Monday

34th Week of Ordinary Time

(I) 1st Reading: Daniel 1:1-6, 8-20

Arrival at the Court
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[1] In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah, Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon came to Jerusalem and besieged it. [2] And the Lord gave Jehoiakim
king of Judah into his hand, with some of the vessels of the house of God; and he
brought them to the land of Shinar, to the house of his god, and placed the ves-
sels in the treasury of his god. [3] Then the king commanded Ashpenaz, his chief
eunuch, to bring some of the people of Israel, both of the royal family and of the
nobility, [4] youths without blemish, handsome and skillful in all wisdom, endowed
with knowledge, understanding learning, and competent to serve in the king's pa-
lace, and to teach them the letters and language of the Chaldeans. [5] The king
assigned them a daily portion of the rich food which the king ate, and of the wine
which he drank. They were to be educated for three years, and at the end of that
time they were to stand before the king. [6] Among these were Daniel, Hananiah,
Misha-el, and Azariah of the tribe of Judah.

Royal Fare -- God's Servants Tested
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[8] But Daniel resolved that he would not defile himself with the king's rich food,
or with the wine which he drank; therefore he asked the chief of the eunuchs to
allow him not to defile himself. [9] And God gave Daniel favor and compassion
in the sight of the chief of the eunuchs; [10] and the chief of the eunuchs said to
Daniel, "I fear lest my lord the king, who appointed your food and your drink,
should see that you were in poorer condition than the youths who are of your own
age. So you would endanger my head with the king." [11] Then Daniel said to the
steward whom the chief of the eunuchs had appointed over Daniel, Hananiah, Mi-
shael, and Azariah; [12] "Test your servants for ten days; let us be given vegeta-
bles to eat and water to drink. [13] Then let our appearance and the appearance
of the youths who eat the king's rich food be observed by you, and according to
what you see deal with your servants." [14] So he hearkened to them in this mat-
ter, and tested them for ten days. [15] At the end of ten days it was seen that
they were better in appearance and fatter in flesh than all the youths who ate the
king's rich food. [16] So the steward took away their rich food and the wine they
were to drink, and gave them vegetables.

The Wisdom of the Three Young Men
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[17] As for these four youths, God gave them learning and skill in all letters and
wisdom; and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams. [18] At the end
of the time, when the king had commanded that they should be brought in, the
chief of the eunuchs brought them in before Nebuchadnezzar. [19] And the king
spoke with them, and among them all none was found like Daniel, Hananiah, Mi-
shael, and Azariah, therefore they stood before the king [20] And in every matter
of wisdom and understanding concerning which the king inquired of them, he
found them ten times better than all the magicians and enchanters that were in
all his kingdom. 
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Commentary:

1:1-6:29. These chapters deal with Daniel at the court of the kings of Babylon --
Nebuchadnezzar (1:1-4:37), Belshazzar (chap. 5) and Darius the Mede (chap. 6).
These three reigns, arranged in a line as if they really followed one another cover
the entire period from the start of the Babylonian captivity to the arrival of Cyrus
of Persia, who allowed the Jews to return to their homeland (cf. 1:21). The main
themes running through these chapters are: 1) divine protection afforded Daniel
and his companions; 2) the help that these young Jews render the kings; 3) their
faithfulness to the Lord despite trials and ordeals; 4) the acknowledgment of the
God of Israel by these pagan kings. In the overall context of the book, these first
six chapters introduce the God of Israel and Daniel, who will later receive a reve-
lation about the end of the world. They also provide the Jews of the Diaspora with
a model of how a Jew in a pagan society ought to live. For that reason, the
Church will read them with interest because she lives in the midst of the world
and "realizes that she is truly linked with mankind and its history by the deepest
of bonds" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 1).

1:1-4:37 Nebuchadnezzar was the king who was responsible for the deportation
of the Jews, and the most famous of the Babylonian kings. That may explain why
he gets so much space in the book: Daniel interprets two dreams for him (2:1-49;
4:1-37), and the king three times acknowledges the God of Israel (2:46-49; 4:1-3;
4:37). Each episode in these chapters is an independent unit, and they all com-
bine to show the qualities that Daniel and these other Jews had: they were ac-
complished people, successful in life; at the same time they stayed true to God,
even when their religion was put to the test.

1:1-21. This chapter acts as an introduction to the whole book. It tells us who Da-
niel was and how he and his companions became members of Nebuchadnezzar's
household. The dates given at the start and finish of the chapter (vv. 1, 21) show
that Daniel was connected with the whole period of the exile.

