2021년 9월 16일 연중 제24주간 목요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
<그대 자신과 그대의 가르침에 주의를 기울이십시오. 그대는 그대뿐만 아니라 그대의 말을 듣는 이들도 구원할 것입니다.>
티모테오 1서. 4,12-16
사랑하는 그대여, 12 아무도 그대를 젊다고 업신여기지 못하게 하십시오.
그러니 말에서나 행실에서나 사랑에서나 믿음에서나 순결에서나,
믿는 이들의 본보기가 되십시오.
13 내가 갈 때까지 성경 봉독과 권고와 가르침에 열중하십시오.
14 그대가 지닌 은사, 곧 원로단의 안수와 예언을 통하여
그대가 받은 은사를 소홀히 여기지 마십시오.
15 이 일에 관심을 기울이고 이 일에 전념하십시오.
그리하여 그대가 더욱 나아지는 모습이 모든 사람에게 드러나도록 하십시오.
16 그대 자신과 그대의 가르침에 주의를 기울이십시오.
이 일을 지속해 나아가십시오.
이렇게 하면, 그대는 그대뿐만 아니라 그대의 말을 듣는 이들도 구원할 것입니다
복음
<이 여자는 그 많은 죄를 용서받았다. 그래서 큰 사랑을 드러낸 것이다.>
루카. 7,36-50
그때에 36 바리사이 가운데 어떤 이가
자기와 함께 음식을 먹자고 예수님을 초청하였다.
그리하여 예수님께서는 그 바리사이의 집에 들어가시어 식탁에 앉으셨다.
37 그 고을에 죄인인 여자가 하나 있었는데,
예수님께서 바리사이의 집에서 음식을 잡수시고 계시다는 것을 알고 왔다.
그 여자는 향유가 든 옥합을 들고서 38 예수님 뒤쪽 발치에 서서 울며,
눈물로 그분의 발을 적시기 시작하더니 자기의 머리카락으로 닦고 나서,
그 발에 입을 맞추고 향유를 부어 발랐다.
39 예수님을 초대한 바리사이가 그것을 보고,
‘저 사람이 예언자라면, 자기에게 손을 대는 여자가 누구이며 어떤 사람인지,
곧 죄인인 줄 알 터인데.’ 하고 속으로 말하였다.
40 그때에 예수님께서 말씀하셨다. “시몬아, 너에게 할 말이 있다.”
시몬이 “스승님, 말씀하십시오.” 하였다.
41 “어떤 채권자에게 채무자가 둘 있었다.
한 사람은 오백 데나리온을 빚지고 다른 사람은 오십 데나리온을 빚졌다.
42 둘 다 갚을 길이 없으므로 채권자는 그들에게 빚을 탕감해 주었다.
그러면 그들 가운데 누가 그 채권자를 더 사랑하겠느냐?”
43 시몬이 “더 많이 탕감받은 사람이라고 생각합니다.” 하고 대답하자,
예수님께서 “옳게 판단하였다.” 하고 말씀하셨다.
44 그리고 그 여자를 돌아보시며 시몬에게 이르셨다.
“이 여자를 보아라.
내가 네 집에 들어왔을 때 너는 나에게 발 씻을 물도 주지 않았다.
그러나 이 여자는 눈물로 내 발을 적시고 자기의 머리카락으로 닦아 주었다.
45 너는 나에게 입을 맞추지 않았지만,
이 여자는 내가 들어왔을 때부터 줄곧 내 발에 입을 맞추었다.
46 너는 내 머리에 기름을 부어 발라 주지 않았다.
그러나 이 여자는 내 발에 향유를 부어 발라 주었다.
47 그러므로 내가 너에게 말한다.
이 여자는 그 많은 죄를 용서받았다. 그래서 큰 사랑을 드러낸 것이다.
그러나 적게 용서받은 사람은 적게 사랑한다.”
48 그러고 나서 예수님께서는 그 여자에게 말씀하셨다.
“너는 죄를 용서받았다.”
49 그러자 식탁에 함께 앉아 있던 이들이 속으로,
‘저 사람이 누구이기에 죄까지 용서해 주는가?’ 하고 말하였다.
50 그러나 예수님께서는 그 여자에게 이르셨다.
“네 믿음이 너를 구원하였다. 평안히 가거라.”
September 19, 2021
Thursday of the Twenty-fourth Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
1 Tm 4:12-16
Beloved:
Let no one have contempt for your youth,
but set an example for those who believe,
in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.
Until I arrive, attend to the reading, exhortation, and teaching.
Do not neglect the gift you have,
which was conferred on you through the prophetic word
with the imposition of hands by the presbyterate.
Be diligent in these matters, be absorbed in them,
so that your progress may be evident to everyone.
