Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary
Time Year 'C'
It-30 Ħadd matul is-Sena
Messalin
C pp 427
The
LORD is a God of justice, who knows no favourites. Though not unduly partial
toward the weak, yet he hears the cry of the oppressed. The Lord is not deaf to the wail of the
orphan, nor to the widow when she pours out her complaint. The one who serves God willingly is heard; his petition reaches the heavens. The prayer
of the lowly pierces the clouds; it does not rest till it reaches its goal, nor
will it withdraw till the Most High responds, judges justly and affirms the
right, and the Lord will not delay. The Word of the Lord.
L-Ewwel Lezzjoni - Bin Sirak 35, 14, 16-18
Il-Mulej
hu mħallef, u ma jħarisx lejn l-uċuħ. Ma joqgħodx iħares lejn wiċċ dak li jkun b'dannu tal-fqir, u jagħti widen għat-talba
tal-magħkus. Ma jagħlaqx widnejh għat-talba bil-ħniena tal-iltim, jew tal-armla li tibki xortiha. Min
jaqdi mill-qalb lil Alla jintlaqa', u t-talba tiegħu titla' m'ogħla s-sħab. It-talba
tal-umli tinfed is-sħab, u ma toqgħodx bi kwietha qabel tasal qrib il-Mulej, u
ma tieqafx qabel mal-Għoli jagħti widen, u jagħti raġun lill-ġusti u jagħmel ħaqq.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm -
PSalm 34:2-3, 17-18, 19, 23
R. (7a) The Lord hears the cry of the poor.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad. R/
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad. R/
The
LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the Lord hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them. R/
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth.
When the just cry out, the Lord hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them. R/
The
LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him. R/
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.
The LORD redeems the lives of his servants;
no one incurs guilt who takes refuge in him. R/
Salm
Responsorjali - Salm 33
R/
Dan il-fqajjar sejjaħ u l-Mulej
semgħu
Kull
ħin inbierek il-Mulej;
tifħiru
dejjem fuq fommi.
Bil-Mulej
tiftaħar ruħi;
jisimgħu
l-fqajrin u jifirħu! R/
Il-ħarsa
tal-Mulej fuq il-ħżiena,
biex
jeqred minn
Jgħajtu
l-ġusti għall-għajnuna, u
l-Mulej
jismagħhom;
mid-dwejjaq
kollha tagħhom jeħlishom. R/
Qrib
il-Mulej lejn dawk b'qalbhom maqsuma,
jgħin
lil dawk b'ruħhom mifnija.
Jifdi
l-Mulej il-ħajja tal-qaddejja tiegħu;
kull
min jistkenn fih ma jkollux xi jpatti. R/
Reading
2 - 2 TiMothy 4:6-8, 16-18
Beloved: I am already being poured out like a
libation, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have competed well; I have
finished the race; I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of
righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on
that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance. At
my first defense no one appeared on my behalf, but everyone deserted me. May it
not be held against them! But the Lord stood by me and gave me strength, so
that through me the proclamation might be completed and all the Gentiles might
hear it. And I was rescued from the lion's mouth. The Lord will rescue me from
every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly kingdom.
To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. The Word of the Lord.
It-Tieni
Lezzjoni - Tieni ittra lil Timotju 4, 6-8, 16-18
Għażiż,
demmi ġa mxerred b'sagrifiċċju, u żmien it-tluq tiegħi wasal. Tqabadt
it-taqbida t-tajba, temmejt il-ġirja, ħarist
il-fidi. Mill-bqija hemm merfugħa għalija
l-kuruna tal-ġustizzja, li biha f'dak il-Jum iħallasni l-Mulej, l-Imħallef ġust,
u mhux lili biss, imma wkoll lil dawk kollha li jkunu għexu fl-imħabba
tad-Dehra tiegħu. Fl-ewwel difiża tiegħi ħadd ma kien miegħi; kulħadd ħallieni.
Jalla ma jkunx magħdud kontrihom! Imma
l-Mulej waqaf miegħi u tani l-qawwa biex
bis-saħħa tiegħi l-kelma tixxandar sal-aħħar
u l-ġnus kollha jisimgħuha. Hekk jien
sfajt meħlus minn minn
Gospel - LuKe 18:9-14
Jesus
addressed this parable to those who were convinced of their own Righteousness and
despised everyone else. "Two
people went up to the temple area to pray; one was a Pharisee and the other was
a tax collector. The Pharisee took up his
position and spoke this prayer to
himself, 'O God, I thank you that I am not like the rest of humanity --greedy,
dishonest, adulterous -- or even like
this tax collector. I fast twice a week, and I pay
tithes on my whole income.’But the tax
collector stood off at a distance and
would not even raise his eyes to heaven but beat his breast and prayed, 'O God,
be merciful to me a sinner.' I tell you, the latter went home justified, not
the former; for whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and the one who humbles
himself will be exalted." The Word
of the Lord.
