Thursday

16th Week of Ordinary Time

(I) 1st Reading: Exodus 19:1-2, 9-11, 16-20b

The Israelites Arrive in Sinai (Continuation)
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[1] On the third new moon after the people of Israel had gone forth out of the
land of Egypt, on that day they came into the wilderness of Sinai. [2] And
when they set out from Rephidim and came into the wilderness of Sinai, they
encamped in the wilderness; and there Israel encamped before the mountain.

[9] And the Lord said to Moses, "Lo, I am coming to you in a thick cloud, that
the people may hear when I speak with you, and may also believe you for ever."

Then Moses told the words of the people to the Lord.

The Theophany on Sinai
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[10] And the Lord said to Moses,"Go to the people and consecrate them today
and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments, [11] and be ready by the third
day; for on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight
of all the people.

[16] On the morning of the third day there were thunders and lightnings, and a
thick cloud upon the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast, so that all the
people who were in the camp trembled. [17] Then Moses brought the people 
out of the camp to meet God; and they took their stand at the foot of the moun-
tain; [18] And Mount Sinai was wrapped in smoke, because the Lord descended
upon it in fire; and the smoke of it went up like the smoke of a kiln, and the 
whole mountain quaked greatly. [19] And as the sound of the trumpet grew
louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him in thunder. [20] And
the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain;

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Commentary: 

19:1-25. This chapter is written as part of a magnificent liturgy is which the 
events of Sinai are re-enacted for the reader. The sacred author, then, does
not seek to provide an exact, scholarly report on what happened there; what
he is providing, rather, is a theological interpretation of the real contact which
took place between God and his people.

As in other important sections of this book, it draws on the great traditions of
Israel but combines them so skillfully that they have become inseparable; only 
now and then can one identify traces of particular traditions. The text as it now
stands is all of a piece. In this chapter there is a prologue (v. 9), summing up 
what follows, and the theophany proper (vv. 10-25).

19:1-2. This method of calculating time (v. 1) is one of the traces of the Priest-
ly tradition, always keen to give dates a symbolic meaning (cf. 16:1 and 17:1).
Three months is a very brief stage in the prolonged sojourn in the Sinai: in this
way time becomes a sign of the religious importance of the events.

19:10-25. This description of the theopany on Sinai contains features of a 
solemn liturgy in order to highlight the majesty and transcendence of God. 
Verses 10-15 cover as it were the preparation for the great event, and vv. 16-
20 the event itself.

The preparation is very detailed: ritual purification in the days previous, ablu-
tions and everything possible done to ensure that the participants have the right
dispositions, even a ban on sexual intercourse (cf. Lev 15:16ff) as a sign of ex-
clusive concentration on God who is coming to visit. Also, the fact that the
people have to keep within bounds is a tangible way of showing the transcen-
dence of God. Once Jesus Christ, God made man, comes, no barrier will any
longer to imposed.

The manifestation of God took place on the third day.; The smoke, the fire and
the earthquake are external signs of the presence of God, who is the master of
nature. The two trumpet blasts (vv. 16, 19), the people's march to the foot of 
the mountain and then standing to attention – all give a liturgical tone to their
acknowledgment of the Lord as their only Sovereign. All these things and even
the voice of God in the thunder convey the idea that this awesome storm was 
something unique, for what was happening this special presence of God on 
Sinai, could never happen again.

Israel will never forget this religious experience, as we can see from the Psalms
(cf. Ps 18:8-9; 29:3-4; 77:17-18; 97:2ff). In the New Testament, extraordinary
divine manifestations will carry echoes of this theophany (cf. Mt 27:45; 51; Acts 
2:2-4).

(II) 1st Reading: Jeremiah 2:1-3, 7-8, 12-13

When Israel was devout, it had nothing to fear
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[1] The word of the Lord came to me, saying, [2] ”Go and proclaim in the
hearing of Jerusalem, Thus says the Lord,

I remember the devotion of your youth,
your love as a bride.
how you followed me in the wilderness,
in a land not sown.
[3] Israel was holy to the Lord,
the first fruits of his harvest.
All who ate of it became guilty;
evil came upon them, says the Lord.”

