2023 09

9月刋

萬福！ 充滿恩寵者，上主與你同在！ 路

1:28

事 雷雨聲執事 執

гཏលཏ̙֯ᄂૃ༚࠸࿂ ౩ᐕُ࣑̂ 我想在此與大家分享一下，早前我放假回印 度時，與一位修女談及感恩聖祭的一點感受。那 位修女是我在修會接受培育時的同屆同學， 她後 來被派遣到巴西服務。我倆濶別十年，得以重逢， 感到非常高興。在傾談中，她與我分享有關 感恩 祭的重要性，令我深受感動。她首先問我：「你 會相信嗎？在我服務的地方，每年只能舉行 四次 感恩祭。」我聽後感到很詫異，怎可能每年 只有 四次彌撒呢？她解釋說，她服務的傳教區位 於巴 西、哥倫比亞和秘魯的邊界，那地方神父人 手不 足，且交通極不方便，唯一的交通工具是小 船。 要以小船橫渡那浩瀚的亞馬遜河並不容易， 也不 安全，因此，在主日他們只能為信友安排團 體敬 禮，大家一起祈禱，再由傳道員和修女們分 送聖 體。 她告訴我：「一年四次的感恩祭是在聖誕節、 新年、復活節和堂區主保瞻禮當天舉行的。」當 我知道當地的教友無法每個主日參與彌撒和 領受 最寶貴的基督聖體時，深感遺憾。我告訴她，在 我服務的堂區，每個主日共有十台彌撒，包 括中 文和英文彌撒。她驚訝地說：「你們真幸福！我 們渴望可以至少每月或每四個月舉行一次彌 撒， 但我們都做不到。」那一刻，我非常感恩， 慶幸 自己能每天參與感恩祭和領受聖體聖事，那 是滋 養我生命的精神食糧，使我有力量去踐行天 主賦 予我的使命。與此同時，我又問自己：雖然 我有 幸每日參與彌撒，但我是抱着什麼心態參與的呢？ 我是否懷着感恩之心，渴望在聖體聖事中與 耶穌 相遇？ 對於彌撒，或許有人會說：「彌撒為我有什 麼用？有需要時，我自會去聖堂祈禱，在寂 靜中 禱告，為我更有禆益。」然而，彌撒並不是 一種 私人的祈禱或一種美麗的靈修操練；它亦不 是一 種簡單的儀式，用以追憶耶穌在最後晚餐中 所做 的事情。感恩聖祭是一種特別的紀念，真實 的重 現耶穌逾越祭獻的奧蹟：麵餅確實是耶穌為 我們 捨棄的身體；酒確是祂為我們傾流的寶血； 經祝 聖後的餅酒，真實的成為基督的體血。透過 聖體

聖事，耶穌將自己完全的獻給我們，祂讓我 們住 在祂內，使我們的靈性生命獲得滋潤。若我 們懷 着信德領受基督聖體，我們的生命會有所改 變， 它會成為一份奉獻給天主以及我們的兄弟姊 妹的 禮物。以耶穌的「生命之糧」來滋養自己， 意味 着我們要與基督的心懷合而為一，讓祂的抉 擇、 祂的思想和祂的行為同化我們。耶穌的生命 之糧 亦賜給我們愛的動力，使我們肖似祂，成為 和平 使者，讓我們有力量去寬恕、修和，在共融 中彼 此分享。 天主透過聖體聖事，傳達了祂對人類的無償 大愛：祂願意犧牲自己，為每一個渴求重獲 新生 命的人付出祂的愛。我們若要活出信仰，便 要緊 記人存在的意義，並非建基於物質財富，而 是仰 賴上主恩賜的聖言和聖體，讓它滋養我們的生命。 聖體聖事是上主賜予我們的最偉大禮物，它 能滿足我們身心靈的需要。在聖體聖事中， 我們 與耶穌相遇，祂臨在我們心中，使我們體驗 到天 主對世人無條件的愛。讓我們常懷感恩之心，參 與感恩聖祭，領受基督的體血，為我們的信 仰生 活汲取力量。

The Eucharist – Personal Encounter with Christ Sr. Pavani Mathangi I would like to start with one short experience of mine with my friend when I was in India for my vacation.

We were batchmates and had our training together. After becoming a sister she left for Brazil as a missionary and it was almost ten years since I met her. I was very happy to see her this time and while talking to her, I was deeply touched by her sharing about the importance of the Eucharistic celebration. The first question she asked me was "Can you believe that we can have Holy Mass only four times a year?” When I heard that I was shocked and asked her if they could have Holy Mass only four times a year?. She said yes, and explained to me the reasons: Her missionary place is located at the borders of Brazil, Colombia and Peru, and there are not enough priests in the area. Besides, there is no proper means of transport. The only means of transport is to travel by small boats and most of the time it is not easy and safe to travel on the mighty Amazon River. So, they have only (para liturgical) Prayers and distribution of the Holy Communion by the Lay Catechists and the sisters.

I wondered and enquired when the four times of Mass in the year were held?. She replied, “Christmas, New Year, Easter and on the day of the Parish feast.” I felt very sad that they cannot have Mass even on Sundays and receive the Most Precious Body of Christ. I told her that on Sunday itself we have ten Masses in my parish both in Chinese and English. She was surprised and said, “How lucky you all are all to have so many Masses. We long to have Mass at least once a month or once every four months but still we cannot.” At that moment I really felt so grateful and thanked God that I am so privileged to attend daily Mass and receive the Eucharist every day as my spiritual food which nourishes my life and gives me strength to carry out God’s mission. At the same time there were a few questions going on in my mind: Even though I am blessed to attend daily Mass; how do I participate?

What is my disposition? Do I take part in the Holy Mass with a grateful heart? Do I have the longing to meet Jesus in the Eucharist?

Regarding the Holy Mass, one sometimes hears this objection: “Of what use is Mass? I go to Church when I feel like it, and I pray better in solitude.” But the Eucharist

is not a private prayer or a beautiful spiritual exercise, it is not a simple commemoration of what Jesus did at the Last Supper. We say, in order to fully understand, that the Eucharist is “a remembrance”, that is, a gesture which renders real and presents the event of Jesus’ death and resurrection: the bread really is his Body given up for us, the wine really is his Blood poured out for us. The Eucharist is Jesus himself who gives himself entirely to us, nourishing us with Him and abiding in Him through the Eucharistic Communion. When we receive it with faith, it transforms our life: transforms it into a gift to God and to our brothers and sisters. Nourishing ourselves of that “Bread of Life” means entering into harmony with the heart of Christ, assimilating his choices, his thoughts and his behavior. It means entering into a dynamism of love and becoming people of peace, people of forgiveness, of reconciliation, of sharing in solidarity. These were the very things that Jesus did.

The Eucharist communicates the Lord’s love for us: a love so great that it nourishes us with Himself; a freely given love, always available to every person who hungers and needs to regenerate his own strength. To live the experience of faith means to allow oneself to be nourished by the Lord and to build one’s own existence not with material goods but with the reality that does not perish: the gifts of God, his Word and his Body.

The Eucharist is, God’s greatest gift to us, satisfies our soul and our body. In the Eucharist we understand God's unconditional love for us. And it is in this Eucharist that we meet Jesus and we welcome him into our hearts and carry him to our homes. With grateful hearts, let us always participate in the Eucharistic celebration and draw strength for our Christian lives.

9月刋．2023

同行共長： 從福音中一窺 瑪利亞與耶穌的母子情 日期：9月17日（星期日） 時間：下午二時 正 地點：聖母堂 講者：高夏芳修女

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