2022년 10월 2일 연중 제27주일(군인 주일)
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
하바쿡 예언서.1,2-3; 2,2-4
2 주님, 당신께서 듣지 않으시는데
제가 언제까지 살려 달라고 부르짖어야 합니까?
당신께서 구해 주지 않으시는데
제가 언제까지 “폭력이다!” 하고 소리쳐야 합니까?
3 어찌하여 제가 불의를 보게 하십니까?
어찌하여 제가 재난을 바라보아야 합니까?
제 앞에는 억압과 폭력뿐
이느니 시비요 생기느니 싸움뿐입니다.
2,2 주님께서 나에게 대답하셨다. “너는 환시를 기록하여라.
누구나 막힘없이 읽어 갈 수 있도록 판에다 분명하게 써라.”
3 지금 이 환시는 정해진 때를 기다린다.
끝을 향해 치닫는 이 환시는 거짓말하지 않는다.
늦어지는 듯하더라도 너는 기다려라. 그것은 오고야 만다, 지체하지 않는다.
4 보라, 뻔뻔스러운 자를. 그의 정신은 바르지 않다.
그러나 의인은 성실함으로 산다.
제2독서
티모테오 2서.1,6-8.13-14
사랑하는 그대여, 6 나는 그대에게 상기시킵니다.
내 안수로 그대가 받은 하느님의 은사를 다시 불태우십시오.
7 하느님께서는 우리에게 비겁함의 영을 주신 것이 아니라,
힘과 사랑과 절제의 영을 주셨습니다.
8 그러므로 그대는 우리 주님을 위하여 증언하는 것을 부끄러워하지 말고,
그분 때문에 수인이 된 나를 부끄러워하지 마십시오.
오히려 하느님의 힘에 의지하여 복음을 위한 고난에 동참하십시오.
13 그리스도 예수님 안에서 주어지는 믿음과 사랑으로,
나에게서 들은 건전한 말씀을 본보기로 삼으십시오.
14 우리 안에 머무르시는 성령의 도움으로, 그대가 맡은 그 훌륭한 것을 지키십시오.
복음
루카.17,5-10
그때에 5 사도들이 주님께,
“저희에게 믿음을 더하여 주십시오.” 하고 말하였다.
6 그러자 주님께서 이르셨다.
“너희가 겨자씨 한 알만 한 믿음이라도 있으면,
이 돌무화과나무더러 ‘뽑혀서 바다에 심겨라.’ 하더라도,
그것이 너희에게 복종할 것이다.
7 너희 가운데 누가 밭을 갈거나 양을 치는 종이 있으면,
들에서 돌아오는 그 종에게 ‘어서 와 식탁에 앉아라.’ 하겠느냐?
8 오히려 ‘내가 먹을 것을 준비하여라.
그리고 내가 먹고 마시는 동안 허리에 띠를 매고 시중을 들어라.
그런 다음에 먹고 마셔라.’ 하지 않겠느냐?
9 종이 분부를 받은 대로 하였다고 해서 주인이 그에게 고마워하겠느냐?
10 이와 같이 너희도 분부를 받은 대로 다 하고 나서,
‘저희는 쓸모없는 종입니다. 해야 할 일을 하였을 뿐입니다.’ 하고 말하여라.”
October 2, 2022
Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
How long, O LORD? I cry for help
but you do not listen!
I cry out to you, "Violence!"
but you do not intervene.
Why do you let me see ruin;
why must I look at misery?
Destruction and violence are before me;
there is strife, and clamorous discord.
Then the LORD answered me and said:
Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets,
so that one can read it readily.
For the vision still has its time,
presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;
if it delays, wait for it,
it will surely come, it will not be late.
The rash one has no integrity;
but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
"Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Reading 2
Beloved:
I remind you, to stir into flame
the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands.
For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice
but rather of power and love and self-control.
So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord,
nor of me, a prisoner for his sake;
but bear your share of hardship for the gospel
with the strength that comes from God.
Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me,
in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit
that dwells within us.
Gospel
The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith."
The Lord replied,
"If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.
"Who among you would say to your servant
who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field,
'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?
Would he not rather say to him,
'Prepare something for me to eat.
Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink.
You may eat and drink when I am finished'?
Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded?
So should it be with you.
When you have done all you have been commanded,
say, 'We are unprofitable servants;
we have done what we were obliged to do.'"
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Today’s first reading is a prophet’s lament concerning an evil world; the text then jumps to the Lord’s response which gives hope to patient faithful. Psalm 95 is a song of praise with a reminder to be more faithful than the Israelites were at Meribah where they demonstrated a lack of trust in God. The epistle is a reminder of God’s gifts in the face of adversity. The Gospel passage has the apostles yearning for an increase in faith followed by Jesus’ description of the role of a servant.
