Being Rejected 遭受拒絕

Fourth Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: Being Rejected 遭受拒絕

Two weeks ago in our meditation, we found that we were truly blessed because every one of us is a miracle. The very fact that we’re still alive, praising God at the moment is proof of our being images of God and miracles of God.
Last week, we found that we were captives in different manners: captives of our ambitions, of our addictions and even our obsessions etc. We’re in desperate need of God’s liberation. Today, let’s meditate on Jesus’ being rejected and our being rejected.

The three Synoptic gospels report this incident. However, Matthew and Mark don’t even mention “Nazareth”. They simply say, “His native place” (Matthew 13:54; Mark 6:1). They report the lack of faith of the countrymen and Jesus’ amazement of his own inability to work miracles there (Matthew 13:58; Mark 6:5-6). Perhaps the two gospels want to teach the readers the importance of faith. But Luke’s report is more detailed and drastic. We may safely speculate that the Blessed Virgin Mary was present and this is an eye-witness/first person report of what happened on that Sabbath (Luke 4:14-30), like the Annunciation and Nativity narratives. In particular, this Sabbath narrative echoes the rejection theme which runs through His whole life, from Bethlehem to Calvary! It points to a perspective not of theology and invites us to reflect on what we are and what we would do when we meet obstacles and rejections.

Before we proceed, let’s do some geography. Luke mentions the extreme reaction of the folk, “They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong.” (4:29) Indeed, when we Google today, we’ll see that Nazareth is truly about 350m above sea-level. But it was not yet time for Jesus to be killed. “His hour had not yet come” (John 7:30). He would be offered up as a sacrifice on the cross 400m higher outside Jerusalem. So, “he passed through the midst of them and went away.” (Luke 4:30)

Without further ado, let’s start from the perspective of the Blessed Virgin Mary whom the Son of God kept amazed. The BVM could not understand how shepherds in Bethlehem would come to visit the Holy Infant (2:19). Nor could she understand the answer her twelve-year-old boy gave in the Temple (2:50-51). There might probably be some more incidents not reported in the gospel. Anyway, I suppose life gradually returned to “normal and peaceful” as the adolescent Jesus matured and became the sole bread-winner to support the family after the death of Joseph until the Baptist emerged to prepare the way of the coming Messiah. Probably Jesus responded to the call and joined the crowd. It seemed that he was the most outstanding disciple, one of a kind among the ordinary followers. It turned out that he was truly gifted. “Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news of him spread throughout the whole region. He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all” (4:14-15) was the context for this Sabbath narrative. So, when her only son returned home and started teaching in the synagogue, the BVM must have been very happy and full of expectations, something similar to the moment when she was about to give birth to the Holy Infant at Bethlehem. What would this baby whom the archangel said, “will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (1:33) be like? She came all the way from Nazareth to Bethlehem for the Roman census. She might have anticipated that “there was no room for them in the inn” (2:7) but she didn’t expect the visit from shepherds who turned out to be the major symbol of the mission of the Son of God, both as the Good Shepherd and as the Pascal Lamb!
On that particular Sabbath, the BVM must have been extremely shocked and her heart ached to see her son being rejected in such an extreme manner by his own people in Nazareth! Bear in mind that the BVM was a widow and her future would rely on the well-being of her son. All the efforts to raise this boy seemed to have come to nothing. But this was only the beginning of her son’s public ministry. She might not be able to foresee that it was a pointer to the final rejection at Calvary.

What about Jesus himself? Did he expect such a reception? Not at all! Jesus must have been confident because those were his people. He was raised up among them and must have established a deep and fond bonding with them. Moreover, previous successes in Galilee had proven that he was full of the Holy Spirit, was powerful and was praised by all.
But when he was handed the scroll of Isaiah, aka “The Prophet of the Messiah” in which we are able to find many prophecies about the Messiah, I think his heart would sink and he would have anticipated a cold reception instead. Consider these passages in the scroll. In the very first chapter, we find “An ox knows its owner, and an ass its master’s manger; But Israel does not know, my people has not understood” (Isaiah 1:3). In the Song of a Vineyard, “What more could be done for my vineyard that I did not do? Why, when I waited for the crop of grapes, did it yield rotten grapes?” (5:4) In the Call of the Prophet, “Go and say to this people: Listen carefully, but do not understand! Look intently, but do not perceive!” (6:9) and there are three poems of the “Suffering Servant of the Lord”, spelling out his mission (chapters 42, 49, 52-53). Therefore, his previous successes in Galilee were more probably exceptions than rules. The Israelites were well known to be stiff-necked. They bit the hands that fed him. Humanity is truly irrational etc. must have been racing inside his mind. Nevertheless, it did not discourage Jesus from spelling out his agenda in a positive light. So, he chose to read Chapter 61, a declaration of liberation.

