2007년 5월 8일 부활 제5주간 화요일
제1독서
사도행전 14,19-28
그 무렵 19 안티오키아와 이코니온에서 유다인들이 몰려와 군중을 설득하고 바오로에게 돌을 던졌다. 그리고 그가 죽은 줄로 생각하고 도시 밖으로 끌어내다 버렸다. 20 그러나 제자들이 둘러싸자 그는 일어나 도시 안으로 들어갔다. 이튿날 그는 바르나바와 함께 데르베로 떠나갔다.
21 바오로와 바르나바는 그 도시에서 복음을 전하고 수많은 사람을 제자로 삼은 다음, 리스트라와 이코니온으로 갔다가 이어서 안티오키아로 돌아갔다. 22 그들은 제자들의 마음에 힘을 북돋아 주고 계속 믿음에 충실하라고 격려하면서, “우리가 하느님의 나라에 들어가려면 많은 환난을 겪어야 합니다.” 하고 말하였다.
23 그리고 교회마다 제자들을 위하여 원로들을 임명하고, 단식하며 기도한 뒤에, 그들이 믿게 된 주님께 그들을 의탁하였다.
24 바오로와 바르나바는 피시디아를 가로질러 팜필리아에 다다라, 25 페르게에서 말씀을 전하고서 아탈리아로 내려갔다. 26 거기에서 배를 타고 안티오키아로 갔다. 바로 그곳에서 그들은 선교 활동을 위하여 하느님의 은총에 맡겨졌었는데, 이제 그들이 그 일을 완수한 것이다.
27 그들은 도착하자마자 교회 신자들을 불러, 하느님께서 자기들과 함께 해 주신 모든 일과 또 다른 민족들에게 믿음의 문을 열어 주신 것을 보고하였다. 28 그리고 제자들과 함께 오래 머물렀다.
복음
요한 14,27-31ㄱ
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
27 “나는 너희에게 평화를 남기고 간다. 내 평화를 너희에게 준다. 내가 주는 평화는 세상이 주는 평화와 같지 않다. 너희 마음이 산란해지는 일도, 겁을 내는 일도 없도록 하여라. 28 ‘나는 갔다가 너희에게 돌아온다.’고 한 내 말을 너희는 들었다. 너희가 나를 사랑한다면 내가 아버지께 가는 것을 기뻐할 것이다. 아버지께서 나보다 위대하신 분이시기 때문이다.
29 나는 일이 일어나기 전에 너희에게 미리 말하였다. 일이 일어날 때에 너희가 믿게 하려는 것이다. 30 나는 너희와 더 이상 많은 이야기를 나누지 않겠다. 이 세상의 우두머리가 오고 있기 때문이다. 그는 나에게 아무 권한도 없다. 31 그러나 내가 아버지를 사랑한다는 것과 아버지께서 명령하신 대로 내가 한다는 것을 세상이 알아야 한다.”
May 8, 2007
Tuesday of Fifth Week of Easter
Reading 1
Acts 14:19-28
In those days, some Jews from Antioch and Iconium
arrived and won over the crowds.
They stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city,
supposing that he was dead.
But when the disciples gathered around him,
he got up and entered the city.
On the following day he left with Barnabas for Derbe.
After they had proclaimed the good news to that city
and made a considerable number of disciples,
they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch.
They strengthened the spirits of the disciples
and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying,
“It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships
to enter the Kingdom of God.”
They appointed presbyters for them in each Church and,
with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord
in whom they had put their faith.
Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia.
After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia.
From there they sailed to Antioch,
where they had been commended to the grace of God
for the work they had now accomplished.
And when they arrived, they called the Church together
and reported what God had done with them
and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.
Then they spent no little time with the disciples.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 145:10-11, 12-13ab, 21
R. (see 12) Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Making known to men your might
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
May my mouth speak the praise of the LORD,
and may all flesh bless his holy name forever and ever.
R. Your friends make known, O Lord, the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
Jn 14:27-31a
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you.
Not as the world gives do I give it to you.
Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.
You heard me tell you,
‘I am going away and I will come back to you.’
If you loved me,
you would rejoice that I am going to the Father;
for the Father is greater than I.
And now I have told you this before it happens,
so that when it happens you may believe.
I will no longer speak much with you,
for the ruler of the world is coming.
He has no power over me,
but the world must know that I love the Father
and that I do just as the Father has commanded me.”
Commentary
Paul and Barnabas begin the pattern of their lives as missionaries in the name of the Church preaching the good news: they preach, they are persecuted/stoned, exiled/left for dead, they pick themselves up, go elsewhere and preach. Then they retrace their steps to the new communities and encourage them, telling them what they can expect if they accept the gospel and begin to live it in their lives.