[7] And I brought you into a plentiful land
to enjoy its fruits and its good things.
But when you came in you defiled my land,
and made my heritage an abomination.
[8] The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who handle the law did not know me;
the rulers transgressed against me;
the prophets prophesied by Baal,
and went after things that do not profit.

[12] Be appalled. O heavens, at this,
be shocked, be utterly desolate, says the Lord,
[13] for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns,
that can hold no water.

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Commentary:

2:1-25:38. Most of the oracles are in verse in this part of the book, but there are 
some prose passages. It is possible that the scroll containing the earliest oracles 
(which was burnt in 605 by order of King Jehoiakim: cf. 36:2l-23) was made up 
largely of the poems found in this part (2:1-25:38). They would have been ar-
ranged in some sort of thematic order with an eye, too, on chronology.

2,1-25,38. 이 책의 이 부분에서 신탁들 대부분은 운문으로(in verse)이지만, 일부 
산문(prose) 구절들도 있습니다. [(남쪽 유다 왕국의) 여호야킴 임금(King Jehoiakim)의 
명령에 의하여 기원전 605년에 불태워졌던: 36,21-23 참조] 가장 초기의 신탁들을 
포함하는 두루마리는 이 부분(2,1-25,38)에서 발견되는 시(poems)들로 대부분 
이루어졌습니다. 그들은, 또한 연대(chronology)에 대한 어떤 주시와 함께 주제의 
순서에 있어서의 어떤 종류로 배열되었을 것입니다.

In the first ten chapters, the oracles turn on the two great themes of the two in-
troductory visions. Firstly, in connexion with the vision of the rod of almond
(1:11-12), we get a summary of the sins that the prophet has noticed in his role
as watchman: Israel and Judah have forsaken the Lord; therefore they must be
chastised. God has been faithful, but the people have rejected him; this wrong
must be righted without delay--unless there is a genuine change of heart
(2:1-4:4). Secondly, in connexion with the vision of the boiling pot facing away
from the north (1:13-19), we get oracles threatening destruction from that quarter
(4:5-10:25).

첫 번째 열 개의 장들에서, 신탁(oracles)들은 두 개의 입문 환시들 중에서 두 개의 
커다란 주제들로 향하게 합니다(turn on). 첫 번째로, 편도나무의 가지에 대한 환시와 
관련하여, 우리는 이 예언자가 파수꾼으로서 자신의 역할 안에서 이미 목격하였던 
죄들에 대한 다음과 같은  한 개의 요약을 얻습니다: [북쪽 왕국인] 이스라엘과 
[남쪽 왕국인] 유다는 주님을 이미 버렸으며, 그리하여 그 결과로 그들은 벌을 받아야 
한다. 하느님께서는 충실해 오셨으나, 이 백성는 당신을 이미 거부하였으며, 그리고 
이러한 잘못은, 심장(heart, 본심)에 있어서의 어떤 진정한 변화가 있지 않은 한, 지체 
없이 바로잡아져야 합니다(2,1-4,4). 두 번째로, 북쪽에서부터 쏟아질듯 기울어지는 
끓는 냄비의 환시와 관련하여(1,13-19), 우리는 바로 그 방위(方位, quarter)로부터 
파괴를 위협하는 신탁들을 얻습니다(4,5-10,25). 

From chapter 11 on, prose passages appear with greater frequency, and Jere-
miah’s symbolic actions begin to have a higher profile. The prophet has personal
experience of suffering, and his cries for help epitomize the way the people feel
when they are struck down by misfortune in punishment for their sins (11:1-20:18).
This part of the book ends with a severe indictment of those who ought to have
given leadership but failed to do so (21:1-25:38).

제11장부터 그 이후로, 산문(prose)의 구절들이 더 커다란 빈도와 함께 나타나며, 
그리고 예레미야의 상징적 행동들은 어떤 더 고귀한 옆모습을 가집니다. 이 예언자는 
고통에 대한 개인적 경험을 하며, 그리고 도움을 청하는 그의 외침들은 이 백성이 
자신들의 죄들에 대한 벌에 있어서의 불행에 의하여 그들이 때려눕히게 될 때에 
느끼는 경험의 폭(way)의 전형입니다(11,1-20,18). 이 책의 바로 이 부분은 지도력
(leadership)을 이미 제공하였어야만 했던 그러나 그렇게 행하는 데에 실패하였던 
자들에 대한 엄중한 비난과 함께 끝납니다(21,1-25,38).

