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예수님께서 열두 제자를 뽑으시며 더러운 영들에 대한 권한을 주시고 사람들을 고쳐 주게 하셨습니다. 그리고 제자들에게 “이스라엘 집안의 길 잃은 양들에게 가라.” 하고 말씀하십니다. 이스라엘에서 길 잃은 양이란 당시 사회의 기득권과 정통성에서 벗어나 변방에서 고통 받는 사람들을 말합니다. 자신의 힘만으로 생계유지가 어려운 가난한 이들, 창녀, 세리, 목동, 고리대금업자 등 죄인 취급을 받는 사람들, 죄 때문에 벌을 받는다고 생각하는 병든 이들, 바로 이들이 예수님께서 제자들에게 찾아가라고 하셨던 길 잃은 양들입니다. 우리 시대의 ‘길 잃은 양’은 누구일까요? 우리가 종종 본당에서 말하듯 단순히 비신자나 냉담 교우만을 말하지 않습니다. 우리 사회에는 말 못할 아픔을 안고 사는 사람이 참 많습니다. 죄인 취급을 당하며 살아야 하는 에이즈 환자들, 동성애자들, 인종적 차별을 받는 이주 노동자들, 성 폭행과 폭력으로 수치심을 안고 살아가는 사람들, 과거 범죄로 전과자가 된 사람들, 가정이 무너진 사람들, 조당에 걸려 교회 생활을 정상적으로 하지 못하는 사람들, 헤아릴 수 없는 많은 이들이 우리 시대의 ‘길 잃은 양’입니다. 우리 교회가 가지고 있는 교회법은 성(聖)과 속(俗), 선한 사람과 죄인을 경계 지으려고 마련된 것이 아닙니다. 하느님 뜻에 맞갖은 삶을 살도록 하는 윤리적 질서를 위해 마련되었지만 그 법의 뿌리는 하느님 사랑에 있습니다. 사회적 편견과 법의 잣대보다는 사랑의 시선이 더 근본적으로 필요합니다. 오늘 예수님께서 ‘길 잃은 양들’에게 제자들을 파견하신 이유입니다. |
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가나안을 비롯하여 온 땅에 기근이 퍼지자, 온 세상 사람이 곡식을 사려고 요셉에게 몰려듭니다. 요셉을 이집트로 팔아넘긴 이스라엘 집안 요셉의 형들도 이집트로 양식을 사러 옵니다. 요셉이 어떻게 기근에서 이스라엘 집안을 구원하는지를 보여 주는 대목입니다(제1독서). 예수님께서는 열두 제자를 불러 마귀를 쫓아내는 권한을 주시고 이스라엘의 길 잃은 양들을 위해 파견하십니다. 예수님께서는 오늘도 우리를 길 잃은 양들에게 파견하고 계십니다(복음). |
July 6, 2011
Wednesday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Gn 41:55-57; 42:5-7a, 17-24a When hunger came to be felt throughout the land of Egypt and the people cried to Pharaoh for bread, Pharaoh directed all the Egyptians to go to Joseph and do whatever he told them. When the famine had spread throughout the land, Joseph opened all the cities that had grain and rationed it to the Egyptians, since the famine had gripped the land of Egypt. In fact, all the world came to Joseph to obtain rations of grain, for famine had gripped the whole world.
The sons of Israel were among those who came to procure rations.
It was Joseph, as governor of the country, who dispensed the rations to all the people. When Joseph’s brothers came and knelt down before him with their faces to the ground, he recognized them as soon as he saw them. But Joseph concealed his own identity from them and spoke sternly to them.
With that, he locked them up in the guardhouse for three days.
On the third day Joseph said to his brothers: “Do this, and you shall live; for I am a God-fearing man. If you have been honest, only one of your brothers need be confined in this prison, while the rest of you may go and take home provisions for your starving families. But you must come back to me with your youngest brother. Your words will thus be verified, and you will not die.” To this they agreed. To one another, however, they said: “Alas, we are being punished because of our brother. We saw the anguish of his heart when he pleaded with us, yet we paid no heed; that is why this anguish has now come upon us.” Reuben broke in, “Did I not tell you not to do wrong to the boy? But you would not listen! Now comes the reckoning for his blood.” The brothers did not know, of course, that Joseph understood what they said, since he spoke with them through an interpreter. But turning away from them, he wept.
R. (22) Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you. Give thanks to the LORD on the harp; with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises. Sing to him a new song; pluck the strings skillfully, with shouts of gladness. R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you. The LORD brings to nought the plans of nations; he foils the designs of peoples. But the plan of the LORD stands forever; the design of his heart, through all generations. R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you. But see, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him, upon those who hope for his kindness, To deliver them from death and preserve them in spite of famine. R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Jesus summoned his Twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits to drive them out and to cure every disease and every illness. The names of the Twelve Apostles are these: first, Simon called Peter, and his brother Andrew; James, the son of Zebedee, and his brother John; Philip and Bartholomew, Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James, the son of Alphaeus, and Thaddeus; Simon the Cananean, and Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus.
Jesus sent out these Twelve after instructing them thus, “Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. As you go, make this proclamation: ‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’”
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