May 24, 2021 Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

2021년 5월 24일 교회의 어머니 복되신 동정 마리아 기념일

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

제1독서

<살아 있는 모든 것의 어머니>

창세기. 3,9-15.20
사람이 나무 열매를 먹은 뒤, 주 하느님께서 그를 9 부르시며,
“너 어디 있느냐?” 하고 물으셨다. 10 그가 대답하였다.
“동산에서 당신의 소리를 듣고 제가 알몸이기 때문에 두려워 숨었습니다.”
11 그분께서 “네가 알몸이라고 누가 일러 주더냐?
내가 너에게 따 먹지 말라고 명령한 그 나무 열매를 네가 따 먹었느냐?” 하고
물으시자, 12 사람이 대답하였다.
“당신께서 저와 함께 살라고 주신 여자가
그 나무 열매를 저에게 주기에 제가 먹었습니다.”
13 주 하느님께서 여자에게 “너는 어찌하여 이런 일을 저질렀느냐?” 하고
물으시자, 여자가 대답하였다.
“뱀이 저를 꾀어서 제가 따 먹었습니다.”
14 주 하느님께서 뱀에게 말씀하셨다.
“네가 이런 일을 저질렀으니
너는 모든 집짐승과 들짐승 가운데에서 저주를 받아
네가 사는 동안 줄곧 배로 기어 다니며 먼지를 먹으리라.
15 나는 너와 그 여자 사이에,
네 후손과 그 여자의 후손 사이에 적개심을 일으키리니
여자의 후손은 너의 머리에 상처를 입히고
너는 그의 발꿈치에 상처를 입히리라.”
20 사람은 자기 아내의 이름을 하와라 하였다.
그가 살아 있는 모든 것의 어머니가 되었기 때문이다.

복음

<이 사람이 어머니의 아들입니다. 이분이 네 어머니시다.>

요한. 19,25-34
그때에 25 예수님의 십자가 곁에는 그분의 어머니와 이모,
클로파스의 아내 마리아와 마리아 막달레나가 서 있었다.
26 예수님께서는 당신의 어머니와 그 곁에 선 사랑하시는 제자를 보시고,
어머니에게 말씀하셨다.
“여인이시여, 이 사람이 어머니의 아들입니다.”
27 이어서 그 제자에게“이분이 네 어머니시다.”하고 말씀하셨다.
그때부터 그 제자가 그분을 자기 집에 모셨다.
28 그 뒤에 이미 모든 일이 다 이루어졌음을 아신 예수님께서는
성경 말씀이 이루어지게 하시려고“목마르다.”하고 말씀하셨다.
29 거기에는 신 포도주가 가득 담긴 그릇이 놓여 있었다.
그래서 사람들이 신 포도주를 듬뿍 적신 해면을 우슬초 가지에 꽂아
예수님의 입에 갖다 대었다.
30 예수님께서는 신 포도주를 드신 다음에 말씀하셨다.
“다 이루어졌다.”
이어서 고개를 숙이시며 숨을 거두셨다.
31 그날은 준비일이었고 이튿날 안식일은 큰 축일이었으므로,
유다인들은 안식일에 시신이 십자가에 매달려 있지 않게 하려고,
십자가에 못 박힌 이들의 다리를 부러뜨리고
시신을 치우게 하라고 빌라도에게 요청하였다.
32 그리하여 군사들이 가서
예수님과 함께 십자가에 못 박힌 첫째 사람과
또 다른 사람의 다리를 부러뜨렸다.
33 예수님께 가서는 이미 숨지신 것을 보고
다리를 부러뜨리는 대신,
34 군사 하나가 창으로 그분의 옆구리를 찔렀다.
그러자 곧 피와 물이 흘러나왔다.

