Monday

6th Week of Ordinary Time

(I) 1st Reading: Genesis 4:1-15, 25

The First Children of Adam and Eve
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[1] Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I
have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” [2] And again, she bore his brother
Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground.

Cain and Abel
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In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground,
[4] and Abel brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And the
Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, [5] but for Cain and his offering he had
no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. [6] The Lord said
to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? [7] If you
do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is couching at
the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

[8] Cain said to Abel his brother, “Let us go out to the field.” And when they
were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him. [9] Then
the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know;
am I my brother’s keeper?” [10] And the Lord said, “What have you done? The
voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. [11] And now you
are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s
blood from your hand. [12] When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield to
you its strength; you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” [13] Cain
said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. [14] Behold, thou
hast driven me this day away from the ground; and from thy face I shall be hid-
den; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me
will slay me.” [15] Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If any one slays Cain,
vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain,
lest any who came upon him should kill him.

The birth of Seth
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[25] And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name
Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another child instead of Abel, for
Cain slew him.”

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Commentary: 

4:1. To refer to sexual intercourse between man and woman, the Bible uses the
term “to know”, thereby signalling the human depth of that relationship: although 
it takes place via the body, it does so in a context of mind and will.

The name of Cain has an explanation in the biblical text: it echoes Eve’s excla-
mation, “I have gotten (in Hebrew, “qaniti”). This shows God’s part in the genera-
tion of her child. The Bible will keep on teaching that children are a gift from
God, and that it is God who gives or witholds fertility. Consequently the Church
reminds married couples of their duty “to transmit human life and to educate their
children; they should realize that they are thereby cooperating with the love of
God the Creator and are, in a certain sense, its interpreters’” (Vatican II, “Gau-
dium et spes”, 50).

4:3-8. We can see here how from the start God picks out particular people (with-
out any merit on their part), sometimes giving preference to the youngest or the
weakest: Isaac is preferred to Esau, for example; David to his brothers. The ori-
gin of Cain’s sin lies in the fact that he does not accept God’s preference for his
younger brother, and he gives way to anger, envy (cf. Wis 10:3) and gloominess.
Despite that, God loves Cain too and he invites him to master temptation (v. 7)
by acting rightly; but Cain killed his brother Abel.

Cain is the prototype of the perverse and murderous man; Abel, of the just man
who blamelessly suffers violent death. For this reason Abel is seen as a figure
of Jesus Christ, whose blood spilt on the cross speaks even more eloquently
than the blood of Abel: “But you have come [. . .] to Jesus, the mediator of a
new covenant, and to the spiritual blood that speaks more graciously than the
blood of Abel” (Heb 12:24). Cain, on the other hand, symbolizes every man who
hates his neighbour, for hatred implies desiring that the other person should not
exist. St John interprets the story of Cain in this sense when he writes: “This is
the message which you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one
another, and not be like Cain who was of the evil one and murdered his brother.
And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s
righteous. [. . .] Any one who hates his brother is a murderer, and we know that
no murderer has eternal life abiding in him’’ (Jn 3:11-12, 15).

Assuming that Cain was ill-intentioned in his offerings, St Bede the Venerable
comments that “men often are placated by gifts from those who have offended
them; but God, who ‘discerns the thoughts and intentions of the heart’ (Heb 4:
12), lets himself be placated by no gift as much as by the pious devotion of the
offerer. Once he has seen the purity of our heart, he will then also accept our
prayers and our works” (“Hexaemeron 2: in Gen, 4:4-5).

4:9-16. The question God puts to Cain is one that is constantly being asked of
all human beings as regards their fellows. And the death by violence of any inno-
cent person cries for justice, a cry to which God is never indifferent. He burdens
Cain’s conscience with the weight of his crime, even though he protects his life
by putting a mark on him to prevent anyone taking revenge. In the context of
this account, the mark is meant as a protection, not a sign of infamy. The fact
that Cain, on account of what he has done, is sent out of God’s presence and
has to wander on the earth symbolizes the break with God that sin causes.

