Who are you, Jesus?

readings for  June 29, 2014 |

Mass during the Day

               Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, Apostles      

Solennita ta’ S.Pietru u S. Pawl – Appostli

Messalin Ferjali pp483

Reading 1          -           acts of the apostles 12:1-11

In those days, King Herod laid hands upon some members of the Church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John, killed by the sword, and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews he proceeded to arrest Peter also. –It was the feast of Unleavened Bread.– He had him taken into custody and put in prison under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each.  He intended to bring him before the people after Passover.  Peter thus was being kept in prison, but prayer by the Church was fervently being made to God on his behalf.  On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial,  Peter, secured by double chains, was sleeping between two soldiers,  while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison.  Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him  and a light shone in the cell.  He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, “Get up quickly.”  The chains fell from his wrists.  The angel said to him, “Put on your belt and your sandals.”  He did so. Then he said to him, “Put on your cloak and follow me.”  So he followed him out,  not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real;  he thought he was seeing a vision.  They passed the first guard, then the second,  and came to the iron gate leading out to the city,  which opened for them by itself.  They emerged and made their way down an alley,  and suddenly the angel left him.   Then Peter recovered his senses and said,  “Now I know for certain  that the Lord sent his angel  and rescued me f rom the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting.”  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-EWWEL QARI  -  mill-Atti ta’ l-Appostli 12, 1-11

Ghall-habta ta’ dak iz-zmien, is-sultan Erodi qataghha li jahbat ghal xi whud minn hdan il-Knisja. Qatel ‘il Gakbu, hu Gwanni, bis-sejf.  Imbaghad, billi ra li din il-haga ghobot lil Lhud, qatagha li jaqbad ‘il Pietru wkoll.  Dan kien f’jiem l-Azzmi.  Meta arrestawh u tefghu l-habs, qieghed ghassa mieghu erba’ ghaqdiet ta’ suldati ta’ erbgha kull wahda, bil-hsieb  li, wara l-Ghid, iressqu quddiem il-poplu.  Pietru, mela, kien arrestat fil-habz, bil-ghassa mieghu.  Fl-istess hin, il-Knisja kienet qiegheda titlob ‘l Alla ghalih bil-hegga. Fil-lejl stess ta’ qabel ma Erodi kellu johrog ‘il Pietru,  dan kien rieqed bejn zewg sultdati, marbut b’zewg ktajjen,  waqt li xi ghassiesa kienu ghassa mal-bieb tal-habs. F’daqqa wahda gie hemm anglu tal-Mulej,  u dawl idda mal-kamra.  L-anglu ta lil Pietru daqqa fuq genbu,  qajmu u qallu:  ˝Qum malajr.˝    Il-ktajjen waqghu minn ma’ idejh.   Imbaghad l-anglu qallu:  ˝Thazzem u ilbes il-qorq,˝   Pietru hekk ghamel.   U qallu wkoll :  ˝Dawwar il-mantar mieghek u imxi warajja.˝    Pietru hereg u mexa warajh, bla ma ntebah li dak li kien qieghed jigri permezz ta’ l-anglu kien tassew ;  haseb li kienet xi holma. Ghaddew l-ewwel ghassa, u t-tieni wahda wkoll, u  waslu hdejn il-bieb tal-hadid li kien jaghti ghall-belt;  u dan infetah wahdu. Hargu u mxew tul triq. F’daqqa wahda l-anglu telaq minn hdejh. Imbaghad Pietru gei f’tieghu, u qal:  ˝Issa qieghed ninduna, tabilhaqq, li l-Mulej baghat l-anglu tieghu u helisni minn id Erodi u  minn dak kollu li l-Lhud kienu qieghed jistennew li jsir.”  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm      -        psalm 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9

. (5) The angel of the Lord will rescue those who fear him.

I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.                                 R/

Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.                                                R/

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.                            R/

The angel of the LORD encamps
around those who fear him, and delivers them.
Taste and see how good the LORD is;
blessed the man who takes refuge in him.                     R/

SALM RESPONSORJALI                                -         Salm 33

R/  Dawk li jibzghu mill-Mulej, l-anglu tieghu jehlishom.

Kull hin inbierek ‘il-Mulej,

tifhiru dejjem f’fommi.

Bil-Mulej tiftahar ruhi,

jisimghu l-fqajrin u jifirhu!                                  R/

Kabbru ‘l-Mulej mieghi,

u nghollu ismu flimkien.