They can do this, and we are to do all that we do in the name of God because we have been given the peace of Christ. It is not anything like the peace of the world that often is no peace at all; that comes at the end of a gun, or with aggression and force. No, Jesus' peace is the peace of holiness, the peace of the Trinity, the peace of love unto death, the peace of freedom-strong enough to lay down your life in love, and forgive. It is the result of loving the Father and doing as the Father commands. It is the peace/spirit of God.
“Your friends make known, O God, the glorious splendor of your kingdom”
We are still in the Easter season and get to rest our hearts here for two more weeks before we come to Ascension, Pentecost and on to business as usual. I do think of this as a resting season even though we are busily following the very active life of the Church as described in the Acts of the Apostles.
It is clear from the Acts of the Apostles that the life of a witness to Jesus is often more action adventure than resting. We are witnesses to the glorious splendor of God’s kingdom. This means being participants in the making of a world organized the way God would have it. Such an undertaking brings us into direct confrontation with all that is not true to God’s dream for us.
In Nebraska, unless some miracle intervenes, we will execute a man today. This taking of a human life – not required for protecting society--is not the world as God wants it to be. And so we say no; in the midst of the helplessness one can at least say a public no to what is not of the Kingdom.
Each day, each of the witnesses to the Gospel undertakes the difficult adventure of saying yes and no dozens of times, shaping themselves and their world. In today’s reading we find Paul and Barnabas (exemplars of all the other men and women who were active witnesses to Jesus) ending one of their extended, breathless adventures. Their final act is to gather the Church to rejoice in God’s goodness and to rest there in the community of disciples.
Many of us are busily, breathlessly wrapping up our school year, preparing for the graduation and wedding season, trying to make the energy and money stretch, worrying about summer childcare arrangements, often feeling the lack of resources to say yes and no to all the things that call to us. In and around and behind all of this Jesus invites us to peace. Jesus continues to invite us to rest in confidence in his ongoing presence, in God’s limitless love for us, in the Spirit sent to accompany us on this adventure.
I often feel a need to return here to the Gospel of John —Easter season or not. It is here that we are reminded that the action adventure of the Kingdom is not something we take up alone or solely with our own resources.
by
Mary Ann Zimmer
Theology Department
The word ‘peace’ has almost as many meanings as the word ‘love’. The “peace that the world gives” is usually not much more than the cessation of hostilities, whether it be through agreement or through the destruction of one’s enemies. Or sometimes it means physical and emotional comfort. But the peace that Jesus gives is grounded in God, not in circumstances. It is therefore unconditional and permanent. It is seen best in Jesus himself: especially in the extraordinary calm and dignity of his farewell discourses to the disciples, and in his trial and execution.
Johann Tauler, a disciple of Meister Eckhart, loved to look at the etymology of place-names in the Scriptures. Noting that the Jerusalem means ‘city of peace’, he wrote, “Jerusalem, as its name implies, was a city of peace. In this very city Christ was killed. Here, in the city of peace, he had to bear many sufferings and martyrdom. Truly, my child, you must do likewise; you must die in peace to whatever is yourown, bring everything back to God, and deny yourself. You, too must go out among the malicious, who will scourge and condemn you, drive you out beyond the pale as if you were a traitor, condemn your whole life and put you to death in the hearts of all. Die you must, dear child, if God the Beloved is to become your life, with nothing between you and Him; if He is to become your very being. Indeed, Christ has said: ‘Whosoever kills you will think that he does a service to God.’ Then, indeed, we might settle down happily in Jerusalem, when we had learned to find peace in the midst of conflict. Here we would find peace indeed, for here true peace is born.”
Like St Gregory of Nyssa, Tauler had a profound sense of the paradoxes of the Gospel. He spoke of finding “joy in sorrow, sweetness in bitterness…peace in trouble, profit in privation.” “Peace is what all people are striving for; they seek after it in every direction, in every occupation, and in all their ways of life. Oh if we could only shake ourselves free from this tendency, and learn to seek peace in tribulation. only there is true peace born, peace which will last and really endure. To seek elsewhere is to go astray inevitably. You will always find that this is true. If only we could seek joy in sadness, peace in trouble, simplicity in multiplicity, comfort in bitterness! This is the way to become true witnesses to God.”
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you”
Do you know the peace which passes all understanding (Phil.4:7)? In his farewell discourse Jesus grants peace as his gift to his disciples. What kind of peace does he offer? The peace of Christ is more than the absence of trouble. It includes everything which makes for our highest good. The world's approach to peace is avoidance of trouble and a refusal to face unpleasant things. Jesus offers the peace which conquers our fears and anxieties. Nothing can take us from the peace and joy of Jesus Christ. No sorrow or grief, no danger, no suffering can make it less. Jesus also speaks of his destination and ultimate triumph over the powers of evil in the world. In the eyes of the world the cross stood for shame, humiliation, and defeat. Jesus went to the cross knowing that it would lead to victory over the powers of sin and of Satan. Jesus also knew that he would return to his Father in glory. The cross brought glory to Jesus and to the Father and it is our way to glory as well. In the Cross of Christ we find true peace and reconciliation with God. Do you live in the peace of Jesus Christ?
