The Ways of the Lord!

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time

L-24 Ħadd matul is-Sena

Messalin B pp 463

Reading 1     -            Isaiah  50:5-9a

The Lord GOD opens my ear that I may hear;  and I have not rebelled, have not turned back.  I gave my back to those who beat me,  my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield  from buffets and spitting.  The Lord GOD is my help,  therefore I am not disgraced;  I have set my face like flint,  knowing that I shall not be put to shame. He is near who upholds my right;  if anyone wishes to oppose me,  let us appear   together. Who disputes my right?  Let that man confront me.  See, the Lord GOD is my help; who will prove me wrong?  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari   -   mill-Profeta Isaija  50, 5-9a

Sidi l-Mulej fetaħli widinti, u jiena ma webbistx rasi, ma rġajtx lura.  Tajt dahri lil dawk li jkunu jsawtuni, ħaddejja lil dawk li kienu jnittfuli lħiti; ma ħbejtx wiċċi mit-tagħjir u l-bżieq. Sidi l-Mulej jgħinni,  għalhekk ma nitħawwadx;  għalhekk għamilt wiċċi bħaż-żnied; jien naf li ma jkollix mniex nistħi. Dak li jagħmel ġustizzja miegħi jinsab fil-qrib.  Min  se jeħodha miegħi?  Ħa noqogħdu  għall-ħaqq flimkien!  Min hu kontra tiegħi?  Ħa jersaq lejja! Ara, Sidi l-Mulej jgħinni:  min se jagħtini tort?  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm          -           PSALM 114:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

I love the LORD because he has heard
my voice in supplication,
Because he has inclined his ear to me
the day I called.                                                                R/  

R. (9) I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

The cords of death encompassed me;
the snares of the netherworld seized upon me;
I fell into distress and sorrow,
And I called upon the name of the LORD,
"O LORD, save my life!"                                 R/

R. (9) I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

Gracious is the LORD and just;
yes, our God is merciful.
The LORD keeps the little ones;
I was brought low, and he saved me.                     R/

R. (9) I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

For he has freed my soul from death,
my eyes from tears, my feet from stumbling.
I shall walk before the Lord
in the land of the living.                                               R/
R. (9) I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

Salm Responsorjali     -  Salm 114  (116)

Inħobb il-Mulej,

għax sama' leħen it-tħannin tiegħi;

għaliex hu tani  widen

fil-jum li fih sejjaħtlu.

R/    Jien nimxi quddiem il-Mulej, f'art il-ħajjin.

Il-ħbula tal-mewt dawruni,

irbit tal-imwiet ħakimni;

fin-niket u l-hemm sibt ruħi.

Imma isem il-Mulej sejjaħt:

"Mulej, nitolbok, salvani!"

R/    Jien nimxi quddiem il-Mulej, f'art il-ħajjin.

Ħanin  il-Mulej, u ġust;

Twajjeb hu Alla tagħna.

Iħares id-dgħajfa l-Mulej;

jien kont magħkus, u hu ħelisni.

R/    Jien nimxi quddiem il-Mulej, f'art il-ħajjin.

Għax  mill-mewt ħelisli 'l ħajti,

lil għajnejja mid-dmugħ,

u 'l riġlejja mit-tfixkil.

Jien nimxi quddiem il-Mulej

f'art il-ħajjin.                                                      R/

R/    Jien nimxi quddiem il-Mulej, f'art il-ħajjin.

