Second Sunday of Easter
Sunday of Divine Mercy
Sunday of Divine Mercy
It-Tieni
Ħadd ta' l-Għid
Messalin B 279
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.
or
Let the house of Israel
“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.
“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/
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/
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 Minn :
għax kull min hu mwieled minn : 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.
////////////////////////////
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 : 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.
© Innovative Media Inc.
© Innovative Media Inc.
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