將臨期第四週 (週二) (2008年12月23日) 甘廸．聖若望(若望根地)司鐸 St. John of Kanty A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 1:57-66

神父講道 - 將臨期第四週 (週二) (2008年12月23日)
甘廸．聖若望(若望根地)司鐸
恭讀聖路加福音 1:57-66依撒伯爾滿了產期，就生了一個兒子。她的鄰居和親戚聽說上主向她大施仁慈，都和她一同歡樂。到了第八天，人們來給這孩子行割損禮，並願意照他父親的名字叫 他匝加利亞。他的母親說：「不，要叫他若翰。」他們就向她說：「在你親族中沒有叫這個名字的。」他們便向他的父親打手勢，看他願叫他什麼。他要了一塊小 板，寫道：「若翰是他的名字。」眾人都驚訝起來。匝加利亞的口和舌頭立時開了，遂開口讚美天主。於是，所有的鄰居都滿懷怕情；這一切事就傳遍了全猶大山 區，凡聽見的人都將這事存在心中，說：「這孩子將成為什麼人物啊？」因為上主的手與他同在。
—這是基督的福音。
St. John of Kanty
A Reading from the Holy Gospel according to Luke 1:57-66
57 Now the time came for Elizabeth to be delivered, and she gave birth to a son. 58 And her neighbors and kinsfolk heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. 59 And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they would have named him Zechari’ah after his father, 60 but his mother said, “Not so; he shall be called John.” 61 And they said to her, “None of your kindred is called by this name.” 62 And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all marveled. 64 And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. 65 And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea; 66 and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.
—The Gospel of the Lord.
十二月二十三日 St. John of Kanty聖若望．甘迪（司鐸）
聖人於公元一三九○年，在波蘭克拉閣教區甘迪城出生；晉鐸後，曾在克拉閣大學執教多年；後任伊耳古本堂，竭力傳揚正道，修德立功，尤以慈愛待人為最，成為同道及弟子的表率，一四七三年逝世。
St. John of Kanty
Feastday: December 23
The people of Olkusz in Bohemia in 1431 had every reason to be suspicious of their new pastor. They knew what a Cracow professor would think of their small rural town. But even more insulting, their town was once again being used as a dumping ground for a priest who was "in disgrace."
John had indeed been kicked out of his university position -- unjustly. Rivals who resented John's popularity with the students had cooked up a false charge against him. John was not even allowed to appear at his own hearing or testify in his own defense. So at age 41, he was shipped off to be an apprentice pastor.
Certainly no one would have blamed John if he was furious at such injustice. However, he was determined that his new parishioners would not suffer because of what he happened to him.
But there was no overnight miracle waiting of him in Olkusz. He was nervous and afraid of his new responsibilities. And, despite the energy he put into his new job, the parishioners remained hostile. But John's plan was very simple, and came not from the mind but from the heart. He let his genuine interest and concern for these people show in everything he did. Despite working for years without any sign of success, he was very careful not to demonstrate impatience or anger. He knew that people could never be bullied into love, so he gave them what he hoped they would find in themselves.
After eight years, he was exonerated and transferred back to Cracow. He had been so successful that these once-hostile people followed him several miles down the road, begging him to stay.
For the rest of his life, he was professor of sacred Scripture at the university. He was so well-liked that he was often invited to dinner with nobility. Once, he was turned away at the door by a servant who thought John's cassock was too frayed. John didn't argue but went home, changed into a new cassock, and returned. During the meal, a servant spilled a dish on John's new clothes. "No matter," he joked. "My clothes deserve some dinner, too. If it hadn't been for them I wouldn't be here at all."
Once John was sitting down to dinner when he saw a beggar walk by outside. He jumped up immediately, ran out, and gave the beggar the food in his bowl. He asked no questions, made no demands. He just saw someone in need and helped with what he had.
John taught his students this philosophy again and again, "Fight all error, but do it with good humor, patience, kindness, and love. Harshness will damage your own soul and spoil the best cause." In His Footsteps:
John put all his effort into a new and frightening job, that others might have considered beneath him. Today do something you have never done before or do something in a new way, perhaps something that has frightened you or you felt was beneath you. This can be something as simple as trying a different type of prayer or as complex as serving others in a new way. Prayer:
Saint John of Kanty, you were unjustly fired from your work. Please pray for those who are jobless or in danger of losing their jobs that they may find work that is fulfilling in every way. Guide us to ways to help those looking for work. Amen