March 21, 2021 Fifth Sunday of Lent

2021년 3월 21일 사순 제5주일 

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

<나는 새 계약을 맺고 죄를 기억하지 않겠다.>

제1독서

예레미야서. 31,31-34
31 보라, 그날이 온다. 주님의 말씀이다.
그때에 나는 이스라엘 집안과 유다 집안과 새 계약을 맺겠다.
32 그것은 내가 그 조상들의 손을 잡고 이집트 땅에서 이끌고 나올 때에
그들과 맺었던 계약과는 다르다.
그들은 내가 저희 남편인데도 내 계약을 깨뜨렸다. 주님의 말씀이다.
33 그 시대가 지난 뒤에 내가 이스라엘 집안과 맺어 줄 계약은 이러하다.
주님의 말씀이다. 나는 그들의 가슴에 내 법을 넣어 주고,
그들의 마음에 그 법을 새겨 주겠다.
그리하여 나는 그들의 하느님이 되고 그들은 나의 백성이 될 것이다.
34 그때에는 더 이상 아무도 자기 이웃에게, 아무도 자기 형제에게
“주님을 알아라.” 하고 가르치지 않을 것이다.
그들이 낮은 사람부터 높은 사람까지 모두 나를 알게 될 것이기 때문이다.
주님의 말씀이다.
나는 그들의 허물을 용서하고, 그들의 죄를 더 이상 기억하지 않겠다.

 

제2독서

<예수님께서는 순종을 배우셨고, 영원한 구원의 근원이 되셨습니다.>

히브리서. 5,7-9
7 예수님께서는 이 세상에 계실 때, 당신을 죽음에서 구하실 수 있는 분께
큰 소리로 부르짖고 눈물을 흘리며 기도와 탄원을 올리셨고,
하느님께서는 그 경외심 때문에 들어 주셨습니다.
8 예수님께서는 아드님이시지만 고난을 겪으심으로써 순종을 배우셨습니다.
9 그리고 완전하게 되신 뒤에는 당신께 순종하는 모든 이에게
영원한 구원의 근원이 되셨습니다.

복음

<밀알 하나가 땅에 떨어져 죽으면 많은 열매를 맺는다.>

요한 12,20-33
20 축제 때에 예배를 드리러 올라온 이들 가운데 그리스 사람도 몇 명 있었다.
21 그들은 갈릴래아의 벳사이다 출신 필립보에게 다가가,
“선생님, 예수님을 뵙고 싶습니다.” 하고 청하였다.
22 필립보가 안드레아에게 가서 말하고
안드레아와 필립보가 예수님께 가서 말씀드리자,
23 예수님께서 그들에게 대답하셨다. “사람의 아들이 영광스럽게 될 때가 왔다.
24 내가 진실로 진실로 너희에게 말한다.
밀알 하나가 땅에 떨어져 죽지 않으면 한 알 그대로 남고,
죽으면 많은 열매를 맺는다.
25 자기 목숨을 사랑하는 사람은 목숨을 잃을 것이고,
이 세상에서 자기 목숨을 미워하는 사람은
영원한 생명에 이르도록 목숨을 간직할 것이다.
26 누구든지 나를 섬기려면 나를 따라야 한다.
내가 있는 곳에 나를 섬기는 사람도 함께 있을 것이다.
누구든지 나를 섬기면 아버지께서 그를 존중해 주실 것이다.”
27 “이제 제 마음이 산란합니다. 무슨 말씀을 드려야 합니까?
‘아버지, 이때를 벗어나게 해 주십시오.’ 하고 말할까요?
그러나 저는 바로 이때를 위하여 온 것입니다.
28 아버지, 아버지의 이름을 영광스럽게 하십시오.”
그러자 하늘에서 “나는 이미 그것을 영광스럽게 하였고
또다시 영광스럽게 하겠다.”는 소리가 들려왔다.
29 그곳에 서 있다가 이 소리를 들은 군중은 천둥이 울렸다고 하였다.
그러나 “천사가 저분에게 말하였다.” 하는 이들도 있었다.
30 예수님께서 이르셨다. “그 소리는 내가 아니라 너희를 위하여 내린 것이다.
31 이제 이 세상은 심판을 받는다.
이제 이 세상의 우두머리가 밖으로 쫓겨날 것이다.
32 나는 땅에서 들어 올려지면 모든 사람을 나에게 이끌어 들일 것이다.”
33 예수님께서는 이 말씀으로,
당신께서 어떻게 죽임을 당하실 것인지 가리키신 것이다.

