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Posts Tagged ‘salvation’
Stay Awake!
Jesus said to his disciples: “Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, […]
Publish date: 2014 - 8 - 28
Blinded by Worldly Glory
Jesus said: “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. But these you should have done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel! “Woe […]
Publish date: 2014 - 8 - 26
Prosperity as a Disease
Jesus said to his disciples: “Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of […]
Publish date: 2014 - 8 - 19
Was Jesus sent only for the lost sheep of Israel?
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time Whenever I read this passage in the gospel of Matthew, I always wonder if Jesus knew already the answer of the woman. Theologically He should, for He is true God and true Man. Therefore His refusal to attend the woman’s plea at the beginning is not a lack of sympathy […]
Publish date: 2014 - 8 - 17
Greatest in the Kingdom of God
The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Who is the greatest in the Kingdom of heaven?” He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, “Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the Kingdom of heaven. Whoever becomes humble like this child is the […]
Publish date: 2014 - 8 - 12
The Better Part
Jesus entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to […]
Publish date: 2014 - 7 - 29
The Light Burden and Gentle Yoke
Jesus said: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
Publish date: 2014 - 7 - 17
Reproaches to Unrepentant Towns
Jesus began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes. But […]
Publish date: 2014 - 7 - 15
You Are the Salt of the Earth
In today’s Gospel, by saying, “You are the salt of the earth,” Jesus signified all human nature to have “lost its savor,” and to be decayed by our sins. For this reason He requires of the Apostles to have such virtues for supervising the community of the faithful. For the meek, and yielding, and merciful, […]
Publish date: 2014 - 6 - 10
Giving God Glory
It is justly asked, how the Son can glorify the Father, when the eternal glory of the Father never appeared in the form of man, and because of its own Divine perfection, does not increase. But among men this glory was less when God was only known in Judea; and therefore the Son glorified the […]
Publish date: 2014 - 6 - 3
Flesh for the Life of the World
In today’s Gospel, Jesus speaks of “the bread which I shall give”: this shows His power; for it shows that He was not crucified as a servant, subject to the Father, but of his own accord; for though He is said to have been given up by the Father, yet He delivered Himself up willingly. […]
Publish date: 2014 - 5 - 8
Faith and Works
After speaking with certain Protestants, a Catholic may ask “Is it then enough to only believe in the Son, that one may have eternal life?” By no means. Hear Christ Himself declare this, and saying, “Not every one that says unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven” (Matt 7:21); and the […]
Publish date: 2014 - 5 - 1