Brothers and sisters! We may be lucky enough not to have been rejected by anybody in our life. But here and there, we hear news about child abuses in families and in children homes etc. We see and visit the homeless, some of whom are probably suffering from different degrees of mental illnesses. We know the existence of all sorts of discrimination in the society. From the media, we are saddened by images of corpses of refugees found on beaches etc.
Brothers and sisters! Don’t despair and be frozen. Our good Lord has taken upon himself our pains of being rejected. Implore his mercy so that our future generation may be able to live in a better world in which nobody is being rejected.
God bless.
2019 Reflection
Photo Credit: cym.com.au

Liberation of Captives 向俘虜宣告釋放

Third Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: Liberation of Captives 向俘虜宣告釋放

The gospel of John follows an agenda different from that of the Synoptic gospels. For example, Jesus started His public ministry by turning water into wine in a wedding banquet at Cana and his disciples began to believe in him (John 2:11). Then we see Jesus cleansing the Temple in Jerusalem. The perspective is aloft because both “wedding banquet” and “Jerusalem” are pregnant with symbolism of the Kingdom of Heaven. Thus, reading the gospel of John requires a deeper meditation. The Synoptic gospels are more down-to-earth. After baptism and temptation, Jesus began His public ministry in Galilee. In the gospel passage today, we read of his inaugural speech in the synagogue of Nazareth where he had grown up (Luke 4:16). Jesus quoted a passage from the book of Isaiah to declare His agenda, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring glad tidings to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.” (4:18-19, Isaiah 61:1-2) In short, He comes to redeem and to liberate the marginalized.

Previously, I meditated on what good tidings to the poor can be and I could only come up with the idea that their debts be written off. But that action depends on the charity of the “benefactor” and not on the poor themselves. What then can be learnt from the poor whom Pope Francis always urges us to learn? The answer lies here, “Incline your ear, Lord, and answer me, for I am poor and oppressed.” (Psalms 86:1) Yes, the Lord answering their prayers is the good news to the poor! Perhaps this is what Pope Francis urges us to do, i.e. to learn from the way the poor pray. Thus, Lord Jesus comes in person to answer the poor’s prayers and to honour His pledge to redeem the captives and the oppressed.

When I meditate on the captives, the faces of the inmates whom I previously visisted come up in my mind. It is not easy to break up emotionally the relationships established. I started visiting inmates in the three correctional institutions in the Tai Lam region one year after my ordination. Prison ministry was supposed to be an ideal area of service because visiting prisoners is one of the corporal works of mercy mentioned in Matthew 25. Moreover, it is also a good opportunity for me to chalk up my spirituality because I’m supposed to meet Christ present among the inmates. I turned out to be rather naïve!

First of all, how am I to meet Jesus among the psychiatric inmates? Some of them were so heavily medicated that they showed no signs of consciousness. Some of them acted more like the walking dead who occasionally yelled at some phantoms they saw. I managed to communicate with a few and found them highly intelligent. They read philosophy books and played chess! It turns out that life in Siu Lam Psychiatric Centre is better than that in the other prisons in Hong Kong. Thus, some prisoners took advantage and they were transferred from other prisons “on holiday” just by showing signs of emotional instabilities! Of course, some unlucky souls were sent there because of language and cultural barriers! A hilarious case in point was a mainlander tourist answering the call of nature in a blind alley in Mongkok. He had to finish his tour in a psychiatric ward and be deported across the border immediately after discharge! The most saddening sight were inmates who had spent roughly half a century there. Assessment doctors kept copying the comments of previous assessments. Perhaps they had come to the conclusion that after release, those poor souls could not survive long outside the prison walls. Where are you, Lord?

The men prison is category B or below. Which means inmates only have to spend several years or a couple of months there. There are different workshops: steel works, pre-fabricated concrete, book-binding, leather, laundry and horticulture for elderly inmates. No wonder inmates of other nationalities always comment that prisons in Hong Kong are like five-star hotels! Most inmates ignore us clergy because they would soon be discharged. Some younger ones bared their chests to show off tattoos and did push up in front of me. Some requested novels instead of bibles. Some wanted me to organize religious classes for them to get away from boring routine chores … A more experienced deacon has reminded me not to believe totally in what the inmates told me. Where are you, Lord?

