Doing the Father's Will

readings for September 28, 2014

 Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

                                      Is-Sitta u għoxrin Ħadd matul is-Sena                                 

Missalin A  p 384

Reading 1                ezekiel 18:25-28

Thus says the LORD:  You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!"  Hear now, house of Israel:  Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair?  When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies,  it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die.   But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed,  he does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni    -  Profeta Eżekjel  18, 25 -28

Dan jgħid il-Mulej: "Intom tgħidu: "M'hijiex sewwa l-imġiba tal-Mulej!"  Issa isimgħu dar Eżrael:  Forsi l-imġiba tiegħek m'hijiex  sewwa?   Mhux l-imġiba tagħkom li m'hijiex sewwa?  Jekk wieħed ġust jitbiegħed mill-ġustizzja tiegħu u jagħmel il-ħażen,  u jmut minħabba dan, minħabba ħżunitu jkun miet.  Imma jekk il-midneb jerġa' lura mid-dnub li jkun għamel,u jagħmel il-ħaqq u l-ġustizzja, hu jsalva ruħu. Għax ikun intebaħ u rega' lura mid-dnubiet kollha li jkun għamel, u jibqa' ħaj u ma jmutx."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm      psalm 25:4-5, 8-9, 10, 14

R/  Remember your mercies, O Lord.

Your ways, O LORD, make known to me;
teach me your paths,
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my savior.                                          R/

Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not;
in your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.                       R/

Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.                            R/

Salm Responsorjali  -   Salm 24 (25)

     R/   Ftakar fil-ħniena u t-tjieba tiegħek, Mulej.

Triqatek, Mulej, għarrafni,

il-mogħdijiet tiegħek għallimni.

Mexxini fis-sewwa tiegħek u għallimni,

għax int Alla tas-salvazzjoni tiegħi.

Għalik nixxennaq il-jum kollu.                                  R/

Ftalar fil-ħniena u fit-tjieba tiegħek,

għax huma minn dejjem, Mulej.

Tiftakarx  fil-ħtijiet u fid-dnubiet ta' żgħożiti,

inti tajjeb, Mulej;

ftakar  fija skond it-tjieba tiegħek.                           R/

Tajjeb u sewwa l-Mulej;

għalhekk juri triqtu lill-ħatja.

Imexxi l-imsejkna fis-sewwa,

Jgħallem lill-fqajrin it-triq tiegħu.                           R/

Reading 2                            philippians 2:1-11

Brothers and sisters:  If there is any encouragement in Christ,  any solace in love,  any  participation in the Spirit,  any compassion and mercy,  complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love,  united in heart, thinking one thing.  Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory;  rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves,  each looking out not for his own interests,  but also for those of others.  Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus,  Who, though he was in the form of God,  did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.  Rather, he emptied himself,  taking the form of a slave,  coming in human likeness;  and found human in appearance, he humbled himself,  becoming obedient to the point of death,  even death on a cross.  Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name  which is above every name,  that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend,  of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that  Jesus Christ is Lord,  to the glory of God the Father.   This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni   -    mill-Ittra lill-Filippin  2. 1 -11

Ħuti, jekk hemm fikom xi faraġ fi Kristu,  jekk hemm xi kelma ta' ħlewwa fl-imħabba; jekk hemm xi xirka fl-Ispirtu; jekk hemm xi ħniena u mogħdrija;  kunu  feħma waħda u mlewni bil-ferħ!   Ħa jkollkom l-istess  imħabba, u ruħ waħda u ħsieb wieħed.  Tagħmlu xejn b'pika ta' partit, anqas għall-ftaħir fieragħ  imma kunu umli u kull wieħed minnkom iqis lill-ieħor  aħjar minnu.    Ħadd minnkom ma għandu jfittex li  jaqbillu, imma li  jaqbel lil ħaddieħor.  Aħsbu  bħalma kien jaħseb Kristu Ġesu';  hu li għad li kellu n-natura ta' Alla,  ma qagħadx ifittex tiegħu li hu daqs Alla,  iżda xejjen lilu nnifsu billi ħa n-natura ta' lsir;  sar jixbah lill-bnedmin, u deher minn barra bħala bniedem,  ċekken lilu nnifsu, billi obda sal-mewt, anzi sal-mewt tas-salib. Għalhekk Alla għollieh sas-smewwiet u żejnu bl-isem li hu fuq kull isem,  biex fl-isem ta' Ġesu'  -  fis-sema, fl-art u f'qiegħ l-art – il-ħlejjaq kollha jinżlu għarkubbtejhom,  u kull ilsien jistqar: "Ġesu' Kristu hu l-Mulej,"  għall-glorja ta' Alla l-Missier.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                      matthew 21:28-32

Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people:  "What is your opinion?  A man had two sons.  He came to the first and said,  'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.' He said in reply, 'I will not, '  but afterwards changed his mind and went.  The man came to the other son and gave the same order.  He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, ‘but did not go.  Which of the two did his father's will?"  They answered, "The first."  Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you,  tax collectors and prostitutes  are entering the kingdom of God before you.  When John came to you in the way of righteousness,  you did not believe him;  but tax collectors and prostitutes did.  Yet even when you saw that,  you did not later change your minds and believe him." 

L-Evanġelju  -  skond San Mattew 23, 28 – 32

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lill-qassisin il-kbar u lix-xjuħ tal-poplu:  "Intom x'jidhrilkom?  Kien hemm raġel li kellu żewġ ulied. Resaq fuq il-kbir u qallu:   "Ibni, llum mur aħdem l-għalqa tad-dwieli."  U dak qallu:  "Ma rridx."   Iżda mbagħad biddel il-fehma  u mar.  Resaq fuq l-ieħor u qallu l-istess.  "Arani sejjer, sidi,"  qallu dan  u ma mar xejn.  Min minnhom it-tnejn għamel kif ried il-missier?" "L-ewwel wieħed,"  weġbuh.  U qalilhom Ġesu':  "Tassew,  ngħidilkom, li l-pubblikani u n-nisa tat-triq deħlin qabilkom   fis-Saltna ta' Alla.  Għax Ġwanni ġie għandkom miexi fit-triq tal-ġustizzja, u intom  ma emmintuħx iżda l-pubblikani u n-nisa tat-triq emmnuh;  u għalkemm intom rajtu dan kollu, bqajtu sa l-aħħar ma biddiltux il-fehma tagħkom, u ma emmintuħx. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej      

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COMMENTARY:

Prostitutes Will Enter the Kingdom Before You

Gospel Commentary 

by Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

This Sunday we hear Jesus' parable of the man who had two sons whom he asks to go to the vineyard to work.  One son says "no" but then goes; one says "yes" and does not -  "no" represents those who knew God and followed his law to a certain extent but did not accept Christ, who was "the fulfillment of the law." The son who says "no" and does "yes" represents those who once lived outside the law and will of God, but then, with Christ, thought again and welcomed the Gospel.

From this Jesus draws the following conclusion before the chief priests and elders: "Truly, I say to you, even the publicans and prostitutes will enter the Kingdom of God before you."

No saying of Christ has been more manipulated than this. Some have ended up creating a kind of evangelical aura about prostitutes, idealizing them and opposing them to those with good reputations, who are all regarded without distinction as hypocritical scribes and Pharisees. Literature is full of "good" prostitutes. Just think of Verdi's "La Traviata" or the meek Sonya of Dostoevsky's "Crime and Punishment"!

But this is a terrible misunderstanding. Jesus is talking about a limited case, as it were. "Even" the prostitutes, he wants to say, are going to enter the Kingdom of God before you. Prostitution is seen in all its seriousness and taken as a term of comparison to point out the gravity of the sin of those who stubbornly reject the truth.

We do not see that, moreover, idealizing the category of prostitute, we also idealize that of publican, which is a category that always accompanies it in the Gospel. The publicans, who were employees of the Roman tax collection agencies, participated in the unjust practices of these agencies. If Jesus links prostitutes and publicans together, he does not do this without a reason; they have both made money the most important thing in life.

