"Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. " (John 12)
Photo copyright : John R Portelli

Wednesday 28 November 2012

Who are we? Where are we going?

                                                              
   Readings for December 2, 2012

First Sunday of Advent

L-1 Ħadd ta' l-Avvent 
                                     
Messalin C  pp 75



Reading 1     Jeremiah 33:14-16

The days are coming, says the LORD, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot ; he shall do what is right and just in the land. In those days Judah shall be safe and Jerusalem shall dwell secure; this is what they shall call her: "The LORD our justice."  This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari -  mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Ġeremija. 33, 14-16

Ara, għad jiġu jiem – oraklu tal-Mulej – meta nġib fuq dar Iżrael u dar Ġuda l-ġid li wegħedthom. F'dawk il-jiem u f'dak iż-żmien intalla' min-nisel ta' David rimja tas-sewwa, bniedem li  jagħmel il-ġustizzja u s-sewwa fil-pajjiż. F'dawk il-jiem Ġuda jinħeles u Ġerusalemm tgħammar b'moħħha mistrieħ, u għalhekk isjeħulha: Il-Mulej is-sewwa tagħna. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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Responsorial Psalm - Ps 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14

R. (1b) To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.

Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
Guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior,
and for you I wait all the day.                             R/

Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.                        R/

All the paths of the LORD are kindness and constancy
toward those who keep his covenant and his decrees.
The friendship of the LORD is with those who fear him,
and his covenant, for their instruction.                R/

Salm Responsorjali       (Salm 24(25)

            R/        Lejk jien nerfa' ruħi, Mulej.

Triqatek, Mulej, għarrafni,
il-mogħdijiet tiegħek għallimni.
Mexxini fis-sewwa tiegħek u għallimni,
għax int Alla tas-salvazzjoni tiegħi.                                R/

Tajjeb u sewwa l-Mulej;
għalhekk juri triqtu lill-ħatja.
Imexxi l-imsejknna fis-sewwa,
jgħallem lill-fqajrin it-triq tiegħu.                                   R/

Il-mogħdijiet tal-Mulej kollhom tjieba u fedelta'
għal min iħares il-patt u l-liġijiet tiegħu.
Midħla l-Mulej ta' dawk li jibżgħu minnu,
lilhom jgħarraf il-patt tiegħu.                                         R/
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Reading 2 - 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2

Brothers and sisters: May the Lord make you increase and abound in love for one another and for all, just as we have for you so as to strengthen your hearts, to be blameless in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all his holy ones. Amen. Finally, brothers nd sisters, we earnestly ask and exhort you in the Lord Jesus that, as you received from us how you should conduct yourselves to please God and as you are conducting yourselves you do so even more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Qari – mill-Ewwel-Ittra lit-Tessalonkin 3, 12 -4,2
                       
Ħuti:  jalla l-Mulej ikattrilkom u jfawwarkom bl-imħabba għal xulxin u lejn kulħadd, l-istess bħalma aħna nħobbu lilkom, ħalli  jqawwilkom qalbkom u jkollkom qdusija bla għajb quddiem Alla, Missierna, għal meta jiġi Sidna Ġesu' mdawwar bil-qaddisin tiegħu. Fl-aħħar, ħuti, intom tgħallimtu mingħandna kif għandkom timxu biex togħġbu lil Alla, kif tabilħaqq qegħdin iġġibu ruħkom;  aħna f'Sidna Ġesu' nitolbnukom u nħeġġukom biex tagħmlu xi ħaġa iżjed. Tafu x'tagħlim tajniekom permezz ta' Sidna Ġesu'. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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 Gospel - Luke 21:25-28, 34-36

Jesus said to his disciples: "There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on earth nations will be in dismay, perplexed by the roaring of the sea and the waves. People will die of fright in anticipation of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. But when these signs begin to happen, stand erect and raise your heads because your redemption is at hand. "Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life, and that day catch you by surprise like a trap. For that day will assault everyone who lives on the face of the earth. Be vigilant at all times and pray that you have the strength to escape the tribulations that are imminent and to stand before the Son of Man."  This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Evanġelju -  mill-Evanġelju skont San Luqa.  21, 25-28;34-36

