July 1, 2020 Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
2020년 7월 1일 연중 제13주간 수요일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
아모스 예언서 .5,14-15.21-24
14 너희는 악이 아니라 선을 찾아라. 그래야 살리라.
그래야 너희 말대로 주 만군의 하느님이 너희와 함께 있으리라.
15 너희는 악을 미워하고 선을 사랑하며 성문에서 공정을 세워라.
어쩌면 주 만군의 하느님이 요셉의 남은 자들에게 자비를 베풀지도 모른다.
주님께서 말씀하신다. 21 “나는 너희의 축제들을 싫어한다.
배척한다. 너희의 그 거룩한 집회를 반길 수 없다.
22 너희가 나에게 번제물과 곡식 제물을 바친다 하여도 받지 않고
살진 짐승들을 바치는 너희의 그 친교 제물도 거들떠보지 않으리라.
23 너희의 시끄러운 노래를 내 앞에서 집어치워라.
너희의 수금 소리도 나는 듣지 못하겠다.
24 다만 공정을 물처럼 흐르게 하고 정의를 강물처럼 흐르게 하여라.”
복음
마태오.8,28-34
예수님께서 호수 28 건너편 가다라인들의 지방에 이르셨을 때,
마귀 들린 사람 둘이 무덤에서 나와 그분께 마주 왔다.
그들은 너무나 사나워 아무도 그 길로 다닐 수가 없었다.
29 그런데 그들이 “하느님의 아드님, 당신께서 저희와 무슨 상관이 있습니까?
때가 되기도 전에 저희를 괴롭히시려고 여기에 오셨습니까?” 하고 외쳤다.
30 마침 그들에게서 멀리 떨어진 곳에 놓아 기르는 많은 돼지 떼가 있었다.
31 마귀들이 예수님께, “저희를 쫓아내시려거든
저 돼지 떼 속으로나 들여보내 주십시오.” 하고 청하였다.
32 예수님께서 “가라.” 하고 말씀하시자, 마귀들이 나와서 돼지들 속으로 들어갔다.
그러자 돼지 떼가 모두 호수를 향해 비탈을 내리 달려 물속에 빠져 죽고 말았다.
33 돼지를 치던 이들이 달아나 그 고을로 가서는,
이 모든 일과 마귀 들렸던 이들의 일을 알렸다.
34 그러자 온 고을 주민들이 예수님을 만나러 나왔다.
그들은 그분을 보고 저희 고장에서 떠나가 주십사고 청하였다.
July 1, 2020
Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
Seek good and not evil,
that you may live;
Then truly will the LORD, the God of hosts,
be with you as you claim!
Hate evil and love good,
and let justice prevail at the gate;
Then it may be that the LORD, the God of hosts,
will have pity on the remnant of Joseph.
I hate, I spurn your feasts, says the LORD,
I take no pleasure in your solemnities;
Your cereal offerings I will not accept,
nor consider your stall-fed peace offerings.
Away with your noisy songs!
I will not listen to the melodies of your harps.
But if you would offer me burnt offerings,
then let justice surge like water,
and goodness like an unfailing stream.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 50:7, 8-9, 10-11, 12-13, 16bc-17
R. (23b) To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Hear, my people, and I will speak;
Israel, I will testify against you;
God, your God, am I.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you,
for your burnt offerings are before me always.
I take from your house no bullock,
no goats out of your fold.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“For mine are all the animals of the forests,
beasts by the thousand on my mountains.
I know all the birds of the air,
and whatever stirs in the plains, belongs to me.”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“If I were hungry, I should not tell you,
for mine are the world and its fullness.
Do I eat the flesh of strong bulls,
or is the blood of goats my drink?”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
“Why do you recite my statutes,
and profess my covenant with your mouth,
Though you hate discipline
and cast my words behind you?”
R. To the upright I will show the saving power of God.
Gospel
When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes,
two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him.
They were so savage that no one could travel by that road.
