July 24, 2012 Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

[이안드레아]

2012년 7월 24일 연중 제16주간 화요일

제1독서

미카 예언서. 7,14-15.18-20
주님, 14 과수원 한가운데 숲 속에 홀로 살아가는 당신 백성을, 당신 소유의 양 떼를 당신의 지팡이로 보살펴 주십시오. 옛날처럼 바산과 길앗에서 그들을 보살펴 주십시오. 15 당신께서 이집트 땅에서 나오실 때처럼, 저희에게 놀라운 일들을 보여 주십시오.
18 당신의 소유인 남은 자들, 그들의 허물을 용서해 주시고 죄를 못 본 체해 주시는, 당신 같으신 하느님이 어디 있겠습니까?
그분은 분노를 영원히 품지 않으시고, 오히려 기꺼이 자애를 베푸시는 분이시다. 19 그분께서는 다시 우리를 가엾이 여기시고, 우리의 허물들을 모르는 체해 주시리라.
당신께서 저희의 모든 죄악을 바다 깊은 곳으로 던져 주십시오. 20 먼 옛날, 당신께서 저희 조상들에게 맹세하신 대로, 야곱을 성실히 대하시고, 아브라함에게 자애를 베풀어 주십시오.

복음

마태오 `12,46-50
46 예수님께서 아직 군중에게 말씀하고 계시는데, 그분의 어머니와 형제들이 그분과 이야기하려고 밖에 서 있었다. 47 그래서 어떤 이가 예수님께, “보십시오, 스승님의 어머님과 형제들이 스승님과 이야기하려고 밖에 서 계십니다.” 하고 말하였다.
48 그러자 예수님께서 당신께 말한 사람에게, “누가 내 어머니고, 누가 내 형제들이냐?” 하고 반문하셨다.
49 그리고 당신의 제자들을 가리키시며 이르셨다. “이들이 내 어머니고, 내 형제들이다. 50 하늘에 계신 내 아버지의 뜻을 실행하는 사람이 내 형제요, 누이요, 어머니다.”

http://www.usccb.org/calendar/index.cfm?showLit=1&action=month

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings-audio.cfm

July 24, 2012
Tuesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time

Reading 1

Mi 7:14-15, 18-20

Shepherd your people with your staff,
the flock of your inheritance,
That dwells apart in a woodland,
in the midst of Carmel.
Let them feed in Bashan and Gilead,
as in the days of old;
As in the days when you came from the land of Egypt,
show us wonderful signs.

Who is there like you, the God who removes guilt
and pardons sin for the remnant of his inheritance;
Who does not persist in anger forever,
but delights rather in clemency,
And will again have compassion on us,
treading underfoot our guilt?
You will cast into the depths of the sea
all our sins;
You will show faithfulness to Jacob,
and grace to Abraham,
As you have sworn to our fathers
from days of old.

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 85:2-4, 5-6, 7-8

R. (8a) Lord, show us your mercy and love.
You have favored, O LORD, your land;
you have brought back the captives of Jacob.
You have forgiven the guilt of your people;
you have covered all their sins.
You have withdrawn all your wrath;
you have revoked your burning anger.
R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.
Restore us, O God our savior,
and abandon your displeasure against us.
Will you be ever angry with us,
prolonging your anger to all generations?
R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.
Will you not instead give us life;
and shall not your people rejoice in you?
Show us, O LORD, your kindness,
and grant us your salvation.
R. Lord, show us your mercy and love.

Gospel

Mt 12:46-50

While Jesus was speaking to the crowds,

his mother and his brothers appeared outside,
wishing to speak with him.
Someone told him, "Your mother and your brothers are standing outside,
asking to speak with you."
But he said in reply to the one who told him,
"Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?"
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
"Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother."

http://www.staygreat.com/

http://www.franciscanretreats.net/

“Here are my mother and my brothers. For whosoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.”

Today’s Gospel message deals with our relationship with God. We have spoken of this a number of times before. We are the Father’s adopted daughters and sons. He has told us this. And our relationship with God is to be an intimate relationship and it will not be truly intimate until we do his will for us. We have seen before in these homilies that one of the criteria for a more intimate relationship is a willingness, a desire, to change for the one with whom I seek intimacy.

