20230226 Mass of 1st Sunday of Lent - by: Guest Fr.

Video : from time 23:45 - 38:00
Reading : Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7 ; Rom 5:12-19 ; Mt 4:1-11

The temptation of being incomplete

Today I'm going to speak about the temptation of being incomplete, feeling incomplete. We have begun our 40 days Lenten Journey. A journey towards light, the Risen Lord. And today, this Sunday, May we call it Temptation Sunday because you heard about the first reading: Temptation - the gospel's Temptation. So the Sunday readings enlighten us about the possible Temptation that comes our way and how we need to respond to it.

The temptation of feeling incomplete or incompleteness is in us. In the creation story, the tempter Tells Eve that if you eat the food you will be complete like God, you will be able to judge between good and evil. They eat the fruit and what happens? They want it to be complete but their feeling of incompleteness increases, leading them to realize their nakedness and lead them to hide. Before eating, before God, they were able to talk to him, and then but now they're hiding. They were complete in the sight of God but now they desire to be more than what God has entrusted to them, leading them to hide before God. And obviously their relationship with God is broken.

Coming to the gospel, Jesus was baptized before The Temptations. You will see Jesus was baptized he hears, and he realizes that he was fully human and divine. And that was a time he went to have his experience with God. Maybe 40 days in the visit is the right and favorable length of time for us. And the devil finds a favorable time when we are in the desert. So the first temptation is: oh, you're the Son of God, prove yourself. You’re not complete, if you don't prove yourself to the world. if you are hungry, turn these into bread, and then, jump from here, your father will send Angels. Come on, prove yourself. Fall before me, and worship me, I will give you the whole Kingdom. In all of these Temptations, we can see that the tempter leaves Jesus to prove himself that he is complete both human and divine. That's where the tempter sees: "if you are the son of God", the same phrase in the first reading of the creation story. "if you want to be like God".

Adam and Eve fail. But Jesus wins over the Temptation saying I am full with God and have the word of God. it responds with the word of God as it is written in your news bulletins. What is written there on the top the captions of today's handout: tempted, tested, and triumphed. So Jesus triumphed. I already heard from my father that I am beloved. What more do I need to prove myself and to prove to you the tempter. So get behind me.

The world makes us feel incomplete. The world often tells you to prove yourself and your worth to others. For example, I just went to Google and searched out some of the products and their slogans that make you feel incomplete without them.

Disneyland, what is the slogan? "The happiest place on Earth''. As if you don't go, you don't visit the happiest place. Samsung has its slogan as "do what you can't". As if with Samsung you can do everything. And then you have Wal-Mart: "save money live better", so if you don't go to Wal-Mart, you don't live better. American Express: "don't live life without it". Facebook has this slogan: "more together". Oh, you have lots of friends but you are alone in the room with Facebook. I went to see cosmetics. Revlon has this "Feel like a Woman ''. And then Old Spice, "smell like a man". As if without that you don't smell like a man. In 1982, Max Factor had this slogan: "don't you love being a woman", as if without their products you don't want to be a woman. So these are some of the examples I found. I'm not saying you don't use them, but saying that they are not the ones which make you a complete human being.

There is always a tempter in us telling us we are incomplete. Oh, you do not have... you have not gone to a good restaurant, you do not have a costly dress, you do not own a profitable company. I do not have a beautiful face, good health. you know bank balance. Once you feel not full, it leads to craving for more. Be it food, power, or possessions, look out into the world. The feeling of incompleteness led to Wars.

Therefore, dear friends during this Lenten Journey, look out for one thing that is bothering you and telling you are incomplete without this or that. See how much you are breaking your back to prove to the world, to the people, to your neighbors. Maybe I would give up during this season, the feeling of not being enough, not worrying about having full, and accept we can never have it full. Reminding ourselves: we could be better persons with what we have, and what we are in the presence of God. With it, win these Temptations of feeling insecure, incompleteness. Have confidence that our Jesus showed us the way to defeat the tempter. Therefore asked for courage during this season of lent as we journey with God towards hope. Ask for the courage to tell Satan to get behind me. Amen

