나바르 매일미사 독서/묵상

Thursday

27th Week of Ordinary Time

(I) 1st Reading: Malachi 3:13-4:2 (NAB Mal 3:13-20b)

Sixth Exchange: The Righteous on the Day of the Lord
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[13] "Your words have been stout against me, says the Lord. Yet you say,
'How have we spoken against thee?' [14] You have said, 'It is vain to serve God.
What is the good of our keeping his charge or of walking as in mourning before
the Lord of hosts? [15] Henceforth we deem the arrogant blessed; evildoers not
only prosper but when they put God to the test they escape.'"

[16] Then those who feared the Lord spoke with one another; the Lord heeded
and heard them, and a book of remembrance was written before him of those
who feared the Lord and thought on his name. [17] "They shall be mine, says
the Lord of hosts, my special possession on the day when I act, and I will
spare them as a man spares his son who serves him. [18] Then once more
you shall distinguish between the righteous and the wicked, between one who
serves God and one who does not serve him.

[1] "For behold, the day comes, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and
all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the
Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. [2] But for you
who fear my name the sun of righteousness shall rise, with healing in its wings.
You shall go forth leaping like calves from the stall.

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

3:13-4:3. The question posed here is similar to that in the fourth "dispute" (2:17-
3:5): if things go well for those who do evil and tempt God (v. 15), why should
one obey the Lord's commandments (v. 14)? The prophet's reply is very similar
to his previous one (cf. 3:2, 5): he announces a day of judgment when the wi-
cked will be destroyed (4:1, 3). However, Malachi is more explicit than he was
earlier as regards the reward of the righteous. The Lord is not unaware of the
trials and worries of those who fear him; in fact he is like a great king who re-
cords in his annals (cf. Esther 6:1-3) the good deeds of the just (3:16). There-
fore, the day when the Lord reveals himself will be for them a day of splendour
and inexpressible joy (4:2), for they enjoy God's special protection (3:17-18).

3:13-4:3. 여기서 제기된 질문은 네 번째 "논의(dispute)"(2:17-3:5)에서의 다음과
같은 질문과 유사하다: 만약에 일들이 하느님께 악을 행하고 그리고 하느님을
시험하는 자들을(제14절) 위하여 잘 된다면, 왜 우리가 주님의 계명들에 순종하여야
하는가(제14절)? 이 예언자의 답변은 다음과 같이 이전의 자신의 답변(3:2,5를 보라)
과 매우 비슷하다: 그는, 사악한 자들이 파괴될 날인, 심판의 날을 선포한다(4:1,3).
그러나 말라키는 의로운 자들의 보상과 관련하여 이전의 자신보다 더 구체적이다.
주님께서는 당신을 두려워하는 자들의 시련들과 염려들을 알아차리지 못하시는
것이 아니며, 사실은 당신께서는 의로운 자들의 선행들을(3:16) 자신의 연대기들에
(에스테르 6:1-3를 보라) 기록하는 훌륭한 임금과 같은 분이시다. 따라서, 주님께서
당신 자신을 드러내시는 바로 그날은 그들을 위한 광휘와 표현조차 할 수 없는
기쁨의 날일 것인데(4:2), 이는 그들이 하느님의 특별한 보호를 즐길 것이기 때문이다
(3:17-18).

The expression "sun of righteousness" (4:2), applied to the coming of the Lord,
is echoed in the New Testament Benedictus or canticle of Zechariah (cf. Lk 1:
78). Therefore, it is not surprising that Christian tradition should apply it to
Jesus Christ: "The Lord came in the evening to a world in decline, when the
course of life was almost run; but when the Sun of justice came, he gave new
life and began a new day for those who believed in him" (Origen, Homiliae in
Exodum, 7, 8).

주님의 오심에 적용되고 있는, "의로움의 태양"이라는 표현(4:2)은 신약 성경 즈카르야의
노래 혹은 축복(루카 1:78을 보라)에서 반향되고 있다. 따라서, 그리스도교의 전통이
이것을 예수 그리스도에게 다음과 같이 적용하는 것은 놀라운 일이 아니다: "생명의
흐름이 거의 끝났을 때인, 기울어 있는 세상으로 밤에 주님께서 오셨으나, 그러나
이 의로움의 태양이 왔을 때에, 당신께서는 새 생명을 주셨으며 그리고 당신을 믿었던
자들을 위한 새로운 날이 시작하셨다." [오리게네스(Origen), Homilies in Exodum, 7,8].

(II) 1st Reading: Galatians 3:1-5

Justification By Faith
-------------------------------
[1] O foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you, before whose eyes Jesus
Christ was publicly portrayed as crucified? [2] Let me ask you only this: Did
you receive the Spirit by works of the law, or by hearing with faith? [3] Are you
so foolish? Having begun with the Spirit, are you now ending with the flesh? [4]
Did you experience so many things in vain?--if it really is in vain. [5] Does he
who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you do so by works
of the law, or by hearing with faith?

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

1-14. It is his love for the Galatians, rather than indignation at their behavior, that
causes the Apostle to call them "foolish". His love causes him suffering because
they have forgotten that only Jesus, and not the Law, brings salvation. The Gala-
tians should know very well that they received justification without even having
heard mention of the Law, for the Holy Spirit came upon them prior to the arrival
of the people from Jerusalem (vv. 1-5). All they have to do is remember the cha-
risms which they received--the "so many things", the "miracles", which are
manifestations of the Spirit (cf. 1 Cor 12-14).

