나바르 매일미사 독서/묵상

Solemnity: Immaculate Conception of Mary (December 8)

1st Reading: Genesis 3:9-15, 20

Temptation and the First Sin (Continuation)
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[9] But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"
[10] And he said, "I heard the sound of thee in the garden, and I was afraid,
because I was naked; and I hid myself." [11] He said, "Who told you that you
were naked? Have you eaten of the tree which I commanded you not to eat?"
[12] The man said, "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave
me fruit of the tree, and I ate." [13] Then the Lord God said to the woman,
"What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent beguiled
me, and I ate." [14] The Lord said to the serpent, "Because you have done
this, cursed are you above all cattle, and above all wild animals; upon your
belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. [15] I will
put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her
seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."

[20] The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of
all living.

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Commentary:

3:7-13. This passage begins the description of the effects of the original sin. Man
and woman have come to know evil, and it shows, initially, in a most direct way--
in their own bodies. The inner harmony described in Genesis 2:25 is broken, and
concupiscence rears its head. Their friendship with God is also broken, and they
flee from his presence, to avoid their nakedness being seen. As if his Creator
could not see them! The harmony between man and woman is also fractured: he
puts the blame on her, and she puts it on the serpent. But all three share in the
responsibility, and therefore all three are going to pay the penalty.

3,7-13. 이 구절은 원죄(the original sin)의 결과들에 대한 서술을 시작합니다. 사람과
여자는 악을 알게 되었으며, 그리하여 그것은, 처음에, 그들 고유의 몸들에서, 가장
직접적인 방식으로 나타납니다. 창세기 2,25에 서술되어 있는 내면적 조화는 깨뜨려지며,
그리하여 사욕편정(concupiscence)은 그 고개를 쳐듭니다. 그들의 하느님과의 관계도
또한 깨뜨려지며, 그리하여 그들은, 자신들의 벌거벋은 상태가 보여지는 것을 피하기
위하여, 당신의 현존으로부터 도망칩니다. 마치 당신 창조주께서 그들을 볼 수 없었던 것
처럼! 사람과 여자 사이의 조화도 또한 다음과 같이 부러집니다: 그는 그녀에게 책임
(the blame)을 씌우며, 그리고 그녀는 그것을 뱀에게 씌웁니다. 그러나 셋 모두 이 책임
(the responsibility)에 함께 하며, 그리하여 그 결과 셋 모두는 그 대가를 치르게 될
것입니다.

"The harmony in which they found themselves, thanks to original justice, is now
destroyed: the control of the soul's spiritual faculties over the body is shattered;
the union of man and woman becomes subject to tensions (cf. Gen 3:7-16), their
relations henceforth marked by lust and domination. Harmony with creation is
broken: visible creation has become alien and hostile to man (cf. Gen 3:17, 19).
Because of man, creation is now subject 'to its bondage to decay' (Rom 8:21).
Finally, the consequence explicitly foretold for this disobedience will come true:
man will 'return to the ground' (Gen 3:19), for out of it he was taken. "Death
makes its entrance into human history" (cf. Rom 5:12)" ("Catechism of the Ca-
tholic Church", 400).

"원 의로움(original justice)의 덕택으로, 그 안에서 그들이 자기 자신들을 발견하였던,
조화는 이제 다음과 같이 파괴됩니다: 몸에 대한 영혼의 영적 기능들의 통제(control)가
산산이 부수어지며, 그리하여 사람과 여자의 결합은 긴장(tensions)들에 종속하게 되며,
(창세기 3,7-16을 참조하라), 그 이후부터 그들의 관계들은 욕망(lust)과 지배(dominion)에
의하여 두드러지게 됩니다. 창조물(creation)과의 조화는 다음과 같이 깨뜨려집니다:
가시적 창조물은 사람에 대하여 이미 서로 용납치 않으며(alien) 그리고 적대적(hostile)이
되어버렸습니다 (창세기 3,17.19를 참조하라). 사람 때문에, 창조물은 이제 '부패에 대한
그 종살이에' 종속됩니다(로마 8,21). 끝으로, 이러한 불순종에 대하여 명백하게 예고되었던
결과는 다음과 같이 사실로 될 것입니다: 사람은 '흙으로 돌아갈' 것인데 (창세기 3,19)
이는 그것으로부터 그가 취하여졌기 때문이다. "죄를 통하여 죽음이 인간의 역사에 들어
온다" (로마 5,12를 참조하라)" [가톨릭 교회 교리서(Catechism of the Catholic Church)",
제400항].

3:14-15. The punishment God imposes on the serpent includes confrontation be-
tween woman and the serpent, between mankind and evil, with the promise that
man will come out on top. That is why this passage is called the "Proto-gospel":
it is the first announcement to mankind of the good news of the Redeemer-
Messiah. Clearly, a bruise to the head is deadly, whereas a bruise to the heel
is curable.

3,14-15. 하느님께서 뱀에게 부과한 벌은, 사람이 승리할 것이라는 약속과 함께,
여자와 뱀 사이의, 인류와 악 사이의, 대결을 포함합니다. 바로 이것이 이 구절이 왜
"원복음(Proto-gospel)" 이라고 불리는 이유이며, 그리고 이 원복음은 인류에게 하였던
구속주인 메시아에 대한 복음(good news)의 첫 번째 선포입니다. 분명히, 머리에 대한
어떤 상처(a bruise)는 치명적이나, 이와는 달리 뒤꿈치에 대한 어떤 상처는 치료할 수
있습니다.

