2009年1月31日

我們的一億元神父


作者:葉翠香 姐妹
(摘自:萬福月訊0901)

每當我們在俗道明會有避靜或研習活動,各會區的會友都會邀請他來給我們指導,因為他是我們道明之家"年輕輩"的神父,也是我們排灣族唯一的神父。我們非常敬愛他,也希望排灣族後繼有神父,但是到現在還沒有誕生,所以他是唯一的寶貝!我們應該加倍祈禱聖召求天主賜服。

他的一億元非常實用,也非常的珍貴!我不但把它烙印在腦海裡,同時也把它刻在心板上,常常與人分享。如果你熟記它,對你的人際關係或任何職場都有很大的幫助。有時我忘記了這個該遵守的理念,可惜話到嘴邊就被比你更有學識的人指桑罵槐,才知道事情被誤解了,這不是我要表達的意念。然而詞不達意,我說不出適當的話語,老人痴呆症就這樣發生了。有時神父們的道理太奧祕不再迷你的,這樣老頑童就開始點頭搖晃或大合唱,然而當神父說,要送給大家一億元的時候,哇塞!個個"驚醒耳明眼開"再不點頭搖晃了,原來他的一億元是五千萬加五千萬耶!

第一個五千萬元"要"
1.千萬要經常讚美、肯定
2.千萬要經常包容、諒解
3.千萬要經常欣賞、讚賞
4.千萬要經常接受、擁抱
5.千萬要經常改變自己

第二個五千萬"不要"
1.千萬不要隨意批評、責備
2.千萬不要隨意抱怨、怨恨
3.千萬不要隨意比較、計較
4.千萬不要隨意放棄、捨棄
5.千萬不要隨意改變對方

這樣無論經濟不景氣或人生低谷這一億元真是受用不盡,再也不貪窮不孤獨了。我們彼此傳承多記多福!阿肋路亞 阿門。

2009年1月26日

新春彌撒

主 題:春暖花開、除舊更新
讀經一:創一:14~18:天主創造天地萬物
福 音:瑪六:31~34:不要為明天擔憂

反 省:我怎樣善用天父賜的紅包?

2009年1月25日

常年期第三主日 - 乙年

主 題:堅定勇於洗心革面
讀經一:納三:1~5,10:尼尼微人悔改皈依
讀經二:格前七:29~31:現世的局面正在逝去
福 音:谷一:14~20:你們悔改,信從福音罷

反 省:我為跟隨耶穌放棄了什麼?

2009年1月19日

要鼓勵你的孩子上教堂

作者:何家寶 弟兄
(摘自:萬福月訊0901)

耶穌說:「你們讓小孩子來吧!不要阻止他們到我跟前來,因為天國是屬於這樣的人」。(瑪十九.14)。

我們相信大家都知道:「青年是國家的棟樑」,「兒童是未來的主人翁」。這兩句話的涵義與重要性吧!教堂又何嘗不是呢?教堂給予小朋友信仰,「主日學」、「青年會」、「學青會」等不同的組織,是最直接與有效的管道。教友家庭的父母更要有義務(聖教會四規)與責任,多鼓勵青少年兒童上教堂,不要用各種藉口(如補習、才藝活動、功課太多、要準備考試、身體太累不舒服…等理由,寧可懶散的過生活,卻不上教堂,這是一件非常不智的選擇。上教堂的孩子是不會變壞的喔﹗

教堂有了青少年兒童參與彌撒聖祭,會顯得有朝氣,更有活力。雖然偶而會聽到一些小朋友的嬉笑聲,彌撒中覺得不夠寧靜,但是,做父母的「有心」、「用心」讓孩子進教堂,就是值得鼓勵的事。假以時日,孩子們耳濡目染的會融合在宗教的氣氛中了,覺得上教堂可以認識主耶穌,一些主內的好朋友,一起同樂、一起歡唱,共融在一起,這樣的信仰環境,潛移默化,使他們能在快樂中成長,預期他們的將來必是會是一位虔誠的基督徒。

「主日學」是小朋友在教堂裡的天堂,如果教堂沒有辦主日學,年齡斷層與老化的問題會日漸嚴重,那就是一種「慢性自殺」。所以教堂要克服萬難,成立「主日學」,這是未來的希望,不要藉口找理由(經費問題、師資問題、數量問題…等),其實都不是問題,天主的事業都是從「少」、「小」開始的。十二位門徒開始傳福音,迄今世界有十三億的人口皈依基督。聖女小德蘭能成聖,並為世界傳教區之主保,就是她用「神嬰小道」,小而美的特別福傳祈禱。卻帶給了信眾像玫瑰花雨般的徳澤。

「主日學」也是鼓勵父母能帶孩子上教堂的「不二法門」,因為父母願守天主的誡命,在彌撒中與天主共融,同時也滿全了耶穌的心願。

「主日學」更是「聖召的搖籃」,小朋友心中有耶穌,認識耶穌、愛耶穌,願與祂做朋友,最後就成了耶穌的好朋友,讓小朋友在祈禱與靈修時,可獲得更多的資訊,幫助他們邁入修道成聖的道路上,打下信德的基礎。

總而言之:鼓勵孩子上教堂是一件美好的事,在「主日學」老師的帶領下,給下一代一個宗教的培育。使其有堅強的信德、活潑的望德、熱誠的愛德。這樣「教區」、「家庭」就會打成一片,和樂融融,天主也最喜歡看到這樣美善的景象,不是嗎﹖

萬福堂的教友有福了,劉神父奉承天主的旨意,「主日學」重新開張了。歡迎大家共襄盛舉,因主之名,讓我們的孩子快樂起來,上教堂因而變成是孩子們的最愛,不是負擔,反倒是放鬆心情,走向人生康莊大道的最好方法了。

