昔日文章

Do you remember the story of the Tower of Babel in the book of Genesis, how God confused the language of the people and they scattered all over the world? (Gen. 11:1-9)  What was their motive?  They wanted to build a tower to reach the sky to “make a name for themselves.” (Gen. 11:4) They wanted to be remembered as someone who has accomplished something memorable. They were afraid that they might be forgotten.  Isn’t that something we all want to achieve, to be remembered? Yet, all of our achievements will not be remembered.  Consider all the championships of any sport, the records in the Guinness book of records, the winners of the Nobel Prizes, etc. For a moment, they were on everybody’s lips, at least of those who cared and were interested, but for how long?  Yet, truth be told, every achievement is there to be bested, someone else to do something bigger, greater, faster, better, etc.  The most important part of this competitive spirit is the desire itself, the yearning for something more, something above normal, something beyond nature. In other words, the desire for the supernatural. And this desire is written into our soul. Philosophers tell us that this desire is really the proof of existence of God and that we are created by Him. He has put an imprint in our hearts that only He who is supernatural, infinite, omniscient can satisfy.  St. Paul, in the Letter to the Romans said this, “For what can be known about God is evident to them, because God made it evident to them. Ever since the creation of the world, his invisible attributes of eternal power and divinity have been able to be understood and perceived in what he has made. ….. for although they knew God they did not accord him glory as God or give him thanks. Instead …… They exchanged the truth of God for a lie and revered and worshiped the creature rather than the creator, who is blessed forever.” (Rom. 1:19-25)  I would like to introduce you to Matthew Kelly. He wrote the book “Rediscover Catholicism” in which he tells us that Jesus came to help us to discover a better version of ourselves. It is not a very difficult book to read and is filled with very encouraging topics.  He points out that in our modern world, for many reasons we cannot fully understand, mainly because of Original Sin, we settle for mediocrity. Even our best goals and expectations are short-sighted. We are unhappy because we don’t aim high enough and we do not look to Jesus as inspiration. We are distracted by worldly goals.  Jesus came to satisfy that hunger. I can be fed and feel full. I can be quenched and no longer thirst. I can see and be overwhelmed by beauty. This is the mission of Jesus. The final destiny is Heaven. But, He is the fullness of life, NOW.  Again, St. Paul wrote: “AT PRESENT we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but THEN face to face. AT PRESENT I know partially; THEN I shall know fully, as I am fully known.” (1Cor. 13:12) Make sure to pay attention to the “AT PRESENT” and “THEN”.  The real desire of our hearts is not to achieve materially and presently. Our greatest hunger is to LOVE because God is love. I can love and know that I am loved.  Blessed Mother Teresa said and did just that. St. Therese, the Little Flower, taught that. All the saints lived that in their lives. That’s why they are saints and their lives, somehow, capture our hearts. All that is required of us is to imitate them. 

We call the places where our Lord Jesus lived, preached and died for us the Holy Land（聖地）. It is in present-day Israel, in the Middle East. If you go to the Holy Land, which place do you wish to see most of all? Is it Bethlehem（白冷）, where Baby Jesus was born? Or Nazareth（納匝肋）, where He grew up? May be you want to go to the Sea of Galilee（加里肋亞海）, to sail in a boat on the water Jesus walked. You will remember how He calmed a storm and multiplied five loaves and two fishes to feed a multitude of five thousand. Perhaps you would like to trace His final steps on earth, along the Way of Sorrow（苦路） in Jerusalem where He carried His cross, to the site of His crucifixion. You may wish to pray at His tomb from which He rose from the dead, where now the Church of the Holy Sepulchre （聖墓大殿） stands. It will be the greatest experience of all! One day, if you have the chance to go to the Holy Land, follow the footsteps of Jesus with faith and love in your heart; visit the beautiful churches on these holy sites, and come back full of blessings. 

