나바르 매일미사 독서/묵상

Wednesday

6th Week of Easter

1st Reading: Acts 17:15, 22-18:1

Reception in Beroea (Continuation)
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[l5] Those who conducted Paul brought him as far as Athens; and receiving a
command for Silas and Timothy to come to him as soon as possible, they
departed.

Paul's Speech in the Areopagus
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[22] So Paul, standing in the middle of the Areopagus, said: "Men of Athens, I
perceive that in every way you are very religious. [23] For as I passed along, and
observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription,
'To an unknown god.' What therefore you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to
you. [24] The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven
and earth, does not live in shrines made by man, [25] nor is he served by human
hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all men life and
breath and everything. [26] And he made from one every nation of men to live on
all the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of
their habitation, [27] that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel
after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, [28] for 'In him we
live and move and have our being'; as even some of your poets have said, 'For we
are indeed his offspring.'

[29] Being then God's offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold,
or silver, or stone, a representation by the art and imagination of man. [30] The
times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all men everywhere
to repent, [31] because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in
righteousness by a man whom he has appointed and of this he has given assu-
rance to all men by raising him from the dead.

[32] Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked; but
others said, "We will hear you again about this." [33] So Paul went out from
among them. [34] But some men joined him and believed, among them Diony-
sius the Areopagite and a woman named Damaris and others with them.

Paul in Corinth, with Aquila and Priscilla
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[1] After this he left Athens and went to Corinth.

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Commentary:

22-33. Of all Paul's addresses reported in Acts, this address in the Areopagus is
his longest to a pagan audience (cf. 14:15ff). It is a highly significant one, paral-
leling in importance his address to the Jews of Pisidian Antioch (cf. 13:16ff). It is
the first model we have of Christian apologetic method, which tends to stress the
reasonableness of Christianity and the fact that it has no difficulty in holding its
own with the best in human thought.

The speaker is clearly the same person as wrote the first three chapters of the
Epistle to the Romans, someone with a lot of experience of preaching the Gospel;
his method consists in first talking about the one, true, living God and then pro-
claiming Jesus Christ, the divine Saviour of all men (cf. 2 Thess 1:9-10).

After an introduction designed to catch the attention of listeners and highlight the
central theme (vv. 22ff), the address can be divided into three parts: 1) God is the
Lord of the world; he does not need to live in temples built by men (vv. 24f); 2)
man has been created by God and is dependent on him for everything (vv. 26f);
3) there is a special relationship between God and man; therefore, idolatry is a
grave sin (vv. 28f). Then, in his conclusion, Paul exhorts his listeners to accept
the truth about God, and to repent, bearing in mind the Last Judgment (vv. 30f).

The terminology Paul uses comes mainly from the Greek translation of the Old
Testament--the Septuagint. Biblical beliefs are expressed in the language of the
Hellenistic culture of the people.

22-24. "To an unknown God": St Paul praises the religious feelings of the
Athenians, which lead them to offer worship to God. But he goes on to point out
that their form of religion is very imperfect because they do not know enough about
God and about the right way to worship him; nor does their religion free them from
their sins or help them live in a way worthy of human dignity. Religious Athenians,
he seems to say somewhat ironically, are in fact superstitious, and they do not
know the one true God and his ways of salvation.

Paul criticizes pagan religion and points out its limitations, but he does not to-
tally condemn it. He regards it as a basis to work on: at least it means that his
listeners accept the possibility of the existence of a true God as yet unknown to
them. They are predisposed to receive and accept the supernatural revelation of
God in Christ. Revelation does not destroy natural religion: rather, it purifies it,
completes it and raises it up, enabling a naturally religious person to know the
mystery of God, One and Triune, to change his life with the help of the grace of
Christ and to attain the salvation he needs and yearns for.

