Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
It-13-il Ħadd matul
is-Sena
Messalin 'B' 404
God did not make death, nor
does he rejoice in the destruction of the living. For he fashioned all things
that they might have being; and the creatures of the world are wholesome, and
there is not a destructive drug among them nor any domain of the netherworld on
earth, for justice is undying. For God formed man to be imperishable; the image
of his own nature he made him. But by the envy of the devil, death entered the
world, and they who belong to his company experience it.
L-Ewwel
Lezzjoni Qari mill-Ktieb tal-Għerf 1, 13-15; 2,23-25
Il-mewt mhux Alla għamilha; u lanqas togħġbu l-qerda
tal-ħajjin. Hu ħalaq kollox biex jgħix; għall-ħajja huma l-ħlejjaq tad-dinja,
m'hemmx fihom velenu tal-mewt. Is-saltan tal-mewt ta taħkimx fuq l-art, għax
il-ġustizzja ma taqax taħt il-mewt. Alla ħalaq il-bniedem biex ma jmutx, u għamlu
xbieha tiegħu nnifsu. Bl-għejra tax-xitan daħlet il-mewt fid-dinja; u jafu xi
tfisser dawk li huma tiegħu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial
Psalm PSALM 30:2, 4, 5-6, 11,
12, 13
I will extol you, O LORD,
for you drew me clear
and did not let my enemies
rejoice over me.
O LORD, you brought me up
from the netherworld;
you preserved me from among
those going down into the pit.
R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued
me.
Sing praise to the LORD, you
his faithful ones,
and give thanks to his holy
name.
For his anger lasts but a
moment;
a lifetime, his good will.
At nightfall, weeping enters
in,
but with the dawn,
rejoicing.
R. (2a)
I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued me.
Hear, O LORD, and have pity
on me;
O LORD, be my helper.
You changed my mourning into
dancing;
O LORD, my God, forever will
I give you thanks.
R. (2a) I will praise you, Lord, for you have rescued
me.
Salm
Responsorjali Salm 29(30)
Ngħollik, Mulej, għax
erfajtni,
u ma ferraħtx l-għedewwa tiegħi bija.
Mulej,
tellejtli mill-mewt 'il ruħi,
ħlistni minn
R/ Ngħollik, Mulej, għax erfajtni
Għannu lill-Mulej, ħbieb tiegħu,
faħhru l-isem qaddis tiegħu.
Għax ftit iddum is-saħna tiegħu,
iżda għomor sħiħ l-imħabba tiegħu.
Filgħaxija jidħol il-biki,
filgħodu jidwi l-għajjat ta' ferħ.
R/ Ngħollik, Mulej, għax erfajtni
Ismagħni, Mulej, u ħenn għalija;
kun, Mulej,
l-għajnuna tiegħi.
Int
bdilt fi żfin l-għali tiegħi,
Mulej, Alla tiegħi, infaħħrek għal dejjem!
R/ Ngħollik, Mulej, għax erfajtni
Reading 2 2
Corinthians 8:7, 9, 13-15
Brothers and sisters:As you
excel in every respect, in faith, discourse, knowledge, all earnestness, and in
the love we have for you, may you excel in this gracious act also. For you know
the gracious act of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, for your
sake he became poor, so that by his poverty you might become rich. Not that
others should have relief while you are burdened, but that as a matter of
equality your abundance at the present time should supply their needs, so that
their abundance may also supply your needs, that there may be equality. As it
is written: Whoever had much did not have more, and whoever had little did not
have less.
It-Tieni
Lezzjoni Qari mit-2 Ittra lill-Korintin 8,7-9, 13-15
Ħuti,
bħalma intom għonja f'kollox, fil-fidi u fil-kelma, fl-għerf u biż-żelu kollu,
fl-imħabba li aħna rawwimna f'qalbhom,
hekk għandkom tistagħnu f'din il-ħidma
ta' ħniena. Intom tafu l-grazzja ta' Sidna Ġesu' Kristu, li għad li kien għani,
ftaqar minħabba fikom, sabiex intom tistagħnu permezz tal-faqar tiegħu. Mhux
biex il-piż iħeff minn
Gospel Mark
5:21-43
When Jesus had crossed again
in the boat to the other side, a large crowd gathered around him, and he stayed
close to the sea. One of the synagogue officials, named Jairus, came forward.
