改变生活的时间

将临期第一主日

时间的确宝贵。我们不可能重新获得失去的时间。过去的就让它过去。每一天我们争取时间做该做的事。做饭有定时。吃有定时。工作有定时。读书有定时。休息有定时。祈祷有定时。睡觉有定时。我们知道如果我们在一件事上浪费太多的时间，我们必要在另一事上弥补损失失。一些事情就一日复一日地延迟。

今天我们以将临期第一主日开始这季节。我们受邀以新的方式看待时间。我们必须承认时间是天主的恩赐。除非我们善用所赋予的恩惠不然就浪费了。

今天的读经提醒我们时间不只是用在我们个人活动中：不管是工作或休息。反之是天主所赏赐为使我们做出改变生命的决定。天主所赐于的时间为改变，悔过，皈依及转变。在读经二中，圣保禄写道时候已临近了：是醒来的时辰改变我们的生活：“让我们脱去黑暗的行为，佩戴光明的武器。”

现已是年终。我们必须问问自己我们是否变得更好或更怀？这整年来，我们是否对别人更关爱，友善和怜悯呢？我们是否已学到宽恕该宽恕的人呢？我们是否与我们的家庭成员尤其是我们的配偶，孩子或父母更亲近呢？我们有没有中止伤害别人和自己的环习惯呢？如果我们没有在各方面改变自己，如果我们变得更自私及自我中心，更不满，在灵修方面如祈祷或到圣堂不积极，那该是时候由睡梦中醒来反思我们的生活了。我们浪费了天主所赏赐的时间。我们滥用我们时间来满足我们自私的需要。

耶稣在福音中所给予的忠告是我们应该听从的“所以，你们要醒悟，因为你们不知道在那一天你们的主人要来。”谁能说他的时间已到了呢？谁又知道你什么时候吐最后一口气呢？如果今天我们的生活有做到必要的改变，我们将后悔。让我们别死于内心充满遗憾或怨恨。让我们准备自己，当主召回我们时我们已准备妥当。

我们也选择改变我们的生活。让这作我们为即将来临的圣诞做好准备。不只是我们房屋需要打扫除；我们的灵魂更需要打扫除。为此，你们应该准备，“因为你们不料想的时辰，人子就来了。”

Time for Change

First Sunday of Advent Year A

Time is truly precious. We are not able to regain lost time. What has passed is past. Each day, we fight for time to do things that needs to be done. Time to prepare a meal. Time to eat. Time to work. Time to study. Time to rest. Time to pray. Time to sleep. We know that if we waste too much time on one thing, we may have to make up for it on another. Some things just get postponed day after day.

Today, we begin the season of Advent with its First Sunday. We are asked to look at time in a new way. We must ultimately recognize that time is a gift from God. Unless, we use this gift for the purpose that it was given, we would have wasted it.

Today’s readings remind us that time is not just meant for doing our own activities – whether it may be work or rest. Rather, time is given by God to us in order for us to make life-changing decisions. God’s time is time for change, for repentance, for conversion and transformation. In the second reading, St. Paul writes that the “time” has come – time to wake up and change our lives – “let us give up all the things we prefer to do under cover of the dark; let us arm ourselves and appear in the light.”

As we come to the end of the year, we need to sincerely ask ourselves if we have changed for the better or for the worse? Have we grown in love, kindness and compassion towards others in this entire year? Have we learn to forgive the people whom we need to forgive? Have we grown closer to the members of our family – especially our wives and husbands, our children or parents? Have we taken time to stop the bad habits that hurt others and ourselves? If we have failed to improve ourselves in any of these areas, if we have indeed become more selfish and self-centered, more resentful, lazier in our spiritual practices like praying or coming to the church, then its time to wake up and take stock of our lives. We have wasted the gift of time which God has bestowed upon us. We have misused our time to meet our own selfish needs.

The warning given by Jesus in the gospel is something that we must certainly heed. “So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming.” Can any one say when his time is up? Does anyone know when your last breath would be? If we fail to make the necessary changes to our lives today, we may live to regret it. Let us not die with regret and resentment in our hearts. Let us prepare ourselves and be ready when the Lord calls us home.

Making a commitment to follow Jesus is making a decision to change one’s lives. Let this be our preparation for this coming Christmas. It is not only our houses that need a spring cleaning, our souls too urgently need spring cleaning. For “you must stand ready because the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”

刺成的王冠

基督普世君王节

一般上, 君王的形象对我们来说是怎样的呢? 强大的; 威严的; 坐在宝座上. 君王是使人敬畏的. 君王是不能随便与人接近的.

