2020년 8월 26일 연중 제21주간 수요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
테살로니카 2서. 3,6-10.16-18
6 형제 여러분,
우리는 우리 주 예수 그리스도의 이름으로 여러분에게 지시합니다.
무질서하게 살아가면서 우리에게서 받은 전통을 따르지 않는 형제는
누구든지 멀리하십시오.
7 우리를 어떻게 본받아야 하는지 여러분 자신이 잘 알고 있습니다.
우리는 여러분과 함께 있을 때에 무질서하게 살지 않았고,
8 아무에게서도 양식을 거저 얻어먹지 않았으며,
오히려 여러분 가운데 누구에게도 폐를 끼치지 않으려고
수고와 고생을 하며 밤낮으로 일하였습니다.
9 우리에게 권리가 없어서가 아니라, 우리 스스로 여러분에게 모범을 보여
여러분이 우리를 본받게 하려는 것이었습니다.
10 사실 우리는 여러분 곁에 있을 때,
일하기 싫어하는 자는 먹지도 말라고 거듭 지시하였습니다.
16 평화의 주님께서 친히 온갖 방식으로
여러분에게 언제나 평화를 내려 주시기를 빕니다.
주님께서 여러분 모두와 함께 계시기를 빕니다.
17 이 인사말은 나 바오로가 직접 씁니다.
이것이 내 모든 편지의 표지입니다.
나는 이런 식으로 편지를 씁니다.
18 우리 주 예수 그리스도의 은총이 여러분 모두와 함께하기를 빕니다.
복음
마태오. 23,27-32
그때에 예수님께서 말씀하셨다.
27 “불행하여라, 너희 위선자 율법 학자들과 바리사이들아!
너희가 겉은 아름답게 보이지만 속은 죽은 이들의 뼈와
온갖 더러운 것으로 가득 차 있는 회칠한 무덤 같기 때문이다.
28 이처럼 너희도 겉은 다른 사람들에게 의인으로 보이지만,
속은 위선과 불법으로 가득하다.
29 불행하여라, 너희 위선자 율법 학자들과 바리사이들아!
너희가 예언자들의 무덤을 만들고 의인들의 묘를 꾸미면서,
30 ‘우리가 조상들 시대에 살았더라면
예언자들을 죽이는 일에 가담하지 않았을 것이다.’ 하고 말하기 때문이다.
31 그렇게 하여 너희는 예언자들을 살해한 자들의 자손임을 스스로 증언한다.
32 그러니 너희 조상들이 시작한 짓을 마저 하여라.”
August 26, 2020
Wedday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
We instruct you, brothers and sisters,
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to shun any brother
who walks in a disorderly way
and not according to the tradition they received from us.
For you know how one must imitate us.
For we did not act in a disorderly way among you,
nor did we eat food received free from anyone.
On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked,
so as not to burden any of you.
Not that we do not have the right.
Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you,
so that you might imitate us.
In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that
if anyone was unwilling to work, neither should that one eat.
May the Lord of peace himself
give you peace at all times and in every way.
The Lord be with all of you.
This greeting is in my own hand, Paul’s.
This is the sign in every letter; this is how I write.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with all of you.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Blessed are you who fear the LORD,
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord.
Gospel
Jesus said,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous,
and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!”
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
How are we to behave in times such as this? As I reflect on the readings for today, I find good insights. Paul says, “Let us greet each other with encouragement and good hope through his grace. Let’s encourage each other’s hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word.” This was said in the spirit of waiting for the coming of the Lord at the last days, but we are told that this coming is probably a long way off. In the meantime, can’t these words serve us well for our daily struggles with the pandemic? We can’t just sit still and do nothing, waiting for it to end. Even if we are sheltering in place, we can still encourage each other’s hearts. We can still strengthen each other in good deeds and words even if just over the phone, through letters, sending donations, and on the internet. We can do much to encourage others.
During this time, we also do well to remember what the Psalmist reminds us: “The Lord will come and govern the people with equity and justice.” As we encourage each other, it is important to keep a focus on our faith. That equity and justice can come alive through us. I am trying these days to be more intentional about sharing the hope in the living Christ that is already among us. Through grace, we are empowered to do the Lord’s work. In Hebrews, we are reminded that “the word of God is living and effective, able to discern reflections and thoughts of the heart.”
It certainly does seem to me that the word of God is at work among us, strengthening our hearts and encouraging our deeds of love, mercy, and justice. During these troubled times, I see many examples of people adhering to the Gospel. It encourages me. In Matthew today we are reminded to not neglect what is important in the service of others. We are to avoid self-indulgence and show mercy where it is needed. That faith is indeed alive in the world. We need not look far to see it. Hopefully it is obvious to others in how we live our individual lives.
I pray today, that each of us can look deep into our hearts daily and ask ourselves, what am I doing to strengthen and encourage others with deeds of love and mercy? What am I doing to share the living word of God? Christ is indeed among us, but can others see it? It is through his grace that we demonstrate that the word is alive and effective. That is encouraging!
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
THE HUMANLY INESCAPABLE TRAP
“Now it is your turn: fill up the vessel measured out by your forefathers.” —Matthew 23:32
Jesus faulted the religious leaders of His time for being so concerned about their outside but not their inside. Jesus said: “You present to view a holy exterior while hypocrisy and evil fill you within” (Mt 23:28). This is a perennial, deep-seated problem. For example, many more people go to the beauty parlor than to Confession. Many plan for decades for the few years of their retirement but give much less consideration to the state of their soul and to eternity following retirement. Human beings are naturally trapped in the visible and the superficial.
