February 12, 2020 Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
2020년 2월 12일 연중 제5주간 수요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
열왕기 상. 10,1-10
그 무렵 1 스바 여왕이 주님의 이름 덕분에 유명해진 솔로몬의 명성을 듣고,
까다로운 문제로 그를 시험해 보려고 찾아왔다.
2 여왕은 많은 수행원을 거느리고,
향료와 엄청나게 많은 금과 보석을 낙타에 싣고 예루살렘에 왔다.
여왕은 솔로몬에게 와서 마음속에 품고 있던 것을 모두 물어보았다.
3 솔로몬은 여왕의 물음에 다 대답하였다.
그가 몰라서 여왕에게 답변하지 못한 것은 하나도 없었다.
4 스바 여왕은 솔로몬의 모든 지혜를 지켜보고 그가 지은 집을 보았다.
5 또 식탁에 오르는 음식과 신하들이 앉은 모습,
시종들이 시중드는 모습과 그들의 복장, 헌작 시종들,
그리고 주님의 집에서 드리는 번제물을 보고 넋을 잃었다.
6 여왕이 임금에게 말하였다.
“내가 임금님의 업적과 지혜에 관하여
내 나라에서 들은 소문은 과연 사실이군요.
7 내가 여기 오기 전까지는 그 소문을 믿지 않았는데,
이제 직접 보니, 내가 들은 이야기는 사실의 절반도 안 되는 것이었습니다.
임금님의 지혜와 영화는 내가 소문으로 듣던 것보다 훨씬 더 뛰어납니다.
8 임금님의 부하들이야말로 행복합니다.
언제나 임금님 앞에 서서 임금님의 지혜를 듣는
이 신하들이야말로 행복합니다.
9 주 임금님의 하느님께서 임금님이 마음에 드시어
임금님을 이스라엘의 왕좌에 올려놓으셨으니 찬미받으시기를 빕니다.
주님께서는 이스라엘을 영원히 사랑하셔서,
임금님을 왕으로 세워 공정과 정의를 실천하게 하셨습니다.”
10 그러고 나서 여왕은
금 백이십 탈렌트와 아주 많은 향료와 보석을 임금에게 주었다.
스바 여왕이 솔로몬 임금에게 준 것만큼 많은 향료는 다시 들어온 적이 없다.
복음
마르코. 7,14-23
그때에 14 예수님께서 군중을 가까이 불러 그들에게 말씀하셨다.
“너희는 모두 내 말을 듣고 깨달아라.
15 사람 밖에서 몸 안으로 들어가 그를 더럽힐 수 있는 것은 하나도 없다.
오히려 사람에게서 나오는 것이 그를 더럽힌다.”
(16)-17 예수님께서 군중을 떠나 집에 들어가시자, 제자들이 그 비유의 뜻을 물었다.
18 예수님께서 그들에게 대답하셨다.
“너희도 그토록 깨닫지 못하느냐? 밖에서 사람 안으로 들어가는 것은
무엇이든 그를 더럽힐 수 없다는 것을 알아듣지 못하느냐?
19 그것이 마음속으로 들어가지 않고
배 속으로 들어갔다가 뒷간으로 나가기 때문이다.”
예수님께서는 이렇게 모든 음식이 깨끗하다고 밝히신 것이다.
20 또 이어서 말씀하셨다. “사람에게서 나오는 것, 그것이 사람을 더럽힌다.
21 안에서 곧 사람의 마음에서 나쁜 생각들, 불륜, 도둑질, 살인,
22 간음, 탐욕, 악의, 사기, 방탕, 시기, 중상, 교만, 어리석음이 나온다.
23 이런 악한 것들이 모두 안에서 나와 사람을 더럽힌다.”
February 12, 2020
Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
1 Kgs 10:1-10
came to test him with subtle questions.
She arrived in Jerusalem with a very numerous retinue,
and with camels bearing spices,
a large amount of gold, and precious stones.
She came to Solomon and questioned him on every subject
in which she was interested.
King Solomon explained everything she asked about,
and there remained nothing hidden from him
that he could not explain to her.
When the queen of Sheba witnessed Solomon's great wisdom,
the palace he had built, the food at his table,
the seating of his ministers, the attendance and garb of his waiters,
his banquet service,
and the burnt offerings he offered in the temple of the LORD,
she was breathless.
