오늘의 복음

February 21, 2023Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Margaret K 2023. 2. 21. 06:01

2023년 2월 21일 연중 제7주간 화요일

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

제1독서

집회서. 2,1-11

1 얘야, 주님을 섬기러 나아갈 때 너 자신을 시련에 대비시켜라.

2 네 마음을 바로잡고 확고히 다지며 재난이 닥칠 때 허둥대지 마라.

3 주님께 매달려 떨어지지 마라. 네가 마지막에 번창하리라.

4 너에게 닥친 것은 무엇이나 받아들이고

처지가 바뀌어 비천해지더라도 참고 견뎌라.

5 금은 불로 단련되고 주님께 맞갖은 이들은 비천의 도가니에서 단련된다.

질병과 가난 속에서도 그분을 신뢰하여라.

6 그분을 믿어라, 그분께서 너를 도우시리라.

너의 길을 바로잡고 그분께 희망을 두어라.

7 주님을 경외하는 이들아, 그분의 자비를 기다려라.

빗나가지 마라. 넘어질까 두렵다.

8 주님을 경외하는 이들아, 그분을 믿어라.

너희 상급을 결코 잃지 않으리라.

9 주님을 경외하는 이들아, 좋은 것들과 영원한 즐거움과 자비를 바라라.

그분의 보상은 기쁨을 곁들인 영원한 선물이다.

10 지난 세대를 살펴보아라.

누가 주님을 믿고서 부끄러운 일을 당한 적이 있느냐?

누가 그분을 경외하면서 지내다가 버림받은 적이 있느냐?

누가 주님께 부르짖는데 소홀히 하신 적이 있느냐?

11 주님께서는 너그럽고 자비하시며

죄를 용서하시고 재난의 때에 구해 주신다.

 

복음

마르코. 9,30-37

그때에 예수님과 제자들이 30 갈릴래아를 가로질러 갔는데,

예수님께서는 누구에게도 알려지는 것을 원하지 않으셨다.

31 그분께서 “사람의 아들은 사람들의 손에 넘겨져 그들 손에 죽을 것이다.

그러나 그는 죽임을 당하였다가 사흘 만에 다시 살아날 것이다.” 하시면서,

제자들을 가르치고 계셨기 때문이다.

32 그러나 제자들은 그 말씀을 알아듣지 못하였을 뿐만 아니라

그분께 묻는 것도 두려워하였다.

33 그들은 카파르나움에 이르렀다.

예수님께서는 집 안에 계실 때에 제자들에게,

“너희는 길에서 무슨 일로 논쟁하였느냐?” 하고 물으셨다.

34 그러나 그들은 입을 열지 않았다.

누가 가장 큰 사람이냐 하는 문제로 길에서 논쟁하였기 때문이다.

35 예수님께서는 자리에 앉으셔서 열두 제자를 불러 말씀하셨다.

“누구든지 첫째가 되려면,

모든 이의 꼴찌가 되고 모든 이의 종이 되어야 한다.”

36 그러고 나서 어린이 하나를 데려다가 그들 가운데에 세우신 다음,

그를 껴안으시며 그들에게 이르셨다.

37 “누구든지 이런 어린이 하나를 내 이름으로 받아들이면 나를 받아들이는 것이다.

그리고 나를 받아들이는 사람은

나를 받아들이는 것이 아니라 나를 보내신 분을 받아들이는 것이다.”

February 21, 2023

Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

Daily Readings — Audio

Daily Reflections — Video

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

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

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

Reading 1

Sir 2:1-11

My son, when you come to serve the LORD,

stand in justice and fear,

prepare yourself for trials.

Be sincere of heart and steadfast,

incline your ear and receive the word of understanding,

undisturbed in time of adversity.

Wait on God, with patience, cling to him, forsake him not;

thus will you be wise in all your ways.