Reading 2     -    James 2:14-18

What good is it, my brothers and sisters,  if someone says he has faith but does not have works?  Can that faith save him?  If a brother or sister has nothing to wear  and has no food for the day,  and one of you says to them,  "Go in peace, keep warm, and eat well, " but you do not give them the necessities of the body,  what good is it?  So also faith of itself,  if it does not have works, is dead.  Indeed someone might say,  "You have faith and I have works."  Demonstrate your faith to me without works,  and I will demonstrate my faith to you from my works.  This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qari   -    mill-Ittra ta' San Ġakbu  2, 14-18

X'jiswa, ħuti, li wieħed igħid li għandu l-fidi, jekk ma jurihiex fl-egħmil tiegħu? Jaqaw  tista' ssalvah din il-fidi? Jekk ħuk, jew oħtok, ma jkollhomx x'jilbsu u Jjonqoshom l-ikel ta' kuljum, u wieħed minnkom igħidilhom, 'Morru bis-sliem, isħnu u kulu sa tixbgħu,' bla ma jagħtihom dak li hu meħtieġ   għall-ġisem, dan x'jiswa'? Hekk ukoll il-fidi:  jekk tkun weidha u ma  jkollhiex l-għemil, tkun mejta fiha nnifisha.  Imma xi ħadd jista' jgħid,  "Inti għandek il-fidi u jiena l-għemil." Urini l-fidi tiegħek mingħajr l-għemil, u jien nurik il-fidi tiegħi mill-għemil tiegħi.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                   Mark 8:27-35

Jesus and his disciples set out for the villages of Caesarea Philippi. Along the way he asked his disciples, "Who do people say that I am?" They said in reply, "John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others one of the prophets." And he asked them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter said to him in reply, "You are the Christ." Then he warned them not to tell anyone about him. He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed, and rise after three days. He spoke this openly. Then Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. At this he turned around and, looking at his disciples, rebuked Peter and said, "Get behind me, Satan. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." He summoned the crowd with his disciples and said to them, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake and that of the gospel will save it." This is the Word of The Lord

L-Evanġelju    -   Qari skont  San Mark 8, 27-35

F'dak iż-żmien,   telaq Ġesu' flimkien mad-dixxipli tiegħu  lejn l-irħula ta' Ċesarija ta' Filippu.  Huma u mexjin, lid-dixxipli tiegħu għamlilhom din il-mistoqsija: "Min igħidu n-nies li jien?"  Weġbuh u qalulu:  "Ġwanni l-Battista; oħrajn, Elija;   u oħrajn, wieħed mill-profeti."  Staqsiehom: "Imma intom,  min tgħidu li jien?"  Qabeż Pietru u qallu:  "Inti l-Messija."  Imbagħad ordnalhom ħafna biex ma jitkellmu ma' ħadd fuqu.  U beda jgħallimhom fuq li kien meħtieġ li   Bin il-bniedem ibati ħafna,   ikun miċħud mix-xjuħ u mill-qassisin il-kbar u l-kittieba,   joqtluh, u  wara tlitt ijiem jerġa jqum.  .  Fuq dan kellimhom ċar.  Pietru ġibdu lejh u beda jlumu.  Iżda hu dar iħares lejn id-dixxipli tiegħu, u ċanfar lil Pietru u qallu:  "Itlaq minn quddiemi, ja xitan, għax mintix   taħseb  fil-ħwejjeġ ta' Alla, imma f'dawk tal-bnedmin!"  Sejjaħ lejh in-nies flimkien mad-dixxipli tiegħu u qalilhom:  "Jekk xi ħadd irid jiġi warajja, għandu jiċħad lilu nnifsu,  jerfa' salibu, u jimxi warajja.  Għax min irid isalva ħajtu, jitlifha;  imma min    jitlef ħajtu għall-imħabba tiegħi u tal-Evanġelju, isalvaha."  Għax x'jiswielu l-bniedem jekk jikseb id-dinja kollha u   mbagħad jitlef ħajtu?"  Il-Kelma ta' Mulej

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

Commentary:

Father Cantalamessa Asks:

Who Is Jesus for You?

The three synoptic Gospels refer to the episode of Jesus when, in Caesarea Philippi, he asked his apostles what people thought of him. The common fact in the three Gospels is Peter's response: "You are the Christ."  Matthew adds: "the Son of the living God" (Matthew 16:16) which could, however, be a manifestation due to the faith of the Church after Easter.  Soon the title "Christ" became Jesus' second name. It is mentioned more than 500 times in the New Testament, almost always in the composite form "Jesus Christ" or "Our Lord Jesus Christ." 