May 24, 2021

Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

http://www.usccb.org/bible/ 

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

Reading 1

 Gn 3:9-15, 20

After Adam had eaten of the tree,
    the LORD God called to him and asked him, “Where are you?”
He answered, “I heard you in the garden;
    but I was afraid, because I was naked,
    so I hid myself.”
Then he asked, “Who told you that you were naked?
You have eaten, then,
    from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!”
The man replied, “The woman whom you put here with me—
    she gave me fruit from the tree, and so I ate it.”
The LORD God then asked the woman,
    “Why did you do such a thing?”
The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me into it, so I ate it.”

Then the LORD God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this, you shall be banned
    from all the animals
    and from all the wild creatures;
On your belly shall you crawl,
    and dirt shall you eat
    all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring and hers;
He will strike at your head,
    while you strike at his heel.”
The man called his wife Eve,
    because she became the mother of all the living.

Or

Acts 1:12-14
After Jesus had been taken up to heaven,
    the Apostles returned to Jerusalem
    from the mount called Olivet, which is near Jerusalem,
    a sabbath day’s journey away.

When they entered the city
    they went to the upper room where they were staying,
    Peter and John and James and Andrew,
    Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew,
    James son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot,
    and Judas son of James.
All these devoted themselves with one accord to prayer,
    together with some women,
    and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brothers.

 

Responsorial Psalm

87:1-2, 3 and 5, 6-7

R. (3) Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
His foundation upon the holy mountains
    the LORD loves:
The gates of Zion,
    more than any dwelling of Jacob.
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
Glorious things are said of you,
    O city of God!
And of Zion they shall say:
    “One and all were born in her;
And he who has established her
    is the Most High LORD.”
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.
They shall note, when the peoples are enrolled:
    “This man was born there.”
And all shall sing, in their festive dance:
    “My home is within you.”
R. Glorious things are told of you, O city of God.

 

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
O happy Virgin, you gave birth to the Lord;
O blessed mother of the Church,
you warm our hearts with the Spirit of your Son Jesus Christ.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel 

Jn 19:25-34

Standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother
    and his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas,
    and Mary of Magdala.
When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple there whom he loved,
    he said to his mother, “Woman, behold, your son.”
Then he said to the disciple,
    “Behold, your mother.”
And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.
After this, aware that everything was now finished,
    in order that the Scripture might be fulfilled,
    Jesus said, “I thirst.”
There was a vessel filled with common wine.
So they put a sponge soaked in wine on a sprig of hyssop
    and put it up to his mouth.
When Jesus had taken the wine, he said,
    “It is finished.”
And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

Now since it was preparation day,
    in order that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the sabbath,
    for the sabbath day of that week was a solemn one,
    the Jews asked Pilate that their legs be broken
    and they be taken down.
So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first
    and then of the other one who was crucified with Jesus.
But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead,
    they did not break his legs,
    but one soldier thrust his lance into his side,
    and immediately Blood and water flowed out.

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

 Today we honor and celebrate the life of Mary, mother of Jesus and Mother of the Church.

Our Blessed Mother Mary was a remarkable woman. I have a beautiful print given to me as a gift from my daughter purchased from the Philadelphia Museum of Art called the Annunciation by Henry Ossawa Tanner.

The Philadelphia Museum of Art writes “Henry Ossawa Tanner painted an unconventional image of the moment when the angel Gabriel announces to Mary that she will bear the Son of God.”

I was introduced to this print during a prayer group with a friend and Sister from Notre Dame where our discussion focused on the reality of what Mary faced following the visit of the angel Gabriel.  A young Jewish woman who was asked if she would give birth to a child and this child would be the Son of God.  Her acceptance and demonstration of faith was extraordinary knowing the consequences a young woman faced during this era. In the book, Holiness and the Feminine Spirit, Janet McKenzie (artist and writer) says it well in the first chapter called The Chosen One, “She accepted God’s invitation to do something beyond human understanding” p. 2.

