Tuesday

4th Week of Ordinary Time

(I) 1st Reading: Hebrews 12:1-4

The Example of Christ
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[1] Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us
also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with
perseverance the race that is set before us, [2] looking to Jesus the pioneer and
perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross,
despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

[3] Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that
you may not grow weary or faint-hearted. [4] In your struggle against sin you have
not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

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Commentary:

1-3. After recalling the exemplary faith and fidelity of the righteous of the Old Tes-
tament, a moral lesson is now drawn: Christians should be no less faithful--parti-
cularly since they have as a model not only patriarchs, kings and prophets but
also Christ Jesus himself, "the pioneer and perfecter of our faith", in other words,
he is the perfect example of obedience, of faithfulness to his mission, of union
with the Father, and of endurance in suffering.

Christ is depicted as the strong, generous athlete who runs a good race (cf. 1
Cor 9:24; 1 Tim 6:12; 2 Tim 2:6), who starts and finishes well, who does not flag
and who wins the race. A Christian should live in the same way (cf. Gal 2:2; Phil
2:16; 5:7). It is as if we were listening again to what St Paul says in Philippians
2:5-9: "Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus." Christ's
example helps us to overcome contempt and it reminds us that we should not be
surprised to meet up with humiliation and hostility rather than success and rejoi-
cing (cf. Mt 10:24; Lk 6:40). "Cross, toil, anguish: such will be your lot as long as
you live. That was the way Christ went, and the disciple is not above his Master"
(St J. Escriva, "The Way", 699).

1. This verse contains three remarkable expressions which stress the need to be
faithful in spite of difficulties. The first is the "cloud of witnesses", a reference to
the multitude of holy people in the course of the history of Israel who stayed faith-
ful to God (cf. 11:2, 4, 5, 39); they are a cloud, a huge number filling the sky. In
classical literature one often finds an army advancing in battle array being com-
pared with a storm forming in the sky. Also, the image of the cloud suggests that
these witnesses are high up, near the sun, a sign of their spiritual stature.

They are "witnesses", that is, active spectators of the combat in which Chris-
tians are involved. This evokes the idea of spectators at the Games who follow
the events from the stands, applauding, shouting and gesticulating.

"Sin which clings so closely": one interpretation of the original is "sin which wat-
ches us closely, like an enemy, to see where he can attack us". It is the same
kind of idea as occurs in 1 Pet 5:8, where it says that the devil prowls around
like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, and as in Gen 4:7 where God
describes sin as couching at the door (like a hungry wild animal ready to pounce).
The verb used to describe sin indicates it is something which surrounds one on
all sides (cf. RSV) and can easily get a foothold and is persistent. "We may have
here an allusion to occasions of sin, to the fact that sin is present all around us,
that is, in the world, in the flesh, in our neighbor and in the devil" (St Thomas,
"Commentary on Heb.", ad loc.). Sin is also a "weight" which hinders our move-
ments and reduces our agility; there may also be a reference

here to being overweight. The athlete needs to shed any surplus weight and keep
to a strict training schedule involving many small renunciations (cf. 1 Cor 9:25).
His only hope of success in the Games depends on this.

Finally, Christians are invited to "run with perseverance". Theirs is not a short
race but a long test which calls for endurance and an ability to cope with pain and
fatigue. "Just as in a race and in combat we need to shed everything that cramps
our movements, the same happens in the struggle of tribulation. 'I have fought the
good fight, I have finished the race,' St Paul says (2 Tim 4:7). So, he who wants
to run well towards God in the midst of tribulation should shed all useless weight.
The Apostle describes this encumbrance as 'weight, and sin which clings so clo-
sely'. This weight is the sins we have committed, which pull the soul downwards
and incline it to sin again" ("Commentary on Heb, ad loc.").

Essentially, the verse emphasizes the need for detachment if one is to win in the
struggle of life: "Anything that does not lead to God is a hindrance. Root it out
and throw it far from you" (St J. Escriva, "The Way", 189).

2. The Christian should fix his gaze on Jesus, in the same way as a runner, once
the race has begun, lets nothing distract him from his determination to reach his
goal.

