June 25, 2007 Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

  2007년 6월 25일 연중 제12주간 월요일

 

 제1독서

창세기 12,1-9
그 무렵 1 주님께서 아브람에게 말씀하셨다. “네 고향과 친족과 아버지의 집을 떠나, 내가 너에게 보여 줄 땅으로 가거라.
2 나는 너를 큰 민족이 되게 하고, 너에게 복을 내리며, 너의 이름을 떨치게 하겠다. 그리하여 너는 복이 될 것이다. 3 너에게 축복하는 이들에게는 내가 복을 내리고, 너를 저주하는 자에게는 내가 저주를 내리겠다. 세상의 모든 종족들이 너를 통하여 복을 받을 것이다.”
4 아브람은 주님께서 이르신 대로 길을 떠났다. 롯도 그와 함께 떠났다. 아브람이 하란을 떠날 때, 그의 나이는 일흔다섯 살이었다.
5 아브람은 아내 사라이와 조카 롯과, 자기가 모은 재물과 하란에서 얻은 사람들을 데리고 가나안 땅을 향하여 길을 나서, 마침내 가나안 땅에 이르렀다.
6 아브람은 그 땅을 가로질러 스켐의 성소 곧 모레의 참나무가 있는 곳에 다다랐다. 그때 그 땅에는 가나안족이 살고 있었다.
7 주님께서 아브람에게 나타나 말씀하셨다. “내가 이 땅을 너의 후손에게 주겠다.” 아브람은 자기에게 나타나신 주님을 위하여 그곳에 제단을 쌓았다.
8 그는 그곳을 떠나 베텔 동쪽의 산악 지방으로 가서, 서쪽으로는 베텔이 보이고 동쪽으로는 아이가 보이는 곳에 천막을 쳤다. 그는 그곳에 주님을 위하여 제단을 쌓고, 주님의 이름을 받들어 불렀다.
9 아브람은 다시 길을 떠나 차츰차츰 네겝 쪽으로 옮겨 갔다.

 

 복음

마태오. 7,1-5
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
1“남을 심판하지 마라. 그래야 너희도 심판받지 않는다. 2 너희가 심판하는 그대로 너희도 심판받고, 너희가 되질하는 바로 그 되로 너희도 받을 것이다.
3 너는 어찌하여 형제의 눈 속에 있는 티는 보면서, 네 눈 속에 있는 들보는 깨닫지 못하느냐? 4 네 눈 속에는 들보가 있는데, 어떻게 형제에게 ‘가만, 네 눈에서 티를 빼내 주겠다.’ 하고 말할 수 있느냐?
5 위선자야, 먼저 네 눈에서 들보를 빼내어라. 그래야 네가 뚜렷이 보고 형제의 눈에서 티를 빼낼 수 있을 것이다.”

 

 

 

 June 25, 2007

 Monday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

  

 Reading 1
Gn 12:1-9

The LORD said to Abram:
“Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk
and from your father’s house to a land that I will show you.

“I will make of you a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
so that you will be a blessing.
I will bless those who bless you
and curse those who curse you.
All the communities of the earth
shall find blessing in you.”

Abram went as the LORD directed him, and Lot went with him.
Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran.
Abram took his wife, Sarai, his brother’s son Lot,
all the possessions that they had accumulated,
and the persons they had acquired in Haran,
and they set out for the land of Canaan.
When they came to the land of Canaan, Abram passed through the land
as far as the sacred place at Shechem,
by the terebinth of Moreh.
(The Canaanites were then in the land.)

The LORD appeared to Abram and said,
“To your descendants I will give this land.”
So Abram built an altar there to the LORD who had appeared to him.
From there he moved on to the hill country east of Bethel,
pitching his tent with Bethel to the west and Ai to the east.
He built an altar there to the LORD and invoked the LORD by name.
Then Abram journeyed on by stages to the Negeb.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 33:12-13, 18-19, 20 and 22

R. (12) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
From heaven the LORD looks down;
he sees all mankind.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Gospel
Mt 7:1-5

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Stop judging, that you may not be judged.
For as you judge, so will you be judged,
and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.
Why do you notice the splinter in your brother’s eye,
but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?
How can you say to your brother,
‘Let me remove that splinter from your eye,’
while the wooden beam is in your eye?
You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first;
then you will see clearly
to remove the splinter from your brother’s eye.”

