June 4, 2007 Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

  2007년 6월 4일 연중 제9주간 월요일

 

 제1독서 토빗기 1,3; 2,1ㄴ-8

3 나 토빗은 평생토록 진리와 선행의 길을 걸어왔다. 나는 나와 함께 아시리아인들의 땅 니네베로 유배 온 친척들과 내 민족에게 많은 자선을 베풀었다.
2,1 우리의 축제인 오순절 곧 주간절에 나를 위하여 잔치가 벌어져, 나는 음식을 먹으려고 자리에 앉았다. 2 내 앞에 상이 놓이고 요리가 풍성하게 차려졌다.
그때에 내가 아들 토비야에게 말하였다. “얘야, 가서 니네베로 끌려온 우리 동포들 가운데에서 마음을 다하여 주님을 잊지 않는 가난한 이들을 보는 대로 데려오너라. 내가 그들과 함께 음식을 먹으려고 그런다. 얘야, 네가 돌아올 때까지 기다리마.” 3 그래서 토비야가 우리 동포들 가운데 가난한 사람들을 찾으러 나갔다.
그가 돌아와서 “아버지!” 하고 불렀다. 내가 “얘야, 나 여기 있다.” 하고 대답하자 그가 계속 말하였다. “아버지, 누가 우리 백성 가운데 한 사람을 살해하여 장터에 던져 버렸습니다. 목 졸려 죽은 채 지금도 그대로 있습니다.” 4 나는 잔치 음식을 맛보지도 않고 그대로 둔 채 벌떡 일어나 그 주검을 광장에서 날라다가, 해가 진 다음에 묻으려고 어떤 방에 놓아두었다. 5 그런 다음 집에 돌아와서 몸을 씻고 슬픔에 싸인 채 음식을 먹었다. 6 그때에 아모스 예언자가 베텔을 두고 한 말씀이 생각났다. “너희의 축제들은 슬픔으로, 너희의 모든 노래는 애가로 바뀌리라.”
7 나는 울었다. 그리고 해가 진 다음에 나가서 땅을 파고 그를 묻어 주었다. 8 이웃들은 나를 비웃으며 이렇게 말하였다. “저 사람이 이제는 두렵지가 않은 모양이지? 전에도 저런 일 때문에 사형감으로 수배되어 달아난 적이 있는데, 또 저렇게 죽은 이들을 묻는구먼.”

복음 마르코 12,1-12

그때에 1 예수님께서 수석 사제들과 율법 학자들과 원로들에게 비유를 들어 말씀하기 시작하셨다. “어떤 사람이 포도밭을 일구어 울타리를 둘러치고 포도 확을 파고 탑을 세웠다. 그리고 소작인들에게 내주고 멀리 떠났다.
2 포도 철이 되자 그는 소작인들에게 종 하나를 보내어, 소작인들에게서 포도밭 소출의 얼마를 받아 오라고 하였다. 3 그런데 소작인들은 그를 붙잡아 매질하고서는 빈손으로 돌려보냈다. 4 주인이 그들에게 다시 다른 종을 보냈지만, 그들은 그 종의 머리를 쳐서 상처를 입히고 모욕하였다. 5 그리고 주인이 또 다른 종을 보냈더니 그 종을 죽여 버렸다. 그 뒤에 또 많은 종을 보냈지만 더러는 매질하고 더러는 죽여 버렸다.
6 이제 주인에게는 오직 하나, 사랑하는 아들만 남았다. 그는 마지막으로 ‘내 아들이야 존중해 주겠지.’ 하며 그들에게 아들을 보냈다. 7 그러나 소작인들은 ‘저자가 상속자다. 자, 저자를 죽여 버리자. 그러면 이 상속 재산이 우리 차지가 될 것이다.’ 하고 저희끼리 말하면서, 8 그를 붙잡아 죽이고는 포도밭 밖으로 던져 버렸다.
9 그러니 포도밭 주인은 어떻게 하겠느냐? 그는 돌아와 그 소작인들을 없애 버리고 포도밭을 다른 이들에게 줄 것이다.
10 너희는 이 성경 말씀을 읽어 본 적이 없느냐? ‘집 짓는 이들이 내버린 돌, 그 돌이 모퉁이의 머릿돌이 되었네. 11 이는 주님께서 이루신 일, 우리 눈에 놀랍기만 하네.’”
12 그들은 예수님께서 자기들을 두고 이 비유를 말씀하신 것을 알아차리고 그분을 붙잡으려고 하였으나 군중이 두려워 그분을 그대로 두고 떠나갔다.

