August 22, 2020 Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

2020년 8월 22일 연중 제20주간 토요일

 

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

제1독서
에제키엘 예언서 43,1-7ㄷ
천사가 1 나를 대문으로, 동쪽으로 난 대문으로 데리고 나갔다.
2 그런데 보라, 이스라엘 하느님의 영광이 동쪽에서 오는 것이었다.
그 소리는 큰 물이 밀려오는 소리 같았고, 땅은 그분의 영광으로 빛났다.
3 그 모습은 내가 본 환시,
곧 그분께서 이 도성을 파멸시키러 오실 때에 내가 본 환시와 같았고,
또 그 모습은 내가 크바르 강 가에서 본 환시와 같았다.
그래서 나는 얼굴을 땅에 대고 엎드렸다.
4 그러자 주님의 영광이 동쪽으로 난 문을 지나 주님의 집으로 들어갔다.
5 그때 영이 나를 들어 올려 안뜰로 데리고 가셨는데,
주님의 집이 주님의 영광으로 가득 차 있었다.
6 그 사람이 내 곁에 서 있는데,
주님의 집에서 나에게 말씀하시는 소리가 들렸다.
7 나에게 이렇게 말씀하시는 것이었다.
“사람의 아들아, 이곳은 내 어좌의 자리, 내 발바닥이 놓이는 자리다.
내가 이스라엘 자손들 가운데에서 영원히 살 곳이다.”

 

복음
마태오. 23,1-12
1 그때에 예수님께서 군중과 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
2 “율법 학자들과 바리사이들은 모세의 자리에 앉아 있다.
3 그러니 그들이 너희에게 말하는 것은 다 실행하고 지켜라.
그러나 그들의 행실은 따라 하지 마라.
그들은 말만 하고 실행하지는 않는다.
4 또 그들은 무겁고 힘겨운 짐을 묶어 다른 사람들 어깨에 올려놓고,
자기들은 그것을 나르는 일에 손가락 하나 까딱하려고 하지 않는다.
5 그들이 하는 일이란 모두 다른 사람들에게 보이기 위한 것이다.
그래서 성구갑을 넓게 만들고 옷자락 술을 길게 늘인다.
6 잔칫집에서는 윗자리를, 회당에서는 높은 자리를 좋아하고,
7 장터에서 인사받기를, 사람들에게 스승이라고 불리기를 좋아한다.
8 그러나 너희는 스승이라고 불리지 않도록 하여라.
너희의 스승님은 한 분뿐이시고 너희는 모두 형제다.
9 또 이 세상 누구도 아버지라고 부르지 마라.
너희의 아버지는 오직 한 분, 하늘에 계신 그분뿐이시다.
10 그리고 너희는 선생이라고 불리지 않도록 하여라.
너희의 선생님은 그리스도 한 분뿐이시다.
11 너희 가운데에서 가장 높은 사람은
너희를 섬기는 사람이 되어야 한다.
12 누구든지 자신을 높이는 이는 낮아지고
자신을 낮추는 이는 높아질 것이다.”

August 22, 2020 

Memorial of the Queenship of the Blessed Virgin Mary

 

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

http://www.usccb.org/bible/ 

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

 

Reading 1

Ez 43:1-7ab

The angel led me to the gate which faces the east,
and there I saw the glory of the God of Israel
coming from the east.
I heard a sound like the roaring of many waters,
and the earth shone with his glory.
The vision was like that which I had seen
when he came to destroy the city,
and like that which I had seen by the river Chebar.
I fell prone as the glory of the LORD entered the temple
by way of the gate which faces the east,
but spirit lifted me up and brought me to the inner court.
And I saw that the temple was filled with the glory of the Lord.
Then I heard someone speaking to me from the temple,
while the man stood beside me.
The voice said to me: 
Son of man, this is where my throne shall be,
this is where I will set the soles of my feet;
here I will dwell among the children of Israel forever.

 

 

Responsorial Psalm

Ps. 85:9ab and 10, 11-12, 13-14

R. (see 10b) The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
I will hear what God proclaims;
the LORD –for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him, 
and salvation, along the way of his steps. 
R. The glory of the Lord will dwell in our land.

 

 

Gospel

Mt 23:1-12

Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, saying,
“The scribes and the Pharisees
have taken their seat on the chair of Moses.
Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you,
but do not follow their example.
For they preach but they do not practice.
They tie up heavy burdens hard to carry
and lay them on people’s shoulders,
but they will not lift a finger to move them.
All their works are performed to be seen.
They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels.
They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues,
greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’
As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’
You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers.
Call no one on earth your father;
you have but one Father in heaven.
Do not be called ‘Master’;
you have but one master, the Christ.
The greatest among you must be your servant.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled;
but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.”

