5th Sunday of Easter 2020

SarahReesJones / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

When we consider the Gospel passage of this Sunday, we see at the centre, the well-known saying of Jesus, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.” Notice that a question leads to this saying and a statement follows this saying. The question that leads to this saying is, “Lord we do not know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus was talking about going away from his disciples to prepare them a place in the Father’s house. I believe it can be taken to mean that Jesus will depart to his Passion so that his followers would be able to enter heaven. St. Thomas was the disciple who asked the question. Many scripture scholars are in the opinion that St. Thomas was someone who preferred to deal with the tangible than with the intangible. That was why he wanted proof of Jesus’s resurrection. Similarly, he asked for the exact place Jesus was going. Yet, we see that he would move away from that way of thinking and embrace the fact that Jesus the man was also God when he uttered, “My Lord and my God!” (Jn 20:28).

Like St. Thomas, many people in our era deal more with the tangible than the intangible. Empirical science is more convincing because it deals with the tangible. Religion does not always produce tangible answers. If one cannot produce physical proof of God’s existence, then God does not exist. Religious faith is thus a mere illusion because there is no physical proof. While many of us would profess that we have faith and do not doubt in the existence of God, we might still have doubts in our hearts. We might think, “If God loves me, why am I suffering?” Perhaps we might think, “If God loves me, why am I not at peace?” When we think this way, are we not saying that we need proof of His love?

Jesus does not chide St.Thomas; He gives St. Thomas an answer:

I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.

No one can come to the Father except through me.

Would St. Thomas have understood his answer? This saying of Jesus was not a direct answer to St. Thomas’ question. Jesus tells St. Thomas that to know where Jesus was going, he was to focus on Jesus Himself. Jesus was going to the Father and to know where that was, St. Thomas need only to focus on Jesus. If we want to go to the Father, we would need to focus on Jesus as well. In short, the person of Jesus would lead us to the Father; the words of Jesus would lead us to the Truth and the acts of Jesus in His Passion and Death would lead to true and everlasting life. This is reinforced by Jesus’s next words:

If you know me, you know my Father too.

From this moment you know him and have seen him.

When we focus on Jesus, we will come to encounter the Father and come to know Him. God is Spirit, not material. Thus, for us, who are physical and tangible, we are not able to perceive God with our physical senses. Jesus, the incarnate Son of God, has taken on a physical form so that we can perceive God with our senses. Thus. to know God the Father, we would need to know Jesus. The word “know” here would imply a relationship. However, St. Philip misses this point and interjects with the statement:

Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall be satisfied.

Imagine how Jesus must have felt. This was the last meal He was having with His disciples before his Passion, and they were not clinging to His words! They had been with Him for three years and they were still not able to discern the truth of His words.

Among us, there are those who were baptised just a year ago, there are those who have been Catholic all our lives. No matter how long we have been followers of Jesus, it is important that we cling to Jesus’s words. It is true that we should be stronger in our faith the longer we are Catholics but this is, sadly, not always true. The influence of the world sometimes lead us astray and we would need to find our way back to Jesus. When I say “clinging on to Jesus’s words,” I mean that we take Jesus’s teachings seriously. It is not about memorising the words by rote. Rather, I mean that we do what we can to understand the meaning and significance of His words. Do we pray when we read scripture? Do enquire when we are unsure of the meaning or the implications of His teachings? Are we ready to live His teachings authentically?

Jesus expresses his distress when he says to Philip:

Have I been with you all this time, Philip … 

and you still do not know me?

To have seen me is to have seen the Father,

so how can you say, 'Let us see the Father?'

Do you not believe

that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?

These words remind us that Jesus is indeed the Way, the Truth and the Life. He is the way to know the Father. Jesus, the Truth, is the visible expression of what the Father wants to communicate with us. Jesus is the first, the archetype, of the Life the Father wants to give us in the Resurrection. Jesus reassures his disciples and all of us that what he says are not empty words.

