|
2010년 3월 13일 사순 제3주간 토요일
제1독서
호세아 예언서. 6,1-6
복음
루카. 18,9-14
http://www.bible.claret.org/
March 13, 2010 Saturday of the Third Week of Lent Reading I What can I do with you, Ephraim? Responsorial Psalm Gospel REFLECTION “People told this parable to people Only when we admit to ourselves
please don't
http://www.franciscanretreats.net/
We end this week of homilies that encompassed God’s expectations of us with yet one more expectation: that we humble ourselves in order to be exalted. Humility and its good friend honesty are basic virtues in any relationship and in anything we do. I have to be who and what I am with no show, no pretense, no blowing things out of proportion, no pride carried to the extreme. I have to return to God what he made me to be. His gifts and talents, all that I am or might be, are gifts from God. I did not earn them, I do not deserve them. They are pure gift. My part in all of this is to accept these things thankfully from God and use them to the best of my ability for serving others. When I do this, and only when I do this, am I being humble and honest. Only then can I come close to being the virtuous person God expects me to be.
http://www.evangeli.net/gospel/gospel.html Whoever makes himself out to be great will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be raised Today, in the midst of an image centered culture, this Gospel has a profound meaning. But let's take it one step at a time.
1 자, 주님께 돌아가자. 그분께서 우리를 잡아 찢으셨지만 아픈 데를 고쳐 주시고, 우리를 치셨지만 싸매 주시리라. 2 이틀 뒤에 우리를 살려 주시고, 사흘째 되는 날에 우리를 일으키시어, 우리가 그분 앞에서 살게 되리라. 3 그러니 주님을 알자. 주님을 알도록 힘쓰자. 그분의 오심은 새벽처럼 어김없다. 그분께서는 우리에게 비처럼, 땅을 적시는 봄비처럼 오시리라.
4 에프라임아, 내가 너희를 어찌하면 좋겠느냐? 유다야, 내가 너희를 어찌하면 좋겠느냐? 너희의 신의는 아침 구름 같고, 이내 사라지고 마는 이슬 같다. 5 그래서 나는 예언자들을 통하여 그들을 찍어 넘어뜨리고, 내 입에서 나가는 말로 그들을 죽여, 나의 심판이 빛처럼 솟아오르게 하였다. 6 정녕 내가 바라는 것은 희생 제물이 아니라 신의다. 번제물이 아니라 하느님을 아는 예지다.
그때에 9 예수님께서는 스스로 의롭다고 자신하며 다른 사람들을 업신여기는 자들에게 이 비유를 말씀하셨다.
10 “두 사람이 기도하러 성전에 올라갔다. 한 사람은 바리사이였고, 다른 사람은 세리였다. 11 바리사이는 꼿꼿이 서서 혼잣말로 이렇게 기도하였다. ‘오, 하느님! 제가 다른 사람들, 강도짓을 하는 자나, 불의를 저지르는 자나, 간음을 하는 자와 같지 않고, 저 세리와도 같지 않으니, 하느님께 감사드립니다. 12 저는 일주일에 두 번 단식하고, 모든 소득의 십일조를 바칩니다.’
13 그러나 세리는 멀찍이 서서 하늘을 향하여 눈을 들 엄두도 내지 못하고, 가슴을 치며 말하였다. ‘오, 하느님! 이 죄인을 불쌍히 여겨 주십시오.’
14 내가 너희에게 말한다. 그 바리사이가 아니라, 이 세리가 의롭게 되어 집으로 돌아갔다. 누구든지 자신을 높이는 이는 낮아지고, 자신을 낮추는 이는 높아질 것이다.”
Hos 6:1-6
“Come, let us return to the LORD,
it is he who has rent, but he will heal us;
he has struck us, but he will bind our wounds.
He will revive us after two days;
on the third day he will raise us up,
to live in his presence.
