2020年常年期第十二主日

圣保禄, Unknown author / Public domain

你们不要害怕那杀害肉身，而不能杀害灵魂的；但更要害怕那能使灵魂和肉身陷于地狱中的。
（玛 10:28）

我曾经对这段福音感到恐惧，因为我认为耶稣指的是魔鬼。耶稣指的并不是魔鬼，而是天父。因为耶稣接下来所讲的是指着天父。这段福音之前，耶稣告诉门徒们他们会受到迫害。跟随耶稣就会有苦难。在这主日的福音，主耶稣鼓励他的门徒要有勇气讲真理。作为门徒，我们应该有勇气在众人面前宣布耶稣是主。

阻断措施结束了已经有三周的时间。许多人认为以弥撒会在有限的方式进行。但是，事实并非如此。政府只允许私人祈祷。政府规定堂区必须提交安全管理计划书后，才能开幕。堂区工作小组正在制定这计划书时，文化、社区及青年部发布了新的咨询：我们能恢复弥撒圣祭。当然堂区还是需要提交安全管理计划书。现在，工作小组须要重新考虑计划该进行什么调整。因此，我们的堂区仍未准备好恢复任何活动。由于我们的圣堂也正在修复中，我们还需要考虑更多因素。我想向大家保证：我们正在尽力而为。

我提出这件事，是因为有许多人不满意。他们希望事情能迅速地发展，不过事情似乎太慢了。我有了一个念头：「病毒只伤害肉体，而没有弥撒伤害灵魂。」一刹那，我有想到：「不负责任也是伤害了灵魂。」这岂不是与这主日的福音有关呢？

诚然只有天主能使灵魂和肉身陷于地狱中的，但因为天主爱我们，祂不会那样做。但是，还有个能使灵魂受到伤害的：我们自己。让我用一个简单的比喻。刺客可以杀死我。但是，如果我忽视自己的健康，我也会慢慢地毁掉自己的生命。我们是以爱保持灵魂的健康。我们以爱进人表达我们对天主的爱。如果我们只关心自己的需求而又忘记进人的需要时，可说我们爱进人吗？现在所有的法规都是为了减少感染周围人的风险。说我们爱我们的进人，我就必须负责以减少感染风险的方式行事。我听过有人说教堂太过「怕输」。这是一种负责任的态度吗？如果每个人都有责任感，又有知识，就不需要有法规指令。讽刺的，为了一两个不管法规的教友，我们需要谨慎。的确，我们不能考虑采取一切行动的可能性。但是，如果教会不顾这一两个不管法规的教友，而引起新的感染事件，教会本身不负责任，也没有爱心。

这主日福音鼓励我们有勇气地宣布真理。我们须要在任何情况里，有个开放的态度，接受情况的真相后，勇敢地宣告真理。真正爱护进人，就是承认耶稣。如果没有真正的爱护进人，我们不能说我们承认耶稣。这周，我们可以反省：我们作教友的动机，是否是爱主爱人，或是有其他的原因。我们祈求上主帮助我们诚恳地跟随耶稣，诚心地承认祂是主。

Trinity Sunday 2020

El Greco / Public domain

When I was a boy, I had a friend who had a favourite Gospel verse. It is found in our Gospel Reading for this Sunday. The verse is John 3:16:

God loved the world so much that he gave his only Son,

so that everyone who believes in him may not be lost

but may have eternal life.
(from Jerusalem Bible)

The reason that Jesus was sent to the world is ultimately love. This idea of God being loving can be seen in the first reading today.

The Lord, a God of tenderness and compassion, 

slow to anger rich in kindness and faithfulness.

(Ex 34:6, Jerusalem Bible)

Already at the time of Moses, the people of Israel understood that their God was a God of tenderness and compassion. The tender and compassionate God planned for the world to be saved. He had created human beings who had rebelled against Him. The result of the rebellion is that we are separated from the life and grace that comes from God. However, God’s love is persistent, and He sent His Son to teach us the way to be reconciled with Him.

For God sent his Son into the world
not to condemn the world,

but so that through him the world might be saved.

(Jn 3:17, Jerusalem Bible)

The depth of God’s love is seen in the way this plan was executed. Even though He knows best, God will not force us to be saved. It would have been so easy for God to will that all humanity accept the message of Jesus and be saved. However, if He did that, He would remove an important gift he had given to all human beings: free will. He wants us to choose to be saved. Jesus was sent to show us the way to reconciliation. He will present to us what will lead to salvation and what would lead to condemnation. However, he is not here to convict us. Let me explain this with an analogy from the production line. Jesus presents us the criteria for quality control, but he is not the one that decides whether the products passes or not. He is not here to convict us. What convicts us is our choice.

