August 27, 2021Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time

2021년 8월 27일 연중 제21주간 금요일

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

제1독서

<하느님의 뜻은 여러분이 거룩한 사람이 되는 것입니다.>

테살로니카 1서. 4,1-8
 1 형제 여러분, 우리는 주 예수님의 이름으로

여러분에게 당부하고 권고합니다.
여러분은 어떻게 살아가야 하는지,
어떻게 해야 하느님 마음에 들 수 있는지 우리에게 배웠고,
또 그렇게 살아가고 있습니다. 더욱더 그렇게 살아가십시오.
2 우리가 주 예수님의 권위로 여러분에게 지시해 준 것들을
여러분은 잘 알고 있습니다.
3 하느님의 뜻은 바로 여러분이 거룩한 사람이 되는 것입니다.
곧 여러분이 불륜을 멀리하고, 4 저마다 자기 아내를 거룩하게
또 존중하는 마음으로 대할 줄 아는 것입니다.
5 하느님을 모르는 이교인들처럼 색욕으로 아내를 대해서는 안 됩니다.
6 그리고 이러한 일로 형제에게 잘못을 저지르거나
그를 속이지 말아야 합니다.
우리가 전에 말하고 또 엄숙히 경고한 바와 같이,
주님은 이 모든 일에 보복하시는 분이십니다.
7 하느님께서는 여러분을 더러움 속에서 살라고 부르신 것이 아니라,
거룩하게 살라고 부르셨기 때문입니다.
8 그러므로 이 사실을 무시하는 자는 사람을 무시하는 것이 아니라,
여러분에게 성령을 주시는 하느님을 무시하는 것입니다.

복음

<신랑이 온다. 신랑을 맞으러 나가라.>

마태오. 25,1-13
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 이런 비유를 들어 말씀하셨다.

1 “하늘 나라는 저마다 등을 들고 신랑을 맞으러 나간
열 처녀에 비길 수 있을 것이다.
2 그 가운데 다섯은 어리석고 다섯은 슬기로웠다.
3 어리석은 처녀들은 등은 가지고 있었지만 기름은 가지고 있지 않았다.
4 그러나 슬기로운 처녀들은 등과 함께
기름도 그릇에 담아 가지고 있었다.
5 신랑이 늦어지자 처녀들은 모두 졸다가 잠이 들었다.
6 그런데 한밤중에 외치는 소리가 났다.
‘신랑이 온다. 신랑을 맞으러 나가라.’
7 그러자 처녀들이 모두 일어나 저마다 등을 챙기는데,
8 어리석은 처녀들이 슬기로운 처녀들에게
‘우리 등이 꺼져 가니 너희 기름을 나누어 다오.’ 하고 청하였다.
9 그러나 슬기로운 처녀들은
‘안 된다. 우리도 너희도 모자랄 터이니
차라리 상인들에게 가서 사라.’ 하고 대답하였다.
10 그들이 기름을 사러 간 사이에 신랑이 왔다.
준비하고 있던 처녀들은 신랑과 함께 혼인 잔치에 들어가고,
문은 닫혔다.
11 나중에 나머지 처녀들이 와서
‘주인님, 주인님, 문을 열어 주십시오.’ 하고 청하였지만,
12 그는 ‘내가 진실로 너희에게 말한다.
나는 너희를 알지 못한다.’ 하고 대답하였다.
13 그러니 깨어 있어라. 너희가 그 날과 그 시간을 모르기 때문이다.”

August 27, 2021

Friday 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 4:1-8
Brothers and sisters,
we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that,
as you received from us
how you should conduct yourselves to please God? 
and as you are conducting yourselves? 
you do so even more.
For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus.

This is the will of God, your holiness:
that you refrain from immorality,
that each of you know how to acquire a wife for himself
in holiness and honor, not in lustful passion
as do the Gentiles who do not know God;
not to take advantage of or exploit a brother or sister in this matter,
for the Lord is an avenger in all these things,
as we told you before and solemnly affirmed.
For God did not call us to impurity but to holiness.
Therefore, whoever disregards this,
disregards not a human being but God,
who also gives his Holy Spirit to you.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 97:1 and 2b, 5-6, 10, 11-12
R.  (12a) Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD is king; let the earth rejoice;
let the many isles be glad.
Justice and judgment are the foundation of his throne.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The mountains melt like wax before the LORD,
before the LORD of all the earth.
The heavens proclaim his justice,
and all peoples see his glory.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
The LORD loves those who hate evil;
he guards the lives of his faithful one　s;
from the hand of the wicked he delivers them.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!
Light dawns for the just;
and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
and give thanks to his holy name.
R. Rejoice in the Lord, you just!

