To Meditate the Mercy of God With Hearts 用心默想天主的慈悲

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

在適當的時候突破 Breakthrough at the Right Times

在適當的時候突破（路8:1-3）

在新約中，【路加福音】被稱為「女性的福音」，不是因為它帶給女仕們甚麼好消息，亦沒有把她們從男性的勞役中，解放出來。而是它在父權社會的世代中，揭示出女性的重要地位。的確，時至今日，在天主教的聖統制中，女性完全沒有立足之地。但這並不表示天主教不尊重女性，或者不承認她們的貢獻，而是天主教的女性知所定位，並默默地在她們的位置中，尋找天主的旨意，尋求突破。

在舊約的歷史中，女性也曾寫下光輝的幾頁，例如塔瑪爾（創38）、責羅斐哈得的女兒（戶27）、辣哈布（蘇2）、德波辣和雅厄耳（民4）、盧德（盧）、亞納（撒上1）、約舍巴（列下11）、友弟德（友）、艾斯德爾（艾）等等，她們大部份是民族英雌，拯救以色列民脫離敵手；或者在信仰上，立下矚目的榜樣。她們的共通之處，就是敬畏天主，守其本份；但時候來到了，便突圍而出，從而帶給別人生命。

在今天讀經提到的婦女之中，我們認識瑪利亞瑪達肋納比較多。她對耶穌基督的愛護和敬畏是不容懷疑的。瑪達肋納當然敬畏為她趕走七個魔鬼的耶穌，但這份敬畏更昇華成為對主基督的愛，且看她如何拉著復活了的基督不放便可以知道。（若20:17）。後來，耶穌基督派遣瑪達肋納向宗徒報告復活的喜訊，她成了「宗徒們的宗徒」，把生命傳送給別人。從瑪達肋納身上，我們找到「敬畏上主」如何開啟「智慧」。就是從敬畏出發，事奉基督，培養出渴慕基督的愛。
父啊！願我們有如這些熱心婦女的慷慨，渴慕事奉耶穌基督。亞孟。

生命恩泉

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Breakthrough at the Right Times (Luke 8:1-3)

In the New Testament, the gospel of Luke is often called the "Gospel for Women". Not that it brings any good news to women or that it liberates women from the servitude to men. Rather, it reveals the important roles played by women in the patriarchal society. Truly, even today, women have no place in the Catholic Hierarchy. But that does not mean the Catholic Church does not respect women or not recognize their contributions. Rather, Catholic women know how to position themselves. Silently they seek God’s will and look for breakthroughs from their positions.

In Old Testament times, many women had their brilliant stories written down in history. To name a few, we have Tamar (Genesis 38), the daughters of Zelophehad (Numbers 27), Rahab (Joshua 2), Deborah and Jael (Judges 4), Ruth, Hannah (1 Samuel 1), Jehosheba (2 Kings 11), Judith and Esther etc. They were heroines who had saved the Israelites from the hands of their enemies, or had set up eye-catching examples in faith. They had one thing in common. They feared God and knew their positions. But when the right time came, they broke through and brought people life.

Among the women mentioned in the reading today, we know more about Mary Magdalene. We have no doubt about her care and fear of Jesus Christ. Of course Magdalene feared Jesus who had driven out seven demons from her. But this fear had sublimed into a love of Christ the Lord. See how she held the risen Christ (John 20:17). Later, Jesus Christ sent Magdalene to report the good news of resurrection to the other apostles. She became the "Apostle of the Apostles", passing on life to the others. From Magdalene, we discover how the fear of the Lord leads to wisdom. That is to say, we begin with the fear of the Lord, serve Christ and build up a desire for the love of Christ.
Father! May we become generous like the pious women and desire to serve Jesus Christ. Amen.

When we are desperate

What do you do when you are desperate? Seek help.
What do you do when you are desperate and no help is in sight? ...
Being a Christian has an advantage over people who do not believe in any deity. Christians have access to God. This God is the Creator of the universe. Therefore, God is omnipotent. Moreover, this God is willing to build up a relation with mankind. He is good. In our desperate situations, this God is willing to deliver us. He is merciful. That is why Christians have an advantage. But how do they know this? They know this through their own personal experience. Furthermore, they know this through the experience of a people recorded in the Bible. Today, we read of the story of Esther, a Jewish girl made the queen of the Persian king, Artaxerxes the Great aka Ahasuerus.

