June 19, 2007 Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

  2007년 6월 19일 연중 제11주간 화요일

 

 제1독서

코린토 2서 8,1-9
1 형제 여러분, 우리는 하느님께서 마케도니아의 여러 교회에 베푸신 은총을 여러분에게 알리고 싶습니다. 2 환난의 큰 시련 속에서도 그들은 기쁨이 충만하여, 극심한 가난을 겪으면서도 아주 후한 인심을 베풀었습니다. 3 나는 증언할 수 있습니다. 그들은 힘이 닿는 대로, 아니 그 이상으로 기꺼이 내놓았습니다. 4 그러면서 성도들을 위한 구제 활동에 참여하는 특전을 달라고 우리에게 간곡히 청하였습니다.
5 그들은 우리가 그렇게까지 기대하지는 않았는데도, 먼저 주님께 자신을 바치고, 또 하느님의 뜻에 따라 우리에게도 자신을 바쳤습니다. 6 그래서 우리는 티토에게, 여러분에게서 이미 시작한 이 은혜로운 일을 마저 끝내라고 권하였습니다.
7 이제 여러분은 모든 면에서 곧 믿음과 말과 지식과 온갖 열성에서, 또 우리의 사랑을 받는 일에서도 뛰어나므로, 이 은혜로운 일에서도 뛰어나기를 바랍니다.
8 나는 이 말을 명령으로 하는 것이 아닙니다. 다른 이들의 열성에 견주어 여러분의 사랑이 얼마나 진실한지 확인하고 싶을 따름입니다. 9 여러분은 우리 주 예수 그리스도의 은총을 알고 있습니다. 그분께서는 부유하시면서도 여러분을 위하여 가난하게 되시어, 여러분이 그 가난으로 부유하게 되도록 하셨습니다.

 

 복음

마태오 5,43-48
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
43 “‘네 이웃을 사랑해야 한다. 그리고 네 원수는 미워해야 한다.’고 이르신 말씀을 너희는 들었다.
44 그러나 나는 너희에게 말한다. 너희는 원수를 사랑하여라. 그리고 너희를 박해하는 자들을 위하여 기도하여라. 45 그래야 너희가 하늘에 계신 너희 아버지의 자녀가 될 수 있다. 그분께서는 악인에게나 선인에게나 당신의 해가 떠오르게 하시고, 의로운 이에게나 불의한 이에게나 비를 내려 주신다.
46 사실 너희가 자기를 사랑하는 이들만 사랑한다면 무슨 상을 받겠느냐? 그것은 세리들도 하지 않느냐? 47 그리고 너희가 자기 형제들에게만 인사한다면, 너희가 남보다 잘하는 것이 무엇이겠느냐? 그런 것은 다른 민족 사람들도 하지 않느냐?
48 그러므로 하늘의 너희 아버지께서 완전하신 것처럼 너희도 완전한 사람이 되어야 한다.”
마태오가 전한 거룩한 복음입니다. 5,43-48
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
43 “‘네 이웃을 사랑해야 한다. 그리고 네 원수는 미워해야 한다.’고 이르신 말씀을 너희는 들었다.
44 그러나 나는 너희에게 말한다. 너희는 원수를 사랑하여라. 그리고 너희를 박해하는 자들을 위하여 기도하여라. 45 그래야 너희가 하늘에 계신 너희 아버지의 자녀가 될 수 있다. 그분께서는 악인에게나 선인에게나 당신의 해가 떠오르게 하시고, 의로운 이에게나 불의한 이에게나 비를 내려 주신다.
46 사실 너희가 자기를 사랑하는 이들만 사랑한다면 무슨 상을 받겠느냐? 그것은 세리들도 하지 않느냐? 47 그리고 너희가 자기 형제들에게만 인사한다면, 너희가 남보다 잘하는 것이 무엇이겠느냐? 그런 것은 다른 민족 사람들도 하지 않느냐?
48 그러므로 하늘의 너희 아버지께서 완전하신 것처럼 너희도 완전한 사람이 되어야 한다.”

 

 

 

 June 19, 2007

 Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time

  

 Reading 1
2 Cor 8:1-9

We want you to know, brothers and sisters, of the grace of God
that has been given to the churches of Macedonia,
for in a severe test of affliction,
the abundance of their joy and their profound poverty
overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.
For according to their means, I can testify,
and beyond their means, spontaneously,
they begged us insistently for the favor of taking part
in the service to the holy ones,
and this, not as we expected,
but they gave themselves first to the Lord
and to us through the will of God,
so that we urged Titus that, as he had already begun,
he should also complete for you this gracious act also.
Now as you excel in every respect,
in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness,
and in the love we have for you,
may you excel in this gracious act also.

I say this not by way of command,
but to test the genuineness of your love
by your concern for others.
For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ,
that for your sake he became poor although he was rich,
so that by his poverty you might become rich.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 146:2, 5-6ab, 6c- 7, 8-9a

R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, my soul!
I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Blessed he whose help is the God of Jacob,
whose hope is in the LORD, his God,
Who made heaven and earth,
the sea and all that is in them.

R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.

