經常醒寤 Always Beware!

常年期第十九主日，丙年
主題：經常醒寤 Always Beware!

上一個主日，耶穌基督教導我們提防「七罪宗」之一的「貪婪」。比喻中的富翁沒有犯下大錯：他積穀防飢是沒有錯的；守安息日、安息年讓靈魂休息是對的；吃喝宴樂也無不可。倘若上主天主今夜就要索回他的靈魂（路12:20），富翁錯只錯在他「不在天主前致富」（12:21）。即是說，他沒有生活出「神貧」的精神，善用財富（瑪5:3），幫助窮人，服事臨現在「最小兄弟中的一個」身上的普世君王（25:40）。今天，主耶穌進一步鼓勵我們，不要像富翁一樣吃喝宴樂，而是主動地在天主前致富，就是「要變賣你們所有的來施捨，為你們自己備下經久不朽的錢囊，在天上備下取用不盡的寶藏」（路12:33），這不就是「神貧」的態度嗎？為甚麼是「取用不盡的寶藏」呢？因為盜賊沒有本領偷去我們的愛德服務，他們只會使我們更小心地保護我們的財產；天主也不會容許蠹蟲蠶食我們為社區內窮人服務的心！

上一個主日提及守安息日、安息年，讓靈魂「休息」是正確的。但倘若靈魂過度「休息」、過度「躺平」，這也是一種誘惑，是七罪宗之一的「怠惰」！甚麼是「怠惰」呢？就是應該做的事不去做，不及時去做！所以主耶穌今天繼續用比喻教導我們經常醒寤的重要。傳說中的得道高僧或者道士們，他們知道自己甚麼時候會圓寂或羽化登仙。為一眾凡夫俗子，沒有人知道死神甚麼時候出現。但為我們信仰天主的人，這個日子是「主耶穌」來敲我們在世時的門，接我們到祂那裡去，「為的是我在那裡，你們也在那裡」（若14:3）。保祿宗徒也有類似「死後與主一起」的教訓，他說：「我們放心大膽，是為更情願出離肉身，與主同住」（格後5:8）。

在講述比喻的時候，耶穌基督喜歡運用猶太人的婚姻習俗為背景。有時祂扮演新郎的角色，今次，祂清楚地表示祂與我們之間的主僕關係。祂創造了一個適合人類生活的宇宙，並委任我們作管理大地的管家，管家也是祂的僕人。按今天的比喻內容看，主人從姻宴回來，可以象徵我們個別的死期，也可以指世界末日。無論如何，我們的任務是「立刻就給祂開門」！沒有人知道自己的死期，正如今天的比喻所說：「祂二更來也罷，三更來也罷」（路12:38）。有人英年早逝，也有人長命百歲，人人不同！作為僕人的，惟有「經常醒寤」，再沒有更好的辦法了。怎樣「經常醒寤」呢？

主耶穌說：「要把你們的腰束起，把燈點著」（12:35）。作為僕人，「束起腰」是指準備工作，但做甚麼工作呢？「把燈點著」就是主給我們的提示！它象徵甚麼呢？很多人喜歡把「燈」、把「光」誤解為真理，一些抽象的，放諸四海皆準的道德規範，這可不是福音的本意。耶穌基督在「山中聖訓」說：「你們是地上的鹽…世界的光」（瑪5:13-14），指的並不是甚麼高超的哲理，而是「你們的光也當在人前照耀，好使他們看見你們的善行，光榮你們在天之父」（5:16）。所以，「光」和「燈」是指「善行」，是幫助飢餓的人、無家可歸的人、尊嚴被剝削的人、患病的人、失去自由的人和在社會上被邊緣化的人（25:35-36）。不是抽象的理論，而是善行，纔是照世的真光和明燈，感動世人去讚美並光榮在天的大父！

當然，管家是高級的僕人，「主人派他管理自己的家僕，按時配給食糧」（路12:42）。他們好比當今的政府首長，管理屬下的公務員團隊，服務市民。可惜，不少當權的人，陷入了七罪宗之一的「傲慢」誘惑，他們自以為是，從不聽取他人的意見。他們忘記了天主是他們的老闆，是天主委託他們當管家，為人民服務。為了鞏固自己的權力，他們排除異己，在政府內奪取絕對的權力，騎在人民的頭上。結果他們反被權力所腐化，憑權位、張爪牙，殘民以自肥。他們「自肥」，可能是為了還債給扶他們上位的金主，給金主們利益輸送；結果同樣是殘民自肥！主耶穌在今天的比喻中，生動地預先揭露了他們的嘴臉。主說：「他便開始拷打僕婢，也吃也喝也醉酒」（12:45b）！

親愛的兄弟姊妹，作為平民百姓，我們不必詛咒那些貪官酷吏；或者受冤屈而沮喪。因為上主天主是我們的信靠，我們應忍耐，懷著望德，經常醒寤。今天主耶穌罕有地宣告懲罰，向當權的人作出了警告：「給誰的多，向誰要的也多；交托誰的多，向誰索取的也格外多」（12:48）。且讓我們繼續為窮困者行善，使更多人認識天主的慈悲，讚美並光榮祂。亞孟。
天主保祐！

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2022年反省
圖片鳴謝：ideogram.ai

修和是希望的曙光 Reconciliation Is A Sign of Hope

四旬期第四主日，喜樂主日，丙年
主題：修和是希望的曙光 Reconciliation Is A Sign of Hope

在默想今天福音的教訓之前，讓我們溫習一點背景資料。
今天的第一篇讀經告訴我們，大約在公元前1400年，若蘇厄繼承了梅瑟未完成的任務，帶領以色列十二支派，成功渡過約旦河，佔領客納罕，即上主天主應許給他們的祖先亞巴郎的土地，在那裡安居樂業。大約在公元前1000年，達味成功地團結了十二支派，成為一個「以色列國」。並且得到天主的嘉許，達味家族將永遠統治以色列。在達味的兒子撒羅滿以智慧統治之下，以色列的國力蒸蒸日上，推至巔峰。但好境不常，成功帶來驕傲自大，忘記了是天主在照料他們。結果撒羅滿死後，以色列國分裂為南北兩國，北國仍稱為「以色列」，南國稱為「猶大」。後來，兩個王國先後給亞述帝國及巴比倫帝國征服，無論貴族或是平民，祇要是壯丁，都被充軍到異地。他們再沒有聖殿可以朝拜祭獻天主！充軍巴比倫發生在公元前586年。就在這個國難時期，百姓中興起了一批知識份子。他們為了保存以色列是「天主選民」的身份，便搜集經典，甚至憑記憶，重新編纂自己的歷史。在異域惡劣的條件下，負擔起「國魂工程師」的使命。這批知識份子，就是後來的「法利塞人」，意即「不與外族人來往」。

後來波斯帝國取代了巴比倫帝國，一統天下。雖然在政治上，猶大地區仍是波斯帝國的殖民地，但猶太人獲准返回耶路撒冷重建聖殿，享有宗教上的自由，這大約是公元前515年的事了。後來希臘帝國滅了波斯，而她又被羅馬帝國所取代。到了公元前6年，天主子耶穌基督降生在白冷。由波斯帝國到羅馬帝國時代，猶太教除了按法律規定的祭祀外，也增添了對經典的研究，法利塞人便順理成章，成為了「以色列的師傅」，耶穌基督就是這樣稱呼在夜間來探訪祂的尼苛德摩（若3:10）！可見法利塞人在百姓心目中的地位，足以媲美司祭，而且是天主所肯定的。
所謂「人之患，在好為人師」（孟子‧離婁上）。這班「以色列的師傅」犯了他們的祖先撒羅滿王同樣的錯，誤用了天主賞賜的智慧，在吹毛求疵之上，更漸漸變成自以為是。甚至自私自利，運用自己的專業知識，「吞沒寡婦的家產，而以長久的祈禱作掩飾」（谷12:10），成為了「偽善」的代名詞。

天主子耶穌基督很少口誅筆伐這群「以色列的師傅」，反而諄諄善誘，對他們憐愛有加。因為在每個人的心裡，或多或少都有一個自以為是的法利塞人。「錯不在我們，我們保留追究的權利」是耳熟能詳的外交口吻，祇不過是心理上常用的自衛機制之一。當這些自衛機制成了條件反射的時候，便毫無理性邏輯可言了。首先是「否認」，跟著是轉移視線，推卸責任。有時會貶低別人來抬舉自己，挑撥離間而從中取利等等，無所不用其技。這一切技倆，無非為了保護脆弱的自我。人類的自我為甚麼是這樣脆弱呢？歸根究底，就是人類離棄了天主，崇拜其他偶像：例如財富和權勢，失去了天主所賜予的恩寵；我們簡稱這種失落恩寵的狀態為「罪」。上主天主創造原祖父母時，賜給他們「原始恩寵」，在樂園中與天主所有的受造物一同生活，管理牠們。可惜原祖父母違背了天主的指示，失落了原始恩寵，我們簡稱之為「原罪」。所以今天耶穌基督所說的「浪子回頭」比喻，不但對法利塞人說，也是對我們說的。

其實「浪子回頭」這個名稱是錯的，因為故事的主角不是小兒子，而是長子。路加開宗明義說，這個比喻是耶穌講述給法利塞人和經師聽的（路15:2-3）；不是為「公開的罪人」，而是為那些自以為義的「隱藏罪人」，即是我們！請留意一個細節：「那小的向父親說：父親，請把我應得的一分家產給我罷！父親遂把產業給他們分開了」（15:12）。長子沒有提出，卻分到了自己應得的一分！作為長子，他理應規勸弟弟，不要在父親尚未病危，便提出分家產那樣不孝。他沒有這樣做，甚至有慫恿弟弟提出分家產，自己坐享其成之嫌！當然，福音沒有記載，並不表示沒有發生，長子曾規勸小兒子是可能的。

親愛的讀者，你也有關懷身邊的人，你的配偶、親友恩人、同學同事，靈魂上的生死嗎？你有沒有不厭其煩地鼓勵還沒有皈依耶穌的，加入教會呢？你有沒有不離不棄地陪伴著上了癮，例如吸毒、酗酒、賭博或電玩的，苦口婆心地規勸他們戒除惡習呢？這不是容易做到的，但要知道天主是慈悲的，一定會給予罪人回頭悔改的機會；即是說，天主一定會幫助勸勉別人修和悔改的我們。保祿宗徒在今天的第二篇讀經中，請求我們「代基督作大使，好像是天主藉著我們來勸勉世人」（格後5:20）。每個人是獨特的，罪人也是人，所以每個罪人，包括是公開的和隱藏的，也是獨特的。即使我們是公開的罪人，也不應放棄做某個罪人的「修和大使」的機會，讓多些人獲得天主的救恩。因為拒絕修和，表示堅持站在天主的對立面，便會喪失獲得永生的希望了！