As the Second Vatican Council teaches, "God, who creates and conserves all
things by his Word, (cf. Jn 1:3), provides men with constant evidence of himself
in created realities (cf. Rom 1:19-20). And furthermore, wishing to open up the
way to heavenly salvation, by promising redemption (cf. Gen 3:15); and he has
never ceased to take care of the human race. For he wishes to give eternal life
to all those who seek salvation by patience in well-doing (cf. Rom 2:6-7)" ("Dei
Verbum", 3).

제2차 바티칸 공의회"당신의 말씀에 의하여 모든 사물들을 창조하시고
그리고 보존하시는(conserves) 하느님께서는 (요한 복음서 1,3을 참조하라), 사람들에게
창조된 실재(created realities)들 안에서 당신 자신에 대한 불변의 증거를 제시하신다
(로마 1,19-20을 참조하라). 그리고 더구나, 구속을 약속하심으로써 천상 구원(heavenly
salvation)으로의 길을 활짝 열어주시는 것을 바라셨으며(창세기 3,15을 참조하라),
그리하여 당신께서는 인류를 돌보심을 결코 멈추신 적이 없으셨다. 이는 당신께서는
잘 행함(well-doing)에 있어 인내에 의하여 구원을 추구하는 자들 모두에게 영원한
생명을 주시기를 원하시기 때문이다(로마 2,6-7을 참조하라)" [제2차 바티칸 공의회,
하느님 계시에 관한 교의 헌장, 가 kr/pundang/4/1965dv.htm" target="_blank">"하느님의

악마에 대한 승리는, 메시아이신, 이 여인의 후손 한 명에 의하여 성취될 것입니다.
교회는 이러한 절들을, 예수 그리스도를 언급하는, 메시아적으로 항상 읽어 왔으며,
그리고 이것은 약속된 구원자의 어머니인 이 여인 안에서 이해되었으며, 그리고
동정 마리아께서는 새 하와(the new Eve)이십니다. "가장 초기의 문헌들은, 더 깊은
그리고 충만한 계시의 빛 안에서 그들이 교회 안에서 읽히고 그리고 이해됨에 따라,
구속주의 어머니라는 한 명의 여인에 대한 표상(figure)을 점진적으로 더 분명한 빛
안쪽으로 가져옵니다. 이 빛 안에서 생각되었을 때에, 그녀는 이미, 우리들의 첫
부모들에게, 죄로의 그들의 떨어짐 이후에, 주어졌던 뱀에 대한 승리의 약속 안에서,
예언적으로 미리 암시되고 있습니다(창세기 3,15를 참조하라). [...]. 따라서 초기
교부들 중의 꽤 많은 분들이 자신들의 설교에 있어 성 이레네오(St. Irenaeus)와
함께 다음과 같이 기쁘게 주장합니다: '하와에 의한 불순종의 매듭은 마리아의
순종에 의하여 다음과 같이 풀렸습니다: 동정 하와가 자신의 불신앙을 통하여
묶었던 바를, 마리아는 자신의 믿음에 의하여 풀었습니다' [성 이레네오
(St Irenaeus), "Adv. Haer." 3, 22, 4]. 마리아와 하와를 비교함으로써, 그들은 그녀를
'살아있는 자들의 어머니'라고 부르며[성 에피파니오(St Epiphanius), "Adv. Haer.
Panarium" 78, 18] 그리고 다음과 같이 자주 주장합니다: '하와를 통하여 죽음,
마리아를 통하여 생명' [성 예로니모(St Jerome), "Epistula" 22, 21; etc.]" [제2차
바티칸 공의회(Vatican II), 교회에 관한 교의 헌장, "인류의 빛(Lumen Gentium)",
55-56].

So, woman is going to have a key role in that victory over the devil. In his Latin
translation of the Bible, the "Vulgate", St Jerome in fact reads the relevant pas-
sage as "she [the woman] shall bruise your head". That woman is the Blessed
Virgin, the new Eve and the mother of the Redeemer, who shares (by anticipa-
tion and pre-eminently) in the victory of her Son. Sin never left its mark on her,
and the Church proclaims her as the Immaculate Conception.

그래서, 여인은 악마(the devil)에 대한 바로 이 승리에 있어 어떤 핵심 역할(a key role)을
할 것입니다. 실제로 성 예로니모(St Jerome)는 성경의 자신의 라틴어 번역인 "대중 라틴
성경 (the Vulgate)"에서, 이 관련된 구절을 "그녀가 [이 여인이] 그대의 머리에 상처를
입히리라" 로 읽습니다. 바로 이 여인은 새 하와(the new Eve)이며 그리고 구속주
(Redeemer의 어머니이신 복되신 동정녀이신데, 이분께서는 자신의 아드님의 승리에
[미리(by anticipation) 그리고 첫 번째로(preeminently)]) 함께 하십니다. 죄는 그녀에게
그 흔적을 결코 남기지 못하였으며 그리하여 교회는 그녀를 무염 시태(the Immaculate
Conception)로 선포합니다.