I tell you most solemnly,

whoever believes in me

will perform the same works as I do myself,

he will perform even greater works,

because I am going to the Father.

The Acts of the Apostles bear testament to the fact that after the Ascension of Jesus, the apostles and those who had come to believe in Jesus achieved more than Jesus did with respect to the spreading of the Good News. Today, our Christian life has the potential of bringing salvation to others without the need of performing miracles. The grace of God enables us to show the love of God through our compassion and works of mercy. As long as we cling on to the fact that Jesus is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and live it, our lives can bear witness to the message of the Good News. When we bring the Good News to others, we are evangelising as Christians.


(Chinese Translation below)

当我们考虑这主日的福音时，我们发现在中间就是耶稣的这句名言：「我是道路、真理、生命。」我们会注意到，这句前有发一个问题，这句后有发表一条声明。所发的问题是：「主！我们不知道你往那里去，怎么会知道那条路呢？」耶稣正在谈论要离开门徒，为他们准备在父的家中的住处。我也相信这表示耶稣将要以祂的受难，使门徒能够进入天堂。圣多默是发问的那一个门徒。许多圣经学家认为圣多默倾向面对有形而不是无形的问题。这就是为什么他要求耶稣复活证据的原因。同样的，他询问耶稣要去的确切地方。但是，以后他会改变这种想法，接受耶稣是真人真天主，说道：「我主！我天主！」（若20：28）

像圣多默一样，我们这个时代的许多人倾向面对有形的事情。因为科学是面对着有形的东西和有形的证据，所以它更使人信服。宗教所谈的是无形的，因此不能给满足的答案。世人有着一个想法：如果无法以科学证明天主的存在，那么天主不是真的。因此，宗教信仰只是一种幻想，因为没有任何物理证据。虽然我们会承认我们有信心，并且相信天主的存在，然而我们内心还可能有疑虑。我们可能会想：「如果天主爱我，我为什么还在受苦？」也许我们可能会想，「如果天主爱我，为什么我心还不安？」当我们有这种思想时，岂不是在说我们需要天主爱我们的证据吗？

耶稣不责怪圣多默。他这样地回答圣多默：

我是道路、真理、生命，
除非经过我，谁也不能到父那里去。

圣多默会明白耶稣的回答吗？耶稣没有直接回答圣多默。耶稣告诉圣多默，如果要知道耶稣去哪里，他必需瞩目于耶稣。耶稣要去天父那里，要知道那是什么地方，圣多默只需要把关注集中于耶稣。如果我们想去天父，我们也需要注视于耶稣。简而言之，耶稣会带领我们到天父那里去。耶稣的话将引导我们走向真理，耶稣在受难和死亡将领我们向真实永恒的生命。耶稣继续强调：

你们若认识我，也就必然认识我父；
现在你们已认识他，并且已经看见他。

当我们瞩目于耶稣，我们将遇到天父并认识他。天主是神，不是物质的。 因此，对于我们这些身体和有形的人来说，我们无法利用我们的身体感觉来感知天主。耶稣，成了血肉的天主子，取了肉身的形式，使我们能认识天主。要认识天父，我们就需要认识耶稣。说到「认识」，指的是有一种关系。然而，圣斐理伯误解耶稣的意识，而说：

主！把父显示给我们，我们就心满意足了。

想象一下耶稣的感受。那是他在受难之前与门徒要吃的最后一餐，而他们不能坚注祂的话！他们和耶稣在一起已经有三年的时间，他们仍然无法辨别他所说的话。

在我们当中，有些人一年前受洗，有些是一生作教友。无论我们跟随耶稣多久，我们都必须坚注耶稣的话。的确，我们作教友越久，我们的信仰就应该越坚强。不过，可悲的是，并非时时如此。世界的影响有时会使我们误入歧途，而我们需要找到回到耶稣的道路。当我说「坚注耶稣的话」时，是指我们认真对待耶稣的教导。这并不是要死记硬背。相反，我的意思是我们应该尽力地理解耶稣话语的含义和意义。我们读经时有没有先祈祷呢？当我们不能确定耶稣所教导的意义或含义时，会询问吗？我们愿意在生活里真实地活出耶稣的教导吗？

