Palm
Sunday of the Lord's Passion
Ħadd il-Palm u l-Passjoni tal-Mulej
Missalin A pp369
When Jesus
and the disciples drew near Jerusalem and came to
Bethphage on the Mount of Olives , Jesus sent two
disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately
you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them
here to me. And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, ‘The master has need of them.’ Then he will
send them at once.” This happened so that what had been spoken through the
prophet might be fulfilled: Say to daughter Zion Jerusalem Nazareth in Galilee .”
Purcissjoni bil-palmi - It-Tifkira tad-Daħla tal-Mulej f’Ġerusalemm
Evanġelju -Qari skond San Mattew 21, 1-11
Xħin waslu qrib Ġerusalemm u ġew quddiem Betfaġe lejn l-Għolja taż-Żebbuġ, Ġesù bagħat żewġ dixxipli u
qalilhom: “Aslu sar-raħal biswitkom; u minnufih issibu ħmara marbuta u felu ħdejha; ħolluhom u ġibuhomli. Jekk xi ħadd jgħidilkom xi ħaġa, weġbuh: “Il-Mulej jeħtieġhom, u malajr jerġa’ jibgħathom lura””.
Dan ġara biex iseħħ dak li kien ingħad permezz
tal-profeta, meta qal: “Għidu lil bint Sijon:
“Ara, is-Sultan tiegħek ġej għandek, ġwejjed, riekeb fuq ħmara u fuq felu, ferħ ta’ bhima tat-tagħbija””.
Id-dixxipli marru u għamlu kif ordnalhom Ġesù; ġiebu l-ħmara u l-felu, qiegħdu fuqhom l-imnatar
tagħhom, u hu qagħad fuqhom. Għadd kbir ta’ nies
firxu l-imnatar tagħhom fit-triq, waqt li oħrajn qatgħu xi friegħi mis-siġar u ferrxuhom
mat-triq. Il-folol li kienu miexja quddiem u dawk li kienu miexja wara bdew jgħajtu u jgħidu: “Hosanna lil
Bin David! Imbierek min ġej f’isem il-Mulej! Hosanna fl-ogħla tas-smewwiet!”.Meta
mbagħad daħal Ġerusalemm, il-belt
kollha tqanqlet u n-nies bdew jgħidu: “Dan min hu?” U l-folol weġbuhom: “Dan hu l-profeta Ġesù minn
at the mass –
reading 1 - isaiah 50:4-7
The Lord
GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, that
I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them. Morning
after morning he opens my ear that I may hear; and I have not rebelled, have
not turned back. I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who
plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting. The Lord
GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced; I have set my face like flint, knowing
that I shall not be put to shame.
L-Ewwel
Lezzjoni
Qari
mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Isaija 50, 4-7
Sidi l-Mulej tani lsien ta' wieħed
jitgħallem, biex nagħraf ngħin lill-għajjien
b'xi kelma. Ta' kull filgħodu jqajjimli lil widinti, biex nisma'
bħal
wieħed
jitgħallem.
Sidi l-Mulej fetaħli
widinti, u jiena ma webbistx rasi, ma rġajtx lura. Tajt dahri lil dawk li kienu
jsawtuni, ħaddejja
lil dawk li kienu jnittfuli lħiti; ma ħbejtx wiċċi mit-tagħjir
u l-bżieq; jien naf li ma jkollix mniex nistħi. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm
psalm
22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
All who see
me scoff at me;
they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads:
“He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him,
let him rescue him, if he loves him.”
they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads:
“He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him,
let him rescue him, if he loves him.”
R/ My
God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Indeed,
many dogs surround me,
a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;
They have pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.
R/ My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;
They have pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.
R/ My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
They divide
my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.
R/ My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
and for my vesture they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.
R/ My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
I will
proclaim your name to my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:
“You who fear the LORD, praise him;
all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him;
revere him, all you descendants ofIsrael
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:
“You who fear the LORD, praise him;
all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him;
revere him, all you descendants of
R/ My
God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Salm
Responsorjali
Salm21(22)
Dawk kollha li jarawni jidħku
bija,
jgħajbuni, iħarrku rashom u jgħidu:
"F'idejn il-Mulej intelaq; ħa jeħilsu hu!
Ħa jsalvah hu, għax
bih jitgħaxxaq!"
