafficking, drug trafficking and oppressive governments etc. Instead, we only hear of doing charity or omission to do charity! In this respect, we shall be able to see the mercy as well as the righteousness of Christ the King. Had the Universal King demanded baptism, going to Church, receiving sacraments and studying the Bible etc. as criteria for the admission into heavens, it would have been unfair to those who have never heard of Jesus Christ in time, say years before Christ or in space, say places where missionaries have not yet reached. Had the Universal King demanded some heroic Herculean acts that required elitist intelligence or physical strengths or verbal dexterities etc. it would have been unfair to people with disabilities. No! Everybody is able to meet the demands of the Universal King, namely to feed the hungry, to drink the thirsty, to shelter the homeless, to cloth the naked, to take care of the sick and to visit the imprisoned (Matthew 25:35-36). There is no excuse not to do it. Commoners and government officials alike can do it on individual level while people in power can also do it on an even grander scale by passing beneficent policies for the needy and marginalized minorities in the society.

The last thing we need to clarify is the identity of the goats. We should consult the prophetic books and see whom they symbolize with “goats”. There are two, namely “Flee from the midst of Babylon, leave the land of the Chaldeans, be like rams/goats at the head of the flock” (Jeremiah 50:8) and “The he-goat is the king of the Greeks, and the great horn on its forehead is the first king” (Daniel 8:21). We can see that goats and leaders are synonymous in prophetic vocabulary. Therefore, on Judgment Day, corrupted leaders and merchants who colluded with them would be those goats on the King’s left. Until the King comes, they continue their self-fattening and refuse to repent. How pitiful!

Beloved brethren! Do not take chances. Do not think that you can be the good thief accompanying Jesus in His crucifixion. He has told you beforehand how to pass trials in life and given you countless opportunities to do charity. Heed His exhortation. God bless!

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2020 Reflection
Picture Credit: farmsanctuary.org

Drawing Borders To Imprison Ourselves 劃地自限

Thirty-Third Ordinary Sunday, Year A
Theme: Drawing Borders To Imprison Ourselves 劃地自限

Modern people have no idea how much a talent worths today. Here is a rough estimate obtained from information found in Wikipedia. A talent was roughly 60 kg of silver¹. Today, one kg of silver costs about $6,000 HKD². Therefore, one talent worths roughly $360,000 HKD, 2 talents $720,000 HKD and 5 talents 1.8 million HKD. Parents please explain to your children the value of talents. God has entrusted the religious education of your children to you and the Church. To help you discharge your responsibility, I am going to conduct a simple opinion poll. The reason why I ask parents to explain the value of a talent to their children is that unlike the Bible, I will count both women and children in! Here are the questions: After hearing the parable of the Talents, how many of you want to receive 5 talents from the master? How many two? How many of you one? Thank you.

We usually interpret the parable of Talents in the following manner: Every person is unique. God gave each one of us different talents to proclaim the good news of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19-20). In other words, God wants us to invite our neighbour to repent and receive His unconditional forgiveness. Some of us are given many talents and have converted the most people during their life time. So, God rewards them the most. They will be the most glorious at the end of the world. Some are given less and have converted less people. Thus, God rewards them less(Matthew 25:21, 23). Don’t question God’s fairness because in the parable, Jesus has already explained that the talents were given “to each according to his ability” (25:15d). Men should not be too ambitious and demand more talents from God. They might not be able to handle them. Lastly, some buried their talents because they were afraid to lose even the little talents the master gave them when they ran their businesses. They were punished for their laziness (25:26).

This interpretation is good but not good enough. Such an interpretation can easily make us complacent and does not inspire us to go beyond the boundaries we have drawn around us. In fact, nobody wanted to be given one talent in the show of hands mentioned above. More people chose five talents than two. I congratulated them for their zeal in making use of God’s given talents. However, if they think that they have fulfilled their responsibilities and have done well by making five more (25:20b) and by making two more (25:22b), they cannot be more wrong! When Jesus says, “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (5:48), He invites us to fully utilize talents given by the Father. Has the servant who was given five talents and made five more talents fully utilized the five talents? Let us dive deeper to explore.

