18th Sunday in Ordinary Time, Cycle B (나해 연중 제18주일)


1st Reading: Exodus 16:2-4, 12-15

The Manna and the Quails
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[2] And the whole congregation of the people of Israel murmured against Moses
and Aaron in the wilderness, [3] and said to them, "Would that we had died by
the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate
bread to the full; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole
assembly with hunger."

[4] Then the Lord said to Moses, "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you;
and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may prove
them, whether they will walk in my law or not.

[12] "I have heard the murmurings of the people of Israel; say to them, 'At twilight
you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; then you
shall know that I am the Lord your God."'

[13] In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew
lay round about the camp. [14] And when the dew had gone up, there was on the
face of the wilderness a fine, flake like thing, fine as hoar frost on the ground. [15]
When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they
did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which the Lord
has given you to eat."

[31a] Now the house of Israel called its name manna.

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Commentary:

16:1-36. The prodigy of the manna and the quails was a very important sign of
God's special providence towards his people while they were in the desert. It is
recounted here and in Numbers 11, but in both accounts facts are interwoven
with interpretation of same and with things to do with worship and ethics.

Some scholars have argued that the manna is the same thing as a sweet secre-
tion that comes from the tamarisk ("tamarix mannifera") when punctured by a
particular insect commonly found in the mountains of Sinai. The drops of this re-
sin solidify in the coldness of the night and some fall to the ground. They have to
be gathered up early in the morning because they deteriorate at twenty-four de-
grees temperature (almost eighty degrees Celsius). Even today desert Arabs
collect them and use them for sucking and as a sweetener in confectionery.

As we know, quails cross the Sinai peninsula on their migrations back and forth
between Africa and Europe or Asia. In May or June, when they return from Afri-
ca they usually rest in Sinai, exhausted after a long sea crossing; they can be
easily trapped at this point.

Although these phenomenon can show where the manna and the quail come
from, the important thing is that the Israelites saw them as wonders worked by
God. The sacred writer stops to describe the impact the manna had on the
sons of Israel. They are puzzled by it, as can be seen from their remarks when
it comes for the first time: "What is it?" they ask, which in Hebrew sounds like
"man hu", that is, manna (v. 15), which is how the Greek translation puts it. In-
deed, the need to collect it every day gave rise to complaints about some peo-
ple being greedy (v. 20) and who did not understand the scope of God's gift (v.
15). And just as manna is a divine gift to meet a basic human need (nourish-
ment), so too the divine precepts, specifically that of the sabbath, are a free
gift from the Lord (v. 28). So, obedience is not a heavy burden but the exercise
of a capacity to receive the good things that God gives to those who obey him.

The prodigy of the manna will resound right through the Bible: in the "Deuterono-
ic" tradition it is a test that God gives his people to show them that "man does
not live by bread alone, but [...] by everything that proceeds from the mouth of
the Lord" (Deut 8:3). The psalmist discovers that manna is "the bread of the
strong" ("of angels", says the Vulgate and the RSV), which God sent in abun-
dance (Ps 78:23ff; cf. Ps 105:40). The book of Wisdom spells out the features
of this bread from heaven "ready to eat, providing every pleasure and suited to
every taste" (Wis 16:20-29). And the New Testament reveals the full depth of
this "spiritual" food (1 Cor 10:3), for, as the "Catechism" teaches, "manna in
the desert prefigured the Eucharist, 'the true bread from heaven' (Jn 6:32)" ("Ca-
techism of the Catholic Church", 1094).

16:2-3. The complaining that usually precedes the desert prodigies (cf. 14:11;
15:24; 17:3; Num 11:1, 4; 14:2; 20:2; 21:4-5) brings into focus the chosen peo-
ple's lack of faith and hope, and (by contrast) the faithfulness of God, who time
and again alleviates their needs even though they do not deserve it. At the same
time, just as Moses and Aaron listened patiently to complaints, God too is al-
ways ready to dialogue with the sinner, sometimes listening to his complaints
and sorting them out, and sometimes simply giving him a chance to repent:
"Although God could inflict punishment on those whom he condemns without
saying anything, he does not do so; on the contrary, up to the point when he
does condemn, he speaks with the guilty person and lets him talk, so as to
help him avoid condemnation" (Origen, "Homiliae in leremiam", 1, 1).


