Your Grace is Sufficient

Freedom and Authority

2012-01-27T10:52:00.002+08:00

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time Year B

A few years ago, a prayer group consisting of young people had their weekly meetings in one of the rooms at the back of the sacristy in the Church of the Assumption, PJ. One of the highlights of the meeting, the group being Charismatic in nature, was the deliverance session. Now, you may be thinking that this would only involve one or two of those young persons. But no, the deliverance session was opened to all and sundry. In other words, everyone got a good dose of deliverance. As you may expect, there was always lots of writhing, crying, screaming, and rolling on the floor as the symphony of tongues-speaking teenagers riddled with angst, anxiety and stress reached its apex. One day, my former Parish Priest, Fr Andre Volle, a big French man with a big heart and wry sense of humour was walking past the room. Those of you who know Fr Volle personally would remember that he is hard of hearing and yet his hearing aid seems to miraculously pick up the weirdest sounds, pitches and tones which are inaudible to most ears. On that eventful day, as he walked pass the room, his hearing aid picked up and magnified the sounds that was coming from the room. He opened the door and saw the scene before him, more than half of the participants were on the floor crying out for deliverance. Fr Volle instinctively shouted, “Leave the Devil Alone”, and slammed shut the door. All the young people immediately got up from the floor and recovered their senses. It was as if the devil had actually been chased out of them. Now, that’s authority for you!

We can often get lost in today’s gospel story by paying undue attention to the exorcism performed by Jesus. I’m not going to go into an explanation or catechesis of demonic possession and the dynamics of exorcisms as I do not claim to be an authority in this area. What I can firmly say is that evil is more than the personification of an abstract concept and that the devil and his minions are real and sometimes do have influence on individuals who have decided to parlay with the dark forces.

Let’s, however, move away from the dramatic elements of this encounter between good and evil to consider two concepts or themes which are being highlighted in the readings – they are ‘authority and freedom.’ A possessed man is freed from the clutches of the devil. Another man exercises authority. What is the relationship between the two? Or to be more precise, what is the relationship between authority and freedom?

"Authority" is a word that makes most people think of law and order, direction and restraint, command and control, dominance and submission, respect and obedience. We look upon authority too often and focus over and over again as if there is something wrong with authority. We see only the oppressive side of authority. One tragedy of our time is that, having these associations, "authority" has become almost a dirty word in our post modern society, while opposition to authority in schools, families, society and the church generally is cheerfully accepted as something that is at least harmless and perhaps rather fine. Maybe it comes out of our history and our background.

Since the Protestant Reformation, we have witnessed an ever increasing revolt against authority, first in the forms in which it was manifested and then against the principal itself. None of its important forms has been immune from assault. The assault was first directed against dominant institutions of Church and State. But the control exercised by Church and State in combination had entered into all phases and aspects of life, in belief and conduct alike. Hence attack upon ecclesiastical and political institutions spread to science and art, to standards and ideals of economic and domestic life.

This attack on all forms of authority has a corollary – it is freedom. According the critics of authority, the sphere of authority encroaches on the sphere of freedom, thus instating oppression and tyranny. Freedom is always seen as involving rejection of authority! Authority is equated with fixed limits, freedom with cutting loose from all that. Ultimately, this tension has led to the demarcation of two separate spheres, one of authority and one of freedom.

Today, ‘freedom’ is often seen as a magical word that acts as the justification of all actions and values. Since WWII, when freedom fighters who fought against dictators began to define their aims in terms of Four Freedoms – freedom from want, freedom from fear, freedom of speech and freedom of religion – freedom in one form or another has been a worldwide passion, encouraged and catered at every level. Playboy carries the torch for sexual freedom. Firearms or guns manufactures lobby the U.S. Congress for the right of every American to carry firearms. What we don't see is that freedom is not a concept or a license in which people can do anything they want, be anything they can be.

What kind of authority are today’s readings referring to? Here, the readings stressed this point that ‘authority’ is a relational word which signifies the right to rule based on its source. Today, the people who witnessed the act of Jesus commanding the evil spirit to leave the possessed man recognized an authority which did not just come from years of studies as in the case of the scribes or Pharisees. It was not an authority that came from belonging to a class or category entrusted with official ministerial duties, as in the case of the priests and the levites. It was not an authority that emerge from associating with a long lineage of prominent rabbinical masters. Jesus’ authority flows from who he is and not what he has acquired or done. Jesus is the Son of God, and that is his source of authority. Authority is at the heart of his message, the gospel of the Kingdom of God.

Authority is also based on an objective truth, the relationship between the one who exercises authority and the one who confers authority. The authority of the bishop, for example, comes from Christ through apostolic succession. It does not depend on his popularity, intelligence or how he is viewed by his flock. Today, the object has been supplanted by the dictatorship of the subject. What do I mean by this? Many people are prepared to submit to authority as long as authority concurs with them. In other words, I obey authority as long as it suits me, when I sense that the authority is being reasonable, when I feel that the authority has my best interest in mind, when authority does not intrude into my private sphere or demand changes from me. What has really taken place here is that the authority vested in the objective relationship between the one exercising authority and his source, is now transferred to the subject, the individual. Thus, we are an authority onto ourselves.

What then do the readings say about freedom? Freedom is often conceived as freedom from restraint and limitations and freedom to make decisions and to act. But the readings provide a definition of freedom that is very different. Although it speaks of freedom ‘from’, it also points to freedom ‘for.’ This definition starts with freedom from and freedom not to — in this case, freedom from the guilt and power of sin, and freedom not to be dominated by tyrannical self-will — but it centers on freedom for: freedom for God, freedom to love and serve one’s Maker and fellow-creatures, freedom for the joy, hope and contentment which God gives to sinners who believe in Christ. The man who was possessed was freed ‘from’ the power of evil, in order that he may be freed for the kingdom. His freedom was realized in his submission to the authority of Christ.

Thus freedom is freedom not to do wrong, but to do right; not to break the moral law, but to keep it; not to forget God, but to cleave to him every moment, in every endeavor and relationship; not to abuse and exploit others, but to lay down one’s life for them. The Catechism of the Catholic Church reaffirms the intimate link between human freedom and the authority of God when it teaches that “Human freedom is a force for growth and maturity in truth and goodness; it attains its perfection when directed toward God, our beatitude” (CCC 1731) “As long as freedom has not bound itself definitively to its ultimate good which is God, there is the possibility of choosing between good and evil, and thus of growing in perfection or of failing and sinning.” (CCC 1732) From this we can clearly see the role of authority, which is to direct human freedom along the course for which it was created and given to humanity. Authority becomes the beacon or lighthouse along the whole horizon of possibilities. Authority is the set of lights that demarcate the runway for a safe landing. Authority is the anchor that continuously roots human freedom in the good and in God.

Thus, the readings remind us today the individualistic subjective philosophy of society was wrong in setting authority and freedom in opposition to one another. In the gospel, the authority of Christ is not merely lordship and power over all things, although this seems to be manifest throughout the gospels. However, the striking fact about Christ’s authority is that it also means freedom. Jesus taught with authority, not simply because he displayed lordship and power, but also because he brought liberation to the human soul. Thus, for Christians, there is no false dichotomy between freedom and authority. Freedom without authority will ultimately lead to enslavement to one form of addiction or another or to man’s own intrinsic tyranny. Authority, which does not facilitate freedom, will also lead to the abuse of power and external tyranny. Our faith requires attention to maintain the intimate and organic union these two things: of authority and freedom.

When the Church and its leaders exercises authority today, it does so as a prophetic act and not because they are trapped in the distant past of despotic undemocratic monarchs. When the Church and its leaders continue to teach, to sanctify and to govern with authority, they choose to bring about the union of the People of God who are called to be one as Christ and the Father are one. When they act with authority, they make present the voice of Christ who continues to proclaim the timeless gospel message: “The time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is hand. Repent and Believe in the good news.” What we should fear is when our leaders abdicate such authority in the name of democracy and allow the truths which they promise to defend and protect be bartered for socially acceptable mores. By doing so, they fail not only to silence their own voice or that of the Church. They silence the voice of Christ – a Christ who has no more authority to teach, to sanctify and govern his people.

It's Who You are, Not What you Do

2012-01-21T19:49:00.001+08:00

Homily for First Mass of Fr David Arulunatham

A new priest after his ordination was getting all nervous for his first mass. He was convinced that he would just clam up when it came to the time to deliver his first homily. He then went to consult the senior parish priest and asked for some good advice on how to overcome his fears. The senior priest replied, "When I am worried about getting nervous on the pulpit, I put a glass of vodka next to the water glass. If I start to get nervous, I take a sip."

So next Sunday he took the senior priest’s advice. At the beginning of the sermon, he got nervous and took a drink. Correction – he took several drinks. He then miraculously proceeded to talk up a storm. Quite happy with his own accomplishment and hoping to get some good reviews from parishioners and his senior, the new priest returned to his office only to find a note from the senior priest posted on his office door. It read.

1. Sip the Vodka, don't gulp.
2. There are 10 commandments, not 12.
3. There are 12 disciples, not 10.
4. Jesus was consecrated, not constipated.
5. The Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are not referred to as Daddy, Junior and the Spook.
6. When Jesus broke the bread at the Last Supper he said, "Take this and eat it of it for this is my body." He did not say "Eat me."
Yours sincerely,
Revd Fr Michael

The reason why I’m up here at the ambo and not our newly ordained priest, Fr David, is not because he had a little too much to drink. It has nothing to do with alcohol but everything to do with the inspiration of the Spirit. Fr David has asked me to preach at his first mass because this is an ancient treasured custom of the church for a senior priest, which I do not claim to be, preaches at the first mass celebrated by the newly ordained.

Something has changed since last Monday, the day Fr David was ordained to the priesthood. For all purposes, Fr David still looks the same. We do not expect any drastic physical transformation where he will suddenly transform into a one ton lorry or a small mini miner. He still speaks in the same way as many of you had known him before. Fr David’s passion for cooking and flower arrangements has not changed. His strong commanding voice still soothes the wounded soul and send shivers down the spine of those who are up to no good.

So, what are some of the changes that we see today? His clothing would be most apparent to the discerning eye. He has exchanged his deacon’s dalmatic, the uniform of a servant or waiter, for a chasuble, which symbolizes putting on Christ. His name has also changed. He is no longer Mr David Arulanatham or Br David or Deacon David. We now address him as Fr David. He has taken his rightful place at the sedile, or the presidential chair, denoting that he now acts in the person of Christ the King, Christ who is head of his body – in persona capitis Christi. Today, we will witness him consecrating bread and wine and not just merely assisting at the altar.

But there is a far more profound change that has taken place in Fr David. A change which is invisible to the eye but can be recognized by faith. The extrinsic changes that we see, changes to his clothing, roles, functions, and duties, are founded on the intrinsic change which we cannot see with the naked eye. Fr David has undergone an ontological change, a change of his whole being. The priesthood is more than just a profession or a function, it is a new identity, a new calling, a new creation. As St Paul beautifully explains the experience of such change in Gal 2:20, “It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me.”

Thus, the priesthood and baptism are both intimately link. Both sacraments do not only confer grace but effect an ontological change in the person who receives it. The Church’s catechism speaks of this as leaving an indelible mark, quite similar to the indelible ink that we are speaking of using in the next general elections. But this indelible mark left by the sacraments of baptism, confirmation and holy orders can never be erased. It represents the undying fidelity of God to his promises and his graces, promises that will never be broken and graces that will never be withdrawn even in the face of man’s infidelity.

In baptism, we are made children of God, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people set apart for the worship of God. In baptism, we become a new creation. The old has been put to death on the cross. We experience a regeneration or a rebirth to everlasting life. In Holy Orders, the priest who is taken from the lay faithful who have been baptized, experiences another ontological change. The priest is configured to Christ at his ordination in a way calling for a permanent and lasting commitment, through a share in Christ’s eternal priesthood. The priest does not just emulate Christ. He is not just a substitute or a stand-in for Christ. Through ordination, the priest becomes Christ.

This last statement may sound excessive. But this pales in comparison to writings of St John Marie Vianney, the Cure de Ars, the patron saint of Parish Priests and diocesans. The Cure of Ars was quite humble, yet as a priest he was conscious of being an immense gift to his people: "A good shepherd, a pastor after God's heart, is the greatest treasure which the good Lord can grant to a parish and one of the most precious gifts of divine mercy". He spoke of the priesthood as if incapable of fathoming the grandeur of the gift and task entrusted to a human creature: "O, how great is the priest! ... If he realized what he is, he would die. ... God obeys him: he utters a few words and the Lord descends from heaven at his voice, to be contained within a small host".

In spite of the fact that many of these statements may sound audacious and even narcissistic, St John Marie Vianney’s words of wisdom are a reminder to priests that their ministry is founded not merely on function, talents, personality and abilities. Too often, a priest confuses his function with his identity which ultimately leads to a disavowal of his calling. When priests try so hard to be like the ordinary Joe or just one of the guys, he substitutes Christ whom he represents for the man whom he tries to be for the people. When the image of Christ is erased, what is left is the pure personality of the man. A priest’s worth then depends on his popularity, his abilities and his effectiveness. On the other hand, when priests are able to own and live up to their vocation as holy ministers of God, governing, sanctifying and teaching his flock, then their people will learn to live up to their own respective vocations to sanctify the world through their lay calling.

Now does this mean that you would see a very different Fr David. A Fr David incapable of making mistakes. A Fr David who will always be patient, kind, gentle, holy, compassionate, understanding, loving, and forgiving. In other words, are we expecting to see a new Fr David who is perfect and without sin? Let us not confuse the process of ordination with Canonization! Priests like everyone else remain sinners. But just like everyone else, he is called to holiness and through the sacrament of holy orders, he is called especially to configure himself to Christ who is Priest, Prophet and King. Ordination means that the hands of the sinner priest can be transformed by the Holy Spirit into the hands of Christ when celebrating the Eucharist, or anointing the dying, or absolving the penitent sinner, or offering blessing. God continues to use this unworthy and sometimes broken instrument to be his channel of grace of the world. By the grace of God, the priest offers his priesthood at all times in the name and person of Jesus. The weakness and sinfulness of a priest does not take away the efficacy of God’s grace but rather accentuates the truth that all is graced and that nothing can be accomplished without the grace and power of God.

Finally, dear Fr David, I would like to share with you a beautiful reflection by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, in his homily at the concluding mass for the Year of the Priest that summarises what I have clumsily been trying to share with you:
“The priest is not a mere office-holder, like those which every society needs in order to carry out certain functions. Instead, he does something which no human being can do of his own power: in Christ’s name he speaks the words which absolve us of our sins and in this way he changes, starting with God, our entire life. Over the offerings of bread and wine he speaks Christ’s words of thanksgiving, which are words of transubstantiation – words which make Christ himself present, the Risen One, his Body and Blood – words which thus transform the elements of the world, which open the world to God and unite it to him. The priesthood, then, is not simply “office” but sacrament: God makes use of us poor men in order to be, through us, present to all men and women, and to act on their behalf. This audacity of God who entrusts himself to human beings – who, conscious of our weaknesses, nonetheless considers men capable of acting and being present in his stead – this audacity of God is the true grandeur concealed in the word “priesthood”

Repent and Believe

2012-01-21T00:05:00.003+08:00

Third Ordinary Sunday Year B

It is interesting to note how statistics can often serve as a device to soften the harsh blows of reality. Numbers tend to provide us with false consolation that these realities reflected by the statistics are kept at bay and will not touch us. One of the statistics that would trigger the interest of many would be that concerning human mortality or rather causes of death. Did you know - That the largest killer which is medically certified is Ischaemic heart disease which stands at 12.9%, followed by pneumonia at 7%, cerebrovascular disease at 6.6%, septicaemia at 6.0% and transport accidents at 5.8%. It’s funny how we often have to find a reason for death. When the doctors can’t determine the reason, they would then label it as ‘unknown causes.’ This seems to imply that if someone did not suffer from a heart attack or cancer, or a stroke or a car accident or something else, the person would not die. That’s ridiculous, right? Let me give you some real statistics. The reality is this, all of us will die, that’s 100%!

Is doesn’t matter when we die - We may die at 90 years old or we may die at 10. It doesn’t matter how we may die – we may die of old age, or we may die of sickness, or we may die as a result of an accident. The fact of the matter is – we all die. No matter how long you may live, no matter how healthy you may be, death comes surely to each and every one of us. Life is short. It is only at death that all will be revealed – what is of value and what is of little value.

Why all this talk about the inevitability of death? Does it stem from some sick morbid sense of humour on my part? Well, all this discussion about the inevitability of mortality is what the readings are trying to remind us today. The people whom the readings were being addressed to were all living comfortable and anxious-free lives. They were marrying and having children, carrying on their businesses, going to school and getting an education. They were trying to achieve their ambitions – becoming richer, more powerful, more comfortable lifestyles, and generally trying to be happier. The readings, however, were God’s attempt at reminding them that all these things which they regard as so important in this life will come to naught at death. Death makes us wiser if we are prepared to listen to it. It teaches us that nothing that we have accumulated in this life – our riches, power, possessions, popularity – none of these things can be brought over to the next life.

In today’s gospel, Jesus begins his good news with these words: “The time has come and the kingdom of God is close at hand. Repent, and believe the Good News.” When Jesus spoke of time here, he wasn’t talking about looking at your watch or at the time of the day or the month or the year. The word ‘time’ is a translation of the word ‘kairos.’ The Greeks have two words for time – ‘kronos’ and ‘kairos.’ ‘Kronos’, as the English derivative ‘chronology’ would suggest, speaks about measured time, that is time according to the clock, the calendar etc. Kairos, on the other hand, speaks of an opportune time, a time to act, a time to make a decision. Let me give you an example. Now it is 8.30 in the morning. That’s kronos. But its also time to decide whether I should come to church for mass or go to the mall for some shopping or perhaps spend a little more time in bed. That’s kairos.

Therefore, this is a paraphrase of Jesus’ message. “Now is the time for decision. It is a time to repent, in order words, to turn your back on everything which seems so important for the moment but would not bring you any closer to salvation. A Time to believe, to turn towards God. A time to follow Jesus and become his disciple. In this sense, the first disciples of Jesus lived out this call to repent and believe by leaving their professions and family in order to follow Jesus in this new way of life. Now is the time for conversion. Ultimately, conversion is needed when we wish to unseat the Ego, the self, from the throne of our hearts and instead make way for God, to become its rightful king. It is a time to put God first above all else. Thus, to repent and believe the Good news does not only mean feeling sorry for your past sins or taking time to study your catechism. To repent and believe is a conscious decision to turn your back on the life where self, the world, possessions, ambition, greed, selfishness, pride are reigning sovereigns in order that God may truly be Lord of our lives.” The decision has to be made now – not tomorrow, not next month or at the end of the year, or even next year. We are called to repentance “Now” because we will never know whether today will be our last.

Maybe it may seem strange to some of you that we mention death and repentance at the beginning of the year (or with Chinese New Year, just round the corner). It seems strange because our minds are filled with plans for the whole year – some project that we are working on at the moment, plans to get married, plans to have a child, plans to move into a new house, making plans to celebrate Chinese New Year next week. But have you ever really stopped to wonder that if death comes knocking at your door tonight or as soon as you step out of the church, what will become of your plans? All that we consider important now becomes unimportant at the point of death. The only thing that matters is the Kingdom of God – our relationship with God. Is God master of our lives? Have I placed him first above all else? If your answer to all these questions is “No,” its time now to Repent and Believe the Good News!

In today’s mass, let us pray that we will learn from the example given to us by the Ninevites in the first reading, pagans and unbelievers, but so ready to repent when they heard the message of the Lord delivered by Jonah. Let us also pray that we will be able to live out our identity as Christians, as followers of Christ, just like the first apostles who were called by Jesus in today’s gospel. Are we prepared to leave “our nets and follow him”? Are we prepared to let go of all our false securities and place our entire trust in God, the Lord of life and death?

What do you want?

2012-01-12T15:31:00.002+08:00

Second Ordinary Sunday Year B

Christmas is just over. Christmas presents would have long been opened, the boxes and wrappings discarded. Some people would have been overjoyed whilst others disappointed with the gifts they had received. It seems ironic at times that our benefactors would often ask us the question: What do you want? It would be ironic because many would actually not get what they wanted. Our requests would often be out of the budgetary reach of the giver. That’s obvious – because if the object was really cheap, we would have gotten it ourselves! But the gift is received with a polite smile albeit veiling a secret wish that next year, we would get lucky and finally receive what we really wanted.

What do you want? This is the question which Jesus asked his first set of disciples in today’s gospel reading. Although this is one of the most frequently asked questions, many of us have a hard time answering it. We might know what we want in the grand scheme of things—perhaps some version of health, happiness, and prosperity. But what do we want right now, in this moment?

Before we ask this pertinent question or make a request of another, though, we may want to take some time for reflection. For when we consider the question, “What do I want?” our first answer may be to ask for something that may just momentarily satisfy a thirst or desire. Having received what we had asked for, we may then have to live with regret for the rest of our lives for our folly and lack of far-sightedness. What we seem to want now may not really be what we want for the rest of our lives.

Our parents, our peers, and our culture have taught us that it is selfish to ask for what we want. Indeed, cultivating equanimity strengthens us when done as a spiritual pursuit. But if our “equanimity” is tinged with resentment or fear, then we are fooling ourselves. We would benefit ourselves and others by acknowledging the full range of our experience, and asking for what we want.

Whenever we ask this question, we may mean one of several things. First, we may be asking: “What do you want to have?” This is a question concerning possessions and things. Very often, God seems to be a big Santa Claus. We often think that God exist in order to meet our every needs. We often pray for this or for that? When we don’t get what we want, we often complain and blame God for our predicament. This question turns on the functionality of our relationship with God. God is as good as he delivers. God is a big vending machine who is expected to dispense his goodies when we press the right button.

Second, the question could mean “What do you want to do?” We often think that Christianity is about doing this or that. That is partially true but not entirely. Christianity refers primarily to who we are – to our identity. It is precisely because of our identity as Christians that we must do good and avoid evil. Therefore, our doing, our action flows from our identity – who we are. And this is who we are: “we are temples of the Holy Spirit.” We belong to God or as St. Paul writes in the second reading: “You are not your own property; you have been bought and paid for.”

Therefore, very likely Jesus wasn’t asking his disciples what they would like to have in terms of possession. Neither was he telling them what to do. Rather, Jesus was asking his disciples and each of us today: “What do you want to become?” The very essence of our Christian identity is relationship. Christians are called Christians because of their relationship to Christ and to God. They are disciples of Christ and sons and daughters of God.

Many of us do not really know what we want to become. We often think that it has to do with personal ambition. ‘I want to be rich.’ ‘I want to be successful.’ ‘I want to be doctor.’ ‘I want to be an engineer.’ Is this what Jesus meant? Certainly not. Jesus was trying to challenge these first disciples to take a deeper look into the foundation of their identity – he was challenging them to ask the most basic questions in life: Who am I? What is my purpose in life? What does God want me to become? What is my fundamental relationship to Christ and to God?

The problem is that many people do not ask these questions. Many have not thought of it while others choose not to think about it for one reason or another. Perhaps, we fear the changes that must take place in our lives if we try to find answers to those questions. We would certainly not be aware of these questions when our lives are cluttered by so many other noises and voices and other questions. What course should I take for my college education? Which house should I buy? Which man or woman shall I marry? What steps must I take to be more successful? The temptations of the world, power, riches, popularity, if we allow them to do so, sometimes drown out the voice of God.

We must learn to listen to the voice of God in prayer. We must learn to discern his voice and distinguish this voice from those of others. We must learn to listen as Samuel listened and say, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” When we are strangers to prayer, silence and reflection, we would allow ourselves to be consumed by our worldly ambitions and plans, define ourselves by work but fail miserably in preparing the most important thing which we all need – salvation of our souls.

In order to become the persons God intended us to become, in order to live out our dignity as God’s children, we must be followers of Jesus. We must learn to live and walk with Jesus. Jesus invites us each day to “Come and See” – to journey with him, to discover his plan for us, and to learn from him.

As we have begun a new year, we are presented with a whole range of possibilities, adventures and new opportunities. If asked this same question, many people would certainly ask for wealth, health, peace and success. But as Christians, when asked this question, we are reminded of the same question posed to our parents at our baptism. The answer is certainly none of the above but simply, eternal life. To the question ‘What do you want?’ which is asked by the priest, our answer should always be – “Eternal Life”, that is to know God, to love Him, to serve Him and be with Him in Paradise forever.

Always begin with the star

2012-01-05T10:56:00.005+08:00

Epiphany Year B

‘Always begin with the star!’ That would be the annoying piece of advice my brother had to offer me whenever we came to that time of the year when the Christmas tree had to be put up. I felt that he took great condescending pleasure in saying this to me because he knew that only he was tall enough to place the first bulb of the string of Christmas lights on the crown of the tree, just right behind the star. Since, I was vertically challenged during my growing years, I was given the task (what I presumed to be the less important task, menial in fact) to look into the decorations in the lower part of the tree. What compounded my frustration was that the Christmas lights which always had to begin at the top was never long enough to cover the whole height and breath of our tree. The lights would always stop three quarters down the tree, leaving ‘my section’ in apparent darkness. Due to the lack of light in the lower regions, my decorations, baubles and tinsels were all shielded in the shadows and my efforts appeared to be in vain.

I endured the humiliation and waited for the opportunity to finally assume the responsibility of deciding how to place the Christmas lights on the tree. If I had my way, I would start from the bottom. The time finally arrived when my brother left for his studies overseas. It then fell on me to set up the entire Christmas tree on my own. I was ecstatic at the realization that I would finally be able to put up the Christmas lights on my own and according to my own plans and not having to listen to the dictates of my brother.

And so I began with the first bulb at the bottom of the tree. I began twirling the lights around the tree, already imagining what a splendid looking final product awaited me at the end. But in my excitement and, of course, in my pride I had forgotten that the lights were not long enough. I started to stretch, rearrange, reposition the lights but despite my best efforts, those lights resisted all attempts to reach the top. As I stood back in exasperation, and to add further injury to my wounded pride, my mom popped out of the kitchen and took a single look at my handiwork and remarked: “You should have begun with the star. Have you already forgotten what your brother always tell you, “Always begin with the star!”

Today’s gospel provides us with the same universal and eternal wisdom – Always begin with the star. Unfortunately, not many were willing to take the advice. King Herod failed miserably in this area. He was too consumed with his own self-importance, to the extent that he self styled himself as Herod the Great, though he was an insignificant puppet ruler under the vast Roman empire. Herod, like so many of us, which to claim his stardom. He ruled out all others who will pose rivalry to his power and influence, even one who would be the saviour of his people. His insecurity blinded him to recognize the light of the star.

And then we had the scribes, Pharisees, priests and wise men whom Herod consulted. They knew of the predictions contained in scriptures. They were learned men who could read the signs and interpret its significance but because they were beholden to their royal patron and were unwilling to accept the changes that would be inaugurated by the coming King, they chose to cooperate with King Herod to frustrate God’s plans for salvation. Perhaps, the Jews have been so used to thinking about their religion in fixed ways. God is to be found on sacred mountains, in the Temple and in holy places. The Messiah being such a great figure in the prophecies must definitely be a powerful personage that has to be born into wealth and power. They were not prepared to accept the fact that God may choose to be born in a stable.

There were also the many hundreds and thousands of astrologers and scholars who would also have witnessed the sudden appearance of this strange star. They may even have divined its meaning. But what would have prevented them to taking steps to follow the star to its source. Perhaps, it was the risk of losing everything. The cost to be paid for making such a long perilous journey, fraught with uncertainties and all kinds of dangers, was just too high.

And finally, we have the wise men of today’s feast. They are popularly known as the three wise kings. Take note that nowhere in the gospel is the number or the royal lineage of these men mentioned. The number three corresponds with the three types of gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh. The idea of kings emerged later during the medieval period when the three kings came to represent the three great continents known to men at that time – Europe, Asia and Africa. But all of this is the stuff of legends. These wise men were probably astronomers or astrologers who divine people’s fate by looking at the stars.

What difference did the wise men bring to the story of Christmas? What set them apart from the other characters in the story? First, the wise men were not concerned with self-preservation. They were not so insecure to believe that their positions and status would be usurped by a new king. Second, the wise men were able to think outside the box. They were not confined by the restrictions of past experiences and fixed ways of thinking. Third, these wise men were prepared to pay the price. They left their homelands in search for the source of the star. They brought princely gifts that would have cost them a fortune if not their own lifelihood. They did this because they understood the true value of this encounter. They were going to meet the reason and cause of their salvation. They were going to meet their Lord.

The wise men, more than anyone else, could recognize that the real star of that story was Jesus. The star in the sky merely pointed the way for them to find the real star which had been born in Bethlehem.

Today, the gospels challenge us to recognize the Star – just like the star that led the wise men to Jesus. Our God is a God of surprises. If we are stuck to certain ways of thinking about God, God then becomes predictable – he ceases to be God. We must allow God to be God. This means that we must allow him to choose the way in which he wants to reveal himself. God can choose to reveal himself in the ordinary things of life. God can choose to come to us in a quiet and peaceful way and does not need to put on a big show of miracles. We must allow him to do things according to his plans and not according to our own will. Whenever we follow a star – whenever we follow a sign from God – a new idea – a new pastoral plan – a new direction – we may never know where it will lead us. We are merely asked to walk by faith. But if we are faithful and open to God’s will and direction, cast aside self interest, allow ourselves to be surprised by new experiences and willing to pay the heavy cost, then we will find Jesus and God at the end of our journey. He is waiting for us to find our way to him.

Let us pray that we will not get lost along the way. There will be times that we feel like giving up. There will be times other distractions draw our attentions. But if we ever get lost, there is always the star to remind us of our direction and destination. Always remember, it doesn’t begin with us, or with our plans, or with our self interests. It always begins with the Star.

A Year of Blessings

2011-12-30T11:34:00.002+08:00

Solemnity of Mary Mother of God Year B
New Year’s Day

You know what they say about the Chinese … OK, its not just the straight hair … we are unrepentant story tellers. Here’s an old story that comes from my tradition. Some of you may be familiar with this.

A father and his son were poor farmers. The only prized possession they had apart from the small piece of farm land which they tilled was an old horse. One day the horse ran away.
“How terrible, what bad luck, Mr Lim” said the neighbours.
“Good luck, bad luck, who knows?” replied the wise old farmer.
Several weeks later the horse returned, bringing with him four wild mares.
“What marvellous luck, Mr Lim” said the neighbours.
“Good luck, bad luck, who knows?” replied the old man.
The son began to tame and train the wild horses, but one day he was thrown and broke his leg.
“Oh dear! What bad luck,” said the neighbours.
“Good luck, bad luck, who knows?” replied the farmer.
The next week the army came to the village and conscripted all the able bodied young men in the village. The farmer’s son was still disabled with his broken leg, so he was spared. “So … Good luck, bad luck, who knows?”

So what’s in store for this coming New Year? Good luck or bad luck? As we stand at the threshold of a new year, it is natural that many would attempt to divine their fortune for the following year. We would certainly like to ward off the misfortune that we had experienced in the past year and pray for a real break in fortune for the next. You don’t have to grab an almanac or get the latest Lillian Too’s feng shui book for 2012 in order to get your annual predictions. Today’s liturgy and readings provides us with all the projection that is necessary.

On the first day of the New Year, the Church celebrates the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God. But this feast isn’t really about Mary. It’s about Jesus. By celebrating this feast of Mary and affirming that she is Mother of God, we are also affirming that Jesus is God. Mary is not only the mother of Jesus, she is also the mother of God. Jesus is God. The baby that was born on Christmas day, the baby whom some call the Son of Mary, today we acknowledge as the true Son of God.

