Sixteenth
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Is-Sittax-il
Ħadd matul is-Sena
Missalin A p 332
There is no god besides you who have the care of all, that you need show you have not unjustly condemned. For your might is the source of justice; your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all. For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved; and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity. But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us; for power, whenever you will, attends you. And you taught your people, by these deeds, that those who are just must be kind; and you gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance for their sins.
Qari mill-Ktieb
tal-Għerf 12, 13, 16-19
M'hemmx Alla ieħor ħliefek, li jieħu
ħsieb kollox biex ikollok turih li ma
qjatx il-ħaqq ħażin. Għax is-setgħa tiegħek hi l-għajn tal-ġustizzja, u, għax
int Sid ta' kollox, lil kulħadd tagħder. Int turi saħħtek ma' min ma jemminx
fil-kobor ta' setegħtek; u trażżan 'il dawk li, għalkemm jafuha, iqumu
kontriha. Għax sid il-qawwa, int tagħmel il-ħaqq bil-ħniena; lilna tmexxina bi tjieba kbira. Għalkemm
għandek is-setgħa, issibha wkoll meta tridha. B'dan l-għemil int għallimt
lill-poplu tiegħek, li l-ġust għandu jkun twajjeb. Din hi t-tama
sabiħa li inti tajt lil uliedek, li inti tagħti żmien għall-indiema ta'
dnubiethom. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm
R. (5a) Lord, you are good
and forgiving.
You, O LORD, are good and forgiving,
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading. R.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O LORD, and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God. R.
You, O LORD, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in kindness and fidelity.
Turn toward me, and have pity on me;
give your strength to your servant. R.
Salm
Respeonsorjali
Salm 85
(86)
R/ Mulej, inti twajjeb u taħfer
Int, Sidi, twajjeb u taħfer,
kollok tjieba għal kull min isajjaħlek.
Agħti widen, Mulej, għat-talba tiegħi,
isma' l-leħen ta' l-ilfiq tiegħi. R/
Il-ġnus kollha, li għamilt, jiġu jinxteħtu quddiemek,
u jsebbħu ismek, Sidi.
Għax kbir int, u għemejjel ta' l-għaġeb tagħmel;
int waħdek Alla! ` R/
Int, Alla Sidi, ħanin u twajjeb,
iddum biex tagħdab, kollok tjieba u fedelta',
Ħares lejja u ħenn għalija,
Agħti qawwa lill-qaddej tiegħek. R/
Brothers and sisters: The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes
with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the
intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones according to
God’s will.
It-Tieni
Lezzjoni
Qari mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 8, 26-27
Ħuti, l-Ispirtu, min-naħa tiegħu, jgħinna fin-nuqqas ta'
ħila tagħna. Għax aħna anqas biss nafu
nitolbu kif imiss, imma l-Ispirtu stess jidħol għalina bit-talb tiegħu bi tnehid
li ma jistax jitfisser bil-kliem; u Alla, li l-ħarsa tiegħu tinfed il-qlub, jaf
x'inhi x-xewqa ta' l-Ispirtu; bit-talb
tiegħu jidħol għall-qaddissin skond ma jrid Alla. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: “The kingdom
of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and
sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds
appeared as well. The slaves of the
householder came to him and said, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your
field? Where have the weeds come from?’ He
answered, ‘An enemy has done this.’ His slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us to
go and pull them up?’ He replied, ‘No, if you pull up the weeds you might
uproot the wheat along with them. Let them
grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters,
“First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the
wheat into my barn.”’” He proposed another parable to them. “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that
a person took and sowed in a field. It
is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of
plants. It becomes a large bush, and the
‘birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.’” He spoke to them another
parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like
yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the
whole batch was leavened.” All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in
parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said
through the prophet: I will open my mouth
in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the
world. Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His
disciples approached him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in
the field.” He said in reply, “He who
sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the
children of the kingdom. The weeds are
the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The
harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are
collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son
of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who
cause others to sin and all evildoers. They
will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and
grinding of teeth. Then the righteous
will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought
to hear.”
