There is nothing more certain than death. Most religions promise a transcendence of this inevitability, a life after death. Other moral philosophies are more down to earth. They are contended to make sense of death or more positively, to give life a purpose. There is a well known idiom among Chinese who are well known of their being pragmatic. It reads, "Deaths can be lighter than a feather or heavier than the Tai Mountains." It does not trivialize death, nor glorify it. It simply lays before you a guideline when you contemplate suicide. Is your death worthwhile? This Chinese proverb has an underlying assumption that some deaths do not contribute to the good of the others.
However, Jesus rules out such a classification of deaths. For him, all deaths are meaningful and worthwhile.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life." (John 12:24-25)
Of course, Jesus was not promoting suicide. He tells us to let go even our life to bring out more lives. Committing suicide so as to escape from suffering is selfish and an act of cowardice. Suicide is morally acceptable only when it saves more lives or gives the future generation a better tomorrow. Therefore, the deaths of martyrs and revolutionaries are laudable and deserve our respect.
What about the deaths of thousands of nameless people who are starved to death everyday because of poverty? What good do these deaths bring?
What about the deaths of terrorists who are killed in action? What fruit do they bear?
What about those aborted fetus which do not even have a chance to see the light of this world? ... These are just some of those perplexing questions which we may not be able to give a convincing answer. Perhaps in the eye of Jesus, these poor souls simply return to the comfort of the bosom of the Father.Whether they leave behind any legacy is the will of the Father. Whether their contribution is good or bad is the judgment of the Father, not us.
God makes it clear that He finds no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11). Is God foolish? Paul said, "For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men." (1 Corinthians 1:25) There is wisdom in God's foolishness, in Jesus' refusal to distinguish among the worthiness of deaths.
Dear Lord, I feel grateful that all of us are precious in your eyes. You do not pass judgment on us. Your love is unsurpassable. Amen.
Sunday, 22 March 2015
Sunday, 15 March 2015
Seventy Years of Exile
Let's do some arithmetics. I rely on the Old Testament timeline provided by Bible Hub to do the following calculations in order to look at the 70-year Babylonian exile. It is commonly agreed that in 537 B.C., Cyrus decreed that the Jews should return to Jerusalem. Moreover, Jerusalem fell to the Babylonians in 586 B.C. Therefore, the exile lasted for 50 years only. However, prior to 586 B.C. the Babylonians had already begun deporting the nobles since 605 B.C. Therefore, a 70-year exile makes sense.
"to fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had been paid her sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years." (2 Chronicles 36:21)
This verse stirs up my speculation. The Israelites did not observe the law of sabbathetical year (Leviticus 25), 70 in total. Therefore, they were exiled for 70 years to repay the skipping of sabbathetical years.
Before we start calculating, we need to decide what to make of the Jubilee Year, the fiftieth year. Since the land rested in a Jubilee Year similar to that of sabbathetical years, I will count it a sabbathetical year. Therefore, in 50 years, there were 8 sabbathetical years. Now, the Jews were exiled for 70 years to repay for the skipping of sabbathetical years. Therefore 70 sabbathetical years were skipped. A total of 437.5 (70/8*50) years were covered. When did the Jews begin skipping sabbathetical years and jubilee years? 974 (537 + 437) B.C. During this time, David was fleeing from the onslaugh of his own son Absalom! It sounds reasonable. I speculate that after the death of Absalom, David returned to Jerusalem to mourn for his favourite son who tried to overthrow his own father. Meanwhile, David did not observe sabbathetical years anymore since his return to Jerusalem.
What if we do not count Jubilee Years as sabbathetical years? A total of 500 (70/7*50) years would be covered. That is to say, the Jews began skipping sabbathetical years since 1037 B.C. It was roughly 10 years before Saul openly disobeyed Samuel (1 Samuel 15). Saul had been king for about 6 years since he was anointed king in 1043 B.C. That is to say, ever since the appointment of kings, the Israelites no longer observed sabbathetical years. Both versions make sense. Yet, they are only speculations.
The author of Chronicles saw the Babylonian Exile as a repayment of sabbathetical years. This very idea warned the Jewish readers to keep God's commandments because they had to repay every cent they owed (Matthew 5:26) The reading of John is more consoling. God did not send Jesus to judge the world but to save it (John 3:17). Unlike Matthew, John was less legalistic.
Today, at the 2nd Rite of Scrutiny in St. Francis of Assisi Church, I met a few La Salle old students. After leaving LSC for more than 20 years, some of them will be baptized this Easter. They are all grown-ups now. God is marvelous. I am touched and speechless as well. The Word of God is like a seed growing up on its own in their hearts. This is God's working, not mine.
Dear Lord, I praise you. You will not leave anybody unsaved. Amen.
"to fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had been paid her sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years." (2 Chronicles 36:21)
This verse stirs up my speculation. The Israelites did not observe the law of sabbathetical year (Leviticus 25), 70 in total. Therefore, they were exiled for 70 years to repay the skipping of sabbathetical years.
Before we start calculating, we need to decide what to make of the Jubilee Year, the fiftieth year. Since the land rested in a Jubilee Year similar to that of sabbathetical years, I will count it a sabbathetical year. Therefore, in 50 years, there were 8 sabbathetical years. Now, the Jews were exiled for 70 years to repay for the skipping of sabbathetical years. Therefore 70 sabbathetical years were skipped. A total of 437.5 (70/8*50) years were covered. When did the Jews begin skipping sabbathetical years and jubilee years? 974 (537 + 437) B.C. During this time, David was fleeing from the onslaugh of his own son Absalom! It sounds reasonable. I speculate that after the death of Absalom, David returned to Jerusalem to mourn for his favourite son who tried to overthrow his own father. Meanwhile, David did not observe sabbathetical years anymore since his return to Jerusalem.
What if we do not count Jubilee Years as sabbathetical years? A total of 500 (70/7*50) years would be covered. That is to say, the Jews began skipping sabbathetical years since 1037 B.C. It was roughly 10 years before Saul openly disobeyed Samuel (1 Samuel 15). Saul had been king for about 6 years since he was anointed king in 1043 B.C. That is to say, ever since the appointment of kings, the Israelites no longer observed sabbathetical years. Both versions make sense. Yet, they are only speculations.
The author of Chronicles saw the Babylonian Exile as a repayment of sabbathetical years. This very idea warned the Jewish readers to keep God's commandments because they had to repay every cent they owed (Matthew 5:26) The reading of John is more consoling. God did not send Jesus to judge the world but to save it (John 3:17). Unlike Matthew, John was less legalistic.
Today, at the 2nd Rite of Scrutiny in St. Francis of Assisi Church, I met a few La Salle old students. After leaving LSC for more than 20 years, some of them will be baptized this Easter. They are all grown-ups now. God is marvelous. I am touched and speechless as well. The Word of God is like a seed growing up on its own in their hearts. This is God's working, not mine.
Dear Lord, I praise you. You will not leave anybody unsaved. Amen.