 

 

 

 June 4, 2007

 Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

  

Reading 1
Tb 1:3; 2:1a-8

I, Tobit, have walked all the days of my life
on the paths of truth and righteousness.
I performed many charitable works for my kinsmen and my people
who had been deported with me to Nineveh, in Assyria.

On our festival of Pentecost, the feast of Weeks,
a fine dinner was prepared for me, and I reclined to eat.
The table was set for me,
and when many different dishes were placed before me,
I said to my son Tobiah: “My son,
go out and try to find a poor man
from among our kinsmen exiled here in Nineveh.
If he is a sincere worshiper of God, bring him back with you,
so that he can share this meal with me.
Indeed, son, I shall wait for you to come back.”

Tobiah went out to look for some poor kinsman of ours.
When he returned he exclaimed, “Father!”
I said to him, “What is it, son?”
He answered, “Father, one of our people has been murdered!
His body lies in the market place where he was just strangled!”
I sprang to my feet, leaving the dinner untouched;
and I carried the dead man from the street
and put him in one of the rooms,
so that I might bury him after sunset.
Returning to my own quarters, I washed myself
and ate my food in sorrow.
I was reminded of the oracle
pronounced by the prophet Amos against Bethel:

“All your festivals shall be turned into mourning,
and all your songs into lamentation.”

And I wept.
Then at sunset I went out, dug a grave, and buried him.

The neighbors mocked me, saying to one another:
“He is still not afraid!
Once before he was hunted down for execution
because of this very thing;
yet now that he has scarcely escaped,
here he is again burying the dead!”

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 112:1b-2, 3b-4, 5-6

R. (1b) Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed the man who fears the LORD,
who greatly delights in his commands.
His posterity shall be mighty upon the earth;
the upright generation shall be blessed.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
His generosity shall endure forever.
Light shines through the darkness for the upright;
he is gracious and merciful and just.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice;
He shall never be moved;
the just man shall be in everlasting remembrance.
R. Blessed the man who fears the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
Mk 12:1-12

Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes,
and the elders in parables.
“A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it,
dug a wine press, and built a tower.
Then he leased it to tenant farmers and left on a journey.
At the proper time he sent a servant to the tenants

to obtain from them some of the produce of the vineyard.
But they seized him, beat him,
and sent him away empty-handed.
Again he sent them another servant.
And that one they beat over the head and treated shamefully.
He sent yet another whom they killed.
So, too, many others; some they beat, others they killed.
He had one other to send, a beloved son.
He sent him to them last of all, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’
But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir.
Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
So they seized him and killed him,
and threw him out of the vineyard.
What then will the owner of the vineyard do?
He will come, put the tenants to death,
and give the vineyard to others.
Have you not read this Scripture passage:

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?”

They were seeking to arrest him, but they feared the crowd,
for they realized that he had addressed the parable to them.
So they left him and went away.

 

 

 Commentary

 

 Tobit and his family lived as captives in Assyria and the book is interested in preserving the essentials of Jewish family life, values, and faith even as they are exiled. Tobit wishes to share his feast at Pentecost with the poor. But he returns with the news of a murder. Tobit brings the body home, then washes and buries it-the highest corporal work of mercy for the Jewish people. He is mocked by his neighbors who know that this is his lifestyle and that he has been persecuted for it before-but Tobit is a just and faithful Jew. How faithful are we, even in times when our lives go well and we do not know persecution or exile?

