2019년 9월 21일 성 마태오 사도 복음사가 축일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
에페소서. 4,1-7.11-13
형 제 여러분, 1 주님 안에서 수인이 된 내가 여러분에게 권고합니다. 여러분이 받은 부르심에 합당하게 살아가십시오. 2 겸손과 온유를 다하고, 인내심을 가지고 사랑으로 서로 참아 주며, 3 성령께서 평화의 끈으로 이루어 주신 일치를 보존하도록 애쓰십시오.
4 하느님께서 여러분을 부르실 때에 하나의 희망을 주신 것처럼, 그리스도의 몸도 하나이고 성령도 한 분이십니다. 5 주님도 한 분이시고 믿음도 하나이며 세례도 하나이고, 6 만물의 아버지이신 하느님도 한 분이십니다. 그분은 만물 위에, 만물을 통하여, 만물 안에 계십니다.
7 그러나 그리스도께서 나누어 주시는 은혜의 양에 따라, 우리는 저마다 은총을 받았습니다.
11 그분께서 어떤 이들은 사도로, 어떤 이들은 예언자로, 어떤 이들은 복음 선포자로, 어떤 이들은 목자나 교사로 세워 주셨습니다. 12 성도들이 직무를 수행하고 그리스도의 몸을 성장시키는 일을 하도록, 그들을 준비시키시려는 것이었습니다.
13 그리하여 우리가 모두 하느님의 아드님에 대한 믿음과 지식에서 일치를 이루고 성숙한 사람이 되며 그리스도의 충만한 경지에 다다르게 됩니다.
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.”
September 21, 2019
Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
Eph 4:1-7, 11-13
I, a prisoner for the Lord,
urge you to live in a manner worthy of the call you have received,
with all humility and gentleness, with patience,
bearing with one another through love,
striving to preserve the unity of the Spirit
through the bond of peace:
one Body and one Spirit,
as you were also called to the one hope of your call;
one Lord, one faith, one baptism;
one God and Father of all,
who is over all and through all and in all.
But grace was given to each of us
according to the measure of Christ's gift.
And he gave some as Apostles, others as prophets,
others as evangelists, others as pastors and teachers,
to equip the holy ones for the work of ministry,
for building up the Body of Christ,
until we all attain to the unity of faith
and knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood,
to the extent of the full stature of Christ.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 19:2-3, 4-5
The heavens declare the glory of God;
and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
Day pours out the word to day,
and night to night imparts knowledge.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Not a word nor a discourse
whose voice is not heard;
Through all the earth their voice resounds,
and to the ends of the world, their message.
R. Their message goes out through all the earth.
Gospel
Mt 9:9-13
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."
http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow
«I did not come to call the righteous but sinners»
Fr. Joan PUJOL i Balcells
(La Seu d'Urgell, Lleida, Spain)
Today, we celebrate St. Matthew's festivity, the apostle and evangelist. He himself relates his conversion. He was sitting in the custom-house and Jesus invited him to follow Him. Matthew —goes on his Gospel— «got up and followed him» (Mt 9:9). With Matthew the group of the Twelve welcomes a different man altogether, both for his upbringing and for his social position and wealth. His father made him study economics so as to be able to fix the price of wheat and wine; of the fish Peter and Andrew, and the Zebedeus' sons, would bring him, and of the precious pearls the Gospel speaks about.
His profession, as a tax collector, was frowned upon. Those practicing it were considered as publicans and sinners. He was at the service of king Herod, lord of Galilee, a king hated by the people and who is depicted in the New Testament as adulterous, John the Baptist's murderer and who, on Good Friday, bemocks Jesus. What would Matthew think when he was due to render accounts to king Herod? Matthew's conversion must have meant a true release for him, as proved by the banquet he organizes by inviting publicans and sinners. It was his own way of showing his gratitude to the Master for having been able to get rid of a most miserable position and find the true happiness. St. Bede the Venerable, while commenting on Matthew's conversion, writes: «This conversion of one tax collector gave many men, those from his own profession and other sinners, an example of repentance and pardon (...). No sooner was he converted than Matthew drew after him a whole crowd of sinners along the same road to salvation».
In his conversion we can see God's mercy, as shown by Jesus' answer to the Pharisees' criticism: «What I want is mercy, not sacrifice. I did not come to call the righteous but sinners» (Mt 9:13).
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
What We Share
“I desire mercy, not sacrifice.” (Matthew 9:13)
Their job required education. They calculated and raised the revenue that kept Rome running. As agents, they had no say in the policies they enforced. Families were squeezed to pay their taxes. It saps one’s soul to burden the poor while wearing the governor’s face. No wonder the taxmen kept their own company outside the glare of the righteous. Why would a wandering holy man seek them out? Perhaps they weren’t so worthless after all? When Jesus invites him to join his odd band, Matthew leaps at the chance.
only someone mired in divisions could praise the “one Body and one Spirit” as energetically as Paul. Disputes and grudges pile up like grime by the day’s end. This species seems bent on fragmentation. Who will venture into combat with a message of peace? Without God, do we scatter to the four winds?
