2020년 1월 4일 주님 공현 전 수요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
요한 1서. 3,7-10
7 자녀 여러분, 아무에게도 속지 마십시오.
의로운 일을 실천하는 이는
그분께서 의로우신 것처럼 의로운 사람입니다.
8 죄를 저지르는 자는 악마에게 속한 사람입니다.
악마는 처음부터 죄를 지었기 때문입니다.
그래서 악마가 한 일을 없애 버리시려고
하느님의 아드님께서 나타나셨던 것입니다.
9 하느님에게서 태어난 사람은 아무도 죄를 저지르지 않습니다.
하느님의 씨가 그 사람 안에 있기 때문입니다.
그는 하느님에게서 태어났기 때문에 죄를 지을 수가 없습니다.
10 하느님의 자녀와 악마의 자녀는 이렇게 뚜렷이 드러납니다.
의로운 일을 실천하지 않는 자는 모두 하느님께 속한 사람이 아닙니다.
자기 형제를 사랑하지 않는 자도 그렇습니다.
복음
요한. 1,35-42
그때에 35 요한이 자기 제자 두 사람과 함께 서 있다가,
36 예수님께서 지나가시는 것을 눈여겨보며 말하였다.
“보라, 하느님의 어린양이시다.”
37 그 두 제자는 요한이 말하는 것을 듣고 예수님을 따라갔다.
38 예수님께서 돌아서시어 그들이 따라오는 것을 보시고,
“무엇을 찾느냐?” 하고 물으시자,
그들이 “라삐, 어디에 묵고 계십니까?” 하고 말하였다.
‘라삐’는 번역하면 ‘스승님’이라는 말이다.
39 예수님께서 그들에게 “와서 보아라.” 하시니,
그들이 함께 가 예수님께서 묵으시는 곳을 보고
그날 그분과 함께 묵었다.
때는 오후 네 시쯤이었다.
40 요한의 말을 듣고 예수님을 따라간 두 사람 가운데 하나는
시몬 베드로의 동생 안드레아였다.
41 그는 먼저 자기 형 시몬을 만나, “우리는 메시아를 만났소.” 하고 말하였다.
‘메시아’는 번역하면 ‘그리스도’이다.
42 그가 시몬을 예수님께 데려가자, 예수님께서 시몬을 눈여겨보며 이르셨다.
“너는 요한의 아들 시몬이구나. 앞으로 너는 케파라고 불릴 것이다.”
‘케파’는 ‘베드로’라고 번역되는 말이다.
January 4, 2022
Memorial of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton, Religious
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
: https://www.youtube.com/c/DailyTVMass
Reading 1
1 Jn 3:7-10
Children, let no one deceive you.
The person who acts in righteousness is righteous,
just as he is righteous.
Whoever sins belongs to the Devil,
because the Devil has sinned from the beginning.
Indeed, the Son of God was revealed to destroy the works of the Devil.
No one who is begotten by God commits sin,
because God's seed remains in him;
he cannot sin because he is begotten by God.
In this way,
the children of God and the children of the Devil are made plain;
no one who fails to act in righteousness belongs to God,
nor anyone who does not love his brother.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 98:1, 7-8, 9
R. (3cd) All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
Let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy before the LORD.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
The LORD comes;
he comes to rule the earth;
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.
R. All the ends of the earth have seen the saving power of God.
Gospel
Jn 1:35-42
John was standing with two of his disciples,
and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,
"Behold, the Lamb of God."
The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus.
Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them,
"What are you looking for?"
They said to him, "Rabbi" (which translated means Teacher),
"where are you staying?"
He said to them, "Come, and you will see."
So they went and saw where he was staying,
and they stayed with him that day.
It was about four in the afternoon.
Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,
was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.
He first found his own brother Simon and told him,
"We have found the Messiah," which is translated Christ.
Then he brought him to Jesus.
Jesus looked at him and said,
"You are Simon the son of John;
you will be called Cephas," which is translated Peter.
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
The big question here, and the one that can be considered as the gateway to all that John writes about in his Gospel, is “What do you seek?" Note that Jesus is not asking who the two men are seeking, but the more open question of what it is that they are after.
