Fourth Sunday of Lent Year B
Ir-4
Ħadd tar-Randan Sena B
Messalin B pp 160
In those days, all the princes of Judah, the priests, and
the people added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of
the nations and polluting the LORD's temple which he had consecrated in Jerusalem Jerusalem Babylon
L-Ewwel Qari - mit-Tieni Ktieb tal-Kronaki 36, 14-16,
19-23
F'dak iż-żmien, il-kbarat kollha tal-qassisin u l-poplu komplew jindinbu u jagħmlu
l-qżiżijiet kollha tal-ġnus, u niġġsu t-Tempju tal-Mulej li hu kien qaddes
f'Ġerusalemm. U billi
ġietu ħasra mill-poplu tiegħu, u mill-għamara tiegħu, il-Mulej, Alla ta' missirijiethom, kien ta' sikwit jibgħat iwiddibhom bil-messaġġiera tiegħu. Iżda huma kienu jiddieħku
bil-mibgħutin tiegħu, imaqdru kliemu, u jkasbru l-profeti tiegħu, sa ma saħnet il-korla
tal-Mulej għall-poplu tiegħu, hekk li ma
setgħux jeħilsuha aktar. U ħarqulhom
it-Tempju ta' Alla, ġarrfu s-swar ta'
Ġerusalemm, taw in-nar lill-palazzi kollha tagħha, u hekk qerdulha kull ma kellha
prezzjuż. U dawk li ħelsu mill-qerda
tax-xabla, Nabukodonosor eżiljahom lejn il-Babilonja, u baqgħu suġetti għalih u
għal uliedu, sa ma ġew jaħkmu fuqhom il-Persjani. Hekk seħħ dak li qal Alla b'fomm Ġermija: "Sakemm
tgawdi l-art il-mistrieħ ta' Sibtijietha, ma tinħadimx l-art iż-żmien
kollu tal-ħerba tagħha, sa ma jgħaddu sebgħin sena". Fl-ewwel sena
ta' Ċiru, sultan tal-Persja, biex isseħħ il-kelma tal-Mulej li kienet intqalet
b'fomm Ġeramija, il-Mulej qanqal lil
Ċiru, sultan tal-Persja, u dan xandar prokla fis-saltna tiegħu kollha, saħansitra bil-miktub, li kienet
igħid: "Dan igħid
Ċiru sultan tal-Persja: "Il-Mulej, Alla tas-sema, tani f'idejja s-saltniet kollha
ta' l-art, u hu qabbadni nibnilu tempju f'Ġerusalemm, li hi f'Ġuda.
Kull min minnkom hu mill-poplu
tiegħu, ħa jkun
il-Mulej miegħu, u jitla'." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm PSALM
137:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6.
By the streams of Babylon
we sat and wept
when we rememberedZion
On the aspens of that land
we hung up our harps.
we sat and wept
when we remembered
On the aspens of that land
we hung up our harps.
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever
forget you!
For there our captors asked of us
the lyrics of our songs,
And our despoilers urged us to be joyous:
"Sing for us the songs of
R. Let
my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
How could we sing a song of the LORD
in a foreign land?
If I forget you,
may my right hand be forgotten!
R. Let my tongue be silenced, if I ever
forget you!
May my tongue cleave to my palate
if I remember you not,
If I place not
ahead of my joy.
R. Let
my tongue be silenced, if I ever forget you!
Salm
Responsorjali - Salm
136(137)
F'xatt ix-xmajjar ta'
Babilonja,
hemm qgħadna bilqiegħda u bkejna,
aħna u niftakru f'Sijon.
Mas-siġar tal-luq tagħha,
dendilna ċ-ċetri tagħna.
R/ Jeħilli lsieni mas-saqaf ta' ħalqi,
jekk ma niftakarx fik, Ġerusalemm!
Għax hemm, dawk li jassruna,
talbuna ngħannulhom
xi għanja;
dawk li hemm
għakksuna
stennew minna għana
"Għannulna
mill-għana ta' Sijon"
R/ Jeħilli lsieni mas-saqaf ta' ħalqi,
jekk ma niftakarx fik, Ġerusalemm!
