That they may know Thee, the One true God

The Seventh Sunday of Easter

                                                                                      

Is-Seba'  Ħadd tal-Għid

Messalin A pp 217

Reading 1    

ACTS 1:1-11
In the first book, Theophilus, I dealt with all that Jesus did and taught until the day he was taken up, after giving instructions through the Holy Spirit to the apostles whom he had chosen. He presented himself alive to them by many proofs after he had suffered, appearing to them during forty days and speaking about the kingdom of God. While meeting with the them, he enjoined them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for “the promise of the Father about which you have heard me speak; for John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” When they had gathered together they asked him, “Lord, are you at this time going to restore the kingdom to Israel?” He answered them, “It is not for you to know the times or seasons that the Father has established by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, throughout Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” When he had said this, as they were looking on, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him from their sight. While they were looking intently at the sky as he was going, suddenly two men dressed in white garments stood beside them. They said, “Men of Galilee, why are you standing there looking at the sky? This Jesus who has been taken up from you into heaven will return in the same way as you have seen him going into heaven.”  This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni

Bidu tal-Ktieb ta' l-Atti ta' l-Appostli 1, 1-11

Fl-ewwel rakkont tiegħi, Teofilu, tkellimt fuq dak kollu li Ġesu' kien għamel u għallem minn mindu beda sal-jum li fih kien meħud fis-sema, wara li, permezz ta' l-Ispirtu s-Santu, ta l-ordnijiet tiegħu lill-appostli li hu kien għażel. Wara l-passjoni tiegħu dehrilhom u tahom ħafna provi li hu ħaj; f'erbgħin jum rawh kemm-il darba u kellimhom fuq il-ħwejjeġ tas-Saltana ta' Alla.  Meta kien għadu magħħom, ordnalhom biex ma jitilqux minn Ġerusalemm, imma joqogħdu jistennew sa ma sseħħ il-wegħda tal-Missier, "li fuqha  -  qalilhom – smajtu x'kont għedtilkom:Ġwanni għammed bl-ilma, imma intom, fi ftit ijiem oħra  titgħammdu bl-Ispirtu s-Santu." Kif kienu flimkien staqsewh:  "Mulej, hu dan iż-żmien li fih int se terġa' twaqqaf is-Saltna ta' Iżrael?" Hu weġibhom:  "M'hijiex biċċa tagħkom li tkunu tafu  l-waqt u ż-żmien li l-Missier għażel bis-setgħa tiegħu. Imma meta jiġi fuqkom l-Ispirtu s-Santu, intom  tirċievu l-qawwa, u tkunu xhieda tiegħi f'Ġerusalemm,  fil-Lhudija kollha u s-Samarija u sa truf l-art." Wara li qal dan, huma u jħarsu lejh, kien meħud 'il fuq, u sħaba ħadithulhom minn quddiem għajnejhom.  Waqt li kienu b'għajnejhom fis-sema jħarsu lejh sejjer, f'daqqa waħda dehru ħdejhom żewġt irġiel libsin l-abjad, u qalulhom:  "Irġiel tal-Galilija, x'intom tħarsu lejn is-sema? Dan Ġesu', li kien meħud minn magħkom lejn is-sema, għad  jerġa' jiġi kif rajtuh sejjer." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm            

PSALM 47:2-3, 6-7, 8-9

R. Alleluia.

All you peoples, clap your hands,
shout to God with cries of gladness,
For the LORD, the Most High, the awesome,
is the great king over all the earth.                  R/

                                  
God mounts his throne amid shouts of joy;
the LORD, amid trumpet blasts.
Sing praise to God, sing praise;
sing praise to our king, sing praise.                R/

For king of all the earth is God;
sing hymns of praise.
God reigns over the nations,
God sits upon his holy throne.                        R/

Salm Responsorajli                                                          

Salm 46 (47)

                    

R/ Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah.

Popli kollha, ċapċpu idejkom,

għajtu b'leħen ta' ferħ lil Alla!

Għax il-Mulej, l-Għoli, hu tal-biża',

sultan kbir fuq l-art kollha.                               R/

Tela' Alla b'għajat ta' ferħ,

il-Mulej bid-daqq tat-trombi.

Għannu lil Alla għannu,

għannu lis-sultan tagħna, għannu.                  R/

Għax Alla s-sultan ta' l-art kollha:

għannulu bis-sengħa għanja sabiħa.

