READINGS FOR march 2, 2014
READINGS FOR march 2, 2014
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 82
It-Tmien Ħadd matul is-Sena
Messalin A pp. 290
Reading 1 ISaiah 49:14-15
1 QARI - Isaija
49:14 – 15
U Sijon
kienet tgħid: 'Ħallieni l-Mulej,' u: 'Sidi nsieni.' Tista' mara tinsa t-tarbija
tagħha, u ma tħennx għal bin ġufha? Mqar jekk din tinsa, jien ma ninsiek qatt! Kelma
tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm PSalm 62:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
R/ (6a) Rest in God alone, my soul.
Only in God is my soul at rest;
from him comes my salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed at all. R/
Only in God be at rest, my soul,
for from him comes my hope.
He only is my rock and my salvation,
my stronghold; I shall not be disturbed. R/
With God is my safety and my glory,
he is the rock of my strength; my refuge is in God.
Trust in him at all times, O my people!
Pour out your hearts before him. R/
Salm Responsoriali Salm 62:2-3, 6-7, 8-9
R/ F'Alla biss il-mistrieħ ta'
ruħi:
F'Alla biss
il-mistrieħ ta' ruħi:
mingħandu
tiġini s-salvazzjoni.
Hu biss il-blata u s-salvazzjoni tiegħi,
hu l-kenn
tiegħi; xejn ma jċaqlaqni. R/
F'Alla biss
il-mistrieħ ta' ruħi,
għax
mingħandu tiġini t-tama.
Hu biss
il-blata u s-salvazzjoni tiegħi,
hu l-kenn
tiegħi; xejn ma jċaqlaqni. R/
F'Alla
s-salvazzjoni u l-ġieħ tiegħi,
hu l-blata
qawwija tiegħi, u l-kenn tiegħi f'Alla.
Ittama fih f'kull żmien, o poplu;
iftħu
qalbkom quddiemu. Alla hu kenn għalina! R/
Readng 2 1 CORinthians 4:1-5
Brothers and sisters:
Thus should one regard us: as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. Now it is of course required
of stewards that they be found
trustworthy. It does not concern me in
the least that I be judged by you or any human tribunal; I do not even pass
judgment on myself; I am not conscious of anything against me, but I do not
thereby stand acquitted; the one who judges me is the Lord. Therefore do not
make any judgment before the appointed time, until the Lord comes, for he will
bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will manifest the motives of our
hearts, and then everyone will receive praise from God. This is the Word of The Lord.
2 Qari
- 1 Korintin 4:1-5
In-nies għandhom iħarsu lejna bħala ministri
ta' Kristu u amministraturi tal- misteri ta' Alla. Issa barra minn
dan, l-amministraturi wieħed
jistenniehom li jkunu fidili.Iżda ngħid
għalija, ftit li xejn jimpurtani li nkun iġġudikat minnkom jew minn
Gospel MatThew 6:24-34
Jesus said to his disciples: “No one can serve two masters. He will either
hate one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You
cannot serve God and mammon. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your
life, what you will eat or drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is
not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds in the sky; they do not sow or reap, they gather nothing
into barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you more important
than they? Can any of you by worrying add a single moment to your life-span? Why
are you anxious about clothes? Learn
from the way the wild flowers grow. They
do not work or spin. But I tell you
that not even Solomon in all his splendour was clothed like one of them. If God so clothes the grass of the field, which grows today and is thrown into the oven
tomorrow, will he not much more provide for you, O you of little faith? So do not worry and say, ‘What are we to
eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them
all. But seek first the kingdom
of God
VANGELJU
- Mattew 6: 24 – 34
"Ħadd ma jista' jaqdi żewġ sidien; għax
jew ikun jobgħod lil wieħed u jħobb lill-ieħor, jew jintrabat ma' wieħed u
jistmell lill-ieħor. Ma tistgħux taqdu lil Alla u lill-flus. "Għalhekk
ngħidilkom: tinkwetawx ruħkom għal ħajjitkom, x'se tieklu jew x'tixorbu, anqas
għal ġisimkom x'se tilbsu. Jaqaw il-ħajja m'hijiex aqwa mill-ikel, u l-ġisem
aqwa mill-ilbies? Ħarsu lejn l-għasafar
tas-sema; la jiżirgħu u lanqas jaħsdu u lanqas igeddsu fl-imħażen, u madankollu
Missierkom li hu fis-smewwiet jitmagħhom! Intom ma tiswewx aktar minnhom? U min
minnkom, bl-inkwiet kollu tiegħu, se jseħħlu jtawwal għomru mqar b'jum wieħed
biss? U għall-ilbies għalfejn tinkwetaw ruħkom? Ħarsu lejn il-ġilji ta'
l-għelieqi, kif jikbru! U la jitħabtu u lanqas jinsġu. Madankollu, ngħidilkom,
anqas Salamun, fil-glorja kollha tiegħu, ma kien jilbes bħal wieħed minnhom.