All of this first part of the book is a severe warning to the people of Jerusalem and
the entire kingdom of Judah. Even so, divine mercy can still be discerned: there
is a prospect of forgiveness and salvation.

이 책의 바로 이러한 첫 부분의 모두는 예루살렘과 유다 왕국 전체 백성을 향하는 
한 개의 엄중한 경고입니다. 심지어 그럼에도 불구하고, 하느님의 자비는 여전히 
식별됩니다: 용서와 구원에 대한 어떤 전망이 거기에 있습니다.

2:1-4:4. The oracles contained in this section were spoken early in Jeremiah’s
ministry, during the reign of Josiah, and possibly before that king set in train his
religious reform (for nowhere does Jeremiah refer to it). This means that they
would date from the period 627-622 BC. The difference is clearly drawn (3:6-11)
between Israel, the Northern kingdom, whose capital was Samaria, and which
had fallen to Assyria in 722, and Judah, the Southern kingdom, whose capital
was Jerusalem. Assyria had been in control of Israel for some one hundred
years, but now it was in decline; and Josiah, king of Judah, was trying to re-
establish national unity on all levels – social, political and religious. His efforts
would culminate in the great religious reform that began in 622 and which sought
to centralize all ritual religious worship in Jerusalem.

2,1-4,4. 바로 이 단락(段落, section)에 포함된 신탁들은 예레미야의 사역에 있어, 
요시야(Josiah)의 통치 동안, 그리고 아마도 바로 이 임금이 자신의 종교 개혁
(religious reform)을 활동적인 상태로 되게 하였던 시기 이전인 (이는 어디에서도 
예레미야가 이 개혁에 대하여 언급하지 않기 때문임), 초기에 말해졌습니다. 이것은 
이들 신탁들이 기원전 627-622년부터 시작되었을 것임을 뜻합니다. 그 수도가 
사마리아(Samaria)였으며, 그리고 기원전 722년에 아시리아(Assyria)에 이미 
함락되었던, 북쪽 왕국인 이스라엘, 그리고, 그 수도가 예루살렘이었던, 남쪽 
왕국인 유다 사이에 있어 차이점이 분명하게 묘사되고 있습니다(3,6-11). 
아시리아는 약 백년 동안 이스라엘을 이미 지배해 왔으나, 그러나 이제 이 지배는 
쇠퇴하였으며, 그리하여 유다의 임금인 요시야는, 사회적, 정치적 그리고 종교적 
모든 수준(levels)들 위에 민족적 단일성(national unity)을 재건하고자(reestablish) 
노력 중이었습니다. 그의 노력들은, 기원전 622년에 시작되었던 그리고 모든 
의식적(ritual) 종교적 예배를 예루살렘에 집중시키는 것을 추구하였던, 훌륭한 
종교 개혁으로 절정에 도달하고자 하였습니다(would).(*)

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(*) 번역자 주: 그러나 애석하게도 이 개혁은 요시야 임금의 갑작스런 죽음(2열왕 
23,29; 2역대 35,24; 집회서 49,4 참조) 때문에 오래 지속되지 못하였다.
-----

The oracles in this section are set in this historical background. The earliest,
those conserved in verse form, were spoken by Jeremiah himself and exude the
vitality and pain of someone who was an eyewitness. The passages that now
appear in prose may well have been added later, when the book was being re-
written after the first manuscript was burned (cf. 36:21-23). These oracles are
a warning about sin, about the punishment that it draws down, and about the
need for personal conversion in order to attain salvation. The text as it now
stands makes it clear that the misfortune that overtook the people of Israel was
due to their unfaithfulness to God (2:1-37). Even so, the Lord calls all to conver-
sion; if they respond, he will restore peace and unity to the people (3:1-4:4).

