THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE

Readings for August 31, 2014

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

                                        It-Tnejn u Għoxrin Ħadd matul is-Sena                                        

Missalin A  p 363

Reading 1                           jeremiah 20:7-9

You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped;  you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. All the day I am an object of laughter;  everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I must cry out,  violence and outrage is my message;  the word of the LORD has brought me  derision and reproach all the day.  I say to myself, I will not mention him,  I will speak in his name no more.  But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,  imprisoned in my bones;  I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni   -   Profeta Ġeremija  20, 7 -9

Qarraqtni Mulej, u jien tqarraqt:  kont aqwa minni, u għelibtni.  Jien sirt id-daħka ta'  kuljum, kulħadd jiddieħek bija.  Kull meta niġi nitkellem, jien ngħajjat, u nxandar, "Moħqrija u ħsara!" Il-Kelma tal-Mulej saret għalijaj  tagħjir u tmaqdir kuljum. U jien għedt:  "Ma nsemmihx aktar,  ma nitkellimx aktar f'ismu."  Iżda f'qalbi hemm bħal nar jaqbad,  magħluq f'għadmi.  Għejejt inżommu magħluq ġi fija, ma niflaħx aktar għalih.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R/ (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.        R/

Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.                                                              R/

Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.          R/                                                           

You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.                                                     R/

Salm Responsorjali    -    Salm 62 (63)

    R/   Għalik imxennaq jiena, Mulej, Alla tiegħi.

Alla,  Alla tiegħi int; lilek ħerqan infittex.

Ruħi bil-għatx għalik,

għalik imxennaq  jiena,

bħal art niexfa, maħruqa, bla ilma.                          R/

Għalhekk ġejt narak fit-tempju mqaddes tiegħek,

biex nitgħaxxaq bis-setgħa u l-glorja tiegħek.

Għax it-tjieba tiegħek aħjar mill-ħajja,

xufftejja jxandru t-tifħir tiegħek.                              R/

Għalhekk inbierkek tul ħajtikollha;

ngħolli idejja u nsejjah ismek.

Bħal b'ikel mill-aħjar li jsemmen nimtela,

u jgħannilek fommi b'xofftejn ferrieħa.                                R/

Għax int kont għajnuna għalija,

għad-dell ta' ġwenħajk ngħanni bil-ferħ.

Miegħek  tingħaqad ruħi,

int tweżini bil-leminija tiegħek.                                              R/

reading 2                                       romans 12:1-2

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,  to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,  holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.  Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni  -  mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 12, 1-2

Nitlobkom ħuti, għall-ħniena ta' Alla, offru ġisimkom b'sagrifiċċju ħaj, qaddis, jogħġob lil Alla, jiġifieri l-qima spiritwali tagħkom.  Timxux max-xejra ta' din id-dinja, iżda nbidlu skond it-tiġdid ta' fehmietkom,  biex iseħħilkom tagħrfu x'inhi r-rieda ta' Alla, x'inhu t-tajjeb li jogħġbu,  x'inhu perfett.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                     matthew 16:21-27

Jesus began to show his disciples  that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,  and be killed and on the third day be raised.  Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”   He turned and said to Peter,  “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.  You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”  Then Jesus said to his disciples,  “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,  take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,  but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?  Or what can one give in exchange for his life?  For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct.” This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju   -   skond San Mattew 16, 21 – 27

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' beda juri lid-dixxipli tiegħu li kien meħtieġ għalih li jmur Ġerusalemm, isofri ħafna mix-xjuħ u l-qassisin il-kbar u l-kittieba, joqtluh, u fit-tielet jum iqum. Pietru ġibdu lejh u beda jlumu u jgħidlu: "Allaħares, Mulej!  Ma jkun qatt li dan jgħaddi minn għalik!"   Iżda Ġesu' dar u  qal lil Pietru:   "Itlaq minn quddiemi, ja xitan! Int tfixkil għalija, għax m'intix tqis il-ħwejjeġ ta'  Alla, imma qiegħed taħsibha ta' bniedem li int!"  Imbagħad qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu:  "Jekk xi ħadd irid jiġi warajja, għandu jiċħad lilu nnifsu, jerfa'  salibu, u jimxi warajja.   Għax min irid isalva  ħajtu, jitlifha,  imma min jitlef ħajtu għall-imħabba  tiegħi, isibha.   Għax xi jkun jiswielu l-bniedem jekk jikseb  id-dinja kollha u mbagħad jitlef ħajtu?  Jew xi  prezz se jagħti l-bniedem biex isalva ħajtu? Għax Bin il-bniedem għandu jiġi fil-glorja ta'  Missieru flimkien ma' l-anġli tiegħu, u mbagħad irodd lil kull wieħed skond ma wieħed ikun għamel."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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The Language of Love