在今天的福音中, 耶稣基督, 万王之王, 宇宙的主宰却以完全不同的形象出现. 没有威严的御座, 有的是十字架. 戴的是刺冠, 不是宝石镶成的王冠. 没有华丽的衣着却赤裸示人. 不以强者自居却显示谦虚, 软弱及脆弱的意义.不像其他的君王与子民保持距离, 耶稣却邀请我们侍立在十字架旁. 但是, 我们是否准备好了呢? 侍立在十字架旁的意思是分担他的十字架. 如果我们分享他的死亡, 我们也分享他的光荣. 这是耶稣对悔改的右盗的许诺. 如果我们承认耶稣是君王,这许诺也给我们每一个人许下.

接受耶稣为王意谓着我们要接受他的十字架, 王权的象征. 如果我们要成为大的, 我们就该成为最小的. 如果要为首的就该成为最后的. 如果我们要得到永生, 我们就得准备牺牲. 如果我们要在天上储蓄宝藏, 我们就得放弃世上的一切. 基督已为我们立下榜样. 这也一定是为什么教会选择最后的一个主日来庆祝这普世君王节. 身为一位君王, 耶稣将自己成为最小的. 为此, 选择了全年的最后一个主日.

单凭口说, 耶稣基督是我们的君王是容易的,但是我们是否愿意让耶稣来支配我们的生命呢? 为了使天国建立在我们的心中, 我们必须每天死于自私及骄傲. 使耶稣成为我们生命的君王是一个历久的过程. 耶稣不勉强我们. 势力与权力是世俗的. 耶稣以他的爱, 仁慈及宽恕赢得他的子民.

当我们承认耶稣为王时,我们并不成为他的奴隶. 实际上, 是天主使我们重获自由正如圣保禄在读经二中提醒我们: “是他由黑暗的权势下救出了我们, 并将我们移植在他爱子的国内. 我们且在他内得到救赎, 获得了罪赦.”

让我们拥戴耶稣为我们的君王. 最重要的是让他掌控我们的生命使我们能摆脱我们的罪过及骄傲的羁绊. 藉着洗礼, 我们分享了耶稣的君王职. 愿我们通过爱德, 自我牺牲及甘心死于自我来见证这职分.

A Crown made of Thorns

Christ the King – Year C

What is the image that we generally have of a king? Powerful. Majestic. Sitting on a Throne. The king is one who is to be feared. The king cannot be approached by just any person.

In today’s gospel, we have a totally different image of the King of Kings, the Lord of the Universe, Jesus Christ. Instead of a majestic throne, he is placed on the cross. Instead of a crown made of precious jewels, he is wearing a crown made of thorns. Instead of rich and splendid clothing, he presents himself naked for all the world to see. Instead of a powerful figure, he demonstrates what it means to be truly humble, weak and vulnerable. Unlike kings who keep their distance from the common people, Jesus invites us to stand by his cross. But are we ready? To stand by his cross means that we must share in his cross. But if we share in his death, we will also share in his glory. This is the promise of Jesus made to the repentant thief, a promise that is made to each of us who are willing to accept him as king.

To accept Jesus as king would mean that we must also accept his cross, the symbol of his kingship. If we want to be great, then we must become the least. If we want to be first, then we must be last. If we want to have eternal life, then we must be prepared to die. If we want treasures to be laid for us in heaven, we must be prepared to give up everything here on earth. Christ has gone ahead of us and done all this. This must be one of the reasons why the Church has chosen the last Sunday of the Church year to celebrate this feast – Christ the King. As King, Christ makes himself the least of all – thus, the last Sunday of the year.

It is easy to say that Jesus Christ is our king, but are we prepared to do all that is necessary to allow him to rule our lives? In order that the kingdom of God is established in our hearts, we must die to our selfishness and pride each day. Making Jesus our king is a long process. Jesus doesn’t force himself on us. Force and power are ways of the world. Jesus wins over his subjects through love, compassion and forgiveness.

We do not become his slaves when we make Jesus our king. In fact, we are set free by God as St. Paul reminds us in the second reading: “He has taken us out of the power of darkness and created a place for us in the kingdom of the Son that he loves, and in him, we gain our freedom, the forgiveness of our sins.

Let us all acclaim Jesus as our king! But more importantly, let us allow him to take control of our lives so that we may be set free from our sinfulness and our pride. Through baptism, we share in the kingship of Jesus. May we give witness to this through our love, our self-giving and our readiness to die to our self-centeredness.

今天该听从他的声音...