이 단락에 있는 신탁들은 바로 이러한 역사적 배경 안에 설정되어져 있습니다. 가장 
초기의, 운문(verse) 형식으로 본존되어 있는 신탁들은 예레미야 자신에 의하여 
말해졌으며 그리고 한 명의 목격 증인이었던 어떤 자의 활력과 고통을 스며 나오게 
합니다. 지금 산문(prose)으로 나타나는 구절들은 아마, 첫 번째 필사본(manuscript)이 
불태워진 이후에 다시 쓰였을 때인(36,21-23을 참조하라), 나중에 추가되어졌을 
것입니다. 이들 신탁들은 죄에 관한, 죄가 초래하는 벌에 관한, 그리고 구원을 획득하기 
위한 개별적 회심(personal conversion)의 필요성에 관한, 한 개의 경고입니다. 이 
본문은, 이 본문이 지금 의미하듯이, [북쪽 왕국인] 이스라엘의 백성을 덮쳤던
(overtook) 불행이 하느님에 대한 그들의 불충실(unfaitfhlness)에 기인하였음을 
분명하게 합니다(2,1-37). 심지어 그럼에도 불구하고, 주님께서는 모든 이들을 회심
(conversion)으로 부르시며, 그리고 만약에 그들이 응답한다면, 당신께서는 이 백성에게 
평화와 단일성을 회복시키실 것입니다(3,1-4,4).

2:1-37. The oracles in this chapter follow the pattern of pleadings used in the
ancient Middle East when pacts or alliances were broken. First, the accused
party and the witnesses are apprised of the subject of the dispute used. Then
the benefits enjoyed by the accused are spelt out; he, for his part, should have
adhered to what he agreed in the covenant. This is followed by a list of charges,
often couched in the form of questions: and then at the end comes a demand
for immediate action to be taken to set things right. If no agreement is arrived
at, a declaration of war inevitably follows.

2,1-37. 이 장에 있는 신탁들은 조약(pacts)들과 동맹(alliances)들이 파기되었을 때에 
고대 중동 지역에서 사용되었던 항변(pleadings)들의 양식(pattern)을 따르고 있습니다. 
피고측과 목격자들은 다루어지고 있는 논쟁의 주제에 대하여 통지받습니다. 그러면 
피고에 의하여 향유되었던 이득(benefits)들이 판독(判讀)되며(are spelt out), 그리고 
그는, 자신에 관한 한, 해당 계약(the covenant)에 있어 그가 동의하였던 바를 견실하게 
그리고 지속적으로 유치하였어야만 합니다. 이것은, 질문들의 형식으로 자주 표현되는, 
혐의(charges)들의 목록에 의하여 뒤따르게 되며, 그러고 나서 끝에 일들을 교정하기 
위하여 취해져야 하는 즉각적인 행위에 대한 어떤 요구가 나옵니다. 만약에 아무런 
협정(agreement)에도 도달되지 못하면, 전쟁 선포 한 개는 불가피하게 뒤따릅니다.

The word of the Lord here is not that of a judge but of one of the two parties who
made the Covenant and has been deceived by the unfaithfulness of the other.
The prophet begins by reminding the people of all the benefits they received from
God during the time that they were faithful to him. In the early days, as they made
their way through the wilderness, they had a loving relationship with the Lord, and
he took care of them (vv. 1-3); he rescued them from Egypt and brought them to
the land promised to them as their inheritance (cf. Hos 1-3). However, instead of
staying true to the Lord, the Israelites forsook him and fell lower than other nations
(symbolized here by the peoples of the Aegean, “the coasts of Cyprus”, and the
Arab lands, “Kedar”: v. 10). Their religion centred on a personal God who took
provident care of his followers, yet they turned their backs on him to worship
Baal and other gods, who are quite worthless (vv. 6-7). They may form alliances
with earthly powers in the hope of getting help, but to no avail.

