June 2, 2007 Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time

  2007년 6월 2일 연중 제8주간 토요일

 

 제1독서 집회서 51,12ㄷ-20ㄴ
12 제가 당신께 감사와 찬미를 드리고, 주님의 이름을 찬양하오리다.
13 내가 아직 젊고 떠돌이 생활을 하기 전에 나는 기도 가운데 드러내 놓고 지혜를 구하였다. 14 나는 성전 앞에서 지혜를 달라고 청하였는데, 마지막까지도 지혜를 구할 것이다. 15 꽃이 피고 포도가 익어 가는 것처럼 내 마음은 지혜 안에서 기뻐하였다.
내 발은 올바른 길을 걸었으며 젊은 시절부터 지혜를 찾아다녔다. 16 나는 조금씩 귀를 기울여 지혜를 받아들였고, 스스로를 위해 많은 가르침을 얻었다.
17 지혜를 통하여 진전을 이루었으니, 지혜를 주신 분께 영광을 드리리라. 18 사실 나는 지혜를 실천하기로 결심하였고 선을 추구해 왔으니, 결코 수치를 당하지 않으리라.
19 내 영혼은 지혜를 얻으려 애썼고, 율법을 엄격하게 실천하였다. 나는 하늘을 향해 손을 펼쳐 들고 지혜를 알지 못함을 탄식하였다.
20 나는 내 영혼을 지혜 쪽으로 기울였고, 순결함 속에서 지혜를 발견하였다

 

 

 복음 마르코 11,27-33
그 무렵 예수님과 제자들은 27 다시 예루살렘으로 갔다. 예수님께서 성전 뜰을 거닐고 계실 때, 수석 사제들과 율법 학자들과 원로들이 와서, 28 예수님께 말하였다. “당신은 무슨 권한으로 이런 일을 하는 것이오? 또 누가 당신에게 이런 일을 할 수 있는 권한을 주었소?”
29 그러자 예수님께서 그들에게 이르셨다. “너희에게 한 가지 물을 터이니 대답해 보아라. 그러면 내가 무슨 권한으로 이런 일을 하는지 너희에게 말해 주겠다. 30 요한의 세례가 하늘에서 온 것이냐, 아니면 사람에게서 온 것이냐? 대답해 보아라.”
31 그들은 저희끼리 의논하였다. “‘하늘에서 왔다.’ 하면, ‘어찌하여 그를 믿지 않았느냐?’ 하고 말할 터이니, 32 ‘사람에게서 왔다.’ 할까?” 그러나 군중이 모두 요한을 참예언자로 여기고 있었기 때문에 군중을 두려워하여, 33 예수님께 “모르겠소.” 하고 대답하였다.
그러자 예수님께서 그들에게 이르셨다. “나도 무슨 권한으로 이런 일을 하는지 너희에게 말하지 않겠다.”

 

 

 

 

 June 2, 2007

 Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time  

 Reading 1
Sir 51:12 cd-20

I thank the LORD and I praise him;
I bless the name of the LORD.
When I was young and innocent,
I sought wisdom openly in my prayer
I prayed for her before the temple,
and I will seek her until the end,
and she flourished as a grape soon ripe.
My heart delighted in her,
My feet kept to the level path
because from earliest youth I was familiar with her.
In the short time I paid heed,
I met with great instruction.
Since in this way I have profited,
I will give my teacher grateful praise.
I became resolutely devoted to her—
the good I persistently strove for.
My soul was tormented in seeking her,
My hand opened her gate
and I came to know her secrets.
I directed my soul to her,
and in cleanness I attained to her.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 19:8, 9, 10, 11

R. (9ab) The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The law of the LORD is perfect,
refreshing the soul.
The decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The precepts of the LORD are right,
rejoicing the heart.
The command of the LORD is clear,
enlightening the eye.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
The ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
They are more precious than gold,
than a heap of purest gold;
Sweeter also than syrup
or honey from the comb.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.

Gospel
Mk 11:27-33

Jesus and his disciples returned once more to Jerusalem.
As he was walking in the temple area,
the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders
approached him and said to him,
“By what authority are you doing these things?
Or who gave you this authority to do them?”
Jesus said to them, “I shall ask you one question.
Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.
Was John’s baptism of heavenly or of human origin? Answer me.”
They discussed this among themselves and said,
“If we say, ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say,
‘Then why did you not believe him?’
But shall we say, ‘Of human origin’?”–
they feared the crowd,
for they all thought John really was a prophet.
So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.”
Then Jesus said to them,
“Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

 

 

 Commentary

 

 The young man sought wisdom and he was instructed. Then he becomes devoted to her. What do we seek with such devotion and faithfulness? Jesus has been preaching and teaching and he is questioned on where his authority comes from. But Jesus is tired of playing word games and he knows they are not honest. So he asks them about John the Baptist and whether or not John's baptism was divine or human. And they won't answer him-afraid of the people, and then afraid that they will be confronted on their own lack of response to John. So Jesus does not answer them either. Jesus' wisdom is born of the truth and obedience to God. Do we obey Jesus? Or do we question texts and commands, and refuse to be committed wholeheartedly to following Jesus?

