Our Lord Jesus comes... every day!

Readings for December 1, 2013

 

 First Sunday of Advent 

L-Ewwel Ħadd ta' l-Avvent

Messalin A pp 63

Reading 1                                                                     ISaiah 2:1-5

This is what Isaiah, son of Amoz, saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem. In days to come, the mountain of the LORD’s house shall be established as the highest mountain and raised above the hills. All nations shall stream toward it; many peoples shall come and say: “Come, let us climb the LORD’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, that he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction,  and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem. He shall judge between the nations, and impose terms on many peoples. They shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks; one nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. O house of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  - Profeta Isaija 2, 1-5

Il-kelma li ġiet f'dehra lil Isaija bin Amos, dwar Ġuda u Ġerusalemm. Għad jiġri fl-aħħar jiem li l-għolja tad-dar tal-Mulej togħla 'l fuq mill-qċaċet tal-muntanji, u tintrefa' 'l fuq mill-għoljiet, lejha għad jiġru l-ġnus kollha. Kotra ta' popli għad jiġu u jgħidu: "Ħalli mmorru u nitilgħu fuq l-għolja tal-Mulej, lejn id-dar ta' Alla ta' Ġakobb, biex jgħallimna triqatu, u nimxu fil-mogħdijiet tiegħu." Għad min Sijon joħroġ it-tagħlim u l-kelma tal-Mulej minn Ġerusalemm. Il-Mulej jagħmel il-ħaqq bejn il-ġnus, u jaqta' s-sentenza bejn ħafna popli; u huma jibdlu x-xwabel tagħhom f'sikek tal-moħriet, u l-lanez tagħhom fi mnieġel. Ebda ġens ma jerfa' x-xabla kontra ġens ieħor u s-sengħa tal-gwerra ma jitgħallmuhiex iżjed. Ejja, dar Ġakobb, ħalli nimxu fid-dawl tal-Mulej! Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                                           PSalm 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

I rejoiced because they said to me,
“We will go up to the house of the LORD.”
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.                                        R/

Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.                                                       R/

According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.                                             R/

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem!
May those who love you prosper!
May peace be within your walls,
prosperity in your buildings.                                              R/

Because of my brothers and friends
I will say, “Peace be within you!”
Because of the house of the LORD, our God,
I will pray for your good.                                                       R/

Salm Responsorjali                    -  Salm  121 (122)

  

                R/                  Immorru ferħana f'dar il-Mulej

Fraħt meta qaluli:

"Sejrin f'dar il-Mulej!"

Diġa qegħdin riġlejna fi bwiebek Ġerusalemm!            R/

Lejha t-tribujiet jitilgħu,

it-tribujiet tal-Mulej,

biex, skond il-liġi ta' Iżrael,

ifaħħru isem il-Mulej.

Għax hekk twaqqfu t-tronijiet tal-ħaqq,

it-tronijiet tad-dar ta' David.                                               R\

Itolbu s-sliem għal Ġerusalemm:

Ħa jkollhom is-sliem dawk kollha li jħobbuk!

Ħa jkun hemm is-sliem ġewwa l-ħitan tiegħek,

u l-ġid fil-palazzi tiegħek.                                                   R/

Minħabba  ħuti u ħbiebi,

ħallini ngħidlek: "Is-sliem għalik!"

Minħabba f'dar il-Mulej, Alla tagħna,

nixtieq illi jkollok il-ġid.                                                       R/

Reading 2                                                                     ROMans 13:11-14

Brothers and sisters: You know the time; it is the hour now for you to awake from sleep. For our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed; the night is advanced, the day is at hand. Let us then throw off the works of darkness and put on the armor of light; let us conduct ourselves properly as in the day, not in orgies and drunkenness, not in promiscuity and lust, not in rivalry and jealousy. But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the desires of the flesh . This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni  -   mill-Ittra lir-Rumani - 13, 11-14a

Ħuti, waslet is-siegħa li intom tqumu min-ngħas; għax is-salvazzjoni tagħna hi eqreb minn meta bdejna nemmnu. Il-lejl għoddu għadda, u qorob il-jum.  Inwarrbu mela l-għemil tad-dlam u nilbsu l-armi tad-dawl. Ngħixu kif jixraq, bħal f'bi nhar; mhux bl-ikel  iż-żejjed u s-sokor,  mhux  biż-żina u t-tbaħrid, mhux  bil-ġlied u l-għira. Imma ilbsu lil Sidna Ġesu' Kristu u ħallukom mill-ħbieb tal-ġisem u l-ġibdiet tiegħu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                                     MatThew 24:37-44

Jesus said to his disciples:  “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. In those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be also at the coming of the Son of Man. Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left.  Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come.  Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” This is the Word of The Lord.