2009年1月18日

常年期第二主日 - 乙年

主 題:為天主 為耶穌
讀經一:撒上三:3~10,19:撒慕爾被召
讀經二:格前六:13~20:我們是基督的肢體
福 音:若一:35~42:若翰的見證

反 省:我曾向別人介紹過天主

祈禱真有效

作者:王若瑟 弟兄
(摘自:萬福月訊0901)

「你們因我的名無論求父什麼,我必踐行,為叫父在子身上獲得光榮」。(若十四章13節)

感謝主耶穌基督,垂允了我的祈禱,治癒了我的初期胃癌。四年前,可能是因為飲食上的疏忽,不幸罹患了胃潰瘍,起初不太在意,醫師開的藥也沒有認真服用,拖了一陣時間之後,病情轉趨嚴重,求診過幾家大醫院有名的醫師。二年過去了,卻不見起色,體重由七十二公斤驟降到五十六公斤,整整掉了十六公斤,我開始害怕了,又得了憂鬱症,晚上必須靠安眠藥才能入睡,每天焦慮不安,胃疾更加惡化,漸漸感受到死亡的威脅,想換醫師又不知誰能治好我的病,無計可施中,只有不斷祈禱。

那天去聖功醫院做志工,值班完畢,正要回家,耳邊好像有聲音叫我去掛號,看看手錶已經是十一點半,心想大概也掛不上了。但卻出乎意料竟讓我掛到邱康程醫師(上午診)最後一號,對於這位堪稱年輕的醫師,他的醫術如何所知不多,因為我從來未讓他看過病,說也奇怪,我卻能安心地把攸關自己生命安危的大事,交托在他手中,半年後情況雖曾略有好轉,也只不過曇花一現,接著變的更糟。這時我的心情真是跌到谷底,就在這絕望的時刻,邱醫師靠訴我,他有一位老師-許博翔教授,在台南成大醫院擔任肝膽胃腸科主任,是這方面的專家,而且那裡有先進的內視鏡設備,可以篩檢出潛伏在胃壁深層的細菌。透過他的關係和安排,順利轉診到成大醫院,做了詳細的檢查。終於發現病變細胞,腫瘤要盡快切除,以免惡化轉移,許教授為我做內視鏡電刀手術,這是一種最新的治療方法,沒有任何痛苦,不需麻醉不需止血,更不用開膛破肚,只要住院兩天,沒有出血的情況,即可回家休養。但沒有健保給付,到現在又經過兩年追蹤治療,今年(二OO八年)十月二十八日,醫師告訴我:「我OK了,可以停藥了。」我問他:「存活率有幾成?」他說跟他一樣。

如今我總算走出的死蔭的幽谷。想想看,要不是有天主聖神的指引,我怎會掛邱醫師的號,又怎能認識許教授,病痊癒了真好。除了要感謝二位醫師之外,能不感謝天主嗎?

2009年1月16日

一代宗徒聖保祿 - St. Paul - Part III


作者:張再基 弟兄

三、大馬士革的皓光
保祿,這位熱誠的法利塞人,期待著以色列的救援,偉大君王的來臨,對於宣講耶穌是默西亞的這夥人,視之為離經叛道的異端,必去之而後快,在害死斯德望之後,又採取強暴的手段,迫害耶路撒冷的教會,進入基督徒的家,連男帶女都拉去,押在監牢裡,門徒們向四面八方逃散,到猶太和撒瑪黎雅鄉間,甚至遠至凱撒勒雅、安提約基雅、大馬士革等地,主的福音,也因此而快速的傳遍巴勒斯坦地區。

當保祿知道大馬士革有許多人皈依基督,他主動去見大司祭,請求發給許可的文書,好讓他去大馬士革,將所有的基督徒一網打盡,解送到耶路撒冷來,他帶著人馬,趾高氣揚的走向大馬士革,而天主一項偉大的計劃,也正悄悄的展開。宗徒大事錄第九章記載了保祿奇蹟似的歸化的過程:當他前行,快臨近大馬士革的時候,忽然從天上有一道光環射到他身上,他便跌倒在地,聽見有聲音向他說:「掃祿!掃祿!你為什麼迫害我?」他答說:「主!你是誰?」主說:「我就是你所迫害的耶穌。」聖經上告訴我們,保祿在那一道光照射之下,眼睛瞎了,這一刻,對一位熟悉舊約經書的保祿來說,事情的真象已完全揭露清楚了─耶穌真的是天主預許的救世主默西亞。

一陣光使他瞎了眼,保祿確定這是天主的光,只有來自天主的光,才有這等力量,是天主站在他面前了,舊約的教導,人不能面見天主的,當天主說話時,人必須俯伏在地,抬頭觀看者必死,保祿瞎了眼,他心知人不能面見天主,可是光中的聲音使他納悶:「掃祿!掃祿!你為什麼迫害我?」保祿豈敢迫害天主,他怯怯的問一句:「主!你是誰?」這句「主」出自法利塞人的口,指的是天主,但既是天主,何以說我在迫害他?保祿期待光中一個清楚的答覆,光中傳來一句令他惶恐驚駭的話,那麼篤定:「我就是你所迫害的耶穌!」至此,保祿完全懂了,耶穌站在那陣天主的光耀中,他果真復活了,他就是天主,他活在每一位基督徒身上,他的生命已融入在教會內、在基督徒的團體中,因此,當他竭力在迫害教會,就是在迫害耶穌啊!他終於懂了,教會是基督的奧體,教友是基督身上的肢體,而基督是他們的頭。

耶穌吩咐他進城去,會有人告訴他該作什麼,保祿進了大馬士革,三天的工夫看不見,也不吃也不喝,靜靜的默想他所遭遇到的奇事,也重新整理信仰的迷思,在祈禱中,他見到異像~有一個人給他覆手,使他復明,果然,有一位名叫阿納尼雅的基督徒,奉主派遣來為他覆手祈禱,他的眼睛有像鱗甲一樣的東西掉下來,他便看見了,領洗皈依了基督。

一個狂熱的猶太教徒,他對天主的許諾,懷抱著熱切的期待,所以,當他發現耶穌的身份後,他拋開傳統猶太教律的束縛,勇敢追隨基督,為主作證,他義無反顧,那怕犧牲性命,也在所不惜。

2009年1月11日

主受洗日 常年期第一主日 - 乙年

主 題:藉洗禮,我們成為天主的子女
讀經一:依五五:1~11:他的言語必會實踐
讀經二:若一:五:1~9:天父為自己的愛子耶穌作證
福 音:谷一:6b~11:耶穌受洗

反 省:天主曾否給我任何記號,我如何答覆?

