Master, I want to see

Thirtieth Sunday in Ordinary Time

It-30 Ħadd matul is-Sena

" Messalin B pp 498

Reading 1                             Jeremiah 31:7-9

Thus says the LORD: Shout with joy for Jacob, exult at the head of the nations; proclaim your praise and say: The LORD has delivered his people, the remnant of Israel. Behold, I will bring them back from the land of the north; I will gather them from the ends of the world, with the blind and the lame in their midst, the mothers and those with child; they shall return as an immense throng. They departed in tears, but I will console them and guide them; I will lead them to brooks of water, on a level road, so that none shall stumble. For I am a father to Israel,Ephraim is my first-born. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari    -    mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Ġeremija  31, 7-9

Dan igħid il-Mulej: Għannu bil-ferħ għal Ġakobb, sellmu lill-ewlieni fost il-ġnus! Xandru, faħħru u niedu: "Il-Mulej salva l-poplu tiegħu, il-fdal ta' Israel!" Arawni, se nġibhom minn art it-tramuntana, niġborhom mil-ibgħad art, ilkoll kemm huma, l-għomja u z-zopop, in-nisa bit-tfal u n-nisa fil-ħlas; kotra  kbira terġa' lura  hawn. Jiġu bil-biki; imma nfarraġhom jiena u nġibhom lura.   Immexxihom lejn ilma ġieri, minn mogħdijiet watja biex ma jitfixlux.. Għax jien  missier għal Iżrael, u Efrajm hu ibni l-kbir."   Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm      PSALM 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6

R. (3) The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.                                 R/

Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.                                                                       R/

Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those that sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.                                                                 R/

Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.                                         R/

Salm Responsorjali     -    SALM 125 (126)

                R/  Kbir f'għemilu l-Mulej magħna!

Meta l-Mulej reġġa' lura l-imjassra ta' Sijon,

konna qisna mitlufa f'ħolma;

imbagħad bid-daħk imtela fommna,

u  b'għajjat ta' ferħ ilsienna.                                       R/

Imbagħad bdew igħidu fost il-ġnus;

"Kbir f'għemilu l-Mulej magħhom!"

Kbir f'għemilu l-Mulej magħna!

U aħna bil-ferħ imtlejna.                                             R/

Biddel, Mulej, xortina,

bħall-widien ta' Neġeb!

Dawk li jiżirigħu fid-dmugħ

jaħsdu bl-għana ta' ferħ.                                              R/

Huma sejrin, imorru  jibku,

Iġorru  iż-żerriegħa għaż-żrigħ.

Iżda huma u ġejjin  lura, jiġu b'għana ta' ferħ,

Iġorru l-qatet f'idejhom.                                              R/

Reading 2    -    Hebrewss 5:1-6

Brothers and sisters: Every high priest is taken from among men and made their representative before God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He is able to deal patiently with the ignorant and erring, for he himself is beset by weakness and so, for this reason, must make sin offerings for himself as well as for the people. No one takes this honor upon himself but only when called by God, just as Aaron was. In the same way, it was not Christ who glorified himself in becoming high priest, but rather the one who said to him: You are my son: this day I have begotten you; just as he says in another place: You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Qari    -     mill-Ittra lil Lhud 5,1-6

Kull qassis il-kbir meħud minn  fost il-bnedmin, hu mqiegħed għall-bnedmin f'dak li għandu  x'jaqsam ma' Alla, biex joffri doni u sagrifiċċji għad-dnubiet. Hu dak li jista' jagħder 'il dawk li ma jafux u li jiżbaljaw, għax huwa mlibbes bid-dgħufija;   u  minħabba f'hekk  għandu joffri sagrifiċċji għad-dnubiet tiegħu ukoll, bħalma joffrihom għad-dnubiet tal-poplu. Ħadd ma għandu jieħu b'idejh dal-ġieħ għalih innifsu, imma biss min hu msejjaħ minn Alla, sewwasew  kif kien imsejjajħ  Aron.   Għax hekk ukoll Kristu ma tax lilu innifsu l-ġieħ li  jkun qassis il-kbir, imma dan  tahulu Alla, li qallu: "Ibni int; illum  jien nissiltek." U kif igħid ukoll band'oħra: 'Int qassis għal dejjem skond l-ordni ta' Melkisedek.'  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                    Mark 10:46-52

