June 30, 2007 Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

  2007년 6월 30일 연중 제12주간 토요일

 

 제1독서

창세기 18, 1-15
그 무렵 1 주님께서는 마므레의 참나무들 곁에서 아브라함에게 나타나셨다. 아브라함은 한창 더운 대낮에 천막 어귀에 앉아 있었다. 2 그가 눈을 들어 보니 자기 앞에 세 사람이 서 있었다. 그는 그들을 보자 천막 어귀에서 달려 나가 그들을 맞으면서 땅에 엎드려 3 말하였다.
“나리, 제가 나리 눈에 든다면, 부디 이 종을 그냥 지나치지 마십시오. 4 물을 조금 가져오게 하시어 발을 씻으시고, 이 나무 아래에서 쉬십시오. 5 제가 빵도 조금 가져오겠습니다. 이렇게 이 종의 곁을 지나게 되셨으니, 원기를 돋우신 다음에 길을 떠나십시오.”
그들이 “말씀하신 대로 그렇게 해 주십시오.” 하고 대답하였다.
6 아브라함은 급히 천막으로 들어가 사라에게 말하였다. “빨리 고운 밀가루 세 스아를 가져다 반죽하여 빵을 구우시오.” 7 그러고서 아브라함이 소 떼가 있는 데로 달려가 살이 부드럽고 좋은 송아지 한 마리를 끌어다가 하인에게 주니, 그가 그것을 서둘러 잡아 요리하였다. 8 아브라함은 엉긴 젖과 우유와 요리한 송아지 고기를 가져다 그들 앞에 차려 놓았다. 그들이 먹는 동안 그는 나무 아래에 서서 그들을 시중들었다.
9 그들이 아브라함에게 “댁의 부인 사라는 어디에 있습니까?” 하고 물으니, 그가 “천막에 있습니다.” 하고 대답하였다.
10 그러자 그분께서 말씀하셨다. “내년 이때에 내가 반드시 너에게 돌아올 터인데, 그때에는 너의 아내 사라에게 아들이 있을 것이다.”
사라는 아브라함의 등 뒤 천막 어귀에서 이 말을 듣고 있었다. 11 아브라함과 사라는 이미 나이 많은 노인들로서, 사라는 여인들에게 있는 일조차 그쳐 있었다. 12 그래서 사라는 속으로 웃으면서 말하였다. ‘이렇게 늙어 버린 나에게 무슨 육정이 일어나랴? 내 주인도 이미 늙은 몸인데.’
13 그러자 주님께서 아브라함에게 말씀하셨다. “어찌하여 사라는 웃으면서, ‘내가 이미 늙었는데, 정말로 아이를 낳을 수 있으랴?’ 하느냐? 14 너무 어려워 주님이 못 할 일이라도 있다는 말이냐? 내가 내년 이맘때에 너에게 돌아올 터인데, 그때에는 사라에게 아들이 있을 것이다.”
15 사라가 두려운 나머지 “저는 웃지 않았습니다.” 하면서 부인하자, 그분께서 “아니다. 너는 웃었다.” 하고 말씀하셨다.

  

 복음

마태오 8,5-17
5 예수님께서 카파르나움에 들어가셨을 때에 한 백인대장이 다가와 도움을 청하였다. 6 그가 이렇게 말하였다. “주님, 제 종이 중풍으로 집에 드러누워 있는데 몹시 괴로워하고 있습니다.”
7 예수님께서 “내가 가서 그를 고쳐 주마.” 하시자, 8 백인대장이 대답하였다. “주님, 저는 주님을 제 지붕 아래로 모실 자격이 없습니다. 그저 한 말씀만 해 주십시오. 그러면 제 종이 나을 것입니다. 9 사실 저는 상관 밑에 있는 사람입니다만 제 밑으로도 군사들이 있어서, 이 사람에게 가라 하면 가고 저 사람에게 오라 하면 옵니다. 또 제 노예더러 이것을 하라 하면 합니다.”
10 이 말을 들으시고 예수님께서는 감탄하시며 당신을 따르는 이들에게 이르셨다. “내가 진실로 너희에게 말한다. 나는 이스라엘의 그 누구에게서도 이런 믿음을 본 일이 없다.
11 내가 너희에게 말한다. 많은 사람이 동쪽과 서쪽에서 모여 와, 하늘 나라에서 아브라함과 이사악과 야곱과 함께 잔칫상에 자리 잡을 것이다. 12 그러나 하느님 나라의 상속자들은 바깥 어둠 속으로 쫓겨나, 거기에서 울며 이를 갈 것이다.”
13 그리고 예수님께서는 백인대장에게 말씀하셨다. “가거라. 네가 믿은 대로 될 것이다.” 바로 그 시간에 종이 나았다.
14 예수님께서 베드로의 집으로 가셨을 때, 그의 장모가 열병으로 드러누워 있는 것을 보셨다. 15 예수님께서 당신 손을 그 부인의 손에 대시니 열이 가셨다. 그래서 부인은 일어나 그분의 시중을 들었다.
16 저녁이 되자 사람들이 마귀 들린 이들을 예수님께 많이 데리고 왔다. 예수님께서는 말씀으로 악령들을 쫓아내시고, 앓는 사람들을 모두 고쳐 주셨다. 17 이사야 예언자를 통하여 “그는 우리의 병고를 떠맡고, 우리의 질병을 짊어졌다.” 하신 말씀이 이루어지려고 그리된 것이다.

