Qum... Koum... Arise!!

 Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

It-13-il Ħadd matul is-Sena

Messalin 'B' 404

Reading 1                 Wisdom 1:13-15; 2:23-24

God did not make death, nor does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the netherworld on earth, for justice is undying. For God formed man to be imperishable; the image of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the world, and they who belong to his company experience it. This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni    -  mill-Ktieb tal-Għerf 1, 13-15; 2,23-25

Il-mewt mhux Alla għamilha; u lanqas togħġbu l-qerda tal-ħajjin. Hu ħalaq kollox biex jgħix; għall-ħajja huma l-ħlejjaq tad-dinja, m'hemmx fihom velenu tal-mewt . Is-saltan tal-mewt ma taħkimx fuq l-art, għax il-ġustizzja ma taqax taħ t il-mewt. Alla ħalaq il-bniedem biex ma jmutx, u għamlu xbieha tiegħu nnifsu. Bl-għejra tax-xitan daħlet il-mewt fid-dinja; u jafu xi tfisser dawk li huma tiegħu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                       Psalm 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11, 12, 13

R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.

I will extol you, O LORD, for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among those going down into the pit.                      R.

Sing praise to the LORD, you his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy name.
For his anger lasts but a moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters in,
but with the dawn, rejoicing.                                                                                    R.

Hear, O LORD, and have pity on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will I give you thanks.                                               R.

Salm Responsorjali                       Salm 29(30)

                R/    Ngħollik, Mulej, għax erfajtni.

Ngħollik, Mulej, għax  erfajtni,

u ma ferraħtx l-għedewwa tiegħi bija.

Mulej,  tellejtli mill-mewt 'il ruħi,

ħlistni minn fost  dawk li jinżlu fil-ħofra.                               R/

Għannu lill-Mulej, ħbieb tiegħu,

faħhru l-isem qaddis tiegħu.

Għax ftit iddum is-saħna tiegħu,

iżda għomor sħiħ l-imħabba tiegħu.

Filgħaxija jidħol il-biki,

filgħodu jidwi l-għajjat ta' ferħ.                                 R/

Ismagħni, Mulej, u ħenn għalija;

kun,  Mulej, l-għajnuna tiegħi.

Int   bdilt  fi żfin l-għali tiegħi,

Mulej, Alla tiegħi, infaħħrek għal dejjem!                            R/

Reading 2                             2 Corinthans 8:7, 9, 13-15

Brothers and sisters: As you excel in every respect, in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness, and in the love we have for you, may you excel in this gracious act also. For you know the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. Not that others should have relief while you are burdened, but that as a matter of equality your abundance at the present time should supply their needs, so that their abundance may also supply your needs, that there may be equality. As it is written: Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not have less.  This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni     -   mit-Tieni Ittra lill-Korintin 8,7-9, 13-15

Ħuti, bħalma intom għonja f'kollox,  fil-fidi u fil-kelma, fl-għerf u biż-żelu kollu,  fl-imħabba li aħna rawwimna  f'qalbhom, hekk għandkom  tistagħnu  f'din il-ħidma ta' ħniena. Intom tafu l-grazzja ta' Sidna Ġesu' Kristu,  li għad li kien għani, ftaqar minħabba fikom,  sabiex intom tistagħnu permezz tal-faqar tiegħu. Mhux biex il-piż iħeff minn fuq l-oħrajn, u jaqa'  Kollu fuqkom, imma kulħadd indaqs.   Bħalissa ħallu ż-żejjed tagħkom jagħmel tajjeb  għan-nieqes ta' dawk li ma għandhomx, biex  iż-żejjed tagħhom għad ikun jista' jpatti għan- nieqes tagħkom.   U hekk ikun kulħadd indaqs, bħalma hu miktub;  "Min ġabar ħafna ma sabx  iż-żejjed. u min ġabar ftit ma baqax bin-nieqes." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                       Mark 5:21-43

When Jesus had crossed again in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward. Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, "My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live." He went off with him, and a large crowd followed him and pressed upon him. There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured." Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction. Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?" But his disciples said to Jesus, "You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'" And he looked around to see who had done it. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. He said to her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your affliction." While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue  official's house arrived and said, "Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?" Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid; just have faith." He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John, the brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official, he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went in and said to them, "Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep." And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He took along the child's father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her, "Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I say to you, arise!" The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. At that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat.

