FAITH AS A GIFT

Second Sunday of Easter
Sunday of Divine Mercy

It-Tieni Ħadd ta' l-Għid

Messalin B 279

Reading 1                         -                              ACTS 4:32-35

The community of believers was of one heart and mind, and no one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they had everything in common. With great power the  apostles bore witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and great favor was  accorded them all. There was no needy person among them, for those who owned property or houses would sell them, bring the proceeds of the sale, and put them at the feet of  the apostles, and they were distributed to each according to need.   This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari   -   i mill-Ktieb tal-Atti tal-Appostli 4, 32-35

Il-kotra kbira ta' dawk li emmnu  kienu qalb waħda u ruħ waħda. Ħadd minnhom ma kien igħid li dak li kellu  kien tiegħu, iżda kellhom kollox flimkien.    B'qawwa kbira l-appostli kienu jagħtu  xhieda tal-qawmien tal-Mulej Ġesu',  u kulħadd kien iġibhom ħafna.  Ħadd minnhom ma kien jonqsu  xejn;  għax kull min  kellu oqsma jew djar kien ibigħhom, u l-flus li jdaħħal minnhom, kien imur iqegħeduhom f'riġlejn l-apposlti.  Imbagħad kien jitqassam kollox skont  il-ħtieġa ta' kull wieħed.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                   PSalm 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-24

R. (1) Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, his love is everlasting.
or:  Alleluia.

Let the house of Israel say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let the house of Aaron say,
“His mercy endures forever.”
Let those who fear the LORD say,
“His mercy endures forever.”                                     R.

I was hard pressed and was falling,
but the LORD helped me.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
The joyful shout of victory
in the tents of the just:                                  R/

The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day the LORD has made;
let us be glad and rejoice in it.                  R/

Salm Responsorjali                                    -              SALM 117 (118)

   R/  Faħħru l-Mulej, għaliex hu tajjeb, għax it-tjieba  tiegħu għal dejjem!

Ħa jgħidu wlied Israel: 

"Għal dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu"!

Ħa tgħid  dar  Aron:

"Għal dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu."

Ħa jgħidu dawk li jibżgħu mill-Mulej:

"Għal dejjem It-tjieba tiegħu."                                 R/

Il-leminija tal-Mulej 'il fuq merfugħa,

il-leminija tal-Mulej għamlet ħwejjeġ ta' ħila.

Ma mmutx, imma nibqa' ngħix,

u nħabbar l-egħmjjel tal-Mulej.

Haqarni  tassew il-Mulej,

imma ma telaqnix għal-mewt.                                 R/

Il-ġebla li warrbu l-bennejja

saret il-ġebla tax-xewka.

Bis-saħħa tal-Mulej seħħ dan:

ħaġa tal-għaġeb f'għajnejna.

Dan hu l-jum li għamel il-Mulej;

ħa nifirħu u nithennew fih!                                          R/

Reading 2                                                                         1 JohN 5:1-6

Beloved:  Everyone who believes that Jesus is the  Christ is begotten by God, and everyone who loves  the Father loves also the one begotten by him. In this way we know that we love the children of God when we love God and obey his commandments. For the love of God is this, that we keep his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, for whoever is begotten by God conquers the world. And the victory that conquers the world is our faith. Who indeed is the victor over the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? This is the one who came through water and blood, Jesus Christ, not by water alone, but by water and blood. The Spirit is the one that testifies, and the Spirit is truth.   This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qari     -      mill-Ewwel Ittra ta' San Ġwann 5, 1-6

Egħżież,  kull min jemmen li Ġesu' hu l-Messija hu mwieled minn Alla, u kull min iħobb lill-Missier  iħobb lil twieled minnu.    Minn dan nafu li nħobbu  lil ulied Alla, meta nħobbu 'l Alla u nagħmlu l- Kmandamenti tiegħu.   Għax din hi l-imħabba ta' Alla,  li nżommu  l-Kmandamenti tiegħu;u l-Kmandamenti tiegħu  m'humiex tqal: għax kull min hu mwieled minn Alla jegħleb  lid-dinja.   Din hi r-rebħa fuq id-dinja: il-fidi tagħna. Għax min hu dak li jegħleb lid-dinja, jekk mħux min jemmen  li Ġesu' hu l-Iben ta' Alla?   Dan huwa dak li ġie bl-ilma u d-demm,   Ġesu' Kristu;   mhux bl-ilma biss, iżda bl-ilma u d-demm. U l-Ispirtu hu li jixhed, għax l-Ispirtu hu l-verita'.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                                                                JohN 20:19-31

On the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained.” Thomas, called Didymus, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see the mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nailmarks and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” Now a week later his disciples were again inside and Thomas  was with them.Jesus came, although the doors were locked,  and stood in their midst and said, “Peace be with you.” Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your hand and put it into my side, and do not be  unbelieving, but believe.”Thomas answered and said to him,  “My Lord and my God!”Jesus said to him, “Have you come to  believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have  not seen and have believed.” Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of his disciples that are not written in this book.But these are written that you may come  to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this belief you may have life in his name.   This is the Word of The Lord.

