生有時、死有時 There Is an Appointed Time For Everything

追福系列（四）
生有時、死有時（路13:31-35）

雖然天主超越時空，不受時間的約束，但從聖經的記載中，我們可以看到天主掌握時間，非常到家。例如，為甚麼耶穌不在希臘帝國時代或更早出生，而選擇在羅馬帝國時代呢？學者認為羅馬建築的軍事直道，有利信徒把福音傳遍羅馬帝國。不是嗎？一座喜馬拉雅山脈，足以阻擋聖多默和聖巴爾多祿茂宗徒，把福音傳播到神州大地。又例如天主子耶穌基督為何選擇在在逾越節前榮進耶路撒冷，接受群眾的歡呼：「因主名而來的，當受讚頌」（路13:35, 19:38; 詠118:26），然後受難，而不在其他日子呢？固然，這是標誌著天主子是真正的逾越節羔羊；同時，逾越節是猶太教三大節日之一，散佈在世界各地的猶太僑胞，必須選擇其中一個指定節日，到耶路撒冷朝聖和祭獻。這也解釋了為甚麼天主聖神選擇在五旬節降臨在120位門徒身上，成立教會。可見天主非常有時間觀念，不會早，也不會遲。我經常幻想，倘若猶達斯能沉著氣不自殺，和伯多祿一起等待主耶穌基督兌現祂受難後第三日復活的預言/承諾（路18:33），教會或許會多一位「無間道」的主保，保護身犯險境的間諜了！

傳福音何嘗不是一樣的嗎？主耶穌說：「我今天明天驅魔治病，第三天就要完畢」（13:32b）。驅魔治病是耶穌基督傳福音的步驟之一，祂以第三天復活來完成祂的任務。注意，是完成了天主子的任務，並不是福傳的圓滿結束，這結束由我們來接棒了。所以，與師傅一樣，我們今天福傳，明天福傳，第三天就要完畢。

親愛的兄弟姊妹，如果你知道哪一天是「第三天」，請你告訴我。
天主保祐！

生命恩泉

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Gospel Chase (IV)
There Is an Appointed Time For Everything (Luke 13:31-35)

Although God transcends space-time and is free from its constrains, from the narratives in the Bible, we see that God rides time perfectly. For example, why was Jesus not born during the Greek Empire or earlier but chose the Roman era? Scholars believe that the road system which Romans built for military purposes made spreading of the gospel more efficiently in the Roman Empire. Didn’t the Himalayas prevent Ss. Thomas and Bartholomew from preaching the gospel to China? Another example: why did Jesus Christ, the Son of God chose to enter triumphantly into Jerusalem before the Passover to accept the cheers from the crowd, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD” (Luke 13:35, 19:38; Psalms 118:26), then suffered Passion, and not on some other dates? Of course, this symbolizes that the Son of God is the True Pascal Lamb. At the same time, the Passover is one of the three feasts from which overseas Jews should choose to visit Jerusalem for pilgrimage and for offering sacrifice. That also explains why God the Holy Spirit chose to descend on the 120 disciples on Pentecost to set up the Church. It demonstrates that God is very conscious about timing, not too early and never too late. I always fantasize what if Judas were able to restrain his suicidal impulse and had not hanged himself, then he would be able to stay with Peter to wait for Jesus Christ to honour His pledge/prophecy to rise on the third day after Passion (Luke 18:33). Then the Church would have one more patron saint to protect spies who put themselves in hazardous situations to protect their countries!

Is not evangelization the same? Lord Jesus says, “Behold, I cast out demons and I perform healings today and tomorrow, and on the third day I accomplish my purpose” (13:32b). Exorcisms and healings were steps Jesus Christ took to evangelize and He accomplished His mission on the third day with His resurrection. Notice that He accomplished the mission of the Son of God and not the mission of evangelization. We carry the baton to accomplish this mission. Like our Master, we should also evangelize today and tomorrow, and on the third day we accomplish our purpose.

Beloved brethren! If you know which day is “the third day”, please let me know.
God bless!

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Picture Credit: https://thevcs.org/salomes-dance

傳教容易信教難 It is EASY to Evangelize but DIFFICULT to Believe

追福系列（三）
傳教容易信教難（路13:22-30）

天主固然「願意所有的人都得救，並得以認識真理」（弟前2:4），但事實擺在眼前，願意信教得救的人並不多。一方面，大部份已經奉教的教友，認為傳教是聖職人員的任務，與自己無關。他們樂意為聖召祈禱，為傳教事業捐獻，卻不願意向身邊的親友「講耶穌」。即使知道身為教友有傳福音的本份，也會以不同的藉口，把輕而易舉的傳福音工作，看成登天的難事：我沒有時間、我沒有口才、我怕講異端，誤人子弟、我怕被拒絕、我怕政權打壓、我怕…其實，時間是天主賞賜的，「在天主前一日如千年，千年如一日」（伯後3:8; 詠90:4），何來沒有時間呢？說話的又不是你，而是聖神透過你說話（瑪10:20; 谷13:11），何來沒有口才呢？又怎可能說異端呢？如何你怕被拒絕，你一定沒有享受過靈魂的舒暢，天主的安慰了！「憂愁焦思雖然齊集我的心神，祢的安慰卻舒暢了我的靈魂」（詠94:19）。倘若你怕現世的政權，「你們不知道我們連天使都要審判嗎？」（格前6:3）對於凱撒，何懼之有呢？

