Wednesday
31st Week of Ordinary Time
(I) 1st Reading: Romans 13:8-10
Love, the Fulfilling of the Law
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[8] Owe no one anything, except to love one another; for who loves his neighbor
has fulfilled the law. [9] The commandments, "You shall not commit adultery,
You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other
commandment, are summed up in this sentence, "You shall love your neighbor
as yourself." [10] Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling
of the law.
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Commentary:
[번역자 주: 위의 제1독서는, 여기를
클릭하면 아래의 해설에 대한 우리말 번역문을
읽을 수 있는, 가해 연중 제23주일 제2독서와 동일합니다].
8-10. To enable him to keep the Commandments of God perfectly, man receives
the interior influence of love of God and love of neighbor. For when love motivates
us we readily give what is due--and more besides--to him whom we love. In his
public preaching St John of Avila used to say--"Those of you who are unlettered
should not think that this means you cannot enter paradise, study these two
commandments, and when you have fulfilled them, realize that you have done
everything laid down in the Law and the Prophets, and everything taught by the
Gospel and by the Apostles and whatever you are admonished to do by all the
countless books that have been written, for the Lord has send his word to us in
(this) manifold form (cf. Rom 9:28)" ("Sermons", Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost).
The relationship between the virtues of charity and justice is similar to that
between love and the commandments of the Law. "Be convinced that justice
alone is never enough to solve the great problems of mankind [...]. Charity must
penetrate and accompany justice because it sweetens and deifies everything:
'God is love' (1 Jn 4:16). Our motive in everything we do should be the Love of
God, which makes it easier for us to love our neighbor and which purifies and
raises all earthly loves on to a higher level [...]. Charity, which is like a generous
overflowing of justice, demands first of all the fulfillment of one's duty. The way to
start is to be just; the next step is to do what is most equitable...; but in order to
love, great refinement is required, and much thoughtfulness, and respect, and
kindliness" ([St] J. Escriva, "Friends of God", 172-3).
(II) 1st Reading: Philippians 2:12-18
The Children of God Are the Light of the World
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[12] Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in
my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with
fear and trembling; [13] for God is at work in you, both to will and to work for his
good pleasure.
[14] Do all things without grumbling or questioning, [15] that you may be blame-
less and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and
perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, [16] holding
fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run
in vain or labor in vain. [17] Even if I am to be poured as a libation upon the sacri-
ficial offering of your faith, I am glad and rejoice with you all. [18] Likewise you
also should be glad and rejoice with me.
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Commentary:
12-18. St Paul now points out that reflection on Christ's example should lead
Christians to make a genuine and generous effort to attain salvation. When he
was in their midst, they did try to do this; he is no longer with them, but they
should still be pressing forward (v. 12). In doing so, they are always being helped
by grace, which will lead them to implement God's plans for them (v. 13).
With God's help Christians should light up the world by the example of their
honest, simple lives (v. 14). The Apostle points out that his work will be effective
if they conduct themselves as children of God and bear witness to others con-
cerning the word of salvation (vv. 16- 17). The Philippians' response to grace
more than repays him for all his efforts and fills his heart with joy (v. 18).
12-13. Perseverance in faith and charity until the end of one's life is a gift from
God. This perseverance is possible provided one does not frustrate the graces
which God continues to provide. In this connection the Council of Trent stresses
that "all ought to have most secure hope in the help of God. For unless men are
unfaithful to his grace, God will bring the good work to perfection, just as he be-
gan it, working both the will and the performance" ("De Iustificatione", chap. 13).
