2020년 10월 8일 연중 제27주간 목요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
갈라티아 3,1-5
1 아, 어리석은 갈라티아 사람들이여!
예수 그리스도께서 십자가에 못 박히신 모습으로
여러분 눈앞에 생생히 새겨져 있는데, 누가 여러분을 호렸단 말입니까?
2 나는 여러분에게서 이 한 가지만은 알고 싶습니다.
여러분은 율법에 따른 행위로 성령을 받았습니까?
아니면, 복음을 듣고 믿어서 성령을 받았습니까?
3 여러분은 그렇게도 어리석습니까?
성령으로 시작하고서는 육으로 마칠 셈입니까?
4 여러분의 그 많은 체험이 헛일이라는 말입니까?
참으로 헛일이라는 말입니까?
5 그렇다면 여러분에게 성령을 주시고
여러분 가운데에서 기적을 이루시는 분께서,
율법에 따른 여러분의 행위 때문에 그리하시는 것입니까?
아니면, 여러분이 복음을 듣고 믿기 때문에 그리하시는 것입니까?
복음
루카 11,5-13
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 5 이르셨다.
“너희 가운데 누가 벗이 있는데,
한밤중에 그 벗을 찾아가 이렇게 말하였다고 하자.
‘여보게, 빵 세 개만 꾸어 주게.
6 내 벗이 길을 가다가 나에게 들렀는데 내놓을 것이 없네.’
7 그러면 그 사람이 안에서,
‘나를 괴롭히지 말게. 벌써 문을 닫아걸고 아이들과 함께 잠자리에 들었네.
그러니 지금 일어나서 건네줄 수가 없네.’ 하고 대답할 것이다.
8 내가 너희에게 말한다.
그 사람이 벗이라는 이유 때문에 일어나서 빵을 주지는 않는다 하더라도,
그가 줄곧 졸라 대면 마침내 일어나서 그에게 필요한 만큼 다 줄 것이다.
9 내가 너희에게 말한다.
청하여라, 너희에게 주실 것이다.
찾아라, 너희가 얻을 것이다.
문을 두드려라, 너희에게 열릴 것이다.
10 누구든지 청하는 이는 받고, 찾는 이는 얻고,
문을 두드리는 이에게는 열릴 것이다.
11 너희 가운데 어느 아버지가 아들이 생선을 청하는데,
생선 대신에 뱀을 주겠느냐?
12 달걀을 청하는데 전갈을 주겠느냐?
13 너희가 악해도 자녀들에게는 좋은 것을 줄 줄 알거든,
하늘에 계신 아버지께서야 당신께 청하는 이들에게
성령을 얼마나 더 잘 주시겠느냐?”
October 8, 2020
Thursday of the Twenty-seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
Gal 3:1-5
O stupid Galatians!
Who has bewitched you,
before whose eyes Jesus Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified?
I want to learn only this from you:
did you receive the Spirit from works of the law,
or from faith in what you heard?
Are you so stupid?
After beginning with the Spirit,
are you now ending with the flesh?
Did you experience so many things in vain??
if indeed it was in vain.
Does, then, the one who supplies the Spirit to you
and works mighty deeds among you
do so from works of the law
or from faith in what you heard?
Responsorial Psalm
Luke 1:69-70, 71-72, 73-75
R. (68) Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He has raised up for us a mighty savior,
born of the house of his servant David.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
Through his holy prophets he promised of old
that he would save us from our enemies,
from the hands of all who hate us.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
He promised to show mercy to our fathers
and to remember his holy covenant.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; he has come to his people.
This was the oath he swore to our father Abraham:
to set us free from the hands of our enemies,
free to worship him without fear,
holy and righteous in his sight
all the days of our life.
R. Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel; He has come to his people.
Gospel
Lk 11:5-13
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Suppose one of you has a friend
to whom he goes at midnight and says,
‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread,
for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey
and I have nothing to offer him,’
and he says in reply from within,
‘Do not bother me; the door has already been locked
and my children and I are already in bed.
I cannot get up to give you anything.’
I tell you, if he does not get up to give him the loaves
because of their friendship,
he will get up to give him whatever he needs
because of his persistence.
“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives;
and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
What father among you would hand his son a snake
when he asks for a fish?
Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit
to those who ask him?”
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
What was the message Jesus was trying to convey to his disciples in today’s Gospel reading?
The story about a friend knocking on his neighbor’s door at midnight asking for bread seems odd in today’s world.
Would we knock on our neighbor’s door at midnight? No, we would call their cellphone or send them a text. That would be a lot easier than walking down a pitch black, unlit street to seek them out. And if they didn’t answer our text or call, oh well, we tried, and that might likely be the end of our attempt to reach them. (And, if we really did need bread for a late arriving house guest so we could make them a sandwich, there is always the 24-7 convenience store nearby.)
But in Jesus’ time the options were not unlimited, and unless one was “persistent” in their search, their needs would go unfulfilled. When we think of the word “persistence,” we think of words like dogged determination, unrelenting, unremitting or abiding. And the image we often associate with the word might be of Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the mountain only to see it roll back down, again and again. Was Jesus telling the disciples that their work would not be easy but if they “persisted” they would prevail?
So, how would we rate our own level of persistence? Are we “relentless” and do we focus our efforts with “dogged determination,” or when obstacles appear, do we look for an easy way around them? If we think about the books started and not finished or the diets contemplated but not started, or abandoned exercise equipment, we might begin to see a trend.