R/ Alla tiegħi, Alla tiegħi, għaliex tlaqtni?
Qabda klieb daru għalija;
ġemgħa nies ħżiena
rasewni.
Taqqbuli idejja u riġlejja;
nista' ngħodd għadmi
kollu.
R/ Alla tiegħi, Alla tiegħi, għaliex tlaqtni?
Ħwejġi qasmu bejniethom,
jaqtgħu x-xorti għal-libsa
tiegħi.
Mulej, la titbegħidx minni;
qawwa tiegħi, fittex għinni!
R/ Alla tiegħi, Alla tiegħi, għaliex tlaqtni?
Inxandar ismek lil ħuti;
infaħħrek f'nofs il-ġemgħa.
Faħħru l-Mulej, intom li tibżgħu minnu;
sebbħuh ilkoll, nisel Ġakobb!
Ibżgħu minnu lkoll, ulied Iżrael!
R/ Alla tiegħi, Alla tiegħi, għaliex tlaqtni?
philippians 2:6-11
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of
God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he
emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human li keness; and
found human in appearance, he humbled
himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because
of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above
every name, that at the name of Jesus every
knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and
every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
It-Tieni Lezzjoni
Qari
mill-Ittra ta' San Pawl lill-Filippin 2, 6-11
Ġesu'
Kristu li għad
li kellu n-natura ta' Alla, ma qagħadx ifittex tiegħu
li hu daqs Alla, iżda xejjen lilu nnifsu billi ħa n-natura ta' lsir, sar jixbah lill-bnedmim, u deher minn
Gospel
matthew
26:14-27:66
One of the
Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand
him over to you?” They paid him thirty
pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand
him over. On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples
approached Jesus and said, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the
Passover?” He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The
teacher says, “My appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate
the Passover with my disciples.”’ The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and
prepared the Passover. When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve.
And while they were eating, he said, “Amen,
I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began
to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?” He said in reply, “He
who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. The
Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom
the Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never
been born.” Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I,
Rabbi?” He answered, “You have said so.” While they were eating, Jesus took
bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take
and eat; this is my body.” Then he took
a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of
you, for this is my blood of the
covenant, which will be shed on behalf
of many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, from now on I shall not drink
this fruit of the vine until the day
when I drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father.” Then, after singing
a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives . Then
Jesus said to them, “This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken,
for it is written: I will strike
the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed; but
after I have been raised up, I shall go before you to Galilee .”
Peter said to him in reply, “Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be.” Jesus said to
him, “Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows, you will deny
me three times.” Peter said to him, “Even
though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you.” And all the
disciples spoke likewise. Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane , and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while
I go over there and pray.” He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to feel sorrow and distress. Then he
said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch
with me.” He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup
pass from me; yet, not as I will, but as you will.” When he returned to his
disciples he found them asleep. He said to Peter, “So you could not keep watch with me for one
hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing,
but the flesh is weak.” Withdrawing a second time, he prayed again, “My Father, if it is not possible that this
cup pass without my drinking it, your
will be done!” Then he returned once more and found them asleep, for they could not keep their eyes open. He
left them and withdrew again and prayed a third time, saying the same thing
again. Then he returned to his disciples and said to them, “Are you still
sleeping and taking your rest? Behold, the hour is at hand when the Son of Man is to be handed over to
sinners. Get up, let us go. Look, my betrayer is at hand.” While he was still
speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a large crowd, with
swords and clubs, who had come from the
chief priests and the elders of the people. His betrayer had arranged a sign
with them, saying, “The man I shall kiss
is the one; arrest him.” Immediately he went over to Jesus and said, “Hail,
Rabbi!” and he kissed him. Jesus answered
him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then stepping forward they laid hands
on Jesus and arrested him. And behold, one of those who accompanied Jesus put his hand to his sword, drew it, and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting
off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its sheath, for
all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot
call upon my Father and he will not
provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels? But
then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled which say that it must come to pass
in this way?” At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as
against a robber, with swords and clubs
to seize me.” Day after day I sat teaching in the temple area, yet you did not arrest me. But all this has
come to pass that the writings of the
prophets may be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled. Those who
had arrested Jesus led him away to
Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. Peter was following him at a distance as far as the high priest’s courtyard, and going inside he sat down with the servants to see the
outcome. The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false
testimony against Jesus in order to put
him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally
two came forward who stated, “This man
said, ‘I can destroy the temple
of God Golgotha
¬—which means Place of the Skull —, they
gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted it, he refused
to drink. After they had crucified him, they divided his garments by casting
lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And they placed over
his head the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Two
revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his
left. Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who
would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, if you
are the Son of God, and come down from
the cross!” Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him
and said, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. So he is the king of Israel Galilee , ministering to him. Among them were Mary
Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons
of Zebedee. When it was evening,vthere came a rich man from Arimathea named
Joseph, who was himself a disciple of Jesus. He went to Pilate and asked for
the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered
it to be handed over. Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen and
laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge
stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed. But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained
sitting there, facing the tomb. The next day, the one following the day of
preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we
remember that this impostor while still
alive said,‘After three days I will be raised up.’ Give orders, then, that the grave be secured until the third day,lest
his disciples come and steal him and say
to the people,‘He has been raised from the dead.’This last imposture would be
worse than the first.”Pilate said to them, “The guard is yours; go, secure it
as best you can.” So they went and secured the tomb by fixing a seal to the
stone and setting the guard.