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: "Ikun hemm sinjali fix-xemx u l-qamar u l-kwiekeb.
Il-ġnus fuq l-art, b'qalbhom ittaqtaq, ma jafux x'jaqdbu jagħmlu minħabba l-ħsejjes tal-baħar u tal-imwieġ; in-nies ruħhom ħerġa bil-biża' billi jobsru x'ikun ġej fuq id-dinja, għax il-qawwiet tas-smewwiet jitqallbu. Imbagħad jaraw lil Bin il-bniedem ġej fi sħaba, b'qawwa u glorja kbira. Meta jibda jseħħ dan kollu, qawwu qalbkom u erfgħu raskom,  għax il-fidwa tagħkom hi fil-qrib. Oqogħdu attenti, u qisu li l-ikel u x-xorb żejjed u s-sokor ma jmewtulkomx qalbkom, u tħallux li l-ħafna tħassib għall-ħtiġiet tal-ħajja jeħdilkom raskom, li ma ssibuhx dak il-Jum fuqkom għal għarrieda Għax hu Jum li għad jaqa' bħal nassa fuq kull min jgħammar fuq wiċċ l-art kollha. Ishru, mela, u itolbu l-ħin kollu, biex tkunu tifilħu tgħaddu minn kulma għandu jiġri u tieqfu quddiem Bin il-bniedem." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
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COMMENTARY:

Father Cantalamessa on First Sunday of Advent
Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on this Sunday's liturgical readings.
"Life Itself Is a Waiting Room"

Autumn is the ideal time to meditate on human things. We have before us the annual spectacle of leaves that fall from the trees. This has always been seen as an image of human destiny. "Here we are as leaves on the trees in autumn," says the poet Giuseppe Ungaretti. A generation comes, a generation goes …

But is this truly our ultimate destiny? Is it worse than the fate of these trees? After it is stripped, the tree regains its leaves in spring. But man, once he passes, never again returns. At least he does not return to this world. … Sunday's readings help us to give an answer to this most anxious of human questions.

There was a particular scene that I remember seeing in a film or reading about it in an adventure story as a child, a scene that left a deep impression. A railroad bridge had collapsed during the night. An unsuspecting train is coming at full speed. A railroad worker standing on the tracks calls out: "Stop! Stop!" and waves a lantern to signal the danger. But the distracted engineer does not see him and plunges the train into the river. … It seems to me something of an image of contemporary society, careening frenetically to the rhythm of rock 'n' roll, ignoring all the warnings that come not only from the Church but from many people who feel a responsibility for the future …

With the First Sunday of Advent, a new liturgical year begins. The Gospel that will accompany us in the course of this year, Cycle C, is the Gospel of St. Luke. The Church takes the occasion of these important moments of passage -- from one year to another, from one season to another -- to invite us to stop for a moment and reflect and ask ourselves some essential questions: "Who are we? From whence do we come? And, above all, where are we going?"

In the readings of Sunday's Mass, the verbs are in the future tense. In the First Reading we hear these words of Jeremiah: "The days are coming, says the Lord, when I will fulfill the promise I made to the house of Israel and Judah. In those days, in that time, I will raise up for David a just shoot. …" To this expectation, realized in the coming of the Messiah, the Gospel passage brings a new horizon and content which is the glorious return of Christ at the end of time. "The powers of the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory."

These are apocalyptic, catastrophic tones and images. But what we have is a message of consolation and hope. They tell us that we are not heading for an eternal void and an eternal silence but we are on our way to an encounter, an encounter with him who created us and loves us more than mother and father.

Elsewhere the Book of Revelation describes this final event of history as an entering into a wedding feast. Just recall the parable of the ten virgins who enter with the bridegroom into the banquet hall, or the image of God who, at the threshold of the life to come, waits for us to wipe away the last tear from our eyes.

From the Christian point of view, the whole of human history is one long wait. Before Christ, his coming was awaited; after him, we await his glorious return at the end of time. For just this reason the season of Advent has something very important to say to us about our lives. Of a woman who is with child it is said that she is "expecting"; the offices of important persons have "waiting rooms." But if we reflect on it, life itself is a waiting room. We get impatient when we have to wait, for a visit, for a practice. But woe to him who is no longer waiting for something. A person who no longer expects anything from life is dead. Life is expectation, but the converse is also true: Expectation is life!

