Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time
Il-Ħdax-il Ħadd matul is-Sena (B)
Messain 'B' pp393
READING
1 Ezekiel 17: 22-24
Thus
says the Lord GOD: I, too, will take
from the crest of the cedar,from its topmost branches tear off a tender
shoot,and plant it on a high and lofty mountain;on the mountain heights of Israel
L-EWWEL LEZZJONI -- Qari mill-Profeta Eżekjel 17, 22-24
Dan jgħid Sidi l-Mulej:
"Jien naqta' mill-quċċata taċ-ċedru l-għoli, minn tarf il-friegħi
l-għolja, rimja żgħira, u nxettilha fuq il-muntanja għolja u kbira; fuq
il-muntanja għolja ta' Iżrael inxettilha.
U hi toħroġ il-friegħi, u tagħmel il-frott, u ssir siġra sabiħa
taċ-ċedru. U taħtha hstkenn kull tajr
tal-ġwienaħ, jistekknu għad-dell tal-friegħi tagħha. U jagħrfu s-siġar kollha tar-raba' li jien
il-Mulej, li siġra għolja nċekkinha, u siġra żgħira nkabbarha; innixxef
is-siġar l-ħadra, u n-niexfa bil-weraq
nkabbarha. Jien, il-Mulej, tkellimt, u li għedt nagħmlu."Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
RESPONSORIAL
PSALM PSALM 92: 2-3,
13-14, 15-16
R. (cf. 2a) Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
It is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to sing praise to your name, Most High,
To proclaim your kindness at dawn
and your faithfulness throughout the night. R.
to sing praise to your name, Most High,
To proclaim your kindness at dawn
and your faithfulness throughout the night. R.
The just one shall flourish like the palm tree,
like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow.
They that are planted in the house of the LORD
shall flourish in the courts of our God. R.
like a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow.
They that are planted in the house of the LORD
shall flourish in the courts of our God. R.
They shall bear fruit even in old age;
vigorous and sturdy shall they be,
Declaring how just is the LORD,
my rock, in whom there is no wrong. R.
vigorous and sturdy shall they be,
Declaring how just is the LORD,
my rock, in whom there is no wrong. R.
SALM
RESPONSORJALI Salm91(92)
R/ Tajjeb li nfaħhru l-Mulej.
Tajjeb li nfaħħru l-Mulej,
li
ngħannu lil ismek, into l-Għoli,
inxandru
filgħodu t-tjieba tiegħek,
u billejl il-fedela' tiegħek. R/
Il-bniedem ġust bħall-palma jħaddar,
bħal ċedru tal-Libanu jikber.
Imħawlin f'dar il-Mulej,
Iħaddru fil-btiħi tat-tempju ta' Alla tagħna. R/
Sa
fu xjuħithom il-frott jagħmlu,
kollhom
ħajja u ħdura,
bieix
ixandru li ġust hu l-Mulej, blata tiegħi,
u ebda qerq ma jinsab fih. R/
READING 2 2 Corinthians 5: 6-10
Brothers
and sisters: We are always
courageous, although we know that while we are at home in the body we are away
from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight. Yet we are courageous, and
we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord. Therefore, we aspire to
please him, whether we are at home or away. For we must all appear before the
judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive recompense, according to what
he did in the body, whether good or evil. This
is the Word of the Lord.
It-Tieni
Lezzjoni -- Qari mit-Tieni Ittra
lill-Korintin. 5, 6-10
Ħuti,
aħna dejjem qalbna qawwija u nafu li sakemm indumu mlibbsa b'dan il-ġisem, nibqgħu 'l
bogħod mill-Mulej – għahx aħna ngħixu bil-fidi u mhux bil-viżjoni.
Aħna qalbna qawwija u persważi li aħjar noħorġu minn minn
Gospel
Mark 4: 26-34
Jesus
said to the crowds: "This is
how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on
the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed
would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its own accord the land yields
fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full grain in the ear. And when
the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for the harvest has
come." He said, "To what shall we compare the kingdom of God, or what
parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when it is sown in
the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But once it is sown,
it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its
shade." With many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were
able to understand it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his
own disciples he explained everything in private. This is the Word of the Lord.
L-Evanġelju skond Mark.