"The report I heard in my country
about your deeds and your wisdom is true," she told the king.
"Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes,
I have discovered that they were not telling me the half.
Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard.
Blessed are your men, blessed these servants of yours,
who stand before you always and listen to your wisdom.
Blessed be the LORD, your God,
whom it has pleased to place you on the throne of Israel.
In his enduring love for Israel,
the LORD has made you king to carry out judgment and justice."
Then she gave the king one hundred and twenty gold talents,
a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones.
Never again did anyone bring such an abundance of spices
as the queen of Sheba gave to King Solomon.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 37:5-6, 30-31, 39-40
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 mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.
The mouth of the just man tells of wisdom
and his tongue utters what is right.
The law of his God is in his heart,
and his steps do not falter.
R. The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.
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 mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.
Gospel
Mk 7:14-23
"Hear me, all of you, and understand.
Nothing that enters one from outside can defile that person;
but the things that come out from within are what defile."
When he got home away from the crowd
his disciples questioned him about the parable.
He said to them,
"Are even you likewise without understanding?
Do you not realize that everything
that goes into a person from outside cannot defile,
since it enters not the heart but the stomach
and passes out into the latrine?"
(Thus he declared all foods clean.)
"But what comes out of the man, that is what defiles him.
From within the man, from his heart,
come evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder,
adultery, greed, malice, deceit,
licentiousness, envy, blasphemy, arrogance, folly.
All these evils come from within and they defile."
http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow
«Nothing that enters one from out¬side can make that person unclean»
Fr. Norbert ESTARRIOL i Seseras
(Lleida, Spain)
Today, Jesus teaches us that God made everything good. But our intentions —which are not always right— may contaminate what we do. This is why Jesus Christ says: «Nothing that enters one from outside can make that person unclean. It is what comes out from within that makes unclean» (Mk 7:15). The experience of the offence against God is very real. And we Christians can easily discover the evil's deep mark in a sin's enslaved world. The mission Jesus charges us with, is to clean —with the help of His grace— all this contamination men's bad intentions have spread all over the world.
The Lord wants all our activities to be carried out well: He expects us to show in them intensity, method, science, know-how, eagerness for perfection, not looking for anything else but reinstating God's plan for Creation. For God made everything for man's benefit: «Purity of intention. —You will always have it if, in everything you do, you only look forward to pleasing God» (Saint Josemaria).
only our will can spoil the Divine Plan. And we must watch that this is not so. Quite often we let in vanity, pride, despondency for lack of faith, impatience when our aims are not attained... This is why saint Gregory the Great warned us: «Be not seduced by any flattering prosperity, for only the foolish traveler stops along the way to admire the beautiful landscape while forgetting where he is heading for».
It will, therefore, be convenient to pay attention to how we offer our deeds to God, to always be aware of His presence and to frequently consider the Divine Filiation. Thus, all our days—through work and prayer— will be fortified and begin in our Lord, and whatever we start in his name will reach its desired ending.
For we can make great things if we realize that each one of our human actions is a co-redeemer when joined to deeds and actions of Christ.
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
“Though I did not believe the report until I came and saw with my own eyes…Your wisdom and prosperity surpass the report I heard…She was breathless…Sheba gave King Solomon one hundred and twenty gold talents, a very large quantity of spices, and precious stones….” 1 Kings 10; 1-10
one of the more intriguing stories in scripture. So much so, movies, and remakes of old movies have been made in the search of King Solomon’s mines! It captures what lengths people will go to obtain great wealth and prestige! Of course, the great romance is also left to one’s imagination.
Then, in the Gospel we hear Jesus being very direct coming from his own human experience. I would say Jesus had a rather earthy spirituality in his graphic description of our digestive system to make his point!
Our time and culture is very body oriented toward what we physically put into our bodies…e.g. health foods, nutrition, doctored energy drinks, sugar free, fat free, etc…Yet too, there are also other items we put into our bodies through harmful drug and alcohol abuse, smoking, vaping, snuffing, and more. True, too, our bodies have that great capacity to cleans itself and sometimes with our help. Yes, as Jesus says, what goes in, comes out! Our physical bodies are true gift to care for. But, how well do we do it because sometimes what goes into the body does “defile” it. It does desecrate or profane something sacred—our bodies—the dwelling place of God. What about what comes from our hearts?