“Human life is sacred,” the Church teaches, “because from its beginning it in-
volves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship
with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its begin-
ning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the
right directly to destroy an innocent human being’’ (Catechism of the Catholic
Church, 2258).

4:25-26. This is the part of mankind which retained its knowledge of the true
God, who in due course will reveal himself to Abraham (cf. chap. 12) and Moses
(cf. Ex 3:14). Seth’s name is given an etymological explanation, but now one
connected not with cities and skills (cf. the note on 4:17-24) but with God: Seth
gets his name because God gave him to Eve to take the place of Abel. This will
be the line of descendants of Adam and Eve from which will come the chosen
people, through the calling of Abraham. The fact that there is no mention of
Seth’s descendants devoting themselves to trades may he designed to show
that their specific contribution to mankind was their keeping the knowledge of
the true God -- a greater contribution than that made by others.

“In a figurative manner,” St Bede explains, “Enoch, the son of Seth, stands for
the Christian people who, through faith and the sacrament of the passion and
resurrection of the Lord, is born every day, the world over, of water and the Holy
Spirit. This people [. . .] in all that it does is always invoking the name of the Lord,
saying, Our Father, who are in heaven, hallowed by thy name” (Hexaemeron 2:
in Gen, 4:25-26).


(II) 1st Reading: James 1:1-11

Address and Greetings
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[1] James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes
in the Dispersion: Greeting.

The Value of Suffering
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[2] Count it all joy, my brethren, when you meet various trials, [3] for you know
that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. [4] And let steadfastness
have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. 

[5] If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives to all men generously
and without reproaching, and it will be given him. [6] But let him ask in faith, with
no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed
by the wind. [7,8] For that person must not suppose that a double-minded man,
unstable in all his ways, will receive anything from the Lord.

[9] Let the lowly brother boast in his exaltation, [10] and the rich in his humilia-
tion, because like the flower of the grass he will pass away. [11] For the sun
rises with its scorching heat and withers with the grass; its flower falls, and its
beauty perishes. So will the rich man fade away in the midst of his pursuits.

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Commentary:

1. The author of the letter is St. James, who was in charge of the Christian com-
munity of Jerusalem for a number of years (cf. Acts 12:17; 15:13; 21:19), a close
relative of our Lord....

James introduces himself as a "servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ". The
title of "servant of God" was given to people in the Old Testament who were out-
standingly faithful to the Lord (cf. Psalm 34:22), such as Moses, David, the pro-
phets; the title applies in a special way to the Messiah, the "Servant of Yahweh"
(cf. Isaiah 42-53). In the New Testament it is applied to all Christians, particularly
the Apostles (cf. Acts 4:29; 16-17; Revelation 1:1). At the start of their letters,
St. Peter, St. Paul and St. Jude sometimes describe themselves in this way to
make the point that they are mere messengers of divine truth.

The term "Lord"--'Kyrios' in Greek--which is applied to Jesus Christ is used in the
second-century B.C. Septuagint Greek version of the Old Testament to translate
the name of Yahweh. St. Paul also uses it frequently. It is an explicit profession
of faith in the divinity of Jesus Christ, part of the Christian creed from the very
beginning.

The letter is addressed "to the twelve tribes in the Dispersion" or Diaspora. The
term "diaspora" originally meant Jews domiciled outside Palestine. Here it refers
to Christians--the twelve tribes of the new, true Israel--who were to be found all
over the Greco-Roman world. It is very likely that it refers particularly to Jewish
converts to Christianity.

The salutation used by James--which the New Vulgate translates as "health" and
the RSV gives as "greeting"--literally means "rejoice". It was the customary form
of greeting in the Greek of the time. The same word is used in verse 2, perhaps
to make it quite clear what kind of joy he means.