 

 

 

 June 30, 2007

 Saturday of the Twelfth Week in Ordinary Time

 

 Reading 1
Gn 8:1-15

The LORD appeared to Abraham by the Terebinth of Mamre,
as Abraham sat in the entrance of his tent,
while the day was growing hot.
Looking up, he saw three men standing nearby.
When he saw them, he ran from the entrance of the tent to greet them;
and bowing to the ground, he said:
“Sir, if I may ask you this favor,
please do not go on past your servant.
Let some water be brought, that you may bathe your feet,
and then rest yourselves under the tree.
Now that you have come this close to your servant,
let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves;
and afterward you may go on your way.”
The men replied, “Very well, do as you have said.”

Abraham hastened into the tent and told Sarah,
“Quick, three measures of fine flour!
Knead it and make rolls.”
He ran to the herd, picked out a tender, choice steer,
and gave it to a servant, who quickly prepared it.
Then Abraham got some curds and milk,
as well as the steer that had been prepared,
and set these before them;
and he waited on them under the tree while they ate.

They asked him, “Where is your wife Sarah?”
He replied, “There in the tent.”
One of them said, “I will surely return to you about this time next year,
and Sarah will then have a son.”
Sarah was listening at the entrance of the tent, just behind him.
Now Abraham and Sarah were old, advanced in years,
and Sarah had stopped having her womanly periods.
So Sarah laughed to herself and said,
“Now that I am so withered and my husband is so old,
am I still to have sexual pleasure?”
But the LORD said to Abraham: “Why did Sarah laugh and say,
‘Shall I really bear a child, old as I am?’
Is anything too marvelous for the LORD to do?
At the appointed time, about this time next year, I will return to you,
and Sarah will have a son.”
Because she was afraid, Sarah dissembled, saying, “I didn’t laugh.”
But he replied, “Yes you did.”

Responsorial Psalm
Luke 1:46-47, 48-49, 50 and 53, 54-55

R. (see 54b) The Lord has remembered his mercy.
“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit rejoices in God my Savior.”
R. The Lord has remembered his mercy.
“For he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
From this day all generations will call me blessed:
the Almighty has done great things for me,
and holy is his Name.”
R. The Lord has remembered his mercy.
“He has mercy on those who fear him
in every generation.
He has filled the hungry with good things,
and the rich he has sent away empty.”
R. The Lord has remembered his mercy.
“He has come to the help of his servant Israel
for he has remembered his promise of mercy,
The promise he made to our fathers,
to Abraham and his children for ever.”
R. The Lord has remembered his mercy.

Gospel
Mt 8:5-17

When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”
He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”
The centurion said in reply,
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.
For I too am a man subject to authority,

with soldiers subject to me.
And I say to one, ‘Go,’ and he goes;
and to another, ‘Come here,’ and he comes;
and to my slave, ‘Do this,’ and he does it.”
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
“Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven,
but the children of the Kingdom
will be driven out into the outer darkness,
where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.”
And Jesus said to the centurion,
“You may go; as you have believed, let it be done for you.”
And at that very hour his servant was healed.

Jesus entered the house of Peter,
and saw his mother-in-law lying in bed with a fever.
He touched her hand, the fever left her,
and she rose and waited on him.

When it was evening, they brought him many
who were possessed by demons,
and he drove out the spirits by a word and cured all the sick,
to fulfill what had been said by Isaiah the prophet:

He took away our infirmities
and bore our diseases.

 

 

 Commentary

 

 The Lord appears to Abraham in the form of three strangers. They are welcomed and cared for and fed. Guests are to be treated as Yahweh's presence and Abraham recognizes that these men are somehow Yahweh's power and messengers. Sarah and the servants prepare the meal. The strangers ask where Sarah is, telling Abraham that they will return about the same time next year and Sarah will have borne a child. But Sarah is old and as she was listening at the tent flap. Upon hearing this, she makes fun of what they say, laughing at such a statement. She is caught and reprimanded for her lack of belief and in her fear, she lies about her disbelief. This is the woman who sought to have her own child, in her own way.
Sarah cannot believe she will bear a child in her old age. In the presence of Jesus everything becomes possible. A centurion asks Jesus to cure his servant and his faith is amazing. An outsider, a Roman, speaks about obedience, having been under discipline himself, recognizing Jesus' authority and his person as the power of healing and wholeness. Jesus is delighted and announces that this man is the image of who will be a believer in his community in the future. Jesus continues his healing of the sick as part of his mission. Jesus bore our infirmities and endured all our sufferings! How deep is our faith and do we practice it, or do we just laugh things off?

