2007년 5월 15일 부활 제6주간 화요일
제1독서
사도행전 16,22-34
그 무렵 [필리피의] 22 군중이 합세하여 바오로와 실라스를 공격하자, 행정관들은 그 두 사람의 옷을 찢어 벗기고 매로 치라고 지시하였다. 23 그렇게 매질을 많이 하게 한 뒤 그들을 감옥에 가두고, 간수에게 단단히 지키라고 명령하였다. 24 이러한 명령을 받은 간수는 그들을 가장 깊은 감방에 가두고 그들의 발에 차꼬를 채웠다.
25 자정 무렵에 바오로와 실라스는 하느님께 찬미가를 부르며 기도하고, 다른 수인들은 거기에 귀를 기울이고 있었다. 26 그런데 갑자기 큰 지진이 일어나 감옥의 기초가 뒤흔들렸다. 그리고 즉시 문들이 모두 열리고 사슬이 다 풀렸다.
27 잠에서 깨어난 간수는 감옥 문들이 열려 있는 것을 보고 칼을 빼어 자결하려고 하였다. 수인들이 달아났으려니 생각하였던 것이다. 28 그때에 바오로가 큰 소리로, “자신을 해치지 마시오. 우리가 다 여기에 있소.” 하고 말하였다.
29 그러자 간수가 횃불을 달라고 하여 안으로 뛰어 들어가 무서워 떨면서 바오로와 실라스 앞에 엎드렸다. 30 그리고 그들을 밖으로 데리고 나가, “두 분 선생님, 제가 구원을 받으려면 어떻게 해야 합니까?” 하고 물었다. 31 그들이 대답하였다. “주 예수님을 믿으시오. 그러면 그대와 그대의 집안이 구원을 받을 것이오.”
32 그리고 간수와 그 집의 모든 사람에게 주님의 말씀을 들려주었다. 33 간수는 그날 밤 그 시간에 그들을 데리고 가서 상처를 씻어 주고, 그 자리에서 그와 온 가족이 세례를 받았다. 34 이어서 그들을 자기 집 안으로 데려다가 음식을 대접하고, 하느님을 믿게 된 것을 온 집안과 더불어 기뻐하였다.
복음
요한 16,5-11
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
5 “이제 나는 나를 보내신 분께 간다. 그런데도 ‘어디로 가십니까?’ 하고 묻는 사람이 너희 가운데 아무도 없다. 6 오히려 내가 이 말을 하였기 때문에 너희 마음에 근심이 가득 찼다. 7 그러나 너희에게 진실을 말하는데, 내가 떠나는 것이 너희에게 이롭다. 내가 떠나지 않으면 보호자께서 너희에게 오지 않으신다. 그러나 내가 가면 그분을 너희에게 보내겠다.
8 보호자께서 오시면 죄와 의로움과 심판에 관한 세상의 그릇된 생각을 밝히실 것이다. 9 그들이 죄에 관하여 잘못 생각하는 것은 나를 믿지 않기 때문이고, 10 그들이 의로움에 관하여 잘못 생각하는 것은 내가 아버지께 가고 너희가 더 이상 나를 보지 못할 것이기 때문이며, 11 그들이 심판에 관하여 잘못 생각하는 것은 이 세상의 우두머리가 이미 심판을 받았기 때문이다.”
May 15, 2007
Tuesday of the Sixth Week of Easter
Reading 1
Acts 16:22-34
The crowd in Philippi joined in the attack on Paul and Silas,
and the magistrates had them stripped
and ordered them to be beaten with rods.
After inflicting many blows on them,
they threw them into prison
and instructed the jailer to guard them securely.
When he received these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell
and secured their feet to a stake.
About midnight, while Paul and Silas were praying
and singing hymns to God as the prisoners listened,
there was suddenly such a severe earthquake
that the foundations of the jail shook;
all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose.
When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
thinking that the prisoners had escaped.
But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,
“Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.”
He asked for a light and rushed in and,
trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them out and said,
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”
And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus
and you and your household will be saved.”
So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house.
He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds;
then he and all his family were baptized at once.
He brought them up into his house and provided a meal
and with his household rejoiced at having come to faith in God.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
R. (7c) Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple,
and give thanks to your name.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Because of your kindness and your truth,
you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
Jn 16:5-11
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”
Commentary
In Philippi, Paul and Silas are flogged and put in maximum security. Yet that night after praying, there is an earthquake, the chains fall and the doors open. They can run, but they don't and the jailer asks for what will save him. He and his household come to believe and are baptized. In fact he takes them out of the jail, tends to their wounds, and serves them a feast to celebrate newfound joy in the Lord (eucharist).