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(*) 번역자 주: "새 하와(the new Eve)"라는 동정 마리아에 대한 칭호(title)의 신학적
근거인, 2세기의 교부인 리옹의 성 이레네오(St. Irenaeus of Lyons)에 의하여
처음으로 도입된 그리스도교 신학의 기초/근거인 그의 "recapitulation(총괄복귀/수렴)"
개념에 대한 글들은 다음의 주소에 있으니 필독하도록 하라:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/intro2new_Eve.htm
-----

St Thomas explains that the reason why God did not prevent the first man from
sinning was because "God allows evils to be done in order to draw forth some
greater good. Thus St Paul says, 'Where sin increased, grace abounded all the
more' (Rom 5:20); and the "Exultet" sings, '0 happy fault,...which gained for us
so great a Redeemer'" ("Summa Theologiae", 3, 1, 3 and 3; cf. "Catechism of
the Catholic Church", 412).

성 토마스(St. Thomas)는 하느님께서 첫 번째 사람이 죄를 범하는 것을 막지 않으셨던
이유가 다음과 같은 이유 때문이라고 설명합니다: "하느님께서는 어떤 더 큰 선을
도출하시고자 악들이 행하여지는 것을 허락하신다. 따라서 성 바오로(St. Paul)는
'죄가 많아진 그곳에 은총이 충만히 내렸습니다' (로마 5,20) 라고 말하며, 그리고
"용약하라(the Exultet, 부활 찬송)" 은 '오 복된 탓이여 너로써 위대한 구세주를 얻게
되었도다' 라고 노래한다."[성 토마스 아퀴나스(St. Thomas Aquinas), "신학 대전
(Summa Theologiae)", 3, 1, 3 and 3; "가톨릭 교회 교리서(Catechism of the Catholic
Church)", 제412항을 참조하라]

2nd Reading: Ephesians 1:3-6, 11-12

Hymn of Praise
----------------------
[3] Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has
blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
places, [4] even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the
world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. [5] He destined
us in love to be his sons through Jesus Christ, according to the
purpose of his will, [6] to the praise of his glorious grace which he
freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.

[11] In him, according to the purpose of him who accomplishes all
things according to the counsel of his will, [12] we who first hoped
in Christ have been destined and appointed to live for the praise of
his glory.

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Commentary:

[번역자 주: 오늘의 제2독서는, 여기를 클릭하면 읽을 수 있는, 나해 연중 제15주일
제2독서(Ehesians 1:3-14)에 포함된다. 특히 동정 마리아에 대한 "새 하와"라는
칭호(title)의 신학적 근거인, 2세기의 교부인 리옹의 성 이레네오(St. Irenaeus
of Lyons) 의 "recapitulation(총괄복귀/수렴)" 개념의 성경적 근거인 에페소서
1,10에 대한 해설을 꼭 필독하도록 하라]

3-14. Verses 3-14 are a hymn of praise to God for the plan of salvation
he has devised and brought to fulfillment in benefit of men and all
creation. It is written in a liturgical style of rhythmic prose, similar to
that in Colossians 1:15-20. In the Greek it is one long complex sentence
full of relative pronouns and clauses which give it a designed
unity; we can, however, distinguish two main sections.

The first (v. 3-10), divided into four stanzas, describes the blessings
contained in God's salvific plan; St Paul terms this plan the "mystery"
of God's will. The section begins by praising God for his eternal
design, a plan, pre-dating creation, to call us to the Church, to form
a community of saints (first stanza: vv. 3f) and receive the grace of
being children of God through Jesus Christ (second stanza: vv. 5f). It
then reflects on Christ's work of redemption which brings this eternal
plan of God to fulfillment (third stanza: vv. 7f). This section reaches
its climax in the fourth stanza (vv. 9f) which proclaims Christ as Lord
of all creation, thereby revealing the full development of God's
salvific plan.

The second section, which divides into two stanzas, deals with the
application of this plan--first to the Jews (fifth stanza: vv. 11f) and
then to the Gentiles, who are also called to share what God has
promised: Jews and Gentiles join to form a single people, the Church
(sixth stanza: vv. 13f).

Hymns in praise of God, or "eulogies", occur in many parts of Sacred
Scripture (cf. Ps 8; Ps 19; Dan 2:20-23; Lk 1:46-54, 68-78; etc.); they
praise the Lord for the wonders of creation or for spectacular
interventions on behalf of his people. Inspired by the Holy Spirit, St
Paul here praises God the Father for all Christ's saving work, which
extends from God's original plan which he made before he created the
world, right up to the very end of time and the recapitulation of all
things in Christ.

We too should always have this same attitude of praise of the Lord.
"Our entire life on earth should take the form of praise of God, for
the never-ending joy of our future life consists in praising God, and
no one can become fit for that future life unless he train himself to
render that praise now" (St Augustine, "Enarrationes in Psalmos",
148).

Praise is in fact the most appropriate attitude for man to have towards
God: "How can you dare use that spark of divine intelligence--your
mind--in anything but in giving glory to your Lord?" ([St] J. Escriva,
"The Way", 782).

3. St Paul blesses God as Father of our Lord Jesus Christ because
it is through Christ that all God's blessings and gifts reach us. God's
actions in favor of man are actions of all three divine Persons; the
divine plan which the Apostle considers here has its origin in the
Blessed Trinity; it is eternal. "These three Persons are not to be
considered separable," the Eleventh Council of Toledo teaches,
"since we believe that not one of them existed or at any time effected
anything before the other, after the other, or without the other
For in existence and operation they are found to be inseparable" ("De
Trinitate" Creed, "Dz-Sch", 531).