Kif nistgħu ngħannu l-għana tal-Mulej
f'art barranija?
Tibbiesli idi l-leminija,
jekk qatt ninsa lilek, Ġerusalemm!
R/ Jeħilli lsieni mas-saqaf ta' ħalqi,
jekk ma niftakarx fik, Ġerusalemm!
Jeħili lsieni mas-saqaf ta' ħalqi,
jekk ma niftakarx fik,
jekk ma nżommx 'il
Ġerusalemm
'il fuq minn
R/ Jeħilli lsieni mas-saqaf ta' ħalqi,
jekk ma niftakarx fik, Ġerusalemm!
Reading 2 EPHESIANS
2:4-10
Brothers and sisters: God, who is rich in mercy, because
of the great love he had for us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, brought
us to life with Christ -by grace you have been saved-, raised us up with him,
and seated us with him in the heavens in
Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He
might show the immeasurable riches of
his grace in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through
faith,and this is not from you; it is
the gift of God; it is not from works, so no one may boast. For we are his handiwork, created in Christ Jesus for the good works that God has prepared in advance, that we should live in
them.
It-Tieni Qari - mill-Ittra lill-Efesin 2, 4-10
Ħuti, Alla, għani
fil-ħniena tiegħu, bis-saħħa tal-imħabba
kbira li biha ħabbna, meta aħna konna
mejta minħabba fi dnubietna, tana
ħajja ġdida flimkien ma' Kristu – bi grazzja intom salvi.Qajjimna miegħu u qegħedna fis-smewwiet ma' Kristu
Ġesu', biex juri fiż-żminijiet li ġejjin
l-għana bla qjies tal-grazzja tiegħu
bit-tjieba li wera magħna fi Kristu Ġesu'. Intom salvi bil-grazzja, permezz tal-fidi; u
dan mhux bis-saħħa tagħkom, imma b'don ta' Alla; mhux bl-opri, biex ħadd ma
jiftaħar. Aħna ħolqien tiegħu, maħluqa
fi Kristu Ġesu' biex nagħmlu l-opri tajba li Alla ħejjielna minn qabel li għandna nagħmlu.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel JOHN
3:14-21
Jesus said to Nicodemus: "Just as Moses lifted up the
serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone
who believes in him may have eternal life." For God so loved the world
that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish
but might have eternal life. For God did
not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him will not be
condemned, but whoever does not believe has already been ondemned, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son
of God. And this is the verdict, that the light came into the world, but people preferred darkness to light, because
their works were evil. For everyone who
does wicked things hates the light and does
not come toward the light, so that his
works might not be exposed. But whoever
lives the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be clearly seen as
done in God.
F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lil Nikodemu: "Kif Mose' rafa' s-serp fid-deżert, hekk
jeħtieġ li jkun
merfugħ Bin il-bniedem, biex kull min jemmen fih ikollu l-ħajja ta' dejjem. Għax
Alla hekk ħabb lid-dinja li ta lil Ibnu l-waħdieni, biex kull min jemmen fiħ ma jintilifx, iżda
jkollu l-ħajja ta' dejjem. Għax
Alla ma bagħatx lil Ibnu fid-dinja biex jagħmel ħaqq mid-dinja, imma
biex id-dinja ssalva permezz tiegħu .Min jemmen fih ma jkunx ikkundannat, iżda min ma jemminx huwa
ġa kkundannat, għax ma emminx fl-isem tal-Iben il-waħdieni ta' Alla. U l-ġudizzju
hu dan: li d–dawl ġie fid-dinja, imma l-bnedmin ħabbew id-dlam aktar
mid-dawl, għax l-għemil tagħhom kien ħażin.
Għax kull min jagħmel il-ħażen
jobgħod id-dawl, u ma jersaqx lejn id-dawl, biex għemilu ma jinkixifx. Imma min
jagħmel is-sewwa jersaq lejn id-dawl, biex juri li hemm Alla
f'għemilu". Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
////////////////////////////////////////////////
Nicodemus'
Search for the "Soul of Theology"
Commentary by Fr. Thomas
Rosica, CSB
The Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Lent (Year B) features a nocturnal
conversation between two important religious teachers: on the one hand a
notable "teacher of Israel
Nicodemus came to Jesus at night. His prominent role and position in the
national cabinet called the Sanhedrin made him the custodian of a great
tradition. He was expected by many to be a national expert on God!