This is a question each of us must ask ourselves. To put it rather simply, suppose that I live in Omaha and want to go somewhere: until I decide whether my destination is Des Moines or Denver there is no point in my starting to go anywhere.
...and yet that is not absolutely true, as the trip itself can be just the education and formation that I need, through my personal experiences and the input of those who are on the road with me, to help me to really determine my ultimate goal. And if we are seeking God, as Christ implies with His question, each step will actually be leading us where we want to go, whether we are aware of it in the moment or not; we might think of the second chapter of Lewis Carroll's Through the Looking Glass.
Do I follow the road others determine in a blind or superficial manner? Do I work towards a career or accumulating resources as if they were ends in themselves? Or is all that just part of a deeper search and quest? This examination goes all the way down to the smallest of things. St. Ignatius Loyola speaks of "finding God in all things" (and by implication seeing "all things in God"), but it all comes down to segment #23 of his Spiritual Exercises, the “First Principle and Foundation,” which I won't cite at length here but which you can easily find on the web.
What we seek in the end is not principles, not a system, not even a little essential truth, but the Person of our God, Jesus Himself, who is so much more, who speaks to us, challenges us, calls us, and constantly heals us – something no principle, system, or truth can offer.
Considering all of this, I might ask myself the same things as Jesus does in terms of both today's first and second readings: “What do I seek?” “Is that enough?” “Who do I seek?”
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
A CLOSE CALL
“When Jesus turned around and noticed them following Him, He asked them, ‘What are you looking for?’ ” —John 1:38
Andrew and another disciple of John the Baptizer followed Jesus from a distance. Likewise, today there are many long-distance followers of Jesus. Are you close to the Lord? Or are your prayers “smoke signals”?
Jesus has become a man. He even gives Himself to us in the Eucharist to be closer than close to us. He challenges us to look into our hearts and ask ourselves what we are looking for (Jn 1:38). Jesus, our Rabbi and Teacher (see Jn 1:38), will show us which of these desires are distancing us from Him. All we have to do is give ourselves the chance to hear the truth about our hearts from the Truth Himself (see Jn 2:25; 14:6). We must stay with Jesus for an extended time. We must not run away when He speaks of changing what we’re looking for, repenting of our sins, and taking up the cross daily (see Lk 9:23).
Jesus wants to give us a real “make-over,” to change our names (see Jn 1:42), our looks, and what we’re looking for. Jesus wants to draw us close to Himself. This Christmas and this new year, stay close to Jesus.
Prayer: Father, You drew close to me in the Incarnation of Your Son. May I draw close to You (Jas 4:8).
Promise: “It was to destroy the devil’s works that the Son of God revealed Himself.” —1 Jn 3:8
Praise: St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was born to wealthy Episcopalian parents in New York City. After a visit to Rome, she felt called to fast and pray. The Holy Spirit led her into the Catholic Church only sixteen years before her death.
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
Who is Jesus for you? John calls Jesus the Lamb of God and thus signifies Jesus' mission as the One who redeems us from our sins. The blood of the Passover Lamb (Exodus 12) delivered the Israelites from their oppression in Egypt and from the plague of death. The Lord Jesus freely offered up his life for us on the cross as the atoning sacrifice for our sins (1 Corinthians 5:7). The blood which he poured out for us on the cross cleanses, heals, and frees us from our slavery to sin, and from the "wages of sin which is death" (Romans 6:23) and the "destruction of both body and soul in hell" (Matthew 10:28).
It is significant that John was the son of the priest, Zachariah, who participated in the daily sacrifice of a lamb in the temple for the sins of the people (Exodus 29). In Jesus John saw the true and only sacrifice which could deliver us from bondage to sin, death, and the powers of hell. How did John know the true identity of Jesus, as the Son of God and Savior of the world (John 1:29)? The Holy Spirit revealed to John Jesus' true nature, such that John bore witness that this is the Son of God. How can we be certain that Jesus is truly the Christ, the Son of the living God? The Holy Spirit makes the Lord Jesus Christ known to us through the gift of faith. God gives us freely of his Spirit that we may comprehend - with enlightened minds and eyes of faith - the great mystery and plan of God to unite all things in his Son, our Lord Jesus Christ.
