做個有策略的人 Be Strategic

常年期第廿三主日，丙年
主題：做個有策略的人 Be Strategic

連續幾個主日，耶穌基督教導我們拒絕「七罪宗」的誘惑，幫助我們回歸天父的家園。正如今天的第一篇讀經所說：「因為這必腐朽的肉身，重壓著靈魂；…世上的事，我們還難以測度；…那麼，天上的事誰還能探究？」（智9:15-16）人類受到「原罪」的傷害，在日常生活中經常不分輕重，本末倒置。我們變得短視，貪圖眼前的方便、舒適和利益；卻因小失大，放棄履行天主的旨意，賠上了永恆的生命。出於對世人的憐憫，天主子降生成人，苦口婆心地教導並陪伴我們走上回歸父家的道路。所謂「苦口良藥、忠言逆耳」，要接受主耶穌的教訓是充滿挑戰的，今天的福音就是一個很好的例子。耶穌經常用一些容易明白的比喻，來教導聽眾一些很難解釋的真理。那麼，讓我們先默想祂的比喻，然後嘗試掌握祂那些生硬的教訓。

在今天的福音選段中，主耶穌三次強調在甚麼情況下，人「不能做我的門徒」（路14:26, 27, 33）。並且講了兩個比喻，幫助我們明白當中艱深的教訓。表面上，兩個比喻都好像教導我們，先「籌算」清楚自己有沒有足夠的本錢或者實力，能否惱恨自己的家人，能否背著自己的十字架跟在耶穌後面等等…纔做耶穌的門徒。與其做一個虛有其表的基督徒，倒不如放棄領洗入教，免得貽笑大方！「免得他奠基以後，竟不能完工，所有看見的人都要譏誚他」（14:29）。這樣的解讀未嘗不可，但不是主耶穌的真正意思；否則，祂何必再說多一個比喻補充呢？那麼，兩國交戰的比喻補充了甚麼呢？

首先，耶穌為甚麼選擇說一個戰爭的比喻呢？戰爭是國家大家，不是我們這些平民百姓可以決定的。這個戰爭比喻，與我們有甚麼關係呢？主耶穌在倡議投降給羅馬帝國嗎？或者是倡議世界和平嗎？都不是！因為我們往往忽視了在我們身邊一直進行中的「屬靈戰爭」！作為基督徒，與撒殫的戰鬥是不能置身事外的。不但主耶穌運用戰爭的圖像，連聖保祿宗徒也在他的書信中，描繪了「基督徒全副武裝」的圖像（弗6:11-18）。

在現實世界裡，和平是罕有的，而受苦的多是黎民百姓！所以老子說：「兵者不祥之器，…不得已而用之」（道德經#31）。侵略是不道德的，自衛是應該的。比喻中的第一個國王，是為了保家衛國，不得已而戰。但戰爭的勝負絕非取決於先進的軍備；或者軍隊人數的多寡。古今中外就有不少以少勝多；或者出奇制勝的戰例。因此要「籌算」的不單是本錢和實力那麼簡單，還有「時機」是否成熟！這就是中國文化所說的「天時、地利、人和」，「時機」排第一位！倘若入侵者長途跋涉而來，補給線就是他們的致命傷；加上軍隊疲累，成了強弩之末，殺傷力減弱。倘若我軍據險死守一段時間，以一萬守兵擊敗兩萬入侵者，又有何難！當然，倘若我軍是臨時徵召的烏合之眾，士氣低落；再加上彈盡糧絕；其他國家又拒絕派出援兵…處於這樣惡劣環境之下，「議和」是當前的最佳戰略。請注意，議和不等於投降，而是「緩兵之計」。議和後經過「十年生聚、十年教訓」，我們必定有捲土重來的一天！所以耶穌基督講兩個比喻，教訓我們須要「籌算」，但不是一次過的籌算，而是不斷地考量時機的因素。況且，我們與撒殫的戰鬥，亦不是一仗定生死的！

讓執事我分享自己的聖召經歷，說明「時機」這個因素。香港教區在1997年7月祝聖了第一批兩位終身執事，如今已返回天家，享受天主的賞報了。其中一位是曾繁興執事，當年他奉派前往屯門贖世主堂服務。曾執事在2000年向堂區適合做終身執事的男士，介紹終執職務的內容及要求。那時我也曾考慮，豈料那一年，天主賜給我夫婦倆第四個孩子。於是我以為天主不是召叫我做終身執事，而是做一個稱職的父親。九年後，機緣巧合遇上了教區的陳志明神父，重燃起這份聖召的心火！的確，時機成熟了。六年之後，我成為香港教區第十一屆領職的終身執事。願天主永受讚美，願天主繼續領導！

明白了「籌算」的深層意義之後，讓我們反省那些生硬的，「惱恨自己家人」的教訓。誠然，耶穌基督曾在常年期第二十主日提及過，家庭成員會因為接受或者拒絕祂的福音而引起分裂：父親反對兒子，兒子反對父親…（路12:53）。由「分裂」發展到「惱恨」，不是時間的問題，而是心中有多少親情和多少虔敬的問題。按【舊約】記載，因為利益的原故，兄弟姊妹之間經常有惱恨的情況存在。例如：加音出於嫉妒和忿怒而殺了弟弟亞伯爾、雅各伯騙了厄撒烏的長子名份和祝福、若瑟因父親的偏心而被其他的兄弟賣往埃及；梅瑟的姊姊米黎盎公開反對梅瑟等等。
但子女對父親的惱恨和咒罵，只限於因為父親的不虔敬所招來的蒙羞受辱纔有（德41:10）。【舊約】絕少提及父親惱恨兒子，相反的例子卻有很多。例如：富可敵國的約伯，恐怕子女們犯了罪，心中詛咒了天主，便清早起來照子女的數目〔總共10個〕向天主獻上全燔祭品（約1:5）；達味心愛的兒子阿貝沙隆發動政變，達味不願牽連耶路撒冷的居民，便帶領全家徒步出走，只留下十個嬪妃看守王宮（撒下15:16）。有讒臣建議阿貝沙隆親近達味留下的嬪妃，以為可以惹下達味的仇恨，令支持政變的人更加堅強（16:20）。但達味並沒有惱恨阿貝沙隆，並且在反攻時吩咐軍人對阿貝沙隆手下留情（18:5）！原來【舊約】早已啟示了天父對世人的憐愛，父親是不會惱恨自己的子女！

「十誡」教導我們「孝敬父母」（出20:12; 申5:16）；而主耶穌來不是為廢除法律，而是來成全它（瑪5:17）。三位一體的天主是不會自相矛盾的，所以福音所說的「不惱恨父母家人，不能成為祂的門徒」，必定另有所指。
首先，從兩個有關「籌算」的比喻中，我們學習了在作出抉擇時必須考量時機的因素。即是說，倘若父母家人拒絕福音，是他們領受福音的時機尚未成熟，不應強迫他們接受。但當他們阻止我們領受福音、令我們蒙羞受辱、障礙我們獲得永生的時候，我們自然會惱恨他們的不虔敬，並作出明智的抉擇！

