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2012년 7월 12일 연중 제14주간 목요일
제1독서
호세아 예언서. 11,1-4.8ㅁ-9
주님께서 이렇게 말씀하신다.
1 “이스라엘이 아이였을 때에 나는 그를 사랑하여, 나의 그 아들을 이집트에서 불러내었다. 2 그러나 내가 부를수록 그들은 나에게서 멀어져 갔다. 그들은 바알들에게 희생 제물을 바치고, 우상들에게 향을 피워 올렸다.
3 내가 에프라임에게 걸음마를 가르쳐 주고, 내 팔로 안아 주었지만, 그들은 내가 자기들의 병을 고쳐 준 줄을 알지 못하였다. 4 나는 인정의 끈으로, 사랑의 줄로 그들을 끌어당겼으며, 젖먹이처럼 들어 올려 볼을 비비고, 몸을 굽혀 먹여 주었다.
8 내 마음이 미어지고, 연민이 북받쳐 오른다. 9 나는 타오르는 내 분노대로 행동하지 않고, 에프라임을 다시는 멸망시키지 않으리라. 나는 사람이 아니라 하느님이다. 나는 네 가운데에 있는 ‘거룩한 이’, 분노를 터뜨리며 너에게 다가가지 않으리라.”
복음
마태오. 10,7-15
그때에 예수님께서 사도들에게 말씀하셨다.
7 “가서 ‘하늘 나라가 가까이 왔다.’ 하고 선포하여라. 8 앓는 이들을 고쳐 주고, 죽은 이들을 일으켜 주어라. 나병 환자들을 깨끗하게 해 주고, 마귀들을 쫓아내어라. 너희가 거저 받았으니 거저 주어라.
9 전대에 금도, 은도, 구리 돈도 지니지 마라. 10 여행 보따리도, 여벌 옷도, 신발도, 지팡이도 지니지 마라. 일꾼이 자기 먹을 것을 받는 것은 당연하다.
11 어떤 고을이나 마을에 들어가거든, 그곳에서 마땅한 사람을 찾아내어, 떠날 때까지 거기에 머물러라.
12 집에 들어가면 그 집에 평화를 빈다고 인사하여라. 13 그 집이 평화를 누리기에 마땅하면 너희의 평화가 그 집에 내리고, 마땅하지 않으면 그 평화가 너희에게 돌아올 것이다.
14 누구든지 너희를 받아들이지 않고 너희 말도 듣지 않거든, 그 집이나 그 고을을 떠날 때에 너희 발의 먼지를 털어 버려라. 15 내가 진실로 너희에게 말한다. 심판 날에는 소돔과 고모라 땅이 그 고을보다 견디기 쉬울 것이다.”
http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings-audio.cfm
July 12, 2012
Thursday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
Thus says the LORD:
When Israel was a child I loved him,
out of Egypt I called my son.
The more I called them,
the farther they went from me,
Sacrificing to the Baals
and burning incense to idols.
Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk,
who took them in my arms;
I drew them with human cords,
with bands of love;
I fostered them like one
who raises an infant to his cheeks;
Yet, though I stooped to feed my child,
they did not know that I was their healer.
My heart is overwhelmed,
my pity is stirred.
I will not give vent to my blazing anger,
I will not destroy Ephraim again;
For I am God and not man,
the Holy One present among you;
I will not let the flames consume you.
R. (4b)
Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
O shepherd of Israel, hearken.
From your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see:
Take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted,
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Let us see your face, Lord, and we shall be saved.
Jesus said to his Apostles:
"As you go, make this proclamation:
'The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.'
Cure the sick, raise the dead,
cleanse the lepers, drive out demons.
Without cost you have received; without cost you are to give.
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts;
no sack for the journey, or a second tunic,
or sandals, or walking stick.
The laborer deserves his keep.
Whatever town or village you enter, look for a worthy person in it,
and stay there until you leave.
As you enter a house, wish it peace.
If the house is worthy,
let your peace come upon it;
if not, let your peace return to you.
Whoever will not receive you or listen to your wordsC
go outside that house or town and shake the dust from your feet.
Amen, I say to you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment
than for that town."
sense of service
You received without paying, so
give without being paid. Matthew 10:8
In his book What Is a Jew?
