God is love

Today, we continue to read 1 John 4:7-12.
John affirms once again that God is love ὁ θεὸς ἀγάπη ἐστίν (1 John 4:8). John knows God's love because God sent Jesus, His only Son, to this world so that we may live (forever) through him
ζήσωμεν διʼ αὐτοῦ  (1 John 4:9).
We will be surprised to find that in John's view, this love, however is not bi-directional, not mutual! God loves us by sending Jesus to be the expiation of our sins (1 John 4:10) but we are not able to love Him. What we can do is to love one another. We owe one another to loveἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν ἀλλήλους ἀγαπᾶν (1 John 4:11).
Many psychologists have written about love. Love involves at least 2 parties. It is a relationship. All the psychologists have come to nearly the same conclusion that LOVE involves the sharing of happiness. We must feel good about love. Otherwise, we will not have the reinforcement to continue this relationship of love.
Likewise, love is essential for our growth and development. Without love, we remain immature, narcissistic and forever naive. We began our life from love, nourished at the receiving end of love. Now that we have grown up, it is our turn to give our love to the others. To a certain extent, we may probably reserve some love for ourselves. We mind our own business, are dedicated in our career and play our games regardless of people around us. But sooner or later, we will find that it is more joyful for our love to be appreciated and very painful for our favours to be rejected.
However, Christian love goes beyond this in its emphasis on the emptying of oneself. This is set in the example of Jesus. Paul sang a hymn to Jesus' humility in Philippians 2:3-11. Instead of holding fast to his divinity, Jesus emptied himself and took up our flesh and died for our sins. Through this emptying of divinity, God is able to permeate all creation. This is love, God's love, par excellence.
For us sinful humanity, emptying oneself is not just being heroic. It is also beneficial for our well-being because through letting loose, we give up not just our best parts, but also our weaknesses, naivety and stupidity as well.  Without these sinfulnesses and obstacles, God's love can permeate through us more easily. God abides in us ὁ θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν μένει (1 John 4:12). Consequently, when God lives in us, we may be able to know Him. This is the wisdom highest possible. That is why perfect charity is wisdom.
The love between a man and his wife has been employed by St. Paul, as an image to describe the love between Christ and his church. In marriage, husbands and wives empty themselves bodily, psychologically, financially etc. to each other. They are not selfish with their bodies, with their emotions and with their money etc. Oh God, how wonderful that we are able to find someone on whom we can invest all ourselves. Of course, some people are less fortunate that they have to empty themselves on cats and dogs only. Others are worse off if they cannot relate to human beings and can only find satisfaction in loving inanimate objects. Poor men! They can only empty themselves on those lifeless objects which cannot give back in return.
If all goes well, nuptial love is an even better image than parental love. We are husbands and wives before we are fathers and mothers. Moreover, husbands and wives are able to empty themselves to each other nearly immediately. Parents can do the same to their children but it will take decades before the children, if they honour their parents, are grown up enough to empty themselves to their parents in return. Mary, my daughter's godmother, has done exactly this. Some children may never do so, either because they build up their own families too soon or their parents have already died.
Of course, this is from the perspective of man. God sees Himself (and the Israelites see their God) first and foremost, a father before He sees Himself a husband in the Old Testament. This father image never disappears from the New Testament. So, we are always indebted to God, our Father. I wonder how people in the Old Testament were able to love God as a husband. Probably, in ancient time when wives were supposed to be submissive, the image was appropriate.
Nowadays, when women's social status and autonomy have been more widely recognized, it is more difficult to put believers and their God on equal footing, as husbands and wives. Moreover, in a homophobic milieu, it is hard for male believers to swallow the idea of the church being the Bride of Christ. The Church can't be exclusively female! Shall we look for other images to better describe the relationship between the Church and her Redeemer in this age? What a mystery!