Attend to yourself and to your teaching;
persevere in both tasks,
for by doing so you will save
both yourself and those who listen to you.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 111:7-8, 9, 10
R. (2) How great are the works of the Lord!
The works of his hands are faithful and just;
sure are all his precepts,
Reliable forever and ever,
wrought in truth and equity.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
He has sent deliverance to his people;
he has ratified his covenant forever;
holy and awesome is his name.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom;
prudent are all who live by it.
His praise endures forever.
R. How great are the works of the Lord!
Gospel
Lk 7:36-50
A certain Pharisee invited Jesus to dine with him,
and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table.
Now there was a sinful woman in the city
who learned that he was at table in the house of the Pharisee.
Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment,
she stood behind him at his feet weeping
and began to bathe his feet with her tears.
Then she wiped them with her hair,
kissed them, and anointed them with the ointment.
When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself,
“If this man were a prophet,
he would know who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,
that she is a sinner.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“Simon, I have something to say to you.”
“Tell me, teacher,” he said.
“Two people were in debt to a certain creditor;
one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty.
Since they were unable to repay the debt, he forgave it for both.
Which of them will love him more?”
Simon said in reply,
“The one, I suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.”
He said to him, “You have judged rightly.”
Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon,
“Do you see this woman?
When I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet,
but she has bathed them with her tears
and wiped them with her hair.
You did not give me a kiss,
but she has not ceased kissing my feet since the time I entered.
You did not anoint my head with oil,
but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven;
hence, she has shown great love.
But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.”
He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”
The others at table said to themselves,
“Who is this who even forgives sins?”
But he said to the woman,
“Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Today I want to give three separate, short reflections on St. Cyprian, the first reading, and then the Gospel reading.
St. Cyprian lived in north Africa during the third century and, at age 35, became a Christian and later was elected the Bishop of Carthage. This was an age of persecution of Christians. Many Christians fell away during the persecution but then sought to come back afterwards. The question was, Should they be received back into the Church after publicly denying Christ and sacrificing to the gods? Some said, Yes, with no public penance required. Some said that they could never come back. St. Cyprian held a middle ground which eventually won the day; public penance is required for public denial of the faith but they can be restored to Christ and should be. Eventually the persecution included the execution of all clerics and St. Cyprian’s day finally arrived. He was asked to identify himself and sacrifice to the gods. In essence he said, Yes, I am Bishop Cyprian, no, I will not sacrifice to the gods, so get on with it. He was beheaded the same day. He taught faith in Christ with his lips but also with his whole life.
In the first reading St. Paul gives the young Timothy a prescription for being a good minister. His advice helped me tremendously when I became a pastor at age 22 (may God bless those good people who put up with someone that young!). “Attend to yourself and to your teaching,” he says. If you do this, “you will save both yourself and those who listen to you.” My training to become a minister focused almost exclusively on the second part of Paul’s advice, namely, the content and method of the teaching. I had to learn how to attend to myself the hard way. It took years for me to figure out that my own spiritual, human, and intellectual growth was as important for me as a teacher as was the teaching itself. People don’t just listen to the teacher; they watch him or her. I recently did some training of catechists for the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City and the workshop on the vocation of the catechist became as important as the first three workshops on the centrality of Christ, the Scriptures, and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Those resources are crucial but the reality is that they come to the hearer through the life of the catechist. Catechists must “attend to themselves” if their presentations are going to be effective.
I love the Gospel lesson. Simon, a Pharisee, invites Jesus to dinner. A woman known by all as a sinner shows up and demonstrates great love for Jesus. Simon assumes that Jesus cannot be a legitimate prophet for, if he did, he would know that a sinner was touching him. Jesus asks Simon a question that, applying it to myself, has changed my life. He asks, “Do you see this woman?” Simon didn’t see a human being made in the image of God; he just saw a sinner. No doubt she was a sinner but people are much more than their sins. When I attended law school many years ago there was a clear distinction between the professors and students, on the one hand, and the workers who took care of the shrubs and trees or worked in the kitchen on the other hand. The latter were largely invisible. People didn’t really see them. We were largely white folks and they were mostly Hispanics. It’s not that “we” looked at them like Simon did and thought of “them” as sinners. No, it was probably worse than that. We didn’t see them as sinners. Actually, we didn’t see them at all. When you begin to hang out with Jesus, things change. You start to see people and to see them for who they really are.
Attend to yourself, St. Paul says. Part of doing that is to grow as a human being and begin to see people as Jesus sees them. That is as important as what I proclaim as a teacher.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
A TALE OF TWO SINNERS
“That is why her many sins are forgiven — because of her great love.” —Luke 7:47
The penitent woman owed a large debt to God (Lk 7:43); she had committed “many sins” (Lk 7:47). Jesus “wrote off” her huge debt of sin; He forgave it all (Lk 7:42, 48). The woman’s response to being forgiven was a model for us all. She reformed her life, accepted the gift of saving faith (Lk 7:50), came directly to Jesus, and showered Him with love (Lk 7:45).