It would be tragic if such passages from the Gospel made Christians less attentive to combating the degrading phenomenon of prostitution, which today has assumed alarming proportions in our cities. Jesus had too much respect for women to not suffer beforehand for that which she will become when she is reduced to this state. What he appreciates in the prostitute is not her way of life, but her capacity to change and to put her ability to love in the service of the good. Mary Magdalene, who converted and followed Jesus all the way to the cross, is an example of this (supposing that she was a prostitute).

What Jesus intends to teach with his words here he clearly says at the end: The publicans and prostitutes converted with John the Baptist's preaching; the chief priests and the elders did not. The Gospel, therefore, does not direct us to moralistic campaigns against prostitutes, but neither does it allow us to joke about it, as if it were nothing.

In the new form under which prostitution presents itself today, we see that it is now able to make a person a significant amount of money and do so without involving them in the terrible dangers to which the poor women of previous times, who were condemned to the streets, were subjected. This form consists in selling one's body safely through cameras. What a woman does when she loans herself to pornography and certain excessive forms of advertisement is to sell her body to the eyes if not to contact. This is certainly prostitution, and it is worse than traditional prostitution, because it is publicly imposed and does not respect people's freedom and sentiments.

But having denounced these things as we must, we would betray the spirit of the Gospel if we did not also speak of the hope that these words of Christ offer to women, who, on account of various circumstances (often out of desperation), have found themselves on the street, for the most part victims of unscrupulous exploitation. The Gospel is "gospel," that is, "glad tidings," news of ransom, of hope, even for prostitutes. Indeed, perhaps it is for them first of all. This is how Jesus wanted it.

[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]  © Innovative Media Inc

"Go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just"

Readings for sunday, September 21, 2014

Twenty-fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Il-Ħamsa u għoxrin Ħadd matul is-Sena

Missalin A  p 379

It-Tjieba u l-Ġenerożita’ ta’ Alla

Reading 1               -           isaiah 55:6-9

Seek the LORD while he may be found, call him while he is near. Let the scoundrel forsake his way, and the wicked his thoughts; let him turn to the LORD for mercy; to our God, who is generous in forgiving. For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the LORD. As high as the heavens are above the earth, so high are my ways above your ways and my thoughts above your thoughts. This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  -  Profeta Isaija 55, 6-9

Fittxu l-Mulej sekemm tistgħu ssibuh, sejħulu sakemm hu fil-qrib! Ħa jħalli triqtu l-midneb, u l-bniedem il-ħażin feħmietu;  ħa jerġa' lura għand il-Mulej u jħenn għalih, għand Alla tagħna għax hu jaħfer ħafna. Il-fehmiet tiegħi m'humiex fehmietkom, u t-triqat tiegħi m'humiex triqatkom.  Oraklu tal-Mulej.  Għax daqs kemm huma ogħla s-smewwiet mill-art,  daqshekk ieħor huma triqati 'l fuq minn triqatkom,  u l-fehmiet tiegħi mill-fehmiet tagħkom.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm  -  psalm 145:2-3, 8-9, 17-18

R/ (18a) The Lord is near to all who call upon him.

Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
Great is the LORD and highly to be praised;
his greatness is unsearchable.                                                  R/

The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.                            R/

                                                  
The LORD is just in all his ways
and holy in all his works.
The LORD is near to all who call upon him,
to all who call upon him in truth.                                             R/

Salm Responsorjali    -  Salm 144(145)

    R/   Qrib il-Mulej lejn kull min isejjaħlu.

Kuljum irrid inbierkek,

u nfaħħar ismek għal dejjem ta' dejjem.

Kbir il-Mulej, ta' min ifaħħru bil-bosta,

bla tarf il-kobor tiegħu.                                                                R/

Twajjeb u ħanin il-Mulej,

Idumbiex jagħdab u kollu tjieba.

Twajjeb ma' kulħadd il-Mulej,

Tjubitu fuq kull ma għamel.                                       R/

Ġust il-Mulej fl-imġieba tiegħu kollha,

twajjeb f'dak kollu li għamel.