Mary is an inspiration for so many women (past and present) who have demonstrated a level of faith that is extraordinary. For those women whom I know, I thank God for putting them in my life. For those women I have not personally known, but have discovered, I thank God for their contributions to our world. We stand on their shoulders as we journey forward. Women accept impossible jobs, take significant risks, are marginalized, and overcome insurmountable barriers, yet they achieve the impossible. Women have the most amazing gifts, one of which is supporting each other. This is described so well in The Visitation. After accepting the invitation to bear the Son of God, Mary visits Elizabeth, her older cousin who is also with child. Women supporting women.  So today, let’s give honor to our Holy Mother Mary.  Let’s celebrate the women in our life. Let’s work in partnership with the women in our lives. I know this will make a better world.  God will guide us.  

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

 

ACCEPT YOUR MOTHER

“Seeing His mother there with the disciple whom He loved, Jesus said to His mother, ‘Woman, there is your son.’ In turn He said to the disciple, ‘There is your mother.’ ” —John 19:26-27

I once heard a homily on the above Scripture passage. The priest noted that the order of Jesus’ words on the cross is important. Jesus first talked to Mary. This does not mean He was providing for her future, but that He was giving her a commission for the future. Jesus is handing over to His mother Mary the Church and all His disciples whom He has been forming for three years. He is commissioning her to be the mother of the new Church.

After this commission, Jesus next talks to the beloved disciple, telling him that his new mother is standing next to him. In essence, Jesus is telling the Church, through the beloved disciple, to accept Mary as mother and discipler. Jesus “thirsts” for us to accept her (see Jn 19:28). The homilist went on to note that had Jesus addressed Mary and the beloved disciple in the reverse order, he would have been commissioning the disciple to watch over Mary, and advising Mary to accept his care.

Will we accept Mary as our model discipler and mother? Many Catholics, Protestants, and other Christians have not accepted her motherly care. Mary, like her Son, yearns to gather all her children under her wings, but many will not allow that (see Lk 13:34). Mary possesses the grace to unify disciples through her Spouse, the Holy Spirit (see Acts 1:14ff; Eph 4:3ff). Do we want unity enough to receive Mary’s ministry as Mother of the Church?

Prayer:  Father, together with Mary, may I devote myself to constant prayer (Acts 1:14).

Promise:  “He Who has established her is the Most High Lord.” —Ps 87:5

Praise:  Mary is the mother of “those who keep God’s commandments and give witness to Jesus” (see Rv 12:17).

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

 What gives hope and satisfaction to our desire for happiness and security? A young man who had the best the world could offer - wealth and security - came to Jesus because he lacked one thing. He wanted the kind of lasting peace and happiness which money could not buy him. The answer he got, however, was not what he was looking for. He protested that he kept all the commandments - but Jesus spoke to the trouble in his heart. One thing kept him from giving himself whole-heartedly to God. While he lacked nothing in material goods, he was nonetheless possessive of what he had. He placed his hope and security in what he possessed. So when Jesus challenged him to make God his one true possession and treasure, he became sad.

Misplaced hope and treasure
Why did he go away from Jesus with great sorrow and sadness rather than with joy? His treasure and his hope for happiness were misplaced. Jesus challenged the young man because his heart was possessive. He was afraid to give to others for fear that he would lose what he had gained. He sought happiness and security in what he possessed rather than in who he could love and serve and give himself in undivided devotion.

The greatest joy possible
Why does Jesus tell his disciples to "sell all" for the treasure of his kingdom? Treasure has a special connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the place of will and focus. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure. The Lord himself is the greatest treasure we can have. Giving up everything else to have the Lord as our treasure is not sorrowful, but the greatest joy. [See Jesus' parable about the treasure hidden in a field in Matthew 13:44.] Selling all that we have could mean many different things - letting go of attachments, friendships, influences, jobs, entertainments, styles of life - really anything that might stand in the way of our loving God first and foremost in our lives and giving him the best we can with our time, resources, gifts, and service.

