Twenty-sixth Sunday
in Ordinary Time
Is-26 Ħadd matul is-Sena
Messalin
C pp 403
Reading 1 AMos 6:1A, 4-7
Thus
says the LORD the God of hosts: Woe to the complacent in Zion
L-Ewwel Lezzjoni - Qari
mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Għamos 6, 1a, 4-7
Dan jgħid il-Mulej li jista' kollox:
"Ħażin għalihom dawk li f'Sijon għandhom moħħhom mistrieħ, dawk li qalbhom
qawwija fil-muntanja tas-Samarija! Fuq sodod tal-avorju mimduda, jitmattru fuq
il-friex; u ħrief il-merħla jieklu, għoġiela mill-istalla. Mal-arpa jqabblu
l-għana, bħal David strumenti jivvintaw. L-inbid ilegilguh minn
Responsorial Psalm PSalm 146:7, 8-9, 9-10
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
Blessed he who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free. R/
Blessed he who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free. R/
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who were bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers. R/
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia. R/
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations. Alleluia. R/
Salm Responsorjali Salm
145 (146)
R/ Faħħar, ruħ
tiegħi, il-Mulej!
Il-Mulej li jagħmel ħaqq
lill-maħqurin,
u jagħti l-ħobż lil-imġewħin.
Il-Mulej li jeħles
lill-imjassrin. R/
Il-Mulej li jiftaħ għajnejn
l-għomja;
il-Mulej li jerfa'
lill-milwijin;
il-Mulej li jħobb lill-ġusti;
il-Mulej li jħares
lill-barranin. R/
Il-Mulej iżomm lill-iltim u
lill-armla,
imma lill-ħżiena jħarbtilhom
triqathom.
Il-Mulej isaltan għal dejjem;
Alla tiegħek, Sijon, minn
Reading 2 1 TiMothy 6:11-16
But
you, man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and
gentleness. Compete
well for the faith. Lay
hold of eternal life, to which you were called
when you made the noble confession in the presence of many witnesses.
charge you before God, who gives life to all things, and before Christ Jesus,
who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession, to keep the
commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ
that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the proper time, the King
of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being
has seen or can see.
To him be honor and eternal power. Amen. This is the Word of the Lord.
It-Tieni Lezzjoni - Qari
mill-Ewwel Ittra lil Timotju 6, 11-16
Int, bniedem ta' Alla, fittex
li jkollok il-ġustizzja, it-tjieba, il-fidi, l-imħabba, is-sabar, il-ħlewwa.
Tqabad it-taqbida t-tajba tal-fidi; qis li
tirbaħ il-ħajja ta' dejjem li għaliha kont imsejjaħ u li tagħha għamilt
l-istqarrija sabiħa quddiem ħafna xhieda. Inwissik quddiem Alla li jagħti
l-ħajja lill-ħlejjaq kollha,u quddiem Kristu Ġesu' li xehed u għamel l-isqarrija sabiħa quddiem Ponzju Pilatu. Inwissik biex tħares l-istruzzjonijiet li
rċevejt u żżomm ruħek bla tebgħa u bla
ħtija sa jum id-dehra ta' Sidna Ġesu' Kristu, li għad juriha f'waqtha. Dak li
hu l-ħieni u waħdu setgħani, is-Sultan tas-slaten u s-Sid tas-sidien, li hu
biss ma jmut qatt u jgħammar f'dawl li ħadd ma jista' jersaq lejh, hu li ebda
bniedem qatt ma rah u anqas qatt jista' jarah. Lilu ġieħ u setgħa għal
dejjem.! Ammen. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel LuKE 16:19-31
Jesus
said to the Pharisees: "There was a rich man who dressed in purple
garments and fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door
was a poor man named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten
his fill of the scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to
come and lick his sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels
to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried,
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw
Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side. And he cried out, 'Father Abraham,
have pity on me. Send
Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am
suffering torment in these flames.' Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that
you received what was good during your lifetime while
Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas
you are tormented. Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to
prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or
from your side to ours.’ He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him to my
father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they
too come to this place of torment.' But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and
the prophets. Let them listen to them.'
He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to
them, they will repent.' Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses
and the prophets,
neither will they be persuaded if
someone should rise from the dead.'" This is the Word of the Lord.
