March 24, 2020 Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent

2020년 3월 24일 사순 제4주간 화요일

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

제1독서

에제키엘 예언서. 47,1-9.12
 그 무렵 천사가 1 나를 데리고 주님의 집 어귀로 돌아갔다.

이 주님의 집 정면은 동쪽으로 나 있었는데,
주님의 집 문지방 밑에서 물이 솟아 동쪽으로 흐르고 있었다.
그 물은 주님의 집 오른쪽 밑에서, 제단 남쪽으로 흘러내려 갔다.
2 그는 또 나를 데리고 북쪽 대문으로 나가서,
밖을 돌아 동쪽 대문 밖으로 데려갔다.
거기에서 보니 물이 오른쪽에서 나오고 있었다.
3 그 사람이 동쪽으로 나가는데, 그의 손에는 줄자가 들려 있었다.
그가 천 암마를 재고서는 나에게 물을 건너게 하였는데, 물이 발목까지 찼다.
4 그가 또 천 암마를 재고서는 물을 건너게 하였는데, 물이 무릎까지 찼다.
그가 다시 천 암마를 재고서는 물을 건너게 하였는데, 물이 허리까지 찼다.
5 그가 또 천 암마를 재었는데, 그곳은 건널 수 없는 강이 되어 있었다.
물이 불어서, 헤엄을 치기 전에는 건널 수 없었다.

6 그는 나에게 “사람의 아들아, 잘 보았느냐?” 하고서는,
나를 데리고 강가로 돌아갔다.
7 그가 나를 데리고 돌아갈 때에 보니, 강가 이쪽저쪽으로 수많은 나무가 있었다.
8 그가 나에게 말하였다. “이 물은 동쪽 지역으로 나가,
아라바로 내려가서 바다로 들어간다.
이 물이 바다로 흘러들어 가면, 그 바닷물이 되살아난다.
9 그래서 이 강이 흘러가는 곳마다 온갖 생물이 우글거리며 살아난다.
이 물이 닿는 곳마다 바닷물이 되살아나기 때문에,
고기도 아주 많이 생겨난다.
이렇게 이 강이 닿는 곳마다 모든 것이 살아난다.
12 이 강가 이쪽저쪽에는 온갖 과일나무가 자라는데,
잎도 시들지 않으며 과일도 끊이지 않고 다달이 새 과일을 내놓는다.
이 물이 성전에서 나오기 때문이다.
그 과일은 양식이 되고 잎은 약이 된다.”

복음

 요한. 5,1-16
1 유다인들의 축제 때가 되어 예수님께서 예루살렘에 올라가셨다.
2 예루살렘의 ‘양 문’곁에는 히브리 말로 벳자타라고 불리는 못이 있었다.
그 못에는 주랑이 다섯 채 딸렸는데,
3 그 안에는 눈먼 이, 다리저는 이,
팔다리가 말라비틀어진 이 같은 병자들이 많이 누워 있었다. (4)
5 거기에는 서른여덟 해나 앓는 사람도 있었다.
6 예수님께서 그가 누워 있는 것을 보시고
또 이미 오래 그렇게 지낸다는 것을 아시고는,
“건강해지고 싶으냐?” 하고 그에게 물으셨다.
7 그 병자가 예수님께 대답하였다.
“선생님, 물이 출렁거릴 때에 저를 못 속에 넣어 줄 사람이 없습니다.
그래서 제가 가는 동안에 다른 이가 저보다 먼저 내려갑니다.”
8 예수님께서 그에게 말씀하셨다. “일어나 네 들것을 들고 걸어가거라.”
9 그러자 그 사람은 곧 건강하게 되어 자기 들것을 들고 걸어갔다.
그날은 안식일이었다.
10 그래서 유다인들이 병이 나은 그 사람에게,
“오늘은 안식일이오. 들것을 들고 다니는 것은 합당하지 않소.” 하고 말하였다.
11 그가 “나를 건강하게 해 주신 그분께서 나에게,
‘네 들것을 들고 걸어가라.’ 하셨습니다.” 하고 대답하자,
12 그들이 물었다. “당신에게 ‘그것을 들고 걸어가라.’ 한 사람이 누구요?”
13 그러나 병이 나은 이는 그분이 누구이신지 알지 못하였다.
그곳에 군중이 몰려 있어 예수님께서 몰래 자리를 뜨셨기 때문이다.
14 그 뒤에 예수님께서 그 사람을 성전에서 만나시자 그에게 이르셨다.
“자, 너는 건강하게 되었다.
더 나쁜 일이 너에게 일어나지 않도록 다시는 죄를 짓지 마라.”
15 그 사람은 물러가서 자기를 건강하게 만들어 주신 분은
예수님이시라고 유다인들에게 알렸다.
16 그리하여 유다인들은 예수님께서 안식일에 그러한 일을 하셨다고 하여,
그분을 박해하기 시작하였다.