Jesus juxtapositions the physical body with the heart which is the dwelling place of spirit, of Holy Wisdom. A conscience awareness of our relationship to body, spirit, and mind, I will add, is what Jesus, in rather strong language, directs us to. What makes us less human, less a people, are the “evil thoughts, unchastity, theft, murder, greed, malice, and more as listed in the Gospel. Yesterday we heard Jesus quote the prophet Isaiah, “his people honors me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” What comes out from our hearts is the concern of Jesus. What comes out from our hearts can either defile or bless.
What wisdom do we practice in the use of what we have? Our wealth, health, bodies and relationships? How do we discern the spirits in making choices about how we live and what to do with what we have? How do we discern or think before we speak or act.? What enamors us or captures us so completely that we would give an abundance, a lifetime, or life to obtain it? Good or evil? What do we give? What do we worship? What has become the new idols that give direction to our lives?
In a recent article by William T. Cavanaugh, Strange Gods, Idolatry in the Twenty-first Century, published in the January edition of Commonweal, writes, “Commodity fetishism is not simply an obsession with things. It is not materialism, but rather a kind of dematerialization. When use takes a back seat to exchange, commodities become vehicles for a flight into transcendence...Nike, for example, in an ad shows nothing but the swoosh and the words 'Write the Future.'”
Cavanaugh shares in his research that a 1901 advertising manual reports the results of mass production in writing “they have wants which they did not recognize before.” Have we left the high ground and wallow so low now to worship false gods, seek transcendence in manufactured items in and to the defilement of human nature? Humanity seems to be misplacing its true self for false gods.
Pope Francis from Evangelii Gaudium says, “We have created new idols. The worship of the ancient golden calf has returned in a new and ruthless guise in the idolatry of money and the dictatorship of an impersonal economy lacking a truly human purpose.”
Cavanaugh does end his article with hope. He calls for systemic changes to “free people from false worship.” While it seems to be an overwhelming task, he points to Jesus telling his disciples, “For mortals, it is impossible, but for God, All things are possible.” Remember too, Jesus tells us that anything we ask in his name, will be granted.
Solomon, if we read on, gets lost in his wealth, and turns to false gods and idols of his wives. Solomon does repent and experiences God’s mercy. Jesus through his life, death and resurrection tells us forgiveness, reconciliation, redemption and life are all possible. He is clear about the sacred and the profane.
I’d like to end with this reflection with the passage from 1 Peter, as I believe it captures Jesus’ message of today's Gospel in a positive way, as well as giving us a path for conversion and transformation.
“Finally, all of you, be like-minded, be sympathetic, love one another, be compassionate and humble. Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult. On the contrary, repay evil with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. For,
“Whoever would love life
and see good days
must keep their tongue from evil
and their lips from deceitful speech.
They must turn from evil and do good;
they must seek peace and pursue it.—1 Peter 3:8-11
Lent is not far off. Perhaps this is a bit of something for us to reflect about. It has been and is for me. Listen to Jesus for “The mouth of the just murmurs wisdom.” -Psalm 37
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
WISE MEN AND WOMEN STILL SEEK HIM | ||
| "The queen of Sheba, having heard of Solomon's fame, came...She arrived in Jerusalem." �1 Kings 10:1, 2 | ||
Jesus testified that the queen of Sheba, that is, "the queen of the South," "came from the farthest corner of the earth to listen to the wisdom of Solomon" (Mt 12:42). She had a strong desire to listen to the wisdom of Israel as spoken through Solomon (2 Chr 9:1-2). She willingly suffered the rigors, hardships, and expenses of long-distance travel in the arid, ancient world to find this wisdom (1 Kgs 10:1ff). Jesus approved of her quest, and inferred that she "will rise at the judgment" and find eternal life (Lk 11:31). Isaiah prophesied that "all from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord" (Is 60:6). In the spirit of their queen, the people of Sheba travel a long way to seek God's wisdom and bring Him gifts. Another group of travelers from the East later sought the Lord and His wisdom, and brought gifts of gold and frankincense (Mt 2:11). They also sought the Lord in the spirit of the queen of Sheba. They are known even today as "wise men." Their true wisdom comes not from their IQs, but because they were wise enough to seek God, no matter how difficult the journey. The above pilgrims spared no pains to seek God and His wisdom. They found what they were seeking (see Mt 7:7). By comparison, how much do we want God's wisdom? To seek God's wisdom today, we need only sit at home and read our Bibles or hop in our cars and go to Mass. Will we pay the price to seek God as they did? As Jesus commented, these travelers will rise at the judgment along with us. With Jesus, they will judge others (see Lk 11:31-32). How will they judge us? | ||