Qrib il-Mulej lejn kull min isejjaħlu

lejn kull min isejjaħlu fis-sewwa.                             R/

Reading 2                                       philippians 1:20c-24, 27a

Brothers and sisters:  Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death. For to me life is Christ, and death is gain. If I go on living in the flesh, that means fruitful labour for me.  And I do not know which I shall choose.  I am caught between the two.  I long to depart this life and be with Christ, for that is far better.  Yet that I remain in the flesh is more necessary for your benefit. Only, conduct yourselves in a way worthy of the gospel of Christ. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni  -  Ittra lir-Rumani 1, 20,- 24,27

Ħuti, Krisu jkun imsebbaħ fil-ġisem tiegħi, sew jekk ngħix u sew jekk immut. Għax għalija l-ħajja hi Kristu, u l-mewt hi rebħ. Jekk għandi nibqa' ħaj fil-ġisem, dan ifisser li għandi nagħti l-frott tax-xogħol tiegħi. X'naqbad nagħmel ma nafx;  ninsab bejn ħaltejn. Min-naħa l-waħda, nixtieq nintemm u nkun ma'  Kristu, li jkun ħafna aħjar għalija;  min-naħa l-oħra,  jekk nibqa' ngħix fil-ġisem, ikun ħafna aħjar għalikom.  Ħaġa waħda ngħidilkom:  ġibu ruħkom kif jixraq lill-  Evanġelju ta' Kristu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel          -         matthew 20:1-16a

Jesus told his disciples this parable:  “The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.  After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.  Going out about nine o’clock, the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard,  and I will give you what is just.’ So they went off.  And he went out again around noon, and around three o’clock, and did likewise.  Going out about five o’clock, the landowner found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’  When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,  ‘Summon the labourers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’ When those who had started about five o’clock came, each received the usual daily wage.  So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage.  And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,  ‘These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’  He said to one of them in reply,  ‘My friend, I am not cheating you.  Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?  Take what is yours and go.  What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?  Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’ Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last. This is the Word of The Lord.

Evanġelju  -  skond San Mattew 20. 1-16

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu din il-parabbola:    "Is-Saltna tas-Smewwiet tixbah lil wieħed sid li ħareg filgħodu kmieni ħafna biex isib nies tax-xogħol u jħaddimhom fl-għalqa tiegħu tad-dwieli.  Ftiehem ma' xi ħaddiema b'dinar kull jum u bagħathom fl-għalqa.  Ħareġ ukoll madwar  it-tielet siegħa, ra oħrajn qegħdin fil-pjazza, bla xogħol, u qalilhom:   "Morru intom ukoll l-għalqa, u nagħtikom li jkun ħaqqkom"    U marru.  Raġa' ħareġ għal xi s-sitt siegħa u mbagħad għal  xi d-disgħa siegħu, u għamel l-istess.   Għall-ħabta  tal-ħdax-il siegħa raġa ħareġ u sab oħrajn qiegħda, u qalilhom:  "Għaliex qegħdin hawn il-jum kollu ma tagħmlu xejn?"   Qalulu:  'Għax ħadd ma qabbadna."   Qalilhom:   "Morru intom ukoll l-għalqa." Għal fil-għaxija mbagħad sid l-għalqa qal lill-prokoratur tiegħu:    "Sejjaħ lill-ħaddiema u ħallashom, ibda minn  dawk li ġew l-aħħar  u spiċċa b'dawk ta' l-ewwel."    Ġew dawk li daħlu għax-xogħol fil-ħdax-il siegħa u ħadu  dinar kull wieħed.  Ġew ta' l-ewwel, u stennew li kienu se  jirċievu iktar, iżda huma wkoll ħadu dinar kull  wieħed.    Huma u jitħallsu qabdu jgemgmu kontra s-sid u jgħidu: "Dawn ta' l-aħħar siegħa waħda għamlu, u int qisthom  bħalna li  tgħabbejna bil-piż tal-jum u s-sħana!"   Qabeż is-sid u qal lil  wieħed minnhom:  "Ħabib, minn xejn ma nqastek jien;  mhux  b'dinar ftehemt miegħi?   Ħu li jmissek u itlaq.  Lil dan ta' l-aħħar irrid nagħtih daqs kemm tajt lilek.  Ma nistax nagħmel li rrid bi ħwejjġi jien?  Jew qiegħed tgħir għax jien qalbi tajba?"  Hekk ta' l-aħħar jiġu l-ewwel, u ta' l-ewwel jiġu l-aħħar." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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“Are you envious because I am generous?” 

By Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB,

CEO Salt + Light Catholic Media Foundation

Jesus teaches through parables, he expresses profound truths with simple stories and images that engage minds and hearts. In the Old Testament, the use of parables reflects an ancient, culturally universal method of teaching an ethical lesson applicable to every day life, by using symbolic stories with concrete characters and actions. Most of the time, the original audience that first heard these stories was left to draw their own conclusions. Other times, the evangelists provided an explanation of Jesus’ story. Often the indirectness of parables makes the wisdom of Jesus of inaccessible to hostile literalists.

Today’s gospel parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16a) serves as a corrective to false notions of entitlement and merit. The story reflects the socio-economic background of Palestine at the time of Jesus. The parable is offensive to us and it challenges our sense of justice. In order to grasp the full impact of the story, it is essential to understand the sequence of events in the parable. The householder hires laborers for his vineyard about 6:00 a.m. for a denarius, which would be considered as a fair day’s wages. We are already given a hint of the householder’s generosity as he engages laborers at varying hours during the day. Could it be that the householder has a compassionate concern for the unemployed and their families as opposed to actually needing them for the harvest? The question is open-ended.

The workers who were hired first appeal to common sense, equitable treatment, logic, and reason. Their complaint is not necessarily that the last hired received a payment, but that if the householder was so generous with the last, then certainly he might provide them with a “bonus” for having endured the heat of the day. Some interpreters have attempted to minimize this breach of fairness by explaining that perhaps the quality of work which was done during the last hour was equivalent to the work done the entire day by others. Others use the rationale that a contract is indeed a contract, and therefore the laborers hired at the beginning of the day have reason whatsoever to argue about the wages due to them. The fact of the matter is that from the purely human, logical point of view, they had reason to complain. However, this parable is not about ethical and fair labor management, but rather about the radical nature of God’s generosity, compassion and the in-breaking Kingdom.

The radical moment of the parable (as indicated by 19:30 and 20:16) is noted in 20:8-9 as those who were employed not only receive payment in reverse order, but receive equal payment for their efforts! The parable reaches its crescendo in verse 15 with the question: “Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?” The owner of the vineyard reserves the right to pay his employees not on the basis of their own merits but rather on the basis of his own compassion.

Generosity condemned as injustice

In today’s parable, why should such generosity be condemned as injustice? This idea finds its roots and deepest meaning in the Old Testament understanding of God the Creator who is good and generous to all who turn to him. This is the God in whom Jesus believed and lived, but in the person of Jesus, the divine compassion, the divine mercy, the divine goodness surpassed the divine justice. Therefore all who follow Jesus as his disciples and friends much imitate this extraordinary compassion and lavish generosity and never question, deny it or begrudge it.

The God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ reveals his identity to us in today’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah: “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:8-9)

We are like the eleventh-hour workers

Perhaps many of us feel strongly with the disgruntled workers of verse 12. How often have we known whimsical employers who have compensated lazy or problematic workers far too generously, rather than acknowledging the faithful, dedicated day-in day-out workers? We may ask ourselves: How can God be so unfair? How can God overlook his most faithful workers? Underneath this parable is the issue of bargaining with God. From the very beginnings of religion it has been assumed that we mortals can bargain with the gods to obtain from them what we want.

How many times have we experienced this in our Church belonging and service? Some may grumble and claim that their long, dedicated, tireless service qualifies them instantly for higher pay, higher rank, and greater privilege and prestige. It is precisely at moments like this that we must humbly acknowledge that we are like those eleventh-hour workers. Not one of us deserves the blessings that God has prepared for us. Our grumbling and lateral gazing often lead to serious resentments that are hard to shake off. All our good works give us no claim upon God. How much less do we have the right to demand, even if we have done everything we ought to do, that we should be honored and rewarded by God in a special manner as if we were such meritorious indispensable persons in His service? The word “entitlement” does not exist in the vocabulary of the Kingdom of God.

