Chinese do not subscribe to a linear conception of history. Very few of them would be bothered by the worries of the end of the world which is the hallmark of a linear history. In such a view, the universe has a beginning and an end. If my understanding is not wrong, Chinese believe in a spiral view of history. A circular conception of history believes that what happened in the past would happen again in the future. A spiral conception is a little bit different in that what happens again will not be identical to that happened in the past. Advocates of spiral conception optimistically believe that it will advance one step forward to a brighter future.
Is history linear, circular or spiral? This is a rather philosophical question and everybody is entitled to subscribe to whichever one that fancies him. Christians subscribe to the linear view. They believe that God created our universe some time in the past. They also believe that the world as we know it will come to an end when Christ comes the second time to judge the living and the dead. This is the famous Judgment Day which is a logical necessity because there have been so many miscarriages of justice and corruption. Our justice system is not airtight. Many political heavyweights attempt to bend the law in their favour. There have been tyrants whose whims were laws. Therefore, Christians welcome the idea of the end of the world when Christ would vindicate the injustice they suffer.
On my shelf there is one book which I will definitely not throw away. It is a hardcover book which means its sale was not good. Otherwise I would only have bought a paperback. This book predicted that the world would come to an end in 2009! I keep this book to show the stupidity of people trying to predict the end of the world.
In the gospel reading today (Mark 13:24-32), two embarrassing verses about the end of the world need clarification. Jesus was talking about the terrible things which would happen before the end of the world. The sun would be darkened, the moon would have no light to reflect to earth, stars (perhaps meteors) would fall from heaven and the powers in the heavens would be shaken (Mark 13:24-25). Then we hear the following verse.
Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away before all these things take place (Mark 13:30).
A generation is roughly thirty years. Suppose Jesus died at 33 and scholars estimate that the gospel of Mark was written in around 55 A.D. So, has Mark reported a stupid prediction by Jesus?
This verse actually reflects the belief of early Christians. They believed that Jesus would return soon. Money would be of no more use. Therefore, they handed over their property to the Apostles to share among all believers. But Mark could not put words into Jesus' mouth and Jesus would not say such stupid thing. Therefore, Jesus must be talking about something else. The only possibility would be the destruction of the Holy Temple in 70 A.D. Indeed, Jesus was talking about just this at the beginning of the chapter (Mark 13:1-3).
The next embarrassing verse is one of my favourites. My students have been troubled by members of some doomsday cults. So, I teach my students to defend themselves by quoting the following.
But of that day or that hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Mark 13:32).
So, when those doomsday cults members scare my students with the end of the world, my students should be able to counter-attack that those people are more powerful than Jesus Christ! They must be the Father!
This verse definitely would defend and save my students from falling into the snare of those doomsday cults. However, it backfires when we come to the theology of the Trinity which deals with the tension between the unity and distinction among the three Persons of God.
The three Persons are in unity. They have the same divinity, the same essence and are equal in glory etc. That is why they are one. Now, here is the difficulty. If the Son and the Father are one, how is it possible for the Son not to know about the end of the world, only the Father knows?
The Three Persons are also distinct. The Father did not die on the cross to redeem mankind. It was the Son. The Son did not enter the womb of Mary directly to become Jesus. It was the work of the Holy Spirit. Similarly, it is the Holy Spirit who turns bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus. Christ does not do this during Mass. In short, the three Persons have their own independent wills. Therefore, it is possible for the Son not to know the day or the hour of the end of the world because the Son and the Father have different and independent wills.They are different persons.
Dear Lord, keep us alert to expect Your second coming. Amen.
Sunday, 18 November 2012
Sunday, 11 November 2012
Generosity of the poor widow
In times of plenty and security, we rely more on our ability to fend for ourselves. We tend to forget that our existence is totally dependent on God. Only in desperate times do we realize our limitations and our complete reliance on God's providence.
Elijah and Elisha were legendary prophets of the Old Testament. Unlike the 4 Major Prophets and 12 Minor Prophets, Elijah and Elisha did not leave us any writings. However, in the books of Kings, there are collections of their legends which Biblical scholars called "Elijah cycle" and "Elisha cycle" respectively. These legends tell us the greatness of God through the acts of these 2 prophets. However, the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-16), like the rest, is not meant to entertain modern ears. Besides the incredibility of the endless supply of flour and oil, the behaviour of the widow was unreasonable. How could a widow mother follow the instruction of a total stranger at the expense of her own life and that of her only son? Perhaps the story could attract ancient audience, but not modern people who may find some of the stories, such as 2 Kings 2:23-24, offensive.
There were many widows in the early Church. Perhaps one of them was the main character in the story of the poor widow in the gospel of Mark. This story cannot be treated as a legend because every detail of the story was very authentic, except one and this exceptional detail was praised by Jesus.
And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.
For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living." (Mark 12:43-44)
Once more, modern people find the story hard to accept. Did the widow have children? Did the widow not care about her own livelihood? How could a sensible person hand over everything she had, her whole living? If she wanted to gamble with God, she would definitely lose!
Depending on which purpose the treasury collection served, the act of donation demonstrated both the love of God and the love of the needy. If the treasury collection helped maintain the Temple and feed the priests, donation was a love of God. If the treasury collection was meant to support the poor, donation was a love of neighbour. Jesus praised the poor widow because by donating all, she was able to love God with all her heart, and with all her soul, and with all her mind and with all her strength. If the treasury collection was meant to support the poor, the widow demonstrated a unreserved love of her neighbour as herself. Without reservation for her own, the poor widow was able to put the two greatest commandments into practice. How did she do it? Perhaps we will never understand because it is rather impossible for us to put ourselves in her position, to see what she saw and to experience what she experienced.
