오늘의 복음

January 27, 2023 Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Margaret K 2023. 1. 27. 06:09

2023년 1월 27일 연중 제3주간 금요일

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

제1독서

히브리서. 10,32-39

형제 여러분, 32 예전에 여러분이 빛을 받은 뒤에

많은 고난의 싸움을 견디어 낸 때를 기억해 보십시오.

33 어떤 때에는 공공연히 모욕과 환난을 당하기도 하고,

어떤 때에는 그러한 처지에 빠진 이들에게 동무가 되어 주기도 하였습니다.

34 여러분은 또한 감옥에 갇힌 이들과 고통을 함께 나누었고,

재산을 빼앗기는 일도 기쁘게 받아들였습니다.

그보다 더 좋고 또 길이 남는 재산을 가지고 있다는 것을 알고 있었기 때문입니다.

35 그러니 여러분의 그 확신을 버리지 마십시오.

그것은 큰 상을 가져다줍니다.

36 여러분이 하느님의 뜻을 이루어 약속된 것을 얻으려면 인내가 필요합니다.

37 “조금만 더 있으면 올 이가 오리라. 지체하지 않으리라.

38 나의 의인은 믿음으로 살리라.

그러나 뒤로 물러서는 자는 내 마음이 기꺼워하지 않는다.”

39 우리는 뒤로 물러나 멸망할 사람이 아니라,

믿어서 생명을 얻을 사람입니다.

 

복음

마르코. 4,26-34

그때에 예수님께서 군중에게 26 말씀하셨다.

“하느님의 나라는 이와 같다. 어떤 사람이 땅에 씨를 뿌려 놓으면,

27 밤에 자고 낮에 일어나고 하는 사이에 씨는 싹이 터서 자라는데,

그 사람은 어떻게 그리되는지 모른다.

28 땅이 저절로 열매를 맺게 하는데,

처음에는 줄기가, 다음에는 이삭이 나오고 그다음에는 이삭에 낟알이 영근다.

29 곡식이 익으면 그 사람은 곧 낫을 댄다. 수확 때가 되었기 때문이다.”

30 예수님께서 다시 말씀하셨다.

“하느님의 나라를 무엇에 비길까? 무슨 비유로 그것을 나타낼까?

31 하느님의 나라는 겨자씨와 같다. 땅에 뿌릴 때에는 세상의 어떤 씨앗보다도 작다.

32 그러나 땅에 뿌려지면 자라나서 어떤 풀보다도 커지고 큰 가지들을 뻗어,

하늘의 새들이 그 그늘에 깃들일 수 있게 된다.”

33 예수님께서는 그들이 알아들을 수 있을 정도로 이처럼 많은 비유로 말씀을 하셨다.

34 비유를 들지 않고는 그들에게 말씀하지 않으셨다.

그러나 당신의 제자들에게는 따로 모든 것을 풀이해 주셨다.

January 27, 2023

Friday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

http://www.usccb.org/bible/

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

Reading 1

Heb 10:32-39

Remember the days past when, after you had been enlightened,

you endured a great contest of suffering.

At times you were publicly exposed to abuse and affliction;

at other times you associated yourselves with those so treated.

You even joined in the sufferings of those in prison

and joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property,

knowing that you had a better and lasting possession.

Therefore, do not throw away your confidence;

it will have great recompense.

You need endurance to do the will of God and receive what he has promised.

For, after just a brief moment,

he who is to come shall come;

he shall not delay.

But my just one shall live by faith,

and if he draws back I take no pleasure in him.

We are not among those who draw back and perish,

but among those who have faith and will possess life

 

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 37:3-4, 5-6, 23-24, 39-40

R. (39a) The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Trust in the LORD and do good,

that you may dwell in the land and be fed in security.

Take delight in the LORD,

and he will grant you your heart’s requests.

R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Commit to the LORD your way;

trust in him, and he will act.

He will make justice dawn for you like the light;

bright as the noonday shall be your vindication.

R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

By the LORD are the steps of a man made firm,

and he approves his way.

Though he fall, he does not lie prostrate,

for the hand of the LORD sustains him.

R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

The salvation of the just is from the LORD;

he is their refuge in time of distress.

And the LORD helps them and delivers them;

he delivers them from the wicked and saves them,

because they take refuge in him.