"If you want to be saved," St Thomas writes, "look at the face of your Christ. He
is the pioneer of our faith, in two senses. He teaches it through his preaching and
he also impresses it on our heart. In two senses also is he the perfecter of our
faith: he consigns faith by his miracles and it is he who gives faith its reward"
("Commentary on Heb, ad loc.").

Christ is the "pioneer" of our faith in the sense that he has marked out the path
Christians should take. He is the captain and guide of all the faithful, the cham-
pion who takes the lead and opens the way, setting the pace. The reference
evokes what Hebrews 6:20 says about Jesus being our "forerunner".

Christ is the "pioneer" of our faith, the cause of our faith; it is he that we first be-
lieve in and, as author of grace, it is he who infuses this virtue into our souls. The
title of "pioneer", initiator, may also indicate that Christ is for the Christian--and
for the universe--beginning and end, alpha and omega (cf. Rev 1:17; 2:8; 22:13).
In the same line, Jesus is also the "perfecter" of our faith, for it is he who will
lead us to perfection in faith and will transform it into the perfection of glory. He
will crown his work in us (cf. St Augustine, "Letter 194", 5), for if we believe it is
because he has moved us to faith, and if we are glorified it will be because he
has helped us to stay true to the end.

Everything Christ did in his life is a perfect example for us to follow particularly
the way he underwent his passion. "In the passion of Christ there are three things
to consider: in the first place what he gave up, then what he suffered, and thirdly
what he merited. As far as the first is concerned, (Hebrews) speaks of his leaving
'the joy that was set before him', that is, joy or happiness here on earth, as when
the crowd sought him out to make him king and he fled to the mountain despising
that honor [...]. Then describing the happiness of eternal life as his reward, he 'en-
dured the cross': that is the second thing, namely, that he suffered the cross. 'He
humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even death on a cross' (Phil
2:8). In this the terrible severity of his suffering is manifested, for he was nailed
to the cross by his hands and feet, and the opprobrium of this death, for it was
an ignominous death [...]. The third thing, that is, what he merited, is being sea-
ted at the right hand of the Father. Thus, the exaltation of Christ's human nature
was the reward for his passion" ("Commentary on Heb, ad loc.").

Christ is the pioneer of our faith by his death on the Cross, and its perfecter by
his glorification. Only those who share in Christ's sufferings will be raised up like
him in glory (cf. Rom 6:8). The Christian life begins in Christ and finds its climax
in him.

To bring about our redemption any form of suffering would have sufficed; but such
was our Lord's love for us that he accepted the ignominy of death on a cross.

"By now they have fastened Jesus to the wooden cross. The executioners have
ruthlessly carried out the sentence. Our Lord, with infinite meekness, has let
them have their way.

"It was not necessary for him to undergo so much torment. He could have avoi-
ded those trials, those humiliations, that ill-usage, that iniquitous judgment, and
the shame of the gallows, and the nails and the lance.... But he wanted to suffer
all this for you and for me. And we, are we not going to respond?

"Very likely there will be times, when alone in front of a crucifix, you find tears
coming to your eyes. Don't try to hold them back.... But try to ensure that those
tears give rise to a resolution" (St J. Escriva, "The Way of the Cross", XI, 1). .

3. "What does Christ teach you from the height of the Cross, from which he chose
not to come down, but that you should arm yourself with valor against those who
revile you, and be strong with the strength of God?" (St Augustine, "Enarrationes
in Psalmos", 70, 1). The difficulties Jesus had to contend with were quite excep-
tional: Jews and Gentiles opposed him; he suffered every kind of humiliation, to
the extreme of his passion and death; but what pained him most was the hard-
heartedness, spiritual blindness and impenitence of those who had come to save.
The "sinners" who proved "hostile" to Jesus are not only Caiaphas, Herod, Pilate,
etc. but also those who continue to sin despite his redemptive sacrifice. Yet our
Lord bore all this patiently and exhibited to a supreme degree the virtues and
qualities he asks of his disciples.

In Christ, and in Christians, weakness becomes strength, humiliation and glory.
"(Jesus) dies nailed to the Cross. But if at the same time in this weakness there
is accomplished his "lifting up", confirmed by the power of the Resurrection, then
this means that the weaknesses of all human sufferings are capable of being in-
fused with the same power of God manifested in Christ's Cross" (John Paul II,
"Salvifici Doloris", 23).