23. "Those who acted in accordance with what is universally naturally and eter-
nally good were pleasing to God and will be saved by Christ [...], just like the
righteous who preceded them" (St Justin, "Dialogue with Tryphon", 45). The
Church's esteem for the positive elements in pagan religions leads her to preach
to all men the fullness of truth and salvation which is to be found only in Jesus
Christ. "The Catholic Church rejects nothing of what is true and holy in these
religions. She has a high regard for the manner of life and conduct, the precepts
and doctrines which, although differing in many ways from her own teaching,
nevertheless often reflect a ray of that truth which enlightens all men. yet she
proclaims, and is in duty bound to proclaim without fail, Christ who is the way,
and the truth, and the life (Jn 14:6). In him, in whom God reconciled all things to
himself, men find the fullness of their religious life" (Vatican II, "Nostra Aetate",
2).

24. Paul's language is in line with the way God is described in the Old Testament
as being Lord of heaven and earth (cf. Is 42:5; Ex 20:21). The Apostle speaks of
God's infinite majesty: God is greater than the universe, of which he is the creator.
However, Paul does not mean to imply that it is not desirable for God to be wor-
shipped in sacred places designed for that purpose.

His words seem to echo those of Solomon at the dedication of the first Temple:
"Behold, heaven and the highest heaven cannot contain thee; how much less
this house which I have built!" (1 Kings 8:27).

Any worship rendered to God should be "in spirit and truth" (Jn 4:24). But the
Lord has desired to dwell in a special way and to receive homage in temples built
by men. "The worship of God", St Thomas Aquinas writes, "regards both God who
is worshipped and men who perform the worship. God is not confined to any place,
and therefore it is not on his account that a tabernacle or temple has to be made.
Worshippers, as corporeal beings, need a special tabernacle or temple set up for
the worship of God; and this for two reasons. First, that the thought of its being
appointed to the worship of God might instill a greater sense of reverence; second,
that the way it is arranged and furnished might signify in various respects the
excellence of Christ's divine or human nature. [...] From this it is clear that the
house of the sanctuary was not set up to receive God as if dwelling there, but
that his name might dwell there, that is, in order that the knowledge of God
might be exhibited there" ("Summa Theologiae", I-II, q. 102, a. 4. ad 1).

25. The idea that God does not need man's service and does not depend on man
for his well-being and happiness is to be often found in the prophetical books.
"Now in Babylon you will see", Jeremiah proclaims, "gods made of silver and gold
and wood, which are carried on men's shoulders and inspire fear in the heathen.
[...] Their tongues are smoothed by the craftsmen, and they themselves are over-
laid with gold and silver; but they are false and cannot speak. [...] When they have
been dressed in purple robes, their faces are wiped because of the dust from the
temple, which is thick upon them. Like a local ruler the god holds a scepter,
though unable to destroy any one who offends it. [...] Having no feet, they are
carried on men's shoulders, revealing to mankind their worthlessness. And those
who serve them are ashamed because through them these gods are made to
stand, lest they fall to the ground" (Bar 6:4, 8, 12-13, 26-27).

This does not mean that the Lord does not want men to respond to the love-
offering which he makes them. "Hear, O heavens," Isaiah prophesies, "and give
ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken: Sons have I reared and brought up, but they
have rebelled against me. The ox knows its owner, and the ass its master's crib;
but Israel does not know, my people does not understand" (1:2-3).

In addition to being offensive and senseless, sin implies indifference and ingrati-
tude towards God, who, in an excess of love, is tireless in seeking man's friendship.
"When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son," we read in
the prophet Hosea. "The more I called them, the more they went from me. [...] Yet
it was I who taught Ephraim to walk, I took them up in my arms; but they did not
know that I healed them. I led them with cords of compassion, with the bands of
love" (11:1-4).

By far the greatest sign of God's love for men is the Redemption, and the sacra-
ments of the Church, through which the fruits of the Redemption reach us. His
love is expressed in a special way in the Blessed Eucharist, which provides the
Christian with nourishment and is where Jesus wishes us to adore him and keep
him company.

26. "From one": St Paul is referring to the text of Genesis 2:7: "then the Lord God
formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life"; in other words, he is speaking of the first progenitor of the human race. The
expression "from one" should not be interpreted as meaning from "one principle"
but from "one man".

27-28. St Paul is speaking about the absolute nearness of God and his mys-
terious but real presence in every man and woman. St Augustine echoes this
teaching when he exclaims, "Yet all the time you were within me, more inward
than the most inward place of my heart, and loftier than the highest" ("Confes-
sions", III, 6, 11).

