It-Tielet
Ħadd ta’ l-Avvent
Reading
1 - ZEPHANIAH 3:14-18a
Shout
for joy, O daughter Zion Jerusalem Jerusalem
L-Ewwel
Qari - mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta SOFONIJA 3, 14-18
Għajjat bil-ferħ ta' qalbek,
bint Sijon, Iżrael, samma leħnek! Infexx fl-hena u ifraħ b'qalbek kollha, bint Ġerusalemm!
Neħħa l-Mulej minn minn
Responsorial
Psalm ISAIAH 12:2-3,
4, 5-6.
R.
(6) Cry out with joy
and gladness: for among you is the great and Holy One of Israel
God
indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation. R/
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation. R/
Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name. R/
Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.
Shout with exultation, O city of
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel! R/
Salm
Responsorjali - ISAIAH. 12
R/ Kbir hu f'nofsok il-Qaddis
ta' Iżrael
Alla s-salvazzjoni tiegħi,
Jiena nittama u ma jkollix mniex nibża'.
Għax qawwieti u għanjieti hu l-Mulej,
għalija sar is-salvazzjoni.
Kollkom ferħana
timtlew l-ilma mill-għejun tas-salvazzjoni. R/
Roddu ħajr lill-Mulej, sejħu ismu,
għarrfu lill-ġnus bl-għemejjel tiegħu,
xandru li ismu huwa fl-għoli. R/
Għannu lill-Mulej għax għamel ħwejjeġ kbar;
ħa jkun dan magħruf mal-art kollha.
Aqbeż bil-ferħ,
għanni,
int li tgħammar f'Sijon,
għax kbir hu f'nofsok il-Qaddis ta' Iżrael. R/
Reading 2 - PHILIPPIANS 4:4-7
Brothers
and sisters:
Rejoice in the Lord always. I shall say it again: rejoice! Your
kindness should be known to all. The Lord is near. Have no anxiety at all, but
in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, make your requests
known to God. Then the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard
your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. This
is the Word of The Lord.
It-Tieni
Qari -
mill-Ittra lill-FILIPPIN 4, 4-7
Ħuti, ifirħu dejjem fil-Mulej; nerġa' ngħidilkom, ifirħu. Il-ħlewwa tagħkom,
ħa jkunu jafuha l-bnedmin kollha. Il-Mulej qorob! Tħabbtu raskom b'xejn. Fit-talb kollu tagħkom itolbu u uru lil Alla
xi jkollkom bżonn, u iżżuh ħajr. U s-sliem ta' Alla, sliem li jgħaddi kulma
l-moħħ jista' jifhem,iżommilkom qalbkom
u moħħkom sħaħ fi Kristu Ġesu'. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel - LUKE 3:10-18
The
crowds asked John the Baptist, "What should we do?" He said to them
in reply, "Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has
none. And whoever has food should do likewise." Even tax collectors came
to be baptized and they said to him, "Teacher, what should we do?" He
answered them, "Stop collecting more than what is prescribed." Soldiers
also asked him, "And what is it that we should do?" He told them, "Do not practice extortion, do not
falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages." Now the people
were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John
might be the Christ. John answered them all, saying, "I am baptizing you
with water, but one mightier than I is coming. I am not worthy to loosen the
thongs of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. His
winnowing fan is in his hand to clear his threshing floor and to gather the
wheat into his barn, but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire." Exhorting
them in many other ways, he preached good news to the people. This is
the Word of The Lord.
L-Evanġelju - skond SAN LUQA 3,
10-18
F'dak iż-żmien, in-nies kienu jistaqsu lil Ġwanni u
jgħidulu: "Mela x'għandna nagħmlu?"
U huwa kien iweġibhom: "Min għandu żewg ilbiesi, jaqsam ma' min ma
għandu xejn, u min għandu x'jiekol jagħmel l-istess." Resqu wkoll xi
pubblikani biex jitgħammdu u qalulu:"Mgħallem, x'għandna nagħmlu aħna? U huwa weġibhom: "Tissikaw
lil ħadd biex jagħtikom taxxi iżjed
milli jmisskom tieħdu." Staqsewh ukoll xi suldati u qalulu: "U aħna, għandna nagħmlu?" U huwa
weġibhom: "Tisirqu lil ħadd
bit-tehdid jew bil-qerq tagħkom, u kkuntentaw ruħkom bil-paga li għandkom."
Il-poplu kien qiegħed jistenna ħerqan, u
kulħadd jistaqsi lilu nnifsu dwar
Ġwanni, jekk kienx hu l-Messija. Għalhekk
Ġwanni qabad u qal lil kulħadd: "Jien, ngħid għalija, ngħammidkom
bl-ilma, imma ġej wieħed aqwa minn
//////////////////////////////////////////////
COMMENTARY by Fr Thomas Rosica
Shout for Joy, O
Daughter Zion
On this third Sunday of Advent — known as Gaudete Sunday, the Sunday of rejoicing — I would like to focus on
two important themes found in today’s scripture readings: the biblical
expression “Daughter of Zion” and what it means to “rejoice.”
The rich text of today’s first reading from the
Prophet Zephaniah [3:14-18a-20] speaks of the Daughter of Zion, the
personification of the city of Jerusalem Jerusalem
Daughter of Zion is
the personification of the city of Jerusalem Zion was the name of the Jebusite citadel that
later became the City of David Zion
and the city of Jerusalem
In the Old Testament, the title Virgin of Israel is
the same as the Daughter of Zion. The image of the bride of the Lord is found
in Hosea, Chapters 1-3: It reflects the infidelity of the people to their God.
