原文|Bishop Barron
翻译|Carrie

朋友们，今天的福音包含了耶稣的几个更广为人知的比喻。我想说说这个：“天国好像一个寻找完美珍珠的商人…”

 

这个比喻要说的是什么？就是天国常常是具有中断性的，是一种突破、一种激进的变革、一个惊喜。

 

我们一旦找到了这颗珍珠，就必须放弃其他的一切。我们必须卖掉其他所有的当务之急、一切牵挂、所有我们曾经看作是生活重心的人和事。我们必须放弃这一切。耶稣的表述带有毫无妥协余地的意思。

 

Friends, our Gospel for today includes several of Jesus' better-known parables. I'd like to comment on this one: "Again the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant searching for fine pearls..."

 

What does this tell us? That there is often something interruptive about the Kingdom of God. It is a breakthrough, a radical change, a surprise.

 

Once we find the pearl, everything else must go. We must "sell" all of our other preoccupations and concerns, all those things and people that we once put in the center of our lives. They must go. There is something uncompromising to what Jesus is getting at.

 

朋友们，今天的福音是玛尔大和玛利亚的故事。关于这个著名的小故事，我想提供一个全新的解释。耶稣的教诲和传道工作的主要标志之一是颠覆社会惯例，而祂的最突出、最惊人的举动之一就是激进性地接纳女性。

 

那个年代通常在女人忙活之际，男人们都会坐在屋子的主客厅内聊天。如果某位声名显赫的拉比或法利塞人在场，男人们会围坐在其脚前听其讲话。

 

由此我们可以理解为什么玛利亚的态度令玛尔大以及在场的其他人如此恼火。玛尔大生气的原因不单单在于玛利亚让她承担额外的工作，而且还在于玛利亚居然厚颜无耻地摆出男人的姿态、占用男人的专有空间。

 

对于玛尔大的怨言，耶稣的回答不但表明了祂认为聆听道理比瞎忙活更重要，而且还表明了祂诚邀玛利亚来充分参与信徒的生活之中。“玛利亚选择了更好的一份，是不能从她夺去的。

 

Friends, today’s Gospel is the story of Martha and Mary. I’d like to offer a fresh take on this famous little story. One of the principal marks of Jesus’ teaching and ministry is the overturning of social conventions. And one of the most striking and surprising of Jesus’ moves was a radical inclusion of women.

 

While the typically women’s work was going on, men would sit out in the main room of the residence and talk. If a prominent rabbi or Pharisee were present, the men would sit at his feet and listen to his words.

 

Now we can see why Mary’s attitude was so offensive to Martha and probably to everyone else in the room. Martha wasn’t simply mad that Mary was giving her more work to do; she was mad that Mary had the gall to assume the stance of a man, to take up her position in the men’s space.

 

In his response to Martha’s complaint, Jesus signals more than a preference for listening over acting; he invites a woman into full participation in the life of discipleship. “Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.”

 

朋友们，在今天的福音中，耶稣对撒种者的比喻作出解释。我们来研究一下该解释的各个部分。

 

那撒在路旁的即是指“听天国的话而不了解的，那恶者就来把撒在他心里的夺去。”这是说我们由于不去学习圣神的道理而可能落得与天主隔绝的下场。

 

那撒在石头地里的即是指“人听了天国的话，立刻高兴接受；但在心里没有根，不能持久，” 一旦遭遇艰难或迫害，他就立刻丧失信心。

 

“那撒在荆棘中的，即是指人听了天国的话，却有世俗的焦虑和财富的迷惑，把话蒙住了，结不出果实。” 有些人听到了圣言，却无法集中精神，在生活中无法始终把圣言放在首位。

 

因而，从以上的悲剧中，我们可以推断出好地的本质。当我们理解我们的信仰、抽出时间去读神学著作、研究《圣经》经文；当我们坚持不懈、严于律己、切实去做天主教徒应该做的事情；当我们在生活中分清主次，那么圣言就会在我们内心生根发芽，并且结出三十倍的、六十倍的或一百倍的果实。

 

Friends, in today's Gospel Jesus explains the parable of the sower. Let's study each part of his explanation.

 

The seed sown on the path is "the one who hears the word without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown." This means we might end up blocked from God because we lack education in the ways of the Spirit.

 

The seed sown on rocky ground is "the one who receives it at once with joy. But he has no root and lasts only for a time." When difficulties and persecutions arrive, he loses confidence.

 

"The seed sown among thorns is the one who hears the word, but then worldly anxiety and the lure of riches choke the word and it bears no fruit." Some people hear the word, but then they are unable to maintain their focus and sense of prioritization.

 

So from these sad cases we can construe the nature of good soil. When we understand the faith, when we take the time to read theology, to study the Scripture; when we persevere, discipline ourselves, and practice the faith; when we have our priorities straight, then the seed will take root in us. And it will bear fruit thirty, sixty, or a hundredfold.

 

朋友们，在今天的福音中，门徒问耶稣为什么要用比喻对群众讲话。

 

耶稣用这些具有煽动性又令人费解的故事和意象来解释天国，这似乎是祂偏爱的布道方式。祂回答说：“为此，我用比喻对他们讲话，是因为’他们看，却看不见；听，却听不见，也不了解’”。换句话说，因为群众拒绝相信祂及祂说的话。

 

很多比喻都是奇怪的，一开始就令人反感、令人费解的。当然，使用比喻的目的就是要使我们烦恼、找不着北、困惑不已。耶稣的布道确实就有这些特点！祂绝少以教条形式来铺叙，而是更喜欢讲述这些使人莫名其妙的古怪故事。为什么？因为很多时候辩论无法充分阐明的真理却可以通过故事揭示出来。

 

Friends, today in our Gospel the disciples ask Jesus why he speaks to the crowds in parables.

 

Jesus is explaining the Kingdom of God in these provocative and puzzling stories and images that seemed to be his preferred way of preaching. And he replies to his disciples, “This is why I speak to them in parables, because ‘they look but do not see and hear but do not listen or understand.’” In other words, because the crowds refused to believe in him and what he has to say.

 

Many parables are strange and initially off-putting and puzzling. Of course, that is the point of parables: to bother us, throw us off base, confuse us a bit. How characteristic this was of Jesus’ preaching! He rarely lays things out in doctrinal form: he prefers to tell these puzzling, funny stories. Why? Because in many cases stories reveal truth that arguments can’t quite capture.