20230305 2nd Sunday of Lent - by: Deacon Benjamin Lai
Reading : Gn 12:1-4a;2 Tm 1:8b-10;Mt 17:1-9
Video : from time 20:20 to 28:45

It is the promise of the Resurrection that sustains us during our difficulties in life

"Hallow" , the Catholic app for smart phones similar to the "amen" app for prayer and meditation was the third most downloaded app on Ash Wednesday. Even ahead of the Powerhouse apps like "Google" or "tick tock". I think and I hope that there's a revival going on in this country. I'm also encouraged as Bishop Barbara mentioned during The Rite of election last week in Cathedral of Christ the light, that there will be more than 1500 people who will enter the Catholic Church through the sacraments of initiation of baptism, confirmation, and Eucharist just the Oakland diocese alone this Easter season.

This is also another sign of this hunger for God, and how God is still transforming our worldly lives to living our lives with God. We all have this need to find real meaning in our life. We’re all searching for the real connection with God. When we do not recognize the presence of God in our lives, we look for fulfillment in life in all the wrong places. For us Catholics, lent is a time to look within our hearts on how to renew, and deepen our faith, deepen our relationship with Jesus. It is time to examine and eliminate the things that keep us from doing his will, and to start a new path to grow even closer to him even when we feel uncomfortable and uncertain.

In our first reading today, God promised Abraham, to go forth from the land of your 這哦King's folk and from your father's house, to a land I will show you. Basically God is telling Abraham to leave everything that he has and to go to a foreign land, and to trust God completely, for God has a great plan for him. Abraham went as the Lord 這哦directed. The rest of Abraham's Faith Journey has not exactly been smooth. But he kept the faith wholeheartedly and never lost sight of God's promise, even when Abraham didn't understand God's will. And in the end because of Abraham's faith and obedience, God makes a covenant with him and makes Abraham the father of all Nations and his descendants are as numerous as the Stars.

It is the same invitation that Jesus called the disciples to follow him, to make them Fishers of Men. The disciples, just like Abraham, responded by dropping everything they had, what they were doing, and followed Christ. They were flawed human beings just like all of us. In the end, they embraced a cross, and, like Christ, gave up their lives for the sake of the Gospel. In a similar way, lent appears for us to perfect our love for Christ, and to respond with what areas in our lives that we're prepared to give up in order to follow Christ more closely.

Sometimes our faith Journey seems difficult and impossible even when only relying on our own will. Even giving up candies, chocolate and Coffee drinks during Lent 這哦seems difficult. We must realize that it is neither our will nor our power that sustains us throughout our faith Journey. It is in surrendering our will and accepting that the strength comes from God that we're given the grace through Christ to persevere and to bear our share of hardship.

For the gospel, even for one day or for one minute, if it wasn't for the grace of Christ, we would never be able to sustain. He saved us, and called us to a holy life not according to our works, but through God's saving power. During his Lenten season, God calls us for conversion of the heart, and to grow in holiness through prayer, fasting, and alms giving. As a matter of the fact, Jesus tells us that some worldly attachments can only be overcome by prayer and fasting.

What is more important? However, Jesus teaches us that our motivation for prayer, fasting, and almsgiving has succumbed from the desire to grow in holiness. Be not like the hypocrites who do all these things for external attention, for they have already received their Rewards. Our end result of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving should bring us closer to Christ and to embrace the suffering that Jesus. Jesus called all of us and the disciples to endure in order to accomplish this. We must always embrace the cross and focus on the resurrection.

In today's Gospel reading, Jesus reveals to us who Jesus really is and. why he came into the world, Jesus let the apostles Peter John and James onto a high Mountaintop, which always signifies that something important will happen.

Jesus is transfigured in front of them. His face showed like the sun, and his clothes became White as light. "This is my beloved Son with whom I'm well pleased, listen to him". This is the second time that we hear those words. The other time was when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, God cannot make it clearer that Jesus is God and in this instance of his Transfiguration he revealed the glimpse of heaven and his divine nature to the three apostles. Jesus is fully human except for sin, and he's fully divine. Jesus is with Moses representing the law, and Elijah representing the prophets, and is depicted as the one not to abolish but to fulfill the law of the Old Testament. he's the new Moses who will lead us into the new Exodus.

Peter does not want to go home or go back for he has tasted what heaven is like. but Jesus knows that he must go through the suffering and death and complete his mission, just as Moses led the Israelites out of slavery from Egypt and is given the Ten Commandments.

Jesus now leads us out of our bondage of sin by suffering and dying on the cross. Jesus also gave the new commandment of love to "love one another as he has loved us" Jesus suffered and died for our sake. because of his love for us so that we have a chance to be with him in heaven. The deeper meaning of Lent is to discover how much we cannot, even for a minute, live without God's love. When we realize that it is God's love that sustains Our Lives, we will willingly give up whatever it is, whatever it is in our lives in order to remain in his love.

Just as we look forward to Easter so that we can celebrate and enjoy the things we give up during Lent. We are to imitate Christ and embrace his suffering in order to have a more meaningful Easter at the resurrection. It is the promise of the Resurrection that sustains us during our difficulties in life. and I hope that all those people who downloaded the app to really encounter Christ, and to share in Christ's suffering so that they can also share in his resurrection.