Gospel Commentary 

by Fr Raniero Cantalamessa ofm cap

In this Sunday’s Gospel we hear Jesus who says: “Whoever wants to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Because whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

What does it mean to “deny" yourself? And why should you deny yourself? We know about the indignation of the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche over this the request of this Gospel.

I will begin answering these questions with an example. During the Nazi persecution, many trains full of Jews travelled from every part of Europe to the extermination camps. They were induced to get on the trains by false promises of being taken to places that would be better for them, when, in fact, they were being taken to their destruction. It happened at some of the stops that someone who knew the truth, called out from some hiding place to the passengers: “Get off! Run away!” Some succeeded in doing so.

The example is a hard one, but it expresses something of our situation. The train of life on which we are travelling is going toward death. About this, at least, there are no doubts. Our natural “I,” being mortal, is destined for destruction. What the Gospel is proposing to us when it exhorts us to deny ourselves, is to get off this train and board another one that leads to life. The train that leads to life is faith in him who said: “Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.”

Paul understood this transferring from one transport to another and he describes it thus: “It is no longer I who lives, Christ lives in me.” If we assume the “I” of Christ we become immortal because he, risen from the dead, dies no more. This indicates the meaning of the words of the Gospel that we have heard. Christ’s call for us to deny ourselves and thus find life is not a call to abuse ourselves or reject ourselves in a simplistic way. It is the wisest of the bold steps that we can take in our lives.

But we must immediately make a qualification. Jesus does not ask us to deny “what we are,” but “what we have become.” We are images of God. Thus, we are something “very good,” as God himself said, immediately after creating man and woman. What we must deny is not that which God has made, but that which we ourselves have made by misusing our freedom -- the evil tendencies, sin, all those things that have covered over the original.

Years ago, off the coast of Calabria in southern Italy, there were discovered two encrusted masses that vaguely resembled human bodies. They were removed from the sea and carefully cleaned and freed. They turned out to be bronze statues of ancient warriors. They are known today as the Riace Warriors and are on display at the National Museum of Magna Grecia in Reggio Calabria. They are among the most admired sculptures of antiquity.

This example can help us understand the positive aspect of the Gospel proposal. Spiritually, we resemble the condition of those statues before their restoration. The beautiful image of God that we should be is covered over by the seven layers of the seven capital sins.

Perhaps it is not a bad idea to recall what these sins are, if we have forgotten them: pride, greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, envy and sloth. St. Paul calls this disfigured image, “the earthly image,” in contrast to the “heavenly image,” which is the resemblance of Christ.

“Denying ourselves,” therefore, is not a work of death, but one of life, of beauty and of joy. It is also a learning of the language of true love. Imagine, said the great Danish philosopher Kierkegaard, a purely human situation. Two young people love each other. But they belong to two different nations and speak completely different languages. If their love is to survive and grow, one of them must learn the language of the other. Otherwise, they will not be able to communicate and their love will not last.

This, Kierkegaard said, is how it is with us and God. We speak the language of the flesh, he speaks that of the spirit; we speak the language of selfishness, he that of love.

Denying yourself is learning the language of God so that we can communicate with him, but it is also learning the language that allows us to communicate with each other. We will not be able to say “yes” to the other -- beginning with our own wife or husband -- if we are not first of all able to say “no” to ourselves.

