沉默的大多數 The Silent Majority

二月六日
《希望的傳承者系列 V》
主題：沉默的大多數（谷6:14-29）

今天教會紀念在日本發生教難時的殉道者，他們的事跡並不驚天地、泣鬼神，而是見證了信徒如何面對天主的沉默。他們的見證，的確可歌可泣。二十世紀有作家把這些事跡編寫成小說，後來更拍成電影，進入觀眾心靈的深處。電影拍得頗為沉重，令人不期然問：「天主，祢還在嗎？為甚麼祢看見我們受苦，仍然袖手旁觀呢？」的確，面對有系統的迫害時，信徒沒有選擇的餘地，只好效法耶穌的沉默，堅忍地靜待天主的拯救。

可能自知劫數難逃吧，自始至終，若翰洗者並沒有選擇沉默。他被捕後仍然不停大聲疾呼，希望能喚醒黑落德安提帕的良心（谷6:20），好能迎接天主的受傅者，通過祂回歸天父的家鄉。這是若翰洗者的「望德」，一點也不是為自己的利益，是近乎「愛德」的「望德」！人類是有理性的個體，為了理想，連性命也可以捨棄，真是名副其實的「天主的肖像」（創1:26）！

但人類歷史畢竟是現實的，大奸大惡，滿手無辜者鮮血的人，遺臭萬年；藉著「立德、立功、立言」的人，成為萬世師表，名垂青史，在世人心目中成為楷模！至於那些「沉默的大多數」，他們的名字不會在史書上出現，當權者亦不加理會，直到他們發聲為止… 但願本文付梓之日，天主已妥善處理好伊朗的示威了！

各位親愛的兄弟姊妹，每個「天主的肖像」都是獨特的，所以不能強求劃一的殉道方式。作為「沉默的大多數」，讓我們依恃聖神，忍耐地為上主天主的美善作見證。「不呼喊，不喧嚷，在街市上也聽不到他的聲音」（依42:2），謙遜地做「上主僕人」，做「希望的傳承者」。我們的名字已寫在「生命冊」上了（斐4:3）。亞孟。
天主保祐！

---

生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：1971年電影《沉默》截圖

[Messengers of Hope Series V]
Theme: The Silent Majority (Mark 6:14-29)

Today the Church celebrates the Japanese martyrs whose stories might not be earth-shaking. Rather they bear witness to how disciples should stand during the silence of God. Their stories worth praising with psalms and songs. In the 20th century, a Japanese novelist wrote about them. The novel has been made into movies to enter into the psyche of the movie-goers. The movies are heavy. People naturally ask, “God, are you still here? Why don’t you help us when you see us suffer?” Indeed, standing before systematic persecutions, believers have no choice but to follow the example of Jesus’ silence, waiting patiently and steadfastly for God’s salvation.

Probably anticipating martyrdom, John the Baptist did not choose to remain silent. After being arrested, he continued to shout and yell, hoping to awake Herod Antipas’ conscience (Mark 6:20); to receive God’s Messiah through whom he would return to the Father. This was the Baptist’s hope which did no good to his own benefit, a hope nearly indistinguishable from charity! Human beings are rational and yet are willing to lay down their lives for some ideals and values. They are genuinely God’s image (Genesis 1:26)!

After all, human history is realistic. Historians record evil people whose hands were soaked with blood of the innocent. Historians also put into writing those exemplars whose virtues, legacies and philosophies build up our civilizations. As for the “silent majority”, their names will not appear in history books. People in power will ignore them until they start roaring … Pray that when this post goes public, God has already settled the protests in Iran.

Beloved brethren! Every “image of God” is unique. There is no standard way to suffer martyrdom. As members of the “silent majority”, let us rely on the Holy Spirit to bear witness patiently for the beauty and mercy of the Lord God. “He will not cry out, nor shout, nor make his voice heard in the street” (Isaiah 42:2). Let us be “Servants of the Lord”, be “Messengers of Hope” so that our “names are in the book of Life” (Philippians 4:3). Amen.
God bless!

感恩滋潤信德 Gratitude Breeds Faith

常年期第廿八主日，丙年
主題：感恩滋潤信德 Gratitude Breeds Faith

上一個主日，我們知道了信、望、愛三個「超性德行」之中，愛德最重要，因為它維繫和加深我們與天主的關係，保證了我們的得救。今天的讀經，啟示我們有關如何加強我們的信德。

首先，讓我們澄清第一篇讀經的一些背景。當時一統的以色列王國已經分裂為二，北面的以色列國與外族接壤，即今天的敘利亞，當時稱為「亞蘭」，首都是大馬士革。亞蘭王經常派兵南下搶劫，納阿曼是他器重的一員猛將，可惜納阿曼患有痲瘋病。另一方面，當時奉天主差遣在北國以色列宣講的先知是厄里叟，他是厄里亞先知的繼承人，以厄里亞的精神和權威，抗衡北國君民上下崇拜偶像的歪風。人稱厄里叟為「天主的人」。

納阿曼並不認識天主，是他妻子的一個從以色列擄回來做婢女的告訴主母，主人的病只有以色列的先知纔能醫治（列下5:3）。於是納阿曼稟告阿蘭王，王便寫了一封信，吩咐納阿曼帶去見以色列王，要求以色列王治好他（5:5-6）。以色列王耶曷蘭一讀了那封信，便撕裂自己的衣服，因為他帶領人民拜偶像，自知天主不會俯聽他的祈禱。阿蘭王明知他沒有能力醫治納阿曼，明顯是借故挑起戰事…（5:7）。 厄里叟聽說君王撕裂自己的衣服，便派人見以色列王叫納阿曼見他，到時，這個敘利亞人「就會知道在以色列有先知」（5:8）！言下之意，他有本領治好納阿曼。當納阿曼滿懷希望來到厄里叟門前的時候，厄里叟沒有出來接見他，只派了一個使者對他說，到約旦河裡洗七次， 便得痊癒（5:10）。納阿曼很氣憤，他原以為厄里叟會出來見他，站在他面前呼求天主的名，在他患處揮揮手，治好他的痲瘋（5:11）；豈料先知不出來見他，只吩咐他做一些與治病毫無關連的事；納阿曼當眾說，難道大馬士革沒有河水可以潔淨他嗎（5:12）？他調頭想離開的時，他的僕人們勸他冷靜下來，依照天主的人的指示去做，之後再作定奪（5:13）。

且讓我們停下來默想當中的一些教訓。第一，相信天主是由聽到好消息開始。好消息是甚麼？好消息因人而異，通常時指遭受到病患、不幸、挫折或損失等等的困擾時突然出現的出路/曙光，我們簡稱之為「福音」。我們對這福音認識不多，所以開始時通常抱著「姑且一試」的心態去接受，納阿曼就是一個典型的例子。而以色列王耶曷蘭是一個認識了天主，但卻是一個沒有信德和望德的典型，與不認識天主的納阿曼成了強烈的對比！我們應該引以色列王為戒，向納阿曼學習。作者寫這個故事的時候，用了對比的手法鋪排情節，給讀者留下深刻的印象。

第二，不認識天主的人對天主會有錯誤的觀念和期望，好像納阿曼一樣。例如，他們以為神跡是魔法，是誦唸一些咒語，做一些儀式便會發生異於常理的事。卻不知道神跡是天主的慈悲，是引領人認識祂，鼓勵世人回頭改過，與祂建立關係的標記。要知道醫治神跡絕不是肉體上痊癒那麼簡單，還有靈性層面上的意義。我們認識了這一點，對我們傳福音有很大的幫助。開始的時候，我們可能要遷就聽眾的錯誤，但往後必須加以糾正！

第三，彌撒中所有的讀經都是節錄的，是要取捨的。選讀的經文儘量傳達一些不會互相矛盾的訊息。例如第一篇讀經的故事，結尾就少了兩節，即第五章第十八、十九兩節！可能負責編輯禮儀的人不想節外生枝罷！但我個人認為這兩節是極為重要的，它們展示了納阿曼真心相信了天主；與及天主寬待所有相信的人。漏了這兩節，使整個故事停滯在肉體痊癒的層次，在靈性層次上卻失色不少，誠為可惜！所以，即使相信了天主的我們，對天主的認識原來還有很多進步的空間。各位兄弟姊妹，回家後請繼續默想《列下5:18-19》！

最後，不要小覷小人物的貢獻，倘若沒有以色列婢女的提示和納阿曼隨從的勸告，厄里叟先知的宣講是不會實現的。所以各位兄弟姊妹，天主喜歡給我們這些小人物立功的機會，請不要輕易放過任何宣揚福音和介紹未信教的親友入教的機會！另外，要學習納阿曼知恩報德的榜樣，全心敬拜天主和愛主愛人。

在默想福音訊息之前，也要認識一些古人的思想。第一，現代人知道痲瘋病是由真菌做成，今天可以用抗生素醫治。古人只知痲瘋病傳染性高，沒有醫治的方法，惟有把他們趕走或隔離，自生自滅。加上人們普遍認為這種疾病是神明的懲罰，痲瘋病人就是罪人，所以無論是猶太人或是外邦人，都由司祭，而不是醫生去鑒定病人是否真正痊癒。
路加福音第十章有一個「慈善撒瑪黎雅人」的比喻，聽起來好像批評猶太人，好像是種族的對比，其實是不同虔誠的對比，是儀式上的虔誠，還是愛德上的虔誠之間的對比！今天的故事，只有一個撒瑪黎雅痲瘋病人懂得回來光榮天主，感謝耶穌（路17:15-16），好像再一次批評猶太人。這樣解經就大錯特錯了！福音說明其餘九個人全部都是猶太人嗎？難道當中真的再沒有撒瑪黎雅人嗎？其實罪人是沒有國界的，猶太人、希臘人、中國人和撒瑪黎雅人都有，重點是全部都是須要天主拯救的人！今天的對比是數字上的對比，不是種族上的對比！是九個忘恩負義的人；和一個知恩感激的人之間的對比！

