Can Rotten Trees Become Good? 壞樹可以變好嗎？

Eighth Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: Can Rotten Trees Become Good?壞樹可以變好嗎？

Last week, we meditated on what makes human human and Christians Christian. Though rationality has long been held to distinguish human beings from animals, technological advancements have proven that rationality alone is inadequate in making human human because nowadays, artificial intelligence has surpassed our intelligence in solving many problems impossible to solve unaided without using computers. Artificial intelligence forces us to give morality and spirituality a more prominent position in defining humanity.

Throughout ages and cultures, peoples have developed various systems of morality. Broadly speaking, there are three types of moral systems which focus on different aspects of moral behaviours. Some systems focus on the person/agent himself. A moral person should be virtuous and exemplary. Virtues such as beneficence, courage, loyalty, prudence and righteousness etc. can be cultivated through learning and practices. Ancient Greek and Chinese systems were such. Some systems focus on the essence of an action itself. Some actions are intrinsically evil such as killing and lying while some are intrinsically good such as saving life and telling truth. Kantian ethics is one such school of morality. Yet other systems focus on consequences, because all actions carry consequences which affect all people to different extents. Moral actions are those which bring more benefits than costs. Utilitarianism is an example.

All systems have their merits and demerits because moral behaviours have to be considered as a whole, including the person and the consequences. We cannot ignore the motive of the person because the same action, say a donation of 10 million dollar for disaster victims can be morally bad if the motive is for fame and media exposure! Similarly, we cannot ignore the consequence of an action because in some situations, saving one life may endanger a thousand more innocent souls! Yes, it is truly complicated and cannot be handled mechanically.

Bible teachings seem not to approve of utilitarianism. For example, Caiaphas the High Priest who ensured Jesus’ death said in the Sanhedrin, “It is better for you that one man should die instead of the people, so that the whole nation may not perish” (John 11:50). Similarly when Judas complained about the waste of anointing Jesus with expensive perfumed oil, he was using the same utilitarian logic which Caiaphas had previously used, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” (12:5) If the Bible does not approve of utilitarianism, how do we harmonize Jesus’ teaching in the gospel today? Isn’t fruit the “consequence” of trees? Doesn’t good fruit prove that the tree is good and good consequences prove that an action is moral?

First of all, though God does not approve of utilitarianism, He permits its promulgation because utilitarianism has its merits. It guides us to consider consequences of an action. As simple as eating and drinking, nowadays we can no longer ignore the effects of over-consumption on the environment and the injustice embedded in production. On the other hand, God is infinite. It costs Him nothing to do anything He wishes. Therefore, the utility formula is not applicable. Furthermore, God is love (1 John 4:8) and whatever God does is good and beneficial to humanity (Genesis 1). His mercy is shown by sending His only begotten Son to die for our transgressions.

Secondly, it was understandable for ancient people to think of fruit as “consequence” of trees. After all, fruit grows from trees, doesn’t it? But nowadays with the advances in molecular biology, it is a mistake to think of fruit as “consequence” of trees and is meaningless to argue whether eggs appear before chickens or vice versa! It is because eggs and chickens, fruit and trees are both manifestations of their DNA for their growth and survival. Therefore, it is scientific for Jesus to say that “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit” (Luke 6:43a). However, we should not ignore the warning which follows immediately, “nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit” (6:43b)
Didn’t God create all things good? Where do rotten trees come from? Yes God created all things good but when the environment deteriorates due to contamination, depletion and mismanagement etc., harm will be done to whatever is living in the habitat. Even good trees begin to rot!

Naturally, we’ll wonder whether it is possible for rotten trees to become good trees again and even better ones. Fortunately, the answer is affirmative.

In the parable of barren fig tree found in Luke, Jesus says, “I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future” (13:8b-9a) There is no doubt that all living things thrive in good environment. Therefore, by improving the environment, it is possible to help barren trees bear fruit. From the parable of barren fig tree, we’ve learnt two lessons.

