Why Are You Staring at the Sky?

readings for June 1, 2014

The Ascension of the Lord

Tlugħ il-Mulej fis-Sema

Messalin A pp 217 

Reading 1   -   acts of the apostles 1:1-11

In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with the them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water,  but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.”  When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni   -   Atti ta' l-Appostli  1, 1-11

Fl-ewwel rakkont tiegħi, Teofilu, tkellimt fuq dak kollu li Ġesu' kien għamel u għallem minn mindu beda sal-jum li fih kien meħud fis-sema, wara li, permezz ta' l-Ispirtu s-Santu, ta l-ordnijiet tiegħu lill-appostli li hu kien għażel. Wara l-passjoni tiegħu dehrilhom u tahom ħafna provi li hu ħaj; f'erbgħin jum rawh kemm-il darba u kellimhom fuq il-ħwejjeġ tas-Saltana ta' Alla.  Meta kien għadu magħħom, ordnalhom biex ma jitilqux minn Ġerusalemm,  imma joqogħdu jistennew sa ma sseħħ il-wegħda tal-Missier, "li fuqha  -  qalilhom – smajtu x'kont għedtilkom: Ġwanni għammed bl-ilma, imma intom, fi ftit ijiem oħra  titgħammdu bl-Ispirtu s-Santu." Kif kienu flimkien staqsewh:  "Mulej, hu dan iż-żmien li fih int se terġa' twaqqaf is-Saltna ta' Iżrael?" Hu weġibhom:  "M'hijiex biċċa tagħkom li tkunu tafu l-waqt u ż-żmien li l-Missier għażel bis-setgħa tiegħu. Imma meta jiġi fuqkom l-Ispirtu s-Santu, intom tirċievu l-qawwa, u tkunu xhieda tiegħi f'Ġerusalemm,  fil-Lhudija kollha u s-Samarija u sa truf l-art." Wara li qal dan, huma u jħarsu lejh, kien meħud 'il fuq, u sħaba ħadithulhom minn quddiem għajnejhom.  Waqt li kienu b'għajnejhom fis-sema jħarsu lejh sejjer, f'daqqa waħda dehru ħdejhom żewġt irġiel libsin l-abjad, u qalulhom:  "Irġiel tal-Galilija, x'intom tħarsu lejn is-sema? Dan Ġesu', li kien meħud minn magħkom lejn is-sema, għad  jerġa' jiġi kif rajtuh sejjer." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm  -  psalm 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9

R/ Alleluia.

All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.                         R/

God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.                        R/

For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.                                  R/

Salm Responsorajli                       -   Salm 46(47)

               

R/ Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Popli kollha, ċapċpu idejkom,

għajtu b'leħen ta' ferħ lil Alla!

Għax il-Mulej, l-Għoli, hu tal-biża',

sultan kbir fuq l-art kollha.                                          R/

Tela' Alla b'għajat ta' ferħ,

il-Mulej bid-daqq tat-trombi.

Għannu lil Alla għannu,

għannu lis-sultan tagħna, għannu.                          R/

Għax Alla s-sultan ta' l-art kollha:

għannulu bis-sengħa għanja sabiħa.

Isaltan Alla fuq il-ġnus kollha,

joqgħod Alla fuq it-tron imqaddes tiegħu.          R/

reading 2                -           ephesians 1:17-23

Brothers and sisters:  May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,  give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.  May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,  that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named  not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni   -   mill-Ittra ta' San Pawl lil Efesin 1, 17-23

Ħuti, Alla ta' Sidna Ġesu' Kristu, il-Missier tal-glorja, jagħtikom spirtu ta' għerf u rivelazzjoni biex tagħrfuh sewwa. Hu jdawlilkom l-għajnejn ta' qalbkom biex tagħrfu x'inhi t-tama tas-sejħa tagħkom;  x'inhu l-għana tal-glorja tal-wirt li takom taqsmu mal-qaddisin.  Tagħrfu x'inhu l-kobor bla qjies tas-setgħa tiegħu fina li emminna, skond il-ħila tal-qawwa kbira tiegħu li ħaddem fi Kristu, meta qajmu mill-imwiet, u qiegħdu fil-lemin tiegħu fis-smewwiet,  'il fuq minnkull Saltana u Setgħa, minn kull Qawwa u Ħakma,  'il fuq minn kull isem li jissemma, mhux biss għaż-żmien ta' issa, imma wkoll għal li ġej. Iva, qiegħed kollox taħt riġlejh u għamlu ras fuq il-Knisja kollha,  li hi Ġismu, il-milja ta' dak li jimla kollox f'kollox.   Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel             -        matthew28:16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” This is the Word of The Lord.

L-EVANGELJU  -  skond San Mattew 28, 16-20

F'dak iż-żmien, il-ħdax id-dixxiplu telqu lejn il-Galilija u marru fuq il-muntanja fejn kien ordnalhom Ġesu'. Kif rawh, inxteħtu quddiemu, għalkemm xi wħud iddubitaw, Ġesu' resaq ikollimhom u qalilhom:  "Lili ngħatat kull  setgħa fis-sema u fl-art.   Morru, mela, agħmlu dixxipli  mill-ġnus kollha, u għammduhom fl-isem tal-Missier u ta' l-Iben u ta' l-Ispirtu s-Santu, u għallmuhom iħarsu dak kollu li ordnajtilkom jien.  U ara, jiena magħkom dejjem sa l-aħħar taż-żmien.                 Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY:

Why Are You Staring at the Sky?

By Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

In the first reading an angel says to the disciples: "Men of Galilee, why are you staring at the sky? This Jesus, who was taken up from among you and assumed into heaven, shall one day return in the same way in which you saw him go to heaven."

This is an occasion to clarify once and for all what we mean by "heaven." Among almost all people, heaven indicates the habitation of the divinity. Even the Bible uses this spatial language: "Glory to God in the highest heaven and peace to men on earth."

With the advent of the scientific era, all these religious meanings attributed to the word "heaven" are now in crisis. The heavens are the space in which our planet and the whole solar system moves, and nothing else. We all have heard of the remark attributed to the Soviet astronaut after returning from his trip through the cosmos: "I traveled through outer space a long time and didn't see God anywhere!"

It is important therefore to try to clarify what we Christians mean when we say "Our Father who art in heaven," or when we say that someone "went to heaven." In these cases the Bible adapts itself to the common way of speaking (we do it today too, even in the scientific era, when we say that the sun "rises" and "sets"). But the Bible knows well and teaches that God is "in heaven, on earth and everywhere," that he is the one who "created the heavens" and, if he created them, cannot be "contained" by them. That God is "in the heavens" means that he "dwells in inaccessible light," that he is as far beyond us "as the heavens are above the earth."

We Christians also agree that in talking about heaven as God's dwelling place we understand it more as a state of being than a place. When we speak about God it would be nonsense to say that he is literally "above" or "below," "up" or "down." We are not therefore saying that heaven doesn't exist but only that we lack the categories with which to adequately represent it. Suppose we ask a person who is blind from birth to describe the different colors to us: red, green, blue. ... He could not tell us anything since we only perceive colors through our eyes. This is what it is like for us in regard to "heaven" and to eternal life, which is outside space and time.

In light of what we have said, what does it mean to proclaim that Jesus "ascended into heaven"? We find the answer in the Creed. "He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father."

That Christ has ascended into heaven means that he "is seated at the right hand of the Father," that is, as man too, he has entered into God's world; that he has been constituted the Lord and head of all things, as St. Paul says in the second reading.

In regard to us, "going to heaven" or going to "paradise" means going and being "with Christ" (Philippians 1:23). Our heaven is the risen Christ together with whom we shall form a "body" after our resurrection but also, in a provisional and imperfect way, immediately after our death. It is sometimes objected that no one has returned from heaven to assure us that it truly exists and is not just a pious illusion. It's not true! There is one who -- if we know how to recognize him -- returns from heaven every day in the Eucharist to assure us and to renew his promises.

The words of the angel -- "Men of Galilee, why are you staring at the sky?" -- also contain an implicit reproof: We should not just "stare into the sky" and speculate about the beyond, but rather we should live in expectation of his return, follow his mission, bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth, improve life in this world.

He has gone to heaven but without leaving earth. He has only disappeared from our field of vision. Indeed in the Gospel he himself assures us: "Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world."

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

The Command to Love

readings for  sunday May 25, 2014

 

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Is-Sitt  Ħadd tal-Għid

Messalin A pp 211

 

Reading 1                         ACTS of the apostles 8:5-8, 14-17

Philip went down to the city of Samaria  and proclaimed the Christ to them. With one accord, the crowds paid attention to what was said by Philip when they heard it and saw the signs he was doing. For unclean spirits, crying out in a loud voice, came out of many possessed people, and many paralyzed or crippled people were cured. There was great joy in that city.  Now when the apostles in Jerusalem  heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God,  they sent them Peter and John,  who went down and prayed for them,  that they might receive the Holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.  Then they laid hands on them and they received the Holy Spirit.  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni     -   Qari mill-Atti ta' l-Appostli   8, 5-8. 14-17

                                            

F'dak iż-żmien, Filippu niżel f'belt tas-Samarija u xandar lil Krisitu lin-nies tagħha.   Il-folol tan-nies

b'fehma waħda kienu joqogħdu attenti għal dak li kien jgħidilhom Filippu, meta kienu jisimgħuh u jaraw il-mirakli li kien jagħmel.  Kien hemm nies maħkuma mill-ispirti ħżiena, u dawn b'għajat kbir kienu joħorġu minn ħafna minnhom;  u ħafna nies oħrajn, mifluġa jew zopop, kienu jitfejqu.   U kien hemm ferħ kbir f'dik il-belt. L-appostli, li kienu Ġerusalemm, semgħu li s-Samarija laqgħed il-Kelma ta' Alla, u bagħtu  hemm lil Pietru u lil Ġwanni.  Dawn niżlu hemm u talbu biex dawk li emmnu jirċievu l-Ispirtu s-Santu; għax l-Ispirtu s-Santu kien għadu ma niżel fuq ħadd minnhom, imma kienu tgħammdu biss f'isem il-Mulej  Ġesu'.Imbagħad l-appostli qiegħdu idejhom fuqhom, u huma rċevew l-Ispirtu s-Santu.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Responsorial Psalm        PSalm 66:1-3, 4-5, 6-7, 16, 20

R/ Alleluia.