常年期第三十三主日

话说有一个犹太人向著名的犹太拉比(导师)讨教. 他问拉比: “请告诉我 – 默西亚什么时候会来?” 拉比停了一会儿答说: “今天!” 那犹太人兴奋不已迫不及待跑回家. 他开始偿还债务 – 他欠人的, 他清还; 那些欠他的他豁免. 他变卖一切给穷人. 他向每一位他得罪过的人道歉. 他我这些事情忙碌而忘了时间过得很快. 当他发觉时, 已是晚上时刻了. 于是他等待着. 没有事情发生. 他继续等待直到半夜. 什么事也没发生. 他开始笑自己的愚蠢. 或许, 他误解了拉比的话而鲁莽行事. 然而, 在同一时间, 他心中洋溢着喜乐. 他觉得人生第一次他感到完全的轻松和自由 – 没有债务缠身, 不需肩负不宽恕的重荷, 不需担忧他的资产财富. 在某种程度上, 默西亚已来到他的生命中并改变了一切.

圣咏的作者告诉我们: “今天该听从他的声音, 不要再那样心硬.”

今天的福音, 耶稣告诉我们: “时期近了.” 这并不是说世界将尽及他就要求审判世界. 耶稣只想告诉他的每一位门徒作出人生重要的决定. “今天” 是指做决定的时机. 这决定不能延迟到明天. 这决定不能延迟到我们老的时候. 这决定不能延迟到世界将尽或当我们知道我们快死了.

这决定今天就该做定. 这决定是什么? 这决定就是跟随耶稣和传福音的承诺. 耶稣说过这并不是一个容易做出的决定. 许多人将拒绝嘲笑我们, 世界及现代的社会会说我们愚笨. 甚至我们的家人也反对这决定. 然而, 这决定不可拖延到明天, 后天或下个月或明年. 这决定不可拖延到其他的人有所改变. 这决定要求今天个人的改变, 是你应有所改变. 是我们应有所改变. 我们不可等待别人有所改变.

但是, 我们又从那里找到力量去做出这重大的决定呢? 这就是信和望德了. 信德使我们看到, 虽然决定跟随耶稣. 我们会失去很多, 然而我们会更富有. 我们富裕来自各方面 – 不受罪恶, 烦恼捆绑, 可以高枕无忧心安理得. 在另一方面, 望德使我们认识天主忠实的爱,他决不会在我们困苦中弃我们而不理. 最终, 正义将战胜邪恶,世界将更新.

直到世界更新, 我们需要有所改变. 让我们今天就重新开始. 让我们重新把自己交付给耶稣因为今天他要进入我们的生命里.

If Today you hear his voice ...

Thirty Third Ordinary Sunday Year C

There is a story of a Jewish man who went to seek the advice of a famous Jewish Rabbi. The man asked the Rabbi: - “Please tell me – when will the Messiah come?” The Rabbi paused for a moment and then answered: “Today”. The man was so excited and anxious that he ran home immediately. He began to settle all his debts – those which he owed, he paid back and for those people who owed him money, he canceled their debts. He sold off his wealth and donated it to the poor. He made his rounds apologizing to the people whom he had hurt. He had been so busy doing all these things that he had forgotten that the day had passed so quickly and by the time he was aware of it, it was already evening. And so he waited and waited. Nothing happened. He continued waiting into the middle of the night. And still nothing happened. Then, he began to laugh at his own stupidity. Perhaps, he had misunderstood the words of the Rabbi and had been too rash. At the same time, joy was bubbling out from him. For the first time in his life, he felt absolutely free – free of debts, free of having to carry the burden unforgiveness, free of worrying about his property and wealth. In a way, the Messiah had come into his life and it was now entirely changed.

The Psalmist tells us: “If TODAY you hear his voice, harden not your hearts…”

In today’s gospel, Jesus tells us that “the time is near at hand.” This does not mean that the world is going to end and that he will come again for the final judgment. Jesus is trying to explain the need for every disciple to make an important decision in their lives. The ‘Today’ refers to the time for making that decision. This decision cannot be delayed till tomorrow. This decision cannot be delayed until we are old. This decision cannot be delayed till the world ends or when we know that we are about to die.

This decision must be made TODAY! And what is this decision. This decision is the commitment to follow Jesus and proclaim the good news of the kingdom. It is not an easy decision, as Jesus himself explains. Many people will reject us and ridicule us. The world and modern society will call us fools. Even our own family members may reject us for this decision. But this decision cannot be delayed till tomorrow or the day after or next month or even next year. This decision cannot be delayed until everyone else changes. The decision calls for personal change today. It is you who must change. It is we who must change. We cannot wait for others to change.

But where do we find the strength to make such a heavy decision? It is faith and hope. Faith allows us to see that although we may seem to lose many things if we decide to follow Jesus, we will still come out the richer. Our riches comes in many forms – freedom from sin and worries, being able to sleep soundly at night with a clear conscience. Hope, on the other hand, allows us to recognize the faithful love of God and that He will not abandon us to our sufferings. At the end, good will triumph over evil and the world will be remade again.

But till the world is remade again, we are the ones who need to change. Let us start from today by making a fresh start. Let us recommit ourselves to Jesus for he is coming into our lives TODAY!