March 21, 2021

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

http://www.usccb.org/bible/ 

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

Reading 1

Jer 31:31-34

The days are coming, says the LORD,
when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel
and the house of Judah.
It will not be like the covenant I made with their fathers
the day I took them by the hand
to lead them forth from the land of Egypt;
for they broke my covenant,
and I had to show myself their master, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD.
I will place my law within them and write it upon their hearts;
I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
No longer will they have need to teach their friends and relatives
how to know the LORD.
All, from least to greatest, shall know me, says the LORD,
for I will forgive their evildoing and remember their sin no more.
 

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 51:3-4, 12-13, 14-15.

R. (12a) Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
I will teach transgressors your ways,
and sinners shall return to you.
R. Create a clean heart in me, O God.
 

Reading

2 Heb 5:7-9

In the days when Christ Jesus was in the flesh,
he offered prayers and supplications with loud cries and tears
to the one who was able to save him from death,
and he was heard because of his reverence.
Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered;
and when he was made perfect,
he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him.
 

Gospel

Jn 12:20-33

Some Greeks who had come to worship at the Passover Feast
came to Philip, who was from Bethsaida in Galilee,
and asked him, "Sir, we would like to see Jesus."
Philip went and told Andrew;
then Andrew and Philip went and told Jesus.
Jesus answered them,
"The hour has come for the Son of Man to be glorified.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies,
it remains just a grain of wheat;
but if it dies, it produces much fruit.
Whoever loves his life loses it,
and whoever hates his life in this world
will preserve it for eternal life.
Whoever serves me must follow me,
and where I am, there also will my servant be.
The Father will honor whoever serves me.

"I am troubled now. Yet what should I say?
'Father, save me from this hour?'
But it was for this purpose that I came to this hour.
Father, glorify your name."
Then a voice came from heaven,
"I have glorified it and will glorify it again."
The crowd there heard it and said it was thunder;
but others said, "An angel has spoken to him."
Jesus answered and said,
"This voice did not come for my sake but for yours.
Now is the time of judgment on this world;
now the ruler of this world will be driven out.
And when I am lifted up from the earth,
I will draw everyone to myself."
He said this indicating the kind of death he would die.

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

 The lessons for today reveal a tension in our human relationship to God, and certainly to Jesus.  We are sometimes so sure we know who God is and what God does.  We put a lot of faith in the certainty of our knowledge.  But all too often we let the limits of our human knowledge limit the power of God and the work of Jesus in our lives.  Gracefully, for us, Jesus keeps challenging that certainty.  That is what happened in the lessons today.  Some people, the Pharisees in particular, were unable to let go of ideas about God that were frankly not very loving of God or their neighbors.  Yet, many people were open to the way Jesus was speaking to them, even if he was speaking to them like no none had even spoken to them before.  In fact, that newness of perspective was what most caught their attention.  They were hungry for the word of God.  It was the people who were most certain they had all the answers who would not listen, because Jesus challenged their authority and their power. 

I think Lent is a time that allows us to be more open to how Jesus is speaking to us in ways we had not heard before – to not be so sure we have all the answers.  Jesus calls us to give God a fresh listen.  Most often, the voice of God comes to us from a different point of view, from those who are marginalized, not those in positions of authority.  One of the many blessings I enjoyed as a professor at Creighton University was watching our young people draw on their solid Christian values and knowledge of their faith to listen to Jesus speak to them in ways they had never heard before, in the voices of the marginalized.  We gave them a safe place to further discern Christ’s active word in their lives from new perspectives.  As a result, they entered more fully into companionship with Christ in ways that not only enriched their own faith, but ways that made a difference in the lives of others. 

It is my prayer today that we can all renew our faith as students of the living Christ.  I pray we will each listen to the ways Jesus speaks to us like no one has ever spoken to us.  We might learn something about ourselves and others, and how much God loves us all. 

