It-12-il
Ħadd matul is-Sena
Messalin C pp322
Thus says the
LORD: I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem Jerusalem Jerusalem
L-Ewwel Lezzjoni - Qari
mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Żakkarija 12,
10-11; 13,3
Dan
jgħid il-Mulej: "Fuq id-dar ta'
David u fuq dawk li għammru f'Ġerusalemm insawwab spirtu ta' ħidma u talb. U huma jħarsu lejn dak li jkun nifdu, u jibkuh bħal
wieħed li jibki lil ibnu l-waħdieni, u
jokorbu għalih bħal min jikrob
għal ibnu l-kbir. Dakinhar il-biki ta'
Ġerusalemm ikun kbir daqs il-biki ta' Ħadad-rimmon fil-wita ta' Megiddo
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
R. (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you
are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water. R/
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water. R/
Thus have I
gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you. R/
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you. R/
Thus will I
bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you. R/
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you. R/
You are my
help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me. R/.
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me. R/.
Salm Responsorjali - Salm 62
R/ Ruħi bil-għatx għalik, Mulej, Alla tiegħi.
Alla,
Alla tiegħi int;
lilek
ħerqan infittex.
Ruħi
bil-għatx għalik,
għalik
imxennaq jiena,
bħal
art niexfa, maħruqa,bla ilma. R/
Għalhekk
ġejt narak fit-tempju mqaddes tiegħek,
biex
nigħaxxaq bis-setgħa u l-glorja tiegħek.
Għax
it-tjieba tiegħek aħjar mill-ħajja,
xufftejja
jxandru t-tifħir tiegħek. R/
Għalhekk
inbierkek tul ħajti kollha;
ngħolli
idejja u nsejjaħ ismek.
Bħal
b'ikel mill-aħjar li jsemmen nimtela,
u
jgħannilek fommi b'xuftejn ferrieħa. R/
Għax
int kont għajnuna għalija,
għad-dell
ta' ġwenħajk ngħanni bil-ferħ.
Miegħek
tingħaqad ruħi,
int
tweżinni bil-leminija tiegħek. R/
Reading 2 - Galatians 3:26-29
Brothers and
sisters:
Through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendant, heirs according to the promise. This is the Word of The Lord.
Through faith you are all children of God in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free person, there is not male and female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendant, heirs according to the promise. This is the Word of The Lord.
It-Tieni
Lezzjoni - Qari mill-Ittra
lilll-Galatin 3, 26-29
Ħuti,
intom ulied Alla lkoll kemm intom, permezz tal-fidi fi Kristu Ġesu'. Intom, li intom mgħammda fi Kristu, il-bistu 'l
Kristu. Issa ma hemmx iżjed Lhudi u anqas Grieg, ma hemm ilsir u anqas
ħieles, ma hemmx raġel u anqas mara, għax intom ilkoll ħaġa waħda fi Kristu
Ġesu'. Imma jekk intom ta' Kristu, intom ukoll nisel Abraham, werrieta skont il-wegħda. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel - Luke 9:18-24
Once when
Jesus was praying in solitude, and the disciples were with him, he asked them,
“Who do the crowds say that I am?” They said in reply, “John the Baptist; others,
Elijah; still others, ‘One of the ancient prophets has arisen.’” Then he said
to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter said in reply, “The Christ of
God.” He rebuked them and directed them not to tell this to anyone. He said,
“The Son of Man must suffer greatly and be rejected by the elders, the chief
priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.” Then
he said to all, “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and
take up his cross daily and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will
lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.” This is the Word
of The Lord.
L-Evanġelju - skont San Luqa 9, 18-24
Darba,
waqt li Ġesu' kien qiegħed jitlob waħdu, kien hemm miegħu d-dixxipli tiegħu, u
hu staqsiehom: "Min jgħidu n-nies li jien?" Huma weġbuh u
qalulu: "Ġwanni l-Battita, oħrajn,
Elija, u oħrajn, li qam wieħed mill-profeti tal-imgħoddi." Qalilhom: "Imma intom min tgħidu li jien? Qabeż Pietru u qallu: "Inti l-Messija
ta' Alla." Imbagħad ikkmandhom u qalilhom ħafna biex ma jgħidu lil ħadd b'dan. U qalilhom: "Jeħtieġ li Bin
il-bniedem ibati ħafna, jiċħduh ix-xjuħ u qassisin il-kbar u l-kittieba,
joqtluh, u fit-tielet jum iqum." Darba qal lil kulħadd: "Jekk xi ħadd irid jiġi warajja, għandu jiċħad lilu nnifsu, jerfa' salibu kuljum,
u jimxi warajja. għax min irid isalva ħajtu, jitilfa; imma min jitlef
ħajtu għall-imħabba tiegħi,
isalvaha." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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The only question that matters
The
second half of Luke’s Gospel is one great pilgrimage to Jerusalem Golgotha — where he will demonstrate perfect obedience,
perfect love and total self-giving.
