August 27, 2019 Memorial of Saint Monica

2019년 8월 27일 연중 제21주간 화요일

오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp

제1독서

테살로니카 1서. 2,1-8
1 형제 여러분, 우리가 여러분을 찾아간 일이 헛되지 않았음을 여러분 자신도 잘 알고 있습니다. 2 여러분도 알다시피, 우리는 전에 필리피에서 고난을 겪고 모욕을 당하였지만, 오히려 우리 하느님 안에서 용기를 얻어, 격렬히 투쟁하면서 여러분에게 하느님의 복음을 전하였습니다.
3 우리의 설교는 그릇된 생각에서 나온 것도 아니고, 불순한 동기에서 나온 것도 아니며, 속임수로 한 것도 아닙니다. 4 우리는 하느님께서 우리를 인정하여 맡기신 복음을 그대로 전합니다. 사람들의 비위를 맞추려는 것이 아니라, 우리 마음을 시험하시는 하느님을 기쁘게 해 드리려는 것입니다.
5 여러분도 알다시피, 우리는 한 번도 아첨하는 말을 하지 않았고, 구실을 붙여 탐욕을 부리지도 않았습니다. 하느님께서 그 증인이십니다. 6 우리는 사람들에게서 영광을 찾지도 않았습니다. 여러분에게서도 찾지 않았고, 다른 사람들에게서도 찾지 않았습니다. 7 우리는 그리스도의 사도로서 위엄 있게 처신할 수도 있었습니다. 그러나 우리는 여러분 가운데에서, 자녀들을 품에 안은 어머니처럼 온화하게 처신하였습니다.
8 우리는 이처럼 여러분에게 애정을 가지고 있기 때문에, 하느님의 복음을 여러분과 함께 나눌 뿐만 아니라, 여러분을 위하여 우리 자신까지 바치기로 결심하였습니다. 여러분은 그토록 우리에게 사랑받는 사람이 되었습니다.

 

복음

마태오. 23,23-26
그때에 예수님께서 말씀하셨다.
23 “불행하여라, 너희 위선자 율법 학자들과 바리사이들아! 너희가 박하와 시라와 소회향은 십일조를 내면서, 의로움과 자비와 신의처럼 율법에서 더 중요한 것들은 무시하기 때문이다. 그러한 십일조도 무시해서는 안 되지만, 바로 이러한 것들을 실행해야만 했다. 24 눈먼 인도자들아! 너희는 작은 벌레들은 걸러 내면서, 낙타는 그냥 삼키는 자들이다.
25 불행하여라, 너희 위선자 율법 학자들과 바리사이들아! 너희가 잔과 접시의 겉은 깨끗이 하지만, 그 안은 탐욕과 방종으로 가득 차 있기 때문이다. 26 눈먼 바리사이야! 먼저 잔 속을 깨끗이 하여라. 그러면 겉도 깨끗해질 것이다.”

August 27, 2019

Memorial of Saint Monica

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

http://www.usccb.org/bible/

Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass

Reading 1
1 Thes 2:1-8
You yourselves know, brothers and sisters,
that our reception among you was not without effect.
Rather, after we had suffered and been insolently treated,
as you know, in Philippi ,
we drew courage through our God
to speak to you the Gospel of God with much struggle.
Our exhortation was not from delusion or impure motives,
nor did it work through deception.
But as we were judged worthy by God to be entrusted with the Gospel,
that is how we speak,
not as trying to please men,
but rather God, who judges our hearts.
Nor, indeed, did we ever appear with flattering speech, as you know,
or with a pretext for greed?God is witness?
nor did we seek praise from men,
either from you or from others,
although we were able to impose our weight as Apostles of Christ.
Rather, we were gentle among you,
as a nursing mother cares for her children.
With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you
not onl　y the Gospel of God, but our very selves as well,
so dearly beloved had you become to us.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 139:1-3, 4-6
R.  (1) You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R.  You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
behold, O LORD, you know the whole of it.
Behind me and before, you hem me in
and rest your hand upon me.
Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
too lofty for me to attain.
R.  You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

Gospel
Mt 23:23-26
Jesus said:
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin,
and have neglected the weightier things of the law:
judgment and mercy and fidelity.
But these you should have done, without neglecting the others.
Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You cleanse the outside of cup and dish,
but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence.
Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup,
so that the outside also may be clean.”

http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow

 «Purify the inside first, then the outside too will be purified»

Fr. Austin NORRIS
(Mumbai, India)

Today we seem to catch Jesus in a foul mood —someone must have really got him upset; upset with false religiosity, pompous claims and egoistic piety. He has sensed the lack of love, i.e., «justice, mercy and faith» (Mt 23:23), behind the superficial actions of trying to fulfill the Law. Jesus embodies all these in his person and ministry. He was justice, mercy and faith. His actions, miracles, healings and pronouncements exuded all these true fundamentals which flowed from his loving heart. For Jesus, it was not the matter of the law, but the matter of the heart…

Even in the words of chastisement, we see a hand of love held out by Jesus, to those who would want to come back to the basics: «You have been told, O man, what is good, and what the Lord requires of you: only to do right and to love goodness, and to walk humbly with your God» (Micah 6:8). Pope Francis said: «A little mercy makes the world less cold and more just. We need to understand properly this mercy of God, this merciful Father who is so patient... Let us remember the Prophet Isaiah who says that even if our sins were scarlet, God's love would make them white as snow. This mercy is beautiful!».

