2020년 12월 21일 월요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
아가. 2,8-14<또는 스바 3,14-18ㄱ>
8 내 연인의 소리! 보셔요, 그이가 오잖아요.
산을 뛰어오르고 언덕을 뛰어넘어 오잖아요.
9 나의 연인은 노루나 젊은 사슴 같답니다.
보셔요, 그이가 우리 집 담장 앞에 서서
창틈으로 기웃거리고 창살 틈으로 들여다본답니다.
10 내 연인은 나에게 속삭이며 말했지요.
“나의 애인이여, 일어나오. 나의 아름다운 여인이여, 이리 와 주오.
11 자, 이제 겨울은 지나고 장마는 걷혔다오.
12 땅에는 꽃이 모습을 드러내고 노래의 계절이 다가왔다오.
우리 땅에서는 멧비둘기 소리가 들려온다오.
13 무화과나무는 이른 열매를 맺어 가고 포도나무 꽃송이들은 향기를 내뿜는다오.
나의 애인이여, 일어나오. 나의 아름다운 여인이여, 이리 와 주오.
14 바위틈에 있는 나의 비둘기, 벼랑 속에 있는 나의 비둘기여!
그대의 모습을 보게 해 주오. 그대의 목소리를 듣게 해 주오.
그대의 목소리는 달콤하고 그대의 모습은 어여쁘다오.”
복음
루카. 1,39-45
39 그 무렵 마리아는 길을 떠나, 서둘러 유다 산악 지방에 있는 한 고을로 갔다.
40 그리고 즈카르야의 집에 들어가 엘리사벳에게 인사하였다.
41 엘리사벳이 마리아의 인사말을 들을 때 그의 태 안에서 아기가 뛰놀았다.
엘리사벳은 성령으로 가득 차 42 큰 소리로 외쳤다.
“당신은 여인들 가운데에서 가장 복되시며 당신 태중의 아기도 복되십니다.
43 내 주님의 어머니께서 저에게 오시다니 어찌 된 일입니까?
44 보십시오, 당신의 인사말 소리가 제 귀에 들리자
저의 태 안에서 아기가 즐거워 뛰놀았습니다.
45 행복하십니다, 주님께서 하신 말씀이 이루어지리라고 믿으신 분!”
December 21, 2020
Monday of the Fourth Week of Advent
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
Hark! my lover?here he comes
springing across the mountains,
leaping across the hills.
My lover is like a gazelle
or a young stag.
Here he stands behind our wall,
gazing through the windows,
peering through the lattices.
My lover speaks; he says to me,
“Arise, my beloved, my dove, my beautiful one,
and come!
“For see, the winter is past,
the rains are over and gone.
The flowers appear on the earth,
the time of pruning the vines has come,
and the song of the dove is heard in our land.
The fig tree puts forth its figs,
and the vines, in bloom, give forth fragrance.
Arise, my beloved, my beautiful one,
and come!
“O my dove in the clefts of the rock,
in the secret recesses of the cliff,
Let me see you,
let me hear your voice,
For your voice is sweet,
and you are lovely.”
or
Shout for joy, O daughter Zion!
Sing joyfully, O Israel!
Be glad and exult with all your heart,
O daughter Jerusalem!
The LORD has removed the judgment against you,
he has turned away your enemies;
The King of Israel, the LORD, is in your midst,
you have no further misfortune to fear.
On that day, it shall be said to Jerusalem:
Fear not, O Zion, be not discouraged!
The LORD, your God, is in your midst,
a mighty savior;
He will rejoice over you with gladness,
and renew you in his love,
He will sing joyfully because of you,
as one sings at festivals.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (1a; 3a) Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.
Sing to him a new song;
pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
But the plan of the LORD stands forever;
the design of his heart, through all generations.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield,
For in him our hearts rejoice;
in his holy name we trust.
R. Exult, you just, in the Lord! Sing to him a new song.
Gospel
Mary set out in those days
and traveled to the hill country in haste
to a town of Judah,
where she entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth.
When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting,
the infant leaped in her womb,
and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit,
cried out in a loud voice and said,
“Most blessed are you among women,
and blessed is the fruit of your womb.
