生活聖言 (2012年6月)

by pleung | May 31, 2012 | Focolare, Word of Life

「你們不要為那可損壞的食糧勞碌，而要為那存留到永生的食糧勞碌，即人子所要賜給你們的。」(若6 :27)

在提庇黎雅海的岸邊，耶穌藉著增餅飽飫了大批群眾。由於祂看出他們要立祂為王，故此退避到對岸，即葛法翁境內。很多人卻仍然去追尋祂，而最後亦找到了祂。可是，耶穌卻不接納他們那份帶有私心的熱情。他們吃了神跡的餅，但只著重物質上的利益，而沒有領會到其中的深奧含義。那餅暗示出，耶穌是被父所派遣，給世界帶來真正的生命。他們卻把祂僅僅看成一個行奇跡的人，一個屬於現世的默西亞，有能力供給他們大量和便宜的食糧。就是在這種情況之下，耶穌向他們說：

 「你們不要為那可損壞的食糧勞碌，而要為那存留到永生的食糧勞碌，即人子所要賜給你們的。」(若6 :27)[1]

那『不會損壞的食糧』就是耶穌自己，同時也是祂的教導，因為祂所教導的與祂本人根本就是一體。我們再細讀下去的話會見到，這個『不會損壞的食糧』亦即是耶穌聖體。於是，我們可以說，那『不會損壞的食糧』就是耶穌本身，在祂的聖言之內及在聖體中，祂將自己賜給我們。.

 「你們不要為那可損壞的食糧勞碌，而要為那存留到永生的食糧勞碌，即人子所要賜給你們的。」

食糧的形象，跟水的形像一樣，經常在聖經中出現。食糧和水代表最基本的養料，是眾人生存的必需品。耶穌以食糧比喻自己，就是想我們知道，祂本身及祂的教導對於我們屬靈的生活來說是不可缺少的，正如我們的肉身生活不能缺少食糧一樣。

物質的食糧固然必須，耶穌也親自以奇跡給群眾提供，可是僅僅物質的食糧並不足夠。可能我們沒有注意到，在我們內還有另外一種飢渴，即對真理、公義、愛情、純潔、光明、平安、喜樂、無限、永恆的飢渴。世界上沒有任何事物能給我們帶來滿足。耶穌向我們推薦祂自己，只有祂才能夠滿足人的內在渴求。

 「你們不要為那可損壞的食糧勞碌，而要為那存留到永生的食糧勞碌，即人子所要賜給你們的。」

耶穌自稱為『生命之糧』，祂不但告訴我們要以祂作為養料，相信祂的話以得永恆的生命，祂更加鼓勵我們跟祂一起去體驗。耶穌藉著『要為那存留到永生的食糧勞碌』這句話，其實是極力邀請我們盡己所能，運用一切資源去爭取這食糧。耶穌並不想強迫我們去接受祂，只希望我們去發現祂，感受與祂一起的經驗。

當然，單憑人性薄弱的力量，我們沒有能力到達耶穌那裡。唯有依賴天主的恩寵，我們才能做得到。不管怎樣，耶穌不斷地邀請我們，要開放自我以接受那份恩賜，即祂自己。也就是透過盡力實踐祂的話，我們才可以對祂懷有圓滿的信德，才可以品嚐祂的聖言，好像品嚐一份芳香的美食一樣。

 「你們不要為那可損壞的食糧勞碌，而要為那存留到永生的食糧勞碌，即人子所要賜給你們的。」

本月的生活聖言並沒有把焦點集中於基督所訓示的某一點(例如：寬恕那些得罪我們的人；不要依戀財富等)，卻引領我們重新回到基督徒生活的根源，即我們與耶穌的個人關係。

我相信那些已經開始致力把祂的話實踐，尤其是注重那條集聖言及誡命於大成的『愛的誡命』的人，或多或少都會發覺到，耶穌就是他們生命的食糧。祂可以實現他們心中的願望，是他們的喜樂及光明的泉源。透過實踐這句生活聖言，他們起碼會開始體驗到，天主聖言為全世界及每一個人的問題都能提供一個真確的答案。由於耶穌這『生命食糧』在聖體內作出自我最大的奉獻，基督徒會自然地以愛去領受耶穌聖體。在基督徒的生活中，耶穌聖體佔有一個很重要的位置。