1:1-7. The third year of the reign of Jehoiakim was 606 BC, but the siege and
sack of Jemsalem by Nebuchadnezzar took place in 597. The sacred writer is
content to use vague references like this; and it may well be that he is advancing
the date of the deportation because that is more in line with seventy years--the
length of the exile according to Jeremiah 25:11. The Hebrew word translated as
"eunuch" (v. 3) is "saris", which could refer to any palace officials or guards, not
necessarily eunuchs. The country of Shinar is Babylonia, which is how the Greek
version translates the name. It was quite common in the ancient East for a victo-
rious king to appoint state officials from among the noblemen of subject peoples;
Jewish officials, for example, could be very useful in dealings with Jewish com-
munities.

1:8-16. The sacred writer extends Jewish regulations about food (cf. 1 Mac 1:62)
to wine, to show that keeping to the Jewish law was much better for the youths
than eating the king's fare would have been. Besides, to eat and drink at the royal
table would have involved eating and drinking things offered to the gods; it would
have been a form of communing with pagan gods. As those young men saw it,
being good Jews was not incompatible with the performance of duties for which
they were trained. Similarly, "to remind a Christian that his life is meaningless
unless he obeys God's will does not mean separating him from other men" (St.
Josemaria Escrivá, "Christ Is Passing By", 21).

God can afford protection by making use of people's good dispositions; here he
causes the chief eunuch to be well-disposed to the Jewish youths (v. 9). Thus,
"though often unconscious collaborators with God's will, men can also enter de-
liberately into the divine plan by their actions, their prayers and their sufferings"
("Catechism of the Catholic Church", 307).

1:17-21. Athough Daniel and his companions are given a very good Chaldean
education, their wisdom comes from God, not from that training (v. 17) It includes
the understanding of all things human and, in Daniel's case, the ability to inter-
pret dreams and visions. The king will soon see for himself that Daniel and the
Jews have greater wisdom than others, but he does not yet know where it comes
from (he will, later: cf. 2:47). But the Jewish or Christian reader of the book does
know what the source of this true wisdom is: "God's truth is his wisdom which
commands the whole created order and governs the world (cf. Wis 13:1-9). God
who alone made heaven and earth (cf. Ps 115:15), can alone impart true know-
ledge of every created thing in relation to himself" ("Catechism of the Catholic
Church", 216).

Summing up the career of these Jewish youths in Babylon, and aware that their
wisdom came from the Word of God, St Hippolytus of Rome comments: "It was
the Word who gave them wisdom and made them faithful witnesses [to him] in
Babylon, so that through them what was worshipped in Babylon would be
scorned. Nebuchadnezzar was defeated by three young men whose faith was
tested in the fires of the furnace, the holy woman Susanna was delivered from
the jaws of death and the terrible depth of ancient evil was laid bare. These were
the victories won by four young men in Babylon; they were beloved of God and
nurtured the fear of the Lord in their hearts" ("Commentarium In Danielem", 1,
11).

(II) 1st Reading: Revelation 14:1-3, 4b-5

The Lamb and His Companions
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[1] Then I looked, and lo, on Mount Zion stood the Lamb, and with him a hun-
dred and forty-four thousand who had his name and his Father's name written
on their foreheads. [2] And I heard a voice from heaven like the sound of many
waters and like the sound of loud thunder; the voice I heard was like the sound
of harpers playing on their harps, [3] and they sing a new song before the throne
and before the four living creatures and before the elders. No one could learn that
song except the hundred and forty-four thousand who had been redeemed from
the earth. [4] It is these who follow the Lamb wherever he goes; these have been
redeemed from mankind as first fruits for God and the Lamb, [5] and in their
mouth no lie was found, for they are spotless.

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Commentary:

14:1-16:21 The book now turns to the Lamb and to divine judgment (anticipating
the victory of the Lamb). It stays with this theme up to chapter 17 at which point
the powers of evil appear again (in various symbolic forms) and are subjected to
the judgment of God. First we are shown the Lamb and his entourage (cf. 14:l-5);
immediately after this the Last Judgment is proclaimed and a preliminary des-
cription given (14:6-20); the glory of the Lamb is again extolled (cf. 15: 1-4) and
the unleashing of the wrath of God is further described in terms of the pouring out
of the seven bowls (cf. 15:5-16:21).

In opposition to the powers of evil and the active hostility to God and the Church
caused by the machinations of Satan stand the risen Christ and his followers,
who sing in praise of his glory and triumph. These followers are those who have
attained redemption; the salvation will reach its climax when the Kingdom of
God is fully established (the marriage of the Lamb, and the heavenly Jerusalem:
chaps. 21-22). In the meantime, although the Church has to do battle with the
forces of evil, it can contemplate Christ "as an innocent lamb (who) merited life
for us by his blood which he freely shed. In him God reconciled us to himself
and to one another, freeing us from the bondage of the devil and of sin, so that
each one of us could say with the Apostle: the Son of God 'loved me and gave
himself for me' (Gal 2:20)" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et Spes", 22).

