If Any One Would Be First ...

Readings for September 23, 2012

25^th  Sunday in Ordinary Time

Il-25 Ħadd matul is-sena                     

Messalin B pp 469 

                   

Reading 1 - Wisdom 2:12, 17-20

The wicked say: Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training. Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him. For if the just one be the son of God, God will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. With revilement and torture let us put the just one to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him.  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari - Għerf 2, 12, 17-20

In-nies il-ħżiena qalu:   Nonsbulu lill-ġust għaliex hu xkiel għalina fi triqitna hu kontra l-għemejjel tagħna, iċanfarna għax niksru l-Liġi u jixlina għam immorru kontra t-tagħlim li ħadna. Ħa naraw hux veru kliemu, naraw  fl-aħħar x'se jsir minnu. Jekk il-ġust  hu iben Alla, jaqbeż għalih Alla, u jeħilsu minn id l-għedewwa tiegħu Inġarrbuh   bit-tagħjir u l-moħqrija, biex naraw xi tjubija għandu u nkejlu sa fejn jasal sabru. Naqtgħuhielu għall-mewt b'mistħija, għax, kif għid hu, għandu min iħarsu"      Il-Kelma tal-Mulej 

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Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 54:3-4, 5, 6 and 8

O God, by your name save me,
and by your might defend my cause.
O God, hear my prayer;
hearken to the words of my mouth.       

R. (6b) The Lord upholds my life.

For the haughty men have risen up against me,
the ruthless seek my life;
they set not God before their eyes.                                

R. (6b) The Lord upholds my life.
 
Behold, God is my helper;
the Lord sustains my life.
Freely will I offer you sacrifice;
I will praise your name, O LORD, for its goodness.          

R. (6b) The Lord upholds my life.

Salm Responsorjali - Salm 53 (54)

 B'isemek,  O Alla,  salvani;

agħmilli  ħaqq  bil-qawwa tiegħek.

Isma', O Alla, it-talba tiegħi,

agħti widen għal kliem fommi.              

            R/         Alla hu dak li jżommni.

Għax nies kburin qamu kontrija,

nies kefrin jonsbuli ħajti;

ma jżommux 'l Alla quddiem għajnejhom.

            R/         Alla hu dak li jżommni.

Ara, Alla l-għajnuna tiegħi,

il-Mulej hu dak li jżommni.

Minn qalb noffrilek is-sagrifiċċju,

irrodd ħajr ll ismek,  għax hu tajjeb.                 

            R/         Alla hu dak li jżommni.

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Reading 2 - James 3:16-4:3

Beloved:  Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice. But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity. And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace  for those who cultivate peace. Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members? You covet but do not possess. You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war. You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.  This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qari - Ġakbu 3.16-17; 4.13

Għeżież,  fejn hemm il-għira u l-ġlied, hemm issib  it-taqlib u kull xorta ta' ħażen. Il-għerf li ġej mis-sema, qabel kollox hu għerf safi, imbagħad hu għerf li jfittex is-sliem, it-tjubija u l-ħlewwa; huwa  kollu ħniena u frott tajjeb, bla ma jħares lejn l-uċuħ u bla qerq. Dawk  li jfittxu  s-sliem jiżirgħu fis-sliem u jkollhom il-frott tal-ġustizzja. Mnejn hu ġej il-ġlied u t-tilwim bejniethom? Jaqaw mhux minn dan, mill-passjonijiet li hemm jitqabdu f'ġisimhom?  Tixtiequ, u ma ssibu xejn; imbagħad toqtlu u tgħiru,  bla ma tistgħu tieħdu xejn; imbagħad tiġġieldu u titqabdu.  Ma għandkom xejn għax ma titolbux. Titolbu, u ma tkisbux, għax titolbu ħażin:titolbu ħa jkollkom xi tberbqu fix-xalar. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Gospel - Mark 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, "The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise." But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him. They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, "What were you arguing about on the way?" But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest. Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, "If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all." Taking a child, he placed it in the their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, "Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me."  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju - Mark 9, 30-37