I found the ministry in the women prison, which is Category A, the most fulfilling. I had been able to bring in bibles and to minister Holy Communion before the pandemic. For them, receiving communion before Easter and Christmas was the most consoling. I was even able to organize two groups of volunteers to do prayer meets on two Sundays per month! Telling the truth, my previous career as a teacher bred in me a very narrow scope of life experience. Visiting prison inmates has broadened my horizon. I’ve seen injustice never seen before. I’ve been able to console never consoled before. Furthermore, I’ve learnt a lot from the women inmates who have or will have spent decades in that institution. Several common themes have I gathered in those visits.
Firstly, after going through the initial shock of imprisonment, they began to re-build their relations with God. They re-discovered God. Imprisonment provides them a lot of time to weep, to pray and to read which was in short supply when they were outside and were “free”. How paradoxical! But if they are able to rediscover God in prison, have we forgotten God outside the walls?
Secondly, some of them opined that the walls were unable to confine their spirits. They were able to visit anywhere they wished. An inmate told me of her near-death experience. Yet another told me she was able to “teleport” herself at the deathbed of her father across space and time … Not a small number started their studies of business management, law and languages … etc. I start wondering who really prisoners are!

We are free to travel around, aren’t we? Suddenly, we find ourselves locked down unprepared by the pandemic! We are free to do what we enjoy, aren’t we? Alas, many people have become drug abusers, compulsive gamblers, workaholics and even Machiavellians! It is hard to accept the reality that to a certain extent, all of us are captives of some obsessions. Obsessions are enjoyable and reassuring. They make us feel like heroes and inflate our egoes. Worst of all, we’re willing to pay the price and to take the risks because we believe that we are taking the control. Regrettably, we’re not. The world keeps telling us that we are not in control. The pandemic is a timely reminder.

Brethren, if we are not able to show God’s face, to manifest Christ’s mercy or to demonstrate the fruits of the Holy Spirit, I’m afraid we’re no better than those inmates in the Tai Lam region. I have no quick fix. I can only pray and I believe God will answer my prayers.
God bless!
2019 Reflection

All of Us are Miracles 我們都是神跡

Second Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: All of Us are Miracles 我們都是神跡

Today, we have the opportunity to meditate on what is painted on the beautiful mural of this Church. Yes, it is the first miracle performed by Jesus Christ written down by his beloved disciple John. The other three canonical gospels do not mention it, perhaps because it was too trivial a miracle. Comparing this turning water into wine with the miracle of 5 loaves and 2 fish, it was truly trivial because the number of guests attending the wedding would not have been more than 500, would it? Whereas more than 5000 men alone, not counting women and children, had eaten from the 5 loaves and 2 fish. Therefore, it is fair enough for the other three authors to brush this miracle aside.

Naturally, we would wonder why the Evangelists of the Synoptic gospels did not write about it. According to the gospel of John, Simon Peter had already become a disciple of Jesus (John 1:42) and perhaps Matthew had not yet been called. He might not have attended the wedding and witnessed the miracle and it is understandable that he did not mention it in his gospel. But the gospel of John mentioned that both Jesus and his disciples were invited to the wedding. Therefore, Simon Peter must have been there together with Jesus (2:2) and saw the miracle. Mark the secretary of Peter in the future would have it written down in his gospel if Peter had mentioned it. Obviously Peter hadn’t. He had been a fisherman before and perhaps because of that, He didn’t think wine was as essential as bread and fish, did he?

The gospel of Luke is the last one to deal with because the situation is more complicated. He was a physician and probably had taken care of the Blessed Virgin Mary in her old age. His gospel is very prayerful and the Blessed Virgin Mary must have provided Luke the physician with a lot of insider/private information about Jesus. That’s why we have the Annunciation, the Visitation and the visit of shepherds etc., viz. the Joyful mysteries of the Rosary. Now the most prominent figure in this miracle was none other than the Blessed Virgin Mary. In this Cana miracle, the mother of Jesus occupied the most important position because it was she, who knew and informed her son that the host had run out of wine and to a certain extent, had “pushed” the miracle to happen! Let’s think about it. Right from the very beginning, the BVM had never been able to understand the son she gave birth to. She would keep all those things, reflecting on them in her heart even up to when Jesus was lost and found in the Temple at the age of 12 (Luke 2:51). The Church has always regarded the BVM as the perfect disciple because she had brought Christ to this world and had been following Him up to His crucifixion. What she had told Luke must have been the “cream” of the life of a disciple. If the BVM had hesitation about telling Luke this miracle and decided not to mention it, her humility is truly laudable! Perhaps she felt uncomfortable about dismissing her son’s reply and pushing ahead her insistence (John 2:4-5). But she didn’t have to because Jesus has affirmed her blessedness when a woman exclaimed, “Blessed is the womb that carried you and the breasts at which you nursed.” (Luke 11:27) Jesus replied, “Rather, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” (11:28) The BVM did it in the most perfect manners possible!