Shout joyfully to God, all the earth,
sing praise to the glory of his name;
proclaim his glorious praise.
Say to God, “How tremendous are your deeds!”                                R/

“Let all on earth worship and sing praise to you,
sing praise to your name!”
Come and see the works of God,
his tremendous deeds among the children of Adam.   R/

He has changed the sea into dry land;
through the river they passed on foot;
therefore let us rejoice in him.
He rules by his might forever.                                                   R/

Hear now, all you who fear God, while I declare
what he has done for me.
Blessed be God who refused me not
my prayer or his kindness!                                                          R/

Salm Responsorjali    -    Salm 65 (66)

                R/    Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah

Għajtu bil-ferħ lil Alla,

bnedmin tad-dinja kollha;

għannu s-sebħ ta' ismu,

xandru s-sebħ u t-tifħir tiegħu.

Għidu lil Alla:  "Kemm int tal-biża' f'għemilek!                 R/

L-art kollha tagħtik qima,

tgħannilek u tgħanni lil ismek."

Ejjew, araw l-għemejjel ta' Alla;

tal-biża' f'għemilu fost il-bnedemin.                                     R/

Biddel il-baħar f'art niexfa,

għaddew bil-mixi minn nofs ix-xmara.

Għalhekk, nifirħu bih!

Hu jsaltan bil-kobor tiegħu għal dejjem.                             R/

Ejjew, isimgħu, u ngħidilkom,

intom ilkoll li tibżgħu minn Alla,

ngħidilkom x'għamel miegħi.

Imbierek Alla, li ma warrabx it-talba tiegħi;

ma warrabx minn fuqi t-tjieba tiegħu!                                  R/

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Reading 2                                          1 PeTer 3:15-18

Beloved:  Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts.  Always be ready to give an explanation to anyone who asks you for a reason for your hope,  but do it with gentleness and  reverence,  keeping your conscience clear,  so that, when you are maligned,  those who defame your good conduct in Christ  may themselves be put to shame.  For it is better to suffer for doing good,  if that be the will of God, than for doing evil.  For Christ also suffered for sins once,  the righteous for the sake of the unrighteous,  that he might lead you to God.  Put to death in the flesh,  he was brought to life in the Spirit. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni  -   mill-Ewwel Ittra ta' San Pietru  3, 15-18

Għeżież, lill-Mulej Kristu, qaddsu f'qalbkom. Kunu  dejjem  leslti biex tagħtu tweġiba lil kull min jitlobkom il-għala tat-tama li għandkom. Imma wieġbu bil-ħlewwa u bir-rispett.   Żommu safja  l-kuxjeza tagħkom biex, meta jgħidu fuqkom, dawk stess li jkasbru l-imġiba tajba tagħkom fi Kristu  jkollhom għalxiex  jistħu.  Jekk din tkun ir-rieda ta' Alla, aħjar tbati għax tkun għamilt it-tajjeb milli għax tkun għamilt il-ħażin. Għax Kristu wkollmiet darba għal dejjem minħabba d-dnubiet;  hu li kien ġust, miet għall-inġusti biex iressaqkom lejn Alla; kien mogħti l-mewt fil-ġisem,  imma ħa l-ħajja fl-ispirtu.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Gospel                                JohN 14:15-21

Jesus said to his disciples:  “If you love me, you will keep my commandments.  And I will ask the Father,   and he will give you another Advocate to be with you always,  the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept,  because it neither sees nor knows him.  But you know him, because he remains with you, and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you. In a little while the world will no longer see me, but you will see me, because I live and you will live.  On that day you will realize that I am in my Father  and you are in me and I in you.  Whoever has my commandments and observes them  is the one who loves me.  And whoever loves me will be loved by my Father,  and I will love him and reveal myself to him.”  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġlju  -  skond San Ġwann 14, 15-21

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu:  "Jekk  tħobbuni, ħarsu l-kmandamenti tiegħi.  U jien nitlob lill-Missier, u hu jagħtikom Difensur ieħor biex  jibqa' magħkom għal dejjem, l-Ispirtu tal-verita',  li d-dinja ma tistax tirċevih, għax hija la tarah u  lanqas tagħrfu.  Iżda intom tagħrfuh, għaliex jgħammar magħkom, u huwa fikom. Ma nħalikom iltiema.  Nerġa' niġi għandkom.  Ftit iehor u d-dinja ma taranix aktar.  Iżda  intom għad tarawni, għax  jiena ngħix, u intom ukoll għad tgħixu.  F'dak il-jum intom tagħrfu li jiena f'Missieri, u intom fija u jiena fikom. Min iżomm il-kmandmanti tiegħu u jħarishom, dak hu li jħobbni u min iħobb lili, iħobbu wkoll il-Missier, u jiena wkoll inħobbu u nurih lil nnifsi. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

      COMMENTARY - 

by Larry Broding / www.word-sunday.com, a lectionary resource for Catholics

The Command to Love

 

How do we know we are loved? On a bus, a believer and a non-believer discussed the Christian life. "Jesus lives," the believer said. "Only in your mind!" the non-believer retorted with a cynical sneer. "And in my heart," the believer replied.   Knowledge of faith requires more than the rational arguments used in apologetics. Only when we begin to love God and reflect that love in daily living can we gain true insight. And influence others.