To be sure, her life was harsh. There was no CSSA. If her deceased husband had no brothers, there would be nobody to support her. Perhaps she was receiving relief from the very treasury she contributed. In her difficult life, she understood very well the plights of similar people like her. Other than God, to whom could she turn? So, if we think that it is unreasonable, irrational of her to contribute all, it is because we have not learned to be generous. We don't understand how important generosity is for us! God has always been faithfully generous to us. Without His providence, we are not. Without the incarnation, passion and resurrection of Jesus, our existence is pitiful. Therefore, our generosity is microscopic in front of God.
Dear Lord, generosity is Your blessing. May we make good use of our generosity to serve the needy. Amen.
Elijah and Elisha were legendary prophets of the Old Testament. Unlike the 4 Major Prophets and 12 Minor Prophets, Elijah and Elisha did not leave us any writings. However, in the books of Kings, there are collections of their legends which Biblical scholars called "Elijah cycle" and "Elisha cycle" respectively. These legends tell us the greatness of God through the acts of these 2 prophets. However, the story of Elijah and the widow of Zarephath (1 Kings 17:8-16), like the rest, is not meant to entertain modern ears. Besides the incredibility of the endless supply of flour and oil, the behaviour of the widow was unreasonable. How could a widow mother follow the instruction of a total stranger at the expense of her own life and that of her only son? Perhaps the story could attract ancient audience, but not modern people who may find some of the stories, such as 2 Kings 2:23-24, offensive.
There were many widows in the early Church. Perhaps one of them was the main character in the story of the poor widow in the gospel of Mark. This story cannot be treated as a legend because every detail of the story was very authentic, except one and this exceptional detail was praised by Jesus.
And he called his disciples to him, and said to them, "Truly, I say to you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury.
For they all contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, her whole living." (Mark 12:43-44)
Once more, modern people find the story hard to accept. Did the widow have children? Did the widow not care about her own livelihood? How could a sensible person hand over everything she had, her whole living? If she wanted to gamble with God, she would definitely lose!
Depending on which purpose the treasury collection served, the act of donation demonstrated both the love of God and the love of the needy. If the treasury collection helped maintain the Temple and feed the priests, donation was a love of God. If the treasury collection was meant to support the poor, donation was a love of neighbour. Jesus praised the poor widow because by donating all, she was able to love God with all her heart, and with all her soul, and with all her mind and with all her strength. If the treasury collection was meant to support the poor, the widow demonstrated a unreserved love of her neighbour as herself. Without reservation for her own, the poor widow was able to put the two greatest commandments into practice. How did she do it? Perhaps we will never understand because it is rather impossible for us to put ourselves in her position, to see what she saw and to experience what she experienced.
To be sure, her life was harsh. There was no CSSA. If her deceased husband had no brothers, there would be nobody to support her. Perhaps she was receiving relief from the very treasury she contributed. In her difficult life, she understood very well the plights of similar people like her. Other than God, to whom could she turn? So, if we think that it is unreasonable, irrational of her to contribute all, it is because we have not learned to be generous. We don't understand how important generosity is for us! God has always been faithfully generous to us. Without His providence, we are not. Without the incarnation, passion and resurrection of Jesus, our existence is pitiful. Therefore, our generosity is microscopic in front of God.
Dear Lord, generosity is Your blessing. May we make good use of our generosity to serve the needy. Amen.
Sunday, 4 November 2012
Love men in order to love God
Historians and social scientists would see Christianity as an outgrowth of Judaism. To a certain extent, they are correct. Christians and Jews share half of the Bible and they keep the same Ten Commandments. What is more, the founder of Christianity, Jesus Christ, was himself a Jew, even a respectable Rabbi though Jesus was by trade a carpenter.
Jesus knew the Hebrew Scripture, in particular the book of Deuteronomy, very well. When he was tempted by the Devil during his fasting in the wilderness, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy to answer the Tempter. Today, we read of the story of a Jewish Rabbi who challenged him to name which is the first commandment of all "Ποία ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη πάντων; ", Jesus answered again from the Deuteronomy, the famous "Shema Israel".
Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one;
and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength'" (Mark 12:29-30, Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
Today, I will not talk about the extra "with all your mind" Jesus inserted into Shema Israel. In fact, the Rabbi challenger was closer to the Deuteronomy original in Mark 12:33. Interested readers might also compare the Matthean and Lucan versions of the same story and try to explain why the Evangelists reported different sayings from the same Jesus! It will be a good Synoptic Gospel assignment ... etc.
No. Today, I want to focus on this total love of God --- "to love God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength". Naturally, one shall wonder if there is any room and any time to love anybody else. We all live in a web of relationships, some of which may be instrumental. However, there must be some relationships in which genuine love is nurtured, for example parents and children, husband and wife, brothers and sisters, friends and comrades etc. If we follow this commandment literally, we will become very selfish to those who love us because we love God so completely that we have no room to reciprocate. In real life, other than monks, nuns and religious fanatics, who can love God so totally? Therefore, the Shema Israel is an impossible commandment for ordinary people.
Here, Jesus provides us with an escape clause. He continues to teach the second commandment.
The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:31, Leviticus 19:18b)
The significance of the second commandment is first revealed in the Good Samaritan story in Luke 10:30-37 and in the Last Judgment story in Matthew 25:31-46. The needy are our neighbour. When we help the needy, we are serving the Jesus Christ present in them. Now that Christ has come to us, it is possible to follow the Shema Israel literally because when we love the needy, we are loving Christ who is God. Blessed Mother Teresa and her nuns are doing just this. God would not command us to do things beyond our capability to do. The Son of God incarnated to put on our humanity to become a lowly needy man. He taught us to love the needy and our enemies. Commandments and laws are not able to uplift us. The Age of Law is over. Christ has come to inaugurate a new age, the Age of Grace in which He gives us grace to seek God's will, to partake in God's eternal life. Now, we may love men in order to love God.
