A VISION THAT MATTERS ...

MtM 52 – True agents of change

2013-02-07T08:23:00.000+08:00

It is everyone’s duty to oppose inequality, injustice and discrimination wherever they are found. When people believe that suffering is inevitably built into a secret divine plan, they stop striving with passion and urgency to establish God’s will on earth. As much fatalistic Christian piety reveals, they resign themselves to what happens as being predetermined by a Father who knows best. They pray for patience to accept hardship rather than strength to advance mankind. They seek to be comforted, rather than to be agents of change. They implore divine protection, instead of the courage to shape the future. This submissive resignation reflects the piety sought in ancient times by Stoics, practitioners of Eastern religions and adherents to religious fatalism. It is not the spirit that inspires the faithful to strive boldly for a better world, no matter the personal cost. Spiritual maturity dawns with the awareness we are the instruments of God’s will.

Prayers might strengthen resolve, but are woefully ineffective in stopping evil and averting the injustice that blights human existence. Indeed, after worship and meditation, action must follow. Every one of us has the freewill to sign up for social activism. If we stop at prayers, we hamper progress because ours is a physical world shaped by action. It is written, when Isaiah heard the Lord ask, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” he replied “Here am I, Lord! Send me.” Faith in a higher power should embolden action, not diminish it. In the boot camp of spiritual formation, prayers and reflection prepare recruits for all elements of service: physical, mental and emotional. This is the basic training that arms us with the tools we need to perform the duties and make the sacrifices required in life. St. Paul urged us to take up bravely the spiritual armor of God, that we may be able to withstand evil and, having done that, stand even firmer.

Fortified by this spirit, namely a willingness to sacrifice for others, let’s rise to the challenges of our time with brotherly love. May we respond to the impulse beating at the core of our hearts, one that opens our eyes to social issues and urges us to fight for change. Let’s strengthen our desire for justice to flow like a mighty river, even if we must sacrifice our comfort to assist the destitute and downtrodden. The belief we should “love our neighbour like ourselves” cannot just reside in the mind. It demands concrete expression through engagement that transforms our community with unity, purpose and hope. We are both physical and spiritual beings, who cannot separate lifestyle from principles without loss of integrity. The joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of every neighbour, especially those who are struggling or in any way afflicted, these too are the joys and hopes, the griefs and anxieties of those who rise as true agents of change.

MtM 51 – Our miracle touchscreen

2013-02-07T08:21:00.004+08:00

At work not a day goes by without friends showing more faith in prayer than I do. It’s hard to make the case that praying actually works. One family’s prayer might be answered in the search for a dream home, while another’s supplication for their life might go un-answered. While some people pray and marvel at nature’s abundance, others see calamity take everything mercilessly away. There are parents who pray for their children to be accepted at elite schools, while others plead for their children’s fading health. We believe that if we have faith and implore God from the bottom of our heart, then supernatural intervention is possible, if not likely. But can we demonstrate the power of prayers beyond our mundane lives? I am a believer, though I cannot help but think that divine intercession ought to be as universal as the gravity that holds planets in a dance, or as the forces that bind atoms. And yet the responses to prayers defy universality.

In the sphere of great evil, where innocents perish, children suffer and people are tortured, shouldn’t the saving hand of a caring God be easily witnessed? Where savagery terrorizes, disease ravages and life clings but by a thread, shouldn’t prayers be most effective? It may be true that saints intervene to miraculously heal illnesses, but aren’t there more meaningful ways to assert sovereignty? The concept of freewill explains much, but an inscrutable abyss remains in which believers capitulate to life’s arbitrariness. I hide my feelings when refugees insist, “God brought us here and he will show us the way forward!” I know this isn’t the Red Sea and there is no Moses to part waters and change the course of history. Around the world there are millions fleeing gross, flagrant and mass violations of human rights by wicked criminals. Enduring faith carries them forward and only fervent prayers stand between a terrible reality and future hope.

The issue of theodicy is too complex even for Scripture to explicitly offer conclusive answers. We must rethink the place of prayer in modern life, but we miss the point if we expect unequivocal explanations. What matters most is not how God responds to prayer, but how we do. The fact is prayers alter the human mind: they give courage, ignite hope and enliven the spirit. Prayers transcend suffering and despair to re-direct life. We may recall the Serenity Prayer, “God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” We may also reflect on St. Augustine’s advice, “Pray as though everything depended on God, work as though everything depended on you.” These wise petitions restore humanity’s power over our destiny and remove God’s finger from his miracle touchscreen. Now let’s consider the possibility that we are the answer to other people’s prayers.

MtM 50 – God’s work is truly our own

2013-02-07T08:20:00.004+08:00

As I prepare my fiftieth “Minutes that Matter” I recall being invited in June 2010 to write reflections for this program. My first reaction was one of dismay, as I doubted I had anything to contribute. Despite my initial reluctance, this commitment has encouraged me to explore the beliefs and values that give a deeper meaning to my life. When I retired after the 2008 Beijing Olympics, not even in my wildest dreams did I imagine the events that lay ahead. I turned away from a lucrative business to meet a personal challenge: after twenty years doing what was best for myself, I decided to devote the next twenty to doing what was best for the community. Call it a new vocation. Call it a midlife crisis. I had the financial independence to follow my wishes and the determination to try. Since then, I have developed an agency with a social impact and partnered with extraordinary people to extend a hand to those who have nobody else to turn to.

Profoundly grateful for everything this city has offered, it was time to show my appreciation in a meaningful way. When you reach personal goals, you evidently remain in the debt of the place that made it happen. At some point you might consider giving back. You could achieve this by directing your expertise towards a social cause close to your heart. Or you could show gratitude supporting programs that address poverty, discrimination and other unjust human conditions. A powerful way to leverage aid is to pay salaries for those in humanitarian services, which in the longterm greatly amplifies your personal engagement. Mankind is the only species that has built a civilization and this is because our actions enable beliefs to reach out and change the world. Since the challenges we encounter cannot be resolved by the same mindset that caused them, lasting change can only develop from the appreciation that on earth God’s work is truly our own.

Now, I wish to make a direct appeal to those who can make a difference in our community by prioritizing social needs over personal aspirations. Given that 8% of Hong Kong citizens are USD millionaires, there is no shortage of exceptional talent and disposable income in this prosperous city. Yours are the minds and hands needed to tackle collective problems. Yours are the skills and passion required in the public arena. Let’s break out of the 24/7 groove and seize the mantle of change. We can come together as more than the sum of our individual ambitions. It is proven that altruism fosters joy, so let’s strive for equal opportunity and quality of life for all. Four years of voluntary work have taught me that the antidote to egoism is engagement. When our blessings meet the needs of others, we experience the joy of uplifting other people’s dignity. It takes courage to take the first steps, but I assure you that nothing is more rewarding in life.

MtM 49 – Spreading ripples of hope

2013-02-07T08:19:00.002+08:00

One splendid Sunday afternoon we took our daughter Mira to Shek-O beach for her very first encounter with the sea. As a pleasant autumn warmth replaced the scorching summer heat, we wanted her to experience the unique splendor of the ocean. Many carefree families had beat us to the waterfront and had happily staked out a sandy claim with colourful umbrellas and towels. Mesmerized by the infinite horizon, our one-year-old daughter promptly reacted with a joy that gladdened our hearts. She was powerless before such awesome marine magnetism. Soon, unconcerned with her safety, she waddled towards the sea as fast as she could. We didn’t expect to witness her daring escape towards the one element that puts the fear of God in the bravest of people. But there she was, dashing off on all-fours before our disbelieving eyes with fearless independence and dashing confidence – absolute freedom seemed to be in her reach.