In the implementation of this divine plan of salvation, the work of Redemption
is attributed to the Son and that of sanctification to the
Holy Spirit. "To help us grasp in some measure this unfathomable
mystery, we might imagine the Blessed Trinity taking counsel together
in their uninterrupted intimate relationship of infinite love. As a result
of their eternal decision, the only-begotten Son of God the Father
takes on our human condition and bears the burden of our wretched-
ness and sorrows, to end up sewn with nails to a piece of wood"
([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 95).

St Paul describes as "spiritual blessings" all the gifts which the
implementation of God's plan implies, gifts which are distributed by
the Holy Spirit. When he speaks of them as being "in the heavenly
places" and "in Christ", he is saying that through Christ who has risen
from the dead and ascended on high we too have been inserted into
the world of God (cf. 1:20; 2:6).

When man describes God as "blessed" it means he recognizes God's
greatness and goodness, and rejoices over the divine gifts he has received
(cf. Lk 1:46, 68). Here is what St Thomas Aquinas has to say
about the meaning of this passage: "The Apostle says, 'Benedictus'
[Blessed be the God ...], that is, may I, and you, and everyone bless
him, with our heart, our mouth, our actions--praising him as God and
as Father, for he is God because of his essence and Father because
of hispower to generate" ("Commentary on Eph.", 1, 6).

Sacred Scripture very often invites us to praise God our Lord (cf. Ps
8:19; 33; 46-48; etc.); this is not a matter only of verbal praise: our
actions should prove that we mean what we say: "He who does good
with his hands praises the Lord, and he who confesses the Lord with
his mouth praises the Lord. Praise him by your actions" (St Augustine,
"Enarrationes in Psalmos", 91, 2).

4. As the hymn develops, the Apostle details each of the blessings
contained in God's eternal plan. The first of these is his choice, before
the foundation of the world, of those who would become part of the
Church. The word he uses, translated here as "chose", is the same
one as used in the Greek translation of the Old Testament to refer
to God's election of Israel. The Church, the new people of God, is
constituted by assembling in and around Christ those who have been
chosen and called to holiness. This implies that although the Church
was founded by Christ at a particular point in history, its origin goes
right back to the eternal divine plan. 'The eternal Father, in accordance
with the utterly gratuitous and mysterious design of his
wisdom and goodness,... 'predestined (the elect) to be conformed to
the image of his Son in order that he might be the first-born among
many brethren' (Rom 8:29). He determined to call together in a holy
Church those who believe in Christ. Already present in figure at the
beginning of the world, this Church was prepared in marvelous fashion
in the history of the people of Israel and in the Old Alliance. Established
in this last age of the world, and made manifest in the
outpouring of the Spirit, it will be brought to glorious completion at
the end of time" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 2).

God's choice seeks to have us become "holy and blameless before him".
In the same way as in the Old Testament a victim offered to God had to
be unblemished, blameless (cf. Gen 17:1), the blameless holiness to
which God has destined us admits of no imperfection. By the very fact
of being baptized we are made holy (cf. note on 1: 1), and during our
lifetime we try to grow holier with the help of God; however, complete
holiness is something we shall attain only in heaven.

The holiness with which we have been endowed is an undeserved gift
from God: it is not a reward for any merit on our part: even before we
were created God chose us to be his: "'He chose us in him before the
foundation of the world, that we should be holy.' I know that such
thoughts don't fill you with pride or lead you to think yourself better
than others. That choice, the root of your vocation, should be the
basis of your humility. Do we build monuments to an artist's paintbrush?
Granted the brush had a part in creating masterpieces, but
we give credit only to the painter. We Christians are nothing more
than instruments in the hands of the Creator of the world, the Redeemer
of all men" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 1).

"He destined us in love": the loving initiative is God's. "If God has
honored us with countless gifts it is thanks to his love, not to our
merits. Our fervor, our strength, our faith and our unity are the
fruit of God's benevolence and our response to his goodness" (St
John Chrysostom, "Hom. on Eph, ad loc".).

God's election of Christians and their vocation to holiness, as also
the gift of divine filiation, reveals that God is Love (cf. 1 Jn 4:8); we
have become partakers of God's very nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4), sharers,
that is, in the love of God.

"He destined us in love", therefore, also includes the Christian's love
of God and of others: charity is a sharing in God's own love; it is the
essence of holiness, the Christian's law; nothing has any value if it
is not inspired by charity (cf. 1 Cor 13:1-3).

5. The Apostle goes on to explore the further implications of God's
eternal plan: those chosen to form part of the Church have been given
a second blessing, as it were, by being predestined to be adoptive
children of God. 'The state of this people is that of the dignity and
freedom of the sons of God, in whose hearts the Holy Spirit dwells
as in a temple" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium, 9).

This predestination to which the Apostle refers means that God
determined from all eternity that the members of the new people of
God should attain holiness through his gift of adoptive sonship. It is
God's desire that all be saved (cf. 1 Tim 2:4) and he gives each person
the means necessary for obtaining eternal life. Therefore, no
one is predestined to damnation (cf. Third Council of Valence, "De
Praedestinatione", can. 3).

The source of the Christian's divine sonship is Jesus Christ. God's
only Son, one in substance with the Father, took on human nature in
order to make us sons and daughters of God by adoption (cf. Rom
8:15, 29; 9:4; Gal 4:5). This is why every member of the Church can
say: "See what love the Father has given us, that we should be called
children of God; and so we are" (1 Jn 3:1).