It is a bit unsatisfying to bark about love. No. we should not just talk about love. Instead, we should do it. Action speaks louder than words. So, just do it.
Dear Lord, I thank You for making God's commandments practicable. May I be generous enough to answer Your call. Amen.
Jesus knew the Hebrew Scripture, in particular the book of Deuteronomy, very well. When he was tempted by the Devil during his fasting in the wilderness, Jesus quoted Deuteronomy to answer the Tempter. Today, we read of the story of a Jewish Rabbi who challenged him to name which is the first commandment of all "Ποία ἐστὶν ἐντολὴ πρώτη πάντων; ", Jesus answered again from the Deuteronomy, the famous "Shema Israel".
Jesus answered, "The first is, 'Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one;
and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength'" (Mark 12:29-30, Deuteronomy 6:4-5).
Today, I will not talk about the extra "with all your mind" Jesus inserted into Shema Israel. In fact, the Rabbi challenger was closer to the Deuteronomy original in Mark 12:33. Interested readers might also compare the Matthean and Lucan versions of the same story and try to explain why the Evangelists reported different sayings from the same Jesus! It will be a good Synoptic Gospel assignment ... etc.
No. Today, I want to focus on this total love of God --- "to love God with all our heart, and with all our soul, and with all our mind, and with all our strength". Naturally, one shall wonder if there is any room and any time to love anybody else. We all live in a web of relationships, some of which may be instrumental. However, there must be some relationships in which genuine love is nurtured, for example parents and children, husband and wife, brothers and sisters, friends and comrades etc. If we follow this commandment literally, we will become very selfish to those who love us because we love God so completely that we have no room to reciprocate. In real life, other than monks, nuns and religious fanatics, who can love God so totally? Therefore, the Shema Israel is an impossible commandment for ordinary people.
Here, Jesus provides us with an escape clause. He continues to teach the second commandment.
The second is this, 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these (Mark 12:31, Leviticus 19:18b)
The significance of the second commandment is first revealed in the Good Samaritan story in Luke 10:30-37 and in the Last Judgment story in Matthew 25:31-46. The needy are our neighbour. When we help the needy, we are serving the Jesus Christ present in them. Now that Christ has come to us, it is possible to follow the Shema Israel literally because when we love the needy, we are loving Christ who is God. Blessed Mother Teresa and her nuns are doing just this. God would not command us to do things beyond our capability to do. The Son of God incarnated to put on our humanity to become a lowly needy man. He taught us to love the needy and our enemies. Commandments and laws are not able to uplift us. The Age of Law is over. Christ has come to inaugurate a new age, the Age of Grace in which He gives us grace to seek God's will, to partake in God's eternal life. Now, we may love men in order to love God.
It is a bit unsatisfying to bark about love. No. we should not just talk about love. Instead, we should do it. Action speaks louder than words. So, just do it.
Dear Lord, I thank You for making God's commandments practicable. May I be generous enough to answer Your call. Amen.
Sunday, 28 October 2012
What is Faith?
After working a cure miracle, Jesus usually said, "Your faith has cured you. Go in peace." The gospel reading today is an example. When Jesus was heading Jerusalem, he passed by Jericho. A blind man, not a born blind, sought Jesus' help despite discouragement from the bystanders. At last Jesus cured him and we hear Jesus say "Go your way; your faith has made you well" (Mark 10:52).
Such stories make Jesus look like a faith-healer. Elsewhere, we read of the inability of Jesus to work miracles because of the lack of faith of the villagers of Nazareth where Jesus spent his childhood.up until he became an adult (Mark 6:1-6). We conclude that faith is the key to open up God's power. To the ears of unbelievers, faith is superstition. Believing in God is irrational, unscientific and thus not appropriate for modern life in the society.
To celebrate the golden jubilee of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Benedict XVI kicked off the Year of Faith in October 11, 2012. So, the Catholic Church will spend the next 13 months (October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013) to rethink their faith in God. Is the Catholic faith in God a superstition? Is faith irrational and unscientific? I have no intention to bore my readers to death through philosophical discourses on the complementality of faith and reason. I just happen to remember a famous story in ancient China that illustrates the importance of faith in any endeavour, the story of He's Jade 和氏璧.
In around 750 BC, Bian He 卞和 discovered a piece of precious jade which was encrusted with rock. He offered it to King Li of Chu 楚厲王 who told his royal craftsman to examine it. The craftsman reported that it was just a piece of ordinary rock. The king was angry and ordered to have the left leg of Bian He amputated. After the death of King Li, his son King Wu 武王 succeeded. Once more, Bian He offered the precious jade and this time, his remaining leg was amputated as well. King Wu reigned for 51 years and died in 690 B.C. King Wen 文王 who succeeded King Wu heard that Bian He had wailed for 3 days and nights. King Wen sent an officer to ask about it. Bian He reportedly said that he did not wail for the loss of both legs. He wailed because the precious jade was mistaken as a piece of ordinary rock and a loyal officer was mistaken to be a cheating mandarin. King Wen ordered his craftsmen to remove the crust and the precious jade at last came to light.
This is a well-known story in Chinese History. How does it relate to faith?
Religion and science are not mutually antagonistic. The same goes to faith and reason. They are pairs of legs for us to walk on. Without one, we are crippled. It is well known that many great scientists are deeply religious. In fact, without faith, whether in God or in some other intangible belief, an experimental scientist would miss the chance of discovery. It is well known that many discoveries were made after hundreds of experimental failures. For example, Dolly, the first successfully cloned sheep, was the fruit of 277 attempts. Had the scientists given up after 276 failures, they would never have cloned Dolly. Faith, the confidence/belief in something unseen, something intangible, sustains these scientists.