What distinguishes the waiting of the believer from every other waiting; from, for example, that of the two characters who are waiting for Godot in Samuel Becket’s play of the same name? In that play a mysterious person is awaited (who, according to some, would be God, hence, "God-ot"), without any certainty that he will really come. He was supposed to come in the morning; he sends word to say that he will come in the afternoon. In the afternoon he does not come, but surely he will come in the evening, and in the evening, perhaps tomorrow morning. … The two tramps are condemned to wait for him, they have no other alternative.

This is not how it is for the Christian. He awaits one who has already come and who walks by his side. For this reason after the First Sunday of Advent in which the final return of Christ is looked for, on the following Sundays we will hear John the Baptist who speaks of his presence among us: "In your midst," he says, "there is one whom you do not know!" Jesus is present among us not only in the Eucharist, in the word, in the poor, in the Church … but, by grace, he lives in our hearts and the believer experiences this.

The Christian's waiting is not empty, a letting the time pass. In Sunday's Gospel Jesus also talks about the way that the disciples must wait, how they must conduct themselves in the meantime to not be taken by surprise: "Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy from carousing and drunkenness and the anxieties of daily life. … Be vigilant at all times."

Of these moral duties we will speak another time. Let us conclude with a memory from a film. There are two big stories about icebergs in the movies. The one is that of the Titanic, which we know well. … The other is narrated in a Kevin Kostner film of several years back, "Rapa Nui." A legend of Easter Island, which is in the Pacific Ocean, tells of an iceberg that, in reality, is a ship and that passes close to the island every century or so. The king or hero can climb aboard and ride toward the kingdom of immortality.

There is an iceberg that runs across the course which each of us travel; it is sister death. We can pretend to not see her or to be heedless of her like the people who were enjoying themselves on that tragic night aboard the Titanic. Or we can make ourselves ready and climb onto her and let ourselves be taken to the Kingdom of the blessed. The season of Advent should also serve this purpose …
[Translation by ZENIT]

Thursday 22 November 2012

The King who did not bow down

Readings for November 25, 2012

34th Sunday in Ordinary Time – Year B

L-34 Ħadd matul is-Sena B
Messalin. Pga 520.
 
The Solemnity of Jesus Christ King of the Universe

Solennita' ta' Sidna Ġesu' Kristu Sultan tal-Ħolqien kollu.
          
Reading 1 - Daniel 7:13-14

As the visions during the night continued, I saw one like a Son of man coming, on the clouds of heaven; when he reached the Ancient One and was presented before him, He received dominion, glory, and kingship; nations and peoples of every  language serve him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that shall not be taken away, his kingship shall not be destroyed. This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari -  mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Danjel. (7, 13-14)

Billejl deherli  qiegħed nara bħal Iben ta' bniedem, ġej mis-sħab tas-sema, li baqa' sejjer sax-Xiħ fil-għomor u ressquh quddiemu. U tawh  ħakma, ġieħ, u saltna,  biex lilu jaqdi kull ġens,  u poplu, u lsien. Ħakmietu  ħakma għal dejjem li ma tgħaddix, u saltnatu  li ma tinqeridx.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 93:1, 1-2, 5

The LORD is king, in splendor robed;
robed is the LORD and girt about with strength. 
R. (1a) The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.

And he has made the world firm,
not to be moved.
Your throne stands firm from of old;
from everlasting you are, O LORD.                                
R. (1a) The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.

Your decrees are worthy of trust indeed;
holiness befits your house,
O LORD, for length of days.                               
R. (1a) The LORD is king; he is robed in majesty.

Salm Responsorjali - Salm 92 (93)

Il-Mulej isaltan; il-kobor libes,
libes il-Mulej, tħażżem bil-qawwa.                     
R/  Il-Mulej isaltan, il-kobor libes.

Iżomm sħiħa d-dinja; qatt ma titħarrek,
Imwaqqaf it-tron tiegħek fis-sod minn dejjem;
minn dejjem ta dejjem int.                               
R/  Il-Mulej isaltan, il-kobor libes.

