The Resurrection of the Lord
The Mass of Easter Sunday
L-Għid il-Kbir tal-Qawmien tal-Mulej mill-Imwiet
Peter proceeded to
speak and said: “You know what has happened all over Judea, beginning in Galilee after the baptism that
John preached, how God anointed Jesus of
Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power. He went about doing good and healing
all those oppressed by the devil, for
God was with him. We are witnesses of all that he did both in the country of
the Jews and in Jerusalem
L-Ewwek Qari
Qari
mill-Ktieb ta’ l-Atti ta’ l-Appostli 10, 34a, 37-43
F’dak
iż-żmien, Pietru qabad jitkellem u qal: “Intom tafu b’dak li ġara mal-Lhudija
kollha, ibda mill-Galilija, wara li Ġwanni xandar il-magħmudija; kif Alla
kkonsagra lil Ġesù ta’ Nażaret bl-Ispirtu s-Santu u bil-qawwa, u kif dan Ġesù għadda jagħmel il-ġid u jfejjaq ’il
dawk kollha li kienu maħkuma mix-xitan, għax Alla kien miegħu. U aħna xhud
ta’ dak kollu li hu għamel fl-art tal-Lhudija u f’Ġerusalemm. Tawh
il-mewt billi dendluh mal-għuds tas-salib; imma Alla qajmu mill-imwiet fit-tielet jum u
għamel li hu jidher, mhux lil kulħadd, imma li xhieda li Alla għażel minn qabel
lilna, li miegħu kilna u xrobna wara li qawmien tiegħu mill-imwiet. Lilna
ordnalna biex inxandruh lill-poplu u nixhdu li dan hu dak li Alla għamlu
mħallef tal-ħajjin u tal-mejtin. Il-profeti kollha jixhdu għalih u jgħidu li
kull min jemmen fih jaqla’ l-maħfra tad-dnubiet. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm
Give thanks to the
LORD, for he is good,
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house ofIsrael
“His mercy endures forever.”
for his mercy endures forever.
Let the house of
“His mercy endures forever.”
R/ (24) This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and
be glad. Alleluia.
“The right hand of the LORD has struck with power;
the right hand of the LORD is exalted.
I shall not die, but live,
and declare the works of the LORD.”
R/ (24) This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and
be glad. Alleluia.
The stone which the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
By the LORD has this been done;
it is wonderful in our eyes.
R/ (24) This is the day the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and
be glad. Alleluia.
Salm Responsorjali
Salm 117
Faħħru
l-Mulej, għaliex hu tajjeb,
għax għal dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu!
Ħa jgħid wliedIsrael
"Għal dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu!"
għax għal dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu!
Ħa jgħid wlied
"Għal dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu!"
R/ Dan
hu l-jum li għamel il-Mulej:
ħa nifirħu u nithennew fih.
Hallelujah.
Il-leminija
tal-Mulej 'il fuq merfugħa,
il-leminija tal-Mulej għamlet ħwejjeġ ta’ ħila!
Ma mmutx, imma nibqa' ngħix,
u nħabbar l-għemejjel tal-Mulej.
il-leminija tal-Mulej għamlet ħwejjeġ ta’ ħila!
Ma mmutx, imma nibqa' ngħix,
u nħabbar l-għemejjel tal-Mulej.
R/ Dan
hu l-jum li għamel il-Mulej:
ħa nifirħu u nithennew fih.
Hallelujah.
Il-ġebla li warrbu l-bennejja
saret il-ġebla tax-xewka.
Bis-saħħa tal-Mulej seħħ dan:
ħaġa tal-għaġeb f’għajnejna.
saret il-ġebla tax-xewka.
Bis-saħħa tal-Mulej seħħ dan:
ħaġa tal-għaġeb f’għajnejna.
R/ Dan
hu l-jum li għamel il-Mulej:
ħa nifirħu u nithennew fih.
Hallelujah.