Accept whatever befalls you,

when sorrowful, be steadfast,

and in crushing misfortune be patient;

For in fire gold and silver are tested,

and worthy people in the crucible of humiliation.

Trust God and God will help you;

trust in him, and he will direct your way;

keep his fear and grow old therein.

You who fear the LORD, wait for his mercy,

turn not away lest you fall.

You who fear the LORD, trust him,

and your reward will not be lost.

You who fear the LORD, hope for good things,

for lasting joy and mercy.

You who fear the LORD, love him,

and your hearts will be enlightened.

Study the generations long past and understand;

has anyone hoped in the LORD and been disappointed?

Has anyone persevered in his commandments and been forsaken?Â

has anyone called upon him and been rebuffed?

Compassionate and merciful is the LORD;

he forgives sins, he saves in time of trouble

and he is a protector to all who seek him in truth.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40

R. (see 5) Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.

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. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.

The LORD watches over the lives of the wholehearted;

their inheritance lasts forever.

They are not put to shame in an evil time;

in days of famine they have plenty.

R. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.

Turn from evil and do good,

that you may abide forever;

For the LORD loves what is right,

and forsakes not his faithful ones.

R. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.

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. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.

Gospel

Mk 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee,

but he did not wish anyone to know about it.

He was teaching his disciples and telling them,

"The Son of Man is to be handed over to men

and they will kill him,

and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise."

But they did not understand the saying,

and they were afraid to question him.

They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house,

he began to ask them,

"What were you arguing about on the way?"

But they remained silent.

For they had been discussing among themselves on the way

who was the greatest.

Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,

"If anyone wishes to be first,

he shall be the last of all and the servant of all."

Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,

and putting his arms around it, he said to them,

"Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;

and whoever receives me,

receives not me but the One who sent me."

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

Of late - perhaps in the last few years - I've come to see references to the "GOAT" everywhere. My first memory of the term was in the realm of athletics, so I had to ask my sons why we would refer to someone long held as exceptional in his field (I think it was regarding LeBron James, or maybe Michael Jordan) as a goat. In my mind, that was a deprecating term. I was a bit embarassed to learn that the Greatest Of All Time acronym was at work! Since then, it seems the term is used daily - athletics, music, engineering, investing (Warren, anyone??)... all across the cultural spectrum. What I don't understand is what causes we humans to have this need to name 'The One.' Why does it matter?

Reading today's Gospel lesson from Mark gave me reason to smile. Twelve disciples, following our Lord Jesus Christ, had been talking among themselves about which of them would be considered The Greatest. Can you imagine!? In the actual presence of Christ, son of God? Incredible! What hubris!

And so our Christ, all-knowing and kind, provided a simple lesson that we likely remember well from our young days in Sunday School. Even though all of us are special and precious in the eyes of God, none of us is more special or more precious than the next. A small child, received by Christ, exemplified that if we open ourselves to such a child, we open ourselves to God. It is through humility and service that we become "first" to God. Using the powerful words from the first reading, we must be steadfast, patient, sincere of heart and standing in justice, humble, and trusting, among other qualities.

Let's not aspire to be "G.O.A.T.s" on this earth; rather let's choose to be the least, so that we can be first in God's kingdom. Amen.

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

GREAT EXPECTATIONS

“When you come to serve the Lord, prepare yourself for trials.” —Sirach 2:1

To prepare ourselves for trials, we must expect them. “Anyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus can expect to be persecuted” (2 Tm 3:12). Expect it. “Christ suffered in the flesh; therefore arm yourselves with His same mentality” (1 Pt 4:1).

The psalmist stated: “If an enemy had reviled me, I could have borne it...but you, my other self, my companion and my bosom friend!” (Ps 55:13, 14) It is hardest to take sufferings inflicted by those closest to us, because we don’t expect them to hurt us.

However, we must be like Jesus. He knew and expected that His apostles and disciples would abandon Him, Peter would deny Him three times, and Judas would betray Him. Jesus even knew and expected that each one of us would share in crucifying Him through our sins. Jesus prepared Himself for the greatest of all trials.

