17th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle A (가해 연중 제17주일)


1st Reading: 1 Kings 3:5-12

Solomon’s Request of God (Continuation)
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[4] And the king (Solomon) went to Gibeon to sacrifice there, for that was the
great high place; Solomon used to offer a thousand burnt offerings upon that
altar. [5] At Gibeon the LORD appeared to Solomon in a dream by night; and
God said, “Ask what I shall give you.” [6] And Solomon said, “Thou hast shown
great and steadfast love to thy servant David my father, because he walked before
thee in faithfulness, in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart toward thee; and
thou hast kept for him this great and steadfast love, and hast given him a son to
sit on his throne this day. [7] And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy ser-
vant king in place of David my father, although I am but a little child; I do not know
how to go out or come in. [8] And thy servant is in the midst of thy people whom
thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered or counted for multi-
tude. [9] Give thy servant therefore an understanding mind to govern thy people,
that I may discern between good and evil; for who is able to govern this thy great
people?”

[10] lt pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. [11] And God said to him,
“Because you have asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches
or the life of your enemies, but have asked for yourself understanding to discern
what is right, [12] behold, I now do according to your word. Behold, I give you a
wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been before you and none
like you shall arise after you. [13] I give you also what you have not asked, both
riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days."


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Commentary:

3:1-11:1:43. The reign of Solomon became idealized in the memory of Israel.
The sacred writer of 1 and 2 Kings gives him much more space than any other
king. First we are shown his wisdom (3:1-5:14), which would become proverbial
and would cause wisdom books such as Proverbs, Ecclesiastes and the Book
of Wisdom to be attributed to him, and also poetical books such as the Song of
Songs and a collection of Psalms. He then goes on to deal with the king’s public
works programme (5:15-9:9), especially the building of the temple and its dedica-
tion, for that temple would become the center of the religious life of the people.
On these two scores Solomon became famous inside and outside Israel, as
explained in 9:10-10:29. Finally, with a realism rare among historians of the
time, the writer exposes the king’s sins and failings towards the end of his
reign (11:1-40).

The reign of Solomon is depicted in these chapters in all its splendor--and all its
weakness. The splendor derives from the wisdom with which God endows the
king (3:1-5:14) and is to be found in Solomon’s great buildings (especially the
temple: 5:15-7:51), in his prayer at the dedication of the temple (8:1-9:9) and in
the booming commerce which gives Solomon great prestige and untold wealth 
(9:10-10:29). The king’s weakness lies in his unfaithfulness to God, for, to please
his foreign wives, he introduces the worship of other gods into the country. There
are political weaknesses, too: cracks are appearing in the (north-south) union,
and enemies exist inside and outside the state (11:1-40).

3:1-5:14. The most important trait of Solomon is his wisdom, to which our Lord
refers in the Gospel (cf. Mt 12:45). The sacred writer shows here the source and
evidence of that wisdom: it is a gift from God, his answer to the king’s prayer
(3:12-14), and it can be seen in the way Solomon administers justice (3:16-28)
and in the way that court and kingdom are organized, that is, in the typical func-
tions of a king (4:1-24). The more he acts with wisdom, the wiser he becomes
(4:29-34).

3:2-14. The “high places” (v. 2) were altars built in open country, on the top of
some hill, and under a shady tree, where Canaanites and Israelites of this period
offered sacrifices to the divinity. From the time of King Josiah’s reform in 622 this
type of worship was expressly forbidden in case the worship of God should be-
come associated with worship of local gods, baals (cf. 2 Kings 23:4-20).

Gibeon, about 10 km. (6 miles) northwest of Jerusalem, belonged to the tribe of
Benjamin (cf. Josh 18:25) and was one of the cities given over to the Levites (cf.
Josh 21:17) in which according to Chronicles, the desert tent or tabernacle was
kept for a time (cf. 1 Chron 21:29). The fact that the Lord should speak to Solo-
mon here also means that he is confirming him as king of Israel.