Queen Vashti shunned the king's invitation to appear before a banquet (Esther 1:12). The king was enraged and with the advice of his counsellors, he abrogated Vashti and chose Esther to replace her (Esther 2:4, 17). Esther was brought up by Mordecai, a Jew who sat at the king's gate. When Mordecai overheard a plot of 2 eunuchs against the king, he passed on the information to Esther and saved the king (Esther 2:21-22). There was a man called Haman whom the king had promoted over all the princes. All the king's servants bowed down before him except Mordecai (Esther 3:1-2). Haman was infuriated and plotted against all the Jews (Esther 3:5-6)! Mordecai sought the help of Esther. Esther was desperate for her life was threatened as well. Who could help her? Esther turned to the Lord God of Israel. Today, we read of her prayer recorded in the Additions to the Book of Esther.

This is how Esther began her prayer.
Lord, thou only art our King; help me, who am alone and have no helper but thee,
for my danger is in my hand (AddEsther 14:3-4).
God knows everything. Esther did not need to explain her situation in details. Neither do we need to. God is close at hand. We only need to call out and God shall answer.
Ever since I was born I have heard in the tribe of my family that thou, O Lord, didst take Israel out of all the nations, and our fathers from among all their ancestors, for an everlasting inheritance, and that thou didst do for them all that thou didst promise (AddEsther 14:5).
God does not need to be reminded. Rather, it is us who need to. Here, Esther remembers the faithfulness of God which her people have experienced and passed on to her. As parents, we have this responsibility to pass on this knowledge of this Saviour God to our children so that in times of difficulties, they may remember to seek help from God.
And now we have sinned before thee, and thou hast given us into the hands of our enemies,
because we glorified their gods. Thou art righteous, O Lord! (AddEsther 14:6-7)
Esther continued to confess the sins of her people, idolatry. She knew that they did not deserve God's help because they had turned away from God. Esther was confident in the faithfulness of God. She knew that God would not abandon them. Then she switched to appeal to the righteousness of God. It is no longer a matter of the survival of her people which was the inheritance of God. Their survival was a testimony of God's faithfulness before all nations, a demonstration of God's sovereignty.
And now they are not satisfied that we are in bitter slavery, but they have covenanted with their idols
to abolish what thy mouth has ordained and to destroy thy inheritance, to stop the mouths of those who praise thee and to quench thy altar and the glory of thy house,
to open the mouths of the nations for the praise of vain idols, and to magnify for ever a mortal king.
O Lord, do not surrender thy scepter to what has no being; and do not let them mock at our downfall; but turn their plan against themselves, and make an example of the man who began this against us.
Remember, O Lord; make thyself known in this time of our affliction, and give me courage, O King of the gods and Master of all dominion! (AddEsther 14:8-12)
God has chosen the Israelites to be His inheritance. This relation means their mutual existence. Israel exists because God exists and God exists because Israel exists. Of course, God can do away with Israel and choose some other peoples. But His existence must somehow be demonstrated by the existence of a Chosen People, be it Israel or any other people on earth. This Chosen People makes known to the world the existence of God. Of course, this is not the only way to prove the existence of God. It is one of the many ways. That is why Ezekiel, a priest turned prophet at the time of Captivity in Babylon, had proclaimed several times that God had delivered the Israelites many times before for the sake of His name (Ezekiel 20:9, 14, 22, 44; 36:22, 32). Therefore, we should be confident in the faithfulness of God.

Dear Lord, we are sorry for not living up to the name of Christian. You don't need us to manifest Your name. Rather, it is our honour to be Your chosen vessel to glorify Your name. Support us in difficult times to play our parts well. Amen.