This portion of Jesus' farewell discourse falls on the heels of last week's study. As you remember, Jesus stated he lived in an intimate love with the Father. Now, Jesus would empower his followers to love same way he did. And, he promised to be with them.  Jesus began with an "if . . . , then . . . " statement that equated relationship with action. "If you love me, keep my commands." [14:15] Among the contemporaries of Jesus, the power of a rabbi's teaching depended upon the quality of the rabbi's example. Conversely, the rabbi expected his disciples not only to learn from his teaching, but to follow his example. In this way, the action vindicated the truth of the teaching.

In John, both the words and commands of Jesus pointed toward love. Love between the Father and the Son. Love between the Son and his followers. Now, Jesus told his disciples to follow his example. Love each other. The love relationship between the Father and the Son, between the Son and his followers, became the paradigm for life in the Christian community.

But the simple command to love did not satisfy, since example alone could not suffice. Jesus provided the power to love in the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. In Greek, "Paraclete" literally means "one called along side." The phrase could mean a broader sense of "Helper" (one called along side to help) or a narrower sense of "defense attorney" (one called along side to assist in a legal dispute). The context justified the broader meaning of "Helper." The Spirit witnessed to Jesus and taught the disciple; in this sense, the Spirit accused the world of sin through the life of the Christian. In no way could the Spirit be seen as a legal spokesperson in behalf of the accused Christian. While Christians were persecuted, they didn't need a defense for a life of love.

Jesus promised the Spirit would "stay with you into the (next) age (i.e., forever)." [14:16] The Spirit's presence was continuous (right now) and eternal (forever). The Spirit assisted the believer from the moment of faith choice into the afterlife. The Spirit helped the believer to put faith into action (that is, to love others).

But, the Spirit did more than help. It was the Spirit of Truth. [14:7a] Like John 4:23b-24, the Spirit referred to God's inner dynamic power. Truth equaled the word "only" or acted as the means that revealed the "only" truth (remember our discussion last week about "truth"). So, the Spirit was Truth (that is, God) or the messenger who reveals the truth about God. Actually, the Spirit was both. Remember, "wherever God acts, God is." Like Jesus, the Spirit was God's messenger and God himself. The Spirit empowered the believer as the divine presence, another God-helper.

Could those whose ambitions and anxieties tied them to the world see the Spirit? In other words, could these "worldly" people see love for what it truly was? Could they know true love? The followers of Jesus could see love because the Spirit would orient them to Christ and others (" . . . be near you . . . "). And, they would know love because the Spirit, Christ's very risen life, would live in the follower (" . . . will live in you . . . "). [14:17b] Could the world promise as much? Or did the world simply pay lip service to love as it invested itself in sheer narcissism?

Why are acts of love the most powerful tools we have to bring others to Christ?  When we, as Christians, show love, we reveal the life of God among people. Why? Simply because we affirm the presence of the Risen Lord with us. And we show others life of the Spirit within us. Love, then, is "the shoe leather of faith." Love is faith in action.

To those who, like the cynic on the bus, claim Christianity is nothing more than a movement built on a fantasy, we say; "Christians! See how they love one another."

How will you show love this week to others? 

And where do we go from here?

Readings for May 18, 2014

 Fifth Sunday of Easter

Il-Ħames Ħadd tal-Għid

Messalin A pp 205

Reading 1                           Acts of the Apostles 6:1-7

As the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task,  whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them. The word of God continued to spread,  and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly; even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  - Qari mill-Ktieb ta' l-Atti ta' l-Appostli 6, 1-7

F'dawk il-jiem l-għadd tad-dixxipli kien qiegħed jiżdied,għalhekk sar xi tgergir mil-Lhud Griegi kontra l-Lhud, għax dehrilhom li ma kienx hemm min jieħu ħsieb ir-romol tagħhom fil-ministeru ta' kuljum. Għalhekk it-Tnax sejħu l-ġemgħa tad-dixxipli u qalulhom: "Mhux sewwa li aħna nħallu l-Kelma ta' Alla biex naqdu l-imwejjed. Mela, l-aħwa, ħudu ħsieb u agħżlu minn fostkom sebat irġiel li għandhom isem tajjeb u li huma mimlijin bl-Ispirtu u bl-għerf, u nħallu din il-ħidma f'idejkom.  U aħna nagħtu ruħna għat-talb u għall-ministeru tal-Kelma. Dan il-kliem għoġob lill-ġemgħa kollha; u għażlu lil Stierfnu, bniedem mimli bil-fidi u bl-Ispirtu s-Santu, lil Filippu, lil Prokoru, lil Nikanor, lil Timon, lil Parmena,u  lil Nikola, proselita' minn Antijokja. Lil dawn ressquhom quddiem l-appostli, li talbu u qiegħdu idejhom fuqhom. U l-kelma ta' Alla kienet tixtered dejjem aktar, l-għadd tad-dixxipli kien jiżdied ħafna f'Ġerusalemm, u kotra kbira ta' qassisin kunu joqogħdu għall-fidi. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Responsorial Psalm                       PSALM 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19
R/ Alleluia.

Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises.      R/                                                           

Upright is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.``   R/

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.                  R/

Salm Responsorjali                       -       Salm 32(33)

                R/  Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Għannu, ġusti, bil-ferħ lill-Mulej;

jixirqilhom ifaħħruh in-nies sewwa.

Faħħru l-Mulej bid-daqq taċ-ċetra;

Għannulu fuq l-arpa b'għaxar kordi.                       R/

Għax sewwa hi l-kelma tal-Mulej,

kollox bil-fedelta' huwa għamel.

Hu jħobb id-dritt u s-sewwa;

bit-tjieba tal-Mulej mimlija l-art.                            R/

Ara, għajnejn il-Mulej fuq dawk li jibżgħu minnu,

fuq dawk li jittamaw fit-tjieba tiegħu,

biex jeħilsilhom mill-mewt ħajjithom,

u jaħjihom fi żmien il-ġuġ.                                          R/

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Reading 2           1 Peter 2:4-9

Beloved: Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it says in Scripture:  Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a cornerstone, chosen and precious, and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame.  Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and A stone that will make people stumble, and a rock that will make them fall. They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny. You are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni   -   Qari mill-Ewwel Ittra ta' San Pietru  2, 4-9

Għeżież, ersqu lejn il-Mulej, li hu dik il-ġebla ħajja li kienet imwarrba mill-bennejja, imma magħżula minn Alla bħala ġebla għażiża.U intom ukoll, bħal ġebel ħaj, inbnew f'dar spiritiwali,saċerdozju qaddis, biex toffru sagrifiċċju spiritwali li jogħġbu lil Alla permezz ta' Ġesu' Kristu.  Għax hekk hemm miktub fl-Iskrittura:  "Jien inqiegħed f'Sijon ġebla tax-xewka, magħżula u għażiża; min jemmen fiha ma jkollux għax jitħawwad."  Għalikom, mela, li temmnu, dan huwa ġieħ! Għal dawk li ma jemmnux, din l-istess ġebla li warrbu l-bennejja saret il-ġebla tax-xewka, ġebla ta' tiġrif u tfixkil. Tfixklu għax ma qagħudx għall-kelma ta' Alla.  Għal dan  dan kienu ddestinati.   Imma  intom ġens maħtur, saċerdozju rjali, nazzjoni qaddis, poplu li Alla kiseb għalih, biex ixxandru t-tifhir ta' dak li sejħilkom mid-dlam għad-dawl tiegħu ta' l-għaġeb. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej  

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Gospel                                 -              John 14:1-12

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.”  Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.”  Philip said to him, “Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.”  Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time  and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works.  Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves.   Amen, amen, I say to you,  whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Evanġelju   -  skond San Ġwann 14, 1-12

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: "Tħallux qalbkom titħawwad!  Emmnu f'Alla, u emmnu fija wkoll. Fid-dar ta' Missieri hemm ħafna postijiet. Li ma kienx hekk, kont ngħidilkom:"Sejjer inħejjilkom fejn toqogħdu?"  U meta mmur  nħejjilkom post, nerġa' niġi biex neħodkom miegħi biex, fejn inkun jien, tkunu intom ukoll.   U t-triq għall-post fejn sejjer tafuha."  Tumas qallu:  "Mulej, aħna ma nafux fejn inti sejjer.Kif nistgħu nafu t-triq?"   Wieġbu Ġesu':  "Jiena hu t-triq, il-verita' u l-ħajja.  Ħadd ma jmur għand il-Missier jekk  mhux permezz tiegħi.  Kieku għaraftu lili, kontu tagħrfu  wkoll lil Missieri:  minn issa 'l quddiem tagħrfuh, anzi diġa rajtuh."  Qallu Filippu: "Mulej, urina l-Missier, u jkun biżżejjed għalina."   Ġesu' wieġeb:  "Ili daqshekk magħkom, Filippu, u għadek ma għaraftnix?  Min ra lili ra lill-Missier.  Kif tgħidli: "Urina l-Missier?"   Ma temmnux li jien fil-Missier u l-Missier fija? Il-kliem li ngħidilkom jien, ma ngħidux minn  moħħi iżda l-Missier li jgħammar fija qiegħed jagħme l-opri tiegħu. Emmnuni!  Jiena fil-Missier u l-Missier huwa fija.  Jekk mhux għal ħaġ'oħra, emmnuni minħabba dawn l-opri stess.  Tassew tassew ngħidilkom, min jemmen fija hu wkoll għad  jagħmel lopri li qiegħed nagħmel jien, u akbar minnhom għad jagħmel, għax jiena sejjer għand il-Missier."  Il-Kela tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY:

MAN MORE THAN DUST?

