June 6, 2021 The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
2021년 6월 6일 그리스도의 성체 성혈 대축일
오늘의 복음 : http://info.catholic.or.kr/missa/default.asp
제1독서
<이는 주님께서 너희와 맺으신 계약의 피다.>
탈출기. 24,3-8
그 무렵 3 모세가 백성에게 와서 주님의 모든 말씀과 모든 법규를 일러 주었다.
그러자 온 백성이 한목소리로
“주님께서 하신 모든 말씀을 실행하겠습니다.” 하고 대답하였다.
4 모세는 주님의 모든 말씀을 기록하였다.
그는 다음 날 아침 일찍 일어나 산기슭에 제단을 쌓고,
이스라엘의 열두 지파에 따라 기념 기둥 열둘을 세웠다.
5 그는 이스라엘 자손들 가운데 몇몇 젊은이들을 그리로 보내어,
번제물을 올리고 소를 잡아 주님께 친교 제물을 바치게 하였다.
6 모세는 그 피의 절반을 가져다 여러 대접에 담아 놓고,
나머지 절반은 제단에 뿌렸다.
7 그러고 나서 계약의 책을 들고 그것을 읽어 백성에게 들려주었다.
그러자 그들은
“주님께서 말씀하신 모든 것을 실행하고 따르겠습니다.” 하고 말하였다.
8 모세는 피를 가져다 백성에게 뿌리고 말하였다.
“이는 주님께서 이 모든 말씀대로 너희와 맺으신 계약의 피다.”
제2독서
<그리스도의 피는 우리의 양심을 깨끗하게 할 것입니다.>
히브리서. 9,11-15
형제 여러분, 11 그리스도께서는
이미 이루어진 좋은 것들을 주관하시는 대사제로 오셨습니다.
그분께서는 사람 손으로 만들지 않은,
곧 이 피조물에 속하지 않는 더 훌륭하고 더 완전한 성막으로 들어가셨습니다.
12 염소와 송아지의 피가 아니라 당신의 피를 가지고
단 한 번 성소로 들어가시어 영원한 해방을 얻으셨습니다.
13 염소와 황소의 피, 그리고 더러워진 사람들에게 뿌리는 암송아지의 재가
그들을 거룩하게 하여 그 몸을 깨끗하게 한다면,
14 하물며 영원한 영을 통하여 흠 없는 당신 자신을
하느님께 바치신 그리스도의 피는
우리의 양심을 죽음의 행실에서 얼마나 더 깨끗하게 하여
살아 계신 하느님을 섬기게 할 수 있겠습니까?
15 그러므로 그리스도께서는 새 계약의 중개자이십니다.
첫째 계약 아래에서 저지른 범죄로부터 사람들을 속량하시려고
그분께서 돌아가시어, 부르심을 받은 이들이
약속된 영원한 상속 재산을 받게 해 주셨기 때문입니다.
복음
<이는 내 몸이다. 이는 내 피다.>
마르코. 14,12-16.22-26
12 무교절 첫날 곧 파스카 양을 잡는 날에 제자들이 예수님께,
“스승님께서 잡수실 파스카 음식을
어디에 가서 차리면 좋겠습니까?” 하고 물었다.
13 그러자 예수님께서 제자 두 사람을 보내며 이르셨다.
“도성 안으로 가거라.
그러면 물동이를 메고 가는 남자를 만날 터이니 그를 따라가거라.
14 그리고 그가 들어가는 집의 주인에게,
‘스승님께서 ′내가 제자들과 함께 파스카 음식을 먹을 내 방이 어디 있느냐?′
하고 물으십니다.’ 하여라.
15 그러면 그 사람이 이미 자리를 깔아 준비된 큰 이층 방을 보여 줄 것이다.
거기에다 차려라.”
16 제자들이 떠나 도성 안으로 가서 보니, 예수님께서 일러 주신 그대로였다.
그리하여 그들은 파스카 음식을 차렸다.
22 그들이 음식을 먹고 있을 때에 예수님께서 빵을 들고 찬미를 드리신 다음,
그것을 떼어 제자들에게 주시며 말씀하셨다.
“받아라. 이는 내 몸이다.”
23 또 잔을 들어 감사를 드리신 다음 제자들에게 주시니 모두 그것을 마셨다.
24 그때에 예수님께서 그들에게 이르셨다.
“이는 많은 사람을 위하여 흘리는 내 계약의 피다.
25 내가 진실로 너희에게 말한다.
내가 하느님 나라에서 새 포도주를 마실 그날까지,
포도나무 열매로 빚은 것을 결코 다시는 마시지 않겠다.”