Sunday, 8 March 2015
對天主所懷的熱忱 The zeal for God
四旬期第三主日（乙年）
主題：對天主所懷的熱忱
今天讀的出谷紀第二十章，與及申命紀第五章，就是「十誡」的出處。出谷紀與申命紀的記載，大同小異。但大家有沒有見到第一誡、第二誡等等的分界呢？如果沒有又怎樣知道是「十誡」而不是「八誡」或者「十二誡」呢？要知道在古代，連章節甚至標點符號也沒有。試想像沒有標點和段落的第一篇讀經是甚麼樣子呢？所以，把一堆密密麻麻的文字合理地分成「十誡」，一定是前人努力的成果。「十」是一個完滿的數目字，天主頒佈的法律當然是完美的，所以是「十誡」而不是其他數目。請大家留意在訂定誡命這件事上，有天人的合作。除了天主賜予誡命之外，人也有份參予釐訂。天主賜下誡命，人訂十誡。
雖然耶穌來到世上建立新約來取代舊約，但耶穌無意廢除舊約的法律。例如：當富少年問耶穌如何纔能獲得永生時，耶穌首先詢問他遵守誡命的情況，可見耶穌無意廢除舊約的法律。反而他是來使法律完滿。例如：在山中聖訓，耶穌就提昇了舊的法律。且看讀經一的最後一句【出20:17】。這誡命把妻子看待如婢女牛驢一樣，是男人的財產的一部份；所以對別人的妻子起淫念祗算是貪財，貪心沒有甚麼大不了。這樣，簡直在貶抑女性作為一個人的地位。
耶穌在瑪竇福音第五章論述「不可姦淫」的時候，把誡命的適用範圍擴闊到包括對女性起淫念。耶穌不把女性當作物件或者財產，而是有尊嚴的人。教會秉承耶穌的教導，把近人的妻子從婢女牛驢中抽起，為她們劃分了獨立的一條誡命，就是第九誡，「毋願他人妻」。
出谷紀二十章所記載的誡命，是天主與以色列人締結「西乃山盟約」的條款的一部份。天主在萬民中，揀選了以色列民族作為祂的特殊產業，要特別優待他們；而以色列人要履行的義務就是聽從天主的話，遵守天主的誡命與及由誡命所引申的其他法律，共613條。這些誡命和法律帶有以色列的文化特色，基督徒是不會照單全收，而是按照耶穌的教訓而有所提昇。剛纔提及的第九誡就是其中一個例子。又例如梅瑟准許離婚，但天主教徒的婚姻就是不可拆散的。
許多人誤會了星期日是安息日，因為星期日放假。其實，安息日是周末，一周的最後一天。因為天主用了六日創造天地，在第七日休息，並祝聖了第七日為安息日。星期日Sunday，是崇拜太陽的日子，是一周的第一天。因為耶穌在一周的第一天復活了。所以基督徒稱星期日為主日，慶祝耶穌的復活。公元第四世紀起，基督宗教成為羅馬帝國的國教，當然在主日放假了。因此，基督信徒不是守安息日，而是奉星期日為聖日，舉行彌撒，慶祝耶穌基督死而復活的逾越奧蹟。所以第三誡不是「守安息日」，而是「守瞻禮主日」。
除了十誡之外，天主教徒還有聖教四規，領聖體前又要守聖體齋，又要先辦妥告解，結婚又一定要在聖堂行禮，死後要葬在天主教墳場；四旬期又要拜苦路，聖母月玫瑰月又要唸玫瑰經等等這麼多繁文縟節。其實，天主所啟示的誡命，目的在於按步就班，由淺入深教導我們日進於德，提昇人性，幫助我們他日能分享聖三的天主性。所以，誡命、規矩是作為基督徒最低的要求，幫助我們在這個基本功之上，修德成聖，能夠與天主建立密切的關係。例如：十誡要求我們主日到聖堂望彌撒，這是最低的要求。可惜習慣了就開始麻木失去感覺，於是四出找尋不去望彌撒的藉口。例如：歌詠團唱的歌跟不上，讀經員又讀錯字，神父不是廣東話不正，就是講道沉悶。如果不是怕犯罪要辦告解，相信很多人不出半年就沒有興趣望彌撒了。這種心態實在太被動，太消極了。要建立並維持一段良好的關係，是需要付出努力，培養出一份感情，一份想親近對方的渴望。讀書如是，談戀愛如是，工作如是，愛國如是，信天主，與天主建立關係也是一樣。
試看看耶穌對天父的渴望。聖殿是天主臨在之所，耶穌是多麼渴望親近自己的父親。他十二歲就曾經離開聖母和聖若瑟，獨自留在聖殿三日三夜。今天的福音記載了耶穌清理聖殿的事蹟。這件事在門徒眼中，是耶穌應驗了聖詠69篇的預言：「我對祢殿宇所懷的熱忱，把我耗盡。」耶穌對聖殿的熱愛，導致他與猶太領袖衝突，種下禍根，為他將來的受難，埋下伏線。「耗盡」就是這個意思。
各位兄弟姊妹，我們懷有耶穌一樣的熱忱嗎？我們好像耶穌一樣非常渴望主日返聖堂親近天父嗎？非常渴望領聖體與耶穌結合為一嗎？抑或覺得返聖堂是一種負擔，有點兒麻煩呢？四旬期是皈依天主的時候。就讓我們好好地培養這份渴望親近天主的情懷。
天主保佑。
3rd Sunday of Lent (Year B)
Theme: The zeal for God
The Exodus 20 we read today and Deuteronomy 5 are the basis of our “10 Commandments”. Both versions are very similar. But do you see the numbering of 1st Commandment and 2nd Commandment etc.? No. Then how do we know that there are only 10 Commandments and not 8 or 12? In ancient time, there were not even punctuation marks or paragraphing. Imagine what it would be like if the 1st reading today were printed without punctuation marks and paragraphing. Therefore, delimiting a string of alphabets into a reasonably meaningful “10 Commandments” must be the fruit of the toil of some ancient people. 10 was regarded a perfect number in ancient time. Without doubt, the law of God must be perfect. Therefore, the number of Commandments cannot be anything but 10. Notice that there was a God-man cooperation in this incident. Besides the bestowal of Commandments by God, men took part in delimiting them. God gave the Commandments. We make them 10.
Even though Jesus came to establish the New Testament to replace the Old one, Jesus had no intention to abolish the laws in the Old Testament. For example, when the rich young man asked Jesus what to do to attain eternal life, Jesus asked about how he had observed the commandments. From this, we conclude that Jesus had no intention to abolish the laws in the Old Testament. Moreover, Jesus came to fulfil the Law. For example, in the discourse of the Beatitudes, Jesus elevated the Old laws. Let’s read the last verse in the 1st reading (Exodus 20:17). This commandment put wives among the manservants, maidservants, oxen and asses. Wives were part of the property of husbands. Therefore, lust counted as greed and greed was no big deal. The status of woman as a human person was trampled upon.
When Jesus discusses the Commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery”, he extended its application to include lust. Jesus did not treat a woman as an object, as a piece of goods. He treats her as a person with dignity. Following the teaching of Jesus, the Church removed the neighbour’s wife from servants, oxen and asses and gave her an independent commandment. It is the 9th Commandment, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife.”
The commandments in Exodus 20 were a portion of articles stipulated in the Sinai Covenant between God and the Israelites. Among the peoples on earth, God chose Israel to be his own possession and gave them special privileges. In return, the Israelites would obey God, keep the commandments and laws derived from these commandments, 613 in total. These commandments and laws carry the cultural characteristics of Israel. We Christians cannot take them over without modification. We upgrade them according to the teaching of Jesus. The 9th Commandment we mentioned previously is one such example. Another example is that Moses allows divorce whereas Christian marriages are indissoluble.
Many people mistake Sunday for Sabbath because Sunday is a holiday. In fact, Sabbath is the last day of a week because God spent 6 days to create the world and rested on the 7th day. He consecrated the 7th day to be the Sabbath. Sunday was the day to worship the sun, the first day of the week. On the first day of the week, Jesus came back to life. Therefore, Christians call Sunday, the Lord’s Day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Since the 4th century when Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire, Sunday had become a holiday. Therefore, Christians do not keep the Sabbath holy. They keep Sunday instead. On Sunday, they offer masses to celebrate the Paschal mystery of the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the 3rd Commandment is not “Keep the Sabbath holy”, but “Keep Sunday holy”.
