Saturday
30th Week of Ordinary Time
(I) 1st Reading: Romans 11:1-2a, 11-12, 25-29
The New Chosen People
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[1] I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! I myself am an Israe-
lite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. [2a] God has
not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the scripture
says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?
[11] So I ask, have they stumbled so as to fall? By no means! But through their
trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. [12]
No if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches
for the Gentiles, how much more will their inclusion mean!
The Conversion of the Jews
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[25] Lest you be wise in our own conceits, I want you to understand this myste-
ry, brethren: a hardening has come upon part of Israel, until the full number of the
Gentiles come in, [26] and so all Israel will be saved; as it is written, "The Delive-
rer will come upon Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob"; [27] "and this
will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins." [28] As regards the
gospel they are enemies of God, for your sake; but as regards election they are
beloved for the sake of their forefathers. [29] For the gifts and the call of God are
irrevocable.
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Commentary:
2-5. When Israel fell into idolatry, God raised up the prophet Elijah, who confron-
ted the king with the sins of the people, who were worshipping idols and liste-
ning to false prophets (cf. 1 Kings 19:9-18). The king, instead of listening to Eli-
jah, persecuted him; he had to flee to Mount Horeb. There he complained to God
about Israel, and God in reply told him that he would punish them: the sons of
Israel would die by the sword, but not all of them. God would preserve seven thou-
sand of them, who had remained faithful to him. St Paul recalls this episode as
an example of God intervening in Salvation History through men he has specially
chosen. Even in times when sinfulness was rampant the Lord kept certain indivi-
duals faithful; these acted as his instruments to revive and extend people's grasp
of true teaching and love of his laws, and to render due worship to the Creator:
for example, he chose Noah and his family when the world was full of wickedness
(Gen 6:5-8), and Abraham, when men had forgotten the true God (Josh 24:2ft),
and he did the same when the people of Israel fell into idolatry.
The Prophets describe those who stay faithful to Yahweh as "the remnant of Is-
rael", or words to that effect (cf. Jer 3:14; Ezek 9:8; Amos 3:12; Is 4:2-3; Mic 4:7;
Zeph 2:7, 9), and prophesy that this "remnant" will be found, fIrst, among those
deported to Babylonia, later among the repatriated exiles and, finally, after the
exile, among the servants of God, after the still unfaithful people are decimated
and purified.
25-32. We all yearn for the fulfillment of these words--threatening yet consoling
-- which Christ addressed to the scribes and Pharisees: "For I tell you, you will
not see me again, until you say 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the
Lord"' (Mt 23:39). "Together with the prophets and the Apostle, the Church
awaits the day, known to God alone, when all peoples will call on God with one
voice and 'serve him with one accord' (Zeph 3:9)" (Vatican II, "Nostra Aetate", 4).
The conversion of the Jews is a secret--a mystery, the text says (v. 25) -- hidden
in the future, which will come about when the Incarnation of the Word achieves
its ultimate purpose.
This conversion will follow on that of the Gentiles, which will be as it were a pre-
lude to it. Jesus has foretold that "Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gen-
tiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled" (Lk 21:24; cf. note on same),
which in some way suggests that the Jews will be converted at the end of time.
However, when the Church in its preaching touches on the main signs of the end
of the world, it only refers to the proclamation of the Gospel throughout the world,
to apostasy and to the Antichrist, but it has nothing to say about the conversion
of the Jews (cf. "St Pius V Catechism", I, 8, 7). What the Church does do, and
what we should do, is to pray the Lord to listen to its prayers that the people you
first made your own may arrive at the fullness of redemption" ("Roman Missal",
Good Friday Liturgy, Prayer of the Faithful).
"The same thing is happening, St Paul explains, now that the Gospel is being
preached. The people of Israel in general are not accepting it and are not beco-
ming part of the Church; only a small number of Jews have believed, and these
are the "remnant" of Israel, chosen by God so that in them the promises might
be kept. The conversion of Paul himself is an example and an earnest of this re-
turn of the people of Israel to their God, in line with the invitation that Hosea ad-
dressed to them: "Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God, for you have stumbled
because of your iniquity" (Hos 14:2).
Throughout the history of the Church lapses of this type have occurred, with a
consequent breakdown in morality. Whenever this happens, those Christians
who stay true to the faith may, like Elijah, feel inclined to despair; but they should
react with a realistic and vigilant optimism and not indulge in useless lamentation.
In the presence of God, they should reflect on the fact that God actually wants to
use them and their holy lives to turn the situation around: "A secret, an open se-
cret: these world crises are sanctity crises. God wants a handful of men 'of his
own' in every human activity. And then...'"pax Christi in regno Christi"--the peace
of Christ in the kingdom of Christ" (St. J. Escriva, The Way, 301).