Let’s return to the wedding and I would like to meditate on the reaction of the disciples. The beloved disciple puts it this way, “Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs in Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples began to believe in him.” (John 2:11) First of all, the miracle was the beginning of a series of signs Jesus was going to perform in Galilee. Secondly, Jesus performed those miracles/signs to reveal his glory. Thirdly, perhaps impressed by those signs, his disciples began to believe in him.
The first point is evident because Jesus continues to perform different kinds of miracles to reveal the mercy of the Father. The second point needs more elaboration because the term “glory” as used in John’s gospel carries different meanings. The word appears 42 times in 28 verses, most of which refer to Jesus’ passion and resurrection. The link between a miracle during a wedding and Jesus’ passion and resurrection doesn’t seem to be obvious. However, on a second thought, Jesus likes to use “wedding banquet” as a symbol of the Kingdom of Heaven. To a certain extent, this miracle is pregnant with symbols for our contemplation of heaven! It took John more than 60 years of meditation to grasp the significance of this miracle. Perhaps Simon Peter had martyred too early to be able to understand its symbolism!

Now, let’s turn our attention to the disciples’ response. They “began to believe in him.” Do we need miracles in order to believe in Jesus?
First of all, some people demand a higher threshold in order to acknowledge miracles. For examples, Jesus has already performed a lot of miracles. Yet some Jewish authority demanded “a sign from heaven”, such as a raining of manna or a jumping down from the cross to prove that Jesus was the Messiah (Matthew 16:1, Mark 8:11, Luke 23:35-37). They ignored all those signs Jesus had previously shown, such as exorcisms, cures, calming of the sea and multiplication of loaves etc. Of course the Jewish authority would never believe even if Jesus performed specific miracles they demanded because their intention was to find fault with Jesus, not to find faith in Him. They had rejected Jesus and had hardened their hearts. No miracle would be able to convince them, “If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.” (16:31)

The gospels and indeed the whole Bible is a record of human responses to God’s invitation. Some people are lucky enough to have miracles happened on them, such as lepers, the possessed men and the deaf-mute etc. Their faith in Jesus is rewarded and of course they would believe wholeheartedly! But I’m sure nobody wants this to happen to them but it is actually a tremendous amount of grace. It brings salvation. In most cases, we are like the bride and bridegroom in this miracle. They don’t even notice the existence of this miracle even though they benefit from it. Most of us do not notice because we didn’t ask for it! Luckily, God is generous and doesn’t mind our ingratitude!
Some see miracles and cures happen on significant others, i.e. family members and friends and believe, such as the friends of the paralyzed man, the crowd around the bleeding woman and Jairus’ family etc. They are joyful and amazed and most likely would believe in Jesus. Some make more use of their rationality and believe, for example, Nicodemus. Probably he had only heard of Jesus’ miracles and did not have the opportunity to witness them in person. But his hunger for the truth, for the salvation of Israel and an open heart facilitated his belief in Jesus. Perhaps our faith in God is inversely proportional to the threshold we demand on miracles.

Brethren! St. Paul says in the second reading today, the Holy Spirit has given each one of us different gifts, “But one and the same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each person as He wishes” (1 Corinthians 12:11). All of us have received the Sacrament of Confirmation and are filled with the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Thus we are God’s miracles in different situations with different talents! We represent God’s presence in the situation and are carriers of God’s grace. In other words, we are sacraments. Like God’s miracles, we do our best. Whether people believe in God or not after meeting us is not our concern. It depends on the threshold they demand on miracles. Just bear in mind that the Holy Spirit is accompanying us in bearing witness to Jesus Christ our Lord. We ourselves are the first benefactors!Without Jesus, water remains water. With Him, water can become wine. Five loaves and two fish are able to feed 5000.
God bless!
2019 Reflection
Picture Credit: Wikiart.org

What was Jesus’ Praying After Baptism? 耶穌受洗後的祈禱是甚麼？

Feast of Baptism of the Lord, Year C
Theme:What was Jesus’ Praying After Baptism? 耶穌受洗後的祈禱是甚麼？

Prayer is an essential part of religious life. Believers pray to deities for various reasons. Some beg for things they need such as health, wealth, success and delivery from dangers etc. Others thank their gods for wishes granted and there are also altruistic people who intercede for the needy etc. Whatever people pray, they expect their prayers to be heard and hopefully answered. Prayers are actually encounters with our God whose closeness varies from person to person. Rather, it is our ability to feel His closeness that varies from person to person. Anyway, however far apart we are from God we are full of expectations in our prayers and in our encounters with Him. God is real and He will definitely answer us though we may not always understand the answer.