Keeping within the context of marriage, many problems and failures with the couple come from the fact that the man has never learned to express love for the woman, nor she for the man. Even when it speaks of denying ourselves, we see that the Gospel is much less distant from life than it is sometimes believed.
[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]

WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?

readings for August 24, 2014

 Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Il-21 Ħadd matul is-Sena

Missalin A  p 358

Reading 1    -     isaiah 22:19-23

Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace: I will thrust you from your office nd pull you down from your station. On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give over to him your authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim’s shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut when he shuts, no one shall open. I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot, to be a place of honor for his family.”  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  -- Profeta Isaija 22, 19-23

 Dan jgħid il-Mulej lil Sebna,  dak li jieħu ħsieb il-palazz tas-sultan; Inwarrbek minn postok, u nneħħik minn fejn qiegħed. Dak inhar insejjaħ lill-qaddej tiegħi Eljakim, bin Ħilkija, inlibbsu l-libsa tiegħek, u nħażżnu bit-terħa tiegħek,  nagħtih f'idejh il-ħakma tiegħek.  U jkun missier għal min jgħammar f'Ġerusalemm,  għad-dar ta' Ġuda.  Inqiegħed muftieh dar David fuq spallejh. Jiftah hu, u ħadd ma jiftaħ. U nwaħħlu bħal musmar ma' ħajt fis-sod,u jkun tron glorjuż għal dar missieri."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm      -     psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8

R/ (8bc) Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple.                                         R/

I will give thanks to your name,
because of your kindness and your truth:
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.                                             R/

The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.                                        R/

Salm Responsorjali       -   Salm 137 (138)

                R/   It-tjieba tiegħek, Mulej, tibqa' għal dejjem.

Irroddlok ħajr, Mulej, b'qalbi kollha,

għaliex int smajt kliem fommi.

Quddiem l-allat irrid ngħannilek.

B'wiċċi fl-art ninxteħet

quddiem is-santwarju tiegħek.                                 R/

Irroddlok ħajr għath-tjieba u l-fedelta' tiegħek,

għax int kabbart ismek u kelmtek fuq kollox,

Meta sejjaħtlek, int weġibtni,

kattarli l-qawwa f'ruħi.                                                  R/

Kbir il-Mulej imma jieħu ħsieb iż-żgħar;

u, għalkemm fl-għoli, jagħraf mill-bogħod.

Il-Mulej iżomm kelmtu miegħi.

It-tjieba tiegħek, Mulej, tibqa' għal dejjem.       R/

Reading 2    -     romans 11:33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor? Or who has given the Lord anything that he may be repaid? For from him and through him and for him are all things.  To him be glory forever. Amen. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni   --  Ittra lir- Rumani 11, 33-36

Ħuti, kemm huma kbar l-għana, l-għerf u l-għaqal ta' Alla! Kemm tassew ħadd ma  jista' jgħarbel il-ġudizzju tiegħu u jifhem it-triqat tiegħu! Għax min  qatt għaraf moħħ il-Mulej?  Min qatt kien il-kunsullier tiegħu?  Min qatt tah l-ewwel biex jistħoqqlu l-ħlas?  Kollox ġej minnu, kollox permezz tiegħu, kollox għalih.  Lilu l-glorja għal dejjem ta' dejjem.  Amen!  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel            -         matthew 16:13-20

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and 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.”  Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju   --  skond San Mattew  16, 13 -20

F'dak iż-żmien, meta wasala fl-inħawi ta' Ċesarija ta' Filippu, Ġesu' staqsa lid-dixxipli tiegħu u qalilhom:  "Min jgħidu n-nies li hu Bin il-bniedem?"  U huma wieġbuh:  "Xi wħud, Ġwanni l-Battisita;  oħrajn, Elija, u oħrajn, Ġeremija jew wieħed mill-profeti."  "Imma intom min tgħidu li jien?"  staqsiehom.  U qabeż Xmun Pietru u qallu:  "Inti l-Messija, Bin Alla l-ħaj."  U Ġesu' wieġbu u qallu:  "Ħieni int, Xmun bin Ġona,  għax mħux bniedem tad-demm u l-laħam uriek dan,  imma Missieri li hu fis-smewwiet.   U jiena ngħidlek:  Inti Pietru, u fuq din il-blata jiena nibni l-Knisja tiegħi, u s-setgħat ta' l-infern  ma jegħlbuhiex.   Jiena nagħtik  l-imfietaħ tas-Saltna tas-Smewwiet, u kull ma torbot fuq  l-art ikun marbut fis-Smewwiet, u kull ma tħoll fuq  l-art ikun maħlul fis-smewwiet." Imbagħad lid-dixxipli tiegħu wissiehom biex ma jitkellmu ma' ħadd fuq il huwa l-Messija.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej  

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GOSPEL COMMENTARY by Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

There is a practice in today’s culture and society that can help us toward understanding this Sunday’s Gospel: opinion polls.

