By Father Joseph Chan Wing-chiu
Whenever I think about what I can write about in the column in Kung Kao Po titled In the crowd I look for him, part of an ancient poem-song will come to my mind:
“In the crowd I look for her again and again,
Suddenly I turn around, and I see her there.
Where lights are dim.”
I can only remember this part of the poem-song. But without having memorised many poems or songs, I had to google it to find out the origin of this poem-song.
On New Year’s Eve
[lyrics to the melody of Green Jade Tray], by Xin Qiji
East wind of the night makes a thousand trees blossom.
with petals being blown down like a million shooting stars.
Precious horses and carved carriages fill the road with fragrance.
With flute music like the singing of a phoenix, and the glowing light of jade bottles,
lanterns in the shape of fish and dragons dance throughout the night.
Among golden hairpins with patterns of moths and willows, giggles and chatters,
her scent is fading away.
In the crowd I look for her again and again,
Suddenly I turn around, and I see her there.
Where lights are dim.
Who is the person to whom Xin refers? Scholars who have studied the poem-song are divided and unable to give a definite answer. I believe that only the author himself knew whom he was referring to.
But to be honest, it does not matter who the person is, for you or for me what matters is whom the title of this column refers to.
“In the crowd I look for him”. Him here means the God we worship. But this God is present among all people, and therefore we have to seek him. So the Jews, in the beginning, among their own people, were constantly searching for Messiah, the chosen one of God.
And from the Christian faith, we believe that the God of all people is the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was born into humanity. Those whom God calls and chooses will find him and believe in him. Today, you and I are also his chosen ones and have believed. Have you found him?
We seem to have found him by faith, because we can all call Jesus Christ Our Lord. But if we think about it, even the disciples of the resurrected Jesus once failed to recognise him when they met him. Perhaps he is still among us today. Have you ever met him, sought him out and recognised him?
Could he be in a place “where the lights are dim”? Beyond the entrance of our parish where people show their vaccine passes? At the end of the street? Behind the piles of paper for recycling? Buildings locked down for quarantine? In a prison ward? In caged homes and subdivided flats? If you are looking for him, you will find him. And if you knock the door, the door will open.