耶稣很失望因为祂这样地对圣斐理伯说：

斐理伯！这么长久的时候，我和你们在一起，而你还不认识我吗？
谁看见了我，就是看见了父；
你怎么说：把父显示给我们呢？
你不信我在父内，父在我内吗？

这些话提醒我们，耶稣确实是道路、真理和生命。我们沿着耶稣这条路，我们就能认识天父。耶稣是真理，显现了天父与我们人类所要沟通的。父愿意在复活中赐予我们的永恒生命，耶稣就是这种生命的原型。耶稣向门徒和我们保证祂所说的不是空话。

我实实在在告诉你们：
凡信我的，我所做的事业，
他也要做，并且还要作比这些更大的事业，
因为我往父那里去。

宗徒大事录证明了在耶稣升天之后，宗徒和那些相信耶稣的人在传播福音方面比耶稣取得了更多的成就。今天，我们的基督徒生活，没有奇迹，也能帮助世人得到救恩。天主的恩惠使我们能够通过我们的同情和怜悯之心表现出天主的爱。只要我们在生活里坚持耶稣是道路，真理和生命，我们就可以为福音作见证。当我们把福音传达给别人时，我们就是福传的基督徒。

2020年复活期第五主日

SarahReesJones / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

当我们考虑这主日的福音时，我们发现在中间就是耶稣的这句名言：「我是道路、真理、生命。」我们会注意到，这句前有发一个问题，这句后有发表一条声明。所发的问题是：「主！我们不知道你往那里去，怎么会知道那条路呢？」耶稣正在谈论要离开门徒，为他们准备在父的家中的住处。我也相信这表示耶稣将要以祂的受难，使门徒能够进入天堂。圣多默是发问的那一个门徒。许多圣经学家认为圣多默倾向面对有形而不是无形的问题。这就是为什么他要求耶稣复活证据的原因。同样的，他询问耶稣要去的确切地方。但是，以后他会改变这种想法，接受耶稣是真人真天主，说道：「我主！我天主！」（若20：28）

像圣多默一样，我们这个时代的许多人倾向面对有形的事情。因为科学是面对着有形的东西和有形的证据，所以它更使人信服。宗教所谈的是无形的，因此不能给满足的答案。世人有着一个想法：如果无法以科学证明天主的存在，那么天主不是真的。因此，宗教信仰只是一种幻想，因为没有任何物理证据。虽然我们会承认我们有信心，并且相信天主的存在，然而我们内心还可能有疑虑。我们可能会想：「如果天主爱我，我为什么还在受苦？」也许我们可能会想，「如果天主爱我，为什么我心还不安？」当我们有这种思想时，岂不是在说我们需要天主爱我们的证据吗？

耶稣不责怪圣多默。他这样地回答圣多默：

我是道路、真理、生命，
除非经过我，谁也不能到父那里去。

圣多默会明白耶稣的回答吗？耶稣没有直接回答圣多默。耶稣告诉圣多默，如果要知道耶稣去哪里，他必需瞩目于耶稣。耶稣要去天父那里，要知道那是什么地方，圣多默只需要把关注集中于耶稣。如果我们想去天父，我们也需要注视于耶稣。简而言之，耶稣会带领我们到天父那里去。耶稣的话将引导我们走向真理，耶稣在受难和死亡将领我们向真实永恒的生命。耶稣继续强调：

你们若认识我，也就必然认识我父；
现在你们已认识他，并且已经看见他。

当我们瞩目于耶稣，我们将遇到天父并认识他。天主是神，不是物质的。 因此，对于我们这些身体和有形的人来说，我们无法利用我们的身体感觉来感知天主。耶稣，成了血肉的天主子，取了肉身的形式，使我们能认识天主。要认识天父，我们就需要认识耶稣。说到「认识」，指的是有一种关系。然而，圣斐理伯误解耶稣的意识，而说：