Besides the 10 Commandments, there are many rules and regulations for Catholics to follow. For example, there are 4 precepts of the Church, the one-hour fast before Communion, Confession before Communion, marriage in the Church, burial in Catholic cemetery, Stations of the Cross in Lent, Rosaries in the months of May and October etc. In fact, the purpose God reveals the commandments is to help bring about our sanctification step by step, from shallow to deep; and to elevate our humanity so that we may partake in the divinity of the Blessed Trinity in the end. Therefore, these commandments and rules are minimum requirements only. They are the foundation upon which we build up our sanctification and establish an intimate relationship with God. For example, the obligation to attend Sunday masses. This is only a minimum requirement. Unfortunately, when we get used to it, we begin to feel bored and lose the feeling. So, we actively seek excuses not to at attend mass. For example, the songs the choir sings are difficult to follow; the lectors mispronounce; the Cantonese of the priests is poor and their homilies are boring. Had we not been forced to follow the rules lest we had to do confession, I am afraid many of us would not have had any motivation to attend masses after six months. This kind of mentality is too passive and negative. In order to establish and maintain a good relationship, we need to put up effort, to cultivate a passion, a desire to come close to the other party. It is true for studies, for dating, for work and for patriotism. Believing in God and building a close relationship with God is not different from the other relationships.
See how much Jesus desired to be in the presence of his heavenly Father. The Temple was the visible presence of God. Jesus longed for coming close to his Father. When he was 12, he did not follow the BVM and St. Joseph home but stayed behind in the Temple for 3 days and 3 nights. In the story of the cleansing of the Temple, the disciples saw the fulfilment of Psalm 69, “Zeal for thy house shall consume me.” (John 2:17) Jesus’ passion for the Temple made him clash with the Jewish authority. This antagonism led to his Passion in the future. This is the meaning of “consume me”.
Dear brethren, do we harbour such zeal as Jesus? Do we long for coming back to Church on Sundays to come close to our heavenly Father? Do we desire to receive the Holy Communion to be in union with Christ? Or do we feel going to Church is a burden, is troublesome? Lent is a season to turn back to God. Let us foster a zeal for God similar to Jesus’.
God bless.
主題：對天主所懷的熱忱
今天讀的出谷紀第二十章，與及申命紀第五章，就是「十誡」的出處。出谷紀與申命紀的記載，大同小異。但大家有沒有見到第一誡、第二誡等等的分界呢？如果沒有又怎樣知道是「十誡」而不是「八誡」或者「十二誡」呢？要知道在古代，連章節甚至標點符號也沒有。試想像沒有標點和段落的第一篇讀經是甚麼樣子呢？所以，把一堆密密麻麻的文字合理地分成「十誡」，一定是前人努力的成果。「十」是一個完滿的數目字，天主頒佈的法律當然是完美的，所以是「十誡」而不是其他數目。請大家留意在訂定誡命這件事上，有天人的合作。除了天主賜予誡命之外，人也有份參予釐訂。天主賜下誡命，人訂十誡。
雖然耶穌來到世上建立新約來取代舊約，但耶穌無意廢除舊約的法律。例如：當富少年問耶穌如何纔能獲得永生時，耶穌首先詢問他遵守誡命的情況，可見耶穌無意廢除舊約的法律。反而他是來使法律完滿。例如：在山中聖訓，耶穌就提昇了舊的法律。且看讀經一的最後一句【出20:17】。這誡命把妻子看待如婢女牛驢一樣，是男人的財產的一部份；所以對別人的妻子起淫念祗算是貪財，貪心沒有甚麼大不了。這樣，簡直在貶抑女性作為一個人的地位。
耶穌在瑪竇福音第五章論述「不可姦淫」的時候，把誡命的適用範圍擴闊到包括對女性起淫念。耶穌不把女性當作物件或者財產，而是有尊嚴的人。教會秉承耶穌的教導，把近人的妻子從婢女牛驢中抽起，為她們劃分了獨立的一條誡命，就是第九誡，「毋願他人妻」。
出谷紀二十章所記載的誡命，是天主與以色列人締結「西乃山盟約」的條款的一部份。天主在萬民中，揀選了以色列民族作為祂的特殊產業，要特別優待他們；而以色列人要履行的義務就是聽從天主的話，遵守天主的誡命與及由誡命所引申的其他法律，共613條。這些誡命和法律帶有以色列的文化特色，基督徒是不會照單全收，而是按照耶穌的教訓而有所提昇。剛纔提及的第九誡就是其中一個例子。又例如梅瑟准許離婚，但天主教徒的婚姻就是不可拆散的。
許多人誤會了星期日是安息日，因為星期日放假。其實，安息日是周末，一周的最後一天。因為天主用了六日創造天地，在第七日休息，並祝聖了第七日為安息日。星期日Sunday，是崇拜太陽的日子，是一周的第一天。因為耶穌在一周的第一天復活了。所以基督徒稱星期日為主日，慶祝耶穌的復活。公元第四世紀起，基督宗教成為羅馬帝國的國教，當然在主日放假了。因此，基督信徒不是守安息日，而是奉星期日為聖日，舉行彌撒，慶祝耶穌基督死而復活的逾越奧蹟。所以第三誡不是「守安息日」，而是「守瞻禮主日」。
除了十誡之外，天主教徒還有聖教四規，領聖體前又要守聖體齋，又要先辦妥告解，結婚又一定要在聖堂行禮，死後要葬在天主教墳場；四旬期又要拜苦路，聖母月玫瑰月又要唸玫瑰經等等這麼多繁文縟節。其實，天主所啟示的誡命，目的在於按步就班，由淺入深教導我們日進於德，提昇人性，幫助我們他日能分享聖三的天主性。所以，誡命、規矩是作為基督徒最低的要求，幫助我們在這個基本功之上，修德成聖，能夠與天主建立密切的關係。例如：十誡要求我們主日到聖堂望彌撒，這是最低的要求。可惜習慣了就開始麻木失去感覺，於是四出找尋不去望彌撒的藉口。例如：歌詠團唱的歌跟不上，讀經員又讀錯字，神父不是廣東話不正，就是講道沉悶。如果不是怕犯罪要辦告解，相信很多人不出半年就沒有興趣望彌撒了。這種心態實在太被動，太消極了。要建立並維持一段良好的關係，是需要付出努力，培養出一份感情，一份想親近對方的渴望。讀書如是，談戀愛如是，工作如是，愛國如是，信天主，與天主建立關係也是一樣。
試看看耶穌對天父的渴望。聖殿是天主臨在之所，耶穌是多麼渴望親近自己的父親。他十二歲就曾經離開聖母和聖若瑟，獨自留在聖殿三日三夜。今天的福音記載了耶穌清理聖殿的事蹟。這件事在門徒眼中，是耶穌應驗了聖詠69篇的預言：「我對祢殿宇所懷的熱忱，把我耗盡。」耶穌對聖殿的熱愛，導致他與猶太領袖衝突，種下禍根，為他將來的受難，埋下伏線。「耗盡」就是這個意思。
各位兄弟姊妹，我們懷有耶穌一樣的熱忱嗎？我們好像耶穌一樣非常渴望主日返聖堂親近天父嗎？非常渴望領聖體與耶穌結合為一嗎？抑或覺得返聖堂是一種負擔，有點兒麻煩呢？四旬期是皈依天主的時候。就讓我們好好地培養這份渴望親近天主的情懷。
天主保佑。
3rd Sunday of Lent (Year B)
Theme: The zeal for God
The Exodus 20 we read today and Deuteronomy 5 are the basis of our “10 Commandments”. Both versions are very similar. But do you see the numbering of 1st Commandment and 2nd Commandment etc.? No. Then how do we know that there are only 10 Commandments and not 8 or 12? In ancient time, there were not even punctuation marks or paragraphing. Imagine what it would be like if the 1st reading today were printed without punctuation marks and paragraphing. Therefore, delimiting a string of alphabets into a reasonably meaningful “10 Commandments” must be the fruit of the toil of some ancient people. 10 was regarded a perfect number in ancient time. Without doubt, the law of God must be perfect. Therefore, the number of Commandments cannot be anything but 10. Notice that there was a God-man cooperation in this incident. Besides the bestowal of Commandments by God, men took part in delimiting them. God gave the Commandments. We make them 10.
