오늘의 복음

December 13, 2022 Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

Margaret K 2022. 12. 13. 06:01

2022년 12월 13일 대림 제3주간 화요일

오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp

1독서

<구세주의 구원이 가난한 모든 사람에게 약속된다.>

스바니야 예언서. 3,1-2.9-13

주님께서 이렇게 말씀하신다.

1 “불행하여라, 반항하는 도성, 더럽혀진 도성, 억압을 일삼는 도성!

2 말을 듣지 않고 교훈을 받아들이지 않는구나.

주님을 신뢰하지 않고 자기 하느님께 가까이 가지 않는구나.

9 그때에 나는 민족들의 입술을 깨끗하게 만들어 주리라.

그들이 모두 주님의 이름을 받들어 부르며

어깨를 나란히 하고 주님을 섬기게 하리라.

10 에티오피아 강 너머에서 나의 숭배자들, 흩어진 이들이 선물을 가지고 나에게 오리라.

11 그날에는 네가 나를 거역하며 저지른 그 모든 행실을

부끄러워하지 않아도 되리라.

그때에는 내가 네 가운데에서 거만스레 흥겨워하는 자들을 치워 버리리라.

그러면 네가 나의 거룩한 산에서 다시는 교만을 부리지 않으리라.

12 나는 네 한가운데에 가난하고 가련한 백성을 남기리니

그들은 주님의 이름에 피신하리라.

13 이스라엘의 남은 자들은 불의를 저지르지 않고 거짓을 말하지 않으며

그들 입에서는 사기 치는 혀를 보지 못하리라.

정녕 그들은 아무런 위협도 받지 않으며 풀을 뜯고 몸을 누이리라.”

복음

<요한이 왔을 때, 죄인들은 그를 믿었다.>

마태오. 21,28-32

그때에 예수님께서 수석 사제들과 백성의 원로들에게 말씀하셨다.

28 “너희는 어떻게 생각하느냐?

어떤 사람에게 아들이 둘 있었는데, 맏아들에게 가서

‘얘야, 너 오늘 포도밭에 가서 일하여라.’ 하고 일렀다.

29 그는 ‘싫습니다.’ 하고 대답하였지만, 나중에 생각을 바꾸어 일하러 갔다.

30 아버지는 또 다른 아들에게 가서 같은 말을 하였다.

그는 ‘가겠습니다, 아버지!’ 하고 대답하였지만 가지는 않았다.

31 이 둘 가운데 누가 아버지의 뜻을 실천하였느냐?”

그들이 “맏아들입니다.” 하고 대답하자,

예수님께서 그들에게 말씀하셨다.

“내가 진실로 너희에게 말한다.

세리와 창녀들이 너희보다 먼저 하느님의 나라에 들어간다.

32 사실 요한이 너희에게 와서 의로운 길을 가르칠 때,

너희는 그를 믿지 않았지만 세리와 창녀들은 그를 믿었다.

너희는 그것을 보고도 생각을 바꾸지 않고 끝내 그를 믿지 않았다.”

December 13, 2022

Memorial of Saint Lucy, Virgin and Martyr

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass

Daily Mass : https://www.youtube.com/c/EWTNcatholictv

: https://www.youtube.com/c/DailyTVMass

Reading 1

zep 3:1-2, 9-13

Thus says the LORD:

Woe to the city, rebellious and polluted,

to the tyrannical city!

She hears no voice,

accepts no correction;

In the LORD she has not trusted,

to her God she has not drawn near.

For then I will change and purify

the lips of the peoples,

That they all may call upon the name of the LORD,

to serve him with one accord;

From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia

and as far as the recesses of the North,

they shall bring me offerings.

On that day

You need not be ashamed

of all your deeds,

your rebellious actions against me;

For then will I remove from your midst

the proud braggarts,

And you shall no longer exalt yourself

on my holy mountain.

But I will leave as a remnant in your midst

a people humble and lowly,

Who shall take refuge in the name of the LORD:

the remnant of Israel.

They shall do no wrong

and speak no lies;

Nor shall there be found in their mouths

a deceitful tongue;

They shall pasture and couch their flocks

with none to disturb them.