Gospel
Mt 5:43-48

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

 

 

 Commentary

 

The early church of Macedonia had to deal with severe poverty, severe trials, and yet they knew joy and generosity-they gave themselves to God and then gave just as fully of what they had to charity (a collection for the poor of the church). Paul is seeking to touch the hearts of the Corinthians so that they will be generous-since they are rich in every respect, it seems except charity. He is not ordering them, but testing them to be generous in return for the favor that has been given to them by the poor man Jesus crucified. How gracious and generous are we-not to our own, but to those far off and those who are in desperate need? Are we more like the Macedonians or the Corinthians?

Jesus is telling his disciples that it is not enough to help your own: family, blood relations, countrymen. We are to love everyone, starting with our enemies so that we might be like our Father who is compassionate, merciful and generous. Are we trying to be like our God and Jesus or are our spirits shriveled and stingy?
 

 

 

 Today’s scriptures remind us that our faith can be strengthened and confirmed in our response to events, which we might otherwise not prefer to experience.

During the summer before I entered the seventh grade, our family farm was hit by a tornado. Miraculously, no people or livestock were hurt, but our barns and silos were flattened and our farmstead was covered with twisted wreckage. It all happened in the evening, just before dark. Our cattle were scattered in the tall cornfields, and we all spent a restless evening until daylight came. Then something interesting happened: neighbors and friends arrived ? more than fifty of them ? to help us clean up. This experience demonstrated the power of living in a community of compassion and concern. Without our need, we would not have experienced such an outpouring of support.

The natural world sometimes provides puzzlement about important concepts like justice and goodness. Today’s Gospel reminds us that the rain falls and the sun shines on both the just and the unjust, the bad and the good. Rather than singling out persons according to merit, the natural world reflects an order in which people are sometimes treated well or poorly with anonymity. We get good gifts (like rain or sun) or harsh ones (like severe storms), without any apparent connection to what we deserve (or think we deserve). But our faith may indeed be confirmed and strengthened in our response to those gifts.

In today’s first reading, the churches of Macedonia provide an example of a people who experienced trials and suffering. Although some might be seduced into looking at poverty or suffering as a sign of disfavor from God, the Macedonians did not see it this way. Their response became a source of inspiration and faith. Paul saw the significance of their generosity in the face of suffering.

In the Gospel, Jesus’ teaching about our response to enemies also calls us to exhibit an extraordinary response. When others are behaving with antagonism and enmity toward us, the natural response is not love and understanding ? at least mine is not. Jesus’ call to respond with love and prayer is a tall order indeed. When mistreated, my natural tendency is to lick my wounds and rehearse the wrong I have experienced. I try to reassure myself that the perpetrators are bad people, that I am not like them, and that I don’t deserve this treatment. All of that may or may not be true in a particular case, but it misses the point. We need to look beyond the event to our response to gauge its significance in our lives.

I find that the challenge to love my enemies and to be generous in the face of difficulty is more than I can do on my own. All too often, I know that I need more prayer and more grace to generate the reaction that Jesus calls us to have. But I also know that no other approach really brings peace or satisfaction.

 

 by
Edward Morse
School of Law

 

 

 “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”

What makes Christians different from others and what makes Christianity distinct from any other religion?  It is grace ? treating others, not as they deserve, but as God wishes them to be treated ? with loving-kindness and mercy. God is good to the unjust as well as the just.  His love embraces saint and sinner alike.  God seeks our highest good and teaches us to seek the greatest good of others, even those who hate and abuse us.  Our love for others, even those who are ungrateful and selfish towards us, must be marked by the same kindness and mercy which God has shown to us.  It is easier to show kindness and mercy when we can expect to benefit from doing so.  How much harder when we can expect nothing in return.  Our prayer for those who do us ill both breaks the power of revenge and releases the power of love to do good in the face of evil.  How can we possibly love those who cause us harm or ill-will?  With God all things are possible.  He gives power and grace to those who believe and accept the gift of the Holy Spirit.  His love conquers all, even our hurts, fears, prejudices and griefs.  only the cross of Jesus Christ can free us from the tyranny of malice, hatred, revenge, and resentment and gives us the courage to return evil with good.  Such love and grace has power to heal and to save from destruction.  Do you know the power of Christ’s redeeming love and mercy?

 Was Jesus exaggerating when he said we must be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect?  The original meaning of “perfect” in Aramaic is “completeness” or “wholeness?not lacking in what is essential”.  God gives us every good gift in Jesus Christ so that we may not lack anything we need to do his will and to live as his sons and daughters.  He knows our weakness and sinfulness better than we do. And he assures us of his love, mercy, and grace to follow in his ways. Do you want to grow in your love for God and for your neighbor?  Ask the Holy Spirit to change and transform you in the image of the Father that you may walk in the joy and freedom of the gospel.

“Lord, your love brings freedom and pardon.  Fill me with your Holy Spirit and set my heart ablaze with your love that nothing may make me lose my temper, ruffle my peace, take away my joy, nor make me bitter towards anyone.”

Psalm 51:3-6,11,16

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
11 Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy Spirit from me.
16 For thou hast no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, thou wouldst not be pleased.