Il-kmandamenti tiegħek ta' min joqgħod fuqhom;
qdusija lil darek tixraq, Mulej,
sakemm itul iż-żmien.                                      
R/  Il-Mulej isaltan, il-kobor libes.
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Reading 2 -           Revelations 1:5-8

Jesus Christ is the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead and ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, who has made us into a kingdom, priests for his God and Father, to him be glory and power forever and ever. Amen. Behold, he is coming amid the clouds, and every eye will see him, even those who pierced him. All the peoples of the earth will lament him. Yes. Amen. "I am the Alpha and the Omega, " says the Lord God, "the one who is and who was and who is to come, the almighty." This is The Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qari -  mill-Ktieb ta' l-Apokalissi ta' San Ġwann 1, 5-8

Ġesu' Kristu hu x-xhud fidil, il-Kbir fost il-mejtin, il-Prinċep tas-slaten tad-dinja. Lil Dak li ħabbna, u li ħallna minn  dnubietna bis-saħħa ta' demmu,  u li għamilna Saltna, Qassisin għal Alla tiegħu Missieru, lilu l-glorja u s-setgħa għal dejjem ta' dejjem. Amen. Arawh, ġej fis-sħab, u l-għajnejn kollha jarawh,  ukoll dawk li kienu nifduh; u r-razez kollha ta' l-art jibdew iħabbtu fuq  sidirhom minħabba fik.   Iva. Ammen!  Jiena  huwa l-Alfa u l-Omega, igħid il-Mulej Alla,  li hu, u li kien, u li għad irid jiġi, Dak li jista' kollox! Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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Gospel - John 18:33b-37

So Pilate went back into the praetorium and summoned Jesus and said to him: "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Do you say this on your own or have others told you about me?" Pilate answered, "I am not a Jew, am I? Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done?" Jesus answered, "My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom did belong to this world, my attendants would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not here." So Pilate said to him, "Then you are a king?" Jesus answered, "You say I am a king. For this I was born and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice." This is The Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju - skond San Ġwann (18, 33-37)

F'dak iż-żmien:  Pilatu  sejjaħ lil Ġesu' u qallu: "Inti s-sultan tal-Lhud?" Ġesu' wieġeb:  "Dan qiegħed tgħidu int minn moħħok, jew kienu  oħrajn li qalulek dan fuqi?" Pilatu wieġeb:  "Mela jiena Lhud?  Kien il-poplu tiegħek u  l-qassisin il-kbar li tawk f'idejja.  X'għamilt?" Ġesu' wieġeb:  "Is-saltan tiegħi mhijiex ta' din id-dinja. Li kieku saltnati kienet ta' din id-dinja, l-għasses tiegħi kienu jiġġieldu biex ma ningħatax f'idejn  il-Lhud;  imma tabilħaqq  saltnati mhijiexx ta' hawn."  Pilatu qallu:  "Mela int sultan?" U Ġesu' wieġeb:  "Int qiegħed tgħidu;  jien sultan. Jien għalhekk  twelidt, u għalhekk ġejt fid-dinja, biex nixhed għall-verita'.   U kull min iħobb il-verita' jisma' leħni." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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          GOSPEL COMMENTARY:
         By Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB, 
         CEO, Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation


        The King who did not bow down
       
       
        This liturgical year ends with the Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ,       King  of the Universe. In John’s poignant trial scene of Pilate and Jesus, we see a great contrast between power and powerlessness.  In coming to the Romans to ensure that Jesus would be crucified, the Jewish authorities fulfilled his prophecy that he would be exalted (John 3:14; 12:32-33). Pilate asks Jesus: “Are you the King of the Jews?” (v 33). The accused prepares his answer with a previous question, which provokes the Roman official: “Do you ask this on your own, or did others tell you about me?” (v 34).

Pilate’s arrogance does not intimidate Jesus, who then gives his own answer in the well-known words: “My kingdom is not from this world” (v 36). At once, Jesus gives the reason: ‘My kingdom does not use coercion, it is not imposed.’ Jesus reiterates his point: “My kingdom is not from this world.”  Pilate is very astute. He does not see in Jesus’ answer a denial of his kingship. In fact, Pilate infers and insists: “So you are a king” (v 37). Jesus accepts his claim without hesitation: “You say that I am a king … For this I came into the world.”