20230226 四旬期的第一主日 — 客座神父

讀經一:Gn 2:7-9; 3:1-7
讀經二:Rom 5:12-19
福音:Mt 4:1-11

倚靠耶穌來戰勝那不足與不完整感覺

今天我要談談那種欠缺或不圓滿的感覺。 在這四旬期的第一個主日,讀經一和福音記載了魔鬼的誘惑,也教導我們如何來對抗魔鬼的誘惑。

我們常常有一種欠缺和不滿足的感覺。 在樂園中,天主告訴亞當和夏娃:”樂園中這棵樹上的果子,不可以吃,免得死亡”. 魔鬼卻說: ”那天你們吃了這果子,眼就開了,如同天主一樣能分辨善惡”。 聽了魔鬼的謊言,亞當和夏娃就吃了果子。二人的眼立刻開了,發覺自己赤身露體,就躲藏了起來。這到底是怎麼一回事呢? 期望完美吃了禁果,卻感覺不完美。吃果子前,他們已經是完美的,可以與天主面對面交談。吃果子後,卻躲了起來。 這就是欠缺和不滿足的誘惑,他們想要超越完美的創造,以致失落了天主賜的美善,羞愧的躲了起來。

耶穌受到魔鬼試探之前受了洗。 在洗禮中,耶穌聽到天父的話,了解到他是全人又真天主。 然後,祂就進入沙漠禁食祈禱四十天來體驗天主。同樣的,讓我們也用這四旬期來體驗天主。 在沙漠中,魔鬼找機會試探耶穌。第一個試探是:”你若是天主子,就將石頭變成餅來證明你自己“。 第二個試探是:魔鬼將耶穌立在聖殿頂上說:”從這裡跳下去吧,你父親會派天使來,用手托着你”。 加油,證明自己吧。最後一個試探是: “你若俯伏朝拜我,我必把世上一切國度及其榮華交給你”。 在這三個試探中,魔鬼都是用這些話來挑戰

亞當和夏娃無法克服誘惑的挑戰。,耶穌卻戰勝了誘惑。祂說:“我心中充滿了天主,口中是天主的聖言”。 耶穌以天主聖言來回應。今天你手中主日的簡報標題是 :“試探、考驗和得勝”。 耶穌得勝了,因為他明認:“天父已經告訴我祂愛我,我還需要用什麼來證明我自己呢?魔鬼,到後面去”。

這個世界總是想讓我們感受到欠缺或不足,以此謀利。 我用谷歌搜索了一些產品和他們的口號。這些口號的目的就是要我們買它的產品來填滿那感覺欠缺或不完美的誘惑。

迪士尼樂園的口號是: “地球上最快樂的地方”。好像你不去迪士尼樂園,就沒有體驗到最快樂的地方;三星電子的口號是:“做你做不到的事”。好像有了三星,你就可以做任何事;walmart的口號是:“省錢,又活得更好”,如果你不去walmart購物就不會活得更好;臉書 的口號是:“更多的人在一起”。雖然有很多朋友,但沒有臉書,就像一個人獨處ㄧ室。讓我們來看看化妝品的口號。露華濃:“感覺像個女人“;Old Spice:“聞起來像個男人”。 好像沒有Old Spice 聞起來就不像男人。;蜜絲佛陀:“做女人真好”,沒有密斯佛陀就沒有享受到做女人的好處。:我並不反對使用這些產品,我只想告訴你們世上沒有一個產品能將你變得更為完美。

我們的內心總有感覺到欠缺或不滿。誘惑說:“ 哦,你有沒有做某些事情?“。 ”你有沒有去過這一家好餐館?你有沒有這件昂貴的大衣?你是否擁有一家賺錢的公司? 我也問自己是否有美麗的容顏?身體是否健康?銀行帳戶的餘額夠不夠? 一旦你感到還不夠,你的渴望及慾望就會更多。 無論是食物、權力還是財產,都是一樣的。放眼世界,欠缺或不完滿的誘惑甚至 會引發戰爭。

朋友們,在這四旬期我們要找出一件困擾你,使您感覺欠缺的事。 那件你盡力向世界、人們、或你的鄰居證明自己價值的事。 讓我們超越那欠缺和不滿足的誘惑,不再擔心自己是否圓滿。因為我們無法以做更多證明自己存在的價值。我們要以自己所擁有的,天主創造的樣子來成為一個更好的基督徒。倚靠耶穌來戰勝那不足與不完整感覺的誘惑,學習耶穌擊敗魔鬼的試探。 偕同天主邁向希望的旅程,大聲斥責撒旦:到後面去。 阿門!