 L-Evanġelju  -  skond San Mattew 24, 37-44

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: "Bħal fi żmien Noe', hekk tkun il-miġja ta' Bin il-bniedem. Għax kif fiż-żmien ta' qabel id-dilluvju kienu jieklu u jixorbu, jiżżewġu u jżewġu sa dakinhar li Noe' daħal fl-arka, u b'xejn ma' ntebħu sa ma wasal id-dilluvju u ġarr lil kulħadd,  hekk tkun il-miġja ta' Bin il-bniedem. Imbagħad tnejn ikunu fl-għalqa: wieħed jittieħed u l-ieħor jitħalla; żewġ nisa jkunu jitħnu flimkien: waħda titieħed u l-oħra titħalla. Ishru, mela, għax ma tafux il-jum li fih jiġi Sidkom.   Kunu afu dan, li kieku sid id-dar kellu jkun jaf f'liema  sahra tal-lejl se jiġi l-ħalliel, kien jishar u ma jħallix min jinfidlu l-ħitan ta' daru.   Mela kunu lesti intom ukoll, għax  qatt ma tistgħu  tobsru s-siegħa li fiha jiġi Bin il-bniedem." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY:

Stay Awake!

Gospel Commentary for 1st Sunday of Advent  by Pontifical Preacher  Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

The first year of the three year liturgical cycle, year A, begins Sunday. Matthew's Gospel accompanies us through this year.  This Gospel is characterized by its ample reporting of Jesus' teachings -- the famous sermons, such as the Sermon on the Mount -- and its attention to the relationship between the Law and Gospel (the Gospel is the "New Law"). It is also considered the most "ecclesiastical" Gospel because of its account of the primacy of Peter and because of its use of the term "Church," which is not encountered in the other Gospels.

The statement that stands out among all others in this Gospel of the First Sunday of Advent is "Stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. […] So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come." We ask ourselves why God would keep hidden something so important as the hour of his coming, which, for each of us, coincides with the hour of death.

The traditional answer is: "So that we will be vigilant, each one of us supposing that it will happen in his days" (St. Ephrem the Syrian). But the principal reason is that God knows us; he knows what terrible anxiety it would be for us to know beforehand the exact hour and to await its slow, inexorable coming. It is that which causes the most fear in regard to certain illnesses.

Today there are more people that die of unforeseen heart problems than those who die of incurable illnesses. But the latter cause more fear because they seem to take away the uncertainty that allows us to hope.
The uncertainty of the hour should not cause us to be careless but to be vigilant. If the liturgical year is at its start, the civil year is at its end. This is an optimal occasion for a sapiential reflection on the meaning of our existence. In autumn, nature itself invites us to reflect on time that passes. That which the poet Giuseppe Ungaretti said of the soldiers in the trenches on the Carso front in the First World War holds for all men: "They are on the trees as leaves in autumn." They are ready to fall at any moment. "Time passes," said our Dante Alighieri, "and man pays no attention."

An ancient philosopher expressed this fundamental experience with a celebrated phrase: "Everything is in flux."  Life is like a television screen. The screen is a kind of palimpsest, one program follows and erases the previous one. The screen is the same but the images change. This is how it is with us: The world remains, but we come and go, one after the other. Of all the names, the faces, the news that fills the papers and television today -- of me, of you, of all of us -- what will remain in a few years or a decade? Nothing of nothing. Man is nothing but "a design created by a wave on the sand, which the next wave will wash away."

Let us see what faith has to tell us about this fact that everything passes. "Yet the world and its enticement are passing away. But whoever does the will of God remains forever" (1 John 2:17). There is someone who does not pass, God, and there is also a way for us not to completely disappear: Do God's will, that is, believe and follow God. In this life we are like a raft carried along by the current of a roaring river headed for the open sea, from which there is no return.

At a certain point the raft comes near to the bank. It is now or never and you leap onto the shore. What a relief when you feel the rock under your feet! This is the sensation often felt by those who come to the faith. We might recall at the end of this reflection the words left by St. Teresa of Avila as a kind of spiritual testament: "Let nothing disturb you, nothing frighten you. All things are passing. God alone remains."

[Translated from the Italian by Joseph G. Trabbic]

Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe and of Hearts

Readings for 21^st  November, 2013

34^th Sunday during the Year C

Il-34 Ħadd matul is-Sena

Messalin C pp 450

Reading 1      -     2 SaMuel 5:1-3

In those days, all the tribes of Israel came to David in Hebron and said:  "Here we are, your bone and your flesh.  In days past, when Saul was our king, it was you who led the Israelites out and brought them back.  And the LORD said to you, 'You shall shepherd my people Israel and shall be commander of Israel.'"  When all the elders of Israel came to David in Hebron, King David made an agreement with them there before the LORD, and they anointed him king of Israel.   This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  - Tieni Ktieb ta' Samwel  5, 1-3)