What do I need to be willing to have God change in me that would bring a more intimate relationship? This is a good question for all of us to ask ourselves today.

http://www.evangeli.net/gospel/gospel.html

Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is for me (...) mother

Today, to start with, the Gospel surprises us: «Who is my mother? (Mt 12:48), wonders Jesus. It would seem the Lord is showing a contemptuous attitude towards Mary, his mother. Nothing of the sort! What Jesus wants to make quite clear is that, in his own eyes —God's eyes— the crucial value of a person does not lie on flesh and blood facts, but on the spiritual disposition to accept God's will: «Then He pointed to his disciples and said, ‘Look! Here are my mother and my brothers. Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is for me brother, sister, or mother’» (Mt 12:49-50). At that time, God's will was for Jesus to evangelize those who were listening and for these ones to actually listen to him. This was a priority over any other value, no matter how dear. To abide by his Father's will, Jesus Christ had left Mary and now He was preaching far away from home.

But, who was ever more willing to abide by God's will than Mary? «‘I am the Lord's servant’, Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said’» (Lk 1:38). This is why, St. Augustine says that Mary, first accepted God's word with a spirit of obedience and, only afterwards, she conceived it in her womb for the Incarnation.

In other words: God loves us as per our saintliness. The Virgin Mary is the most blessed, and, therefore, the most loved. However, God does not love us because we may be saints. It is rather the other way round: we are saints because He loves us. The first one to love is always our Lord (cf. 1Jn 4:10). Mary proves it when she says: «For He has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness» (Lk 1:48). In God's eyes our own lowliness is evident; but He wants to magnify us, to sanctify us.

http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html

When I was an adolescent, I did not get along with my younger sister and brothers. Actually, much of our time we spent arguing and teasing each other. Living with our parents in a relatively small apartment and having to share rooms, was not really conducive to a peaceful coexistence. Looking back, I am full of admiration for my parents who provided us with a loving home and instilled in us a respect for family bonds. Perhaps like most adolescents, I did not appreciate these family bonds and simply wanted to move out of the family to start my own life. However, the older I get, the stronger the bond with my siblings becomes and the more I value my family.

This came to my mind when reading today’s Gospel of Matthew, which describes an event when Jesus’ mother and brothers wanted to speak with him. His response to their request seems rather rude. He answered them asking "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" Jesus seems to disregard his blood relatives and instead to prioritize the bond among those who follow God’s will: "Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother." Like with many of Jesus’ shocking statements, he wants to teach us something, namely that all those who try their best to follow his teaching – which is synonymous with God’s will – share a common bond that is stronger than blood relationships and goes beyond the boundaries of blood relationships.

As followers of Jesus, we are united with people from all walks of life, from every nation, from different ethnic groups. We have a common bond that is rooted in our commitment to follow God’s will. Like in a blood family, we are expected to support each other and be available for each other in times of need. Like in a blood family, we may not always get along well with our brothers and sisters in faith but we nevertheless belong together. The way we express this common bond differs from the way blood relatives are there for each other. Perhaps we personally know some who attend the same parish or belong to the same faith-group, but we will never see most members of God’s family face-to-face. Thus, the dynamics of supporting each other are different from a blood family: Perhaps we need to support our sister parish in a developing country. Perhaps we need to pray for a diocese which faces the threat of political persecution. Perhaps we need to lobby with others so that our political and economic leadership changes policies and practices which contradict God’s will.

Today’s Gospel reading challenges us to reflect on the importance of the common bond of faith, asks us to strengthen our commitment to our worldwide faith family, and motivates us to be creative in finding ways to support our brothers and sisters through faith.

Like in a blood family, we often fail to live up to the ideal of being the family of God and instead live selfish lives. Today’s reading from the book of Micha, one of the Old Testament prophets, reminds us that failure is not the last word: Failure is part of human life. God’s response to our failure is showing us his mercy. The reading tells us of God’s overwhelming and unparalleled forgiveness. He is not angry with us when we fail to follow his will; he “rather delights in clemency.”

Whenever we do not live up to our promises, he will forgive us and “will cast into the depths of the sea all our sins.” The burden of our failure is removed and cannot discourage us anymore to support our brothers and sisters through faith.

http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/
"Whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister"

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 does Jesus seem to ignore his own relatives when they pressed to see him? His love and respect for his mother and his relatives is 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 unstopable. 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 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 bless us with many relationships and you invite us into the community of your sons and daughters who have been redeemed by your son, Jesus Christ. Help me to love my neighbor with charity, kindness, compassion, and mercy, just as you have loved me. In all of my relationships, and in all that I do and say, may I always seek to bring you honor and glory."

