나바르 매일미사 독서/묵상

Thursday

3rd Week of Ordinary Time

(I) 1st Reading: Hebrews 10:19-25

Motives for Perseverance
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[19] Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by
the blood of Jesus, [20] by the new and living way which he opened for us
through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, [21] and since we have a great
priest over the house of God, [22] let us draw near with a true heart in full as-
surance of faith, withour hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and
our bodies washed with pure water. [23] Let us hold fast the confession of our
hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful; [24] and let us consider
how to stir up one another to love and good works, [25] not neglecting to meet
together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the
more as you see the Day drawing near.

*********************************************************************************** Commentary:

19-21. Throughout the epistle there a constant interweaving of dogmatic and
moral considerations, with the former points often giving rise to exhortations
to the faithful to be unwavering in faith and hope. The epistle now moves on from
its theological reflections on Christ's priesthood to its practical application in the
Christian life: the Christian should put his trust in the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice,
and hrough faith, hope and charity associate himself with Christ's priesthood.

He should do this for three reasons--the redemptive value of the blood of Jesus,
the access to glory signified by his entry into the sanctuary of heaven, and
Christ's enthronement at the right hand of the Father. The sprinkling of the blood
of Christ gives the believer full assurance that he too will enter heaven, because
the paschal mystery of Christ--his passion, death and resurrection--has made
this possible.

"The new and living way": a translation of the original Greek expression, which
literally reads "the recently sacrificed and living way"; this is a metaphorical ex-
pression indicating that Christ is a way, and that this way has been recently
opened up, has been sacrificed and is alive. There is, then, a personification of
"way" which recalls what Jesus said about his being "the way, and the truth,
and the life" (Jn 14:6); and there is also a reference to Christ's sacrifice, to the
fact that his body did not experience corruption and that he lives for ever (cf.
Heb 7:25).

The "Pius V Catechism", referring to the benefits brought us by Christ's passion,
specifies how he opened to us the gates of heaven, closed due to mankind's sin:
"Nor are we without a type and figure of this mystery in the Old Law. For those
who were prohibited to return into their native country before the death of the
high priest (cf. Num 35:25) typified that no one, however just and holy may have
been his life, could gain admission into the celestial country until the eternal
High Priest, Jesus Christ, had died, and by his death immediately opened hea-
ven to those who, purified by the sacraments and gifted with faith, hope and
charity, become partakers of his passion" (I, 5, 14).

The reference to Christ's flesh as a "curtain" not only recalls the curtain in the
temple separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the sanctuary, but also
points to the fact that the deepest dimension of Christ is his Godhead, in which
the Christian must believe, but without separating it from his humanity. Christ's
human nature is at the same time a "way" because it reveals his divinity, and
a "curtain" because it masks it. "Just as the priest (of the Old Law) entered the
Holy of Holies, so too if we want to enter holy glory, we must enter by way of
Christ's flesh, the curtain (concealing) his divinity [...]. For, faith in the one God
is insufficient if one does not have faith in the Incarnation" (St Thomas Aquinas,
"Commentary on Heb., ad loc.").

22-25. The epistle now exhorts its readers to purity of heart, steadfastness in
faith and mutual charity.

It speaks of a clean heart, recalling the purity which the water of Baptism brings.
The Christian should stay true to the faith he received and professed at Baptism,
and maintain the purity which it brings. To live in this way the baptized should
count on the help provided by the Church and on the grace God continually gives.
As Vatican I teaches, referring to those who have received the light of faith, "God
does not abandon them, unless he is abandoned [...]. Therefore, the position of
those who have embraced Catholic truth by the heavenly gift of faith, and of those
who have been misled by human opinions and follow a false religion is by no
means the same, for the former, who have accepted the faith under the teaching
authority of the Church, can never have just reason for changing that faith or cal-
ling it into question" ("Dei Filius", chap. 3).

