Leave it a while, it may bear fruit next year!

Third Sunday of Lent

It-Tielet Ħadd tar-Randan

Messalin Ċ 156

Reading 1                             Exodus 3:1-8a, 13-15

Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. Leading the flock across the desert, he came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There an angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in fire flaming out of a bush. As he looked on, he was surprised to see that the bush, though on fire, was not consumed.  So Moses decided, “I must go over to look at this remarkable sight, and see why the bush is not burned.” When the LORD saw him coming over to look at it more closely,  God called out to him from the bush, Moses! Moses!” He answered, “Here I am.” God said, “Come no nearer! Remove the sandals from your feet,  for the place where you stand is holy ground. I am the God of your fathers, “ he continued,  “the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob.” Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God. But the LORD said, “I have witnessed the affliction of my people in Egypt  and have heard their cry of complaint against their slave drivers,  so I know well what they are suffering. Therefore I have come down to rescue them from the hands of the Egyptians and lead them out of that land into a good and spacious land,  a land flowing with milk and honey.” Moses said to God, “But when I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ if they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what am I to tell them?” God replied, “I am who am.” Then he added, “This is what you shall tell the Israelites:  I AM sent me to you.”  God spoke further to Moses, “Thus shall you say to the Israelites:  The LORD, the God of your fathers,  the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob,  has sent me to you. “This is my name forever; thus am I to be remembered through all generations.”  This is the Word of The Lord..

L-Ewwel Qari    -    mill-Ktieb ta' l-Eżodu 3, 1-8a. 14-15)

F'dak iż-żmien, Mose' kien jirgħa l-merħla ta' ħatnu Ġetru, qassis ta' Midjan, u ħa l-merħla 'l hemm fid-deżert, u wasal sa ħdejn il-Ħoreb, il-muntanja ta' Alla. Hawn deherlu l-anġlu tal-Mulej f'ħuġġieġa nar qalb l-għollieq, Mose' ħares u ra l-għollieq jaqbad bin-nar bla ma jintemm. Mose' qal: "Ħa nersaq u nara din id-dehra tal-għaġeb: għala mhux jinħaraq l-għollieq?" Il-Mulej rah riesaq biex jara, u Alla sejjaħlu minn qalb l-għollieq u qallu: "Mose', Mose'!"  U Mose' wieġeb:  "Hawn jien!" U l-Mulej qallu:  "La tersaqx 'l hawn.  Neħħi l-qorq minn riġlejk, għax  il-post li inti fuqu hu art qaddisa."    U sskota jgħidlu: "Jien hu Alla ta' missirijietek:  Alla ta' Abraħam,  Alla ta' Iżakk u Alla ta' Ġakobb." Mose' għatta wiċċu, għax beża' jħares lejn Alla. U l-Mulej qallu:  "Jien ħarist u rajt it-tbatija tal-poplu tiegħi fl-Eġittu. U jien smajt il-karba tagħhom minħabba fl-argużini tagħhom u għaraft l-uġigħ tagħhom.   Issa nżilt biex neħlishom minn idejn  l-Eġizzjani u biex intellagħhom minn dik l-art u neħodhom f'art tajba u wiesgħa, f'art tnixxi ħalib u għasel." Mose' reġa wieġeb:  "Ara, jien mmur għand ulied Iżrael u ngħidilhom: "Alla ta' missirijietkom bagħatni għandkom." Huma jistaqsuni:  "X'jimsu?'  Jien xi ngħidilhom?" Alla wieġbu:  "Jien li Jien."  U kompla jgħidlu: "Hekk għidilhom lil ulied Iżrael:  "JIENA-HU bagħatni għandkom." U Alla kompla jgħidlu:  "Hekk għandek tgħidilhom lil uliex Iżrael: "Jaħweh, Alla ta' missirijietkom, Alla ta' Abraħam, Alla ta' Iżakk, Alla ta' Ġakobb, bagħatni għandkom." Dan ikun ismi għal dejjem u dan l-isem ifakkarhom  fija minn nisel għal nisel." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm           PSALM 103: 1-2, 3-4, 6-7, 8, 11

R. (8a) The Lord is kind and merciful.

Bless the LORD, O my soul;
and all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits.                                  R/

He pardons all your iniquities,
heals all your ills,
He redeems your life from destruction,
crowns you with kindness and compassion.  R/

The LORD secures justice
and the rights of all the oppressed.
He has made known his ways to Moses,
and his deeds to the children of Israel.  R/

.

