Jesus cures the sick

Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Il-5 Ħadd matul is-Sena

Messalin  ‘B’ pp 361

Reading 1  -    Job 7:1-4, 6-7

Job spoke, saying: Is not man's life on earth a drudgery? Are not his days those of hirelings? He is a slave who longs for the shade, a hireling who waits for his wages. So I have been assigned months of misery, and troubled nights have been allotted to me. If in bed I say, "When shall I arise?" then the night drags on; I am filled with restlessness until the dawn. My days are swifter than a weaver's shuttle; they come to an end without hope. Remember that my life is like the wind; I shall not see happiness again. . This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni     -     mill-Ktieb ta' Ġob 7, 1-4,6-7)

Ġob tkellem u qal: "Ħajjet il-bniedem mhix forsi xogħol bilfors fuq l-art? U għomru mhux bħal jiem il-ħaddiem mikri?  Bħalma lsir jixxennaq għad-dell,  u bħalma l-mikri jistenna l-ħlas, hekk xhur fiergħa kienu sehmi, u ljieli dwejjaq messew lili. Jekk nimtedd, ngħid: "Meta se nqum?" u meta nqum, ngħid:  "Meta se jidlam?" u hekk nixba' nhewden sa ma jidlam. Eħfef minn mekkuk għaddew jiemi, u bla tama ntemmu. Ftakar li ħajti buffura riħ, u għajnejja ma jerġgħux jaraw ir-riżq." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm   -   Psalm 147:1-2, 3-4, 5-6

Praise the LORD, for he is good;
sing praise to our God, for he is gracious;
it is fitting to praise him.
The LORD rebuilds Jerusalem;
the dispersed of Israel he gathers.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.

He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds.
He tells the number of the stars;
he calls each by name.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.

Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
to his wisdom there is no limit.
The LORD sustains the lowly;
the wicked he casts to the ground.
R. Praise the Lord, who heals the brokenhearted.

Salm Responsorjali  -   Salm 146(147)

                Faħħru l-Mulej, li jfejjaq il-qlub maqsuma.

Faħħru l-Mulej għax tajjeb li tgħanni lil Alla tagħna;

Għax ħelu u xieraq it-tifħir tiegħu.

Jibni 'l Ġerusalemm il-Mulej,

Jiġma' l-imxerrdin ta'  Iżrael.                                                     R/

Hu jfejjaq il-qlub maqsuma,

hu jorbot il-ġrieħi tagħhom.

Hu jgħodd in-numru tal-kwiekeb;

Kollha jsejħilhom b'isimhom.                                                   R/          

Reading 2   -  1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22-23

Brothers and sisters: If I preach the gospel, this is no reason for me to boast,  for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if I do not preach it! If I do so willingly, I have a recompense, but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship. What then is my recompense? That, when I preach, I offer the gospel free of charge so as not to make full use of my right in the gospel. Although I am free in regard to all, I have made myself a slave to all so as to win over as many as possible. To the weak I became weak, to win over the weak. I have become all things to all, to save at least some. All this I do for the sake of the gospel, so that I too may have a share in it. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni  -   mill-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 9, 16-19, 22-23

Ħuti, jekk jiena nxandar l-Evanġelju ma għandix biex  niftaħar;  jien obbligat nagħmlu dan.   Ħażin għalija jekk ma nxandarx l-Evanġelju. Jekk dan nagħmlu minn rajja, ikolli dritt għall-ħlas; imma jekk nagħmlu għax obbligat, dan ifisser li li qiegħed nagħmel ix-xogħol li Alla fdali f'idejja. X'inhu mela l-ħlas tiegħi?   Li meta nxandar  l-Evanġelju, inxandru b'xejn, bla ma nfittex id-dritt li jagħtini l-Evanġelju stess. Għax għad li ma jiena marbut ma' ħadd, jien għamilt lili nnifsi lsir ta' kulħadd biex nirbaħ lil ħafna.   Sirt dgħajjef mad-dgħajfin, biex nirbaħ id-dgħajfin.   Sirt kollox ma' kulħadd, biex insalva lill-kulħadd.   Nagħmel dan kollu minħabba l-Evanġelju biex ikolli sehem minnu.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel  -   Mark 1:29-39

On leaving the synagogue Jesus entered the house of Simon and Andrew with James and John. Simon's mother-in-law lay sick with a fever. They immediately told him about her. He approached, grasped her hand, and helped her up. Then the fever left her and she waited on them. When it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all who were ill or possessed by demons. The whole town was gathered at the door. He cured many who were sick with various diseases, and he drove out many demons, not permitting them to speak because they knew him. Rising very early before dawn, he left  and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed. Simon and those who were with him pursued him and on finding him said, "Everyone is looking for you." He told them, "Let us go on to the nearby villages that I may preach there also. For this purpose have I come." So he went into their synagogues, preaching and driving out demons throughout the whole of Galilee.

