The
Mass of Easter Sunday
L-Għid
il-Kbir tal-Qawmien tal-Mulej mill-Imwiet
Solennita'
– Quddies tal-Jum
Peter
proceeded to speak and said: “You know what has happened all over Judea,
beginning in Galilee after the baptism that
John preached, how God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing
all those oppressed by the devil, for
God was with him. We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of
the Jews and in Jerusalem
L-Ewwek Qari
- mill-Ktieb ta’ l-Atti ta’ l-Appostli.
Atti 10, 34a, 37-43
F’dak
iż-żmien, Pietru qabad jitkellem u qal:
“Intom tafu b’dak li ġara mal-Lhudija kollha, ibda mill-Galilija, wara li Ġwanni xandar il-magħmudija; kif Alla
kkonsagra lil Ġesù ta’ Nażaret bl-Ispirtu s-Santu u bil-qawwa, u kif dan Ġesù
għadda jagħmel il-ġid u jfejjaq ’il dawk kollha li kienu maħkuma mix-xitan, għax
Alla kien miegħu. U aħna xhud ta’ dak kollu li hu għamel fl-art tal-Lhudija
u f’Ġerusalemm. Tawh il-mewt billi dendluh mal-għuds
tas-salib; imma Alla qajmu mill-imwiet
fit-tielet jum u għamel li hu jidher,
mhux lil kulħadd, imma li xhieda li Alla għażel
minn qabel lilna, li miegħu kilna u xrobna wara li qawmien tiegħu mill-imwiet. Lilna ordnalna biex
inxandruh lill-poplu u nixhdu li dan hu
dak li Alla għamlu mħallef tal-ħajjin u tal-mejtin.Il-profeti kollha jixhdu għalih
u jgħidu li kull min jemmen fih jaqla’ l-maħfra tad-dnubiet. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////
RESPONSORIAL PSALM PSALM
118:1-2, 16-17, 22-23
R/ (24) This is the
day the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad. Alleluia.
Give
thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
for
his mercy endures forever.
Let
the house of Israel
“His
mercy endures forever.” R/
“The
right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the
right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I
shall not die, but live,
and
declare the works of the LORD.”
R/
The
stone which the builders rejected
has
become the cornerstone.
By
the LORD has this been done;
it
is wonderful in our eyes. R/
Salm Responsorjali SALM 117
R/
Dan hu l-jum li għamel il-Mulej:
ħa nifirħu u nithennew fih. Hallelujah.
Faħħru
l-Mulej, għaliex hu tajjeb,
għax
għal dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu!
Ħa
jgħid wlied Israel
"Għal
dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu!" R/
Il-leminija
tal-Mulej 'il fuq merfugħa,
il-leminija
tal-Mulej għamlet ħwejjeġ ta’ ħila!
Ma
mmutx, imma nibqa' ngħix,
u
nħabbar l-għemejjel tal-Mulej. R/
Il-ġebla li warrbu l-bennejja
saret
il-ġebla tax-xewka.
Bis-saħħa
tal-Mulej seħħ dan:
ħaġa
tal-għaġeb f’għajnejna. R/
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////
Choose from one of the
following passages for the Second Reading
READING 2
COLOSSIANS 3:1-4
Brothers
and sisters: If then you were raised
with Christ, seek what is above, where
Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what
is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory.
OR
1 CORINTHIANS 5:6B-8
Brothers
and sisters: Do you not know that a
little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear
out the old yeast, so that you may
become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch
as you are unleavened. For our paschal
lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast of malice
and wickedness, but with the unleavened
bread of sincerity and truth.
Għat-Tieni Qari tingħażel
silta mit-tnejn li ġejjin.
It-Tieni Qari - mill-Ittra
lill-Kolossin 3, 1-4
Ħuti,
jekk intom irxoxtajtu ma’ Kristu, fittxu l-ħwejjeġ tas-sema, fejn Kristu qiegħed fuq il-lemin ta’
Alla. Aħsbu fil-ħwejjeġ tas-sema, mhux f’dawk ta’ l-art.
Għax intom mittu, imma ħajjitkom hi moħbija
flimkien ma’ Kristu f’Alla. Meta jidher Kristu, li hu l-ħajja tagħkom, imbagħad intom ukoll tidhru flimkien miegħu
fil-glorja. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
jew: Qari
mill-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 5, 6b-8
Ħuti, ma tafux
li ftit ħmira ttalla’ l-għaġna kollha?
