2010 년 6 월 30 일 연중 제 13 주간 수요 일제 1 독서 아모스 예언서 . 5 , 14 - 15 . 21 - 2414 너희 는 악 이 아니 라 선 을 찾 아라 . 그래야 살리 라 . 그래야 너희 말 대로 , 주 만군 의 하느님 이 너희 와 함께 있 으리라 . 15 너희 는 악 을 미워하 고 선 을 사랑 하 며 , 성문 에서 공정 을 세워라 . 어쩌면 주 만군 의 하느님 이 요셉 의 남 은 자 들 에게 자비 를 베풀 지 도 모른다 . 주 님 께서 말씀 하 신다 . 21 “ 나 는 너희 의 축제 들 을 싫어한다 . 배척 한다 . 너희 의 그 거룩 한 집회 를 반길 수 없 다 . 22 너희 가 나 에게 번 제물 과 곡식 제물 을 바친다 하 여도 받 지 않 고 , 살진 짐승 들 을 바치 는 너희 의 그 친교 제물 도 거들떠 보 지 않 으리라 . 23 너희 의 시끄러운 노래 를 내 앞 에서 집 어 치워라 . 너희 의 수금 소리 도 나 는 듣 지 못하 겠 다 . 24 다만 공정 을 물 처럼 흐르 게 하 고 , 정의 를 강물 처럼 흐르 게 하 여라 . ” 복음 마태오 . 8 , 28 - 3428 예수 님 께서 호수 건너편 가다 라인 들 의 지방 에 이르 셨 을 때 , 마귀 들린 사람 둘 이 무덤 에서 나와 그분 께 마주 왔 다 . 그 들 은 너무나 사나워 아무 도 그 길 로 다닐 수 가 없 었 다 . 29 그런데 그 들 이 “ 하느님 의 아드님 , 당신 께서 저희 와 무슨 상관 이 있 습니까 ? 때 가 되 기 도 전 에 저희 를 괴롭히 시 려고 여기 에 오 셨 습니까 ? ” 하 고 외쳤 다 . 30 마침 그 들 에게서 멀리 떨어진 곳 에 놓 아 기르 는 많 은 돼지 떼 가 있 었 다 . 31 마귀 들 이 예수 님 께 , “ 저희 를 쫓아내 시 려거든 저 돼지 떼 속 으로 나 들여보내 주 십시오 . ” 하 고 청하 였 다 . 32 예수 님 께서 “ 가 라 . ” 하 고 말씀 하 시 자 , 마귀 들 이 나와서 돼지 들 속 으로 들어갔 다 . 그러 자 돼지 떼 가 모두 호수 를 향해 비탈 을 내리 달려 물 속 에 빠져 죽 고 말 았 다 . 33 돼지 를 치 던 이 들 이 달아나 그 고을 로 가 서 는 , 이 모든 일 과 마귀 들렸 던 이 들 의 일 을 알렸 다 . 34 그러 자 온 고을 주민 들 이 예수 님 을 만나 러 나왔 다 . 그 들 은 그분 을 보 고 저희 고장 에서 떠나가 주 십사 고 청하 였 다 . http : / / www . usccb . org / nab / June 30 , 2010 Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary TimeReading 1 Am 5 : 14 - 15 , 21 - 24 Seek good and not evil , that you may live ; Then truly will the LORD , the God of hosts , be with you as you claim ! Hate evil and love good , and let justice prevail at the gate ; Then it may be that the LORD , the God of hosts , will have pity on the remnant of Joseph . I hate , I spurn your feasts , says the LORD , I take no pleasure in your solemnities ; Your cereal offerings I will not accept , nor consider your stall - fed peace offerings . Away with your noisy songs ! I will not listen to the melodies of your harps . But if you would offer me burnt offerings , then let justice surge like water , and goodness like an unfailing stream . Responsorial PsalmPs 50 : 7 , 8 - 9 , 10 - 11 , 12 - 13 , 16 bc - 17 R . ( 23 b ) To the upright I will show the saving power of God . “ Hear , my people , and I will speak ; Israel , I will testify against you ; God , your God , am I . ” R . To the upright I will show the saving power of God . “ Not for your sacrifices do I rebuke you , for your burnt offerings are before me always . I take from your house no bullock , no goats out of your fold . ” R . To the upright I will show the saving power of God . “ For mine are all the animals of the forests , beasts by the thousand on my mountains . I know all the birds of the air , and whatever stirs in the plains , belongs to me . ” R . To the upright I will show the saving power of God . “ If I were hungry , I should not tell you , for mine are the world and its fullness . Do I eat the flesh of strong bulls , or is the blood of goats my drink ? ” R . To the upright I will show the saving power of God . “ Why do you recite my statutes , and profess my covenant with your mouth , Though you hate disciplineand cast my words behind you ? ” R . To the upright I will show the saving power of God . GospelMt 8 : 28 - 34 When Jesus came to the territory of the Gadarenes , two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him . They were so savage that no one could travel by that road . They cried out , “ What have you to do with us , Son of God ? Have you come here to torment us before the appointed time ? ” Some distance away a herd of many swine was feeding . The demons pleaded with him , “ If you drive us out , send us into the herd of swine . ” And he said to them , “ Go then ! ” They came out and entered the swine , and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the seawhere they drowned . The swineherds ran away , and when they came to the town they reported everything , including what had happened to the demoniacs . Thereupon the whole town came out to meet Jesus , and when they saw him they begged him to leave their district . http : / / www . staygreat . com / good news ? Jesus expelled demons from twomen . The demons entered a herd of pigs causing them to leap intothe sea . This disturbed the people and they begged Jesus to leave . Matthew 8 : 34 A late concert assignment forced a music critic to cancel a dinner date . Then the soloist ' s son died . The concert was called off . The critic phoned his friend , saying , " Good news ! " The soloist ' s son died . The concert ' s canceled . Then he realized what he ' d said . It was bad news , not good news . Something similar in today ' s read - ing Gospel . Jesus healed 2 men at the cost of some pigs . But the people are more concerned about the pigs than the men . Do I ever let my lesser concerns blind me to the greater concerns of others ? When you betray somebody else , you also betray yourself . Isaac Singerhttp : / / www . franciscanretreats . net / The 8 th chapter of Matthew ’ s Gospel comes to an end with today ’ s story , a rather strange story to say the least . Jesus now crosses the Lake to the other side , regarded by Matthew as Gentile territory , and goes to Gadara some five miles from the sea . Demons and death and tombs signify the forces of evil and open up the point of this particular Gospel story . The people of Gadara have not accepted Jesus ’ ways and are regarded as being in darkness . The point of this Gospel is that Jesus ’ power extends over all the forces of evil . Apparently , from the conclusion of this Gospel , no conversion of these people was forthcoming . on the contrary , they were confused and begged Jesus to leave their territory . They were a marginal people , to say the least . There are many people in this world today who are marginal , not sure which way to turn . They are good people , but in their ignorance they fail to give Jesus ’ way a fair shake . Let us pray that the tide will shift and they too may enter the flock of the Good Shepherd . http : / / www . evangeli . net / gospel / gospel . html They begged him to leave their areaToday , we are given to contemplate a sad contrast . “ Contrast ” because we admire the power and divine majesty of Jesus Christ , whom the demons submit voluntarily to ( a signal that the Kingdom of the Heavens has reached us ) . But , at the same time , we deplore the narrowness and stinginess which the human heart is capable of , when refusing the bearer of Good News : « The whole town went out to meet Jesus ; and when they saw him , they begged him to leave their area » ( Mt 8 : 34 ) . And “ sad ” because « He himself , who is the true light ( ...) came to his own , and his own did not receive him » ( Jn 1 : 9 - 11 ) . More contrast and more confusion when we pay attention to the fact that man is free and this freedom has the “ power to halt ” God ' s infinite power . Or we can put it another way : the infinite divine powers reach as far as our “ powerful ” freedom allows it . And this is so because God mainly loves us with a Father ' s love . As a Father , we should not be surprised that He is so respectful of our freedom : He does not impose his love upon us , He just proposes it to us . God , with infinite wisdom and goodness , providentially rules the Universe while respecting our freedom ; even when this freedom turns its back on him and does not want to accept his will . Contrary to what it may seem , He does not let the world out of his hands : God always brings everything to a good conclusion , despite all hindrances we can raise against him . In fact , these hindrances are , first of all , turning against us . However , we can affirm , « in the face of human freedom God has wanted to become “ impotent ” . And it can be said God pays for the great gift [ our freedom ] given to a being created in his image and likeness [ man ] » ( John Paul II ) . God pays ! : if we throw him out , He obeys and goes away . He pays , but we lose . on the other hand , we do well when we respond like the Virgin Mary : « I am the Lord ' s servant . May it be to me as you have said » ( Lk 1 : 38 ) . http : / / www . creighton . edu / CollaborativeMinistry / daily . html Today ’ s scripture readings seem to be about rejection and encouragement . God presents simple commands and we seem unable to follow them . Jesus performs a miracle and is rejected . Amos tells the Israelites to seek good and not evil . Hate evil and love good . In the Psalms , the Lord asks , “ Why do you recite my statues , and profess my covenant with your mouth , Though you hate discipline and cast my word behind you ? ” And in Matthew , Jesus casts out demons from two men that go into pigs that rush into the sea . Sometimes I read a command from God and I think , “ why is that even in there ? ” This is a no - brainer . Seek good and not evil . And yet in