 

 

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

 

This feast is celebrated on the octave day following last Saturday’s Feast of the Assumption of Mary into Heaven.  As Hopkins would write in another Mary-poem, (The May Magnificat), “Why fasten this upon her with a feasting in her honor?”  Very simply, Pope Pious XII in 1954 dedicated a liturgical day to Mary’s being Queen of Heaven in recognition of her being Mother of Christ the King. We know from the Gospels that Mary was not much of a queen on earth.

She had given birth in a dumpy palace, had dirty, smelly shepherds as bewildered attendants to her throne of straw.   Mary also had to stand outside when later her Son announced that she could wait while He announced His “new family” of sisters and brothers. Mary stood at the foot of His Throne while he reigned in pain and shame. Her crown of thorns was a mother’s trust while watching and listening to the disgraceful collapse of His kingdom.  So Queen of Heaven seems a more regal and glorious place to be, far from pandemics, wars and human resistance.  Not quite!

In our section of this world we do not “King and Queen” much except in playing chess. Mary, in the Theology of the Catholic Church, seems to be queenly busy.  She has many titles as Queen of these and those, heres and theres.   In the second chapter of John’s Gospel, Mary tells the servants at the Wedding Feast, to do whatever He tells you. This is quite a dramatic scene; it is the only time in John’s Gospel that we hear her saying anything.  It does give us an important glimpse of her place in the Theology of Grace within the Catholic Church.

So if you are kneeling, sit down.  This is difficult to let in, to rearrange Mary’s place in our lives. Simply, yet again, dramatically, Mary, Assumed into Heaven, is believed to be the “Dispenser” of all graces! Mary then is the ever-living ever-giving of the lively activity of God’s presence, also known as Grace, to her motherly-loved family.

So Heaven, of which Mary is Queen, has to be the fullest experience of Grace, or the Divine Presence. Mary mothers us with the birth and milk and comfort of that Grace which her Son freed for us by His obedient death.

That is quite heavy, I know, and we pray to Our Father and to His Son and for the Holy Spirit, but Mary is not the decider, but dispenser, the fountain of the eternal abiding Presence which we call Grace. Why, you ask?  For the answer, smile at your own why do you want to know! It might not be the way you would do it, but why not! Mary, who gave birth to the human race by giving flesh to the Infinite, now gives our human flesh the very participation in that same Infinite love. Her “yes” in today’s Gospel is the very center of her queenship. As Jesus was the Infinite “Yes!” to Who He was on earth, so Mary’s “yes” is who she is as Queen of Heaven.

“I say that we are wound,
with mercy round and round
As if with air the same
Is Mary more by name.
She, wild web, wonderous robe,
Mantles the guilty globe,
Since God has let dispense
Her prayers His providence,
Nay more than almoner,
The sweet alms self is her,
And men are meant to share
Her life as life does air.
If I have understood,
She holds high motherhood
Towards all our ghostly good.
And plays in grace Her part
About man’s beating heart…..” 

(Verses taken, from the poem, The Blessed Virgin compared to the Air We Breathe, by the Jesuit, Gerard Manley Hopkins.)

 

 

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

HONOR ROLE

“They are fond of places of honor.” —Matthew 23:6

Our American society is “fond of places of honor.” We have honor rolls, radio and TV interviews, Halls of Fame, autograph sessions, awards banquets, and numerous other ways to honor others. While the Lord does call us to honor our parents (Dt 5:16; Sir 3:2ff) and all people (1 Pt 2:17), He is adamant that we do not seek honor for ourselves.
“Let another praise you — not your own mouth; someone else — not your own lips” (Prv 27:2). Yet though we don’t praise ourselves directly, we are not to even desire others to praise us. That presents a great spiritual danger to us. “As the crucible tests silver and the furnace gold, so a man is tested by the praise he receives” (Prv 27:21). Receiving praise can be dangerous to our eternal soul in that it can lead to pride, the chief sin among capital sins. Yet we are to live praiseworthy lives in a public, visible setting (Mt 5:16). How do we conduct ourselves in this risky situation?
We are to constantly seek to humble ourselves (Mt 23:12). Then Jesus exalts us, so we must then humble ourselves even more, which leads to more exaltation. Thus, like John the Baptizer, we constantly seek to decrease so that Jesus may increase (Jn 3:30). If God then chooses to honor us with a crown of glory, we graciously receive it and instantly pass that crown of honor on to our God (see Rv 4:10). Therefore, our only fondness for places of honor would be because Jesus gets more glory (see 2 Cor 9:13). 

Prayer:  Father, “not to us but to Your name give glory” (Ps 115:1). “Hallowed be Your name” (Mt 6:9).

Promise:  “Kindness and truth shall meet; justice and peace shall kiss.” —Ps 85:11

Praise:  Mary is Queen because of her divine maternity. She is also our spiritual mother and contends with Satan on our behalf (see Rv 12:17). Queen Mary, pray for us!

