March 15, 2021 Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent

2021년 3월 15일 사순 제4주간 월요일  

오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp 

제1독서

<다시는 우는 소리가, 울부짖는 소리가 들리지 않으리라.>

이사야서 65,17-21
주님께서 이렇게 말씀하신다.
17 “보라, 나 이제 새 하늘과 새 땅을 창조하리라.
예전의 것들은 이제 기억되지도 않고 마음에 떠오르지도 않으리라.
18 그러니 너희는 내가 창조하는 것을 대대로 기뻐하고 즐거워하여라.
보라, 내가 예루살렘을 ‘즐거움’으로, 그 백성을 ‘기쁨’으로 창조하리라.
19 나는 예루살렘으로 말미암아 즐거워하고 나의 백성으로 말미암아 기뻐하리라.
그 안에서 다시는 우는 소리가, 울부짖는 소리가 들리지 않으리라.
20 거기에는 며칠 살지 못하고 죽는 아기도 없고
제 수명을 채우지 못하는 노인도 없으리라.
백 살에 죽는 자를 젊었다 하고 백 살에 못 미친 자를 저주받았다 하리라.
21 그들은 집을 지어 그 안에서 살고 포도밭을 가꾸어 그 열매를 먹으리라.” 

복음

<가거라. 네 아들은 살아날 것이다.>

요한 4,43-54
그때에 예수님께서는 사마리아를 43 떠나 갈릴래아로 가셨다.
44 예수님께서는 친히,
예언자는 자기 고향에서 존경을 받지 못한다고 증언하신 적이 있다.
45 예수님께서 갈릴래아에 가시자 갈릴래아 사람들이 그분을 맞아들였다.
그들도 축제를 지내러 예루살렘에 갔다가,
예수님께서 축제 때에 그곳에서 하신 모든 일을 보았기 때문이다.
46 예수님께서는 물을 포도주로 만드신 적이 있는 갈릴래아 카나로 다시 가셨다.
거기에 왕실 관리가 한 사람 있었는데,
그의 아들이 카파르나움에서 앓아누워 있었다.
47 그는 예수님께서 유다를 떠나 갈릴래아에 오셨다는 말을 듣고
예수님을 찾아와, 자기 아들이 죽게 되었으니
카파르나움으로 내려가시어 아들을 고쳐 주십사고 청하였다.
48 예수님께서는 그에게 이르셨다.
“너희는 표징과 이적을 보지 않으면 믿지 않을 것이다.”
49 그래도 그 왕실 관리는 예수님께
“주님, 제 아이가 죽기 전에 같이 내려가 주십시오.” 하고 말하였다.
50 그러자 예수님께서 그에게 말씀하셨다. “가거라. 네 아들은 살아날 것이다.”
그 사람은 예수님께서 자기에게 이르신 말씀을 믿고 떠나갔다.
51 그가 내려가는 도중에 그의 종들이 마주 와서 아이가 살아났다고 말하였다.
52 그래서 그가 종들에게 아이가 나아지기 시작한 시간을 묻자,
“어제 오후 한 시에 열이 떨어졌습니다.” 하고 대답하는 것이었다.
53 그 아버지는 바로 그 시간에 예수님께서 자기에게,
“네 아들은 살아날 것이다.” 하고 말씀하신 것을 알았다.
그리하여 그와 그의 온 집안이 믿게 되었다.
54 이렇게 예수님께서는 유다를 떠나 갈릴래아로 가시어
두 번째 표징을 일으키셨다. 

