Wednesday, December 9, 2015

'Tis the Season to Be Overjoyed!

Micah’s proclamation of the Good News is almost hysterical. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, the prophet sounds so overjoyed he is, I’d venture to say, a little beyond himself:

From you [Bethlehem] shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel…(MI 5:1)

Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne…(MI 5:2)

His greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace…


Beyond ourselves is what we Christians should be – what the whole world should be – as the Church’s celebration of Advent enters its final week. For the mystery of the Father’s divine love is about to be revealed in its fullness and made visible to the whole world in His Son, our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ!

O shepherd of Israel, hearken, from your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth…(Ps 80:2) – the psalmist chimed in joyously.

This morning I had just bought a cup of Starbucks coffee when a long line of youthful Christmas carolers streamed into the shop unexpectedly, wearing red and green Christmas outfits and singing Twelve Days of Christmas. There must have been more than 20 of them, crowding up the stairway to the upper floor of the shop, giggling and making funny faces as they went from one carol to another.

O what fun that was to be caught unexpectedly in such Christmas festivity! A little beyond myself, I also giggled and sang along with them. And why not? Even John the Baptist, the infant in Elizabeth’s womb, was leaping for joy at the moment the sound of Mary’s greeting reached Elizabeth’s ears. So children and adults, young and old, the whole world all over, let’s giggle and sing. “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life” (John 3:16)!

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

The First Snow

After so many Canadian winters, the first snow, habitually arrived swiftly and unannounced, still managed to catch me by surprise. Pure, simple, and unpretentious, it disappeared as soon as the morning sun broke through the clouds to regain its rightful place of dominance. I might have been unprepared for its arrival, but its swift departure I had anticipated: I was able to capture this short-lived moment of tranquility before driving off to a tennis game.


Friday, November 6, 2015

Synod on the Family - A Battleground Between Kasper and Ratzinger

Of all the reports and analyses of the recent Synod on the Family, I think this one by Fr. Raymond de Souza (see link below) is most to the point, hitting the nail right on the head. I personally have done not a few discussions and presentations on issues relating to St. JPII's Theology of the Body. His TOB teachings continue to capture my imagination and energize me with power and inspiration. I see him and Benedict XVI (Joseph Ratzinger) as two "seminary professors" whose thoughts and insights helped shape my theological mind. Together they are a lighthouse that shows me the way in a a sea of raging waters. Kasper vs. Ratzinger? Guess who I'll be praying for?

The Synod’s Fundamental Issue: The Legacy of St. John Paul II by Fr. Raymond De Souza.

Saturday, September 19, 2015

念父詞 - 驍勇善戰的戰士



(以下是我在父親喪禮中代表家人向親友發言所用的悼詞)

先多謝各位姐弟妹們信賴交託,讓我代表大家,在爸爸喪禮中講話。準備講詞時,我也收集了大家一些意見,希望我的講詞能夠正確地反映各位家人的看法和感受。

上星期四,二姊Betty、我、六弟Marco、九妹Eliza 和三位醫生㑹面後,大家都同意爸爸當時的身體狀況,用臨終料理(comfort care) 的方法來處理,對他是最好的。但是這決定也表示爸爸離世可以是數天,甚至是數小時的事。回到病房,看見爸爸睡在床上,再想起醫生的話,不禁用手輕摸他的面和頭。細看這張熟悉的臉面,很難相信他很快便要從我生命中消逝…。

這親切的接觸,帶來很特別的感覺:既溫暖,又似曾相識。記得小時,爸爸常用單車乘載我和姊姊。我坐前面,爸爸攬著我;姊姊則坐在後面,緊抱著爸爸的腰。人長大了,隨歲月消逝,與爸爸的體膚接觸已幾近於零,通常只限於見面和離別時,尷尷尬尬的握手。估不到數十年後,自己也一把年紀了,在父親彌留之際,竟能重新經歷童年時父子間親切的接觸!不過這一切都已經太遲了!

大家可能奇怪:爸爸揸單車乘載子女?不要說家中年青的下一代,就算是弟妹中較年輕的,可能也未見過。但小時候,爸爸就是那樣:那麼充滿活力,那麼痛愛子女,而且很有情趣。

讀中學時,爸爸常常揸車接送姊姊、二姊、和我三人返學放學。有時順道帶我們去十一咪半,看沙灘和日落;有時會去半山呈祥道,看飛機降落。我六七歲時,他和我一起放紙鸢,又用單車乘載姊姊和我去波地看足球賽。四妹惠蓮說小時,爸爸很多時一手抱著她,一手抱另一子女,然後一級級地步上三樓,一面行一面唱當兵時的歌。相信我打網球敏捷的身手,可能是從他遺傳下來!

如果要用兩個字來綜合爸爸為人,我認為是「厚道」。爸爸上孝高堂,下愛子女,對自己的愛妻 - 我們至愛的媽媽 - 更是關愛有加。當媽媽老了患重病時,爸爸已八十多歲了,但他仍然親自朝夕服侍照顧她,不離不棄,真的終生不渝。他做人處世,一切循規蹈矩,對家庭有愛,對社會有義。我們眾兄弟姊妹都一致讚嘆,爸爸是真的漢子,是真的男人大丈夫。

六弟Marco 特別難忘爸爸的忠厚誠實,一生銘記父親大人的一句說話:「受人之託,忠人之事」。他對子女的宗旨是「不求自己福田,但望蔭護子孫」,他真的是子女的典範。

八月一日的家庭重聚是令人難忘的,可惜也成了爸爸和我們一起的,最後的歡聚。對九妹Eliza來説,這是爸爸離開前送給所有子女和親人的珍貴禮物,讓大家留下美好回憶。他離開前的廿八天,是他給大家一個表達愛心和孝意的機會。