For what? To inaugurate a world of peace and fellowship, of justice and respect for other people’s rights, of love for God and for one another. This is the kingdom that penetrates our human history, illuminating it and leading it beyond itself, a kingdom that will have no end. When we pray the Our Father, we pray for this kingdom to come in its fullness.

In this Gospel scene, Pilate reveals himself as a deeply perplexed leader as he encounters one who is Truth. What is there of Pilate inside of each of us? What prevents us from being free? What are our fears? What are our labels? What costumes and masks are we wearing in public and really don’t care to jeopardize? What is our capacity for neglecting and trampling on others for the sake of keeping up appearances, maintaining the façade, or the important job, or people’s good opinion with regard to our respectability, our reputation or good name?

The Kingdom of Jesus
In the Fourth Gospel, the focus is on the kingship of Christ. The core of Jesus’ message is the kingdom of God, and the God of Jesus Christ is the God of the kingdom, the one who has a word and an involvement in human history from which the image of the kingdom is taken. In the kingdom of Jesus, there is no distance between what is religious and temporal, but rather between domination and service.
Jesus’ kingdom is unlike the one that Pilate knows and is willingly or unwillingly part of. Pilate’s kingdom, and for that matter the Roman kingdom, was one of arbitrariness, privileges, domination and occupation. Jesus’ kingdom is built on love, justice and peace.

Jesus proclaims the kingdom of God, the kingdom of holiness and grace, of justice, love and peace. This kingdom is God’s final aim and purpose in everything he has done from the beginning. It is his final act of liberation and salvation. Jesus speaks of this kingdom as a future reality, but a reality that is mysteriously already present in his being, his actions and words and in his personal destiny.

If today’s solemnity of Christ’s kingship upsets some of us, is it not due to our own disillusionment of earthly kings and leaders, rather than the kingship of Jesus? The kingship and leadership of God’s Son refuses rank and privilege, and any attempt to be master of the world. In him there is no lust, greed and ambition for power. He, the innocent king who executes no one, is himself executed. His reign completely overturns our notions of earthly kingship. His is a kingship of ultimate service, even to the point of laying down his life for others.

In John’s Gospel, Jesus goes to his death as a king. The crucifixion is Jesus’ enthronement, the ultimate expression of royal service. Because of Christ, the coronation of suffering is no longer death, but rather eternal life. Very few can measure up to Jesus’ kingly stature, remaining powerless in the face of the powerful. Many of us resist with power, even though we resort to very refined forms of pressure and manipulation. Jesus never responded to violence with more violence.

The feast of Christ the King presents us with the image of Christ crowned – first with thorns, then with the victor’s laurel hat, the evergreen crown of glory. On the day of our baptism, the crown of our head was smeared with the holy oil of chrism, that royal oil that makes us another Christos, another Anointed One. We have the power to live faithfully and love fiercely as Jesus did. The crown of glory – Christ’s very own – is promised to each of us. Which crown is found at the centre of our faith and our proclamation?

Who, if not the condemned Saviour?
Jesus answered the Roman governor’s questions by declaring that he was a king, but not of this world (cf. John 18: 36). He did not come to rule over peoples and territories, but to set people free from the slavery of sin and to reconcile them with God. He states: “For this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice” (John 18: 37).

What is this “truth” that Christ came into the world to witness to? The whole of his life reveals that God is love: So this is the truth to which he witnessed to the full with the sacrifice of his own life on Calvary. Jesus established the kingdom of God once and for all from the cross. The way to reach this goal is long and admits of no short cuts: Indeed, every person must freely accept the truth of God’s love.

God is Love and Truth, and neither Love nor Truth is ever imposed. They stand gently knocking at the doors of our minds and hearts, waiting for us to open the door and welcome them. Yet so often we are afraid to usher in such guests into our lives and earthly kingdoms because of the serious implications associated with such gifts. Many of us resist the Truth with power, while others will resort to very refined forms of pressure and manipulation to keep the Truth at bay.

As we contemplate Christ crucified, we understand something of why Christ has remained a king even up to modern times: He didn’t bow down. He who was Truth incarnate never imposed himself on others. He stood, waited and knocked. He never responded to violence with more violence.

