2020년 11월 12일 연중 제32주간 목요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
필레몬서.7-20
사랑하는 그대여, 7 나는 그대의 사랑으로 큰 기쁨과 격려를 받았습니다.
그대 덕분에 성도들이 마음에 생기를 얻었기 때문입니다.
8 그래서 나는 그리스도 안에서 큰 확신을 가지고
그대가 마땅히 해야 할 일을 명령할 수도 있지만,
9 사랑 때문에 오히려 부탁을 하려고 합니다.
나 바오로는 늙은이인 데다가
이제는 그리스도 예수님 때문에 수인까지 된 몸입니다.
10 이러한 내가 옥중에서 얻은 내 아들
오네시모스의 일로 그대에게 부탁하는 것입니다.
11 그가 전에는 그대에게 쓸모없는 사람이었지만,
이제는 그대에게도 나에게도 쓸모 있는 사람이 되었습니다.
12 나는 내 심장과 같은 그를 그대에게 돌려보냅니다.
13 그를 내 곁에 두어,
복음 때문에 내가 감옥에 갇혀 있는 동안
그대 대신에 나를 시중들게 할 생각도 있었지만,
14 그대의 승낙 없이는 아무것도 하고 싶지 않았습니다.
그대의 선행이 강요가 아니라 자의로 이루어지게 하려는 것입니다.
15 그가 잠시 그대에게서 떨어져 있었던 것은
아마도 그를 영원히 돌려받기 위한 것이었는지도 모릅니다.
16 이제 그대는 그를 더 이상 종이 아니라 종 이상으로,
곧 사랑하는 형제로 돌려받게 되었습니다.
그가 나에게 특별히 사랑받는 형제라면,
그대에게는 인간적으로 보나 주님 안에서 보나 더욱 그렇지 않습니까?
17 그러므로 그대가 나를 동지로 여긴다면,
나를 맞아들이듯이 그를 맞아들여 주십시오.
18 그가 그대에게 손실을 입혔거나 빚을 진 것이 있거든
내 앞으로 계산하십시오.
19 나 바오로가 이 말을 직접 씁니다. 내가 갚겠습니다.
그렇다고 나에게 빚을 진 덕분에
지금의 그대가 있다는 사실을 말하려는 것은 아닙니다.
20 그렇습니다, 형제여! 나는 주님 안에서 그대의 덕을 보려고 합니다.
그리스도 안에서 내 마음이 생기를 얻게 해 주십시오.
복음
루카. 17,20-25
그때에 20 예수님께서는 바리사이들에게서
하느님의 나라가 언제 오느냐는 질문을 받으시고 그들에게 대답하셨다.
“하느님의 나라는 눈에 보이는 모습으로 오지 않는다.
21 또 ‘보라, 여기에 있다.’,
또는 ‘저기에 있다.’ 하고 사람들이 말하지도 않을 것이다.
보라, 하느님의 나라는 너희 가운데에 있다.”
22 예수님께서 제자들에게 이르셨다.
“너희가 사람의 아들의 날을 하루라도 보려고
갈망할 때가 오겠지만 보지 못할 것이다.
23 사람들이 너희에게 ‘보라, 저기에 계시다.’,
또는 ‘보라, 여기에 계시다.’ 할 것이다.
그러나 너희는 나서지도 말고 따라가지도 마라.
24 번개가 치면 하늘 이쪽 끝에서 하늘 저쪽 끝까지 비추는 것처럼,
사람의 아들도 자기의 날에 그러할 것이다.
25 그러나 그는 먼저 많은 고난을 겪고
이 세대에게 배척을 받아야 한다.”
November 12, 2020
Memorial of Saint Josaphat, Bishop and Martyr
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
Beloved:
I have experienced much joy and encouragement from your love,
because the hearts of the holy ones
have been refreshed by you, brother.
Therefore, although I have the full right in Christ
to order you to do what is proper,
I rather urge you out of love,
being as I am, Paul, an old man,
and now also a prisoner for Christ Jesus.
I urge you on behalf of my child Onesimus,
whose father I have become in my imprisonment,
who was once useless to you but is now useful to both you and me.
I am sending him, that is, my own heart, back to you.
I should have liked to retain him for myself,
so that he might serve me on your behalf
in my imprisonment for the Gospel,
but I did not want to do anything without your consent,
so that the good you do might not be forced but voluntary.
Perhaps this is why he was away from you for a while,
that you might have him back forever,
no longer as a slave but more than a slave, a brother,
beloved especially to me, but even more so to you,
as a man and in the Lord.
So if you regard me as a partner, welcome him as you would me.
And if he has done you any injustice
or owes you anything, charge it to me.
I, Paul, write this in my own hand: I will pay.
