Believe with our whole heart

“Behold new things have come” [2 Corinthians 5:17]

The theme of this year’s Lenten campaign is “Behold, new things have come.” [2 Corinthians 5:17] and the sub-theme of the first Sunday is “Believe with our whole heart.”  

The notions of “new” or “renew” come up from time to time throughout the year.  Everybody is excited to countdown to celebrate the first day of a “New” Year.  For the Chinese, the Lunar “New” Year is the most important festival of the year, for which there is a famous couplet: “As a new year begins, everything is renewed.”  For Christians, we have another “New” year, the beginning of the liturgical year, which is Advent.  

Not much later, Lent is again a season of spiritual “renewal”. However, the “renewal” of Christians is not the same as the “innovation” advocated in secular world. While innovation aims at the enhancement of personal abilities upon new ideas and imagination, the renewal of Christians goes back to the root and core of the gospel, which is faith in God. As the apostle St. Paul said, “The righteousness of God is revealed through faith for faith” [Romans 1:17], 

The relevant scripture of the sub-theme is taken from today’s Second Reading, “No one who believes in him will be put to shame … For everyone who calls on the name of Lord will be saved” [Romans 10:11,13].  How should we understand these two verses St. Paul cites from the Old Testament? 

The gospels record that the devil scornfully challenged Jesus: “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread,” [Matthew 4:3],  and when Jesus was crucified on the cross, “the chief priests, with the scribes, mocked him among themselves and said, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Messiah, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe’” [Mark 15: 31-32]

In those instances, the devil, the chief priests, and the scribes seemed to have put Jesus to shame because he did not turn the stones into bread even though he was hungry, nor did he come down from the cross.  However, shortly after the temptations, Jesus, out of compassion, fed thousands of hungry people with five loaves and two fish. During his Passion, though he cried out to God to spare him the cup of suffering, still Jesus was “obedient unto death”(Philippians 2: 8). This was why Jesus did not come down from the cross at that moment. 

Nevertheless on the third day, “God has highly exalted him … that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow” [Philippians 2: 9-10].  Not only did he come down from the cross, but he rose gloriously to heaven. Jesus was saved and was not put to shame. In this way, he has perfectly interpreted the meaning of St. Paul’s citations for us. 

Looking back over the past two years and even today, our faith is facing genuine challenge. The global pandemic seems to be endless. Even though we keep on calling on the name of God, he seems not to respond. We cannot help asking, “Why is God always so silent?” 

To this day, we have no idea when and how the epidemic will finish. But our Heavenly Mother has set a good example for us. When she told Jesus: “They have no wine”, the answer was that his hour had not yet come. Yet she still told the servant, “Do whatever he tells you” [John 2: 3-5]. I think today she will say the same to us. This is indeed the true meaning of “Believe with our whole heart.”

Lenten Campaign Organising Committee, 2022