20121203 We proclaim the Gospel 我們宣講福音
Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are the four evangelists who wrote the gospels. The gospels according to Matthew, Luke and Mark are very similar in many points, and are called the “synoptic” gospels. John filled in details which were left out by the other evangelists.
Matthew and Mark
Matthew was one of the twelve apostles. He wrote the gospel mainly for Jewish Christians. He quoted Old Testament messages frequently to remind the readers that Christ is the true heir of David’s kingdom. The word “kingdom” was mentioned fifty-one times. Matthew grouped the teachings of Christ into five long discourses. The “Sermon on the Mount” was the first discourse.
Mark wrote the gospel mainly for the Gentile Christians in Rome. Mark’s gospel is sometimes called the “Gospel of St. Peter” because his main source was St. Peter. Mark emphasizes Jesus as the leader of the new Exodus. The two climaxes of Mark’s gospel are the confession of Peter that Jesus is the Christ (8:29), and the confession of centurion that Jesus is the Son of God (15:39). Mark was a gifted story teller and was sensitive to concrete details.
Luke and John
Luke wrote his gospel mainly for the Gentile Christians. He wrote about the conception and birth of Christ, and Our Lady might have been his source for these accounts. The canticles from the infancy narratives are used in the daily prayers of the Church. Under the heading of a journey to Jerusalem, Luke weaved together ten chapters (9:51 to 19:27) out of materials almost wholly omitted by the other evangelists. Luke was careful to point out that Jesus prayed before the decisive moments of his mission. Sometimes, Luke’s gospel is called the “Gospel of Mercy”. Chapter 15 contains a cluster of parables which highlight the mercy of God.
John wrote the gospel in order that his readers might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God (20:31). To establish this true, John recounted some of Jesus’ miracles and the teachings associated with them. John emphasized Jesus as the Word of God Incarnate and our new creation in Christ. Since his gospel was filled with allusions to Old Testament events and symbols, John probably wrote mainly for Jewish Christians.
Fulfillment of covenants
The covenants in the Old Testament found their fulfillment in Christ Jesus. Christ is the new Adam who overcame sin and death for mankind, and thus repaired the fall of Adam. Noah’s flood was a new creation, and the Sacrament of Baptism instituted by Christ is our new creation.
God promised Abraham that in him all families of the earth will be blessed (Genesis 12:3). Through his death and resurrection, Christ brought blessing to all mankind by freeing them from the bondage of sin.
Moses brought the Law down from a mountain and Christ taught the New Law from a mountain. Christ instituted the Holy Eucharist during the Passover meal, and delivered the people from sin through the waters of Baptism.
David was king for the Jewish people, and Christ is the King of the Church—the new Kingdom of Israel.
Our Lady “treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:19). We contemplate the face of Christ with Our Lady by praying the Rosary—-the summary of the Gospel. Meditating on the Joyful, Luminous, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries of the Life of Christ help us to store up the Gospel in our heart. A simple way to form the habit of praying the Rosary is to say two decades daily for six days, with three decades on the seventh day, and then one will have the satisfaction of placing week after week a garland of fifteen decades at the feet of Mary.
瑪竇、馬爾谷、路加和若望，都分別撰寫了福音，我們稱他們為「聖史」。瑪竇、馬爾谷和路加的福音，有著很多相同的記載，我們稱這三部福音，為「對觀福音」；而若望所寫的福音，補充前三部沒有記載的點滴，有相輔相承的作用。
瑪竇和馬爾谷
瑪竇是十二宗徒之一，為猶太的基督徒寫下福音，常引用舊約來證明基督是達味王權的繼承者。他的福音五十一次提及「天國」，並把基督的訓導，編撰成五大論敘，以「山中聖訓」為首。
馬爾谷為在羅馬歸化基督的外邦人寫了福音。馬爾谷福音有時被視為「聖伯多祿的福音」，因為他內容的資料，主要來自聖伯多祿。馬爾谷強調耶穌是領袖，並帶領子民經歷新的「出谷紀」。馬爾谷福音的兩個高潮是在於聖伯多祿宣認耶穌是基督（8:29）和百夫長宣認耶穌是天主子（15:39）。馬爾谷是善於敘述故事的人，對事情的細節很敏銳。
路加和若望
路加為歸化基督的外邦人寫了福音。他提到聖母懷孕和基督誕生，估計他曾直接從聖母聽到有關詳情。教會也用他記載的福音聖歌作為日課經的一部分。路加又把耶穌走向耶路撒冷的記載，用十章節（9:51-19:27）交織地憶述了很多別的聖史沒有記載的教導。路加提到耶穌在重要時刻前會作祈禱。路加福音被冠為「慈悲福音」，他在第十五章，連串寫出耶穌的比喻，彰顯天主的慈悲。
若望福音有意讓讀者明白，耶穌是基督、是天主子（20:31），為確立這信念，若望記載了耶穌一些聖蹟和相關的教訓。若望強調耶穌是「聖言成了血肉」，和我們在祂內的新受造。若望福音常間接指向舊約事蹟和標記，看來他是有意為猶太基督徒而寫福音。
盟約的滿全
舊約內所提到天主與人的盟約，全在基督耶穌身上一一滿全了。基督是新亞當，給人類征服了罪惡和死亡，賠補了原祖亞當的墮落。諾厄的洪水餘生，成了新的創造；基督建立的聖洗聖事，使我們成為新的創造。
天主承諾地上萬民因亞巴郎而蒙祝福（創世紀12:3）；藉基督的死亡復活，人類得以從罪惡奴役中解放出來，得到救贖的洪恩。
梅瑟從山上取得十誡，基督在山上，頒佈新的誡命。基督在逾越節晚餐，建立聖體聖事，亦以水建立聖洗聖事，使萬民脫離罪惡的奴役。
達味是猶太人的君王，基督是教會的元首 —— 新興的以色列。
聖母「把這一切默存心中（路加福音2:19）」。我們要利用誦唸玫瑰經 —— 福音的撮要，來默觀基督的聖容。默想基督的歡喜、光明、痛苦和榮福的奧蹟，幫助我們把福音儲藏在心中。養成誦唸玫瑰經習慣的簡單方法，是每星期的首六天，每天誦唸兩端奧蹟，第七天誦唸三端奧蹟；如此，便可一週復一週地，把十五端玫瑰經奧蹟，送到聖母台前。