Second Sunday of Ordinary Time

It-2 Ħadd tas-Sena ‘B’

Messalin ‘B’ pp 346

Reading 1                                           1 SaMuel 3:3B-10, 19

Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was. The LORD called to  Samuel, who answered, “Here I am.” Samuel ran to Eli and said, “Here I am. You called me.” “I did not call you, “ Eli said. “Go back to sleep.” So he went back to sleep. Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli. “Here I am, “ he said. “You called me.” But Eli answered, “I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep.” At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD, because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet.The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time. Getting up and going to Eli, he said, “Here I am. You called me.”Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth. So he said to Samuel, “Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening.” When Samuel went to sleep in his place, the LORD came and revealed his presence, calling out as before, “Samuel, Samuel!” Samuel answered, “Speak, for your servant is listening.” Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni     mill-Ewwel Ktieb ta' Samwel 3, 3b-10, 19

F'dak iż-żmien, Samwel kien mimdud fit-tempju tal-Mulej, fejn kien hemm l-arka ta' Alla. Il-Mulej sejjaħ:  "Samwel!"   U dan wieġeb:  "Hawn jien!" U mar jiġri għand Għeli u qallu:  "Hawn jien," qallu, "għalfejn  sejjaħtli?"  "Ma sejjahtlekx,"  wieġeb, "erġa' mur imtedd." U raġa' mar jorqod. U ssokta l-Mulej isejjaħ:  "Samwel!"   U Samwel qam u mar  għand Għeli u qallu:  "Hawn Jien! Għalfejn sejjaħtli?" "Ma sejjaħtlikx, ibni," wieġeb, "erġa' mur orqod."   Samwel kien għadu ma għarafx il-Mulej, u anqas kienet Għadha  ma ttgħarrfitlu l-kelma tal-Mulej. U ssokta l-Mulej isejjaħ:  "Samwel!" għat-tielet darba. U dan qam, u mar għand Għeli, u qallu:  "Hawn jien!   Għalfejn sejjaħtli?"  U Għeli fehem li l-Mulej kien  qiegħed isejjah iż-żgħażugħ.  U qal lil Samwel: "Mur orqod.  Jekk jerġa' jsejjaħlek wieġeb: Tkellem, Mulej, għax il-qaddej tiegħek qiegħed jisma'." U Samwel mar jorqod f'postu. U l-Mulej ġie, waqaf ħdejh, u sejjaħ bħal drabi oħra: "Samwel!  Samwel!"  U wieġeb Samwel:   "Tkellem, għax il-qaddej tiegħek qiegħed jisma'.Samwel kiber, u l-Mulej kien miegħu, u ma ħalla ebda kelma milli qal tmur fix-xejn. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                                       Psalm 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10

R. (8a and 9a) Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.

I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.                                                         R/.

Sacrifice or offering you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, “Behold I come.”                                      R/.

“In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
to do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!”                             R/.

I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.              R/

Salm Responsorjal   -     Salm 39(40)

                R/   Hawn jien, Mulej, ġej nagħmel ir-rieda tiegħek.

Ittamajt b'tama qawwija fil-Mulej!

hu niżel ħdejja u sama' l-għajta tiegħi.

Qegħedli fuq fommi għanja ġdida,

għanja ta' tifħir lil Alla tagħna.                                   R/

Int ma titgħaxxaqx b'sagrifiċċji u offerti;

imma widnejja inti ftaħtli;

ma tlabtnix vittmi tal-ħruq u tat-tpattiija.

Imbagħad jien għedt:  "Hawn jien, ġej!"                               R/

"Fil-bidu tal-ktieb hemm miktub fuqi

li nagħmel ir-rieda tiegħek.

Alla tiegħi, dan jogħġboni;

il-liġi tiegħek ġewwa qalbi."                                      R/

Xandart il-ġustizzja f'ġemgħa kbira;

Xufftejja ma  żammejthomx magħluqa.

Mulej, dan inti tafu.                                                        R/

Reading 2                                           1 CORinthians 6:13C-15A, 17-20

Brothers and sisters: The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body; God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with him. Avoid immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the immoral person sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.  This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni   - mill-1 Ittra lill-Korintin  6, 13c-15a, 17-20

Ħuti, il-ġisem mħuwiex għaż-żina iżda għall-Mulej, u l-Mulej huwa għall-ġisem.   U Alla qajjem il-Mulej u jqajjem lilna ukoll bil-qawwa tiegħu. Ma tafux li l-iġsma tagħkom huma membri ta' Kristu? Min jingħaqad mal-Mulej hu ruħ waħda miegħu.   Aħarbu ż-żina!   Kull dnub li wieħed jagħmel hu 'l barra minn ġismu, iżda min jagħmel iż-żina jkun qiegħed jidneb kontra ġismu stess.

 Jew ma tafux li ġisimkom hu tempju ta' Ispirtu s-Santu, li jinsab jgħammar fikom, li għandkom minn Alla? Ma tafux li intom m'intomx tagħkom infuskom? Bil-għoti kontu mixtrija!  Mela agħtu ġieħ lil Alla permezz ta' ġisimkom.   Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                                                 JohN 1:35-42

John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said,“Behold, the Lamb of God.” The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, “What are you looking for?” They said to him, “Rabbi” — which translated means Teacher —, “where are you staying?”He said to them, “Come, and you will see.” So they went and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon.Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter,was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus.He first found his own brother Simon and told him,“We have found the Messiah” — which is translated Christ —.Then he brought him to Jesus.Jesus looked at him and said,“You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas” — which is translated Peter. This is the Word of the Lord.