另一方面，聽到天主願意與罪人修和的福音後，不是人人都會輕易接受這真理的。今天的福音指出，聽眾要有「竭力由窄門而入」（路13:24）的心理準備；相信耶穌基督有如參加障礙賽，聽福音的人要「過五關，斬六將」，衝破很多關卡。首先，他們要排除宗教信仰是迷信的偏見；其次，宗教信仰不是教人行善避惡的倫理道德那麼簡單；第三，認真面對我們一手創造的科技，並不能消滅邪惡，帶來公義與幸福；第四，人擁有永生的可能；最後，末日已經迫在眉睫！且看「人工智能」正迅速崛起，不斷挑戰「人之所以是人」的防線。「智人 homo sapiens」已經失守了，下一道防線是「道德/價值觀」，最後是「靈性/永生」。很多人仍然躲在自己的「安樂窩」裡，不知大限將至。

但願天主繼續看顧著我們，亞孟！
天主保祐！

生命恩泉

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Gospel Chase (III)
It is EASY to Evangelize but DIFFICULT to Believe (Luke 13:22-30)

Of course God our saviour “wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4), but in reality, not many people are willing to believe and be saved. On one hand, most of the laity think that evangelization is the task of the clergy. It is none of their business. They are willing to pray for vocation and donate for evangelization, but are reluctant to “talk Jesus” among relatives and friends. Even if they know that it is the duty of the baptized to proclaim the gospel, they would deploy various excuses to make evangelization as difficult as flying to the moon: I have no time; I am not eloquent; I fear I may speak heresies, misleading the audience; being rejected feels bad; I fear that the state would suppress; I fear … In fact, time is given by God, “That with the LORD one day is like a thousand years and a thousand years like one day” (2 Peter 3:8; Psalms 90:4). How can we have no time? “It will not be you who speak but the Spirit of your Father speaking through you” (Matthew 10:20; Mark 13:11), how come we have no eloquence? And how can the Spirit speak heresy? If you are afraid of being rejected, your soul must have never enjoyed God’s comfort! “When cares increase within me, your comfort gives me joy” (Psalms 94:18). If you are afraid of worldly rulers, “Do you not know that we will judge angels?” (1 Corinthians 6:3). Then what is so fearsome about Caesar?

On the other hand, after hearing the good news that God wills to reconcile with sinners, not everybody will receive this truth easily. The gospel text today says that the audience should psychologically be prepared “to strive to enter through the narrow door” (Luke 13:24). Believing in Jesus Christ is like participating in steeplechases. The audience need to overcome many obstacles. Firstly, they need to eliminate the prejudice that faith in God is irrational. Secondly, religious faiths are not simply morality that teaches people to do good. Thirdly, we need to acknowledge that the technology that we create is unable to eliminate evil and to bring justice as well as happiness. Fourthly, men possess the potential of eternal life. Lastly, the end is close at hand! Take a look at the recent quick rise of AI which continuously challenges our bulwark of “What makes human human”. Homo Sapiens has lost. Our next defence is “morality/value system” and the last one is “spirituality/eternal life”. Many people are still hiding in their comfort zone, not knowing that the end is imminent. Pray that God continues to look upon us. Amen!
God bless!

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Picture Credit: creator.nightcafe.studio

傳教？「小兒科」啦！ Evangelization? A Piece of Cake!

追福系列（二）
傳教？「小兒科」啦！（路13:18-21）

老師決不會在考試時，出微積分題目來考核小學生；在日常的小學習作中，不外乎做一些簡單容易的兩位乘數或求梯形面積而已。同樣，天主決不會要求我們做超過我們能力的事。正如聖保祿寫信給格林多教會時說：「你們所受的試探/考驗，無非是普通人所能受的考驗；天主是忠信的，祂決不許你們受那超過你們能力的考驗，天主如加給人考驗，也必開一條出路，叫你們能夠承擔」（格前10:13）。要知道，日常的操練和考驗，是促進我們新陳代謝和加強我們能力的不二法門。

誠然，天主要在短短幾十年間，把以色列打造成屬於自己的選民，的確是一件驚天動地的事。「上主以強力的手，伸展的臂，巨大的恐嚇，神蹟奇事，領我們出了埃及，來到這地方，將這流奶流蜜的土地賜給了我們。」（申26:8-9）。數學教授能解微分方程是理所當然的，但為我們這些「小學雞」，天主又怎會出這些難題，來打沉我們的信心呢？當我們成為研究生的時候，祂仍會從旁指導；說不定有朝一日，當我們成為數學教授時，能與祂一起攻克數學上懸而未決幾個世紀的命題，也未可知。

今天的比喻，清楚明白地告訴我們，拓展天國並不難，有如播下種子，又有如把酵母放進麵團裡一樣；種子會自己生長，酵母會自然令麵團發大。同理，我們祗是向身邊的親人、同事和朋友宣講天主的慈悲，然後抽手旁觀，看天主聖神如何感動人心而已。這樣，何難之有？

親愛的兄弟姊妹，相信你不會連「小學雞」的功課，也舉手投降吧！
天主保祐！
生命恩泉

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Gospel Chase (II)
Evangelization? A Piece of Cake! (Luke 13:18-21)

Primary school teachers would never set calculus questions in examinations for their pupils. In their daily assignments, pupils would only do 2-digit multiplications or would find the areas of trapezia. Similarly, God would never demand us to do things beyond our capabilities. Just as what Paul wrote to the Corinthian Church, “No trial has come to you but what is human. God is faithful and will not let you be tried beyond your strength; but with the trial He will also provide a way out, so that you may be able to bear it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). We have to understand that daily exercises and trials are sure ways to enhance our metabolism and strength.

It is true that in order to make Israel into a Chosen People within a few decades, God had to work ground shaking miracles. “The LORD brought us out of Egypt with a strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders and brought us to this place, and gave us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey” (Deuteronomy 26:8-9). Of course Mathematics professors are able to solve systems of differential equations but for us “primary school chickens”, how would God trample on our confidence with those difficult tasks? If one day we were to do research as a PhD candidate, He would still give us guidance. Perhaps a day would come when we become a Mathematics professor ourselves, we might be working with Him side by side to tackle unresolved century old mathematical hypotheses.