F'dak iż‐żmien, it‐tribujiet kollha ta' Iżrael ġew għand David f'Ħebron u qalulu: "Arana, għadmek u laħmek aħna! Fl‐imgħoddi, meta Sawl kien sultan fuqna, kont int li kont toħroġ lil Iżrael għall‐gwerra, u ġġibhom lura, u l‐Mulej qallek: "Int għad tirgħa l‐poplu tiegħu u tkun prinep fuq Iżrael." U x‐xjuħ kollha ta' Iżrael ġew għand is‐Sultan f'Ħebron u s‐sultan David għamel patt magħhom f'Ħebron quddiem il‐Mulej; u lil David dilkuh  sultan fuq Iżrael. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm      -      PSalm 122:1-2, 3-4, 4-5

R. (cf. 1) Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

I rejoiced because they said to me,
"We will go up to the house of the LORD."
And now we have set foot
within your gates, O Jerusalem.

R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Jerusalem, built as a city
with compact unity.
To it the tribes go up,
the tribes of the LORD.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

According to the decree for Israel,
to give thanks to the name of the LORD.
In it are set up judgment seats,
seats for the house of David.
R. Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.

Salm Responsorjali  -  Salm 121 (122)

     R/  Sejrin ferħana f'dar il-Mulej

Fraħt meta qaluli:

"Sejrin f'dar il‐Mulej!"

Diġa' qegħdin riġlejna

fi bwiebek, Ġerusalemm!                    R/

Ġerusalemm, mibnija bħal belt,

magħquda ħaġa waħda.

Lejha t‐tribujiet jitilgħu,

it‐tribujiet tal‐Mulej.                           R/

Biex skont il‐liġi ta' Iżrael,

ifaħħru isem il‐Mulej.

Għax hemm twaqqfu t‐tronijiet tal‐ħaqq,

it‐tronijiet tad‐dar ta' David.               R/

Reading 2        -    COLossians 1:12-20

Brothers and sisters:  Let us give thanks to the Father,  who has made you fit to share  in the inheritance of the holy ones in light.   He delivered us from the power of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son,  in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.  He is the image of the invisible God,  the firstborn of all creation. For in him were created all things in heaven and on earth,  the visible and the invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers;  all things were created through him and for him. He is before all things,  and in him all things hold together. He is the head of the body, the church.  He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he himself might be  preeminent.  For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell,   and through him to reconcile all things for him, making peace by the blood of his cross through him, whether those on earth or those in heaven. .   This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni   -   Kolossin. (Kol. 1, 12-20

Ħuti, roddu ħajr lill‐Missier, li għamilkom denji li tissieħbu fil‐wirt tal‐qaddisin fis‐saltana tad‐dawl. Hu ħelisna mill‐ħakma tad‐dlam, u daħħalna fis‐saltna ta' Ibnu l‐maħbub, li bih għandna l‐fidwa, il‐maħfra tad‐dnubiet. Hu xbieha ta' Alla li ma jidhirx, il‐kbir fost il‐ħlejjaq kollha;  għax fih kien maħluq kollox, fis‐sema u fl‐art, dak kollu li jidher u dak kollu li ma jidhirx, Troni u Ħakmiet, Prinċipati u Setgħat. Kollox bih u għalih kien maħluq, hu li hu qabel kollox, u kollox fih qiegħed iżomm. Hu r‐Ras tal‐Ġisem, li hu l‐Knisja. Hu li hu l‐bidu, il‐kbir li qam mill‐imwiet, sabiex ikun hu l‐ewwel f'kollox. Hekk Alla għoġbu li tgħammar fih il‐milja kollha; bih Alla għoġbu jerġa' jħabbeb kollox miegħu; bid‐demm tiegħu, imxerred fuq is‐salib, ġieb is‐sliem permezz tiegħu fis‐sema u fl‐art. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel    -   Luke 23:35-43

The rulers sneered at Jesus and said,  "He saved others, let him save himself  if he is the chosen one, the Christ of God."  Even the soldiers jeered at him.  As they approached to offer him wine they called out,  "If you are King of the Jews, save yourself."  Above him there was an inscription that read,  "This is the King of the Jews." Now one of the criminals hanging there reviled Jesus, saying, "Are you not the Christ?  Save yourself and us."  The other, however, rebuking him, said in reply, "Have you no fear of God, for you are subject to the same  condemnation? And indeed, we have been condemned justly, for the sentence we received corresponds to our crimes, but this man has done nothing criminal." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."  He replied to him, "Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise."  .   This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju   skont San Luqa 23, 35-43)

