On being a saint....

It-Tifkira Solenni Tal-Qaddisin Kollha

Reading 1         Revelations  7:2-4, 9-14

I, John, saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, “Do not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.” I heard the number of those who had been marked with the seal, one hundred and forty-four thousand marked from every tribe of the children of Israel. After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands. They cried out in a loud voice: “Salvation comes from our God, who is seated on the throne, and from the Lamb.” All the angels stood around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They prostrated themselves before the throne, worshiped God, and exclaimed: “Amen. Blessing and glory, wisdom and thanksgiving, honor, power, and might be to our God forever and ever. Amen.” Then one of the elders spoke up and said to me, “Who are these wearing white robes, and where did they come from?” I said to him, “My lord, you are the one who knows.” He said to me, “These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the Blood of the Lamb.”  This is the Word of The Lord.

1 QARI   -  mill-Ktieb tal-Apokalissi 7: 2-4.9-14

Jiena, Ġwanni, rajt Anġlu ieħor tiela’ bis-siġill ta’ Alla l-ħaj min-naħa tal-Lvant, u b’leħen għoli għajjat lillerba’ Anġli li lilhom kienet ingħatat is-setgħa li jagħmlu l-ħsara lill-art u lill-baħar, u qalilhom: “Tagħmlulhomx ħsara lill-art u lill-baħar, anqas lis-siġar, qabel ma nkunu stampajna s-siġill fuq il-ġbin tal-qaddejja ta’ Alla tagħna.” Imbagħad smajt x’kien il-għadd tal-issiġillati: mija u erbgħa u erbgħin elf issiġillat minn kull tribù ta’ wlied Israel. Wara dan, ħarist, u ara, kien hemm kotra kbira li ħadd ma jista’ jgħoddha, minn kull ġens u tribù, minn kull poplu u lsien, weqfin quddiem it-tron u quddiem il-Ħaruf, lebsin ilbiesi twal bojod, u bil-friegħi tal-palm f’idejhom. U għollew leħinhom u bdew jgħidu: “Is-salvazzjoni nafuha lil Alla tagħna li qiegħed fuq it-tron, u lill-Ħaruf.” L-Anġli kollha kienu qegħdin madwar it-tron u madwar ix-Xjuħ u l-erba’ Ħlejjaq Ħajjin, u waqgħu wiċċhom fl-art quddiem it-tron jagħtu qima lil Alla u jgħidu: “Ammen. It-tifħir u l-glorja, il-għerf, ir-radd ta’ ħajr u l-ġieħ, il-qawwa u s-saħħa lil Alla tagħna, għal dejjem ta’ dejjem! Ammen.” Imbagħad wieħed mix-Xjuħ qabad u staqsieni: “Dawn li għandhom l-ilbiesi twal bojod fuqhom min huma, u minn fejn ġejjin?” “Inti taf, sinjur,” għidtlu jien. Imbagħad qalli: “Dawn huma dawk li ġejjin mit-taħbit il-kbir, u l-ilbiesi tagħhom ħasluhom u bajduhom fid-demm tal-Ħaruf.” Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Responsorial Psalm       PSalm 24:1BC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6

R.  Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.

The LORD’s are the earth and its fullness;
the world and those who dwell in it.
For he founded it upon the seas
and established it upon the rivers.       /R

Who can ascend the mountain of the LORD?
or who may stand in his holy place?
One whose hands are sinless, whose heart is clean,
who desires not what is vain.          /R

He shall receive a blessing from the LORD,
a reward from God his savior.
Such is the race that seeks him,
that seeks the face of the God of Jacob.               /R

SALM RESPONSORJALI    -   Salm 23:1BC-2, 3-4AB, 5-6

Rit: Dan huwa n-nisel ta’ dawk li jfittxu wiċċek, Mulej!

Tal-Mulej hi l-art u kulma fiha,

id-dinja u kull ma jgħix fiha;

għax hu fuq l-ibħra waqqafha,

u fuq ix-xmajjar wettaqha.             Rit...

Min jista’ jitla’ fuq l-għolja tal-Mulej,

u min joqgħod fil-post imqaddes tiegħu?

Min għandu jdejh indaf u qalbu safja,

min ma tax ruħu għall-frugħa.                    Rit...

Dan ikollu barka minn għand il-Mulej,

u l-ħlas li ħaqqu minn Alla, is-Salvatur tiegħu.

Dan hu n-nisel ta’ dawk li jfittxuh,

li jfittxu wiċċek, Alla ta’ Ġakobb.                 Rit...

Reading 2         1 John 3:1-3

Beloved: See what love the Father has bestowed on us that we may be called the children of God. Yet so we are. The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know him. Beloved, we are God’s children now; what we shall be has not yet been revealed. We do know that when it is revealed we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. Everyone who has this hope based on him makes himself pure, as he is pure. This is the Word of The Lord.

