July 13, 2020 Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

2020년 7월 13일 연중 제15주간 월요일

 

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

제1독서

이사야서. 1,10-17
 10 소돔의 지도자들아, 주님의 말씀을 들어라.

고모라의 백성들아, 우리 하느님의 가르침에 귀를 기울여라.
11 무엇하러 나에게 이 많은 제물을 바치느냐?
─ 주님께서 말씀하신다. ─
나는 이제 숫양의 번제물과 살진 짐승의 굳기름에는 물렸다.
황소와 어린양과 숫염소의 피도 나는 싫다.
12 너희가 나의 얼굴을 보러 올 때
내 뜰을 짓밟으라고 누가 너희에게 시키더냐?
13 더 이상 헛된 제물을 가져오지 마라. 분향 연기도 나에게는 역겹다.
초하룻날과 안식일과 축제 소집, 불의에 찬 축제 모임을 나는 견딜 수가 없다.
14 나의 영은 너희의 초하룻날 행사들과 너희의 축제들을 싫어한다.
그것들은 나에게 짐이 되어
짊어지기에 나는 지쳤다.
15 너희가 팔을 벌려 기도할지라도 나는 너희 앞에서 내 눈을 가려 버리리라.
너희가 기도를 아무리 많이 한다 할지라도 나는 들어 주지 않으리라.
너희의 손은 피로 가득하다.
16 너희 자신을 씻어 깨끗이 하여라.
내 눈앞에서 너희의 악한 행실들을 치워 버려라.
악행을 멈추고 17 선행을 배워라. 공정을 추구하고 억압받는 이를 보살펴라.
고아의 권리를 되찾아 주고 과부를 두둔해 주어라.

 

복음

마태오 10,34ㅡ11,1
 그때에 예수님께서 사도들에게 말씀하셨다.

34 “내가 세상에 평화를 주러 왔다고 생각하지 마라. 평화가 아니라 칼을 주러 왔다.
35 나는 아들이 아버지와, 딸이 어머니와
며느리가 시어머니와 갈라서게 하려고 왔다.
36 집안 식구가 바로 원수가 된다.
37 아버지나 어머니를 나보다 더 사랑하는 사람은 나에게 합당하지 않다.
아들이나 딸을 나보다 더 사랑하는 사람도 나에게 합당하지 않다.
38 또 제 십자가를 지고 나를 따르지 않는 사람도 나에게 합당하지 않다.
39 제 목숨을 얻으려는 사람은 목숨을 잃고,
나 때문에 제 목숨을 잃는 사람은 목숨을 얻을 것이다.
40 너희를 받아들이는 이는 나를 받아들이는 사람이고,
나를 받아들이는 이는 나를 보내신 분을 받아들이는 사람이다.
41 예언자를 예언자라서 받아들이는 이는 예언자가 받는 상을 받을 것이고,
의인을 의인이라서 받아들이는 이는 의인이 받는 상을 받을 것이다.
42 내가 진실로 너희에게 말한다.
이 작은 이들 가운데 한 사람에게
그가 제자라서 시원한 물 한 잔이라도 마시게 하는 이는
자기가 받을 상을 결코 잃지 않을 것이다.”
11,1 예수님께서 열두 제자에게 다 지시하시고 나서,
유다인들의 여러 고을에서 가르치시고 복음을 선포하시려고
그곳에서 떠나가셨다.

 

July 13, 2020

Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

http://www.usccb.org/bible/ 

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

 

Reading 1

Is 1:10-17

Hear the word of the LORD,
princes of Sodom!
Listen to the instruction of our God,
people of Gomorrah!
What care I for the number of your sacrifices?
says the LORD.
I have had enough of whole-burnt rams
and fat of fatlings;
In the blood of calves, lambs and goats
I find no pleasure.

When you come in to visit me,
who asks these things of you?
Trample my courts no more!
Bring no more worthless offerings;
your incense is loathsome to me.
New moon and sabbath, calling of assemblies,
octaves with wickedness: these I cannot bear.
Your new moons and festivals I detest;
they weigh me down, I tire of the load.
When you spread out your hands,
I close my eyes to you;
Though you pray the more,
I will not listen.
Your hands are full of blood!
Wash yourselves clean!
Put away your misdeeds from before my eyes;
cease doing evil; learn to do good.
Make justice your aim: redress the wronged,
hear the orphan's plea, defend the widow.

 

 

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 50:8-9, 16bc-17, 21 and 23

R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?"
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
"When you do these things, shall I be deaf to it?
Or do you think you that I am like yourself?
I will correct you by drawing them up before your eyes.
He that offers praise as a sacrifice glorifies me;
and to him that goes the right way I will show the salvation of God."
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.

