Friday

22nd Week of Ordinary Time

(I) 1st Reading: Colossians 1:15-20

Hymn in Praise of Christ as Head of All Creation
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[15] He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation;
[16] for in him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisi-
ble, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or authorities--all things were
created through him and for him. [17] He is before all things, and in him all things
hold together. [18] He is the head of the body, the church, he is the beginning;
the first-born from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. [19] For
in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, [20] and through him to re-
concile to himself all things.

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Commentary:

15-20. Now we come to a very beautiful hymn in praise of Christ's sublime dignity
as God and as man. This was a truth deserving emphasis in view of the danger to
the faith which the false apostles' teaching represented (cf. note on vv. 7-8). How-
ever, quite apart from the particular situation in Colossae, the sublime teaching
contained in this canticle holds good for all times; it is one of the most important
Christological texts in St Paul's writings.

The real protagonist of this passage is the Son of God made man, whose two na-
tures, divine and human, are always linked in the divine person of the Word. How-
ever, at some points St Paul stresses his divinity (vv. 16, 17, 18b and 19) and at
others his humanity (vv. 15, 18a, 18c and 20). The underlying theme of the hymn
is Christ's total pre-eminence over all creation.

We can distinguish two stanzas in the hymn. In the first (vv. 15-17) Christ's do-
minion is stated to embrace the entire cosmos, stemming as it does from his
action as Creator: "in him all things were created" (v. 16). This same statement
is made in the prologue to the fourth Gospel (cf. Jn 1:3), and it is implied in the
Book of Genesis, which tells us that creation was effected by God's word (cf.
Gen 1:3, 6, 9, etc.). Since Christ is the Word of God, he is above all things, and
therefore St Paul stresses that all angels--irrespective of their hierarchy or order
-- come under his sway.

Christ's pre-eminence over natural creation is followed by his primacy in the eco-
nomy of supernatural salvation, a second creation worked by God through grace.
The second stanza (vv. 18-20) refers to this further primacy of Christ: by his death
on the cross, Christ has restored peace and has reconciled all things--the world
and mankind--to God. Jews and Gentiles both are called to form part of one body,
the Church, of which Christ is the head; and all the celestial powers are subject
to his authority.

This passage is, then, a sublime canticle celebrating Christ, the head by virtue
of his surpassing excellence and his salvific action. "The Son of God and of the
Blessed Virgin", Pius XII teaches, "must be called the head of the Church for the
special reason of his preeminence. For the head holds the highest place. But
none holds a higher place than Christ as God for he is the Word of the Eternal
Father and is therefore justly called 'the first-born of all creation'. None holds a
higher place than Christ as man, for he, born of the immaculate Virgin, is the
true and natural Son of God, and by reason of his miraculous and glorious resur-
rection by which he triumphed over death he is 'the first-born from the dead'. And
none stands higher than he who, being the 'one mediator between God and man'
(1 Tim 2:5), admirably unites earth with heaven; who, exalted on the Cross as
on his throne of mercy, has drawn all things to himself" ("Mystici Corporis", 15).

15. By the unaided use of reason man can work out that God exists, but he
could never, on his own, have grasped the essence of God: in this sense God is
said to be invisible (cf. St Thomas, "Commentary on Col, ad loc."). This is why it
is said in St John's Gospel that "no one has ever seen God" (Jn 1:18).

In Sacred Scripture we are told that man was created "in the image of God" (Gen
1:26). However, only the second person of the Blessed Trinity, the Son, is the per-
fect image and likeness of the Father. "The image [likeness] of a thing may be
found in something else in two ways; in one way it is found in something of the
same specific nature--as the image of the king is found in his son; in another way
it is found in something of a different nature, as the king's image on the coin. In
the first sense the Son is the image of the Father; in the second sense man is
called the image of God; and therefore in order to express the imperfect character
of the divine image in man, man is not simply called 'the image' but is referred to
as being 'according to the image', whereby is expressed a certain movement or
tendency to perfection. But it cannot be said that the Son of God is 'according to
the image', because he is the perfect image of the Father" ("Summa Theologiae",
I, q. 35, a. 2 ad 3). And so, "for something to be truly an image, it has to proceed
from another as similar to it in species, or at least in some aspect of the species"
("Summa Theologiae", I, q. 35, a. 1, c.) To say that the Son is "image of the invi-
sible God" means that the Father and the Son are one-in-substance -- that is,
both possess the same divine nature -- with the nuance that the Son proceeds
from the Father. It also conveys the fact that they are two distinct persons, for
no one is the image of himself.