2-12. In these opening verses, St. James points out how Christians should be-
have in the face of trials and sufferings: they should accept them with joy (verses
2-4); if they find it difficult to see why they are experiencing difficulties, they
should ask God to give them the necessary wisdom (verses 5-8); the poor and
well-to-do should have the same attitude to things (verses 9-11); finally, he re-
minds them that the reward God promises to those who endure trials is blessed-
ness (verse 12). The whole passage clearly reflects the Beatitudes of the Ser-
mon on the Mount (cf. Matthew 5:1-12).

The problem of the suffering experienced by the righteous in contrast with the
prosperity of the impious in this life is one often dealt with in the Old Testament,
particularly in the Psalms and in the Book of Job. But it was not fully and finally
solved until the coming of Jesus Christ, who by His teaching and His life revealed
the redemptive value of suffering, and the great reward which Heaven holds. "It is
through Christ and in Christ that light is thrown on the riddle of suffering and
death which, apart from His Gospel, overwhelms us" (Vatican II, "Gaudium Et
Spes", 22).

Human suffering has a redemptive value when borne in union with Christ: "The
Gospel of suffering", Pope John Paul II says, "is being written unceasingly, and
it speaks unceasingly with the words of this strange paradox: the springs of
divine power gush forth precisely in the midst of human weakness. Those who
share in the sufferings of Christ preserve in their own sufferings a very special
"particle of the infinite treasure" of the world's Redemption, and can share this
treasure with others" ("Salvifici Doloris", 27).

2-4. The "trials" referred to hear do not seem to be persecutions, but rather ever-
yday adversity--perhaps poverty especially (cf. 1:9; 2:5-7)--which tests the Chris-
tian's faith: for this reason the word is sometimes translated as "temptations".
These trials act as a test of perseverance in the pursuit of good and help the soul
to grow in patience, a much needed virtue: "There is nothing more pleasing to
God", St. Alphonsus comments, "than to see a soul who patiently and serenely
bears whatever crosses it is sent; this is how love is made, by putting lover and
loved one on the same level [...]. A soul who loves Jesus Christ desires to be
treated the way Christ was treated--desires to be poor, despised and humiliated
("The Love of Jesus Christ", Chapter 5).

Patience, steadfastness, is quite different from mere passive endurance of suf-
fering; it comes from the virtue of fortitude and leads one to accept suffering as
something sent by God. It is grounded on hope (cf. Thessalonians 1:3) and on
faith put to the test (James 1:3); it is very fruitful (cf. Luke 8:15), particularly in
terms of Christian joy (cf. Acts 5:41), and implies sustained effort to the point
of perfection.

5-8. The wisdom St. James refers to views everything in the light of Christ cru-
cified -- the wisdom of the cross in the phrase of St. Paul (cf. 1 Corinthians 1:18
ff), which is the only type of insight that enables one to be joyful in the midst of
adversity and suffering, because it allows one to see these things as an oppor-
tunity to share in our Lord's suffering. When we find it difficult to view things in
this light, we need to ask God to give us wisdom.

Our prayer for wisdom should be a prayer full of faith: "Whatever you ask for in
prayer, you will receive, if you have faith" (Matthew 21:22). The "St. Pius V
Catechism" reminds us that "believe, we must, both in order to pray, and that
we be not wanting in that faith which renders prayer fruitful. For it is faith that
leads to prayer, and it is prayer that, by removing all doubts, gives strength and
firmness to faith. This is the meaning of the exhortation of St. Ignatius to those
who approach God in prayer: 'Be not of doubtful mind in prayer; blessed is he
who had not doubted' ("Ep. X Ad Heronem"). Therefore, to obtain from God what
we ask, faith and an assured confidence are of first importance, according to the
admonition of St. James: "Let him ask in faith, with no doubting" (James 1:6)"
(IV, 7, 3).

