「教友年」聖保祿堂填字遊戲答案 (第一期)

「教友年」通訊（第六期）

本期通訊專題報導「信仰在我家」，堂區主日學特別邀請了「齊家運動」的神師恩保德神父和一位熱心成員，與我們分享建立和諧家庭與培育子女之道，讓我們在教友年，重新反思家庭的重要性，亦重新發掘天主給每個家庭的恩寵。

詳情大家可於網上下載閱覽！

「教友年」聖保祿堂填字遊戲 (第一期)

(答案將於 25/12 後, 於堂區地下禮堂的教友年壁報及在這公布！)

２０１１年１２月份「教友年」主日培育VCD

來跟隨我！(谷1:17) ─ 召叫、共融、使命
交談–基督徒生活的態度 ─ 按此收看VCD

在廣東話中，「有得傾」代表人際關係的一個重要的態度。買東西時討價還價，最重要是「有得傾」，不然生意就做不成了；朋友之間觀點不同，各執一詞也不緊，最重要是仍然「有得傾」。

為什麼「有得傾」這麼重要？因為人與人之間的大部分問題，往往都是出於不理解、誤會和誤解，只有不斷的交談，開放自己及聆聽對方，認清對方的想法，才能化解誤會。有一句話西方諺語「穿別人的鞋子」，意思是你只有真正地經歷對方的處境，才會明白別人的真正感受。雖然我們不可能真的穿別人的鞋子，但是基督徒卻可以透過交談，認識別人、接納別人，互相交流，從而成為別人。

保祿的傳教生活，正好是這種交談的最佳見證。保祿每到一個地方，都不會以高高在上的姿態來傳播福音，反而是融入當地的生活，與當地人「有得傾」，然後在交談中，把自己的喜訊傳給他們，最後因他們親自認識了這喜訊而令不少人成為基督徒，與保祿擁抱同一的理念和態度，就是交談的最好成果。

保祿為何能夠平等地對待不同的人，願意與他們交談呢？因為他以耶穌基督為榜樣。耶穌基督與我們最大的分別，是祂真的「穿上別人的鞋子」，一雙稱為「人類」的鞋子。無限和尊貴的神降生成為卑微的人，經歷人的生死、悲喜、苦樂，最後仍然按天父的旨意，受苦至死。基督是用自己的生命，與全人類交談，也是最謙卑與毫無保留的對話。

在我們的生活中，交談可以有不同的層次，言語上的交流分享是一種交談；行動上的合作也是一種交談；更深的交談，是彼此透過交流，有一個共同的理念和理想，讓彼此不分彼此，成就對方，這就是交談的真正意義，也是基督徒應有的生活態度。

反省

在教會團體內，我能否保持開放的態度與別人交談？
在教會團體外，我能否心平氣和地與人分享信仰？
在交談中，我有沒有用心去聆聽別人的話語、領略其中的含意及情感？

具體實踐行動

當遇到與自己不同的意見時，要與對方交談：就是先放下自己的意見，不判斷，用心去聆聽和瞭解別人的觀點後才作回應。
要常緊記說造就人的話，目的為帶給別人益處。

聖經默想

在這一點上，已沒有希臘人或猶太人，受割損的或未受割損的，野蠻人、叔提雅人、奴隸、自由人的分別，而只有是一切並在一切內的基督。(哥3：11)
對猶太人，我就成為猶太人，為贏得猶太人 …… 對軟弱的人，我就成為軟弱的，為贏得那軟弱的人；對一切人，我就成為一切，為的是總要救些人。我所行的一切，都是為了福音，為能與人共沾福音的恩許。(格前9:20, 22-24)

２０１１年１２月份「教友年」主日信仰分享

露德聖母婦女會 - Teresa

神父好，各位主內兄弟姊妹，你們好，我的名字叫 Teresa Leung。

而我今次分享是，我不是一個公教家庭長大的，我父親是一個受過普通教育的人，不過他是識英文的人，但我母親是一個目不識丁的人。當我在中學時，是在一間天主教女子中學讀書，我便徵求父母同意下，在學校學道理。過了一年，考了試合格了，修女在報告板上貼了預備領洗的名字，我滿懷高興去看名單，但我竟然看不到自己的名字，我失望地去問修女，但修女說，我的信德還未穩定，所以這次不能領洗，但是我沒有放棄，繼續再學道理。於是過了一年我終能如願了，我把這喜訊告訴父母，而我姑姐更為我縫製了一件很前衞的裙子，是白色厘士加上繡有銀線的圖案裙子，很美麗，我終於成了天主的兒女。到我結婚時，我先生在禮儀中承諾將來也會領洗，但到現在還未有 Action，但他堅持兒女不能在嬰孩時受洗，一定要他們宗教自由，但我的女兒在外國讀書時，自己去領洗，我的兒子在香港也是一樣，是天主給我的禮物。