Let us know, let us strive to know the LORD;
as certain as the dawn is his coming,
and his judgment shines forth like the light of day!
He will come to us like the rain,
like spring rain that waters the earth.”
What can I do with you, Judah?
Your piety is like a morning cloud,
like the dew that early passes away.
For this reason I smote them through the prophets,
I slew them by the words of my mouth;
For it is love that I desire, not sacrifice,
and knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.
51:3-4, 18-19, 20-21ab
R. (see Hosea 6:6) It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
For you are not pleased with sacrifices;
should I offer a burnt offering, you would not accept it.
My sacrifice, O God, is a contrite spirit;
a heart contrite and humbled, O God, you will not spurn.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Be bountiful, O LORD, to Zion in your kindness
by rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem ;
Then shall you be pleased with due sacrifices,
burnt offerings and holocausts.
R. It is mercy I desire, and not sacrifice.
Lk 18:9-14
Jesus addressed this parable
to those who were convinced of their own righteousness
and despised everyone else.
“Two people went up to the temple area to pray;
one was a Pharisee and the other was a tax collector.
The Pharisee took up his position and spoke this prayer to himself,
‘O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity B
greedy, dishonest, adulterous B or even like this tax collector.
I fast twice a week,
and I pay tithes on my whole income.’
But the tax collector stood off at a distance
and would not even raise his eyes to heaven
but beat his breast and prayed,
‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’
I tell you, the latter went home justified, not the former;
for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled,
and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
who were sure of their own goodness and despised everyone else.”
our own weaknesses
can we really come before
the Lord of Mercy
with confidence that mercy
will be ours.
Jesus said, "A Pharisee and a
tax collect went to the temple to
pray. The Pharisee prayed, "God,
I thank you that I am not greedy
or dishonest, like other people."
The tax collector prayed, "God,
have pity on me, a sinner." Jesus
ended saying: "Who makes
himself great will be humbled;
who humbles himself will
be made great." Luke 18:13-14
The famous, ancient Roman sen-
ator Cato was out walking with a
friend. Suddenly, his friend said,
"It's a scandal that the Senate has
not erected a statue in your honor.
I'm going to look into the matter."
"Please don't," said Cato,
"I'd rather that people asked,
'Why isn't there a statue to Cato,?'
than 'Why is there one?"
How concerned am I about
receiving recognition for the
things I do?
Humility isn't thinking little of self;
it isn't thinking of self at all.
Author unknown
Lord, help it be so for all of us.
In the passage we are contemplating we see that in each person we can find a knot made of three strings. These three strings cannot be untangled unless each is taken into consideration at the same time. The first string relates to God; the second one to our fellowmen; and the third one to ourselves. Let us look carefully: those Jesus was addressing were «persons fully convinced of their own righteousness, who looked down on others» (Lk 18:9) but who, therefore, were not praying rightly. The three strings are always related to each other!
How can we properly put these relations into the right perspective? Which is the secret of untying that knot? The final conclusion of the sharp parable reveals it: humility. Saint Therese of Avila said it too: «Humility is truth».
It is true, though: humility allows us to recognize our own truth. Neither to swell with pride and vainglory nor to undermind us. Humility allows us to accept the gifts we receive from God as such, and to present him with our daily chores. Humility also allows us to recognize the qualities of our fellowmen. And even to be happy to discover them out.
Last but not least, a sense of humility must also be fundamental in our personal relationship with God. We must remember that, in Jesus' parable, the Pharisee lived a most righteous life; with his weekly religious practices and acts of charity! But he is not humble and that spoils all his other acts.