Evanġelju  -   skond San Ġwann 1, 35-42

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġwanni kien hemm ma' tnejn mid-dixxipli tiegħu. Ħares lejn Ġesu' li kien għaddej minn hemm, u qal: "Araw il-Ħaruf ta' Alla."   Iż-żewġ dixxipli semgħuh igħid dan, u marru wara Ġesu'. Ġesu' dar u rahom mexjin warajh, u qalilhom:  "Xi tridu?"   Iżda huma staqsewh:   "Rabbi" li tfisser, Mgħallem – "fejn toqgħod?." Hu weġibhom:  "Ejjew u taraw,"    U marru miegħu u raw fejn kien joqgħod, u  dak in-nhar baqgħu miegħu.   Kien ħabta  tal-erbgħa ta'  waranofsinhar. Wieħed mit-tnejn li semgħu x'kien qal Ġwanni u marru wara Ġesu' kien Indri', ħu Xmun Pietru. L-ewwel ma għamel mar isib lil ħuh Xmun u qallu: "Sibna l-Messija" – li tfisser Kristu.   U ħadu għand Ġesu', Ġesu' ħares lejh u qallu:   "Inti Xmun, bin Ġwanni.  Inti tissejjaħ Kefa" – jew Pietru. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY by Larry Broding, 

When was the last time you received an invitation? What expectations did you have? Have you ever been surprised by what you saw?

Invitations come in many shapes and sizes. Some come in the mail or in e-mail. Others come on the street corner. Others come in ways unexpected. Some are personal, almost intimate. Others are general and impersonal. No matter their shape or size or means, invitations ask us the same question: why don't you come and see?

Why do we come? What do we seek? The early disciples of Jesus must have asked themselves those questions. Despite a culture that distrusted novelty, they would come and see something new. The public appearance of the Messiah. In quick succession, John the Gospel writer laid out the evangelization of the first disciples. Unlike Matthew, Mark, or Luke, John clearly connected the Baptist's followers to those of Jesus. In other words, John saw the ministry of the Baptist flow into the ministry of the Galilean.

In John 1:19-51, the evangelist presented six stories of witness and testimony over seven days. This gospel represent the activity of days three through four in a seven day week. Scripture scholars see this "week" as the new creation. God created a new people, starting with the testimony of the Baptist, and ending with the miracle at the Cana wedding feast. The first day was studied in John 1:19-28 (the Third Sunday in Advent: Cycle B) where the Baptist defined his ministry as " . . . a voice crying out in the desert; 'Make straight the way of the Lord!'" (see 1:23) This gospel presented the next two stories. Unlike 1:19-28 where the Baptist testified to the Jewish leadership, he evangelized his own followers, who, in turn, evangelized others.

When the Baptist saw Jesus, he proclaimed "Look! The Lamb of God!" While this title might strike us as enigmatic, the proclaimed title caused two followers to follow Jesus. Why? As gentle, docile animals, lambs were prized for their tender meat and fine coat; in other words, they gave all they had for their masters. The "Lamb of God" referred to the sacrificial animal, slaughtered at the Temple for the Passover meal. (See John 19:14, 31, 42) In John, this was the same day Jesus was crucified. Jesus was the One the Baptist foretold, because he gave himself totally for his followers, even to death. This theme resonated with Isaiah's Suffering Servant ("He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth." Isaiah 53:7, RSV)

(Note how John wove discipleship, sacrifice, and meal together in one title. Don't we see the same themes in the Eucharist, a meal of sacrifice and discipleship?) [1:36]

Two disciples left John and followed Jesus. Since any legal testimony required more than one witness, the gospel writer presented two disciples to assure the veracity of the Baptist's claim. [1:37] Even though they sought the Lord, notice the initiative of Jesus. He first asked the followers intent and invited them to join him. The gospel writer used the invitation "come and see" in other contexts of evangelisation. Philip invited Nathaniel to meet Jesus with the phrase "come and see" in 1:45. The Samaritan woman at the well invited others in her town to "come and see the man who told me everything I have done" in 4:29. The invitation begun by Jesus was continued with followers bringing others into the community. [1:38-39]

John used one of the two followers as the transition point between the Baptist and the new Rabbi. Andrew invited his brother, Simon, to meet his new Teacher. Again note the language of Andrew's invitation. "We (dual witnesses indicating the veracity of the claim) have found the Messiah (the title definitively claiming what the Baptist inferred)." The invitation sealed the transition. Jesus was the Christ, the focal point of revelation. [1:40-41]

When Jesus met Simon, he gave the follower a new identity. He called Simon by his formal name to clearly identify him. Then Jesus gave him his new name: "Cephas" (Aramaic for "Rock;" the Greek translated the word as "Petros," from which we get the name "Peter"). When Jesus gave Simon his new name, he defined the new disciple's role in the community. Simon was like solid rock, not a pebble or a stone that could be moved. Peter was a rock layer strong enough to securely build the foundation of a house. In light of the other gospels, Jesus gave Simon a leadership role with the new name. Remember that, in the time of Jesus, one's name revealed one's strength of character and abilities. In other words, a name defined one's power. [1:42]

Why is self-giving so unusual? Have you ever been impressed by others who give their time and talent to others? Have they ever asked you to join them? What happened? Did their invitation change you?

A simple invitation can be life-changing. Come and see . . . That invitation can come in different ways, from a letter or a look to a simple act of unselfish love. Come and see . . . When we invite others to faith, we ask them to encounter the One after whom we pattern our lives. Come and see . . . the Lord. He will show us the loving way to live and he will give us a new identity as a Christian. He will show us the way to the Father. Come and see . . .

How have you influenced others to become Christ-like? Have you extended them acts of love? Have you ever asked them to join you at Church? Try to help someone this week and invite him or her closer to the Lord.