These are conducted everywhere, especially in the political and commercial spheres. One day Jesus also wanted to do an opinion poll, but, as we shall see, for a different purpose. He did it not for political reasons, but for educational ones.

Having arrived in Caesarea Philippi, that is, in the northernmost region of Israel, and taking a little rest alone with the apostles, Jesus asks them, point blank, “Who do people say that the son of man is?”

It seems that the apostles were not expecting to be asked more than to report what people were saying of him. They answered: "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

But Jesus was not interested in measuring his popularity or in looking for an index of how well he was regarded by the people. His purpose was entirely different. So he immediately followed his first question with a second: “Who do you say that I am?"

This second, unexpected question catches them completely off guard. There is silence and they stand looking at each other. In the Greek it makes it clear that all of the apostles together responded to the first question and that only one person, namely, Simon Peter, responded to the second question: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

Between the two responses there is a leap over an abyss, a “conversion.” To answer the first question it was only necessary to look around, to have listened to people’s opinions. But to answer the second question, it was necessary to look inside, to listen to a completely different voice, a voice that was not of flesh and blood but of the Father in heaven. Peter was enlightened from on high.

It is the first clear recognition of the true identity of Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospels. The first public act of faith in Christ in history! Think about the wake that a big ship makes in the sea. It widens as the ship goes forward until it is lost on the horizon. But it begins at a single point, which is the ship itself. Faith in Jesus Christ is like this. It is as a wake that widens as it moves through history, and travels to “the very ends of the earth.” But it starts at a single point. And this point is Peter’s act of faith. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

Jesus uses another image, which implies stability rather than movement. It is a vertical instead of a horizontal image. It is that of a rock: “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.”

Jesus changes his name -- as often happens in the Bible when someone receives an important mission -- from Simon to Cephas, or Peter -- “rock.” The true rock, the “cornerstone” is, and remains, Jesus himself. But once he has risen and ascended into heaven, this “cornerstone,” though present and active, is invisible. It is necessary for a sign to represent him, a sign that makes Christ, who is the “unshakable foundation,” visible and efficacious in history. And this sign is Peter and, after him, his vicar, the Pope, successor of Peter, as head of the college of apostles.

But let us return to the idea of polling. Jesus' poll, as we saw, has two parts, which have two distinct questions. First, “Who do people say that I am?” And second, “Who do you say that I am?”

Jesus does not seem to value very much what the people think of him. He wants to know what his disciples think of him. He immediately asks them to speak for themselves. He does not let them hide behind the opinions of others. He wants them to speak of their own opinions. Almost the identical situation repeats itself today.

Today as well “people,” “public opinion,” has its ideas about Jesus. Jesus is in vogue. Just look at what is going on in the world of literature and entertainment. A year does not go by in which there does not appear a novel or a film with its own distorted and sacriligious vision of Christ. Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code” has been the most well-known one of late and has produced many imitators.

Then there are those who are middle-of-the-road, like the people of Jesus’ time, who believe Jesus to be “one of the prophets.” He is regarded as a fascinating person and placed alongside Socrates, Gandhi and Tolstoy. I am sure that Jesus does not scorn these responses to him, because the Bible says of him that he does not “quench the smoldering wick and does not break the bruised reed,” that is, he appreciates every honest effort on the part of man.

But, the truth be told, this view of Jesus does not seem quite right even from a human point of view. Neither Gandhi nor Tolstoy ever said: “I am the way, the truth and the life,” or “Whoever loves father and mother more than me is not worth of me.”

With Jesus you cannot not be middle-of-the-road. Either he is what he claims to be, or he is not a great man, but rather a great lunatic lifted up by history. There are no half-measures. There are buildings and structures made of steel -- I believe that the Eiffel Tower in Paris is one -- made in such a way that if you touch a certain point or remove a certain element, everything will come down. The edifice of the Christian faith is like this, and this neuralgic point is the divinity of Jesus Christ.

But let us leave aside the responses of the people and consider the nonbelievers. Believing in the divinity of Christ is not enough; you must also bear witness to it. Whoever knows him and does not bear witness to this faith, indeed even hides it, is more responsible before God that those who do not have this faith.

In a scene in Paul Claudel’s play “The Humiliated Father,” a Jewish girl, beautiful but blind, alluding to the double meaning of light, asks her Christian friend: “You who see, what use have you made of the light?” It is a question that is asked of all of us who claim to be believers.