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

DEATH-DEFYING LOVE

“I solemnly assure you, unless the grain of wheat falls to the earth and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit. The man who loves his life loses it, while the man who hates his life in this world preserves it to life eternal.” —John 12:24-25

During His public ministry, Jesus repeatedly spoke of His suffering and death. His disciples usually ignored these references to death. They probably rightly reasoned that, if their Master would die a painful death, they, His disciples, would die in a similar way. Naturally, they didn’t want to face death, especially a painful death. Nonetheless, Jesus challenges us to face death and escape the lifelong slavery due to the fear of death (Heb 2:15).
We can face death because of our faith in Jesus, “the Resurrection and the Life” (Jn 11:25), and because of our love for Him. We know not only that Jesus has conquered death (see 1 Cor 15:54ff), but also that He loves us and will raise us from the dead. Like St. Francis of Assisi, we see death as our friend, even as our sister (see Catechism, 1014). In Jesus’ love, death is not the end of life but the end of sin, suffering, and death. In Jesus’ love, death is the beginning of perfect love, peace, and joy.
Therefore, “every action of yours, every thought, should be those of one who expects to die before the day is out. Death would have no great terrors for you if you had a quiet conscience...Then why not keep clear of sin instead of running away from death? If you aren’t fit to face death today, it’s very unlikely you will be tomorrow...” (Catechism, 1014).
In these last two weeks of Lent, obey the Lord to deepen your love for Him so it will stand up to death and overcome it.

Prayer:  Father, thank You for saving me from death.

Promise:  “I — once I am lifted up from earth — will draw all men to Myself.” —Jn 12:32

Praise:  Lord Jesus, You strengthen us during Lent. All praise to You! 

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

 How does God bring us into an inseparable bond of love and unity with himself? God is a covenant-maker who draws men and women to himself in a bond of peace and friendship. God established a covenant with his people when he freed them from slavery in Egypt and brought them to his holy mountain at Sinai. "I will be your God, and you will be my people" (Exodus 6:7; Leviticus 26:12). But his people time and again broke covenant with him and did not follow his ways (Jeremiah 31:32) - "each did what was right in his or her own eyes" (Judges 17:26 and 21:25). God, nonetheless, continued to send his prophets to draw his people back.

A new and everlasting covenant
When the prophet Jeremiah was sent to the exiles to offer them a message of hope and restoration, he spoke of a new covenant that would surpass the previous covenant which God had made. God intended to establish a new and everlasting covenant that would wipe away the sins of his people and open the way to God's throne of mercy and grace (his undeserved favor and blessing). This new covenant would be sealed with the blood of the perfect sacrifice that Jesus would offer to the Father when he died upon the cross to atone for our sins. At the beginning of Jesus' ministry John the Baptist prophetically pointed to Jesus as the "Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29). Jesus, the only begotten Son of God, was sent from the Father in heaven to became a man for our sake so he could as man offer the one perfect sacrifice that would unite us with God and give us everlasting life.

Jesus' hour of glory
Shortly before the Jewish feast of Passover, Jesus announced to his disciples that the "hour has come for the Son of man to be glorified" (John 12:23). The Son of Man is a prophetic title for the Messiah recorded in the prophecy of Daniel (see the Book of Daniel 7:13-14). In Jesus' time the Jewish people were looking for a Messiah who would set them free from the oppressive rule of Rome. Jesus came to set people free from the worst oppression of all - the tyranny of endless slavery to sin, Satan, and death. Jesus came to bring us into a new covenant relationship with God that would not end with death but lead to eternal life.

Jesus announced to his followers that when "he would be lifted up from the earth, he would draw all people to himself" (John 12:32). What did Jesus mean by the expression of being "lifted up" and "drawing people to himself"? When a great leader won a complete and decisive conquest over his enemies and brought freedom and peace to his people, he was crowned and given a new title, as Victor, Savior, and Deliverer of the people. A conquering ruler was robed in royal splendor and raised up and enthroned on high in the sight of his people.

Victory through suffering and the cross
How did Jesus fulfill his mission as the Anointed (Messiah) King who came to bring victory and freedom for his people? Jesus knew that the only way to decisive victory for God's kingdom on the earth would be through his voluntary suffering and death on the cross. Jesus described his willingness to go to the cross as his "hour of glory" (John 12:23) when he would fulfill his Father's will and accomplish the mission entrusted to him. Jesus saw his death on the cross as triumph over the powers of sin and Satan's forces of darkness. The real enemy that Jesus came to overcome was Satan who tempts the human race to rebel against God and his commands in order to create their own destiny through sinful pride and disobedience. Jesus took our sins upon himself and nailed them to the cross to set us free from condemnation to death and destruction, and the eternal consequence of separation from God.

"Unless the grain of wheat dies..."
How can suffering and death bring life and freedom? Jesus used the illustration of the "grain of wheat" to show how God brings life from death and good fruit through patience and suffering. Seeds by themselves are worthless and lifeless. Only when the seed is destroyed by burying it in the ground, can it rise to new life and bear fruit.

