The 34th (and Last) Sunday of Year A
L-Erbgħa u Tletin(u l-Aħħar) Ħadd matul is-Sena
Missalin A p 426
Thus says the Lord GOD: I
myself will look after and tend my sheep. As a shepherd tends his flock
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep. I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark. I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD. The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy, shepherding them rightly. As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD, I will judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats. This is the Word of The Lord.
when he finds himself among his scattered sheep, so will I tend my sheep. I will rescue them from every place where they were scattered when it was cloudy and dark. I myself will pasture my sheep; I myself will give them rest, says the Lord GOD. The lost I will seek out, the strayed I will bring back, the injured I will bind up, the sick I will heal, but the sleek and the strong I will destroy, shepherding them rightly. As for you, my sheep, says the Lord GOD, I will judge between one sheep and another, between rams and goats. This is the Word of The Lord.
L-Ewwel Lezzjoni - Profeta Eżekjel 34, 11-12,
15-17
Dan
jgħid Sidi l-Mulej: "Arawni, hekk jien se nfittex in-nagħaġ
tiegħi u nieħu ħsiebhom. Bħalma r-ragħaj jaħseb fil-merħla tiegħu meta jsib ruħu f'nofs in-nagħaġ mxerrda tiegħu,
hekk naħseb jien fin-nagħaġ tiegħi, u
nsalavhom minn kull
fejn xterdu fi żmien is-sħab u s-swied ta' l-ajru. Jiena stess nirgħa n-nagħaġ
tiegħi, u jiena nserraħom. Oraklu ta' Sidi l-Mulej. Jiena nfittex il-mitlufa, irreġġa'
lura l-imxerrda, ninfaxxa l-ġrieħi tal-miġrugħa, u nqawwi l-marida. Inħares is-smina u l-qawwija, u nirgħhom bil-ġustizzja. Imma għalik, merħla
tiegħi, hekk jgħid Sidi l-Mulej: Ara,
jiena nagħmel ħaqq bejn nagħġa u nagħġa, bejn imtaten u bdabad. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
………….
R/ (1) The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
The LORD is my
shepherd; I shall not want.
In verdant pastures he gives me repose. R/
In verdant pastures he gives me repose. R/
Beside restful
waters he leads me;
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake. R/
he refreshes my soul.
He guides me in right paths
for his name's sake. R/
You spread the
table before me
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows. R/
in the sight of my foes;
you anoint my head with oil;
my cup overflows. R/
Only goodness and
kindness follow me
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come. R/
all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD
for years to come. R/
Salm
Responsorjali Salm 22
(23)
R/ Il-Mulej hu r-ragħaj tiegħi, xejn ma
jonqosni.
Il-Mulej hu r-ragħaj tiegħi,
xejn ma jonqosni,
f'mergħat kollha ħdura jqegħedni. R/
Ħdejn l-ilma, fejn nistrieħ, jeħodni;
hemm hu jrejjaqni.
Imexxini fit-triq tas-sewwa
minħabba l-isem tiegħu. R/
Int tħejji mejda għalija
quddiem l-għedewwa tiegħi.
Iż-żejt tidlikli rasi,
u l-kalċi tiegħi tfawwarli. R/
Miegħi, iva, jimxu t-tjieba u l-ħniena
il-jiem kollha ta' ħajti.
U ngħammar f'dar il-Mulej
Sakemm indum ħaj! R/
…………………………..
…………………………..
Brothers and sisters: Christ
has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen
asleep. For since death came through man,
the resurrection of the dead came also through man. For just as in Adam
all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper
order: Christ the first fruits; then,
at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands
over the kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty
and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his
enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death. When
everything is subjected to him, then the Son himself will also be subjected to
the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all. This is
the Word of The Lord.
It-Tieni
Lezzjoni - mill-1
Ittra lill-Korintin, 15, 20-26,28
Ħuti, Kristu kien imqajjem
tassew mill-imwiet, l-ewwel fost dawk li raqdu. Għaliex, jekk permezz ta' bniedem feġġet il-mewt, bi bniedem ukoll iseħh il-qawmien mill-imwiet. Għax bħalma
il-bnedmin kollha jmutu f'Adam, hekk ukoll jiksbu l-ħajja fi Kristu. Imma kulħadd
skond kif imissu: jibda l-ewwel frott li hu
Kristu, wara, dawk li huma a'
Kristu, f'jum il-miġja tiegħu. Imbagħad it-tmiem, meta Kristu jerħi s-saltna f'idejn Alla l-Missieri, wara li jkun qered kull ħakma u kull setgħa u kull
qawwa. Għax jeħtieġ li hu jsaltan sa ma jqiegħed l-għedewwa
kollha taħt riġlejh. L-aħħar għadu li jinqered tkun il-Mewt.U meta kollox ikun
imqiegħed taħtu, imbagħad l-Iben stess jitqiegħed taħt Dak li jkun qegħedlu kollox taħtu, sabiex Alla ikun kollox
f'kollox. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
…………………………..