First of all, rotten trees need external help to become good. They are incapable of helping themselves without external help. “Where shall come our help?” (Psalms 121:1) The Psalter continues, “My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth.” (121:2) The Lord is faithful and He shall help when we invoke Him. But He has an even more effective way! He clears a piece of land to transplant His beloved vine there (80:9-10). The gospel of John reveals the most effective way. Jesus said, “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vine grower” (John 15:1). By connecting with Jesus Christ, we will surely be able to bear good fruit which shows that we are transformed from rotten to good trees!
It is no secret how it can be done. St. Paul says, “For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ” (Galatians 3:27). We put on Christ and, with His accompaniment, we’ll be able to live up to the spirit of the Beatitudes (Matthew 5:3-11). Moreover, we received the Holy Spirit when we received the Sacrament of Confirmation. Not only have we received the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit (Isaiah 11:2-3), we are able to bear fruit of the Holy Spirit, “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23a) Through Baptism and Confirmation, Christ elevates us from moral persons to spiritual persons. In other word, in order to redeem humanity, God even modifies our DNA! Rotten trees can become good!

Secondly, all living things will struggle to modify an adverse environment into a favourable one for themselves to thrive. Therefore, we Christians should work together with the Holy Spirit to evangelize so as to improve our living environment. Of course, Christians should be patient in enduring sufferings and persecutions. We should be kind, generous and gentle towards the abusers and pray for them because they are also God’s images. But we need to maintain a favourable environment in which religious freedom is respected and protected. Otherwise, we ourselves will become rotten sooner or later!

Brethren! Trust in our Lord. He will provide and ensure that we bear good fruit. He says, “Whoever remains in me and I in him will bear much fruit, because without me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)
God bless!
Photo Credit: https://artsandculture.google.com/story/ZwURD8woo30Uew
2019 Reflection

Lead An Authentic Christian Life 度真正的基督徒生活

Seventh Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: Lead An Authentic Christian Life 度真正的基督徒生活

All of us, be we Christians or atheists, are called by God to lead authentic lives, not fake ones.
We were created in the image of God and were assigned to manage the Creation, aka the known universe (Genesis 1:27) This is our first call, to be human beings and stewards of the visible world.
What does it mean to be human? It is a huge philosophical question. Let’s narrow it down to finding out how human beings are different from other living creatures such as plants and animals. As stewards of the visible world, how do we manage wild beasts which have sharp fangs and claws; which sprint faster than us and whose strength is stronger than ours? We make use of our intelligence which is a gift from our Creator. Admittedly, animals also have a certain level of intelligence. Otherwise we don’t have domestic cattles and pets. Nevertheless, human intelligence is far more superior than animal intelligence.

Like brute strength, our intelligence spreads across a spectrum from low to high in whatever scale we design. For example, IQ test is one but it is notoriously biased. For our meditation, I propose another workable scale which is to measure how much unnecessary brute force is deployed to handle an adverse situation. The less force is deployed the higher the intelligence. For example, the intelligence of human beings is demonstrated by the invention of a lot of machines to enhance their muscular strength such as pulleys and wheels to lift heavy objects; areoplanes to fly higher than any birds could scale; ships and submarines to cross the oceans. We even invented rockets to send men to the moon and back. Without doubt, most of us are able to discharge the first call to be human by using our intelligence instead of our brutality.

