The Word On Sunday: Let the Dead bury the Dead

Readings for June 30, 2013

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

It-13-il Ħadd matul is-Sena Messalin C pp327

Reading 1 - 1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21

The LORD said to Elijah:“You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah, as prophet to succeed you.” Elijah set out and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat, as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and I will follow you.” Elijah answered, “Go back! Have I done anything to you?” Elisha left him, and taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them; he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh, and gave it to his people to eat. Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant. This is the Word of the Lord.

Ewwel Lezzjoni - Qari mill-Ewwel Ktieb tas-Slaten. (1 Slaten 19, 16b, 19-21)

F'dak iż-żmien, il-Mulej qal lil Elija: "Lil Eliżew bin Safat, ta' Abel-mehola, idilku profeta flokok." Elija telaq minn hemm u sab lil Eliżew bin-Safat, waqt li kien qiegħed bi tnax-il żewġ gniedes quddiemu; u hu kien qiegħed imexxi t-tnax-il wieħed. Resaq lejh Elija, u xeħet fuqu l-mantell tiegħu. Dan ħalla l-gniedes u mar jiġri wara Elija jgħidlu: "Ħallini mmur insellem lil misieri u 'l ommi, imbagħad niġi warajk." Qallu Elija: "Mur u erġa ejja; għaliex x'għamiltek jien?" Eliżew tbiegħed minnu, qabad żewġ qniedes, qatilhom u offriehom sagrifiċċju. U bl-għodda tal-ħrit sajjar il-laħam, qassmu lin-nies, u kielu. U hu mar wara Elija, u beda jservih. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

R. (cf. 5a) You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;

I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.

O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,

you it is who hold fast my lot.” R/

I bless the LORD who counsels me;

even in the night my heart exhorts me.

I set the LORD ever before me;

with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed. R/

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/

You will show me the path to life,

fullness of joys in your presence,

the delights at your right hand forever. R/

Salm Responsorjali (Salm 15 (16)

R/ Mulej, inti s-sehem tal-wirt u r-riżq tiegħi.

Ħarisni, o Alla, għax fik jien nistkenn.

Jien għedt lill-Mulej: "Int Sidi,

m'għandix ġid ieħor ħliefek."

Mulej, inti s-sehem tal-wirt u r-riżq tiegħi,

Inti żżomm f'idejk xortija. R/

Imbierek lill-Mulej li tani l-fehma;

imqar billejl qalbi tgħallimni.

Inżomm il-Mulej dejjem quddiemi,

għax bih f'leminti qatt ma nitħarrek. R/

Hekk tifraħ qalbi u tithenna ruħi,

u ġismi wkoll jistrieħ fil-kwiet.

Għax int ma titlaqnix fl-imwiet,

ma tħallix il-maħbub tiegħek jara l-qabar. R/

Int tgħallimni t-triq tal-ħajja;

hemm il-milja tal-ferħ quddiemek,

hemm l-għaxqa għal dejjem f'lemintek. R/

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Reading 2 - Galatians 5:1, 13-18

Brothers and sisters: For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another. I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni - Qari mill-Ittra ta' San Pawl Appostlu lill-Galatin. (Gal 5, 1, 13-18)

Ħuti, Kristu ħelisna biex ngħixu ta' nies ħielsa. Żommu sħiħ, u terġgħux tmiddu għonqkom għall-madmad tal-jasar. Intom imma, ħuti, intom ġejtu msejħa għall-ħelsien, imma tinqdewx b'dan il-ħelsien għall-ġisem, iżda aqdu lil xulxin fl-imħabba. Il-Liġi kollha tinġabar f'liġi waħda: "Ħobb lil għajrek bħalek innifsek." Jekk intom tgiddmu u tieklu lil xulxin, oqogħdu attenti li ma tikkunsmawx lil xulxin! Jien ngħidilkom, imxu fl-Ispirtu u taqgħux għall-passjonijiet tal-ġisem. Il-passjonijiet tal-ġisem huma kontra l-Ispirtu, u l-Ispirtu hu kontra l-ġisem; dawn it-tnejn huma kontra xulxin, biex ma jħallukomx tagħmlu dak li tixtiequ. Jekk lilkom imexxikom l-Ispirtu, m'intomx taħt il-Liġi. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Gospel - Luke 9:51-62

When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village. As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.” This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Evanġelju - Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Luqal (Lq 9, 51-62)

