四旬期第三主日，乙年
主題：我愛主教會
首先，讓我們認識「聖殿」是怎樣的一回事。
猶太人在全國各地，甚至海外，都有很多「會堂」，作為祈禱、教學和聚會之所。但聖殿是猶太人祭祀天主的地方，全國祇有一座，位於耶路撒冷。
第一座聖殿由達味王構想，由他的兒子，撒羅滿王用了七年的時間，用香柏木和石頭，以榫接的方法建成，不用一顆釘。整座聖殿都貼上金，極其豪華，為的是把放有十誡的約櫃，供奉在聖殿的「至聖所」內。（列上6）可惜公元前586年亡國給巴比倫時被焚毀。充軍50年後，波斯王居魯士釋放猶太人回國，重建聖殿。幾經波折，第二座聖殿在公元前516年完成。後來，大黑落德王因為不是猶太人血統，他為了討好人民，曾花了46年擴建這第二座聖殿。（若2:20）這聖殿在公元70年，猶太人第一次起義，反抗羅馬統治時被毀。現在建築在聖殿遺址上的，是一座金頂的清真寺。按伊斯蘭教的傳統，先知穆罕默德，就在那清真寺的基石上升天。可見那裡的政治及宗教關係，如何錯綜複雜！勉強宣佈把耶路撒冷定為以色列國的首都，會引發很大的動盪。
第二，一座如此宏偉的建築物是需要維修的。除了徵收殿稅和奉獻之外，負責管理聖殿的司祭，把聖殿外圍的地方，租給商戶擺賣。這安排既方便朝聖者不用把牛羊祭品，千里迢迢運來聖殿祭獻，又可以收取租金，津貼聖殿的營運。原本很好的構想，結果製造了貪污的機會。所以按對觀福音的記載，耶穌基督忿怒地斥責他們把這「萬民祈禱之所，變成賊窩」（瑪21:13；谷11:17；路19:46）。今天所讀的若望福音沒有記載這憤慨之言，因為若望寫福音的時候，聖殿已被焚毀近30年了，重提耶穌的這段說話就有點兒幸災樂禍了。事過境遷多年，若望反而對另一則預言，有所領會。今天，讓我們默想門徒所記起的聖詠「我對祢殿宇所懷的熱忱，把我耗盡。」（若2:17，詠69:10）
天主是不可見的天主，所以世人對天主所賜予的有形可見的事物，珍而重之。例如天主在西乃山上親手刻上十誡的兩磈石版，以色列人造了一個包金的約櫃安放它。這約櫃是天主臨在，有形可見的標記。以色列人在曠野流浪四十年，總是抬著這約櫃作戰，並且在過約旦河進入福地時，約櫃截斷了河水，讓以色列人在乾了的河床上渡過。後來以色列人建築聖殿來安放這約櫃，使天主的臨在更宏偉，更有形可見。所以，古今中外的人，喜歡建築宏偉而金碧輝煌的神廟和聖殿，一方面表達出神明偉大的臨在，令人感到自己的渺小，另一方面表示出對神明的虔敬！
耶穌基督是天父賜予世人，有形可見的救主，是不可見的天父的慈悲面容，賜予我們得救的恩寵。用神學的術語說，耶穌基督是一件聖事，一件原始的聖事。祂來到猶太人中間，宣講福音，治病驅魔，為的是把天主的恩寵賜予自己的同鄉。祂來到供奉自己的聖殿，是多麼渴望看見聖殿能給予自己的同胞恩寵。可是所見的一切，實在令人失望。所以，祂決定即使耗盡自己，也要成為一座能賦予世人恩寵的聖殿！這聖殿就是祂的身體。為了讓這身體永遠存留在世上，耶穌基督在伯多祿身上建立了教會，一個有形可見的團體。耶穌基督在大馬士革路上顯現給掃祿（宗9），他就是將來的聖保祿。這事件令保祿明白教會這個信徒團體，就是耶穌基督的奧體（弗4:1-16）！伯多祿更直接把信徒描述為「活石，建成一座屬神的殿宇。」（伯前2:5）教會就是耶穌基督的身體，是「惟一、至聖、聖公、從宗徒傳下來的」。
今天，很多人對教會不滿，認為她祇不過是一個人的組織，與世俗的團體沒有多大分別，而且她的組織非常落伍，並不民主。當教會作出一些與他們意見相反的決定時，他們便揚言「祇愛耶穌，不愛教會！」他們批評教宗主教祇不過是人，所以會犯錯，所以不必聽從他們云云。這是多麼無知的言論，他們忘記了教會是耶穌基督的身體，教會也是一件聖事，而不是一個世俗機構！
教會是從宗徒傳下來的，而主教是宗徒的繼承人。不聽從他們，是把自己從教會，從耶穌基督的奧體分割了！這就是所謂「絕罰」。亦因為主教是這樣重要，所以由非法主教傳下來的教會，不是耶穌基督的奧體。要注意，500年前宗教改革的時候，歐洲各國諸侯從羅馬教宗手上強行分裂出來的基督新教，仍保存著與教宗共融的合法主教。因此，初期分裂出來的新教，都是從宗徒傳下來的。但自選、自聖、自傳的教會，就不可能是耶穌基督的奧體了，因為她們不是從宗徒傳下來，她們拒絕與伯多祿的繼承人共融。的確，歷史上有很多政權曾經插手干擾按立主教的程序，但這不是，亦不應該是常態。
我們的救主耶穌基督為了這個不完美的罪人教會，曾在十字架上流血犧牲。祂並沒有等教會變得完美和沒有罪人時纔愛她，而是一開始便犧牲自己，把她帶來世上，成為祂一樣的聖事，以管理、訓導及聖化，來牧養天主的子民。耶穌基督是多麼愛護祂的教會，為她耗盡自己。我們還可以「祇愛耶穌而不愛教會」嗎？
天主保祐！
2015年講道
Third Sunday of Lent, Year B
Theme: I Love the Church of the Lord
First of all, let us clarify what the Temple was all about.
