2023년 3월 11일 사순 제2주간 토요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
<저희의 모든 죄악을 바다 깊은 곳으로 던져 주십시오.>
미카 예언서. 7,14-15.18-20
주님, 14 과수원 한가운데 숲속에 홀로 살아가는 당신 백성을,
당신 소유의 양 떼를 당신의 지팡이로 보살펴 주십시오.
옛날처럼 바산과 길앗에서 그들을 보살펴 주십시오.
15 당신께서 이집트 땅에서 나오실 때처럼 저희에게 놀라운 일들을 보여 주십시오.
18 당신의 소유인 남은 자들, 그들의 허물을 용서해 주시고
죄를 못 본 체해 주시는 당신 같으신 하느님이 어디 있겠습니까?
그분은 분노를 영원히 품지 않으시고 오히려 기꺼이 자애를 베푸시는 분이시다.
19 그분께서는 다시 우리를 가엾이 여기시고 우리의 허물들을 모르는 체해 주시리라.
당신께서 저희의 모든 죄악을 바다 깊은 곳으로 던져 주십시오.
20 먼 옛날 당신께서 저희 조상들에게 맹세하신 대로
야곱을 성실히 대하시고 아브라함에게 자애를 베풀어 주십시오.
복음
<너의 아우는 죽었다가 다시 살아났다.>
루카. 15,1-3.11ㄴ-32
그때에 1 세리들과 죄인들이 모두 예수님의 말씀을 들으려고
가까이 모여들고 있었다.
2 그러자 바리사이들과 율법 학자들이, “저 사람은 죄인들을 받아들이고
또 그들과 함께 음식을 먹는군.” 하고 투덜거렸다.
3 예수님께서 그들에게 이 비유를 말씀하셨다.
11 “어떤 사람에게 아들이 둘 있었다.
12 그런데 작은아들이,
‘아버지, 재산 가운데에서 저에게 돌아올 몫을 주십시오.’ 하고
아버지에게 말하였다.
그래서 아버지는 아들들에게 가산을 나누어 주었다.
13 며칠 뒤에 작은아들은 자기 것을 모두 챙겨서 먼 고장으로 떠났다.
그러고는 그곳에서 방종한 생활을 하며 자기 재산을 허비하였다.
14 모든 것을 탕진하였을 즈음 그 고장에 심한 기근이 들어,
그가 곤궁에 허덕이기 시작하였다.
15 그래서 그 고장 주민을 찾아가서 매달렸다.
그 주민은 그를 자기 소유의 들로 보내어 돼지를 치게 하였다.
16 그는 돼지들이 먹는 열매 꼬투리로라도 배를 채우기를 간절히 바랐지만,
아무도 주지 않았다.
17 그제야 제정신이 든 그는 이렇게 말하였다.
‘내 아버지의 그 많은 품팔이꾼들은 먹을 것이 남아도는데,
나는 여기에서 굶어 죽는구나.
18 일어나 아버지께 가서 이렇게 말씀드려야지.
′아버지, 제가 하늘과 아버지께 죄를 지었습니다.
19 저는 아버지의 아들이라고 불릴 자격이 없습니다.
저를 아버지의 품팔이꾼 가운데 하나로 삼아 주십시오.′’
20 그리하여 그는 일어나 아버지에게로 갔다.
그가 아직도 멀리 떨어져 있을 때에
아버지가 그를 보고 가엾은 마음이 들었다.
그리고 달려가 아들의 목을 껴안고 입을 맞추었다.
21 아들이 아버지에게 말하였다.
‘아버지, 제가 하늘과 아버지께 죄를 지었습니다.
저는 아버지의 아들이라고 불릴 자격이 없습니다.’
22 그러나 아버지는 종들에게 일렀다.
‘어서 가장 좋은 옷을 가져다 입히고
손에 반지를 끼우고 발에 신발을 신겨 주어라.
23 그리고 살진 송아지를 끌어다가 잡아라. 먹고 즐기자.
24 나의 이 아들은 죽었다가 다시 살아났고 내가 잃었다가 도로 찾았다.’
그리하여 그들은 즐거운 잔치를 벌이기 시작하였다.
25 그때에 큰아들은 들에 나가 있었다.
그가 집에 가까이 이르러
노래하며 춤추는 소리를 들었다.
26 그래서 하인 하나를 불러 무슨 일이냐고 묻자,
27 하인이 그에게 말하였다. ‘아우님이 오셨습니다.
아우님이 몸성히 돌아오셨다고 하여
아버님이 살진 송아지를 잡으셨습니다.’
28 큰아들은 화가 나서 들어가려고도 하지 않았다.