Jeremiah 3:3-4 speaks of prostitution and the
infidelity of the bride. Virginity in the Old Testament is fidelity to the
Covenant. In 2 Corinthians 11:2, Paul speaks of the Church as a pure virgin.
Here, virginity is the purity of faith.
Throughout the Old Testament, it is in
Zion-Jerusalem that God shall gather together all of his people. In Isaiah
35:10, the tribes of Israel
shall gather in Zion Jerusalem
The Hebrew word used to describe this inner section
of the city is “beqervah,” a word formed from the root “qerev” meaning something
deep, intimate, situated deep within a person. It also means the maternal womb,
the intestines, the breast, the insides of a person, the most secret area of
one’s soul where wisdom, spirit, malice and the Law of the Lord dwell.
Therefore, the city of Jerusalem
In the Christian Tradition
The Second Vatican Council formally called Mary
“Daughter of Zion” in the dogmatic constitution on the Church “Lumen Gentium”
(No. 52). The Church’s appropriation of this title for the Mother of the Lord
has a rich Scriptural foundation. Mary illustrates the prophecies of the Old
Testament that ascribed value to the eschatological role of woman as mother
both of the Messiah and of the new people of God.
The title Daughter of Zion evokes the great
biblical symbolism of the Messianic Zion. Mary illustrates the prophecies of
the Hebrew Scriptures which ascribed value to the eschatological role of woman
as mother both of the Messiah and of the new people of God: the individual
person and the whole people being very closely united, in line with the
cultural structures of Israel
For
the prophets, the Daughter of Zion was the spouse of the Lord when she observed
the covenant. Mary’s role as Daughter of Zion, or for that matter any of her
roles in the life of God’s people, can never be understood independently of
Christ and of the Spirit, which he bestows upon all humanity in dying on the
cross.
“Lumen Gentium”
says that all theology and Marian piety belong to the mystery of Christ and to
the mystery of the Church. Mary,
Daughter of Zion, is the archetype of the Church as Bride, Virgin and Mother.
It is not only biological virginity, but also spiritual virginity, which means
fidelity to the Scriptures, openness toward others, and purity in faith. Mary’s words to the servants at the wedding
banquet in Cana (John 2:1-12) are an
invitation to all peoples to become part of the new people of God. Mary is the
new “Daughter of Zion” because she has invited the servants to perfectly obey
Jesus the Lord. At Cana this new Daughter of
Zion has given voice to all people.
Both at Cana and at Calvary
(in John’s Gospel), Mary represents not only her maternity and physical
relationship with her son, but also her highly symbolic role of Woman and
Mother of God’s people. At Calvary , more than
any other place in the fourth Gospel, Mary is “Mother Zion”: her spiritual
maternity begins at the foot of the cross.
As “Mother Zion,” she not only welcomes and
represents Israel
She
who bore Jesus in her womb now takes her place in the assembly of God’s holy
people. She is the new Jerusalem: In her own womb was the Temple ,
and all peoples shall be gathered back to the Temple
I cannot help but recall the words of Cardinal Marc
Ouellet of Quebec City, in his profound, opening address to the Synod of
Bishops on “The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church” in October
2008: “A woman, Mary, perfectly accomplishes the divine vocation of humanity by
her ‘yes’ to the Word of Covenant and her mission. Through her divine
motherhood and her spiritual motherhood, Mary appears as the permanent model
and form for the Church, like the first Church.”
Rejoice
in the Lord
In today’s second reading, St. Paul St. Paul
The answer is their relationship with the Lord,
which can even become stronger and more intimate in times of persecution. Their
joy is not in their circumstance; indeed it is often in spite of their
circumstance. Rather it is in the Lord.
Sheer joy arises out of a deep and abiding
relationship with God that carries the believer through all sorts of trials and
tribulations. Rejoicing in the Lord is a sort of adoration, and adoration often
takes the form of prayer. Rejoicing constantly leads to praying and praising
repeatedly. Since Paul refers to giving thanks after he mentions prayer, it is
probable that the term “praying” refers to petitioning God in some form, perhaps
interceding for self and others in some manner.
The opposite of rejoicing
The opposite of rejoicing and happiness is not
sorrow, but deadness that often manifests itself through cynicism, meanness of
spirit and smallness of mind and heart. Many of us know what that feels like:
the deadness and dissatisfaction induced by a consumer culture that stimulates
our senses and bombards us with largely meaningless choices, while leaving us
starved for some deeper purpose.
Then there is jealousy, envy, and that gnawing
feeling that we have accomplished so little because we have been so poorly
motivated and made some bad choices. And when we realize that others have been
able to do much because they have been rooted in God, we become jealous and
envious. These are not new phenomena!
The desire to escape such deadness and
dissatisfaction was one of the motives of the early desert fathers and mothers.
They rejected a world whose agenda was defined by the pursuit of power,
property, and pleasure. They went into the desert to tap into the source of
life and joy, and discover their own true selves through constant prayer.
Having found the emptiness of what their culture defined as happiness, they
sought another way.
This Advent, may the example of John the Baptist
give us the strength and courage necessary to transform our deserts into gardens,
and our emptiness into rich Catholic meaning and experience. May the boldness
of St. Paul and the example of Mary, Virgin Daughter of Zion, teach us how to
rejoice in the Lord, whose coming is very near.
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