道成肉身

圣诞节的圣道礼仪可说是重重叠叠，共有四组读经，分别为：（1）“守夜弥撒”，（2）“子夜弥撒”，（3）黎明弥撒，（4）当日弥撒。教会借此强调我们所参与庆祝的事件之伟大。

前夕弥撒圣道礼仪 – 一个名字的意义为何？

*依62：1-5；咏89：4-5、16-17、27、29（2a）；宗13：16-17、22-25；玛1：1-15 *

前夕弥撒礼仪中的各读经以名字为中心。在福音中，复兴的耶路撒冷将被给予一个新的名字（依62：2），与救主出生有关的有两个名字。“耶稣”的意思是“天主拯救”，“厄玛奴耳”的意思是“天主与我们同在”（玛1：21-23）。基督的诞生应验了所许诺给达味的，即一个后裔将为天主的名建造殿宇（宗13：22-23）以及依撒依亚的预言——有位贞女要怀孕生子，给他起名叫厄玛奴耳（依7:14） 。

这两个名字向全世界宣告了两个根本真理：天主救人脱离罪恶，祂不会离开我们做孤儿。天主与我们同在这一真理——许多人经常否认的事实——是玛窦福音的主要讯息。它如此开始，也如此结束。“看！我（复活的耶稣）同你们天天在一起，直到今世的终结”（玛28:20），是福音的最后一句。在耶稣内，天主与我们同在，并且人人以耶稣的名义屈膝叩拜。

子夜弥撒圣道礼仪 – 天主恩宠的显露

*依9：1-6；咏96：1-3、11-13（路2:11）；铎2：11-14；路2：1-14 *

基督的降生是天主赐给所有人救赎恩典（铎2:11）。在依撒依亚的诗歌中，这一天照亮了黑暗，它的喜乐将与因丰硕收获和战胜敌人所带来的喜悦相比。看哪，奴役时代已经结束了。

路加将这一天置于一个历史背景中。凯撒·奥古斯都从公元前44年到公元14年统治罗马帝国。他结束了内战，并使帝国步入太平、安全和繁荣时期，以口号“和平的罗马-Pax Romana”而闻名。当路加写福音的时候，帝国的宣传者创造了一个有关其神圣起源的神话，将其置于祭坛上，并要求像敬拜神一样敬拜他。

真正和平君王的诞生，发生在远离帝国首都的地方，而且不曾被人注意。事情发生在半夜，由天使歌咏团和贫苦的牧羊人庆祝。那谁又会想到，这样一个孩子的诞生，竟是一个一统“全世界人民”的邪恶帝国结束时期的开始（路2：1）呢？看哪，在黑暗中行走的百姓看见了一道皓光，光辉已射在那寄居在漆黑之地的人们身上（依9:1）。让我们来敬拜祂。

黎明弥撒圣道礼仪 – 圣诞节的意义

依62：11-12；咏97：1、6、11-12；铎3：4-7；路2：15-20 *

当天主把罪人交在实行惩罚者之手中时，百姓哭喊着：“上主离弃了我，吾主忘掉了我”（依49:14）。今天，天主向充军巴比伦而返回的人们、贫苦的牧羊人，以及今天参与感恩祭的我们宣布，我们永远不会被遗忘。随着基督的降生，我们的救恩来了，我们已经成为一个圣洁的民族，被上主赎回（依62：11-12）。

圣诞节的意义，被圣保禄漂亮地定义为“我们的救主天主的良善，和祂对人的慈爱”（铎3：4）。这种慈爱的伟大在于强调其不堪当的特点。基督不是因为我们正义的行为在来到世间。作为基督徒的我们，可以到白冷荣耀咏赞道成肉身，这一事实证实了一个真理，即天主的恩宠，借着我们的救主耶稣基督，已经丰厚地倾注在我们身上（铎3：6）。

牧人“为他们所见所闻的”（路2:20）赞美光荣天主，而我们赞美光荣天主，因为在基督内祂使我们成为永生的承继者（铎3：7）。因此，我们与天使一起唱出第一首颂歌：“天主受享光荣于高天，主爱的人在世享平安”（路2:14）。