26 그들은 찬미가를 부르고 나서 올리브 산으로 갔다.
June 6, 2021
The Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ
Daily Mass : http://www.catholictv.com/shows/daily-mass
Reading 1
Ex 24:3-8
When Moses came to the people
and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD,
they all answered with one voice,
"We will do everything that the LORD has told us."
Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and,
rising early the next day,
he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar
and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel .
Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites
to offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls
as peace offerings to the LORD,
Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls;
the other half he splashed on the altar.
Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people,
who answered, "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do."
Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying,
"This is the blood of the covenant
that the LORD has made with you
in accordance with all these words of his."
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18
R. (13) I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
How shall I make a return to the LORD
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or:
R. Alleluia.
Brothers and sisters:
When Christ came as high priest
of the good things that have come to be,
passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle
not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation,
he entered onc e for all into the sanctuary,
not with the blood of goats and calves
but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption.
For if the blood of goats and bulls
and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes
can sanctify those who are defiled
so that their flesh is cleansed,
how much more will the blood of Christ,
who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God,
cleanse our consciences from dead works
to worship the living God.
For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant:
since a death has taken place for deliverance
from transgressions under the first covenant,
those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.
Gospel
Mk 14:12-16, 22-26
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,
Jesus' disciples said to him,
"Where do you want us to go
and prepare for you to eat the Passover?"
He sent two of his disciples and said to them,
"Go into the city and a man will meet you,
carrying a jar of water.
Follow him.
Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,
'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room
where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"'
Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.
Make the preparations for us there."
The disciples then went off, entered the city,
and found it just as he had told them;
and they prepared the Passover.
While they were eating,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, gave it to them, and said,
"Take it; this is my body."
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,
and they all drank from it.
He said to them,
"This is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed for many.
Amen, I say to you,
I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God ."
Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives .
http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
As we celebrate the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ this year, I am mindful of the tremendous deprivation that Catholics have experienced over the last 15 months, at least in our part of the United States. A deprivation of celebration of the Eucharist and especially its culmination in the meal of the gifts of consecrated Bread and Wine that bind us so closely to one another as the Body of Christ. Unable to gather in person, sing the praises of God, hear the word proclaimed in person, and of course sharing in the mystery of death and resurrection through the pattern that Jesus gave us in his meal ministry of reconciliation have all been the elements of this sacrifice.
Indeed, many parishes across this country watched the actual celebration of the Eucharist by a priest and possibly a small group of masked ministers through the electronic medium of video. But observing the celebration by a priest at a distance and physically participating in the Eucharist together are as different as observing a group of friends or colleagues eat a delicious meal in the house while we stand outside looking in the window. Technology can assist us a way of hearing the word proclaimed, but whether we said prayers along with the priest or simply listened to him say the words of Consecration, we were not celebrating the Eucharist, we were watching someone “say” the words and consume the food – all of it – while we looked on starving.
Later in the COVID Pandemic it was possible by observing social distancing, and wearing masks, to care for God’s people and begin to return to the Eucharist in small assemblies. Still missing however, was the wondrous gift of consuming each of the forms of Eucharist (Consecrated Bread and Consecrated Wine). This action of Eating and Drinking the has not always been well understood or practiced, but each of the forms of the Eucharist (both Bread and Wine) help us to enter the mystery both differently and more fully.
Today’s first reading from the Book of Exodus gives us ancient background for the importance of the Precious Blood as its own form of Eucharist. The passage recounts how Moses sends members of the people to slaughter cattle for a feast. The blood was taken from the animals, and Moses used it to ritually connect the table of the Feast (God) with the food sacrificed (the ordinary life resources of the community).
The Second Reading from the Book of Hebrews states clearly that Jesus took on the role of the Blood (that which bound the community to God) in His Divine and human personhood. Thus, we don’t sacrifice the blood of animals now, but we offer the daily life of our hands in the forms of bread and wine. God takes that gift and unites it perfectly to Jesus’ sacrifice of his own life cross for the salvation of the Many. If we have been Baptized into the Body of Christ then we must serve the world in the way that Jesus did and does through us, united together by our priest presider.
Finally, the Gospel of Mark witnesses to the last supper and what Jesus and the disciples were saying and doing. Take and eat; take and drink – Christ’s Body and the Blood of the Covenant to do God’s Will.