Not my will but yours be done!
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion “He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death.” (Phil 2:8) Have we ever contemplated what kind of sacrifice the Son of God offered to us by emptying Himself to be born in human likeness, taking the form of a slave? As Creator of all, He has […]
Publish date: 2014 - 4 - 13
Jesus Christ, our God eternal
Our Lord expresses His meaning from today’s Gospel in the words, “You are of this world,” that is, you are sinners. All of us are born in sin; all have added by our actions to the sin in which we were born. The misery of the Jews then was, not that they had sin, but […]
Publish date: 2014 - 4 - 8
Satan’s four lethal doses of BLINDNESS injections
Fourth Sunday of Lent The sacrifice of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, has redeemed us from The Fall due to the original sin committed by Adam and Eve as a result of Satan’s first temptation. Throughout the ages, Satan has never stopped His vicious attack to break our restored relationship with our Heavenly Father. […]
Publish date: 2014 - 3 - 30
Come, children, come… I will give you living water…
Third Sunday of Lent Jesus revealed Himself as Christ for the first time in the Gospel of John, not to a Jew, but to a Samaritan woman. And the woman did not harden her heart but believed in Jesus. She left her water jar behind her and became the first one (or one of the […]
Publish date: 2014 - 3 - 23
Worldly vs. Saintly Reasoning
How is this, that Peter, gifted with a revelation from the Father, has so soon fallen, and become unstable? For that Jesus was the Christ the Son of the living God, he had learnt by revelation, but the mystery of His cross and resurrection had not yet been revealed to him. Jesus, however, showing that […]
Publish date: 2014 - 2 - 20
Presentation of the Lord
獻主節（慶日） 這主日是聖誕節後第四十日，被教會定為「獻主節」。按照舊約法律的規定，每個首生的男嬰，都屬於天主，但父母能透過祭獻把兒子贖回(戶18:15)。同時，婦女分娩後滿了取潔的日期，也應到會幕門前，奉獻規定的祭禮(肋12:2-8)，所以在梵二前這慶節也被稱為「聖母取潔節」。 事實上，耶穌就是聖殿的主，正如瑪拉基亞先知書預言：「你們所尋求的上主，必要忽然進入他的殿內。」(拉3:1)所以祂的來臨，是為與願意相信祂的人相遇；若瑟在聖殿把祂祝聖於上主，也不過是為滿全梅瑟的法律。 西默盎因聖神的感動和啟示，進了聖殿後認出救主耶穌，並讚美祂為「啟示異邦的光明，百姓以色列的榮耀」(路2:32)。這啟示在眾人前肯定了祂尊貴的身份，也在提醒我們，這萬邦的光明已臨到我們中間；雖然祂沒有罪，卻願意成為我們中的一位，經歷羞辱、痛苦和死亡。如希伯來書中形容，祂是個「仁慈和忠信的大司祭」(希2:17)；透過親自經歷這些苦痛和試探，祂必能扶助同樣受試探的人。 在這獻主節，讓我們重溫主耶穌基督降生成人的奧秘，以及祂對我們的愛。讓我們全心相信這個因著愛而成為有血有肉的人的天主子，願意跟我們分享祂的天主性，並助我們戰勝誘惑和罪惡，一同邁進天主永生的王國。 Feast of the Presentation of the Lord This Sunday is forty days after Christmas, and is celebrated as the feast of the Presentation of the Lord. According to the Jewish Law, every firstborn male shall be consecrated to the Lord, and redeemed through an offering at the temple (Numbers 18:15). […]
Publish date: 2014 - 2 - 2
Anticipating the Coming of the Saviour
匝加利亞這段讚美天主的頌詞，可算是在眾人前為他兒子若翰的身份和救主的來臨揭開了序幕。他論及天主如何眷顧和拯救了以色列民族，也曾向他們的祖先亞巴郎許下救恩；這被期待已久的默西亞，將要在他兒子這一代人中出現，而他預言若翰「要稱為至高者的先知」，並「走在上主前面，為祂預備道路，為使祂的百姓認識救恩，以獲得他們罪惡的寬宥」。 這「至高者」正是天主；出於祂的仁慈，耶穌基督來到世上「光照那坐在黑暗和死影中的人，並引我們的腳步，走向和平的道路」。我們在過去一年當中，有一直跟著祂走嗎？ 明天就是記念耶穌基督降生成人的日子，讓我們用心反省，祂的來臨對我們來說有甚麼意義和訊息？為身邊未信主的人，我們又有沒有盡基督徒的責任，讓他們明白聖誕的真正意義？ 這篇默想由生命恩泉文摘編輯小組撰寫，內容以下列文章為根據: Commentaries on the daily readings by Sacred Space 彌撒福音釋義 In this song of praise inspired by the Holy Spirit that came out of Zechariah’s mouth, a few things were reminded and revealed: the Lord’s covenant with their ancestors and the prophecy of the coming of a saviour were reminded; and the […]
