June 16, 2020 Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
2020년 6월 16일 연중 제11주간 화요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
열왕기 상.21,17-29
나봇이 죽은 뒤에, 17 주님의 말씀이 티스베 사람 엘리야에게 내렸다.
“일어나 사마리아에 있는 이스라엘 임금 아합을 만나러 내려가거라.
그는 지금 나봇의 포도밭을 차지하려고 그곳에 내려가 있다.
19 그에게 이렇게 전하여라.
‘주님이 말한다. 살인을 하고 땅마저 차지하려느냐?’
그에게 또 이렇게 전하여라. ‘주님이 말한다.
개들이 나봇의 피를 핥던 바로 그 자리에서 개들이 네 피도 핥을 것이다.’”
20 아합 임금이 엘리야에게 말하였다. “이 내 원수! 또 나를 찾아왔소?”
엘리야가 대답하였다. “또 찾아왔습니다.
임금님이 자신을 팔면서까지 주님의 눈에 거슬리는 악한 짓을 하시기 때문입니다.
21 ‘나 이제 너에게 재앙을 내리겠다. 나는 네 후손들을 쓸어버리고,
아합에게 딸린 사내는 자유인이든 종이든 이스라엘에서 잘라 버리겠다.
22 나는 너의 집안을 느밧의 아들 예로보암의 집안처럼,
그리고 아히야의 아들 바아사의 집안처럼 만들겠다.
너는 나의 분노를 돋우고 이스라엘을 죄짓게 하였다.’
23 주님께서는 이제벨을 두고도,
‘개들이 이즈르엘 들판에서 이제벨을 뜯어 먹을 것이다.’ 하고 말씀하셨습니다.
24 ‘아합에게 딸린 사람으로서 성안에서 죽은 자는 개들이 먹어 치우고,
들에서 죽은 자는 하늘의 새가 쪼아 먹을 것이다.’”
25 아합처럼 아내 이제벨의 충동질에 넘어가 자신을 팔면서까지
주님의 눈에 거슬리는 악한 짓을 저지른 자는 일찍이 없었다.
26 아합은 주님께서 이스라엘 자손들 앞에서 쫓아내신 아모리인들이 한 그대로
우상들을 따르며 참으로 역겨운 짓을 저질렀다.
27 아합은 이 말을 듣자,
제 옷을 찢고 맨몸에 자루옷을 걸치고 단식에 들어갔다.
그는 자루옷을 입은 채 자리에 누웠고, 풀이 죽은 채 돌아다녔다.
28 그때에 티스베 사람 엘리야에게 주님의 말씀이 내렸다.
29 “너는 아합이 내 앞에서 자신을 낮춘 것을 보았느냐?
그가 내 앞에서 자신을 낮추었으니,
그가 살아 있는 동안에는 내가 재앙을 내리지 않겠다.
그러나 그의 아들 대에 가서 그 집안에 재앙을 내리겠다.”
복음
마태오.5,43-48
그때에 예수님께서 제자들에게 말씀하셨다.
43 “‘네 이웃을 사랑해야 한다.
그리고 네 원수는 미워해야 한다.’고 이르신 말씀을 너희는 들었다.
44 그러나 나는 너희에게 말한다. 너희는 원수를 사랑하여라.
그리고 너희를 박해하는 자들을 위하여 기도하여라.
45 그래야 너희가 하늘에 계신 너희 아버지의 자녀가 될 수 있다.
그분께서는 악인에게나 선인에게나 당신의 해가 떠오르게 하시고,
의로운 이에게나 불의한 이에게나 비를 내려 주신다.
46 사실 너희가 자기를 사랑하는 이들만 사랑한다면 무슨 상을 받겠느냐?
그것은 세리들도 하지 않느냐?
47 그리고 너희가 자기 형제들에게만 인사한다면,
너희가 남보다 잘하는 것이 무엇이겠느냐?
그런 것은 다른 민족 사람들도 하지 않느냐?
48 그러므로 하늘의 너희 아버지께서 완전하신 것처럼
너희도 완전한 사람이 되어야 한다.”
June 16, 2020
Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
After the death of Naboth the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite:
“Start down to meet Ahab, king of Israel,
who rules in Samaria.
He will be in the vineyard of Naboth,
of which he has come to take possession.
This is what you shall tell him,
‘The LORD says: After murdering, do you also take possession?
For this, the LORD says:
In the place where the dogs licked up the blood of Naboth,
the dogs shall lick up your blood, too.’”
Ahab said to Elijah, “Have you found me out, my enemy?”
“Yes,” he answered.