Solomon’s request pleases the Lord because it is made with humility (cf. v. 7)
and because he asks not for material things but for “an understanding mind” so
as to be able to govern well (vv. 9-14). Solomon’s request is an anticipation of the
proper order which, according to Christ’s teaching, should be present in prayer of 
petition: “The one Master and Lord teaches us how and in what order we ought to
pray to God for the things we want; since we indicate and express our desires and
petitions in, prayer, then we pray properly and well when the order of our petitions
matches the right order of desires. True charity teaches us that we ought to dedi-
cate ourselves and all our desires to God; God, the supreme Good, deserves the
highest form of love. And God cannot be loved from the heart, exclusively, if his
honor and glory are not valued above all other things and creatures; all good things,
those we have and those we do not possess, all things that are called good, must
be subordinated to the supreme Good from whom they derive their goodness”
("Roman Catechism", 4, 10, 1).


2nd Reading: Romans 8:28-30

Christians are Children of God (Continuation)
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[28] We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him,
who are called according to his purpose. [29] For those whom he foreknew he
also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might
be the first-born among many brethren. [30] And those whom he predestined he
also called; and those whom he called he also justified; and those whom he
justified he also glorified.

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Commentary:

28. Awareness of God as Father helps us see all the events of our life as
orchestrated by the lovable Will of God. Our Father gives us what is best for us
and expects us to discover his paternal love in adverse as well as in favorable
events. "Notice", St Bernard points out, "that he does not say that things suit
our whims but that they work for our good. They serve not caprice but usefulness;
not pleasure but salvation; not what we desire but what is good for us. In that
sense everything works for our good, even death itself, even sin [...]. Is it not the
case that sins do good to him who on their account becomes more humble,
more fervent, more solicitous, more on guard, more prudent?" ("De Fallacia Et
Brevitate Vitae", 6). If we have this optimistic, hopeful attitude, we will overcome
every difficulty we meet: "The whole world seems to be coming down on top of
you. Whichever way you turn you find no way out. This time, it is impossible to
overcome the difficulties.

"But, have you again forgotten that God is your Father?--all-powerful, infinitely
wise, full of mercy. He would never send you anything evil. That thing that is
worrying you is good for you, even though those earthbound eyes of yours may
not be able to see it now.

"'Omnia in bonum!' Lord, once again and always, may your most wise Will be
done!" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way of the Cross", IX, 4).

29. Christ is called the "first-born" for many reasons. He is "the first-born of all
creation" (Col 1:15) because he is eternally begotten and because "all things
were made through him" (Jn 1:3). He is also the new Adam and therefore the
head of the human race in the work of redemption (cf. 1 Cor 15:22, 45). He is
"the first-born from the dead" (cf. Col 1:18; Rev 1:5) and therefore is the head
of all those who have reached heaven and all who are awaiting their future
resurrection (1 Cor 15:20, 23). Finally, he is the "first-born among many brethren"
because, in the order of grace, he gives us a share in his divine sonship: by
means of habitual grace--"sanctifying" grace--we become children of God and
brothers and sisters of Jesus Christ. "For, just as God chose to communicate
to others his natural goodness, giving them a share in that goodness, so that
he might be not only good but also the author of good things; so the Son of
God chose to communicate to others a sonship like his own, so that he might
be not only a son, but the first-born of many sons" (St Thomas Aquinas,
"Commentary on Rom, ad loc.").

This remarkable fact is what leads the Christian to imitate Christ: our divine
sonship moves us to reflect the words and gestures of his Only-begotten Son.

"Lord, help me decide to tear off, through penance, this pitiful mask I have
fashioned with my wretched doings.... Then, and only then, by following the
path of contemplation and atonement, will my life begin to copy faithfully the
features of your life. We will find ourselves becoming more and more like you.

"We will be other Christs, Christ himself, 'ipse Christus'" ([St] J. Escriva, "The
Way of the Cross", VI).
　

Gospel Reading: Matthew 13:44-52

The Hidden Treasure; The Pearl
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(Jesus said to His disciples,) [44] "The Kingdom of Heaven is like treasure hid-
den in a field, which a man found and covered up; then in his joy he goes and
sells all that he has and buys that field.