Jesus told a story about another grievous sinner who owed a “huge amount” of debt to the Lord because of all his sins (Mt 18:24). Again, God mercifully forgave this man completely and “wrote off the debt” of his sins (Mt 18:27). Here the similarity between these two great sinners stops. The man seemingly forgot all about the forgiveness he had received and “went out” (Mt 18:28) to resume his lifestyle of sin. He was handed over to be tortured (Mt 18:34).
Jesus “wrote off both debts. Which of them was more grateful to Him?” (Lk 7:42) How will you respond to Jesus and the forgiveness He has for you?
Prayer: Father, may my heart overflow “in much gratitude to” You (2 Cor 9:12). I give You my life out of love for You.
Promise: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; prudent are all who live by it.” —Ps 111:10
Praise: St. Cornelius was persecuted for proclaiming the mercy and forgiveness of Christ to those who had fallen away, but later returned through repentance
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
What fuels the love that surpasses all other loves? Unbounding gratitude for sure! No one who met Jesus could do so with indifference. They were either attracted to him or repelled by him. Why did a Pharisee invite Jesus to his house for dinner and then treat him discourteously by neglecting to give him the customary signs of respect and honor? [This account has some similarities to the account of Simon the leper in Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3, as well as the account in John 12:1-8.] Simon was very likely a collector of celebrities. He patronized Jesus because of his popularity with the crowds. Why did he criticize Jesus' compassionate treatment of a woman of ill repute - most likely a prostitute? The Pharisees shunned the company of public sinners and in so doing they neglected to give them the help they needed to find healing and wholeness.
The power of extravagant love and gratitude
Why did a woman with a bad reputation approach Jesus and anoint him with her tears and costly perfume at the risk of ridicule and abuse by others? The woman's action was motivated by one thing, and one thing only, namely, her love for Jesus - she loved greatly out of gratitude for the kindness and forgiveness she had received from Jesus. She did something a Jewish woman would never do in public. She loosened her hair and anointed Jesus with her tears. It was customary for a woman on her wedding day to bind her hair. For a married woman to loosen her hair in public was a sign of grave immodesty. This woman was oblivious to all around her, except for Jesus.
Love gives all - the best we have
She also did something which only love can do. She took the most precious thing she had and spent it all on Jesus. Her love was not calculated but extravagant. In a spirit of humility and heart-felt repentance, she lavishly served the one who showed her the mercy and kindness of God. Jesus, in his customary fashion, never lost the opportunity to draw a lesson from such a deed.
The debt of gratitude for mercy and forgiveness
Why did Jesus put the parable of the two debtors before his learned host, a religious Jew who was well versed in the Jewish Scriptures and who would have rigorously followed the letter of the Law of Moses? This parable is similar to the parable of the unforgiving official (see Matthew 18:23-35) in which the man who was forgiven much showed himself merciless and unforgiving. Jesus makes clear that great love springs from a heart forgiven and cleansed. Peter the Apostle tells us that "love covers a multitude of sins" (1 Peter 4:8). It was love that motivated the Father in heaven to send his only begotten Son, the Lord Jesus, to offer up his life on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins. The woman's lavish expression of love was an offering of gratitude for the great forgiveness, kindness, and mercy Jesus had shown to her.
The stark contrast of attitudes between Simon and the woman of ill-repute demonstrates how we can either accept or reject God's mercy and forgiveness. Simon, who regarded himself as an upright Pharisee, did not feel any particular need for pardon and mercy. His self-sufficiency kept him from acknowledging his need for God's grace - his gracious gift of favor, help, and mercy. Are you grateful for God's mercy and pardon?
Lord Jesus, your grace is sufficient for me. Fill my heart with love and gratitude for the mercy you have shown to me and give me joy and freedom to love and serve others with kindness and respect.
Psalm 32:1-2,5,7,11
1 Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
2 Blessed is the man to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
5 I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD"; then you forgave the guilt of my sin.
7 You are a hiding place for me, you preserve me from trouble; you surround me with deliverance.
11 Be glad in the LORD, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Jesus the Physician brings miraculous healing to the woman's sins, by Ephrem the Syrian (306-373 AD)
"Healing the sick is a physician's glory. Our Lord did this to increase the disgrace of the Pharisee, who discredited the glory of our Physician. He worked signs in the streets, worked even greater signs once he entered the Pharisee's house than those that he had worked outside. In the streets, he healed sick bodies, but inside, he healed sick souls. Outside, he had given life to the death of Lazarus. Inside, he gave life to the death of the sinful woman. He restored the living soul to a dead body that it had left, and he drove off the deadly sin from a sinful woman in whom it dwelt. That blind Pharisee, for whom wonders were not enough, discredited the common things he saw because of the wondrous things he failed to see." (excerpt from HOMILY ON OUR LORD 42.2)
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