日弥撒圣道仪式 – 基督-天主最后的话

*依52：7-10；咏98：1-6（3c）；希1：1-6；若1：1-18 *

在黎明弥撒中，依撒依亚宣布，我们永远不会被天主抛弃（依6：11-12）。现在熙雍的守望者看到天主回到熙雍（依52：8）。对我们来说，那些守望者就是致希伯来人书的作者和圣史若望。二者所看到的都远远超出了创造的故事，大爆炸的理论和达尔文有关物种起源的假说。在创造宇宙之前，圣言就与天主同在，万物都是借着祂而受造、而存在（创1：1-24；若1：3）。致希伯来书告诉我们，天主在古时，曾多次并以多种方式，借着先知对我们的祖先说过话；但在这末期内， 他借着自己的儿子对我们说了话（希1：1-2）。

圣十字若望在给希伯来书的这一部分做注释时写道：“如今若有人还愿意向天主请示，或要求某种神视或启示，那似乎是凌辱天主；因为他并不完全注视基督，反而在基督以外，去寻找其他新奇事物”（圣十字若望）。道成肉身不仅是天主最后的话，也是世界末期的开始，在此期间光进入了世界。对天主之子的诞生，世界将做出如何反应？她会来就这光，还是停留在黑暗中？她会接受祂，还是拒绝祂？

圣言成了血肉，居住在我们中间，为的是要拯救人类。在马槽里，我们看到了母亲怀里的圣婴；但是当我们举目向上时，我们看到战胜罪恶和死亡的哪位凯旋者，坐在天父的右边（希1：3），“ 超乎一切率领者、掌权者、异能者、宰制者，以及一切现世及来世的可称呼的名号以上”（弗1:21）。伟大是我们信仰的奥秘竟如此伟大！

圣诞节快乐！！！

The Word Became Flesh

The liturgy of the Word of God for Christmas can be overwhelming. We have four groups of readings: (1) for the Vigil Mass, (2) for Mass at Midnight, (3) for Mass at Dawn and finally (4) for Mass during the Day. In this way, the Church emphasizes the greatness of the event that we are participating in.

1. Reflection for Christmas Vigil;

2. Reflection for Midnight;

3. Reflection for Christmas Day – at the Dawn;

4. Reflection for Christmas Day – during the Day.

Merry Christmas!!!

Christ – the Final Word

*Isaiah 52:7-10; Psalm 98:1-6 (3c); Hebrews 1:1-6; John 1:1-18*

At the Celebration at the Dawn Isaiah announced that we would never be abandoned by God (Isaiah 6: 11-12). Now, the watchmen of Zion see God returning to Zion (Is. 52:8). For us, those watchmen are the author of the letter to the Hebrews and John the Evangelist. Both look far beyond the story of creation, the theory of the Big Bang, and Darwin’s hypothesis about the origin of species. Before the creation of the universe the Word was with God and everything that exists has been created through this Word (Gen 1:1-24; John 1:3). The letter to the Hebrews shows us how in time past God has spoken in various ways to our forefathers in faith. The last Word that God has spoken to us is Jesus Christ (Heb 1: 1-2).

Commenting on this fragment of the Hebrews Saint John of the Cross writes: “Therefore, anyone who wished to question God or to seek some new vision or revelation from him would commit an offense, for instead of focusing his eyes entirely on Christ he would be desiring something other than Christ, or beyond him“ (St. John of the Cross). The incarnation of the Word is not only the last word of God, but also the beginning of the last days in which light has come into the world. How will the world react to the birth of the Son of God? Will it come to this light or remain in the dark? Will it accept Him or reject Him?

The Word became flesh and dwelled among us in order to redeem humanity. In the manger we see the Holy Babe in His Mother’s arms, but when we lift our eyes up, we see the Victor over sin and death sitting at the right hand of the Father (Heb 1: 3) “far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every name that is invoked, not only in the present age but also in the one to come” (Ephesians 1:21). Great is the mystery of our faith.

The meaning of Christmas

*Isaiah 62:11-12; Psalm 97:1,6,11-12; Titus 3:4-7; Luke 2:15-20*

When God put His sinful people in the hands of those who executed punishment, the people cried out: “The Lord has forsaken me; the Lord has forgotten me” (Isaiah 49:14). Today, to the returnees from the Babylonian captivity, to the poor shepherds and to us gathered at this morning Eucharist, God announces that we shall never be forgotten. With the birth of Christ, our salvation has come and we have become a holy people, redeemed by the Lord (Isaiah 62: 11-12).

