Mother Teresa wrote this poem – Do It Anyway
People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; Forgive them anyway.
If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives; Be kind anyway.
If you are successful, you will win some false friends and true enemies; Succeed anyway.
If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; Be honest anyway.
What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight; Build anyway.
If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; Be happy anyway.
The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; Do good anyway.
Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; Give the world the best you’ve got anyway.
You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; It was never between you and them anyway.
誰願意跟隨耶穌,應該背起自己的十字架來跟隨他,誰若為了耶穌而喪失自己的性命,必要獲得性命。這樣的話在「福傳言論」中已出現過(瑪十38-39)。但在這段經文中,這些話的對象並非是受派遣去傳福音者(瑪十5,十一1),而是耶穌門徒的團體。對瑪竇而言,他們代表著日後的教會團體,每一個基督徒都應在十字架的道路上跟隨耶穌。經文更進一步的詮釋,「背起自己的十字架」的意義就是「棄絕自己」!門徒們為了完全地跟隨耶穌,應該完全地捨棄自己。
「棄絕自己」的意義當然包含放棄世上的財富、名聲或權力,但真正的關鍵在於放棄「自我」!唯有如此,才能如同被釘的耶穌一樣,完全地被天主接受,這也就是因耶穌的緣故失去性命,並在天主內獲得性命。生命的經驗告訴人們,在死亡時,任何人都必須留下自己所擁有的產業,孤獨地到天主面前,人真正該重視的是如何在天主前交賬,領取永恒的賞報。
我們的天父,願你的名受顯揚,願你的國來臨,願你的旨意奉行在人間,如同在天上。求你今天賞給我們日用的食糧,求你寬恕我們的罪過,如同我們寬恕別人一樣,不要讓我們陷於誘惑,但救我們免於凶惡。
Ash Wednesday
(Wednesday, 22 February 2012, 14 days later)
Lent (first Sunday)
(Sunday, 26 February 2012, 18 days later)
Palm Sunday
(Sunday, 01 April 2012, 53 days later)
Maundy Thursday
(Thursday, 05 April 2012, 57 days later)
Good Friday
(Friday, 06 April 2012, 58 days later)
Holy Saturday
(Saturday, 07 April 2012, 59 days later)
Easter Sunday
(Sunday, 08 April 2012, 60 days later)