Gospel
Mt 25:1-13
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
“The Kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins
who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. 
Five of them were foolish and five were wise. 
The foolish ones, when taking their lamps,
brought no oil with them,
but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. 
Since the bridegroom was long delayed,
they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
At midnight, there was a cry,
‘Behold, the bridegroom!  Come out to meet him!’ 
Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. 
The foolish ones said to the wise,
‘Give us some of your oil,
for our lamps are going out.’ 
But the wise ones replied,
‘No, for there may not be enough for us and you.
Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.’ 
While they went off to buy it,
the bridegroom came
and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. 
Then the door was locked.
Afterwards the other virgins came and said,
‘Lord, Lord, open the door for us!’ 
But he said in reply,
‘Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.’ 
Therefore, stay awake, 

for you know neither the day nor the hour.” 

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

 This is the will of God, your holiness: That you refrain from immorality… not to take advantage of or exploit a brother or sister in this matter…Therefore, whoever disregards this, disregards not a human being but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you. (1 Thessalonians. 4:3 & 8)

Reflecting on this passage from scripture for today takes me back to the historical memory of the Hebrew people who left Egypt with Moses as he revealed God’s messages to them. Actually, it is a story of sin and grace, we have been following over the past month or more.  They crossed the desert, received the Law, the 10 Commandments, to guide them in their relationship with God and one another. They were not only on a physical journey to the “promised land” but also on a spiritual journey living out the Covenant God made with them as a people.

They traveled, prayed, rejoiced in God’s presence, were disappointed, despaired, built false gods, constructed golden idols, immorality was a way of living. They repented, begged forgiveness, transformed their lives, and made it to the promise land.

Centuries later, we meet Jesus who is faithful to the Judaic Law and came to fulfill the Law with a similar and more concise message. Love of God, neighbor, and self. His message was one of reverence, hospitality, care for the oppressed and forgiveness.  Immorality has no place in living a Christian life of Faith, Hope and Charity. Paul reminds us of this in his Letter to the Thessalonians.

Today we celebrate the feast of St. Monica. She is known to be the patron saint for married women, difficult marriages, disappointing children, victims of adultery or unfaithfulness, victims of abuse, and conversion of relatives. Wow! Is this a reflection of the life of St. Monica? She was in fact in a difficult marriage and experienced much of why she was named to be the patron. We know her best as the mother of St. Augustine who led a rather lurid life until through Monica’s fidelity and prayers to God, Augustine experienced conversion and became a theologian, philosopher, Bishop, Saint, and Doctor of the Church. St. Monica was an amazingly strong woman of Faith, Hope and Charity.

We are all on a spiritual journey. Our readings today provide a map for our own examination of conscience. Within our own cultural history of sin and grace, we can see that there are difficult marriages, parents disappointed in their children, children abused by adults, the building of our own golden idols, exploitation, and a basic lack of reverence for life.

Are we awake and alert to the Light of Christ that dwells within each of us? Our own holiness? Does the light within you seem dim and in need of refreshing? Can we share what we have to help bring healing and wholeness to our world and each other? I think the five Virgins in the Gospel were rather selfish in not sharing their oil. (Just another perspective!) We are called to community to be, as St. Ignatius of Loyola teaches, women and men for and with others.

Let’s heed these words of St. Paul, This is the will of God, your holiness: That you refrain from immorality…not to take advantage of or exploit a brother or sister in this matter…Therefore, whoever disregards this, disregards not a human being but God, who also gives his Holy Spirit to you. 1 Thes. 4:3 & 8

It is never too late for a moment of conversion! It is never too late to turn our hearts to God restoring and recognizing our holiness. It is never too late to let the LIGHT, shine out from within us.

God is a God of Mercy and Forgiveness.
Light dawns for the just;
    and gladness, for the upright of heart.
Be glad in the LORD, you just,
    and give thanks to his holy name.          (Psalm 97 v.12)

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

 

A GROWTH-SPURT

“It is God’s will that you grow in holiness.” —1 Thessalonians 4:3

The Lord told Paul to tell the Thessalonian Christians to grow in holiness (see 1 Thes 4:3) and to please God by their conduct even more than before (1 Thes 4:1). The Lord expects and delights to see His children grow holy in every aspect of their conduct (1 Pt 1:15).

