19th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C), August 7, 2022

Homily presented by Franklin Fong, OFM to St Leander Chinese Catholic   

The three readings for this Sunday speak to us about faith and trust in God as we live our lives as disciples of Jesus Christ.  

In the first reading from Wisdom, we hear of the faith of the tribes of Israel who faced many hardships but yet survived their journey. This reading begins with the Passover celebration in thanksgiving to God’s presence in their lives. God works for our salvation and liberation. So the focus is on the benefits of being a servant of God.

In Psalm 33, we hear about how we must be just and righteous if we want God to be gracious with us! Like the Psalmist who recognizes himself as part of the lucky chosen people , we must believe that we are also chosen people through baptism. 

In the second reading from Hebrews we hear of the faithfulness of Abraham and Sarah to a God who granted them their wish for a child, and then Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac if God so wished this. Again we hear of the trust that they have in God’s plan for their life with examples of how Abraham and Sarah simply show up with their faith in God !  

Finally in the Gospel reading from Luke we hear of how we are to show this trust through faithful service and patience as we prepare for the arrival God in our lives. So, we must simply show up with our head, heart and hands for God!

So the three aspects of this faith are captured as 

1) the gratitude for God’s guidance in our trials and challenges throughout our life;

2) the courage to show up and make that leap of faith; and 

3) and the faithful service with patience and perseverance as we anticipate the coming of Jesus into our lives.

In each of three readings, we can recognize that God’s plans are usually not at all what we had planned for ourselves. Rather it is more about those habits which we engage in which nurture our relationship with God – 

our prayer life, 

our mental attitudes, 

our love for one another, 

and our actions which indicate our trust and hope in a God who is not always visible in our lives.  

Is it like the writers we heard from in the first and the second readings, in that I am so grateful for the loving God who has accompanied me through all of the immersion experiences of my life.   

Being a teacher has been my life-long way of being in the world. As a layman I taught plant physiology at Texas A&M. Even after I joined the Franciscans I continued to teach biology at Catholic universities, such as the University of Portland, and Gonzaga University. Only after spending three summers teaching at Our Lady of Angels Pre-Seminary in Novaliches, Philippines, did I then realize that I was being called to priesthood. So my being ordained priest is much like the birth of Isaac for Abraham and Sarah; my becoming a priest was something I had never expected to be doing at my age of 59!   

    After much prayer and discernment, I offered my priesthood to God and my province. I now see what God’s vision for me and for my role here at St Leander Parish is all about. But you know, it is with great anticipation and not anxiety as I come to serve the Chinese Catholic Community here.  

It is the trust I have for the loving relationship I have nurtured with the Blessed Trinity of Father, Son and Holy Spirit and NOT the earthly trinity of me, myself and I.    

I am certain that for each of your lives that you too have had that undeniable fingerprint of God’s hand in your life. Reflect about it, see if you can name how the Holy Spirit has worked in your life through your leaps of faith.  

Brother and Sisters of the Chinese Catholic Community

this is the wonderful news for this 19th Sunday of Ordinary Time !

ALLELUIA ALLELUIA!!

Fr. Fong

(中文翻譯.原文以英文為準.)

2022 年 8 月 7 日,常年期第19 主日(丙年)講道
Fr. Franklin Fong OFM向聖利安達(St. Leander) 華人天主教信友講道

這個星期天的三篇讀經向我們講述了當我們作為耶穌基督的門徒生活時對天主的信仰和信任。
 

在《智慧篇》的第一篇讀經中,我們聽到了以色列支派的信仰,他們面臨許多困難,但在旅途中倖存下來。這段閱讀從慶祝逾越節開始,感謝天主在他們生命中的同在。 天主為我們的救贖和解放工作。因此,重點是成為天主的僕人的好處。

在聖詠第33 篇中,我們聽到如果我們希望天主恩待我們,我們必須如何公正和公義!就像詩人承認自己是幸運選民的一部分一樣,我們必須相信我們也是通過洗禮被選中的人。

在希伯來書的第二篇讀經中,我們聽到亞巴郎和撒辣對天主的忠誠,天主滿足了他們對孩子的願望,然後如果天主意願,亞巴郎願意犧牲他的兒子依撒格。我們再次聽到他們對天主對他們生活的計劃的信任,並舉例說明了亞巴郎和撒辣如何簡單地表現出對天主的信仰!
 

最後,在路加福音的讀經中,我們聽到了我們如何通過忠誠的服務和耐心來表現這種信任,因為我們準備迎接天主在我們生命中的到來。所以,我們必須簡單地用我們的頭、心和手來為天主投身!

因此,這種信仰的三個方面被獲取為:
1) 感謝天主在我們一生的考驗和挑戰中的指導;
2) 敢於投身並實現信念的飛躍;和
3) 當我們期待耶穌降臨到我們的生活中時,以耐心和毅力的忠誠服務。

在三篇讀經中,我們可以認識到天主的計劃通常根本不是我們為自己計劃的。相反,更多的是關於我們養成與天主的關係的習慣——
我們的祈禱生活,
我們的心理態度,
我們對彼此的愛,
我們的行為表明我們對一位在我們生活中並不總是可見的天主的信任和希望。

是不是就像我們在第一篇讀經和第二篇讀經時聽到的作者一樣,我非常感謝慈愛的天主陪伴我度過了我生命中所有的沉浸式體驗。
 

成為一名教師一直是我在這個世界上的終生生活方式。作為門外漢,我在德薩斯(Texas) A&M教授植物生理學。即使在我加入方濟各會之後,我仍繼續在天主教大學教授生物學,例如波特蘭(Portland)大學和岡薩加(Gonzaga)大學。只有在菲律賓 Novaliches 的聖母天使預修學院教了三個暑假後,我才意識到我被召喚成為神職人員。所以我被祝聖為司鐸,如同依撒格為亞巴郎和撒辣而誕生;我成為一名神父是我 59 歲時從未想過會做的事!

經過大量的祈禱和辨別,我將我的聖職獻給了天主和我的(修會)會省。我現在看到了天主對我和我在聖利安達(St. Leander)堂區的角色的願景。但你知道,我來這裡為華人天主教團體服務,是滿懷期待,而不是焦慮。

這是我對我與聖父、聖子和聖神三位一體所培養的愛的關係的信任,而不是我、我自己和我在世上的"三位一體"。

我敢肯定,對於你的每一個人來說,你的生命中也都有不可否認的天主之手的指紋。反思一下,看看你能否說出聖神是如何通過你的信仰飛躍在你的生活中工作的。

華人天主教團體的弟兄姊妹,這是常年期第 19 個主日的好消息!

阿肋路亞 阿肋路亞!!