The parables we read today tell us clearly that expanding the Kingdom of God is not difficult at all. It is just like sowing seeds or putting yeast in a batch of dough. The seeds would grow by themselves and the yeast would expand the dough. Similarly, our task is to proclaim God’s mercy to our relatives, friends and colleagues. Then we may fold our hands and see how God the Holy Spirit touch their hearts. How difficult can this be?

Beloved brethren! Before these “primary school chicken” assignments, I trust you will not throw your hands in the air!
God bless!

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Picture Credit: creator.nightcafe.studio

英雄莫問出處 Saints Were Sinners Before

追福系列（一）
英雄莫問出處（路6:12-19）

單憑《新約》的記載，我們對十二宗徒的出身和事跡，除了幾位著名的宗徒外，其餘的所知不多，惟有求諸教會的傳統了，例如「阿耳斐的兒子雅各伯」（路6:15）。聖經沒有說「阿耳斐」是誰，教會傳統告訴我們，阿耳斐是耶穌的養父，大聖若瑟的兄弟，所以這位「次雅各伯」便是耶穌基督的堂兄弟！又因此，今天教會紀念的猶達，又稱為達陡的（瑪10:3；谷3:18），也是耶穌的堂兄弟了！至於號稱「熱誠者」的西滿，固然我們知道「熱誠者」是一個愛國主義者的暴力組織，但拜占庭的傳統說他就是加納的納塔乃耳（若1:45），在加納婚宴中當司席的那一位（2:8）¹ ，他與主耶穌也有千絲萬縷的關係。後來，西滿在波斯傳教時，與猶達相遇，兩人一起為福音作見證而殉道。

為天主的慈悲作見證，並不是一少撮人的專利；為建設一個更美好的世界，是人人有責的。可惜，我們經常不知不覺地把聖人神化了，把他們的生平事跡浪漫化了，把他們塑造成高不可攀的「英雄」人物；於是「殉道/作見證」成為祇有聖人纔有本領完成的任務。殊不知，天主喜歡召選教育水平低而又衝動的漁夫、性格暴燥的「雷霆之子」、貪心的稅吏、不惜使用暴力的恐怖份子、服侍富貴人家的廚師和自以為特立獨行的叛徒…為祂完成拯救世界的任務。天主要傾注自己的恩寵到這批人身上，決不是一件容易的事。但為天主，世上有不可能的事嗎（路1:37）？

親愛的兄弟姊妹，倘若天主能讓這些「低端」人口，成就偉大的事業，你和我還可以拒絕天主的差遣，把福音傳遞給身邊的人嗎？
天主保祐！

生命恩泉

¹https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/10/28/sts--simon-and-jude--taddeo---apostles.html

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Gospel Chase (I)
Saints Were Sinners Before (Luke 6:12-19)

From the New Testament alone, we know very little about the origins and deeds of the Twelve except for a few famous ones. We can only rely on Church Tradition to know more about them. For example, “James the son of Alphaeus” (Luke 6:15). The Bible does not mention who Alphaeus was but from Church Tradition, we know that Alphaeus was a brother of Joseph, the foster father of Jesus. Thus, this “James the Lesser” was a cousin of Jesus Christ! And thus, Jude, who was also known as Thaddeus (Matthew 10:3; Mark 3:18), was also Jesus’ cousin! As for Simon the Zealot, of course we know that Zealots were patriotic terrorists, but Byzantine Tradition tells us that he was the Nathanael of Cana (John 1:45)¹, the headwaiter in the wedding banquet at Cana (2:8). Somehow he was related to Lord Jesus. Later while preaching in Persia, Simon met Jude and both of them suffered martyrdom together.

Bearing witness to God’s mercy is not the privilege of a minority. Building a better world is the responsibility for all of us. Regrettably, we tend to mystify saints imperceptibly and romanticize their lives, making them lofty legendary heroes. Thus, martyrdom/bearing witness becomes an impossible mission which only saints can achieve. Unbeknown to us, God loves to call uneducated and impulsive fishermen, “Boanerges” with explosive characters, greedy tax-collectors, terrorists resorting to violence without remorse, waiters for the rich, traitors who had difficulty mixing with others … to accomplish the salvific project for Him. I’m sure it was not easy to infuse His graces on this bunch of people. But for God, is there anything impossible (Luke 1:37)?

Beloved brethren! If God is able to make these “low end” people accomplish marvels, can we reject God’s commission to pass the good news to people we meet?
God bless!

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Picture Credit: creator.nightcafe.studio

The Meaning Of Hope 希望的意義

Thirtieth Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: The Meaning Of Hope 希望的意義

We are approaching the end of the liturgical year. Thus, the message conveyed in the readings is pregnant with end time themes. One of the existential puzzles humanity confront is the problem of suffering. How can a benevolent God allow men to suffer for no meaningful purposes? Turn the perspective around and we will ask with what can we sustain long periods of sufferings? In the readings today, I find some enlightenments with which you don’t have to agree.

The first reading from Jeremiah is very encouraging and gives some of us a lot of hope. I said “some of us” because Jeremiah seems to refer to a minority. God speaks through Jeremiah in these words, “Shout with joy for Jacob, exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise and say: The LORD has saved His people, the remnant of Israel” (Jeremiah 31:7b). Didn’t St. Paul write that God our Saviour “wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4)? Then why does the LORD only save the remnant of Israel, but not all? Let’s face it! The idea of “hell” has always been in God’s mind probably even before Creation. Thus, the hell is NOT nothing. It won’t be empty. At the end of the world, Satan and the rebellious angels will be exiled there and they will not be lonely. People who have abused in their earthly life the freedom of will that God gave them will join Satan in hell. The hell is NOT a joke. Satan and the fallen angels would definitely find pleasure in torturing the pitiful humanity in hell! When the prophets announce that the LORD would save the remnant of Israel, they have already hinted at this eventuality: that a portion of humanity, a portion of God’s images, would be lost and end up in hell!