For the Second Reading
Brothers and
sisters: If then you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of
God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden
with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory. This is
the Word of The Lord.
Brothers and
sisters: Do you not know that a little yeast leavens all the dough? Clear out
the old yeast, so that you may become a fresh batch of dough, inasmuch as you are unleavened. For our
paschal lamb, Christ, has been sacrificed. Therefore, let us celebrate the
feast, not with the old yeast, the yeast
of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. This is
the Word of The Lord.
Għat-Tieni Qari
tingħażel silta mit-tnejn li ġejjin:
It-Tieni Qari
Qari
mill-Ittra ta’ San Pawl Appostlu lill-Kolossin 3, 1-4
Ħuti,
jekk intom irxoxtajtu ma’ Kristu, fittxu l-ħwejjeġ tas-sema, fejn Kristu
qiegħed fuq il-lemin ta’ Alla.
Aħsbu fil-ħwejjeġ tas-sema, mhux
f’dawk ta’ l-art. Għax intom mittu, imma
ħajjitkom hi moħbija flimkien ma’ Kristu f’Alla. Meta jidher Kristu, li hu l-ħajja tagħkom,
imbagħad intom ukoll tidhru flimkien miegħu fil-glorja. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
jew:
Qari mill-Ewwel Ittra ta’ San Pawl Appostlu
lill-Korintin 5,
6b-8
Ħuti, ma
tafux li ftit ħmira ttalla’ l-għaġna kollha? Tnaddfu mill-ħmira l-qadima
ħalli tkunu għaġna ġdida, kif intom bla ħmira.
Il-Ħaruf tal-Għid tagħna, li hu
Kristu, hu maqtul! Nagħmlu festa,
mhux bil-ħmira l-qadima, anqas bil-ħmira tal-qerq u tal-ħażen, imma
bil-ħobż bla ħmira tas-safa u tas-sewwa.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Sequence -
victimæ paschali laudes
Christians, to the Paschal Victim
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Offer your thankful praises!
A Lamb the sheep redeems;
Christ, who only is sinless,
Reconciles sinners to the Father.
Death and life have contended in that combat stupendous:
The Prince of life, who died, reigns immortal.
Speak, Mary, declaring
What you saw, wayfaring.
“The tomb of Christ, who is living,
The glory of Jesus’ resurrection;
bright angels attesting,
The shroud and napkin resting.
Yes, Christ my hope is arisen;
to
Christ indeed from death is risen, our new life obtaining.
Have mercy, victor King, ever reigning!
Amen.
Alleluia.
SEKWENZA
Ħa jgħollu l-insara b’tifħirhom
il-Vittma tal-Għid:
għax feda l-Ħaruf in-ngħaġ tiegħu
mill-jasar tal-mewt;
Ġesù reġa’ ħabbeb il-midneb
ma’ Alla l-Missier.
F’taqbida
tal-għaġeb mal-Ħajja
inqerdet il-Mewt;
u qam Sid il-ħajja mill-qabar,
isaltan rebbieħ.
inqerdet il-Mewt;
u qam Sid il-ħajja mill-qabar,
isaltan rebbieħ.
Għidilna,
Marija, ħabbrilna:
fit-triq lil min rajt?
fit-triq lil min rajt?
“Jien
rajt qabar Kristu li rxoxta
fis-sebħ tal-qawmien;
rajt l-Anġli li ġew jagħtu xhieda,
il-faxxa, l-liżar.
Irxoxta mill-mewt Kristu Sidi,
li fih ittamajt!
Mar hu l-Galilija qabilkom:
hemmhekk se tarawh.”
fis-sebħ tal-qawmien;
rajt l-Anġli li ġew jagħtu xhieda,
il-faxxa, l-liżar.
Irxoxta mill-mewt Kristu Sidi,
li fih ittamajt!
Mar hu l-Galilija qabilkom:
hemmhekk se tarawh.”