要知道「信德」是必須要由「感恩」來滋養的，在現代社會，感恩尤為重要。何解？絕症痊癒了，古代的人會感謝神明、更相信神明、更虔誠事奉神明。現代人絕症痊癒了，只會感激醫療團隊和先進的科技和儀器，甚至覺得是理所當然的，醫學昌明嘛！有多少人會記起應該感謝天主呢？這些人只會更努力賺錢來保命。到時，他們會轉為相信財神或借庫的觀音，他們還能保持，甚至加強自己的信德嗎？我深信，倘若沒有感恩之心的滋潤，信德遲早會枯萎！那麼，為甚麼耶穌說：「你的信德救了你」（17:19），而不是「你的感恩之心救了你」呢？簡單的回答是：這個懂得感恩的撒瑪黎雅痲瘋病人能保存他的信德，至於其餘九個痲瘋病人，因為沒有感恩之心的滋潤，他們遲早會喪失信德！到時，不知道他們可以憑甚麼獲得救恩了！

各位兄弟姊妹！雖然我們只需要小如芥子的信德，但它始終是脆弱的，需要我們悉心栽培。保祿宗徒的教導十分好：「你們甚麼也不要掛慮，只在一切事上，以懇求和祈禱，懷著感謝之心，向天主呈上你們的請求」（斐4:6）。亞孟。
天主保祐！

---

2022反省
圖片鳴謝：grok.com, ideogram.ai

殉道的價值 The Value of Martyrdom

基督苦難主日，丙年
主題：殉道的價值 The Value of Martyrdom

今天是「主受難的聖枝主日」，說起來有點兒累贅，於是我們簡稱之為「聖枝主日」。大家會好奇地問，既然是與聖枝有關，為甚麼今天的禮儀服式是紅色，而不是綠色呢？紅色一般象徵血或火，教會在慶祝殉道者；或者聖神的節日時，是用紅色的服式。所以今天慶祝的重點不在「聖枝」，而在主的流血受難。因此，一些神學專家喜歡稱之為「主受難主日」，而不是「聖枝主日」。

穿著紅色的服式，讓我聯想起婚禮所用的顏色！西式婚禮通常用白色，象徵了婚姻的純潔和神聖。但白色在中國的文化習俗中，卻是喪服的顏色；婚禮應該用紅色，不但有喜慶的意義，甚至有「沖喜」的作用！作為天主教徒，我們可以接受用紅色代表喜慶，但不能接受用紅色來「沖喜」的迷信！而我更喜歡以紅色象徵殉道的眼光來看待姻婚。婚姻生活是一種殉道的生活，這樣，婚姻的確是一件聖事！而中國的文化習俗，原來是可以「基督化」的！

為甚麼婚姻生活是一種殉道生活呢？讓我們來默想殉道的意義和價值，並且婚姻生活，如何活出殉道的精神。首先，「殉道者 martyr μάρτυς」一詞來自希臘文，是「見證」的意思；後來引申到指有些人犧牲自己的生命，為真理作見證、為理想而奮鬥的意思。儒家思想也有類似的教訓，例如：「朝聞道，夕死可矣」（論語‧里仁）。生命固然有價值，但「道/真理」比生命更有價值！此外，我們用「烈士」來表示那些犧牲自己生命讓其他人幸福的人，例如著名的「黃花崗七十二烈士」，他們都是為了推翻帝制，建立共和而獻出自己的生命。那麼，兩夫妻如何在姻婚生活中成為烈士/殉道者，犧牲自己的生命，讓其他人更幸福呢？而且婚姻生活，如何為真理、為理想作見證呢？現在，讓我們從我們信仰的根源，我們的主耶穌基督的受難中，看看祂如何犧牲自己，帶給世人幸福；並見證天父對世人的慈愛。

祇有兩部福音記載耶穌基督的誕生，而四部福音都記載了耶穌基督的受難經過，可見復活節比聖誕節更重要！天主子耶穌基督，服從天父的旨意（斐2:8），以新亞當的身份（格前15:45）死在十字架上，償還了亞當與及他的後代子孫，不服從天父的旨意所犯下的罪債。天主子犧牲了自己的性命，讓世人獲得更豐富的生命（若10:10b）！這就是殉道者的典範。兩夫婦在婚姻生活中，靠天主的助祐，生兒育女（創4:1）；他們把新生命帶來這個世界，帶給世界希望。生活在今天的商業社會中，為了維持生活水平，大部份的夫婦都有各自的事業。倘若要生兒育女，其中一位肯定要在一段不短的時間內，犧牲自己的事業，把時間、體力和精神，投放到兒女身上，使他們健康成長。這不是殉道是甚麼？

四位聖史記載的重點各有不同，描繪一個更立體的耶穌基督給讀者 。今年我們讀《路加福音》，且讓我們注意路加的一些「獨家報導」吧。第一，路加記載了耶穌基督的犧牲，比拉多和黑落德安提帕化敵為友（路23:12）。事緣當時比拉多失寵，凱撒貶他到猶大地方當總督。比拉多鄙視黑落德安提帕，因為他祇不過是一個傀儡王，大黑落德死後的一個猶大分封侯。安提帕當然不會賣帳，便處處與比拉多作對。比拉多不希望遺臭萬年，找到機會便推卸責任，把耶穌當做「禮物」送給安提帕（23:7）。安提帕這個狡猾的狐狸（13:32），當然明白這案件的嚴重性，戲弄完耶穌後，便把祂送返比拉多，作為「回禮」；釋出「善意」，以後一起合作，搜挖民脂民膏！耶穌的犧牲，不但讓罪人與天父修和，而且人與人之間，也有修和的機會！

在婚姻生活中，兩夫妻在姻親之間、在婆媳之間，經常成為「磨心」，當中的痛苦，有口難言。當然，沒有夫妻希望交上羅蜜歐與茱麗葉的悲劇命運，以自己的死，讓兩大家族修和。但這不就是婚姻生活中殉道的例子嗎？我們都是平凡的人，沒有甚麼轟轟烈烈的作為。祇要在生活中，學習耶穌基督的榜樣，「不論做甚麼，不從私見，也不求虛榮，祇存心謙下，彼此該想自己不如人；各人不可祇顧自己的事，也該顧及別人的事」（斐2:3-4），以這樣的心態履行天父的旨意，相信即便未能使姻親和睦，最少也可以減少不必要的磨擦，讓大家能更幸福地生活。

讓我們再默想多一個路加的獨家報導。另外兩部對觀福音都記載，同耶穌一起釘十字架的凶犯，也和群眾一樣譏笑耶穌（瑪27:44；谷15:32b），路加卻記載了一個「悔改的右盜」（路23:40-43）。他憑著信德，把希望押在耶穌基督身上。他在生命的最後一刻，獲得了天主子的許諾，「我實在告訴你：今天你就要與我一同在樂園裡」（23:43）。這位「悔改的右盜」，帶給世人，尤其是夫婦，一份希望！
生活在現代社會的夫婦，面對高企的離婚率，即使是王子與王妃的世紀婚禮，到頭來祇落得離婚收場。基督徒對婚姻能保持憧憬和希望，殊不容易，更遑論以自己的婚姻，為耶穌基督愛教會作見證呢？「右盜」有悔改的心意，承認自己罪有應得，更踏出一步，求耶穌基督「來為王時，紀念他」，他的身份，立刻由「強盜」，搖身一變成為「殉道者」，為真道服務、作見證，帶給罪人獲得永生的希望！夫婦之間，有悔改的心意嗎？有彼此寬恕的胸襟嗎？有愛配偶愛到痛的勇氣嗎？這不就是殉道嗎？

親愛的讀者，無論你是度獨身生活，還是婚姻生活，讓我們抱著殉道者的精神度我們的生活，帶給身邊的人更豐富的生命，我們便不枉此生了。亞孟。
天主保祐！

---

2022反省
圖片鳴謝：ideogram.ai

Place Our Hope in the LORD 上主是我們的希望

Second Advent Sunday, Year C
Theme: Place Our Hope in the LORD 上主是我們的希望

The Jews are an intelligent people but they are also extremely stiff-necked (Exodus 32:9, Deuteronomy 9:13 and Acts 7:51 etc.) Despite their chequered history, many Jews have contributed to different areas of human civilizations: philosophy, science, music, literature and banking etc. It proves that they are truly intelligent! When I was young and naive, I wondered why Jesus was not a Chinese but a Jew. I was confident that Chinese are as good as if not better than Jews. Nowadays, I am satisfied to be able to unearth traces of revelation the Lord God has left in the Chinese civilization. To a certain extent, Jews are a difficult, if not the most difficult people to deal with among humanity. If God is able to unfold His mercy, His salvation project through them, what other peoples is God unable to work with?

The first reading today is taken from the book of Baruch who was the secretary of Jeremiah the prophet. The text was a piece of consolation for the Jews during Babylonian Captivity as well as other times of persecutions in the future. The writing style was very Jewish. It made use of “Jerusalem” as a symbol of Israel. The glory of Jerusalem, viz. the First Temple which was built by King Solomon was burnt down and many Jews were exiled to Babylon which was in the East of Judah. But the text we read today already prophesizes the conquerors from the West! “Rise up, Jerusalem! Stand upon the heights; look to the east and see your children gathered from east to west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that they are remembered by God” (Baruch 5:5). Of course, you may argue that the Jews were conquered by Babylon in the east. Many Jews were exiled to Babylon but some were dispersed to the west. When time came, they returned to Jerusalem from east and west. But in history, Persia conquered Babylon, then Greece in the west conquered Persia and later the Roman Empire replaced the Greek one. Jews were truly dispersed, not necessarily exiled as before. You may argue that history is only repeating itself. But I have the freedom to read Baruch’s text as a piece of prophecy too! The LORD God speaks through Baruch to console Jews in captivity as well as future believers, be they Jews or not, that Yahweh shall not give up humanity. He shall deliver them from the bondage of sin. Egypt, Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome were but manifestations of human greed and pride.