Hers was a perfect expression of human potential: unchecked by fear, unfettered by worries and blissfully unaware of physical limitations. I thought, how wonderful it would be if everyone could approach life with such enthusiasm, enjoyment and energy! Not shrinking from fear and stress, not discouraged by doubt and anxiety, but striving for a better future and expecting a great outcome. We don’t consciously appreciated it, yet we have a choice about how we move through the moments of life with purpose. The difference is made by the subjective thoughts driving our mind and soul. As the world becomes a more challenging place, we must continue to appreciate excellence, integrity and idealism. It is written, “Unless you change and become like these little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Thus, mankind is energized and progress assured by the youthful zeal that approaches life with a passion most adults have forgotten.

When circumstances inspire reflection on our infinite surrounding, in the depth of the human heart grows a yearning for truth that a lifetime fails to satisfy. This is beautifully expressed by man’s quest for answers in every field of knowledge. It is manifested strongly in the universal search for the meaning of life. When contemplating deep sea or deep space, we are spurred to ask fundamental questions: Where do I come from? Where am I going? What is the purpose of my life? How should I behave? Our beliefs inform thoughts that are expressed through choices. And there is one core belief at the root of every worldview – that we are all children of God. This concept summons a universal sense of empathy that sees ourselves in others, sharing a destiny beyond space and time. The answer to every existential question is this one love that binds us together, placing each at the service of others, while spreading ripples of hope across the world.

MtM 48 - The rights of man

2013-02-07T08:17:00.002+08:00

An opinion is frequently expressed that income disparity is inevitable and poverty results from bad decisions. Instead, I believe poverty is a design issue. It is caused by lack of opportunity. All people are born with innate potential and each person is generally as capable as anyone else. Yet multitudes cannot afford to live a decent life, which obviously reveals unacceptable flaws in an unfair system. Poverty isn't internally generated. It is externally imposed by an arrangement that perpetuates exploitation. We are told this is a free economy, that people have limits, that wealth accumulation is natural, that only money-making drones know happiness. We are fed a worldview that exalts personal desires and is blind to the unwarranted suffering it spreads. This self-centered process shoves solidarity aside and offers no solution to social inequality. In fact, people can be selfless by nature but selflessness is unprofitable in the current economic system.

Inspiring philanthropic words are found in the Gospel of Matthew, where the Lord says, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” This wisdom explicitly connects the wellbeing of others with our devotion to that which abides eternally. We cannot say we love God, if we don’t care for his people. The parable of the Good Samaritan reinforces that even enemies ought to be included among our beneficiaries. Humankind is a whole wherein no single person can ignore the suffering of others. What sets Christian charity apart is offering not just material aid, but empowerment. This relates to every act of assistance in which donors encourage and inspire receivers to achieve their own potential. With this support comes solidarity. With solidarity comes a friendship that affirms, “I suffer when you suffer. Please accept my help and allow me to share the heavy burden you carry!”

I discussed charity work with outstanding humanitarians who reinforced my core belief that the “rights of man” come not from the generosity of others, but from the hand of God. Those who struggle under an unjust system deserve access to community services. This viewpoint shifts the emphasis from giver’s obligation to beneficiary’s rights, while acknowledging that fate could have reversed any situation. This perspective avoids condescension by promoting acceptance of everyone’s centrality in a global village where nobody is left behind. With love and compassion we can redesign the social canvas to enhance social mobility, community integration and economic advancement for all of mankind. It is our mission to eradicate deep-rooted racism, marginalization and prejudice. It is our duty to promote an ethic of kindness, benevolence and sympathy that extends impartially to all human beings, irrespective of circumstances of birth.

MtM 47 - Anchored to a higher purpose

2012-10-09T16:23:00.001+08:00

By sidelining God as irrelevant and ineffective, today’s hedonistic culture exacerbates the keen ethical distress that since antiquity prompted man’s dialogue with the divine. In man there is a “Centre of Gravity” that must be anchored to a higher purpose and, when God is neglected, pulls like a magnet towards greed, lust and power. These emerge as active forces that misdirect mankind towards pleasure-seeking – promising greater happiness, yet failing to really satisfy. Enslaved by materialism, man abandons the spiritual link with who created him and loses his bearings. Pleasure, possessions and power do not address adequately man’s awe before the infinitely great, or his wonderment before horizons that surpass human understanding. As man is held captive by endless wishes and desires, he confronts a calamity greater than earthquakes, namely, spiritual dryness. This torment hampers potential and withers strengths and faculties.

Adrift without a bolder, higher meaning, human life becomes a missed opportunity: man drowns in regret for a past that was not, in sorrow for his present emptiness, and in sadness about his forlorn future. Instant gratification fails to fulfill man’s longing for something more profound, thus the present creates more remorse that ensnare the future. The result of exalting man as the ultimate purpose of reality, while censuring spiritual matters, is a miserable emptiness. Though the spiritual realm exists, it ceased to inspire man when he cut himself off from eternity to direct his interest solely towards what is material, sensory and unfulfilling. Once God is abandoned and man’s centre of gravity fails, then everything comes apart, crumbles and disintegrates. Modern man has no concern for “eternity”, which has no place among the cares of his heart. He lost this yearning when he acquired the false conviction that only his earthly existence matters.

When straddling the line that separates Darkness and Light, there are only two choices: either you turn your back to darkness and welcome the light, or you turn your back to light and plunge into darkness. When we shut our eyes to light, shielding them in the elbow crease, we renounce hope and the quest for Truth that elevates us upwards. By becoming insensitive and cynical, we allow the rulers of the world to smite idealism and entomb our dreams – and then the Soul sleeps a deep sleep, a sleep of death. Chronic diseases are never quickly healed. The only cure for this emptiness is “making community” with every person around us. This must be done with sincere friendship and genuine solidarity. There, we will find love and acceptance. There, we will abolish estrangement and renew a promise that springs from the soul to truly engage others. There, we will appreciate that to give others complete sympathy, we must first love their destiny

MtM 46 - When sparks fly

2012-10-09T16:21:00.002+08:00

Prometheus is more than a movie blockbuster. In Greek mythology he was the crafty Titan credited with stealing Zeus’ fire for the benefit of humanity and thus enabling the progress of civilization. The power of fire was again stolen from nature’s vault, when James Watt made the first sparks fly from his steam engine, launching the Industrial Revolution. With the harnessing of electricity, carbohydrates and atoms, man’s hegemony grew hand-in-hand with his hubris – the extreme pride of being master of the planet. We have stolen from the gods not only fire, but the right to determine life through the use of reason, as if the origin of human intelligence was a tribute to our species. In the last two centuries – really just a blip in time – progress has been astonishing. Science and technology seem to guarantee boundless, unchallenged dominion over mankind’s reach. Reason appears to bend nature according to man’s every wish and command.

An exalted man has proclaimed supremacy over nature, celebrating self-sufficiency and the fulfillment of his plans, as if he breathed life into his own existence. Convinced of this mastery, man walks the earth proud of his ideas, whilst disregarding the mysteries of his own genesis. Man has become the measure of his surroundings and the source of the ethics implicit in his actions. The more this mindset spreads, the deeper God disappears, shunned as irrelevant. Secularism is the notion that man belongs to himself and to no one else. It is the presumption of total autonomy of destiny. An assertive and creative individual has no time to waste thinking about a God he cannot see. Pressed by burning desires, man is preoccupied and God is rendered pointless, if not a nuisance bounding people with meaningless covenants and commandments. Modern civilization doesn’t openly profess atheism, but to all effects this is the present reality.