27-28. 성 바오로(St. Paul)는 모든 사람과 여자에게 있어 하느님의 절대적 가까이
계심과 당신의 신비로운 그러나 현존하시는 존재(real presence)에 관하여 말하고
있습니다. 성 아우구스티노(St. Augustine)는 그가 다음과 같이 외칠 때에 이러한
가르침을 반향합니다: "그럼에도 불구하고 항상 당신께서는, 저의 심장(heart)의 가장
내부의 장소보다 더 안쪽인, 그리고 가장 높은 데 보다 더 높은 장소인, 저의 안쪽에
계셨습니다" [성 아우구스티노(St. Sugustine), "고백들(Confessions)", III, 6, 11].

Merely to exist, man needs God, his Creator. He also needs him if he is to
continue in existence, to live and act. He needs him if he is to think and love.
And in particular he needs him in order to love goodness and be good. It is
correct to say that God is in us. This intimate union of God and man does not
in any way take from the fact that there is a perfect distinction and radical dif-
ference between God, who is infinite, and man, who is finite and limited.

단지 존재하기 위하여, 사람은 자신의 창조주이신 하느님을 필요로 합니다. 그가
계속하여 존재하고, 살아 있으며 그리고 행동하고자 한다면, 그는 또한 당신을
필요로 합니다. 그가 생각하고 사랑하려고 한다면, 그는 당신을 필요로 합니다.
그리고 특히 그는 선함(goodness)을 사랑하고 선(good)하기 위하여 당신을
필요로 합니다.(*) 하느님께서 우리 안에 계신다고 말하는 것은 올바릅니다. 이러한
하느님과 사람의 친밀한 결합은 어떠한 경우에도, 무한하신 하느님과 유한하고
제한적인 사람 사이에 어떤 완미한(perfect) 구분과 근본적인 차이점이 있다는
사실로부터 유래하지 (take from) 않습니다.

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(*) 번역자 주: 다음에 있는 성 토마스 아퀴나스의 신학 대전 학습을 위한 "신학 대전
여행(the tour of Summa)" Ia, q20, "하느님의 사랑"에 대한 설명을 참고하라:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/1077.htm
-----

"Men, who are incapable of existing of themselves," St Athanasius writes, "are
to be found confined by place and dependent on the Word of God. But God
exists of himself, he contains all things and is contained by none. He is to be
found within everything as far as his goodness and power is concerned, and he
is outside of everything as far as his own divine nature is concerned" ("De
Decretis Nicaenae Synodi", 11).

성 아타나시오(St. Athanisius)는 다음과 같이 씁니다: "스스로 존재할 능력이 없는
사람들은 공간(place)에 의하여 제약을 받으며 그리고 하느님의 거룩한 말씀에
의존하고 있음을 발견하게 될 것입니다. 그러나 하느님께서는 스스로 존재하시며,
당신께서는 만물들을 포함하시나 그러나 어떤 것에도 포함되지 않으십니다.
당신께서는, 당신의 선하심과 힘이 관련되는 한, 모든 것 안쪽에서 발견될 것이며,
그리고 당신께서는, 당신 고유의 신성이 관련된 이상, 모든 것 바깥에 계십니다.
[성 아타나시오(St. Athanisius), "De Decretis Nicaenae Synodi", 11].

Christian spirituality has traditionally seen in these ideas an invitation to seek
God in the depth of one's soul and to always feel dependent upon him.

그리스도인의 영성(靈性)(Christian spirituality)은 전통적으로 이러한 개념들
안에서 하느님을 자신의 영혼의 깊은 곳에서 추구하라는 그리고 항상 당신께
의존함을 느끼라는 권유(invitation)를 보아 왔습니다.

"Consider God", says St John of Avila, "who is the existence of everything that
exists, and without whom there is nothing; and who is the life of all that lives,
and without whom there is death; and who is the strength of all that has capacity
to act, and without whom there is weakness; and who is the entire good of every-
thing that is good, without whom nothing can have the least little bit of good in
it" ("Audi, Filia", chap. 64).