In the pandemic at this very moment, we have great expectations on people in power, viz. Government officials, scientists and pharmaceutical companies etc., to relieve us of our sufferings. Have they met our expectations? We can’t expect too much from them. After all, they are mere mortals flawed with concupiscence. What about the God in whom we believe? Has God answered our prayers? Or have we misunderstood God’s answer?
In the first reading today, the prophet says, “Comfort, give comfort to my people, says your God. Speak to the heart of Jerusalem, and proclaim to her that her service has ended, that her guilt is expiated, that she has received from the hand of the Lord double for all her sins.” (Isaiah 40:1-2) Is this God’s answer? Is it relevant to the present situation?

First of all, God affirms once more that we are His people and that He is faithful. He wants the prophets to convey His wish to comfort us. What kind of comfort is it? If the pandemic is the “service/servitude/exile” mentioned in the prophecy, it is supposed to be fulfilled and HAS ENDED! But we don’t see any signs of the end of this pandemic. We see new virus mutants surfacing month after month. We see the number of people infected soaring and governments are locking down the major cities in Christmas etc. … Despite all these realities, I believe that this is the beginning of the end of pandemic because the virus is getting more infectious and at the same time less lethal! Many people are infected without showing the slightest signs of infection. Regrettably, the mortality due to new mutants has not yet been released to the public. Probably, the governments don’t want the commoners to know the truth. If it were high, it would generate panic. If it were low, people would relax their alert. Either way, it is bad for governments! Either way, mankind have no way to eradicate the virus. We must learn to live with it! The pandemic is arguably God’s rod to chasten our faults: egoism, consumerism and secularism. He wants us to be more outgoing and more caring towards the needy. Has our guilt been expiated? Probably not! It’s because some powerful people are colluding with each other to fatten themselves at the expense of the commoners in this pandemic which has opened up political advantages for the powerful to grasp. So, God has answered but who is able to discern?

The gospel text we read today during Mass is an excerpt. The verse about John’s arrest is skipped. If it is read in full, it seems that Jesus was not baptized by the Baptist because he was no longer present. So, Jesus was probably baptized by the disciples of the Baptist! Actually, Luke’s narration does not refute the fact the Jesus was baptized by the Baptist. The other two Synoptic gospels bear witness to this (Matthew 3:13; Mark 1:9). Biblical scholars opine that Luke uses this literary device to present his understanding of the Salvation History. The Baptist marks the end of the Age of Promise or the Age of Israel. Jesus’ baptism marks the beginning of the Age of Fulfilment whereas the Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost marks the beginning of the Age of the Church. Thus, during the election of Matthias to replace Judas, Peter delineated the scope of the Gospel: beginning from the baptism of John until Jesus’ ascension (Acts 1:22).
Therefore, the baptism of Lord Jesus Christ marks the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry, the beginning of the fulfilment of all the prophecies in the Old Testament. Secondly, Jesus’ baptism makes our Christian baptism effective. Our creaturely status is elevated to Sonship through baptism. The Father’s words also apply to us, “You are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22) Thirdly, the Son of God is without sins. Yet He humbly received baptism not just confirming His genuine human nature but also set up an example of humility for us to follow. If you claim to be a Catholic but refuse to be baptized, are you greater than Jesus Christ?

Only Luke mentions that the Holy Spirit and the Father’s voice appeared while Jesus was praying (Luke 3:21). The other Synoptic gospels focus on something else. Matthew wants to show the importance of Christian baptism which even the Baptist wanted to receive (Matthew 3:14). Mark employs strong wordings: the heavens “being torn open” to show the power of the Son of God and His baptism was the breaking-in of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:10). So what was Jesus’ praying in Luke? We can only speculate. Most probably Jesus was saying the Lord’s Prayer “Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test.” (Luke 11:2-4)!

Let’s meditate what it is like for the Son of God to say this prayer and how it is related to us! Remember that the Son of God is the Word (John 1:1) who created and sustains the known universe. When a word is uttered, it shall be accomplished.

