Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Il-31 Ħadd ta' Matul is-Sena - Sena 'B'
Messalin 'B' pp 503
Reading 1 - Deuteronomy 6:2-6
Moses spoke to the people, saying: "Fear the LORD, your God, and keep, throughout the days of your lives, all his statutes and commandments which I enjoin on you, and thus have long life. Hear then, Israel Israel
L-Ewwel Lezzjoni - Qari mill-Ktieb tad-Dewteronomju. 6, 2-6
Mose' kellem lill-poplu u qal: "Ibża' millMulej, Alla tiegħek, billi int, ibnek u bin ibnek, tħarsu dejjem il-liġijiet u l-kmandamenti kollha tiegħu, li jien qiegħed nagħtik, biex ikollok għomor twil. Isma', o Iżrael, u ħu ħsieb agħmilhom, biex ikollok il-ġid u toktor ħafna, bħalma wiegħed il-Mulej, Alla ta' misssierijietkom, li jagħtik art tnixxi ħalib u għasel. Isma', o Iżrael: Alla tagħna l-Mulej, il-Mulej waħdu. Ħobb, mela, lill-Mulej, Alla tiegħek, b'qalbek kollha u b'saħhtek kollha. Żomm f'qalbek dan il-kliem u dawn il-kmandamenti li qiegħed nagħtik illum." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
----------------------
Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 18:2-3, 3-4, 47, 51
I love you, O LORD, my strength,
O LORD, my rock, my fortress, my deliverer.
R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
My God, my rock of refuge,
my shield, the horn of my salvation, my stronghold!
Praised be the LORD, I exclaim,
and I am safe from my enemies.
R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
The LORD lives! And blessed be my rock!
Extolled be God my savior.
You who gave great victories to your king
and showed kindness to your anointed.
R. (2) I love you, Lord, my strength.
Salm Responsorjali (Salm 17)
Inħobbok, Mulej, qawwa tiegħi!
Il-Mulej blata tiegħi,
fortizza u ħellies tiegħi!
R/ Inħobbok, Mulej, qawwa tiegħi!
Alla tiegħi, sur tal-kenn tiegħi u tarka tiegħi,
qawwa tas-salvazzjoni tiegħi, u kenn tiegħi!
Insejjaħ il-Mulej, li hu ta' min ifaħhru,
u nkun meħlus mill-għedewwa tiegħi.
R/ Inħobbok, Mulej, qawwa tiegħi!
Ħaj il-Mulej! Imbierek hu, il-blata tiegħi!
Ikun imfahhar Alla tas-salvazzjoni tiegħi!
Hu jkabbar ir-rebħ lis-sultan tiegħu,
juri mħabbtu mal-midluk tiegħu.
R/ Inħobbok, Mulej, qawwa tiegħi!
----------------------------------
Reading 2 - Hebrews 7:23-28
Brothers and sisters: The levitical priests were many because they were prevented by death from remaining in office, but Jesus, because he remains forever, has a priesthood that does not pass away. Therefore, he is always able to save those who approach God through him, since he lives forever to make intercession for them. It was fitting that we should have such a high priest: holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, higher than the heavens. He has no need, as did the high priests, to offer sacrifice day after day, first for his own sins and then for those of the people; he did that once for all when he offered himself. For the law appoints men subject to weakness to be high priests, but the word of the oath, which was taken after the law, appoints a son, who has been made perfect forever. This is the Word of the Lord.
It-Tieni Lezzjoni - Qari mill-Ittra lill-Lhud. 7, 23-28
Ħuti, dawk tal-imgħoddi kienu jsiru qassisin f'għadd kbir, għax minħabba fil-mewt ma kinux jistgħu jibqgħu għal dejjem. Imma Ġesu', billi jibqa' għal dejjem, għandu saċerdożju li ma jintemm qatt. Għalhekk ukoll huwa jista' jsalva għalkollox 'il dawk li bih jersqu lejn Alla, ladarba hu jibqa' għal dejjem ħaj biex jidħol għalihom. Dan hu, tabilħaqq, il-qassis il-kbiri li kien jgħodd għalina: qaddis, innoċenti, safi
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
----------------------------
Gospel - Mark 12:28b-34
One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him, "Which is the first of all the commandments?"
Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, OIsrael kingdom of God
Jesus replied, "The first is this: Hear, O
F'dak iż-żmien, wieħed mill-kittieba resaq fuq Ġesu' u staqsieħ: "Liema wieħed fost il-kmandamenti kollha huwa l-ewwel?" Ġesu' wieġbu: "L-ewwel wieħed huwa dan: Isma' Iżrael! Il-Mulej, Alla tagħna, Mulej wieħedhu, u int għandek tħobb lill-Mulej, Alla tiegħek, b'qalbek kollha, b'ruħek kollha, b'moħħom kollu, u bil-qawwa tiegħek kollha. U t-tieni hu dan: "Ħobb lil għajrek bħalek innifsek. Ma hemmx kmandament ieħor akbar minn minn
------------------------
COMMENTARY:
Father Cantalamessa on LOVING GOD
A commentary on the Gospel reading by Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, OFMCap, Pontifical Household Preacher
Love the Lord your God
One day one of the scribes came to Jesus asking him which was the first commandment of the law and Jesus answered, citing the words of the law: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one God. And you shall love the Lord your God, with your whole heart, and with your whole soul, and with your whole mind, and with your whole strength." But Jesus immediately added that there is a second commandment similar to this, and it is to "love your neighbor as yourself."
If we are to understand the meaning of the scribe's question and Jesus' response, we need to bear in mind the following. In the Judaism of Jesus' time there were two opposite tendencies.
On the one hand there was a tendency to endlessly multiply the commandments and precepts of the law, creating norms and obligations for every minimal detail of life. On the other hand there was the desire to look underneath this suffocating congeries of norms to find those things that really count for God, the spirit of all the commandments.
The scribe's question and Jesus' response are situated in this approach to the essentials of the law, in this desire not to get lost in the thousand other secondary precepts. It is precisely this lesson about method that above all we must learn from today's gospel. There are things in life that are important but not urgent (in the sense that nothing will happen if we let them slide); and vice versa, there are things that are urgent but not important. The danger is that we will systematically sacrifice the important things to pursue those that are urgent but often secondary.
How do we avoid this danger? A story will help us understand how. One day an old professor was asked to speak as an expert to some large North American corporations on personal time management. He decided to try an experiment. Standing before a group ready to take notes, he pulled out from under the table a large, empty glass vase. He placed a dozen tennis-ball-size rocks in the vase until it was full. When he was not able to add more rocks he asked those present: "Does the vase seem full to you?" and they all answered "Yes!" He waited a moment and then asked: "Are you sure?"
He again bent down and pulled a box full of pebbles from under the table and carefully poured the pebbles into the vase, moving the vase a little so that the pebbles could reach the rocks at the very bottom. He asked: "Is the vase full this time?"
His audience, having become more prudent, began to understand and said: "Perhaps not yet." "Very good!" the old professor replied. Again he bent down and this time picked up a bag of sand and poured it into the vase with care. The sand filled all the spaces between the rocks and the pebbles.
He then asked again: "Is the vase full now?" And they all answered without hesitation: "No!" "Indeed," the old professor said and, as they expected, took the pitcher of water from the table and poured it into the vase up to the brim.
At this point he looked up at his audience and asked: "What great truth does this experiment show us?" The bravest of the group, reflecting on the theme of the course -- time management -- replied: "This shows us that even when our schedule is full, with a little effort we can always add some other task, some other thing to do."
"No," the professor answered, "It's not that. The experiment shows us something else. If you don't put the big rocks in the vase first, then you will never be able to put them in afterward."
There was a moment of silence and everyone took in the evidence for this affirmation.
The professor continued: "What are the big rocks, the priorities, in your life? Health? Family? Friends? Defending a cause? Accomplishing something that is close to your heart?