 

 

 Both the reading from Genesis and the Gospel from Matthew provide perspectives on trust.

Today’s readings hit home. I think of the aging Abraham and Sarah. I was born to parents who were 44 and 45 years old. I am here because on her first communion day my parents asked my youngest sister what she would like for this special day. She told them that she wanted a baby brother. My parents had always wanted a son. Nine months later I was born.

Today’s readings also hit home on a deeper level. They are calls for trust. This is not my strong point. My trust problems are not limited to trust in the Lord. I have a sufficient number of trust problems with my fellow man. There were times and places when I was more trusting. A word was enough. I functioned with very few worries. Still I wasn’t getting it. Although I would like it if I could count on all of my prayers being answered, I don’t think it is (or it should be) that easy. Hakuna Matata, the song of the worry-free philosophy from the Lion King, does not describe the lifestyle I believe that our faith asks. Trust and belief do not need to be at odds with responsibility, but finding the right mix is not a trivial task. Part of this challenge is a function of my expectations. I am comforted by the reaction of Abraham and Sarah. It is not natural for most of us to embrace thoughts that are not in line with our experience. Here the trust must extend beyond what our common sense would tell us.

In the second reading, if I put myself in the place of the centurion the words of trust do not seem so difficult. on reflection, part of this may be the desperation that the father feels. My experience is faith seems to flow easier in hard times than in times where things seem to be all going well.

I find it hard to intellectually reconcile these two different responses. They are both moments for trust in a seemingly trustworthy Lord.

On revisiting these two contemplations, my heart leads me to unveil something more. I realize that it is easier for me to trust a human Jesus in the Gospel than it is to trust a nebulous Lord in the first reading. I realize the gift of God as a person. Although this is a point made in more than one Christmas sermon, I feel blessed that today’s readings took me to a greater appreciation of the incarnation.

I will bring this reflection to a close before my intellect starts to steal my consolation. This leaves me today with a prayer of thanks for a human Jesus. My prayer is also for growth in my ability to trust.

 

 by
Mike Cherney
Physics Department

 

 

"Lord, I am not worthy, but only say the word and my servant will be healed"

 

In Jesus’ time the Jews hated the Romans because they represented everything they stood against -- including foreign domination and pagan beliefs and practices. Why did Jesus not only warmly receive a Roman centurion but praise him as a model of faith and confidence in God? In the Roman world the position of centurion was very important.  He was an officer in charge of a hundred soldiers.  In a certain sense, he was the backbone of the Roman army, the cement which held the army together. Polybius, an ancient write, describes what a centurion should be: "They must not be so much venturesome seekers after danger as men who can command, steady in action, and reliable; they ought not to be over-anxious to rush into the fight, but when hard pressed, they must be ready to hold their ground, and die at their posts."

The centurion who approached Jesus was not only courageous, but faith-filled as well.  He risked the ridicule of his cronies by seeking help from an itinerant preacher from Galilee, and well as mockery from the Jews.  Nonetheless, he approached Jesus with confidence and humility.  He was an extraordinary man because he loved his slave.  In the Roman world slaves were treated like animals rather than people. The centurion was also an extraordinary man of faith.  He wanted Jesus to heal his beloved slave.  Jesus commends him for his faith and immediately grants him his request.  Are you willing to suffer ridicule in the practice of your faith?  And when you need help, do you approach the Lord Jesus with expectant faith?

 “Heavenly Father, you sent us your Son that we might be freed from the tyranny of sin and death.  Increase my faith in the power of your saving word and give me freedom to love and serve others with generosity and mercy as you have loved me.”

Psalm 74:1-6,20-21

1 O God, why dost thou cast us off for ever? Why does thy anger smoke against the sheep of thy pasture?
2 Remember thy congregation, which thou hast gotten of old, which thou hast redeemed to be the tribe of thy heritage!  Remember Mount Zion, where thou hast dwelt.
3 Direct thy steps to the perpetual ruins; the enemy has destroyed everything in the sanctuary!
4 Thy foes have roared in the midst of thy holy place; they set up their own signs for signs.
5 At the upper entrance they hacked the wooden trellis with axes.
6 And then all its carved wood they broke down with hatchets and hammers.
20 Have regard for thy covenant; for the dark places of the land are full of the habitations of  violence.
21 Let not the downtrodden be put to shame; let the poor and needy praise thy name.

