March 21, 2020 Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
2020년 3월 21일 사순 제3주간 토요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
호세아 예언서. 6,1-6
1 자, 주님께 돌아가자.
그분께서 우리를 잡아 찢으셨지만 아픈 데를 고쳐 주시고
우리를 치셨지만 싸매 주시리라.
2 이틀 뒤에 우리를 살려 주시고 사흘째 되는 날에 우리를 일으키시어
우리가 그분 앞에서 살게 되리라.
3 그러니 주님을 알자. 주님을 알도록 힘쓰자.
그분의 오심은 새벽처럼 어김없다.
그분께서는 우리에게 비처럼, 땅을 적시는 봄비처럼 오시리라.
4 에프라임아, 내가 너희를 어찌하면 좋겠느냐?
유다야, 내가 너희를 어찌하면 좋겠느냐?
너희의 신의는 아침 구름 같고
이내 사라지고 마는 이슬 같다.
5 그래서 나는 예언자들을 통하여 그들을 찍어 넘어뜨리고
내 입에서 나가는 말로 그들을 죽여 나의 심판이 빛처럼 솟아오르게 하였다.
6 정녕 내가 바라는 것은 희생 제물이 아니라 신의다.
번제물이 아니라 하느님을 아는 예지다.
복음
루카. 18,9-14
그때에 9 예수님께서는 스스로 의롭다고 자신하며
다른 사람들을 업신여기는 자들에게 이 비유를 말씀하셨다.
10 “두 사람이 기도하러 성전에 올라갔다.
한 사람은 바리사이였고 다른 사람은 세리였다.
11 바리사이는 꼿꼿이 서서 혼잣말로 이렇게 기도하였다.
‘오, 하느님! 제가 다른 사람들,
강도 짓을 하는 자나 불의를 저지르는 자나 간음을 하는 자와 같지 않고
저 세리와도 같지 않으니, 하느님께 감사드립니다.
12 저는 일주일에 두 번 단식하고 모든 소득의 십일조를 바칩니다.’
13 그러나 세리는 멀찍이 서서 하늘을 향하여
눈을 들 엄두도 내지 못하고 가슴을 치며 말하였다.
‘오, 하느님! 이 죄인을 불쌍히 여겨 주십시오.’
14 내가 너희에게 말한다.
그 바리사이가 아니라 이 세리가 의롭게 되어 집으로 돌아갔다.
누구든지 자신을 높이는 이는 낮아지고
자신을 낮추는 이는 높아질 것이다.”
March 21, 2020
Saturday of the Third Week of Lent
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
Hos 6:1-6
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth."
What can I do with you, Ephraim?
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness
by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem;
Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Gospel
Lk 18:9-14
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
"Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity -
greedy, dishonest, adulterous - or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.'
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
'O God, be merciful to me a sinner.'
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow
«I tell you, when this man went down to his house, he had been set right with God»
Fr. Gavan JENNINGS
(Dublín, Ireland)
Today, Christ presents us with two men who, to a casual observer, might appear almost identical for they are in the same place doing the same thing, as both «went up to the Temple to pray» (Lk 18:10). But beyond appearances, at the deepest level of their personal consciences, both men differ radically: one, the Pharisee, has an easy conscience while the other, the tax collector, is racked by feelings of guilt.
Nowadays we tend to see guilt feelings as close to a psychological aberration: ‘beating oneself up over something’. Nevertheless the ‘guilt-racked’ tax-collector leaves the Temple in the better state for, «when this man went down to his house, he had been set right with God, but not the other» (Lk 18:14). «This feeling of guilt», writes Benedict XVI when he was still Cardinal Ratzinger ("Conscience and truth"), «disturbs the false calm of conscience and could be called conscience's complaint against my self-satisfied existence. It is as necessary for man as the physical pain which signifies disturbances of normal bodily functioning».
Jesus doesn’t lead us to believe that the Pharisee is not telling the truth when he says that he is not «grasping, crooked, adulterous» (Lk 18:11) and that he fasts and gives money to the Temple, nor that the tax-collector is delusional in thinking himself a sinner. This is not the question. Rather it is that «the Pharisee no longer knows that he too has guilt. He has a completely clear conscience. But this silence of conscience makes him impenetrable to God and men, while the cry of conscience which plagues the tax collector makes him capable of truth and love. Jesus can move sinners» (Benedict XVI).