«Purify the inside first, then the outside too will be purified» (Mt 23:26). How true this is for each of us! We know how personal cleanliness makes us feel fresh and vibrant within and without. Even more so in the spiritual and moral realm, our inner self/spirit, if clean and wholesome, will shine forth in good deeds and actions, that «will glorify God and render him true homage» (Jn 5:23). Let us look at the bigger picture of love, justice and faith and not settle for the smaller nitty-gritty which consume our time and make us small and petty. Let us jump into the vast ocean of God’s love and not be satisfied with the rivulets of pettiness.

«Purify the inside first, then the outside too will be purified»

Brother Lluís SERRA i Llançana
(Roma, Italy)

Today, Jesus assumes a clear attitude of diatribe: «Woe to you (...)! Woe to you (...)!» (Mt 23:23-25). His objectives are the scribes and the Pharisees, who represent the powerful class exerting a spiritual and moral influence over people. How can they ever lead people if they are “blind guides”? Their blindness lies in the incoherency of scrupulously observing the small details, which do have importance, while neglecting the weightier things of the Law, such as justice, love and fidelity. They are concerned over their own image, but it does not correspond to their inside, full of «plunder and self-indulgence» (Mt 23:25). Curiously enough, Jesus, uses here words referring to economic aspects.

Today's Gospel represents an invitation for those persons and most outstanding groups of the Christian communities, that is, their guides, to appraise their conscience. Do we respect the fundamental values? Do we value norms more than people? Do we impose upon others what we cannot do, ourselves? Do we speak from the complacency of our own ideas or from our humility of heart? As Dom Helder Camara said: «I would like to be a puddle of water to become the mirror of heaven». Do people consider their pastors, men of God who can tell the accessory from the fundamental? Feebleness deserves understanding, but hypocresy provokes contempt.

When listening at today's Gospel we may fall into some sort of snare. Jesus speaks to the scribes and to the Pharisees, who are hypocrites, for there were also who were not. And we may conclude that this text, today, may be intended for bishops and priests, only. As guides of the Christian communities they must certainly be careful not to tumble upon those attitudes denounced by God, but we must also remember that every believer —man or woman— may harbor in his inside a “blind Pharisee”. Jesus invites us to: «Cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean» (Mt 23:26). The path to spirituality is through the human heart.

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

 

…cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean. (MT 23:26)

Today’s readings from scripture ask a poignant question. It’s a question that is both fundamental and fair. It is also challenging:

Are we focused on what really matters? Or do the most important things escape us?

Jesus is skilled at asking questions such as these with grace – and with bite, if I may say so. He teaches lessons in ways relatable to us. Here, he uses a simple cup to make his point. Jesus admonishes the scribes and Pharisees to “cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.” Recently, I was reading Cinderella to my five-year-old daughter and as the characters of the ugly stepsisters were introduced it was noted that they appeared ugly because they were unkind and selfish. The inside of their cup was not clean. They were a façade. Cinderella, on the other hand, was lovely and beautiful (though she appeared in rags) precisely because she was kind and selfless. She had emptied herself. Indeed, what must precede the cleaning of the inside of a cup?

It must first be empty.

As Christians, as human beings, we must empty ourselves. We must empty ourselves of self-absorption, of vanity, of self-serving, of the desire for praise – for recognition. only when we do this can we orient ourselves to the service and care of others. Just so, the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many. (MT 20:28)

Let us all pray today that we may empty ourselves in such a way that we may be filled with the Spirit of God. 

 http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp

HUMILIATION

"Fresh from the humiliation we had suffered at Philippi � about which you know � we drew courage from our God to preach His good tidings to you in the face of great opposition." �1 Thessalonians 2:2

When we've just been humiliated, we tend to focus on ourselves, be unforgiving and resentful, lick our wounds, and/or have a pity party. However, such a time of humiliation can be just the right time to proclaim the Gospel. The humiliation we suffered may have been a defensive maneuver by the devil to try to stop us from receiving an exceptional outpouring of God's grace. When humiliated, we shouldn't draw back but charge forward. For example, when Paul was humiliated, beaten, dragged from Lystra, and left for dead, he "got up and went back into the town" (Acts 14:19-20). When Paul and Silas were arrested, stripped, flogged, and had their feet chained to a stake, they did not shut up or shut down but prayed and sang to the Lord (Acts 16:19-25). Before long an earthquake rocked the prison, and Paul and Silas converted the jailer and his family to the Lord (Acts 16:33). After Jesus' ultimate humiliation on Calvary, He had the ultimate victory of Resurrection from the dead. Humiliation isn't always a bad sign. It often precedes the greatest works of God in our lives, if we would only respond to God and not the momentary experience of humiliation.