The priceless treasure of God's kingdom
Those who are generous towards God and towards their neighbor find that they cannot outmatch God in his generosity towards us. God blesses us with the priceless treasures of his kingdom - freedom from fear and the griping power of sin, selfishness and pride which block his love and grace in our lives; freedom from loneliness, isolation and rejection which keep his children from living together in love, peace, and unity; and freedom from hopelessness, despair, and disillusionment which blind our vision of God's power to heal every hurt, bind every wound, and remove every blemish which mar the image of God within us. God offers us treasure which money cannot buy. He alone can truly satisfy the deepest longing and desires of our heart. Are you willing to part with anything that might keep you from seeking true joy with Jesus?

Why does Jesus issue such a strong warning to the rich (as well as to the rest of us who desire to be rich)? Was he really against wealth? We know that Jesus was not opposed to wealth per se, nor was he opposed to the wealthy. He had many friends who were well-to-do, including some notorious tax collectors! One even became an apostle! Jesus' warning reiterated the teaching of the Old Testament wisdom: Better is a poor man who walks in his integrity than a rich man who is perverse in his ways (Proverbs 28:6; see also Psalm 37:16). Do not wear yourself out to get rich; be wise enough to desist (Proverbs 23:4).

Where do we find true security?
Jesus seems to say that it is nearly impossible for the rich to live as citizens of God's kingdom. The camel was regarded as the largest animal in Palestine. The "eye of the needle" could be interpreted quite literally or it could figuratively describe the narrow and low gate of the city walls which was used by travelers when the larger public gate was locked after dark. A normal sized man had to "lower" himself to enter that gate. A camel would literally have to knell and crawl through it.

Why is Jesus so cautious about wealth? Wealth can make us falsely independent. The church at Laodicea was warned about their attitude towards wealth and a false sense of security: "For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing" (Revelation 3:17). Wealth can also lead us into hurtful desires and selfishness (see 1 Timothy 6:9-10). Look at the lesson Jesus gave about the rich man and his sons who refused to aid the poor man Lazarus (see Luke 16:19ff). They also neglected to serve God.

We lose what we keep - we gain what we give away
The Scriptures give us a paradox: we lose what we keep and we gain what we give away. Generosity will be amply repaid, both in this life and in eternity (Proverbs 3:9-10, Luke 6:38). Jesus offers us an incomparable treasure which no money can buy and no thief can steal. The thing we most set our heart on is our highest treasure. Material wealth will shackle us to this earth unless we guard our hearts and set our treasure on God and his everlasting kingdom. Where is your treasure?

Lord Jesus, you have captured our hearts and opened to us the treasures of heaven. May you always be my treasure and delight and may nothing else keep me from giving you my all.

Psalm 111:1-2,5-6,9-10c

1 Praise the LORD. I will give thanks to the LORD with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.
2 Great are the works of the LORD, studied by all who have pleasure in them.
5 He provides food for those who fear him; he is ever mindful of his covenant.
6 He has shown his people the power of his works, in giving them the heritage of the nations.
9 He sent redemption to his people; he has commanded his covenant for ever. Holy and awesome is his name!
10 His praise endures for ever!

Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Seek the life that endures, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"The Lord said to a certain young man, 'If you would enter life, keep the commandments' (Matthew 19:17; Mark 10:17; Luke 18:18). He did not say 'If you would have life' but 'If you would enter life,' defining that life as eternal life. Let us first consider then the love of this life. For this life is loved, whatever its quality; and however troubled it is, however wretched, people are afraid to end it. Hence we should see, we should consider, how much eternal life is to be loved, when this miserable life that must at some time be ended is so loved. Consider, brothers, how much that life is to be loved when it is a life you never end. You love this life, where you work so much, run, are busy, pant. In this busy life the obligations can scarcely be counted: sowing, plowing, working new land, sailing, grinding, cooking, weaving. And after all this hard work your life comes to an end. Look at what you suffer in this wretched life that you so love. And do you think that you will always live and never die? Temples, rocks, marbles, all reinforced by iron and lead, still fall. And a person thinks that he will never die? Learn therefore, brothers, to seek eternal life, when you will not endure these things but will reign with God forever." (excerpt from SERMON 84.1.9)

 

 

More Homilies

June 1, 2020 Memorial of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church