 

 

 In Mark's first chapter the crowds are amazed at how Jesus speaks with authority and touches their hearts; they recognize the truth of what he says, without asking for his credentials, and turn to him in hope. In John's gospel (10:14-16), Jesus would say that his sheep know his voice; they recognize, trust, and follow him even in the darkness.

In Mark's eleventh chapter, from which we read today, the chief priests, scribes, and elders question that authority, asking about a slightly different meaning of the word even though "authority" is the same word in the original Greek in both cases. These men are, to a certain extent and on an official level, justified in asking for Jesus' authorization, but they should have been able to get beyond that to reach the heart of the question, as the crowds had already done.

And us? Do we recognize Jesus' voice and follow him because we have known him? Or do we ask for proofs and explanations and reasonings before we accept him? Which did we come closer to doing when we fell into love and gave our selves to merely human others?

We need to pray in that simple manner that a very young child has in sitting with his or her parents, listening carefully and becoming familiar with their ways, learning to trust them. And in our prayer, let us ask that we learn to recognize and respond to the voice of our Father's Son, that we accept Him as our Shepherd and that we let Him gently teach us who He is and lead us home.

 

 by
Chas Kestermeier, S.J.
English Department

 

 "By what authority are you doing these things?"

 

 Do you accept the authority of God’s word and submit to it with trust and obedience? Many religious leaders took offense at Jesus because they could not accept his authority. After Jesus had dramatically cleansed the temple of the traders and money-changers the Jewish leaders question Jesus to trap him.  If he says his authority is divine they will charge him with blasphemy.  If he has done this on his own authority they might well arrest him as a mad zealot before he could do more damage.  Jesus, seeing through their trap, poses a question to them and makes their answer a condition for his answer.  Did they accept the work of John the Baptist as divine or human?  If they accepted John’s work as divine, they would be compelled to accept Jesus as the Messiah.  They dodged the question because they were unwilling to face the truth.  They did not accept the Baptist and they would not accept Jesus as their Messiah.  Jesus told his disciples that “the truth will make you free” (John 8:31).  Do you know the joy and freedom of Christ’s rule in your life?

 “Lord, let me know the joy and freedom of your rule in my life.  Teach me your ways that I may grow in the knowledge of your truth and live according to your word”.

Psalm 63:1-2, 8-11

1 O God, thou art my God, I seek thee, my soul thirsts for thee; my flesh faints for thee, as in a dry and weary land where no water is.
2 So I have looked upon thee in the sanctuary, beholding thy power and glory.
8 My soul clings to thee; thy right hand upholds me.
9 But those who seek to destroy my life shall go down into the depths of the earth;
10 they shall be given over to the power of the sword, they shall be prey for jackals.
11 But the king shall rejoice in God; all who swear by him shall glory; for the mouths of liars will be stopped.

 

 In their back-to-front way the authorities were confirming the authority of Jesus.  In their own estimation they were the people with authority.  And Jesus…?  He was a person of no account.  But by coming after him they were acknowledging that he was someone to be reckoned with.  It is always so with persecutors.  Human authority is always insecure, because human beings are insecure; but it builds up a feeling of security by persecuting rivals. 

            “By what authority?” they asked.  For them, authority meant endorsement by someone else.  But the word ‘authority’ comes from ‘auctor’: author, source.  Jesus was himself the source of what he was saying and doing.  Or rather his Father was.  But he was not relying on texts and human authorities as they were. 

            Shakespeare, for some reason, never seems to take authority seriously.  He is always acutely aware of it as silly posturing.     

But man, proud man,

Dress'd in a little brief authority,

Most ignorant of what he's most assur'd,

His glassy essence, like an angry ape,

Plays such fantastic tricks before high heaven

As makes the angels weep; who, with our spleens,

Would all themselves laugh mortal.

The angels would belly-laugh; but not having bellies, they can only weep.  It must be tough, then, to be an angel. 

            In the present case the authorities think they can trap Jesus in his own words.  If he says his authority is divine they can charge him with blasphemy.  And if he claims only his own authority they are entitled to arrest him as a mad zealot before he can do any more harm.  But he mirrors their game to them exactly; he poses them an identical dilemma.  It must have been infuriating for them. 