It is now 11:45 p.m. Hong Kong time. I enjoyed an evening with my wife, going to a recital by the renowned Chinese pianist Lang Lang (郎朗) in the Hong Kong Coliseum. It has been decades since the birth of our children. Wulstan and Saturnia promised to babysit Symphorian who seemed to understand that his parents were going out on a date. He didn't cling unnecessarily to his mum when she left home to meet me.
We ate our heart out in a food plaza before the concert. We had Korean rock-bowl noodle, Thai oyster omelette, Shanghai dumplings in sour-chilli soup etc. Of course, we couldn't finish them all.
The concert started with Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture which finished with a firework display. Then came Lang Lang on the stage to play Chopin's Piano Concerto No. 1 in 3 movements. When intermission came at 9:20p.m., we had to leave for Tuen Mun. We shared our views on the orchestra, Lang Lang's superb skills and the merits and demerits of holding a recital in the Coliseum. It was a lovely and enriching evening.

My God, help me empty myself more, be humbler and more generous so that I may know you more. I believe in You. Help me believe more that I may understand better the mystery of the Church. Amen.

Growth in Spirit

God's grace be with us all.
It is my wish to better relate to Yahweh.
Reading the Bible, prayer, meditation and contemplation is a well-trodden path called lectio divina which I wish to follow.

Today is the Monday after Epiphany.  The first reading comes from 1 John 3:22-4:6. Basically,  John (probably the Elder) assures us that by keeping the love commandment of Jesus, that we love one another, we receive from God whatever we ask because God would be living in us.  John also advised us to test every spirit. Some spirits come from the anti-Christ, false prophets who deny that God would incarnate and became flesh.
God knows me in and out, through and through. He knows what I need most and He surely would give me more than I ask. I know not what to ask. At the moment, I pray for the mental soundness of my Mum, of my friend Galli and of my godson 'Sam' who has been confined to wheelchair and suffered a lot physically and for my daughter's godmother, Mary who has been living alone after the demise of her parents. Oh! there are many more of you whom I want to pray for. Some are beyond my reach to console or to extend my sympathy. I pray for greater strength to be able to love you more.

I will not be able to attend Maggie's matrimony mass the coming Saturday. She is such a sweet lady. How much I wish to share her joy. Yet, I am torn between a biblical course I very much want to attend in full and her matrimony mass. At the moment, the only thing I can contribute to her is to train up my 5J students to sing in her mass. This is a good opportunity to put what they have been learning into real life context. In S5, they studied family & marriage in their RS for the CEE. Now, they will be able to witness their teacher make a vow before all to commit herself to the sanctity of married life. I believe the occasion will be a very positive experience for all my students. I deeply regret not being able to be present. But I hope my students will be able to carry my love and my spirit over there to the bride and the groom.

When we are able to live up to the demand of Christ until God lives in me, there will be no doubt that God has incarnated and become flesh in Jesus because He has incarnated in me. I become a refutation to the anti-Christ. I become a witness to the mystery of Incarnation.

1996 LSC F7 Science Stream Alumni Album

Message to
the Form 7 La Sallians
1995-96

I believe in God, I also believe in man who was created in the image of God.

I believe that man is basically good, though sometimes, he or she would lapse for a short while.

Man in moral. I believe that morality must be evolutionarily beneficial to the continued existence of the homo sapiens, "Might is Right". That is the rule of the savage Nature. But man must struggle as a community in order to survive in this hostile environment. Morality binds men together as a community. Therefore man must be a moral "animal". Yet, he is evolved from the animal kingdom. That is why I said earlier that sometimes, because of short-term survival pressures towering over him or her, that he or she would lapse for a short while.

It takes tremendous moral courage to stand up for one’s convictions, principles and this courage needs be cultivated. (Otherwise, you will be eliminated before you can pass on your genes!) How? By placing yourself squarely in your position. Do not evade your responsibilities (as a professional, as a middle-manager). By facing the attacks and challenges, you are "able to flex your muscles", make them stronger! By taking the easy way out, by compromising your principles, you lose control of your body and your soul. High-sounding?! No, it is a matter of life and death.

Yours in the Risen Lord

Alex Kwok
on the Feast of St. Thomas, the Apostle,
who taught us to have strong faith in God.

A Parting Letter from Mr. Alex Kwok

A Parting Letter from Mr. Alex Kwok, teacher advisor of the LSC School Orchestra

Even though this message is dedicated to several guest pianists such as Ignatius Chan Chung Yee, Conard Chan Hong Wah and some other members of the School Orchestra such as Clement Cheung Kin Pak, Szeto Johnny, Samson Cheung, Wilfred Tin Ka Wo (they are graduates of the 1980’s and, I have to apologize for failing to mention many more), I would like Edmund to broadcast this message to enrich our life in LSC.