其次，當主耶穌說「我的門徒」一詞時，也許是指蒙召成為教會聖職人員的人而說。
在祂復活後，基督花了40天的時間顯現給曾跟隨祂的人，其中一次顯現給500多人（格前15:6），聚集他們成為耶路撒冷初期教會的班底。在祂升天後，只有120人留下（宗1:15）。他們可以說是經過考驗的、真實的「我的門徒」。在信仰死而復活的耶穌基督的基礎上，他們協助十二宗徒建設這個兀立了二千多年而仍未倒下的天主教會！對於這些教會公務員，主耶穌自然會要求高一些，對嗎？

親愛的兄弟姊妹，對天主子的教導，我們不應該有所選擇。對於可以做的、容易做的和順耳的就實行；對於逆耳的就置諸不理。這是不對的。同時，我們不要因主耶穌生硬的教訓而灰心喪志，因為是時機未成熟，我們的經驗未達標。保持謙虛、忍耐和望德吧！我們知道天父喜歡把天國賞賜給求祂的人（路12:32），總有一天我們可以做得到！讓我們呼求天主聖神，加強我們的望德，成為一個有策略的、知機的希望朝聖者。以我們的愛德善行，帶給世人信心和希望，以光榮天主聖父（瑪5:16）。亞孟。
天主保祐！

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2019年反省
圖片鳴謝：ideogram.ai

The Secret to Be the Greatest 做最大的秘訣

The Twenty-Fifth Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: The Secret to Be the Greatest 做最大的秘訣

Due to time constrains, it is regrettable that we only hear excerpts of the Bible on Sunday celebrations. Without knowing a fuller context, the congregation would wonder why such and such things would happen. Take the first reading of today as an example. We appreciate the efforts of compilers in the Liturgical Commission for making the readings more assessable to the congregation. However, their choice of wording in this case is questionable. It starts like this, “The wicked say: Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us …” (Wisdom 2:12a). The compilers added “The wicked say” to summarize the previous eleven verses! I wonder what those people have done to deserve a “wicked” label? I looked up the text and found that they were rich and powerful people who did not find any meaningful purposes in life. They lamented that death was the only certainty. There was no remedy for their dying. Their births were by chance and their deaths left nothing behind. In between, their lives passed away like the traces of a cloud. Therefore, they chose to enjoy good things such as costly wine and perfumes. How can you criticize people for holding such kind of worldview and leading such kind of affluent life style, which they can afford? All of us are free to choose and to act when we do not harm other people, aren’t we?

The more morally offending thing comes next. In modern jargon, not only was their life style unsustainable but they were also abusing the environment, “Let no meadow be free from our wantonness; everywhere let us leave tokens of our merriment, for this is our portion, and this is our lot” (2:9). I am not sure whether ancient people would be offended because it was very unlikely that they knew of any sorts of pollution with which modern people are familiar. Perhaps what in our eyes are pollutions, such as cattle dung left in the open, were actually chemical free fertilizers. It was part of their environmental protection wisdom! Nowadays, we know that it is definitely unethical to be so irresponsible in damaging the environment, a home common to all humanity now and in the future. But we don’t label those people “wicked”, do we? In fact, the author of Wisdom only describes them as “not thinking rightly” (2:1). People do not think rightly for many reasons. For example, ignorance, lack of education, too busy to make the ends meet etc. As long as the damages done do not harm other people’s lives, labelling those people “wicked” is polemic. Of course, the wicked do not think rightly when they benefit themselves at the expenses of other people. Sometimes, circumstances force people to choose a lesser evil. Therefore, even the righteous may choose a relatively wicked path in order to prevent an even greater evil from happening. Life is truly complex.

When we read further, ethics dictates that those people deserved to be labelled wicked, “Let us oppress the righteous poor; let us neither spare the widow nor revere the aged for hair grown white with time. But let our strength be our norm of righteousness; for weakness proves itself useless” (2:10-11). Indeed, “might makes right” is a wicked principle because we are doing harm to those who are unable to defend themselves. People who approach life and organize it in accordance to this principle are wicked because the law of the jungle reduces us into beasts. As Christians, we do not see the world as a battle field of zero-sum games. “Either you die or I live” is a law only tyrants would lay down. No! God is not a tyrant. His law is instead “Either you live or I die” and He actually dies so that we may live! As Christians, we look for opportunities to create win-win situations. Thus we defend the rights of the voiceless, advocate for the needs of the socially marginalized and opt for the poor etc. Though we inevitably become enemies of the “wicked”, we choose not to label them “wicked” in order to leave dialogues open in the future. If we are true disciples of Jesus, we should also follow the Master’s instructions not to pass judgment on the others (Matthew 7:1). This is what the Master means when after the first Prediction of His Passion, He told the crowd, His disciples and therefore us, to deny ourselves, carry our crosses and follow Him (Mark 8:34).

Jesus knew that His disciples needed more intensive coaching. So, after Jesus had shown the glory of resurrection to the three core disciples on a high mountain, He taught the Twelve again about the imminent Passion a second time. Obviously the disciples had not learnt the lesson yet because on the way, they were arguing about who was the greatest (9:34). Old habits die hard. The Twelve were adults and adult students are known to be hard to teach because modifying mind-sets demands Herculean efforts on the part of adult learners. Jesus is a teacher exemplar on a par with Confucius. His communication skills are superb and His teachings are deep, to say the least. Jesus does not condemn their ambition to be great because such an ambition is a powerful motivator to help people do good in face of difficulties and obstacles. Instead, He passes on to them the secret recipe to become great! “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all” (9:35b). Alas! Many people make use of authority in the wrong way. They abuse authority to herd wealth and benefits for themselves instead of exercising authority to do good for the people who gave them authority in the first place. Stewards, instead of properly discharging their role as servants, have become masters. The awareness of being a servant prevents state officials from lording over the commoners. Such an awareness would urge them to go into ghettoes to experience and to survey the real situations. Then those officials would not draw up impracticable policies inside air-conditioned offices.

Jesus knew that this teaching, like that of the Bread of Life, had been too deep for the Twelve and to the rest of all to receive (John 6:66), He further reinforced our learning by placing a child in their midst and putting His arms around it (Mark 9:6), saying “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me” (9:37). Wasn’t Jesus trying to teach us how to be great? One wonders what a child has to do with greatness. Be careful! Jesus was not teaching us to receive the Kingdom of Heaven with simplicity like a child. No. That would take another occasion (10:15). See how fondly Jesus embraced the child, revealing the modus operandi of God: God loves to do big things through underdogs such as Jael who drove a peg through the temple of Sisera (Judges 4:21) and David who embedded a pebble in the forehead of Goliath (1 Samuel 17:49)! Jesus is telling us to learn from Him. Don’t weary ourselves with pomp and ceremony and cracking a nut with a sledgehammer! Those big shows only serve human vanity and contribute little to the success of a mission. Instead it is a waste of resources. God’s way is the best because it is the most efficient and effective to get things done! The most essential thing is to do God’s will, namely to love God and therefore love the needy. This is the proper way to exercise authority bestowed on us, and thus to become great. Otherwise, people would lament how the mighty have fallen (2 Samuel 1:25, 27)!

