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.

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.

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

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!

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？

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.

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！