The Word On Sunday: "This Miracle ... Has Changed Humanity´s Destiny"

Readings for April 7, 2013

Second Sunday of Easter

( Sunday of Divine Mercy)

It-Tieni Hadd tal-l-Ghid

(Hadd il-Hniena Divina)

Messalin C 195

Reading 1 - Acts 5:12-16

Many signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles. They were all together in Solomon’s portico. None of the others dared to join them, but the people esteemed them. Yet more than ever, believers in the Lord, great numbers of men and women, were added to them. Thus they even carried the sick out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by, at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them. A large number of people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured. This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari - Atti ta' l-Appostli i 5, 12-16

Bis-saħħa tal-appostli kienu jsiru ħafna sinjali u mirakli fost il-poplu. U huma lkoll qalb waħda kienu jinġabru flimkien fil-portiku ta' Salamun, u ħadd mill-oħrajn ma kien jissogra jissieħeb magħhom; imma kulħadd kien ifaħħarhom ħafna. L-għadd ta' dawk li kienu jemmnu fil-Mulej, kemm irġiel kemm nisa, kien dejjem jiżdied u joktor, hekk li kienu wkoll iġorru l-morda tagħhom fuq sodod u mtieraħ u jqegħduhom fil-pjazez biex, xħin jgħaddin Pietru, jaqa' mqar id-dell tiegħu fuq xi ħadd minnhom. In-nies kienu jiġu mill-ibliet ta' madwar Ġerusalemm, iġorru l-morda u lil dawk li kienu maħkuma mill-ispirti mniġġsa; lkoll kienu jitfejqu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24

R. (1) Give thanks to the Lord for he is good, his love is everlasting.

or R. Alleluia.

Let the house of

Israel

say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His mercy endures forever.” R/:

I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory
in the tents of the just: R/:

The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it. R/:

Salm Responsorjali - Salm 117 (118)

R/ Faħħru 'l Mulej, għaliex hu tajjeb! Jew Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Ħa jgħidu wlied Iżrael:

"Għal dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu"

Ħa tgħid dar Aron:

"Għal dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu."

Ħa jgħidu dawk li jibżgħu mill-Mulej:

"Għal dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu." R/

Il-ġebla li warrbu l-bennejja

saret il-ġebla tax-xewka.

Bis-saħħa tal-Mulej seħħ dan:

ħaġa tal-għaġeb f'għajnejna.

Dan hu l-jum li għamel il-Mulej;

ħa nifirħu u nithennew fih!" R/

Ejja, nitolbuk, Mulej, salvana!

Ejja, nitolbuk, Mulej, agħtina r-riżq!

Imbierek minn ġej f'isem il-Mulej!

Inberkukom minn dar il-Mulej.

Jaħweħ hu Alla; hu d-dawl tagħna. R/

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Reading 2 - Revelations 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19

I, John, your brother, who share with you the distress, the kingdom, and the endurance we have in Jesus, found myself on the island called Patmos because I proclaimed God’s word and gave testimony to Jesus. I was caught up in spirit on the Lord’s day and heard behind me a voice as loud as a trumpet, which said, “Write on a scroll what you see.” Then I turned to see whose voice it was that spoke to me, and when I turned, I saw seven gold lamp stands and in the midst of the lamp stands one like a son of man, wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold sash around his chest. When I caught sight of him, I fell down at his feet as though dead. He touched me with his right hand and said, “Do not be afraid. I am the first and the last, the one who lives. Once I was dead, but now I am alive forever and ever. I hold the keys to death and the netherworld. Write down, therefore, what you have seen, and what is happening, and what will happen afterwards.” This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qari – L-Apokalissi 1, 9-11a, 12-13, 17-19)