May I not tell you that you owe me your very self.
Yes, brother, may I profit from you in the Lord.
Refresh my heart in Christ.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (5a) Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.
R. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Gospel
Asked by the Pharisees when the Kingdom of God would come,
Jesus said in reply,
“The coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed,
and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’
For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.”
Then he said to his disciples,
“The days will come when you will long to see
one of the days of the Son of Man, but you will not see it.
There will be those who will say to you,
‘Look, there he is,’ or ‘Look, here he is.’
Do not go off, do not run in pursuit.
For just as lightning flashes
and lights up the sky from one side to the other,
so will the Son of Man be in his day.
But first he must suffer greatly and be rejected by this generation.”
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
I see Paul’s letter as a plea for compassion for a runaway slave, the Psalm as a recognition of the graces bestowed by God, and in the Gospel, Jesus responding to the Pharisees’ question about the coming of the Kingdom.
The world is a very small place. I can remember a chance meeting with a family of our Omaha neighbors on a bridge in Switzerland. I can also recall while I was walking through a park in Poland stumbling upon two acquaintances from the United States who were having a clandestine rendezvous. I can think of a dozen stories of unexpected crossings of paths.
Today’s first reading brought these stories to mind. Onesimus, a slave who has run away from Philemon, encounters Paul. The “it’s a small world” part of the story is that Philemon is a Christian well known to Paul. Philemon lived in present-day Turkey, while Paul was in present-day Italy at the time. Paul became responsible for Onesimus’ conversion. It seems that today’s epistle is an excerpt from a cover letter for Onesimus’ voluntary return.
Today’s readings left me confused. Is Onesimus returning as a slave of Philemon? What role in the Church would he take on after his return to Colossae? Looking to biblical scholars, I find disagreement. Moving on to the Gospel, I find similar differences of opinions, even arguing between translating the text as “the Kingdom of God is among you” and as “the Kingdom of God is within you.” Was Jesus saying that the Kingdom of God is within the hearts of men? Was He saying that the Kingdom of God is at hand? Or was He saying that the Kingdom of God was being made manifest in Him?
I feel that I am left to my own personal reflection. If I envisage myself in the presence of Paul and Onesimus, I picture Paul treating Onesimus as any other brother in the faith. I see Paul as didactic and committed to his cause. Himself confined to prison, he missions Onesimus to return and serve his community as someone no longer on the run. If I imagine myself near Jesus, I notice that I am standing next to Jesus rather than sitting at His feet. The crowd of Pharisees makes me nervous. I am more ready for action than passive listening. I am feeling that Jesus has intentionally given an ambiguous answer. I sense the Kingdom within as a call to action.
I recall that earlier in the Gospel of Luke, Jesus has described the Kingdom of God as being like a mustard seed or like yeast. In both cases it is something small that leads to a remarkable transformation. My prayer today focusses on the mission that follows from transforming grace.
Heavenly Father,
This year has been and continues to be a time unlike others.
Allow me to see your presence in the people and settings that I experience.
Help me to recognize your graces in the midst of a changing order.
Grant me the resilience to respond to your calls to service in this unsettled period.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
BLOOD BROTHER
“Perhaps he was separated from you for a while for this reason: that you might possess him forever, no longer as a slave but as more than a slave, a beloved brother, especially dear to me; and how much more to you, since now you will know him both as a man and in the Lord.” —Philemon 15-16
St. Paul tried to undermine the institution of slavery not by politics or legislation but by winning over individual Christians to the brotherhood and sisterhood of community life. By converting the slave Onesimus, Paul thereby made the slave a brother to the slave-owner Philemon (Phlm 16).
St. Francis used this method in stopping the city-state wars of his time. The Franciscan sense of brotherhood subverted the entrenched European military system. The amazing, non-violent overthrow of the Marcos regime in the Philippines was also an example of brotherhood over violence.
If we realized we are brothers and sisters, abortion, racism, and apathy would lose their hold on us. One day, our faith would lead us to transform our weapons into implements to feed the poor (see Is 2:4). We would refuse to perpetrate social injustices against the third world and the poor workers.
A good legal system can partially hold in check the evils of our society, but permanent change must take place in the hearts of individuals. The Spirit teaches us that we are one body, and “if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members share its joy” (1 Cor 12:26).
Prayer: Father, send Your Spirit to raise up peacemakers, prayer-warriors, and conscientious objectors. May Christian unity overshadow nationalism, economic status, social classes, and denominationalism.
Promise: “The Son of Man in His day will be like the lightning that flashes from one end of the sky to the other.” —Lk 17:24
Praise: St. Josaphat is a symbol of the glory and challenges of the universal Church. Born into the Eastern Orthodox Church, he became a martyr promoting unity with Rome.