Today it is clear that for the good of all of God’s people it was necessary that we deprive ourselves of participation in the Eucharist for however long we had to. Other means of giving our lives in service for the sake of “the many” were practiced by those who wore masks, remained socially distant and exercised other required or recommended precautions. Being vaccinated, when health allows it, is one more step toward reverencing the whole Body of Christ. Furthermore, it is the means by which we will be able to be fully restored to the community’s practice of the Eucharist by Eating and Drinking that Jesus invited us to in the Last Supper.
http://www.presentationministries.com/obob/obob.asp
BLOOD-COVENANT AND COMMUNION
“This is My blood, the blood of the covenant.” —Mark 14:24
At the Last Supper, Jesus made a covenant with us through His blood. Within the next twenty-four hours, Jesus “poured out” His blood on Calvary (Mk 14:24). This reminds us of the pouring out, even splashing, of the blood of the animal sacrifices on the altar in the Temple (see Lv 17:6). Poured-out blood is a dramatic, sensory expression of total commitment to the Lord.
The writer of Hebrews pictures the blood of the covenant not being splashed but being applied as a cleansing agent. Christ’s blood cleanses “our consciences from dead works to worship the living God” (Heb 9:14). Covenant blood is used for the repentance and forgiveness of sins.
Moses made a blood-covenant between the Lord and the Israelites by sprinkling the blood of the animal sacrifices on the people. (Imagine drops of blood falling on your arms, in your face, and in your hair.) This sprinkled blood represented a covenant of obedience, for, before the sprinkling of the blood, the people promised: “All that the Lord has said, we will heed and do” (Ex 24:7, 3).
When we receive Holy Communion, we are covenanting to pour out our lives in total love for the Lord, to repent of our sins, be washed in His blood (see Rv 7:14), and to obey the Lord in every detail of our lives. Make a blood-covenant in Holy Communion today on this feast of Corpus Christi.
Prayer: Jesus, may I desire to receive You in Holy Communion every day for the rest of my life.
Promise: “This is My body.” —Mk 14:22
Praise: “Is not the cup of blessing we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ?” (1 Cor 10:16) Praise You, risen Jesus!
http://dailyscripture.servantsoftheword.org/readings/
Mark 3:20-21] Is the Lord Jesus honored in your home? Why would Jesus' relatives be so upset with him when he began his public ministry? On one occasion Jesus remarked that a man's enemies will be the members of his own household (Matthew 10:36). The Gospel of Mark records the reaction of Jesus' relatives when he went home: they came to seize him. They, no doubt, thought that Jesus must have gone mad or become a religious fanatic. How could a good home-body from Nazareth leave his father's carpentry trade and go off to become a traveling preacher?
Jesus had thrown away the security and safety of a quiet and respectable life close to his family and relatives. He, undoubtedly, expected opposition from the Jewish authorities. The hardest opposition, however, may come from someone close to us, even your own kin. Jesus met opposition with grace and with determination to fulfill his Father's will. Are you ready to obey and follow the Lord even if others oppose your doing so?
"Lord Jesus, may I always put you first and find joy in doing your will. May your love and charity grow in me, especially in the face of opposition and adversity."
[Mark 3:22-30] When danger lurks, what kind of protection do you seek? Jesus came to free us from the greatest danger of all - the corrupting force of evil which destroys us from within and makes us slaves to sin and Satan (John 8:34). Evil is not an impersonal force that just happens. It has a name and a face and it seeks to master every heart and soul on the face of the earth (1 Peter 5:8-9). Scripture identifies the Evil One by many names, 'Satan', 'Beelzebul - the prince of demons', the 'Devil', the 'Deceiver', the 'Father of Lies', and 'Lucifier', the fallen angel who broke rank with God and established his own army and kingdom in opposition to God. Jesus declared that he came to overthrow the power of Satan and his kingdom (John 12:31).
Jesus' numerous exorcisms brought freedom to many who were troubled and oppressed by the work of evil spirits. Jesus himself encountered personal opposition and battle with Satan when he was put to the test in the wilderness just before his public ministry (Matthew 4:1; Luke 4:1). He overcame the Evil One through his obedience to the will of his Father.
Some of the Jewish leaders reacted vehemently to Jesus' healings and exorcisms and they opposed him with malicious slander. How could Jesus get the power and authority to release individuals from Satan's influence and control? They assumed that he had to be in league with Satan. They attributed his power to Satan rather than to God. Jesus asserts that no kingdom divided against itself can survive for long.