We may be wondering as to what significance this knowledge brings to us. The answer lies in the second reading. St. Paul writes: “When the appointed time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born a subject of the Law, to redeem the subjects of the Law and to enable us to be adopted as sons.” That’s it. God’s Son became man so that we can become sons and daughters of God. Our salvation did not only take place on the cross. Our salvation begins with Christmas – when God became man. Today’s feast of Mary, Mother of God, confirms this central faith of Christians everywhere … our Saviour is not just some great human personage or enlightened soul, our Saviour is God. Christmas is the feast where we celebrate and proclaim our faith that this immortal Deity took on the flesh and mortality of a human person in order that all humanity may assume the divinity of his nature. Son of God became man in order that men may become sons of God.

Thus, if we were to wonder whether the following year will be filled with blessings or curses, we already have the answer. This is our greatest blessing – being called children of God. We often pray that God will bless us with good luck, or with riches, or with good results at our exams, or with good children, or a good bonus or win fall, or with success. But we often forget that his greatest blessing isn’t in all these things. God’s greatest blessing isn’t found in good luck or riches or in success. His greatest blessing comes in the form of our adoption as his children. We can call him “Abba Father” and he calls us his sons and daughters. This is our most precious blessing.

Mary understood the meaning of this truth – that our greatest blessing lay not in fortunes, good luck, and perfect conditions but in our new relationship with God. Today, in the gospel we read of how “Mary treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart.” What were some of the things she treasured? Instead of having rich and powerful visitors, she was contented with the visit of poor and humble shepherds. The shepherds were not rich or powerful but their presence was far greater than the presence of any king or rich man because the shepherds could recognize the blessing of God in the baby Jesus, while others couldn’t. Any mother could have wished that they could have delivered their baby in a clean hospital or a comfortable house, but Mary was contented with the stable and the animals who shared their home with the holy family. Although rejected by men, the animals welcomed the Son of God.

How was Mary able to recognize these blessings in midst of what appears to be misfortune? Mary provides us with the example of prayerful reflection. Prayerful reflection allows us to walk by faith and not by sight. Prayerful reflection allows our vision to penetrate the darkness of misfortune in order for us to behold the face of God who continues to shine on us in both good times and bad. When we are unable to savour silent prayer, meditation and contemplation, we will find ourselves impoverished. When we recognize God’s greatest gift and blessing in the person of Jesus who made us sons and daughters of God, then we will be contented with whatever we have. If we are sons and daughters of God, then we are also his heirs. What is the inheritance that we will receive? Our inheritance is eternal life, in that which is imperishable and not in the worldly possessions that are perishable. We don’t have to wait till after death to claim it in heaven. This inheritance is already ours – Now! We are children of God, that is a treasure in itself – and we have no need for any other.

So, what’s my two cents worth of prediction for the following year? Would it be a good year or a bad year? Let me tell you without any doubt – it’s going to be a splendid year, a great year, a marvelous year – a year of blessings. A year where we can continue to be assured of our inheritance that has been won for us in Christ.

And so as we rejoice with Mary over the treasure of her son, Jesus, the Son of God, I pray that you will receive God’s every blessing, especially the blessing of being called children of God. Using the words of Moses, let me say to you:
“May the Lord bless you and keep you
May the Lord let his face shine on you and be gracious to you.
May the Lord uncover his face to you and bring you peace.”

Greatness wrapped in humility

2011-12-22T11:49:00.003+08:00

Christmas Dawn Mass Year B

If you had attended last night’s midnight service you would have heard the words of the angel who announced the good news of Christ’s birth to the shepherds. The sign by which they are to identify the saviour would be this, “You will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger."

Not much of sign. Truth be told, it would actually seem to be an anticlimax for many who had awaited for Israel’s salvation. After the powerful announcement made last night with a full angelic choral presentation - a more dramatic entry would have been expected at this morning’s mass – with lots of pyrotechnics, trumpets blaring, distinguished and influential audience present to witness the event. The only witnesses of this event apart from the Holy Family seemed to have just been a disparate group of shepherds and some dumb animals in a stable.

The discovery of the shepherd when they came to the place where the infant was born and now lay wrapped in swaddling clothes parallels another discovery made at dawn, the breaking of light after the long darkness of night – the women disciples of Christ who came early to the tomb where their master was laid were also surprised to discover an empty tomb. In both scenarios, one that comes at the beginning of the story whereas the other at its very end, story writers would have opted for a more dramatic presentation. But the lack of accouterments and frills is deliberate, at least from a theological perspective. It highlights rather than dims the profound significance of this event – the mystery of Christmas.

So what is the mystery revealed by this epiphany? Greatness is wrapped in humility. Power is couched in vulnerability. The presence of God is concealed in his seeming absence. In the Day mass for Christmas, we will hear the beautiful prologue of John’s Gospel declare, “And the Word was made flesh and made his dwelling among us.” This is the same Word , who is God for all eternity, by whom all creation was made, and who chooses to become flesh, and become a helpless child wrapped in swaddling clothes to lie in a feeding trough of animals rather than some gilded cot in a palace. “Flesh” or ‘sarx’ in Greek evokes not only humanity but also weakness, fragility and mortality. It connotes being human and mortal with all its limitations and weaknesses.

In various times and in many different ways, God reveals himself to the people of Israel through signs and wonders. He reveals himself in his power and transcendence. But in time, God reveals himself in weakness: he becomes a man – a weak child born into a poor and non-influential family, a child who will grow to be man who will be crucified, sentenced to death as a heinous criminal. He accepts the limitations of human nature and the risk of hostility and rejection.

Christ’s descent to our ‘flesh’ and our fragility is the ultimate manifestation of God’s love: it enables us to rise with him. God became weak that we might become strong. St Athanasius of Alexandria puts it beautifully, “He became what we are that he might make us what He is.” Or in a more audacious statement, St John Chrysostom declares, “God became man in order that we might become gods.” In the third Christmas preface, we hear these words, “God has become one with man, and man has become one again with God.” It goes on to say that when the eternal Word took upon himself our human weakness, he gave our mortal nature immortal value.

So, today, we are invited to follow the shepherds to hurry to the manger of the Lord and to behold the beauty of God’s love manifested in the Christ Child. There is no need for accouterments, pyrotechnics, drum rolls, trumpet blasts and cannon salutes, just silent adoration as we kneel before our king, the Lord of all ages now wrapped in swaddling clothes. In our silence, we may perhaps hear the inspired words of an ancient Egyptian Christian who penned these words as if they were the words of Christ himself, “I became little so that in my littleness I could carry you to the height from where you have fallen. I will carry you on my shoulders.”

Light shines brightest in Darkness

2011-12-22T11:41:00.002+08:00

Christmas Midnight Mass Year B

When I was a child I used to be afraid of the dark. I shared a room with my older brother but that was no consolation. My brother would take great delight in aggravating my night fears by making spooky noises and sounds in the next bed. He would often tell me stories of ghosts, vampires and witches that will snatch me from my bed and whisk me away into the night. Sometimes I’ll pull the covers over the head to prevent the vampires from sucking my blood dry in the night. I had my revenge – well, at least in my dreams. My dreams often contained a simple narrative where he turns into a werewolf or vampire and then pursues me round the house. The story would, however, always have a happy ending. The both of us would end up in the kitchen where I would take my mom’s vegetable chopper and gleefully chop him to pieces! I also had another manner of revenge. I would plead with my parents to keep a small light lit throughout the night. Of course, my brother hated to sleep with the lights on. But, then it’s payback time!

I can’t remember when I finally slept without the lights on. It seems that I just grew out of it. I had prayed that the darkness would just go away. But eventually learnt to live with it with the sure confidence that I would not be consumed by it and there was always the certain hope of the next day’s dawning light. But being an adult doesn’t mean that we have grown out of all our fears. In fact, many adults have acquired more fears than when they were children. There are many things that we are fearful of, and I’m not even speaking of neurotic phobias. These fears resemble the darkness of our childhood. Such fears can range from fear of creepy crawlies to fear of what appears to be oddly ordinary, such as persons and flying. Still others are frightened of the unknown. Many are frightened of death. Today, most of us continue to live in fear. We fear the uncertainty of the future. We fear that our loved ones will leave us. We fear failure. We fear that people will laugh at us. We fear that no one will love us, and so we try to please everyone in order to make them like us or love us. We fear the changes that are taking place: our children growing up; our friends moving away; losing a job. And because we live with so much fear, we too look for that light in the darkness that will reassure us that everything is fine.

The darkness has come to symbolize everything that doesn’t seem right in our lives – our frustrations, our setbacks, our losses, our failures, our pains and hurts. We try to break free of the darkness on our own, but sometimes the prison in which we find ourselves encased in seems too formidable or large for our very best efforts. But the experience of the darkness has also brought about a greater appreciation of its antithesis. In a way, darkness has taught me to appreciate the light. One often fails to appreciate or recognize the light unless one sees the stark contrast when it is juxtaposed against the dark.

On this Christmas night, we see the interplay of light and darkness. The Prophet Isaiah in the first reading prophesied that a people who live in darkness will see a great light. The fulfillment comes in the gospel story of shepherds caring for their flock in the fields on that first Christmas night. These shepherds are away from the hustle and bustle of urban living, away from the light pollution of the cities that dim our vision of the stars. They truly live and work in darkness. But it is not just physical darkness that we are speaking of. The shepherds were often regarded as the scum and refuse of society. They were frequently stereotyped as petty thieves, cheats, and were regarded ritually unclean by their more pious and righteous neighbours. The darkness in their lives encompassed both sin and alienation. They were proverbially ‘the people who lived in darkness.’ It may seem strange and out of place to see that the angels chose to appear before them to bring good news of the birth of a new King. It would not be surprising, however, if we can understand how light stands out brighter in the midst of darkness. The city folks who were often enamoured by other bright attractions and those others who had everything together that very night, would pay little attention to a strange constellation of stars. The artificial lights of their lives had blinded them to seeing the true light. Only those who live in darkness and could recognize their very situation could hope, long and expect to see the light.

Today, Our Saviour has been born to us! He is that light in the darkness! He is the Messiah long promised by God through the prophets! He is the Prince of Peace and the Lord of Lords! In today’s gospel, the angels announce his arrival with these words: “Do not be afraid!” “Do not be afraid” because a child is born for us, “a son given to us and dominion is laid on his shoulders; and this is the name they give him: Wonder-Counsellor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

All of these do not make any sense to someone who seem to have it all together. Who looks for a Saviour unless one feels the need to be saved? Who searches for the light unless one is experiencing darkness? Who strives for peace unless they are undergoing turmoil? Who cries out for strength unless one knows fear? We often come to a sorry conclusion that Christmas isn’t Christmas till it happens in your heart – a song that tends to equate our subjective feelings with the essence of Christmas. There is often an erroneous presumption that unless everything is perfect or goes according to plan, then our Christmas will be disaster. If this is really the criteria by which Christmas should be judged, then the first Christmas would be a massive catastrophe – the census came at a wrong time, the delivery room was a sanitary nightmare and the birth could have happened under better times and circumstances. Yet, it in spite of so many things going wrong, it remained nevertheless the first Christmas, the greatest Christmas ever celebrated. A celebration of light in the midst of darkness.

This is what Christmas is all about. Christmas isn’t about the absence of darkness, but being able to see the light in spite of the darkness, a light which the darkness can never consume, a light which will prevail, a light which will show us the way. We, who have walked in darkness, in the darkness of sin, in the darkness of our fears, in the darkness of our failures, loss and disappointments, have now seen a great light. It is Jesus Christ. St. Paul tells us in the second reading: “He sacrificed himself for us in order to set us free from all wickedness and to purify a people so that it could be hive very own and would have no ambition except to do good.” Therefore, “Do not be afraid.”

If you are afraid of being alone, if you are afraid of growing old alone, “do not be afraid” because you will never be alone, God is with you. If you are afraid of the future, if you are anxious about what is going to happen to you, “do not be afraid” because God has already established his kingdom of peace, and nothing will prevail against it. If you are afraid of making certain difficult decisions, if you are afraid of standing up for the truth, “do not be afraid” because “God’s grace has been revealed, and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race and taught us that what we have to do is to give up everything that does not lead to God … that we must be self-restrained and live good and religious lives here in this present world.”

On that first Christmas Day, the angels announced this news of great joy to the shepherds. Today the angels and the saints and the entire Church announces this same good news to you: “Today a saviour has been born to you, he is Christ the Lord.”

天主给的礼物

2011-12-17T00:54:00.003+08:00

将临期第四主日

我们都知道圣诞期间是给予的时期。我们忙着为他人买礼物。我们尽量为对方物色适合的礼物。但，事实上，我们通常所选的都是我们所喜欢的。因为我们所喜欢的礼物，我们也以为那人必会喜欢。

这也是读经一中的达味王所想的。这时的达味王已年老并打了无数的胜战，他想可以退休享受晚年了。然而，他感到内疚因没有为天主做些什么。为此，达味王决定为天主建筑一座殿宇按放约柜。这是他给天主的礼物。他没想到这并不是天主所要的。

原本是达味王愿为天主建筑殿宇的。现在反过来却是天主祝福了达味王并许下他的王权，家室永远存在。达味王原想建殿宇为光荣天主，反而是天主光荣了达味王使他在万邦中成名。

我们常以为要做个好基督徒，我们必须把宝贵的献给天主。我们以为我们可以以我们的礼物贿赂天主。事情并不是这样的。一个好基督徒，首先而最重要的是要学习接纳天主所愿赐给我们的一切。

这就是玛利亚的特质。玛利亚没有什么可奉献给天主。她只不过是一位十四岁的女孩。没有人会认真看待一位孩童或青少年。她可以奉献什么给天主呢？而她是一个女人。在犹太的社会里，女人只是二等公民－她们的地位只比佣人稍高一点。玛利亚一无所有，没有才能，没有能力奉献什么给天主。天主却拣选她做他圣子的母亲并降福她。玛利亚在天主眼中获得宠幸因为她随时“聆听”。玛利亚之伟大皆因接纳领受天主赐给她的一切。

今天，我们或许认为没什么可献给天主。那可是真的－我们所献的并无所值。我们所有的都是天主所赏赐的。我们所能给于的并不重要。问题是我们必须问我们自己－我们是否准备从天主手中接纳一切？做个领受的人而不是给予的人并将自己放在施与者的权下。我们不能有所选择。我们只能选接受或拒绝所给于的。有时，这引起恐惧。但是没什么可怕的。我们被召把我们的生命交在天主的手里。我们必须让天主掌管我们的生命。

让我们与玛利亚齐声向天主说：“我是上主的婢女” － “我们只是上主的仆人”。 “愿照你的话成就于我！”

Giving and Receiving

2011-12-17T00:48:00.002+08:00

Fourth Sunday of Advent Year B

We all know that Christmas time is a time for giving. We are busy buying presents for one another. We try to choose the gift that will suit the person. But the truth is: many of us actually choose gifts that we would like. Because we like the gift, we often think that the other person would like it too.

This was what King David in the first reading thought. Being old now and having fought many wars, He thought that he could now retire and enjoy his life for the rest of his years. And yet, he felt guilty that he had not done enough for God. Therefore, David decided to build a temple to house the ark of the Covenant. It was his gift to God. Little did he realize that that was not what God wanted from him.

Instead of King David making a gift of the temple to God, the reverse happened – God blessed David and promised him a dynasty, a house, that will last forever. Instead of David attempting to glorify God by building the temple, God chose to glorify David – to make him great in the midst of all nations.

Many of us think that if we want to be good Christians, we must be able to give something which is precious to God. We think that we can bribe God with our gift. This is not so. Being good Christians, first and foremost, means learning to receive and accept from God’s hands whatever he wishes to give us.

This was the quality of Mary. She had nothing to give God. She was a young fourteen year old girl. No one takes a child or a teenager seriously. What could she offer God? She was a woman. In Jewish society, women were second class citizens – they were only a little higher than the servants. She had no possession, no talent, no power to offer to God. Yet God chose her as the mother of His Son and He blessed her. She had won God’s favour only by being attentive to God’s will. She had won God’s favour only because she was ready to ‘listen.’ Mary is great because she learnt how to receive and accept from the hands of God whatever He wished to give her.

Today, we may think that we have nothing to give God. That may be true – no gift of ours is worthy. Everything that we have comes from God. What we are capable of giving isn’t that important. The question we must ask ourselves- are we prepared to receive from God’s hands? To be the receiver instead of the giver places us in the power of the giver. We can’t choose the gift. We can only choose to accept or reject whatever is given to us. Sometimes, that can be frightening. But there is nothing to be afraid off. We are called to place our lives in the hands of God. We must allow God to take control of our lives.

Let us unite our voices with the voice of Mary: “I am the handmaid of the Lord” – “We are merely the servants of God”. “Let what you have said be done to me.”

Joy is the fruit of Hope, not naive optimism

2011-12-09T12:37:00.002+08:00

Third Sunday of Advent Year B

Today, I opened the newspapers and just like any other ordinary day of the week I’m confronted with a whole range of bad news, disasters and tragedies. Even if we were to come across some piece of good news, one isn’t really sure whether it’s the truth or just another propaganda churned out by the establishment. The politics in this country is really so bad that I don’t think I would even vote in the next elections. What’s the point? All the candidates would be equally abysmal. There is simply no hope that things are going to get better. The economy is going to the dogs and there is nothing I can do about it. My job is at risk, I’m not sure if I will be retrenched or whether I will be able to find a job after that. I can’t even migrate since I don’t have the money to do so and all these countries where my friends have migrated to have since imposed conditions that are impossible to fulfil. My doctor just diagnosed me with cancer and tells me that I’ve got a few more months to live. What am I complaining about? Perhaps, this is the best news yet. It would mean that I wouldn’t have to endure any more dreary years of pain and suffering. Recently, I’ve lost someone very dear to me and no amount of grieving is going to take away the pain of the loss. Sigh ….

This litany of sorrows and woes is just a simple demonstration to show that it is not difficult to see the negative, the dark and gloomy and to find ourselves stuck in a mire of despair. It is no wonder that so many people in our society are depressed, cynical and suicidal. Joy, on the other hand, is something elusive. We experience fleeting moments of happiness but then the looming darkness, which never really disappears, returns to burst the bubble of our naïve optimism.

Against this tide, not just a tide but a tsunami of despair, today’s liturgy shouts out this refrain: “Rejoice! Exult for Joy! Be happy at all times!” Our senses seem to want to shout back: “What’s there to be joyful about?” “Is the Church blind?” “Is God blind to our troubles?” Well, you need to understand that Joy is the central theme throughout the readings this Sunday. Indeed, the Third Sunday of Advent is called “Gaudete Sunday.” “Gaudete” is the Latin word meaning ‘rejoice.’ What joy can there be in the midst of so much pain, suffering, gloom and darkness? It is certainly not the joy that emerges from some false optimism on our part that things are going to get better – too often, we can attest to this, things in fact get worse. Neither is it the joy that comes from creating an illusory world in our minds where pain and suffering is denied. So what is this joy which the readings are speaking of? The answer lies in Christ. It is the joy of knowing that our Lord, the light of the World, is coming. He is coming to dispel the darkness of our lives.

We are called to rejoice, because the Lord is coming – he is coming to save us, to liberate us, and to give us new life. Many of us may be experiencing some form of darkness in our lives. We find ourselves in the midst of problems without any apparent solution. We see ourselves ‘captives’ of our difficult circumstances, there seems to be no way out. Our hearts may be broken because of rejection or we have been hurt by the actions and words of others. We see ourselves poor, hungering and thirsting for friendship, understanding and a sense of belonging. Some of us find ourselves trapped in the darkness of sin.

If we see ourselves in any of these situations, rejoice and be glad, because the today’s readings promise good news. This is the promise of God, as St. Paul tells us in the second reading: “God has called you and he will not fail you.” God is always faithful. God keeps his promise. God will not fail you. This is the good news of the prophet Isaiah in the first reading: The Spirit of the Lord has been given to us – it is good news to the poor, healing to the broken hearted, freedom to the captives, a message of blessing for everyone. The Good news is that which is announced by John the Baptist in the gospel – Jesus has come – he is the Light of the World – and he is waiting to enter into your hearts and into your lives once again.

Thus, Joy surprises us. It shows up in unexpected places. It goes against the tide. We often think that being pessimistic is realistic. It is joy which gives a realistic vision of life. When I speak of joy, here it is not the false optimism that things are going to get better in the near future or that you would find an answer to your predicament. Rather, this joy is one which springs from faith and hope – it is based on our hope and belief that God has not abandoned us even when we do not see him in the midst of our troubles.

St. Paul says, "Rejoice always!" It's not a suggestion, like "cheer up, " or "look on the sunny side." It is, rather, a command, "Rejoice." Not only when things are going well. Not just when I am getting my way - but always. "Rejoice always." St. Paul can command joy because joy requires a conscious choice. Thus, joy is not just the consequence of your surrounding circumstances – when thing are going well for you. Rather, joy is always a deliberate choice. You can choose to be joyful even when things don’t seem to be going according plan.

So, what’s the formula for this joy? Do we need to whistle a tune or sing Bobby Mcferrin’s ‘Don’t worry be happy’? Do we need to escape into an imaginary world so that we can consider all pain and suffering as illusory? St Paul in today’s second reading gives us the answer: to pray without ceasing, to give thanks on all occasions and to avoid sin and evil.

Joy comes to those who pray without ceasing, to those who are committed to pray not only in moments of joy but also in times of sorrow, who are able to pray in the midst of troubles, confusion and the even during the dark night of the soul, where our prayers seem unanswered. Prayer is giving voice to our hope. It is a hope that does not disappoint because it is based on our firm belief that God has not and will not abandon us. Therefore, Christian hope has nothing to do with the false optimism or wishful thinking that our sickness will be healed, the problem will be solved, the obstacle would be removed, and the pain would be relieved. All these things may continue to accompany and harangue us, and yet we believe that they do not mark an end to life and joy. We will be delivered in one way or another. God has promised something far greater than the momentary relief we seek in this present life. God has promised us eternal life. This is our confident expectation.

How do we know that our hope will not be in vain? It is through the virtue of gratitude. Gratitude is remembering how God has delivered us from past evils, how God has intervened in a situation that seemed hopeless, how God has sustained us to endure the greatest of trials and how God remains faithful to his promises. Hope is firmly anchored in the history and narrative of Scriptures. Gratitude brings to mind the memory of God’s faithfulness which pierces the misty veil created by our present difficulties.

Finally, joy comes to those who persevere in their pursuit of holiness, who choose to avoid sin and evil in their daily lives. Mankind constantly searches for the sociological, economic, political or even philosophical reason and cause for suffering. What man often forgets is that suffering has its roots in a theological cause – it is sin and evil that brought suffering into this world. No amount of motivational programming, counseling, socio-economic-political reform will be able to rid this world of suffering unless man is prepared to address the issue of sin and evil.

Rejoice and be glad, the good news is that God has not abandoned us. He is here present among us. There is joy in knowing that God waits for us although we may have forgotten him. God waits for us although we may have stopped waiting for him. He keeps a lantern lit in the window, so that we who are lost would find our way home. This is true joy – knowing that no matter what happens in life, no matter how bad the situation may become, God’s love for us will endure and will triumph at the end.

Prepare the Way of the Lord

2011-12-02T14:42:00.001+08:00

Second Sunday of Advent Year B

"Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths." The monumental feat which is implied by this text may be entirely lost on us unless we have travelled along one of these mountainous winding roads, especially those that cut across treacherous terrain. As we stand in awe of such magnificent engineering, a question often crosses our mind would be this, “How in the heavens did they manage to do this?!” Today, modern technology has vastly simplified the construction of tunnels, bridges and roads with the invention of dynamite, excavators, tractors, tunnel drills and other engineering equipment. Despite all the technological know-how and heavy machineries, any engineer or contractor would still tell you that it is anything but an easy feat. But now try to imagine the same feat accomplished by human hands with only the aid of axes, hammers and stone.

Understanding the biblical allusion, the historical context, and the phenomenal physical challenge of the project would help us understand and appreciate the call of John the Baptist in today’s gospel.

First, the passage is a quotation, with minor alterations, from the Old Testament. Although, he attributes everything to the prophet Isaiah, St Mark is actually quoting two different biblical references to speak of the ministry of John the Baptist and the content of his message. The first part of the prophecy which refers to the ministry of John the Baptist as the messenger is actually a paraphrase taken from Malachi 3:1 which speaks about the prophet Elijah returning to prepare the way presumably for the Messiah. Later, St Mark would provide a detailed description of the clothing and diet of John the Baptist which is almost identical with that of the prophet Elijah, the Tishbite, mentioned in the First Book of the Kings. With Elijah’s reappearance, the long awaited Messiah would not be too far behind. When that day finally arrives, Israel’s liberation and vindication would be at hand.

But it is the second part of the text when it speaks of the voice and the message announced that draws our attention to the preparation needed to welcome the Lord. Again here, we see another paraphrase of the Old Testament, in this case from Isaiah 40, which we had heard in today’s first reading. Isaiah 40 was written as a message of hope to Israelites and Judeans who were in exile in Babylon, promising them that they will return home to the Promised Land from their long exile, a journey that will take them over the desert sands. Thus at one level, it is message that promises liberation from captivity – good news that the Israelites who have lived as prisoners in exile will now finally experience freedom and be able to return to their beloved homeland. At a second level, it speaks of their foundational experience, liberation from slavery in Egypt and their journey in the desert for forty years under the guidance of the Lord.

But the text still has another older historical allusion. The idea is taken from the practice of eastern monarchs, who, whenever they entered upon an expedition or took a journey, especially through desert and unchartered territory, sent harbingers before them to prepare all things for their passage, and pioneers to open the passes, to level the ways, and to remove all impediments. This was usually done during times of peace. In times of war, the hazardous or difficult terrain often offered a natural defense or barrier against the enemy. The king or his country would not gain any advantage by remodeling the terrain to facilitate an easier passage. But during times of peace, especially after the king had won a great victory, his victory procession returning to his capital would be supplemented with an exaggerated ceremonial pomp and pageantry. It would be unsightly and unbecoming if the king had himself to maneuver across these natural barriers and obstacles. Thus, the leveling of the hills, the filling of the valleys and the straightening of the paths became symbolic of his victory not only over his enemies but also over the forces of nature. It was a great homecoming.

A well documented example of this monumental engineering feat is that of the funeral procession of Alexander the Great, whose body was transported in a golden pavilion pulled by sixty over mules from Babylon in the East to the distant oasis town of Siwa in Egypt in the West. Historians record that an army of craftsman, labourers and engineers had been sent ahead of the funeral cortege in order to ‘prepare the way’ that was befitting for a man, an emperor who had united the known world from the East to the West.

Having looked at both the scriptural and historical allusions, we still have to consider one last feature, which is the enormous physical challenge of the project. Why did Isaiah and later the gospel writers choose this imagery? It is apparent that these were not minor public works like the periodic repairs and maintenance conducted by our JKR. Rather, it involved reshaping the terrain on a monumental scale. Thus when both the Prophet Isaiah and John the Baptist made this call, it can only be understood as a call to re-landscape our lives. It is a call for radical conversion. This is reinforced by the image of the desert. The desert, in any event, can be a formidable foe. The desert changes anyone who dares to accept its challenge. The Israelites traverse the desert for 40 years after their departure from Egypt before they could arrive in the Promised Land. The 40 years did not only symbolised a whole generation, but a radical transformation of these people from being just slaves, no-people, a people without identity or nationality into God’s own people.

Thus, both the physical challenge of the project of landscaping and the desert imagery emphasises the extent of the change required to welcome the King. Conversion is anything but easy. Rearranging your furniture is much easier than changing persons. It is not enough to make cosmetic changes to our life, for example, stop or reduce your smoking; becoming a bit more patient with the people you live with, coming for Mass on Christmas Day, or making little changes here and there. In order to prepare for the coming of Jesus, our lives must undergo a deep and thorough conversion. It involves dying and being reborn. There is a need for repentance, a turning away from our sins, a rejection of our old way of life especially when that was leading us away from God.

Thus, the readings for us are a call to make preparation through repentance and conversion. We need to sincerely identify the obstacles that impede the coming of the Lord into our lives. Selfishness, sloth, greed, lust, vanity, indifference and sin marks the mountains, the valleys and the crooked ways which form an obstacle to Christ making his way into our hearts and into the world.

Today, these themes of liberation, peace, victory, homecoming and conversion converge in St Mark’s introduction to the gospel, the good news, of Jesus Christ. John the Baptist, the harbinger of the king, the new Elijah, the herald and forerunner of the Anointed one, appears on the scene to call for this radical and monumental work in preparation for the coming King. This time, it would be no ordinary mortal that we are awaiting for. It is no human king who would eventually witness the disintegration of his kingdom, as Alexander posthumously did. This is a king that could only be judged by radically different categories as John the Baptist pointed out – “One that is mightier than I is coming … I have baptized you with water; he will baptize you with the Spirit.” So let us “prepare the way of the Lord, and make straight his paths” because our liberation is coming, he is the Prince of Peace and our Victorious King.

Waiting for God...

2011-11-25T14:22:00.002+08:00

First Sunday of Advent Year B

Today’s readings remind me of the highly cryptic and absurdist play written by Irish Nobel laureate and novelist, Samuel Beckett, “Waiting for Godot.” It is a tale that involves two characters, Vladimir and Estragon, who wait endlessly and in vain for someone named Godot to arrive. They divert themselves while they wait expectantly and in vain for the play’s namesake to arrive. They claim him as an acquaintance but in fact hardly know him, admitting that they would not recognise him were they to see him. To occupy themselves, they eat, sleep, converse, argue, sing, play games, exercise, swap hats, and contemplate suicide – anything "to hold the terrible silence at bay." At the end of the story, Godot does not appear, thus reinforcing the futility of the waiting. If fact, one may be led to think that Godot may actually not exist.

Godot's absence, as well as numerous other aspects of the play, have led to many different interpretations, including scriptural and theological allusions. Some may read the play as a parody of humanity who waits in vain for the coming of God, who chooses not to reveal himself at the end. It doesn’t take an Einstein to note that the name ‘Godot’ sounds too oddly familiar and similar to ‘God.’ Thus, the play can be read as a post-modernist critique of Christian hope. There is no point waiting for Christ coming, he isn’t coming, no one’s coming to deliver you, don’t waste your time, God may not even exist, there is no HOPE!

It is interesting that such a play, brilliant as it may be, with an equally bleak setting, should be voted the most significant English play of the 20th century. Is this an indication of how far we have descended into a state of hopelessness? Does it reveal a society that has grown cynical with waiting for divine deliverance from its present woes and sorrows?

Today, we begin the season of Advent not with a bleak message that we will be experiencing darker and more depressing times. Prophecies of doom abound from both economists and political analysts. The Advent message is not one which mirrors the storyline of the abovementioned play that we are waiting in vain for a person who will eventually not show up. No, the message of Advent is one of expectant joy, a message of true Christian hope that our waiting will not be vain. The person, whom mankind is waiting for as its saviour will come, in fact he has already come. Why? Because St Paul tells us, “God is faithful.”

