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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

信徒本身就是一個神跡Disciples Themselves Are Miracles

信徒本身就是一個神跡Disciples Themselves Are Miracles（谷16:15-20）

新冠疫情對傳統的堂區運作模式，帶來了很大的衝擊。有些堂區開設新一年的慕道班時，無人問津；另一些堂區卻要招募慕道班導師，因為求道的人多，固有的慕道班名額少，供不應求！這些「成功」的堂區，固然可喜可賀。但「慕道團」的成員，要提防一個信仰上的誤區：就是以為自己在疫情中做得對，管理得好，所以吸引了這麼多人來信主！這樣想，便完全忘記了聖保祿宗徒的教訓：「其實，阿頗羅算甚麼？保祿算甚麼？不過祇是僕役，使你們獲得信仰，每人照主所指派的而工作：我栽種，阿頗羅澆灌，然而使之生長的，卻是天主」（格前3:5-6）。

試想想，街上行人多的是，是誰在個別的行人心中，喚醒他們注意這堂區的慕道班海報呢？即使注意了，是誰促使他們決定抽時間參加呢？即使聽了十八個月，又是誰感動他們決志領洗，加入教會，成為基督的肢體呢？難道是慕道班導師們的「金口」嗎？倘若他們不知道是天主聖神在慕道者的心中催促他們的話，這些導師應該重頭再接受慕道班導師訓練！

今天的福音不是說「信的人有奇跡隨著他們」（谷16:17-18）嗎？不錯，今天教會仍然因耶穌基督之名驅魔，外國傳教士仍能操流利的本地語言講道，修士修女們仍開辦醫院，安老院等照顧病弱人士…但在我們眼中，這些算不上是甚麼神跡，祇是因應人類的基本需要，提供愛德服務而已。殊不知真正的神跡，就是這一群獻身服務的基督徒本身。

我們經常說，要寬待每一個人，不要計較他們的背景和現況，因為「聖人有他們的過去，罪人有他們的將來。」同樣，每個基督徒都有他們獨特的得救蒙恩故事，每一個人的皈依歷程都是一篇可歌可泣的樂章。恐怕大家又忘記了聖保祿宗徒的教訓，每一個信徒本身，就是天主聖神的宮殿（格前3:16），是天主慈悲臨在的標記。

主內的兄弟姊妹，你本人就是一個神跡！讓我們一起讚美天主，歌頌祂的神妙莫測吧！
聖馬爾谷，為我等祈！
天主保祐！
生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：cardinalsblog.adw.org

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The Covid pandemic has brought about havoc to the traditional modus operandi of many a parish. For some parishes, nobody enrols in new catechism classes while others need to recruit more catechists because the demand outpaces the supply! Congratulations to these parishes. However, the incumbent catechists should beware of a pitfall in faith: to think that the increase in the number of catechumens is the result of their good managements and efforts! In this way, they have totally forgotten St. Paul’s teaching, “What is Apollos, after all, and what is Paul? Ministers through whom you became believers, just as the Lord assigned each one. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth” (1 Corinthians 3:5-6).

Try to think about it. So many people pass by the church and who awakes them to pay attention to the catechism poster of the parish? Even if they have noticed, who urges them to take time to join? Even if they have attended 18 months of instruction, who moves them to decide to get baptized, enter the Church and become members of the Mystical Body? Could it be the “Chrysostom” of the incumbent catechists? If they are ignorant of the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the catechumens, these catechists should return to the catechetical formation programs and start all over again!

Doesn’t the gospel passage today say “Signs will accompany those who believe” (Mark 16:17-18)? Correct! Today, the Church still exorcize in the name of Jesus Christ; foreign missionaries still preach eloquently in local dialects; friars and nuns still operate hospitals and homes for the aged to take care of the sick and the weak … But these are not miracles in our eyes. They are only charitable services to those in need. These dedicated Christians themselves are genuine miracles indeed.

We often say that we should be merciful to everybody, not counting his background and present stations because “Saints have their past and sinners their future”. Similarly, every Christian has his unique story of redemption. Every conversion is an inspiring epic. In case you have forgotten St. Paul’s teaching, allow me to reiterate, every believer is a temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in him (1 Corinthians 3:16). You are a sign of the merciful presence of God.

Brethren in the Lord! You yourself is a miracle! Let us praise the Lord, sing hymns to His ineffability!
St. Mark the Evangelist, pray for us!
God bless!