Jesus also warned the Jewish religious leaders that they were severely self-deceived. They honestly, but mistakenly, thought they would not have murdered the prophets of the past (Mt 23:30ff). We too think we would never have condoned slavery, joined in unjust wars, accepted institutional racism, or silently acquiesced to concentration camps, if we had lived at those times. But the Lord may be saying to us today that we likewise are self-deceived. Self-deception is a trap which can lead to our damnation.
The scribes and the Pharisees are not alone in their sinful loss of contact with reality. All humanity is trapped. Who can save us? Jesus has already saved us (see Ti 3:5). Give your life totally to Him and accept His salvation. Thank and worship Jesus forever. Tell others about the only Savior (see Acts 4:12).
Prayer: Jesus, You are our only Hope and the only Hope we need.
Promise: “May He Who is the Lord of peace give you continued peace in every possible way. The Lord be with you all.” —2 Thes 3:16
Praise: Robert turned down promotions to maintain a good family and prayer life.
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
How can you tell if someone is real or fake, genuine or counterfeit? Outward appearances can be deceptive. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth (Isaiah 11:3-4). The heart reveals the true intentions and attitudes that form the way we think of others and treat them. Jesus used strong language to warn the religious leaders and teachers about the vanity of outward appearance and pretense - wearing a mask that hides the true intentions and thoughts of the heart. In Palestine tombs were often placed by the sides of roads. They were painted white which made them glisten in the midday sun, especially around the time of the great feasts, so that people would not accidentally touch them and incur ritual impurity.
True beauty and goodness come from within
Jesus equates true beauty and goodness with a clean heart and mind that is set on God and his way of love and goodness and sin with a corrupt mind and heart that is set on doing what is wrong and evil. Jesus issued a stern warning to the scribes and Pharisees not to condemn them but to call them to examine their hearts in the light of God's truth and holiness. Jesus called them hypocrites because their hearts were set on pleasing themselves rather than God. A hypocrite is an actor or imposter who says one thing but does the opposite or who puts on an outward appearance of doing good while inwardly clinging to wrong attitudes, selfish desires and ambitions, or bad intentions. Many scribes and Pharisees had made it a regular practice to publicly put on a good show of outward zeal and piety with the intention of winning greater honors, privileges, and favors among the people.
Sin is ugly because it corrupts heart and mind
Jesus warns that what truly corrupts a person is not external ritual impurity but the impurity of wrong and sinful attitudes that come from within a person's mind and heart - such as pride, greed, sloth, envy, hatred, gluttony, and lust - these are what produce sinful habits (vices) and ways of speaking, acting, judging, and treating others. That is why every good deed is beautiful in God's sight and every wrong or sinful deed is ugly in his sight. The scribes and Pharisees were intensely religious in their outward observances, but their outward show didn't match the inner reality of the state of their minds and hearts. They not only neglected the poor and the weak, but they were intolerant towards anyone who challenged their idea of religion. That is why so many of the prophets in past ages - who warned about tolerating evil desires and unjust behavior towards one's neighbor - were persecuted and even killed by their own rulers and people.
Jesus chastised the religious leaders for being double-minded and for demanding from others standards which they refused to satisfy. They professed admiration for the prophets who spoke God's word by building tombs in their honor. But their outward show of respect did not match their inward refusal to heed the prophets' warning to turn away from sinful attitudes and from neglecting to lead their people - through teaching and their own example - in God's way of love and holiness of life. They shut themselves to heaven and they hindered others from growing in the knowledge of God's truth and goodness. They rejected Jesus as their Messiah because their hearts were blinded and hardened to the voice of God.
The Holy Spirit renews the heart and mind
True beauty, goodness, and piety come from within - from a heart that is set on pleasing God and a mind that is set on hearing and obeying God's word. Jesus came to set us free from slavery to sin and harmful habits and addictions that lead us into wrong and sinful ways of thinking, acting, and relating to others. Only the humble of heart can receive from God true wisdom and understanding, pardon and healing. The Holy Spirit is ever ready to renew our minds and hearts and to lead us in God's way of love and holiness. Ask the Holy Spirit to purify your heart and mind and to fill you with the power of God's love and goodness.
Lord Jesus, incline my heart to your wisdom and teach me your ways. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may love your ways and obey your word.
Psalm 139:1-3,7-12
1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
7 Whither shall I go from your Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, "Let only darkness cover me, and the light about me be night,"
12 even the darkness is not dark to you, the night is bright as the day; for darkness is as light with you.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Good deeds done for God, author unknown, from the 5th century A.D.
"Every good deed that is done for God is universally good for everything and everyone. Deeds that are not seen to benefit everything and everyone, however, are done on account of man, as the present matter itself demonstrates. For example, those who build reliquaries and adorn churches seem to be doing good. If they imitate the justice of God, if the poor benefit from their goods and if they do not acquire their goods through violence against others, it is clear that they are building for the glory of God. If they fail to observe God's justice... and if the poor never benefit from their goods and if they acquire their goods from others by means of violence or fraud, who is so foolish not to understand that they are building for human respect rather than for the glory of God? Those who build reliquaries in a just manner ensure that the poor do not suffer as a result of it. For the martyrs do not rejoice when they are honored by gifts for which the poor paid with their tears. What kind of justice is it to give gifts to the dead and to despoil the living or to drain blood from the poor and offer it to God? To do such things is not to offer sacrifice to God but to attempt to make God an accomplice in violence, since whoever knowingly accepts a gift which was acquired by sinful means participates in the sin." (excerpt from an incomplete Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, HOMILY 45)
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