Actually, Baruch’s message is in harmony with Isaiah’s which we will hear again later. “For God has commanded that every lofty mountain and the age-old hills be made low, that the valleys be filled to make level ground, that Israel may advance securely in the glory of God” (5:7). Sounds familiar, right? Yes, you have heard a similar message in Isaiah! “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, Luke 3:5). When the prophets were talking about mountains and valleys, they were using these images to symbolize the pride and depression in our hearts. Fast forward to Jesus’ time. When John the Baptist began his mission, he attracted many Jews who were expecting the promised Messiah to liberate them. Such a huge following alerted the attention of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Council, in Jerusalem. They needed to ascertain whether the Baptist was the Messiah and took action if necessary. Of course, the Baptist knew what God had sent him to do. He was only “A voice of one crying out in the desert” (Luke 3:4). His mission was to prepare the hearts of the Jews to receive the Messiah properly. It was an essential step because “And all flesh shall see the salvation of God” (3:6)! God intends to save all but humanity need to prepare their hearts properly in order to receive God’s salvation.

We know that pride prevents us from approaching God in humility which is essential for our salvation. But how would autism, depression, inferiority, introverts, low self-esteem, and slave mentality etc. prevent people from obtaining God’s mercy? Indeed, the LORD God is the embodiment of the truth and “the truth will set you free” (John 8:32). The LORD God is free and we, as images of God, should also be free from any form of slavery. Yet, freedom carries with it a moral burden that can be hard for people, namely that we are accountable for whatever we do. Without freedom, we can ignore the small voices of conscience within. That is how Erich Fromm explains in his book “The Fear of Freedom”, which was published in 1952, the rise of Nazism in Germany. On one hand, freedom is essential for us to fulfil our potentials but it can cause fear, anxiety and alienation. On the other, without freedom people would commit unimaginable atrocities without qualm! Though it sounds paradoxical, many people all over the world welcome authoritarian governments out of a fear of civil wars! No wonder many Israelites demanded Aaron to build them a golden calf to lead them back to Egypt, to the land of slavery instead of venturing into the Promised Land (Exodus 32:1-6)! They had accustomed to and were comfortable with slavery whereas the Promised Land was an uncertainty, and would cause a lot of anxiety in their hearts. Thus, not only do “mountains” in our hearts prevent us from approaching God, but “valleys” in our hearts also block us from turning back to the Father! How do we jump out of this plight?

Among the churches St. Paul set up, the Philippians had been the most successful. Despite a lot of hardship, Paul found consolations and joy in this church. He wrote to them in such words, “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus” (Philippians 1:6). Paul was admirable because he acknowledged God’s work while many people would take credit of whatever insignificant so-called achievements they have attained. In fact, no man is able to guarantee that his achievements would last. Only God is able to. Therefore, in order to jump out of the plights of “valleys” in our hearts, we need to invoke God’s mercy and help. We place our hope on Him because He is almighty and faithful. Yahweh honours His pledges. Paul reminds us that God will guarantee the completion of what He has started in us. What work did God begin in us? To start a new life in Jesus Christ. Why is this work, namely leading a new life in Jesus Christ, good? It is good because leading a new life in Jesus Christ, we become a source of blessing for all the people we meet. Hopefully when people see our love and our good deeds, they will glorify our heavenly Father (Matthew 5:16). When they do, they will surely receive the Father’s blessing! In other words, we have become a source, a channel of blessings for the others.

Now we know that God is happy to show us mercy. But how often does God answer our prayers? I am sure everybody is familiar with this God-not-answering-prayers experience. How then can we be so certain that the Father will do something to alleviate our pitiful situation? The gospel reading today sheds light on this issue of God’s absence in the world! In fact, God is actively participating in our daily lives. Unfortunately, we are living in a world of information explosion. We bathe and submerge ourselves in a sea of information for relaxation and communication with people. The situation has become worse with the rise of Artificial Intelligence. The content providers on the Internet deploy AI to compute our likes and dislikes to push contents through the social media to us. We are constantly bombarded by filtered information which we have shown interests in. Our attention is saturated and the background noises are making God’s voice inaudible. In the gospel reading today, we heard of “During the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert” (Luke 3:2). Indeed, there are too many noises in the city: commercials, political propagandas, fake news, gossips and video shorts etc. to drain out God’s voices. We need to find our own wilderness where there is no WiFi and no electricity in order to listen to what God is speaking to us. Only then can we invoke His mercy to deliver us and to strengthen us so that we may become a genuine channel of God’s blessing to the world. Amen.
God bless!

---

2021 Reflection
Picture Credit: christianpublishinghouse.co

Not Thinking As God Does 不體會天主的事

Twenty-Fourth Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: Not Thinking As God Does 不體會天主的事

Today, we read of the story of Peter’s Confession about Jesus in the gospel of Mark and Jesus’ First Prediction of His Passion (Mark 8:27-35). However, Mark’s narrative of Peter’s Confession is incomplete because Peter was reticent about Jesus’ making him the Rock on which to build His Church (Matthew 16:18). Leaving it out diminishes the tension of the following prediction of Jesus’ upcoming Passion. First of all, we have come to the turning point of Mark’s gospel. It was high time Jesus turned towards Jerusalem to accomplish His mission. He and His disciples were heading towards the villages of Caesarea Philippi (Mark 8:27a). Jesus conducted an innocent enough mini-opinion poll among the disciples, “Who do people say that I am?” (8:27b) because He had been preaching the gospel of reconciliation since the death of John the Baptist. It seemed appropriate for Jesus to conduct some mid-term evaluation before He proceeded further. In general, the opinions were positive. People thought that Jesus was John the Baptist, Elijah and probably the Prophet mentioned by Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). Those opinions had one thing in common. In general, prophets had challenged people in power such as state officials and even kings. More specifically, Elijah and the Prophet mentioned by Moses would appear at the end of world. In short, people anticipated Jesus to be a political Messiah to liberate them from the colonial rule of the Roman Empire just as Moses had liberated the Israelites from their slavery in Egypt. Of course, Jesus’ first question was only an appetizer. The main course was yet to come.

Jesus seemed to know the answer already and He was looking for something else. So He asked the next question, “But who do you say that I am?” (8:29a) Indeed, others’ opinions, whether they be the Pope’s or our catechists’ or what not, are not crucial. It is our personal opinions and thus our personal relationship with Him that Jesus cares. Of course, relationships take time to grow and to mature. Thus our relationships with the Lord might be shallow and naïve at the beginning. When we go through tribulations in our life, we gain more experiences and our perspective would widen. We would invest more affection in the relationship and in turn it becomes more fulfilling and rewarding. Moreover, the growth might not be linear and unidirectional. The projectile might be spiral or zig-zag. Sometimes we might complain and might even want to give up because the relationship proves to be painful and too sour at times! Jesus cares and would carry us through rough times on His shoulder. This is reflected in the popularity of a Christian poem “Footprints in the Sand” which many people lay claim on its authorship last century!

Now, let’s return to Peter’s Confession. How was his confession, namely “You are the Messiah” (8:29b), different from the others’? The weight of Peter’s Confession was downplayed in Mark. Jesus’ remark in Matthew explained why He gave Simon the title “Peter” and on this “Peter” He would build His Church. Jesus says, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father” (Matthew 16:17). This implies that God the Father has chosen, among the Twelve, Simon Peter to be bed-rock of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. Of course, Peter was a mere mortal and his personality was flawed. Yet, God has demonstrated throughout the Bible that He likes to choose the underdogs to accomplish His projects, “Lest Israel vaunt itself against me and say, ‘My own power saved me’” (Judges 7:2b). With this piece of extra information from Matthew, the tension of the subsequent prediction of Passion would be more heightened! Even God’s Chosen One would fall nearly immediately! Who on earth could inflate his own ego? So how should we understand Jesus’ calling Peter “Satan”?

Throughout the centuries, people have “demonized” Satan more and more in order to make more money. Originally, the word “שָׂטָן Satan” means adversary. For example, in the story of Balaam, “the angel of the LORD took up a position on the road as his adversary” (Numbers 22:22) and in the story of David, “But the Philistine commanders were angered and said to him [Achish]: ‘Send that man [David] back … during the battle he might become our enemy…” (1 Samuel 29:4). Therefore, when Jesus rebuked Peter, “Get behind me, Satan …” (Mark 8:33b), Jesus might not mean the superhuman arch-adversary, but an obstacle in His salvific mission! But can we understand it as an exorcism to liberate Peter? I opine that this speculation is unnecessary because Jesus explains Himself saying, “You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do” (8:33c). Jesus was talking to Peter and not to Satan. He was correcting Peter’s mistakes. But wasn’t Jesus too demanding and unfair in pitching God against human beings? After all, Simon Peter and all of us are mere mortals. Of course we think as human beings do!

Being human beings should not be an excuse from fulfilling our genuine destiny. Don’t forget that God created us in His own image (Genesis 1:26). It is written in our souls/DNA’s that we should be like God in every aspect to different degrees. Each and every one of us is gifted in different manners, meaning that we are efficient in different aspects, some verbal, others numerical and yet others musical etc. It is our mission to manifest fully all these God-given talents. God is creative. So we are. God is free. So we have freedom which even God respects. God knows good and evil. So we do, though to a limited extent because we do not possess an infinite intellect. God is love (1 John 4:8) so we are able to go out of ourselves to love. This is what St. James means when he says in the second reading today, “Demonstrate your faith to me without works, and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works” (James 2:18b). What does it mean to love? Simply put, it means to care for and to meet the needs of the poor, of those who are unable to speak for themselves and to fight for their own needs. Lastly, God is majestic. So we are dignified. “That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine like lights in the world” (Philippians 2:15). Alas! Times and again, we are complacent and hide ourselves inside our comfort-zones. So, the Son of God incarnates and speaks a language which we are able to understand so that with His revelation and guidance, we may emerge from our comfort zones to lead a more authentic, caring and fulfilling life as the adopted children of God.

