Blog of Fr. Peter Leung

恭讀聖路加福音 1:5-25
黑落德為猶太王的時候，阿彼雅班次中有一位司祭名叫匝加利亞，他的妻子名叫依撒伯爾，是亞郎的後代。二人在天主前都是義人，遵守上主的一切誡命和禮規，無瑕可指。但是，他們沒有孩子，因為依撒伯爾素不生育，兩人又都上了年紀。
有一天，正逢匝加利亞輪著他的班次，在天主前盡司祭的職務時，按著司祭的常例，他抽中了籤，得進上主的聖所獻香。獻香的時候，所有的百姓都在外面祈禱。有 一位上主的天使站在香壇右邊顯現給他。匝加利亞一見，驚惶害怕起來；但天使對她說：「匝加利亞，不要害怕！因為你的祈禱已蒙應允，你的妻子依撒伯爾要給你 生一個兒子，你要給他起名叫若翰。你必要歡喜踴躍，許多人也要因他的誕生而喜樂，因為他在上主面前將是偉大的，淡酒和濃酒他都不喝，而且，他還在母胎中就 要充滿聖神；他要使許多以色列子民轉向上主，他們的天主；他要以厄里亞的精神和能力，在他前面先行，使為父的的心轉向兒子，使悖逆者轉向義人的心意，為上 主準備一個善良的百姓。」匝加利亞遂向天使說：「我憑什麼能知這事可行呢？因為我已經老了，我的妻子也上了年紀。」天使回答說：「我是站在天主面前的加俾 額爾，奉命來向你說話，報告你這個喜訊。看，你必成為啞巴，不能說話，直到這事成就的那一天，因為你沒有相信我的話；但我的話屆時必要應驗。」百姓等候匝 加利亞，都驚訝他滯留在聖所內那末久。及至他出來，竟不能對他們講話。他們這才知道，他在聖所中見了異象；他成了啞巴，只好給他們打手勢。
匝加利亞供職的日期一滿，就回了家。幾天以後，他的妻子依撒伯爾受了孕，她躲藏了五個月，說：「上主在這些時日內這樣眷顧了我，除去了我在人間的恥辱。」

—這是基督的福音。

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 1:5-25

5 In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechari’ah, of the division of Abi’jah; and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. 6 And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7 But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years. 8 Now while he was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 9 according to the custom of the priesthood, it fell to him by lot to enter the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense. 11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And Zechari’ah was troubled when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. 13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechari’ah, for your prayer is heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. 14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will rejoice at his birth; 15 for he will be great before the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb. 16 And he will turn many of the sons of Israel to the Lord their God, 17 and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Eli’jah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” 18 And Zechari’ah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” 19 And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to speak to you, and to bring you this good news. 20 And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” 21 And the people were waiting for Zechari’ah, and they wondered at his delay in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he made signs to them and remained dumb. 23 And when his time of service was ended, he went to his home. 24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she hid herself, saying, 25 “Thus the Lord has done to me in the days when he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”

—The Gospel of the Lord.

往神父講道目錄

 

 Homily [8:07m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (813)

Vatican City, Dec 18, 2008 / 12:12 pm (CNA).- For the celebration of Vatican Television’s 25^th anniversary, the Holy Father met with the station’s staff, contributors and advisors.  After thanking them for their service to the Church, Pope Benedict emphasized that new ways must be found to spread the Word of God to the youth in places where they look for answers and meaning for their lives.

In his address to them, Benedict XVI noted that thanks to their work, the faithful are able to “participate in ceremonies and events of the Vatican and the other places visited by the Pope in carrying out his ministry.” 

While Vatican Television (CTV) reaches many Catholics, people from other religions also tune in.  The Holy Father noted that by offering footage of events at the Vatican to major international television stations, “you assist the proper and timely dissemination of information on life and the teaching of the Church in today’s world, at the service of the dignity of the human being, of justice, and of dialogue and peace.”

The Pontiff also praised CTV’s footage of liturgical ceremonies, noting that covering these events is important as the “liturgy is truly the apex of the Church’s life, the time and place of a profound relationship with God.”