It is important to provide some background for the Gospel passage for
this Sunday. The conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus is one of the most
significant dialogues of the New Testament and his coming to Jesus secretly at
night suggests the darkness of unbelief. The whole visit and conversation are
shrouded in ambiguity and the Johannine penchant for strong contrasts such as
darkness and light can be seen in this highly symbolic story.
Jesus speaks to Nicodemus of the need to experience the presence of God
and offer oneself to him. Knowing God is much more than a gathering of
theological information and data about him. In speaking about being born again
from above, Jesus does not mean that one must reenter the mother's womb for a
second time; but Jesus refers to a rebirth, which the Spirit of God makes
possible.
Lifted up
In today's Gospel text, Jesus tells Nicodemus, and all who will hear
this story in future generations, that the Son of Man must be lifted up on a
pole so that people may gaze upon him and find healing and peace. During Israel
What lesson does Nicodemus teach us today? He alerts us to what happens
when we buy into a system and try to "master" theology, scripture,
tradition, rules and regulations. He teaches us that courses in religion and
theology are no substitute for faith and conviction. For Nicodemus, God is much
more than information and data -- God is first and foremost a friend, a lover, a
Lord and a Savior, who patiently waits for us by day, and even by night. Rather
than approaching Scripture as something to master, we must allow the Word of
God to master us.
We know nothing more about Nicodemus, except that months afterward, he
is able to postpone the inevitable clash between Jesus and the Sanhedrin. Later
on, Nicodemus assists Joseph of Arimathea in retrieving the broken body of the
dead Jesus.
Nicodemus and the Synod on the Word of God
I cannot help but read the story of Nicodemus in light of the Synod of
Bishops on the Word of God in the Life and Mission Vatican 's
English language media attaché for the Synod of Bishops in October 2008 in Rome
At the synod, the Holy Father and the bishops of the world addressed the
present impasse in Scriptural studies, often caused by the atomization and
dissection of the Scriptures, and a lack of integration of biblical studies
with faith, the liturgy and lived spirituality. If Biblical texts are read and
taught only for their historical and philological accuracy or inaccuracy, we
fail to read the Bible as a book of faith that is the privileged possession of
a living, breathing, praying community. We run the risk of selectivist and
relativist interpretations of God's Word.
Over my many years of lecturing in Scripture at the Graduate School of
Theology of the University of St. Michael's College in Toronto, Canada,
numerous students confided in me that their Scripture courses were
"without a soul," divorced from the reality of the Church and
unrelated to her liturgical life. Their simple yet revealing comments pointed
toward one of the significant themes evoked during the Synod of Bishops on the
Word of God.
On October 14, 2008, Benedict XVI shared some profound reflections on
this very topic. In his brief, crystal-clear address to the whole assembly at
the Vatican
Referring to "Dei Verbum," the Dogmatic Constitution on Divine
Revelation, the Pope reaffirmed unequivocally of the importance of the
historical-critical method that finds its roots in John 1:14, the Word becoming
flesh. Nothing that can help us understand the Biblical text should be excluded
as long as the purpose of the different approaches and their limits are kept
clear.
All the while the Pope was speaking, the New Testament figure of
Nicodemus was on my mind, as well as numerous other personalities who were led
by Jesus beyond theories, systems, structures into the encounter with the
living Lord who is the Word among us. Nicodemus certainly had an endless amount
of knowledge and learning, and he developed a great system of religion in which
God is categorized and analyzed. Jesus does not say that this is evil or even
undesirable. He simply says that it is not enough.
Ever since my years of study at the Pontifical Biblical Institute in Rome
Those words serve as a measure and guide for each of us, as we study
theology and the Word of God, and allow the Word to master us. May our
knowledge, learning, science and intelligence humbly lead us into an encounter,
by day and by night, with Jesus Christ, the ultimate goal of our journey.
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