爸爸的愛孫龍龍特別送給他這首以「公公愛你」來展開的詩,正反影著上述爸爸的美德:

公道厚待人敬重
公正廉明辦事清
愛國愛妻愛子女
你我雖別心永連

爸爸一生中經歷了三次重大考驗。每一次考驗中爸爸都要面對一個全新的環境,每一次他都用冷静、低調、充滿愛心、和為了成全別人而交出自己的方式來面對,每一次都贏得受惠於他的愛和犧牲的人的讚賞、肯定、和尊敬。

第一次重大考驗是年靑時,爸爸從國內去到戰後的香港。與媽媽結婚後,他全心全意交出自已去配合媽媽;為了婚姻,為了兒女,在媽媽身邊默默耕耘。結果,換來美滿婚姻,幸福家庭和孝敬父母的子女。

第二次在中年時,盧家連根拔起,移民來美,無論語言、地方、環境全部陌生。困境中,爸爸再次低調地和媽媽一起咬著牙根,再起新的門牆,再建新的家園。結果,較年幼的子女,都能順利在此落地生根和接受良好教育。又一次,爸爸無私的交出,換來的是子女們無限感激和孝愛,和一個水乳交融、兒孫滿堂的大家庭。

在幾星期前,當爸爸生命旅程去到九十三歲高齡時,他面對一生人最大和最後的挑戰:是時候要離開這世界了。這位久經大小戰役,經驗無數,驍勇善戰的戰士,鬆容地用同樣低調和自我犧牲的方法去處理。縱使他老人家健康欠佳,頸部嚴重痛楚,為了成全家庭成員們的美意,他抱病參加八月一日的家庭團聚。在住醫院的廿八天,他常常故意地做一些事情或講一些說話,讓氣氛輕鬆些,減少家人的憂慮。今天我們不能不承認:爸爸真的是男子漢,真的是盧家上下的模範。如戰後的香港和移民後的美國都成了爸爸的樂土,離世後的天鄉將是爸爸永遠幸福的家園;在那裡,這位身經百戰的戰士,終於可以安頓下來,就如他的名字般,永享「天福」了!

如果戰後從內地來港謀生的人是香港的第一代,我們戰後嬰兒(baby boomers) 便是第二代。第一代的美德是勤力刻苦,事事為下一代著想,而且懂得開放自己,對下一代萬般遷就,信賴和給機會他們。爸媽正具備這些第一代的美德,從小便容忍我們,事事做就我們。就因為父母親容忍開放,今天我們十兄弟姊妹才能有今天的成就,才能百花齊放,各人有各人的成就和美好家庭,而且和諧團結,相親相愛。這都是我們在雙親慈颜光照下,從第一代所獲的福蔭。在此,讓我用七弟Tony所作的一首詩作結,代表我們兄弟姐妹和家人向爸爸媽媽致以萬二分感激和謝意:

福壽綿延年近百
前無障礙天路行
慈母相會續恩情
攜手並肩望世間

Tuesday, August 18, 2015

The Law Was Given That Grace Might Be Sought

Of all the events, institutions, and people that characterize the Old Testament – patriarchs, crossing the Red Sea, Passover, covenants, priests, prophets, kings, Jerusalem Temple, etc. - “law” is one that really stands out. By “law”, we refer to the Decalogue, the various law codes preserved in the Pentateuch, and the new laws and customs of the emerging Judaism in the later years of Israel’s history (see New Jerome Biblical Commentary 67:132). St. Paul simply generalized the Old Testament as a time when men were “under the law” (Rm 6:15).

The exhortation to observe the law, expounded so forcefully by Moses in Dt. 4:1-8, is a resounding theme in the OT books. The rule was straightforward: if Israel obeyed God and kept His commandments, statues and decrees, they would live and receive God’s blessing; if not, they would perish (cf. Dt. 30:15-17). But try as they might, the people of Israel just couldn’t muster up enough will to follow Moses’ exhortation sincerely and persistently. The result was as straightforward as the rule: God’s punishment in the form of exile and generations of repressive foreign domination.

To rub salt into the wound, the legal corpus itself was tainted over time by what Jesus called “human precepts” and “human tradition” (Mk. 7:7-8) that were often trivial and even unreasonable. By Jesus’ time the whole system smacked of hypocrisy and legalism that favored the elite and powerful. No wonder as far back as the exilic time, the prophet Ezekiel had referred to such laws as “statutes that were not good, and ordinances through which they could not live” (Eze. 20:25).

So what are we supposed to make of this puzzling biblical account that spanned more than a millennium of Israel’s history and formed the backbone of OT teaching? One that appeared to be just a futile divine exercise: God imposed on men His law, warning that failure to follow would bring punishments; men failed to follow God’s law and sure enough they got punished; and finally the law itself became trivialized, burdensome, incomprehensible, and unreasonable. (Sounds familiar? Yes, that's just the nature of all laws, the result of legalism.)

The lesson to be learned is that man cannot achieve goodness, least of all perfection and holiness, by relying on his own effort to follow the law. Since time immemorial, the ultimate human dream was to be self-sufficient, to be in control of his own destiny, to become like God or, to be more succinct, to become God. This story of human pride has been foretold and summed up in the Garden of Eden account, in which man desired to see and know like God (cf. Gen 3:6); as well as in the Babel tower account that portrayed man’s desire to reach the sky (cf. Gen 11:4). The reason for man’s misery was his heart, which was twisted, rebellious, and in need of healing. Man was in dire need of a “heart surgery”, the procedures and benefits of which had been listed in detail by Ezekiel: “I will sprinkle clean water upon you to cleanse you from all your impurities, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. I will give you a new heart and place a new spirit within you, taking from your bodies your stony hearts and giving you [hearts of flesh]. I will put my spirit within you and make you live by my statutes, careful to observe my decrees” (Eze. 36:25-27).

