2020년 8월 18일 연중 제20주간 화요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
에제키엘 예언서. 28,1-10
1 주님의 말씀이 나에게 내렸다.
2 “사람의 아들아, 티로의 군주에게 말하여라. ‘주 하느님이 이렇게 말한다.
너는 마음이 교만하여 ′나는 신이다. 나는 신의 자리에,
바다 한가운데에 앉아 있다.′ 하고 말한다.
너는 신이 아니라 사람이면서도 네 마음을 신의 마음에 비긴다.
3 과연 너는 다니엘보다 더 지혜로워
어떤 비밀도 너에게는 심오하지 않다.
4 너는 지혜와 슬기로 재산을 모으고 금과 은을 창고에 쌓았다.
5 너는 그 큰 지혜로 장사를 하여 재산을 늘리고는
그 재산 때문에 마음이 교만해졌다.
6 그러므로 주 하느님이 이렇게 말한다.
너는 네 마음을 신의 마음에 비긴다.
7 그러므로 나 이제 이방인들을, 가장 잔혹한 민족들을 너에게 끌어들이리니
그들이 칼을 빼 들어 네 지혜로 이룬 아름다운 것들을 치고
너의 영화를 더럽히며 8 너를 구덩이로 내던지리라.
그러면 너는 바다 한가운데에서 무참한 죽음을 맞이하리라.
9 너를 학살하는 자 앞에서도 네가 감히 ′나는 신이다.′ 할 수 있겠느냐?
너는 너를 살해하는 자들의 손에 달린 사람일 뿐이지 신이 아니다.
10 너는 이방인들의 손에 넘겨져 할례 받지 않은 자들의 죽음을 맞이하리라.
정녕 내가 말하였다. 주 하느님의 말이다.’”
복음
마태오 19,23-30
그때에 23 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
“내가 진실로 너희에게 말한다. 부자는 하늘 나라에 들어가기가 어려울 것이다.
24 내가 다시 너희에게 말한다. 부자가 하느님 나라에 들어가는 것보다
낙타가 바늘구멍으로 빠져나가는 것이 더 쉽다.”
25 제자들이 이 말씀을 듣고 몹시 놀라서,
“그렇다면 누가 구원받을 수 있는가?” 하고 말하였다.
26 예수님께서는 그들을 눈여겨보며 이르셨다.
“사람에게는 그것이 불가능하지만 하느님께는 모든 것이 가능하다.”
27 그때에 베드로가 그 말씀을 받아 예수님께 물었다.
“보시다시피 저희는 모든 것을 버리고 스승님을 따랐습니다.
그러니 저희는 무엇을 받겠습니까?”
28 예수님께서 말씀하셨다. “내가 진실로 너희에게 말한다.
사람의 아들이 영광스러운 자기 옥좌에 앉게 되는 새 세상이 오면,
나를 따른 너희도 열두 옥좌에 앉아 이스라엘의 열두 지파를 심판할 것이다.
29 그리고 내 이름 때문에 집이나 형제나 자매,
아버지나 어머니, 자녀나 토지를 버린 사람은 모두 백 배로 받을 것이고
영원한 생명도 받을 것이다.
30 그런데 첫째가 꼴찌 되고 꼴찌가 첫째 되는 이들이 많을 것이다.”
August 18, 2020
Tuesday of the Twentieth Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
The word of the LORD came to me: Son of man,
say to the prince of Tyre:
Thus says the Lord GOD:
Because you are haughty of heart,
you say, “A god am I!
I occupy a godly throne
in the heart of the sea!”?
And yet you are a man, and not a god,
however you may think yourself like a god.
Oh yes, you are wiser than Daniel,
there is no secret that is beyond you.
By your wisdom and your intelligence
you have made riches for yourself;
You have put gold and silver
into your treasuries.
By your great wisdom applied to your trading
you have heaped up your riches;
your heart has grown haughty from your riches?
therefore thus says the Lord GOD:
Because you have thought yourself
to have the mind of a god,
Therefore I will bring against you
foreigners, the most barbarous of nations.
They shall draw their swords
against your beauteous wisdom,
they shall run them through your splendid apparel.
They shall thrust you down to the pit, there to die
a bloodied corpse, in the heart of the sea.
Will you then say, “I am a god!”
when you face your murderers?
No, you are man, not a god,
handed over to those who will slay you.