而另一件喜事，就是我的妹妹在學中也是天主教學校就讀的，一點領洗的意念都沒有，直至她和她的先生移民外國後，回港見父母的時候告訴我，她們一家人已領洗了，而我的妹夫前後判若兩人，因他是一個很 Cool 的人，現在變成一個很親民的人，還在聖堂做義工，我現在每天都有祈禱，希望我先生也能成一個教徒。

主佑各位！

露德聖母婦女會 - 羅惠芳

劉神父，各位教友早晨，我是今屆婦女會會長羅惠芳。

可以在這裡和在座各位分享我的信仰，是我的榮幸，也是見證了我和天主的緣份。之前我對天主一點都不認識，也没想過會加入天主教這個大家庭，而要細說我認識天主原因，就要回憶起20多年前的一件往事……

1986年，是我小兒子出生的年份，也是在我人生中最黑暗最痛苦的日子。當年小兒子出生不久，就證實發現患上了急性血癌。當時醫學還没有現時進步，没有骨髓移植及幹細胞移植，醫生說能醫好的機會只有一半，還叫我要有心理準備。當時我已要照顧3名年幼子女，再加上小兒子的病，令我心力交瘁，每天就像拖著一個没有靈魂的軀殻般過活。那時候剛開始了第一個月的治療，我不想身邊的人擔心，所以每天都故作平靜，如常帶湯水和粥給小兒子。不過當時他吃一點兒就會嘔吐，整天都哭哭啼啼。小兒子每天也要抽骨髓，做化療，就算是成人也捱不了，更何況是一個一歲都不夠的小孩子？我眼看他在受苦也幫不了忙，只能在默默的在他身旁心痛難過。

在我最灰心沮喪之時，我獨個兒坐在醫院的長椅上哭了…… 就在這個時候，我發現有個人在遠處望著我，她是一位很慈祥的修女。她走過來我身邊問我發生什麼事，我就帶她到病房探望我已昏迷的小兒子。很感激那位修女，雖然她跟我素未謀面，但卻對我和小兒子十分關懷，後來她更為我帶來醫院牧靈部的神父替我兒子傅油、受洗。最後，我的小兒子就在這個情況下成為天主的兒女，雖然到最後都敵不過病魔，不過可以安詳的返回天主的家鄉，在我心中也感到一絲安慰。
後來修女更帶領我和家人前往油麻地天主教教堂望彌撒，讓我們也一同得到天主的聖寵。所謂福兮禍所倚，禍兮福所伏，到底是禍，是福？其實全能的天父早已有答案。我想信天父已替我安排了最好的。小兒子患病受苦，但天父讓他能在痛苦中解脫獲得永生；我傷心絕望，但天父派遣天使般仁慈的修女安慰我、開解我，更讓我和家人認識了天父，這一切一切讓我沐浴在天父的愛內，更讓我勇敢堅強的面對日後的每一天！

認識上主讓我成為真正幸福的人，而我更深信只要懷著堅強的信德，以上主的目光看世界，以上主的愛去愛人，就可以面對所有生活上的種種困難與挑戰。現在讓我與各位分享我與天主溝通的方法：祈禱和閱讀聖經。聖女小德蘭說過 “我不需要一個美麗的禱告，我只要像一個天真的小孩子，簡簡單單地和天主分享我的需要。”的確，自從我認識上主後，每逢遇到什麼困難，事無大小我都會向上主禱告，把心中所有都交托給天主，我相信天主會聆聽我的禱告，了解我、答覆我。

