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二○二○年七月十日/十一日/十二日                                                                                      Click here for English version

「公義與復和——紛亂世代中的教會與家庭關係」講座反思

孔桂芳牧師

有一天在街上碰到一位弟兄,交談中得知他因為社會事件而離開了教會,他說的時候淚水幾乎要掉下來,我感覺他受到很大的傷害。聽到教會及家庭裡的撕裂情況,我心中不禁問:「怎麼關係會弄至這個地步?」因著許志超博士在「公義與復和」講座中的分析與講解,我不但多了明白被傷害者的心路歷程,也對復和的可能有較現實的期望。講座讓我有三方面的領受與反思:

(一)復和需要共同的努力
許博士指出,一個人單方面的努力,很難帶來復和,若彼此放棄,就更不可能達至復和。而復和需要耐性及時間,是要涉事者不斷省察自己及有靈性操練。我的祈願是:感到受傷的雙方都願意先踏出一步,如此復和的機會就可以大大提高。

(二)謙卑承認自己的軟弱
1. 「我看到的並不是事實的全部」:撕裂的關係源於每個人都認為自己所看到的都是事實。所以當我們與別人分享自己所看到的不公義時,如果不被認同,並因此引起爭論,甚至說出彼此傷害的話,我們便會覺得受到不公平對待。然而我們必須承認只有上帝參透萬事,而我們也須接納彼此的不足及有限。

2. 「我的不公感有認知的偏差」:我對講座裡引用的三個實驗感到很深刻。原來人總容易認為傷害自己的人須負較大的責任,然而,人的記憶往往是有偏差的,受傷害的人只會較多記得痛苦的細節,而不多記得對方的優點。我們必須承認自己常有這方面的偏執,不應太相信自己的感受。

(三)選擇饒恕
許博士引用了一名作者的話:儘管被不公平對待,仍要放棄怨恨。我想到主耶穌在世時雖受到最不公義的對待,但祂仍選擇饒恕。饒恕是祂的榜樣及心意:「主怎樣饒恕了你們,你們也要照樣饒恕人」(西三 13,新譯本)。我們都經歷過被主饒恕時所感受到的輕省,也渴求能體會饒恕人的釋放。相信靠著主耶穌賜下的恩典及力量,我們必能放下想討回公道的需要。

惟有上主才是完全的公義,公義的審判也在於祂,我們常常因驕傲自義而使關係變得更糟,也使復和變得更難。求主幫助我們學習上主的柔和謙卑,能夠體諒、接納彼此看法的不同,一同實踐保羅的教導:「可能的話,總要盡你們的所能與人和睦。」(羅十二 18)






Pastor's Sharing
Reflections on Seminar on
"Justice and Reconciliation – Relations in Church and Family in Times of Turmoil"
Rev Hung Kwai Fong

The other day, I came across a brother who had left the church because of the recent social events. As he shared, his tears almost fell and I could feel he was deeply hurt. I see antagonism in the church and in the family. I could not help but ask, "Why would relations become so strained?" Dr Harry Hui's analysis and explanations in his talk "Justice and Reconciliation" enables me to understand more about the journey of the heart of those who are hurt and gives me a more realistic expectation of the likelihood of reconciliation. The talk affords my learning and reflection in three aspects:

(1) Reconciliation is a mutual effort
Dr Hui pointed out that reconciliation is hard to attain by the efforts of one party concerned only. It becomes impossible if both parties give up. It takes patience and time to reconcile. It involves the concerned parties' continual self-reflection and exercise of spiritual discipline. My hope and prayer is that both sides who feel hurt will be willing to take the first step, which will greatly enhance the chances of reconciliation.

(2) Admit our weaknesses in humility
1. "What I saw was not the entire picture": Antagonism arises because everybody considers what he sees as the fact. Thus, when we share with others the injustices we see but are not acknowledged and are even debated, resulting in exchange of words that hurt each other, we would then feel wronged. Nevertheless, we must admit that only God knows everything. We must also accept each other's inadequacies and limitations.

2. "My feeling of injustice is subject to inaccurate perception": I was much impressed by three experiments cited in the talk. They show that we are inclined to consider that those who hurt us should shoulder greater responsibility. Nevertheless, human memory is often inaccurate. Those who are hurt will better remember the details of their pain but less the merits of the other party. We must admit that we are often biased in this connection and should not rely solely on our feelings.

(3) Choose to forgive
Dr Hui cited a quotation saying that even though we may have been treated unfairly, we should give up grievance. This reminds me of the Lord Jesus who was subject to the most unfair treatment but He still chose forgiveness. Forgiveness is the Lord's example and will: "Forgive as the Lord forgave you" (Colossians 3:13). We have all experienced the relief in being forgiven by the Lord and we also long for the relief in being able to forgive others. With the grace and strength from God, we can surely lay aside the need to redress the injustices.

Only God is absolutely just. Righteous judgment is also His. Pride and self-righteousness often hurt our relationships and make reconciliation difficult. May the Lord help us to learn His gentleness and humility. May we learn how to understand and accommodate divergent views. May the Lord help us, together, to practice Paul's teaching: "If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone" (Romans 12:18).