나바르 매일미사 독서/묵상

Tuesday

21st Week of Ordinary Time

(I) 1st Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:1-8

First Gospel Preaching in Thessalonica
---------------------------------------------------------
[1] For you yourselves know, brethren, that our visit to you was not in vain; [2]
but though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as
you know, we had courage in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the
face of great opposition. [3] For our appeal does not spring from error or unclean-
ness, nor is it made with guile; [4] but just as we have been approved by God to
be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please men, but to please God
who tests our hearts. [5] For we never used either words of flattery, as you know,
or a cloak for greed as God is witness; [6] nor did we seek glory from men, whe-
ther from you or from others, though we might have made demands as apostles
of Christ. [7] But we were gentle among you, like a nurse taking care of her chil-
dren. [8] So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with
you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had be-
come very dear to us.

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

1-2. As we know from the Acts of the Apostles, St Paul and his companions
arrived in Thessalonica after the persecution unleashed in Philippi (cf. Acts 16:
19-40). Soon after that, jealousy led Jews in Thessalonica to provoke unrest and
they had to leave that city too (cf. Acts 17:5-10). Opposition should never prevent
a person from doing his duty to spread the word of God. "Whenever God opens
a door for the word in order to declare the mystery of Christ, then the living God,
and he whom he has sent for the salvation of all, Jesus Christ, are confidently
and perseveringly proclaimed to all men. And this is in order that non-Christians,
whose heart is being opened by the Holy Spirit, might, by believing, freely turn to
the Lord" (Vatican II, "Ad Gentes", 13).

Laziness or cowardice can provide all kinds of excuses. Therefore, it "would be
useful if every Christian and every evangelizer were to pray about the following
thought: men can gain salvation also in other ways, by God's mercy, even
though we do not preach the Gospel to them; but as for us, can we gain salvation
if through negligence or fear or shame -- what St Paul called 'being ashamed of
the gospel' (Rom 1:16)--or as a result of false ideas we fail to preach it? For that
would be to betray the call of God, who wishes the seed to bear fruit through the
voice of the ministers of the Gospel; and it will depend on us whether this grows
into trees and produces its full fruit. Let us therefore preserve our fervor of spirit.
Let us preserve the delightful and comforting joy of evangelizing, even when it is
in tears that we must sow" (Paul Vl, "Evangelii Nuntiandi", 80).

Love of God and faithfulness to our calling should lead us "not to be afraid of the
word of God in the midst of tribulation [...]; if someone has firm hope of attaining
what he is promised, he will not yield, so as thereby to gain his reward" (St Tho-
mas, "Commentary on 1 Thess, ad loc.").

3-6. Those who teach the Gospel should always do so with the right intention,
for God "tests our hearts". "Let us remember how near he is to us and that not a
single one of our thoughts or plans can ever be hidden from him" (St Clement of
Rome, "Letter to the Corinthians", 1, 21).

Instruction of others in the faith "is sincere when it is given in keeping with the
tenor and purpose that Christ had when he taught" ("Commentary on I Thess,
ad loc."). St Paul castigates as "uncleanness" any betrayal of Christ's teaching:
this is rather like the Old Testament's view of infidelity to Yahweh as adultery (cf.
Is 1:21-26; Hos 1-3). When the Apostle says his preaching does not spring from
uncleanness, he means that he does not do violence to or alter the content of
the Christian message. As Paul Vl puts it, "the preacher of the Gospel will be a
person who even at the price of personal renunciation and suffering always seeks
the truth that he must transmit to others. He never betrays or hides truth out of a
desire to please men, in order to astonish or to shock, nor for the sake of origina-
lity or a desire to make an impression. He does not refuse truth. He does not ob-
scure revealed truth by being too idle to search for it, or for the sake of his own
comfort, or out of fear. He does not neglect to study it. He serves it generously,
without making it serve him" ("Evangelii Nuntiandi", 78).

The Apostle makes the point that at no time did he try to deceive anyone or act
for personal gain--unlike the spreaders of false doctrine then to be found all over
the Roman empire (cf. Acts 17:18-21). The Second Vatican Council evokes this
when it says that "from the very beginnings of the Church the disciples of Christ
strove to convert men to confess Christ as Lord, not however by applying coer-
cion or with the use of techniques unworthy of the Gospel but, above all, by the
power of the word of God" ("Dignitatis Humanae", 11).