12-13. 자신의 삶의 끝까지
신덕(faith) 및 애덕(charity)에 있어 끈기(perseverance)는
하느님으로부터 한 개의 선물입니다. 바로 이 끈기는,
하느님께서 제공하는 것을
계속하는 은총들을 당사자가 죄절시키지 않는다면,
가능합니다. 이것과 관련하여
트리엔트 공의회(the Council of Trent)는 다음과
같이 강조합니다: "모든 이는
하느님의 도움(the help of God) 쪽으로 가장 확고한 망덕(hope,
희망)을 가져야
합니다. 이는, 사람들이 당신의 은총에 대하여 불충실하지
않다면, 하느님께서는, 이
선행(the good work)을, 당신께서 그것을 시작하셨던 것과
마찬가지로, 의지와 실행
둘 다를 시킴으로써(working), 완미(perfection)에 장차
이르게 하실 것입니다"
[트리엔트 공의회(the Council of Trent), "De Iustificatione", chap.
13]
"For his good pleasure": the grace God gives a person to enable him to perform
supernatural acts is an expression of his benevolence; he wants all men to be
saved. Man can do nothing that leads to eternal life unless he be moved by
grace. And yet grace does not overpower our freedom: it is we who love, and
we who act. Man's inability to perform meritorious actions on his own should
not cause him to lose heart. On the contrary, it is an additional reason why we
should be grateful to God, for he is always ready to give us the help of grace;
grace enables us to do good works, which are efficacious for meriting heaven.
St Francis de Sales gives this example to show the wonderful way God's love
works: "when an affectionate mother is teaching her little child to walk, she
helps him and holds him if necessary, directing him to safer places and more
level ground, holding him by the hand and keeping him there, or lifting him up
in her arms. Our Lady similarly watches over the steps her children take"
("Treatise on the Love of God", book 3, chap. 4).
"당신의 우의적(友誼的) 도움(자구적 의미: favor)/선의(good
will)
(good purpose, NAB)를 위하여": 하느님께서
한 인격(a person)에게
그가 초자연적 행위(supernatural acts)들을 수행하는 능력/힘을
주고자
(enable) 제공하시는 은총(gace)은
당신의 '선(good)을 행하고자 하는 성향'
(benevolence)(*)의
한 표현이며, 그리하여
당신께서는 모든 사람들이
구함을 받기를(to be saved) 원하십니다(1티모테오 2,4).
그러면서도 은총은
우리의 자유로움(freedom)을 제압하지(overpower) 않습니다: 사랑하는(love)
자,
그리고 행동하는(act) 자가 바로 우리이기 때문입니다.
자력으로 상을 받을
만한 활동들을 사람이 수행할 능력이 없음이 그로 하여금
낙심하는 것을 야기하여서는
결코 아니됩니다. 그와는 반대로, 이것은 우리가 하느님께
마땅히 감사드려야 하는
한 개의 추가적인 이유인데, 이는 당신께서 우리에게 은총이라는
도움(the help
of grace)을 항상 기꺼이 제공하고자
하시고, 그리고 은총은
우리가, 하늘을
상으로서 얻을 만 하는(meriting heaven) 데에 효능이 있는(efficacious),
선행들을
하는 능력/힘을 주기(enables) 때문입니다.(**)
살레의 성 프란치스코(St. Francis
de Sales)는 하느님의 사랑이 일하는
경이로운 방식을 보여주기 위하여 다음의
예(example)을 제시합니다: "애정있는 어머니가
자신의 작은 아이가 걷는 것을
가르치고 있을 때에, 그녀는, 더 안전한 장소들 그리고 더
평평한 지면 쪽으로 그를
향하게 함으로써, 손으로써 그를 붙잡음으로써 그리하여
그를 거기에 머무르게
함으로써, 혹은 자신의 팔들 안으로 그를 들어 올림으로써,
그를 도우고 그리고
필요하다면 그를 껴안습니다. 우리의 성모님께서도
유사하게 당신의 자녀들이
취하는 걸음걸이들을 지켜보십니다" [살레의 성
프란치스코(St. Francis de Sales),
"Treatise on the Love of God", book 3, chap. 4].
