Through the desert - to holiness

Third Sunday of Advent

It-Tielet  Ħadd ta' l-Avvent

Messalin A pp 74 

Reading 1                  

ISaiah 35:1-6A, 10

The desert and the parched land will exult; the steppe will rejoice and bloom. They will bloom with abundant flowers, and rejoice with joyful song. The glory of Lebanon will be given to them, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the hands that are feeble, make firm the knees that are weak, say to those whose hearts are frightened: Be strong, fear not! Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine recompense he comes to save you. Then will the eyes of the blind be opened, the ears of the deaf be cleared; then will the lame leap like a stag, then the tongue of the mute will sing. Those whom the LORD has ransomed will return and enter Zion singing, crowned with everlasting joy; they will meet with joy and gladness, sorrow and mourning will flee. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel  Lezzjoni

Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Isaija 35, 1-6a,10

Ħa jifirħu d-deżert u l-art maħruqa; ħa jifraħ ix-xagħri u jwarrad, ħa jwarrad bħar-ranġis. Ħa tifraħ fuq li tifraħ, taqbeż u tgħanni. Sebħ il-Libanu jingħata lilha, il-ġmiel tal-Karmel u ta' Saron. Għad jaraw is-sebħ tal-Mulej, il-ġmiel ta' Alla tagħna. Qawwu l-idejn mitruħa; saħħu l-irkubbtejn imriegħda. Għidu lil dawk b'qalbhom imbeżżgħa: "Agħmlu l-ħila, la tibżgħux! Araw, Alla tagħkom ġej jitħallas; il-ħlas ta' Alla wasal; Hu stess ġej biex isalvakom." Imbagħad jinfetħu għajnejn l-għomja, jinfetħu widnejn it-torox. Imbagħad iz-zopp jaqbeż bħal għażżiela u lsien imbikkem jinħall bil-ferħ. Jerġgħu lura l-mifdijin tal-Mulej, u jidħlu f'Sijon jgħajtu bil-ferħ, b'ferħ ta' dejjem fuq rashom. Il-ferħ u l-hena jiksbu, u jgħibu swied il-qalb u l-krib. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm    

PSalm 146:6-7, 8-9, 9-10

The LORD God keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.              

R.  Lord, come and save us.  

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.  Lord, come and save us.  

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. 

Lord, come and save us.  

Salm Responsorjali  

Salm 146(147)

Il-Mulej iżomm kelmtu għal dejjem,

jagħmel ħaqq mill-maħquin,

u jagħti l-ħobż lill-imġewħin.

Il-Mulej jeħles lill-imjassrin.                                

R/   Ejja Mulej, ħa ssalvana.

Il-Mulej jiftaħ għajnejn l-għomja;

il-Mulej jerfa' lill-milwijin;

il-Mulej iħobb lill-ġusti;

il-Mulej iħares lill-barranin.                                

R/   Ejja Mulej, ħa ssalvana.

Hu jżomm lill-iltim u lill-armla,

imma lill-ħżiena jħabtilhom triqathom.

Il-Mulej isaltan għal dejjem;

Alla tiegħek, Sijon, minn nisel għal nisel. 

R/   Ejja Mulej, ħa ssalvana.          

Reading 2                  

JAmeS 5:7-10

Be patient, brothers and sisters, until the coming of the Lord. See how the farmer waits for the precious fruit of the earth,  being patient with it until it receives the early and the late rains. You too must be patient. Make your hearts firm, because the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not complain, brothers and sisters, about one another, that you may not be judged. Behold, the Judge is standing before the gates. Take as an example of hardship and patience, brothers and sisters, the prophets who spoke in the name of the Lord. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni

Qari mill-Ittra ta' San Ġakbu Appostlu  5, 7-10

Ħuti, stabru, sa ma jasal il-Mulej. ara, il-bidwi joqgħod b'sabar kbir jistenna l-frott għażiż ta' l-art sa  ma jieħu x-xita bikrija u mwaħħra. Stabru intom ukoll;  qawwu qalbkom, għax il-miġja tal-Mulej hi fil-qrib. Tgergrux kontra xulxin, ħuti, biex ma tkunux iġġudikati;  araw' l-Imħallef  qiegħed   hawn, quddiem il-bieb! Bħala eżempju tat-tbatija u s-sabar, ħuti, ħudu l-profeti li tkellmu f'isem il-Mulej. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