                                
We can evaluate the words that begin this Sunday’s Gospel against this background: Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.”

These words are the Christian response to the most disturbing of human questions. Death is not -- as it was at the beginning of the Bible and among the pagans -- a descent into Sheol or Hades where one becomes a worm or shadow; it is not -- as it is for certain atheist biologists -- a restitution of one’s organic material to nature for the subsequent use of other living things; nor is death -- as it is for certain contemporary forms of religiosity inspired by Eastern doctrines (often poorly understood) -- a dissolution of the person into the great ocean of universal consciousness, in the All or, according to some, the Nothing.

It is rather a going to be with Christ in the bosom of the Father, to be where he is.

The veil of mystery is not removed because it cannot be removed. Just as color cannot be described to a person born blind or sound to a person born deaf, so also one cannot explain what a life outside of time and space is like to those who are still in time and space. It is not God who wanted to keep us in darkness. He has however told us about the essentials: Eternal life will be a full communion, soul and body, with the risen Christ, a sharing of his glory and joy.

Benedict XVI, in his encyclical on hope, “Spe Salvi,” reflects on the nature of eternal life from an existential point of view. He begins by acknowledging that there are people who do not in fact desire eternal life, indeed they are afraid of it. To what end, they ask, should a life that has shown itself to be full of problems and sufferings be prolonged?

The reason for this fear, the Pope explains, is that these people are only able to imagine life as it is here below; while it is instead a matter of a life that is free of all the limitations that we experience in the present. “Eternal life,” the encyclical says, “would be like plunging into the ocean of infinite love, a moment in which time -- the before and after -- no longer exists” (No. 12).

Eternity, it adds, “is not an unending succession of days in the calendar, but something more like the supreme moment of satisfaction, in which totality embraces us and we embrace totality” (No. 12).

With these words perhaps the Pope is tacitly alluding to the work of his famous fellow countryman. The ideal of Goethe’s “Faust” is in fact to achieve such a fullness of life and satisfaction that it brings him to exclaim: “Stay, you fleeting moment! You are too beautiful!”

I believe that this is the least inadequate idea that we can form of eternal life: a moment that we wish will never end and that -- unlike all the moments of happiness in this life -- will never end!

There come to my mind the words of one of the best loved songs among English-speaking Christians, “Amazing Grace”: “When we've been there 10,000 years, / Bright shining as the sun, / We've no less days to sing God's praise / Than when we've first begun.”

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

"The Lord Is Risen and Was Seen Alive"

Fourth Sunday of Easter

Ir-Raba  Ħadd tal-Għid

Messalin A    pg 199

Lectionary: 49

Reading 1    ACTS of the apostles  2:14A, 36-41

Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed: “Let the whole house of Israel know for certain that God has made both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.” Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and they asked Peter and the other apostles, “What are we to do, my brothers?” Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is made to you and to your children and to all those far off, whomever the Lord our God will call.”  He testified with many other arguments, and was exhorting them, “Save yourselves from this corrupt generation.” Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand persons were added that day.

1 Qari   -   AtTi tal-appostli  2:14A, 36-41

Imma Pietru, flimkien mal-Ħdax, qam u qal lil-Lhud b'leħen għoli: "Nies tal-Lhudija, u intom ilkoll li toqogħdu f'Ġerusalemm, kunu afu dan u isimgħu sewwa x'se ngħidilkom jien. Mela ħa jkun jaf fiż-żgur il-poplu kollu ta' Iżrael li lil dan Ġesù, li intom sallabtuh, Alla għamlu Mulej u Messija." Dan il-kliem li semgħu laqtilhom qalbhom, u qalu lil Pietru u lill-appostli l-oħra: "L-aħwa, x'għandna nagħmlu aħna?" U Pietru weġibhom: "Indmu, u jitgħammed kull wieħed minnkom fl-isem ta' Ġesù Kristu għall-maħfra ta' dnubietkom; u intom tirċievu d-don ta' l-Ispirtu s-Santu.  Għax il-wegħda qiegħda għalikom u għal uliedkom u għal dawk kollha li huma fil-bogħod, dawk kollha li l-Mulej Alla tagħna sejjħilhom."  U b'ħafna kliem ieħor tahom xhieda u wissiehom billi qalilhom: "Salvaw lilkom infuskom minn dan in-nisel ħażin." Għalhekk dawk li laqgħu kliemu tgħammdu u dak in-nhar ingħaqdu mad-dixxipli madwar tlitt elef ruħ.

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Responsorial Psalm     PSalm  23:1-2A, 3B-4, 5, 6

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose;
beside restful waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
R/  Alleluia.

He guides me in right paths
for his name’s sake.
Even though I walk in the dark valley
I fear no evil; for you are at my side.
With your rod and your staff
that give me courage.
R/  Alleluia.

You spread the table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows. 
R/  Alleluia.

Only goodness and kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come.
R/  Alleluia.

