나바르 매일미사 독서/묵상

Tuesday

20th Week of Ordinary Time

(I) 1st Reading: Judges 6:11-24a

God calls Gideon
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[11] Now the angel of the Lord came and sat under the oak at Ophrah, which
belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, as his son Gideon was beating out wheat in
the wine press, to hide it from the Midianites. [12] And the angels of the Lord
appeared to him and said to him, "The Lord is with you, the mighty man of va-
lour.” [13] And Gideon said to him, "Pray, sir, if the Lord is with us, why then
has all this befallen us? And where are all his wonderful deeds which our fa-
thers recounted to us, saying, 'Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But
now the Lord has cast us off, and given us into the hand of Midian.” [14] And
the Lord turned to him and said, "Go in this might of yours and deliver Israel
from the hand of Midian; do not I send you?” [15] And he said to him, "Pray,
Lord, how can I deliver Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh,
and I am the least in my family. [16] And the Lord said to him, "But I will be
with you, and you shall smite the Midianites as one man.” [17] And he said to
him, "If now I have found favour with thee, then show me a sign that it is thou
who speakest with me. [18] Do not depart from here, I pray thee, until I come
to thee, and bring out my present, and set it before thee.” And he said, "I will
stay till you return.”

[19] So Gideon went into his house and prepared a kid, and unleavened cakes
from an ephah of flour; the meat he put in a basket, and the broth he put in a
pot, and brought them to him under the oak and presented them.” [20] And the
angel of God said to him, "Take the meat and unleavened cakes, and put them
on this rock, and pour the broth over them.” And he did so. [21] Then the angel
of the Lord reached out the tip of the staff that was in his hand, and touched the
meat and the unleavened cakes; and there sprang up fire from the rock and con-
sumed the flesh and the unleavened cakes; and the angel of the Lord vanished
from his sight; [22] Then Gideon perceived that he was the angel of the Lord;
and Gideon said, "Alas, O Lord God! For now I have seen the angel of the Lord
face to face.” [23] Then Gideon built an altar there to the Lord.

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Commentary:

6:11-32. This is one of the oldest accounts of calling in Holy Scripture; in it the
sacred writer includes features to be found in all instances of vocation.

God’s choice falls on a man who never would have expected a vocation; he re-
ceives the call in the course of his ordinary work, when he is grinding corn (v.
11). The call is God’s initiative. In some particularly important cases (such as
this), the Lord uses an angel to convey his message (cf. Lk 1:11, 28). His gree-
ting begins with references to the fact that the Lord is close to his chosen one --
"The Lord is with you” (v. 12; cf. Lk 1:28) – and to the mission being assigned
him: God has seen the needs of his people and is going to send this man to
their aid (v. 14). the Lord did not pick this man because he deserved it or be-
cause he came of a distinguished family (v. 15).

The usual reaction to a call from God is a reluctance to respond. Gideon recites
all the difficulties and limitations which would disqualify him from the task: how
did we get into this situation (v. 13)?, how can I deliver Israel (v. 15)?. And he
even asks for a sign to confirm that the call really does come from God (v. 17).
On this occasion God gives him tangible proof, and Gideon is quite bowled over
when he sees that it really is the Lord (vv. 19-22). Then, when he decides to ac-
cept the role God is offering him, he is given words of consolation ("Do not fear”)
and feels at peace (v. 23).

In the Old Testament we meet many people who are called by God and accept
that call – Samuel (cf. 1 Sam 3:1-18), David (cf. 1 Sam 16:1-13), Elisha (cf. 1
Kings 19:19-21), etc. And in the New Testament the positive response to their
callings given by the Blessed Virgin (Lk 1:26-38), the apostles (Mt. 4:18-22 and
par.; 9:9 and par.; Jn 1:35-51), St Paul (Acts 9:1-19), etc. were crucial to salva-
tion history. God continues to call men and women today, to yield abundant di-
vine fruit in the name of the Lord. "If you respond to the call the Lord has made
to you, your life – your poor life – will leave a deep and wide furrow in the history
of the human race, a clear and fertile furrow, eternal and godly” (St. J. Escriva,
The Forge, 59).

(II) 1st Reading: Ezekiel 28:1-10

Oracle against the king of Tyre
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[1] The word of the Lord came to me:
[2] "Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre, Thus says the Lord God:

"Because your heart is proud,
and you have said, 'I am a god,
I sit in the seat of the gods,
in the heart of the seas,'
yet you are but a man, and no god.
though you consider yourself as wise as a god –
[3] you are indeed wiser than Daniel;
no secret is hidden from you;
[4] by your wisdom and your understanding
you have gotten wealth for yourself,
and have gathered gold and silver
into your treasuries;
[5] by your great wisdom in trade
you have increased your wealth,
and your heart has become proud in your wealth –
[6] therefore thus says the Lord God:
"Because you consider yourself
as wise as a god,
[7] therefore, behold, I will bring strangers upon you,
the most terrible of the nations;
and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom
and defile your splendour.
[8] They shall thrust you down into the Pit,
and you shall die the death of the slain
in the heart of the seas.
[9] Will you still say, 'I am a god.'
in the presence of those who slay you,
though you are but a man, and no god,
in the hands of those who wound you?
[10]You shall die the death of the uncircumcised
by the hand of foreigners;
for I have spoken, says the Lord God."
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Commentary:

