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2012년 7월 17일 연중 제15주간 화요일
제1독서
이사야서. 7,1-9
1 우찌야의 손자이며 요탐의 아들인 유다 임금 아하즈 시대에, 아람 임금 르친과 르말야의 아들인 이스라엘 임금 페카가 예루살렘을 치러 올라왔지만 정복하지는 못하였다.
2 아람이 에프라임에 진주하였다는 소식이 다윗 왕실에 전해지자, 숲의 나무들이 바람 앞에 떨듯 임금의 마음과 그 백성의 마음이 떨렸다.
3 그러자 주님께서 이사야에게 말씀하셨다. “너는 네 아들 스아르 야숩과 함께 ‘마전장이 밭’에 이르는 길가 윗저수지의 수로 끝으로 나가서 아하즈를 만나, 4 그에게 말하여라.
‘진정하고 안심하여라, 두려워하지 마라. 르친과 아람, 그리고 르말야의 아들이 격분을 터뜨린다 하여도, 이 둘은 타고 남아 연기만 나는 장작 끄트머리에 지나지 않으니, 네 마음이 약해지는 일이 없도록 하여라. 5 아람이 에프라임과 르말야의 아들과 함께 너를 해칠 계획을 꾸미고 말하였다. 6 ′우리가 유다로 쳐 올라가 유다를 질겁하게 하고 우리 것으로 빼앗아, 그곳에다 타브알의 아들을 임금으로 세우자.′ 7 주 하느님께서 이렇게 말씀하셨다.
′그런 일은 이루어지지 않으리라. 그렇게 되지 않으리라. 8 아람의 우두머리는 다마스쿠스요, 다마스쿠스의 우두머리는 르친이기 때문이다. 이제 예순다섯 해만 있으면 에프라임은 무너져 한 민족으로 남아 있지 못하리라. 9 에프라임의 우두머리는 사마리아요, 사마리아의 우두머리는 르말야의 아들이기 때문이다. 너희가 믿지 않으면 정녕 서 있지 못하리라.′’”
복음
마태오. 11,20-24
20 그때에 예수님께서 당신이 기적을 가장 많이 일으키신 고을들을 꾸짖기 시작하셨다. 그들이 회개하지 않았기 때문이다.
21 “불행하여라, 너 코라진아! 불행하여라, 너 벳사이다야! 너희에게 일어난 기적들이 티로와 시돈에서 일어났더라면, 그들은 벌써 자루옷을 입고 재를 뒤집어쓰고 회개하였을 것이다. 22 그러니 내가 너희에게 말한다. 심판 날에는 티로와 시돈이 너희보다 견디기 쉬울 것이다.
23 그리고 너 카파르나움아, 네가 하늘까지 오를 성싶으냐? 저승까지 떨어질 것이다. 너에게 일어난 기적들이 소돔에서 일어났더라면, 그 고을은 오늘까지 남아 있을 것이다. 24 그러니 내가 너희에게 말한다. 심판 날에는 소돔 땅이 너보다 견디기 쉬울 것이다.”
http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month
July 17, 2012
Tuesday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
Reading 1
In the days of Ahaz, king of Judah, son of Jotham, son of Uzziah,
Rezin, king of Aram,
and Pekah, king of Israel, son of Remaliah,
went up to attack Jerusalem,
but they were not able to conquer it.
When word came to the house of David that Aram
was encamped in Ephraim,
the heart of the king and the heart of the people trembled,
as the trees of the forest tremble in the wind.
Then the LORD said to Isaiah: Go out to meet Ahaz,
you and your son Shear-jashub,
at the end of the conduit of the upper pool,
on the highway of the fuller's field, and say to him:
Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear;
let not your courage fail
before these two stumps of smoldering brands
the blazing anger of Rezin and the Arameans,
and of the son Remaliah,
because of the mischief that
Aram, Ephraim and the son of Remaliah,
plots against you, saying,
"Let us go up and tear Judah asunder, make it our own by force,
and appoint the son of Tabeel king there."
Thus says the LORD:
This shall not stand, it shall not be!
Damascus is the capital of Aram,
and Rezin is the head of Damascus;
Samaria is the capital of Ephraim,
and Remaliah's son the head of Samaria.
But within sixty years and five,
Ephraim shall be crushed, no longer a nation.
Unless your faith is firm
you shall not be firm!
