Cherishing the Precious Gift of Faith

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time

                                    Id-19-il Ħadd matul is-Sena                                                 

Messalin C pp360

Reading 1                 Wisdom 18:6-9

The night of the passover was known beforehand to our fathers, that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith, they might have courage.  Your people awaited the salvation of the  just and the destruction of their foes.  For when you punished our  adversaries, in this you glorified us whom you had summoned. For in secret the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice and putting into effect with one accord the divine institution.  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  -  Qari mil-Ktieb tal-Għerf  18, 6-9

Dak il-lejl tal-ħelsien tħabbar minn qabel lil missirijietna, biex, wara  li għarfu sewwa f'liema wegħdiet emmnu, aktar iqawwu qalbhom. Il-poplu tiegħek stenna l-ħelsien tal-ġusti, u l-qerda tal-għedewwa tagħhom, għax kif int ikkastigajt l-għedewwa tagħna, hekk sebbaħt lilna meta sejjaħtilna għalik. L-ulied twajba tal-ġusti offrew sagrifiċċji bil-moħbi, u lkoll fehma waħda qagħdu għal-Liġi ta' Alla: li l-qaddisin tiegħek jaqsmu xorta bejniethom kemm il-ġid u kemm id-deni; għalhekk minn qabel għannew tifħir  missirijiethom.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm          PSALM 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22

R. (12b) Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.
Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.         R/

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.                                  R/

Our soul waits for the LORD,
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.                                 R/

Salm Responsorjali  -  Salm 32

R/           Ħieni l-poplu li l-Mulej għażel b'wirtu.

Għannu, ġusti, bil-ferħ lill-Mulej;

jixirqilhom ifaħħruh in-nies sewwa.

Ħieni l-ġens li l-Mulej hu Alla tiegħu,

il-poplu li hu għażel b'wirtu.                                     R/

Ara, għajnejn il-Mulej fuq dawk li jibżgħu minnu,

fuq dawk li jittamaw fit-tjieba tiegħu,

biex jeħilsilhom mill-mewt ħajjithom,

u jaħjihom fi żmien il-ġuħ.                                          R/

Ruħna tixxennaq għall-Mulej,

hu l-għajnuna u t-tarka tagħna.

Ħa tkun, Mulej, it-tjieba tiegħek fuqna,

kif fik hi t-tama tagħna.                                 R/

Reading 2                 Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19

Brothers and sisters: Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen. Because of it the ancients were well attested.  By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place  that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing  where he was to go.    By faith he sojourned in the promised land  as in a foreign country,dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs  of the same promise; for he was looking forward to the city with  foundations, whose architect and maker is God.  By faith he received  power to generate, even though he was past the normal age —and Sarah herself was sterile—for he thought that the one who had  made the promise was trustworthy.  So it was that there came forth from  one man, himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in  the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore.  All these died in faith. They did not receive what had been promised but saw it and greeted it from afar  and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth, for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland.  If they had been thinking of the land from which  they had come, they would have had opportunity to return.  But now they  desire a better homeland, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to  be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.  By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, of whom it was said,  “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.”   He reasoned that God  was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol.