2009年1月4日

主顯節 - 乙年

主 題:光顯示給萬民
讀經一:依六十:1~6:上主的光要照耀你
讀經二:弗三2~3,5~6:眾入分沾天主的恩許
福 音:瑪二:1~12:我們看到了祂的星

反 省:認識耶穌,是我一生中最寶貴的事,為什麼?

2009年1月1日

天主之母節 - 乙年

主 題:天主鄰愛我們、降福我們
讀經一:戶六:22~27:皈依我的人,我必降福他
讀經二:迦四:4~7:時機成熟,人要獲得自由
福 音:路二:16~21:他們看見了躺在馬槽裡的小嬰孩

反 省:聖誕的訊息中,我都牢記在心?

May Peace prevail on Earth


(Copyright 1997 Don Morris)

May the people on this planet be changed.
Changed from hatred to love,
Changed from greed to giving,
Changed from selfishness to selflessness,
Changed from apathy to action,
Changed from jealousy to joy over someone's accomplishments,
Changed from intolerance to acceptance,
Changed from being destructive to being constructive,
Changed from fighting to peace,
Changed from killing to protecting life,
Changed from censorship to freedom,
Changed from ignorance to education,
Changed from fearing our differences to rejoicing our variety.

May we each take it upon ourselves to feed the hungry, cure the sick,
house the homeless, educate the illiterate, love the unloved,
compete to do the right thing instead of winning at any cost,
make heros that teach our children to
make the world a better place instead of glorifying violence and war,
stand up and speak out against things that are wrong
instead of sitting back and waiting for someone else,
demand honesty from our governments,
demand honesty from ourselves.

May we each take responsibility for our own actions
and realize that by refusing to change ourselves,
we condone all the evils in the world.
If one person changes they teach others by example,
who in turn change and teach more,
one person becomes as a pebble rolling down a mountain,
picking up more pebbles as it continues,
becoming an avalanche of change.
It can happen, it must happen, it will happen.

To make this prayer work, you have to change yourself.

教宗本篤十六世2009年元旦世界和平日文告

(作者:教宗本篤十六世,2008/12/08發自梵蒂岡)

對抗貧窮,以締造和平。

1. 在這新年開始之際,我願意再次向每個人祝賀平安,同時以我這份文告邀請各位反省這個主題:對抗貧窮,以締造和平。我可敬的前任教宗若望保祿二世在1993年的世界和平日文告中曾指出:「諸多國家民族的貧窮將對和平造成的負面影響」。的確,貧窮經常是引發衝突、甚至武裝衝突的因素之一,而且使之惡化,而這些衝突又助長貧窮的悲哀局勢。
若望保祿二世寫說:「另一個對和平的嚴重威脅因此產生……而且總變得更嚴重。今天,許多人,甚至整個國家人民,都生活在極端貧窮的狀況中。貧富不均變得更明顯,即便在經濟最發達的一些國家中,也是如此。既然許多人的處境冒犯了他們與生俱來的尊嚴,危害了世界團體真正與和諧的進步,因此,這是觸及人類良心的問題」。

2. 在這種處境下要對抗貧窮,就得仔細研究全球化的複雜現象。從方法論觀點看,這樣的考慮已經是很重要,因為它建議採用經濟學家和社會學家對貧窮諸多方面所做的研究成果。然而,全球化也應該具有精神和道德上的意義,它敦促我們從每個人都參與天主唯一計劃的角度來看待窮人,這個計劃就是:人類的聖召乃是建立唯一的大家庭,在這個家庭中,所有的人,包括個人、民族和國家,都根據友愛與負責任的原則來規範他們的行為。有這樣的視野,是需要對貧窮有著廣泛和明晰認識。如果貧窮只限于物質方面,那麼幫助我們根據量的資料來衡量貧窮現象的社會科學,該當能夠揭示貧窮的主要特徵。
然而我們都知道,貧窮也有其非物質方面的貧困形式,它們不直接和自動來自物質的匱乏。比方說,在富裕和進步的社會中仍存在著被邊緣化,及人際關係、倫理道德和精神上貧窮的現象,這就是?在迷失方向的人,他們即使經濟寬裕,仍然生活在不同形式的困境中。在此,我一則想到那所謂的「道德落後」,再則想到「超級發展」 不良後果所造成的困境。此外,我沒有忘記在所謂的「貧窮」社會中,經濟成長經常受到文化阻礙的制約,這些阻礙不允許適當利用資源。無論如何,任何外力造成的貧窮形式,探本究源都是因為對人的超然尊嚴缺乏尊重。當我們不從人的整個聖召使命來看,不尊重真正「人類生態」 的要求,連帶就會引發導致貧窮的邪惡力量,這在某些環境中可以明顯看出。對這點我願意在此簡要的談論。
貧窮與道德的關連:
3. 人口增長的現象經常被視為與貧窮有關,而且是造成貧窮的內在因素。因此,目前國際上正在鼓吹減少生育的宣傳運動,其使用之某些方法甚至是不尊重婦女的尊嚴,也不尊重夫妻有以負責任的態度選擇子女人數的權利 ,更嚴重的是經常不尊重人的生命權利。他們以終止貧窮之名屠殺數百萬胎兒,這事實上就是剷除人類中的最貧窮者。此外,尚存的事實就是:在1981年,全球人口中生活在絕對貧窮中的約佔40%;今天,這個比例大致已經減半,這些脫離貧窮的人民的特徵是他們的人口大幅度地增長。這個資料顯示,即使人口增加,解決貧窮問題的資源仍然是有的。我們也不該忘記,自從第二次世界大戰結束至今,地球上人口增加了四十億,他們大都屬於最近出現在國際舞臺上的新經濟強國,這些國家之所以快速發展,正得力于居民的眾多。此外,在這些有重大發展的國家中,還是那些人口生育率較高的國家擁有更多的發展潛力。換句話說,人口正在證明它是一種財富,而不是導致貧窮的因素。

