For God so loved the world...

Readings for Sunday March 15, 2015

Fourth Sunday Of Lent

Ir-4  Ħadd tar-Randan

Messalin B pp 160

Reading 1                                                         2 CHRonicles 36:14-16, 19-23

In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and the people  added infidelity to infidelity,  practicing all the abominations of the nations  and polluting the LORD’s temple  which he had consecrated in Jerusalem. Early and often did the LORD, the God of their fathers,  send his messengers to them,  for he had compassion on his people and his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God,  despised his warnings, and scoffed at his prophets,  until the anger of the LORD against his people was so inflamed  that there was no remedy. Their enemies burnt the house of God, tore down the walls of Jerusalem, set all its palaces afire,  and destroyed all its precious objects. Those who escaped the sword were carried captive to Babylon,  where they became servants of the king of the Chaldeans and his sons until the kingdom of the Persians came to power. All this was to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah:  “Until the land has retrieved its lost sabbaths,  during all the time it lies waste it shall have rest  while seventy years are fulfilled.” In the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia,  in order to fulfill the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah,  the LORD inspired King Cyrus of Persia  to issue this proclamation throughout his kingdom,  both by word of mouth and in writing:  “Thus says Cyrus, king of Persia:  All the kingdoms of the earth the LORD, the God of heaven, has given to me,  and he has also charged me to build him a house  in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whoever, therefore, among you belongs to any part of his people,  let him go up, and may his God be with him!” This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari -  mit-Tieni Ktieb tal-Kronaki 36, 14-16, 19-23

F'dak iż-żmien,  il-kbarat kollha tal-qassisin u l-poplu  komplew jindinbu u jagħmlu l-qżiżijiet kollha tal-ġnus,  u niġġsu t-Tempju tal-Mulej li hu kien qaddes f'Ġerusalemm. U billi ġietu ħasra mill-poplu tiegħu, u mill-għamara tiegħu,  il-Mulej, Alla ta' missirijiethom, kien ta' sikwit jibgħat  iwiddibhom bil-messaġġiera tiegħu.    Iżda huma kienu  jiddieħku bil-mibgħutin tiegħu, imaqdru kliemu, u jkasbru  l-profeti tiegħu, sa ma saħnet il-korla tal-Mulej għall-poplu tiegħu,  hekk li ma setgħux jeħilsuha aktar.   U ħarqulhom it-Tempju ta'  Alla, ġarrfu s-swar ta' Ġerusalemm, taw in-nar lill-palazzi kollha  tagħha, u hekk qerdulha kull ma kellha prezzjuż.   U dawk li ħelsu mill-qerda tax-xabla, Nabukodonosor  eżiljahom lejn il-Babilonja, u baqgħu suġetti għalih u  għal uliedu, sa ma ġew jaħkmu fuqhom il-Persjani.     Hekk seħħ dak li qal Alla b'fomm Ġermija:  "Sakemm   tgawdi l-art il-mistrieħ ta' Sibtijietha, ma tinħadimx l-art iż-żmien  kollu tal-ħerba tagħha, sa ma jgħaddu sebgħin sena". Fl-ewwel sena ta' Ċiru, sultan tal-Persja, biex isseħħ il-kelma tal-Mulej li kienet intqalet b'fomm Ġeramija, il-Mulej qanqal  lil Ċiru, sultan tal-Persja, u dan xandar prokla fis-saltna tiegħu  kollha, saħansitra bil-miktub, li kienet igħid:  "Dan igħid Ċiru  sultan tal-Persja:   "Il-Mulej, Alla tas-sema, tani f'idejja s-saltniet  kollha  ta' l-art, u hu qabbadni nibnilu tempju f'Ġerusalemm, li  hi f'Ġuda.     Kull min minnkom hu mill-poplu  tiegħu,   ħa jkun il-Mulej miegħu, u jitla'."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                                   PS 137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6#

R. (6ab) Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!

By the streams of Babylon

we sat and wept
when we remembered Zion.
On the aspens of that land
we hung up our harps.                                                  R

For there our captors asked of us
the lyrics of our songs,
And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:
“Sing for us the songs of Zion!”                                  R/

How could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
If I forget you, Jerusalem,
may my right hand be forgotten!                             R/

May my tongue cleave to my palate
if I remember you not,
If I place not Jerusalem
ahead of my joy.                                                              R/

Salm Responsorjali                                                                    Salm 136(137)

R/   Jeħilli lsieni mas-saqaf  ta' ħalqi,  jekk ma niftakarx fik, Ġerusalemm!

F'xatt ix-xmajjar ta' Babilonja,

hemm qgħadna bilqiegħda u bkejna,

aħna u niftakru f'Sijon.

Mas-siġar tal-luq tagħha,

dendilna ċ-ċetri tagħna.                                               R/

Għax hemm, dawk li jassruna,

talbuna ngħannulhom xi għanja;

dawk li hemm għakksuna

stennew minna għana ta' ferħ;

"Għannulna mill-għana ta' Sijon"                             R/

Kif nistgħu ngħannu l-għana tal-Mulej

f'art barranija?

