Fifth Sunday of Easter

Il-Ħames Ħadd tal-Għid

Messalin A pp 205

Reading 1

Acts 6:1-7

As the number of disciples continued to grow, the Hellenists complained against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. So the Twelve called together the community of the disciples and said, “It is not right for us to neglect the word of God to serve at table. Brothers, select from among you seven reputable men, filled with the Spirit and wisdom, whom we shall appoint to this task, whereas we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” The proposal was acceptable to the whole community, so they chose Stephen, a man filled with faith and the Holy Spirit, also Philip, Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas, and Nicholas of Antioch, a convert to Judaism. They presented these men to the apostles who prayed and laid hands on them.The word of God continued to spread, and the number of the disciples in Jerusalem increased greatly; even a large group of priests were becoming obedient to the faith. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni

Qari mill-Atti ta' l-Appostli 6, 1-7

F'dawk il-jiem l-għadd tad-dixxipli kien qiegħed jiżdied, għalhekk sar xi tgergir mil-lhud griegi kontra l-lhud, għax dehrilhom li ma kienx hemm min jieħu ħsieb ir-romol tagħhom fil-ministeru ta' kuljum. Għalhekk it-tnax sejħu l-ġemgħa tad-dixxipli u qalulhom: "mhux sewwa li aħna nħallu l-kelma ta' alla biex naqdu l-imwejjed. Mela, l-aħwa, ħudu ħsieb u agħżlu minn fostkom sebat irġiel li għandhom isem tajjeb u li huma mimlijin bl-ispirtu u bl-għerf, u nħallu din il-hidma f'idejkom. U aħna nagħtu ruħna għat-talb u għall-ministeru tal-kelma. Dan il-kliem għoġob lill-ġemgħa kollha; u għażlu lil stierfnu, bniedem mimli bil-fidi u bl-ispirtu s-santu, lil filippu, lil prokoru, lil nikanor, lil timon, lil parmena,u lil nikola, proselita' minn antijokja. Lil dawn ressquhom quddiem l-appostli, li talbu u qiegħdu idejhom fuqhom. U l-kelma ta' alla kienet tixtered dejjem aktar, l-għadd tad-dixxipli kien jiżdied ħafna f'ġerusalemm, u kotra kbira ta' qassisin kunu joqogħdu għall-fidi. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 33:1-2, 4-5, 18-19

R/ Alleluia.

Exult, you just, in the LORD;
praise from the upright is fitting.
Give thanks to the LORD on the harp;
with the ten-stringed lyre chant his praises. R/

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/

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/

Salm Responsorjali

Salm 32(33)

R/ Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Għannu, ġusti, bil-ferħ lill-Mulej;

jixirqilhom ifaħħruh in-nies sewwa.

Faħħru l-Mulej bid-daqq taċ-ċetra;

Għannulu fuq l-arpa b'għaxar kordi. R/

Għax 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/

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-ġuġ.             R/

Reading 2

1 Peter 2:4-9

Beloved: Come to him, a living stone, rejected by human beings but chosen and precious in the sight of God, and, like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it says in Scripture: Behold, I am laying a stone in Zion, a cornerstone, chosen and precious, and whoever believes in it shall not be put to shame. Therefore, its value is for you who have faith, but for those without faith: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone, and A stone that will make people stumble, and a rock that will make them fall. They stumble by disobeying the word, as is their destiny. You are “a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people of his own, so that you may announce the praises” of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. This is the Word of the Lord

It-Tieni Lezzjoni

Qari mill-Ewwel Ittra ta' San Pietru 2, 4-9

Għeżież, ersqu lejn il-Mulej, li hu dik il-ġebla ħajja li kienet imwarrba mill-bennejja, imma magħżula minn Alla bħala ġebla għażiża. U intom ukoll, bħal ġebel ħaj, inbnew f'dar spiritiwali, saċerdozju qaddis, biex toffru sagrifiċċju spiritwali li jogħġbu lil Alla permezz ta' Ġesu' Kristu. Għax hekk hemm miktub fl-Iskrittura: "Jien inqiegħed f'Sijon ġebla tax-xewka, magħżula u għażiża; min jemmen fiha ma jkollux għax jitħawwad." Għalikom, mela, li temmnu, dan huwa ġieħ! Għal dawk li ma jemmnux, din l-istess ġebla li warrbu l-bennejja saret il-ġebla tax-xewka, ġebla ta' tiġrif u tfixkil. Tfixklu għax ma qagħudx għall-kelma ta' Alla. Għal dan dan kienu ddestinati. Imma intom ġens maħtur, saċerdozju rjali, nazzjoni qaddis, poplu li Alla kiseb għalih, biex ixxandru t-tifhir ta' dak li sejħilkom mid-dlam għad-dawl tiegħu ta' l-għaġeb. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel

John 14:1-12

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be. Where I am going you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Master, we do not know where you are going; how can we know the way?” Jesus said to him, AI am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, then you will also know my Father. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him,“Master, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?The words that I speak to you I do not speak on my own. The Father who dwells in me is doing his works. Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father is in me, or else, believe because of the works themselves. Amen, amen, I say to you, whoever believes in me will do the works that I do, and will do greater ones than these, because I am going to the Father. This is the Word of the Lord