this simple command , we so often fail . Why is that ? Is it our nature ? Is it the influence of the world around us ? God places before us good and evil . We want to obey God . We want to serve God . And then we choose evil . I know , as a parent , that even when I know the right choice , sometimes letting my child make the wrong choice is better than me forcing them to make the right choice . Maybe that is why the command is in there . The story from Matthew jumped out at me today . Especially the two demoniacs . You ’ ll understand later . Jesus demonstrates his power and his compassion and love for people in casting out the demons . The town finds out about the miracle , the people come out to see Jesus and they beg him to leave their district . I find this incredibly sad . As ambassadors for Christ it seems like a no - brainer . Jesus loves you . Jesus offers you a full and meaningful life . Jesus displays his power to offer you eternal life . Everyone should want this . And yet people say please leave the district . So , how can we present our treasure ? How can we persevere through rejection and serve God ? My wife and I are foster parents . Recently we received an emergency placement of a sibling strip . In other words , the police took two sisters and a brother ( ages 6 , 4 and 2 ) from their home and brought them to our home . Move some boys around , open up some beds and , viola , instant expanded family . Some people have said , “ wow , you and your wife are saints . Well , maybe my wife . Others have been less kind . one person told me , “ you think you are making a difference , but you are not . You are a band - aid masking the real problem . ” Isn ’ t it strange ? You receive all that encouragement and the one word of rejection is the one that affects you the most . It ’ s so easy to slide into self - doubt and second guessing . Did we make the right decision ? Which can lead to doubt of and bitterness toward God . I ’ m doing my part , why isn ’ t God holding up his end and keeping his promises ? And that leads to a downward spiral of paralyzing self pity . It emphasizes the destructive power of an unkind word and the importance of an encouraging word . Foster parenting brings all sorts of new experiences . Have you ever been in a store when a young child had a total meltdown ? Kicking , screaming , crying and completely out of control ? Well , I have now . You would think a 55 year old man could control two very young girls . I couldn ’ t . My own two little demoniacs . I told my son to pick up the 4 year old and we were leaving the store . Needless to say , everyone in the store stopped to stare at us . As we approached the exit an elderly woman stepped in my path . She said the lid to her coffee mug was stuck and asked if I could help her with it . My initial reaction was , “ Are you crazy ? Don ’ t you see my situation ? ” But I stopped , unscrewed the lid and handed the mug back to the woman . She smiled , thanked me and wished me luck . At that moment I realized how bad this looked . Two older white males dragging two young black girls kicking and screaming out of the store . And I realized the courage and wisdom this woman had shown . She was not big enough to stop me yet she did just that . She assessed the situation and me , determined I was not a bad man and the girls were not in danger and we went our separate ways . Encouraging brothers and sisters in Christ is huge , but it doesn ’ t have to be something huge . It can be a kind gesture or smile . It can be the offer of an encouraging word . It can be asking someone to unscrew the lid on your coffee mug . Have you ever entered your name in a drawing where it said , you have to be present to win ? The same can be said of our serving God . We can ’ t withdraw from the world and serve God . We can ’ t ignore others and serve God . We have to be present to receive the treasure of God ’ s promises . My prayer today is for the courage to be present and encourage . http : / / www . rc . net / wcc / readings / " All came out to meet Jesus " Do you ever feel driven by forces beyond your strength ? Two men driven mad by the force of many evil spirits found refuge in the one person who could set them free . Mark ’ s and Luke ’ s gospel accounts describe this force as a legion ( Mark 5 : 9 and Luke 8 : 30 ) . A legion is no small force – but an army 6 , 000 strong ! For the people of Palestine , hemmed in by occupied forces , a legion , whether spiritual or human , struck terror ! Legions at their wildest committed unmentionable atrocities . Our age has also witnessed untold crimes and mass destruction at the hands of possessed rulers and their armies . What is more remarkable – the destructive force of these driven and possessed men , or the bended knee at Jesus ' feet imploring mercy and release ? God ' s word reminds us that no destructive force can keep anyone from the peace and safety which God offers to those who seek his help . A thousand may fall at your side , ten thousand at your right hand ; but it will not come near you . . . Because you have made the Lord your refuge , the Most High your habitation ( Psalm 91 : 7 , 9 ) . Jesus took pity on these men who were overtaken by a legion of evil spirits . The destructive force of these demons is evident for all who can see as they flee and destroy a herd of swine . After Jesus freed the demoniacs the whole city came out to meet him . No one had demonstrated such power and authority against the forces of Satan as Jesus did . They feared Jesus as a result and begged him to leave them . Why would they not want Jesus to stay ? Perhaps the price for such liberation from the power of evil and sin was more than they wanted to pay . Jesus is ready and willing to free us from anything that binds us and that keeps us from the love of God . Are you willing to part with anything that might keep you from his love and saving grace ? " Lord Jesus , unbind me that I may love you wholly and walk in the freedom of your way of love and holiness . May there be nothing which keeps me from the joy of living in your presence . " Psalm 50 : 7 - 13 , 16 - 17 7 " Hear , O my people , and I will speak , O Israel , I will testify against you . I am God , your God . 8 I do not reprove you for your sacrifices ; your burnt offerings are continually before me . 9 I will accept no bull from your house , nor he - goat from your folds . 10 For every beast of the forest is mine , the cattle on a thousand hills . 11 I know all the birds of the air , and all that moves in the field is mine . 12 " If I were hungry , I would not tell you ; for the world and all that is in it is mine . 13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls , or drink the blood of goats ? 16 But to the wicked God says : " What right have you to recite my statutes , or take my covenant on your lips ? 17 For you hate discipline , and you cast my words behind you . http : / / www . daily - meditations . org / index 2 . htmlHere is a summary of today ' s gospel reading : 1 . There are two possessed men who are so violent they prevent people from using a road . 2 . Jesus comes by and casts out their demons and they are healed and are now normal . 3 . The townspeople hear that the men are now free and healed . 4 . The townspeople ask Jesus to leave them and go away . Now , this just does not make sense to me . Jesus frees two violent and tormented men of their affliction , gives the townspeople their road back and then they ask Him to leave ? Why would they do this ? Perhaps it was because the power Jesus displayed frightened them in some sense and even more than the violence displayed by the demoniacs . Perhaps their lack of knowledge about Jesus frightened them . However , there may be another and more important reason that caused them to act this way . The demoniacs , while still under the power of Satan , addressed the Lord as " Son of God . " They knew exactly who He was and what power He had . Perhaps the townspeople knew this as well and they did not want the Son of God in their presence to see their sins and shortcomings . Maybe their actions were based on a combination of these things or something completely different ; we will never know . We should remember , there is never , ever a time to ask Jesus to leave . He should always be an integral part of all we do and be welcomed in every circumstance . If we ever find ourselves asking the Lord to leave , we should probably check what we are doing , as it cannot be good . ~ Don Claunch , SFO http : / / www . contemplative . com / weekday _ readings . htm The demoniacs who came out to meet Jesus were so fierce that no one could pass by them . How far from that picture is the peace and repose of a believer in silent prayer enfolded in