In fact, the Lord probably wants us to have a growth spurt in the last part of this year. Little children and teenagers commonly grow several inches in a short time. Likewise, we who are God’s children can grow in holiness in a greatly accelerated way. The Lord delights to see His children grow quickly to great levels of holiness.

Because we love the Lord, we want to please Him by growing holy as deeply and as quickly as possible. Let us commit ourselves today to obey the Lord in any and every way so as to grow holy. Let us live, suffer, and die for holiness. May holiness be the greatest desire of our hearts because it is the greatest desire of the Lord’s heart.

Prayer:  Father, may I want holiness more than anything else.

Promise:  “Keep your eyes open, for you know not the day or the hour.” —Mt 25:13

Praise:  St. Monica’s husband was ill-tempered and unfaithful.Monica loved him and prayed daily for him. He repented and converted to faith in Jesus a year before he died.

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

 Are you missing out on what's most important in life? Being unprepared can lead to unnecessary trouble and even disaster! What good is a life-jacket left on the shore when the boat is sinking? Jesus' story of ten single ladies waiting for a wedding procession in the middle of the night seems strange to most westerners today. But Jesus' audience knew all too well how easily this could happen to them.

Don't miss the most important engagement of all
Wedding customs in ancient Palestine required extra vigilance and preparation for everyone involved. (Some near eastern villages still follow this custom.) The bride and groom did not go away for their honeymoon, but celebrated for a whole week with their family and friends. It was the custom for the groom, in company with his friends, to come at his discretion and get his bride and bring her to their new home. They would take the longest route possible so that many villagers along the way could join in the wedding procession. Once they arrived and closed the doors, no one else could be admitted. If the groom decided to come and bring his bride at night, then lights were required by necessity to guide the travelers through the dark and narrow streets. No one was allowed on the village streets at night without a lamp!

To show up for a wedding party without proper attire and travel arrangements is like trying to get into a special event today that requires a prearranged permit or reservation. You just don't get in without the proper pass. Can you imagine the frustration travelers might experience when going abroad and finding out that they can't get into some country because they don't have the right visa or a valid passport.

The consequences of being unprepared to meet the Lord
Jesus warns us that there are consequences for being unprepared. There are certain things you cannot obtain at the last moment. For example, students cannot prepare for their exams when the day of testing is already upon them. A person cannot get the right kind of character, strength, and skill required for a task at hand unless they already possess it, such as a captain with courage and nautical skills who must steer a ship through a dangerous storm at sea.

When the Lord Jesus comes to lead you to his heavenly banquet will you be ready to hear his voice and follow? Our eternal welfare depends on our hearing, and many have trained themselves to not hear. We will not be prepared to meet the Lord, face to face, when he calls us on the day of judgment, unless we listen to him today. The Lord invites us to feast at his heavenly banquet table. Are you ready?

Lord Jesus, make me vigilant and attentive to your voice that I may heed your call at all times. May I find joy in your presence and delight in doing your will.

Psalm 78:1-7

1 Give ear, O my people, to my teaching; incline your ears to the words of my mouth!
2 I will open my mouth in a parable; I will utter dark sayings from of old,
3 things that we have heard and known, that our fathers have told us.
4 We will not hide them from their children, but tell to the coming generation the glorious deeds of the Lord, and his might, and the wonders which he has wrought.
5 He established a testimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers to teach to their children;
6 that the next generation might know them, the children yet unborn, and arise and tell them to their children,
7 so that they should set their hope in God, and not forget the works of God, but keep his commandments;

Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The Kingdom of God compared with ten maidens, by Hilary of Poitiers (315-367 AD)

"The whole story is about the great day of the Lord, when those things concealed from the human mind will be revealed through our understanding of divine judgment. Then the faith true to the Lord's coming will win the just reward for unwavering hope. For in the five wise and five foolish virgins (Matthew 25:2), a complete separation between the faithful and unfaithful is established... The wise virgins are those who, embracing the time available to them, were prepared at the first onset of the coming of the Lord. But the foolish were those who were lax and unmindful. They troubled themselves only over present matters and, forgetting what God said, did not direct their efforts toward hope for resurrection." (excerpt from the commentary ON MATTHEW 27.3,5)

 

 

More Homilies

August 30, 2019 Friday of the Twenty-first Week in Ordinary Time