 

 

Gospel

Mt 10:34-11:1

Jesus said to his Apostles:
"Do not think that I have come to bring peace upon the earth.
I have come to bring not peace but the sword.
For I have come to set
a man against his father,
a daughter against her mother,
and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law;
and one's enemies will be those of his household.

"Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me,
and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
and whoever does not take up his cross
and follow after me is not worthy of me.
Whoever finds his life will lose it,
and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.

"Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet's reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous 
will receive a righteous man's reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward."

 

When Jesus finished giving these commands to his Twelve disciples,
he went away from that place to teach and to preach in their towns.

 

http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow

 

 

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

 

The passage from Isaiah is a condemnation of hypocrisy combined with a call to justice. The Gospel outlines certain conditions of discipleship. The shared themes that I find in today’s readings are the dangers of disordered attachments and the call to act as a “sword” and a shield responding with the Lord in my heart.

I experience the first reading as a reminder that my outward expressions of religious ritual mean little unless my heart is open to the Lord. I find in the passage a call to be an advocate and a shield for those who are oppressed and in need. I realize that I find it easier to do this structurally through service institutions. My weakness is that it is much harder for me to connect on a person-to-person basis.

I admit that I have always been bothered by today’s Gospel. It is the extended version of the one from two Sundays ago. I found myself led to reflect in a very different direction from that of the sermon which I heard at that time. I have a deep sense of attachment to my family. If taken literally I find this reading could be presenting an uneasy black and white choice between faith and family.

When I try to imagine myself in the crowd of Jesus’ disciples, I try to put His words in context, and I notice that the previous passage in Matthew’s Gospel deals with courage under persecution. I comfortably see how the second half of today’s Gospel builds on that theme. Still, the first half leaves me challenged and disturbed by the words attributed to Jesus. They do not fit my picture of the loving and forgiving Jesus. It is interesting that I find myself more willing to give up my life than to give up my family.

One of my grandnephews is a Dominican brother in formation. When he joined, they gave him a new name. My first impression was that they were trying to separate him from his family. On further reflection, I realized that my wife got a new name when we married. I was not taking my wife from her family, instead it was a sign that we were starting something new. (In fact, as we were living in Europe at the time, we both used our last names joined with a hyphen. This eventually ended when we moved to the United States and all of our legal documents used only my last name.)

I was also reminded that there are differences within families. As we mature, we start to establish our own identities. We start to have different thoughts and feelings from some family members. We have distinctive experiences and might not possess similar values. In short, my biological family may not be as homogeneous as I had imagined. This is perhaps clearest when politics or religion come up as topics at the Thanksgiving dinner table. We have our beliefs and they are not uniformly shared among those with whom we share DNA. I find consideration of my attachments to my family, my home, and the various “tribes” to which I give my assent was part of today’s Gospel challenge.

These readings leave me ready to pray about attachments and an open heart to the Lord. I will close with how St. Ignatius expressed this in prayer.

Take Lord, and receive all my liberty, my memory, my understanding, and my entire will, all that I have and possess. Thou hast given all to me. 
To Thee, O Lord, I return it. All is Thine, dispose of it wholly according to Thy will. 
Give me Thy love and Thy grace, for this is sufficient for me.

 

 

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

SEPARATION THEOLOGY

“I have come to set a man at odds with his father, a daughter with her mother.” —Matthew 10:35

Jesus bluntly declares: “Do not suppose that My mission on earth is to spread peace. My mission is to spread, not peace, but division” (Mt 10:34).
Jesus is the Prince of Peace (Is 9:5), and in fact He is Peace (Eph 2:14; Mi 5:4). Therefore, His nature is to spread peace. However, original sin has badly warped our human nature. In His mercy, Jesus has come to divide, that is, separate, us from all that opposes His ultimate ministry of peace:
• He divides us from attitudes, sins, and lifestyles that oppose His justice and peace. If necessary, His ministry of division might include separating Himself from our prayers (see Is 1:15).
• Separating family members might be necessary for a while. Lasting peace can’t be built on a weak foundation (see Mt 7:26-27).
• Daniel separated two people so He could arrive at truth and ultimate peace (Dn 13:51). Likewise, Jesus sometimes separates people to promote the truth (see 1 Cor 11:19).
• As a parent separates two fighting children, putting them into separate rooms, so Jesus may need to “separate” families in order to mysteriously bring His peace (Mt 10:34).
At the first creation, the Lord “separated” things (Gn 1:4, 7, 14, 18). His separation resulted in a beautiful, new world. So do not fear if you’ve endured the pain of separation. Jesus is just beginning a new creation greater than you can imagine (Eph 3:20).

Prayer:  Jesus, Prince of Peace, separate me from anything which might separate me from You in this life or in eternity.

Promise:  “He who brings Himself to nought for Me discovers who he is.” —Mt 10:39

Praise:  King Henry fostered positive Church reform.