You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
at the hands of foreigners,
for I have spoken, says the Lord GOD.
Responsorial Psalm
Deuteronomy 32:26-27ab, 27cd-28, 30, 35cd-36ab
R. (39c) It is I who deal death and give life.
“I would have said, ‘I will make an end of them
and blot out their name from men’s memories,’
Had I not feared the insolence of their enemies,
feared that these foes would mistakenly boast.”
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
“‘Our own hand won the victory;
the LORD had nothing to do with it.’”
For they are a people devoid of reason,
having no understanding.
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
“How could one man rout a thousand,
or two men put ten thousand to flight,
Unless it was because their Rock sold them
and the LORD delivered them up?”
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
Close at hand is the day of their disaster,
and their doom is rushing upon them!
Surely, the LORD shall do justice for his people;
on his servants he shall have pity.
R. It is I who deal death and give life.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Again I say to you,
it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished and said,
“Who then can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said,
“For men this is impossible,
but for God all things are possible.”
Then Peter said to him in reply,
“We have given up everything and followed you.
What will there be for us?”
Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you
that you who have followed me, in the new age,
when the Son of Man is seated on his throne of glory,
will yourselves sit on twelve thrones,
judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
And everyone who has given up houses or brothers or sisters
or father or mother or children or lands
for the sake of my name will receive a hundred times more,
and will inherit eternal life.
But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first.”
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
esus said to his disciples:
“Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich
to enter the Kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 19
I turned off my morning political junkie show unable to cope with any more bad news and went out on my deck to meditate on this gospel reading. But the damage had been done.
The big story today is that millions of families face power shut-offs because they’ve lost their jobs and can’t pay their utility bills. I can’t erase the image of children sitting in hot darkness while their parents anguish over their economic catastrophe. What happens when school starts with online classes that kids can’t access without electricity?
What a day to write a reflection on Jesus warning us how difficult it will be for rich people to be saved! But don’t just feel guilty. DO something.
This is an invitation to redeem ourselves by using some of our extra resources to respond to the dire needs in every community in this country.
Jesus won’t judge me because I got an education, worked hard, lived frugally and accumulated retirement savings. But he WILL judge me for seeing cars lined up outside the food bank and doing nothing to help feed the hungry. He WILL judge me for seeing families being evicted and doing nothing help the homeless shelters.
This has nothing to do with politics. It’s an invitation to save ourselves by helping others. We’re the camel. This is our “eye of the needle” and we can pass through it.
If you’re Catholic, start by calling your parish St. Vincent de Paul Society. You can’t beat it for providing non-bureaucratic emergency help to the needy. It has very little overhead because people in your parish community run it.
And of course, every city has food pantries, shelters, heat aid funds and emergency services that have never needed us more, especially since many older volunteers have been sidelined by the health risks.
We’ll even get that reward St. Peter asks Jesus for in today’s reading. Eventually when Jesus asks us to account for how we used our wealth, however modest, we’ll have a good answer. Bless you all!!!!
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
“THE END” (RV 22:13)
“I will make an end of them.” —Deuteronomy 32:26
God’s Word states: “In whatever you do, remember your last days, and you will never sin” (Sir 7:36). The prince of Tyre apparently did not consider his last days, for he was puffed up with pride. So Ezekiel prophesied that the prince’s last days would be filled with reminders that he is not a god, but a mere man (Ez 28:7ff).
The psalm response today likewise reminds the proud that their final days might be “close at hand,” and possibly even “rushing upon them” (Dt 32:35). In today’s Gospel passage, St. Peter also had thoughts about how things would end up for him after he had given up everything to follow Jesus (Mt 19:27).
Jesus Himself encourages us that the one who perseveres to the end will be saved (see Lk 21:19). Rather than focusing on ourselves, God’s Word counsels us to “keep our eyes fixed on Jesus” (Heb 12:2; see also Heb 3:1). Jesus is the End (Rv 1:8; 22:13). St. Paul testifies: “I do not think of myself as having reached the finish line. I give no thought to what lies behind but push on to what is ahead. My entire attention is on the finish line...life on high in Christ Jesus” (Phil 3:13-14).
Therefore, focus only on the ending that really matters — doing whatever Jesus tells us today and forever (Jn 2:5).
Prayer: Father, I will praise You in all circumstances and leave my life in Your loving hands.