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

WITH JESUS ON THE PERIPHERY

readings for sunday, August 17, 2014

 Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

                                                        L-Għoxrin Ħadd matul is-Sena                                                          

Missalin A  p 353

Reading 1  -  isaiah 56:1, 6-7

Thus says the LORD:  Observe what is right, do what is just;  for my salvation is about to come,  my justice, about to be revealed.  The foreigners who join themselves to the LORD, ministering to him,  loving the name of the LORD,  and becoming his servants— all who keep the sabbath free from profanation  and hold to my covenant, them I will bring to my holy mountain  and make joyful in my house of prayer;  their burnt offerings and sacrifices  will be acceptable on my altar,  for my house shall be called  a house of prayer for all peoples.  This is the Word of the Lord.

L-EWWEL LEZZJONI   -  Profeta Isaija 56.  1, 6-7

Dan igħid il-Mulej:  "Żommu s-sewwa u agħmlu l-ġustizzja,  għax is-salvazzjoni tiegħi għoddha waslet,  u l-ġustizzja tiegħi dalwaqt tfeġġ.  Ulied il-frustier li ntrabtu mal-Mulej biex jaqduh,  u biex iħobbu isem il-Mulej,  u jkunu qaddejja tiegħu,  kull min iħares is-Sibt u ma jiksrux  u jżomm sħiħ fil-patt tiegħi,  lil dawn inwassalhom sal-muntanja mqaddsa tiegħi,  u nferraħhom f'dar it-talb tiegħi.  Il-vittmi maħruqa u s-sagrifiċċji tagħhom  ikunu jogħġbuni telgħin minn fuq l-artal tiegħi,  għax dari dar it-talb tissejjaħ għall-popli kollha."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8

R/ (4) O God, let all the nations praise you!

May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.                                           R/

May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.                                        R/

May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!                         R/

Salm Responsorjali    -  Salm 66 (67)

                R/    Ifaħħruk il-popli kollha, o Alla.

Iħenn għalina Alla, u jberikna,

idawwar għal fuqna d-dija ta' wiċċu!

Biex jingħarfu fuq l-art triqatek,

fost il-ġnus kollha s-salvlazzjoni tiegħek.             R/

Jithennew il-ġnus u jgħannu bil-ferħ,

għax trieġi l-popli bis-sewwa,

u l-ġnus fuq l-art inti tmexxihom.                            R/

Ifaħħruk il-popli, o Alla,

ifaħħruk il-popli kollha.

Iberikna Alla, u tibża minnu

l-art kollha minn tarf għall-ieħor!                             R/

Reading 2               -           romans 11:13-15, 29-32

Brothers and sisters:  I am speaking to you Gentiles.  Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles,  I glory in my ministry in order to make my race jealous  and thus save some of them.   For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world,  what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?  For the gifts and the call of God are irrevocable.  Just as you once disobeyed God  but have now received mercy because of their disobedience,  so they have now disobeyed in order that,  by virtue of the mercy shown to you,  they too may now receive mercy.  For God delivered all to disobedience, that he might have mercy upon all. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni   -   Ittra  lir-Rumani 11, 13-15, 29- 32

Ħuti, issa ngħid lilkom, il-pagani.  Sakemm jiena appostlu tal-pagani nibqa' nagħmel  ġieħ lill-ministieru tiegħi, bit-tama li nqajjem l-għira  ta' ġensi u hekk insalva lil xi wħud minnhom.  Għax  jekk it-tkeċċija tagħhom ġiebet il-ħbiberija  tad-dinja ma' Alla, l-ilqugħ  tagħhom mill-ġdid  xi jkun ifisser, jekk mhux ħajja mill-imwiet?  Aħna ma jreġġax lura d-doni u s-sejħa tiegħu.  Bħalma fl-imgħoddi  intom ma kontux tobdu lil Alla, imma issa sibtu l-ħniena tiegħu  minħabba d-diżubbidjenza tagħhom; hekk  huma wkoll m'humiex jobduh minħabba  l-ħniena li sibtu intom mingħandu, ħalli issa huma wkoll isibu l-ħniena.  Għax Alla ħalla 'l kulħadd fil-jasar tad-diżubidjenza,  biex jagħmel  ħniena ma' kulħadd. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel         -    matthew 15:21-28