 

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

 

I Have Not Come to Bring Peace, but a Sword 

Why does Jesus describe his mission and the coming of God's kingdom in terms of conflict, division, and war? Jesus told his disciples that he did not "come to bring peace, but a sword" (Matthew 10:34). The "sword" which Jesus speaks of here is not a physical weapon that cuts people down, but a spiritual weapon that cuts through the inner core of our being to expose the corruption of sinful thoughts and intentions as well as the lies and deception of Satan and his kingdom of darkness. 

Sword of the Spirit 
Scripture describes God's word as a sharp two-edged sword that "pierces to the division of soul and spirit... discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart" (Hebrews 4:12, Revelations 19:15). Scripture also describes "God's word" as the "sword of the Spirit" which has power to destroy every spiritual stronghold that keep people in bondage to sin, deception, and Satan (Ephesians 6:17). Jesus came to rescue us from slavery to sin and to set us free to live as citizens of God's kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit (Romans 14:17). 

Spiritual warfare 
Jesus' mission was an act of war against the spiritual forces who oppose the kingdom of God and his rule over the earth. That is why Jesus identified Satan as the ruler of this world whom he will cast out (John 12:31). The battle Jesus had in mind was not an earthly conflict between individuals and nations, but a spiritual warfare between the forces of Satan and the armies of heaven. Jesus came to wage war against the spiritual powers of this present world that turn the minds and hearts of people away from God and his kingdom of joy, peace, and goodness. 

Kingdom of light versus kingdom of darkness 
The Scriptures make clear that there are ultimately only two kingdoms or powers and that they stand in opposition to one another - God's kingdom of light and Satan's kingdom of darkness. John the Apostle contrasts these two opposing kingdoms in the starkest of terms: We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19). The Scriptures describe the "world" as that society of people who are opposed to God and his kingdom of righteousness, truth, and goodness. Jesus came to overthrow Satan's power and to set us free from everything that would hold us back from knowing, loving, and serving God who has loved each one of us with boundless mercy, compassion, and goodness. 

God must take first place in our lives 
Jesus told his disciples that if they followed him it would be costly because they must put God's kingdom first and obey his word. Whenever a great call is given it inevitably causes division between those who accept and reject it. When Jesus remarked that division would cut very close to home his listeners likely recalled the prophecy of Micah: a man's enemies are the men of his own household (Micah 7:6). The love of God compels us to choose who will be first in our lives. To place any relationship or any other thing above God is a form of idolatry. Jesus challenges his disciples to examine who they love first and foremost. A true disciple loves God above all else and is willing to forsake all for Jesus Christ. Jesus insists that his disciples give him the loyalty which is only due to God, a loyalty which is higher than that owed to spouse or kin. It is possible that family and friends can become our enemies if the thought of them keeps us from doing what we know God wants us to do. 

The just reward 
True love for God compels us to express charity towards our neighbor who is created in the image and likeness of God. Jesus declared that any kindness shown and any help given to the people of Christ will not go unrewarded. Jesus never refused to give to anyone in need who asked for his help. As his disciples we are called to be kind and generous as he is. Jesus sets before his disciples the one goal in life that is worth any sacrifice and that goal is the will of God which leads to everlasting life, peace, and joy with God. Does the love of Jesus Christ compel you to put God first in all you do (2 Corinthians 5:14)?

Lord, no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no heart has conceived the things you have prepared for those who love you. Set us ablaze with the fire of the Holy Spirit, that we may love you in and above all things and so receive the rewards you have promised us through Christ our Lord. (from A Christian's Prayer Book)

Psalm 124:1-8

1 If it had not been the LORD who was on our side, let Israel now say -- 
2 if it had not been the LORD who was on our side, when men rose up against us, 
3 then they would have swallowed us up alive, when their anger was kindled against us; 
4 then the flood would have swept us away, the torrent would have gone over us; 
5 then over us would have gone the raging waters. 6 Blessed be the LORD, who has not given us as prey to their teeth! 
7 We have escaped as a bird from the snare of the fowlers; the snare is broken, and we have escaped! 
8 Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth.

Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: How peace requires a sword, by John Chrysostom (347-407 AD)

 

"What sort of peace is it that Jesus asks them to pronounce upon entering each house? And what kind of peace is it of which the angels sing, 'Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace'? And if Jesus came not to bring peace, why did all the prophets publish peace as good news? Because this more than anything is peace: when the disease is removed. This is peace: when the cancer is cut away. Only with such radical surgery is it possible for heaven to be reunited to earth. Only in this way does the physician preserve the healthy tissue of the body. The incurable part must be amputated. Only in this way does the military commander preserve the peace: by cutting off those in rebellion. Thus it was also in the case of the tower of Babel, that their evil peace was ended by their good discord. Peace therefore was accomplished. (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 35.1)

  

 

More Homilies

July 16, 2018 Monday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time