As someone who is trained to doubt as an aspect of my profession, I had favored a rather literal reading of the apostles’ call for an increase in faith. It made sense following the passage in which Jesus calls for repeated forgiveness when wronged. (I know that as a parent I was much more concerned with disciplining my children than offering repeated forgiveness when something was amiss.) The apostles’ doubts and confusion made even more sense when the previous chapter of this Gospel contained the perplexing Parable of the Dishonest Steward.
In doing a little research, I discovered that several scripture scholars suggest that the historical Greek texts imply that Jesus’ response (If you had faith the size of a mustard seed, …) carries the tone that rather than lacking faith, faith is something that the apostles already have. These scholars see Jesus’ words as a call to action rather than a chastisement. This has led me to a very different view of these verses. I also see this interpretation as consistent with the remainder of today’s Gospel (and with today’s other readings).
I feel the three readings make clear that although we are recipients of God’s gifts, the path that we are on is not that of immediate gratification. All three readings outline the demands on discipleship. Jesus describes the model of the servant. This is very different from the sense of entitlement that pervades our society.
I might describe Justice as getting one’s due, but what is my due? My expectations change when I acknowledge the many gifts that I have received. I consider myself blessed being the recipient of so much more than I feel that I deserve. The Gospel’s reminder of my position as a servant helps me put things in perspective.
Dear Lord,
I often feel that I am the target of marketing that tells me what I want, what opinions I should hold, and what behaviors are acceptable. Like the apostles, I desire more faith, a fire that burns within. Habakkuk reminds me of the need for patience. Jesus reminds me of the path of dutiful service. St. Paul promises the Spirit. Help me to remember these things as I confront my doubts. Allow me to continue to progress knowing that Jesus’ early disciples as well as modern saints, like Mother Theresa, felt that that needed more faith.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
EVER-INCREASING FAITH
“Increase our faith.” —Luke 17:5
We are saved by grace through faith (Eph 2:8). “Faith the size of a mustard seed” can move mountains, trees, and any other obstacles in the way of doing God’s will (Lk 17:6). “The just man, because of his faith, shall live” (Hab 2:4). Having faith makes the difference between everlasting life or death. “All depends on faith” (Rm 4:16). “But when the Son of Man comes, will He find any faith on the earth?” (Lk 18:8)
We have faith, but we also lack faith (Mk 9:24). We must cry out to the Lord: “Increase our faith” (Lk 17:5). One of the main ways the Lord will answer this prayer is by calling us to spend time in His Word daily (see Acts 17:11), to live in His Word (Jn 8:31). “Faith, then, comes through hearing, and what is heard is the word of Christ” (Rm 10:17).
This book, One Bread, One Body, helps us abide in God’s Word daily, which helps us hear God, have faith in Him, and have everlasting life. These things have been “written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (Jn 20:31, RSV-CE).
Receive God’s Word; hear God; have faith in Him; live with Him forever.
Prayer: Father, use my faith to move mountain ranges. On this Right to Life Sunday, we pray in faith for all members of the Church to stand firm, attack the gates of hell, and overturn legalized abortion. [Note: as this issue goes to press, Roe v. Wade has been overturned (federally) in the USA, on the Feast of the Sacred Heart, 2022.]
Promise: “I remind you to stir into flame the gift of God bestowed when my hands were laid on you. The Spirit God has given us is no cowardly Spirit, but rather One that makes us strong, loving, and wise.” —2 Tm 1:6-7
Praise: “If the dead are not raised, ‘Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!’ ” (1 Cor 15:32) Lord Jesus, I believe in Your Resurrection and live my life for You.
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
How strong is your faith in God and how can you grow in it? Faith is not something vague, uncertain, undefineable, or something which requires a leap of the imagination or worse, some kind of blind allegiance. In fact, it is quite the opposite. Faith is a response of trust and belief in what is reliable, truthful, certain, and real. To have faith is to believe and trust in someone or something. We believe in the power of electricity even though we can't visibly see it with the naked eye. We know we can tap into that power and use it to do things we could not do by our own human power. Faith in God works in a similar way.
When God reveals himself to us he gives us the "assurance" and "conviction" that his power and presence and glory is just as real, and even more real, than our experience of the natural physical world around us (Letter to the Hebrews 11:1-3). Things around us change, but God never changes. He is constant, ever true to his word, and always faithful to his promises (Psalm 145:13, Hebrews 10:23). That is why we can have the greatest assurance of his unconditional love for us and why we can hope with utter conviction that he will give us everything he has promised. Jesus is God's visible proof that his word is reliable and true - his love is unfailing and unconditional - and his power is immeasurably great and unlimited.
