Wisdom comes to those who search for it

Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 154

It-Tnejn u Tletin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena

Reading 1                                                                                                                                                 Wisdom 6:12-16                                                                                                                                 Resplendent and unfading is wisdom, and she is readily perceived by those who love her, and found by those who seek her. She hastens to make herself known in anticipation of their desire; Whoever watches for her at dawn shall not be disappointed, for he shall find her sitting by his gate. For taking thought of wisdom is the perfection of prudence, and whoever for her sake keeps vigil shall quickly be free from care; because she makes her own rounds, seeking those worthy of her, and graciously appears to them in the ways, and meets them with all solicitude.

Qari I                                                                                                                                                  Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Għerf 6,  12-16                                                                                               L-għerf jiddi, bla qatt ma jnemnem, malajr jagħrfuh dawk li jħobbuh, u jsibuh dawk li jfittxuh. Hu jħabrek biex jidher lil dawk li jixtiquh. Min ibakkar ifittxu, ma jitħabatx, għax ħdejn biebu bilqiegħda jsibu. L-aqwa tal-għaqal hu li taħseb fl-għerf, u min jishar għalih malajr jeħles mill-inkwiet. L-għerf idur u jfittex lil dawk li jixirqulu, kollu ħlewwa jidhrilhom fit-triq, u iltaqa’maghhom f’kull hsieb tagħhom. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                                                                                                                           PSALM 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8

O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
            R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
            R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
            R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

I will remember you upon my couch,
and through the night-watches I will meditate on you:
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
            R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.

Salm Responsorjali

Salm 62 (63), 2.3-4.5-6.7-8  

Alla, Alla tiegħi int; lilek ħerqan infittex.

Ruħi bil-għatx għalik,

għalik imxennaq jiena,

bħal art niexfa, maħruqa, bla ilma   .

   R/. (2b): Mulej, Alla tiegħi, ruħi bil-għatx għalik

Għalhekk ġejt narak fit-tempju mqaddes tiegħek,

biex nitgħaxxaq bis-setgħa u l-glorja tiegħek.

Għax it-tjieba tiegħek aħjar mill-ħajja,

xufftejja jxandru t-tifħir tiegħek.

R/. (2b): Mulej, Alla tiegħi, ruħi bil-għatx għalik.

  

Għalhekk inbierkek tul ħajti kollha;

ngħolli idejja u nsejjaħ ismek.

Bħal b’ikel mill-aħjar li jsemmen nimtela,

u jgħannilek fommi b’xufftejn ferrieħa.

   R/. (2b): Mulej, Alla tiegħi, ruħi bil-għatx għalik

Meta, mimdud fuq friexi, fik niftakar,

u naħseb fuqek fis-sahriet tal-lejl.

Għax inti kont għajnuna għalija,

għad-dell ta’ ġwenħajk ngħanni bil-ferħ.

R/. (2b): Mulej, Alla tiegħi, ruħi bil-għatx għalik

Reading 2                                                                                                                                                  1 Thessalonians 4:13-18                                                                                                               We do not want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, about those who have fallen asleep, so that you may not grieve like the rest, who have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose, so too will God, through Jesus, bring with him those who have fallen asleep.  Indeed, we tell you this, on the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will surely not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself, with a word of command, with the voice of an archangel and with the trumpet of God, will come down from heaven, and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive, who are left, will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. Thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore, console one another with these words.

Qari  II     

1 Tessalonkin 4, 13-18

Ma rridux li ma tkunux tafu, ħuti, fuq il-mejtin biex ma ssewdux qalbkom bħall-oħrajn li ma għandhomx tama. Jekk aħna nemmnu li Ġesu miet u qam mill-imwiet, hekk ukoll Alla jiġbor miegħu lil dawk li raqdu f'Ġesu. Dan ngħidulkom fuq il-kelma tal-Mulej, jiġifieri li aħna li nkunu għadna hawn ħajjin għall-miġja tal-Mulej, ma mmorrux qabel dawk li jkunu raqdu. Għaliex il-Mulej innifsu mal-kmand, mal-leħen ta' l-arkanġlu u t-tromba ta' Alla, jinżel mis-sema, u dawk li jkunu mietu fi Kristu jqumu l-ewwel. Imbagħad aħna li nkunu ħajjin, li nkunu għadna hawn, ninħatfu magħhom fis-sħab biex niltaqgħu mal-Mulej fl-ajru. Hekk inkunu dejjem mal-Mulej. Agħmlu l-qalb lil xulxin b'dan il-kliem. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                                                                                                                          Matthew 25:1-13

Jesus told his disciples this parable: "The kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones, when taking their lamps, brought no oil with them, but the wise brought flasks of oil with their lamps. Since the bridegroom was long delayed, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.At midnight, there was a cry, 'Behold, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!' Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, 'Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.' But the wise ones replied, 'No, for there may not be enough for us and you. Go instead to the merchants and buy some for yourselves.'  While they went off to buy it, the bridegroom came  and those who were ready went into the wedding feast with him. Then the door was locked. Afterwards the other virgins came and said, 'Lord, Lord, open the door for us!' But he said in reply, 'Amen, I say to you, I do not know you.'  Therefore, stay awake, for you know neither the day nor the hour."