No one who believes in him will be condemned;

but whoever refuses to believe is condemned already,

because he has refused to believe
in the name of God’s only Son.

(Jn 3:18, Jerusalem Bible)

Many people misunderstand this verse because of the English translation. The original Greek word for the word condemn means separate in the sense of sorting one thing from another. It was used in a legal sense to refer to separating truth from falsehood, or separating right from wrong. In that sense it can mean to judge. Jesus’s words mean that either you are saved or not saved. There is no middle ground: either you are saved or are separated from the saved. The translators of the Jerusalem Bible chose the word condemned as the opposite of saved. So if one believes in Jesus, he or she will be saved. If one does not believe, that person would then not be saved. There is also the either-or dynamic in the question of belief. The original phrasing of the Greek implies that the person has ruled out any means of believing. It is expressed here in the English as refused to believe. The whole idea of this verse could be expressed thus: Jesus presents the way. A person who is presented the way chooses to believe in the way or refuses to believe in the way. That choice would bring that person to salvation or condemnation. Many people ask: What about the people who had no opportunity to know Jesus? All I can say is that this verse does not refer to that group of people. Theologians speculate the various possibilities. I would simply state that the God who loves would find a way to present the way and allow the person to choose.

What has this got to do with the Holy Trinity? We say that God is Love. Love is something relational. Love cannot be present in an individual person existing in isolation; there must be at least two persons relating to each other. If God is love, then God is not one person in isolation. God is one God and yet not a single person. Within God, there is a relationship of persons. How is this so? As human beings, we will not be able to understand how there are three persons in one God. However the truth of God as Trinity is revealed to us by Jesus. In our Gospel passage today we learn of God sending His Son. In Jn 14:26, we learn of the Father sending the Paraclete, the Holy Spirit in the Son’s name. It is from various parts of the gospels that reveal that God is Trinity. The first Christians came to understand that God is one and yet three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. We see this as early as in St. Paul who uses the names of the Holy Trinity to greet his friends in his letters.

The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God 

and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all.
(2 Cor 13:13, Jerusalem Bible)

Does this sound familiar? It was used as the greeting at Mass before 2011. The  present greeting uses the word communion instead of fellowship. When we use the word fellowship nowadays, we think of a social event. The life of the Persons of the Trinity is more than just a matter of social gathering. The three Persons of the Trinity live in one another. We use the word communion to describe the dynamic relationship of the persons in the Holy Trinity. Actually the Greek word found in St. Paul’s letter, koinonia, can also be translated into communion. Thus a more appropriate translation for the use at the Mass would be communion instead of fellowship. The word communion is very suitable because the body of Christ we receive is also called Holy Communion. The Eucharist we receive is the sign that we are participating in the communion relationship found in the Triune God. Thus, the communion I receive is not simply for me; it is meant for me to be part of the community we call the Church.

God loves and he wants us to be saved because He loves us. Being saved also means that we become reconciled and united in a relationship with God. So next time we make the sign of the cross, consider if we have made a choice to live the life of love that is God.

2020年天主圣三主日

格雷考 / Public domain

小时候，我有一个朋友，他最喜欢若望福音第三章第十六节。它可在本周主日的福音经文：

天主竟这样爱了世界，甚至赐下了自己的独生子，
使凡信他的人不至丧亡，反而获得永生，

天父派遣耶稣到世上的原因最终是爱。在今天的读经一中我们读到一个充满爱的天主。

雅威，雅威是慈悲宽仁的天主，
缓于发怒，富于慈爱忠诚，（出34：6）

已经在梅瑟时代，以色列人民知道他们的天主是个温柔和同情的天主。这温柔而富有同情心的天主计划拯救世界。他创造了人类，但人类谋反了祂。结果，我们与天主所赐的生命和恩典分离了。但是，天主的爱是持久的。祂派圣子来教导我们与他和好的方法。

因为天主没有派遣子到世界上来审判世界，
而是为叫世界藉着他而获救。（若3：17）

从天主怎样执行这个计划，我们可以看出天主深刻的爱。即使祂是全知全能，天主不会以强迫来拯救我们。只要天主愿意，祂能很容易地使全人类都接受耶稣的喜讯而被得救。但是，如果祂那样做，祂将除掉祂赐给人类的重要恩典：自由意志。祂希望我们选择救援。耶稣被派遣向我们显示与天主和好的道路。祂将表明什么引领我们致救赎，什么引领我们致致审判。耶稣并不是来定我们的罪。让我以制造业做一个比方来解释这一点。耶稣像那立下品质管制准则的负责人。祂不是那决定产品是否能不能通过的人。祂不是在这里定罪我们。定罪的是由于我们的选择。