人固然必須與天主和好，與別人和好；但也不要忘記與自己修和。與自己修和，就是留意自己有沒有做一些傷害自己靈魂的事，即隱藏的「自殘」的事。雖然「十誡」和「七罪宗」有點古老，卻是一個很有參考價值的自省工具。曾子說得好：「吾日三省吾身：為人謀而不忠乎 ？與朋友交而不信乎？傳不習乎？」（論語‧學而）「忠」和「信」是基本的倫理道德，是每個人都應該做的事。但實踐（習）天主聖言（傳），卻是每個天主教徒應該履行的本份啊！請注意，這個「浪子回頭」比喻的結局是開放的，長子最後有沒有聽從父親的規勸，進入屋內一起慶祝成為「一個新受造物」（格後5:17），是由聽眾/讀者，你和我自己決定如何「習傳」，如何完成。亞孟。
天主保祐！

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2022年反省
圖片鳴謝：ideogram.ai

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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2021 Reflection
Picture Credit: creator.nightcafe.studio

「棄絕自己」是可能的 It Is Possible To Deny Self

【神貧系列（V）】
「棄絕自己」是可能的（瑪16:24-28）

不知不覺，整個星期的默想都是圍繞著「軟弱」、「無依無靠」、「貧窮」和「不可自以為是」等的思想，今天耶穌基督更變本加厲，要求門徒「棄絕自己」，太難了！

所謂「錢財身外物」。我們赤裸裸的來到世上，死後一分錢也不能帶走。所以捨棄財富並不難。小額的財富我們有本領處理，捨棄它倒可能令人大傷腦筋；但億兆的財產令人摸不著頭腦，即使放棄也不會有任何感覺，棄絕它並不難！

所謂「面係人哋畀，架係自己丢」。名譽和身份地位是別人、是社會大眾賞賜給你的，即使是你辛苦經營而來，是應得的，但也不是永恆的，因為是來自他人及社會。社會正在不斷變化，人亦在宦海浮沉；今天你仍有利用的價值，明天就說不定了！例如，詩人在古代，備受達官貴人賞識，為他們的臉貼金。時移世易，今天寫詩自娛尚可，寫詩維生則免問了！但寫C的人，又當別論。因此捨棄名譽和身份地位也並不難。

「自己」是甚麼？除了與生俱來的遺傳基因外，就是自小在家人、師長和朋友薰陶下所形成的性格、學問和價值觀，指導著我所有的言行舉止和選擇。我之所以是「我」，大部份來自這些信念。「棄絕自己」表示以後不再是「從前的我」，而是另一個人，一個「新受造物」（格後5:17）。「棄絕自己」，談何容易！困難是肯定的，卻是可能的。歷史上俯拾皆是，不能盡錄！例如掃祿在前往大馬士革路上所獲得的經驗，使他在基督內，脫胎換骨，成了一個新受造物，並改名為保祿，為天主子作見證。

親愛的讀者，願你的生命，能觸及基督，產生變化。亞孟。
天主保祐！

Poverty Series (V)
It Is Possible To Deny Self (Matthew 16:24-28)

Imperceptibly, I have meditated around the thoughts of inadequacy, lack of support, poverty and the harm of self-righteousness. Today Jesus Christ demands even more. He requires whoever wants to become His disciples must deny themselves. Alas! It is next to impossible!

Wealth is outside our body. We were born naked into this world and will leave it without carrying a penny away. Thus, denying wealth is not difficult. We have the knowledge to handle small amounts of money. Giving it up is a headache. But trillions and even zillions of inheritance is simply mind-boggling. We are unable to feel anything when we give it away. Giving it up is not difficult.

Fame, identity and status are given us by others in the society. Even if we have worked hard to earn them, they are not eternal because they come from others and the society. Societies are evolving and people in power are rising and sinking in the hierarchy. Today you are still marketable but tomorrow who knows! For example, poets were popular among aristocrats and nobles because bards were capable of singing praises for them. Time changes. Today, you may write poems to entertain yourselves but not to earn a living. To earn a living, you had better write C programs. Thus, giving up fame and status is not too difficult too.

But what is “Self”? On top of our DNA’s, it is the personality, knowledge and values we have attained from interacting with our family members, friends and teachers. Those characteristics guide our words, deeds and choices. What make I the “me” comes mostly from those convictions. “Denying self” means the negation of the “old-self” to become another person, a “new creation” (2 Corinthians 5:17). It is easier talked than done! There are surely difficulties but it is possible! We are able to find many instances in history. For example, the encounter of Saul with the Lord on his way to Damascus transformed him in Christ. He became a “new creation”, picked up a new name Paul to become a witness/martyr of the Son of God.

Beloved brethren! May your life be touched and be transformed by Christ. Amen.
God bless!

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生命恩泉
Picture Credit: creator.nightcafe.studio

The Weakness of Christ Is Stronger Than Men’s Strength 基督的軟弱比人強

【神貧系列（I）】
基督的軟弱比人強（瑪14:13-21）

今天的福音以「耶穌一聽說這消息」（瑪14:13a）開始，『這消息』是甚麼消息呢？三部對觀福音都把後來發生的「五餅二魚」神跡，緊接洗者若翰殉道和十二宗徒第一次傳福音之後，回來向耶穌匯報（谷6:30，路9:10）事件，惟有《瑪竇》暗示耶穌基督因著洗者若翰的殉道，需要「私下退到荒野地方」，停下來默觀前路。

耶穌基督是真人真天主，以納匝肋人耶穌的人性位格，他對這位表親的殉道，怎可能沒有「唇亡齒寒」的感觸呢？不要小覷這表面上人性的「軟弱」，它在我們得意忘形的時候，發揮著一種有益的制約作用！

且看，自己一手栽培的十二人，竟然能吸引並聚集了成千上萬的群眾；作為師父的，怎會不心花怒放呢？但在耶穌基督心裡湧出來的，不是「榮耀」或者「心滿意足」，而是「憐憫的心，治好了他們的病人」（瑪14:14）。忙了一整天，門徒請求基督遣散群眾，好讓自己也可以休息回氣，這是最自然不過的事。但主耶穌反而吩咐他們給群眾提供食物（14:16），作為門徒會有甚麼感想呢？「主！難道我們忙了一整天，還做得不夠好嗎？」「主！我們已經累了，不應該休息一晚，明天再努力嗎？」「主！我們不是祢，沒有祢的神力，恐怕不能再堅持下去了！」…「主！我們這裡甚麼也沒有，祇有五個餅和兩條魚，連我們自己也不夠分配，怎能給群眾提供食物呢…」（14:17）。跟著發生的神跡，就不用贅述了。

親愛的讀者，「勞苦、疲倦」並不是羞恥的事，兩個多星期前，耶穌基督曾邀請勞累的我們投靠祂 （11:28-30）。「軟弱」不一定是缺點，「軟弱」讓我們清楚明白自己的不足之處，謙遜地、誠實地把面對的困難，呈奉到基督的面前，讓祂按天父的旨意處理！正如保祿宗徒所說：「天主為愛祂的人所準備的，是眼所未見，耳所未聞，人心所未想到的」（格前2:9；依64:3）；又說：「我為基督的緣故，喜歡在軟弱中…因為我幾時軟弱，正是我有能力的時候」（格後12:10）。
天主保祐！

Poverty Series (I)
The Weakness of Christ Is Stronger Than Men’s Strength (Matthew 14:13-21)

Today’s gospel begins with “When Jesus heard of it” (Matthew 14:13a). One wonders what the “it” is. The Synoptic gospels put the miracle of 5 loaves and 2 fish immediately after the martyrdom of the Baptist and the return of the Twelve (Mark 6:30, Luke 9:10). Only Matthew hints at the martyrdom of the Baptist affecting Jesus and He needed to withdraw, “in a boat to a deserted place by Himself” to meditate the mission ahead.

Jesus Christ is both human and divine. As a human in the person of Jesus of Nazareth, how could he not be affected by the martyrdom of his cousin? Don’t overlook this superficial human “frailty” which inhibits us when successes blind us! Imagine.
“Behold, the Twelve whom I have instructed are able to attract and gather thousands of people. As their Master, how can I not be elated?” But what overflowed from the heart of Jesus Christ was not glory or contentment but “His heart was moved with pity for them, and He cured their sick” (Matthew 14:14).

After a busy day, it was natural for the disciples to request the Lord to dismiss the crowd so that they themselves might take a break. But Lord Jesus told them to feed the crowd (14:16). If you were among the disciples, what would you feel?
“Lord! Are we not good enough to have worked the whole day?” “Lord! We are exhausted. Shouldn’t we take a rest after evening so as to work harder tomorrow?” “Lord! We are not you. We don’t have your divine power. We can no longer persevere!” … “Lord! Five loaves and two fish are all we have here. We don’t have enough even for ourselves. How can we feed the crowd? …” (14:17) The rest was history.

Beloved brethren! Being tired is nothing to be ashamed of. Two weeks ago, Jesus Christ invited all who labour and are burdened to come to Him to take rest (11:28-30). “Frailty” is not necessarily a defect. Frailty allows us to know our inadequacies, to face our difficulties humbly as well as honestly and to offer them before Christ. Let Him handle them according to the Father’s will! Just as St. Paul says, “What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him” (1 Corinthians 2:9; Isaiah 64:3); and, “Therefore, I am content with weaknesses … for when I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Corinthians 12:10).
God bless!