4. 另一個叫人擔憂的領域是傳染病,例如瘧疾、肺結核和愛滋病。這些疾病對人民生產業的打擊使國家一般狀況的惡化加劇。阻止這些傳染病對人民造成惡果的嘗試,不一定都獲得相當的成就。此外,遭某些傳染病打擊的國家,為了面對困境,還得要忍受提供經濟援助的國家的勒索,實行一些違反生命的政策。至於愛滋病,它是貧窮的悲哀原因,這類病毒的擴散與道德問題相關,如果不先面對道德問題,要打擊這個傳染病則尤其困難。首先必須推行的宣傳是教育青年要有完全符合人性尊嚴的性觀念;所採取的相關行動已經有顯著的成效,愛滋病的傳染事實上已經降低。此外,也得讓貧窮國家的人民享用必要的醫藥品和治療;要做到這點,必須堅決推動醫學研究和更新治療方法,以及在必要的情況下,對國際智產權保護法規採行彈性的措施,以保證每個人都能享有基本的醫療照顧。

5. 在對抗貧窮計劃中要注意的、而且與道德有內在關係的第三個領域,就是兒童的貧窮。當貧窮打擊一個家庭時,最脆弱的受害者是兒童:今天,生活在絕對貧窮的人民中,幾乎一半是兒童。從兒童的立場來看貧窮,首先應該做的是照顧母親,為兒童提供教育,讓他們接種疫苗,獲得醫療照顧,有飲用水可喝,維護環境,尤其必須努力維護家庭和它內部關係的穩定。當家庭變得脆弱,兒童必然受害。在婦女和母親的尊嚴沒有受到保護的地方,主要的受害者乃是子女。

6. 第四個領域,從倫理道德方面看尤其應該受到注意的,就是裁軍和發展之間既存的關係。當今全球軍費開銷的程度令人關切。一如我曾經強調過的,「花費在軍費和武器裝備上的龐大人力物力資源,事實上就是從人民、尤其是從最貧窮和最需要幫助者的發展計劃中攫取的。這違反聯合國憲章所揭示的,因為憲章要求國際團體,特別是要求個別國家,『用全球耗費在軍備上極小一部分的人力和經濟資源,來推動建立並維持國際間的和平與安全』(憲章26)」 。這種局勢不但不利、而且嚴重阻礙國際團體實現重大的發展目標。此外,軍費的增加有加劇武裝競賽的危險,進而造成落後和失望的包袱,使之荒謬地成為不穩定、緊張和衝突的因素。正如我可敬的前任教宗保祿六世明智所肯定的,「發展乃是和平的新名詞」 。為此各國都應該嚴肅反省導致衝突戰亂的根本原因—這些動亂經常是由不公道所引發的—,進而以勇敢的自我批評來採取措施。如果彼此的關係得以改善,則武裝費用該當可以減少。那些節省下來的資源將可以用在人民和最貧苦最有需要者的發展計劃上,這種慷慨大方的做法乃是在人類大家庭內部締造和平的努力。

7. 第五個與克服物質貧窮有關的領域是當前的糧食危機,它使人類基本需要的滿足發生危機。這危機的關鍵不在於食物的短缺,而在於獲得食物的困難以及投機現象。所以,問題出在缺乏一個足以面對緊急狀況的政治和經濟體制結構。營養不良能夠造成人民心理和生理上的嚴重傷害,剝奪很多人脫離貧窮狀況的能力,除非有特殊的幫助。這助長了不平等的鴻溝,導致足以變成暴力的反彈。最近幾十年來,貧窮進展的資料顯示貧富差距越來越大。
造成這個現象的主要原因,毫無疑問地,一方面是技術的演進,這種演進所帶來的利益都集中在高所得階層人士中;另一方面是工業產品價格的變動,這類產品價格的增長遠比貧窮國家的農業產品和它們擁有的原料價格的成長要快得多。就這樣,那些最貧窮國家的大部分人民遭受著雙重的排斥,一方面他們的所得最低,另一方面他們需要購買之物品價格卻最高。 全球性的關懷與終止貧窮。

8. 締造和平的首要道途之一,就是要有一個以人類大家庭的利益為依歸的全球化 。然而,為了管理全球化,需要在富裕國家和貧窮國家之間,以及在個別國家內部,即使是富裕國家,具備強烈的全球性關懷意識 。世界需要一個「共同的倫理道德規則」 ,其中的條文不能只具備公約性質,更應該根植在造物主銘刻在人良心內的自然法律中(參見羅二,14-15)。我們每個人的良心深處難道沒有聽到要為公益與社會和平貢獻一己之力的呼籲嗎?全球化運動已經剷除了一些藩籬,但這不意味著不會再豎起一些新的藩籬。
全球化固然使各國各民族彼此接近,但時空的接近並不會自動創造真正共融與真實和平的條件。地球上窮人邊緣化的現象,只有當每個人都親自感受到被世界現存的不正義和與之相關的人權遭到侵犯傷害時,才能在全球化進程中找到補救之道。教會既是「人與天主之密切契合以及整個人類團結一致的標記和工具」 ,所以它將繼續為克服世間的不正義和不了解做出貢獻, 以便建立一個更和平、更團結的世界。