除了祈禱，閱讀聖經也十分重要。有人說，聖經是天主給我們每個人的情書，我們如果想多認識天主，閱讀聖經能夠幫助我們達到這願望。天主的說話可以成為我們生命的明燈，聖人聖熱羅尼莫說：“當我們忽略聖經時，我們其實是忽略基督。”我們要珍惜信德，因為它是我們生命的綠洲，我們透過祈禱及閱讀聖經來保持這個綠洲的水源，使我們在生活當中能夠時時堅強，有勇氣，有力量继續生活下去。因為我們生命綠洲的泉源是天主。

希望大家也能保守這個生命中的綠洲，謝謝各位。

「教友年」分享對談會

主題：共同協作 – 在堂區學習成為天主的合作者

日期： 2011年12月4日（主日）

時間： 下午2:30至5:00

主持： 陳志明副主教

地點： 香港堅道十六號天主教教區中心九樓演講廳

主辦： 教區教友年專責小組

連結： 有關詳情

內容： 建設一個活潑的堂區，有賴神職及教友的合作，彼此的支持及擔待。「分享對談會」特別邀請堂區議會團隊 (包括神職人員及教友)，分享他們如何在堂區發揮共同協作的力量，建設美好的堂區。

聖誕節的意義

耶穌基督是人類的救主、萬民的希望，祂要為世界帶來和平、喜樂和救恩。我們要偕同聖母，一起去迎接聖子的來臨，默觀耶穌的容貌；他就是「用襁褓裹起，放在馬槽裡」的聖嬰（路2：7），他來是「為光照那坐在黑暗和死影中的人，並引領我們的腳步，走向和平的道路。」（路1：79）

耶穌為了我們罪人能和天主修好，使我們更明白天主偉大的愛，因此接受聖父的派遣降臨人間，賜給我們救恩。正如聖誕節日間彌撒的選經《若望福音》所載：「在起初已有聖言，聖言與天主同在，聖言就是天主。於是，聖言成了血肉，寄居在我們中間；我們見了衪的光榮，正如父獨生者的光榮，滿溢恩寵和真理。」（若1：1－18）耶穌是真天主亦是真人，但他屈尊就卑地降生在一個木匠的家，並誕生在馬槽裡，為的是要以行動告訴我們，他願意在平凡的生活中，聽天父之命活出不平凡的使命，即以聖死來拯救全人類。耶穌願意與貧窮者和弱小者同行，給受苦者帶來喜訊，他更願意與我們人類同甘共苦，給我們樹立一個好榜樣，來見証天主的愛；這正是耶穌基督希望我們用一生來效法他的地方。

在將臨期裡，我們要以悔改的心皈依天主，喜悅地迎接主耶穌的降生，並以各種愛德的行動，與人分享「救主已來臨」的喜訊。

教友靈修培育講座(二)

主題： 撥雲見日－在混亂世界中找出正道

講者： Ms Margaret Silf 資深依納爵靈修指導者，也是全職投身於靈修寫作。(著作包括： Inner Compass, Close to the Heart, Wayfaring, Sacred Spaces 等。)

日期： 2011年12月3日 (星期六)

時間： 下午2:30-5:30

地點： 香港堅道十六號教區中心九樓演講廳

費用： 全免 (歡迎自由捐獻)

主辦： 教友總會及思維靜院合辦

連結： 有關詳情

內容：
Finding Solid Ground by Miss Margaret Silf

In a quantum worldview, it’s very hard to establish exactly what is solid and what is “real”. We live in the restless flux of a universe that appears to operate on uncertainty and probability, and our personal circumstances often reflect more chaos than order. Yet finding solid ground is essential for our spiritual journey. How do we do it? What tools does Ignatius offer?

At the beginning of Ignatius’ Spiritual Exercises we are invited to reflect on what he calls “The First Principle and Foundation”. What does this mean for us?

First principles

Basically, the principle upon which a life with God, in which we are growing closer to all that it means to be fully human beings, needs to be based on the principle of God-centredness, as opposed to “me-centredness”. This means coming to a recognition that our own living revolves around some centre much deeper and greater than ourselves and our immediate wants and wishes. As Christians, we would name this centre “God”. Our lives revolve around God, just as surely as the planets revolve around the sun, and not the other way round. Insofaras we are living from that deep centre, that “centre of gravity” that is rooted in the Mystery of God, we will be deep down at peace with the true orientation of our being. Whenever we are living, or making choices, from the me-centred place, we will sense that something is as kew in the way we are living.

