Readings for December 15, 2013

Third Sunday of Advent

It-Tielet Ħadd ta' l-Avvent

Messalin A pp 74

Reading 1 ISaiah 35:1-6A, 10

The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song. The glory of Lebanon will be given to them, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing. Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni - Isaija 35, 1-6a,10

Ħa jifirħu d-deżert u l-art maħruqa; ħa jifraħ ix-xagħri u jwarrad, ħa jwarrad bħar-ranġis. Ħa tifraħ fuq li tifraħ, taqbeż u tgħanni. Sebħ il-Libanu jingħata lilha, il-ġmiel tal-Karmel u ta' Saron. Għad jaraw is-sebħ tal-Mulej, il-ġmiel ta' Alla tagħna.Qawwu l-idejn mitruħa; saħħu l-irkubbtejn imriegħda. Għidu lil dawk b'qalbhom imbeżżgħa: "Agħmlu l-ħila, la tibżgħux! Araw, Alla tagħkom ġej jitħallas; il-ħlas ta' Alla wasal; Hu stess ġej biex isalvakom." Imbagħad jinfetħu għajnejn l-għomja, jinfetħu widnejn it-torox. Imbagħad iz-zopp jaqbeż bħal għażżiela u lsien imbikkem jinħall bil-ferħ. Jerġgħu lura l-mifdijin tal-Mulej, u jidħlu f'Sijon jgħajtu bil-ferħ, b'ferħ ta' dejjem fuq rashom. Il-ferħ u l-hena jiksbu, u jgħibu swied il-qalb u l-krib. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm - PSalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10

R. (cf. Is 35:4) Lord, come and save us. or: R. Alleluia.

The LORD God 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. R/

Salm Responsorjali - Salm 146 (147)

R/ Ejja Mulej, ħa ssalvana.

Il-Mulej iżomm kelmtu għal dejjem,

jagħmel ħaqq mill-maħquin,

u jagħti l-ħobż lill-imġewħin.

Il-Mulej jeħles lill-imjassrin. R/

Il-Mulej jiftaħ għajnejn l-għomja;

il-Mulej jerfa' lill-milwijin;

il-Mulej iħobb lill-ġusti;

il-Mulej iħares lill-barranin. R/

Hu jżomm lill-iltim u lill-armla,

imma lill-ħżiena jħabtilhom triqathom.

Il-Mulej isaltan għal dejjem;

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

Reading 2 JAmeS 5:7-10

Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth, being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too must be patient.Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates. Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni - Ġakbu 5, 7-10

Ħuti, stabru, sa ma jasal il-Mulej. ara, il-bidwi joqgħod b'sabar kbir jistenna l-frott għażiż ta' l-art sa ma jieħu x-xita bikrija u mwaħħra. Stabru intom ukoll; qawwu qalbkom, għax il-miġja tal-Mulej hi fil-qrib. Tgergrux kontra xulxin, ħuti, biex ma tkunux iġġudikati; araw' l-Imħallef qiegħed hawn, quddiem il-bieb! Bħala eżempju tat-tbatija u s-sabar, ħuti, ħudu l-profeti li tkellmu f'isem il-Mulej. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel MatThew 11:2-11

When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question, “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.”As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you. Amen, I say to you, among those born of women there has been none greater than John the Baptist; yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Evanġelju - Mattew 11, 2-11

