Saved by the rooster's crow

Homily for Chinese New Year 2017

For those of you who still remember my predictions gleaned from my good friend Lillian Too at the beginning of 2017, I’m going to disappoint you today. There will be no repeat performance of that cock-and-bull story of how things would simply be hunky-dory and so there’s nothing for you to worry about. The truth is, I don’t know what’s in store for this year. So, be worried, if you have to. But the good news is that I am going to speak about the cock, or to be more accurate, the rooster. Not the rooster of the Chinese Zodiac fame and how this totem would fare in your life this year, but the rooster of Christian symbolism.

Yes, a rooster is a Christian symbol, and “why?” you may venture to ask. The rooster has been a Christian symbol since God used it to show the weakness of man with Peter and the triumph of Christ in the resurrection. Remember how a rooster played a part in the story of Jesus’ own passion and death? When Peter said that he would never deny Christ,  Jesus spoke to him and said, “Assuredly, I say to you that today, even this night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” St. Peter, in weakness, denied Christ, and yet, by God’s grace was called to leave behind his treason and to believe in the work of Christ’s redemption. The rooster reminds us that Christ welcomes all who have doubted and denied Him. Through the cross even the man who three times denied the Saviour was forgiven, loved, restored and sent out to zealously live for the glory of God. There is hope in the Gospel for sinners everywhere, for sinners like you and me.

Simply put, the story of the rooster provides us with a picture of God’s grace to sinners. It is an image of Peter’s failure and Jesus Christ’s triumph. The Church is not just a community of ready-made saints, but a story of sinners who are work-in-progress, growing slowly and incrementally as they push back the darkness in their lives to embrace the dawn of the resurrection.

This lead us to another layer of symbolism, perhaps a symbolism that has been lost to many of us urbanites. When was the last time you were awaken by the sound of a crowing rooster? Unless, you happen to be visiting your hillbilly cousins at the farm, the correlation between dawn and the rooster’s crow has been expunged from our memory. Scripture tells us that Jesus rose from the dead, “very early in the morning.” Thus the rooster’s crow announces the resurrection. The rooster reminds us that as Christians we are not children of darkness, hiding in the shadows of death and sin. The gloom of night has been scattered by Jesus' death and resurrection. As the rooster awaits the coming of the new day, so we await our new day in Christ.

Finally, because the rooster is the first animal to call out the dawn of a new day, roosters are a reminder of vigilance. Jesus used the example of the rooster when He said, “Watch therefore, for you do not know when the master of the house is coming — in the evening, at midnight, at the crowing of the rooster, or in the morning …” Christians saw the alert rooster as an image to be emulated. As the rooster watches for the morning, so all Christians are to watch for the Lord who would one day suddenly return to judge the living and the dead.

Since we are on the topic of cocks and roosters, here’s one last trivia. If you’ve been to the Atlantic Coast of Portugal, you would see a distinctive emblem of the region etched out on every possible surface, house walls, porcelain ware, tapestries, laced dollies etc. Yes, it is the rooster. According to the local folklore, a miraculous rescue of a condemned man is attributed to a resurrected cooked Rooster. The story is about a man who was accused of theft. When he faced his accuser, he claimed that the dead bird on the table, a rooster, intended for the banquet would crow as soon as they put a noose around his neck. The judge ignored the warning and took him to hang nonetheless. True enough, the Rooster stood up and crowed, telling the judge of his terrible error. Thankfully, a poorly made knot kept the accused from dying and he was given his freedom to travel in peace. Nice story, right? I’m not sure if a rooster would help save the day, when my own head is on the chopping block.

As the rooster looks out and calls to the sky, may we be reminded to look to the sky as we see the Day approaching. Christ is returning. A new day is dawning. Let us be given, therefore, to repentance and faith. Come to think of it, the church is God’s little rooster too. As we call forth the message of repentance to a sinful world, may God bless our little rooster, our brave and relentless rooster, a rooster who will refuse to be silenced even when everyone is happy to remain asleep.