F'dak iż‐żmien, wara li sallbu lil Ġesu', il‐poplu waqaf hemm iħares, waqt li l‐kapijiet bdew jiddieħku b'Ġesu' u jgħidu: "Salva lil oħrajn; ħa jsalva lilu nnifsu jekk dan hu l‐Messija, il‐Maħtur ta' Alla!" Is‐suldati wkoll bdew jgħadduh biż‐żmien; u resqu lejh, newlulu nbid qares u qalulu: "Jekk inti s‐sultan tal‐Lhud salva lilek innifsek." Fuq rasu kien hemm kitba li kienet tgħid: "Dan huwa s‐sultan tal‐Lhud." Wieħed mill‐ħatjin li kienu msallbin miegħu beda jgħajjru u jgħidlu: "Int m'intix il‐Messija? Salva lilek innifsek u lilna!" Imma qabeż l‐ieħor, ċanfru u qallu: "Anqas minn Alla int ma' tibża', int li qiegħed taħt l‐istess kundanna? Tagħna hija ġusta, tassew, għax qegħdin nieħdu li ħaqna ta' kulma għamilna; imma dan ma għamel xejn ħażin." Imbagħad qal: "Ġesu', ftakar fija meta tidħol fis‐Saltna tiegħek." U Ġesu' wieġbu: "Tassew ngħidlek, illum tkun fil‐Ġenna miegħi." Il‐Kelma tal‐Mulej

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COMMENTARY –                                                 

Jesus Christ, King of the Universe and of Hearts

Gospel Commentary for This Sunday By Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap  

The solemnity of Christ the King was instituted only recently. It was instituted by Pope Pius XI in 1925 in response to the atheist and totalitarian political regimes that denied the rights of God and the Church. The climate in which the feast was born was, for example, that of the Mexican revolution, when many Christians went to their deaths crying out to their last breath, “Long live Christ the King!”

But if the feast is recent, its content and its central idea are not; they are quite ancient and we can say that they were born with Christianity. The phrase “Christ reigns” has its equivalent in the profession of faith: “Jesus is Lord,” which occupies a central place in the preaching of the apostles.

Sunday’s Gospel passage narrates the death of Christ, because it is at that moment that Christ begins to rule over the world. The cross is Christ’s throne. “Above him there was an inscription that read, ‘This is the King of the Jews.'” That which in the intention of his enemies was the justification of his condemnation, was, in the eyes of the heavenly Father, the proclamation of his universal sovereignty.

To see what this feast has to do with us, we need only recall to our minds a very simple distinction. There are two universes, two worlds or cosmoses: the “macrocosm,” which is the whole universe external to us, and the “microcosm,” or the little universe, which is each individual man. The liturgy itself, in the reform that followed Vatican II, felt the need to accent the human and spiritual aspect of the feast over the, so to speak, political aspect of the feast. The prayer of the feast no longer asks, as it once did, “that all the families of nations, now kept apart by the wound of sin, may be brought under the sweet yoke of [Christ’s] rule” but that “every creature, freed from the slavery of sin, serve and praise [Christ] forever.”

Let us consider again the inscription placed above Christ: “This is the King of the Jews.” The onlookers challenged him to manifest his royalty openly and many, even among his friends, expected a spectacular demonstration of his kingship. But he chose only to show his kingship in his solicitousness for one man, who was, in fact, a criminal: “‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied to him, ‘Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.'"

From this point of view, the most important question to ask on the feast of Christ the King is not whether he reigns in the world but whether he reigns in me; it is not whether his kingship is recognized by states and governments, but whether it is recognized and lived in me.

Is Christ the King and Lord of my life? Who rules in me, who determines the goals and establishes priorities: Christ or someone else? According to St. Paul, there are two ways to live: either for ourselves or for the Lord (Romans 14:7-9). Living “for ourselves” means living like someone who takes himself to be the beginning and the end; it is a life closed in on itself, drawn only by its own satisfaction and glory, without any perspective of eternity. Living “for the Lord,” on the contrary, means living for the Lord, that is, with a view to him, for his glory, for his kingdom.

What we have here is truly a new existence, in the face of which, death itself has lost its definitiveness. The greatest contradiction that man has always experienced -- that between life and death -- has been overcome. The contradiction is no longer between “living” and “dying” but between living “for ourselves” and living “for the Lord.”

[Translation from the Italian by ZENIT]    

* * *

If the end is so near then why do I have to work hard any more?

 Readings for November 17, 2013

 Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

It-33 Ħadd matul is-Sena C

Messalin C  pp 444

Reading 1                                        Malachi 3:19-20a

Lo, the day is coming, blazing like an oven, when all the proud and all evildoers will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire, leaving them neither root nor branch, says the LORD of hosts. But for you who fear my name, there will arise the sun of justice with its healing rays.  This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  -  Malakija 3,19-20a

Ara, jiġi l-Jum, jaqbad qisu forn, u l-kburin kollha u dawk kollha li jagħmlu l-ħażen ikunu tiben, u l-jum li ġej għad jaħraqhom, igħid il-Mulej tal-eżerċti: hekk li ma jħallilhom la għerq u lanqas fergħa.  Imma għalikom li  tibżgħu minn ismi  titla' x-xemx tal-ġustizzja, bis-salvazzjoni fuq ġwenħajha.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                  Psalm 98:5-6, 7-8, 9

R. (cf. 9) The Lord comes to rule the earth with justice.

Sing praise to the LORD with the harp,
with the harp and melodious song.
With trumpets and the sound of the horn
sing joyfully before the King, the LORD.                               R/

Let the sea and what fills it resound,
the world and those who dwell in it;
let the rivers clap their hands,
the mountains shout with them for joy.                               R/

Before the LORD, for he comes,
for he comes to rule the earth,
He will rule the world with justice
and the peoples with equity.                                                   R/

Salm Responsorjali       -    Salm 97 (98)

                R/           Il-Mulej jagħmel ħaqq mill-popli.