The Jews built synagogues all over Judaea and even overseas for prayers, teachings and assembly. But they offered sacrifice to God at a specific location in Jerusalem, the Temple.
The first Temple was the brainchild of King David. It was King Solomon, his son who spent seven years to build it with timbers of cedar and rocks. The whole structure was skilfully assembled together without using a single nail. It was completely overlaid with gold. The Ark of Covenant was housed inside the Holy of the holies (1Kings 6). Unfortunately, it was burnt down when Judah was conquered by the Babylonians in 586 B.C. After 50 years of captivity, the Persian King Cyrus sent the Jews home to rebuild the Temple. After some hiccups, the Second Temple was completed in 516 B.C. Later, Herod the Great, who was a half-blood Jew, wanted to please his subjects and spent 46 years to extend the Second Temple. (John 2:20) In 70 A.D., this Second Temple was burnt to ground during the First Jewish Revolt. On the debris of this Temple now stands the Al-Aqsa Mosque. According to Islamic tradition, Prophet Muhammad ascended into heavens on the bedrock of the mosque. Thus politics and religions are entangled. Making Jerusalem the capital of Israel would stir up a lot of upheavals.
Secondly, such a magnificent structure needs maintenance. Other than collecting temple taxes and offerings, the priests who managed the Temple rented the outer courtyards to merchants. This arrangement was convenient for pilgrims who did not have to carry cattle sacrifices over a huge distance to offer. It also provided subsidies for the running of the Temple. Such a wonderful idea turned out to breed corruption. So, we find in the Synoptic gospels Jesus scolding the merchants that they turned the "House of Prayer for all peoples" into "a den of thieves" (Matthew 21:13, Mark 11:17, Luke 19:46). Today, we do not find such reprimand in the gospel of John because when John wrote his gospel, the Temple had already been destroyed for nearly 30 years. Mentioning Jesus' reprimand rubs salt in the wounds of the Jews. After so many years, John had other understandings. Today, let us meditate the Psalm John remembered, "Zeal for thy house will consume me." (John 2:17, Psalm 69:10)
God is invisible. Therefore, mankind cherish visible things God gives us. For example, when God wrote the Ten Commandments on the two tablets on Mount Sinai with His fingers, the Israelites made an Ark of Covenant overlaid with gold to house them. This Ark was the visible sign of the presence of God. During the 40-year wandering in the wilderness, the Israelites carried this Ark to fight battles. When they crossed the River Jordan to enter the Promised Land, this Ark stopped the flow of water to allow the Israelites to cross the River on dried riverbed. Later, the Israelites built the Temple to house the Ark of Covenant, making the presence of God even more magnificent, more visible. Thus throughout ages, people all over the world like to build magnificent temples to manifest the majestic presence of the deities, thus dwarfing our significance. On the other hand, it demonstrated their piety.
Jesus Christ is the visible Saviour the Father gives to mankind. He is the merciful countenance of the invisible Father to give us salvific grace. In theological jargon, Jesus Christ is a Sacrament, the Primordial Sacrament. He came among the Jews to preach, to cure diseases and exorcize in order to bring graces to His folks. He came to the Temple which honoured Him. How much He desired to see the Temple bring His people graces. But what He saw was disturbing. Thus, He decided to consume Himself in order to build a Temple which truly brings graces to mankind! This Temple is to be His Body. In order to leave this Body on earth, Jesus Christ built a visible community, the Church upon Peter. On the way to Damascus, Jesus Christ appeared to Saul who later became Paul (Acts 9). This incident made Paul realize that the community of believers is the Mystical Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:1-16). Peter was ever more direct in describing believers to be "living stones built into a spiritual house" (1 Peter 2:5). The Church is the Body of Jesus Christ. It is One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.
Today, many people are not happy with the Church. They think that she is merely a human organization, not much different from other secular organizations. Her structure is outdated, not democratic. When the Church makes some decisions contrary to their opinions, they declare that they "love Jesus only, not the Church!" They criticize that the Pope and the bishops are mere human. They make mistakes and we don't have to listen to them etc. How ignorant such views are! They forget that the Church is the Body of Jesus Christ. She is also a Sacrament, not a secular institution!
The Church is Apostolic and bishops are successors of the Apostles. Refusing to obey the bishops is to cut ourselves away from the Church, from the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. This is excommunication. Since bishops are essential, a church that came down from illegal bishops cannot be the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. Be careful, 500 years ago during the Reformation when European princes tore their bishops away from the Pope to set up reformed churches, they were legal bishops in communion with the Pope. Thus, reformed churches during the early stage of the Reformation were still Apostolic. However, those "Self-Electing", "Self-Ordaining" and "Self-Propagating" churches cannot be the Mystical Body of Jesus Christ because they are not Apostolic. They refuse to be in communion with the successor of Peter. Indeed, throughout human history many governments had intervened in the ordination of bishops. But this is not and should not be the norm.
Our Lord Jesus Christ had bled on the cross for this imperfect Church of sinners. He did not wait until the Church became perfect to love her. To start with, He sacrificed Himself to bring her into existence, to make her a sacrament like Himself. She pastors the People of God with governance, teaching and sanctification. Jesus Christ loves His Church so much so that He consumes Himself. Can we still say "we only love Jesus but not the Church"?
God bless!