Perhaps now you begin to see the story of He's Jade in a different perspective. The story tells us that Bian He had faith in his judgment. He also had not lost faith in his kings. He believed that no matter how stupid the previous kings had been, there would still be one king who would understand. His story also tells us one more important thing about faith. In defending his faith, Bian He had paid a heavy price. Faith exacts a price from all who insist. Are you prepared to pay such a price which may be unknown at the very beginning?
Dear Lord, faith in You does not come cheaply. Help us be willing to pay the price. Amen.
Appendix:
楚人和氏得玉璞楚山中，奉而獻之厲王，厲王使玉人相之，玉人曰：「石也。」王以和為誑，而刖其左足。及厲王薨，武王即位，和又奉其璞而獻之武王，武王使玉人相之，又曰「石也」，王又以和為誑，而刖其右足。武王薨，文王即位，和乃抱其璞而哭於楚山之下，三日三夜，泣盡而繼之以血。王聞之，使人問其故，曰：「天下之刖者多矣，子奚哭之悲也？」和曰：「吾非悲刖也，悲夫寶玉而題之以石，貞士而名之以誑，此吾所以悲也。」王乃使玉人理其璞而得寶焉，遂命曰：「和氏之璧。」【韓非子‧和氏十三】
Such stories make Jesus look like a faith-healer. Elsewhere, we read of the inability of Jesus to work miracles because of the lack of faith of the villagers of Nazareth where Jesus spent his childhood.up until he became an adult (Mark 6:1-6). We conclude that faith is the key to open up God's power. To the ears of unbelievers, faith is superstition. Believing in God is irrational, unscientific and thus not appropriate for modern life in the society.
To celebrate the golden jubilee of the opening of the Second Vatican Council, Pope Benedict XVI kicked off the Year of Faith in October 11, 2012. So, the Catholic Church will spend the next 13 months (October 11, 2012 to November 24, 2013) to rethink their faith in God. Is the Catholic faith in God a superstition? Is faith irrational and unscientific? I have no intention to bore my readers to death through philosophical discourses on the complementality of faith and reason. I just happen to remember a famous story in ancient China that illustrates the importance of faith in any endeavour, the story of He's Jade 和氏璧.
In around 750 BC, Bian He 卞和 discovered a piece of precious jade which was encrusted with rock. He offered it to King Li of Chu 楚厲王 who told his royal craftsman to examine it. The craftsman reported that it was just a piece of ordinary rock. The king was angry and ordered to have the left leg of Bian He amputated. After the death of King Li, his son King Wu 武王 succeeded. Once more, Bian He offered the precious jade and this time, his remaining leg was amputated as well. King Wu reigned for 51 years and died in 690 B.C. King Wen 文王 who succeeded King Wu heard that Bian He had wailed for 3 days and nights. King Wen sent an officer to ask about it. Bian He reportedly said that he did not wail for the loss of both legs. He wailed because the precious jade was mistaken as a piece of ordinary rock and a loyal officer was mistaken to be a cheating mandarin. King Wen ordered his craftsmen to remove the crust and the precious jade at last came to light.
This is a well-known story in Chinese History. How does it relate to faith?
Religion and science are not mutually antagonistic. The same goes to faith and reason. They are pairs of legs for us to walk on. Without one, we are crippled. It is well known that many great scientists are deeply religious. In fact, without faith, whether in God or in some other intangible belief, an experimental scientist would miss the chance of discovery. It is well known that many discoveries were made after hundreds of experimental failures. For example, Dolly, the first successfully cloned sheep, was the fruit of 277 attempts. Had the scientists given up after 276 failures, they would never have cloned Dolly. Faith, the confidence/belief in something unseen, something intangible, sustains these scientists.
Perhaps now you begin to see the story of He's Jade in a different perspective. The story tells us that Bian He had faith in his judgment. He also had not lost faith in his kings. He believed that no matter how stupid the previous kings had been, there would still be one king who would understand. His story also tells us one more important thing about faith. In defending his faith, Bian He had paid a heavy price. Faith exacts a price from all who insist. Are you prepared to pay such a price which may be unknown at the very beginning?
Dear Lord, faith in You does not come cheaply. Help us be willing to pay the price. Amen.
Appendix:
楚人和氏得玉璞楚山中，奉而獻之厲王，厲王使玉人相之，玉人曰：「石也。」王以和為誑，而刖其左足。及厲王薨，武王即位，和又奉其璞而獻之武王，武王使玉人相之，又曰「石也」，王又以和為誑，而刖其右足。武王薨，文王即位，和乃抱其璞而哭於楚山之下，三日三夜，泣盡而繼之以血。王聞之，使人問其故，曰：「天下之刖者多矣，子奚哭之悲也？」和曰：「吾非悲刖也，悲夫寶玉而題之以石，貞士而名之以誑，此吾所以悲也。」王乃使玉人理其璞而得寶焉，遂命曰：「和氏之璧。」【韓非子‧和氏十三】
Sunday, 21 October 2012
Christians, are you ready?
Today is Mission Sunday. All the readings are exciting.
In the second reading, St. Paul gave Timothy some practical advice in evangelization despise all sorts of shortcomings and failures. As a bishop consecrated by God, Timothy should work exclusively for the will of God who is our Saviour and
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.. (1 Timothy 2:4).
If there were one soul which God was unable to save, God would not be worthy to be a God. This verse gives us optimism in evangelization. All men can be saved no matter how stubborn they are or how morally evil they are. Even our enemies and those who oppose our efforts, God is able to find ways to change their hearts. Patience and tolerance will bear fruits. The prayers of agonizing parents over their children will not go unanswered.
In the first reading, Zechariah gave us a challenging vision.
Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." (Zechariah 8:23)
Christians, you are the religious successors of the Jews. So, are you ready for such a day on which people beg you to tell them more about your God? Such a day has been designed by God long before your coming into existence. When that day comes, are your prepared/equipped to explain to people why it is good to believe in your God?