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生命恩泉
Picture Credit: readingacts.com, creator.nightcafe.studio

Too Good To Be True 無咁大隻蛤乸隨街跳

Fourteenth Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: Too Good To Be True 無咁大隻蛤乸隨街跳

It is hard for modern people to believe in God. Not only have they been baptized by STEAM curriculum, they enjoy feeding on fake news, rumours and secular values which are flooding the social media in the present age. But modern people are not stupid. In order to protect themselves from scams, they adopt a cynical attitude towards everything. They don’t believe that there is free lunch in this world. There must be strings attached in every offer, there is no commitment in relationships and job security is a myth etc. It is not easy to loosen their prejudices and to earn their trust. Indeed, it is more difficult to convince them to believe in Jesus nowadays than in earlier ages. If calling out to God is any indicator of faith in the Lord, no wonder Jesus lamented, “But when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?” (Luke 18:8)

Let us begin our meditation with the first reading today taken from the book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel had been a priest before the Babylonians suppressed the Judean rebellion in 597 BC. Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king deported the Judean king and his family, members of the upper class, priests and able-bodied males to Babylon to minimize the opportunity of future rebellions. This was the first exile and ten years later came the Babylonian Captivity before which, God called Ezekiel to become a prophet in Babylon and we read of his call today in the first reading. His prophetic ministry was not popular because during this period of time, he was rebuking the idolatry and unfaithfulness of the Israelites. For example, the slaughter of idolaters in Ezekiel 9. When Judah was totally conquered and exiled, Ezekiel changed his tone and began delivering prophecies of consolation, for example the vision of dry bones in Ezekiel 37.

Like the call of Isaiah, the call of Ezekiel began with visions of the glory of God (Ezekiel 1) from which the Swiss author, Eric Von Däniken drew inspiration to write his 1968 best-seller “Chariots of the Gods”. In the text we read today, God brings us down to earth! Don’t assume that my glory and my authority would make your job as my spokesman any easier! I respect the autonomy of rebellious people because without freedom, men would not be able to actualize their potential. “But my people did not listen to my words; Israel would not submit to me. So I thrust them away to the hardness of their heart; Let them walk in their own machinations” (Psalms 81:12-13). In other words, I would not force them to believe in you and thus believe in me. I am not ambitious. You don’t need to be eloquent or convincing. You simply add, “Thus says the LORD God” (Ezekiel 2:4b) at the end of your proclamation and you have done your job! I simply want them to know that I have kept my promise and have sent spokesmen to them, “And whether they hear or resist --- they are a rebellious house --- they shall know that a prophet has been among them” (2:5). When they are condemned on the Judgment Day, they only have themselves to blame! Don’t be discouraged if they don’t heed your exhortations. “You are not the one they are rejecting. They are rejecting me as their king” (1 Samuel 8:7b). Of course, God would also make use of Gentile nations to chasten them so as to ensure that at least a remnant would care about their relationship with Him.

When Jesus returned to Nazareth with His disciples, His folks had already heard of the miracles He had previously performed, viz. exorcisms and healings but not the miracle of five loaves and two fish. In short, Jesus was already famous among his fellow kindred. The gang of disciples would definitely boost His image among His folks in Nazareth. Therefore, when Jesus began to teach in the synagogue, many were astonished and said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty needs are wrought by his hands” (Mark 6:2b)! As the aphorism goes, “Familiarity breeds contempt”. They took offence at Him when people of Nazareth recalled, “Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” (6:3) For some old folks who had seen Him grow up from infancy, they thought they had known Jesus through and through. What good could one expect from a carpenter? His siblings had not been outstanding nor had become some powerful celebrities themselves; nor had had connections with princes! What a big contrast there was with the story of the bleeding woman we read of last week! How could we blame them for their lack of faith? Even Jesus’ own first disciples questioned whether anything good could come from Nazareth (John 1:16). To a certain extent, when the people of Nazareth took offence at Jesus, they were only reflecting their own self-image: Nothing good/great could come from Nazareth! We should feel sorry for them instead of blaming them. Because of their lack of faith, Jesus was not able to perform any mighty deed there and He was amazed at their lack of faith (Mark 6:5-6)! In other words, Jesus was amazed at His inability to work miracles!

Similar things are happening for a totally different reason. As the aphorism goes, “Power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely”. It was true that many of them were corrupt and self-fattening in the Middle Age. During the Reformation, Protestants rejected the clergy because popes, bishops and even priests enjoyed unrestrained authority. Protestants reformed their hierarchy by removing the office of priests whose main duty was to offer sacrifices but retained the pastoral role of ministers instead. Without priests, Protestants gave up consecrating bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus to offer up as a sacrifice to the Father. Therefore, their theology insisted on the memorial aspect of the Holy Communion and rejected the real presence of the Son of God in it by quoting “Do this in memory of me” (Luke 22:19c). In defence, Catholic theologians insisted on the first half of the same verse, “This is my body, which will be given for you …” (22:19b). The Catholic Church believes that Jesus is the Son of God. He speaks and things come into existence. If we reject Jesus’ presence in the bread, we doubt His divinity. Then, we cannot claim to be Christians.

Alas! Their zeal of reformation to remove corruption had blinded the Protestants of the importance of faith in God over man’s integrity and virtues. They rejected the teaching authority of the Church in matters of faith and moral. Instead, Protestants claimed that all believers were equal in authority because of the Holy Spirit. Every believer was able to interpret the Bible, not needing the Magisterium to approve. Therefore, they insisted on “Sola Scriptura” to reject the teaching office of the Catholic Church! They also insisted on “Sola Fide” to reject works of mercy for justification and therefore selling indulgence was wrong.
How can they uphold “Sola Fide” when they failed to accept the words of Jesus to make bread as His body and wine His blood! Jesus would be very much amazed at their lack of faith in His divinity and their inconsistence in reasoning. We should feel sorry for them because without priests, Protestant churches do not have sacraments except Baptism and Matrimony which do not need ecclesiastic ministers. Without the real presence of Jesus in their Holy Communion, Eucharistic miracles would never happen there!

In 1905, Max Weber was able to trace the rise of the spirit of Capitalism to Protestant ethics. I am afraid they are also the breeding ground of modern Scientism which demystifies all articles of faith. There would be no need of a God in rendering truth about reality and the world! It is too good to be true for God to reconcile sinners to Himself in Christ, not counting our trespasses against us (2 Corinthians 5:19)! In ridding the Church of corruption, Protestants shut God out as well. Instead of strengthening faith in the Lord, Reformation ushered in cynicism. Martin Luther and the other reformists had successfully thrown the baby out with the bathwater.
Beloved brethren! God has sent prophets among us to tell us the message of reconciliation. It is a sign of God’s love towards humanity. Don’t hesitate! Embrace it! Amen.
God bless!

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2021 Reflection
Picture Credit: 1.bp.blogspot.com

When Jesus Sleeps 當耶穌睡著時

Twelfth Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: When Jesus Sleeps 當耶穌睡著時

Today, we read of Mark’s narrative of Jesus’ miracle of calming the storm. Mark’s gospel tells us of a Jesus Christ, the Son of God who is more powerful than Caesar who also claimed to be the son of god. Mark’s Son of God is a man of action. He works miracles without hesitation. However, before Mark 4, the miracles only show that Jesus is human because human beings are also able to perform exorcisms and to heal diseases. But calming the storm is a miracle of a higher level. In general, we take this miracle as a proof of the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ who possesses two different natures in one person of the Son of God.

As a human being, Jesus was exhausted after a day’s work of preaching and healing. He needed to sleep to replenish His strength for another day’s work. Moreover, Christ is truly divine because as the disciples says, “Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?” (Mark 4:41b） The disciples could only see the visible humanity of Jesus. They were not yet able to comprehend His divinity. The first reading supplies us with the proof text we need. I am sure most of you have heard of the story of Job. The author of the book of Job tried to make sense of why innocent people suffer for no obvious purpose. In answering this challenge from Job, God did not pass judgment on whether Job was sinful or not, thus proving that Job “deserved” the sufferings. Instead, God points out Job’s ignorance saying, “Who is this who darkens counsel with words of ignorance?” (Job 38:2）. Of course, we are unable to compare our intelligence to that of our Creator’s. Just as Isaiah says, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways --- oracle of the LORD. For as heaven are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, my thoughts higher than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:8-9）. Had God not bothered revealing Himself to us, we would not have been able to understand a little bit of His modus operandi. Back to Job. God started enumerating His acts of Creation saying, “Who shut within doors the sea … When I set limits for it and fastened the bar of its door, and said: Thus far shall you come but no farther, and here shall your proud waves stop” (Job 38:8a, 10-11）. Only God is able to perform such feats. Therefore, in the calming of the storm miracle, Jesus showed off His divinity by speaking to the raging sea, “Quiet! Be still!” and the wind ceased and there was great calm (Mark 4:39b）. Indeed, this calming the storm miracle together with the feeding of 5000 with five loaves and two fish are signs/miracles from heaven demanded by the Pharisees (8:11）. They prove the divinity of Jesus.

When I meditate on this miracle these days, I wonder why, among so many ways to show the humanity of Jesus such as His Nativity and eating with tax collectors etc., God chose “sleep”. I am sure that it is worth meditating.
There are two occasions in which the gospels speak of Jesus’ sleep, namely in the miracle of calming the storm which we read today. The second occasion is his burial in the tomb. In both cases, the disciples were in great fear. What was Jesus’ doing in both cases? Before I go any further, I need to justify why I treated Jesus’ death as a sleep. The gospel of John supports me with the story of Lazarus in which Jesus spoke of Lazarus’ death as a sleep. “‘Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him’ … But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep” (John 11:11b, 13）. In the gospel of Mark, Jesus also spoke of the death of Jairus’ daughter as a sleep (Mark 5:39）. Luke gives us another clue when he tells the story of the martyrdom of Stephen. Luke finishes with, “As they were stoning Stephen, he called out, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’ Then he fell to his knees and cried out in a loud voice, ‘Lord, do not hold this sin against them’; and when he said this, he fell asleep” (Acts 7:59-60）. We see that both Jesus and Stephen speak of death as a sleep. It is a typical Christians belief that Christ has conquered death. Death is no longer a total annihilation but a crossing over a threshold to waiting for the final eternal life. We have to remember that speaking of death as a sleep waiting for resurrection does not guarantee that the time before death is NOT painful. No, it can be excruciatingly painful. Therefore, it is truly a blessing to die peacefully in sleep. Now that I have two witnesses, I am not wrong in treating Jesus’ death as a sleep!

Bear in mind that Jesus is the New Adam (Romans 5:19, 1 Corinthians 15:22）, let us look at the sleep of the original Adam. “So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, He took out one of his ribs and … built the rib … into a woman” (Genesis 2:21-22）. Just as a new form of life emerged from the original Adam, do we find a new creation from the sleep of Jesus, the New Adam? Yes, we do! Paul demonstrates a more mature understanding of Jesus Christ than the disciples in Mark 4. Because of his Damascus’ experience (Acts 9:3-6）, Paul was more capable of seeing the divinity of Jesus than the disciples early in their followings. Thus, in the second reading today, Paul claims, “Even if we once knew Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him so no longer” (2 Corinthians 5:16b）. Then he continues, “So whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come” (5:17）. Paul insists that we should not understand the historical human Jesus only. We need to know the theological Christ as well. Let us explore how new creation comes about in Jesus’ sleep.

