Let’s Be Candid About Resurrection 且讓我們誠實地看待復活

Easter Sunday, Year B
Theme: Let’s Be Candid About Resurrection 且讓我們誠實地看待復活

We are historical animals and our understanding evolves with time. It is true in particular for us to fathom the infinite mystery of the Blessed Trinity, the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and that the Church as the Spouse of Christ etc. Therefore, modern Christians should not feel offended when they read of the testimony of Peter in the first reading today. Peter was testifying in the home of Cornelius, a Roman centurion and said; “This man God raised on the third day and granted that he be visible …” (Acts 10:40). Peter was not denying the divinity of Jesus Christ when he chose the term “This man”. On the contrary, we should not blame Peter for stressing too much about the humanity of Lord Jesus, the Son of God incarnate. It took the Church more than a few centuries to acknowledge the divinity of Jesus. We have our finite languages to blame only. Peter’s proclamation is simple. The God whom Cornelius worships is the God of all peoples. God accepts all who fear Him and act uprightly (10:35). Jesus Christ is the Lord of all (10:36) not just for all peoples on earth but also for all the living and the dead because God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and power (10:38). Though His own disciple betrayed Him and the Romans crucified Him, God raised Him on the third day, thus conquered death. This understanding does not come overnight. It takes time for us to unearth the mystery more deeply. Not only did Peter and John run with different speeds to the empty tomb, but their belief in the Risen Lord also came with different speeds too (John 20:8)!

Sometimes, the wording of Paul’s writings is not easy to follow probably because he was a deep-seated Pharisee before his conversion. We may not be able to appreciate some Jewish thinking that Paul had taken for granted while that Jewish worldview is alien to our cultural background. Take for an example the second reading today. Paul says, “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God” (Colossians 3:3). What does Paul want to convey with the choice of “hidden”? In context, Paul was talking about baptism as a death of the old self in carnal desires and the birth of a new self in spirit and truth. Thus Paul says, “If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above” (3:1). One literal meaning of “hidden” would then be “burial”. We bury our old self with Christ in baptismal immersion. On another level, some biblical scholars notice that the word “hidden” could probably a word play on “secret knowledge” which was popular among the Colossians. They were interested in angels, astral powers, cultic practices and ascetical disciplines etc. (2:15-18) Paul emphasizes that Christ alone is the reality and through knowing Christ and befriending Christ, we know the Truth!

However, I sense something else in the word “hidden”! In baptism, not only have we died and been buried with Christ, but we have also clothed ourselves with Christ (Galatians 3:27), “Put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh” (Romans 13:14)! By clothing ourselves with Christ, we may be energized by Him, like Elisha who received the spirit and power of Elijah by picking up the garment Elijah had left behind for him (2 Kings 2:13-14). Putting on clothes gives us power and authority to serve the needy. Perhaps this is what “putting on Christ” means.

On the other hand, clothes hide our nakedness, frailty and shame, thus giving us dignity. Indeed, this was how the Jews understood the forgiveness of sins by God. They thought of it as a covering of sins probably they believed that what had been done could not be undone. So, they believed that when God forgave, God did not remember and did not see their sins which still remained. For example, when the enemies of Jews mocked them for trying to rebuild the Temple, Nehemiah prayed to God, saying, “Do not hide their crime and do not let their sin be blotted out in your sight, for they insulted the builders to their faces!” (Nehemiah 3:37), “Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered” (Psalms 32:1, 85:3; Romans 4:7). Not only Paul but some other authors of the New Testament also talk about covering a multitude of sins (James 5:20, 1 Peter 4:8).