the divine Presence . People should feel safe passing by such a person in prayer with the fruits of that prayer wafting out into the spiritual environment . Each time I pray I share in the exorcism of the world , starting with my own healing . The demons cry out that they were being " tormented before the time . " " The time " that demons refer to , is the time of Christ , the full reign of God among all people and all creation through the manifested glory of Christ . Before that time is the gradual expulsion of the demons that dominate aspects of creation . The demons come out of the possessed and rush into the swine , into the sea . The sea ’ s depths represent the darkness of the outer kingdom . Jesus , my prayer is not separated from your work to establish the Kingdom of the Father . http : / / goodnews . ie / calendar . phpEverything in this story is unclean , untouchable . The city of Gadara was in pagan territory , and so it was “ unclean ” to Jews . It ’ s not surprising to find pigs there : these were “ unclean ” animals , which no Jew would ever have on the land . In this unclean place they were met by two demoniacs who lived in the tombs . A dead body was “ unclean ” , so tombs were “ unclean ” places . only a demoniac would think of living there . Everything was unclean . So it was appropriate that all these unclean things and people should be in the one place . There was a kind of right order in that . Peter Chrysologus ( 380 - 450 ) , remarked how fitting it was that the demons should end up in the pigs : “ Foulness begs to be sent from the tombs into the swine , so that it does not think of getting rid of its foul odours but of changing one foul odour for another . ” By the end of the story Jesus has rearranged everything : the demons have gone into the pigs , which in turn have gone into the water . Jews had a great fear of water - for them the sea was the abode of Leviathan , the monster of the deep - so it was appropriate that the pigs should end up there . Besides , it was also fatal to demons : so it was right that they too should end up there . Meanwhile ( in Mark ’ s account ) the demoniac was “ clothed and in his right mind ” ( 5 : 15 ) : he was restored to his family . Thus , in this story , Jesus restores everything to its proper place . He establishes right order . But the other order could be said to be ‘ right ’ too , in a sense . The local people were happy with it . They begged Jesus to go away : he had upset the arrangement of their world . Does this strange story have any relevance to your life and mine ? I think it has . Your demons have established their own order in you , clearly marking what is important to maintain , and what isn ' t ; what is urgent and what isn ' t ; what can be ignored and what cannot . It ’ s amusing to read that the demons upbraided Jesus for not coming at a more convenient time . Your demons always have their own schedule , because they have a different ambition for your life . It makes me think : what are the arrangements in my life that seem ‘ right ’ to me ( at least in the sense of being familiar ) , but which are far from right … ? http : / / www . presentationministries . com / " YOU HATE DISCIPLINE " ( Part 2 ) " You hate discipline and cast My words behind you . " 뾒 salm 50 : 17 The swine in today ' s Gospel loved discipline more than the townspeople . The pigs preferred to be drowned rather than live with evil . The swine had the discipline to " hate evil " ( see Am 5 : 15 ) . The townspeople , on the other hand , couldn ' t endure the discipline required by Jesus ' reconstruction of their society . So they begged Jesus to leave . We in America don ' t have the discipline of these pigs ! We hated the discipline of praying in school , exercising sexual self - control , marital commitment , and fiscal restraint . So we kicked Jesus out of the public schools and out of the bedroom . We stopped tithing and taking our children to Confession . Now we have armed hall monitors , contraceptives dispensed , and " family planning " services in some public schools . These things filled the huge void left behind when Jesus was commanded to leave ( see Mt 8 : 34 ) . Our national hate of discipline is further reflected in the rampant amount of credit - card debt and home foreclosures . Instant gratification is winning the battle with discipline , for the majority of Americans