L-Evanġelju    skond San Mark 5, 21-43

F'dak iż-żmien, wara li Ġesu' raġa' qasam fid-dgħajsa  għax- xatt l-ieħor, waqt li kien ħdjen il-baħar inġabret madwaru   kotra kbira ta' nies.   U ġie wieħed mill-kapijiet tas-sinagoga,   jismu Ġajru.   Dan malli rah, inxteħet f'riġlejh, u talbu ħafna u  qallu:  "Binti ż-żgħira  waslet fl-aħħar;  ejja qiegħed idejk fuqha,  ħalli tfiq u  tgħix."     U Ġesu' telaq miegħu, b'kotra kbira miexja warajh, kulħadd iross fuq. U kien hemm mara li kienet ilha tnax-il sena sħaħ tbati bit- tnixxija tad-demm.     Kienet  batiet wisq taħt ħafna tobba, u nefqet kulma kellha, u mhux biss ma swielha xejn, imma talli marret għall-agħar.   Meta semgħet b'Ġesu', ġiet qalb il-folla, resqet minn warajh u messitlu l-mantar, għax qalet: "Jekk immis imqar il-mantar tiegħu nkun imfejqa." F'daqqa waħda t-tnixxija tad-demm waqfitilha, u  ġewwa fiha  Hasset li kient fieqet mill-marda tagħha. Ġesu' minnufih intebaħ bil-qawwa li ħarġet minnu, u dar lejn il-kotra u staqsa:  "Min messli l-mantar?"   Id-dixxipli tiegħu qalulu:   "Qiegħed tara dawn in-nies kollha jrossu madwarek,  u tistaqsi:  "Min messni?"   Hu beda jħares madwaru biex jara  jilmaħx lil dik li kienet għamlet dan.   Imbagħad il-mara, tirtogħod  bil-biża' għax għarfet x'kien ġralha, resqet, inxteħet  f'riġlejh u  staqrritlu s-sewwa kollu.  U qalilha:  "Binti, il-fidi tiegħek fejqitek;   mur bis-sliem, u kun imfejqa mill-marda tiegħek." Kif kien għadu jitkellem, waslu xi wħud mid-dar tal-kap tas- sinagoga u lil dan qalulu:  "Bintek mieter;  għalfejn tħabbtu iżjed l-Imgħallem?"    Iżda Ġesu' sama' x'kienu qegħdin igħidu u qal lill-Kap tas-sinagoga:  "Tibżax, biss inti emmen."  U ma ħalla lil ħadd imur miegħu ħlief lil Pietru, lil Ġakbu, u lil Ġwanni,  ħu Ġakbu. Waslu d-dar tal-kap tas-sinagoga, u ra storbju sħiħ u nies jibku u jixhru.   Daħal, u qalilhom:  "Dan l-istorbju kollu u dan il-biki  għalfejn?   It-tfajla mhijiex nejta, imma rieqda."  U qabdu  jiddieħqu  bih.   Imma hu keċċiehom ilkoll 'il barra, ħa miegħu lil missieri it- tfajla u lil ommha  u lil dak li kienu miegħu u  daħal fejn kienet   it-tfajla.    Qabdilha idha, u qalilha:  "Talitha,qum!"   -  jiġiifieri: "Tfajla qiegħed ngħidlek, qum!"   Minnufih it-tfajla qamet u qabdet timxi' għax kellha tnax-il sena.   U baqgħu miblugħin bil-għaġeb.  U hu wissiehom bis-sħiħ biex dan ma jku jaf bih ħadd, u qalilhom jagħtuha  tiekol.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

///////////////////////////////

Father Cantalamessa on Revitalizing Youth

Talitha koum  Little girl, arise!

The passage of this Sunday's Gospel is made up of scenes that occur rapidly in different places.    First of all is the scene on the lakeshore. Jesus is surrounded by a crowd when a man falls down at his feet and begs him: "My daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live." Jesus leaves his half-finished address and goes to the man's home.

The second scene takes place on the road. A woman who suffered from hemorrhage, went up behind Jesus to touch his garment and felt she is cured.  While Jesus was speaking with her, someone arrived from Jairus' house to tell him: "Your daughter has died; why trouble the teacher any longer?" Jesus, who heard everything, said to the ruler of the synagogue: "Do not be afraid; just have faith."

And next comes the crucial scene, in Jairus' house.  There was great confusion, people weeping and shouting, which is understandable given the death of the adolescent which had just occurred.  "So he went in and said to them, 'Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not dead but asleep.' ... Then he put them all out. He took along the child's father and mother and those who were with him and entered the room where the child was.  "He took the child by the hand and said to her, 'Talitha koum,' which means, 'Little girl, I say to you, arise!'   "The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around. ... He gave strict orders that no one should know this and said that she should be given something to eat" (Mark 5:39-43).

The Gospel passage suggests an observation. The degree of historicity and reliability of the Gospels is again continually discussed. We recently witnessed the attempt to put at the same level, as if it had the same authority, the four canonical Gospels and the apocryphal gospels of the second and third centuries.

However, this attempt is simply absurd, and it also shows a good deal of bad faith. The apocryphal gospels, especially those of Gnostic origin, were written several generations later by persons who had lost all contact with the events, and who, moreover, were not in the least interested in making history, but in putting on Christ's lips the teachings of their own schools.

The canonical Gospels, on the contrary, were written by eyewitnesses of the events or persons who had been in contact with eyewitnesses. Mark, whose Gospel we are reading this year, was in close relationship with the Apostle Peter, of whom he refers many episodes that had him as protagonist.

This Sunday's passage gives us an example of that historical character of the Gospels. The clear portrait of Jairus and his anguished request for help; the episode of the woman they meet on the way to her home; the messengers' skeptical attitude toward Jesus; Christ's tenacity; the atmosphere of the people mourning for the dead girl; Jesus' command mentioned in the original Aramaic language; Jesus' moving concern that the resurrected girl be given something to eat. All makes one think of an eyewitness' account of the event.

Now, a brief application of Sunday's Gospel to life: There is not only the death of the body but also the death of the heart. Death of the heart exists when one lives in anxiety, discouragement and chronic sadness. Jesus' words "Talitha koum," Little girl, arise, are not addressed only to dead boys and girls, but also to living boys and girls.

How sad it is to see young people … sad.   And there are very many around us. Sadness, pessimism, the desire not to live, are always bad things, but when one sees or hears young people express them, the heart is even more oppressed.

In this connection, Jesus also continues today to resurrect dead boys and girls. He does so with his word, and also by sending them his disciples who, in his name, and with his very love, repeat to today's young people that cry of his: "Talitha koum," youth, arise! Live again!

[Translation by ZENIT]  © Innovative Media Inc.