2021년 9월 12일 연중 제24주일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
<나는 매질하는 자들에게 내 등을 내맡겼다.>
이사야서. 50,5-9ㄱ
5 주 하느님께서 내 귀를 열어 주시니
나는 거역하지도 않고 뒤로 물러서지도 않았다.
6 나는 매질하는 자들에게 내 등을,
수염을 잡아 뜯는 자들에게 내 뺨을 내맡겼고
모욕과 수모를 받지 않으려고 내 얼굴을 가리지도 않았다.
7 그러나 주 하느님께서 나를 도와주시니 나는 수치를 당하지 않는다.
그러기에 나는 내 얼굴을 차돌처럼 만든다.
나는 부끄러운 일을 당하지 않을 것임을 안다.
8 나를 의롭다 하시는 분께서 가까이 계시는데 누가 나에게 대적하려는가?
우리 함께 나서 보자. 누가 나의 소송 상대인가? 내게 다가와 보아라.
9 보라, 주 하느님께서 나를 도와주시는데 나를 단죄하는 자 누구인가?
제2독서
<믿음에 실천이 없으면 그러한 믿음은 죽은 것입니다.>
야고보서. 2,14-18
14 나의 형제 여러분,
누가 믿음이 있다고 말하면서 실천이 없으면 무슨 소용이 있겠습니까?
그러한 믿음이 그 사람을 구원할 수 있겠습니까?
15 어떤 형제나 자매가 헐벗고 그날 먹을 양식조차 없는데,
16 여러분 가운데 누가 그들의 몸에 필요한 것은 주지 않으면서,
“평안히 가서 몸을 따뜻이 녹이고 배불리 먹으시오.” 하고 말한다면,
무슨 소용이 있겠습니까?
17 이와 마찬가지로 믿음에 실천이 없으면 그러한 믿음은 죽은 것입니다.
18 그러나 어떤 사람은 이렇게 말할 것입니다.
“그대에게는 믿음이 있고 나에게는 실천이 있소.”
나에게 실천 없는 그대의 믿음을 보여 주십시오.
나는 실천으로 나의 믿음을 보여 주겠습니다.
복음
<스승님은 그리스도이십니다. 사람의 아들은 반드시 많은 고난을 겪어야 한다.>
마르코. 8,27-35
그때에 27 예수님께서 제자들과 함께
카이사리아 필리피 근처 마을을 향하여 길을 떠나셨다.
그리고 길에서 제자들에게, “사람들이 나를 누구라고 하느냐?” 하고 물으셨다.
28 제자들이 대답하였다. “세례자 요한이라고 합니다.
그러나 어떤 이들은 엘리야라 하고,
또 어떤 이들은 예언자 가운데 한 분이라고 합니다.”
29 예수님께서 다시, “그러면 너희는 나를 누구라고 하느냐?” 하고 물으시자,
베드로가 “스승님은 그리스도이십니다.” 하고 대답하였다.
30 그러자 예수님께서는 제자들에게,
당신에 관하여 아무에게도 말하지 말라고 엄중히 이르셨다.
31 예수님께서는 그 뒤에, 사람의 아들이 반드시 많은 고난을 겪으시고
원로들과 수석 사제들과 율법 학자들에게 배척을 받아 죽임을 당하셨다가
사흘 만에 다시 살아나셔야 한다는 것을 제자들에게 가르치기 시작하셨다.
32 예수님께서는 이 말씀을 명백히 하셨다.
그러자 베드로가 예수님을 꼭 붙들고 반박하기 시작하였다.
33 그러나 예수님께서는 돌아서서 제자들을 보신 다음 베드로에게,
“사탄아, 내게서 물러가라.
너는 하느님의 일은 생각하지 않고 사람의 일만 생각하는구나.” 하며 꾸짖으셨다.
34 예수님께서 제자들과 함께 군중을 가까이 부르시고 그들에게 말씀하셨다.
“누구든지 내 뒤를 따르려면
자신을 버리고 제 십자가를 지고 나를 따라야 한다.
35 정녕 자기 목숨을 구하려는 사람은 목숨을 잃을 것이고,
나와 복음 때문에 목숨을 잃는 사람은 목숨을 구할 것이다.”
September 12, 2021
Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
Is 50:5-9a
The Lord GOD opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.
The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
He is near who upholds my right;
if anyone wishes to oppose me,
let us appear together.
Who disputes my right?
Let that man confront me.
See, the Lord GOD is my help;
who will prove me wrong?
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 116:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. (9)I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
Alleluia.
I love the LORD because he has heard
my voice in supplication,
Because he has inclined his ear to me
the day I called.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
Alleluia.
The cords of death encompassed me;
the snares of the netherworld seized upon me;
I fell into distress and sorrow,
And I called upon the name of the LORD,
“O LORD, save my life!”
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
Alleluia.