9. 今天,在國際貿易和金融交易上正進行著一些具有積極意義的經濟整合進程,這種進程有助於改善一般的狀況;然而,也有某些反方向的進程在分裂諸多民族,把他們推到邊緣,成了導致戰爭和衝突危險的前因。第二次世界大戰後的幾十年間,財物與服務業方面的國際貿易成長極?快速,顯出史無前例的活力。全球貿易中的大部分都與工業化歷史悠久的國家有關,遂後又出現許多躋身顯要地位的新興國家。但也有其他低所得的國家在貿易交流上仍然處在邊緣地帶。最近幾十年來它們的成長因為原料價格的快速滑落而受到不良的影響,而原料幾乎佔它們出口的全部。這些大部分屬於非洲的國家,對原料出口的依賴乃是一大危險。在此我願意再次呼籲,希望各國都有加入世界貿易的相同可能性,免於遭到排斥或邊緣化。

10. 對金融業我們也可以作相似的反省,由於電子的發展和不同國家間貨幣自由流通的政策,金融業已經觸及到全球化現象中最重要的一面。客觀上,金融業最重要的功能,也就是長期支持投資與發展的可能性,今天已經顯出它的空前脆弱:它受到國家性和全球性金融交易制度不良的反彈,這種交易以極短期的邏輯為基礎,所追求的是金融活動價值的增加,它專注以技術來處理不同形式的冒險。
最近的危機也顯示金融活動受到純粹自我中心這種邏輯的誘導,從未考慮到長遠的公益。全球金融從業人士把目標鎖定在極短暫的時效上,減少了金融本身擔任現今與未來之間的橋梁,以支持長期創造生產和工作新機會的功能。像這種被限制在短期和極短期時效內運作的金融活動,對眾人都成為危險之物,而對那些即使能從金融狂飆中取利的人來說,也是如此。

11. 從上面所談的得知,欲終止貧窮就需要經濟和法律層面上的合作,使國際團體、尤其使貧窮國家找到解決問題的一致方案,並加以推行,藉此為經濟制定一個有效的法理環境,好面對上述的種種問題。此外,也需要鼓勵創設有效和各界都參與的體制結構,協助剷除犯罪行為,推動法制的文化。當然,我們也不能否認某些明顯的救濟政策成了協助貧窮國家行動失敗的原因。
當前應該推動的中程和遠程計劃似乎應該是投資在人的培育以及全面發展創業的觀念上。如果經濟活動為了本身的發展需要有利的條件,這並不意味著可以不關注收入的問題。雖然我們也曾合理地強調個人所得的增加不能成?政治經濟行動的絕對目標,但也不能忘記所得的增加乃是達致消除飢餓、克服貧窮這個目標的重要工具。從這個觀點看,必須打消幻想,以為純粹重新分配現有財富的政策足以一勞永逸地解決問題。事實上,在現代經濟中,財富的價值取決於為現在和將來創造收益。為此,創造價值乃是不可逃避的約束,如果要有效並持久地對抗物質上的貧窮,就必須注意到這點。

12. 最後,當把窮人放在第一優先,這就要從事國際市場業務的人士必須具有相當的正確經濟邏輯,而國際組織機構人士也應該具備同樣的正確政治邏輯,讓大家都有參與的正確觀念,足以發揮地方和國際民間社會的功能。今天,國際組織本身也承認民間社會或地方政府,在推動救助那些經常處在極貧困狀況中的人,使他們融入社會中的工作方面,所能發揮的珍貴和優越功能,而這些珍貴和優越的功能又是官方協助難以實現的。
二十世紀的經濟發展史告訴我們,良好的發展政策都是托付給人的責任心,以及在市場、民間社會和國家之間所營造的積極性合作來推行的,而民間社會在發展進程中尤其扮演著關鍵性角色,因為基本上,發展乃是一種文化現象,而文化又都是在民間場合中誕生並發展出來的。

13. 我可敬的前任若望保祿二世曾說:全球化「展現出明顯的矛盾特徵」 ,因此需要以謹慎的智慧來管理。這種明智的管理首先應該注意到地球上窮人的需要,進而克服貧窮問題和解決問題所提供的措施之間,存在的不成比例的引人非議的現象。 這種現象既出於文化和政治因素,也出於精神和道德因素。事實上,解決貧窮問題之道經常只著眼在表面和技術上的原因,沒有進入深植在人心中如吝嗇和視野狹隘的問題。在處理發展、援助和國際合作這些問題時,有時沒有真正注意到人的問題,只把那些事務當作技術問題來看待,只想到結構的安排處理,稅率協定的擬訂以及無名資金的支撥。然而,對抗貧窮卻需要很多男男女女,他們深深活在友愛中,有能力陪伴個人、家庭和團體走向人性的真正發展。

結 論:
14. 若望保祿二世在他的《第100週年》通諭中曾提醒人:必須「要放棄把窮人,包括個人和民族,視為包袱和令人厭煩者的觀念,以為他們妄圖消耗別人所生?的東西」。教宗寫說:「窮人要求的只是分享物質財物、使他們的工作能力結出果實的權利,以便締造一個更公正、為每個人更繁榮的世界」 。今天的世界越來越清楚地顯示,只有當每個人合理成長的可能性都獲得保障時,才能建設和平。事實上,那些不公正的體系制度早晚會出問題。只有愚蠢才會引人在荒漠和落後環繞中建造一座金屋。全球化本身並沒有能力締造和平,在很多情況下,它甚至會製造分裂和衝突。全球化更好說是指出一種需要,即朝向更深入的、以每個人和眾人的益處為目標的彼此關懷。從這方面看,全球化應該被視良好機會,以推動反貧窮、運用些至今仍難於想像的資源為正義與和平服務。