Broadcasting these Liturgies “is an arduous and noble task,” he continued.  Though viewers are unable to be physically present, they are able to participate spiritually when they watch TV.

The work of CTV is necessary because the Church’s message must remain present “within the ‘great Areopagus’ of the mass media, as John Paul II said.”  The Church cannot be “a foreigner to the places where a great many youth navigate in search of answers and meaning for their lives, you have to seek paths to spread, in new ways, the voices and images of hope through the electronic network that envelops our planet in an increasingly encompassing web.”

Concluding his address, the Pope exhorted the CTV employees to “carry on” and reminded them that it is through their work that “many people can feel closer to the heart of the Church.”

Trent, Dec 17, 2008 / 07:14 pm (CNA).- The First European Catholic-Orthodox Forum has produced a document on the nature of the family as a “good for humanity.” Calling the family “established by God as a union between man and woman,” the forum describes the family as a “unity of life-giving love, an indissoluble relationship, open to life.”

Explaining teachings on the family common to both Catholic and Orthodox Christianity, the joint document discusses the family as part of God’s plan for man and the “deep crisis of vision” threatening its place in modern societies.

Thirty delegates from the Orthodox Churches, Catholic Bishops’ Conferences, and the Vatican met over the past month at Trent in Italy. Organized by the Council of European Episcopal Conferences (CCEE), it is hoped that the First Catholic-Orthodox Forum will advance closer ties and cooperation between the two Churches, LifeSiteNews.com reports.

“The aim above all is to start clear and effective communication between our churches so that we are aware that we face the same challenges (secularism, consumerism, atheism, etc.),” said Russian Orthodox Bishop Hilarion Alfejev. “These are themes which all our churches face individually and instead it is important to tackle them together.”

The forum’s first joint document is titled “The Family: A Good for Humanity.”

Cardinal Peter Erdõ explained that the forum chose the theme of the family “because it is a fundamental good for the whole of society” and because it is threatened by “an egoistic, relativistic culture focused exclusively on temporary material well-being.”

“In this context, we feel the urgency to proclaim the Gospel of the family and we are convinced of the need to witness together our concern and the source of our hope,” he continued, according to LifeSiteNews.com.

The Catholic-Orthodox joint document, dated December 14, begins with theological reflection on marriage and the family.

The Orthodox section calls marriage an “eternal union of spouses” in which they “become a source of the continuation of the human race and express chaste love, total community and the ‘unity of souls and bodies’ of the spouses.” Marital relations are “pure and worthy according to God’s plan,” and acts which distort them, such as fornication, adultery, or homosexual relations, should be rejected.

The Catholic section discusses the sacramental nature of Christian marriage, saying “Marital love between the spouses is the basis of the family, the first personal communion into which a human being is born. It must be promoted by society as its fundamental cell.” The sacrament requires “fidelity unto death” and recognizes the “inseparable link” between the unitive and procreative aspects of married love.

Catholics likewise rejected distortions of marriage listed by the Orthodox.

Other common points of agreement named in the document include faithfulness to God’s commandment to “Be fruitful and multiply” through the “unique moral environment” of the family.

“The human being is the only one created in the image and likeness of God and this constitutes his particular dignity,” the document states. “We do not give life to ourselves, nor are parents the sole source of human life, since divine intervention is necessary. The sacredness of human life from conception to natural death should be fully respected.”

Noting the career and financial responsibilities presently placed upon both men and women, the document laments the lack of a family wage and the devaluing of motherhood as a personal vocation.

Agreeing that parents are the first educators of their children, the Catholic-Orthodox forum says: “Parents are to be the first witnesses of the Gospel. In the family life we learn the meaning of faith as the true light that guides a person’s life.”

The joint document discusses threats to the family such as abortion, sexual ideologies, economic and social pressures, pornography, and demographic decline.

Touching on the economic crisis, the forum notes that “lack of financial funds will pale before the lack of social and human resources that the family brings.”