Let us start from the end, the second sleep!

Tradition tells us that the Lord descended into Hell to release all those ancient souls of the Old Covenant, namely Adam, Eve, Abel, Abraham and King David etc. who have been waiting for the foretold Messiah (Genesis 3:15; Isaiah 7:14, 11:1-9）. The Apostles’ Creed says so and a lot of icons depict such a scene. Although the Nicaean Creed does not include this article of faith, we have to remember that Catholic theology is rather defensive. If people start to challenge a certain article of faith, theologians would debate and deliberate it. In the end, the Church would either abandon it or enshrine it as a dogma. Take the case of the Christian Tradition of the breaking of bread (Acts 2:46） and some other practices (8:17; James 5:14）. The Nicaean Creed does not mention them because in 300 AD, no heretics challenged them. Five hundred years ago during the Reformation, the seven Sacraments have become a dogma because of volleys of challenges from the Protestants! Return to the article of faith that Jesus descended into Hell for three days. We can still hold on to it as long as the Church does not declare it wrong! Jesus descended into Hell to renew the Old Covenant and incorporate it into the New Covenant, bringing the Old to fruition!

Now, what about Jesus’ sleep on a storm-tossed boat? Did Jesus bring about a new Creation in His brief nap on the boat? I would speculate that in His brief nap, Jesus drew up the blueprint of the future Kingdom of God, the Church, His Spouse. We knew practically nothing how the LORD God fashioned Eve out of the rib of Adam. But in the case of the Church, we see the steps Jesus took to build her up. After raising the daughter of Jairus from dead, thus confirming once more His divinity and His identity as the Author of Life, Jesus sent the Twelve to evangelize. The evangelization was successful. The Twelve were able to gather 5000 people for Jesus to perform the five loaves and two fish miracle. Then Peter walked on the water to prove his love of Christ. Then, in Caesarea Philippi, Jesus made Peter the Rock of the Church, making the future Church catholic and apostolic etc. Unlike the making of Eve in which the time taken was brief, perfecting the Church (Ephesians 5:26-27） takes millennia. Making the process of Church building visible is advantageous for building up the faith of believers.

Like the boat tossed by storms and waves, the Church navigates perilously among the nations. She pleases nobody but God and thus becomes enemies to Communists as well as Capitalists. Without political alliance, the Church faces enemies on all sides. The miracle today tells us that our faith has always been weak. We are aware of the presence of the Lord. Yet, we doubt whether the LORD would keep His covenant with His new creation.
Beloved brethren! Let us pray to the LORD to strengthen our faith. Amen.
God bless!

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2021 Reflection
Picture Credit: mrjdobbs.wordpress.com, medium.com

The MO of God 天主的工作模式

Eleventh Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: The MO of God 天主的工作模式

God is a mystery (Isaiah 40:12-14). If somebody claims that he understands God, he must be either a liar or God Himself. Luckily, we have a Bible from which we are able to glimpse of what God has done. Hence, we are able to draw some tentative hypotheses of what His will is. However, we have to be prepared to meet surprises.

For example, we know that God is righteous. Hence we expect Him to punish the wicked and reward the good. In reality, we see a lot of good people suffer for no obvious reasons while many wicked go unpunished and even become prosperous! How can a righteous God allow wicked people to flourish? We can only console ourselves by believing that God is merciful and that He is patiently waiting for the wicked to repent (Ezekiel 18:32). Some theologians even claim that God’s might is manifested not in earth-shaking miracles but in His forgiving our sins, not counting our trespasses against us (2 Corinthians 5:19)!

Nowadays, we are better equipped to handle the problem of why good people suffer. What Job was not able to understand, Jesus has made it clear. In Old Testament morality, a person suffered what he had done wrong. God punished him for his faults and wickedness. Therefore, when his friends came to console him, Job found that they were actually trying to explain away his sufferings with his sins. Nowadays, we see more clearly that people, in particular social outcasts and the poor, suffer from exploitations and prejudices not of their own faults. Moreover, Jesus has set us an example of submitting obediently to the will of the Father and suffering injustice quietly. In so doing, we have become Christ’s ambassadors of reconciliation (5:20)! We may even receive the glorious crown of martyrdom etc. Thus, if you complain, especially about the disappointing performance of the clergy, then you are not Christian enough!

Many Catholics in Hong Kong are disappointed because they feel that the clergy have done too little and too late in matters of social justice. They expect cardinals, bishops and priests in general to act as the conscience of the society and speak for the silent majority and for those who are unable to speak for themselves. Instead, they see those clergy issuing messages to whitewash the status quo! Eventually, those despicable church ministers will become the megaphone of the wealthy and the powerful! In short, they should do more for the marginalized in the local society!

When you complain about not having done enough and begin to lose faith in the ecclesial ministers, contemplating the action of leaving the Church, it shows that you do not know God enough all these years you have spent in the Church. The Church is probably not the right place for you to find God thus leaving the Church is probably an appropriate and prudent action. Why do I jump to this conclusion? It is because after spending so many years in the Church, you do not know the modus operandi of God! You do not know that God likes to do small and quiet things. I do not blame you for this failure because even Elijah the legendary great prophet who appeared with Moses in Jesus’ Transfiguration (Mark 9:4) knew no better. After inciting the Israelites to kill 450 Baal prophets on Mount Carmel (1 Kings 18:40), Elijah fled for his life and hid in a cave on Mount Horeb. God told Elijah to go out and meet Him. Elijah expected to see God in a strong and violent wind but the Lord was not in the wind; in an earthquake; in fire etc. but no. After the fire came a light silent sound and God was there (19:12)! As I have said earlier, God does not manifest His might in earth-shaking fanfares but in simple and uninteresting forgiveness. This is the MO of Yahweh.

To be fair, allow me to give another example so that there are two witnesses to prove the truth of my thesis. When Midian, Amalek and the Kedemites raised an army of 135,000 to bring the Israelites on their knees, Gideon was only able to raise 32,000 Israelites to resist. Instead, God selected only 300 (Judges 7:6) to defeat the united invaders “lest Israel vaunt itself against me and say, ‘My own power saved me’” (7:2)! This is the reasoning of Yahweh who would make use of a selected few and work through them to do big things in our eyes.

In the gospel passage today, we hear of two parables of the Kingdom of Heaven from Mark 4. Earlier in the chapter, Jesus told us the famous Parable of the Sower, teaching us about the different receptivity of the human hearts towards the good news. Some dismiss it outright. Some feel good hearing it but the gospel fails to take root in their hearts. They give up when persecutions come. Some know that the gospel is good and important but there are other worries competing for attention. The gospel message fails to bear fruits. Lastly, not only do they listen but they also put the gospel message into practice. Consequently, they bear fruit, winning people over to return to God. The Parable of the Sower is significant because it is the only parable Jesus explains.

We hear the next two parables of the Kingdom of God today. Jesus tells us that the Kingdom of God is a mystery. It grows not by human will and human efforts but grows in its own way, God’s way! “And the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear” (Mark 4:27b-28). Don’t worry. It develops and grows naturally and would not disrupt our expectation suddenly. Again we see God’s MO, “lest Israel vaunt itself against me”. Of course we participate in building up the Kingdom of God but we should not attribute its growth and successes to our efforts. Rather, we should be grateful because God has given us the opportunity to participate in His salvation project. Seeing the gradual development of the Kingdom of God as embodied by the Church is beneficial to our understanding of God’s will too! The parable of the Mustard Seed also echoes a similar sentiment. On Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descended and gave birth to the Church of 120 members. On the first day of her existence, 3000 more souls joined the Church. She started off truly as small as a mustard seed. After nearly two millennia, she still survives and her membership has reached nearly 1.4 billion, comparable to the population of the PRC! Her history is chequered but we are certain that God’s hand has been guiding her all along. Her end is nowhere in sight because the God she upholds and worships is eternal.

To be candid, all of us have a tendency to play God because we lack confidence. We need to do something to prove ourselves and our worth. Many people spend a lot of time and energy to do charitable work in front of the cameras. Are they doing it for the glory of God (Matthew 5:16) or for their personal vainglory (Mark 12:38-39)? Others lack confidence in the commoners and become “control freaks”, turning the government into a police state to nip rebellions in the bud. Like many modern parents who wrongly believe that a good head-start will guarantee successes in the future, some fill up the schedule of their children with all kinds of tutorials and courses so that their children would be able to defeat all potential rivals! Obviously all of them have put the wrong foot forward because between being and doing, they have bet on the wrong horse. It is a life-long inferiority complex that they are struggling with. In the parable of the Prodigal Son, the younger son also wrongly believed that by working as a servant, he would be able to obtain the forgiveness of the father (Luke 15:19). In fact, the father cares more about the restoration of the sonship of this lost son (15:22) than what he had done in the past and would do in the future! In other words, God cares more about our being than about our doing.

Beloved brethren! We were created in the image of God. Have faith in our Lord. He loves those who are humble in heart and invites us to learn from Him (Matthew 11:29). We have lost sight of God’s MO and wrongly believe that our efforts earn us salvation. We are wrong all the time. Let us stop to meditate the mercy of the Father and enter into His rest. Amen. God bless!