Jien fittixit ‘il-Mulej, u wegibni,

u minn kull biza’ helisni.                                     R/

Harsu lejh u tiddu bil-ferh,

u wicckom ma jisthix.

Dan il-fqajjar sejjah ‘il-Mulej, u semghu,

u mid-dwejjaq kollha tieghu helsu.                  R/

L-anglu tal-Mulej ighammar madwar dawk li

jibzghu minnu,u jehlishom.

Duqu u taraw kemm hu tajjeb il-Mulej,

Hieni l-bniedem li jistkenn fih.                                          R/

Reading 2           -         2 timothy 4:6-8, 17-18

I, Paul, am already being poured out like a libation,  and the time of my departure is at hand.   I have competed well; I have finished the race;  I have kept the faith. From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance.  The Lord stood by me and gave me strength,  so that through me the proclamation might be completed  and all the Gentiles might hear it.   And I was rescued from the lion’s mouth.  The Lord will rescue me from every evil threat and will bring me safe to his heavenly Kingdom.    To him be glory forever and ever. Amen.  This is the Word of The Lord.

IT-TIENI QARI   -    mit-Tieni Ittra lil Timotju  4,6-8,17-18

Ghaziz:  Jien nghid ghalija,  demmi ga nxerred b’sagrificcju, u zmien it-tluq tieghi wasal.  Tqabadt it-taqbida t-tajba, temmejt il-girja, harist il-fidi. Mill-bqija hemm merfugha ghalija l-kuruna tal-gustizzja, li biha  f’dak il-jum ihallasni l-Mulej, l-Imhallef gust, u mhux lili biss, imma wkoll lil dawk kollha li  jkunu ghexu bix-xewqa tad-dehra tieghu. Il-Mulej waqaf mieghi u tani l-qawwa biex, bis-sahha tieghi, il-kelma tigi mxandra sa l-ahhar u  l-gnus kollha jisimghha.  Hekk jien gejt mehlus minn halq l-iljun.  Il-Mulej jehlisni minn kull deni u jharisni sa  ma nasal fis-saltna tieghu tas-sema.   Glorja lilu ghal dejjem ta’ dejjem.  Amen.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel               -           matthew 16:13-19

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi  he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah. For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father. And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my Church,  and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.  Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.   This is the Word of The Lord.

 L-Evangelju  -  skond San Mattew 16, 13-19

F’dak iz-zmien :  Meta wasal fl-inhawi ta’ Cesarija ta’ Filippu, Gesu’ staqsa lid-dixxipli tieghu u qalilhom : ˝In-nies min ighidu li hu Bin il-Bniedem?˝ U huma wigbuh :  ˝Xi whud Gwanni l-Battista, ohrajn Elija, u  ohrajn Geremija jew wiehed mill-profeti.˝˝Imma intom,˝ qalilhom, ˝intom min tghidu li jien?˝ U qabez Xmun Pietru u qallu:  ˝Inti l-Messija, l-Iben ta’ Alla haj.˝ U wiegbu Gesu’ u qallu:  ˝Imbierek int, Xmun bin Gona, ghax  mhux il-laham u d-demm urewk min jien, imma Missieri li hu fis-smewwiet.   U min-naha tieghi nghidlek:  Inti Pietru, u fuq din il-gebla jien nibni l-Knisa tieghi, u l-bibien ta’ l-infern ma jeghelbuhiex.  Lilek naghtik l-imfietah tas-Saltna tas-Smewwiet, u kull ma torbot fuq l-art ikun marbut fis-smewwiet, u kull ma tholl fuq l-art ikun mahlul fis-smewwiet.       Il-Kelma tal-Mulej 

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 COMMEN TARY 

by Larry Broding / word-Sunday.com   

Who Are You, Jesus?

Have you ever found a moment in life when you asked “what is life really all about?” 

How did you answer? Where was Jesus in your answer?

Sometimes reflection comes not at the end of life, but before great questions of life. For the followers of Christ, the question “What is life all about?” could be asked in another way: “Who are you, Jesus?”

“Who are you, Jesus?” In a non-Jewish neighbourhood of Galilee, Jesus popped the question. In an atmosphere of anticipation for the time of God’s judgement, the disciples must have been asking themselves the same question. “We are following you, Jesus,” they may have wondered, “but what’s your place in God’s great plan?” Many expected Elijah to announce the coming of the Messiah before the end of the world. The paranoid Herod Antipas, the ruler who beheaded John the Baptist, was said to believe that Jesus was actually the Baptist raised from the dead! There were many other theories . Did Jesus fit any of these popular ideas, or was there more?