The Holy Spirit, in other words, is our surgeon in charge; the medicine that untwists or cleanses our hearts is not antibiotics and steroids but the purity of baptismal water! With hearts made of flesh and filled with the Holy Spirit, we will be able to observe God’s law as statutes and ordinances “written not in ink but by the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets that are hearts of flesh” (2 Cor 3:3).

Still, why did God go through all these troubles of putting Israel “under the law” (Rm. 6:15) to begin with? Why not give them the solution outlined in Ezekiel’s prophesy above from day one? As usual, it’s St. Augustine who came to our rescue by answering this difficult question in one simple statement: “The law was given that grace might be sought; and grace was given that the law might be fulfilled” (De Spiritu et Littera, 19, 34: CSEL 60, 187). Man’s attempt to fulfill the requirements of law on his own was a complete failure that convinced him what he really needed was grace. What grace? The grace of redemption! In the Lord Jesus Christ, by virtue of his redemptive grace and not our own human effort, we can fulfill, and have already fulfilled, the stern requirements of the law! Alleluia!

Tuesday, August 11, 2015

東方文化能解除人類的枷鎖嗎?

最近閱讀了中文大學哲學系教授、國學大師和思想家霍韜晦先生的著作《當代文化批判》。霍先生從公元前七世紀的希臘哲學開始,至近代的後現代主義,將主要的西方哲學遂一簡介和批判,從而指出當今世代在生命意義、道德、和價值標準上的迷惘和失落。

興趣使然,我讀大學時用商科學位剩餘學分主修哲學。畢業後,我也不時閱讀哲學書籍,特別是我喜愛的希臘哲學。來加後先後因移民的壓力、學業、事業、和信仰上的改變,接觸哲學的機會少了很多,這次因友人好意贈書才偶然再看。不料看後感受良多,在此特別分享其中兩點。

在霍教授帶领下,跟隨歷史發展,按步重温西方哲學,就像時光倒流,洪洪三千年的文化巨流,仿如三小時的紀錄片在眼前隨隨展開;蘇格拉底、柏拉圖、老莊孔孟也仿如昨天才出現過的人物!《當代文化批判》可說是一個開啓愚蒙、令人感觸的旅程。啓蒙者,是因為霍先生深入淺出的講述,讓我重新認識我曾經喜愛的哲學思想,因而得益不淺。感觸者,是因為自己多年不接觸哲學,現在偶爾再看,發覺心境與當年完全不同。因為在個人思維和信仰上,今日已介入了一個新的要素,即啟示真理(revealed truth)的要素,亦即天主傳留在聖經、聖傳、和教會中的真理。於是,同樣是思考生命意義,我今天的方法,已從純理性思考變成信德的光照(如聖奥斯定說,不是明白然後相信,是相信然後明白) ;我今天的著眼點已不是某某思想家的看法(不論他如何偉大;也不論我如何仰慕他) ,而是有情的天主基於無限愛情而啓示給人的,絕對和永恆不變的訓示和指引。

我要分享的第二點感受是霍教授對人類文化的分析、批判、和結論。霍教授準確地看見西方文化憑理性去追尋知識,目的是尋求自由和幸福。藉發展科學和確立民主,人類好像愈來愈自由幸福(可去月球,可用手機)。其實,理性為了滿足人心裡永無止境的欲望(霍先生稱它為「心魔」),早淪為工具,被人心裡的欲魔牽著鼻子走,成了「工具理性」,為欲魔服務。(下次你升級購買了不夠一年的手機,或剛去完歐遊現又想去亞拉斯加郵輪十日遊的時候,你便會明白「心魔」是多凶猛。)當今科學所帶來的知識和發明,現代民主所推廣的自由、平等、和人權,成了社會人欲橫流,平面價值,胡作妄為的動力和藉口。於是這麽多年來,人類尋求自由和幸福的努力,得來的是不自由和不幸福。

這是多麽諷刺和悲哀的結果啊!這是西方文化尋求知識,只求真而不求善的結果。於是,霍教授主張人(特別是我們東方人)應克己復禮,用東方文化(特別是儒釋道)去治理好人的「心魔」,人類文化才有轉機,因為西方文化發展至今,已淪為只教人「成器」(即器具),不教人「成人」。「成人」就是現代文化之所需,亦是東方文化之所長。

霍教授對當代文化批判可說一針見血,重視生命意義和價值的讀者,看後必定若有所思,對人類今日的處境,痛深惡絕和深感憂慮。套用聖經啓示,我不禁將人類尋求釋放的努力和當年以色列被埃及奴役相比。人類要獲得自由幸福,要脫離奴役(罪惡、痛苦、生老病死、「心魔」等),不是人自己的努力所能做到的,也不是源於人的智慧和努力的東方文化所能促成的,而是要超越人類的天主的幹預和介入才能完成。令人興奮的是,這幹預和介入已發生了,我們稱之為「福音」。這也是耶穌在苦架上呼出最後一口氣前,給全人類肯定了的。他肯定了甚麽?他說:「完成了。」然後低下頭,交付了靈魂 (若19:30) 。釋放人類的工程,終於由耶穌在苦架上完成了!