Advent celebrates primarily two comings – the first coming of Christ in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago. The incarnation, the Word of God taking flesh, seems to be a fulfillment of what the Prophet Isaiah writes in today’s first reading – it is the prophecy of how the Lord “would tear the heavens open and come down.” The whole of humanity who had waited for aeons for the coming of its deliverer, its new Joshua who will lead them to the Promised Land, is not disappointed, as the Saviour has indeed come – He is Jesus the Christ. But Advent does not only prepare us for that first coming which we commemorate every year at the Feast of Christmas but also points us to the future, to Christ’s second coming in glory, to judge and deliver the world from sin, evil and death.

Our Christian faith is eschatological to its core. What do I mean by eschatological? The word ‘eschatology’ refers to the Last Things that we had learnt in our catechism – heaven, hell, death and judgment, the four eschata. But the real focus of eschatology is the Last Thing, which is not exactly a thing, in the sense of being an event or an object – it is God himself, the Eschaton. God is the source and summit of our lives, he is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and the Omega. Eschatology is not purely confined to these vague, deeply profound and theological concepts of the future. Eschatology has everything to do with our present lives. This eschatological vision shapes our Christian world-view. It reminds us that our objective and purpose in life does not reside in the past or even in the present, it is posited in the future. The final solution would not be found here in this life – the final solution can only be found in God. It provides us with a new benchmark of evaluating our priorities in life – are our preparations only for this earthly life or are they for eternal life? And finally, this eschatological dimension of our faith points to our basic orientation and disposition in life – how do we respond to Christ’s coming? The answer is this - It is through watchfulness.

What does it mean to be watchful? What does Jesus mean when he tells his disciples to ‘be on (their) guard,’ and ‘stay awake’? Humans are great voyeurs. We enjoy watching, especially what pleases the eye. A beautiful woman or a handsome man would often elicit a second look or even a prolonged gaze. We watch for market trends in order to ensure that we are ahead of things economically and financially. We watch for pitfalls and obstacles especially when we are negotiating a difficult path or engaging in a new project. Some of us enjoy watching for the faults of others and gleefully jump at the opportunity to catch them when they make a mistake.

But is this the kind of watchfulness which Jesus is speaking of? I guess that these are more distractions rather than authentic watchfulness. We are invited by the readings to watch for the Lord, and especially for his coming. Firstly, this requires patience because as Jesus noted, ‘you never know when the time will come.’ The problem is that our attention span is often too short. We constantly look for distractions or loose interest when results are not immediately forthcoming. In a world that seeks immediate gratification, quick final solutions are the only acceptable options. Patience teaches us to respect God's time and not dictate it.

Watchfulness calls for fidelity or faithfulness to our duty. Take note that in today’s gospel, the image of the master entrusting the servants with a duty to watch for his coming, reminds all of us that being watchful is not just merely an individual vocation. The servants’ lack of watchfulness may cost the entire household its property or even the life of its members. We are called to be watchful not only for ourselves, but also for our family members, our children, future generations, our neighbours, our BEC members, our non-Christian friends, colleagues and everyone else. If we let down our guard, others apart from us will suffer too.

The third aspect of this watchfulness is expounded by St Paul in the second reading. He exhorts the Corinthians that while waiting for the Lord’s coming, to keep ready and without blame until the last day.’ Staying awake and being watchful means that we need to guard against sin. Sin dulls our senses to the promptings of God. Sin blinds us from recognizing Christ in our lives. Sin distracts us from waiting and watching for the Lord. That is why Advent is also a penitential period for the whole Church. It is a time for us to honestly search our hearts, seek the Lord’s forgiveness, celebrate His mercy and the gift of repentance in order to make ready the way for the Lord’s coming.

Unlike Vladimir and Estragon who seem to have waited in vain for the mysterious Godot whom they do not know, Christians, on the other hand, are waiting in hope for Christ whom they do know. Our Christian waiting is never in vain. Christ will come. But will he find us ready, on guard and awake? Rather than to fill our time waiting with activities and distractions that will “hold the terrible silence at bay,” let our season of Advent be one of watchfulness, fidelity, patience and finally contrition that we may find within the silence of our hearts the voice of God, who sends his son to be our liberation and our salvation.

Christ the King

2011-11-18T18:35:00.003+08:00

Christ the King Year A

Dies iræ! Dies illa Solvet sæclum in favilla:
The day of wrath, that day will dissolve the world in ashes …

Quantus tremor est futurus, Quando iudex est venturus,
Cuncta stricte discussurus!
How much tremor there will be, when the judge will come,
investigating everything strictly!

Iudex ergo cum sedebit,Quidquid latet, apparebit:
Nil inultum remanebit.
When therefore the judge will sit, whatever hides will appear:
nothing will remain unpunished.

Does this sound familiar to any of you? Well, if you had listened carefully to the English translation, you would have realized that this Latin poem evokes a frightening image of the Day of Judgment – it describes it as a Day of God’s wrath, a day when the world will be dissolved into ashes, a day when God sits as judge firmly and strictly investigating everything. Nothing will be hidden from his sight, no evil will remain unpunished. This frightening image of the Last Day, the Day of Judgment, would obviously not sit well with anyone today. In fact, this medieval Latin hymn, Dies Irae, which was a characteristic part of the Catholic Requiem Mass before the renewal of the liturgy after Vatican II, was removed from the present Catholic funeral liturgy, because some felt that the hymn was saturated with negative spirituality inherited from the Middle Ages. They felt that the song had overemphasized judgment, fear and despair whereas the funeral liturgy should actually be focusing on the hope and joy of the resurrection. So, the song got the boot!

But, the issue does not just boil down to a song. It is the idea or the image of God that lies behind the song. An image that would obviously not sit well with a crowd of Catholics today, who would be expecting Jesus to look something like the picture of the Divine Mercy and the Sacred Heart, a Jesus with a kind, compassionate and gentle face with arms outstretched to welcome all of us, even the most wretched among us. We find it hard to reconcile a Jesus who is merciful and loving with a Jesus who sits in judgment of us. In today’s language, we will protest: “This just doesn’t jive!” Perhaps, they would even draw inspiration from today’s gospel and say, “Look at today’s Gospel. In the parable of Jesus, Jesus identifies entirely with the weak, the poor and the marginalized.” This is the kind of Jesus whom we would expect to be our friend, in fact our BFF – Best Friends Forever, Our Buddie for Life, the Jesus who seems to be just ‘an ordinary Joe’, not a cosmic universal king who will act as our final judge. This last image seems too alien and distant from us.

Before, we come to a conclusion about the kind of Jesus whom we would like to worship, let’s listen to the rest of this hymn, especially to this next stanza.

Inter oves locum præsta, Et ab hædis me sequestra,
Statuens in parte dextra.
Grant me a place among the sheep, and take me out from among the goats,
setting me on the right side.

It’s quite clear now that this hymn is describing the scene in today’s gospel, the story of how Jesus separates the sheep from the goats. Read on any other occasion, it would not be too hard for someone to conclude that the whole crux of the story is this: all it takes to get to heaven is to offer a cup of water to someone who is thirsty, because you may actually be offering a drink to Jesus, himself. It is certainly a nice interpretation to the story that reminds us of the responsibility of fraternal charity. There is nothing wrong with this reading, but is it adequate?

Do remember that this is a parable of judgment. More importantly, Christ is presented as a cosmic all-powerful king sitting on his throne and as a judge summoning the accused to trial. Perhaps, this setting is entirely lost to most of us because the gravity and seriousness of the Day of Judgment is no longer emphasized in our modern liturgy. In fact, the parable of Jesus presents two images of Christ, both seemingly at opposite ends of a spectrum. One image is that of a God who is transcendent, who is distant from us, who sits as king in judgment of us. The other image is an image of a God who is immanent, who dwells among us, who is in complete solidarity with us, and who identifies with us. In other words, one presents us a God hidden behind the clouds and another, a God who looks just like us. The parable reminds us that both these images of Christ are not mutually exclusive. One does not cancel out the other.

Our preferences for the more gentle image of Jesus betrays a certain erroneous belief on our part. The idea of a remote or formal king does not resonate with us. What we want is one whom we can identify with, one who is like us; an approachable, compassionate and gentle king. Unfortunately, it is not a matter of choosing one image over the other. Jesus is that cosmic king seated on his throne of judgment – and there is a chasm which separates us lowly creatures from his august presence. Majesty which deserves worship and adulation is always marked by distance. You admire and worship someone only when you admire them from a distance, not when they are standing next to you and doing the same things as you. At the same time, this is a Jesus who has chosen to cross that chasm, knowing that no man nor woman will be able to make that journey; this is the supreme judge who understands that no mortal is able to bear the sentence for which he is accused, and who finally chooses to cross the distance from the bench to the gallery to take the place of the accused, the condemned in the dock, and to be punished and executed in his stead. It is one thing to know that someone has died for you. It is another thing entirely to know that a king or a God has chosen to do this.

It is easier to understand why the world requires a loving and compassionate king, a king who soothes us when we fall, a king who embraces us when we are lonely, a king who kisses our wounds to make the pain go away. Who wouldn’t want to have this kind of a king? But I believe Jesus came not merely to act as life’s panadol, a painkiller, for us. Jesus came to show us how God must ultimately be lord and master of our lives, there lies our salvation.

The world is in need of a king who calls and challenges them to greatness rather than mediocrity. The world is in need of king who gives them a chance to experience the perfection and the holiness of the divine rather than just being satisfied with our human weakness. The world is in need of a king who demands a radical self-giving and loving and not only when it suits us. The world needs a king to inspire us, not a king who looks and behaves just like us.

Today, in our attempt to make God and the divine more accessible, for example, by transforming the sanctuaries of our churches into empty spaces barren of beauty, in the removal of communion rails, in the singing of music that approximates the kind of music we listen to in our daily mundane existence, there is something about the character of the liturgy that is lost – we loose focus of the object of our liturgy, which is to worship God. In place of this, man is worshipped in his stead. But it is not just liturgy which suffers. Christian life suffers too when we choose to depict Christ merely as an ordinary Joe. There is no challenge to aim for loftier goals. At the end of the day, when Christ becomes ordinary, he will soon be forgotten, since he only acts as a functional implement or tool whenever we need him.

As a priest friend of mine once said, “if we erase the distance, wipe away the blood and hide the painful suffering of the crucifixion and demythologise the divinity of Christ, we sanitise the image of our King to the point of an empty symbol.” We have reduced Christ to a mere panacea or an intoxicant that serves to make us feel good in our otherwise miserable existence. But, this is Christ, King of the Universe, the one whom we must subject ourselves to. This is Christ, the Judge, who will call us to account for our actions, and who would demand evidence that we had recognised him in his people. This is Christ, our Lord and God, who chooses to come among us,God who becomes man in order that men may become gods. This is Christ who inspires us and reminds that we are made in his image and likeness, a royal priestly people called to give glory to God. Let us not make the mistake of reducing him into nothing more than an image of ourselves.

Losers are not born

2011-11-12T13:27:00.003+08:00

Thirty Third Ordinary Sunday Year A (2nd Homily)

In today’s gospel, we encounter the literary genre called the folkloric threesome. What is a folkloric threesome? Storytellers throughout the ages have discovered that three events, characters or issues in a story provide an importance access point for the hearer. There is often some emphasis, climax or concentration of attention directed to the last character of the series. And so we have the familiar fairytales of the three bears and Goldilocks, the three pigs and the Big Bad Wolf, Cinderella and her two sisters. The twist in the story is that the last and third character, who is often depicted at the beginning to be the least likely to succeed, would eventually spring a surprise at the end of the story by emerging triumphant. Thus, the use of the folkloric threesome seeks to turn the perception and values of the audience upside down.

In today’s gospel, Jesus gives us the parable of the three servants who have been entrusted by their master with different levels of responsibility, one with 5 talents, another with 2, and the last with only one. One would expect, that the story would follow the traditional folkloric threesome ending. The one entrusted with one talent, the least likely to succeed, would emerge champion and prove himself to be the most trustworthy servant of all. But the stories of Jesus do not necessarily have to follow the normal schema of things. In fact, this poor man, perhaps not thought of so highly by his master, which explains the entrusting of just one talent, would actually have to live out the self-fulfilling prophecy of being a loser.

This parable has often been used to illustrate the point that we must all use our God-given talents. This is certainly one of the points which Jesus wishes to make here. But there is something much more profound here – it speaks to us about what it means to be prepared, it speaks to us about how we should respond to the graces we have received especially in the sacraments, and finally it speaks to us of the importance of gratitude.

Today’s parable comes after last week’s parable of the ten bridesmaid, five who were wise and five who were foolish. Both these parables are eschatological parables – in other words, they both speak of the end times. Both these parables provide us with clues as how to prepare ourselves for the coming of the Lord. If last week’s parable spoke about keeping enough oil for the lamp to be burning, this week’s parable emphasises the need to invest our talents. Or using last week's terminology, oil is meant for burning not for keeping. The oil in last week’s gospel parable referred to something which was internal – our inner life, our spiritual life, our faith relationship with God which is nurtured by prayer, contemplation, the sacraments, devotion and sacrifices. However, the inner life would finally have to find expression in our external actions and behaviour. So, this week’s gospel reminds us that the inner life that we had cultivated must be translated into action – we must always be committed to the mission of Christ. Faithfulness to this mission, symbolised by the other two servants investing their talents and gaining more, will be rewarded. However, a lackadaisical or indifferent attitude to our mission will also be repaid at the end, as in the case of the third servant.

The parable of the talents also speak about the grace of God. One may judge the master as someone unjust who seems to favour some servants over the other. Another way of looking at it is that it points to God’s gratuity, his abandoned generosity – that he would even risk granting a boon, a grace to the third servant, even though he knew that this man would not amount to much. Thus, the real difficulty here is not that God had not given his graces to all three, he did, but to each according to his needs. God’s justice is not egalitarian – everyone is placed on a level playing field. Neither is God’s justice based on merit – to every man or woman what he or she deserves. No. God justice is this: to every man or woman what he or she needs. God still dispenses graces to those who don’t deserve it. But grace is both a gift and a response. God pours out his graces on us through the sacraments of the Church, but calls on us to respond to that gift by growing in personal sanctification or holiness.

Finally, let us examine the cause of the third servant’s failure to respond to his master’s gift. The answer can be found in his own defence of his actions. He saw the talent not as a gift but as a curse. The real reason for his inability to respond like the other two servants was his lack of gratitude. Gratitude or the lack of it shapes the way we view life. When we lack gratitude, then life seems to be a curse. We begin to see ourselves as victims of injustices, both real and imagined. For someone who lacks gratitude, life would always seem unfair. We refuse to take responsibility for our lives and continuously find some reason or cause to blame someone or even God. We eventually grow despondent and cynical. In many ways, we are digging a little hole for ourselves and calling it quits even before the end. Looking at life through the lenses of gratitude, however, changes everything. Every moment becomes an opportunity for growth rather than another obstacle to be avoided or a curse to be rid off. Gratitude helps us to appreciate what we have rather than to gripe about what we lack. In that way, gratitude becomes the basis for real joy, for hope and finally for faith, as it helps us to live under the providence of God.

Each of us has been entrusted with talents till the day we have to give an account of them. These talents are for investing, not for safekeeping. Our inner life needs to be translated into our commitment to mission. These talents are given to all of us through the sacraments as they demonstrate God’s generosity and love for us. It comes with a challenge to respond to this gift by growing in it. And finally, we will never be able to appreciate these talents unless we have cultivated a deep sense of gratitude, a deep sense of thanksgiving. The word Eucharist comes from two Greek root words – ‘Eu’ which means ‘good and ‘charis’ which means grace. Thus, the Eucharist is a moment of thanksgiving or of celebrating our gratitude for the good graces we have received from God.

履行天主所赋予的使命

2011-11-11T21:41:00.001+08:00

常年期第三十三主日

你们决定了吗？你们准备好了吗？上主日的读经教导我们真正的智慧是随时准备好去见天主。你们现在是否已准备好了呢？或许，你们已忘了上主日所读的。如果你们真的忘了，今天的读经重复并加强同样的信息。

这一星期的读经让我们深入了解所谓的准备。随时准备好并不仅是确保我们临死时办妥告解，随时准备好并不仅是尽量避免犯错，随时准备好也不是坐着等死，这一切都不够的。随时准备好意谓着我们应该经常守在服务的岗位上，履行天主所赋予的使命。我们每一个人都委以各别的才能。我们每一个人都身负各别的责任：… 我们负有为人父母或孩子或工人或一个团体的成员或一位教友的职责等等。这些才能来自天主的恩赐并赋予责任。为此我们该用来完成使命。

许多人活过一生没有善用他们的潜能。许多人对做得最底限度而心满意足。他们的哲学理念是“多做不如少做！” 天主并不为我们只活了一小部分的一生而造我们。如果我们只活出一成的生命，那另外九成是白费了。随时准备好意谓着为天主的光荣献上我们的一切。我们可能不能做什么。我们可能不能做好一切。我们可能不能在我们的一生中完成我们的目标。不过，无论我们做什么，只要我们为了天主的光荣尽力而为就够了。
在读经一中利用了贤淑的妇女做为门徒的榜样。贤淑的妻子明白“姿色是虚幻，美丽是泡影。”最主要的是她能完成一个尽职的妻子应尽的义务。“她一生岁月，只叫他幸福，不给他烦恼”，她常为家务忙碌，不无所事事于闲话及无聊的事情上。这贤淑的妻子是我们每个人的榜样。我们都是为了天主的光荣并不是为了给人制造麻烦而造。我们都赋予天份与才能为能完成今世的使命。

同样，在福音中描述了三个仆人，从他们的主人手中领受了不同的才能。数量的多寡不重要。有时，我们觉得别人有的比我们多。我们感到这是不公平的。我们永远不会知道其中的原因。但我们知道他领受的多对他的指望更大。那些赋予多的有责任为天主的光荣和别人的益处而善用天份才能。如果我们只埋怨我们没有足够的，如果我们不善用我们仅有的一点点，那么，连我们所有的，也要由我们手中夺去。

善用你们的生命罢！你们或许是富有的；或许是贫穷的，你们或许是美丽的平凡的，善用你们的一生罢！为了天主的光荣善用他所赐给你们的一切天份才能罢！不要再犹豫了，因为圣保禄在读经二中告诉我们说：“主的日子要象夜间的盗贼一样来到”，所以我们该当醒悟清醒。

Constantly at our mission

2011-11-11T21:31:00.002+08:00

Thirty Third Ordinary Sunday Year A

Are you ready? Are you prepared? … Last week’s reading taught us that true wisdom is being always prepared to meet the Lord at any time. Are you prepared now? Perhaps, you may have forgotten what was read last Sunday. Just in case you’ve forgotten, today’s reading repeats and reinforces the same message.

This week’s reading gives us a little more insight on what it means to be ready. Being ready is not merely making sure that we have made our confession before our death. Being ready is not just merely avoiding wrong doing as much as possible. Being ready doesn’t mean just waiting for death to happen. These are insufficient.

Being ready means that we must be constantly at our mission, fulfilling the vocation that God has given us. Each of us is entrusted with certain talents. Each of us have been given certain responsibilities – we have responsibilities as a parent or as a child or as a worker or as a member of the community or as a Catholic etc. These talents are gifts from God and come with a responsibility. We are to use them for the mission which has been entrusted to us.

Many people go through life without living out their full potential. Many people are satisfied with only doing the bare minimum. Their philosophy is “Why do more when you can do less!” God did not create us to live only a fraction of our lives. If we only live 10% of what we are capable of living, then the other 90% is wasted.

Being ready means giving our all for the glory of God. We may not be able to do everything. We may not be able to do all things well. We may not even be able to achieve within our lifetime all our goals. Nevertheless, whatever we do, if we do it to the best of our ability and for the glory of God, is enough.

The first reading uses the symbol of a wise wife or the perfect wife as the model of a disciple. A wise wife knows that “charm is deceitful and beauty empty.” What is important is that she is able to fulfill her role and responsibility as a dutiful wife – bringing “advantage and not hurt to her husband all the days of her life.” She is always busy at work and has no time for idleness, gossip and unfruitful activity. The wise wife is thus a model for all of us. We are made for the glory of God and not to bring hurt to him or to others. We are created with gifts and talents in order for us to realize our mission and vocation in this life.

Similarly, the gospel tells the story of the three servants who receive different amount of talents from their master. The amount that they received is not important. Sometimes we may feel that others have more than we have. We feel that this is unfair. We may never know the reasons for this. But we know that the more one receives, the more is expected of that person. Those who have been given more have a greater responsibility to use those talents and gifts for the good of others and for the glory of God. If we just complain that we do not have enough, if we do not do anything with the little that we have, then even what we have will be taken away.

Make the best of your life. You may be rich or you may be poor, you may be beautiful or you may look ordinary, make the best of your life. Use whatever talents or gifts the Lord has given you for his greater glory. Don’t hesitate any longer because as St. Paul tells us in the second reading “the Day of the Lord is going to come like a thief in the night”, so stay wide awake and sober.

Be Prepared for the Coming of the Bridegroom

2011-11-05T23:21:00.003+08:00

Thirty Second Ordinary Sunday Year A (Second Homily)

Daima Hazir
Parau ha’amanaora
Laging Handa
Siempre Listo – para servir
准备
Toujour Pret
Allzeit bereit

Do any of these sound familiar? Well, in Malaysia, you may hear this: “Selalu Bersedia”. It is the immortalized Scout Motto, in various languages, that has been used by and inspired millions of Scouts around the world since 1907. In English, this motto is most commonly rendered as “Be Prepared”, and it is no coincidence that this motto can be shortened to B.P. which could also be the acronym of the surname of the founder of the movement, Robert Baden-Powell.

In the third part of his handbook for scouts, Baden Powell explains the meaning of the scout motto – “Be Prepared which means you are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to your duty.” Then he goes on to unpack this definition. According to Baden Powell, being prepared in mind means disciplining yourself to be obedient to every order, and also by having thought out beforehand any accident or situation that might occur, so that you know the right thing to do at the right moment, and are willing to do it. Corresponding to the mental preparation, is the physical bodily preparation which is intended to make you strong and active and able to do the right thing at the right moment, and do it. To be prepared, a scout who understands and lives the motto recognizes that the call of duty extends beyond donning the uniform of the scouts. He is called to serve and to assist whenever a situation presents itself. And then Baden Powell, throws the challenge that goes beyond what would normally be required of a youth group – “Be prepared to die for your country if need be, so that when the moment arrives you may change home with confidence, not caring whether you are going to be killed or not.”

This earthly piece of wisdom is given a monumental redressing in today’s gospel of the wise and foolish virgins or bridesmaids. If someone like Baden Powell could think of being prepared in a limited temporal human context, what greater gravity could be given to the expression when we begin to think of it in cosmic proportions. Thus the motto of a Christian could be this – “Be Prepared for the Coming of the Bridegroom.” – “Be Prepared for the Coming of Christ.”

Many have focused on the element of wakefulness in today’s parable. But it is important to take note that verse 5 of the passage records that ‘all’, meaning both the wise and foolish, “became drowsy and fell asleep.” The crucial difference between the wise and the foolish has to do not with staying awake but with having sufficient oil. In unraveling the mystery and the symbolism of the oil, we can perhaps begin to understand the depth and meaning of being prepared in the Christian context.

The oil which the wise virgins possess is not something external- like food or clothes or money. Rather the oil refers to an inner quality – e.g. honesty, fairness or integrity. I can share my food or clothes with you but I cannot impart on you the qualities and virtues of honesty or integrity. Thus, the oil which is used in this parable is a symbol of inner spirituality, virtue, and the faith life of a person that has been nurtured carefully with prayer, the sacraments, spiritual practices, devotions and a commitment to living the Word of God. Just as if I can lend you a book on prayer, but you would have to set aside the time for your relationship with God. That’s something which I cannot give you. That is why we hear that the wise virgins did not share their oil with the foolish ones. They could not, not because they were selfish, but because the oil spoke about personal sacrifice and conversion that could only be obtained through faithfulness to prayer and the sacraments.

Thus being prepared in the context of today’s gospel means that one needs to have the following qualities in order that our lamps will always be ready to be lit, our oils ready for the lighting.
The first quality is that of Foresight. Earlier, I spoke about how Baden Powell describes being prepared. He explains that it requires disciplining oneself to be obedient to every order and also having thought out beforehand any situation that might occur, so that we may know the right thing to do at the right moment. Often we lack foresight. We are often preoccupied with immediate goals which are apparent but forget to pay attention to the long term goals or to the bigger picture. We focus on the little concerns in our daily life, securing good education, securing a good job and securing a good spouse; but we fail to see that ultimately life’s ultimate goal is securing salvation. We have great plans for our children and their future. Tuition classes, music lessons, swimming tutorials etc. And yet, we seldom lack the foresight to see beyond this – are we preparing them merely for life or for eternal life?
The second quality is faithfulness. Having good intentions are good but never enough – we need to translate these into actions. Having actions, activities and projects are good, but the real question is this – are they lasting or just short term? Foresight eventually leads us to faithfulness – its holding out for the long run till the very end. The foolish virgins in the parable possessed lamps and oils but failed to possess enough oil to keep their lamps burning. We may be full of excitement and enthusiasm at the present moment – just before we get married, when we start serving in ministry, when we decide to embark on a project. But do we have enough oil to keep burning till the very end. This calls for faithfulness to prayer and the sacraments. We go for mass and continue to pray not only because we feel good. Sometimes, we don’t feel anything at all when we do these things. But we believe that the sacraments and prayer is what keeps our jar of oil full when we need to use it to light our lamps. During times of darkness and doubt, it is the light from these oil lamps that will keep us going.
Ultimately, faithfulness leads to the third quality – it is patience. We often have very little patience for things. We are prone to seek immediate results and quick solutions. Today, we hear that the bridegroom was delayed in coming. We need patience to wait for his coming. There are times when we allow impatience to get the better of us and thus we let our guard down.

Just like the scouts of Baden-Powell’s imagination and dream, we too are called to be the vanguards of Christ, who is the Bridegroom, whom we await to consummate the story of salvation. We must be ever ready to serve, ever ready to wait, and ever ready to heed the call of our Lord when he comes. We are called to be ready, not just now or for short period of time. We are called to ready at all times – to have foresight, faithfulness and finally patience in waiting for the Lord. We are called to be ready not just in an ordinary sense, but ultimately in a heroic sense. “So that finally, we are called to be prepared to die for not for our country if need be, but for the Lord, so that when the moment arrives you may change home with confidence, from our earthly life to the heavenly, not caring whether you are going to be killed or not.”

真智慧

2011-11-04T14:33:00.002+08:00

常年期第三十二主日

每一个文化都各有整套的谚语格言。我们可能记得一些。例如：三人行，必有我师；满招损，谦受益；虚心使人进步，骄傲使人落后；胜不骄，败不馁；逆水行舟，不进则退；除此之外。我们的长辈也常劝导我们说： “人不可貌相；己所不欲，勿施于人；失败是成功之母；胜败乃兵家常事；天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福；前事不忘，后事之师；他山之石，可以攻玉；知错能改，善大莫焉；天下无难事，只怕有心人。而我们华人把智慧与学问及高明的经营本领相提并论。某人若擅长储蓄，懂得投资；因他的努力及智力而赚了很多钱，人们就会认为他是个明智的人。

这一些谚语格言在我们的生活中有一定的作用。然而，持守某一些会使我们忽视最重要的智慧。智慧告诉我们一切的智慧来自天主也回归天主。也就是这智慧提醒我们人生最重要的事并不是广交朋友，拥有众多子孙，财富及运气。这一切都重要但它们只是短暂的而最重要的是我们对那给我们许下永生的天主的信赖，这是永恒的。明了这一点就是真智慧。

许多人很会投资－购买正确的股票，做正确的生意判断。但是，许多人却的确是差劲的神修的投资者。我们辛苦一生为了自己及我们的后代有好日子过，但，在生命结束时，我们一无所获。我们为生活的一切 … 教育，工作及家庭而做准备却不为永生也就是说不为死亡而做好准备。这也是今天福音中的比喻的意义。耶稣用糊涂的童女和明智的童女做对比。明智的与糊涂的分别在于明智的随时准备好迎接新郎的到来。而糊涂的却想她们有足够的油，有足够的时间。

主内的弟兄姐妹们，你们的灯有足够的油吗？你们准备好随时迎接主吗？它可能是今天，明天，这星期，下个月或明年。你有做出正确的投资吗？你为你的永生付出多少？或者你只着重在世俗的福乐财富，抱负，名誉和权势。主内的弟兄姐妹，你或许拥有这一切－权势，财富和名誉但它在你临终时却毫无益处。

当人们告诉我们要明智不要糊涂时，让我们留心他们的忠告。同时，也让我们明白智慧的真意。真正的智慧是投注在永恒的生命不是现在的生命，不是财富，不是财产。全都不是。真正的智慧是随时准备好迎接那召叫我们回家的主。“所以，你们该醒悟，因为你们不知道那日子，也不知道那时辰”主要到来。

True Wisdom

2011-11-04T14:24:00.004+08:00

Thirty Second Ordinary Sunday Year A

Each culture has developed a whole collection of wise sayings and proverbs. We also grew up with lots of advice from our elders. “Don’t judge a book by its cover;” “Take care of one’s needs first before thinking of others;” “Don’t put all your eggs into one basket” etc.

Being ethnically Chinese, I have come to realise how we have often equated wisdom with knowledge and also good business acumen. A man who knows how to save, how to make good investments, who becomes rich as a result of his own hard work and intelligence, he is regarded by society as a wise man.

All these wise sayings have their place in our lives. However, holding onto some of them may cause us to loose sight of the most important wisdom of all. The wisdom that tells us that all comes from God and all will return to God. It is this wisdom that reminds us that the most important things in life are not just having friends, having lots of children or grandchildren, prosperity and luck. All these are important but they are temporary. The most important thing is our faith in God who has promised eternal life to us, and this is for eternity. To understand this is true wisdom.

Many people are good at making investments - buying the right shares, making the right business judgments. However, many people are really bad at making spiritual investments. We work so hard in life in order to make life easier for ourselves and our children and we end up at death with nothing. We are prepared for any eventuality in life – education, business, family life – but we are not prepared for eternal life – we are not prepared for death.

This is the meaning of the parable in today’s gospel. Jesus contrasts the foolish bridesmaids with the sensible bridesmaids. What distinguishes the sensible ones from the foolish ones are that they are prepared to meet the bridegroom at any time. The foolish ones thought that they had enough oil, they had enough time, but they were ill-prepared.

My brothers and sisters in Christ. Do you have enough oil burning in your lamp? Are you prepared to meet the Lord at any time? It could be today, tomorrow, this week, next month or next year. Have you made the right investments? Have you invested for eternal life? Of have you put all your investments in looking for worldly pleasure, riches, ambition, fame, and power. My brothers and sisters in Christ, you may have all these things – power, riches and fame – but they will serve you no good at your death.

When people tell us to be wise and not be foolish, let us heed their call. But let us understand what is true wisdom. True wisdom is investing for eternal life, not this life, not in riches, not in possessions. No. True wisdom is being always prepared to meet the Lord who may call us home at any time.

“So stay awake because you do not know either the day or the hour” when the Lord comes.

Heroes of Faith

2011-11-01T00:21:00.005+08:00

All Saints Day (2nd Homily)

Tonight, it may seem out of place for the Catholic Church to speak about saints when the globalised world, enamoured by American culture, seems to pay greater attention to glorifying ghouls, ghosts, demons and villains. Where do we even begin if we wish to talk about saints? I guess it would be important to understand what a hero is, because saints are described as men and women who display heroic faith.