******
«Whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised»
Fr. David COMPTE i Verdaguer
(Manlleu, Barcelona, Spain)
Today, in the midst of an image centered culture, this Gospel has a profound meaning. But let's take it one step at a time.
In the passage we are contemplating we see that in each person we can find a knot made of three strings. These three strings cannot be untangled unless each is taken into consideration at the same time. The first string relates to God; the second one to our fellowmen; and the third one to ourselves. Let us look carefully: those Jesus was addressing were «persons fully convinced of their own righteousness, who looked down on others» (Lk 18:9) but who, therefore, were not praying rightly. The three strings are always related to each other!
How can we properly put these relations into the right perspective? Which is the secret of untying that knot? The final conclusion of the sharp parable reveals it: humility. Saint Therese of Avila said it too: «Humility is truth».
It is true, though: humility allows us to recognize our own truth. Neither to swell with pride and vainglory nor to undermind us. Humility allows us to accept the gifts we receive from God as such, and to present him with our daily chores. Humility also allows us to recognize the qualities of our fellowmen. And even to be happy to discover them out.
Last but not least, a sense of humility must also be fundamental in our personal relationship with God. We must remember that, in Jesus' parable, the Pharisee lived a most righteous life; with his weekly religious practices and acts of charity! But he is not humble and that spoils all his other acts.
We are getting close to Holy Week. Soon we shall contemplate —once more!— Christ on the Cross: «Our Lord crucified is an unsurpassable testimony of patient loving and of humble meekness» (John Paul II). There, we shall see how, before Dimas' pleading —«Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom» (Lk 23:42)— the Lord responds with a “sudden canonization” without any precedent: «I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise» (Lk 23:43). That personage was a murderer who, before dying, was finally canonized by the very same Christ. It was a case hitherto unheard, for us, a consolation...: sanctity is not “manufactured” by us, but granted by God, if He finds our heart to be humble and converted.
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Today’s Gospel Lesson from Luke gave me pause. If I desire to be a person of true humility before God, I can close my eyes and put myself into memories of such grace. But in trying to describe these moments in words, I fall short, and wonder if trying to speak the humility turns the ｅxpression into self-exaltation! “Look at me – I’ve humbled myself a few times along the way – aren’t I special?” In Jesus’ parable, he explains: “for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
I’m not sure I have the capacity to be a person of humility all the time, or even most of the time. It’s easy to blame the hubris of being among a more fortunate economic class, or the consumerism or hedonism or any other of the -isms that are too prevalent in our world. But the truth runs much deeper than those excuses. So I pray and wonder... Does trying to be a person of humility count? Does living out what my grandmother taught me so well count: that I am special in God’s eyes, but no more special than any of my loud, crazy cousins and certainly no more so than any other child of God? Am I humble when I serve, or accept the help of others, or break bread with a family of very modest means – so much so that guilt creeps even as I’m humbled by their generosity? Do I practice Magis (the more)? Have I truly turned myself over to God?
Perhaps you, too, have seen the face of God in a chance encounter that called you (us) to nearly drop to your knees in gratitude. Perhaps you, too, have wondered at the many, many blessings you enjoy, knowing that your (our) sins, if matched line-by-line, would cause the balance sheet to tip toward the measure of ‘unworthy.’ Perhaps you, too, have felt shame for the moments that you (we) exalted, through words or deeds, self above other. If yes, then we are a pretty huge amalgamation of like-hearted souls.
So let us together, this Lenten season, endeavor to behave less often like the Pharisee who was self-aggrandizing, and more often like the tax collector, justified and exalted because of his acts of humility at the Temple. Thanks be to God!