F'dak iż-żmien,  Ġesu' u d-dixxipli tiegħu għaddew minn nofs il-Galilija, u ma ried lil ħadd ikun jaf, għax beda jgħallem lid-dixxipli tiegħu u jgħidilhom: "Bin il-bniedem se jingħata f'idejn il-bnedmin u joqluh; u meta jkun maqtul, wara tlitt ijiem iqum mill-mewt." Iżda huma  ma fehmuhx dan il-kliem, u   beżgħu jistaqsuh. Waslu Kafarnahum; u meta kien d-dar staqsiehom: "X'kont qegħdin titħaddtu bejnietkom fit-triq?" Iżda huma baqgħu siekta, għax fit-triq qagħdu  jitħaddtu bejniethom fuq min kien l-akbar. Imbagħad qagħad bilqiegħda, sejjaħ lit-Tnax, u qalilhom:  "Jekk xi ħadd irid ikun l-ewwel wieħed,  għandu joqgħod  wara kulħadd u jkun qaddej ta' kulħadd."  U ressaq lejh tfajjel ċkejken, qegħdu f'nofshom, ħaddnu bejn dirgħajh u qalilhom: "Kull min jilqa' wieħed minn dawn iċ-ċkejknin minħabba f'ismi, ikun jilqa' lili; u  min jilqa' lili, jkun jilqa' mhux lili, imma lil dak li bagħatni. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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`Commentary - Father Cantalamessa on

Being No. 1, for Christ

A commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on next Sunday's liturgy.

"Whoever Is Great in Service, Is Great"

"And he sat down and called the Twelve; and he said to them, 'If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all.'" Does Jesus condemn with these words the desire to excel, to do great things in life, to give the best of oneself, and favors instead laziness, a defeatist spirit and the negligent?

So thought the philosopher Nietzsche, who felt the need to combat Christianity fiercely, guilty in his opinion of having introduced into the world the "cancer" of humility and self-denial. In his work "Thus Spoke Zarathustra" he opposes this evangelical value with the "will to power," embodied by the superman, the man of "great health," who wishes to raise, not abase, himself.

It might be that Christians sometimes have misinterpreted Jesus' thought and have given occasion to this misunderstanding. But this is surely not what the Gospel wishes to tell us. "If any would be first": therefore, it is possible to want to be first, it is not prohibited, it is not a sin. With these words, not only does Jesus not prohibit the desire to be first, but he encourages it. He just reveals a new and different way to do so: not at the cost of others, but in favor of others. He adds, in fact: "he must be last of all and servant of all."

But what are the fruits of one or the other way of excelling? The will to power leads to a situation in which one imposes oneself and the rest serve; one is "happy" -- if there can be happiness in it -- and the rest unhappy; only one is victor, all the rest are vanquished; one dominates, the rest are dominated.

We know with what results the idea of the superman was implemented by Hitler. But it is not just Nazism; almost all the evils of humanity stem from that root. In the Second Reading of this Sunday, James asks himself the anguishing and perennial question: "What causes wars?" In the Gospel, Jesus gives us the answer: the desire for predominance. Predominance of one nation over another, of one race over another, of a party over the others, of one sex over the other, of one religion over another.

In service, instead, all benefit from the greatness of one. Whoever is great in service, is great and makes others great; rather than raising himself above others, he raises others with him. Alessandro Manzoni concludes his poetic evocation of Napoleon's ventures with the question: "Was it true glory? In posterity the arduous sentence." This doubt, about whether or not it was truly glory, is not posed for Mother Teresa of Calcutta, Raoul Follereau and all those who daily serve the cause of the poor and those wounded by wars, often risking their own lives.

Only one doubt remains. What to think of antagonism in sports and competition in business? Are these things also condemned by Christ's words? No, when they are contained within the limits of good sportsmanship and good business, these things are good, they serve to increase the level of physical capability and ... to lower prices in trade. Indirectly, they serve the common good. Jesus' invitation to be the last certainly doesn't apply to cycling or Formula 1 races!

But precisely, sport serves to clarify the limit of this greatness in relation to service. "In a race all the runners compete, but only one receives the prize," says St. Paul (1 Corinthians 9:24). Suffice it to remember what happens at the end of a 100-meter flat race: The winner exults, is surrounded by photographers and carried triumphantly in the air. All the rest go away sad and humiliated. "All run, but only one receives the prize."

St. Paul extracts, however, from athletic competitions also a positive teaching: "Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable [crown, eternal life, from God]." A green light, therefore, to the new race invented by Christ in which the first is the one who makes himself last of all and serves all.

[Translation by ZENIT]