主！把父显示给我们，我们就心满意足了。

想象一下耶稣的感受。那是他在受难之前与门徒要吃的最后一餐，而他们不能坚注祂的话！他们和耶稣在一起已经有三年的时间，他们仍然无法辨别他所说的话。

在我们当中，有些人一年前受洗，有些是一生作教友。无论我们跟随耶稣多久，我们都必须坚注耶稣的话。的确，我们作教友越久，我们的信仰就应该越坚强。不过，可悲的是，并非时时如此。世界的影响有时会使我们误入歧途，而我们需要找到回到耶稣的道路。当我说「坚注耶稣的话」时，是指我们认真对待耶稣的教导。这并不是要死记硬背。相反，我的意思是我们应该尽力地理解耶稣话语的含义和意义。我们读经时有没有先祈祷呢？当我们不能确定耶稣所教导的意义或含义时，会询问吗？我们愿意在生活里真实地活出耶稣的教导吗？

耶稣很失望因为祂这样地对圣斐理伯说：

斐理伯！这么长久的时候，我和你们在一起，而你还不认识我吗？
谁看见了我，就是看见了父；
你怎么说：把父显示给我们呢？
你不信我在父内，父在我内吗？

这些话提醒我们，耶稣确实是道路、真理和生命。我们沿着耶稣这条路，我们就能认识天父。耶稣是真理，显现了天父与我们人类所要沟通的。父愿意在复活中赐予我们的永恒生命，耶稣就是这种生命的原型。耶稣向门徒和我们保证祂所说的不是空话。

我实实在在告诉你们：
凡信我的，我所做的事业，
他也要做，并且还要作比这些更大的事业，
因为我往父那里去。

宗徒大事录证明了在耶稣升天之后，宗徒和那些相信耶稣的人在传播福音方面比耶稣取得了更多的成就。今天，我们的基督徒生活，没有奇迹，也能帮助世人得到救恩。天主的恩惠使我们能够通过我们的同情和怜悯之心表现出天主的爱。只要我们在生活里坚持耶稣是道路，真理和生命，我们就可以为福音作见证。当我们把福音传达给别人时，我们就是福传的基督徒。

4th Sunday of Easter 2020 (Good Shepherd Sunday)

Lion's Gate in Jerusalem

Herwig Reidlinger / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

Every year, the Fourth Sunday of Easter is designated Good Shepherd Sunday. This is because the Gospel Readings are taken from chapter 10 of the Gospel of John. In this chapter, Jesus refers to his relationship with His followers as a shepherd with his sheep. It is in verses 11 and 14, which are read only in Year B of the Lectionary, that Jesus refers to Himself as the good shepherd. This year, being Year A, we read only the first ten verses.

I tell you most solemnly,
I am the gate of the sheepfold.
(Jn 10:7, The Jerusalem Bible)

Jesus begins talking about the sheepfold. Only the shepherd and the sheep enter the sheepfold legitimately. They enter through the gate. Remember that Jesus is talking to the Jews. Jews considered themselves the sheep belonging to God: For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. (Ps 95:7, Revised Standard Version). So, the Jews understood what Jesus was driving at. There was a place called the Sheep Gate in Jerusalem. It built at the time of Nehemiah (see Neh 3:1) and was present at the time of Jesus (see Jn 5:2) but is no longer present in Jerusalem today. This gate was one of the entrances to the temple precincts. (You can read an interesting blog post about the gate here.) The place where the sheep gather is the sheepfold. The place where the Jews gathered was the Temple; and the Temple was where God was. Later, Jesus would claim,  I am the Way, the Truth and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through me (Jn 14:6, The Jerusalem Bible)

I am the gate.
Anyone who enters through me will be safe:
he will go freely in and out
and be sure of finding pasture.
(Jn 10:9, The Jerusalem Bible)

This text is obviously meant for the sheep. The sheep which enter by the gate is safe. Those who enter by Jesus will be saved. This mirrors a verse in the Psalms: This is the gate of the LORD; the righteous shall enter through it. (Ps 118:20, Revised Standard Version) To be made righteous means to be made blameless: we are saved from our sins. Jesus saves us from our sins in His Passion, Death and Resurrection. Furthermore, we are sure of finding pasture, meaning that we would be provided for.