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
What can lightning tell us about the coming of the Lord and his kingdom? The Jews is Jesus' time were watching in great anticipation for some sign which would indicate when the Messiah would appear to establish the kingdom of God. The Pharisees' question on this matter was intended to test Jesus since they did not accept him as the Messiah. Jesus surprised them with the answer that the kingdom or reign of God was already here! Jesus spoke of the coming of God's kingdom as both a present event and an event which would be manifested at the end of time.
The Day of Judgment and God's final verdict
The "Day of the Lord" was understood in the Old Testament as the time when God would manifest his glory and power and overthrow the enemies of his people, Israel. The prophet Amos declared that the "Day" also meant judgment for Israel as well as the nations (Amos 5:18-20). The prophet Joel proclaimed that at this "Day" those who truly repented would be saved, while those who remained enemies of the Lord, whether Jew or Gentile, would be punished (see Joel 2).
Image of lightning and the sudden appearance of Christ on Judgment Day
Why did Jesus associate lightning with the "Day of the Lord"? In the arid climate of Palestine, storms were infrequent and seasonal. They often appeared suddenly or unexpectedly, seemingly out of nowhere, covering everything in thick darkness. With little or no warning lightning filled the sky with its piercing flashes of flaming light. Its power struck terror and awe in those who tried to flee from its presence. Jesus warned the Pharisees that the "Son of man" (a title for the Messiah given in the Book of Daniel 7:13-15) would come in like manner, quite suddenly and unexpectedly, on the clouds of heaven to bring God's judgment on the "Day of the Lord". No special sign will be needed to announce his appearance. Nor will his presence and power be veiled or hidden, but all will recognize him as clearly as the lightning in the sky.
Jesus returns to judge the living and the dead
Jesus identified himself with the "Day of the Lord." "Son of man" was understood as a Messianic title for the one who would come not only to establish God's kingdom but who would come as Judge of the living as well as the dead. Jesus points to his second coming when he will return to complete the work of restoration and final judgment. While we do not know the time of his return, we will not mistake it when it happens. It will be apparent to all, both believers and non-believers as well.
When the Pharisees asked Jesus what sign would indicate the "Day of the Lord", Jesus replied that only one sign would point to that day and that sign was Jesus himself. Jesus surprised the Jews of his time by announcing that God's kingdom was already present among them in his very person - the Son of God sent from the Father to redeem the world from sin and corruption.
Our hope is anchored in God's kingdom - not the passing kingdoms of this present world
In the Lord Jesus we see both the power and the glory of God's kingdom. His divine power overthrew the powers of darkness (the kingdom of Satan and all who opposed God's rule) and sin (which corrupts and enslaves the human mind, heart, and will to the forces of evil and wrongdoing). Jesus knew that the only way to victory was through the cross. On that cross he defeated death and canceled the debt of our sins. The victory of his cross opens the way for us to live as sons and daughters of God and citizens of his heavenly kingdom of peace, joy, and righteousness (moral goodness). Is your hope and future securely anchored to God's heavenly kingdom?
Lord Jesus Christ, may your kingdom come and my your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Be the Ruler of my heart and the Master of my life that I may always live in the freedom of your love and truth.
Psalm 119:89-91,130,135,175
89 For ever, O LORD, your word is firmly fixed in the heavens.
90 Your faithfulness endures to all generations; you have established the earth, and it stands fast.
91 By your appointment they stand this day; for all things are your servants.
130 The unfolding of your words gives light; it imparts understanding to the simple.
135 Make your face shine upon your servant, and teach me your statutes.
175 Let me live, that I may praise you, and let your ordinances help me.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Don't pursue human glory, by John Cassian (360-435 AD)
"If the devil has been driven out and sin no longer reigns, then the kingdom of God is established in us. As it is written in the Gospel, 'The kingdom of God does not come with observation, nor will they say, 'Lo here,' or 'Lo, there.' Truly I say to you that the kingdom of God is within you' (Luke 17:20-21). The only thing that can be 'within us' is knowledge or ignorance of the truth and the affection for righteousness or sin by which we prepare our hearts to be a kingdom of Christ or the devil. St. Paul described the nature of this kingdom in this way: 'For the kingdom of God is not food and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit' (Romans 14:17). If the kingdom of God is within us and is righteousness, peace and joy, then someone that remains in these is surely within the kingdom of God. Someone that remains in unrighteousness, conflict and the melancholy that kills the life of the spirit is already a citizen of the devil's kingdom, of hell and of death. These are the signs whether it is God's kingdom or the devil's." (excerpt from CONFERENCE 1.13.5)
[John Cassian was an early 5th century church father who lived for several years with the monks in Bethlehem and Egypt before founding a monastery in southern Gaul.]
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