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2021 Reflection
Picture Credit: selliliar.live

修和與共融 Reconciliation And Communion

聖體聖血節，乙年
主題：修和與共融 Reconciliation And Communion

《公教報》五月三十日在『眾裡尋祂』一欄，刊出周守仁樞機一篇題為「就是每年這時期…」¹ 的分享，惹來不少批評²。雖然『眾裡尋祂』不是他的專欄，但他經常在那裡發表節日文告，令人難以分辨文章的權威程度，難怪惹來批評。恕我孤陋寡聞，同文在英文公教報Sunday Examiner³並不見得有多大迴響。固此，今天的主日默想亦打破慣例，改用中文來湊熱鬧。

耶穌基督留下聖體聖事給教會，不但兌現祂「天天與你們在一起，直到今世的終結」（瑪28:20b）的承諾，更藉此達成眾人「在祂內合而為一」的願望（若17:11, 21-23）。因此，教友領受聖體聖事時，不但個人與主基督合而為一，而且也會與其他領受同一聖事的教友，無論是認識的或是不認識的；喜愛的或是不可愛的；過去的或是未來的，共融合一。更有甚者，為了保障領受者的神益，聖體聖事的效益並不取決於施行聖事者的靈性或道德狀態。即使是一個為眾人所唾棄的神父/主教，祇要教會一天尚未向他施行懲罰/絕罰，他施行的聖事依然有效，領受聖事的人不受影響。

我在《臉書》曾拜讀過不少馮先生的文章，佩服他學識淵博，推理精密；而且他有骨氣，不向權貴低頭。今天細讀他對周文所提出的疑問，覺得有欠妥當。小編不才，神學讀得不通透，靈修膚淺，沉不住氣，在這片小天地班門弄斧放肆了。對周樞機所宣揚的「寬恕」言論，馮先生提出了三個疑問：

1. 冤有頭債有主，我們有資格去寬恕沒虧欠自己的人嗎？
   「冤有頭債有主」，把寬恕虧欠自己的人的資格，收窄到「天安門母親」，實在過份簡化了「寬恕」的複雜性！原文接著問題的第一句，馮先生寫「『六四』當年的確激起公憤…」，「激起公憤」是不爭的事實，但「公憤」合理呢？今天是二零二四年六月二日，12,785日前，遠在2,000公里外的京城，坦克車不但把「天安門母親」的兒女輾為肉醬，更把2,000公里外，500,000人的民主願望無情地輾碎了、支持爭取民主中國的捐款消失了…請問這些憤怒的人有資格寬恕嗎？

   這些憤怒的人去了哪？有些順勢崛起成為大黨，在本地政壇一時無兩。可惜今天氣數已盡，苟延殘喘，與「天安門母親」一樣，正在消失中，所餘無幾。另一些人審時度勢，揣摩當權者的心意，所作所為令不少市民側目。直到今天，還不時有人拿他們當年慷慨激昂的風采，與今天的嘴臉對比。可見很多人的心，仍然被周樞機所說的「黑暗空間裡的悲傷和怨恨」所纏擾，沒有自由！這些心靈沒有自由的人算是「受害人」嗎？他們有資格寬恕「六四屠夫」嗎？

   誰是「六四屠夫」呢？通常是指當時的總理李某，五年前已去世。亦有人認為是遭受「文革」陰影；和眼見各軍區借「清君側」之名進兵京城，隨時爆發內戰的憂慮所纏擾，如今骨灰已撒落大海的鄧軍委。是當時執行軍令的士兵嗎？後來的歷任軍委有責任為前人的錯誤謝罪嗎？聖教宗若望保祿二世做到了，即使有學者認識伽利略本人也應負上部份責任云云。可見「寬恕」的確是一個非常複雜的議題，不能輕易簡單化。

2. 天主的愛固然是無條件的，但天主的寬恕也是無條件嗎？
   相信馮先生也是一位教徒，並且十分熟悉聖經的內容。他能旁徵博引聖經章節，證明「不論是新約抑或舊約的天主，祂的寬恕都是有條件的，那就是：我們必須後悔認罪，並遠離惡行。」雖然他沒有引用「但是，基督在我們還是罪人的時候，就為我們死了，這證明了天主怎樣愛我們」（羅5:8），相信馮先生一定知道這是「天主的愛固然是無條件的」的金句。馮先生引用（路17:3-4）說：「看懂嗎？按照耶穌教導，就算你想寬恕你的兄弟，也需要他自己先表示『後悔』，然後才輪到你去寬恕。」

   馮先生說的對，為我們生活在歷史中，受時間維度約束的人類，有先後之分，有先悔改後寬恕的程序是合理的。但天主受時間約束嗎？可能我喜歡數學，對「無限」頗為著迷。我們相信的天主是永生的天主，超越時間的維度，沒有先後之別。耶穌基督的「架上七言」相信馮先生一定讀過。且看同一部福音，耶穌基督在十字架上求天父寬恕世人，「因為他們不知道他們做的是甚麼」（23:34），所以，「悔改」是「充份條件sufficient condition」，未必是「必要條件 necessary condition」。當然，這些罪人將來悔改，亦未可知！即使悔改是必要條件，也因為天主是永生的，所以天主要求「先悔改，後寬恕」的論述，是不成立的。「悔改」其實另有用途。
3. 大家又退一萬步去想，如果「上主的寬恕不先要求我們悔改」，那麼天主教會的「修和聖事」有何意義？
   馮先生對「修和聖事」的理解，真是一針見血。他說：「我們不懺悔，甚至變本加厲犯罪，天主和教會也會無條件寬恕，那根本就沒有必要去做『告解』，甚至連教會本身的存在也毫無意義了」，這些都是宗徒們的教訓，不知有多少天主教徒認識這「教會論 ecclesiology」。若望宗徒記載，耶穌基督在復活當晚顯現給宗徒們時，賜他們聖神，去赦免世人的罪（若20:22-23）；保祿宗徒呼籲信徒作為基督的大使，代表基督勸勉世人，與天主和好（格後5:19-20）。教會本身的存在，就是幫助世人與天主修和。如何履行這任務呢？就是藉「修和聖事」！

   可能很多教友對「修和聖事」抱著洗衣機的觀念，不是嗎？蠻有程序：「省察、痛悔、告明、赦罪、補贖」。對不起，「修和聖事」與「病人傅油聖事」一樣，同屬治療性的聖事。罪人透過「省察」知道自己的確犯了罪，但這個心理步驟是複雜的，因為很多人會「否認」、會「失憶」，或者寧願扮演「受害人」的角色，不斷挖開結痂的傷口，也不願意承認犯錯，獲得治癒成長的機會，的確可惜。有人說佛洛依德 Sigmund Freud發明的「心理分析 Psychoanalysis」治療方法，其實源自修和聖事的「告明」，把壓抑在心底的困擾說出，有助醫治心理障礙。最後，沒有「悔改」，罪人又如何更新呢？先知說：「因為我不喜歡任何人喪亡─吾主上主的斷語─你們回心轉意罷！你們必得生存！」（則18:32）原來悔改、回心轉意，並不是獲得寬恕的必要條件，而是恢復靈性生命，與天主修好、與世界修好、與自己修好的良藥！

從前的天主教徒，領聖事先後有序。教友通常先辦告解，與天主、與教會和與自己修好，纔領聖體。這是一個非常優良的傳統，因為保留著心中的刺，又如何達到彼此在基督的愛內共融呢？要知道即使你不願意寬恕對家，耶穌基督也不會因為你不寬恕而跟隨你不寬恕那個極需要天主憐憫的靈魂！現代人生活繁忙，很多教友總是先領聖體，以後再找機會辦告解。我沒有資格批評他們「冒領聖體」，可能他們忘記了，機會總是留給準備好了的人罷！但他們總不應該忘記在領聖體後，他們因著耶穌基督的祭獻，已經與那些惱恨他們的人擠在一起，避無可避了！
親愛的讀者，上主天主說：「人單獨不好」（創2:18），真是意義深長。不斷悔改罷，直至你有能力與你所憎恨的人共融，同享永生。亞孟。
天主保祐！

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¹https://kkp.org.hk/topic/detail/577/
²https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=785671460353485&id=100067319133361
³https://www.examiner.org.hk/2024/05/30/reflections-from-the-cardinal-its-that-time-of-year/news/hongkong/

2021 Reflection
Picture Credit: stjamesco.archtoronto.org

How to Inspire Confidence in Others? 如何讓人有信心?

Pentecost Sunday, Year B
Theme: How to Inspire Confidence in Others? 如何讓人有信心?

Perhaps I have spent too much time and energy working as a permanent deacon. My family members find that my performance in other areas are below their expectations and that I am not able to take care of myself properly like other adults are. In their eyes, I tend to finish leftovers on the dishes most of the time. I should not be doing this in view of my diabetic conditions. Probably, this was how I was raised up in my generation. We were taught to finish all the food, whether we liked it or not. Take into consideration that my parents were living during war times; they could not afford to waste a single crumb of it. Time has changed but old habits die-hard.

Recently, my health is going downwards more quickly. My doctor starts prescribing aspirin as a proactive measure because my heartbeats are becoming irregular. As a result, my wounds will take longer to heal! I don't know when or how I have sustained one such wound on my right foot and it does not heal for at least three months. Another incident happened on May 1, a public holiday. My younger brother and I enjoyed a drinking spree over global politics that evening. In the end, I took a cross-harbour tunnel bus as usual from Chai Wan where my younger brother lives and changed to another bus in Mongkok to come home. I was able to get off at the correct stop and managed to enter my flat. My wife found a lot of vomit stuff all over me. She managed to bathe and cleanse me but I kept vomiting so much so that my blood sugar level had crossed a critical threshold. She immediately dialled 999 and I was admitted to A&E, hospitalized for one-and-a-half day! This incident puts her in a confidence-crisis. The root of this crisis is the love of me instead of blaming me for not taking proper care of myself. When we got married, we vowed to love and take care of each other for the rest of our lives. We have entered a covenant in which even until death we don’t part! Nevertheless, that ageing has attenuated my health, physically as well as mentally, is a rock solid reality!

Take a look at another covenant, one between the risen Lord and His spouse, the Church. Jesus Christ had not chosen an immaculately perfect bride but one with spots and wrinkles. “Christ loved the Church and handed Himself over for her to sanctify her, cleans her by the bath of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the Church in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish” (Ephesians 5:25b-27). The Church has been glorious, heroic and noble throughout the ages but not without corruptions or scandals. You will be able to find many videos on Youtube that showcase evil popes in the history of the Catholic Church. Moreover, the performance of individual clergy during the 2019 social unrests in Hong Kong made many parishioners disappointed and lose faith in the Church. They claim to love Christ but not the Church because she is only a social institution and her clergy are mere men! Yes, these parishioners are suffering from a confidence-crisis! Though in her glorious days during the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages she had been a Perfect Society, the Catholic Church has struggled hard to catch up with changes in the modern world. Not infrequently did she canonize saints to brush up her self-image and cheer up the morale of her faithful. Yet, her performance as a whole has been below expectations for many. Still, she manages to survive for more than two millennia. We need to see deeper into this so-called “social institution” to understand how she manages to do so. The answer lies in the workings of the Holy Spirit. Today, we celebrate His descent on the Church as narrated in the first reading. The significance of this text is a resolution of the divisions among humanity as recorded in the story the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11. Plurality of cultures is not something to dread with but to celebrate. When the Holy Spirit descended, differences in language were no longer obstacles to human communications. Humanity do not need to speak the same language because love, especially divine love, is a universal language.

