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常年期第十三主日彌撒證道辭 ─ 從木櫈談起 伍棟樑神父 徐麗華譯 你曾經去過有舒適厚墊子座椅和跪櫈的教堂嗎？有一些是有的，特別是新蓋的教堂，但是一般老的教堂，像我們的這一個就沒有。但這還不是最差的。去歐洲旅遊過的人會告訴你，那兒大多數的教友，不但坐的是平板長條櫈，跪櫈更只是一片沒有墊子的木板。傳統的東正教堂裡是沒有座位的，每個人都是站著聽道，即使儀式持續幾了個鐘頭。
沒有舒適的座椅在基督宗教的教堂裡是有道理的。這在提醒我們一項重要的事實：跟隨基督不是輕鬆的。
有一些自稱為基督徒的人以為只要偶爾地安靜祈禱一下，領一兩次聖體，聽聽安慰和鼓勵的話語，就是在過基督徒的生活。有這種想法的人是犯了悲哀的錯誤。在今天的福音裡，耶穌對那些即將成為祂門徒的人明白地指示，追隨祂不是一件舒適，容易，愉快的事，有時甚至是痛苦的。是的，會需要面對罪的問題─因為罪存在我們的世界裡，存在我們的心中，我們期待耶穌的救援。是的，會有犧牲的要求─因為耶穌為我們在十字架上犧牲了自己的生命，為了天主的國，祂期望我們能夠奉獻我們的時間，金錢，自尊，我們自己的目標和野心。是的，當然還有出來服務的召叫─因為耶穌的工作尚未完成，需要我們來繼續餵養饑餓者，蔽蔭無家可歸者，保護受壓迫者，為衝突紛爭找尋和平的出路，宣揚福音，將本堂變成生動又活潑的團體。
跟隨耶穌不是一件容易的事。如果我們覺得十分的輕鬆，那麼我們一定是追隨了別的人。
常年期第十三主日﹝丙年﹞，二零零七年六月三十─七月一日 請參閱路加福音第九章五十一至六十二節
The Homily of the 13th Sunday of Ordinary Mass Fr. Kimm Have you ever been in a church with padded pews or padded chairs? Some churches, especially newer ones, do have them but most older churches, like ours, do not. Things could be worse. As anyone who have traveled around Europe will tell you, many if not most worshipers there are forced not only to sit on flat wooden benches but also to kneel on kneelers that are nothing more than wooden boards--no padding there either. And traditional Orthodox churches typically have no seating; everyone stands during the entire service, even if goes on for hours. In a way, the lack of comfortable seating in Christian churches is appropriate. It can remind us of an important truth: following Jesus is not meant to be comfortable. Some people who call themselves Christians are under the impression that practicing their faith consists only of some quiet moments of prayer, receiving a sacrament or two, and listening to words of consolation and encouragement. Anyone with this kind of idea is sadly mistaken. As Jesus makes clear to the would-be disciples in our gospel reading, following him is very often uncomfortable, inconvenient, unpleasant, even painful. Yes, there will be talk of sin--because sin exists in our world and in our hearts and we still need Jesus to save us from it. Yes, there will be the demand for sacrifice--because just as Jesus gave his life on the cross, he expects us to give up our time, our money, our pride, our own goals and ambitions, all for the sake of God's kingdom. And yes, there will be the constant call to work--because Jesus' work is not done and it's up to us to continue it by feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, defending the oppressed, finding peaceful solutions to conflict, spreading the good news, and making the parish a vibrant, thriving community. Following Jesus is not easy. If we're feeling comfortable, we're following somebody else.
13th Sun. O.T. (C) June 30-July 1, 2007 (see Luke 9:51-62 )
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