Simon, as the leader of the apostles, spoke up. His words represent the consensus of Jesus’ inner circle. In Matthew, Simon’s answer “Son of the living God” defined the title “Messiah.” Jesus was not a political Messiah, one who would lead an army against the Romans. He was not a popular Messiah, who would merely feed the poor. Here, Simon recognizes the unique relationship between Jesus and God, his Father.

In return for the answer to his question, Jesus “anointed” Simon with a blessing and a mission. Simon was blessed in two ways: 1) by a direct revelation by the Father and 2) by recognition from his Son. Then Jesus gave Simon a new mission, represented by a new name and a new status. Jesus called Simon, Peter, or  “Rock.”  Now, Peter was not only leader of the apostles; he was leader of the Church with the power of its head, Jesus Christ.

Peter’s answer and commission marked a turning point in the life of Jesus and his followers. From this point forward, Jesus was on the road to Jerusalem, to his death and his resurrection.

Who are you, Jesus? This question has been asked over and over throughout the centuries. For Christians, the answer is simple: Jesus is God’s Son and the bridge between the Father and his people.

Who is Jesus for you?

Where does he fit into the meaning of your life?

Do This in Memory of Me

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi)
Lectionary: 167

It-Tifkira  Solenni tal-Ġisem u d-Demm ta' Ġesu'

Messalin A pp 243

 

Reading 1      DeuTeronomy 8:2-3, 14B-16A

Moses said to the people:  "Remember how for forty years now the LORD, your God, has directed all your journeying in the desert, so as to test you by affliction and find out whether or not it was your intention to keep his commandments.  He therefore let you be afflicted with hunger, and then fed you with manna, a food unknown to you and your fathers, in order to show you that not by bread alone does one live, but by every word that comes forth from the mouth of the LORD. "Do not forget the LORD, your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, that place of slavery; who guided you through the vast and terrible desert with its saraph serpents and scorpions, its parched and waterless ground; who brought forth water for you from the flinty rock and fed you in the desert with manna, a food unknown to your fathers."  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni      -  -Ktieb tad-Dewteronomju. 8, 2-3, 14b-16a

F'dak iż-żmien, Mose' kellem lill-poplu u qal: "Ftakar fil-mixja kollha li mexxiek il-Mulej, Alla tiegħek, matul  dawn l-erbgħin sena fid-deżert, biex iċekknek u  iġarrbek, ħalli jkun jaf x'għandek f'qalbek, jekk tridx toqgħod għall-kmandamenti tiegħu jew le.  Huwa ċekknek, ried li tbati l-ġuħ, imbagħad temgħek  il-manna, li la int u lanqas missirijietek ma kontu qatt tafu biha, biex jurik li mhux bil-ħobż biss jgħix il-bniedem, imma b'dak kollu li joħroġ minn fomm il-Mulej,  b'dan jgħix il-bniedem.  Qis li ma titkabbarx qalbek u tinsa l-Mulej, Alla tiegħek, li ħarġek mill-art ta' l-Eġittu, mill-art tal-jasar.  Hu li mexxiek fid-deżert kbir u tal-waħħax, mimli

sriep velenużi u skorpjuni, art niexfa bla ilma  xejn,  li ħariġlek l-ilma mill-blata taż-żied, li temgħek il-manna fid-deżert, li missirijietek ma kienu jafu  biha xejn.  Il-Kelma  tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm      PSALM 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20

Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
he has blessed your children within you.
                R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

He has granted peace in your borders;
with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
swiftly runs his word!
                R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.
                R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.

Salm Responsorjali       -  Salm 146(147)

                R/  Sebbaħ, Ġerusalemm, lill-Mulej.

Sebbaħ, Ġerusalemm, lill-Mulej;

faħhar lil Alla tiegħek, Sijon

Hu jseħħaħ l-istaneg tal-bibien tiegħek,

u jbierek ġewwa fik lil uliedek.                                 R/

Hu jqiegħed fis-sliem it-trufijiet ta' artek,

u lilek bl-aħjar qamħ ixebbgħek.

Hu jibgħat fuq l-art il-kmand tiegħu;

bil-ħeffa tiġri l-kelma tiegħu.                                    R/

Hu jxandar kelmtu lil Ġakobb,

il-liġijiet u d-digrieti tiegħu lil Iżrael.