29. God never goes back on anything he promises; therefore he continues to call
the Jews to enter the chosen people. He does not take account of their disobe-
dience or their sins: he will love them with an everlasting love, as he promised the
patriarchs and in line with the merits accruing to them for their fidelity (cf. Rom 9:
4-5). It is this very immutability of God's love that makes it possible for "all Israel"
(v. 26) to be saved. God's calling, which is eternal, cannot cease; but we for our
part can reject his call. The immutability of God's plan is reassuring to us: it
means that even if we abandon him at any point, we can always return to our ear-
lier fidelity: he is still there, waiting for us.
(II) 1st Reading: Philippians 1:18b-26
St. Paul's Own Circumstances
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[18b] Only that in every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is proclaimed;
and in that I rejoice. [19] Yes, and I shall rejoice. For I know that through your pra-
yers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance,
[20] as it is my eager expectation and hope that I shall not be at all ashamed, but
that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether
by life or by death. [21] For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. [22] If it is
to be life in the flesh, that means fruitful labor for me. Yet which I shall choose I
cannot tell. [23] I am hard pressed between the two. My desire is to depart and
be with Christ, for that is far better. [24] But to remain in the flesh is more neces-
sary on your account. [25] Convinced of this, I know that I shall remain and con-
tinue with you all, for your progress and joy in the faith, [26] so that in me you
may have ample cause to glory in Christ Jesus, because of my coming to you
again.
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Commentary:
15-18. "From envy and rivalry": we do not know whom he is referring to, but it does
not seem to be Judaizers, as is the case in the epistles to the Galatians and the
Romans. St Paul, who gives no thought to himself, rejoices as long as the Gos-
pel is preached, even if the preachers have bad intention (v. 18). Christians should
always be happy to see others working for Christ.
Jesus says this quite clearly in the Gospel: "'Teacher, we saw a man casting out
demons in your name, and we forbade him, because he was not following us.' But
Jesus said, 'Do not forbid him; for no one who does a mighty work in my name
will be able soon after to speak evil of me. For he that is not against us is for us'"
(Mk 9:38-40). The basis of this teaching lies in the fact that an apostle is only an
instrument of God in the service of souls; he has no proprietary rights over souls."
[Let us remember] that souls belong to God; that no one on earth has that right
of ownership over souls; and that the Church's apostolate, by which it announces
and brings about salvation, is not based on personal prestige of individuals but on
the grace of God" (St. J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 267).
19. His imprisonment for preaching Christ, and even his pain at others' preaching
out of rivalry, does not take away the Apostle's peace; for he realizes that this
pain identifies him with Christ. "And the reason for this is that when we do any
good action that promotes the salvation of others, this makes for our own salva-
tion" (St Thomas Aquinas, "Commentary on Phil, ad loc."). St James makes the
same point: "whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his
own soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins" (Jas 5:20).
20. "Christ will be honored in my body": whether he lives (because that will allow
him to keep up his apostolic work) or whether he has to face martyrdom: in either
case he is able to bear witness to Christ.
Every Christian is linked to Christ through Baptism (cf. Rom 6:5) and this union
is strengthened by the Eucharist (cf. 1 Cor 10:16-17). A believer, therefore, should
aspire to identify with Jesus to such an extent that he can say with the Apostle,
"it is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me" (Gal 2:20). Everything anyone
has is a gift from God; and a Christian's life in the body, with any suffering he ex-
periences, and even death, identifies him in some way with Christ's own life: this
identification is the goal of every Christian.
21-26. St Paul expresses a desire to "depart" and be with Christ: the Greek verb
he uses has the sense of casting off (like a boat before it leaves harbor) or upping
stakes (like an army decamping): he sees death as a liberation from earthly ties,
which allows him immediately to "be with Christ". These words indicate that those
who die in grace do not have to wait until the Last Judgment to enjoy God in hea-
ven. This was the teaching of the Church, based on Sacred Scripture, at the Se-
cond Council of Lyons: "the souls of those who after holy Baptism have acquired
no stain of sin at all, and those who having incurred the stain of sin are cleansed
...are received immediately into heaven" ("Profession of Faith of Michael Paleo-
logue").
The Apostle is in two minds. But his desire to be with Christ does not inhibit his
generous work for the good of souls: he wants to stay in the world, in order to
continue working for the conversion of the Gentiles and to look after the Christian
communities which he has founded, which are going from strength to strength.