The sacred text seeks to inspire the faithful with hope and strength by sugges-
ting that they contemplate Christ's sufferings. That in fact has led many Chris-
tians to turn over a new leaf. St Teresa of Avila describes how it changed her:
"By this time my soul was growing weary, and, though it desired to rest, the mi-
serable habits which now enslaved it would not allow it to do so. It happened that,
entering the oratory one day, I saw an image which had been procured for a cer-
tain festival that was observed in the house and had been taken there to be kept
for that purpose. It represented Christ sorely wounded; and so conducive was it
to devotion that when I looked at it I was deeply moved to see him thus, so well
did it picture what he suffered for us. So great was my distress when I thought
how ill I had repaid him for those wounds that I felt as if my heart were breaking,
and I threw myself down beside him, shedding floods of tears and begging him
to give me strength once for all so that I might not offend him" ("Life", IX, 1).

4-13. Following Christ's example, Christians should struggle to avoid sin; they
should put up with tribulation and persecution because if such adversity arises
it means that the Lord permits it for our good. The letter's tone of encourage-
ment seems to change here to one of reproach. It is as if the writer were saying,
"Christ gave his life for your sins, contending even to the point of dying for you;
how is it that you do not put up with suffering, out of love for him? It is true that
you are being persecuted: God is disciplining you as a Father disciplines his
children. But you are children of God and therefore your attitude should be one
of abandonment to his will even when it seems hard. That is the way a Father
brings up his children."

The main point is that the only important thing is fidelity to God, and that the sin
of apostasy is the greatest of all misfortunes. "Don't forget, my son, that for you
on earth there is but one evil, which you must fear and avoid with the grace of
God: sin" (St J. Escriva, "The Way", 386).


(II) 1st Reading: 2 Samuel 18:9-10, 14b, 24-25a, 30-19:3

Death of Absalom
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[9] And Absalom chanced to meet the servants of David. Absalom was riding
upon his mule, and the mule went under the thick branches of a great oak, and
his head caught fast in the oak, and he was left hanging between heaven and
earth, while the mule that was under him went on. [10] And a certain man saw
it, and told Joab, “Behold, I saw Absalom hanging in an oak.” [14b] And he took
three darts in his hand, and thrust them into the heart of Absalom, while he was
still alive in the oak.

News of Absalom's Death is Brought to David (Continuation)
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[24] Now David was sitting between the two gates; and the watchman went up
to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked,he
saw a man running alone. [25a] And the watchman called out and told the king.
And the king said, “If he is alone, there are tidings in his mouth.” [30] And the
king said, “Turn aside, and hand here.” So he turned aside, and stood still.

[31] And behold, the Cushite came; and the Cushite said, “Good tidings for my
lord the king! For the LORD has delivered you this day from the power of all who
rose up against you.” [32] Tbe king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young
man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the
king, and all who rise up against you for evil, be like that young man.”

David Mourns for Absalom
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[33] And the king was deeply moved, and went up to the chamber over the gate,
and wept; and as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absa-
lom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!”

[1] It was told Joab, “Behold, the king is weeping and mourning for Absalom.” [2]
So the victory that day was turned into mourning for all the people; for the people
heard that day, “The king is grieving for his son.” [3] And the people stole into the
city that day as people steal in who are ashamed when they flee in battle. 

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Commentary:

18:9-18. The actions of the protagonists in Absalom’s death are significantly
different. David is completely uninvolved, having stayed in the rearguard; the
branches of the oak tree which accidentally trap Absalom (v. 9) mean that the
hand of God is not far from what happens; Joab, by ignoring the king’s order and
thrusting darts into Absalom (v. 14), acts more as a heartless soldier than as a
loyal lieutenant of David. Finally, poor Absalom, who aspired to great honors and
a mausoleum in his name (v. 18), has to make do with an anonymous pit in the
middle of the forest (v. 17). And this reinforces the conviction that Absalom’s
death was a tragedy for everyone, albeit one merited by his ambition and cruelty.
In any event, it formed part of God’s plan to prevent his succession to the throne
of Israel.