Beloved brethren! Let us follow the successful example of St. Mother Teresa of Calcutta to do small things with great love. We are surely on the right path! Amen.
God bless!

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2021 Reflection
Picture Credit: francisxaviersamsen.wordpress.com, creator.nightcafe.studio

當暴力成為真理時 When Might Is Right

當暴力成為真理時 When Might Is Right

臨近聖周，默想讀經時也感覺到一股迫近的殺氣！ 今天第一篇讀經是節錄的，殺氣倍增。倘若閱讀《智慧篇》第二章的全部，你不會覺得殺氣騰騰，反而會覺得那些所謂「惡人們」非常可憐！

誠然，人生苦短是事實，但痛苦的感覺，卻完全取決於面對痛苦的態度。即使態度是個人的選擇，旁人不應說三道四，狂妄批評；可是文中「惡人們」所採取的態度，對任何人，包括自己，都沒有益處，客觀地是一個錯誤的選擇，所以不得不口誅筆伐了！
人必有死是客觀的事實（智2:1-5），但「惡人們」的文采，讓讀者產生共鳴之餘，不禁替他們惋惜。面對逃避不了的死亡，「惡人們」 選擇了「趁年青及時…莫讓春花空空溜過…在玫瑰花尚未萎謝以前…到處留下我們歡樂的痕跡…」（2:6-9）等等及時行樂的方案，即奉行「享樂主義」，是他們的自由，旁人實在無可厚非；我們祇能慨歎他們沒有善用手上的資源，建樹社區或至國家，做福社群而已。但當自私對其他人不做成任何傷害時，慨歎亦不會建樹天國，你又何必感慨呢？

可是，他們對經濟作出貢獻，就真的是無可厚非嗎？且看下文分解。《智慧篇》繼續說：「我們要壓迫窮苦的義人，不必顧惜寡婦，連白髮年高的老人，也不必敬重。我們的勢力，就是正義的法律，因為軟弱祇呈現自己無用」（2:10-11）！原來「世上沒有免費午餐」是人生的定律，否則，天主子也不必降生受難，替世人贖罪了。「享樂主樂」除了有上述的社會代價外，真理被扭曲了，暴力取而代之！當「暴力就是真理Might Is Right」的時候，社會國家便會出現窮富懸殊、弱勢社群遭受剝削、長者受虐待等等…，更嚴重的後果，在靈性上，人的心腸被財富和權勢硬化了，要回頭悔改，歸向天主，就更加困難重重了！

可愛的諸位，大家明白以暴易暴，無法根治暴力，解決問題。暴力祇會產生更多更大的暴力，冤冤相報。主耶穌在「山中聖訓」，曾提醒我們「溫良的人是有福的，因為他們要承受土地」（瑪5:5），軟弱並不呈現自己無用，反而蒙受天父的祝福。你相信嗎？你憧憬依撒意亞先知所預言的「默西亞王國」（依11:6-9）嗎？
天主保祐！

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圖片鳴謝：scouterlife.com

We Are Saved In Unique Ways 因材施救

Thirty First Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: We Are Saved In Unique Ways 因材施救

From what we can gather from the Synoptic gospels, at least two things happened at Jericho when Jesus was on his last trip to Jerusalem. In the gospel of Matthew, Jesus healed two anonymous blind men when He left Jericho (Matthew 20:29-34). They called Jesus the Son of David which suits Matthew’s Messianic theme. In the gospel of Mark, Jesus healed blind Bartimaeus when He was leaving Jericho (Mark 10:46-52). The healing suits Mark’s Son of God theme. So, we know for sure that Jesus healed some blind beggars (it doesn’t matter whether there were one or two blind men and whether they were beggars or what not) in Jericho before He went up to Jerusalem. That the blind beggar was NOT anonymous suggests that Bartimaeus must have been a well-known figure in the Marcan community. But Luke chose to report another incident, not a miracle but miraculous none the less. When Jesus entered Jericho, He entered the house of Zacchaeus, a chief tax collector and a rich man (Luke 19:1-10). The story of Zacchaeus is meaningful in at least two ways.

First of all, Zacchaeus was a chief tax collector and a wealthy man (19:2). In the eyes of contemporary Jews, he was a public sinner because he worked for the Romans to oppress his own kindred. Moreover, he must have been greedy and collected more than required. But Jesus comes to his defence and says, “This man too is a descendant of Abraham” (19:9). From the lips of the Lord, Zacchaeus was declared to be a descendant of Abraham. No matter how scandalous his previous life had been, he would also inherit the blessings God promised to Abraham! Even a public sinner is allowed to inherit the Kingdom of Heaven! It seems unfair in our eyes because righteousness is essential in keeping a society in proper order. What Zacchaeus did had been self-fattening, selfish and harming the common good. How can it be wrong to label him a sinner, can’t it? This is not a social discrimination as we understand today because this labelling was unable to cause Zacchaeus any harms or disadvantages in the society. At most, it acted as a “curb” on his unscrupulous greed! But when God shows Zacchaeus mercy, God is not contradicting His righteousness. Instead, God is righteous when He gives sinners opportunities to repent and forgive them when they do.

Secondly, the story of Zacchaeus reminds us of another tax collector whom God has also shown mercy. Matthew was a tax collector working somewhere near Capernaum in Galilee in the north. In the early phase of His public ministry, Jesus called him and eleven others to form the core of apostles, the foundation of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. However, it was in the final stage of the public ministry of Jesus that Zacchaeus was called. As mentioned above, all of us, whether we lead a saintly or scandalous life, are called to inherit the blessings pledged to Abraham. We are called to become saints and to partake in the eternal life of God. But each of our calls is unique! Jesus did not call Matthew by his name (5:27) but Zacchaeus by his (19:5). In the case of Zacchaeus, it must have been a very piercing experience when the Lord called him by his name! Indeed, every call is basically a call to personal reconciliation with the Lord. Moreover, their paths to sanctification were also different. Matthew received a “tougher” coaching for some three years and took up the heavy duty to be one of the pillars of the New Jerusalem (Revelation 21:14). The Bible does not tell us what Zacchaeus has accomplished in the early Church. But that his name was recorded in the gospel indicates that he was prominent in the Lucan community. In one tradition, Zacchaeus the tax collector was the first bishop of Caesarea. Thus, the call of Zacchaeus demonstrates that our paths to sanctification are unique. Some are called to be apostles and others beggars, bishops, deacons, hermits, nurses, priests, teachers and widows etc. We don’t have to hand over half of our possessions to the Church or to the homeless in order to be saved. Allow me to repeat once more, our paths to salvation, to sanctification are unique.

