Daily Thoughts for the Year for Priests (January 12)

by | Jan 11, 2010 | Focolare

12 January
If a city were set on fire

If a city were set alight at various points, even by small fires, but they managed to resist being put out, soon the city would be aflame. If a city, in the most different places, were lit up by the fire that Jesus brought on earth, and this fire, through the goodwill of the people who lived there, managed to resist the ice of the world, we would soon have the city aflame with the love of God.
The fire that Jesus brought to earth is himself. It is charity: that love which not only binds the soul to God, but also souls to one another.
In fact, a lighted supernatural fire means the continual triumph of God in souls who have given themselves to him and, because they are united to him, united among themselves.
Two or more people united in the name of Christ, who are not afraid or ashamed to declare explicitly to one another their desire to love God, but who actually make of this unity in Christ their Ideal, are a divine power in the world. And in every city these souls could exist in families: father and mother, son and father, mother and mother-in-law. They could meet in parishes, in associations, in social bodies, in schools, in offices, everywhere.

Chiara Lubich

Meditations
New City London 2005, p. 59

(published by the Priestly Branch of the Focolare Movement)

1月12日
燃烧的城市

如果在一个城市不同的地方投火，虽然火势微弱，只要它能承受住各种阻力，整个城市很快将会变成火海。如果一个城市中，到处燃起耶稣投在地上的火，这火透过人们的善志承受住世界的冰冷，不久整个城市就会燃烧起天主的圣爱之火。
耶稣所投在地上的火就是仁爱，就是他自己。这爱不仅使灵魂与天主结合，同时也使人与人之间彼此结合。其实，燃起超性的火焰，就是天主在奉献给他的灵魂之内的持续的胜利，目的是使这些灵魂结合于他并在他内彼此合而为一。
那里有两个或更多因基督之名融合一起的灵魂，他们不但不害怕或者不羞于彼此宣认他们对天主的渴慕，更以在基督内合而为一作为他们的理想，他们成了世上一股神圣的力量。而在每一个城市，这些灵魂可能出现在家庭中：爸爸-妈妈、儿子-父亲，儿媳-婆母；可能出现在堂区，协会，社团，学校，办公室以及任何地方。

卢嘉勒

灵修著作/ 1
新城出版社，罗马 1991，70页

一言為定 (2010年1月12日)

by | Jan 11, 2010 | Gospel Reflection, Word Forever

「人都驚奇他的教訓，因為他教訓他們正像有權威似的，不像經師們一樣。」(谷1:22)

據思高聖經辭典：經師是充軍期間猶太人的精神領袖，精通梅瑟法律。新約時代的經師，大部份屬法利塞黨人，是公議會的的議員。他們享有立法、司法及司教權。可惜，耶穌時代的經師，大部份已變了質，因為他們與法利塞人同流合污。

不過，耶穌提醒群眾，當經師和法利塞人坐在梅瑟的講座時，則要聽取他們的教訓：「凡他們對你們所說的，你們要行要守；但不要照他們的行為去做，因為他們只說不做。」(瑪 23:3)

耶穌的一言一行，都是配合他所教導的。

「衪來到了納匝肋，自己曾受教養的地方；按他們的慣例，就在安息日那天進了會堂，並站起來要誦讀。
有人把依撒意亞先知書遞給衪；衪遂展開書卷，找到了一處，上邊寫說：
『上主的神臨於我身上，因為衪給我傅了油，派遣我向貧窮人傳報喜訊，向俘虜宣告釋放，向盲者宣告復明，使受壓迫者獲得自由， 宣佈上主恩慈之年。』
衪把書卷捲起來，交給侍役，就坐下了。會堂內眾人的眼睛都注視著衪。
衪便開始對他們說：『你們剛才聽過的這段聖經，今天應驗了。』」 (路4:16-21)

耶穌也實現了依撒意亞先知另一段預言：「看，我的僕人，他是我所揀選，我所鍾愛的；他是我心靈所喜悅的；我要使我的神住在衪身上，他必向外邦人傳佈真道。
他不爭辯，也不喧嚷，在街市上沒有人聽到他的聲音； 已壓破的蘆葦，他不折斷；將熄滅的燈心，他不吹滅，直到他使真道勝利。 外邦人將要期待他的名字。」(依42:1-4)(參閱瑪12:15-21)

不難理解，「人都驚奇他的教訓，因為他教訓他們正像有權威似的，不像經師們一樣。」

耶穌的權威，不在於言詞，而在於身體力行。

梁達材神父

神父講道 – 常年期第一週 (週一) (2010年1月11日)

by | Jan 10, 2010 | Gospel Reflection, Homily, Prayers, Reflection, Sharing

恭讀聖馬爾谷福音 1:14-20

若翰被監禁後，耶穌來到加里肋亞，宣講天主的福音，說：「時期已滿，天主的國臨近了，你們悔改，信從福音吧！」
當耶穌沿著加里肋亞海行走時，看見西滿和西滿的兄弟安德肋，在海裏撒網，他們原是漁夫。耶穌向他們說：「來跟隨我！我要使你們成為漁人的漁夫。」他們便立刻拋下網，跟隨了他。耶穌向前行了不遠，看見載伯德的兒子雅各伯和他的弟弟若望，正在船上修網。耶穌遂立即召叫他們；他們就把自己的父親載伯德和傭工們留在船上，跟隨他去了。

