神父講道 – 常年期第五週 (週一) (2011年2月7日)

真福碧岳九世教宗
恭讀聖馬爾谷福音 6:53-56
那時,耶穌和他的門徒渡過了海,來到革乃撒勒,就靠了岸。他們剛一下船,人立刻認出他來,便跑遍那全地域。開始用床把有病的人,抬到聽說耶穌所在的地方去。凡耶穌所到的地方,或村莊,或城市,或鄉間,人都把患病的人放在街道上,求耶穌容許他們,至少摸摸他的衣邊;凡摸到他的,就都痊愈了。
—基督的福音。

(5th week in Ordinary Time – Monday)

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark 6:53-56

53 And when they had crossed over, they came to land at Gennes’aret, and moored to the shore. 54 And when they got out of the boat, immediately the people recognized him, 55 and ran about the whole neighborhood and began to bring sick people on their pallets to any place where they heard he was. 56 And wherever he came, in villages, cities, or country, they laid the sick in the market places, and besought him that they might touch even the fringe of his garment; and as many as touched it were made well.

—The Gospel of the Lord.

往神父講道目錄

主日講道 – 農曆新春後第一主日 (2011年2月6日)

聖保祿三木及聖鄭安道 (紀念)
恭讀聖聖若福音 17:20-26
那時候,耶穌舉目向天說:「聖父啊!我不但為他們祈求,而且也為那些因他們的話,而信從我的人祈求,好使他們都合而為一。父啊!就如你在我內,我在你內,使他們也在我們內合而為一,就如你在我內,我在你內,為叫世界相信,是你派遣了我。
「我將你賜給我的光榮,賜給了他們,為叫他們合而為一,就如我們原為一體一樣。我在他們內,你在我內,使他們完全合而為一,為叫世界知道,是你派遣了我,並且你愛了他們,如愛了我一樣。
「父啊!你所賜給我的人,我願我在那裡,他們也同我在一起,使他們享見你所賜給我的光榮,因為你在創世之前,就愛了我。
「公義的父啊!世界沒有認識你,我卻認識了你,這些人也知道,是你派遣了我。我已經將你的名,宣示給他們了,我還要宣示,好使你愛我的愛,在他們內,我也在他們內。」
—基督的福音。

(1st Sunday after Lunar New Year)

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to John 17:20-26
“I pray not only for them, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may be brought to perfection as one, that the world may know that you sent me, and that you loved them even as you loved me. Father, they are your gift to me. I wish that where I am 7 they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because you loved me before the foundation of the world. Righteous Father, the world also does not know you, but I know you, and they know that you sent me. I made known to them your name and I will make it known, 8 that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”
—The Gospel of the Lord.

往神父講道目錄

Word of Life – Feb 2011

“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God.” (Rm 8:14)

This passage is at the heart of the hymn Paul sings to the beauty of Christian life, to its newness and freedom. These are the result of baptism and faith in Jesus, which graft us fully to him, and through him, to the dynamics of Trinitarian life. By becoming one person with Christ, we share in his Spirit and in all his fruits, the first of which is becoming children of God.

Even though Paul speaks of “adoption” (cf. Rm. 8:15; Gal. 4:5), he does so only to distinguish it from the status of natural sonship, which applies solely to the only Son of God. Ours is not a purely juridical relationship with the Father, however, as it would be as adopted children, but something substantial that changes our very nature, like a new birth. This is so because our entire life is animated by a new principle, by a new spirit, the very Spirit of God.

And we should never stop rejoicing, with Paul, for the miracle of death and resurrection that the grace of baptism brings about in us.

“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God”.

These words speak to our Christian life, into which the Spirit of Jesus introduces a dynamic tension that Paul summarizes as the contrast between flesh and spirit. By the word flesh, he means the whole person (body and soul), with all our inherent fragility and selfishness. These are constantly opposed to the law of love, and indeed, to Love itself, which was poured into our hearts (cf. Rm. 5:5).

In fact, those who are led by the Spirit must face the “good fight of the faith” (1 Tim 6:12) in order to curb all the inclinations to evil and to live in accordance with the faith professed in baptism.

But how? We know that for the Holy Spirit to act we need to do our part. In writing these words, St. Paul had in mind, above all, a certain duty that we have as Christians, that of denying ourselves and winning the battle against selfishness in its many and varied forms.