Zacchaeus’ charitable work reminds me of people who quote Paul out of context, “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9) and “It is those who have faith who are children of Abraham” (Galatians 3:7), echoing the Lord’s defence of Zacchaeus. From these quotes, those people deny the merits of charitable works. But how can anybody be saved simply by faith alone? Doesn’t Paul continue to say, “Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love” (5:6)? Therefore, “faith only” doesn’t save but “only faith working through love” saves! Zacchaeus is a good illustration. Jesus’ call pierces his heart, prompting him to reflect how this rabbi knows his name the first time they meet. His faith in Jesus and his sincerity of repentant are shown by the subsequent actions Zacchaeus pledged to take. “Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I shall give to the poor”, i.e. faith working through love and “If I have extorted anything from anyone I shall repay it four times over”, i.e. his sincerity of repentance (Luke 19:8). He must have honoured his pledge otherwise, the name Zacchaeus would not appear in the gospel of Luke. Who is able to see Zacchaeus’ faith without his charitable work (James 2:18)? Only God is and we are not God!

Our God is ineffable. Human languages are inaccurate in describing Him. At most, we can only apply anthropomorphism to make sense of Him. So, God has a face which nobody sees and lives. His strong arms deliver Israel, carrying him on His wings. He can be angry and jealous etc. So, in order to harmonize how an all-knowing and righteous God can be merciful, we read today that, “You overlook sins for the sake of repentance” (Wisdom 11:23). The text portrays God as a father, not as a judge. A father knows the mistakes made by his children but he is tolerant and overlooks those mistakes, hoping that his children will correct their mistakes and improve. A judge is sober and will never overlook details. Growth and development are not his concern. Fairness is. The God Jesus portrays is a father, not a magistrate. That is the good news!

Brethren! God must have called you. Are you on your path to sanctification? Perhaps you have turned lukewarm because there are too many things to handle in order to earn a decent living and to maintain a healthy relationship etc. You must have been very burdened. Zacchaeus too must have felt the squeeze of being a public sinner. Perhaps from his subordinates in the north, he had heard something about this rabbi from Galilee who didn’t mind dining with sinners. Zacchaeus “was seeking to see who Jesus was” (Luke 19:3) and found his salvation (19:9). What about you? Are you seeking to see who Jesus is and find your peace in Him?
God bless!
2019 Reflection
Picture Credit: wikimedia.org

Have Faith in the Master 對主懷有信心

Nineteenth Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: Have Faith in the Master 對主懷有信心

Faith is a thread that runs through all the readings today. Let me start from the second reading.
“Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1, NAB) The word “realization” is one of the many choices of rendering the Greek word “ὑπόστασις”. KJV renders it “substance” while RSV “assurance” and NIV “confidence” etc. Similarly, the word “evidence ἔλεγχος” is rendered “assurance” in NIV and “conviction” in RSV. Thus, the choice of word reflects the theology advocated by the translators. Therefore, the margin in an understanding of a word in a particular context can be wide. Let’s take an everyday dictionary meaning of “faith” to mean “trust and confidence” in order to continue with our meditation.

We have experience of the things we know. There is no need of having faith or putting faith in them at all. We are even able to chart their courses of development. For example, we know and have experience of sunrise. We don’t need to have faith in the sun for it to rise tomorrow. We simply wait and we are even able to countdown for the first light of the morning to burst forth. For things which we are less familiar, we still don’t need faith in them in order to chart their course of development. It is because we have experiences with similar things and we are able to generalize the experiences and apply the generalization to similar situations. For example, in general clergy keep promises; policemen protect the lives and property of citizens; sooner or later, gamblers will lose all their money, unpunished corrupt officials will fall with their governments and plurality survives longer than uniformity etc. Of course, there are always exceptions to these rules of thumb but the hit-rate is good enough and we feel comfortable to embrace these generalizations. When the proportion of uncertainties increases, the role of faith becomes more prominent.

It is in unfamiliar or even unknown situations that we need faith to maintain our composure because we have nothing in hand to refer to. For example, in one-on-one competitions such as chess, boxing and tennis etc., competitors would study the performance of rivals and draw up plans of engagement. They try to eliminate as many uncertainties as possible. But there are always unheard of “dark-horses” and “giant-killers”. In the end, players can only rely on faith in their own skills in order not to make too many mistakes. In situations never seen before, people can only rely on their faith in God.

Take the example of the first reading today from the book of Wisdom, chapter 18. Starting from chapter 11, the author wrote a commentary on the story of Exodus. In the particular excerpt today, the author comments on the last plague and the Passover. “That night was known beforehand to our ancestors, so that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith, they might have courage.” (Wisdom 18:6) The Israelites had settled in Egypt for more than 400 years. Egypt was fertile and conducive to their growth in population. Yet the Egyptian environment was filled with idols which provided easy solutions to different aspects of social needs such as fertility, health, agriculture and warfare etc. Yahweh worship failed to take root and to occupy a significant presence in this piece of alien land. Yahweh had become an unknown deity for the Israelites. They had lost their cultural identity as God’s Chosen People. So, when God revealed Himself to Moses, God says, “I am the God of your father, He continued, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” (Exodus 3:6) Had any Israelites ever seen any of those remote ancestors before? They had absolutely no experience of them, not to mention the God whom those Patriarchs worshipped. It was a miracle indeed for Moses to be accepted as a liberator sent from a God of their ancestors by those Hebrew slaves! In the mind of the author of the book of Wisdom, the Hebrew slaves had only one thing to rely on: namely, the promises/oaths God had made with their ancestor Abraham (Genesis 12:1-3, 15:5, 17:4-8). Either they believed in Moses and followed his Passover instructions or rejected them. As the story unfolds, it pays to have faith in God!

If you have faith in an idea, you would start digging up evidence to substantiate the idea. Otherwise, you can only keep it open. Let’s take another example. Many people buy the idea that men evolved from chimpanzees. But the evidences are sketchy at best. There are simply too many “missing-links” in evolution. To these days, the choice between creationism and evolutionism is no more than a matter of faith/conviction! In the case of Christianity, all those who had once lived with Jesus Christ have died. Nowadays, no Christian has any concrete experience of their Lord Jesus Christ, except for a handful of mystics whom God has granted the privilege of private revelations. What about the majority of us who are simple ordinary followers? Where and how do we dig up evidence to substantiate our faith in Jesus Christ? Most of us can only experience Jesus Christ through sacraments of Eucharist and Penance. Through those visible signs, Catholics receive invisible graces which are supposed to enhance their relationship with God.

Alas, doesn’t the priest announce, “The Mystery of Faith” after the consecration of the Eucharist during mass? Isn’t it tautological for faith to substantiate faith? We’re back to square one. Perhaps we need to turn elsewhere. Jesus makes a bold pledge at the end of one of the Synoptic gospels. He says, “Behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20) Do we have faith in this promise? Luckily, Jesus leaves us two clues to discover His presence. “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (18:20) and “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (25:40) That is to say, we’ll be able to substantiate our faith in the gatherings of the community of Christians, e.g. prayer meetings and joining Sunday masses. Furthermore, helping the needy and the disadvantaged in the society is an opportunity to strengthen our faith in Jesus Christ. The latter is echoed in the gospel passage today. “Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven … For where your treasure is, there also will your hearts be” (Luke 12:33-34) Not only is alms-giving a philosophy of Christian financial management, but it is also a way to substantiate our faith in Jesus and enrich it.