Wrestling with the meaning of life, Einstein deeply wished for man to transcend individuality and experience the impenetrable mysteries of the universe that inspired his thinking. His rational mind appreciated that the universe, and the laws governing it, couldn’t simply be the product of chance. There are impossible probabilities for Chaos to flow seamlessly from the Big Bang to “you and me” without design. What this design might be is entirely a different story, though man stands in awe before the wonders that surround him, from galaxies and sunshine to flowers and babies. After launching machine into space – until recently the domain of celestial beings – man is convinced of being the centre of it all. He refuses to believe what he cannot see and this leaves him with an emptiness science alone cannot suitably fill. Dostoyevsky wrote, “The whole law of human existence lies in this, that man be able to bow down before the infinitely great.”

MtM 45 - The siren call is inescapable

2012-10-09T16:19:00.002+08:00

I stepped into the lift one morning to face six neighbours joining the city’s rush to work. Our eyes met, but nobody smiled, nor were any greetings exchanged. It felt oddly like there wasn't anybody in that bright, confined space, as if we were all apparitions of momentary annoyance. I don’t know where I picked up this bad habit. Why didn't I bother saying “Good Morning” even though nobody greeted me? Now, imagine being lost in a threatening forest, or being stranded on an unforgiving island, how thrilled we would be to encounter a fellow human being! However, when the village is stacked vertically into high-rises, we become indifferent to our neighbours and consider them a nuisance that holds the lift doors too long, or a noisy bother upstairs. The global village has contracted a disease of alienation and I just hope it isn’t a fatal one. A helpless indifference infected the heart of man and its pernicious roots are traced to early humanism.

Before the emergence of “the self-made man”, humanism substituted the ideal of personal success for the classical notion of sanctity that, elevated beyond reach, is still misunderstood. As a spiritual concept it used to inspire mankind toward something greater than itself, uniting all aspects of humanity by amalgamating cultural, intellectual and spiritual ideas. It wasn’t the exclusivity of super-humans, but an aspiration for what is greater than ordinary, a striving for personal excellence. Later the focus shifted from communal wellbeing to individual success and boundless honors were then given to personal achievements, attained in one field or expressed in another. From this point on, the dominant culture elevated private triumphs over the common good and the split endured till today. The result is a blatant celebration of the Successful Man, a cult of the individual raised as Caesar, emperor and even a demi-god worthy of public worship.

We needn’t look far to discover a sparkling constellation of exalted athletes, movie stars, internet titans and industrial giants, who placed hope in their own strengths, competed and won. Now what matters most is to make life a success, to be famous and receive acknowledgement, status and praise. The obsession is to win admiration at any cost, and it matters not whether it is on TV, in sports, the arts, politics or business. The siren call is inescapable, “Worthy of heaven are those who do great things on earth!” But what if one isn’t talented? What if circumstances aren’t favorable? What if one falls on bad times? Is there honor without worldly success? What’s the score outside the circles of opportunity? Are the sick and weak worth nothing? The seeds of many evils wait to germinate trampled by the feet of the Goddess of Fortune. May we cultivate a community enriched by ideals of distributive giving and belonging, instead of individual rights.

MtM 44 - Nature abhors a vacuum

2012-10-09T16:18:00.002+08:00

Eighty years ago T.S. Eliot wrote, “It seems something has happened that has never happened before, though we know not just when, or why, or how, or where. Men have left God, not for other gods, but for no god. And this has never happened before. That men both deny God and worship gods, professing first reason, then money, and power, and what they call life, or race, or dialectic. The church disowned, the tower overthrown, the bells up-turned, what can we do, but stand with empty hands and palms turned upwards in an age which advances progressively backwards?” As for myself, I often hear family and friends, who are not quite professed atheists, remark scornfully, “I believe in God, but I don’t believe the church.” With scandals erupting from Rome to Rio, this loss of confidence is neither unjustified, nor unexpected. I hope their present discouragement won’t leave a spiritual void, as nature abhors a vacuum and rushes in to fill it.

The venerable poet’s words remain an effective description of the religious sphere in the West, where only 14% of Irish Catholics celebrate Mass and 17% of German Christians go to church. In my mind, fresh ways to nurture spirituality are desirable today because, after two millennia of traditional acceptance, we might be witnessing the death throes of institutional Christianity. Sadly, many believers have lost faith in sacramental life, which is reflected in the way people live, behave, communicate and prioritize their activities. Many diverging objectives drive the current way of thinking, search for happiness and possibility for hope. The same cannot be said about other faiths, yet modernity eroded the foundations that made Christianity a vibrant force of change for seventeen centuries. Notably, materialism has replaced the intangible, dogmatic virtues of “faith, hope and love” with more acceptable categories of reason, money and power.

Despite this, the personal freedom remains to chart our own course for each person must define his relationship with the divine. Six millennia ago, Mesopotamian paganism offered a profusion of more than two-thousand gods. The influence of polytheism was hard for monotheism to eradicate, though eventually man could not accepted the absurdity of capricious celestial beings. The idea of “One God” finally triumphed, yet today a new paganism is emerging. Man might have forgotten his ancient deities, but now he worships new ones without even bending a knee. Most commonly the human condition remains a lonely journey through doubt and despair, along which dreams are shattered one by one. The time when we can love and help others is as short as it is precious. May we remind our friends that each of us is carving a stone, erecting a column or cutting a piece of stained glass in a construction of something much bigger than ourselves.

MtM 43 - Connecting shores to stars

2012-08-14T18:26:00.004+08:00

People live worrying constantly about the future. Some quite literally worry themselves sick. However, time ticks inexorably and never waits for those who disregard its preciousness. Let’s not forget the wonderful moments in our life. Let’s remember that amidst widespread dullness and dismay there are shining moments in everyone’s existence. These aren’t illusory flickering of the brain, but glimpses of a happiness that is rooted in reality. Most of all what’s missing is self-awareness, an appreciation of being truly, meaningfully alive. In those precious, brilliant moments of joy we experience the urge to reach out to others, to share, to offer understanding, acceptance, warmth, forgiveness and love. Christians are especially vulnerable to the mistaken notion that mankind is controlled by an angry god quick to punish people when they sin. Though the message across time is one of graciousness, kindness, compassion and delight in mankind.

In the first millennium B.C. an intellectual awakening blossomed across the globe. It wasn’t a coincidence this awareness occurred simultaneously across distant lands: Israel of the prophets, Greece of Socrates and Plato, China of Confucius and Laotze and Persia of Zoroaster. These new thinkers condemned the old, shackling religions and raised human consciousness to a level where divine dialogue was inspired by friendship and joy – not submission and fear. At last this outlook rejected pagan beliefs and eventually recognized the Most High as wise, compassionate and genuinely interested in human happiness and development. This global movement lifted the darkness that trapped mankind under the capricious thumb of inscrutable deities. It also paved the way for religion to create a new synthesis with reason. When people truly appreciated their fate wasn’t any more in the gods’ hands, but in their own, a radically new mindset flowered.

Once the gods were relieved from determining human fate, soon good and bad spirits were also banished. People realized their religious sense must coincide with their search for meaning. There followed a rebirth of vocation in relation to this quest for purpose. Man began to evaluate the passing and ephemeral, against the timeless and meaningful. Man wondered about life’s purpose as he fluctuated restlessly between happiness and sorrow, between dread and hope. The connection between “me” and “eternal” couldn’t be ignored any longer and was pursued with unparalleled urgency. However, enduring questions remained unanswered, for reason alone could not pierce the veil between temporal and spiritual without intuition. So mankind began constructing intellectual bridges to connect human shores to distant stars. Today, there are countless arches rising, from light to light, to a destiny that hasn’t been fully unlocked by us.