What is involved here is not simply formal adoption, which is something
external and does not affect the very person of the child. Divine
adoption affects man's entire being, it inserts him into God's own
life; for Baptism makes us truly his children, partakers of the divine
nature (cf. 2 Pet 1:4). Divine sonship is therefore the greatest of
the gifts God bestows on man during his life on earth. It is indeed
right to exclaim "Blessed be God" (v. 3) when one reflects on this
great gift: it is right for children openly to acknowledge their father
and show their love for him.

Divine filiation has many rich effects as far as the spiritual life is
concerned. "A child of God treats the Lord as his Father. He is not
obsequious and servile; he is not merely formal and well-mannered:
he is completely sincere and trusting. God is not shocked by what
we do. Our infidelities do not wear him out. our Father in heaven pardons
any offense when his child returns to him, when he repents and
asks for pardon. The Lord is such a good father that he anticipates
our desire to be pardoned and comes forward to us, opening his arms
laden with grace" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 64). See
the notes on Jn 1:12.

6. The gift of divine filiation is the greatest expression of the glory
of God (cf. note on 1:17 below), because it reveals the full extent of
God's love for man. St Paul stresses what the purpose of this eternal
divine plan is--to promote "the praise of his glorious grace". God's
glory has been made manifest through his merciful love, which has
led him to make us his children in accordance with the eternal purpose
of his will. This eternal design "flows from 'fountain-like love', the
love of God the Father [...]. God in his great and merciful kindness
freely creates us and, moreover, graciously calls us to share in his
life and glory. He generously pours out, and never ceases to pour out,
his divine goodness, so that he who is Creator of all things might at
last become 'everything to everyone' (1 Cor 15:28), thus simultaneously
assuring his own glory and our happiness" (Vatican II, "Ad Gentes", 2).

The grace which St Paul speaks of here and which manifests the glory
of God refers first to the fact that God's blessings are totally unmerited
by us and include the grace-conferring gifts of holiness and divine
filiation.

"In the Beloved": the Old Testament stresses again and again that
God loves his people and that Israel is that cherished people (cf. Deut
33:12; is 5:1, 7; 1 Mac 6:11; etc.). In the New Testament Christians
are called "beloved by God" (1 Thess 1:4; cf. Col 3:12). However, there
is only one "Beloved", strictly speaking, Jesus Christ our Lord--as God
revealed from the bright cloud at the Transfiguration: "This is my beloved
Son, with whom I am well pleased" (Mt 17:5). The Son of his love has
obtained man's redemption and brought forgiveness of sins (cf. Col
1:13ff), and it is through his grace that we become pleasing to God,
lovable by him with the same love with which he loves his Son. At the
Last Supper, Jesus asked his Father for this very thing--"so that the
world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them even as
hou hast loved me" (Jn 17:23). "Notice", St John Chrysostom points
out, "that Paul does not say that this grace has been given us for no
purpose but that it has been given us to make us pleasing and lovable
in his eyes, now that we are purified of our sins" ("Hom. on Eph, ad
loc.").

11-14. The Apostle now contemplates a further divine blessing--the
implementation of the "mystery" through the Redemption wrought by
Christ: God calls the Jews (vv. 11f) and the Gentiles (v. 13) together,
to form a single people (v. 14). Paul first refers to the Jewish people,
of which he himself is a member, which is why he uses the term
"we" (v. 12). He then speaks of the Gentile Christians and refers to
them as "you" (v. 13).

11-12. The Jewish people's expectations have been fulfilled in Christ:
he has brought the Kingdom of God and the messianic gifts, designed
in the first instance for Israel as its inheritance (cf. Mt 4:17; 12:28;
Lk 4:16-22). God's intention in selecting Israel was to form a people
of his own (cf. Ex 19:5) that would glorify him and proclaim to the
nations its hope in a coming Messiah. "God, with loving concern
contemplating, and making preparation for, the salvation of the whole
human race, in a singular undertaking chose for himself a people to
whom he would entrust his promises. By his covenant with Abraham
(cf. Gen 15:18) and, through Moses, with the race of Israel (cf. Ex
24:8), he did acquire a people for himself, and to them he revealed
himself in words and deeds as the one, true, living God, so that Israel
might experience the ways of God with men. Moreover, by listening
to the voice of God speaking to them through the prophets, they had
steadily to understand his ways more fully and more clearly, and make
them more widely known among the nations (cf. Ps 21:28-9; 95:1-3;
Is 2:1-4; Jer 3:17)" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 14).

St Paul emphasizes that even before the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ, the just of the Old Testament acted in line with their belief in
the promised Messiah (cf. Gal 3:11; Rom 1:17); not only did they look
forward to his coming but their hope was nourished by faith in Christ
as a result of their acceptance of God's promise. As later examples
of this same faith we might mention Zechariah and Elizabeth; Simeon
and Anna; and, above all, St Joseph. St Joseph's faith was "full, confident,
complete", Monsignor Escriva comments. "It expressed itself
in an effective dedication to the will of God and an intelligent obedience.
With faith went love. His faith nurtured his love of God, who
was fulfilling the promises made to Abraham, Jacob and Moses, and
his affection for Mary his wife and his fatherly affection for Jesus.
This faith, hope and love would further the great mission which God
was beginning in the world through, among others, a carpenter in
Galilee--the redemption of mankind" ("Christ Is Passing By", 42).