 

Gospel                                   

MatThew 11:2-11

When John the Baptist heard in prison of the works of the Christ, he sent his disciples to Jesus with this question,  “Are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another?”Jesus said to them in reply,  “Go and tell John what you hear and see:  the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed,  the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me.” As they were going off, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John, “What did you go out to the desert to see? A reed swayed by the wind? Then what did you go out to see? Someone dressed in fine clothing? Those who wear fine clothing are in royal palaces. Then why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet. This is the one about whom it is written: Behold, I am sending my messenger ahead of you; he will prepare your way before you. Amen, I say to you, among those born of women  there has been none greater than John the Baptist;  yet the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.” This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Evanġelju   

Qari skond San Mattew 11, 2-11

F'dak iż-żmien , Ġwanni, li kien fil-ħabs, sama' bl-għemejjel tal-Messija, u bagħat għandu tnejn  mid-dixxipli tiegħu u qallu:"int huwa dak li għandu jiġi, jew nistennew lilv ħaddieħor?"Ġesu' wieġeb u qalilhom:  "Morru agħtu lil Ġwanni l-aħbar ta' dak li qegħdin tisimgħu u taraw:  l-għomja jaraw; iz-zoppom jimxu, il-lebbrużi jfiqu, it-torox jisimgħu, il-mejtin iqumu, l-Evanġelju jixxandar lill-foqra.  Ħieni hu min ma jitfixkilx minħabba fija." Meta dawk telqu, Ġesu' qabad  ikellem  lin-nies fuq Ġwanni:  "Xi ħriġtu taraw fid-deżert?  Qasba tixxejjer mar-riħ? Xi ħriġtu taraw?  Raġel liebes fin?  Dawk li jilbsu fin fil-palazzi  tas-slaten issibuhom.  Mela xi ħriġtu taraw?  Profeta?   Iva, ngħidilkom, anzi xi ħaġa iżjed minn Profeta.  Dan hu li fuqu hemm miktub:  "Ara, jiena nibgħat qablek il-ħabbar tiegħi biex iħejji triqtek quddiemek." Tassew, ngħidilkom,  li fost ulied in-nisa ħadd ma qam akbar minn Ġwanni l-Battista.  U b'dinakollu l-iżgħar wieħed fis-Saltna tas-Smewwiet hu akbar minnu." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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 Commentary by Fr Thomas Rosica CSB

The Highway of Holiness Passes through the Desert

In his moving homily for the Inauguration of his Petrine Ministry as Bishop of Rome on April 24, 2005, Pope Benedict XVI spoke these words:

The pastor must be inspired by Christ’s holy zeal: for him it is not a matter of indifference that so many people are living in the desert.  And there are so many kinds of desert.  There is the desert of poverty, the desert of hunger and thirst, the desert of abandonment, of loneliness, of destroyed love.  There is the desert of God’s darkness, the emptiness of souls no longer aware of their dignity or the goal of human life. The external deserts in the world are growing, because the internal deserts have become so vast. Therefore the earth’s treasures no longer serve to build God’s garden for all to live in, but they have been made to serve the powers of exploitation and destruction.  …The Church as a whole and all her Pastors, like Christ, must set out to lead people out of the desert, towards the place of life, towards friendship with the Son of God, towards the One who gives us life, and life in abundance.

The deserts of our lives

There is no better starting point to understand the Scripture readings for the third Sunday of Advent, especially Sunday’s first reading from the prophet Isaiah [35:1-10], than by reflecting on Pope Benedict’s words.  The themes of geography and desert in both the Pope’s inaugural homily and Isaiah’s stirring reading invite us to reflect on the deserts of our own lives. How do we live in the midst of our own deserts?  How often have we become deserts of loneliness, desolation and emptiness, rather than flourishing gardens of community, joy and light for others?  How have we resisted transforming our own deserts into places of abundant life?  We may have to go into that wilderness where we realize we are lost, and alone, unfruitful and without resources – and only when we reach that point are we ready to meet God. 

