神父的話                

跟期盼的不同

今天的福音中，在獄中的洗者約翰派遣門徒去問耶穌 :「你就是要來的那一位，或是我們還要等候另一位。」 (瑪 11: 3) 這並不是一個尋常的問題， 正正反映出洗者約翰的失望，因為耶穌跟他所期望的默西亞很不同。 因為約翰宣講默西亞來臨時，天主會以憤怒、恐懼和激烈的審判來對待那些不肯悔改的罪人。(瑪 3: 1-12)

耶穌固然傳遞了悔罪的必要和天主最後審判的信息。當然，祂是以出於愛心的游說，而不是以通過恐懼來強迫，並著重天父對罪人的慈愛和寬恕，多出於如怒火般的定罪。洗者約翰聽見耶穌向窮人傳播福音，治好麻瘋病人、癱瘓的人、患病的人，又讓死者復活，而令他感到奇怪的是當他聽見耶穌與罪人，又或是跟那些被人認為是不神聖，那些被列為不會被拯救的人物同食。耶穌並不是一位如大衛王般帶有政治軍事意味的默西亞，或是一位如約翰或是多數人想像的 – 一位無情的審判官。這是依撒意亞先知預言的，那位治療傷口，帶來歡樂和給予新生命的牧者默西亞。(依撒意亞 35) 耶穌平和地告訴洗者約翰不要因為祂是這樣的一位默西亞而感到震驚，並邀請約翰接受祂所宣講的信息，和天國的樣式。

聖言會蘇峙高神父

NOT WHOM YOU EXPECTED?   

In today's Gospel reading, the imprisoned John the Baptist sends his disciples to ask Jesus: "Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?" (Matthew 11:3) This is no friendly question but reveals the Baptist's real disappointment that Jesus has turned out to be a different kind of Messiah than he had expected. After all, John preached about the coming Messiah as a time of God's wrath, a time of fearful and fiery judgment for those who did not repent of their sins. (Matthew 3:1-12)

Jesus certainly preached about the need for repentance and God's ultimate judgment; however he sought to persuade through love rather than force through fear, emphasizing God the Father's compassion and forgiveness for the sinner rather than fire and brimstone condemnation. John the Baptist heard of Jesus' ministry of preaching good news to the poor, of healing lepers, the paralyzed, the diseased, possessed and his raising of the dead. He heard of Jesus eating with sinners and associating with other unsavory characters that others shunned as unholy, and he had to wonder. This was not the political-military Messiah like King David or the merciless Judge that many, like John, may have expected. Here was a Shepherd-Messiah foretold by Isaiah, who binds up wounds, brings joy and gives newness of life (Isaiah 35). Jesus gently appeals to John the Baptist not to be scandalized at his Messiahship and invites him to embrace his preaching and vision of God's Kingdom.

Continuing our Advent journey this Gaudete Sunday, may we proclaim Jesus Christ as our Savior as we struggle to be faithful disciples by our readiness to forgive rather than to condemn. May the Lord grant us the grace to avoid being imprisoned by our spiritual blindness.

Rev. John A. Szukalski, SVD