我愛月亮

在網路上看到一篇講聖若瑟的文章，有點像是「為號召在父親節敬禮大聖若瑟」的「說帖」，哈哈。我很喜歡文章的內容，很簡單易讀的英文，但想自己好好再讀一遍，順便溫習一些單字(:P)，且試譯如下(特別感謝卡公主專業指導)。原文放在後面供大家參考。

文章裡說若瑟對耶穌的父愛和父職的角色不容忽略且不難想像。對我來說，我地上父親對我的深情慈愛，正是我毫無困難擁抱天上父親的預備。因此深有同感，深得我心。

願我們一起敬禮、效法聖家之首，大聖若瑟。願耶穌地上的父親，教導陪伴每一位為人丈夫、為人父者，那是非常辛苦、非常不容易的路。聖若瑟知道，他為每個作丈夫、作父親的代禱。

我們是否忽略了聖家之首？
Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.

對於救主之母的先生、她聖子的父親，我們了解多少？我們懂得欣賞他嗎？我們有多尊敬他？

對於我們當中多數人來說，以上的問題可能有點讓人羞於回答。聖若瑟經常被人遺忘。聖經中很少提到他，我們也很少注意他。我們很少推廣對於他的敬禮。

若瑟是聖家中經常被遺忘的一員。記得小時候我們在教會學校讀書時會在紙上頂端寫「J.M.J」？那是提醒我們在做功課時懷抱著耶穌、瑪利亞與若瑟的意向。我們平行地、一併描繪出聖家的各成員。

請記得瑪利亞和若瑟是夫妻。當我們光榮卒世童貞瑪利亞時，我們不能忽視若瑟作為瑪利亞的丈夫的殊榮與幸福。在過去，許多藝術作品將若瑟呈現為一老人，這很有可能是出於不願意瑪利亞的童貞受到威脅。然而這麼做無異是輕視了瑪利亞與若瑟之間的夫妻之愛。大德蘭無視於她所處時代的潮流，堅持認為若瑟是一位年輕人。在今日，我們在敬禮聖若瑟的彌撒序言中可看到一正面肯定的態度：「他以丈夫之愛守護著天主之母童貞瑪利亞」。

1962年，早在梵蒂岡第二次大公會議的禮儀革新之前，教宗若望二十三世已將若瑟的名字加入感恩經第一式，就加在瑪利亞之後。（譯註：感恩經第一式為：「我們聯合整個教會，首先紀念終身童貞榮福瑪利亞——我們的主耶穌基督天主之母，並紀念聖母的淨配聖若瑟，及禰的聖宗徒和殉道者：伯多祿和保祿、．．．，以及所有聖人；藉他們的功勞和祈禱，求禰賜我們在一切境遇中，蒙受禰的護祐。因我們的主基督。阿門」）

由於若瑟是瑪利亞的先生，他也就是耶穌的父親。我們知道他並不是耶穌肉身的父親。但在那段描寫耶穌在聖殿走失的福音中，路加讓瑪利亞對耶穌說：「孩子，為什麼你這樣對待我們? 看，你的父親和我，一直痛苦的在找你」。敬禮聖若瑟的彌撒序言也這樣敘述：「他以父愛看顧著由聖神降孕的禰的聖子耶穌」（路：二48）。

如果有人覺得由於若瑟並非肉身生育耶穌，因此他作為父親的身份就不那麼真實或不怎麼有力，那麼請他與有收養孩子的父母們聊聊吧，尤其是那些同時有自己親生子女以及養子女的父母們。他們會告訴你若瑟的父職、父愛有多麼真實。

當耶穌「在智慧和身量上，並在天主和人前的恩愛上，漸漸地增長」，若瑟扮演了非常重要的角色。在猶太傳統中，孩子在大約五歲之前算是屬於母親監護教導；但在那之後，孩子們即由父親負責指導。是義務也是權利，若瑟是聖家中負責教導耶穌猶太信仰與習俗的師傅。在他們納匝勒的家中，若瑟領導他的家庭敬拜天主。

用餐時，瑪利亞和耶穌會看著坐在餐桌首位的若瑟，等他帶領飯前禱。每年慶祝逾越節時，最年幼的耶穌依慣例負責向若瑟提出那個問題：「父親，為什麼今晚與其他夜晚不同呢？」然後祂會與瑪利亞一同聆聽若瑟敘述上主領以色列人民出埃及的偉大事蹟，並聽若瑟解釋逾越節羔羊的意義。後來有一天，耶穌會聽到洗者若翰這麼宣報祂：「若瑟與瑪利亞之子，天主的羔羊，除免世罪者」。

當耶穌成年後，若瑟教給祂猶太教的敬拜禮儀。耶穌終其一生忠實遵守猶太教的禮儀。若瑟也教給耶穌木匠的技巧，耶穌在若瑟過世後即以此手藝養活自己與祂的母親。

耶穌對於「父親」的人性經驗來自於祂和若瑟的關係。當耶穌說：「哪有為父親的，兒子向他求餅，反而給他石頭呢﹖或是求魚，反將蛇當魚給他呢？」，祂心中想到的一定是在祂成長過程中，若瑟對祂的親切與和藹。

當耶穌講蕩子的比喻時，若瑟可能就是那位慈父的部份原型。當耶穌形容那位父親是如何擁抱和親吻他失而復得的兒子時，也許祂正回想起在祂幼年在聖殿中走失，三天後當若瑟找到祂時是怎樣地擁抱和親吻祂。

