Finding Eternity

Readings for March 23, 2014

Third Sunday of Lent Year A

It-Tielet  Ħadd tar-Randan  -  Sena ‘ A’ 

Messalin A pp 143

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Reading 1                            exodus 17:3-7

In those days, in their thirst for water, the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “Why did you ever make us leave Egypt? Was it just to have us die here of thirst with our children and our livestock?” So Moses cried out to the LORD, “What shall I do with this people? a little more and they will stone me!” The LORD answered Moses, “Go over there in front of the people,  along with some of the elders of Israel, holding in your hand, as you go, the staff with which you struck the river. I will be standing there in front of you on the rock in Horeb. Strike the rock, and the water will flow from it  for the people to drink.” This Moses did, in the presence of the elders of Israel.The place was called Massah and Meribah,  because the Israelites quarreled there and tested the LORD, saying, “Is the LORD in our midst or not?”  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  -  mill-Ktieb ta' l-Eżodu 17, 3-7

F'dak iż-żmien, il-poplu qabdu l-għatx, u gemgem kontra Mose' u qal: "Għalfejn tellajtna hawn mill-Eġittu biex toatol lilna, lil uliedna u lill-bhejjem tagħna bil-għatx?" Mose' għajjat quddiem il-Mulej u qal: "X'se nagħmel lil dan il-poplu?  Ftit ieħor u jħaġġruni." Il-Mulej qal lil Mose':  "Għadd minn quddiem il-poplu, u hu miegħek xi wħud mix-xjuħ ta' Iżrael.  Ħu miegħek il-ħatar li bih kont drabt ix-xmar tan-Nil, u mur. Arani, jien noqgħod hemm quddiemek, fuq il-blat f'Ħoreb; u int aħbat il-blat u toħroġ minnu ilma, u jixrob il-poplu."  U Mose' għamel hekk  quddiem ix-xjuħ ta' Iżrael. U l-post semmewh Massa u Meriba, għax hekk tlewmu   wlied Iżrael u ġarrbu lill-Mulej meta qalu: "Il-Mulej fostna jew le?"  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm      psalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

     R/ (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.                                                           R/

Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.         R/

Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”                           R/

Salm Responsorjali                                                    Salm 94(95)

                R/  Illum jekk tisimgħu leħen il-Mulej, la twebbsux qalbkom

Ejjew, ħa nfaħħru bl-hena lill-Mulej,

ħa ngħajtu bil-ferħ lill-blata tas-salvazzjoni tagħna!

Ersqu quddiemu b'għana ta' radd il-ħajr,

ngħannulu b'għajat ta' ferħ.                                                                       R/

Ejjejw inqimuh u ninxteħtu quddiemu,

għarkobbtejna quddiem il-Mulej li ħalaqna!

Għaliex hu Alla tagħna,

u aħna l-poplu tal-mergħa tiegħu u n-nagħaġ tiegħu.                   R/

Mhux li kontu llum tisimgħu leħnu!

"La twebbsux qalbkom bħal f'Meriba

bħal dakinhar f'Massa, fid-deżert,

meta ġarrbuni u ttantawni missirijietkom;

għalkemm raw dak li jien għamilt.                                                         R/

reading 2                            romans 5:1-2, 5-8

Brothers and sisters:  Since we have been justified by faith,  we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,  through whom we have gained access by faith  to this grace in which we  stand, and we boast in hope of the glory of God.  And hope does not disappoint,  because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts  through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. For Christ, while we were still helpless,  died at the appointed time for the ungodly. Indeed, only with difficulty does one die for a just person,  though perhaps for a good person one might even find courage to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we were still sinners Christ died for us.  This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni                    mill-Ittra ta' San Pawl lir-Rumani 5, 1-2. 5-8

Ħuti, issa li aħna ġġustifikati fil-fidi, għandna s-sliem ma'  Alla permezz ta' Sidna Ġesu' Kristu;  permezz tiegħu għandna d-dħul bil-fidi għal din il-grazzja li fiha qegħdin. Aħna niftaħru bit-tama li għand li għad niksbu l-glorja ta' Alla. U dinit-tama ma tqarraqx bina, għax  l-imħabba ta' Alla ssawbet  fi qlubna permezz ta' l-Ispirtu s-Santu li kien mogħti lilna. Mela, meta aħna konna bla saħħa, Kristu,meta wasal iż-żmien, miet għall-ħżiena.  Bilkemm wieħed imut għal wieħed tajjeb,  għad li wieħed għandu mnejn jagħmel il-qalb u jmut għal wieħed  ġeneruż.    Iżda Alla wriena l-imħabba tiegħu meta Kristu miet  għalina,  aħna li konna għadna midinbin.    Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                              john 4:5-42

Jesus came to a town of Samaria called Sychar,  near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph. Jacob’s well was there. Jesus, tired from his journey, sat down there at the well.  It was about noon. A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her,  “Give me a drink.” His disciples had gone into the town to buy food. The Samaritan woman said to him,  “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?”  —For Jews use nothing in common with Samaritans.— Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God  and who is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink, ‘ you would have asked him  and he would have given you living water.” The woman said to him,  “Sir, you do not even have a bucket and the cistern is deep;  where then can you get this living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob,  who gave us this cistern and drank from it himself  with his children and his flocks?” Jesus answered and said to her,  “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again;  but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst;  the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty  or have to keep coming here to draw water.”  Jesus said to her,  “Go call your husband and come back.” The woman answered and said to him, “I do not have a husband.” Jesus answered her,  “You are right in saying, ‘I do not have a husband.’ For you have had five husbands,  and the one you have now is not  your husband.  What you have said is true.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.  Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain;  but you people say that the place to worship is in Jerusalem.”  Jesus said to her,  “Believe me, woman, the hour is coming  when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.  You people worship what you do not understand;   we worship what we understand, because salvation is from the Jews.  But the hour is coming, and is now here,   when true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;   and indeed the Father seeks such people to worship him.  God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.”  The woman said to him, “I know that the Messiah is coming, the one   called the Christ;  when he comes, he will tell us everything.”  Jesus said to her,  “I am he, the one speaking with you.”  At that moment his disciples returned,   and were amazed that he was talking with a woman,   but still no one said, “What are you looking for?”   or “Why are you talking with her?” The woman left her water jar  and went into the town and said to the people,  “Come see a man who told me everything I have done.  Could he possibly be the Christ?” They went out of the town and came to him.  Meanwhile, the disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat.”  But he said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”  So the disciples said to one another, “Could someone have brought him something to eat?” Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me  and to finish his work. Do you not say, ‘In four months the harvest will be here’? I tell you, look up and see the fields ripe for the harvest.  The reaper is already receiving payment  and gathering crops for eternal life,   so that the sower and reaper can rejoice together.  For here the saying is verified that ‘One sows and another reaps.’  I sent you to reap what you have not worked for;   others have done the work,  and you are sharing the fruits of their work.”   Many of the Samaritans of that town began to believe in him  because of the word of the woman who testified,   “He told me everything I have done.” When the Samaritans came to him, they invited him to stay with them;  and he stayed there two days. Many more began to believe in him because of his word,  and they said to the woman,  We no longer believe because of your word;   for we have heard for ourselves,  and we know that this is truly the savior of the world.”  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju  -  Qari mill-Evanġelju skond San Ġwann 6, 4,5-42

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' ġie f'belt tas-Samarija, jisimha Sikar,  qrib il-biċċa art li Ġakobb kien ta lil ibnu Ġużeppi, fejn hemm ukoll il-bir ta' Ġakobb.  Kien għall-ħabta tas-sitt siegħa, u Ġesu',  għajjien kif kien mill-mixi, qagħad bilqegħda ħdejn il-bir.    U ġiet mara mis-Samarija timli l-ilma.  Ġesu' qalilha: "Agħtini nixrob."    Id-dixxipli tiegħu kienu marru l-belt jixtru x'jieklu.   Il-mara mis-

Samarija qaltlu:  "Kif!  Inti Lhudi u titlob lili, Samaritana, biex  nagħtik tixrob?"   Qaltlu hekk għax il-Lhud ma jitħalltux mas-Samaritani. Ġesu' weġibha:  "Kieku kont taf id-don ta' Alla u min hu dak li qiegħed  jgħidlek:"Agħtini nixrob," kieku int kont titolbu, u hu kien jagħtik ilma ħaj."  Qaltlu l-mara: "Sinjur, mnejn se ġġib l-ilma ħaj jekk anqas biex timla  ma għandeku l-bir huwa fond?   Jaqaw int aqwa minn missierna Ġakobb  li tana dan il-bir, li minnu xorob hu l-wliedu u l-imrieħel tiegħu?"  Weġibha Ġesu':  "Kull min jixrob minn dan l-ilma jerġa' jagħtih l-għatx;   imma min jixrob mill-ilma li nagħtih jien qatt iżjed ma jkun bil-għatx. l-ilma li nagħtih jien isir fih għajn ta' l-ilma li jwassal sal-ħajja ta' dejjem."   Qaltlu l-mara:  "Agħtini dan l-ilma, Sijur, biex ma jaqbadnix l-għatx u   anqas ma noqgħod ġejja u sejra hawn nimla l-ilma.   Qalilha Ġesu':   "Mur sejjaħ lil żewġek u erġa' ejja hawn." Weġbitu l-mara:   "Ma għandix  żewġi."       Qalilha Ġesu':  "Sewwa għedt: 'Ma għandix  żewġi.'  Inti żżewwiġt ħames darbiet, u r-raġel li għandek  miegħek  bħalissa m'huwiex żewġek.  Sewwa weġibt!"  Qaltlu l-mara:  "Inti profeta, Sinjur, milli qiegħda nara.  Missirijietna   kienu jaduraw lil Alla fuq din il-muntanja; imma intom tgħidu li l-post fejn wieħed jadura lil Alla jinsab f'Ġerusalemm."     Qalilha Ġesu:    "Emminni, mara,  jiġi żmien meta mhux fuq din il-muntanja taduraw  lill-Missier, anqas f'Ġerusalemm.      Intom taduraw lildak li ma tafux,  aħna naduraw lil dak li nafu, għax is-salvazzjoni  gejja mill-Lhud.   Imma tiġi siegħa, anzi issa hi, meta dawk li tassew jaduraw  jibdew   jaduraw lill-Missier fl-ispirtu u l-verita'.    Għax il-Missier ukoll nies   bħal  dawn ifittex li jadurawh.   Alla huwa spirtu, u dawk li jadurawh  għandhom   jadurawh fl-ispirtu u fil-verita."      Qaltlu l-mara: " Jiena naf  li ġej il-Messija – dak li jgħidulu Kristu.  Meta jiġi hu, kollox iħabbrilna."    Qalilha Ġesu': "Jien hu, li qiegħed nitkellem miegħek." Fil-ħin ġew id-dixxipli tiegħu, u stagħġbu jarjawh jitkellem ma mara;   iżda ħadd minnhom ma staqsieħ:  "Xi trid?"  jew  "Għax  qiegħed  titkellem magħha?"Il-mara ħalliet il-ġarra hemmhekk, reġgħet daħlet  il-belt u qalet lin-nies: "Ejjew araw bniedem li qalli kullma għamilt.   Tgħid, dan il-Messija?" U n-nies ħarġu mill-belt u ġew ħdejh.  Sadattant id-dixxipli bdew jitolbuh u jgħidulu:  "Rabbi kul!"   Iżda hu  qalilhom:   "Jien għandi ikel x'niekol li intom ma tafux bih."   Id-dixxipli  għalhekk  bdew jistaqsu lil xulxin:  "Jaqaw ġid xi ħadd u ġieblu x'jiekol?"    Qalilhom Ġesu':   "L-ikel tiegħu hu li nagħmel ir-rieda ta' min bagħatni u  li nwassal fit-tmiem l-opra tiegħu.   Intom ma tgħidux li baqa' erba' xhur  oħra għall-ħsad?  Imma  araw x'ngħidilkom jien:  erfgħu għajnejkom u  ħarsu ftit kif l-għelieqi bjadu għall-ħsad!   Ġa  l-ħassad qiegħed  jieħu ħlasu  u jiġbor il-frott għall-ħajja ta' dejjem, biex min jiżra' jifraħ hu wkoll bħal  min jaħsad.   F'dan taraw kemm sewwa jingħad li wieħed jiżra' u l-ieħor jaħsad.   Jiena bgħattkom taħsdu dak li ma tħabattux għalih intom;  kienu oħrajn li tħabtu,  u intom dħaltu flokhom biex tgawdu l-frott tat-taħbit tagħhom."  "Kien hemm ħafna Samaritani minn dik il-belt li emmnu f'Ġesu' fuq ix-xhieda  li tasthom dik il-mara meta qaltilhom:   "Qalli kull ma għamilt,"  tant, li meta  s-Samaritani ġew ħdejh, bdew jitolbuh biex jibqa' magħhom, u hu qagħad hemm jumejn.  Imbagħad ħafna oħrajn emmnu minħabba kliemu,u lill-mara qalulha: "Issa mhux għax għedtilna int qegħdin nemmnu, imma għax aħna wkoll  Smajnieh, u sirna nafu li dan tassew hu s-salvatur tad-dinja."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY -

FINDING ETERNITY     

By Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap


To the Samaritan woman, and to all those who in some way find themselves in her situation, Jesus makes a radical proposal in this Sunday's Gospel: Seek another "water," give meaning and a new horizon to your life.

An eternal horizon! "The water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." Eternity is a word that has fallen into disuse. It has become a type of taboo for the modern man. It is believed that this thought can distance us from the concrete historical commitment to change the world, that it is an escape, a "wasting on heaven the treasures destined for the earth," as the German philosopher Hegel said.

But what is the result? Life, human suffering, everything becomes immensely more absurd. The measure has been lost. If the balance of eternity is missing, all suffering, all sacrifice seems absurd, disproportionate, it "unbalances" us,  it crushes us. St. Paul wrote, "This momentary light affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison." Compared to an eternity of glory, the weight of tribulation seems "light" to him (to him, who suffered so much in life!) precisely because it is "momentary." In fact, he adds, "What is seen is transitory, but what is unseen is eternal" (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

The philosopher Miguel de Unamuno (who, moreover, was a "secular" thinker), responded to a friend who reproached him that his search for eternity was prideful or presumptuous with these words, "I don't say that we deserve a beyond, nor that logic demonstrates it. I say simply that we need it, deserving it or not. I say that what happens does not satisfy me, that I thirst for eternity, and without it, I don't care about all of this. Without it the joy of living no longer exists [...] It is too easy to affirm, 'It's necessary to live, it's necessary to resign oneself to this life.' And those who don't resign themselves?"

It is not the one who desires eternity who shows that he doesn't love life, but rather the one who doesn't desire it, given that he resigns himself so easily to the thought that this must end.

It would be of tremendous benefit, not only for the Church, but also for society, to rediscover the sense of eternity. It would help to re-encounter balance, to relativize things, to not fall into despair before the injustices and the suffering that exists in the world, even while fighting against them. To live less frantically.

In the life of each person there has been a moment in which he has had a certain intuition of eternity, even if hazy. One must be attentive to avoid seeking the experience of the infinite in drugs, in unrestrained sex and in other things in which, in the end, only remain disappointment and death. "Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again," Jesus told the Samaritan woman. It is necessary to seek infinity in that which is above, not that which is below; above reason, not below it in irrational intoxications.

  It is clear that it is not enough to know that eternity exists; it's necessary as well to know what to do to get there. To ask oneself, as the rich young man of the Gospel, "Master, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" Leopardi, in the poem, "The Infinite," speaks of a wall that hides the ultimate horizon. What is this wall for us, this obstacle that impedes us from gazing toward the ultimate horizon, toward the eternal? The Samaritan, that day, understood that she should change something in her life if she wanted to obtain the "eternal life," because shortly thereafter, we find her transformed into an evangelizer who tells everyone, without shame, what Jesus had told her.        [Translation of the Italian original  by ZENIT]