Beloved brethren! Watching the competitors in the Paralympic Games should inspire us that all of us are capable of going out of ourselves to overcome our limitations to scale greater heights and lead a more fulfilling life. Therefore, Jesus is not demanding the impossible but showing us the way home (John 14:6). His advice is the only effective antidote to help us sail safely through the stormy waters to return to the Father, “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me” (Mark 8:34b). Let us put in our efforts like Paralympic archers to find our true home. God will provide. Amen.
God bless!

---

2021 Reflection
Picture Credit: creator.nightcafe.studio

To The Point of Death 至死

To The Point of Death 至死

As of this writing, my ex-student is dying of lung cancer. From the family members, I learnt that his organs are failing and the only consciousness available is hearing. The hospital staff encourage visitors to speak as much as possible to him to support his passing away. When the appropriate moment comes, the hospital will switch off the life-supporting system. In my last visit which was also the first, I administered the Holy Communion to him. The readings on the monitors fluctuated so vigorously that the nurse had to increase the amount of cardiac drips lest his heart would be overloaded. Today the readings were steady even when I put the Carmelite scapular I brought from my Church on him and thus his condition was deteriorating.

I sat beside his bed for two hours, watching his rhythmic breathings of concentrated oxygen: two inhaling and one exhaling, like almost involuntarily reflexive. Had he become a comatose, I wondered? I started saying the Sorrowful Mysteries in English. After two Hail Mary’s, I could not maintain my composure. My voice became choky and tears were gushing out. I stopped and started all over again in Latin. Then I was able to finish the Sorrowful Mysteries as well as the Glorious Mysteries slowly and steadily within two hours. I must have drowsed off in the course of recitation.

Like all ordinary men, I evaded pains. Seeing my ex-student undergoing excruciating pains, I would imagine my wife, my children and all my loved ones suffering like him. I think most people prefer suffering pains themselves to seeing their loved ones suffer. Who is able to take total control over his own life? Nobody! Alas, suffering is inevitable. If we cannot withstand it, we will conjure up some defence mechanisms to evade it or repress it. Though both English and Latin are not my mother tongue, I feel less pain when I say the Rosary in Latin.

Today, we celebrate the Lord’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem to kick-off His Passion. St. Paul summarizes it in a broad stroke, “He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:8). Christ is humble because as a king coming into His own land, He was born in a manger; led the life of a carpenter in a small town and lastly entering the capital, riding on a colt (Mark 11:7). They striped him naked to crucify Him and drew lots to divide his garments (15:24) and in the end, His Pharisee friends buried Him in some other people’s tomb (15:46). He truly humbled Himself and possessed nothing on earth!

Jesus obeyed the Father’s will. During the Agony in the garden of Gethsemane, He begged the Father trice to spare Him of this cup of suffering, but not what He willed but what the Father willed (14:36). During and after His arrest, Jesus had many opportunities to evade condemnation but He did not. During the arrest, He would have walked past the band of soldiers in darkness and in confusion as He had done many times before in broad daylight but He did not. He would have remained silent in the Sanhedrin (14:62) and flatly denied to be the king of the Jews before Pilate (15:2) but He did not. He refused to jump down from the cross, abandoning His last chance to evade the cup of suffering and persevered to the end hanging on the cross for six hours (15:25, 34)! He truly became obedient to death, even death on the cross. Jesus did not evade sufferings but embraced them.

At 9:45 pm, I read the message of his passing away. Allow me to stop to grieve. They have been so endearing to me. Amen.

---

Photo Credit: Classmates of 5C, 1981.
2021 Reflection

錯不在我 It is Not My Fault

錯不在我 It is Not My Fault

「電視餸飯」 相信是很多香港人生活習慣的一部份，而且經過歲月的洗煉，我們已建立了一套品味，把某些電視台或電視節目篩走了，祇花少許時間看「晚間新聞」。慶幸無論是那一個本地電視台，總要按「發牌協議」，播放外交部發言人的官腔。作為大國國民，我們當然要聽這些「重要講話」，並加以學習。聽多了，在發言人未開腔前，我們已經可以替他說：「錯不在我云云」。這句話不但成了外交部的金句，原來也是聖經金句！

當我還在課堂上教授《創世紀》的日子，我經常問同學們：「亞當姓乜？」答案： 「亞當姓『賴』，佢嘅全名係『賴亞當』。老婆跟老公姓，所以叫『賴厄蛙』！」點解？「因為天主問亞當點解食『禁果』嘅時候，亞當將責任推到天主同厄娃身上（創3:12）。當天主輪到問厄娃嘅時候，佢不愧係由亞當嘅肋骨造成，將責任推到蛇嘅身上（3:16b）。」感激外交部發言人，經常重提這段聖經金句，提醒我們，人類的劣根性是如此根深蒂固，揮之不去！

耶穌基督不但教訓我們得救的法門，而且身體力行給我們示範了！亞當違反天主的命令（2:17），闖下瀰天大禍；耶穌基督絕對服從天父的旨意（谷14:36b），「聽命至死，且死在十字架上」（斐2:8）。那麼，耶穌有沒有教導我們戒除「推卸責任」的惡習呢？當然有，答案在今天所讀的福音裡！主說：「你若在祭壇前，要獻你的禮物時，在那裡想起你的弟兄有甚麼怨你的事，就把你的禮物留在那裡，留在祭壇前，先去與你的弟兄和好，然後再來獻你的禮物」（瑪5:23-24）。

如果兄弟怨我確實是我的錯，向他認錯修和是理所當然的。倘若「錯不在我」，難道我還要向他認錯嗎？真是理直氣壯！試問「錯不在耶穌」，難道祂要為罪人釘死在十字架上嗎？作為祂的門徒，難道我們不應放下身段，造就一個讓兄弟回頭悔改的機會嗎？即使一次又一次死不悔改，我們還要繼續低聲下氣向他認錯嗎？對不起，主耶穌說：「我不是對你說：直到七次，而是七十個七次」（18:22）。 親愛的兄弟，你有後悔跟隨了耶穌嗎？
天主保祐！

---

圖片鳴謝：byonespiritministries.wordpress.com

Attainment Of Peace 獲得平安

Sunday in Lunar New Year
Theme: Attainment Of Peace 獲得平安

Sure enough, our experiences and learnings determine our present actions. However, on top of experiences, anticipations also affect our present decisions. Whether your actions are reactive or proactive, the past together with the future cause the present! Since the future is not a certainty, the future creates worries in us. A peace of mind is a rare commodity for many people. Blessed are those who are able to attain a peace of mind.

During Lunar New Year, the Cantonese usually wish each other “Kung Hei Fat Choy恭喜發財” which literally means, “Wish you make big money”. Of course, we know that money cannot buy everything. However, for most people, possession of wealth increases their sense of security and reduces their worries. Another popular blessing is “Sun Tei Kin Hong身體健康” which means, “Wish you a healthy body”. Surely, with a healthy body, we can achieve more and spend less money in medicines. Again, a good health increases a person’s security. Of course, there are other blessings such as “Sun Nin Chun Pou新年進步” which means, “Make progress in new year” and “Man Sze Sing Yi萬事勝意” which means, “Everything surpasses your expectations” etc. All these blessings and well wishes show how proactive people are. However, the first two common Lunar New Year wishes reveal as well how insecure the Cantonese are!

As Cantonese Catholics, we share similar insecurities of our folks. The question is, does the value system of Christianity help alleviate those insecurities? In the second reading today, St. Paul says, “Have no anxiety at all but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests known to God” (Philippians 4:6). Christians believe in a God who is almighty and has created this known universe. Logically speaking, they should have no anxiety at all. Alas! Had the Philippian Christians had no anxiety, St. Paul would not have written such an exhortation! Thus, believing in an almighty God does not remove anxieties. Christians worry for many good reasons. For example, Christians in some countries are a religious minority and they receive exploitations and persecutions. Christian morality goes against the flow to produce many social conflicts and when Christians are the majority in a city and the local Church becomes too powerful, she falls prey to scandals etc. To add fuel to fire, our God allows the good and the innocent to suffer for no apparent purpose just as we meditated last week! A peace of mind is in short supply!

However, the Christian God is more than an omnipotent God. He allows sufferings for a good reason. Moreover, He sent His only-begotten Son to incarnate, to live among us and to die for us. For our good, His only-begotten Son even does not run away from suffering in order to accompany us and to liberate us. That is the confidence St. Paul has to support his exhortation. He continues, “Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (4:7). Indeed, an omnipotent Creator God is not sufficient to remove all our anxieties. With the Son of God always accompanying us on our earthly pilgrimage, we enjoy a security “not as the world gives” (John 14:27). To echo John’s ode of “From His fullness we have all received, grace in place of grace” (1:16), St. Paul continues to advise the Philippians, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honourable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is gracious, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8). Alas! What are all these things if not the fruits of the Holy Spirit! In short, Christian sense of security comes from the Blessed Trinity.