love pleasure and hate discipline . As bad as this lack of discipline is , the Lord ' s biggest charge to us in our disdain for discipline is : you " cast My words behind you " ( Ps 50 : 17 ) . How many of us read God ' s word daily ? How many of us watch hours of TV weekly and read minutes of Scripture ? Are our Bibles collecting dust because of our deep - seated , subconscious hatred of discipline ? ( see Ps 50 : 17 ) Repent ! Love discipline . Love Jesus . Love and read His word . Prayer : Jesus , may I have the discipline of Your disciple . Promise : " Let justice surge like water , and goodness like an unfailing stream . " 뾃 m 5 : 24 Praise : The First Martyrs of Rome had such great faith in Jesus that they persevered amid torture and death . http : / / www . judeop . org / daily _ bread . htm … two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him . We all suffer from our personal demons . The effects of sin and guilt can make us feel isolated and unworthy to be in the presence of those whom we consider whole and holy . Whether we seek the Lord ’ s healing or accidentally come across him on the road as we struggle with our transgressions , the outcome is the same . Evil has no hold over the Lord . He confronts it directly and triumphs . The Lord wants to free us of our afflictions and to welcome us home . Let ’ s allow him to drive the powers of evil from our midst . Lord , release us from the bonds of sin , we pray . PRhttp : / / www . judeop . org / dailyreflections . htmIt is bad enough that there is social injustice , says Amos , but it is even worse when those who are unjust claim to have God ' s approval and celebrate with elaborate festivals and liturgical observances . Amos proclaims God ' s displeasure with worship that is not accompanied by social justice and integrity . It was not unusual for me , when I was working in campus ministry , to meet a student who would tell me that they stopped going to church because they felt too many people were hypocrites who came to church but then cheated and committed so many other wrongful acts as if their worship had no relationship to the rest of their lives ! The problem with this view is that we all struggle to live according to what we profess on Sunday ! Often as not , the student ' s complaint was based on a particular instance . Nevertheless , a disconnection between the celebration of the Eucharist and the social context of Christianity is a serious failure of witness . Amos calls us to a serious reflection on the relationship between our daily life and the faith we profess on Sunday ! His quotes of God ' s words are graphic and eloquent . It ' s hard not to listen ! AMENhttp : / / biblereflection . blogspot . com / In The Good Earth , Pearl Buck ’ s classic novel of pre - revolutionary China , the protagonist has a brief encounter with Christianity . Having gone to the city to escape the famine that consumed the countryside , Wang Lung is handed a picture of the crucified Christ . He is fascinated by the image but has no time to inquire into who the crucified one is . Struggling to eek out a living for his family , Want Lung feels impelled to continue working . The situation of the people of Gadarene town on the outskirts of which Jesus casts out demons in today ’ s gospel seems little different from that of the Chinese peasant . Charged by Jesus to leave two wild men , the demons possess a herd of pigs whom they send hurling into the sea . We might expect the people to welcome Jesus for saving two men from a fate worse than Alzheimer ’ s . But as practical people , they weigh their loss of property as greater than the benefit of having two men restored to their senses and ask Jesus to leave before he causes more financial woe . The people seem curious about who Jesus is and respectful of his powers ; nevertheless , they forego any message he might have for them . It is as easy for us to get caught up with business – even Church business – that we ignore what Jesus has to offer us . It certainly requires patience to listen to his words as they come through the gospel , especially in our world of a ten thousand distractions . We can also be sure his message will demand some sacrifice on our part . But when we open our mind and heart to him , Jesus invariably brings us the tranquility of spirit which the former wild men of the Gadarene territory now possess .