It is this dying to ourselves that produces life, so that every self-denial, every renunciation, every “no” to our selfishness is the source of new light, peace, joy, love and inner freedom. It is an open door to the Spirit.

Giving more freedom to the Holy Spirit, present in our hearts, will enable him to bestow upon us a greater abundance of his gifts and lead us along the journey of life.

“Those who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God”.

How can we live these words? Above all we have to become increasingly aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit within us. There is an immense treasure in the depths of our being, but we are not as conscious of it as we could be. We possess an extraordinary wealth, but for the most part, it lies unused.

In order to hear and follow his voice within us more readily, we have to say no to everything that is against the will of God and yes to everything that is his will: no to temptation, with a clear-cut refusal of its suggestions; yes to the tasks that God has entrusted to us; yes to loving every neighbor we meet; yes to the trials and difficulties we encounter …

If we do this, the Holy Spirit will guide us, giving our Christian life that vigor, that savor, that zest and that brightness that naturally follow when it is authentic.

People around us will realize we are not only children of our own natural family, but sons and daughters of God.

Chiara Lubich

生活聖言 (2011年2月)

「凡受天主聖神引導的,都是天主的子女。」(羅8:14)
這句生活聖言綜合了聖保祿宗徒詠讚基督徒生活中最美麗的精華,提及基督徒嶄新的生活與自由。這些都是聖洗及對耶穌信德的果實,使我們完全進入祂之內,並經由祂,進入天主聖三生活的動力中。藉著與基督合為一體,我們分享祂的聖神和聖神的所有果實,其中第一個就是成為天主的子女。
即使保祿談到「義子」 的名份,他這樣做純粹是為要澄清我們與天主唯一獨生子之間的區別。
可是,我們與天主的關係跟一般義父義子的關係不同,並不純粹是法定的關係。我們與天主的關係能著實改變我們的本質,使我們有如新生的一樣。這是因為我們的生命因著一份新的準則而具有一份新的精神,即天主的聖神而變得生氣蓬勃。
這樣,我們將與聖保祿一起,因著聖洗的恩寵在我們內產生死而復活的奧蹟,而時常歡欣雀躍。

「凡受天主聖神引導的,都是天主的子女。」
這句聖言談到我們基督徒的生活,耶穌的聖神在我們內傾注了一份動力,保祿將這份動力濃縮在肉體和精神的對立關係中。當保祿談到肉體的生命時,他的意思包含肉身與靈魂,並具有本身的脆弱和私心,這正與愛的法律相違背,與那傾注在我們心中的天主的愛對立起來 。
事實上,凡受聖神引導的人必須每天「奮力去打這場信仰的好仗」 ,為能夠抑制所有邪惡的傾向,並能遵照在洗禮中宣示的信仰而生活。
但要怎樣才能做得到呢?
若要天主聖神能夠在我們之內推行祂的工作,我們必須作出回應。當聖保祿書寫這句話時,他特別想到基督徒要棄絕自己的責任,並對抗以不同形式呈現出來自私。
正是透過這份死於自我,我們才能孕育新的生命。所以,當我們每次能夠自制,每次能夠棄絕自我,每次摒棄自己的私心時,我們都可以找到新的光照、平安、喜樂、愛與內心的自由;並且找到通往聖神的道路。
所以,如果我們給予內心的聖神更大的自由與空間,祂將能給予我們更豐沛的恩賜,並在生命的旅途上不斷引導我們。
「凡受天主聖神引導的,都是天主的子女。」
那麼,我們應該怎樣實踐這句聖言呢?
首先,我們要時常更加醒覺天主聖神在我們內的臨在。其實在我們內心深處,有一份無限的寶藏,但我們卻沒有意識到。我們擁有一份卓越非凡的財富,但我們卻很少加以利用。
然後,為叫我們能夠聆聽到和跟隨祂的聲音,我們必須拒絕一切違反天主旨意的事情,同時接納所有祂的意願。就是說在誘惑的時刻,要克制自我,抗拒一切的引誘;此外還要履行天主托付給我們的職責;願意向近人付出我們的愛;並接受所有我們遇到的考驗與困難等。
如果我們這樣做,天主聖神將會引導我們,這樣我們的基督徒生活便會充滿著韻味、活力、鬥志與光輝,這些都是真正基督徒生活必定擁有的質素。
於是,在我們周遭的人必定會發覺到我們不單只是屬於自己的家庭,而且也是天主的子女。
盧嘉勒