2018-7-27

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.

2018-7-28

朋友们，今天的福音是麦子和莠子的比喻。天主撒播好种子、圣言、爱和慈悲，但祂的计划遭到抵抗。而这作为反派的恶居然彻底深入到善的骨髓里。

 

经典神学把恶定义为“privatio boni”，即善的丧失（译者注：善因被剥夺而丧失本性），意思是恶时时处处都寄生于善。正如寄生虫靠健康的身体存活（并因此使其体质衰弱）一样，精神上的恶寄生于善良的灵魂、美好的社会、虔诚的教会（并由此削弱这些良善）。

 

结果是什么？就是我们区分善恶的同时要做到不动善的一根毫毛是非常困难的。因此，以打圣战的精神去追击这些恶是极其困难的，而且常常会适得其反。

 

当然，对于某些恶，我们必须进行清理，那是刻不容缓、毫无疑问、无需犹豫的。但对于其他的恶（它们确实是邪恶），我们暂时最好不要轻举妄动，以免在斩草除根的过程中得不偿失。

 

Friends, our Gospel today is the parable of the wheat and the weeds. God sows his good seed, his word, his love and compassion, but his project is met with opposition. And the evil is such that it insinuates itself right into the very fabric of the good. 

 

In classical theology, we speak of evil as a privatio boni, a privation of the good, meaning that evil is always and everywhere parasitic on the good. Just as a parasite is living off of the healthy body (and thereby weakening it), so moral evil lives off of the good soul, the good society, the good Church (and thereby weakens them).

 

What is the result? That it is exceptionally difficult to extricate the evil from the good without damaging the good. That’s why it is extremely difficult—and often counter-productive—to go after these evils with a crusading spirit. 

 

To be sure, there are certain evils that simply have to be addressed—right now, no questions, no hesitations. But there are other evils (and they really are evil) that are best left alone for the time being, lest more damage is done in the process of extricating them.

2018-7-29

朋友们，今天的福音重点是圣若望对圣餐意义的深切默想。基调就是唯一一个四部福音书都有记载的奇迹，亦即大家都耳熟能详的增饼故事。这个场景深深影响着首批基督徒。

 

耶稣吩咐群众坐在草地上。然后祂用五个饼和两条鱼干让这么庞大的人群饱餐一顿。这些人又饿又累，因为步行跟随耶稣而筋疲力尽，而耶稣给了他们日用的口粮。

 

对于多玛斯.阿奎那来说，圣餐的绝妙隐喻是口粮，是旅途的粮食。圣洗给我们下定义，使我们成为天主的儿女；坚振确认及深化我们的身份；婚姻和圣秩确保着我们人生的使命。这些圣事都是一次性的，我们只会在关键时刻领受。

 

而圣餐是日用粮食，是我们赖以生存的营养品。如果我们毫不进食，或者只在逢年过节才进食，我们能好好过活吗？不太可能。所以，在精神生活中，我们必须吃喝，否则不会有力量。

 

Friends, our Gospel today focuses on St. John’s intense meditation on the meaning of the Eucharist. The tone is set with the familiar story of the feeding of the five thousand, the only miracle story mentioned in all four Gospels. This scene deeply affected the first Christians.

 

Jesus instructs the crowd to recline on the grass. Taking the barley loaves and dried fish, Jesus makes a meal that satisfies the enormous crowd. They are hungry, tired, and worn out from their exertions, and Jesus gives them sustenance for the day.

 

For Thomas Aquinas, the great metaphor for the Eucharist is sustenance, food for the journey. Baptism defines us, making us sons and daughters of God; confirmation confirms and deepens this identity; marriage and holy orders seal us in our life’s vocation. These are sacraments offered once at key moments in one’s life.

 

Then there is the Eucharist, which is daily food, nourishment to get us through the day-to-day. How effective would we be if we never ate, or ate only on special occasions and in a festive environment? Not very. So, in the spiritual life, we must eat and drink or we will not have the strength.

2018-7-30

朋友们，今天的福音把天国比作一粒芥子:“当下种之后，生长起来，比一切蔬菜都大”。天主想让好事从小处开始并慢慢发展，这似乎是精神生活的原则。

 

我们很想说，“您是天主。您来着手做吧。”但为什么天主有祂的一套做法呢？我们可以尝试作出一些解释。我们在《圣经》中经常看到人类的合作令天主心花怒放。祂想让我们凭借自由、才智、创造力来参与祂的事业。所以，祂播下种子，并希望我们来栽培。

 

想一想天主对圣方济各说的话：“方济各，重建我的教堂。”天主本来就有能力重建祂的教堂，但祂想方济各参与其中。

 

当事情从小处开始，就能掩人耳目，从而获取力量、份量和严肃性。而参与者则能得到考验和磨炼。试想你打算为教会干一番大事业，通过祈祷，天主赐你重任，但你可能因为准备不足而不了了之。因此，我们要耐心，接受微不足道的邀请。

 

Friends, today’s Gospel compares the Kingdom of God to a mustard seed that "when it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants." It seems to be a law of the spiritual life that God wants good things to start small and grow over time.

 

We’re tempted to say, "You’re God. Just get on with it. Do it!" But why would God work the way he does? We might attempt a few explanations. It is a commonplace of the Bible that God rejoices in our cooperation. He wants to involve us, through freedom, intelligence, and creativity, in what he is doing. And so he plants seeds, and he wants us to cultivate them.

 

Consider what God said to St. Francis: "Francis, rebuild my Church." God could have rebuilt his Church without Francis, but he wanted him to get involved. 

 

When things start small, they can fly under the radar while they gain strength and heft and seriousness. Also, those involved can be tested and tried. Suppose you want to do something great in the life of the Church and you pray and God gives you massively what you want. You might not be ready, and your project will peter out. So be patient and embrace the small invitations.

2018-7-31

朋友们，今天的福音是关于良莠不齐的比喻。天主的圣言创建了教会，把那些努力建设天国的人们团结起来。但这个教会从来都不是一尘不染、无拘无束的，那是因为一种灵性力量，一个仇人在抵抗天主。这个仇人就是要偷偷摸摸地、悄无声息地、掩人耳目地在麦子中间撒上莠子。

 

这种善恶共存的局面是意料之中的。教会将永远是圣人和罪人聚首之地，而罪人通常会貌似圣人。教会的仇人永不止息地确保这个阴谋得逞。

 

当我们发现邪恶，都会磨拳擦掌，追而逐之、斩草除根的念头非常诱人。但福音中主人的警告是极其重要的。正因为善恶是相关联的，所以我们的热情冲劲有时会引起更为严重的问题。

 

那么我们应该怎样做？暂时让麦子莠子一起生长吧。到最后收割时，主人将会把两者分开。

 

Friends, our Gospel today is the parable of the weeds among the wheat. God's word creates the Church, the community of those who strive to build up the Kingdom. But this Church is never absolutely pure and untrammeled, for God's ways are opposed by a spiritual power, an enemy. His task is to sow weeds among the wheat—clandestinely, quietly, unobtrusively.

 

This sort of coming-together of good and evil is to be expected. The Church will always be a place of saints and sinners, and the sinners will often look like saints. The enemy of the Church, who never rests, ensures it.

 

When we discover evil, it is always very tempting to go after it with both fists, to take it out. But the warning of the Master here is extremely important. Sometimes, our zeal can lead to far greater problems, precisely because of the way evil is related to the good.

 

So what should we do? Let them grow side-by-side for the time being. At the end, at harvest time, the Master will separate them out.