Saving you from your wealth?

Readings for September 29th, 2013

26th Sunday in Ordinary Time  Year C

Is-26 Ħadd matul is-Sena C

Messalin C pp 403

Reading 1                                             AMos 6:1A, 4-7

Thus says the LORD the God of hosts: Woe to the complacent in Zion! Lying upon beds of ivory, stretched comfortably on their couches, they eat lambs taken from the flock, and calves from the stall! Improvising to the music of the harp, like David, they devise their own accompaniment. They drink wine from bowls and anoint themselves with the best oils; yet they are not made ill by the collapse of Joseph! Therefore, now they shall be the first to go into exile, and their wanton revelry shall be done away with. This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  -  Profeta Għamos 6, 1a, 4-7

Dan jgħid il-Mulej li jista' kollox: "Ħażin għalihom dawk li f'Sijon  għandhom moħħhom mistrieħ, dawk li qalbhom qawwija fil-muntanja tas-Samarija! Fuq sodod tal-avorju mimduda, jitmattru fuq il-friex; u ħrief il-merħla jieklu, għoġiela mill-istalla. Mal-arpa jqabblu l-għana, bħal David strumenti jivvintaw. L-inbid ilegilguh minn bwieqi kbar, u bl-ifjen żjut jindilku, bla xejn ma jsewdu qalbhomm għall-qerda ta' Ġużeppi. Għalhekk ikunu l-ewwel fost  dawk li jittieħdu fl-eżilju, u tintemm imbagħad l-għajta tal-imħejmin." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                                           PS 146:7, 8-9, 9-10

R. (1b)    Praise the Lord, my soul!

Blessed he who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.                                                             R/

The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.                                                            R/

The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia.                      R/

Salm Responsojali                      -  Salm 145 (146)

                        R/                   Faħħar, ruħ tiegħi, il-Mulej!

Il-Mulej li jagħmel ħaqq lill-maħqurin,

u jagħti l-ħobż lil-imġewħin.

Il-Mulej li jeħles lill-imjassrin.                             R/

Il-Mulej li jiftaħ għajnejn l-għomja;

il-Mulej li jerfa' lill-milwijin;

il-Mulej li jħobb lill-ġusti;

il-Mulej li jħares lill-barranin.                              R/

Il-Mulej iżomm lill-iltim u lill-armla,

imma lill-ħżiena jħarbtilhom triqathom.

Il-Mulej  isaltan għal dejjem;

Alla tiegħek, Sijon,  minn nisel għal nisel.       R/

Reading 2                     - 1 TiMothy 6:11-16

But you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and gentleness. Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you were called when you made the noble confession in the  presence of many witnesses. I charge you before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession, to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in  unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can see.  To him be honor and eternal power. Amen.  This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni  - l-Ewwel Ittra lil Timotju6, 11-16

Int, bniedem ta' Alla, fittex li jkollok il-ġustizzja, it-tjieba, il-fidi, l-imħabba, is-sabar, il-ħlewwa.Tqabad it-taqbida t-tajba tal-fidi; qis li tirbaħ il-ħajja ta' dejjem li għaliha kont imsejjaħ u li tagħha għamilt l-istqarrija sabiħa quddiem ħafna xhieda. Inwissik quddiem Alla li jagħti l-ħajja lill-ħlejjaq kollha, u quddiem Kristu Ġesu' li xehed  u għamel l-isqarrija sabiħa  quddiem Ponzju Pilatu.   Inwissik biex tħares  l-istruzzjonijiet li rċevejt  u żżomm ruħek bla tebgħa u bla ħtija sa jum id-dehra ta' Sidna Ġesu' Kristu,  li għad juriha f'waqtha. Dak li hu l-ħieni u waħdu setgħani, is-Sultan tas-slaten u s-Sid tas-sidien, li hu biss ma jmut qatt u jgħammar f'dawl li ħadd ma jista' jersaq lejh, hu li ebda bniedem qatt ma rah u anqas qatt jista' jarah. Lilu ġieħ u setgħa għal dejjem.!  Ammen. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel                                                                             LuKe 16:19-31

Jesus said to the Pharisees: "There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man named  Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham.  The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me.  Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am  suffering torment in these flames.' Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime  while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.’ He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.' But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.'  He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.' Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen  to Moses and the prophets,  neither will they be persuaded  if someone should rise from the dead.'"