7-9. St Paul could have "made demands" in a double sense--by using the full
force of his apostolic authority, and by exercising his right to financial support
from the community (cf. 1 Cor 9:14); but he did neither one thing (vv. 7-8) nor
the other (v. 9).

On the contrary, he passed on the Gospel message and worked with the dis-
interested love and dedication of a nursing mother. St John Chrysostom, putting
himself in St Paul's place, comments as follows: "It is true that I preached the
Gospel to you in obedience to a commandment from God; but I love you with so
great a love that I would have been ready to die for you. That is the perfect model
of sincere, genuine love. A Christian who loves his neighbor should be inspired
by these sentiments. He should not wait to be asked to give up his life for his
brother; rather, he should offer it himself" ("Hom. on 1 Thess, ad loc.").

"The work of evangelization presupposes in the evangelizer an ever increasing
love for those whom he is evangelizing [...]. What is this love? It is much more
than that of a teacher; it is the love of a father; and again, it is the love of a mo-
ther. It is this love that the Lord expects from every preacher of the Gospel, from
every builder of the Church. A sign of love will be the concern to give the truth
and to bring people into unity [...]. Yet another sign of love will be the effort to
transmit to Christians not doubts and uncertainties born of an erudition poorly
assimilated but certainties that are solid because they are anchored in the
Word of God. The faithful need these certainties for their Christian life; they
have a right to them, as children of God" (Paul VI, "Evangelii Nuntiandi", 79).

The Apostle's hardworking life strengthened his moral authority when he had to
warn people against the temptation of idleness (cf. 1 Thess 4:11; it also was a
very good example for the early generations of Christians.

(II) 1st Reading: 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3a, 14-17

The Coming of the Lord
----------------------------------
[1] Now concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling to
meet him, we beg you, brethren, [2] not to be quickly shaken in mind or excited,
either by spirit or by word, or by letter purporting to be from us, to the effect that
the day of the Lord has come. [3] Let no one deceive you in any way[.]

The Need for Steadfastness
----------------------------------------
[14] To this he called you through our gospel, so that you may obtain the glory of
our Lord Jesus Christ. [15] So then, brethren, stand firm and hold to the traditions
which you were taught by us, either by word of mouth or by letter.

[16] Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us
and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, [17] comfort your hearts
and establish them in every good work and word.

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

1-2. The main theme of the letter is given here--the timing of the second coming
of the Lord. Some people had been unsettling the minds of the Thessalonians by
saying that the Parousia was about to happen.

The phrase "by spirit" is a reference to people claiming to have a charismatic gift
of prophecy from the Holy Spirit who were spreading their own ideas as if they
came from God. Others preferred to pass off what they had to say as coming
from St. Paul (orally or in writing).

Those who try to mislead the people of God by teachings contrary to Christian
faith often use methods of the same sort. By twisting the meaning of Sacred
Scripture (cf. Mt 4:6) they not infrequently promote wrong teaching as if it were
a revelation from the Holy Spirit. The Second Vatican Council has reminded us
how to identify subjective interpretation of that kind: "The task of giving an authen-
tic interpretation, whether in its written form or in the form of Tradition, has been
entrusted to the living teaching office of the Church alone. Its authority is exer-
cised in the name of Jesus Christ" ("Dei Verbum", 10).

Even in our own day there are sects and impressionable people who put a lot
of effort into working out when the second coming will take place, sometimes
making specific predictions which the passage of time disproves. They are
missing the main point, which is that we should be always on the watch, always
ready to joyfully meet the Lord.

"To the effect that the day of the Lord has come": this is literally what the Greek
says--or "as if the day of the Lord is here", in the sense of "about to come any
minute now". The New Vulgate [and the Navarre Spanish: trs.] translate it as
"as if the day of the Lord were imminent", which is faithful to the tenor of the text
and reads more clearly.

3-4. Our Lord's second coming is not imminent, for two things must happen first
--the "rebellion" and the advent of the "man of lawlessness". It is extremely diffi-
cult to make any definite predictions as to the nature of these events because
the Apostle says very little about them--and nothing to indicate WHEN they may
occur.

The "rebellion" or apostasy seems to suggest that a massive flight from God, af-
fecting a substantial part of the world's population, will signal that time is coming
to an end. When speaking about the fall of Jerusalem and the destruction of the
temple (events prefiguring what would happen at the end of the world) Jesus him-
self predicted (cf. Mt 24:11-13) that this would happen. He said that most people's
love would grow cold (cf. Mt 24:12), to such as extent that they would lose all
knowledge of God; when their rebellion had run its course, the End would come
and the general judgment would take place.