At the conclusion of the Stations of the Cross at Rome’s Coliseum on Good Friday night in the Jubilee Year 2000, Blessed Pope John Paul II spoke these moving words:

Who, if not the condemned Saviour, can fully understand the pain of those unjustly condemned?

Who, if not the King scorned and humiliated, can meet the expectations of the countless men and women who live without hope or dignity?

Who, if not the crucified Son of God, can know the sorrow and loneliness of so many lives shattered and without a future?

Jesus took his wounds to heaven, and there is a place in heaven for our wounds because our king bears his in glory.

On this last Sunday of the liturgical year, our Crucified King hangs in our midst, arms outstretched in loving mercy and welcome. May we have the courage to ask him to remember us in his kingdom, the grace to imitate him in our own earthly kingdoms, and the wisdom to welcome him when he stands knocking at the doors of our lives and hearts.

Wednesday 14 November 2012

The End of the World?

Readings for November 18, 2012


  
Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

It-33 Ħadd matul is-Sena 'B'
               Messalin  'B' pp 515
                  



 
Reading 1 - Daniel 12:1-3

In those days, I Daniel, heard this word of the Lord: "At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time. At that time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book. Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace. But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever."  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari -  mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Danjel 12, 1-2

F'dak iż-żmien  iqum Mikiel, il-prinċep il-kbir, dak li qiegħed fuq ulied il-poplu tiegħek. Imbagħad jiġi żmien ta' għawġ,  li qatt ma jkun deher  ieħor bħalu minn mindu ġens kien ġens sa dak iż-żmien. Imma jkun żmien li fih il-poplu tiegħek jinħeles, dawk kollha li jkunu nstabu miktuba fil-ktieb. U ħafna minn dawk li huma rieqda fit-trab tal-art  jistenbħu,  min għall-ħajja ta' dejjem, u min għall-għajb u l-istmerrija għal dejjem. Il-bnedmin bil-għaqal ikollhom fuqhom dija bħal  dik tas-sema, u dawk li jkunu waslu 'l ħafna  fis-sewwa jkunu jiddu  bħal kwiekeb għal dejjem ta' dejjem.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.                     
R. (1) You are my inheritance, O Lord!

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.            
R. (1) You are my inheritance, O Lord!

You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.              
R. (1) You are my inheritance, O Lord!
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Salm Responsorjali - Salm 15 (16)

Mulej, inti s-sehem tal-wirt u r-riżq tiegħi,
inti żżomm f'idejk xortija.
Inżomm il-Mulej dejjem quddiemi,
għax bih f'leminti qatt ma nitħarrek.                 
R/   Ħarisni, o Allaj, għax fik  jien  nistkenn.

Hekk tifraħ qalbi u tithenna ruħi,
u ġismi wkoll jistrieħ bil-kwiet.
Għax inti ma titlaqnix fl-imwiet,
ma tħallix il-maħbub tiegħek jara l-qabar.          
R/   Ħarisni, o Allaj, għax fik  jien  nistkenn.

Inti tgħallimni t-triq tal-ħajja,
hemm il-milja tal-ferħ quddiemek,
hemm għaxqa għal dejjem f'lemintek.   
R/   Ħarisni, o Allaj, għax fik  jien  nistkenn.
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Reading 2 - Hebrews 10:11-14, 18

Brothers and sisters: Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God; now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool. For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated. Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qari -  mill-Ittra lil Lhud 10, 11- 14-18

Kull qassis ieħor imur kuljum biex jaqdi l-ministeru tiegħu, u joffri  u jerġa' joffri l-istess
sagrifiċċju, bla ma jistgħu qatt ineħħu d-dnubiet. Imma, Kristu,  wara li offra sagrifiċċju wieħed għad-dnubiet,   qagħad għal dejjem fuq in-naħa tal-lemin ta' Alla, fejn qiegħed jistenna sa ma l-għedewwa tiegħu jitqiegħdu  mirfes taħt riġejh.   Għax hu, b'offerta waħda  għamel perfetti għal dejjem lil dawk, li hu jqaddes. Issa, fejn hemm il-maħfra tad-dnubiet,  ma hemmx  għalfejn  issir aktar l-offerta għad-dnubiet. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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Gospel -Mark 13:24-32

