Faithfulness and Love

Monthly Archives: January 2016

Wednesday of Week 14 Year 2

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As Christians, do we worship God alone? Some of you may think that this sounds like a silly question, but sometimes we come across Christians who appear to worship God, but they have become so attached to the ways of the world, that money, wealth, riches, and popularity have become more important than God, and some have made all these other things of equal importance with God. When we do such things, our hearts become divided and our focus may turn more and more towards other gods in the form of money, wealth, riches, and popularity, instead of the one, true God.

In today’s reading, Hosea cautioned Israel that “their heart is a divided heart and they must pay for it.” This is because the Israelites had focused more and more on other gods, and neglected or even abandoned the one, true God. Could we be in danger of having to pay for it, for abandoning or neglecting the one, true God? Are we risking our eternal future just for the sake of temporary success, wealth and power here on earth?

常年期第二周星期四次年

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有些人因某些原因喜欢青色的衣裳。有些人更因青色时尚，不只穿青色的服饰，也用其他的配饰，如：手提包，鞋子，手表等等。在这里我们不是要谈青色(另一个字是“妒忌”)的时尚。有些人把青色看做是靠不住，害怕，忧虑或因害怕失去某个地位或身份而焦虑。青色，可能会让我们犯更多的罪或是做令人发指的行为。

在今天的福音中，撒乌耳王因达味王受的称赞比他多而看见了很多的“青”。就因多了几个称赞的字，让撒乌耳王感到妒忌，开始计划谋杀达味王。只是单单多了几个赞美的字，足以让一个人变得过分妒忌？对于一个没有安全感和自大的人而言，单单几个字对他都是威胁。假如某人发觉某人很重要时，就不会那么在意了。愿我们能看管我们自己，不让妒忌荼毒我们，也让天主引领我们谦虚地跟随祂的脚步。

Tuesday of Week 14 Year 2

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God has given each and every one of us different gifts and talents. We do not have the exact same talent, since each talent is unique. But sometimes, we come across people who are not happy with their gift or talent, and they begin to get very jealous when other people seem to be better than them in a different way. When such people are jealous, they begin to say things or find ways to put other people down, but they sometimes do or say things which only end up making them look silly or stupid. Could some of us be guilty of such things?

In today’s Gospel, we come across the Pharisees who were extremely jealous of Jesus, because of what he said and did. Just because Jesus had cured a dumb demoniac, the Pharisees tried to put Jesus down by saying: “It is through the prince of devils that he casts out devils.” Now if we consider for a moment: isn’t such a statement stupid? Why would the devil cast out another devil? Surely the devil would join up with the other devil and the person would be worse off.

When we become jealous like the Pharisees, we may also end up like them by saying or doing silly or ridiculous things. May we take care not to become so incessantly jealous, since all gifts are from God, and we should rejoice when such gifts are used well for His glory.

Monday of Week 14 Year 2

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Among the many sins a married couple may encounter, one of the most difficult to forgive is unfaithfulness or adultery. This is because the party who committed such a sin has lost the trust of the other party. The situation is even further aggravated if a pregnancy is involved, or if the party who sinned has contracted some disease as a result of such unfaithfulness. It takes a lot of courage, love, mercy and compassion for one to forgive the party who sinned. Forgiving the party that sinned is one thing, but rebuilding the trust that is lost is another thing altogether, and it may take quite some time before some trust is restored. Humanly speaking, it is not easy to rebuild the trust, but with time and with God’s help, perhaps the trust may be somewhat restored.

But when it comes to God, He shows us what it means to forgive and rebuild trust. In the reading, the Israelites had been unfaithful to God, and had been seduced by Baal. But God had not given up on them or abandoned them. Despite their unfaithfulness, God is willing to take them back and make them His own. If God can be so loving, forgiving and merciful to such people, what about us when it comes to broken or unfaithful relationships? Are we willing to follow God’s ways, forgive and rebuild trust? Are we willing to let bygones be bygones, pick up the pieces, and move on, especially if the party who sinned wants to come back to us and remain with us? Or are we going to allow the hurt, anger, pain and disappointment control us and even cause our marriage to fail?