What is the analogy which Jesus alludes to in the image of the grain of wheat that must first die in order to rise to new life and bear good fruit? Is this simply a veiled reference to his own impending death on the cross and to his resurrection? Or does Jesus have another kind of "death and rebirth" in mind for his disciples as well? Jesus, no doubt, had both meanings in mind. Jesus' obedience and death on the cross obtain for us freedom and new life in the Holy Spirit. His cross frees us from the tyranny of sin and death and shows us the way of perfect love and readiness to lay down our lives in sacrificial service for the good of others.

A new "creation" in Christ
If we want to receive the abundant new life and the fruit of the Spirit which the Lord Jesus freely offers us, then the "outer shell" of our fallen sinful nature must first be broken and be put to death. In baptism our "old nature" which was enslaved by sin is buried with Christ so we may rise to new life with Christ through the cleansing waters of baptism. Paul the Apostle describes this death and rebirth in Christ as a "new creation" which Christ accomplishes in us through the power of his saving death and resurrection (2 Corinthians 5:17).

This process of death to the "old fallen self" is both a one-time event which occurs in our baptism, and it is also a daily, on-going cycle of growth in which the Holy Spirit buries us more deeply into Jesus' death to sin so we might rise anew in the power of God's love, righteousness (moral goodness), and holiness. There is a great paradox here. Death leads to life. When we "die" to our selves - to our rebellious sinful nature and willful rejection of God's commandments - we receive God's forgiveness and the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit which frees us to love and serve others, and follow God faithfully. It is God's free gift of grace (his blessing and favor towards us) and the transforming power of the Holy Spirit that enables us to live and serve joyfully as sons and daughters of God.

Pruning and bearing good fruit in Christ
How can I practically "die" to myself so that the Lord Jesus can live in me and transform me into his likeness and holiness? It certainly means that what is contrary to God's will must be "put to death" within me. God gives us grace to say "yes" to his will and the strength we need to reject whatever is contrary to his commands and plan for our lives. The Lord Jesus promises that we will bear much "fruit" for him, if we choose to deny ourselves for his sake and embrace his will for our lives.

Jesus used strong language to describe the kind of self-denial he had in mind for his disciples. "He who loves his life loses it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life" (John 12:25). What did Jesus mean when he said that a follower of Christ must hate himself or herself? The expression to hate something often meant to prefer less. Jesus says that nothing should get in the way of our preferring him and the will of our heavenly Father above all else. Paul the Apostle reminds us that "what is sown in the earth is subject to decay, what rises is incorruptible" (1 Corinthians15:42). Do you believe in the power and victory of Christ's saving cross and resurrection? And are you ready to reject whatever is contrary to God's commands and to trust him for the strength and joy to embrace his will for your life?

Lord Jesus, let me be wheat sown in the earth, to be harvested for you. I want to follow wherever you lead me. Give me fresh hope and joy in serving you all the days of my life.

Psalm 51:3-4,12-15

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment.
12 Restore to me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit.
13 Then I will teach transgressors thy ways, and sinners will return to thee.
14 Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation, and my tongue will sing aloud of thy deliverance.
15 O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise.

Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Love what is in the image of God, by Caesarius of Arles (470-543 AD) 

"Whatever you love is either the same as yourself, below you or above you. If what you love is beneath you, love it to comfort it, care for it and to use it but not to cling to it. For example, you love gold. Do not become attached to the gold, for how much better are you than gold? Gold, indeed, is a shining piece of earth, while you have been made in the image of God in order that you may be illumined by the Lord. Although gold is a creature of God, still God did not make it according to his own image, but you he did. Therefore, he put the gold beneath you. This kind of love should be despised. Those things are to be acquired for their usefulness, but we should not cling to them with the bond of love as if with glue. Do not make for yourself members over which, when they have begun to be cut away, you will grieve and be afflicted. What then? Rise from that love with which you love things that are lower than you, and begin to love your equals, that is, things that are what you are... The Lord himself has told us in the Gospel and clearly showed us in what order we may have true love and charity. For he spoke in this way, 'You shall love the Lord your God with your whole heart, and with your whole soul and with your whole strength. And your neighbor as yourself'' (Luke 10:27). Therefore, first love God and then yourself. After these, love your neighbor as yourself." (excerpt from SERMONS 173, 4-5.25)

 

 

More Homilies

March 18, 2018 Fifth Sunday of Lent