What about the concept of cleansing of sins. In the Old Testament, only three Major Prophets spoke of it (Isaiah 1:16, 4:4; Jeremiah 4:14, Ezekiel 16:9). The NT authors advocate a lot about the cleansing of sins by the blood or the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 6:11; Titus 2:14; 1 Peter 1:2; 1 John 1:7, Revelation 7:14 etc.). Therefore, it really challenges our imagination to read, “…These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress, they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb” (7:14b). Of course, it is not a chemical trick! We should not read it literally but should understand its symbolism instead. It is actually a fulfilment of the prophecy by Isaiah who says, “Come now, and let us reason together, saith the LORD: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow, though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

We greet each other “Joyous Easter” today. But let’s be candid. Do sins bother us after baptism? How often do you seek help and growth through the Sacrament of Reconciliation? Or do you go into the confessional like going into a washing machine, coming out clean? Regret to say that if we don’t receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we are cheating ourselves. If we go too often, we are denying the saving power of Jesus’ sacrifice or the sanctifying ministry of the Spouse of Christ! It is truly a dilemma! The reality is we are branches in time and Jesus is the True Vine in eternity. It takes time for us to secure an enriching and empowering relation with the Lord. We cannot become a super-hero overnight because our sinfulness remains even after baptism!

Beloved brethren! Perhaps a little imperfection is essential for our growth and failures will synchronize our dancing trots with Christ. Whatever our stations in life, bear in mind that proclaiming the Lord’s Resurrection is our major concern because it shows our love and care for our neighbour. If we do not feel the urge to evangelize, our hope becomes dim and our love shall extinguish soon. Amen!
God bless!

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2010 Reflection
Picture Credit: kcmifm.com

我們都是天父所揀選的 We Are Chosen by the Father

四旬期第二主日，丙年
主題：我們都是天父所揀選的

在四旬期第一主日，福音告訴我們耶穌基督如何三退魔誘。受造物中，祇有人類纔會受試探誘惑。動物不會，天使和魔鬼也不會。因為在一般的情況下，動物按牠們的本能生活，沒有所謂濫殺無辜，犯姦淫和說謊等。天使和魔鬼是定了型的靈體，他們各自擁有清晰的立場和任務，塵世間沒有甚麼事物可以改變他們，引誘他們。人類既是天主的肖象，能分辨善惡，又有天主賜予的自由。因此，宇宙間惟有人類經常處於「心神固然切願，但肉體卻軟弱」（谷14:38）的狀態之中，我們必需作出努力，纔能克服拉扯我們離開天主的誘惑。上一個星期的福音，告訴我們一個基督宗教的當信道理：耶穌基督是真正的人，祂的死亡是真實的，不是一個假象！在四旬期，我們與候洗者一起，用四十天的時間準備慶祝復活節。從耶穌基督三退魔誘的事蹟中，學習基督運用天主的聖言，幫助我們拒絕遠離天主。

今天我們耹聽耶穌基督顯聖容的事蹟，默想祂是真天主的道理。在默想前，讓我們澄清一些細節。耶穌顯聖容的事蹟，記載在三部對觀福音之中，發生在伯多祿宣認耶穌為默西亞和耶穌基督第一次預言受難復活之後。雖然耶穌基督想告訴他們復活的喜訊，可惜門徒接受不了他們的師傅，要前往耶路撒冷受死的計劃，伯多祿甚至想阻止耶穌，結果被耶穌斥責他是撒殫！後來，耶穌基督決定帶三名入室弟子，上山顯聖容，讓他們明白復活後分享天主永恆生命的光榮。

三部對觀福音之中，惟有路加福音記載了梅瑟，厄里亞與耶穌基督對話的內容：「他們出顯在光耀中，談論耶穌的去世，即祂在耶路撒冷必要完成的事。」（路9:31）希臘文原文並不是用「去世」一辭，而是「出谷」。即是說，耶穌基督將來在耶路撒冷受難，死亡，復活和升天，是一個「出谷」事件。耶穌基督的死亡和復活，是一個逾越到永生的程序。從此，信仰祂的人，死亡不再是灰飛煙滅，而是跨越到永生的門限，是一次「出谷」！我們與候洗者在四旬期的準備，就是準備一次「出谷」。候洗者準備逾越，度一個脫免罪惡奴役的基督徒恩寵生活；已經是基督徒的我們，準備再跨進一步，走近天父多一些，接受更豐盛的恩寵。