So, what is a hero? A hero, in Greek mythology and folklore, was originally a demigod, their cult being one of the most distinctive features of ancient Greek religion. In other words, being a hero meant divine origin. They were men and women who were the stuff of gods. Later, with the demythologizing of the concept, hero (male) and heroine (female) came to refer to characters who, in the face of danger and adversity or from a position of weakness, display courage and the will for self sacrifice—that is, heroism—for some greater good of all humanity. The separation of humanity from the divine had begun. In an ironic sense, heroes came to replace the vacuum that was left by the dearth of gods. The idea of human heroes became a defiance of divine providence and intervention.

But the traditional concept of a hero has suffered a greater blow in recent times due to popular culture. It is no longer novel to be just a hero – the story of gallant and noble hero who rescue the helpless maiden in distress has been told countless times. This is just too boring for a world that craves for innovation and the unfamiliar. Therefore, we are beginning to see emerging in cinematography, literature and music, a glorification of the bad, the demonic and the villainous, which were originally seen as the antithesis of heroism. Thus the anti-hero has been canonized in songs like, “I’m Bad, I’m Bad” by Michael Jackson, Vampires in the TV series, True Blood, Casper in the cartoons, the demon Hell Boy in comic books and witches and wizards in the Harry Porter stories.

The Catholic Church’s celebration of the feast day of saints, its continued practice and tradition of canonizing ordinary men and women as saints, certainly goes against the tide of this prevalent trend. Almost everyday of the liturgical year is dedicated to a saint. In other words, during an entire liturgical year, the Church provides us with so many heroic examples of faith and holiness. Pope John Paul II, during his tenure as pope, had canonized more saints than all his predecessors. When asked why he did so, his reply was this: “In a world that is faithless, we need more models of faith. In a world that is hopeless, we need examples of hope. In a world that is so full of violence and death, we need shining beacons of peace.” In other words, by venerating and honouring the saints, the Catholic Church restores to the concept of heroism, its original characteristic of being linked with the divine.

The statement “The glory of God is man fully alive,” which is attributed to St Ireaneus, taken out of context can be deceiving. It seems to imply that the way to glorify God is to just be yourself and follow your heart. Now, being yourself is very important — just look at what happens when you try to be someone else — but it’s important to remember that the only way to truly be yourself, a created being, is through and for the One who created you. The glory of God is man fully alive, but man fully alive is man glorifying God.

That’s who saints really are – they show all of us, not only Christians, what it means to be fully human, to be heroes and heroines. But unlike the humanized version of a hero or the recent aberration of the anti-hero, these Christian heroes are mirrors which allow us to see the goodness, the greatness and the love of God. They are like windows which allow the light of Christ to pass through them and shine through them. It isn’t their own light. They have no light of their own. Saints don’t have any ambitions to draw people to themselves. They are not saviours nor the source of light. The light which shines through them is that of Christ. And it is to Christ, that saints draw others.

Saints are not superhuman beings. They are not great spiritual experts or angelic beings who have gotten rid of their humanity. No. The saints are fully human just like you and me. The saints are heroic because their lives demonstrate that they are fully grounded in their own humanness. They are fully human because they are in touch with human pain and suffering. They undergo pain and suffering and yet emerge victorious because they have not allowed despair to overtake them. They truly understand the meaning of the beatitudes in today’s gospel: “How happy are the poor in spirit, theirs is the kingdom of heaven … Happy those who mourn: they shall be comforted …Happy those who are persecuted in the cause of right: theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” They are fully human, because they have learnt the purpose of our earthly existence is to glorify God whatever may be the circumstances they find themselves in.

They have undergone trials, difficulties, loneliness, failure, pain, suffering, tears of frustration, and even death but they have not allowed these to make them hard and resentful. They have not allowed these experiences to define them. Ultimately, they have discovered that it is the love of God which surpasses all these things which defines them. These experiences have allowed them to learn how to be more patient and gentle. Because they have experienced pain and grief, they have know how to bring peace and comfort to others. They have also learned how to be satisfied with what they have and depend entirely on the providence of God.

These are the saints whose feast we celebrate today. They are ordinary persons who have learned how to be loved by God and to love others extraordinarily. At our baptism, we too were given the names of these saints so that we too may become like them one day. All this will not take place in a single day. Neither does it require us to have superhuman strength or powers. And yet, the lives of the saints remind us that sanctification and holiness is open to all of us. There is no need for great or even momentous display of miracles. The miracle can be seen every day of our lives, throughout our whole lives, where we will be reminded by the saints to die a little to our own selfishness, our pride, our self-absorption so that we can gradually allow the light of Christ to shine through us.

你们是有福的… 欢喜踊跃罢

2011-10-31T17:45:00.003+08:00

诸圣节

你们是有福的… 欢喜踊跃罢!... 欢乐罢! 对着贫穷,沮丧, 刚丧失亲人的人, 这些话听来很奇怪也不恰当. 但是耶稣从不犹豫地大声说: “…你们是有福的…欢乐罢…踊跃罢!”

耶稣所讲的喜乐是什么呢? 喜乐是不是在你需要的时候所得到的满足呢? 这份喜乐是不是我们现在或只有在我们死后的来世才能体验到的呢? 喜乐是否可以在困境, 不幸, 痛苦, 苦难中找到呢?

在世俗的眼光中, 悲伤及欢乐是两回事. 人们总会说: “当你快乐的时候, 你不可能伤心的, 同样你伤心时你不可能快乐的.” 事实上, 我们现时的社会尽可能把悲伤及欢乐分开. 我们尽量掩饰和忘却死亡, 病痛, 破碎的人性.

然而, 真福八端, 耶稣对天主的国的憧憬, 给我们完全不同的画面. 耶稣本身在他的教导, 生活中显示真正的快乐隐藏在我们的痛苦中. 耶稣的生活, 死亡及复活就是活生生的例子. 十字架是死亡及生命, 痛苦及喜乐, 失败及胜利的象征. 在十字架上, 喜乐及痛苦可以同时存在. 这是不容易理解的. 但是我们想到人生的经验是, 例如面对生与死,往往喜悦与忧伤都是人生的经历. 很多时候喜悦常在悲伤中发现.

为此, 我们明白真正的喜悦是不同于辛福. 我们可以对许多事情不满意, 但仍有喜悦因我们知道天主爱我们. 换句话说,喜悦是你知道天主无条件地爱你而没有任何 – 病痛, 挫折, 情绪上的困扰, 压迫, 战争甚至死亡 – 都不能夺去这份爱. 正如圣保禄在读经二中说我们是天主的子女 – 这就是我们真正的身份 – 也就是我们喜悦的根源. 成圣的意义是不论在试探或困苦中依然满怀喜悦.

喜悦在什么时候产生呢? 基督徒的福分不是可寄托在荣耀的未来世界而是临在此时此地的. 当然, 它的圆满是在天上, 它应在当下享有.

在灵修生活中是没有自然而然发生的事. 喜乐是不会白白来到我们身上. 我们必须每天不断地选择喜乐. 它是建立在我们属于天主的意识上的一份抉择及在天主内找到我们的庇护和保障并且没有任何东西甚至死亡能是我们与天主隔离.

整年中, 我们敬礼圣人们而庆祝他们的庆典. 他们是著名的圣人如大圣若瑟, 宗徒们, 殉道者. 今天, 我们庆祝寂寂无名的小圣人. 他们是一群默默地过着圣善的基督徒生活, 在天主的计划中不曾有国任何显赫或超凡壮举. 这些圣人就像你和我.

在今天的弥撒中, 我们应该为过去及现在的小圣人们赞美感谢天主 – 尤其是在我们当中的圣人. 我们每个人都拥有以圣人的名字作我们领洗的圣名. 今天是我们每一个人的庆日, 在此祝你们 “庆节快乐!”

Happy are you … Blessed are you

2011-10-31T17:24:00.002+08:00

All Saints Day

Happy are you … Blessed are you … Rejoice … Be joyful. Seems strange and inappropriate to say these words to one who is poor, or someone down and out, or when one is mourning for the loss of a loved one. And yet Jesus, doesn’t pause for a moment to exclaim … happy are you … blessed are you … rejoice … be joyful.

What is this joy that Jesus speaks of? Is joy something that you get when your needs and wants are fulfilled? Is this joy something that we can experience now or only in the next life, after we die? Can there be joy in the midst of troubles, sorrow, pain and suffering?

In the eyes of the world, sorrow and joy are two separate matters. People tend to say: “When you are glad, you cannot be sad, and when you are sad, you cannot be glad.” In fact, our contemporary society does everything possible to keep sadness and gladness separated. We try to hide and forget about death, illness, human brokenness.

But the beatitudes, Jesus’ vision of the Kingdom of God, gives us an entirely different picture. Jesus shows, both in his teachings and in his life, that true joy often is hidden in the midst of our sorrow. His life, death and resurrection alone is proof of this reality. The cross is a symbol of death and of life, of suffering and of joy, of defeat and of victory. In the cross, both joy and sorrow can exist together. That isn’t easy to understand, but when we think about some of our life experiences, such as being present at the birth of a child or at the death of a friend, great sorrow and great joy are often seen to be parts of the same experience. Often we discover the joy in the midst of the sorrow.

And so we come to understand that true joy is not the same as happiness. We can be unhappy about many things, but joy can still be there because it comes from the knowledge of God’s love for us. In other words, joy is the experience of knowing that you are unconditionally loved and that nothing – sickness, failure, emotional distress, oppression, war or even death – can take that love away. We are, as St. Paul tells us in the second reading, the beloved children of God – this is our true identity – this is the source of our joy. To be a saint means to be joyful even in the midst of trials and sufferings.

When does this joy happen? The blessedness which belongs to the Christian is not a blessedness which is postponed to some future world of glory; it is a blessedness which exists here and now. True, it will find its fullness in heaven; but for all that it is a present reality to be enjoyed here and now.

Nothing happens automatically in the spiritual life. Joy does not simply happen to us. We have to choose joy and keep choosing it every day. It is a choice based on the knowledge that we belong to God and have found in God our refuge and our safety and that nothing, not even death, can take God away from us.

Throughout the year, we celebrate feast days in honour of the saints. They are the ‘name’ (famous) saints, the ‘big’ saints like St. Joseph, the Apostles, the martyrs. Today, we celebrate the unnamed saints, the ‘little’ saints. They are the people who quietly tried to lead good, Christian lives, and who in God’s plan never had the occasion to do anything really spectacular or extraordinary. These are the saints who look just like you and I.

Today in this Mass, we should praise and thank God for the little saints, past and present – even the saints that are present in our midst. Each of you have a baptism name, a name of a saint. Today is everyone’s feast day. Happy Feast Day to one and all of you!

基督徒领袖

2011-10-27T23:48:00.002+08:00

常年期第三十一主日

许多人认为社会是分成两组人－领袖和百姓。领袖统治他们的百姓；百姓必得服从他们的领袖。许多天主教徒也常认为教会同样分为两种的人－领袖和跟随者。主教，神父，其助手，平信徒领袖都属于前者而普通教友是属于后者。领袖管理教会而跟随的人只跟就是。

主内的弟兄姐妹们，只有一组人罢了――我们全是基督的门徒。当然，在基督奥体内，教会，我们全都有不同的职责。我们都有一个共同的身份 ―― 我们是天主的忠实子民。身为基督的门徒，我们每一个都以不同的方式去服务我们的弟兄姐妹。在教会里是没有睡觉和不活跃的信徒的。所有的信友都蒙召积极服务。所有的信友都蒙召积极领导。是的，我们全都蒙召成为领袖。

今天的读经告诉我们，基督徒领袖，基督门徒应执行职务。这些读经并不只是指神父或你们华文促进会的领袖或基信团协调员。读经所指的是我们每一个人。我们都是基督的门徒蒙召去服务有如耶稣一样。

基督徒领袖或门徒的首要条件是必须听从天主有如玛拉基亚先知在读经一所提醒我们的。听从天主的意思是，我们只关注承行天主的旨意不是我们的。当我们在祈祷中没有听从天主，我们将滥用我们的权力，我们会坚持自己的意愿，我们会尝试归功于自己而不是天主。听从天主也指我们承认一切权威来自天主。不论我们有什么才能都来自天主。而这些赋予的才能是为团体的益处。

基督徒领袖的第二个条件是我们的领导应该是牧职性的。换句话说，我们应该对所服务的团体怀有爱心。圣保禄在读经二借用母爱来形容他对教会所怀的爱。我们的行动该出于爱的动机。

基督徒领袖的第三个条件是我们的事奉该是服务不是权力。耶稣在今天的福音中谴责法利塞人滥用他们在团体中的领导和导师的身份地位控制人民及榨取利益。耶稣提醒他们一切的权力来自天主。身为基督徒领袖，我们蒙召成为仆人，谦卑自己为我们的弟兄姐妹所需服务。我们不该寻求光荣或期待别人给予荣誉。

在今天的弥撒中，让我们祈求上主使我们实践天主给我们的信息。耶稣是我们的模范和导师。他指示我们该怎样成为一个真正的领袖。他是个祈祷的人常常承行天主的旨意。他爱我们甚至为我们在十字架上牺牲自己的生命。虽然是天主子，天主，他却贬抑自己为服务他的门徒。让我们留意他的召叫，跟随他。

Christian Leadership

2011-10-27T23:40:00.002+08:00

Thirty First Ordinary Sunday Year A

Many people think that society is divided into two kinds of people – leaders and subjects. Leaders govern their subjects while subjects must obey their leaders. Many Catholics often feel that the Church is also divided into these two categories of persons – leaders and followers. Bishops, priests and their helpers, the lay leaders, all fall within the first category while the ordinary lay person falls into the second category. The Leaders run the Church while the followers just follow.

My brothers and sisters in Christ, there is only one category of persons – we are all disciples of Christ. Certainly, we all have different functions in the Body of Christ, the Church. But we all have one common identity – we are the “faithful of God”, the “People of God.” As disciples of Christ, each of us have a special vocation to serve our brothers and sisters in different ways. There are no sleeping and non-active members in the Church. All members are called to active service. All members are called to active leadership. Yes, we are all called to be leaders.

Today’s readings tell us how a Christian leader, a Christian disciple should carry out his responsibility. The readings are not just referring to the priests or to your leaders in the Parish Council or your BEC Coordinator. The readings refer to each and everyone of us. We are all disciples of Christ and called to serve as he did.

The first condition for Christian leadership or discipleship is that we must listen to God as the prophet Malachi reminds us in the first reading. Listening to God means that we are only concerned with doing his will and not ours. When we fail to listen to God in prayer, we will abuse our power, we will assert our will over others, we will attempt to glorify our own name instead of God. Listening to God means that we recognize that all authority and power comes from God alone. Whatever talents that we may have, comes from God. These talents have been entrusted to us for the good of the community.

The second condition for Christian leadership is that our leadership must be pastoral. In other words, we must have a love for the community whom we serve. In the second reading, St. Paul uses the image of the love of a mother to describe his love for the Church. Our actions must always be motivated by love.

The third condition for Christian leadership is that our ministry must always be one of service rather than power. Jesus condemned the Pharisees in today’s gospel for abusing their leadership by seeking to control the people and by trying to profit from their position as leaders and teachers in the community. Jesus reminds them that all authority comes only from God. As Christian leaders, we are called to be servants, to humble ourselves, to serve the needs of our brothers and sisters. We should not look for glory or expect others to give us places of honour.

In today’s mass, let us pray that we will be able to put into the practice the message of Gods’ word for us. Jesus is our model and our teacher. He showed us what a true leader should be. He was a man of prayer always wanting to do God’s will. He loved us to the extent of sacrificing his life on the cross. Although he was the Son of God, although he was God, he humbled himself to serve his own disciples. Let us heed his call and follow him to wherever he may lead us.

How much should we love God?

2011-10-22T21:53:00.001+08:00

Thirtieth Ordinary Sunday Year A

How much should we love God? How much do you love God? How much do you love Jesus? Can you divide your love between God and your wife, your husband, your children, your parents, your friends and your neighbours? Can you give each 20% of your heart, 20% of your love? 20% goes to God. 20% goes to our wife or husband. 20% goes to our children. Another 20% goes to our friends. Can? No, we can’t. Our hearts cannot be divided. We must love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind. This means giving him 100% of our love. Then, how about our family members, friends or our neighbour? Have we no love left for them?

Here is the secret I want to share with you. If you are prepared to love God with everything that you have and give him your 100%, you will be able to love everyone, your wife, your husband, your children, your elderly parents, your friends, and even your enemies, with the same love that God has for you. We can never truly love others unselfishly without giving our love first to God. Only God’s love is perfect. We can only love others unconditionally with the unconditional love of God. In other words, we love others through God’s love. Or we become the channel in which God loves our neighbours.

The problem begins when we try to divide our hearts and our love between the many people whom we think we should love. If we attempt to love on our own without any reference to love of God, we would often end up meeting our selfish needs alone. We love another person only because we expect the same love in return. Very often, we will be disappointed. Apart from God, no one can love unconditionally. Only God can love unconditionally.

That is why for us Christians, marriage is not just a private affair between two persons – husband and wife. Marriage is a sacred bond that is made possible only through the power of God. God is the love that unites husband and wife. If God is excluded from the marriage, if the parties think that they can make marriage work without God, then that marriage would not last very long. When we try to find only human solutions to our need for love, we will certainly be disappointed. No person can meet our every need. Only God can.

Without God, we cannot possibly love. Feelings alone are not indication of love. Feelings come and go. Love is a commitment that remains. Without God, we would only be concerned with meeting our own needs. Without God, we will only try to control the other person, we will become possessive.

When we are able to love God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our mind, we will begin loving our neighbour as we truly should. The second part of the commandment is the test by which we will know that we are surrendering ourselves to God’s love. If we are living in God’s love, then we will begin thinking of the migrant, the poor and the orphan. We will begin caring for them. Loving God fully doesn’t mean spending all your time in Church, or coming for Church activities. Loving God fully means, that you will begin thinking of the needs of the others and the needs of the community before thinking of your own needs.

Today, let us examine ourselves and ask ourselves honestly, how much do we love God? How much do we love others apart from ourselves? If we have only been thinking of ourselves all this time, perhaps it is time to start thinking of others.

没有不同部分的生活

2011-10-14T19:41:00.002+08:00

常年期第二十九主日

我们很轻易地把我们的生活分为不同部分。家庭，工作，学校，朋友，之间及教会不同的生活。我们可以在不同的环境中过“不同的生活”。例如，与朋友相处时，我表现好的一面，但当我与家人相处时，我所展现的却是另一面。与长者不论是你的上司，老师或神父，你会尽量表现你最好的一面。而在他们的背后，你却鄙视和说他们的闲话。

或许，行为态度的转变可在圣堂环境中更显得明显。许多人来到圣堂对圣体显得非常尊敬－他们保持静默，跪着，用很长的时间祈祷。但是他们一踏出教堂就不同了。他们与别人打架，说人是非，与别人竞争，抨击家人，朋友及其他团体成员。

耶稣在今天福音的后一段说道： “凯撒的，就应归还凯撒，天主的，就归还天主。” 并不指我们应该这样做。耶稣不是说对天主，我们应该是这样，而和别人时又是那样。说真的，这句话是难以捉摸的。有什么东西是凯撒的？有什么东西是你的或是我的？答案是“没有”。一切都是天主的。因此，我们所做的一切都是为了天主。我们所做的一切并不是为了个人的利益或益处或声望而是全为了光荣天主。
所以，不论我们身在何处，不管是在圣堂，在家中，在工作场所，在学校，在餐馆或朋友之间的生活态度是不该有区别的。在这一切的场所中，我们的所作所为应相似天主的子女。你在生意交易中欺骗别人却忠实地每主日来圣堂是没有意思的。在主日天我们所做的必须影响我们整个星期的生活。每一天都是神圣的。我们所做的一切也是神圣的。我们所说的一切话，也应当在天主前说。宗教和社会之间是分不开的。我们在主日天在弥撒中所宣认的信仰必须在我们日常生活中实践。

在今天的弥撒中，让我们检讨我们的生活。我们有，以基督徒的身份与家人相处吗？我们是否尊敬他们有如我们尊敬在圣体中的耶稣吗？在工作场所中，我是否有基督徒的好表现呢？我们诚实勤劳或在工作上有欺骗的行为吗？我们懒惰不负责任吗？在公司里我们有接受贿赂及偷窃吗？我们与朋友的作为又如何呢？我们有跟随他们到我们不该去的地方吗？我们有和他们一起酗酒并涉及不良的习惯吗？

请记住，“天主的就归还天主。” 在我们在世上的生命终结时，我们生命是要归还给天主的。我们可以归还给天主的，是充满诚实，怜悯，爱及尊敬的一生或是充满不诚实，自私及罪恶的一生呢？现在就做选择罢！

No Compartments

2011-10-14T14:38:00.003+08:00

Twenty Ninth Ordinary Sunday Year A

We have easily divided our lives into different compartments. Life in the family; life at work; life at school; life among friends; life in the Church. We are able to live “different lives” in different environments. For example, among friends I like to be the “good guy” but I show a dark side of myself at home among my family members. With a superior, whether it be your boss, or teacher or priest, you will try to be on your best behaviour. But behind their backs, you despise them and gossip about them.

Perhaps, the greatest change of behaviour can be seen in the Church environment. Many people come to Church. They show a great deal of respect for the Blessed Sacrament when entering the Church – silence, kneeling, praying for long periods – but the moment they step out of Church, another behaviour begins. They fight with others, they gossip, they compete with one another, they hit out at their family members, friends and other members of the community.

The saying of Jesus at the end of today’s gospel, “Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar – and to God what belongs to God” is no excuse to act like this. Jesus is not saying, with God we must act one way, but when dealing with others, we act differently. Actually, the saying is a riddle. Does anything actually belong to Caesar? Does anything actually belong to you or to me? The answer is NO. Everything belongs to God. So everything that we do, we do it for God. Everything that we do, we do it not for some personal gain/profit or for popularity sake but in order to glorify God.

Therefore, there is no distinction between life in the Church, in the family, in the working place, in school, in the restaurant or among friends. In all these places, we must act and behave like children of God. There is no point cheating others in your business dealings and then faithfully coming to Church every Sunday. What we do on Sunday must affect our lives throughout the week. Every day is a holy day. Everything that we do is sacred. Everything that we say, we must be able to say it in the presence of God. There is no distinction between religion and society. The faith that we profess on Sunday and celebrate during the Mass must be lived out everyday.

In today’s mass, let us honestly examine our lives. Have we been acting like Christians at home with our own family members? Have we treated them with respect in the same way that we would treat Jesus in the Eucharist? As for the working place, have we been giving good witness as Christians? Are we honest and hardworking or do we cheat at work? Are we lazy and neglect our responsibilities? Do we take bribes and steal from the company? How about our actions with our friends? Do we follow them to places that we shouldn’t go? Do we spend time with them getting drunk and getting involved in bad habits?

Remember only this, “Give back to God what belongs to God.” At the end of our lives on earth, it is our own lives which we must give back to God. We can either give a life that is full of honesty, compassion, love and respect or we can give to God a life that is full of dishonesty, selfishness and sin. Choose now!

天堂是什么样子的？

2011-10-07T11:51:00.001+08:00

常年期第二十八主日

天堂是什么样子的？你们当中有人从天堂回来的吗？或许你可以告诉我们？

我们观赏太多的电视节目了。很多人幻想天堂是在上面的。他们幻想有云彩的地方，每个人都身穿白衣，长有翅膀的人。然而，天堂并不是一个地方。它不在这里也不在那。天堂是与天主同在的境地。我们与天主及其他的人之间的共融是那么美好而不再有任何的疏远。天堂是一个奥秘因天主是奥秘。

不过，藉着今天的读经我们仍可以有天堂的概念。依撒意亚在读经一中给了我们以下的形象：天堂有如美酒佳肴的盛宴，那里不再有悲哀因为死亡将永远被消灭，脸上的泪痕将被拭干因那里不再有任何痛苦。而先知所给的最有力形象就是我们将面对面与天主会面，对天主的认识不再模糊。

福音再以婚宴的比喻重复盛宴的形象。最有趣的事是每个人都受邀赴盛宴。仆人被派到 “各路口，凡遇到的，不论是坏人好人都请来赴盛宴。” 我常想象天堂的门是大开的。实际上，是没有门和篱笆的。任何人在任何时候都可以自由进出。但是，人们却有自由选择进入。这就是耶稣所指的－ “被召的人多，被选的人少。” 它应解为， “天主召叫了所有的人，但我们可以选择不去回应。”

为什么有些人选择不去参加婚宴呢？为什么有些人选择不进天堂呢？这可能有不同的原因。有一些认为他们不配，觉得罪恶深重不敢面对天主。他们自觉赤裸羞耻。或许，这就是在福音中提及没穿婚宴礼服人的象征。不是天主定他的罪而是他自己定自己的罪。还有许多人虽然已告明了自己的罪仍不断觉得内疚及罪恶深重。

还有一些充满怨恨，仇恨及不宽恕而天堂所指的是天主与所有的人的爱之间的和谐关系。怨恨及不宽恕却阻挡我们进入这关系中。想想你被邀请去赴宴而你的敌人也在场。你会与你的仇敌同桌共餐吗？你会没有胃口。你会感到有如身在地狱。当我们不愿与我们的邻人还有天主和好时，就有如地狱般。当我们不能与我们的仇敌手拉手前行时也好比地狱。当我们必须与我们所憎恨的人永远生活，更像地狱。为此，地狱并不是有火焰，天主谴责我们的地方。而是我们选择了地狱，拒绝去爱和宽恕。

我们应该小心，不把我们在世的生活与天堂混淆。许多人认为他们可以在世界造天堂。他们总以为只要所需要的一切得到满足，只要有很多金钱，只要拥有许多朋友，只要一切问题都能解决，那就是天堂了。我的弟兄姐妹们，这不是天堂。当我们努力去在世上建设天堂时，我们会失望。没有任何关系可以满足我们的孤独。没有任何解决方法可以消除所有的问题。没有足够的金钱可以买到快乐。正如圣保禄在读经二提醒我们只有天主必 “以自己的财富，在基督耶稣内，丰富满足你们的一切需要。”

让我们信赖天主。在我们的喜乐和悲苦中，让我们转向天主。在我们的饥饿和丰裕中寻求天主。让我们光荣天主在天堂为我们每一个人准备了地方。

How does heaven look like?

2011-10-07T11:47:00.001+08:00

Twenty Eighth Ordinary Sunday Year A

How does heaven look like? Has anyone here returned from heaven? Perhaps, you can share with us.

We have been watching too much television. Many people imagine that heaven is up there. They imagine a place of clouds, everyone is dressed in white, and people have sprouted wings. Well, heaven isn’t a place. It’s neither up there nor down there. Heaven is a state of being in the presence of God. Our communion with God and with others is so perfected, that there is no longer any separation or alienation. Heaven will always be a mystery because God himself is mystery.

Nevertheless, we can still have some idea about heaven, especially from today’s readings. The Prophet Isaiah in the first reading gives us the following images: Heaven will be like a banquet of rich food and fine wines, there will no more be mourning as death will be destroyed, every tear will be wiped away as there is no longer any pain or suffering. The most powerful image given by him is that we will see God face to face and no longer know him in a vague way.

The gospel repeats the image of the banquet through the parable of the wedding feast. What is interesting is that all are welcomed to the wedding feast. The servants went out to the crossroads of the town and “collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike.” I use to imagine that the gates of heaven are always opened. In fact, there is no gate and there are no fences. Anyone can choose to walk in at any time. However, people have the freedom to choose not to enter. This is the meaning of the words of Jesus – “For many are called, but few are chosen.” It should be read in a different way, “God has called all, but we can choose not to respond.”

Why do some people choose not to attend the wedding feast? Why do some people choose not to enter heaven? There may be a variety of reasons. There are those who feel that they are not worthy and are too sinful to stand in the presence of God. They feel naked and ashamed. Perhaps, this is the symbol of the man in today’s gospel who was found to be without a wedding garment. It is not God who had condemned him. It is the man who had condemned himself. There are many people who constantly feel guilty and sinful even after they had confessed their sins.

There are also others who are full of resentment, hatred and unforgiveness. Heaven refers to a relationship of harmony and love between all persons with God. But resentment and unforgiveness prevents us from entering into such a relationship. Just imagine that you have been invited to a party with some of your enemies present. Would you be able to sit down and have a meal together with your enemy? You wouldn’t have an appetite. The whole experience would be hell for you. And so this is hell, when we are not reconciled with our neighbours and with God. It is hell when we can’t walk hand in hand with our enemies. It is hell when we have to live with people that we hate for eternity. So, hell isn’t a place of fire in which God chooses to condemn us to. We choose hell by refusing to love and forgive.

We must be careful that we do not confuse our earthly existence with heaven. Many people think that they can make earth a heavenly place. They often think that if all their needs are met, if they have enough money, if they have lots of friends, if all their problems are solved, that would be heaven. My brothers and sisters, this is not heaven. When we try to build heaven on earth, we will be disappointed. No relationship will ever be an answer to our loneliness. No solution will ever be able to eradicate all problems. No amount money can buy happiness. As St. Paul reminds us in the second reading, only God “will fulfill all your needs, in Christ Jesus, as lavishly as only God can.”

Let us look to God with trust. Let us turn to him in our joy and our sorrow. Let us search for him in our hunger and our plenty. Let us give glory to God who has prepared a place for each of us in heaven.

教会是天主的

2011-09-29T11:56:00.001+08:00

常年期第二十七主日

这是我的手表！这是我的书！这是我的教堂！你们是我的教友！我的！我的！我的！

把东西占为己有是很容易的！当我们声称某些东西是属于我们时，我们会常觉得我们拥有某些掌控权。我们可以控制及操纵使用我们所拥有的。许多父母常以为孩子们是属于他们的。有些丈夫相信他们的妻子是他们的私人财务。有一些认为朋友也是他所属。我们也认为教会是属于我们的。

兄弟姐妹们，我不想使你们失望，但我要诚恳地告诉你们，这一切事物或人都不属于我们的。这就是今天福音中的葡萄园园户的错。园户认为葡萄园是属于他们的因此设法从园主手中夺下这块园地，所以把园主派来的仆人甚至园主的儿子都一一杀掉。

当我们设法拥有某一些，控制某一些，并认定是属于我们时，在这样的过程中，我们只有伤害别人。你的孩子并不属于你的。他们是属于天主的。他们是委托于你使你学习去照顾他们，喂养他们，爱护他们，与他们分享你的信仰；当有一天，他们已准备好，你得放手，让他们独立生活。许多父母，当孩子都已成家立业了仍不愿放手。父母们仍不断地干涉孩子的生活及家庭。这，并没有带来利益反而造成损害。

做丈夫的，你并不拥有你的妻子。你并没从菜市里把她们买回来。做妻子的，你也不拥有你的丈夫。你们因爱互托终生。爱并不强迫任何人做违反他们意愿的事。爱使我们自由地成为天主所意愿的人。

许多人也认为教会是他们所属。为此，他们认为他们有权控制或占有堂区的某善会或小组。我们抓住不放并确保没人可以接任。它不在乎是否我们可以胜任。有时，或许，我们做得很好，别人也未必可以重复我们所做的，但要记得，事奉的工作不属于我们的。它是属于耶稣基督的。然而，有的并不结果实但仍固执地赖着不走。当，较有才华的人有意加入行列时，他们通常感到威胁。

弟兄姐妹们，教会并不属于任何人的，它不属于我们的。教会是天主的。我们属于天主的。我们是天主的子民。如果我们认为它是属于我们的，我们就会想控制它。如果我们滥用天主所委托的，有一天它将从我们中夺去而交给别人；有如今天福音中所描述的恶园户一样。

The Church Belongs to God

2011-09-29T11:49:00.002+08:00

Twenty Seventh Ordinary Sunday Year A

This is MY watch! This is MY book! This is MY Church! You are MY Parishioners! Mine! Mine! Mine!