I like music and sing in parish choir. I was never a player of any instrument. (Though I have to admit that I did put my hands in the violin when I was dating my future wife during her college life.) It was when I was still teaching in the Old La Salle Building that I first heard a few La Salle boys playing “Butterfly Lovers”. Their technique was good and they put up some solo performance during the Annual Speech Days in the Old La Salle Building. On one such Speech Day, the soloist made a surprised request to Brother Raphael, in front of all the guests and parents, to grant $10,000 to set up an orchestra. The money was granted and instruments were bought …

One day, out of curiosity, I entered the Music Room, which was at the back stage of the school hall. I bumped into some instruments lying around, apparently unattended to for a long time. I picked one up, a cello and saved it to the New La Salle Building. (I had given up violin because I knew very well that I would never catch my girlfriend up in violin.) My first performance, playing simple long notes among other student players, was an arrangement of “Un Banc, Un Arbre, Une Rue”, a piano solo piece played by Ignatius Chan, accompanied by La Salle School Orchestra! The student conductor, Wylie, arranged the music. In fact, I was not able to play the School Song properly. I was new and did not have sufficient mastery of the instrument! Later, I took up the conducting instead, asking my wife to arrange pieces of music for the performance in the Annual Speech Days. Years gone by and we began to play the original scores!

In 1993, our principal violinist, Cheng Ka Ming was awarded the SCMP Student Musician of the Year among 12 finalists. I went to Malaysia in November for 8 days and missed the Speech Day. Ms. Grace Wu helped them out. Under the leadership of Cheng Ka Ming, they (15 in all) took part for the first time in the 46^th School Music Festival (1994), Intermediate String Orchestra Competition, came second without a conductor with a score of 82 marks, 5 marks behind the Wah Yan (Kowloon) team.

On February 28^th, 1995, we took part in the same section with 21 members, again without a conductor. (In fact, ever since our coming second in 1994, the Association of Schools Music Festival changed the rule, requiring a minimum of 21 members to enrol!) The competition took place in the Shatin Town Hall. Our major rivals were: Wah Yan who played Edward Elgar’s “Serenade for Strings”, scoring 88 and came first; DGS played T. Osborne computer music “Bytes and Pieces” got the third with a score of 82. St. Stephen, Stanley, who played Mozart’s Divertimento (K136), also came third. We played Benjamin Britten’s “Simple Symphony”, which was in fact not simple at all, and scored 87!

After the competition, the DBS orchestra, who was the only participant in the Advanced section discovered that the piece Wah Yan played was a set piece 2 years ago; thus violating the rule. It was in fact the fault of the Association for not warning Wah Yan when they submitted their choice piece! On April 11^th, after the winners’ performance concert, the Association notified Wah Yan of their breach of rule and on May 1^st, the Feast Day of St. Joseph the Worker, we were informed of our being upgraded to the First Place. We won on technicality!

It has been an eventful year. Cheng Ka Ming is leaving for the States in June to pursue his studies. We are expecting the Form 5 members to come back in September. Well, such mobility has been a fact of life for school activities. Boys! Remember to cherish every opportunity you have and live your life in full at any moment! Music has entertained my life in La Salle. I hope you will enjoy and remember it.

Alex C. K. Kwok
April, 1995.

p.s. Some proofreading and fact-checks have been done.

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Picture Credit: The LaSallites (1995), pp. 214-15

教區教理講授訓練班畢業典禮 valedictory speech 1983

教區教理講授訓練班畢業典禮
畢業同學代表致詞

郭志強
一九八三年七月十日

在香港這個繁忙的都市裡，提供夜間課程是最符合她的急促步伐。「教理班」的設立，的確切合時宜，為在職人士提供優良的進修機會。目前，香港大部份市區的地方，已經發展到飽和的地步。三十年來不斷的公共房屋建設，很多屋邨已經老化；人口正不斷主動地或被動地向新市鎮遷徙。為新市鎮的牧民工作培育人手，更形逼切！「教理班」向新界推廣，確實刻不容緩，而且任重道遠。這是一個來自新界西部地區者的心聲！