L-Evanġelju

Qari mill-Evanġelju skond San Ġwann 14, 1-12

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: "Tħallux qalbkom titħawwad! Emmnu f'Alla, u emmnu fija wkoll. Fid-dar ta' Missieri hemmħafna postijiet. Li ma kienx hekk, kont ngħidilkom:"Sejjer inħejjilkom fejn toqogħdu?" U meta mmur nħejjilkom post, nerġa' niġi biex neħodkom miegħi biex, fejn inkun jien, tkunu intom ukoll. U t-triq għall-post fejn sejjer tafuha." Tumas qallu: "Mulej, aħna ma nafux fejn inti sejjer.Kif nistgħu nafu t-triq?" Wieġbu Ġesu': "Jiena hu t-triq, il-verita' u l-ħajja. Ħadd ma jmur għand il-Missier jekk mhux permezz tiegħi. Kieku għaraftu lili, kontu tagħrfu wkoll lil Missieri: minn issa 'l quddiem tagħrfuh, anzi diġa rajtuh." Qallu Filippu: "Mulej, urina l-Missier, u jkun biżżejjed għalina." Ġesu' wieġeb: "Ili daqshekk magħkom, Filippu, u għadek ma għaraftnix? Min ra lili ra lill-Missier. Kif tgħidli: "Urina l-Missier?" Ma temmnux li jien fil-Missier u l-Missier fija? Il-kliem li ngħidilkom jien, ma ngħidux minn moħħi iżda l-Missier li jgħammar fija qiegħed jagħme l-opri tiegħu. Emmnuni! Jiena fil-Missier u l-Missier huwa fija. Jekk mhux għal ħaġ'oħra, emmnuni minħabba dawn l-opri stess. Tassew tassew ngħidilkom, min jemmen fija hu wkoll għad jagħmel lopri li qiegħed nagħmel jien, u akbar minnhom għad jagħmel, għax jiena sejjer għand il-Missier." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Man More Than Dust?

Gospel Commentary by Fr Raniero Cantalamessa ofm cap

In the Book of Genesis one reads that after man sinned God said to him: “By the sweat of your brow you shall get your bread to eat, until you return to the earth from which you were taken, for you are dust, and to dust you shall return” (Genesis 3:19).

Every year on Ash Wednesday the liturgy repeats these severe words to us: “Remember that you are dust and to dust you shall return.” If it were up to me, I would immediately remove this formula from the liturgy.

The Church now rightly allows it to be replaced with another formula: “Repent and believe in the Gospel.” Taken literally, without the necessary explanations, the words of the other formula are the perfect expression of modern scientific atheism: Man is nothing else than a heap of atoms and, in the end, will return to being a heap of atoms.

The Book of Qoheleth (also known as Ecclesiastes), a book of the Bible that was written during a time of religious uncertainty in Israel, seems to confirm this atheistic interpretation when it says: “All go to the same place; everything was made from dust, and to the dust it shall return. Who knows if the life-breath of the children of men goes upward and the life-breath of beasts goes earthward?” (3:20-21).

At the end of the book, this last terrible doubt (Is there a difference between the end of man and beasts?) seems to be positively resolved, because the author says, “The body returns to dust but the spirit returns to God who gave it” (12:7).

In the last writings of the Old Testament there emerges the idea of a recompense for the just after death and even a resurrection of the body, but the content of this belief is still quite vague and is not shared by all. The Sadducees, for example, reject it.

We can evaluate the words that begin this Sunday’s Gospel against this background: Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. You have faith in God; have faith also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If there were not, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back again and take you to myself, so that where I am you also may be.”

These words are the Christian response to the most disturbing of human questions. Death is not ― as it was at the beginning of the Bible and among the pagans ― a descent into Sheol or Hades where one becomes a worm or shadow; it is not ― as it is for certain atheist biologists ― a restitution of one’s organic material to nature for the subsequent use of other living things; nor is death ― as it is for certain contemporary forms of religiosity inspired by Eastern doctrines (often poorly understood) ― a dissolution of the person into the great ocean of universal consciousness, in the All or, according to some, the Nothing.

It is rather a going to be with Christ in the bosom of the Father, to be where he is.
The veil of mystery is not removed because it cannot be removed. Just as colour cannot be described to a person born blind or sound to a person born deaf, so also one cannot explain what a life outside of time and space is like to those who are still in time and space. It is not God who wanted to keep us in darkness. He has however told us about the essentials: Eternal life will be a full communion, soul and body, with the risen Christ, a sharing of his glory and joy.

Benedict XVI, in his encyclical on hope, “Spe Salvi”, reflects on the nature of eternal life from an existential point of view. “Eternal life,” the encyclical says, “would be like plunging into the ocean of infinite love, a moment in which time ― the before and after ― no longer exists” (No. 12). Eternity, it adds, “is not an unending succession of days in the calendar, but something more like the supreme moment of satisfaction, in which totality embraces us and we embrace totality” (No. 12).