人類已獲釋放,他們的釋放者不是西方哲學和科學,也不是東方文化和老莊孔孟,是聖經中以色列的釋放者梅瑟所預告(prefigures) 的,全人類的釋放者耶穌基督。悠悠數千年歷史文化中的人類,就是聖經所說的以色列人,他們長期活在奴役中。奴役人類的各種苦楚,特別是罪惡和生老病死,就是聖經所說的埃及。正如以色列人不能靠自己努力逃離埃及的奴役,而需要天主介入,由梅瑟帶领,奇蹟地過紅海,最後終於進入福地;同樣地,人類也不能靠自己努力逃離罪惡和死亡的奴役,而需要天主介入,由祂的聖子耶穌基督帶领,奇蹟地從水中經過(领洗) ,最後終於會進入福地,即天國。

霍先生一如歷代哲學家般,具慧眼和真知灼見,能準確地看見人在枷鎖下苦痛呻吟的苦况。但是,他也一如歷代哲學家般,固執地用理性和靠人的努力,去嘗試完成人力所不能完成的,釋放人類的工程;總不願意承認和接受,人類釋放者耶穌基督已「完成了」的救贖工程,反建議和引入「新」的人類釋放者 -- 東方文化。這是不是驕傲呢?這不正是聖經一開始便給人的警告 -- 不要「吃禁果」,不要依靠人的智慧 -- 嗎?

Thursday, July 30, 2015

What The Human Eyes Cannot See



Summer in Toronto is a beauty. Too bad it is so short. This summer of mine began with an 8-day cruise trip from Vancouver to Alaska, in which I was reunited – or reacquainted – with 3 very good secondary school classmates whom I had not seen for almost 40 years. Every evening on the cruise, we would gather in my cabin to play “catch-up”, rediscovering 40 missing years of one another’s whereabouts, undertakings, accomplished ideals, and unfulfilled aspirations.

At one of the evening meetings, I recounted the story of my personal conversion, how it happened to me almost 20 years ago, and how it changed me drastically from a “Church rebel” to an apologist whose life now featured only Christ and the Church as its centerpiece. They listened to my story intently and with great respect. At the same time, if my perception was correct, there was also a little bit of skepticism. “Really…?”

Maybe the perceived skepticism was just suspicion on my part. But if it was true, I wouldn’t blame them. After all, they knew me well. They remembered well my shortcomings as a youth. They knew where I came from, how I grew up, how I used to crave for “good look”, earthly success, and honor. “Ah, so all of a sudden you want to be a saint, eh? I see…” They probably believed they got me “figured out”.

What they could not figure out – what the human eyes could not see and human reason could not fathom – however, was my spiritual transformation, which my personal misdeeds and shortcomings, no matter how bad, could not impede; and my ancestral roots, whether extraordinary or common, could not generate. It was the work of the Holy Spirit who, like the wind, “blows where it wills” (Jn 3:8). It was God’s grace that saved in spite of my wretchedness; illuminated in spite of my blindness; and lifted aloft in spite of my lowliness.

Jesus’ contemporaries also thought they had Jesus figured out because they knew his family and where he came from (cf. Jn 6:42). How could the carpenter’s son whom they knew so well make the ridiculous claim that he “came down from heaven” (Jn 6:41), they wondered. Jesus’ true identity is something no human eyes can see and no human reason can fathom because it is of divine origin. So is the conversion of a sinner's heart.

Friday, July 10, 2015

在支流源頭的大湖暢泳

我的高齡老父與二姊及數位弟妹分别在纽約各區居住。家人的宗教信仰,可說滿天神佛:有信天主教的,有基督教,守望台,還有天道和無教。其中一位仍在追尋信仰的弟弟,喜愛轉寄一些談論如何做人處事的電郵,作者們來自不同宗教背景,其中不乏有識之士和名人。前兩天,他送出的電郵提及一位年老神父所說的處世心得,我看後答覆如下:

聖經經文引用得很好,文中好幾点做人處世的道理也很精警和獨到。作者平安喜樂的心境和對天主的信靠,在分享中表露無遺。

但對於你,我的忠告仍是那一句:要活在真善美的源頭內,不要在千千萬萬的支流裡尋尋覓覓。文中生活體驗各点,皆充滿真理和智慧,但這些真理和智慧就像千千萬萬的支流裡的礦物,有金,有銀,有瑪瑙和很多奇珍異寶,每一粒礦物都很珍貴。但人要在千千萬萬的支流裡尋覓它們,始終太費氣力了,而且所獲有限,也不完備。最好的方法是離開八陣圖般的支流,走到礦物源頭的大湖中,那處甚麽礦物都有,而且豐富。

這源頭在那裡?怎麽去?其實源頭離你不遠,就在福音中,就在教會內。信耶穌,接受他的救恩就是所有奇珍異寶的源頭。人當信從他,光榮他,將他活於世上;做得不足之處,耶穌救恩能為人承擔一切,就像巨鷹展翅,乘著幼雛在高空自由飛翔一般。我在礦物源頭的大湖中暢泳,悠然自得,看見千萬有心羣眾,如螻蟻般在各支流中轉動,營營役役而所獲無幾,間中也有被急流冲走的,實心有不忍,決定要幫助他們與我共享這源頭的大湖。我提前退休,致力福傳,就是為了這個原因。

另一点要提醒你的是,世間大部份宗教學說都犯了同一錯誤:它們都著重自救(例如主張靠做學問,靠自己努力尋求智慧,靠自己修身養性,靠做善事為自己和子孫「積陰德」等),不明白人軟弱罪惡,無力自救的道理。所以基督徒相信貴為天主,無限完美的耶稣,是將人和天連接上的唯一道路、真理、生命,除非經過他,世上没一人能靠自己的力量去到天主那裡,與衪全面和永恆地結合(即得救上天堂)。

在尋求真理的路途上,望謹記以上兩點提示,時常反覆思量。縱使今天不明白和不相信,只要你願意謙卑自下,保持心靈開放,天主無限慈悲,在聖神助佑下,總有一天祂會助你頑石點頭,將鐵石的心換上血肉的心。願共勉,並互相代禱!