瑪竇福音和馬爾谷福音說是「六天後」（瑪17:1；谷9:2），路加福音卻說是「過了八天」（路9:28）。那麼究竟是「六天」還是「八天」呢？其實，「六天」還是「八天」並不重要，福音的作者這樣安排，自有他所希望表達的訊息。聖安博認為「八天」是指耶穌基督的復活，因為耶穌基督是在一周的第一天復活，亦可以說是第八天。聖安博說：「誰聽了基督的話並相信的，在復活時將會看見基督的光榮。」倘若我們聽了並相信耶穌基督的教訓，並在生活中為祂的復活作見證；在末日，我們也可以像三位宗徒一樣，享見基督聖容的光輝。

除了表示復活之外，「八天」也可以象徵神聖的集會。在舊約的法律和歷史事蹟中，多次提及「在第八天舉行盛大的，全民的神聖集會。」（肋23:36，戶29:35，編下7:9，厄下8:18）雖然在顯聖容時，門徒祇看見梅瑟和厄里亞兩個，並不算甚麼盛大的集會。但不要忘記，梅瑟代表了法律，厄里亞代表了先知，兩個人一起代表著整個舊約。因此，梅瑟和厄里亞代表著整個舊約的所有人物，把新的盟約交託到耶穌基督的手中。三位宗徒是教會的支柱，他們在現場，同樣代表著新約時代所開展的教會所組成的一個神聖集會，他們要向世界見證天父對世人的慈愛。

最後，按猶太人的習俗，在第八天為初生男嬰舉行「割損禮」，並給他起一個名字，使他正式成為猶太人團體的一份子！在描述雲中出現的聲音時，路加福音的記載很特別，說：「這是我的兒子，我所揀選的…」（路9:35）。我們的信仰，宣稱耶穌基督是天主子，是聖父所生，而非聖父所造。既是聖父所生的，為甚麼是「揀選」的呢？要知道路加福音是一本祈禱書。固然，他描述耶穌生平的時候，經常提及耶穌基督的祈禱，不但如此，路加把每件事蹟，都描述成為祈禱的材料。整個顯聖容的事蹟，是一個默想祈禱的材料，尤其是這句「這是我的兒子，我所揀選的」，不單指示耶穌基督本人的身份，更是指耶穌基督的奧體，祂的教會！我們與及所有候洗者，都是天父所揀選的！我們的「割損禮」就是「洗禮」，我們要割損的，不再是肉體上的包皮，而是我們的心靈（申30:6，耶4:4，羅2:29）。我們真是幸福，有幸被天父所揀選，他日將分享復活永生光榮的福樂！

各位兄弟姊妹，為了承受這幸福，今天我們應做甚麼呢？我們既蒙召成為聖徒，組合成一個神聖的集會。讓我們跟隨教宗方濟各在【你們要歡喜踴躍】的號召，在生活中活出「真福八端」的精神，朝著永生邁進，他日有資格分享耶穌基督的天主性！
天主保祐！

2016年講道

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Second Lenten Sunday, Year C
Theme: We Are Chosen by the Father

On the first Sunday of Lent, the gospel told us how Jesus Christ overcame temptations. Among the Creation, only human can be tempted. Animals won't be, neither be angels nor devils. It is because under normal circumstances, animals act according to their instincts. It is meaningless to say they kill the innocent, commit adultery and tell lies etc. Angels and devils are fixed spirits. Their stance and missions are fixed. Nothing on earth is able to tempt them to change their courses. But men were created in the image of God. They are able to know good from evil. Furthermore, God gave them freedom. Thus, only humans among the Creation always remain in a state of "The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak." (Mark 14:38) We have to work hard in order to overcome temptations that drag us away from God. The gospel on last Sunday tells us an important Christian dogma: Jesus Christ is genuinely human. His death is real, not an illusion! During Lent, we together with the elect shall spend forty days preparing for the celebration of Easter. We learn from Jesus' example of overcoming temptations how to make use of the Scriptures to refuse drifting away from God.