Psalm 85:1-8

1 LORD, thou wast favorable to thy land; thou didst restore the fortunes of Jacob.
2 Thou didst forgive the iniquity of thy people; thou didst pardon all their sin. [Selah]
3 Thou didst withdraw all thy wrath; thou didst turn from thy hot anger.
4 Restore us again, O God of our salvation, and put away thy indignation toward us!
5 Wilt thou be angry with us for ever? Wilt thou prolong thy anger to all generations?
6 Wilt thou not revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee?
7 Show us thy steadfast love, O LORD, and grant us thy salvation.
8 Let me hear what God the LORD will speak, for he will speak peace to his people, to his saints, to those who turn to him in their hearts.

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

In these few verses, the phrase, "my mother, my brethren--my brothers and sisters," is spoken three times. Jesus must be absolute amid all that is most familiar in my life. My prayer waits the outstretched hand of Jesus directed at me and thus including me among his disciples. These realities must be foremost in my heart: Discipleship, the will of the Father, heaven, i.e., the state of that existence which is the Kingdom of God, the absolute and eternal reign of God over all in Christ. Prayer is the act of discipleship; it places me among the disciples listening to Him, there at his feet. And there is where I will find His Mother. She is the perfect disciple. She is the most perfectly redeemed and sanctified within the Kingdom. I must pray as she prayed, as she prays even now in the Kingdom.

http://goodnews.ie/calendar.php

We haven't heard from Meister Eckhart for some time. Commenting on a similar passage (Luke 11:27) he said, "’The one who hears my word and keeps it is more blessed than the womb that bore me and the breasts that I sucked’. If I had said this and if it were my word, that that person is more blessed who hears God's word and keeps it than Mary is by giving birth and being Christ's bodily mother — I repeat, if I had said this, people would be surprised. But Christ himself has said it, and therefore we must believe him that it is the truth, for Christ is the Truth.” And in another place, “I say that if Mary had not first borne God spiritually, he would never have been born of her physically.... It is more worth to God to be born spiritually of the individual virgin or good soul, than that he was physically born of Mary.”

Some may think, ‘We expect Eckhart to push the limits; but could this apparent put-down of Mary be right or good?’

First of all, it is not a put-down of Mary but a raising up of the disciples. This was also its meaning on the lips of Jesus. Eckhart continues: “The whole of Christendom pays our Lady great honour and respect because she is the bodily mother of Christ, and that is right and proper. Holy Christendom prays to her for grace which she is able to obtain, and that is right. And if holy Christendom pays her such honour, as indeed is fitting, nevertheless holy Christendom should pay even greater honour and glory to those who hear God's word and keep it, for they are even more blessed than our Lady is through being the bodily mother of Christ, as Christ himself has told us. All that honour, and immeasurably more, is accorded to those who hear God's word and keep it.”

If you are still unhappy, read what St Augustine said. “It is greater for Mary to have been a disciple of Christ than to have been the mother of Christ.... Mary was therefore blessed because, even before she gave birth, she bore the Master in her womb. … Mary is holy and Mary is blessed, but the church is greater than the Virgin Mary. And why? Because Mary is a part of the church, a holy limb, an extraordinary limb, an outstanding limb, but she is only a limb of the whole body. If she is but a part of the whole body, greater indeed is the body than a limb. Christ is the head, and Christ is the entire head and body.”

http://www.presentationministries.com/

ADOPTED BY THE BEST FAMILY EVER

"Extending His hand toward His disciples, He said: 'There are My mother and My brothers. Whoever does the will of My heavenly Father is brother and sister and mother to Me.' " 뾏atthew 12:49-50

Many people delight at the thought of marrying into a rich family. They might imagine: "Wow! Suddenly I'll have cars, homes, money, vacations, possessions, status, and prosperity that were never possible before this marriage. I'll do anything they ask, make any changes necessary, just to get into this family."

A common theme for movies is to show an orphanage full of children dreaming of being adopted into a loving family. These children profess that they'll do anything the family wants just to be taken home with the new family.

What good news Jesus announces to us today: Jesus is God! He has the ultimate family: the family of God. Moreover, His only condition for our adoption is that we do the will of God the Father (Mt 12:50). What an offer! Jesus actually wants us to share in the intimate joy of His family. He cherishes our company so much that He wants to become our Brother. Thank Jesus forever for His gracious love, and joyfully do the will of God the Father (Ps 40:9).

Prayer: Father, thank You for adopting me as Your child (Rm 8:15). I praise You forever for including me in Your will.