當耶穌教我們該如何祈禱時，祂在禱文的一開始，使用了相同於祂一生中對若瑟的深情稱呼：阿爸。在福音中的很多場景中皆明顯可見耶穌受若瑟影響至深。

但我們在父親節有想起聖若瑟嗎？敬禮他的聖歌數量非常少且鮮為傳唱。

在天主教傳統中，聖若瑟擁有許多稱號。他是勞工的主保、家庭的主保、垂死者的主保，以及普世教會的主保。而這些只是眾多稱號中較重要的幾項而已。

然而禮儀年曆中只有兩天是專屬於他的：三月19日的聖若瑟瞻禮（節日）（這天常是在四旬期中而且從不在主日慶祝），以及五月1日的若瑟勞工紀念日。至於在聖家節（聖誕節後第一個主日）中，若瑟的光彩通常遠不及耶穌與瑪利亞。

有許多人認為在父親節很適合特別敬禮聖若瑟。無疑地，他確實應得。

Are We Overlooking the Head of the Holy Family?
Brother John M. Samaha, S.M.

How much do we know about and appreciate the man who was the husband of the Mother of the Redeemer and the father to her Son? How much do we honor him?
For many of us this might be embarrassing. St. Joseph is often forgotten. And Scripture says little of him. We give him scant attention. Seldom do we promote devotion to him.

Joseph is often the forgotten member of the Holy Family. Do you remember as children when we wrote "J.M.J." at the top of our papers in parochial school? That was to remind us to have the intention of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph in doing our work. We pictured the members of the Holy Family side by side.
Remember that Mary and Joseph are a couple. While honoring the perpetual virginity of Mary, we cannot overlook Joseph's privilege and happiness of being Mary's husband. In the past centuries many works of art depicted Joseph as an old man. Most likely this was done to disallow any threat to Mary's virginity. This tended to undervalue the loving relationship of Mary and Joseph as husband and wife. Despite the tendencies of her times, St. Teresa of Avila insisted that Joseph was a young man. Today we find the positive approach in the preface for Masses in honor of St. Joseph: "With a husband's love he cherished Mary, the virgin Mother of God."

In 1962, even before the Vatican II liturgical renewal, Pope John XXIII added to the Roman Canon of the Mass (now Eucharistic Prayer I) the name of Joseph immediately after that of Mary. Someday the Church may link the name of Joseph with that of his wife in every Eucharistic Prayer.

Since Joseph was husband of Mary, he was also father to Jesus. We know that he was not the physical father of Jesus. But in his gospel account about Jesus being lost in the temple Luke has Mary saying to Jesus: “Son, your father and I have been searching for you in sorrow.” (Lk 2:48) The Mass preface in honor of St. Joseph states: "With fatherly care he watched over Jesus Christ your Son, conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit."

If one might think that Joseph's fatherhood was not quite real or effective because he did not physically procreate Jesus, let that person speak with adoptive parents, especially those who have both conceived a child and adopted others. They will let you know how real Joseph's fatherhood is.

Joseph played a very important role as Jesus "grew in wisdom and age and grace before God and men." In the Jewish tradition children were, until the age of five or so, in the special care and tutelage of their mothers. But beyond that age children came under the special guidance of their fathers. Joseph by duty and privilege was the rabbi of the Holy Family to teach Jesus the Jewish faith and practices. Joseph led his family in the worship of God in their home at Nazareth.

At meal times both Mary and Jesus looked to Joseph at the head of the table to offer the prayer of blessing. Each year when the great evening of the Passover was celebrated, the youngster Jesus played his role and addressed the ritual question to Joseph: Father, why is this night different from every other night? Then he listened with Mary to Joseph's narration of the glorious events of the Exodus and explanation of the meaning of the paschal lamb. Later Jesus would hear John the Baptist proclaim him, the Son of Joseph and Mary, the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world.

When Jesus was of age, Joseph introduced him to synagogue worship. Jesus was faithful to the synagogue rituals throughout his life. Joseph also taught Jesus the work skills of a carpenter. Through the practice of this trade, Jesus supported himself and his mother after Joseph's death.

Jesus' human experience of fatherhood was drawn from his relationship with Joseph. When Jesus said, "What father would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf, or a poisonous snake when he asks for a fish," surely he had in mind how kind and gentle Joseph was to him as he was growing.

When Jesus told the parable of the prodigal son, Joseph may have been the model of that loving father. As Jesus described how the father hugged and kissed the son who had been lost, perhaps he was recalling how Joseph hugged and kissed him after he had been lost in the temple for three days.

When Jesus taught us how to pray, he began with the same loving title with which he addressed Joseph all his life, abba. His deep affection for Joseph is evident in the many circumstances of the gospel. Joseph had made a profound impression on Jesus.

But do we think of St. Joseph on Father's Day? Hymns in his honor are few in number and rarely sung.

In Catholic tradition a number of laudatory titles have been accorded St. Joseph. He is patron of workers, patron of families, patron of the dying, and patron of the Universal Church. These are the more important in the list.

However only two days are dedicated to him in the liturgical calendar: the solemnity on March 19 (which always occurs in Lent and is never observed on a Sunday) and the memorial of Joseph the Worker on May 1. While part of the Holy Family feast. on the Sunday after Christmas, he is largely overshadowed by Jesus and Mary.

Many think it would be appropriate to offer St. Joseph special honor on Father's Day. Certainly he is deserving.