연중제 24 주일 다해 9월 16일, 성페트릭성당, 쏠트레이크시티
그들에게삶을전수하십시요.– 아이들이살게될세상에대해우리는책임이있습니다.
“ 그가아직도멀리떨어져있을때에아버지가그를보고가엾은마음이들었다. 그리고달려가아들의목을껴안고입을맞추었다.(루카 15:20)
교리반시작주일. . .새로운시작. . .가르치라고우리에게맞겨진아이들을생각해봅니다.
성경은아이들이하느님께서주시는축복가운데가장큰축복이라생각합니다. 아이들은하느님께서주신좋은선물들가운데서가장좋은선물이며최고의축복입니다 - “너의식탁주변의올리브나무처럼,”이라고어느시편작가가썼습니다. “손자손녀들은나이든사람들이받는영광입니다,” 라고또어떤시편작가는말하고있습니다. 예언자이사야와호세아두분은아버지와어머니가온화하고자비로운사랑으로자녀들을삶에대하여가르치는아름다운모습을이야기해주고있습니다. 그들은아이들에게삶을전수해줄때부모와“확대가족”인종교적가족안에서그공동체멤버들이느끼는기쁨과완전함을느끼는것에대해묘사하고있습니다. 따라서, 우리는예수님행적을살펴보면서, 아이들에대하여사랑스럽게말씀하시는예수님을보고우리는놀라지않습니다. 몇번이고, 예수님은아이들을사람들앞에두고말씀하시기를“너희가천국에들어가고싶으면아이들처럼되어라!”하고하셨습니다.
중국옛이야기에, 한현명한스승이“인생에서가장만족스러운것”을말해보라. 고하셨습니다. “행복한결혼입니다” 어떤사람이대답했습니다. “건강입니다.”또다른사람들이대답했습니다. 그외에도많은다른대답들을했습니다, 그러나모두가다대답을한후, 스승은아무도정답을마추지못했다고말했습니다. “인생에서가장만족스러운일은, 사는길을가르쳐준후아이가스스로그길을자신있게걸어가는것을바라보는것이니라.”라고스승은말했습니다.
부모가된다는것은어려운일일수있습니다. 부모노릇을하는데는많은희생이따르기때문입니다. 아이가태어난후부터어릴때는일이해도해도끝이없습니다. 점점자라면서아이는실망을안겨주기도하고, 이기적일때도있고, 말도안되는요구를하는때도있습니다. 더이상참을수없을정도로인내심을시험당하기도합니다. 아이들을또한놀라움을가져다주기고합니다.
아이들이무슨잘못이라도하면, 실상, 오늘날사람들은이렇게말을합니다, “그들은당신의자식이니, 당신의문제이지요. 아이들을적당하게잘키워야하는것이당신의일이니까요.”그러나성서속의공동체에서는, 사람들이확대가족(공동체)의일원이란생각으로그안에서다음세대에대한책임을모두가함께집니다.
우리공동체의어린이들은우리모두의아이들입니다. 그리고한가족으로서우리는그들에게삶을전수해주어야하는기쁜책임을부여받았습니다.
다음은어느어머니가앤랜더즈(신문에인생상담담당자였슴)에게보낸편지입니다.
아홉살의진은, 말할수없이뻐기기를좋아하고가차없는안다니입니다. 세상에이 아이보다더이기주의적인아이는없을것입니다. 적어도십분이상을얼르고달래야만 이를딱거나세수를합니다. 이아이의방은워낙이억망이어서위생국에서나올까 두렵습니다 저는지난칠년간혼자서이아이를길렀습니다. 무슨마술의거울같은것이 있어서십년전에이런일을미리알았드라도똑같은삶을다시되풀이할것이라는것을 믿어의심치않습니다.
