2020년 11월 22일 그리스도왕 대축일(성서 주간)
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
에제키엘 예언서. 34,11-12.15-17
11 주 하느님이 이렇게 말한다.
나 이제 내 양 떼를 찾아서 보살펴 주겠다.
12 자기 가축이 흩어진 양 떼 가운데에 있을 때,
목자가 그 가축을 보살피듯, 나도 내 양 떼를 보살피겠다.
캄캄한 구름의 날에, 흩어진 그 모든 곳에서 내 양 떼를 구해 내겠다.
15 내가 몸소 내 양 떼를 먹이고, 내가 몸소 그들을 누워 쉬게 하겠다.
주 하느님의 말이다.
16 잃어버린 양은 찾아내고 흩어진 양은 도로 데려오며,
부러진 양은 싸매 주고 아픈 것은 원기를 북돋아 주겠다.
그러나 기름지고 힘센 양은 없애 버리겠다.
나는 이렇게 공정으로 양 떼를 먹이겠다.
17 너희 나의 양 떼야, 주 하느님이 이렇게 말한다.
나 이제 양과 양 사이, 숫양과 숫염소 사이의 시비를 가리겠다.
제2독서
코린토 1서. 15,20-26.28
형제 여러분,
20 그리스도께서는 죽은 이들 가운데에서 되살아나셨습니다.
죽은 이들의 맏물이 되셨습니다.
21 죽음이 한 사람을 통하여 왔으므로 부활도 한 사람을 통하여 온 것입니다.
22 아담 안에서 모든 사람이 죽는 것과 같이
그리스도 안에서 모든 사람이 살아날 것입니다.
23 그러나 각각 차례가 있습니다. 맏물은 그리스도이십니다.
그다음은 그리스도께서 재림하실 때, 그분께 속한 이들입니다.
24 그러고는 종말입니다.
그때에 그리스도께서는 모든 권세와 모든 권력과 권능을 파멸시키시고 나서
나라를 하느님 아버지께 넘겨 드리실 것입니다.
25 하느님께서 모든 원수를 그리스도의 발아래 잡아다 놓으실 때까지는
그리스도께서 다스리셔야 합니다.
26 마지막으로 파멸되어야 하는 원수는 죽음입니다.
28 그러나 아드님께서도 모든 것이 당신께 굴복할 때에는,
당신께 모든 것을 굴복시켜 주신 분께 굴복하실 것입니다.
그리하여 하느님께서는 모든 것 안에서 모든 것이 되실 것입니다.
복음
마태오. 25,31-46
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
31 “사람의 아들이 영광에 싸여 모든 천사와 함께 오면,
자기의 영광스러운 옥좌에 앉을 것이다.
32 그리고 모든 민족들이 사람의 아들 앞으로 모일 터인데,
그는 목자가 양과 염소를 가르듯이 그들을 가를 것이다.
33 그렇게 하여 양들은 자기 오른쪽에, 염소들은 왼쪽에 세울 것이다.
34 그때에 임금이 자기 오른쪽에 있는 이들에게 이렇게 말할 것이다.
‘내 아버지께 복을 받은 이들아,
와서, 세상 창조 때부터 너희를 위하여 준비된 나라를 차지하여라.
35 너희는 내가 굶주렸을 때에 먹을 것을 주었고,
내가 목말랐을 때에 마실 것을 주었으며,
내가 나그네였을 때에 따뜻이 맞아들였다.
36 또 내가 헐벗었을 때에 입을 것을 주었고,
내가 병들었을 때에 돌보아 주었으며, 내가 감옥에 있을 때에 찾아 주었다.’
37 그러면 그 의인들이 이렇게 말할 것이다.
‘주님, 저희가 언제 주님께서 굶주리신 것을 보고 먹을 것을 드렸고,
목마르신 것을 보고 마실 것을 드렸습니까?
38 언제 주님께서 나그네 되신 것을 보고 따뜻이 맞아들였고,
헐벗으신 것을 보고 입을 것을 드렸습니까?
39 언제 주님께서 병드시거나 감옥에 계신 것을 보고 찾아가 뵈었습니까?’
40 그러면 임금이 대답할 것이다.
‘내가 진실로 너희에게 말한다.