They cried out, “What have you to do with us, Son of God?
Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time?”
Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding.
The demons pleaded with him,
“If you drive us out, send us into the herd of swine.”
And he said to them, “Go then!”
They came out and entered the swine,
and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea
where they drowned.
The swineherds ran away,
and when they came to the town they reported everything,
including what had happened to the demoniacs.
Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus,
and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.
http://evangeli.net/gospel/tomorrow
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Today’s readings begin with a simple command coupled with a promise: “Seek good and not evil, that you may live; Then truly will the LORD, the God of hosts, be with you as you claim!” The prophet Amos told the people to amend their ways. They claimed to be following God by doing ceremonial things, but their basic commitment to “seek[ing] good and not evil” required attention.
Deep thinkers are sometimes perplexed by seeking good. We can find guidance by looking to moral truths revealed in Scripture and taught by the Church. But there is also a sense in which categories of good and evil are already known to us, as our inner selves are attracted to good and repulsed by evil. Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI) described an “inner sense”, “something like an original memory of the true and the good” that God implanted in us, which he called anamnesis. (For further discussion, see David Schindler’s excellent article at 46:2 Communio 333 (Summer 2019)).
Anamnesis is found in passages such as Romans 2:14-15, where St. Paul describes the Gentiles who lacked the Scriptures as having moral law “written on their hearts, while their conscience also bears witness.” But we are not autonomous in this area; God’s gift requires formation in the context of “regular familial discussion” (Ratzinger), formation and training that the Church provides. Suppressing this inner witness and ignoring its formation leads us away from good and toward the evil that should repulse us. Despite professing good intentions, we can choose inferior ways that we think might make us more comfortable, but they are not good.
Today’s gospel illustrates such a choice by the Gadarenes. Biblical scholars debate the exact location of these events, but the text reveals some information. The population is probably Gentile. Swine were being kept in the area – something that observant Jews would not do. Two men were possessed by demons, living as savages among the tombs and harassing local travelers, including Jesus and his disciples. The demons recognized Jesus, calling him “Son of God”. Knowing that Jesus would save these men, they pleaded with him to send them into a herd of swine. Jesus responded simply: “Go then!” The demons left the men but caused the peaceful swine to plunge to their deaths. News spread quickly. “Thereupon, the whole town came out to meet Jesus, and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district.”
Like those demons, these townspeople recognized Jesus’ authority. They saw evidence from miraculous signs in which savage men were calmed and restored. But the local swine herd was decimated. Unlike other healing miracles, this miracle had also imposed costs. Surely other townspeople needed healing and restoration! But I think the townspeople worried about what other costs might be imposed if Jesus remained.
Amos’ admonition stings me. Doing ceremonial things is easier than following the inner witness to seek good and avoid evil. I also share the Gadarenes’ wariness of the Lord, keeping him at a distance because I fear what it might cost me, without recognizing that he alone is good. When we sin by suppressing the anamnesis, we deform our inner selves. Thanks be to God that the inner sense He implanted within us is still there, making us uncomfortable with our bad choices, drawing us to repentance!
God is good. He leads us to life in which truth, beauty, and goodness abound. The way of sin deforms us, keeping us burdened and in chains. Come near, Lord Jesus. Heal and restore our inner selves. Help us seek after you, who alone embody all that is good. Thanks be to God.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
“BAD TO THE BONE”
“Hate evil and love good, and let justice prevail.” —Amos 5:15
“Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil” (Is 5:20). The Lord wants us to “hate evil,” not to rename it by a more acceptable name (Am 5:15). The culture of death specializes in “spin” control, using smooth words to rename actions which are blatantly and objectively evil in the sight of God. Just because our society regards acts as acceptable and commonplace does not mean God no longer regards them as evil and wrong. Some examples of this are:
• We have a legal right to abort a “fetus.” God considers this evil the murder of a living child (see Ex 20:13).
• Those who support the evil of abortion are called by the supposedly “good” name of pro-choice.