天主不信神跡 God Does Not Believe In Miracles

天主不信神跡 God Does Not Believe In Miracles（若6:22-29）

很多人高估了神跡的效力，以為施行神跡，便可以解決一切問題，包括經濟、政治、安全和信仰等等。君不見天主分開紅海，讓以色列人安然到達彼岸；在曠野四十年降下「瑪納」，解決了六十萬選民的食用問題；三位猶太青年，拒絕叩拜拿步高王的金像而被投入烈火窯中，天主派遣天使護守他們（達3:49）等等；聖經記載的神跡，就是給讀者一個威力無窮，排除萬難的印象！不是嗎？到了山窮水盡的時候，你祇要向天主呼號，祂必定會出手拯救。但耶穌在今天的福音，否定了這一個立場！

耶穌基督看見群眾有如沒有牧者的羊群，出於憐憫（谷6:34），並且為了顯示自己是來應驗先知有關於默西亞的預言（瑪5:17），便行了一個增餅的神跡，解決了全體群眾生理上的需要。可是，有多少人因此而明白神跡是天主臨現的標記，是與天主相遇的恩寵時刻呢？耶穌看透來尋找祂的群眾的心意，便說了這句：「你們尋找我，並不是因為看到了神跡，而是因為吃餅吃飽了」（若6:26）；他們並不是來尋找天主，而是希望找到一個讓他們衣食無憂的「米飯班主」！無疑，神跡解決了他們目前的問題；可惜他們短視，看不見這個神跡所指向的慈悲天主，並沒有提昇他們對永生的渴求，沒有增加他們的信德！

天主是自由，所以祂素來尊重人的自主，從來不強迫我們相信祂。因此，天主不相信神跡可以增加人類對祂的信德。雖然天主出於慈悲，施行神跡解決我們的困難，但祂並不強求我們因此而相信祂對我們的慈愛。

朋友，不要再要求耶穌立刻顯現在你面前，展示祂的傷痕，證明祂確實復活了，然後纔相信祂！且看在教難時，那些在鬥獸場上，面對痛苦地死去的殉道者，他們沒有嘗試祈求耶穌基督立刻顯現在一群惡犬餓獅之中，免他們被利齒撕裂的凶惡嗎？結果呢？
天主保祐！
生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：cardinaljohnhenrynewman.com

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Many people overestimate the effectiveness of miracles, thinking that they are able to solve all sorts of problems, namely economic, political, security and faith etc. Don’t you see how God split the Red Sea so that the Israelites were able to reach the other shore safely; rained down manna in the wilderness for forty years to feed 600,000 mouths? Three Jewish youths who refused to worship the golden statue which King Nebuchadnezzar set up were thrown into a white-hot furnace. Hadn’t God send an angel to protect them (Daniel 3:49)? The miracles narrated in the Bible give readers an impression of solving problems mightily! When all means are exhausted, just call upon God and He will definitely save. But in the gospel passage today, Jesus refuted this position!

When Jesus saw the crowd like sheep without a shepherd, out of compassion (Mark 6:34), and to reveal them that He came to fulfil Messianic prophecies (Matthew 5:17), He worked this multiplication of loaves miracle to meet the physiological needs of the crowd. But how many of them understood that the miracle was a sign of God’s presence, a moment of grace to encounter God? Jesus read their minds and said, “You are looking for me not because you saw signs but because you ate the loaves and were filled” (John 6:26). They did not come to look for God, but hoped to follow a boss who could feed them forever! The miracle had indeed solved their immediate problem but regrettably they were myopic. They did not see the merciful God to whom the miracle pointed. The miracle had not raised their hunger for eternal life and failed to increase their faith!

God is free. Thus He always respects the autonomy of humanity and has never forced us to believe in Him. Thus God doesn’t believe that miracles are able to increase our faith in Him. Although God works miracles to solve our problems out of mercy, He does not demand us to believe in His love consequently.

Friends! Don’t demand Jesus to appear before you, to show you His wounds to prove that He is truly risen in order to believe in Him! Take a look at the ages of persecutions. In the arena, didn’t martyrs who anticipated deaths in excruciating pains try to pray to Jesus Christ, asking Him to appear immediately among bull-dogs and hungry lions to deliver them from the evil of being torn apart? And in the end?
God bless!