Oscar Pistorius did not win the 400 meters in the 2012 Olympic Games. Where did he win a gold medal in a 400 meters event? In the 2012 Paralympics with the time of 46.68 seconds, and the 400 relay in 41.78, both new records. To any runner, the relay event is a much tougher race. It requires not only that each individual runs his best, but that he also has a flawless exchange of the baton.  Similarly, in the Catholic Church, the hope of our faith is not just an individual desire. Jesus gave us the Church as His Mystical Body. Take a few moments to read Eph 4: 1-6. In verse 3, St. Paul tells us that we have ONE call, “striving to preserve the UNITY of the spirit through the bond of peace.” This UNITY, he continued throughout his letters, is for us to be together in the unity of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Because we are created in His image, we are to be like Him. This, God intends to achieve, for us all, through His Son’s dying on the Cross. We adore You, O Christ. Because by Your Holy Cross, You have redeemed the world. The Cross, to us Catholics, is our source of Hope. To me, it seems very strange, that non-Catholic Christians let go of the Crucifix and opt for a simple Cross to emphasize the Resurrected Christ. When we look at the Crucifix, we are reminded of the price of Love and the Promise that comes with it. This is our worth. I’d like to digress here a bit. When I work with people with depression, however temporary or long term it may be, I try to draw them back to the Cross. “Look at the Cross each day,” I tell them. “Know that you are loved, and think about what you mean to Jesus.” A person depressed looks at everything hopelessly. But the Cross gives them an anchor on hope that they do not have by themselves. That is why Christianity is so essential to struggling people, whatever the cause of hardship.  “I will never forget you, my people.” (Is. 49) So, when we study the Bible, the retelling (therefore, history) of God’s intervention into the lives of the Jewish people, we can call them the “chosen people of God.” They are chosen not because of any particular privilege or status. They are chosen because God wants to use them to be His instrument, His teaching tool, to tell the whole world of His love for us. In the New Testament, God completes His lesson – with His Son and the appointing of the Church as the New Israel. Now, there are no national or ethic boundaries. All are restored in Christ. Through Baptism, we have now become the Chosen People of God. On our part, we must run our relay with focus. We must be sure that we do not run only our leg of the relay, even if at our very best. We must also make sure to hand on the baton, the most difficult part of the race. And the Church has been doing it for 2000 years! Not always successfully, faithfully, with dedication or lovingly. Yet, in every age is the same Call, the same Vocation, because God is faithful, dedicated and loving. That is the amazing story of God. He does not abandon us even when we fail. He keeps urging us to strive on. He will not give up on us even when we give up on ourselves or others. This is why the Christian “mentality” is so different from other religions; and also different is the affect they have on the culture, which I’d like to write on next. 

Did you watch Oscar Pistorius run in the 400 meters at the London Olympic Games this summer? What an athlete! Wouldn’t you want to be an Olympian too? I thought about it. I think I will train for the 2016 Games in Brazil. What do you think? Would I succeed? The fact is, no matter how hard I may try, I would not qualify. I don’t think I would qualify even for Special Olympics. If I try at all and think that somehow I would succeed, I would be labeled as a dreamer, out of my mind or a wishful thinker. It would not be from lack of effort. It would be from lack of reality. What is the difference between wishful thinking and hope? Hope is attainable. Which could be real for me? Entering the Olympic Games as a competing athlete or going to Heaven? You got it. Because going to Heaven is possible for me and for everyone. That is the hope PROMISED by Jesus. Hope builds on the foundation that comes from faith. And remember, faith comes from a person, The Person that made a Promise and His Promise is True. Consider these quotes from St. Paul: Rom 8:24 “Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.” 1 Cor 2:9 “Eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, what has not entered the human heart, what God has prepared for those who love him.” 2 Cor 4:17-18 “…we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.” 1 Cor 13: 9-10, 12 “For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. …. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but THEN face to face. At present I know partially; THEN I shall know fully, as I am fully known.” And this one from St. John: 1 John 3:2-3 “Beloved, we are God's children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on Him makes himself pure, as he is pure.” Our hope of eternal life with God is certain if we walk the Way of Jesus. So “hope” is not something we “think” about, but a goal we strive to attain.  St. Paul actually used the Olympics as his example in 1 Cor 9:24-25 “Do you not know that the runners in the stadium all run in the race, but only one wins the prize? Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one.” He knew what the Olympics was about. It started in Greece! And in 2 Tim 4:7-8 he said, “I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.” Indeed, imagine the discipline each athlete goes through to prepare for competition. If only we gave a small amount of care and dedication to our spiritual life, the diet, the schedule of practice, listening to the coach, the persistence …..  More next week.