86.5月18日喜樂－白孟德神父（Fr. Charles Belmonte Lopez）語錄-譯者:林豪

Our Lord is going away to prepare a place for us in his Father’s house, because now we are God’s children. Since we are favored children of God, he is preparing for us a place in heaven, which will mean unlimited happiness. And so that we attain it, he has already given us in this world the life of grace, which is a certain principle of glory in us: a foretaste of heaven.

我主要升天了，要在祂父親的家裡，為我們預備一個地方，因為現在我們是天主的子女了。既然我們是天主所寵愛的子女，祂正在為我們在天堂準備一個地方，這將意味著無限的幸福。為了獲得它，祂已經賜給我們在這個世上恩典的生命，這是獲得我們榮耀的特定原則：「天堂的預嘗。」

“Christians have to aspire to the highest peaks of all, to the infinite. Our aim is the very Love of God, to enjoy that Love fully, with a joy that never ends. We have seen in so many ways that things here below have to come to an end for all of us, when this world ends; and even sooner, for each individual, when he dies, for we cannot take wealth and prestige with us to the grave. That is why, buoyed up by hope, we raise our hearts to God himself and have learned to pray: ‘I have placed my hope in you, O Lord: may your hand guide me now and at every moment, for ever and ever.’” St Josemaría

「基督徒必須嚮往一切的最高峰、達到無限。我們的目標就是天主的愛，充分地享受那份愛，伴隨著永無止境的喜樂。我們已經在很多方面發現，當這個世界結束時；下界的事務將必須為我們所有人而結束；甚至於提早，對於每個人而言，當他死去時，因為我們無法把財富和聲望帶進墳墓裡，這就是為什麼在望德的鼓舞下，我們向天主舉揚我們的心，並學會了祈禱：『主啊，我把希望託付於祢：願祢的手現在且無時無刻，直到永遠引領我。』」（聖施禮華）

Meanwhile, even on earth we can also have a taste of great happiness, enjoying here and now in this world the hope of a glory which, when we finally achieve it, will satisfy us totally. It is good and even necessary to hope for heaven: it inspires and encourages us in times of special difficulty, when we find it hard to work with no earthly reward.

St Josemaría said: “Let’s bear all difficulties as we sail the seas of this world, in the hope of heaven. For ourselves and for all souls who want to love, the goal is reaching heaven, the glory of heaven. Otherwise, nothing whatever is worthwhile. To get to heaven we have to be faithful. And to be faithful, we have to struggle, forging ahead on our way, even if sometimes we fall flat on our face; with God, we will rise again.”

同時，即使在世上，我們也可以預嘗到偉大的幸福，此時此地，希望在這世上享受榮耀，當我們最終達到它時，它將完全滿足我們。盼望天堂是好事，且甚至是必要的：在遭遇特殊的困難時，當我們發現沒有世間的回報而難以工作時，它會激勵和鼓勵我們。

聖施禮華說：「讓我們承受一切困難，航行在此世的汪洋中，盼望天堂。對於我們自己及所有我們想要愛的靈魂而言，目標是要到達天堂，天堂的榮耀，否則，一切皆無絲毫價值。為了榮登天堂，我們必須忠誠；為了忠誠，我們必須奮鬥，在旅途中勇往直前，即使有時我們一敗塗地；但是，與主同行，我們將復活起來。」

If we are united to God, the joy of our life, nothing should make us sad. St John Chrysostom asks: “What could perturb a saint? Death? No! For he desires it as a prize. Insults? No! For Christ taught us to bear them: Blessed are you when men revile you and persecute you. Illnesses? Not those either. For Scripture reminds us: Accept whatever is brought upon you, and in changes that humble you, be patient. For gold is tested in the fire, and acceptable men in the furnace of humiliation. What then could upset a saint? Nothing. In this world, even joy usually ends in sadness. But for those who live their lives according to Christ, even troubles are turned into joy.”

Whatever happens, omnia in bonum! Everything works together for the good.

如果我們與天主合一，我們生命中的喜樂，沒有任何事務能使我們悲傷的。金口聖若望問道：「什麼事能困擾聖人呢？死亡？不，因為他渴望死亡作為獎勵。是侮辱嗎？不，因為主基督教導我們要受苦：當人們毀謗和迫害你時，你是有福的。是疾病嗎？也不是那些。因為聖經提醒我們：『凡降到你身上的，你都要接受；在痛苦中，你要忍受；在各種困苦中，你要多多忍耐；因為金銀應在火裏鍛鍊，天主所喜悅的人，也應在謙卑的火爐中鍛鍊 。』（德2：4-5）那麼，還有什麼能使聖人心煩意亂呢？完全沒有。在世上，即使是喜悅也常以悲傷告終；但是對於那些按照主基督而過生活的人而言，即使是悲傷也會變成喜樂。」

無論發生什麼事，omnia in bonum!諸事皆有好處。