Publish date: 2013 - 12 - 24
Salvation for All
今天的福音提到一位百夫長來到耶穌跟前，他的僕人病重在家，他只求耶穌說一句話，深信這已足夠治癒他的僕人。 值得留意的是這位百夫長並非猶太人，他是一位羅馬軍隊的軍官，駐守在猶太地區。而耶穌聽到他的請求，只考慮到這位外邦人的信德而立即回應，由此可見耶穌對猶太人和外邦人一視同仁。 耶穌在最後說：「將有許多人從東方和西方來，同亞巴郎、依撒格、雅各伯在天國裡一起坐席。」祂的意思：天國是向所有人開放的。耶穌來到世上，祂宣講的福音是為所有人宣講的。在這將臨期，讓我們默想耶穌降生成人的真正意義。 這篇默想由生命恩泉文摘編輯小組撰寫，內容以下列文章為根據: Commentaries on the daily readings by Sacred Space, 天國開放給一切相信耶穌的人. In today’s Gospel, we read that a centurion approached Jesus, for his servant was very ill at home. He asked that Jesus say the word and trusted that would be enough to cure his servant. What deserves our attention is that the […]
Publish date: 2013 - 12 - 2
The Saviour’s Return
將臨期第一主日甲年讀經 今天的第一篇讀經選自依撒意亞先知書，描述萬邦奔赴聖山，齊集天主面前，這是古舊的末世景象，也描繪了以色列民族對末日的憧憬。經文指出不單是以色列民，而是萬國萬民都會聚集在天主面前，天主會帶來審判及真正的和平。在寫給羅馬人的信中，保祿從道德的角度解釋應怎樣準備末世來臨。基督徒活在局勢緊張的時刻，保祿就以黑暗與光明的對比來表達他的重點：黑暗與光明並不是我們無法控制的外在因素，而是可以透過天主幫助而選擇的生活特質。在福音裡，耶穌也指出世界末日的來臨將有如諾厄時的洪水一樣，既突如其來，又震撼驚慄，沒有人知道誰會被提去，誰又會被遺棄。 將臨期的英文是 “Advent”，意即「來臨」，教會就在這時期準備慶祝天主降生成人。隨着將臨期展開，天主教教會的着眼點是時間的盡頭，這種向前瞻的態度使每個教友的日子過得有意義，也令整個團體內的信眾的生命有意義。「來吧，主耶穌」(Maranatha) 是將臨期的禱文；自從基督光榮地升天，坐在聖父之右那一刻開始，世界都期待着衪再來，但無人知道會在何時何日。教會呼喚所有人在基督再來之前皈依，耶穌已播下天國的種籽。在基督再來時，天國的壯麗輝煌將會被完全彰顯。將臨期是要作決定的時期：因為基督就會在我們意料不到的時辰回來；所以我們必須時刻警覺醒寤，隨時準備迎接主的來臨。 你預備好了嗎？ 這篇默想是以 Foundations in Faith – Catechist Catechumenate Manual 為根據，並獲得版權持有人 RCL Benziger, LLC 批准使用。 First Sunday of Advent (Liturgical Year A) Today’s first reading from Isaiah uses a very old image of all nations coming together to God on a mountain to describe in eschatological terms the final fulfillment of […]
Publish date: 2013 - 12 - 1
The Cross of the King
我們的主、耶穌基督、普世君王（節日）常年期第三十四主日丙年讀經 今天是教會禮儀年常年期最後一個主日，基督君王瞻禮，讓我們承認及敬禮耶穌基督為萬民統治者的身份。基督君王瞻禮把基督作爲救主的君王地位與十字架的奥秘緊緊相連：君王慘遭衆叛親離，經歷苦難，受盡凌辱而死，最後爲我們贏得救贖。這是作為君王，為人民犧牲的代價。 第一篇讀經再喚起以色列選民歷史性的大事，就是達味傅油，被封爲王。達味是以色列第一個真正的君王，也是以色列宗教及政治歷史上舉足輕重的人物。他還未有任何表現，天主就已藉着先知撒慕爾揀選了他，這一切都記載在舊約中。在致哥羅森人書中，保祿敦促哥羅森人感謝天父，因爲祂將他們帶到「祂愛子」的國裏，天上和地上的一切都在基督内受統治，並與祂重歸於好。路加福音的讀經則邀請我們去看清楚，基督是不會被世界、罪惡或死亡征服的君王，祂在十字架上的王權的確爲被摒棄的人及罪人帶來救恩。基督君王是天主降生成人的肖像，統治整個宇宙，直到永遠；但祂又是救世的、被釘的默西亞，在十字架上瀕死時仍向罪人伸出同情之手。究竟他是君王還是囚犯？ 是天主子還是人？ 今天福音呈現的基督君王正正與世俗的君王或統治者的概念背道而馳。基督君王並不是安坐在皇座之上，反而面對暴力和謀害，但天主的大能却把邪惡扭轉爲善，藉着恩寵和基督的工作，救贖整個世界。天主教的教導肯定基督的王權遍及整個人類的歷史，並超越世上一切的權柄及統治者。主耶穌也統治教會，教會是基督的身體，元首就是基督。基督君王救贖我們，高舉我們，祂甘願犧牲，藉這愛的力量再造我們。在這力量和愛中，祂贏得了我們，把我們獻給祂在天上的父，作祂的神聖子民。 基督君王瞻禮明顯地慶祝天上和地上都在基督内成爲一體，在基督的王國内，罪人和被摒棄的人都成了聖人。這裏，再没有界限之分，衆人都在君王受苦、死亡和復活的救世工程内合而爲一。 我們有深深地感受過祂為我們而犧牲的大愛嗎？會懷著感恩的心去領聖體嗎？ 「這就是我的身體， 將爲你們而犧牲。」 感謝天主！ 這篇默想是以 Foundations in Faith – Catechist Catechumenate Manual 為根據，並獲得版權持有人 RCL Benziger, LLC 批准使用。 Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe34th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Liturgical Year C) On this last Sunday of the liturgical year, the church celebrates the feast of Christ the King, […]
Publish date: 2013 - 11 - 24
