To "Have" to Love!

Sixth Sunday of Easter

Is-Sitt Ħadd ta’ l-Għid

Messalin B 299

 Reading 1                             Acts 10:25-26, 34-35, 44-48

When Peter entered, Cornelius met him and, falling at his feet, paid him homage. Peter, however, raised him up, saying, "Get up. I myself am also a human being." Then Peter proceeded to speak and said, "In truth, I see that God shows no partiality. Rather, in every nation whoever fears him and acts uprightly is acceptable to him." While Peter was still speaking these things, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who were listening to the word. The circumcised believers who had accompanied Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit should have been poured out on the Gentiles also, for they could hear them speaking in tongues and glorifying God. Then Peter responded, "Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the Holy Spirit even as we have?" He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni   -  Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Atti tal-Appostli  10, 25-26, 34-35, 44-48

Xħin daħal Pietru fid-dar ta' Kornelju,  dan mar jilqgħu u ntefa' f'riġlejh jagħtih  qima.     Imma  Pietru qajmu u qallu:   "Qum. Jien bniedem ukoll." Pietru qabad jitkellem u qal:  "Issa tassew  qiegħed nifhem li Alla ma jħares lejn wiċċ  ħadd, imma  jilqa' lil kull min għandu  l-biża' tiegħu u jagħmel is-sewwa, ikun  minn liema poplu jkun." Meta Pietru kien għadu qiegħed jgħid dan,  l-Ispirtu s-Santu niżel fuq dawk kollha li  kienu jisimgħuh.   Dawk li kienu marru  ma' Pietru, Lhud li kienu emmnu, stagħġbu  kif Alla sawwab id-don tal-Ispirtu s-Santu  fuq il-pagani wkoll.   Għax semgħuhom  jitkellmu bl-ilsna u jfaħhru l-kobor ta' Alla. Imbagħd Pietru qal:  "Jista' xi ħadd jiċħad  l-ilma tal-magħmudija lil dawn in-nies, li  ħadu l-Ispirtu s-Santu bħalma ħadnieh  aħna wkoll?"    U ordna li jitgħammdu  fl-isem ta' Kristu.  Imbagħad huma talbuh  jibqa' għal ftit jiem magħhom. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                                  Psalm 98:1, 2-3, 3-4

R. (cf. 2b) The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power. or: Alleluia.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
His right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.                                                                                      R/

The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.                                                         R/

All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands;
break into song; sing praise.                                                      R/

Salm Responsorjali                                                                    Salm 97 (98)

R/    Il-Mulej wera l-ġustizzja tiegħu lill-ġnus.  Jew           Hallelujah,  Hallelujah.

Għannu lill-Mulej għanja ġdida,,

għax għamel  ħwejjeġ tal-għaġeb.

Ġibitlu r-rebħa l-leminija tieghu,

u d-driegħ imqaddes tiegħu.                     R/

Għarraf il-Mulej is-salvazzjoni tiegħu,

f'għajnejn il-ġnus wera l-ġustizzja tieghu.

Ftakar fit-tjieba u l-fedelta' tiegħu

mal-popolu ta' Iżrael.                                    R/

L-art kollha, minn tarf għall-ieħor,

rat is-salvazzjoni ta' Alla tagħna.

Għajtu bil-ferħ lill-Mulej fl-art kollha,

infexxu fil-hena, ifirħu u għannu!     R/.

Reading 2                              1 John 4:7-10

Beloved, let us love one another, because love is of God; everyone who loves is begotten by God and knows God. Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love. In this way the love of God was revealed to us: God sent his only Son into the world so that we might have life through him. In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni    -  Qari lill-Ewwel Ittra ta' San Ġwann Appostlu  4,  7-10

Għeżież, ejjew inħobbu 'l xuxlin għax l-imħabba ġejja minn Alla, u kull min iħobb hu mwieled  minn Alla u jagħraf lil Alla.   dak li ma jħobbx ma għarafx lil Alla, għax Alla hu mħabba. B'dan dehret l-imħabba ta' Alla fina, għax Alla  bagħat lil Ibnu l-waħdieni fid-dinja, biex ngħixu bih. U hawn qiegħda  l-imħabba; mhux għax aħna  ħabbejna 'l Alla, imma għax ħabbna Hu u  bagħat lil Ibnu biex ikun ta' tpattija għal dnubietna. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej 

Gospel                                   John 15:9-17

Jesus said to his disciples: "As the Father loves me, so I also love you.  Remain in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father"s commandments and remain in his love." "I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy might be complete. This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. You are my friends if you do what I command you. I no longer call you slaves, because a slave does not know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father. It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you. This I command you: love one another."