So, how is your God better than other deities? Simple.
Firstly, our God is almighty. Heavens and earth were His creation. Most civilizations have their own creation myths. But the creation myth in Genesis agrees with the findings of modern sciences. The Big-Bang Theory and Evolution Theory find their inspiration from Genesis 1.
Secondly, our God loves us. Most other deities can be bribed and manipulated to do us good. Our God cannot be and need not be bribed. Instead, He took the initiatives to bring us to safety by sacrificing His only beloved Son for our sins. The Son of God incarnated and lived among us as Jesus of Nazareth two thousands years ago in Judaea. In complete obedience to the will of God the Father, the Son of God died on the cross to deliver us from the bondage of sins.
Thirdly, the Son of God sent the Holy Spirit to unite his followers into a Church. While other religions are exclusive, meaning those who are members of the religion can benefit from joining the religion, the Christian Church is Catholic in outlook, meaning salvation is for all men (1 Timothy 2:4), not just for an exclusive group. She is more inclusive and universal. The Holy Spirit is still working through the Church to redeem and transform the world.
However, be forewarned that believing in Christianity is not at all easy. It is difficult in both their faith tenets as well as their code of living. Not only do they go to Church on Sundays, but their sexual ethics are also known to be very demanding. Divorce is forbidden. Homosexuality and transsexualism are frowned upon. Politically, they opt for the poor and fight for social justice. Consequently, they often stand in opposition to the status quo and clash with the State.
Theologically, their faith tenets are mind-boggling. They believe in one God, yet there are Three Persons in this one God. Why the trouble? Why not simply believe in three Gods? They believe that Jesus is both truly human and truly divine. Jesus is unique in the sense that he is the only God-man in human history. In other religions, their founders were mere mortals but at last attained divinity. But Christianity is different in the sense that the divine incarnated and took on humanity. The divinity of the Son of God did not destroy or absorb the humanity of Jesus such that there is a wonderful union in which the divinity and humanity retain their independence.
Worse still, the mother of Jesus becomes the Mother of God. Those who deny Mary this title denies the divinity of Jesus! How can God allow a human being to be His mother? If your only accept Mary as the Mother of the Son of God, you go against the dogma of monotheism. There is only One God, not three!
The worst of all, a nightmare to the Jews, from now on, it is legitimate to make icons and images of Jesus and saints because Jesus is the image of God (John 14:9). If you want to show off your purity of faith by smashing all these images, you deny the humanity of Jesus! It is really challenging to be a believer of Christ these days in a pluralistic environment. You have to respect other cultures and religions. Moreover, you have to love, even your Muslim neighbour who is living next door. Lest you still have any doubt about the severity of the challenge, just read the gospel of Mark. Just before he was taken up into heaven, Jesus instructed his followers to preach the good news to the whole creation, not just pagans or infidels (Mark 16:15)! Surely my youngest son will be all too happy to speak to his turtles about how much God loves them! Do you respect and love the environment, its grass and the waters, as a steward should be and relieve them of their agony?
Dear Lord, it is our privilege to become your followers, your ambassadors to bring reconciliation to the whole creation. We are blessed. Amen.
In the second reading, St. Paul gave Timothy some practical advice in evangelization despise all sorts of shortcomings and failures. As a bishop consecrated by God, Timothy should work exclusively for the will of God who is our Saviour and
who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.. (1 Timothy 2:4).
If there were one soul which God was unable to save, God would not be worthy to be a God. This verse gives us optimism in evangelization. All men can be saved no matter how stubborn they are or how morally evil they are. Even our enemies and those who oppose our efforts, God is able to find ways to change their hearts. Patience and tolerance will bear fruits. The prayers of agonizing parents over their children will not go unanswered.
In the first reading, Zechariah gave us a challenging vision.
Thus says the LORD of hosts: In those days ten men from the nations of every tongue shall take hold of the robe of a Jew, saying, "Let us go with you, for we have heard that God is with you." (Zechariah 8:23)
Christians, you are the religious successors of the Jews. So, are you ready for such a day on which people beg you to tell them more about your God? Such a day has been designed by God long before your coming into existence. When that day comes, are your prepared/equipped to explain to people why it is good to believe in your God?
So, how is your God better than other deities? Simple.
Firstly, our God is almighty. Heavens and earth were His creation. Most civilizations have their own creation myths. But the creation myth in Genesis agrees with the findings of modern sciences. The Big-Bang Theory and Evolution Theory find their inspiration from Genesis 1.
Secondly, our God loves us. Most other deities can be bribed and manipulated to do us good. Our God cannot be and need not be bribed. Instead, He took the initiatives to bring us to safety by sacrificing His only beloved Son for our sins. The Son of God incarnated and lived among us as Jesus of Nazareth two thousands years ago in Judaea. In complete obedience to the will of God the Father, the Son of God died on the cross to deliver us from the bondage of sins.
Thirdly, the Son of God sent the Holy Spirit to unite his followers into a Church. While other religions are exclusive, meaning those who are members of the religion can benefit from joining the religion, the Christian Church is Catholic in outlook, meaning salvation is for all men (1 Timothy 2:4), not just for an exclusive group. She is more inclusive and universal. The Holy Spirit is still working through the Church to redeem and transform the world.
However, be forewarned that believing in Christianity is not at all easy. It is difficult in both their faith tenets as well as their code of living. Not only do they go to Church on Sundays, but their sexual ethics are also known to be very demanding. Divorce is forbidden. Homosexuality and transsexualism are frowned upon. Politically, they opt for the poor and fight for social justice. Consequently, they often stand in opposition to the status quo and clash with the State.