那信从他的，不受审判；
那不信的，已受了审判，
因为他没有信从天主独生子的名字。（若3：18）

许多人误解了这节经文。中文经文用的词是「审判」。原本希腊文字的意思是「分别」或「分类」。从法律上，「审判」也含有分别是非，或分别对错的意思。耶稣的话指的是我们或被得救。或不被得救。没有中半的立场：或我们站在被得救的一组，或分开站在没有被得救的那一组。耶稣表示了与天主和好的道路。那选择相信耶稣和祂的话的人，选择了被得救。那选择不相信耶稣和祂的话的人，选择拒绝耶稣和的话。这人选择了被审判，选择拒绝救恩。可见，「审判」原来的意思不表示耶稣作法官判罪。会有人问：那些没有机会认识耶稣的人呢？我只能说，这经文并不谈到这一群人。神学家推测各种可能性。我的感想是：一个爱人类的天主一定会把喜讯传到每一个人，也给每一个人机会选择。天主有祂的方法办得到。

这与天主圣三有什么关系呢？天主就是爱。爱不能存在于孤立存在的一个人中；必须至少有两个彼此相关的人。如果天主是爱，那么天主不可能是单独一位。天主是独一，却不是一位。天主怎样又是独一，又是三位，是人无法了解的奥迹然而，耶稣向我们启示了天主是三位一体的真理。在这主日福音里，我们听到天主派遣了圣子。在若14：26，我们读到圣父因圣子的名派遣了护慰者：圣神。福音也在不同的地方揭示了天主是三位一体。最初的基督徒也相信这三位一体的真理。圣保禄使用圣三之名在信中问候他的朋友。

愿主耶稣基督的恩宠，和天主的爱情，
以及圣神的相通，常与你们众人相偕。
（格后13：13）

我们也在弥撒开始时利用相似的字。原本的希腊的经文里，我们在这节读到的词「相通」可使用「共融」。「圣神的共融」也含有重要的意义。圣神使饼酒变成基督圣体圣血。领圣体是我们教友愿意共融一体的标记。因此，我所领的圣体不只是为我个人而领；也是为耶稣基督奥体，称着教会的基督徒团体而领的。

天主爱我们，希望我们被得救。得救也等于与天主和好，与天主团结。因此，下一次我们做十字圣号时，请考虑我们是否已选择过着一个充满天主的爱的生活。

Pentecost Sunday 2020

Gian Lorenzo Bernini / Public domain

It is often remarked that the coming of the Holy Spirit is the counter to the Tower of Babel. In the story of the Tower of Babel, God scattered humanity throughout the world by giving human beings different languages. The effect of the Holy Spirit on Pentecost was that people from different places could understand the one message of the disciples.

When one considers the Christians living in different parts of the world, we are united under the banner of Christ because, like the people in Jerusalem that first Pentecost, we believe in the same one message of Christ. For Catholics, the signs of this unity is even more evident. When we go to a different country, e.g. Italy, where the culture and language are different, we find that we are able to follow in the Eucharistic celebration. The rites are the same, despite the differences in the language. We might not be able to recite the prayers in the same language, but we are reasonably sure that we are reciting the Lord’s Prayer, or the Lamb of God. It is the same Spirit that makes us children of God by the same one sacrament of baptism. When we sin, we estrange ourselves from God and other Christians, and are in need of reconciliation. In the gospel reading today, we hear Jesus breathing on the apostles and telling them to “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (Jn 20:23) Jesus continues to tell them that they have the power to forgive sins. Catholics believe that it is here that Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation. It can be seen that the Holy Spirit enables the obstacles to unity to be removed.

Many of the obstacles to unity are not physical ones. How often have we experienced being in a room of people and yet feel lonely? Connection to others may not be present because of shyness, and shyness is not a physical barrier. In this time when we are encouraged to practise social distancing for the good of everyone, we can use other means to connect. Although these ways of connecting may not be ideal, our care and concern for the common good and for others is a sign that we are connected. When we are indifferent to the situation, and are concerned only with our desires and opinions, we become obstacles to unity.