Supreme Wisdom Looks Foolish 大智若愚

Third Easter Sunday, Year A
Theme: Supreme Wisdom Looks Foolish 大智若愚

We think nobody understands us better than we ourselves. But in reality, this is far from being true because there are secret recesses in our mind which we are unable to reach. Usually we have many happy and successful experiences which we cherish all the time because those experiences cheer us up. However, there are also painful experiences and frustrations which are no less numerous and which we try to forget, to repress and to send away into our subconscious. Moreover, there are also a lot of things about ourselves of which we are not aware unless our friends are willing to tell us. But if we are not a sociable person or our relationship with friends remains functional or superficial or we encircle ourselves with “like-minded” people, they might not be willing to tell us the truth lest we would be embarrassed or offended. Then who on earth is willing to tell us the truth? Of course, He who Himself is the Truth (John 14:6) is!

During His public ministry, Jesus Christ proves Himself a great Teacher in possession of the Truth. The gospel of Matthew portrays the Son of God as a Teacher more authoritative than Moses. In the first two chapters of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-6) alone, Jesus says, “Amen/But I say to you” eleven times! To His followers, the teachings of the Beatitudes are lofty and unreachable without the support of the Holy Spirit. To those who oppose Jesus, “Turn the other cheek” is a laughing stock! In short, great teachings might not be able to motivate people! On the other hand, in the Lucan story today after His resurrection, Jesus proves Himself to be also a great Communicator! Not only is He able to convey His message effectively, but He is also able to motivate people to act!

The week before when Jesus entered Jerusalem in triumph with many followers from Galilee in the north, the hope of liberation from Roman colonial rule among the common people in Jerusalem was heightened. The Romans could not tell whether the crowd were festival pilgrims or rebel soldiers. Nor could they understand the slogan of “Hosanna” which actually means “Save us Lord” in Hebrew! They remained bystanders to keep a minimum security. Otherwise, they would jump into action and probably the procession would turn into a massacre! Nevertheless, things began to turn sour when the Jewish authorities arrested Jesus and handed Him over to the Romans for crucifixion. It was totally devastating to ordinary Jews that the religious authorities would turn over a fellow Jew to the Gentiles! What had become of the Torah they had been upholding as a guideline to living?

Many people had witnessed the death of their Messiah because crucifixion was a public and humiliating execution to deter potential criminals. For the followers of Jesus, their previous “investment” in Jesus came to nothing. Moreover, the Romans might start purging the remaining gang after the death of their leader! Therefore, it was prudent of Jesus’ disciples to leave Jerusalem while it was still possible for them to travel far as soon as the Sabbath was over. Otherwise, the Romans, who were famous for their shift brutality, might begin to round them up like “caged birds”.

To say the least, the two disciples were confused and shocked by what had unfolded in the past week. On their way back to Emmaus, “they were conversing about all the things that had occurred … and debating” (Luke 24:14-15). They were still trying to make sense of what had happened. Jesus drew near and walked with them “but their eyes were prevented from recognizing him” (24:16). It is not necessary to speculate what caused their failure to recognize Jesus. Let’s focus on how the risen Lord engaged them in this encounter. He took the initiative! The Lord is merciful and anxious for our spiritual as well as physical well-being. He understands our needs better than we do. He also knows our personality through and through. He knows that our egos are big and we’re always reluctant to ask for help because it would show that we are weak!

Jesus asked a neutral question, “What are you discussing as you walk along?” (24:17) The question is ice-breaking and fact-finding in a non-aggressive way. Of course Jesus knows what they were discussing but the question merely shows His interests in their well-being and poses no threat. Cleopas, whose wife was standing by the cross with the BVM (John 19:25) and most likely stayed behind in Jerusalem to accompany the BVM, replied, “Are you the only visitor to Jerusalem who does not know of the things that have taken place there in these days?” (Luke 24:18). This reply gave Jesus one more opportunity to engage them. Maintaining His apparent “ignorance”, Jesus replied, “What sort of things?” (24:19a) and later, “As they approached the village to which they were going, He gave the impression that He was going on farther” (24:28). Was Jesus being untruthful with all those pretensions? Not at all. First of all, many things happened in Jerusalem the week before. People were preparing and celebrating the Passover. It was totally legitimate for Jesus to ask the two disciples to be more specific, wasn’t it? Secondly, in the end, Jesus did reveal the Truth. In the meantime, the two disciples need to keep the engagement going so that they might have enough time to go through the process to understand. Furthermore, I would argue that as a Chinese idiom goes, “Supreme wisdom looks foolish 大智若愚”, it is unwise to boast of one’s wisdom! It only satisfies an immature ego to show off. Moreover, such boasting would threaten or antagonize the intended audience. Then communication would collapse. Therefore, Jesus wasn’t pretending but engaging.