18:19-32. The episode of the “tidings” that are brought to David also reveals the
features of the protagonists. Joab, calculating as ever, delays sending the news
because he knows that it is not at all what David wants to hear (v. 20). Ahima-az,
an impetuous youth, wants to be the first to bring the news that the war is over,
but he is clever enough to avoid the question about Absalom (vv. 28-29). David,
king though he is, is more concerned about the fate of his son. As was the case
with the death of Saul, no one will be able to blame David for Absalom’s death
because he neither sought it nor was in any way pleased to learn of it. In all this
the reader is able to see God at work in salvation history: the Lord withdrew his
favor from Saul, he rejected Amnon, and now there is no hope that Absalom will
be king.

19:1-8. In his lament for his son, David shows his tender fatherly love, his deeply
human feelings (cf. 12; 15-18); whereas Joab is quite pitiless, mouthing threats
to make the king cut short the mourning. David’s sorrow over his son’s death,
despite all that Absalom did, shows his greatness and his fatherly heart--a heart
that is a figure of the heart of Christ, who weeps over the ingratitude and rebel-
liousness of men towards his Father God (cf. Lk 19:41-42).

Despite the calamity of the death of his son, David has to pull himself together
and put his duties as king before his fatherly feelings.


Gospel Reading: Mark 5:21-43

Jairus' Daughter is Restored to Life.
The Curing of the Woman With a Hemorrhage
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[21] And when Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a great
crowd gathered about Him; and He was beside the sea. [22] Then came one
of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name, and seeing Him, he fell at His
feet, [23] and besought Him, saying, "My little daughter is at the point of death.
Come and lay Your hands on her, so that she may be made well, and live."
[24] And He went with him.

And a great crowd followed Him and thronged about Him. [25] And there was a
woman who had a flow of blood for twelve years, [26] and who had suffered much
under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but
rather grew worse. [27] She had heard the reports about Jesus, and came up
behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment. [28] For she said, "If I touch
even His garments, I shall be made well." [29] And immediately the hemorrhage
ceased; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. [30] And
Jesus, perceiving in Himself that power had gone forth from Him, immediately
turned about in the crowd, and said, "Who touched My garments?" [31] And
His disciples said to Him, "You see the crowd pressing around You, and yet
You say, `Who touched Me?'" [32] And He looked around to see who had done
it. [33] But the woman, knowing what had been done to her, came in fear and
trembling and fell down before Him, and told Him the whole truth. [34] and He
said to her, "Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed
of your disease."

[35] While He was speaking, there came from the ruler's house some who said,
"Your daughter is dead. Why trouble the Teacher any further?" [36] But ignoring
what they said, Jesus said to the ruler of the synagogue, "Do not fear, only be-
lieve." [37] And He allowed no one to follow Him except Peter and James and
John the brother of James. [38] When they came to the house of the ruler of the
synagogue, He saw a tumult, and people weeping and wailing loudly. [39] And
when He had entered, He said to them, "Why do you make a tumult and weep?
The child is not dead but sleeping." [40] And they laughed at Him. But He put
them all outside, and took the child's father and mother and those who were with
Him, and went in where the child was. [41] Taking her by the hand He said to
her, "Talitha cumi"; which means, "Little girl, I say to you arise." [42] And im-
mediately the girl got up and walked; for she was twelve years old. And imme-
diately they were overcome with amazement. [43] And He strictly charged them
that no one should know this, and told them to give her something to eat.

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Commentary:

21-43. Both Jairus and the woman with the flow of blood give us an example of
faith in Christ's omnipotence, for only a miracle can cure Jairus' daughter, who
is on her death-bed, and heal this lady, who has done everything humanly pos-
sible to get better. Similarly, the Christian should always expect God to help
him overcome the obstacles in the way of his sanctification. Normally, God's
help comes to us in an unspectacular way, but we should not doubt that, if it
is necessary for our salvation, God will again work miracles. However, we
should bear in mind that what the Lord expects of us is that we should every
day fulfill His will.

22. At the head of each synagogue was the archisynagogist, whose function
it was to organize the meetings of the synagogue on Sabbaths and holy days,
to lead the prayer and hymns and to indicate who should explain the Sacred
Scripture. He was assisted in his task by a council and also had an aide who
looked after the material side of things.