Feeling frustrated is perhaps normal during this difficult time of dealing with the pandemic. However, frustration can lead us to feel hopeless. When we feel this hopelessness, we stop trusting in God and start to suggest what God could do to make things better. Perhaps it would be better for us to allow the Holy Spirit to help us, especially in prayer, to have greater faith that God has things under control. Let us ask the Holy Spirit to strengthen our virtue of hope that despite the difficult times we are in, we are confident that God will lead us to where he wants us. Let us also open our hearts to the love that God the Holy Spirit wants to activate in us, so that this love may be the cause of the unity among us who profess Christ as saviour.

Have a Holy Pentecost!

2020年五旬主日

济安·贝尼尼 / 公共领域

有人认为圣神的降临是巴贝耳的相反。在巴贝耳塔的故事中，天主赋予人类不同的语言，将人类散布于世界各地。圣神却在五旬节时，让来自各地方的人能理解门徒的唯一喜讯。

当我思虑着世界各地区的基督徒时，我感到惊讶。就像当时五旬节的耶路撒冷人民一样，我们听到了同样的喜讯，承认耶稣是救主，因此成为上主的子民。这种团结的迹象在我们天主教友更加明显。当我们去另一个国家时，例如意大利，虽然语言不同，但是我们能够跟随弥撒的过程。这是因为仪式都是一样的。我们虽然有可能无法以同样的语言，但我们有把握地确定弥撒时正在念天主经或羔羊颂。是同一圣神使我们成为同一受洗的天主子女。当我们犯罪时，我们与天主和基督内的兄弟姐妹疏远。那时我们需要和解。在今天的福音我们听到耶稣向宗徒嘘了一口气，并告诉他们「领受圣神。」（若20：23）耶稣又告诉他们，他们有能力宽恕罪恶。天主教徒相信耶稣在这里立下了和好圣事。可以看出，圣神消除团结的障碍。

团结的许多障碍不是物质的障碍。我们有多少次在一个充满人的房间里感到孤独？由于害羞，可能不会与他人建立联系，而害羞不是个物质的障碍。在这时期，为了大家的安全我们需要保持社交距离。这并不等于引起了团结的障碍，我们可以使用其他的方式。当然，这些方式并不理想，但我们对共同利益和对他人的关心是我们与别人联系紧密的标志。当我们对周围的情形不关紧要，而只关心自己的愿望和见解时，我们就会成为团结的障碍。

当我们面对着疫病的艰难时，感到沮丧可能是正常的。但是，沮丧会使我们感到绝望。当我们感到绝望时，就不再信任天主，而开始向天主提出怎样使事情变得更好。也许更好的选择就是让圣神帮助我们，尤其在祈祷时，使我们有更强的信心，相信天主会控制一切。让我们请圣神加强我们的望德。即使我们处于困难时期，确信天主会带领我们到达祂想要我们去的地方。让我们也展开我们的心灵。天主圣神愿意在我们心灵里激活天主所赐给我们的爱，使这爱成为我们自称基督为救主的教友能团结的理由。

祝大家一个神圣的五旬降临节！

7th Sunday of Easter 2020 (World Communications Day)

Mimooh / CC BY-SA

This weekend, I would like to share my reflections on the message that Pope Francis wrote early this year for the occasion of World Communications Day. This year he dedicated his message to the topic of story telling. In 2006, I was privileged to attend the Asian Mission Congress in Chiangmai, Thailand. The theme was “The Story of Jesus in Asia: a Celebration of Faith and Life.” The then Bishop Tagle (who is now Prefect of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples) made the keynote address entitled, “Mission in Asia: Telling the Story of Jesus.” Both this address and Pope Francis's message admit that human beings are story tellers. While Cardinal Tagle's address focused on the role of story telling in mission, Pope Francis focuses on the story itself.

Pope Francis's message focuses on five points. Let me share my reflections on each of these points.The first point is about weaving stories. The pope explains that our lives revolve round stories. We are influenced by them; we use them to tell others who we are; we use them to protect our lives; we use them to motivate ourselves in the challenges of life. My father was a great story teller. He was only fourteen when the Japanese attacked and eventually occupied Singapore. A few months before the Japanese Occupation, my grandfather had died and my father became the man of the house. He used to tell me about a family friend who was pursued by the Japanese soldiers and the various ways he eluded capture. He told me how he survived during the occupation when his family lived to Senai in Johore. Those stories told me the kind of experiences, both good and bad, that he had gone through. His stories convinced me not to complain too much. My life was more privileged than my father's. Whenever I can, I will relate my experiences in my homilies, hoping that they would help to motivate others to be more Christian despite the challenges in our present era. Yet, the stories we tell are double edged swords. They may reinforce our identities and they may leave us vulnerable to those who would wish to hurt us.