信仰与文化

 2016年华人农历新年

在所有的华人传统节日中，农历新年可说是最大的节日。这就是为什么今天我们华人天主教徒会选择庆祝这个传统节日。文化赋予我们的生命意义；文化也象征着我们的身份。在座的各位都和我一样，有着多重的身份。我是一个华人，但受英文教育。我是马来西亚华人，这使我和中国大陆及台湾的华人不太一样。还有，我也是个天主教徒。这些不同的身份不仅让我成为不同团体的一份子，也影响了我的个性和选择。一般上，这些不同的团体有各自的生活方式，彼此间不一定有任何关系。可是身为一个天主教徒，却把这些不同的身份及文化融合在一起。

我们很难给传统文化下个定义。文化就像我们所呼吸的空气，虽然知道它的存在，但是却不以为意。只有当我们被其他人问起这文化到底是什么的时候，我们才会说一说。大多数的人理所当然地会把传统文化与服装、语言、音乐、舞蹈及庆节联系在一起。可是如果我们以为就因为一年才穿一次的传统服装或播放一次某种乐曲能表现出某种文化的话，那就对文化有欠公平了。这就是我所说的“旅游业”——它只为做“表演”用途而已。真正的文化能影响我们的价值观及左右我们的生活方向。真正的文化就好像是一个镜片，让我们能窥探这世界。

教会怎样看待文化呢？信仰与文化之间有着什么关系？其实，教会对文化有着正面的看法，因为文化来自人最好的一面，是人的内在及外在最佳的成就。教会使用人的语言及文化标记来宣扬主耶稣基督的福音。就如圣言成了血肉，为我们启示了天主的救恩计划；福音也得透过人的文化语言来与人沟通，使人明白。

换句话说，信仰与文化不是互相对立的。我们可以从文化中学习到很多东西；我们的文化也能从信仰中得到很多的学习。信仰教导我们，有主在内运作的文化，就是最好的文化。信仰能够净化文化，并帮助人看清最好的东西不是个人的成就或传承。信仰能够帮助我们看到；当朝拜天主时，人就可取得最好的成就。信仰也能够厘清我们应该关注的优先事务；那就是把天主放在先，其他的第二，而我们在最后。曾经有一位刚领洗的印度教友告诉我说，他以前的宗教教导他生命中最重要的价值有三个：那就是母亲、老师及神。但自从他领洗成为天主教徒之后，他才理解了他的优先选择：那就是天主应放在第一位，其次是母亲，老师则排在第三位。我们千万不能忘记，如果天主不在我们的文化和传统中，最后就会演变成朝拜文化。当我们朝拜文化时，最终就是朝拜人，而把天主给遗忘了。

这就是为什么我们的传统庆祝要以弥撒庆典作开始。我们应当提醒自己，凡是最好的一定要先奉献给天主。在每一台弥撒中，天主受光荣；而人则得到圣化。弥撒并不是光荣人或文化，它也不是为了展示人类的文化。弥撒是为展现天主的大能，为显示天主至高无上的权柄及无限的恩宠。弥撒超越人的文化，它是整个教会的庆典。这个庆典不单只为华人，但也是为全体信友而举行。因为在基督内，没有所谓的犹太人或外邦人，奴隶或自由人，男人或女人之分；所有的人都在基督内合而为一。

今天，文化与信仰都遭受到现代生活方式的冲击。不论来自哪一个种培育成长的文化环境，现在的人都生活在一个和以前很不同的社会环境里。华人重视孝道和家庭观念，因此对我们华人来说，父母与家庭都是很重要的。可是如今住在老人院里的老人，多数都来自华人社群。为了

不让这优良的传统文化价值逐渐变质，我们应该坚强我们的信仰。信仰与文化是息息相关的。信德坚强的人会孝敬父母，因为孝敬父母是天主十诫中的一条诫命。

今天的弥撒结束后，我们将进行祭祖仪式。在祭祖之前，我们必须先清楚地了解几样事情。虽然我们从传统文化中得到很多的学习，但是我们的理解却和非天主教徒很不一样。身为天主教徒，我们不是朝拜我们的祖先，也不是朝拜附在灵位上的祖先灵魂。身为天主教徒，我们为亡者祈祷，因为亡者已经没能力再为自己祈祷了。天主教徒能够给他们最好的祈祷就是奉献弥撒，因为主耶稣基督在十字架上的牺牲拯救了他们，也拯救了我们。我们的信仰教导我们，当我们在向我们的父母、祖先、甚至是圣人行敬礼的时候，我们也在光荣天主。当我们在为先人及圣人举行敬礼的同时，就是在朝拜天主。所以在今天的祭祖仪式中，我们必须清楚明了朝拜唯一天主以及对祖先敬礼之间的差别。而且在祭祖仪式中，我们不可忘记天主；我们应以天主为先，祖先第二，我们则排在最后。