Jesus continues to tell us that he is leaving and that we will grieve. But in truth, if Jesus does not leave then we will never know the Spirit, the Paraclete (alongside of us). This is the presence of the Risen Lord with us, who will prove the world wrong about sin, justice (or the way of righteousness), and condemnation (or to Judgment). We are given the Paraclete to stand firm in the world in the face of sin, evil, injustice, violence, and their false judgments.
There seems to have been enough evidence to convict Paul and Silas of being different, but this did not silence them. They “were praying and singing hymns of God as the prisoners listened….” The earthquake freed all the prisoners and the jailer was going to kill himself thinking he had failed in his responsibility to secure the prisoners. But no one had left; once the jailer had assured himself of that he immediately attributed the miracle to the God of Paul and Silas and asked how he could be saved. Paul and Silas then taught him and his whole family the word of the Lord and they were all baptized and then celebrated with a meal.
What was the cause of the jailer’s conversion? Was it the earthquake that set everyone free, or was it the fact that the prisoners did not leave, or was it the prayers and hymns that Paul and Silas sang? Maybe it was all three, but it obviously was about Paul and Silas’ witness. Signs are not meant for self-glorification or self-enjoyment, or to make one’s own life easier. They are always about the glorification of God and as tools of evangelization.
Just as with Paul and Silas, our faith in Christ becomes known – and evangelizes others – by the signs that accompany us. What kinds of signs accompany your daily life? What makes you noticeably different from others? Granted our actions may not be of ground shaking proportions, but we never know how our kind words and actions may shake up someone’s long held assumptions, or heal someone’s wound, or return them their dignity. We often fail to realize the importance of our words and our daily living and how they affect our spouse, our children, our co-workers, our neighbors, the grocery store clerk, the people we interact with in ministry and worship, even total strangers who do not know us personally.
In twelve days the Church will celebrate the “sending of the Advocate” that Jesus promises in today’s Gospel. We have ALREADY received the Holy Spirit. Therefore, each of us is filled with the Holy Spirit. Although we have not perfected our holiness yet, we ARE holy, since we have been made in the likeness of God. The question is: How does anyone else know that we are holy?
The word “holy” does not mean “divine” or “perfect” as we often assume. It means “to be different” “to be set apart.” I hope you noticed that “holy” is a verb, an action word, not a noun. When Jesus tells us to “be holy as my Father is Holy,” he is telling us to act as God acts, but he also explains that does not mean to dominate or judge or “lord it over others,” rather in all his parables and by his example, he tells us that God ‘acts’ patiently, kindly, compassionately, inclusively, accepting of us just as we are, and over all of that God acts lovingly.
Our faith in Christ becomes known – and evangelizes others – by the signs that accompany us; the signs of God’s presence within us: compassion, wisdom, patience, forgiveness, humility, healing and love that accompany our daily lives. It is “the mind of Christ” that sets us apart, that makes us different from the world, that makes us known as “one sent by God” to evangelize the whole world.
All should know we are Christians by our love.
by
Brigid Quinn Laquer
Molecular Diagnostics Laboratory
Here Jesus sounds more like a visitor than someone who took on our nature and became one of us forever. ‘It is to your advantage that I go away.’ We have to try to understand how it is to our advantage. ‘If I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you,’ he added. Rather than clarifying it, however, this makes it more obscure. How could the continued presence of Jesus hinder the coming of the Spirit, the Paraclete?
In John's gospel, the Paraclete is the continued presence of Jesus. Henceforth it is through the Spirit that we know Jesus. The Spirit, the ‘Advocate’, he said, ‘will teach you everything, and remind you of all that I have said to you’ (Jn 14:26). Jesus is withdrawing his visible presence, but his Spirit remains with us.
He said ‘it is to your advantage that I go away.’ How is it an advantage? This is what we have to try to understand. If we assemble a few ordinary experiences we may get an approach to it.
Every teacher, sooner or later, has to stand back. If a teacher stays at your side forever, there are important things you never learn: independence, mental courage, an inner vigour that can only come from taking your own risks…. In other words, you have to learn from your own experience, and that is what a good teacher always sends you back to in the end. Parents, too, have to learn to stand back. The children of parents with very strong personalities are often passive and weak. Whenever you see a powerful leader, look at what his leadership is doing to his followers. He may think he is strengthening them, but this is exactly the blind spot of an extravert. Jesus has the wisdom to trust us, even though we make mistakes. He wants to inspire us from within, not to control us from the outside.
