Caring and Healing to the Marginalized

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest in your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew 11: 28-30)

I had an opportunity to learn Reiki healing from Sr. Mary Ellen Brody, RSM with other massage practitioners at the Care Through Touch Institute (CTI) in early October. It’s a valuable experience for me. Since then, I try to integrate Reiki into my care through touch (massage) work and to offer Reiki treatments for myself and others, both hands-on full body and distant Reiki. Although Reiki seemed somewhat mysterious at first, I was told in the workshop that all we need is caring hands, a loving heart, and the intention for Reiki energy to flow. Thus, although I am new to Reiki, I try to offer treatments to various friends and clients, attempting to learn through practice.

A few weeks ago, through Mary Ann, the director of CTI, I knew a friend from CTI was sick and had been in the hospital. After he was discharged, he was still in pain, feeling uncomfortable and tired. So I offered to give him a distant Reiki treatment. The next day he said he had slept very well but still had pain. I offered two more treatments that week. Each time after the treatment, he told me that he felt much better and appreciated that someone was thinking and caring about him. I think caring and making connection is exactly the spirit of Reiki, and also the spirit of CTI.

Each treatment is also a time of pray and contemplation for me, a time to remember a friend in need and put my intention into action, a time to be an instrument of God’s healing for another person, and a time to strengthen connection and deepen relationship among God, the Reiki receiver and myself. When talking with the recipients about their needs before the Reiki session, I feel gratitude that they are willing to share their stories, their challenges and difficulties with me. They in turn feel supported by having someone listen to them and address their problems through this hands-on modality. I have started understanding and experiencing Reiki treatment as “a concrete way to allow God’s healing light, divine love and holy energy to bring about deep healing.”

During the Reiki sessions, I have some spiritual guides who are very powerful and helpful for me. One of them is Jesus the comforter who tells us, “come to me, all you who labor and are overburdened, and I will give you rest.” All of us are overburdened in different ways, physically, mentally, and emotionally. We need to take a deep rest and be healed so that we can be in peace again. Reiki affords one that opportunity.

For me, practicing Reiki also makes me more mindful of keeping a healthy life through eating healthy food, doing exercises, giving self-treatment and having meditation regularly, and always have the sense of gratitude. This is a benefit for my own well-being.

神學教育對我生命的影響

天主在每個人身上的計劃都是很奇妙的，往往更是出人意表，回想自己的人生旅程以至信仰歷程，亦感到如是。當中神學教育更對我的信仰成長、價值判斷、待人處事、教會事奉，以至工作方向都有舉足輕重的作用。

聖神修院是筆者首個接受神學培育的地方，去年是筆者在宗教學部畢業十五周年，一班同學聯同家人相約在八月某周末慶祝，並回顧十五年來大家一起走過的日子。可惜，身在美國進修的我未能出席参與。雖然如此，在我的靈修日記中，卻記下了一些感想和回憶片段，作為個人回顧和反思。因為寫這篇文章，於是翻閱靈修日記，再次感受到天主的愛是那麼的廣、寬、高、深，是我有限的知識所不能完全明白的（厄弗所書三：18-19）。

報讀神學是天主的邀請，亦是我人生路上其中的一個重要決定。報讀那年，是我經歷了漫長的慕道過程後，終於受洗正式成為天主教徒的同一年，亦是大學畢業後，在教區正義和平委員會工作了幾年之後。因工作關係，我要經常看天主教社會訓導的書籍，但感到對很多其他信仰問題仍未明白，渴望有機會可以更有系統、更深入地接受信仰培育。某天，碰到在正委會認識的李佩菱（後來與她成為同屆同學），她知道我有興趣讀神學，提醒我截止日期快到，於是我立即報名，自此展開了我的神學之旅。

四年神學生生活，的確讓我有很多領受。首先，在知性層面方面，能系統地學習神學固然幫助我瞭解不少過去不明白和不懂得表達的信仰問題，如天主啟示與神人的關係、什麼人才可得救、天主的愛與人的回應、苦難與恩寵、什麼是基督徒使命、耶穌基督的獨特性與天主教與其他宗教的關係、社會正義與傳福音的關係等問題，都讓我在四年學習期間反覆思考和反省。這些都不是抽象的理論問題，而是與我的人生抉擇、價值判斷、待人處事等方面息息相關。對於這些問題，完成課程亦未必有絕對、明確的答案，但從老師們的講解，以及借鑒不同神學家的詮釋和智慧，可以讓我作進一步分析和反省，亦對我尋找人生意義起著重要作用。　

其實，對這些神學問題的探討，亦讓我不會只囿於個人的主觀意見或狹隘的思考方式。因為修讀神學愈久，愈使我意識到自己知道的其實很有限，需要以謙卑和開放的態度學習，以及與不同意見、學派、宗教信仰、文化和學科等對話交談，而不應持有唯我獨尊、自我中心或自以為高人一等的心態行事。這亦影響到我日後繼續鑽研神學時，意識到跨學科、跨文化和跨宗教交談和交流的重要。這更有助我們從事本地化和處境化神學的研究。

另一方面，四年的神學學習讓我在個人信仰成長和建立信仰團體生活方面方面亦有所裨益。這是信仰感性的層面，與知性層面相輔相成。雖然讀神學看似很理性，但我認為神學畢竟是研究神與人的關係，若神學生只埋首理論，而缺乏靈修生活與天主溝通分享，如何能體會這份親密關係呢？我自問從前比較重視理性，但讀了神學後，反而更重視頭腦、身、心、靈之間的平衡和整合。當然，這也是經過多年的體會後慢慢明白和實踐的。

回想一年級時，我選修了姚崇傑神父的靈修研習會，並由姚神父指導我撰寫第一年的學年文章，我仍記得我的文章題目是梵二後的教友靈修，當時感到這題目對自己作為新教友有頗重要的意義，瞭解到教友靈修是在俗世社會中踐行、要與生活結合、具社會關懷的幅度、有安靜和默想時間之餘亦要透過行動表達信仰等等，這些發現直接影響到我自己的靈修生活。往後的日子，特別在宗教學部畢業後，繼而在美國進修神學時，我更進一步探討靈修與倫理、靈修和社會正義或解放、德行倫理與靈修等的關係，以及參考各地方結合靈修與社會見證的例子。我亦嘗試在自己的生活和社會關懷職務中實踐。

能夠完成四年課程，一班同學的互相支持和鼓勵十分重要，皆因兼讀神學生生涯並不容易，下班後上課有時候難免感到疲累。為我來說，在學院修讀神學的其中一個重要收獲，就是結識了這群志同道合的同學。我們的工作、人生經歷和計劃各有不同。畢業後，有些組織了家庭，有的生兒育女，有的繼續進修神學（包括筆者在內），有的轉換了職業，有的全職在教會內從事教育工作。無論轉變如何，多年來我們仍然能夠保持這份友誼，實在是天主的祝福和聖神的帶領。部份同學畢業後組成了信仰團體，多年來定期聚會，我深深感受到大家互相關心、勉勵和支持。同時，我們一些同學亦組成了「結伴同盟」團體，為堂區策劃「信仰整合培育課程」，一起尋找和實踐使命。我們以集體的方式回應天主的邀請，以信仰維繫團體，並以行動實踐所學與其他教友分享。這些都是讀神學的寶貴收獲，是無價的。

2013.05.05
(刊於聖神修院神哲學院宗教學部畢業同學會 成立二十週年誌慶紀念特刊)