The Catholic-Orthodox forum notes a “deep crisis in the vision of what it is to be human and family life” brought about by the sexual revolution.

This crisis ” is a major challenge to the evangelization of the Christian Churches that are attentive to the needs of the heart of the human being and his or her calling to full life in Christ.”

To address this crisis, the Catholic and Orthodox authors of the document advise the renewal of our understanding of the family, the defense of the rights of parents to educate their children, and the rejection of systems which subordinate the needs of children and the well-being of the family to economic interests.

Further, they counsel the “moral choice” expressed in the covenant God made with man and fulfilled in Christ. Quoting Deuteronomy 30, they said: “therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live.”

The document concludes on a hopeful note, saying:

“The experience of this Forum has been very positive in building up our fraternity and enabling us to share in our Christian concern for people. On the basis of this good experience, we intend to meet regularly to strengthen our mutual relations and address common challenges facing Europe.”

The full version of the statement can be found here: http://www.catholicnewsagency.com/resource.php?n=954

信仰生活互動坊、塔冷通心靈書舍

１２月１９日　(週五)　 路1：5-25　 (其他經文──民13：2-7, 24-25 詠71)
黑落德為猶太王的時候，阿彼雅班次中有一位司祭名叫匝加利亞，他的妻子名叫依撒伯爾，是亞郎的後代。二人在天主前都是義人，遵守上主的一切誡命和禮規，無瑕可指。但是，他們沒有孩子，因為依撒伯爾素不生育，兩人又都上了年紀。
有一天，正逢匝加利亞輪著他的班次，在天主前盡司祭的職務時，按著司祭的常例，他抽中了籤，得進上主的聖所獻香。獻香的時候，所有的百姓都在外面祈禱。有一位上主的天使站在香壇右邊顯現給他。匝加利亞一見，驚惶害怕起來；但天使向他說：「匝加利亞，不要害怕！因為你的祈禱已蒙應允，你的妻子依撒伯爾要給你生一個兒子，你要給他起名叫若翰。你必要歡喜踴躍，許多人也要因他的誕生而喜樂，因為他在上主面前將是偉大的，淡酒濃酒他都不喝，而且，他還在母胎中就要充滿聖神；他要使許多以色列子民轉向上主，他們的天主；他要以厄里亞的精神和能力，在他前面先行，使為父的心轉向兒子，使悖逆者轉向義人的心意，為上主準備一個善良的百姓。」匝加利亞遂向天使說：「我憑什麼能知道這事可行呢？因為我已經老了，我的妻子也上了年紀。」天使回答說：「我是站在天主面前的加俾額爾，奉命來向你說話，報給你這個喜訊。看，你必成為啞吧，不能說話，直到這些事成就的那一天，因為你沒有相信我的話；但我的話屆時必要應驗。」百姓等候匝加利亞，都驚訝他滯留在聖所內那末久。及至他出來，竟不能對他們講話，他們這才知道，他在聖所中見了異象；他成了啞吧，只好給他們打手勢。
匝加利亞供職的日期一滿，就回了家。幾天以後，他的妻子依撒伯爾受了孕，他躲藏了五個月，說：「上主在這些時日內這樣眷顧了我，除去了我在人間的恥辱。」

默　想

• 為匝加利亞和依撒伯爾來說，不能生育就是恥辱。但是背負著這恥辱，他們也敬畏天主，無瑕可指。
• 這就是信仰的態度。無論順境逆境，都以天主為中心，為生存的基礎。我們會不會這樣呢？
• 先知哈巴谷書3：17這樣寫：「縱然無花果樹不發芽，葡萄樹不結實，橄欖樹一無所產，麥田不出產食糧，羊棧內沒有羊，牛欄中沒有牛，我仍然喜樂於上主，歡欣於我的救主天主。」這怎麼可能呢？是要出於真心，不是強迫啊！
• 這是可能的！只要我們認清信仰的基礎是改變我們的精神面貌，是給我們生的意義，而不是給我們任何物質上的利益，或是生活上的順遂，不是黃大仙式的祈福免禍，我們便會樂於羊棧沒有羊，牛欄沒有牛！

