First
Sunday of Lent
The
failure of man – Sin!
~
L-Ewwel Ħadd
tar-Randan
Il-Falliment
tal-Bniedem - id-Dnub
Messalin A pp 131
The
LORD God formed man out of the clay of the ground and blew into his nostrils
the breath of life, and so man became a
living being. Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden
L-Ewwel Lezzjoni
Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Ġenesi 2, 7-9a;
3, 1-7
Il-Mulej
Alla sawwar il-bniedem mit-trab ta' l-art u nefaħlu fi mnifsejh nifs il-ħajja,
u l-bniedem sar ħlejqa
ħajja. U l-Mulej Alla ħawwel ġnien fl-Għeden, in-naħa tal-Lvant, u qiegħed hemm il-bniedem li kien
sawwar. U l-Mulej Alla nibbet mill-art is-siġar
kollha li jpaxxu l-għajn u bnina għall-ikel;
u s-siġra
tal-ħajja
f'nofs il-ġnien u s-siġra ta' tagħrif it-tajjeb u l-ħażin
Is-serp kien l-aktar wieħed li jilħaqlu fost l-annimali selvaġġi
kollha, li kien għamel
il-Mulej Alla. U qal lil-mara: "Tassew li Alla qalilkom: "La tiklux mis-siġra kollha tal-ġnien?" U l-mara wieġbet lis-serp: "Mill-frott
tas-siġar fil-ġnien nistgħu nieklu. Imma mill-frott li hemm f'nofs il-ġnien,
Alla qalilna:
"La tiklux minnu, u lanqas
ma għandkom tmissuħ, inkella tmutu." U s-serp qal lill-mara: "Le żgur ma tmutux. Imma Alla jaf li dak in-nhar li tieklu minnu
jinfetħu għajnejkom u ssiru bħal
allat, li jafu t-tajjeb u l-ħażin." U l-mara rat li
s-siġra kienet tajba għall-ikel u tiġbdek fl-għajn, u s-siġra tħajrek biex tikseb id-dehen; u ħadetmill-frott
u kielet. Imbagħad
tat ukoll lil żewġha,
li kien magħha,
u kiel
Responsorial Psalm
Have
mercy on me, O God, in your goodness;
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R, Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
in the greatness of your compassion wipe out my offense.
Thoroughly wash me from my guilt
and of my sin cleanse me.
R, Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
For I acknowledge my offense,
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R, Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
and my sin is before me always:
“Against you only have I sinned,
and done what is evil in your sight.”
R, Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
A clean heart create for me, O God,
and a steadfast spirit renew within me.
Cast me not out from your presence,
and your Holy Spirit take not from me.
R, Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Give me back the joy of your salvation,
and a willing spirit sustain in me.
O Lord, open my lips,
and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.
R, Be merciful, O Lord, for we have sinned.
Salm
Responsorjali
Salm
50(51)
Ikollok ħniena minni, O Alla, fi
tjubitek;
fil-kobor tal-ħniena
tiegħek ħassar ħtijieti.
Aħsilni kollni mill-ħtija tiegħi,
naddafni, mid-dnub tiegħi.
R/ Ħenn għalina Mulej, għaliex dnibna.
Għax jien nagħrafhom ħtijieti;
id-dnub tiegħi dejjem quddiemi.
Kontrik biss jiena dnibt,
u dak li hu ħażin f'għajnejk għamilt.
R/ Ħenn għalina Mulej, għaliex dnibna.
Oħloq fija qalb safja, O
Alla,
u spirtu qawwi ġedded
fija.
La tw3arrabnix minn quddiemek;
tneħħix minni l-ispirtu qaddis
tiegħek.
R/ Ħenn għalina Mulej, għaliex dnibna.
Roddli l-hena tas-salvazzjoni tiegħek,
u bi spirtu qalbieni wettaqni.
Iftaħli xufftejja, Sidi ,
u fommi jxandar it-tifħir tiegħek.
R/ Ħenn għalina Mulej, għaliex dnibna.