Of course, our faith guides our actions and a lack of actions reflects a deficiency of faith. When we know the teachings of Jesus but do not put them into practice, it signals a lack of our faith in Him. No wonder Jesus says this when He continues to exhort us to be vigilant. “That servant’s master … will punish him severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely.” (12:46-47) Optimistically, this warning is directed towards Jesus’ servants, viz. the clergy of the Church. When the clergy are abusing their ministry, Jesus would punish them severely and assign them a place with the “unfaithful”. Hopeful, it means they will be our target of evangelization to turn them into faithful gain!
Brethren! Faith is a theological virtue. As a virtue, we can work hard on it to bring it to perfection. As it is also theological, it is bestowed by God. So to enhance our faith in the Lord, let us meet more in Church and go out more to serve the marginalized of the society.
God bless!
2019 Reflection
Picture Credit: christian.art

如何滿足人類的渴求？ How Does God Satisfy Men’s Desires?

常年期第十九主日，乙年
主題：如何滿足人類的渴求？

雖然是簡單的一句「天主按自己的肖像造了人」（創1:27），但它卻蘊藏著極其深刻的意義。
首先，在一切受造物中，即使人類自稱為「萬物之靈」，但在許多方面，始終不及天使，沒有天使的大能。「世人算甚麼…竟使他稍遜於天使，以尊貴光榮作他冠冕」（詠8:5-6）沒有人會反對這一點，不論是甚麼文化，「天神比人強」是不爭的觀念。但天使與人類都是受造物，即是說，彼此都是有限的，祇是不同程度的有限而已。既然是有限的，那麼，理論上是沒有能力永恆地運動；要保持著運動狀態，是必須補給的。那麼，天使也需要食糧來補充「體力」了！

我們不知道天使吃甚麼，但猶太人有「天使食糧」的觀念，類似中國人有王母娘娘宴請神仙的蟠桃一樣。這天使的食糧就是「瑪納」。在描述「瑪納」的時候，達味的樂官阿撒夫，把它描述為「天使的食糧，世人可以享受」（78:25）。不要以為瑪納是「露水昇化之後…留下稀薄的碎屑，稀薄得好像地上的霜」（出16:14），便是乏味的營養劑。它被稱為「天使的食糧」，不但因為它從天而降，「像胡荽的種子那樣白，滋味好似蜜餅」（16:31）；而且「具有各種美味，適合各人的口味…合乎取食者的嗜好，隨著人的願望而變化」（智16:20-21）好不誇張！以色列人在曠野漂泊了四十年，經常抱怨梅瑟，卻從來沒有投訴「瑪納」乏味，原來就是這個原因！為甚麼是這樣呢？《智慧篇》的作者解釋說：「這表明你對待兒女如何恩愛」（16:21）！天降瑪納四十年，表示了天主對以色列人的恩愛，把他們當作兒女看待。

在這樣的背景下，我們更理解上一個主日，福音中猶太人要求耶穌行神蹟纔信服他（若6:30），真是一個非同小何的要求！這神蹟不但要從天而來，更要適合各人不同的口味！不要怪責猶太人執拗，因為這是人類的本色。人類是按天主的肖像所造，雖然是有限的血肉之軀，卻充滿著無限的慾望，恐怕祇有無限的天主，纔有能力滿足了！我們不知道是否天主在起初把人類創造成這個模樣，還是人類失去了原始的恩寵之後，受到私慾偏情的影響所至。但無論如何，人類已陷入無限的慾望，不能自拔的處境，不能靠一己的努力，滿足自己，脫離罪惡的奴役，是不爭的事實！所以當人以為可以靠一己的努力，遵守梅瑟的法律，或者教會的法律，甚至自己定下的規矩（路15:19 ），便可以達到得救的目標（即所謂「白拉奇主義」），真是天真，甚至是偽善！

可幸人類是按天主的肖像所造，無論人類如何遠離天主，他們內在的本性，總會帶領他們回歸根源。始終血濃於水，中國人怎會不愛他們的祖國，人類又怎會希望永遠離開他們的造物主！這不是自尋死路是啥？所以請放心，耶穌基督今天在福音中所說的話，並沒有排斥任何人在得救之門外。「凡不是派遣我的父所吸引的人，誰也不能到我這裡來」（若6:44），聽起來好像定下了「父所吸引」的條件，試問有誰不是按天主的肖像所造，不渴望歸根呢？為免誤會，耶穌基督立即跟著說：「在先知書上記載：『眾人都要蒙天主的訓誨』凡由父聽教而學習的，必到我這裡來。」（6:45；依54:13；耶31:34）眾人都有機會，有能力聽教；分別在於是否接受，是否願意學習。拒絕天主的邀請，拒絕謙遜學習，結果失去得救的機會，是咎尤自取！

可能就是這種在私慾偏情影響下的歸根傾向，形成了人類無止境的各種慾望，甚至為了滿足私慾而偽善和作惡，結果拒絕了法律和先知的教訓，離棄了先前的盟約！但天主明白和憐愛世人，所以祂親自來滿足人類無限的慾求！我們應該這樣理解耶穌基督在今天的福音所說的「生活的食糧」，因為這樣纔顯出「天主的肖像」的深刻意義！雖然人類天性歸向他們的造物主，但原罪傷害了這歸根的傾向，使人類改變了方向，追求那些空虛的事物，不能滿足我們真正渴求的事物。人類便長期生活在善惡的抉擇，生死抉擇的張力之中，有待耶穌基督的拯救。

各位兄弟姊妹，我們比猶太人幸福得多。耶穌基督所說的「我是從天上降下的生活的食糧」（6:51）包含了兩度障礙，第一個是「從天上降下」。猶太人因為了解耶穌基督的身世，認識他的父母和兄弟姊妹（6:42），所以不能跨越這度障礙。但作為天主教徒，我們相信耶穌基督是天主子，是真人真天主，我們跨越了第一度障礙，祇剩下第二度障礙：「生活的食糧」。我們真心接受並相信耶穌是「生活的食糧」嗎？所以上一個主日，我問大家相信世上有神蹟嗎？這是一個更難的障礙，讓我們下星期繼續默想「生命之糧」的教訓吧！
天主保祐！
2018年講道
圖片鳴謝：free4kwallpapers.com

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Nineteenth Ordinary Sunday, Year B
Theme: How Does God Satisfy Men’s Desires?

Although it is simply a “God created mankind in his image” (Genesis 1:27), its meaning is profound.
First of all, among all creatures, mankind is the “Zenith of Creation”. But in many ways, men are inferior to angels whose might we lack. “What is man that you are mindful of him … Yet you have made him little less than a god, crowned him with glory and honour” (Psalms 8:5-6). Nobody would disagree. Whatever culture or civilization, “Angels are mightier than men” is indisputable. But both angels and men are creatures. That is to say, they are finite in different degrees. As they are finite, then theoretically they are unable to move perpetually. In order to keep moving, they need spending energy. Then angels also need food of some sort to supply them energy!