Għannu lill-Mulej biċ-ċetra,

biċ-ċetra u bil-ħlewwa tal-għana,

bit-trombi u bid-daqq tat-trumbetti;

għajtu bil-ferħ quddiem il-Mulej is-sultan!         R/

Ħa jriegħed il-baħar u kulma fih,

id-dinja u kulma jgħammar fiha.

Ħa jċapċpu x-xmajjar idejhom,

u l-muntanji flimkien jgħajtu bil-ferħ

quddiem il-Mulej.                                                           R/

Għax il-Mulej ġej

biex jagħmel ħaqq mill-art;

hu jagħmel ħaqq mid-dinja bil-ġustizzja,

u mill-popli bis-sewwa.                                                 R/

Reading 2                            2 Thessalonians 3:7-12

Brothers and sisters: You know how one must imitate us.  For we did not act in a disorderly way among you, nor did we eat food received free from anyone.  On the contrary, in toil and drudgery, night and day we worked, so as not to burden any of you.  Not that we do not have the right.  Rather, we wanted to present ourselves as a model for you, so that you might imitate us.  In fact, when we were with you, we instructed you that if anyone was unwilling to work,  neither should that one eat. We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others.  Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni  -  Tieni Ittra lit-Tessalonikin 3, 7-12

Ħuti, intom stess tafu kif jeħtieġ li timxu fuq l-eżempju tagħna. Aħna ma tgħażżiniex meta konna fostkom; il-ħobż li kilna, ħadd ma tahulna b'xejn;  imma lejl u nhar ħdimna, tħabbatna u batejna biex ma nkunu ta' piż għal ħadd minnkom. Imxejna hekk mhux għax ma għandniex dritt li żżommuna intom,  imma ridna nagħtukom  eżempju biex timxu fuqu.   Meta konna fostkom aħna ordnajnielkom li jekk xi ħadd ma  jridx jaħdem, dan anqas ma għandu jiekol. Issa aħna smajna li hemm xi wħud fostkom li qegħdin jitgħażżnu;  mhumiex jaħdmu, imma qegħdin jinħlew fix-xejn.  Lil dawn in-nies nardanwlhom u nwissuhom, f'isem il-Mulej Ġesu' Kristu, biex jaħdmu sewwa u għaxienhom jaqilgħuh.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel                                  luke 21:5-19

While some people were speaking about how the temple was adorned with costly stones and votive offerings, Jesus said, "All that you see here--the days will come when there will not be left a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down." Then they asked him, "Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?" He answered, "See that you not be deceived, for many will come in my name, saying, 'I am he,’ and 'The time has come.’ Do not follow them!  When you hear of wars and insurrections, do not be terrified; for such things must happen first, but it will not immediately be the end." Then he said to them, "Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place; and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky. "Before all this happens, however, they will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.  It will lead to your giving testimony. Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand, for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute. You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends, and they will put some of you to death. You will be hated by all because of my name, but not a hair on your head will be destroyed. By your perseverance you will secure your lives." This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Evanġelju  -   Luqa 21, 5-19

F'dak iż-żmien, kien hemm xi wħud li bdew jgħidu fuq kemm  it-tempju kien imżejjen b'ġebel sabiħ u għotjiet; iżda Ġesu' qalilhom:  "Kulma qegħdin taraw, għad jiġi żmien li ma tibqax ġebla fuq oħra  minnu li ma tiġġarrafx." U huma staqsewh u qalulu: "Mgħallem, issa dan meta  għad jiġri?   U se jkunu is-sinjali li dawn il-ħwejjeġ ikunu waslu biex iseħħu?"Qalilhom:  "Araw li ma titqarrqux.  Għax għad jiġu ħafna f'ismi u jgħidu:  "Jien hu" u "Iż-żmien wasal,"  Tmorrux warajhom! Meta tisimgħu min jitkellem fuq gwerer u taqlib fil-pajjiżi, tinħasdux għax jeħtieġ li l-ewwel jiġri dan, iżda t-tmiem ma jasalx minnufih." Imbagħad qalilhom: " Għad iqum ġens kontra ġens u saltna kontra saltna, l-art titheżżeż bil-kbir,f'ħafna bnadi  jkun hemm il-ġuħ u mard li jittieħed, u fis-sema jidhru ħwejjeġ tal-biża' u sinjali tal-għaġeb.  Imma qabel dan kollu jixħtu jdejhom fuqkom u jippersegwitawkom, jagħtukom f'idejn il-mexxejja tas-sinagoga u jitfgħukom il-ħabs, u jeħdukom quddiem  slaten u gvernaturi minħabba f'ismi.   Dan ikun  jiswielkom biex tistgħu tagħtu xhieda.  U żommu  sewwa moħħkom: toqogħdux taħsbu minn qabel kif se tiddefendu ruħkom, għax jien nagħtikom kliem u għerf li kull min ikun kontra tagħkom ma jkunx jista' jiqaflu jew imerih.  U jittradukom saħansitra l-ġenituri tagħkom u ħutkom u qarbatkom u ħbiebkom, u lil xi wħud minnkom joqtluhom,  u kulħadd isir jobgħodkom minħabba f'ismi. Imma xagħra waħda minn raskom ma tintilifx.  Jekk tibqgħu sħaħ sal-aħħar issalvaw ħajjitkom!" Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