R. The salvation of the just comes from the Lord.

Gospel

Mk 4:26-34

Jesus said to the crowds:

“This is how it is with the Kingdom of God;

it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land

and would sleep and rise night and day

and the seed would sprout and grow,

he knows not how.

Of its own accord the land yields fruit,

first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear.

And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once,

for the harvest has come.”

He said,

“To what shall we compare the Kingdom of God,

or what parable can we use for it?

It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in the ground,

is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth.

But once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants

and puts forth large branches,

so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.”

With many such parables

he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand it.

Without parables he did not speak to them,

but to his own disciples he explained everything in private.

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

In the gospel of Mark, we gain many insights into Jesus’ humanity, as well as his teaching methods. Today’s reading from Mark 4 relays two beautiful, simple lessons Jesus gave to his listeners in a very agrarian society. But today these teachings are just as relevant because, while many may not directly make their living through agriculture, almost everyone has planted seeds, whether to grow grass or flowers or backyard vegetables.

The tiny, dry seed, which could so easily be cast aside, ignored or trampled underfoot, is not what it seems. Its future status is nothing like what it appears to the naked eye. It is so, so much more than it seems. As Jesus says, this is how it is with the Kingdom of God.

The dry little seed contains a life force, and so does the Kingdom. We cannot see it or touch it with our senses initially, but the life force is there nonetheless. The Kingdom of God starts small in our hearts. Just an idea, a glimmer, an inkling. A kind word or blessing from someone else. But if it is allowed to grow, if it is nurtured with faith, hope and love, just like the seed that receives the sunlight and water it needs, it will grow in us – and through us to others.

Today would have been my parents’ 72nd anniversary if they were still living. I think of the unforeseen legacy that was first planted on that snowy day in Chicago when they spoke their vows. They could not see, could not have imagined, the many people who would be touched by their love, their commitment to each other and to God – some who would not even have existed otherwise, including me, their three grandsons, and five great-grandchildren, with another on the way. They nurtured their love and the result was a beautiful ripple effect that endures.

Each fall, I usually let my potted annual flowers die with the first frost. But this year, I had a particularly vibrant red geranium that I had grown from a seedling. I couldn’t bare to let it die. I brought it inside and did nothing more than let it sit by a sunny window, giving it occasional water. Surprisingly, we had a beautiful red and green plant for the Christmas season and it is still blooming and growing strong, now a foot tall and nearly as wide.

As Jesus said, that’s how it is with the Kingdom of God. The invisible life force that God has planted in each of us and in all living things will grow “of its own accord” if it is not thwarted. May we recognize that seed within ourselves and in all those we meet along our paths, trusting always in our Creator and Savior.

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

CAN GOD SPEAK TO YOU INDIRECTLY?

“To [the crowds] He spoke only by way of parable, while He kept explaining things privately to His disciples.” —Mark 4:34

Note that in the Gospels Jesus explained the mysteries not to all, but particularly to His apostles (Mk 4:34). Today, the successors of the apostles are the Pope and the bishops (see Catechism of the Catholic Church, 861-862; Acts 1:20-26). It is critical that we recognize this pattern. Jesus speaks to His Church and through His Church. If we really want to know what Jesus is saying, we must listen to the Church, for Jesus said: “If they hear you, then they are hearing Me. If they reject you, they are rejecting Me” (see Lk 10:16).

Jesus expects us to search out the meaning of His revelation both by a direct seeking of the truth of His Word personally, but also by listening to those to whom He chose to reveal a deeper meaning. Jesus revealed some truths to the apostles only and not to the world (Jn 14:22; see also Mt 13:10-11). Jesus once took to task those who would not listen to His special witnesses (Mk 16:14). He does not want us to turn away from Him due to the stubbornness of wanting to hear Him speak to us directly.

Naaman the Syrian once was upset because He wanted God’s prophet to speak to him directly, face to face (2 Kgs 5:11). God did speak His truth to Naaman, but indirectly, through a simple messenger. Naaman repented of his anger, listened to the messenger, obeyed the message, and received healing and truth. Will you listen to God if He speaks to you through others?

Prayer: Father, give me “ears open to obedience” to hear Your message (Ps 40:7).

Promise: “You need patience to do God’s will and receive what He has promised.” —Heb 10:36

Praise: St. Angela Merici founded the Ursuline religious order, which focuses primarily on the education and Christian formation of girls. She was canonized by Pope Pius VII in 1807.