R. (see 9d) God upholds his city for ever.
Great is the LORD and wholly to be praised
in the city of our God.
His holy mountain, fairest of heights,
is the joy of all the earth.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
Mount Zion, "the recesses of the North,"
is the city of the great King.
God is with her castles;
renowned is he as a stronghold.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
For lo! the kings assemble,
they come on together;
They also see, and at once are stunned,
terrified, routed.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
Quaking seizes them there;
anguish, like a woman's in labor,
As though a wind from the east
were shattering ships of Tarshish.
R. God upholds his city for ever.
Jesus began to reproach the towns
where most of his mighty deeds had been done,
since they had not repented.
"Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum:
Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the nether world.
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,
it would have remained until this day.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."
riddle of the world
Many people failed to repent
their sins and reform; Jesus
warned them, saying,]"Did you
want to lift yourself up to
heaven? You will be thrown
down to hell! Matthew 11:23
Alexander Pope's "An Essay on
Man," describes man as being a
strange mix of power and weak-
ness, and a blend of error and
knowledge. Our predominant
driving forces are reason and
self-love Self-love influences
what we do; reason seeks to
restrain our wayward impulses.
Pope sums sums it up this way:
"Created half to rise, and half to
fall; Great lord of all things, yet a
prey to all; Sole judge of truth, in
endless error hurled; The glory,
jest, and riddle of the world!"
How does Pope's conclusion af-
stress my need for Jesus in my
life?
Jesus said, You can do nothing
without me." John 15:5
http://www.franciscanretreats.net/
Today’s Gospel from St. Matthew points out to us the consequences of rejecting Jesus’ message. His deeds and words should urge us on to action and to reform our lives.
It is hard for me to even imagine what life would be like morally or ethically if I didn’t have the values of Jesus in front of me all the time. Sometimes I come close to finding out when I disregard his values and choose to go my own way. Things get all bent out of shape and life becomes a mess. My life as a drinking alcoholic gave me this perspective. I thought I was having a great time but deep down inside I was miserable and knew I wasn’t happy and at peace with myself. I was just kidding myself, rationalizing doing things that in no way brought happiness to my life. Only when I saw the folly of my ways and returned to the ways of Jesus did I find what I truly wanted and valued in life.
So, at least we get a hint of what life without Jesus is like from our sinfulness. I don’t believe any of us like that at all. Let’s stop kidding ourselves and get back to seeing true joy and happiness through following Jesus’ way.
http://www.evangeli.net/gospel/gospel.html
Alas for you Chorazin and Bethsaida!
oday, the Gospel speaks of God's historical judgement of Chorazín, Capernaum and other towns: «Alas for you Chorazin and Bethsaida! If the miracles worked in you had taken place in Tyre and Sidon, the people there would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes» (Mt 11:21). Among their black ruins —all that is left out of them— I have been pondering over this passage. And I have not rejoiced over their failure. I thought: The Lord also went through our towns, our neighborhood our homes, and... did we pay any attention to him?, did I take notice of him?
With a stone in my hand, I told myself: something like this will be all that will remain from my historical existence, if I do not responsibly live the Lord's visit. I remembered the poet: «O soul, lean now out the window: and you will see that love, when calling, holds on», and, ashamed, I admit having also answered: «Tomorrow, we shall let it in... it matters little if we answer tomorrow» (Lope de Vega).
When crossing the inhuman streets of our “dormitory towns”, I wonder: what can it be done to help this people whom I feel totally unable to establish a dialogue with, whom I cannot share my illusions with, whom it seems impossible to transmit God's love to? And then, I remember the motto St. Francis de Sales chose when he was appointed bishop of Geneva —the then maximum exponent of the Protestant Reformation: «Where God planted us, we must yearn to bloom». And if, with a stone in my hand at times I wonder about God's strict judgement that may befall, at other times —with a wild little flower, born amongst the weeds and the manure in high mountains— I see that I should not lose Hope. I must reciprocate the goodness shown to me by God, and thus, what meager generosity I may place in the heart of whoever I am greeting, or the interested and attentive glance towards whoever is asking me some information, or just my smile of thanks addressed to whoever yields to let me through, will flourish in future. And Faith will not be lost in our environment.
