Il-11-il
Ħadd matul is-Sena
Messalin C 316
Reading 1 - 2 Samuel
12:7-10, 13
Nathan said to David: Thus says the LORD God of Israel : ‘I
anointed you king of Israel Israel
and of Judah
L-Ewwel Qari
- mit-2 Ktieb ta' Samwel 12,
7-10,13
F'dak iż-żmien, Natan qal lil David: "Dan jgħid
il-Mulej, Alla ta' Iżrael: Jien dliktek sultan fuq Iżrael, jien ħlistek minn
Responsorial Psalm PSALM, 5, 7,
11
R. (cf. 5c) Lord, forgive the wrong I have
done.
Blessed is the one whose
fault is taken away,
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile. R/.
whose sin is covered.
Blessed the man to whom the LORD imputes not guilt,
in whose spirit there is no guile. R/.
I acknowledged my sin to you,
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin. R/
my guilt I covered not.
I said, “I confess my faults to the LORD,”
and you took away the guilt of my sin. R/
You are my shelter; from distress you will preserve me;
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round. R..
with glad cries of freedom you will ring me round. R..
Be glad in the LORD and rejoice, you just;
exult, all you upright of heart R/.
exult, all you upright of heart R/.
Salm
Responsorjali - SALM 31
R/ Aħfirli, Mulej,
il-ħażen ta' dnubi.
Ħieni l-bniedem li ħtijietu maħfura,
li għandu d-dnub tiegħu mistur!
Ħieni l-bniedem li ebda ħażen ma jgħoddlu l-Mulej,
u ma għandu ebda qerq f'qalbu. R/
Id-dnub tiegħi jien stqarrjetlek,
u l-ħażen tiegħi ma ħbejtulekx.
Jien għedt "Quddiem il-Mulej nistqarr
ħtijieti."
U inti ħfirtli l-ħażen tad-dnub tiegħi. R/
Int kenn għalija, mit-taħbit tħarisni,
iddawwarni u tferraħni bil-ħelsien tiegħek.
Ifirħu, twajbin, u thennew fil-Mulej;
għajtu bil-ferħ, intom ilkoll ta' qalbkom safja. R/
Reading 2 - Galatians
19-21
Brothers and sisters: We
who know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith
in Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Christ Jesus hat we may be justified
by faith in Christ and not by works of the law, because by works of the law no
one will be justified. For through the law I died to the law, that I might live
for God. I have been crucified with Christ; yet I live, no longer I, but Christ
lives in me; nsofar as I now live in the flesh, live by faith in the Son of God who has loved
me and given himself up for me. I do not nullify the grace of God; for if
justification comes through the law, then Christ died for nothing. This is the Word of the Lord.
It-Tieni Qari - mill-Ittra lill-Galatin 2,16-19,21
Ħuti, aħna li nafu li l-bniedem ma jkunx iġġustifikat
bl-opri tal-Liġi imma bil-fidi f'Ġesu' Kristu, aħna wkoll emminna f'Ġesu' Kristu, sabiex inkunu
ġġustifikati bil-fidi fi Kristu u mhux
bl-opri tal-Ligi, għaliex bl-opri
tal-Liġi ebda bniedem ma jkun iġġustifikat. Imma jien permezz tal-Liġi
mitt għal-Liġi biex ngħix għal Alla;
issallabt ma Kristu. Ngħix, imma
mhux iżjed jien, iżda jgħix fiha Kristu. Il-ħajja li issa ngħix fil-ġisem qiegħed ngħixha bil-fidi fl-Iben ta' Alla, li ħabbni u ta lilu nnifsu għalija. M'iniex
inġib fix-xejn il-grazzja ta' Alla; għax kieku l-ġustifikazzjoni kellha tiġi
mil-Liġi, Kristu kien ikun miet għal xejn. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej
Gospel - Luke 36-50'#;8,1-3
A Pharisee invited Jesus
to dine with him, and he entered the Pharisee’s house and reclined at table. Now
there was a sinful woman in the city who learned that he was at table in the house of the
Pharisee. Bringing an alabaster flask of ointment, she stood behind
him at his feet weeping and began to
bathe his feet with her tears. Then she wiped
them with her hair, kissed them, and
anointed them with the ointment. When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know
who and what sort of woman this is who is touching him,that she is a sinner.” Jesus said
to him in reply, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” “Tell me, teacher, ” he said. “Two
people were in debt to a certain
creditor; one owed five hundred days’ wages and the other owed fifty. Since they were
unable to repay the debt, he forgave it
for both. Which of them will love him more?” Simon said in reply, “The one, I
suppose, whose larger debt was forgiven.” He said to him, “You have judged
rightly.” Then he turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? When
I entered your house, you did not give me water for my feet, but she has bathed them with her
tears and wiped them with her hair. You did not give me a kiss,but she has not
ceased kissing my feet since the time I
entered. You did not anoint my head with
oil, but she anointed my feet with ointment.