Morris Kertzer says that every
Hebrew child learns the story of
Honi the traveler. One day Honi
met an old man planting tiny fruit
trees. He asked him, "When will
the trees bear fruit?" The old
man replied, "Probably years
after I am dead." Honi said, "Why
plant them then, if you'll never
eat their fruit?" The old man
replied, "I didn't find the world
without trees when I was born,
so I plant them for others,
as they did for me."
If someone asked four friends to
list my virtues, would anyone
say they list a "sense of service"
to others as one of the four?
I realize how much my life I owe
to others and how earnestly I
must exert myself to give in
return as much as I have
recieved. Albert Einstein, adapted
http://www.franciscanretreats.net/
The Gospel to be read for today’s Liturgy gives us more about discipleship. The duties of discipleship take on a more practical bent in this Gospel. Jesus’ disciples are to be healers just as Jesus was. They heal by bringing hope and joy to those suffering from illnesses and persecutions. The disciple of Jesus is vulnerable, without money, without all kinds of clothes, shoes, or even a walking stick. The true disciple is totally dependant on the providence of God. If people reject them, they are to quietly and peacefully walk away.
We learn from all of this, as we have said many times before, that being a disciple of Jesus is not a walk in the park on a sunny, cool day. It is work and demands much change on the part of the individual disciple.
How would I rate myself as a disciple of the Lord on a scale of 1-10?
http://www.evangeli.net/gospel/gospel.html
Do not carry a traveler's bag, or an extra shirt...
Today, we want to foresee even the unforeseeable. Today is the age of home servicing and deliveries. And, if today we talk so much about peace, perhaps it is because we need it so badly. Today's Gospel fully deals with these three other “todays”. Let us go step by step.
We want to foresee even the unforeseeable: soon, we shall buy insurance to foresee the possibility our insurer may fail us. Or, perhaps, to foresee our buying a pair of trousers, and the sales clerk giving us a stained or discolored pair! Today's Gospel, with its invitation to travel without any luggage («Do not carry any gold, silver or copper in your purses»), is inciting us to confidence, to availability. But, look out! this does not mean carelessness! Not even improvisation. Living this reality is only possible through a life deeply rooted in what is truly fundamental: in the person of Christ. His Holiness John Paul II says: «We must respect an essential principle of the Christian vision of our life: the supremacy of Grace. We should not forget that without Christ, ‘we can do nothing’ (cf. Jn 15:5)».
It is also true that home servicing is proliferating: no more catering!, now you can have your Spanish omelet made for you in your own home. This should be the icon of a society where we people have a tendency to do things our own way, to organize our own life by doing without others. Today, Jesus tells us «go»; go out. In other words, do bear in mind, those you have beside you. Let us, therefore, keep them in our mind, open to their needs.
Holidays, a peaceful countryside... are they synonymous of peace? It seems we may have some strong motives to doubt it. Maybe many holidays are nothing but the lethargy of some intimate concern or worry, that, later on, is about to arise again. We Christians do know we are the bearers of peace; even more, we know this peace soaks up all our being —also when we find nothing but an hostile surrounding around us— as far as we closely follow Jesus.
Let, therefore, the force of Christ's Today soak us up! And... «who has truly found Christ cannot keep Him only for himself, he has to announce Him» (John Paul II).
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
" . . . They did not know I was their healer."
Working with pre-health students, I get plenty of opportunities to read personal statements, those short essays that prospective pre-health candidates submit as a part of their applications for professional schools. I am constantly amazed at the variety of motivations that present themselves for students who desire to enter the healing professions. Some are motivated by an incident in their past lives, perhaps their own illness or that of a loved one. Others are motivated by watching a parent or family friend skillfully extend a healing hand. Others, sadly, are motivated by witnessing the results of a botched attempt at healing by another. All of these students have one thing in common: their hearts lead them to the field. They are passionate about healing.
Unfortunately, some of these students do not get admitted to their desired programs because they do not have high enough grades and suitable standardized test scores. It is not enough to have the heart for the profession -- they must also have the head, the brains for it. They must have an aptitude for science, knowledge of the physical processes that support life and enhance healing. This combination of heart and head is hard to find in a candidate, and those who have a great quantity of both get snatched up pretty quickly by professional schools.