"The man of lawlessness": it is not clear whether this refers to a particular indivi-
dual, someone uniquely evil, or whether this is a literary device indicating a multi-
tude of people given over to sin and actively hostile to Christ's work in the world.
It is more likely to refer to all the forces of evil taken together as a tool used by
Satan to pursue his ends. "Man of lawlessness" and "son of perdition" are Semi-
tic expressions indicating that these people have a particularly close connection
with sin and with eternal perdition.

The "man of lawlessness" is a declared enemy of God who is systematically hos-
tile to everything to do with the service of God. The Apostle stresses that he is
so brazen that "he takes his seat in the temple of God", that is, insists on divine
honors. He will go to great lengths to induce people to rebel against God before
the end of the world, just as false prophets tried to lead people astray prior to the
fall of Jerusalem (cf. Mt 24:4-5, 11, 23-24).

The description of this adversary of God is very like that of the "antichrist" whom
St. John speaks of (cf. 1 Jn 2:18 and note on same).

13-14. Although there may be some people who refuse to accept the truth, the
Apostle feels moved to thank God for his readers' "sanctification by the Spirit"
and their "belief in the truth". This will bring them to salvation. The brethren too
should thank God for choosing them, for the election shows that they are "belo-
ved by the Lord". (On the meaning of the expression "beloved by God", see the
note on 1 Thess 1:4).

The mention of the three divine Persons reminds us that salvation is the joint work
of the Blessed Trinity: "God the Father" chooses the person to obtain the glory of
our "Lord Jesus Christ" through the sanctifying action of the "Spirit". Man, who is
submerged in sin and unable to free himself by his own efforts, is offered, by the
entire Trinity, the means to attain faith, salvation and sanctification: "There was no
power great enough to raise us and free us from such a catastrophic and eternal
death. But God, the Creator of the human race, who is infinitely merciful, did this
through his only-begotten Son. By his kindness, man was not only restored to the
position and nobility whence he had fallen, but was adorned with even richer gifts.
No one can express the greatness of this work of divine grace in the souls of men.
Because of it, men, both in Sacred Scripture and in the writings of the Fathers of
the Church, are described as being reborn, new creatures, sharers in the divine
nature, sons of God, deified" ("Divinum Illud Munus", 9).

For the fifth time in these two short letters to the Thessalonians we find the verb
"to give thanks" (cf. 1 Thess 1:2; 2:13; 5:18: 2 Thess 1:3 and 2:13). It is good to
realize that in these two earliest New Testament texts there is evidence of frequent,
spontaneous thanks to God for his fatherly kindness. It is not a matter of a minion
thanking his master for benefits received; rather it is an expression of filial, heartfelt,
joyful gratitude (cf. Jn 11:41).

"From the beginning": as the RSV note says, "other ancient authorities read "as
the first converts", that is, as the first fruits--probably a reference to the fact that
the church as Thessalonica was one of the first churches founded by St. Paul in
Europe.

15. To avoid being led astray by unsound or unreliable teaching the thing to do
is to hold fast to the faith one received and to apostolic tradition.

"Tradition": this term (cf. also 2 Thess 3:6) seems to refer to the Christian tea-
ching St. Paul himself received which he preached to them. Elsewhere the
Apostle uses a term with a more specific meaning, the "paratheke" ("deposit") of
teachings concerning the Christian faith (cf. 1 Tim 6:20 and 2 Tim 1:14 and notes
on same). He makes the point a number of times (cf. 1 Cor 11:23; 15:1-3) that
he was not preaching his personal opinions but rather passing on truths given him
as revealed doctrine. That is why he cannot allow his message to be tampered
with.

"It is obvious", St. Thomas Aquinas observes, "that many things which are not
written down in the Church were taught by the Apostles and therefore should be
followed" ("Commentary on 2 Thess, ad loc."). Thus, the truth revealed by God is
passed on through Sacred Scripture and Sacred Tradition. The Second Vatican
Council teaches that both "are bound closely together, and communicate one with
the other. For both of them, flowing out from the same divine well-spring, come
together in some fashion to form one thing, and move towards the same goal [...].
Tradition transmits in its entirety the Word of God which has been entrusted to
the apostles by Christ the Lord and the Holy Spirit. It transmits it to the succes-
sors of the apostles so that, enlightened by the Spirit of truth, they may faithfully
preserve, expound and spread it abroad by their preaching. Thus it comes about
that the Church does not draw her certainty about all revealed truths from the
Sacred Scriptures alone. Hence, both Scripture and Tradition must be accepted
and honored with equal feelings of devotion and reverence" ("Dei Verbum", 9).

