Saturday
34th Week of Ordinary Time
(I) 1st Reading: Daniel 7:15-27
The Vision Interpreted
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[15] "As for me, Daniel, my spirit within me was anxious and the visions of my
head alarmed me. [16] I approached one of those who stood there and asked
him the truth concerning all this. So he told me, and made known to me the
interpretation of the things. [17] 'These four great beasts are four kings who
shall arise out of the earth. [18] But the saints of the Most High shall receive
the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, for ever and ever.'
[19] "Then I desired to know the truth concerning the fourth beast which was
different from all the rest, exceedingly terrible, with its teeth of iron and claws
of bronze; and which devoured and broke in pieces and stamped the residue
with its feet, [20] and concerning the ten horns that were on its head and the
other horn which came up and before which three of them fell, the horn which
had eyes and a mouth that spoke great things, and which seemed greater than
its fellows. [21] As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed
over them [22] until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the
saints of the Most High and the time came when the saints received the king-
dom.
[23] "Thus he said: 'As for the fourth beast, there shall be a fourth kingdom on
earth, which shall be different from all the kingdoms, and it shall devour the
whole earth, and trample it down, and break it to pieces. [24] As for the ten
horns, out of this kingdom ten kings shall arise, and another shall arise after
them; he shall be different from the former ones, and shall put down three kings.
[25] He shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints
of the Most High, and shall think to change the times and the law and they shall
be given into his hand for a time, two times, and half a time. [26] But the court
shall sit in judgment, and his dominion shall be taken away, to be consumed
and destroyed to the end. [27] And the kingdom and the dominion and the great-
ness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the
saints of the Most High, their kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all
dominions shall serve and obey them.'"
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Commentary:
7:15-28. The interpretation focuses on the protagonists in the period when the
book of Daniel was written--those to whom the kingdom will be given, that is,
faithful Jews or "saints of the Most High" (vv. 18, 27); and the horn that grows
from the fourth beast, Antiochus IV, who blasphemes against God, persecutes
those who keep the Law and suppresses sabbaths and feasts (v. 25; cf. 1 Mac
1:41-52). But the persecution will only go on for a certain time--three and a half
"times", that is, half seven, which symbolizes completeness. The vision and its
interpretation alarm Daniel on account of the sufferings that his people are under-
going and will undergo in the future; but he also says that "I kept the matter in
my mind" (v. 28): his faith and hope are not affected.
(II) 1st Reading: Revelation 22:1-7
A New World Comes into Being. The New Jerusalem
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[1] Then he showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal,flowing from
the throne of God and of the Lamb [2] through the middle of the street of the city;
also, on either side of the river, the tree of life with its twelve kinds of fruit, yielding
its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.
[3] There shall no more be anything accursed, but the throne of God and of the
Lamb shall be in it, and his servants shall worship him; [4] they shall see his
face, and his name shall be on their foreheads. [5] And night shall be no more;
they need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they
shall reign for ever and ever.
The Visions Come to an End
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[6] And he said to me, "These words are trustworthy and true. And the Lord, the
God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent his angel to show his servants what
must soon take place. [7] And behold, I am coming soon."
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Commentary:
1-5. Because the water of life is a symbol of the Holy Spirit (cf. 21:6), some Fa-
thers and modern commentators have, justifiably, read a trinitarian meaning into
this passage--interpreting the river which flows from the throne of God and of the
Lamb representing the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father and the Son.
The trees whose leaves never fade (cf. Ps 1:3), with their fruit and medicinal fo-
liage, symbolize the joy of eternal life (cf. Ezek 47:1-12; Ps 46:5).
The passage also takes up the prophecy in Zechariah 14:11 that nothing will
be accursed--a reference to the terrible practice of anathema (Hebrew "herem")
which marked the Israelite conquest of Canaan: to avoid being tainted by idola-
trous pagans, the Israelites laid cities and fields waste, putting them to torch
and killing inhabitants and livestock. Peace and security will now reign supreme.
And the dream of every man will come true--to see God (something impossible
to attain on earth). Now all the blessed will see God (cf. 1 Cor 13:12); and be-
cause they see him they shall be like him (cf. 1 Jn 3:2). The name of God on
their foreheads shows that they belong to God (cf. Rev 13:16-17).
6-9. The author concludes his account of his visions by reaffirming that every-
thing he has written is true (vv. 5-9) and by issuing a solemn warning: it will all
come to pass and people will either be blessed or rejected (vv. I0-I5).
The truth of what the book says is grounded on God, who is truth itself. This is
St John's usual way of referring to the authority and reliability of his teaching (cf.
Rev 1:1, 9; Jn 19:35; 1 Jn 1:1 ff). He is acutely conscious of having written in the
same manner as the prophets spoke--inspired by "the God of the spirits of the
prophets". That is why he presents his book as "prophecy".
He also insists on the fact that the Lord's coming is imminent: he says this no
less than three times in this chapter (vv. 7, 12 and 20): this is designed to make
it quite clear that the Lord will come, and to create a climate of vigilance and
hope (cf. note on Rev 1:1, on the imminence of the second coming).
Because this is a genuine book of prophecy those who read it and tell others its
message are described as "blessed". This is the attitude which Jesus required
people to have towards the word of God and towards his own words: when a wo-
man proclaims his Mother "blessed", our Lord replies, "Blessed rather are those
who hear the word of God and keep it" (Lk 11:28), and he promises that a person
who listens to his word and keeps it is like someone who builds on solid founda-
tions (cf. Mt 7:24). St James gives a similar warning: "be doers of the word, and
not hearers only, deceiving yourselves" (Jas 1:22).
Gospel Reading: Luke 21:34-36
The Need for Vigilance
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(Jesus said to His disciples), [34] "But take heed to yourselves lest your hearts
be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and
that day come upon you suddenly like a snare; [35] for it will come upon all who
dwell upon the face of the whole earth. [36] But watch at all times, praying that
you may have strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to
stand before the Son of Man."
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Commentary:
34-36. At the end of His discourse Jesus emphasizes that every Christian needs
to be vigilant: we do not know the day nor the hour in which He will ask us to ren-
der an account of our lives. Therefore, we must at all times be trying to do God's
will, so that death, whenever it comes, will find us ready. For those who act in
this way, sudden death never takes them by surprise. As St. Paul recommends:
"You are not in darkness, brethren, for that day to surprise you like a thief" (1
Thessalonians 5:4). Vigilance consists in making a constant effort not to be at-
tached to the things of this world (the concupiscence of the flesh, the concupi-
scence of the eyes and pride of life: cf. John 2:16) and in being assiduous in
prayer, which keeps us close to God. If we live in this way, the day we die will
be a day of joy and not of terror, for with God's help our vigilance will mean that
our souls are ready to receive the visit of our Lord; they are in the state of grace:
in meeting Christ we will not be meeting a judge who will find us guilty; instead
He will embrace us and lead us into the house of His Father to remain there for-
ever. "Does your soul not burn with the desire to make your Father-God happy
when He has to judge you?" (St. J. Escriva, "The Way", 746).
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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].