A flesh shall see the salvation of God

6^th December, 2015

 Second Sunday of Advent

It-Tieni Hadd ta’ l-Avvent

Messalin C 80  

Reading 1                             Baruk 5:1-9

Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever: wrapped in the cloak of justice from God, bear on your head the mitre that displays the glory of the eternal name. For God will show all the earth your splendor: you will be named by God forever the peace of justice, the glory of God's worship. Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights; look to the east and see your children gathered from the east and the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that they are remembered by God. Led away on foot by their enemies they left you: but God will bring them back to you borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones. For God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, and that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground, that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God. The forests and every fragrant kind of tree have overshadowed Israel at God's command; for God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company.  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari  -   mil-Ktieb tal-Profeta Baruk 5, 1-9

Neħħi minn fuqek, Ġerusalemm, ilbies il-vistu u n-niket tiegħek, u ilbes għal dejjem id-dija tal-glorja ta' Alla. Ilbes mantar il-ġustizzja ta' Alla, qiegħed fuq rasek id-dijadema tal-glorja ta' Alla ta' dejjem. Għax Alla għad juri sbuħitek lid-dinja taħt ix-xemx, Alla jsemmik għal dejjem: "Sliem tal-Ġustizzja" u "Glorja tal-Qima ta' Alla." Qum, Ġerusalemm, itla' fl-għoli, u  ħares madwarek lejn il-Lvant, ara 'l uliedek miġmugħa,  minn fejn tinżel ix-xemx sa fejn titla', għall-kelma tal-Qaddis, ferħana li Alla ftakar fihom. Telqu mingħandek bil-mixi, imkarkra mill-għedewwa, u issa Alla se jġibhomlok,  merfugħin fil-ġieħ bħalkieku fuq tronijiet is-slaten. Għax Alla ordna:  jitniżżlu l-muntanji għolja, u  l-għoljiet ta' dejjem,   jimtlew il-widien u titwitta l-art,  biex  hemm Iżrael jimxi 'l quddiem,  bla tfixkil ta' xejn, taħt il-ħarsien ta' Alla.  U l-foresti u s-siġar tal-fwieħa, jixħtu dellhom għal  fuq Iżrael,   bl-ordni ta' Alla.  Għax Alla jmexxi lil  Iżrael ferħan, b'dawk il-glorja tiegħu, imsieħba mill-ħniena, u  l-ġustizzja ħierġa minnu.  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 who 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 Responsorajli     -    (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 bl-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 tan-Neġeb!

Dawk li jiżirgħu fid-dmugħ

jaħsdu bl-għana ta' ferħ.                                              R/

Huma u sejrin, imorru jibku,

iġorru ż-żerriegħa għaż-żrigħ.

Iżda huma u ġejjin lura,

jiġu b'għana ta' ferħ, iġorru l-qatet f'idejhom. R/

Reading 2    -   Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11

Brothers and sisters: I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God.   This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qari    -     mill-Ittra lill-Filippin  1, 4-6.8-11

Ħuti:   nitlob dejjem ferħan fit-talb tiegħi għalikom,  minħabba  s-sehem li intom ħadtu fix-xandir tal-Evanġelju, mill-ewwel jiem sal-lum. Jiena żgur minn dan:  li dak li beda din l-opra tajba fikom, iwassalha għat-tmiem tagħha sa ma jasal il-jum ta' Kristu Ġesu'. Iva, jixhidli Alla kemm jien miġbud lejkom bil-qalb ta' Kristu Ġesu'! U jien dan nitlob:  li l-imħabba tagħkom tikber u toktor dejjem iżjed  fl-għerf u b'kull dehen, biex tistgħu tagħrfu tagħżlu l-aħjar, u mbagħad   tkunu safja u bla ebda ħtija fil-jum ta' Kristu, mimlijin bil-frott tal- ġustizzja li ġejja permezz ta' Ġesu' Kristu, għall-glorja u l-foħrija ta' Alla. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel           -     Luke 3:1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the desert: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God." This is the Word of the Lord.