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
Whenever I come across readings like the one from Isaiah today, I realize how important it is to go beyond the literal meaning! If we were to limit our understanding of that passage to God's promise to defend Jerusalem and the People of God from foreign invaders, we would be sadly disappointed! Think of how many times Jerusalem, the Holy City, would be conquered and eventually destroyed! Look what's going on there today! No, we must recognize that when Scripture says confidently and boldly, "God upholds his city forever," we are not talking about the city of Jerusalem, we are talking about the peaceful reign of God, the Kingdom of Heaven, the New Creation, what Augustine describes so masterfully in his classic, The City of God.
Psalm 48 also calls us to be totally confident of God's protection and completely unafraid of the powers of this world. We are not to be "stunned, terrified, routed," not to be "quaking and in anguish," because God is always with us and we really have nothing to fear -- ever!
And when Jesus reproaches cities like Chorazin, Bethsaida, and even his chosen city, Capernaum, for failing to believe and repent even in the face of his miracles ("mighty deeds"), he is speaking to all people like ourselves who are blessed by the presence and promises and works of Jesus, but nonetheless do not put our faith into practice, do not trust in God alone, but continue to fear and follow the false gods of power, security, force -- the City of Man, rather than the City of God.
So, all three of our readings call us to utter faith that God is in charge. "Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear, do not let your courage fail," says Isaiah. For of all those things that make us tremble, God says, "This shall not stand, it shall not be!" If only we could remember that in times of trouble or woe! Faith in God is a power stronger than all other forces put together. "Unless your faith is firm," says Isaiah, "you shall not be firm!" And over and over and over again, Jesus proclaimed, "Be not afraid. I go before you always. Come follow me!"
Today we pray passionately, longingly, confidently, and humbly, "Lord, increase our faith."
http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/
"Jesus upbraided them because they did not repent"
If Jesus were to visit your community today, what would he say? Would he issue a warning like the one he gave to Chorazin and Bethsaida? And how would you respond? Wherever Jesus went he did mighty works to show the people how much God had for them. Chorazin and Bethsaida had been blessed with the visitation of God. They heard the good news and experienced the wonderful works which Jesus did for them. Why was Jesus upset with these communities? The word woe can mean misfortune, calamity, distress, sorrow, sadness, misery, grief, or wretchedness. It is as much an expression of sorrowful pity and grief as it is of dismay over the calamity and destruction which comes as a result of human folly, sin, and ignorance.
Why does Jesus lament and issue a stern warning? The people who heard the gospel here very likely responded with indifference. Jesus upbraids them for doing nothing! Repentance demands change – a change of heart and way of life. God's word is life-giving and it saves us from destruction – the destruction of heart, mind, and soul as well as body. Jesus' anger is directed toward sin and everything which hinders us from doing the will of God. In love he calls us to walk in his way of truth and freedom, grace and loving-kindness, justice and holiness. Do you receive his word with faith and obedience or with doubt and indifference?
"Most High and glorious God, enlighten the darkness of our hearts and give us a true faith, a certain hope and a perfect love. Give us a sense of the divine and knowledge of yourself, so that we may do everything in fulfilment of your holy will; through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Prayer of Francis of Assisi, 1182-1226)
Psalm 48:1-8
1 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised in the city of our God! His holy mountain,
2 beautiful in elevation, is the joy of all the earth, Mount Zion, in the far north, the city of the great King.
3 Within her citadels God has shown himself a sure defense.
4 For lo, the kings assembled, they came on together.
5 As soon as they saw it, they were astounded, they were in panic, they took to flight;
6 trembling took hold of them there, anguish as of a woman in travail.
7 By the east wind thou didst shatter the ships of Tarshish.
8 As we have heard, so have we seen in the city of the LORD of hosts, in the city of our God, which God establishes for ever. [Selah]
http://www.daily-meditations.org/index2.html
Sometimes readings from the Old Testament with unusual names of people and places make it difficult for me to determine exactly what is going on. Today's First Reading is just such an example, yet I read it in hope that I will learn something that will help me to be more pleasing in God's sight.
My hope is not without cause as I am reminded that confusing and convoluted alliances are no different now as then and that God's Word and advice are unchangeable.
"Take care you remain tranquil and do not fear: let not your courage fail. . . ." (see Isaiah 7:4)
To do this we must not trust in ourselves or depend on others, but trust and depend on God Who alone is the source of sustainable tranquility, fearlessness and courage.