MtM 42 - When every person is family

2012-08-14T18:25:00.005+08:00

All people are called to contribute to mankind’s mission, each in his or her own way. But what is this mission, you might ask? Allow me to suggest this statement, “Mankind’s mission is to rule over and care for creation, bringing God’s image to the world.” There is a unity of mission across the world – perhaps even across the universe – with a variety of responsibilities and tasks. Since cooperation is a source of encouragement for everyone, it is important each person recognizes the significance and impact of his contribution. If our personal mission is to serve other people, then attention should be directed, firstly, to the needs of brothers and sisters who live inside our community and, secondly, to those who are outside. The old-school among us will recall that, since medieval times, the “corporal works of mercy” were essential deeds that would merit one a place in Heaven. Frankly, this concept sounds rather outdated and in need of a make-over.

I don’t mean to say the acts of mercy are obsolete, but the promise of heaven is too strange to inspire action today. I do not doubt charitable intervention is vital for society: feeding, clothing and sheltering the needy; visiting the sick and imprisoned; bringing hope to those grieving and suffering. What I don’t understand is why a reward is necessary, when Heaven remains forever unfathomably beyond comprehension. Would parents love children more if offered a bigger home or a better car? Is heroic patriotism motivated by prize, or justice by treasure? On the other hand, it escapes me why some people swiftly become charitable when diagnosed with a terminal illness. In this respect motivation is everything. If we assist others for a reward, then we are like mercenaries selling ourselves to the highest bidder. Likewise, is it humanitarian work if we seek promotion or election? Our motivation must be sincere for our actions to be worthy.

Everyone must do their part to improve society by offering their time, talent and treasure. Let’s build our future by correcting social structures that are unjust, create exploitation, force subjection and are labeled deceptively as “just the way things are.” I looked below a row of parked motorcycles: there were cigarette butts, cans, candy wrappers, even one sandal. Why? Since nobody took ownership of that gutter, it has fallen into indifference and abandonment. Further, there’s a careless father who, every night, flicks a spent cigarette downstairs before entering his home. Would he do it inside? Humanitarianism takes the care we have for our home, the love we have for our family, the pride we have in our achievements and makes them a lifestyle. Only when every service is respectful, every place is home, every person is family, will we be able to truly say, “Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

MtM 41 - When a match is struck

2012-08-14T18:23:00.003+08:00

It occurred to me that to remain relevant, and offer truly life-changing results, faith should be viewed in a fresh light. If we wish to renew the spirit and integrate it in our daily life, we might consider changing the fixation with “Sin and Salvation” into a focus on “Solidarity and Service”. When obsessing about sin, people are caught up with self-salvation or a personal desire for eternity without raising their eyes towards others. A wiser approach is to contemplate the deep connection a mother has with her child, caring, rejoicing and wishing every good for her baby. Which mother wants to be saved whilst her daughter is lost? The Hebrew word for compassion derives from "rehem", which means womb. Therein a woman discovers an unconditional love she never thought she was capable of – fiercely protective and ardently passionate. We men instead have much to learn, emotionally and spiritually, from the wondrous dedication of maternal love.

If only we could harness the power of this love, mankind would be free of a weight of chains that fetters feelings and restricts potential. In truth, everyone is connected to everyone else, like mothers to children. We all carry inside at least one piece of somebody else’s puzzle. We are all incomplete until these parts connect, as they do in friendship and marriage. Sometimes we know we are incomplete alone, sometimes we don’t. A marvelous connection is made when we offer a piece of our puzzle to someone else, like mothers to their babies. When you present that piece, freely and spontaneously, the receiver is strengthened, renewed and transformed. In that moment we are to others a spark of divinity and become messengers from that which resides eternally. This demonstrates how faith is above all a relationship, a connection that unites and nurtures, a community that welcomes everyone into a bountiful circle of solidarity and support.

Any loving relationship becomes a light in our life. It brightens our world and defines who we are in relation to everybody else around us. Love is the only acceptable orientation to life. It is the core of being, the source of action and the summit towards which we ascend. Love starts with a free and willing devotion to others, but its essence is manifested through action. To paraphrase the French philosopher Jean Guitton, love is a choice between two solutions: absurdity and mystery. If love is absurd, then the world remains bound up in a weight of chains, a depressing and impenetrable wall against which mankind crashes miserably. Instead, if love is a mystery, it is comparable to when a match is struck and brilliant light dispels darkness. My enduring wish is to encourage others to break their chains. May we turn towards the light and climb towards the Ocean of Love in which, one day, all the hatred of the world will surely be plunged and nullified.

MtM 40 - If the world ended today

2012-08-14T18:19:00.003+08:00

Since the dawn of human history, something like 110 billion human beings were born into this world and very few lived over 100 years. There are 7 billion people on the planet today and a staggering 60 million die each year. Sixty million people! That comes down to 160,000 a day. I remember hearing this saying when I was young, "We live alone and we die alone.” Since then I haven’t stopped wrestling with this thorny concept. What puzzles me is everyone must swallow the bitter pills of life without any certitude about what follows. Whoever devised this system thought it best this way, though everyone alive would beg to differ. However, any change we are likely to make would be catastrophic. Since we are obviously blind about eternity, we would inflict this myopia onto the planet. Already we have failed to balance the crowds without homes, jobs and food with skyrocketing rents, overpaid executives and mountains of dumped resources.

Now is the right time to encourage our children to devote part of their life to the pursuit of improving the human condition through social justice. They will soon appreciate how immensely gratifying it is to make a personal contribution through inclusiveness, compassion and respect. Then they will enjoy significantly lower levels of anxiety and commensurately higher satisfaction, confidence and happiness. Marcel Proust was once asked, “If the world ended today, what would you do in your last hours?” He replied, “Life would suddenly seem wonderful to us if we were threatened with sudden death. Just think how many project, travels, friendships our life hides from us, made invisible by our laziness, which, certain of the future, delays them incessantly. But let all this threaten to become impossible forever, how wonderful life would become again!” May he inspire us to progress towards what will still have meaning for us in one hundred years.

Fooled by financial prowess, advanced nations fight constantly a greed that fosters segregation and perpetuates exploitation. Today’s unsustainable addiction to economic growth hides the quicksand of stress, indebtedness and waste. It’s easy not to sympathize with the plight of the dispossessed. Besides, who decided to equate mankind’s progress with economics? What will it take to challenge these abusive structures? When will the ruling elite reform their priorities to respect the intrinsic rights of the people? If the health of a generation is judged by its children’s values, we are all witness of our predecessors. So are we ascending in a virtuous cycle or descending in a vicious one? I am an optimist and encouraged by observing our youth’s idealism and concerns. The issue isn’t whether they receive enough education, but whether they are suitably guided by their parents. Remember, if we don’t inspire their future, the world will do it.