—基督的福音。

(1st Week in Ordinary Time – Monday)

A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Mark 1:14-20

14 Now after John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, 15 and saying, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the gospel.” 16 And passing along by the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew the brother of Simon casting a net in the sea; for they were fishermen. 17 And Jesus said to them, “Follow me and I will make you become fishers of men.” 18 And immediately they left their nets and followed him.19 And going on a little farther, he saw James the son of Zeb’edee and John his brother, who were in their boat mending the nets. 20 And immediately he called them; and they left their father Zeb’edee in the boat with the hired servants, and followed him.

—The Gospel of the Lord.

往神父講道目錄

Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) | Embed

Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS

Daily Thoughts for the Year for Priests (January 11)

by | Jan 10, 2010 | Focolare

11 January
Living members everywhere

In my country before Perestroika (döi mái), in each of the two dioceses of Langson and Bac Ninh in North Vietnam, only two priests were left, and they could not freely leave
their residences. Cardinal Giuse Maria Trinh Nhu Khuê recounts: “Small groups of two or more lived the Gospel daily and helped one another in every way; and in their reciprocal gift they experienced the presence of the One who said, ‘But take courage; I have conquered the world!’ (Jn 16:33) ”
Above all, it is thanks to these small groups…that the Church in my country survived. Everywhere, in fact, one could verify the presence of Christ, even among two Christians who met in the market or among two men who worked side by side in a re-education camp. It was not necessary to speak to each other. A particular context was not needed. It was enough to be united “in his name,” which means in his love. One experienced the presence of the Risen One who enlightens and comforts…
Precisely when all was lost, Jesus began to walk the streets of our country again. He left the tabernacle and made himself present in the schools and in the factories, in the offices and in the prisons.

Card. François-Xavier Van Thuan

Testimony of Hope
Pauline Books, Boston 2000, p143-144

(published by the Priestly Branch of the Focolare Movement)

1月11日
耶稣走访我们的国家

越南是我的国家，在北部有两个教区兰森和北宁，在改革开放之前，每个教区只剩下两位神父，而他们也受到管制，不得自由出入离开居住地。若瑟枢机主教（cardinale Giuseppe Trinh Nhu Khuê）记述说：“这些由两个或两个以上的人组成的小团体，每日以福音为生活准则，在各方面彼此帮助，在这种互为礼物的经验中，他们体验到主的临在，他曾说过‘你们要有信心，我已经战胜了世界！’（若：16，33）”。
有赖这些小型团体，（……）我国的教会得以幸存。其实，在任何地方，都可以证实基督的这种临在；甚至在市场相遇的两位基督徒，或一起在劳改营中工作的两个人，他们不需要说什么，不需要什么特殊环境。只要‘因他的名’聚在一起，即留在他的爱内，就能经验到复活之主的临在，经验到他的光照和安慰。……
正当一切都被粉碎时，耶稣再次走访我的国家，他走出圣体龛，来到学校，工厂，办公室和监狱。

阮文顺枢机主教

希望的见证
新城出版社，罗马2008 第十版
183-184页

一言為定 (2010年1月11日)

by | Jan 10, 2010 | Gospel Reflection, Word Forever

「來跟隨我，我要使你們成為漁人的漁夫。」(谷1:17)
這是耶穌召收首批門徒的呼喚。他們便是伯多祿、安德肋、雅各伯和若望。他們都立刻拋下網和父親，跟隨了他去。
據路加福音所載，門徒曾整夜捕魚而一無所獲。後來門徒便依耶穌所吩咐的，把船划到深處。結果便滿載而歸。伯多祿就跪伏在耶穌膝前說：「主，請你離開我，因為我是個罪人。」於是耶穌對伯多祿說：「不要害怕! 從今以後，你要做捕人的漁夫!」(路5:10)
耶穌指出，他不會因人的軟弱而不揀選他們。
據瑪竇福音記載，當耶穌見到若望及雅各伯時，他們在船上同自己的父親載伯德修理他們的網。「他們也立刻捨下了魚船和自己的父親，跟隨了衪。 」(瑪4:22)
可見耶穌有相當魅力！
不過，為什麼耶穌對我們又沒有那樣的吸引力呢？
唯一的解釋，我們好像那富少年，有心願跟隨耶穌，但沒有勇氣賣掉家當，施捨給窮人。即我們還未能完全放下私心，讓基督去把我們轉化過來。我們的心還是關著的呀！
梁達材神父