 

 

 Commentary

 

 
Back to Genesis and our beginnings as a people who believe and belong to Yahweh/God. Abram is sent forth to another land with the blessings of God. But he moves slowly and picks up a lot along the way: possessions, slaves. In Abram's worship and moments of prayer, God gives him promises as he goes on with his journey.

Jesus tells us how to live day to day with the people around us: not to judge others or what we lay as verdict on them, will be our own. As we treat others, we will be treated. We are all one in the Lord. If we are so quick to see what is evil in others, what about the huge injustices, sin, evil, and violence we do ourselves? If we are constantly intent on seeing evil in others, can we even begin to see the goodness of God anywhere? It is time we looked to ourselves, in the Church and in the world.

 

 

 Our family recently vacationed in the Smoky Mountains of Tennessee where we enjoyed amazing views of nature’s beauty from our lodgings in the mountains outside of Smoky Mountain National Park. Most days we were able to hike on various trails to breathtaking waterfalls and/or vistas. As we drove to a trailhead to begin the hikes, our daily treks usually took most of an afternoon which in part, were due to the pace of the slowest hiker…me! But my family was patient with me and we had a wonderful time together.

As I pondered today’s first reading, I am utterly amazed at the stamina and faith of Abram and Sarai as they respond to God’s call: “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your parent’s house to a land that I will show you.” They not only left all that they knew, but were willing to forge out on a journey (mostly walking) at the age of seventy-five (and they didn’t have a convenient map to mark the trailheads)!!!

What could convince any of us today to leave our comfort zone, all that we know, and move elsewhere? God did promise the land of Canaan to Abram’s descendants, but that was after the trip was well under way. Was this about promises of ownership/possession of new lands, or rather, an openness to trust in God’s presence and call?

I believe that today’s psalmist captures the spirit of Abram and Sarai’s faith and journey: “Our soul waits for you, O God…May your kindness be upon us who have put our hope in you.” (Ps. 33:20 and 22)
How do I/we approach the challenges of our lives? Most of us have made some life choices that have moved us in one direction or another…our career choices, partner in life, having a family, dedication to serving in the Church, optioning for the poor, etc. However, as we live into those choices, we realize that change is the constant dynamic of life. Life is full of change! Sometimes we are surprised by wonderful moments of joy and at other times, we are stopped in our tracks by the struggles, pain, disappointment, illnesses, etc. But, it is then that we are invited by God’s Spirit to open ourselves in trust and confidence to God’s loving embrace. We do NOT have to journey alone. In fact, just as my family accompanied one another on our hikes in the mountains, God is always available to companion us in our treks of life.

But ‘how’ do I open to God presence? At times, I may feel that I’m failing and tempted to blame or judge others for these times. However, in today’s Gospel from Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, we are warned against judging others. In utter desperation we often turn to call on God. But, in times of joy, celebration, and happiness, am I able to also turn to God in gratitude for the blessedness of the moment?

Today’s scriptures are a powerful reminder that God is always present…loving, caring, and traveling with us and in us. It is up to us to invite/open ourselves to that embracing relationship of a loving God…so that we will be able to meet whatever changes, challenges, or surprises appear at our trailheads of life’s journeys.

My prayer today is that I invite God to assist me in my awareness of God’s loving embrace and presence in my day to day journey, alone and with others.