We don’t know what food angels take, but Jews have the concept of “the bread of angels”, something similar to the peaches with which the Empress of Paradise served the fairies in Chinese legends. This angelic bread is manna. In describing manna, Asaph, a Davidic music official says, “Man ate the bread of angels” (78:25). Don’t image that manna is bland because “When the layer of dew evaporated, fine flakes were on the surface of the wilderness, fine flakes like hoarfrost on the ground” (Exodus 16:14). It is called “the bread of the angels” not only because it came down from heavens, but also “It was like coriander seed, white, and it tastes like wafers made with honey” (16:31). Moreover, it was “endowed with all delights and conforming to every taste … serving the desire of the one who received it, was changed to whatever flavour each one wished.” (Wisdom 16:20-21) No wonder the Israelites who had always been complaining to Moses in the wilderness for forty years didn’t utter any dissatisfaction about manna! Why? The author explains, “For this substance of yours revealed your sweetness toward your children” (16:21) For forty years God gave Israelites manna to show them sweetness, treating them like His children.

In this context, we understand how demanding the Jews had been in requiring Jesus to perform a sign before believing in him in the gospel reading last week (John 6:30). Not only should it be a sign from heaven, but it should also be able to satisfy different flavour each one wished! Don’t blame the Jews for being stubborn because this is all too human. Men were created in the image of God. Although they are finite flesh and blood, they are full of infinite desires. I’m afraid only an infinite God is able to satisfy them! We don’t know whether God had created them in this way in the first place or it was the consequence of losing the Origin Grace. No matter what, mankind is overwhelmed by infinite desires and is unable to deliver themselves. It is indisputable that men are unable to meet their own needs with their own efforts or to free themselves from the bondage of sins. Thus, when men fancy that they are able to achieve salvation through observing the laws of Moses, or the laws of the Church, or even rules they make up (Luke 15:19), this is Pelagianism. It is naivety and even hypocrisy!

Fortunately, men were created in the image of God. No matter how far they have gone astray, their nature deep inside would bring them to their roots. Blood is always thicker than water. How can Chinese not love their mother country and how can mankind wish to depart from their Creator! This is self-negation, isn’t it? Thus, be assured that Jesus Christ does not set any condition to ban certain groups of people from attaining salvation in what he says in the gospel today. “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draw him” (John 6:44) It sounds like Jesus setting a “the Father who sent me draw him” condition. But who was not created in the image of God and is not drawn to the Father? In order to avoid misunderstanding, Jesus Christ immediately says, “It is written in the prophets: ‘They shall all be taught by God.’ Everyone who listens to my Father and learns from him comes to me.” (6:45, Isaiah 54:13, Jeremiah 31:34) Everyone has the opportunity and the ability to listen. The difference is whether you accept and are willing to learn. Rejecting God’s invitation, refusing to learn humbly and losing the opportunity to receive salvation, you blame nobody but yourself!

Probably our tendency to return to the Creator is hampered by concupiscence which generates infinitely all sorts of desires in us. In order to satisfy these desires, we even become hypocritical and do evils. Consequently, we reject the teachings of the Law and prophets, abandoning the previous covenant! But God understands us thoroughly and has mercy on us. He comes to gratify the infinite desires of mankind in person! This is how we should understand what Jesus Christ teaches in the gospel today about “the living bread” because it manifests the profound meaning of the image of God! Man’s natural tendency to return to God is damaged by the Original Sin which changes its course. We seek vanity which cannot satisfy our genuine needs. Men constantly live in the tendency to choose between good and evil, life and death. We long for the salvation of Jesus Christ.

Brethren! We are more fortunate than the Jews. Jesus Christ says, “I am the living bread that came down from heaven” (6:51) which consists of two obstacles. The first one is “came down from heaven”. The Jews knew Jesus, his parents and siblings (6:42). Because of that, they were unable to overcome the first obstacle. But as Catholics, we believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, truly divine and human. We have overcome the first obstacle and there remains the second one: “the living bread”. Do we genuinely believe that Jesus Christ is the living bread? That was why I asked you last week whether you believed in miracles. This is a more challenging obstacle. Let us keep meditating this teaching of “the living bread” next week!
God bless!

在一切事上看到天主的慈愛 See God's Mercy in Everything

聖母雙親瞻禮
在一切事上看到天主的慈愛（瑪13:16-17）

人類總希望生活在一個可預料的世界，一切事物的發生總會有合理的解釋。倘若遇到解釋不到的或意料之外的事物，就會感到坐立不安。可是，當生活被完全掌握的時候，我們很容易會忽略了眼底下的一些真理。例如：「為甚麼吃飯之前要祈禱？相信天主不是已足夠嗎，還需要這麼多繁文縟節，每個主日參加彌撒呢？天主為甚麼讓不幸的事發生在好人身上？天主為甚麼對為義而受迫害的人，見死不救？」
有誰能看透這些事物，看到幸福呢？難怪耶穌基督在福音說：「你們的眼睛有福，因為看得見…許多先知和義人想看…而沒有看到的。」（瑪13:16-17）究竟我們看到甚麼，是前人所看不到的呢？我們在耶穌基督身上，看到「天主是愛」。

當義人受迫害，去到盡頭，終於死了。很多人會唾罵極權，認為這世界沒有公義！我們卻看到他們得到自由了，痛苦再也不能傷害他們了。在他們身上，我們看到人性的尊嚴，看到義人的高風亮節，看到天主對信賴祂的人的慈愛。很有前途的年青人身患殘疾，終身困在輪椅上；看到更多的人受癌症折磨，他們和家人一起承受著極大的身心痛苦。很多人會覺得生存沒有意義，不如安樂死去。我們反而看到他們正參與耶穌基督出於愛，默默地承擔著世人的罪過。生活在塵世，我們常感到與天主距離很遠，多麼渴望早日親近天主。所以，能參加主日彌撒，享受主的愛宴，是多麼幸福快樂啊！最後，我們不用插著喉管餵食，是多麼幸福快樂。在飯前感謝天主，不是很應該嗎？
父啊！讓我們在一切事物之中，親睹祢的慈愛；請把祢的救恩賜給我們。亞孟。

生命恩泉

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Feast of Ss. Jochim & Anna, parents of BVM
See God's Mercy in Everything (Matthew 13:16-17)

Men always want to live in a predictable world. There must be reasonable explanations for everything that happens. If something unexpected happens, we feel anxious. However, when our life is completely under control, we will easily miss some truths right under our nose. For example, why should we say grace before meals? Isn't faith in God sufficient? Why bother follow the rubrics to join masses on Sundays? Why does God allow sufferings to happen to good people? Why doesn't God save when the righteous are being persecuted?
Who can see through all these to see blessedness? No wonder Jesus says, "But blessed are your eyes, for they see what ... many prophets and righteous men have desired to see ... and have not seen them." (Matthew 13:16-17) What do we see which people of previous ages did not see? We see in Jesus Christ that "God is love".

