生活聖言 (2011年12月)

by pleung | Dec 5, 2011 | Focolare, Word of Life

「你們當預備上主的道路，修直祂的途徑。」（路3：4）

我們特別被邀請在這將臨期間把這句新的生活聖言實踐出來。這是聖史路加引述那號稱安慰百姓的先知依撒意亞所寫的話。為早期的基督徒而言，這一句話是指耶穌的前驅洗者若翰。

教會在預備聖誕節來臨的期間，向我們介紹這位前驅，旨在邀請我們一同歡樂，因為洗者若翰正是那位宣告君王來臨的使者。若翰所宣告的事實就是：天主將要實踐祂的許諾，寛赦罪惡及賞賜救恩的時刻臨近了。

「你們當預備上主的道路，修直祂的途徑。」

假如這句話帶有喜樂的意思，那麽它更邀請我們去把整個生命指往一個新的方向，把我們的生活徹底改變過來。

洗者若翰呼籲我們去預備上主的道路，但究竟這是一條怎樣的道路呢？

洗者若翰所宣講的耶穌在公開生活和開始宣講前，曾經在曠野裡渡過了一段時期。這是祂所走過的道路。祂在曠野中雖然體驗到和天父之間一份深厚密切的關係，但也曾受盡試探和誘惑，而最後祂卻戰勝了一切。祂甘願如此，好使我們在誘惑中能找到祂的支持。後來，在祂的死亡和復活的事蹟中，我們又看見耶穌再次踏上同一的道路。既然耶穌徹底地完成祂的路程，祂本身便成了我們在逆旅中的『道路』。

耶穌本身就是道路，我們應該跟隨祂，好能徹底地實現我們做人的使命，那就是與上主達到一個圓滿和共融的境界。

我們每個人都被召叫去預備上主的道路，然而耶穌也願意參與我們的生活，這樣，我們也需要修直我們生命的道路，好使祂能夠進入我們內心。

我們要為祂預備道路，因此，那些由於我們有限的觀點所導致；或因為我們的軟弱意志而產生的障礙都應該一一被剷除。

因此，我們必須提起勇氣作出抉擇：選擇我們自己的道路或是選擇天主為我們準備好的道路；我們的主意或是祂的聖意；我們自己定下的計劃，或是由祂全能者的愛為我們所預備的計劃。

當我們作出決定後，就要設法放下我們那種頑固的意願，好能承行天主的聖意。

但甚麼時候才開始去做呢？那些名符其實的基督徒，即聖人們，教導了我們一個明智及實際的方法：就是在此時、在目前一刻，把障礙逐一移去，好使我們的意願不再存在，而讓天主的聖意生活在我們內。

這樣，我們便可以把這句聖言生活出來：

「你們當預備上主的道路，修直祂的途徑。」

盧嘉勒

註：本月聖言已於1997年12月份發表

Word of Life – Dec 2011

by pleung | Dec 5, 2011 | Focolare, Word of Life

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths” (Lk 3:4).

The Word of Life, taken from Scripture, is offered each month as a guide and inspiration for daily living.

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths”

During this season of Advent we are invited to live a new Word of Life. The Evangelist Luke takes it from the book of Isaiah. The first Christians applied it to John the Baptist, who had preceded Jesus.

The Church, in the period before Christmas, presents us with the figure of John the Baptist, inviting us to rejoice because he is like the messenger announcing the arrival of the king. The time is coming when God will fulfill his promises, forgive sins and grant salvation.

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths”

While this Word of Life is an expression of joy, it is also an invitation to a complete and radical change of direction in our life. John the Baptist invites us to prepare the way of the Lord — but what can be the way?

Jesus’ coming was proclaimed by John the Baptist, but before entering public life to begin his ministry Jesus spent some time in the desert. That was his way. In the desert he found profound union with God, but he also encountered temptation, and by experiencing that he made himself one with all of us. He came out victorious.

We see Jesus follow this way again in his death and resurrection. Since Jesus followed his way to the end, he himself has become “the way” for us who are still on the road.

He is the way we must follow in order to fulfill our calling as human beings to enter into full communion with God.

Each of us is called to prepare the way of the Lord who wants to enter into our life; and we must make the paths of our life straight so that he can come in. We have to prepare the way for him, removing every obstacle one by one, such as those arising from our limited way of seeing things, from our weak will.

We need courage to choose between our way and his way for us, between our will and his will, between a program we have thought of (which may or may not turn out) and the one created by his all-powerful love. Once we have made the decision, we have to work at conforming our own stubborn will to his.

How? Those who have become fulfilled Christians, the saints, teach us a good, practical, intelligent method: do it right now. Moment by moment, let us try to remove the obstacles that keep us from doing his will so that it will be no longer our will living in us, but his. In this way we will have lived the Word of Life:

“Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths”

Chiara Lubich