4, 26-34
F'dak
iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lill-kotrao tan-nies: "Is-Saltna ta' Alla hi bħal meta raġel ikun xeħet
iż-żerriegħa fl-art. Rieqed jew imqajjem, billejl jew binhar, iż-żerriegħa tinbet
u tikber, bla ma jaf kif. L-art trodd
minnha nfisha l-ewwel il-barma, imbagħad
is-sbula, imbagħad il-qamħ mimli fis-sbula. U meta l-frott isir, malajr il-bidwi jmidd idu għall-minġel, għax ikun wasal żmien
il-ħsad. U qal: "Ma xiex sejrin inqabbluha s-Saltna ta'
Alla, jew b'liema parabbola nifssurha?
Qisha żerriegħa tal- mustarda;
din meta tinżara fil-ħamrija, hi l-iċken fost iż-żrieragħ kollha fuq
l-art; imma wara li tinżara' tikber u
ssir l-akbar waħda fost il-ħxejjex kollha, u toħroġ friegħi wesgħin, hekk li
l-għasafar tal-ajru jkunu jistgħu jistkennu għad-dell tagħha." B'ħafna parabboli bħal dawn
kien ixandrilhom il-kelma, kif kienu jistgħu jifhmuha huma, u mingħajr xi parábola
ma kienx ikellimhom; imma lid-dixxipli
tiegħu, meta kien ikun waħdu magħhom,
kien ifissrilhom kollox. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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COMMENTARY on
next Sunday’s Gospel by Larry Broding
A Picture Tells a Thousand Stories
Are
you “visually oriented?” How does this orientation effect the language you use?
How
many times have you told someone, “If you could only see it, you would
understand”? Pictures do simplify explanations. Word images do the same thing.
They make the difficult easy to communicate. Jesus understood this principle well when he told the
people about the Kingdom
of God
In the first parable Jesus proposed and
agricultural analogy that was familiar with his audience. At the time, farmers
carefully planted grain and tended their fields to maximize yield. Yet, nature
produced the plants; farmers only cooperated with creation for their plants. In
the end, framers harvested the grain when the time was right. How does this
analogy reveal the Kingdom? The active agent in the analogy and in the Kingdom
is God. Humanity is simply a co-worker. God created the conditions for the
harvest, the worker (i.e., missionary) who sowed the seeds then brought the
harvest in. Notice the two parts the farmer/missionary played. He spread the
seed (the word of God) and participated in the harvest at the end. Indeed, if
the appearance of Christ in the Incarnation and at the crucifixion revealed the
end times, the missionary/evangelist was to extend the Messianic mission of
bringing all back to God for the Final Judgment. Of course, those who willingly
participated in this “gathering” were saved; those who rejected the call were
“lost.”
Like may other parables, this analogy spoke to
the end times. The farmer/missionary spreads the Word and in doing so, he or
she helped Christ bring back all to God. So, the Christian missionary was
actually the Christian eschatologist. The missionary was a minister for the
Final Days. Yet, his/her job was secondary. God was in charge; he was doing the
“heavy lifting” to fulfill his will.
In
his second parable, Jesus changed the focus from the end times to the humble
beginnings of the Kingdom. The reign of God would not arrive to thunderous
applause. In fact, like the small mustard seed, its coming would not be
considered a major event. The
Incarnation was not announced with great fanfare. However, the end of the
process that began with the Incarnation would be huge.
Why
did Jesus use parables in his public ministry? Jesus used parables for two
reasons: to deflect criticism and to
teach effectively. By speaking in analogies and stories, Jesus was able to
communicate to his audience without providing a clear reason for the Roman
authorities to move against him. If Jesus equated the Kingdom of God
More
important, stories and analogies are superior didactic tools. What do you
remember best: a process, a
principle or a story? Narrative forms create opportune conditions to
communicate a moral. Think of an effective television commercial. Most likely,
the commercial tells a story and ties the moral of the story directly to the
product and/or product feature. Jesus and his followers used this form to pass along
the faith. Over time, of course,
the interpretations of many parable changed to meet the needs of the audience.
But, that did not diminish the power of the narrative.
What is your favorite parable in the gospel?
How do these parables help reflect on the Kingdom?
Jesus painted word pictures with symbols and
stories. He understood the power of the narrative. A picture might tell a
thousand stories, but a word picture can help express the Kingdom.
What story or symbol could you create to
express your faith? Get creative.
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