Readings for Sunday, January 19, 2014-01-14

Behold, the Lamb of God!

Dan hu l-Ħaruf ta' Alla

Second Sunday in Ordinary Time /  A

It-Tieni Ħadd matul is-Sena A                                              

Messalin A pp 256

 

Reading 1                                           ISaiah  49:3, 5-6

The LORD said to me: You are my servant, Israel, through whom I show my glory. Now the LORD has spoken who formed me as his servant from the womb, that Jacob may be brought back to him and Israel gathered to him; and I am made glorious in the sight of the LORD, and my God is now my strength!  It is too little, the LORD says,  for you to be my servant, to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and restore the survivors of Israel; I will make you a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  - Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Isaija 49, 3,5-6

Il-Mulej qalli: "Iżrael, inti l-qaddej tiegħi, bik jiena nkun imfaħħar." Issa tkellem il-Mulej, li minn ġuf ommi għamilni qaddej tiegħu,  biex għandu nraġġa' lura lil Ġakobb, u biex Iżrael jinġabar miegħu mill-ġdid  - għax jien kont imfaħħar f'għajnejn il-Mulej, u Alla tiegħi kien il-qawwa tiegħi – u Hu qalli: "Tkun ħaġa żgħira wisq għalik,  li inti tkun il-qaddej tiegħi,biex tqajjem it-tribu' ta' Ġakobb,  u traġġa lura l-fdal ta' Iżrael. Jien nagħmel minnek dawl għall-ġnus, biex is-salvazzjoni tiegħi sa truf l-art tinfirex."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

 

Responsorial Psalm          -           Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10

R/ (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.                                                         R/

Sacrifice or offering you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”                                      R/

“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
to do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”                             R/

I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.  R/

Salm Responsorjali       -     Salm 39(40)

                R/   Hawn jien, Mulej, ġej nagħmel ir-rieda tiegħek

Ittamajt b'tama qawwija fil-Mulej;

hu niżel ħdejja u sama' l-għajta tiegħi.

Qegħedli fuq fommi għanja ġdida,

għanja ta' tifħir lil Alla tagħna.                                                  R/

Int ma titgħaxxaqx b'sagrifiċċji u b'offerti;

imma widnejja int ftaħtli,

 ma tlabtnix vittmi tal-ħruq u tat-tpattija.

Imbagħad jien għedt:  "Hawn jien, ġej."                              R/

Fil-bidu tal-ktieb hemm miktub fuqi

li nagħmel ir-rieda tiegħek.

Alla tiegħi, dan jogħġobni:

il-liġi tiegħek ġewwa qalbi.                                                      R/

Xandart il-ġustizzja f'ġemgħa kbira;

xufftejja ma żammejthomx magħluqa.

Mulej, dan inti tafu.                                                                         R/

Reading 2                                           1 CORinthians 1:1-3

Paul, called to be an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God,  and Sosthenes our brother, to the church of God that is in Corinth, to you who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be holy, with all those everywhere who call upon  the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours. Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni  - Bidu ta' l-Ewwel Ittra ta' San Pawl Appostli lill-Korintin 1,  1-3

Pawlu, li Alla ried isejjaħlu biex ikun appostlu ta' Kristu Ġesu', u Sosteni ħuna, lill-Knisja ta' Alla li qiegħda f'Korintu;  lil dawk li tqaddsu fi Kristu Ġesu', imsejħa biex ikunu  qaddisin flimkien ma' dawk  kollha li f'kull pajjiż isejħu  l-isem ta' Ġesu' Kristu, is-Sid tagħhom u tagħna,  grazzja u sliem mingħand Alla  missierna u l-Mulej Ġesu' Kristu.   Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

 

Gospel                                                  JohN 1:29-34

John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said,  “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.  He is the one of whom I said,  ‘A man is coming after me who ranks ahead of me because he existed before me.’ I did not know him, but the reason why I came baptizing with water was that he might be made known to Israel.” John testified further, saying, “I saw the Spirit come down like a dove from heaven and remain upon him. I did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘On whomever you see the Spirit come down and remain, he is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ Now I have seen and testified that he is the Son of God.”  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju    -  Qari mill-Evanġelju skond San Ġwann 1, 29-34

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġwanni, ra lil Ġesu' riesaq lejħ u qal: "Araw il-Ħaruf ta' Alla, li jneħħi d-dnub tad-dinja. Dan hu li għalih għedtilkom:  "Warajja ġej bniedem li hu aqwa minni, għax kien qabli."   Anqas jien stess ma kont nafu, imma jien għalhekk ġejt ngħammed bl-ilma, biex hu jkun mgħarraf lil Iżrael." U Ġwanni xehed għalih u qal:  "Jiena rajt l-Ispirtu nieżel mis-sema bħal ħammiema u joqgħod fuqu.  Tabilħaqq,  anqas jien  ma kont nafu; imma dak li bagħatni ngħammed  bl-ilma, hu stess qalli: "Fuq min tara l-Ispirtu jinżel u joqgħod,  dak hu li jgħammed bl-Ispirtu s-Santu." "Dan rajtu b'għajnejja, u għalhekk xhedt, dan hu l-Iben ta' Alla."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY

Behold, the Lamb of God!

Gospel Commentary for 2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time

By Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

In next Sunday’s Gospel we hear John the Baptist who, presenting Jesus to the world, exclaims: "Behold the lamb of God, behold him who takes away the sins of the world!"    The lamb, in the Bible, as in other cultures, is the symbol of being innocent; it cannot do evil to anyone but only suffer it. Following this symbolism, the first letter of Peter calls Christ "the lamb unspotted" (1:19) who, "reviled, did not revile; when he suffered, he threatened not" (2:23). Jesus, in other words, is par excellence the innocent one who suffers.

It has been written that the suffering of the innocent "is the rock of atheism." After Auschwitz, the problem was posed in a still more acute way. There are countless books and dramas that have been written about this theme. It feels like being at a trial and hearing the voice of the judge ordering the defendant to stand up. The defendant in this case is God.

What does the faith have to say about all this? First of all, it is necessary that we all, believers and nonbelievers, adopt an attitude of humility, because if faith is not able to "explain" the suffering, much less is reason. The suffering of the innocent is something too pure and mysterious to try to close it up in one of our poor "explanations." Jesus -- who, as far as explanations go, certainly had more than us -- faced with the suffering of the widow of Naim and the sisters of Lazarus, knew nothing better to do than to be moved and weep.

The Christian response to the problem of innocent suffering is wrapped up in one name: Jesus Christ! Jesus did not come to give us expert explanations about suffering, he came rather silently to take it upon himself. Taking it upon himself, however, he changed it entirely: from a sign of malediction, he made it an instrument of redemption. Even more: he made it the supreme value, the highest order of greatness in this world. After sin, the true greatness of the human creature is measured by the fact of bearing the least amount of guilt possible and the maximum amount of punishment possible. It is not so much in the one or the other taken separately -- that is, in innocence or in suffering -- as it is in the co-presence of the two in the same person. This is a type of suffering that brings us closer to God. Only God, in fact, if he suffers, suffers as innocent in an absolute sense.

Jesus, however, did not only give a meaning to innocent suffering, he also conferred a new power on it, a mysterious fruitfulness. Look at what flowed from the suffering of Christ: the resurrection and hope for the whole human race. But look also at what happens around us. How much energy and heroism is often brought out in a couple in the acceptance of a handicapped child, bedridden for years! How much unsuspected solidarity surrounds them! How much otherwise unknown capacity to love!

The most important thing, however, when we speak of innocent suffering, is not to explain it; it is not to increase it with our actions and our omissions. But neither is it enough not to increase innocent suffering; we must also try to relieve the innocent suffering that exists! Faced with a little girl frozen by the cold, who cries because of hunger pains, a man cried out in his heart one day to God: "Oh, God, where are you? Why don't you do something for that innocent girl?" And God answered him: "I certainly have done something for her: I made you!" 

[Translation from the Italian original by Joseph G. Trabbic]