Gospel Reading: Luke 1:26-38

The Annunciation and Incarnation of the Son of God
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
[26] In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city
of Galilee named Nazareth, [27] to a virgin betrothed to a man whose
name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was
Mary. [28] And he came to her and said, "Hail, full of grace, the Lord
is with you!" [29] But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and
considered in her mind what sort of greeting this might be. [30] And
the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found
favor with God. [31] And behold, you will conceive in your womb and
bear a son, and you shall call His name Jesus. [32] He will be great,
and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give
to Him the throne of His father David, [33] and He will reign over the
house of Jacob for ever; and of His Kingdom there will be no end."
[34] And Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no
husband?" [35] And the angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come
upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore
the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. [36] And
behold, your kinswoman Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a
son; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. [37]
For with God nothing will be impossible." [38] And Mary said, "Behold,
I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me according to your
word." And the angel departed from her.

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

26-38. Here we contemplate our Lady who was "enriched from the first
instant of her conception with the splendor of an entirely unique holiness;
[...] the virgin of Nazareth is hailed by the heralding angel, by
divine command, as `full of grace' (cf. Luke 1:28), and to the heavenly
messenger she replies, `Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done
unto me according to thy word' (Luke 1:38). Thus the daughter of
Adam, Mary, consenting to the word of God, became the Mother of
Jesus. Committing herself wholeheartedly to God's saving will and
impeded by no sin, she devoted herself totally, as a handmaid of the
Lord, to the person and work of her Son, under and with Him, serving
the mystery of Redemption, by the grace of Almighty God. Rightly,
therefore, the Fathers (of the Church) see Mary not merely as
passively engaged by God, but as freely cooperating in the work of
man's salvation through faith and obedience" (Vatican II, "Lumen
Gentium", 56).

The annunciation to Mary and incarnation of the Word constitute the
deepest mystery of the relationship between God and men and the
most important event in the history of mankind: God becomes man,
and will remain so forever, such is the extent of His goodness and
mercy and love for all of us. And yet on the day when the Second
Person of the Blessed Trinity assumed frail human nature in the pure
womb of the Blessed Virgin, it all happened quietly, without fanfare of
any kind.

St. Luke tells the story in a very simple way. We should treasure
these words of the Gospel and use them often, for example, practising
the Christian custom of saying the Angelus every day and reflecting on
the five Joyful Mysteries of the Rosary.

27. God chose to be born of a virgin; centuries earlier He disclosed
this through the prophet Isaiah (cf. Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:22-23).
God, "before all ages made choice of, and set in her proper place, a
mother for His only-begotten Son from whom He, after being made
flesh, should be born in the blessed fullness of time: and He continued
His persevering regard for her in preference to all other creatures,
to such a degree that for her alone He had singular regard"
(Pius IX, "Ineffabilis Deus," 2). This privilege granted to our Lady of
being a virgin and a mother at the same time is a unique gift of God.
This was the work of the Holy Spirit "who at the conception and the
birth of the Son so favored the Virgin Mother as to impart fruitfulness
to her while preserving inviolate her perpetual virginity" ("St. Pius V
Catechism," I, 4, 8). Paul VI reminds us of this truth of faith: "We
believe that the Blessed Mary, who ever enjoys the dignity of virginity,
was the Mother of the incarnate Word, of our God and Savior Jesus
Christ" ("Creed of the People of God", 14).

Although many suggestions have been made as to what the name
Mary means, most of the best scholars seem to agree that Mary
means "lady". However, no single meaning fully conveys the richness
of the name.

28. "Hail, full of grace": literally the Greek text reads "Rejoice!",
obviously referring to the unique joy over the news which the angel
is about to communicate.

"Full of grace": by this unusual form of greeting the archangel reveals
Mary's special dignity and honor. The Fathers and Doctors of the
Church "taught that this singular, solemn and unheard-of-greeting
showed that all the divine graces reposed in the Mother of God and
that she was adorned with all the gifts of the Holy Spirit", which meant
that she "was never subject to the curse", that is, was preserved from
all sin. These words of the archangel in this text constitute one of
the sources which reveal the dogma of Mary's Immaculate Conception
(cf. Pius IX, "Ineffabilis Deus"; Paul VI, "Creed of the People of God").

-----
번역자 주: 마리아의 "무염시태" 교의에 대하여서는 다음의 글에 안내되어 있다:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/705.htm
-----

"The Lord is with you!": these words are not simply a greeting ("the
Lord be with you") but an affirmation ("the Lord is with you"), and they
are closely connected with the Incarnation. St. Augustine comments
by putting these words on the archangel's lips: "He is more with you
than He is with me: He is in your heart, He takes shape within you,
He fills your soul, He is in your womb" ("Sermo De Nativitate Domini",
4).

Some important Greek manuscripts and early translations add at the
end of the verse: "Blessed are you among women!", meaning that God
will exalt Mary over all women. She is more excellent than Sarah,
Hannah, Deborah, Rachel, Judith, etc., for only she has the supreme
honor of being chosen to be the Mother of God.

-----
번역자 주: 루카 복음서 1,28에 있는 가브리엘 천사의 인사는, "성모송(Ave
Maria; Hail Mary)" 기도문의 전반부의 첫 번째 문장으로 발췌 되었다.
이 기도문의 유래와 일부 표현들의 의미는 다음의 글에 있다:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/1302.htm
-----

29-30. Our Lady is troubled by the presence of the archangel and by
the confusion truly humble people experience when they receive praise.