We are getting close to Holy Week. Soon we shall contemplate —once more!— Christ on the Cross: «Our Lord crucified is an unsurpassable testimony of patient loving and of humble meekness» (John Paul II). There, we shall see how, before Dimas' pleading —«Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom» (Lk 23:42)— the Lord responds with a “sudden canonization” without any precedent: «I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise» (Lk 23:43). That personage was a murderer who, before dying, was finally canonized by the very same Christ. It was a case hitherto unheard, for us, a consolation...: sanctity is not “manufactured” by us, but granted by God, if He finds our heart to be humble and converted.
http://www.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/daily.html
The pastor (who was also my new boss) called me into his office one day to talk about outreach ministry at our Catholic parish. As the new pastoral minister, this was one of the areas of the parish which I would oversee. He explained to me that he wanted me to jumpstart the global outreach committee and find a mission project which would involve our parishioners traveling to another country to serve people in need. I swallowed hard and wondered if I should tell him I didn’t even have a passport but instead I got busy putting together a committee which eventually decided upon a Guatemala mission project.
During the early weeks and months of working on this mission initiative, my focus was on helping, doing, giving and fixing. I was convinced that we Americans had gifts and wealth which we were called by God to share with those who had very few resources. I thought I had the right ideas, approaches and attitudes.
The mission initiative was designed for missionaries to live for a few days with host families. During my first mission trip, my amazing host family opened their doors and showered me with gifts as they shared their food, gave me their bed, taught me to make tortillas and coffee over an open fire and welcomed me into their reality. My time with them was about laughter, tears, joy and grace. It was about babies and elders, family, faith and friendship. It was about joking, winking, praying, dancing and shouting. They claimed my heart and transformed me forever. Once my eyes and heart were open, I understood that the true way to do mission work was through solidarity and love. Their love helped me to see that mission involvement was first and foremost about “being” not just “doing.” It wasn’t until I was in relationship with the people of Guatemala that I understood that instead of being the giver, I was the receiver. It profoundly transformed me.
Luke’s gospel today relates a parable told by Jesus addressing “…those who were convinced of their own righteousness…” Jesus tells the story of two people praying in the temple. One is a tax collector and the other is a Pharisee. The Pharisee exalts himself and the tax collector humbles himself. Jesus is very clear about how he sees these two dispositions teaching that those who exalt themselves will be humbled and those who humble themselves will be exalted.
Luke uses this parable because his invitation and challenge in today’s gospel is for us to consider our own “righteousness.” I’d like to suggest that we take Luke’s challenge by looking at the word “right” rather than “righteousness.” Most of us would probably say we aren’t righteous but are there times in our lives in which we feel that we are right? Our intentions are not usually negative or malicious yet we see ourselves in certain situations as being correct. Is it possible that occasionally our belief about our own rightness actually blocks us from God and others? In my case as a mission leader, what I thought initially was the right way to be a missionary turned out to be very one-sided and could have kept me from experiencing God’s graces.
We are halfway through Lent and it is a perfect time to discern about our Lenten practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. An additional Lenten practice might be to ask this question: Are there areas of my life in which I need to be open to new insights and let go of my need to be right? Can my openness to God’s view or the wisdom of another person transform me into a world of new insights to encounter experiences of peace and love?
I now have a passport. The Guatemala mission initiative called Ixim: Spirit of Solidarity is alive and well. Countless people have been called and gifted by the experience. We have installed water systems, run medical clinics, helped the Huehuetenango, Guatemala Catholic school system and built relationships with Guatemalans who live in Omaha . As we prepare people for mission, we gently tell them that they will most likely be changed forever. When they return to tell their stories, their tears tell us that God and the people of Guatemala have touched their hearts. One mission participant while weeping through the story of his experience summarized it all: “I thought I was going there to help and instead I fell in love.” What could be more right?
http://www.rc.net/wcc/readings/
"Everyone who exalts himself will be humbled"
What kind of prayer is pleasing to God? The prophet Hosea, who spoke in God's name, said: "I desire steadfast love and not sacrifice" (Hosea 6:6). The prayers and sacrifices we make to God mean nothing to him if they do not spring from a heart of love for God and for one's neighbor. How can we expect God to hear our prayers if we do not approach him with humility and a contrite heart? We stand in constant need of his grace and mercy. That is why the Apostle James tells us that "God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6; Proverbs 3:34).
