主日讀經反思　Sunday Scripture Meditation (20/02/2011)

本主日讀經︰
肋未紀　19:1-2,17-18
聖詠　103[102]:1-4,8,10,12-13
格林多前書　3:16-23
瑪竇福音　5:38-48

默想︰

住了多年的房子，油漆剝落，天花水泥欲墜，為住得更舒服，裝修的時候到了。此時讀到聖保祿宗徒在讀經二談及我們是天主的宮殿，不禁想起這個宮殿是否也需要裝修，使它更適合天主居住。

讀經一教我們不要憎恨和惱恨，不可報復。讀經二要我們不要自欺，不可拿人來誇口。答唱詠提到不輕易發怒。這些負面的情緒發洩，對己對人都沒好處。修養不夠，按耐不住，為逞一時之快而出口或在心裏傷人，也同時傷了自己。很多時，麻煩都是出自誤會，只要能忍一時之氣，靜下來，深呼吸，熱切地祈求天主助佑，不要糊亂發洩負面情緒，待事情弄清楚了才再作打算。這樣裝修天主的宮殿，會更適合天主居住。

今天的讀經亦提到：成聖、愛人如己、仁愛、慈悲、寬恕、憐愛、敬畏、大智若愚等。這些正面訊息並不陌生，問題是如何貫徹到日常生活上面。最簡單做法是每天祈禱、反省和意識省察。這樣裝飾天主的宮殿，天主定會居住得更舒服。

主，請幫助我們保持祢的宮殿潔淨，不敗壞，不弄污，讓祢樂居其中。

【摘自和平二月號】


Readings (Year A) page 65:
Leviticus 19: 1-2, 17-18
Psalm 103: 1-2, 3-4, 10, 12-13 The Lord is kind and merciful.
1 Corinthians 3: 16-23
Matthew 5: 38-48

We continue to read the ideal of Christian living promulgated in the Sermon on the Mount.

The lex talionis, 'an eye for an eye', even though a restrictive law which emphasised 'only an eye for an eye', is no longer the norm. Jesus' sayings which follow show the ideal - to be magnanimous and decent towards all our fellowmen, realizing that God is our common Father. The Lord deals with his children in a manner which goes beyond, justice, 'causing his sun to rise on bad man as well as good'. This manner of acting is the rule for the Christian, to behave as God behaves, to be perfect (Luke has 'compassionate', 'merciful') as our Father is perfect.

Considered as regulations for the conduct of daily life, these maxims (i.e. sayings from the Sermon on the Mount) are meant to be taken seriously. They are vivid and even startling illustrations in extreme cases of the way in which the quality and direction of God's treatment of his children might be reproduced in human relations. The very extravagance of them shows that Jesus was well aware what a lot he was demanding of human nature when he substituted 'Love your enemies' for 'love thy neighbour'.
Lord, help me to be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect.

Shalom – Thoughts for Prayer