This is fine as long as it remains just a “principle” that we can deal with in our heads. But it onlycomes into its transformative power when it moves to our hearts and our gut. It can be very hard indeed to put this principle into practice in our everyday living, and to keep on going back to our true orientation, in every reaction and interaction that we make. The Review prayer is an excellent way of trying to live true to this “God-centredness”.

Firm foundations

The second part of Ignatius’ opening guidelines is about the ground beneath our feet. If you have ever wandered into quicksands, you will know what happens there – how you can be sucked down into potentially destructive terrain. The difference between walking on solid ground and walking in quicksands can be literally the difference between life and death. The spiritual journey is a bit the same. There are quicksands all around us, and there is solid rock, and the art of telling the difference is called “discernment”. The “quicksands” are those inner movements that tend to drag us down into spiritual “desolation”, make us self-focused, and leave us feeling that we have lost our way. The “solid rock” represents those inner movements that are strengthening and nourishing our “God-centredness”, helping us to live from the deepest centre of gravity and leading to spiritual “consolation”.

You can’t cross Morecambe Bay in north-west England without the services of a professional guide, who knows exactly where the quicksands are. We have our “guide” in Jesus of Nazareth. He is the “who”, the “True Life”, but the art of discernment reveals the “how”.

Following the Guide is both simple, and also very difficult! Simple, because it isn’t a matter of understanding or accepting doctrines and creeds, but of putting our fee, day by day, in Jesus’ footprints. We are invited to make an ‘apprentice journey’ with him, following and observing closely the way he lives and trying to emulate what we see in our own lives. Gospel meditation takes us deeper and deeper into the mind and heart of the One we follow, the values and attitudes that he reveals in the way he lives. We ask for the grace for our own hearts and minds to be more and more conformed to his, as we follow. Simple! Yet impossibly difficult, because our own hearts, minds and will are very firmly our own! This is the process of a lifetime – or more. But we remember that ‘ideals are like stars – we can never reach them, but we can use them to helpus navigate our course.’ (Andre Gide)

As we make our way across the terrain of our everyday living, we will meet both quicksands and solid rock, but we will almost certainly also encounter “mirages” – these are in themselves in substantial but they have the power to draw us completely off course. Ignatius calls these counter-attractions “attachments”. They can seriously deflect us from the true course that we deeply desire, lead us into cul-de-sacs, and waste a lot of our much needed energy as we go after them and get stuck in them. The art of “detachment” helps us to recognise them for what they are, and if necessary take action to counteract their magnetism.

Spend a little time doing some “stock-taking”. Right now, are there any parts of your life that feel like “quicksands”? What is pulling you “out of orbit”, and further away from your true self? You might notice this pull, for example, in incidents or reactions that leave you feeling a bit at odds with yourself, sensing that you are acting out of something less than the best in yourself.

What parts of your life feel as though they are drawing you towards the best in yourself? Such incidents or reactions may have left you feeling a deep sense of the rightness of things (even though they may well have involved pain or difficulty).

Take a moment to reflect on any specific issue that is active for you right now. In this particular issue, ask yourself: “Am I seeking to serve and be in right relationship with God and God’screation, or am I trying to make God and God’s creation serve me? Where is the centre of gravity around which this issue is revolving for me? Where is my focus?


The Copernican Revolutionby Miss Margaret Silf

Copernicus was the man who first discovered that the earth revolved around the sun and not thesun around the earth. Each of us, in our own way, has to discover that the same thing applies in ourrelationship with God and with all his creation: neither God nor God’s creation revolves around us,but we, and all creation, revolve around, and are centred in, God.

Some people experience this moment of change (or “metanoia”) suddenly and dramatically. Forothers – perhaps for most of us – it is an ongoing process which continues throughout our lives.

One way of seeing this difference is to imagine that you are standing facing the sun, or some otherpowerful source of light. If we stand like this, then our own shadow will fall behind us. But if westand facing away from the light, see what happens to the shadow then. And this is also a picture ofwhat happens when we direct our lives, fundamentally, towards God and God’s Kingdom, and whathappens if we choose to direct our lives away from God and towards our own little kingdoms. Thisexperience can be expressed in the terms spiritual consolation and spiritual desolation.

• The word “consolation” literally means “with the sun”, or, in the terms of our example, “directedtowards God and God’s Kingdom”.



• The word “desolation” literally means “away from the sun”, or, for us, “directed away from Godand towards our own little kingdoms.