Easy for us to claim things as ours! When we claim something as ours, we often feel that we have a certain power over it. We can control and manipulate that which we possess. Many parents often think that their children belong to them. Some husbands believe that their wives are their possessions. Others feel that they own their friends. Many of us also may think that the Church belongs to us.

My brothers and sisters, I do not want to disappoint you but I have to tell you sincerely that none of these things or persons belong to us. This is was the mistake made by the tenants of the vineyard in today’s gospel reading. The tenants thought that they owned the vineyard or they tried to wrest control of the vineyard from the owner by beating up the owner’s servants and finally by killing the son of the owner.

When we try to possess something, when we try to control something, thinking that it is ours to own, we will only hurt the other in the process. Your children do not belong to you. They belong to God. They are given to you on trust so that you may learn to care for them, feed them, love them, share your faith with them, and one day when they are ready, allow them to live their own independent lives. Many parents are not willing to let go even when their children have grown up and have families of their own. Parents continue to interfere in the lives of their children and their children’s families and sometimes cause more damage than good.

Husbands, you do not own your wives. You did not buy them from the market. Wives, you too do not own your husbands. You have given yourselves to one another in love. Love never forces anyone to do anything against his or her own will. Love frees us to be the persons God has intended us to become.

Many people also think that they own the Church. Many people think that they have a certain control or possession over a ministry or a group within the Church. We hold on to control by making sure that no one else can take over. It doesn’t matter whether we are able to do the work or nor. Sometimes we may be doing a wonderful job and others may not be able to repeat the kind of work that we are doing, but always remember the ministry does not belong to us it belongs to Christ. Still others are not able to bear fruit but still find themselves stuck in that particular area. They often feel threatened when others who are more capable are interested to join that ministry.

My brothers and sisters, the Church does not belong to any one, it does not belong to us. The Church belongs to God. We belong to God. We are the People God. If we think that it belongs to us, then we will be tempted to control it. If we abuse the trust which God has given us; that which has been entrusted to us will be taken away from us and given to some other just like the wicked tenants in today’s gospel.

爱就是答案

2011-09-04T12:03:00.001+08:00

常年期第二十三主日

我们中的许多人对团体生活持有不同的想法。团体的核心是爱。圣保禄在读经二告诉我们： “爱不加害于人，所以爱就是法律的满全。” 爱就是答案。不报复，不缄默，不尝试寻找人的解决办法。

然而什么是爱呢？爱肯定不是一种感觉。感觉是易变的。爱并不是喜欢因为喜欢或不喜欢某人或某事物是一种感觉。感觉是非我们所能控制的情绪－相反的，爱是一个决定。我可以选择爱我的仇人即使我不喜欢他。我可以选择宽恕我的仇人即使我仍感到伤痛和被出卖。

爱并不是什么使我们感到愉快的事。有时，爱并不使我们感到愉快而那不愉快的感觉并不重要。有时即使我们感到痛苦，我们却要去爱。一个父亲必须对他儿子吸烟习惯表示坚决的立场即使他清楚他的儿子必会生他的气，可能几个星期或几个月不理睬他。这是辣手的爱。拒绝与你的朋友同流合污将使你失去他们的友谊也是辣手的爱。

而在团体中，爱要求我们彼此诚实。但，我们的诚实必须是积极的并以爱为基础。我们不能互相斥责只因我们要向对方报复或为难他。如果我们诚实，它必建设那人或团体。很多时候，我们许多人对要向我们团体中的兄弟姐妹甚至我们的朋友说真话，感到吃力。我们不想做坏人。我们不想失去他们的友谊。为辩护自己的行为，我们说伤害别人的情感有缺爱德。

缄默永不是解决的方法。很多时候，每当我们选择不愿面对我们的弟兄姐妹或朋友的真相时，我们却向别人说他们的闲话。闲话对任何人都没有益处。闲话也不能建设团体。它更不能帮助你的朋友成长。出于爱心的作法是温和地与你的朋友交谈对话。有时，他会接受你所说的。有时，他或不能接受甚至使你们的关系闹僵。然而宁可让真相僵化感情，而彼此最后得以成长，好过有所隐瞒的关系。

爱使我们有责任去对抗我们的弟兄姐妹所做的恶。但是我们的责任并不是去改变那个人。只有那个人可以选择改变。如果那个人拒绝改变，我们该做什么呢？你应该为团体着想来决定那个人是否该留下而继续让他伤害成员，影响团体的合一或为了整个团体的益处而把那个人排除。这不是个容易的决定。但是，不论决定如何，为爱那个人及团体里的每一个成员着想，它必须以爱做出发点。

耶稣给我们宽恕的力量。这不仅是力量，也是一种恩赐和命令。我们的团体并不完美因它的成员都不完美。宽恕为此常是爱的必然表达。让我们继续为我们的基信团，我们的堂区团体祈祷。团体或许看来不可能建立。但为那爱我们的天主，一切都可能。让我们彼此宽恕正如他宽恕了我们一样。

Love is the Answer

2011-09-04T11:58:00.001+08:00

Twenty Third Ordinary Sunday Year A

Many of us have different ideas of what community life is all about. At the heart of community is love. St. Paul tells us in the second reading: “Love is the one thing that cannot hurt your neighbour; that is why it is the answer to every one of the commandments.” Love is the answer. Not revenge, not keeping silent, not trying to find some human solution.

But what is love? Love is certainly not a feeling. Feelings come and go. Love isn’t about liking because to like or dislike someone or something is a feeling. Feelings are human emotions that are beyond our control. On the contrary, love is a decision. I can choose to love my enemy even if I dislike him. I can choose to forgive my enemy even if I continue to feel the hurt and the betrayal.

Love isn’t something that makes us feel good. Sometimes, love does make us feel good but feeling good is not essential. There are times when we are asked to love even when it pains us to do so. A father has to be firm about his son’s smoking habits even though he knows that his son will be angry with him and may not talk to him for weeks or months. This is tough love. Refusing to follow your friends in doing something which you know to be wrong, while knowing that you may lose their friendship. This is tough love.

Likewise in community, love requires us to be honest with one another. But out honesty must be constructive and based on love. We should not be telling each other off just because we want to get back at that person or make that person suffer. If we are honest with our words, it must done for the good of that other person and for the community. Very often, many of us find it difficult to tell the truth to our brothers and sisters in the community or even to our circle of friends. We don’t want to be the bad guy. We don’t want to lose their friendship. We try to justify our actions by saying that it is not loving to hurt the feelings of the other person.

Silence is never the solution. Very often, when we choose not to confront our brother or sister or friend with the truth, we will talk about it in gossip with other persons. Gossip never helps anyone. Gossip does not help the community. Neither would it help your friend to grow. The loving thing would be to speak your friend in a gentle way and dialogue with him. There are times that he will be able to accept what you have said. There are times he will not be able to accept it. There are times your relationship will even be strain. But it is better to have a relationship that is strained by the truth, which will eventually help both parties to grow, than a relationship that is covered in lies.

Love places a duty on us to confront the evil that our brother and sister has done. But our duty is not to change the other person. That person alone can choose to change. What do we do if the person refuses to change? You must then decide as a community whether that person should remain within the community and continue to cause harm to the members and to the unity of the community or this person needs to be excluded for the good of the whole community. It is never an easy decision. But whatever the decision, it must always be done out of love. Love for that person and love for each member of the community.

Jesus gives us the power to forgive. This is not just merely a power but a gift and a command. Our community is not perfect because its members are not perfect. Therefore, forgiveness is always a necessary expression of love. Let us continue to pray for our BECs and our parish communities. Community may sometimes seem impossible to establish. But everything is possible with God who loves us. Let us forgive one another as he has forgiven us.

Rocks are chosen, not born

2011-08-16T21:39:00.003+08:00

Twenty First Ordinary Sunday Year A

We all know Simon Peter as the one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus. But Peter was not his original name. His original name was Simon, a Hebrew name. In today’s gospel, Jesus gives him a new name. With the new name comes a new identity, a new role and a new mission.

At baptism, each of us is given a Christian name in addition to the name given to us by our family. This is important because like Peter, we too are given a new identity, a new role and a new mission. We are no longer the son or the daughter of so-and-so. We are no longer someone with a particular surname. We are no longer just a member of a particular family. Through our baptism and through our naming, we are now made members of a bigger family – the family of the Church. Through our naming and baptism we are made children of God. As Christians, we are now given a new mission in life.

The gospel tells us the meaning of Peter’s name. It means “rock.” Now, we all can understand the symbolism of the rock – it represents something solid, strong, and stable. Was this the character of Peter? Surprisingly, the Peter that we see in the gospels turns out to be in contrast with this image of the rock. We see Peter as someone who is weak, who changes his position and decision when faced with problems, someone who deserts Jesus and runs away in order to save his own life. Does this mean that Jesus made a mistake by naming Peter as ‘rock’?

The answer is a definite No. Jesus was able to see potential in Peter, although it was not visible to others or even to Peter himself. The choice of God is not based on the ability of the one chosen. Rather, the choice of God transforms the person chosen. This is what vocation is all about. Vocation isn’t about God calling and choosing persons who are worthy and qualified. On the contrary, God often calls those who in the eyes of the world are not qualified or worthy. This is what St. Paul meant in the second reading: “How rich are the depths of God – how deep his wisdom and knowledge – and how impossible to penetrate his motives or understand his methods! Who could ever know the mind of the Lord?”

If we were given a chance to choose the Twelve Apostles, we would perhaps had chosen more qualified candidates – persons who are prayerful, who know their catechism well, who are good leaders, who are unselfish. But Jesus didn’t call any of these. Rather, Jesus called sinners, fishermen, tax collectors, cheats, prostitutes etc. If we are prepared to heed the call of God, in spite of our weaknesses and limitation, his choice will begin the transformation within us.

Our call is always the initiative of God. God chooses us not because of any qualification or merit on our part. God chooses us in spite of our weaknesses and limitations. God chooses the weak to shame the strong. God chooses the foolish to shame the wise. God chooses the sinner to shame the righteous.

Perhaps, this will help us to understand that the leaders of the Church may not always meet our expectations. But our expectations are not important. We will never have perfect leaders. But what is of the utmost importance is this - God’s freedom to choose whoever he wants and his ability to use those persons in spite of their weaknesses. Let us continue to pray for them and for ourselves that we will always be open to the call of God who raises the lowly and humbles the proud.

选最重要的

2011-07-21T22:45:00.001+08:00

常年期第十七主日

我要你们想象你的房子着火了! 你没有时间抢救一切. 你只有走一趟的时间及只可拿五样东西. 你会抢救那些? 我给你两分钟想一想. 什么是你最想抢救的呢? 我想你们当中许多人会选择你们的身份证. 如果你刚好在准备学校考试的作业,或许那就是你想要拿走的. 有一些会尽量抢救钱财和珠宝. 其他的,或许会抢救他们的宠物. 你有想过要抢救任何人 – 你家中的另一个成员吗? 没有? 其他的人呢? 是不是东西比人更重要呢?

当然,这只是个想象罢了. 然而,只有在我们面对这样的紧急关头 – 当我们面对一连串的选择时 – 在取舍之间才意识到我们生命中真正看重的东西. 你在火灾中所抢救的东西看来是你所珍惜的. 面对选择,你愿意从中放弃一些为拥有另一些你所珍惜的.

今天,耶稣在福音中告诉我们为我们最重要的并不是物品,不是金钱,不是你所拥有的贵重财产,不是你的大学学位,甚至不是你所爱的人. 不是的. 为我们每一个人最重要的是天国. 耶稣给我们这个比喻: “天国好象是藏在地里的宝贝;人找到了,就把它藏起来,高兴地去卖掉他所有的一切,买了那块地.”
在我们的生命中,没有任何东西,绝对没有可以与天主的国的价值比拟. 那么,什么是天主的国或天国呢? 天主的国不是一个地方或一件东西. 天国描述天人合一及人与人之间的共融美好关系境界. 当我们承行天主的旨意时,天主的国就实现了. 耶稣在告诉我们没有什么比这关系来得更重要.

撒罗满意识到这个真理. 天主尊重撒罗满并允许他选择天主将要赐与的恩惠: “你不拘求什么,我必给你.” 如果天主给我们这样的选择,我们将做怎样的选择呢? 一生的幸福? 财富? 一位好丈夫或一位好妻子? 考试考到好成绩? 权势和名誉? 长寿? 撒罗满并没有选择这一些. 他选择明白天主旨意的智慧. 知道及承行天主的旨意总结天国的意义. 知道天主要我们做什么才是唯一重要的.

当然,人一生中,财产,钱财及人际关系是重要的. 但,是否让这些东西操纵我们的生命呢?这些都是我们的神明及偶像吗? 有一样是肯定的. 这一切我们死后不能随身带走.

让我们不要等到最后一分钟. 让我们不要把人生的一切本末倒置而遗恨面对死亡. 让我们现在就开始储蓄为买下那块地里的宝贝,那颗宝贵的珍珠,就是天国. 让我们把天主放在万有之上.

Choose This Over Others

2011-07-21T22:39:00.002+08:00

Seventeenth Ordinary Sunday Year A

I want you to imagine that your house is burning down? There is no time to save everything. You have only enough time to make one trip and you can only take 5 items with you. What would you try to save? I will give you 2 minutes to think about it. Now what are the things that you would most likely try to save? I believe that many of you will go for your identity cards. If you have been preparing an assignment for your school exam, maybe, that’s the item you will try to save. Some of you will try to save as much cash and jewelry as possible. Others may try to save their pet dog. Did you think of saving anyone – another member of your family? No? How about the others, are things more important than people?

Of course, this is all imaginary. However, it is only when we are confronted with a situation like this – a situation of urgency – when we are confronted with a series of choices – to choose this over another, that we will come to realize the things that we really value in life. The things that you have chosen to save from the fire are most likely the things which you value the most. Faced with a choice, you are prepared to choose these over others. You are prepared to sacrifice your other possessions in order to save these.

Today, Jesus tells us in the gospel that the most valuable object for us is not a simple object, it is not money, it is not your most valuable possession, it is not your university degree, it is not even your loved one. No, the most valuable thing for each of us is the kingdom of heaven. Jesus gives us this parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone has found; he hides it again, goes off happy, sells everything he owns and buys the field.”

Nothing in our lives, absolutely nothing can compare with the value of the kingdom of God. And what is the kingdom of God or the Kingdom of heaven? The kingdom of God is not a place or a thing. The kingdom of heaven describes that perfect relationship where man is united with God and with one another. The kingdom of God materializes when we do the will of God. Jesus is telling us that there is nothing more valuable than this relationship.

Solomon came to realize this truth. God honoured Solomon by allowing him to choose the gift which God would bestow on Solomon: “Ask what you would like me to give you?” If we are given such are choice by God, what would we choose? Happiness for the rest of our lives; riches; a good husband or a good wife; the best results in exams; power and honour; long life. Well, Solomon chose none of these. He chose wisdom to understand the will of God. To know and do the will of God sums up the meaning of the kingdom of heaven. To know what God wants of us is the only thing that matters.

Certainly in life, property, money and human relationships are important. But do these things control our lives? Are these our gods and idols? One thing for certain. We cannot bring any of these things with us to that life after death.

Let us not wait till the very last. Let us not face death with regrets of having mistaken the less valuable things in life for those things that really matter. Let us now start saving up in order to buy that treasure in the field, that pearl of great value, the kingdom of heaven. Let us place God as our highest value and first priority.

力量在于怜悯

2011-07-13T19:54:00.001+08:00

常年期第十六主日

常听人说 “力量就是权势.” 谁有力量就操纵一切. 这可能是其中一个原因为什么我们觉得很难去宽恕伤害我们的人. 那也是为什么我们总觉得很难向我们伤害的人道歉. 我们常认为这样的行动是弱者的征兆而被人占便宜.

而今天的读经却提醒我们真正的力量在于怜悯. 那能宽恕,表示怜悯人的才是真正的强者. 读经一告诉我们天主的权力是力量的本源. 但是天主并没有滥用权力. 天主的权力不是用在支配,操纵或审判. 天主最大的权威在于他的仁慈. 他能惩罚罪人,贬抑傲慢的,击败世界强国,但他选择不这样作, “却很温和审判, 极其宽忍治理.” 智慧篇的作者告诉我们天主仁慈待我们是为教训我们 – 好使我们也能彼此以怜悯相待.

怜悯是什么意思呢? 许多人常以怜悯与同情混淆. 怜悯不相等于同情. 怜悯有与别人同甘共苦的意愿,而同情只是一种感觉. 同情使我们保持距离. 我们可以同情所有的战争受害者或非洲饥饿儿童,可是可以选择不作任何事. 怜悯,在另一方面却要求我们有所行动. 怜悯要求我们与别人亲近,体会别人所经历的. 怜悯是设身处地与人分忧.

怜悯,拉丁文的意思是 “共患难.” 如果我们不能与人 “共患难”, 我们永不能对我们的同胞表示怜悯. 换句话说,怜悯就是与其同甘苦,共换难. 除非我们意识到一点,不然我们就很快下判断及批评.

我们必须承认我们的家庭,学校,工作场所及教会团体全是由不完美的人所组成的,我们都是好与怀的组合. 我们好比一块田地长有麦子和莠子. 没有任何方法可以把我们当中的好与怀分开出来. 没有人是怀透的. 同样,也没有人是完美的. 怜悯帮助我们承认我们自己的软弱及有限. 如果我们可以承认我们自己的软弱和需要天主的宽恕及怜悯,我们就会对与我们有相同遭遇的弟兄姐妹们流露怜悯之情. 如果我们要别人完全变好,很可能我们会把他们赶走. 如果这样的情形发生了, 我们不只除掉我们认为是怀的,我们也同时失掉那人潜在的善.

让我们向耶稣怜悯的心学习. 让我们不要太快向我们的弟兄姐妹下判断. 如果我们对别人表示怜悯,我们也会从天主那里得到怜悯.

Strength Means Compassion

2011-07-13T19:45:00.003+08:00

Sixteenth Ordinary Sunday Year A

People often say that “Strength means power.” Whoever has strength is in charge. That may be one of the reasons we often find difficulty in forgiving those who have hurt us. That is also the reason why we find it hard to apologise to the other person whom we have hurt. We often think that such actions are signs of weakness and that we will allow others take advantage of us.

But today’s readings remind us that true strength means compassion. He who is able to forgive, he who is able to show compassion is truly strong. In the first reading, we are told that God’s authority has its source in strength. But this strength does not mean that God uses his power indiscriminately. God’s strength is not about domination or control or judgment. God’s greatest strength comes in the form of his compassion. He is able to punish the sinner, humble the proud, and defeat the greatest nations on earth, but God chooses not to do so. Rather, he “is mild in judgment,” and “governs with lenience.” The writer of the Book of Wisdom tells us the reason for this. God is compassionate to us in order to teach us a lesson – that we too should be compassionate with one another.

What is the meaning of compassion? Many people often confuse compassion with sympathy. Compassion is not equivalent to sympathy. Compassion is a decision to enter into the experience, the pain and struggle of the other person. Sympathy is only a feeling. Sympathy keeps us at a distance. We can sympathise with all the victims of war or the hungry children in Africa, and yet we choose to do nothing. Compassion, on the other hand, calls us to action. Compassion is a call to come close to the other person, to experience what he is experiencing. Compassion means walking in the shoes of the other person.

In Latin, compassion means to “suffer with.” We will never be able to show compassion to our fellow men if we have not learnt how to “suffer with” them. In other words, compassion is the ability to see through the eyes of the other person, to think like the other person, to experience the struggles which the other is experiencing. Unless we do this, we will be quick to pass judgment and criticize.

We must accept that our families, schools, work places and church communities are made up of people who are not perfect. Each of us is a bundle of good and bad. We are like the field that has both wheat and darnel, all mixed up together. There is no way of separating the good from the bad within each of us. No one is entirely bad. Likewise, no one is entirely good. Compassion helps us to accept our own weaknesses and limitations. If we can recognize our own weaknesses and our need for God’s forgiveness and compassion, we will also begin to be compassionate with our brothers and sisters who are having the same struggles as us. If we want others to change entirely for the good, there is a possibility that we will chase them away from us. If this happens, not only will we be rid of what we think is bad, we will also risk loosing the good in that person.

Let us learn from the compassionate heart of Jesus. Let us not be too quick in passing judgment on our brothers and sisters. If we have shown compassion to others, we too will receive compassion from God.

Living the Mystery

2011-06-15T14:21:00.004+08:00

Holy Trinity Sunday Year A

Do you get a headache whenever you think or talk about the Trinity? Many of us are often caught up in the problem of numbers and mathematics – how can three be one and how can one be three? We often forget that this isn’t what the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is all about. Today’s readings give us three areas of reflection.

The doctrine of the Trinity highlights the fact that God is mystery. In the old testament, like in today’s first reading, we read about God appearing on mountain tops and speaking from clouds. Mystery here doesn’t mean that God has kept many things secret. On the contrary, God has fully revealed himself in the person of Jesus Christ. When we speak of mystery, we are speaking of the limitations of human knowledge. Man may have advanced in science and medicine and many other fields, but he is still unable to explain everything. This is because man is himself a mystery. Life and death are mysteries. The universe is a mystery. Suffering is a mystery. Love is a mystery. And finally God is a mystery. Learning this truth will make us more humble. Learning this truth will make us understand that we do not have all the answers to all the problems in the world. Learning this truth will allow us to depend wholly on God and allow him to take charge of everything.

The second truth which we can learn from today’s feast is that God is a God of relationships. Mystery does not mean that God keeps at a distance. Although we can never fully know or understand the depth of God’s mind, we can still have an intimate relationship with him. In fact, man was created for relationship with God. This is possible only because God chooses to come close to us. He does not come close to us by descending from the clouds. God comes close to us by becoming one of us. God the Son came into the world in order to save it. God the Son became human, became one of us, so that we might become one with God.

God chooses to come close to us because he is love. This is the third truth that we can learn from today’s feast. If there is any quality which can best describe the nature of God, it is Love. The Trinity is not a thing. It is a relationship of persons. The Father loves the Son and the Son loves the Father and this love is perfected by the bond of the Holy Spirit. That is why St. Paul reminds us that we should “grow perfect; help one another, …be united, live in peace” because we are made in the image and likeness of this God of love and peace.

If we are to be signs of the Trinity in today’s world, then we must be people who are able to live with mystery. In other words, we must remind the world that there is more than meets the eye, that there is a greater truth than that which is revealed by science – it is God. We are also called to be witnesses of the Trinity through our way of life. We must strive to build communities where we can live in unity and peace and in mutual forgiveness. When we are able to express this in our actions and words, the Trinity ceases to be a mere concept but becomes alive in each of our lives.

没有 “我们” 与 “他们”

2011-06-08T11:05:00.001+08:00

圣神降临 Year A

我们常用“我们”,“他们”… 来指不同的人.“我们” 通常是指与我们认同的人. 我是这组的成员. 我这一组享有共同兴趣及想法. 这一群人都是我的朋友及亲人.

“他们”常指为不属于我们同组的人们. 这些人是我们同组以外的人们. 这些人与我们有许多不同的地方 – 有不同的意见, 不同的言语, 不同背景, 或不同宗教. 而“我们”常与“他们”对立. 他们不是我们的朋友. 我们不信任他们. 我们不喜欢他们.

这通常是我们的想法. 我们常做比较. 我们常看彼此之间的不同而不认同我们之间的共同点. 我们问: “为什么要帮助英文或谈米尔文组呢?”“为什么要照顾外劳的需要呢?” “我们只需照顾我们自己就好了.”

今天的庆典提醒我们在这世界上是没有 “我们” 与 “他们” 之分的. 我们大家都是天主的子女. 我们全是耶稣恩宠的受惠者. 我们蒙召成为天主大家庭的成员. 在这天主大家庭里是不分彼此的. 贫穷的和富有的; 受过教育的和不曾受教育的; 不同语言的和不同文化的人们不被分开. 在天堂里不再有分界.

这是圣神的恩赐. 圣保禄在读经二中提醒我们说: “不论是犹太人, 或是希腊人, 或是为奴的,或是自主的,都因一个圣神受了洗. 都为一个圣神所滋润.” “神恩虽有区别,却是同一的圣神所赐;职分虽有区别,却是同一的主所赐;功效虽有区别,却是同一的天主,在一切人身上行一切事.”

这也是为什么我们不应只为我们所爱的人及朋友祈祷. 我们不应只帮助与我们亲近的人. 我们也蒙召为 “他人” – 为我们的仇敌, 为那些伤害我们的人,那些讲我们坏话的人,与我们意见相左的人,与我们不同肤色或语言的人们祈求.

这是圣神的恩赐也是圣神的挑战. 如果我们要依照圣神而生活的话,我们之间将没有偏见,仇恨和不宽恕的空间存在. 这是因为圣神是合一, 和平及宽恕的神. 复活后耶稣向他的门徒们嘘了一口气并叫他们领受圣神时,圣神的恩赐挑战他们成为缔造和平及修好团体的使者.

将来有一天, 我们会手拉手一起走向天国. 我们会听到耶稣邀请我们每一个人进入新耶路撒冷城. 如果我们现在不能面对我们的仇敌和所有我们不喜欢的人, 我们又怎能死后与他们共处呢? 在天国, 将没有分界线, 没有仇恨或不宽恕. 在那里只有和睦与爱. 当我们还生存在这世界上的当儿,让我们开始为合一及和好努力,因为天堂是今世生活的最佳反映.

今天我们也将委派我们的新教友. 这将是他们成人墓道旅程的最后阶段. 却又是另一段旅程的开始. 身为教会团体,现在是你们的责任欢迎他们并使他们感染到那份归属感. 他们现在已是教会的一份子. 一个充满活力的堂口的其一象征就是成人慕道班. 如果没有慕道者或只有少数的慕道者, 这就是说我们没有履行我们传福音的使命. 我要感谢所有的推动员和陪同员的奉献及服务. 但这不是少数推动员的责任. 成人慕道班也不只是神父的责任. 这是每一个人的责任. 成人慕道班是关系到整个堂口的成长所以它是牵涉到每一个人的. 我呼吁你们每一个人关注成人慕道班. 如果你们当中任何人有兴趣参入墓道团做推动员或陪同员请和我联络.

No 'we' or 'they'

2011-06-08T10:55:00.002+08:00

Pentecost Year A

“We…” “They …” We often use these words to refer to different groups of people. “We” usually refers to the group which I personally can identify with. I’m a member of this group. This group of mine shares common interest and are like-minded. This group of people are my friends and my loved ones.

“They” is often used to refer to people who do not belong to that special group of ours. These people are outside my group of friends and loved ones. These people are considered different – whether it be a different opinion, a different language, a background or a different religion. Very often the “we” are against “them.” They are not our friends. We distrust them. We don’t like them.

Very often, we tend to think like this. We tend to make distinctions. We tend to see our differences rather than to recognize what is common between us. “Why are we helping the English or the tamil speaking?” “Why are we taking care of the needs of the migrants?” “We should only take care of our own.”

Today’s feast reminds us that in this world there are no ‘we’ and ‘they.’ All of us are God’s children. All of us are recipients of the saving grace of Jesus. All of us are called to be that One family of God. There is no room for division and distinction in this one family of God. The poor will not be separated from the rich. The educated will not be separated from the uneducated. People of different languages and different cultures will not be separated and placed in different rooms.

This is the gift of the Holy Spirit. St. Paul reminds us in the second reading: “In the one Spirit we were all baptized, Jews as well as Greeks, slaves as well as citizens, and one Spirit was given to us all to drink.” “There is a variety of gifts but always the same Spirit; there are all sorts of service to be done, but always to the same Lord; working in all sorts of different ways in different people, it is the same God who is working in all of them.”

This is the reason why we cannot only be praying for our loved ones and friends. We cannot only be helping people who are close to us. We are also called to pray for the “others” – for our enemies, for people who hurt us, for those speak ill of us, for those who think differently, for those who are of a different skin colour or language. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Stephen did exactly this. As he was being stoned by his enemies, he prayed that God would forgive them their sins.

This is the gift and the challenge of the Holy Spirit. If we are to live according to the Holy Spirit, then there can be no room for prejudice, hatred and unforgiveness. This is because the Holy Spirit is the spirit of unity, peace and forgiveness. When Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit upon his disciples after the resurrection, the gift of the Holy Spirit comes with the challenge to his disciples to become peacemakers and a reconciling community.

One day, we will all walk hand in hand into the gates of heaven. We will hear the voice of Jesus inviting us to enter into the new Jerusalem. If we are unable to face our enemies and people whom we dislike now, how can we possibly live with them for eternity after death. In heaven, there can be no division, hatred or unforgiveness. There is only unity and love. While we are still alive in this world, let us begin to work for unity and reconciliation because heaven is only a perfect reflection of the way we have lived here on earth.

真正的光荣 - 永生

2011-06-03T16:52:00.002+08:00

复活期第七主日

今天耶稣祈求圣父光荣他. 他所指的光荣是什么意思呢? 光荣是否相等于受人爱戴, 受人欢迎, 赞赏和享有好声望呢? 光荣是不是被人当偶像般崇拜所赢得的钦佩呢?

当耶稣谈及他自己的光荣时,他是指他的十字苦架. 受十字苦刑, 死在十字架上就是他的光荣! 这的确是很难理解的. 十字架,耻辱,拒绝,死亡的象征又怎能同时成为胜利,光荣和生命的象征呢? 而所有的读经确实地告诉了我们这一点.

圣伯多禄是在晚年才明白这事实. 当耶稣在生时,宗徒们常为了荣誉地位而争个不休. 他们非常关切“谁是最大?”的问题. 伯多禄本身承认耶稣是默西亚,天主子,却不能接受耶稣必须受苦而死的事实. 他甚至不能接受耶稣要洗他的脚的事实.

但在今天的读经二中, 我们可以看到伯多禄最后明白了十字架的意义及其真正光荣. 他写道: “你们要喜欢, 因为分享了基督的苦难, 这样好使你们在他光荣显现的时候, 也能欢喜踊跃. 如果你们为了基督的名字受人辱骂,便是有福的,因为光荣的神,即天主的神,就安息在你们身上.”

这就是真正的光荣. 这就是永生. 永生并不是指长寿. 永生并不意谓着没有痛苦或困难的生命. 而永生就是耶稣在福音中所说的, “认识你,唯一的真天主,和祢所派遣来的耶稣基督.”认识耶稣基督是天主所派遣为救赎我们,给我们希望及力量使我们耐心忍受一切考验和困难. 永生就是相信当我们身在考验中,天主却不能离弃我们并有光荣的神,天主的神安息在我们身上.

今天,如果,身为基督徒,你受了苦又受尽了耻辱, 今天如果为了你的信仰,你被误解和被排斥,那就听听圣伯多禄的话吧- 你不该,以此为耻, 反要为这名称 – 基督徒的名称- 光荣天主.

今天,我们也庆祝母亲节.在这特别的一天怀念我们的母亲.她们是爱及牺牲的见证.让我们祈求天主降福母亲们.在弥撒结束前,我们会邀请母亲们上前接受特别降福.

Eternal Life and True Glory

2011-06-03T16:40:00.003+08:00

Seventh Sunday of Easter Year A

Jesus today prays that he may be glorified by his Father. What does it mean to be glorified? Is glory the equivalent of popularity, public acceptance, praises and a good name? Is glory being placed on a high pedestal winning everyone’s admiration?