Jesus Christ has laid down the Christian value system more than two thousand years ago in the Beatitudes before all modern ideologies. Why do subsequent governments that come to power not follow, making the teachings of Christ so “revolutionary”? I think it is because many leaders seek immortality but have taken whatever shortcuts available to them. The Beatitudes are path to immortality because God created men in His own image (Genesis 1:26) and God is immortal. Men would have been immortal had Adam obeyed God’s instruction (2:16-17). Human beings can only live for at most 120 years (6:3). However, immortality is still within reach. The seed of immortal still lies dormant within our souls as well as our bodies (Romans 8:23) and Jesus Christ teaches us how to unlock and nurture this immortality in the Beatitudes: poverty, mournfulness, meekness, hunger and thirst for God’s salvation, mercy, purity of heart, peace making and martyrdom (Matthew 5:3-10). In the modern world where life is convenient and comfortable, who wants to be poor, to mourn, to be bossed around, to give up fighting, to forgive, not to have contingency plans, not to stab backs and lastly to die martyrdom? People adopt an entirely opposite approach in life because they need security and the Beatitudes offer them none! In order to attain immortality within the available time-span, they take shortcuts: accumulate wealth and power ruthlessly without any remorse, keep fighting to gain upper hands, deny rivals a second chance, have Plan B and Plan C etc. in their sleeves, to stir up conflicts in order to gain advantages and lastly to silence all dissidents etc. Good Christians, do you see what kind of war you are fighting? How do we fight back? A tit for tat or to give offenders a second chance? Imposing concerted punishments or to hunger and thirst for God’s righteousness?

The recent “Messi Mess” in Hong Kong gives us ample food for thought during this Lunar New Year. It is ample because this incident involves more than the three parties concerned: namely, Inter Miami, Tatler Asia, the HKSAR government and higher powers behind.
Beloved brethren! It is time to take out your value system and polish it. On which side are you, God’s or the world’s?
God bless!

---

Picture credit: times.com, singtao.com

Are You Happy With Your Joy? 你對你的喜樂滿意嗎？

Gaudete Sunday, Year A
Theme: Are You Happy With Your Joy? 你對你的喜樂滿意嗎？

Upon routine rapid test on December 14, I found myself COVID positive. The symptoms were mild but it might indicate that my resistance mechanisms were weak. For charity’s sake, I should retire myself from works to focus on the combat with this new strain of virus. Meanwhile, I can put away my routines and spend more quality time with the merciful Lord. Since I’m not able to assist mass physically, I attended mass online and listened to the homily of Cardinal John Tong whom I usually assist. It was good. Perhaps assisting masses is no substitute for attending masses.

This Sunday is named Gaudete Sunday after the Entrance Antiphon taken from “Gaudete in Domino semper: iterum dico, gaudete. Dominus enim prope est” (Philippians 4:4-5). The time has come for us to be joyful because the Lord is near. Christmas is just around the corner. Are we well-prepared to celebrate the birth of the Saviour of the World?

Without mentioning Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the Cardinal says that there are three levels of joy: physical, mental and spiritual. Chocolates, tasty foods, vintage wines and a comfortable dress bring physical joy. A spacious flat, stable income, love, praises, winning a competition and achieving a goal bring mental joy. However, men were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26) who is Spirit (John 4:24). Therefore, nothing on earth is able to bring us spiritual joy except God Himself. God and God alone can give us an authentic and fulfilled joy. Regrettably, many people are shallow and short-sighted. They attempt to find joy in physcial and mental realms which they are able to control and manipulate but fail to fill up the spiritual void inside. The harder they work, the greater the void they uncover. A vicious cycle is created! Good of them because some complacent souls simply don’t care and blindly stay there for safety’s sake. God is merciful. The day will come when such complacent souls shall feel the urge to move ahead.

The Cardinal continues to illustrate the role of John the Baptist. Like the moon which is not itself a source of light but a mirror of the sun, John the Baptist “is not the light, but came to testify to the light” (1:8). The merciful Lord respects our autonomy and does not want to force us to believe in Him and to love Him. Jesus Christ did not continue staying on earth after resurrection. After forty days, He ascended into heavens and left the evangelization work to the Church. We were baptized into this Church, this community of the redeemed. Therefore, to a certain extent, all Christians are Baptist’s to testify to the merciful Christ! There are many people who do not know the Saviour and are in need of our passing on of this good news. No mirror is perfect, not the moon and not even John the Baptist. All of us are flawed but the light source we testify to is so powerful that our imperfections are neglibile in reflecting His glory. Do we find joy in testifying to the merciful Lord?

As a community of the redeemed, the People of God on earth, the Church sees herself in different images in different ages. Nowadays, the Church has come out of her superiority complex and sees herself at the service of the world. She identifies herself with the poor, the socially marginalized and stand by them. Unlike previous ages in which the Church was able to command respect and resources, she herself is also being marginalized by the powerful and wealthy of the world nowadays. Many world leaders are ignoring her presence while social media are eager to expose her scandals. It is truly challenging to believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church in the twenty-first century! In order to stand firm, we need to go deeper into the root. In other words, we need a deeper communication with our Lord.

Like any social institution, the history of the Catholic Church is checkered. While she claims to be the embryonic Kingdom of Heavens, a kingdom of justice and love on earth, a lot of atrocities and brutalities were committed in her name! While she claims to be the Perfect Society on earth, her clergy was not exempted from abuses and corruptions to fatten themselves. Yet, no matter how ugly at times the Church has been in human history, Jesus Christ her Spouse has not divorced her. Saints popped up in different ages to restore and revigorate her. In time, the Catholic Church has built up a great treasure trove of graces: writings of Church Doctors, sacraments and different schools of spiritualities to meet the different needs of all peoples. It is true that laziness is a human nature. Men are intelligent. Sooner of latter they will be able to develop procedures to run tasks more efficiently, saving their energies. Some may be satisfied and stay put. Luckily, some won’t be satisfied easily and crave for more!

The Catholic Church opts for the poor. She believes that Jesus Christ is present among the poor and the needy who are waiting for us to extend a helping hand to serve Him (Matthew 25:40). Here lies the challenge. It is not always easy to identify Jesus Christ in, say a mental patient one visits in hospital or a convicted notorious female murderer in prison. I’m able to adore the concealed Christ in the Tabernacle in a safe and warm environment on Thursday evenings in a church. But how am I able to get somehow connected, not to mention adore, with those inmates mentioned above? I really have no answer. Perhaps I find my joy in shallow levels and need to dive deeper in my prayers. May the Lord have mercy on my soul. Amen!

---

2020 Reflection
Picture Credit: thehill.com

How To Avoid Expulsion 如何保住一席位？

Twenty-Eighth Ordinary Sunday, Year A
Theme: How To Avoid Expulsion 如何保住一席位？

I am sure most people on earth paid most of their attention on the conflict between Israel and Hamas during the past week. Many were caught unprepared and were shocked hearing the unsubstantiated atrocities on civilians, in particular on children. Some of them quickly think of the imminence of the end of the world in their flight of fantasies and post them on Youtube. Is the end of the world just around the corner? God knows (Mark 13:32)! In fact, they are not alone in imbuing their minds with such fantasies. Even the spokesmen of God sometimes did similar things, with a difference.

The first reading today is taken from one of the many series of oracles in the book of Isaiah, known as the Apocalypse of Isaiah, chapters 24-27, which biblical scholars believe reflect the situation of the southern Judah Kingdom during the 8^th century B.C. Isaiah 24 paints a gruesome end-of-the-world scene. But readers need not be gloomy because a proper understanding of end time prophecies should also include what follows the catastrophes leading to the end. Today, we read of the joy and peace after the destruction of many, both the righteous as well as the wicked.

Before we delve into details, may I remind you of God’s style of revelation. To cater for our lack of intelligence and understanding, God starts vaguely and makes His messages clearer and clearer in steps. For example, the Lord God promised to make Abraham a great nation (Genesis 12:2a) when he did not even have a son! Later, the Lord God made His promise clearer, “I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth” (13:16). Then the Lord God made His promise even clearer. He took Abraham outside his tent and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars, if you can. Just so will your descendants be” (15:5). To give more substance to His pledge, the Lord God made a covenant with Abraham (15:9-17). But a nation with a large population is not necessarily a great nation. Finally, the Lord God promised that kings would stem from him and his wife Sarah (17:6, 16). Perhaps God intends “the great nation” to be something even bigger and revelation does not stop there. Who knows? Therefore, don’t expect the Lord God to be very specific in details about the end of the world. He will surely remain vague for a long time to come. Moreover, it is stupid of you Christians to lift a single verse out of context to prove your point. You do not respect the Lord your God when you do not follow His way of doing things. Quote more fully and extensively when you want to prove your knowledge of the Bible.

Prophets speak in poetry. Therefore, the language is vague and laced with symbols. For example, the first line of the first reading today reads, “On this mountain the Lord of hosts will provide for all peoples” (Isaiah 25:6a). “This mountain” refers to Mount Zion which is, in itself, a symbol of the kingdom of heaven. Catholics interpret “Mount Zion” to mean the Catholic Church which is catholic in admitting all peoples into her fold. Though some clergy are harsh and traditional in outlook, others are more liberal and merciful. Thus, we should expect meeting a mix of both fervent and non-practising parishioners in the Church. But the kingdom of heaven symbolizes even bigger things as well. It can also refer to the blissful life in the Paradise. Narrated in decorative symbolic language, the Lord God throws a banquet of “rich food and choice wines” (25:6b).

Further down, we meet yet another symbol. The oracle continues, “On this mountain He will destroy the veil that veils all peoples, the web that is woven over all nations” (25:7). Here, the veil cannot be any ordinary face masks we put on these days. It must be something big enough to cover all peoples! Knowing that poetry employs “repetition” as one of its many techniques and if we cannot figure out the meaning of a symbol immediately, read on! The poet will further embellish his point until the readers understand. In fact, the very next verse gives the answer, “He will destroy death forever” (25:8a). “Veil” and “web” symbolize different aspects of “death”. There is yet another beautiful image which appears again in the last book of the Bible, “The Lord God will wipe away the tears from all faces” (25:8b). Christians, you should not feel gloomy reading news about the end of the world and mislead people on Youtube. You should welcome and embrace such news because you are supposed to be able to see what lies beyond death! Otherwise, I doubt very much whether you’ll NOT be kicked out even if you were baptized in the name of the Blessed Trinity.