So I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven because she has shown
great love. But the one to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” He said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.” The others at table said to themselves, “Who
is this who even forgives sins?” But he said to the woman, “Your faith has
saved you; go in peace.” Afterward he journeyed from one town and village to
another, preaching and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God
Evanġelju - skont
San Luqa 7,
36-50; 8,1-3)
F'dak iż-żmien, wieħed mill-fariżej stieden lil Gesu'
biex jiekol miegħu. Ġesu' daħal għand il-fariżew u qagħad
għall-ikel.Issa fil-belt kien hemm midinba magħrufa. Din saret
taf li kien qiegħed għall-ikel fid-dar tal-fariżew; ġiebet vażett tal-alabastru biż-żejt ifuħ; u
marret qagħdet warajh ħdejn riġlejh,
tibki u xxarrablu riġlej bi dmugħha
tixxuttahomlu b'xuxitha; imbagħad
bisitlu riġlejh u dilkithomlu
biż-żejt ifuħ. Kif ra hekk il-fariżew li stiednu qal bejnu u bejn ruħu:
"Dan, li kien profeta, kien ikun jaf min hi u x'mara hi din liqiegħda tmissu; kien ikun jaf, għax hi
midinba!" Imma Ġesu' qabad u qallu:
"Xmun, għandi ħaġa xi
ngħidlek. "Qallu dak: "Għid, mgħallem." "Tnejn
min-nies kellhom id-dejn ma' wieħed li jislef il-flus; wieħed kellu
jagħtih ħames mitt dinar u l-ieħor ħamsin. Minn minn minn
/////////////////////////////
COMMENTARY by Fr Thomas Rosica CSB
Love as Consequence of Authentic
Forgiveness
Throughout
the Gospels, Jesus dines with sinners and takes the opportunity to teach some
very important lessons about discipleship and holiness. As with so many things he did, Jesus’ befriending
such types of people and eating with them angered his opponents, especially the
religious leaders of his day. They murmured against him: “He has gone in to be
a guest of a man who is a sinner,” or “Look at him who eats with tax-collectors
and prostitutes!” But where others saw only sinners, people on the fringe,
public pariahs to be hated and isolated, Jesus saw human beings cowering in the
shadows, often trapped in their own failure, desperately trying to be something
better, awkwardly trying to make amends for a life of injustice.
It
was so often at meals that Jesus seemed to show most clearly that he reconciled
sinners. How can we not recall the stories of Zacchaeus, Levi, the woman who
washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, the disillusioned disciples at Emmaus, and
Peter at the lakeside? Even the Last Supper, which we think of instinctively as
a very sublime occasion, was a meal shared with sinners. Jesus’ table includes
Judas (his betrayer), Peter (who denied him), and the squabbling and obtuse
disciples. The early Church founded its understanding of the Eucharist on the
basis of the dangerous memory of Jesus’ table fellowship.