And how does this happen to me,
that the mother of my Lord should come to me?
For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears,
the infant in my womb leaped for joy.
Blessed are you who believed
that what was spoken to you by the Lord
would be fulfilled.”
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Today’s readings have been more challenging than normal. I tend to find easily the message of care for others, acceptance, service, solidarity, and like missives from Jesus in the readings upon which I reflect. But today is back to the core reality of the birth of Jesus and the intersection of the divine and human in our history. It also provides a lesson in faith.
The first part of Luke 1 is the story of the announcement to Zechariah that his “elderly” wife Elizabeth will become pregnant at an advanced age. Much like the story of Abraham and Sarai, this was announcement was met with skepticism. How could this be? The woman involved was beyond childbearing years. Setting aside the biological questions (were they pre- or post-menopausal? Had they clearly been “diagnosed” as infertile? Etc.), based on human knowledge at that time neither Sarai nor Elizabeth were expected to bear children. And yet they became pregnant and delivered healthy baby boys.
Zechariah loses his ability to speak because he did not believe what Gabriel told him. I suspect we all have, at some time or another, experienced a loss (or at least a diminishment) of faith in some form. Imagine losing (even temporarily) a sense or faculty as a consequence of that disbelief. I wonder what the reaction would be – would that make the person more likely to believe, or would the person become embittered and be less likely to be believing?
Zechariah reacted with fear and disbelief to Gabriel’s message from God and as a result lost his speech. A very human reaction to having some aspect of our life removed would likely be some frustration, anger, resentment, or an even greater loss of faith. For most (all?) of us, however, our diminishment or loss of faith is not “punished” by removal of some faculty. Instead we continue on with our lives, perhaps unaware of the depth of our loss of faith, perhaps aware that we are losing faith but not sure what we can or should do, perhaps rationalizing that we aren’t really losing faith but are instead becoming more aware of deeper realities.
Mary’s situation is different from Sarai and Elizabeth. Mary wasn’t trying to become (or giving up on becoming) pregnant. Mary was shocked by the visit from Gabriel and his announcement that Elizabeth was pregnant and that she too would become pregnant. Mary’s reaction, though, is different from that of Zechariah. Mary asks how this could be happening, and she is reassured that it is part of God’s plan. Instead of pushing back, becoming afraid, she accepts the message and trusts that (has faith that) she will receive the strength she needs to fulfill this calling. When Mary arrives at Elizabeth’s house, Elizabeth somehow recognizes (is given the insight by the Spirit to celebrate) the depth of Mary’s faith and the rewards that it is bringing forth to the world.
Much like Thomas the Apostle after the resurrection, Zechariah’s faith was tested because he initially could not accept an event so beyond his human understanding. His faith, like Thomas’, was not restored until he observed the physical reality of the birth of his son (and the presence of the risen Jesus). Mary did not need to see with her own eyes – she believed in the message of Gabriel and the power of the Lord to do what was foretold.
I suspect for most of us our faith is more like that of Zechariah and Thomas, and not like that of Mary. We tend to believe more in what we can see, what is tangible, and less in things that we cannot reduce to our normal human experience. That is why, to me, this is such a wonderful lesson – Mary. Just. Said. Yes! She didn’t hem and haw, or equivocate, or rationalize, or any of those normal human reactions. She humbly just said yes.
And so, my prayer today is for the gift to just say yes.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
HIDE AND SEE
“Let Me see you.” —Song of Songs 2:14
We’re hiding from Jesus. He’s trying to look at us, but we’re hiding from Him — whether it’s behind a boulder (Sg 2:14), a sinful, worldly lifestyle, or a veil of fear. It’s estimated that over half of registered Catholics in the USA hide from Jesus simply by not showing up at Mass on Sunday.
We may be hiding from Jesus, but that doesn’t stop Him from looking for us (Lk 19:10). He loves us so much that He came down from heaven to earth to look at us. We might look in a mirror and dislike what we see, but Jesus loves to look at us. He says to each of us: “Ah, you are beautiful, My beloved” (Sg 1:15).