20230305 四旬期的第二個主日 - by: Deacon Benjamin Lai
读经一:Gn 12:1-4a
读经二:2 Tm 1:8b-10
福音:Mt 17:1-9

基督复活的许诺在困难的ㄖ子中支撑着我们

天主教智能手机程序“哈啰 (Hallow) ”在圣灰主日下载的次数名列全球第三,超越了“谷歌”以及“抖音”。巴博主教上周在基督之光主教堂举行的复活节甄选仪式中提到,在这复活节奥克兰教区将会有超过 1500 人接受洗礼、坚振,和圣体圣事来进入天主教会。听到这些好消息,我感到非常的鼓舞。我认为,并且希望美国正走向基督信仰的复兴。 ( 注:天主教还有一个很受欢迎的手机程序“阿门 (Amen)”,这个程序专注于祈祷和默观)

这些令人鼓舞的征兆都是渴望,期待,欢迎天主与我们同在,希望天主来改变我们生命的迹象。人们在寻找生命的意义希望与天主连上线。当我们的生命没有天主时,我们就会以荒谬来填满它,这是多么地可怕。四旬期是教友们用来更新自己、加深与耶稣关系的时候。我们要检讨一切阻碍我们与天主沟通的事物来开启一条全新的道路。借着它,即使在我们感到不顺或不确定的时候,也能与耶稣更加亲近。

在今天的读经一中,天主要亚巴郎离开他的家乡到一个天主指定的地方去。听从了天主的吩咐,亚巴郎就开始了信仰之旅。这信仰之旅并不是非常的顺利,但亚巴郎总是回应了天主的要求,保持对天主的坚强信心。就是他并没有完全了解天主的旨意,也照样做了。因为他的信心与顺服,天主赏赐他为万国之父,祝福他的后裔众多的有如繁星。

耶稣要求门徒跟随祂,邀请他们成为渔人的渔夫。就像亚巴郎一样,门徒放下一切来跟随祂。门徒们跟我们一样有缺陷,但他们最后也都拥抱了十字架,效法耶稣为福音献出了生命来做见证。身为天主教教友,我们在四旬期中必须要尝试着加深我们对基督的爱,借着放弃生活中的一些享受,做一点小小的刻苦,更加紧密地来跟随耶稣。

仅仅靠我们的意志,这个信仰之旅会是很艰难的。四旬期间,就是要放弃欲望、巧克力,或喝咖啡也几乎是不可能的。这就让我们认清在这个旅途,帮助我们前进的动力并不是来自人。要承担苦难坚持下去,就必须交付自己的意志,通过基督获得恩典,借着天主的力量向前行。如果没有基督的恩典,即便是ㄧ天或ㄧ分钟,我们都无法追求得到这个 天赐的恩宠。基督拯救了我们,要我们过圣洁的生活,通过天主拯救的大能来得到永恒的救恩。在这个四旬期,天主要我们改变内心,通过祈祷、禁食和施舍在圣洁中成长。福音中耶稣告诉我们:“许多对世俗的依恋只能通过祈祷和禁食来克服”。耶稣也说过许多人祈祷、禁食和施舍的动机已经污染了成圣的目标。我们不要像伪君子给围观的人看自己做的善功。如此观众的喝采就成了他们唯一的奖赏,这种善功无法得到救恩。基督徒的祈祷、禁食和施舍的目的是使我们相似基督来拥抱祂的苦难。耶稣召教我们以坚忍的态度来成圣,经由十字架来争取永生。

在今天的福音中,耶稣带伯多禄,若望,和雅各伯登上山顶,向他们显现圣容和降生成人的天主性。耶稣面容如日,衣裳洁白如光。有声音从天降来说: “「这是我的爱子,我所喜悦的,你们要听从祂!」。这是福音中第二次记载天降的话。当耶稣在约旦河受洗时天父第一次开了口。就在这里,天父再次开口确认耶稣是天主子。耶稣也同时向三位门徒显示了天堂的美好和祂的天主性。显圣容预表了将要发生更重要事件。除了没有犯过罪以外,耶稣是完全的人、也是完全的神。耶稣和梅瑟同时的显现代表了旧约律法,厄里亚的显现代表了所有的先知。这个显现代表了耶稣不是来废除旧约的律法,而是来成全旧约的法律 。耶稣是新梅瑟,祂解放罪恶的束缚,领导我们进入自由的新天新地,就像梅瑟领犹太人出埃及一样。伯多禄想继续享受天堂的美善,不想离开这个显圣容的地方。但耶稣知道祂必须离开,并且经历苦难和死亡来完成救赎的使命。就像梅瑟带领以色列人离开埃及人的奴役,被赐予并且要遵守十诫一样。

借着十字架上的苦难和死亡,耶稣带领我们脱离罪恶的捆绑。也给了我们爱的新诫命:“彼此相爱,就像祂爱我们一样”。就是这个以牺牲来救赎的爱,使我们与天堂有份。四旬期更深一层的意义就是发现我们无时无刻不能没有天主的爱。当我们了解是天主的爱维续了我们的生命时,我们就会心甘情愿地放弃这个世俗,存留在祂的爱中。

我们期待耶稣的复活,也享受在四旬期所作的牺性。我们要效法基督并接受他的苦难来过一个有意义的复活节。基督复活的许诺在困难的ㄖ子中支撑着我们。希望所有下载程序的人都能遇到,并且分享祂的死亡和复活。