Has God not been fair, telling us His likes and dislikes, so that we will not be condemned in hell? No! He has worked for more than three millennia to save as many of us as possible. He made friends with Abraham and raised his offspring into a Chosen People. He established a covenant, the Sinai Covenant with them and gave them the Torah to guide them. To honour His pledge to Abraham, the Chosen People would be a blessing to the nations, “I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All the families of the earth will find blessing in you” (Genesis 12:3). You may complain that the Torah is too harsh and God does not hesitate to establish a new covenant with the Chosen People as He has promised in the second half of Jeremiah’s prophecy in this chapter. God says, “See, days are coming --- oracle of the LORD --- when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah” (Jeremiah 31:31). In short, God does not hesitate to give humanity a second chance. How do we know that the new covenant is not as harsh as the old one? The Bible is an open book which everyone may inspect. Let’s read on! “I will place my law within them, and write it upon their hearts; I will be their God, and they shall be my people … Everyone, from least to greatest, shall know me --- oracle of the LORD --- for I will forgive their iniquity and no longer remember their sin” (31:33-34). Judge for yourself! Which court on earth would forgive your debts and no longer remember your crimes? What else can we demand from such a merciful God? Tell God what else God has NOT done to guarantee us a room in heaven!

Jeremiah’s prophecy is saturated with images of hope. God says, “Look! I will bring them back from the land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the earth, the blind and the lame in their midst. Pregnant women, together with those in labour --- an immense throng --- they shall return” (31:8). What’s “the land of the north”? Jeremiah was referring to the Babylonian Empire in the north which would conquer Judah. Why “gather them from the ends of the earth”? Since the Babylonian Captivity, Jews have been scattered around the globe. This scattering became worse after their second revolt against the Roman Empire which resulted in the Jews being banished from Palestine since the second century. The Jewish diaspora has a long history and is very different in essence from the overseas Chinese communities. Still, God’s promise is full of hope because among the remnant are pregnant women together with those in labour! Hong Kong suffers from an extremely low birth rate, worse than those highly prosperous developed regions in this planet. Therefore, it is not an economic indicator but a political indicator! It is a vote of no confidence to the political system. With the approach of the 1997 handover, many people voted with their feet. Those who remained voted with their wombs. The 2019 social movements resulted in another wave of migration and another drop of fertility rate as well as house prices! God’s pledges in Jeremiah 31 are truly encouraging! In contrast to the policy of importing economic talents from the land of the north to fill up the economical capability void created by the brain drain as well as the fertility drop, God includes the blind and the lame as well as the pregnant and those in labour! Who is wiser, the LORD God or the mandarins working in air-conditioned offices? I will suspend my judgment and I advise you to follow me because only time could prove! I confess that I have been guilty of being imprudent in raising the comparison although I am painfully aware of the speculation of other political commentators.

The gospel today tells the story of Jesus restoring the sight of Bartimaeus and Jesus concludes the story by saying, “Go your way; your faith has saved you” (Mark 10:52). It seems that the main theme of the Eucharistic celebration today is “faith”. I beg to differ. I opine that the main theme should be “hope”. Of course, “faith” is fundamental. Before we place our hope in God, we should have faith in Him first and not with other deities. We believe that the LORD God is almighty as well as faithful. He will honour His pledges and promises. However, “hope” describes better our present state because we need to remember that God has a different time-frame from ours. His grand plans usually take eons to accomplish. Before God honours His pledges and promises, we need to remain hopeful and patient. Therefore, I offer to meditate today’s gospel from the stand point of Bartimaeus.

We do not know whether Bartimaeus was born blind or not. Let us assume that he was, then we have another incident of healing a man born blind recorded in John 9. In John 9, Jesus’ key message is, “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see might see, and those who do see might become blind” (John 9:39). Jesus was referring to the religious authority who treated Him as an enemy. In the story of Bartimaeus, he called Jesus “Son of David” which means the Messiah. At that time, most Jews anticipated the Messiah, an offspring of King David, to liberate them from the Roman colonial rule. Thus, when Jesus foretold His passion and resurrection, the Apostles failed to accept Him. They were expecting a military leader instead of a suffering servant whom God has in mind (Mark 8:33). We do not know whether Bartimaeus shared the same anticipation with the other Jews or not. From how the other people treated him, “And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent” (10:48), we may concluded that the blind were excluded from the mainstream ideology of the time. In fact, from Bartimaeus’ point of view, how could a military leader restore his sight? Moreover, Jews usually thought that illness might be a punishment from God. Thus, when Bartimaeus replied, “Master, I want to see” (10:51), most likely, he was begging Jesus to forgive his sins. Thus, while most people, including the Apostles were blind to Jesus’ true mission, blind Bartimaeus saw clearly that Jesus, the Messiah and the Son of Man has the authority to forgive sin on earth (2:10), to reconcile God and sinners! We do not know how long had Bartimaeus been blind. But I am sure the news about Jesus of Nazareth must have given him a hope of seeing and the patience to suffer prejudices and ill-treatments against the blind in the society.

Beloved brethren! Do you place your hope in Jesus, or entrust your security in power and wealth? Make sure you do not embrace a false hope. Otherwise, you will be extremely disappointed on the Last Day. Amen.
God bless!

