Tuesday

32nd Week of Ordinary Time

(I) 1st Reading: Wisdom 2:23-3:9

The Origin of Evil and Death
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[23] For God created man for incorruption, and made him in the image of his own
eternity, [24] but through the devil's envy death entered the world, and those who 
belong to his party experience it.

The Death of the Righteous
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[1] But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and no torment will ever
touch them. [2] In the eyes of the foolish they seemed to have died, and their de-
parture was thought to be an affliction, [3] and their going from us to be their des-
truction; but they are at peace. [4] For though in the sight of men they were pu-
nished, their hope is full of immortality. [5] Having been disciplined a little, they
will receive great good, because God tested them and found them worthy of him-
self; [6] like gold in the furnace he tried them, and like a sacrificial burnt offering
he accepted them. [7] In the time of their visitation they will shine forth, and will
run like sparks through the stubble. [8] They will govern nations and rule over
peoples, and the Lord will reign over them for ever. [9] Those who trust in him
will understand truth, and the faithful will abide with him in love, because grace
and mercy are upon his elect, and he watches over his holy ones.

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Commentary:

2:21-24. The mistake of the ungodly is to think that nothing lies beyond death.
But this way of thinking stems from the wickedness of their lives which prevents
them from knowing God's purposes and causes them to despise the way upright
people live. The inspired author takes issue with them and spells out God's plan
for man and how death came to be (vv. 23-24). But here again "death” has a far-
reaching meaning: it means losing that incorruptibility which, as the author sees
it, lies beyond physical death. The death that entered the world through the de-
vil's envy, the death experienced by those who belong to the devil's "party”,
means to be reduced to nothing, to become "dishonored corpses” (4:18), through
losing the incorruptibility that comes from God. What the author is saying here

presupposes the Genesis account of how man was created in the image and like-
ness of God (Gen 1:26) and therefore with a seed of immortality, and how the de-
vil tempted man to commit the original sin that resulted in the loss of immortality
(cf. Gen 3-4). But the author of Wisdom goes further than that: he says that only
those who belong to the devil lose the "immortality” (which he terms "incorruption”)
of the human person as an entity made up of soul and body. On the basis of this
interpretation and in the light of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, St Paul teaches
that death, both physical and spiritual, reaches all human beings through the sin
committed by Adam; but Christ, the new Adam, redeems all from death.

The devil, in Greek "diabolos", means "accuser, calumniator” and is the usual
translation given for the Hebrew "Satan". These verses do not quote Genesis ex-
plicitly, but Genesis is in the background, for it is there we find the serpent iden-
tified as God's enemy and man's. The New Testament writers remind us that the
devil was a murderer from the beginning (cf. Jn 8:44); and in its account of the
battle between good and bad angels, the book of Revelation will say: "The great
dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan,
the deceiver of the whole world” (Rev 12:9).

3:1-4:20. This passage describes at some length the contrasting situations of the
righteous and the ungodly in this life, in death, and beyond the grave. The author
has consoling things to say to the righteous as regards afflictions; they have eve-
ry reason to hope. But evildoers he describes as foolish; theirs is a fundamental
error which will cause them grief now; any suffering they experience will do them
no good; their death is grievous and so is what lies beyond it: "Two possibilities
are laid open to us at the same time: life and death--and each person will come
to the end that befits him. Life and death are like two types of coin, one belongs
to God and the other to this world, each with its own hallmark: unbelievers deal
in the currency of this world, and those who have remained faithful through love
carry the coin of God the Father, which is marked with Jesus Christ. If we are
not ready to die for him or to imitate his passion, we will not have his life within
us” (St Ignatius of Antioch, "Ad Magnesios", 5, 2).

3:1-9. These very poetic lines convey very well the notion of the reward that awaits
the just in the after-life, but they are not very specific about it. The author uses ex-
pressions that correspond to the time in history and Revelation in which he lives,
but they do enable us to get an idea of the state of the blessed: "The souls of the
righteous are in the hands of God, and no torment will ever touch them” (v. 1); the
righteous dead are "at peace” (v. 3), that is, in the sphere proper to God; they can
be sure of immortality, "athanasia" (v. 4). They will abide in the Kingdom of God
forever and share in God's power to judge and rule (v. 8; cf. Mt 19:28)--a pointer to
their power of intercession. One could say that the most encouraging line of all is,
"the faithful will abide with him in love” (v. 9). Still to come is the explicit New Tes-
tament revelation which tells us that the blessed "shall see God as he is” (1 Jn 3:
2), not as in a (dull) mirror but "face to face”; they will know him as he knows
them (cf. 1 Cor 13:12) and they will be with Christ forever in heaven (cf. 1 Thess
4:17).