When the righteous were persecuted and died in the end, many people would curse the totalitarians and lament that there is no justice on earth! But we see that they have gained freedom and there shall no torment touch them. In them, we see the dignity of humanity, their noble virtues and the mercy which God shows to those who trust in Him. Many promising young people suffer disabilities, spending their whole life chained to wheelchairs. We see many more people suffering from cancers. They and their family members are tortured physically and emotionally. Many people find no more meaning in living and prefer euthanasia! But we see them partaking in Jesus' Passion, who out of love silently carries on His shoulders the sins of the world. Living in the mundane world, we always feel distanced from God and desire very much to come close to Him. Thus, how blessed we are in joining Sunday Masses, partaking in the love feast of the Lord. Lastly, how lucky and happy we are when we do not need to be fed by tubes. Shouldn't we thank God before meals?
Father, let us see Your mercy in all things. Give us Your salvation. Amen.

God has His own schedule

The bible readings today are very encouraging. There is a very important verse in the first reading which is taken from the Book of Wisdom. It is unfortunate for Martin Luther to reject this book and removed it from the canon of the Bible because the book was written in Greek. This book is not found in Protestant Bibles. Therefore, some important revelations are missing. In short, the Protestant Bible is incomplete.
The important verse I mentioned above is important because it tells us that God does not want us, not even a single one of us, to perish. Thus, we derive the confidence that God will save us all, even the worst sinners among mankind. It reads,
Do not invite death by the error of your life, nor bring on destruction by the works of your hands;
because God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living (Wisdom 1:12-13).
We are held responsible for whatever we do. In the beginning, death was not in the original plan of God. Ever since sins entered the scene, death and destruction entered as well. They are the consequences of our "error of life". We are held responsible for our own errors. We will receive punishment, but God will not let us die, not even one of us. But isn't death a certainty for all human? True, but there is a worse death than the death of our physical body, viz. spiritual death which could take place even before our physical death. We may not understand how God will deliver us from spiritual death but we are confident that God will.

The Gospel reading today is even more encouraging. Fr. Martin helped us realize our own attitude towards our spiritual life and in particular, our prayers. Do we pray for our needs or for God's will? We should be able to draw the appropriate answer from the twin miracles in the gospel today.
A bleeding woman had suffered for twelve years. Just think about it, what would her prayers be in these twelve years? Common sense would tell us that she must have been praying for her recovery which probably would be the only thing she prayed for. Was not such a humble request a reasonable one? How could God not make her recover. Therefore, for twelve years, God had not answered her, had disappointed her. Yet, she kept praying. How great her faith was! And yet, God has His own schedule.
Suppose this miracle happened during Jesus' first year of ministry. Which means the bleeding woman started praying for her recovery when Jesus was only 18. Jesus must have heard her prayers and have compassion for her suffering. Jesus might even be able to experience her pains. Yet, the only thing Jesus could do was to wait patiently for 12 more years before helping her. To quote John, his hour has not yet come (John 2:4c). God has His own schedule.
In fact, the bleeding woman was not suffering the longest. According to John, Jesus healed a man who had been paralyzed for 38 years (John 5:5). This long duration of torture had probably eroded the faith of this man or his friends such that nobody was at his side to help him into Bethzatha, a pool in Jerusalem, to be healed. He did not need to go into the pool. Jesus healed him. God has His own schedule.
It has been 23 years since the June 4 crackdown in 1989. Perhaps Hong Kong is the only remaining Chinese city in the world in which memorial service is still held annually. I have not heard of reports of such memorial services for quite a number of years in USA or Europe to where most of the students dissidents have fled. In recent years, there are an increasing number of mainlanders coming to Hong Kong to join the memorial service. Moreover, many participants are teenagers. These are encouraging signs. I am sure God has His own schedule to terminate one-party dictatorship in Communist China.

The twin miracles in the gospel reading today were in fact sandwich miracles. Before the bleeding woman appeared, Jairus, a ruler of the synagogue, came to beg Jesus to heal his daughter who was dying. Jesus went along but was delayed by the bleeding woman. Consequently, he arrived too late. The girl had died. How devastated would Jairus be! Had the bleeding woman not appeared, Jesus would have had enough time to heal his daughter who would not have died! God had not heard his prayer and disappointed him. Most probably Jairus was a Pharisee because he was a ruler of the synagogue. He had to put away the official Pharisee line, his enmity against Jesus. He had to put down his dignity to kneel before Jesus. All his efforts were wasted. How frustrating!  But God would not serve the first one who came. God has His own schedule. What is more, God would not let the girl die! God is not God of the dead, but of the living (Mark 12:27a). From this story, I am more confident that God shall not give up even a single one of us. He shall not allow us to die spiritually.
If God shall bring us to eternal life whatever we do, then why should we do good? Why not indulge ourselves in sins and enjoy?
I would say that acting morally in itself is good. God has given each one of us enough grace to do good things. We should not waste it in making errors of life.

For how many times has God not heard our prayers and frustrated us? Keep in mind that God has His own schedule. There is a time for everything, a time to be born and a time to die (Ecclesiastes 3:2). Therefore, pray to seek the will of God, not our needs. With the confident hope in eternal life, we continue to make good use of the talentum that God gives us to enrich ourselves on earth.

Dear Lord, Your will be done on earth. Amen.

God wants all to be saved

Genesis tells us that we were created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26). Though Adam and Eve disobeyed God, thus releasing the poison of sins to contaminate the world, God did not give up. He wants all of us to be saved. Of course, God has given us freedom. Without freedom, our love of God would be forced and worthless. In order to respect our freedom, God risks losing some souls to Satan. Even one of Jesus' chosen apostles committed suicide. But God is almighty. It is only logical that He should save all fallen mankind. And this is indeed what He intended to do. Paul has the following to say.
This is good, and it is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:3-4).
What made Paul so optimistic that all of us would receive God's salvation?
Paul was not alone. His view was shared by John who wrote some four decades later. But John added a condition.
For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).
Again, this is a popular Protestant quotation which appears in many outdoor neon light displays.
This God's desire for all men to be saved carries a condition. According to John, whoever believe in Jesus will be saved. Paul was not wrong. John only made things clearer. But Paul has also mentioned the importance of faith. Protestants like to quote Paul out of context and stress much about justification by faith. Catholics also hold the belief in the justification by faith. Their difference lies in the difference between Protestant and Catholic interpretations of faith. Is faith only a mind game, or does it requires actions? Protestants favour the former interpretation while Catholics insists on the latter. Protestants argue that Jesus has come to establish the New Covenant. Therefore, Christians do not need to follow the Torah. However, Jesus himself said that he came to fulfil the law, not to abolish it.
Think not that I have come to abolish the law and the prophets; I have come not to abolish them but to fulfil them (Matthew 5:17).
Therefore, faith does not exclude actions.  

Several times in Wisdom 12, the author expresses a similar hope as Paul.
For thy immortal spirit is in all things.
Therefore thou dost correct little by little those who trespass, and dost remind and warn them of the things wherein they sin, that they may be freed from wickedness and put their trust in thee, O Lord (Wisdom 13:1-2).
But judging them little by little thou gavest them a chance to repent, though thou wast not unaware that their origin was evil and their wickedness inborn, and that their way of thinking would never change (Wisdom 13:10).
However evil we may be, God still gives us a chance to repent. So, let us take out our actions to show that our repentance is genuine. Of course, at the end of the day, God still respect our freedom not to repent.