| Prayer: Father, may I spend everything to get wisdom (Prv 4:7). | ||
| Promise: "Commit to the Lord your way; trust in Him, and He will act." —Ps 37:5 | ||
| Praise: Joe and Marie began praying together for Wisdom and in the process the Lord renewed their marriage. |
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
"Out of the heart come evil thoughts"
Where does evil come from and how can we eliminate it from our personal lives? Jesus deals with this issue in response to the religious leaders' concern with ritual defilement (uncleanness) - making oneself unfit to offer acceptable worship and sacrifice to God. The religious leaders were very concerned with avoiding ritual defilement, some no doubt out of reverent fear of God, and others because they wanted to be seen as observant Jews. Jesus points his listeners to the source of true defilement - evil desires which come from inside a person's innermost being. Sin does not just happen from external forces. It first springs from the innermost recesses of our thoughts and intentions, from the secret desires which only the individual mind and heart can conceive.
God gives us his strength to resist sinful thoughts and desires
When Cain became jealous of his brother Abel, God warned him to guard his own heart: "Sin is couching at the door; it's desire is for you, but you must master it" (Genesis 4:7). Cain unfortunately did not take God's warning to heart. He allowed his jealousy to grow into spite and hatred for his brother, and he began to look for an opportunity to eliminate his brother all together. When jealously and other sinful desires come knocking at the door of your heart, how do you respond? Do you entertain them and allow them to overtake you? Fortunately God does not leave us alone in our struggle with hurtful desires and sinful tendencies. He gives us the grace and strength we need to resist and overcome sin when it couches at the door of our heart.
God's word has power to set us free to chose what is good and reject what is wrong
The Lord Jesus wants to set us free from the burden of guilt and from the destructive force of sin and wrong-doing in our personal lives. He wants to purify our hearts and renew our minds so we can freely choose to love and do what is right, good, just, and wise. The Lord Jesus is ready to change and purify our hearts through the grace and help of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Like a physician who probes the wound before treating it, God through his Word and Spirit first brings sin into the light that we may recognize it for what it truly is and call upon his mercy and grace for pardon, healing, and restoration. The Spirit of truth is our Counselor and Helper. His power and grace enables us to choose what is good and to reject what is evil. Do you believe in the power of God's love to heal, change, and transform your heart and mind?
"Lord Jesus, fill me with your Holy Spirit and make my heart like yours. Strengthen my heart, mind, and my will that I may freely choose to love what is good and to reject what is evil."
Psalm 37:5-6,30-31,39-40
5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act.
6 He will bring forth your vindication as the light, and your right as the noonday.
30 The mouth of the righteous utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks justice.
31 The law of his God is in his heart; his steps do not slip.
39 The salvation of the righteous is from the LORD; he is their refuge in the time of trouble.
40 The LORD helps them and delivers them; he delivers them from the wicked, and saves them, because they take refuge in him.
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: The cycle of bitterness broken by forbearance, by Tertullian, 160-225 A.D.
"Let us, then, his servants, follow our Lord and patiently submit to denunciations that we may be blessed! If, with slight forbearance, I hear some bitter or evil remark directed against me, I may return it, and then I shall inevitably become bitter myself. Either that, or I shall be tormented by unexpressed resentment. If I retaliate when cursed, how shall I be found to have followed the teaching of our Lord? For his saying has been handed down that one is defiled not by unclean dishes but by the words which proceed from his mouth ( Mark 7:15)." (excerpt from ON PATIENCE 8)
[Tertullian (160-225 AD) was an early Christian writer and theologian from Carthage in the Roman province of Africa. He was a noted early Christian apologist who defended Christianity and the practice of Christians against the reproaches of the pagans. He promoted the principle of freedom of religion as an inalienable human right and demanded a fair trial for Christians before they were condemned to death.]
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