(II) 1st Reading: Titus 2:1-8, 11-14

Duties of Christians in Different Situations
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[1] But as for you, teach what befits sound doctrine. [2] Bid the older men be
temperate, serious, sensible, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. [3]
Bid the older women likewise to be reverent in behavior, not to be slanderers or
slaves to drink; they are to teach what is good, [4] and so train the young wo-
men to love their husbands and children, [5] to be sensible, chaste, domestic,
kind, and submissive to their husbands, that the word of God may not be dis-
credited. [6] Likewise urge the younger men to control themselves. [7] Show
yourself in all respects a model of good deeds, and in your teaching show in-
tegrity, gravity, [8] and sound speech that cannot be censured, so that an
opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say to us.

The Incarnation, the Basis of Christian Ethics and Piety
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[11] For the grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men, [12] training
us to renounce irreligion and worldly passions, and tolive sober, upright, and god-
ly lives in this world, [13] awaiting our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory
of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, [14] who gave himself for us to redeem
us from all iniquity and to purify for himself a people of his own who are zealous
for good deeds.

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Commentary:

1-10. To counter the fallacies of those whose depraved conduct is at odds with
what they profess to believe, Titus is urged to be sincere in everything he does
and always to act in accordance with the faith. A key feature of Christian mora-
lity is that it can never be reduced to an abstract ethical code with no theological
basis; rather, it flows directly from the deep truth one professes: doctrinal ortho-
doxy leads to upright conduct--and upright conduct equips one to understand and
accept revealed truth. As the Second Vatican Council teaches, faith is meant to
shape the Christian life: "Bishops should be especially concerned about cateche-
tical instruction. Its function is to develop in men a living, explicit and active faith,
enlightened by doctrine. It should be very carefully imparted, not only to children
and adolescents but also to young people and even to adults. In imparting this
instruction the teachers must observe an order and method suited not only to the
matter in hand but also to the character, the ability, the age and the lifestyle of
their audience. This instruction should be based on holy Scripture, tradition, li-
turgy, and on the teaching authority and life of the Church" ("Christus Dominus",
14).

In this section of the letter St. Paul reminds Titus about the obligations and the
virtues people have (depending on their age, state-in-life, social position, etc.);
this advice is very like that given to Timothy in 1 Timothy (cf. 1 Tim 5:1-6:2).

2-3. "Sound in faith...": in the Pastoral Epistles physical health is often used me-
taphorically in connection with Christian doctrine and its transmission (cf. 1 Tim
6:3; 2 Tim 1:13; 4:3; Tit 1:9; 2:8); it is also applied to people: as the years go on
their interior life should grow stronger and stronger.

"Be reverent in behavior": older women are given special mention (cf. 1 Tim 5:2-
16); they must be exemplary, because younger women have to learn from them.

4-5. All members of the Church are responsible for the formation and Christian
life of their juniors; this general principle applies to adult women: they have to
show younger women that their role as mothers, their place in the home, is so
important that it must be given priority over outside activities (in which they do
have a right to engage). In connection with the role of women in society and in
the family Pope John Paul II says: "the mentality which honors women more for
their work outside the home than for their work within the family must be over-
come. This requires that men should truly esteem and love women with total
respect for their personal dignity, and that society should create and develop
conditions favoring work in the home" ("Familiaris Consortio", 23).

"That the word of God may not be discredited": an expression very similar to that
used by St. Paul when advising slaves to be submissive (cf. 1 Tim 6:1). The
Apostle is not approving behavior which women or slaves find obnoxious; what he
is saying is that obedience and humility is the best way to do God honor and to
offer others a testimony of love, following the example of the Master, who "hum-
bled himself and became obedient unto death" (cf. Phil 2:6-11).

6-8. The model for the younger men should be Titus himself; as in the case of Ti-
mothy in Ephesus (1 Tim 4:12), Titus' duty to be exemplary derives from the fact
that pastors have an obligation to reflect Jesus' life in their life: "Be imitators of
me, as I am of Christ" (1 Cor 11:1; cf. Phil 3:17; 2 Thess 3:9). "The priestly per-
sonality must be for others a clear sign and indication." This is the first condition
for our pastoral service. The people from among whom we have been chosen and
for whom we have been appointed want above all to see in us such a sign and
indication, and to this they have a right" (John Paul II, "Letter to All Priests", 8
April 1979).

9-10. The fact that there are these references to the duties and slaves (and others
in 1 Tim 6:1-2) shows that slaves were very much taken account of in the early
Christian community. Christianity has been responsible for an enormous amount
of social change, because being a Christian means that, whatever one's position
in society, one should give honor and glory to God and recognize the innate dig-
nity of everyone, without exception.