In the years during and after World War II, we invented computers and the Internet to help us solve a wide range of problems, thus enhancing our intelligence. Nowadays, some computer software is even able to defeat Grand Masters in games of chess! At the moment, we are at the threshold of the age of Artificial Intelligence. As AI is gradually able to overtake our ability to solve problems, it forces us to think further how human beings are different from robots. As of this writing, robots do not possess consciousness. They are not aware of their existence and what they are but we human beings are aware. How is a person aware of himself? Comatose patients may help us understand. A normal person begins awareness with sensations which come from his needs such as hunger and shelter. Whatever satisfies his physiological and security needs are good. We reason that things happen regularly must be true. We feel that some sensations are pleasant. Things which cause pleasant sensations are beautiful etc. Not only does a person receive sensations caused by his needs, but he also make judgments according to criteria such as truth, goodness and beauty mentioned above and take actions accordingly to generate more pleasures. His likes and dislikes as well as his habit of actions help establish his identity which is an embodiment of a collection of values. But no man is an island. When a person begins to be aware of himself, he/she will surely begins to be aware of the existence of other persons. He/She is not alone. Interpersonal relationships are weaved to meet the needs of belonging as well as achievements and esteem etc. Acting as a community, human beings are able to modify their environment to meet their common needs.

From the rough sketches above, what makes human human is more than his/her intelligence and rationality. Human beings are not just rational animals but are also social and moral animals. Their lives are guided by moral principles of different colours because all actions bring consequences which can be good or bad to people. Some people enjoy calculation. Their actions are guided by cost-benefit-analysis. In order for an action to be moral and acceptable, it must result in a maximum utility, that is benefit minus cost, for the person or a group of persons. Some people prefer order and stability because men cannot live in uncertainties for too long. They pursue universality. For these people, an action is moral when all persons are respected and that the action could be applied without exception anywhere any time. For example, honesty is such an action.

All human persons are unique and in real life situations, some people are more capable of discharging the first call to be human while some have difficulties. Some external environments are more conducive to healthy development of persons with moral integrity but some are not. Just as there are physical deformities, there are psychological, social and cultural deformities as well. In order to maximize utility, some people would act immorally but intelligently. They resort without remorse to tricks, frauds, harrassments, threats and even paying others to assault in order to get what they want. They may even build up institutions to satisfy their greed and hunger for power at the expenses of other people. Some people are less ambitious. They prefer applying their intelligence in whatever that pleases them even pleasures that are not socially acceptable. Some obsessions may not appear to be pervert at first glance but in time they bring harm to the community. Some insist of believing in false prophets and keep feeding themselves with illusions to affirm their misplaced beliefs. Some simply play safe to follow the herd etc. Fortunately, not all human beings are like that. Otherwise, human beings would have devoured each other until the last man would have noone else but himself to blame and kill (Galatians 5:15).

Who are those human beings that do not maximize their utilities? They are those who are called by God to be Christians, a people of the Lord and members of the Church. They enter into a covenant with the trinite God and pledge to observe His new commandment (John 13:34). They live up a beatific life, a life that radiates the spirit of the gospels (Matthew 5:3-11). Human beings are more than moral animals, they can be spiritual persons!

If the Beatitudes are broad principles, the gospel passage today is more concrete (Luke 6:27-38; Matthew 5:39-47, 7:1-2).
How do we deal with people who hate us (Luke 6:27)? They hate us either because they have misunderstood us or we have done something which deprive them of their benefits. Hatred is a low level response which achieves nothing. It shows that the haters are not using their intelligence enough. Either way, we should do good to them to compensate their loss and to keep the communication open to remove misunderstanding. What good it is for us to hate them back, tit for tat? Perhaps “an eye for an eye” (Exodus 21:24) was good enough in the Old Covenant but not for the New. When we Christians deploy the same low level tactics, how are we different from them? During the year of social unrests, when law-enforcers called the demonstrators “cockroaches” and the demonstrators retorted “dogs”, they were not far away from being dogs which bark back! Why Christians should degrade themselves! Jesus tells us to love each other as He has (John 13:34). In fact, Jesus is trying to restore the image of God in each one of us, no matter how unlovable we have made the image! We deserve to be called Christians when we do as Christ has done.
Similarly, Christians should offer the other cheek (Luke 6:29) not to defuse the fury of the abusers. Rather it is a gesture to show the abusers our respect of God’s images and to demonstrate our capability to love as followers of Christ. Who is stronger? The one who is able to restrain and overcome oneself or the abuser who overcome others? Is there no justice in the world? We should be very careful with our human standard of justice which is far inferior with the righteousness of the Lord. Therefore St. Paul advises us to let God take care of the vengeance business (Romans 12:19, Deuteronomy 32:35). Otherwise, our impulsiveness may cause us and the situation more harm than we are able to contain.