            We will spend our old age red-jowled and infuriated by everything if we don’t learn the precious wisdom of our own emptiness.  “Only God is good,” said Jesus (Mark 10:18).  That's why he was able to laugh and be filled with joy.  “It was then that, filled with joy by the Holy Spirit, he said, 'I bless you, Father, Lord of heaven and of earth, for hiding these things from the learned and the clever and revealing them to mere children.’” (Matthew 11:21). 

 

 

 As we remarked,  it is unfortunate that the praise of ancestors (chapters 44-40) is omitted from our liturgy.   Today’s first reading is a conclusion of the praise of these ancestors.   It is a prayer that  we shall have the same wisdom as the ancestors, and that we shall always be devoted to the way of the Lord.   This beautiful section is the conclusion of the book of Sirach.
In the gospel, Jesus uses a dilemma to best his enemies.   When asked by whose authority he does the things he does, he replies that he will answer them if they answer a question of his.   He asks  whether John the Baptist’s baptism was of God or of man.   His questioners will not answer: If it is of God, he will ask why they didn’t follow John.   If it is of man, they feared the crowd.

Notice the make-up of the questioners: Chief priests, Scribes, and Elders.    The priestly class were, for the most part, Sadducees.   Sadducees didn’t believe in life after death or in angels or in the Messiah.    They accepted only the Torah as inspired, and rejected the prophets.   The Scribes were Pharisees.   Pharisees were the best of the Jews; they accepted all the Scriptures, looked forward to the Messiah, and believed in the resurrection of the dead.   Pharisees and Sadducees hated each other.  But they are united in trying to get rid of Jesus:   Sadducees wanted to get rid of him because of their vested interest in the Temple.   Pharisees wanted to get rid of him because of Jesus’ attitude that the Torah was made for mankind.   To the Pharisees, this was blasphemy and Jesus was an imposter.

Also St. Marcellinus and St. Peter (+304 A.D.)     These martyr saints are mentioned in the First Eucharistic Prayer (Roman Canon).    Marcellinus was a priest; Peter was an exorcist.    Pope St. Damasus, born about the time of their martyrdom, says that he learned about them from their executioner!   They were buried in Rome in the Catacomb of Tiburtius, but nothing else  is known of their lives.   Their unreliable “Acts” tell of the conversion of their jailer.  

 

 

«What authority do you have to act like this?»

Today, the Gospel is asking us to think what our intentions are when we go to meet Jesus. Some go without faith, without recognizing His authority: this is why, «the chief priests, the teachers of the Law and the elders came to him and asked, «What authority do you have to act like this? Who gave you authority to do the things you do?» (Mk 11:27-28).

If our prayers do not turn to God, we have no faith. But, as St. Gregory the Great says, «when we vehemently stand fast on prayer, Jesus halts to restitute the light because God stops in the heart which recovers the light it had lost». If we have a good disposition, even if we are mistaken, believing the other person to be right, we shall welcome his words. If our intentions are good, even if we drag the weight of sin, when we pray, God will help us understand our misery, so that we can reconcile with Him, and may ask with all our heart his forgiveness through the Sacrament of Penance.

Faith and prayer go together. St. Augustine tells us «if faith is lacking, prayer is impossible. So, when we pray, let us believe and pray so faith is not lacking us. Faith produces prayer, and prayer, in turn, produces the strengthening of the faith». If our intentions are good, and we turn to Jesus, we shall discover who is He and will understand his word, when He asks us: «Was John's preaching and baptism a work of God, or was it merely something human?» (Mk 11:30). Through the faith we know it was a work of God, and that His authority comes by way of his Father, who is God, and by Himself, for He is the second Person of the Blessed Trinity.

And because we know Jesus is the only savior of the world, we turn to his Mother who is also our Mother, so that we may receive Jesus' words and life, with good intention and good will, to relish in the peace and joy of the sons of God.
 

 

 How in prayer does one enter into this Gospel’s account of a Rabbinical debate wherein one question is answered by another?  In our prayer there is no debating—we accept profoundly the authority of Jesus in all simplicity.  Else why would we enter into prayer in his name?  We run to John the Baptist to hear his words, to imitate his absolute adherence to the Kingdom.  Our confession of Jesus includes our confession of John.  Where I must go, is to the deepest level of Jesus' authority.  It is not merely a legal matter, or a matter of correct Biblical reference.  The authority of Jesus flows from his very person.  His authority is his procession from the Father within the Holy Trinity.  My prayer is this simple, profound consent to the Mystery of Jesus as Son of the Father within the eternal life of God.  My prayer is the acceptance of the Holy Spirit coming from the Father, welling up within my soul as a stream of living waters, who makes present to me the full mystery of Christ.  I seek to be purged of all duplicity, of all holding-back of my full surrender to Christ and his Kingdom.  Your authority is written upon your holy face, Lord Jesus, as you reflect the glory of your Father.  You are forever the transfigured Christ shining with the sun with the full glory of your sonship.