The only remedy to such sentiments is to look upon the merciful face of Jesus and thus recognize God’s lavish generosity in the flesh. Human logic is limited but the mercy and grace of God know no limits or boundaries. God doesn’t act by our standards. This means that we must see God and accept Him, in our brother and sister just as God has wished them to be. When God chooses a person, granting him/her particular graces, blessings or gifts, God does not reject the other person nor deprives him/her of His grace. God’s graces and blessings are boundless, and each person receives his or her own share. God’s choice of a person or people should not be a cause of pride in those chosen, or rejection of those not chosen. It is only when the two parties live in humility and simplicity, and recognize together a God of love and mercy at work in their lives, that they will begin to learn the real meaning of love and justice, and finally come to reconciliation and deep, mutual understanding.

For your reflection

In the New Testament, Jesus teaches us that we must overcome jealousy and envy. This is brought out in today’s parable of the laborers who come to work at different times of the day, and receive the same salary at the end. Those who came at the first hour grumbled against the landowner. “He said to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you… Are you envious because I am generous?” (Mt 20:13-15).

Consider these two sections from the Catechism of the Catholic Church (#2552-2553):

2552 The tenth commandment forbids avarice arising from a passion for riches and their attendant power.

2553 Envy is sadness at the sight of another’s goods and the immoderate desire to have them for oneself. It is a capital sin.

Envy is that fault in the human character that cannot recognize the beauty and uniqueness of the other, and denies them honor. In order to approach God, who is total goodness, beauty and generosity, this attitude must be broken from within. Envy can no longer see. Our eyes remain nailed shut. Envy and avarice are sins against the tenth commandment. What can we do to move beyond the blindness and hardness of heart?

When Faith Prevails

Since we will be off-line from now and all the coming week, we have uploaded the Readings for Sunday, September 14 early.  If you need the Readings for Sunday, September 7th, please scroll down to the bottom of this post, and you'll find them there!

24^th Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A – Exaltation of the Cross

Lectionary: 638

L-24 Hadd tas-sena A – Esaltazzjoni tas-Salib

Reading 1   -  NuMbers 21:4B-9

With their patience worn out by the journey,  the people complained against God and Moses, “Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert,  where there is no food or water?  We are disgusted with this wretched food!”  In punishment the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents,  which bit the people so that many of them died.  Then the people came to Moses and said,  “We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you.  Pray the LORD to take the serpents from us.”  So Moses prayed for the people, and the LORD said to Moses,   “Make a saraph and mount it on a pole,   and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live.”   Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole,   and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent   looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. This is the Word of The Lord.

1 Qari   -  NuMri 21:4B-9

Il-poplu ddejjaq jimxi, u beda jgerger kontra Alla u kontra Mosè: ̋Ghala tellajtuna mill-Egittu biex immutu fid-deżert? M'hawnx hobż u lanqas ilma; ahna xbajna b'dan l-ikel  hafif.̏  U l-Mulej baghat sriep velenużi f'nofs il-poplu u bdew jigdmuhom; u mietu hafna mill-poplu ta' Iżrael.  U l-poplu mar ghand Mosè, u qalulu: ̋Dnibna ghax tkellimna kontra l-Mulej u kontra tieghek. Itlob lill-Mulej ha jwarrab is-sriep minn fostna.̏ U Mosè mar jitlob ghall-poplu.  U l-Mulej kellem lil Mosè u qallu: ̋Aghmel serp tal-bronż velenuż, u arbulah bhal stendard; u kull min jingidem u jhares lejh ifiq u jghix.̏  U Mosè ghamel serp tal-bronż, u arbulah bhal stendard. U gara li kull min kien jigdmu s-serp kien ihares lejn is-serp tal-bronż, u kien ifiq u jghix.    Kelma tal-Mulej.

