June 26, 2007 Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

  2007년 6월 26일 연중 제12주간 화요일

 

 제1독서 창세기 13,2.5-18

2 아브람은 가축과 은과 금이 많은 큰 부자였다. 5 아브람과 함께 다니는 롯도 양과 소와 천막들을 가지고 있었다. 6 그래서 그 땅은 그들이 함께 살기에는 너무 좁았다. 그들의 재산이 너무 많아 함께 살 수가 없었던 것이다.
7 아브람의 가축을 치는 목자들과 롯의 가축을 치는 목자들 사이에 다툼이 일어나기도 하였다. 그때 그 땅에는 가나안족과 프리즈족이 살고 있었다.
8 아브람이 롯에게 말하였다. “우리는 한 혈육이 아니냐? 너와 나 사이에, 그리고 내 목자들과 너의 목자들 사이에 싸움이 일어나서는 안 된다. 9 온 땅이 네 앞에 펼쳐져 있지 않느냐? 내게서 갈라져 나가라. 네가 왼쪽으로 가면 나는 오른쪽으로 가고, 네가 오른쪽으로 가면 나는 왼쪽으로 가겠다.”
10 롯이 눈을 들어 요르단의 온 들판을 바라보니, 초아르에 이르기까지 어디나 물이 넉넉하여 마치 주님의 동산과 같고 이집트 땅과 같았다. 그때는 주님께서 소돔과 고모라를 멸망시키시기 전이었다.
11 롯은 요르단의 온 들판을 제 몫으로 선택하고 동쪽으로 옮겨 갔다. 이렇게 두 사람은 서로 갈라지게 되었다. 12 아브람은 가나안 땅에서 살고, 롯은 요르단 들판의 여러 성읍에서 살았다.
롯은 소돔까지 가서 천막을 쳤는데, 13 소돔 사람들은 악인들이었고, 주님께 큰 죄인들이었다.
14 롯이 아브람에게서 갈라져 나간 다음, 주님께서 아브람에게 말씀하셨다. “눈을 들어 네가 있는 곳에서 북쪽과 남쪽을, 또 동쪽과 서쪽을 바라보아라. 15 네가 보는 땅을 모두 너와 네 후손에게 영원히 주겠다. 16 내가 너의 후손을 땅의 먼지처럼 많게 할 것이니, 땅의 먼지를 셀 수 있는 자라야 네 후손도 셀 수 있을 것이다. 17 자, 일어나서 이 땅을 세로로 질러가 보기도 하고 가로로 질러가 보기도 하여라. 내가 그것을 너에게 주겠다.”
18 아브람은 천막을 거두어, 헤브론에 있는 마므레의 참나무들 곁으로 가서 자리 잡고 살았다. 그는 거기에 주님을 위하여 제단을 쌓았다.

복음 마태오 7,6.12-14

그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
6 “거룩한 것을 개들에게 주지 말고, 너희의 진주를 돼지들 앞에 던지지 마라. 그것들이 발로 그것을 짓밟고 돌아서서 너희를 물어뜯을지도 모른다.
12 남이 너희에게 해 주기를 바라는 그대로 너희도 남에게 해 주어라. 이것이 율법과 예언서의 정신이다.
13 너희는 좁은 문으로 들어가라. 멸망으로 이끄는 문은 넓고 길도 널찍하여 그리로 들어가는 자들이 많다. 14 생명으로 이끄는 문은 얼마나 좁고 또 그 길은 얼마나 비좁은지, 그리로 찾아드는 이들이 적다.”

 

 

 

 

 

 June 26, 2007

 Tuesday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

  

 Reading 1
Gn 13:2, 5-18

Abram was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.

Lot, who went with Abram, also had flocks and herds and tents,
so that the land could not support them if they stayed together;
their possessions were so great that they could not dwell together.
There were quarrels between the herdsmen of Abram’s livestock
and those of Lot’s.
(At this time the Canaanites and the Perizzites
were occupying the land.)

So Abram said to Lot:
“Let there be no strife between you and me,
or between your herdsmen and mine, for we are kinsmen.
Is not the whole land at your disposal?
Please separate from me.
If you prefer the left, I will go to the right;
if you prefer the right, I will go to the left.”
Lot looked about and saw how well watered
the whole Jordan Plain was as far as Zoar,
like the LORD’s own garden, or like Egypt.
(This was before the LORD had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah.)
Lot, therefore, chose for himself the whole Jordan Plain
and set out eastward.
Thus they separated from each other;
Abram stayed in the land of Canaan,
while Lot settled among the cities of the Plain,
pitching his tents near Sodom.
Now the inhabitants of Sodom were very wicked
in the sins they committed against the LORD.