Brothers
and sisters: Through one man sin entered the world, and through sin, death, and thus death came to all men, inasmuch as all sinned— for up to the time of the law, sin was in the
world, though sin is not accounted when
there is no law. But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam, who
is the type of the one who was to come. But the gift is not like the
transgression. For if by the transgression of the one, the many died, how much more did the grace of God and the gracious gift of the one man Jesus
Christ overflow for the many. And the gift is not like the result of the one
who sinned. For after one sin there was the judgment that brought condemnation;
but the gift, after many transgressions,
brought acquittal. For if, by the transgression of the one, death came to reign
through that one, how much more will
those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of justification come to reign in life through the one Jesus
Christ. In conclusion, just as through one transgression condemnation came upon all, so, through one righteous act, acquittal and
life came to all. For just as through
the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so, through the obedience of the one, the many will be made righteous. This is the Word of The Lord.
It-Tieni Lezzjoni
Qari mill-Ittra ta'
San Pawl Appostlu lir-Rumani 5, 12-19
Ħuti, kien permezz ta' bniedem wieħed
li fid-dinja daħal id-dnub, u permezz
tad-dnub il-mewt, u hekk il-mewt laħqet il-bnedmin kllha, għax kollha dinbu. Kienet għada ma waslitx il-Liġi, id-dnub kien ġa fid-dinja; imma d-dnub ma
kienx magħdud, ladarba Liġi ma kienx hemm. Madankollu l-mewt saltnet ukoll minn Adam sa Mose',
imqar fuq dawk lima waqgħux fid-dnub li fih kien
waqa' Adam, li kien xbieha ta'dak li
kellu jiġi. Imma d-don m'huwiex bħall-ħtija. Għax
jekk permezz ta' ħtija waħda mietet il-kotra, aktar u
aktar issa l-grazzja ta' Alla u d-don
mogħti bil-grazzja ta' bniedem wieħed li hu Ġesu' Kristu, xterdu bil-bosta fuq il-kotra. U
d-don anqas ma hu bħall-frott
ta' dak il-wieħed
li dineb; għax
tassew, il-ġudizzju
mogħtri
fuq dnub wieħed, wassal sal kundanna, iżda d-don mogħti
wara ħafna
dnubiet iwassal għall-ġustifikazzjni.
Għax
jekk minħabba
fil-ħtija
ta' wieħed
waħda
saltnet il-mewt permzz ta' dak il-wieħed, aktar u aktar dawk li jirċievu
l-kotra tal-grazzja u d-don tal-ġustizzja
għad isaltnu fil-ħajja permezz ta' wieħed li hu Ġesu' Kristu. Mela kif bil-ħtija
ta' wieħed waħdu waslet
il-kundanna fuq il-bnedmin kollha, hekk ukoll bl-opra tal-ġustizzja ta' wieħed waslet lill-bnedmin
kollha l-ġustifikazzjoni tal-ħajja.
Għax kif bid-diżubbidjenza ta' bnniedem wieħed il-ħafna saru midinbin, hekk
ukoll bl-ubbidjenza ta' wieħed il-ħafna jsiru ġusti. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
At
that time Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the
devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry.
The tempter approached and said to him, “If
you are the Son of God, command that
these stones become loaves of bread.” He said in reply, “It is written: One does not live on bread
alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Then
the devil took him to the holy city, and
made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will command his angels
concerning you and with their hands they will support you, lest you dash your
foot against a stone.” Jesus answered him, “Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.”Then the
devil took him up to a very high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of
the world in their magnificence, and he
said to him, "All these I shall give to you, if you will prostrate
yourself and worship me.” At this, Jesus said to him, “Get away, Satan! It is
written: The Lord,
your God, shall you worship and him alone shall you serve.” Then
the devil left him and, behold, angels came and ministered to him. This is the Word of The Lord.
L-Evanġelju
Qari mill-Evanġelju skond San Mattew 4, 1-11
F'dak iż-żmien, l-Ispirtu ħa
lil Ġesu'
fid-deżert biex ix-xitan
iġarrbu. U Ġesu' baqa' sajjem għal erbgħin jum u erbgħin lejl, u fl-aħħar ħdu l-ġuħ. U resaq it-tentatur u
qallu: "Jekk inti Bin Alla ordna li
dan il-ġebel isir ħobż."