The supreme revelation of God is that effected by the Son of God through his In-
carnation. He is the only one who can say, "He who has seen me has seen the
Father" (Jn 14:9). His sacred humanity, therefore, reflects the perfections of God,
which he possesses by virtue of the hypostatic union--the union of divine nature
and human nature which occurs in his person, which is divine. The second Per-
son of the Trinity restored man to his original dignity. The image of God, imper-
fect though it be, which there is in every man and woman, was blurred by Adam's
sin; but it was restored in Christ: God's true self-image takes on a nature the
same as ours, and thanks to the redemption wrought by his death, we obtain
forgiveness of sins (v. 14).

Jesus Christ is the "first-born of all creation" by virtue of the hypostatic union.
He is, of course, prior to all creation, for he proceeds eternally from the Father
by generation. This the Church has always believed, and it proclaims it in the
Creed: "born of the Father before time began ..., begotten, not made, of one
being [consubstantial] with the Father" ("Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed").

In Jewish culture, the first-born was first in honor and in law. When the Apostle
calls Jesus "the first-born of all creation", he is referring to the fact that Christ
has pre-eminence and headship over all created things, because not only does
he pre-date them but they were all created "through him" and "for him" (v. 16).

16-17. Jesus Christ is God; this is why he has pre-eminence over all created
things. The relationships between Christ and creation are spelled out by three
prepositions. "In him all things were created": in Christ: he is their source, their
center and their model or exemplary cause. "All things were created through him
and for him": through him, in other words, God the Father, through God the Son,
creates all things; and for him, because he is the last end, the purpose or goal
of everything.

St Paul goes on to say that "in him all things hold together"; "the Son of God
has not only created everything: he conserves everything in being; thus, if his
sovereign will were to cease to operate for even an instant, everything would re-
turn into the nothingness from which he drew everything that exists" (Chrysos-
tom, "Hom. on Col, ad loc.").

All created things, then, continue in existence because they share, albeit in a
limited way, in Christ's infinite fullness of existence or perfection. His dominion
extends not only over celestial things but also over all material things, however
insignificant they may seem: it embraces everything in heaven and in the physi-
cal universe.

The sacred text also points to Christ's supremacy over invisible creation, that is,
over the angels and celestial hierarchies (cf. Heb 1:5). If St Paul stresses this
fact, it is to expose the errors of those who were depicting Jesus as a creature
intermediary between corporeal beings and spiritual created beings, and, there-
fore, lower than the angels.

18. "He is the head of the body, the church": this image shows the relationship
of Christ with the Church, to which he sends his grace in abundance, bearing life
to all its members. 'The head," St Augustine says, "is our very Savior, who suf-
fered under Pontius Pilate and now, after rising from the dead, is seated at the
right hand of the Father. And his body is the Church [...] For the whole Church,
made up of the assembly of the faithful--for all the faithful are Christ's members
-- has Christ, as its head, who rules his body from on high" ("Enarrationes in
Psalmos", 56, 1).

St Paul unequivocally teaches that the Church is a body. "Now if the Church is a
body it must be something one and undivided, according to the statement of St
Paul: 'We, though many, are one body in Christ' (Rom 12:5). And not only must
it be one and undivided, it must also be something concrete and visible, as our
Predecessor of happy memory, Leo XIII, says in his Encyclical "Satis Cognitum":
'By the very fact of being a body the Church is visible.' It is therefore an aberra-
tion from divine truth to represent the Church as something intangible and invisi-
ble, as a mere 'pneumatic' entity joining together by an invisible link a number
of communities of Christians in spite of their difference in faith.

"But a body requires a number of members so connected that they help one ano-
ther. And, in fact, as in our mortal organism when one member suffers the others
suffer with it, and the healthy members come to the assistance of those who are
ailing, so in the Church individual members do not live only for themselves but
also help one another, alleviating their suffering and helping to build up the entire
body" (Pius XII, "Mystici Corporis", 7).

"He is the beginning, the first-born from the dead": this can be said because he
was the first man to rise from the dead, never again to die (cf. 1 Cor 15:20; Rev
1:5), and also because thanks to him it enabled men to experience resurrection
in glory (cf. 1 Cor 15:22; Rom 8:11), because they are justified through him (cf.
Rom 4:25).

So, just as the previous verses looked to Christ's pre-eminent role in creations
the hymn now focuses on his primacy in a new creation--the rebirth of mankind,
and all creation in its train, in the supernatural order of grace and glory. Christ
rose from the dead to enable us also to walk in newness of life (cf. Rom 6:4).
Therefore, in every way Jesus Christ is "pre-eminent."