그래서 아버지가 나와 그를 타이르자,
29 그가 아버지에게 대답하였다.
‘보십시오, 저는 여러 해 동안 종처럼 아버지를 섬기며
아버지의 명을 한 번도 어기지 않았습니다.
이러한 저에게 아버지는 친구들과 즐기라고
염소 한 마리 주신 적이 없습니다.
30 그런데 창녀들과 어울려 아버지의 가산을 들어먹은 저 아들이 오니까,
살진 송아지를 잡아 주시는군요.’
31 그러자 아버지가 그에게 일렀다.
‘얘야, 너는 늘 나와 함께 있고 내 것이 다 네 것이다.
32 너의 저 아우는 죽었다가 다시 살아났고 내가 잃었다가 되찾았다.
그러니 즐기고 기뻐해야 한다.’”
March 11, 2023
Saturday of the Second Week of Lent
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
: https://www.youtube.com/c/DailyTVMass
Bible : http://www.usccb.org/bible/
Reading 1
Mi 7:14-15, 18-20
Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.
Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 103:1-2, 3-4, 9-10, 11-12
R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.
Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He pardons all your iniquities,
he heals all your ills.
He redeems your life from destruction,
he crowns you with kindness and compassion.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
He will not always chide,
nor does he keep his wrath forever.
Not according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor does he requite us according to our crimes.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.
As far as the east is from the west,
so far has he put our transgressions from us.
R. The Lord is kind and merciful.
Gospel
Lk 15:1-3, 11-32
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus,
but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying,
"This man welcomes sinners and eats with them."
So to them Jesus addressed this parable.
"A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father,
'Father, give me the share of your estate that should come to me.'
So the father divided the property between them.
After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings
and set off to a distant country
where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation.
When he had freely spent everything,
a severe famine struck that country,
and he found himself in dire need.
So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens
who sent him to his farm to tend the swine.
And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed,
but nobody gave him any.
Coming to his senses he thought,
'How many of my father's hired workers
have more than enough food to eat,
but here am I, dying from hunger.
I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him,
"Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you.
I no longer deserve to be called your son;
treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers."'
So he got up and went back to his father.
While he was still a long way off,
his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion.
He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him.
His son said to him,
'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you;
I no longer deserve to be called your son.'
But his father ordered his servants,
'Quickly, bring the finest robe and put it on him;
put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet.
Take the fattened calf and slaughter it.
Then let us celebrate with a feast,
because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again;
he was lost, and has been found.'
Then the celebration began.
Now the older son had been out in the field
and, on his way back, as he neared the house,
he heard the sound of music and dancing.
He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean.
The servant said to him,
'Your brother has returned
and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf
because he has him back safe and sound.'
He became angry,
and when he refused to enter the house,
his father came out and pleaded with him.
He said to his father in reply,
'Look, all these years I served you
and not once did I disobey your orders;
yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends.
But when your son returns
who swallowed up your property with prostitutes,
for him you slaughter the fattened calf.'
He said to him,
'My son, you are here with me always;
everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice,
because your brother was dead and has come to life again;
he was lost and has been found.'"
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
"My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours.
But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found." Luke
The week was one of the toughest in my life. My son had dropped out of college to marry his girlfriend and join the Air Force. At age 18. And I had to tell my parents, who could guess why.
My mom responded, “You will never regret standing by your child.” Never has an email meant more. I thought of this as I meditated on the familiar story of the Prodigal Son and why the father reacted as he did.
Even after attending a Creighton Lenten series focusing on this parable, I respond to it emotionally more than intellectually. I empathize with the hurt and anger of the faithful older brother while resonating to the father’s joy at his son’s return. Heck, relief used to wash over me when a teen’s car lights appeared in the driveway after curfew!
I know that the father’s response mirrors God’s love for us and his unconditional willingness to forgive us for our misdeeds.
Parents, especially, get this because their intense bonds with their children tend to withstand even great hurt and disappointment. It’s a heart thing.
Since the goal of this parable is to teach us about God’s limitless mercy and love, the story ends after making that point. However, in our “prodigal families,” we struggle with how to move through the fraught days ahead.
This parable provides no explicit guidance for that, but we can draw helpful lessons from it. The father presumably survived the interminable period when his son was gone through faith and hope that he would eventually return. God did not abandon him during that awful period. Nor will God abandon us.
Somewhat irrationally I cling to the cliché that when God closes a door, he opens a window. That’s not always true but often it is.
I’m delighted to report that more than 20 years later, my son has retired from the Air Force after an outstanding career in which he received numerous commendations. Defying the odds, he and his wife have a strong marriage and three wonderful children. Like all families, we have our ups and downs but we’re on excellent terms. And I thank God for this.