L-Evanġelju   -   skond San Mark 1, 29-39)

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' u d-dixxipli ħarġu mis-sinagoga u baqgħu sejrin ma' Ġakbu u Ġwanni għand Xmun u Inrdi'. Issa omm il-mara ta' Xmun kienet fis-sodda bid-deni, u malajr  qalulu biha.   Resaq lejha, qabadha minn idha u qajjiema. U d-deni ħallieha, u bdiet isservihom. Fil-għaxija, imbagħad, fi nżul ix-xemx, ħadulu quddiemu lil dawk kollha li kienu morda jew li kienu maħkuma  mix-xitan.  U quddiem il-bieb inġabret il-belt bi ħġarha. U fejjaq ħafna morda minn kull xorta ta' mard, u ħareġ għadd kbir ta' xjajten li hu ma kienx iħallihom jitkellmu, għax huma kienu jafu min kien. L-għada filgħodu kmieni, qabel ma żernaq, qam, ħareġ u mar f'posot imwarrab u qagħad hekk jitlob. Xmun u sħabu l-oħrajn marru jfittxuh. Kif sabuh, qalulu:  "Kulħadd jistaqsi għalik." U qalilhom:  "Ejjew immorru, band'oħra, fl-irħula tal-qrib, ħalli nippriedka hemmhekk ukoll, għax għalhekk ħriġt." U dar il-Galilija kollha, jipprieka fis-sinagogi tagħhom u joħroġ ix-xjaten. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

//////////////////////////////////////////////

COMMENTARY -  Fr Cantalamessa on the sick

He Cured Many Sick

The Gospel passage of this Sunday gives us a faithful report of a typical day of Jesus. When he left the synagogue, Jesus went first to Peter's house, where he cured his mother-in-law, who was in bed with a fever; in the afternoon, they took all the sick to him and he cured many, affected by different illnesses. In the morning, he rose while it was still dark and went to a solitary place to pray; then he left to preach the Kingdom to other towns.

From this account we deduce that Jesus' day consisted of a mixture of curing the sick, prayer and preaching of the Kingdom. Let us dedicate our reflection to the love of Jesus for the sick, also because in a few days, in the liturgical memorial of the Virgin of Lourdes, Feb. 11, the World Day of the Sick will be observed.

The social transformations of our century have changed profoundly the conditions of the sick. In many situations science gives reasonable hope of a cure, or at least prolongs in many the period of the illness' evolution in cases of incurable sicknesses. But sickness, as death, is not yet and will never be altogether defeated. It is part of the human condition. Christian faith can alleviate this condition and also give it meaning and value.

It is necessary to express two approaches: one for the sick themselves and another for those who look after them. Before Christ, sickness was considered closely linked to sin. In other words, people were convinced that sickness was also the consequence of some personal sin that had to be expiated.

With Jesus, this attitude changed somewhat. "He took our infirmities and bore our diseases" (Matthew 8:17). On the cross, he gave new meaning to human suffering, including sickness: It is no longer punishment, but redemption. Illness unites us to him; it sanctifies, refines the soul, prepares the day in which God will dry every tear and there will be no longer sickness, or weeping, or pain.

After the long hospitalization that followed the attack in St. Peter's Square, Pope John Paul II wrote a letter on suffering in which, among other things, he said: "To suffer means to become particularly susceptible, particularly open to the working of the salvific powers of God, offered to humanity in Christ" (cf. "Salvifici Doloris" No. 23). Sickness and suffering open between us and Jesus on the cross an altogether special channel of communication. The sick are not passive members of the Church, but the most active, most precious members. In God's eyes, one hour of their suffering, endured with patience, can be worth more than all the activities of the world, if they are done only for oneself.

Now a word for those who must look after the sick, at home or in health structures. The sick person certainly has need of care, of scientific competence, but he has even more need of hope. No medicine alleviates the sick person more than to hear the doctor say: "I have good hopes for you." When it is possible to do so without deception, hope must be given. Hope is the best "oxygen tent" for a sick person. The sick must not be left alone. One of the works of mercy is to visit the sick, and Jesus warned us that one of the points of the Last Judgment will be precisely this: "I was sick and you visited me. I was sick and you did not visit me" (Matthew 25:36,43).

Something we can all do for the sick is to pray. Almost all the sick of the Gospel were cured because some one presented them to Jesus and pleaded for them. The simplest prayer, which we can all make our own, is the one that the sisters Martha and Mary addressed to Jesus, in the circumstance of the sickness of their brother Lazarus: "Lord, he whom you love is ill" (John, 11:3).

[Translation from the Italian original by ZENIT]  © Innovative Media Inc.