We can summarise the difference like this:

• When I am directed away from God, I am turned away from the Light of my truest centre. I am indesolation. I see my own shadow, of fear and darkness, always in front of me. It is hard to findmy way forward and make decisions that are true to who I really am.



• When I am directed towards God, I am facing the Light of my own truest centre. I am inconsolation. The darkness is behind me. It is easier to make decisions that reflect my truestdesires.

This sense of direction (towards or away from God) can help us a lot when we come to look at ourown changing moods and feelings. The first thing that needs to be said is that anyone who isconsciously engaged on a spiritual journey is, quite definitely, fundamentally directed towards God.However, there can be times when we temporarily change direction and become fixed on our ownlittle worlds and see only our own shadow. Most of us experience such time regularly!

For anyone whose life is fundamentally directed towards God, the action of God in their lives willcreate feelings of being on solid ground and a sense of “living true”. Often this shows itself as afeeling of deep inner peace, even though the outer circumstances of life may be far from peaceful,or even very painful. There is a sense of being deep‐down close to God. This is a sign of the action ofpositive, life‐giving movements within us, given by God.

When we feel the opposite kind of feeling – inner turmoil, self‐doubt, distress, the sense of being onshifting sand – this is a sign to us that we are, at least at that moment and in that situation, not livingtrue to what is deepest in us. We are at the mercy of negative, life‐denying movements within us,that are not coming from God.

We can use these guidelines to help us recognise when we are living in harmony with God and withour truest selves, and when not. And there is one very important rule: When you have made adecision in a state of consolation (that is, when you were living true to yourself) don’t be tempted toreverse your decisions just because you go into a state of desolation.

The Inner Compass

If you have ever done any hill‐walking you will know how it feels when the fog comes down and youcan’t see a step in front of you. The guidebooks are useless, because you can’t see any landmarks.You may go round in frantic circles. You may even have a serious fall. The same sort of thing canhappen on our inner journey. The clouds of desolation can descend. We forget the significantlandmarks of our faith journey. We lose our distant vision.

A wise walker, lost on the mountains, will turn to the compass when this happens, and for the innerjourney there is a compass too. It is the tool we might call discernment. Discernment grows out ofthe habit of reflecting on our daily experience and noticing the points of consolation anddesolation – seeing each day where God is active in our lives and making choices in line with thedeepest centre of ourselves, where we are at one with him. We might summarise the skill of usingthis inner compass like this:

• We need to be able to find it! This means that we needs to be at home with our moods andskilled in recognising consolation and desolation, and responding accordingly. This skill needs tobe primed and ready in our hearts – not twenty miles away in our heads!



• We need to use the inner compass along with the map of our personal life experience. This“map” reflects our distant vision – the landmarks we know from the times when we could see,because the weather was clear.



• And thirdly, to use this tool of discernment, we need to be able to come to inner stillness. Onlyin the still centre of our hearts will our inner compass read true north.



• Finally, we must trust the compass and follow where it points.

Walking by the stars

Just as we can refer to our “inner compass” as a guide to discerning where and when we aretravelling “true North” on the inner journey and when we are going off course, so too we each havea personal set of “constellations” in our inner sky, that can also help us find our way to what is mosttrue within us. These are the constellations of our own experience. These may be clusters of fear oranxieties to which we are particularly prone, or they may be areas of especial giftedness in our lives,ways of praying that seem consistently to bring us closer to God, or aspects of our way of relating toothers that tend to have either creative or destructive effects. Whether positive or negative, these personal patterns of being can be invaluable aids in steering our course in the dark.

What has happened during the past few weeks (or in earlier times of your life) that has left youfeeling that you were “on shifting sand”? Remember the turmoil you felt then. Ask God to heal you ofits effects. What has happened that made you feel you were “on solid ground”? Notice what gaverise to that good feeling, and how you acted on it. Don’t judge yourself. Just notice your feelings andreactions.

Remember, in prayer, the time(s) when you have “turned round” to face God, perhaps after a time inthe darkness of your own shadow. Thank God for these turning points. Notice the difference that“turning” has made to your life and relationships since then.

Try identifying one cluster of gifts within your experience, and one cluster of fears. With this insightyou can use your discernment to nurture the gifts and seek freedom from the tyranny of the fears.

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