30. The Annunciation is the moment when our Lady is given to know
the vocation which God planned for her from eternity. When the archangel
sets her mind at ease by saying, "Do not be afraid, Mary," he is
helping her to overcome that initial fear which a person normally experiences
when God gives him or her a special calling. The fact that Mary
felt this fear does not imply the least trace of imperfection in her: hers
is a perfectly natural reaction in the face of the supernatural. Imperfection
would arise if one did not overcome this fear or rejected the advice
of those in a position to help--as St. Gabriel helped Mary.

31-33. The archangel Gabriel tells the Blessed Virgin Mary that she is
to be the Mother of God by reminding her of the words of Isaiah which
announced that the Messiah would be born of a virgin, a prophecy which
will find its fulfillment in Mary (cf. Matthew 1:22-23; Isaiah 7:14).

He reveals that the Child will be "great": His greatness comes from His
being God, a greatness He does not lose when He takes on the lowliness
of human nature. He also reveals that Jesus will be the king of
the Davidic dynasty sent by God in keeping with His promise of salvation;
that His Kingdom will last forever, for His humanity will remain
forever joined to His divinity; that "He will be called Son of the Most
High", that is that He really will be the Son of the Most High and will
be publicly recognized as such, that is, the Child will be the Son of
God.

The archangel's announcement evokes the ancient prophecies which
foretold these prerogatives. Mary, who was well-versed in Sacred
Scripture, clearly realized that she was to be the Mother of God.

34-38. Commenting on this passage John Paul II said: "`Virgo fidelis',
the faithful Virgin. What does this faithfulness of Mary mean? What
are the dimensions of this faithfulness? The first dimension is called
search. Mary was faithful first of all when she began, lovingly, to seek
the deep sense of God's plan in her and for the world. `Quomodo fiet?'
How shall this be?, she asked the Angel of the Annunciation [...]."

34-38. 이 구절에 대하여 주석하면서 교황 요한 바오로 2세(John Paul II)께서는
다음과 같이 말씀하셨습니다: "'Virgo fidelis', 충실한 동정녀. 마리아의 이
성실함(faithfulness, 충실함)(*)은 무엇을 뜻할까요? 이 성실함의 양상
(dimensions)들은 무엇일까요? 첫 번째 양상은 추구(search)로 불립니다. 마리아는
무엇보다도 먼저 그녀가, 애정을 기울여(lovingly), 그녀에 있어 그리고 이 세상을
위한 하느님의 계획의 깊은 의미(sense)를 추구하기 시작할 때에 성실하였습니다.
'Quomodo fiet?' 어떻게 그런 일이 있을 수 있겠습니까?, 라고 그녀는 수태고지
천사에게 물었습니다 [...]."

-----
번역자 주: "믿음(faith)"의 정의(definition)가 "성실함(faithfulness, 충실함)"을
포함함에 대한 글은 다음에 있으며, 필독을 권고한다:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/993.htm
-----

"The second dimension of faithfulness is called reception, acceptance.
The `quomodo fiet?' is changed, on Mary's lips, to a `fiat': Let it be
done, I am ready, I accept. This is the crucial moment of faithfulness,
the moment in which man perceives that he will never completely
understand the `how': that there are in God's plan more areas of
mystery than of clarity; that is, however he may try, he will never
succeed in understanding it completely[...]."

"성실함의 두 번째 양상은 받아들임(reception)으로 불립니다. 'quomodo
fiet?'는, 마리아의 말로, 다음과 같은 한 개의 '순명(fiat)'으로 바뀝니다: 그대로
이루어지소서, 저는 준비되어 있으며, 저는 받아들입니다. 이 순간은, 그 안에서
사람이, 자신이 '어떻게(how)'를 결코 완전하게 이해할 수 없을 것임을,
하느님의 계획에 있어, 명백의 영역들보다는 더 넓은 신비의 영역(areas)들이
있음을, 즉, 자신이 아무리 노력하더라도, 자신이 그것을 완전하게 이해함에
있어 결코 성공할 수 없을 것임을, 인지하는 순간인, 성실함에 있어서의
결정적인 순간입니다 [...]."

"The third dimension of faithfulness is consistency to live in accordance
with what one believes; to adapt one's own life to the object of one's adherence.
To accept misunderstanding, persecutions, rather than a
break between what one practises and what one believes: this is consistency[...]."

"성실함에 있어서의 세 번째 양상은 자신이 믿는 바와 일치하여 살아가는, 그리고
자신의 집착의 대상에 자신 고유의 삶을 순응시키는, 일관성(consistency)입니다.
자신이 실천하는 바와 자신이 믿는 바 사이의 어떤 단절보다는 오히려, 오해,
박해들을 수용하는 것: 이것이 바로 일관성입니다 [...]."

"But all faithfulness must pass the most exacting test, that of duration.
Therefore, the fourth dimension of faithfulness is constancy. It is
easy to be consistent for a day or two. It is difficult and important to
be consistent for one's whole life. It is easy to be consistent in the
hour of enthusiasm, it is difficult to be so in the hour of tribulation.
And only a consistency that lasts throughout the whole life can be
called faithfulness. Mary's `fiat' in the Annunciation finds its fullness
in the silent `fiat' that she repeats at the foot of the Cross" ("Homily
in Mexico City Cathedral", 26 January 1979).