Promise: "Who is there like You, the God Who removes guilt and pardons sin for the remnant of His inheritance; Who does not persist in anger forever, but delights rather in clemency, and will again have compassion on us, treading underfoot our guilt?" 뾏i 7:18-19

Praise: St. Apollinarius was ordained a bishop by Peter and renowned for his gift of healing. He cherished the company of Jesus so much that he endured great sufferings and tortures to preach the Good News of Christ.

http://www.judeop.org/daily_bread.htm

Anyone who does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother and sister and mother. Jesus seems to give the cold shoulder to his family, but what he is really doing is grabbing his audience’s attention in order to teach a lesson. In a culture where family was so important, Jesus’ message might well have been as startling then as it is now. Those who believe in him are brothers and sisters to him and to each other. We are family, not by blood, but in the Spirit. Our bond is beyond the categories this world imposes — whether they are boundaries of race, language, nation, congregation or even family. Lord Jesus, help us to love one another as brothers and sisters. Pbs

http://www.judeop.org/dailyhomilette2.htm

A new movie, “Winter’s Bone,” hints at the redemption the prophet Micah promises in the first reading today. A seventeen year-old girl, growing up dirt poor in the Ozarks, sacrifices the joy of adolescence to hold her family together. Her father, who moonshines drugs, is arrested and puts his house up as bond. Then he turns up missing. The young girl has to find out what has happened to him if her mother and brothers will have a place to live. She doggedly rises to the task although its bleakness and the harsh life around her drain her of youthful free-spiritedness.

The girl’s determined self-sacrifice reminds us of Jesus’ giving up his life to redeem humanity of its sins. His accomplishment fulfills the prophecy that Micah makes. The prophet relates how God cares about His people. Although they are recalcitrant sinners, He will not abandon them. Indeed, He promises to remove their guilt. Again, their forgiveness is achieved only through Jesus’ sacrificial death on the cross and his resurrection in glory.

In face of such goodness, we need to pause and wonder how God could love us so much. It’s like standing before Michelangelo’s “Pieta” and marveling how anyone can carve a statute with so much pathos. After that, we give thanks and recommit ourselves not to offend God anymore.

http://www.judeop.org/dailyreflections.htm

For the past couple of days I have been in the company of a large number of family members - the children, grandchildren and great grandchild of my deceased sister, Ann, and her husband, Jack. They gather each year for a week on the Gulf Coast. I celebrate Sunday Mass for them and spend the rest of the time relaxing and observing all the family "dynamics!" In any large family there are plenty of "dynamics" to observe! This is why today's gospel passage has an interesting "twist" to it.

On one level, Jesus is pointing out the supreme importance of discipleship - more important, even, than one's family, clan or tribe. In the Middle East, membership in those primary groups is as important as our American individualism is to us, although we do try to give importance to family. Jesus takes the opportunity to note this scale of values when his family shows up at one of his gatherings. The reason they are there, however, is politely ignored, which is why there is a special family "twist" to this occasion. We are told elsewhere that Jesus' family thought he was out of his mind! They were coming to do an "intervention!"

We know that the attempt was not successful, no matter how well-intentioned. Jesus does not disvalue the importance of family. He simply points out how important faith and discipleship are. We Americans have loosened the family bond so much that it is difficult to appreciate the power of Jesus' words on this. I am grateful that I've had the experience of the past weekend to remind me of the importance of BOTH family and discipleship. I hope I won't give them any reason to "intervene!" AMEN

http://biblereflection.blogspot.com/

In today's gospel reading we have words which should touch our hearts.
Jesus says "Whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is brother and
sister and mother to me." Jesus indicated that as his disciples we
enjoy a personal relationship with him. We have been taken into his
family and we are to feel at home with him.

Someone had told Jesus that his mother and relatives wanted to speak
with him. Jesus did not ignore his mother. Rather he wanted the crowd
to know that his mother enjoyed a relationship with him which was more
profound than the one they thought of which came from physical birth.

Mary went beyond being the mother of Jesus. She was actually his
perfect disciple, the one who in everything followed the will of God,
who was Father of both Jesus and Mary. The disciple is related to
Jesus. Jesus offers to everyone the warm intimacy of his own family.
Henceforth, between God and us there is no longer a cold relationship
of obedience and submissions as it exists between a master and his
slaves.

In the following of Jesus, we truly enter the Divine Family, we become
so to say brothers and sisters and mother to Jesus. The bonds of
blood, of human relationships, however important they may be are not
what matters most in the kingdom of God. Every day during Mass we pray
as Jesus taught us and we ask that God's will be done by us on earth
as it is in heaven. In striving to do God's will in everything, we
become more like Mary, the perfect disciple.