Theologically, their faith tenets are mind-boggling. They believe in one God, yet there are Three Persons in this one God. Why the trouble? Why not simply believe in three Gods? They believe that Jesus is both truly human and truly divine. Jesus is unique in the sense that he is the only God-man in human history. In other religions, their founders were mere mortals but at last attained divinity. But Christianity is different in the sense that the divine incarnated and took on humanity. The divinity of the Son of God did not destroy or absorb the humanity of Jesus such that there is a wonderful union in which the divinity and humanity retain their independence.
Worse still, the mother of Jesus becomes the Mother of God. Those who deny Mary this title denies the divinity of Jesus! How can God allow a human being to be His mother? If your only accept Mary as the Mother of the Son of God, you go against the dogma of monotheism. There is only One God, not three!
The worst of all, a nightmare to the Jews, from now on, it is legitimate to make icons and images of Jesus and saints because Jesus is the image of God (John 14:9). If you want to show off your purity of faith by smashing all these images, you deny the humanity of Jesus! It is really challenging to be a believer of Christ these days in a pluralistic environment. You have to respect other cultures and religions. Moreover, you have to love, even your Muslim neighbour who is living next door. Lest you still have any doubt about the severity of the challenge, just read the gospel of Mark. Just before he was taken up into heaven, Jesus instructed his followers to preach the good news to the whole creation, not just pagans or infidels (Mark 16:15)! Surely my youngest son will be all too happy to speak to his turtles about how much God loves them! Do you respect and love the environment, its grass and the waters, as a steward should be and relieve them of their agony?
Dear Lord, it is our privilege to become your followers, your ambassadors to bring reconciliation to the whole creation. We are blessed. Amen.
Sunday, 14 October 2012
God alone is good
The Old Testament describes God as holy and Jesus says that our heavenly Father (God) is perfect (Matthew 5:48). Today, we heard Jesus mention yet another attribute of God.
"And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone" (Mark 10:18).
As usual, Jesus' saying was a bit enigmatic. Given that God alone is good, does Jesus admit/claim that he is God? For Christians, the answer is affirmative. Yes, Jesus is God and he accepted the rich young man's salutation.
How do Christians describe their God? They say that God is omnipotent (all-ruling, almighty), omniscient (all-knowing) and beneficent. Very few people bother to challenge the omniscience of God. If God were not all-knowing, i.e. knowing all that could be known, this God would not be God. Again, very few people bother to challenge the beneficence of God. If God were not good, God would be the Devil. Now, people are more interested in undermining the omnipotence of God, in particular, the combination of omnipotence with beneficence. Let's discuss them one by one.
First of all, Christians believe that God is omnipotent. People would challenge the Christian God to create a rock so heavy that even God is unable to move. The logic is simple. They try to put God in a dilemma. Either God is unable to create such a rock, or God is unable to move this rock He creates. Either way, God is not almighty. The Christians lose. Their God is not worth believing. Period. Actually, they don't have to be so creative. Simply ask God to tell a lie. God is faithful and He cannot lie. (I wonder if anyone is able to tell whether what God says is a lie.)
Well, let me tell these winners, the Christian God is really incredible. Have you ever seen a deity that is willing and able to downgrade Himself into lower levels of existence? Have you ever heard of a deity that is mortal? Ask the Christians. As if people would never be satisfied with mountain-melting, ocean-splitting or food-raining for forty years, the Christian God stuns the believers by becoming a man and later a piece of wafer. The Christian God even died on a cross. The Bible tells us these stories about God who works in a totally different logic system from us (Isaiah 55:8). Logical dilemma or even trilemma? God does not bother.
According to our primitive logic, a being cannot is and not-is at the same time. However, in the more exciting real life situations, there are many grey shades between black and white, true and false, on and off. (For your information, true and false are digital logic and grey is analog. If 3-5 volts mean ON, 0-2 volts mean OFF, what do 2.4 volts represent? ON or OFF?) Just think about what happen when we tell lies. We tell people that we are telling the truth but actually we are telling lies. Is telling lies not a contradiction? We are able to do it all the time. Yet God never tells lies (Titus 1:2). Luckily, the Bible leaves unwritten a lot of things about God, such as the unmovable rock. This allows us to think up a lot of things which God will not do or is not able to do. Perhaps one day, God will show us how to create a rock which He is unable to move, and yet that does not lead to any contradiction. For the moment, rest assured that God is not able to tell lies!
Now, let me approach the more challenging issue about an omnipotent, omniscient and beneficent God and the existence of evil. Adding the omniscience attribute makes God morally responsible. If God does not know, God is not morally responsible for the sufferings caused by evil. In brief, the existence of both evil and an omnipotent, omniscient and beneficent God is contradictory. This problem of evil is attributed to Epicurus (341-270 B.C.) So, this challenge is not anti-Christian at all. Any religion that believes in an omnipotent, omniscient and beneficent deity has to answer this challenge. Buddhism believes in reincarnation and karma. It has no difficulty answering the challenge. Christianity does not allow for reincarnation to purify our karma. It has a hard time trying to answer the challenge. If God is beneficent and omniscient, He should have prevented evil from happening and people from suffering. Yet, God does not stop evil and sufferings. (On October 4, SCMP reported a Lamma Ferry-Collision survivor's claim that her God had saved her family in that collision in which 39 people died. An indignant reader protested and put forth this Epicurean paradox to counter-claim that this Christian God is cold-blooded.) Either God is not omnipotent or God is not beneficent at all. Either way, believing in God is outdated. Frankly speaking, this is a very thorny question Christians have been trying to answer. So far, every answer is flawed. For example, some Christians argue that God allows evil to exist for the greater good of man. Misfortunes make man mature. For example, in the story of the Forbidden Fruit in Eden, God knew beforehand that man would fall into the temptation of the Serpent. Yet, God respected our freedom of will and allowed Adam to breach His command, thus entered Sin and Death into the Creation. Bad as it is, through this evil, man, the mere creature from dust, is able to partake in the eternal life of God etc. However, try tell a surviving girl that the death of her parents in the ferry-collision is a greater good for her. I cannot do this. In this disaster, I prefer consoling the pitiful girl to offering an armchair theological argument. At the end of the day, we have to admit that our system of logic is flawed and suffering is a mystery.
