时间短促

常年期第三主日

今日圣道礼仪中的三篇读经都谈及时间。尼尼微只剩下四十天；为格林多而言，时间短促；耶稣的到来使得时期已满。这个关于时间短促的信息，涵盖了一个紧急的召叫，以作决定：“悔改并信从福音”（谷1:15）。

新约中用了两个词来形容时间：chronos和kairos。前者指我们在钟表上看到的时间，后者指时机。当黑落德询问东方贤士“那星出现的时间”时，福音用了“chronos”（玛2：7）。然而在今天的读经中，圣史马尔谷和宗徒保禄使用了“kairos”。尼尼微可拥有的四十天，耶稣在加里肋亚海边的显现，都用了“kairos”——是悔改并归向天主的时机。然而，时间随着一天天流逝而逐渐缩短（格前7:29）。

尼尼微人，不但没有等待四十天来观察会发生什么事，而且立即宣布禁食，且回头，远离他们的邪恶之路（约3:10）。悔改使他们避免了毁灭。四十天过去了，尼尼微城仍然存在，因为“尼尼微人相信了天主”（约3：5）。福音中也出现了一个即时的回应。四个加里肋亚渔夫听到耶稣的召叫“跟随我”后，毫不犹豫地将自己交托给祂。他们将他们所熟知之事留在身后，而开始了他们的未知之旅。耶稣内的信赖成为他们营造新生活的基础，因此他们在历史上被誉为“渔人的渔夫”和“基督的教会的支柱”。

“这世界的局面正在逝去”（格前7:31）。我们本来的国籍是在天上，人世生活只是一个短暂的朝圣之旅。鉴于这一真理，世上之事，入婚姻生活、贸易、使用世间的物品，并无绝对的价值。此生的痛苦和快乐也是短暂的。暂时的痛苦不能与未来的荣耀相比（参阅罗8:18），与抵达天堂的喜乐相比，世俗的喜乐是苍白的（参阅默21：1-7）。因此，作为此世的朝圣者，我们的首要任务是以言以行宣扬基督的福音，并期待基督所应许给我们的天上之事。

时间在分分秒秒，时时日日，月月年年地流逝，我们还没来得及意识到老年悄然来临，并轻扣我们的门。而这个日常生活年表就在今天被圣道礼仪的主题所冲击。看，天主进入我们的生命中。约纳呈现给我们救恩与毁灭之间的一个选择。圣保禄挑战我们超越世俗，朝向永恒。马尔谷要求我们立即做一个抉择，来跟随基督。时间不多了！天主国的来临要求我们作出迅速且明智的决定。

Time is Running Out

Readings: Jonah 3:1-5,10; Psalm 25; 1 Cor 7:29-31; Mark 1: 14-20

All three readings in today’s liturgy refer to time. Nineveh has only forty left, for the Corinthians time is running out, and Jesus brings the fulfillment of time. This message about the shortness of time contains an urgent call for decision: “Repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15).

The New Testament uses two words to describe time: chronos and kairos. The first one refers to time we see on our watches, the second to a time of opportunity. When Herod asked the Wise Men from the East “what time the star appeared”, the Gospel used the word “chronos” (Mt 2: 7). In today’s readings, however, the evangelist Mark and the apostle Paul use the word “kairos”. Forty days offered to Nineveh and the appearance of Jesus by the sea of Galilee are both kairos – an opportune time given for repentance and returning to God. With each passing day, however, this kairos is being shortened (1 Corinthians 7:29).

Instead of waiting forty days and see what would had happened, the citizens of Nineveh immediately proclaimed a fast and turned from their evil way (Jonah 3:10). Repentance averted destruction. Forty days passed away and the city was still standing, because “the people of Nineveh believed God” (Jonah 3:5). An immediate reaction also takes place in the Gospel. Hearing Jesus’ call, “come after me”, four Galilean fishermen without hesitation entrusted themselves to Him. They left behind what they knew well and started their journey into the unknown. Faith in Jesus became the foundation on which they built their new life, and thus they have gone down in history as “fishers of people” and “pillars of the Church of Christ.”

“The fashion of this world is passing away “(1 Corinthians 7:31). Our citizenship is in heaven and human life is only a short pilgrimage through the earth. In view of this truth, earthly realities such as marital life, trade and the use of the worldly goods do not possess absolute value. The sufferings and joys of this life are also transient. Temporal suffering cannot be compared with the future glory (Rom. 8:18), and worldly joys pale in comparison with the joy of reaching heaven (Rev. 21: 1-7). Thus, as pilgrims in this world our most important task is to proclaim the Gospel of Christ in words and deeds and look forward to those heavenly realities promised to us by Christ.

Minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and years pass away, and before we even realize old age knocks at our door. Yet, this usual chronology of life is today shattered by the liturgy of the Word. Behold, God comes into our lives. Jonah presents us with a choice between salvation and destruction. Saint Paul challenges us to look beyond worldliness towards eternity. Finally, Saint Mark demands from us an immediate decision to follow Christ. Time is running out! The advent of God’s kingdom demands from us an instant and wise decision.