2022년 9월 8일 복되신 동정 마리아 탄신 축일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
<해산하는 여인이 아이를 낳을 때까지>
미카 예언서. 5,1-4ㄱ<또는 로마 8,28-30>
주님께서 이렇게 말씀하신다.
1 “너 에프라타의 베들레헴아, 너는 유다 부족들 가운데에서 보잘것없지만
나를 위하여 이스라엘을 다스릴 이가 너에게서 나오리라.
그의 뿌리는 옛날로, 아득한 시절로 거슬러 올라간다.
2 그러므로 해산하는 여인이 아이를 낳을 때까지
주님은 그들을 내버려 두리라.
그 뒤에 그의 형제들 가운데 남은 자들이 이스라엘 자손들에게 돌아오리라.
3 그는 주님의 능력에 힘입어
주 그의 하느님 이름의 위엄에 힘입어 목자로 나서리라.
그러면 그들은 안전하게 살리니
이제 그가 땅끝까지 위대해질 것이기 때문이다.
4 그리고 그 자신이 평화가 되리라.”
복음
<그 몸에 잉태된 아기는 성령으로 말미암은 것이다.>
마태오. 1,1-16.18-23<또는 1,18-23>
.1 다윗의 자손이시며 아브라함의 자손이신 예수 그리스도의 족보.
2 아브라함은 이사악을 낳고 이사악은 야곱을 낳았으며
야곱은 유다와 그 형제들을 낳았다.
3 유다는 타마르에게서 페레츠와 제라를 낳고
페레츠는 헤츠론을 낳았으며 헤츠론은 람을 낳았다.
4 람은 암미나답을 낳고
암미나답은 나흐손을 낳았으며 나흐손은 살몬을 낳았다.
5 살몬은 라합에게서 보아즈를 낳고 보아즈는 룻에게서 오벳을 낳았다.
오벳은 이사이를 낳고 6 이사이는 다윗 임금을 낳았다.
다윗은 우리야의 아내에게서 솔로몬을 낳고,
7 솔로몬은 르하브암을 낳았으며 르하브암은 아비야를 낳고
아비야는 아삽을 낳았다.
8 아삽은 여호사팟을 낳고 여호사팟은 여호람을 낳았으며
여호람은 우찌야를 낳았다.
9 우찌야는 요탐을 낳고 요탐은 아하즈를 낳았으며
아하즈는 히즈키야를 낳았다.
10 히즈키야는 므나쎄를 낳고 므나쎄는 아몬을 낳았으며
아몬은 요시야를 낳았다.
11 요시야는 바빌론 유배 때에 여호야킨과 그 동생들을 낳았다.
12 바빌론 유배 뒤에 여호야킨은 스알티엘을 낳고
스알티엘은 즈루빠벨을 낳았다.
13 즈루빠벨은 아비훗을 낳고 아비훗은 엘야킴을 낳았으며
엘야킴은 아조르를 낳았다.
14 아조르는 차독을 낳고 차독은 아킴을 낳았으며
아킴은 엘리웃을 낳았다.
15 엘리웃은 엘아자르를 낳고
엘아자르는 마탄을 낳았으며 마탄은 야곱을 낳았다.
16 야곱은 마리아의 남편 요셉을 낳았는데,
마리아에게서 그리스도라고 불리는 예수님께서 태어나셨다.
18 예수 그리스도께서는 이렇게 탄생하셨다.
그분의 어머니 마리아가 요셉과 약혼하였는데,
그들이 같이 살기 전에
마리아가 성령으로 말미암아 잉태한 사실이 드러났다.
19 마리아의 남편 요셉은 의로운 사람이었고
또 마리아의 일을 세상에 드러내고 싶지 않았으므로,
남모르게 마리아와 파혼하기로 작정하였다.
20 요셉이 그렇게 하기로 생각을 굳혔을 때,
꿈에 주님의 천사가 나타나 말하였다.
“다윗의 자손 요셉아, 두려워하지 말고 마리아를 아내로 맞아들여라.
그 몸에 잉태된 아기는 성령으로 말미암은 것이다.
21 마리아가 아들을 낳으리니 그 이름을 예수라고 하여라.
그분께서 당신 백성을 죄에서 구원하실 것이다.”
22 주님께서 예언자를 통하여 하신 말씀이 이루어지려고 이 모든 일이 일어났다.
곧 23 “보아라, 동정녀가 잉태하여 아들을 낳으리니
그 이름을 임마누엘이라고 하리라.” 하신 말씀이다.
임마누엘은 번역하면 ‘하느님께서 우리와 함께 계시다.’는 뜻이다.
