Readings for February 9, 2014

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Il-Ħames Ħadd matul is-Sena

Messalin A pp. 272

Reading 1 ISaiah 58:7-10

Thus says the LORD: Share your bread with the hungry, shelter the oppressed and the homeless; clothe the naked when you see them, and do not turn your back on your own. Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your wound shall quickly be healed; your vindication shall go before you, and the glory of the LORD shall be your rear guard. Then you shall call, and the LORD will answer, you shall cry for help, and he will say: Here I am! If you remove from your midst oppression, false accusation and malicious speech; if you bestow your bread on the hungry and satisfy the afflicted; then light shall rise for you in the darkness, and the gloom shall become for you like midday. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni Profeta Isaija 58, 7-10

Dan jgħid il-Mulej: "Mhux dan is-sawm li jien rrid li taqsam ħobżok ma' min hu bil-ġuħ, u ddaħħal f'darek lill-imsejken bla saqaf? Mhux li tlibbes lil min tara għarwien, u n-nies ta' darek ma tinsihomx? Imbagħad ifeġġ bħaż-żerniq id-dawl tiegħek, u malajr tagħlaqlek il-ġerħa tiegħek. Quddiemek timxi l-ġustizzja tiegħek, u l-glorja tal-Mulej timxi warajk. Jekk biss issejjaħlu, iwieġeb il-Mulej: jekk tgħajjatlu, jgħidlek: "Hawn jien!" Jekk tneħħi minn nofsok il-moħqrija, ma tmiddx subgħek u ma tagħmilx deni bi lsienek, jekk int qalbek toħroġ għall-imġewwaħ, u xxabba' qalb l-imnikket, imbagħad id-dawl tiegħek ifiġġ fid-dlam, u s-swied tiegħek ikun bħan-nofsinhar. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm PSalm 112:4-5, 6-7, 8-9

R/ (4a) The just man is a light in darkness to the upright.

Light shines through the darkness for the upright;

he is gracious and merciful and just.
Well for the man who is gracious and lends,
who conducts his affairs with justice. R/

He shall never be moved;
the just one shall be in everlasting remembrance.
An evil report he shall not fear;
his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. R/

His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear.
Lavishly he gives to the poor;
His justice shall endure forever;
his horn shall be exalted in glory. R/

Salm Responsorjali - Salm 111(112)

R/ Dawl fid-dlam ifeġġ għat-tajbin

Dawl fid-dlam ifeġġ għat-tajbin

twajjeb u ħanin il-bniedem sewwa.

Tajjeb il-bniedem li jħenn u jislef,

li jmexxi ħwejġu bir-reqqa. R/

Għax il-bniedem ġust qatt ma jitfixkel;

għal dejjem tibqa' t-tifkira tiegħu.

Xejn ma jibża' minn aħbar ħażina;

qalbu qawwija bit-tama tal-Mulej. R/

Qalbu qawwija, m'għandux mniex jibża'/

Iqassam u jagħti lill-foqra;

għal dejjem tibqa' l-ġustizzja tiegħu;

rasu merfugħa bil-ġieħ. R/

Reading 2 1 CORinthians 2:1-5

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, proclaiming the mystery of God, I did not come with sublimity of words or of wisdom. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you
except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and much trembling, and my message and my proclamation were not with persuasive words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of Spirit and power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni - L-Ewwel Ittra ta' San Pawl Appostlu lill-Korintin 2, 1-5

Meta jiena wasalt għandkom, ħuti, ma ġejtx inħabbrilkom il-Misteru ta' Alla bi kliem kbir jew għaref. Ma ppretendejtx li kont naf xi ħaġa fostkom, ħlief lil Ġesu' Kristu, u lil dan imsallab. Jiena ġejt għandkom dgħajjef, imbeżża' u mriegħed. Il-kelma u l-predikazzjoni tiegħi ma kinux imlibbsa bil-kliem qawwi ta' l-għerf, imma bil-wiri ta' l-Ispirtu u l-qawwa, sabiex il-fidi tagħkom tinbena mhux fuq l-għerf tal-bniedem, imma fuq il-qawwa ta' Alla. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel MatThew 5:13-16

Jesus said to his disciples: “You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses its taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot. You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in the house. Just so, your light must shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your heavenly Father.” This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Evanġelju - San Mattew 5, 13-16

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: "Intom il-melħ ta' l-art. Imma jekk il-melħ jaqta', biex jerġa' jieħu t-togħma? Ma jibqa' tajjeb għal xejn iżjed ħlief biex jintrema barra u jintrifes min-nies. Intom id-dawl tad-dinja. Belt li tkun qiegħda fuq muntanja ma tistax tinħeba. Anqas ma jixegħlu l-musbieħ u jqegħduh taħt is-siegħ, iżda fuq l-imnara, u hekk idawwal lil kull min ikun fid-dar. Hekk għandu jiddi d-dawl tagħkom quddiem il-bniedem, biex jaraw l-għemejjel tajba tagħkom u jagħtu glorja lil Missierkom li hu fis-smewwiet." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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Commentary from Catholic Lectionary Resources by Larry Broding for your personal reflection:

Salt and Light

What are the differences between the leader and the follower? When does a follower lead? The path to leadership is a hard one. True leaders are committed to a goal or a cause. They are also willing to sacrifice time, talent, and treasure for their passion. They gather as many followers by their example as by their ideals. In fact, many measure leaders' goals and passion by their example. Do they merely talk? Or are they willing to walk the path?

In one sense, a follower becomes a leader the moment he or she makes a commitment beyond the norm. At that point, the easy way becomes difficult. In Matthew's gospel, Jesus honored his followers who took the hard way, those who lived out the Beatitudes. Those who sacrificed for the Kingdom would be the salt of the earth and light to the world.

In Matthew, Jesus used two images to stress the Kingdom: salt and light. Both point to the example of the follower and its consequences.

Jesus saw his followers as leveling agents in an impure world. Their example would keep the fire of faith alive even under stress. Their example would spread faith to those mired in the cultural "dung." But if their example rang empty, they were worthless; they would be dug into the mud under the heels of critics.

Jesus also saw his followers as the light of a fire to the world. Placing a light fire under a basket would put the fire out. No, like a city high on a hill, the fire should be placed for all to see. So, one cannot hide faith by inaction. One must show faith in action for all to see, so those seeing the witness can be brought to faith and praise God. [5:14-16].

In essence, Jesus told his followers they cannot have it both ways. One cannot believe as a Christian, yet act as if faith did not matter. Faith leads to action and the action points to the Kingdom.

So we make a difference as Christians when we offer ourselves to God, when we proclaim the Good News in word and example, and when we serve others. God calls us to worship, to witness, and to give.

Who has inspired you to live as a Christian? What have they done to inspire you?

We followers of Christ become leaders when we try to answer one question. What difference has Christ made in our lives? But in a world of multiple voices and a myriad of distractions, getting the attention of our intended audience is difficult. How do we get that attention? The risk of example. To do something beyond the norm. Something that points to Christ. This is a hard, difficult road to travel for it entails doing the different, doing the unusual. It means putting our reputation on the line. But the reward is the glory of God. That is a goal worth the risk.

What can you do today to be a good Christian example for others?

The Word On Sunday

Thursday, 6 February 2014

Where do you fit into this?