At that time, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman of that district came and called out,  “Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David!  My daughter is tormented by a demon.”  But Jesus did not say a word in answer to her. Jesus’ disciples came and asked him,  “Send her away, for she keeps calling out after us.”  He said in reply,  “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.”  But the woman came and did Jesus homage, saying, “Lord, help me.”  He said in reply,  “It is not right to take the food of the children  and throw it to the dogs.”  She said, “Please, Lord, for even the dogs eat the scraps  that fall from the table of their masters.”  Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be done for you as you wish.”  And the woman’s daughter was healed from that hour.  This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Evanġelju  - skond San Mattew 15, 21-28

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' telaq lejn Tir u Sidon. U ħarġet waħda mara Kangħanija minn dawk l-inħawi, u qabdet tgħajjet u tgħid:  "Ħenn għalija, Mulej, Bin David; binti għandha fiha xitan, u magħdura ħafna!" Iżda hu ma weġibhiex kelma.  Resqu lejħ id-dixxipli tiegħu, jitolbuh u jgħidulu:  "Eħles minnha, għax ġejja tgħajjat warajna."   Imma hu qalilhom: "Ma ġejtx  mibgħut ħlief għan-nagħaġ li  ntilfu mid-dar ta' Iżrael."  Iżda hi resqet, inxteħtet quddiemu u qaltlu:  "Għinni Mulej!" Hu weġibha:  "Mhux sewwa tieħu l-ħobż ta' l-ulied u tixtħu lill-ġriei." "Hekk hu, Mulej – qaltlu – iżda l-ġriewi wkoll jieklu l-frakk li jaqa' minn fuq il-mejda ta' sidienhom!" Imbagħad wieġeb Ġesu' u qalilha:   "Mara, il-fidi tiegħek kbira!  Ħa jsirlek kif tixtieq."  U minn dak il-ħin stess bintha fieqet. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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BIBLICAL REFLECTION by Fr Thomas Rosica, CEO Salt & Light TV

WITH JESUS ON THE PERIPHERY

In the pre-conclave meetings of the College of Cardinals prior to the election of the new pope in March 2013, one very memorable and decisive intervention was made by the Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires on the morning of March 7, 2013. In his brief, four-minute address, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio spoke about the work of Evangelization in four concise points. He suggested, if the Church has a self-referential spirit, it interferes with its ability to carry out its mission. Two of the points he mentioned were:

                1) Evangelizing pre-supposes a desire in the Church to come out of herself. The Church is       called to come out of herself and to go to the peripheries, not only geographically, but also to the existential peripheries: the mysteries of sin, of pain, of injustice, of ignorance and indifference to religion, of intellectual currents, and of all forms of misery.

                2) Thinking of the next pope: He must be a man who, from the contemplation and adoration of Jesus Christ, helps the Church to go out to the existential peripheries, who helps her to be the fruitful mother, who gains life from “the sweet and comforting joy of   evangelizing.” 

Cardinal Bergoglio basically asked his brother Cardinals, gathered in the upper room, “Are we willing to break out of the strangleholds and unhealthy molds that have prevented us from announcing the Gospel and inviting others into the Church?”….  “Are we interested in transmitting the faith and bringing non-Christians to belief in Jesus?” “Are we truly missionary at heart?”

That four-minute intervention in the Synod Hall provides the key to understanding the man who would become Pope Francis, a pastor who “helps the Church to go out to the existential peripheries, who helps her to be the fruitful mother” by “the sweet and comforting joy of evangelizing.”  Sunday’s Gospel is precisely about Jesus’ going out to the periphery. In order to better understand the powerful significance of Matthew’s Gospel text for the 20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time for Year A, it is essential to look at the wider context of Matthew’s Gospel. The evangelist wrote his story of Jesus for a Jewish Christian community caught in a tumultuous moment of history. The community was struggling to preserve its connection to its historical roots in Judaism and hesitant before a future that promised substantial, even earth-shattering change.

In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus begins his public ministry by insisting that his mission is only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (10:6; 15:24). Matthew’s Jesus anticipates this turning point from an exclusive focus on Israel to an inclusive mission to Jews and Gentiles as he encounters Gentiles who seem to push their way onto the Gospel stage. First, there were the three astrologers who read the stars and came seeking the Messiah (2:1-12). Then there was a Roman centurion of Capernaum who begged Jesus to heal his sick servant (8:5-13), and in doing so evoked in Jesus a vision of a future mission far beyond the boundaries of Israel. Who can forget the striking Gadarene demoniac whose tortured existence reaches Jesus as he comes ashore in the alien territory of the ten cities – on the other side of the lake (8:28-34)?