Jesus said to his disciples: "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and
all the angels with him, he will sit upon his glorious throne, and all the
nations will be assembled before him. And he will separate them one from
another, as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. He will place
the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. Then the king will say
to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit
the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was
hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger
and you welcomed me, naked and you clothed me, ill and you cared for me, in
prison and you visited me.’ Then the righteous will answer him and say, 'Lord,
when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? When
did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? When
did we see you ill or in prison, and visit you?’ And the king will say to them
in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of the least brothers
of mine, you did for me.’ Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from
me, you accursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For
I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, a
stranger and you gave me no welcome, naked and you gave me no clothing, ill and
in prison, and you did not care for me.’ Then they will answer and say, 'Lord,
when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or ill or in
prison, and not minister to your needs?’ He will answer them, 'Amen, I say to
you, what you did not do for one of these least ones, you did not do for me.’ And
these will go off to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal
life." This is the Word of The Lord.
L-Evanġelju - skond San Mattew 25, 31-46
F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal
lid-dixxipli tiegħu: "Meta jiġi Bin il-bniedem fil-glorja tiegħu u bl-anġli kollha miegħu, imbagħad joqgħod fuq it-tron glorjuż tiegħu. U quddiemu jinġabru l-ġnus kollha, u hu jifridhom minn : in-nagħag iqegħedhom fuq il-lemin u l-mogħoż fuq ix-xellug. Imbagħad
is-Sultan jgħid lil dawk ta' fuq il-lemin
tiegħu: "Ejjew, imberkin minn :
"Mulej, meta rajniek bil-ġuħ
u tmajniek, jew bil-għatx u sqejniek? Meta rajniek barrani u lqajniek, jew għeri u libbisniek? Meta
rajniek marid, jew fil-ħabs u ġejn nżuruk?" U s-Sultan iweġibhom u jgħid: "Tassew, ngħidilkom, kull ma għamiltu ma' wieħed
mill-iżgħar fost dawn ħuti, għamiltuh
miegħi." Imbagħad jgħid ukoll lil
dawk ta' fuq ix-xellug: "Morru
minn quddiemi, misħutin, fin-nar ta' dejjem li tħejja għax-xitan u għall-anġli
tiegħu. Għax jien kont bil-ġuħ u ma tmajtunix, kont bil-għatx u ma
sqejtunix, kont barrani u ma lqajtuniex, kont għeri u ma libbistuniex, kont
marid u fil-ħabs u ma ġejtux iżżuruni!"
Imbagħad huma wkoll iweġbuh: "Mulej, meta rajniek bil-ġuħ, jew bil-għatx, jew barrani, jew għeri,
jew marid, jew fil-ħabs, u aħna ma
waqafniex miegħek? Iiweġibhom imbagħad u jgħidilhom: "Tassew, Ngħidilkom, dak li ma għamiltux
ma' wieħed minn dawk iż-żgħar, anqas
miegħi ma għamiltuh " U dawn
imorru fit-tbatija ta' dejjem u l-ġusti fil-ħajja ta' dejjem."Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
//////////////////////////////////////////
COMMENTARY by Fr Thomas Rosica
The universe turns upon a cup
of water given to the little ones –
During my graduate studies at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome in the late 1980s, I had the privilege of teaching Scripture on several occasions to the Missionaries of Charity at their formation house on the outskirts of Rome. Several times when I was with the sisters, Mother Teresa of Calcutta would be visiting the formation community. I will never forget that little, bent-over, Albanian-born woman sitting on the floor of the chapel as I led the sisters in biblical reflections. It was a daunting experience for me to be expounding on Sacred Scripture to someone many considered even back then a living saint; one who, without exegetical skills and ancient biblical languages in her repertoire, understood far better the meaning of God’s Word than I ever would. One evening after I had finished the lecture and was gathering my books together to begin the trip back to the Canadian College in Rome, Mother came over to speak with me. At the end of the conversation, I asked her: “How do you do it day in and day out? How do you deal with the crowds of people trying to see you when you are out in public.” She raised her hand before my face and shook her five fingers at me. “Five words,” she said; “five words: You did it to me.”
“You
did it to me.”
On
this final Sunday of the liturgical year, also known as the Solemnity of Christ
the King, we are presented with the great scene of the final judgment (Matthew
25: 31-46), peculiar to Matthew’s
Gospel. The final judgment will accompany the parousia (second coming of Christ) and is the last teaching of
Jesus before he goes to Jerusalem : “You did it to me.”