여기서 주님의 말씀은 어떤 재판관의 말이 아니라, 계약을 채결하였으며 그리고 
상대방의 불충실에 의하여 기만을 당해 왔던, 두 당사자들 중의 한 명의 말입니다. 
이 예언자는 이 백성에게 하느님으로부터, 그들이 당신께 충실하였던 시기 동안, 
그들이 받았던 모든 혜택들에 대하여 상기시킴으로써 시작합니다. 초기의 시절에, 
그들이 광야를 꿰뚫어 자신들의 길을 마련할 때에, 그들은 주님과 어떤 사랑스러운 
관계를 가졌으며, 그리고 당신께서는 그들을 돌보셨습으며(제1-3절), 그리고 
당신께서는 그들을 이집트로부터 구출하셨으며 그리고 그들의 상속으로서 
그들에게 약속하셨던 땅으로 그들을 데려가셨습니다 (호세아 1-3을 보라). 그러나, 
주님께 진실하게 머무르는 대신에, 이스라엘의 자손들은 당신을 저버렸으며 그리하여 
[여기서 "키프로스(Cyprus)의 해변들", 즉 에게 해(the Aegean)의 백성들, 그리고 
"케다르(Kedar)", 즉 아랍(Arab)의 땅들에 의하여 상징되는: 제10절] 다른 민족들보다 
더 아래로 떨어졌습니다. 그들의 종교는, 당신의 추종자들에 대한 선견지명 있는 
돌보심을 베푸시는  한 분의 인격적 하느님에 의존하였으나(centered on), 그럼에도 
불구하고 그들은, 정말로 아무런 가치가 없는, 바알(Baal)과 다른 잡신(gods)들을 
경배하기 위하여 당신에 대하여 자신들의 등을 돌렸습니다(제6-7절). 그들은 도움을 
얻고자 하는 희망에서 지상의 힘들과 동맹들을 형성한 것일 수도 있습니다만, 그러나 
아무런 소용이 없습니다.

Even the language that Jeremiah uses shows that Israel has been distancing it-
self from God (he is upbraiding Israel, to have Judah react). In the opening verses
he addresses his people using the familiar form of the word “you” (vv. 2-3), then
he changes to the formal “you” (vv. 4-10), and eventually uses the third person
(vv. 11-15). Only in the second part of these oracles does the familiar form return,
when he reproves the people, to get them to mend their ways (v. 16-37).

심지어 예레미야가 사용하는 언어마저도 이스라엘이 하느님으로부터 이미 거리를 
두어 왔음을 보여줍니다 (그는, [남쪽 왕국인] 유다로 하여금 반응하게 하고자, 
이스라엘을 비난하고 있습니다). 시작하는 절들에서 그는 "너(you)"라는 단어의 친숙한 
형식을 사용하면서 자신의 백성에게 말을 걸며(addresses)(제2-3절), 그러고 나서 
그는 의례적인 "너희(you)"로 바꾸며(제4-10절), 그리고 결국에 제3인칭을 사용합니다
(제11-15절). 이들 신탁들의 두 번째 부분에서, 그가 그들로 하여금 자신들의 습관을 
고치도록 이 백성을 꾸짖을 때에, 오로지 이 친숙한 형식이 돌아옵니다(제16-37절).

The metaphor of the leaking cisterns (v. 13) conveys very well just how ineffective
are Israel’s pacts with foreign nations. In Jeremiah’s time, there was a lot of de-
bate about whether or not to make alliances with Assyria or Egypt to ensure survi-
val in the face of hostile foreign powers. The prophet regards such pacts as being
of no real use, but he also points to the danger of idolatry that may arise through
contact with foreigners. Hence the sarcasm in vv. 16-18: Memphis and Tahpan-
hes, were two cities on the Lower Nile; “the Euphrates”: literally, “River” (no defi-
nite article) in Hebrew. The people’s fascination with the waters and lands of
Egypt and Assyria indicates the pull exercised by those great powers on Israel.
God had taken care of his people, he had given them a beautiful land of their own,
yet Israel had turned away from him and gone after idols -- infidelity leading to
idolatry (vv. 4-27). Yet Israel will not acknowledge that it has done wrong, so the
Lord accuses the people of their sins and warns them that if they don’t change
they will be brought low (vv. 28-37).