In spite of his uncertainty about his future, St Paul is inclined to think that he will
be allowed to continue his work to the spiritual advantage of the Philippians and
the other churches.
21. Death is "gain", because, for a person who dies in the grace of God, it means
entering into the joy of the Lord, seeing him face to face (cf. 1 Cor 13:12) and en-
joying "what no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him" (1 Cor 2 9). This desire to enjoy
God in heaven caused St Teresa of Avila to say: "I am living and yet I am not real-
ly living, for I place my hopes on such a higher life that I am dying because I do
not die" ("Poems", 2).
"Christ himself, our teacher of salvation, shows us how useful it is to leave this
life when his disciples became sad because he told them that he was going
away, he said to them, 'If you loved me, you would have rejoiced, because I go
to the Father' (Jn 14:28), thereby teaching them that, when those we love leave
this world, we should rejoice rather than be sad" (St Cyprian, "De Mortalitate", 7).
Faith shows us that death is the definitive step into eternal life. However, to have
a well grounded hope of attaining that goal we need to remember that for us "to
live is Christ" here on earth also. For one thing, supernatural life is the life of
grace, and this has been won for us by Christ; also, knowing and loving Christ
should be our life-purpose. A Christian has to try to see that his life is fruitful in
terms of holiness, and that he uses all ordinary events and all his activities to
draw others towards Christ.
"So, if you have encountered Christ," John Paul II exhorts, "live for Christ, live with
Christ, and bear witness to him; proclaim this in the first person singular: 'For me
to live is Christ.' That is what true liberation also consists of -- proclaiming Jesus
Christ freed from attachments and present in men who are transformed and be-
come a new creation" (Homily, Santo Domingo Cathedral, October 1984).
27. The Greek term translated here as "let your manner of life be" has a more
specific meaning -- "Live like good citizens." The inhabitants of Philippi enjoyed
Roman citizenship and were very proud of this (cf. p. 101 above). However, in ad-
dition to whichever positions they have in society, Christians are citizens of hea-
ven (cf. Phil 3:20), and therefore they should lead a life "worthy of the gospel of
Christ", like good citizens of the Kingdom of God, where Christ reigns as king (cf.
Jn 18:37), by loyally obeying his laws -- the new law of grace contained in the
Gospel.
However, being a citizen of heaven is quite compatible with being a citizen of hu-
man society: "to acknowledge God is in no way to oppose the dignity of man,
since such dignity is grounded and brought to perfection in God. Man has in fact
been placed in society by God, who created him as an intelligent and free being;
but over and above this he is called as a son to intimacy with God and to share
in his happiness. (The Church) further teaches that hope in a life to come does
not take away from the importance of the duties of this life on earth but rather
adds to it by giving new motives for fulfilling those duties" (Vatican II, "Gaudium
Et Spes", 21).
A truly Christian life in the middle of the world speaks to all, Christians or no, of
the presence of God and of his plans for the salvation of all mankind. Moreover,
"what does much to show God's presence clearly is the brotherly love of the faith-
ful who, being all of one mind and spirit work together for the faith of the Gospel
(cf. Phil 1:18) and stand out as a sign of unity" ("ibid".). This is essential to the
effort to spread the Kingdom of God, for "every kingdom divided against itself is
laid waste" (Lk 11:17). The early Christians really did put this teaching into prac-
tice: they were "of one heart and soul" (Acts 4:32).
Gospel Reading: Luke 14:1, 7-11
[1] One Sabbath when He (Jesus) went to dine at the house of a ruler who be-
longed to the Pharisees, they were watching Him.
A Lesson About Humility
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[7] Now He told a parable to those who were invited, when He marked how they
chose the places of honor, saying to them, [8] "When you are invited by any one
to a marriage feast, do not sit down in a place of honor, lest a more eminent man
than you be invited by him; [9] and he who invited you both will come and say to
you, 'Give place to this man' and then you will begin with shame to take the low-
est place. [10] But when you are invited, go and sit in the lowest place, so that
when your host comes he may say to you, 'Friend, go up higher'; then you will
be honored in the presence of all who sit at table with you. [11] For every one
who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted.
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Commentary:
11. Humility is necessary for salvation that Jesus takes every opportunity to
stress its importance. Here He uses the attitudes of people at banquet to re-
mind us again that it is God who assigns the places at the Heavenly banquet.
"Together with humility, the realization of the greatness of man's dignity--and of
the overwhelming fact that, by grace, we are made children of God--forms a sin-
gle attitude. It is not our own efforts that save us and gives us life; it is the grace
of God. This is a truth which must never be forgotten" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is
Passing By", 133).
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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].