Today's readings are about healing. In the first reading, the Lord is Ephraim's unknown healer. In the background, the Lord nourishes and draws the people of Ephraim to life. In the Gospel reading, Jesus gives His apostles their marching orders. They are to take an active role in curing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing the lepers, and driving out demons. Clearly, the apostles cannot do this alone - they must act through the authority given them by Jesus.
This idea of the authority to heal, or gift to direct the healing power of God, is not discussed very often in advising circles (or if it is discussed, not openly). Yet here it is, in the Gospel: Jesus sends His apostles out on the road to heal. This suggests that mere knowledge and passion are not enough. A healer needs more than that. What am I, as an advisor to those who wish to enter the health professions, supposed to do with this passage? Ignore it? Print it out and hang it on my door? Or is there another path?
Might I suggest that those who become the best physicians, pharmacists, physical therapists, etc., have three tools that they engage in the healing process: their passion for healing, their knowledge of science, and their authority to heal, which is powered by the inherent faith of the communities in which they work. It is this third dimension of which, I believe, Jesus is referring in His instructions to his apostles. He is instructing them in how to use the authority ? God’s power ? to heal, and in the importance of the faith community towards the success of this healing ministry.
As illustrated in other Gospel accounts, Jesus is unable to heal when He is among people with little faith. The healing power, then, might be thought to flow from the community of believers, and from the individual who wishes to be healed, not simply from the individual physician or treatment protocols. The environment in which the physician works does much to either aid or limit the healing process.
We must ask ourselves, then, how we might contribute to a healing environment. We are not all called to be healers, but perhaps we are all called to contribute in some way. Perhaps a good start is to reflect upon our commitment to that community of believers whose faith supports and empowers the healers among us. Do we open new wounds, or help soothe old ones? Do we nurture the sick back to health with our smiles? Or do we take care of our own and let the rest fend for themselves? How do we talk about the healing professionals in our communities? Do we voice our distrust in them? Or do we find ways to show our gratitude for what they’ve done for our communities?
" . . . They did not know I was their healer."
http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/
"You received without paying, give without paying"
Do you believe that the gospel has power to change your life and the lives of others? Jesus gave his disciples a two-fold commission to speak in his name and to act with his power. The core of the gospel message is quite simple: the kingdom (or reign) of God is imminent! What is the kingdom of God? It is that society of men and women who freely submit to God and who honor him as their Lord and King. In the Lord’s prayer we pray for God to reign in our lives and in our world: May your kingdom come and your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Jesus also commissioned his disciples to carry on the works which he did ? bringing the healing power of God to the weary and oppressed. The gospel has power to set people free from sin, sickness, fear, and oppression. The Lord will free us from anything that keeps us from loving him and our neighbor with joy and confidence.
Jesus said to his disciples: Freely you have received, freely give. What they have received from Jesus they must now pass on to others without expecting a favor in return, whether it be in form of a gift or payment. They must show by their attitude that their first interest is in serving God, not receiving material gain. They must serve without guile, full of charity and peace, and simplicity. They must give their full attention to the proclamation of God’s kingdom and not be diverted by other lesser things. They must travel light ? only take what was essential and leave behind whatever would distract them ? in order to concentrate on the task of speaking the word of the God. They must do their work, not for what they can get out of it, but for what they can give freely to others, without expecting special privileges or reward. “Poverty of spirit” frees us from greed and preoccupation with possessions and makes ample room for God’s provision. The Lord wants his disciples to be dependent on him and not on themselves.
Secondly, Jesus said: the worker deserves his sustenance. Here we see a double-truth: the worker of God must not be overly-concerned with material things, but the people of God must never fail in their duty to give the worker of God what he or she needs to sustain themselves in the Lord's service. Do you pray for the work of the gospel and do you support it with your material and financial resources? Jesus ends his instructions with a warning: If people reject God’s invitation and refuse his word, then they bring judgment and condemnation on themselves. When God gives us his word there comes with it the great responsibility to respond. Indifference will not do. We are either for or against God in how we respond to his word. God gives us his word that we may have life ? abundant life ? in him. He wills to work in and through each of us for his glory. God shares his word with us and he commissions us to speak it boldly and simply to others. Do you witness the truth and joy of the gospel by word and example to those around you?
“Lord Jesus, may the joy and truth of the gospel transform my life that I may witness it to those around me. Grant that I may spread your truth and your light wherever I go.”
