昔日文章

With these words, Jesus gave Peter and the Church the responsibility to “feed” His lambs both in His Word and the Holy Eucharist. In Mt 28: 16-20, Jesus gave the mission of “teaching everything He had commanded” to the apostles.  We rejoice in God that He has given us a new pope to feed and teach us His Truth. This is the beauty of the Catholic Church. Jesus assured us that we will not be left without a shepherd and that He will protect us from error. In the Catholic Church it is called Papal Infallibility. It is one of those teachings that really troubles non-Catholics, particularly Protestants. How can a man not make mistakes? Sometimes they even think that we believe that the pope could not sin.  Papal infallibility is not about the pope not sinning or making mistakes. He will do both, except when he teaches, “ex cathedra ”, in union with the bishops, in matters of faith and morals.  Let me break it down.  He teaches “ex cathedra ”, literally “from the chair [of Peter].” It is another way of saying “from the office of” or “exercising the authority of”.  In matters of faith and morals, only. Let’s say the pope gets up one morning and has Chinese deep fried dough（油條） for breakfast and says, “It is so good. Everyone should have it for breakfast every day.” He would be absolutely correct (!) but we are NOT required to accept it as Catholic moral teaching. Particularly, we would not sin if we don’t do it.  What we believe is that, in matters of faith and morals, because they deal with the Truth God wants us to know about, He will protect US from a pope teaching in error. It is really a gift to the Church and the pope is the one to exercise it. It is meant to correct errors, particularly misleading and confusing rumors. Read Acts 15. The early Church had a controversy; someone taught that one has to be circumcised before Baptism. St. Paul went to Jerusalem to consult with the apostles. Peter led the discussion and settled the issue. Then a letter was sent back with St. Paul in which was this phrase: “some of our number without any mandate from us have upset you with their teachings and disturbed your peace of mind.” (Acts 15:24) and “It is the decision of the holy Spirit and of us...” (Acts 15:28). That was the first time in recorded Church history that the apostles, led by St. Peter, clarified teachings of the Church in fulfillment of Jesus’ command, “Peter…. I have prayed that your own faith may not fail; and ….. you must strengthen your brothers.” (Lk. 22:32) St. Paul later said this, “But how can they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how can they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone to preach? And how can people preach unless they are sent ?” (Rom 10:14-15). This sending was important from the very beginning of the Church. It is even part of the Mass: “Ite Missa est” “Go, you are sent!” We are sent to speak, in the name of Jesus, the whole Truth. In that sense, if we remain faithful to the Church’s teachings, we share the same infallibility because what is infallible is the teaching itself.   

  Are you a fan of the teddy bear, Winnie-the-Pooh? The above quotation was taken from “The House at Pooh Corner”, the second volume of stories about Winnie-the-Pooh. The first collection was called “Winnie-the- Pooh”. Both were written by Alan Alexander Milne (1882 - 1956) and illustrated by E. H. Shepard.  Milne, an English author, wrote novels, poems, plays and children’s stories. It was his books about Winnie-the-Pooh that made him one of the world’s greatest children’s story tellers.  Milne named Winnie-the-Pooh, also called “Pooh” or “Pooh Bear”, after a toy bear owned by his son, Christopher Robin Milne. Pooh was “born” in 1925 and is over 85 years old now. Pooh had a lot of good friends in the story. Can you name a few? They included the little boy Christopher Robin, and other animals like the pig Piglet, the donkey Eeyore, the tiger Tigger, the kangaroo Kanga, and the young kangaroo Roo.  Though Pooh has little brains and does a lot of silly things, he is the world’s most loved bear. The stories tell us of Pooh’s adventures with his friends in the forest. From their adventures, we learn that love, friendship, loyalty, and generosity are the really important things in our daily lives.  Have you ever read the Pooh stories? They have been translated into many languages and adapted into plays, songs, films and television shows. When Disney adapted the Pooh stories into a series of feature films, it dropped the hyphens in the character’s name – Winnie the Pooh.  Illustrated: 加入插圖 Novels: 小說 Little brains: 智力不高 Loyalty: 忠誠 Generosity: 慷慨 Disney: 迪士尼 Feature films: 電影故事影片  