As Jesus was leaving Jericho with his disciples and a sizable crowd, Bartimaeus, a blind man, the son of Timaeus, sat by the roadside begging. On hearing that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out and say, "Jesus, son of David, have pity on me." And many rebuked him, telling him to be silent. But he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me." Jesus stopped and said, "Call him." So they called the blind man, saying to him, "Take courage; get up, Jesus is calling you." He threw aside his cloak, sprang up, and came to Jesus. Jesus said to him in reply, "What do you want me to do for you?" The blind man replied to him, "Master, I want to see." Jesus told him, "Go your way; your faith has saved you." Immediately he received his sight and followed him on the way. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Evanġelju    -     skond San Mark  10:46-52

F'dak iż-żmien,  waqt li Ġesu' kien ħiereġ minn Ġeriko, flimkien mad-dixxipli tiegħu u ma' kotra kbira ta'nies, kien hemm wieħed tallab agħma, jismu Bartilmew, bin Timew, bilqiegħda mal-ġenb tat-triq. Dan, meta sama' li kien Ġesu' ta' Nazaret. qabad jgħajjat u jgħid: "Ġesu',  bin David, ikollok ħniena minni!" Kien hemm ħafna li bdew jgħajtu miegħu biex jiskot imma hu aktar beda jgħajjat:  "Bin David, ikollok ħniena minni!"  Ġesu' waqaf u qal:  "Sejħulu." Huma sejħu l-agħma u qalulu: "Agħmel il-qalb!  Qum, qiegħed isejjaħlek." Dak tajjar il-mantar minn fuqu,  qabeż fuq riġlejħ u mar ħdejn Ġesu'. U Ġesu' kellmu u qallu:  "Xi  trid nagħmillek?" "Li nara, Rabbuni,"  wieġbu l-agħma. U Ġesu': "Mur, il-fidi tiegħek fejqitek". U minnfih raġa' beda jara, u baqa' miexi warajh fit-triq. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Commentary by Fr Raniero Cantalamessa ofm cap

"Chosen from and for men"

The Gospel passage recounts the cure of the blind man of Jericho, Bartimaeus.

Bartimaeus is someone who does not miss an opportunity. He heard that Jesus was passing by, understood that it was the opportunity of his life and acted swiftly. The reaction of those present -- "and many rebuked him, telling him to be silent" -- makes evident the unadmitted pretension of the wealthy of all times: That misery remain hidden, that it not show itself, that it not disturb the sight and dreams of those who are well.

The term "blind" has been charged with so many negative meanings that it is right to reserve it, as the tendency is today, to the moral blindness of ignorance and insensitivity. Bartimaeus is not blind; he is only sightless. He sees better with his heart than many of those around him, because he has faith and cherishes hope. More than that, it is this interior vision of faith which also helps him to recover his external vision of things. "Your faith has made you well," Jesus says to him.

I pause here in the explanation of the Gospel because I am anxious to develop a topic present in this Sunday's second reading, regarding the figure and role of the priest. It is said of a priest first of all that he is "chosen from among men." He is not, therefore, an uprooted being or fallen from heaven, but a human being who has behind him a family and a history like everyone else.

"Chosen from among men" also means that the priest is made of the same fabric as any other human creature: with the emotions, struggles, doubts and weaknesses of everybody else. Scripture sees in this a benefit for other men, not a motive for scandal. In this way, in fact, the priest will be more ready to have compassion, as he is also cloaked in weakness.

Chosen from among men, the priest is moreover "appointed to act on behalf of men," that is, given back to them, placed at their service -- a service that affects man's most profound dimension, his eternal destiny.

St. Paul summarizes the priestly ministry with a phrase: "This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God" (1 Corinthians 4:1). This does not mean that the priest is indifferent to the needs -- including human -- of people, but that he is also concerned with these with a spirit that is different from that of sociologists and politicians. Often the parish is the strongest point of aggregation, including social, in the life of a country or district.

We have sketched the positive vision of the priest's figure. We know that it is not always so. Every now and then the news reminds us that another reality also exists, made of weakness and infidelity --- of this reality the Church can do no more than ask forgiveness.

But there is a truth that must be recalled for a certain consolation of the people. As man, the priest can err, but the gestures he carries out as priest, at the altar or in the confessional, are not invalid or ineffective because of it. The people are not deprived of God's grace because of the unworthiness of the priest. It is Christ who baptizes, celebrates, forgives; the priest is only the instrument.

I like to recall in this connection, the words uttered before dying by the country priest of Georges Bernanos: "All is grace."   Even the misery of his alcoholism seems to him to be a grace, because it has made him more merciful toward people. God is not that concerned that his representatives on earth be perfect, but that they be merciful.

[Translation by ZENIT]   © Innovative Media Inc.

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