I’m sure all of you are familiar with the story of Jesus driving out a legion of demons into 2000 pigs, sacrificing them in order to liberate a possessed man (8:28-32; Mark 5:13). Now, let’s do some more calculations. A pig weighs about 300 catties to be profitable and in average the price of 100 catties of pig is roughly $1,200 HKD³. Thus, a pig worths $3,600 HKD and 2,000 pigs will cost $7,200,000 HKD. To make the discussion/reflection concrete, we conclude from this exorcism of the possessed man that a human soul roughly worths 7.2 million Hong Kong Dollar! Therefore, the servant who earned 5 more talents is only capable of saving a quarter of a man’s soul! In other words, he needs to make not five more talents but twenty talents more in order to save one soul! He is not commandable, is he? You might protest and say that even the master praises him saying, “Well done, my good and faithful servant … Come, share your master’s joy” (25:21). I would counter and ask what God would say to a servant who does not perform up to his full potential. Would God scold the servant for not giving his best or would God encourage him to build him up as told in the parable? We should not read the Bible too literally. By the way, assuming that a period of ten years is long enough for “After a long time” (25:19a). Had the servant with one talent followed the master’s advice to deposit the one talent into the bank, how high should the interest rate be so that in ten years, the one talent would have been doubled? About 7.18% per annum. Was the master really a demanding person (25:24b)?

In fact, why did the servant with 5 talents make only 5 more but not 20 more? Couldn’t the servant with 2 talents make 200 more? Why not? Is it impossible? Or have we drawn boundaries to live comfortably inside and as a result confined ourselves within a very narrow space? Reflecting in this light, the servant with 5 talents and the one with 2 were no better than the servant with only one talent. Of course, the servant with only one talent deserves to be punished because he had not even tried whereas the other two servants had at least tried, though not their best.

Remember that you will not be able to find the word “impossible” in God’s dictionary (Luke 1:37). No, this is not God’s modus operandi. In order to show that “It is not because of your justice that the Lord, your God, is giving you this good land to possess” (Deuteronomy 9:6) and “lest Israel vaunt itself against me and say, ‘My own power saved me’” (Judges 7:2b), God usually made use of an extremely small number of soldiers to defeat a huge army to show the Chosen People that Yahweh is fighting their adversaries for them, e.g. the stories of Gideon leading 300 men to defeat 130,000 Midianites, and David defeating Goliath amply demonstrate it. Fast forward to the New Testament. It is admirable of the Blessed Virgin Mary to harbour the intention to serve the Lord in the capacity of a virgin (Luke 1:34). But God has reserved for her a higher position, namely the Mother of God. It seems to contradict the virgin’s wish but in the end, God is able to retain her virginity while making her a mother! God be praised forever!

In light of the modus operandi of God, we have a better understanding of what Jesus teaches about the faithfulness of a Christian. Listen to Jesus' words which He speaks twice, “Since you were faithful in small matters, I will give you great responsibilities” (Matthew 25:21, 23). In God's eyes, making full use of our talents are only “small matters”! He has in store for us “great responsibilities” at the end of the world. Being faithful is NOT how deeply you believe in God, or how literally you obey His orders. Rather, it is a matter of to what extent we are able to surrender all our will and allow God to work through us to do things we even dare not to dream of because those things are impossible. The servant with one talent was wicked and lazy (25:26) because he denied God the opportunity to work through him. The other two servants were “good and faithful” but I would say not good and faithful enough because they had limited God and stopped short of advancing beyond doubling the principal! Indeed, we all do!
Beloved brethren! Allow God to bear us up on eagles’ wings and bring us to Him (Exodus 19:4). Amen.