Even though Jesus came to establish the New Testament to replace the Old one, Jesus had no intention to abolish the laws in the Old Testament. For example, when the rich young man asked Jesus what to do to attain eternal life, Jesus asked about how he had observed the commandments. From this, we conclude that Jesus had no intention to abolish the laws in the Old Testament. Moreover, Jesus came to fulfil the Law. For example, in the discourse of the Beatitudes, Jesus elevated the Old laws. Let’s read the last verse in the 1st reading (Exodus 20:17). This commandment put wives among the manservants, maidservants, oxen and asses. Wives were part of the property of husbands. Therefore, lust counted as greed and greed was no big deal. The status of woman as a human person was trampled upon.
When Jesus discusses the Commandment, “Thou shalt not commit adultery”, he extended its application to include lust. Jesus did not treat a woman as an object, as a piece of goods. He treats her as a person with dignity. Following the teaching of Jesus, the Church removed the neighbour’s wife from servants, oxen and asses and gave her an independent commandment. It is the 9th Commandment, “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife.”
The commandments in Exodus 20 were a portion of articles stipulated in the Sinai Covenant between God and the Israelites. Among the peoples on earth, God chose Israel to be his own possession and gave them special privileges. In return, the Israelites would obey God, keep the commandments and laws derived from these commandments, 613 in total. These commandments and laws carry the cultural characteristics of Israel. We Christians cannot take them over without modification. We upgrade them according to the teaching of Jesus. The 9th Commandment we mentioned previously is one such example. Another example is that Moses allows divorce whereas Christian marriages are indissoluble.
Many people mistake Sunday for Sabbath because Sunday is a holiday. In fact, Sabbath is the last day of a week because God spent 6 days to create the world and rested on the 7th day. He consecrated the 7th day to be the Sabbath. Sunday was the day to worship the sun, the first day of the week. On the first day of the week, Jesus came back to life. Therefore, Christians call Sunday, the Lord’s Day to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. Since the 4th century when Christianity became the state religion of the Roman Empire, Sunday had become a holiday. Therefore, Christians do not keep the Sabbath holy. They keep Sunday instead. On Sunday, they offer masses to celebrate the Paschal mystery of the passion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Therefore, the 3rd Commandment is not “Keep the Sabbath holy”, but “Keep Sunday holy”.
Besides the 10 Commandments, there are many rules and regulations for Catholics to follow. For example, there are 4 precepts of the Church, the one-hour fast before Communion, Confession before Communion, marriage in the Church, burial in Catholic cemetery, Stations of the Cross in Lent, Rosaries in the months of May and October etc. In fact, the purpose God reveals the commandments is to help bring about our sanctification step by step, from shallow to deep; and to elevate our humanity so that we may partake in the divinity of the Blessed Trinity in the end. Therefore, these commandments and rules are minimum requirements only. They are the foundation upon which we build up our sanctification and establish an intimate relationship with God. For example, the obligation to attend Sunday masses. This is only a minimum requirement. Unfortunately, when we get used to it, we begin to feel bored and lose the feeling. So, we actively seek excuses not to at attend mass. For example, the songs the choir sings are difficult to follow; the lectors mispronounce; the Cantonese of the priests is poor and their homilies are boring. Had we not been forced to follow the rules lest we had to do confession, I am afraid many of us would not have had any motivation to attend masses after six months. This kind of mentality is too passive and negative. In order to establish and maintain a good relationship, we need to put up effort, to cultivate a passion, a desire to come close to the other party. It is true for studies, for dating, for work and for patriotism. Believing in God and building a close relationship with God is not different from the other relationships.
See how much Jesus desired to be in the presence of his heavenly Father. The Temple was the visible presence of God. Jesus longed for coming close to his Father. When he was 12, he did not follow the BVM and St. Joseph home but stayed behind in the Temple for 3 days and 3 nights. In the story of the cleansing of the Temple, the disciples saw the fulfilment of Psalm 69, “Zeal for thy house shall consume me.” (John 2:17) Jesus’ passion for the Temple made him clash with the Jewish authority. This antagonism led to his Passion in the future. This is the meaning of “consume me”.
Dear brethren, do we harbour such zeal as Jesus? Do we long for coming back to Church on Sundays to come close to our heavenly Father? Do we desire to receive the Holy Communion to be in union with Christ? Or do we feel going to Church is a burden, is troublesome? Lent is a season to turn back to God. Let us foster a zeal for God similar to Jesus’.
God bless.
Sunday, 1 March 2015
Was there fatherly love when Abraham offered Isaac?
In his younger days, my father had to work more than 12 hours a day as a shopkeeper to earn a living for the family. When I went to school in the morning, he was not yet out of bed. When he returned from work, I was already sound asleep. I grew up like children from single-parent families. Somehow, I was badly in need of a father-figure in my later life. Even when I became a father myself, my wife kept complaining that I was too emotionally distant from the children. I have to admit that it is something beyond my control no matter how deeply I love my children. Of course, in time I have changed and my children have matured.
I cannot imagine the trauma Isaac suffered when Abraham offered him as a holocaust to the Lord (Genesis 22). Compared with Abraham and Jacob, Isaac was scantly reported. His story is less dramatic, lacks lustre and is rather uneventful. Most likely, Isaac suffered from Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder and led a rather withdrawn life. Isaac experienced no fatherly love from Abraham. Compared with Abraham who had more than 75 years of friendship with the Lord and whom the letter to the Hebrews explains that he believed God would raise the dead (Hebrews 11:19), Isaac suffered more because he was no more than 7 years old, less than one tenth in length of his father's relationship with God. The trauma was too harsh for Isaac to bear. Some theologians brush aside the feelings of both Abraham and Isaac; and try to explain that God wants to make use of this incident to abolish the practice of human sacrifice. Though Yahweh does not demand human sacrifice, other deities do. Even kings burned their first-born sons, who were supposed to inherit the throne, to invoke the help of their gods (e.g. 2Kings 3:27). Therefore, human sacrifice was too deep-seated a custom for an Abraham story to abolish.
I used to explain away the story by arguing that the Jewish author wanted to boast that Abraham their ancestor passed God's test with flying colours. God's test was an occasion for Abraham to show off his faith in God. So, the trauma Isaac suffered was neither the fault of God, nor that of Abraham. It was irrelevant to the story. My thesis gains support from Paul's lips. He said that God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all (Romans 8:32). Why did God not spare his own Son? For a Jewish Paul, Abraham would "defeat" God if God did not outdo him by giving Jesus up to be crucified by the Romans. Therefore, the salvation project was a contest story between God and Abraham. Love is not a crucial element in the equation of this contest story. Faith is. Man's faith in God and God's faith in man. So far, I have not yet discovered a better answer which gives LOVE a more prominent place in the equation.
In Chinese history, there is also a famous story in which a father sacrificed his own son to save the orphan of his lord 趙氏孤兒. The story came alive in drama and was translated into French, L'Orphelin de la Maison de Tchao. Here, loyalty and justice dominate the scene. Love is barely mentioned. In God's story, love occupies the whole scene. God is love. Of course God loves His Son and His creatures, in particular, man the crowning jewel of His creation. The Son also loves the Father and thus sacrifice himself to fulfil the will of His Father. In the human stories, the sons did not sacrifice themselves out of their free will. There is something higher, be it faith or loyalty, than fatherly love in the human sacrifice stories.
Dear Lord, I marvel at how in you, love overwrites justice. Amen.