Only after the disciples had let go of their resistance/defence did Jesus start explaining the truth: “Was it not necessary that the Messiah should suffer these things and enter into His glory?” (24:26). This time, Jesus’ teaching was effective even before the disciples were able to recognize Him. “They said to each other, ‘Were not our hearts burning within us while He spoke to us on the way and opened the Scriptures to us?’” (24:32) Jesus was effective in motivating the two disciples to hurry back to Jerusalem even though “the day is almost over” (24:29). His vanishing from their sight must have stimulated their desire to seek more from where they had come --- Jerusalem, since they might have left too early or have overlooked something there.

Brethren! Have you ever had the experience of your hearts burning when you hear people explaining Bible passages, say during mass or bible study fellowships? Have you ever desired to obtain more from Lord Jesus? Pray that you open your hearts to the merciful risen Lord and His words. Moreover, learn the engaging skills from the merciful Lord. Learn to be humble so that we may become more effective in communicating His gospel to our neighbour. God bless!
2020 Reflection
Picture Credit: wikipedia.org

Jesus’ Mercy To Us All 耶穌對所有人慈悲

Divine Mercy Sunday, Year A
Theme: Jesus’ Mercy To Us All 耶穌對所有人慈悲

It is unfair to nickname St. Thomas the Apostle “Doubting Thomas”. Let’s put ourselves in the shoes of the apostles. They were like “caged animals” anticipating their being rounded up any time after Sabbath. Who would not fear and was able to maintain their calm? The first time Jesus appeared to the apostles, Thomas was absent. Perhaps they had drawn lots to see who should venture out to scout around any movements of the Jewish authorities. Thomas was the “unlucky” one chosen to go ...
When Jesus appeared to the ten apostles in a locked room, He took the initiative to show them the wounds. As the story goes, after granting the apostles peace, Jesus “showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord” (John 20:20). The ten apostles were “lucky” in the sense that before they had the opportunity to publicly express their doubt, Jesus had shown them physical evidences of His resurrection. Thomas earned the nickname because he had spoken frankly his mind which the other apostles perhaps also shared but did not need to speak! Perhaps John would be an exception because early in the morning, Peter and he visited the empty tomb after the report of Mary Magdalene. He saw “the cloth that had covered his head, not with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place … and believed” (20:7-8).

The apostles had been guilt-ridden because they had forsaken and even denied their Master in face of dangers. At that time, they were frightened and confused. Scolding and punishing them would push them further down the abyss of no return. Jesus supported them by showing them mercy as He had always done before. Let us contrast what happened to two of The Twelve. Judas Iscariot chose to go to the chief priests, naively hoping to save Jesus by returning the blood money only to realize that he had always been a disposable pawn in the scheme. Judas made a further mistake of committing suicide, thus denying himself of the opportunity to receive Jesus’ mercy. On the other hand, Simon Peter remembered Jesus’ prophecy of his denials and wept bitterly after hearing the cock crowed (Matthew 26:75, Mark 14:72, Luke 22:62). Peter had survived and were given three chances to compensate for his three denials (John 21:15-17)! These two apostles show us how it is possible to receive or to reject the Lord’s mercy.

Not only did Jesus show mercy to His apostles, but He also showed it whenever occasions arose. Jesus is well-known for befriending public sinners and righteous figures, rich people as well as the sick, political enemies and even colonial officials! Thus we find celebrities of the early Church such as the Samaritan woman and Nicodemus, Zacchaeus and Bartimaeus, Jairus and the Roman centurion in the gospels. More specifically, when the Penitent Thief confessed his faith in Jesus, he was received in Paradise with Jesus on the same day (Luke 23:43). Again the first prayer Jesus said on the cross was to seek the Father’s forgiveness of the people who crucified him (23:34). During the Agony in Gethsemane, the apostles fell asleep instead of accompanying Jesus in prayer. Surely this would amplify the sense of abandonment Jesus was suffering. Yet, instead of venting His frustrations on them, Jesus showed His understanding and mercy by saying, “The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak” (Matthew 26:41, Mark 14:38). Previously after Transfiguration, Jesus came down from the mountain and found a large crowd and scribes complaining about the nine apostles who were unable to drive out a deaf-mute demon from a boy (Mark 9:14). The nine apostles were already crest-fallen when they failed to exorcise. Jesus took over and pinned the blame where it should go (9:19). It was the lack of faith on the part of the people in particular the father of the possessed boy rather than on the part of the apostles that accounted for their failure to exorcise. Of course early in His public ministry when the apostles knew next to nothing His teachings on mercy, Jesus always came to the front to defend the apostles when they were challenged by the Pharisees. In fact Jesus is teaching us, especially those people in power, NOT to impose our views on to the others, in particular the weaker ones, however righteous and correct the views may be. Doing so would not build the weaker ones up but would instead destroy their capability to follow.