MtM 39 - Be kind whenever possible

2012-04-08T12:14:00.001+08:00

The greatest challenge for our generation is to build peace in society. Without peace we collapse into the horrors broadcasted on the evening news. Across the globe, religion often gets in the way of common sense and decency. It leads people to war over intolerant convictions. Rather than being consumed by dogmatism, fixating on the superiority of my faith versus your faith, let’s build bridges of understanding. Let’s concentrate on our fragile humanity that is caught up and inextricably bound up in theirs. Religion started without books and can most certainly flourish without them. Religion loses its way when holy writings ignite hateful wars. The story is told about a contemporary of Jesus, Rabbi Hillel, who was asked by a gentile to sum up Judaism in the time he could stand on one leg. “That’s simple – he replied – Don’t do to others what you would hate being done to you. That is the Law and everything else is just commentary.”

The way we live, the way we treat others, the way we rise above selfish interest and misguided prejudice, these reflect our true spirituality. You’re not a Christian, if you put yourself first. And you’re not a Muslim, if you don’t help your sisters. You’re not a Hindu, if you cheat. You’re not a Jew, if you lie. You’re not a Buddhist, if you take revenge. The conditional “if” reminds us that, when we fail, we are doomed to start all over again. To appreciate this means to apply it every waking minute. As the Dalai Lama said, “Be kind whenever possible ... it’s always possible!” As human beings we are vulnerable to failure, so the conditional “if” offers a moment to reflect, a pause to choose compassion before failing. Kindness is the essence of religion. By cultivating genuine empathy towards others, we create deep, sincere relationships. Kindness came before scripture and liturgy. Compassion is the real building block of churches, temples and shrines.

I’m privileged to run a refugee shelter. On the coldest night in January, the mercury hovering in single digits, I was delighted that every bed was occupied and twelve, otherwise homeless men, were sleeping comfortably. It was Chinese New Year and I visited them to share a festive meal. They came from Somalia, Yemen, Eritrea, Uganda and Burundi. They enjoyed different cultural heritage, but had one thing in common: a suffering humanity. Through my work I learn how solidarity, cooperation and compassion unite these people who thoughtfully share clothes and shoes, as well as food and advice. In the best days of their life, before today’s suffering, maybe they wouldn’t have spared a second glance at each other. Instead, through collective adversity they have discovered the essence of charity. They learnt that life is a mysterious journey, during which kindness removes fear and insecurity and gives everyone strength to face the future.

MtM 38 - The Golden Rule

2012-04-08T12:13:00.000+08:00

At the heart of every system of belief there is a moral core uniting all religions. Known as The Golden Rule, it is a fundamental principle of every faith. The rule is as simple as it is brilliant. It teaches, “Don’t do to others what you wouldn’t have others do to you.” Just imagine how you would feel if somebody did something nasty or hurtful to you. This will help you think twice before doing the same to others. How can we condemn this rule? It’s so universal that literally every faith has discovered and included it in its teachings. Appreciated as a mutual concept, it establishes common ground between all religious people: Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist. It diminishes the prejudice that misleads everyone into believing their own superiority. Since sacred scripture always become a stumbling block, instead of debating holy books, let’s focus on how we treat others and how we apply the Golden Rule in each personal encounter.

I believe there is no better way to foster peace. Every major world religion has expressed this principle by refining its version in either the positive form, “Always treat others as you would like to be treated” or the negative form, “Don’t do to others what you would not like them do to you.” So please consider your actions and ponder their consequences. If they would hurt you on the receiving end, then hold back and control yourself. Don’t inflict that suffering on others. It really couldn’t be simpler, yet for centuries people struggled to apply this theory. The venerable Confucius said the rule must be applied all day and every day. All sages and wisemen across the ages implemented it as a way to dethrone egotism from the centre of consciousness and crown compassion as master of existence. Its mastery helps to familiarized believers with the divine, called in different languages: Vishnu, Allah, Nirvana, Jehovah, Bhagwan, Rama, Tao and God.

Next time you encounter believers of other faiths – a common experience in multicultural, multiethnic Hong Kong – don’t worry whether they are Catholic or Protestant, Shia or Sunni, Hindu or Sikh, Buddhist or Taoist. Yours is not the only spiritual path and others are not lost. There is nothing more divisive than thinking in these terms, as nobody can persuade others to change religion through rational proof alone. The parable of the “Good Samaritan” holds the key to this dilemma. If you were lying on the roadside, robbed, beaten and bleeding, would you worry about your rescuer’s faith? Would you debate reincarnation, scripture or prophets? Would you refuse help and bandages, if you didn’t see eye to eye? When faithfully applying the Golden Rule in every encounter – treating people whoever they might be as precious as ourselves – we are contributing to a peaceful and unprejudiced world nurtured rightly for future generations.

MtM 37 - The rain comes

2012-04-08T12:12:00.002+08:00

The observation is often made that privilege comes with responsibility. Let’s also add that blessings come with obligations. When saying we are blessed with something, let’s pause to reflect on why we are able to say this in the first place. My reflection followed the news of a reality show pulled from Brazilian TV following widespread complaints. It featured a-day-in-the-life of billionaire housewives in that country of extreme poverty. These ladies’ scandalous ostentation grated on viewer’s sensitivity to the point of open revolt. The producers, who initially thought the socially irresponsible lifestyle was entertaining, succumbed to widespread opposition against these ladies’ disregard of poverty. When a protagonist arrogantly claimed, “I’m blessed with a wonderful life”, she set a high-water-mark of indifference to the essence of privilege. It’s easy for anyone to shirk his duty to uphold the rights of the under-privileged he encounters.

How often are blessings misinterpreted? How often does prosperity foster arrogance? How often does success lead to pride? It’s the twisted view of privilege that subverts the essence and purpose of personal blessings. No matter whether it is health, family, intelligence, education or wealth, everything under the sun is nothing but vanity. If it doesn’t foster introspection and service, we got it wrong. If it doesn’t encourage compassion and a desire for justice, we got it wrong. When blessings are kept selfishly, they tarnish our humanity by eroding true potential and restricting growth. Moving from the personal sphere to the global, there is sufficient food to feed everyone, but rich countries warehouse the superfluous; there are adequate resources for everybody to live comfortably, but witness the intolerable Rich-Poor divide; there is opportunity for everyone to work productively, but politics and corruption ensure poverty is perpetuated.

There are sufficient books to teach every child, but sadly decent schools are barred to most. Even good health has become a blessing for those who can afford insurance, while perhaps the next young Einstein chokes in a sweatshop. I believe Earth’s riches were distributed unevenly so that man might share them more equitably and human talents were bestowed unequally, so that man might deploy them more generously. With this comes the searing realization that every blessing is a generosity test – for as freely as we received, must we give! Every time we allow privilege to fly in the face of justice, an opportunity is lost and mankind fails its greatness. Seen in this light, the conviction emerges that people with greater blessings will be measured by a higher standard than others. Since blessings are a debt, let’s reflect on the obligations coupled with ours, because we are the rain that comes to transform and regenerate the land of need.

MtM 36 - Beware of the Procrustean nightmare

2012-04-08T12:10:00.002+08:00

An enduring myth, frequently repeated in popular media, is that we only use 10% of our brain. This statement originated with the pioneering psychologist William James, who once wrote: "We are making use of only a small part of our possible mental and physical resources." This low percentile was popularized deceptively by psychics and mediums who supported their paranormal claims by rooting them in this logic. They contended that, if people use only 10% of their brain, then imagine what they could do with the other 90%. While we still know as little about the function of the brain, as we do about the dynamics of atoms and the mechanics of the universe, we should beware of allowing superstition to creep into our consciousness. It’s surprising how magic practices, rites and amulets hold an irrational grip on those who question religion. Many, who dismiss God as an irrelevant delusion, retain a deep respect for superstition.