In today’s Gospel, Jesus’ provocative meeting with the Syro-Phoenician woman (15:21-28) is set outside the land of Israel in the territory of Tyre and Sidon in southern Lebanon. A foreign woman draws near to a Jewish man, pays him homage, and makes of him a daring and bold request: “Lord, son of David, have pity on me! My daughter is terribly troubled by a demon” (15:22). She demands that Jesus come to help her young daughter in distress. Jesus dismisses his disciples’ wishes that he distance himself from this foreign woman.

Yet Jesus responds quite forcefully to the woman: “I am a stranger here; I should not interfere.” It seems so out of character for him to say this. “Lord, help me!” the woman pleads (15:25). Jesus’ next words are somewhat scandalous: “It is not right to take the food of children and throw it to the dogs!” (15:26) What an insult, that sees others not as human beings, but as animals eating leftovers! Are we not disturbed by Jesus’ rudeness, coldness, and indifference to this woman in need?

The Syro-Phoenician woman is desperate, along with her daughter who suffers from a demon: some kind of ailment that ostracizes and alienates both mother and daughter from the community. This troubled woman and her sick daughter simply desire to live normal lives again without grief, anxiety, and suffering. Jesus understands his mission – but not in relation to this woman. After all, he was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, but he too experienced deep rejection from his own people to whom he was sent.  In this incredible Gospel encounter, the world of the troubled woman whose daughter is dying and the world of Jesus, the Jewish prophet who is being rejected, collide. And in that collision, something new was born, not only for the two of them but for the whole of Matthew’s Gospel community.

The Syro-Phoenician calls Jesus “Lord,” refers to him as “master,” and humbly says that she, like a dog at the table of his household, will gladly take the leftovers of his mission and power. She receives from him what his own people will not accept. Jesus is astounded at her faith. Through her insistence, perseverance, boldness, and courage, this stranger on the periphery forced Jesus to rethink his entire mission. The unnamed woman is allowed to participate in the Messianic salvation that is offered to all who believe in the Lord and keep his commandments, regardless of their origin, or social status, or condition. The woman proclaims that the love of God cannot be bound. Because of the Syro-Phoenician woman’s persistence, Jesus learned a powerful lesson of universalism, love, and service and thus extended his mission far beyond his own people, his own religion, and his own nation.

We must be honest, however, that despite the inclusive mission of Jesus beyond the lost sheep of the house of Israel, and despite the commission of the Risen Christ that his disciples go to all nations, the Early Church experienced much perplexity, strife, and poor pastoral planning as the Gospel moved beyond the boundaries of Israel and their Jewish Christian experience – almost in spite of the early community’s efforts. The contemporary Church continues to experience those same labour pains as we strive to bring the Gospel message to the ends of the earth, to the peripheries of our times.

In the first months of his Petrine ministry, the Pope who came from the ends of the earth wrote a magnificent blueprint for the mission of the Church called Evangelii Gaudium (“The Joy of the Gospel”). In paragraph 20, we read:    The word of God constantly shows us how God challenges those who believe in him “to go forth.” Abraham received the call to set out for a new land (cf. Gen 12:1-3). Moses heard God’s call: “Go, I send you” (Ex 3:10) and led the people towards the promised land (cf. Ex3:17). To Jeremiah, God says: “To all whom I send you, you shall go” (Jer 1:7). In our day Jesus’ command to “go and make disciples” echoes in the changing scenarios and ever new challenges to the Church’s mission of evangelization, and all of us are called to take part in this new missionary “going forth.” Each Christian and every community must discern the path that the Lord points out, but all of us are asked to obey his call to go forth from our own comfort zone in order to reach all the “peripheries” in need of the light of the Gospel.

Who knows what will happen to us when we open ourselves up to God and allow his Word to work within us? Who can imagine what will happen when we break out of the strangleholds and chains that have prevented us from going to the geographical and existential peripheries of our times and places? We might meet strangers and outsiders who interrupt our lives, stop us in our tracks, and force us to ask deeper questions. We may end up, like Jesus, praising the still greater faith in those strangers and outsiders who end up evangelizing us!