아빌라의 성 요한(St. John of Avila)은 다음과 같이 말합니다: "존재하는 모든 것의
존재이신, 그러나 당신 없이는 아무 것도 없는; 살아 있는 모슨 생명의 생명이신,
그러나 당신 없이는 죽음뿐인; 행동할 능력을 가진 모든 것의 활력이신, 그러나
당신 없이 나약함뿐인; 선한 모든 것의 전체 선이신 그러나 당신 없이는 어떠한 것도
그 안에 최소한도의 선함도 가질 수 없는, 하느님을 생각하십시오" [아빌라의 성 요한
(St. John of Avila), "Audi, Filia", chap. 64].

St Francis de Sales writes: "Not only is God in the place where you are, but he
is in a very special manner in your heart and in the depth of your soul, which he
quickens and animates with his divine presence, since he is there as the heart
of your heart, and the spirit of your soul; for, as the soul, being spread throughout
the body, is present in every part of it, and yet resides in a special manner in the
heart, so God, being present in all things, is present nevertheless in a special
manner in our spirit and therefore David called God 'the God of his heart' (Ps
73:26); and Paul said that 'we live and move and have our being in God' (Acts
17:28). By reflecting on this truth, you will stir up in your heart a great reverence
for God, who is so intimately present there" ("Introduction to the Devout Life", II,
chap. 2).

성 프란체스코 살레시오(St. Francis de Sales)는 다음과 같이 씁니다: "하느님께서는
그대가 있는 바로 그 장소에 계실 뿐만이 아니라, 당신께서는 매우 특별한 방식으로
그대의 심장(heart) 안에 그리고 그대의 영혼의 깊은 곳에 계시며, 당신께서는 이들을
당신의 거룩한 현존으로써 활기차게 하고 그리고 움직이는데, 이는 당신께서는 거기에
그대의 심장(heart)의 심장(heart)으로서, 그리고 그대의 영혼의 영혼으로서 계시기
때문이며, 그리고 이는, 영혼이, 육체 전반에 걸쳐 퍼져 있기에, 육체의 모든 부분에
존재하고 있듯이, 그러나 여전히 특별한 방식으로 심장(heart) 안에 거주하고 있기
때문인데, 마찬가지로 하느님께서는, 모든 사물들에 존재하시기에, 그럼에도 불구하고
특별한 방식으로 우리의 영혼에 존재하시며 그리하여 그 결과로 다윗(David)은 하느님을
'제 심장(heart)의 반석' (시편 73,26)으로 불렀으며, 그리고 바오로(Paul)는 '우리는
하느님 안에서 살고 움직이며 존재합니다' (사도행전 17,28) 라고 말하였습니다. 이러한
진리에 대하여 묵상함으로써, 그대는 자신의 심장(heart) 안에서, 거기에 너무도
친밀하게 현존하고 계시는, 하느님에 대한 커다란 공경심을 분발시킬(stir up) 것입니다"
[성 프란체스코 살레시오(St. Francis de Sales), "Introduction to the Devout Life",
II, chap. 2].

This quotation--in the singular--is from the Stoic poet Aratus (3rd century B.C.).
The plural in the quotation may refer to a similar verse in the hymn to Zeus written
by Cleanthes (also 3rd century).

이러한 인용[즉, '우리도 그분의 자녀다']은 -- 단수형으로 -- 금욕주의 시인인
아라토스(Stoic poet Aratus, 기원전 3세기)로 부터입니다. 이 인용에 있어 복수형은
클레안테스(Cleanthes, 또한 기원전 3세기)에 의하여 쓰여진 제우스의 찬미(hymn to
Zeus)에 있는 유사한 절에 대한 언급일 것입니다.

"The devil spoke words of Scripture but our Saviour reduced him to silence",
St Athanasius comments. "Paul cites secular authors, but, saint that he is, he
gives them a spiritual meaning" ("De Synodis", 39). "We are rightly called 'God's
offspring', not the offspring of his divinity but created freely by his spirit and re-
created through adoption as sons" (St Bede, "Super Act Expositio, ad loc".).

