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어릴 적에는 ‘예수님의 승천’을 동화 같은 이야기라 생각하였습니다. 예수님께서 슈퍼맨처럼 하늘로 올라가신다는 것이 참으로 신기했던 것입니다. ‘승천’이라는 말을 말 그대로 받아들였던 것입니다. 그러나 신학 공부를 하면서 오해였다는 사실을 깨달았습니다. ‘하늘’이 뜻하는 것을 과학적 의미에서 이해해야 할 것이 아니라, 신학적인 의미, 곧 상징적인 의미로 받아들여야 한다는 것을 배웠기 때문입니다. 러시아의 소련 시절에 우주선이 발사되었습니다. 사람들은 우주선의 조종사에게 그렇게 높은 하늘에 다녀온 소감을 물어보았습니다. 그는 이렇게 대답하였답니다. “하늘에 올라가 보았더니 하느님께서 계시지 않더군요.” 이 우주선 조종사 역시 ‘하늘에 계신 우리 아버지’라고 한 그 하늘을 과학적 의미로 생각하였기 때문입니다. 그러나 여기서 말하는 하늘은 초월적 세계를 가리킵니다. 곧 시간이나 공간의 한계를 뛰어넘는 곳입니다. 우리의 이성으로는 제대로 파악할 수 없는 세계입니다. 창조물의 세계가 아니라 창조자의 세계인 것입니다. 그렇다면 이제 예수님의 승천을 어떻게 알아들어야 할까요? 그분께서 하늘로 오르셨다는 것은 인간의 모습으로 오신 예수님께서 부활하신 뒤 전적으로 하느님의 세계에 오르셨음을 뜻합니다. 곧 예수님께서 참으로 하느님이심을, 그래서 본디의 당신 자리로 돌아가셨음을 단적으로 표현한 말이 ‘승천’입니다. 이러한 의미에서 볼 때 ‘승천’은 곧 ‘현양’입니다. 예수 그리스도께서 하느님의 높으신 자리로 현양되신 것입니다. |
May 12, 2013 Solemnity of the Ascension of the Lord
Reading 1 Acts 1,1-11
In the first book, Theophilus,I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up,after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen.He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered,appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God.While meeting with them,he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem,but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak;for John baptized with water,but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?”He answered them, It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority.But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you,and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem,throughout Judea and Samaria,and to the ends of the earth.When he had said this, as they were looking on,he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight.While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going,suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them.They said, “Men of Galilee,why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 47,2-3. 6-7. 8-9
R. (6) God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord.or:R. Alleluia. All you peoples, clap your hands,shout to God with cries of gladness,For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,is the great king over all the earth. R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. or:R. Alleluia. God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;the LORD, amid trumpet blasts. Sing praise to God, sing praise;sing praise to our king, sing praise. R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. or:R. Alleluia. For king of all the earth is God;sing hymns of praise.God reigns over the nations,God sits upon his holy throne. R. God mounts his throne to shouts of joy: a blare of trumpets for the Lord. or:R. Alleluia.
Reading 2 Eph 1,17-23
Brothers and sisters:May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him. May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones,and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe,in accord with the exercise of his great might:which he worked in Christ,raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens,far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion,and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come.And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church,which is his body,the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way.
Or Heb 9,24-28; 10,19-23
Christ did not enter into a sanctuary made by hands,a copy of the true one, but heaven itself,that he might now appear before God on our behalf. Not that he might offer himself repeatedly,as the high priest enters each year into the sanctuary with blood that is not his own;if that were so, he would have had to suffer repeatedly from the foundation of the world.But now once for all he has appeared at the end of the ages to take away sin by his sacrifice. Just as it is appointed that men and women die once,and after this the judgment, so also Christ,offered once to take away the sins of many,will appear a second time, not to take away sin but to bring salvation to those who eagerly await him. Therefore, brothers and sisters, since through the blood of Jesus we have confidence of entrance into the sanctuary by the new and living way he opened for us through the veil,that is, his flesh,and since we have Aa great priest over the house of God,let us approach with a sincere heart and in absolute trust,with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.Let us hold unwaveringly to our confession that gives us hope,for he who made the promise is trustworthy.
Gospel Lk 24,46-53
Jesus said to his disciples:Thus it is written that the Christ would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins,would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.And behold I am sending the promise of my Father upon you;but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.Then he led them out as far as Bethany,raised his hands, and blessed them.As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven.They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy,and they were continually in the temple praising God. |