很僥倖我們被取錄成為「教理班」的學員。我們當中有來自粉嶺、大埔、屯門、長洲，甚至澳門等地區；在上課前匆忙地用兩個麵包裹腹；與同事調更；風雨不改…兩年來，每星期騰出兩個晚上，學習重份量的神學及教學法課程！如此亦沒有難倒我們的毅力，在這裡特別多謝中心主任鄭姑娘經常的鼓勵，時常表示關懷與欣賞，給我們很大的鼓舞，去克服種種的障礙。此外要多謝中心的各位職員，她/他們以豐富的行政經驗安排一切，使課程進度井井有條，導師與學員能沒有負擔和顧慮地進行教與學。學識淵博的導師們，以孜孜不倦的態度教誨，使我們不期然肅然起敬；他們認真地分享他們豐富的牧民經驗，的確使我們獲益良多，對未來的傳教工作，更具信心。學員之間有很多正式與非正式的分享時間，大家坦誠開放，使我們在信仰上並不感到孤獨。猶記得在散學禮的祈禱會上，有學員分享她兩年來的心得。她表示在「教理班」學到很多事物，能夠充實自己的教友生活，為個人的信仰生活有很大的益處。她會盡力履行在「教理班」所學到的教訓。

一如胡主教在剛才的訓言中指出，知易行難，知行要合一的道理，在「教理班」畢業了並不一定有能力教授要理！要知道最重要的還是將所學到的，身體力行，可以美七尺之軀，然後可以為人師表。好一句「小人之學也，入乎耳、出乎口、口耳之間則四寸耳，曷足以美七尺之軀哉！」（荀子‧勸學）的確是從事「講」授要理者的金石良言！

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【後記】

純屬巧合，在翻閱《公教報合訂本》尋找有關上水「基督之母堂」神職人員的任命紀錄時，尋回失去了的記憶。真的要感謝天主，重讀這一篇快半個世紀的文稿，可以恥笑執筆者是個書呆子，不懂人情世故，既幼稚，又膚淺…然而，半個世紀快過去了，依然故我。今日姑且把文稿稍加潤飾，藉以撫今追惜。

所謂「教而後知困」。在喇沙書院教了五年聖經，連自己都說服不了，又怎去教學生呢？於是報讀「教理班」。「學而後知不足」，讀「教理班」開啟了往後繼續鑽研聖經和神學的旅程。再次感謝天主，每月出糧給我，一路上享受讀聖經。亞孟！

二零二五年十月廿一日

圖片呼謝：公教報

Should Secondary Schoolboys Be Involved in Love Affairs

STUDENT PRESS GROUP (SERIES VI)
Should Secondary Schoolboys Be Involved in Love Affairs

May 12, 1972

The 28^th of March is the Speech Contest Day (in Chinese) for the higher forms (Form 3 to 5). As we Form 6 students have no Chinese lessons, therefore we are not qualified to participate. Anyhow, we are invited to the spot --- our school hall. And it is with the consent of Mr. Y.W. Ko, our Chinese teacher and H.L. Ho, of Form 4D, the champion, that this article by him is allowed to be translated and published. Thanks to Mr. Ko and Mr. Ho. Here’s the speech.

Teachers and fellow students, today, I’m very glad to have such a good chance to speak to you about a lively topic: SHOULD SECONDARY SCHOOLBOYS BE INVOLVED IN LOVE AFFAIRS? For all who are present today, none can deny our affection for girls. If a gentle female walks before us, we will spontaneously cast our eyes on her. Well, why should you laugh? Why should not boys be sentimental and girls be amorous? Life is a flower and love its nectar. Nectar, oh, how sweet a word it is! Thus many of us would long for a chance to taste the zest of falling in love, because we are too much absorbed in these lovely sentences. We guess that love is as lofty as the blue sky, as pure as the white clouds but as brilliant as the red sun, as magnificent as the rainbow and as romantic as violet. The current of love is such an irresistible attraction to us youths that we are willing to be carried along by it without caring about any consequence!

However, dear friends, we must still remain sober! When we are situated between amour and study, we’ve got to consider carefully and make a wise decision.
Unfortunately, our affection for females is immature, blind and without experience. There are many charming girls within our reach. Thus if you meet one and then devote yourselves unreservedly to her trying to make her aware of your existence, well, I wonder what you will do if you ever come across a more charming creature. If then, these affections all come out of a vague consciousness, why should we trouble for all these?