The Holy Spirit helps us to grow in expectant faith
What did Jesus mean when he said to his disciples that our faith can move trees and mountains as well (see Matthew17:20; Mark 11:23)? The term "mountain remover" was used for someone who could solve great problems and difficulties. Don't we often encounter challenges and difficulties which seem beyond our power to handle? What appears impossible to human power is possible to those who believe in God's power. Faith is a gift freely given by God to help us know God personally, to understand his truth, and to live in the power of his love. God expects more from us than we can simply do by ourselves. That is why Jesus gives us the gift and power of the Holy Spirit who helps us to grow strong in faith, persevere in hope, and endure in love.
Faith in God is the key for removing obstacles and difficulties which keep us from doing his will. We belong to God and our lives are no longer our own. Our joy and privilege is to follow the Lord Jesus and to serve in the power of his love and goodness. The Lord Jesus is ever ready to work in and through us by his Spirit for his glory. For our faith to be effective it must be linked with trust and with obedience - an active submission to God and a willingness to do whatever he commands. Do you trust in the grace and strength which God freely gives to help us resist temptation and to overcome obstacles in doing his will?
Parable of the faithful servant who is indebted to God
Are you ready to give the Lord your best, regardless of what it might cost you? Perhaps we are like the laborer in Jesus' parable who expected special favor and reward for going the extra mile (Luke 17:5-10)? How unfair for the master to compel his servant to give more than what was expected! Don't we love to assert our rights: "I will give only what is required and no more!" But who can satisfy the claims of love and loyalty? Our lives are not our own - they belong to God who has ransomed us from slavery to sin with the precious blood of his only begotten Son, Jesus Christ (1 Peter 1:18).
Jesus used this parable of the dutiful servant to explain that we can never put God in our debt or make the claim that God owes us something. We must regard ourselves as God's servants, just as Jesus came "not to be served, but to serve" (Matthew 20:28). Service of God and of our neighbor is both a voluntary or free act and a sacred duty. One can volunteer for service or be compelled to do service for one's country or for one's family when the call and need arises. Likewise, God expects us to serve him willingly and give him the worship, praise, and honor which is his due. And he gladly accepts the free-will offering of our lives to him as our Lord and Master. What makes our offering pleasing to God is the love we express in the act of self-giving. True love is always sacrificial, generous, and selfless - it is wholly directed to the one we love and serve.
The love of God compels us to give our best
How can we love God and others selflessly and unconditionally? Scripture tells us that God himself is love (1 John 4:16) - he is the author of life and the source of all true relationships of love and friendship. He created us in love for love, and he fills our hearts with the boundless love that gives all that is good for the sake of the beloved (Romans 5:5). If we love one another, God abides in us and his love is perfected in us (1 John 4:12).
God honors the faithful servant who loves and serves with a generous heart. He is ever ready to work in and through each one of us by his Spirit for his glory. We must remember, however, that God can never be indebted to us. We have no claim on him. His love compels us to give him our best! And when we have done our best, we have simply done our duty. We can never outmatch God in his immeasurable merciful love, his extravagant kindness and goodness, and his ever constant and unceasing care for us. The Scriptures remind us over and over again that God's love is steadfast, loyal, and lasts forever - it will never cease (Psalm 89, Psalm 100, Psalm 118, Psalm 136). Saint Augustine of Hippo writes, "God loves each one of us as if there were only one of us to love." Does the love of God compel you to give your best to him with generous love and gratitude for all that he has done for you?
Lord Jesus, fill me with your consuming love and set my heart free to love generously and to serve selflessly. Fill me with gratitude for all you have done for me, and increase my faith and loyalty to you who are My All, My Strength, and My Life
Psalm 95:1-2,6-9
1 O come, let us sing to the LORD; let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation!
2 Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to him with songs of praise!
6 O come, let us worship and bow down, let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!
7 For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. O that today you would hearken to his voice!
8 Harden not your hearts, as at Meribah, as on the day at Massah in the wilderness,
9 when your fathers tested me, and put me to the proof, though they had seen my work.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: To increase faith is to strengthen it by the Holy Spirit, by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD)
"They ask, 'Add faith to us.' They do not ask simply for faith, for perhaps you might imagine them to be without faith. They rather ask Christ for an addition to their faith and to be strengthened in faith. Faith partly depends on us and partly is the gift of the divine grace. The beginning of faith depends on us and our maintaining confidence and faith in God with all our power. The confirmation and strength necessary for this comes from the divine grace. For that reason, since all things are possible with God, the Lord says that all things are possible for him who believes (Mark 9:23). The power that comes to us through faith is of God. Knowing this, blessed Paul also says in the first epistle to the Corinthians, 'For to one is given through the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit, and to another faith in the same Spirit' (1 Corinthians 12:8). You see that he has placed faith also in the catalog of spiritual graces. The disciples requested that they might receive this from the Savior, contributing also what was of themselves. By the descent upon them of the Holy Spirit, he granted it to them after the fulfillment of the dispensation. Before the resurrection, their faith was so feeble that they were liable even to the charge of being 'little of faith'." (excerpt from COMMENTARY ON LUKE, HOMILIES 113-16)
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