Dear Lord, enkindle our love for You. Then we learn to cherish Your mercy. Let our mistakes continue to prod us forwards. Amen.

Feast of Josaphat (Year B)

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the feast day of St. Josaphat, a bishop, a martyr. He died a martyr when he tried to bring some of the congregation back to the Roman Catholic Church. He had supporters but also many more opposers. He was killed for a noble cause. But was he wise to insist returning to the Catholic Church?
Wisdom is a lofty topic. I am afraid I am not qualified enough to talk about her. Try to explain the following line.
for wisdom, the fashioner of all things, taught me. For in her there is a spirit that is intelligent, holy, unique, manifold, subtle, mobile, clear, unpolluted, distinct, invulnerable, loving the good, keen, irresistible,
beneficent, humane, steadfast, sure, free from anxiety, all-powerful, overseeing all, and penetrating through all spirits that are intelligent and pure and most subtle
Ἔστιν γὰρ ἐν αὐτῇ πνεῦμα νοερόν, ἅγιον, μονογενές, πολυμερές, λεπτόν, εὐκίνητον, τρανόν, ἀμόλυντον, σαφές, ἀπήμαντον, φιλάγαθον, ὀξύ,
ἀκώλυτον, εὐεργετικόν, φιλάνθρωπον, βέβαιον, ἀσφαλές, ἀμέριμνον, παντοδύναμον, πανεπίσκοπον καὶ διὰ πάντων χωροῦν πνευμάτων νοερῶν καθαρῶν λεπτοτάτων. (Wisdom 7:22-23).
The author made use of 20 adjectives to describe Wisdom. I am dumbfounded.
Who are qualified to possess Wisdom? Those who are intelligent, pure and most subtle. But why pure?
The author continues to explain just two of these qualities of Wisdom.
For wisdom is more mobile than any motion; because of her pureness she pervades and penetrates all things
πάσης γὰρ κινήσεως κινητικώτερον σοφία, διήκει δὲ καὶ χωρεῖ διὰ πάντων διὰ τὴν καθαρότητα· (Wisdom 7:24)
I quote them in length simply to show my ignorance. But this verse actually helps me appreciate more one of the Beatitudes.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God
μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν θεὸν ὄψονται. (Matthew 5:8).
Since pureness allows Wisdom to pervade and penetrate all things, those pure in heart will also be able to pervade and penetrate (see through) all things. Then they shall be able to find God in all things. Then they shall not be afraid of persecution.
Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account
μακάριοι οἱ δεδιωγμένοι ἕνεκεν δικαιοσύνης, ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν.
μακάριοί ἐστε ὅταν ὀνειδίσωσιν ὑμᾶς καὶ διώξωσιν καὶ εἴπωσιν πᾶν πονηρὸν καθ' ὑμῶν [ψευδόμενοι] ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ (Matthew 5:10-11).

My Lord, You who are the embodiment of Wisdom, grant us a pure heart so that we may be able to see God in all things, to bear You witness despite persecutions. Amen.

Feast of St. Leo the Great (Year B)

The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Leo the Great, a pope in the 5^th century. The Church was assaulted by a different type of difficulty --- heresy. Thanks be to God. Pope Leo I was able to consolidate the truth of Christian faith and fended off the invasion of the barbarians.

We begin to read a book called the Wisdom of Solomon. Scholars deduce that it was written in Greek in around 150 B.C. Since a Hebrew version does not exist, the Protestant tradition does not include this book in the canon. For example, KJV, RSV put this book in the Apocrypha section after the book of Revelation. The Catholic tradition has never doubted its canonicity. This book is inspired by God. Though this book is written in Greek, its theology is very Jewish. So, the translators of the Chinese Bible, the Franciscan fathers believe that the author of this book was a Jew. He wrote this book to console and support the Jews who were suffering persecution. The author wrote in Greek because most of the Jews at that time did not know Hebrew. They were living under the Greek Empire. Naturally, Greek became the official tongue.

The book of Wisdom began with righteousness. It sets the tone of the whole book.
Love righteousness, you rulers of the earth, think of the Lord with uprightness, and seek him with sincerity of heart (Wisdom 1:1).
Wisdom will make you righteous. If you have wisdom, you are able to discern right from wrong. God will be delighted. Therefore, you work hard to study, to accumulate wisdom. Then you will be saved. How convenient! The author cherished a very optimistic outlook.
Do not invite death by the error of your life, nor bring on destruction by the works of your hands;
because God did not make death, and he does not delight in the death of the living.For he created all things that they might exist, and the generative forces of the world are wholesome, and there is no destructive poison in them; and the dominion of Hades is not on earth.
For righteousness is immortal (Wisdom 1:12-15).
You feel like reading the New Testament --- God is not God of the dead, but of the living.

Then the author turns to examine why the righteous must suffer. Starting in chapter 2, the author listed several wrong attitudes commonly held by ungodly people. They would say, life is sorrowful and short. We come into existence only by chance. Therefore, let us enjoy it.
Come, therefore, let us enjoy the good things that exist, and make use of the creation to the full as in youth.
Let us take our fill of costly wine and perfumes, and let no flower of spring pass by us.
Let us crown ourselves with rosebuds before they wither.
Let none of us fail to share in our revelry, everywhere let us leave signs of enjoyment, because this is our portion, and this our lot (Wisdom 2:6-9).
As if it was not enough, they hated the righteous because the righteous provided a mirror for the ungodly, making them shameful.
Let us lie in wait for the righteous man, because he is inconvenient to us and opposes our actions; he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training.
He professes to have knowledge of God, and calls himself a child of the Lord.
He became to us a reproof of our thoughts;
the very sight of him is a burden to us, because his manner of life is unlike that of others, and his ways are strange.
We are considered by him as something base, and he avoids our ways as unclean; he calls the last end of the righteous happy, and boasts that God is his father(Wisdom 2:12-16).
Because of these ungodly people, the righteous are persecuted.

Dear Lord, we are mirrors for each other. Let us lead a life worthy of the gifts You bestow on us. Amen.

Songs

I have been a lucky man. I was brought up in a normal low-incoming family, spending my formative years in a low-cost housing estate. My father has been a hard working shopkeeper to bring me and my younger brother up, my mother an ordinary housewife like any others. We experienced financial hardship but I managed to graduate from the university and land in a steady job as a teacher. God has been very kind to me.
One of my classmates was less fortunate. He never knows who his father was. He grew up as a step-son and in his wedding banquet, his surname did not appear in the banquet hall. In his youth and throughout his life, he manages to attract and establish liaisons with different women. In the end, he divorced his wife and is probably living with another woman. He needs to establish his identity through these different liaisons. His life is a totally different song from mine. As an RS teacher, I have difficulty in speaking against divorce.
for God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own eternity,
but through the devil's envy death entered the world, and those who belong to his party experience it  (Wisdom 2:23-24).

My God, we are Your songs. When we finish our coda, remember us in Your eternity. Amen.