It-2 Lezzjoni  -  Qari mill-Ittra lill-Lhud11, 1-2, 8-19

Ħuti, il-fidi hija pedament tal-ħwejjeġ li għandna nittamaw, hija l-prova tal-ħwejjeġ li ma narawx.    In-nies tal-imgħoddi  għoġbu lil Alla sewwasew  għax kellhom il-fidi. Kienet il-fidi li ġagħlet lil Abraħam jobdi s-sejħa ta' Alla, meta dan qallu biex imur f'art li kien se jagħtih b'wirt; u telaq, bla ma kien jaf fejn kien sejjer. Kienet il-fidi li ġagħlitu jgħammar fl-art imwiegħda,  qisu barrani f'art barranija, u jgħix taħt it-tined flimkien ma'   Iżakk u Ġakobb, li kienu werrieta miegħu tal-istess wegħda,  għax hu kien iħares 'il quddiem, lejn il-belt mibnija fis-sod,  li l-imgħallem u l-bennej tagħha huwa Alla. Kienet ukoll il-fidi li biha Sarah, mara mdaħħlha fiż-żmien, setgħet titqal, għax hija għarfet  li ta' kelmtu  kien dak li  għamlilha l-wegħda.      Kien  għalhekk li minn  bniedem  wieħed,  li kien tista'  tgħid mejjet,  twieldu nies bil-kotra daqs il-kwiekeb tas-sema u  daqs ir-ramel ta' xatt il-baħar, li ħadd  ma jista' jgħoddu.  Kollha bil-fidi mietu dawn in-nies. Kienu għadhom ma ħadux  dak li kien imwiegħed, iżda huma rawh mill-bogħod u sellmulu,  waqt li għarfu li huma kienu barranin u għorba fuq l-art.    Tabilħaqq, dawk li jitkellmu b'dan il-mod juru ċar li  huma qegħdin ifittxu pajjiż għalihom.  Li kieku kellhom fi ħsiebhom il-pajjiż li minnu kienu ħarġu,  kellhom żmien biżżejjed biex jerġgħu lura fih.   Imma issa  huma jixtiequ pajjiż aħjar, jiġifieri, dak tas-sema.     Huwa għalhekk li Alla ma jistmellx jissejjaħ Alla tagħhom,   għax hu ħejja belt għalihom. Kienet il-fidi li ġagħlet lil  Abraħam joffri 'l  Iżakk meta Alla ġarrbu; u kien se joffri lill- ibnu l-waħdieni sewwasew dak li kien ħa l-wegħdiet, hu li Alla kien qallu: "Minn Iżakk, int għad ikollok nisel."   Huwa  fehem li Alla kellu s-setgħa saħansitra li jqajjem mill-mewt;  u, fis-sens ta' tixbiħa, ħadu  tabilħaqq lura mill-mewt. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                       Luke 12:32-48

Jesus said to his disciples:  “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom.  Sell your belongings and give alms.  Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy.  For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.   “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks.   Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.  Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them.  And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants.  Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming,  he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”   Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?”  And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants  to distribute the food allowance at the proper time?   Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so.  Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant  in charge of all his property.  But if that servant says to himself,  ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the  maidservants,  to eat and drink and get drunk,  then that servant’s master will come  on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely  and assign him a place with the unfaithful.  That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly.  Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.” 

L-Evanġelju   -   Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Luqa 12, 32-48

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu:  "Le, merħla ċkejkna, tibżgħu xejn,  għax Missierkom għoġbu jagħtikom is-Saltna!  Bigħu  ġidkom u agħtuh karita' u fittxu għalikom infuskomboroż li ma jitmermrux,  teżor li ma jiġix nieqes fis-sema, fejn la l-halliel ma jersaq u l-anqas  il-kamla ma tħassar.   Għax fejn hemm it-teżor tagħkom, hemm tinsab qalbkom ukoll. Żommu ġenbejkom imħażżna u l-imsiebaħ tagħkom mixgħula; kunu bħal nies jistennew lil sidhom lura mill-festa tat-tieġ,  biex malli jiġi u jħabbat jiftħulu minnufih. Ħenjin dawk il-qaddejja li meta jiġi sidhom isibhom jishru! Tassew ngħidilkom, li hu jitħażżem, iqegħedhom madwar  il-medja, u jgħadi quddiemhom iservihom. U kieku kellu jiġi fil-ħin tat-tieni sahra, jew tat-tielet, u  jsibhom xorta waħda fuq dmirhom ħenjin huma! Kunu afu dan, li kieku sid id-dar kellu jkun jaf xħin ikun  ġej il-ħalliel ma kienx se jħalli min jinfidlu l-ħajt ta' daru.  Mela kunu lesti intom ukoll, għax qatt ma tistgħu tobsru  s-siegħa li fiha jiġi Bin il-bniedem."  Qallu Pietru:  "Mulej, din il-parabbola qiegħed tgħidha għalina jew għal kulħadd?"  Wieġbu l-Mulej:  "Int  min tgħid li hu l-qaddej fidil u  għaqli?   Min hu dak li s-sid iqiegħdu fuq in-nies tad-dar  biex  jagħtihom sehemhom f'hin l-ikel?   Ħieni dak  il-qaddej li sidu jiġi u jsibu  jagħmel dan.  Ngħidilkom  is-sewwa, li jafdalu ġidu kollu f'idejħ. Imma nagħmlu mod li dak il-qaddej jibda jgħid f'qalbu:    "Sidi jiddawwar ma jiġi." u jaqbad isawwat lill-qaddejja kollha, irġiel u nisa, u jiekol u jagħtiha għax-xorb u s- sokor; sid dak il-qaddej jasal f'jum meta ma jkunx jistennieh,  f'siegħa li fiha jieħdu għal għarrieda, u jagħmlu bċejjeċu  jagħtih dak li ħaqqhom in-nies li mhumiex fidili.  U dak il-qaddej li jkun jaf xi jrid sidu, u madankollu ma  jħejjix jew ma jagħmilx li jrid sidu, swat kbir jaqla'.   Min imbagħad, bla ma jkun jaf xi jrid sidu,  jagħmel xi  ħaġa li jkun  ħaqqha s-swat, dan ftit jissawwat.  Għax lil min tawh ħafna, ifittxu li jieħdu ħafna mingħandu;  U min ħallewlu ħafna f'idejh, iżjed jippretendu mingħandu."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Commentary by Fr Thomas Rosica