2nd Reading: Ephesians 4:17, 20-24

Spiritual Renewal
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[17] Now this I affirm and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the
Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. [20] You did not so learn Christ!--[21]
assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is
in Jesus. [22] Put off your old nature which belongs to your former manner of life
and is corrupt through deceitful lusts, [23] and be renewed in the spirit of your
minds, [24] and put on the new nature, created after the likeness of God in true
righteousness and holiness.

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Commentary:

17-19. The Christian, who has been configured to Christ by Baptism, is called to
holiness and therefore should not lead a dissolute life alienated from God, as the
Gentiles do. The "futility of their minds" has led them away from God, the source
of all truth (cf. Rom 1:18-32). Hence it is that when man is put in the place of
God the mind operates in a vacuum and the resulting knowledge produces no-
thing but mere illusion and total deceit.

As St Paul tells the Romans, people who act in that way are those "who by their
wickedness suppress the truth" (Rom 1:18). It is true that the human mind is ca-
pable of recognizing God as the creator of all things; but when people give their
passions full rein, their will becomes weakened; they thus suppress the truth and
their minds easily tend to adopt wrong ideas. All this is a result of arrogance and
pride which makes man unwilling to accept God and acknowledge his own limi-
tations as a creature: this eventually leads to the "ignorance that is in them, due
to their hardness of heart" (v. 18).

Impurity opens the way to a whole series of vices and disorders connected with
greed (cf. notes on Rom 1:29-31 and Rom 1:32). The term "callous" is used to
indicate that these people lost their desire to try to lead a good life and even lose
their very sense of morality.

22-24. The sacred text emphasizes two basic points--one's duty to put off one's
"old nature" (the "old man") and, in parallel with that, the urgent need to put on
the "new nature" (the "new man"). These two expressions refer directly to the
symbolism of Christian Baptism, which effects the transition from the life of sin
to the life of grace, thanks to the merits of Christ (cf. Rom 6:3-11).

In Baptism we have "put on Christ" (Gal 3:27) and become "partakers of the di-
vine nature" (2 Pet 1:4). From that moment onwards a Christian's life is so radi-
cally different that to revert to one's previous--pagan--conduct is the greatest in-
sult we could offer the body of Christ. St Paul, therefore, is not just exhorting
people to root out this or that defect, but to strip themselves of the "old nature"
entirely.

The "old nature" is the carnal man, vitiated from conception by original sin and
become the slave of his own passions; whereas, the "new man" has been born
again through the Holy Spirit at Baptism: he is no longer ruled by sin, although
he is still subject to passions which have been made unruly by sin. That is why
the Apostle urges us to put off the "old nature" by fighting against disordered
desires and their evil effects (cf. Rom 6:12-14; 8:5-8) and by being conscious
that the renewal brought about by the Holy Spirit helps the baptized person to
see each and every event in his life from a new, supernatural perspective, as
befits the "new man".

The change from the old to the new nature St Paul describes in terms of creation
(v. 24). It does not involve any external change, as when someone changes his
clothes, but rather an inner renewal, whereby the Christian, by becoming a new
creature in Jesus Christ, is enabled to practise righteousness and holiness in a
manner that exceeds his natural human capacity. It is not enough, then, for one
to have simply a veneer of piety. "Entering the church and venerating sacred ima-
ges and crosses is not sufficient for pleasing God, just as washing one's hands
does not make one clean all over. What truly pleases God is that a person flees
from sin and gets rid of his stains by means of confession and penance. Let him
break the chains of his faults by being humble of heart" (St Anastasius of Sinai,
"Sermon on the Holy Synaxis").

This inner renewal of the person is something which takes a lifetime. "The power
of God is made manifest in our weakness and it spurs us on to fight, to battle
against our defects, although we know that we will never achieve total victory du-
ring our pilgrimage on earth. The Christian life is a continuous beginning again
each day. It renews itself over and over" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By",
114).
　

Gospel Reading: John 6:24-35

The People Look for Jesus
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[22] On the next day the people who remained on the other side of the sea saw
that there had been only one boat there, and that Jesus had not entered the boat
with His disciples, but that His disciples had gone away alone. [23] However,
boats from Tiberias came near the place where they ate the bread after the Lord
had given thanks. [24] So when the people saw that Jesus was not there, nor
His disciples, they themselves got into the boats and went to Capernaum, see-
king Jesus.

