Esther心靈花園部落格

第十一章、愛慕十字架者真是稀少

Few Love The Cross Of Jesus

世界上的人，願意升天堂的不少，願意背十字架的不多；盼望享神樂的不少，甘心受艱聽的不多；同耶穌赴席的不少，同耶穌守齋的不多。願意同耶穌享福樂的，到處都是；為耶穌受苦難的，寥寥無幾。耶穌分餅的時候，去的人不少；耶穌飲苦爵的時候，在跟前的人不多。稱揚祂的奇蹟的人無數，隨從祂受凌辱的人有限。

許多人無災無恙，就愛耶穌，得了神恩，也讚美耶穌；但若耶穌隱藏不見了，稍微拋開他們一點兒，他們就抱怨失望，畏縮不前了。

JESUS has always many who love His heavenly kingdom, but few who bear His cross. He has many who desire consolation, but few who care for trial. He finds many to share His table, but few to take part in His fasting. All desire to be happy with Him; few wish to suffer anything for Him. Many follow Him to the breaking of bread, but few to the drinking of the chalice of His passion. Many revere His miracles; few approach the shame of the Cross. 

Many love Him as long as they encounter no hardship; many praise and bless Him as long as they receive some comfort from Him. But if Jesus hides Himself and leaves them for a while, they fall either into complaints or into deep dejection. 

真愛耶穌的人，不是這樣：他們愛耶穌，是為了耶穌，並不是為得神樂；在困苦艱難中讚美耶穌，一如在享受極大神慰時一樣。縱然耶穌始終不賞他們神樂，他們還是常讚美祂，感謝祂的大恩。

Those, on the contrary, who love Him for His own sake and not for any comfort of their own, bless Him in all trial and anguish of heart as well as in the bliss of consolation. Even if He should never give them consolation, yet they would continue to praise Him and wish always to give Him thanks. 

唉！愛耶穌純潔的愛，不夾雜一點私情，這樣的愛有多大的能力啊！

What power there is in pure love for Jesus -- love that is flee from all self-interest and self-love!

若為得神樂纔愛耶穌，這不是像傭工一樣了麼？為得利益纔愛耶穌，這不正顯示出他們愛耶穌在自己以下麼？不求任何利益，而事奉愛慕天主的人，在那裏可以找得到呢？在德行的道路上擺脫一切事物的修行者，真是稀少。真心守神貧，把萬物全然擺脫乾淨的人，誰能找得到呢？

Do not those who always seek consolation deserve to be called mercenaries? Do not those who always think of their own profit and gain prove that they love themselves rather than Christ? Where can a man be found who desires to serve God for nothing? Rarely indeed is a man so spiritual as to strip himself of all things. And who shall find a man so truly poor in spirit as to be free from every creature? His value is like that of things brought from the most distant lands.

一個人雖然完全拋棄家業，還不算什麼。雖然行大苦工，也算不了什麼大事。雖然得了普世的學問，還是差的遠。若他有大德行，非凡的熱心，還是缺少一樣最緊要的事情。缺少什麼呢？就是離棄萬物以後，還得離開自己，完全擺脫自己，不存一點自愛的心。即使他把自己該做的全做了，還該想自己沒有做什麼。

If a man give all his wealth, it is nothing; if he do great penance, it is little; if he gain all knowledge, he is still far afield; if he have great virtue and much ardent devotion, he still lacks a great deal, and especially, the one thing that is most necessary to him. What is this one thing? That leaving all, he forsake himself, completely renounce himself, and give up all private affections. 

自己所做的事，雖然別人看重，自己不但不要看重，反而應該知道自己其實只是一個無用的僕人。就如同吾主耶穌說的：『就算是所命令的事全都做完了，還應當說我們自己只是無用的僕人』(路：拾柒、十)。

Then, when he has done all that he knows ought to be done, let him consider it as nothing, let him make little of what may be considered great; let him in all honesty call himself an unprofitable servant. For truth itself has said: "When you shall have done all these things that are commanded you, say: 'we are unprofitable servants.'"

如果能夠這樣，纔能稱得上是真正神貧的人，脫淨了世物的人，他才能和達味一樣地說：『我是孤單的，貧窮的』(詠：貳拾五、十六)。雖說是這樣，然而沒有比離開自己、離開萬物，甘心居於眾人之下的人，更為富貴、更為能幹、而且更能隨心所欲了。

Then he will be truly poor and stripped in spirit, and with the prophet may say: "I am alone and poor." No one, however, is more wealthy than such a man; no one is more powerful, no one freer than he who knows how to leave all things and think of himself as the least of all.