We have witnessed enough civil wars in our own time to prove the destructive force at work here for the annihilation of whole peoples and their land. If Satan lends his power against his own forces then he is finished. Cyril of Alexandria, a 5th century church father explains the force of Jesus' argument:
Kingdoms are established by the fidelity of subjects and the obedience of those under the royal scepter. Houses are established when those who belong to them in no way whatsoever thwart one another but, on the contrary, agree in will and deed. I suppose it would establish the kingdom too of Beelzebub, had he determined to abstain from everything contrary to himself. How then does Satan cast out Satan? It follows then that devils do not depart from people on their own accord but retire unwillingly. 'Satan,' he says, 'does not fight with himself.' He does not rebuke his own servants. He does not permit himself to injure his own armor-bearers. On the contrary, he helps his kingdom. 'It remains for you to understand that I crush Satan by divine power.' [Commentary on Luke, Homily 80]
Jesus asserted his authority to cast out demons as a clear demonstration of the reign of God. God's power is clearly at work in the exorcisms which Jesus performed and they give evidence that God's kingdom has come.
What kind of spiritual danger or harm should we avoid at all costs? Jesus used the illustration of a strong man whose house and possessions were kept secure. How could such a person be overtaken and robbed of his goods except by someone who is stronger than himself? Satan, who is our foe and the arch-enemy of God, is stronger than us. Unless we are clothed in God's strength, we cannot withstand Satan with our own human strength.
What does Satan wish to take from us - our faith and confidence in God and our allegiance to follow God's law. Satan is a rebel and a liar. Satan can only have power or dominion over us if we listen to his lies and succumb to his will which is contrary to the will of God. Jesus makes it clear that there are no neutral parties in this world. We are either for Jesus or against him, for the kingdom of God or against it. There are two kingdoms in opposition to one another - the kingdom of God's light and truth and the kingdom of darkness and deception under the rule of Satan. If we disobey God's word, we open to door to the power of sin and Satan's influence in our lives. If we want to live in true freedom from the power of sin and Satan, then our "house" - our mind and heart and whatever we allow to control our appetites and desires - must be occupied and ruled by Jesus Christ where he is enthroned as Lord and Savior. Do you know the peace and security of a life submitted to God and to his word?
What is the unforgivable sin which Jesus warns us to avoid? Jesus knows that his disciples will be tested and he assures them that the Holy Spirit will give them whatever grace and help they need in their time of adversity. He warns them, however, that it's possible to spurn the grace of God and to fall into apostasy (giving up the faith) out of cowardice or disbelief. Why is blasphemy against the Holy Spirit reprehensible? Blasphemy consists in uttering against God, inwardly or outwardly, words of hatred, reproach, or defiance. It's contrary to the respect due God and his holy name. Jesus speaks of blaspheming against the Holy Spirit as the unforgivable sin. Jesus spoke about this sin immediately after the scribes and Pharisees had attributed his miracles to the work of the devil instead of to God. A sin can only be unforgivable if repentance is impossible. If someone repeatedly closes their eyes to God, shuts their ears to his voice, and reject his word, they bring themselves to a point where they can no longer recognize God when he can be seen and heard. They become spiritually blind-sighted and speak of "evil as good and good as evil" (Isaiah 5:20).
To fear such a state of sin and spiritual blindness, however, signals that one is not dead to God and is conscious of the need for God's grace, mercy, and help. There are no limits to the mercy of God, but anyone who refuses to acknowledge and confess their sins and to ask God for forgiveness, spurns God's generous offer of mercy, pardon, grace, and healing. Through their own stubborn pride and willfullness, they reject God, refuse his grace and help to turn away from sin, and reject the transforming power of the Holy Spirit to heal and restore them to wholeness. God always gives sufficient grace and help to all who humbly call upon him. Giving up on God and refusing to turn away from sin and disbelief results from pride and the loss of hope in God.
What is the basis of our hope and confidence in God? Through Jesus' death on the cross and his victory over the grave when he rose again on the third day, Satan has been defeated and death has been overcome. We now share in Christ's victory over sin and Satan and receive adoption as God's sons and daughters. Through the gift of the Holy Spirit, the Lord enables us to live a new life of love and freedom from slavery to sin. The Lord Jesus is our refuge and strength because he makes his home with us (John 15:4) and gives us the power and help of the Holy Spirit. Do you take refuge in the Lord and allow him to be the Ruler of your life?
"Lord Jesus, you are my hope and salvation. Be the ruler of my heart and the master of my home. May there be nothing in my life that is not under your lordship."