Evanġelju   -   skond San Ġwann 15, 9-17

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: "Kif ħabbni Missieri, hekk ħabbejtkom jiena. Ibqgħu fl-imħabba tiegħi.  Jekk tħarsu  l-kmandamenti tiegħi, intom tibqgħu fi mħabbti, kif jiena ħarist il-kmandamenti ta' Missieri u qiegħed f'imħabbtu.   Għidtilkom dan biex  il-ferħ  tiegħi jkun fikom, u biex il-ferħ tagħkom ikun sħiħ. Dan hu l-kmandament tiegħi:  li tħobbu lil xulxin kif ħabbejtkom jien.   Ħadd ma għandu mħabba akbar minn din:  li wieħed jagħti ħajtu għal ħbiebu. Intom ħbiebi, jekk tagħmlu dak li jiena nikkmandakom. Ma nsejħilkomx aktar qaddejja, għax il-qaddej ma  jafx x'jagħmel sidu;  sejjaħtilkom ħbieb, għaliex kull ma smajt mingħand Missier jiena għarrafthulkom. Mhux intom  għażiltu lili,  imma jien għażilt lilkom, u ħtartkom biex tmorru tagħmlu l-frott u l-frott tagħkom jibqa', ħalli kulma titolbu lill-Missieri f'ismi,  huwa jagħtihulkom.  Dan hu li qiegħed nikkmandakom: li tħobbu lil xulxin." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY:    Father Cantalamessa on the Duty to Love

To "Have" to Love

"This is my commandment: That you love one another as I have loved you. ... What I command you is that you love one another."

Love is a commandment? Can love be made a commandment without destroying it? What relationship can there be between love and duty, given that one represents spontaneity and the other obligation?

We must know that two types of commandments exist. There is a commandment or obligation that comes from outside, from a will other than my own, and a commandment or obligation that comes from within, which is born from the thing itself. The stone thrown into the air or the apple that falls from the tree is "obliged" to fall, it cannot do anything else, not because it is imposed on it, but because there is an inner force of gravity that attracts it to the center of the earth.

In the same way, there are two great ways according to which man can be induced to do or not do something: by constriction or by attraction. The law and ordinary commandments induce him the first way: by constriction, with the threat of punishment. Love induces him the second way: by attraction, by an interior impulse.

Each one, in fact, is attracted by what he loves, without suffering any constriction from outside. Show a child a toy and you will see him try to take it. Who pushes him? No one, he is attracted by the object of his desire. Show a good to a soul thirsting for truth and it will go out to it. Who pushes it? No one; it is attracted by its desire.

But if it is so -- that is, that we are spontaneously attracted by goodness and truth which is God, what need is there, one might ask, to make this love a commandment and a duty? The fact is that we are surrounded by other goods and run the risk of missing the target, of tending to false goods and thus losing the supreme good.

As a spaceship going to the sun must follow certain rules so as not to fall into the sphere of gravity of an intermediary planet or satellite, the same is true for us in our tending to God. The Commandments, beginning with "the first and greatest of all," which is to love God, serves this purpose.

All this has a direct impact on human life and also on human love. There are increasingly numerous young people who reject the institution of marriage and choose so-called free love, or simply living together. Marriage is an institution; once contracted, it obliges one to be faithful and to love one's partner for life. But, what need is there to transform love, which is instinct, spontaneity, vital impulse, into a duty?

The philosopher Soren Kierkegaard gives a convincing answer: "Only when there is a duty to love, is love guaranteed forever against any alteration; eternally liberated in happy independence; assured in eternal bliss against all despair."

He means: The man who truly loves, wants to love forever. Love needs to have eternity as its horizon; otherwise it is no more than a game, a "kind misunderstanding" or a "dangerous pastime."

That is why, the more intensely we love, the more we perceive with anguish the danger in loving, a danger that does not come from others, but from ourselves. We know that love is variable, and that tomorrow, alas, we might get tired and not love any more. And, now that we are in love, we see with clarity the irreparable loss that that would imply, and here we take the precaution of "binding" ourselves to love forever.

Duty removes love from variability and anchors it in eternity. One who loves is happy to "have" to love; it seems to him to be the most beautiful and liberating commandment in the world.    [Translation by ZENIT]   © Innovative Media Inc.