보다젊은세대– 우리자녀들– 가 때로는고약하든가이기적일수도있습니다. 때로는몹씨실망스러울수도있겠지요. 그래도그들은우리의자녀들입니다. 그리고그들에게삶을전수하는것이우리의의무입니다 예수께서“탕자아들”의우화에서우리에게깨우쳐주시드시우리는절대로그현실을잊어서는않됩니다. 탕자아들의이야기는착하고, 열심히일하며, 헌신적인아버지께많은걱정, 슬픔과외로움을안겨드리는이야기입니다. 그러나그아버지는새세대에삶을전수하는의무를결코잊지않았습니다. 결과적으로그바람난아들이아버지집에돌아와용서를빌었을때아버지는기쁨으로그를맞았습니다.
우리는다음세대에게그렇게밖에할수가없습니다. 그들은모두우리의아이들입니다. 특히그들이잘못되었을때는그들을축복하고뽀뽀해주고삶을전수해주십시요!
“어떻게해야이상적인스승”이겠습니까? .
유명한교육자인촬스비. 코난트박사는훌륭한스승으로서의다섯가지자격을제시했습니다.
1. 훌륭한스승은가르치는과목을열성적으로가르치므로서배우는사람이열성적이되게 할수있어야한다. 베드로와그외사도들은예수님의열성이자기들에게아주잘전달됨을 알았습니다. 결국, 예수님께서“나를따르라,”하셨을때그들은따라나섰습니다.
2. 예수께서는제자들과함께계시면서아버지께“아버지께서세상에서뽑으시어저에게 주신이사람들에게저는아버지의이름을드러냈습니다. 이들이속으로저의기쁨을 충만히누리게하려는것입니다.”(요한 17:6, 13)
3. 예수께서는아버지께기도하실때제자들에관하여열정적인관심을표현하셨습니다. , “아버지께서저에게주신영광을저도그들에게주었습니다. 그리하여아버지께서저를 사랑하신그사랑이그들안에있고저도그들안에있게하려는것입니다.”(요한 17:22,26)
4. 예수께서는제자들을고무하시어엄청난노력을하게하셨습니다. 사도베드로의 첫번째설교를듣고한군중들의반응을들어보십시요. “사람들은이말을듣고마음이 꿰찔리듯아파하며. . . . .배드로의말을받아들인이들은세례를받았다; 그리하여그날에 신자가삼천명가량늘었다.(사도 2:37, 41)
5. 예수께서는제자들에게성공적으로설명하는데필요한능숙한교육기술을지니고 계셨습니다. 니고데모라는사람이예수님께말하였습니다: “스승님, 저희는스승님이 하느님에게서오신스승이심을알고있습니다 하느님께서함께계시지않으시면, 당신께서일으키시는그러한 표징들을아무도일으킬수없기때문입니다.”(요한 3:2)
오랜세월동안예수님을주님과구세주로받아들이지않는사람들조차예수님을세상에서위대한스승들중한분이라고인정을합니다. 예수님을주님이시요구세주로받아들이는사람들에겐그분은하느님의말씀을가르치실뿐만아니라그분이하느님의말씀이십니다. “삶의신비”에관하여명확히가르치시느라 예수님께서는당신자신을주십니다. 예수님은단순히“빛을비추시는분”이아니라 그분이빛이십니다.
그분의말씀에귀기울이십시요. 그분은하느님의말씀을가르치실뿐만아니라그분이하느님의말씀이십니다! 성서에서여러분들에게하시는그분의말씀에귀를기울이십시요! 귀담아들으십시요. 정말로귀담아들으십시요, 그러면여러분의눈이열릴것입니다. 그리고부활하신주님을알아뵐때당신의마음이뜨거워질것입니다.
교리교육새로이시작함을축하합니다.
24th C – September 16, 2007, St Patrick - SLC
GIVE THEM LIFE - We are responsible for the world we give to our children
"... his father saw him, and ran and fell upon his neck and kissed him." Luke 15:20
A Catechetical Sunday … New beginnings… We reflect on children given to our teaching care.
The Bible considers children as the greatest blessing that God can give to anybody. The children are the crown of His good gifts to us, the highest blessings-"like olive plants around your table," one Psalmist wrote. "Grandchildren are the crown of the aged," said another Psalmist. The Prophets Isaiah and Hosea both gave us beautiful pictures of father and mother tenderly and compassionately loving their children and teaching them about life. They described the feelings of joy and wholeness that come to parents and to other members of the community in the "extended" religious family, as they pass life on. Consequently, when we come to Jesus, we are not surprised to find Him talking lovingly about children. Time and again He would set a child before people and say, "Become like that if you want to enter the Kingdom of God."
