나바르 매일미사 독서/묵상

Wednesday

29th Week of Ordinary Time
　

(I) 1st Reading: Romans 6:12-18

Liberation from Sin
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[12] Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal bodies, to make you obey their
passions. [13] Do not yield your members to sin as instruments of wickedness,
but yield yourselves to God as men who have been brought from death to life,
and your members to God as instruments of righteousness. [14] For sin will
have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.

[15] What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace?
By no means! [16] Do you not know that if you yield yourselves to any one as
obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which
leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness? [17] But thanks
be to God, that you who were once slaves of sin have become obedient from
the heart to the standard of teaching to which you were committed, [18] and,
having been set free from sin, have become slaves of righteousness.

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Commentary:

12-13. Our body, while forming one substance with our soul, is also an instru-
ment (like a pen in the hand of a writer) which can be used either to do works
of justice and piety or to enter into combat against the spirit. True, it is a "mortal
body", but, St John Chrysostom comments, "It is not in any sense an evil thing,
because it can be a weapon of holiness and righteousness [...]. Our body stands
between vice and virtue. It is a weapon we can freely put to one use or the other.
The soldier who fights to defend his country uses the same weapons as the cri-
minal who makes an attempt on the life of his fellow citizens [...]. And so the
body can be an instrument of good or evil depending on what the soul chooses:
it is not naturally disposed to either course" ("Hom. on Rom", 11).

(II) 1st Reading: Ephesians 3:2-12

St Paul's Mission
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[1] For this reason I, Paul, a prisoner for Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles
--assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given
to me for you, [3] how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I
have written briefly. [4] When you read this you can perceive my insight into the
mystery of Christ, [5] which was not made known to the sons of men in other ge-
nerations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the
Spirit; [6] that is, how the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body,
and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

[7] 0f this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God's grace which
was given me by the working of his power. [8] To me, though I am the very least
of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable
riches of Christ, [9] and to make all men see what is the plan of the mystery hid-
den for ages in God who created all things; that through the church the manifold
wisdom of God might now be made known to the principalities and powers in the
heavenly places. [11] This was according to the eternal purpose which he has
realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, [12] in whom we have boldness and confidence
of access through our faith in him.

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Commentary:

1-21. Christ's saving work on behalf of the Gentiles, calling them to be with the
Jews, living stones in the edifice of the Church, leads the Apostle once again to
overflow in prayer (vv. 14-21). But first he considers his own position and what
Christ has done in him by making him a minister or servant of the Mystery of
Christ (vv. 2-13). He witnesses to the revelation he himself has received, which
made this Mystery known to him (vv. 2-5); and he goes on to give a summary
of the Mystery, emphasizing the call of the Gentiles to the Church through the
preaching of the Gospel (v. 6); he then explains that his mission is precisely to
preach the Mystery of Christ to the Gentiles (vv. 7-13).

1-4. What led to St Paul's imprisonment was Jewish charges that he had
preached against the Law and had brought Gentiles into the temple (they thought
Trophimus, a citizen of Ephesus, was a Gentile: cf. Acts 21:28f). He did not mind
so much the chains or the imprisonment or the Romans being his judges and
jailers: what he wanted to make clear was that he was imprisoned for preaching
to the Gentiles the salvation won by Jesus Christ.

He is very conscious of being an instrument specially chosen by God: he has
been given the grace to reveal the "Mystery" (cf. Rom 1:15; 2 Cor 12:2f). He is
clearly referring to the vision he had on the road to Damascus (cf. Acts 9:2) and
possibly to later revelations as well. His encounter with the risen Christ, who iden-
tifies himself with his Church (cf. Acts 9:5), is the origin and basis of his grasp of
God's eternal plan, the "Mystery", which is one of the central teachings in this
letter. The fact that Christ revealed himself to Paul and chose him to be the prea-
cher of the Gospel to the Gentiles is something which Paul sees as part of the
systematic implementation--the "oikonomia"--of God's plan.