Isaltan Alla fuq il-ġnus kollha,

joqgħod Alla fuq it-tron imqaddes tiegħu.        R/

Reading II      

EPHESIANS 1:17-23

Brothers and sisters: May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation resulting in knowledge of him.  May the eyes of your Hearts be enlightened, that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call, what are the riches of glory in his inheritance among the holy ones, and what is the surpassing greatness of his power for us who believe, in accord with the exercise of his great might, which he worked in Christ, raising him from the dead and seating him at his right hand in the heavens, far above every principality, authority, power, and dominion, and every name that is named not only in this age but also in the one to come. And he put all things beneath his feet and gave him as head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of the one who fills all things in every way. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni

Qari mill-Ittra ta' San Pawl Appostlu lil Efesin 1, 17-23

Ħuti, Alla ta' Sidna Ġesu' Kristu, il-Missier tal-glorja, jagħtikom spirtu ta' għerf u rivelazzjoni biex tagħrfuh sewwa. Hu jdawlilkom l-għajnejn ta' qalbkom biex tagħrfu x'inhi t-tama tas-sejħa tagħkom;  x'inhu l-għana tal-glorja tal-wirt li takom taqsmu mal-qaddisin. Tagħrfu x'inhu l-kobor bla qjies tas-setgħa tiegħu fina li emminna, skond il-ħila tal-qawwa kbira tiegħu li ħaddem fi Kristu, meta qajmu mill-imwiet, u qiegħdu fil-lemin tiegħu fis-smewwiet, 'il fuq minnkull Saltana u Setgħa, minn kull Qawwa u Ħakma,  'il fuq minn kull isem li jissemma,mhux biss għaż-żmien ta' issa, imma wkoll għal li ġej. Iva, qiegħed kollox taħt riġlejh,u għamlu ras fuq il-Knisja kollha, li hi Ġismu,  il-milja ta' dak li jimla kollox f'kollox. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                      

MATTHEW 28:16-20

The eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had ordered them. When they saw him, they worshiped, but they doubted. Then Jesus approached and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.” This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Evangelju

Għeluq ta' l-Evanġelju skond San Mattew 28, 16-20

F'dak iż-żmien, il-ħdax id-dixxiplu telqu lejn il-Galilija u marru fuq il-muntanja fejn kien ordnalhom Ġesu'. Kif rawh, inxteħtu quddiemu, għalkemm xi wħud iddubitaw, Ġesu' resaq ikollimhom u qalilhom:  "Lili ngħatat kull  setgħa fis-sema u fl-art.   Morru, mela, agħmlu dixxipli mill-ġnus kollha, u għammduhom fl-isem tal-Missier u ta' l-Iben u ta' l-Ispirtu s-Santu, u għallmuhom iħarsu dak kollu li ordnajtilkom jien.  U ara, jiena magħkom dejjem sa l-aħħar taż-żmien. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Knowing the Only True God

B y Fr. Paul G. Hinnebusch, O.P., S.T.M.

(Teaching to Mother Teresa’s Sisters)

St. Paul speaks of this knowing of God by experience when he says in Eph 3: 17-19: “May Christ dwell in your hearts through faith, and may charity be the root and foundation of your life. Thus you will be able to grasp fully, with all the holy ones, the breadth and length and height and depth of Christ’s love, and experience this love which surpasses all knowledge, so that you may attain to the fullness of God Himself.” This is the unity for which Jesus prays in that prayer when He says, “That they all may be one; as You Father are in me and I am in you, that they also may be in us.” (Jn 17:21) The answer to the prayer is the Church, which St. Cyrian defines as “a people made one in the unity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.” It is not a static, lifeless union like two pieces of metal welded together. It is a dynamic union, a living union in living knowledge and love.

Nowadays, we give that prayer of Jesus, “that they may all be one,” (John 17:21) too narrow a meaning. We think only of praying for the intentions of the present day ecumenical movement of Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox and all other Christians in one visible Church. That, however, is but a secondary meaning of Our Lord’s prayer. That unity of the now-divided Churches would surely come more quickly if we all really lived and savoured that interior communion in the life of the Holy Trinity, that unity which is an entering into the unity that exists between the Father and Jesus, Himself. The oneness of all believers in the unity of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit is what Jesus primarily had in mind in this prayer: “That you all may be one; as You Father are in me and I am in you, that they may be one in Us.” (Jn 17:21) “This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (17:3) Jesus calls the Father “the only true God,” not as if He were saying that He, Himself, is not God.