• Homosexual acts are consistently presented in the Bible as abhorrent to the Lord (see Lv 18:22; Rm 1:24-32). Yet if anyone speaks this truth in public, he or she is instantly vilified as “homophobic.” In truth, it is evil and intolerant to disregard and shout down God’s good standards.
• Some corporations exploit the poor and uneducated, conscripting them to work for low wages in subhuman conditions. This injustice is called by the “good” names of maximizing profits and increasing shareholder value.
These are but a few examples of how our society warps God’s good and holy commands and twists them to appear restrictive, intolerant, and even evil. There can be only one future for “those who call evil good, and good evil,” and that is eternal woe (Is 5:20). Repent! “Make no mistake about it, no one makes a fool of God!” (Gal 6:7) “Seek good and not evil, that you may live” (Am 5:14).
Prayer: Jesus, give me Your mind (1 Cor 2:16) and standards.
Promise: “Let justice surge like water, and goodness like an unfailing stream.” —Am 5:24
Praise: St. Junipero founded nine missions in California.
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
Jesus frees those who are bound up
Do you ever feel driven by forces beyond your strength? Two men who were possessed and driven mad by the force of many evil spirits found refuge in the one person who could set them free. Both Mark and Luke in their Gospel accounts of this incident describe this demonic force as a legion (Mark 5:9 and Luke 8:30). A legion is no small force but an army 6,000 strong! For the people of Palestine who were often hemmed in by occupied forces, a legion - whether human or supernatural - struck terror! Legions at their wildest committed unmentionable atrocities. Our age has also witnessed untold crimes and mass destruction at the hands of possessed rulers and their armies.
No force can withstand Christ's power and authority
What is more remarkable - the destructive force of these driven and possessed men, or their bended knee at Jesus' feet imploring mercy and release (Luke 8:28)? God's word reminds us that no destructive force can keep anyone from the peace and safety which God offers to those who seek his help. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. ..Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your habitation (Psalm 91:7,9).
Jesus took pity on these men who were overtaken by a legion of evil spirits. The destructive force of these demons is evident for all who can see as they flee and destroy a herd of swine. After Jesus freed the demoniacs the whole city came out to meet him. No one had demonstrated such power and authority against the forces of Satan as Jesus did. They feared Jesus as a result and begged him to leave them. Why would they not want Jesus to stay? Perhaps the price for such liberation from the power of evil and sin was more than they wanted to pay.
Jesus will free us from anything that binds us
The Lord Jesus is ready and willing to free us from anything that binds us and that keeps us from the love of God. Are you willing to part with anything that might keep you from his love and saving power?
"Lord Jesus, unbind me that I may love you wholly and walk in the freedom of your way of love and holiness. May there be nothing which keeps me from the joy of living in your presence."
Psalm 34:6-12
6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of his troubles.
7 The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and delivers them.
8 O taste and see that the LORD is good! Happy is the man who takes refuge in him!
9 O fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him have no want!
10 The young lions suffer want and hunger; but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing.
11 Come, O sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the LORD.
12 What man is there who desires life, and covets many days, that he may enjoy good?
Daily Quote from the early church fathers: Christ is triumphant over the forces of demons, by Peter Chrysologus (400-450 AD)
"[Jesus] said to them, 'Go!' The foul-smelling animals are delivered up, not at the will of the demons but to show how savage the demons can become against humans. They ardently seek to destroy and dispossess all that is, acts, moves and lives. They seek the death of people. The ancient enmity of deep-rooted wrath and malice is in store for the human race. Demons do not give up easily unless they are forcibly overcome. They are doing the harm they are ordered to do. Therefore the foul-smelling animals are delivered up that it may be made clear to the demons that they have permission to enter the swine but not to enter humans. It is by our vices that we empower them to do harm. Similarly, by our power of faith we tread on the necks of demons. They become subject to us under Christ who is triumphant." (excerpt from SERMONS 16.8)
More Homilies
July 4, 2018 Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time