2022년 10월 4일 연중 제27주간 화요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
갈라티아서.1,13-24
형제 여러분, 13 내가 한때 유다교에 있을 적에
나의 행실이 어떠하였는지 여러분은 이미 들었습니다.
나는 하느님의 교회를 몹시 박해하며 아예 없애 버리려고 하였습니다.
14 유다교를 신봉하는 일에서도
동족인 내 또래의 많은 사람들보다 앞서 있었고,
내 조상들의 전통을 지키는 일에도 훨씬 더 열심이었습니다.
15 그러나 어머니 배 속에 있을 때부터 나를 따로 뽑으시어
당신의 은총으로 부르신 하느님께서 기꺼이 마음을 정하시어,
16 내가 당신의 아드님을 다른 민족들에게 전할 수 있도록
그분을 내 안에 계시해 주셨습니다.
그때에 나는 어떠한 사람과도 바로 상의하지 않았습니다.
17 나보다 먼저 사도가 된 이들을 찾아 예루살렘에 올라가지도 않았습니다.
그냥 아라비아로 갔다가 다시 다마스쿠스로 돌아갔습니다.
18 그러고 나서 삼 년 뒤에 나는 케파를 만나려고 예루살렘에 올라가,
보름 동안 그와 함께 지냈습니다.
19 그러나 다른 사도는 아무도 만나 보지 않았습니다.
주님의 형제 야고보만 보았을 뿐입니다.
20 내가 여러분에게 쓰는 이 글은 하느님 앞에서 말합니다만
거짓이 아닙니다.
21 그 뒤에 나는 시리아와 킬리키아 지방으로 갔습니다.
22 그래서 나는 유다에 있는 그리스도의 여러 교회에 얼굴이 알려지지 않았습니다.
23 그들은 “한때 우리를 박해하던 그 사람이
지금은 자기가 한때 그렇게 없애 버리려고 하던 믿음을 전한다.”는
소문만 듣고 있었습니다.
24 그리고 그들은 나 때문에 하느님을 찬양하였습니다.
복음
루카.10,38-42
때에 38 예수님께서 어떤 마을에 들어가셨다.
그러자 마르타라는 여자가 예수님을 자기 집으로 모셔 들였다.
39 마르타에게는 마리아라는 동생이 있었는데,
마리아는 주님의 발치에 앉아 그분의 말씀을 듣고 있었다.
40 그러나 마르타는 갖가지 시중드는 일로 분주하였다.
그래서 예수님께 다가가,
“주님, 제 동생이 저 혼자 시중들게 내버려 두는데도 보고만 계십니까?
저를 도우라고 동생에게 일러 주십시오.” 하고 말하였다.
41 주님께서 마르타에게 대답하셨다.
“마르타야, 마르타야! 너는 많은 일을 염려하고 걱정하는구나.
42 그러나 필요한 것은 한 가지뿐이다. 마리아는 좋은 몫을 선택하였다.
그리고 그것을 빼앗기지 않을 것이다.”
October 4, 2022
Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi
Reading 1
Brothers and sisters:
You heard of my former way of life in Judaism,
how I persecuted the Church of God beyond measure
and tried to destroy it,
and progressed in Judaism
beyond many of my contemporaries among my race,
since I was even more a zealot for my ancestral traditions.
But when he, who from my mother’s womb had set me apart
and called me through his grace,
was pleased to reveal his Son to me,
so that I might proclaim him to the Gentiles,
I did not immediately consult flesh and blood,
nor did I go up to Jerusalem
to those who were Apostles before me;
rather, I went into Arabia and then returned to Damascus.
Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to confer with Cephas
and remained with him for fifteen days.
But I did not see any other of the Apostles,
only James the brother of the Lord.
(As to what I am writing to you, behold,
before God, I am not lying.)
Then I went into the regions of Syria and Cilicia.
And I was unknown personally to the churches of Judea
that are in Christ;
they only kept hearing that “the one who once was persecuting us
is now preaching the faith he once tried to destroy.”
So they glorified God because of me.
Responsorial Psalm
R. (24b) Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
O LORD, you have probed me and you know me;
you know when I sit and when I stand;
you understand my thoughts from afar.
My journeys and my rest you scrutinize,
with all my ways you are familiar.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Truly you have formed my inmost being;
you knit me in my mother’s womb.