Meta Ġesu' qorob għalih iż-żmien li fih kellu jittieħed mid-dinja, b'rieda sħiħa dar u telaq lejn Ġerusalemm. U bagħat xi messaġġiera qablu li, huma u sejrin, daħlu f'raħal tas-Sammarija biex iħejjulu fejn joqgħod. Iżda hemmhekk ma laqgħux, billi hu kien sejjer Ġerusalemm. Meta raw dan, id-dixxipli Ġakbu u Ġwanni qaluliu: "Mulej, tridx ngħidu lin-nar jinżel mis-sema u jeqridhom?" Iżda hu dar fuqhom u ċanfarhom. U marru f'raħal ieħor. Huma u miexja fit-triq kien hemm wieħed li qallu: "Tmur fejn tmur, jiena niġi warajk." U qallu Ġesu': "Il-volpijiet għandhom l-għerien tagħhom, u l-għasafar tal-ajru l-bejtiet, iżda Bin il-Bniedem ma għandux fejn imidd rasu." Lil wieħed ieħor qallu: "Imxi warajja." Iżda dak wieġbu: "Ħallini l-ewwel immur nidfen lil missieri." Iżda hu wieġbu: "Ħalli l-mejtin jidfnu l-mejtin tagħhom; iżda int mur u xandar is-Saltna ta' Alla." U ieħor ukoll qallu: "Jien niġi, Mulej, warajk, imma l-ewwel ħallini nsellem lil tad-dar." Qallu Ġesu': "Min iqiegħed idu fuq il-moħriet u jħares lura mhuwiex tajjeb għas-Saltna ta' Alla." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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COMMENTARY

Father Cantalamessa on the family

Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on the readings from this Sunday's liturgy.

"Let the Dead Bury the Dead"

Benedict XVI's book "Jesus of Nazareth" first appeared in April 2007. I thought that I would reflect on some of his thoughts in my commentary for next Sunday Gospel. First of all, I'd like to remark on the content and purpose of the book. It treats of Jesus in the period from his baptism in the Jordan to the moment of his transfiguration, that is, from the beginning of his public ministry almost to its epilogue. (The second volume has also been published last year, dealing with the accounts of Jesus' death and resurrection along with the infancy narratives. These were not treated in the first volume.)

But let us come to the Gospel reading for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time. It recounts three different meetings Jesus had on the same journey. We will focus on one of these meetings. "And to another Jesus said, 'Follow me.' But he replied, 'Lord, let me go first and bury my father.' But Jesus answered him, 'Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.'"

In his book, the Pope commented on the theme of family relations alluded to in the above Gospel passage in dialogue with the Jewish-American Rabbi Jacob Neusner. In his book "A Rabbi Talks with Jesus," Rabbi Neusner imagines himself as present in the crowds when Jesus speaks. Neusner explains why, despite his great admiration for the "Rabbi of Nazareth," he would not have been able to become his disciple. One of the reasons for this is Jesus' position on family relations. Rabbi Neusner says that on many occasions Jesus seems to invite transgression of the fourth commandment, which says that we must honor our father and mother. Jesus asks someone, as we just heard, to forget about burying his own father and elsewhere he says that whoever loves father and mother more than him is not worthy of him.

Rabbi Neusner and Pope Benedict

Often the response to these objections is to cite other words of Jesus that strongly affirm the permanent validity of family bonds: the indissolubility of marriage, the duty to help one's father and mother. In his book, however, the Pope offers a more profound and illuminating answer to this objection, an objection that is not only Rabbi Neusner's, but also that of many Christian readers of the Gospel. He takes his point of departure from something else Jesus says. "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers? ... Whoever does the will of my Father who is in heaven is my brother, sister, and mother" (Matthew 12:48-50).

Jesus does not thereby abolish the natural family, but reveals a new family in which God is father, and men and women are all brothers and sisters thanks to a common faith in him, the Christ. Rabbi Neusner asks whether he has a right to do this. This spiritual family already existed: It was the people of

Israel

, united by observance of the Torah, that is, the Mosaic law. A son was only permitted to leave his father's house to study the Torah. But Jesus does not say, "Whoever loves father or mother more than the Torah is not worthy of the Torah." He says, "Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me." He puts himself in the place of the Torah and this can only be done by someone who is greater than the Torah and greater than Moses, who promulgated it.

Benedict XVI thinks that the rabbi is right to conclude: "Only God can demand of me what Jesus asks." The Pope notes that the discussion about Jesus and family relations -- like that about Jesus and observance of the Sabbath -- thus brings us to the true heart of the matter, which is to know who Jesus is. If a Christian does not believe that Jesus acts with the authority itself of God and is himself God, then Rabbi Neusner, who refuses to follow Jesus, has a more coherent position than that particular Christian does. One cannot accept Jesus' teaching if one does not accept his person.

Let us take some practical instruction from this discussion. The "family of God," which is the Church, not only is not against the natural family, but is its guarantee and promoter. We see it today. It is a shame that some divergences of opinion in our society on questions linked to marriage and the family impede many from recognizing the providential work of the Church on behalf of the family. She is often without support in this decisive battle for the future of humanity.