Psalm 80:1-3,14-15
1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou who leadest Joseph like a flock! Thou who art enthroned upon the cherubim, shine forth
2 before E'phraim and Benjamin and Manas'seh! Stir up thy might, and come to save us!
3 Restore us, O God; let thy face shine, that we may be saved!
14 Turn again, O God of hosts! Look down from heaven, and see; have regard for this vine,
15 the stock which thy right hand planted.
http://www.daily-meditations.org/index2.html
All that we have is a total gift, as stated in today's gospel:
"Without cost you have received: without cost you are to give." (Matthew 10:8)
At our baptism we became sons and daughters of Christ. Through that sacrament and Confirmation we are challenged to carry out His mission. In this gospel, Christ spells out clearly what we are to do and that we have His assurance that He is always with us.
If only all of us understood that challenge, given in love, by Love Himself!
How often, instead, we hear the comments such as, "I don't get anything out of going to Mass." It is a spillover from our secular society where so often we are looking for rewards without putting out any effort (also known as "entitlement").
Persons speaking in that manner have yet to grasp the tremendous gifts that we have been given, the gifts of faith and redemption, given by God Himself from the Cross. Christ doesn't force Himself on anyone, but He is always at the door of our souls, waiting in love for us to give Him some time and space in our hearts.
O Lord, I pray that I might see!
~ Joan of Jesus, OCDS
http://www.contemplative.com/weekday_readings.htm
It's all about preaching as you go along. The content and object of the preaching and of the apostolic power and commission is the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom is at hand. It's right here at your hand in the place you are standing, in the words of your mouth and your behavior toward the other. The Kingdom is all about simplicity. Don't complicate it with a lot of embellishment. God wants me to be completely His. The response then is simple: Belong to God through the power of Christ's Mystery. There's no fooling around. There's no soft talk of "all are welcome--come as you are." To accept the Kingdom there's a cost. The cost is losing my own self orientation. I strip naked at the entrance to be clothed anew at the Kingdom's banquet. It will bring peace. But if the invitation is rejected then I am rejected, and the peace is taken back. Christ will shake off the dust from his feet. My prayer must reflect this simplicity and directness. Nothing is to be preferred to the coming of the Kingdom of Christ.
http://goodnews.ie/calendar.php
Money, a bag, an extra shirt…. These things are for my future needs. Luggage is always for the future. In the present it’s only a burden; but we carry the burden for the sake of the future. To carry luggage with me is to live, to some degree, in the future. The same is true of money: my hunger may be satisfied now, but I take money with me so that I can satisfy it again tomorrow.
It’s a severe criticism to be told that you are living in the past. But strangely we think it’s the highest praise to be told that you are living in the future. It’s hard to see why we make such a difference between them, for one is just as unreal as the other. I knew a businessman who always went about with a ballpoint pen in his mouth, so involved was he with his work. But even in his home he still carried that pen in his mouth. Some of us cheat ourselves of life by living in the past; and some of us do it by living in the future. Many people almost kill themselves amassing wealth; even in their old age they still want to be turning a profit. It’s an endless deferral of life. But the Gospel challenges us to face it now or never.
No sandals, no staff in the hand; in other words, nothing on your feet, nothing in your hands ? just you, a mere human being, with no protections. Years ago when I was enthusing to an old priest about new hi-fi and video equipment that we were planning to use in youth retreats, he just said, “There’s no substitute for a human being up there bleeding.”