15. 教會的社會訓導一向是在關心窮人。在《新事》通諭頒佈的那個時代,窮人大都是新興工業社會中的工人;此後,在庇護十一世、庇護十二世、若望二十三世、保祿六世乃至若望保祿二世任內,由於社會問題越來越大,因此又有擴展到全球的新貧窮出現 。對這種全球性社會問題不但要注意到數量的增加,也要注意到人和人類家庭質量的惡化。為此,教會在關注目前全球化現象以及全球化對人類貧窮的影響之際,也從橫廣和縱深兩方面指出社會問題的新面貌,因為這都牽涉到人的真相和人與天主的關係。這些都是社會訓導的原則,目的在指出貧窮與全球化的關係,進而引導行動朝著締造和平的方向前行。這些原則中,在此特別值得一提的是「優先愛窮人」 ,這個原則的根據是愛德為先,這也是從初期教會至今整個基督信仰傳統所作的見證(參見宗四,32-36; 格前十六1; 格後八~九; 迦二,10)。良十三世教宗在1891年寫說:「每個人要善盡自己的本分,而且不遲疑」,他又說:「至於教會,它決不會以任何方式忽略它的行動」。
這樣的意識今天也伴隨著教會服務窮人的行動,教會在窮人身上看到基督 ,她心中不斷繚繞著和平之王對宗徒的吩咐:「你們給他們吃的吧!」(路九,13)。因此,基督信徒團體既忠於他的主的邀請,必然全力支持整個人類家庭推展有創意的關懷,不但慷慨分贈多餘的,而且也將努力改變「生活的態度,生產和消費的方式,以及今日那統治社會已根深蒂固的權力結構」 。在這新年開始之際,我由衷邀請每位基督信徒和善心人士,按照具體可能,慷慨濟助窮人的需要。事實上,「克服貧窮就是締造和平」,這乃是無庸置疑的公理。

MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESSPOPE BENEDICT XVI FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE


MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESSPOPE BENEDICT XVI FOR THE CELEBRATION OF THE WORLD DAY OF PEACE
1 JANUARY 2009

FIGHTING POVERTY TO BUILD PEACE

1. Once again, as the new year begins, I want to extend good wishes for peace to people everywhere. With this Message I would like to propose a reflection on the theme: Fighting Poverty to Build Peace. Back in 1993, my venerable Predecessor Pope John Paul II, in his Message for the World Day of Peace that year, drew attention to the negative repercussions for peace when entire populations live in poverty. Poverty is often a contributory factor or a compounding element in conflicts, including armed ones. In turn, these conflicts fuel further tragic situations of poverty. “Our world”, he wrote, “shows increasing evidence of another grave threat to peace: many individuals and indeed whole peoples are living today in conditions of extreme poverty. The gap between rich and poor has become more marked, even in the most economically developed nations. This is a problem which the conscience of humanity cannot ignore, since the conditions in which a great number of people are living are an insult to their innate dignity and as a result are a threat to the authentic and harmonious progress of the world community” [1].

2. In this context, fighting poverty requires attentive consideration of the complex phenomenon of globalization. This is important from a methodological standpoint, because it suggests drawing upon the fruits of economic and sociological research into the many different aspects of poverty. Yet the reference to globalization should also alert us to the spiritual and moral implications of the question, urging us, in our dealings with the poor, to set out from the clear recognition that we all share in a single divine plan: we are called to form one family in which all – individuals, peoples and nations – model their behaviour according to the principles of fraternity and responsibility.
This perspective requires an understanding of poverty that is wide-ranging and well articulated. If it were a question of material poverty alone, then the social sciences, which enable us to measure phenomena on the basis of mainly quantitative data, would be sufficient to illustrate its principal characteristics. Yet we know that other, non-material forms of poverty exist which are not the direct and automatic consequence of material deprivation. For example, in advanced wealthy societies, there is evidence of marginalization, as well as affective, moral and spiritual poverty, seen in people whose interior lives are disoriented and who experience various forms of malaise despite their economic prosperity. On the one hand, I have in mind what is known as “moral underdevelopment”[2], and on the other hand the negative consequences of “superdevelopment”[3]. Nor can I forget that, in so-called “poor” societies, economic growth is often hampered by cultural impediments which lead to inefficient use of available resources. It remains true, however, that every form of externally imposed poverty has at its root a lack of respect for the transcendent dignity of the human person. When man is not considered within the total context of his vocation, and when the demands of a true “human ecology” [4] are not respected, the cruel forces of poverty are unleashed, as is evident in certain specific areas that I shall now consider briefly one by one.

Poverty and moral implications
3. Poverty is often considered a consequence of demographic change. For this reason, there are international campaigns afoot to reduce birth-rates, sometimes using methods that respect neither the dignity of the woman, nor the right of parents to choose responsibly how many children to have[5]; graver still, these methods often fail to respect even the right to life. The extermination of millions of unborn children, in the name of the fight against poverty, actually constitutes the destruction of the poorest of all human beings. And yet it remains the case that in 1981, around 40% of the world's population was below the threshold of absolute poverty, while today that percentage has been reduced by as much as a half, and whole peoples have escaped from poverty despite experiencing substantial demographic growth. This goes to show that resources to solve the problem of poverty do exist, even in the face of an increasing population. Nor must it be forgotten that, since the end of the Second World War, the world's population has grown by four billion, largely because of certain countries that have recently emerged on the international scene as new economic powers, and have experienced rapid development specifically because of the large number of their inhabitants. Moreover, among the most developed nations, those with higher birth-rates enjoy better opportunities for development. In other words, population is proving to be an asset, not a factor that contributes to poverty.