In today’s fiercely rational digital age, superstition remains perniciously rooted in the general psyche: fortune-tellers entice and seduce; horoscopes are avidly read in magazines and online; astrological websites are thriving; clairvoyants email their zealous, paying subscribers. We know people who invite geomancers to arrange their office and pick auspicious dates for important events, despite professing distrust in everything religious. Undoubtedly, people sense the effect of mysterious powers in their lives and, instead of being theologically alert, they attempt to control, divert and even oppose these powers. Do they fear malevolent spirits? Are they trying to gain favors? Are they fighting supernatural influence with human power? What then marks the difference between common superstition and dark magic? Whatever form they take, these insidious practices endorse the spiritual as something to be feared, to be battled and controlled.

Only a distorted reality emerges from the perilous practice of tailoring spirituality to fit every personal whim and fancy. When a system of belief is syncretized by embracing the desirable and rejecting the undesirable … like celebrating Christmas with presents, but avoiding church … then beware of the Procrústean nightmare! In Greek mythology, Procrústes was a wicked bandit who butchered travelers by stretching or cutting their legs to fit them into his iron bed. Each victim was mutilated to conform to one agonizing standard. Superstition has the same effect on faith by cutting off what is perceived as hindrance and embracing what should instead be renounced. In this self-reliant, individualistic age, spirituality should be appreciated as a relationship uniting God and believer in a mutual commitment of love expressed unambiguously through action. For only through spirituality, not superstition, can mankind develop a fulfilling and lasting happiness.

MtM 35 - A record-breaking bagel

2012-04-08T12:09:00.000+08:00

Every Christian, no matter how separated by land, culture and time, shares a strong conviction: we believe God’s presence is experienced in our lives, indeed in human history. We believe God invites us to respond to his love with faith and integrity. This divine call communicates life by revealing a presence that permeates our existence, a friendship that expresses his will, an inspiration that manifests his wisdom. In a similar way that Scripture is “God’s Word in human words”, so our existence should become “God’s Will in human actions”. The greatest burden is not religious obligation, but rather its very absence, that invariably condemns the spiritually bankrupt to the clutches of materialism. Despite prophetic exhortations, ancient Israelites also sought their pleasure on Sabbath. They forsook religious duties by defiantly devising clever ways around the demands of their faith – the clash between worship and egotism had begun.

Ancient rabbis took great pains to enforce religious participation. However, violators went to even greater lengths to achieve their objectives. At first, it wasn’t sufficient to merely prohibit work, because some would say they carried tools for future jobs. Then, it wasn’t enough to prohibit carrying burdens, as cheeky fellows would claim items weren’t heavy, or were portable, or were edible, or that money wasn’t a burden. Excuses became so creative that even rings had to be banned, because people deposited them as cash collateral to be redeemed in the week. Incredibly, there came a time when beggars and tramps were expelled from streets on the Sabbath to avoid giving people pretexts to carry money for alms-giving. It became apparent religious obligation was captive to a shameless ingenuity that aimed to systematically flout people’s duties towards God and community – already the spirit of the law had been distorted.

In the course of time, the height of ridicule was achieved with a record-breaking bagel. People realized that the prohibition to carry burdens only applied to public spaces, not to private ones. Consequently, villagers on nearby streets conceived a cunning plan. Each household contributed a pinch of flower to bake one bagel. That bagel was hung at the main junction with long pieces of string stretching out to define an extended “private home.” There, at last, anyone could carry on with business as usual. This practice turned public streets into private grounds and religious prohibition into a mockery. Since there is no end to human scheming, we are reminded that if we are led by the Spirit, we are not under the constraints of the Law. Therefore, it’s incumbent upon us to actualize a single, supreme commandment: “Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind … and love your neighbour as yourself!”

MtM 34 - Protect us from all anxiety

2012-01-04T16:59:00.003+08:00

Legend has it that when an Egyptian Pharaoh was on his deathbed, he summoned to his side three wise advisors and inquired, “What will happen when I die?” The most senior and trusted sage then replied hesitantly, “Your Majesty, Lord of all Nations, when you stand before the god of your people, he will ask you two questions. Your answers to these questions will determine what happens for eternity.” Hearing this, the puzzled Pharaoh asked apprehensively, “What will these questions be?” Summoning courage and diplomacy, the sage replied, “Firstly, God will ask you, ‘Were you happy in life?’ Since Your Majesty rules a prosperous land, an affirmative reply is expected. The subsequent question will be the crucial one. God will ask, ‘As I blessed you with so much happiness, how many people did you make happy?’” The Pharaoh closed his eyes and an air of palpable despair wrinkled his forehead as he gasped for his last distressed breaths.

Stories like this stand testament to an enduring anxiety about the meaning of life as we struggle to find answers. Yet for king and pauper there is but one way into this world and one way out. We are all like the Pharaoh, when alienation from God leads to ignorance of his precepts and to dependence on intelligence, technology and medicine. The arrow of time ensures that each moment passes and never returns, so the wise do well to ponder the consequences of their actions. It’s true that nobody can avoid worries, fears and sleepless nights, until what is of earth returns to earth and what is from above returns above. Besides, increased anxiety is caused by the many counterfeit gods in this throwaway culture, who might even outnumber the idols of past millennia. They deceive people by confusing man’s limited capacity to transcend himself, with his anxiety to control existence until the end – in a hopeless attempt at self-deification.

Back in 1989, a wise Argentinean, who gave me my first job in town, told me, “It doesn’t matter if you are the Pope or a prisoner, everyone carries through life an invisible bucket of worries. The only difference is what you decide to carry in it – as everyone’s bucket is full!” During Sunday’s communion rite, my attention is frequently caught by the second part of the petition: "In your mercy keep us free from sin and protect us from all anxiety, as we wait in joyful hope for the coming of our Savior." In point of fact, though sin is a genuine concern, the lack of serenity in modern life is the greatest inhibitor of human accomplishment. If we seek to change the heart, to strengthen willpower and to conform to holy habits, firstly we must destroy the fretful windmills against which we tilt our worries. Let us pray for serenity and avoid the delusion that we can achieve happiness on our own, without trusting in God alone.

From the book of Judith comes deep wisdom, “Listen to me! What you have said to the people today is not right. You have sworn and pronounced this oath between God and you, promising to surrender the town to our enemies unless the Lord helps us within five days. Who are you to put God to the test today, and to set yourselves up in the place of God in human affairs? You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart or understand the workings of the human mind. How do you expect to search out God, who made all these things, and find out his mind or comprehend his thought? No! Do not anger the Lord our God! For if he does not choose to help us within these five days, he has power to protect us within any time he pleases. Do not try to bind the purposes of the Lord our God – for God is not like a human being, to be threatened, or like a mere mortal, to be won over by pleading. Therefore, while we wait for his deliverance, let us call upon him to help us, and he will hear our voice – if and when it pleases him.”

MtM 33 - Pity the crabs

2012-01-04T16:34:00.002+08:00

If you could be, have or create anything, what would it be? Now imagine … beyond nature and physics … beyond reality and experience … What would you do? Do you wish for Midas’ touch? Would you seek immortality? Traverse space or time? Create a new universe and call yourself king or queen? Paradoxically, we know what God would do as he did it. He created a beautiful, habitable planet hurtling through dark desolation. Here, the life-giving passion of Love is more adamant, fierce and intense, than its great opposite, Death. Against a backdrop of inhospitable space, he created beauty and laughter, friendship and hope to stimulate reflection beyond the 92 chemical elements that emerged from stardust to constitute matter. The Creator determined that both the atomic particles, shared by all creatures, and the genetic code, established for growth, should reveal something astounding about his design and the fulfillment of his vision.