（梵蒂岡電臺訊）五千多位來自世界各地的朝聖人士十二月十七日星期三上午聚集在梵蒂岡保祿六世大廳，與教宗本篤十六世度過充滿聖誕節氣氛的時刻。事實上，下個星期三已經是聖誕前夕，大家準備聖誕節來到的時日已經不多了。教宗在接見活動中，很自然地向眼前的各國信友談到聖誕節的事，他說這個節慶是屬於全人類的喜慶節日，而目前的全球性經濟危機可以幫助我們清除消費主義和物質主義的污垢，因爲這些污垢經常使聖誕節變形。

教宗說聖誕節向每個人，包括不是基督信徒的人的内心講話，他們即使不相信基督，也不能不感受到這段時期的確有些不同，的確有些超然，因爲一個嬰兒的來到和擁抱一個嬰兒總給人帶來喜樂。既然是個嬰兒誕生的喜慶，那當然也是歡呼生命恩典的節慶。然而，既然耶穌是誕生在山洞馬槽内，他給人的印象是貧窮可憐，因此教宗從另一個角度來談聖誕節。

教宗說：“默觀馬槽中的耶穌，如何不叫人想到世界許多地方至今仍然有很多嬰兒誕生在極爲貧窮的狀況中？如何不叫人想到那些不被接受、遭遺棄的新生嬰兒？怎能不想到那些因缺乏照顧和關心，而無法生存下來的嬰兒？如何不想道那些渴望生育子女的快樂，卻無法滿足心願的家庭呢？”。

然而教宗警告：今日在享樂消費主義的推動下，聖誕節有失落它的精神意義，成爲純粹購買禮物來彼此交換這種純商業性質的機會。教宗以最近幾個月來世界普遍經濟危機的現象，談聖誕節的真義說：“這幾個月來無數家庭所処的，而且觸及全人類的種種困難，形勢的不穩定，以及經濟本身的危機，可以激發我們重新發現純樸、友誼和彼此關懷的溫馨，這些正是聖誕節特有的價值。在去除消費主義和物質主義的污垢之後，聖誕節可以成爲我們接納希望訊息的機會，這個希望是從基督誕生的奧蹟中散發出來的，是基督個人贈送給我們的禮物”。

教宗說耶穌誕生不是一個偉大人物的誕生。聖誕節不抽象地紀念一個人誕生的奧秘，也不慶祝一個新季節的開始。本月十六日開始的聖誕節九日敬禮中，有豐富的聖經内容，這些内容點出了耶穌降生為人的真義。教宗強調：“在聖誕節，我們紀念對人類非常具體、也很重要的一件事，這件事對基督信仰是基本重要的，是聖若望宗徒在他寫的福音序言中概含說出的：聖言成了血肉”。

聖史路加告訴我們：耶穌聖嬰成了歷史，使天主變爲具體的新生嬰兒。他是一個人，他關心我們每個人。他是“慈善的天主，而不是某個遠在天邊、高不可攀的人。他是使自己成爲我們的近人的天主，他為我們每個人都有時間，他來是爲了留下來和我們在一起”。

教宗因此邀請每個人面對天主降生偉大的奧蹟時，承認自己理智的有限。他說：“在白冷山洞，天主以卑微嬰兒的形象出現在我們眼前，為克服我們的驕傲自大。面對威力和智慧，我們或許更容易降服。然而，天主並不要我們的降服，他呼喚我們的心和我們自由的決定來接納他的愛。他使自己變成微小的，為把我們從驕傲的自大狂中解放出來；他自願降生爲人，為使我們成爲真正自由的人，能夠自由地愛他”。