[Mark 3:31-35] Who do you love and cherish the most? God did not intend for us to be alone, but to be with others. He gives us many opportunities for developing relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and co-workers. Why did Jesus, on this occasion, seem to ignore his own relatives when they pressed to see him? His love and respect for his mother and his relatives was unquestionable. Jesus never lost an opportunity to teach his disciples a spiritual lesson and truth about the kingdom of God. On this occasion when many gathered to hear Jesus he pointed to another higher reality of relationships, namely our relationship with God and with those who belong to God.
What is the essence of being a Christian? It is certainly more than doctrine, precepts, and commandments. It is first and foremost a relationship - a relationship of trust, affection, commitment, loyalty, faithfulness, kindness, thoughtfulness, compassion, mercy, helpfulness, encouragement, support, strength, protection, and so many other qualities that bind people together in mutual love and unity. God offers us the greatest of relationships - union of heart, mind, and spirit with himself, the very author and source of love (1 John 4:8,16). God's love never fails, never forgets, never compromises, never lies, never lets us down nor disappoints us. His love is consistent, unwavering, unconditional, and unstoppable. Nothing can deter him from ever leaving us, ignoring us, or treating us unkindly. He will love us no matter what. It is his nature to love. That is why he created us - to be united with him and to share in his love and unity of persons (1 John 3:1). God is a trinity of three divine persons - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - and a community of love. That is why Jesus challenged his followers and even his own earthly relatives to recognize that God is the true source of all relationships. God wants all of our relationships to be rooted in his love.
Jesus is God's love incarnate - God's love made visible in human flesh (1 John 4:9-10). That is why Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd who lays down his life for his sheep and the shepherd who seeks out the sheep who have strayed and lost their way. God is like the father who yearns for his prodigal son to return home and then throws a great party for his son when he has a change of heart and comes back (Luke 15:11-32). Jesus offered up his life on the cross for our sake, so that we could be forgiven and restored to unity and friendship with God. It is through Jesus that we become the adopted children of God - his own sons and daughters. That is why Jesus told his disciples that they would have many new friends and family relationships in his kingdom. Whoever does the will of God is a friend of God and a member of his family - his sons and daughters who have been ransomed by the precious blood of Christ.
An early Christian martyr once said that "a Christian's only relatives are the saints" - namely those who have been redeemed by the blood of Christ and adopted as sons and daughters of God. Those who have been baptized into Jesus Christ and who live as his disciples enter into a new family, a family of "saints" here on earth and in heaven. Jesus changes the order of relationships and shows that true kinship is not just a matter of flesh and blood. Our adoption as sons and daughters of God transforms all of our relationships and requires a new order of loyalty to God first and to his kingdom of righteousness and peace. Do you want to grow in love and friendship? Allow God's Holy Spirit to transform your heart, mind, and will to enable you to love freely and generously as he loves.
Heavenly Father, you are the source of all true friendship and love. In all my relationships, may your love be my constant guide for choosing what is good and for rejecting what is contrary to your will.
Psalm 130:1-8
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD!
2 Lord, hear my voice! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications!
3 If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand?
4 But there is forgiveness with you, that you may be feared.
5 I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I hope;
6 my soul waits for the LORD more than watchmen for the morning, more than watchmen for the morning.
7 O Israel, hope in the LORD! For with the LORD there is steadfast love, and with him is plenteous redemption.
Daily Quote from the Early Church Fathers: The strong man bound, by Irenaeus, 135-202 A.D.
"The adversary enticed humanity to transgress our maker's law, and thereby got us into his clutches (Genesis 3:1-6). Yet his power consisted only in tempting the human will toward trespass and apostasy. With these chains he bound up the human will. This is why in the economy of salvation it was necessary that he be bound with the same chains by which he had bound humanity. It would be through a man that humanity would be set free to return to the Lord (Romans 5:18), leaving the adversary in those bonds by which he himself had been fettered, that is, sin. For when Satan is bound, man is set free; since 'none can enter a strong man's house and spoil his goods, unless he first bind the strong man himself' (Matthew 12:29; Mark 3:27). It is in this way that he became exposed as the opposer of the Word who made all things, and subdued by his command. The new man showed him to be a fugitive from the law, and an apostate from God. He then was securely bound as a fugitive, and his goods hauled away. These goods are those who had been in bondage, whom he had unjustly used for his own purposes. So it was a just means by which he was led captive, who had led humanity into captivity unjustly. In this way humanity was rescued from the clutches of its possessor by the tender mercy of God the Father, who had compassion on his own handiwork, and gave to it salvation, restoring it by means of the Word, Christ, in order that humanity might learn from this actual event that they receive incorruptibility not of themselves, but by the free gift of God" (Romans 5:16). (excerpt from AGAINST HERESIES 5.21.3.29)
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