Equal and different

Readings for May 26, 2013 

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity 

Solennita’ tat-Trinita’ Qaddisa

Messalin   C 244

Reading 1 -  Proverbs 8:22-31

Thus says the wisdom of God: "The LORD possessed me, the beginning of his ways, the forerunner of his prodigies of long ago; from of old I was poured forth, at the first, before the earth. When there were no depths I was brought forth, when there were no fountains or springs of water; before the mountains were settled into place, before the hills, I was brought forth; while as yet the earth and fields were not made,
nor the first clods of the world. "When the Lord established the heavens I was there, when he marked out the vault over the face of the deep; when he made firm the skies above,  when he fixed fast the foundations of the earth; when he set for the sea its limit, so that the waters should not transgress his command; then was I beside him as his craftsman, and I was his delight day by day, playing before him all the while, playing on the surface of his earth; and I found delight in the human race."  This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  -  Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Proverbji 8, 22-31

Dan jgħid il-Għerf ta' Alla: "Il-Mulej kellu lili sa mill-bidu ta' għemilu, sa minn qabel l-eqdem għemejjel tiegħu. Sa minn dejjem twaqqaft, mill-bidu, qabel ma nbdiet id-dinja. Kien għad m'hemmx l-ibħra l-kbar, meta tnissilt jien, kien għad m'hemmx għejun inixxu l-ilma; qabel ma tqiegħdu l-muntanji, qabel l-għoljiet jien twelidt. Kien għadu ma għamilx l-art bir-raba' tagħha, u lanqas l-ewwel traba tal-art. Meta ħejja s-smewwiet jien kont hemm, meta ħażżeż dawra fuq wiċċ il-baħar kbir, meta saħħaħ is-smewwiet hemm fuq, u qiegħed fis-sod in-nixxigħat ta' qiegħ il-baħar; meta ħażżeż trufijiet il-baħar, biex l-ilmijiet ma jaqbżux trufhom; meta qiegħed sisien l-art, jien kont maġenbu bħala tfajjel, l-għaxqa tiegħu, jum wara ieħor, niitliegħeb il-ħin kollu quddiemu; nitliegħeb fuq l-art imħejjija għall-bnedmin, nitgħaxxaq b'ulied il-bnedmin.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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Responsorial Psalm - PSALM 8:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. (2a) O Lord, our God, how wonderful your name in all the earth!

When I behold your heavens, the work of your fingers,
the moon and the stars which you set in place —
What is man that you should be mindful of him,
or the son of man that you should care for him?                         R/

You have made him little less than the angels,
and crowned him with glory and honor.
You have given him rule over the works of your hands,
putting all things under his feet:                                                      R/

All sheep and oxen,
yes, and the beasts of the field,
The birds of the air, the fishes of the sea,
and whatever swims the paths of the seas.                                   R/

Salm Responsorjali - Salm 8

                R/     Mulej, Sid tagħna, kemm hu kbir ismek fl-art kollha!

Inħares lejn is-smewwiet, għemil subgħajk,

il-qamar u l-kwiekeb li int qegħedt fihom!

X'inhu l-bniedem biex tiftakar fih,

bin il-bniedem, biex taħseb fih?                      R/

Ftit inqas mill-allat għamiltu,

bis-sebħ u l-ġmiel żejjintu,

qegħedtu fuq l-għemejjel kollha ta' idejk!     R/

Kollox taħt riġlejh qegħedtlu:

in-ngħaġ u l-baqar kollha, sal-bhejjem tax-xagħri;

l-għasafar tal-ajru u l-ħut tal-baħar,

dak kollu li  jterraq fil-baħar.                          R/

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Reading 2  - Romans 5:1-5

Brothers and sisters:  Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith to this grace in which we stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God. Not only that, but we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni - Qari mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 5, 1-5

Ħuti, issa li aħna ġġustifikati bil-fidi,  għandna s-sliem ma' Alla, permezz ta' Sidna Ġesu' Kristu; pemezz tiegħu għandna d-dħul bil-fidi għal din il-grazzja li fiha qegħdin. Aħna niftaħru bit-tama li għandna li  għad  niksbu l-glorja ta' Alla. Mhux biss dan: imma niftaħru wkoll bis-sofferenzi, għax nafu li s-sofferenza ġġib is-sabar, is-sabar irawwem il-ħila, il-ħila t-tama. U din it-tama ta tqarraqx bina, għax l-imħabba ta' Alla ssawbet fi qlubna permezz tal-Ispirtu  s-Santu li kien mogħti lilna.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Gospel - John 16:12-15