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¹https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talent_(measurement)
²https://www.kitco.com/silver-price-today-hong-kong/index.html
³https://www.fehd.gov.hk/tc_chi/sh/data/supply_tw.html
Picture Credit:catholiccourier.com
2020 Reflection

Are The Prudent Virgins Selfish? 明智的童女自私嗎？

Thirty-Second Ordinary Sunday, Year A
Theme: Are The Prudent Virgins Selfish? 明智的童女自私嗎？

Some civilizations are very pragmatic. For example, one finds a lot of practical knowledge in the Chinese culture and less analytic philosophy. There are world renowned classics such as “孫子兵法The Art of War”, “墨子Mozi”, “黃帝內經The Inner Canon of the Yellow Emperor” and “九章算經The Nine Chapters” etc. Of course, there are philosophy classics, such as “易經The Book of Changes” and “道德經Dao De Jing”. But they are more poetic than their Greek counterparts which are more analytic. Moreover, ancient Chinese philosophers quickly gravitate towards morality instead of investigating being-ness or the essence of existence! Perhaps the languages they speak have already delimited the ways of thinking available to them. Thus, it is important to know yourself. It applies to both individuals and civilizations alike because language plays the most essential part in their communications. In Chinese, 「知人者智，自知者明。He who knows others is discerning, he who knows himself is intelligent. 勝人者有力，自勝者強 He who overcomes other is strong, he who overcomes himself is mighty.」 （道德經Dao Te Jing）After all, when you attain a certain level of awareness, language does not seem to matter anymore!

In the case of “智wisdom”, it appears only in 22 verses among pre-Qin Chinese classics. Most of them tie with “仁beneficence”. In them we read 「仁智」 together in the same breath, showing the moralistic tendency of Chinese philosophy. There are a few instances of 「聖智」, but we need to be careful with the word 「聖」 because among pre-Qin Chinese classics, it appears in 146 verses covering a wide range of usages. It does not mean being holy, other or sacred in the Judaea-Christian sense! Anyway, wisdom is among the 五常five Chinese Constant Virtues, viz. 仁beneficence, 義righteousness, 禮propriety, 智wisdom and 信trustworthiness. Wisdom is more or less, equivalent to “prudence” of the Greek cardinal virtues.

Thus, in the Chinese eyes, the five wise virgins in the parable today were not wise at all because they did not show any beneficence towards their needy fellow sisters. “No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves” (Matthew 25:9). It was probably prudent of them not to share oil but such a decision backfired to badmouth them. They sounded rather selfish, treating their fellow sisters like rivals. Doesn’t Jesus teach us to “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you” (7:12)? Put themselves in the shoes of the foolish virgins, the prudent ones would also want somebody to help them by sharing oil with them. Later, Jesus also teaches us to help the needy, viz. the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the homeless, the sick and the imprisoned. In helping the needy, we are serving the Lord, our King (25:40). Furthermore, their refusal to share seems to go against the doctrine of “communion of saints”! Judging from these criteria, the so-called wise virgins did not deserve to enter the Kingdom of Heaven! But we should not judge the prudent virgins too harshly because the foolish virgins were not the needy who were unable to make ends meet. Moreover, the “communion of saints”, namely helping the needy fellow Christians is not a compulsory commandment. Helping needy fellow sisters is meritorious only because it is voluntary. Therefore, there are not sufficient evidences to condemn the prudent virgins.

The Chinese way of seeing things does not have the final say. It is because there are many other ways to understand the parable. First, we should try to interpret a piece of text with other passages from the same book. So, where else in Matthew can we find lamp and light? In Chapter 5, Jesus says, “Nor do they light a lamp … Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father” (5:15-16). Therefore, the lamp and thus the light of the virgins symbolizes the good deeds we have done on earth. Then the oil must be the desire and the will to serve the needy. If this interpretation is correct, how can we share the desire and the will to serve the needy with others unless you are a saint like St. Francis of Assisi or St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta, who were able to inspire others to pursue generously the beatific poverty? Thus, we cannot brand the prudent virgins selfish because the desire and the will to serve and help the needy is the virtue of charity which cannot be shared and do not emerge overnight. The perfection of virtues come from practices.