5. In the Old Testament the promise made to Abraham revealed that in his off-
spring all the nations of the earth would be blessed (cf. Gen 12:3; Sir 44:21); but
how this would happen was not revealed. The Jews always thought that it would
come about through their exaltation over other nations. Through the revelation
Jesus made to him, St Paul has discovered that God has chosen another way--
that of bringing the Gentiles into the Church, the body of Christ, on equal terms
with the Jews. This is the "Mystery", the plan of God as revealed by the mission
Christ gave his apostles or envoys (cf. Mt 28:19), of whom St Paul is one (cf. 3:8).
Once again, as in 2:20, prophets are mentioned together with apostles; this may
mean either the Old Testament prophets who announced the coming Messiah,
or the New Testament prophets, that is, the Apostles themselves and other Chris-
tians who had insight, through revelation, into God's saving plans for the Gentiles
and who proclaimed them under the inspiration of the Spirit. The context and other
passages in Ephesians and elsewhere in the New Testament (cf. Eph 4:11; 1 Cor
12:28f; Acts 11:27; etc.) would suggest that he is referring to New Testament pro-
phets. The Holy Spirit has revealed the Mystery to them "that they might preach
the Gospel, stir up faith in Jesus the Messiah and Lord, and bring together the
Church" (Vatican II, "Dei Verbum", 17). St Paul does not see himself as the only
person to whom it has been given to know the Mystery revealed in Jesus Christ.
All that he is saying is that, by the grace of God, it has been made known to him
and that its preaching has been entrusted to him in a special way, just as it was
given to St Peter to preach it to the Jews (cf. Gal 2:7).

St Paul attributes to the Holy Spirit the revelation of the Mystery, recalling, no
doubt, how he himself came to know it after his meeting with Jesus on the road
to Damascus (cf. Acts 9:17). It is the Spirit also who acts in the apostles and
prophets (cf. Acts 2:17), and it is he who on an on-going basis vivifies the Church,
enabling it to proclaim the Gospel. "The Holy Spirit is the soul of the Church. It is
he who explains to the faithful the deep meaning of the teaching of Jesus and of
his mystery. It is the Holy Spirit who, today just as at the beginning of the
Church, acts in every evangelizer who allows himself to be possessed and led
by him. The Holy Spirit places on his lips the words which he could not find him-
self, and at the same time the Holy Spirit predisposes the soul of the hearer to
be open and receptive to the Good News and to the Kingdom being proclaimed"
(Paul VI, "Evangelii Nuntiandi", 75).

7. The preacher of the Gospel carries out a ministry, a service to the people of
God and to the Gospel itself. St Paul stresses that he has been made a "minis-
ter" of the Gospel; he seems to be saying, "I am not carrying out this task as if
it were an initiative of my own; I am performing it as a service which comes from
God" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on Eph, ad loc."). Those who teach
Christian doctrine are not passing on their personal opinions, but a divine mes-
sage. "That is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of
the mysteries of God" (1 Cor 4:1).

In all generations, God, in his mercy and by his power, calls people to the minis-
try of the Word, to ensure that the Gospel is forever proclaimed and made known
to all mankind. This ministry belongs, in the first place, to bishops. As succes-
sors to the Apostles, "the bishops are heralds of the faith, who draw new disci-
ples to Christ; they are authentic teachers, that is, teachers endowed with the
authority of Christ, who preach the faith to the people assigned to them, the faith
which is destined to inform their thinking and direct their conduct; and under the
light of the Holy Spirit they make that faith shine forth, drawing from the store-
house of revelation new things and old (cf. Mt 13:52)" ("Lumen Gentium", 25).
Alongside the bishops and acting as their helpers, priests and deacons also
carry out the ministry of the Word: "it is the first task of priests as co-workers
of the bishops to preach the Gospel of God to all men. In this way they carry
out the Lord's command 'Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole
creation' (Mk 16:15) and thus set up and increase the people of God" (Vatican II,
"Presbyterorum Ordinis", 4).

The Christian faithful have the basic right, recognized by the Church, to have the
word of God preached to them. "The people of God are first united through the
word of the living God, and are fully entitled to seek this word from their priests.
For this reason sacred ministers are to consider the office of preaching as of
great importance, since proclaiming the Gospel of God to all is among their prin-
cipal duties" ("Code of Canon Law", can. 762).