물이 고이지 못하는 저수 동굴이라는 은유(metaphor)(제13절)는 정확히 말해서 외국 
민족들과 [북쪽 왕국인] 이스라엘의 조약(pacts)들이 얼마나 쓸모없는지를 대단히 잘 
시사합니다(convey). 예레미야의 시기에, 적대적인 외국의 힘들에 직면하여 생존을 
보장하기 위하여 아시리아 혹은 이집트와 동맹(alliances)들을 맺을 것인가 혹은 맺지 
않을 것인가에 관한 많은 양의 토론이 있었습니다. 이 예언자는 그러한 조약(pacts)들을 
실제적 소용이 전혀 없는 것으로서 간주하며, 그리고 외국인들과의 접촉을 통하여 
일어날 수도 있는 우상 숭배의 위험에 대하여 그는 또한 지적합니다. 따라서 제16-18절에 
있는 풍자(sarcasm): 멤피스(Memphis)와 타흐판헤스(Tahpanhes)는 나일 강 하류에 
있는 두 개의 도시들이며, "유프라테스(the Euphrates": 글자 그대로, 히브리 말로 
(정관사 없는) "강(River)". 이집트와 아시리아의 강들 및 땅들에 대한 이 백성의 매료는 
이스라엘에 대한 바로 그러한 커다란 힘들에 의한 영향력(pull)을 나타냅니다. 하느님께서는 
당신의 백성을 이미 돌보아 오셨으며, 당신께서는 그들에게 그들 고유의 아름다운 땅을 
이미 제공하셨으나, 그럼에도 불구하고 이스라엘은 당신으로부터 멀어져 이미 돌아섰으며 
그리하여, 우상 숭배(idolatry)로 이르게 하는 불신(infidelity)인, 우상(idols)들을 이미 
추구하였습니다(제4-27절). 그럼에도 불구하고, 이스라엘은 자신이 잘못을 저질러 
왔음을 인정하지 않을 것이며, 그리하여 주님께서는 이 백성에게 자신들의 죄들을 
추궁하며(accuses) 그리고 만약에 그들이 변하지 않으면 그들은 쇠퇴하게 될 것이라고 
그들을 경고합니다(제28-37절).

2:13. The image of the broken cisterns that cannot hold water is used again and
again in Christian writing as an example of the condition of man when, instead of
trusting in the Lord, he relies on himself or on earthly things. St Irenaeus of Lyons,
for example, advises us to look for really solid support: “Where the Church is,
there is the Spirit of God: and where the Spirit is, there is the Church and all
grace. The Spirit is truth. Those who are not possessed of the Spirit are not
suckled at their mother’s breast to give them life, nor do they draw from the living
waters that flow from the body of Christ: they hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns, and drink stagnant water. They abandon the faith of the Church
and are no longer protected; they reject the Spirit and are not enlightened. Having
departed from the way of truth, they are overcome by every error; they can find no
sure footing. Their beliefs change from one moment to the next, and they never
come to any conclusion because they would rather be the masters of words than
followers of the truth. They do not build on rock, but on sand” (Adversus haere-
ses, 3, 24, 1-2).

2,13. 물을 담을 수 없는 갈라진 저수 동굴이라는 사실적 묘사(image)는, 주님 쪽으로 
신뢰 행위 대신에, 자기 자신 혹은 세속의 사물들에 사람이 의존할 때에 사람의상태에 
대한 한 개의 예(an example)로서, 그리스도인들의 저술에서 되풀이해서 사용되고 
있습니다. 예를 들어, 리옹의 성 이레네오(St. Irenaeus of Lyons, 202년에 죽음)는 
실제로 견고한 지지(support)를 구하라고 다음과 같이 우리에게 충고합니다: 
"교회가 있는 곳에, 하느님의 영이 있으며, 그리고 이 영이 있는 곳에, 교회와 모든 
은총이 있다. 이 영은 진리이다. 이 영을 소유하게 되지 못한 자들은 자신들에게 생명을 
주는 자신들의 어머니의 가슴에서 젖을 빨게되지 못하고, 그리고 또한 그들은 그리스도의 
몸으로부터 흘러 나오는 살아있는 광천수(the living waters)를 긷지 못하며, 그들은 
자기 자신들을 위한 저수 동굴들을 쪼아서 만들었고(hewed out), 저수 동굴들을 
파괴하였으며, 그리하여 흐르지 않는 물을 마신다. 그들은 교회의 믿음을 포기하여 
그리하여 더 이상 보호되지 못하고, 그리고 그들은 이 영을 포기하여 그리하여 
교화되지 못한다. 진리의 길로부터 이미 벗어나 버렸기에, 그들은 모든 오류에 의하여 
정복되어, 그리하여 그들은 확실한 발판을 찾을 수가 없다. 그들의 믿음(beliefs)들은 
빈번히 변하며, 그리하여 그들은 어떠한 결론에도 결코 도달하지 못하는데, 이는 
그들이 진리의 추종자들이라기 보다는 오히려 말들의 능숙자들일 것이기 때문이다. 
그들은 바위 위가 아니고, 모래 위에 집을 짓는다" [리옹의 성 이레네오(St. Irenaeus 
of Lyongs), 이단 반박(Adversus haereses), 3, 24, 1-2].