……………………………………………………..

COMMENTARY:

If Anyone Will Not Work, Let Him Not Eat

Gospel Commentary for the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time by Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

This Sunday's Gospel is one of the famous discourses on the end of the world, which are characteristic of the end of the liturgical year.  It seems that in one of the first Christian communities, that of Thessalonica, there were believers who drew mistaken conclusions from these discourses of Christ. They thought that it was useless to weary themselves, to work or do anything since everything was about to come to an end. They thought it better to take each day as it came and not commit themselves to long-term projects and only to do the minimum to get by.

St. Paul responds to them in the second reading: "We hear that some are conducting themselves among you in a disorderly way, by not keeping busy but minding the business of others. Such people we instruct and urge in the Lord Jesus Christ to work quietly and to eat their own food." At the beginning of the passage, St. Paul recalls the rule that he had given to the Christians in Thessalonica: "If anyone will not work, let him not eat."

This was a novelty for the men of that time. The culture to which they belonged looked down upon manual labor; it was regarded as degrading and as something to be left to slaves and the uneducated. But the Bible has a different vision. From the very first page it presents God as working for six days and resting on the seventh day. And all of this happens in the Bible before sin is spoken of. Work, therefore, is part of man's original nature and is not something that results from guilt and punishment. Manual labor is just as dignified as intellectual and spiritual labor. Jesus himself dedicates 17 years to the former -- supposing he began to work around 13 -- and only a few years to the latter.

  A layman has written: What sense and what value does our ordinary work as laypeople have before God? It is true that we laypeople also do a lot of charity work, engage in the apostolate, and volunteer work; but we must give most of our time and energies to ordinary jobs. If this sort of work has no value for heaven, we will have very little for eternity. No one we have asked about this has been able to give us satisfactory answers. They say: "Offer it all to God!" but is this enough?

My reply: No, the value of our work is not only conferred on it by the "good intention" we put into it or the morning offering we make to God; it also has a value in itself, as a participation in God's creative and redemptive work and as service to our brothers. We read in one of the Vatican II documents, in "Gaudium et Spes," that it is by "his labour [that] a man ordinarily supports himself and his family, is joined to his fellow men and serves them, and can exercise genuine charity and be a partner in the work of bringing divine creation to perfection. Indeed, we hold that through labor offered to God man is associated with the redemptive work of Jesus Christ" (No. 67).

The work that one does is not as important as that for which he does it. This re-establishes a certain parity, beneath distinctions -- which are sometimes unjust and scandalous -- in position and pay. A person who has done the most humble jobs in life can be of greater "value" than those people who hold positions of great prestige.

It was said that work is a participation in the creative action of God and in the redemptive action of Christ and that it is a source of personal and social growth, but we know that it is also weariness, sweat and pain. It can ennoble but it can also empty and wear down. The secret is to put one's heart into what one's hands do. It is not so much the amount or type of work done that tires us out, as much as it is the lack of enthusiasm and motivation. To the earthly motivations for work, faith adds eternal motivations: "Our works," the Book of Revelation says, "will follow us" (14:13). 

[Translation from the Italian  by ZENIT]

God Is Not God of the Dead

Readings for November 10, 2013

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

IL-32 Ħadd matul is-Sena

Messalin C pp 438

Reading 1    -        2 MAcabees 7:1-2, 9-14

It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the king, to force them to eat pork in violation of God's law. One of the brothers, speaking for the others, said: "What do you expect to achieve by questioning us?  We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors." At the point of death he said: "You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever.  It is for his laws that we are dying." After him the third suffered their cruel sport. He put out his tongue at once when told to do so, and bravely held out his hands, as he spoke these noble words: "It was from Heaven that I received these; for the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again." Even the king and his attendants marveled at the young man's courage, because he regarded his sufferings as nothing. After he had died, they tortured and maltreated the fourth brother in the same way.  When he was near death, he said, "It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the hope God gives of being raised up by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life."  This is the Word of the Lord.