Though we do not have sufficient evidence to condemn the foolish virgins, the Lord does. He says, “Amen, I say to you, I do not know you” (25:12). Please notice that the word “know εἴδω” appears 43 times in Matthew, 21 times rendered as “know” and 20 times “see”! Let’s not talk about the intimacy conveyed by the word “know” for the time being. Just imagine, the Lord tells you in the face, “I do not see you … help the homeless on the streets, care for the hospitalized, join masses on Sundays, adore the Eucharist and confess your sins etc. in Church …” How can those practising Catholics help you? They cannot do it for you. Those practising Catholics have done their share in showing you examples. It is up to you to follow or not. If your priorities in life are different from theirs, it is your choice and your responsibility and not theirs. In fact, if we turn to the intimacy nuances of the word “know”, it is all the more obvious that your relationship with the Lord is unique and nobody can take your place and do it in your stead. Alas! Modern people care more about their comfort, convenience and security than the salvation of their souls. What else can we do?

As for the issue of the “communion of saints”, it is true that we cannot transfer our “merits” because they are not transferable as shown above. However, the prudent virgins can still intercede for those foolish virgins! The stories of Abraham (Genesis 18) and Moses (Exodus 32) are instructive. Since the prudent virgins are already in the company of the bridegroom like the saints in heaven who have better access to the heavenly King. Therefore, the prudent virgins may beg the Lord, not out of the “merits” they have achieved, but out of His benevolent mercy, to open the heavenly gate, admitting those foolish virgins. Such an act of intercession is what the Lord wants and would lead to a very happy ending for the whole universe! The Lord says, “This is the will of the one who sent me, that I should not lose anything of what He gave me, but that I should raise it on the last day” (John 6:39) and “He wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). Lord, Your Will be done! Amen.
Beloved brethren! Let us pray that the victorious Church in heaven remember to intercede for us. Amen.

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2020 Reflection
Picture Credit: ainvaresart.com

Too Eager Being Masters 好為人師

The Thirty-First Ordinary Sunday, Year A
Theme: Too Eager Being Masters 好為人師

Pope Francis always warns the Church of the evil of clericalism. He is actually echoing messages after messages conveyed in the Bible. Today, let us meditate on the issue of clericalism in the Church.

The first reading comes from the book of Malachi, a prophet writing during the Second Temple period around 400 BCE. The Second Temple had been in place for roughly a century. Jews had no kings but governors because Judaea was but a Persian province. In such a situation, priests held the highest religious and political authority. Without checks and balances, they corrupted. When we read the whole Chapter 1, we would understand how serious the offences had been. In the religious realm, “You bring in what is mutilated, or lame, or sick; you bring it as an offering” (Malachi 1:13b). The animals they had prepared for sacrifice were totally unacceptable offerings described in the law in the book of Leviticus. The sacrifice must be unblemished, not blind, lame nor maimed (Leviticus 22:18-25). Worse still, they fattened themselves with intact ones! “… Cursed is the cheat who has in his flock an intact male, and vows it, but sacrifices to the Lord a defective one instead” (Malachi 1:14a)! Worst of all, in their teaching office, they instructed people to take the wrong paths! They turned a blind eye to mixed marriages (2:11) and divorces (2:14b-16). Malachi warns them saying, “But you have turned aside from the way, and have caused many to stumble by your instruction; You have corrupted the covenant of Levi, says the Lord of hosts” (2:8).

What was “the covenant of Levi”? Perhaps it refers to the incident of what happened to the Israelites at Shittim recorded in Numbers 25. “The people profaned themselves by prostituting themselves with the Moabite women … ate of the sacrifices and bowed down to their god. Israel thereby attached itself to the Baal of Peor, and the Lord’s anger flared up against Israel” (Numbers 25:1-3). “The Lord’s anger flared up against Israel” means a plague started among the Israelites. In order to pacify the Lord, Moses ordered judges to kill those who had attached themselves to the Baal of Peor. Phinehas, the grandson of Aaron followed Moses’ instruction and “Thus the plague upon the Israelites was checked; but the dead from the plague were 24,000” (25:8b-9). What Phinehas had done turned God’s anger away from the Israelites. So God swore a covenant of peace and perpetual priesthood for him and his descendants after him, “The covenant of an everlasting priesthood, because he was jealous on behalf of his God and thus made expiation for the Israelites” (25:13b). Woe to priests who did not treasure this perpetual priesthood covenant. Consequently, God would turn their blessings into curses (Malachi 2:2). By then, what good they would be for the people when they lost their function to be a font of blessings for all who requested or needed blessings! They would be like salt which has lost its taste and to be thrown out and trampled underfoot (Matthew 5:13)! In the words of Malachi, “I, therefore, have made you contemptible and base before all the people, for you do not keep my ways, but show partiality in your instruction” (Malachi 2:9)!