I cannot imagine the trauma Isaac suffered when Abraham offered him as a holocaust to the Lord (Genesis 22). Compared with Abraham and Jacob, Isaac was scantly reported. His story is less dramatic, lacks lustre and is rather uneventful. Most likely, Isaac suffered from Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder and led a rather withdrawn life. Isaac experienced no fatherly love from Abraham. Compared with Abraham who had more than 75 years of friendship with the Lord and whom the letter to the Hebrews explains that he believed God would raise the dead (Hebrews 11:19), Isaac suffered more because he was no more than 7 years old, less than one tenth in length of his father's relationship with God. The trauma was too harsh for Isaac to bear. Some theologians brush aside the feelings of both Abraham and Isaac; and try to explain that God wants to make use of this incident to abolish the practice of human sacrifice. Though Yahweh does not demand human sacrifice, other deities do. Even kings burned their first-born sons, who were supposed to inherit the throne, to invoke the help of their gods (e.g. 2Kings 3:27). Therefore, human sacrifice was too deep-seated a custom for an Abraham story to abolish.
I used to explain away the story by arguing that the Jewish author wanted to boast that Abraham their ancestor passed God's test with flying colours. God's test was an occasion for Abraham to show off his faith in God. So, the trauma Isaac suffered was neither the fault of God, nor that of Abraham. It was irrelevant to the story. My thesis gains support from Paul's lips. He said that God did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all (Romans 8:32). Why did God not spare his own Son? For a Jewish Paul, Abraham would "defeat" God if God did not outdo him by giving Jesus up to be crucified by the Romans. Therefore, the salvation project was a contest story between God and Abraham. Love is not a crucial element in the equation of this contest story. Faith is. Man's faith in God and God's faith in man. So far, I have not yet discovered a better answer which gives LOVE a more prominent place in the equation.
In Chinese history, there is also a famous story in which a father sacrificed his own son to save the orphan of his lord 趙氏孤兒. The story came alive in drama and was translated into French, L'Orphelin de la Maison de Tchao. Here, loyalty and justice dominate the scene. Love is barely mentioned. In God's story, love occupies the whole scene. God is love. Of course God loves His Son and His creatures, in particular, man the crowning jewel of His creation. The Son also loves the Father and thus sacrifice himself to fulfil the will of His Father. In the human stories, the sons did not sacrifice themselves out of their free will. There is something higher, be it faith or loyalty, than fatherly love in the human sacrifice stories.
Dear Lord, I marvel at how in you, love overwrites justice. Amen.
Sunday, 22 February 2015
Doing good things can be a TEMPTATION
Doing good things can be a TEMPTATION
Many of us receive many forward messages in WhatsApp groups. These messages used to be forward emails circulating for years on the Internet. Some are hoaxes while many more are outdated events. The same email came back in a span of more than four years. Had the plea be authentic, the baby would have died within 6 months but the junk kept circulating for years because of the good intention of people. Now, WhatsApp has become a new dumping ground for these good-intention junks. A week ago, I received a plea for prayers for Christians in Quaragosh because "ISIS has just captured it"! It was August 2014. Another message asked us to pray for 3 Chinese priests who were seriously injured in a car crash in Herbin. The car crash was supposed to take place in December 2013 or even a few years earlier. Nobody can be verify because it took place in mainland China. The idiom is really true: "The path to hell is littered with good intentions." Good intentions need the support of prudence which seems to be in short supply among believers.In the last Spirituality Formation Programme, I understand myself a little bit better. I have known that being a perfectionist is not a good thing to myself and to my partners. Even though I try not to be demanding, I am aware that my body language has betrayed me. Again, the pride to get things done can distract me from doing more important things. Therefore, doing good things can be a temptation. This applies as least to me.
During this Lunar New Year holidays, the Lent Season begins. I should be more disciplined in my prayers and repentance. Yet, these couple of days, I have been struggling with dual booting my netbook, running Windows and Android on the same machine. That was the easiest part. The most challenging part is to mount a Windows drive in Android so that I don't have to copy another set of files into Android. So far, I have not overcome the hurdle. Yet, I have spent more than 4 days and it still comes to nothing. This blog is already 3 days overdue, though I still set it to Sunday (Feb 22). Much of my prayer time has been wasted on this fruitless pursuit which is a thorn in my heart. It is no use telling myself to let go because it will not go away until I can successfully mount my Windows drive in Android.
Dear Jesus, deliver me from this temptation. Amen.
Sunday, 15 February 2015
The Need of Confession
"Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." (Psalm 32:1)
The fact is, many of us are not willing to confront our own sins. It is easy to pinpoint the faults of the others. It is easy to see the speck in our brother's eys but forget the log in our own (Matthew 7:3-5) However, it is unacceptable to many that they have flaws. It is a matter of self-image, self-esteem. The more flaws a person has, the lower his self-image is, the harder he will repress this unacceptable thing. When people point our his flaws, it is only natural for him to deny and to defend. Worse still, it is a vicious spiral.
Mostly of the time, we are blind to our own mistakes like the self-righteous Pharisees. They did not think they were wrong in pointing out the mistakes of Jesus. Perhaps they were thinking of saving the soul of Jesus. Perhaps they wanted to protect the multitude from following a strayed Rabbi. Therefore, the leper in today's reading was blessed indeed (Mark 1:40-45). He knew his shortcomings, his flaws and his sins. He acknowledged his need of Christ's salvation. He took concrete steps to obtain his salvation. Woe to the Pharisees. Only a handful of them accepted Jesus such as Jairus, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. Most of the rest were diehard opponents of Jesus. When they denied their sins, they denied themselves of God's salvation.
We should also pay attention to the courage this leper had. It was against the law for him to approach, to get close to healthy clean people because he was physically and ritually unclean. He had been ostracized by the law which tried to protect the majority of healthy people. The intention of the law is not bad at all. Lepers are harmful to the community. It is not wrong for the law to ostracize them. However, God is greater than the law. The needs of the sinners whom God loves, are greater than the law. Therefore, sometimes when the situation demands, we need to break the law in order to obtain our own salvation. Do we have the prudence to see the differences between upholding the law and breaching the law?
My situation is not the same. I know my flaws. I know God is always there to forgive me. But I still do not have the guts to confess my sins.
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord", then thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:5)
Lord, I confess that I have not be chaste. Forgive me. Amen.
The fact is, many of us are not willing to confront our own sins. It is easy to pinpoint the faults of the others. It is easy to see the speck in our brother's eys but forget the log in our own (Matthew 7:3-5) However, it is unacceptable to many that they have flaws. It is a matter of self-image, self-esteem. The more flaws a person has, the lower his self-image is, the harder he will repress this unacceptable thing. When people point our his flaws, it is only natural for him to deny and to defend. Worse still, it is a vicious spiral.
Mostly of the time, we are blind to our own mistakes like the self-righteous Pharisees. They did not think they were wrong in pointing out the mistakes of Jesus. Perhaps they were thinking of saving the soul of Jesus. Perhaps they wanted to protect the multitude from following a strayed Rabbi. Therefore, the leper in today's reading was blessed indeed (Mark 1:40-45). He knew his shortcomings, his flaws and his sins. He acknowledged his need of Christ's salvation. He took concrete steps to obtain his salvation. Woe to the Pharisees. Only a handful of them accepted Jesus such as Jairus, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. Most of the rest were diehard opponents of Jesus. When they denied their sins, they denied themselves of God's salvation.
We should also pay attention to the courage this leper had. It was against the law for him to approach, to get close to healthy clean people because he was physically and ritually unclean. He had been ostracized by the law which tried to protect the majority of healthy people. The intention of the law is not bad at all. Lepers are harmful to the community. It is not wrong for the law to ostracize them. However, God is greater than the law. The needs of the sinners whom God loves, are greater than the law. Therefore, sometimes when the situation demands, we need to break the law in order to obtain our own salvation. Do we have the prudence to see the differences between upholding the law and breaching the law?