Friday, May 22, 2015

Old Friends Part II

Feelings come, feelings go. Good feelings? They don’t always come, but when they do, they can be overpowering. They enter deep into the inner chambers of our hearts, and stay fresh in the corners of our minds. Good feelings – they often come at the most inopportune time.

Exhausted from playing tennis the day before, I skipped my jogging routine this morning and chose to walk briskly around the Toogood Pond after warm up exercises and Tai Chi. The water level of Toogood Pond was noticeably lower than usual due to a lack of rain for more than a week. Still, it’s spring time. The new branches and foliage, still less than full grown, displayed a refreshing green and a hopeful luster unseen at any other times of the year. The Canada geese were crowding the paths of the park, showing forth their new-born goslings whose innate understanding of the art of lining up was an attraction for the tourists to marvel at.


As I walked, my thoughts turned to the numerous emails I exchanged with three secondary school friends in the last couple of weeks. They are good secondary school friends whom I haven’t seen for more than 30 years. But next month, we will have a reunion on a cruise trip from Vancouver to Alaska. No question it’s a dream come true. We’ve been preparing for this reunion for more than a year. Now we are into the final stretch of our preparation. It all began in March 2014. From searching out each other, to re-connecting, to an explosion of communications, to now waiting anxiously to see each other in Vancouver – the whole train of events raced through my head and triggered an immense amount of memories and feelings. Feelings that warmed my heart, feelings that overwhelmed, feelings…feelings that I simply had to express because they couldn’t be suppressed.

Over the last 15 months, 4 good old secondary school friends re-discovered each other - older and rather different now, but somehow still naïve and familiar as ever. The teenage selves that we saw in each other from the secondary school days are still there. Our human nature is such that the little bit of familiarity that exists in our collective psyche is enough to enable us to continue to trust each other and enjoy each other’s friendship the way we were accustomed to when we studied together in the same classroom. Over the last 15 months, we yearned to hear from each other and we communicated almost non-stop, all because of that little bit of familiarity and bonding from the teenage years – a familiarity and bonding in the human hearts we call “friendship”. Friends, teenage friends, secondary school friends – something everyone has; something so common and yet so special; something so human and yet so spiritual and overpowering!

While all these feelings were tugging at my heartstrings, I also realized with a little discomfort that I needed to prepare for the delivery of the Bible Study Program today. O, those good, heart-warming, fussy feelings…They can’t wait, can they? They always come at the most inopportune time. They pass you by if you don’t take a moment to acknowledge their unexpected visit; they speed off in a cloud of dust if you don’t accord them time to enjoy their companionship, and disappear faster than the refreshing green of spring. So Bible Study Program be damned, I must not allow these good feelings to disappear on me before they are captured in a post.

But then again, feeling is one thing, the reality can be quite another. When I was doing my undergrad in Canada, I had very good feelings about a friend in Hong Kong. But the good feelings quickly vanished the moment the two of us met each other again after my graduation. Good feelings can be fragile. Sometimes they surprise us and make us realize that they are mere illusions. Here’s hoping that they would do no such tricks on me and my secondary school friends this time!

(Note to reader: This is a sequel to another post entitled "Old Friends" dated March 30, 2014.)

Thursday, May 21, 2015

耶穌升天究竟發生在那裡?

根據今天耶穌升天節的福音讀經,馬爾谷福音中的記載,這事在加里肋亞發生(馬爾谷福音16:7)。瑪竇也說是在加里肋亞發生(瑪28:7,16)。至於路加, 他跟馬爾谷及瑪竇的記載有分歧, 將事發地點放在耶路撒冷(路24:50-52)。

那麼,我們應該相信誰呢?若這不是聖經的記載出了錯誤,那麼會是什麼呢?若不是路加出了錯, 便是馬爾谷和瑪竇出了錯 。 總之在這記載上,一定有人犯了錯誤。對不對?那麽,我們如何去解釋這明顯的矛盾呢?但教會卻仍堅持,認為聖經中的記載是完全沒有錯誤的(啓示憲章Dei Verbum 11)。試問教會怎麼還可以教導聖經的無誤性?

無可否認,聖經的記載是有歷史成份的,因為「聖經的啟示是深深植根於歷史」(天主聖言Verbum Domini 42)。但聖經卻不是一本歷史書。這樣一來,它的辭彙必須「從歷史文學和基督宗教的觀點」(VD 42)的範疇來理解。換句話說,我們必須找出聖經作者描寫某件歷史事件時的真正意向。

路加記述耶穌升天的意向,不在於講述歷史,也不在於準確地記載這事件發生的歷史地點。多數聖經學者都認為路加和瑪竇都採用馬爾谷和Q(一個早已遺失了的福音記錄)作為他們的資料來源。在寫升天的事蹟時,兩位作者都假定讀者已經從這兩處知道了耶穌升天是在那裡發生。假如它真的是在加里肋亞發生,路加將它放在耶路撒冷, 並不是因為他記載錯誤,而是因為他受到聖神的默感, 從基督宗教的教義來詮釋,來肯定耶路撒冷聖殿的轉化。

路加用歷史文學觀來闡釋他的認知,在他的福音裡, 以耶路撒冷聖殿作為福音開始時的背境(當時匝加利亞正在聖殿中擔任司祭) ,也用耶路撒冷聖殿作為福音的終結(門徒們返回了耶路撒冷,常在聖殿裏稱謝天主)。但是,在經歷了耶穌受難,死而復活和升天的過程後, 福音完結時的耶路撒冷聖殿,在路加筆下是充滿著歡樂和對天主的讚美的,這形像正好指向著天上的耶路撒冷聖殿 — 那最終的和轉化了的聖殿。