"What do you seek?"
John in his characteristic humility was eager to point beyond himself to the Christ (means Anointed One and Messiah). He did not hesitate to direct his own disciples to the Lord Jesus. When two of John's disciples began to seek Jesus out, Jesus took the initiative to invite them into his company. He did not wait for them to get his attention. Instead he met them halfway. He asked them one of the most fundamental questions of life: "What are you looking for?" Jesus asks each one of us the same question:"What are you searching for? Do you know the meaning and purpose for your life?" Only God, the Father and Author of life, can answer that question and make our purpose fully known to us. That is why the Lord Jesus invites each one of us to draw near to himself. He wants us to know him personally - to know what he came to do for us and what he wants to offer us.
"Come and see"
"Come and see" is the Lord's invitation for each one of us to discover the joy of friendship and communion with the One who made us in love for love. Saint Augustine of Hippo reminds us that it is God, our Creator and Redeemer, who seeks us out, even when we are not looking for him: "If you hadn't been called by God, what could you have done to turn back? Didn't the very One who called you when you were opposed to Him make it possible for you to turn back?" It is God who initiates and who draws us to himself. Without his mercy and help we could not find him on our own.
When we find something of great value it's natural to want to share the good news of our discovery with our family, friends, and neighbors. When Andrew met Jesus and discovered that he was truly the Messiah, he immediately went to his brother Simon and told him the good news. Andrew brought his brother to meet Jesus so he could "come and see" for himself. When Jesus saw Simon approaching he immediately reached out to Simon in the same way he had done for Andrew earlier. Jesus looked at Simon and revealed that he knew who Simon was and where he came from even before Simon had set his eyes on Jesus. Jesus gave Simon a new name which signified that God had a personal call and mission for him. Jesus gave Simon the name "Cephas" which is the Aramaic word for "rock". Cephas is translated as Peter (Petros in Greek and Petrus in Latin) which also literally means "rock".
To call someone a "rock" was one of the greatest compliments in the ancient world. The rabbis had a saying that when God saw Abraham, he exclaimed: "I have discovered a rock to found the world upon." Through Abraham God established a nation for himself. Through faith Peter grasped who Jesus truly was - the Anointed One (Messiah and Christ) and the only begotten Son of God. The New Testament describes the church as a spiritual house or temple with each member joined together as living stones (see 1 Peter 2:5). Faith in Jesus Christ makes us into rocks or spiritual stones. The Holy Spirit gives us the gift of faith to know the Lord Jesus personally, power to live the gospel faithfully, and courage to witness the truth and joy of the Gospel to others. The Lord Jesus is ever ready to draw us to himself. Do you seek to grow in the knowledge and love of the Lord Jesus Christ?
Lord Jesus Christ, fill me with the power of your Holy Spirit that I may grow in the knowledge of your great love and truth. Let your Spirit be aflame in my heart that I may joyfully seek to do your will in all things.
Psalm 98:1,7-9
1 O sing to the LORD a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have gotten him victory.
7 Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it!
8 Let the floods clap their hands; let the hills sing for joy together
9 before the LORD, for he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The first disciples longing for the Messiah, by John Chrysostom (349-407 AD)
"Andrew, after having stayed with Jesus and after having learned what he did, did not keep the treasure to himself but hurries and races to his brother in order to let him know the good things Jesus has shared with him. But why hasn't John mentioned what they talked about? How do we know this is why they 'stayed with him'?... Observe what Andrew says to his brother, 'We have found the Messiah, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.' You see how, in a short time, he demonstrates not only the persuasiveness of the wise teacher but also his own longing that he had from the beginning. For this word, 'we have found,' is the expression of a soul that longs for his presence, looking for his coming from above, and is so ecstatic when what he is looking for happens that he hurries to tell others the good news. This is what brotherly affection, natural friendship, is all about when someone is eager to extend a hand to another when it comes to spiritual matters. Also see how he adds the article, for he does not say 'Messiah' but 'the Messiah.' They were expecting the Christ who would have nothing in common with the others." (excerpt from HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF JOHN 19.1)