I have been worrying about people who refuse or abandon believing in Jesus for various reasons. How does the Lord show them mercy when they withdraw and shut themselves out of God’s saving graces while respecting their freewill? The gospel passage today is reassuring. “When the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst …” (John 20:19) Jesus literally broke in without breaking the walls or the doors! He simply penetrated the materials while retaining their structures just as He emerged from the tomb without removing the stone at the entrance; and from the womb of Mary without interfering her virginity! In other words, the risen Lord is able to break into our lives while respecting our freewill at the same time. In His ineffable wisdom, He is able to achieve this without raising any contradiction. Praise be the Lord!

Why does He insisting on showing us mercy? The gospel passage today is clear. The Son of God wants us to continue His mission. “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you” (20:21). What mission is this? A mission of mercy, of reconciliation. “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained” (20:22b-23). Though we can interpret this verse as Jesus’ mandate to the Church to forgive sins through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, we should bear in mind that this sacrament is one of service rather than an exercise of authority. Priests and bishops serve the People of God in reconciling them with God and with each other. When they administer the Sacrament of Confession, they forgive sins in the person of Jesus who teaches us to pray for forgiveness, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12) and at the same time teaches us to lead a life of mercy, “Blessed are the merciful for they will be shown mercy” (5:7). Among the Beatitudes, only being merciful is reciprocal like forgiveness. Thus mercy and forgiveness are isomorphic. Therefore, there is no greater mercy than the forgiveness of wrongs. Jesus has demonstrated it while He was crucified on the cross.

Brethren! Bear in mind that to forgive hurts. The pains are inevitable because you give up part of your being when you forgive. Bear in mind too that the sacrifice you make will not go away in vain. It will bear fruit and help edify your debtors. The Son of God has shown His divine mercy on us. Let’s follow His footsteps and be merciful with the help of the Holy Spirit and become a channel of the Father’s mercy. Amen.
God bless!

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2020 Reflection
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Have You Mourned Before Easter? 復活節前你哀慟了嗎？

Easter Sunday, Year A
Theme: Have You Mourned Before Easter? 復活節前你哀慟了嗎？

The Church assigns forty days for the elected to prepare themselves for their baptisms. This is called the Lenten Season which those who were already baptized also have to make use of. Instead of preparing for baptism, the baptized do the same things the elected do to renew their spiritual life. So, the whole Church prays, fasts/abstains and gives alms to the needy particularly in Lent. With these traditional practices and pieties, such as Stations of the Cross and retreats, the elected examine their decisions to follow Jesus while the baptized attempt to rebuild their relationships with their Saviour. Easter is supposed to be a joyful season for all Christians, in particular the newly baptized. Through baptism, the elected becomes a Christian and a new creation (2 Corinthians 5:17). He is leading a new way of life in the spirit of the Beatitudes. He’ll find support in a community of redeemed people served by ordained ministers! Through prayers, bible studies, sacraments and charity services etc., he’ll build up an enriching relationship with Jesus Christ and is infused with His saving graces …

Alas! We’re living in a world contaminated by sins. In fact it is easier getting “dirty/old” than keeping “immaculate/new” in such an environment! If joyfulness is a measure of the possession of this newness, I’m afraid many a Christian would have difficulty to be joyful in Easter as he matures gradually and surely! We cannot simply brush this feeling of “a lack of joy” aside as something inessential because among the nine fruits of the Holy Spirit, “joy” occupies the second position (Galatians 5:22)! Put yourselves in the shoes of Christians in Ukraine. Are you able to find joy when you are shrouded in the cloud of a war which has been dragging on for over a year and its end is controlled not by you but by the super powers in the world? Or one of my friends whose son died of tooth cancer after several years of agony! Don’t tell me it is a test of the faith of the people concerned. This interpretation might be correct in that latter case but it is insensible. Applying such an interpretation in wars is simply wrong! If it is not a matter of faith, where else can we turn?