In the gospel reading today, Jesus gave the Holy Spirit to the apostles to empower them on a reconciliation mission to the world. “And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained’” (John 20:22-23). God is almighty not in His power to work earth-shaking miracles but in His mercy to forgive all sins past, present and future. Now, Jesus commissions the Church to forgive sins like what He did on the cross (Luke 23:34). St. Paul puts it in a similar manner, “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God” (2 Corinthians 5:19-20). The Church has been following Jesus’ teaching to love and care for the hungry, the homeless and the sick etc. To a certain extent, she has been rectifying the wrongs and cleaning up the mess the powerful and the wealthy have done against the underprivileged. Nowadays, in her social teachings and actions, the Church has been more vocal in advocating for the exploited and the poor. In suffering with the needy and awaking the powerful and the wealthy, the Church is trying to reconcile the world to God. The Holy Spirit is the driving force behind all her efforts.

In order to measure how successful the Church has been, we can look up the indicators enumerated in, again St. Paul’s teachings. He says in the second reading of today, “In contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23a). Alas! We should bear in mind that the Church is made up of sinners who put their self-interests before others. They have not shown sufficient love towards the others. Many have been impatient to see “improvements” done according to their own standards. More are lenient to themselves but demanding towards others etc….

Beloved brethren! Before we lose confidence in the Church, let us go to the root: sinners make up the Church. Let us invoke the Holy Spirit to reinvigorate the seven gifts Church members received in the Sacrament of Confirmation. May wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety and the fear of God (Isaiah 11:2-3) revitalize our spiritual life so that together we may be able to renew the face of the earth (Psalms 104:30). Amen.
God bless!

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2021 Reflection
Picture Credit: stcosman.com.au

How To Be A Good Shepherd? 如何成為善牧？

The Fourth Easter Sunday, Year B
Theme: How To Be A Good Shepherd? 如何成為善牧？

In ancient times, social mobility was relatively low. Fathers were mentors and their sons were apprentices who would inherit and succeed the business of their fathers. Thus, the crown prince would inherit his father’s kingdom. The male-offspring of priests would be priests, sons of carpenters carpenters and sons of fishermen fishermen etc. If a man had no male inheritor, he would groom the son of a close relative to be his inheritor or take concubines. Thus, before Isaac, carefully groomed and protected Lot (Genesis 12:4; 14:11-16;18:22-23) and even fathered Ishmael from an Egyptian handmaid Hagar (16:1; 15-16). King Saul fought and died with Jonathan his son (1 Samuel 31:2) in battles against the Philistines. People expected John the son of Zechariah the priest in Judea to be a priest (Luke 1:61) and Simon the son of Jonah (Matthew 16:17) a fisherman and Jesus the son of Joseph the carpenter (John 6:42) to be a carpenter in Nazareth of Galilee etc. However, God has other plans for all of them.

Instead of being the ancestor of the Israelites, Lot became the ancestor of the Moabites and Ammonites (Genesis 19:37-38). King Saul died with his three sons in battle. So, it was David the shepherd boy who had previously defeated Goliath the giant and subsequently united the 12 tribes of Israel to be the second king of the Kingdom of Israel (2 Samuel 5:1-4). John the son of Zechariah became the Baptist (Mark 1:4). The story of Simon, son of Jonah gives us more information how God gradually reveals His plan for the elected. At first, Jesus called his first disciples to be “fishers of men” (Matthew 4:19, Mark 1:17). It is a mission his fishermen disciples were able to understand and to generalize their skills of catching fish to those of recruiting disciples. However, this generalization of concept might not be good enough. It is because after catching fish, fishermen would select the good ones and throw away the bad ones (Matthew 13:47-48). This practice would contradict the Catholic doctrine of inclusiveness for the Kingdom of Heaven which sanctifies sinners. Therefore, after his resurrection, Jesus turned Peter into a shepherd (John 21:15-17).

Though Jesus Himself began as a carpenter. Early in his life, Jesus already knew where His true mission lay (Luke 2:49). It was revealed to Him gradually through his continuous prayers. In the gospel reading today, Jesus declares twice that He is the Good Shepherd. Firstly, Jesus contrasts the Good Shepherd with hired men whose priority is their own security and pay (John 10:12-13) whereas, “The good shepherd … lays down his life for the sheep” (10:11). In the drama of human history, there have been leaders who lay down their lives for the greater good. But laying down their lives for the followers does not necessarily make them “good shepherds” for two reasons.

Firstly, Jesus further explains what He means by being the Good Shepherd, “I am the good shepherd and I know mine and mine know me” (10:14). As a Jew, Jesus means more than intellectual knowledge when He uses the word “know”. It means building up an intimate relationship like the usage in “Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain” (Genesis 4:1) and “Then said Mary unto the angel, how shall this be, seeing I know not a man?” (Luke 1:34). Thus, being the Good Shepherd, Jesus has intimate relations with His followers and lays down his life for them. Notice that it is not enough for Jesus to love his followers and was crucified on the cross for them once and for all. On the other hand, it takes time for the followers to appreciate this love and love Jesus back in return. Love is in essence reciprocal and mutual. In the end, the followers also lay down their lives to bear witness to this love of the Good Shepherd. So martyrdom is the highest form of witness to this love. In light of this understanding of “know”, we may better understand the next verse Jesus speaks, “Just as the Father knows/loves me and I know/love the Father; and I will lay down my life for the sheep” (John 10:15). The love between the Creator-Father and the Redeemer-Son of the Blessed Trinity is beyond our creature-wise understanding. But it can be illustrated by Jesus’ laying down His life for His followers on the cross and we are able to understand this love!

Secondly, love alone is unable to distinguish Jesus the Good Shepherd from the martyr-leaders who lay down their lives voluntarily to overthrow tyranny out of patriotism, the love for one’s motherland. It is immortality, which distinguishes the Good Shepherd from all other martyr-leaders. They die. Period. That is the end of their stories. Others may follow their footsteps and they all end up dead. However, the Redeemer-Son is different. He died on the cross but it is the beginning of a new chapter in human history. Jesus says, “No one takes it [his life] from me, but I lay it down on my own. I have power to lay it down, and power to take it up again. This command I have received from my Father” (10:18). In the story of the Samaritan woman, Jesus says, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me and to finish His work” (4:34). Food meets the basic physiological needs of men. So when Jesus dies on the cross, He is not being idealistic in sacrificing His life for a greater good like other martyr-leaders. It is His very basic essence! Not only does Jesus love the Father by loving His flock, but He also accomplishes His sole mission on earth by laying down His life for His disciples. In short, the Good Shepherd is the embodiment of DIVINE LOVE, not somebody who heroically dies for the greater good. Furthermore, while all other martyr-leaders die and perish, Jesus is able to take His life up again and comes out of the tomb. He has truly risen because He is the author of life. That is why, in the first reading today, Peter was able to boldly claim before the Sanhedrin that Jesus Christ is the Saviour of the world, saying “There is no salvation through anyone else, nor is there any other name under heaven given to the human race by which we are to be saved” (Acts 4:12). Moreover, Jesus is able to give us His flesh and blood to be our food that endures for eternal life (John 6:27, 55). The Good Shepherd feeds His flock by giving them His flesh and blood. Blessed are those whose shepherd is the Good Shepherd!

Can we become good shepherds like Jesus? Of course we can and we should. We can because we are able to unite with Jesus Christ the Good Shepherd through the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. In studying the Bible and in continual praying, we may be able to know the Good Shepherd more intimately and become part of the embodiment of DIVINE LOVE ourselves. We should because we are ambassadors for Christ to reconcile the world to the Father (2 Corinthians 5:18-20). Life as an ambassador/apostle is not an easy one as Simon Peter had amply demonstrated. He dared to risk his life even up to entering the courtyard of the High Priest. But then Peter was overwhelmed by his own fear and denied his master three times. Luckily the Good Shepherd had already prayed for him that his faith might not fail and once he had turned back, he had the duty to strengthen all the others (Luke 22:32). On the other hand, Judas took his own life, hanged himself and denied God the opportunity to forgive him.

Beloved brethren! When we get lost in our life, don’t lose it. The Good Shepherd is there to accompany us to break new ground. One day, we will emerge from the ashes of a carpenter to become a shepherd. Amen. God bless!

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2021 Reflection
Picture Credit: en.wikipedia.org

Are We Paying Attention To Jesus? 我們在聆聽耶穌嗎？

Third Easter Sunday, Year B
Theme: Are We Paying Attention To Jesus? 我們在聆聽耶穌嗎？

The Lectionary takes The Acts for the first readings in the Easter Season instead of books in the Old Testament. However, it does not necessarily follow the chronological order. For example, the first reading today is earlier than that of last Sunday which is the Divine Mercy Sunday because the theme is specific. The context of today’s reading is an immediate follow-up of the first Easter Sunday. It is the second proclamation of the gospel by Peter. Compared with the first one on Pentecost, we are able to see a development in Peter’s message.

Like Jesus and true to being made the rock of the Church, Peter worked many healing miracles in the name of Jesus of Nazareth in Jerusalem. After healing a crippled beggar, Peter proclaimed the gospel again, but the tone was milder than the Pentecost speech in which he called the Jewish authority “lawless” (Acts 2:23). In the Pentecost speech, Peter had to defend the behaviour of the disciples who were manifesting the gift of tongues and speaking in different languages. Some people scoffed that they had had too much new wine (2:13). Peter quoted extensively from the Scriptures to prove that what the crowd witnessed was actually a fulfilment of prophecies and that God had made Jesus of Nazareth both Lord and Messiah (2:36) by raising Him from the dead. Of this, they were all witnesses (2:32). This time, Peter appealed to the crowd as “brothers” and that they acted out of ignorance, just as their leaders did (3:17). Later, he called the crowd “children of the prophets and of the covenant” (3:25). Peter was not confrontational because the Sanhedrin had not yet persecuted or imprisoned the apostles for doing good (4:9).

