聖斯德望 (首位殉道)
恭讀聖瑪竇福音 2:13-15,19-23
賢士們離去後,看,上主的天使托夢顯現於若瑟說:「起來,帶著嬰孩和他的母親逃往埃及,住在那裡,直到我再通知你,因為黑落德即將尋找這嬰孩,要把他殺掉。」若瑟便起來,星夜帶了嬰孩和他的母親,退避到埃及去。留在那裡,直到黑落德死去。這就應驗了上主藉先知所說的話:「我從埃及召回了我的兒子。」黑落德死後,看,上主的天使在埃及托夢顯現於若瑟,說:「起來,帶著孩子和他的母親,往以色列去,因為那些謀殺孩子性命的人死了。」他便起來,帶了孩子和他的母親,進了以色列地域;但是一聽說阿爾赫勞繼他父親黑落德作了猶太王,就害怕到那裡去;夢中得了指示後,便退避到加里肋亞境內,去住在一座名叫納匝肋的城中,如此應驗了先知們所說的話:「祂將稱為納匝肋人。」
—基督的福音。
(The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph)
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there till I tell you; for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night, and departed to Egypt, 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfil what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, “Out of Egypt have I called my son.” 19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, saying, 20 “Rise, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child’s life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus reigned over Judea in Place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
—The Gospel of the Lord.
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (0.0KB) | Embed
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | RSS
「求祢寬恕我們的罪過,如同我們寬恕別人一樣﹗」每念到天主經的此處,都會深感天主的慈悲,雖然未能做到寬恕傷害我的人,但天父却先寬恕了我,為的是要用祂無條件的愛去感化我的心硬,好能使我照祂的旨意去行﹗
在此聖誕節,小耶穌的謙卑、服從和愛提醒了我:願意跟隨祂,就要將目光只放在祂身上,就要謙抑自下,只願承行主的旨意,只尋求主的光榮而不是自己的光榮。
接著,曾經傷害過我的人或我不能接納的人,一一湧現眼前,我只好為他們禱告。之後,心情豁然開朗,平安和喜樂湧上心頭﹗
不寬恕,不放下仇恨,就是生活在黑暗中,死影下的人,就是套上奴隸的枷鎖。
「在黑暗中行走的百姓看見了一道皓光,光輝已射在那寄居在漆黑之地的人們身上…,祢折斷了他們所負的重軛、他們肩上的橫木,以及壓迫他們者的短棍…」依9:1-3
是的,耶穌來世就是要帶給我們人類這條走回原始聖潔的道路,除去令人不自由的重軛和橫木,在回歸父家的路上,充滿自由,平安和喜樂﹗