Ma għamel hemm ma' ebda poplu;

lil ħadd ma għarraf id-digrieti tiegħu.                    R/

Reading 2       1 CORinthiaNS 10:16-17

Brothers and sisters: The cup of blessing that we bless,  is it not a participation in the blood of Christ?  The bread that we break,  is it not a participation in the body of Christ?  Because the loaf of bread is one,  we, though many, are one body,  for we all partake of the one loaf.  This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni    -   L-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 10, 16-17

Ħuti, il-kalċi mbierek li fuqu ngħidu l-barka m'huwiex għaqda mad-demm ta' Kristu?  U l-ħobż li naqsmu m'huwiex għaqda mal- ġisem ta' Kristu?   Għax la l-ħobża hi waħda, aħna, li aħna ħafna, aħna  ġisem wieħed; ilkoll  kemm aħna nieħdu seħem minn   ħobża waħda.   Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel         JohN 6:51-58

Jesus said to the Jewish crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give  is my flesh for the life of the world."  The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying,  "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?"  Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you,  unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood,  you do not have life within you.   Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood  has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day.  For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.  Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood  remains in me and I in him. 
Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me.  This is the bread that came down from heaven. 
Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died,  whoever eats this bread will live forever." This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju    -   Qari  skond San Ġwann 6, 51-58

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lin-nies  "Jiena hu l-ħobż il-ħaj, li niżel mis-sema.  Jekk xi ħadd jiekol minn dan il-ħobż jgħix għal dejjem.  U l-ħobż li jiena nagħti huwa ġismi għall-ħajja ta' dinja.

Fuq hekk il-Lhud tlewmu bejniethom, u bdew jgħidu:  "Kif jista' dan jagħtina ġismu biex nikluh?   Ġesu' mela qalilhom:  "Tassew, tassew, ngħidilkom,  jekk ma tiklux il-ġisem ta' Bin il-bniedem u ma tixorbux  demmu, ma jkollkomx il-ħajja fikom.  Min jiekol  ġismi u jixrob demmi għandu l-ħajja ta' dejjem, u jiena  nqajmu mill-imwiet fl-aħħar jum.  Għax ġismu huwa  tassew ikel, u demmi hu tassew xorb.  Min jiekol ġismi u jixrob demmi jibqa' fija u jiena fih. Bħalma bagħatni l-Missier li  hu ħaj, u jiena ngħix  b'Missieri, hekk ukoll min jiekol lili, hu wkoll jgħix bija. Dan huwa l-ħobż li niżel mis-sema, m'huwiex bħal dak  li kielu missirijietkom u mietu;  min jiekol dan il-ħobż jgħix għal dejjem.  .   Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Commentary:

Do This in Memory of Me

Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on the readings from this Sunday's liturgy.

In the second reading of this feast, St. Paul presents us with the most ancient account we have of the institution of the Eucharist, written no more than about 20 years after the fact. Let us try to find something new in the Eucharistic mystery, using the concept of memorial: "Do this in memory of me."

Memory is one of the most mysterious and greatest powers of the human spirit. Everything seen, heard and done from early childhood is conserved in this immense womb, ready to reawaken and to dance into the light either by an external stimulus or by our own will.

Without memory we will cease to be ourselves, we will lose our identity. Those who are struck by total amnesia, wander lost on the streets, without knowing their own name or where they live.

A memory, once it has come to mind, has the power to catalyze our whole interior world and route everything toward its object, especially if this is not a thing or a fact, but a living person.

When a mother remembers her child, who was born a few days ago and is left at home, everything inside her flies toward her baby, a movement of tenderness rises from her maternal depths and perhaps brings tears to her eyes.

Not just the individual has memory; human groups -- family, tribe, nation -- also have a collective memory. The wealth of a people is not so much measured by the reserves of gold it holds in its vaults, but rather by how many memories it holds in its collective consciousness. It is the sharing of many memories that cements the unity of a group. To keep such memories alive, they are linked to a place, to a holiday.

Americans have Memorial Day, the day in which they remember those who fell in all the wars; the Indians have the Gandhi Memorial, a green park in New Delhi that is supposed to remind the nation who he was and what he did. We Italians also have our memorials: The civil holidays recall the most important events in our recent history, and streets, piazzas and airports are dedicated to our most eminent people.

This very rich human background in regard to memory should help us better understand what the Eucharist is for the Christian people. It is a memorial because it recalls the event to which all of humanity now owes its existence as redeemed humanity: the death of the Lord.

