July 6, 2007 Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

  2007년 7월 6일 연중 제13주간 금요일

 

 제1독서

창세기 23,1-4.19; 24,1-8.62-67
1 사라는 백이십칠 년을 살았다. 이것이 사라가 산 햇수이다. 2 사라는 가나안 땅 키르얏 아르바 곧 헤브론에서 죽었다. 아브라함은 빈소에 들어가 사라의 죽음을 애도하며 슬피 울었다.
3 그런 다음 아브라함은 죽은 아내 앞에서 물러 나와 히타이트 사람들에게 가서 말하였다. 4 “나는 이방인이며 거류민으로 여러분 곁에 살고 있습니다. 죽은 내 아내를 내어다 안장할 수 있게, 여러분 곁에 있는 묘지를 양도해 주십시오.” 19 아브라함은 가나안 땅 마므레, 곧 헤브론 맞은쪽 막펠라 밭에 있는 동굴에 자기 아내 사라를 안장하였다.
24,1 아브라함은 이제 늙고 나이가 무척 많았다. 주님께서는 모든 일마다 아브라함에게 복을 내려 주셨다.
2 아브라함은 자기의 모든 재산을 맡아보는, 집안의 가장 늙은 종에게 말하였다. “네 손을 내 샅에 넣어라. 3 나는 네가 하늘의 하느님이시며 땅의 하느님이신 주님을 두고 맹세하게 하겠다. 내가 살고 있는 이곳 가나안족의 딸들 가운데에서 내 아들의 아내가 될 여자를 데려오지 않고, 4 내 고향, 내 친족에게 가서 내 아들 이사악의 아내가 될 여자를 데려오겠다고 하여라.”
5 그 종이 아브라함에게 물었다. “그 여자가 저를 따라 이 땅으로 오려고 하지 않을지도 모릅니다. 제가 아드님을 나리께서 떠나오신 그 땅으로 데려가야 합니까?”
6 그러자 아브라함이 그에게 대답하였다. “너는 내 아들을 그곳으로 데려가는 일이 없도록 조심하여라. 7 하늘의 하느님이신 주님, 곧 나를 아버지의 집과 내 본고장에서 데려오시고, ‘내가 네 후손에게 이 땅을 주겠다.’고 나에게 말씀하시며 맹세하신 그분께서 당신 천사를 네 앞에 보내시어, 네가 그곳에서 내 아들의 아내가 될 여자를 데려올 수 있게 해 주실 것이다.
8 그 여자가 너를 따라오려고 하지 않으면, 너는 나에게 한 맹세에서 풀리게 된다. 다만 내 아들만은 그곳으로 데려가서는 안 된다.”
[세월이 흘러] 62 이사악은 브에르 라하이 로이를 떠나, 네겝 땅에 살고 있었다. 63 저녁 무렵 이사악이 들에 바람을 쐬러 나갔다가 눈을 들어 보니, 낙타 떼가 오고 있었다.
64 레베카도 눈을 들어 이사악을 보고서는 얼른 낙타에서 내려, 65 그 종에게 물었다. “들을 가로질러 우리 쪽으로 오는 저 남자는 누구입니까?” 그 종이 “그분은 나의 주인입니다.” 하고 대답하자, 레베카는 너울을 꺼내어 얼굴을 가렸다.
66 그 종은 이사악에게 자기가 한 모든 일을 이야기하였다. 67 이사악은 레베카를 자기 어머니 사라의 천막으로 데리고 들어가서, 그를 아내로 맞아들였다. 이사악은 레베카를 사랑하였다. 이로써 이사악은 어머니를 여읜 뒤에 위로를 받게 되었다.