L-Evanġelju  -  skont San Luqa 16, 19-31

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lill-fariżej:  "Mela kien hemm raġel għani, jilbes il-porpra u għażel mill-ifjen;  l-hena tiegħu kien li kuljum jagħmel ikla mill-aħjar.  U wieħed fqir jismu Lazzru, li kellu ġismu ġerħa waħda, kien imur jinxteħet ħdejn il-bieb ta' daru, bix-xewqa li jixba' b'dak li jaqa' mill-mejda tal-għani.   Sal-klieb kienu jmorru jilagħqu l-ġrieħi tiegħu. Ġara  li l-fqir miet, u l-anġli ħaduh fi ħdan Abraham.Imbagħad miet ukoll l-għani, u difnuh.   Dan, kif sab ruħu fi t batijiet ħorox f'Art l-Imwiet, rafa' ħarstu, u mill-bogħod lemaħ lil Abraħam, b'Lazzru fi ħdanu. U għolla leħnu u qallu:  "Missier Abraħam, ikollok ħniena minni u ibgħat lil  Lazzru jbill tarf sebgħu fl-ilma ħa jtaffili n-nixfa li għandi fi lsieni,  għax qiegħed ninħaqar wisq  f'dan in-nar."  Iżda Abraħam qallu:  "Ibni, ftakar li t-tajjeb tiegħek irċevejtu f'ħajtek: hekk ukoll Lazzru,  il-ħażin irċevieħ  f'ħajtu.    Imma issa hu hawnhekk qiegħed jitfarraġ, waqt li int qiegħed tbati.  Barra minn dan, hekk vojt bla qjies bejnkom u bejna, biex min ikun irid jaqsam minn hawn għal għandkom ma jkunx jista', u anqas ma jgħaddu minn hemm għal għandna."    Qallu l-għani:  "Mela nitolbok, missier, ibagħtu f'dar missier, għax għandi ħames aħwa, ħalli jagħmlilhom twissija kif imiss,  li ma jmorrux huma wkoll jiġu f'dan il-post ta' tbatijiet ħorox!"    Qallu Abraħam:  "Għandhom lil Mose' u l-Profeti; jisimgħu lilhom."  Qallu dak: "Le, missier Abraħam, imma jekk imur għandhom xi ħadd mill-imwiet jindmu."  Iżda wieġbu Abraħam:  "Jekk ma  jisimgħux lil Mose' u l-Profeti,   anqas jekk iqum xi ħadd mill-imwiet ma jemmnu."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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COMMENTARY 

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

A Rich Man who Dressed in Purple Garments and Fine Linen

The principal thing to bring to light in regard to the parable of the rich man in this Sunday’s Gospel is its contemporary relevance. At the global level the two characters are the two hemispheres: The rich man represents the northern hemisphere (western Europe, America, Japan) and the poor man, Lazarus, with a few exceptions, represents the southern hemisphere. Two characters, two worlds: the first world and the Third World. Two demographically and geographically unequal worlds: The one that we call the Third World in fact represents two-thirds of the world. This is a usage that is beginning to take hold. The third world is beginning to be called the “two-thirds world.”

The same contrast between the rich man and Lazarus exists also within both worlds. The rich live side by side with the poor Lazaruses in the third world -- and the solitary luxury that exists in these countries stands out all the more in the midst of the miserable majority -- and there are the poor Lazaruses who live side by side with the rich in the first world. Some persons in the entertainment business, in sports, finance, industry, and commerce have contracts worth millions, and all of this is in the sight of millions of people who, with their meager wages or unemployment subsidy, do not know how they are going to be able to pay the rent or pay for medicine and education for their children.

The most detestable thing in the story that Jesus tells is the rich man’s ostentation, the way he makes a show of his wealth with no consideration for the poor man. His life of luxury is manifested in two areas, in dining and in clothing: The rich man feasted sumptuously and dressed in purple garments and fine linen, which in those days was the vesture of kings. The contrast is not only between a person who stuffs himself with food and a person who dies of hunger but also between one who changes his clothes every day and one who does not own a thread.

Here in Italy there was once a piece of clothing presented at a fashion show that was made of gold coins and cost over a billion lira. We have to say this without hesitation: The global success of Italian fashion and the business it has created have gone to our heads. We do not care about anything anymore. Everything that is done in the fashion sector, even the most obvious excesses, enjoys special treatment. Fashion shows that sometimes fill television news so much that other more important news is put aside, bring to mind the scenes in the parable of the rich man.

But so far we have not touched on anything new. What is novel and unique in this evangelical denouncement has to do with the perspective from which the events are seen. Everything in the parable is seen retrospectively from the epilogue to the story: “When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.” If we put this story on the screen we could very well begin with this ending beyond the grave and then return to the previous events in a kind of “flashback.”

Many similar denouncements of wealth and luxury have been made over the centuries but today they sound rhetorical and resentful or pietistic and anachronistic. But Jesus’ denouncement, after 2,000 years, retains intact its explosive power. Jesus does not belong to either party in this matter but is one who is above rich and poor and is concerned with both -- and perhaps more with the rich since the poor are less in danger!

The parable of the rich man is not motivated by any resentment toward the wealthy, by a desire to take their place, as are many human denouncements, but by a sincere concern for their salvation. God wants to save the rich from their wealth.

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