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
ONLY THE HUMBLE LOVE THEMSELVES | ||
| "Everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled while he who humbles himself shall be exalted." �Luke 18:14 | ||
The Pharisee's prayer was not pleasing to the Lord because he was not humble. one sign of lacking humility is to compare ourselves with others. "The Pharisee with head unbowed prayed in this fashion: 'I give You thanks, O God, that I am not like the rest of men � grasping, crooked, adulterous � or even like this tax collector' " (Lk 18:11). It is obvious that to put others down to make ourselves look better is a comparison steeped in pride. However, it is also contrary to humility to compare ourselves unfavorably to others. To think that we aren't as good as someone else is not focusing on our God-given uniqueness, is not seeing ourselves the way the Lord wants us to see ourselves, and is not being humble. Humility is not humiliation. "With humility, have self-esteem; prize yourself as you deserve" (Sir 10:27). Humility is to see ourselves as utterly dependent on God and as redeemed, chosen, precious, priestly, and royal (see 1 Pt 2:9). Therefore, neither favorable nor unfavorable comparisons of ourselves with others are in accord with humility. Throughout the Lenten season and especially in Holy Week, we focus on the Passion and death of Jesus. Our meditation on the crucified Christ must not make us hate ourselves for sharing through our sins in such a despicable crime. Our focus on Christ crucified should fill us with thanksgiving that we are so loved and with awe that we are considered so precious by the Lord. Humble yourself to love yourself. | ||
| Prayer: Father, as I meditate on Your Son's Passion and crucifixion, send the Holy Spirit to teach me the meaning of humility. | ||
| Promise: "Let us know, let us strive to know the Lord; as certain as the dawn is His coming, and His judgment shines forth like the light of day!" —Hos 6:3 | ||
| Praise: Pete donates cash so as to remain anonymous. |
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
"God, be merciful to me a sinner!"
How can we know if our prayer is pleasing to God or not? The prophet Hosea, who spoke in God's name, said: "I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6). The prayers and sacrifices we make to God mean nothing to him if they do not spring from a heart of love for God and for one's neighbor. How can we expect God to hear our prayers if we do not approach him with humility and with a contrite heart that seeks mercy and forgiveness? We stand in constant need of God's grace and help. That is why Scripture tells us that "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34).
God hears the prayer of the humble
Jesus reinforced this warning with a vivid story of two people at prayer. Why did the Lord accept one person's prayer and reject the other's prayer? Luke gives us a hint: despising one's neighbor closes the door to God's heart. Expressing disdain and contempt for others is more than being mean-minded. It springs from the assumption that one is qualified to sit in the seat of judgment and to publicly shame those who do not conform to our standards and religious practices. Jesus' story caused offense to the religious-minded Pharisees who regarded "tax collectors" as unworthy of God's grace and favor. How could Jesus put down a "religious person" and raise up a "public sinner"?
Jesus' parable speaks about the nature of prayer and our relationship with God. It does this by contrasting two very different attitudes towards prayer. The Pharisee, who represented those who take pride in their religious practices, exalted himself at the expense of others. Absorbed with his own sense of self-satisfaction and self-congratulation, his boastful prayer was centered on his good religious practices rather than on God's goodness, grace, and pardon. Rather than humbling himself before God and asking for God's mercy and help, this man praised himself while despising those he thought less worthy. The Pharisee tried to justify himself before God and before those he despised; but only God can justify us. The tax collector, who represented those despised by religious-minded people, humbled himself before God and begged for mercy. His prayer was heard by God because he had true sorrow for his sins. He sought God with humility rather than with pride.
The humble recognize their need for God's mercy and help
This parable presents both an opportunity and a warning. Pride leads to self-deception and spiritual blindness. True humility helps us to see ourselves as we really are in God's eyes and it inclines us to seek God's help and mercy. God dwells with the humble of heart who recognize their own sinfulness and who acknowledge God's mercy and saving grace. I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit (Isaiah 57:15). God cannot hear us if we boast in ourselves and despise others. Do you humbly seek God's mercy and do you show mercy to others, especially those you find difficult to love and to forgive?
"Lord Jesus, may your love and truth transform my life - my inner thoughts, intentions, and attitudes, and my outward behavior, speech, and actions. Where I lack charity, kindness, and forbearance, help me to embrace your merciful love and to seek the good of my neighbor, even those who cause me ill-favor or offense. May I always love as you have loved and forgive others as you have forgiven."
Psalm 51:1-4, 16-19
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.
16 For you have no delight in sacrifice; were I to give a burnt offering, you would not be pleased.
17 The sacrifice acceptable to God is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
18 Do good to Zion in your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
19 then will you delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on your altar.
A Daily Quote for Lent: God's mercy is our only hope, by Augustine of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"Driven out of paradise by You and exiled in a distant land, I cannot return by myself unless You, O Lord, come to meet me in my wandering. My return is based on hope in your mercy during all of my earthly life. My only hope, the only source of confidence, and the only solid promise is your mercy." (excerpt from Commentary on Psalm 24,5)
More Homilies