Responsorial Psalm   -  PSalm 78:1BC-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

Hearken, my people, to my teaching;
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable,
I will utter mysteries from of old.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

While he slew them they sought him
and inquired after God again,
Remembering that God was their rock
and the Most High God, their redeemer.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

But they flattered him with their mouths
and lied to him with their tongues,
Though their hearts were not steadfast toward him,
nor were they faithful to his covenant.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

But he, being merciful, forgave their sin
and destroyed them not;
Often he turned back his anger
and let none of hi s wrath be roused.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

Salm   Responsorjali -  Salm 78:1BC-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

Poplu tiegħi, agħtu widen għal-liġi tiegħi,

iftħu widnejkom għal kliem fommi.

Niftaħ fommi biex inxandar kliem l-għerf;

nitkellem fuq ħwejjeġ moħbija mill-qedem.

R. Ftakru f’kull m’ghamel maghkom il-Mulej!

Mbagħad kienu jfittxuh meta kien jeqridhom,

kienu jindmu  u jfittxu 'l Alla bil-ħerqa;

kienu jiftakru li Alla l-blata tagħhom,

Alla l-Għoli l-feddej tagħhom.

R. Ftakru f’kull m’ghamel maghkom il-Mulej!

Imma kienu jqarrqu bih bi kliemhom,

kienu jigdbulu bi lsienhom.

Għax qalbhom ma kinitx sewwa miegħu,

ma kinux fidili mal-patt tiegħu.

R. Ftakru f’kull m’ghamel maghkom il-Mulej!

Iżda hu kien iħenn u jaħfrilhom il-ħtija,

ma kienx jasal biex jeqridhom;

ħafna drabi kien iżomm il-korla,

ma kienx jixgħel qilltu kollha.

R. Ftakru f’kull m’ghamel maghkom il-Mulej!

Reading 2    -  PHILippians 2:6-11

Brothers and sisters:  Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,  did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.  Rather, he emptied himself,  taking the form of a slave,  coming in human likeness;  and found human in appearance,  he humbled himself,  becoming obedient to death,  even death on a cross.  Because of this, God greatly exalted him  and bestowed on him the name  that is above every name,  that at the name of Jesus  every knee should bend,  of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,  and every tongue confess that  Jesus Christ is Lord,  to the glory of God the Father.  This is the Word of The Lord.

2 QARI    -  FILippini 2:6-11

Gesu Kristu, hu li għad li kellu n-natura ta' Alla, ma qagħadx ifittex tiegħu li hu daqs Alla, iżda xejjen lilu nnifsu billi ħa n-natura ta' lsir; sar jixbah lill-bnedmin, u deher minn barra bħala bniedem; ċekken lilu nnifsu, billi obda sal-mewt, anzi sal-mewt tas-salib. Għalhekk Alla għollieh sas-smewwiet u żejjnu bl-Isem li hu fuq kull isem, biex fl-isem ta' Ġesù - fis-sema, fl-art u f'qiegħ l-art -  il-ħlejjaq kollha jinżlu għarrkubbtejhom, u kull ilsien jistqarr: "Ġesù Kristu hu l-Mulej, għall-glorja ta' Alla l-Missier?".  Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel  -  JohN 3:13-17

Jesus said to Nicodemus:  “No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man.  And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert,  so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life.”  For 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.   This is the Word of The Lord.

Vangelu  -  GWANNI  3:13-17

Gesu qal lil Nikodemu :  « Ħadd ma tela' s-sema ħlief Bin il-bniedem, li niżel mis-sema. U kif Mosè rafa' s-serp fid-deżert, hekk jeħtieġ li jkun merfugħ Bin il-bniedem, biex kull min jemmen fih ikollu l-ħajja ta' dejjem. » Għax Alla hekk ħabb lid-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 ssalva permezz tiegħu.

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When Faith Prevails

Gospel Commentary for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross – by Fr Raniero Cantalamessa ofm conv

The suffering of the cross, its hard necessity in life, its reality as a way of following Christ is not presented to the faithful on Sunday, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Instead the glory of the cross, the cross as a reason for boasting and not for weeping is given pride of place.

Let us first say something about the origin of this feast. It recalls two events, distant from each other in time. The first is Constantine’s founding in 325 of two basilicas, one at the site of Golgotha and one over Christ’s sepulcher. The other event, in 628, is the Christians victory over the Persians, which led to the recovery of relics of the cross and their triumphal return to Jerusalem. With the passing of time, however, the feast came to take on a new meaning. It became a joyous celebration of the mystery of the cross, which Christ transformed from an instrument of shame and judgment to an instrument of salvation.