25. This woman suffered from an illness which implied legal impurity (Leviticus
14:25ff). Medical attention had failed to cure her; on the contrary, as the Gos-
pel puts it so realistically, she was worse than ever. In addition to her physical
suffering--which had gone on for twelve years--she suffered the shame of feeling
unclean according to the Law. The Jews not only regarded a woman in this po-
sition as being impure: everything she touched became unclean as well. There-
fore, in order not to be noticed by the people, the woman came up to Jesus from
behind and, out of delicacy, touched only His garment. Her faith is enriched by
her expression of humility: she is conscious of being unworthy to touch our Lord.
"She touched the hem of His garment, she approached Him in a spirit of faith,
she believed, and she realized that she was cured [...]. So we too, if we wish to
be saved, should reach out in faith to touch the garment of Christ" (St. Ambrose,
"Expositio Evangelii Sec. Lucam", VI, 56 and 58).

30. In all that crowd pressing around Him only this woman actually touched
Jesus--and she touched Him not only with her hand but with the faith she bore
in her heart. St. Augustine comments: "She touches Him, the people crowd
Him. Is her touching not a sign of her belief?" ("In Ioann. Evang.", 26, 3). We
need contact with Jesus. We have been given no other means under Heaven
by which to be saved (cf. Acts 4:12). When we receive Jesus in the Holy Eu-
charist, we obtain this physical contact through the sacramental species. We
too need to enliven our faith if these encounters with our Lord are to redound to
our salvation (cf. Matthew 13:58).

37. Jesus did not want more than these three Apostles to be present: three was
the number of witnesses laid down by the Law (Deuteronomy 19:15). "For Jesus,
being humble, never acted in an ostentatious way (Theophilactus, "Enarratio In
Evangelium Marci, in loc."). Besides these were the three disciples closest to
Jesus: later, only they will be with Him at the Transfiguration (cf. 9:2) and at His
agony in the Garden of Gethsemane (cf. 14:33).

39. Jesus' words are in contrast with those of the ruler's servants; they say:
"Your daughter is dead"; whereas He says: "She is not dead but sleeping". "To
men's eyes she was dead, she could not be awoken; in God's eyes she was
sleeping, for her soul was alive and was subject to God's power, and her body
was resting, awaiting the Resurrection. Hence the custom which arose among
Christians of referring to the dead, whom we know will rise again, as those who
are asleep" (St. Bede, "In Marci Evangelium Expositio, in loc."). What Jesus
says shows us that, for God, death is only a kind of sleep, for He can awaken
anyone from the dead whenever He wishes. The same happens with the death
and resurrection of Lazarus. Jesus says: "Our friend Lazarus has fallen asleep,
but I go to awaken him out of sleep." And, when the disciples think that it is or-
dinary sleep He is referring to, our Lord tells them plainly: "Lazarus is dead" (cf.
John 11:11ff).

40-42. Like all the Gospel miracles the raising of the daughter of Jairus demon-
strates Christ's divinity. Only God can work miracles; sometimes He does them
in a direct way, sometimes by using created things as a medium. The exclusive-
ly divine character of miracles--especially the miracle of raising the dead -- is no-
ticed in the Old Testament: "The Lord wills and brings to life; He brings down to
Sheol and raises up" (1 Samuel 2:6), because He has "power over life and death"
(Wisdom 16:13). And also in the Old Testament God uses men to raise the
dead to life: the prophet Elijah revives the son of the widow of Sarepta by "crying
to the Lord" (cf. 1 Kings 17:21), and Elisha prevails on Him to raise the son of
the Shunammite (2 Kings 4:33).

In the same way, in the New Testament the Apostles do not act by their own
power but by that of Jesus to whom they first offer fervent prayer: Peter restores
to life a Christian woman of Joppa named Tabitha (Acts 9:36ff); and Paul, in
Troas, brings Eutychus back to life after he falls from a high window (Acts 20:7ff).
Jesus does not refer to any superior power; His authority is sovereign: all He has
to do is give the order and the daughter of Jairus is brought back to life; this
shows that He is God.
　

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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].