The Discourse on the Bread of Life
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[25] When they found Him on the other side of the sea, they said to Him, "Rab-
bi, when did You come here?" [26] Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to
you, you seek Me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate your fill of
the loaves. [27] Do not labor for the food which perishes, but the food which en-
dures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you; for on Him has God
the Father set His seal." [28] Then they said to Him, "What must we do, to be
doing the works of God?" [29] Jesus answered them, "This is the work of God,
that you believe in Him He has sent."

[30] So they said to Him (Jesus), "Then what sign do You do, that we may see,
and believe You? What work do You perform? [31] Our fathers ate the manna
in the wilderness; as it is written, He gave them bread from Heaven to eat.'" [32]
Jesus then said to them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, it was not Moses who gave
you the bread from Heaven; My Father gives you the true bread from Heaven.
[33] For the bread of God is that which comes down from Heaven, and gives life
to the world." [34] They said to Him, "Lord, give us this bread always."

[35] Jesus said them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not
hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst."

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Commentary:

26. Our Lord begins by pointing out that their attitudes are wrong: if they have
the right attitude they will be able to understand His teaching in the eucharistic
discourse. "You seek me", St. Augustine comments, "for the flesh, not for the
spirit. How many seek Jesus for no other purpose than that He may do them
good in this present life! [...] Scarcely ever is Jesus sought for Jesus' sake"
("In Ioann. Evang.", 25, 10).

This verse marks the beginning of the discourse on the bread of life which goes
up to verse 59. It opens with an introduction in the form of a dialogue between
Jesus and the Jews (verses 26-34), in which our Lord reveals Himself as the
bringer of the messianic gifts. Then comes the first part of the discourse (ver-
ses 35-47), in which Jesus presents Himself as the Bread of Life, in the sense
that faith in Him is food for eternal life. In the second part (verses 48-59) Christ
reveals the mystery of the Eucharist: He is the Bread of Life who gives Himself
sacramentally as genuine food.

27. Bodily food helps keep us alive in this world; spiritual food sustains and de-
velops supernatural life, which will last forever in Heaven. This food, which only
God can give us, consists mainly in the gift of faith and sanctifying grace.
Through God's infinite love we are given, in the Blessed Eucharist, the very au-
thor of these gifts, Jesus Christ, as nourishment for our souls.

27. 몸의 음식(bodily foof)은 바로 이 세상에서 우리들을 계속하여 살아있는 것을 
도우며, 영적 음식(spiritual food)는, 하늘(Heaven, 천당)에서 장차 영원히 지속될, 
초자연적 생명(supernatural life)을 유지하고(sustains) 그리고 키웁니다(develops). 
오로지 하느님만이 우리들에게 제공하실 수 있는 바로 이 음식은 믿음(faith) 및 
성화 은총(santifying grace)이라는 선물을 그 주된 부분으로서 가지고 있습니다. 
하느님의 무한한 사랑을 통하여 우리는, 복된 성체(the Blessed Eucharist)로, 바로 
이들 선물들의 바로 그 권위자(author)이신 예수 그리스도를, 우리의 영혼들을 위한 
자앙분으로서, 받게 됩니다.

"On Him has God the Father set His seal": our Lord here refers to the authority
by virtue of which He can give men the gifts He has referred to: for, being God
and man, Jesus' human nature is the instrument by means of which the Second
Person of the Blessed Trinity acts. St. Thomas Aquinas comments on this sen-
tence as follows: 

"그분에게 성부 하느님께서 당신의 인장을 이미 새기셨습니다"(On Him has God 
the Father set His seal): 여기서 우리의 주님께서는, 바로 그 덕택으로 그 쪽으로 
당신께서 이미 언급하신 이 선물들을 사람들에게 당신께서 제공하실 수 있는, 그 
권위(authority) 쪽으로 언급하시는데, 왜냐하면, 하느님 및 사람이신, 예수님의 
인성(human nature)은, 바로 그것에 의하여 복되신 성삼위의 제2 위격께서 활동하시는, 
도구(instrument)이기 때문입니다. 성 토마스 아퀴나스(St. Thomas Aquinas)는 
바로 이 문장에 대하여, 다음과 같이 주석합니다: 

"What the Son of Man will give He possesses through His superiority over all other 
men in His singular and outstanding fullness of grace. ... When a seal is impressed 
on wax, the wax receives the complete form of the seal. So it is that the Son received 
the entire form of the Father. This occurred in two ways; eternally (eternal generation),
which is not referred to here because the seal and the sealed are different in nature 
from one another; what is referred to here is the other manner, that is, the mystery of 
the Incarnation, whereby God the Father impressed on human nature the Word, who 
is the reflection and the very stamp of God's nature, as Hebrews 1:3 says" ("Commentary 
on St. John, in loc."). "