March 15, 2021

Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent 

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

http://www.usccb.org/bible/ 

Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass 

Reading 1

Is 65:17-21

Thus says the LORD:
Lo, I am about to create new heavens
and a new earth;
The things of the past shall not be remembered
or come to mind.
Instead, there shall always be rejoicing and happiness
in what I create;
For I create Jerusalem to be a joy
and its people to be a delight;
I will rejoice in Jerusalem
and exult in my people.
No longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there,
or the sound of crying;
No longer shall there be in it
an infant who lives but a few days,
or an old man who does not round out his full lifetime;
He dies a mere youth who reaches but a hundred years,
and he who fails of a hundred shall be thought accursed.
They shall live in the houses they build,
and eat the fruit of the vineyards they plant.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 30:2 and 4, 5-6, 11-12a and 13b

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the nether world;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
“Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.”
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.
R. I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

Gospel

Jn 4:43-54

At that time Jesus left [Samaria] for Galilee.
For Jesus himself testified
that a prophet has no honor in his native place.
When he came into Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him,
since they had seen all he had done in Jerusalem at the feast;
for they themselves had gone to the feast.

Then he returned to Cana in Galilee,
where he had made the water wine.
Now there was a royal official whose son was ill in Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea,
he went to him and asked him to come down
and heal his son, who was near death.
Jesus said to him,
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.”
The royal official said to him,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.
While the man was on his way back,
his slaves met him and told him that his boy would live.
He asked them when he began to recover.
They told him,
“The fever left him yesterday, about one in the afternoon.”
The father realized that just at that time Jesus had said to him,
“Your son will live,”
and he and his whole household came to believe.
Now this was the second sign Jesus did
when he came to Galilee from Judea.

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

 For Jesus himself testified

that a prophet has no honor in his native place.

When I first read the Gospel I thought if Jesus does not expect that the people of Galilee will see Him as credible, how can I possibly expect anyone to ever believe anything that I say – how do we come to know and believe what is true?  I pondered this for some time and was stymied to move on in my reflection.  Questions whirled in my head: what is truth?  Does anyone really tell the whole truth?  Are any truths “self-evident?”  While I consider myself to be a good thinker and love to ponder ideas and generate ideas, this was making my head hurt.  Perhaps the fatigue of the pandemic is taking hold (or rather continuing to be a constant companion), perhaps the unrest and vile hatefulness that seems pervasive is winning this battle, perhaps I am getting jaded about the world and people in general, perhaps forgiveness and trust is old-fashioned and overvalued  . . .   Obviously, my mind was not going to the “right” places (if I still know what those are). 

So, I had to find a way to re-group, get back to “basics,” if you will.  A way to get my head on “straight.”  Instead of being stuck on this first part of the gospel and knowing how many people at that time would soon betray Jesus, I needed to look at what others were also doing at that time.  The faith of the official offers hope and redemption . . .

The royal official said to him,
“Sir, come down before my child dies.”
Jesus said to him, “You may go; your son will live.”
The man believed what Jesus said to him and left.

He believed . . .  how I want to have that faith back and just believe.  Forget all this worldly chaos and angst and just BELIEVE!  This official was such any unlikely person it would seem to seek out Jesus and ask for this miracle.  Yet, the miracle was his reality and fostered in him and his whole household the belief in Jesus. 

I need to remind myself that this world is just a part of this journey – there is so much more that is far more important than the piles of things to do, papers to grades, people to please.  We must remember that beyond what is in front of us every day is the love of Jesus.  That we are loved beyond anything that we deserve or have “earned;” that yes, we have our shortcomings and lots of room for improvement, but we are beloved sinners.

Thus, my prayer for myself – and all of us – to remember: we are beloved, and to ask Jesus and then to believe . . .

Come as You Are – David Crowder

 http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp

 

SIGNS AND WONDERS

“He and his whole household thereupon became believers. This was the second sign that Jesus performed.” —John 4:53-54

Jesus promised signs and wonders would accompany those professing their faith (Mk 16:17). Notice signs and wonders do not create faith as much as faith creates signs and wonders.
Jesus disapproves of faith as merely an effect and makes it primarily the cause. He rebukes the people: “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you do not believe” (Jn 4:48). He called the royal official to believe before the healing of his son.  Jesus simply told the royal official: “ ‘Return home. Your son will live.’ The man put his trust in the word Jesus spoke to him, and started for home” (Jn 4:50). Once the official believed, he saw a great healing. This resulted in greater faith for both him and his whole household (Jn 4:53).
Signs and wonders accompany and complement faith, not vice versa. Jesus does not try to dazzle us but rather leads us to a personal commitment to Himself. He calls us to focus not so much on the healing, as the Healer, on the wonder, as on the Wonder-Worker, that is, Himself.