As for Peter’s message, don’t be offended by his calling Jesus “God’s servant” (3:13) instead of the “Son of God” (Matthew 16:16). We know that there was a development of understanding before the Church could define “the Blessed Trinity” as a Christian dogma. It was also possible that Peter adapted his language to the audience because the crowd was not yet ready to accept a Galilean carpenter to be the second Person of the Blessed Trinity. We are also able to trace a development in Peter’s proclamation. He called Jesus “God’s servant” (Acts 3:13), then the “Holy and Righteous One” (3:14), the “author of life” (3:15) and finally “God’s Messiah” (3:18)! Jesus was innocent but He took up the sins of the world. He defeated death because He is the author of life. God appoints Jesus the Messiah, not only to liberate the Jews from the Romans but all the peoples on earth from the bondage of sin. Unlike the Pentecost speech, Peter quoted the Scriptures only once (3:22-23).

The Lukan narrative of Jesus’ apparition to the apostles on the first Easter Sunday is similar to that of the Johannine. In both narratives, Jesus greeted the apostles with “Peace be with you” (Luke 24:36; John 20:19) and took the initiative to show them the Stigmata (Luke 24:39-40; John 20:20). The similarity stops there. Luke has his own agenda. First of all, he had always been sympathetic towards the failures of the disciples. For example, in the narrative of Jesus’ Agony in the Garden, Mark simply says, “When he [Jesus] returned he found them asleep” (Mark 14:37a) but Luke says, “When he rose from prayer and returned to his disciples, he found them sleeping from grief” (Luke 22:45). Again, when the disciples failed to understand Jesus’ teaching, Mark blamed the disciples for the hardness of their hearts. “He appeared to them and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart because they had not believed those who saw him after he had been raised” (Mark 16:14), whereas in Luke, Jesus was in full control of the disciples’ understanding. The disciples in Emmaus could understand only when Jesus explained the Scriptures (Luke 24:32) or when he opened the minds of those in Jerusalem to understand the Scriptures (24:45). In short, Luke wants to make the readers humble disciples of prayers.

Last week, I was arguing against using the Stigmata as an identification tag for the Risen Lord. Indeed, the fact that the Emmaus disciples were able to recognize Jesus when they saw him take the loaf, give thanks, break it and distribute it (24:31) strongly suggests that we Catholics should actively seek Jesus wherever his words and deeds could be found. The most obvious place that immediately comes to mind is the Liturgy of the Eucharist where the priest consecrates the bread and the wine. Similarly, inspired by the Parable of Sheep and Goats in Matthew 25, the Church chooses to stand by the poor, serving the Christ present among the needy, the disadvantaged and the socially marginalized. But has the Church been successful? If we take a look at the statistics published in the Vatican News for the year 2022, the numbers are not very encouraging¹. To be sure, there has been growth, but at a rate varied from continent to continent hoovering below 1%! If we put the blame on COVID, we are not courageous enough to face the truth! Worse still, we witness a decrease in the number of priests and bishops but an increase in the number of permanent deacons. This is not healthy and the Church would become unsustainable.

When Jesus spent three years to coach the apostles as well as the larger community of disciples, their minds were occupied by the anticipation of a Messiah to drive out the Romans. Therefore, they failed to pay attention to Jesus’ words that He spoke while He was still with them that the Torah and the Prophets have foretold the Passion and Resurrection of the Messiah (24:44). Now that Jesus has ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father, have we paid sufficient attention to what Jesus says before His ascension? What were His final words before ascension? And what is occupying our minds such that we miss Jesus’ words? According to Luke, Jesus spent 40 days on earth to gather 120 dispersed disciples after resurrection. He enlightened them on His previous teachings. So, the final words should be the Great Commission recorded in the Matthew, Mark and the Acts. “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them …” (Matthew 28:19); “Go into the whole world and proclaim the gospel to every creature. Whoever believes and is baptized…” (Mark 16:15-26a); “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). Simply put, we should evangelize and bear witness to the reconciliation mission of the Son of God.

Beloved brethren. Are you paying attention to Jesus’ Great Commission? Or are you conjuring up futile excuses such as I have no time, I am not eloquent, I know no theology, this is the work of the clergy and nuns etc.? Are you aware that you are meeting Jesus who is present among the people you meet every day? This Jesus you meet, perhaps a little child next door; its single mother doing two jobs to make ends meet in a subdivided flat; or an ageing man and his wife struggling to support him together with their domestic helper; or a disillusioned young man hiding from security police etc., is hungry and thirsty for God’s righteousness, aka His salvation (Matthew 5:6; 25:35)! He is waiting for you to extend a helping hand so that both he and you may be able to reconcile the world to the Father (2 Corinthians 5:20). Beloved brethren! Pay attention to the invitation of Jesus Christ. Amen. God bless!
¹https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-04/vatican-central-statistical-office-church-pontifical-yearbook.html

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2021 Reflection
Picture Credit: salvationbiblecell.com

猶達斯的角色是必要的嗎？ Is Judas’ Role Indispensable?

猶達斯的角色是必要的嗎？ Is Judas’ Role Indispensable?

筆者無意，亦沒有本領為出賣耶穌的猶達斯平反。筆者祇想理解多一點，慈悲的主有關於猶達斯的一句話。「但是出賣人子的那人卻是有禍的，那人若是沒有生，為他更好」（瑪26:24b）。筆者注意到，這句說話並沒有批評、或判決的意味，而是一個客觀的敘述：猶達斯的結局是悲慘的。這句話反而帶有憐憫和痛惜的意思。究竟耶穌想表達甚麼意思呢？

首先，耶穌並沒有因為猶達斯出賣祂而憎恨他，反而對他說：「你所要做的，你快去吧」（若13:27b）。在革匝瑪尼園，猶達斯用「口親」的暗號出賣祂時，耶穌說：「朋友，你來做的事，就做吧」（瑪26:50a），與若望的敘述吻合。驟耳聽來，猶達斯好像是耶穌執行任務時的伙伴。猶達斯負責出賣耶穌，耶穌負責死在十字架上，替世人贖罪！當猶達斯還有所猶豫不決的時候，耶穌勸他為了大局著想，一起犧牲小我，完成任務。

這是一厢情願的美麗誤會；要知道，在《瑪竇福音》，「朋友」一詞共出現了四次，每次都與「罪人」有關（11:19, 20:13, 22:12, 26:50）。耶穌基督為了拯救罪人，便與罪人為伍，稱兄道弟，治療他們，指示他們應走的道路，回歸父家。所以耶穌稱呼猶達斯為「朋友」，反而是肯定了猶達斯是罪人的狀態，而不是執行任務，出生入死的戰友！

其次我會問，在天主的救贖工程中，必須有「負賣者」這個角色嗎？事實上，即使沒有「負賣者」，耶穌一樣可以前往公議會「自首」；在大司祭面前說他認為是褻瀆的話，被判死刑。用不著犧牲一個宗徒，令他因內疚而自殺（27:3-5），並且遺臭萬年。當然，遺臭萬年的還有比拉多和大司祭。倘若沒有他們兩個，耶穌是死不去的。一個在政治上判耶穌死刑，另一個在宗教上判耶穌死刑，以至耶穌必死無疑。所以這兩個人的角色，比「負賣者」的角色，更為重要，更不可或缺。

那麼，猶達斯有甚麼值得耶穌憐惜呢？我覺得猶達斯的自殺，更合符耶穌的敘述「那人若是沒有生，為他更好」。除了抑鬱狀態導致的自殺外，一般的自殺甚至協助的自殺，都是對天主作出控訴，指摘祂讓自殺者出生在世上，是一個錯誤的決定！自殺者拒絕給天主向他施恩的機會。 若他沒有生在世上，就不會觸犯這個大逆不道，「控訴天主」，拒絕天主的大罪了！注意，耶穌這句嘆息的話，同樣適用於以色列的第一位君王撒烏耳身上，他與猶達斯一樣自殺死了，同樣是一個悲劇性的人物！

親愛的諸位！四旬期今天完結，懇求你們，即使不控訴天主，也要給天主一個機會，向你施恩赦罪，為你披上慈悲的外衣吧（格後5:20）！亞孟。

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圖片鳴謝：catholicregister.org

先國家之急而後私讎 Concern National Urgency Before Personal Grudges

先國家之急而後私讎
Concern National Urgency Before Personal Grudges

【聖經】宣揚天主是歷史的主宰，所以是天主為以色列人作戰。例如梅瑟解放以色列人後，選擇走一條「背水一戰」的死路，引誘法魯王「率領600輪精良戰車和埃及所有的戰車」追趕（出14:7），來到紅海。60萬以色列人夾在埃及軍隊與紅海之間。正當埃及軍隊滿以為「我要追擊擒獲，分得獵物，纔心滿意足；我要拔刀出鞘，親手斬滅」（15:9）時，到頭來全軍覆沒有紅海中；天主甚至令日月停頓一整天，直到以色列人擊潰阿摩黎人（蘇10:12-13）。天主經常以少勝多，在基德紅的民眾中，祇挑選三百人，殲滅米德楊的十三萬五千人，「免得以色列對我自誇說：是自己的能力救了目己」（民7:2）。後來，以色列及猶大先後亡國，因為他們不敬拜上主天主了。「崇拜偶像」成了亡國的原因。這就是今天第一篇讀經的背景。故事中的阿匝黎雅和兩個同伴，因拒絕朝拜君王的金像，被拿步高王下令投入火窯中。阿匝黎雅在火窯中祈禱，承認祖先的罪過，就是離棄了上主（達3:29），結果上主將他們「交在無法無天，邪妄無信的仇人手中，又將我們交於一位不義和全世界上最凶暴不仁的君王手中」（3:32）。俗世的史學家，是不會探用這種「拜偶像亡國論」的歷史觀。

中國在先秦時期，亡國是因為經濟和政治改革，追不上其他國家。到了戰國時代，亡國與否便取決於武將能否與宰相合作了。著名的「負荊請罪」故事，就是發生在這個時代。藺相如處處退避廉頗，寬恕他的無禮挑釁，並不是害怕廉頗威猛，而是為大局著想。「強秦之所以不敢加兵於趙者 ，徒以吾兩人在也。今兩虎共鬥，其勢不俱生。吾所以為此（退避廉頗）者，以先國家之急而後私讎也」（史記．廉頗藺相如列傳）。原來「寬恕」可以有非常高尚的目的。

請不要小覷藺相如的「先國家之急而後私讎」是斬釘截鐵的「功利主義」，其實耶穌基督在福音的教訓中，亦採用過不少。作為基督徒，倘若我們有一點藺相如的「先天國之急而後私讎」胸襟，「寬恕七十個七次」（瑪18:22），為了天國，又有何難呢？即使教友祇有半點「先天國之急」的胸襟，教會就不愁缺欠傳教的聖召，不愁沒有人代表基督做「修和大使」了（格後5:20）。