"The important thing is to put these big rocks on your agenda first. If you give priority to a thousand other little things -- the pebbles, the sand -- your life will be filled with meaninglessness and you will never find time to dedicate yourself to the truly important things.
"So, never forget to pose this question to yourself: 'What are the important things in my life?' Put these things at the head of your agenda."
Then, with a friendly gesture the old professor bid farewell to his audience and left the room.
To the "big rocks" mentioned by the professor -- health, family, friends -- we need to add two others, which are the biggest of all, the two greatest commandments: love God and your neighbor.
Truly, loving God, more than a commandment, is a privilege, a concession. If one day we find him, we will not cease to thank God for commanding us to love him and we will not desire to do anything else but cultivate this love.
If we are to understand the meaning of the scribe's question and Jesus' response, we need to bear in mind the following. In the Judaism of Jesus' time there were two opposite tendencies.
On the one hand there was a tendency to endlessly multiply the commandments and precepts of the law, creating norms and obligations for every minimal detail of life. On the other hand there was the desire to look underneath this suffocating congeries of norms to find those things that really count for God, the spirit of all the commandments.
The scribe's question and Jesus' response are situated in this approach to the essentials of the law, in this desire not to get lost in the thousand other secondary precepts. It is precisely this lesson about method that above all we must learn from today's gospel. There are things in life that are important but not urgent (in the sense that nothing will happen if we let them slide); and vice versa, there are things that are urgent but not important. The danger is that we will systematically sacrifice the important things to pursue those that are urgent but often secondary.
How do we avoid this danger? A story will help us understand how. One day an old professor was asked to speak as an expert to some large North American corporations on personal time management. He decided to try an experiment. Standing before a group ready to take notes, he pulled out from under the table a large, empty glass vase. He placed a dozen tennis-ball-size rocks in the vase until it was full. When he was not able to add more rocks he asked those present: "Does the vase seem full to you?" and they all answered "Yes!" He waited a moment and then asked: "Are you sure?"
He again bent down and pulled a box full of pebbles from under the table and carefully poured the pebbles into the vase, moving the vase a little so that the pebbles could reach the rocks at the very bottom. He asked: "Is the vase full this time?" His audience, having become more prudent, began to understand and said: "Perhaps not yet." "Very good!" the old professor replied. Again he bent down and this time picked up a bag of sand and poured it into the vase with care. The sand filled all the spaces between the rocks and the pebbles.
He then asked again: "Is the vase full now?" And they all answered without hesitation: "No!" "Indeed," the old professor said and, as they expected, took the pitcher of water from the table and poured it into the vase up to the brim.
At this point he looked up at his audience and asked: "What great truth does this experiment show us?" The bravest of the group, reflecting on the theme of the course -- time management -- replied: "This shows us that even when our schedule is full, with a little effort we can always add some other task, some other thing to do."
"No," the professor answered, "It's not that. The experiment shows us something else. If you don't put the big rocks in the vase first, then you will never be able to put them in afterward."
There was a moment of silence and everyone took in the evidence for this affirmation.
The professor continued: "What are the big rocks, the priorities, in your life? Health? Family? Friends? Defending a cause? Accomplishing something that is close to your heart?
"The important thing is to put these big rocks on your agenda first. If you give priority to a thousand other little things -- the pebbles, the sand -- your life will be filled with meaninglessness and you will never find time to dedicate yourself to the truly important things.
"So, never forget to pose this question to yourself: 'What are the important things in my life?' Put these things at the head of your agenda."
Then, with a friendly gesture the old professor bid farewell to his audience and left the room.
To the "big rocks" mentioned by the professor -- health, family, friends -- we need to add two others, which are the biggest of all, the two greatest commandments: love God and your neighbor.
Truly, loving God, more than a commandment, is a privilege, a concession. If one day we find him, we will not cease to thank God for commanding us to love him and we will not desire to do anything else but cultivate this love.
No comments:
Post a Comment