Jesus reinforced this warning with a vivid story of two men at prayer. Why did the Lord accept one person’s prayer and reject the other’s prayer? Luke gives us a hint: despising one’s neighbor closes the door to God’s heart. Contempt is more than being mean-minded. It springs from the assumption that one is qualified to sit in the seat of judgment and to ascertain who is good and just. Jesus' story caused offense for those who regarded "tax collectors" as unworthy of God's grace and favor. How could Jesus put down a "religious leader" and raise up a "public sinner"? Jesus' parable speaks about the nature of prayer and our relationship with God. It does this by contrasting two very different attitudes towards prayer. The Pharisee, who represented those who take pride in their religious practices, exalted himself at the expense of others. Absorbed with his own sense of self-satisfaction and self-congratulation his prayer was centered on himself rather than on God. Rather than praising God and asking God for his mercy and help, this man praised himself while despising those he thought less worthy than himself. The Pharisee tried to justify himself before God and before those he despised; but only God can justify us. The tax collector, who represented those despised by religious-minded people, humbled himself before God and begged for mercy. His prayer was heard by God because he had true sorrow for his sins. He sought God with humility rather than with pride.
This parable presents both an opportunity and a warning. Pride leads to illusion and self-deception. Humility helps us to see ourselves as we really are and it inclines us to God's grace and mercy. God dwells with the humble of heart who recognize their own sinfulness and who acknowledge God's mercy and saving grace. I dwell in the high and holy place, and also with him who is of a contrite and humble spirit (Isaiah 57:15). God cannot hear us if we despise others. Do you humbly seek God's mercy and do you show mercy to others, especially those you find difficult to love and to forgive?
"Lord Jesus, may your love control my thoughts and actions that I may do what is pleasing to you. Show me where I lack charity, mercy, and forgiveness toward my neighbor. And help me to be generous in giving to others what you have so generously given to me."
Psalm 51:1-4, 18-19
1 have mercy on me, O God, according to thy steadfast love; according to thy abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin!
3 For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
4 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight, so that thou art justified in thy sentence and blameless in thy judgment.
5 Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.
6 Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
7 Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
8 Fill me with joy and gladness; let the bones which thou hast broken rejoice.
18 Do good to Zion in thy good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem,
19 then wilt thou delight in right sacrifices, in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings; then bulls will be offered on thy altar.
http://www.contemplative.com/weekday_readings.htm
A two-fold process works in the self-righteous to whom this parable is addressed. First, they believe in their own righteousness as an entitlement of their very selves. The source of this feeling is the constant glow that comes from holding themselves as the center of the universe. It seems to be an ingrained reflex. Second, thinking themselves as the source of their importance, they hold everyone else in contempt. Others are a threat to the center of their personal universe. They see their own universe colliding with others. Thus the Pharisee prays what is in his heart, namely his own self-reliance. The Gospel of Jesus calls us to another interior process which is opposite to the Pharisee’s. With a clear insight into his basic unworthiness and his dependence on God, the publican keeps his distance. He acknowledges that he is far from the absolute source of all life. He dares not of himself to lift his eyes into the Divine Mystery. He pleads only that the divine process of mercy begin to uplift him into that which he does not possess of himself. God will make it all to happen; he will be justified. Thus prayer is seeking the source of life in God's gift of mercy. Prayer is to be ever in the process of transformation. O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.
http://goodnews.ie/calendar.php
This parable is unique to Luke, and it has the characteristic Lukan strong contrasts: heroes and villains. (Think, for example, of the rich man and Lazarus, the parable of the prodigal son, the woes following the beatitudes....) The Pharisee and the tax-collector stand at opposite ends of the social spectrum.