The gospel passages in the past few weeks are related and heading towards an end, the Last Judgment! In the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard on the 25^th Sunday, at the end of the day, the landowner paid the workers. The smell of Apocalypse was not obvious but is definitely there: reward at the end [of the world]. In the parable of Two Sons on the 26th Sunday, a judgment is passed. The smell of Apocalypse was stronger. It was even stronger in the parable of Wicked Tenants last Sunday. Not only a judgment was passed but a sentence was also mentioned. Today in the Parable of the Wedding Feast, we hear of “The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city” (Matthew 22:7) and “Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth” (22:13). A total of two punishments are mentioned for two different groups of people! Obviously, the wicked are and should be destroyed and sentenced to hell after death! The Judgment Day is revealed gradually. It is definite and not a metaphor. Such is the signature of God’s modus operandi!

The Israelites/Jews were those invited first. They were the Chosen People who had entered into a covenant with the Lord God. By the merit of Abraham, their ancestor, they have secured their advantage over all other peoples on earth. Yet, some ignored the guarantee/covenant. Some were annoyed by the prophets whom the Lord God sent to remind them. They murdered the messengers who carried the reconciliation message! Thus, they deserved to suffer under the Assyrians, Babylonians, Greeks and finally the Romans. Notice that the Lord God had only “destroyed” the murderers, but not those who ignored the invitation. Moreover, He had not “annihilated” the murderers “For I find no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies --- oracle of the Lord God. Turn back and live!” (Ezekiel 18:32) Jews continue to wait for their Messiah up to this day!

What about us Gentiles, who were invited after the first batch had failed to respond? Again, don’t be self-righteous and eager to see the wicked punished! Be humble and ask ourselves where you have laid your “wedding garment” around! Remember, if you do not put on your wedding garment, you show no respect to the host and deserve punishment! Yes, God invites you to salvation and you have responded positively. You acknowledge Jesus Christ to be your Saviour and were baptized and admitted into the Church which embraces “bad and good alike” (22:10a). Of course, you congratulate yourselves because unlike other sinners who ignore God’s invitation and some who even do a lot of evil things, you enter the Church and practise your faith regularly praying, going to mass, receiving sacraments and studying the Bible etc. Are you sure you are one of the justified ones as well? Or are you sure you do not become bad later in your life before the king comes to inspect? Are you certain that “your good work” mentioned above is the “wedding garment” God demands? Of course, I am in no position to pass judgment on your “wedding garment”. The Lord God is. I am only an annoying servant going around to remind people who care to listen.

In order to prevent you from claiming ignorance, I would like to quote the second reading for your sake. Paul wrote to the Philippians who had supported his missions abundantly. Throughout his mission, Paul had his days of abundance and of scarcity, of being well fed and of going hungry, of successes and of failures (Philippians 4:12). I was touched by his words to the Philippians, “It was kind of you to share in my distress” (4:14). Christians, here is your wedding garment, viz. sharing the distress of the people you meet, namely the rich, the homeless, the sick, the imprisoned, the ignorant and what not. In doing so, we follow Christ’s new commandment, “Love one another. As I have loved you, so you should love one another” (John 13:34). Note that it is not something only Christians can do. Everyone has the capability to love one another. The Lord God is fair to everyone, the good as well as the wicked, the baptized and the unbaptized! Christians have the only advantage of knowing this commandment before the unbaptized.

Beloved brethren! The Lord God is merciful. Even when He punished Cain for murdering Abel, He protected him from being killed by people he happened to meet (Genesis 4:15). The famous Shepherd Psalm we sing in the Responsorial Psalm today is consoling even to the wicked, “Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me” (Psalms 23:4). What can prevent God from accompanying the condemned in hell? Christians, have no fear to share the distress of your neighbour. Even in your failures, the merciful Lord God will accompany you in the darkness you will be in! Will you make good use of the advantage of your knowledge to prevent yourselves from being thrown to the darkness outside?
God bless!

---

2020 Reflection
Picture Credit: joyintruth.com

What Prevents Us From Doing God’s Will?甚麼阻止我們承行主旨？

Twenty-Sixth Ordinary Sunday, Year A
Theme: What Prevents Us From Doing God’s Will?甚麼阻止我們承行主旨？

Life in modern societies demands us to be multi-tasking. Our schedules are filled up and we engage ouorselves in doing several tasks at the same time. Some tasks demand less attention and efforts while others demand more. We have to be able to allocate our own resources in a flexible way to deal with all kinds of contingencies. We are able to achieve this life style thanks to the advances in Information Technology. With a mobile phone in hand, we are able to chair work meetings, to do financial transactions, to rectify legal deals and to write up business proposals on the go! It is not a fairy tale but is actually happening these days in a commercial city like Hong Kong. We would feel unfulfilled if we are not assigned challenging tasks to outperform our colleagues. Now, will you question the dedication and loyalty of those multi-taskers? No, you won’t and surely bosses admire and value their efficiency too. But what about our God, the ultimate boss?

Superficially, God is also a multi-tasker. Doesn’t He need to hear the prayers of millions of people at the same moment? But our God is free from time-constrains because He moves around freely in the time dimension! Therefore by nature, God is a perfect multi-tasker! For us humanity, we are confined within a certain span of time and space, in short, we exist in history. Since the Fall of our First Parents, we’ve lost our Original Graces and have to struggle to survive in this world which is contaminated by our sins. Since we were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:26), we are by nature multi-taskers as well. The problem is we are doing a lot of contradictory things at the same time, viz. we try to persevere in pursuing the salvation of our souls but at the same time, we continue to commit sins. In the word of St. Paul, “all have sinned and are deprived of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Further down he continues, “What I do, I do not understand. For I do not do what I want, but I do what I hate” (7:15)! Seeing that we are incapable of pulling ourselves up again, instead of wiping us out, God decides to redeem us. He took the initiative to save us and reveals His loving intention throughout the history of a Chosen People which is an amazing story. Yes, He befriended Abraham and his offsprings to channel His saving graces to all peoples on earth. To show His fidelity, He established covenants with the offsprings of Abraham and renewed those covenants at different times to extend their validity. Later, kings were assigned to be custodians of those covenants. When kings failed, God spoke through the prophets.

Before the Incarnation of the Son of God, the most crucial covenant was the Sinai Covenant in which God gave the Chosen People the Ten Commandments. God says in the First Commandment, “For I, the Lord, your God, am a jealous God, inflicting punishment for their ancestors’ wickedness on the children of those who hate me, down to the third and fourth generation” (Exodus 20:5b). Therefore deep down the psyche of the Israelites, there was a conviction that children would be punished for the sins committed by parents. For example, in the story of Jesus’ healing of the man born blind, the disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” (John 9:2) We should not blame the Israelites for not paying attention to the whole context of the First Commandment. They ignore the following statement, namely, “but showing love down to the thousandth generation of those who love me and keep my commandments” (Exodus 20:6)! It is well-known that there is no sentence structure in the Hebrew language to express comparison. Israelites used opposites to express comparison. Instead of saying “A is bigger than B”, Israelites would say, “B is small and A is big”. Similarly, Jesus says, “No one can serve two masters. He will either hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon” (Matthew 6:24). Of course God and money are both essential for our survival, growth, development as well as salvation. Our attitude towards them is a matter of “loving” them to different degrees and not some hate/love dichotomy.

Reading the First Commandment in this light, we will understand that the loving God would reveal less of His love to those who love Him less and more to the righteous who love Him more. His so called “punishments” are meant to turn sinners back to the right path. He only needs three to four generations to accomplish this task of adjustment. In the story of the Great Deluge, God showed that He is willing to give humanity a second chance. In subsequent stories of Patriarchs, Judges and kings of the Chosen People, the merciful Lord demonstrated that He is willing to give humanity a third chance, a fourth and a fifth etc. But doesn’t this sound too complicated? In fact it is. To make this complex idea more easily accessible, religious authorities simplify the revelation of the First Commandment to describe a righteous God who punishes the wicked and rewards the righteous. Common people can understand this easily. Furthermore, on a pedagogical level, the way the First Commandment is phrased exhorts parents to act righteously because their children would also be punished for their sins! It is a good strategy to warn people to avoid commiting sins! However, such an oversimplification brings in one drawback, namely people would easily become self-righteous. It is easy to find faults with others but not oneself. Worse, self-righteous people are eager to see justice done, namely to ensure that those “sinners” in their eyes, such as tax-collectors and prostitutes were condemned instead of being forgiven!

But life cannot be as simple as such. Oversimplication is self-defeating on a logical level as well. If God punishes a child who is innocent, then God is not righteous because He punishes the guilty as well as the innocent indiscriminately. Since God is righteous, He will not punish a child who is innocent. Then, God would not be able to honour His pledge in the Sinai Covenant that He would punish evildoers to the third and fourth generation! In other words, God puts Himself in a dilemma because His word could not be trusted. He would not be faithful as He claims in the Bible! Alas! We have to wait until a Saint Paul to state that no child is innocent since all have lost the glory of God (Romans 3:23)! It is genuinely not easy to harmonize the mercy of God with His righteousness. In fact, if we read the word of God literally, we are looking for trouble!