Brethren! We are grateful to be called by the Lord to be His ambassadors of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:19-20). We are the first to benefit from this vocation because we have been elevated to the status of God’s children. So now, let’s go forth to spread the spirit of the Beatitudes by discharging faithfully our mission as Christ’s ambassadors of reconciliation. Accompanied by Christ, our meagre strength will be able to improve the present environment and build the Kingdom of Heaven on earth.
God bless.
Photo Credit: dnaindia.com
2019 Reflection

Blessed Are the Now Hungry 你們現今饑餓的是有福的

Sixth Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: Blessed Are the Now Hungry 你們現今饑餓的是有福的

I love reading the gospel of Luke because it is more down-to-earth and less high-sounding. For example, while Matthew advocates, “So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Matthew 5:48), Luke says, “Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful” (Luke 6:36). Well, at least I can be merciful sometime somehow, but it is truly an impossible mission to be perfect!

The same is true in the case of the Beatitudes. Although there are only four and not eight/nine beatitudes in Luke’s version, they are closer to our experience and more realistic. Luke is able to handle both long-term and short-term experiences without philosophizing them.

Among the four beatitudes, two are long-term: poverty and hatred. These two take time to build up and take even a longer time to eradicate. Indeed, Jesus once says that “The poor you will always have with you …, but you will not always have me”(Mark 14:7), suggesting that humanity can never be able to eradicate poverty unless greed were completely uprooted from human nature! Unlike Matthew who “spiritualizes” poverty, Luke deals with the poverty issue headlong. He says, “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours” (Luke 6:20) instead of “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 5:3). Moreover, Luke addresses the crowd point-blank with a “you” instead of some unrelated “theirs”! Similarly, hatred is also extremely difficult to remove. For example, hatred may arise from ignorance which breeds fear and prejudices. Fear arises when people perceive that their status quo would be shaken or their benefits would be thinned out. Anger erupts when misunderstanding is fostered etc. Unfortunately, it is far too easy to hate and to vent our anger than to forgive. It is important to observe that when the beatitude touches on the issue of hatred, both Matthew and Luke address the audience directly with a “you”! Luke has been consistent while Matthew goes out of his way which I won’t digress. I’m sure a lot of biblical scholars must have discussed it.

The remaining two beatitudes in Luke are immediate. They read, “Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh.” (Luke 6:21)
We cannot be hungry for long nor can we be weeping unceasingly because hunger and weeping are immediate experiences. Luke highlights their immediacy by qualifying them with the word “now”. The “hunger” is concrete because it’s happening here and now! When tomorrow comes, yesterday’s hunger becomes nothing! Today’s hunger, the hunger at this moment is our concern! No wonder Jesus teaches us to pray for our “daily bread” and “Do not worry about tomorrow …” (Matthew 6:34) In Matthew’s version, hunger and mourning are more abstract and thus remote (5:4, 6). He confines the hunger to righteousness while Luke’s version is open and does not limit what one would hunger! Yes, we may hunger for bread and sacraments. Why not hunger and thirst for righteousness? What about seeing a cherished mercy project done? And the longing to fulfil our potentials or the ending of the present pandemic? Though those “hungers” would be long-term instead of being immediate, they are nonetheless very genuine.