[45] "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls,
[46] who, on finding one pearl of great value, went and sold all that he had and
bought it.

The Net
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[47] "Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a net which was thrown into the sea
and gathered fish of every kind; [48] when it was full, men drew it ashore and sat
down and sorted the good into vessels but threw away the bad. [49] So it will be
at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the
righteous, [50] and throw them into the furnace of fire; there men will weep and
gnash their teeth.

[51] "Have you understood all this?" They said to Him, "Yes." [52] And He said
to them, "Therefore every scribe who has been trained for the Kingdom of Heaven
is like a householder who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old."

[53] And when Jesus had finished these parables He went away from there.

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Commentary:

44-46. In these two parables Jesus shows the supreme value of the Kingdom of
Heaven, and the attitude people need if they are to attain it. The parables are
very alike, but it is interesting to note the differences: the treasure means abun-
dance of gifts; the pearl indicates the beauty of the Kingdom. The treasure is
something stumbled upon; the pearl, the result of a lengthy search; but in both
instances the finder is filled with joy. Faith, vocation, true wisdom, desire for
Heaven, are things which sometimes are discovered suddenly and unexpectedly,
and sometimes after much searching (cf. St. Gregory the Great, "In Evangelia
Homilae", 11). However, the man's attitude is the same in both parables and is
described in the same terms: "he goes and sells all that he has and buys it":
detachment, generosity, is indispensable for obtaining the treasure.

44-46. 이들 두 개의 비유들에서 예수님께서는 하늘 나라(the Kingdom of Heaven)(*)의 
지고의 가치(supreme value)와, 그리고  만약에 사람들이 그것에 도달하고자 한다면   
그들이 필요로 하는 바로 그 태도(attitude)를 보여주십니다. 이 비유들은 매우 비슷하나, 
그러나 다음과 같은 차이점들에 주목하는 것은 흥미로운 일입니다: 보물은 선물들의 
풍부함을 뜻하며, 그리고 진주는 이 나라의 아름다움을 가리킵니다. 보물은 우연히 
발견하게 되는(stumbled upon) 어떤 것이며, 그리고 진주는 어떤 오랜 추구의 결과이나, 
그러나 둘 다의 예들에 있어 발견자는 기쁨으로 가득 채워져 있습니다. 믿음(faith), 
소명(vocation), 참 지혜, 하늘(Heaven)에 대한 소망은  때로는 갑자기 그리고 예상밖으로, 
그리고 때로는 많은 추구 이후에 발견하게 되는 것들 입니다 [cf. St. Gregory the Great, 
"In Evangelia Homilae", 11]. 그렇지만, 이 사람의 태도는 이 비유들 둘 다에 있어 동일하며 
그리고 다음과 같은 동일한 표현으로 묘사되고 있습니다: "그는 가서 가진 것을 다 팔아 
그것을 산다":  세속적 일들에 대한 무관심(detachment)과 관대함(generosity)는 이 
보물을 획득하기 위하여 꼭 필요합니다.

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(*) 번역자 주: 예수 그리스도께서 당신의 공생활 초기에 선포하신 당신의 복음 즉, 
죽은 이들의 일부 영혼들을 위한 천국(heaven, 즉 천당, 하늘)이 아닌, 지상에 이미 
존재하고 있기에 예수 재림의 날까지 천국(heaven, 하늘)과 결코 동일하지 않은, 
"하느님 나라[Kingdom of God, 즉 하늘 나라(Kingdom of heaven)]"에 대한 졸글들은 
다음에 있으니 꼭 읽고 묵상하도록 하라:

http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/intro2KH_JohnPaul_II.htm 
-----

"Anyone who understands the Kingdom which Christ proposes realizes that it is
worth staking everything to obtain it. [...]. The Kingdom of Heaven is difficult to
win. No one can be sure of achieving it, but the humble cry of a repentant man
can open wide its doors" ([Blessed] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 180).