在這次接見活動中，有來自意大利中南部莫利澤地區的一群吹風笛的人。這是意大利聖誕節特有的民俗景象，吹風笛的大都穿著牧人的服飾，很有風味。這群吹風笛的人在教宗和各國朝聖人士面前吹奏別具風味的聖誕歌曲。教宗因此向朝聖人士談到聖誕馬槽說：“我祝望我們信仰上以及基督信仰文化和藝術上極爲重要的這個元素，能繼續作爲聖誕大節慶的一部分。事實上，這是紀念降生爲人，居住在我們中間的耶穌既簡單又有力的方式。祝大家聖誕快樂！”。

（梵蒂岡電臺訊）教宗本篤十六世爲今後三届世界青年日選擇了主題。這些主題取自新約章節，于昨天12月16日由聖座新聞室公布。

這三個主題爲幫助青年們從現在開始一直到2011年8月16至21日將在馬德里舉行的全球性的盛大慶典這段時期在心靈上所要做的準備。教宗爲下届2009年第24届在教區範圍慶祝的世青日選擇的主題是：“我們已寄望于永生的天主”（弟前4，10）。一年後，即2010年同樣在教區慶祝的第25届世界青年日的主題將把重心放在富家少年向耶穌提出的問題上：“善師，爲承受永生，我該作什麽？”（穀10，17），取自馬爾谷福音的章節。2011年在馬德里舉行的第26届世青日慶祝活動的主題取自聖保祿宗徒寫給哥羅森信友的書信：“你們要在基督內生根修建，堅定于信德”（哥2，7）。

上一届世界青年日是于今年7月在悉尼舉行的，主題是：“你們將充滿聖神的德能”（宗1，8），這個主題連同之後兩届在教區慶祝的主題也是教宗本篤十六世2005年在科隆世界青年日舉辦之後予以選擇幷提前公布的。2006年世青日的主題取自聖咏第119章：“你的語言是我步履前的靈燈，是我路途上的光明”（咏119，105）。2007年的主題取自若望福音中記述的耶穌的勸勉：“你們該彼此相愛，如同我愛了你們一樣”（若15，12）。

（梵蒂岡電臺訊）十二月十四日是新禮儀年度將臨期第三主日。當天中午時分羅馬天氣還算晴朗，不像過去連續幾天陰雨，在全意大利各地造成或輕或重的水災。因此在梵蒂岡聖伯多祿廣場聚集了不少各國朝聖信友，他們希望在接近聖誕節的日子與教宗見面，和他同心向即將來臨的救世主耶穌基督的母親瑪利亞祈禱。

站在聖座宗座大樓書房窗口的教宗本篤十六世，向眼底下廣場中的衆多信友說：“這個主日在禮儀節期中稱爲喜樂主日，因爲彌撒進堂詠引用聖保祿宗徒寫給斐理伯教友的話說：‘你們在主内應當常常喜樂，我再説：你們應當喜樂！’”。接著，教宗立刻指出要喜樂的原因，那就是：“主快來了”（斐4,4-5）。

教宗於是問廣場上的信友說：“‘主快來了’這句話意味著什麽呢？我們應該怎樣了解天主快來了的意思？聖保祿宗徒當時寫信給斐理伯地方的教友時，他心裏想的顯然是基督的再來，因此他邀請他們心懷喜悅，因爲基督的再來是肯定的事。然而，聖保祿在寫信給得撒洛尼城的教友時，卻告訴他們沒有人知道上主來到的時刻（參見得前5,1-2），同時也提醒他們小心戒避任何危言聳聽的話，好像說基督馬上就要再來（參見得後2,1-2）”。

教宗因此解釋說：“從那時候起，受到聖神光照的教會便越來越妥當地理會到：天主的快要來到並不是空間和時間上的問題，而是愛的問題，也就是說：愛臨近了！所以，即將來到的聖誕節就是要提醒我們記住這個信仰上的基本真理。而面對著聖誕馬槽，我們也可以體嚐到基督信徒的喜悅，那就是在剛誕生的基督面容上默觀天主的聖容，他爲了愛而前來接近我們”。