My situation is not the same. I know my flaws. I know God is always there to forgive me. But I still do not have the guts to confess my sins.
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the Lord", then thou didst forgive the guilt of my sin. (Psalm 32:5)
Lord, I confess that I have not be chaste. Forgive me. Amen.
Sunday, 8 February 2015
如何回答世界主教代表會議問卷 Briefing on the Synodic Consultation Questionnaire
常年期第五主日（乙年）
主題：解釋如何回答世界主教代表會議問卷
從今天的讀經，我們知道耶穌在傳揚天國福音的同時，亦關心民間疾苦，「治好了許多患各種病症的人，驅逐了許多魔鬼。」（谷1：34a）其實「各種病症、魔鬼」又何止是身體上的病症或心靈上的心魔呢？更嚴重，更需要耶穌醫治的，是關係上的病症，關係上的魔鬼。人生活在各式各樣的關係中。關係生病了，人又怎能健康快樂地生活呢？
我們所相信的天主是一個三位一體的天主，是一個有內在關係的團體。所以當天主創造了人之後，認為「人單獨不好，我要給他造個與他相稱的助手。」（創2：18）於是天主造了女人，與人結合，生兒育女，確立了婚姻和家庭制度。主耶穌在世時，為了糾正當代偏差了的婚姻觀，就重新肯定天主對婚姻原本意願和婚姻的不可拆散，因為在天主眼中，所有正當的婚姻，無論是基督徒的婚姻，混合的婚姻抑或是純民事的婚姻，都是神聖的。基督徒的婚姻是神聖的，因為是七件聖事之一，是天主祝福的場合，是信徒成聖的訓練營。混合的婚姻，即夫婦倆祗有一個是信主的又如何呢？這個問題聖保祿宗徒已作出指示。他說「不信主的丈夫因妻子而成了聖潔的，不信主的妻子也因兄弟而成了聖潔的。」（格前7:14）相信總有混合婚姻升級成為婚配聖事的一日。純民事的婚姻雖不及婚配聖事的神聖，並缺乏了天主的祝福，但甘苦與共，白頭到老的盟約，始終是令人肅然起敬，非常莊嚴神聖的。所以，天主是願意所有婚姻都是神聖的，祂願望所有的人都能在家庭生活中成聖。
天主教是從宗徒傳下來的教會。二千年來她保存並運用著很多信仰的寶藏，去聖化這個世界。天主教為世界是一件聖事。但天主教亦是一個極龐大的組織，根據梵蒂岡所公佈的數字，在2012年年底，全世界有超過12億天主教徒。所以，天主教會有自己一套的法律，幫助教友，神職人員，修道團體等度一個合乎身份的神聖生活。七件聖事的施行，當然是教會法律所包括的內容。為了配合梵二大公會議推出的現代化政策，教廷用了18年的時間去修訂1917年版，有2414條法例的【聖教法典】。在1983年1月25日，教宗聖若望保祿二世在任期間，公佈並推行精簡了，祗有1752條法例的【新聖教法典】。但天主教現代化的速度，始終難及現今世界的變化速度，所以天主教始終給世人一個保守，落後，有很多繁文縟節的教會的印象。
例如：有關家庭計劃的問題，教宗真福保祿六世於1968年發表了【人類生命】通諭，力排眾議，堅持教會祗容許「自然家庭計劃」，曾一度惹來教會內外公開並廣泛的批評。在牧民層面上，令很多教友在良心上的產生不安。其實，現代教友所面對的婚姻及家庭生活問題，又何止計劃生育那麼簡單？根據香港教區的統計數字，截至2013年8月底的年度，結婚時兩個都是天主教徒的不足18%。從聖保祿宗徒的角度看，感謝天主，我們增多了1100名慕道者。但從社會科學角度看，我們不得不憂慮教會內亦增多了550宗潛伏著的離婚個案。今天樓價高企，青年人想買樓結婚，談何容易。教會內的青年人能倖免嗎？在經濟掛帥，生活指數高的香港社會，大部份人的工作時間長，家庭生活的時間被剝削，大家都染上了我開始時提及的「關係貧窮病」。天主教徒想按天主的意願，透過家庭生活成聖，如果沒有耶穌的醫治，一如聖母領報時所說的，「此事怎能成就呢？」（路1:34）
梵二的另一個現代化政策，就是加強主教團與教宗的合作，提昇本地主教在普世教會的領導地位。梵二以來，已舉行過13次全球主教代表會議。例如，1980第五屆全球主教代表會議，曾以「基督徒家庭」作為反省的主題。今年十月舉行的第14屆全球主教代表會議，將以「家庭在教會及當代世界上的聖召與使命」為主題。這一屆全球主教會議足足用了兩年的籌備時間。去年十月舉行了非常務主教會議，討論「在福傳背景下家庭牧民面對的挑戰」。會後按「總結報告」製作了上星期派發的問卷，收集大家的意見，表示教會的領導層不再閉門造車，不再單憑真理作教訓的依據，而是願意跟隨耶穌，關心民間疾苦，去尋求醫治這些關係上的病症的方法。這的確是教會決策上一次意義深長的突破。在沒有任何宣傳的情況下，超過300份的問卷和300份的公教報，在上星期十一點彌撒後已派完賣完，大家的熱烈反應，值得一讚。
這問卷不是我們見慣的封閉式問卷，即是從既定答案中挑選。今次的問卷是開放式的，沒有預設的答案，而且，設問者希望發掘到他們想也沒有想過的答案。這是這份問卷難答的第一個原因。其次，問卷首先以意大利文發表，中文版是香港教區按英文譯本再譯，所以不容易讀。為了幫助大家填寫這份問卷，我有以下五點提示。
天主保佑。
Fifth Ordinary Sunday (Year B)
Theme: Briefing on the Synodic Consultation Questionnaire
From today’s reading, we learn that while Jesus was preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, he cared as much the sufferings of the people, “and he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons;” (Mark 1:34a). Indeed, how would “various diseases, many demons” be confined to physical ailments and psychological obsessions? People are more desperately in need of Jesus’ cure of relational sicknesses and demons. People live in all sorts of relations. When relations are sick, how can people live happily?
The God we believe in is a trinite God. It is a community with interior relationships. When God created man, the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18). So God made a woman who worked together with the man and gave birth to children. Thus God established the institution of marriage and family for humanity. During his public ministry, the Lord Jesus wanted to correct some erroneous views on marriage of the contemporary people. He reaffirmed God’s original intention for marriage and its indissolubility. It is because in God’s eye, all proper marriages, whether they are Christian, mixed or civil, are sacred. Catholic marriage is sacred because it is one of the seven sacraments. It is an occasion of God’s blessing, a training field for Christian sanctification. When it comes to mixed marriage where only one party is Christian, St. Paul has already made a clear indication. He said, “For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband.” (1 Corinthians 7:14). I am sure one day, God will upgrade a mixed marriage into a sacrament. Although a civilly celebrated marriage is not as holy as the Sacrament of Matrimony and lacks the blessings from God, it is a covenant of total commitment till death. It is awe inspiring, solemn and sacred as well. Thus, God wishes all marriages to be sacred and all people to be sanctified in family life.
The Catholic Church is an apostolic church. She preserves and makes use of 2000 years of deposits of faith to sanctify the world. To the world, the Catholic Church is a sacrament. On the other hand, the Catholic Church is also a huge institution. According to figures released by the Vatican, at the end of 2012, there were more than 1.2 billion Catholics all over the world. So, the Catholic Church has a set of Canon Law to help the faithful, the clergy and the religious orders etc. to lead a holy life compatible with their roles. The administration of the 7 Sacraments is included. Following the modernization policy of Vatican II, the Roman Curia spent 18 years to revise the 1917 edition of the extant Canon Law which had 2414 articles. On January 25, 1983, Pope St. John Paul II promulgated the new Canon Law we are using today. There are only 1752 articles. However, the modernization speed of the Catholic Church can never catch up with the changes of the modern world. So, the Catholic Church always gives people a conservative, backward and ritualistic image.