"When carrying out the ministry of the word", Benedict XV comments, "preachers
should have this purpose in mind, as clearly indicated by St Paul: 'we are ambas-
sadors for Christ' (2 Cor 5:20). Every preacher should make these words his own.
But if they are ambassadors for Christ, when exercising their mission they have
a duty to keep strictly to Christ's purpose when he gave them this charge; they
must not have any other aims than those which Christ himself had when he lived
on this earth [...]. Therefore, preachers must have these two goals--to spread the
truth taught by God; and to awaken and nurture supernatural life in those who are
listening to them. To sum up: they must seek the salvation of souls, promote the
glory of God" ("Humani Generis Redemptionem").

8. Humble abandonment to the action of God in his soul leads St Paul to regard
himself as the very lowest of Christians (cf. 1 Cor 15:9); his only credit is the
grace God has given him. This grace includes the revelation of "the Mystery" and
also the mission to proclaim it (cf. note on Phil 1:7).

He sees the gifts which Christ extends to all, the Gentiles included, as an inex-
haustible source of riches (cf. 1:18; 2:7; 3:16). In this present life no one can fully
grasp the marvels God has done (cf. Job 5:9) or plumb the depths of God's mercy
as manifested in Jesus Christ (cf. note on Col 2:2-3).

Every generation can and should discover in the mystery of Christ "full awareness
of (man's) dignity, of the heights to which he is raised, of the surpassing worth of
his own humanity, and of the meaning of his existence" (John Paul II, "Redemptor
Hominis", 11). The Church's mission is precisely this: "the revealing of Christ to
the world, helping each person to find himself in Christ, and helping the contem-
porary generations of our brothers and sisters the peoples, nations, states, man-
kind, developing countries and countries of opulence--in short, helping everyone
to get to know 'the unsearchable riches of Christ', since these riches are for every
individual and are everybody's property" ("ibid.").

9. The Apostle establishes a close parallel between God's plan of Redemption
and the very act of creation (cf. 1 Cor 2:7; Eph 1:4). This saving design, hidden
until now, is what has been revealed by Christ; it enables us to grasp God's infi-
nite love for men, for it shows that creation itself is part of God's plan of salvation.
For if "all things were created" (Col 1:16) in and for and with Christ, the "Mystery"
of which he is speaking was already latent in the very creation of the world.
Hence God's eternal plan, which envisages man's salvation, affects the very act
of creation and includes the incarnation of the Son of God.

Pope John Paul II says this in "Redemptor Hominis", 8: "The Redeemer of the
world! In him has been revealed in a new and more wonderful way the fundamen-
tal truth concerning creation to which the Book of Genesis gives witness when it
repeats several times, 'God saw that it was good' (cf. Gen 1 "passim"). The good
has its source in Wisdom and Love. In Jesus Christ the visible world which God
created for man (cf. Gen 1:26-30)--the world which, when sin entered, 'was sub-
jected to futility' (Rom 8:19-22)--recovers again its original link with the divine
source of Wisdom and Love."

10-12. This text shows that the apostolic ministry of preaching has a universal,
cosmic, impact. Thanks to the Church's preaching of "the mystery", it is made
known not only to mankind but also to the principalities and powers of the heav-
ens. This preaching reveals the hidden, eternal plans of salvation whereby Jews
and Gentiles, by being converted to Christ, come to have an equal place in the
Church, and this fact in turn reveals the "mystery" of salvation even to the angels
(cf. 1 Pet 1 :12), who come to realize the harmony that lies in God's various inter-
ventions in the course of history, from the Creation to the Redemption, including
the history of the people of Israel.

The "principalities" and "powers" refer to the angelic powers which, according to
Jewish belief, were the promulgators and guardians of the Law and whose mis-
sion included the government of men. But these "powers" did not know what God's
plans were until they were carried out by Christ and his Church. In this passage St
Paul does not say anything about whether these powers are good or evil (cf. note
on 1:21). What he does re-assert, very clearly, is Christ's supremacy over all these
powers, and the Church's role in bringing all creation to recognize that Christ is
Lord of all. Therefore, the powers in the heavenly places no longer have any mas-
tery over the Christian: through faith in Christ he acquires the freedom of a son of
God and is able to address God confidently.

St Jerome, St Thomas and others interpret "the principalities and powers" as
being good angels, like the "thrones" and "dominions" (cf. Col 1:16) and "virtutes"
("powers": cf. Eph 1:21). If we add to these titles appearing in St Paul's letters
those to be found in other books of Sacred Scripture--cherubim, seraphim, arch-
angels and angels--we get the nine angelic hierarchies known to tradition. The
names simply reflect the qualities with which angels are endowed: they are spiri-
tual beings, personal and free; they are incorporeal and because they are pure
spirits, they have intellect, will and power far in excess of man's.