 

 by
Cathy Weiss Pedersen
Campus Ministry

 

 

 "First take the log out of your own eye"

Everybody is a critic, but nobody wants to be judged or condemned.  Then why is judgementalism so rampant, even among Christians?  "Thinking the best of other people" is necessary if we wish to grow in love. And kindliness in judgment is nothing less that a sacred duty. The Rabbis warned people: "He who judges his neighbor favorably will be judged favorably by God." How easy it is to misjudge and how difficult it is to be impartial in judgment. Our judgment of others is usually “off the mark” because we can’t see inside the person, or we don’t have access to all the facts, or we are swayed by instinct and unreasoning reactions to people. It is easier to find fault in others than in oneself.  Jesus states a heavenly principle we can stake our lives on: what you give to others (and how you treat others) will return to you. The Lord knows our faults and he sees all, even the imperfections and sins of the heart which we cannot recognize in ourselves. Like a gentle father and a skillful doctor he patiently draws us to his seat of mercy and removes the cancer of sin which inhabits our hearts. Do you trust in God’s mercy and grace?  Ask the Lord to flood your heart with his loving-kindness and mercy that you may only have room for charity and forbearance towards your neighbor.

"O Father, give us the humility which realizes its ignorance, admits its mistakes, recognizes its need, welcomes advice, accepts rebuke.  Help us always to praise rather than to criticize, to sympathize rather than to discourage, to build rather than to destroy, and to think of people at their best rather than at their worst.  This we ask for thy name’s sake.  (Prayer of William Barclay, 20th century)

Psalm 60:3-12

3 Thou hast made thy people suffer hard things; thou hast given us wine todrink that made us reel.
4 Thou hast set up a banner for those who fear thee, to rally to it from the bow. [Selah]
5 That thy beloved may be delivered, give victory by thy right hand and answer us!
6 God has spoken in his sanctuary: "With exultation I will divide up Shechem and portion out the Vale of Succoth.
7 Gilead is mine; Manas'seh is mine; E'phraim is my helmet;  Judah is my scepter.
8 Moab is my washbasin; upon Edom I cast my shoe;  over Philistia I shout in triumph."
9 Who will bring me to the fortified city? Who will lead me to Edom?
10 Hast thou not rejected us, O God? Thou dost not go forth, O God, with our armies.
11 O grant us help against the foe, for vain is the help of man!
12 With God we shall do valiantly; it is he who will tread down our foes.

 

 

 ?In the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and the measure you use for others will be used for you?

Today, the Gospel has reminded me of the Marshalling's words in Der Rosenkavalier, by Hugo von Hofmansthal: ?The big difference lies upon the “how”?. In many aspects of our life ?particularly our spiritual life? the end result will change, depending upon “how” we do something.

Jesus said: ?Do not judge and you will not be judged? (Mt 7:1). But Jesus had also said that we are to correct our sinful brother, and to do that we have got to previously make some kind of judgment. In his writings, St. Paul does judge the Corinthian community and St. Peter condemns Ananias and his wife Sapphira for falsehood. Because of that, St. John Crisostom explains: ?Jesus is not saying we cannot prevent a sinner from sinning; we have to correct him, indeed, though not as the enemy seeking revenge but, rather, as a doctor applying the cure?. It seems, therefore, our judgment should be mostly made with an aim to mend, not to take revenge.

But what St. Augustine says is even more interesting: ?The Lord prevents us from judging quickly and unfairly (...). We should first ponder whether we have not made a similar sin; let us remember we are fragile, and let us always [judge] with the intention of serving God and not ourselves?. If, when we see our brothers' sins we remember our own, it will not happen to us, as the Gospel says, that with a plank in our eyes we try to take the speck out of our brother's eye (cf. Mt 7:3).

If we are well prepared, we shall see the good and bad things in our fellow men, and almost unconsciously we shall form a judgment. But to look at others' faults from that point of view will help us as to the way “how” we judge: it will help us not to judge for the sake of judging, or just to say something or, perhaps, to cover our own deficiencies or, simply, because everybody does it. And, above all, let us always remember Jesus' words: ?In the same way you judge others, you will be judged? (Mt 7:2).