For example, on the issue of “family planning”, Pope Blessed Paul VI promulgated Humanæ Vitæ in 1968. He did not follow the recommendations of the majority of theologians and insisted that the Church only allows “Natural Family Planning”. It raised a storm of open and extensive oppositions within and without the Church. On the pastoral level, it brings much unease in the conscience of many faithful. Indeed, how would the problems faced by Catholics in modern times be confined to family planning only? According to the statistics of the Hong Kong Diocese, at the end of August 2013, less than 18% of contracted marriages were between two Catholics. From the perspective of St. Paul, we have, thank God, 1100 catechumens more. But from the perspective of social sciences, we have 550 potential divorces cases more within the Church. Today, the price of the flats in Hong Kong keeps soaring. It is not easy for young people to build a new family. Can young people in the Church be spared? To stay afloat in the high living standard of the commercialized Hong Kong city, many people have to work long hours. Their family life is sacrificed. Many have contracted the sickness of “relational poverty” which I mentioned at the beginning. Catholics want to be sanctified in married life according to God’s will. Without the healing of Jesus, we can only ask, like the BVM did during the Annunciation, “how shall this be?” (Luke 1:34)
Another modernization policy of Vatican II is to foster greater collegiality, to elevate the leading roles of local bishops in the universal church. Since Vatican II, 13 general assemblies of the Synod of Bishops have been held. For example, in the 5th General Assembly, the representatives of bishops from all over the world came together to reflect on the theme of “Christian families”. This October, the 14th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will deliberate on “The vocation and the mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world”. This Assembly has been doing its preparation for 2 years. Last October, an Extraordinary General Assembly was held to discuss “Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the context of Evangelization”. At the end of the assembly, a questionnaire, which was distributed last Sunday, was designed according to the Relatio Synodi of the Extraordinary General Assembly in order to collect your views. This indicates that the Church hierarchy no longer makes up teachings from the abstract truth, but following the footsteps of Jesus, she goes into the crowd to know their sufferings and find ways to heal these relational sicknesses. This is a far-reaching breakthrough in the decision making process of the Church. Without any promotion or publicity, more than 300 questionnaires and 300 more that came with Kung Kau Pao was sought/sold out after the 11 am mass last week. Your enthusiasm is highly appreciated.
This questionnaire is not a close-end questionnaire we are so used to doing. This questionnaire is open-ended. There are no prepared answers to choose from and the designers would like to dig up answers they have never dreamt of. This is the first difficulty in answering this questionnaire. Moreover, it was first published in Italian. The Chinese version we have is translated from the English translation. So, the Chinese is not easy to read. In order to help you answer this questionnaire, I would like to offer the following 5 pieces of advice.
Please work hard for our own sanctification and the sanctification of others.
God bless.
主題：解釋如何回答世界主教代表會議問卷
從今天的讀經，我們知道耶穌在傳揚天國福音的同時，亦關心民間疾苦，「治好了許多患各種病症的人，驅逐了許多魔鬼。」（谷1：34a）其實「各種病症、魔鬼」又何止是身體上的病症或心靈上的心魔呢？更嚴重，更需要耶穌醫治的，是關係上的病症，關係上的魔鬼。人生活在各式各樣的關係中。關係生病了，人又怎能健康快樂地生活呢？
我們所相信的天主是一個三位一體的天主，是一個有內在關係的團體。所以當天主創造了人之後，認為「人單獨不好，我要給他造個與他相稱的助手。」（創2：18）於是天主造了女人，與人結合，生兒育女，確立了婚姻和家庭制度。主耶穌在世時，為了糾正當代偏差了的婚姻觀，就重新肯定天主對婚姻原本意願和婚姻的不可拆散，因為在天主眼中，所有正當的婚姻，無論是基督徒的婚姻，混合的婚姻抑或是純民事的婚姻，都是神聖的。基督徒的婚姻是神聖的，因為是七件聖事之一，是天主祝福的場合，是信徒成聖的訓練營。混合的婚姻，即夫婦倆祗有一個是信主的又如何呢？這個問題聖保祿宗徒已作出指示。他說「不信主的丈夫因妻子而成了聖潔的，不信主的妻子也因兄弟而成了聖潔的。」（格前7:14）相信總有混合婚姻升級成為婚配聖事的一日。純民事的婚姻雖不及婚配聖事的神聖，並缺乏了天主的祝福，但甘苦與共，白頭到老的盟約，始終是令人肅然起敬，非常莊嚴神聖的。所以，天主是願意所有婚姻都是神聖的，祂願望所有的人都能在家庭生活中成聖。
天主教是從宗徒傳下來的教會。二千年來她保存並運用著很多信仰的寶藏，去聖化這個世界。天主教為世界是一件聖事。但天主教亦是一個極龐大的組織，根據梵蒂岡所公佈的數字，在2012年年底，全世界有超過12億天主教徒。所以，天主教會有自己一套的法律，幫助教友，神職人員，修道團體等度一個合乎身份的神聖生活。七件聖事的施行，當然是教會法律所包括的內容。為了配合梵二大公會議推出的現代化政策，教廷用了18年的時間去修訂1917年版，有2414條法例的【聖教法典】。在1983年1月25日，教宗聖若望保祿二世在任期間，公佈並推行精簡了，祗有1752條法例的【新聖教法典】。但天主教現代化的速度，始終難及現今世界的變化速度，所以天主教始終給世人一個保守，落後，有很多繁文縟節的教會的印象。
例如：有關家庭計劃的問題，教宗真福保祿六世於1968年發表了【人類生命】通諭，力排眾議，堅持教會祗容許「自然家庭計劃」，曾一度惹來教會內外公開並廣泛的批評。在牧民層面上，令很多教友在良心上的產生不安。其實，現代教友所面對的婚姻及家庭生活問題，又何止計劃生育那麼簡單？根據香港教區的統計數字，截至2013年8月底的年度，結婚時兩個都是天主教徒的不足18%。從聖保祿宗徒的角度看，感謝天主，我們增多了1100名慕道者。但從社會科學角度看，我們不得不憂慮教會內亦增多了550宗潛伏著的離婚個案。今天樓價高企，青年人想買樓結婚，談何容易。教會內的青年人能倖免嗎？在經濟掛帥，生活指數高的香港社會，大部份人的工作時間長，家庭生活的時間被剝削，大家都染上了我開始時提及的「關係貧窮病」。天主教徒想按天主的意願，透過家庭生活成聖，如果沒有耶穌的醫治，一如聖母領報時所說的，「此事怎能成就呢？」（路1:34）
梵二的另一個現代化政策，就是加強主教團與教宗的合作，提昇本地主教在普世教會的領導地位。梵二以來，已舉行過13次全球主教代表會議。例如，1980第五屆全球主教代表會議，曾以「基督徒家庭」作為反省的主題。今年十月舉行的第14屆全球主教代表會議，將以「家庭在教會及當代世界上的聖召與使命」為主題。這一屆全球主教會議足足用了兩年的籌備時間。去年十月舉行了非常務主教會議，討論「在福傳背景下家庭牧民面對的挑戰」。會後按「總結報告」製作了上星期派發的問卷，收集大家的意見，表示教會的領導層不再閉門造車，不再單憑真理作教訓的依據，而是願意跟隨耶穌，關心民間疾苦，去尋求醫治這些關係上的病症的方法。這的確是教會決策上一次意義深長的突破。在沒有任何宣傳的情況下，超過300份的問卷和300份的公教報，在上星期十一點彌撒後已派完賣完，大家的熱烈反應，值得一讚。
這問卷不是我們見慣的封閉式問卷，即是從既定答案中挑選。今次的問卷是開放式的，沒有預設的答案，而且，設問者希望發掘到他們想也沒有想過的答案。這是這份問卷難答的第一個原因。其次，問卷首先以意大利文發表，中文版是香港教區按英文譯本再譯，所以不容易讀。為了幫助大家填寫這份問卷，我有以下五點提示。
- 我們是第五組別，（個別的家庭或個人）所以不用答足46條問題，只要答沒有灰色格的27條問題就可以。
- 從最後一條，即第46題做起。問卷的設問者是典型的神學家，先抽象後具體。我們作答者先答具體問題，領會到設問者的心意，纔有能力答那些抽象的問題。所以由第46題做起。
- 以祈禱的心態作答。這一次是我們與全世界的主教共同合作的機會，他們需要我們的具體經驗。這一次也是我們幫助那些婚姻失敗或受盡種種家庭生活拆磨的朋友的機會，希望透過今次問卷的反映，教會的領導層能作出更適合時代需要的牧民指引，幫助到有困難的兄弟姊妹度聖善的生活。因為截止日期是月尾，我建議大家每日只答兩題就足夠了。
- 因為是開放式的問卷，而且是給世界各地通用的問卷，因此，難免有些問題是不適合香港的環境的，或者是你所不熟識的。所以，不用做足27題。
- 最後，堂區的神父、執事會非常樂意解答大家的疑問。教區的網頁亦會不停更新，提供清晰扼要的指引。
天主保佑。
Fifth Ordinary Sunday (Year B)
Theme: Briefing on the Synodic Consultation Questionnaire
From today’s reading, we learn that while Jesus was preaching the gospel of the Kingdom of Heaven, he cared as much the sufferings of the people, “and he healed many who were sick with various diseases, and cast out many demons;” (Mark 1:34a). Indeed, how would “various diseases, many demons” be confined to physical ailments and psychological obsessions? People are more desperately in need of Jesus’ cure of relational sicknesses and demons. People live in all sorts of relations. When relations are sick, how can people live happily?