March 24, 2020

Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent 

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

http://www.usccb.org/bible/ 

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

Reading 1

Ez 47:1-9, 12

The angel brought me, Ezekiel,
back to the entrance of the temple of the LORD,
and I saw water flowing out
from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east,
for the façade of the temple was toward the east;
the water flowed down from the right side of the temple,
south of the altar.
He led me outside by the north gate,
and around to the outer gate facing the east,
where I saw water trickling from the right side.
Then when he had walked off to the east
with a measuring cord in his hand,
he measured off a thousand cubits
and had me wade through the water,
which was ankle-deep.
He measured off another thousand
and once more had me wade through the water,
which was now knee-deep.
Again he measured off a thousand and had me wade;
the water was up to my waist.
Once more he measured off a thousand,
but there was now a river through which I could not wade;
for the water had risen so high it had become a river
that could not be crossed except by swimming.
He asked me, "Have you seen this, son of man?"
Then he brought me to the bank of the river, where he had me sit.
Along the bank of the river I saw very many trees on both sides.
He said to me,
"This water flows into the eastern district down upon the Arabah,
and empties into the sea, the salt waters, which it makes fresh.
Wherever the river flows,
every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live,
and there shall be abundant fish,
for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh.
Along both banks of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow;
their leaves shall not fade, nor their fruit fail.
Every month they shall bear fresh fruit,
for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary.
Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine." 

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 46:2-3, 5-6, 8-9

R. (8) The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
God is our refuge and our strength,
an ever-present help in distress.
Therefore we fear not, though the earth be shaken
and mountains plunge into the depths of the sea.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
There is a stream whose runlets gladden the city of God,
the holy dwelling of the Most High.
God is in its midst; it shall not be disturbed;
God will help it at the break of dawn.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
The LORD of hosts is with us;
our stronghold is the God of Jacob.
Come! behold the deeds of the LORD,
the astounding things he has wrought on earth.
R. The Lord of hosts is with us; our stronghold is the God of Jacob. 

 

Gospel

Jn 5:1-16

There was a feast of the Jews, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.
Now there is in Jerusalem at the Sheep Gate
a pool called in Hebrew Bethesda, with five porticoes.
In these lay a large number of ill, blind, lame, and crippled.
One man was there who had been ill for thirty-eight years.
When Jesus saw him lying there
and knew that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him,
"Do you want to be well?"
The sick man answered him,
"Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool
when the water is stirred up;
while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me."
Jesus said to him, "Rise, take up your mat, and walk."
Immediately the man became well, took up his mat, and walked.

Now that day was a sabbath.
So the Jews said to the man who was cured,
"It is the sabbath, and it is not lawful for you to carry your mat."
He answered them, "The man who made me well told me,
'Take up your mat and walk.'"
They asked him,
"Who is the man who told you, 'Take it up and walk?'"
The man who was healed did not know who it was,
for Jesus had slipped away, since there was a crowd there.
After this Jesus found him in the temple area and said to him,
"Look, you are well; do not sin any more,
so that nothing worse may happen to you."
The man went and told the Jews
that Jesus was the one who had made him well.
Therefore, the Jews began to persecute Jesus
because he did this on a sabbath.

http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow

 «Jesus saw him, and since he knew how long this man had been lying there, He said to him, ‘Do you want to be healed?’»

Fr. Àngel CALDAS i Bosch
(Salt, Girona, Spain)

Today, Saint John speaks of the parable of the pool of Bethzatha. It rather looked like the waiting room of a traumathology hospital. «There lay a multitude of sick people-blind, lame and paralyzed» (Jn 5:3). Jesus went up there.