因复活的看法

常年期第三十二主日

要解释痛苦是很难的. 从我们的经历中我们也觉得很难去解释痛苦. 一例如, 当我们所爱的人即使他是一位仁慈的人, 一位好天主教徒却死于癌症; 当我们面对经济问题时, 像失业即使我们每主日都参与弥撒. 许多人认为痛苦是惩罚的结果. 坏人受苦因天主惩罚他们. 好人享受人生因天主祝福他们. 然而很多时候, 事情并不是这样的.

有时候, 好人也受尽苦楚正如读经一中的七兄弟一样. 我们也许会想 – 如果天主真的爱他们的话, 为什么让他们受苦呢? 同样, 当我们生病或面对人生的问题时, 我们常责问天主没有俯允我们的祈祷. 我们不明白为什么我们的祷告尤其是不自私的祈求得不到俯允.

在人类的历史中, 宗教及智学家尽其所能解释痛苦的意义. 有些归痛苦于天主对罪恶的惩罚. 有的解释说是因我们的行为和决定的后果. 有些智学家会解释痛苦只是一种假象. 虽然, 这些解释有些真实性, 我不认为任何宗教或智学能提供完全和值得接受的答案. 原因是痛苦本身就是一个奥秘. 奥秘指向一个更大的真理. 至到我们死, 奥秘仍不能解答.

我们基督徒对痛苦有另一看法 – 因复活的事实,我们明白痛苦. 复活提醒我们死亡并不是一切的终结. 对复活的信心使我们体会到痛苦只是暂时的. 对复活的信心给我们带来希望承受人生的痛, 失望, 创伤和苦楚. 对复活的信心使我们看到天主许下生命不是死亡. 我们可以想象没有复活希望的生活吗? 这样的生活将是难以忍受的尤其是当我们遇到困难的时候. 没有复活的希望了结自己的生命是最容易的解决方法.

不管在生命里我们经历了什么, 不管我们遇到什么困难, 我们生活在复活的希望中. 这希望就是圣保禄在读经二中所提到的: “主是忠信的. 他必坚固你们, 保护你们免于凶恶.” 让我们在这台弥撒中求主赏赐我们圣宠继续信赖天主无微不至的照顾. 复活是耶稣许下生命的途径. 让我们继续信赖天主因 “他不是死人的, 而是活人的天主; 所有的人为他都是生活的.”

In the light of the Resurrection

Thirty Second Ordinary Sunday Year C

Trying to explain the meaning of suffering is very difficult. From our own experiences, we too find it hard to explain the suffering – for example, when someone we love dies of cancer even though he/she may have been a loving person and a good Catholic; when some of us face financial difficulties, like losing a job, even though we come to mass every Sunday. Many people often think that suffering is the result of punishment. Bad people suffer because they are being punished by God. Good people enjoy life because they are being blessed by God. But very often, it just doesn’t happen this way.

Sometimes, the good people also suffer terribly like the seven brothers in today’s first reading. Some of us may be thinking – if God truly loves them, why does he allow them to suffer. Similarly, when we become sick or face some problem in life, we often question God’s failure to answer our prayers. We cannot understand the reason why our prayers are not answered especially when they are not selfish prayers.

Throughout the history of man, religions and philosophies have been trying to explain the meaning of suffering. Some attribute suffering to God’s punishment for sin. Others explain it as the consequence of our actions and decisions. Some philosophies will try to explain suffering as unreal and a figment of our imagination. Although, each of these explanations has some truth, I do not think that any religion or philosophy has been able to provide us with a complete and acceptable answer. The reason for this is that suffering is itself a mystery. Mysteries have a way of pointing us to some greater truth. But till the day we die, mysteries will remain unsolved.

We, Christians, have another way of understanding suffering – we understand it in the light of the resurrection. The resurrection reminds us that death is not the end of everything. Faith in the resurrection allows us to see our sufferings as only temporary. Faith in the resurrection gives us hope in order to bear the pains, disappointments, hurts, and sufferings which we experience throughout life. Faith in the resurrection allows us to see that God promises us life and not death. Can we try to imagine living a life without faith in the resurrection? Such a life would be unbearable especially when we encounter problems and difficulties. Without believing in the resurrection, taking our own lives (killing ourselves) would be the easiest solution.

In spite of whatever we experience in this life, in spite of all the difficulties we may encounter, we live with the hope of the resurrection. This hope is what St. Paul is speaking about in the second reading: “the Lord is faithful, and he will give you strength and guard you from the evil one.” Let us in this mass pray for the grace to continue trusting in the loving care of God. The resurrection is Jesus’ way of promising life and not death. Let us continue to place our hope in God for “he is God, not of the dead, but of the living, for to him all men are in fact alive.”