"예수님께서 제시하시는 이 나라를 이해하는 자 누구든지 이 나라가 이 나라를 
획득하기 위하여 모든 것을  걸 가치가 있음을 깨닫습니다. [...]. 하늘 나라는 얻기 
어렵습니다. 누구도 이 나라를 차지함(achieving it)에 대하여 확신할 수 없으나, 
그러나 회개하는 사람의 겸손한 외침은 그 문들을 활짝 열 수 있습니다" 
[복된(Blessed) 호세마리아 에스크리바 (J. Escriva), "Christ Is Passing By", 180].

47. "Fish of every kind": almost all the Greek manuscripts and early translations
say "All kinds of things". A dragnet is very long and about two meters wide;
when it is extended between two boats it forms double or triple mesh with the
result that when it is pulled in it collects all sorts of things in addition to fish--
algae, weeds, rubbish, etc.

47. "온갖 종류의 물고기": 그리스어 사본들 거의 대부분 그리고 초기의 번역본들은 
모든 종류의 사물들(All kinds of things)"를 말합니다. 한 개의 후릿 그물(a dragnet)(*)은 
굉장히 길고 그리고 약 2미터의 폭을 가지며, 그리고 이것이 두 척의 배(boats)들 
사이에서 펼쳐지면, 이것은 이중의 혹은 삼중의 그물코 mesh)를 형성하여 그 결과로 
이것이 잡아 당겨졌을 때에 이것은 물고기에 더하여, 조류(藻類, algae), 잡초(weeds)들, 
쓰레기(rubbish) 등, 모든 종류의 사물들을 모읍니다.

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(*) 번역자 주: 다음의 주소에 접속하면, 좽이[cast net, 투망(投網)], 후릿 그물[dragnet, 
예인망(曳引網), 저인망(底引網)] 등의 그물들에 대한 더 자세한 설명과 이들의 그림들을 
볼 수 있다:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/1234.htm
-----

This parable is rather like the parable of the cockle, but in a fishing context: the
net is the Church, the sea the world.

이 비유는 오히려 가라지의 비유(the parable of the cockle, 마태오 13,24-30) 비슷하나, 
그러나 다음과 같은 고기잡이 문맥 안에 있습니다: 그물은 교회를 말하고, 바다는 
이 세상을 말합니다.

We can easily find in this parable the dogmatic truth of the Judgment: at the end
of time God will judge men and separate the good from the bad. It is interesting
to note our Lord's repeated references to the last things, especially Judgment and
Hell: He emphasizes these truths because of man's great tendency to forget them:
"All these things are said to make sure that no one can make the excuse that he
does not know about them: this excuse would be valid only if eternal punishment
were spoken about in ambiguous terms" (St. Gregory the Great, "In Evangelia
Homilae", 11).

우리는 바로 이 비유 안에서 다음과 같은 최후의 심판(the Judgment)에 대한 교의적 
진리(the dogmatic truth)를 쉽게 발견합니다: 시간의 끝에 하느님께서는 장차 사람들을 
심판하여 그리하여 선한 이(the good)들을 나쁜 이(the bad)들로부터 분리하실 것이다. 
마지막 일들, 특별히 최후의 심판과 지옥(Hell)에 대한 다음과 같은 우리의 주님의 
반복되는 언급들을 주목하는 것은 흥미로운 일입니다: 당신께서는, 이들을 잊어버리는 
사람들의 커다란 성향들 때문에, 이러한 진리들을 강조하십니다: "이러한 일들 모두는, 
어느 누구도 그들에 관하여 알지 못한다는 변명을 할 수 없도록 확실히 하기 위하여, 
말해지고 있는데, 이는 바로 그러한 변명이 영원한 벌에 대하여 모호한 용어들로 
말해졌을 경우에만(only if) 유효할 수 있을 것이기 때문이다" [성 그레고리오 1세 대 교황
(St. Gregory the Great), "In Evangelia Homilae", 11].