2 QARI   -   mill-1 Ittra ta’ San Ġwann 3: 1-3

Għeżież: Araw b’liema mħabba ħabbna l-Missier: nistgħu nissejħu wlied Alla, u tassew aħna. Għalhekk iddinja ma tagħrafniex, għax ma għarfitx lilu. Għeżież, issa nafu li aħna wlied Alla, imma x’sa nkunu ’l quddiem mhux muri lilna. Madankollu nafu li, meta hu jidher, aħna nkunu bħalu, għax narawh kif inhu. Kull min għandu din it-tama fih, isir safi bħalma safi huwa Kristu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

 GOSPEL                Matthew 5:1-12A

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain, and after he had sat down, his disciples came to him.  He began to teach them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are they who mourn, for they will be comforted. Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land. Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied. Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God. Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven.”  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-EVANĠELJU  … --skond San Mattew 5: 1-12a

F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù kif ra l-folol, tela’ fuq il-muntanja, u wara li qagħad bilqiegħda, resqu lejh id-dixxipli tiegħu. U hu fetaħ fommu u qabad ikellimhom u jgħid: “Henjin il-fqar fl-ispirtu, għax tagħhom hija s-saltna tas-Smewwiet. Henjin l-imnikkta, għax huma jkunu mfarrġa. Henjin ta’ qalbhom ħelwa, għax huma jkollhom l-art bħala wirt. Henjin dawk li huma bil-ġuħ u l-għatx tal-ġustizzja, għax huma jkunu mxebbgħa. Henjin dawk li jħennu, għax huma jisbu ħniena. Henjin dawk li huma safja f’qalbhom, għax huma jaraw ’l Alla. Henjin dawk li jġibu l-paċi, għax huma jissejħu wlied Alla. Henjin dawk li huma ppersegwitati minħabba fil-ġustizzja, għax tagħhom hija s-Saltna tas-smewwiet. Henjin intom, meta jgħajrukom u jippersegwitawkom u jgħidu kull deni fuqkom bil-gideb minħabba fija. Ifirħu u thennew, għax ħlaskom kbir fis-smewwiet.” Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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Job Description For A Saint

By Larry Broding

What qualities make a person a “saint?”   Have you ever met someone you considered a “saint?” There are many people who strife to live ethical lives, and many Christians who are active in their church communities. Far from perfection, these people are broken to a certain extent. Those who puff up their reputations as good or holy people usually have something to hide. Those who try and allow their frailty to be shown are the real saints.

Jesus sat with his followers and defined the “saint.” He implied the “saint” was the person who was happy despite the conditions of the world. The saint was happy, even blessed, because he or she could see the Kingdom would soon arrive.

 In his record of the Beatitudes, Matthew stressed the spiritual life had the cost of slander and persecution. Yet, God would reward the faithful with his reign.  All nine of Matthew’s beatitudes stressed the coming of God’s kingdom. Matthew wrote eight of his beatitudes in the third person (“they” as opposed to “you” or “us”). He directed the results of the beatitude to the future:

The final beatitude bridged the activities of the previous eight (awareness of spiritual need, meekness, striving for justice, etc.) with their results in the Kingdom. [5:11-12] Here, Matthew wrote directly to the disciples: “Blessed are you (second person, plural) when you are persecuted; your reward will be in heaven.” So, with a spiritual disposition or activity that leads to a promised reward, Matthew urged his readers to delay self-fulfillment, contentment, need fulfillment, or public recognition for something greater. According to Matthew, the followers of Jesus should be willing to suffer in order to see the Kingdom and the joy it brings.

Matthew presented these beatitudes as the height of Jesus’ teaching. Just like God took Moses up Mt. Sinai and gave him the Law, Jesus took his disciples up to the mountain and taught them. [5:1-2] The mountain represented a place of intimacy with God; the Teacher represented God’s word and wisdom. In Matthew’s gospel, the setting was an opportunity for intense reflection and insight.

Who are the “blessed?” Matthew refocused these beatitudes away from social condition and placed it upon spiritual disposition. The poor became the “poor in spirit,” those who know they depend on God for all things [5:3]. The mourners who suffered from economic or social strife became those who mourn from spiritual poverty in culture [5:4]. Striving for righteousness became more of a personal struggle than activities for social change. [5:6] Only the last beatitude remained the same; those who lived as Christians would be persecuted. [5:11-12]

The other beatitudes reflected Matthew’s insights on blessedness as a spiritual pursuit. The meek, not the proud or arrogant, would receive the earth (i.e., the Promised Land); in this case, the earth was the arena of the Kingdom [5:5]. In the end, the merciful would receive in like measure [5:7]. Those whose sole focus was upon God (the “pure of heart”) would see the Master [5:8]. Those who worked for harmony in the community and in the world would be recognized as God’s children [5:9]. Those who lived a life based upon commitment instead of convenience, those who were willing to stand up to criticism for a principle, would be saved [5:10]; this passage is reinforced the ninth beatitude on persecution.

Matthew wrote for a Jewish-Christian audience. The followers in Matthew’s community lived by edicts, rules, and guidelines of the Jewish Law. Matthew highlighted the beatitudes of Jesus as the way to live a highly structured life. The beatitudes pointed to awareness of spiritual need, humility, peaceful living, moral living, and compassion as the keys to happiness. But most of all, Matthew’s beatitudes saw Christian witness as the center piece to a happy life. In our busy, high-stressed lifestyles, Matthew’s beatitudes can be our means to a happy, blessed life.

Do you know a Christian that is truly happy? Why are he or she happy?

Saints are those who live out the Beatitudes. They are happy when living the Christian lifestyle is not convenient. Saints are ordinary people who do extraordinary things even in the face of criticism and persecution. They belong to Christ. The power of the Spirit flows through them, even in subtle ways. They are the poor in spirit, the peacemaker, the pure in heart, the ones who thirst for the right way to God. They are the faithful.

Have I painted too ambitious a picture? Let me describe the term “saint” in another way. A local San Diego priest passed away a few years ago. He was universally held up as a paragon of virtue and holiness. When he was diagnosed with cancer, he reflected on his upcoming death. He had only one request. On his tombstone, he wanted the following epitaph: At Least I Tried.

When we try, when we strive to live out the Beatitudes, we are saints. Sainthood is a life long process, not some sort of vague reward in heaven. It is a life of accepting God’s gifts and acting on them, even in imperfect ways. Sainthood is trying to live out the Beatitudes, not a question of succeeding.

What can you do today to live out the Beatitudes this day?

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