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(*) 번역자 주:
(1) "benevolence" 를 "선(good)을 행하고자 하는
성향"으로 번역한 것은 다음의
Merriam-Webster Dictionary에 주어진 설명을 따른 것이다:
http://www.merriam-webster.com/wdictionary/benevolence
(2) 가톨릭 교회 교리서 제1996항에
주어진 은총의 정의(definition)는
다음에
있다:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/1555.htm
(**) 번역자 주:
밑줄을 친 이 문장은 "오로지
선행들을 행하는 자들 중에서만
은총을 받는 자들이 있을 수 있다" 라는 문장과
논리적으로 동치임에 주목하라.
따라서, "은총을 더 많이 받을수록
선행들을 더 많이 하게 된다"(2코린토 9,8)는
명제는 참(true)이다. 그리고 이것은 성 아우구스티노(St.
Augustine)의
가르침이기도 하다. 이에 대하여서는 다음의 글의 제6-3항을
읽도록 하라:
http://ch.catholic.or.kr/pundang/4/soh/1437.htm <-----
필독 권고
-----
God's solicitude towards us should not, however, be an excuse for inaction on
our part. He is always desirous of entering our soul (cf. Rev 3:20), but he will not
do so if we refuse to listen to his voice; if we bar our heart to him. Hence St
Paul's advice: "work out your own salvation with fear and trembling" (v. 12). This
is an urgent invitation to second the action of God's grace in our soul. The "fear"
and "trembling" are the fear of a good child who does not want to displease
someone who loves him (cf. 2 Cor 7:15); this filial fear is closely connected with
the joy of sensing God (cf. Ps 2:11) and it is sweetened by the sure knowledge
that God himself is bent on our being holy; "we must [...] not be dispirited. We
must not be stopped by any kind of human calculation. To overcome the ob-
stacles we have to throw ourselves into the task so that the very effort we make
will open up new paths" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 160).
우리를 향한 하느님의
염려(solicitude)가, 그러나, 우리의 측에 있어 무행동(inaction)에
대한 한 개의 변명이 되어서는 결코 아니됩니다. 당신께서는
우리의 영혼에 들어가는
것을 항상 욕망하시나(요한 묵시록 3,20 참조), 그러나
당신께서는, 만약에 우리가
당신의 음성을 듣는 것을 거부한다면, 그리하여 만약에
우리가 당신을 향하는 우리의
심장(heart)을 막는다면(bar), 그렇게 하지 않으실 것입니다.
그러므로 성 바오로(St.
Paul)의 충고는 다음과 같습니다:
"두려움 및 떨림과 함께 여러분 자신의 구원을
위하여
힘쓰십시오" (제12절). 이것은
우리의 영혼 안에 있는 하느님의 은총의 활동을
지지하라는
(second) 한 개의 다급한 권유(invitation)입니다. "두려움(fear)"
과 "떨림(trembling)"은,
자신을 사랑하는 어떤 자를 불쾌하게 하는 것을 원하지 않는
한 선한 아이의 두려움이며
(2코린토 7,15 참조), 그리고 바로
이러한 자식으로서의 두려움은 하느님을 감지하는
기쁨과 밀접하게 관련되어 있으며(시편 2,11 참조) 그리고
이 두려움은 하느님 몸소
우리가 거룩하게(holy) 되기를 결심하심(be bend on)이라는
확실한 지식에
의하여 누그러뜨려지게 되는데, "우리는 결코
[...] 낙담하게 되어서는 아니됩니다.
우리는 인간적 계산의 어느 종류에 의하여서도 결코 멈추게
되지 말아야 합니다.
장애물들을 극복하기 위하여 이 과업 안쪽으로 우리들
자신을 던져야 하며 그리하여
그 결과 우리는 우리가 행하는 바로 그 노력이 새로운 길(paths)들을
장차 이용
가능하게 할(open up) 것입니다" [성 호세마리아
에스크리바(St. J. Escriva),
"Christ Is Passing By", 160].
14-15. In the midst of people who sometimes turn their backs on God, a Christian
should always act in a "blameless and innocent" way that befits a child of God.
By so doing his work and social dealings will be "lights in the world", showing
everyone the way, with the light of Christ. "Don't let your life be barren. Be useful.
