Umilta’ u Suppervja
Messalin
C pp378
Reading 1 - SIRACH 3:17-18, 20, 28-29
My
child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a
giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will
find favor with God. What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond
your strength search not. The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an
attentive ear is the joy of the wise. Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins.The Word of the Lord.
L-Ewwel Qari - Qari
mill-Ktieb ta’ Bin Sirak 3, 17-20, 28-29
Ibni,
kun ġwejjed fix-xogħol li tagħmel, u tkun maħbub iktar minn
Responsorial Psalm - PSALM 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11
R/. God, in your goodness, you have
made a home for the poor.
The
just rejoice and exult before God;
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the LORD. R/
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the LORD. R/
The
father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity. R/
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity. R/
A
bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy. R/
you restored the land when it languished;
your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy. R/
Salm Responsorjali
- SALM 67.
R/ ) Alla, int hejjejt dar ghall-fqajjar
Il-ġusti
jithennew quddiem Alla,
jifirħu
u jaqbżu bil-ferħ.
Għannu
lil Alla, faħħru ismu,
Missier
l-iltiema u difensur tar-romol,
hekk
hu Alla fl-għamara mqaddsa tiegħu.
Alla
jagħti d-dar lil dawk li huma weħidhom,
U
lill-ħabsin bir-riżq joħroġhom. R/
Xita
bil-kotra inti bgħatt, O Alla, fuq l-art, wirt tiegħek,
U
meta kienet bil-għatx inti ħjejtha.
Il-poplu
tiegħek għammar fiha;
fi
tjubitek o Alla, għall-fqajjar ħejjejtha,. R/
Reading 2 HEBREWS 12:18-19, 22-24A
Brothers
and sisters: You have not approached that which could be touched and a blazing
fire and gloomy darkness and storm and a trumpet blast and a voice speaking
words such that those who heard begged that no message be further addressed to
them. No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the
heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly
of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits
of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the
sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel. This is the Word of the Lord.
It-Tieni Qari - mill-Ittra
lil-Lhud 12,
18-19, 22-24
Ħuti, intom ma rsaqtux lejn in-nar materjali u
jħeġġeġ tas-Sinaj;lejn dak is-swied u d-dlam u r-riefnu; lejn dak id-daqq
tat-tromba u l-ħoss ta' kliem, li dawk li kienu jisimgħuh talbu bil-ħerqa biex ma jkellimhomx aktar. Imma intom ersaqtu lejn
il-muntanja ta’ Sijon u lejn il-belt ta’ Alla l-ħaj, li hi Ġerusalem tas-Sema;
ersaqtu lejn eluf ta’ anġli f’ġemgħa ferrieħa, lejn il-ġemgħa tal-ulied ewlenin
li isimhom hu miktub fis-sema, lejn
Alla, l-imħallef ta’ kulħadd; lejn l-erwieħ ta’ nies tajba u perfetti; lejn
Ġesu’, il-medjatur ta’ patt ġdid. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej
Gospel LUKE 14:1, 7-14
On
a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and
the people there were observing him carefully. He told a parable to those who
had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honour at the
table.“When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at
table in the place of honour. A
more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host
who invited both of you may approach you and say, ‘Give your place to this
man,’ and then you would proceed with embarrassment o take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take
the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, ‘My friend,
move up to a higher position.’ Then you will enjoy the esteem of your
companions at the table. For
every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself
will be exalted.” Then he said to
the host who invited him, “When you hold a lunch or a dinner, o not invite your
friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbors, in case
they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a
banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed
will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at
the resurrection of the righteous.” This is the Word of the Lord.
L-Evangelju - Qari skont San Luqa 14, 1, 7-14
Darba,
kien is-Sibt, Ġesu’ daħal għand wieħed mill-kapijiet tal-Fariżej biex jiekol
għandu, u huma qagħdu għajnejhom fih. Billi ra b’għajnejh kif il-mistednin bdew
jagħżlu l-postijiet ta’
quddiem fil-mejda, qalilhom din
il-parabbola: “Meta wieħed jistiednek għall-festa tat-tieġ, tmurx toqgħod
fil-post ta’ quddiem, li ma jkunx hemm xi mistieden aqwa minnek
mistieden minnu, u dak li jkun stieden lilek u lilu jiġu fuqek igħidlek,
"Agħti l-post lil dan," u int
imbagħad, b’regħxa ta’ mistħija fuqek,
ikollok tieħu l-post ta’ l-aħħar. Għall-kuntrarju, meta tkun mistieden,
mur inxteħet fil-post ta’ l-aħħar, biex meta jiġi dak li stiednek, jgħidlek,
"Ħabib, itla’ f’post ‘il fuq." U dan ikun ta’ġieħ għalik quddiem dawk
kollha li jkunu fil-mejda miegħek. Għax kull min jitkabbar, jiċċekken; u min
jiċċekken, jitkabbar.” Imbaghad qal ukoll lil dak li kien stiednu: “Meta tagħti
ikla jew pranzu, tistedinx lil-ħbiebek jew lil ħutek jew lil qrabatek, anqas
ġirien għonja, għax għandhom mnejn
imbagħad jistiednu lilek huma, u hekk iroddulek il-pjaċir li tkun għamiltilhom.
Għall-kuntrarju, meta tagħmel ikla,
stieden il-foqra, Il-magħtubin, iz-zopop u l-għomja, u ħieni int, għax dawn ma
għandhomx minn
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Table Talk and Etiquette in Luke
Jesus' most important teaching moments in Luke's
Gospel take place at meals, parties, and celebrations, and we learn that each
meal has a far greater significance than simply eating and drinking with
others.