It's rather curious!: Jesus manages to be found always in the middle of some problem. Wherever He goes, there is always somebody to be “liberated”; there He is when it comes to making people happy. The Pharisees, instead, were concerned only over the fact that it was Saturday. Their bad faith was killing their spirit. Sin's nasty features were showing through their eyes. There's no worse deaf man than he who does not want to hear.

The protagonist of the miracle had been disabled for thirty eight long years. «Do you want to be healed?» (Jn 5:6), Jesus says to him. He had since long ago been struggling in the void for he had not found Jesus. At long last, he had found the Man. The five galleries of the pool of Bethzatha boomed out upon hearing the Master's voice: «Stand up, take your mat and walk» (Jn 5:8). It was just a matter of an instant.

Jesus Christ's voice is the voice of God. Everything was anew with that old disabled man, spent by dejection. Much later, Saint John Crisostom will say that in Bethzatha pool sick people cured their bodies, while in the Baptism those same sick cure their soul; over there, one only sick could eventually be cured, every now and then. Baptism, however, cures always and everybody. In both cases God's power is evidenced through water.

That helpless disabled man, close to the water, does not remind you of our own helplessness to do good? How can we dare solving by ourselves that which has a supernatural scope? Don't you see, every day, around you, a big crowd of disabled ones that are “moving” themselves a lot, while being totally unable to get rid of their lack of freedom? Sin paralyzes man, grows him old, kills him... We have to fix our eyes in Jesus. We need him —his Grace— to plunge us into the waters of prayer, of confession, of the opening of our spirit. You and I may be eternal disabled persons, or, on the contrary, bearers of his light instruments.

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

 

A miraculous, cleansing, life-giving river that stems from the temple as a trickle, becomes deeper and deeper, until it is a mighty torrent, would, indeed inspire awe.  This would especially be true in the arid surroundings of the temple.

Our guide down this miraculous river seems to wade, float, and then swim with us until we, overwhelmed by the power and depth of the water, clamber onto a lush bank.  Just contemplate this scene, and compare it with our own experiences with streams, rivers, lakes, and moving about in water. How can we not remember the sensations that we associate with water. It is refreshing, life giving and supporting. Another quality is its ability to buoy us, especially if we relax, let ourselves float, and give ourselves to the flowing water.  If we fight against the water, we soon grow weary, and may even sink more readily. Better to relax, to be carried along, and eventually, crawl upon the shore.  The lush oasis with fruit-laden trees, and teeming fish in the living and purified water seems to be a reward for our journey.

God is subtle at times, He allows us to experience his goodness and grace as if wading, ankle deep. When we are used to His presence, and aware of his greatness, it is then that we are ever more rapidly carried and moved toward Him.  Our lives are enriched, and His goodness and life-giving love surround us.  Relax and realize that all these good things have come from God.

St. John describes a scene, in today’s gospel, that is closely related to the first reading. Jesus visits a place near the Sheep Gate that is called Bethesda , the “House of Mercy”.   Many people had come to bathe there in the hope that their various afflictions would be cured.  Some now maintain that the pool was a micvah, or bath used in cleansing rituals at the Temple. one of the requirements for this type of ritual bath includes a connection with fresh, flowing, i.e., living water.  As Jesus walked among those gathered there, he paused next to one man who could not walk.  Jesus said to him, “rise, pick up your mat, and walk.”  Jesus did not offer to lower the man into the pool to be cured; he personally cured the man.

Jesus demonstrated his personal power to heal at a site that had been associated with healing for hundreds of years.  There was no ambivalence in Jesus’ simple command to rise and walk.  The Son of God was walking among those waiting to be cured, yet many continued to seek God or other gods elsewhere. I pray that we recognize that Jesus continues to walk with us. He mercifully helps us to heal physically and spiritually.  Jesus is the epitome of compassion and empathy.  He will never allow us to suffer alone.  Walk with Him.   