Promise: “Everyone who has given up home, brothers or sisters, father or mother, wife or children or property for My sake will receive many times as much and inherit everlasting life.” —Mt 19:29
Praise: The desire to attend Mass was so strong in young Thomas that he arose early to attend 7AM Mass before going to his high school classes.
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
Was Jesus really against wealth (Matthew 19:23)? And why did he issue such a strong warning to the rich (as well as to the rest of us who desire to be rich)? We know that Jesus was not opposed to wealth per se, nor was he opposed to the wealthy. He had many friends who were well-to-do, including some notorious tax collectors! One even became an apostle! Jesus' warning reiterated the wisdom of the Old Testament: "Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is perverse in his ways" (Proverbs 28:6; see also Psalm 37:16). "Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to desist" (Proverbs 23:4).
We are all poor beggars in need of God
Jesus seems to say that it is nearly impossible for the rich to live as citizens of God's kingdom. The camel was regarded as the largest animal known by the Jews where Jesus lived and taught. The "eye of the needle" could be interpreted quite literally or it could figuratively describe the narrow and low gate of the city walls which was used by travelers when the larger public gate was locked at night. Normal sized people had to "lower" themselves to enter that gate. A camel would literally have to kneel and crawl through it. Until we humbly kneel before the Lord and acknowledge our total need and dependence on him, we will not find true peace, security, and happiness that can sustain us now and forever. Only God alone can satisfy our deepest need and longing.
Augustine of Hippo reminds us that we are all poor beggars of God.
"Even though you possess plenty, you are still poor. You abound in temporal possessions, but you need things eternal. You listen to the needs of a human beggar, yet you yourself are a beggar of God. What you do with those who beg from you is what God will do with his beggar. You are filled and you are empty. Fill your empty neighbor from your fullness, so that your emptiness may be filled with God's fullness." (Sermon 56,9)
Possessions can create false security and independence
Why is Jesus so cautious about wealth? Wealth can make us falsely independent. The church at Laodicea was warned about their attitude towards wealth and a false sense of security: "For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing" (Revelations 3:17). Wealth can also lead us into hurtful desires and selfishness (see 1 Timothy 6:9-10). Look at the lesson Jesus gave about the rich man and his sons who refused to aid the poor man Lazarus (see Luke 16:19ff). They neglected to serve God. Only those who put their trust in God and who depend on him, and who share what they have with those in need, will find true peace, security, and happiness which lead to everlasting life and joy in God's kingdom.
Where is your treasure?
The Scriptures give us a paradox - we lose what we keep and we gain what we give away. Generosity will be amply repaid, both in this life and in the age to come (Proverbs 3:9-10, Luke 6:38). Jesus offers us an incomparable treasure which no money can buy and no thief can steal. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure. Material wealth will shackle us, like a bound slave, to this earth unless we guard our heart and set our treasure in God and his kingdom of everlasting life and joy. Where is your treasure?
Lord Jesus, you have captured our hearts and opened to us the treasures of heaven. May you always be my treasure and delight and may nothing else keep me from giving you my all.
Psalm 85:8-13
8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints, to those who turn to him in their hearts.
9 Surely his salvation is at hand for those who fear him, that glory may dwell in our land.
10 Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace will kiss each other.
11 Faithfulness will spring up from the ground, and righteousness will look down from the sky.
12 Yes, the LORD will give what is good, and our land will yield its increase.
13 Righteousness will go before him, and make his footsteps a way.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Who can enter the kingdom of heaven? by John Chrysostom, 347-407 A.D.
"What then did Christ say? 'How difficult it will be for the rich to enter the kingdom of heaven.' He was not criticizing money itself but the wills of those who are taken captive by it. If it will be difficult for the rich, how much more so for the avaricious! For if stinginess with one's own wealth is an impediment to gaining the kingdom, think how much fire is amassed for taking someone else's. But why does he say that it is hard for the rich man to enter the kingdom, to the disciples, who were poor and had nothing? He teaches them not to be ashamed of their poverty and, as it were, gives the reason why he did not allow them to possess anything. After saying it is hard, he also shows them that it is impossible, and not simply impossible but even in an exaggerated way impossible. He shows this from the comparison of the camel and the needle: 'It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven.' Hence Christ demonstrates that there is a significant reward for the wealthy who can practice self-denial. He also said that this had to be the work of God, that he might show that great grace is needed for anyone who is going to achieve it." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 63.2)
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