성 아타나시오(St. Athanasius)는 다음과 같이 주석합니다: "악마는 성경의 말씀들을
말하였으나 그러나 우리의 주님께서는 그를 침묵 쪽으로 진압하셨습니다(reduced).
바오로는 세속적 저자들을 인용하나, 그러나, 그는 성도(saint)이기에, 그는 그들에게
영적인 의미를 제공합니다" [성 아타나시오(St. Athanasius), "De Synodis", 39].

"우리는, 당신의 신성의 자녀들이 아니라 당신의 영에 의하여 자유롭게 창조되었으며
그리고 자녀들로서 입양을 통하여 재창조된(recreated), '하느님의 자녀(God's offspring)'
라고 올바르게 불립니다" [성 베다(St Bede), "Super Act Expositio, ad loc".].

29. If men are God's offspring, and are in some way like him, clearly an inanimate
representation cannot contain the living God. Men have God's spirit and therefore
they should recognize that God is spiritual. However, material representations of
God do serve a useful purpose, due to the fact that human knowledge begins from
sense experience. Visual images help us to realize that God is present and they
help us to adore him. Veneration of images--as encouraged by the Church--is,
therefore, quite different from idolatry: an idolater thinks that God dwells in the
idol, that he acts only through the idol, and in some cases he actually thinks that
the idol is God.

29. 만약에 사람(men)들이 하느님의 자식(offspring)이고, 그리고 어떠한 방식으로
그분처럼(like him)이라면, 분명하게 어떤 생명이 없는 대표자는 살아계신 하느님을
포함할 수 없습니다. 사람들은 하느님의 영(spirit)을 가지고 있으며 그리하여 그 결과
그들은 하느님께서 영적이심(spiritual)을 마땅히 알아차려야 합니다. 그러나, 하느님에
대한 질료적 표현(material representations)들은, 인간의 지식이 감각 경험으로부터
시작된다는 사실 때문에, 어떤 유용한 목적에 정말로 도움이 됩니다. 가시적 상(visible
images)들은 우리가 하느님께서 현존하심(present)을 알아차리는 것을 도와주고
그리하여 그들은 우리가 그분을 흠숭하는(adore) 것을 도와줍니다. 그러므로, 교회에
의하여 격려되듯이, 상들에 대한 공경(veneration)은 다음과 같이 우상숭배(idolatry)로부터
아주(quite) 다릅니다: 한 우상숭배자는 하느님께서 그 우상(idol) 안에 거주하신다고
생각하고, 그분께서 이 우상을 통하여서만 오로지 행동하신다고 생각하며, 그리고
어떠한 경우들에 있어 그는 이 우상이 하느님이라고 현실태적으로(actually) 생각합니다.

30. St Paul now moves on from speaking about natural knowledge of God to ex-
plaining the knowledge of God that comes from faith.

30. 성 바오로(St. Paul)는 이제 하느님에 대한 자연적 앎/지식에 관하여 말함으로부터
믿음(faith)으로부터 나오는 하느님에 대한 앎/지식을 설명함 쪽으로 계속 나아갑니다.

Although man can know God by using his reason, the Lord has chosen to make
known the mysteries of his divine life in a supernatural way, in order to make it
easier for man to attain salvation. "The Church maintains and teaches that God,
the beginning and end of all things, can be known with certainty, by the natural
light of human reason, from created things. [...] However, it pleased him in his
wisdom and goodness to reveal himself to mankind and to make known the
eternal decrees of his will in another, supernatural way" (Vatican I, "Dei Filius",
chap. 2).

비록 사람이 자신의 이성(reason)을 사용함에 의하여 하느님을 알 수 있으나,
주님께서는, 사람이 구원(salvation)을 획득하는 것을 더 쉽도록 하기 위하여, 어떤
초자연적 방식으로 당신의 신성한 생명(divine life)의 신비들이 알려지게 되는 것을
이미 선택하셨습니다. "모든 사물들의 시작이시고 끝인 하느님이, 창조된 사물들로부터,
인간 이성의 자연적 빛에 의하여, 확실하게 알게 될 수 있음을 교회는 지지하고
(maintains) 그리고 가르칩니다. [...] 그러나, 또다른, 초자연적 방식으로 당신 자신을
인류에게 드러내시고 그리고 당신의 의지(will)의 영원한 법령(eternal decrees)들을
알려지게 하는 것이 당신의 지혜 안에서 당신을 즐겁게 하셨습니다." [제1차 바티칸
공의회(Vatican I), "Dei Filius", chap. 2].