L-Evanġelju
Qari skond San
Mattew 13, 24-43
F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lin-nies din il-parabbola: "Is-saltna
tas-Smewwiet tixbaħ lil wieħed raġel li żara' żerriegħa tajba fl-għalqa
tiegħu. Iżda xħin in-nies kienu reqdin,
ġie l-għadu tiegħu, żara' s-sikrana
qalb il-qamħ u telaq. Meta mbagħad il-qamħ nibet u ħareġ is-sbul, tfaċċat
ukoll is-sikrana. Resqu l-qaddejja fuq is-sid l-għalqa u qalulu: "Sinjur,
int mhux żerriegħa tajba żrajt fl-għalqa tiegħek? Mela din is-sikrana mnejn ġiet? Iżda hu qalilhom: Dil-biċċa għamilhieli xi għadu tiegħi." "Tridx
immorru niġbruha?" qalulu
l-qaddejja. "Le qalilhom, għax intom u tiġbru s-sikrana għandkom mnejn
taqilgħu magħha il-qamħ ukoll. Erħulhom jikbru t-tnejn flimkien sal-ħsad; meta mbagħad
jasal il-ħsad, ngħid lill-ħassada: Iġbru
s-sikrana l-ewwel, u orbtuha qatta qatta għall-ħruq, imbagħad qiegħdu l-qamħ
fil-maħżem tiegħi." Ġibilhom
parabbola oħra u qalilhom:
"Is-Saltna tas-Smewwiet tixbaħ lil żerriegħa
tal-mustarda, li wieħed raġel ikun qabad u żeragħha fl-għalqa tiegħu. Hija
tabilħaqq l-iżgħar waħda fost iż-żrieragħ kollha, iżda meta tikber, tkun
l-akbar waħda fost il-ħxejjex u ssir
siġra, hekk li l-għasafar tal-ajru jiġu jbejtu fil-friegħ tagħha." Qalilhom
parabbola oħra: "Is-Saltan
tas-Smewwiet tixbaħ lil ftit ħmira li waħda mara tkun qabdet u ħalltet ma' tliet sigħan dqiq sa ma tkun għolliet
l-għaġna kollha." Dan kollu Ġesu' qalu bil-parabboli
lin-nies, u mingħajr xi parabbola ma kienx ikellimhom, biex hekk iseħħ dak li
kien ingħad permezz tal-profeta meta qal: "Nifitaħ follmi bil-parabboli,
nitkellem fuq ħwejjeġ moħbija sa mit-twaqqif tad-dinja." Imbagħad ħalla
n-nies u mar id-dar. Resqu lejħ id-dixxipli
tiegħu u qalulu: "Fissrhielna l-parabbola
tas-sikrana fl-għalqa." U
weġibhom: "Dak li jiżra ż-żerriegħa
tajba huwa Bin il-bniedem. L-għalqa hija
d-dinja; iż-żerriegħa t-tajba huma wlied is-Saltna; is-sikrana huma wlied
il-Ħażen, u l-għadu li żeragħha huwa x-Xitan.
Il-ħsad ifisser tmiem id-dinja, u l-ħassada l-anġli. Mela bħalma s-sikrana jiġbruha u jaħarquha
fin-nar, hekk isir fi tmiem id-dinja. Bin il-bnedem jibgħad l-anġli tiegħu, u
huma jiġbru barra mis-Saltan tiegħu kull ma jġib it-tfixkil u kull
min jagħmel il-ħażen, u jixħtuhom fil-ħuġġieġa tan-nar, hemmhekk ikun hemm
il-biki u t-tgħażżiż tas-snien. Imbagħad il-ġusti jsiru jiddu bħax-xemx,
fis-Saltna ta' Missierhom. Min għandu
widnejn, ħa jisma!" Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej
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COMMENTARY:
By Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap
Jesus sketched the situation of the Church in the
world with three parables. The grain of mustard seed that becomes a tree
indicates the growth of the Kingdom of God
The parable of the seeds
and the weeds lends itself to a wider reflection. One of the principal motives
of embarrassment for believers and of rejection of God by non believers has
always been the "disorder" that exists in the world. Ecclesiastes,
which in so many instances makes itself the spokesman of doubters and skeptics,
noted, "There is the same lot for all, for the just and the wicked" (9: 2).
