It-2 Ħadd tar-Randan Sena A
Messalin A pp 138
The
LORD said to Abram: “Go forth from the land of your kinsfolk and from your
father’s house to a land that I will show you. I will make of you a great
nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be
a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you. All
the communities of the earth shall find blessing in you.” Abram went as the
LORD directed him. This is the Word of
the Lord.
Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Ġenesi 12, 1-4a)
F'dak iż-żmien, il-Mulej qal lil Abram: "Qum
u itlaq minn artek, minn art twelidek, u
minn dar misierek, lejn l-art li jien nurik. U jien nagħmlek
ġens kbir, inbierkek u nkabbarlek ismek, u int tkun barks. Jien inbierek
lil minibierkek, u nisħet lil min jisħtek. U jitbierku bik it-tribujiet kollha ta' l-art." U telaq Abram
kif kien qallu l-Mulej. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej
Psalm 33:4-5, 18-19, 20, 22
Upright
is the word of the LORD,
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
and all his works are trustworthy.
He loves justice and right;
of the kindness of the LORD the earth is full.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
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. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
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. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
who have put our hope in you.
R. Lord, let your mercy be on us, as we place our trust in you.
Salm
Responsorjali
Salm
32 (33)
Sewwa hi l-kelma tal-Mulej,
kollox bil-fedelta' huwa għamel.
Hu jħobb id-dritt u s-sewwa;
bit-tjieba tal-Mulej mimlija l-art.
R/ Ħa tkun, Mulej, it-tjieba tiegħek fuqna.
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/ Ħa tkun, Mulej, it-tjieba tiegħek fuqna.
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/ Ħa tkun, Mulej, it-tjieba tiegħek fuqna.
Beloved:
Bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from
God. He saved us and called us to a holy life, not according to our works but
according to his own design and the grace bestowed on us in Christ Jesus before
time began, but now made manifest through
the appearance of our saviour Christ Jesus, who destroyed death and brought
life and immortality to light through the gospel. This is
the Word of the Lord.
It-Tieni Lezzjoni
Qari mit-Tieni Ittra
ta' San Pawl lil Timotju 1, 8b-10
Għażiż, aqsam miegħi t-tbatija għall-Evanġelju, u afda fil-qawwa ta'
Alla, li salvana u sejħilna b'sejħa qaddisa, mhux
għax qies l-għemejjel tagħna, imma skond il-pjan tiegħu stess u skond il-grazzja tiegħu. Din il-grazzja tahielna qabel iż-żmien ta' l-eternita fi Kristu Ġesu', imma dehret issa permezz tad-dehra tas-Salvatur tagħna Kristu Ġesu' li qered il-mewt,
u dawwal il-ħajja bla tmiem
permezz ta' l-Evanġelju. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Jesus
took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them; his
face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. And behold,
Moses and Elijah appeared to them, conversing with him. Then Peter said to
Jesus in reply, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make
three tents here, one for you, one for
Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, behold, a bright cloud
cast a shadow over them, then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well
pleased; listen to him.” When the disciples heard this, they fell prostrate and
were very much afraid. But Jesus came and touched them, saying, “Rise, and do
not be afraid.” And when the disciples raised their eyes, they saw no one else but Jesus alone. As they
were coming down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, “Do not tell the vision
to anyone until the Son of Man has been
raised from the dead.” This is the Word
of the Lord.
L-Evanġelju
Qari mill-Evanġelju skond San Mattew 17, 1-9
F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' ħa miegħu
lil Pietru u lil Ġakbu
u lil ħuħ Ġwanni,
tellagħhom
fuq munanja għolja
weħidhom, u tbiddel quddiemhom. Wiċċu sar jiddi bħax-xemx, u lbiesu sar abjad bħad-dawl.U dehrulhom Mose' u
Elija jitħaddtu miegħu. Qaqbeż Pietru u qal lil Ġesu': "Mulej, kemm hu sew li aħna
hawn! Jekk trid intella' hawn tliet
tined, waħda
għalik,
waħda
għal
Mose' u waħda
għal
Elija." Kif kien għadujitkellem, sħaba kollha
dawl ħattiethom,u minn
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A reflection by
Julian Paparella :
The Destination
illumines the Journey
What
keeps us going through difficult times?
What inspires our hope when the
situation is bleak?
What makes us persevere when it would be easier to give up?
In the Gospel reading for the
Second Sunday of Lent, we see Jesus ascend Mount Tabor
What is the significance of such
an event for us during this Lenten season? What is the significance of seeing
the glory of Jesus before witnessing His agony in just a few weeks’ time? The
transfiguration is a foretaste of the glory of God. It gives us a snapshot of
the resurrection of Jesus that we prepare to celebrate. It shows us that Jesus
is God. It reminds us that as we follow Jesus, we are not just following a man
like any other, nor a wise teacher, nor even a great philosopher. Following
Jesus we are truly following God.
The journey of following God is
not always glorious. Peter, James, and John discover this as they experience
this personally at the crucifixion of Jesus on
The transfiguration of Jesus shows
us that there is something beyond the Cross. The glory that shone on Tabor
calls us through the darkest moments to the destiny that lies beyond. The
destination illumines the journey. We do not feel the same on our way to a
funeral as we do on our way to redeem the winning lottery ticket. What we are
heading towards changes our attitude, our outlook, our actions. What if our
destination is heaven? What does it change in us if our destination is the
glory of God that Peter, James, and John experienced on Mount Tabor
So often we may take this as
wishful thinking, or something taught in Sunday school for little children. But
what if this is really where we’re going? What if this is not just an “opiate
for the masses” or a happy thought but the true fulfillment of all our deepest
hopes and longings? What if this is not just a fantasy we’ve made to make
ourselves feel good, but the reason why we are here and what we were made for?
Like the soldier inspired by the
hope of victory. Like the mother who labours through childbirth to receive the
joy of her baby boy or girl. Like the Olympic medal spurs the athlete on to
keep training, enduring, and keeping at it day in and day out. The victory of
life is heaven. The labour of life is eternal joy. The medal is sharing in the
glory of God. How would our lives changed we let this destination illumine our
journey? How would Golgotha look differently
if we remembered Tabor? Do we endure our own sufferings differently knowing
that there is truly light at the end of the tunnel and if this light shines
already here and now? Even on the rainiest day, the Sun still shines brightly
above. Even in the darkest moment on earth, the glory of heaven shines brightly
as ever.
If we are heading towards heaven,
heaven will also break through into what we live here and now. The Kingdom of God
The transfiguration of Jesus is
the glory of God touching the lives of Peter, James, and John. It is a moment
that reveals hope that endures even the darkness of the Cross. May we let this
glory tough our lives. May our struggles be illumined by the hope that lies
before us. How awesome it is to know, even in the midst of our own Golgothas,
that the destination of our journey is the glory of God.
(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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