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Picture Credit: creator.nightcafe.studio

To Speak New Languages 說新語言

Mission Sunday, Year B
Theme: To Speak New Languages 說新語言

The gospel passage today is taken from the second ending of the gospel according to Mark. The first one ends with the pious women “fled from the tomb, seized with trembling and bewilderment. They said nothing to anyone for they were afraid” (Mark 16:8). How can a gospel, which is supposed to be a good news, end in such a negative manner? Therefore, we have a more positive and longer ending that hints at Jesus’ apparitions mentioned in the other gospels, namely the apparition to Mary Magdalene and the two disciples returning to Emmaus and of course it includes Jesus’ ascension.

The passage today reports how Jesus appeared to the Eleven at dinnertime (16:14) and commissioned them to proclaim the good news. It must have been the first Easter evening when Matthias was not yet chosen from a bigger circle to replace Judas (Acts 1:26). The narrative of this apparition in Mark is significant in highlighting the importance of the “college” of Apostles in the Church. Matthew and Mark clearly state that Jesus appeared to the Eleven while narratives in the other two gospels suggest the presence of other disciples (Luke 24:33-36; John 20:19-29). When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, he says, “You are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the capstone” (Ephesians 2:19b-20). Paul pointed out an important truth, namely that apostles are the foundation of the House of God, i.e. the Church. Believers in general are the members of this House of God. What these people believe are handed down from the Apostles who for about three years had lived with and to learn from Jesus Christ who would send them forth to preach the good news (Mark 3:14). The Eleven/Twelve would bear witness and to hand down their first-hand experience to believers. That is also what nowadays the congregation profess weekly on Sundays when they recite “I believe in the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church”! Not only is Pope Francis the 265^th successor to St. Peter, but all Catholic bishops are also consecrated by bishops whose consecration line goes all they way back to the Apostles!

Another point of interest in the narration of the Great Commission of Jesus is the extensive target of evangelization. Unlike the other Synoptic Evangelists, Mark wrote, “He [Jesus] said to them, ‘Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature’” (16:15). Not only should we proclaim the good news to all nations/peoples all over the whole world, but we should also proclaim the gospel to every creature, to cats, crocodiles, serpents, wolves, trees, mountains, waterfalls and rivers as well as the whole Creation. We don’t have the King Solomon’s Ring. How do we proclaim the resurrection of Jesus to birds and COVID virus? If we are not able to proclaim the good news to them, how can they believe? Mark continues, “Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved; whoever does not believe will be condemned” (16:16). Then all animals would be condemned! In fact, how do we know and decide/judge that an animal believes or not? They do not possess souls like human. Do they need salvation? But Paul shares the same sentiment with Mark when he wrote, “For creation awaits with eager expectation the revelation of the children of God; for creation was made subject to futility … in hope that creation itself would be set free from slavery to corruption and share in the glorious freedom of the children of God” (Romans 8:19-21). From a mega perspective, the Creation is currently suffering from different types of pollutions that are caused by human greed and irresponsibility. Therefore, it is fair to describe the situation as a “slavery to corruption”. When Pope Francis issues papal documents, unlike his predecessors, he seldom issues an encyclical which has the highest binding authority in the Catholic Church. He usually issues apostolic exhortations and motu proprios which are less binding in the Church. Of his eleven years of pontificate so far, Pope Francis has only issued two encyclicals: Laudato si in 2015 which deals with the care for our planet; and Fratelli tutti in 2020 on brotherhood and social friendship in the post-COVID era. All humanity are related and we owe our Mother Nature an apology! Mark’s narration provides a broader vision for us.

Some people feel offended to read that “whoever does not believe will be condemned” (Mark 16:16b). Such a language contradicts what today’s second reading expresses. Paul writes to Timothy and says, “[God our saviour] wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). God is merciful no matter how sinister human beings can be. In the Old Testament, God had already spoken through the prophets His merciful intention, “For I find no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies --- oracle of the LORD God. Turn back and live” (Ezekiel 18:32).
Alas! People are selective in their hearing and enjoy quoting texts out of context. Perhaps John’s famous proof-text is clearer in this topic but again it is usually NOT quoted in full. John writes, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through Him” (John 3:16-17). Therefore, when Jesus says in Mark that whoever does not believe will be condemned, the person is not condemned by God. If not by God, then by whom? The person himself! The person has abused the freedom which God gives and chooses NOT to believe and follow/obey, thus cutting himself off from the True Vine (10:5), from the Tree of Life (Genesis 2:9), from the life of God. During the Last Supper, John proclaims that He is the Way, and the Truth and the Life (John 14:6). But modern people prefer fashionable trends to Jesus Christ, the Truth and His gospel. God cannot contradict Himself. He is free and therefore He respects the freedom of His images and will not impose salvation on those who choose NOT to believe. In short, God would not stop sinners from committing sins. In his writing against disordered homosexuality, Paul writes vividly, “God handed them over to impurity through the lusts of their hearts for the mutual degradation of their bodies” (Romans 1:24). Sinners need to take part in their own salvation and cannot just fold their hands to wait passively for God’s deliverance. Jesus’ advice is clear and simple, “This is the time of fulfilment. The Kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark 1:15). God has done all the preparations. It is up to us to take the first step: to repent and to believe in Jesus Christ.

The gospel text today contains many threads of thoughts, one of which rings particularly loudly in my ears. “These signs will accompany those who believe: …, they will speak new languages” (16:17). The ability/fluency to speak new languages is essential for missionaries to proclaim the good news to peoples of a different tongue. Ordinary Catholics believe but we are not missionaries preaching overseas. What new languages are we able to speak here locally? In fact, all believers are the People of God, and therefore all are missionaries whether they travel overseas or not because evangelization is not the privilege of the clergy nor of the consecrated religious. The new languages we speak are the language of love and care.
First of all, we do not gossip and spread rumours to hurt or to harm others. This is the base line and minimum requirement of being a Catholic: to speak truth. Secondly, we show care and concern for the good of the people in need. Indeed, each person is different. What consoles one may not be helpful to another. Here, attentive listening is essential. We need to cater our language and our tone appropriately for the needs of our neighbour. Indeed, we are speaking a new language of love to each of the different people we meet!