When Jesus spoke of his own glory he was speaking about the cross. Being crucified, dying on the cross – that was his glory! This is certainly very hard to understand. How can the cross, a symbol of shame, rejection and death be at the same time a symbol of victory, glory and life? This is indeed what the readings are telling us.

St. Peter must have finally understood this truth much later in his life. The apostles, while Jesus was still with them,were always fighting over positions of honour. They were very concerned with the issue: “Who is the greatest?” Peter himself recognized that Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God, but found it hard to accept the fact that Jesus must suffer and die. He could not even accept the fact that Jesus had wanted to wash his feet.

But in today’s second reading, we can see that Peter has finally understood the meaning of the cross and true glory. He writes: “If you can have some share in the sufferings of Christ, be glad, because you will enjoy a much greater gladness when his glory is revealed. It is a blessing for you when they insult you for bearing the name of Christ, because it means that you have the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God resting on you.”

This is true glory. This is eternal life. Eternal life does not mean a very long life. Eternal life does not mean a life without suffering or problems. But eternal life is what Jesus has said in the gospel, “to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent”. To know that Jesus Christ has been sent by God to save us gives us the hope and the strength to patiently endure all trials and difficulties. To know that we are not abandoned by God in times of trials but that we have the Spirit of glory, the Spirit of God resting on us, is eternal life.

Today, if you suffer and receive all kinds of insults for being a Christian, today, if you are misunderstood and rejected by people because of your faith, then listen to words of St. Peter – you are not to be ashamed of it, you must thank God that you are called a Christian.

Leaving creates room for growth

2011-06-02T12:23:00.004+08:00

Ascension Thursday Year A

I'm constantly surprised by the eulogies given at funerals. Some are extremely moving whilst many sound as if they were testimonies given in support of the canonisation of the deceased person. What often surprises me is that in spite of the many criticisms that you would often hear about someone while he is alive, nothing is mentioned of this when he's gone. How the death or the passing of someone seems to change everything. Even his greatest critics seemed to have only good things to say about him. Death changes everything. It is funny how we can come to appreciate someone only when he’s no longer around.

How can the leaving of a friend or a family member be also a moment of joy? Mysteriously, this is the case. Certainly, we are saddened by the loss of a loved one. But his leaving creates room for us to grow. The person leaving us, if he has been such an influential person in our lives, always leaves a part of himself or herself with us. That part can come to life only after the person has left. This is because when the person was with us, we often take his presence for granted. When our loved ones are with us, we don’t really take the trouble to reflect over the influence they have over our lives. When our loved ones are always present to us, we often only see their limitations and weaknesses but are blinded to their good points. It is only after they have left us that we begin to appreciate them for all the things they have done for us.

Jesus also understood this mystery very well. He had to leave in order that his disciples and the young church could be empowered. He had to leave because the church needed to mature. If he had physically remained with them, the disciple would always have to be dependent on him in a childish kind of way. But by Jesus’ leaving, each of his disciples would now carry on the legacy that was left by Jesus. Each would now preach and act in the way that Jesus preached and acted. Jesus’ mission has now become our mission. Jesus’ life has now become part of our lives.

But has Jesus really left us? Certainly not. He promised us at the end of today’s gospel reading: “I am with you always, yes, to the end of time.” By leaving his disciples, Jesus was actually coming back to them in a more powerful way. He would now be present to each of us through the Holy Spirit. Physically, it was not possible for Jesus to be with us at all times. It is only in the Spirit, could he be present to each of us at the same time and at all times.

Let us then pray to God as St. Paul did in the second reading and ask him to grant to us, not human wisdom, but the understanding of the mystery of the Church. May God open the eyes of our hearts so that we can appreciate the greatness of the hope that we are called to.

传扬福音的热火

2011-05-27T16:51:00.004+08:00

复活期第六主日

设想你刚赢得大彩头奖. 你会做什么呢? 你会保密不向任何提及呢? 我相信你必会向祢的家人及要好的朋友宣布. 祢要每一个人都知道. 你曾有一些好消息想与你所爱的人分享吗? 学校考试获得好成绩? 工作上的升级? 你孩子的出生?

好消息并不是收藏保密的. 我们与我们亲密的家人朋友分享因为我们引以为豪. 我们希望与他们分享我们的喜乐. 这也就是宣传福音的意义. 耶稣为了救赎人类而死了. 他升天后派遣圣神做我们的领导及朋友. 这是多美妙的消息呀! 我们不应该收着不外传. 我们应该在屋顶上宣扬.

我们每一个人都是基督的使徒. 我们每一个人都赋予宣传福音的使命. 这并不只是神父修士修女的责任. 也不是只有基督教信友所做的. 这是每一位授洗的天主教徒的工作及责任. 一个天主教徒也必定是一位福传者.

我们又如何成为使徒呢? 许多人常以为使徒是那些必须放弃一切, 他们的财产, 家庭, 离乡背井到别处传扬福音. 为一些使徒的确是如此尤其是修士修女. 但为我们的使命也指在我们的家庭中, 学校里, 近邻及我们工作场所. 今天, 我们庆祝劳工节. 身为基督徒工作者,我们不能忘记在工作场所的使命. 我们必须诚实以言以行反映天国的价值观.

我们宣扬耶稣基督的福音及天主的国不是只引用福音章节, 更甚的是我们的见证来自我们的生活及言行. 所谓行动胜于语言. 今天读经一的撒玛黎雅人藉着斐理伯的宣讲接纳了耶稣的圣道不是因为他们听了他的宣讲. 他们接受了圣道是因为他们看到斐理伯的生活见证. 斐理伯的行动胜于语言.

当我们宣讲天主的圣言时, 我们必须以温和敬畏, 纯洁的良心宣讲. 换句话说, 我们永不能强迫他人接受我们的圣道. 我们千万不可贬低他人的宗教或谴责他人的信仰. 我们必须记住信仰的皈依是圣神的作为. 我们不能改变任何人的宗教. 我们只能与别人分享我们从基督那里所领受的福音.

让我们今天祈求天主圣神燃起我们内心向我们所遇到的人们, 传扬耶稣基督及天国福音的热火. 让我们引用圣咏作者的话回应: “普世大地请你们向天主欢呼!”

Sharing the Good News

2011-05-27T16:42:00.002+08:00

Sixth Sunday of Easter Year A

Try to imagine that you have just won the first prize of a lottery ticket. What would you do? Would you keep this news to yourself? I’m sure that the first thing you would do would be to announce it to your family members and closest friends. You would want everyone to know. Have you ever had some good news that you wanted to share with people that you love? Good results at your schools exams? A promotion at work? The birth of your child?

Good news is to not meant to be kept as a secret. We share good news with the people who are closest to us – our family members and friends because we are proud of it. We want them to share our joy. This is what evangelization is all about. Jesus has died in order to save all mankind. He is risen and he has sent us the Holy Spirit to be our guide and friend. This is wonderful news! This is not something which we must keep to ourselves. This is not something that we should be ashamed to announce from our rooftops.

Each of us is a missionary of Christ. Each of us is entrusted with this responsibility to proclaim the good news. It is not only the responsibility of priests and religious. It is not only something which Protestants do. It is the work and responsibility of every baptized Catholic. To be a Catholic means one has to be a missionary.

How can we be missionaries? Many people often think that missionaries are those who have given up everything, their belongings, their family, their home in order to go to another country to spread the good news of the gospel. This is true of some missionaries, especially those religious brothers and sisters. But each of us is also a missionary in our homes, in our schools, in our neighbourhood, and in our working place.

We announce the good news of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom of God not only by quoting verses from the bible. More than anything else, our witness must come from our lifestyle and actions. Actions speak louder than words. In today’s first reading, the Samaritans came to accept the message of Christ through the proclamation of Philip not only because they had hear his preaching. They accepted the message because they saw the life witness of Philip. His actions spoke louder than words.

When proclaiming the word of God, we must always do it with “courtesy and respect and with a clear conscience.” In other words, we can never force others to accept our message. We must not belittle other religions or condemn other people for their beliefs. We must always remember that conversion is the work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot convert anyone else. We can only share the good news that we have received from Christ.

Let us pray today that the Holy Spirit will enkindle in each of our hearts the passion to share the good news of Jesus Christ and the Kingdom with everyone that we meet. Let us echo the words of the Psalmist: “Cry out with joy to God all the earth.”

我们为祈祷而受造

2011-05-22T14:16:00.002+08:00

复活期第五主日

我们时常抱怨为许多事务忙碌. 太多工作等着我们去做. 有太多的责任及烦恼. 当我们回到家中, 还有许多事需要我们去处理. 有时, 对教会的工作也一样. 我们许多人不管在家中, 或在工作场所, 或在圣堂, 或在基信团体里, 因工作占据了我们的时间而常找借口没空祈祷. 我们或许会想: “我们已做了这么多的善功, 不论是在圣堂的服务, 家务或工作场所的职责. 天主肯定会了解我的处境.” 为此, 当我们的工作占据了大部分时间时, 我们的祈祷时间相对地减少.

圣伯多禄在读经二中提醒我们, 我们是特选的种族, 王家的司祭, 圣洁的国民, 属于主的民族, 为叫我们宣扬那由黑暗中召叫我们, 进入他奇妙之光者的荣耀.” 换句话说, 我们为祈祷而受造. 这是我们一生的目标及意义 – 藉着我们的言行赞美天主.

很多时候, 我们却忘了这重要的事实. 我们忽略了祈祷. 因为我们以为天主只要看有成果的行动并不看无用的祈祷. 然而, 祈祷并不永无用. 事实上, 我们的行动该是祈祷的结果. 祈祷帮助我们保持集中. 它提醒我们, 我们正做着天主的工作而不是我们的. 祈祷提醒我们, 掌管一切的是天主不是我们.

在读经一中, 宗徒们意识到在他们的团体的问题需要他们迫切的关注. 他们在团体日常的供应品上疏忽了他们的寡妇. 因此在祈祷的事工与福利的服务上的优先性引起了不安及冲突. 为了解决他们这种状况,他们选拔了七位执事管理这些要务而宗徒们可以专务祈祷并为真道赋役. 宗徒们意识到团体的力量合一赖于祈祷与圣言. 同时也意识到耶稣托付给他们向贫穷弱小者传福音的使命. 这两者之间并没有冲突. 它们是相辅相成的.

耶稣在今天的福音一开始就对门徒们说: “你们心里不要烦乱; 你们要信赖天主, 也要信赖我.” 这是令人安心的话. 它提醒我们, 我们必须信赖天主. 这些话也挑战我们把我们的忧虑,恐惧和难题交托在天主的手中并让天主掌管我们的生命. 我们必须记住, 我们不能做每件事. 有很多问题我们是找不到解决的方法的. 但是我们相信天主掌管一切. 他会掌管我们的生命及照顾我们所需的. 祈祷肯定这一点.

让我们重新我们的祈祷承诺. 当我们忙碌时, 当我们面对无数的责任和问题时,我们更应该抽出时间向天主祈祷. 因为我们知道我们永不能单独一人做一切. 只有天主才能成就一切.

We were made for Prayer

2011-05-22T14:00:00.003+08:00

Fifth Sunday of Easter Year A

We often complain about our busy schedule. There is so much to do at work. So many responsibilities and worries. When we return home, there are other things to worry about. Sometimes, we can say the same thing about Church work. Many of us are so preoccupied with our work, whether at home, or in the office or at church, or in the BEC, that we give excuses for not having time for prayer. We may think: “We’re doing a great deal of good works, be it church work, house work or responsibilities at our working place. God will surely understand my situation.” As our busy schedule increases, our prayer time decreases.

St. Peter in the second reading reminds us that we are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a people set apart to sing the praises of God who called (us) out of darkness into his wonderful light.” In other words, we were made for prayer. This is our goal and purpose in life – to give praise to God through our words and actions.

Very often we forget this important truth about ourselves. We neglect our prayers because we think that God wants to see action that bear results rather than just useless prayers. Prayers are never useless. In fact, our actions must flow from our prayers. Praying helps us to stay focus. It reminds us that we are doing the work of God and not our own. Prayer reminds us that we are not in control – God is in control.

In the first reading, the apostles recognized a problem in the community that required their immediate action. A certain section of their community, the widows, was being overlooked in the daily distribution of aid. A tension/ conflict arose between the priority given to prayer and their duty to social justice. This tension was resolved by the appointment of seven deacons to help in the distribution of goods so that the apostles “can continue to devote themselves to prayer and to the service of the word.” The apostles recognized that the strength and unity of the community depended on prayer and the word of God. At the same time, they recognized the mission entrusted to them by Jesus to bring good news to the poor and the weak. These two realities were not in conflict. Both complimented each other.

Jesus tells his disciples at the beginning of today’s gospel: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God and trust in me.” These words are so reassuring. They remind us that we need to place our trust in God. These words challenge us to place all our worries, fears and problems in the hands of God and allow him to take control of our lives. We must remember that we cannot do everything. There will be many problems that we will not be able to find a solution to. But we trust that God is in control. He will take charge of our lives and take care of our every need. Prayer affirms this.

Let us renew our commitment to prayer. It is when we are busy, when we are faced with so many responsibilities and problems, that we must find more time to turn to God in prayer. This is because we know that we can never do it alone. All things are possible only with God.

每个人都有圣召

2011-05-11T12:16:00.004+08:00

圣召主日(复活期第四主日)

今天我们庆祝善牧主日或圣召主日. 今天是特别的一天因为我们为神父和圣职人员圣召祈祷.

什么是圣召? 每一个人是否有圣召? 你有圣召吗? 许多人认为只有少数享有特权的人才有圣召而其他的人没有. 这是不对的. 每个人都有圣召. 圣召是个人感召使命. 它是我们在母胎, 形成那一刻就开始. 我们甚至可以说宇宙创造之前我们的圣召即已开始了. 我们每一个人蒙召去充份发挥我们的潜能, 因我们生来并不完美.

然而, 圣召也是一个挑战. 它要求牺牲. 圣召是为爱而做的工作. 它挑战我们完成人生的使命. 而我们的使命是爱. 我们每一个人蒙召成为慈善的人. 爱是我们圣召的核心. 天主召叫我们因他爱我们. 我们藉着父母的爱而来到世上. 这圣召必须用爱加以培养并希望有一天我们能结爱的果实. 有些蒙召一婚姻生活来表达这份爱而有些却以司铎或修道生活表达. 也有些以独身来表达.
因此, 圣召并不是某些使我们感觉得好或容易的事. 它既不是生活也不是爱. 因圣召仅在生活及爱内通过挣扎, 净化及痛苦才能成为真实的.

已婚, 独身的人们, 司铎及修道的, 都有圣召. 每一个圣召都是独特和无人可取代的, 且都显示天主的爱. 但是, 神父和圣职人员的圣召与那些独身或婚姻的却截然不同. 它们不同不等于它们较高尚. 而唯一最高尚的圣召是爱本身. 不同的地方又在那里呢? 一位神父或一位修士或修女的生命里,如果没有基督将没有意义. 在这样的生命核心中, 没有信德也毫无意义. 身为神父及修士修女, 我们蒙召成为寂寂无名的小人物. 我们蒙召放弃一切头衔, 权势, 财富, 地位及我们个人的意愿和需要为能成为天主临于世上的活圣事. 我们不再为自己但为天主而活. 的确, 我们神父们及圣职人员也都是罪人及不完美. 因此, 我们需要你们的代祷. 可否想象有一天没有神父, 修士修女? 可否想象有一天不再有任何圣事? 没有弥撒, 没有洗礼圣事, 没有坚振圣事, 没有告解圣事.

让我们在今天的弥撒中, 祈求耶稣, 我们的善牧, 派遣更多的工人来收他的庄稼, 因为庄稼多, 工人少. 让我们求更多的神父及修会圣召. 让我们鼓励我们的儿女和青年人接受挑战回应天主的召叫.

Everyone has a vocation

2011-05-11T11:41:00.002+08:00

Good Shepherd Sunday (Fourth Sunday of Easter Year A)
Today we celebrate Good Shepherd Sunday or Vocation Sunday. Today is a special day when we pray for more vocations to the priesthood and religious life.

What is a vocation? Does everyone have a vocation? Do you have a vocation? Many people think that only a handful of privileged people have a vocation while others do not. This is not true. Everyone has a vocation. A vocation is a calling forth of a person. It starts at the very moment of our existence in our mother’s womb. We can even say that our vocation began before the universe was created. Each of us are called to develop our fullest potential because we are born incomplete.

But vocation is also a struggle. It demands sacrifice. A Vocation is a labour of love. It is a working out of a mission. And our mission is love. Each of us is called to be loving persons. Love is at the core of our vocation. God calls us because he loves us. We came into this world through the love of our parents. This vocation must now be nurtured by love and hopefully one day we will bear the fruits of love. Some are called to express that love in marriage. Others are called to express that love through the priesthood or religious life. Some are called to express that love while remaining single.

Thus, a vocation is not something that merely makes us feel good, nor is it necessarily easy. Neither is life or love. For in both life and in love, vocation becomes real only through struggle, purification and pain.

Married people, single persons, priests and religious all have vocations. Each vocation is unique and irreplaceable, all revealing the voice of God’s love. But priestly and religious vocations are profoundly different than those who are single or married. They are different but it doesn’t mean that they are higher vocations. The only highest vocation is love itself. What then is the difference? The life of a priest or a religious brother or sister should make no sense without Christ. Such a life, in its core, is meaningless without faith. As priests and as religious brothers and sisters, we are called to be “nobodies”. We are called to give up all titles, power, wealth, position and our personal wishes and wants so that we can become living sacraments of God’s presence in this world. We live no longer for ourselves but for God. It is true that we priests and religious are also sinners and broken people. That is why we need your prayers. Can you imagine one day when there is no longer any priest or religious brother or sister? Can you imagine one day when there will no longer be any sacraments? No mass, no baptism, no confirmation, no confessions.

Let us in today’s mass pray to Jesus, our Good Shepherd to send more workers into the vineyard, for the harvest is plentiful but the labourers are few. Let us pray for more vocations to the priestly and religious life. Let us encourage our children and the young people to take up the challenge of responding to God’s call.

天主从不放弃我们

2011-05-04T21:35:00.002+08:00

复活期第三主日

你有想过放弃吗? 你有想要离开吗? 当我们的努力及计划失败时我们常想放弃. 为我们许多人唯一的选择将是走开及尽量忘记过去.

今天的福音中的两个门徒离开耶路撒冷. 他们打算放弃. 他们是耶稣的追随者而在他们的心目中, 耶稣“是一位先知, 在天主及众百姓前, 行事说话都有权力,” 但这伟人却死了. 他们的希望及理想好象也随着耶稣的死而灭了.

虽然他们离开了耶稣, 但耶稣却没有离开他们. 天主从不放弃我们, 纵然我们常受到诱惑放弃天主. 耶稣亲自走近这两位门徒并慢慢地帮助他们记起他们的使命. 耶稣常伴着我们同行. 有时候, 我们感觉到天主离我们很远, 甚至不在我们的生命当中. 有时我们觉得好像被天主所离弃. 但是天主从不离弃我们. 他常伴随着我们并尝试使我们明白我们的过失及罪过不是人生的尽头. 总有复活的希望.

当我们被疑难问题所困扰或重负失败的压力时, 我们往往对天主在我们中间的临在视而不见. 在痛苦失望期间, 我们被自怜所蒙蔽. 耶稣就在我们中间. 天主与我们同在. 但是因我们太过关注于我们本身及自身的问题而忽略了天主.
很多感到被天主遗弃的人, 开始不再参与主日弥撒. 他们认为既然天主遗忘了他们, 参与弥撒已没有意义了. 天主并没有忘记他们. 而是他们忘了天主. 然,反而在他们所逃避的弥撒中, 将帮助他们想起. 在每一台弥撒中, 我们意识到耶稣的亲临并陪伴着他的门徒往厄玛乌前行. 在每一台弥撒中, 耶稣藉着圣经的读经向我们说话.

在每一台弥撒中, 耶稣将擘饼开我们的眼睛使我们看到他临在圣体内, 及在我们周遭的人身上. 在每一台弥撒中, 耶稣将更新我们的使命, 重新派遣我们向世界传报爱和平安的喜讯. 每一台弥撒提醒我们, 我们绝不是孤单一人, 耶稣常陪伴在侧虽然有时我们很难认出他.

今天, 如果有人想放弃天主或生命, 请相信 – 耶稣临在我们当中. 他与你同行虽然你没有觉察到. 他了解你的痛苦和悲伤, 你的失望和失败. 请敞开你的心迎接他. 欢迎耶稣到你的心中好象今天福音中的那两位门徒欢迎他到他们的家中. 如果你让他进入你的心中, 他会开启你的心, 使你的心及你的信德重新燃烧. 让这火点燃每个人好使他们也知道 “主真复活了.”

God does not quit on us

2011-05-04T21:30:00.001+08:00

Third Sunday of Easter Year A

Have you ever thought of giving up? Have you ever felt like quitting? We often feel like giving up when our efforts and projects fail. For many of us, the only option would be to walk away and try to forget the past.

The two disciples in today’s gospel were also walking away from Jerusalem. They were giving up. They were followers of Jesus “who proved he was a great prophet by the things that he said and did in the sight of God and of the whole people;” but this great man was now dead. It seemed that all their hopes and dreams also died with Jesus.

Although they have quit on Jesus, Jesus does not quit on them. God never gives up on us although we are often tempted to give up on Him. Jesus walks along with these two disciples and slowly helps them to remember their vocation and mission. Jesus is also always walking by our side. There are times, some of us may feel God so far away or even absent from our lives. There are times, we feel as if abandoned by God. But God will never abandon us. He is always walking by our side and trying to make us realize that our mistakes and sinfulness do not mean the end of our journey. There is always the resurrection.

When we are beset with problems or weighed down by our failures, we often become blind to the presence of God in our midst. During moments of pain and disappointment, we are blinded by self-pity. Jesus is in our midst. God is present to us. But we are too focused on ourselves and our problems to take notice of him.

Many people who often feel abandoned by God would start missing mass on Sundays. They often feel that there is no point coming for mass since God has forgotten them. God has not forgotten them. It is they who have forgotten God. It is truly ironic that it is the Mass, which they seek to avoid, that will help them to remember. At every Mass, we become aware of the presence of Jesus who walks with his disciples along the road to Emmaus. It is at every Mass, that Jesus will speak to us from the readings in the bible. It is at every Mass that Jesus will break bread and open our eyes to his presence in the Eucharist and in the people around us. It is at every Mass that Jesus will renew our mission and send us forth to bring the good news of love and peace to the whole world. It is at every Mass that we are reminded that we are never alone, that Jesus is always walking next to us even though it is hard to see him at times.

Today, if there are some among you who feel like giving up on God or on life, believe this – Jesus is present here among us. He is walking along with you although you may not be aware of it. He understands your pains and sorrows, your disappointments and failures. Open your hearts to receive him. Welcome him into your hearts like the two disciples in today’s gospel who welcomed Jesus into their homes. If you allow him to enter into your heart, he will open your hearts and make your hearts and your faith burn again with new fire. Let this fire spread to everyone else so that they too may know that “the Lord has risen!”

没有团体是完美的

2011-04-28T11:25:00.001+08:00

复活期第二主日

当我们在今天的读经一中读到初期信友团体时, 它给我们的印象是一个理想的团体 – 一个坚信于耶稣基督的团体 – 一个热心于天主的圣道,祈祷及圣体圣事的团体. 我相信我们每个人都响往活在这样的团体中. 然而,实际上,初期信友团体并不是完美的. 至到今时今日,没有信友团体是完美的. 原因是团体的所有成员都不是完美的. 团体的每一个成员仍不断去伤害别人及被伤害.

许多人在寻找那里想的团体但是他们永找不到.这也是为什么有些人从一间教堂转到另一间教堂.有些远离教堂或基信团体因为他们认为这一切不符合他们的理想团体.多默在福音中或许也因同一原因而远离其余的宗徒. 或许他离开为去寻求答案. 所有的宗徒都陷于艰苦危难的时期. 他们的主人已被逮捕, 受审, 最后被判死刑. 他们的信德受到动摇. 然而他们并没有放弃因为在团体中彼此扶持.

复活的主显现给这群受惊的门徒们,全因他们留下团结一致,成为一个团体的缘故. 整个星期来, 耶稣选择不显现给多默. 耶稣可以选择在任何时候显现给多默, 但耶稣没有这样做. 直到多默回到团体中, 耶稣才再次显现.

有时, 我们尝试自己寻找天主. 我们以为我们可以独自找到他. 但是, 天主活在团体中. 不管那团体中的成员有多残缺或罪恶深重, 天主临在团体中. 如果我们远离团体, 我们也就远离了天主. 正好象复活的第一周, 只有在多默回返团体中, 耶稣才显现给他.

生活在团体里, 的确是一个挑战. 如果团体生活是容易过的话, 那一群人不可能成为真正的基督团体. 真正的基督团体是由多种不同兴趣及不同方式做事的人所组成的. 基督团体是有彼此互相伤害的罪人所组成的. 既然如此, 我们要问: 那基督团体和其他的协会及群体又有什么不同呢? 不同的地方在于宽恕的能力. 耶稣赐给他的门徒圣神并告诉他们: “你们赦免谁的罪, 就给谁赦免; 你们存留谁的罪, 就给谁存留.” 这些话常认为是指神父在告解圣事中赦罪的权力. 我相信不止于此. 其实这些话是指耶稣命令他的门徒和我们每一个人以宽恕为我们生活的一部分. 在每一个团体和家庭中的核心该是爱及宽恕.因耶稣知道团体将仍是残缺及充满罪恶的团体, 人们仍会互相伤害.

在这复活期第二主日, 让我们祈求耶稣把圣神嘘进我们心中, 使我们能宽恕那些伤害我们的人; 也向那些我们伤害过的人恳求宽恕. 让我们求主赐信德好能在我们的团体中认出复活的主.

No Christian Community is Perfect

2011-04-28T11:15:00.002+08:00

Second Sunday of Easter Year A

When we read about the early Christian community in today’s first reading we get the impression of a perfect community – a community united by their faith in Jesus Christ – a community devoted to the Word of God, to their prayers and to the Eucharist. I am sure that every one here would dream of living in such a community. But in reality the early Christian community was not perfect. Till today no Christian community is perfect. The reason for this is that all the members of the community are not perfect. Each member of the community continues to hurt and be hurt by others.

Many people are looking for that perfect community but they will never find it. That is the reason why some people are running from one church to another. Others stay away from Church or from the BEC because these do not conform to their idea of the perfect community. Thomas in today’s gospel may have kept away from the remainder of the other apostles for this same reason. He may have gone away searching for answers. All the apostles were in crisis. Their master had just been arrested, put on trial, and finally put to death. Their faith were shaken. Yet they didn’t give up because of the support that they gave one another in the community.

The risen Christ appeared to this group of fearful disciples precisely because they remained united as a community. Jesus chose not to appear to Thomas throughout that first week. He could have chosen to appear to him at any time but he didn’t. It was not until Thomas had returned to the community that Jesus appeared again.

Sometimes we try to look for God on our own. We think that we can find him all on our own. But God lives in community. God is present in the midst of the community, no matter how broken or sinful the members of that community may be. If we keep away from the community, we keep away from God. Just like that first week of Easter, Jesus appeared to Thomas only when he was prepared to return to the community.

But living in community is truly a challenge. If it was easy to live in community, then that group of persons would not be a true Christian community. A true Christian community is made up of diverse persons with diverse interests and ways of doing things. A Christian community is made up of sinners – people who hurt us and who are also hurt by us. If this is so, we may ask: What is the difference between a Christian community and other societies and groups? The difference lies in the ability to forgive. Jesus gives the Spirit to the disciples and tells them: “For those whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven; for those whose sins you retain, they are retained.” These words are often thought of as referring to the power to forgive sins given to priest during confession. I believe that it is much more than that. These words actually refer to Jesus commanding his disciples and all of us to make forgiveness part of our lives. At the heart of every community and family, there must be both love and forgiveness. The reason for this is that Jesus realized that the community would continue to be a broken and sinful community where people will continue to be hurt.

In this Second Sunday of Easter, let us ask Jesus to breathe his Spirit on us so that we may be able to forgive those who hurt us and ask for forgiveness from those whom we have hurt. Let us ask for the faith to be able to recognize the risen Lord in the midst of our community.

不要再跑

2011-04-23T15:07:00.003+08:00

复活主日

在今天的福音中人们到处奔走.玛利亚玛达肋纳在复活日清晨跑到坟墓那里. 当她看到石头已挪开, 变跑回通知门徒们. 伯多禄和耶稣所爱的那另一个门徒往坟墓里去. 那另一个门徒比伯多禄跑得快 - 可能是他较年轻的缘故. 伯多禄随后抵达, 进了坟墓而那门徒仍留在外面. 但伯多禄看见了空了的坟墓感到迷惑不解. 那门徒随着伯多禄也进了坟墓, 也同样看到了一切. 但却有不同的反应. 那门徒一看见就相信了.

有时, 我们也一样到处奔走. 有时, 我们为追求幸福而忙. 我们追求财富. 我们追求我们的女朋友和我们的男朋友.

然而, 很多时候我们在逃避某些事. 结婚多年后, 我们有些人想摆脱当年热烈追求的男人或女人. 我们逃避使我们伤心的事. 我们摆脱痛苦与不幸. 我们逃避恐惧. 我们尽量不去想使我们不开心的事并沉浸于工作及其他活动. 有些人跑进圣堂以躲避他们不美满的婚姻或家庭问题. 有些人工作迟回为了逃避家中所面对的问题.我们许多人不愿面对或想本身的问题因为太痛苦. 但是我们的问题, 我们的伤痛及不幸并不因我们不去想而消失. 我们尝试去逃避这些问题却永远逃不了.

今天, 当我们在庆祝复活节之际, 教会最大的庆节, 天主邀请我们回家. 我们也受邀把注意力放在这空的坟墓. 我们要面对我们深切的恐惧, 探究我们的问题, 正视我们破裂关系的创伤因为如果我们深入看待, 我们也许会 “一看见就相信了.” 我们可以以伯多禄的眼光看待我们的问题而不见天主的鉴临, 耶稣的临在. 在另一方面我们可以以那主所爱的门徒的眼光看待我们的问题及伤痛并在见不到临在的情况下认出他的鉴临.

如果我们远离那些伤害我们的人, 我们之间的关系将永得不到治愈. 但是, 如果我们有勇气去面对我们深处的恐惧, 如果我们敢于再回到我们破裂的关系中并记起它们, 我们将得治愈并得释放. 我们会对空坟墓的奇迹感到惊讶. 玛利亚玛达肋纳, 伯多禄和那主爱的门徒回到坟墓去为回忆耶稣的死亡. 然而, 当它们抵达时却得到生命 – 复活的生命的惊喜.

当我们能面对我们生命的坟墓时. 我们也会获得天主意外的惊喜. 这从死者中复活耶稣的天主也必把我们从痛苦, 不幸及恐惧的坟墓中复活我们. 在这复活节日, 愿大家得到治愈及解放.

Stop Running - Just Come In

2011-04-23T14:56:00.002+08:00

Easter Sunday Year A

In today’s gospel, people are running all over the place. Mary Magdalene runs to the tomb early Easter morning. When she discovers that the stone has been rolled away, she runs back to tell the disciples. Peter and the beloved disciple then both run to cave. The beloved disciples is faster than Peter – perhaps the reason for this is that he is the younger of the two. Peter reaches the tomb a little later and goes in while the beloved disciple remained outside. But when he sees that the tomb is empty, he remains puzzled – he still does not understand. The beloved disciple goes in after Peter, he sees the same thing. But there is a difference. He sees and believes.