Evanġleju
Il-Passjoni ta' Sidna Ġesu' Kristu skond San Mattew - 26, 14-27,66
K F'dak
iż-żmien, wieħed mit-Tnax, jismu Ġuda l-Iskarjota, mar għand
il-qassisin il-kbar u qalilhom:
S "Xi tridu tagħtuni u
jina nagħtikom lil Ġesu' f'idejkom?"
K U huma
tawh tletin biċċa tal-fidda bħala ħlas. Minn dak il-ħin beda jfittex okkażjoni tajba
biex jagħtihom lil Ġesu' f'idejhom.
Fl-ewwell jum ta' l-Ażżmi d-dixxipli resqu lejn Ġesu'
u qalulu:
S "Fejn tridna nħejjulek
l-ikla tal-Għid?"
K U hu qalilhom:
+
"Morru l-belt għand it-tali, u għidulu: "Qallek l-Imgħallem:
Is-siegħa tiegħi waslet; jien se nagħmel l-ikla tal-Għid għandek
mad-dixxipli tiegħi."
K Id-dixxipli
għamlu kif ordnalhom Ġesu' u ħejjew l-ikla ta' l-Għid. Għall-ħin ta' filgħaxija
qagħad fuq il-mejda flimkien mat-Tnax, u waqt l-ikel qal:
+ "Tassew
ngħidilkom, li wieħed minnkom se jittradini."
K Huma bdew
isewdu qalbhom ħafna u kull wieħed minnhom beda jsaqsih:
S "Jaqaw
jien, Mulej?"
K U Ġesu' weġibhom:
+ Dak li
jmidd idu u jbill il-ħobż fi platt wieħed miegħi, dak li se jittradini. Bin il-bniedem imur kif hem miktub fuqu imma ħażin għalih dak il-bniedem li permezz tiegħu Bin il-bniedem ikun mogħti f'idejn l-għedewwa! Kien aħjar għalih dak il-bniedem likieku ma twieled xejn!"
K Qabeż Ġuda dak li ttradieh, u qallu:
S "Jaqaw jien,
Rabbi?"
K Wieġbu Ġesu':
+ "Int qiegħed
tgħidu."
K Huma u jieklu, Ġesu'
ħa
l-ħobż
f'idejh, qal il-barka, qasmu, newlu lid-dixxipli u qal:
+ "Ħudu, kulu, dan hu ġismi."
K Imbagħad ħa l-kalċi f'idejh, radd il-ħajr,
newlilhom il-kalċi u qal:
+ "Ixorbu
lkoll minnu, għax dan huwa demmi, id-demm tal-Patt, li jixxerred għall-kotra għall-maħfra tad-dnubiet. Ngħidilkom, li ma nerġax nixrob iżjed minn dan il-frott tad-dielja sa dakinhar li nixrob inbid
ġdid magħkom fis-Saltna ta' Missieri."
K Kantaw
is-salmi u ħarġu lejn l-Għolja taż-Żebbuġ. Imbagħad Ġesu' qalilhom:
+ Ilkoll
kemm intom se titħawdu minħabba fija f'dan il-lejl; għax hemm miktub:
"Nidrob
ir-ragħaj, u n-nagħaġ tal-merħla jitferrxu." Imma wara li
nqum mill-mewt, immur il-Galilija qabilkom."