http://www.presentationministries.com/
FATHER-HEALER | ||
"Yet, though I stooped to feed My child, they did not know that I was their Healer." 뾊osea 11:4 | ||
Do you think your heavenly Father wants to heal you? Does He want to heal you completely? Does He want to heal you now? Many people are not sure how to answer these questions. They know that their Father loves them and can heal them. Yet they don't know if or when He will heal them. They know there are many factors in healing, and this makes them unsure if their Father will heal them. We should not let the many factors in healing overshadow the loving, healing, present Fatherhood of God; rather, our Father's love should make us almost forget the complications surrounding healing. We should be like little children who, when hurt, run to their parents for healing and think of little else. Our heavenly Father is trying to make us so aware of His love that everything else fades into the background. He is drawing us to Him "with human cords, with bands of love" (Hos 11:4). He fosters us "like one who raises an infant to his cheeks" (Hos 11:4). Our Father stoops to feed us and wants to help us more than we want help (Hos 11:4). May we translate all this tender, fatherly love into the assurance that our Father is our Healer. | ||
Prayer: Father, may I expect healing from You now. | ||
Promise: "Cure the sick, raise the dead, heal the leprous, expel demons. The gift you have received, give as a gift." 뾏t 10:8 | ||
Praise: Receiving the Eucharist daily has kept Lou's heart open to trust in God's fatherly love, and to remind him to daily offer himself again to his Father. |
http://www.judeop.org/daily_bread.htm
Do not take gold or silver or copper for your belts; no sack for the journey, or a second tunic, or sandals, or walking stick. There certainly is a benefit to planning ahead and being prepared. However, we can’t look so far into the future that we miss the opportunities of today. When we’re constantly looking ahead, we neglect to live with urgency. We become comfortable and complacent and even lazy. If we lose the ability to live with an awareness of suffering around us now, how can we develop a consciousness of the coming kingdom? We like to consider ourselves organized, but for what are we getting ready? Give us a sense of purpose, Lord, we pray. PR
http://www.judeop.org/dailyreflections.htm
The Book of Hosea is very much about seeking, knowing and loving God! At times the relationship between God and Israel is described as spousal or parental - very intimate and personal! Yet, Israel spurned this love. They sought the idols of neighboring nations and peoples. Their continued infidelity is personalized in the relationship between Hosea and his wandering wife, Gomer. In today's passage, it is personalized in the picture of a father caring for a child.
Our modern prayer uses the image of "Father" for God often. We seem to leave the "mother" image to Mary. In either case, one wonders if the image has the power to command our feelings as well as our obedience. For some, difficult relationships with parents make the image problematic. The same is true for marriage in our day and age. Both images are meant to convey a love and knowledge that is profound. The loss of this sense of our relationship to God has resulted in a kind of "cultural deism" which consigns God to "a distant past or a distant heaven" - a phrase used by Pope John Paul II. It takes effort to recover this sense of personal relationship, but the rewards can be great. AMEN
http://biblereflection.blogspot.com/
It is rare that we are told explicitly what will happen to us, what we
must do, and how we will arrive at our final destination. We go
through life unaware about what will happen the week after next, or
what will happen in five years. However, when Jesus directed his
disciples to wish peace upon everybody they met, he was effectively
telling us what we must hope to achieve with our lives. The whole
point of being Catholic or Christian is to love others, to view love
as the best thing we can give to others and what we can do with our
lives. History shows that Catholics and Christians were recognized by
the way they greeted their brethren, with two kisses on either cheek.
It is a great mission that Jesus has entrusted us with: love all, and
love with all your might. Love Man not because God says to love, but
because Man is lovable. Love for the sake of love, and not for pride
or recompense. Love because it is the most natural thing in the world
to do. Love because it affirms our ties to God; love because Man
loves.
May our lives continue to reflect that perfect love in all that we do
and say. With God's grace, let us pray that this world will be
continually renewed and filled with that type of love, true peace,
freedom, joy, and kindness will be the norm rather than the exception.
“A man had two sons” is a familiar biblical theme. We find it in the story of Adam, Cain, and Abel; of Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac; of Isaac, Esau and Jacob; and of the “Prodigal Son”. Typically one son pleases the father while the other broods and pouts. Typically again, the father’s love encompasses both sons.
We should also see the theme of a man with two sons running through the course of the whole Bible. God is portrayed as a man with two sons – Israel and Jesus. Jesus, of course, proves himself worthy of the Father’s praise while Israel has demonstrated fickleness in behavior. In the reading from the prophet Hosea today God expresses both tenderness and outrage for His son Israel. Although Israel has continuously betrayed God, He promises to treat this son with mercy, not annihilation. God’s love for Israel is played out in sending His faithful son Jesus to his rescue.
God loves each of us as He loves Israel. Never mind that we have sinned, even if we have done so egregiously. Never mind that we too often brood and pout rather than turn to God in repentance. God not only waits to forgive us but actively seeks us out through Jesus. His words recorded in the gospels call us to righteousness. His grace delivered through the sacraments empowers us to act according to his teachings. We but need to turn to Him for salvation.
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