The thief comes
only to steal and kill and destroy.
I have come
so that they may have life
and have it to the full.
(Jn 10:10, The Jerusalem Bible)

This verse reveals further what it means to be safe and to find pasture. We will be given life and life to the full. To be safe means to be given life and to find pasture is to be provided with the means to have life to the full. Jesus does not just save us from our sins, He provides further help. To come to know Jesus and to follow Him is to enter into safety. When we are baptised, we make the commitment to enter by the gate that is Jesus. He also provides us with His Body and Blood as spiritual nourishment, and His mercy is given through the sacrament of reconciliation. The sacraments are given to us so that we may have life to the full.

In our present circumstances, Jesus does not seem to be fulfilling the words He proclaims. Our churches are closed and we are not able to receive the sacraments. The closure of our churches should not be seen just as a deprivation. We are not under a persecution. We are doing what is morally correct to help stop the spread of this new virus among us. I am sure that many know that wearing of the mask when we go outdoors is more about preventing us from potentially spreading the virus than about us potentially catching the virus. Many of us take things for granted. We take risks because we think things do not happen to us, it happens to other people. We wear the mask to protect ourselves, not realising that we might be already infected but asymptomatic. The whole rationale of staying home and wearing masks when we go outside is to minimise the possibility of us infecting others.

It is the same for our faith. We know that God loves us and takes care of us. We might treasure the sacraments but we forget the one who is providing them. We receive the eucharist every time we join in the Eucharistic celebration. Yet, do we treasure the one who provides us with His Body and Blood? Are we aware that the spiritual nourishment is also for evangelisation? Do we receive the eucharist as the food for our mission as evangelisers? Do we receive the sacrament worthily? Often, during the penitential rite at the beginning of the Mass, I realise how unworthy I am to be at the altar. Despite that, by the grace of God, the unworthy minister becomes the instrument whereby the Body and Blood of Christ is ministered to the faithful. I say often, because there are times when I am truly unworthy: I go through the motion of reciting the words and making the gestures and am not paying real attention to the mystery that I am celebrating.

Sometimes we go to confession because we are afraid for ourselves, not because we have experienced the mercy of God already in our lives. I used to be able to make my appointment with my confessor to make confession regularly. Now I realise how lightly I have taken this convenience. I am not able to visit him and make my confession these days. I am frustrated and anxious as I find myself not being able to minister normally as a priest. Yet, I do experience the presence of God when I preside at a funeral or to administer the sacrament of the sick at the hospital. God still provides me opportunities to function as a priest. Should I, then, be frustrated and anxious rather than being humble and trusting? Perhaps this temporary cessation of the sacraments may help us to appreciate the love that God has for us. May it help us to treasure every opportunity that we have to avail ourselves of the sacraments.

Being Good Shepherd Sunday, I must mention something about the priestly vocation. As the Body of Christ grows, the Church needs priests; not just priests but faithful priests. All priests start as seminarians. Men enter the seminary because they feel they are called by God. However, a call does not always mean that it will have a good end. Judas Iscariot was called by Jesus but see how he turned out! Even St. Peter, who was called by Jesus to a special vocation at Caesarea Philippi, did not do so well: he denied knowing Jesus. However, he also chose to remain faithful. He allowed the grace of God to enter into his heart to strengthen the parts of him that were weak. Many men are called by God to be priests, but how many choose to be faithful and obedient. We should always pray for our young men to courageously answer Yes and remain faithful to that yes. After entering the seminary, they need our prayers to continue to be faithful to God's call, not their own ideas of priesthood. After ordination, priests need the prayers of the people to help us remain faithful to God even when we are not totally faithful at times, for example, when priests demand service rather than serve; when priests lose their patience rather than being faithful at being the patient shepherds they are called to be; when priests decide that they know better rather than submitting to the authority of the Church, the same Church that Jesus promised would be guided by the Holy Spirit. Let us pray for more vocations and the strengthening of those vocations so that we may have more faithful priests to serve the whole Body of Christ, the Church.