너희가 내 형제들인 이 가장 작은 이들 가운데 한 사람에게 해 준 것이
바로 나에게 해 준 것이다.’
41 그때에 임금은 왼쪽에 있는 자들에게도 이렇게 말할 것이다.
‘저주받은 자들아, 나에게서 떠나
악마와 그 부하들을 위하여 준비된 영원한 불 속으로 들어가라.
42 너희는 내가 굶주렸을 때에 먹을 것을 주지 않았고,
내가 목말랐을 때에 마실 것을 주지 않았으며,
43 내가 나그네였을 때에 따뜻이 맞아들이지 않았다.
또 내가 헐벗었을 때에 입을 것을 주지 않았고,
내가 병들었을 때와 감옥에 있을 때에 돌보아 주지 않았다.’
44 그러면 그들도 이렇게 말할 것이다.
‘주님, 저희가 언제 주님께서 굶주리시거나 목마르시거나
나그네 되신 것을 보고,
또 헐벗으시거나 병드시거나 감옥에 계신 것을 보고
시중들지 않았다는 말씀입니까?’
45 그때에 임금이 대답할 것이다.
‘내가 진실로 너희에게 말한다.
너희가 이 가장 작은 이들 가운데 한 사람에게 해 주지 않은 것이
바로 나에게 해 주지 않은 것이다.’
46 이렇게 하여 그들은 영원한 벌을 받는 곳으로 가고
의인들은 영원한 생명을 누리는 곳으로 갈 것이다.”
November 22, 2020
Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ The King
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
Ez 34:11-12, 15-17
I myself will look after and tend my sheep.
As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep,
so will I tend my sheep.
I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered
when it was cloudy and dark.
I myself will pasture my sheep;
I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD.
The lost I will seek out,
the strayed I will bring back,
the injured I will bind up,
the sick I will heal,
but the sleek and the strong I will destroy,
shepherding them rightly.
As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD,
I will judge between one sheep and another,
between rams and goats.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 23:1-2, 2-3, 5-6
The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R. The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
Reading 2
1 Cor 15:20-26, 28
Christ has been raised from the dead,
the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the dead came also through man.
For just as in Adam all die,
so too in Christ shall all be brought to life,
but each one in proper order:
Christ the firstfruits;
then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ;
then comes the end,
when he hands over the kingdom to his God and Father,
when he has destroyed every sovereignty
and every authority and power.
For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet.
The last enemy to be destroyed is death.
When everything is subjected to him,
then the Son himself will also be subjected
to the one who subjected everything to him,
so that God may be all in all.
Gospel
Mt 25:31-46
"When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
'Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.'
Then the righteous will answer him and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you,
or thirsty and give you drink?
When did we see you a stranger and welcome you,
or naked and clothe you?
When did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?'
And the king will say to them in reply,
'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did
for one of the least brothers of mine, you did for me.'
Then he will say to those on his left,
'Depart from me, you accursed,
into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.
For I was hungry and you gave me no food,
I was thirsty and you gave me no drink,
a stranger and you gave me no welcome,
naked and you gave me no clothing,
ill and in prison, and you did not care for me.'
Then they will answer and say,
'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty
or a stranger or naked or ill or in prison,
and not minister to your needs?'
He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to you,
what you did not do for one of these least ones,
you did not do for me.'
And these will go off to eternal punishment,
but the righteous to eternal life."
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Today’s responsorial psalm reminds me of the Sunday School teacher who decided to have her young class memorize Psalm 23 and gave them a month to do so. Little Rick, one the boys in the class, was very excited about the task but he just couldn’t remember the Psalm. After much practice, he could barely get past the first line. On the day that the kids were scheduled to recite Psalm 23 in front of the whole congregation, Rick was very nervous. When it was his turn, he stepped to the microphone and said proudly, “The Lord is my shepherd, and that’s all I need to know.”
In many respects, Rick got it. All we really need to know is that the Lord is our shepherd. And that he cares for us. The first reading from Ezekiel is filled with words and phrases that exhibit this care: “look after”; “tend”; “rescue”; “pasture”; “give them rest”; “seek out”; “bring back”; “bind up the injured”; “heal the sick”.