今天，当我们与华人信友团体一起庆祝这感恩弥撒之际，让我们不断地光荣天主，并为所有的事物赞颂祂，就连我们在庆祝这传统节日及祭祖的同时，也一样地赞美天主。圣人依肋内曾提醒我们：“人的活着，就是天主的光荣；当人朝拜天主时，才算真正地活着。”

Faith and Culture

Chinese New Year 2016

Of all the cultural celebrations of the Chinese community, the Lunar New Year is by far the most important. That is why we have chosen to celebrate this cultural festival today as a parish community, as a community of Catholics. Culture gives meaning to our lives. Culture gives us our identity. But all of us have many layers of cultural identity. I am Chinese, but I’m also English educated. I’m also Malaysian, which makes me quite different from the Chinese from mainland China or Taiwan. But finally, I’m also Catholic. All these titles can place me into different groups of people and influence my personality and choices. Normally, these different groups often live separately and need not have any relation with each other. But being Catholic, has brought all these different cultural aspects together under one roof.

It’s hard to define what culture is. It’s like the air that we breathe. We know it’s there but usually pay little attention to it. We only begin to speak of it when having to explain to someone else what that culture is all about. Most people, of course, associate culture with dressing, language, music, dance and our festivals. But just because we dress up once a year in our traditional costumes or play certain music once year doesn’t really do justice to culture. It’s what I call “tourism” – that is for “show” only. True culture affects our values and the choices we make. It is the lenses in which we view the world.

How does the Church view culture? What is the relationship between faith and culture? The Church views culture positively as that which is “best” in man – culture is man’s best mental and physical achievements. The Church preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ by using the language and the symbols of culture. Just as the Word of God became man to reveal to us the plan of God, the gospel too must be understood and take on the language of culture to communicate itself to men.

In other words, there is no opposition between faith and culture. There is much we can learn from culture but there is much that our culture can learn from faith. Faith teaches us that culture is truly the “best” when it is directed at God. Faith purifies culture and helps man to see that what is best are not his personal achievements or even his heritage. Faith helps us to see that the “best” of what man can achieve is when he worships God. Faith also helps us work out our priorities. God first, others second, we last of all. An Indian new convert once told me that his old religion taught him three important values in life, mother, teacher and God. But ever since he became Catholic, he now understood his priorities. God first, mother second and teacher, third. We must never forget that if God is absent from our culture and customs, we end up worshipping culture instead. And when culture is worshipped, we ultimately end up worshipping man whilst God is forgotten.

That is why our festive celebration begins with mass. We must always remember that whatever is the best and the greatest must first be offered to God. At every mass, it is God who is glorified and man sanctified. Mass is not a place where we glorify man or even culture. Mass is not a showcase of man’s culture. Mass is a demonstration of God’s power, His authority and grace. Mass is a place where we transcend culture. It is the celebration of the entire Church. Not just of the Chinese people, but also the whole community, for in Christ, there is neither Jew nor Gentile, slave or free, man or woman, for we are all united in Christ.

Today, both culture and faith have suffered from the pressures of modern living. We now live in a society quite different from what we had when most of us grew up, regardless of the culture that nurtured us. For us Chinese, parents and family are important priorities and yet the largest number of elderly residing in old folks home comes from the Chinese community.  In order that we may continue to promote these good cultural values and save them from further deterioration, we must strengthen our faith. They are both inter-related. People of faith would learn to honour their parents because to honour them is keeping the commandment of God.

At the end of this mass, we will have the rite of veneration of ancestors. We must keep a few things in mind. Though we have learnt a great deal from our culture, our understanding is very different from non-Catholics. As Catholics we do not “worship” our ancestors neither do the souls of our ancestors reside in the ancestral tablet. As Catholics, we pray for the dead because they can no longer pray for themselves. The greatest prayer we can offer as Catholics is the mass because it is the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross that can save them as well us. Our Catholic faith teaches us that we when honour our parents, our elders and even the saints, we give glory to God. God is worshipped in the veneration of the saints and in the honour we give to our elders. That is why in today’s ritual, it is necessary that we make a clear distinction between the worship which can be given to God alone and the honour which we give to our ancestors. Even, when venerate our ancestors, we must do so without forgetting God. God comes first, others second, we come last of all.

Today, as we celebrate this thanksgiving mass with the Chinese community, let us continue to glorify God, to praise Him in all things, even as we celebrate our cultural customs and honour our elders and ancestors. As St Irenaeus reminds us, “the glory of God is man fully alive, and man is fully alive when he worships God.”