However, it was not so in the beginning. Between Jesus and Christ a verb was understood: "Jesus is the Christ." To say "Christ" was not to call Jesus by his name, but to make an affirmation about him.  Christ, we know, is the Greek translation of the Hebrew Mashiah, or Messiah, and both mean "anointed." The term derives from the fact that in the Old Testament kings, prophets and priests, at the moment of their election, were consecrated through an anointing with perfumed oil. 

But increasingly in the Bible there clearly is talk of a special anointed or consecrated one who will come in the end times to fulfill God's promises of salvation to his people. It is the so-called biblical messianism, which takes on different hues according to how the Messiah is seen as a future king (royal messianism) or as Daniel's son of man (apocalyptic messianism).  The whole primitive tradition of the Church is unanimous in proclaiming that Jesus of Nazareth is the awaited Messiah. He himself, according to Mark, will proclaim himself such before the Sanhedrin. To the question of the High Priest: "Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?" He replies: "I am" (Mark 14:61 ff.).    

So much more disconcerting, therefore, is the continuation of Jesus' dialogue with the disciples in Caesarea Philippi: "And he commanded them energetically not to speak about him to any one."  However, the motive is clear. Jesus accepts being identified with the awaited Messiah, but not with the idea that Judaism had made for itself of the Messiah. In the prevailing opinion, the Messiah was seen as a political and military leader who would liberate Israel from pagan dominion and establish the kingdom of God on earth by force.    Jesus had to profoundly correct this idea, shared by his own apostles, before allowing them to talk of him as the Messiah. To this end is oriented the discourse that follows immediately: "And he began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things."  

The harsh word addressed to Peter, which seeks to dissuade him from such thoughts: "Get behind me, Satan!" is identical with that addressed to the tempter of the desert.  In both cases, in fact, it is about the same attempt to deflect him from the path that the Father has indicated to him -- that of the suffering servant of Yahweh -- to another which is "according to men, not according to God." 

Salvation will come from the sacrifice of himself, from "giving his life in ransom for many," not from the elimination of the enemy. In this way, from a temporal salvation one passes to an eternal salvation, from a particular salvation -- destined for only one people -- one passes to a universal salvation. 

Regrettably we must state that Peter's error has been repeated in history. Also certain men of the Church, and even Successors of Peter, have behaved at certain times as if the Kingdom of God was of this world and should be affirmed with the victory (if necessary also with arms) over enemies, instead of doing so with suffering and martyrdom. 

All the words of the Gospel are timely, but the dialogue of Caesarea Philippi is so in an altogether special way. The situation has not changed. Also today, people have very diverse opinions on Jesus: a prophet, a great teacher, a great personality. It has become fashionable to present Jesus in shows and novels, in customs and in the strangest messages. The "Da Vinci Code" is only the latest in a long series. 

In the Gospel, Jesus does not seem to be surprised by people's opinions, nor does he take time to deny them. He only poses a question to his disciples, and he does so also today: "For you, who am I for you?"  A leap must be taken that does not come from the flesh or from blood, but is a gift of God which must be accepted through the docility of an interior light from which faith is born. Every day there are men and women who take this leap. 

Sometimes it is famous people -- actors, actresses, men of culture -- and then they make news. But infinitely more numerous are the unknown believers. At times nonbelievers interpret these conversions as weakness, sentimental crises or a search for popularity, and it might be that in some cases it is so. But it would be a lack of respect of the conscience of the rest to cast discredit on every story of conversion. 

One thing is certain: Those who have taken this leap will not go back for anything in the world, and more than that, they are surprised to have been able to live for so long without the light and strength that comes from faith in Christ. 

Like St. Hillary of Poitiers, who converted when he was an adult, they are willing to exclaim: "Before knowing you, I did not exist."

[Translation by ZENIT]   © Innovative Media Inc.

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