Sometimes, we too are running all over the place. Sometimes we run after happiness. We run after wealth. We run after persons whom we hope will eventually become our girlfriends or our boyfriends.

But quite often we are running away from something. After years of marriage, some of us are running away from that man or that woman that we were chasing after while we were dating. We run away from things that make us sad. We run away from pain and suffering. We run away from our fears. We try not to think about things that make us sad by immersing ourselves in work and in other activities. Some people run to Church to get away from their unhappy marriages or from problems in the family. Some people stay late at work in order to run away from the problems that they find at home.

Many of us do not want to look at or think about our problems because it is too painful. But our problems, our pain, and the suffering do not disappear just because we do not think about them. We try to run away from these problems but we cannot run forever.

Today, as we celebrate Easter, the greatest feast day of the Church, God invites us to come home. We are invited to take a good look into the empty tomb. We are asked to confront our deepest fear, to look at our problems, to face the pain of broken relationships because if we look deep enough, we too may “see and believe.” We can look at our problems with the eyes of Peter and see the absence of God, the absence of Jesus. On the other hand, we can look at our problems and sufferings with the eyes of the beloved disciple and recognize the presence of God even in his absence.

If we stay away from the people who hurt us, our relationships will never be healed. But if we have to courage to face our deepest fears, if we have the courage to return to our broken relationships and to remember them, we will be healed and set free. We will be surprised by the miracle of the empty tomb. Mary Magdalene, Peter and the beloved disciple went to the tomb expecting to be reminded of the death of Jesus. But on their arrival, they were surprised by life – the life of the resurrection.

When we are able to face the tombs of our lives, we too will be surprised by God. This God who raised Jesus from the dead will raised us up from the tombs of our pain, suffering and fears. May you find healing and liberation on this Easter Day.

天主在那里?

2011-04-21T11:40:00.003+08:00

受难日

上个月, 全世界对地震和海啸在日本所造成的破坏感到震撼不已. 在许多人的脑海里的第一问题是: “当这事发生时, 天主在那里?” 紧接与第一条问题有关的: “假如有一位憎恨邪恶不喜人受苦的天主, 为什么允许这惨事发生?”

这些都是难于解答的问题. 如果我们尝试为这些问题找直捷了当的答案, 我们将有两个结论. 首先,我们会给予直捷的解答, 把一切的指责归咎于别人 – 那些负罪的亡者, 或恶魔, 或命运, 甚至天主. 而第二的解答,我们不能找到满意的答案. 因此怀疑天主的存在. 为此, 我们感到绝望和自怜.

然而身为基督徒, 我们有第三个选择. 我们可以选择去相信并承认天主的临在并将继续临在于一切人类的苦难中. 当孩童成为孤儿时,天主也成了孤儿. 当父母亲们丧失了他们的儿女时, 是天主丧失他的子女. 当巨浪卷走了成千
上万的人时, 天主也首当其冲.

痛苦是实际存在的. 我们不能假设它的不存在. 然而, 痛苦和死亡已有了新的意义. 天主本身成为人 – 耶稣基督. 而耶稣经历了最恶劣, 难以想象的苦楚. 天主死在十字架上. 他为什么要死呢? 因为在第一个受难日所发生的, 人不再指责天主离我们而去并且不能了解我们的苦难.

每当我们看到人的痛苦时, 我们的信德使我们相信天主也与他的子民受苦. 每当我们受到排斥, 经历了孤独, 痛苦, 病痛或苦楚时, 天主也和我们一样受尽了排斥, 孤独, 痛苦, 病痛和苦楚.

当然, 这并不使一切痛苦在我们当中此时此刻消失. 但是, 知道天主与我们一同受苦使我们意识到我们的苦楚只是全人类所经历的一部分. 这苦楚是耶稣在十字架上亲自背负的. 当我们意识到这一点时, 我们就不再替魔鬼作证, 为所发生在我们身上的一切不断地埋怨天主, 别人及环境. 当我们觉察到十字架的德能, 我们就成为耶稣的见证人. 我们对别人的需要变得敏感. 我们变得更有同情心更了解别人所受的痛苦. 我们成为救赎十字架的见证人因为我们已体验过不幸和痛苦.

当耶稣还在十字架上受苦时, 他没有忘记别人.他没有要别人同情他. 但, 在那最痛苦的时刻, 耶稣以爱向四周的人伸出双手. 为他的仇敌求宽恕. 为他的母亲觅得安身之所. 为他的门徒, 他确保他们会继续以团体, 教会互爱互助.
让我们祈求天主以十字架的德能改变我们的不幸及痛苦. 祈求主除去我们的愤怒, 自怜及悲伤好使我们能以爱及无私为他人付出自己.

Where was God when this happened?

2011-04-21T11:32:00.002+08:00

Good Friday Year A

Over a month ago, the whole world was shocked by the extent of the destruction caused by the earthquake and tsunami disaster in Japan. The immediate question that rose in many people’s mind was this: “Where was God when this happened?” The second question is related to the first: “If there is a God who hates evil and human suffering, why did God allow this tragedy to happen?”

These are difficult questions. If we try to find quick answers for these questions, we may be lead to two conclusions. Firstly, we may try to give simplistic solutions by putting the blame on someone – whether it be the sinfulness of those who died, or the Devil, or destiny, or even God. The second conclusion may be that we are not able to find any satisfactory answers and so we begin to doubt the existence of God. We are led to despair and self-pity.

But for us Christians, there is a third option. We can choose to believe and recognize that God was present there and continues to be present in all human suffering and pain. When children became orphans, God became orphaned. When mothers and fathers lost their children, it was God who lost his children. When the waves swept away thousands of people, it was God who was swept away too.

Suffering is a reality. We can never pretend that it doesn’t exist. But suffering and death has now taken on a new meaning. God himself became man – Jesus Christ. And Jesus has undergone the worst kind of suffering and pain imaginable. God died on the cross. Why did he have to die? Because of what happened on the first Good Friday, man can no longer accuse God of being distant from us and of not being able to understand our suffering.

Every time we see human suffering, our faith makes us recognize that God suffers along with His people. Every time each of us experiences rejection, loneliness, pain, sickness or suffering, God also experiences that rejection, loneliness, pain, sickness and suffering just like us.

This of course does not make pain and suffering disappear from our midst in the here and now. But knowing that God suffers along with us makes us aware that our suffering and pain are part of a greater suffering and pain experienced by the whole of humanity. It is this pain and suffering, which Jesus takes upon himself on the cross. When we become aware of this, we no longer become witnesses of the devil who continues to blame God, other people and circumstances for whatever befalls us. When we become aware of the power of the cross, we become witnesses of Jesus. We become sensitive to the needs of others. We become more compassionate and understanding of the suffering of others. We become witnesses of the redeeming cross because we too have experienced suffering and pain.

Jesus, while suffering on the cross, did not forget about others. He did not ask others to pity him. But during those last agonizing hours, Jesus reached out in love to the people around him. For his enemies, he asked for forgiveness. For his mother, he found a new home. For his disciples, he made sure that they would continue to support each other as a community and as Church.

Let us then ask God to transform our suffering and pain by the power of the cross. May he take away our anger, self-pity and bitterness, so that we may give ourselves in love and selflessness to others.

弥撒并永不是 “例行公事”

2011-04-20T00:58:00.001+08:00

圣周四

我们大多数每主日到圣堂参与弥撒同时它已成为我们生命重要的部分. 为许多人弥撒常被看成对天主的祭献 – 感谢天主赏赐一切的时刻同时也向他恳求所需的时刻. 弥撒已成为 “例行公事”和 “毫无挑战” 而当它是理所当然.

今天的礼仪破除这些错误的想法. 弥撒并永不是 “例行公事”. 每一台弥撒都是一种挑战去活出基督门徒的生活. 那么, 什么是弥撒的真正意义呢?

首先, 弥撒庆祝改变及解救. 这可在读经一看到. 天主吩咐梅瑟和以色列子民要继续庆祝逾越节以纪念天主从埃及拯救解放他们. 然而, 逾越节不只是纪念过去的事迹. 它同时也是庆祝此时此刻天主赐予的救赎大恩. 因此, 几时我们举行弥撒圣祭, 我们就是举行我们的救赎奥迹.

我们想起天主如何拯救我们及仍不断从黑暗及邪恶的势力中拯救我们并藉着他的圣子耶稣基督牺牲的体血赏赐我们新生命.

第二, 弥撒宣告基督的死亡和我们的死亡. 这是圣保禄在读经二所说的话. 几时耶稣对他的门徒说: “你们要这样做来纪念我.” 他不只是指领圣体罢了. “这样做”的意思是模仿基督的生活. “这样做” 应是 “悔改和相信.” “这样做” 应是 “全心, 全意, 全灵爱天主及爱我们的近人如同爱自己.” “这样做” 应是宽恕我们仇人如同天父宽恕我们一样.” “这样做” 应是 “弃绝自己, 背起十字架跟随耶稣.” 弥撒圣祭指向耶稣在十字架上爱的牺牲. 耶稣牺牲性命为使众人获得性命. 我们参与每台弥撒也受到挑战, 牺牲自己的性命. 死于我们的罪恶, 自私, 死于偏见及仇恨 – 为别人牺牲.

第三, 弥撒是服务的召唤 – 有如耶稣服务门徒一样. 今年, 当建议神父洗辅祭的脚时, 受到一些人的反对. 有人认为辅祭年纪太小. 有的觉得大人物该坐上来. 我想我们都误解了. 如果耶稣今天在这里的话, 他会洗妓女, 离了婚的人, 冷淡教友, 爱滋病患, 说谎者和罪人的脚. 与其争着坐上位, 争论洗什么人的脚, 不如效法耶稣谦抑自下为那不堪当的人洗脚. 在弥撒中, 骄傲与权势没有立足的空间. 在弥撒中, 只有谦逊服务.

今天, 让我们感谢耶稣给我们赐下弥撒的恩宠. 如果我们真正明白弥撒的意义, 我们就永不会当之理所当然. 为此, 让我们去并活出弥撒的意义!

The Mass is never normal

2011-04-20T00:53:00.002+08:00

Holy Thursday

Most of us come for Mass every Sunday and this has become part and parcel of our lives. For many people, Mass is often seen as a time we sacrifice to God – a time to give thanks for all that he has done for us and also a time to pray for our needs. Mass has become so “normal” and “unchallenging” that we sometimes take it for granted.

Today’s liturgy breaks these false notions. The Mass is never ‘normal.’ Every Mass is a challenge to live out our lives as disciples of Christ. What then is the true meaning of the Mass?

First of all the Mass celebrates change and liberation. We see this in the First Reading. God commands Moses and the Israelites to continue celebrating the Feast of the Passover so that they will remember how God saved them and liberated them from Egypt. But the Passover wasn’t only to commemorate an event of the past, it was also celebrating the saving grace of God which is given at the present moment. Therefore, whenever we celebrate the Mass we are celebrating the mystery of our salvation. We are reminded how God has saved us and is still saving us from the powers of darkness and evil and giving us new life through his Son Jesus Christ, who gives his own body and blood for us to share.

Secondly, the Mass proclaims the death of Christ and likewise our death too. These are the words of St. Paul in the second reading. Whenever Jesus told his disciples: “do this as a memorial of me,” he is not only speaking of the act of receiving communion. To “do this” means to model our lives on the life of Christ. To “do this” would be to ‘repent and believe.’ To “do this” would be to “love God with our entire heart, mind and soul and to love our neighbour as ourselves.” To “do this” would be to “forgive our enemy as we have been forgiven by our Heavenly Father.” To “do this” would be ‘to deny ourselves, take up our cross and follow Jesus.” The Mass points to Jesus sacrifice of love on the cross. Jesus gave up his own life so all may live. We who participate at every Mass are also challenged to give up our lives, to die to our sinfulness and selfishness, to die to our prejudice and hatred - to die for others.

Thirdly, the Mass is a call to service – to serve as Jesus served his disciples. When it was proposed that the priest wash the feet of the altar servers this year, there was some objections. Some felt that the altar servers were too young. Others felt that there were more worthy persons who should sit up here and have their feet wash. I think that we have gotten the whole thing wrong. If Jesus was here today, he would be washing the feet of prostitutes, divorcees, lapsed Catholics, AIDS patients, liars and sinners. Instead of fighting for places of honour and power, instead of arguing who is worthy to have his feet washed this year, we should be copying the example of Jesus – who humbled himself to wash the feet of those who were unworthy. In the Mass, there is no room for pride or power. In the Mass, there is only room for humble service.

Today, let us thank Jesus for the gift of the Mass. If we really understood its meaning whenever we celebrate it, we will never again take it for granted. Let us therefore, go and live the Mass!

痛苦和喜悦

2011-04-14T11:22:00.003+08:00

圣枝主日

今天的礼仪充满着差异及矛盾. 弥撒开始时, 我们欢欣地列队进堂, 提醒我们耶稣荣进耶路撒冷时受到热烈的欢迎. 但是,当我们进入圣堂, 气氛却转为庄严忧郁. 这气氛的转变是因为耶稣实现了依撒意亚先知在读经一中所提及的受苦仆人的预言. 而这气氛的转变是有意安排的. 它的目的为唤醒我们对天主 – 对耶稣的错误观念. 让我仔细地从读经中去了解耶稣.只有在更深一层认识耶稣的当儿, 我们才能明了身为耶稣门徒的任务.

在进入耶路撒冷时, 耶稣受到热烈的欢迎. 人们挥动棕榈枝有如我们今日儿童们挥动旗子来欢迎到访的高官显要. 耶稣受到君王凯旋而归的欢迎. 人们期待着耶稣带领他们推翻罗马政府. 但耶稣几天后的表现使他们大失所望. 耶稣不但没有扮演一位强有势的政治领袖却以谦卑仆人的身份出现.

群众喊说: “因上主的名而来的, 当受赞颂.” 他们认为财富, 权势和声望都是天主的恩赐. 然而, 耶稣却指示受祝福的, 应该是随时准备承行天父旨意的人. 耶稣不但没有受到人们给予的光荣而受尽凌辱拒绝有如读经一中所描述的受苦的仆人. 耶稣却在十字架上受到天主的光荣.

耶稣是天主 – 无上权威者 – 那创造整个宇宙的那一位. 而耶稣却自谦自卑取得人的形体 – 一个受造的人. 耶稣选择在十字架上牺牲自己为使罪人得到救赎. 当耶稣选择成为最小时, 天主却高高地举扬他.

耶稣的受难史充满讽刺意味. 耶稣受到暴力逮捕但他却提醒他的门徒拒绝一切暴力行为. 耶稣被控于亵渎之罪; 其实批评他的人才是犯了亵渎侮辱了天主降生成人的耶稣. 耶稣, 无罪的, 却判了死刑而那杀人犯, 巴辣巴却获得释放.

我们的生活也应当以耶稣为典范. 世界会嘲笑我们并称我们为傻子. 但这是跟随耶稣的代价. 如果我们要成为耶稣的门徒, 我们就必须准备跟随他的脚步. 身为基督的门徒, 我们的生活该当与世界价值观有所抵触. 在世界重权势的地方, 我们就必须谦顺为怀. 在仗恃武力为达到理想的实施的世界, 我们必须是缔造和平的人. 在注重声望的世界里, 我们必须准备接受不了解我们的人的批评和侮辱.

在这台弥撒中, 让我们祈求与耶稣稳步同行的恩宠. 有时我们想放弃. 有时我们想与天主商讨免去受苦之杯. 有时我们会绝望地呐喊: “我的天主, 祢为什么舍弃了我?” 然而, 如果我们坚持到底, 上主必会赐那不朽的光荣. 让我们随耶稣上十字架.

Sorrow and Joy

2011-04-14T11:11:00.002+08:00

Palm Sunday Year A

Today’s liturgy is full of contrasts and contradictions. At the beginning of the mass, we had the joyful atmosphere of the procession, reminding us of the warm welcome that Jesus received upon entering Jerusalem. But as we entered the church, the mood turns somber. The mood swings to one of sorrow as we see Jesus fulfil the prophecy of the Suffering Servant made by Isaiah in the first reading. This change of atmosphere is certainly intentional. It is intended to awaken us from our misconceptions of who God is – of who Jesus is. Let us take a closer look at the readings to understand Jesus better. When we are able to understand Jesus a little better, we will also understand our roles as his disciples much better.

Jesus is given a grand welcome when he enters Jerusalem. People are waving palm leaves in the same way that children in modern times wave flags to welcome an important state dignitary. The people’s welcome of Jesus was quite similar. Jesus received the welcome of a triumphant and home-coming king. The people were expecting Jesus to lead them in a rebellion to overthrow the Roman government. But his actions within the next few days would disappoint them. Instead of portraying himself as a strong political leader, Jesus takes on the role of a humble servant.

The crowds shouted: “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.” They considered wealth, power and popularity as blessings from God. But Jesus will show that to be truly blessed, one must be prepared to do the will of the Father. Instead of glory received from people, Jesus would suffer humiliation and rejection from them as the Suffering Servant in the first reading. He will be glorified by God on the cross.

Jesus is God – the Absolute Being – the one who created the entire universe. Yet, Jesus chose to humble himself to take the form of a human being – a creature. Jesus chose to give his life on the cross so that we sinners may receive salvation. When he chose to make himself the smallest, God chose to glorify him and raise him up to the highest position in all the universe.

The passion reading is also full of irony. Jesus is arrested in a violent way but reminds his disciples to reject all forms of violence. Jesus is accused of blasphemy but his critics are actually the ones guilty of blasphemy for having insulted Jesus, God made man. Jesus, the innocent one, is put to death while the murderer, Barrabbas is set free.

Our lives must also follow the example of Jesus. The world may laugh at us. The world may call us fools. But that is the cost of following Jesus. If we want to be disciples of Jesus, we must be prepared to follow his footsteps. As disciples of Christ, our lives must be in contradiction of the values of the world. Where the world values power, we must value humility. Where the world values strength and even physical force in order enforce an ideal, we must be peacemakers. Where the world values popularity, we must be prepared to receive criticism and insults from those who do not understand us. We must be living contradictions.

During this Mass, let us pray for the grace to walk steadily with Jesus. There will be times we will feel like giving up. There will be times we will feel like negotiating with God to ask him to take the cup of suffering from us. There will be times we will cry out in near despair: “My God, why have you forsaken me?” But if we were to persevere, the Lord will give us the glory that will never wither. Let us follow Jesus to the cross.

死亡不再是最终的 - 生命才是

2011-04-07T12:22:00.001+08:00

四旬期第五主日

许多人都怕死. 我相信我们每个人在某阶段上曾对死亡的恐惧挣扎过. 而对死亡的恐惧来自未知. 我们死后将是怎样的? 我们将上天堂还是下地狱? 或许, 今世只不过如此? 或许, 死后并没有来生.

我们华人也没分别. 在死的话题上我们显得激动. 也许, 在我们的生活当中并没有空间给天主或宗教直到我们年老或生病. 当我们年轻力壮时, 我们忙着尝试争取好教育或赚取更多财富. 只有当我们上了年纪, 当死亡逼近, 我们才开始发觉该是准备的时刻了. 忽然之间, 天主变得重要.

然而一件事是肯定的 – 那就是我们都会死. 死亡意谓着与我们所爱的人分离. 死亡意谓结束我们的一切计划. 肯定的, 这种死亡并不是天主所要的. 这可能是为什么耶稣为他的朋友拉匝禄的死而悲伤. 生命, 永恒的生命是天主在起初造人类的计划. 死亡藉着罪恶进入世界. 这是因为罪恶本身就是死亡 - 罪恶摧毁我们的灵魂和毁灭所有的爱.

对于死亡我不能给圆满的答案. 我不能解释死亡, 没有人可以做到这一点. 我们可以做到的是,以,另一角度看死亡并续以今生现实生命的延伸. 换句话说,我们只可以通过复活的角度了解死亡.

因着基督的来临, 死亡已有了另一新的意义. 基督的复活改变了死亡. 死亡不再是最终的 - 生命才是. 而我们信从耶稣的人将分享这永恒的生命 – 死亡永不能摧毁的生命. 耶稣告诉我们: “我就是复活. 就是生命. 信从我的即使死了, 仍要活着; 凡活着而信从我的人, 必永远不死.”

使我们担忧的死亡并不是肉体的死亡而是在我们还没放进坟墓前的死亡. 肉体的死亡不能夺走我们永恒的生命但我们如何生活却能够. 当我们的生命没有了意义我方向时, 我们可说已死了. 当我们把东西看得比人更重要时, 我们也已经死了. 当我们的生命被许多事情如我们的工作, 我们的财产, 我们的家庭, 我们个人问题充塞着而容纳不下天主时, 我们也是死了. 当我们认为我们短暂的人生比耶稣所应许的永生来得更重要时, 我们也已经是死的了.

亲爱的候洗者, 还有两个星期, 你们就要受洗了. 在这圣洗圣事中, 你们将与基督同死. 这样你们才可分享他所应许给每个人的永生. 耶稣保证,他就是复活. 就是生命凡信从他的即使死了仍要活着. 你们相信吗? 如果相信的话, 就请你们上前接受第三次也是最后一次的考核礼罢.

Death is no longer final – Life is!

2011-04-07T12:06:00.003+08:00

Fifth Sunday of Lent Year A

Many people are frightened of death. I believe all of us at one stage of another would also have struggled with the fear of death. What frightens us most about death is that of the unknown? What happens to us after we die? Will we go to heaven or will we go to hell? Or perhaps, this life is all there is to it? Perhaps, there may be no life after death. What then?

The Chinese are no different. We get very excited over the topic of death. Perhaps, there is no room for God or religion until we grow old or become sick. When we are young and healthy, we’re too busy trying to obtain a good education or trying to get rich. It’s only when we are much older, when death looms around the corner, that the realization comes that we must make some preparation. Suddenly, God becomes all important.

But one thing is certain – we all die. Death means painful separation from the people whom we love. Death means the end of all our projects and plans. Certainly, this kind of death was never intended by God. This may be the reason why Jesus himself grieves over the death of his friend Lazarus. Life, eternal life, is part of God’s plan for mankind from the beginning. Death entered into this world with sin. This is because sin is death itself – sin kills our spirit and destroys love.

I would not presume to explain away death. I cannot explain death, no human can do that. The best we can do is to see death in perspective by looking at the realities of life as something that extends beyond our time here on earth. In other words, we can only understand death by seeing it in the perspective of the resurrection.

Death has now taken on a new meaning with the coming of Christ. The resurrection of Christ transforms death – death is no longer final – life is. And we who believe in Jesus will also come to share in this life – eternal life – a life that can never be destroyed by death. Jesus tells us: “I am the resurrection and the life. If anyone believes in me, even though he dies he will live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.

What should worry us more than physical death is a ‘death’ that happens to us long before we are placed in the grave. Physical death by itself cannot rob us of eternal life but the way we live our lives can. We are already dead when our lives are without purpose or direction. We are already dead when things are more important than persons. We are already dead when our lives are filled with so many things – our work, our properties, our family, our personal problems – there is no room for God. We are already dead when we consider our present short life as more important than the eternal life promised by Jesus.

My dear elect, it is only 2 weeks to your baptism. In baptism, you will die with Christ so that you may have a share of the eternal life which he promises to everyone. Jesus has promised us that he is the resurrection and the life, and that if anyone who believes in him, even though he dies he will live. Do you believe this? If you do, then prepare to come forward for the third and final rite of scrutiny.

Leaving behind our baggages

2011-03-24T16:32:00.002+08:00

Third Sunday of Lent Year A

Today’s readings and the readings for the next two weeks are taken from Year A Cycle as it is closely tied to the Scrutinies of the candidates for baptism which will be celebrated shortly afterwards.

In today’s gospel story, we come to meet, know and understand Jesus better through the eyes of the Samaritan woman. What is so radical about this story was that Jesus broke through all the social, religious and political taboos that segregated Samaritans and women in the disclosing the mystery of his person. She gives a positive response and comes gradually to discover who he is and she not only comes to faith in him but also shares this faith with other Samaritans who, in turn, come to accept him and his message. Thus, the Samaritan woman becomes a model for our candidates for baptism as well as each of us.

The Samaritan woman is thrice marginalized. First, she is a Samaritan and Jews do not have any interaction at all with the Samaritans who were considered unclean. Secondly, she is a woman. Any good pious Jew would not stop to have a faith discussion with a woman, Jewish or Samaritan, as women were thought to be created only for the sole purposes of motherhood and wife. Thirdly, our Samaritan woman had a questionable background. Even among the women and Samaritans of her town, her own people, she was considered a sinner. She has been with several men and the present man whom she is living with is not her husband. So she comes to the well alone at noon to avoid the crowd of women who usually come to the well during the cool morning.

In spite of all these barriers, Jesus engages in a conversation with her and draws her into a faith relationship with himself. He announces to her that he is the “Living water” that promises eternal life to whoever who drinks from it.

Each of us may have our own problems and difficulties. We may suffer from loneliness or grief over the death of a loved one. Some of us are angry with some members of this parish or even with the Church. We come with our worries about the future, about our work, about our family. Jesus comes to each of us as he comes to the Samaritan woman. Jesus never forces his way into our life but allows us to invite him in one step at a time. But only if we allow him to enter our lives can we begin to find healing because he is the living water – he is the bread of life – he is the only one who will continue to love us and forgive us even if we are sinners and don’t deserve to be loved.

At the end of the gospel story, the Samaritan leaves the water jug behind. She doesn’t need it anymore because she has found the true water of life. As we have come to discover Jesus, let us too leave behind our other securities, our fears and our worries as we prepare to receive Christ who gives himself to us in his body and blood.

A year full of blessings!

2011-02-02T14:44:00.002+08:00

Chinese New Year 2011

I’m quite sure that many will sigh with relief that the year of the ferocious tiger is over as we usher in the gentle peaceful year of the rabbit. For many, the cute adorable little rabbit is a much more welcomed sight than the frightening image of a tiger. Just the other day, I checked the internet to find out information about the Year of the Rabbit and this is what one website had to say about the year: “This year of the Metal Rabbit promises to bring much needed peace and tranquility.” Did you hear that? A year of peace and tranquility? This is truly good news for many of us who are so often afraid of turmoil and disturbances. Many would be hopping with joy like a rabbit knowing that it will be a year of good fortune, happiness and luck.

We often equate good fortune, happiness and luck as things that are subject to fate. There are greater forces beyond us that determine whether we would have a good year or a bad year. The type and number of crystals that we should display in our house or wear around our wrists; the colour of our hair; the animal zodiac and its influence throughout the year; the number of gold fish that I should rear in my aquarium.

Today’s gospel reading also speak about joy, it is the gospel of the 8 beatitudes. But it is a different kind of joy. A joy that can be found even in pain; a joy that can be experienced in the midst of problems; a joy that we can possess even when we possess nothing. It is the joy of the kingdom of God. It is a joy of trusting and believing in God and not in our own successes. The joy of the beatitudes can never be taken away from us because it is the joy of knowing that God is with us in both good as well as bad times. It is truly joyful news to know that even when things don’t seem to be going right in our lives, God is with us!

On this first day of the new year, I’m not going to tell you what’s your fortune for this year, whether you would be experiencing lots of good luck or bad. No. I have a much better prediction for year. It’s going to be great year, a year full of blessings, a year of true joy. Why? Because God has promised to be with you. If God is with you at all times, you don’t need good luck or good fengshui or good omens. God will be you sustaining you, giving you strength to bear with all the burdens of life. God will be with you to help you through the darkest moments. God will be with you guiding you when you feel lost. God will be with you comforting you in your loneliness and pain. God will be with you healing you, forgiving you and blessing you with his grace.

Happy New Year. May your year be full of blessings!

另一非传统的道德

2011-01-28T16:55:00.001+08:00

常年期第四主日

从小我们就学到要坚强并不让别人欺负我们. 我们永不认输. 如果别人对我们无情, 我们必会更无情回敬使他们知难而退. 当与无理取闹和专横的人交往时, 我们也加以回敬不让他们爬上我们的头上来. 这是国与国之间的交涉政策. 在1999年, 纽约的贸易中心被恐怖份子所炸毁. 第二年, 美国就侵犯亚富尼期坦. 在2003年侵入伊拉克. 这是强国如美国的哲学观 – “让他们知道谁是老大!”

为基督来说, 这想法就与天国的价值观背道而驰了. 天国的价值观或真福八端记载在今天的福音中: “神贫的人是有福的; 温良的人是有福的; 哀恸的人是有福的; 饥渴慕义的人是有福的; 怜悯的人是有福的; 心里洁净的人是有福的; 缔造和平的人是有福的; 为义而受迫害的人是有福的.”

对耶稣来说, 那些弱小的, 无权力的, 温和的及那些耐心忍受痛苦和迫害的才是有福. 这肯定很难理解的. 事实上, 如果我们以世俗的想法看待这些价值观, 我们是不可能明白的.

但是, 圣保禄告诉我们: “天主偏召选了世上愚妄的, 为羞辱那些有智慧的; 召选了世上懦弱的, 为羞辱那坚强的; 甚而天主召选了世上卑贱的和受人轻视的; 以及那些一无所有的, 为消灭那些有的.” 权势, 暴力, 仇恨和抱负最终也得回同样的结果那就是权势, 暴力, 仇恨和抱负. 耶稣告诉我们 – “凡持剑的, 必死于剑下.”

为此, 耶稣给了我们另一非传统的道德或价值观. 那是将我们的世界转变为天主的国的价值观. 在那充满和平, 喜乐及爱的国度里天主最终掌控一切. 耶稣以率真的道德准绳反击贪婪. 以弱小的反击强势; 以怜悯和宽恕反击复仇的; 以诚实反击欺诈; 以和平反击暴力.

我们当中有人或许会想: “这对天主来说是容易的. 他是神. 他不需要像我们一样受苦.” 然而, 天主, 确实经历了. 他成了我们当中的一个. 耶稣成为谦逊, 无权力和反暴力的最佳典范. 耶稣过的是贫穷的生活. 他是温和的. 他为丧失所爱的人悲悼. 他可望正义. 他表露怜悯. 他常怀着纯正的意向. 他是个缔造和平的人及最后忍受迫害, 痛苦甚至在敌人手中接受死亡. 看来好象他的敌人最后得到胜利. 但是我们知道是耶稣得到最后的胜利. 暴力和权势失败了. 软弱和怜悯获得了最后的胜利.

今天, 如果你在寻求天主, 那么就求谦逊, 无能, 因为你会发觉当祢软弱时, 正是祢刚强有力的时候

A set of alternative ethics

2011-01-28T16:50:00.002+08:00

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time A

One of the things that we have learnt from a very young age is to be strong and not let others take advantage of us. We must never lose out. If others are harsh to us, we must learn how to be harsher to them so that they will not repeat their actions. When dealing with unreasonable and bossy people, we too must be equally aggressive so that they do not climb over our heads. This is how countries often deal with one another. In 1999, the twin towers of New York were destroyed by terrorists. The following year, America invaded Afghanistan and in the year 2003, Iraq. This is the philosophy of big and powerful countries like America – “Show them who’s the boss!”

For us Christians, this way of thinking goes against every value of the Kingdom of God. The values of the Kingdom or the beatitudes are listed out in the gospel today: “Happy are the poor in spirit; happy the gentle; happy those who mourn; happy those who hunger and thirst for what is right; happy the merciful, happy the pure in heart, happy the peacemakers, happy the persecuted.” According to Jesus, it is the weak, the powerless, the gentle and the ones who patiently endures suffering or persecution that is blessed. This is certainly hard to understanding. In fact, it is impossible to understand these values if we were think like the rest of the world.

