August 25, 2021 Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

20년 8월 2일 연중 제21주간 수요일  

 

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

제1독서

<우리는 밤낮으로 일하면서 복음을 여러분에게 선포하였습니다.>

테살로니카 1서. 2,9-13
9 형제 여러분, 여러분은 우리의 수고와 고생을 잘 기억하고 있을 것입니다.
우리는 여러분 가운데 누구에게도 폐를 끼치지 않으려고 밤낮으로 일하면서,
하느님의 복음을 여러분에게 선포하였습니다.
10 우리가 신자 여러분에게 얼마나 경건하고 의롭게
또 흠 잡힐 데 없이 처신하였는지,
여러분이 증인이고 하느님께서도 증인이십니다.
11 여러분도 알다시피, 우리는 아버지가 자녀들을 대하듯
여러분 하나하나를 대하면서,
12 당신의 나라와 영광으로 여러분을 부르시는 하느님께 합당하게 살아가라고
여러분에게 권고하고 격려하며 역설하였습니다.
13 우리는 또한 끊임없이 하느님께 감사를 드립니다.
우리가 전하는 하느님의 말씀을 들을 때,
여러분이 그것을 사람의 말로 받아들이지 않고
사실 그대로 하느님의 말씀으로 받아들였기 때문입니다.
그 말씀이 신자 여러분 안에서 활동하고 있습니다.

 

복음

<너희는 예언자들을 살해한 자들의 자손이다.>

마태오. 23,27-32
그때에 예수님께서 말씀하셨다.

27 “불행하여라, 너희 위선자 율법 학자들과 바리사이들아!
너희가 겉은 아름답게 보이지만 속은 죽은 이들의 뼈와
온갖 더러운 것으로 가득 차 있는 회칠한 무덤 같기 때문이다.
28 이처럼 너희도 겉은 다른 사람들에게 의인으로 보이지만,
속은 위선과 불법으로 가득하다.
29 불행하여라, 너희 위선자 율법 학자들과 바리사이들아!
너희가 예언자들의 무덤을 만들고 의인들의 묘를 꾸미면서,
30 ‘우리가 조상들 시대에 살았더라면
예언자들을 죽이는 일에 가담하지 않았을 것이다.’ 하고 말하기 때문이다.
31 그렇게 하여 너희는 예언자들을 살해한 자들의 자손임을 스스로 증언한다.
32 그러니 너희 조상들이 시작한 짓을 마저 하여라.”

August 25, 2021

 Wednesday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

http://www.usccb.org/bible/ 

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

Reading 1
1 Thes 2:9-13
You recall, brothers and sisters, our toil and drudgery.
Working night and day in order not to burden any of you,
we proclaimed to you the Gospel of God.
You are witnesses, and so is God,
how devoutly and justly and blamelessly
we behaved toward you believers.
As you know, we treated each one of you as a father treats his children,
exhorting and encouraging you and insisting
that you walk in a manner worthy of the God
who calls you into his Kingdom and glory.

And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly,
that, in receiving the word of God from hearing us,
you received it not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God,
which is now at work in you who believe.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 139:7-8, 9-10, 11-12ab 
R.  (1) You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
Where can I go from your spirit?
From your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there;
if I sink to the nether world, you are present there.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea,
Even there your hand shall guide me,
and your right hand hold me fast.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.
If I say, “Surely the darkness shall hide me,
and night shall be my light”?
For you darkness itself is not dark,
and night shines as the day.
R. You have searched me and you know me, Lord.

Gospel
Mt 23:27-32
Jesus said,
“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside,
but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth.
Even so, on the outside you appear righteous,
but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.

“Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites.
You build the tombs of the prophets
and adorn the memorials of the righteous, 
and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors,
we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’
Thus you bear witness against yourselves
that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets;
now fill up what your ancestors measured out!”

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

Most times when I read or hear the daily readings, I tend to focus on the gospel. But, something different caught my attention today – the Responsorial Psalm. It seems that normally I do not give much thought or reflection to the Responsorial Psalm (sadly). But, Psalm 139 resonated with me even as I tried to steer my attention away from it and towards the Gospel of Matthew.

