It-33 Ħadd matul is-Sena C
Messalin C pp 444
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
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/
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/
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/
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 minn
……………………………………………………..
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.
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]
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