Jesus tells the story of a vineyard (Israel) that was tended and when the harvest came in, the tenants kept it for themselves, murdering all who were sent by the owner, including his own son, thinking they would get the vineyard for themselves. Do we give God what is due God-as a community, his people and church? Jesus reminds the leaders of the justice of God and that God will vindicate those who are faithful and his own beloved Son.

 

 

 Poor Tobit was only trying to do what was right. When he was invited to a fancy dinner, he wanted to share his good fortune with someone less fortunate. When he finds out his kinsman has been killed, he wants to give the man a decent burial. Apparently he’s been in trouble for that before, but he still thinks it’s the right thing to do, and he will risk imprisonment or even death to do what is right. Later on, after he’s blinded by bird droppings, his wife is given a goat and he won’t even let her keep it because he’s afraid it might be stolen. He’s all about doing what’s right, even when it’s not easy. It would be easier to just enjoy his dinner, but it’s the right thing to share it with someone hungry. It would be easier to let the dead man lie, especially when it’s against the law to bury him. It would be easier to just enjoy the goat, but he wants to make sure it’s legit.

The folks in the Gospel are certainly not taking their cue from Tobit. These tenants steal from their landowner. Instead of giving him the produce of the vineyard, they want to keep it all for themselves. When he sends servants to see after his investment, the tenants beat and kill the messengers. They know the grapes and the profits are not theirs; they know it’s wrong to kill the messengers from the landlord, but they don’t care. They just want the benefit. The landlord even sends his own son – his own inheritor – to get the benefit from the vineyard, and then tenants kill him too thinking this way they will surely get the benefit since the heir is no longer in the picture. Of course this is a parable. Of course the vicious tenants are all the people who ignored God’s prophets, who even killed God’s own son, thinking they would reap the benefits of the earth when in fact, like the tenants in the parable, they themselves will die for their crimes and they will not reap the benefits they sought to steal. The chief priests and scribes did recognize themselves in the parable – they did not arrest Jesus at that point, but of course, they would later and would make that prophecy come true.

The right way isn’t always the easy way. It’s frequently hard to do what is right. It’s easier to lie and cheat and steal and just take what you want regardless of the morality. I think I’d rather take Tobit’s lesson and go out of my way to do what is right. I can’t think of anything in this world worth murder, and then there’s always the next world to consider.

 

 by
Tamora Whitney
English Department

 

 

"They will respect my beloved Son"

 

 What does Jesus' parable about an absentee landlord and his tenants say to us?  The hills of Galilee were lined with numerous vineyards, and it was quite normal for the owners to let out their estates to tenants.  Many did it for the sole purpose of collecting rent.  Why did Jesus' story about wicked tenants cause offense to the scribes and Pharisees?  It contained both a prophetic message and a warning.  Isaiah had spoken of the house of Israel as "the vineyard of the Lord" (Isaiah 5:7).  Jesus' listeners would likely understand this parable as referring to God's dealing with a stubborn and rebellious people.  This parable speaks to us today as well.  It richly conveys some important truths about God and the way he deals with his people.  First, it tells us of God's generosity and trust. The vineyard is well equipped with everything the tenants need.  The owner went away and left the vineyard in the hands of the tenants.  God, likewise trusts us enough to give us freedom to run life as we choose.  This parable also tells us of God's patience and justice.  Not once, but many times he forgives the tenants their debts.  But while the tenants take advantage of the owner's patience, his judgment and justice prevail in the end.  Jesus foretold both his death and his ultimate triumph.  He knew he would be rejected and be killed, but he also knew that would not be the end.  After rejection would come glory — the glory of resurrection and ascension to the right hand of the Father. How do we share in this glory?  By submitting to Jesus' kingly rule in our lives.  Jesus promises that we will bear much fruit (certainly the fruit of peace, righteousness, and joy, and much more besides) if we abide in him (see John 15:1-11).  The Lord also entrusts his gifts to each of us and he gives us work to do in his vineyard — the body of Christ.  He promises that our labor will not be in vain if we persevere with faith to the end (see 1 Cor. 15:58).  We can expect trials and even persecution.  But in the end we will see triumph.  Do you labor for the Lord with joyful hope and with confidence in his triumph?

"Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, for all the benefits which you have given us; for all the pains and insults which you have borne for us. O most merciful redeemer, friend, and brother, may we know you more clearly, love you more dearly, and follow you more nearly, for your own sake!" (Prayer of St. Richard of Chichester, 13^th century)

Psalm 112:1-6

1 Praise the LORD! Happy are those who fear the LORD, who greatly delight in his commandments.
2 Their descendants will be mighty in the land; the generation of the upright will be blessed.
3 Wealth and riches are in their houses, and their righteousness endures forever.
4 They rise in the darkness as a light for the upright; they are gracious, merciful, and righteous.
5 It is well with those who deal generously and lend, who conduct their affairs with justice.
6 For the righteous will never be moved; they will be remembered forever.

 

 

Mark’s chief interest is the miracles of Jesus: in a gospel half the length of Luke's he records almost an equal number of them.  He records only one discourse of Jesus (ch. 13), as against Matthew's six.  His interest in parables is also much less than that of Matthew and Luke.  Strictly speaking, today’s reading is more an allegory than a parable, having multiple points of application rather than just one. 

            The vine was a symbol of the people of Israel.  “You brought a vine out of Egypt; to plant it you drove out the nations.  Before it you cleared the ground; it took root and spread through the land”  (Psalm 79: 9,10).  Israel was the vine, a special object of God's care (Isaiah 5:2-7).  Jesus once identified himself as the true vine (John 15:1ff); he was the best of Israel, God's beloved.  But in this parable he is identified not as the vine but as the son and heir to the vineyard.  Mark says, “they killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.”  But Matthew reverses the order: “they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him” (21:39).  Likewise Luke (20:15).  They were probably thinking with hindsight about the way Jesus actually died.  He was led out of Jerusalem and killed outside the city, not killed inside and then thrown out. 

            It is ‘normal’ to assume, when we read any parable, that we are the good group and those others are the bad.  This cocksureness is the surest sign that we have not heard properly.  Parables are subversive; they picture a world different from the one we call normal.  We assume that the father of the Prodigal Son is running down the road towards us, but in the story he is running to embrace someone else!  -  the outsider, the waster, the non-serious person who is not “one of us”.  The parable in today’s reading is for use in a Christian liturgy, with no Jews present; we are to presume that it is about us.  We may well be the ones still killing the messengers, or even the beloved son. 

 

 

 

KEYSTONE COPS

'The Stone rejected by the builders has become the Keystone of the structure.' Mark 12:10

Jesus told the religious?? people of His day they had totally missed God's will. They had rejected the Keystone of the structure. The Jewish religion was based on the Messiah, yet they rejected the Messiah, Jesus.

We today have also rejected the keystone of God's work. For example, the key to marriage in the Lord is the couple praying together. Yet how many couples, even Christian couples, pray together daily?

The key to raising children for Jesus is communication. The family must communicate with God and with each other. Yet in our society most families don't pray together and hardly have time to talk to each other. If the parents and children do happen to run into each other, they may say a few words during TV commercials, but there's little meaningful communication.

The key to peace is prayer and repentance but we think it's military might. The key to the future is repentance and evangelization but we're looking for technology to create for us even more creature comforts. The key to happiness is not a pleasure- seeking lifestyle but denying ourselves and taking up the daily cross (Lk 9:23-24). The people of today, even Christians, have rejected the Keystone of the structure. We must repent and turn to Jesus.