Jesus said to his disciples: "In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky.  Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.  But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju  -  skond San Mark  13, 24-32

F'dak iż-żmien,   Ġesu' qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: "Wara jiem ta' dwejjaq kbar, ix-xemx  tiddallam,
il-qamar jitlef id-dija tiegħu, il-kwiekeb  jibdew jaqgħu mis-sema, u l-qawmien tas-smewwiet jitqallbu. Imbagħad jaraw lil Bin il-bniedem  ġej  fis-sħab b'qawwa  kbira u bi glorja.   U mbagħad  jibgħat  l-anġli  biex jiġbor flimkien il-maħturin tiegħu  mill-erbat irjieħ, minn tarf l-artb sa tarf is-sema. Mis-siġra tat-tin tgħallmu din il-parabbola.  Meta l-fergħa tagħha tirtab u tarmi l-weraq, intom tintebħu li s-sajf  fil-qrib. Hekk ukoll meta taraw  dan jiġri,  kunu afu li hu fil-qrib, fil-bieb. Tassew ngħidilkom,  li ma jgħaddix dan in-nisel qabel ma jiġri dan kollu.   Is-sema  u l-art jgħaddu,  imma kliemi ma jgħaddix. Dwar dak il-jum u s-siegħa ħadd ma jaf meta se jaslu, anqas l-anġli fis-sema,  u anqas l-Iben; ħadd ħlief il-Missier. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej 
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COMMENTARY

Father Cantalamessa on the End of the World

Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on the readings from this Sunday's liturgy.
How many times has the world already ended?

The Gospel of the second to last Sunday of the liturgical year is the classic text on the end of the world. There has always been someone who has taken it upon themselves to wave this page of the Gospel in the face of their contemporaries and provoke psychosis and fear. My advice is to be calm and to not let yourself be in the least bit troubled by these visions of catastrophe.

Just read the last line of the same Gospel passage: "But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." If neither the angels nor the Son (insofar as he is man and not insofar as he is God) know the day or hour of the end, is it possible that a member of some sect or some religious fanatic would know and be authorized to announce it? In the Gospel Jesus assures us of the fact of his return and the gathering his chosen ones from the "four winds"; the when and the how of his return (on the clouds between the darkening of the sun and the falling of the stars) is part of the figurative language of the literary genre of these discourses.

Another observation might help explain certain pages of the Gospel. When we talk about the end of the world on the basis of the understanding of time that we have today, we immediately think of the absolute end of the world, after which there can be nothing but eternity. But the Bible goes about its reasoning with relative and historical categories more than with absolute and metaphysical ones. Thus, when the Bible speaks of the end of the world, it intends quite often the concrete world, that which in fact exists for and is known by a certain group of people, their world. It is, in sum, the end of a world that is being treated not the end of the world, even if the two perspectives at times intertwine.

Jesus says: "This generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place." Is he mistaken? No, it was the world that was known to his hearers that passed away, the Jewish world. It tragically passed away with the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. When, in 410, the Vandals sacked Rome, many great figures of the time thought that it was the end of the world. They were not all that wrong; one world did end, the one created by Rome with its empire. In this sense, those who, with the destruction of the twin towers on September 11, 2001, thought of the end of the world, were not mistaken ...

None of this diminishes the seriousness of the Christian charge but only deepens it. It would be the greatest foolishness to console oneself by saying that no one knows when the end of the world will be and forgetting that, for any of us, it could be this very night. For this reason Jesus concludes today's Gospel with the recommendation that we "be vigilant because no one knows when the exact moment will be."

We must, I think, completely change the attitude with which we listen to these Gospels that speak of the end of the world and the return of Christ. We must no longer regard as a punishment and a veiled threat that which the Scriptures call "the blessed hope" of Christians, that is, the return of our Lord Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13). The mistaken idea we have of God must be corrected. The recurrent talk about the end of the world which is often engaged in by those with a distorted religious sentiment, has a devastating effect on many people. It reinforces the idea of a God who is always angry, ready to vent his wrath on the world. But this is not the God of the Bible which a psalm describes as "merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, who will not always accuse or keep his anger forever ... because he knows that we are made of dust" (Psalm 103:8-14).