The readings reflect the latter significance of the feast. The second reading contains the celebrated hymn from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians in which the cross is seen as the cause of Christ’s “exaltation”: “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” The Gospel too speaks of the cross as a moment in which the Son of Man is lifted up “so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

In history there have been two basic ways of representing the cross and the crucified. For the sake of convenience we will call them the “ancient” and the “modern.” The ancient way, which we can admire in the mosaics of the old basilicas and in the crucifixes of Romanesque art, is the festive way, full of majesty. The cross, often without a corpus, is spangled with gems and set against a starry sky with the following inscription below: “Salus Mundi” -- “Salvation of the World,” as one sees in the celebrated mosaic of Ravenna.

In the wooden crucifixes of Romanesque art, this same type of representation is expressed in the Christ who is enthroned on the cross in royal and sacerdotal vestments, with eyes open, without a shadow of suffering but radiating rather majesty and victory, no longer crowned with thorns but with gems. It is the translation into visible form of the Psalm verse “God has ruled from a tree” -- “regnavit a ligno Deus.” Jesus speaks of his cross in these same terms: it is the moment of his “exaltation”: “When I am exalted I will draw all to myself” (John 12:32).

The modern way of representing the cross and the crucified begins with Gothic art. An extreme example is Matthias Grünewald’s depiction of the crucifixion in the Isenheim altar piece. The hands and feet are contorted around the nails like thorn bushes, the head is in agony beneath the crown of thorns, the body full of wounds. Even the crucifixes of Velasquez and Salvador Dalì and many others belong to this type.

Both of these ways of depicting the cross and the crucified shed light on true aspects of this mystery. The modern way -- dramatic, realistic, excruciating -- represents the cross in its crude reality, in the moment in which Christ dies upon it. It is the cross as symbol of evil, of suffering in the world and of the tremendous reality of death. The cross is represented here “in its causes,” so to speak, that which produces it: hatred, wickedness, injustice, sin.

The ancient way sheds life not on the cross’ causes but on its effects; not that which creates the cross, but that which the cross itself creates: reconciliation, peace, glory, security, eternal life. This is the cross that Paul defines as the “glory” or “boast” of believers. The Sept. 14 feast is called the “exaltation” of the cross, because it celebrates precisely this “exalted” aspect of the cross.

To the modern approach, the ancient should be united: rediscover the glorious cross. If when we were suffering it was helpful to think of Jesus on the cross in pain so that we could feel closer to him, it is now necessary to think of the cross in a different way. I will explain what I mean by an example. Suppose we have recently lost a loved one, perhaps after months of terrible suffering. It is good not to continue to think of her as she was then, torturing ourselves perhaps in our heart and mind, feeding a useless sense of guilt. All of that is over, it does not exist, it is unreal. If we continued in this way, we would only prolong the suffering and keep it alive artificially.

There are mothers (I don’t say this to judge but to help them) who, having accompanied a child for years in his or her Calvary, after the Lord has called the child to himself, refuse to live differently. In their house everything must be kept as it was when the child died; everything must speak of the child; there are constant visits to the cemetery. If there are other children in the family, they must adapt themselves to this muffled climate of death, and suffer grave psychological damage. Every display of joy in the house seems to be disrespectful. These are the people who are most in need of discovering the meaning of Sunday’s feast: the exaltation of the cross. It is no longer you who carry the cross the cross that carries you; the cross does not crush but exalts you.

We must now think of the loved one as he or she is now that “everything is finished.” This is what those ancient artists did with Jesus. They contemplated as he is now: risen, glorious, happy, serene, seated on the throne itself of God, with the Father who has “wiped away every tear from his eyes” and has given him “all power in heaven and on earth.” He is no longer in agony and spasms of death. I do not say that we can always command our heart and stop it from hurting over what has happened, but it is necessary to let faith finally prevail. If you do not do this, what use is faith?
[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]