Make yourself felt. Shine forth with the torch of your faith and your love. With
your apostolic life, wipe out the trail of filth and slime left by the unclean sowers
of hatred. And set aflame all the ways of the earth with the fire of Christ that you
bear in your heart" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 1).
The first Christians did not go in fear of the world, despite being surrounded by
depravity and wickedness. Although the equals of their fellow-citizens, their way
of acting exerted a supernatural influence on the society of which they formed
part. They were putting into practice their Master's teaching: "Let your light so
shine before men, that they may see your good works and give glory to your
Father who is in heaven" (Mt 5:16).
"The difference between Christians and the rest of mankind is not a matter of
nationality, or language, or customs. Christians do not live apart in separate cities
of their own, they do not speak any special dialect, or practice any separate way
of life [...]. To put it briefly, the relationship of Christians is to the world as that of
oul to body. As the soul is diffused through every part of the body, so are Chris-
tians through all the world" ("Letter to Diognetus", 5, 1 and 2; 6, 1).
Today, as then, Christians continue to be a leaven of spiritual and truly human life.
Nothing human is a matter of indifference to them.
In addition to the many human reasons which motivate this way of acting, the
faithful also draw inspiration from their faith: "Every Christian should make Christ
present among men; he ought to act in such a way that those who know him
sense 'the fragrance of Christ' (cf. 2 Cor 2:15). People should be able to recog-
nize the Master in his disciples" (St. J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 105).
17. In some of the sacrifices regulated by the Mosaic Law (cf. Ex 29: 40; Num
15:5, 7; 28:14-15) as also in many types of pagan sacrifice, a libation was poured
over the sacrificial victim. In pagan rites this consisted in pouring wine over the
holocaust while it was actually burning on the altar. St Paul's words here refer
to this rite. Up to this he has offered his life as a sacrifice so that the faith might
spread to all men; now he is ready to go further to shed his blood as a libation
to make his sacrifice complete. Should it prove necessary to die a martyr's death,
that would not sadden him; he would be very happy.
Many saints have felt the same way. St Ignatius of Antioch, for example, asked
the Christians of Rome to sing in thanksgiving to God when the time came for
him to be thrown to the lions: "Suffer me to be a libation poured out to God, while
there is still an altar ready for me. Then you may form a loving choir around it and
sing hymns of praise in Jesus Christ to the Father" ("Letter to the Romans", II, 2).
Total self-surrender and unreserved commitment to his vocation should categorize
an apostle's life, for he should always bear in mind that "no ideal becomes a reality
without sacrifice" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 175). Self-denial, therefore is absolu-
tely essential if one is to fully identify with Christ. However, "Many who would
willingly let themselves be nailed to a cross before the astonished gaze of a thou-
sand onlookers cannot bear with a Christian spirit the pinpricks of each day! Think,
then, which is the more heroic" ("The Way", 204).
Gospel Reading: Luke 14:25-33
Conditions For Following Jesus
---------------------------------------------
[25] Now great multitudes accompanied Him (Jesus); and He turned and
said to them, [26] "If any one comes to Me and does not hate his own
father and mother and wife and children and brothers and sisters, yes,
and even his own life, he cannot be My disciple. [27] Whoever does not
bear his own cross and come after Me, cannot be My disciple. [28] For
which of you, desiring to build a tower, does not first sit down and count
the cost, whether he has enough to complete it? [29] Otherwise, when
he has laid a foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to
mock him, [30] saying, `This man began to build, and was not able to
finish.' [31] Or what king, going to encounter another king in a war, will
not sit down first and take counsel whether he is able with ten thousand
to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? [32] And if
not, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an embassy and
asks terms of peace. [33] So therefore, whoever of you does not re-
nounce all that he has cannot be My disciple."