After Lot had left, the LORD said to Abram:
“Look about you, and from where you are,
gaze to the north and south, east and west;
all the land that you see I will give to you
and your descendants forever.
I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth;
if anyone could count the dust of the earth,
your descendants too might be counted.
Set forth and walk about in the land, through its length and breadth,
for to you I will give it.”
Abram moved his tents and went on to settle
near the terebinth of Mamre, which is at Hebron.
There he built an altar to the LORD.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 15:2-3a, 3bc-4ab, 5

R. (1b) He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
He who walks blamelessly and does justice;
who thinks the truth in his heart
and slanders not with his tongue.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who harms not his fellow man,
nor takes up a reproach against his neighbor;
By whom the reprobate is despised,
while he honors those who fear the LORD.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.
Who lends not his money at usury
and accepts no bribe against the innocent.
He who does these things
shall never be disturbed.
R. He who does justice will live in the presence of the Lord.

Gospel
Mt 7:6, 12-14

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine,
lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.

“Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the Law and the Prophets.

“Enter through the narrow gate;
for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction,
and those who enter through it are many.
How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life.
And those who find it are few.”

 

 

 Commentary

 

Abram and Lot have acquired too much for the land to be able to sustain both of their clans (early ecology and biodiversity conservation). So they split up and move apart so that they can live in harmony. The Lord promises Abram the land for himself and his descendents. Abram builds an altar to the Lord in the land, mindful of the fact that it is the Lord's and given only as gift.

We continue to listen to Jesus' sermon on very practical matters to be lived daily. We live in a world and even a church where people are disrespectful of our beliefs and practices, our call to be just, to care for the poor, to love our enemies, and to be reconciled.

Therefore, we must be wise and not share the depth of our understanding with those who do not appreciate it and mock it. There is violence and we must be aware as we act towards one another that others will not always agree with us or want our care and love. But we are encouraged to go together through the narrow gate. How do we live with each other in the groups that we belong to? 

 

 

 We find ourselves once again in Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time, what exactly does that mean? And why is it such a big portion of the liturgical year? We have Advent, Lent and Easter seasons and all three together – possibly the most significant seasons of the liturgical year are only about half, if that, of the total liturgical calendar. The remainder is ordinary time.

On Pentecost Sunday I listened to a homily which provoked some reflection about how God interacts with us, with me.

In Hebrew scripture we experience God, Yahweh, breaking into our world, into real time in order to initiate a trust, a relationship; to establish a lasting covenant with God’s beloved people. With Abraham and Moses and many others, Yahweh promised abiding presence in return for faithfulness. “You will be my chosen people, my beloved ones and I will be your God your only God, none others.” The covenant was sealed in blood and re-enacted time and again in scripture.

Jesus is the incarnation of that initial covenant – the living symbol of God’s continued loving, faithful presence in the midst of God’s beloved. Jesus came to live among us, the beloved, and to die among us, the beloved. Jesus is the living covenant.

Just recently we celebrated Pentecost, the sending of the Spirit who will remain with us, the beloved, throughout all time, in ordinary time. The covenant has been ongoing – the same, yet different; old, yet new. Pentecost is the sending of the Spirit – the gifts of being present in speaking and listening, the being with - clarity of vision beyond the cloudiness of superficial looking; discernment of listening beyond the hum of hearing; and purity of spoken truth cleansed of opinion and prejudice.

In the first reading we catch a glimpse of Abram about his daily routine. He is “very rich in livestock, silver, and gold.” But without the one thing most precious – children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. But still Yahweh promises “descendants.” Abraham continues to muddle through his days, trusting this promise. We catch a glimpse of Abraham’s ordinary time. We see him as he interacts with Lot as they make arrangements to separate in order that they may be at peace with each other – each having enough space for their extended families, herds, and livestock. We witness the working out of what continues to be an ordinary trial in today’s world.

Jesus is the fulfillment of Yahweh’s covenant with Abraham. Again in ordinary time Jesus interacts with many: his parents, friends, community, disciples, sick, needy, hungry, homeless, the establishment and the authorities – all in very ordinary time and circumstances. Jesus is the way, the light and the truth about living in ordinary time.

Pentecost, the sending of the Spirit – God’s continued presence within our ordinary time – within our daily lives, the joys, the struggles and drudgery of our daily lives. As Karl Rahner, S.J. said, “God is to be found. God is not in any simple sense our rescuer, but rather the one who is present with us, present in our sense of guilt and limitation. Our task is to accept ourselves and the God present with us, in trust.”