Salm  Responsorjali         Salm  23:1-2A, 3B-4, 5, 6

Il-Mulej hu r-ragħaj tiegħi,

xejn ma jonqosni;

f'mergħat kollha ħdura jqegħedni.

Ħdejn l-ilma, fejn nistrieħ, jeħodni;

hemm hu jrejjaqni.

R/  Alleluia.

Imexxini fit-triq tas-sewwa

minħabba l-isem tiegħu.

Mqar jekk nimxi f'wied mudlam,

ma nibżax mill-ħsara, għax inti miegħi.

Il-ħatar tiegħek u l-għasluġ tiegħek,

huma jwennsuni.

 R/  Alleluia.

Int tħejji mejda għalija

quddiem l-għedewwa tiegħi.

Biż-żejt tidlikli rasi,

u l-kalċi tiegħi tfawwarli.

R/  Alleluia.

Miegħi, iva, jimxu t-tjieba u l-ħniena

il-jiem kollha ta' ħajti.

U ngħammar f'dar il-Mulej

sakemm indum ħaj!

R/  Alleluia.

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Reading 2    1 PeTer  2:20B-25

Beloved, If you are patient when you suffer for doing what is good, this is a grace before God. For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example that you should follow in his footsteps.  He committed no sin, and no deceit was found in his mouth. When he was insulted, he returned no insult; when he suffered, he did not threaten; instead, he handed himself over to the one who judges justly. He himself bore our sins in his body upon the cross, so that, free from sin, we might live for righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. For you had gone astray like sheep, but you have now returned to the shepherd and guardian of your souls.

2 Qari    1 Pietru  2:20B-25

X'mertu jkollkom li tieħdu bis-sabar is-swat meta tkunu għamiltu l-ħażen? Imma jekk tagħmlu t-tajjeb u ssofru t-tbatija bis-sabar, din tkun grazzja quddiem Alla. Għal dan intom kontu msejjħa għax Kristu wkoll bata għalikom u ħallielkom eżempju biex timxu fuq il-passi tiegħu. "Hu li ma kien għamel ebda dnub,  meta għajjruh ma weġibx bit-tagħjir; meta bata ma heddidx imma ħalla f'idejn l-Imħallef ġust. Hu tgħabba bi dnubietna sa fuq is-salib, biex aħna mmutu għad-dnubiet u ngħixu għall-ġustizzja. Bil-ġrieħi tiegħu intom fiqtu.  Intom kontu bħal nagħaġ mitlufa, imma issa rġajtu lura għand ir-Ragħaj u l-Għassies ta' ruħkom.

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Gospel    JohN 10:1-10

Jesus said:  “Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber.  But whoever enters through the gate is the shepherd of the sheep.  The gatekeeper opens it for him, and the sheep hear his voice,  as the shepherd calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has driven out all his own, he walks ahead of them, and the sheep follow him, because they recognize his voice. But they will not follow a stranger; they will run away from him, because they do not recognize the voice of strangers.”  Although Jesus used this figure of speech, the Pharisees did not realize what he was trying to tell them. So Jesus said again, “Amen, amen, I say to you, I am the gate for the sheep. All who came before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I am the gate.  Whoever enters through me will be saved,  and will come in and go out and find pasture.  A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy; I came so that they might have life and have it  more abundantly.”

Vangelu      GWANNI 10:1-10

 "Tassew tassew ngħidilkom, min ma jidħolx fil-maqjel   tan-nagħaġ mill-bieb imma jaqbeż ġewwa minn naħa oħra, dak hu ħalliel u brigant. Imma min jidħol mill-bieb hu r-ragħaj tan-nagħaġ.  Min ikun mal-bieb lilu jiftaħ, in-nagħaġ minn leħnu jisimgħu, u hu jsejjaħ in-nagħaġ tiegħu waħda waħda b'isimhom u joħroġhom barra. U meta joħroġ in-nagħaġ tiegħu, huwa jmur quddiemhom u n-nagħaġ jimxu warajh, għax jisimgħu leħnu.  Imma wara wieħed barrani ma jimxux, anzi jaħarbu minnu, għax leħen barrani ma jafuhx." Din il-parabbola qalhielhom Ġesù, iżda huma ma fehmux x'ried jgħidilhom biha.   Għalhekk Ġesù raġa' qalilhom: "Tassew tassew ngħidilkom li l-bieb tan-nagħaġ huwa jien.  Dawk kollha li ġew sa issa qabli huma ħallelin u briganti. Iżda n-nagħaġ lilhom ma semgħuhomx.  Jiena hu l-bieb; jekk xi ħadd jidħol ġewwa permezz tiegħi jsalva, u jidħol u joħroġ u jsib fejn jirgħa. Il-ħalliel ma jidħolx jekk mhux biex jisraq u joqtol u jeqred. Jiena ġejt biex ikollkom il-ħajja, u ħajja bil-kotra.