 

Responsorial Psalm

ps 34:2-3, 6-7, 17-18, 19 and 23

R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

I will bless the LORD at all times;

his praise shall be ever in my mouth.

Let my soul glory in the LORD;

the lowly will hear me and be glad.

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,

and your faces may not blush with shame.

When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,

and from all his distress he saved him.

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

The LORD confronts the evildoers,

to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.

When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,

and from all their distress he rescues them.

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;

and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.

The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;

no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him.

R. The Lord hears the cry of the poor.

Alleluia

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Come, O Lord, do not delay;

forgive the sins of your people.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel

mt 21:28-32

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people:

“What is your opinion?

A man had two sons.

He came to the first and said,

‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’

The son said in reply, ‘I will not,’

but afterwards he changed his mind and went.

The man came to the other son and gave the same order.

He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go.

Which of the two did his father’s will?”

They answered, “The first.”

Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you,

tax collectors and prostitutes

are entering the Kingdom of God before you.

When John came to you in the way of righteousness,

you did not believe him;

but tax collectors and prostitutes did.

Yet even when you saw that,

you did not later change your minds and believe him.”

http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

Reading today’s gospel story in Matthew reminds me of my own experiences of being a parent. My wife, Nancy, and I have four children and I feel like the picture Jesus lays out in this story is so relatable. Like all the gospel stories, however, I find there are surface-level messages and there are additional teachings that are under the top layers that take a bit of work to receive. On the surface, this is a good story about obedience, following the commandments, listening to our elders, and following the rules—all great. But as I stay with this reading the layers begin to pull back and reveal more.

One of the messages from this story that stays with me is the idea of intentionality. In other words, our truest intentions, and desires. My experiences of being a parent have shown me that sometimes the immediate “No” that comes from asking the kids to make their beds was not because they wanted to be defiant. It just seemed to be the default response to being told what to do. The first son in the gospel story responded in a way that Nancy and I have heard a lot over the past 25 years. This is hard to hear as a parent because we want an immediate “Yes”, which is what the second son gave as his response. But sometimes what we want and the reality of what is do not match. For me, this is the deeper meaning of the story…the Reality of what Is. For the first son, the desire to do the will of his father was not the socially acceptable default answer. But, his authentically truest self was still present, just hidden and needed time to reveal itself. On the other hand, the reality of what is for the second son was not what was shown either. His default response was to give a socially acceptable response. The response that he knew his father wanted to hear. But the reality of the response later revealed that his truest intention was not with the father, but rather somewhere else. In both examples, the reality of what is—is not what was shown by the initial response.

Thinking about this gospel reading in this way makes me think about my own intentionality. What are my truest intentions and desires when I meet with a student or colleague? Are they directed toward the needs of the other person, or my own? What about when I am at home with my family or talking on the phone with a friend, or when I am at church? I wish I could say that my most authentic desire is to, “do the will of my father” as in the story. But I don’t think that is always true. But, what this gospel story does for me is to help me be more conscious of my intentionality while at home, work, church, and elsewhere. If I can become more aware of my truest intentions while doing anything I become more contemplative, and I can use that to help guide my actions going forward. I am grateful for all the times my kids told us “No” because it gave us an opportunity to engage more deeply with them as parents and to practice patience with our kids as they grew and matured. I think this is what Jesus is saying God does with us, too. Being more aware of my truest intentions and desires is in its own way “doing the will of the father.” By moving ourselves in this direction allows us the space to reflect and grow which is always a movement toward God.

http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp

WANDERING WITHIN THE REFUGE

“I will leave as a remnant in your midst a people humble and lowly, who shall take refuge in the name of the Lord.” —Zephaniah 3:12

Today’s readings spotlight the word “refuge.” God’s lowly people shall humbly take refuge in the name of the Lord (Zep 3:12). “No one incurs guilt who takes refuge in” the Lord; He “redeems the lives of His servants” (Ps 34:23). To make God our refuge, we also need to obey Him by humbly staying in the refuge and not wandering away from it. A refuge is a place of safe shelter from external dangers. Additionally, a refuge is a place where we are sheltered from anything that would distract us from the Lord Himself.