But the Eucharist has something that distinguishes it from every other memorial. It is memorial and presence together, even if hidden under the signs of bread and wine. Memorial Day cannot bring those who have fallen back to life; the Gandhi Memorial cannot make Gandhi alive again. In a sense, the Eucharistic memorial, however, according to the faith of Christians, does do this in regard to Christ.

But together with all the beautiful things that we have said about memory, we must mention a danger that is inherent to it. Memory can be easily transformed into sterile and paralyzing nostalgia. This happens when a person becomes the prisoner of his own memories and ends up living in the past.

Indeed, the Eucharistic memorial does not pertain to this type of memory. On the contrary, it projects us forward; after the consecration the people say: "We proclaim your death, O Lord, and confess your resurrection, until you come."

An antiphon attributed to St. Thomas Aquinas ("O sacrum convivium") defines the Eucharist as the sacred feast in which "Christ is received, the memory of his passion is celebrated, the soul is filled with grace, and we are given the pledge of future glory."  

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THE SOURCE OF LOVE

Readings for June 15, 2014

The Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity

                                                                              It-Trinita' Qaddisa   -  Solennita'                                                                            

Messalin A pp 238

Reading 1                        exodus 34:4b-6, 8-9

Early in the morning Moses went up Mount Sinai  as the LORD had commanded him, taking along the two stone tablets.  Having come down in a cloud, the LORD stood with Moses there and proclaimed his name, "LORD."  Thus the LORD passed before him and cried out,  "The LORD, the LORD, a merciful and gracious God,  slow to anger and rich in kindness and fidelity."  Moses at once bowed down to the ground in worship. Then he said, "If I find favor with you, O Lord, do come along in our company.  This is indeed a stiff-necked people; yet pardon our wickedness and sins, and receive us as your own."  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni   -   Qari mill-Ktieb ta' l-Eżodu 34, 4b-6. 8-9

F'dak iż-żmien, Mose' qam filgħodu kmieni, u tala' fuq il-muntanja tas-Sinaj,  kif kien ordnalu l-Mulej, u ħa f'idejh iż-żewġ twavel tal-ġebel.  Imbagħad  il-Mulej niżel fi sħaba u waqaf hemm  Maġenbu; u xandar l-isem tal-Mulej.  U l-Mulej  għadda minn quddiemu u għajjat:  "Jaħweh! Jaħweh!  Alla li jagħder u jħenn;  tqil biex jagħdab u kbir  fit-tjieba u fil-fedelta'."  Mose' minnufih inxteħet għal wiċċu fl-art, u ta qima u qal:  "Jekk jien tassew sibt ħniena quddiemek, Sidi, ħa jiġi Sidi ġo nofsna, nitolbuk; għax dan hu poplu rasu iebsa.  Aħfrilna ħżunitna u ħtijietna, u ħduna b'wirt għalik.!  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                               DaNiel 3:52, 53, 54, 55, 56

R/ (52b) Glory  and praise for ever!

Blessed are you, O Lord, the God of our fathers,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever;
And blessed is your holy and glorious name,
praiseworthy and exalted above all for all ages.                                            R/

Blessed are you in the temple of your holy glory,
praiseworthy and glorious above all forever.                                  R/

Blessed are you on the throne of your kingdom,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.                                   R/

Blessed are you who look into the depths
from your throne upon the cherubim,
praiseworthy and exalted above all forever.                                   R/

Salm Responsjali  -       Danjel 3, 32,33,34,55,56

                        R/  Ta' min ifaħħrek u jgħollik fuq kollox għal dejjem.

Imbierek, int, Mulej, Alla ta' missirijietna.                                        R/

Inbierek ismek, qaddis u msebbaħ.                                                  R/

Imbierek int fit-tempju tas-sebh imqaddes tiegħek.                     R/

Imbierek int li qiegħed fuq il-kerubini, li ħarstek

tifned  l-abbissi.                                                                                    R/

Imbierek int fuq it-tron ta' saltnatek.                                                R/

Imbierek int fil-wisa' kollu tas-sema.                                                R/

Reading 2                        2 corinthians 13:11-13

Brothers and sisters, rejoice.  Mend your ways, encourage one another,  agree with one another, live in peace,  and the God of love and peace will be with you.  Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the holy ones greet you.  The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God  and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with all of you.  This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni    -   Tieni Ittra lill-Korintin 13, 11-13