1. What will it be like when you address God directly as “Father”? We’ll never be able to fully understand this mystery. Suffice to say that we are responding to God’s love when we call Him “Father”. We also acknowledge our finitude and our lower position. At the same time, all humanity is united under His fatherhood which makes us genuinely siblings. Therefore, we have the responsibility to become keepers of our brothers (Genesis 4:9) when we call God “Father”.
2. What will it be like when all humanity hallow God’s name? God is intangible. The only way for humanity to represent God is God’s name. In other words, we’re looking forward to all humanity hallowing God and to the day when all of us express our piety and do homage to Him. Since we are all children of God by calling Him “Father”, how can we hallow God but hate our brothers and sisters at the same time? Such a person can only be a liar and a hypocrite (1 John 4:20)! The dignity of human persons is as holy as God and has to be protected at all costs. That is to say, hallowing God is at the same time respecting human dignity! Believing in God does not cheapen human nature. Instead, human nature is elevated through belief in God as our Father.
3. What will it be like when God’s kingdom comes? Today, how much do we desire to see God’s kingdom come and how much do we want to see God’s justice done! The situation today is chaotic and full of incompetence and injustice. My God, come to clean up the mess and deliver us …

You’ll probably wonder why Luke’s version is shorter. Why is “who art in heaven” missing? Why are two petitions missing? I’m sure a lot of biblical scholars must have written about this situation. It’s likely to be more original while the Matthew version is more liturgical. Bear in mind that Luke’s gospel is very prayerful. We should spend more time praying with Luke than reasoning with him.

Brethren! Probably you were baptized in your infancy and you aren’t able to remember your baptism. Thus, the feast today is a good opportunity for you to refresh your understanding of what honour and glory it brings to be baptized. As a baptized Catholic, let us follow the humility of Christ to pray and His commandment to love one another like He has (John 14:34).
God bless.
Photo Credit: bible.com
2019年反省

功成不必我在 Willing Not To Be There When Victory Comes

功成不必我在（若3:22-30）

看來，若翰的門徒和一個猶太人關於取潔禮的爭辯（若3:25），真正的動機，不在於尋求有關「取潔禮」的真義，而是出於嫉妒，眼紅眾人都到耶穌基督那裡去了受洗（3:26）！

的確，「除非有天上的賞賜」（3:27），否則，凡人祇會停滯在俗世的層面上打滾。倘若沒有迫切的需要，絕不會放時間在一些虛無的事情上。的確，一般的平民百姓把大部份的精力，都放到衣食住行上；努力工作不外乎為了糊口；稍為有理想，有大志的，會為未來規劃，爭取最大的成就，那裡會理會天上的事，何來洗者若翰那份「祂應該興盛，我卻應該衰微」（3:30）的胸襟呢？

作為一位「辣彼」，當然希望看見自己桃李滿門，自己的學術能夠自成一派，流傳後世，名垂千古。但若翰感到一位「辣彼」更有責任，引導弟子學習智慧，敬畏上主。若翰看到在未來，天下萬民會聚集一起，成為一個普世的教會─耶穌基督的新娘。若翰知道將來的世界不是他所擁有，那個普世的教會亦不是他的新娘，新郎另有其人（3:29）。所以他不會與他的弟子一般見識，與耶穌基督爭一日之長短。

若翰會因為基督的成功而感到喜樂，而且是滿足的喜樂（3:29）。雖然他的辛勞，他的殉道與耶穌基督的相比，微不足道，但基督將會獲得最後勝利，他作為先驅的付出，絕對不會白費。這帶給了若翰不勝的快慰。
朋友，你有洗者若翰那一份「功成不必我在」的胸襟嗎？
生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：wikipedia.org

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Willing Not To Be There When Victory Comes (John 3:22-30)

It seems to me that the dispute between John’s disciples and a Jew about ceremonial washings (John 3:25) was motivated not so much by discovering the truth of ceremonial washings but out of jealousy because everyone was going to Jesus for baptism (3:26)!

Truly, “Except what has been given him from heaven” (3:27), mortal men would only move around on the secular level. If there isn’t any pressing needs, they won’t spend time on intangible things. Indeed, commoners put most of their energies on earning a living. For those more idealistic and ambitious souls, they would plan for their greatest possible achievements on earth. Where on earth would they care about things above and espouse John’s “Illum oportet crescere, me autem minui” (3:30) outlook?

Of course which Rabbi doesn’t desire his disciples to be many and his school of thought to be established for ages to come? But the Baptist knew a greater responsibility to inspire his disciples to learn wisdom and to fear the Lord. The Baptist saw a future in which all peoples come together to become an assembly of saints --- the Spouse of Jesus Christ. John knew that the future world does not belong to him and the Catholic Church is not his spouse. The bridegroom is somebody else (3:29). As the best man, he would not compete with Jesus Christ like his disciples would.

