It-Tlettax-il
Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Missalin A p 316Ġ
Il-Ħtieġa tal-Knisja
One day Elisha came to
Shunem, where there was a woman of influence, who urged him to dine with
her. Afterward, whenever he passed by, he used to stop there to dine. So
she said to her husband, "I know that Elisha is a holy man of God. Since
he visits us often, let us arrange a little room on the roof and furnish it for
him with a bed, table, chair, and lamp, so that when he comes to us he can stay
there." Sometime later Elisha arrived and stayed in the room overnight.
Later Elisha asked, "Can something be done for her?" His servant
Gehazi answered, "Yes! She has no son, and her husband is getting on in
years."Elisha said, "Call her." When the woman had been called
and stood at the door, Elisha promised, "This time next year you will be
fondling a baby son." This is the
Word 0f the Lord.
1 Qari
Qari
mit-Tieni Ktieb tas-Slaten
4, 8-11.14-16a
Ġurnata waħda Eliżew kien għaddej minn minn
Responsorial Psalm
R. (2a) For ever
I will sing the goodness of the Lord.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever,
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever;"
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness R.
The promises of the LORD I will sing forever,
through all generations my mouth shall proclaim your faithfulness.
For you have said, "My kindness is established forever;"
in heaven you have confirmed your faithfulness R.
Blessed the people who
know the joyful shout;
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted. R
in the light of your countenance, O LORD, they walk.
At your name they rejoice all the day,
and through your justice they are exalted. R
You are the splendor of their strength,
and by your favor our horn is exalted.
For to the LORD belongs our shield,
and the Holy One of Israel, our king. R.
Salm Responsorjali
Salm 88 (89),
2-3.16-17.18-19
R/. (2a): It-tjieba tal-Mulej irrid dejjem
ngħanni
It-tjieba tal-Mulej irrid dejjem ngħanni;
f’kull żmien ixandar fommi l-fedeltà tiegħek.
Għax jien għedt: “Tjubitek tibqa’ sħiħa għal
dejjem;
bħas-smewwiet int wettaqt il-fedeltà tiegħek”. R/.
Hieni l-poplu li jaf jgħajjat bil-ferħ,
li jimxi, Mulej, fid-dawl ta’ wiċċek.
B’ismek jithennew il-jum kollu,
u bil-ġustizzja tiegħek jifirħu. R/.
Għax inti l-foħrija tal-qawwa tagħhom;
għal tjubitek nerfgħu rasna fl-għoli.
Għax il-Mulej it-tarka tagħna,
il-Qaddis ta’ Iżrael is-sultan tagħna. R/.
Brothers and sisters: Are you unaware that we
who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were
indeed buried with him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was
raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might live in newness
of life. If, then, we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live
with him. We know that Christ, raised from the dead, dies no more; death no
longer has power over him. As to his death, he died to sin once and for all; as
to his life, he lives for God. Consequently, you too must think of yourselves
as dead to sin and living for God in Christ Jesus. This is
the Word 0f the Lord.
Qari II -
mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 6, 3-4.8-11
Ħuti, ma tafux li aħna lkoll li tgħammidna fi
Kristu Ġesù, tgħammidna fil-mewt tiegħu? Indfinna miegħu fil-mewt permezz
tal-magħmudija sabiex kif Kristu kien imqajjem mill-imwiet permezz tal-qawwa
glorjuża tal-Missier, hekk aħna ngħixu ħajja ġdida. Jekk aħna mitna ma’ Kristu,
nemmnu wkoll li għad ngħixu ma’ Kristu. Nafu li Kristu qam mill-imwiet u ma
jmutx aktar; il-mewt ma għadhiex taħkem fuqu. Hu li miet, miet darba għal
dejjem għad-dnub; u issa li qiegħed jgħix, qiegħed jgħix għal Alla. Hekk ukoll
intom għandkom tqisu lilkom infuskom mejtin għad-dnub, iżda ħajjin għal Alla fi
Kristu Ġesù. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel
Jesus said to his apostles: "Whoever loves
father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or
daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and whoever does not take up his
cross and follow after me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose
it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. "Whoever receives you receives me, and
whoever receives me receives the one who sent me. Whoever receives a prophet
because he is a prophet will receive a prophet's reward, and whoever receives a
righteous man because he is a righteous man will receive a righteous man's
reward. And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones
to drink because the little one is a disciple— amen, I say to you, he will surely not
lose his reward." This is the Word 0f the Lord.