(英文原文 - Edmond Lo,中文翻譯 - 生命恩泉翻譯小組)

Monday, April 13, 2015

慕道班的早上

星期天的早上,我和慕道者討論教會有關婚姻和性的教導,解釋了為甚麼教會根據聖經教導,反對離婚和重婚。

甲慕道者:「你說離婚和重婚是罪行,是因為天主教的教導抑或因為基督教的教導?」
盧:「離婚和重婚是罪,不是因為天主教的教導 ,也不是因為基督教的教導 ,而是在客觀和真實的真理內,這些行為是罪過。」
甲慕道者:「若我想同一個離過婚的男友結婚,有問題嗎?」
盧:「有。」(然後解釋問題所在和如何補救。)
甲慕道者:「入教會那麽多束縛,豈不使人卻步?」
乙慕道者:「對!這些限制是不是太嚴厲無情?」
盧:「不是教會無情,而是她不能不遵照主耶穌的教導。主說:『凡天主所結合的,人不可拆散。』(瑪19:6)這些規定的確不易跟隨。但是大家都知道,入天國的路不易行。所以耶穌說:『你們要從窄門進去,因為寬門和大路導入喪亡; 但有許多的人從那裏進去。那導入生命的門是多麼窄,路是多麼狹! 找到它的人的確不多。』(瑪7:13)

所有慕道者默然不語,一片無奈和不滿。

盧:「今天是救主慈悲主日。在講述有關婚姻和性的規條的同時,我不想大家忘記天主無限的慈悲。的確,這些規限不易遵行,在俗世洪洪巨流中,在傳媒和各種背離真理的主義和學說的影响下,很多人被衝擊得東歪西倒。但是,那一個人敢說自己是完全清白的呢?聖詠說:『上主,你若細察我的罪辜,我主!有誰還能站立得住﹖』(詠130:3) 要明白,人能進入天國,最終不是因為人自己的努力,能做好自己,使自己聖善和完美無瑕,而是因為天主慈悲,寬恕人的罪惡。主耶穌基於無限愛情,貴為天主而願意為人承担罪過,因著他的承担,因著天父無限慈悲,離婚者或重婚者若願意信從耶穌,一樣有機會得救。千萬不要因為這些規限難做,而不加入教會,放棄跟隨耶穌和得救機會。」

甲慕道者灰暗面臉突然泛起笑容。
乙慕道者在我引用聖詠詩句時,突然熱淚奪眶而出,急忙俯首往手袋找纸巾,不斷抹擦。

甲慕道者:「其實我們從國內來的,離婚 、重婚、 婚外情都很普遍。這些罪耶穌都寬恕嗎?」
盧:「天主無限智慧,衪判決時能夠考慮到很多我們人所不能看見的因素。國內同胞因各種客觀環境因素影響之下所犯過錯,很多不在他們控制能力中,全能和至公的天主,必作最公平的判斷。反觀我們很多來自香港的,相對地有很好的條件在婚姻和性方面做好自己而偏不做,天主定必給予這些人最嚴厲的懲罰。所以主耶穌說:『給誰的多,向誰要的也多;交托誰的多,向誰索取的也格外多。』」(路12:48)

聚會完畢,慕道者懷著希望和感恩之心辭別。

Thursday, April 2, 2015

Living In The Holy Tradition Will Study Pope Benedict XVI's Verbum Domini (On the Word of God)

At age 40, I was part of the senior management team of a non-profit organization. Having completed my MBA and accounting designation, and after settling nicely into a choice neighborhood with my young family, I was ready for the next opportunity to take my career and personal pursuits to new soaring heights.

But surprise, surprise! God had other ideas. He had three people lined up specifically for me, whose job it was to take my journey of life to a drastically different direction. Dr. Scott Hahn was the defibrillator needed to revive my failing heart, spiritually pulseless as it was. St. John Paul II grabbed me by the wrist and took me into the Church’s family quarter where the meaning of marriage was re-taught and the sacredness of life re-defined for me. Finally Pope Benedict XVI, scholarly in style and clear as a running stream in thinking, helped me fortify my home base using the Word of God as understood in the Holy Tradition of the Catholic Church.

Dear brothers and sisters of various Chinese Catholic communities in Toronto: Living in the Holy Tradition (“LIVING”), a program designed to help the participants to abide – to literally live and breathe - in the Catholic tradition by studying magisterial documents, papal writings, and Church Fathers’ teachings, will begin anew on Monday, April 20 using a powerful papal document that deserves to be read and re-read many times - Pope Benedict XVI’s post-synodal apostolic exhortation, Verbum Domini (On the Word of God).

On the commencement of this new beginning of LIVING, I’d like to invite all of you to join us as we continue to serve the Lord and grow in our understanding of the Catholic faith. Together we will benefit from the concisely reasoned style and churchman sensibility of Pope Benedict XVI - the third angel that God had sent to rescue me - who truly is rooted deep in the living and dynamic reality of the Catholic tradition.

St. John Paul II testified to the power of Scripture this way: “The Word of God, a Word who calls, who invites, who personally summons as happened to the apostles. When a person is touched by the Word, obedience is born, that is, the listening which changes life” (Orientale Lumen, n.10). The Word of God is calling YOU! Open up your heart to be touched! Meet Him once a month through Pope Benedict XVI. He will change your life the way He changed mine!