Tnaddfu mill-ħmira l-qadima ħalli tkunu għaġna ġdida, kif intom bla ħmira. Il-Ħaruf
tal-Għid tagħna, li hu Kristu, hu maqtul! Nagħmlu
festa, mhux bil-ħmira l-qadima,
anqas bil-ħmira tal-qerq u tal-ħażen,
imma bil-ħobż bla ħmira tas-safa u tas-sewwa.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
//////////////////////////////////////////////////////
SEQUENCE - VICTIMÆ
PASCHALI LAUDES
Christians,
to the Paschal Victim
Offer
your thankful praises!
A
Lamb the sheep redeems
Christ,
who only is sinless,
Reconciles
sinners to the Father.
Death
and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The
Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak,
Mary, declaring
What
you saw, wayfaring.
“The
tomb of Christ, who is living,
The
glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright
angels attesting,
The
shroud and napkin resting.
Yes,
Christ my hope is arisen;
to
Galilee he goes before you.”
Christ
indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have
mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen. Alleluia.
SEKWENZA
Ħa
jgħollu l-insara b’tifħirhom
il-Vittma
tal-Għid:
għax
feda l-Ħaruf in-ngħaġ tiegħu
mill-jasar
tal-mewt;
Ġesù
reġa’ ħabbeb il-midneb
ma’
Alla l-Missier.
F’taqbida
tal-għaġeb mal-Ħajja
inqerdet
il-Mewt;
u
qam Sid il-ħajja mill-qabar,
isaltan
rebbieħ.
Għidilna,
Marija, ħabbrilna:
fit-triq lil min rajt?
“Jien
rajt qabar Kristu li rxoxta
fis-sebħ
tal-qawmien;
rajt
l-Anġli li ġew jagħtu xhieda,
il-faxxa,
l-liżar.
Irxoxta
mill-mewt Kristu Sidi,
li
fih ittamajt!
Mar
hu l-Galilija qabilkom:
hemmhekk
se tarawh.”
O,
nemmnu li llum Kristu rxoxta
tassew
mill-imwiet!
Int mela, Sultan, ħenn għalina,
O
Kristu rebbieħ.
Amen!
Hallelujah!
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GOSPEL JOHN 20:1-9
On
the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the
morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So
she ran and went to Simon Peter and to
the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord
from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So Peter and the other
disciple went out and came to the tomb.They both ran, but the other disciple
ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there,
but did not go in. When Simon Peter
arrived after him, he went into the tomb
and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not
with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other disciple also went in, the one
who had arrived at the tomb first, and
he saw and believed. For they did not
yet understand the Scripture that he had
to rise from the dead.
L-EVANĠELJU
- Qari skont San Ġwann. Ġw. 20,
1-9
Kien l-ewwel jum tal-ġimgħa, filgħodu kmieni kif
kien għadu d-dlam, u Marjam ta’ Magdala ġiet ħdejn il-qabar u
rat il-blata mneħħija mill-qabar. Għalhekk telqet tiġri għand Xmun Pietru u għand id-dixxiplu l-ieħor li kien iħobb Ġesù, u qaltilhom:
“Qalgħu l-Mulej mill-qabar, u ma nafux
fejn qegħduh.” Pietru u d-dixxiplu l-ieħor
ħarġu u ġew ħdejn il-qabar.
It-tnejn ġrew flimkien, imma
d-dixxiplu l-ieħor ħaffef aktar minn
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Father
Cantalamessa on Easter Faith
“The Lord Is Risen and Was Seen Alive”
There
are men — we see this in the phenomenon of suicide bombers — who die for a misguided or even evil cause,
mistakenly retaining, but in good faith, that the cause is a worthy one. Even
Christ’s death does not testify to the truth of his cause, but only the fact
that he believed in its truth. Christ’s death is the supreme witness of his
charity, but not of his truth. This truth is adequately testified to only by
the Resurrection. “The faith of
Christians,” says St. Augustine
Keeping to the purpose that
has guided us up to this point, we must leave faith aside for the moment and
attend to history. We would like to try to respond to the following question:
Can Christ’s resurrection be defined as a historical event, in the common sense
of the term, that is, did it “really happen”?