Evanġelju

Qari skond Mattew  25, 1-13

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu din il-parabbola: Is-Saltna tas-Smewwiet ixebbhuha ma' għaxar xebbiet li ħarġu bl-imsiebaħ tagħhom biex jilqgħu l-għarus. Ħamsa minnhom kienu boloh u ħamsa għaqlin, il-boloh ħadu l-imsiebaħ imma ma ħadux żejt magħhom, waqt li l-għaqlin ħadu mhux biss l-imsiebaħ iżda wkoll iż-żejt fil-kwies. L-għarus iddawwar ma ġie, u għalhekk ilkoll ħadhom in-ngħas u raqdu. Imbagħad f'nofs ta' lejl instama' min jgħajjat: Ara l-għarus! Oħorġu ilqgħuh!. Dawk ix-xebbiet qamu lkoll u ħejjew l-imsiebaħ tagħhom. Iżda l-boloh qalu lill-għaqlin: agħtuna ftit żejt minn tagħkom, għax l-imsiebaħ tagħna jintfew. Qabżu l-għaqlin u qalu: Għandu mnejn ma jibqax biżżejjed, la għalina u lanqas għalikom! L-aħjar morru għand tal-ħanut u ixtru għalikom.  X'ħin dawk marru biex jixtru jiġi l-għarus; dawk li kienu lesti daħlu miegħu għall-festa tat-tieġ, u l-bieb ingħalaq. Saflaħħar waslu wkoll ix-xebbiet l-oħra, u bdew jgħidu: Sinjur, Sinjur, iftħilna!. Iżda hu weġibhom u qal: Tassew, ngħidilkom, lilkom ma nafkomx. Ishru, mela, għaliex la tafu l-jum u lanqas is-siegħa.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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“Where Are We Going?” 

In his commentary on this Sunday’s liturgical readings, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, the preacher of the Pontifical Household, discusses the parable of the 10 virgins.

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When commenting on the parable of the 10 virgins, we do not want to emphasize so much what differentiates the young maidens (five are wise, and five are foolish), as what unites them: All are going out to meet the bridegroom.  This allows us to reflect on a fundamental aspect of Christian life ― its eschatological orientation, that is, the expectation of the Lord’s return and our encounter with him. It helps us to respond to the eternal and disturbing question: Who are we and where are we going?

Scripture says that in this life we are “foreign pilgrims,” we are “parishioners,” as “paroikos” is the word of the New Testament that is translated as pilgrim and exile (cf. 1 Peter 2:11), and “paroikia” (parish) is the translation of pilgrimage or exile (cf. 1 Peter 1:17).

The meaning is clear. In Greek, “para” is an adverb and it means next. “Oikia” is a subject and it means house. Therefore, it means to live next to, or near, not inside, but beside. For this reason, the term indicates someone who lives in a place for a time, the passer-by, or the exile; “paroikia” indicates, therefore, a provisional house.

The life of Christians is a life of pilgrimage and exile. Christians are “in” the world, but not “of” the world (cf. John 17:11,16). Their true homeland is in heaven, and they await Jesus Christ the savior to come (cf. Philippians 3:20). They do not have a stable dwelling, but are on the way to their future one (cf. Hebrews 13:14). The whole Church is no more than a great “parish.”

The second-century letter to Diogenes defines Christians as men who “inhabit their own homelands, but as foreigners; they participate in everything as citizens, but endure everything as foreigners; every foreign land is their homeland, and every homeland is foreign to them.” It is, however, a special way of being “foreign.”

Some thinkers of the age also defined man as a “foreigner in the world by nature.” But the difference is enormous: The latter considered the world as the work of evil, and because of this, they did not recommend commitment to it as expressed in marriage, in work, in the state. There is nothing of all this in the Christian. Christians, the letter says, “marry as everyone and beget children,” “they take part in everything.”

Their way of being “foreign” is eschatological, not ontological. Namely, the Christian feels himself a foreigner by vocation, not by nature, in as much as he is destined to another world, and not in so far as he proceeds from another world. The Christian sentiment of acknowledging oneself foreign is founded on the resurrection of Christ: “If then you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above” (Colossians 3:1). That is why he does not reject creation in its fundamental goodness.

In recent times, the rediscovery of the role and commitment of Christians in the world has contributed to attenuate the eschatological meaning, to the point that there is almost no talk of the last things: death, judgment, hell and paradise. But when the expectation of the Lord’s return is genuinely biblical, it does not distract from the commitment to brothers; rather, it purifies it.

It teaches to “judge with wisdom the goods of the earth, orienting ourselves always toward the goods of heaven.” St. Paul, after reminding Christians that “the time is short,” concluded saying: “So then, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men, and especially to those who are of the household of faith” (Galatians 6:10).

To live awaiting the Lord’s return does not even mean to want to die soon. “To seek the things that are above” means, rather, to orient one’s life in view of the encounter with the Lord, to make this event the pole of attraction, the beacon of life. The “when” is secondary, and must be left to the will of God. [Italian original published in Famiglia Cristiana; translation by ZENIT] 

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