Brethren! Are we hungry now? What do we hunger for at this moment? Are we able to satisfy this hunger of ours now? Perhaps we don’t feel hungry at all at this moment because we are living in a relatively affluent society. But as I have previously mentioned, deeper down perhaps something is complaining and wants to be heard. Are you aware of this inner stir?
For me, there is. As a deacon, I’m supposed to be spending most of my energy doing charity. However since I was assigned to the present parish which is farther from where I live, I need to spend more than ninety minutes in travelling to work. My parish is well-known in serving the needy, the homeless, the elderly, the out-sourced janitors and the marginalized families etc. It would have been a perfect assignment for a deacon had their services not taken place on Friday evenings! For roughly five months, I have not been able to join them in going out, visiting the needy. There is a draining feeling in my stomach.

I thank the good Lord who mercifully revealed to me today what I have been hungry for. I was walking to work and racking my brain on the message of the Sunday gospel. Where else should I spend my energy if not serving the Word? I walked past a homeless old man who was not wearing a face mask. His outfit was not dirty but rugged. He was carrying a radio which was switched on and was staggering along slowly with a stick in one hand, stopping now and then, and another hand dragging a cardboard which I imagined he had previously picked up on his way. It must have been more than 20 meters past him that I just could not continue ignoring the plight of this old man. I turned around, caught him up from behind, gave him all my spare masks and a red packet which I had prepared for my spiritual director. With a closer look, I was able to see that he didn’t seem to be able to see and hear clearly any more. Furthermore, familiar faces started appearing on his face, male and female, young and old, rich and marginalized ones etc. I even have an encounter with a “me” from the future! At last I greeting them all with a few good wishes and left.

On deeper reflection, I thank the merciful Lord for satisfying my hunger. Furthermore, if I am able to see myself in the future “me” and have extended a gesture of mercy to myself, I begin loving others as myself. Perhaps this is a small but sure step towards seeing the Lord in the needy we serve. However, there is still room for improvement. My memory is beginning to fail me because I have forgotten to give the future “me” the piece of toast and the bottle of water in my sack. I have to humbly accept that I’m far from perfect.

Brethren. God is love (1 John 4:8). Not only do we hunger for love, but also hunger for the opportunity to love. It is satisfying and fulfilling to be able to love ourselves as well as our neighbour. With the help of the Lord and His spirit, we’ll be satisfied.
God bless!
2019 Reflection
Picture credit: sc.legco.gov.hk
It shows that the homeless can be written off without a heart as "self-reliance"!

Don’t Be Afraid To Let Jesus Take Charge 不要害怕由耶穌主導

Fifth Ordinary Sunday, Year C
Theme: Don’t Be Afraid To Let Jesus Take Charge 不要害怕由耶穌主導

When we meditate on this story with a miraculous catch, a similar story immediately comes to mind. So, there are actually two miraculous catches in the gospels, viz. this one at the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry (Luke 5:1-11) and another one after his resurrection (John 21:1-14). In both cases, Simon Peter takes up a prominent role. In the miraculous catch after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus asked Peter three times if he loved him more than the others did. We take this as the occasion in which Jesus forgave Peter three times because he had denied Him three times at the courtyard of the High Priest to save his own skin. At the same time, Jesus commissioned Peter three times to take care of the Church.

In the Passion narratives, we see that Peter had been a coward. He did not have the courage to defend and declare his faith in Jesus. Probably his time had not come yet! In fact, Jesus had known beforehand what would happen to Peter. In Luke’s narrative of the Last Supper, Jesus told Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold Satan has demanded to sift all of you like wheat, but I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and once you have turned back, you must strengthen your brothers.” (Luke 22:31-32) Indeed, Satan took the upper hand when Simon took things into his own hand instead of relying on the power of God. For example, in the Garden of Gethsemane, it was Peter who took a sword to cut off the right ear of a High Priest servant when the Jewish authority arranged to arrest Jesus (John 18:10). After the arrest Peter followed the band of soldiers into the courtyard of the High Priest. Probably he wanted to show his loyalty to the Master or to honour his pledge in the Last Supper. Such an action proved to be too impulsive and imprudent and consequently he denied Jesus three times … At that point in his life Simon Peter was truly a sinful man because he took things into his own hand, giving Satan an opportunity to sift him like wheat!