那些曾經體驗過這個美妙經驗的人，不可以僅僅為自己保留，卻要以耶穌同樣熱切的心來催促自己去尋找那『生命之糧』，跟其他人分享這份發現，讓很多人能在祂內找到他們心中一直尋找的東西。對於其他的人來說，這是一份很大的愛德行動，使他們在今世已可以認識到真正的生命，並獲得永恆的生命。除此之外，我們尚有何求呢？

盧嘉勒

[1]  本月的生活聖言已在1985年8月份發表過

Word of Life – June 2012

by pleung | May 31, 2012 | Focolare, Word of Life

“Do not work for food that perishes but for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.” (Jn.6:27)

After Jesus had fed the multitude by multiplying the bread near the Sea of Tiberias, he slipped away to Capernaum on the other shore, to get away from the crowd that wished to make him king. Even so, many went to look for him and caught up with him. He, however, did not accept their overly self-interested enthusiasm. They had eaten miraculous bread, but they had stopped short at the material advantage without grasping the deep meaning of that bread which showed Jesus to be sent by the Father to give true life to the world. They saw him merely as a wonder worker, an earthly Messiah, able to get them material bread in abundance and on the cheap. In this context Jesus says to them these words:

“Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.”

The ‘food that endures’ is the person of Jesus himself and it is also his teaching, since Jesus’ teaching is one and the same with his person. When we read Jesus’ other words later on, we see that this ‘bread that endures’ is also identified with Jesus’ Eucharistic body. So, we can say the ‘bread that endures’ is Jesus in person, who gives himself to us in his Word and in the Eucharist.

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.

The image of bread is often used in the Bible, as is the image of water. Bread and water represent the basic foods indispensable for human life. Now, by applying the image of bread to himself, Jesus means that his person, his teaching are indispensable for the spiritual life of human beings, just as bread is for the life of the body. Material bread is certainly necessary. Jesus himself provides it miraculously for the crowds. But on its own it is not enough. Human beings bear in themselves, perhaps without fully knowing it, a hunger for truth, justice, goodness, love, purity, light, peace, joy, infinity, eternity, that nothing in the world can satisfy. Jesus offers himself as the only one capable of satisfying the inner hunger of humanity.

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.

In presenting himself as the ‘bread of life’, however, Jesus is not limiting himself to affirming the need to feed on him, and so believe in his word, in order to have eternal life. But he wants to encourage us to have an experience of him. Indeed, when he says, ‘work for the food that does not perish,’ he gives us an urgent invitation. He means that we must be involved seriously, do every possible thing needed to have this food. Jesus does not impose himself, but he wants to be discovered, he wants to be experienced.

Certainly by their own strength alone human beings cannot reach Jesus. They can do it as a gift from God. Nonetheless, Jesus continually invites people to put themselves in a position to receive the gift of himself, which he wishes to give. And it is precisely by striving to put the Word into practice that human beings come to full faith in him, to taste his Word as one would taste sweet-smelling and flavoursome bread.

Do not work for the food that perishes, but for the food that endures for eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you.

The Word of Life is not about a specific point of Jesus’ teaching (such as forgiving offences, detachment from riches and so on), but it brings us back to the very root of Christian life, which is our personal relationship with Jesus.

I think that those who have started living the Word with commitment, and especially the commandment of love for our neighbour (the summary of all the words of God and of all the commandments) sense at least in some small way that Jesus is the ‘bread’ of their lives, able to satisfy the desires of their hearts, the source of their joy, of their light. By putting the Word into practice they have at least begun to taste it as the true answer to the problems of humanity and of the world. And, since Jesus, the ‘bread of life’, gives the supreme gift of himself in the Eucharist, they go spontaneously to receive the Eucharist with love, and it has an important place in their lives.

Those of us who have had this amazing experience must not keep it for ourselves. With the same concern that Jesus urges us to work for the ‘bread of life’, we should communicate it to others so that they may find in Jesus what their hearts have always sought. It is an enormous act of love for our neighbours because already from this earth they can know what true life is and they will have the life that does not die. And what more could anyone want?

Chiara Lubich

First published in August 1985