Assuming that you have really fallen in love with a girl, then, the proper way to fulfil it is by marriage, which in itself is perfected by true love and thorough understanding. Thus tragedies are likely to turn out from unions that are lacking in the factors mentioned above. Even though a marriage by chance is a perfect one, children will soon be brought forth, then do you suppose a secondary school boy can take up the responsibility towards the next generation and society which children bring on him? As we don’t have any sound financial resources, where comes our source of income? Though your father may be wealthy enough to maintain your whole family, will you not be ashamed of it? After all, no one in this world except you and you alone can bear the burden in your soul. Gradually, you’ll feel that marriage is actually the tomb of love within which your life is confined, your wishes disillusioned and your ideals dropped to nowhere.

Some of you may well argue that “we can be in love with a girl without marrying her”. But fools! You must understand that if there be no proper outlet for the sensational climax we have initiated, it is frustrating. Thus, in a physiological and psychological point of view, it is absolutely harmful to our body and mind. On the other hand, our physical body is in fact not yet mature for marriage. Everybody knows well that marriage in early youthhood is detrimental to the next generation. And from history, we learn that we have suffered quite a lot from the tradition of marriage at an early age.

Our life history can be divided into several periods each of which has its unique and peculiar function. If in our adulthood, we are to devote ourselves to the career we have chosen, then the most proper mission in our youthhood is the preparation and cultivation of a man and the most proper way to fulfil this preparation and cultivation is by learning. Therefore, in this course of learning, a love affair or marriage is unquestionably a stumbling block. As I have said before, our time and energy are both limited. Thus, we won’t have enough resources for our study if some are spent on love or marriage. This is simply arithmetic and if we are not able to score good results in the academic field, then our future shows not much hope and how can we expect to live soundly anymore? Moreover, living in such a complicated society, as we are now, we teens are likely to be cheated and thus will be sorrowful forever.

As we can see so many disadvantages for a secondary school boy to be involved in a love affair with a girl, it is absolutely unsuitable to do so. However, having girlfriends is all right, since this is only the rehearsal for the social activities and dealings with the opposite sex in our later life. Thus we should make good use of this invaluable youthhood by concentrating on our studies while establishing our own personality and ideals, so that when our knowledge, observations, experience are mature enough, I don’t think it is then too late to look for a girl who is willing to live with you happily ever after.
The above is just my own opinion developed upon my limited knowledge. Therefore, criticisms and objections are highly appreciated. Many thanks.

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Picture credit: shutterstock.com

In The Year 33 A.D.

STUDENT PRESS GROUP (SERIES V)
In The Year 33 A.D.

March 24, 1972

My name was Jero. I was living in a long-forgotten village in the region of Samaria. The village was embedded in a valley where there was a river running throughout the seasons. Grass was abundantly green and taking these advantages, I had become a shepherd long before I established my own family in my early adulthood.

As time went on, one more member was introduced into our little community --- our daughter Miriam. She was just lovely, especially her bright eyes. They were so full of life and so brilliant as if they were promising us a clever daughter. Three of us together had then enjoyed our family life happily for three years. Those were the three years in which I was warmly greeted every day when I was back from work; in which my hut was tidily taken care of; in which I didn’t have to worry about my meals and the most important of all, our dear Miriam --- thanks to Anne, my wife.

Unfortunately, after those happy years, there came an unexpected plague, with which, the life of Anne and the precious eye-sight of Miriam were taken away. I was lucky enough to weather through, but what’s the use?
I could never stop hating that abominable plague! NEVER! Never would I forgive its depriving me of my good woman! Oh! How on earth could that disguting plague originate! Damn! Damn it forever! Though strong as I was, it was too much a shock for me. I just couldn’t bear it. My body seemed disintegrated and my soul broken into pieces. It was only after quite some days that I could bring myself together again. Then, I realized that I had left my sheep behind for so many days that they might have been scattered or eaten by wolves.