The word of the father in the Parable of the Prodigal Son came to mind, “But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found” (Luke 15:32) Thus, the joy of Easter is one of finding the lost and resurrecting the dead! Then we need to examine how much we are lost/dead in the previous year before this Easter. How much have we mourned and grieved for our loss/death?
On Good Fridays, we mourned and grieved for the Passion of Christ on the cross, in particular His being pierced. The Son of God came to fulfil the prophecy of the prophets (Matthew 5:17), this time Zechariah who says, “When the inhabitants of Jerusalem look on him whom they have thrust through, they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and they will grieve for him as one grieves over a firstborn” (Zechariah 12:10). Jesus Christ is the Son of God. Jerusalem symbolizes the Kingdom of Heaven. Her inhabitants symbolize the People of God on earth today. On Good Fridays, the Church mourns and grieves for the Passion of Jesus Christ, but NOT as an only child or firstborn because Christ is head of the Church, the husband of the Bride! Only God the Father would mourn for Jesus Christ as the only Son and grieve for Him as a firstborn. Thus, in a miraculous way, God the Father mourns for His only begotten Son through the Church in our annual Good Friday liturgy! A more appropriate candidate comes to mind --- my friend whose son died of tooth cancer. He and his wife definitely mourned and grieved for their firstborn. The day on which they saw their son die must have embodied in their life the very first Good Friday in history. They must have their full share of mourning and grieving. Where would their joy come?
The words of Martha came to mind, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day” (John 11:24). That means my friend’s joy would arrive only on the last day. In the meantime, will he continue to mourn and to grief like someone with no faith? Or the Holy Spirit would console him in a mysterious manner!

A song came to mind. It is very soothing and expresses deep faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ. The lyrics is drawn from the book of Job, “For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God” (Job 19:25-26, KJV). I hope you enjoy this song like most of us do.

This song is surely a dose of ointment that lightens my friend’s pain but only for a while. It is unable to bring back his son whom the cancer has destroyed. To a certain extent, the cancer has also bitten away part of his being. While he mourns the loss of his son on Good Friday, I pray that he is able to see that the Lord is actually carrying the cross of his son, taking upon Himself the tooth cancer of his son so that in the end my friend’s son might live. I also pray that the Lord’s sacrifice is able to fill the void created in him by the death of his son. I genuinely trust in the merciful Lord for carrying our burdens because He says, “Whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40). On one level, the Lord instructs us to serve the marginalized and the needy in our society. On another level, the Lord pledges to stand by the victims and sufferers and to lighten their burden just like what Simon the Cyrenian had done to Him (26:32). This is what we celebrate on Sundays, His resurrection. St. Paul teaches us that “Christ died and came to life so that He might be Lord of both the dead and the living” (Romans 14:9). He has risen to honour all His pledges to us, His Bride. Amen.

Brethren! Have you lost anything in previous year or before? Have you suffered frustrations and pains? Surrender and allow the merciful Lord to embrace you with His eternal bliss. Amen.
God bless!

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2020 Reflection

Hunger & Thirst For Righteousness 飢渴慕義

Passion Sunday, Year A
Theme: Hunger & Thirst For Righteousness 飢渴慕義

When we celebrate the Palm Sunday, the merciful Lord invites us to accompany Him in the spiritual journey of His Paschal Mystery. We are blessed indeed to be among the elected to wine and dine with Him in the heavenly banquet. The merciful Lord is never tired of teaching us the knowledge we need to acquire in order to partake in this eternal bliss. He is happy to assist us through giving us His spirit and giving up His life. Not only does He teach but He also practices what He preaches. His triumphant entry into Jerusalem is the beginning of His glorious battle against sins and death. This final confrontation with the Devil is pregnant with inexhaustible wisdom for our salvation. It is good for us to meditate during this Holy Week.

Among the teachings of Jesus Christ, I opine that the Beatitudes are the most essential because He began His public ministry by proclaiming this Magna Carta of the Kingdom of Heaven like someone similar to but greater than Moses (Matthew 5:3-12). Five years ago, Pope Francis promulgated the apostolic exhortation “Gaudete et Exsultate” on the sanctification of Christians in the modern world. He made it clear that the Beatitudes are the identity card of a Christian (GE #63)!
Brethren! Just think about it. When you meet St. Peter at the gate of heaven, you don’t show him your baptismal certificates for your admission into heaven because many people on earth haven’t had the opportunity to receive baptism during their lifetimes. But God wills everyone to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth (1Timothy 2:4). Therefore, making baptism the necessary condition for entrance into heaven would be unfair. Let’s agree that attainment of one of the Beatitudes qualifies us to enter heaven.