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Commentary:
26. These words of our Lord should not disconcert us. Love for God
and for Jesus should have pride of place in our lives and we should keep
away from anything which obstructs this love: "In this world let us love
everyone," St. Gregory the Great comments, "even though he be our
enemy; but let us hate him who opposes us on our way to God, though
he be our relative [...]. We should then, love, our neighbor; we should
have charity towards all--towards relative and towards strangers--but
without separating ourselves from the love of God out of love for them"
("In Evangelia Homiliae", 37, 3). In the last analysis, it is a matter of
keeping the proper hierarchy of charity: God must take priority over
everything.
This verse must be understood, therefore, in the context of all of our
Lord's teachings (cf. Luke 6:27-35). These are "hard words. True,
`hate' does not exactly express what Jesus meant. Yet He did put it
very strongly, because He doesn't just mean `love less,' as some people
interpret it in an attempt to tone down the sentence. The force behind
these vigorous words does not lie in their implying a negative or pitiless
attitude, for the Jesus who is speaking here is none other than that Jesus
who commands us to love others as we love ourselves and who gives up
His life for mankind. These words indicate simply that we cannot be
half-hearted when it comes to loving God. Christ's words could be
translated as `love more, love better', in the sense that a selfish or
partial love is not enough: we have to love others with the love of God"
([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 97). See the notes on
Matthew 10:34-37; Luke 2:49.
As the Second Vatican Council explains, Christians "strive to please
God rather than men, always ready to abandon everything for Christ"
(Vatican II, "Apostolicam Actuositatem, 4).
27. Christ "by suffering for us not only gave us an example so that we
might follow in His footsteps, but He also opened up a way. If we follow
that way, life and death becomes holy and acquire a new meaning"
(Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 22).
The way the Christian follows is that of imitating Christ. We can follow
Him only if we help Him bear His cross. We all have experience of
suffering, and suffering leads to unhappiness unless it is accepted
with a Christian outlook. The Cross is not a tragedy: it is God's way
of teaching us that through sin we can be sanctified, becoming one with
Christ and winning Heaven as a reward. This is why it is so Christian
to love pain: "Let us bless pain. Love pain. Sanctify pain....Glorify
pain!" ([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 208).
28-35. Our Lord uses different examples to show that if mere human
prudence means that a person should try to work out in advance the
risks he may run, with all the more reason should a Christian embrace
the cross voluntarily and generously, because there is no other way he
can follow Jesus Christ. "`Quia hic homo coepit aedificare et non
potuit consummare! He started to build and was unable to finish!' A
sad commentary which, if you don't want, need be made about you:
for you possess everything necessary to crown the edifice of your
sanctification--the grace of God and your own will." ([St] J. Escriva,
"The Way", 324).
33. Earlier our Lord spoke about "hating" one's parents and one's very
life; now He equally vigorously requires us to be completely detached
from possessions. This verse is a direct application of the two fore-
going parables: just as a king is imprudent if he goes to war with an
inadequate army, so anyone is foolish who thinks he can follow our
Lord without renouncing all his possessions. This renunciation should
really bite: our heart has to be unencumbered by anything material if
we are able to follow in our Lord's footsteps. The reason is, as He tells
us later on, that it is impossible to "serve God and Mammon" (Luke
16:13). Not infrequently our Lord asks a person to practice total, volun-
tary poverty; and He asks everyone to practice genuine detachment
and generosity in the use of material things. If a Christian has to be
ready to give up even life itself, with all the more reason should he re-
nounce possessions: If you are a man of God, you will seek to despise
riches as intensely as men of the world seek to possess them" ([St] J.
Escriva, "The Way", 633). See the note on Luke 12:33-34.
Besides, for a soul to become filled with God it must first be emptied
of everything that could be an obstacle to God's indwelling: "The doc-
trine that the Son of God came to teach was contempt for all things in
order to receive as a reward the Spirit of God in himself. For, as long
as the soul does not reject all things, it has no capacity to receive the
Spirit of God in pure transformation" (St. John of the Cross, "Ascent
of Mount Carmel", Book 1, Chapter 5, 2).
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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].