John the Baptist will rejoice greatly because victory will go to Jesus Christ in the end (3:29). Although his efforts and martyrdom would be dwarfed by Jesus’, his efforts as the forerunner would not be wasted when Christ achieves His victory. This brings great joy to the Baptist.
Friends! Do you have the Baptist’s mind of willing not to be there when victory comes?

內在的癩病 Interior Leprosy

內在的癩病（路5:12-16）

在窮人之中，癩病人最悽慘。
第一，在宗教上，以色列人認識到癩病是天主施行的懲罰之一，例如：梅瑟的姊姊，女先知米黎盎，因為公開反對梅瑟娶了雇士女人為妻，便被天主懲罰了（戶12:1, 10）；猶大王阿匝黎雅（烏齊雅）雖然行了上主視為正義的事，但因為沒有廢除高丘，人民仍在高丘上焚香獻祭，結果天主以癩病打擊他，直到他死的那一天，獨自住在一所王宮裡（列下15:3-5）。這樣，便形成了對癩病人根深蒂固的歧視。

第二，在病理上，癩病是真菌感染，但被誤會為傳染性高；在發明盤尼西林之前，沒有根治方法。所以在社交上，癩病人要被隔離。阿匝黎雅王比較幸運，在王宮裡隔離，不愁供給；但一般的癩病人，祇能在城市村落之外行乞渡日。所以，即使是富有的癩病人，都會感到被天主懲罰，被同胞排斥，非常孤獨，何況是貧窮的癩病人哩！

一般貧窮的人，可以安貧樂道，自得其樂。但貧窮的癩病人，受著身心靈之苦，在貧窮人之中，的確是最悽慘的。外在的癩病可見，病人便有求醫的意識。但內在的癩病又如何呢？

「七罪宗」有如癩病，傷害著人的靈性！對財富與權勢的貪婪，使人的心靈硬化，麻痺了它的感覺，不曉得罪惡有如真菌，正在不知不覺地侵蝕著靈魂和人性；嫉妒驅使人行兇；憤怒使人失控；驕傲使人諱疾忌醫，阻礙著人尋求天主的寬恕；怠惰讓人失去鬥志；色慾令人乏力…另一方面，孤獨與被拒絕的感覺，逐漸形成一層厚厚的外殻與牢固的圍牆，以至呼天不應，叫地不聞，斷絕了向外求救的渠道…實在太危險，太可怕了！人又怎能自救呢？
主啊！祢若願意，就潔淨我罷。亞孟。
生命恩泉
圖片鳴謝：wikipedia

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Interior Leprosy (Luke 5:12-16)

Among the poor, lepers were the most pitiful.
First of all, Israelites believed that leprosy was one of God’s punishments. For example, the sister of Moses, Miriam the prophetess, who spoke against Moses on the pretext of the Cushite woman he had married, was punished by God with leprosy (Numbers 12:1, 10). Although Azariah/Uzziah, king of Judah did what was right in the Lord’s sight, the high places remained and people continued to sacrifice and burn incense there. God afflicted him with leprosy until the day he died. Azariah had to live in a house apart (2 Kings 15:3-5). Thus a deep-seated prejudice had existed against lepers.

Secondly, leprosy is pathologically caused by bacteria and has long been misunderstood to be highly infectious. Before the discovery of penicillin, there was no medicine to treat it. Socially, lepers had to be segregated. King Azzaiah was lucky. He lived apart in palace and didn’t have to worry about provisions. But ordinary lepers had to beg outside towns and villages. Thus, even rich lepers would feel punished by God and rejected by brothers. They would be lonely not to mention those living in poverty!

Ordinary people might live happily in poverty. But lepers in poverty who suffer bodily and spiritually are really the most pitiful among the poor. Exterior leprosy is visible and lepers will seek treatment. What about interior leprosy?

The “seven capital vices” are like leprosy, eating away the human spirit! Greed of power and wealth hardens people’s hearts and numbs their feelings, prevents them to know that sins are like bacteria eroding people’s soul and humanity. Jealousy drives men to kill. Fury makes men lose control. Pride prevents men from seeking treatments and God’s forgiveness. Sloth eats away the will to resist and lust men’s strength to fight … On the other hand, loneliness and a sense of rejection gradually build up a thick crust and wall, cutting off the channel to send out distress signal … How dangerous and terrible! How can humanity save itself?
Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean. Amen.

甚麼是窮人的喜訊呢？ What Are the Glad Tidings for the Poor?