In his second point, Pope Francis reminds us that evil can enter into stories. Stories laced with half truths can lure us into a false security which can lead to tragic results. Stories that tell us that wealth is the only thing that can lead us to happiness are not telling us the complete truth. I remember one man who worked very hard to provide comforts for his family. Then, within a week, his business failed and he lost almost everything. He had been the owner of a business but now he had to seek employment. He had to sell his detached house to pay his debts. During the few weeks he was going and out of the house for interviews, he had the opportunity to spend time with his young children. His young son remarked that he was happy despite not having a big house because he was having fun with his daddy. This struck the man very hard because, as he explained to me later, he had never realised that his children preferred to spend time with him rather than having nice things. This man’s sharing has strengthened my understanding of Jesus's beatitude: Happy are the poor in spirit. It has also reminded me that there are falsehoods in the marketing statements in many advertisements. There is no certainty that using a certain product or brand will bring about happiness or success.

The third point Pope Francis writes about is the Scriptures. He calls it the Story of Stories. As Catholics, we believe that God is the creator of all, including the stories of the summit of God’s creation: humanity. If our own stories help us forge our own identities, then the Story of Stories forges our identities, not merely as God’s creatures but as God’s children. As Catholics we believe that the Bible is the Word of God. We believe that the Bible is God’s revelation of Himself. Instead of waiting for us to seek Him out, God seeks us out and tells us about Himself. He tells us how much He loved His chosen people, Israel, in the Old Testament. The Gospels relate the story of Jesus. Jesus Himself uses stories in the form of parables when teaching. The acts of Jesus reveal to us the just but compassionate Son of God. Through the Gospels, we are able to come to know the person of Jesus. When we use the Gospel  to pray, we develop and, in time, strengthen our relationship with Jesus.

The fourth point reminds us that there are generations of people who have had connected with Jesus in faith. The first persons were the apostles which we read in The Acts of the Apostles. The letters that form part of the New Testament also reveal the stories of the first Christians and how they relied on Jesus. From there, in history, we have many saints that have lived their lives connected to Jesus. Their stories can also help us in our relationship with God and His Son. The Pope also mentions more recent titles that were not written by saints but help us understand the human condition.

Finally, the Pope arrives at the point of stories and communication. Our stories are not pre-written. The way our stories move depends on the decisions in our lives. There would be wrong decisions that might cause our lives to become more tragic. However, there are also decisions that we can make that might bring more light to the story we weave. In his words, the Pope reminds us that even though our lives may seem like a boring tragic drama found in many of the fictitious stories that flood the world today, we can re-direct our stories by making decisions with God and Jesus. God has given us many opportunities to redeem ourselves by the redemptive grace won for us by Jesus. A quarter of a century ago, I stood in front of the late Archbishop Gregory Yong, making promises that could be easily broken. In fact, every time I allow a lustful thought to enter my mind, I am transgressing the vow of celibacy that I made. Every time I grumble about a decision my superior makes, I am breaking the promise of obedience to the bishop. Yet, God has continued to be part of my story, enabling me to remain a presbyter despite the struggles I experience in my life. Without admitting God and Jesus in my story, my story would have been the predictable tragedy that we can read in cheap novels. However, with God, I can still hope that there would be a happier ending to the story that is me. Every time we make use of the cellphone or the internet to tell our story, we make use of the modern tools of communication to evangelise.

2020年复活期第七主日（世界界传播日）

Mimooh / CC BY-SA

这主日，我想分享我对教宗方济各今年年初为世界传播日所写的文告。今年世界传播日文告专注于「讲故事」。2006年，我荣幸地参加了在泰国清迈举行的亚洲福传大会。大会主题是「耶稣在亚洲的故事：信仰和生命的颂赞。」当时的达克利主教（现为万民福音传播部部长）作了专题演讲，题为「在亚洲传讲耶稣的故事」。这个专题演讲和方济各教宗的文告都承认人类都会讲故事。达克利枢机讲的重点是讲故事在福传中的作用，而教宗的焦点是故事本身。