"그러나 모든 성실함은, 기간에 있어서의 성실함인, 가장 엄격한 시험(exacting
test)을 통과하여야만 합니다. 그러므로, 출실함의 네 번째 양상은 항구성
(consistancy)입니다. 하루 혹은 이틀간 일관적인 것은 쉽습니다. 자신의
전체 삶의 시기 동안에 일관적인 것은 어려우나 그러나 중요합니다. 열광의
시간에 일관적인 것은 쉬우나, 환란의 시간에 그러한 것은 어렵습니다.
그리고 오로지 전체 삶에 걸쳐 지속하는 어떤 일관성만이 성실함으로 불릴 수
있습니다. 수태고지에서의 마리아의 '순명(fiat)'은 그녀가 십자가의 발치에서
반복하는 바로 그 조용한 '순명' 안에서 그 충만함을 발견합니다" ["멕시코 시
대성당에서의 강론(Homilyin Mexico City Cathedral)", 1979년 1월 26일].

34. Mary believed in the archangel's words absolutely; she did not
doubt as Zechariah had done (cf. 1:18). Her question, "How can this
be?", expresses her readiness to obey the will of God even though at
first sight it implied a contradiction: on the one hand, she was convinced
that God wished her to remain a virgin; on the other, here was
God also announcing that she would become a mother. The archangel
announces God's mysterious design, and what had seemed impossible,
according to the laws of nature, is explained by a unique intervention
on the part of God.

Mary's resolution to remain a virgin was certainly something very
unusual, not in line with the practice of righteous people under the
Old Covenant, for, as St. Augustine explains, "particularly attentive
to the propagation and growth of the people of God, through whom the
Prince and Savior of the world might be prophesied and be born, the
saints were obliged to make use of the good of matrimony" ("De
Bono Matrimonii", 9, 9). However, in the Old Testament, there were
some who, in keeping with God's plan, did remain celibate--for example,
Jeremiah, Elijah, Eliseus and John the Baptist. The Blessed
Virgin, who received a very special inspiration of the Holy Spirit to
practise virginity, is a first-fruit of the New Testament, which will
establish the excellence of virginity over marriage while not taking
from the holiness of the married state, which it raises to the level of
a sacrament (cf. "Gaudium Et Spes", 48).

35. The "shadow" is a symbol of the presence of God. When Israel
was journeying through the wilderness, the glory of God filled the
Tabernacle and a cloud covered the Ark of the Covenant (Exodus
40:34-36). And when God gave Moses the tablets of the Law, a cloud
covered Mount Sinai (Exodus 24:15-16); and also, at the Transfiguration
of Jesus the voice of God the Father was heard coming out of a cloud
(Luke 9:35).

At the moment of the Incarnation the power of God envelops our Lady
-- an expression of God's omnipotence. The Spirit of God--which, according
to the account in Genesis (1:2), moved over the face of the waters,
bringing things to life--now comes down on Mary. And the fruit of her
womb will be the work of the Holy Spirit. The Virgin Mary, who herself
was conceived without any stain of sin (cf. Pius IX, "Ineffabilis Deus")
becomes, after the Incarnation, a new tabernacle of God. This is the
mystery we recall every day when saying the Angelus.

38. Once she learns of God's plan, our Lady yields to God's will with
prompt obedience, unreservedly. She realizes the disproportion between
what she is going to become--the Mother of God--and what she
is--a woman. However, this is what God wants to happen and for Him
nothing is impossible; therefore no one should stand in His way. So
Mary, combining humility and obedience, responds perfectly to God's
call: "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done according
to your word."

"At the enchantment of this virginal phrase, the Word became flesh"
([St] J. Escriva, "Holy Rosary", first joyful mystery). From the pure
body of Mary, God shaped a new body, He created a soul out of
nothing, and the Son of God united Himself with this body and soul:
prior to this He was only God; now He is still God but also man.
Mary is now the Mother of God. This truth is a dogma of faith, first
defined by the Council of Ephesus (431). At this point she also begins
to be the spiritual Mother of all mankind. What Christ says when He is
dying--`Behold, your son..., behold, your mother" (John 19:26-27) --
simply promulgates what came about silently at Nazareth. "With her
generous `fiat' (Mary) became, through the working of the Spirit, the
Mother of God, but also the Mother of the living, and, by receiving into
her womb the one Mediator, she became the true Ark of the Covenant
and true Temple of God" (Paul VI, "Marialis Cultus", 6).

The Annunciation shows us the Blessed Virgin as perfect model of
"purity" (the RSV "I have no husband" is a euphemism); of "humility"
("Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord"); of "candor" and "simplicity"
("How can this be?"); of "obedience" and "lively faith" ("Let it be done
to me according to your word"). "Following her example of obedience
to God, we can learn to serve delicately without being slavish. In Mary,
we don't find the slightest trace of the attitude of the foolish virgins, who
obey, but thoughtlessly. Our Lady listens attentively to what God
wants, ponders what she doesn't fully understand and asks about what
she doesn't know. Then she gives herself completely to doing the divine
will: `Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to me
according to your word'. Isn't that marvellous? The Blessed Virgin, our
teacher in all we do, shows us here that obedience to God is not servile,
does not bypass our conscience. We should be inwardly moved to
discover the `freedom of the children of God' (cf. Romans 8:21)" ([St]
J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 173).

*********************************************************************************************
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 우리말 번역에 대한
저작권은 엮은이에게 있으며, 본문 중의 우리말 번역문들을 복사하여 가져가는 것을
허락하지 않습니다.]