每年將臨期第三主日，羅馬市各本堂區的兒童都帶著他們喜愛的耶穌聖嬰態像到聖伯多祿廣場，讓教宗祝福。這些耶穌聖嬰態像是小孩子們要裝飾在他們家中聖誕馬槽内的。教宗於是向無數的兒童說：“我很高興按照傳統祝福這些要安放在馬槽中的耶穌聖嬰態像。現在我特別要向你們羅馬的孩子們講話，今天上午你們帶著耶穌聖嬰態像來到這裡，我現在就予以祝福，同時邀請你們和我一同頌念下面這段祈禱經文”。

教宗於是帶領孩子們和在場的全體信友這樣念說：“天主，我們的父，你是這麽愛人類，以致派遣你唯一的聖子耶穌生於童貞瑪利亞，到我們這裡來，為拯救並引領我們到你那。我們求你因你的祝福，使即將來到我們當中的耶穌的態像，在我們家中成爲你臨在和你的愛的標記。慈善的天父，也請你降福我們，我們的雙親，我們的家庭和我們的親友。請開啓我們的心，使我們知道在喜悅中迎接耶穌的來到，做他要我們做的事，在每位需要我們愛的人身上看到你。我們因耶穌、你即將前來賜給世界和平的愛子之名，這樣向你祈求。阿門”。

Pope Benedict XVI

Vatican City, Dec 17, 2008 / 11:47 am (CNA).- At his weekly General Audience in the Paul VI Hall, Pope Benedict contemplated the fulfillment of the ancient prophecies in the coming of the Son of God, born of the Virgin Mary in the stable of Bethlehem and reminded his audience to contemplate the mercy of God “who has come to meet humanity.”

The Holy Father told the 5,000 people present at the general audience that even nonbelievers perceive something “extraordinary and transcendent, something intimate that touches our hearts in this yearly Christian event.”

“Christmas is a feast that speaks of the gift of life.  The birth of a child is always something that brings great joy, and the embrace of a newborn moves one to tenderness.”

However, the Pope continued, Christmas is in danger of losing “its spiritual significance, reduced to a mere commercial occasion to buy and exchange gifts.” The difficulties and uncertainty that many families are living in these months can serve as “a stimulus for rediscovering the warmth of the simplicity, friendship, and solidarity that are the typical values of Christmas.”

“Stripped of its materialist and consumerist trappings, Christmas can become the opportunity to welcome, as a personal gift, the message of hope that emanates from the mystery of Christ’s birth,” Benedict XVI explained. “Nevertheless, all of this does not suffice to capture the value of this celebration we are preparing for in all its fullness. We know that it celebrates the central event of history: the Incarnation of the Divine Word for the redemption of humanity.”

The Holy Father continued by noting that at Christmas,  people do not limit themselves to commemorating the birth of a great person, they recall something that is quite concrete and important for human beings, something essential to the Christian faith.

“This is a historical fact that St. Luke the evangelist is careful to place in a particular historical context: during the days of the decree of the first census of Caesar Augustus… In the darkness of the night in Bethlehem a great light was lit: the Creator of the universe became flesh, indissolubly and eternally joining himself to human nature, to the point of being ‘God from God, light from light’ and at the same time truly human.”

“But is it possible?” the Holy Father asked.  “A God who becomes a child? We need to bow our heads and recognize the limits of our intelligence.  God reveals Himself to us as a poor ‘infant’ in order to conquer our pride… He made Himself small in order to free us from the human delusion of grandeur that arises from pride. He freely became flesh so that we might be truly free, free to love Him.”

“Christmas,” the Pope concluded, “is the privileged opportunity to contemplate the meaning and value of our existence. The nearness of this solemnity helps us to reflect, on the one hand, on the dramatic nature of a history in which human beings, wounded by sin, are perennially seeking happiness and a reason for living and dying; on the other hand, it exhorts us to contemplate the merciful goodness of God, who has come to meet humanity that He might communicate the saving Truth to us directly and make us to participate in His friendship and His life.”

“Let us ready ourselves to receive this gift of joy, of light and of peace…to become people who do not think only of themselves, but who are open to the needs and expectations of others. In this way we also become witnesses of the light that Christmas radiates on the humanity of the third millennium.”