  

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COMMENTARY:

Father Cantalamessa on Easter Faith -          

"The Lord Is Risen and Was Seen Alive"

 

There are men -- we see this in the phenomenon of suicide bombers -- who die for a misguided or even evil cause, mistakenly retaining, but in good faith, that the cause is a worthy one.  Even Christ's death does not testify to the truth of his cause, but only the fact that he believed in its truth. Christ's death is the supreme witness of his charity, but not of his truth. This truth is adequately testified to only by the Resurrection. "The faith of Christians," says St. Augustine, "is the resurrection of Christ. It is no great thing to believe that Jesus died; even the pagans believe this, everyone believes it. The truly great thing is to believe that he is risen." 

Keeping to the purpose that has guided us up to this point, we must leave faith aside for the moment and attend to history. We would like to try to respond to the following question: Can Christ's resurrection be defined as a historical event, in the common sense of the term, that is, did it "really happen"?   There are two facts that offer themselves for the historian's consideration and permit him to speak of the Resurrection: First, the sudden and inexplicable faith of the disciples, a faith so tenacious as to withstand even the trial of martyrdom; second, the explanation of this faith that has been left by those who had it, that is, the disciples. In the decisive moment, when Jesus was captured and executed, the disciples did not entertain any thoughts about the resurrection. They fled and took Jesus' case to be closed.

In the meantime something had to intervene that in a short time not only provoked a radical change of their state of soul, but that led them to an entirely different activity and to the founding of the Church. This "something" is the historical nucleus of Easter faith.

The oldest testimony to the Resurrection is Paul's: "For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: That Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again according to the Scriptures; and that he was seen by Cephas, and after that by the eleven. 
"Then he was seen by more than 500 brethren at once, of whom many are still with us and some are fallen asleep. After that, he was seen by James, then by all the apostles. And last of all, he was seen also by me, as by one born out of due time" (1 Corinthians 15:3-8).

These words were written around A.D. 56 or 57. But the core of the text is constituted by an anterior faith that Paul himself says he received from others. Keeping in mind that Paul learned of these things immediately after his conversion, we can date them to about A.D. 35, that is, five or six years after the death of Christ. It is thus a testimony of rare historical value.  The accounts of the Evangelists were written some decades later and reflect a later phase in the Church's reflection. But the core of the testimony remains unchanged: The Lord is risen and was seen alive. To this a new element is added, perhaps determined by an apologetic preoccupation, and so of minor historical value: The insistence on the fact of the empty tomb. Even for the Gospels, the appearances of the Risen Christ are the decisive facts.

The appearances, nevertheless, testify to a new dimension of the Risen Christ, his mode of being "according to the Spirit," which is new and different with respect to his previous mode of existing, "according to the flesh." For example, he cannot be recognized by whoever sees him, but only by those to whom he gives the ability to know him. His corporeality is different from what it was before. It is free from physical laws: It enters and exits through closed doors; it appears and disappears.

According to a different explanation of the Resurrection, one advanced by Rudolf Bultmann and still proposed today, what we have here are psychogenetic visions, that is, subjective phenomena similar to hallucinations. But this, if it were true, would constitute in the end a greater miracle than the one that such explanations wish to deny. It supposes that in fact different people, in different situations and locations, had the same impression, the same halucination.

The disciples could not have deceived themselves: They were specific people -- fishermen -- not at all given to visions. They did not believe the first ones; Jesus almost has to overpower their resistance: "O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe!" They could not even want to deceive others. All of their interests opposed this; they would have been the first to feel themselves deceived by Jesus. If he were not risen, to what purpose would it have been to face persecution and death for him? What material benefit would they have drawn from it?

If the historical character of the Resurrection -- that is, its objective, and not only subjective, character -- is denied, the birth of the Church and of the faith become an even more inexplicable mystery than the Resurrection itself. It has been justly observed that "the idea that the imposing edifice of the history of Christianity is like an enormous pyramid balanced upon an insignificant fact is certainly less credible than the assertion that the entire event -- and that also means the most significant fact within this -- really did occupy a place in history comparable to the one that the New Testament attributes to it."

Where does the historical research on the Resurrection arrive? We can see it in the words of the disciples of Emmaus: Some disciples went to Jesus' tomb Easter morning and they found that things were as the women had said who had gone their before them, "but they did not see him." History too must take itself to Jesus' tomb and see that things are as the witnesses have said. But it does not see the Risen One. It is not enough to observe matters historically. It is necessary to see the Risen Christ, and this is something history cannot do; only faith can.

The angel who appeared to the women Easter morning said to them: "Why do you seek the living among the dead?" (Luke 24:5). I must confess that at the end of these reflections I feel that this rebuke is also directed at me. It is as if the angel were to say to me: "Why do you waste time seeking among dead human and historical arguments, the one who is alive and at work in the Church and in the world? Go instead and tell his brothers that he is risen."

If it were up to me, that is the only thing I would do. I quit teaching the history of Christian origins nearly 40 years ago to dedicate myself to proclaiming the Kingdom of God, but now when I am faced with radical and unfounded denials of the truth of the Gospels, I have felt obliged to take up the tools of my trade again.  This is why I have decided to use these commentaries on the Sunday Gospels to oppose a tendency often motivated by commercial interests and help those who may read my observations to form an opinion about Jesus that is less influenced by the clamour of the advertising world. 

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