Merciful and gracious is the LORD,
slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
For as the heavens are high above the earth,
so surpassing is his kindness toward those who fear him.            R/

Salm Responsorjali             Salm 102 (103)

                R/   Ħanin u twajjeb il-Mulej

Bierek, ruħ tiegħi. il-Mulej!

B'qalbi kollha nbierek l-isem qaddis tiegħu.

Bierek, ruħ tiegħi, il-Mulej,

u la tinsiex il-ġid kollu li għamel miegħek.         R/

Hu li jaħfer dnubietek kollha;

ifejjaq il-mard tiegħek kollu;

jifdi lil ħajtek mill-qabar;

iħaddnek bit-tjieba u l-ħniena.                 R/

Il-Mulej jagħmel is-sewwa,

u l-ħaqq mal-maħqurin kollha.

Hu għarraf lil Mose' l-ħsieb tiegħu,

l-għemejjel tiegħu lil ulied Iżrael.                           R/

Ħanin u twajjeb il-Mulej,

idum ma jagħdab u kollu mogħdrija.

Daqskemm huma s-smewwiet 'il fuq mill-art,

hekk hi kbira tjubitu ma' min jibża' minnu.        R/

Reading 2                             1 Corinthians 10: 1-6, 10-12

I do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters,  that our ancestors were all under the cloud  and all passed through the sea,  and all of them were baptized into Moses  in the cloud and in the sea. All ate the same spiritual food,  and all drank the same spiritual drink,  for they drank from a spiritual rock that followed them,  and the rock was the Christ. Yet God was not pleased with most of them,  for they were struck down in the desert. These things happened as examples for us,  so that we might not desire evil things, as they did.  Do not grumble as some of them did,  and suffered death by the destroyer. These things happened to them as an example,  and they have been written down as a warning to us,  upon whom the end of the ages has come. Therefore, whoever thinks he is standing secure  should take care not to fall. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qari   -   mill-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 10, 1-6, 10-12

Ma rridkomx ma tkunux tafu, ħuti, li missirijietna  lkoll kienu taħt is-sħaba, ilkoll qasmu l-baħar,  ilkoll kienu mgħammda f'Mose' fis-sħaba u fil-baħar,  ilkoll kielu mill-istess ikel spiritwali – xorbu tassew mill- blata spiritwali li kienet timxi magħhom, u  din il-blata kienet Kristu – madankollu  l-biċċa l-kbira minnhom lil Alla ma  għoġbuħx għax ilkoll waqgħu mejta fid-deżert. Dan ġara b'eżempju għalina, biex ma nixxennqux  għal ħwejjeġ ħżiena, bħalma xxennqu huma. Anqas ma għandkom tgergru, kif għamlu xi  wħud minnhom, u qeridhom il-Qerried.   Dan kollu ġralhom b'eżempju, u  nkiteb bi twiddiba għalina li fuqna wasal tmiem  iż-żminijiet. Min jidhirlu li hu wieqaf, joqgħod attent li ma jaqax.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                       Luke 13:1-9

Some people told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with the blood of their sacrifices. Jesus said to them in reply,  “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way  they were greater sinners than all other Galileans? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did! Or those eighteen people who were killed  when the tower at Siloam fell on them— do you think they were more guilty  than everyone else who lived in Jerusalem? By no means! But I tell you, if you do not repent, you will all perish as they did!” And he told them this parable:  “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard,  and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree  but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also,  and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it;  it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’”  

L-Evanġelju  -  Qari skond San Luqa 13, 1-9

F'dak iż-żmien, ġew xi wħud għand Ġesu' u qalulu b'dawk il-Galilin li Pilatu kien ħallat demmhom mad-demm tal-vittmi tas-sagrifiċċju tagħhom.  U Ġesu' qabad u qalilhom:  "Taħsbu intom li dawn  il-Galatin kienu iżjed midinbin mill-Galilin l-oħra biex sofrew dan kollu?  "Le, ngħidilkom, imma jekk ma tindmux,  ilkoll tintilfu bħalhom.   Jew dawk it-tmintax-il ruħ li  fuqhom waqa' t-torri ta' Silwam u qatilhom,  taħsbu intom li kienu iżjed ħatja min-nies l-oħra ta' Ġerusalemm?  Le, ngħidilkom, imma jekk ma tindmux, ilkoll tintilfu xorta waħda." U qalilhom din il-parabbola:   "Wieħed kellu siġra tat-tin imħawla fl-għalqa.   Mar ifittex il-frott fiha, u ma sabx.   Għalhekk qal lil dak li kien jaħdimlu l-għalqa:   'Ara, ili tliet snin niġi nfittex il-frott f'din is-siġra tat-tin, u qatt ma sibtiha.   Mela aqlagħha!    Għax għalfejn se tibqa' tkidd l-art?" Iżda dak wieġbu:  "Inti ħalliha, sinjur, għal  din is-sena, sa ma nagħżqilha madwarha u  nagħtiha d-demel.   Id-dieħla għandha mnejn tagħmel  il-frott, jekk le, aqlagħha."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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