Ħuti, ifirħu, ħabirku għall-perfezzjoni, isimgħu milli wieħed igħidilkom, kunu ta' fehma waħda, żommu s-sliem, u Alla ta' l-imħabba u s-sliem ikun magħkom. Sellmu lil xulxin b'bewsa qaddisa. Il-qaddisin kollha jsellmulkom. Il-grazzja ta' Sidna Ġesu' Kristu, l-imħabba ta' Alla u l-għaqda fl-Ispirtu s-Santu jkunu magħkom ilkoll.   1l-Kelma tal-Mulej        

Gospel                                john 3:16-18

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,  so that everyone who believes in him might not perish  but might have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world,  but that the world might be saved through him.  Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,  but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,  because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju   -   Qari skond San Ġwann 3, 16-18

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lil Nikodemu:  "Alla hekk ħabb id-dinja li ta lil Ibnu l-waħdieni,

biex kull min jemmen fih ma jintilifx, iżda  jkollu l-ħajja ta' dejjem.  Għax Alla ma bagħatx lil Ibnu fid-dinja biex jagħmel ħaqq mid-dinja,  imma biex id-dinja  salva permezz tiegħu.

Min jemmen fih ma jkunx ikkundannat; iżda  min ma jemminx huwa ġa kkundannat, għax ma emminx fl-isem ta' l-Iben il-waħdieni ta' Alla.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY

 The Source of Love

In a commentary on this Sunday's Gospel passage, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher of the Pontifical Household, comments that the Trinity is a model for the whole human community because it shows how love creates unity out of diversity.
* * * 
At that time, Jesus said to Nicodemus: "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. He who believes in him is not condemned; he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God."

The second reading of today's liturgy, taken from the second letter of St. Paul to the Corinthians, is the one that most directly evokes the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you." But, why do Christians believe in the Trinity? Isn't it difficult enough to believe that God exists, that we must also have added to it the enigma that he is "one and triune?" There are some today who would not be unhappy to leave the Trinity to one side, to be able to dialogue better with Jews and Muslims, who profess faith in a God who is rigidly one.

Christians believe that God is triune because they believe that God is love! It is the revelation of God as love, made by Jesus, which has obliges us to admit the Trinity. It is not a human invention. There is no love for the void, no love that is not directed to someone. So we must ask: who does God love to be defined as love? A first answer might be: He loves mankind. But we have existed for some millions of years, no more. And before then, who did God love? He could not in fact have begun to be love at a certain point in time, because God cannot change. 

Second answer: Before then he loved the cosmos, the universe. But the universe has existed for some thousands of millions of years. Before then, who did God love to be able to define himself as love? We cannot say that he loved himself because to love oneself is not love, but egoism or, as psychologists say, narcissism.

Here is the answer of Christian revelation. God is love in himself, before time, because he has always had in himself a Son, the word, whom he loves with an infinite love, that is, in the Holy Spirit. In all love there are always three realities or subjects: one who loves, one who is loved, and the love that unites them.

The God of Christian revelation is one and triune because he is communion of love. Theology has made use of the term "nature" or "substance" to indicate unity in God, and of the term "person" to indicate the distinction. Because of this we say that our God is one God in three persons. The Christian doctrine of the Trinity is not a regression, a compromise between monotheism and polytheism. It is a step further that only God himself could make the human mind take.

Let us now turn to some practical considerations. The Trinity is the model of every human community, from the most simple and elemental, which is the family, to the universal Church. It shows how love creates unity out of diversity: unity of intentions, of thought, of will; diversity of subjects, of characteristics and, in the human realm, of sex. And we see, specifically, what a family can learn from the Trinitarian model.

If we read the New Testament with care, we observe a sort of rule. Each one of the three divine persons does not speak about himself, but about the other; does not attract attention to himself, but to the other. Every time the Father speaks in the Gospel he does so always to reveal something of the Son. Jesus, in turn, speaks only of the Father. When the Holy Spirit reaches a believer's heart, he does not teach him to say his name, which in Hebrew is "Ruah," but teaches him to say "Abba," which is the Father's name.

Let's try to think what this style would bring about if it were transferred to family life. The father, who is not so concerned about asserting his authority as that of the mother; the mother, who before teaching the child to say "Mommy," teaches him to say "Daddy." If this style was imitated in our families and communities, they would truly become a reflection of the Trinity on earth, places where love is the rule that governs everything.

Italian original published by "Famiglia Cristiana" /[Translation by ZENIT   © Innovative Media Inc.