This Spirit, Jesus said, ‘will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment.’ Richard Rohr’s comment on this: ‘What you thought was sin was only your own guilt, what you thought was righteousness was self-righteousness, what you thought was justice was only your instinct for vengeance.’ These distinctions can only be learned from the inside.
"When the Counselor comes, he will convince the world concerning sin and righteousness"
Why does God seem far from us at times? Separation or loss of relationship leads to grief and pain. The apostles were filled with sorrow when Jesus spoke about his imminent departure. Jesus explained that it was for their sake that he must leave them and return to his Father. He promised, however, that they would never be left alone. He will send in his place the best of friends, the Holy Spirit. Paul reminds us that "nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus" (Romans 8:39). By sending his Holy Spirit to his followers, the Lord Jesus makes his presence known to us in a new and on-going way. We are not left as orphans, but the Lord himself dwells within us through the power of the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 4:9; 6:16b).
Jesus tells his disciples three very important things about the work of the Holy Spirit -- to convince the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment. The original word for convince also means convict. The Holy Spirit is our Sanctifier. He makes us holy as God is holy. He does this first by convicting us of our sin and by bringing us humbly to the foot of the Cross. The Spirit convinces us of God's love and forgiveness and of our utter dependence on God for his mercy and grace. We need the power of the Holy Spirit to lead us from the error of our sinful ways and to show us the way of love and truth. The Jews who condemned Jesus as a heretic and blasphemer thought they were serving God rather than sinning when they crucified Jesus. When the gospel was later preached on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2:37), many were pricked in their heart and convicted of their sin. What made them change their mind about Jesus? It is the work of the Holy Spirit to both convict us of wrongdoing and to convince us of God's truth. The Spirit convinces us of the righteousness of Christ, backed by the fact that Jesus rose again and went to his Father. The Holy Spirit also convicts us of judgment. The Spirit gives us the inner and unshakable conviction that we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. God's judgments are just and good. When we heed his judgments we find true peace, joy and reconciliation with God. Do you allow the Holy Spirit free reign in your life that he may set you free from the grip of sin and set you ablaze with the fire of God's love?
"Come Holy Spirit, and let the fire of your love burn in my heart. Let me desire only what is pure, lovely, holy and good and in accord with the will of God and give me the courage to put away all that is not pleasing in your sight."
Psalm 138:1-8
1 I give thee thanks, O LORD, with my whole heart; before the gods I sing thy praise;
2 I bow down toward thy holy temple and give thanks to thy name for thy steadfast love and thy faithfulness; for thou hast exalted above everything thy name and thy word.
3 on the day I called, thou didst answer me, my strength of soul thou didst increase.
4 All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, O LORD, for they have heard the words of thy mouth;
5 and they shall sing of the ways of the LORD, for great is the glory of the LORD.
6 For though the LORD is high, he regards the lowly; but the haughty he knows from afar.
7 Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou dost preserve my life; thou dost stretch out thy hand against the wrath of my enemies, and thy right hand delivers me.
8 The LORD will fulfil his purpose for me; thy steadfast love, O LORD, endures for ever. Do not forsake the work of thy hands.
A LAWYER IN HEAVEN!!!
'If I fail to go, the Paraclete will never come to you, whereas if I go, I will send Him to you.' John 16:7
The Greek word 'Paraclete,' which Jesus uses to refer to the promised Holy Spirit, can be translated as 'Defense Lawyer.' Picture yourselves in the place of Jesus' disciples. After following the Master for three years, He tells you that He is suddenly leaving you tomorrow. But that's not all: as His replacement, you're getting a lawyer! We can understand why His disciples, who had recently heard Jesus publicly vilify lawyers (see Lk 11:46-52), would be 'overcome with grief' (Jn 16:6) at this double whammy.
However, those who follow Jesus need to be defended. Paul and Silas found this out at Philippi. They were seized and dragged 'into the main square before the local authorities,' who 'turned them over to the magistrates' (Acts 16:19, 20). Before they could speak a word in self-defense, they were flogged severely, thrown into jail in maximum security, and chained to a stake like animals (Acts 16:22-24).
At this point, Paul and Silas placed a call from their 'cell-phone' to their Defense Lawyer, the Holy Spirit. Since the Lawyer already understood the specifics of the case, Paul and Silas only had to converse with their Lawyer in His native language: tongues, prayer, and praise (Acts 16:25). The Holy Spirit appealed the case directly to the Judge, the Father, and the verdict 'innocent' was reached immediately. The Holy Spirit sent an earthquake to set the prisoners free, converted the jailer and his family, and vindicated Paul and Silas publicly (Acts 16:26ff).