In order to rectify the misguided understanding of the Jews, God spoke through Ezekiel to confirm again that He is merciful. Previously, the prophet says, “Do I find pleasure in the death of the wicked --- oracle of the Lord God? Do I not rejoice when they turn from their evil way and live?” (Ezekiel 18:23) Based on their oversimplified understanding of God’s righteousness, the Israelites complained. In today’s first reading, it is eye-catching to read that God challenges the Israelites twice, “Is it my way that is unfair/not fair? Are not your ways unfair/not fair?” (18:25, 29) What is the “your ways” that God challenged? It is the oversimplified version of righteousness, namely self-righteousness and eagerness to see sinners condemned and punished. Further down, the merciful Lord warns them, “Therefore I will judge you, house of Israel, all of you according to your ways --- oracle of the Lord God” (18:30a)! Had God really followed the Israelite way of fairness to ensure that sinners are condemned and punished, none of the self-righteous would have stood a chance. What they needed is God’s mercy and forgiveness so that they might turn from their evil way and live!

Indeed, the readings of the past few weeks follow a theme of humility. Why do we find it impossible to forgive people seventy times seven? It is because of our self-righteousness. We are not humble enough to confess our shortcomings. Why do we find the landowner unfair to pay all workers the same wage? It is because of our self-righteousness and vainglory. We are not humble enough to “regard others as more important than ourselves” (Philippians 2:3b). In this second reading today, St. Paul exhorts us to follow the exemplar set up by the merciful Lord Jesus Christ.

Beloved brethren! Let us follow Christ’s exemplar to empty ourselves and be humble (2:7-8). Otherwise, we’ll not be able to obey and do the Father’s will as the second son illustrated (Matthew 21:30)! Amen and God bless!

---

2020 Reflection
Picture Credit: rapidstartleadership.com

Pots Calling Kettles Black 五十步笑百步

Twenty-Fifth Ordinary Sunday, Year A
Theme: Pots Calling Kettles Black 五十步笑百步

The Church is a community of the redeemed. Some members are recently converted while others are jaded Catholics. Some practise their faith regularly. For example, they never skip any Sunday mass, go to confessions, receive Holy Communion, study the Bible, say the Rosary, novenas and attend spirituality courses, retreats and go pilgrimages. They even spend their spare time helping different ministries in the parish, such as extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist, lectors, choiristors, social service group and Legion of Mary etc. It is good of them.

However, some are less "fervent". They go to mass on Sundays to fulfil their obligation and leave almost immediately after mass. We like to nickname them "Sunday Catholics". It is hard to blame them because in a commercial society such as Hong Kong, working on Sundays is a norm. How do we help them stay longer to enrich their spiritual life becomes the concern of the clergy. Though the Lord teaches us not to judge the others (Matthew 7:1), we tend to tease those who don't attend church regularly as CEO which stands for "Christmas and Easter Only". Moreover, some parents baptize their children in order to enrol them in prestigious Catholic schools. Once they get the baptismal certificates they need, they vanish. According to diocesan figures, only 10% of the newly baptized continue to attend Church one year after baptism. How do we reach out to those who don't go to Church after baptism?

As a deacon, I do pre-nuptial enquiries for weddings and convalidations. Since Catholics occupy less than 10% of the total population, it is common in Hong Kong for a Catholic to marry a non-Catholic outside the Church, usually in a civil manner. Those couples need to do a convalidation to solemnize and to make their marriages valid according to the Canon Law. When the bride and the groom are both Catholics, they are supposed to celebrate their matrimony before a priest in a nuptial mass because their marriage symbolizes the loving bond between Christ and His Bride, the Church. The other day, I was taken aback when a Catholic couple came to do convalidation because they followed the fashion to get married before a lawyer in a hotel to entertain their friends! How much Catholics know their faith worries me! I care about their souls, not because I am a deacon. Are they not my neighbour? Are we not supposed to love our neighbour as ourselves (Leviticus 19:18)? I suppose every Christian should care about the well-being of the souls of the people they know, shouldn't he? Are we not "keepers of our brothers" (Genesis 4:9)? We should help each other to keep and grow our faith in this secularism-infested world.

We have been living in this commercial society for too long and tend to buy their utilitarian values without knowing it. For most people, fairness means equality in exchanges. You give me X amount of A. I give you back Y amount of B such that X*A = Y*B. That's fairness and easy to understand. In the parable we read today, the first batch of workers speak the mind of many, "These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us," (Matthew 20:12a). The landowner was unfair because 12 man-hours (first batch of workers) must be bigger than 1 man-hour (last batch of workers). Paying all workers the same amount of wage was obviously unfair, regardless of whatever previous agreements they had reached (20:2, 4)!

Here, I beg to disagree. First of all, it is clear that there are many things in the world which we cannot quantify. For example, the satisfaction two persons obtain from drinking the same bottle of red wine is different and we cannot quantify the satisfaction with some artificial index. Therefore, by simply counting the number of hours without considering the level of satisfaction or frustration, which is difficult to quantify, is an oversimplification and evasion of the real issue of job satisfaction and right wage.

Secondly, why should we take psychological factors into consideration? It is because human being is not simply a physical being. They have reasons and emotions. By counting the "bearing the day's burden and the heat" (20:12b) alone and ignoring the anxieties/frustrations is obviously incomplete and therefore unfair. Let's paraphrase the parable in modern terms. All people are uniquely gifted. Some have muscular talents while others have musical, numerical, spacial, verbal and visual talents etc. In ancient times, some talents were in great demand such as musical and verbal but not numerical. Composers and poets worked for courts and churches to glorify the patrons while tax-collectors were despised. In other words, during any era, not all talents are similarly marketable.

Now let's return to the parable. The first batch of workers represent those people whose talents are in great demand. They are the early birds who enjoy a secure and stable life very quickly. How would those people whose talents are less marketable feel? Of course they would be frustrated because their talents are not recognized and valued! Furthermore, their anxiety mounts as the day approaches the close! The time for them to contribute is running out! Therefore, the landowner was fair because he had taken both the physical and the psychological factors into consideration while the first batch of workers were not because they had not considered more comprehensively enough. They focus on what they are good at and disregard the situation of their neighbour! "But the hour is coming, and is now here" (John 4:23a), when poets go broke and programmers get rich. Those who are able to control number crunchers will also control the world!

Now, can we conclude that God does not count the amount of works? Does the landowner in this parable encourage laziness? Does God not count? Both yes and no! Yes the Bible tells us in different places that God holds us accountable for our iniquities and punishes us accordingly. Even if He is patient at the moment to allow us time to repent, He will definitely judge us on the Judgment Day. Therefore God counts. But things are not as simple as black and white.

From my observation, many people tend to oversimplify things by thinking along a dichotomized manner: male and female, white and black, good and evil, grace and sin etc. The parable today teaches us to think in a different manner. If we think of the first batch of workers as "the righteous" and the last batch of workers "the wicked", then there must be shades of righteousness represented by the workers employed at 9 am, noon and 3 pm. Just as we can talk about darkness as an absence of light, we can also talk about sin as an absence of grace. Therefore, we can spread people along a spectrum of righteousness. Like the parable we read last week, some people may owe 10,000 talents (Matthew 18:24), in other words less righteous, while others may owe 100 pences only (18:28), that is to say more righteous! Sarcastically, the more evil ones tend to persecute the more righteous ones probably to cover up their own evil! Reading in this light, probably the "first batch of workers" in today's parable are "righteous" in the sense of "self-righteousness". Therefore, when the fervent Catholics tease those CEO's, perhaps they are envious of God's generosity like the first batch of workers in the parable today (Matthew 20:15)! Shouldn't they approach their friends, relatives and colleagues and care about their situation instead of labelling them CEO's?

The first reading today sheds light on the issue. The prophet says, "Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake their ways, and sinners their thoughts; let them turn to the Lord to find mercy; to our God who is generous in forgiving" (Isaiah 55:6-7). Therefore, it is good to be an early bird because you enjoy the grace of mercy earlier and longer. God is generous in forgiving and does not count our iniquities. God also does not count our works because whether they are 12 man-hours or 1 man-hour, they are both insignificant and negligible.

Beloved brethren! Let's be humble and put aside our arrogance. When we look down on low-achievers, we are pots calling kettles black. Let us follow Paul's exemplar. As long as we remain in flesh, instead of congratulating ourselves of our own successes, let us work for the benefits of our brothers (Philippians 1:24). Amen.

---

2020 Reflecton
Picture Credit: joshweidmann.com

Who Else If Not Me? 捨我其誰？

Nineteenth Ordinary Sunday, Year A
Theme: Who Else If Not Me? 捨我其誰？

Each of us is unique and thus our paths to salvation/justification/sanctification, whichever way you like to label it, are unique. Some attain sanctification through heroic martyrdom “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39b), while others lead a contemplative and uneventful life which the Lord also approves (Luke 10:42). However, there are many Martha-like people who would be proud of their own diligence and would complain about the lack of commitment of others. Similarly, our progresses on the sanctification paths would also be different. While some “forgetting what lies behind but strain[ing] forward to what lies ahead” (Philippians 3:13b), others tarry around to explore different possibilities. However, there are many people like those self-righteous Pharisees who would be proud of their own piety and would despise the “sinners” (Luke 18:11-12). That is why the Lord advises us to suspend our judgment on others, “Stop judging, that you may not be judged” (Matthew 7:1). Alas! How difficult it is not to judge!