The meaning of Christmas is beautifully defined by Saint Paul as “the goodness and mercy of our Savior, God, to people” (Titus 3: 4). The greatness of this mercy emphasizes its undeserved character. Not because of our righteous works Christ came into the world. The fact that we as Christians can come to Bethlehem and sing a carol in honor of the Word made flesh, confirms the truth that God’s grace has been generously poured out on us “through Jesus Christ our Savior” (Titus 3: 6).

The shepherds praise and glorify God “for all they have heard and seen” (Luke 2:20), and we praise and glorify God that in Christ He made us heirs of eternal life (Titus 3: 7). Therefore, together with the angels, we sing the first carol: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14).

The appearance of God’s grace

*Isaiah 9:1-6; Psalm 96:1-3,11-13 (Luke 2:11); Titus 2:11-14; Luke 2:1-14*

Christ’s birth is the appearance of God’s grace bringing salvation to all people (Titus 2:11). In poetic language of Isaiah, this day illuminates the darkness, and its joy compares to the joy brought by abundant harvest and victory over enemies. Behold, the time of slavery has come to an end.

Luke situates this day in a historical context. Caesar Augustus ruled the Roman Empire from 44 BC till 14 CE. He ended the period of civil wars and ushered the empire into the times of peace, security and prosperity, known under the slogan of “Pax Romana”. When Luke wrote his Gospel, the propagandists of the empire created a legend about his divine origin, placed him on the altars and demanded divine worship for him.

The birth of the true Prince of Peace takes place far from the capital of the empire and passes unnoticed. It happens in the middle of the night, and is celebrated by angelic choirs and poor shepherds. Who would have thought then that this birth was the beginning of the end of an evil empire that covered the “people of the whole world” (Luke 2: 1)? Behold, on people living in darkness and the shadow of death the light has finally shone (Is 9:1). Let us come and worship.

What’s in a name?

*Isaiah 62:1-5; Psalm 89:4-5,16-17,27,29 (2a); Acts 13:16-17,22-25; Matthew 1:1-15*

The readings for the Vigil Mass center around the name. A new name shall be given to restored Jerusalem (Is 62:2) and two names related to the birth of the Savior are mentioned in the Gospel. Jesus means “God saves” and Emmanuel “God with us “(Matt. 1: 21-23). The birth of Christ fulfills the promise given to David about a descendant who will build a house for God’s name (Acts 13:22-23) and Isaiah’s prophecy about a virgin bearing a son with the symbolic name of Emmanuel (Isaiah 7:14).

These two names announce to the world two fundamental truths: God saves people from their sins and He does not leave us alone. The truth that God is with us – a reality so often denied by many – is the main message of Matthew’s Gospel. It is how it starts and it is how it ends. “Behold, I [the risen Jesus] am with you all the days until the end of the world” (Matt 28:20) is the last sentence written on its pages. In Jesus, God is with us, and at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow.

信德的服从

将临期第四主日讲道主题

今日圣道礼仪的主题是读经一中所记载的，且在福音中应验了的恩许。今天我们看到两个人：以色列著名的达味王和不出名的童贞女——纳匝肋的玛利亚（与梅瑟的姐姐米黎盎同名）。这两个人物之间几乎间隔了一千年的时间，正如圣保禄所解释的，这许多世纪以来的奥秘是隐而不彰的，但现今彰显了出来，而且我们正是这事的见证。

在读经一中，我们看到达味王实感困惑不安，因为自己住在香柏木的宫殿里，而天主的约柜却在帐幕内。达味王向先知纳堂述说了他建造圣殿的计划，纳堂也赞扬这个好意向。可惜二人都没有咨询天主的意愿，天主拒绝了这个计划，反问道：“你要建筑一座殿宇，给我居住吗？”（撒下7:5）古人对此清楚地解释了两点。首先，达味不配为天主建筑殿宇，因为他流过人的血（编上28:3）；其次，达味王在生活中所取得的一切，不论目前还是将来，都是天主的恩赐。“是我拣选你离开牧场，离开放羊的事，作我民以色列的领袖”（撒下7:8）。那么天主的殿宇会如何呢？它将被达味的一个不出名的后裔建立起来，其身份在福音中启示出来。