Today, we hear of the narrative of the Transfiguration. We meditate on the divinity of Jesus Christ. Before the meditation, let us clarify the context. The three Synoptic Gospel report the incident. It happened after Peter's Declaration of Jesus' Messiahship and Jesus' first Passion Prediction. Although Jesus wanted to tell his disciples the good news of resurrection, they could not accept their master's plan to suffer in Jerusalem. Peter even tried to stop Jesus. Consequently, Jesus rebuked him and called him Satan! Later, Jesus decided to take the core of the apostles to witness his Transfiguration, allowing them to understand the glory of partaking in God's eternal life after resurrection.

Among the Synoptic Gospel, only Luke mentions the contents of the exchanges between Jesus with Moses and Elijah, "Who appeared in glory and spoke of his exodus that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem." (Luke 9:31) The word "exodus" was used. That is to say, the passion, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ in Jerusalem would be an Exodus event. The death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a process of Passover to eternal life. From hence, for all believers, death is no longer an annihilation but a passover of the threshold to eternal life. It is an Exodus! Together with the elect, we prepare in Lent an Exodus once more! The elect prepare to passover to lead a Christian life of grace free from the bondage of sins. We, who are Catholics, prepare to move a step closer to the Father to receive more abundant life.

Matthew and Mark talks about "six days later" (Matthew 17:1, Mark 9:2). But Luke says, "About eight days after this" (Luke 9:28). Well then, was it six or eight? In fact, whether it is six or eight is not important. The Evangelists wish to express their messages with such arrangements. St. Ambrose opined that "eight days" refers to the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is because Jesus Christ rose on the first day of the week. It can be said to be the eighth day. St. Ambrose continued, "He who listen to the words of Christ and believe shall be able to see the glory of Christ at resurrection." If we listen and believe in the teachings of Jesus Christ and bear witness to his resurrection in our daily life, at the Last Judgment, we shall be able to see the glory of his countenance like the three apostles.

Other than resurrection, "eight days" also symbolizes sacred assemblies. In Torah as well as historical events in the Old Testament, "sacred assemblies of the people on the eighth day" were mentioned many times. (Leviticus 23:36, Numbers 29:35, 2 Chronicles 7:9, Nehemiah 8:18) Although the apostles only saw Moses and Elijah, which was not a big assembly, don't forget, Moses represents the Law and Elijah the Prophets, together they represented the whole of the Old Testament. Thus, Moses and Elijah represented all the people of the Old Testament to pass on the New Testament to Jesus Christ. The three apostles are the pillars of the Church. Their presence represented the sacred assembly of the Church inaugurated in the New Testament. They shall bear witness to the mercy of the Father to the world.

Lastly, according to Jewish customs, a male baby should be circumcized on the eighth day and given a name so that it would be formally declared a member of the Jewish community! The Lukan narration of the voice in the cloud is peculiar, "This is my chosen Son" (Luke 9:35). In Christianity, Jesus Christ is the Son of God, begotten of the Father, not made. If he was "begotten", why "chosen"? We have to appreciate that the gospel of Luke is a book of prayer. Of course, in telling the life of Jesus, Luke always mentions the prayings of Jesus Christ. Not only that, Luke narrates every event as materials of prayer. The Transfiguration is stuff for meditation and prayer. In particular, "This is my chosen Son" not only indicates the identity of Jesus Christ, but it also points to the Mystical Body of Christ, the Church! Together with the elect, we are chosen by the Father. Our baptism is the circumcision. We should circumcise, not the foreskins of our body but our hearts (Deuteronomy 30:6, Jeremiah 4:4, Romans 2:29). How blessed we are to be chosen by the Father to partake in the glory of eternal life after resurrection!