L-Evanġelju
- Luqa 18, 9-14
F'dak
iż-żmien, kien hemm uħud li kienu jafdaw fihom infushom li huma ġusti u kienu jmaqdru lill-oħrajn. Ġesu'
qalilhom din il-parabbola: "Żewġt irġiel, wieħed fariżew u l-ieħor
pubblikan, telgħu fit-tempju biex jitolbu.
Il-fariżew, wieqaf, talab hekk f'qalbu:
"O Alla, niżżik ħajr li m'iniex bħall-bqija tal-bnedmin, ħalliela,
inġusti, żienja, jew ukoll bħal dan il-pubblikan. Jiena nsum darbtejn fil-ġimgħa u nħallas l-għexur ta' kulma ndaħħal."Iżda
l-pubblikan, bilwieqfa fil-bogħod anqas biss ried jerfa' għajnejh lejn is-sema, imma
beda jħabbat fuq sidru u jgħid: "O Alla ħenn għalija, għax jien
midneb!" Ngħidilkom jen li dan, u
mhux l-ieħor, niżel id-dar iġġustifikat. Għax kull min jitkabbar, jiċċekken,u min jiċċekken,
jitkabbar. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
……………….
COMMENTARY
The
Pharisee and the Publican – I thank you Lord because I am an atheist!
Gospel Commentary by Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap
This Sunday's Gospel is the parable of the Pharisee and the publican. Those
who attend Mass this Sunday will hear a commentary more or less of this type: The Pharisee represents the conservative who
feels himself in line with God and man, and looks with contempt on his
neighbor. The publican is the person who has committed an error, but he
recognizes it and humbly asks God for forgiveness. The latter doesn't think of
saving himself on his own merits, but rather through the mercy of God. The
preference of Jesus between these two is clear, as the last line of the parable
indicates: The latter returns to his house justified, that is, forgiven and
reconciled with God; the Pharisee returns home just as he left it -- preserving
his sense of righteousness, but losing God's.Hearing this commentary, and repeating it here, leaves me dissatisfied. It's not because it is mistaken, but it doesn't respond to our modern times. Jesus told these parables to those who were listening to him in the moment. In a culture charged with faith and religious practice like that of Galilee and Judea of his time, hypocrisy consisted in flaunting the observance of the law and of holiness, because these were the things that brought applause.
In our secularized and permissive culture, values have changed. What is admired and opens the path to success is the contrary of that other time: It is the rejection of traditional moral norms, independence, the liberty of the individual. For the Pharisees the key word was "observance" of the norms; for many, today, the key word is "transgression." To say that an author, a book or a show is a "transgressor" is to give it one of the most desired compliments of today.
In other words, today we should turn the terms around to get at the original intention. The publicans of yesterday are the new Pharisees of today! Today the publican, the transgressor, says to God: "I thank you Lord, because I am not one of those believing Pharisees, hypocritical and intolerant, that worry about fasting, but in real life are worse than we are." Paradoxically, it seems as if there are those who pray like this: "I thank you, Lord, because I'm an atheist!"
Rochefoucauld said that hypocrisy is the tribute that vice pays to virtue.
Today it is frequently the tribute that virtue pays to vice. This is shown, in
fact, especially among youth, who show themselves worse and more shameless than
they are, so as not to appear less than others. A practical conclusion, valid as much in the traditional interpretation alluded to at the beginning, as in the development given here, is this one: Very few -- perhaps no one -- are always in the role of the Pharisee or always in the role of the publican, that is, righteous in everything or sinners in everything. Most of us have a little of both in us. The worst thing would be to act like the publican in our daily lives and like the Pharisee in church. The publicans were sinners, men without scruple, who put money and business above everything else. The Pharisees, on the contrary, were, very austere and attentive to the law in their daily lives. We thus seem like the publican in daily life and the Pharisee in the temple, if, like the publican we are sinners, and like the Pharisee, we believe ourselves just.
If we must resign ourselves to being a little of both, then let us be the opposite of what we have just described: Pharisees in daily life and publicans in church! Like the Pharisee, we must try in daily life to not be thieves and unjust, but to follow God's commandments and pay our dues; like the publican, when we are before God, we must recognize that the little that we have done is entirely God's own gift, and let us implore, for ourselves and for all, God's mercy.
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