So don't fret if you don't understand everything Holy Scripture is saying, but instead grab onto what you do understand, and hold on to it like the lifeline that it is!
~ Donna Raye Nelson, OCDS
http://www.contemplative.com/weekday_readings.htm
Confirmed modern secularists mock the hell and brimstone aspects of Scripture. Avid Christians are mostly portrayed in the character of the fanatical Christian preacher ranting on about Sodom and Gomorrah and the terrible punishments God will visit upon sinners; or in the character of small-minded, mean people who bring harm to others. And I would not want to be characterized as a fanatical fundamentalist. My prayer must deal with the fact that God judges me, my society, all of humanity. It will not be tolerable situation for me if my love for the Kingdom is not supreme. Rather to plunge now, in this present time, into the burning fire of Jesus' divine love and be consumed in it and be transformed in it and follow Him each day in grace. Meanwhile, my prayer is also the hope that in that day all will come through the fire of judgment. The sword of Christ, however, must not be disregarded because of an watered-down version of the Gospel. Modern secularism must not be my standard or the light of my prayer. That would be intolerable.
http://goodnews.ie/calendar.php
If the stars came out only one night in a hundred years everyone would look up. Some astronomers believe that eventually no stars will be visible in the sky because they will all be so distant from one another. So take a good look! Familiarity breeds blindness.
Tyre, Sidon and Sodom (sample cases of wickedness) would have opened their eyes, Jesus says, but God's people took Jesus’ “deeds of power” for granted. This is why the Gospel has to be proclaimed to the whole world: no one can tell who is going to hear it and who is not going to hear it. Like every lover, the God of Surprises sends unexpected gifts, or leaves them hidden in unexpected places.
Nazareth was the most unexpected place of all. “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (Jn 1:46). When Jesus was born, pagan astrologers came from afar to do him homage, but Herod sought his death.
It was appropriate then that when he grew to be a man he had an eye for the unexpected. He praised the faith of a Roman pagan centurion (Mt 8:10) and a Canaanite pagan woman (Mt 15:28), he told an expert on Jewish law to imitate the behaviour of a pagan Samaritan (Lk 10:37), he befriended the outcasts of society, tax-collectors and sinners. Almost everything he did was unexpected: the authorities could hardly fail to see him. But when they did they determined to kill him.
Full sensory equipment is no guarantee that we will see or hear what is right in front of us; or see and hear aright. Jesus often used the expression, “anyone who has ears to hear” (Mt 11:15; Mk 4:9, 23; 7:16; Lk 8:8; 14:35). Today we are so bombarded with sights and sounds that we have to filter out most of what strikes our senses. Dangerous times!
http://www.presentationministries.com/
UNREAL | ||
"Thus says the Lord: This shall not stand, it shall not be!" 뾋saiah 7:7 | ||
Are you like King Ahaz? Are you unable to break out of the cycle of fretting and trembling over possibilities that never wind up taking place? Are you like the people of Chorazin and Bethsaida? Do you fail to break out of the comfort of mediocrity when Jesus is performing His wonders right in front of your face? Jesus the Prophet is constantly working to spur us to conversion and greater faith. How frequently are we unmoved by His powerful prophetic word but totally dismayed by a rumor which might disrupt our health insurance, retirement, favorite TV program, or sports team? We spend days or weeks in turmoil before discovering that the rumored event didn't actually happen. Meanwhile, we missed out on the miracles of the Eucharist, God's prophetic messages, countless signs of His love, and other clear signs of God's grace. What a waste of the precious time God has given to us! "Is the Lord to be thus repaid by you, O stupid and foolish people?" (Dt 32:6) People of God, let's stop living in a make-believe world. Let's "keep our eyes fixed on Jesus" (Heb 12:2) and "avoid worldly, idle talk" (2 Tm 2:16). | ||
Prayer: Father, forgive me for trembling instead of trusting, and focusing on rumors rather than reforming. | ||
Promise: "Unless your faith is firm you shall not be firm!" 뾋s 7:9 | ||
Praise: St. Henry submitted to his spiritual director and didn't give up being emperor in exchange for the religious life of the monastery. Instead, he used his power as king to ever strive to bring peace to his country and all Europe. |
http://www.judeop.org/daily_bread.htm
Then he began to reproach the towns where most of his mighty deeds had been done, since they had not repented. Jesus’ pronouncement of woes upon ancient places is our wake-up call to change. In particular, it is a call to address the complacency and self-righteousness that come with comparing ourselves with others. The peoples of Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum probably viewed notoriously evil places such as Tyre, Sidon and Sodom with some self-satisfaction. Like them, we may be afflicted with the smugness that says, “Well, I’m not nearly as bad as so-and-so.” Let us make the most of the blessings we have received; comparing ourselves only to the persons we have the potential to become. For the grace to be all that we can be, in Christ, we pray. Ecw
http://www.judeop.org/dailyhomilette2.htm
Isaiah’s exhortation to Ahaz in the first reading, “…unless your faith is firm, you shall not be firm,” enables us to understand the critical importance of faith to survival as a nation. God wants to assure Judah that its hope ultimately lies in Him. Trusting in armies or in alliances will not suffice. It must do as the Lord commands; it must trust in God above all.