For his part, St John of the Cross applies the image to those who neglect God in
their insatiable desire for possessions. “Their appetite grows and their thirst in-
creases the further they find themselves from the only source that can satisfy
them, who is God. God himself said of them through Jeremiah his prophet: they
have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for them-
selves, broken cisterns, that can hold no water. What they drink in created
things cannot satisfy their thirst, but only increases it. They sin in a thousand
ways through their love for created things, and do themselves incalculable harm”
(Ascent of Mount Carmel, 3, 19, 7).

십자가의 성 요한(St. John of the Cross)은, 자신의 관심이 관련된 한, 이 사실적 묘사를 
소유물들에 대한 그들의 만족할 줄 모르는(insatiable) 욕구 때문에 하느님을 경시하는 
자들에 적용합니다: "그들을 만족시킬 수 있는, 하느님이신, 유일한 원천(source)으로부터 
더 멀어져 있는 자신들을 발견할수록 그들의 식욕(appetite)은 커지고 그리고 그들의 갈증
(thirst)은 증가한다. 하느님 몸소 당신의 예언자인 예레미야를 통하여 그들에 대하여 다음과 
같이 말씀하셨다: 그들은, 살아있는 광천수의 샘인, 나를 이미 저버렸으며, 그리고 자기 
자신들을 위한, 물을 전혀 담을 수 없는 파손된 저수 동굴인, 저수 동굴들을 쪼아서 만들었다. 
창조된 사물들에서 그들이 흡수하는(drink) 바는 그들의 갈증을 해소시킬 수 없고, 오로지 
갈증을 증가시킬뿐이다. 그들은 창조된 사물들에 대한 자신들의 사랑을 통하여 천 가지 
방식으로 죄를 지으며, 그리하여 자기 자신들에게 헤아릴 수 없는(incalculable) 해를 입힌다" 
[십자가의 성 요한(St. John of the Cross), Ascent of Mount Carmel, 3, 19, 7].

Gospel Reading: Matthew 13:10-17

Speaking in Parables (Continuation)
----------------------------------------------------

[10] Then the disciples came and said to Him (Jesus), "Why do You speak to
them in parables?" [11] And He answered them, "To you it has been given to
know the secrets of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it has not been given.
[12] For to him who has will more be given, and he will have abundance; but from
him who has not, even what he has will be taken away. [13] This is why I speak
to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not
hear, nor do they understand. [14] With them indeed is fulfilled the prophecy of
Isaiah which says: `You shall indeed hear but never understand, and you shall
indeed see but never perceive. [15] For this people's heart has grown dull, and
their ears are heavy of hearing, and their eyes they have closed, lest they should
perceive with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart,
and turn for me to heal them.'

[16] But blessed are your eyes, for they see, and your ears, for they hear. [17]
Truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you
see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it."

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

-----
게시자 주: 오늘의 복음 말씀은 가해 연중 제15주일 복음 말씀(마태오 복음서 13,1-23)에 
포함되므로, 이 비유의 내용을 제대로 이해하기 위하여 다음에 있는 가해 연중 제15 
주일의 복음 말씀과 그 해설을 학습하도록 하라:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/navarre/a_ot_15.htm
-----

10-13. The kind of Kingdom Jesus was going to establish did not suit the Judaism
of His time, largely because of the Jew's nationalistic, earthbound idea of the Mes-
siah to come. In His preaching Jesus takes account of the different outlooks of
His listeners, as can be seen in the attitudes described in the parable of the so-
wer. If people were well disposed to Him, the enigmatic nature of the parable would
stimulate their interest; and Jesus later did give His many disciples a fuller expla-
nation of its meaning; but there was no point in doing this if people were not ready
to listen.

Besides, parables--as indeed any type of comparison or analogy--are used to re-
veal or explain something which is not easy to understand, as was the case with
the supernatural things Jesus was explaining. One has to shade one's eyes to
see things if the sun is too bright; otherwise, one is blinded and sees nothing.
Similarly, parables help to shade supernatural brightness to allow the listener to
grasp meaning without being blinded by it.