19. The word "pleroma" translated here as "fullness", has two meanings in Greek:
one, an active meaning, describes something that "fills" or "completes"; for exam-
ple, a ship's full load can be referred to as its pleroma. The other meaning is pas-
sive, "that which is filled" or "that which is complete", so that a ship can be said
to be "pleroma" when it is fully loaded. In this passage St Paul is using the word
in both senses: Christ is the fullness (passive sense) of the Godhead (cf. Col 2:9),
because he is full of all the perfections of the divine essence; and he is the full-
ness (active sense), because he fills the Church and all creation.

St John Chrysostom suggests that "the word 'fullness' is to be taken to mean
the divinity of Jesus Christ [...]. This term has been chosen the better to show
that the very essence of the godhead resides in Jesus Christ" ("Hom. on Col,
ad loc.").

Since Christ possesses the divine nature, he also possesses the fullness of the
supernatural gifts, for himself and for all mankind. Hence St Thomas' comment
that pleroma "reveals the dignity of the head in so far as it has the fullness of all
grace" (Commentary on Col, ad loc.). In this sense, Christ is the fullness of the
Church, for as its head he vivifies his body with all kinds of unmerited gifts. Final-
ly, the entire created universe can be termed the "fullness" ("pleroma") of Christ,
because everything that exists in heaven and on earth has been created and is
maintained in existence by him (cf. vv. 16-17); they are ever-present to him and
are ruled by him (cf. Is 6:3; Ps 139:8; Wis 1:7; etc.). Thus, the world, which was
created good (cf. Gen 1:31) tends towards its fulfillment insofar as it clearly re-
flects the imprint God gave it at the start of creation.

20. Since Christ is pre-eminent over all creation, the Father chose to reconcile
all things to himself through him. Sin had cut man off from God, rupturing the per-
fect order which originally reigned in the created world. By shedding his blood on
the cross, Christ obtained peace for us; nothing in the universe falls outside the
scope of his peace-giving influence. He who in the beginning created all things in
heaven and on earth has reestablished peace throughout creation.

This reconciliation of all things, ushered in by Christ, is fostered by the Holy
Spirit who enables the Church to continue the process of reconciliation. However,
we will not attain the fullness of this reconciliation until we reach heaven, when
the entire created universe, along with mankind, will be perfectly renewed in
Christ (cf. "Lumen Gentium", 48).

"The history of salvation -- the salvation of the whole of humanity, as well as of
every human being of whatever period--is the wonderful history of a reconciliation;
the reconciliation whereby God, as Father, in the Blood and the Cross of his Son
made man, reconciles the world to himself and thus brings into being a new fa-
mily of those who have been reconciled.

"Reconciliation becomes necessary because there has been the break of sin
from which derive all the other forms of break within man and about him. Recon-
ciliation therefore, in order to be complete, necessarily requires liberation from
sin, which is to be rejected in its deepest roots. Thus a close internal link unites
"conversion" and "reconciliation". It is impossible to split these two realities or to
speak of one and say nothing of the other (John Paul II, "Reconciliatio Et Paeni-
tentia", 13).

Jesus Christ also counts on the cooperation of every individual Christian to apply
his work of redemption and peace to all creation. The founder of Opus Dei says,
in this connection: "We must love the world and work and all human things. For
the world is good. Adam's sin destroyed the divine balance of creation; but God
the Father sent his only Son to reestablish peace, so that we his children by
adoption, might free creation from disorder and reconcile all things to God"
("Christ Is Passing By", 112).
　

(II) 1st Reading: 1 Corinthians 4:1-5

Servant of Christ
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[1] This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the
mysteries of God. [2] Moreover it is required of stewards that they be found trust-
worthy. [3] But with me it is a very small thing that I should be judged by you or
by any human court. I do not even judge myself. [4] I am not aware of anything
against myself, but I am not thereby acquitted. It is the Lord who judges me.
[5] Therefore do not pronounce judgment before the time, before the Lord comes,
who will bring to light the things now hidden in darkness and will disclose the
purposes of the heart. Then every man will receive his commendation from God.

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Commentary:

1-2. The features of every apostle, as outlined here by St Paul-- "servants of
Christ", "stewards of God's mysteries"--put this ministry beyond the reach of
grudges and petty squabbles. "Servants of Christ", that is, ministers of Christ,
are people to whom he has entrusted his property--his teaching and his sacra-
ments--for them to protect it faithfully and, acting as his agents, to manage it,
pass it on and "disperse" it to others (cf. "Commentary on 1 Cor, ad loc."). As
Paul stresses, a basic qualification for being a servant or steward is trustworthi-
ness: "Those are untrustworthy stewards who when it comes to dispensing the
divine mysteries do not seek the welfare of the people, the honor of Christ or
the advantage of his members [...]. Trustworthy stewards are those who always
seek the honor of God and the welfare of his members" ("ibid., ad loc.").