K Qabeż
Pietru u qallu:
S "Jekk
kulħadd jitħawwad minħabba fik, jiena ma nitħawwad qatt."
K Qallu Ġesu':
+ "Tassew,
ngħidlek, li dal-lejl, qabel ma jidden is-serduk, int tkun ġa ċħadtni tliet darbiet."
K Qallu
Pietru:
S "Le,
ma niċħdekx, anqas jekk ikolli mmut miegħek!"
K U
d-dixxipli l-oħra wkoll, kulħadd qal l-istess.
Imbagħad Ġesu' flimkien mad-dixxipli tiegħu wasal f'qasam, jgħidulu l-Ġetsemani, u qal lid-dixxipli:
+ "Oqogħdu bilqiegħda hawn sakemm mmur hemm hekk nitlob."
K U ħa miegħu lil Pietru u ż-żewġ
ulied ta' Zebedew, u beda jsewwed qalbu u jiddejjaq. Imbagħad
qalilhom:
+ "Għandi ruħi mnikkta għall-mewt, ibqgħu hawn u ishru miegħi."
K Mexa
kemmxejn 'il quddiem, inxteħet wiċċu fl-art jitlob u jgħid:
+ "Missier,
jekk jista' jkun biegħed minni dan il-kalċi Imma mhux kif irrid jien, iżda
kif trid int."
K Ġie ħdejn id-dixxipli u sabhom reqdin; u qal lil Pietru:
+ "Mela
ma flaħtux tishru siegħa waħda miegħi? Ishru u
itolbu biex ma tidhlux fit-tiġrib. L-ispirtu, iva, irid, imma l-ġisem dgħajjef."
K Ghat-tieni
darba raġa' mar jitlob u qal:
+ "Missier,
jekk dan il-kalċi ma jistax jgħaddi
mingħajr ma nixorbu, tkun magħmula r-rieda tiegħek."
K Mill-ġdid ġie u sabhom reqdin, għax
għajnejhom kienu tqal bin-ngħas. Ħalliehom, u raġa' mar jitlob għat-tielet darba, u qal l-istess kliem.
Imbagħad ġie ħdejn id-dixxipli u qalilhom:
+ "Issa
se torqdu u tistrieħu? Ara, is-siegħa waslet, u Bin il-bniedem se jkun mogħti
f'idejn il-midinbin. Qumu! Ejjew immorru! Araw, dak li se jittradini huwa fil-qrib!"
K Kif
kien għadu jitkellem, ġie Ġuda,
wieħed mit-Tnax, b'ġemgħa
kbira ta' nies miegħu, armati bis-sujf u l-bsaten, mibgħuta mill-qassisin il-kbar u x-xjuħ
tal-poplu. Issa dak li kien se
jittradih kien tahom sinjal u qalilhom:
S "Lil
dak li nbus, dak hu: aqbduh."
K U
minnufih resaq fuq Ġesu'; u qallu:
S "Is-Sliem għalik,
Rabbi!"
K U
biesu. U Ġesu'
qallu:
+ "Ħabib, għalhekk ġejt int!"
K Huma
resqu lejh, meddew idejhom fuq Ġesu' u qabduh. Wieħed minn dawk li kienu ma Ġesu' ħareġ idu u silet is-sejh, darab
lill-qaddej tal-qassis il-kbir u qatagħlu widintu. Imbagħad Ġesu' qallu:
+ "Erġa' daħħal sejfek f'postu għax
kull min jaqbad is-sejf, bis-sejf jinqered.
Taħseb int li ma nistax nitlob lil Missieri u jibgħatli issa stess aktar minn tnax-il leġjun
ta' anġli? Iżda mbagħad kif isseħħ l-Iskrittura li tgħid
li hekk għandu jsir?"
K Fl-istess waqt Ġesu' qal:
+ "Qiskom ħriġtu
għal
xi ħalliel,
armati bis-sjuf u bil-bsaten beix taqbdu lili!
Jien kuljum kont inkun bilqiegħda fit-tempj ngħallem,
u ma żammejtuniex. Iżda dan kollu ġara biex isseħħ il-kitba tal-profeti."
