Wednesday
21st Week of Ordinary Time
(I) 1st Reading: 1 Thessalonians 2:9-13
First Gospel Preaching in Thessalonica (Continuation)
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[9] For you remember our labor and toil, brethren; we worked night and days
that we might not burden any of you, while we preached to you the gospel of
God. [10] You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blame-
less was our behavior to you believer; [11] for you know how, like a father with
his children, we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged
you [12] to lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and
glory.
Their Patience
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[13] And we also thank God constantly for this, that when you received the word
of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men but as
what it really is, the word of God, which is at work in you believers.
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Commentary:
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 disin-
terested 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.
10-12. "Each one of you": St Paul did not confine his preaching to the syna-
gogue or other public places, or to liturgical assemblies of Christians. He took
an interest in people as individuals, giving advice and consolation in a friendly,
confidential way and telling them how they should conduct themselves in the
presence of God. Christians should copy him in their own apostolate: "Those
well-timed words, whispered in the ear of your wavering friend; the helpful con-
versation you managed to start at the right moment; the ready professional ad-
vice that improves his university work; the discreet indiscretion by which you
open up unexpected horizons for his zeal. This all forms part of the 'apostolate
of friendship'" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 973).
Those who have received the gift of faith naturally try to tell others about their dis-
covery. "When you come across something useful, you try to bring other people,"
St Gregory comments. "So, you should want other people to join you on the way
of the Lord. If you are going to the forum or the baths and you meet someone who
has nothing to do, you invite him to go along with you. Apply this earthly custom
to the spiritual sphere and as you make you way to God do not go alone" ("In
Evangelia Homilae", 6, 6). As can be seen clearly from the lives of the first Chris-
tians, apostolate was not the preserve of pastors; all believers had an apostolic
role. And so the Second Vatican Council pointed out that one kind of personal
apostolate very suited to our times is "the witness of a whole lay life issuing from
faith, hope and charity [...]. Then, by the apostolate of the word, which in certain
circumstances is absolutely necessary, the laity proclaim Christ, explain and
spread his teachings, each one according to his conditions and competence,
and profess those teachings with fidelity" ("Apostolicam Actuositatem", 16).
"Into his own kingdom and glory": "glory" is a divine attribute which becomes
manifest in the "Kingdom" of God; the Church is the as-yet-incomplete form on
earth of that Kingdom, which will not become visible in its final form until the Pa-
rousia at the end of time. God calls everyone to join the Church so as to be able
to enjoy the glory of the Kingdom of God in due course.
13. Initially divine Revelation was passed on to others orally. "It [Gospel prea-
ching] was done by the Apostles, who handed on (by the spoken word of their
preaching, by the example they gave, by the institutions they established) what
they themselves received--whether from the lips of Christ, from his way of life
and his works, or whether as something learned from the Holy Spirit" (Vatican II,
"Dei Verbum", 7). Thus, "the apostles, in handing on what they themselves had
received warn the faithful to maintain the traditions which they had learned either
by word of mouth or by letter (cf. 2 Thess 2:15); and they warn them to fight hard
for the faith that had been handed on to them once and for all (cf. Jude 3). What
was handed on by the apostles comprises everything that serves to make the
people of God live their lives in holiness and increase their faith. In this way the
Church, in her doctrine, life and worship, perpetuates and transmits to every ge-
neration all that she herself is, all that she believes" ("Dei Verbum", 8).
Preaching is truly the "word of God" not only because it faithfully passes Revela-
tion on but also because God himself speaks through those who proclaim the
Gospel (cf. 2 Cor 5:20). This explains why "the word of God is living and active"
(Heb 4:12), and "such is the force and power of the Word of God that it can serve
the Church as her support and vigor, and the children of the Church as strength
for their faith, food for the soul, and a pure and lasting fount of spiritual life" ("Dei
Verbum", 21).
(II) 1st Reading: 2 Thessalonians 3:6-12, 16-18
Avoiding Idleness. Earning One's Living
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[6] Now we command you, brethren, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that
you keep away from any brother who is living in idleness and not in accord with
the tradition that you received from us. [7] For you yourselves know how you
ought to imitate us; we were not idle when we were with you, [8] we did not eat
any one's bread without paying, but with toil and labor we worked night and day,
that might not burden any of you. [9] It was not because we have not that right,
but to give you in our conduct an example to imitate. [10] For even when we
were with you, we gave you this command: If any one will not work, let him not
eat. [11] For we hear that some of you are living in idleness, mere busy bodies,
not doing any work. [12] Now such persons we command and exhort in the Lord
Jesus Christ to do their work in quietness and to earn their own living.
Prayer and Farewell Wishes
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[16] Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in all ways.
The Lord be with you all.
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Commentary:
6. St. Paul wants to prevent the misconduct of some Christians spreading to
others; and at the same time he wants to help the transgressors to turn back--
which they may do if they are made to feel isolated. Excessive tolerance of
irregular behavior does nothing to encourage reform and only helps the spread
of permissiveness.