The Magisterium of the Church has often applied these words to the Christian
priesthood: "The Apostle of the Gentiles thus perfectly sums up what may be
said of the greatness, the dignity and the duty of the Christian priesthood: 'This
is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries
of God' (1 Cor 4:1). The priest is the minister of Christ, an instrument, that is to
say, in the hands of the divine Redeemer. He continues the work of the redemp-
tion in all its universality and divine efficacy, that work that wrought so marvelous
a transformation in the world. Thus the priest, as is said with good reason, is
indeed 'another Christ', for, in some way, he is himself a continuation of Christ:
'As the Father has sent me, even so I send you' (Jn 20:21), is spoken to the
priest, and hence the priest, like Christ, continues to give 'glory to God in the
highest; and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased' (Lk 2:14).
A priest is appointed 'steward of the mysteries of God' (cf. 1 Cor 4:1 ) for the
benefit of the members of the mystical body of Christ, since he is the ordinary
minister of nearly all the sacraments--those channels through which the grace
of the Savior flows for the good of humanity. The Christian, at almost every im-
portant stage of his mortal career, finds at his side the priest with power received
from God, for the purpose of communicating or increasing that grace which is the
supernatural life of his soul" (Pius XI, "Ad Catholici Sacerdotii").

3-5. A servant, an employee, is obviously answerable for his actions-- but he is
answerable only to his master; only his master can judge him. Therefore, refer-
ring to the minister of Christ, St Paul declares that only our Lord can be his judge,
because it is to him his service is owed. This teaching applies in the first place
to Church ministers; but it also applies to all the faithful, for all should serve God
by putting their talents to good use. Therefore, it is not for us to judge others, un-
less we have some special position which obliges us to do so. And certainly any
judgment we do make is valid only if it accords with the will of God; any type of
rash judgment would lead to very unfortunate results. Even that judgment we
make about ourselves--examination of conscience, which St Paul seems to be
hinting at when he says that he is not aware of anything against himself-- should
be made with the help of grace. It is not a matter of subjective introspection, but
rather a sincere review made in the presence of God. It is not meant to be a reply
to the question, What do I think of my behavior?; but rather to a different question,
What does God think of it? Thus, a Christian should not be trying to meticulously
measure his conduct, but to have recourse to God, who is rich in mercy. If so,
the end-product of his examination will never be like that of the Pharisee, "God, I
thank thee that I am not like other men", but instead, like the publican's "God,
be merciful to me, a sinner" (Lk 18:11, 13).

The Apostle, as we can see, is speaking of his own experience, and speaking
from a heart full of pastoral solicitude: he is not merely giving advice or taking
people to task.


Gospel Reading: Luke 5:33-39

A Discussion on Fasting
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[33] And they (the scribes and the Pharisees) said to Him (Jesus), "The disciples
of John fast often and offer prayers, and so do the disciples of the Pharisees, but
yours eat and drink." [34] And Jesus said to them, "Can you make the wedding
guests fast while the bridegroom is with them? [35] The days will come, when
the bridegroom is taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days."
[36] He told them a parable also: "No one tears a piece from a new garment and
puts it upon an old garment; if he does, he will tear the new, and the piece from
the new will not match the old. [37] And no one puts new wine into old wineskins;
if he does, the new wine will burst the skins and it will be spilled, and the skins
will be destroyed. [38] But new wine must be put into fresh wineskins. [39] And
no one after drinking old wine desires new; for he says, 'The old is good.'"

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Commentary:

33-35. In the Old Testament God established certain days as days of fasting --
the main one being the "day of atonement" (Numbers 29:7; Acts 27:9). Fasting
implied total or partial abstinence from food or drink. Moses and Elijah fasted
(Exodus 34:28; 1 Kings 19:8) and our Lord Himself fasted in the desert for forty
days before beginning His public ministry. In the present passage Jesus gives
a deeper meaning to the word "fasting"--the deprivation of His physical presence
which His Apostles would experience after His death. All through His public life
Jesus is trying to prepare His disciples for the final parting. At first the Apostles
were not very robust and Christ's physical presence did them more good than
the practice of fasting.

Christians should sometimes abstain from food. "Fast and abstain from flesh
meat when Holy Mother Church so ordains" ("St. Pius X Catechism", 495). That
is the purpose of the fourth commandment of the Church, but it has a deeper
meaning, as St. Leo the Great tells us: "The merit of our fasts does not consist
only in abstinence from food; there is no use depriving the body of nourishment
if the soul does not cut itself off from iniquity and if the tongue does not cease
to speak evil" ("Sermo IV in Quadragesima").
　

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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].