Beloved brethren! Pray that the merciful God infuses us with the fire of the Holy Spirit to heal the wounds of the Creation. Amen.
God bless!

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Picture Credit: creator.nightcafe.studio

Pray For A Synodal Church

Pray For A Synodal Church

by Deacon Alex

The Catholic Church is huge. As of 2022, her membership (1.39 billion) amounts roughly to one sixth of the world population (7.951 billion)¹ . Some six decades ago, she went ahead with a long overdue modernization as decreed in the Vatican Council II which was attended by more than two thousand Catholic bishops from all over the world as well as no less than 500 theologians as advisers, together with many observers from other denominations and governments. This Council lasted for three years. The attendants experienced something unexpected: The Church Fathers (i.e. bishops) refused to ratify documents the Roman Curia had prepared before the Council. They collaborated with the expert theologians to redraft the documents in a different way²! After the Council, they realized that they had rediscovered the original way the bishops governed the early Church: as a college of overseers, not as a monarch! Since 1965, Synods of bishops, attended by a smaller number of bishop representatives, would be convoked instead in the future, as an advisory body. Later, the term “Synodality” was coined.

Synodality is not a decision-making process with an opening prayer (Acts 1:24-26) nor a democratic institution within the Church, nor reaching a consensus through compromises! Rather, it is a process of listening carefully to the voice of the Holy Spirit speaking through the participants. It is not enough to listen to the voice of the Holy Spirit spoken to the elites and experts like what was achieved in Vatican II. The Church cannot afford to leave out the voices from the major portion of the People of God, the laity whose status within the Church was recognized and given appropriate position since Vatican Council II. All the baptized should actively participate in the life of the Church as members of the People of God, clergy as well as laity alike. The “sensus fidei” of the faithful must be heard! Of course, the quality of listening is of fundamental importance. Indeed, both bishops, experts as well as the participants from the laity need training in listening to the voice of the Holy Spirit so as to achieved an enlightened conscience. Otherwise, synods cannot be fruitful.

Since 1965, Synods were held for wide-ranging themes such as “Year of the Eucharist” in 2005, “The Word of God” in 2010, “The Church in Africa in service to Reconciliation” in 2011, “New Evangelization” in 2012, “The Vocation and Mission of the Family” in 2015, “Young People” in 2018 and “Pan-Amazon Region” in 2019 etc. This on-going Synod is already the sixteenth which began in 2021! The theme is “Synodality”, a reflection on the Catholic Church as a synodal Church³. One of the testing items on the agenda would be the restoration of the order of deaconess, an ecclesial order which has vanished from the Catholic Church longer than permanent deacons. Paul wrote, “I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is also a servant [deaconess in Greek] of the church at Cenchreae” (Romans 16:1). Attendants of this Synod must empty themselves of any pre-conceived solutions and listen humbly to the voice of the Holy Spirit to discern “what God wants the Church to become in order to proclaim the good news better to the world” instead of “what God wants the Church to do better”. Don’t forget, we Catholics bear a responsibility towards the remaining five sixths of the world population as well.

In October, let us pray in one voice with Pope Francis that the Church continue to sustain a synodal lifestyle in every way, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, communion and mission shared by priests, religious and laity. Amen.

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¹Vatican News
²La Croix News
³About the Synod on Synodality

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Picture Credit: synod.va

The Ten Commandments Are Not What You Think 十誡不是你心所想一樣

Twenty-Eighth Ordinary Sunday
Theme: The Ten Commandments Are Not What You Think 十誡不是你心所想一樣

I suppose all Christians, whether Catholic, Orthodox or Protestant, know how to enumerate the Ten Commandments, though not necessarily according to their order. Catholics and Protestants differ in their numbering but after all, there are still ten Commandments in all (Exodus 34:28; Deuteronomy 4:13, 10:4), not nine nor twelve. For more learned believers, they are able to locate the Ten Commandments in the books of Exodus and Deuteronomy (Exodus 20:1-17, Deuteronomy 5:5-21). There is no numbering, making it convenient for denominations to number them according to their political agenda. Indeed, it is futile to debate what the right numbering is. But have you ever wondered why, after Jesus had entered Jerusalem triumphantly and one of the scribes came forth to challenge Him, asking what the first of all the commandments was, Jesus did not give one from the Ten Commandments (Mark 12:28-30) but quoted out of the 613 mitzvot, the Shema from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 instead! Never mind if you do not notice this. Today, we come face to face with the Commandments again.

In the Gospel passage today, a rich man asked Jesus how to inherit eternal life (Mark 10:17). Unlike other disciples whom Jesus called, this rich man was extraordinary in taking the initiative to explore the process of attaining/inheriting eternal life which turned out to be a novel concept for Jews. In the Hebrew Scriptures, God alone lives forever and God is called the [ever]living God (Deuteronomy 5:26, Joshua 3:10 etc.). No mortal man dared to usurp God’s position. In fact, no more than two Hebrew verses can be found to mention “ancient path/everlasting life” (Psalms 139:24, Daniel 12:2) for mortal men because God has decreed that men do not live longer than 120 years (Genesis 6:3)! The concept of eternal life probably emerged during the time of persecution under the Greek Empire and was incorporated into the Septuagint (2 Maccabees 7:36, Wisdom 3:4 etc.). The rich man was probably young, idealistic and receptive to novel ideas. He must have found traditional Judaism unfulfilling and thus attempted to pursue higher satisfaction. Offering holocausts, tithes, fasting, daily prayers and observing Sabbaths failed to soothe his desire for an ideal life … He came to Jesus.