Details of LIVING are as follows:

MEETING: 8:00-9:45 p.m., on the 3rd Monday of every month (summer break in July & Aug), starting from Monday, April 20.
VENUE: FLL EV Centre, 9033 Leslie Street, Unit 9 (2nd Floor) Richmond Hill, Ontario, Canada L4B 4K3
HOST: Edmond Lo (MTS, MBA, CPA-CMA, Catechist, Navigator of CMCC Bible Study Program, Catechism Revisited Program)
LANGUAGE Cantonese for commentary and discussion, reading from document in English.
DOCUMENT: Pope Benedict XVI’s Verbum Domini (On the Word of God), Click here to download.
FORMAT: Host will lead discussion of passages selected from document and shown on screen.
DURATION: About 10-12 meetings.
REGISTRATION: Not required, just come to the meeting.
INQUIRY: Feel free to contact the host directly.

Wednesday, March 25, 2015

The Empty Tomb

It’s fair to say that the Christian faith in Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of the world stands or falls with the truth of Easter. St. Paul said it just as much: “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor 15:14).

In vain indeed is our faith if the best evidence we can offer to substantiate the foundational truth of resurrection is just the empty tomb, as so many Christians are still inclined to believe. Interestingly, the theologians, who seem to disagree on almost everything, are somehow in one accord in rejecting the crude reasoning of the empty tomb theory. Objectively speaking, the empty tomb in and of itself can only be taken as an indication that Jesus’ body had disappeared. What had happened to the body gone missing? Possibilities are many. Resurrection, if it happened, can only be one of them. To insist that the body had been resurrected just because the tomb was empty is simply too rash a conclusion.

Some people discredit the empty tomb theory even further due to the fact that it was discovered by women (Mt 28:1), whose witness account was not recognized legally and culturally in ancient Israel. Surprising as it may seem, but this is exactly what makes the Easter narratives of the gospels credible. It is remarkable that the gospel authors would not shy away from presenting women as witnesses even though their lack of credibility in providing legal testimony was common knowledge. If such narratives were faked, wouldn’t it make more sense for them to use male witnesses instead? (Gerald O’Collins made this argument in Interpreting Jesus, p.126.)

One other argument in support of the truth of Easter, as presented so eloquently by Pope Benedict XVI (see Jesus of Nazareth II, p. 275), is that the apostolic preaching with all its boldness and passion, including what we hear from St. Peter in the first reading of this Easter Sunday, would be unthinkable unless the witnessed event – the resurrection – was real.

Equally unthinkable is the notion that St. Paul would falsify the testimony that the resurrected Jesus “appeared to Kephas, then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at once, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. After that he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to one born abnormally, he appeared to me” (1 Cor 15:5-8). Since most of these witnesses were still alive when this testimony was given, St. Paul took the risk of being corrected and labeled a liar if what he said publicly was not true.

Wednesday, February 18, 2015

以彩虹為記

四時來去匆匆。看!寒冬已到,加拿大人民本來舒適的日子,又要被她弄得一團糟。跟她一起擾攘的是她的老拍檔:飛雪, 狂風, 冰雹和嚴寒刺骨的氣温, 我們的冬天真不好過!更令人氣餒的是,冬天似乎比她的同儕春、夏、秋更常到訪此地,並持久逗留, 徘徊不去。另一方面,嚴冬峻冷與四旬期所要求的祈禱、懺悔、犧牲和克己的精神非常配合。隆冬苦寒之際, 正值四旬期展開之時,這個主日便是四旬期六個主日的第一個。

四時來去匆匆。去年冬天這個時候,我下定決心要悔改我罪, 尤其是一些年復一年地重覆著的陋習。藉四旬期的禮儀和祈禱的幫助,結果我的決心總算維持了數個星期。但封齋期一過,那些陋習便好像盜賊般, 靜悄悄地潛逃回來, 又再成為我生活的一部份!

因此我們這些軟弱的凡夫俗子,需要不斷儆醒 。我們需要一些實質或明顯的標記, 時刻來提醒我們曾作出的承諾或建立了的關係。這個主日彌撒的讀經一,天主和諾厄立下了盟約,以彩虹為標記。這可見的標記不是用來提醒天主 - 祂永遠不會忘記 - 而是在提醒著我們,在天主和人之間已經透過諾厄建立了一個特殊的盟約關係。

為了實現救世計劃,天主透過人類歷史上五位關鍵人物, 立下了五個不同的盟約, 用來團結祂屬靈的大家庭,且各有明顯的標記:

- 透過亞當,一個丈夫,用婚姻來肯定結合,以安息日為記;
- 透過諾厄,一個父親,用家庭來肯定連繫,以彩虹為記;
- 透過亞巴郎,一個族長,團結部族,以割禮為記;
- 透過梅瑟,一位民長,統一民族,以逾越節為記;
- 透過達味,一位君王,建立王國,以王座為記。

最後天主透過祂的兒子,一位大司祭,以教會來凝聚信衆,用聖體聖事作為祂所訂立的新的盟約的標記(註)。

「天主的國臨近了,你們悔改,信從福音罷!」,這是耶穌開始公開傳道時所宣講的(馬爾谷福音1:15)。在這四旬期,就讓我們重申我們悔改和做補贖的決心,因為我們知道天主的國度,那藉着基督寶血合而為一的國度,就在眼前了。這不是我們憑空想像出來的,因為舊約的標記 - 安息日、彩虹、割禮、逾越節、和王位 - 都在提醒著我們。而這些都衹是過渡時期的標記, 是為指向一個新的標記, 即代表著新而永久的盟約的聖體聖事。

註: Source: S. Hahn, A Father Who Keeps His Promises, p.35.

Monday, February 2, 2015

Why Through Mary and the Saints? Why Not Through Jesus Directly?