5. "Who gives to all men generously and without reproaching": God always listens
to our requests, and He answers them without humiliating us, without reminding
us of our unworthiness. This should help us address the Lord with complete con-
fidence, not being inhibited by our shortcomings and sins. "You are so conscious
of your misery", St. Escriva says, that you acknowledge yourself unworthy to be
heard by God. But, what about the merits of Mary? And the wounds of your Lord?
And...are you not a son of God? Besides, He listens to you '"quoniam bonus...,
quoniam in saeculum misericordia ejus"': because He is good, because His mer-
cy endure forever'" ("The Way", 93).

7-8. "A double-minded man": an indecisive soul who is unsure whether to trust
in the efficacy of prayer or not. St. Bede comments: "A double-minded person
is one who kneels down to ask God for things and beseeches Him to grant them,
and yet feels so accused by his conscience that he distrusts his ability to pray.
A double-minded person is also one who, when he does good deeds, looks for
external approval rather than interior reward. The wise man is right when he says,
'Woe to the sinner who walks along two ways!" (Sirach 2:12) [...]. People of this
type are inconstant in all their ways, for they are very easily overpowered by
adverse circumstance and entrapped by favorable ones, with the result that they
stray from the true path" ("Super Iac. Expositio, ad loc.").

9-11. Apparently poverty was one of the hardest trials these Christians were ex-
periencing. The Semitic mind was fond of expressing itself in terms of contrasts,
and this may make it difficult for us to grasp the full thrust of St. James' maxims:
to do so we need to draw on our general knowledge of Christian doctrine. God
and the Church have a predilection for the poor, and Christ describes the poor
as blessed (cf. Matthew 5:3 and paragraph): this teaching applies in the first
instance to those who experience material need, but material need is a symbol
of the truly poor, that is, those who, independently of whether they have many
or few material possessions, realize that they are in dire need of God (cf. note
on Luke 6:24). In principle, it may be easier for a materially poor person to feel
in need of God, whereas someone who is well off needs to be detached from
possessions in order to trust fully in God.

The sacred writer does not require people who have possessions to give them
up: what they have to do is to realize that material possessions are transitory,
impermanent things to be used in the service of others and of society, and not
just for oneself.


Gospel Reading: Mark 8:11-13

The Leaven of the Pharisees
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[11] The Pharisees came and began to argue with Him (Jesus), seeking from
Him a sign from Heaven, to test Him. [12] And He sighed deeply in His spirit,
and said, "Why does this generation seek a sign? Truly, I say to you, no sign
shall be given to this generation." [13] And He left them, and getting into the
boat again He departed to the other side.

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Commentary:

11-12. Jesus expresses the deep sadness He feels at the hardheartedness of
the Pharisees: they remain blind and unbelieving despite the light shining around
them and the wonderful things Christ is doing. If someone rejects the miracles
God has offered him, it is useless for him to demand new signs, because he
asks for them not because he is sincerely seeking the truth but out of ill will: he
is trying to tempt God (cf. Luke 16:27-31). Requiring new miracles before one
will believe, not accepting those already performed in the history of salvation,
amounts to asking God to account for Himself before a human tribunal (cf. Ro-
mans 2:1-11). Unfortunately, many people do act like this. But God can only
be found if we have an open and humble attitude to Him. "I have no need of
miracles: there are more than enough for me in the Gospel. But I do need to
see you fulfilling your duty and responding to grace" (St J. Escriva, "The Way",
362).

12. The generation to which Jesus refers does not include all the people of His
time, but only the Pharisees and their followers (cf. Mark 8:38; 9:19; Matthew
11:16), who do not want to see in Jesus' miracles the sign and guarantee of His
messianic mission and dignity: they even attribute His miracles to Satan
(Matthew 12:28).

If they do not accept the signs offered to them, they will be given no other sign
of the spectacular kind they seek, for the Kingdom of God does not come noisily
(Luke 17:20-21) and even if it did they in their twisted way would manage to mis-
interpret the event (Luke 16:31). According to Matthew 12:38-42 and Luke
11:29-32, they are offered yet another sign--the miracle of Jonah, the sign of the
death and resurrection of Christ; but not even this remarkable proof will lead the
Pharisees to shed their pride.
　

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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].