Psalm 139 seems to be saying that we cannot hide from God, presumably when we have done something bad and are ashamed. What really caught my attention in Psalm 139, however, is the notion that God is everywhere. This stuck out for me because there seems to be so much suffering going on in the world these days and it begs the question, “Is God really there?” There is suffering in Haiti with the recent earthquake, suffering in Afghanistan as the Taliban takes over the country, and continued suffering in nearly every country on the planet as the COVID-19 virus and its variants surge again. So many of us ask, “If God is good, how can God allow so much suffering?”

These questions make me think about the first time that God showed God-self. Scientists usually refer to it as the Big Bang and they predict it occurred about 13.8 billion years ago. The incarnation of all that we can comprehend generated from one single moment. God is present in all that we know – all the trees, all the animals, all the people, and all the other
“stuff” we see, hear, smell, and touch. Further still, if this notion is true then God is also present in rumbles of an earthquake, the fears of a hostile takeover, and even the coronavirus itself. This isn’t to say that everything is God (pantheism) but that God is present in everything (panentheism) – even the tragedies and suffering. As the Book of Genesis tells us, everything comes from God and God said it is good!

The notion that everything is good is pretty hard to swallow when we experience suffering first hand. It’s probably one of the great mysteries of life. But, we know that God is always good and always present. And, if we read the gospel stories carefully, we also know that suffering is part of our life experience. Suffering and love may be the two great constants that we can continue count on and expect to experience throughout our lifetime. And, as we read the teachings of Jesus carefully, we come to understand that allowing ourselves to be transformed by our suffering (rather than suppressing, resisting , or transmitting it to others) leads us to closer relationality with God and to the experience of love.

God is everywhere – even when we try to hide. God is closer to us than our next breath during the good, the bad, and the ugly. Embracing the notion that God is incarnate in all that we know helps me to “know” in a way that is beyond my thinking mind. During our suffering and the suffering of the world, I pray that God helps us to “know” is a way that can transform the suffering in a movement towards love. May we all be present in thought and prayer for those suffering throughout the world. 

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

 

POWER-PREACHING

“We thank God constantly that in receiving His message from us you took it, not as the word of men, but as it truly is, the word of God.” —1 Thessalonians 2:13

The preaching of Paul and Silas at Thessalonica was taken “not as the word of men, but...the word of God” (1 Thes 2:13). Paul said: “Our preaching of the gospel proved not a mere matter of words for you but one of power; it was carried on in the Holy Spirit and out of complete conviction” (1 Thes 1:5). The Thessalonians’ faith in God was celebrated throughout every region since they “turned to God from idols, to serve Him Who is the living and true God and to await from heaven the Son He raised from the dead — Jesus” (1 Thes 1:9-10).

What made the preaching of Paul and Silas at Thessalonica so powerful?

• They preached for free and worked second jobs to pay their expenses (1 Thes 2:9).
• They preached what they practiced. Their conduct was “upright, just, and irreproachable” (1 Thes 2:10).
• They related to those who heard their preaching as loving fathers relate to their children (1 Thes 2:11).

When we preach God’s Word in an atmosphere of self-sacrifice, holiness, and Christian community, we will see the power of the Gospel result in many life-changing conversions and a renewed Church.

Prayer:  Father, may my life give power to the words You speak through me.

Promise:  “If I take the wings of the dawn, if I settle at the farthest limits of the sea, even there Your hand shall guide me, and Your right hand hold me fast.” —Ps 139:9-10

Praise:  St. Louis worked hard at being a model Christian king. He was prominent in almsgiving as well as founding hospitals for the poor.

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

 How can you tell if someone is real or fake, genuine or counterfeit? Outward appearances can be deceptive. Isaiah prophesied that the Messiah would not judge by what his eyes see, or decide by what his ears hear; but with righteousness he shall judge the poor, and decide with equity for the meek of the earth (Isaiah 11:3-4). The heart reveals the true intentions and attitudes that form the way we think of others and treat them. Jesus used strong language to warn the religious leaders and teachers about the vanity of outward appearance and pretense - wearing a mask that hides the true intentions and thoughts of the heart. In Palestine tombs were often placed by the sides of roads. They were painted white which made them glisten in the midday sun, especially around the time of the great feasts, so that people would not accidentally touch them and incur ritual impurity.