I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made;
wonderful are your works.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
My soul also you knew full well;
nor was my frame unknown to you
When I was made in secret,
when I was fashioned in the depths of the earth.
R. Guide me, Lord, along the everlasting way.
Gospel
Jesus entered a village
where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.
She had a sister named Mary
who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him and said,
“Lord, do you not care
that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?
Tell her to help me.”
The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
“I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works.”—PS 139: 14b
We are set apart and called as children of God to love. That love may be shown by serving others with vigor and zeal or sitting at the feet of Jesus to listen. The nature of our modern-day lives challenges us to balance our desire to serve others and our desire to stop for a while and rest at the feet of Jesus. Whenever I read today's Gospel, where Martha is doing all the work and Mary is relaxed and seemingly unconcerned, I see myself taking Martha's side. This might be because I am first-born, and by default, I was responsible for many house chores growing up. When I visualize myself in the Gospel scene, I am always the one working and never the one resting at the feet of Jesus. Being like Martha, I remember feeling the same way about my sisters when doing chores at home as a teenager.
However, despite Jesus' comments, I don't think he was disregarding Martha’s efforts and work. I don’t think Jesus was trying to say serving and doing the necessary work wasn’t important. I think Jesus wanted Martha to feel free to rest close to him and be cared for. I think Jesus wanted Martha to know that there is a time for everything, and right now, stopping for a while, resting, and taking time to listen and be nourished by his words, would be the better thing to do at that moment. It is easy to find ourselves running around, hustling to get everything done and to try to solve everyone's problems. However, what would it be like to stop worrying about everything, even for a day? Would it be possible for us to do so? What would it be like to be tended to by the Lord? What would it be like to rest at the feet of the Lord and listen? Would we have the courage to put aside everything, including the to-do lists, to let go, and rest? Would we have the courage and inner spaciousness to hear what Jesus has to say without needing to be busy doing something else instead? We have no need to be anxious about our lives. We have no need to worry about tending to everything all at once. Everything will be done in its own time and all we need to do at the moment is allow the Lord to care for us; we, children of God, who are all precious and special in God’s eyes.
Speaking of being special; I have never really thought of myself as anyone special. In some circles, I am too short, too fat, too skinny, not smart enough, too boring, not pretty, intimidating, too black, or not black enough. There is always something that sets us apart or aside in different ways. We might even initially experience being different as a negative. We might want to do what others are doing to feel part of something or normal, whatever normal may be. We might want others to do what we are doing, so we might feel that our choices are not so out of the ordinary, and therefore normal. However, God, who took the time to fashion every aspect of our being to make us as special and as extraordinary as possible, might wonder why we don’t see ourselves as wonderfully made with greater purpose. God might wonder why we want to be ordinary when we are made extraordinary.
As for me, I would imagine that as I manifested from the breath of God to the warmth and safety of my mother's womb, God smiled while thinking of what I would look like and be like. God thought, “I will make her not too tall and not too short.” “I will give her a milk chocolate complexion and strong features that stand out.” “I will give her strength to endure her pains throughout her life, even though she might think she is not able to bear her pains.” “I will make her not too boring and not too excitable, that way she maintains her mystery, and people would want to get to know her better." What do you see when you look in the mirror, especially on the days you don’t feel particularly special, strong, or extraordinary? What do you see in the mirror on the days you feel overworked or underappreciated? Can you imagine the smile on God’s face when you were being knit together in your mother’s womb? Can you imagine God’s enjoyment while thinking of who you would become? Come rest in my arms or by my feet, says the Lord, and let me nourish your soul, tend to your heart, and tell you how lovely you are. May we find ways to balance our desire to serve and our desire to rest at the feet of Jesus, knowing we are wonderfully and specially made with greater purpose.
Merciful and loving God, who loved me before I was born and loves me still;
May I sit at your feet for a moment and be nourished by your words.
