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

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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]