Gracious is the LORD and just;
yes, our God is merciful.
The LORD keeps the little one s;
I was brought low, and he saved me.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or:
Alleluia.
For he has freed my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
I shall walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.
or: Alleluia.
What good is it, my brothers and sisters,
if someone says he has faith but does not have works?
Can that faith save him?
If a brother or sister has nothing to wear
and has no food for the day,
and one of you says to them,
“Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, ”
but you do not give them the necessities of the body,
what good is it?
So also faith of itself,
if it does not have works, is dead.
Indeed someone might say,
“You have faith and I have works.”
Demonstrate your faith to me without works,
and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.
Gospel
Mk 8:27-35
Jesus and his disciples set out
for the villages of Caesarea Philippi.
Along the way he asked his disciples,
“Who do people say that I am?”
They said in reply,
“John the Baptist, others Elijah,
still others one of the prophets.”
And he asked them,
“But who do you say that I am?”
Peter said to him in reply,
“You are the Christ.”
Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him.
He began to teach them
that the Son of Man must suffer greatly
and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,
and be killed, and rise after three days.
He spoke this openly.
Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him.
At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples,
rebuked Peter and said, “Get behind me, Satan.
You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”
He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them,
“Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,
take up his cross, and follow me.
For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake
and that of the gospel will save it.”
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
In the first reading, Isaiah gives a reflection on virtuous suffering. The Psalm is a prayer of thanksgiving to the Lord for deliverance from desperate situations. The second reading serves as a reminder of the importance of good works in addition to faith. I find two threads in today’s Gospel. The first is a recognition by Peter that Jesus is more than a prophet. The second is a prediction of the trials that Jesus and his true followers will face.
As I read the passage from Isaiah, I am drawn to see how it could be equally well applied to the loyal descendants of Abraham who kept the faith in times of trial as it could be to Jesus himself.
The son of one of my nephews took his final vows as a Dominican about a month ago. He recently preached on today’s passage from James’ epistle. He emphasized the difference between knowing what is good and doing what is good and how Jesus taught us how to love, but then showed us what it is to love.
If I imagine myself in Gospel settings, I frequently find myself connecting with the less glorious traits of Peter; today that is becoming enthusiastic, followed by an impulsive response. Sometimes I get things right as Peter did in the first part of the Gospel. And as in the second part of the Gospel when the talk turns to challenges, I can envision myself missing the point, and wanting to coach Jesus suggesting that His promises of hardships, suffering and death are “bad marketing.” Today’s first reading and psalm remind me of the broader context of the virtuous suffering in Jesus’ statements. I find myself thinking of times when I started to correct someone, only to end up being (like Peter) rebuked. (People who knew me in my prime would tell you that I could have used more of a filter. I would tell them that I already filter 95% of what I say. They would encourage me to make it closer to 100%). Perhaps this was part of my physicist training or perhaps it is a physicist’s tendency to feel less constrained around the normal set of social skills. (I am reminded of a friend from my bachelor and master studies, who, in his later life, would be assigned a “handler” whenever he needed to talk to people outside his working group.)
Retirement has given me time to reflect on a lifetime of actions. My prayer today focusses on how I have been blessed despite many of those actions.
Dear Lord,
You have stood by those faithful to you in times of challenge.
I am grateful for Your saving grace in the trials that fall in my path
as well as Your benevolence that finds its way to me notwithstanding my impulsiveness.
Thinking of St. Peter in today’s Gospel, thank you for the moments of insight and
forgive me for the times that I needed to be rebuked for failing to recognize the big picture.
Grant me the wisdom in knowing what is good and the strength in doing what is good.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
FLINT-HARD, YET DOCILE
“I have set My face like flint.” —Isaiah 50:7
Flint is among the hardest of rocks. When Jesus set His face like flint, He was absolutely determined to walk toward Calvary, no matter what obstacles were placed in His path. Jesus “firmly resolved to proceed toward Jerusalem” (Lk 9:51). He set His face to walk toward the cross, humiliation, mockery, and death.
Like Jesus, we are called to set our faces like flint, but not our hearts. We are to have firmness of will to live for the Lord, but a docile, trusting heart to let it be done to us according to His will (Lk 1:38). Too often it’s the other way around: we have flint-hard hearts (see Ps 95:8) and a weak will (Mk 14:38). We then bear little fruit (see Jas 1:7-8).
Ask the Lord for firmness of faith to persevere and bear fruit even in spiritually arid times. Ask Him for the docility of heart that produces loving works of charity. By walking firmly on the path to which God calls us, we proclaim to the world that Jesus is the Christ. We take up our cross to follow Him (Lk 9:23). It requires a face of flint to walk toward the cross of suffering. Yet it requires docility of heart to walk in His peace.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, set a fire in my soul. I will follow You in the way of the cross.