"It was also necessary for man to be instructed by divine Revelation concerning
those truths concerning God, which human reason is able to discover, for these
truths, attained by human reason, would reach man through the work of a few,
after much effort and mixed in with many errors; yet the entire salvation of man,
which lies in God, depends on knowledge of these truths. So, for salvation to
reach men more rapidly and more surely, it was necessary for them to be ins-
tructed by divine Revelation concerning the things of God" (St Thomas Aquinas,
"Summa Theologiae", I, q. 1, a. 1).

Supernatural Revelation assures man of easily attained, certain knowledge of
divine mysteries; it also includes some truths--such as the existence of God--
which unaided human reason can discover (cf. Rom 1:20).

"It pleased God, in his goodness and wisdom", Vatican II teaches, "to reveal
himself and to make known the mystery of his will (cf. Eph 1:9). His will was that
men should have access to the Father, through Christ, the Word made flesh, in
the Holy Spirit, and thus become sharers in the divine nature (cf. Eph 2:18; 2 Pet
1:4). By this revelation, then, the invisible God (cf. Col 1: 15; 1 Tim 1 :17), from
the fullness of his love, addresses men as his friends (cf. Ex 33:11; Jn 15:14-15),
and moves among them in order to invite and receive them into his own company"
("Dei Verbum", 2).

The knowledge of the triune God and his saving will which supernatural revelation
offers men is not just theoretical or intellectual knowledge: it has the aim of con-
verting man and leading him to repent and to change his life. It is, therefore, a
calling from God; and God expects man to make a personal response to that call.
"The obedience of faith" (Rom 16:26; cf. Rom 1:5; 2 Cor 10:5-6) must be given to
God as he reveals himself. By faith man freely commits his entire self to God,
making 'the full submission of his intellect and will to God who reveals' (Vatican
I, "Dei Filius", chap. 3), and willingly assenting to the Revelation given by him.
Before this faith can be exercised, man must have the grace of God to move and
assist him; he must have the interior helps of the Holy Spirit, who moves the heart
and converts it to God" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 5).

This practical knowledge of the living and true God revealed in Christ is in fact the
only way for man to know himself, despise his faults and sins, and find hope in
divine mercy. It is a self-knowledge--given by God--which enables the repentant
sinner to begin a new life and work freely with God at his own sanctification: "As
I see it, we shall never succeed in knowing ourselves unless we seek to know
God," St Teresa writes. "Let us think of his greatness and then come back to our
own baseness; by looking at his purity we shall see our foulness; by meditating
on his humility, we shall see how far we are from being humble" ("Interior Castle",
I, 2, 9).

31. On Jesus Christ as Judge of all, see the note on Acts 10:42.

32. When St Paul begins to tell the Athenians about Jesus' resurrection from the
dead, they actually begin to jeer. For pagans, the notion of resurrection from the
dead was absurd, something they were not prepared to believe. If the Apostle
speaks in this way, the reason is that the truths of the Christian faith all lead into
the mystery of the Resurrection; even though he may have anticipated his listeners'
reaction, he does not avoid telling them about this truth, which forms the bedrock
of our faith. "See how he leads them," Chrysostom points out,"to the God who
takes care of the world, who is kind, merciful, powerful and wise: all these attri-
butes of the Creator are confirmed in the Resurrection" ("Hom. on Acts", 38).

The Apostle fails to overcome the rationalist prejudices of most of his audience.
Here we have, as it were, an application of what he wrote later to the Corinthians:
"The Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified.... folly to the Gentiles"
(1 Cor 1:22), the reason being that if people do not have an attitude and disposi-
tion of faith, thenreason goes out of control and haughtily rejects mysteries. If the
human mind is made the measure of all things, it will despise and reject anything
it does not understand--including things which are beyond human understanding.
The mysteries God has revealed to man cannot be grasped by unaided human
reason; they have to be accepted on faith. What moves the mind to accept these
mysteries is not the evidence they contain but the authority of God, who is infallible
truth and cannot deceive or be deceived. The act of faith, although strictly speaking
an act of the assenting mind, is influenced by the will; the desire to believe pre-
supposes that one loves him who is proposing the truth to be believed.