Yahweh interrupted us in our ordinary times. Jesus lived with us in ordinary times. And today the Spirit remains with us in our ordinary times. God’s covenant relationship is of being and presence, faithful companionship. In my daily examen of my ordinary time who has been the ordinary presence of God? Who has spoken truths that I may understand? Listened with a compassionate heart? Allowed me to speak the truths of my own ordinary experiences? Ordinary Time is the living out of the ongoing covenant between the Lover and us, the beloved. It is about the extra-ordinariness of who God is and who I am in God’s eyes. Ordinary Time is the extra-ordinariness of the ordinary. It is about accepting my creatureness, and the ordinary blessedness of it. Possibly Ordinary Time is the most significant of the Liturgical seasons.

The Good News is that even though my ordinary may not resemble your ordinary, our ordinary is daily blessed and glorified by the ongoing covenant with our abundantly gentle, loving and faithful God. The Lover and the beloved together in Ordinary Time.

 

 by
Joan Blandin Howard
Christian Spirituality Program

 

 

 "Do not throw your pearls before swine"

: You’ve probably heard the ｅxpression, don’t put an ear-ring in a pig’s snout! Jesus' ｅxpression about "pearls before swine" is pretty similar. Jesus’ concern here is not with exclusivity, but with purity — the purity of the faith which has been entrusted to us by an all-loving and all-wise God.  The early church referenced this ｅxpression with the Eucharist or the Lord’s Table.  In the liturgy of the early church, a proclamation was given shortly before communion: Holy things to the holy. The Didache, a first century manual stated: Let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist except those baptised into the name of the Lord; for, as regards this, the Lord has said, `Give not that which is holy unto dogs.'" The Lord invites us to his table, but we must approach worthily.

The Lord also raised the standard of the law by showing us the perfection of love — seeking the good of others and giving them the best we can offer for their sake.   It is not enough to simply avoid doing injury or harm.  We must actually seek to do good to others for their sake.  Jesus then quotes an ｅxpression common in the Old Testament: choosing between two ways or roads -- the way that leads to life rather than to destruction.  The Book of Psalms begins: Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked ..but his delight is in the law of the Lord (Psalm 1:1-2).  When a path diverges, such as a fork in the road, each way leads to very different destinations. This is especially true when we encounter life’s crossroads where we must make a choice. The scriptures remind us of the choices we face: See, I have set before you this day life and good, death and evil. ...Therefore choose life that you and your descendants may live (Deut. 3:15-20). Choose this day whom you will serve (Joshua 24:15).  Behold I set before you the way of life and the way of death (Jeremiah 21:8).  Jesus confronts us with the same choice.  Do you know which road you are walking down and is it leading you to the right destination?

Jesus concludes his discourse with the reminder that we must treat our neighbor in the same way we wish to be treated by God and by others. We must not just avoid doing harm to our neighbor, we must actively seek his or her welfare.  In doing so, we fulfill the law and the prophets, namely what God requires of us -- loving God with all that we have and are and loving our neighbor as ourselves. The personal love we show to our neighbor is fueled by the love that God has poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). The Holy Spirit is every ready to transform our lives in Jesus’ way of love.  Do you thirst for holiness and for the fire of God’s love?

"Let me love you, my Lord and my God, and see myself as I really am — a pilgrim in this world, a Christian called to respect and love all whose lives I touch, those in authority over me or those under my authority, my friends and my enemies.  Help me to conquer anger with gentleness, greed by generosity, apathy by fervor.  Help me to forget myself and reach out towards others."  (Prayer attributed to Clement XI of Rome)

Psalm 48:1-10

1 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God!  His holy mountain,
2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.
3 Within her citadels God has shown himself a sure defense.
4 For lo, the kings assembled, they came on together.
5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded, they were in panic, they took to flight;
6 trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in travail.
7 By the east wind thou didst shatter the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes for ever. [Selah]
9 We have thought on thy steadfast love, O God, in the midst of thy temple.
10 As thy name, O God, so thy praise reaches to the ends of the earth.  Thy right hand is filled with victory;

 

 

 In today's Gospel selection, Jesus' advice to us in this seventh chapter of Matthew continues. one of the suggestions today is that we do to others as we would have them do to us. This is commonly referred to as the Golden Rule. Most of us learned this when we were small children.

I certainly do not appreciate it when others are unfair with me, when they deny me my rights, when they do not treat me compassionately and in an understanding way, when they do not forgive me for what I did or said to them. I don't like it at all when things work out this way. Why, then, should I dish stuff like this out to others?

I know and have filed away in my memory many axioms, clichés, sayings, rules, etc., and most of them are true. But knowing something and acting upon it are two different things. For example, I know it is true that I am responsible for how I feel today, that I should not let other people and other situations tell me how I feel. But knowing that and getting it into my life are two different things. I am constantly letting other people tell me how I feel. Lord, help me to act according to what I know is true and not be so fickle.