Tibbiesli  idi l-leminija,

jekk qatt ninsa lilek, Ġerusalemm!                          R/

Jeħili lsieni mas-saqaf ta' ħalqi,

jekk ma niftakarx fik,

jekk ma nżommx 'il Ġerusalemm

'il fuq minn kull  ferħ tiegħi!.                                      R/

Reading 2                                                                         EPHesians 2:4-10

Brothers and sisters: God, who is rich in mercy,  because of the great love he had for us,  even when we were dead in our transgressions,  brought us to life with Christ — by grace you have been saved —,  raised us up with him,  and seated us with him in the heavens in Christ Jesus,  that in the ages to come  He might show the immeasurable riches of his grace  in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith,  and this is not from you; it is the gift of God;  it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works  that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in them. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qari  -   mill-Ittra lill-Efesin 2, 4-10

Ħuti, Alla,  għani fil-ħniena tiegħu,  bis-saħħa tal-imħabba kbira li biha ħabbna,   meta aħna konna mejta  minħabba fi dnubietna,  tana ħajja ġdida flimkien ma' Kristu – bi grazzja intom salvi. Qajjimna  miegħu u qegħedna fis-smewwiet ma' Kristu Ġesu',   biex juri fiż-żminijiet li ġejjin l-għana  bla qjies  tal-grazzja tiegħu bit-tjieba li wera magħna fi Kristu Ġesu'. Intom salvi bil-grazzja, permezz tal-fidi; u dan mhux  bis-saħħa tagħkom, imma b'don ta' Alla; mhux bl-opri, biex ħadd ma jiftaħar.  Aħna ħolqien tiegħu, maħluqa fi  Kristu Ġesu'  biex nagħmlu l-opri tajba li  Alla ħejjielna  minn qabel li għandna nagħmlu.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                                                                JohN 3:14-21

Jesus said to Nicodemus: “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. Whoever believes in him will not be condemned,  but whoever does not believe has already been condemned,  because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world,  but people preferred darkness to light,because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come toward the light,   so that his works might not be exposed. But whoever lives the truth comes to the light,  so that his works may be clearly seen as done in God.  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju    skond San Ġwann 3, 14-21

F'dak iż-żmien,  Ġesu' qal lil Nikodemu:   "Kif Mose' 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 fiħ 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   .Min jemmen fih  ma jkunx ikkundannat, iżda min ma jemminx huwa  ġa kkundannat, għax ma emminx fl-isem tal-Iben  il-waħdieni ta' Alla. U l-ġudizzju hu dan:   li d–dawl ġie fid-dinja, imma  l-bnedmin ħabbew id-dlam aktar mid-dawl, għax  l-għemil tagħhom  kien ħażin.   Għax kull  min  jagħmel il-ħażen jobgħod id-dawl, u ma jersaqx lejn  id-dawl, biex għemilu ma jinkixifx. Imma min jagħmel  is-sewwa jersaq lejn id-dawl, biex juri li hemm Alla f'għemilu". Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Father Cantalamessa on Why Jesus Calls Us Friends

Pontifical Household Preacher Comments on This Sunday's Gospel

God So Loved the World!

In this Sunday's Gospel we find one of the most beautiful and consoling phrases of the Bible: "God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

To speak to us of love, God has made use of the experiences of love that man has in the natural realm. Dante says that in God exists, as though bound in only one volume, "what in the world is unbound." All human loves -- conjugal, paternal, maternal, friendly -- are pages of a notebook, or flames of a fire, which have in God their source and fullness.

Above all, in the Bible, God speaks to us of his love through the image of paternal love. Paternal love is made of encouragement, of impulse. A father wants his child to grow, pushing him to give the best of himself. This is why it is rare to hear a father praise his son unconditionally in his presence. He fears he will think he is perfect and make no further efforts.

A feature of paternal love is also correction. But a true father is also he who gives freedom and security to his son, which makes him feel protected in life. Herein is the reason why God presents himself to man throughout revelation as his "rock and bastion," a "fortress always close in anxieties."

At other times God speaks to us with the image of maternal love. He says: "Can a woman forget her suckling child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you" (Isaiah 49:15). A mother's love is made of acceptance, compassion, tenderness; it is a "profound" love.

Mothers are always accomplices of their children and must often defend them and intercede for them before their father. One always speaks of God's power and force; but the Bible also speaks to us of a weakness of God, of an impotence of his. It is "maternal" weakness.

Man knows by experience another type of love, spousal love, of which it is said that it is as "stern as death" and whose flames "are a blazing fire" (Song of Songs 8:6). God has also taken recourse to this kind of love to convince us of his intense love for us. All the terms typical of the love between man and woman, including the term "seduction," are used in the Bible to describe God's love for man.

Jesus fulfilled all these forms of love -- paternal, maternal, spousal (how many times he compares himself to a bridegroom!); but he added another: the love of friendship. He said to his disciples: "No longer do I call you servants ... but I have called you friends, for all that I have heard from my Father I have made known to you" (John 15:15).

What is friendship? Friendship can be a stronger bond than kinship itself. Kinship consists in having the same blood; friendship in having the same tastes, ideals and interests. It is born of trust, that is, of the fact that I confide to another my most intimate and personal thoughts and experiences.

Now: Jesus says that he calls us friends, because everything he knew of his heavenly Father he has made known to us, he has confided to us.

He has made us sharers of the family secrets of the Trinity! For example, the fact that God prefers the little ones and the poor, that he loves us as a father, that he has a place prepared for us. Jesus gives to the word "friends" its fullest meaning.

What must we do after recalling this love? Something very simple: to believe in God's love, to accept it, to repeat overwhelmed with St. John: "we know and believe the love God has for us!"

[Translation by ZENIT] © Innovative Media Inc.