2020年复活期第四主日

耶路撒冷的狮子门

Herwig Reidlinger / CC BY-SA (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/)

每年复活期第四主日定为善牧主日。这是因为这主日的福音是从若望福音第10章。在这一章中，耶稣说祂与门徒的关系相似牧者与羊群的关系。在第11和第14节，耶稣称自己为善牧。今年，我们的福音是从甲年的读经，只读第十章的前十节。我们只能在明年（乙年）听到耶稣是善牧的经文。

我实实在在告诉你们：我是羊的门
（若10：7）

耶稣以羊栈开始讲论。只有牧者和羊能合法地进入羊栈。他们是通过门进入羊栈。耶稣说祂就是羊栈的门。请记住，耶稣是向犹太人说话。犹太人认为他们是属于天主的羊：「因为他是我们的真神，我们是他牧养的人民，是他手所引导的羊群。」（咏95：7）因此，犹太人了解耶稣在说什么。耶路撒冷有一个叫羊门的地方。它是在乃赫米雅的时代建筑的（见厄下3：1），并曾存在于耶稣时代（见若5：2），但今天已经不存在于耶路撒冷。这门是圣殿地区的入口之一。羊群聚集的地方是羊栈。犹太人聚集的地方是圣殿，而圣殿就是天主所在的地方。过一些时候，耶稣会声言：「我是道路、真理、生命，除非经过我，谁也不能到父那里去。」（若14：6）

我就是门，谁若经过我进来，必得安全；
可以进，可以出，可以找著草场。
（若10：9）

这话很显然的是指着羊群的。从门进入的羊是安全的。那些由耶稣进入的人将得救。这反映了圣咏中的一句经文：正义的门就是上主的门，惟独义人才能进入此门。（咏118：20）在圣经里，成为义人等于成为无罪：我们从罪恶中得救了。耶稣以祂的受难，死亡和复活把我们从罪恶中拯救出来。并且，我们肯定会找到草场，也就是说天主会继续照顾我们。

贼来，无非是为偷窃、杀害、毁灭；
我来，却是为叫他们获得生命，
且获得更丰富的生命。
（若10：10）

这节经文进一步揭示了安全和寻找到草场的意义。我们将得到生命，且获得更丰富的生命。得到安全就是得到生命，找到草场就是得到更丰富的生命。耶稣不仅将我们从罪恶中拯救出来，还供给了更多的帮助。认识并跟随耶稣就是进入安全。我们受洗时，是承诺进入耶稣这门。他还供给了我们祂的圣体圣血，作为心灵的营养。通过和好圣事，他怜悯我们。通过圣事，我们可以得到更丰富的生命。

在我们目前的情况下，耶稣似乎并没有履行他所宣告的。我们的教堂已关闭，我们无法领受圣事。我们不应该把关闭圣堂当着一种剥夺。我们没有受到迫害。我们所做的是道德上正确的事情，以帮助阻止我们中间这新病毒在的传播。我敢肯定，许多人都知道，当我们在户外时戴上口罩，多是为了要防止我们潜在地传播病毒，而不是为了我们受感染。好多时候，我们不顾事情的真相。我们以为某事不会发生在我们身上，而是发生在别人身上，因此我们愿意冒险。我们戴着口罩来保护自己，却没有领悟到我们有可能已经被感染，但是没有症状。呆在家里，出门到外时戴上口罩的合理，其实是要减少我们传染到他人的可能性。