"당신의 단일한 그리고 괄목할 만한, 은총의, 충만함에 있어 모든 다른 사람들 보다 탁월한 
당신의 우월성(superiority)을 통하여, 사람의 아들이 장차 제공하실 바를, 당신께서 소유하고 
계신다. ... 한 개의 인장(a seal, 印章)이 밀랍(wax, 蜜蠟) 위에 눌러졌을 때에, 이 밀랍은 
이 인장의 완전한 형체(complete form)를 받는다. 따라서 이 아드님께서는 성부의 전체 
형상(entire form)를 받으셨던 것이다. 바로 이 인장을 받음은 다음과 같은 두 가지 
방식으로 발생하였다: 영원히(영원한 생성(eternal generation))는, 왜냐하면 이 인장
(the seal)과 인장을 받은 바(the sealed)[즉, 인호(印號, character)]는 본성(nature)에 
있어 서로 다르기 때문에, 여기서 그 쪽으로 언급되지 않으며, 여기서 그 쪽으로 언급되는 
바는 다른 양식/방식(manner), 즉, 강생 신비(the mystery of Incarnation)인데, 
바로 이 방식에 의하여(whereby) 성부 하느님께서는 [예수님의] 인성(human nature)에 
하느님의 본성의 반영(反影, reflection)[즉, 하느님의 모습] 및 바로 그 각인(刻印, 
stamp)인 거룩한 말씀(the Word)을, 히브리서 1,3이 말하듯이, 눌러 찍으셨던 것이다
(impressed)" [성 토마스 아퀴나스(St. Thomas Aquinas), "Commentary on St. John", 
in loc. 제898항의 두 번째 단락]

28-34. This dialogue between Jesus and His hearers is reminiscent of the epi-
sode of the Samaritan woman (cf. John 4:11-15). On that occasion Jesus was
speaking about water springing up to eternal life; here, He speaks of bread co-
ming down from Heaven to give to the world. There, the woman was asking
Jesus if He was greater than Jacob; here the people want to know if He can
compare with Moses (cf. Exodus 16:13). "The Lord spoke of Himself in a way
that made Him seem superior to Moses, for Moses never dared to say that he
would give food which would never perish but would endure to eternal life. Jesus
promises much more than Moses. Moses promised a kingdom, and a land flo-
wing with milk and honey, good health and other temporal blessings [...], plenty
for the belly, but food which perishes; whereas Christ promised food which never
perishes but which endures forever" (St. Augustine, "In Ioann. Evang.", 25:12).

These people know that the manna--food which the Jews collected every day
during the journey through the wilderness (cf. Exodus 16:13ff) -- symbolized
messianic blessings; which was why they asked our Lord for a dramatic sign
like the manna. But there was no way they could suspect that the manna was
a figure of a great supernatural messianic gift which Christ was bringing to man-
kind -- the Blessed Eucharist. In this dialogue and in the first part of the dis-
course (verses 35-47), the main thing Jesus is trying to do is bring them to
make an act of faith in Him, so that He can then openly reveal to them the mys-
tery of the Blessed Eucharist--that He is the bread "which comes down from
Heaven, and gives life to the world" (verse 33). Also, St. Paul explains that the
manna and the other marvels which happened in the wilderness were a clear
prefiguring of Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:3-4).

The disbelieving attitude of these Jews prevented them from accepting what
Jesus revealed. To accept the mystery of the Eucharist, faith is required, as
Paul VI stressed: "In the first place we want to remind you that the Eucharist is
a very great mystery; strictly speaking, to use the words of sacred liturgy, it is
'the mystery of faith'. This is something well known to you but it is essential to
the purpose of rejecting any poisonous rationalism. Many martyrs have wit-
nessed to it with their blood. Distinguished Fathers and Doctors of the Church
in unbroken succession have taught and professed it. [...] We must, therefore,
approach this mystery, above all, with humble reverence, not following human
arguments, which ought to be hushed, but in steadfast adherence to divine re-
velation" ("Mysterium Fidei").

35. Going to Jesus means believing in Him, for it is through faith that we ap-
proach our Lord. Jesus uses the metaphor of food and drink to show that He
is the one who really meets all man's noblest aspirations: "How beautiful is our
Catholic faith! It provides a solution for all our anxieties, calms our minds and
fills our hearts with hope" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 582).

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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].