达味计划在公元前992年左右建造圣殿，天使在公元前7-6年来访纳匝肋人玛利亚（米黎盎）。纳堂宣告了天主的恩许，受天主派遣而来的天使却宣告了恩许的实现。这个恩许是给了一位曾经的牧羊人，他后来因着天主的恩典成了以色列的君王；而此恩许的实现却是给了“一个童贞女”（路1:27），她因着天主的恩宠成为天主子的母亲——Theotokos。恩许的内容是，一个后裔将为天主的名建造殿宇，并建立永恒的达味宝座，及其实现——耶稣的诞生。正是在耶稣基督内，天主的诸多恩许应验了。基督确实为天主的名建造了一座殿宇，是活石之所，奉献中悦天主的属神祭品（伯前2:5），地狱的门不能战胜它（玛16:18）。基督，论血统属于达味的后裔，战胜了死亡，坐在天父的右边，至于无穷之世（默11:15）。

许多世纪以来，那隐而不彰的达味后裔之奥秘，今天彰显给玛利亚，也彰显给我们。其彰显的目为何？保禄解释得非常好，就是要“使万民服从信德”（罗16:26）。信德的服从，就是度信赖天主的生活。旧约的古希腊文版本——七十贤士译本，在翻译哈巴谷先知书中著名的片段时，表达得非常漂亮：“但义人要靠我的信实生活”（哈2：5）。在这种信德的服从中，救主的母亲就是我们的主要例子。她因着信德接受了天使的话，并对天主的旨意说了“是”。玛利亚的回答“照你的意愿承行，扭转了人类历史的进程；人类从此不再与原先一样。

你如何回应今天揭示给你的这个奥秘？你还会坚持天主所不接受的你的个人计划吗？或者你会对天主的计划回答“是”，并遵循信赖之路吗？愿今日的圣道礼仪引你走向信德的服从。阿们！

Obedience of Faith

The Fourth Sunday of Advent

Readings

The theme of today’s liturgy of the Word is the promise contained in the first reading and its fulfillment shown in the Gospel. We meet two people today, the famous king of Israel – David and an unknown virgin – Miriam of Nazareth. Almost a thousand years divide both figures and, as Saint Paul explains, it was a time of mystery for centuries covered by silence. Today, this silence is over and we are witnesses to it.

In the first reading, we meet David, who is troubled by the fact that he lives in a house of cedar, and the ark of God under the tent. The king confides in the prophet his plan to build the temple, and Nathan praises the good purpose. Unfortunately, both did not consult God, and He rejects the plan. “Should you build me a house to dwell in?” (2 Sam. 7: 5). The Ancient One makes two things clear. First of all, David is not worthy to build a house for God, for he shed blood (1 Chronicles 28: 3). Secondly, everything that the king has achieved in life and is still going to achieve is God’s grace. “I took you from the pasture, from following the flock, to be ruler of My people Israel” (2 Sam. 7: 8). What about the house of God? An unnamed descendant of David shall build it and his identity is revealed in the Gospel.

David planned to build the temple around 992 BC, and the angel visited Miriam of Nazareth in 7 or 6 BC. Both, Natan announcing the promise and the angel announcing its fulfillment were sent by God. The promise was handed over to a former shepherd who, by the grace of God, became the king of Israel and the fulfillment to “a virgin” (Luke 1:27), who by the grace of God would become the Mother of God’s Son – Theotokos. The content of the promise was the announcement of a descendant who would build a house for God’s name and establish the throne of David forever, and its fulfillment, the birth of Jesus. It is in Jesus Christ that God’s promises, as many as they were, find their fulfillment. Christ has indeed built a house for God’s name, a house of living stones offering spiritual sacrifices to God (1 Peter 2: 5), and the gates of hell will not prevail against it (Matt. 16:18). Christ – the descendant of David according to the flesh – having defeated death, sat at the right hand of the Father and reigns for ever (Revelation 11:15).

The mystery of David’s descendant hidden for ages is today revealed to Mary and to us. What is the purpose of this revelation? As apostle Paul explains, it is to make known the “obedience of faith to all the nations” (Rom. 16:26). The obedience of faith is a life of trust in God. The Septuagint – an ancient Greek version of the Old Testament – beautifully expressed it in its translation of the famous fragment from the book Habakkuk: “but the righteous shall live by my faithfulness” (Hab 2: 5). In this obedience of faith, the Mother of the Savior is our primary example. By faith she accepted the words of the angel and said “Yes” to God’s will in her life. Mary’s answer “Let it be to me according to your word” changed the course of the history and humankind shall never be the same.

And how will you respond to this mystery revealed to you today? Will you still insist on your plans, which God does not accept, or will you answer “Yes” to God’s plan and follow the path of trust? May today’s liturgy of the Word lead you to the obedience of faith. Amen.