How does Jesus practise what He preaches, in particular during His Passion? Actually, the “Seven Last Words of Jesus on the Cross” has been a popular topic for Good Friday Retreats. Taking inspiration from this fact, I would like to meditate and discover how Jesus demonstrates the Beatitudes in His Paschal Mystery. Earlier, I briefly touched upon the first two Beatitudes, viz. poverty and mournfulness, during the Stations of the Cross. Today let me meditate upon how Jesus hungers and thirsts for righteousness (Matthew 5:6).

So, what does righteousness mean? For us human beings, we usually equate righteousness with fairness. Even young children have a sense of fairness! I’m sure parents have their share of headaches when they divide birthday cakes among their children who just love cakes and are never satisfied with their slices! Adults have their understanding of fairness as well. We often hear people say, “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth” (Exodus 21:24) suggesting that it is fair to revenge in proportion. “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” which suggests that it is fair to help each other. “Efforts pay” suggests that the harder you work the more wages you’ll earn. In reality, human revenges can never be proportional. For a serial killer of say 10 victims, how can his one life be proportional to the ten lives wasted? In killing the killer, one more life is wasted. How can that be fair? The second case cannot be fair either. Besides dishonesty, there are simply too many factors preventing pledges from being honoured. Most of the time we’ll be disappointed if we expect to be repaid. How wise Jesus is in teaching the truth, namely do not expect return of favours, “Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow” (Matthew 5:42). Lastly, nowadays in Hong Kong, many outsourcing janitors are still working at the minimum wage of HK$34.5. Efforts do not pay because your skills are not marketable! People should know the truth that employers deploy this slogan to domesticate employees. In short, righteousness is not fairness.

Then what is divine righteousness? What does God mean by righteousness?
God is omnipotent and merciful. He created us but we are suffering here in a sinful world. None of us is exempted. Put it in a negative way, if God does not deliver us, He would be unrighteous! In fact, the word “righteousness” and “salvation” usually goes hand-in-hand in the Old Testament. For example, “My mouth shall show forth your righteousness and your salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers thereof” (Psalms 71:15). “I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory” (Isaiah 46:13). In fact, when Jesus teaches, “Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied” (Matthew 5:6), He is paraphrasing “My eyes long to see your salvation and the promise of your righteousness” (Psalms 119:123). God desires for everybody to be saved. Yet after the baptism of Enlightenment, men have become bolder to play God. They put their faith in physical sciences and their trust in technologies. If they ever need salvation, it will come from Information Technology or Artificial Intelligence instead of Yahweh. These human achievements have become their idols while God becomes irrelevant nowadays. Few modern people feel the need of salvation, let alone the righteousness of God.

Christians are different because they are the elected few. However, many a Christian makes a terrible mistake in believing that when they are doing the will of God, God will brush away all obstacles and difficulties for them. Life would be a bed of roses, a safe and smooth sail across the worldly ocean towards heavens.
Brethren, how mistaken it is! Christ has never promised us an easy life after following Him. Take a look at the lives of St. Paul and all the holy martyrs! Take a look at yourselves. How many of you find frustrations and discouragements in doing God’s will? How many of you have been taken advantage of, or have become scapegoats for other people’s faults, or have been verbally and/or physically abused etc. because of your faith in God? Have you been humiliated and ridiculed, asking you where your God is (Psalms 42:3; Joel 2:17; Micah 7:10)? The author of Hebrews put it mildly, “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood” (Hebrews 12:4). But Jesus Himself and all the martyrs have!

Brethren! We shall be blessed indeed when frustrated and exhausted in doing God’s work and we cry aloud “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” (Psalms 22:2; Matthew 27:46) Like Christ, when we have obeyed, have felt helpless, weak and could find nothing else to rely on, then we shall be satisfied with God’s righteousness and salvation. He will raise us to a new level of life. Once more, we thank Christ for allowing us to accompany Him on this spiritual journey of Paschal Mystery because only through practices shall we know our God better and love Him deeper. Amen.
God bless!
2020 Reflection
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