The kingship of Christ that we celebrate today is a kingship of care. Care for all but particularly for the least ones: the hungry, the thirsty, the naked, the ill, the ones in prison. The disciples are invited to care for these because in doing so they care for Jesus who identifies with these least ones. Today’s feast both consoles as well as challenges us. We are consoled by the Lord’s care for us, which is indeed comforting during these days of the pandemic. At the same time, we are reminded that we are called to care for one another, particularly the least among us.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
KING OF THE POOR
“Christ must reign until God has put all enemies under His feet.” —1 Corinthians 15:25
Kings traditionally are concerned about pomp and circumstance, military might, taxes, palaces, and monuments. King Jesus is altogether different. When King Jesus “comes in His glory, escorted by all the angels of heaven, He will sit upon His royal throne, and all the nations will be assembled before Him” (Mt 25:31-32). He will judge on behalf of refugees, the naked, the sick, and the imprisoned (Mt 25:36). He has no Pentagon, no military budget, and no national debt. He commands: “Owe no debt to anyone except the debt that binds us to love one another” (Rm 13:8).
The poor are His priority. He commands us to serve the poor. Material poverty in the world indicates our spiritual poverty in the Church. If we bowed before Jesus as King, the poor would have the Good News preached to them and be set free (Lk 4:18). If we had faith in King Jesus, we would “love in deed and in truth and not merely talk about it” (1 Jn 3:18).
King Jesus not only helped the poor but became poor. “You are well acquainted with the favor shown you by our Lord Jesus Christ: how for your sake He made Himself poor though He was rich, so that you might become rich by His poverty” (2 Cor 8:9). He chose to be born in a stable at Bethlehem, live in lowly Nazareth, work at manual labor, and even die like a slave on a cross. King Jesus is a different kind of king. He’s the King of the poor, and the King of kings.
Prayer: King Jesus, take over my life totally.
Promise: “Thus says the Lord God: I Myself will look after and tend My sheep.” —Ez 34:11
Praise: The Feast of Christ the King was instituted in 1925. It reminds us Jesus is King not only over individual souls, but over families, societies, nations and rulers. All hail, Christ the King!
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
Do you allow the love of Christ, who is your Lord and King, to rule in your heart? Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) said, "Essentially, there are two kinds of people, because there are two kinds of love. One is holy, the other is selfish. One is subject to God; the other endeavors to equal Him." Jesus came not only to fulfill the law of righteousness (Leviticus 19), but to transform it through his unconditional love and mercy towards us.
The Lord Jesus proved his love for us by offering up his life on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. His death brings freedom and life for us - freedom from fear, selfishness, and greed - and new abundant life in the Holy Spirit who fills our hearts with the love of God (Romans 5:5). Do you allow God's love to purify your heart and transform your mind to think, act, and love others as the Lord Jesus has taught through word and example?
The lesson of separating goats and sheep at the end of the day
Jesus' description of the "Son of Man", a Messianic title which points to the coming of God's anointed Ruler and Judge over the earth (John 5:26-29, Daniel 7:13ff), and his parable about the separation of goats and sheep must have startled his audience. What does the separation of goats and sheep have to do with the Day of God's Judgement over the earth? In arid dry lands such as Palestine, goats and sheep often grazed together during the day because green pasture was sparse. At nightfall, when the shepherd brought the sheep and goats to their place of rest, he separated them into two groups. Goats by temperament are aggressive, domineering, restless, and territorial. They butt heads with their horns whenever they think someone is intruding on their space.
Goats came to symbolize evil and the expression "scape-goat" become a common expression for someone bearing blame or guilt for others. (See Leviticus 26:20-22 for a description of the ritual expulsion of a sin-bearing goat on the Day of Atonement.) Jesus took our guilt and sins upon himself and nailed them to the cross. He payed the price to set us free from sin and death. Our choice is either to follow and obey him as our Lord and Savior or to be our own master and go our own separate way apart from God's way of truth and righteousness (moral goodness).
We cannot remain neutral or indifferent to the commands of Christ. If we do not repent of our wrongdoing (our sins and offenses against God and neighbor) and obey the Gospel we cannot be disciples of the Lord Jesus nor inherit his kingdom of righteousness, peace, and joy. Separation of the good from the bad is inevitable because one way leads to sin, rebellion, and death and the other way leads to purification, peace, and everlasting life with God.