During the Advent and Christmas seasons, visit Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament. Sit and gaze upon the Eucharistic Jesus. Now realize that He is also looking upon you. While in His Eucharistic presence, read the entire book of Song of Songs. Picture Jesus using the words of the groom to talk directly to you with His words of ardent love (denoted by the letter ‘G’ in the left margin of some Bibles). Respond to Him by lovingly speaking to Him the words of the bride (denoted by the letter ‘B’ in the left margin of some Bibles).
Hide from Jesus no longer. Give Jesus the Christmas present He wants. Let Him see your face (Sg 2:14) and tell you how much He loves you. Then love Him in return.
Prayer: Jesus, why am I afraid of Your love? (Ps 139:7-12) Why do I hide myself from You? Give me the grace to let You love me.
Promise: “The Lord has removed the judgment against you...you have no further misfortune to fear.” —Zep 3:15
Praise: “O Radiant Dawn, Splendor of eternal light, Sun of Justice: Come, shine on those who dwell in darkness and the shadow of death.”
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
Do you recognize the indwelling presence of the Lord Jesus in your life? Blessed are you if you see and recognize the Lord with the "eyes of faith". The word "blessed" [makarios in Greek] literally means "happiness" or "beatitude". It describes a kind of joy which is serene and untouchable, self-contained, and independent from chance and changing circumstances of life.
God gives us supernatural joy with hope in his promises
There is a certain paradox for those "blessed" by the Lord. Mary was given the "blessedness" of being the mother of the Son of God. That blessedness also would become a sword which pierced her heart as her Son died upon the cross. Anselm, a great teacher and Archbishop of Canterbury (1033-1109), spoke these words in a homily: "Without God's Son nothing could exist; without Mary's son, nothing could be redeemed." To be chosen by God is an awesome privilege and responsibility. Mary received both a crown of joy and a cross of sorrow. Her joy was not diminished by her sorrow because it was fueled by her faith, hope, and trust in God and his promises.
Jesus promised his disciples that "no one will take your joy from you" (John 16:22). The Lord gives us a supernatural joy which enables us to bear any sorrow or pain and which neither life nor death can take away. Do you know the joy of a life given over to God in faith and trust?
They were filled with the Holy Spirit
What is the significance of Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth before the birth of Jesus? When Elizabeth greeted Mary and recognized the Messiah in Mary's womb they were filled with the Holy Spirit and with a joyful anticipation of the fulfillment of God's promise to give a Savior. What a marvelous wonder for God to fill not only Elizabeth's heart with his Holy Spirit but the child in her womb as well. John the Baptist, even before the birth of the Messiah, pointed to his coming and leaped for joy in the womb of his mother as the Holy Spirit revealed to him the presence of the King to be born.
The Lord wants to fill each of us with his Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is God's gift to us to enable us to know and experience the indwelling presence of God and the power of his kingdom. The Holy Spirit is the way in which God reigns within each of us. Do you live in the joy and knowledge of God's indwelling presence with you through his Holy Spirit?
Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and give me joy in seeking you more earnestly. Increase my faith in all your promises, my hope in the joy of heaven, and my love for You as my All.
Psalm 33:2-3,11-12,20-21
2 Praise the LORD with the lyre, make melody to him with the harp of ten strings!
3 Sing to him a new song, play skilfully on the strings, with loud shouts.
11 The counsel of the LORD stands for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD, the people whom he has chosen as his heritage!
20 Our soul waits for the LORD; he is our help and shield.
21 Yes, our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: John prophecies from the womb, by Maximus of Turin (died between 408-423 AD)
"Not yet born, already John prophesies and, while still in the enclosure of his mother's womb, confesses the coming of Christ with movements of joy - since he could not do so with his voice. As Elizabeth says to holy Mary, 'As soon as you greeted me, the child in my womb exulted for joy.' John exults, then, before he is born. Before his eyes can see what the world looks like, he can recognize the Lord of the world with his spirit. In this regard, I think that the prophetic phrase is appropriate: 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you came forth from the womb I sanctified you' (Jeremiah 1:5). Thus we ought not to marvel that after Herod put him in prison, he continued to announce Christ to his disciples from his confinement, when even confined in the womb he preached the same Lord by his movements." (excerpt from SERMON 5.4)
More Homilies
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