Step by step, Jesus helped the rich man discern his vocation. Jesus started from the basics: namely the Commandments: “You know the commandments: ‘You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honour your father and your mother” (Mark 10:19, Matthew 19:18-19, Luke 18:20) with variations, namely Mark adds an extra “you shall not defraud” before the honouring your parents; Matthew adds “you shall love your neighbour as yourself” after the honouring of parents whereas Luke does not add any extra Commandment but adultery goes before murder! Now, if you were the rich man, what would your reaction be? Was that all, so simple? “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth” (Mark 10:20). Obviously, he expected more challenging and heroic endeavours! He would not be disappointed for long because Jesus was going to demand something he was not ready to offer. But more obviously, the rich man did not pay enough attention. Why didn’t Jesus mention offering sacrifices and tithes?

In plaint sight, we see that the Commandments related to our obligations towards God namely, depending on your denomination, the first 3 or 4 Commandments which regulate our relationship with God, were missing. In hindsight, it is understandable because it is essential for us to build ourselves from the ground up. John writes, “Whoever does not love a brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen” (1 John 4:20b). But why did Jesus put honouring parents last? Jesus was not alone. Elsewhere in the New Testament, we find Paul enumerates the Commandments too, “The commandments, ‘You shall not commit adultery; you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet,’ and whatever other commandment there may be, are summed up in this saying, namely ‘You shall love your neighbour as yourself’” (Romans 13:9). Paul even left out honouring parents for his Roman audience! Luke was a disciple of St. Paul and we now see why Luke, following the teaching of Paul, exchanged the order of murder and adultery! So, Jesus, Peter (Mark), John, Matthew, Paul (Luke) are wise and encourage us to build our spirituality, namely our intimate relationship with God from the ground up, namely to love our neighbour as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18) first! But still, why puts honouring parents last? Definitely they would grow old, fragile and would become needy … Not honouring them by putting the commandment last is definitely offensive to the Chinese ears! In order not to disrupt the train of thoughts in our meditation, I would quote again from the Holy Book and leave the topic for a more thorough meditation later. The Torah teaches that, “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one body” (Genesis 2:24). Perhaps it is helpful that a Chinese rendition of the New Testament should arrange the order of the Commandments in a way more palatable for people living in regions under the influence of the Chinese civilization.

The spiritual explanation above is NOT yet satisfactory because Jesus did not continue to mention anything about the first few Commandments. Were those Commandments not essential for the salvation of our souls, it is impossible that they would occupy the first few positions in the Commandment list. Mark continues, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to him, ‘You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me’” (Mark 10:21). At most, giving all you possess to the poor amounts to loving your neighbour. It cannot be an observance of the first few Commandments, can it? But I tell you, it can, if you still remember what we read three weeks ago! Jesus says, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me” (9:35, 25th Sunday). When we serve the poor, the disadvantaged and the socially marginalized, we serve Jesus, the Son of God. Similarly, when we care and love our needy brothers whom we are able to see, we are actually loving God. Jesus made Himself a Mediator between the Father and sinners, making God more accessible to men. In one stroke, Jesus makes loving a needy neighbour equivalent to loving the almighty God!

Then why did God give ten Commandments and not seven/six Commandments if doing our obligations towards fellow men would be equivalent to offering sacrifices to God, to respecting God’s name and resting on Sabbath? I speculate that the purpose of giving the Israelites the Ten Commandments on Mount Sinai was more political than spiritual, namely to organize the 600,000 Hebrew slaves into one people, one nation within a short time. But it will take another elaborate meditation to explore. No, not for today. If we meditate along this line, we will miss the most crucial feature of the narrative today. I would say never mind about what Jesus demanded the rich man. Focus on His reaction towards this rich man. To repeat, Mark continues, “Jesus, looking at him, loved him and …” (10:21a). Had Jesus shown such love towards the Twelve when He called them? What in this rich man did Jesus see that made Jesus love him?

Read the Greek and you will understand better. In Greek, there are three different words for love and the one here is ἀγαπάω, which is equivalent to “to show charity”, to act for the good of the other party and not for oneself. It is the same word used in the Greek version of Leviticus 19:18. Don’t forget, Jesus was able to read mind (Mark 2:8) and knew that the rich man desired more heroic endeavours. But Jesus also knew that probably the rich man would be reluctant to abandon his possessions. Jesus had charity on this pitiful rich man who was caught between the ideal of eternal life and the wisdom to forsake wealth. Indeed, the rich man was not ready to give to the poor. He did not give himself the opportunity to inherit eternal life and he denied Jesus the opportunity to multiply his possession a hundred-fold (10:30)!

Beloved brethren! Have faith in the Lord. Allow Him to multiply our meagre offerings. Amen.
God bless!

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Picture Credit: creator.nightcafe.studio

Is It Possible To Become A Child Again? 重拾「童真」可能嗎？

Twenty-Seventh Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: Is It Possible To Become A Child Again? 重拾「童真」可能嗎？

When Nicodemus, a Pharisee and a ruler of the Jews (John 3:1), visited Jesus at night, it speaks volume of the tension between the Pharisees/Jewish leaders and Jesus. Together with Joseph of Arimathæa, both of them could only associate with Jesus in secret for fear of fellow Jews (19:18). Their faith was commendable because their association with Jesus would cost them dearly. In fact, who would win a place in the Kingdom of God without paying a heavy price?