11-14. This section is almost like a hymn in praise of saving grace and God's lo-
ving kindness as manifested in Christ. The terse, sober style, with phrases piled
on one another, and very few verbs, is typical of St. Paul. The duties just des-
cribed (2L1-10)--of older men, women, young people and slaves--all point to Chris-
tians' having a common lifestyle, which is the fruit of grace. God is the source of
that grace, and salvation its goal, and it is given to us through Jesus Christ.

Thus, divine grace manifested in the Incarnation is actively at work to redeem us;
it brings salvation; it sanctifies us, enabling us to live godly lives; and it is the ba-
sis of our hope in the second coming of the Lor0d. All these dimensions of the
action of grace summarize revealed doctrine on righteousness (justification) in
Jesus Christ. Thus, in the Incarnation, God's salvific will, embracing all men, is
manifested in a special way (cf. 1 Tim 2:4); in the Redemption, Christ, the only
Mediator and Savior (cf. 1 Tim 2:5) obtains for us the gift of grace, whereby man
becomes a sharer in the good things of salvation. Jesus is our model; by means
of grace he instructs the Christian on how to control his defects and grow in vir-
tue. The instruction we receive is not only an external one: God inwardly moves
us to seek holiness (cf. Rom 5:1-5 and note). Grace also channels our hope, for
Christians are motivated not only by the memory of a past event (our Lord's life
on earth) but also, and especially, by the fact that Jesus is in the glory of heaven
even now and that we are invited to share his inheritance (cf. 2 Pet 3:12-13).

13. "The glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ": an explicit confession
of faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ, who is stated at one and at the same time
(with only one article in the original Greek) to be God and Savior. This expression
is the hinge on which the entire hymn turns: Jesus Christ our God is the one who
came at the Incarnation, who will manifest himself fully at his second coming,
and who through his work of redemption has made it possible for man to live a
live pleasing to God.

This verse is reminiscent of Romans 9:5, where St. Paul wrote: "to them belong
the patriarchs, and of their race according to the flesh is the Christ, who is God
over all, blessed for ever. Amen."

14. The mention of Jesus Christ at the end of the previous verse leads St. Paul
to summarize the doctrine of the Redemption in this lovely passage. Four essen-
tial elements in redemption are listed: Christ's self-giving; redemption from all
iniquity; purification; and Christ's establishment of a people of his own dedicated
to good deeds. The reference to Christ's self -giving clearly means whereby we
are set free from the slavery of sin; Christ's sacrifice is the cause of the freedom
of the children of God (analogously, God's action during the Exodus liberated the
people of Israel). Purification, a consequence of redemption, enables a man to
become part of God's own people (cf. Ezek 37-23). The expression "a people of
his own" is a clear allusion to Exodus 19:5: through the covenant of Sinai God
made Israel his own people, different from other nations; through the New Cove-
nant of his blood Jesus forms his own people, the Church, which is open to all
nations: "As Israel according to the flesh which wandered in the desert was al-
ready called the Church of God, so, too, the new Israel, which advances in this
present era in search of a future and permanent city, is called also the Church
of Christ. It is Christ indeed who has purchased it with his own blood; he has
filled it with his Spirit; he has provided means adapted to its visible and social
union [...]. Destined to extend to all regions of the earth, it enters into human
history, thoughit transcends at once all times and all racial boundaries" ("Lumen
Gentium", 9).


Gospel Reading: Luke 17:7-10

Humble Service
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(Jesus said to His disciples,) [7] "Will any of you, who has a servant ploughing
or keeping sheep, say to him when he has come in from the field, 'Come at once
and sit down at table'? [8] Will he not rather say to him, 'Prepare supper for me,
and gird yourself and serve me, till I eat and drink; and afterward you shall eat
and drink'? [9] Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded?
[10] So you also, when you have done all that is commanded you, say, 'We are
unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.'"

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Commentary:

7-10. Jesus is not approving this master's abusive and arbitrary behavior: He is
using an example very familiar to His audience to show the attitude a person
should have towards his Creator: everything, from our very existence to the eter-
nal happiness promised us, is one huge gift from God. Man is always in debt to
God; no matter what service he renders Him he can never adequately repay the
gifts God has given him. There is no sense in a creature adopting a proud atti-
tude towards God. What Jesus teaches us here we see being put into practice
by our Lady, who replied to God's messenger (the Archangel Gabriel), "Behold,
I am the handmaid of the Lord" (Luke 1:38).
　

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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].