If your child is in a crisis, I hope this parable comforts you and that you will follow my mom’s compassionate advice. You will never regret standing by your child
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
GULP!
“...after swallowing up your property...” —Luke 15:30, JB
No matter how much any human being has harmed us, no matter how much someone has swallowed up our property, desires, plans, money, hopes, or dreams, no human being has harmed us as much as we have hurt the heavenly Father by our sins. We have “swallowed up” the gifts, talents, and treasure God has bestowed on us. Yes, we may have made a return to the Lord for all He has given to us (Ps 116:12). But even if we have laid down our life for the Lord, we have still squandered His gifts and “swallowed up His property” in some way.
The Pharisees had supposedly dedicated their lives to the Lord. Yet Jesus charged them with straining out the “gnats” of God’s holy precepts and swallowing the “camel” of their man-made traditions (see Mt 23:24). In the same way, we are sinners and have done harm to our Father, swallowing up much that He has given us without bearing the expected fruit. Yet God is merciful and gracious (Ps 103:8). He delights “in clemency” (Mi 7:18). He rejoices greatly when we repent and ask His forgiveness (Lk 15:7, 10, 32).
So, let us repent of swallowing up God’s property. We may have stuffed ourselves by swallowing the goods of this world, indulging our own lusts, meanwhile starving our souls (Prv 13:19). Let us rather swallow up what God puts into our mouth: the Holy Eucharist (Jn 6:51ff) and the scroll of the Word of God (Ez 3:3; Rv 10:9).
Prayer: Father, may I swallow up Your Word and Eucharist daily. Use me for Your Kingdom, and use me up.
Promise: “Who is there like You, the God Who removes guilt and pardons sin?” —Mi 7:18
Praise: Two women prayed together in Eucharistic adoration for Esther to quit smoking. Unbeknownst to them, at that very hour, Esther decided to throw away her cigarettes and never smoked again.
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
How can you love someone who turns their back on you and still forgive them from the heart? The prophets remind us that God does not abandon us, even if we turn our backs on him (Micah 7:18). He calls us back to himself - over and over and over again. Jesus' story of the father and his two sons (sometimes called the parable of the prodigal son) is the longest parable in the Gospels.
What is the main point or focus of the story? Is it the contrast between an obedient and a disobedient son or is it between the warm reception given to a spendthrift son by his father and the cold reception given by the eldest son? Jesus contrasts the father's merciful love with the eldest son's somewhat harsh reaction to his errant brother and to the lavish party his joyful father throws for his repentant son. While the errant son had wasted his father's money, his father, nonetheless, maintained unbroken love for his son.
The son, while he was away, learned a lot about himself. And he realized that his father had given him love which he had not returned. He had yet to learn about the depth of his father's love for him. His deep humiliation at finding himself obliged to feed on the husks of pigs and his reflection on all he had lost, led to his repentance and decision to declare himself guilty before his father. While he hoped for reconciliation with his father, he could not have imagined a full restoration of relationship. The father did not need to speak words of forgiveness to his son; his actions spoke more loudly and clearly! The beautiful robe, the ring, and the festive banquet symbolize the new life - pure, worthy, and joyful - of anyone who returns to God.
The prodigal could not return to the garden of innocence, but he was welcomed and reinstated as a son. The errant son's dramatic change from grief and guilt to forgiveness and restoration express in picture-language the resurrection from the dead, a rebirth to new life from spiritual death. The parable also contrasts mercy and its opposite - unforgiveness. The father who had been wronged, was forgiving. But the eldest son, who had not been wronged, was unforgiving. His unforgiveness turns into contempt and pride. And his resentment leads to his isolation and estrangement from the community of forgiven sinners.
In this parable Jesus gives a vivid picture of God and what God is like. God is truly kinder than us. He does not lose hope or give up when we stray. He rejoices in finding the lost and in welcoming them home. Do you know the joy of repentance and the restoration of relationship as a son or daughter of your heavenly Father?
Lord Jesus, may I never doubt your love nor take for granted the mercy you have shown to me. Fill me with your transforming love that I may be merciful as you are merciful.
Psalm 103:1-4, 8-12
1 Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless his holy name!
2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits,
3 who forgives all your iniquity, who heals all your diseases,
4 who redeems your life from the Pit, who crowns you with steadfast love and mercy,
8 The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.
9 He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger for ever.
10 He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor requite us according to our iniquities.
11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his steadfast love toward those who fear him;
12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: Life through death, by Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Did you make it possible for yourselves to merit God's mercy because you turned back to 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? Don't claim your conversion as your own doing. Unless He had called you when you were running away from Him, you would not have been able to turn back." (Commentary on Psalm 84, 8)