讲到信德也是一样。我们知道天主爱护我们。我们可能珍惜圣事，却忘记了谁供给我们圣事。每次参与弥撒时，我们都会领圣体。但是，我们珍惜供给我们圣体的那一位吗？我们是否知道心灵的滋养是为了传播福音吗？我们是否领圣体作为福传使命的食物？我们有没有相称地领圣体呢？通常，在弥撒忏悔礼时，我觉悟到自己不配在祭台前。尽管如此，靠着天主的恩宠，不配的圣职人员成为了天主的用具，将基督的圣体宝血分给信徒。我几时不配呢？当我没有真正关注礼仪时所念的，所行的。

有时，我们办告解，是因为我们只担心自己，而不是因为我们在生活中已经体验到上主的慈悲与怜悯。前几个月，我可以随时找神师办告解。现在，我发觉我对告解的态度太过轻松了。现在，我不能随便找他办告解。我感到沮丧和焦虑因为自己无法正常实行司铎的任务。但是，当我主持葬礼或去医院举行病人圣事时，我确实体验了天主的同在。天主仍然给我机会履行司铎的职责。那么，我应该拥有一颗谦虚和信任天主的心。这次，暂时停止领受圣事也许可以帮助我们真正地领悟到上主对我们的爱。愿祂帮助我们珍惜我们领受圣事的每一个机会。

这主日又是善牧主日。我必须提起我们教会的司铎圣召情况。随着基督奥体的成长，教会需要神父。不只是神父，还是忠实的神父。所有的神父，是从作修生开始的。人进入修院是因为他们觉得自己听到天主的召叫。但是，被召叫并不等于将会有一个好的结果。耶稣召叫犹达斯•依斯加略为宗徒，但看看结果如何！甚至在斐理伯的凯撒勒雅被耶稣特地召叫的圣伯多禄也做得不好：他否认了耶稣。但是，他也选择保持忠实。他让天主的恩宠进入他的心，加强他脆弱的地方。上主召叫许多人，但有多少人选择忠实服从。我们应该始终为我们的年轻人祈祷，勇敢地答因天主，并忠于这一信念。进入修院后，他们还是需要我们的祈祷，使他们能继续忠于天主的召叫，而不是随着他们自己的观念。晋铎后，神父们还需要教友的祈祷，以帮助司铎们忠于天主，即使我们神父有时并不完全忠实。例如，当神父要求受服事而不服事人；当神父失去耐心，而不忠于成为有耐心的司铎；当神父以为自己比圣教会还懂事，而不是服从圣教会的指示。这圣教会是耶稣应诺的，那圣神引导的同一个教会。让我们为更多的圣召祈祷，加强被召叫的人，以便我们有更多忠实的神父为基督的奥体，即教会服务。

CoVid-19

During these days when Singapore is going through the circuit breaker, I am told that my parishioners would like to hear reflections from me. Online streamed masses are aplenty. Many of the homilies and sermons are so much better than what I can give. However, I have received quite a number of emails for me to post something. So I am going to start by posting what could be a homily for this weekend. Stay tuned!

New gust in my world?

I am thinking of doing regular postings again and so will try to do weekly postings.  I will not consider it my New Year's Resolution because blogging cannot be top in my priorities as a priest.  I wear quite a number of hats as a priest: in the parish, in the seminary and in the archdiocese.  As I am neither the official blogger nor spokesman of the parish, seminary or the archdiocese, I cannot put blogging above my primary duties.   So, it cannot be a resolution.  I will rely on God to help me be regular in my blogging.

Ugly Singaporean or merely poor

I am just now spending a few days with my family at Sentosa. I just saw something that I just had to post. A young mother had piled up lots of food and it was definitely too much for her family of four. Then she discreetly, or at least tried, to pack half of what she took into plastic bags. This was a breakfast buffet. She has at least 8 pieces of pastries, 4 pancakes, a large bowl of Vadai and another bowl of grilled salmon.  That was just part of the "stash" she collected. I am sure the servers noticed but she was a customer and hotel guest and so could not say anything. Her husband was with her and appeared to approve. Sigh!  As my mother would say in dialect, "Chau Kwan!"