September 8, 2022
Feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Reading 1
Mi 5:1-4a or Rom 8:28-30
The LORD says:
You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah,
too small to be among the clans of Judah,
From you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel;
Whose origin is from of old,
from ancient times.
(Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time
when she who is to give birth has borne,
And the rest of his brethren shall return
to the children of Israel.)
He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock
by the strength of the LORD,
in the majestic name of the LORD, his God;
And they shall remain, for now his greatness
shall reach to the ends of the earth;
he shall be peace.
or
Brothers and sisters:
We know that all things work for good for those who love God,
who are called according to his purpose.
For those he foreknew he also predestined
to be conformed to the image of his Son,
so that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers.
And those he predestined he also called;
and those he called he also justified;
and those he justified he also glorified.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 13:6ab, 6c
R. (Isaiah 61:10) With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Though I trusted in your mercy,
let my heart rejoice in your salvation.
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Let me sing of the LORD, “He has been good to me.”
R. With delight I rejoice in the Lord.
Gospel
Mt 1:1-16, 18-23 or 1:18-23
The Book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ,
the son of David, the son of Abraham.
Abraham became the father of Isaac,
Isaac the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.
Judah became the father of Perez and Zerah,
whose mother was Tamar.
Perez became the father of Hezron,
Hezron the father of Ram,
Ram the father of Amminadab.
Amminadab became the father of Nahshon,
Nahshon the father of Salmon,
Salmon the father of Boaz,
whose mother was Rahab.
Boaz became the father of Obed,
whose mother was Ruth.
Obed became the father of Jesse,
Jesse the father of David the king.
David became the father of Solomon,
whose mother had been the wife of Uriah.
Solomon became the father of Rehoboam,
Rehoboam the father of Abijah,
Abijah the father of Asaph.
Asaph became the father of Jehoshaphat,
Jehoshaphat the father of Joram,
Joram the father of Uzziah.
Uzziah became the father of Jotham,
Jotham the father of Ahaz,
Ahaz the father of Hezekiah.
Hezekiah became the father of Manasseh,
Manasseh the father of Amos,
Amos the father of Josiah.
Josiah became the father of Jechoniah and his brothers
at the time of the Babylonian exile.
After the Babylonian exile,
Jechoniah became the father of Shealtiel,
Shealtiel the father of Zerubbabel,
Zerubbabel the father of Abiud.
Abiud became the father of Eliakim,
Eliakim the father of Azor,
Azor the father of Zadok.
Zadok became the father of Achim,
Achim the father of Eliud,
Eliud the father of Eleazar.
Eleazar became the father of Matthan,
Matthan the father of Jacob,
Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary.
Of her was born Jesus who is called the Christ.
Now this is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.
When his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph,
but before they lived together,
she was found with child through the Holy Spirit.
Joseph her husband, since he was a righteous man,
yet unwilling to expose her to shame,
decided to divorce her quietly.
Such was his intention when, behold,
the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said,
“Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home.
For it is through the Holy Spirit
that this child has been conceived in her.
She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus,
because he will save his people from their sins.”
All this took place to fulfill
what the Lord had said through the prophet:
Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son,
and they shall name him Emmanuel,
which means “God is with us.”
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
When I was a child, I lacked the ability to fully understand the weight of this gospel reading. I could not grasp why the circumstances surrounding the conception of Jesus were unique, or why Joseph wanted to leave Mary because of them. They loved each other after all… So why would he wish to go? But most importantly, I did not consider Joseph following the angel’s direction to be of consequence. My young, obsessed with following the rules self, thought Joseph had better listen to that angel. We wouldn’t want to anger God - He knows best.
With the gift of maturity and education, I can now grasp the beauty in this gospel far better. Joseph was no doubt terrified when he found out Mary was pregnant. He had a noble heart, and wanted to end things quietly out of his respect for Mary. Surely, he wanted to avoid a public scandal, and all that would entail for himself and those around him. But when confronted by the angel of the Lord who implored Joseph to take a different path, he did as he was bid. He did not question, or argue, or complain.
Now I must examine my own life. How many times have I been asked to do things, not only by God, but by others, and dragged my feet at even the idea of doing what was asked? What about when God has nudged me in certain directions? Have I ignored Him out of fear? Fear of the unknown, of what would happen if things went wrong? By saying yes to God, Joseph drastically changed the course of his own life, and those of the whole world by helping to care for Mary and Jesus. How could the things that are asked of me possibly compare to such a great sacrifice?