That was the Apostle's usual policy: "I wrote to you in my letter not to associate
with immoral men; not at all meaning the immoral of this world, or the greedy
and robbers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But
rather I wrote to you not to associate with any one who bears the name of brother
if he is guilty of immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or robber"
(1 Cor 5:10-11).
7-12. Some of the Thessalonians, wrongly thinking that the Parousia was about
to happen, had given up working and were living in idleness, minding everyone's
business but their own. So the Apostle reminds them all that when he was
among them he worked to keep himself and was a burden on no one.
The Second Vatican Council underlines the value of work when it exhorts "Chris-
tians, as citizens of both cities, to perform their duties faithfully in the spirit of the
Gospel." Far from neglecting earthly responsibilities, they should, as the Council
goes on, realize that by their faith they "are bound all the more to fulfill these
responsibilities according to the vocation of each one (cf. 2 Thess 3:6-13; Eph
4:28)" ("Gaudium Et Spes", 43).
"For the love of God, for the love of souls, and to live up to our Christian vocation,
we must give good example. So as not to give scandal, or to provoke even the
faintest suspicion that the children of God are soft and useless, so as not to
disedify..., you must strive to show an example of balanced justice, to behave
properly as responsible people. The farmer who ploughs his field while constant-
ly raising his heart to God, just as much as the carpenter, the blacksmith, the
office worker, the academic--all Christians in fact--have to be an example for their
colleagues at work, and to be humble about it. Therefore, everyone, in his job,
in whatever place he has in society, must feel obliged to make his work God's
work, sowing everywhere the peace and joy of the Lord" (J. Escriva, "Friends of
God", 70).
16. "The Lord of peace", or "the God of peace", is a title found in a number of
St. Paul's letters (cf. Rom 15:33; 2 Cor 13:11; Phil 4:9; 1 Thess 5;23), because
Redemption, by wiping out sin, establishes people's friendship with God and
with one another. The wish expressed by the Apostle here echoes the greeting
Christians normal used with one another, a greeting our Lord himself recommen-
ded: "Whatever house you enter, first say, 'Peace be to this house' (Lk 10:5).
The Jews used and continue to use the same greeting--"Shalom" ( = peace).
When a Christian greets someone in this way it should be a sincere expression
of his love of God and love of others and not just mere polite well-wishing, hoping
people will "enjoy themselves".
Referring to empty, selfish peace of that sort, our Lord said that he had come to
bring not peace but a sword (cf. Mt 10:34). He also warned us that the peace he
gives is not peace of the type the world gives (cf. Jn 14:27), but a peace which
comes from the Holy Spirit (cf. Gal 5:22) and which "passes all understanding"
(Phil 4:7). "It is useless to call for exterior calm if there is no calm in men's
consciences, in the center of their souls" (J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By",
73).
We should therefore always be "eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the
bond of peace" (Eph 4;3). If we are, we will be builders of peace and will receive
the reward Christ promised when he proclaimed, "Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called sons of God" (Mt 5:9). In this connection John Paul II
has said, "Peace is work we have to do; it calls for commitment and solidarity
with one another. But it is also (inseparably and above all) something in God's
gift: we need to pray for it" ("Address", 8 December 1978).
Gospel Reading: Matthew 23:27-32
Jesus Indicts the Scribes and Pharisees (Continuation)
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(Jesus said to the scribes and Pharisees,) [27] "Woe to you, scribes and Phari-
sees, hypocrites! for you are like white-washed tombs, which outwardly appear
beautiful, but within they are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. [28]
So you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but within you are full of hypo-
crisy and iniquity.
[29] "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for you build the tombs of
the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, [30] saying, 'If we had
lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in shed-
ding the blood of the prophets.' [31] Thus you witness against yourselves, that
you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. [32] Fill up, then, the mea-
sure of your fathers."
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Commentary:
27-28. The Jews used to whitewash tombs annually, shortly before the feast of
the Passover. The whitewash made the tombs more visible and helped to avoid
people brushing against them, which would have meant incurring legal unclean-
ness for seven days (Numbers 19:16; Luke 11:44).
In the sunlight, these tombs sparkled radiantly white, but inside they held cor-
ruption.
29-32. Our Lord shows them that they are cut off from the same cloth as their
ancestors--not because they erect mausoleums in honor of prophets and just
men but because they are guilty of the same sin as those who killed the pro-
phets. Hence their hypocrisy, which makes them even worse than their fathers.
With pained irony Jesus tells them that they are compounding the sins of their
ancestors.
Clearly this is referring to His passion and death: if the ancients killed the pro-
phets, by causing Him to suffer and die our Lord's contemporaries will still be
more cruel.
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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.
[참고: 이 파일은 저서명 "가톨릭 교회의 말씀 전례에 따른 성경공부 해설서"(엮은이: 소순태, 출판사: 가톨릭출판사)의 각주의 연장으로 마련되었습니다].