 

 

 A POOR COLLECTION

'I should like you to know of the grace of God conferred on the churches of Macedonia.' 2 Corinthians 8:1

Chapters 8 and 9 of Second Corinthians describe the offering taken in the poor churches of Macedonia for the relief of the famished Christians in Jerusalem. In these chapters, St. Paul instructs the church in the more prosperous city of Corinth what it means to give to God out of love. Compare the giving patterns in your church and your life to those of the poor Macedonians:
* 'They begged' for the privilege of donating (2 Cor 8:4).
* They gave beyond their means (2 Cor 8:3), knowing that though they had little money, they were still rich, because Jesus, though rich, made Himself poor for them (2 Cor 8:9).
* They trusted in God's provision, knowing that they could not outgive God (2 Cor 9:8).
* They gave not out of obligation, but as a 'gracious gift' out of heartfelt love to relieve others' sufferings (2 Cor 9:5).
* They gave cheerfully and bountifully, knowing that 'God loves a cheerful giver' (2 Cor 9:6-7).
* Instead of focusing on their poverty, they focused on their many blessings. Their overflowing joy compelled them to share these blessings with others (2 Cor 8:2).
* They knew that even the smallest gift given out of sacrificial love would be multiplied greatly by God (2 Cor 9:10).
* They gave generously so God would get more glory and thanks (2 Cor 9:11-13).

Praise: St. Romuald trusted in the providence of God by giving up all worldly pursuits and lived the austere life of a hermit, given over completely to God.
Prayer: Jesus, You have given freely to me. May I give freely (Mt 10:8) and lavishly in return (Ps 112:9).
Promise: 'In a word, you must be made perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.' Mt 5:48

 

 

 The Christians at Jerusalem were impoverished; perhaps this was because they were ostracized by their fellow Jews when they began to believe in Jesus as Messiah.   At any rate, St. Paul organized a collection for the poor people at Jerusalem.  In today’s first reading, he urges the Corinthians to give generously.   Notice his motives:   First, the other Churches have given generously, and the Corinthians would not want to be outdone by them.  Second, they gave even beyond their means; therefore you also should be generous.   Third, he says that the Corinthians excel in every other virtue; surely they will want to excel in their generosity.  Finally, he says that Jesus himself was rich, but for their sakes became poor.   Their generosity will be a test of the genuineness of their love.
In the gospel, Jesus tells us to love our enemies.    The Old Law never said to hate enemies, but that was the way some understood it.  Jesus says we are to love enemies and pray for those who persecute us.   This will show that we are children of our heavenly Father.   After all, even pagans love those who love them.  We show that we are of God by loving those who don’t love us.   once again, this is the ideal for the perfect kingdom.   But it is still a realizable ideal and goal, and must be our motivation as Christians.

Also St. Romuald  (950 - 1027

 

 

?You shall be righteous and perfect in the way your heavenly Father is righteous and perfect?

Today, Christ invites us to love. To love without measure, which is the measure of true Love. God is Love, ?who makes his sun rise on both the wicked and the good, and gives rain to both the just and the unjust? (Mt 5:45). And man, God's spark, has to keep on struggling every day to resemble him: ?So that you may be children of your Father in Heaven?. Where can we find Christ's face? on others, on our nearest fellow men. It is very easy to feel sorry for the starving children in Ethiopia when we watch them on TV, or for all those immigrants that every day arrive to our shores. But, what about those at home? What about our co-workers? And what about that distant relative living alone and whom we could pay a visit to, to keep her some company? How do we treat others? How do we love them? What specific deeds of service have we towards them, every day?

It is certainly very easy to love those who love you. But our Lord is urging us to go a step further, ?If you love those who love you, what is special about that?? (Mt 5:46). To love our enemies! To love those we know ?for sure? will never return our affection, or our smiles, or that favour. Simply because they ignore us. A Christian, truly Christian, should not love “in an interested” way; it is not enough to give a piece of bread or our alms to the kid at the traffic lights. We have to give ourselves to the others. When dying on the Cross, Christ forgave those who crucified him. No reproach, no complaint, not even a wry face...

To love without expecting anything in return. When it comes to loving we need no calculators. Perfection is to love with no measure. And we hold perfection in our hands amidst the world, amidst our daily chores. By doing what we should in every instance, not what we should like to. God's Mother, at the wedding of Cana, in Galilee, realizes the guests have no more wine. And she steps in. And she asks the Lord to make a miracle. Let us beg him to day the miracle of finding it out in the needs of our own neighbours.
 

 

 Prayer begins to enable me to see all things as God sees them.  The perfection of prayer is the Holy Spirit’s gift of wisdom.  By wisdom the Holy Spirit enables me to see all creation and all people as God beholds them.  The eyes of the one who gives life to all, who calls all to salvation, who holds each person in his individual identity, who makes the sun to shine on all and sends the rains upon all without discrimination, this one, the eternal Father, enables me to love and not to hate, to salute even my enemies.  God's perfection can become mine through the osmosis of the Spirit who has been poured out upon us by the Father of all lights.