The
crux of today’s Gospel is not so much trying to identify who are sheep and who
are goats. The sheep that are at the Son of Man’s right hand are those that
recognized and accepted the messenger and the message. The goats on the left
did not recognize or accept the messenger or the message. Christ the Lord of history and king of the
universe will separate the sheep from the goats at the end of time based on
whether or not they have accepted the Word of God by accepting the ambassadors
who were sent to proclaim that Word. Such acceptance or rejection is ultimately
acceptance or rejection of the God who sent Jesus. To reject Jesus the Son is
to reject God the Father. To reject a disciple sent by Jesus is to reject Jesus
himself.
Inclusion
in the Royal
Kingdom
The
Son who “sits upon his glorious throne with all the nations gathered before
him” (31-32) is the same one who, at the very peak of his cosmic power, reveals
that the universe turns upon a cup of
water given to the little ones in his name. Jesus tells us that whenever we
practice works of mercy, forgiveness, kindness, we are doing these things to
him. He fully identifies himself with the needy, the marginalized and the
dependent; the hungry, the thirsty, the strangers, the naked, the sick and the
imprisoned. Everyone is included in the Royal Kingdom
The
righteous will be astonished that in caring for the needs of those who suffer,
they were ministering to the Lord himself (25: 37-38).
The accursed (25: 41) will also be
astonished that their neglect of those suffering was neglect of the Lord and
they will receive from him a similar answer.
When
God will be all in all
In
today’s second reading from the first letter to the Corinthians, (1 Cor 15: 20-26, 28), Paul describes Christ’s relations to
his enemies and his Father. Paul’s vision includes cosmic dimensions as he
attempts to describe the goal of all history. The reading is theological and
Christological for God is the ultimate agent in and culmination of history. In
the end we are all saved by this God who has entered human history in the
person of Jesus of Nazareth. When God finally rules, there will be no further
resistance to his saving power. God will be all in all. This is what lies at
the heart of the word “subjection” (28):
that God may fully be God and accomplish his saving acts on our behalf.
Final
thoughts on the kingship of God’s Son
At
the end of the liturgical year, and in light of the majestic scene of the final
judgment, let us consider Pope Benedict’s moving reflection on Christ’s
kingship, spoken on October 26, 2011 during the celebration of the Word on the
eve of the Day of Reflection, Dialogue and Prayer for Peace and Justice in the
World: Pilgrims of Truth, Pilgrims
of Peace” held in Assisi the following day.
In his homily during the celebration of the Word, Pope Benedict quoted
from the prophet Zechariah 9 in which God promises salvation through a king.
But
the announcement does not refer to a king with human powers and force of arms.
It does not refer to a king who dominates with political and military might.
This is a gentle king who reigns with humility and gentleness before God and
man, a king quite different from the great sovereigns of the earth. The Apostles recalled the prophet’s words
particularly “following Christ’s passion, death and resurrection when, … with
the eyes of faith, they reconsidered their Master’s joyful entry into the Holy
City Jerusalem
The
kingdom that Christ inaugurates is universal. The horizon of this poor and meek
king is not the territorial horizon of a State, it is the confines of the
world. He creates communion, He creates unity. And where do we see His
announcement take concrete form today? In the great network of Eucharistic
communities covering the earth, wherein the prophecy of Zechariah re-emerges in
splendour. … Everywhere, in all cultures, … He comes and is present; and by
entering into communion with Him, mankind is united into a single body,
overcoming divisions, rivalry and rancour. The Lord comes in the Eucharist to
divest us of our selfishness, our fixations which exclude others, to make us a
single body, a single kingdom of peace in a divided world.
…How
can we build this kingdom of peace in which Christ is king? … Like Jesus, the
messengers of peace of His kingdom must begin a journey. …They must journey,
but not with the might of war or the force of power. … It is not with power,
force or violence that Christ’s kingdom of peace grows, but with the giving of
self, with love carried to its extreme consequences, even towards our enemies.
Jesus does not conquer the world by force of arms but by the power of the
Cross, which is the true guarantee of victory.
Vindicated
in the court of heaven
When
we listen attentively to today’s first reading from the prophet Ezekiel 34
Our
faith is rooted firmly in Jesus of Nazareth who was declared a king at his
execution. He was not a king who craved for power, nor a dictator who dominated
and trampled underfoot those who encountered him. In his kingdom, his poor
subjects were cherished and loved; they were his friends, the little ones, his
brothers and sisters who partook in his very life. Worldly kingdoms will come
and go. The kingdom of Jesus Christ : Long live Christ the King, now and forever.
(Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB
- CEO Salt and Light Catholic Media Foundation)
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