34. "Those careful to live an upright life do not take long to understand the word;
but the same does not go for others" (Chrysostom, Hom. on
Acts, 39).

Among the few converts in Athens St Luke mentions Damaris. She is one of the
many women who appear in Acts--which clearly shows that the preaching of the
Gospel was addressed to everyone without distinction. In all that they did the
Apostles followed their Master's example, who in spite of the prejudices of his
age proclaimed the Kingdom to women as well as men.

St. Luke told us about the first convert in Europe being a woman (cf. 16:14ff).
Something similar happened in the case of the Samaritans: it was a woman who
first spoke to them about the Saviour (cf. Jn 4). In the Gospels we see how atten-
tive women are to our Lord--standing at the foot of the Cross or being the first to
visit the tomb on Easter Sunday. And there is no record of women being hypo-
critical or hating Christ or abandoning him out of cowardice.

St Paul has a deep appreciation of the role of the Christian woman--as mother,
wife and sister--in the spreading of Christianity, as can be seen from his letters
and preaching. Lydia in Philippi, Priscilla and Chloe in Corinth, Phoebe in Cen-
chrae, the mother of Rufus--who was also a mother to him--, and the daughters
of Philip (Acts 21:9): these are some of the women to whom Paul was ever-
grateful for their help and prayers.

"Women are called to bring to the family, to society and to the Church, charac-
teristics which are their own and which they alone can give--their gentle warmth
and untiring generosity, their love for detail, their quick-wittedness and intuition,
their simple and deep piety, their constancy..." (St. J. Escriva, "Conversations",
87). The Church looks to women to commit themselves and bear witness to
human values and to where human happiness lies: "Women have received from
God", John Paul II says, "a natural charism of their own, which features great
sensitivity, a fine sense of balance, a gift for detail and a providential love for
life-in-the-making, life in need of loving attention. These are qualities which make
for human maturity" ("Address", 7 December 1979).

When these qualities, with which God has endowed feminine personality, are
developed and brought into play, woman's "life and work will be really constructive,
fruitful and full of meaning, whether she spends the day dedicated to her husband
and children or whether, having given up the idea of marriage for a noble reason,
she has given herself fully to other tasks.

"Each woman in her own sphere of life, if she is faithful to her divine and human
vocation, can and, in fact, does achieve the fullness of her feminine personality.
Let us remember that Mary, Mother of God and Mother of men, is not only a
model but also a proof of the transcendental value of an apparently unimportant
life" (St. J. Escriva, "Conversations", 87).

Gospel Reading: John 16:12-15

The Action of the Holy Spirit (Continuation)
--------------------------------------------------------------
(Jesus said to His disciples,) [12] "I have yet many things to say to you, but you
cannot bear them now. [13] When the Spirit of truth comes, He will guide you
into all the truth; for He will not speak of His own authority, but whatever He hears
He will speak, and He will declare to you the things that are to come. [14] He will
glorify Me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you. [15] All that the
Father has is Mine; therefore I said that He will take what is Mine and declare it
to you."

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Commentary:

13. It is the Holy Spirit who makes fully understood the truth revealed by Christ.
As Vatican II teaches, our Lord "completed and perfected Revelation and con-
firmed it...finally by sending the Spirit of truth" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 4). Cf.
note on John 14:25-26.

14-15. Jesus Christ here reveals some aspects of the mystery of the Blessed
Trinity. He teaches that the Three Divine Persons have the same nature when
He says that everything that the Father has belongs to the Son, and everything
the Son has belongs to the Father (cf. John 17:10) and that the Spirit also has
what is common to the Father and the Son, that is, the divine essence. The
activity specific to the Holy Spirit is that of glorifying Christ, reminding and
clarifying for the disciples everything the Master taught them (John 16:13). On
being inspired by the Holy Spirit to recognize the Father through the Son, men
render glory to Christ; and glorifying Christ is the same as giving glory to God
(cf. John 17:1, 3-5, 10).
　

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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.