Along with its exhortation to practise the three theological virtues, the passage
includes a call not to neglect to attend Christian assemblies. We know that the
first Christians were expected to come together daily or weekly (cf. Acts 2:46;
20:7) and, as we can see here, some gave up going to those meetings through
carelessness, or because they preferred private to public prayer, or because
they did not want others to know they were Christians. In Judaism much empha-
sis was placed on the duty to attend synagogue meetings. The meetings refer-
red to in this passage, whether for the celebration of the Christian liturgy or for
instruction in apostolic teaching, had a clearly eschatological focus in the sense

that they built up people's hope in the coming of our Lord (cf. 1 Thess 5:4; 1 Cor
3:13; Rom 13:12; Phil 4:5; Jas 5:8; 1 Pet 4:7).The author's insistence on the
need to meet together recalls another exhortation which goes back to the early
Church: "Now that you are members of Christ, do not choose to cut yourselves
off from the Church by failing to attend the assembly; having Christ your head
present and in touch with you, as he promised, do not underestimate yourselves
or choose to separate the Savior from his members, or divide or scatter his body,
or give your everyday needs more importance than the Word of God; rather, on
the Lord's Day leave everything aside and come to the Church" ("The Teaching
of the Twelve Apostles"). on the basis of the apostolic tradition, the Church has
established a grave obligation to attend Mass on Sundays (cf. "Code of Canon
Law", can. 1247). "On this day Christ's faithful are bound to come together into
one place. They should listen to the word of God and take part in the Eucharist,
thus calling to mind the passion, resurrection and glory of the Lord Jesus and
giving thanks to God, 'who has begotten them anew to a living hope through the
resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead' (1 Pet 1:3)" (Vatican II, "Sacrosanc-
tum Concilium", 106).

In the same way--by listening to and meditating on the Word of God-- Christians
fulfill their equally serious obligation to improve their understanding of Christian
doctrine.
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(II) 1st Reading: 2 Samuel 7:18-19, 24-29

David’s prayer
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[18] Then King David went in and sat before the Lord, and said, “Who am I, O
Lord God, and what is my house, that thou hast brought me thus far? [19] And
yet this was a small thing in thy eyes, O Lord God; thou hast spoken also of thy
servant’s house for a great while to come, and hast shown me future genera-
tions, O Lord God!

[24] And thou didst establish for thyself thy people Israel to be thy people for
ever; and thou, O Lord, didst become their God. [25] And now, O Lord God,
confirm for ever the word which thou hast spoken concerning thy servant and
concerning his house, and do as thou hast spoken; [26] and thy name will be
magnified for ever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts is God over Israel,’ and the house
of thy servant David will be established before thee. [27] For thou, O Lord of
hosts, the God of Israel, hast made this revelation to thy servant, saying, “I will
build you a house’; therefore thy servant has found courage to pray this prayer
to thee. [28] And now, O Lord God, thou art God, and thy words are true, and
thou hast promised this good thing to thy servant; [29] now therefore may it
please thee to bless the house of thy servant, that it may continue for ever be-
fore thee; for thou, O Lord God, hast spoken, and with thy blessing shall the
house of thy servant be blessed for ever.”

********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

7:18-29. David’s prayer in response to the prophecy is a song of praise that
follows the three main points of the prophecy: the divine election of David him-
self (vv. 18-21), the election of the people as people of God (vv. 22-24), and the
consolidation of the Davidic dynasty (vv. 25-29). In this prayer David identifies
himself with his line, and therefore the blessings which have come on him
extend to the whole house of David (vv. 28-29). “David is par excellence the king
‘after God’s own heart’, the shepherd who prays for his people and prays in their
name. His submission to the will of God, his praise and his repentance, will be a
model for the prayer of the people. His prayer, the prayer of God’s Anointed, is a
faithful adherence to the divine promise (2 Sam 7:18-29) and expresses a loving
and joyful trust in God, the only King and Lord.” (Catechism of the Catholic
Church, 2579).

Gospel Reading: Mark 4:21-25

Parables of the Lamp and the Measure
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[21] And He (Jesus) said to them, "Is a lamp brought in to be put under a bushel,
or under a bed, and not on a stand? [22] For there is nothing hid, except to be
made manifest; nor is anything secret, except to come to light. [23] If any man
has ears to hear, let him hear." [24] And He said to them, "Take heed what you
hear; the measure you give will be the measure you get, and still more will be
given you. [25] For to him who has will more be given; and from him who has not,
even what he has will be taken away."

*********************************************************************************************
Commentary:

21. A "bushel" was a container used for measuring cereals and vegetables. It
held a little over eight liters (two gallons).