L-Evanġelju
- Qari
mill-Evanġelju skont San Luqa 16, 19-31
F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal
lill-fariżej: "Mela kien hemm raġel
għani, jilbes il-porpra u għażel mill-ifjen;
l-hena tiegħu kien li kuljum jagħmel ikla mill-aħjar. U wieħed fqir jismu Lazzru, li kellu ġismu
ġerħa waħda, kien imur jinxteħet ħdejn il-bieb ta' daru, bix-xewqa li jixba'
b'dak li jaqa' mill-mejda tal-għani.
Sal-klieb kienu jmorru jilagħqu l-ġrieħi tiegħu. Ġara li l-fqir miet, u l-anġli ħaduh fi ħdan
Abraham. Imbagħad miet ukoll l-għani, u difnuh. Dan, kif sab ruħu fi t batijiet ħorox f'Art
l-Imwiet, rafa' ħarstu, u mill-bogħod lemaħ lil Abraħam, b'Lazzru fi ħdanu. U
għolla leħnu u qallu: "Missier
Abraħam, ikollok ħniena minni u ibgħat
lil Lazzru jbill tarf sebgħu fl-ilma ħa jtaffili n-nixfa li għandi fi
lsieni, għax qiegħed ninħaqar wisq f'dan in-nar." Iżda Abraħam qallu: "Ibni, ftakar li t-tajjeb tiegħek
irċevejtu f'ħajtek: hekk ukoll Lazzru,
il-ħażin irċevieħ f'ħajtu. Imma
issa hu hawnhekk qiegħed jitfarraġ, waqt li int qiegħed tbati. Barra minn
dan, hekk vojt bla qjies bejnkom u bejna, biex min ikun irid jaqsam minn hawn għal għandkom ma jkunx jista', u anqas ma
jgħaddu minn
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COMMENTARY:
Dives and Lazarus:
A Story of
Personal Relationships
By Fr. Thomas Rosica
In
this Sunday's first reading, the prophet Amos is quite serious about the
complacent folk who pamper themselves at the expense of others and have
apparently lost interest in the sufferings of their fellow human beings. Amos is the great champion of the poor. The
idle rich are the target of his wrath primarily because their conspicuous consumption of delicacies is always at the
expense of those who lack even the bare necessities. The "lambs taken from
the flock, and calves from the stall" upon which they feast are supposed
to be set aside for sacrifice to the Lord; thus, they add sacrilege to their
sins of gluttony. They do not lament the imminent moral collapse of Joseph
(meaning the whole people); indeed, they contribute to it.
The
entire scene from today’s first reading capitalizes on the stereotypes we
recognize even in our own day. But there is nothing exaggerated about the
promise of divine retribution -- not for mere excess and self-indulgence but
for the neglect of the hungry and the poor. While the social revolution
inherent in Christianity is scheduled for the next world, it begins here:
"God puts down the mighty and exalts the humble." This reversal is
brought about by God: the lowly will be exalted; the exalted will be brought
down low.
A study in contrasts
In
Sunday’s Gospel (Luke 16:19-31), the provocative parable of the rich man and
Lazarus again illustrates Luke's concern with Jesus' attitude toward the rich
and the poor. The parable presents a remarkable study in contrasts. The oldest
Greek manuscript of Luke dating from circa 175-225 A.D. records the name of the
rich man as an abbreviated form of "Nineveh
Dives’
life was consumed in self-centered living. He is dressed nicely, eats well, lives
it up every day. He is clearly on the inside. He has everything in this life
that a person could want and yet he had no compassion for the poor or anyone
else but himself. His values were based on gaining worldly possessions and
wealth. The rich man did not have a desire to serve God nor did he feel a need
for God's guidance. He only felt a need to satisfy his own worldly desires and
wants. The rich man knew Lazarus in real life (we know that because he knew his
name in heaven), but he ignored him. Treatment of Lazarus on earth revealed the
rich man’s true relationship to God. Since the rich man only cared about
himself and was not right with God, after he died, he woke up in hell,
tormented and frustrated. The rich man was not with Father Abraham in paradise
like he expected to be.
Lazarus,
on the other hand, lived all his life in poverty, yet his heart was right with
God because he never gave up his faith in God. He is dressed in rags, hungry,
struggling to survive, filled with open sores -- therefore unclean, too weak to
fight off the dogs. He is clearly on the outside. At his death, the angels took
Lazarus immediately to Paradise to be with
Abraham and God. Now in Abraham’s bosom -- in heaven -- Lazarus is very happy
as he reclines at the great heavenly banquet with Abraham. He is on the inside!