Evanġelju
Qari skond San Mattew 10, 37-42
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù qal lill-appostli tiegħu: “Min
iħobb lil missieru jew lil ommu iżjed minni ma jistħoqqlux li jkun miegħi; min
iħobb lil ibnu jew lil bintu iżjed minni ma jistħoqqlux li jkun tiegħi. U min
ma jerfax salibu u jimxi warajja ma jistħoqqlux li jkun miegħi. Min isib lil
ħajtu, jitlifha; u min jitlef lil ħajtu minħabba fija jsibha. Min jilqa’ lilkom
jilqa’ lili, u min jilqa’ lili jkun jilqa’ lil dak li bagħatni. Min jilqa’
profeta għax hu profeta, ħlas ta’ profeta jieħu; u min jilqa’ bniedem ġust għax
hu ġust, ħlas ta’ wieħed ġust jieħu. U kull min jagħti mqar tazza ilma frisk
lil xi ħadd minn
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Jesus on parental
and family love
A reflection on Sunday's Gospel by Larry Gillick, S.J.
There are wonderful pictures of wives welcoming home their heroic husbands from the terrors of war. You may have seen runners crossing the finish line after a demanding marathon run and being gathered into the arms of friends and fellow finishers. Welcoming has a dual reward; for the welcomed and the welcomer.
In Sunday’s First Reading, we hear just a wonderful story of the welcomer receiving a blessing for her reverence and care. Elisha is a holy man and a childless woman, who still trusts the Holy One though being barren was seen as kind of a curse, still hoped. Each year the prophet would pass her house and apparently, she kept the light on for him in welcome.
One time upon leaving, Elisha asked his servant Gehazi what might be done for her having been so kind and receptive. He told Elisha that she had no son, and now you already know the rest of the story.
We are sure that the woman fondling her son within the following year loved that boy and the God Who sent him. The Gospel needs a good listening to, because Jesus, finishing His talk to His Apostles before they head out, is saying some difficult things about parental and family love. We hear the word “worthy” mentioned several times during this reading. Worthy is similar to winning or receiving a prize. If I had a son or daughter, I would feel greater love for that gift than I would have loving feelings for God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit all together and our Blessed Mother as well. I remember the love I felt for my first girlfriend in high school and how shocked I was when I realized that I loved her more than my two parents who had loved me through my first sixteen years. That was quite a conflict, but needless to say, I did not stop dating her nor obeying my mom and dad.
The heart is not where we love God, nor the head either. We love God by taking a position towards all created gifts, as gifts. We take a position towards everything else which only makes sense if there is a loving Giver Who does not reward us, but “wards” us, guards, cares for and is more than any parents ever loved.
Picking up our life as a gift, reverencing all the ways this God gives and takes, caring for all in a welcoming way, this is how love is shown, but first loving God means letting God love us, give to us, not as rewards or prizes, but as ways to be welcomed more deeply.
Jesus loves His Disciples and is sending them out to be received, welcomed and in that way they will know even more deeply the love that goes with them. They in turn will bless those who are in turn open to their blessings. They are the new prophets and in our days these prophets continue to knock, enter, pass by, and ask for welcome. We are not rewarded nor do we win God’s love by doing this or that. We are made ready to receive God’s love, by our being receptive to the “prophetic moments” of each day which Jesus calls our “daily cross.” Loving God is so different from loving anything else that as I had to learn to love properly as a teenager, which was very different from loving family, so we learn slowly how to love God by allowing God to be welcomed and made pregnant in the births of our days.
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