 L-Evanġelju   -   skond San Luqa 3,1-6

Fis-sena ħmistax il-ħakma ta' Tiberu Ċesari, meta Ponzu Pilatu kien gvernatur tal-Lhudija, Erodi, tetrarka tal-Galililja, ħuh Filippu  tetrarka tal-artijiet  tal-Iturija u t-Troakonija, u Lisanja tetrarka ta'Abeleni,  fiż-żmien meta l-uffiċċju ta' qassis il-kbir  kien f'idejn Anna u Kajfa,   il-kelma ta' Mulej ġiet fuq Ġwanni bin Żakkarija, fid-deżert. U ġie fl-inħawi kollha ta' madwar il-Ġordan, ixandar magħmudija ta'  ndiema għall-maħfra tad-dnubiet, kif  hemm imniżżel fil-ktieb tal- profeziji ta' Isaija: "Leħen ta' wieħed igħajjat fid-deżert:  Ħejju t-triq  tal-Mulej, iddrittaw il-mogħdijiet tiegħu. Kull wied jimtela, kull  muntanja u għoja titbaxxa, il-mogħdijiet mgħawwġa jiddrittaw,u t-triqat  imħarbta jitwittew.  U l-bnedmin kollha jaraw is-salvazzjoni ta' Alla!" Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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

Father Cantalamessa on John the Baptist:

John the Baptist: Prophet of the Most High

This Sunday's Gospel is concerned entirely with the figure of John the Baptist. From the moment of his birth John the Baptist was greeted by his father as a prophet: "And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High because you will go before the Lord to prepare the ways for him" (Luke 1:76).

What did the precursor do to be defined as a prophet, indeed, "the greatest of the prophets" (cf. Luke 7:28)? First of all, in the line of the ancient prophets of Israel, he preached against oppression and social injustice. In Sunday's Gospel we can hear him say: "He who has two tunics must give one to him who has none; and he who has something to eat must do likewise."

To the tax collectors who so often drained away the money of the poor with arbitrary requests, he says: "Do not mistreat anyone or commit extortion" (Luke 3:11-14). There are also the sayings about making the mountains low, raising up the valleys, and straightening the crooked pathways. Today we could understand them thus: "Every unjust social difference between the very rich (the mountains) and the very poor (the valleys) must be eliminated or at least reduced; the crooked roads of corruption and deception must be made straight."

Up to this point we can easily recognize our contemporary understanding of a prophet: one who pushes for change; who denounces the injustices of the system, who points his finger against power in all its forms – religious, economic, military – and dares to cry out in the face of the tyrant: "It is not right!" (Matthew 14:4).

But there is something else that John the Baptist does: He gives to the people "a knowledge of salvation, of the remission of their sins" (Luke 1:77). Where, we might ask ourselves, is the prophecy in this case? The prophets announced a future salvation; but John the Baptist does not announce a future salvation; he indicates a salvation that is now present. He is the one who points his finger toward the person and cries out: "Behold, here it is" (John 1:29). "That which was awaited for centuries and centuries is here, he is the one!" What a tremor must have passed though those present who heard John speak thus!

The traditional prophets helped their contemporaries look beyond the wall of time and see into the future, but John helps the people to look past the wall of contrary appearances to make them see the Messiah hidden behind the semblance of a man like others. The Baptist in this way inaugurated the new Christian form of prophecy, which does not consist in proclaiming a future salvation ("in the last times"), but to reveal the hidden presence of Christ in the world.

What does all of this have to say to us? That we too must hold together those two aspects of the office of prophet: On one hand working for social justice and on the other announcing the Gospel. A proclamation of Christ that is not accompanied by an effort toward human betterment would result in something disincarnate and lacking credibility. If we only worked for justice without the proclamation of faith and without the regenerative contact with the word of God, we would soon come to our limits and end up mere protestors.

From John the Baptist we also learn that proclamation of the Gospel and the struggle for justice need not remain simply juxtaposed, without a link between them. It must be precisely the Gospel of Christ that moves us to fight for respect for human beings in such a way as to make it possible for each man to "see the salvation of God." John the Baptist did not preach against abuses as a social agitator but as a herald of the Gospel "to make ready for the Lord a people well prepared" (Luke 1:17).

(December 08, 2006) © Innovative Media Inc.