This I humbly ask through Christ our Lord. Amen.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
CONTROL FREAKS
“A woman named Martha welcomed Him.” —Luke 10:38
St. Martha seems to have been a person excessively into controlling circumstances and people. She wanted everything “just so” for the dinner she was preparing for Jesus. Mary, Martha’s sister, was not cooperating, for she was more preoccupied with Jesus than with Martha’s agenda (Lk 10:39). Consequently, Martha instinctively tried to manipulate Mary into helping with the dinner. Martha did this by trying to manipulate Jesus into commanding Mary to get to work (Lk 10:40). Martha tried to move Jesus with the lever of self-pity. She complained that she had been “all alone” to do the work for the supper (Lk 10:40).
Are you controlling and manipulating? Do you try to get people to feel sorry for you? Do you sometimes try to shame people into doing what you want? Do you without thinking try even to manipulate God?
Jesus loves people like Martha “very much” (Jn 11:5). He shows this love by correcting them (Lk 10:41-42) and challenging them to believe in Him (Jn 11:26). Only by surrendering themselves to Jesus will the Marthas of the world be saved from self-destruction. For example, throughout human history various world leaders have tried to control everything. They even played and continue to play God in determining who will live. They have destroyed or are destroying themselves and so many others. Marthas desperately need Jesus. Jesus loves Marthas, and He alone saves them.
Prayer: Jesus, may I let You control me. May I be controlled by Your Spirit rather than controlling.
Promise: “The time came when He Who had set me apart before I was born and called me by His favor chose to reveal His Son to me.” —Gal 1:15-16
Praise: Born into wealth and privilege, St. Francis chose a life of poverty and service to the poor. He saw God in everyone and everything.
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
Does the peace of Christ reign in your home and in your personal life? Jesus loved to visit the home of Martha and Mary and enjoyed their gracious hospitality. In this brief encounter we see two very different temperaments in Martha and Mary. Martha loved to serve, but in her anxious manner of waiting on Jesus, she caused unrest. Mary, in her simple and trusting manner, waited on Jesus by sitting attentively at his feet. She instinctively knew that what the Lord and Teacher most wanted at that moment was her attentive presence.
Give your concerns and pre-occupations to the Lord
Anxiety and preoccupation keep us from listening and from giving the Lord our undivided attention. The Lord bids us to give him our concerns and anxieties because he is trustworthy and able to meet any need we have. His grace frees us from needless concerns and preoccupation. Do you seek the Lord attentively? And does the Lord find a welcomed and honored place in your home?
Always welcome the Lord into your home and heart
The Lord Jesus desires that we make a place for him, not only in our hearts, but in our homes and in the daily circumstances of our lives as well. We honor the Lord when we offer to him everything we have and everything we do. After all, everything we have is an outright gift from God (1 Chronicles 29:14). Paul the Apostle urges us to give God glory in everything: "Whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him" (Colossians 3:17).
When you sit, eat, sleep and when you entertain your friends and guests, remember that the Lord Jesus is also the guest of your home. Scripture tells us that when Abraham opened his home and welcomed three unknown travelers, he welcomed the Lord who blessed him favorably for his gracious hospitality (Genesis 18:1-10; Hebrews 13:2). The Lord wants us to bring him glory in the way we treat others and use the gifts he has graciously given to us. God, in turn, blesses us with his gracious presence and fills us with joy.
Lord Jesus, to be in your presence is life and joy for me. Free me from needless concerns and preoccupations that I may give you my undivided love and attention.
Psalm 130:1-8
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
2 Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you, that you may be feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the LORD more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plenteous redemption.
8 And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The Body of Christ needs hearers and doers of the Word, by Ambrose of Milan, 339-397 A.D.
"'Virtue does not have a single form. In the example of Martha and Mary, there is added the busy devotion of the one and the pious attention of the other to the Word of God, which, if it agrees with faith, is preferred even to the very works, as it is written: 'Mary has chosen the good portion, which shall not be taken away from her.' So let us also strive to have what no one can take away from us, so that not careless but diligent hearing may be granted to us. For even the seeds of the heavenly Word itself are likely to be taken away if they are sowed by the wayside (Luke 8:5,12). Let the desire for wisdom lead you as it did Mary. It is a greater and more perfect work. Do not let service divert the knowledge of the heavenly Word... Nor is Martha rebuked in her good serving, but Mary is preferred because she has chosen the better part for herself, for Jesus abounds with many blessings and bestows many gifts. And therefore the wiser chooses what she perceives as foremost."(excerpt from EXPOSITION OF THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 7.83-86)
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