 L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  - 2 Ktieb tal-Makkabej  7, 1-2, 9-14

F'dak iż-żmien, qabdu sebat aħwa u 'l ommhom; u s-sultan beda biex jisfurzhom bid-daqqiet tas-swat u tan-nerv biex jieklu l-laħam tal-majjal li ma jiswiex. Wieħed minnhom beda jitkellem f'isem l-oħrajn u qal: "X'int tfittex tistaqsi u trid taf minna?  Aħna lest mmutu, imma m'aħniex lesti niksru l-liġijiet ta' missirijietna." U t-tieni wieħed, kif kien fl-aħħar nifs, qallu: "Int, bniedem mill-agħar, int se ċċaħħadna mill-ħajja ta' issa, imma s-sultan tad-dinja għad iqajjimna għall-ħajja ta' dejjem, lilna li se mmutu għal-liġijiet tiegħu."Imbagħad wara dan bdew jittorturaw it-tielet wieħed u malli talbuh ħareġ minnufih ilsienu u bla biża' ta' xejn midd idejh u ta' qalbieni li kien għajjat: "Mis-sema ksibthom ksibthom dawn,  u għal-liġijiet tiegħu jien  nistmerrhom, għax mingħandu nittama li għad nerġa' niksibhom."  Saħansitra s-sultan u dawk ta' madwaru stagħġbu bil-qawwa ta' dan iż-żgħażugħ, kif l-uġiegħ ma kien iqisu xejn. Meta miet dan bdew jittorturaw u jbiċċru r-raba' wieħed bl-istess mod.   Meta wasal fl-aħħar qal:  "Aħjar li wieħed imut b'idejn il-bnedmin   Meta jkollu t-tama mingħand Alla li għad iqajmu mill-ġdid.Imma għalik m'hemmx qawmien għall-ħajja."          Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm        -      Psalm 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15

R. (15b) Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.

Hear, O LORD, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.                R/

My steps have been steadfast in your paths,
my feet have not faltered.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.                             R/.

Keep me as the apple of your eye,
hide me in the shadow of your wings.
But I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking I shall be content in your presence.                 R/

Salm Responsorjali                   -           Salm 16 (17)

            R/         Meta nqum nithenna bid-dehra tiegħek.

Isma', Mulej, il-kawża ġusta tiegħi,

ilqa' l-għajta tiegħi,

agħti widen għat-talb tiegħi;

bla qerq huma xuffetejja.                                  R/

Il-mixi tiegħi żammejt fi triqatek,

qatt ma għotru riġlejja.

Insejjaħlek, għax int tweġibni, o Alla;

ressaq widintek lejja, isma kliemi.                     R/

Għad-dell ta' ġwenħajk kenninni.

Jien, fil-ħaqq, għad nara 'l wiċċek;

meta nqum, nithenna bid-dehra tiegħek.            R/

Reading 2    -        2 Thessalonians 2:16-3:5

Brothers and sisters: May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace, encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word.  Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may speed forward and be glorified, as it did among you, and that we may be delivered from perverse and wicked people, for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one.  We are confident of you in the Lord that what we instruct you, you are doing and will continue to do. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni - 2 Ittra lit-Tessalonikin /2. 16-17; 3, 1-5

           

Ħuti, Sidna Ġesu' Kristu stess u Alla Missierna, li ħabbna u tana l-kuraġġ ta' dejjem u t-tama  sħiħa bil-grazzja, jqawwilkom qalbkom u  jsaħħaħkom f'kull għemil u kelma tajba. Mill-bqija, ħuti, itolbu għalina biex il-kelma tal-Mulej tiġri  l-ġirja tagħha u tkun milqugħa bil-ġieħ bħalma ġara fostkom.  Itolbu biex inkunu meħlusa minn nies ħżiena u bla liġi. Għax mhux kulħadd għandu l-fidi. Iżda l-Mulej hu fidil  hu jwettaqkom u jħariskom mill-Ħażin. Aħna żguri minnkom fil-Mulej, jiġifieri, li intom qegħdin tagħmlu u għad tagħmlu dak li ordnajielkom.  Jalla l-Mulej iwassal lil qlubkom għall-imħabba ta' Alla u s-sabar ta' Kristu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel                 -                 Luke 20:27-38

Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless.  Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her." Jesus said to them,  "The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise.  That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out 'Lord, ' the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Evanġelju -  San Luqa 20, 27-38