The
woman party crasher
In
Sunday’s Gospel story of the pardoning of the sinful woman, a Pharisee,
suspecting Jesus to be a prophet, invites Jesus to a festive banquet in his
house, but the Pharisee’s self-righteousness leads to little forgiveness by God
and consequently little love shown toward Jesus. The sinful woman, on the other
hand, manifests a faith in God that has led her to seek forgiveness for her
sins, and because so much was forgiven, she now overwhelms Jesus with her
display of love. The whole episode is a powerful lesson on the relation between
forgiveness and love.
Why
did this nameless woman approach Jesus and anoint him at the risk of ridicule
and abuse by others? Her action was motivated by one thing: her love for Jesus
and her gratitude for his forgiveness. She did something a Jewish woman would
never do in public: She loosed her hair and anointed Jesus with her tears. She
also did something that only love can do: She took the most precious thing she
had and spent it all on Jesus. Her love was not calculated but lavish and
extravagant.
Jesus
recounts what he saw the woman do. The purpose of this recitation is not so
much to accuse Simon for what he did not do. Does Simon persist in seeing the
woman as a sinner, or is he able to reinterpret her actions? If Simon is still
not able to come up with a different evaluation of what he saw, Jesus tries to
persuade Simon to see as he sees: She has been forgiven much and now shows
great love.
The
sinful woman exemplifies one who responds properly to Jesus, and whose actions
mirror his own. The key question her story poses, not only to Simon, but to us
is, “Do you see this woman?” Not to see the woman and her actions properly is
not to perceive Jesus and his identity correctly. The story is open-ended:
there is yet hope that Simon’s perception, understanding and vision can be
corrected. What about ours?
Christian
reconciliation
Sunday’s
Gospel invites us to reflect on the mystery and obligation of forgiveness and
reconciliation in our Christian tradition. There is a widespread
misunderstanding that in any conflict a Christian should be a peacemaker who
avoids taking sides and tries to bring about a reconciliation between the
opposing forces. This makes reconciliation an absolute principle that must be
applied in all cases of conflict. In some conflicts one side is right and the
other side is wrong, one side is being unjust and oppressive and the other is
suggesting injustice and oppression. As Christians, we are never asked to
reconcile good and evil, justice and injustice. Rather we are to do away with
evil, injustice and sin.
Second,
neutrality is not always possible, and in cases of conflict due to injustice
and oppression neutrality is totally impossible. If we do not take sides with
the oppressed, then we end up taking sides with the oppressor. “Bringing the
two sides together” in such cases can end up being beneficial to the oppressor,
because it enables the status quo to be maintained; it hides the true nature of
the conflict, keeps the oppressed quiet and passive and it brings about a kind
of false reconciliation without justice. The injustice continues and everybody
is made to feel that the injustice does not matter because the tension and
conflict have been reduced.
Third
is the commonly held view that Christians should always seek a “middle way” in
every dispute. Those who are afraid of conflict or confrontation, even when it
is nonviolent, are usually convinced of the need for change. Their caution
hides an un-Christian pessimism about the future, a lack of authentic,
Christian hope. Or they use the Christian concern for reconciliation to justify
a form of escapism from the realities of injustice and conflict.
Such
mistakes about Christian reconciliation are not simply a matter of
misunderstandings, but come from a lack of real love and compassion for those
who are suffering or who have been victimized, or from a lack of appreciation
of what is really happening in serious conflicts. The pursuit of an illusory
neutrality in every conflict is ultimately a way of siding with the oppressor.
This is not the reconciliation and forgiveness that Jesus taught through his
life and ministry.
In
the conflict between Pharisees and the so-called “sinners,” Jesus sided with
the sinners, prostitutes and tax collectors against the Pharisees. And in the
conflict between the rich and the poor, he sided with the poor. Jesus condemns
the Pharisees and the rich in no uncertain terms, and he forgives the sinners
and blesses the poor. Jesus makes no attempt to compromise with the authorities
for the sake of a false peace of reconciliation or unity. The reconciliation,
peace and forgiveness that God wants are based on truth, justice and love.
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