O,
nemmnu li llum Kristu rxoxta
tassew mill-imwiet!
Int mela, Sultan, ħenn għalina,
O Kristu rebbieħ.
Amen! Hallelujah!
tassew mill-imwiet!
Int mela, Sultan, ħenn għalina,
O Kristu rebbieħ.
Amen! Hallelujah!
Gospel
On the first day of
the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb early in the morning, while it was
still dark, and saw the stone removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to
Simon Peter and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they put him.” So
Peter and the other disciple went out and came to the tomb. They both ran, but
the other disciple ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down and saw the burial cloths there,
but did not go in. When Simon Peter arrived after him, he went into the tomb
and saw the burial cloths there, and the cloth that had covered his head, not
with the burial cloths but rolled up in a separate place. Then the other
disciple also went in, the one who had arrived at the tomb first, and he saw
and believed. For they did not yet understand the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. This is
the Word of The Lord.
L-EVANĠELJU
Qari
mill-Evanġelju skont San Ġwann 20, 1-9
Kien l-ewwel jum tal-ġimgħa, filgħodu kmieni kif
kien għadu d-dlam, u Marjam ta’ Magdala
ġiet ħdejn il-qabar u rat il-blata mneħħija mill-qabar. Għalhekk telqet tiġri għand Xmun Pietru u għand id-dixxiplu l-ieħor li
kien iħobb Ġesù, u qaltilhom: “Qalgħu l-Mulej mill-qabar, u ma nafux fejn
qegħduh.” Pietru u d-dixxiplu l-ieħor
ħarġu u ġew ħdejn il-qabar. It-tnejn
ġrew flimkien, imma d-dixxiplu l-ieħor ħaffef
aktar minn
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Thoughts for Easter Sunday by Julian Paparella, team member of Fr Thomas Rosica’s “Salt & Light TV” editorial group
Jesus’
Resurrection: A Footprint Within History but Pointing Beyond
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI writes
about “The Nature of Jesus’ Resurrection and Its Historical Significance” in
“Jesus of Nazareth – Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem
to the Resurrection” (Ignatius Press, San
Francisco , USA
“Jesus
is not a ghost (“spirit”). In other words, he does not belong to the realm of
the dead but is somehow able to reveal himself in the realm of the living. […] The encounters with the risen Lord are not the
same as mystical experiences, in which the human spirit is momentarily drawn
aloft out of itself and perceives the realm of the divine and eternal, only to
return then to the normal horizon of its existence. Mystical experience is a
temporary removal of the soul’s spatial and cognitive limitations.” (pp.
272-273)
Benedict continues: [The
Resurrection] “is a historical event that nevertheless bursts open the
dimensions of history and transcends it. Perhaps we may draw upon analogical
language here, inadequate in many ways, yet still able to open up a path toward
understanding: as already anticipated in the first section of this chapter, we
could regard the Resurrection as something akin to a radical “evolutionary
leap,” in which a new dimension of life emerges, a new dimension of human
existence. (p. 273) As something that
breaks out of history and transcends it, the Resurrection nevertheless has its
origin within history and up to a certain point still belongs there. Perhaps we
could put it this way: Jesus’ Resurrection points beyond history but has left a
footprint within history. Therefore it can be attested by witnesses as an event
of an entirely new kind.” (p. 275)
Fathoming the
Resurrection Today
In our highly technological world,
the reality of the Resurrection becomes increasingly difficult to fathom. So
many spend their lives explaining it away rather than probing the depths of its
mystery. And they try to do this alone, separated from a believing community of
Christians, locked in the prison of self and of ideas, frozen before a computer
screen as they try to fathom what happened on Easter morning. Some people state
quite frankly that the whole story is simply out of date. But Resurrection is
not a matter of the head, of theory and ideas, but a matter of the heart that
can only be experienced and learned through a community’s worship and liturgy.