Rather than think only about “persistence” in our personal lives, how persistent are we in growing our spiritual lives? If we are to evaluate ourselves based solely upon saying a blessing before our meals, reading daily reflections and going to Mass on Sunday, most would probably have high marks and proudly claim we are “persistent.”
But is that the type of “persistence” Jesus was talking about? Or, was he telling his disciples that it takes so much more to be true to our faith, lots of knocking on doors, seeking answers, and lots of questions to ask about how to grow each and every day in strengthening our faith and our love for God. For, as we all know so very well, there are many distractions along the way to prevent us from reaching our goal.
As we focus upon the Gospel, we need to remember that despite our slips, stumbles or falls, we need to “persist” in practicing our faith and living it in our thoughts, words and deeds. Let’s pause and reflect upon how we interact with others, be it family, co-workers, neighbors or complete strangers, and think about the love we show them. Is it Christ like, full of compassion, understanding and a willingness to help? This may be the best indicator of just how deeply Christ is part of our lives and how “persistent” we are.
Hopefully, when living our faith, we are “relentless” and have “dogged determination” to be true to our faith. For in today’s world, that might be as hard as finding a loaf of bread at midnight in Jesus’ world.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
PERSIST IN PRAYER
“He will do so because of his persistence.” —Luke 11:8
Today’s Gospel is God’s encouragement, and even His command, to be persistent. Jesus teaches us: “I tell you, even though he does not get up and take care of the man because of friendship, he will do so because of his persistence” (Lk 11:8).
Do you parents remember when your children were infants, and then toddlers? Is there anything more persistent than a baby who wants to nurse? As parents, we woke up at midnight to nurse, change, feed, and hold them. Most of the time it was out of love, but sometimes, as today’s parable says, it was not out of friendship, but only because of the child’s persistence, which wore us down.
Our intercessory prayers and petitions are to be persistent, but not for the purpose of breaking down God so we get what we request. God is never worn down. He loves us so deeply. It is He Who tells us to ask, seek, knock (Mt 7:7). God is the One Who is persistent in loving us. He is the Parent we tried to be with our children. So in trust and obedience, we persist in intercessory prayer. God is far from being weary of our prayer. He is more concerned with our faith, and that we would lose hope and stop praying. Therefore, continue to ask, knock, seek, and persist, despite what seems to be no answer from the Lord. Never lose faith in God’s desire to hear and answer our prayer (see Mt 6:6).
Prayer: “Lord, teach us to pray” (Lk 11:1).
Promise: “If you, with all your sins, know how to give your children good things, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him.” —Lk 11:13
Praise: Albert prayed for years that his grandmother would come back into the Church. She came back on her deathbed.
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
What can we expect from God, especially when we recognize that he doesn't owe us anything and that we don't deserve his grace and favor? Jesus used the illustration of a late-night traveler to teach his listeners an important lesson about how God treats us in contrast to the kind of treatment we might expect from our neighbors.
The rule of hospitality in biblical times required the cooperation of the entire community in entertaining an unexpected or late-night guest. Whether the guest was hungry or not, a meal would be served. In a small village it would be easy to know who had baked bread that day. Bread was essential for a meal because it served as a utensil for dipping and eating from the common dishes. Asking for bread from one's neighbor was both a common occurrence and an expected favor. To refuse to give bread would bring shame and dishonor because it was a sign of in-hospitality - showing a lack of friendship and generosity.
God awakens us from sleep that we may ask and receive
If a neighbor can be imposed upon and coerced into giving bread in the middle of the night, how much more hospitable is God, who, no matter what the circumstances, is generous and ready to give us what we need. Augustine of Hippo reminds us that "God, who does not sleep and who awakens us from sleep that we may ask, gives much more graciously."
Ask, seek, knock - and it will be given
When you are in need who do you turn to for help? Jesus tells us that God is always ready to answer those who seek him and call upon him with expectant trust in his mercy and kindness. Jesus states very clearly and simply what we must do: Ask, seek, knock. God our heavenly Father waits upon us. Like a table waiter or friend who comes in the middle of the night, he is always ready to hear our plea and to give us what we need. Do you ask the Father with expectant faith and confident trust in his goodness? Do you seek his guidance and help in your time of need? Do you knock with persistence at his door of mercy and favor? If we treat our heavenly Father with indifference or neglect to ask with confident trust, we may miss the opportunity we have been given to receive his grace and favor and merciful help.
God gives more than we can ask or expect
In conclusion Jesus makes a startling claim: How much more will the heavenly Father give! The Lord is ever ready to give us not only what we need, but more than we can expect. He gives freely of his Holy Spirit that we may share in his abundant life and joy. Do you approach your heavenly Father with confident trust in his mercy and kindness?
Heavenly Father, you are merciful, gracious and kind. May I never doubt your mercy and love nor hesitate to seek you with confident trust in order to obtain the gifts, graces, and daily provision I need to live as your beloved child and constant friend.
Psalm 1:1-6
1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
4 The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away.
5 Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
6 for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Ask by praying, seek by proper living, knock by persevering, by Bede the Venerable, 672-735 A.D.
"Desiring that we arrive at the joys of the heavenly kingdom, our Lord and Savior taught us to ask these joys of him and promised that he would give them to us if we asked for them. 'Ask,' he said, 'and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.' Dearly beloved..., we earnestly and with our whole heart must ponder these words of our Lord. He bears witness that the kingdom of heaven is not given to, found by and opened to those who are idle and unoccupied but to those who ask for it, seek after it and knock at its gates. The gate of the kingdom must be asked for by praying. It must be sought after by living properly. It must be knocked at by persevering." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 2.51.20)
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