Next Sunday's table talk takes place in the context
of the journey up to Jerusalem begun at 9:51. Nothing can be more serious for
Luke than a dining table. Both the Eucharist and the revelations of the Risen
Christ occur there (24:28-32). It was while eating together that Christ gave
his disciples the promise of the Holy Spirit and their commission (Acts 1:8),
and it was by table fellowship that Jews and Gentiles were able to be the
Church (Acts 10:9-16; 11:1-18).
Table fellowship laden with meaning
Sunday's banquet scene found only in Luke (14:1;
7-14), provides the opportunity for Jesus' teachings on humility and presents a
setting to display Luke's interest in Jesus' attitude toward the rich and the
poor. For Judaism, for Jesus and for the early church, table fellowship was
laden with very important religious, social and economic meanings.
Chapter 14:1 sets the stage for Verses 7-11. Jesus
is at dinner in the home of a Pharisee and, while there, observes the social
behavior of both guests and their host. Jesus' attention to and
observation of everyday activity provided him not only insights into the true
character of his listeners. but also opportunities to reveal the way life is in
the Kingdom of God
God exalts, not humans
What is the central point of this Gospel story? Our
human egos are quite clever, and upon hearing that taking a low seat may not
only avoid embarrassment but lead to elevation to the head table, many convert
the instruction about humility into a new strategy for self-exaltation. Taking
the low seat because one is humble is one thing; taking the low seat as a way
to move up is another! This entire message can also be ridiculous if there is a
mad dash for the lowest place, with ears cocked toward the host, waiting for
the call to ascend.
Those who lift themselves up over others will be
brought down; those who regard themselves as among the "lowly" -- as
human as anyone else -- will be raised up. Raising up and exaltation belong to
God; recognition of one's lowliness is the proper stance for human beings. The
act of humbling oneself is not something for its own sake, but for the sake
either of God or of Christ.
Sunday's first reading from the book of Sirach
(3:17-18, 20, 28-29) speaks about authentic humility that gives a true estimate
of self (7-19). Through it a man performs duty, avoids what is beyond his understanding
and strength (20-22). Pride, however, begets false greatness, misjudgment,
stubbornness, sorrow, affliction and perdition (3:23-27).
The only real security
The rich, the powerful, and the 'just' find it very
difficult to be humbly open to God; they are full of confidence in their own
treasures and securities. The only real security is the one based on friendship
with God and service of God: to be a servant of human beings and of God after
the example of Jesus of Nazareth. Exalting oneself is a form of self-reliance
as opposed to reliance on God. This makes clear why being rich, prosperous,
satisfied almost naturally imply being arrogant, proud, godless.
The second lesson of Sunday's Gospel goes against
the accepted, normal practice of inviting only those who can be expected to
return the favour in one form or another. Jesus reverses this norm: Do not
invite to share a meal with you those who will some day reciprocate and even
outdo you; instead, invite those who are never invited out -- the poor, those
who live on the fringes of society, and those from whom no favours can be
expected.
Etiquette "chez" Luke
Being a host carries with it many pleasant and
positive connotations: friendliness, generosity, graciousness and concern for
the comfort of others. However Jesus also observes (Luke 14:12-14) that hosting
can be distorted and terribly misused when the host does his/her work with
strings attached! A host who expects a return on his or her behavior will not
offer service or food to those who cannot repay, and so guest lists consist
only of persons who are able to return the favour.
Jesus calls for "kingdom behavior":
inviting those with neither property nor place in society. God is our ultimate
host, and we, as hosts are really behaving as guests, making no claims, setting
no conditions, expecting no return. Luke's fourfold list of the poor, the
maimed, the lame and blind (13) is no surprise to the reader. We knew about
these people since Mary sang about them in her Magnificat at the beginning of
this Gospel (Luke 1:46-55) and Jesus addressed them in his inaugural sermon in
the Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4:16-30).
Jesus impropriety and lax mercy
As with so many things he did, Jesus' befriending
such types of people and eating with them angered his opponents. 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 something else. He saw human beings, perhaps people
trapped in their own failure, desperately trying to be something better,
awkwardly trying to make amends for a life of injustice. Jesus of Nazareth
would exclaim: "Today salvation has come to this house, since this man
also is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the
lost."
To seek and save the lost, to exalt the poor and
the lowly, to humble the rich, godless, haughty and arrogant, this was Jesus'
ministry. His opponents took offense at all this impropriety and lax mercy. All
of those who Jesus recommends to be on our invitation lists are those who will
receive the places of honor in the banquet of the kingdom: the poor, those who
are maimed, lame, blind, gentiles, those who cannot repay us, who because of
their status had not been allowed entrance into the center of the old Temple.
But the walls of the new temple were to exclude no one.
Cardinal Newman's weapons of saints
It is good to conclude by reflecting on the words
of Blessed John Henry Cardinal Newman in one of his memorable sermons on Sunday's
Gospel entitled: "The Weapons of Saints."
He writes:
"There is a mysterious connexion between real
advancement and self-abasement. If you minister to the humble and despised, if
you feed the hungry, tend the sick, succour the distressed; if you bear with
the forward, submit to insult, endure ingratitude, render good for evil, you
are, as by a divine charm, getting power over the world and rising among the
creatures. God has established this law. Thus He does His wonderful works. His
instruments are poor and despised; the world hardly knows their names, or not
at all. They are busied about what the world thinks petty actions, and no one
minds them. They are apparently set on no great works; nothing is seen to come
of what they do: they seem to fail. Nay, even as regards religious objects
which they themselves profess to desire, there is no natural and visible
connexion between their doings and sufferings and these desirable ends; but
there is an unseen connexion in the kingdom of God. They rise by falling.
Plainly so, for no condescension can be so great as that of our Lord Himself.
Now the more they abase themselves the more like they are to Him; and the more
like they are to Him, the greater must be their power with Him."
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