Send Forth Your Spirit and They Shall be Created

readings for June 8, 2014

PENTECOST sunday

Mass of the Day - Lectionary: 63

Għid il-Ħamsin

Quddies tal-Jum  -  Missalin A  p 231

Reading 1       -     ACTS of the apostles 2:1-11

When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues,  as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim. Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven staying in Jerusalem. At this sound, they gathered in a large crowd, but they were confused  because each one heard them speaking in his own language. They were astounded, and in amazement they asked, “Are not all these people who are speaking Galileans? Then how does each of us hear them in his native language? We are Parthians, Medes, and Elamites, inhabitants of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the districts of Libya near Cyrene, as well as travelers from Rome, both Jews and converts to Judaism, Cretans and Arabs, yet we hear them speaking in our own tongues of the mighty acts of God.” This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  -  mill-Ktieb ta' l-Atti ta' l-Appostli  2, 1-11

Meta wasal jum Għid il-Ħamsin, huma  kienu ilkoll flimkien f'post wieħed.  F'daqqa waħda ġie mis-sema ħoss ta' riħ qawwi, u mela d-dar kollha fejn kienu qiegħdin. U dehrulhom ilsna qishom tan-nar, li tqassmu u qagħdu fuq kull wieħed minnhom.  Intlew ilkoll bl-Ispirt s-Santu u bdew jitkellmu b'ilsna oħra, skond ma l-Ispirtu kien jagħtihom li jitkellmu. F'Ġerusalemm kien hemm xi Lhud, nies twajba minn kull nazzjoni li hawn taħt is-sema.  Malli nstama' dan il-ħoss, inġabret kotra kbira, ilkoll imħawdin għax kull wieħed minnhomkien jismagħhom jitkellmu bl-ilsien tiegħu. Miblugħin u mistagħġbin, bdew igħidu:   "Dawn li qegħdin jitkellmu m'humiex ilkoll mill-Galilija?  Mela kif kull  wieħed minna qiegħed jismagħhom jitkellmmu bi lsien art twelidu?  Partin, Medin u Għelamin, nies mill-Mesopotamja, mil-Lhudija, mil-Kappadoċja, minn Pontu, mill-Asja, mill-Friġja, mill-Pamfilja, mill-Eġittu, mill-inħawi tal-Libja madwar Ċireni, nies li ġew minn Ruma, kemm Lhud u kemm prose'liti, oħrajn minn Kreta u Għarab, aħna ilkoll qegħdin nisimgħuhom ixandru bl-ilsna tagħna l-għeġubijiet ta' Alla!  Kelma tal-Mulej.

Responsorial Psalm    -    PSalm 104:1, 24, 29-30, 31, 34

R/ Alleluia.

Bless the LORD, O my soul!
O LORD, my God, you are great indeed!
How manifold are your works, O Lord!
the earth is full of your creatures;                           R/ .

May the glory of the LORD endure forever;
may the LORD be glad in his works!
Pleasing to him be my theme;
I will be glad in the LORD.                                        R/ 

.
If you take away their breath, they perish
and return to their dust.
When you send forth your spirit, they are created,
and you renew the face of the earth.                           R/ 

Reading 2   -   1 CORinthians 12:3B-7, 12-13

Brothers and sisters:  No one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.  There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;   there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different workings but the same God  who produces all of them in everyone.  To each individual the manifestation of the Spirit  is given for some benefit.  As a body is one though it has many parts,  and all the parts of the body, though many, are one body,  so also Christ.  For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body,  whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free persons, and we were all given to drink of one Spirit.  This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni - mill-Ewwel Ittra ta' San Pawl lill-Korintin 12, 3b-7, 12-13

Ħuti, ħadd ma jista' jgħid:  "Ġesu' hu l-Mulej!" jekk mhux  imqanqal mill-Ispirtu s-Santu. Hemm imbagħd diversi doni, imma l-istess wieħed hu l-Ispirtu, hemm diversi done, imma l-istess wieħed hu l-Ispirtu, hemm diversi ministeri, imma l-istess wieħed hu l-Mulej; hemm diversi ħidmiet, imma l-istess Alla, li jaħdem kollox f'kulħadd.  Lil kull wieħed tingħata r-rivelazzjoni ta' l-Ispirtu għall-ġid ta' kulħadd.  Bħalma l-ġisem hu wieħed u fih ħafna membri, u l-membri kollha tal-ġisem, għad li huma ħafna, jagħmlu ġisem wieħed,  hekk ukoll Kristu.  Għax aħna ilkoll tgħammidna fi Spirtu wieħed biex nagħmlu ġisem wieħed, sew Lhud sew Griegi, sew ilsiera sew ħielsa, u lkoll  xrobna minn Spirtu wieħed. Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel   -   JohN 20:19-23

On the evening of that first day of the week,  when the doors were locked, where the disciples were,  for fear of the Jews,  Jesus came and stood in their midst  and said to them, “Peace be with you.”  When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side.  The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord.  Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you.  As the Father has sent me, so I send you.”  And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them,  “Receive the Holy Spirit.  Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,  and whose sins you retain are retained.”