He adds immediately, “and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” In fact, we know that only true God only knows the one whom He sent. “No one has ever seen God. The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side, has revealed Him.” (Jn 1:18) Or as Jesus explains it, “Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” (Jn 14:9) We have not really known the one true God till we have known Him in Jesus Christ whom He sent. The only true God can be known in no other way. Thus it is not a matter of knowing the one true God in one act of knowledge and knowing the One whom He sent in another act of knowledge. In the one act of knowing Jesus Christ whom He sent, we know Son and Father as the one true God.

We have not really known the one true God until we have known Him in the Son. Until the Word was made flesh, the true nature of God as Holy Trinity of Persons was unknown, and in that sense, the one true God was unknown. The people of Israel knew that there is only one true God. But His inner life, His intimate interior self was unknown. In that sense, thus the one true God was unknown. In His prayer to the Father, Jesus is really saying to the Father, “Eternal life consists in knowing that you and I whom you sent are the one true God.” Although the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, He is not excluded, since He is the living bond of love uniting Father and Son.

Thus in calling the Father “the one true God” (John 17:3) Jesus is not denying that He, Himself, is God, just as in the Gloria of the Mass when we say to Jesus, “You alone are the Holy One, you alone are the Lord, You alone are the Most High, Jesus Christ,” we are not denying that the Father and the Holy Spirit are God, for we add immediately, “with the Holy Spirit in the glory of God the Father.” Along with the Father and the Holy Spirit, Jesus is the only true God. And so, too, in this prayer at the Last Supper, Jesus says that the Father is “the only true God,” together with Jesus Christ whom He sent. Eternal life is knowing both of them, knowing the Father by knowing Jesus Christ whom He sent. In other words, eternal life is this: to know that the only true God is Holy Trinity, a communion of three divine persons and to respond to this knowledge with love. Eternal life is to enter into that communion of the divine persons by knowing the Father and the Son in love, [and responding to God’s love by living in a communion of all persons].

“This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” (17:3) One sending refers to the Incarnation. Jesus Christ was sent into the world in the incarnation, the Son coming into the world as man to reveal the Father. Thus, in eternal life we rejoice also in the humanity of the Son of God. Even in heaven, we will see the Father in the glory of the Son, Jesus Christ. Therefore Jesus prays, “Father, glorify your Son so that your Son may glorify you.” (Jn 17:5) He also prays, “Father, I will that where I am, they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.” (Jn 17:24) Only in seeing the glory of Jesus Christ will we truly know the one true God. It is absolutely essential that we see the glory of Jesus, for only thus is His mission of glorifying God, that is, revealing Him accomplished.

Only then is His work complete. Therefore Jesus prays, “Father, glorify Your Son, (that is reveal His Divinity) so that your Son may glorify you.” (John 17:1) The divinity of Jesus has to be revealed, otherwise God cannot be known. If God is to be known, Jesus has to be known. “Now glorify Me, Father, with you, with the glory that I had with you before the world began.” (Jn 17:5) In seeing the divine glory the Father has given this man Jesus, we see our own glory as sons and daughters of God in His eternal Son. It is only when we see the full revelation of divinity in Christ that we appreciate ourselves as sharers in that divinity. In other words, we have to know what God is to appreciate what we are as His children. The more clearly we see God as revealed in Jesus, the more clearly we will experience our own glorious condition as children of God.

To see the glory of Jesus, to see the fullness of divinity in Him, is to see what it means for any man or woman to be child of God, sharer in the divinity, life of the Trinity. God loved Jesus before the creation of the world. “Do you now Father give me glory at your side, a glory I had with you before the world began.” (John 17:5) “I wish that where I am they also may be with me, that they may see my glory that you gave me, because of the love you bore me before the world began.” (Jn 17:24)

He loved this Son of Mary and in that love endowed Him with the fullness of divinity, because in that same eternal love He loved us. That is, He gave divinity to Jesus, a member of the human race, precisely because in this love He wanted to bring all of us into His divine, eternal life. Therefore Jesus ends His prayer at the Last Supper saying, “Righteous Father…I made known your name and will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them, and I in them.” (Jn 17:26) The whole purpose of the Father loving the man Jesus and giving Him the grace of divinity in the very instant of His conception in Mary’s womb was that this love for Jesus might be in us, forming us in divine life as children of God, sharers in His divinity. And this love for Jesus is in us through the presence of Jesus in us forming us as sons and daughters of God

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