Prayer: Father, by faith may I let You turn my humiliation to the good (Rm 8:28).

Promise: "First cleanse the inside of the cup so that its outside may be clean." —Mt 23:26

Praise: Though St. Monica's prayers seemed for years to have been in vain, her husband, son and grandson were eventually brought to the Faith.

 http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/

 Do not neglect justice, mercy and faith

Do you allow any blind-spots to blur your vision of God's kingdom and his ways? Jesus went to the heart of the matter when he called the religious leaders of his day blind Pharisees and hypocrites! A hypocrite is an actor or imposter who says one thing but does the opposite or who puts on an outward appearance of doing good while inwardly clinging to wrong attitudes, selfish desires and ambitions, or bad intentions. Many scribes and Pharisees had made it a regular practice to publicly put on a good show of outward zeal and piety with the intention of winning greater honors, privileges, and favors among the people. Jesus had a very good reason for severely rebuking the scribes and Pharisees, the religious teachers and leaders, for misleading people and neglecting the heart and essence of God's law - love of God and love of neighbor

What forms our outward practices and habits?
The scribes in particular devoted their whole lives to the study of God's law contained in the five books of Moses (Torah). As the religious experts of their day, they took great pride in their knowledge and outward observance of the commandments and precepts of the law of Moses. They further divided the 613 precepts of the Law of Moses into thousands of tiny rules and regulations. They were so exacting in their interpretations and in trying to live them out, that they had little time for much else. By the time they finished compiling their interpretations it took no less than fifty volumes to contain them! Jesus chastised them for neglecting the more important matters of religion, such as justice and the love of God. In their misguided zeal they had lost sight of God and of his purpose for the law.

God's law of love reveals what is truly important and necessary
Jesus used the example of tithing to show how far they had missed the mark. God had commanded a tithe of the first fruits of one's labor as an ｅxpression of thanksgiving and honor for his providential care for his people (Deuteronomy 14:22; Leviticus 27:30). The scribes, however, went to extreme lengths to tithe on insignificant things (such as tiny plants) with great mathematical accuracy. They were very attentive to minute matters of little importance, but they neglected to care for the needy and the weak. Jesus admonished them because their hearts were not right. They were filled with pride and contempt for others who were not like themselves. They put unnecessary burdens on others while neglecting to show charity, especially to the weak and the poor.

The scribes and Pharisees meticulously went through the outward observance of their religious duties and practices while forgetting the realities of God's intention and purpose for the law - his love and righteousness (justice and goodness). Jesus used a humorous example to show how out of proportion matters had gotten with them. Gnats were considered the smallest of insects and camels were considered the largest of animals in Palestine. Both were considered ritually impure. The scribes went to great lengths to avoid contact with gnats, even to the point of straining the wine cup with a fine cloth lest they accidentally swallowed a gnat. The stark contrast must have drawn chuckles as well as groans.

God's love shapes our minds and transforms our hearts and actions
What was the point of Jesus' humorous and important lesson? The essence of God's commandments is rooted in love – love of God and love of neighbor, righteousness (justice and goodness), and mercy. God is love and everything he does, including his justice and goodness, flows from his love for us. True love is costly and sacrificial - it both embraces and lifts the burdens of others. Do you allow the love of God to shape and transform the way you live your daily life - including the way you think of others, speak of them, and treat them?

"Lord Jesus, fill me with your love and mercy that I may always think, speak, and treat others with fairness, loving-kindness, patience, and goodness."

Psalm 139:1-6

1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
4 Even before a word is on my tongue, lo, O LORD, you know it altogether.
5 You beset me behind and before, and lay your hand upon me.
6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain it.

Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Neglecting Weighty Matters of Love and Justice, by Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD)

"Not only among the Jews but among ourselves as well, we find people sinning in these ways. They are swallowing camels. People of this type frequently show off their religion even in the smallest of things. They are rightly called hypocrites for wanting to exploit their religiosity before men but being unwilling to undertake that very faith which God himself has justified. Therefore the imitators of the scribes and Pharisees must be dislodged and sent away from us, lest a woe touches us in the same way it touches them. The scribes could be described as those who valued nothing found in the Scriptures except its plain sense interpreted legalistically. Meanwhile they condemn those who look into the very depths of God himself. Mint and dill and cummin are only spices for food but are not themselves substantial food. What substantive food would mean in conversion would be that which is necessary for the justification of our souls - faith and love - unlike these legalisms, which are more like condiments and flavorings. It is as if a meal might be thought to consist more of condiments and flavorings than the food itself. The seriousness of judgment is neglected while great attention is given to minor matters. Spiritual exercises which in and of themselves are hardly justice are spoken of as justice and compassion and faith. It is lacking in justice to treat these small parts as the whole. When we do not offer to God the observance of all that is necessary for worship, we fail altogether." (excerpt from COMMENTARY on MATTHEW 19-20)

  

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