Expect suffering, but don’t dread it. Rather, in love for Jesus, rejoice in suffering (1 Pt 4:13; Col 1:24).

Prayer: Father, purify me through trials.

Promise: “If anyone wishes to rank first, he must remain the last one of all and the servant of all.” —Mk 9:35

Praise: St. Peter Damian was a saintly monk, bishop, cardinal, and doctor of the Church.

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

Whose glory do you seek? There can be no share in God's glory without the cross. When Jesus prophesied his own betrayal and crucifixion, it did not make any sense to his disciples because it did not fit their understanding of what the Messiah came to do. And they were afraid to ask further questions! Like a person who might receive a bad verdict from the doctor and then refuse to ask further questions, they, too, didn't want to know any more. How often do we reject what we do not wish to see? We have heard the good news of God's word and we know the consequences of accepting it or rejecting it. But do we give it our full allegiance and mold our lives according to it? Ask the Lord to fill you with his Holy Spirit and to inspire within you a reverence for his word and a readiness to obey it.

Do you compare yourself with others?

How ashamed the disciples must have been when Jesus overheard them arguing about who among them was the greatest! But aren't we like the disciples? We compare ourselves with others and desire their praise. The appetite for glory and greatness seems to be inbred in us. Who doesn't cherish the ambition to be "somebody" whom others admire rather than a "nobody"? Even the psalms speak about the glory God has destined for us. You have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor (Psalm 8:5).

Jesus made a dramatic gesture by embracing a child to show his disciples who really is the greatest in the kingdom of God. What can a little child possibly teach us about greatness? Children in the ancient world had no rights, position, or privileges of their own. They were socially at the "bottom of the rung" and at the service of their parents, much like the household staff and domestic servants.

Who is the greatest in God's kingdom?

What is the significance of Jesus' gesture? Jesus elevated a little child in the presence of his disciples by placing the child in a privileged position of honor. It is customary, even today, to seat the guest of honor at the right side of the host. Who is the greatest in God's kingdom? The one who is humble and lowly of heart - who instead of asserting their rights willingly empty themselves of pride and self-seeking glory by taking the lowly position of a servant or child.

Jesus, himself, is our model. He came not to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28). Paul the Apostle states that Jesus emptied himself and took the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7). Jesus lowered himself (he whose place is at the right hand of God the Father) and took on our lowly nature that he might raise us up and clothe us in his divine nature.

God wants to fill us with his own glory

God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble (James 4:6). If we want to be filled with God's life and power, then we need to empty ourselves of everything which stands in the way - pride, self-seeking glory, vanity, etc. God wants empty vessels so he can fill them with his own glory, power, and love (2 Corinthians 4:7). Are you ready to humble yourself and to serve as Jesus did?


Lord Jesus, by your cross you have redeemed the world and revealed your glory and triumph over sin and death. May I never fail to see your glory and victory in the cross. Help me to conform my life to your will and to follow in your way of holiness.


Psalm 55:6-10, 22

6 And I say, "O that I had wings like a dove! I would fly away and be at rest;

7 yes, I would wander afar, I would lodge in the wilderness, Selah

8 I would wait for him who saves me from the raging wind and tempest."

9 Destroy their plans, O Lord, confuse their tongues; for I see violence and strife in the city.

10 Day and night they go around it on its walls; and mischief and trouble are within it,

22 Cast your burden on the LORD, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.

Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: : Downward roots enable upward growth, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.

"Observe a tree, how it first tends downwards, that it may then shoot forth upwards. It fastens its root low in the ground, that it may send forth its top towards heaven. Is it not from humility that it endeavors to rise? But without humility it will not attain to higher things (Proverbs 18:12). You are wanting to grow up into the air without a root. Such is not growth, but a collapse." (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF JOHN, SERMON 38.2)