F'dak iż-żmien, resqu fuqu xi wħud mis-sadduċej, dawk li jiċħdu l-qawmien mill-imwiet, u staqsewh: "Mgħallem, Mose' ħallielna miktub: 'Jekk wieħed imutlu ħuħ miżżewweġ u dan ikun bla tfal, dak ikollu jiżżewweġ l-armla biex inissel ulied lil ħuħ. Issa jkun hemm sebat aħwa, u l-kbir iżżewweġ u miet bla tfal.    It-tieni wieħed, u mbagħd it-tielet, f'kelma waħda, is-sebgħa li kienu, ħadu l-armla, u mietu bla ma ħallew tfal.  Fl-aħħar mietet il-mara wkoll.  Issa din, fil-qawmien tal-imwiet,mart min minnhom tkun?   Għax is-sebgħa jkunu żżewġuha." Weġibhom Ġesu':  "Il-bnedmin f'din id-dinja jiżżewġu u jżewġu; imma dawk li jkun jistħoqqilhom jgħaddu għad-dinja l-oħra u jqumu mill-imwiet, dawn la jżewġu u lanqas jiżżewġu.  Għax anqas jistgħu jmutu iżjed, għaliex ikunu  bħall-anġli, u huma wlied Alla ladarba qamu mill-imwiet. U li  l-mejtin iqumu, Mose' wkoll urieh, fir-rakkont tax-xitla tal-għollieq, għax lill-Mulej isejjaħlu Alla ta' Abraħam,  Alla ta' Iżakk, u Alla ta' Ġakobb.  Issa hu mhuwiex Alla tal-mejtin,  iżda tal-ħajjin, għax għalih kulħadd jgħix. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

------------------ COMMENTARY------------

God Is Not God of the Dead

Gospel Commentary for the 32rd Sunday in Ordinary Time                                                      By Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

In reply to the question that the Sadducees had posed to trap him about the woman who had had seven husbands on earth, Jesus above all reaffirms the fact of the resurrection, correcting at the same time the Sadducees' materialistic caricature of it.

Eternal beatitude is not just an increase and prolongation of terrestrial joys, the maximization of the pleasures of the flesh and the table. The other life is truly another life, a life of a different quality. It is true that it is the fulfillment of all man's longings on earth, yet it is infinitely more, on a different level. "Those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels."

At the end of the Gospel passage, Jesus explains the reason why there must be life after death. "That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out 'Lord, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,' and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive." Where in that is the proof that the dead rise? If God is defined as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and is a God of the living, not of the dead, then this means that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are alive somewhere, even if they have been dead for centuries at the time that God talks to Moses.

Interpreting Jesus' answer to the Sadducees in an erroneous way, some have claimed that marriage has no follow-up in heaven. But with his reply Jesus rejects the caricature that the Sadducees present of heaven, a caricature that suggests that it is a simple continuation of the earthly relationships of the spouses. He does not deny that they might rediscover in God the bond that united them on earth.

Is it possible that a husband and wife, after a life that brought them into relation with God through the miracle of creation, will not in eternal life have anything more in common, as if all were forgotten, lost? Would this not be contrary to Jesus' word according to which that which God has united must not be divided? If God united them on earth, how could he divide them in heaven? Could an entire life spent together end in nothing without betraying the meaning of this present life, which is a preparation for the kingdom, the new heaven and the new earth?

It is Scripture itself, and not only the natural desire of the husband and wife, that supports this hope. Marriage, Scripture says, is "a great sacrament" because it symbolizes the union between Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:32). Is it possible that it be eliminated in the heavenly Jerusalem, where there will be celebrated the eternal wedding feast of Christ and the Church of which the marriage of man and woman is an image?

According to this vision, matrimony does not entirely end with death but is transfigured, spiritualized -- it loses those limits that mark life on earth -- in the same way that the bonds between parents and children or between friends will not be forgotten. In the preface of the Mass for the dead, the liturgy says that with death "life is changed, not taken away"; the same must be said of marriage, which is an integral part of life.

But what about those who have had a negative experience of earthly marriage, an experience of misunderstanding and suffering? Should not this idea that the marital bond will not break at death be for them, rather than a consolation, a reason for fear? No, for in the passage from time to eternity the good remains and evil falls away. The love that united them, perhaps for only a brief time, remains; defects, misunderstandings, suffering that they inflicted on each other, will fall away. Many spouses will experience true love for each other only when they will be reunited "in God," and with this love there will be the joy and fullness of the union that they did not know on earth. This is also what happens to the love between Faust and Margaret in Goethe's story: "Only in heaven the unreachable -- that is, the total and pacific union between two creatures who love each other -- will become reality." In God all will be understood, all will be excused, all will be forgiven.

And what can be said about those who have been legitimately married to different people, widowers and widows who have remarried. (This was the case presented to Jesus of the seven brothers who successively had the same woman as their wife.) Even for them we must repeat the same thing: That which was truly love and self-surrender between each of the husbands or wives, being objectively a good coming from God, will not be dissolved. In heaven there will not be rivalry in love or jealousy. These things do not belong to true love but to the intrinsic limits of the creature.

----------------------------------------   (Translation from the Italian original by  Zenit)