Portrait of religious faith

Whenever I have moments of frustration, discouragement or sadness about the state of things in the Church today, I go back and read Chapter 11 of the Letter to the Hebrews. This chapter draws upon the people and events of the Old Testament to paint an inspiring portrait of religious faith, firm and unyielding in the face of any obstacles that confront it. Next Sunday’s second reading (Hebrews 11:1-2, 8-19) is drawn from a chronologically developed chapter: verses 3-7 draw upon the first nine chapters of Genesis; verses 8-22 upon the period of the patriarchs; verses 11:23-31 upon the time of Moses; verses 11:32-38 upon the history of the judges, the prophets, and the Maccabean martyrs.

The author gives the most extensive description of faith provided in the New Testament, though his interest does not lie in a technical, theological definition. In view of the needs of his audience he describes what authentic faith does, not what it is in itself. Through faith God guarantees the blessings to be hoped for from him, providing evidence in the gift of faith that what he promises will eventually come to pass (11:1). Because they accepted in faith God’s guarantee of the future, the biblical personages discussed in Hebrews 11:3-38 were themselves commended by God (11:2). Christians have even greater reason to remain firm in faith since they, unlike the Old Testament men and women of faith, have perceived the beginning of God’s fulfillment of his messianic promises (11:39-40).

It is important to recall the words of Cardinal John Henry Newman in one of his homilies on this text from Hebrews: “It is one thing, then, to have faith, another thing to receive the promise through faith. Faith does not involve in itself the receipt of the promise.”

The collection of sayings in Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 12:32-48) relates to Luke’s understanding of the end time and the return of Jesus. Luke emphasizes for his readers the importance of being faithful to the instructions of Jesus in the period before the parousia (final coming).  Sunday’s Gospel passage reflects questions that arose from the early Christian belief that Jesus would soon return in his glory and the delay that had already occurred. Written more than half a century after Jesus’ death, this Gospel needed to address concerns regarding laxity on the part of the members of the community who had already been waiting for Jesus’ coming and were discouraged at his delay.

Luke’s parable of the faithful servants raises the question: What should characterize a steward in light of the certainty of coming accountability? The picture presented in the Gospel is of a master who is returning from a trip. What is the tendency of workers when the boss is away? To slack off! Those that slack off invariably get caught sleeping when the boss shows up. There is a need for faith and faithfulness in light of the coming judgment and rewards to be given when Christ returns.

Even if there is a delay, the message is clear: Be ready! Faithfulness will be proportionately rewarded. Lack of faithfulness may indicate lack of faith, making one susceptible to judgment. The Gospel passage clearly identifies the Kingdom of God as our ultimate concern. The Kingdom does not result from human ingenuity; it is a pure gift of God. Jesus states the classic measure of priorities, ” Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also” (Luke 12:34).

Jesus also speaks of priorities in the lives of Church leaders. The world focuses priorities and values around power, success, popularity, and pleasure. People in roles of leadership sometime choose power over justice as their ultimate concern. Today’s Scripture readings help us to measure these priorities and values against the ultimate concerns of the kingdom. The leader is first of all a humble servant. Jesus states the leader’s responsibility in this way, “From everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required; and from the one to whom much has been entrusted, even more will be demanded” (Luke 12:48). The greater one’s position, the greater the expectations, and the greater one’s accountability.

When I read the other two passages from next Sunday’s Scriptures: “They did not receive what had been promised but saw it and greeted it from afar and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth, for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland” (Hebrews 11:13-14), and “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so” (Luke 12:42-43), I remember of “modern” saints like Australia’s Sr Mary MacKillop,  Italy’s Neapolitan  Bishop Alphonsus de Liguori and Malta’s Dun Gorg Preca – all a living exegesis of this Sunday’s biblical texts, all leaders in their own spheres and neighbourhoods but who all suffered greatly from their own brethren and the Church they served  for relying on their faith in God’s calling for them thereby eventually making out of them examples of the much needed change in the Church itself.  

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