Besides, there is the example of Abraham (vv. 6-9; cf. Rom 4). The Lord pro-
mised him that his descendants would be blessed; he established a covenant
with him and justified him not by the works of the Law, which had not yet been
promulgated, but through his faith. In the same way, all who have believed and
who will in the future believe in God as Abraham did will be his true descendants
and will also receive God's blessing.

Finally, the Mosaic Law, far from bringing salvation, is rather a cause of spiritual
death, insofar as every precept involves a penalty if it is not obeyed (vv. 10-14; cf.
Rom 7:7-12). Our Lord freed us from the curse of the Law by voluntarily taking on
himself the punishment merited by man's sin (cf. Is 53:4; Mt 8:17; Rom 3:21-26;
5:6-10). By reverting and submitting to the Law they would in effect be saying
that our Redeemer's sacrifice was unnecessary and ineffective.

1. St Paul boasted that he preached Christ crucified, even though he fully rea-
lized that it was a stumbling-block to Jews and folly to pagans (cf. 1 Cor 1:23).
The mystery of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Christ was in fact the
very essence of the Apostles' teaching (cf. Acts 2:22-24; 3:13-15; etc.), for it
was these mysteries that contained all hope of eternal life and salvation. That
is why Paul adds that, for believers, Christ crucified, far from being folly, is the
power of God and the wisdom of God (cf. 1 Cor 1:24).

Paul had probably described our Lord's Sacrifice with such force and effect that
it had been deeply engraved in their memory--and now these Judaizers, these
deceivers, were hypnotizing the naive Galatians and causing them to lose sight
of Christ: they had switched their attention from Christ on the Cross to the actions
of the interlopers.

St Paul's warning is an invitation to fix one's gaze once more on that sign which,
as it were, sums up all Christianity--the image of Christ on the Cross, which ever
since apostolic times presides over altars and altarpieces, and places of work
and leisure.

2-5. St Paul reminds the Galatians that in Baptism they received the Holy Spirit
and his gifts. Since their Baptism, and not prior to it, they had experienced the
action of the Spirit who, although he is in all ages a source of joy in the Church,
was even more evident in the apostolic age in which the Galatians were living.
So, how did this life of the Spirit reach the Galatians--through faith in Christ and
through Baptism, or through the works of the Law? The Apostle poses the ques-
tion without providing an answer, surely because it is obvious that it came
through Christ. The Mosaic Law played no part at all. How, then, can they be
so foolish as to change the Gospel which Paul had preached to them?

Gospel Reading: Luke 11:5-13

Effective Prayer
-----------------------
[5] And He (Jesus) said to them (the disciples), "Which of you who has a friend
will go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves; [6] for a
friend of mine has arrived on a journey, and I have nothing to set before him'; [7]
and he will answer from within, 'Do not bother me; the door is now shut, and my
children are with me in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything'? [8] I tell you,
though he will not get up and give \him anything because he is his friend, yet be-
cause of his importunity he will rise and give him whatever he needs. [9] And I
tell you, Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it
will be opened to you. [10] For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks
find, and to him who knocks it will be opened. [11] What father among you, if his
son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; [12] or if he asks for
an egg, will give him a scorpion? [13] If you then, who are evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will the Heavenly Father give the
Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"

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

5-10. One of the essential features of prayer is trusting perseverance. By this
simple example and others like it (cf. Luke 18:1-7) our Lord encourages us not
to desist in asking God to hear us. "Persevere in prayer. Persevere even when
your efforts seem barren. Prayer is always fruitful" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way",
101).

9-10. Do you see the effectiveness of prayer when it is done properly? Are you
not convinced like me that, if we do not obtain what we ask God for, it is be-
cause we are not praying with faith, with a heart pure enough, with enough con-
fidence, or that we are not persevering in prayer the way we should? God has
never refused nor will ever refuse anything to those who ask for His graces in
the way they should. Prayer is the great recourse available to us to get out of
sin, to persevere in grace, to move God's heart and to draw upon us all kinds of
blessing from Heaven, whether for the soul or to meet our temporal needs" (St.
John Mary Vianney, "Selected Sermons", Fifth Sunday after Easter).

11-13. Our Lord uses the example of human parenthood as a comparison to
stress again the wonderful fact that God is our Father, for God's fatherhood is
the source of parenthood in Heaven and on earth (cf. Ephesians 3:15). "The
God of our faith is not a distant Being who contemplates indifferently the fate
of men--their desires, their struggles, their sufferings. He is a Father who loves
His children so much that He sends the Word, the Second Person of the Most
Blessed Trinity, so that by taking on the nature of man He may die to redeem
us. He is the loving Father who now leads us gently to Himself, through the
action of the Holy Spirit who dwells in our hearts" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is
Passing By", p. 84).

13. The Holy Spirit is God's best gift to us, the great promise Christ gives His
disciples (cf. John 5:26), the divine fire which descends on the Apostles at Pen-
tecost, filling them with fortitude and freedom to proclaim Christ's message (Acts
2). "The profound reality which we see in the texts of Holy Scripture is not a re-
membrance from the past, from some golden age of the Church which has since
been buried in history. Despite the weaknesses and the sins of every one of us,
it is the reality of today's Church and the Church in all times. 'I will pray to the
Father,' our Lord told His disciples, 'and He will give you another Counsellor to
be with you for ever.' Jesus has kept His promise. He has risen from the dead
and, in union with the eternal Father, He sends us the Holy Spirit to sanctify us
and to give us life" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 12).
　

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