28:1-10. The oracle here is addressed to the king of Tyre ("the prince" in Eze-
kiel's language) but he stands for the whole country. The nation is denounced
for its pride -- most clearly to he seen in its king, who was rich and clever and
so influential in the region that he came to see himself as a god. He is given a
severe sentence: he will die like any other man (v. 9); worse still, "he will die the
death of the uncircumcised by the hand of foreigners" (v. 10). The prophet clearly
regards pride as being almost as sinful as idolatry, for the gravity of every sin lies
in desiring to he like a god. "Sin sets itself against God's love for us and turns
our hearts away from it. Like the first sin, it is disobedience, a revolt against God
through the will to become 'like Gods' (Gen 3:5), knowing and determining good
and evil. Sin is thus 'love of oneself even to contempt of God' (St Augustine, De
civ. Dei, 14, 28). In this proud self-exaltation, sin is diametrically opposed to the
obedience of Jesus, which achieves our salvation (cf. Phil 2:6-9)" (Catechism of
the Catholic Church 1850).

Gospel Reading: Matthew 19:23-30

Christian Poverty and Renunciation
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[23] Jesus said to His disciples, "Truly, I say to you, it will be hard for a rich man
to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. [24] Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to
go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of God."
[25] When the disciples heard this they were greatly astonished, saying, "Who
then can be saved?" [26] But Jesus looked at them and said to them, "With men
this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." [27] Then Peter said in
reply, "Lo, we have left everything and followed You. What then shall we have?"
[28] Jesus said to them, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of
Man shall sit on His glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on
twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. [29] And every one who has
left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for My
name's sake, will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life. [30] But many
that are first will be last, and the last first."

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Commentary:

24-26. By drawing this comparison Jesus shows that it is simply not possible for
people who put their hearts on worldly things to obtain a share in the Kingdom of
God.

24-26. [여기를 클릭하면 읽을 수 있는 (필독 권고) 마태오 복음서 19,16-22에서] 바로
이러한 대조(comparison)를 도출함으로써 예수님께서는 자신들의 심장(hearts, 본심)들을
세속의 일들에 두고 있는 사람들이 하느님 나라(the Kingdom of God)(*) 안에서
한 몫(a share)을 획득하는 것은 절대로(simply) 불가능하다는(**) 것을 보여주십니다.

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(*) 번역자 주: 다음의 주소에 접속하면, 천국(heaven, 하늘, 천당)을 말하는 것이 아닌,
가톨릭 보편 교회 안에 있는 "하느님 나라", 즉 "하늘 나라"에 대한 글들을 읽을 수 있다:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/intro2KH_JohnPaul_II.htm

(**) 번역자 주: 정당한 재물이라고 하더라도 언제부터 불의하게 되는지에 대한 명확한
기준에 대한 글인, 다음의 주소에 있는, 루카 16,1-13(소 제목: 약은 집사의 비유)에
대한 알렉산드리아의 성 클레멘트의 주석을 또한 읽도록 하라. 필독을 권고한다:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/959.htm
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"With God all things are possible": that is, with God's grace man can be brave
and generous enough to use wealth to promote the service of God and man. This
is why St. Matthew, in Chapter 5, specifies that the poor "in spirit" are blessed
(Matthew 5:3).

"하느님께는 모든 것이 가능하다":(*) 즉(that is), 하느님의 은총과 함께 사람은
하느님과 사람에 대한 섬김을 증진하기 위하여 부(富, wealth)를 사용하기에
충분할 만큼 용감하게 될 수 있고 그리고 관대하게 될 수 있습니다. 이것이
성 마태오(St. Matthew)가, 제5장에서, "영적으로" 가난한 사람(the poor "in spirit")들이
복을 받는다[마태오 복음서 5,3 (필독 권고)]고 자세하게 서술하는 바로 그 이유입니다.

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(*) 번역자 주: (번역 미숙/오류) 마태오 복음서 19,16을 "새 번역 성경"에서 "사람에게는
그것이 불가능하지만 하느님께는 모든 것이 가능하다"로 번역하였는데, 이 번역보다는,
영어로 "With men this is impossible but with God all things are possible"(RSVCE)로
번역되는 표현을, "사람과 함께(with) 그것은 불가능하지만 하느님과 함께(with)
모든 것이 가능하다"로 번역하는 것이 훨씬 더 나은 번역일 것입니다.
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번역자 주: 사실 마태오 복음서 19,23-30에 대한 위의 해설은 대단히 요약적인데,
다음의 주소에 접속하면, 마태오 복음서 19,16-26에 병행하는, 가톨릭 교회의
전례력에 있어 나해 연중 제28주일 복음 말씀인 마르코 복음서 10,17-30에 대한
나바르 성경 주석서의 훨씬 더 자세한 해설을 읽을 수 있다. 또한 필독을 권고한다:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/navarre/b_ot_28.htm
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28. "In the new world", in the "regeneration": a reference to the renewal of all
things which will take place when Jesus Christ comes to judge the living and the
dead. The resurrection of the body will be an integral part of this renewal.

The ancient people of God, Israel, was made up of twelve tribes. The new people
of God, the Church, to which all men are called, is founded by Jesus Christ on
the Twelve Apostles under the primacy of Peter.

29. These graphic remarks should not be explained away. They mean that love
or Jesus Christ and His Gospel should come before everything else. What our
Lord says here should not be interpreted as conflicting with the will of God Him-
self, the creator and sanctifier of family bonds.
　

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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.