甚麼是窮人的喜訊呢？（路4:14-22a）

福音時代，大部份人以農務為生，土地就是他們賴以為生的資源。除非遇上戰禍或天災，或者苛捐重稅，滿足暴君的淫欲；否則，自給自足，生活無憂。當然，這個世界並不完美，社會上總會有些不幸的人，可能因為生病或意外而失去了勞動力（谷1:40；若9:1），或者欠下債務，要變賣家產甚至家庭成員來還債（瑪18:25），淪為乞丐或窮人，倚靠鄰人賙濟。今天過著中產生活的我們，很難想像到福音時代的農夫或者窮人，他們是怎樣生活。所以，先知所說：「向貧窮人傳報喜訊」（路4:18; 依61:1）是甚麼意思呢？是讓他們脫貧嗎？還是免除他們的債務呢？

「脫貧」聽來積極動聽，但它可以是一種政治宣傳技倆，而不是從根本上消除造成貧窮的因素。行政上降低了貧窮線的數值，貧窮人口就真的消失了嗎？再培訓工人，製造就業機會，新移民便可以從事保險從業員了嗎？恐怕這些措施都是在冷氣房閉門造車的方案，尚未觸及窮人的真正痛處。

人的適應能力很強，當遇上一個收入減少了的時期，便會懷著希望，節衣縮食，深信難關總會有過去的一天。令他們絕望的，就是眼見債務日積月累，沒有半點消失，反而節節攀升的跡象…因此，窮人最想聽到的喜訊，應該是債主免除他們的債項！可能嗎？

舊約的「喜年」就是這樣的一項德政。「祝聖第五十年，向全國居民宣布自由；為你們是一喜年，人各歸其祖業，人各返其家庭。」（肋25:10）「如果他無法獲得足夠的贖價，他所賣的，應存於買主之手直到喜年；到了喜年，地應退還，賣主收回自己的家產。」（25:28）「若你身旁的兄弟窮了，賣身給你…如果那人不能贖身，到了喜年，他可與兒女自由離去。」（25:39, 54）

因為人性的貪婪，貧窮很多時候是結構性罪惡的後果。「喜年」制度給執政者五十年時間去改善制度，或者容忍當權者貪污五十年為限，然後推土重來…所以喜年是德政！
人啊！你何時纔會成為你鄰人的喜訊呢？
生命恩泉
23/1 進一步的反省
圖片鳴謝：Chinadaily.com.cn

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What Are the Glad Tidings for the Poor? (Luke 4:14-22a)

In gospel time, most people made their living farming. They lived on the resources of the land. Unless there were wars or natural catastrophes, or heavy taxation to satiate tyrants, life was self-sufficient and care-free. Of course, the world was not perfect. There had to be some unlucky people who lost their working capacities because of illnesses or accidents (Mark 1:40, John 9:1), or those who were debt-ridden and had to sell their property or family members to repay the debts (Matthew 18:25). They became beggars or poor and had to live on the pity of their neighbour. It is very difficult for us modern middle class to imagine what life of farmers or the poor was like during gospel time. Therefore, what does the prophet mean when he says, “to bring glad tidings to the poor” (Luke 4:18; Isaiah 61:1)? To lift people out of poverty permanently? Or to remit their debts?

“Poverty Reduction” sounds pretty but it can become a political propaganda and does nothing to eliminate the causes of poverty. Would the lowering of poverty line by administration actually cross out the poor population? Will newly arrived immigrants be able to work as insurance agents by “Employee Retraining Scheme” and creating employment opportunities? I’m afraid those policies made inside air-conditioned rooms have not yet been able to touch on the actual plights of the poor.

You’ll be amazed to find the strong adaptive abilities of the poor. When incomes reduce, they will reduce their intake of food, wear less and walk to the workplace etc., hopefully the difficulty will pass away one day. What makes them desperate is to see their debts accumulate indefinitely without the slightest sight of disappearance … Thus the glad tidings the poor want to hear is the remit of debts! Is it possible?

The “Jubilee Year” was just such a good policy in the Old Testament. “You shall treat this fiftieth year as sacred. You shall proclaim liberty in the land for all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you, when each of you shall return to your own property, each of you to your own family.” (Leviticus 25:10) “But if the person does not acquire sufficient means to buy back the land, what was sold shall remain in the possession of the purchaser until the year of the jubilee, when it must be released and returned to the original owner.” (25:28) “When your kindred with you, having been so reduced to poverty, sell themselves to you … and if they are not redeemed by these means, they shall nevertheless be released, together with any children, in the jubilee year.” (25:39, 54)

Because of human greed, poverty is the consequence of structural sins most of the time. Jubilee Year gives rulers 50 years to improve the system, or tolerates official corruptions for 50 years after which they would be overthrown and start all over again. Jubilee Year is genuinely a good policy!
Men! When will you be glad tidings of your neighbour?