Such a stance seems naïve if not bizarre to many today. After all, no nation makes a covenant with God like Israel did. And all nations know the necessity of military strength to deter rogue counterparts from taking advantage of them. However, nations still rise and fall by their fundamental beliefs which are spiritual in substance. The United States, for example, could not have become the power that it is without beliefs in the sanctity of the individual and the need of discipline for development both as a society and as individuals. These values are not exclusively Judeo-Christian, but the dominant American religious heritage has fostered them from the beginning. To continue as one nation in the future then, Americans must inspire their young to maintain firm belief in both. They certainly do so when they pass on religious faith as the basis of standing in society.
http://www.judeop.org/dailyreflections.htm
During the time of Pope John Paul II's pontificate, the word "solidarity" took on an important role in describing prophetic social justice movements. It remains a term of "support" and "being-with" to this day. In the Middle East, in contrast to our western individualism, the group or community is more important than the individual, and any social problem is the the problem of everyone in the community. We see this in the two scriptures for today. Isaiah confronts the community and its leadership in the face of a threat from surrounding nations. He warns them that their best defense is their faith. His warnings were not heeded and the "Northern Kingdom" (Israel) fell to the Assyrians. The "Southern Kingdom" (Judah) would fall about 200 years later to the Babylonians. The issues remained always those of a loss of religious purpose and identity for the community which sought protection in the form of treaties with outsiders.
Jesus' own reproaches against the towns where he had worked "mighty deeds" reflect his own frustration with the hardness of heart that those communities displayed. Like Israel and Judah of old, these communities would suffer for their solidarity in disbelief.
Occasionally we invoke this kind of solidarity in our civil patriotism, but as individuals we are quick to disown any behavior by our leadership that we disagree with. The same thing appears to be at work in our church as well. Solidarity in faith and morals seems to be absent. The word, "communion" is coming to replace "solidarity" but I wonder if we have the kind of communion that transcends the personal spirituality ot receiving communion at Mass and going no further with it. Isaiah and Jesus warn us that we are all in the same boat and will travel or sink together! AMEN
http://biblereflection.blogspot.com/
In today's gospel we see Jesus condemning the towns of Chorazin,
Bethsaida and Capernaum. What was the sin of these cities which was
worse than the wickedness of Sodom and Gomorrah? It was the sin of the
people who forgot the responsibilities of privilege. To the cities of
Chorazin, Bethsaida and Capernaum there had been given a privilege, an
opportunity, which had never come to Tyre and Sidon, or to Sodom and
Gomorrah, for the cities of Galilee had actually seen and heard Jesus
himself while the other cities had not. The sin of Chorozzin,
Bethsaida and Capernaum was also the sin of indifference. These cities
did not attack Jesus; they did not seek to crucify him; they simply
disregarded and ignored him. Neglect can kill as much as a persecution
can.
There is no hostility to Christianity, there is no desire to destroy
it, there is only blank indifference. Christ is given no attention at
all; he is just put aside as one of those who do not matter. We must
remember that indifference too is a sin and perhaps far worse than
many other sins.
We are face to face with one great threatening truth — it is also a
sin to do nothing. There are sins of action, but there is also the sin
of inaction and of absence of good deeds. The sin of Chorazin,
Bethsaida and Capernaum was the sin of doing nothing. Many a person's
defense is: "But I never did anything." That defence may be in fact
his condemnation when he stands before the judgment seat of God.
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