Iżda Ġesu' wiegbu: "Hemm miktub: 'Il-bniedem mhux bil-ħobż
biss jgħix, iżda b'kull kelma li toħroġ
minn fomm Alla." Imbagħad ix-Xitan ħadu miegħu fil-Belt imqaddsa, qiegħdu
fuq il-quċċata tat-tempju, u qallu: "Jekk inti Bin Alla,
inxteħet għal isfel; għax hemm miktub li "Lill-anġli
tiegħu jordnalhom jieħdu ħsiebek, u li fuq idejhom jerfgħuk, ħalli ma taħbatx riġlek, ma' xi ġebla." Qallu Ġesu': "Hemm miktub ukoll: "Iġġarrbx
lill-Mulej Alla tiegħek." Għal darb'oħra x-xitan ħadu miegħu fuq muntanja għolja ħafna, urieħ is-saltniet kollha
tad-dinja u l-glorja tagħhom, u qallu: "Dawn
kollha nagħtihom lilek jekk tinxteħet
tadurani." Imbagħad qallu Ġesu': "Itlaq, Xitan! Għax hemm miktub:
"Lill-Mulej, Alla tiegħek, għandek tadura u lilu biss taqdi."
Imbagħad ix-xitan ħallieħ. U minnufih ġew xi anġli u kienu jaqduh. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej
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COMMENTARY
by Julian
Paparella
How do you solve a problem like
temptation?
It seems almost scandalous to
think that Jesus experienced temptation. We think of temptation as something shameful,
something that only happens to us and not to others, something that distances
us from God.
But in the Gospel for the First Sunday
of Lent we see Jesus tempted in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11). Jesus is led into
the desert and there He is subjected to the confusing and manipulative tactics
of the Enemy.
Jesus was like us in every way
except sin. But sin and temptation are not the same thing. Jesus was tempted,
He did not sin. What can we take from this for our own fight against
temptation? How do we avoid sin even when we experience temptation?
Living with God is not a cakewalk.
Sometimes we can have an image of the Church as a place of sweet-sounding hymns
and sweet-smelling flowers, where the holy and the pious congregate to polish
their perfection and venerate great saints whose lives seem impossibly heroic.
But this is not the spiritual life.
The spiritual life is a combat. It
is tough. It is hard work. We are not God, but God wants to make us more and
more like Himself. This brings tremendous joy, but also growing pains. It
requires effort on our part, but most importantly it requires grace.
We will be tempted, but this does not scandalize God. God wants to help us
overcome our temptations to make us better. God does not tempt us; God brings
us through temptation. We cannot do it alone; we need God.
After Jesus rejects the devil’s
seductive advances the third time, we read: “Then the devil left him, and
suddenly angels came and waited on him” (Matthew 4:11). The punchline of this
Gospel is that temptation is not endless. God has the last word. His grace will
always prevail. The devil will not win in the end: the angels are on their way.
Encouraged by this Gospel reading,
there are three practical ways that can help us avoid and overcome temptation
throughout this Lenten season.
First, pray to God. Pray for His
grace to help through whatever is tempting. Ask for His mercy. God is with you
and He loves you. He is not scandalized or discouraged by imperfection. Praying
not only opens us to receiving God’s help, it will also bring us closer to God.
Second, take practical steps. For
temptations that recur time and time again, finding concrete ways to overcome
and avoid can be a huge help. Eating a banana split is no longer tempting when
we’re no longer staring it right in the face. Take the banana split away. Walk
away from the banana split. Find ways of avoiding the banana split. See it for
what it really is: some semi-solidified cold milk with a random fruit and some
gooey liquid that increases your chances for diabetes. This may seem extreme
when speaking of dairy desserts, but it can come in handy.
Third, see with God’s perspective.
See that you are a child of God. See that God wants you to be holy. “His
patience is in the direction of our salvation” (2 Peter 3:9). See that your
holiness is far more valuable than whatever appears attractive in your
temptation. The value of gold increases when it is tested by fire, it does not
diminish. Overcoming temptation makes us stronger not weaker. Temptation
becomes a sin when use our will and say “yes.” Otherwise, we should simply do
as Taylor Swift does and “Shake it off.” The fact that a thought enters our
mind is not sin. Being attracted to something evil is not sin. Saying yes to
this evil attraction is sin.
And even when we do sin, we are
not without hope. We have a Saviour who has been tempted Himself. “For we do
not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we
have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let
us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive
mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16). May Jesus
strengthen our resolve to be holy and bring us His mercy throughout this season
of Lent. Especially when we are most in need, let us approach His throne of
grace with boldness. The Lord is there to help us in the battle. He has already
won the war.
(This teaching was submitted by Julian Paparella,
a member of the editorial team of Fr Thomas Rosica’s Salt & Light media)
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