Jiena, Ġwanni, ħukom u sieħeb tagħkom fit-taħbit u fis-saltna u fis-sabar ma' Ġesu', jien sibt ruħi fil-gżira jisimha Patmos minħabba l-Kelma ta' Alla u x-xhieda ta' Ġesu'. Darba f'jum il-Mulej, ħassejtni merfugħ fl-Ispirtu, u minn warajja smajt leħen qawwi, bħal ta' tromba, igħidli: "Kulma tara niżżlu fi ktieb u ibagħtu lis-seba' knejjes." U jiena dort biex nara min kien qiegħed ikellimni; u kif dort, rajt seba' kandelabri tad-deheb, u f'nofs il- kandelabri kien hemm wieħed qisu Iben ta' bniedem, liebes libsa twila sa wiċċ saqajh, b'sidru mħażżem bi ħżiem tad-deheb Jien, kif rajtu, waqajt qisni mejjet f'riġlejh. Iżda hu ressaq idu l-leminija fuqi u qalli: "Tibżax! Jien hu l-Ewwel u l-Aħħar, jiena l-Ħaj; jien kont mejjet, u ara, jien issa ħaj għal dejjem ta' dejjem, u għandi jinsabu l-imfietaħ tal-Mewt u ta' Post il-Mejtin. Ikteb kulma tara, kemm il-ħwejjeġ li hawn issa u kemm dawk li jiġru 'l quddiem. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Gospel - John 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were locked, and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe.” Thomas answered and said to him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name. This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju - Ġwanni 20, 19-31)

Dakinhar filgħaxija, fl-ewwel jum tal-ġimgħa, meta d-dixxipli kienu flimkien imbeżżgħa mill-Lhud, bil-bibien magħluqa, ġie Ġesu' u qagħad f'nofshom; u qalilhom: "Is-Sliem għalikom!" Kif qal hekk, uriehom idejh u ġenbu. Id-dixxipli ferħu meta raw lill-Mulej. Imbagħad Ġesu' tenna jgħidilhom:"Is-Sliem għalikom! Kif il-Missier bagħat lili, hekk jien nibgħat lilkom." Kif qal hekk, nefaħ fuqhom u qalilhom: "Ħudu l-Ispirtu s-Santu. Dawk li taħfrulhom dnubiethom ikunu maħura, u dawk li żżommuhomlhom ikunu miżmuma." Tumas, wieħed mit-Tnax, jgħidulu t-Tewmi, ma kienx magħhom, meta ġie Ġesu'. Għalhekk id-dixxipli l-oħra qalulu: "Rajna lill-Mulej." Iżda hu qalilhom: "Jekk ma narax f'idejh il-marka tal-imsiemer u ma nqiegħedx sebgħi fuq il-marka tal-imsiemer u idi fuq ġenbu, jien ma nemminx." Tmint ijiem wara, id-dixxipli tiegħu kienu ġewwa, u Tumas magħhom. Il-bibien kienu magħluqa,imma Ġesu' daħal, qagħad f'nofshom, u qalilhom: "Is-Sliem għalikom!" Imbagħad qal lil Tumas: "Ġib sebgħek hawn u ara idejja, u ressaq idek u qegħedha fuq ġenbi; tkunx bniedem bla fidi, iżda emmen." Wieġeb Tumas u qallu: "Mulej tiegħi u Alla tiegħi!" Qallu Ġesu': "Emmint għax rajtni! Ħenjin dawk li ma rawx u emmnu." Hemm ħafna sinjali oħra li Ġesu' għamel quddiem id-dixxipli tiegħu u li m'humiex imniżżla f'dan il-ktieb. Iżda dawn inkitbu inkitbu sabiex intom temmnu li Ġesu' hu l-Messija l-Iben ta' Alla, u biex bit-twemmin tagħkom ikollokom il-ħajja f'ismu Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY:

"This Miracle ... Has Changed Humanity´s Destiny"

A year after the canonization of Sister Faustina Kowalska, a Polish religious known as the apostle of Divine Mercy, Blessed John Paul II celebrated Mass of the Divine Mercy in St Peter´s Square on April 22, 2001.

Here is a translation of his homily.

……"Fear not, I am the first and the last, and the living one; I died, and behold I am alive for ever more" (Rev 1:17-18).

We heard these comforting words in the Second Reading taken from the Book of Revelation. They invite us to turn our gaze to Christ, to experience his reassuring presence. To each person, whatever his condition, even if it were the most complicated and dramatic, the Risen One repeats: "Fear not!"; I died on the Cross but now "I am alive for evermore"; "I am the first and the last, and the living one".

"The first," that is, the source of every being and the first fruits of the new creation; "the last," the definitive end of history; "the living one," the inexhaustible source of life that triumphed over death for ever. In the Messiah, crucified and risen, we recognize the features of the Lamb sacrificed on Golgotha, who implores forgiveness for his torturers and opens the gates of heaven to repentant sinners; we glimpse the face of the immortal King who now has "the keys of Death and Hades" (Rv 1: 18).