When no hope is in sight

Few countries in ancient civilizations kept records of heroines, female heroes. Even if they did, these heroines never attained national status. Thanks to Walt Disney, western people now know that the Chinese has a heroine, Mulan who went to battle in her father's stead. However, the story cannot get rid of a romantic agenda. Mulan fell in love and got married. She was denied a national status. After all, the final destiny of a Chinese girl was to raise up children for her husband at home.
Jewish girls had a better luck. Stories of national heroines found their way even into the Bible. Judith, a beautiful widow, beheaded Holofernes, the chief general of the army of Nebuchadnezzar king of the Assyrians, saving her people. We know that Nebuchadnezzar was a Babylonian king, not Assyrian. Such a literary device serves the purpose of protecting the author from being persecuted by the ruling Gentiles. The story cheers the hearts of generations of oppressed people, keeping their faith in a God who will deliver them from the fate of extermination. The book of Judith, which was written in Greek, is excluded from the Protestant bibles.
Esther is a different story. It was written in Hebrew and occupies a place even in the Protestant bibles. Esther was raised up by her uncle Mordecai who was brought into exile from Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar the Babylonian king! Her story took place when King Ahasuerus was offended by his queen Vashti. Esther, a Jewish girl, was made queen because she found favour in the king's eyes. As the story unfolded, the Jews were in danger of extermination under the hand of Haman. With the help of God, Esther turned the table and had Haman hanged instead. Once again, through a girl, God saved His people in a foreign land.
Today, we read the prayer of Esther, which is found in Greek additions to the Hebrew text. Esther was in great fear because of the impending evil plan of Haman. She had nobody to turn to, except God.
Lord, thou only art our King; help me, who am alone and have no helper but thee (Esther Addition14:3)
For anyone put into dreadful situations, God is always there to help those who put their trust in Him. Esther knew her situation. Her people were subject to the hands of their enemies because they had rebelled against God and worshipped idols.
And now we have sinned before thee, and thou hast given us into the hands of our enemies,
because we glorified their gods. Thou art righteous, O Lord! (Esther Addition 14:6-7)
We need to recognize and admit our own faults before God takes any saving action. This is a crucial step. Without this, God's action will have no saving effects on us. After our deliverance, we will forget God and repeat the same mistakes all over again.
Esther saw the consequence which was bad not just for her people but also bad for God as well.
And now they are not satisfied that we are in bitter slavery, but they have covenanted with their idols
to abolish what thy mouth has ordained and to destroy thy inheritance, to stop the mouths of those who praise thee and to quench thy altar and the glory of thy house,
to open the mouths of the nations for the praise of vain idols, and to magnify for ever a mortal king (Esther Addition 14:8-10).
This reminds us of Jesus' advice.
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well (Matthew 6:33).
Truly, if we suffer, better suffer for righteousness.
For it is better to suffer for doing right, if that should be God's will, than for doing wrong (1 Peter 3:17).
No. Esther was more proactive. She did not just want to save her own life. She wanted to save the inheritance of God, the Jewish people.
O Lord, do not surrender thy scepter to what has no being; and do not let them mock at our downfall; but turn their plan against themselves, and make an example of the man who began this against us.
Remember, O Lord; make thyself known in this time of our affliction, and give me courage, O King of the gods and Master of all dominion! (Esther Addition 14:11-12)
O God, whose might is over all, hear the voice of the despairing, and save us from the hands of evildoers. And save me from my fear! (Esther Addition 14:19)
Fear is incapacitating. It reduces us into inaction, into a sitting duck to be shot. We need to overcome the fear in our hearts. God is our only cure.

Dear Lord, I pray for those who are living in fear. You are our hope. Reduce our fear into driving force to fight against the injustice surrounding us. Amen.

Esther's prayer

Today, we read of the prayer of Queen Esther of Persia in Esther 4. The prayer is not found in the shorter Hebrew version, but the longer Greek version. The story of Esther is the origin of the Jewish Festival of Purim. She was yet another heroine to deliver the Jews from their enemies.
Esther began her prayer with "Thou, O Lord, didst take Israel out of all the nations, and our fathers from among all their ancestors, for an everlasting inheritance, and that thou didst do for them all that thou didst promise." Yes, Esther had knocked at the right door. God always fulfilled His promises and covenant to the ancestors of Israel. There was no better place to go in times of serious troubles. Then she confessed the national guilt of worshipping foreign gods. Yes, we should know of our weaknesses, our shortcomings and our needs of God. Our sins should make us know of our unworthiness to receive God's grace. Yet, God our Father is all merciful and powerful. Esther then begged God "to make thyself known in this time of our affliction, and give me courage ...  and put eloquent speech in my mouth before the lion, and turn his heart to hate the man who is fighting against us, so that there may be an end of him and those who agree with him." Our times of needs are also occasions to glorify our God. He will take care and the rest is history.
Then we read Psalm 138. My heart holds dear the following verses:
For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he knows from afar.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou dost preserve my life;
thou dost stretch out thy hand against the wrath of my enemies, and thy right hand delivers me (Psalm 138:6-7). God is lofty, yet He regards the lowly. How consoling and reassuring it is in times of troubles. With so much technological achievements, we have become so self-centred that we easily forget that God transcends all. Yet, God is our Father. He is always near though we always ignore Him, disregards His guidance.
Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened (Matthew 7:7-8).
If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him! (Matthew 7:11)

My God, I dare not ask because I do not know how. I seek but always blindly. I never knock for there are so many doors behind which lie so many unknowns. Father, teach me to ask properly like Esther. Show me my needs for I always ask for the wrong kind of things. Guide my hand to knock at the right door that I may enter Your sanctuary. Amen.