Love of God frees us from inordinate love of self
The parable of the goats and sheep has a similar endpoint as the parable of the rich man who refused to give any help to the poor man Lazarus who begged daily at the rich man's doorstep (Luke 16:19-31). Although Lazarus was poor and lacked what he needed, he nonetheless put his hope in God and the promise of everlasting life in God's kingdom. The rich man was a lover of wealth rather than a lover of God and neighbor. When Lazarus died he was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom to receive his reward in heaven. When the rich man died his fortunes were reversed and he was cast into the unquenchable fires of hell to receive his just desserts. The parable emphasizes the great chasm and wall of separation between the former rich man held now bound as a poor and miserable prisoner in hell and Lazarus clothed in royal garments feasting at God's banquet table in the kingdom of heaven.
The day of God's righteous judgment will disclose which kind of love we chose in this present life - a holy unselfish love directed to God and to the welfare of our neighbor or a disordered and selfish love that puts oneself above God and the good of our neighbor.
When Martin of Tours (316-397 AD), a young Roman soldier who had been reluctant to fully commit his life to Christ and be baptized as a Christian, met a poor beggar on the road who had no clothes to warm himself in the freezing cold, Martin took pity on him. He immediately got off his horse and cut his cloak in two and then gave half to the stranger. That night Martin dreamt he saw a vision of Jesus in heaven robed in a torn cloak just like the one he gave away that day to the beggar. One of the angels next to Jesus asked, "Master, why do you wear that battered cloak?" Jesus replied, "My servant Martin gave it to me." Martin's disciple and biographer Sulpicius Severus states that as a consequence of this vision "Martin flew to be baptized" to give his life fully to Christ as a member of his people - the body of Christ on earth and the communion of saints and angels in heaven.
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 A.D.) wrote, "Christ is at once above and below - above in Himself, below in his people. Fear Christ above, and recognize him below. Here he is poor, with and in the poor; there he is rich, with and in God. Have Christ above bestowing his bounty; recognize him here in his need" (excerpt from Sermon 123, 44).
On the day of judgment Jesus will ask "whom did you love"?
When the Lord Jesus comes again as Judge and Ruler over all, he will call each one of us to stand before his seat of judgment to answer the question - who did you love and put first in this life? Inordinate love of self crowds out love of God and love of neighbor. Those who put their faith in Jesus Christ and follow his way of love and righteousness will not be disappointed. They will receive the just reward - life and peace with God in his everlasting kingdom.
If we entrust our lives to the Lord Jesus today, and allow his Holy Spirit to purify our hearts and minds, then he will give us the grace, strength, and freedom to walk and live each day in the power of his merciful love and goodness. Let us entrust our lives into the hands of the merciful Savior who gave his life for us. And let us ask the Lord Jesus to increase our faith, strengthen our hope, and enkindle in us the fire of his merciful love and compassion for all.
Lord Jesus, be the Master and Ruler of my life. May your love rule in my heart that I may only think, act, and speak with charity and good will for all.
Psalm 23:1-6
1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not want;
2 he makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters;
3 he restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.
5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil, my cup overflows.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Gathering and Separating, by an anonymous early author from the Greek church
"And he will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats." So then, people on earth are intermingled, and not only intermingled in that the righteous live side by side with the wicked, but they are also indistinguishable. Between the righteous and the wicked there is no apparent difference. Even as in wintertime you cannot tell the healthy trees apart from the withered trees but in beautiful springtime you can tell the difference, so too each person according to his faith and his works will be exposed. The wicked will not have any leaves or show any fruit, but the righteous will be clothed with the leaves of eternal life and adorned with the fruit of glory. In this way they will be separated by the heavenly shepherd and Lord. The earthly shepherd separates animals by their type of body, whereas Christ separates people by their type of soul. The sheep signify righteous people by reason of their gentleness, because they harm no one, and by reason of their patience, because when they are harmed by others, they bear it without resistance. He refers to sinners as goats, however, because these vices characterize goats - capriciousness toward other animals, pride and belligerence." (excerpt from INCOMPLETE WORK ON MATTHEW, HOMILY 54, the Greek fathers).
http://www.homilies.net/
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