常年期第二周星期三次年

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有时候我们最终不得不需要通过艰难的磨炼才能得到救恩。有时当我们觉得我们所做的一切都是对的，我们的思维随时会被骄傲与自我控制，所以造成我们时常认为仅靠自己就可以成长以及成功，甚至我们还觉得自我的成功是通过自己的努力并非信靠天主而得来的。可是当事情不如所愿，或当我们面对问题与危险时，我们会怎么做？当中有些人最终会遗弃我们的骄傲，寻求天主的帮助，而有些人依然固执地尝试用自己的方式解决问题，但往往最终还是被困在糟糕的情况里。

在今天的福音中，我们看到以色列人是怎样以艰难的方式才获得救恩，一切只因为撒乌耳是以色列的王，一个失败的国王。以色列人民认为他们不需要上主的帮助，并且以撒乌耳为王认为他会为他们带来名声、荣耀和财富。但是撒乌尔最终做了什么？在撒乌耳带领下败给了非利士人，因为在最初并没有找到任何愿意去与哥勒亚决斗的人。但天主并没有因为这样而抛弃以色列人让他们走向末日，天主给了达味启示让他为以色列人应战。当哥勒亚诅咒达味的上主，达味回答了非利士人“你仗着刀枪剑戟来对付我，但我是仗着你所凌辱的万军的上主，以色列的天主的圣名来对付你。

今天上主定把你叫在我手中，我必打死你割下你的头来；今天我要把你的尸体和碚肋舍军人的尸体，给空中的飞鸟和田野的走兽吃；这样，全地都要知道以色列有天主，在场的众人也要知道，上主不赖刀枪赐人胜利，战争胜负只属于天主，他已把你们交我们手中了。”

上主早已显示给达味会获得胜利。这表示最后我们信靠的还是上主我们的君王我们的天主。因为撒乌耳不信靠天主而使以色列人失败，甚至把他们带到快被毁灭的边缘，但上主是永恒的君王为我们带来和平、繁荣和胜利。所以我们应该要更明智地选择依靠上主。

Friday of Week 13 Year 2

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Some of us think that just because we have lots of property, wealth, power or political influence, we can do whatever we like. Because of this, some of us begin to differenciate ourselves from others, by considering ourselves as the “haves” compared to the “have nots.” When this happens, some of us begin to find ways and means to maintain our status, and in the process, we begin to suppress others, trampling and controlling them, even cheating them or witholding what is due to them, all for the sake of protecting our interest, or to show them who is boss. But by doing so, are we aware of the consequence of our actions? Do we not realise that we are sinning and bringing about God’s wrath?

In today’s reading, the prophet Amos warned about trampling and cheating the poor and the lower class. He warned that this not only destroyed the bond and fabric of society, it also stirs up God’s anger. God does hear the cry of the poor, and when we neglect, mistreat or abuse them, we are only going against God. Some of us may ask: “Where is the poor? Do we need to go to a certain place to find them?” Actually, we don’t need to go far looking for the poor, since they are already in our midst. They could even be working for you, or serving you in different ways. We just need to open our eyes and identify them. May we come to realise what we are doing, and do what is right and just for the poor, so that we may grow closer in relationship with God.

常年期第二周星期二次年

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我们当中有多少人能诚实地对待自己,不虚伪且能够真正真实的说或做事情？我们当中可能擅长玩把戏以讨好老板，领导人或是上司，为了取悦他们而让自己看起来很厉害或是做能让他们高兴的事情。问题是：我们可以这样多久？我们会真正的高兴，满足与感到内心的安宁吗？

在今天的福音当中，我们被这样提醒：天主的看法与人不同,人看外貌，上主却看人心。我们可以欺瞒我们的老板，领导者或上司，但我们无法欺瞒天主。我们可能看起来很神圣很好，在我们的工作上很可靠，但我们的心可能因骄傲，自大和自我保护而使然。在某些岗位上，我们看起来好像是最佳人选，但我们的老板，领导者或是上司可能会看穿我们的伪装，觉得不合适，进而选择更合适的人选。让我们尽我们的所有来阻止我们的荒唐和假行为，谦虚和真实地跟随主的脚步。

Thursday of Week 13 Year 2

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Most people do not like to hear or experience bad news. Those who do are often ridiculed and people would ask them whether they are crazy, or are “gluttons for punishment” which basically means to “willfully take on disagreeable or uncomfortable tasks.” However, sometimes it is necessary for us to hear and experience bad news, since such bad news could help us learn to be humble, to learn from our mistakes and become better persons, to be more dependent on God, not to be complacent, and not to be too confident or proud of one’s wealth, achievements and success.