Filled with beauty and possibility, this planet could have been perfect, but God decided it should be otherwise. He could have created excellence, but that doesn’t required evolution. He could have removed chaos and suffering, but he knew better than that. The truth is, nothing good is achieved without effort and striving. Every element in this world needs to overcome the barriers that divide them. Every human being must seek perfection by first establishing strong and vital bonds with others; thus, friendships are struck, families start and history gradually unfolds in a way we could never conceive. If the distress of its opposite didn’t exist, happiness would mean nothing. Without delicate discovery and precious progression, love would mean nothing. And so, no light was as dazzling as the one that swept away primordial darkness. Honestly, would man fully treasure life and its gifts, without being confounded by the permanence of its eventual loss?

Pity the crabs I saw struggling to escape from a bucket, at a seafood restaurant down the road. When one clambered over some to reach the edge, others grabbed it back and pulled it down, so that none reached freedom. Pity the crabs that struggle with each other, despite having four legs to advance and four legs to pull others up. Why is there suffering? Why is there war? Why are entire economies collapsing like dominos? Why do the gifted declining their responsibility towards the suffering? On a certain horizon of understanding, human beings behave like crabs, in a bucket that is twelve thousand kilometers wide and also offers no freedom outside it. Pity the crabs who don’t know any better than stepping over each other in a frenzy that guarantees collective demise. But, shame on those who should know better than scrambling the heights of greed, power and lust, whilst trampling underfoot the fulfillment of a greater vision.

From the book of Sirach: “The Lord created human beings out of earth, and makes them return to it again. He gave them a fixed number of days, but granted them authority over everything on the earth. He endowed them with strength like his own, and made them in his own image. Discretion and tongue and eyes, ears and a mind for thinking he gave them. He filled them with knowledge and understanding, and showed them good and evil. He put the fear of him into their hearts to show them the majesty of his works. And they will praise his holy name, to proclaim the grandeur of his works. He bestowed knowledge upon them, and allotted to them the law of life. He established with them an eternal covenant, and revealed to them his decrees. Their eyes saw his glorious majesty, and their ears heard the glory of his voice. He said to them, ‘Beware of all evil.’ And he gave commandment to each of them concerning neighbours. Their ways are always known to him; they will not be hidden from his eyes.”

MtM 32 - An understanding heart

2012-01-04T16:32:00.002+08:00

One Sunday I almost lost my students’ attention teaching them that wisdom enhances our ability to make decisions, directs us towards lasting success and equips us to overcome failure, while helping us grow in community. Fair enough! Children don’t want to hear how wisdom articulates the principles of living. These ideas are too abstract for them. They don’t appreciate that wisdom cultivates sound reasoning by encouraging discipline, that it helps people live in harmony and be closer to God. Kids understand that being wise is better than being foolish, but for them wisdom is best learnt from adult behaviour: copying role models, rather than being lectured. We should remember that our children are always ‘listening’ to our behaviour and ‘watching’ our choices – whether we put into practice what we preach or not. Teaching wisdom requires that parents exercise their will in adherence to Truth and that we do it with conviction.

Children happily remember how God appeared to King Solomon in a dream and offered to make one wish come true. Instead of asking for all the gold in the world (which incidentally would fill three Olympic-size swimming pools), Solomon, who was only in his twenties, wisely proclaimed: “Give your servant an understanding heart to judge your people and to know good and evil.” God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies, but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked!” While his shortcomings remain legendary, there is no denying the third king of Israel transformed a small tribal nation into an economic superpower. His enduring legacy was the establishment of a climate that allowed wisdom schools to take root and flourish, weaving the richness of his Hebrew heritage with the international traditions he embraced.

For students and managers, for employees and bosses, Solomon’s bequest remains most relevant today, as everyone struggles with judgment to improve life and attain happiness. Yes, wisdom is a prerequisite in everything, as she alone helps us make the right decisions in a fog of hesitation. We would do well to pray like Solomon for wisdom above other blessings, for she can guide through right relationships with others, towards interior peace and a joyful unity with the Almighty. However, wisdom remains a grace never fully attained, for desiring it requires ever more openness to God, while being humbly conscious of his greatness and goodness. To seek wisdom is to appreciate the entire human experience, trusting divine Sovereignty over everything, including our difficult existence. Finally, wisdom allows divine intuition to shape our thoughts, by transforming our mind and attuning it to the cosmic intelligence that sustains the universe.

From the book of Wisdom: “Wisdom I loved and searched for from my youth. I resolved to have her as my bride, I fell in love with her beauty. She enhances her noble birth by sharing God's life, for the Master of All has always loved her. Indeed, she shares the secrets of God's knowledge, and she chooses what he will do. If in this life wealth is a desirable possession, what is more wealthy than Wisdom whose work is everywhere? Or if it be the intellect that is at work, who, more than she, designs whatever exists? Or if it be uprightness you love, virtues are the fruit of her labours, since it is she who teaches temperance and prudence, justice and fortitude. Nothing in life is more useful for human beings. Or if you are eager for wide experience, she knows the past, she forecasts the future. She knows how to turn maxims and solve riddles. She has foreknowledge of signs and wonders, and of the unfolding of the ages and the times.”

MtM 31 - Faith matters

2012-01-04T16:30:00.000+08:00

My charity work connects me to the trials and suffering of people who have genuine reasons to believe that God is a delusion and he couldn’t possibly care for humanity in the way religion promises. And if God did, then he’s ineffectual, perhaps even defeated. Among the marginalized people of the world, I believe that refugees suffer the harshest lot, for they are the wounded survivors of the worst hatred among men. The Latin aphorism, “homo homini lupus” (Man prays on man like a wolf) cautions against those who attack the powerless; those who wreak havoc in the dark night of helpless despair; those who cut short innocent lives with callous abandon; those who leave nothing behind of homes and villages, but blackened ruins. There is a darker side to human nature that laws, treaties, conventions and prayers, have failed to control even today, in the 21^st century. The godless ruthlessly ensure that “might is right” across much of the globe.

Each of us contemplates divine justice within the framework provided by the experiences that make us who we are. We might appreciate the advantage of “turning the other cheek” in a civilized society where police respond in minutes to emergency calls, as recently happened to me after 22 years in Hong Kong. But how do we relate this belief to the conditions that prevail across three-quarters of the world, where violence strikes ferociously and most victims fall silently and unwitnessed? My friend Joseph was shot twice in his right leg. However, both bullets narrowly missed his tibia, which allowed him to escape and dodge death. I wouldn’t go as far as calling it a miracle, but, crucially, events like this either reinforce or weaken our trust in God. It is said that “a faith untested is no faith at all”, which raises the question: why are some people repeatedly cast into life and death trials, while others comfortably breeze through life?

How sad to reduce faith to mindless routines, to tedious rubrics of liturgy, to rituals seemingly of a bygone era embraced through customs and religious nostalgia. Look how often baptism is received as a pure formality. It becomes a perfunctory event to satisfy conventions, rather than entrust children to the Living God, who guarantees to strengthen them for every future trial. What can we aspire to without the uplifting power of faith? How can we grapple with the enigma of life and the mystery of suffering and death without faith? What vanquishes fear and anxiety? When religion is sidelined in the pursuit of egotism, what follows is a progressive weakening of the spiritual strength that is foundational to human resilience. We are free to treat God as an unreasonable fantasy and superstition, but it subtracts enormously from our potential – for faith alone elevates the mind above petty concerns, enlightens reason and enhances human dignity.