Praise: St. Isidore was a humble working man and the Almighty worked wonders through him.
Prayer: Come, Holy Spirit! Come and set us free!
Promise: 'When I called, You answered me; You built up strength within me...Your right hand saves me.' Ps 138:3, 7
«It is better for you that I go away»
Today, we are presented with a deeper understanding of the reality of the Ascension of the Lord. In the reading from the Gospel of John on Easter Sunday, Mary of Magdala is told not to cling to the Lord because «I have not yet ascended to my Father» (Jn 20:17). In today's Gospel Jesus notes that the disciples «are overcome with grief because of what I have said», but that «it is better for you that I go away» (Jn 16:6-7). Jesus must ascend to the Father. Yet, He still remains with us.
How can he go, yet still remain? This mystery was explained by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI: «Given that God embraces and sustains the whole cosmos, the Lord's Ascension means that Christ has not gone far away from us, but now, thanks to the fact that He is with the Father, He is close to each one of us forever».
Our hope is in Jesus Christ. His conquest of death gave us the life that death can never destroy, His Life. His resurrection is a verification that the spiritual is real. Nothing can separate us from the love of God. Nothing can diminish our hope. The negatives of the world cannot destroy the positive of Jesus Christ.
The imperfect world we live in, a world where the innocent suffer, can point us to pessimism. But Jesus Christ has transformed us into eternal optimists.
The living presence of the Lord in our community, in our families, in those aspects of our society that can rightfully be called “Christian” have given us a reason for hope. The Living Presence of the Lord within each one of us has given us joy. No matter how great the barrage of negatives that the media delights in presenting, the positives of the world far outweigh the negatives, for Jesus Christ has risen.
He ascended, but He has not left us.
Ancient jails were inhumane. The theory was that a person who disobeyed the law deserved nothing. Why should the nation feed such a person in jail? That was up to his family. There were degrees, of course, but the description in today’s first reading is pretty much true: The prisoners were chained. It was dark (often underground with no light). There were no sanitary facilities. Paul and Silas were flogged and then placed in leg irons. An earthquake comes. The doors are flung open. The jailer starts to kill himself. (He knew that the punishment for losing a prisoner was death.)
Paul tells him that all are present and accounted for. The jailer is moved. He takes Paul and Silas home and nurses their wounds. Paul evangelizes the family and they are baptized. Power is conquered by weakness. Evil is overcome by good. Meekness is victor over brutality.
(There may be some interesting side questions in this Scripture: Where was the family baptized? only homes of the rich had pools or bathtubs. It would seem that the only possible mode of baptism at the late night hour would be by pouring, and not by immersion. Although immersion is certainly a fuller sign of baptism, even the primitive Church recognized pouring as a legitimate mode, as the Didache shows.)
The gospel passage is difficult. The Spirit will prove the world wrong about sin, justice, and judgment. The real sin is to refuse to believe in Jesus. Justice or righteousness comes not from the Torah nor from our own efforts, but from the mercy of God which is shown in Jesus Christ. This world judged Jesus as a criminal; but the real judgment is on the world which rejected him.
Also St. Isidore (1070 - 1130)
Although he is called “the farmer,” the title “farm laborer” would be more appropriate. He owned no land. He was the hired hand of Juan de Vargas near Madrid, Spain. His wife is also a saint. They were poor and poorly educated, but they had more important talents: They hated sin and loved prayer. on holidays, Isidore would spend the day in prayer at various churches. But on workdays, he worked hard.
His fellow workers were jealous because he seemed to pray so much. They told the landowner that Isidore was slacking off. When Juan de Vargas watched to find out the truth, he saw Isidore working hard and being assisted by a white team of oxen and angels. The story is legend, but it shows how this holy man put everything in its proper place. It is ironic and significant that he was canonized at the same time as Ignatius of Loyola, Francis Xavier, Teresa of Avila, and Philip Neri! These were brilliant and intellectual saints; Isidore was poor and ignorant. We are not saved by our brilliance, but by our devotion and our fidelity.
The rhythm of our prayer life brings spaces of time in which it seems we are without the Spirit. God is more absent than present, it seems. But Jesus must go away in the Spirit so that the Spirit may lead us deeper into substantial union with the Trinity. Beyond our feelings that come from the spiritual faculties of knowing and willing, there is the substance of our souls, the very essence of our person.
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