 

 

"Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully." He (Jesus) said to him, "I will come and cure him." The centurion responded, "Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof; only say the word and my servant will be healed."

Such is the exchange between Jesus and a centurion in today's Gospel selection. As we know, Jesus cured the man's servant without ever going to him at all. The centurion's blind faith in Jesus produced this result.

Sometimes I think: If only I had faith like that! Why don't I? I really can't say. I pray for something and then wonder when and if it will happen, instead of praying and knowing it will happen. That seems to be the difference between my prayers and the prayer of the centurion. Jesus' words: O you of little faith, surely apply to me. Lord, I do believe. Please help my unbelief.
 

 

 

 HOSPITALITY AND REVELATION

'Now that you have come this close to your servant, let me bring you a little food, that you may refresh yourselves.' Genesis 18:5

Abraham asked his three guests to do him the favor (Gn 18:3) of letting him wash their feet and bring them a 'little' food (Gn 18:5). By 'little' food, Abraham meant 'a tender, choice steer' and a few hundred rolls, for Sarah used half a bushel of flour to make the rolls (Gn 18:6-7). This didn't even count the cheese or yogurt with the milk (Gn 18:8). Abraham was hospitable to the tune of hundreds of dollars and hours of work. He was sacrificially hospitable.

Traditionally, when the Lord gives the grace to give sacrificial hospitality, and we accept this grace, the grace of divine revelation often follows. After Abraham gave hospitality, the Lord revealed to him that he and his wife Sarah would miraculously have a son within a year (Gn 18:10). After Martha and Mary gave hospitality to Jesus (Lk 10:38ff), they eventually saw Jesus raise their brother Lazarus from the dead and heard the astounding revelation from Jesus: 'I am the Resurrection and the Life: whoever believes in Me, though he should die, will come to life; and whoever is alive and believes in Me will never die' (Jn 11:25-26).

'Do not neglect to show hospitality, for by that means some have entertained angels without knowing it' (Heb 13:2) and have received divine revelation.

Praise: It was the seed of the outpoured blood of the First Martyrs of Rome that gave great life to the Church and provided an enduring witness to Christ for the ages.
Prayer: Father, may I love and suffer so much that I become hospitable.
Promise: 'Just give an order and my boy will get better.' Mt 8:8

 

 

«I am not worthy to have you under my roof. Just give an order and my boy will be healed»

Today, the Gospel speaks of the centurion's love, of his faith, confidence and humility. Of his deep concern towards his servant. He is so much worried about him, that he humiliates before Jesus to ask his help: «Sir, my servant lies sick at home. He is paralyzed and suffers terribly» (Mt 8:6). This concern for others and, even more, for a servant, prompts Jesus' response: «I will come and heal him» (Mt 8:7), followed by a series of acts of faith and confidence. The centurion does not consider himself worthy and, along with that feeling, he expresses his own faith in such a way before Jesus and before all those gathered there, that Jesus has to say: «I tell you, I have not found such faith in Israel» (Mt 8:10).

We may wonder what impels Jesus to make this miracle. We so very often ask God to no avail, though we know He is always listening! So, what happens, then? We may think we ask properly, but are we sure we do it like the centurion did? His prayer is not selfish, but full of love, humility and confidence. St. Peter Crysologus says: «The power of love does not consider possibilities (...). Love does not discern nor ponders; love does not understand reasons. Love is not resignation before impossibility, nor does it get intimidated before difficulties». Is it like that, my prayer?

«I am not worthy to have you under my roof...» (Mt 8:8). It is the centurion's answer. Are your feelings like this? Is this your faith? «Only faith can explain this mystery. Faith is true knowledge, the principles of which are beyond rational demonstration; for faith makes real for us things beyond intellect and reason» (St. Maximus, confessor). If your faith is such, then you are bound to hear too: «‘Go home now. As you believed, so let it be (...)’ And at that moment his servant was healed» (Mt 8:13).

Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, Master of faith, hope and devoted love, show us how to pray so that we may obtain from the Lord that what is convenient for us.
 

 

 Sometimes in the course of prayer life I experience the "outer darkness; … the gnashing of teeth and the weeping."  The terror of separation often dwells in the different levels and places of my consciousness.  I taste the outer darkness.  But the state cannot last nor be the ultimate condition of my soul.  I know authority and what it accomplishes.  I trust in the absolute power of Christ's authority to heal my soul.  The foundation of faith is the background to my hope, and ultimately love, divine charity makes me cleave unto God, so that He is all in all in Christ.  People from east and west will sit with me among all the patriarchs, their wives, the prophets, kings and humble faithful in the Kingdom.  With the centurion's prayer in  my heart, my Communion in the Body and Blood of Christ nourishes this being in the Triune God through Christ.  That is the heart of my prayer.