Mela jekk Alla jlibbes hekk imqar ħaxixa selvaġġa li llum hawn u għada
tinxteħet fil-forn, kemm aktar lilkom, nies ta' fidi ċkejkna! Għalhekk
toqogħdux tinkwetaw ruħkom u tgħidu,"X'se nieklu?' jew 'X'se nixorbu?' jew
'X'se nilbsu?', għax dawn huma kollha ħwejjeġ li jfittxuhom il-pagani. Imma
Missierkom li hu fis-smewwiet jaf li dan kollu teħtiġuh. Mela fittxu l-ewwel
is-Saltna u l-ġustizzja ta' Alla, u dan kollu jingħatalkom ukoll. Mela
toqogħdux tħabblu raskom għall-għada, għax il-jum ta' għada jħabbel rasu hu
għalih innifsu. Biżżejjed hu għall-jum it-taħbit tal-ġurnata." Kelma
tal-Mulej.
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Just When You Think Life Is for the Birds, Take Heart
—
by Fr. Thomas Rosica
CSB
CEO Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation
CEO Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation
In
next Sunday’s reading from Matthew’s Gospel Jesus does not deny the reality of human needs,
but forbids making them the object of anxious care and, in effect, becoming
their slave. Those who truly know God as the heavenly Father revealed by Jesus
cannot be concerned about human needs in the same way. While disciples have to
take reasonable care of themselves and of those for whom they are responsible,
such concerns take second place to dedication to the rule of God and the
“righteousness” for which it calls.
Verse
25 of Sunday’s Gospel indicates two major areas of concern for the human being:
sustenance (food and drink) necessary for life, and clothing. Each of the areas
is addressed — food (vv. 26-27), clothing (vv. 28-30) — in an argument that
rests upon a New Testament logic. If God takes such care of the birds in the
air, and ensures their feeding, and sees to it that the lilies of the field are
magnificently adorned, how much more then will our heavenly Father take pains
to see that the disciples shall not go wanting, since they are more precious in
the divine sight than the birds of air and the flowers of the field? In using this analogy, Jesus is by no means
making a moral statement, but rather an imaginative appeal.
Worrywart - The great Christian author
and apologist C.S. Lewis was a devout Christian, but he admitted that
throughout his life he was a great worrier! Commenting on today’s Gospel
passage (Matthew 6:25-34), Lewis frequently wrote to his friends saying: “If
God wanted us to live like the birds of the air, it would have be nice for him
to have given us a constitution that was more like theirs!” Jesus did not seem to be a person who
worried a great deal; he lived his life on the principle of trusting his
heavenly Father, and he tried to teach his followers to do the same. The
refrain running through today’s Gospel contains the sentiments of “do not
worry” (vv. 25, 27, 28, 31 and twice in 34). A better translation of the
expression could be, “do not fret” or “do not be preoccupied.” Disciples may
have legitimate concerns for material goods, but if those concerns are filled
with insecurities and cause new forms of enslavement to wealth, they will
inevitably lead people into slavery to two separate masters. We are called to
serve God and God alone in the deepest sense in order to experience authentic
freedom.
Providential care - The three Scripture readings
for this Sunday invite us to reflect on God’s providential care of us. When we
say ‘Divine Providence,’ we are referring to the name of God, especially God as
Father and Creator, which brings all of the dynamics of human existence into
meaning. Providence Providence
You are worth more
- Jesus taught about
God’s provident care for his children and on not being anxious for the future.
Can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your life? Jesus invited his
disciples then and now to “consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they
have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more
value are you than the birds!” What holds true for food applies also to
clothing and other necessities of life (“consider the lilies, how they grow:
they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was
not clothed like one of these”). Those
who see reality permeated by the Providence of God gradually grow in wisdom.
Serenity, born of time and grace, becomes evident to onlookers and passersby.
The terrible beauty of the earth, with its calms and its storms, its gentle
breezes and its hurricanes, its new life and its deaths, seems somehow to be
within the person who lives by trustingly believing in God’s Providence.
What is worth fearing?
- Throughout the Old
Testament, humans are the main subjects of fear. The reasons for this fear are
war, death, enslavement, loss of a wife or child, disaster, or even a
particular place. Trust in God brings freedom from fear. Fear also arises in
the presence of those who stand in a special relation to God, such as Moses
(Exodus 34:30), Joshua (Joshua 4:14), or Samuel (1 Samuel 12:18). How many times in the Gospels do we hear
Jesus telling people to “Fear not!” Jairus is not to be anxious (Mark
5:36); the disciples receive assurance (Mark 6:50); the three apostles atop
Mount Tabor are enabled to look up (Matthew 17:7); the women’s fear gives way
to proclamation and resurrection faith (Matthew 28:10); those whom the angels
visit in the infancy narratives are told not to fear (Luke 1:13, 30; 2:10); and
in a vision, Peter and Paul are both told by the Lord not to fear in a context
of discipleship and service (Luke 5:10 and Acts 18:9).
What
is worth fearing? Jesus warns his followers about those who can harm the soul.
To what does this refer today? To those people or situations who can dehydrate
the spirit, crushing it and sapping it of life, killing hopes and dreams,
destroying faith and joy. Often those who dehydrate the spirit and kill hope
and joy are not “bad” people! In fact, they are often very good people, and
yes, even “church” people and ‘religious’ people! We often harm the souls of
others through our cynicism, our meanness of spirit and smallness of mind and
heart; our lack of faith, hope and joy. How often have we denied Jesus through
our own reluctance to talk about him and give witness to him, for fear of
excluding others? It is consoling to
know once in a while that all of our trials and tribulations, our pains anxieties
are not in vain. The next time we get that fearful feeling that our life is for
the birds, let us take heart, and have a bit more courage and confidence in the
Father’s care.