Brethren! In order to inherit this blessedness, what shall we do today? Since we are called to be saints, to form a sacred assembly, let us follow the call of Pope Francis in Gautete et Exsultate to lead a life in accordance to the spirit of the Beatitudes. Let us march ahead towards eternal life so that someday we may partake in the divinity of Jesus Christ!
God bless!

Sharing Deuteronomy for the first time

So far, this has been the third time Catholic teachers in Shung Tak meet and share together. It has been nearly 15 years since I came here and 35 years since I became a teacher in Catholic schools. Credit should go to Brenda to have started it.

For the first time, we met to recite the Vespers in the Ss Peter & Paul Church and went over to Brenda's house to dine and to whine. The second time, in response to a question raised by Vonnie about the extra books found in the Catholic Bible, I talked about 'A Tale of 3 Canons' in the School Heritage Room and later created a webpage about it. This time, I invited them all to read Deuteronomy during this Lent Season because Jesus answered Satan's temptations with quotations taken from Deuteronomy. Therefore, as followers of Christ, we should know what Deuteronomy talks about. In order to keep the momentum, we will meet on Fridays to share what we have read. This is our first meeting.

I understand that my colleagues have not built up a habit of reading the Bible daily. Therefore, whenever I met them during the week, I would push them a bit and check on their progress. Some are able to start but are put off by the language and unfamiliar names found in the first chapter of Deuteronomy. Some are apologetic about not being able to take up the Bible to study. It was my fault to have chosen a difficult book, a Law book for them. In order to ease their burden, I have prepared an outline, taken from an article in the Jerome Biblical Commentary edited by Fr. Raymond Brown.

Brenda supplied the bread and salmon spread. Zette offered her salad. I bought some fruits and we shared our lunch and Bible in the Teachers' Common Room. To kick off, I started with two other passages taken from the history books to demonstrate the importance of Deuteronomy: 2 Kings 22:10-11, Nehemiah 8:8-9. Why were king Josiah and later the Jews returned from exile so moved by Deuteronomy that they rent their clothes and wept?

Then I brought up the question of divorce in Deuteronomy 24 and Mark 10 to illustrate the relevance of Church teaching in our daily life. This topic turned out to be more attractive because Zette was newly married in February. The Catholic Church has always been conservative in people's mind and my colleagues were much fascinated to hear from me that there is a possibility to divorce even in the Catholic Church.

Lunch time did not allow us to indulge too much in endless sharing. I set the agenda for our next meeting: Compare the Ten Commandments as recorded in Exodus 20 and Deuteronomy 5. That should not be too overwhelming for my colleagues. Until then.

Dear Lord, guide us along. Amen.

Barnabas, the Levite, sold a field

Levi was the third son of Jacob by Leah (Genesis 29:34). When the family of Jacob settled in Egypt for more than four hundred years, this tribe brought forth Moses and his elder brother Aaron (Exodus 2:1-2). During the forty years of wandering in the desert, Moses had the support of his tribesmen. Therefore when the Israelites divided up Canaan, Joshua followed the instruction of Moses to order the eleven tribes to support the Levites. Probably the Levites settled all over Canaan in different tribes and were given the tithe, i.e. one tenth of the produce of the land. From this bare information, we gain the impression that the Levites did not own any land. But was it true? No. We need to read more.