K Imbagħad id-dixxipli kollha telquh u ħarbu. Dawk li qabdu lil Ġesu'
ħaduh quddiem Kajfa, il-qassis il-Kbir, fejn ġa
kienu nġabru l-kittieba u x-xjuh. Pietru
kien baqa' miexi warajh mill-bogħod sal-palazz tal-qassis
il-kbir; daħal ġewwa u qagħad bilqiegħda mal-qaddejja biex jara kif kienet se tintemm il-biċċa. Il-qassisin il-kbar u
s-Sinedriju kollha bdew ifittxu xhieda foloz kontra Ġesu'
bil-ħsieb li jagħtuh il-mewt, iżda għalkemm
resqu bosta xhieda folox, ma sabux fuqiex jixluh. Fl-aħħar resqu tnejn u
qalu:
S "Dan
qal: 'Nista' nħott it-tempju ta' Alla u nerġa'
nibnih fi tlitt ijiem.'
K Il-qassis il-kbir qam u
qallu:
S "Xejn ma twieġeb? X'inhuma jixhdu dawn kontra
tiegħek?"
K Imma Ġesu' baqa' sieket. Imbagħad il-qassis il-bir qabad u
qallu:
S "Aħlifli fuq Alla l-ħaj u għidilna jekk intix il-Messija, Bin Alla."
K Qallu Ġesu':
+ "Inti
qiegħed tgħidu. U
nghidilkom ukoll; minn issa 'l quddiem għad
taraw lil Bin il-bniedem bilqiegħda n-naħa tal-lemin ta' dak li jista' kollox u ġej
fuq is-sħab tas-sema."
K Imbagħad il-qassis il-kbir ċarrat ilbiesu u qal:
S "Din
dagħwa" Xi ħtieġa għandna iżjed ta'
xhieda? Ara.
Smajtuha issa d-dagħwa!
X'jidhrilkom?"
K Huma weġbuh u
qalu:
S "Ħaqqu
l-mewt."
K Imbagħad beżqulu f'wiċċu u
tawh bil-ponn, u xi wħud tawh bil-ħarta u qalulu:
S "Aqta' min tahielek, Messija, din
id-daqqa!"
K Intant Pietru kien hemm barra bilqiegħda,
fil-bitħa
tal-palazz. U resqet fuqu waħda
qaddejja u qaltlu:
S "Int ukoll kont ma Ġesu'
tal-Galilija!"
K Imma hu ċaħad
quddiem kulħadd
u qal:
S "Anqas naf xi trid tgħid."
K Imbagħad warrab lejn il-bieb, lemħitu
qaddejja oħra
u
qalet lil dawk li kienu
hemm:
S "Dan kien ma' Ġesu' ta' Nażaret,"
K U raġa' ċaħad u ħalef:
S "Jien ma nafux lil
dan il-bniedem!"
K Wara ftit dawk l-istess
nies resqu lejn Pietru u qalulu:
S "Tassew, inti wkoll
wieħed minnhom, għax għandek il-kisra ta' kliemek
tikfek."
K Imbagħad qabad jisħet lilu nnifsu u jaħlef:
S "Le, ma
nafux lil dan il-bniedem!"
K U minnufih
is-serduk idden. U Pietru ftakar
fil-Kliem ta' Ġesu' meta qallu: "Qabel ma s-serduk jidden, int
tkun ġa ċħadtni tliet darbiet." U ħareġ
'il barra jibki biki ta' qsim il-qalb.
K L-għad filgħodu l-qassisin il-kbar u x-xjuħ
tal-poplu ftehmu lkoll bejniethom biex lil Ġesu'
jaqtgħulielu għall-mewt.
Rabtuh u ħaduh magħhom biex jagħtuh f'idejn Pilatu, il-gvernatur.
Imbagħad Ġuda, it-traditur, meta ra
li Ġesu' kien ikkundannat, nidiem u mar bit-tletin biċċa tal-fidda għand il-qassisin il-kbar u x-xjuħ biex jerġa' jagħtihomlhom lura, u qalilhom:
S "Dnibt, għax
ittradejt demm bla ħtija!"
K Iżda huma qalulu:
S "Aħna din
x'inhi affari tagħna? Dak arah
int!"
K Hu waddab
il-flus fis-santwarju, telaq u mar tgħallaq. Imbagħad il-qassisin il-kbar ġabru
l-flus minn hemm u qalu:
S "Dawn ma nistgħux
inqegħduhom ma' l-offerti, għax huma prezz id-demm."