1-3. It is highly significant that the Lamb stands on Mount Zion, in Jerusalem,
which was where God dwelt among men according to the Old Testament (cf.
Ps 74:1; 132:14; etc.) and where, according to certain Jewish traditions, the
Messiah would appear, to join all his followers. The assembly, then, is an idea-
lization of the Church, protected by Christ and gathered about him. It includes
all those who belong to Christ and to the Father and who therefore bear his
mark, which shows them to be children of God. They are so many that it is im-
possible to count them, but their number is complete: they are given a symbolic
number which is 12 (the tribes of Israel) by 12 (the Apostles) by 1000 (a number
indicating a huge scale): cf. Rev 7:3ff.

The one hundred and forty-four thousand are not yet in heaven (for the loud noise
comes from heaven); they are on earth, but they have been rescued from the po-
wer of the beast (cf. 13:13-14). The verse from heaven symbolizes the strength
and power of God; and the heavenly voice speaks with the gentleness of liturgical
music. It is a new song, for it now sings of the salvation wrought by Christ (cf. 15:
34) in the same style as the Old Testament chants the praises of God (cf., e.g.,
Ps 33:3; 40:2; 96:1). Only those who belong to Christ can join in this song and
be associated with the heavenly liturgy: "It is especially in the sacred liturgy
that our union with the heavenly Church is best realized; in the liturgy, through
the sacramental signs, the power of the Holy Spirit acts on us, and with com-
munity rejoicing we celebrate together the praise of the divine majesty; when
all those of every tribe and tongue and people and nation (cf. Rev 5:9) who have
been redeemed by the blood of Christ and gathered together into one Church
glorify, in one common song of praise, the one and triune God" ("Lumen Gen-
tium", 50).

4-5. The text refers to those who are properly disposed to take part in the mar-
riage supper of the Lamb (cf. 19:9; 21:2) because they have not been stained
by idolatry but have kept themselves undefiled for him. St Paul compares every
Christian to a chaste virgin (cf. 2 Cor 11:2) and describes the Church as the
spouse of Christ (cf. Eph 5:21-32). The author of the Apocalypse is referring to
all the members of the Church insofar as they are holy, that is, called to holi-
ness; but the symbolism he uses also draws attention to the fact that virginity
and celibacy for the sake of the Kingdom of heaven is a special expression and
clear sign of the Church as Bride of Christ. Referring to the chastity practiced
by religious, the Second Vatican Council teaches that in this way they "recall
that wonderful marriage made by God, which will be fully manifested in the fu-
ure age, and in which the Church has Christ for her only spouse" ("Perfectae
Caritatis", 12).

The one hundred and forty-four thousand are also those who have identified
themselves fully with Christ, dead and risen, by denying themselves and devo-
ting all their energies to apostolate (cf. Mt 10: 38). They also stand for those
whom Christ, by the shedding of his blood, has made his own and his Father's
property (like Israel, the first fruits of Yahweh: cf. Jer 2:3), that is, those who
constitute a holy people like that remnant of Israel described in Zephaniah 3:13:
"they shall do no wrong and utter no lies, nor shall there be found in their mouth
a deceitful tongue." The prophet's words refer to people who have not invoked
false gods, but the Apocalypse applies them to those who are fully committed
to Christ.


Gospel Reading: Luke 21:1-4

The Widow's Mite
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[1] He (Jesus) looked up and saw the rich putting their gifts into the treasury; [2]
and He saw a poor widow put in two copper coins. [3] And He said, "Truly I tell
you, this poor widow has put in more than all of them; [4] for they all contributed
out of their abundance, but she out of her poverty put in all the living she had."

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Commentary:

1-4. Our Lord, surrounded by His disciples, watches people putting offerings into
the treasury. This was a place in the women's courtyard, where there were various
collection boxes for the offerings of the faithful. Just then, something happens
whose significance Jesus wants His disciples to notice: a poor widow puts in two
small coins, of very little value. He describes this as the greatest offering of all,
praising the generosity of giving alms for this purpose, particularly that of those
people who give part of what they need. Our Lord is moved by this tiny offering
because in her case it implies a big sacrifice. "The Lord does not look", St. John
Chrysostom comments, "at the amount offered but at the affection with which it
is offered" ("Hom. on Heb", 1). Generosity is of the essence of almsgiving. This
woman teaches us that we can move God's heart if we give Him all we can, which
will always amount to very little even if we give our very lives. "How little a life is
to offer to God!" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 42).
　

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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].

참고: 위의 본문 중의 우리말 번역은 엮은이가 한 것이며, 이 번역문들을 복사하여 가지고 가는 것을 허락하지 않습니다.