The other day I had the opportunity to share with some parishioners my personal objections to the practice of environmentally friendly funerals in the form of scattering the ashes in the sea or designated memorial gardens. I was amazed that many of the parishioners do not know the Church prohibits such practices and the reasons behind. An instruction published by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith in August 2016 reads as follow. “In order that every appearance of pantheism, naturalism or nihilism be avoided, it is not permitted to scatter the ashes of the faithful departed in the air, on land, at sea or in some other way, nor may they be preserved in mementos, pieces of jewellery or other objects. These courses of action cannot be legitimised by an appeal to the sanitary, social or economic motives … When the deceased notoriously has requested cremation and the scattering of their ashes for reasons contrary to the Christian faith, a Christian funeral must be denied to that person …” (Ad resurgendumm cum Christo, #7-8).
So what Christian faith is offended so much so that even a Catholic would be denied the dignity of a Christian funeral? The Church always prefers burial because “burial is above all the most fitting way to express faith and hope in the resurrection of the body”. She insists on defending the continuous identity of the deceased. The document continues, “to show the great dignity of the human body as an integral part of the human person whose body forms part of their identity” and to fight against “erroneous ideas about death, such as considering death as the definitive annihilation of the person, or the moment of fusion with Mother Nature or the universe, or as a stage in the cycle of regeneration, or as the definitive liberation from the prison of the body”. (ARC #3)

I quote this in details because I believe many parishioners buy the idea of environmentally friendly funerals promoted by the government and are ignorant of the Church’s position. They have been misled by the candy coating of “environmental friendliness” and do not know the economic incentive behind such a policy. Forget about economy and theology, I think the government is silly in promoting such kind of funerals when at this crucial moment building up a sense of belonging to this city is of top priority! When ashes are scattered in the sea, how would the descendants of the deceased gather somewhere in this city together to remember their ancestors?

When even believers are misled by propagandas, what about those who do not have Christ’s truth to defend themselves? There are simply too many atheists, popular entertainers, multi-national corporations and respectable scientists etc. whose aim is to publicize their agendas and to fatten their pockets! Scientists put up an objective front and emphasize experimental evidences to criticize religions as irrational. But nowadays, researches which are not lucrative will not be sponsored by entrepreneurs. How objective such researches could be. On the other hand, corporations invest huge budgets in commercials to persuade people to spend money on their products. They are also eager to sponsor popular stars to become idols in order to set up a farm of faithful followers to milk them of money. How hard it is for modern Christians to stick to their Christ who does not promise them any wealth nor health!

When I pass judgment on my fellow parishioners and non-believers, I have to remind myself that “pious Christians” would easily fall prey to a grandiose self-image: “I’m the only truly pious Christian before God” and with this, those “pious Christians” bring themselves into troubles, putting their faith in tests! The Bible readings today illustrate it well. In the first reading, we read of God appearing to Elijah on Mount Horeb. Let’ review the background of this story.
Elijah was over-confident. He thought himself the only surviving prophet in Israel under Queen Jezebel. “I have been most zealous for the Lord … I alone remain …” (1 Kings 18:22; 19:10, 14) though previously Obadiah informed him that he had kept safe one hundred prophets of the Lord (18:13). Three years before, he proclaimed to King Ahab “During these years there shall be no dew or rain except at my word” (17:1); and left for Zarephath and stayed there for three years. Then at the Lord’s command, he returned to Israel to challenge the false prophets of Baal to pray for the end of drought which he had brought about. He won, thus proving that Yahweh was the true God. Then he incited the Israelites and together they butchered more than 450 false prophets of Baal. This angered Queen Jezebel who swore to kill Elijah. “Elijah was afraid and fled for his life …” (19:3). His over-zeal landed him on troubles and he had to flee for his life! In this context, God appeared to Elijah in today’s reading, but in the most unexpected manner. God was not in the glamour of the violent and strong wind that rent mountains, not in earthquake nor in fire but in “a light silent sound” (19:11-12). God is not only powerful (wind, earthquake & fire) but is also merciful (a light silent sound). Yahweh shows His mercy when the evil Ahab repented of the death of Naboth. God spares Ahab and stayed the punishment after his death (21:29). It seemed that Elijah had not understood the mercy of God. Later, King Ahaziah, son of Ahab, sent fifty men to arrest Elijah. To prove that he was a man of God, Elijah called fire down from heaven to consume the company of fifty men and their captain (2 Kings 1:10). Elijah did it a second time (1:12)!

Probably it was a personality defect that Peter made similar mistakes in the gospel reading today. In fact, Peter didn’t have to go all the way out to meet Jesus on the waves. Jesus was walking towards them and they could simply wait! Perhaps he felt a need to prove himself worthy of being the leader of the Twelve! On his way walking on the waves towards Jesus, Peter became frightened; and began to sink (Matthew 14:30). Jesus extended His hand to save him. Another similar event happened later when after Jesus’ arrest Peter followed behind up to the courtyard of the High Priest (26:58) and ended up denying Jesus three times. Again, Peter didn’t have to put himself into such a treacherous situation but he literally walked right into the lion’s lair. I wonder what prompted him to risk his life and be humiliated among all the followers. Was Peter loyal or imprudent or in need of proving his worth? It doesn’t matter. The most crucial thing is the mercy of God. “The Lord turned and looked at Peter; and Peter remembered ..He went out and began to weep bitterly” (Luke 22:61-62). Peter had fallen many times and with his frailty, “once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brother” (22:32).

Beloved brethren! Let us embrace our frailties as well as others’. Pray that we don’t desire to judge but to beg for the mercy of the Lord. Amen!

---

Picture credit: Curriculum Nacione
2020 Reflection

被忽略的最偉大神跡 The Ignored Greatest Miracle

被忽略的最偉大神跡 The Ignored Greatest Miracle（若6:35-40）

不但信徒本人是一個神跡，而且耶穌基督就是最偉大的神跡，因為祂是讓人永遠不會饑渴的「生命的食糧」（若6:35），是天主臨現人間的愛情標記，可惜也是最被忽略和遺忘的神跡。

聖言成了血肉，寄居在我們中間（1:14）；天主子降生成人，「厄瑪奴耳」，意思是：天主與我們同在（瑪1:23）。耶穌基督怎樣把不可見的天主，呈現到世人的眼前呢？要知道天主的不可見，在於祂無上的光榮與無限的尊威，沒有受造物有本領直視。所以，天主子採取了謙卑的方式，減弱了自己來自與聖父同性同體的光榮（斐2:6-7），使人類可以聽見、看見和觸摸（若一1:1）！天主子由童貞女取了血肉，成為一個嬰兒，誕生在馬槽裡，經歷受造物的限制，逐漸長大成人，在一個不受重視的小鎮當木匠！經過在曠野四十日的試探，連撒殫也沒有察覺到這位天主子的身份，以為他祇不過是一個不堪「死亡」一撃的先知而已。天主的計劃，真是神妙莫測。

連撒殫也忽略了這個最偉大的神跡，何況是有死的人類呢？當今世上沒有人看見過耶穌基督，見到的祇是一群信徒，他們的言行和宗教儀式。在沒有信仰的人心目中，耶穌祇不過是一個宗教的創辦人，他的教訓不外乎導人向善。頂多他祇不過勸導世人打破階級觀念，教人無分彼此，泛愛眾人而已；與一般道德家，宗教家沒有多大分別。這些沒有信仰的人，忽視了天主最偉大的神跡，是可以理解的。

可是，連信徒本身也忽視了耶穌基督，真是不幸！
很多信徒社會意識高，寧願花時間服務社會裡的弱勢社群，也不願「浪費」時間參加主日彌撒，認為是沉悶的，沒有意義的繁文縟節；領受聖事就更不消提了！那邊廂有信徒花費大量精力，與人爭論虔誠領聖體的方式、鞠躬與單膝打跪、離開聖堂應否蘸聖水和批評個別聖職人員不稱職等等，以證明自己對天主最虔誠。前者令人肅然起敬，但與基督相遇的機會微之又微；至於後者，在他們內的聖神不知去了哪？

雖然我們正安渡復活期第三周，可憐天主子仍孤獨地在山園祈禱，因為門徒們都睡著了。亞孟。
生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：askgramps.org

---

Not only is every believer a miracle, but Jesus Christ is also the greatest miracle because He is the bread of life and whoever comes to Him will never hunger nor thirst (John 6:35). He is the sign of love showing the presence of God in this world. Regrettably, He is also the most ignored and forgotten miracle.

The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us (1:14); the Son of God incarnated and became man “Emmanuel”, which means “God is with us” (Matthew 1:23). How did Jesus make the invisible God visible in our eyes? Know that God is invisible behind His supreme glory and infinite majesty so that no creature is able to look at directly. Thus, the Son of God took a humble approach by attenuating the glory from His consubstantiality with the Father (Philippians 2:6-7) so that we may hear, see and touch Him (1 John 1:1)! The Son of God took flesh from the Blessed Virgin and was born an infant put into the manger, went through all the limitations of being a creature to gradually grow up as a carpenter in a negligible town! Testing Him forty days in the wilderness, even Satan was unable to recognize His identity as the Son of God, thinking that He was just another mortal prophet. God’s plan is truly ineffable.

Even Satan ignored this greatest miracle, how can we mere mortals not? No contemporary people has ever seen Jesus Christ. They only see a bunch of believers, their words, deeds and religious rituals. In the eyes of non-believers, Jesus is only a founder of a religion. His teachings merely tell people to be good. At most he advocates loving all peoples without class boundaries. He is not much different from any other moralists or religious heavyweights. It is understandable for those non-believers to ignore this greatest miracle of God.

But it is regrettable that even Catholics ignore Jesus Christ!
Many socially conscious believers prefer spending time serving the socially marginalized to wasting time in Sunday masses which for them are boring and ritualistic, not to mention receiving the sacraments! On the other hand, there are pious believers who spend their time and energy arguing which manner of receiving the Holy Communion is pious, bowing or genuflecting, crossing themselves with holy water when they leave the church and criticizing the incompetence of the clergy etc. to prove that they are the most pious to God. The former group is noble but their chances of encountering Christ is slim. As for the latter group, I wonder where the Holy Spirit within them has gone.

Though we are enjoying the third week in the Easter Season, pity the Son of God who is still agonizing in the garden of Gethsemane because His disciples have fallen asleep. Amen.