"Lord, may your peace be always with me. May no circumstance, trouble, or vexation rob me of the peace which passes all understanding. You, alone, O Lord, are my Peace. May I always reside in that peace by believing your word and by doing your will.”
Psalm 145:10-21
10 All thy works shall give thanks to thee, O LORD, and all thy saints shall bless thee!
11 They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and tell of thy power,
12 to make known to the sons of men thy mighty deeds, and the glorious splendor of thy kingdom.
13 Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endures throughout all generations. The LORD is faithful in all his words, and gracious in all his deeds.
14 The LORD upholds all who are falling, and raises up all who are bowed down.
15 The eyes of all look to thee, and thou givest them their food in due season.
16 Thou openest thy hand, thou satisfiest the desire of every living thing.
17 The LORD is just in all his ways, and kind in all his doings.
18 The LORD is near to all who call upon him, to all who call upon him in truth.
19 He fulfils the desire of all who fear him, he also hears their cry, and saves them.
20 The LORD preserves all who love him; but all the wicked he will destroy.
21 My mouth will speak the praise of the LORD, and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
THE SIGN OF PEACE
' 'Peace' is My farewell to you.' John 14:27
Shortly before His death, Jesus put us in His last will and testament. As His farewell gift, He left us peace. Jesus gave us this peace not as the world gives peace; therefore, we need not be distressed or fearful (Jn 14:27). From Jesus, we have a peace beyond all understanding, under circumstances anything but peaceful (Phil 4:7).
For example, Paul was stoned by the people of Lystra. They 'dragged him out of town' (Acts 14:19). Paul showed a peace and courage beyond understanding. He was not distressed or fearful. At a later occasion, Paul even stopped to convert the jailer during a jailbreak. The jailer was so impressed by Paul's peaceful assurance that he asked: 'What must I do to be saved?' (Acts 16:30)
We can also have the 'peace beyond understanding' that Paul so dramatically expressed. Before Jesus' death, He promised us: 'I tell you all this that in Me you may find peace. You will suffer in the world' (Jn 16:33). After Jesus' resurrection, the first thing He said to His apostles was: 'Peace be with you' (Jn 20:19). 'When He had said this, He showed them His hands and His side. At the sight of the Lord the disciples rejoiced. 'Peace be with you,' He said again' (Jn 20:20-21). Receive Jesus, 'Who is our Peace' (Eph 2:14). Then 'cultivate peace' (Jas 3:18).
Praise: Joan receives the gift of peace by frequent reception of the Eucharist and by marking the anniversary of her First Communion in a special way.
Prayer: Risen Jesus, when I give the sign of peace at Mass, may it not be a mere formality but a life-changing reality.
Promise: 'You have heard Me say, 'I go away for a while, and I come back to you.' If you truly loved Me you would rejoice to have Me go to the Father.' Jn 14:28
«I give you my peace. Not as the world gives peace do I give it to you»
Today, Jesus speaks to us indirectly of the cross: He will give us the peace, but at the cost of his painful “departure” of this world. Today, we read those words He said before the sacrifice on the Cross but that were written after his Resurrection. With his death on the Cross, He defeats both death and fear. He gives the peace «but not as the world gives peace» (Jn 14:27), inasmuch as He does it by going through the most excruciating pain and humiliation: this is how He proved his merciful love for man.
As of the moment sin entered the world, suffering in our lives is unavoidable. There are times when it is a physical pain; others, it is a moral suffering; and then, there are times when it is a matter of a spiritual pain..., and we all have to die. But God in his infinite love has given us the remedy to have peace amidst the pain: He has accepted “to leave” this world with a painful “departure” surrounded by serenity.
Why did He do it in such a way? Because thus, human pain —together with Christ's suffering— becomes a sacrifice that saves us from sin. «In the Cross of Christ (...), human suffering has been redeemed» (John Paul II). Jesus Christ quietly suffered to please the Heavenly Father with an act of costly obedience, through which He willingly offered Himself for our salvation.
An unknown author of the 2nd century attributes these words to Jesus: «See the spits over my face, which I received from you, to give you back the first gust of life I had blown on your face. See my cheeks, which were slapped so I could reform your deteriorated aspect according to my new image. See my back, which was lashed to remove the weight of your sins from your shoulders. See my hands, so strongly nailed to the cross for you, who, in times ago, fatally stretched out one of your hands towards the forbidden tree».
Peace, says
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