K Ftehmu
bejniethom, u b'dawn il-flus xtraw "l-Għalqa
ta' Ħaddiem il-Fuħħar," biex fiha jidfnu l-barranin. Kien għalhekk li dik l-għalqa
ssemmiet "l-Għalqa tad-Demm", u hekk għadha
magħrufa sa llum. Imbagħad seħħ dak
li kien ingħad permezz tal-profeta Ġeremija meta qal: "U ħadu
t-tletin biċċa tal-fidda, il-prezz ta' dak li kien stmat bil-prezz mogħti
minn ulied Iżrael, u tawhom għall-għalqa
ta' ħaddiem il-fuħħar, kif ikkmandani l-Mulej."
II
K Ġesu'
waqaf quddiem il-gvernatur, u dan staqsieh:
S "Int is-sultan tal-Lhud?"
K U Ġesu' wieġbu:
+ "Int qiegħed
tgħidu."
K Iżda meta l-qassisin il-kbar u x-xjuh
bdew jakkużawah, hu ma wieġeb xejn. Għalhekk
Pilatu qallu:
S "M'intix tisma' kemm ħwejjeġ
qegħdin
jixhdu kontra tiegħek?"
K Iżda hu anqas għal
akkuża waħda
ma wieġeb,
hekk li l-gvernatur baqa' mistagħġeb ħafna.
Nhar ta' festa,
il-gvernatur kien soltu jitlaq wieħed ħabsi, lil miniridu huma. Dik il-ħabta kellhom wieħed ħabsi
magħruf,
jismu Barabba. Mela kif kienu miġbura,
Pilatu qalilhom:
S "Lil min triduni nitilqilkom, lil
Barabba jew lil Ġesu'
li jgħidulu
l-Messija?"
K Għax
hu kien jaf li kienet l-għira li ġagħlithom jagħtuh
lil Ġesu'
f'idejh. Issa waqt li kien bilqiegħda
fuq is-siġġu
tat-tribunal, martu bagħtet tgħidlu:
S "Qis li ma jkollokx
x'taqsom ma' dan ir-raġel ġust, għax illum minħabba fih batejt ħafna
fil-ħolm."
K Iżda l-qassisin il-kbar
u x-xjuħ ġiegħlu
l-poplu jitolbuh lil Barabba u jeqirdu lil Ġesu'.
Il-gvernatur, mela, raġa' staqsiehom:
S "Lil min triduni nitilqilkom
minnhom it-tnejn?"
K Weġbuh ilkoll:
S "Lil Barabba."
K Qalilhom Pilatu:
S "U x'nagħmel
b'Ġesu'
li jgħidulu
l-Messija?"
K Weġbuh ilkoll:
S "Sallbu!"
K Hu staqsihom:
S "Imma x'għamel
ħażin?"
K Huma aktar bdew jgħajtu
u jgħidu:
S "Sallbu!"
K Meta
mbagħad
Pilatu ra li kollox kien għal xejn, anzi li aktarx kienet se tinqala' xi
rewwixta, qabad, ħasel
idejh fl-ilma quddiem il-poplu u qal:
S "Jien m'iniex ħati
ta' dan id-demm; dan arawh intom!"
K U l-poplu kollu qabeż u
qal:
S "Demmu fuqna u fuq
uliedna!"
K Imbagħad
telqilhom lil Barabba, u lil Ġesu', wara li tah is-swat, tahulhom biex isallbuh.
Imbagħax
is-suldati tal-gvernatur ħadu lil Ġesu' fil-Pretorju, u ġabru
quddiemu lil sħabhom
kollha. Neżżgħuh,
u xeħtulu
fuqu mantar aħma
skur; qegħdulu fuq rasu kuruna minsuġa
mix-xewk u qasba f'idu l-leminija, inxteħtu għarkubbtejhom quddiemu, u qagħdu
jiddieħqu
bih u jgħidulu:
S "Sliem
għalik, sultan tal-Lhud!"
K Beżqu
fuqu, u ħadulu l-qasba minn idu u bdew jagħtuh biha fuq rasu. Imbagħad, wara li għaddewh
biż-żufjett, neżżgħulu l-mantar u xeddewlu ħwejġu.
U ħaduh
magħhom biex isallbuh. Huma u sejrin
sabu raġel minn Ċireni, jismu Xmun, u ġagħluh
jerfagħlu s-salib. Meta waslu f'post jgħidulu
Golgota, jiġifieri post il-Qorriegħa, tawh jixrob inbid b'taħlita
morra; hu daqu, imma ma ried jixorbu.