Gospel Reading: Matthew 23:23-26

Jesus Indicts the Scribes and Pharisees
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(Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees,) [23] "Woe to you, scribes and Phari-
sees, hypocrites! for you tithe mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the
weightier matters of the law, justice and mercy and faith; these you ought to have
done, without neglecting the others. [24] You blind guides, straining out a gnat
and swallowing a camel!

[25] "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you cleanse the outside
of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full ofextortion and rapacity." [26]
You blind Pharisee! first cleanse the inside of the cup and of the plate, that the
outside also may be clean."

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

23. Mint, dill (aniseed) and cummin were herbs the Jews used in cooking or to
perfume rooms. They were such insignificant items that they were not covered
by the Mosaic precept on paying tithes (Leviticus 27:30-33; Deuteronomy 14:
22ff); the precept did not apply to domestic animals and the more common ag-
ricultural products such as wheat, wine and olive oil. However, the Pharisees,
being so intent on showing their scrupulous observance of the Law, paid tithes
even of these herbs. Our Lord does not despise or reject the Law; He is simply
telling people to get their priorities right: there is no point in attending to secon-
dary details if one is neglecting what is really basic and important--justice, mer-
cy and faith. **********
**********
**********

23. 박하(mint), 시라[dill (aniseed)](*) 그리고 소회향(cummin)은 유다인들이 요리를
하거나 혹은 방(rooms)들을 향기로 채우는 데에 사용하였습니다. 그들은 너무도
보잘것 없는 품목들이기에 그들은 십일조(tithes)들을 지불하는 데에 대한 모세 율법의
규범(레위기 27,30-33; 신명기 14,22 및 이어지는 몇 개의 절들)에 의하여 다루어지지
않았으며, 그리고 이 규범은 가축들 그리고 밀, 포도주 및 올리브 기름 등과 같은
농산물들에 적용되지 않았습니다. 그러나, 바리사이들은, 율법에 대한 자신들의
의심많은/심착(心窄)하는/주저하는 준수(scrupulous observance)(**)를 보이는 데에
빠져있었기에, 심지어 이들 풀(herbs)들에 대한 십일조들을 지불하였습니다. 우리의
주님께서는 율법을 경멸하거나 혹은 거부하는 것이 아니며, 당신께서는 사람들에게
자신들의 우선 순위들을 올바르게 잡을 것을 알기 쉽게 말씀하는 중이십니다: 만약에
어떤 이가 실제로 기본이며 그리고 중요한 바인 의로움(justice, 정의), 자비(mercy)
그리고 신의(faith)를 무시하고 있다면 두 번째 순서인 세목들에 힘쓰는 것은 아무런
의미가 없습니다.

-----
(*) 번역자 주: 다음은 "주석 성경"의 주석에 주어진 설명이다: 시라(dill)는 1 미터 정도
곧추 자라는 다년초로, 유다인들은 향기가 나는 그 씨를 양념으로 썼으며, 그리고 소회향
(cummin)은 30센티미터 정도 자라는 1년생 풀로 그 씨를 빵과 다른 음식의 맛과 향을
돋우는 데에 썼다.

(**) 번역자 주: "다의 양심(多疑良心, 의심많은/심착(心窄)하는/주저하는 양심,
scrupulous conscience)"의 정의(definition)는 다음의 글에 있다:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/1481.htm
-----

24. The Pharisees were so scrupulous about not swallowing any insect which
the Law declared to be unclean that they went as far as to filter drinks through
a linen cloth. Our Lord criticizes them for being so inconsistent--straining mos-
quitos, being so scrupulous about little things, yet quite happily "swallowing a
camel", committing serious sins.