We have different talents. Some work the emergency room. Others clean hotel rooms. Some comfort those who grieve. Others teach. Some replace damaged roofs. Others raise money to keep schools open. The labor of human life is enormous. How does fragmentation cease and unity emerge? Whatever our job or career, we have one calling: to build up the body of Christ. This task is shared: to live “with humility, patience, and love.” In building up the community, the awful isolation ends.
There’s much to be done. Work seems endless. Some days we push and push and fall into dreamless sleep before pushing again. What could be bigger than saving the planet, restoring communities, or ending violence? Bigger than our workload is the goodness of the world, the beauties of the planet, and the deepness in each person. How stunning that sinners are worthy of love.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
ONE BODY IN CHRIST | ||
| "There is but one body and one spirit." �Ephesians 4:4 | ||
St. Matthew left his old life completely behind and began a new, totally different, life in Jesus. He died to his old life, and in his new life, Matthew lived, not for himself, but for Christ, Who died for him and loved him (see Gal 2:19-20). Christian marriage is to be like this. A man and woman leave their old life completely behind. In their new, married life, the husband and wife live not for themselves, but for their spouse (see 1 Cor 7:4). In effect, each spouse says to the other, "This is my body, to be given up for you." Likewise, as one body" and one spirit" (Eph 4:2-4; Gn 2:24; Phil 2:2-4), the married couple says to the Lord, "This is our body, to be given up for You" (cf 1 Cor 11:24). They are no longer two but one (Mt 19:6). Whatever your vocation, Jesus says to you, "Follow Me" (Mt 9:9). Like St. Matthew, get up and follow Jesus (Mt 9:9). "Get up" by rising to new life just as you rose from the waters of Baptism to live a risen life. We can only "get up and follow Jesus" if we leave behind our old life, dead and drowned in the waters of Baptism. Then we are free to follow Jesus and be one body with Him. | ||
| Prayer: Father, may all married couples be one in You and bear enduring fruit for Your kingdom. | ||
| Promise: "It is mercy I desire and not sacrifice." —Mt 9:13 | ||
| Praise: "Matthew got up and followed" Jesus (Mt 9:9). |
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
"I desire mercy - not sacrifice"
What is God's call on your life? Jesus chose Matthew to be his follower and friend, not because Matthew was religious or learned, popular or saintly. Matthew appeared to be none of those. He chose to live a life of wealth and ease. His profession was probably the most corrupted and despised by everyone because tax collectors made themselves wealthy by over-charging and threatening people if they did not hand over their money to them.
God searches our heart
What did Jesus see in Matthew that others did not see? When the prophet Samuel came to the house of Jesse to anoint the future heir to the throne of Israel, he bypassed all the first seven sons and chose the last! "God looks at the heart and not at the appearance of a man" he declared (1 Samuel 16:7-13). David's heart was like a compass looking for true north - it pointed to God. Matthew's heart must have yearned for God, even though he dare not show his face in a synagogue - the Jewish house of prayer and the study of Torah - God's law. When Jesus saw Matthew sitting at his tax office - no doubt counting his day's profit - Jesus spoke only two words - "follow me". Those two words changed Matthew from a self-serving profiteer to a God-serving apostle who would bring the treasures of God's kingdom to the poor and needy.
John Chrysostom, the great 5th century church father, describes Matthew's calling:
"Why did Jesus not call Matthew at the same time as he called Peter and John and the rest? He came to each one at a particular time when he knew that they would respond to him. He came at a different time to call Matthew when he was assured that Matthew would surrender to his call. Similarly, he called Paul at a different time when he was vulnerable, after the resurrection, something like a hunter going after his quarry. For he who is acquainted with our inmost hearts and knows the secrets of our minds knows when each one of us is ready to respond fully. Therefore he did not call them all together at the beginning, when Matthew was still in a hardened condition. Rather, only after countless miracles, after his fame spread abroad, did he call Matthew. He knew Matthew had been softened for full responsiveness."
Jesus- the divine physician
When the Pharisees challenged Jesus' 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 (Romans 3:23).
On more than one occasion Jesus quoted the saying from the prophet Hosea: For I desire mercy and not sacrifice (Hosea 6:6). Do you thank the Lord Jesus for the great mercy he has shown to you? And do you show mercy to your neighbor as well?
"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 19:1-4a
1 The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.
2 Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night declares knowledge.
3 There is no speech, nor are there words; their voice is not heard;
4 yet their voice goes out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world.
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Matthew did not delay when called by Jesus, by Chromatius (died 406 AD)
"The Lord, about to give salvation to all sinners believing in him, willingly chose Matthew the former publican. The gift of his esteem for Matthew stands as an example for our salvation. Every sinner must be chosen by God and can receive the grace of eternal salvation if one is not without a religious mind and a devout heart. So Matthew was chosen willingly by God. And though he is immersed in worldly affairs, because of his sincere religious devotion he is judged worthy to be called forth by the Lord ("Follow me"), who by virtue of his divine nature knows the hidden recesses of the heart. From what follows, we know that Matthew was accepted by the Lord not by reason of his status but of his faith and devotion. As soon as the Lord says to him, "Follow me," he does not linger or delay, but thereupon “he arose and followed him." (excerpt from TRACTATE on MATTHEW 45.1)
[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."]
More Homilies
September 21, 2017 Feast of Saint Matthew, Apostle and evangelist