Prayer:  Jesus, thanks for all Your healings and miracles, especially during this Lent. Thanks most of all for You. I love You.

Promise:  “There shall always be rejoicing and happiness in what I create.” —Is 65:18

Praise:  When Bob came back to the Church, he was joined by his non-Catholic wife and children. Now the whole family receives the Eucharistic Lord Jesus together in joy.

 http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/

 Do you approach the Lord Jesus with expectant faith for healing, pardon, and transformation in Christ-like holiness? Isaiah prophesied that God would come not only to restore his people, he would also come to recreate new heavens and a new earth (Isaiah 65:17). Jesus' miracles are signs that manifest the presence of God and the coming of his kingdom of power and glory. When a high ranking official, who was very likely from King Herod's court, heard the reports of Jesus' preaching and miracles, he decided to seek Jesus out for an extraordinary favor. If this story happened today the media headlines would probably say: "High ranking official leaves capital in search of miracle cure from a small town carpenter."

Believe and take Jesus at his word
It took raw courage for a high ranking court official to travel twenty miles in search of Jesus, the Galilean carpenter. He had to swallow his pride and put up with some ridicule from his cronies. And when he found the healer carpenter, Jesus seemed to put him off with the blunt statement that people would not believe unless they saw some kind of miracle or sign from heaven. Jesus likely said this to test the man to see if his faith was in earnest. If he turned away in irritation or with discouragement, he would prove to be insincere. Jesus, perceiving his faith, sent him home with the assurance that his prayer had been heard.

It was probably not easy for this man to return to his family with only an assuring word from Jesus that his son would be healed. Couldn't Jesus have come to this man's house and laid his hands on the dying child? However, without a moment's hesitation the court official believed in Jesus and took him at his word. He began his journey back home with renewed faith and hope - ready to face whatever might await him - whether it be the anguish of his distraught family and or the scorn of unbelieving neighbors. Before he could even make it all the way back to his home town, news reached him that his son had recovered. What astonishment must have greeted his family and friends when they heard that his son was instantly restored to health at the very moment when Jesus had pronounced the words - your son will live!

The Lord Jesus brings healing and restoration to those who trust in him
Jesus' miraculous healings show his generous kindness and extravagant love - a love that bends down in response to our misery and wretched condition. Is there any area in your life where you need healing, pardon, change, and restoration? If you seek the Lord with trust and expectant faith, he will not disappoint you. He will meet you more than half way and give you what you need. The Lord Jesus never refused anyone who put their trust in him. Surrender your doubts and fears, your pride and guilt at his feet, and trust in his saving word and healing love.

Lord Jesus, your love never fails and your mercy is unceasing. Give me the courage to surrender my stubborn pride, fear and doubts to your surpassing love, wisdom and knowledge. Make be strong in faith, persevering in hope, and constant in love.

Psalm 30:2-5,11-12

2 O LORD my God, I cried to you for help, and you have healed me.
3 O LORD, you have brought up my soul from Sheol, restored me to life from among those gone down to the Pit.
4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his saints, and give thanks to his holy name.
5 For his anger is but for a moment, and his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may tarry for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
11 You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; you have loosed my sackcloth and girded me with gladness,
12 that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you for ever.

Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Christ our physician, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"God sent the human race a physician, a savior, One Who healed without charging a fee. Christ also came to reward those who would be healed by Him. Christ heals the sick, and He makes a gift to those whom He heals. And the gift that He makes is Himself!" (excerpt from Sermon 102,2)

 

 

More Homilies

 March 23, 2020 Monday of the Fourth Week of Lent