可愛的諸位，中國文化中尚有很多有待發掘的天主啟示，讓我們加倍努力，潛心學習。
天主保祐！

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圖片鳴謝：master-insight.com

天主的全能 The Omnipotence of God

天主的全能 The Omnipotence of God

中國武術既可強身健體，而且可供觀賞的程度非常高。從武俠小說，甚至功夫電影得到的印象，當任何一種武功修煉到高層次的時候，它不但攻擊力強大，看起來也有相當高的美感。可能這是功夫電影成功地塑造到的假象，但不得不指出，學習武術的原本意義，不在擊倒對手，而是制止衝突。因為把「武」字拆開，便得到「止戈」，即「制止干戈」的意思。有些比武的形式，甚至讓對手十招不還手，看誰先倒下。有本領不把對手致諸死地，更與他握手言和的態度，稱為「武德」。所以作為一代宗師，不是揀選好勇鬥狠的人，而是找品德高尚的人，傳授他武功，繼承衣缽。

讀到這裡，相信大家已經估計到以下我要寫甚麼了。的確，天主的大能，不在於祂有本領創造天地萬物和行驚天動地的神跡，而在於祂任由罪人無論怎樣破壞祂的傑作，怎樣傷害祂，祂仍伸開慈悲的雙臂，擁抱罪人，寬恕罪人，與罪人握手言和。原來到主願意運用「創造及使生命發展」和「慈悲及治療創傷」來展示祂的大能。耶穌在今天的福音要求祂的門徒說：「你們應當慈悲，就像你們的父那樣慈悲」（路6:36），這慈悲包括了「不判斷、不定罪、要赦免」（6:37）。

耶穌的要求看來不合理，天主是刀槍不入的，當然可以寬恕；即使受傷死亡，祂有本領自我治療，甚至復活起來。但我們祇是凡夫俗子，我們又沒有自我痊癒的能力，死了之後，又怎樣寬恕傷害或殺死我們的人呢？

天父的佈局非常神妙莫測，天主子降生成為有死的人，正是為了與我們這些凡夫俗子為伍，並且身先士卒，以無罪之身，代替罪人死在十字架上，並在死前寬恕那些害死祂的人（23:34）。基督徒，當大家受傷或者被殺的時候，雖然耶穌基督不會是止痛藥或麻醉藥，令我們感覺不到痛苦，但祂會陪伴我們，分擔了我們的痛苦；並且在末日，復活我們。

親愛的弟兄姊妹們，說不定天父會傳授「聖神」給我們，打通我們的任督二脈，治療我們的內傷，增加我們慈悲寬恕的功力，成為祂的「修和大使」（格後5:19-20）。
天主保祐！

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圖片鳴謝：hk.epochtimes.com

Do You See John the Baptist Today? 今天你看到洗者若翰嗎？

Second Advent Sunday, Year B
Theme: Do You See John the Baptist Today? 今天你看到洗者若翰嗎？

Christians have acquired a perspective of the world different from the mundane secular way because of their faith in Lord Jesus Christ. While a commercial society like Hong Kong encourages people to be hardworking and persuade her citizens that effort pays, Christianity tells followers of Christ to leave everything in God’s hand because He shall provide (Genesis 22:8). Modern societies advocate utilitarianism and cost-benefit-analysis while Christ teaches poverty (Luke 6:20b; Matthew 5:3); the societies ambition while Christ meekness (5:5) etc. Everybody agrees that no man is an island. All of us need to live in a social network. While most people prefer building networks with likeable, powerful and wealthy people, Jesus Christ advises people to see and seek Him among the needy and the socially marginalized (25:40)! In short, secular worldviews see not human beings but carbon based objects for exploitation. In contrast, Christianity sees the dignified human beings in their souls.

As we are still in the first stage of Advent season in which we meditate on the Second Coming of Jesus Christ, in other words, the end of the world, we are expecting Christ the Universal King to restore and renew this sin-infested world. The first reading today reassures us that the end of the world is a time of consolation. The Lord God shall comfort us, instead of destroying us in His second coming. “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and proclaim to her servitude has ended, that her guilt is expiated, that she has received from the hand of the Lord double for all her sins” (Isaiah 40:1-2). Indeed, we seem to have increased our benefits when we are selfish and exploit others but we shall suffer all the consequences of sinning in the future. The punishment may have already begun the moment we sin. Most likely, we start to notice only years or even decades later that we are repaying the debts! By then, we might have repaid more than double the damages we had made. We would have repented earlier if we had known the extent of damages we caused in sinning. Therefore, the earlier we repent the better. Knowing this is comforting enough for even the worst sinner of the world who used to believing that he is irredeemable! No! The good news is that our God wants none of this. On an individual level, He “wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4). On a broader level, “God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation” (2 Corinthians 5:19). Thus, the end time is comforting for followers of Christ.

In order to receive this gospel of consolation and reconciliation, people must prepare their hearts. This was where John the Baptist came in. He came to prepare the hearts of the Jews who were anticipating a liberator, the Messiah who would deliver them from the colonial Roman rule. No, God has a grander plan. Isaiah foretold the mission of the Baptist with this oracle, “Every valley shall be lifted up, every mountain and hill made low; the rugged land shall be a plain, the rough country a broad valley” (Isaiah 40:4). The gospel of Mark summarizes those high, low, rugged and rough qualities into one sentence, the mission statement of the Baptist, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight His paths” (Mark 1:3b). The gospel continues to describe his message. “John the Baptist appeared in the desert proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins” (1:4). This message is simple: Repent and your sins will be forgiven! To repent means to lift yourself up out of your comfort zones, to make low your arrogance, to become simple like powerless children instead of being calculating like a strategist; and lastly to maintain a meek attitude instead of an imposing stance towards others to get things done in your way. Not only shall life be easier but you shall obtain more graces from the Lord God.

Let’s take a look at the image of John the Baptist and how effective it is, “John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. He fed on locusts and wild honey” (1:6). This image is unique. We are unable to locate any similar counterpart in the Old Testament. This unique image of “A voice of one crying out in the wilderness” (1:3a) might portray in the hearts of contemporary Jews a righteous prophet who was fearless in criticising Herod Antipas. However, this image does not have the same effect on modern readers. We can only find a homeless self-murmuring stinking beggar listlessly wandering in the city who does not attract faithful disciples but thugs of children to stone him. What can we make out of such a Baptist in societies like Hong Kong? If Pope Francis is right is exhorting us to learn from the poor and that the poor evangelize us, what can we learn from those homeless Baptists in Hong Kong?

It is superficial and tempting to see the pitiful homeless as an accusation against the powerful and the wealthy in the society; a protest against the collusion of civil-servants with merchants, of oppressive as well as exploitative policies against the minorities like what John the Baptist accused Herod Antipas against his setting a bad example. Yes, as spokepersons of God, Christians have the responsibility to criticize the evils they see. However, it is not as shallow as such. We should never bark aloud the evils of the powerful and wealthy but forget to look at the positive teachings of the merciful Lord. So, let us survey deeper what theology of poverty Pope Francis distills from the Scriptures for us.

1. In 2013, eight months after being elected Pope, Francis promolgated his first Apostolic Exhortation in which he says, “I want a Church which is poor and for the poor. They have much to teach us … We need to let ourselves be evangelized by them. The new evangelization is an invitation to acknowledge the saving power at work in their lives and to put them at the centre of the Church’s pilgrim way” (Evangelii Gaudium, #198). What can we learn from the poor? Pope Francis elaborated this point in subsequent messages issued on the World Day of the Poor.
2. “Let us welcome them [the poor] as honoured guests at our table; they can be teachers who help us live the faith more consistently. With their trust and readiness to receive help, they show us in a quiet and often joyful way, how essential it is to live simply and to abandon ourselves to God’s providence” (2017 Message, par. 7). Indeed, most of our sins are sins of insistence of our autonomy and rejections of God’s providence. Are we able to see how the poor live more correctly in the sight of God?
3. “Christ’s disciples … are called to honour the poor and to give them precedence, out of the conviction that they are a true presence of Jesus in our midst” (2018 Message, par. 7). Pope Francis reaffirms once more the fundamental stance of the Church: option for the poor.
4. “The poor are persons to be encountered; they are lonely, young and old, to be invited to our homes to share a meal; men, women and children who look for a friendly word. The poor save us because they enable us to encournter the face of Jesus Christ” (2019 Message, par. 9). This is the very challenge. Do we see the face of Christ in the poor?
5. “The freedom bestowed through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ makes us individually responsible for serving others, especially the weakest. This is not an option, but rather a sign of authenticity of the faith we profess” (2020 Message, par. 8). Faith in Christ gains us freedom. With freedom, we became responsible for our words and deeds. Here lies our freedom. Either we choose to help the needy, making our faith an authentic faith, or we choose not to extend a helping hand, making ourselves contradictory persons. We begin seeing more concrete examples.
6. “The poor … know well how to respond with generosity … The poor often teach us about solidarity and sharing … They retain the dignity of God’s children that nothing and no one can take away from them” (2021 Message, par. 6). The poor teach us solidarity and sharing. Their dignity of God’s children cannot be denied.
7. “The sense of weakness and limitation that we have experienced in these recent years, and now the tragedy of the war with its global repercussions, must teach us one crucial thing: we are not in this world merely to survive, but to live a dignified and happy life … Encountering the poor enables us to put an end to many of our anxieties and empty fears, and to arrive at what truly matters in life, the treasue that no one can steal from us: true and gratuitous love. The poor, before being the object of our almsgiving are people who can help set us free from the snares of anxiety and superficiality” (2022 Message, par. 8). We are entitled to a dignified and happy life which the poor can teach us.
8. “The Book of Tobit teaches us to be realistic and practical in whatever we do with and for the poor. This is a mtatter of justice; it requires us to seek out and find one another, in order to foster the harmony needed for the community to feel itself as such. Caring for the poor is more than simply a matter of hasty hand-out; it calls for reestablishing the just interpersonal relationships that poverty harms” (2023 Message, par. 8). Therefore, caring for the poor is a matter of justice which Christianity insists.

Beloved brethren! We don’t need to talk theology fluently. What we need to do is to seek out the poor and seal a relationship with them. Amen.
God bless!

Before we finish, let us enjoy some timely Handel music.

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2020 Reflection
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