L-Evanġelju  -   skond San Ġwann 20, 19-23

Dak il-Ħadd fil-għaxija, fl-ewwel jum tal-ġimgħa, meta d-dixxipli kienu flimkien imbeżżgħin mill-Lhud, bil-bibien magħluqa, ġie Ġesu' u qagħad f'nofshom, u qalilhom:  "Is-sliem għalikom!"   Kif qal hekk, uriehom idejh u ġenbu.  Id-dixxipli ferħu meta raw lill-Mulej. Imbagħad Ġesu' tenna jgħidilhom:  "Is-sliem għalikom!  Kif il-Missier bagħat lili, hekk jien nibgħat lilkom." Kif qal hekk, nefaħ fuqhom u qalilhom: "Ħudu l-Ispirtu s-Santu,  Dawk li taħfrulhom dnubiethom ikunu maħfura, u dawk li żżommuhomlhom ikunu miżmuma." Kelma tal-Mulej.

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Commentary:

by Fr Raniero Cantalamessa ofm cap:

Send Forth Your Spirit and They Shall be Created

The Gospel presents Jesus, who in the cenacle on Easter evening, "breathed on them and said: 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" This breathing of Jesus recalls God's action who, in the creation, "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" (cf. Genesis 2:7). With his gesture Jesus indicates that the Holy Spirit is the divine breath that gives life to the new creation as he gave life to the first creation. The responsorial psalm highlights this theme: "Send forth your Spirit, and they shall be created, and you shall renew the face of the earth."

Proclaiming that the Holy Spirit is Creator means saying that his sphere of action is not restricted to the Church, but extends to the entire creation. No place and no time is without his active presence. He acts in and out of the Bible; he acts before Christ, during the time of Christ, and after Christ, even if he never acts apart from Christ. "All truth, by whomever it is spoken," Thomas Aquinas has written, "comes from the Holy Spirit." The action of the Spirit of Christ outside the Church is not the same as his action in the Church and in the sacraments. Outside he acts by his power; in the Church he acts by his presence, in person.

The most important thing about the creative power of the Holy Spirit is not, however, to understand it and explain its implications, but to experience it. But what does it mean to experience the Spirit as Creator? To understand it, let us take the creation account as our point of departure. "In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was a formless wasteland, and darkness covered the abyss, and the Spirit of the Lord brooded over the waters" (Genesis 1:1-2). We conclude from this that the universe already existed in the moment when the Spirit intervened, but it was formless and dark, chaos. It is after his action that the creation assumes precise contours; light is separated from darkness, dry land from the sea, and everything takes on a definite shape.

Thus, it is the Holy Spirit who transforms the creation from chaos into cosmos, who makes it something beautiful, ordered, polished ("cosmos" comes from the same root as "cosmetic" and it means beautiful!), he makes a "world," in the double sense of this word. Science teaches us today that this process went on for billions of years, but the Bible -- with its simple and image-filled language -- wants to tell us that the slow evolution toward life and the present order of the world did not happen by chance, following blind material impulses. It followed, rather, a project that the Creator inserted in it from the beginning.

God's creative action is not limited to the initial instant; he is always in the act of creating. Applied to the Holy Spirit, this means that he is always the one who transforms chaos into cosmos, that is, he makes order out of disorder, harmony out of confusion, beauty out of deformity, youth out of age. This occurs on all levels: in the macrocosm as in the microcosm, that is, in the whole universe as in the individual person.

We must believe that, despite appearances, the Holy Spirit is working in the world and makes it progress. How many new discoveries, not only in the study of nature but also in the field of morality and social life! A text of Vatican II says that the Holy Spirit is at work in the evolution of the social order of the world ("Gaudium et Spes," 26). It is not only evil that grows but good does too, with the difference being that evil eliminates itself, ends with itself, while the good accumulates itself, remains. Certainly there is much chaos around us: moral, political, and social chaos. The world still has great need of the Spirit of God. For this reason we must not tire in invoking him with the words of the Psalm: "Send forth your Spirit, Lord, and renew the face of the earth!"

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