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

ROOTED IN THE STREAM

"They shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary." �Ezekiel 47:12

The fruit trees growing along the river in Ezekiel's vision represent us as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ and as sons and daughters of the Church. We are to be disciples who offer the food of the Word of God and the medicine of the healing of God to a hurting world, which desperately needs the Good News of salvation and liberation in Jesus Christ. The trees in Ezekiel's vision are life-giving and healing because they are watered "by the flow from the sanctuary," the Church (Ez 47:12). Without the gift of the Holy Spirit, the world in which we live is like a desert, "parched, lifeless and without water" (see Ps 63:2). It is from the flow of grace that we disciples minister. Apart from Jesus we can do nothing (Jn 15:5). In the grace of the Holy Spirit, all things are possible for us (see Mt 19:26). The desert is the world in which we live. God's plan is to lead us to the restful waters of the Church (see Ps 23:2). There we find rest and food for our souls. If we try to operate apart from the river of grace, we'll soon be as dry and lifeless as the surrounding desert. Is ministry too hard for you? Do you think you need a break from the Church? Stay planted firmly beside the river. Keep your roots in the Church. The Holy Spirit will flow through you, keep you refreshed, and bring life to a hurting world.

Prayer: Father, anchor me in the Church and never let me be parted from You.

Promise: "God is our Refuge and our Strength, an ever-present Help in distress. Therefore, we fear not." —Ps 46:2-3

Praise: John and Carol actively began planning their divorce. Then their son was arrested. Jesus used this situation to unite the couple in prayer for their son and restore their commitment to one another.

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

 "Walk and sin no more"

Is there anything holding you back from the Lord's healing power and transforming grace that can set you free to live in wholeness, joy, and peace with God? God put into the heart of the prophet Ezekiel a vision of the rivers of living water flowing from God's heavenly throne to bring healing and restoration to his people. We begin to see the fulfillment of this restoration taking place when the Lord Jesus announces the coming of God's kingdom and performs signs and miracles in demonstration of the power of that kingdom.

One of the key signs which John points out in his Gospel account takes place in Jerusalem when Jesus went up to the temple during one of the great Jewish feasts (John 5:1-9). As Jesus approached the temple area he stopped at the pool of Bethzatha which was close by. Many Jews brought their sick relatives and friends to this pool. John tells us that a "multitude of invalids, blind, lame, paralyzed" were laid there on the pavement surrounding the pool (John 5:3). This pool was likely one of the ritual baths used for purification for people before they went into the temple to offer prayers and sacrifice. on certain occasions, especially when the waters were stirred, the lame and others with diseases were dipped in the pool in the hope that they might be cured of their ailments.

Do you want the Lord Jesus to make you whole?
The lame man that Jesus stopped to speak with had been paralyzed for more than 38 years. He felt helpless because he had no friends to help him bathe in the purifying waters of the pool. Despite his many years of unanswered prayer, he still waited by the pool in the hope that help might come his way. Jesus offered this incurable man not only the prospect of help but total healing as well. Jesus first awakened faith in the paralyzed man when he put a probing question to him, "Do you really want to be healed?" This question awakened a new spark of faith in him. Jesus then ordered him to "get up and walk!" Now the lame man had to put his new found faith into action. He decided to take the Lord Jesus at his word and immediately stood up and began to walk freely.

The Holy Spirit purifies, heals, and transforms us in Christ's image
The Lord Jesus approaches each one of us with the same probing question, "Do you really want to be healed - to be forgiven, set free from guilt and sin, from uncontrollable anger and other disordered passions, and from hurtful desires and addictions. The first essential step towards freedom and healing is the desire for change. If we are content to stay as we are, then no amount of coaxing will change us. The Lord will not refuse anyone who sincerely asks for his pardon, mercy, and healing.

"Lord Jesus, put within my heart a burning desire to be changed and transformed in your way of holiness. Let your Holy Spirit purify my heart and renew in me a fervent love and desire to do whatever is pleasing to you and to refuse whatever is contrary to your will."

Psalm 46:1-5,7-8

1 God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore we will not fear though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
3 though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. [Selah]
4 There is a river whose streams make glad the city of God, the holy habitation of the Most High.
5 God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved; God will help her right early.
7 The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. [Selah]
8 Come, behold the works of the LORD, how he has wrought desolations in the earth.

A Daily Quote for Lent: Christ our physician, by Augustine of Hippo, 430-543 A.D.

"Our wound is serious, but the Physician is all-powerful. Does it seem to you so small a mercy that, while you were living in evil and sinning, He did not take away your life, but brought you to belief and forgave your sins? What I suffer is serious, but I trust the Almighty. I would despair of my mortal wound if I had not found so great a Physician." (excerpt from Sermon 352,3)

  

More Homilies

March 13, 2018 Tuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent