First Sunday of Lent
L-Ewwel Hadd
tar-Randan
Messalin A pp131
The LORD God formed man out of
the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of
life, and so man became a living being.
Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden
1 Qari
- GeNesi 2:7-9; 3:1-7
Il-Mulej Alla sawwar
il-bniedem mit-trab ta' l-art u nefaħlu fi mnifsejh nifs il-ħajja, u
l-bniedem
sar ħlejqa ħajja. U l-Mulej Alla ħawwel ġnien
fl-Għeden, in-naħa
tal-lvant, u qiegħed hemm il-bniedem li kien sawwar. U l-Mulej Alla nibbet mill-art
is-siġar
kollha li jpaxxu l-għajn u bnina għall-ikel; u s-siġra tal-ħajja f'nofs
il-ġnien u
s-siġra ta' tagħrif it-tajjeb u l-ħażin. U s-serp kien l-aktar wieħed li jilħaqlu
fost
l-annimali selvaġġi kollha, li kien għamel il-Mulej Alla. U qal lill-mara:
̋Tassew
li Alla qalilkom: 'La tiklux mis-siġar kollha
tal-ġnien'?̏ U
l-mara wieġbet lis-serp:
̋Mill-frott tas-siġar fil-ġnien nistgħu nieklu.
Imma mill-frott li hemm f'nofs il-ġnien,
Alla qalilna: 'La tiklux minnu, u lanqas ma għandkom tmissuh, inkella
tmutu.' U
s-serp qal lill-mara: ̋Le, żgur ma tmutux. Imma Alla jaf li dak in-nhar li tieklu minnu
jinfetħu għajnejkom u ssiru bħal allat, li jafu t-tajjeb u l-ħażin.” U l-mara rat li s-siġra
kienet tajba
għall-ikel u tiġbdek fil-għajn, u s-siġra tħajjrek biex tikseb id-dehen; u
ħadet mill-frott u kielet. Mbagħad tat ukoll lil żewgħa, li kien magħha, u kiel
għajnejhom it-tnejn u ntebħu li
kienu għerja, u ħietu weraq tat-tin, u għamlu iħżma.
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 51:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 17
R/ (cf.
3a) Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Have mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me. R/
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.” R/
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me. R/
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise. R/
R/
Henn ghalina Mulej ghaliex dnibna
Ikollok ħniena minni, o Alla,
fi tjubitek; fil-kobor tal-ħniena tiegħek ħassar
ħtijieti.
Aħsilni
kollni mill-ħtija tiegħi;
naddafni mid-dnub tiegħi. R/
Għax jien nagħrafhom ħtijieti;
id-dnub tiegħi dejjem quddiemi.
Kontrik
biss jiena dnibt,
u dak li hu ħażin f'għajnejk għamilt. R/
Oħloq fija qalb safja, o Alla,
u spirtu qawwi ġedded fija.
La
twarrabnix minn
tneħħix minni l-ispirtu qaddis tiegħek. R/
Roddli l-hena tas-salvazzjoni
tieghek
U bi spirtu qwalbieni wettaqni
Iftaħli
xufftejja, Sidi,
u fommi jxandar it-tifħir tiegħek. R/
Reading 2 ROMANS 5:12-19
Brothers and sisters:, Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as
all sinned— for up to the time of the
law, sin was in the world, though
sin is not accounted when there is no law.
But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of
Adam, who is the type of the one
who was to come. But the gift is not
like the transgression. For if by the
transgression of the one, the many died,
how much more did the grace of God
and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus Christ overflow for the many. And the gift is not like the result of the
one who sinned. For after one sin there
was the judgment that brought condemnation; but the gift, after many transgressions,
brought acquittal. For if, by the
transgression of the one, death came to
reign through that one, how much
more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one Jesus
Christ. In conclusion, just as through
one transgression condemnation
came upon all, so, through one
righteous act, acquittal and life came
to all. For just as through the
disobedience of the one man the many
were made sinners, so, through the
obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous.
2 Qari -
RuMANi 5:12-19
Għalhekk, bħalma kien permezz ta' bniedem wieħed li
id-dinja daħal id-dnub, u permezz tad-dnub il-mewt, u hekk il-mewt laħqet il-bnedmin kollha, għax kollha dinbu... Kienet għadha ma waslitx il-Liġi, id-dnub
kien ġa fid-dinja: imma d-dnub ma kienx magħdud, ladarba Liġi ma kienx hemm. Madankollu l-mewt saltnet ukoll minn
Gospel -
matthew 4: 1-11
At that
time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry. The tempter approached and said to
him, “If you are the Son of God,
command that these stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Then the devil took him to the holy
city, and made him stand on the
parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw
yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels concerning you and
with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus answered him, “Again it is
written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” Then the devil took him up to a very high mountain,
and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in their
magnificence, and he said to hi m, "All these I shall give to
you, if you will prostrate
yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus
said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is written: The Lord, your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” Then the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him.
Vangelju -
mattew 4: 1-11
Mbagħad l-Ispirtu ħa lil Ġesù fid-
deżert biex ix-Xitan iġarrbu. U
Ġesù baqa' sajjem għal erbgħin jum u erbgħin lejl, u fl-aħħar ħadu l-ġuħ. U resaq it-tentatur u qallu: "Jekk
inti Bin Alla, ordna li dan il-ġebel isir ħobż." Iżda Ġesù wieġbu: "Hemm miktub, Mbagħad
ix-Xitan ħadu miegħu fil-Belt imqaddsa, qiegħdu fuq il-quċċata tat-tempju, u
qallu: "Jekk inti Bin Alla, inxteħet għal isfel; għax hemm miktub li, Qallu Ġesù: "Hemm miktub ukoll, Għal darb'oħra x-xitan ħadu miegħu fuq
muntanja għolja ħafna, urieh is-saltniet kollha tad-dinja u l-glorja tagħhom, u qallu: "Dawn kollha nagħtihom
lilek jekk tinxteħet tadurani." Mbagħad
qallu Ġesù: "Itlaq, Xitan! Għax hemm miktub, Mbagħad ix-Xitan ħallieh. U minnufih ġew
xi anġli u kienu jaqduh.
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COMMENTARY: by Larry Broding, www.word-sunday.com
What little delights in life tempt you? Are they hard to resist? Why?
Diet or indulgence. Exercise or relaxation.
Fiscal management or a little extravagance. Luxury tempts us to give in and
enjoy life. Every small temptation, however, exposes the means (the
"how") of a larger temptation. Jesus's encounter with Satan details
means and substance of temptation. Like Luke, Matthew presented the temptation
of Jesus in three areas: food, mighty deeds, and power. Each represent a style
of Messiahship that Jesus rejected. In his denial of each, Jesus defined what
sort of Messiah he would be.
Before we look at the Temptation itself, we
must answer the question: why are we tempted? To test our true character.
Sometimes we need testing even after a life changing experience of God. After
such a blinding revelation, we might seek a retreat to place that insight into
the context of life. The retreat would provide us a time of testing, a time to
find our personal resolve. After Spirit came upon Jesus in his baptism, the
Spirit led (literally "drove") Jesus into a desert retreat so he
could, indeed, measure his own resolve. [4:1-2]
There, Satan tested Jesus not only with food,
mighty deeds, and power. Satan tempted the Lord with three popular views of the
Messiah: care-giver, wonder-worker, and source of power. In the first scenario,
Satan challenged Jesus with his baptismal title (And a voice came from the
heavens, saying, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well
pleased." Matthew 3:17). If Jesus was truly God's Son, Satan declared,
then he could provide food for himself and all the people. He could become the
Savior of material needs, like the State under communism. But, Jesus responded
with Scripture (Deuteronomy 8:3). Salvation can not be found in materials goods
(food, clothing, shelter); it can only be found in a faith relationship with
God. [4:3-4] The Messiah would not provide a social "safety net."
"Alright," the devil seemed to say,
"prove your Father is worthy of trust. Throw yourself down from the
highest point of the Temple
Satan was half-right. Jesus would prove his
trust of the Father in public. But, Satan wanted a great sign of wonder that
would lead people only to Jesus. Amazed, the people would praise the
Wonder-Worker. Then, Jesus' pride would swell and the Father would be trapped
doing the Son's bidding. In the end, Satan would have conquered the power of
the Father through his Son. And, he would have used pride to drive a wedge
between them. The ministry of the Son would end even before it began.
Of course, Jesus saw through the ruse. God
cannot be tempted, otherwise he would not be GOD! Using Scripture (Deuteronomy
6:16), Jesus stated this obvious fact. [4:7]
Finally,
Satan tempted Jesus on the top of a mountain, a symbol of close contact with
God. The devil had the audacity to tempt Jesus in the presence of his Father
not by pointing up (to God) but by pointing down (to the world). Even within
the so close a proximity to God, Satan tried to usurp His place. "Worship
me," the devil seemed to say, "and be the source of all worldly
power. Be my son, not His." [4:8-9]
Again, Jesus rejected
Satan's advance through Scripture (Deuteronomy 6:13). [4:10] In the end, Satan
could not use physical cravings, pride, or lust for power to turn Jesus from
his Father and his mission.
What are the great personal temptations people
face? What lies or illusions convince people to give into temptation?
In the same way he tempted Jesus, Satan tempts
us with hunger, pride, and a lust for power to turn away from God. He appeals
to the ego, paints false mental images of a glorified self, and twists logic to
gain his way. Evil uses evil means to gain an evil end. God challenges us to
see evil as it truly is, not as the illusion it pretends to be.
Some temptations are harmless, others are
truly perverse. If we know the true nature of our character, the means with
which we are tempted, and the assistance God offers us, we can, with God's
help, battle personal temptation.
What are my personal temptations? How has God
helped me in the past to battle these temptations? How can he help me in the
future?
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