Jesus said to his disciples:  "I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now. But when he comes, the Spirit of truth, he will guide you to all truth. He will not speak on his own, but he will speak what he hears, and will declare to you the things that are coming. He will glorify me, because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you. Everything that the Father has is mine; for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine and declare it to you."  This is the Word of the Lord.

Evanġelju - Qari skont San Ġwann 16, 12.15

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu:  "Baqagħli ħafna ħwejjeġ x'ngħidilkom, imam għalissa ma tifilħux għalihom. Meta jiġi hu, l-Ispirtu tal-verita', iwassalkom għall-verita' kollha; għaliex hu ma jgħid xejn minn tiegħu, imma jgħid dak li jisma', u  jħabbrilkom il-ġejjieni. Hu jagħtini glorja, għaliex jieħu minn  dak li hu tiegħi u jħabbru lilkom. Dak kollu li għandnu l-Missier huwa tiegħi. Għalhekk għedt li jieħu minn dak li hu 

tiegħi u jħabbru lilkom." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY - 

Father Cantalamessa on Equal Dignity

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

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Equal and Different

The Gospel for the solemnity, drawn from Jesus' farewell discourses, deals with three mysterious subjects which are inextricably united, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will lead you into the whole truth. … All that the Father has is mine" -- the Son! Reflecting on these and similar texts the Church arrived at its faith in the Trinitarian God.

Many ask: But what is this puzzle of three who are one and one who are three? Would it not be easier to believe in a God who is just one, as the Muslims do? The answer is simple. The Church believes in the Trinity, not because it likes to complicate things, but because this truth has been revealed by Christ. The difficulty of understanding the mystery of the Trinity is an argument in favour of, and not against, its truth. No man left to himself would have ever come up with this mystery.

After the mystery has been revealed to us, we intuit that, if God exists, it can be no other way: one and three at the same time. There can only be love between two or more persons; if therefore "God is love," there must be in God one who loves, one who is loved, and the love that unites them.

Christians are monotheists; they believe in a God who is one, but not solitary. Who would God love if he were absolutely alone? Perhaps himself? But then his love would not be really love, but rather egoism or narcissism.

I would like to consider the great and formidable teaching about life that comes to us from the Trinity. This mystery is the maximum affirmation that there can be both equality and diversity: equal in dignity but different in characteristics. And is this not the most important thing that we must learn if we are going to live well in this world? That we can be, that is, different by the color of our skin, because of culture, sex, race and religion, and yet enjoy equal dignity as human persons?

This teaching has its first and most natural field of application in the family. The family must be an earthly reflection of the Trinity. It is made up of persons of different sex (man and woman) and age (parents and children) with all the consequences that derive from these differences: different sentiments, different attitudes and tastes. The success of a marriage and a family depends on the measure by which this diversity knows how to tend toward a higher unity: unity of love, intentions and collaboration.

It is not true that a man and a woman must have the same temperament and gifts; that for them to agree, they must both be either cheerful, vivacious, extroverted and instinctive, or both introverted, quiet and reflective. Indeed we know what negative consequences can follow, even at the physical level, from marriage between relatives within a restricted circle.

Husband and wife do not have each to be the "better half" of the other in the sense of two halves perfectly equal, as an apple cut in two, but in the sense that one is the missing half of the other and the complement of the other. This was God's intention when he said: "It is not good for man to be alone; I will make him a help similar to him" (Genesis 2:18). This all presupposes the strength to accept the difference of the other, which is the most difficult thing for us to do and in which only the most mature marriages succeed.

From this we also see how erroneous it is to consider the Trinity a mystery that is remote from our lives, one to be left to the speculation of theologians. On the contrary, it is a mystery that is very close to us. The reason is very simple: We were created in the image of the Trinitarian God, we bear this imprint and we are called to realize the same sublime synthesis of unity and diversity.

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