From then onwards, I had to take up my woman’s work as well as that of mine --- with the help of my neighbour[s], I became a shepherd again. Early in the morning every day, after having prepared the meals, I took Miriam with me to the grassland where our sheep were grazing. With my limited mastery of language, I tried my best to describe the magnificent combinations of the seven colours to my poor Miriam.

“The sky above us is blue and sometimes it is grey …
“What is grey, Dad?”
“Well, that is spilling some milk over your Dad’s hair when you were still a baby.”
“The grass we’re are sitting on is green. The flowers in your hands are yellow and some are red. You know, something does not have colour.”
“What is the something, Dad?”
“Well, it is the water we drink every day.”
“I see … Dad? Is it the same water which Mum used to wash my hands before we ate?”
“ … ”,
“Is it?”
“Yes, my dear.” --- She was too cute and my throat was too sore to utter these little words.

Yes, she was really cute and that was what kept me living on. When the sun set, I brought her home --- but no longer greeted by Anne. After putting her to bed, I used to sit down in silence. Now and then, I turned my eyes on the the sleeping Miriam. She was my only source of comfort.
“Anne, wherever you may be, pray for little Miriam and me always”…
“My God, my God! I don’t know what made you take my woman away. But whoever’s fault it be, please, may your boundless mercy be on my poor Miriam.”

Another three years elapsed.
One day, a merchant, who was on his way home after trading around Galilee, came past our grassland and sat himself down to take a rest. We began chatting.
“Recently, a man called Jesus came from Galilee and the people are crazy over him. You know, he did miracles and drove out devils. He made lepers clean and fed thousands. Many gained hearing and the blind their sight. I’m afraid he must be a messenger of God.”

I was suddenly awakened by his words’ “and the blind their sight!” It seemed that I had been sleeping for three years. But wait a minute, he said, blind, sight … then … Miriam! Yes Miriam!
“Where’s the Man, where’s he? Please tell me where [is] He is now!”
“Hey, take it easy, shepherd. You’re choking me. Put off your hands!”
“With your hands off, Jero. You’re hurting this mister. Forgive him, his daughter is blind. That’s why he’s so anxious.”
“I see. But I [have] never met that Man before. Anyhow, I know where He is. He is travelling up and down in Galilee.”

I was on my heels before I finished thanking him. Yes, Galilee. I had to go to Galilee. Hope was found there. Oh! I was too happy! My dear Miriam, he would restore her sight, I know she would! --- It seemed that that was promised by the Galilean.
I was really too happy, too excited that on my way home, I threw my staff aloft to the air with all my might …
The next day, I began my journey --- with my heart filled with overflowing confidence as if I had been promised. I sold everything and bought a mule on which Miriam was put. Then, I began to step on the road to Galilee. Anne. Pray for us!

The journey was a hard one, especially when we entered the Jewish region. Hospitality was not given [to] us as we were Samaritans. Sometimes, we had to travel with empty stomaches and thirsting throats. Sometimes, we had to travel in the roasting heat and not a shade was given [to] us. However hard it was, I hanged on with growing hope as we approached Galilee. One day, I heard that the Galilean had entered Jerusalem two days [ago] before. Then, we turned our direction to Jerusalem.

As we entered Jerusalem three [sic] days later in the afternoon, the sky was getting gloomy. It looked so sad that my hopeful heart yielded a little. “Rejoice with me, you grey heaven, for my daughter is going to restore her sight!”
It seemed that the heaven didn’t quite agree with me and was becoming darker. Then I started looking for that Galilean only to find a piece of news that was too hard to be accepted --- the people was crucifying my Galilean.

“Oh! No, that’s impossible! Ridiculous! It’s unfair! Why!”
“It’s because he stirred the peo …”
“I don’t want your explanation, just tell me where He is!”
“Golgotha.”

The name sounded terrible --- a place of skull. But my heart was more terribly upset. “Why crucifies Him! Oh God, have mercy on Miriam, don’t let them do it …”
It was too late. When I arrived, I found that three gibbets were planted on the ground, on one of which, my hope was nailed …
The whole world seemed quaking and the heaven lost its lights. Poor Miriam! You could never see things again! But tell me what’s the use to see this world! What is the use to see this confusing world where hope and happiness were absent? Am I going to look for them from this crucified Galilean who was once my only hope?

Alex Kwok
(CHECSS)

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Picture credit: creator.nightcafe.studio