Praise: Trying to communicate hope through Mary's intercession, Rhonda was blessed, as was her non-Catholic sister-in-law, to conceive after many years of being unable to do so.
Prayer: Father, I repent. Give me Your heart and Your priorities.
Promise: 'Well for the man who is gracious and lends, who conducts his affairs with justice.' Ps 112:5

 

 

Our first reading this week is taken from the book of Tobit.Tobit is one of the Deutero-Canonical books of the bible -- those accepted as inspired by Catholics and Orthodox, but rejected by Jews and most Protestants.   To be very honest, the acceptance of Tobit as inspired taxes the faith  if plausibility and reasonableness is a criterion of inspiration.    Tobit is not plausible.   Its literary genre, however, is a fictional novel to describe the virtue and the works of mercy of a Jewish family.  It makes use of a pagan myth Ahiqar.   It naively states that a poultice of fish eggs cures cataracts.  We should see beyond these strange details to see the book’s emphasis on virtue and the works of mercy.
The gospel is the parable of the vineyard.   This parable occurs several times in the bible, in both Old and New Testaments.   Generally speaking, the parable teaches that God planted a good vineyard, hired it to tenants, and expected a harvest of good grapes.   But those who tended the vineyard were evil.   The New Testament modifications of the parable tell of the murder of messengers of the owner by the tenants, and finally the killing of the son of the owner.   It was obvious to the leaders of Jerusalem that Jesus was speaking of them.  
 

 

 

«Sent a servant to receive from the tenants his share of the fruit»

Today, our Lord invites us to have a walk on his vineyard: «A man planted a vineyard (…) and (…) he leased the vineyard to tenants» (Mk 12,1). We are all tenants of this vineyard. The vineyard is our own soul, the Church and the whole world. God wants fruits from us. First, our personal holiness; then, a constant apostolate with our friends, who will be encouraged by our example and word to get closer to Christ every day; finally, the world, that will become a better place to live in, if we sanctify our professional work, our social relations and our duties towards the common good.

What kind of tenants are we? Those who work hard or those who get annoyed when the master sends his servants to collect the rent from us? We may oppose those in charge of helping us give the fruits God expects. We may object to the teachings of the Holy Church and of the Pope, the bishops, or perhaps, more modestly, those of our parents, our spiritual director, or a good friend of ours who is trying to help us. We may even become aggressive, and try to wound them or even kill them through criticism and negative comments. We should examine ourselves about the real motives of such an attitude on our part. Maybe we need a deeper knowledge of our Faith; maybe we need a deeper knowledge of ourselves, a better examination of conscience to discover the reason why we do not want to produce fruits.

Let us ask Our Mother Mary to help us work with love under the guidance of the Pope. We can all be “good shepherds” and “fishers” of men. «Let us (…) ask the Lord to help us to bear fruit, a fruit that abides. only thus is the earth transformed from a vale of tears into a garden of God» (Benedict XVI). We can carry our souls, or that of our friends, or the whole world closer to Jesus Christ, if we only read and meditate the teaching of the Holy Father, and try to put them into practice.

 

 

 My prayer must be intentionally one with the Church’s work to recapitulate all things in Christ.  My prayer, though silent, receptive, open without willed mental activity, is still work; it is the work of God.  This is the work of God to believe in Him and in Him whom he has sent.  The pain in human relations, personal, national or global, comes from the refusal of individuals and societies to give back to God that which is God's, which is the totality of creation.  The Son re-gains the vineyard for the Father through His death and resurrection and in the gift of the Holy Spirit.  Our prayer, rejected as a waste by the world, is part of God’s work of redeeming and restoring creation.  Our prayer is one with Christ seated at the right hand of the Father in glory.  It is the Christ who holds all the cosmos in the palms of His wounded hands and pours out life and love from His wounded side, water and blood, the constituent sacramental elements of the Church.