Promise: “I shall walk before the Lord in the lands of the living.”—Ps 116:9
Praise: “Let me ask why you...should find it hard to believe that God raises dead men to life?” (see Acts 26:8) Do you believe the risen Jesus has power to resurrect you?
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
Who is Jesus for you - and what difference does he make in your life? Many in Israel recognized Jesus as a mighty man of God, even comparing him with the greatest of the prophets. Peter, always quick to respond whenever Jesus spoke, professed that Jesus was truly the "Christ of God" - "the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16). No mortal being could have revealed this to Peter, but only God. Through the "eyes of faith" Peter discovered who Jesus truly was. Peter recognized that Jesus was much more than a great teacher, prophet, and miracle worker. Peter was the first apostle to publicly declare that Jesus was the Anointed One, consecrated by the Father and sent into the world to redeem a fallen human race enslaved to sin and cut off from eternal life with God (Luke 9:20, Acts 2:14-36). The word for "Christ" in Greek is a translation of the Hebrew word for "Messiah" - both words literally mean the Anointed One.
Jesus begins to explain the mission he was sent to accomplish
Why did Jesus command his disciples to be silent about his identity as the anointed Son of God? They were, after all, appointed to proclaim the good news to everyone. Jesus knew that they did not yet fully understand his mission and how he would accomplish it. Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD), an early church father, explains the reason for this silence:
There were things yet unfulfilled which must also be included in their preaching about him. They must also proclaim the cross, the passion, and the death in the flesh. They must preach the resurrection of the dead, that great and truly glorious sign by which testimony is borne him that the Emmanuel is truly God and by nature the Son of God the Father. He utterly abolished death and wiped out destruction. He robbed hell, and overthrew the tyranny of the enemy. He took away the sin of the world, opened the gates above to the dwellers upon earth, and united earth to heaven. These things proved him to be, as I said, in truth God. He commanded them, therefore, to guard the mystery by a seasonable silence until the whole plan of the dispensation should arrive at a suitable conclusion.(Commentary on Luke, Homily 49)
God's Anointed Son must suffer and die to atone for our sins
Jesus told his disciples that it was necessary for the Messiah to suffer and die in order that God's work of redemption might be accomplished. How startled the disciples were when they heard this word. How different are God's thoughts and ways from our thoughts and ways (Isaiah 55:8). It was through humiliation, suffering, and death on the cross that Jesus broke the powers of sin and death and won for us eternal life and freedom from the slavery of sin and from the oppression of our enemy, Satan, the father of lies and the deceiver of humankind.
We, too, have a share in the mission and victory of Jesus Christ
If we want to share in the victory of the Lord Jesus, then we must also take up our cross and follow where he leads us. What is the "cross" that you and I must take up each day? When my will crosses (does not align) with God's will, then his will must be done. To know Jesus Christ is to know the power of his victory on the cross where he defeated sin and conquered death through his resurrection. The Holy Spirit gives each of us the gifts and strength we need to live as sons and daughters of God. The Holy Spirit gives us faith to know the Lord Jesus personally as our Redeemer, and the power to live the Gospel faithfully, and the courage to witness to others the joy, truth, and freedom of the Gospel. Who do you say that Jesus is?
Lord Jesus, I believe and I profess that you are the Christ, the Son of the living God. Take my life, my will, and all that I have, that I may be wholly yours now and forever.
Psalm 102:15-22,28
15 The nations will fear the name of the LORD, and all the kings of the earth your glory.
16 For the LORD will build up Zion, he will appear in his glory;
17 he will regard the prayer of the destitute, and will not despise their supplication.
18 Let this be recorded for a generation to come, so that a people yet unborn may praise the LORD:
19 that he looked down from his holy height, from heaven the LORD looked at the earth,
20 to hear the groans of the prisoners, to set free those who were doomed to die;
21 that men may declare in Zion the name of the LORD, and in Jerusalem his praise,
22 when peoples gather together, and kingdoms, to worship the LORD.
28 The children of your servants shall dwell secure; their posterity shall be established before you.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Peter confesses that Jesus is God's Anointed Son and Savior of all, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)
"You see the skillfulness of the question. He [Jesus] did not at once say, 'Who do you say that I am?' He refers to the rumor of those that were outside their company. Then, having rejected it and shown it unsound, he might bring them back to the true opinion. It happened that way. When the disciples had said, 'Some, John the Baptist, and others, Elijah, and others, that some prophet of those in old time has risen up,' he said to them, 'But you, who do you say that I am?' Oh! how full of meaning is that word you! He separates them from all others, that they may also avoid the opinions of others. In this way, they will not conceive an unworthy idea about him or entertain confused and wavering thoughts. Then they will not also imagine that John had risen again, or one of the prophets. 'You,' he says, 'who have been chosen,' who by my decree have been called to the apostleship, who are the witnesses of my miracles. Who do you say that I am?'"(excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILY 49)
More Homilies
September 16, 2018 Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