The Pharisee “stood by himself”: that was the very definition of Pharisee: the name ‘Pharisee’ means ‘separated’: their special practices and attitudes separated them from the common people. Perhaps for that reason his prayer was all about himself. Cyril of Alexandria described him as “standing there bold and broad, lifting up his eyes without a qualm, boastful and bearing witness to himself.” At the beginning his prayer seems to be a thanksgiving psalm; but soon enough we see that it is really about his own accomplishments. He is not slow to put these on show. Cyril remarked: “No one who is in good health ridicules one who is sick for being laid up and bedridden. Rather he is afraid that he himself might perhaps become the victim of similar sufferings.” Another ancient writer said the Pharisee was “drunk on pride in the sweet and lovely sound of his own voice.” Notice that the Pharisee offers no honour to God and makes no request. He is separated not only from others but from God. When there is emphasis on the separate self, life becomes competition: the ‘I’ has to win every race and be ‘better’ than others. That means that it can never afford to relax and be off-guard. How difficult life becomes! It is hardly a life at all, and it certainly is not life-giving to others.
The other spoke directly to God, asking for mercy. There could hardly be a more essential prayer. He did not think of himself as complete, needing nothing. A circle is complete: it marks out a small space and it divides it off; it needs nothing from the outside. The Pharisee was such a circle: he didn’t come out of himself to God – nor of course to the tax-collector in the story. But the tax-collector knew his own incompleteness. He was like a circle with a breach in the circumference. We are at our best when we are open: when we know our need of God and of one another. Then something can flow in and out. Through our woundedness the mercy of God can flow through to the world.
http://www.presentationministries.com/
BEYOND COMPARE "The Pharisee with head unbowed prayed in this fashion: 'I give You thanks, O God, that I am not like the rest of men.' " 뾎uke 18:11 The Pharisee compared himself with the tax collector. He fell into the sin of pride, was not justified, and even deteriorated to the point of "holding everyone else in contempt" (Lk 18:9). Cain compared himself with Abel and became resentful and crestfallen (Gn 4:6). "Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him" (Gn 4:8), becoming the first murderer. Aaron and Miriam compared themselves to Moses. "So angry was the Lord against them that when He departed, and the cloud withdrew from the tent, there was Miriam, a snow-white leper!" (Nm 12:9-10) Saul compared himself to David. "Saul was jealous of David. The next day an evil spirit...came over Saul, and he raged in his house" (1 Sm 18:9-10). Saul tried to kill David, was eventually involved in the occult, and finally committed suicide. Some religious leaders compared themselves with Jesus. They became so jealous they handed Jesus over to be crucified (Mt 27:18). They took part in the worst murder ever. The high priest and Sadducees compared themselves with the apostles. They became so jealous they arrested the apostles, threw them into jail, and threatened to kill them (Acts 5:17-18). Comparing ourselves with others is a "no-win situation." It leads to either pride or jealousy, which in turn leads to self-hatred. If we believe our heavenly Father loves us, we have no need to compare ourselves with others. Through Jesus and in the Spirit, be secure in your Father's love. Prayer: Abba... Promise: "It is love that I desire, not sacrifice, and knowledge of God rather than holocausts." 뾊os 6:6 Praise: Andrew's lifestyle has reformed since he began confessing his tendency to be competitive.
http://www.judeop.org/daily_bread.htm
O God, be merciful to me, a sinner. Like the Pharisee in today’s Gospel, we may feel self-righteous. In our faithfulness to God’s law, we may look down on and even despise others whom we judge as less faithful. Yet we can never know what is going on in others’ hearts and minds. We know our own failures. We know our own meanness — the kindnesses unoffered, the just deeds undone, the limits we’ve set on our forgiveness. God alone is righteous. God alone knows our hearts. May our judgment of others cease as we learn to approach our merciful God with contrite hearts. For humility to see our sinfulness … for graciousness to accept all people as beloved brothers and sisters, we pray. Ecw
|