In today’s reading, the prophet Amos had been warning the Israelites of the impending doom which would happen to them if they did not change their ways and return to the Lord’s path. But Amaziah the priest of Bethel, tried to curry favour with the king of Israel and tried to chase away the prophet Amos, saying that “this is the royal sanctuary, the national temple.” By saying so, Amaziah thought that God would not allow the temple to be desecrated or destroyed, since he believed that God was present in the temple. But what Amaziah failed to realise is that God is not confined only to the temple, and that the prophet Amos had been sent by God to warn the Israelites. Sometimes, pride, as in the case of Amaziah, could lead persons to think that God is on their side, when in reality, that is not the case.

What about us? Could some of us have become like Amaziah, refusing to listen to God’s warning? Are we fooling ourselves into thinking that nothing would happen to us? May we take heed and change our ways, and return to God’s ways, before it is too late.

Tuesday of Week 13 Year 2

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Some of us may have heard of or used early warning devices, so that in case there is a serious problem or disaster emerging, we would be prepared and ready to either make a run for it, or take action to deal with the problem before it happens. For example, when a fire is detected, the sprinkers would activate to put out the fire before it gets worse. Also, if you live in a flood prone area, and the weather is showing signs of getting worse, you would likely make preparations to flee before the floods come. However, sometimes we get people who refuse to take notice of such early warnings, and they do so at their peril.

In today’s reading, the Israelites had an early warning system in the form of the prophets. In the reading, the prophet Amos had warned the Israelites to change their ways or face disaster, but the Israelites took no notice of the prophet Amos. As a result, the Israelites were in grave danger of being confronted with disaster and doom, as the prophet Amos said: “Israel, prepare to meet your God!”

What about us? Are we ignoring the signs around us? Have we allowed sin and the ways of the world to blind us and give us a false sense of security? May we not get caught off-guard when we are suddenly called to face the Lord, and risk losing our eternal reward.

常年期第二周星期一次年

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现今人们购买葡萄酒或含酒精的饮料都是装在瓶子或罐子。然而，这种储存葡萄酒或其他含酒精饮料的方式对于在耶稣那个时代来说是完全用不着的，要不是太贵就是不实际生产。（毕竟他们没有像现在，有任何生产设施并简易生产与储存，这是科技带给人们的便利）在那时，葡萄酒和其他液体通常被储存在粘土罐或用动物皮制成的酒囊中。动物皮不仅方便携带、重量轻、占用空间少、消耗液体的空间也更小。然而，酒囊会因为使用时间久后未保养而出现磨损、破裂，最终还是会丢弃，特别是装着未发酵的酒或“新”酒。

耶稣运用酒囊的比喻教导我们，旧约如同使用长久的酒囊，因灵性盲目地愈益恶化而无法再传达救赎的福音，尤其是发生于当时的译者和法利赛人。这是因为当时的旧约被法律、习俗和传统操纵，而减少内容，有些内容甚至被译者和法利赛人一时兴起的想象力而修改内容。这表示一场重要的改革是必要的，而这改革即是耶稣为我们传达的，能于天主重新连接的新约（新酒囊）。

如果我们深思片刻，我们可能会被这些旧约影响而后果严重，尤其是当我们允许自己的灵魂成为又老又薄的酒囊，被罪恶和精神的疏忽所削弱。我们要警惕和小心，这样我们方可以听到，接受到，并根据天主的圣言行事。让我们充分利用天主通过圣礼的恩典，来激励和帮助我们，修补破碎的心灵，巩固脆弱的心灵，坚持良好的作为。