And, "Under the sun in the judgment place I saw wickedness, and in the
seat of justice, iniquity" (3: 16).
At all times, iniquity has been seen as triumphant and innocence as humiliated. "However," noted the great orator Bossuet, "so that the world is not believed to be something fixed and secure, note that sometimes the contrary is seen, namely, innocence on the throne and iniquity on the scaffold. "
At all times, iniquity has been seen as triumphant and innocence as humiliated. "However," noted the great orator Bossuet, "so that the world is not believed to be something fixed and secure, note that sometimes the contrary is seen, namely, innocence on the throne and iniquity on the scaffold. "
The response to this
scandal was already found by the author of Ecclesiastes: "And I said to myself, both the
just and the wicked God will judge, since there is a time for every affair and
on every work a judgment" (3: 17).
It is what Jesus calls in the parable "the time of harvest." In other
words, it is a question of finding the precise point of observation in face of
the reality, of seeing things in the light of eternity.
It is what happens with
certain modern paintings that, seen up close, seem a medley of colours without
order or meaning, but seen from the correct distance they reveal a precise and
powerful design.
It is not a question of
remaining passive and in expectation in face of evil and injustice, but of
struggling with all licit means to promote justice and repress injustice and
violence. To this effort, which involves men of good will, faith adds
assistance and support of inestimable value -- the certainty that the final
victory will not be that of injustice and arrogance, but of innocence.
Modern man finds it
difficult to accept the idea of God's Last Judgment on the world and history,
but in this he contradicts himself because it is he himself who rebels against
the idea that injustice has the last word.
In so many millennia of life on earth, man has become accustomed to everything: He has adapted himself to all climates,
and immunized himself against so many sicknesses. However, he has never become
accustomed to one thing: injustice. He continues to see it as
intolerable. And it is to this thirst for justice that the judgment will
respond. This will not be willed only by God, but by all men and,
paradoxically, even by the ungodly.
"In the day of the universal judgment," says the poet Paul Claudel, "it is not only the Judge who will descend from heaven, but the whole earth will precipitate the encounter."
In so many millennia of life on earth, man has become accustomed to everything
"In the day of the universal judgment," says the poet Paul Claudel, "it is not only the Judge who will descend from heaven, but the whole earth will precipitate the encounter."
How much human affairs
change when seen from this angle, even those that are happening in the world
today! Let us take the phenomenon, which so humiliates and saddens us Italians,
of organized crime. Recently, Roberto Saviano's book "Gomorrah
We saw in the past people
of the mafia accused of horrible crimes, defend themselves with a smile on
their lips, defeating the judges and courts, gaining strength by the lack of
evidence. As if, pretending to be candid before the human judges, they resolved
everything. If I could address them I would say: Don't delude yourselves, poor
unfortunate ones; you haven't accomplished a thing! The real judgment must
still begin. You may end your days in liberty, honored, and finally with a
splendid religious funeral, after having left hefty donations for charitable
works, but you will not have accomplished anything. The true Judge awaits you
behind the door, and you can't cheat him. God does not allow himself to be
bribed.
Hence, what Jesus says at
the end of his explanation of the parable of the weeds should be a reason for
consolation for the victims, and of healthy dread for the violent. "Just
as the weeds are gathered and burned with the fire, so will it be at the close
of the age. The Son of man will send his angels, and they will gather out of
his Kingdom all causes of sin and all evildoers, and throw them into the
furnace of fire; there men will weep and gnash their teeth. Then the righteous
will shine like the sun in the Kingdom of their Father." [Translation from the
Italian original by ZENIT]
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