In an old Chinese story, a wise teacher asks people to identify the "Most Satisfying Thing In Life." "A happy marriage," some replied. Others said, "good health." There were many more answers, but after everyone had responded, the teacher announced that all had failed to give the correct answer. "The most satisfying thing is life," he said, "is to see a child confidently walk down the road on his own after you have shown him the way to go."
Being a parent can be hard. There is much sacrifice that goes into it. It is work, work, work during those early years of a child's life. As children grow older, they can disappoint, they can be selfish, they can make unreasonable demands, they can test your patience almost beyond endurance. Children also can surprise.
When something goes wrong with youngsters, people today will say to the parents, in effect, "They're your kids, they're your problem. It's your business to raise those kids properly." But in the Biblical Community, the people had the feeling of being part of an extended family in which all shared in the responsibility for the next generation.
The children of this community are the children of us all, and as a family we have been given the joyful responsibility of passing life on to them.
One of the letters, from a Mother, written to Ann Landers. read as follows:
Jean is nine years old, stubborn, incredibly bossy and an unrelenting know-it-all. She has terminal attacks of selfishness. She requires ten minutes of salesmanship before she'll brush her teeth or wash her face. She's on the verge of having her bedroom condemned by the Board of Health. I've raised her by myself for the past seven years. And even if I'd had a magic mirror ten years ago to let me see all this mess, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that I would have done it all over again.
The younger generation-our children-we may find mean and selfish at times. We may be bitterly disappointed in them at times. But they are our children and it is our responsibility to give life to them. We must never forget that reality, as Jesus reminds us in His Parable of the "Prodigal Son." It is the story of a young man who caused his good, hard working, self-sacrificing father much anxiety and grief and loneliness. But the father never forgot his responsibility to give life to the new generation. Consequently, when the wayward son returned to his father's house seeking forgiveness, the father received him with joy.
We cannot do otherwise for our younger generation. They are all our children. Especially when they have gone wrong, bless them and kiss them and give them life!
What do we expect of the "ideal teacher?"
The well-known educator, Dr. Charles B. Conant, once set down five major qualifications for a good teacher:
1. A good teacher must have contagious enthusiasm for the subject being taught. Peter and the others discovered Jesus' enthusiasm to be highly contagious. After all, when He said "Follow Me," they followed.
2. Jesus expressed the joy He experienced in the company of His pupils when he prayed to the Father in these words: "I have made Your Name known to those You gave Me ... that they may share My joy completely" (Jn. 17:6,13).
3. Jesus expressed passionate interest in His pupils when he prayed to the Father, "I have given them the glory You gave Me ... so that your Love for Me may live in them, and I may live in them" (Jn. 17:22,26).
4. Jesus stimulated His pupils to enormous effort. Listen to the crowd's response to the Apostle Peter's first sermon: "When they heard this, they were deeply shaken ... those who accepted his message were baptized; some three thousand were added that day" (Acts 2:37,41).
5. Jesus possessed the teaching skills necessary to relate successfully to His pupils. Nicodemus addressed Jesus: "Rabbi, we know you are a teacher come from God, for no man can perform signs and wonders such as you perform unless God is with him" (Jn. 3:2).
Through the Ages, even those who do not accept Jesus as Lord and Savior recognize Him as one of the world's great teachers. For those who accept Jesus as Lord and Savior, He not only teaches the Word of God, He is the Word of God. In giving us the definitive course on the "Mystery of Life," Jesus gives Himself. He is not merely the "Enlightener," He is the Light.
Listen to Him who not only teaches the Word of God but He is the Word of God! Listen to Him who alone can truly interpret the Mystery of Life itself. Listen to Him open to you the Scriptures! Listen, really listen, and your eyes will be opened, and your heart will burn within you, as you recognize your Risen Lord!
Happy New Catechetical Year!