But such was not the case at the first miraculous catch. Firstly, no matter how reluctant he might be because they were washing the nets and Jesus was causing him unnecessary troubles, Peter still allowed Jesus to make use of his boat to preach. At least he was generous. How can a generous man be sinful? Secondly, unlike modern day fishery, it was stupid in New Testament time to try to catch fish in broad daylight. “Master, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing, but at your command I will lower the nets.” (Luke 5:5) Was Peter complaining? Probably he was but his complaint was polite. Of showing politeness is no guarantee of being a good man. Did Peter want to humiliate Jesus in public by obeying his instruction? Perhaps but it was not very likely because we cannot tell how many people were able to hear what Jesus told him. As it turned out, even if Peter really wanted to humiliate Jesus, the result was the opposite. This miracle shows that Jesus means what He says. Therefore this Galilean rabbi was worth believing. Peter had helped promoting Jesus’ reputation. In the whole incident, he did not take things into his own hand. He allowed Jesus and God to take the driving seat of this particular moment of his life. So, why did he say that he was a sinful man?

I also don’t think Simon Peter was sinful. He was definitely not a rich man because he was only a fisherman, not a merchant nor a tax collector. It was impossible for this class of people to be rich in his time. That his mother-in-law lived with him shows that he was truly a caring husband. So, he wouldn’t commit adultery. Why? It is because adultery is a game for the very rich. Loving more than one woman is very expensive. They have to be maintained in two physically separated worlds. They should never know the existence of the other party. No. Few people can afford adultery unless you are a billionaire!
Peter had a steady job as a fisherman, enough to maintain a family. He didn’t need to resort to stealing because he didn’t have to. His incomes were rather steady. He had a shelter over his head and a bed to lie on in the evening. Therefore, Peter didn’t have to steal. It’s unlikely that he would tell lies to cheat the tax-collectors who had the long arm of Roman justice to help them collect tax! Peter definitely was not a Zealot who dared to resort to terrorism in order to drive the Romans away. If he had been, his impulsiveness might have him arrested and crucified before Jesus! Thus, even though Simon might not be particularly pious, at least he kept the commandments and was NOT a public sinner. Eventually, he became an apostle, the Prince of the Apostles and our first Pope. The Church canonized him a saint. Why then did he tell Jesus, “Depart from me, Lord, for I’m a sinful man?” (Luke 5:8) What made him think that he was a sinner?

First of all, what was the reaction of the fishermen to this miracle? It was one of astonishment (5:9). But why did Jesus continue to say, “Do not be afraid; from now on you will be catching men” (5:10)? Was the word “afraid” an accurate description of the feelings of the fishermen? What probably would the fishermen be afraid of?
I think the fishermen were afraid that if Jesus continued to stay with them, sooner or later, all their boats would be sunk and they would lose all their means of earning their living. This Galilean rabbi was such a powerful and persuasive person. He must be a very holy man. You don’t feel worthy to stand in his presence. Perhaps Peter was calculating in his head the potential costs of boats sunk in the future. When he allowed Jesus to steer his life for a short while, not only did Jesus cause him troubles but he also cost him his earning tools. He did not want to lose control of his life. So Peter says, “Depart from me, Lord, for I’m a sinful man.” Actually, it was a polite way to send this “holy rabbi” away. Peter wanted to take back the control of his own life. However, in rejecting Jesus’ continuation to steer his life, Peter became a sinful man like what happened during Jesus’ Passion!