 

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

 

Who doesn't desire the praise and respect of others? We want others to see us at our best with all of our strengths and achievements - rather than at our worst with all of our faults and shortcomings. God sees us as we truly are - sinners and beggars always in need of his mercy, help, and guidance. Jesus warned the scribes and Pharisees, the teachers and rulers of Israel, to teach and serve their people with humility and sincerity rather than with pride and self-promotion. They went to great lengths to draw attention to their religious status and practices. In a way they wanted to be good models of observant Jews. "See how well we observe all the ritual rules and regulations of our religion!" In their misguided zeal for religion they sought recognition and honor for themselves rather than for God. They made the practice of their faith a burden rather than a joy for the people they were supposed to serve.

True respect for God inclines us to humble ourselves and to submit to his wisdom and guidance. We cannot be taught by God unless we first learn to listen to his word and then obey his instruction.

One Father and Teacher
Was Jesus against calling anyone a rabbi, the Jewish title for a teacher of God's word (Matthew 23:7-8), or a father? The law of Moses in Scripture specifically instructed all fathers to be teachers and instructors for their children to help them understand and obey God's instructions (Deuteronomy 6:7)? Why did Jesus rebuke the scribes and Pharisees, the religious authorities of the Jewish people, in the presence of his disciples? Jesus wanted to warn both his own disciples and the religious leaders about the temptation to seek honors and titles that draw attention to ourselves in place of God and his word. Pride tempts us to put ourselves first above others.

The Scriptures give ample warning about the danger of self-seeking pride: Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall (Proverbs 16:18). God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:24). Origen of Alexandria (185-254 AD), an early Christian teacher and bible scholar, reminds those who teach and lead to remember that they are first and foremost "disciples" and "servants" who sit at the feet of their Master and Teacher the Lord Jesus Christ:

"You have one teacher, and you are all brothers to each other...Whoever ministers with the divine word does not put himself forward to be called teacher, for he knows that when he performs well it is Christ who is within him. He should only call himself servant according to the command of Christ, saying, Whoever is greater among you, let him be the servant of all."

True humility
Respect for God and for his ways inclines us to humility and to simplicity of heart - the willing readiness to seek the one true good who is God himself. What is the nature of true humility and why should we embrace it as essential for our lives? We can easily mistake humility as something demeaning or harmful to our sense of well-being and feeling good about ourselves. True humility is not feeling bad about yourself, or having a low opinion of yourself, or thinking of yourself as inferior to all others. True humility frees us from preoccupation with ourselves, whereas a low self-opinion tends to focus our attention on ourselves. Humility is truth in self-understanding and truth in action. Viewing ourselves honestly, with sober judgment, means seeing ourselves the way God sees us (Psalm 139:1-4).

A humble person makes a realistic assessment of oneself without illusion or pretense to be something one is not. A truly humble person regards oneself neither smaller nor larger than one truly is. True humility frees us to be ourselves as God regards us and to avoid falling into despair and pride. A humble person does not want to wear a mask or put on a facade in order to look good to others. Such a person is not swayed by accidentals, such as fame, reputation, success, or failure. Do you know the joy of Christ-like humility and simplicity of heart?

Humility is the queen or foundation of all the other virtues because it enables us to see and judge correctly, the way God sees. Humility helps us to be teachable so we can acquire true knowledge, wisdom, and an honest view of reality. It directs our energy, zeal, and will to give ourselves to something greater than ourselves. Humility frees us to love and serve others willingly and selflessly, for their own sake, rather than for our own. Paul the Apostle gives us the greatest example and model of humility in the person of Jesus Christ, who emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, and... who humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:7-8). Do you want to be a servant as Jesus loved and served others? The Lord Jesus gives us his heart - the heart of a servant who seeks the good of others and puts their interests first in his care and concern for them.

Lord Jesus, you became a servant for my sake to set me free from the tyranny of selfish pride and self-concern. Teach me to be humble as you are humble and to love others generously with selfless service and kindness.

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: God is our father and teacher, by Jerome(347-420 AD)

"No one should be called teacher or father except God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. He alone is the Father, because all things are from him. He alone is the teacher, because through him are made all things and through him all things are reconciled to God. But one might ask, 'Is it against this precept when the apostle calls himself the teacher of the Gentiles? Or when, as in colloquial speech widely found in the monasteries of Egypt and Palestine, they call each other Father?' Remember this distinction. It is one thing to be a father or a teacher by nature, another to be so by generosity. For when we call a man father and reserve the honor of his age, we may thereby be failing to honor the Author of our own lives. One is rightly called a teacher only from his association with the true Teacher. I repeat: The fact that we have one God and one Son of God through nature does not prevent others from being understood as sons of God by adoption. Similarly this does not make the terms father and teacher useless or prevent others from being called father."(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW)

  

 

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