True beauty and goodness come from within
Jesus equates true beauty and goodness with a clean heart and mind that is set on God and his way of love and goodness and sin with a corrupt mind and heart that is set on doing what is wrong and evil. Jesus issued a stern warning to the scribes and Pharisees not to condemn them but to call them to examine their hearts in the light of God's truth and holiness. Jesus called them hypocrites because their hearts were set on pleasing themselves rather than God. A hypocrite is an actor or imposter who says one thing but does the opposite or who puts on an outward appearance of doing good while inwardly clinging to wrong attitudes, selfish desires and ambitions, or bad intentions. Many scribes and Pharisees had made it a regular practice to publicly put on a good show of outward zeal and piety with the intention of winning greater honors, privileges, and favors among the people.

Sin is ugly because it corrupts heart and mind
Jesus warns that what truly corrupts a person is not external ritual impurity but the impurity of wrong and sinful attitudes that come from within a person's mind and heart - such as pride, greed, sloth, envy, hatred, gluttony, and lust - these are what produce sinful habits (vices) and ways of speaking, acting, judging, and treating others. That is why every good deed is beautiful in God's sight and every wrong or sinful deed is ugly in his sight. The scribes and Pharisees were intensely religious in their outward observances, but their outward show didn't match the inner reality of the state of their minds and hearts. They not only neglected the poor and the weak, but they were intolerant towards anyone who challenged their idea of religion. That is why so many of the prophets in past ages - who warned about tolerating evil desires and unjust behavior towards one's neighbor - were persecuted and even killed by their own rulers and people.

Jesus chastised the religious leaders for being double-minded and for demanding from others standards which they refused to satisfy. They professed admiration for the prophets who spoke God's word by building tombs in their honor. But their outward show of respect did not match their inward refusal to heed the prophets' warning to turn away from sinful attitudes and from neglecting to lead their people - through teaching and their own example - in God's way of love and holiness of life. They shut themselves to heaven and they hindered others from growing in the knowledge of God's truth and goodness. They rejected Jesus as their Messiah because their hearts were blinded and hardened to the voice of God.

The Holy Spirit renews the heart and mind
True beauty, goodness, and piety come from within - from a heart that is set on pleasing God and a mind that is set on hearing and obeying God's word. Jesus came to set us free from slavery to sin and harmful habits and addictions that lead us into wrong and sinful ways of thinking, acting, and relating to others. Only the humble of heart can receive from God true wisdom and understanding, pardon and healing. The Holy Spirit is ever ready to renew our minds and hearts and to lead us in God's way of love and holiness. Ask the Holy Spirit to purify your heart and mind and to fill you with the power of God's love and goodness.

Lord Jesus, incline my heart to your wisdom and teach me your ways. Fill me with your Holy Spirit that I may love your ways and obey your word.

Psalm 139:1-3,7-12

1 O LORD, you have searched me and known me!
2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.
3 You search out my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways.
7 Whither shall I go from your Spirit? Or whither shall I flee from your presence?
8 If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!
9 If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea,
10 even there your hand shall lead me, and your right hand shall hold me.
11 If I say, "Let only darkness cover me, and the light about me be night,"
12 even the darkness is not dark to you, the night is bright as the day; for darkness is as light with you.

Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Good deeds done for God, author unknown, from the 5th century A.D.

"Every good deed that is done for God is universally good for everything and everyone. Deeds that are not seen to benefit everything and everyone, however, are done on account of man, as the present matter itself demonstrates. For example, those who build reliquaries and adorn churches seem to be doing good. If they imitate the justice of God, if the poor benefit from their goods and if they do not acquire their goods through violence against others, it is clear that they are building for the glory of God. If they fail to observe God's justice... and if the poor never benefit from their goods and if they acquire their goods from others by means of violence or fraud, who is so foolish not to understand that they are building for human respect rather than for the glory of God? Those who build reliquaries in a just manner ensure that the poor do not suffer as a result of it. For the martyrs do not rejoice when they are honored by gifts for which the poor paid with their tears. What kind of justice is it to give gifts to the dead and to despoil the living or to drain blood from the poor and offer it to God? To do such things is not to offer sacrifice to God but to attempt to make God an accomplice in violence, since whoever knowingly accepts a gift which was acquired by sinful means participates in the sin." (excerpt from an incomplete Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, HOMILY 45)

 

 

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