Imbagħad sallbuh, u qassmu ħwejġu bejniethom billi tellgħuhom
bix-xorti, u nxteħtu bilqiegħda u qagħdu
hemm għassa tiegħu. U qegħdulu
fuq rasu l-kawża tal-kundanna tiegħu li kienet tgħid
hekk: "Dan hu Ġesu',
is-sultan tal-Lhud." Imbagħad
miegħu sallbu żewġġ ħallelin, wieħed fuq il-lemin u l-ieħor fuq
ix-xellug. Dawk li kienu għaddejjin
bdew jgħajruh, iċaqilqu rashom u jgħidu.:
S "Int
li tħott it-tempju u fi tlitt ijiem terġa tibnih, salva lilek innifsek
jekk int l-Iben ta' Alla,u inżel minn fuq is-salib!"
K Hekk
ukoll il-qassisin il-kbar bdew jiddieħku bih mal-kittieba u x-xjuħ u jgħidu:
S "Salva
oħrajn, lilu nnifsu ma jistax isalva!
Hu s-sultan ta' Iżrael! Ħa jinżel
issa minn fuq is-salib u nemmnu fih! Hu
jafda f'Alla; ħa jeħilsu issa, jekk iħobbu! Għax hu qal:
"Jiena Bin Alla!"
K U
bl-istess mod bdew imaqdruh ukoll il-ħallelin li kienu msallbin miegħu. Mis-sitt siegħa 'l
quddiem waqgħet dalma kbira fuq il-pajjiż kollu sad-disa' siegħa. U madwar id-disa' siegħa Ġesu' għajjat b'leħen qawwi u qal:
+ "Eli',
Eli', lema' sabaqta'ni?"
K Jiġifieri: "Alla tiegħi,
Alla tiegħi, għaliex tlaqtni?" Xi wħud
minn dawk li kienu hemm, kif semgħuh, qalu:
S "Lil
elija qiegħed isejjaħ dan!"
K U
minnufih wieħed minnhom mar jiġri,
qabad sponża mimlija bil-ħall, waħħalha f'tarf ta' qasbu u tah jixrob,
waqt li l-oħrajn qalu:
S "Stenna, ħa
narnaw jiġix,
Elija jsalvaħ!"
K Imma Ġesu'
raġa'
għajjat
għajta
kbira u radd ruħu.
Kulħadd jinżel għarkubbtejh
u jinżamm is-skiet għal ftit hin.
U
ara l-purtiera tas-santwarju ċċartet
fi tnjen minn
S "Dan kien tassew
Bin Alla!"
III
K Hemmhekk kien hemm ħafna
nisa jħarsu
mill-bogħod,
dawk stess li kienu mxew wara Ġesu'
biex jaqduh sa minn minn
L-għada,
jiġifieri
meta għadda
Jum it-Tħejjija,
il-qassisin il-kbar u l-Fariżej inġabru għand Pilatu u qalulu:
K Qalilhom
Pilatu:
S Għandkom
l-għassa. Morru ħarsuh
tajjeb kif tafu."
K U huma marru jissiġillaw
il-ġebla
biex il-qabar jibqa' mħares sewwa, u ħallew ukoll l-għassa
miegħu.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
///////////////////////////////////////////
A reflection for
Palm
Sunday by
Fr Thomas Rosica
Hosanna! Let Us Welcome the Lord Who Still Comes to
Us Today!
In preparation for
Easter some years ago, I had the privilege of an early Lenten retreat on the
events of Holy Week as I read and pondered what was at that time Pope Emeritus
Benedict XVI’s latest book: “Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week: From the Entrance
into Jerusalem to the Resurrection” (Ignatius Press, San Francisco, USA, 2011).
This book should be required reading for every bishop, priest, pastoral
minister, and serious Catholic who would like to meet Jesus of Nazareth and
deepen one’s knowledge of the very person of Jesus and the central mysteries of
our faith that we celebrate this week. I could think of no better way to
prepare for Holy Week and Easter than to read this masterful text. I recommend
it to all those who have found these biblical reflections helpful for your
personal prayer and preaching of the Word of God.