Communion of saints is an important theme in the Pauline letters, particularly 1 Cor 12 where St. Paul teaches that "we were all baptised into one body" (1 Cor 12:13) in one Spirit, and in this one body "if (one) part suffers, all the parts suffer with it; if one part is honored, all the parts share its joy" (1 Cor 12:26). In the Eucharist, all members of the Church partake of the bread as one body in communion: "The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because the loaf of bread is one, we, though many, are one body, for we all partake of the one loaf" (1 Cor 10:16-17).

After narrating the faith of many ancient saints down the line of salvation history, the author of Hebrews concludes: "Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin...while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus..." (Hebrew 12:1-2). Note that he uses present tense - "we ARE surrounded" - in referring to the presence of these ancient witnesses to our faith. And understandably so because we ARE in communion with them.

The communion of saints concept is also illustrated beautifully by Jesus himself in John 15 using the motif of vine and its branches. Every member of the body benefits from Jesus - the Head of the body (Eph 5:23). With us dwelling in him, and him in us, it gives us life - abundant life (John 10:10) - the way the vine gives water and nutrition to its branches. By virtue of our communion in the body of Christ, there's NOT A MOMENT we don't benefit from Christ and, as St. Paul teaches in 1 Cor 12:26, from the other members of the body.

As members in communion with each other in the one Mystical Body, we can intercede for one another. Among all members of the Mystical Body, Mary, the Mother of the Church (John 19:27), is particularly powerful in her intercession, as was demonstrated at the wedding in Cana where Jesus performed his first miracle by turning water into wine on the prompting of his mother (John 2). But wait! Isn't Jesus "the only Mediator between God and the human race"? (1 Tim 2:5) How can a teaching that endorses multiple mediation be scriptural? Correct. This is why whether the intercession is by ordinary members like us, or by the saints in heaven, or by Mary, its efficacy is derived not from the intercessor's own merit but from sharing in Jesus' one mediation in a subordinate way.

Inevitably we have to ask a very Protestant question: In that case, why bother? Why through Mary and the saints? Why not go to Jesus directly who is the ONLY Mediator? Isn't it his mediating power the source that Mary and the saints draw on anyway?

I like St. John Paul II's answer in this regard (see Fr. Michael Gaitley's 33 Days Morning Glory, day 27). Yes, Jesus definitely could have saved us directly without going through Mary. But the fact of the matter is: he chose to do so THROUGH Mary by entrusting his body to her womb! He entrusted his infancy to her maternal care; he entrusted his childhood and youthful years to her guidance and upbringing; and on the cross, he entrusted his Church to her (he made her the Mother of his Church), wanting her to take care of the Church - his Mystical Body - the way she took care of his human body when he was growing up! So yes, we want to go to Jesus directly. But Jesus told us to go to Mary! It's not that Jesus cannot mediate directly, but that he knows we can benefit from his mediation better through Mary and the saints.

This is no different than God choosing to manifest his glory and power through his creation (Rom 1:19-20, Ps. 19:2-5). Always a good teacher who knows our needs and limitations as human beings, God uses intermediaries that enable us to understand his truth better and receive his grace more effectively.

I think this last point is very important because so many Catholics struggle because of it. To whom should we pray? Jesus or Mary? It's as though the two were in competition with one another. Of course we pray to Jesus. But we can pray with and to Mary too (CCC 2679). Mary is a great gift from Jesus (again John 19:27) that's meant to help us, to bring us closer to Jesus. We shouldn't hesitate to use Jesus' special gift for us. Mary doesn't compete with Jesus. She is his coworker, assisting him to sanctify us the way she assisted him in realizing the incarnation and the economy of salvation.

Thursday, January 29, 2015

Join Us to Watch Fr. Robert Barron's "Priest, Prophet, King" DVD Series!

If Jesus, the New Adam, is the eternal high priest who agonized over his solitude in the garden of Gethsemane and offered his sacrifice on the cross for our redemption, it should come as no surprise to us that Adam, the Old Testament character prefiguring Jesus, was also a high priest who also agonized over his solitude in the garden of Eden until God made him a partner, Eve.

As the high priest of Eden, Adam was called to be obedient to the Father and to be faithful to his wife through self-sacrifice. Did he carry out his calling properly? No, he disobeyed the Father's order not to eat from the tree of knowledge and he failed to protect his wife, who was left alone to confront the serpent. In contrast, Jesus, the New Adam and eternal high priest remained obedient to the Father and faithful to his wife - the Church, the New Eve - to the end by sacrificing himself on the cross.

But Jesus, the New Adam, suffered on the cross; where's Adam's cross? Remember the "tree of life" in the middle of Eden? What Adam failed to use to fight Satan, the New Adam bore courageously to conquer all evils that Satan could possibly inflict on us in this world order.

If the above reflection resonates in your heart with joy and fascination, you must find more resonance by joining me to explore this topic further under Fr. Barron's guidance. If you find the reflection hard to understand, then all the more reason for you to join me because you have my guarantee that you WILL understand!

What are you joining and how? The details are as follows:

FOUNTAIN OF LOVE AND LIFE DVD SPIRITUAL FORMATION PROGRAM - "PRIEST, PROPHET, KING" MODULE

DVD SERIES TO WATCH - Fr. Barron's DVD brand new 2014 series "Priest, Prophet, King"
MEETING TIME - Every 2nd Monday of the month from 8:00 to 10:00 p.m. First meeting: Monday, Feb 9, 2015
VENUE - FLL Evangelization Centre, 9033 Leslie Street, Unit 9 (2nd Floor) Richmond Hill, Ontario (use entrance 10A)
HOST - Edmond Lo, M.T.S., RCIA Catechist, Catholic speaker and writer
FORMAT - Watching DVD segments (in English with captioning), explanations and comments by host (in Cantonese), guided discussion, electronic notes for all participants.
FEES - It's free! Everyone welcome!

Hope to see you on February 9, 2015!