 

 복음

 마태오 9,9-13
그때에 9 예수님께서 길을 가시다가 마태오라는 사람이 세관에 앉아 있는 것을 보시고 말씀하셨다. “나를 따라라.” 그러자 마태오는 일어나 그분을 따랐다.
10 예수님께서 집에서 식탁에 앉게 되셨는데, 마침 많은 세리와 죄인도 와서 예수님과 그분의 제자들과 자리를 함께하였다.
11 그것을 본 바리사이들이 그분의 제자들에게 말하였다. “당신네 스승은 어째서 세리와 죄인들과 함께 음식을 먹는 것이오?”
12 예수님께서 이 말을 들으시고 그들에게 말씀하셨다. “튼튼한 이들에게는 의사가 필요하지 않으나 병든 이들에게는 필요하다. 13 너희는 가서 ‘내가 바라는 것은 희생 제물이 아니라 자비다.’ 하신 말씀이 무슨 뜻인지 배워라. 사실 나는 의인이 아니라 죄인을 부르러 왔다.”

 

 

 

 July 6, 2007

 Friday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time

  

 Reading 1
Gn 23:1-4, 19; 24:1-8, 62-67

The span of Sarah’s life was one hundred and twenty-seven years.
She died in Kiriatharba (that is, Hebron)
in the land of Canaan,
and Abraham performed the customary mourning rites for her.
Then he left the side of his dead one and addressed the Hittites:
“Although I am a resident alien among you,
sell me from your holdings a piece of property for a burial ground,
that I may bury my dead wife.”

After the transaction, Abraham buried his wife Sarah
in the cave of the field of Machpelah,
facing Mamre (that is, Hebron) in the land of Canaan.

Abraham had now reached a ripe old age,
and the LORD had blessed him in every way.
Abraham said to the senior servant of his household,
who had charge of all his possessions:
“Put your hand under my thigh,
and I will make you swear by the LORD,
the God of heaven and the God of earth,
that you will not procure a wife for my son
from the daughters of the Canaanites among whom I live,
but that you will go to my own land and to my kindred
to get a wife for my son Isaac.”
The servant asked him:
“What if the woman is unwilling to follow me to this land?
Should I then take your son back to the land from which you migrated?”
“Never take my son back there for any reason,” Abraham told him.
“The LORD, the God of heaven,
who took me from my father’s house and the land of my kin,
and who confirmed by oath the promise he then made to me,
‘I will give this land to your descendants’–
he will send his messenger before you,
and you will obtain a wife for my son there.
If the woman is unwilling to follow you,
you will be released from this oath.
But never take my son back there!”

A long time later, Isaac went to live in the region of the Negeb.
One day toward evening he went out . . . in the field,
and as he looked around, he noticed that camels were approaching.
Rebekah, too, was looking about, and when she saw him,
she alighted from her camel and asked the servant,
“Who is the man out there, walking through the fields toward us?”
“That is my master,” replied the servant.
Then she covered herself with her veil.

The servant recounted to Isaac all the things he had done.
Then Isaac took Rebekah into his tent;
he married her, and thus she became his wife.
In his love for her, Isaac found solace
after the death of his mother Sarah.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 106:1b-2, 3-4a, 4b-5

R. (1b) Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Who can tell the mighty deeds of the LORD,
or proclaim all his praises?
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Blessed are they who observe what is right,
who do always what is just.
Remember us, O LORD, as you favor your people.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.
Visit me with your saving help,
That I may see the prosperity of your chosen ones,
rejoice in the joy of your people,
and glory with your inheritance.
R. Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good.

Gospel
Mt 9:9-13

As Jesus passed by,
he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the customs post.
He said to him, “Follow me.”
And he got up and followed him.
While he was at table in his house,
many tax collectors and sinners came
and sat with Jesus and his disciples.
The Pharisees saw this and said to his disciples,
“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
He heard this and said,
“Those who are well do not need a physician, but the sick do.
Go and learn the meaning of the words,
I desire mercy, not sacrifice.
I did not come to call the righteous but sinners.”

