Il-Frugħa ta’
Ħajja mingħajr Alla
It-18-il Ħadd matul is-Sena
Messalin C
pp354
Vanity of vanities, says
Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things
are vanity! Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and
yet to another who has not labored over it, he must leave property. This also is vanity and a great misfortune. For what profit comes to man from all the toil
and anxiety of heart with which he has labored under the sun? All his days sorrow and grief are his
occupation; even at night his mind is not at rest. This also is vanity. This is the Word of The Lord
L-Ewwel Lezzjoni
- Qoħelet 1, 2; 2, 21-23
O frugħa tal-frugħat, jgħid Qoħelet. O frugħa
tal-frugħat! Kollox frugħa! Għax dan
jiġri: wieħed, li jkun ħadem bl-għaqal u
l-ħila u b'suċċess, ikollu jgħaddi sehmu lil ħaddieħor li xejn ma tħabat
għalih. Dan ukoll frugħa u ħaġa mill-agħar. Għax x'se jmissu l-bniedem
mit-taħbit u l-kedda li jkun ħa taħt ix-xemx? Għomru kollu jbati u jinħaqar bil-kedda u lanqas billejl ma jserraħ rasu Dan ukoll hu frugħa! Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
……………………
Responsorial Psalm -- Psalm 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14, 17
R. (1) If today you hear his voice,
harden not your hearts.
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night. R
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades. R/
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades. R/
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants! R/
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants! R/
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands! R/
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands! R/
Salm Responsorjali -- Salm 89 (90)
R/ Mulej, int kont għalina kenn minn
Int traġġa' l-bnedmin lejn it-trab,
u tgħidilhom:
"Erġgħu lura, intom bnedmin!"
Elf sena huma għalik bħal jum ta' lbieraħ li għadda,
jew bħal sahra tal-lejl. R/
Int taħsadhom,
u jsiru bħal ħolma.
Huma bħall-ħaxix li jinbet filgħodu;
filgħodu jwarrad u jħaddar,
filgħaxija jidbiel u jinxef. R/
Għalhekk għallimna ngħoddu jiem ħajjitna,
sabiex aħna nimxu bil-għaqal.
Dur lejna, Mulej!
Kemm se ddum?
Ħenn għall-qaddejja tiegħek! R/
Imliena kmieni bit-tjieba tigħek,
biex nifirħu u nithennew ħajjitna kollha.
Ħa tkun fuqna l-grazzja ta' Alla Sidna!
Wettqilna inti x-xogħol ta' idejna,
wettaq, iva, xogħol idejna. R
…………………
Reading 2 Colossians 3:1-5, 9-11
Brothers and sisters: If you were raised with Christ, seek what is
above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above,
not of what is on earth. For you have
died, and your life is hidden with
Christ in God. When Christ your life
appears, then you too will appear with him in glory. Put to death, then, the parts of you that
are earthly: immorality, impurity,
passion, evil desire, and the greed that
is idolatry. Stop lying to one another, since
you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being
renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision
and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all. This
is the Word of The Lord.
It-Tieni Lezzjoni
- Kolossin 3, 1-5, 9-11
Ħuti, jekk intom irxuxtajtu ma' Kristu, fittxu l-ħwejjeġ tas-sema, fejn Kristu qiegħed fuq il-lemin ta' Alla. Aħsbu
fil-ħwejjeġ tas-sema, mhux f'dawk
tal-art. Għax intom mittu, imma ħajjitkom hi
moħbija flimkien ma' Kristu f'Alla.
Meta jidher Kristu, li hu l-ħajja tagħkom, imbagħad intom ukoll tidhru flimkien miegħu
fil-glorja. Mewtu ġo fikom dak kollu li hu tal-art: żina, faħx, ġibdiet, xewqat ħżiena, u r-regħba li hi
idolatrija. Tigdbux lil xulxin, intom li nżajtu l-bniedem il-qadim bl-għemil kollu tiegħu, u
lbistu l-bniedem il-ġdid, li
jiġġedded dejjem skont ix-xbieha ta' min ħalqu, u jikber fl-għerf. Fih ma
hemmx Grieg jew Lhudi, cirkonċiż jew mhux, Barabaru jew Skita, lsir jew
ħieles, iżda Kristu f'kollox u
f'kulħadd. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
…………………
Gospel - Luke 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said
to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me
as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he
said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be
rich, one’s life does not consist of
possessions.” Then he told them a
parable. “There was a rich man whose
land produced a bountiful harvest. He
asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I
shall tear down my barns and build larger ones. There I shall store all my grain and other
goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as
for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat,
drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be
demanded of you; and the things you have
prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus
will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in
what matters to God.” This is the Word of The Lord.
F'dak iż-żmien, xi ħadd mill-folla qal lil Ġesu':
"Mgħallem, għid lil ħija jaqsam il-wirt miegħi." Wieġbu Ġesu': "Ħabib, min qegħedni mħallef fuqkom, jew
qabbadni nqassmilkom il-ġid bejnietkom?"
Imbagħad qal lin-nies:
"Iftħu għajnejkom u ħarsu
rwieħkom minn
…………………..
COMMENTARY:
COMMENTARY:
Storing
up treasures in heaven
by Fr. Thomas Rosica
CSB.