Last month, I have finally obtained my Postgraduate Diploma. I am not particularly excited about that, however I am more thankful to those who have helped and walked with me during my studies in Germany. Further studies provide an opportunity to improve one's ability and a chance to know oneself better.  I recalled once a youngster told me he was forced to learn piano. I well understand that music can be a hobby if you appreciate, but to learn any instrument, seriously you need to love music genuinely（真誠地）. I have to admit that my encounter with piano has affected my personality; patience is needed when learning a new piece of music and nothing can be done without practice and try-out. I believe that music can change people's mind and to fill their heart with warmth and happiness regardless of which genres（派別） they belong. This is something that cannot be described in words but to be felt.  To all instrumental beginners, being able to play a song has a sense of contentment（滿足）but to practice it diligently is not a pleasant thing. Usually you practice alone and may appear highly boring; if one can overcome this process, there is nothing to be afraid of. Moreover, musicians won't always play alone, they will also get along and play chamber music. For me, making music with friends is one of the best moments in life because I know I am not alone. Playing chamber music is like debating. During rehearsal each player may have different opinions or interpretations, but when everyone has reached a consensus（共識）, every part will fit in perfectly. There are times when only ten fingers and one mind are not enough.   

“O death, where is your victory?  O death, where is your sting?” (1 Cor. 15:55)  This Sunday is Divine Mercy Sunday. Last time I wrote, we reflected upon the love Jesus had for us, and that love was to be witnessed by married couples in their total giving of themselves to each other as gifts of God. (Eph 5:21-33) This week, we reflect upon the great message of the Resurrection of Jesus as the sure sign of God’s mercy.  Let me begin with the word “Alleluia” or “Hallel-u-Yah”. It came from the Hebrew meaning “Praise Yahweh (God)!” Hallel is a set of six psalms (113-118) sung to praise God particularly at Passover for deliverance from slavery in Egypt. It is usually chanted, and begins with “Ba-ruch A-tah Ado-nai E-lo-he-nu Me-lech ha-olam” “Blessed are You, Lord our God, King of the universe.” It is fitting that we use it to praise God for His great mercy. Jesus, the Passover Victim, by His Death and Resurrection, has freed us from slavery to sin.  When He appeared to the apostles in the Upper Room on Easter Sunday, He said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” He breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” (Jn 20:21- 23)  The apostles were sent to forgive sins! Justice demands punishment due to sin. Yet Jesus goes beyond the just due of sin. He wants to forgive. “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.” ( Jn 3:17)  Blessed Pope John Paul pointed out the Mercy puts a limit on Justice. That is, in God, mercy begins where justice ends. Justice could go only so far to restore the disorder caused by sin. Mercy heals what justice cannot.  Let me try to explain it this way. I have stolen $10 from you. Justice demands that I pay back the $10. When that is done, justice is served. But how do I restore the broken relationship? Only you can forgive me. Forgiveness is in your hands. You may choose not to forgive. It is your prerogative. Your mercy allows me to be friends with you again.  This is what is missing in our world. We often demand justice but refuse to be merciful (forgiving). We let the original injustice continue to hurt us. That is the greater damage of sin. The damage of sin is often more than just the surface damage done by injustice. Jesus wants us to go beyond that. He wants our relationship to be whole again. That is what devotion to the Divine Mercy of God does. “Jesus, I trust in You!” Trusting in Jesus means that we must also risk being hurt again. For the sake of the greater gift of relationship, we trust that Jesus will heal the offender as well as the offended.  Over and over again, God forgives the Jewish people for their unfaithfulness to Him because though freed, they still act like slaves. Ultimately, Jesus came to restore Israel by His own death on the Cross, and on the eighth day, Easter Sunday, the First Day of a New Seven Days (New Creation), established the New Israel.  (It is precisely in this miraculous mercy of Jesus that married couples can forgive each other, even of adultery, and that the Church teaches that there is no divorce.)  In order for us to truly sing Alleluia, let us heal our brokenness by forgiving those who have sinned against us. Let our love for each other be born again!