方济各教宗的文告主要集中在五个方面。让我跟大家分享我在每个观点所反省的。第一点是编织故事。教宗解释说，我们的生活围绕故事展开。我们受到它们的影响；我们利用它们来告诉别人我们是谁；我们用它们来保护我们的生命；我们用它们来激励自己应对生活中的挑战。我父亲很棒讲故事。当日本攻击和占领新加坡时，他只有十四岁。日本占领前几个月，我的祖父去世了。因为我父亲是长子，所以承担了照顾家人的责任。他曾经告诉我关于一个被日军追逐的家友，以及他逃避被抓的各种方式。他也讲到家人在柔佛州的士乃时如何生存。这些故事告诉我他经验过的各种好与坏的事。他的故事说服我不要一致埋怨。我的生活比父亲好的很多。我尽量在讲道时，叙述自己的经验，希望能帮助鼓励教友，在今世充满挑战的请款下，成为更诚信的基督徒。然而，我们所讲的故事是双刃剑。它们可能坚强我们，也会可能使我们容易受到伤害。

教宗的第二点提醒我们邪恶能渗入故事。带有半真相的故事会诱使我们陷入虚假的安全感，引领我们向一个悲惨的结果。有些故事告诉我们财富是唯一能让我们获得幸福的。这些故事都是半真相的故事。我记起一个人，为家庭的安慰而努力地工作。然而，在一周内，他的生意失败了，他几乎失去了一切。他曾是一个老板，但现在他不得不寻找工作。他卖掉他的平房屋子来偿还债务。在工作面试的几个星期时，他有机会与孩子们在一起。他的年纪小小的儿子说，虽然他没有大房子，但是仍然很快乐，因为他正在和爸爸玩。这动了爸爸的心。他爸爸稍后对我解释，他没有想到自己的孩子为了要跟爸爸在一起，宁可不要美好的事物。这个人的分享使我对耶稣八福之一：「神贫的人是有福的」更深的了解。也提醒了我，许多广告中存有虚假的陈述。使用某种产品或品牌，不能确定带来幸福或成功。

方济各教宗文告里的第三点是关于圣经。他称圣经为所有故事的故事。作为天主教徒，我们相信天主是万物的创造者。这也包括人类的故事，因为人也是天主造的。如果我们自己的故事可以帮助我们树立自己的身份，那么所有故事的故事就可以树立我们在天主眼中的身份。我们的身份不仅是天主的造物，而是天主的儿女。作为天主教徒，我们相信圣经是天主的圣言。我们相信天主以圣经启示了自己。天主并没有等待我们寻找祂，而是天主寻找我们，向我们启示了自己。在旧约里，祂告诉我们祂多么爱护祂拣选的民以色列。福音讲述了耶稣的故事。耶稣自己使用寓言作为故事来施教。耶稣的作为向我们揭示了祂是个公义也是有同情心的天主子。通过福音，我们能够认识耶稣。当我们使用福音祈祷时，我们会使到我们与耶稣的关系得到发展和加强。

第四点提醒我们，可有几代人在信仰上与耶稣有联系。首先是宗徒大事录里说读到的宗徒。新约里的书信告诉我们初期教友的故事让我们了解他们怎样依靠耶稣的教导。在历史上，也有好多圣人的故事讲述他们与耶稣的关系，帮助我们怎样地与天主和圣子建立关系。教宗还提到了许多最近不是圣人所写的故事，它们也可以帮助我们了解人类现世的状况。

最后，教综谈到故事和传播的重点。我们的故事不是预先写好的。我们故事的方向是靠我们生活中所做的决定。当然，错的决定可能会使我们的生活变得更加悲惨。不过，我们有能力做出转变生活方向的决定，使我们编织的故事带来更多的喜乐。教宗提醒我们不要容易气馁。即使我们的生活看起来像是一场无聊的虚拟悲剧，我们仍然可以通过天主和耶稣做出端正的决定，使我们能重新转变我们故事的方向。天主赐给了我们好多机会，藉着耶稣所赢得的救赎恩典来赎回自己。二十五年前，我站在杨瑞元总主教面前，许下容易违背的诺言。实际上，每当我允许一个欲情的思想进入心里时，我就违背了独身的誓言。每当我对上司的决定发牢骚时，我违背了服从主教的承诺。然而，天主仍然在我故事里，让我在种种的挑战中，能继续当师铎。如果没有让天主和耶稣成为我故事中的一份，我的故事有可能会变成在廉价小说中可预测的悲剧。但是，与天主在一起，我仍有希望，我的故事会有美好的结局。当我们与别人分享耶稣怎样在我们生活中协助了我们时，我们正视传播我们的故事。今天我们所利用的手机或电脑，就是我们传播福音的用具。