Dear Jesus, You do not need my defence. Just allow me to do good to the needy. Amen.
"And Jesus said to him, "Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone" (Mark 10:18).
As usual, Jesus' saying was a bit enigmatic. Given that God alone is good, does Jesus admit/claim that he is God? For Christians, the answer is affirmative. Yes, Jesus is God and he accepted the rich young man's salutation.
How do Christians describe their God? They say that God is omnipotent (all-ruling, almighty), omniscient (all-knowing) and beneficent. Very few people bother to challenge the omniscience of God. If God were not all-knowing, i.e. knowing all that could be known, this God would not be God. Again, very few people bother to challenge the beneficence of God. If God were not good, God would be the Devil. Now, people are more interested in undermining the omnipotence of God, in particular, the combination of omnipotence with beneficence. Let's discuss them one by one.
First of all, Christians believe that God is omnipotent. People would challenge the Christian God to create a rock so heavy that even God is unable to move. The logic is simple. They try to put God in a dilemma. Either God is unable to create such a rock, or God is unable to move this rock He creates. Either way, God is not almighty. The Christians lose. Their God is not worth believing. Period. Actually, they don't have to be so creative. Simply ask God to tell a lie. God is faithful and He cannot lie. (I wonder if anyone is able to tell whether what God says is a lie.)
Well, let me tell these winners, the Christian God is really incredible. Have you ever seen a deity that is willing and able to downgrade Himself into lower levels of existence? Have you ever heard of a deity that is mortal? Ask the Christians. As if people would never be satisfied with mountain-melting, ocean-splitting or food-raining for forty years, the Christian God stuns the believers by becoming a man and later a piece of wafer. The Christian God even died on a cross. The Bible tells us these stories about God who works in a totally different logic system from us (Isaiah 55:8). Logical dilemma or even trilemma? God does not bother.
According to our primitive logic, a being cannot is and not-is at the same time. However, in the more exciting real life situations, there are many grey shades between black and white, true and false, on and off. (For your information, true and false are digital logic and grey is analog. If 3-5 volts mean ON, 0-2 volts mean OFF, what do 2.4 volts represent? ON or OFF?) Just think about what happen when we tell lies. We tell people that we are telling the truth but actually we are telling lies. Is telling lies not a contradiction? We are able to do it all the time. Yet God never tells lies (Titus 1:2). Luckily, the Bible leaves unwritten a lot of things about God, such as the unmovable rock. This allows us to think up a lot of things which God will not do or is not able to do. Perhaps one day, God will show us how to create a rock which He is unable to move, and yet that does not lead to any contradiction. For the moment, rest assured that God is not able to tell lies!
Now, let me approach the more challenging issue about an omnipotent, omniscient and beneficent God and the existence of evil. Adding the omniscience attribute makes God morally responsible. If God does not know, God is not morally responsible for the sufferings caused by evil. In brief, the existence of both evil and an omnipotent, omniscient and beneficent God is contradictory. This problem of evil is attributed to Epicurus (341-270 B.C.) So, this challenge is not anti-Christian at all. Any religion that believes in an omnipotent, omniscient and beneficent deity has to answer this challenge. Buddhism believes in reincarnation and karma. It has no difficulty answering the challenge. Christianity does not allow for reincarnation to purify our karma. It has a hard time trying to answer the challenge. If God is beneficent and omniscient, He should have prevented evil from happening and people from suffering. Yet, God does not stop evil and sufferings. (On October 4, SCMP reported a Lamma Ferry-Collision survivor's claim that her God had saved her family in that collision in which 39 people died. An indignant reader protested and put forth this Epicurean paradox to counter-claim that this Christian God is cold-blooded.) Either God is not omnipotent or God is not beneficent at all. Either way, believing in God is outdated. Frankly speaking, this is a very thorny question Christians have been trying to answer. So far, every answer is flawed. For example, some Christians argue that God allows evil to exist for the greater good of man. Misfortunes make man mature. For example, in the story of the Forbidden Fruit in Eden, God knew beforehand that man would fall into the temptation of the Serpent. Yet, God respected our freedom of will and allowed Adam to breach His command, thus entered Sin and Death into the Creation. Bad as it is, through this evil, man, the mere creature from dust, is able to partake in the eternal life of God etc. However, try tell a surviving girl that the death of her parents in the ferry-collision is a greater good for her. I cannot do this. In this disaster, I prefer consoling the pitiful girl to offering an armchair theological argument. At the end of the day, we have to admit that our system of logic is flawed and suffering is a mystery.
Dear Jesus, You do not need my defence. Just allow me to do good to the needy. Amen.
Sunday, 7 October 2012
To divorce, or not to divorce
Since there was no records or evidences, it is commonly speculated that savages lived in groups to protect each other from wild animals. They took cues from animals and were promiscuous. Nine months later, babies were born. It would take a quantum leap in intelligence for savages to discover who fathered those babies.
Gregarious animals take care of their young ones. Human beings are no different. It is so natural. Perhaps in the course of evolution, female humans discovered that staying with the same male would provide a greater chance for the survival of their babies. The human clan painfully and slowly developed the "institution" of marriage. Meanwhile, spare resources were accumulated into wealth. Perhaps some time along the evolution of society, women became part of the wealth of the head of the clan, the Alpha male. They were given out for 'marriage' in exchange for more resources. Sex had to be regulated. Laws on sex, marriage and divorce were written down and enforced to prevent members from doing harm to the society.