Brethren! It is difficult for us Catholics to acknowledge that we are sinful men. Remember the rich young man mentioned in the gospel of Mark? When Jesus said to him, “You know the commandments: ‘you shall not kill; you shall not …’” (Mark 10:19) I guess most of us would answer as the rich young man did, “Teacher, all of these I have observed from my youth.” (10:20). Frankly speaking, who among us have been convicted of murder, arson, driving recklessly so that somebody got killed? If we had, we would not be sitting here, but serving sentences in prisons. Which one of us needs to steal? Even if we don’t have enough cash, we can still use our credit cards, right? As for adultery, none of us are billionaires. We are not qualified to commit adultery. So, I am confident to draw the conclusion that we are NOT sinful men though sometimes we don’t want to offend people and so we don’t tell the whole truth!
In short we are not sinful if we measure ourselves by the Ten Commandments and by the precepts of the Church only. However, if we hold fast to our own way of life, not allowing Jesus to steer our directions in life, we are truly sinful men, like Peter and Judas at the moments of Jesus’ Passion. We are sinful when we forget that our Lord is merciful. We are sinful when we reject His continual encouragement, telling us, “Don’t be Afraid to follow me”!
God bless!
2016 Reflection
Picture Credit: fr.wikipedia.org

Let’s Ride Tigers 虎年騎虎

Let’s Ride Tigers

by Deacon Alex

According to the Chinese Zodiac, this is the year of Tiger. Chinese are enchanted by this feline for several reasons. First of all, the stripe pattern on its forehead looks like the Chinese character “king 王”. Secondly, the movements of this huge and ferocious predator are majestic. Moreover, it always hunts alone. That’s why a Chinese idiom goes, “A mountain is unable to house two tigers 一山不能藏二虎” , suggesting its sovereignty is exclusive, like kings’. Another idiom goes further to liken harsh governments to ferocious tigers 苛政猛於虎. Therefore, in the Chinese mind, tigers are the genuine “king of the jungle”, not lions.

All cultures are equal before challenges and difficulties. Perhaps that’s the reason why both the English language and the Chinese language have a nearly identical idiom in describing perilous situations from which it is dangerous to run away, viz. “He who rides a tiger is afraid to dismount 騎虎難下”. In English, a similar idea is expressed as “to have a tail by the tail”.
However, similarity stops here. Each culture has established different strategies to handle dangerous situations. To begin with, why does anyone want to ride a tiger? In Chinese, an idiom goes “In the company of the king is in the proximity of a tiger伴君如伴虎”. Despite the risks, who doesn’t want to get near the king in order to inflate one’s power and wealth? So, what are the rules of engagement with the king so that one may get away without being bitten?

Since we are still within the season of Lunar New Year, allow me not to quote the Bible but a Chinese classic “I-Ching易經”, aka “The Book of Changes” to illustrate the Chinese ways.
I-Ching is the paramount of Chinese philosophy enshrouded in oracles. From I-Ching, western mathematicians have developed binary arithmetic which is the foundation of modern computers. In Chinese culture, I-Ching inspires all branches of knowledge, from the art of war to medicine, and from eating to tripod-making. Among the Sixty-Four Oracles expounded in I-Ching, the tenth oracle calls up a curious imagery. The tenth oracle is labelled “Li 履” which means “a shoe” and by extension, “to walk” or “to step on”. Oracle “Li” reads: “Stepping on a tiger’s tail, it does not turn around to bite. No obstacle ahead. 履虎尾，不咥人，亨。” You may wonder how it is possible for the tiger not to bite. Is the tiger asleep or perhaps dead? No! It turns out that the word “Li” sounds the same as “禮” which roughly means “showing respect, having proper manners, following appropriation rules etc.” Therefore, the tenth oracle is an oracle exhorting caution, perseverance, prudence and proper procedures with which one is able to tread on a tiger’s tail without incurring any harm. These are the rules of engagement with a king, aka Tiger!

Brethren! Jesus Christ our king is not a tiger but the Good Shepherd. In our stead, He takes upon Himself all the bites of sin which are supposed to sink on us. Let us share a rightful portion to ride and beat up the tiger of sin like the legendary hero Wu Song武松 by putting into practices the advice from the Li Oracle: Practise caution, perseverance, prudence and proper manners to avoid the tiger’s bites of sin.
God bless!

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