21. "함지bushel)"는 시리얼(cereals)들과 채소들을 재기(measure, 측정하기) 위하여
사용되었던 용기였습니다. 이 용기는 8리터(2갈론)를 약간 초과 하였습니다.

22. This parable contains a double teaching. Firstly, it says that Christ's doctrine
should not be kept hidden; rather, it must be preached throughout the whole world.
We find the same idea elsewhere in the Gospels: "what you hear whispered, pro-
claim it upon the house-tops" (Matthew 10:27); "Go into all the world and preach
the Gospel to the whole of creation..." (Mark 16:15). The other teaching is that
the Kingdom which Christ proclaims has such ability to penetrate all hearts that,
at the end of time, when Jesus comes again, not a single human action, in favor
or against Christ, will not become public and manifest.

22. 이 비유는 다음과 같은 이중의 가르침을 포함하고 있습니다: 첫째로, 이 비유는
그리스도의 가르침이 숨겨진 채로 유지되어서는 아니 되며, 대신에 이 세상 전체에 걸쳐
설교되어져야만 함을 말합니다. 우리는 복음서들의 다른 곳에서 다음과 같은 꼭 같은
의도(idea)를 발견합니다: "너희가 귓속말로 들은 것을 지붕 위에서 선포하여라"
(마태오 복음서 10,27), "너희는 온 세상에 가서 모든 피조물에게 복음을 선포하여라"
(마르코 복음서 16,15). 다른 가르침은 그리스도께서 선포하신 하느님의 나라
(the kingdom)가, 예수님께서 다시 오실 때인 시간의 끝에, 그리스도께 찬성하거나
혹은 반대하는 단 한 개의 인간의 행동도 반드시 공적으로 되고 그리고 드러나게 되는,
모든 본심(hearts)들을 뚫고 들어가는 바로 그러한 능력을 가지고 있음을 말합니다.

24-25. Our Lord never gets tired of asking the Apostles, the seed which will pro-
duce the Church, to listen carefully to the teaching He is giving: they are receiving
a treasure for which they will be held to account. "To him who has will more be
given...": he who responds to grace will be given more grace and will yield more
and more fruit; but he who does not will become more and more impoverished
(cf. Matthew 25:14-30). Therefore, there is no limit to the development of the
theological virtues: "If you say `Enough,' you are already dead" (St. Augustine,
"Sermon 51"). A soul who wants to make progress in the interior life will pray
along these lines: "Lord, may I have due measure in everything, except in Love"
([St] J. Escriva, "The Way", 247).

24-25. 우리의 주님께서는, 장차 교회를 산출할 씨앗(the seed which will produce
the Churhch)인 사도(Apostles)들에게, 당신께서 주시는 가르침을 조심스럽게 들을
것을 요청하심에 있어 결코 피곤해 하지 않으십니다: 그들은 자신들에게 책임이
요구될 어떤 보물(a treasure)을 지금 받고 있는 중입니다. "정녕 가진 자는 더 받고
가진 것 없는 자는 가진 것 마저 빼앗길 것이다": 은총에 응답하는 자에게는 더 많은
은총이 주어질 것이며 그리하여 그는 더욱 더 많은 열매를 맺을 것이나, 그러나 그렇지
아니한 자는 더욱 더 가난하게 될 것입니다 (마태오 복음서 25,14-30를 참조하라).
그러므로, [믿음(faith, 신덕), 희망(hope, 망덕), 사랑(charity, 애덕)으로 이루어진]
향주덕(the theological virtues, 대신덕)들의 계발(development)에는 어떠한 한계(limit)도
없습니다: "만약에 그대가 '충분하다'고 말한다면, 그대는 이미 죽은 상태입니다"
[성 아우구스티노(St. Augustine, "Sermon 51"]. 내면적 삶에 있어 진전이 있기를 원하는
영혼은 이러한 방침을 따라 다음과 같이 기도할 것입니다: "주님, 거룩한 사랑(Love)을
제외한 모든 일에 있어 제가 마땅한 척도(due measure)를 가지게 해 주시옵소서"
[(성) 호세마리아 에스크리바([St] J. Escriva), "The Way", 247].
　

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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.