“Because you have given yourself up to doing evil in the LORD’s sight,
I am bringing evil upon you: I will destroy you
and will cut off every male in Ahab’s line,
whether slave or freeman, in Israel.
I will make your house like that of Jeroboam, son of Nebat,
and like that of Baasha, son of Ahijah,
because of how you have provoked me by leading Israel into sin.”
(Against Jezebel, too, the LORD declared,
“The dogs shall devour Jezebel in the district of Jezreel.”)
“When one of Ahab’s line dies in the city,
dogs will devour him;
when one of them dies in the field,
the birds of the sky will devour him.”
Indeed, no one gave himself up to the doing of evil
in the sight of the LORD as did Ahab,
urged on by his wife Jezebel.
He became completely abominable by following idols,
just as the Amorites had done,
whom the LORD drove out before the children of Israel.
When Ahab heard these words, he tore his garments
and put on sackcloth over his bare flesh.
He fasted, slept in the sackcloth, and went about subdued.
Then the LORD said to Elijah the Tishbite,
“Have you seen that Ahab has humbled himself before me?
Since he has humbled himself before me,
I will not bring the evil in his time.
I will bring the evil upon his house during the reign of his son.”
Responsorial Psalm
R. (see 3a)
Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
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. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Turn away your face from my sins,
and blot out all my guilt.
Free me from blood guilt, O God, my saving God;
then my tongue shall revel in your justice.
R. Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Gospel
Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
that you may be children of your heavenly Father,
for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good,
and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Do not the pagans do the same?
So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.”
http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
I read through these readings and began letting them simmer on May 28, 2020. Because I don’t pay enough attention to the news, not much was coming up (this was three days after the killing of George Floyd). Then, over the weekend, protests over police brutality against people of color were held all over the nation. On May 30 my phone alerted me not to go near the intersection of 72nd & Dodge (in Omaha) as protesters gathered in the Target parking lot there. On May 31 I learned that a black man had been shot and killed during that protest, and that pepper balls and tear gas had been used on protesters as police officers responded to the rocks, eggs, and other objects being thrown at them. On June 1, the conversation on our parish staff group text revolved around whether those who lived in the downtown area had a safe place to stay that night.
Today is June 2. Suddenly these readings seem very relevant. I’m ashamed that it took all that for me to see it.
Today’s first reading follows Ahab and Jezebel, just after they have killed Naboth and taken his vineyard. They killed him indirectly, with a false accusation of blasphemy and treason, inciting his own people to stone him. They did this because when they asked Naboth to give them his vineyard, he said no. The land was important to his heritage. That’s it. Ahab and Jezebel felt entitled to something that rightfully belonged to Naboth, but they couldn’t have what they wanted, so they killed Naboth and took it. Today Elijah calls them out on it, and Ahab identifies Elijah as his enemy. Elijah prophesies retribution on Ahab and Jezebel for their actions.
Ahab listens, and repents.
Would that we could hear the prophets of our own time with open hearts, especially when it is most difficult to listen to their words, without naming them our enemies. Would that even when we catch ourselves thinking of them as enemies, we could follow Jesus’ command to love them. Would that all of us who benefit from any kind of privilege could truly mean the words of Psalm 51, even if we did not build the system that benefits us, to atone for the suffering of those without the same privileges: “Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned. … For I have acknowledged my offense … Free me from my blood guilt, O God, my saving God; then shall my tongue revel in your justice.”
Jesus’ last words in the Gospel passage have always been difficult for me – the perfection of God is unattainable for us humans, right? But when paired with the Gospel acclamation verse, “Love one another as I have loved you,” the instruction to “be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect” is suddenly much more concrete. Don’t inflict violence on each other; instead, act for each other’s best interests, even to the point of giving your lives to save each other. It’s still a very tall order. But “love each other” is much easier than “be perfect.” In choosing to love one another, may we revel in God’s justice.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
WE KNOW BETTER THAN GOD?
“You have heard the commandment, ‘You shall love your countryman but hate your enemy.’ My command to you is: love your enemies, pray for your persecutors. This will prove that you are sons of your heavenly Father.” —Matthew 5:43-45
Jesus repeatedly commands us to love our enemies. This is the essence of Jesus’ teaching — not only because it is part of the Sermon on the Mount, but also because it is what Jesus did when He died for us on the cross.