Of course, the picture painted above is different from the story in Genesis 2, which is a highly symbolic myth about the creation of humans and the institution of marriage. It was the product of a highly civilized literate people. The story enshrines the ideal of the institution of monogamy. Though many people complain about the Bible because it has been used to justify different kinds of discrimination in the society, such as the subjection of women, slavery, homophobia and genocide of other religious believers etc., the story of Genesis 2 shows that such accusations are misplaced.
First of all, God took a rib, not any other spare bones to make a woman (Genesis 2:21). A rib is close to the heart and protects the heart. Therefore, women should not be slighted.
Secondly, the man exclaimed that the woman was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh (2:23). Therefore, women did not come from Venus and men from Mars. Men and women share the same human nature. They are not aliens. Subjection of women is wrong.
Thirdly, the Bible teaches that children should grow out of their parents. They should become independent not just physically, but also emotionally, financially and politically (2:24). In the eyes of parents, even octogenarian children are always their baby children! On the other hand, adults living with parents still foster some degree of reliance on parents. Therefore, marriage is good because it catalyzes the maturity of people.
Nowadays, we pay more attention to the welfare of children. People who oppose divorce usually put forward harms caused by divorce on children as an argument. These people would be disappointed with Jesus' reply to the question of divorce because Jesus made no mention of children at all (Mark 10:2-12). It does not mean that children are not important for Jesus. Jesus blessed them to show their importance immediately after the question of divorce (10:13-16). As for Jesus, he does not enter children into the equation of divorce because fidelity alone is enough to condemn the practice of divorce.
Marriage is good for the maturity of man but married life is not at all an easy life. Man should not enter marriage, using divorce as a safety valve. That is, if anything goes wrong or goes against expectation, man may resort to divorce to solve their problems. Had marriage been a legal contract, divorce would have been tolerable. However, Christian marriage is a sacrament, not a contract. It is an encounter of one's being with another's being, a life-long commitment. That rules out the option of divorce. Infidelity breaks down the integrity of a person. We have to pay a price for taking shortcuts. Divorce as a shortcut to solve interpersonal problems exacts a heavy price on many people involved.
Monogamy and "till death we part" are ideals. In reality, the Catholic Church annuls many marriages annually (annulment is another name for divorce). Nowadays, many Christians marry non-Christians. Their marriages are not sacramental and therefore dissoluble. The marriage of two Christians are indissoluble. Of course, leading a sacramentally married life is not easy. However, since their marriages are consecrated by God, God will give them enough grace to grow in love and to overcome all difficulties.
Dear Lord, I pray for those who contemplate to lead a married life. May Your unfailing grace support them on their way of sanctification. Amen.
Gregarious animals take care of their young ones. Human beings are no different. It is so natural. Perhaps in the course of evolution, female humans discovered that staying with the same male would provide a greater chance for the survival of their babies. The human clan painfully and slowly developed the "institution" of marriage. Meanwhile, spare resources were accumulated into wealth. Perhaps some time along the evolution of society, women became part of the wealth of the head of the clan, the Alpha male. They were given out for 'marriage' in exchange for more resources. Sex had to be regulated. Laws on sex, marriage and divorce were written down and enforced to prevent members from doing harm to the society.
Of course, the picture painted above is different from the story in Genesis 2, which is a highly symbolic myth about the creation of humans and the institution of marriage. It was the product of a highly civilized literate people. The story enshrines the ideal of the institution of monogamy. Though many people complain about the Bible because it has been used to justify different kinds of discrimination in the society, such as the subjection of women, slavery, homophobia and genocide of other religious believers etc., the story of Genesis 2 shows that such accusations are misplaced.
First of all, God took a rib, not any other spare bones to make a woman (Genesis 2:21). A rib is close to the heart and protects the heart. Therefore, women should not be slighted.
Secondly, the man exclaimed that the woman was bone of his bones and flesh of his flesh (2:23). Therefore, women did not come from Venus and men from Mars. Men and women share the same human nature. They are not aliens. Subjection of women is wrong.
Thirdly, the Bible teaches that children should grow out of their parents. They should become independent not just physically, but also emotionally, financially and politically (2:24). In the eyes of parents, even octogenarian children are always their baby children! On the other hand, adults living with parents still foster some degree of reliance on parents. Therefore, marriage is good because it catalyzes the maturity of people.
Nowadays, we pay more attention to the welfare of children. People who oppose divorce usually put forward harms caused by divorce on children as an argument. These people would be disappointed with Jesus' reply to the question of divorce because Jesus made no mention of children at all (Mark 10:2-12). It does not mean that children are not important for Jesus. Jesus blessed them to show their importance immediately after the question of divorce (10:13-16). As for Jesus, he does not enter children into the equation of divorce because fidelity alone is enough to condemn the practice of divorce.
Marriage is good for the maturity of man but married life is not at all an easy life. Man should not enter marriage, using divorce as a safety valve. That is, if anything goes wrong or goes against expectation, man may resort to divorce to solve their problems. Had marriage been a legal contract, divorce would have been tolerable. However, Christian marriage is a sacrament, not a contract. It is an encounter of one's being with another's being, a life-long commitment. That rules out the option of divorce. Infidelity breaks down the integrity of a person. We have to pay a price for taking shortcuts. Divorce as a shortcut to solve interpersonal problems exacts a heavy price on many people involved.
Monogamy and "till death we part" are ideals. In reality, the Catholic Church annuls many marriages annually (annulment is another name for divorce). Nowadays, many Christians marry non-Christians. Their marriages are not sacramental and therefore dissoluble. The marriage of two Christians are indissoluble. Of course, leading a sacramentally married life is not easy. However, since their marriages are consecrated by God, God will give them enough grace to grow in love and to overcome all difficulties.
Dear Lord, I pray for those who contemplate to lead a married life. May Your unfailing grace support them on their way of sanctification. Amen.
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