While I certainly do not have the answers to the questions I just asked myself, they do make me feel somewhat ashamed of my shortcomings. There are times that I could have been a better child of God, but I failed. Now, without getting despondent, I think that shame can have the positive effect of being a powerful motivator. What prayerful practices could I engage in to help me hear the Lord’s call? What good am I being called to do, but am holding back from because I fear it will put me at a disadvantage?
I must remind myself that God’s will never puts us at a disadvantage. My perspective on things is limited because I am only human.
God the Father, help me to heed your call as Joseph did, even when the very thought of doing so is terrifying. By trusting in You, I pray the fruits of such actions will be spread throughout my life and the lives of those around me.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
AN AMAZING DAY OF GRACE
“We know that God makes all things work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to His decree.” —Romans 8:28
When Mary became pregnant through the Holy Spirit, it seemed that St. Joseph would divorce her, and that she would be in danger of being executed as an adulteress (see Mt 1:19). But God spoke to Joseph to receive Mary as his wife. Joseph obeyed God’s revelation, and God made “all things work together for the good” (Rm 8:28).
Mary, Joseph, and Jesus fled in the night to Egypt (Mt 2:13ff). The Holy Family was in danger. But they escaped Herod’s assassination attempt, and God made “all things work together for the good” (Rm 8:28).
Mary was at the foot of Jesus’ cross (see Jn 19:25). She saw up close her Son being tortured and murdered. She was in indescribable agony. However, her Son rose from the dead and made her Queen of heaven and earth (see Rv 12:1). God made “all things work together for the good” (Rm 8:28).
On this day when we celebrate Mary’s birthday, some of you are on the verge of divorce, in danger of death, or in agony. Jesus loves you infinitely and has died on the cross and risen from the dead for love of you. On this birthday celebration of Mary, expect Jesus to make “all things work together for the good” (Rm 8:28).
Prayer: Father, may I never forget this day.
Promise: “Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne.” —Mi 5:2
Praise: “My being proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit finds joy in God my Savior” (Lk 1:46).
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
What makes Christians different and what makes Christianity distinct from any other religion? It is grace - treating others, not as they deserve, but as God wishes them to be treated - with loving-kindness and mercy. God is good to the unjust as well as the just. His love embraces saint and sinner alike. God seeks our highest good and teaches us to seek the greatest good of others, even those who hate and abuse us. Our love for others, even those who are ungrateful and selfish towards us, must be marked by the same kindness and mercy which God has shown to us. It is easier to show kindness and mercy when we can expect to benefit from doing so. How much harder when we can expect nothing in return.
Give and forgive - the two wings of prayer
Augustine of Hippo (354-430 AD) describes Jesus double precept togive and forgive as two essential wings of prayer:
Forgive and you will be forgiven. Give, and it will be given you. These are the two wings of prayer on which it flies to God. Pardon the offender what has been committed, and give to the person in need"
(Sermon 205.3). "Let us graciously and fervently perform these two types of almsgiving, that is, giving and forgiving, for we in turn pray the Lord to give us things and not to repay our evil deeds"
(Sermon 206.2).
Bless and do not curse
Our prayer for those who do us ill both breaks the power of revenge and releases the power of love to do good in the face of evil. How can we possibly love those who cause us harm or ill-will? With God all things are possible. He gives power and grace to those who believe in and accept the gift of the Holy Spirit. His love conquers all, even our hurts, fears, prejudices and griefs. Only the cross of Jesus Christ can free us from the tyranny of malice, hatred, revenge, and resentment and gives us the courage to return evil with good. Such love and grace has power to heal and to save from destruction. That is why Paul the Apostle tells those who know the love and mercy of Jesus Christ to "bless and not curse.. nor take revenge.. and to overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:14,17,21). Do you know the power of God's love, mercy, and righteousness (moral goodness) for overcoming evil with good?
Lord Jesus, your love brings freedom and pardon. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and set my heart free with your merciful love that nothing may make me lose my temper, ruffle my peace, take away my joy, nor make me bitter towards anyone.
Psalm 139:1-3,13-14,23-24
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.
13 For you formed my inward parts, you knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 I praise you, for you are awesome and wonderful. Wonderful are your works! You know me right well;
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts!
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The virtue of charity, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"Love is commanded when it is said, 'Love your enemies'" so that the saying which was uttered already before the church may be fulfilled: 'Set in order love in me' (Song of Solomon 2:4). For love is set in order when the precepts of love are formed. See how it began from the heights and cast the law underneath the backs of the Gospel's blessing. The law commands the revenge of punishment
(see Exodus 21:23-36)
. The gospel bestows love for hostility, benevolence for hatred, prayer for curses, help for the persecuted, patience for the hungry and grace of reward. How much more perfect the athlete who does not feel injury!"
(excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 5.73)
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