The desert has become a metaphor to describe the sense of alienation and despair that are the effects of human sinfulness. How many times have we used the expression: “I’m living through a real desert experience” or “I feel so alienated from God and from other people” to describe what we are feeling because of our sinfulness.  If we are complacent and self-satisfied, we’ll never begin to long for the coming of the Lord, or make ready to meet him.  The ways of the desert were deep within the heart of Jesus, and it must be the same for all who would follow him.  In the midst of the desert we hear what God will do if we open our hearts to him and allow God to make our own deserts bloom.

The geography of salvation… today

God has revealed himself to us not only in specific periods of time, but also in very particular places in creation.  For many Christians, these very places conjure up images of shepherds and olive trees, high walls and enclosed, ancient cities and towns as they existed in the age of King David or Bethlehem at the time of Jesus.  The Holy Land is a land without history, its people and places frozen in a biblical time frame, or locked in an unending political battle.  As Catholics, we have a double obligation to thaw out the frozen biblical time frame and make it accessible and inviting for Christians.

A visit to the Holy Land reminds us that we are caught up not only in the History of Salvation but also in the Geography of Salvation.  Both the story of our own lives, coupled with the biblical stories, show us how God can write straight with our crooked lines.  The best-selling Holy Land Guides do not bear witness.  They merely indicate.  Only people, not stones and marbles can bear the most authentic and eloquent witness that at one shining moment in history, the Word became flesh and pitched his tent among us.  And we continue in our day to behold his glory.

The word of God and the Holy Land

As we journey through this season of Advent, I encourage you to read Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Exhortation “Verbum Domini,” and especially the following section that speaks eloquently about the word of God and the Holy Land:

89.  As we call to mind the Word of God who became flesh in the womb of Mary of Nazareth, our heart now turns to the land where the mystery of our salvation was accomplished, and from which the word of God spread to the ends of the earth. By the power of the Holy Spirit, the Word became flesh in a specific time and place, in a strip of land on the edges of the Roman Empire. The more we appreciate the universality and the uniqueness of Christ’s person, the more we look with gratitude to that land where Jesus was born, where he lived and where he gave his life for us.

The stones on which our Redeemer walked are still charged with his memory and continue to “cry out” the Good News. For this reason, the Synod Fathers recalled the felicitous phrase that speaks of the Holy Land as “the Fifth Gospel”.  How important it is that in those places there be Christian communities, notwithstanding any number of hardships! The Synod of Bishops expressed profound closeness to all those Christians who dwell in the land of Jesus and bear witness to their faith in the Risen One. Christians there are called to serve not only as “a beacon of faith for the universal Church, but also as a leaven of harmony, wisdom, and equilibrium in the life of a society which traditionally has been, and continues to be, pluralistic, multi-ethnic and multi-religious”.

The Holy Land today remains a goal of pilgrimage for the Christian people, a place of prayer and penance, as was testified to in antiquity by authors like Saint Jerome.  The more we turn our eyes and our hearts to the earthly Jerusalem, the more will our yearning be kindled for the heavenly Jerusalem, the true goal of every pilgrimage, along with our eager desire that the name of Jesus, the one name which brings salvation, may be acknowledged by all (cf. Acts 4:12). 

The Sunday of rejoicing

The way of Israel in the desert is the way for all of us.  As we celebrate the third Sunday of Advent, Gaudete Sunday or the day of rejoicing, we join with the exiles of Israel and the disciples of John the Baptist as we yearn for salvation, and long for new life to blossom. This week let us carve out some spiritual space in our lives where we can strip away the false things that cling to us and breathe new life into our dreams and begin again. In the midst of the desert we hear what God will do if we open our hearts to him and allow him to make our own deserts bloom.  What God does to the southern desert of Israel, God will do for us: transform our barrenness into life, and trace a highway and a holy way in places we believed to be lifeless and hopeless.  Are we on the Highway of Holiness?  Are we making progress on it?  Are we enjoying the travel?  Are we inviting others to join us on the way?

Come, Lord Jesus!

We need you now more than ever.

Make our deserts bloom.

Quench our thirst with your living water.

Give us strength to follow you on the Highway of Holiness.

Fill our hearts and minds with rejoicing!

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