There are two facts that
offer themselves for the historian’s consideration and permit him to speak of
the Resurrection: First, the sudden and inexplicable faith of the disciples, a
faith so tenacious as to withstand even the trial of martyrdom; second, the
explanation of this faith that has been left by those who had it, that is, the
disciples. In the decisive moment, when Jesus was captured and executed, the
disciples did not entertain any thoughts about the resurrection. They fled and
took Jesus’ case to be closed.
In the meantime something had
to intervene that in a short time not only provoked a radical change of their
state of soul, but that led them to an entirely different activity and to the
founding of the Church. This “something” is the historical nucleus of Easter
faith.
The oldest testimony to the
Resurrection is Paul’s: “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also
received: That Christ died for our sins, according to the Scriptures, and that
he was buried, and that he rose again according to the Scriptures; and that he
was seen by Cephas, and after that by the eleven.
“Then he was seen by more
than 500 brethren at once, of whom many are still with us and some are fallen
asleep. After that, he was seen by James, then by all the apostles. And last of
all, he was seen also by me, as by one born out of due time” (1 Corinthians
15:3-8).
These words were written
around A.D. 56 or 57. But the core of the text is constituted by an anterior
faith that Paul himself says he received from others. Keeping in mind that Paul
learned of these things immediately after his conversion, we can date them to
about A.D. 35, that is, five or six years after the death of Christ. It is thus
a testimony of rare historical value.
The accounts of the
Evangelists were written some decades later and reflect a later phase in the
Church’s reflection. But the core of the testimony remains unchanged: The Lord
is risen and was seen alive. To this a new element is added, perhaps determined
by an apologetic preoccupation, and so of minor historical value: The insistence
on the fact of the empty tomb. Even for the Gospels, the appearances of the
Risen Christ are the decisive facts.
The appearances,
nevertheless, testify to a new dimension of the Risen Christ, his mode of being
“according to the Spirit,” which is new and different with respect to his
previous mode of existing, “according to the flesh.” For example, he cannot be
recognized by whoever sees him, but only by those to whom he gives the ability
to know him. His corporeality is different from what it was before. It is free
from physical laws: It enters and exits through closed doors; it appears and
disappears.
According to a different
explanation of the Resurrection, one advanced by Rudolf Bultmann and still
proposed today, what we have here are psychogenetic visions, that is,
subjective phenomena similar to hallucinations. But this, if it were true,
would constitute in the end a greater miracle than the one that such
explanations wish to deny. It supposes that in fact different people, in
different situations and locations, had the same impression, the same
halucination.
The disciples could not have
deceived themselves: They were specific people — fishermen — not at all given
to visions. They did not believe the first ones; Jesus almost has to overpower
their resistance: “O foolish men, and slow of heart to believe!” They could not
even want to deceive others. All of their interests opposed this; they would
have been the first to feel themselves deceived by Jesus. If he were not risen,
to what purpose would it have been to face persecution and death for him? What
material benefit would they have drawn from it?
If the historical character
of the Resurrection — that is, its objective, and not only subjective,
character — is denied, the birth of the Church and of the faith become an even
more inexplicable mystery than the Resurrection itself. It has been justly
observed that “the idea that the imposing edifice of the history of
Christianity is like an enormous pyramid balanced upon an insignificant fact is
certainly less credible than the assertion that the entire event — and that
also means the most significant fact within this — really did occupy a place in
history comparable to the one that the New Testament attributes to it.”
Where does the historical
research on the Resurrection arrive? We can see it in the words of the
disciples of Emmaus: Some disciples went to Jesus’ tomb Easter morning and they
found that things were as the women had said who had gone their before them,
“but they did not see him.” History too must take itself to Jesus’ tomb and see
that things are as the witnesses have said. But it does not see the Risen One.
It is not enough to observe matters historically. It is necessary to see the
Risen Christ, and this is something history cannot do; only faith can.
The angel who appeared to the
women Easter morning said to them: “Why
do you seek the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5). I must confess that at
the end of these reflections I feel that this rebuke is also directed at me. It
is as if the angel were to say to me: “Why
do you waste time seeking among dead human and historical arguments, the one
who is alive and at work in the Church and in the world? Go instead and tell
his brothers that he is risen.”
If it were up to me, that is
the only thing I would do. I quit teaching the history of Christian origins 30
years ago to dedicate myself to proclaming the Kingdom of God
This is why I have decided to
use these commentaries on the Sunday Gospels to oppose a tendency often
motivated by commercial interests and help those who may read my observations
to form an opinion about Jesus that is less influenced by the clamor of the
advertising world. /////////////////////////////////////////
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