The Right to Convert  

Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on the readings from this Sunday’s liturgy.

The Gospel for the Third Sunday of Lent offers us an example of Jesus’ preaching. He takes his cue from some recent news (Pontius Pilate’s execution of some Galileans and the death of twelve persons in the collapse of a tower) to speak about the necessity of vigilance and conversion.

In accord with his style he reinforces his teaching with a parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard….” Following the program that we have set out for this Lent, we will move from this passage to look at the whole of Jesus’ preaching, trying to understand what it tells us about the problem of who Jesus was.

Jesus began his preaching with a solemn declaration : “The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15). We are used to the sound of these words and we no longer perceive their novelty and revolutionary character. With them, Jesus came to say that the time of waiting is over; the moment of the decisive intervention of God in human history, which was announced by the prophets, is here; now is the time! Now everything is decided, and it will be decided according to the position that people take when they are confronted with my words.

This sense of fulfillment, of a goal finally reached, can be perceived in different sayings of Jesus, whose historical authenticity cannot be doubted. One day, taking his disciples aside, he says: “Blessed are the eyes which see what you see! For I tell you that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear and did not hear it” (Luke 10:23-24).

In the sermon on the mount Jesus said among other things: “You have heard that it was said (by Moses!) … but I say to you.” The impression that these words of Christ had on his contemporaries must have been fairly uniform. Such claims leave us few options for explanation: Either the person was crazy or simply spoke the truth. A lunatic, however, would not have lived and died as he did, and would not have continued to have such an impact on humanity 20 centuries after his death.

The novelty of the person and preaching of Jesus comes clearly to light when compared to John the Baptist. John always spoke of something in the future, a judgment that was going to take place; Jesus speaks of something that is present, a kingdom that has come and is at work. John is the man of “not yet”; Jesus is the man of “already.”

Jesus says: “Among those born of woman there is none greater than John and yet the littlest one of the kingdom of God is greater than him” (Luke 7:28); and again: “The law and the prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached and everyone enters it violently” (Luke 16:16). These words tell us that between the mission of John and Jesus there is a qualitative leap: The littlest one in the new order is in a better position than the greatest one of the old order.

Here we see how historically indefensible is the thesis of those who want to enclose Jesus in the world of the Judaism of his time, making him a Jew just like the others, one who did not intend to make a break with the past or to bring anything substantially new. This would be to set back the historical research on Jesus to a stage that we left behind quite some time ago.

Let us go back, as we usually do, to this Sunday’s Gospel passage to glean some practical guidance. Jesus comments on Pilate’s butchery and the collapse of the tower thus: “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered in this way? No, I tell you; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” We deduce a very important lesson from this. Such disasters are not, as some think, divine castigation of the victims; if anything, they are an admonition for others.

This is an indispensable interpretive key which allows us to see that we should not lose faith when we are confronted with the terrible events that occur every day, often among the poorest and most defenseless. Jesus helps us to understand how we should react when the evening news reports earthquakes, floods, and slaughters like that ordered by Pilate. Sterile reactions like, “Oh those poor people!” are not what is called for.

Faced with these things we should reflect on the precariousness of life, on the necessity of being vigilant and of not being overly attached to that which we might easily lose one day or the next.

The word with which Jesus begins his preaching resounds in this Gospel passage: conversion. I would like to point out, however, that conversion is not only a duty, it is also a possibility for all, almost a right. It is good and not bad news! No one is excluded from the possibility of changing. No one can be regarded as hopeless. In life there are moral situations that seem to have no way out. Divorced people who are remarried; unmarried couples with children; heavy criminal sentences … every sort of bad situation.

Even for these people there is the possibility of change. When Jesus said that it was easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven, the apostles asked: “But who can be saved?” Jesus’ answer applies even to the cases I have mentioned: “For men it is impossible, but not for God.”    

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