But St. Paul tells us: “it was to shame the wise that God chose what is foolish by human reckoning, and to shame what is strong that he chose what is weak by human reckoning; those whom the world thinks common and contemptible are the ones that God has chosen – those who are nothing at all to show up those who are everything.” Power, violence, hatred and revenge will finally result in the same thing – power, violence, hatred and revenge. Jesus tells us – “those who live by the sword will die by the sword.”

And so Jesus gives us an alternative set of ethics/values. It is the values that will transform our world into the Kingdom of God – the kingdom where God will ultimately be in control- the kingdom of peace, joy and love. Jesus counters the ethics of greed with an ethics of simplicity. He counters the ethics of power with the ethics of weakness. He counters the ethics of seeking revenge with the ethics of mercy and forgiveness. He He counters the ethics of dishonesty with an ethics of honesty. counters the ethics of violence with the ethics of peace.

Some of us may think: “This is easy for God to say. He’s God. He doesn’t need to suffer as we do.” But this is exactly what God had experienced in the flesh. God became one of us. Jesus becomes the perfect example of humility, powerlessness and non-violence. Jesus lived a life of poverty. He was gentle. He mourned over the loss of loved ones. He hungered for righteousness. He showed mercy. He was always pure in his intentions. He was a peacemaker and finally he endured persecution, suffering and even death at the hands of his enemies. It seemed that his enemies were victorious at the end. But we all know that it was really Jesus who was victorious. Violence and power had failed. Weakness and mercy had prevailed and won the day.

Today, if you are seeking the Lord, then seek integrity, seek humility, seek powerlessness, for then you will discover that it is when you are weak, you will be truly strong.

黑暗及光明

2011-01-21T19:01:00.001+08:00

常年期第三主日

我们当中有许多人害怕黑暗. 鬼魂和恶魔喜欢隐藏在黑暗中. 盗贼藏在黑暗中伺机攻击受害子. 黑暗象征我们一切恐惧及焦虑. 黑暗象征我们的无知. 黑暗象征我们的破损.

然而, 我们当中却喜欢黑暗. 我们在黑暗隐藏我们的自私, 我们的不宽恕, 我们的骄傲, 我们的仇恨, 我们的偏见. 没有人知道我们在黑暗中的行为. 除了天主外, 没有人知道 … 罪恶就是黑暗.

但是, 世界的真光已来到! 基督真光已将临世上并照耀世界. 今天依撒意亚的预言应验了: “那坐在黑暗中的百姓, 看见了诰光; 那些坐在死亡阴影之地的人, 为他们出现光明.”

为那些生活在恐惧中的人, 那些生活在无知中的人, 这道光肯定带给他们真正的喜悦. 这就是依撒意亚所说的: “祢加强了他们的快乐, 扩大了他们的欢喜.”

为那些喜欢黑暗的人, 那些偏爱黑暗中的舒适多过于光的人, 光肯定是不受欢迎的. 这就是为什么耶稣受到抵制. 也是为什么司祭, 经师和法利塞人那么抗拒耶稣. 这一群人很高兴留在黑暗中, 因它带给他们虚假的安全感. 黑暗让他们支配别人. 然而, 基督真光却揭露这虚假的安全感.

今天我们仍在黑暗及光明之间挣扎. 在我们的人生中有那些黑暗之处? 或许, 黑暗代表我们的一些恐惧和焦虑. 它或许是我们对其他友族的成见. 它或许是我们的心不甘情不愿与教会的人合作. 我选择与其些人合作而杯葛所有另一人所组办的活动. 初期的基督徒也为这些纷争而挣扎. “我是属阿颇罗的.” “我是属刻法的.” 保禄却提醒他们若要称自己为基督徒, 若要称自己我属光明的人, 他们之间不该有任何分裂.

主内的兄弟姐妹, 我们都是光明的子民, 不再住在黑暗中. 身为光明的子民, 我们彼此之间的关系改变了. 像当初的门徒, 我们被召进入基督的新团体. 既然我们都是光明的子民, 让我们确保我们生活在光明中 – 继续为团体中的合一而努力, 排除心中一切的成见, 不宽恕及仇恨, 排除我们生命中的一切黑暗.

Darkness and Light

2011-01-21T18:55:00.001+08:00

Third Ordinary Sunday Year A

Many of us are afraid of the dark. Ghosts and demons like to hide in the dark. Robbers hide in the dark waiting to jump on some unsuspecting victim. Darkness represents all our fears and anxieties. Darkness represents our ignorance. Darkness represents our brokenness.

But some of us like the dark too. We can hide things in the dark – our selfishness, our unforgiveness, our pride, our hatred, our prejudice. No one knows what we do in the dark. No one knows except God… Sin is darkness.

But the Light of the World has come! Christ the Light has come into the world and now the world is ablaze with that light. Today the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled: “The people that lived in darkness has seen a great light; on those who dwell in the land and shadow of death a light has dawned.”

For the people who were living in fear, for the people who were living in ignorance, this light must have been a real source of joy. This is what Isaiah has written: “You have made their gladness greater, you have made their joy increase.”

But for those who like the dark, those who prefer the comfort of the dark to that of the revealing light, the light must have been unwelcomed. This is the reason why Jesus met with so much resistance. This is the reason why he was rejected by the priests, the scribes and the Pharisees. These groups were happy remaining in the dark, because the dark gave them a false sense of security. The darkness allowed them to have control over others. But Christ the Light has come to expose the falsity of this security.

Today we continue to struggle with darkness and light. What are some of the dark areas of our life? Perhaps, darkness represents some of our fears and anxieties. Perhaps it is our prejudice against certain people especially those of other races. Perhaps it is our unwillingness to work with certain people in the Church. I prefer to work with this person but I will boycott all activities organized by this other person. The early Christians also struggled with these kinds of division. “I am for Apollos”, “I am for Cephas”. Paul reminded them that if they wish to call themselves Christians, if they wish to call themselves people of the light, there can be no such divisions.

My brothers and sisters in Christ. We are children of the Light and no longer a people who live in darkness. As people of the light, our relational ties with one another are transformed. Each of us are called like the first disciples into the new community of Christ. Since we are children of light let us ensure that we continue to live in the light – that we continue to work towards unity within our community, that we continue to remove all forms of prejudice, unforgiveness and hatred from our hearts, that we remove all forms of darkness from our lives.

谦逊是意识到使命

2011-01-12T10:41:00.001+08:00

常年期第二主日

“看, 天主的羔羊, 除免世罪者!” 洗者若翰就是这样向自己的门徒指出耶稣. 若翰的宣告真正地显示他的谦逊.

在另一部福音的章节中, 耶稣形容洗者若翰为妇女所生的, 没有一个比他更大的. 换句话说, 在耶稣的眼中, 若翰是在许多先知中是最大的. 事实上, 许多人相信若翰就是那个也是同一的厄里亚返回为默西亚的来临准备道路. 在历史上, 洗者若翰肯定是位拥有许多门徒的有名人物. 这就是为什么福音及宗徒大事录常有提到的原因.

如今, 这位充满神恩的, 却退后让位给他等待已久的那一位.这就是真正的谦逊. 谦逊并不是否认个人的天赋或才华. 谦逊并不是告诉别人个人的不好. 不是的. 真正的谦逊是意识到生命的使命及目的. 在今天的福音的尾端, 若翰告诉我们他的使命: “我看见了, 我便作证: 他就就是天主子.”

为基督作证也是我们的使命. 我们必须向别人指出 “万国的真光.” 我们必须向别人指出 “除免世罪的天主羔羊.” 我们不该把注意力引向我们. 身为基督徒并不是声望的竞争. 我们常遇到归光荣于自己的诱惑 – 把天主的恩宠归功于自己. 如果我们不小心, 我们会开始以为我们可以解决世上所有的难题.

骄傲使我们忘记天主. 骄傲使我们以为我们可以掌控一切. 骄傲使我们忘记我们的真正身份 – 天主的子女为天主所爱并不是因我们堪当而是因为天主是仁慈的. 骄傲使我们以为我们不需要任何人或天主, 单靠自己也可以获得幸福.

真正的谦逊是承认我们在世的真正身份及使命. 我们是仆人, 不是主人. 我们是使徒, 并不是那派遣的. 我们是天主救恩的事奉者, 并不是救世者.

让我们在这台弥撒中继续感谢天主, 赐予认识耶稣的恩典. 让我们把我们的眼目常凝视耶稣因他来为使天主的 “救恩达于地极.”

True Humility is recognising one's Mission

2011-01-12T10:24:00.003+08:00

Second Ordinary Sunday Year A

“Look, there is the lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world.” This is how John the Baptist pointed out Jesus to his own disciples. This action of John truly reveals his humility.

John the Baptist is described by Jesus in another gospel passage as the greatest man to be born of a woman. In other words, in the eyes of Jesus, John was the greatest of the prophets. In fact, many believed him to have been Elijah – one and the same person- who has returned to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. Historically, John the Baptist must really have been a famous figure who had many followers. This is the reason why he is mentioned in all gospel stories and in the Acts of the Apostles.

Now, this man of such great spiritual power steps back and gives way to the One whom he has been waiting for. This is true humility. Humility is not denying one’s gifts or talents. Humility is not telling others that one is bad. No. True humility is recognizing one’s mission and purpose in life. At the end of today’s gospel, John tells us his mission: “I have seen and I am the witness that he is the Chosen One of God.”

This too is our mission – to be witnesses for Christ. We need to point others to the true “light of the nations.” We need to point others to “the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world.” We should not be drawing attention to ourselves. Being a Christian is not a popularity contest. There is always the temptation to seek glory for ourselves – to claim credit for the grace of God. If we are not careful, we may start thinking that we can solve all the problems of the world.

Pride makes us forget about God. Pride makes us think that we are in control. Pride makes us forget our true identity – that we are sons and daughters of God, loved by God not because we are worthy but because God is compassionate. Pride makes us think that we can achieve happiness all by ourselves without any help from anyone or from God.

True humility is recognizing our true identity and mission in this world. We are servants not masters. We are apostles, not the One who sends. We are ministers of God’s salvation, not saviors.

Let us in this mass continue to thank God for the gift of knowing Jesus. Let us keep our eyes fixed on him for he has come so that God’s “salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.”

Feast of Dedication of St John's Cathedral

2011-01-08T17:53:00.004+08:00

An erudite Jesuit friend of mine preached this homily this morning on the occasion of the Feast of the Dedication of St John's Cathedral, Kuala Lumpur

----------------------------------------------------

If I had my way, I would not even be bothered to mark the anniversary of the “dedication” of St John’s Cathedral. But, I was reminded of this by the Marian Devotion Group. At St John’s, the liturgy takes the rank of a solemnity and for the rest of the Archdiocese, it is to be celebrated as a feast day—still a rank higher than a memorial. This reluctance to celebrate the dedication of a building stems from a fact which we rarely dare to admit. There are just too many “Protestants” in the Catholic Church so much so that the commemoration of the anniversary does not really make sense.

We celebrate the dedication of a cathedral not because it is a building but because the building symbolises the seat of authority. The word “cathedra” and the word “see” are synonymous. A “cathedra” is a chair and the word “see” is derived from the Latin for seat, “sedes”. In short, it is a day to take pride in the authority of the Bishop. But, the truth is, we are unable to because there are just too many “Protestants”.

Let me clarify my use of the word “Protestant”. Otherwise, I might come across as politically incorrect. The source of authority for the “Protestants” is “I believe”. I believe this to be so and therefore this is so. In a sense, what to be believed is reduced into merely an expression of personal judgement. I submit because I judge it to be right. Ultimately, it is an authority that is vested in oneself.

But, the source of Catholic authority comes from somewhere else. In the first place, it comes from Christ and very importantly, to secure the source, that is, that it comes from Christ, authority comes from the Apostles. The Roman Canon of the Eucharistic Prayer says as much: “We offer them for N. our Pope and for N. our bishop and for all who hold and teach the catholic faith that comes to us from the Apostles”. But, some of us are schizophrenic at best or bi-polar at worse. Why? Because, we exhibit some kind of split assent in our lives. I know of a man who comes to receive Holy Communion very religiously. He believes that Holy Communion is truly the Body of Christ. He approaches the Blessed Sacrament with great reverence, so much so, that he would not receive Holy Communion with his hands. However, this same man could be quite virulent in his attack of the hierarchy. In this particular case, the Bishop.

To be fair, there is nothing wrong with his two “responses” until one realises that the authority, that is, the power to confect the Eucharist, and the authority of the Bishop to teach and to shepherd comes from the same source: Apostolic Succession. This is what I meant by “Protestants” in the Catholic Church. In other words, the two “responses” are a form of reductionism. I believe that this, the bread, is the Body of Christ and therefore it is. But, I do not believe that the bishop has the charism of authority to teach or to shepherd.

A priest when ordained requires a “celebret”, a Latin word for a document attesting to his faculty for exercising his priestly ministry, in order to celebrate the Eucharist in another diocese. When a priest leaves his diocese, he loses his faculty to exercise his ministry. He may have his power but he does not have the faculty to exercise it, signifying that his ministry is really a shared one, a participative and a collaborative ministry that is exercised in union with his bishop. On the other hand, a Bishop once ordained can exercise his ministry anywhere in the Church. The asking for permission is only a matter of courtesy. Why? He is ordained for the universal Church because he is a successor to Peter and the Apostles.

In the 16th Century, at the beginning of what we term as “national consciousness”, the period where the countries we know of were becoming countries, the Sun-King, Louis XIV of France used to say, “L’etat, c’est moi” translated as “I am the state”. In an analogous way, the Bishop can say, “I am the Church” and that should not be construed as arrogance. He is merely stating a fact.

Here, I take a pause. It seems that I am making a defence, an apologia for the bishopric. No. Instead, I am arguing for a coherence of faith. The heart of our struggle is not really with authority but rather the exercise of authority. The Christmas debacle is clearly a struggle in this regard. In other words, our struggle is to rehabilitate the exercise of authority. And this often brings us into the realm of the “affective”. Our likes or dislikes of the exercise of authority speak of preference. It is a protestant characteristic which upholds the primacy of the self.

At the heart of our Protestant mentality is not power but really a struggle in the service of faith. This service is not in the sense of the service of the poor but in the sense of faith in Christ who has come to save the world. That is why a Bishop’s voice must be authoritative but never authoritarian. In the service of faith, both his voice and his action must be loud and clear. In the exercise of his power, it should never be authoritarian.

Unfortunately, a by-product of this primacy of the self is an obsession with the “cult of personality”. Our assessment of the Bishop, his office and authority is often dependent on this “cult of personality”, on how we view and come to accept his personal traits and characteristics. The “cult of personality” measures a bishop’s worth, and by extension his credibility, based on his strength or weakness. Personally, his feet may be made of clay but officially, more importantly, sacramentally and ontologically, He is Christ. And we are his body. This is why the Bishop’s pectoral cross is devoid of a corpus—because scandalous as it may sound, his flesh is the flesh of Christ. And, according to the Ceremonial of Bishops, in a particular case, when there is a tabernacle on the altar at which the Bishop is to celebrate Mass, the Blessed Sacrament should be transferred to another fitting place. Think about it. How to understand the “seeming” denigration of Christ present in the Blessed Sacrament if not because the person of the Bishop is really Christ Himself present. That is the true meaning of the sacrament of Holy Orders and of Apostolic Succession. The Bishop is in persona capitatis Christi.

Perhaps, it is time for the Bishops and in an analogous way for the priests to reclaim what is rightfully theirs not as a right but rather as a service. The authority of Christ is always for service and that may explain why we have railed against the so-called pre-Vatican experience of authority—the experience manifested in this saying: the laity is to pay, pray and obey. The rehabilitation of authority in the service of faith is to convert the experience of heavy-handed authoritarianism into the authority that speaks with experience, with clarity, with humility and with courage even in the face of persecution. And to do that, there is a grave need for the Bishops and priests to return to authentic exercise of authority that is free from arbitrariness. Secondly, they must teach authoritatively. Thirdly, move away from merely portraying a public persona to living ontologically—to living because one is set aside by the authority of Christ Himself. Otherwise, there is a confusion between one’s priesthood which is really worthless and the priesthood of Christ for which ordination make sense.

In these last two week, we have learn at least one thing. The depth of our Catholic intuition. Firstly, the sense of outrage amongst Catholics reveal an intuitive desire for Bishops to speak authoritatively and secondly, the priests who stood up were not defending not Bishop personally but rather his inherent authority to provide a strong Catholic leadership.

Finally, the dedication of a cathedral can often past us by in a blink of an eye. But, its significance is far reaching and certainly further than what the eyes can perceive. It touches very much the foundation of what Catholics really believe.

天主非常爱你

2011-01-06T20:51:00.002+08:00

主受洗日

在你的生命中, 你最想要的是什么呢? 大汽车 … 美满的家庭 … 体贴的丈夫或贤淑的妻子 … 孝顺的子女. 不管你最想要的是什么 – 那一定是能带来最大的幸福的. 换句活说, 我们所追求的是幸福. 追求幸福是生命的推动力. 我们辛劳地工作, 我们选择朋友及物色伴侣, 我们努力考好学校成绩, 找份好工作 – 期望最后得到快乐. 我们设法取悦别人希望他们会接纳及爱我们. 但是, 让我告诉你一个事实 – 幸福并不是我们可获取的. 幸福永不是一种回馈. 我们永不能买幸福.

事实上, 幸福是天主的恩赐. 它是天主白白施于那些开诚接纳的人. 幸福是在心灵深处知道天主确实爱我们. 幸福是知道我们是可爱的, 在天主的眼中是珍贵的. 不管别人怎样看我们, 不管别人怎样判断我们, 没有什么可以改变天主爱我们的事实.

而这认知是耶稣背后的推动力.在耶稣受洗时, 天主圣父说: “这是我的爱子, 我所喜悦的.” 得知他是天父所爱, 耶稣开始宣传天国的福音. 虽然他面对许多挫折; 虽然被别人批评及所憎恨; 虽然他被自己的亲友, 近邻所拒绝; 虽然他被自己的门徒出卖, 耶稣从不放弃他的决定. 对耶稣来说 – 知道他是被天主所钟爱, 没有什么, 绝对没有可以改变的. 在十字架上, 在痛苦, 孤独中, 意识到天主对他的爱及在这最需要的时刻, 天主永不会离弃他, 耶稣才得以支撑下去.

天主要告诉你的是: “你是我的儿子. 你是我的女儿. 你是珍贵的. 我非常爱你.” 我们不须要向天主证明什么. 我们不须要向天主表示我们的好或完美. 虽然, 我们身负罪恶及软弱, 但, 天主仍爱我们.

如果在我们的日常生活中意识天主对我们的厚爱, 当我们面对别人的批评时, 我们就不会那么容易放弃. 每当我们举行感恩祭时, 我们常常被提醒 - 天主爱我们. 因着爱, 天主派遣他的唯一圣子为我们而牺牲. 耶稣赐下的体血是活生生的证据. 弥撒是天主爱的证明. 因为我们是天主所爱, 让我们现在就与每个人分享这份爱

Know that you are loved

2011-01-06T20:46:00.001+08:00

Baptism of the Lord – Year A

What is the thing that you desire most in life? Big car … good family … loving husband or a loving wife … filial children. Whatever it is you want most in life – that thing is the thing which you believe will bring the greatest happiness into your life. In other words, the thing which we desire most in life is happiness. Pursuit of happiness is the driving force of life.

We work hard, we choose friends and the person we want to marry, we try to get good grades in school, good jobs – hoping that at the end of it all we will be happy. We try to please others hoping that they will come to accept us and love us. But let me tell you the truth – happiness is not something that we can achieve. Happiness is never the reward of doing something well. We can never buy happiness.

Rather, happiness is a gift from God. It is a gift freely given by God to those open to receive it. Happiness is knowing in the depths of one’s heart that one is truly loved by God. Happiness is knowing that we are loveable and that we are precious in the eyes of God. No matter how others may see us, no matter how others may judge us, nothing can change this single reality – we are loved by God.

This knowledge was the driving force behind Jesus. At his baptism, Jesus received this beautiful words from God the Father – “This is my Son, the Beloved, my favour rests on him.” Knowing that he was loved by his Father in heaven, Jesus began his mission to proclaim the good news of the Kingdom of God. Although he faced many setbacks, although he was criticized and hated by many people, although he was rejected by his own relatives and neighbours, although he was betrayed by his own disciples, Jesus never waivered in his resolve. Only one thing mattered to him – knowing that he was loved by God and nothing … absolutely nothing can change that. On the cross, in the midst of his pain and loneliness, Jesus was sustained by the knowledge of God’s love for him and that God will never abandon him at this moment of his greatest need.

This is what God wants to tell each of you: “You are my Son. You are my daughter. You are precious. I love you very much!!!” We don’t have to prove ourselves to God. We don’t have to show him that we are good or that we are perfect. God loves us in spite of our sins and weaknesses.

If we live each day with this knowledge of God’s love for us, we will not easily give up especially when we are faced with criticism from others. Whenever we celebrate the Mass, we are reminded again and again that we are loved by God. It was because of love, that God sent his only Son to die for us. Jesus, who gives his body and blood, is living proof of this. The mass is proof of God’s love. Because we are loved by God, let us now share this love with every other person.

跟随那颗星

2010-12-29T12:50:00.003+08:00

主显节 – YEAR A

在今天的福音中提到多少个君王? 只有一个那就是黑落德王. 我们常在报佳音时提到的三王呢? 在福音中从未提到这三王.其实, 在福音中, 他们称为贤士 – 很可能是占星家或是风水专家或 “巫师”. 天主却将他圣子的诞生启示给这些非犹太贤士.

犹太人, 旧约的子民, 天主的选民对这盛大的事件茫然无知. 而少数外邦人, 事实上是魔术师却知道. 为什么呢? 或许, 这些犹太人对自己的宗教定了型. 他们认为天主是在圣山中, 在圣殿内及在神圣的地方.对默西亚, 这预告的显赫人物该出自豪门. 他们没能接受天主竟选择诞生在马槽里的事实.

有时, 我们也对某些想法定了型, 对新的想法不开放. 这是因为我们长久以来一成不变地做着同一样的事. 如此, 我们不只在某岗位上紧守不走同时在思想上也停滞不前. 每当别人提出有建设性的主意或意见时, 我们通常以自己的悲观主意加以打击 – “这是行不通的!” “我们从没做过!” “让我们照以前试过的方法做好了!” 因为这样的态度, 我们压制一切发展及改变. 当天主设法给我们显示他的旨意时, 我们也加以阻挠.

今天的福音挑战我们去认出那颗星 – 正如那颗..引贤士们到耶稣跟前的星. 我们的天主常给人惊奇. 如果我们对天主的某些看法固守不变, 天主变得可预测的, 他就不是天主了. 我们应让天主做天主. 这意谓着我们应让天主选择显示自己的方式. 天主可以选择给小孩显示自己. 天主可以选择在生活的平凡中显示自己. 天主可以选择在温和宁静中来到我们中间而不是以奇迹炫耀方式. 我们必须让天主以他自己的方式成事而不是依照我们的意思. 每当我们跟随那颗星 – 每当我们跟随天主的信号 – 一个新的主意 – 一个新的牧灵计划 – 一个新的方向 – 我们不知道它会领我们到什么地方. 我们只须以信德前行. 然而如果我们诚心向天主的旨意, 指引开放, 我们在旅途的终点必能找到耶稣. 他在等待我们到他跟前.

愿我们不会在路途中迷失. 有时, 我们很想放弃. 有时, 因其他事,分散我们的注意力. 但如果我们迷失了, 将有一颗星引领我们的方向及终点. 那颗星不是我们的目的地. 它只不过指向耶稣 – 世界的真光 – 来到世界领我们到天父的光. 让我们跟随他!

Following A Star

2010-12-29T12:48:00.000+08:00

Epiphany Year A

How many kings were there? Three? Well, the answer may come as a surprise to us - There is only king mentioned in the gospel today, it is King Herod. What of the three kings that we usually sing of in our carols? Nowhere in the gospels is the number three mentioned. Neither are they spoken of as kings. In fact, the gospels describe them as ‘wise men’ – most likely astrologers or what we would call today as ‘feng-shui’ experts or ‘bomohs.’ It was to these non-Jewish wise men that God chose to reveal the birth of his Son.

The Jews, the people of the Old Testament, God’s chosen people – they were totally ignorant of this great event. But a few Gentiles, magicians in fact, came to recognize it. Why was this? Perhaps, the Jews have been so used to thinking about their religion in fixed ways. God is to be found on sacred mountains, in the Temple and in holy places. The Messiah being such a great figure in the prophecies must definitely be a powerful personage that has to be born into wealth and power. They were not prepared to accept the fact that God may choose to be born in a stable.

Sometimes, we too are so fixed in our ways of thinking. We are not open to new ideas. That’s usually the case when we have been doing a thing for such a long time. We not only become stuck to a position but also get stuck to a way of thinking. Whenever someone has a creative idea or suggestion, we usually shoot it down with our pessimism. “It would never work?” “We have never done this before!” “Let’s stick to the old ways of doing things that have been tried and tested!” Because of this attitude, we stifle growth and change. We also put obstacles in the way of God attempting to reveal his will to us.

Today, the gospels challenge us to recognize the stars – just like the star that led the wise men to Jesus. Our God is a God of surprises. If we are stuck to certain ways of thinking about God, God then becomes predictable – he ceases to be God. We must allow God to be God. This means that we must allow him to choose the way in which he wants to reveal himself. God can choose to reveal himself to the little one. God can choose to reveal himself in the ordinary things of life. God can choose to come to us in a quiet and peaceful way and does not need to put on a big show of miracles. We must allow him to do things according to his plans and not according to our own will. Whenever we follow a star – whenever we follow a sign from God – a new idea – a new pastoral plan – a new direction – we may never know where it will lead us. We are merely asked to walk by faith. But if we are faithful and open to God’s will and direction, then we will find Jesus and God at the end of our journey. He is waiting for us to find our way to him.

Let us pray that we will not get lost along the way. There will be times that we feel like giving up. There will be times other distractions draw our attentions. But if we ever get lost, there is always the star to remind us of our direction and destination. That star isn’t our destination. It is merely pointing the way to Jesus himself – the Light of the World – the light which has come into the world to show us the way to the Father. Let us follow him!

“不正常”的成为 “标准”

2010-12-23T19:53:00.002+08:00

圣家节 – Year A

昨天我们庆祝圣诞节. 今天我们庆祝圣家节. 这是提示我们圣诞节和圣家节是互相关联的. 基督降生成为人类家庭中的一份子好使我们成为天主家庭中的成员.

许多年前, 数代同堂的家庭是常有的现象. 它任何的变化将以 “反常” 看待. 今天事情有了很大的改变. 现代的家庭人数越来越少. 现今, 几个亲属家庭同居一屋是罕见的. 单亲家庭也不断增加, 因这项巨变, 正常传统家庭的定义已难于持守.

我们越仔细观察圣家, 玛利亚, 若瑟和耶稣, 我们越能领悟这圣家是如何别于所谓的传统模范家庭. 若瑟娶了玛利亚但不是耶稣的亲父亲. 玛利亚与若瑟结婚, 其实他们共同生活有如兄妹. 玛利亚看似很年青就守寡, 因福音前几章提过他之后就不再提及. 玛利亚可说是位单亲妈妈亲自养大耶稣. 耶稣是唯一子却在众多堂,表兄弟姐妹的陪伴下长大. 圣家肯定是个贫穷的家庭 – 也许因此剥夺了耶稣与当时儿童们所应有的享受.

当我们看到圣家是那么的 “不正常” 时, 我们也因此看到圣家如何可以成为 “标准”传统所谓的模范家庭的楷模. 同时也是 “不正常” 家庭如: 破裂, 单亲家庭, 那些努力维持彼此关系的家庭的模范. 耶稣真正了解你所经历的一切. 没有学校供应有关做父母的教导. 我们的孩子也不是我们的私人财产; 当他们长大成人后, 他们决定自己的人生. 情感的破裂, 背负, 创伤都是生活中的现实. 然而, 圣家却给了我们希望的景象. 如果天主是家庭生活的中心, 那不管困难有多大, 不管创伤有多深, 不管彼此之间的分歧有多大, 天主已一一克服了因他在耶稣内经历了一切.

今天不是宣讲有关家庭 – 有关什么你该与不该做的道理. 而是为家庭向天主谢恩的一天. 随着婚姻破裂,不幸家庭, 夫妻不和, 年老父母被儿女遗弃在老人院的统计不断增加, 的确, 基督徒家庭 – 人性的家庭确实是一个奇迹. 我们永不能忘记家庭是创造主慈爱关怀的恩赐. 不能认为它是理所当然的. 每一个家庭成员是珍贵的不可以为是理所当然的. 在今天的弥撒当中, 让我们感谢天主所赏赐家庭的一切恩惠.

The 'Abnormal' Norm

2010-12-23T19:48:00.002+08:00

Holy Family Year A

Yesterday we celebrated Christmas, today we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family. We are reminded that Christmas and the family are intimately linked. Christ came as a member of a human family to enable us to be part of God’s family.

Many years ago, a family with 2 parents and several children and certain members of the extended family (e.g. grandparents, cousins, unmarried uncles or aunties) would be considered a “normal” family. Any variations from that would be seen as “abnormal.” Today, things have changed enormously. Families are getting smaller and smaller. Today, we seldom see several families related to one another living under the same roof. The number of single parents are increasing – women separated or divorced from husbands living with their children. Because of this drastic change in the makeup of the family, we can no longer hold on to the traditional definition of the family which is ‘normal.’

The more we examine the Holy Family, Mary, Joseph and Jesus, the more we begin to understand how this family is so unlike the ‘normal’ families which we have come to accept as the traditional model of the family. Joseph was married to Mary but was not the real father of Jesus. Mary and Joseph were married but were actually living as brother and sister. Mary seemed to have been widowed at a young age as there no longer any mention of Joseph after the first few chapters of the gospel. In fact, Mary may have been a single mother who had to single-handedly raise Jesus all on her own. Jesus was an only child but would have grown up in the company of many cousins. The holy family was certainly very poor – Jesus would have been deprived of many of things that other children of his age would have enjoyed.

When we recognize how “abnormal” the Holy Family is, then we will begin to see how the Holy Family becomes a model not only for the ‘normal’ and traditional families – the so-called ‘good families – but also a model for the ‘abnormal families’ – the broken families, the single-parent families, the families that are struggling to keep their relationship together. Jesus truly understands what you are all going through and the struggles that you are experiencing. There is no school for mothers and fathers where they learn the art of parenting. Our children are also not our private possessions and when they are old enough they will decide how to live their own lives. Broken relationships, betrayals, hurts are facts of life. But the holy family also gives us a picture of hope. If God is at the center of family life then no matter how big the problem may be, no matter how serious the hurts may have become, no matter how wide the chasm that has grown between individuals, God has overcome all because he has been through it all in the person of Jesus.

Today is not a day for preaching about family – about what you should do or not do. Rather, today is a day for giving thanks to God for families. In the face of increasing break down in marriages, broken families, estranged couples, children leaving their elderly parents in homes, the Christian family – the human family – is truly a miracle. We must never forget that the family is a precious gift of a loving and caring Creator. It must never be taken for granted. Each member of the family is precious and can never be taken for granted. Let us in today’s mass, give thanks to God for the gift of families in all its forms.