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

What can mustard seeds teach us about the kingdom of God? The tiny mustard seed literally grew to be a tree which attracted numerous birds because they loved the little black mustard seed it produced. God's kingdom works in a similar fashion. It starts from the smallest beginnings in the hearts of men and women who are receptive to God's word. And it works unseen and causes a transformation from within. Just as a seed has no power to change itself until it is planted in the ground, so we cannot change our lives to be like God until God gives us the power of his Holy Spirit.

The transforming power of the Word of God

The Lord of the Universe is ever ready to transform us by the power of his Spirit. Are you ready to let God change you by his life-giving Word and Spirit? The kingdom of God produces a transformation in those who receive the new life which Jesus Christ offers. When we yield to the Lord Jesus and allow his word to take root in us, our lives are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Paul the Apostle says, "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, to show that the transcendent power belongs to God and not to us" (2 Corinthians 4:7). Do you believe in the transforming power of the Holy Spirit?

The cross of Jesus is the Tree of Life

Peter Chrysologous (400-450 AD), an early church father, explained how the " tree of the cross" spread its branches throughout the world and grew into a worldwide community of faith offering its fruit to the whole world:

It is up to us to sow this mustard seed in our minds and let it grow within us into a great tree of understanding reaching up to heaven and elevating all our faculties; then it will spread out branches of knowledge, the pungent savor of its fruit will make our mouths burn, its fiery kernel will kindle a blaze within us inflaming our hearts, and the taste of it will dispel our unenlightened repugnance. Yes, it is true: a mustard seed is indeed an image of the kingdom of God. Christ is the kingdom of heaven. Sown like a mustard seed in the garden of the virgin's womb, he grew up into the tree of the cross whose branches stretch across the world. Crushed in the mortar of the passion, its fruit has produced seasoning enough for the flavoring and preservation of every living creature with which it comes in contact. As long as a mustard seed remains intact, its properties lie dormant; but when it is crushed they are exceedingly evident. So it was with Christ; he chose to have his body crushed, because he would not have his power concealed.... Christ became all things in order to restore all of us in himself. The man Christ received the mustard seed which represents the kingdom of God; as man he received it, though as God he had always possessed it. He sowed it in his garden, that is in his bride, the Church. The Church is a garden extending over the whole world, tilled by the plough of the gospel, fenced in by stakes of doctrine and discipline, cleared of every harmful weed by the labor of the apostles, fragrant and lovely with perennial flowers: virgins' lilies and martyrs' roses set amid the pleasant verdure of all who bear witness to Christ and the tender plants of all who have faith in him. Such then is the mustard seed which Christ sowed in his garden. When he promised a kingdom to the patriarchs, the seed took root in them; with the prophets it sprang up; with the apostles it grew tall; in the Church it became a great tree putting forth innumerable branches laden with gifts. And now you too must take the wings of the psalmist's dove, gleaming gold in the rays of divine sunlight, and fly to rest for ever among those sturdy, fruitful branches. No snares are set to trap you there; fly off, then, with confidence and dwell securely in its shelter. (SERMON 98)

Do you allow the seed of God's word to take deep root in your life and transform you into a fruit-bearing disciple of Jesus Christ?


Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and transform me into the Christ-like holiness you desire. Increase my zeal for your kingdom and instill in me a holy desire to live for your greater glory.


Psalm 51:1-5,8-9

1 Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.

2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!

3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.

4 Against you, you only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight, so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless in your judgment.

5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.

8 Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones which you have broken rejoice.

9 Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.

Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: God gave us what was most precious, by Isaac of Nineveh (a Syrian monk, teacher, and bishop), 613-700 A.D.

"The sum of all is God, the Lord of all, who from love of his creatures has delivered his Son to death on the cross. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son for it. Not that he was unable to save us in another way, but in this way it was possible to show us his abundant love abundantly, namely, by bringing us near to him by the death of his Son. If he had anything more dear to him, he would have given it to us, in order that by it our race might be his. And out of his great love he did not even choose to urge our freedom by compulsion, though he was able to do so. But his aim was that we should come near to him by the love of our mind. And our Lord obeyed his Father out of love for us." (excerpt from ASCETICAL HOMILY 74.28)