4. Another area of concern has to do with pandemic diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis and AIDS. Insofar as they affect the wealth-producing sectors of the population, they are a significant factor in the overall deterioration of conditions in the country concerned. Efforts to rein in the consequences of these diseases on the population do not always achieve significant results. It also happens that countries afflicted by some of these pandemics find themselves held hostage, when they try to address them, by those who make economic aid conditional upon the implementation of anti-life policies. It is especially hard to combat AIDS, a major cause of poverty, unless the moral issues connected with the spread of the virus are also addressed. First and foremost, educational campaigns are needed, aimed especially at the young, to promote a sexual ethic that fully corresponds to the dignity of the person; initiatives of this kind have already borne important fruits, causing a reduction in the spread of AIDS. Then, too, the necessary medicines and treatment must be made available to poorer peoples as well. This presupposes a determined effort to promote medical research and innovative forms of treatment, as well as flexible application, when required, of the international rules protecting intellectual property, so as to guarantee necessary basic healthcare to all people.

5. A third area requiring attention in programmes for fighting poverty, which once again highlights its intrinsic moral dimension, is child poverty. When poverty strikes a family, the children prove to be the most vulnerable victims: almost half of those living in absolute poverty today are children. To take the side of children when considering poverty means giving priority to those objectives which concern them most directly, such as caring for mothers, commitment to education, access to vaccines, medical care and drinking water, safeguarding the environment, and above all, commitment to defence of the family and the stability of relations within it. When the family is weakened, it is inevitably children who suffer. If the dignity of women and mothers is not protected, it is the children who are affected most.

6. A fourth area needing particular attention from the moral standpoint is the relationship between disarmament and development. The current level of world military expenditure gives cause for concern. As I have pointed out before, it can happen that “immense military expenditure, involving material and human resources and arms, is in fact diverted from development projects for peoples, especially the poorest who are most in need of aid. This is contrary to what is stated in the Charter of the United Nations, which engages the international community and States in particular ‘to promote the establishment and maintenance of international peace and security with the least diversion for armaments of the world's human and economic resources' (art. 26)” [6].
This state of affairs does nothing to promote, and indeed seriously impedes, attainment of the ambitious development targets of the international community. What is more, an excessive increase in military expenditure risks accelerating the arms race, producing pockets of underdevelopment and desperation, so that it can paradoxically become a cause of instability, tension and conflict. As my venerable Predecessor Paul VI wisely observed, “the new name for peace is development”[7]. States are therefore invited to reflect seriously on the underlying reasons for conflicts, often provoked by injustice, and to practise courageous self-criticism. If relations can be improved, it should be possible to reduce expenditure on arms. The resources saved could then be earmarked for development projects to assist the poorest and most needy individuals and peoples: efforts expended in this way would be efforts for peace within the human family.

7. A fifth area connected with the fight against material poverty concerns the current food crisis, which places in jeopardy the fulfilment of basic needs. This crisis is characterized not so much by a shortage of food, as by difficulty in gaining access to it and by different forms of speculation: in other words, by a structural lack of political and economic institutions capable of addressing needs and emergencies. Malnutrition can also cause grave mental and physical damage to the population, depriving many people of the energy necessary to escape from poverty unaided. This contributes to the widening gap of inequality, and can provoke violent reactions. All the indicators of relative poverty in recent years point to an increased disparity between rich and poor. No doubt the principal reasons for this are, on the one hand, advances in technology, which mainly benefit the more affluent, and on the other hand, changes in the prices of industrial products, which rise much faster than those of agricultural products and raw materials in the possession of poorer countries. In this way, the majority of the population in the poorest countries suffers a double marginalization, through the adverse effects of lower incomes and higher prices.

Global solidarity and the fight against poverty
8. One of the most important ways of building peace is through a form of globalization directed towards the interests of the whole human family[8]. In order to govern globalization, however, there needs to be a strong sense of global solidarity [9] between rich and poor countries, as well as within individual countries, including affluent ones. A “common code of ethics”[10]
is also needed, consisting of norms based not upon mere consensus, but rooted in the natural law inscribed by the Creator on the conscience of every human being (cf. Rom 2:14-15). Does not every one of us sense deep within his or her conscience a call to make a personal contribution to the common good and to peace in society? Globalization eliminates certain barriers, but is still able to build new ones; it brings peoples together, but spatial and temporal proximity does not of itself create the conditions for true communion and authentic peace. Effective means to redress the marginalization of the world's poor through globalization will only be found if people everywhere feel personally outraged by the injustices in the world and by the concomitant violations of human rights. The Church, which is the “sign and instrument of communion with God and of the unity of the entire human race” [11] will continue to offer her contribution so that injustices and misunderstandings may be resolved, leading to a world of greater peace and solidarity.

9. In the field of international commerce and finance, there are processes at work today which permit a positive integration of economies, leading to an overall improvement in conditions, but there are also processes tending in the opposite direction, dividing and marginalizing peoples, and creating dangerous situations that can erupt into wars and conflicts. Since the Second World War, international trade in goods and services has grown extraordinarily fast, with a momentum unprecedented in history. Much of this global trade has involved countries that were industrialized early, with the significant addition of many newly- emerging countries which have now entered onto the world stage. Yet there are other low-income countries which are still seriously marginalized in terms of trade. Their growth has been negatively influenced by the rapid decline, seen in recent decades, in the prices of commodities, which constitute practically the whole of their exports. In these countries, which are mostly in Africa, dependence on the exportation of commodities continues to constitute a potent risk factor. Here I should like to renew an appeal for all countries to be given equal opportunities of access to the world market, without exclusion or marginalization.

10. A similar reflection may be made in the area of finance, which is a key aspect of the phenomenon of globalization, owing to the development of technology and policies of liberalization in the flow of capital between countries. Objectively, the most important function of finance is to sustain the possibility of long- term investment and hence of development. Today this appears extremely fragile: it is experiencing the negative repercussions of a system of financial dealings – both national and global – based upon very short-term thinking, which aims at increasing the value of financial operations and concentrates on the technical management of various forms of risk. The recent crisis demonstrates how financial activity can at times be completely turned in on itself, lacking any long-term consideration of the common good. This lowering of the objectives of global finance to the very short term reduces its capacity to function as a bridge between the present and the future, and as a stimulus to the creation of new opportunities for production and for work in the long term. Finance limited in this way to the short and very short term becomes dangerous for everyone, even for those who benefit when the markets perform well[12].