 

 

 Commentary

 

 Sarah dies and is buried, and Abraham, a resident alien in that country buys a piece of property to bury her and to rest beside her when his time comes. He asks his servant to find his son Isaac a wife from his own kindred-a dying request. The servant sets it up. Isaac meets Rebekah and they eventually marry, bringing consolation and promise.

Jesus summons a tax collector to follow him-no one is exempt from the invitation to follow Jesus, no matter what we have been working at before we hear the Word of the Lord calling out to us. Others find fault with Jesus and he tells them and us that he hasn't come for anyone who thinks they are healthy or okay. But he has come for those who know they need forgiveness, healing, and mercy. Do we admit to being in such need?

 

 

 In today’s gospel Jesus makes another unlikely selection for one of his apostles when he chooses Matthew, a tax collector, who drops everything to follow Jesus. Then Jesus goes to Matthew’s home where he eats with other tax collectors and sinners. Wouldn’t one think that Jesus would want to choose someone who is good and virtuous, someone who is “at home” in the synagogue and associates with others with similar values? You would think he would call the holiest to be his apostles rather than one of the tax collectors, a group distrusted by the Jewish people? Isn’t that what his followers will need long after he is gone, leaders who are already holy with connections with others who followed Jewish law and attended the synagogue regularly, people he could count on? But, Jesus did not call the pillars of the synagogue to lead his church, and we have the benefit of hindsight to see how successful that has been.

There are a number of lessons that we can take from this passage. one is the lesson that Jesus tries to convey to the Pharisees, that his mission is to focus on those who need him the most, sinners like you and me. He is trying to teach them about forgiveness; the infinite forgiveness that he offers to them and to all of us. What a gift his mercy and forgiveness are; given not because of anything we could ever do to earn them but because of his love.

If we are going to truly follow in his path, we also need to forgive without waiting for the other person to earn or even ask for that forgiveness. How hard that can be at times when someone has hurt us. We want them to do something to make up for that hurt, at the very least we want to hear those three words, I am sorry. But, Jesus is trying to teach us that we need to forgive as he forgives us, freely and unconditionally. As a mother, that kind of forgiveness is most difficult for me when someone has hurt one of my children. But I do not think there is an exception even in that case, after all God the Father has forgiven our sins that crucified his Son.

There is also the lesson that Jesus offers us about true humility; he is not self-righteous and judgmental and he wants us to follow his example. It can be a difficult example to follow. There is an insidious self-righteousness that is supported by our society’s skewed focus on individual rights. We seem to think that our right to “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness” takes precedence in all manner of situations even if our rights are in conflict with someone else’s rights. We sometimes have a sense of being owed something for most everything we do and it is easy to fall into the trap of questioning if someone else is deserving of what they have received.

The lessons that can be drawn from today’s gospel are not always the easiest to put into practice. Let us give thanks to God for his infinite patience with us and renew our efforts to follow his son’s path of humility and forgiveness. The psalmist clearly portrays how very fortunate we are in the words, “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.”

 

 by
Susan Tinley
School of Nursing

 

 

 "I desire mercy, and not sacrifice"

Do you know God’s mercy and do you treat your neighbor with mercy? People in Palestine were divided into roughly two groups: the orthodox Jews who rigidly kept the law and all its petty regulations, and the rest who didn’t keep all the minute regulations. The orthodox treated the latter like second class citizens.  They scrupulously avoided their company, refused to do business with them, refused to give or receive anything from them, refused to intermarry, and avoided any form of entertainment with them, including table fellowship. Jesus’ association with the latter, especially with tax collectors and sinners, shocked the sensibilities of these orthodox Jews.  In calling Matthew to be one of his disciples, Jesus picked one of the unlikeliest of men -- a tax collector who by profession was despised by the Jewish people.