In the gospel passage today, Jesus teaches us the secret to enter the Kingdom of God. He says, “Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it” (Mark 10:15). In common language, we have to accept heaven like a child in order to enter heaven. When we read this together with Nicodemus’ story, you will appreciate the prudence of Nicodemus. When he visited Jesus, the merciful Lord commended his efforts and sincerity. So, Jesus taught him about the way to enter the Kingdom of God, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above” (John 3:3). In fact, the “Kingdom of God/Heaven” was the key message Jesus proclaimed to this sinful world. All the things Jesus did: such as proclaiming the good news, calling disciples, working miracles, crucifixion and resurrection were to invite people to gain entry into this Messianic kingdom. In the case of Nicodemus, Jesus catered His wording for his intellectual level. Jesus did not use parables like when He spoke to the crowd. He made use of more abstract mental skills such as “see the kingdom of God” and “born from above” which in Greek ἄνωθεν was a wordplay on “above/again”. Nicodemus complained, “How can a person once grown old be born again? Surely he cannot reenter his mother’s womb and be born again, can he?” (3:4) Nicodemus was able to pick up the “again” nuance while Jesus wanted to elevate his thought above and beyond his intellectual level!

Nicodemus’ complaint was totally legitimate because it is next to impossible for an adult to un-know what he has known, to unlearn what he has learnt, to un-see what he has seen and to undo what he has done! Most of the time, an adult could only regret the mistakes he made when he was younger. A man does not possess freedom in the time dimension. He would only wish that he could travel back in time not to do what he subsequently regretted. In fact, all perceptions and experiences, whether they be visual, audio, memories and feelings etc., will leave their impressions on our nervous system and stay there for life. We are not able to erase them, but only to repress them, meaning to force ourselves NOT to remember them. Nevertheless, they remain. So Nicodemus was right in saying that it was impossible for a person to be born again like a blank slate, a tabula rasa. As “the teacher of Israel” (3:10), Nicodemus proved his point by drawing up a hypothetical and impossible case: that a man re-enters his mother’s womb to be born again (3:4)! To make His point more understandable, Jesus teaches the mystery of Sacraments, namely visible signs that give invisible grace. Jesus says, “No one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit” (3:5). Jesus leaves behind the seven Sacraments for the Church to administer to the faithful. Through the Sacrament of Baptism [water] and Sacrament of Confirmation [Spirit], a person is born again and becomes a new creation in Jesus Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).

One may wonder how water and Spirit are able to help a person become a child again.
First of all, we need to debunk a common misconception shown by Nicodemus, namely that a child was born as a tabula rasa, a blank slate without any prejudices nor any preconceived ideas. The child gains more knowledge through exposure and immersion and become sophisticated. However, earlier Jesus taught us that in order to enter the kingdom of God, a person must deny himself, take up his cross and follow Jesus (Mark 8:34). If a person is sophisticated and is calculating, he would not have sufficient incentive to follow Jesus and enter the Kingdom of God. Children do not calculate costs and benefits. They are more responsive to people who love them. Thus, they would be more receptive to God’s love and therefore possess the advantage to enter the Kingdom of God etc.

The tabula rasa image of a child is simple enough to understand and seems to be able to explain Jesus’ teaching well. However, it fails to explain how, many of the Catholic saints, no doubt sophisticated and wealthy adults whose cost-benefit-analysis would never yield sufficient incentive for them to give up all possessions and even their lives to follow Jesus who only promises them eternal life and perpetual bliss in heaven which are too remote and intangible to worth giving up all earthly things to follow in poverty, are able to unlearn what they have learnt, to erase their former experiences and memories, so as to deny themselves, carry their crosses and follow Jesus. The tabula rasa image assumes that simplicity and innocence are sufficient to gain entry into the kingdom of God. The Holy Spirit has no role to play. This is the fatal flaw of this misconception. Does Jesus demand innocence and simplicity to enter the Kingdom of God? If so, I am afraid the immaculately conceived Blessed Virgin Mary would be the only soul to enter the Kingdom of God. Perhaps we may add John the Baptist too!

I would say Jesus demands something else, namely the acknowledgement of our incompetence and thus total reliance on God. Unlike adults who are independent physically, intellectually, emotionally and financially, children depend on adults to survive. They are vulnerable and fragile both physically and emotionally. They have no choice but to be obedient and are prone to falling victims to abuses. On the other hand, adults are strong in all areas so much so that they trust in themselves more than in God. They build their sense of security on power and wealth rather than on God. With advancements in science and technology, they are bold enough to play God. It would be difficult, if not impossible, for them to give up their security, to expose their vulnerabilities like children in order to enter the Kingdom of God. Therefore, let us consider another possibility.

The God we believe in is not a void Being. Therefore, all of us who were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) cannot be a tabula rasa, but a seed pregnant with a lot of potentials/talentum waiting to germinate and grow. Regrettably, the field in which the seed is growing and developing is infested and contaminated with sins which poison God’s gifts/charisma to them. Many of the potentials such as altruism, charity, hope, faithfulness, humility, perseverance and righteousness etc. fail to actualize while other “lucrative ones”, such as athletic, numeric, musical, performance artistic, verbal and vocal etc. flower and bloom. Then, how is it possible for those “children” to accept the Kingdom of God? This is where the Holy Spirit comes in. The Holy Spirit would descend on those children who hear and believe in the words of Jesus Christ, revitalize the smothered potentials in them, in particular, faith, hope and charity. The Holy Spirit would infuse them with the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2-3) to help those heavenly potentials flower and bloom and bear the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23). The saints do not have to unlearn what they have learnt. Rather, with the graces of the Holy Spirit, their previous experiences would be transformed into future “ammunitions” of those saints in their spiritual battles against the Devil and the world.

Beloved brethren! Now, I see a new light in ageing. When the health and metabolism of the ageing people decline, they are losing control over themselves, their relationships with others as well as their surroundings. They have to rely on God more. This is their second childhood and is an appropriate opportunity for them to accept and enter the Kingdom of God to find their repose in God. I can pray confidently that more and more people are able to give up their reliance on worldly security to enter the Kingdom of God. Amen.
God bless!

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Picture Credit: creator.nightcafe.studio