F'dak iż-żmien , Ġwanni, li kien fil-ħabs, sama' bl-għemejjel tal-Messija, u bagħat għandu tnejn mid-dixxipli tiegħu u qallu:"int huwa dak li għandu jiġi, jew nistennew lil ħaddieħor?"Ġesu' wieġeb u qalilhom: "Morru agħtu lil Ġwanni l-aħbar ta' dak li qegħdin tisimgħu u taraw: l-għomja jaraw; iz-zoppom jimxu, il-lebbrużi jfiqu, it-torox jisimgħu, il-mejtin iqumu, l-Evanġelju jixxandar lill-foqra. Ħieni hu min ma jitfixkilx minħabba fija." Meta dawk telqu, Ġesu' qabad ikellem lin-nies fuq Ġwanni: "Xi ħriġtu taraw fid-deżert? Qasba tixxejjer mar-riħ? Xi ħriġtu taraw? Raġel liebes fin? Dawk li jilbsu fin fil-palazzi tas-slaten issibuhom. Mela xi ħriġtu taraw? Profeta? Iva, ngħidilkom, anzi xi ħaġa iżjed minn Profeta. Dan hu li fuqu hemm miktub: "Ara, jiena nibgħat qablek il-ħabbar tiegħi biex iħejji triqtek quddiemek." Tassew, ngħidilkom, li fost ulied in-nisa ħadd ma qam akbar minn Ġwanni l-Battista. U b'dinakollu l-iżgħar wieħed fis-Saltna tas-Smewwiet hu akbar minnu." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

COMMENTARY by Fr Raniero Cantalamessa OFM Cap

Rejoice! The Lord Is Near

Let us take the point of departure for our reflection from what Jesus says to the disciples of John to reassure them he is the Messiah: "Glad tidings are announced to the poor."

The Gospel is a message of joy: The liturgy proclaims this on the Third Sunday of Advent, which, from the words of St. Paul in the opening antiphon, has taken the name "Gaudete Sunday" -- Rejoice Sunday, the Sunday of joy. The first reading, taken from the prophet Isaiah, is a hymn to joy: "The desert and the wasteland rejoice ... They sing with joy and jubilation ... They will be crowned with everlasting happiness; they will meet with joy and felicity and sadness and mourning will flee."

Everyone wants to be happy. If we could represent the whole of humanity to ourselves, in its deepest movement, we would see an immense crowd about a fruit tree on the tips of its toes desperately stretching out its hands in the attempt to lay hold of a piece of fruit that constantly eludes it. Happiness, Dante said, is "quell dolce pome che per tanti rami / cercando va la cura de' tanti mortali" -- "that sweet fruit that mortals seek / and strive to find on many boughs."

But if all of us are searching for happiness, why are so few truly happy and even those who are happy are only happy for such a short time? I believe that the principal reason is that, in our climb to the summit of the mountain, we go up the wrong side, we decide to take the wrong way up. Revelation says: "God is love," but man has tried to reverse the phrase so that it says: "Love is God"! (That is what the German philosopher Ludwig Feuerbach said.)

Revelation says: "God is happiness," but man again inverts the order and says "Happiness is God"! But what happens here? On earth we do not know pure happiness, just as we do not know absolute love; we only know bits and pieces of happiness, which often become mere passing stimulation of our senses. Thus, when we say, "Happiness is God," we divinize our little experiences; we call the works of our own hands or our own minds "God." We make happiness into an idol. This explains why he who seeks God always finds joy while he who seeks joy does not always find God. Man is reduced to looking for quantitative joy: chasing down ever more intense pleasures and emotions, or adding pleasure to pleasure -- just as the drug addict needs bigger and bigger doses to obtain the same level of pleasure.

Only God is happy and makes happy. This is why a psalm says: "Seek joy in the Lord, he will fulfill the desires of your heart" (Psalm 4). With him even the joys of the present life retain their sweet savor and do not change into anxiety. I am not only speaking of spiritual joys but all honest human joy: the joy of seeing your children grow, work brought happily to conclusion, friendship, health regained, creativity, art, leisure and contact with nature. Only God was able to draw from the lips of a saint the cry "Enough joy, Lord! My heart can hold no more!" In God is found all of that which man usually associates with the word "happiness" and infinitely more, since "eye has not seen nor ear heard nor has it entered the heart of man that which God has prepared for those who love him" (cf. 1 Corinthians 2:9).

It is time to proclaim with greater courage the "glad tidings" that God is happiness, that happiness -- not suffering, deprivation, the cross -- will have the last word. Suffering only serves to remove obstacles to joy, to open the soul, so that one day we can receive the greatest possible measure.

[Translation from the Italian by Joseph G. Trabbic]