When
they were in this life, there was no chasm between Lazarus and Dives. In fact
Lazarus was begging just outside Dives’ gate. The rich man could have gone out
and helped Lazarus any time he felt like it. But in eternal life there is a
great chasm separating heaven and hell. Jesus uses space to emphasize that this
gap is uncrossable and permanent. “Send Lazarus to help me,” Dives pleads! This
rich man still believes that he can command and control the situation! Some
chasms cannot be crossed. There is a point of no return.
The
rich man did not listen to the law and the prophets, which taught about how to
love one’s neighbour (Micah 6:8). He did not love his neighbour. The prophets
also predicted that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem
A parable of personal relationships
Luke
16 is not just about money or wealth. When we really understand the chapter,
the key element in both the parables is personal relationships. Almsgiving is
good but involvement is better. Ministering to the financially poor and the
spiritually bankrupt develops our potential to enrich others as we are enriched
in the process. Our focus must be on the well being of the poor and
downtrodden. It is in giving that we receive. And God loves cheerful givers!
What are we depending on? Do we think being rich means we are right with God?
Do we worry enough about eternity?
John Paul II and Benedict XVI on
human solidarity
As
I reflect on these readings, the teachings of two Popes come immediately to
mind. During his historic 1984 pastoral visit across Canada ,
Pope John Paul II delivered a stirring homily in Edmonton , Alberta
“The human person lives in a
community, in society. And with the community he shares hunger and thirst and
sickness and malnutrition and misery and all the deficiencies that result there
from. In his or her own person the human being is meant to experience the needs
of others. So it is that Christ the Judge speaks of 'one of the least of the
brethren,' and at the same time he is speaking of each and of all.
"Yes. He is speaking of the
whole universal dimension of injustice and evil. He is speaking of what today
we are accustomed to call the North-South contrast. Hence not only East-West,
but also North-South: the increasingly wealthier North, and the increasingly
poorer South.
"Yes, the South -- becoming
always poorer; and the North -- becoming always richer. Richer too in the
resources of weapons with which the superpowers and blocs can mutually threaten
each other. And they threaten each other -- such an argument also exists -- in
order not to destroy each other.
"This is a separate dimension
-- and according to the opinion of many it is the dimension in the forefront -- of the deadly threat,
which hangs over the modern world, which deserves separate attention.
"Nevertheless, in the light of
Christ’s words, this poor South will judge the rich North. And the poor people
and poor nations -- poor in different ways, not only lacking food, but also
deprived of freedom and other human rights -- will judge those people who take
these goods away from them, amassing to themselves the imperialistic monopoly
of economic and political supremacy at the expense of others.”
Twenty-six
years after Pope John Paul II spoke those powerful words in Edmonton
in Canada , Pope Benedict XVI
addressed these words to the British Government assembled in historic
Westminster Hall in London
“The inadequacy of pragmatic,
short-term solutions to complex social and ethical problems has been
illustrated all too clearly by the recent global financial crisis. There is
widespread agreement that the lack of a solid ethical foundation for economic
activity has contributed to the grave difficulties now being experienced by millions
of people throughout the world. Just as 'every economic decision has a moral
consequence,' so too in the political field, the ethical dimension of policy
has far-reaching consequences that no government can afford to ignore. [...]
"In recent years it has been
encouraging to witness the positive signs of a worldwide growth in solidarity
towards the poor. But to turn this solidarity into effective action calls for
fresh thinking that will improve life conditions in many important areas, such
as food production, clean water, job creation, education, support to families,
especially migrants, and basic healthcare. Where human lives are concerned,
time is always short, yet the world has witnessed the vast resources that
governments can draw upon to rescue financial institutions deemed 'too big to
fail.' Surely the integral human development of the world's peoples is no less
important: here is an enterprise, worthy of the world's attention, that is
truly 'too big to fail.'"
Humble openness to God is difficult
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 implies being arrogant, proud, godless. As human beings, we are
radically weak and constantly try to cover up our weakness by finding security
in power, wealth and status. This deception will ultimately be unmasked by
God's act of judgment. The only way to salvation is to recognize one's weakness
before God and to find one's security in God alone. To humble oneself does not
only mean lowliness and misery, but also a willing acceptance of this misery as
an act of service.
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