The God we believe in is a trinite God. It is a community with interior relationships. When God created man, the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18). So God made a woman who worked together with the man and gave birth to children. Thus God established the institution of marriage and family for humanity. During his public ministry, the Lord Jesus wanted to correct some erroneous views on marriage of the contemporary people. He reaffirmed God’s original intention for marriage and its indissolubility. It is because in God’s eye, all proper marriages, whether they are Christian, mixed or civil, are sacred. Catholic marriage is sacred because it is one of the seven sacraments. It is an occasion of God’s blessing, a training field for Christian sanctification. When it comes to mixed marriage where only one party is Christian, St. Paul has already made a clear indication. He said, “For the unbelieving husband is consecrated through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is consecrated through her husband.” (1 Corinthians 7:14). I am sure one day, God will upgrade a mixed marriage into a sacrament. Although a civilly celebrated marriage is not as holy as the Sacrament of Matrimony and lacks the blessings from God, it is a covenant of total commitment till death. It is awe inspiring, solemn and sacred as well. Thus, God wishes all marriages to be sacred and all people to be sanctified in family life.
The Catholic Church is an apostolic church. She preserves and makes use of 2000 years of deposits of faith to sanctify the world. To the world, the Catholic Church is a sacrament. On the other hand, the Catholic Church is also a huge institution. According to figures released by the Vatican, at the end of 2012, there were more than 1.2 billion Catholics all over the world. So, the Catholic Church has a set of Canon Law to help the faithful, the clergy and the religious orders etc. to lead a holy life compatible with their roles. The administration of the 7 Sacraments is included. Following the modernization policy of Vatican II, the Roman Curia spent 18 years to revise the 1917 edition of the extant Canon Law which had 2414 articles. On January 25, 1983, Pope St. John Paul II promulgated the new Canon Law we are using today. There are only 1752 articles. However, the modernization speed of the Catholic Church can never catch up with the changes of the modern world. So, the Catholic Church always gives people a conservative, backward and ritualistic image.
For example, on the issue of “family planning”, Pope Blessed Paul VI promulgated Humanæ Vitæ in 1968. He did not follow the recommendations of the majority of theologians and insisted that the Church only allows “Natural Family Planning”. It raised a storm of open and extensive oppositions within and without the Church. On the pastoral level, it brings much unease in the conscience of many faithful. Indeed, how would the problems faced by Catholics in modern times be confined to family planning only? According to the statistics of the Hong Kong Diocese, at the end of August 2013, less than 18% of contracted marriages were between two Catholics. From the perspective of St. Paul, we have, thank God, 1100 catechumens more. But from the perspective of social sciences, we have 550 potential divorces cases more within the Church. Today, the price of the flats in Hong Kong keeps soaring. It is not easy for young people to build a new family. Can young people in the Church be spared? To stay afloat in the high living standard of the commercialized Hong Kong city, many people have to work long hours. Their family life is sacrificed. Many have contracted the sickness of “relational poverty” which I mentioned at the beginning. Catholics want to be sanctified in married life according to God’s will. Without the healing of Jesus, we can only ask, like the BVM did during the Annunciation, “how shall this be?” (Luke 1:34)
Another modernization policy of Vatican II is to foster greater collegiality, to elevate the leading roles of local bishops in the universal church. Since Vatican II, 13 general assemblies of the Synod of Bishops have been held. For example, in the 5th General Assembly, the representatives of bishops from all over the world came together to reflect on the theme of “Christian families”. This October, the 14th General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops will deliberate on “The vocation and the mission of the family in the Church and in the contemporary world”. This Assembly has been doing its preparation for 2 years. Last October, an Extraordinary General Assembly was held to discuss “Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the context of Evangelization”. At the end of the assembly, a questionnaire, which was distributed last Sunday, was designed according to the Relatio Synodi of the Extraordinary General Assembly in order to collect your views. This indicates that the Church hierarchy no longer makes up teachings from the abstract truth, but following the footsteps of Jesus, she goes into the crowd to know their sufferings and find ways to heal these relational sicknesses. This is a far-reaching breakthrough in the decision making process of the Church. Without any promotion or publicity, more than 300 questionnaires and 300 more that came with Kung Kau Pao was sought/sold out after the 11 am mass last week. Your enthusiasm is highly appreciated.
This questionnaire is not a close-end questionnaire we are so used to doing. This questionnaire is open-ended. There are no prepared answers to choose from and the designers would like to dig up answers they have never dreamt of. This is the first difficulty in answering this questionnaire. Moreover, it was first published in Italian. The Chinese version we have is translated from the English translation. So, the Chinese is not easy to read. In order to help you answer this questionnaire, I would like to offer the following 5 pieces of advice.
- We belong to Category 5, i.e. Individuals / Individual Families. We don’t have to answer all 46 questions. We only need to answer 27 questions which are without any grey boxes.
- Start from the last question, i.e. question#46. The designers of the consultation questionnaire are typical theologians. They start with the abstract and then the concrete. We answer the concrete ones first so as to get a gist of the ideas of the designers. Only then are we able to answer the more abstract questions. So start from question#46.
- Treat this as a spiritual exercise. This time, we are working together with the Synod Fathers. They need our concrete experiences. This time, we help those whose marriages have failed, or those who are suffering in different ways in their family life. Through answering this questionnaire, we hope to help the people in the hierarchy to make more appropriate pastoral directives to help brethren in distress to lead a sanctified life. Since the deadline is the end of this month, I suggest doing 2 questions a day is good enough.
- Since this is an open-end questionnaire which is designed for all the churches throughout the world to use, it is inevitable that some questions do not apply to Hong Kong or you know nothing about them. Therefore, no need to answer all 27 questions.
- Lastly, the clergy in the parish is all the more happy to help answer your queries. The webpage of the Diocese will continue to update to give you clearer directives.
Please work hard for our own sanctification and the sanctification of others.
God bless.
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