24. 바리사이들은, 율법이 부정하다고 선언하였던(레위 11,41-45), 어떠한 벌레를
삼키는 것도 대단히 주저하였기에(scrupulous) 그들은 아마포 천(a linen cloth)을
통하여 음료들을 걸러내는 데에까지 나아갔습니다. 우리의 주님께서는, 하루살이
(mosquitos)들을 걸러내어, 그리하여 작은 [부정한] 것들에 관하여 대단히
주저하면서도, 그러나 상당히 기쁘게 [당시의 사람들에게 가장 큰 짐승으로
알려졌던 그리고 부정한 짐승인(레위 11,4), 그리하여 가장 커다란 부정한 짐승으로
알려졌던] "한 마리의 낙타를 삼키는", 그리하여 심각한 죄들을 짓는, 그들의
대단히 모순됨을 비난하십니다.

-----
번역자 주: 다음의 주소에 접속하면, 마태오 복음서 23,24에서 언급되고 있는
"낙타(camel)" 에 대한 성 토마스 아퀴나스의 Golden Chain에 주어진 가톨릭 교회의
교부들 및 주석자들의 주석들을 읽을 수 있다:
http://www.clerus.org/bibliaclerusonline/en/cvz.htm#hb

Hilary: And because it was much less guilt to omit the tithing of herbs than a duty
of benevolence, the Lord derides them, "Ye blind guides, which strain out a gnat,
and swallow a camel."
Jerome: The camel I suppose to mean the weighty precepts, judgment, mercy,
and faith; the gnat, the tithing of mint, anise, and cummin, and other valueless
herbs. The greater of God's commands we "swallow" and overlook, but shew our
carelessness by a religious scrupulousness in little things which bring profit with
them.
Origen: Or, "straining out a gnat," that is, putting from them small sins; "swallowing
a camel," that is, committing great sins, which He calls camels, from the size and
distorted shape of that animal. Morally, The Scribes are those who think nothing
else contained in Scripture than the bare letter exhibits; the Pharisees are all those
who esteem themselves righteous, and separate themselves from others, saying, '
Come not nigh me, for I am clean.' "Mint, anise, and cummin," are the seasoning,
not the substantial part of food ; as in our life and conversation there are some
things necessary to justification, as judgment, mercy, and faith; and others which
are like the seasoning of our actions, giving them a flavour and sweetness, as
abstinence from laughter, fasting, bending the knee, and such like. How shall they
not be judged blind who see not that it is of little avail to be a careful dispenser
in the least things, if things of chief moment are neglected? These His present
discourse overthrows; not forbidding to observe the little things, but bidding to
keep more carefully the chief things.
Greg., Mor. 1, 15: Or otherwise; The gnat stings while it hums; the camel bows its
back to receive its load. The Jews then "strained off the gnat," when they prayed
to have the seditious robber released to them; and they swallowed (p. 786) the
camel, when they sought with shouts the death of Him who had voluntarily taken
on Him the burden of our mortality.
-----

25-26. After reproaching the Pharisees for their hypocrisy in religious practice,
our Lord now goes on to indict their twofacedness in matters of morality. The
Jews used to perform elaborate washings of plates, cups and other tableware,
in line with the regulations on legal cleansing (cf. Mark 7:1-4).

25-26. 종교적 실천에 있어 바리사이들을 그들의 위선에 대하여 꾸짖으신 다음에,
우리의 주님께서는 계속하여 윤리의 문제들에 있어 그들의 양면성(twofacedness)을
고발하십니다. 유다인들은, 율법상의 정화(legal cleansing)에 대한 규정들에 순응하여
접시들, 컵들 그리고 식기(tableware)에 대한 정성들인 씻음들을 수행해 왔습니다
(마르코 복음서 7,1-4를 참조하라).

The example He chooses suggests a deeper level of meaning--concern for that
moral purity which should characterize man's interior life. What is of prime im-
portance is cleanliness of heart, an upright intention, consistency between what
one says and what one does, etc.

당신께서 선택하신 예제(examples)들은, 사람의 내면적 삶을 특징지어야만 하는 바로
그 윤리적 순수함에 대한 배려인, 더 깊은 수준의 의미를 암시합니다. 첫 번째 순서로
중요한 바는, 올바른 지향(an upright intension), 자신이 말한 바와 자신이 행한 바
사이의 일치 (consistency) 등인, 심장의 청결(cleanliness of heart)입니다.

-----
번역자 주: 다음의 글들에 따르면, 성경 본문에서는 "양심(conscience)"을 표현할
때에 (특히 구약 성경에서) 또한 마음의 인지적 양상들을 나타내는 단어인
"심장(heart)"이라는 단어를 사용하였다고 한다:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/intro2conscience.htm
-----
　

*********************************************************************************************
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.