I was always puzzled by the story of Barnabas. Here are the puzzling lines.
Thus Joseph who was surnamed by the apostles Barnabas (which means, Son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus,
sold a field which belonged to him, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet (Acts 4:36-37).
Why did Barnabas, a Levite, own a field? Were Levites not supposed to own any land? Wrong! A search with the key words "Levite" and "field" yields three entries: 2 Chronicles 31:19, Nehemiah 12:44, 13:10. The last one confirmed that Levites owned fields after the Babylonian exile.
I also found out that the portions of the Levites had not been given to them; so that the Levites and the singers, who did the work, had fled each to his field(Nehemiah 13:10).
Due to the mismanagement of the Temple by Eliashib the priest, the tithe for the Levites were neglected and they had to flee each to his field to earn his living. Of course, the situation was rectified by Nehemiah. But how did this ownership of field come about? We need to go all the way back to Moses.
The LORD said to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho,
"Command the people of Israel, that they give to the Levites, from the inheritance of their possession, cities to dwell in; and you shall give to the Levites pasture lands round about the cities." (Numbers 35:1-2)
Therefore, the Levites were given cities to dwell in and pasture lands round about the cities. Joshua carried out this command.
The cities of the Levites in the midst of the possession of the people of Israel were in all forty-eight cities with their pasture lands (Joshua 21:41)
Therefore, the Levites were given 48 cities with their pasture lands after the Israelites had entered Canaan. A lot of events had taken place before the age of the Apostles. Yet, the Levites were always entitled to own land. The impression that Levites did not own any land is wrong and it is the result of not reading enough Bible.

Priests dedicate their life for the service of God and His people. They deserve to be supported by God's people, following the Levite model. However, life on earth has evolved from being simple agricultural to complex industrial. The Church has grown from a simple community to a complex hierarchy. During the Apostolic age, believers could sell their property and lay the proceeds at the feet of the Apostles to distribute according to the need of each.
Now the company of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things which he possessed was his own, but they had everything in common (Acts 4:32).
But it lasted only for a short while in Jerusalem before the persecutions from the Jewish authority. Since then, this communist way of life was no more. Priests have to find ways to fend for themselves in this modern age.

Dear Lord, You teach us to lead a life of spiritual poverty. We rely on Your providence. You will provide (Genesis 22:8). Amen.

Feast of St. Jerome (Year B)

We celebrate today the feast day of St. Jerome (340-420) to whom we owe the Latin translation of the Bible. Like other Church Fathers, St. Jerome left us with commentaries of the Bible. They form the traditional opinions of the interpretation of Bible passages in the Catholic Church.

Today, we touch on the Second Book of Ezra, a.k.a. Nehemiah. He was appointed provincial governor to take charge of the rebuilding of Jerusalem. He restored the city wall, repaired the gate and together with Ezra, the priest and scribe, reformed the Jewish life after the Babylonian Captivity.
The book of Nehemiah began with some bad news for Nehemiah. It happened in the capital.
Now it happened in the month of Chislev, in the twentieth year, as I was in Susa the capital (Nehemiah 1:1b),
According to the Jewish calendar, Chislev was November 4 to December 3. Nehemiah heard some bad news about the city Jerusalem from his friends.
And they said to me, "The survivors there in the province who escaped exile are in great trouble and shame; the wall of Jerusalem is broken down, and its gates are destroyed by fire." (Nehemiah 1:3)
Nehemiah was very sad and prayed fervently to God. When the chance came, he brought the matter to the Persian king.
In the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence.
And the king said to me, "Why is your face sad, seeing you are not sick? This is nothing else but sadness of the heart." Then I was very much afraid (Nehemiah 2:1-2).
The month of Nisan was March 13-April 11. That is, the matter was raised four months later to the Persian King. Nehemiah was able to secure the support of the Persian King and the rebuilding project came to a satisfactory conclusion.

Here, I have learned two things. Timing is not an exact science. No doubt, timing is extremely important. Nehemiah did not bring the matter to the attention of the king. He patiently waited for four more months before he sprang into action! Truly, everything has its season.
a time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together (Ecclesiastes 3:5a)
Secondly, God holds all the trump cards. He made use of the Gentile nations to punish Israel. Later, He made use of the Gentile nations to serve them. The Jews were blessed indeed.

Dear Lord, on the eve of the National Day, I pray for my country. She is now engaging in more ambitious global roles. May she listen to and do Your will to allow the dissidents to help reform the country. You are the Lord of Lords. Glory be to You forever and ever. Amen.