These verses also raise a very interesting question: how can divine revelation and
grace produce such widely differing responses in people? What is at work here
is the mystery of divine grace--which is an unmerited gift--and of man's response
to this grace. What Jesus says here underlines man's responsibility to be ready
to accept God's grace and to respond to it. Jesus' reference to Isaiah (Matthew
13:14-15) is a prophecy of that hardness of heart which is a punishment meted
out to those who resist grace.

These verses need to be interpreted in the light of three points: 1) Jesus Christ
loved everyone, including people of His own home town: He gave His life in order
to save all men; 2) the parable is a literary form designed to get ideas across
clearly: its ultimate aim is to teach, not to mislead or obscure; 3) lack of appre-
ciation for divine grace is something blameworthy, which does merit punishment;
however, Jesus did not come directly to punish anyone, but rather to save every-
one.

12. Jesus is addressing His disciples and explaining to them that, precisely
because they have faith in Him and want to have a good grasp of His teaching,
they will be given a deeper understanding of divine truths. But those who do not
"follow Him" (cf. note on Matthew 4:18-22) will later lose interest in the things of
God and will grow ever blinder: it is as if the little they have is being taken away
from them.

This verse also helps us understand the meaning of the parable of the sower, a
parable which gives a wonderful explanation of the supernatural economy of di-
vine grace: God gives grace, and man freely responds to that grace. The result
is that those who respond to grace generously receive additional grace and so
grow steadily in grace and holiness; whereas those who reject God's gifts become
closed up within themselves; through their selfishness and attachment to sin they
eventually lose God's grace entirely. In this verse, then, our Lord gives a clear
warning: with the full weight of His divine authority He exhorts us--without taking
away our freedom--to act responsibly: the gifts God keeps sending us should
yield fruit; we should make good use of the opportunities for Christian sanctifi-
cation which are offered us in the course of our lives.

14-15. Only well-disposed people grasp the meaning of God's words. It is not
enough just to hear them physically. In the course of Jesus' preaching the pro-
phetic words of Isaiah come true once again.

However, we should not think that not wanting to hear or to understand was
something exclusive to certain contemporaries of Jesus; each one of us is at
times hard of hearing, hard-hearted and dull-minded in the presence of God's
grace and saving word. Moreover, it is not enough to be familiar with the tea-
ching of the Church: it is absolutely necessary to put the faith into practice, with
all that that implies, morally and ascetically. Jesus was fixed to the wood of the
Cross not only by nails and by the sins of certain Jews but also by our sins--sins
committed centuries later but which afflicted the Sacred Humanity of Jesus
Christ, who bore the burden of our sins. See the note on Mark 4:11-12.

16-17. In contrast with the closed attitude of many Jews who witnessed Jesus'
life but did not believe in Him, the disciples are praised by our Lord for their do-
cility to grace, their openness to recognizing Him as the Messiah and to accep-
ting His teaching.

He calls His disciples blessed, happy. As He says, the prophets and just men
and women of the Old Testament had for centuries lived in hope of enjoying one
day the peace the future Messiah would bring, but they had died without experien-
cing this good fortune. Simeon, towards the end of his long life, was filled with joy
on seeing the infant Jesus when He was presented in the temple: "He took Him
up in his arms and blessed God and said, `Lord now lettest Thou Thy servant
depart in peace, according to Thy word; for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation'"
(Luke 2:28-30). During our Lord's public life, His disciples were fortunate enough
to see and be on close terms with Him; later they would recall that incomparable
gift, and one of them would begin his first letter in these words: "That which was
from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our own eyes,
which we have looked upon and touched with our hands, concerning the word of
life; [...] that which we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you, so that you
may have fellowship with us; and our fellowship is with the Father and with His
Son Jesus Christ. And we are writing this that our [or: your] joy may be complete
1 John 1:1-4).

This exceptional good fortune was, obviously, not theirs but of special merit: God
planned it; it was He who decided that the time had come for the Old Testament
prophecies to be fulfilled. In any event, God gives every soul opportunities to meet
Him: each of us has to be sensitive enough to grasp them and not let them pass.
There were many men and women in Palestine who saw and heard the incarnate
Son of God but did not have the spiritual sensitivity to see in Him what the Apos-
tles and disciples saw.
　

*********************************************************************************************
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.]