When the Pharisees challenged his unorthodox behavior in eating with public sinners, Jesus’ defense was quite simple.  A doctor doesn’t need to visit healthy people; instead he goes to those who are sick.  Jesus likewise sought out those in the greatest need. A true physician seeks healing of the whole person -- body, mind, and spirit.  Jesus came as the divine physician and good shepherd to care for his people and to restore them to wholeness of life. The orthodox were so preoccupied with their own practice of religion that they neglected to help the very people who needed spiritual care. Their religion was selfish because they didn’t want to have anything to do with people not like themselves. Jesus stated his mission in unequivocal terms: I came  not to call the righteous, but to call sinners.  Ironically the orthodox were as needy as those they despised.  All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Ro. 3:23). Do you thank the Lord for the great mercy he has shown to you?  And do you seek the good of all your neighbors and show them mercy and kindness?

"Lord Jesus, our Savior, let us now come to you: Our hearts are cold; Lord, warm them with your selfless love.  Our hearts are sinful; cleanse them with your precious blood.  Our hearts are weak; strengthen them with your joyous Spirit.  Our hearts are empty; fill them with your divine presence.  Lord Jesus, our hearts are yours; possess them always and only for yourself.” (Prayer of Augustine, 354-430)

Psalm 119:2,10,20,30,40,131

2 Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart,
10 With my whole heart I seek thee; let me not wander from thy commandments!
20 My soul is consumed with longing for thy ordinances at all times.
30 I have chosen the way of faithfulness, I set thy ordinances before me.
40 Behold, I long for thy precepts; in thy righteousness give me life!
131 With open mouth I pant, because I long for thy commandments.

 

 

 The first reading describes many customs among the semitic people.   The burial of Sarah, the swearing of a servant that he will assist in finding a wife for Isaac, as well as the manners of the oath are indications of authenticity in the stories.  
The gospel can be seen in various ways.   Was there previous contact between Jesus and Matthew?   That would make it a lot easier to understand why Matthew would instantly leave everything when Jesus says “Follow me.” on the other hand, we must marvel at the magnetic personality of Jesus who can draw large crowds and move all kinds of peoples.    The story in context teaches us that the Lord is infinitely merciful.  He reaches out even to the most corrupt of persons.   His reaching out to forgive cannot help but attract us as it did Matthew.   A United Methodist minister friend of mine had a great ｅxpression.  He said, “I hate religious people; I want a people of faith.”   Religious people do things and go through motions.  People of faith seek the Lord with all their heart.   Matthew was not religious.   But he is touched by the Lord’s invitation.   He hears that even he can be forgiven.   He is moved.   He leaves his table of money and follows the Lord.

Also St. Maria Goretti (1890 - 1902)
St. Maria Goretti is described as virgin and martyr.   She died rather than give in to sins of
 impurity when she was attacked by a rapist.  She was only twelve years old when she died as a martyr to virtue.   Some say that she was a bit slow, perhaps even semi-retarded.  Strength of faith, however, does not depend on IQ.  After the attack, she lived for a few hours.   She forgave her attacker, received Holy Communion, and showed concern for everyone but herself.  Years later, the as-yet-unrepentant attacker was converted through a vision of Maria offering him flowers.   Faith and courage and not the exclusive possession of the mature.  They are gifts of God which often shine brightly in the simple and the unlettered.   Isn’t that what Jesus said?

 

 

 Prayer is my contact with Jesus, the physician of my soul.  He is the one who heals the distorted, wounded, diseased condition of my person.  He is the one who summons from the depths of my being the goodness, the truth, the beauty, the resiliency of nature created in his image and likeness.  The summons and empowering flow from the gift of grace.  Grace means the power of Christ's resurrection made present by the Holy Spirit given by the Father.  Jesus calls me to prayer like he called Matthew to follow him.  Immediately I will respond to every invitation to pray.  I will enter prayer with my being open to all that God will do for me.  God thirsts to fill me with his knowledge and love.  He is intent on filling me with the bliss and blessedness of union.  I come to the banquet as well as to the healing.