Jesus says that no one can snatch us out of His protecting hands (Jn 10:28-29). However, once we are secure and safe in His hands, we might stop looking at Jesus and wistfully look back at our former life of sin, on our former so-called “freedom.” We can take our eyes off Jesus (cf Heb 12:2). We can “wander” in our minds within the safe walls of His refuge and long for the pleasures of our former life of slavery. The Israelites did this in the desert, longing to return to the fleeting pleasures of slavery in Egypt (Nm 11:4-6).

Fr. Al Lauer, founder and long-time author of One Bread, One Body, said near the end of his life, “The more I say ‘No’ to myself, the more I say ‘Yes’ to the Holy Spirit.” Say “Yes” to the Lord and “No” to yourself. “Fix your eyes on Jesus” (Heb 3:1). Refuse to look back (Lk 9:62). This Advent, remain in the refuge.

Prayer: Father, each moment, may I gratefully “take refuge in the shadow of Your wings” (Ps 36:8).

Promise: “I will change and purify the lips of the peoples, that they all may call upon the name of the Lord.” —Zep 3:9

Praise: St. Lucy consecrated her virginity to Christ. This offended both the local Roman governor and the young man who wanted to marry her. Soon after, Lucy was tortured and killed for her faith.

http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/

What kind of future are you preparing for? Jesus encourages us to think - to think about the consequences of our choices, especially the choices and decisions that will count not just for now but for eternity as well. The choices we make now will affect and shape our future, both our future on earth as well as in the life of the age to come.

Repaying a debt of gratitude and showing respect where it is due

Jesus tells a simple story of two imperfect sons to illustrate the way of God's kingdom. The father amply provided for his sons food, lodging, and everything they needed. Everything the father had belonged to them as well. The father also rewarded his sons with excellent work in his own vineyard. He expected them to show him gratitude, loyalty, and honor by doing their fair share of the daily work.

Converting both heart and will to do what is good and pleasing to God

The "rebellious" son told his father to his face that he would not work for him. But afterwards he changed his mind and did what his father commanded him. The "good" son said he would work for his father, but didn't follow through. He sought his own pleasure, contrary to his father's will. Now who was really the good son? Both sons disobeyed their father - but one repented and then did what the father told him. Jesus makes his point clear - Good intentions are not enough. And promises don't count unless they are performed.

A transformed heart filled with gratitude and respect

God wants to change our hearts so that we will show by our speech and by our actions that we respect his will and do it. God offers each one of us the greatest treasure possible - indestructable peace, joy, and friendship with him in his everlasting kingdom. We can lose that treasure if we refuse the grace - the free gift of God's blessing and strength - which the Lord Jesus has won for us through his victory on the cross. The Lord Jesus fills us with the gift of the Holy Spirit who works in and through us for the glory of God. Do you seek to please God and respect his will and loving plan for your life? Allow the Holy Spirit to to fill your heart with the peace, joy, and righteousness of God's kingdom (Romans 14:17).


Lord Jesus, change my heart that I may only desire that which is pleasing to you. Help me to respect your will and give me the strength, joy and perseverance to carry it out wholeheartedly.


Psalm 34:1-3,6-7,16-19,22

1 I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2 My soul makes its boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and be glad.

3 O magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together!

6 This poor man cried, and the LORD heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.

16 The face of the LORD is against evildoers, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.

18 The LORD is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit.

19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the LORD delivers him out of them all.

22 The LORD redeems the life of his servants; none of those who take refuge in him will be condemned.

Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The Father and his two sons, author unknown, from the 5th century A.D.

"Who is this if not the God who created all people and loves them with a fatherly affection, the God who preferred to be loved as a father rather than feared as a lord, even though he was Lord by nature? On this account, at the beginning of the commandments of the law, he did not say, 'You shall fear the Lord with all your heart' but 'you shall love the Lord with all your heart' (Deuteronomy 6:5). To elicit love is not characteristic of a lord but of a father. Of the two sons in this parable, the older one represents the Gentiles, since they come from their father Noah. The younger son represents the Jews, who come from Abraham. 'And approaching the first, he said, "Son, go and work today in my vineyard." 'Today' refers to this present age. How did he speak to his sons? He didn't address them face to face like man, but he spoke to the heart, like God. Man only utters words to the ear, but God supplies understanding to the mind." (excerpt from an incomplete Commentary on the Gospel of Matthew, HOMILY 40)