………"Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his mercy endures for ever!" (Ps 117: 1).

Let us make our own the Psalmist´s exclamation which we sang in the Responsorial Psalm: The Lord´s mercy endures for ever! In order to understand thoroughly the truth of these words, let us be led by the liturgy to the heart of the event of salvation, which unites Christ´s Death and Resurrection with our lives and with the world´s history. This miracle of mercy has radically changed humanity´s destiny. It is a miracle in which is unfolded the fullness of the love of the Father who, for our redemption, does not even draw back before the sacrifice of his Only-begotten Son.

In the humiliated and suffering Christ, believers and non-believers can admire a surprising solidarity, which binds him to our human condition beyond all imaginable measure. The Cross, even after the Resurrection of the Son of God, "speaks and never ceases to speak of God the Father, who is absolutely faithful to his eternal love for man.... Believing in this love means believing in mercy (Dives in misericordia, n. 7).

Let us thank the Lord for his love, which is stronger than death and sin. It is revealed and put into practice as mercy in our daily lives, and prompts every person in turn to have "mercy" towards the Crucified One. Is not loving God and loving one’s neighbour and even one’s "enemies", after Jesus´ example, the programme of life of every baptized person and of the whole Church?

……. With these sentiments we are celebrating the Second Sunday of Easter, which since last year, the year of the Great Jubilee, is also called "Divine Mercy Sunday". It is a great joy for me to be able to join all of you, dear pilgrims and faithful who have come from various nations to commemorate, after one year, the canonization of Sr Faustina Kowalska, witness and messenger of the Lord´s merciful love. The elevation to the honours of the altar of this humble religious, a daughter of my land, is not only a gift for Poland but for all humanity. Indeed the message she brought is the appropriate and incisive answer that God wanted to offer to the questions and expectations of human beings in our time, marked by terrible tragedies. Jesus said to Sr Faustina one day: "Humanity will never find peace until it turns with trust to Divine Mercy" (Diary, p. 132). Divine Mercy! This is the Easter gift that the Church receives from the risen Christ and offers to humanity at the dawn of the third millennium.

……. The Gospel, which has just been proclaimed, helps us to grasp the full sense and value of this gift. The Evangelist John makes us share in the emotion felt by the Apostles in their meeting with Christ after his Resurrection. Our attention focuses on the gesture of the Master, who transmits to the fearful, astounded disciples the mission of being ministers of divine Mercy. He shows them his hands and his side, which bear the marks of the Passion, and tells them: "As the Father has sent me, even so I send you" (Jn 20: 21). Immediately afterwards "he breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained´ " (Jn 20: 22-23). Jesus entrusted to them the gift of "forgiving sins", a gift that flows from the wounds in his hands, his feet, and especially from his pierced side. From there a wave of mercy is poured out over all humanity. Let us relive this moment with great spiritual intensity. Today the Lord also shows us his glorious wounds and his heart, an inexhaustible source of light and truth, of love and forgiveness.

………….. The Heart of Christ!

His "Sacred Heart" has given men everything: redemption, salvation, sanctification. St Faustina Kowalska saw coming from this Heart that was overflowing with generous love, two rays of light which illuminated the world. "The two rays", according to what Jesus himself told her, "represent the blood and the water" (Diary, p. 132). The blood recalls the sacrifice of Golgotha and the mystery of the Eucharist; the water, according to the rich symbolism of the Evangelist John, makes us think of Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Spirit (cf. Jn 3: 5; 4: 14). Through the mystery of this wounded heart, the restorative tide of God´s merciful love continues to spread over the men and women of our time. Here alone can those who long for true and lasting happiness find its secret.

……………. "Jesus, I trust in you".

This prayer, dear to so many of the devout, clearly expresses the attitude with which we too would like to abandon ourselves trustfully in your hands, O Lord, our only Saviour. You are burning with the desire to be loved and those in tune with the sentiments of your heart learn how to build the new civilization of love. A simple act of abandonment is enough to overcome the barriers of darkness and sorrow, of doubt and desperation. The rays of your divine mercy restore hope, in a special way, to those who feel overwhelmed by the burden of sin.

Mary, Mother of Mercy, help us always to have this trust in your Son, our Redeemer. Help us too, St Faustina, whom we remember today with special affection. Fixing our weak gaze on the divine Saviour´s face, we would like to repeat with you: "Jesus, I trust in you". Now and for ever. Amen.