Each year during
Holy Week, we accompany Jesus up to Jerusalem Mount of Olives – coming not with the trappings of a
royal motorcade but on a beast of burden. What striking images of royalty,
humility, and divinity all packed into this paradoxical scene of Jesus’
entering his city! Full of enthusiasm, they welcome him on Palm Sunday as the
King of Peace and the Bearer of Hope. Full of hate, five days later, the people
demand his death on the Cross.
The Gospel Passion
narratives recount how the sins of some of the people and their leaders at the
time of Jesus conspired to bring about the Passion and death of Christ, and
thereby suggest the fundamental truth that we are all to blame. Their sins and
our sins bring Christ to the Cross, and he bears them willingly. And we must
learn from what happened to Jesus and ask ourselves not only about the identity
of those who tried, condemned, and killed him long ago, but also what killed
Jesus and what vicious circles of violence, brutality, and hatred continue to
crucify Him today in his brothers and sisters across the human family.
Matthew’s
Passion Narrative
This year we read
Matthew’s Passion Narrative (Matthew 26:14-27:66). Matthew follows his Marcan
source closely but with omissions (e.g. Mark 14:51-52) and additions (e.g.
Matthew 27:3-10, 19). Some of the additions indicate that he utilized
traditions that he had received from elsewhere; others are due to his own
theological insight (e.g. Matthew 26:28, “…for the forgiveness of sins”;
Matthew 27:52). In his editing Matthew also altered Mark in some minor details.
But there is no need to suppose that he knew any passion narrative other than
Mark’s.
As we listen to
Matthew’s account, we are caught up in Jesus’ encounter with destiny made
inevitable by the strong commitments of Jesus’ mission from God and the fierce
resistance of the power of death. In the first chapter of “Jesus of Nazareth –
Holy Week” entitled “The Entrance into Jerusaelm,” Pope Emeritus Benedict
invites us to consider Zechariah 9:9, the text that Matthew and John quote
explicitly for an understanding of “Palm Sunday”: “Tell the daughter of Zion,
Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, and on a
colt, the foal of a donkey” (Matthew 21:5; cf. Zechariah 9:9; John 12:15). Benedict
writes (p. 4):
“He [Jesus] is a king who destroys the weapons of war, a
king of peace and a king of simplicity, a king of the poor. And finally we saw
that he reigns over a kingdom that stretches from sea to sea, embracing the
whole world; we were reminded of the new world encompassing kingdom of Jesus
that extends from sea to sea in the communities of the breaking of bread in
communion with Jesus Christ, as the kingdom of his peace. None of this could be
seen at the time…”
The
prophet from Nazareth
In the beginning
when people had heard of the prophet from Nazareth ,
he did not appear to have any importance for Jerusalem
For Matthew, the
ultimate turning point in Jesus’ history was his death and resurrection. At the
very instant of Jesus’ death, a death suffered in fidelity to his mission, new
life breaks out: the earth quakes, the rocks are split, the tombs are opened,
and the saints of old are raised from their tombs to march triumphantly into
God’s city (Matthew 27:51-52). In writing these words, Matthew evokes the great
vision of the dry bones in Ezekiel 37. God breathes spirit into the bones, and
they rise from the dead to become a new people. Matthew believed that out of
the death of Jesus came new life for the world; out of the seeming death of the
Jewish Christian mission to Israel
Contemporary
Meaning
What does Matthew’s
passion say to us today? I am convinced that it offers us distinct biblical
lenses through which we can look upon this current moment of the history of the
Church and the world. We receive our marching orders and pastoral plan for
mission, not only from the Church but also from the world in which we live. The
tremendous biblical drama found in Matthew’s passion teaches us that what we
often consider to be “secular events,” even those that are destructive,
damaging, and even terrorizing and blinding, move us forward into God’s future
for us, and set the stage for God to reveal himself to us.
Greeting
the Lord in the Eucharist
I conclude with
Benedict XVI’s words on this Palm Sunday’s Gospel scene:
“he Church greets the Lord in the Holy Eucharist as the
one who is coming now, the one who has entered into her midst. At the same
time, she greets him as the one who continues to come, the one who leads us
toward his coming. As pilgrims, we go up to him; as a pilgrim, he comes to us
and takes us up with him in his “ascent” to the Cross and Resurrection, to the
definitive Jerusalem that is already growing in the midst of this world in the
communion that unites us with his body.”
(Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week, p. 11).
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