The
incident in this Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 9:18-24) is based on Mark 8:27-33, but
Luke has eliminated Peter’s refusal to accept Jesus as suffering Son of Man
(Mark 8:32), and the rebuke of Peter by Jesus (Mark 8:33). The disciples list a whole series of labels
that people have applied to Jesus. And these names reveal all the different
expectations held about him. Some thought of him as an Elijah, working toward a
real confrontation with the powers that be. Some saw him as one of the ancient
prophets.
When
Jesus asks his disciples of their perception of him, he asks what people are
saying about him. How do they see his work? Who is he in their minds? Probably
taken aback by the question, the disciples dredge their memories for overheard
remarks, snatches of shared conversation, opinions circulating in the fishing
towns of the lake area. Jesus himself is aware of some of this. The replies of
the disciples are varied, as are those of each of us today when Jesus, through
someone else’s lips, asks us the same question, and with increasing frequency
and intensity.
Identifying
Jesus Today
The
struggle to identify Jesus and his role as Messiah continues today. Some say
the individual Christian and the whole Church should be Elijah figures,
confronting systems, institutions, national policies. That was the way Elijah
saw his task. We only need to read the First Book of Kings (Chapters 17 to 21)
to confirm this fact. Some say, like Jeremiah, that the domain of Christ,
through his Church, is the personal and private side of life. Significantly,
Jesus probes beyond both and asks, “You, who do you say I am?”
In
Peter’s answer, “You are Messiah,” blurted out with his typical impetuosity, we
are given a concept that involves both of the above ideas and goes beyond them.
The Messiah came into society, and into individual lives, in a total way,
reconciling the distinction between public and private. The quality of our
response to this question is the best gauge of the quality of our discipleship.
If
you have ever tried to piece together an ancient mosaic, you would know of the
painstaking work involved in such an endeavor. During my biblical studies in
the Holy Land , I participated in several
archeological expeditions involving the discovery of ancient mosaics. Every
little fragment matters in putting the whole picture together. In a similar
way, when we attempt to answer Jesus’ question in today’s Gospel, “But who do
you say that I am?” (Luke 9:20), we are being invited to piece together a
magnificent mosaic
In
Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus will be the Messiah only when he lays down his life for
others. And I will be like Jesus only when I lay down my life for others.
Jesus’ identity is found in doing the will of God. Luke applies the same
principle to us as disciples. Our true identity and purpose is found in going
beyond ourselves. This is a daily task, “If any want to become my followers,
let them deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me” (Luke
9:23). If I lose my life for Christ, I find it!
Remembering
Tor Vergata 2000
One
of the most powerful and memorable reflections on Jesus’ identity took place on
the night of August 19, 2000 during the evening prayer vigil at Tor Vergata on
Rome’s outskirts during World Youth Day of the Great Jubilee. I shall never
forget that hot night, when silence came over the crowd of over one million
young people as Pope John Paul II asked them the only question that matters:
“Who do you say that I am?”
The
elderly Pope addressed his young friends with those words that rang out over
the seeming apocalyptic scene before him: “What is the meaning of this
dialogue? Why does Jesus want to know what people think about him? Why does he
want to know what his disciples think about him? Jesus wants his disciples to
become aware of what is hidden in their own minds and hearts and to give voice
to their conviction. At the same time, however, he knows that the judgment they
will express will not be theirs alone, because it will reveal what God has
poured into their hearts by the grace of faith.”
The
Holy Father continued: “This is what faith is all about! It is the response of
the rational and free human person to the word of the living God. The questions
that Jesus asks, the answers given by the Apostles, and finally by Simon Peter,
are a kind of examination on the maturity of the faith of those who are closest
to Christ.”
It
is Jesus
“It
is Jesus in fact,” the Pontiff continued, “that you seek when you dream of
happiness; he is waiting for you when nothing else you find satisfies you; he
is the beauty to which you are so attracted; it is he who provokes you with
that thirst for fullness that will not let you settle for compromise; it is he
who urges you to shed the masks of a false life; it is he who reads in your
hearts your most genuine choices, the choices that others try to stifle. It is
Jesus who stirs in you the desire to do something great with your lives, the
will to follow an ideal, the refusal to allow yourselves to be grounded down by
mediocrity, the courage to commit yourselves humbly and patiently to improving
yourselves and society, making the world more human and more fraternal.”
He
concluded his memorable address with these words: “Dear friends, at the dawn of
the Third Millennium I see in you the “morning watchmen” (cf. Is 21:11-12). In
the course of the century now past young people like you were summoned to huge
gatherings to learn the ways of hatred; they were sent to fight against one
another. The various godless messianic systems that tried to take the place of
Christian hope have shown themselves to be truly horrendous. Today you have
come together to declare that in the new century you will not let yourselves be
made into tools of violence and destruction; you will defend peace, paying the
price in your person if need be. You will not resign yourselves to a world
where other human beings die of hunger, remain illiterate and have no work. You
will defend life at every moment of its development; you will strive with all
your strength to make this earth ever more livable for all people.”
Who is this Jesus for us? This is indeed the
only question that really matters.
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