To be fully experienced and grasped, the Resurrection requires an environment
of hauntingly beautiful music, of smoke and incense, bread and wine, murmurs of
greeting and shouts of joy, dazzling colours, and most of all:
three-dimensional bodies of real people, even those who aren’t necessarily
“regulars” of our parish communities, who gather together every year to hear
the Easter proclamation.
One doesn’t sit at a computer and
tap out “Jesus is Risen.” It has to be performed and enacted. If the
Resurrection were meant to be a historically verifiable occurrence, God
wouldn't have performed it in the dark without eyewitnesses. Resurrection was
an event transacted between God the Father and God the Son by the power of God
the Holy Spirit. Not a single Gospel tells us how it happened. We don’t know
what he looked like when he was no longer dead, whether he burst the tomb in
glory or came out like Lazarus, slowly unwrapping his shroud and squinting with
wonder against the dawn of Easter morning in a garden in Jerusalem
The proper
environment for Resurrection
How shall we find words for the
Resurrection? How can we give expression to the conquest of death and the
harrowing of hell and the washing which has joined us to God’s life? There are
no words – there are only the wrong words – metaphors, chains of images, verbal
icons – that invite us into a mystery beyond words.
For four years I lived in the Holy
City of Jerusalem and visited hundreds of times the remains of the Church
building that houses the place of Calvary and
the Holy Sepulchre. It is truly holy ground for Christians and being there
never failed once to move me. That old building is truly a microcosm of our own
lives, our hearts, and our Church. In the midst of the dark, dirty, and chaotic
Holy Sepulchre Basilica is the tomb of Jesus: a shrine to the Risen Christ. But
he is not there. All around the tomb are the remnants of 2000 years of
dreadfully human corruption. Nevertheless it is the most important shrine and
holy place for Christians. Christ is risen from the dead!
At Calvary, and elsewhere in the
Holy Land, corruption seems so rampant – but God shall be victorious, because
70 feet away from Calvary there is a tomb
which is empty. And there is also another startling truth about that Church and
the moments that it commemorates: every single one of us has within us a shrine
to the Risen Christ. That shrine is our first love for him, and him alone.
Jesus Christ is risen from the dead. Do we truly live as children of the light,
of the Living One? The Resurrection of Jesus is the sign that God is ultimately
going to win.
In the midst of all the chaos
found in the building of the Holy Sepulchre, I found that if I knelt long
enough in some corner of the Church amidst religious groups seemingly at war
with each other, disquiet disappeared and I often experienced a strange peace
and deep joy and consolation because of the Resurrection of the man who was
God’s Son and our Saviour. The only way to discern, detect, and discover the
presence of the Risen Lord is on one’s knees, in the midst of the chaos of the
Church and the world.
Jesus’ victory over death belongs
to the Church’s ongoing pastoral and sacramental life and its mission to the
world. The Church is the community of those who have the competence to
recognize Jesus as the Risen Lord. It specializes in discerning the Risen One.
As long as we remain in dialogue with Jesus, our darkness will give way to
dawn, and we will become “competent” for witness. In an age that places so much
weight on competency, we would do well to focus every now and then on our
competence to discern Resurrection.
What is the Resurrection? Pope
Emeritus Benedict explains with such clarity in his book “Jesus of Nazareth –
Holy Week: From the Entrance into Jerusalem to the Resurrection”:
It is part of the mystery of God that he acts so
gently, that he only gradually builds up his history within the great history
of mankind; that he becomes man and so can be overlooked by his contemporaries
and by the decisive forces within history; that he suffers and dies and that,
having risen again, he chooses to come to mankind only through the faith of the
disciples to whom he reveals himself; that he continues to knock gently at the
doors of our hearts and slowly opens our eyes if we open our doors to him. And
yet – is not this the truly divine way? Not to overwhelm with external power,
but to give freedom, to offer and elicit love. And if we really think about it,
is it not what seems so small that is truly great? (p. 276)
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