성 예로니모(St. Jerome, 347년경-420년), 성 토마스(St. Thomas Aquinas, 1225-
1274년) 그리고 다른 이들은, "왕권(thrones)들"과 "주권(dominions)들"(콜로시 1,16을
참조하라) 그리고 "권능(virtutes)들"["powers": 에페소 1,21을 참조하라)처럼 , "권세들
(principalities)"과 "권력(powers)들"을 선한 천사(good angels)들이라고 해석합니다
(interpret). 우리가 성 바오로(St. Paul)의 서간들에 나타나는 이들 호칭(titles)들에 성경
본문의 다른 책들에서 발견되는, 커룹들(cherubim, 케루빔), 사랍들(seraphim, 세라핌,
이사야 6,2; 6,6), 대천사들(archangels) 그리고 천사들(angels)이라는 호칭들을 추가하면,
전승(tradition)(*)에 알려진 아홉 개의 천사 등급들(nine algelic hierarchies)을
얻습니다. 이러한 이름들은 천사들에게 수여된 다음과 같은 특성들을 단순히 반영합니다:
그들은, 인격적이며(personal) 그리고 자유로운(free), 영적 있음(spiritual beings)들이며,
그리고 육체가 없는(incorporeal) 그리고 그들이 순수한 영(pure spirits)들이기 때문에,
그들은 사람의 그것들을 훨씬 초과하는 지성(intellect), 의지(will) 그리고 힘(power)을
가지고 있습니다.

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(*) 번역자 주: "성경(Sacred Scriptures)", "성전(Tradition, Sacred Tradition, Apostolic
Tradition, 사도전승)", "전승(tradition, 전통, 교회전승)"의 구분에 대한 안내의 글은
다음에 있다:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/772.htm
-----

Gospel Reading: Luke 12:39-48

The Need for Vigilance and the Parable of the Steward (Continuation)
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(Jesus said to His disciples,) [39] "But know this, that if the householder had
known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have been awake and would
not have left his house to be broken into. [40] You also must be ready; for the
Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect."

[41] Peter said, "Lord are you telling this parable for us or for all?" [42] And the
Lord said, "Who then is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will set
over his household, to give them their portion of food at the proper time? [43]
Blessed is that servant whom his master when he comes will find so doing. [44]
Truly I tell you, he will set him over all his possessions. [45] But if that servant
says to himself, 'My master is delayed in coming,' and begins to beat the men-
servants and the maidservants, and to eat and drink and get drunk, [46] the mas-
ter of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an
hour he does not know, and will punish him, and put him with the unfaithful. [47]
And that servant who knew his master's will, but did not make ready or act ac-
cording to his will, shall receive a severe beating. [48] But he who did not know,
and did what deserved a beating, shall receive a light beating. Everyone to whom
much is given, of him much will be required; and of him to whom men commit
much they will demand the more."

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Commentary:

40. God has chosen to hide from us the time of our death and the time when the
world will come to an end. Immediately after death everyone undergoes the Par-
ticular Judgment: "just as it is appointed for men to die once, and after that comes
judgment..." (Hebrews 9:27). The end of the world is when the General Judgment
will take place.

41-48. After our Lord's exhortation to vigilance, St. Peter asks a question (verse
41), the answer to which is the key to understanding this parable. On the one
hand, Jesus emphasizes that we simply do not know exactly when God is going
to ask us to render an account of our life; on the other--answering Peter's question
--our Lord explains that His teaching is addressed to every individual. God will ask
everyone to render an account of his doings: everyone has a mission to fulfill in
this life and he has to account for it before the judgment seat of God and be
judged on what he has produced, be it much or little.

"Since we know neither the day nor the hour, we should follow the advice of the
Lord and watch constantly so that, when the single course of our earthly life is
completed (cf. Hebrews 9:27), we may merit to enter with Him into the marriage
feast and be numbered among the blessed (cf. Matthew 25:31-46) and not, like
the wicked and slothful servants (cf. Matthew 25:26), be ordered to depart into
the eternal fire (cf. Matthew 25:41)" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 48).
　

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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.