52. "Scribe": among the Jews a scribe was a religious teacher, a specialist in sa-
cred Scripture and its application to life. Our Lord here uses this word to refer to
the Apostles, who will have the role of teachers in His Church. Thus, the Apostles
and their successors, the Bishops, are the "Ecclesia docens", the teaching Church;
they have the authority and the mission to teach. The Pope and the Bishops exer-
cise this authority directly and are also helped in this by priests. The other mem-
bers of the Church form the "Ecclesia discens", the learning Church. However,
every disciple of Christ, every Christian who has received Christ's teaching, has
a duty to pass this teaching on to others, in language they can understand; there-
fore, he should make sure he has a good grasp of Christian doctrine. The treasure
of Revelation is so rich that it can provide teaching which applies to all times and
situations. It is for the word of God to enlighten all ages and situations--not the
other way around. Therefore, the Church and its pastors preach, not new things,
but a single unchanging truth contained in the treasure of Revelation: for the past
two thousand years the Gospel has always been "good news".

52. "율법 학자": 유다인들 사이에서 율법 학자는, 성스러운 성경 본문과 삶으로의 이 
본문의 적용에 있어 전문가인, 종교에 대하여 가르치는 자(종교적 선생, a religious 
teacher)였습니다. 우리의 주님께서는 여기서 당신의 교회 안에서 선생/교사(teachers 
in His Church)들의 역할을 장차 할, 사도(the Apostles)들에 대하여 언급하시고자 
바로 이 단어를 사용하십니다. 따라서, 사도들과 그들의 계승자들인 주교들은  
"Ecclesia docens", 즉 가르치는 교회(the teaching Church)이며, 그리고 그들은 
가르치는 권위와 임무를 가지고 있습니다. 교황과 주교들은 이 권위를 직접적으로 
행사하며 그리고 이러한 행사에 있어 사제들에 의하여 도움을 또한 받고 있습니다. 
교회의 또다른 구성원들은 "Ecclesia discens", 즉 배우는 교회(the learning Church)
입니다. 그러나, 그리스도의 제자들 모두, 즉 그리스도의 가르침을 이미 받아들인 
그리스도 사람 각각은, 자신들이 이해할 수 있는 언어로, 이러한 가르침을 다른 
이들에게 전달해주어야 하는 의무를 지니고 있으며, 그러므로, 그는 자신이 
그리스도교 교리를 잘 이해하고 있는지 확실히 하여야만 합니다. 거룩한 계시
(Revelation)라는 보물은 너무도 풍성하여 그 결과 이 보물은 모든 시기들과 여건들에 
적용되는 가르침을 제공할 수 있습니다. 모든 시대들과 여건들을 교화하는(enlighten) 
것은 하느님의 말씀(the word of God, 로고스, 즉 예수 그리스도)(*)이 하시는 
것이지, 거꾸로가 아닙니다. 그러므로, 교회와 그 사목자들은, 새로운 것들이 아니라, 
거룩한 계시라는 보물 안에 포함되어 있는 단 하나의 불변의 진리를 설교합니다: 지난 
2,000년 동안 이 복음(the Gospel, 즉 그리스도의 복음)(**)은 항상 "좋은 소식
(good news)"이었습니다.

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(*) 번역자 주: "하느님의 말씀"이 곧 강생하신 성자이신 예수 그리스도 당신 자신이심에 
대하여서는 다음의 주소에 있는 글을 필독하도록 하라:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/843.htm 

(**) 번역자 주: "이 복음(the Gospel)"은 그리스도의 복음, 즉 "하늘 나라의 도래(the 
coming of the Kingdom of Heaven)"를 말한다. 이에 대한 더 자세한 글들은 다음의 
주소에 있으며, 필독을 권고한다:

http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/intro2KH_JohnPaul_II.htm 
-----

********************************************************************************************
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text from the
Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries by members of
the Faculty of Theology, University of Navarre, Spain.

Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock, Co. Dublin, Ireland, and
by Scepter Publishers in the United States. We encourage readers to purchase
The Navarre Bible for personal study. See Scepter Publishers for details.


[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 
출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다. 그리고 본문 중의 우리말 번역문에 
대한 저작권은 엮은이에게 있으며, 본문 중의 우리말 번역문들을 복사하여 가져가는 것을
허락하지 않습니다.]