In
addition to setting the stage for Luke’s Gospel parable on possessions and
hoarding, today’s first reading from Ecclesiastes [1:2; 2:21-23] drives home
the fleeting nature of life and the inexorable passage of time with blunt
realism: “Vanity of vanities…, vanity of
vanities, all is vanity” [Ecc 1:2]. The word “vanity” usually refers
to an excessive love of one’s appearance, but in the book of Ecclesiastes it
has a different meaning. The English word means “emptiness” or “nothing”,
so a “vanity of vanities” means something like “a complete waste of
time.” The author of Ecclesiastes calls himself “Qoheleth,” which is
translated “one who assembles” or “teacher”. He is cynical about life,
having lived a long time and seen the futility of much of his work. His
book ends with a simple truth: the only worthwhile thing about life is the
knowledge of God.
A
parable on possessions and hoarding In today’s Gospel, Luke [12:13-21] has joined together sayings contrasting
those whose focus and trust in life is on material possessions, symbolized by
the rich fool of the parable [vv 16-21], with those who recognize their
complete dependence on God [v 21], those whose radical detachment from material
possessions symbolizes their heavenly treasure [vv 33-34].
The
subject of coveting or hoarding arises because of a request of Jesus by someone
in the crowd to intervene in a matter of inheritance. Jesus refuses and turns
the conversation into a teaching against materialism. He illustrates this with
a story about a prosperous farmer who decides to hoard his excess crops. The
rich man decides to build extra barns or grain silos. Jesus seems to be
suggesting that the farmer should have shared his extra grain with the poor.
The
craving to hoard not only puts goods in the place of God but in an act of total
disregard for the needs of others. The parable is not about the farmer’s
mistreatment of workers or any criminal actions on his part. The farmer
is, in the end, careful and conservative. So if he is not unjust, what is
he? The parable says he is a fool. He lives completely for
himself. He only talks to himself, plans for himself and congratulates
himself. His sudden death proves him to have lived as a fool. “For what does it profit a man if he gains
the whole world and loses or forfeits himself?” [9:25]
Possessions
and greed become more important than people. In other words, “possession
fixation” is destructive of relationships. The man who interrupts Jesus’
teaching is unaware of his inappropriate intrusion. He cannot connect
appropriately with his outer world because of the urgency of his inner world
and personal needs.
Jesus
uses this man’s “possession fixation” to talk about something that can harm the
soul. The man’s family relationships are obviously in turmoil because of
material possessions. Whoever depends solely on worldly goods will end up
by losing, even though there might seem to be an appearance of success. Death
will find that person with an abundance of possessions but having lived a
wasted life [vv 13-21].
To
covet is to wish to get wrongfully what another possesses or to begrudge what
God gave him. Jesus restates the commandment “do not covet,” but he also
states that a person’s life does not consist in the abundance of his
possessions. Jesus probes the heart — where is your treasure? Treasure
has a special connection to the heart, the place of desire and longing, the
place of will and focus. The thing we most set our heart on is our
highest treasure.
Challenging
the prosperity gospel mentality The
gospel of Jesus challenges the “prosperity gospel mentality.” Jesus is
not speaking against material wealth, but condemns being enslaved to and
enchained by wealth. It becomes a blessing when it is shared with others, and
it becomes an obstacle and a prison for those who do not have the wisdom to
share it with others. We are not owners but rather administrators of the goods
we possess: these, then, are not to be considered as our exclusive possession,
but means through which the Lord calls each one of us to act as a steward of
His providence for our neighbor. As the Catechism of the Catholic Church
reminds us, material goods bear a social value, according to the principle of
their universal destination [#2404].
Storing
up “treasures in heaven” does not mean setting out to make sure of a place in
heaven. It means relying on God as the source of our security. It means having
a genuine and sincere relation with God who knows us, accepts us, and gives
meaning to our lives. It means having God as the singular object of our
“heart.” We are totally committed to seeking out God’s kingdom, confident that
God will provide us with what we truly need [Mt 6:33]. If we have the
Lord as our “treasure,” then there is nothing more we need desire. We can
forego anything else.
Showing
one another the Lord’s kindness Finally,
let us make the words of St. Gregory Nazianzen our own this week:
Brethren and friends, let us
by no means be wicked stewards of God’s gift to us. If we are, we will have to
listen to Saint Peter saying: Be ashamed, you who hold back what belongs to
another, take as an example the justice of God, and no one will be poor. While others suffer poverty, let us not labour
to hoard and pile up money, for if we do, holy Amos will threaten us sharply in
these words: Hear this, you who say; Where will the new moon be over, that we
may sell; and the Sabbath, that we may open up our treasures? Let us imitate the first and
most important law of God who sends his rain on the just and on sinners and
makes the sun shine on all men equally. God opens up the earth, the springs,
the streams and the woods to all who live in the world. He gives the air to the
birds, the water to the fish, and the basic needs of life abundantly to all,
without restriction or limitation or preference. These basic goods are common
to all, provided by God generously and with nothing lacking. He has done this
so that creatures of the same nature may receive equal gifts and that he may
show us how rich is his kindness.
Father Thomas
Rosica, CSB
CEO Salt + Light Catholic Television Network
CEO Salt + Light Catholic Television Network
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