Fr. Howard

 

 

 THE MASTER'S-PIECE

'How narrow is the gate that leads to life, how rough the road, and how few there are who find it!' Matthew 7:14

God has a plan for your life. He knows exactly how many children He wants you to have. He's got a house picked out for you. He knows the day, hour, minute, and second of your death. The Lord is orchestrating the details of your life to create an unprecedented and unrepeatable symphony of praise to the Father through the Son and in the Spirit.

The Master is painting a Master-piece, using the little pieces of your life as His brush strokes. All we have to do is obey Him, 'not turning aside to the right or to the left, but following exactly the way prescribed' for us (Dt 5:32-33). We should get out of God's way; lose our lives (Lk 9:24); choose the narrow way (Mt 7:13); and let God do His thing, have His way, and be Lord of our lives. He knows what He's doing, even if we don't. We should trust Him rather than trust ourselves (Mk 9:23-24). He died for us and rose from the dead. His love and power are proven. To run our own lives would be the height of foolishness. We are privileged to have the opportunity to surrender our lives to Jesus.

Praise: Grace distributed one Bread, one Body from her deathbed, telling doctors, nurses, visitors, family members, and strangers about Jesus.
Prayer: Jesus, I repent of my sins. Take over my whole life now and forever.
Promise: 'Look about you, and from where you are, gaze to the north and south, east and west; all the land that you see I will give to you and your descendants forever. I will make your descendants like the dust of the earth.' Gn 13:14-16

Nihil Obstat:

 

 

The historical books of the bible are not history in our sense.   They are collections of family stories handed down over many years by word of mouth, and coming to us in different versions.  Nevertheless, these stories often resonate with what we know from geology and archeology.  For example, when Abram and Lot separate, Lot chooses to go across the Jordan -- to Transjordan -- since, he said, it was well watered, like the “Lord’s own garden.”   But when these stories were written and gathered, that area was as dry and desolate a desert as could be imagined.    Nevertheless, when the events were supposed to have happened, the area truly was well-watered.   Although this detail contradicted the experience of the Israelites, they handed down the tradition nevertheless!  It is minor, but a sort of confirmation that this family history is not fiction, but is factual in essence.

The gospel continues the Sermon on the Mount which various sayings.  Jesus repeats the Golden Rule.   He tells us to enter by the narrow gate: In other words, struggle for your faith and don’t get discouraged.     
 

 

 «Enter through the narrow gate»

Today, Jesus makes us three important recommendations. We shall, however, pay attention to the last one: «Enter through the narrow gate» (Mt 7:13), in order to attain the plenitude of Life and be always happy, while avoiding going to perdition and be forever doomed.

If you look around you and around your own existence, you will easily verify that whatever is worthwhile is costly, and that all things having a certain level are subject to the Master's recommendation: as the Church Fathers have said with wisdom, «by way of the Cross all mysteries contributing to our salvation are fulfilled» (St. John Crysostom). In her deathbed, an elderly woman who had suffered much in her life, told me once: «Father, if you do not savour the Cross, you do not desire Heaven; if there is no Cross there is no Heaven».

All this contradicts our falling human nature, even though it has been redeemed. For this reason, in addition to facing up to our natural tendencies, we shall have to go against the tide because of our environmental upbeat founded on materialism and the uncontrolled relish of our senses, that —at the price of not-being— long for getting more and more each time, to be able to enjoy the maximum pleasure.

When we follow Jesus —who said «I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life» (Jn 8:12)—, we realize that the Gospel does not condemn us to a boring and unhappy life in darkness; on the contrary, it promises and gives us the true happiness. We only have to review the Beatitudes and look at those who, having entered through the narrow gate, have been very happy and have made others happy too, while obtaining —for having believed in and waited for He who never let us down— the reward of self-denial: «Many times as much in this age and, in the age to come, eternal life» (Lk 18:30). The Virgin's “yes” is accompanied by humility, poverty, the Cross, but also by the prize to fidelity and generous surrender.

 

 

 The silence of prayer gradually creates in us an awe of the mystery of Christ.  Not so easily should we throw around haphazardly the pearls of the Kingdom.  There are many ferocious people out there who love to trample upon anything that has to do with Christ's revelation.  Sensitive to my needs I can be sensitive to the needs of others.  The fruit of prayer is to see others as part of the whole that is Christ's Body.  All these chapters in Matthew's Sermon on the Mount have detailed the way of Christ and his love.  It's not a joy ride this following of Christ.  The door into the Kingdom is demanding; the way is exacting when compared to how easy it is to follow the culture of pleasure and self-seeking.  The crowds are all there, worshiping the image of the modern, successful, sophisticated, pleasure-assured, the Cosmopolitan Woman, the Esquire Man.  Life is found in Christ Jesus.  Outside of Christ’s Way is the wide, sliding road to destruction.