MtM 30 - From love to unity

2012-01-04T16:28:00.000+08:00

“God is Love!” call bracelets, stickers, tshirts and even a sign down on Queen’s road. I’ve seen these words, often accompanied by John 3:16, on the façade of churches, at the entrance to shelters, on bright billboards along darkened roads. These three simple words are translated into every known language, yet the depth of their meaning take a lifetime to grasp and might only be explained across the Great Divide. Human love can never describe its divine origin, for our feelings are never far from the contamination of egotism and insularity, prejudice and vanity that pollute the purest expression of our most noble intentions. Dorothy Day expressed it succinctly saying, “I really only love God as much as I love the person I love the least.” When we harbour even the tiniest anger, intolerance or bigotry, we subtract something essential from the scriptural command always to love and … “be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy!”

No matter where God puts us, there are only two ways through life: the Way of Nature and the Way of Love. Everyone chooses daily which one to follow. Love never tries to please itself, love accepts being offended, disliked and unappreciated. Love accepts pain and insults, hatred and ungratefulness. Love seeks harmony and unity at the cost of personal sacrifice. Love forgets itself for the greater good in a vision of what really matters when even Time has melted away. To the contrary, nature wants to please itself and get others to please it, too. Nature aims to enrich itself, while cunningly despoiling others. Worst yet, nature wants to lord it over others, enslaving, controlling, exploiting for its cold-hearted ends. Nature wants to have its way and confronts any opposition, as is equally demonstrated by spoiled children and raging dictators. Where nature wounds and divides, love erects bridges of unity across frailty and weakness.

When God is love, then his love is expressed through people. It manifests itself in tangible ways: in reconciliation, forgiveness, outreach to the needy, mutual support, solidarity with incurable suffering and genuine concern for justice and peace. Through love, what seems confusing turns into new horizons, what seems unfair turns into new opportunities, what seems discouraging turns into new insights. Whereas nature envelops with worries and anxieties that make us feel small, love instead unlocks our best, so we may have life and have it to the fullest. Let’s allow love to change our heart. Let’s start genuinely with family and friends, promoting unity, kindness and generosity; mindful that God is working through us in pursuance of his divine purpose. Let’s not forget that our words and deeds have much to say in how love moves towards fulfilling God’s Unity, that is centered on enhancing and uplifting the lives of all people.

With Dorothy Day let’s reflect, “The greatest challenge of the day is: how to bring about a revolution of the heart. What we would like to do is change the world and make it a little simpler for people to feed, clothe, and shelter themselves as God intended them to do. And, by fighting for better conditions, by crying out unceasingly for the rights of the workers, of the poor, of the destitute, we can, to a certain extent, change the world. We can work for the oasis, the little cell of joy and peace in a harried world. We can throw our pebble in the pond and be confident that its ever widening circle will reach around the world. We realize there is nothing we can do but love, and, dear God, please enlarge our hearts to love each other, to love our neighbor, to love our enemy as our friend. With such a love one would see all things new; one would begin to see people as they really are – as God sees them.”

MtM 29 - A glimpse of the big picture

2012-01-04T16:27:00.000+08:00

We start to give meaning to life when we compare it to our surroundings and I don’t mean how our neighbours are faring, but to the great framework of the cosmos. A perspective that doesn’t rise to the Heavens isn’t much of a view, for man is painfully aware of the fragility and briefness of his earthly existence. There is wisdom in the Biblical notion that man’s lifespan was reduced from a thousand years to its current brevity, as mankind was quite capable of embarrassing itself with greater follies than the one demonstrated at Babel. Recent scientific discoveries have stretched knowledge to a level where reason grapples with incomprehension. There are atomic particles that travel faster than the speed of light, meaning time travel is theoretically possible. It’s proven the expansion of the universe is accelerating, which doesn’t doom the Big Bang to become the Big Freeze, but rather reveals a Creator dynamically weaving his cosmic threads.

Life is astounding juxtaposed with its universal frame of reference. We cannot respond with anything but breathless amazement at our hesitant measurements of the clockwork of heaven. The paradox of knowledge is not that the poetry of Genesis One is inadequate, but that mankind will never grasp the immensity of this celestial environment. In the year 150 Ptolemy perceived Earth at the centre of the cosmos with the Sun just ten thousand earth-widths away. Then in 1540 Copernicus shifted Earth heliocentrically in a universe confined by the Solar System. More recently, even Einstein believed the Milky Way galaxy contains the entire creation, though today every schoolboy knows there are hundreds of billion of galaxies awash with stars and planets. Though science continually deploys the most powerful tools available, mankind is incapable of keeping up with Natural Revelation that enriches our mind with widening ripples of knowledge.

“Where were you when I laid the foundations of the universe?” Job was asked in a moment of truth relived by every generation that is confounded by the vast mysteries of the cosmos. There can only be utter humility at the enormity of our ignorance, that is further exposed by our cluelessness about Dark Matter that constitutes an overwhelming 95% of creation. Clearly, God is too transcendent to be captured by telescopes, so we are more likely to catch a glimpse of his splendor by observing his handiwork from our present vantage point. From here the Creator challenges us to rise from the mundane humdrum of convention to the sublime, from the meaningless preoccupations of modern life to the divine. He invites reflection on his power so we might experience the universe for what it is: a living testament to his glory and a joyful celebration of his most precious creation – man, made in his image for a dialogue of faith.

MtM 28 - It all goes back into the box

2012-01-04T16:09:00.005+08:00

The story is told about a grandmother who played the game of Monopoly with her grandsons. From a young age she taught them how to play, but she never let them win. She understood that the name of the game is to acquire and she was a master at accumulating assets. For years she defeated the boys and annoyed them by saying, “One day you will learn to play this game!” Over time the brothers understood the only way to win was a total commitment to acquisition. They understood that money and possessions were the only way to keep score. One summer the day came for grandmother to teach the lesson she had saved for a decade. The boys made progress, they gained winning assets and experienced a mounting desire to beat grandmother and each other, at any cost. When one boy finally won, grandmother sprung her trap. She cleared the pieces off the board with a sweeping hand and said, “It all goes back into the box!”

Then she added, “And now what? You have won what you wanted, but now it all goes back into the box. That’s life! You spend a lifetime striving to acquire what you desire and then suddenly it’s all take away when you die. All those homes and cars. All those investments and wonderful money, it all goes back into the box. None of it was really yours. You got excited you owned it for a while, but it was here before you and it will be here long after you are gone. Just like gold and diamonds have existed for billions of years and nobody really owns them. Players come and players go, but they never take anything with them. Not even their body. Everything you clutch and grasp you are going to lose. Everything you own and hoard will soon go back into the box no matter who signed the contract. When the thrill wears off, and it always does, then what? When life slips to a closure it is too late to ask yourself the question: What really matters?

Life leads to nothing beyond the spirit. Materialism, individualism, egotism and vanity deceive with empty promises that can only be cured with spirituality, selflessness, altruism and charity. By choosing philanthropy over greed we make the difference. By choosing giving, over hording we stop playing Monopoly and start playing the “Circle of Love”. In this movement from egocentric acquisition to brotherly love we discover a new vitality in every part of our existence, a true change of heart from a cynical one to a joyful one. This is what keeps Faith, Hope and Love alive in a world viciously feeding upon itself. This is what assures us that charity is stronger than greed and love is stronger than avarice. The insight will follow that we belong together, as One Body knitted together by One Spirit. As a true Eucharistic community we discover the whole is greater than ourselves and we will go out to help, teach, inspire and offer hope to the world.