11. All of this would indicate that the fight against poverty requires cooperation both on the economic level and on the legal level, so as to allow the international community, and especially poorer countries, to identify and implement coordinated strategies to deal with the problems discussed above, thereby providing an effective legal framework for the economy. Incentives are needed for establishing efficient participatory institutions, and support is needed in fighting crime and fostering a culture of legality. On the other hand, it cannot be denied that policies which place too much emphasis on assistance underlie many of the failures in providing aid to poor countries. Investing in the formation of people and developing a specific and well-integrated culture of enterprise would seem at present to be the right approach in the medium and long term. If economic activities require a favourable context in order to develop, this must not distract attention from the need to generate revenue. While it has been rightly emphasized that increasing per capita income cannot be the ultimate goal of political and economic activity, it is still an important means of attaining the objective of the fight against hunger and absolute poverty. Hence, the illusion that a policy of mere redistribution of existing wealth can definitively resolve the problem must be set aside. In a modern economy, the value of assets is utterly dependent on the capacity to generate revenue in the present and the future. Wealth creation therefore becomes an inescapable duty, which must be kept in mind if the fight against material poverty is to be effective in the long term.

12. If the poor are to be given priority, then there has to be enough room for an ethical approach to economics on the part of those active in the international market, an ethical approach to politics on the part of those in public office, and an ethical approach to participation capable of harnessing the contributions of civil society at local and international levels. International agencies themselves have come to recognize the value and advantage of economic initiatives taken by civil society or local administrations to promote the emancipation and social inclusion of those sectors of the population that often fall below the threshold of extreme poverty and yet are not easily reached by official aid. The history of twentieth-century economic development teaches us that good development policies depend for their effectiveness on responsible implementation by human agents and on the creation of positive partnerships between markets, civil society and States. Civil society in particular plays a key part in every process of development, since development is essentially a cultural phenomenon, and culture is born and develops in the civil sphere[13].

13. As my venerable Predecessor Pope John Paul II had occasion to remark, globalization “is notably ambivalent”[14] and therefore needs to be managed with great prudence. This will include giving priority to the needs of the world's poor, and overcoming the scandal of the imbalance between the problems of poverty and the measures which have been adopted in order to address them. The imbalance lies both in the cultural and political order and in the spiritual and moral order. In fact we often consider only the superficial and instrumental causes of poverty without attending to those harboured within the human heart, like greed and narrow vision. The problems of development, aid and international cooperation are sometimes addressed without any real attention to the human element, but as merely technical questions – limited, that is, to establishing structures, setting up trade agreements, and allocating funding impersonally. What the fight against poverty really needs are men and women who live in a profoundly fraternal way and are able to accompany individuals, families and communities on journeys of authentic human development.

Conclusion
14. In the Encyclical Letter Centesimus Annus, John Paul II warned of the need to “abandon a mentality in which the poor – as individuals and as peoples – are considered a burden, as irksome intruders trying to consume what others have produced.” The poor, he wrote, “ask for the right to share in enjoying material goods and to make good use of their capacity for work, thus creating a world that is more just and prosperous for all” [15]. In today's globalized world, it is increasingly evident that peace can be built only if everyone is assured the possibility of reasonable growth: sooner or later, the distortions produced by unjust systems have to be paid for by everyone. It is utterly foolish to build a luxury home in the midst of desert or decay. Globalization on its own is incapable of building peace, and in many cases, it actually creates divisions and conflicts. If anything it points to a need: to be oriented towards a goal of profound solidarity that seeks the good of each and all. In this sense, globalization should be seen as a good opportunity to achieve something important in the fight against poverty, and to place at the disposal of justice and peace resources which were scarcely conceivable previously.

15. The Church's social teaching has always been concerned with the poor. At the time of the Encyclical Letter Rerum Novarum, the poor were identified mainly as the workers in the new industrial society; in the social Magisterium of Pius XI, Pius XII, John XXIII, Paul VI and John Paul II, new forms of poverty were gradually explored, as the scope of the social question widened to reach global proportions[16]. This expansion of the social question to the worldwide scale has to be considered not just as a quantitative extension, but also as a qualitative growth in the understanding of man and the needs of the human family. For this reason, while attentively following the current phenomena of globalization and their impact on human poverty, the Church points out the new aspects of the social question, not only in their breadth but also in their depth, insofar as they concern man's identity and his relationship with God. These principles of social teaching tend to clarify the links between poverty and globalization and they help to guide action towards the building of peace. Among these principles, it is timely to recall in particular the “preferential love for the poor”[17], in the light of the primacy of charity, which is attested throughout Christian tradition, beginning with that of the early Church (cf. Acts 4:32-36; 1 Cor 16:1; 2 Cor 8-9; Gal 2:10).
“Everyone should put his hand to the work which falls to his share, at once and immediately”, wrote Leo XIII in 1891, and he added: “In regard to the Church, her cooperation will never be wanting, be the time or the occasion what it may”[18]. It is in the same spirit that the Church to this day carries out her work for the poor, in whom she sees Christ[19], and she constantly hears echoing in her heart the command of the Prince of Peace to his Apostles: “Vos date illis manducare – Give them something to eat yourselves” (Lk 9:13). Faithful to this summons from the Lord, the Christian community will never fail, then, to assure the entire human family of her support through gestures of creative solidarity, not only by “giving from one's surplus”, but above all by “a change of life- styles, of models of production and consumption, and of the established structures of power which today govern societies” [20]. At the start of the New Year, then, I extend to every disciple of Christ and to every person of good will a warm invitation to expand their hearts to meet the needs of the poor and to take whatever practical steps are possible in order to help them. The truth of the axiom cannot be refuted: “to fight poverty is to build peace.”