Now fast-forward and we arrive at Jesus’ time when the teaching office was taken over by scribes and Pharisees. Jesus placed great expectation on these teachers of the Israel (John 3:10) who were supposed to teach moral guidelines from the laws. Regrettably, they did not practise what they preached (Matthew 23:3b). Moreover, “All their works are performed to be seen” (23:4a) which they demonstrated by widening their phylacteries and lengthening their tassels (23:4b). The way they conducted themselves showed that they desired vainglory more than giving glory to God (23:5).

To be fair, not all skills can be taught by examples. Athletes, carpenters and smiths etc. surely teach by example. They must have attained sufficient level of skills and mastery in order to teach apprentices by example. But when more social structures emerged and division of labour was getting more refined, human beings needed to pass on other more abstract management skills. Teachers could still teach by examples but schools managers could not. In universities, mathematics professors scribbled highly abstract proofs of advanced mathematics problems, they do not teach by examples but by abstract logical algorithms. The question remains whether moralists teach by example or persuasive arguments. For one, Jesus belonged to the traditional classical school and taught by examples. Not only does He teach us to forgive seventy times seven (Matthew 18:22), He demonstrates forgiveness by His prayer on the cross to forgive those who caused Him to be crucified (Luke 23:34). In today’s gospel, Jesus teaches that the essence of authority is service, “The greatest among you must be your servant” (Matthew 23:11), He demonstrates by washing the feet of the disciples during the Last Supper. “I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do” (John 13:15). After Judas had left the Last Supper, Jesus continues, “I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another” (13:34). Jesus does not criticize scribes and Pharisees out of defence or hatred. Instead, He loves them and desires their return to the right path. Mosaic laws guard the Israelites from going astray. Regrettably, those legal experts wanted to play technicalities, to make use of the law to persecute Jesus instead. Mosaic laws are sufficient to guarantee the salvation of their souls. Instead, the legal expertise of scribes and Pharisees could only give them vainglory at the expense of the salvation of their souls.

I had been a teacher for more than 4 decades before and sometime after my ordination. I felt comfortable in accompanying my students but not in school management! I have never advanced beyond the rank of frontline foot soldiers throughout my teaching career to become even a middle manager. I enjoyed teaching ethics as well because it is demanding on both book knowledge and my personality character. I could confidently tell my students the evil of gambling because I do not even buy “Mark Six” but I could not say the same thing about smoking because at that time, I enjoyed smoking pipe. No. I could only preach comfortably what I practise. Period. To some extent, teachers are able to command less and less respect from parents and citizens in general so that the teaching profession has long been not the first choice among university graduates. But two thousand years ago, it was a different story. Therefore, it is understandable how scribes and Pharisees fell easily into the temptation of vainglory attached to climbing up the social ladder in the legal sector. Rewind 5 more centuries back into China, Confucianism warns, “The evil of men is in their eagerness to be masters of others 人之患在好為人師” (孟子．離婁上Mengzi, Li Lou I). This goes hand in hand with Jesus’ teaching. Early on in the topic of true cleanliness, Jesus criticises the Pharisees as blind guides of the blind. “If a blind person leads a blind person, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:14b). This is the evil Mengzi meant as well. Ignorant people are eager to seek amateurs to boost up their egos. Those ignorant masters won’t be able to improve and advance their skills and knowledge on one hand. Their disciples are simply wasting their money and time on the other. Neither side gains any benefit!

Beloved brethren! If you are able to practise what you preach, you deserve to be called rabbi, teacher or even father because you will be able to enlighten and draw out the potentials of your disciples, students and even apprentices. At the same time, you’re serving the glory of the Lord. But don’t forget the string attached to such titles. Once you fail to practise what you preach, it is advisable to forfeit the titles as well.
God bless!

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2017 Reflection
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