Evanġelju    -     skond San Ġwann 20, 19-31

Dakinhar filgħaxija, fl-ewwel jum tal-ġimgħa,  meta d-dixxipli kienu flimkien imbeżżgħa mil-Lhud,  bil-bibien magħluqa,  ġie Ġesu' u qagħad f'nofshom;  u qalilhom: "Is-Sliem għalikom!"  Kif qal hekk, uriehom idejh u ġenbu.Id-dixxipli ferħu meta raw il-Mulej, Imbagħad Ġesu' tenna jgħidilhom: Is-Sliem għalikom!  Kif il-Missier  bagħat lili, hekk jien nibgħat lilkom." Kif qal hekk, nefaħ fuqhom  u qalilhom: "Ħudu l-Ispirtu s-Santu.  Dawk  li taħfrulhom  dnubiethom  jkunu maħfura. u dawk li  żżommuhomlhom  jkunu miżmuma." Tumas,  wieħed mit-Tnax, jgħidulu t-Tewmi, ma kienx magħhom meta ġie Ġesu'.  Għalhekk  id-dixxipli l-oħra qalulu: "Rajna  lill Mulej".   Iżda hu qalilhom:  "Jekk ma narax f'idejh il-marka  ta' l-imsiemer, u ma nqigħedx sebgħi fuq il-marka  tal-imsiemer u idi fuq ġenbu, jien ma nemminx".  Tmint ijiem wara, id-dixxipli reġgħu kienu ġewwa, u  Tumas  magħhom.   Il-bibien  kienu magħluqa,  imma Ġesu'  daħal, qagħad f'nofshom, u qalilhom: "Is-Sliem għalikom!"   Imbagħad qal lil Tumas: "Ġib sebgħek  hawn u ara idejja, u ressaq idek u  qegħedha fuq ġenbi; tkunnnnnx bniedem bla fidi, iżda emmen."     Wieġb Tumas u qallu: "Mulej tiegħi  u Alla tiegħi!" Qallu Ġesu':  "Emmint għax rajtni!   Ħenjin dawk li ma rawx u emmnu".Hemm ħafna  sinjali oħra li Ġesu' għamel quddiem id-dixxipli tiegħu u li mhumiex imniżżla f'dan il-Ktieb. Iżda dawn inkitbu biex intom temmnu li Ġesu' hu  l-Messija l-Iben Alla, u biex bit-twemmin tagħkom ikollkom il-ħajja f'Ismu.        Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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COMMENTARY:   Father Cantalamessa on:

"Unless I Place My Hand in His Side, I Will Not Believe"

"Eight days later, his disciples were again in the house, and Thomas was with them. The doors were shut, but Jesus came and stood among them, and said: 'Peace be with you.' Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand and place it in my side; do not be faithless, but believing.' Thomas answered him, 'My Lord and my God!' Jesus said to him, 'Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe.'"

With the emphasis on the incident of Thomas and his initial incredulity ("Unless I see in his hands the print of the nails, and place my finger in the mark of the nails, I will not believe"), the Gospel addresses the man of the technological age who believes only what he can verify. Among the apostles, we can call Thomas our contemporary.

St. Gregory the Great says that, with his incredulity, Thomas was more useful to us than all the other apostles who believed right away. Acting in this way, so to speak, he obliged Jesus to give us a "tangible proof of the truth of his resurrection." Faith in the resurrection benefited by his doubts. This is true, at least in part, when applied to the numerous "Thomases" of today who are the nonbelievers.

The criticism of nonbelievers and dialogue with them, when carried out in respect and reciprocal loyalty, are very useful to us. Above all they make us humble. They oblige us to take note that faith is not a privilege or an advantage for anyone. We cannot impose it or demonstrate it, but only propose it and show it with our life. "What have you that you did not receive? If then you received it, why do you boast as if it were not a gift?" says St. Paul (1 Corinthians 4:7). In the end, faith is a gift, not a merit, and as all gifts it can only be lived in gratitude and humility.

The relationship with nonbelievers also helps us to purify our faith of clumsy representations. Very often what nonbelievers reject is not the true God, the living God of the Bible, but his double, a distorted image of God that believers themselves have contributed to create. Rejecting this God, nonbelievers oblige us to go back to the truth of the living and true God, who is beyond all our representations and explanations, and not to fossilize or trivialize him.

But there is also a wish to be expressed: that St. Thomas might find today many imitators not only in the first part of his story -- when he states he does not believe -- but also at the end, in that magnificent act of faith that leads him to exclaim: "My Lord and my God!"

Thomas is also imitable because of another fact. He does not close the door; he does not remain in his position, considering the problem resolved once and for all. In fact, we find him eight days later with the other apostles in the Cenacle. If he had not wished to believe, or to "change his opinion," he would not have been there. He wants to see, to touch: Therefore, he is searching. And at the end, after he has seen and touched with his hand, he exclaims to Jesus, not as someone defeated but as victorious: "My Lord and my God!" No other apostle had yet gone out to proclaim Christ's divinity with so much clarity.

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