Nonetheless, many people, including Christians, have ignored Jesus’ repeated commands to love their enemies. They dismiss the commands of the all-holy Son of God, Wisdom Himself (1 Cor 1:30), as being impractical. They assume that the all-knowing God doesn’t know the situation with their enemies. However, we should assume that the Lord’s knowledge is way beyond ours (Is 55:8-9) and that we should by faith love our enemies, even if we don’t understand Jesus’ commands. We should dismiss our insane idea that we are more practical than God and face the fact that we have little to show for our supposed practicality. “For God’s folly is wiser than men, and His weakness more powerful than men” (1 Cor 1:25).
If we are not obeying commands which are “over our heads,” aren’t we “doing our own thing” under the guise of Christianity, rather than obeying God? If we dismiss Jesus’ command to love our enemies, aren’t we making up our own religion? If we don’t try to accept God’s grace to obey every Word which comes forth from His mouth (Mt 4:4), where is the integrity of our faith and how can we expect to be taken seriously?
Prayer: Father, send the Holy Spirit to show me more of what’s at stake in obeying or disobeying Jesus’ command to love enemies.
Promise: “He fasted, slept in the sackcloth, and went about subdued.” —1 Kgs 21:27
Praise: Sarah prays daily for the conversion of unbelievers.
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
Love your enemies and pray for them
What makes the disciples of Jesus different from others and what makes Christianity distinct from any other religion? It is grace - treating others, not as they deserve, but as God wishes them to be treated - with loving-kindness, forbearance, and mercy. God is good to the unjust as well as the just. His love embraces saint and sinner alike. God seeks our highest good and teaches us to seek the greatest good of others, even those who hate and abuse us.
Overcome evil with good
Our love for others, even those who are ungrateful and selfish towards us, must be marked by the same kindness and mercy which God has shown to us. It is easier to show kindness and mercy when we can expect to benefit from doing so. How much harder when we can expect nothing in return. Our prayer for those who do us ill both breaks the power of revenge and releases the power of love to do good in the face of evil.
Christ's redeeming love and mercy frees us from all hatred and malice towards others
How can we possibly love those who cause us harm or ill-will? With God all things are possible. He gives power and grace to those who believe and accept the gift of the Holy Spirit. His love conquers all, even our hurts, fears, prejudices and griefs. Only the cross of Jesus Christ can free us from the tyranny of malice, hatred, revenge, and resentment and gives us the courage to return evil with good. Such love and grace has power to heal and to save from destruction. Do you know the power of Christ’s redeeming love and mercy?
Allow the Holy Spirit to change and transform the way you think, judge, and treat others
Was Jesus exaggerating when he said we must be perfect as our heavenly Father is perfect? The original meaning of "perfect" in Aramaic is "completeness" or "wholeness - not lacking in what is essential." God gives us every good gift in Jesus Christ so that we may not lack anything we need to do his will and to live as his sons and daughters (2 Peter 1:3). He knows our weakness and sinfulness better than we do. And he assures us of his love, mercy, and grace to follow in his ways. Do you want to grow in your love for God and for your neighbor? Ask the Holy Spirit to change and transform you in the image of the Father that you may walk in the joy and freedom of the Gospel.
"Lord Jesus, your love brings freedom and pardon. Fill me with your Holy Spirit and set my heart ablaze with your love that nothing may make me lose my temper, ruffle my peace, take away my joy, nor make me bitter towards anyone."
Psalm 146:1-2, 5-10
1 Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul!
2 I will praise the LORD as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have being.
5 Happy is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God,
6 who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them; who keeps faith for ever;
7 who executes justice for the oppressed; who gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets the prisoners free;
8 the LORD opens the eyes of the blind. The LORD lifts up those who are bowed down; the LORD loves the righteous.
9 The LORD watches over the sojourners, he upholds the widow and the fatherless; but the way of the wicked he brings to ruin.
10 The LORD will reign for ever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Pray for those who persecute you, by John Chrysostom, 347-407 A.D.
"For neither did Christ simply command to love but to pray. Do you see how many steps he has ascended and how he has set us on the very summit of virtue? Mark it, numbering from the beginning. A first step is not to begin with injustice. A second, after one has begun, is not to vindicate oneself by retaliating in kind. A third, to refuse to respond in kind to the one who is injuring us but to remain tranquil. A fourth, even to offer up one's self to suffer wrongfully. A fifth, to give up even more than the wrongdoer wishes to take. A sixth, to refuse to hate one who has wronged us. A seventh, even to love such a one. An eighth, even to do good to that one. A ninth, to entreat God himself on our enemy's behalf. Do you perceive how elevated is a Christian disposition? Hence its reward is also glorious. (excerpt from THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW, HOMILY 18.4)
More Homilies
June 19, 2018 Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