Seeing him he fell at his feet and pleaded earnestly with him, saying, "My
daughter is at the point of death. Please, come lay your hands on her that she
may get well and live." He went off with him, and a large crowd followed
him and pressed upon him. There was a woman afflicted with hemorrhages for
twelve years. She had suffered greatly at the hands of many doctors and had
spent all that she had. Yet she was not helped but only grew worse. She had
heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak.
She said, "If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured." Immediately
her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her
affliction. Jesus, aware at once that power had gone out from him, turned
around in the crowd and asked, "Who has touched my clothes?" But his
disciples said to Jesus, "You see how the crowd is pressing upon you, and
yet you ask, 'Who touched me?'" And he looked around to see who had done
it. The woman, realizing what had happened to her, approached in fear and
trembling. She fell down before Jesus and told him the whole truth. He said to
her, "Daughter, your faith has saved you. Go in peace and be cured of your
affliction." While he was still speaking, people from the synagogue
official's house arrived and said, "Your daughter has died; why trouble
the teacher any longer?" Disregarding the message that was reported, Jesus
said to the synagogue official, "Do not be afraid; just have faith."
He did not allow anyone to accompany him inside except Peter, James, and John,
the brother of James. When they arrived at the house of the synagogue official,
he caught sight of a commotion, people weeping and wailing loudly. So he went
in and said to them, "Why this commotion and weeping? The child is not
dead but asleep." And they ridiculed him. Then he put them all out. He
took along the child's father and mother and those who were with him and entered
the room where the child was. He took the child by the hand and said to her,
"Talitha koum," which means, "Little girl, I say to you,
arise!" The girl, a child of twelve, arose immediately and walked around.
At that they were utterly astounded. He gave strict orders that no one should
know this and told them to give her some food to eat.
L-Evanġelju Qari skont
San Mark 5, 21-43)
F'dak iż-żmien, wara li Ġesu' raġa' qasam fid-dgħajsa għax-xatt l-ieħor, waqt li kien ħdjen il-baħar
inġabret madwaru kotra kbira ta'
nies. U ġie wieħed mill-kapijiet
tas-sinagoga, jismu Ġajru. Dan malli rah, inxteħet f'riġlejh, u talbu ħafna
u qallu: "Binti ż-żgħira waslet fl-aħħar; ejja qiegħed idejk fuqha, ħalli tfiq u tgħix." U Ġesu' telaq miegħu, b'kotra kbira miexja
warajh, kulħadd iross fuqu. U kien hemm mara li kienet ilha tnax-il sena sħaħ
tbati bit-tnixxija tad-demm.
Kienet batiet wisq taħt ħafna
tobba, u nefqet kulma kellha, u mhux biss ma swielha xejn, imma talli marret għall-agħar. Meta semgħet b'Ġesu', ġiet qalb il-folla,
resqet minn
////////////////////////////////////////////////////
"Young woman, arise! Live and love
again!"
A reflection by Fr Thomas Rosica
Last week we witnessed
Jesus’ divine power at work on the forces of nature [Mark 4:37-41]. Sunday’s
Gospel stories for the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time reveal his power over
disease and death. In these powerful accounts, Jesus reminds us of the
importance of faith. Nothing is possible without faith. On the way to Jairus'
house, [Mark 5] Jesus encounters interruptions, delays, and even obstacles
along the road. The people in Mark 5 transfer their uncleanness to Jesus, and
to each Jesus bestows the cleansing wholeness of God. Let us consider for a
moment each situation.
The woman with hemorrhage
Jesus’ miraculous healing of
this woman who had been hemorrhaging for 12 years is narrated in three of the
four Gospels (Mt 9:20–22; Mk 5:25–34; Lk 8:43–48). The law regarded three forms
of uncleanness as serious enough to exclude the infected person from society:
leprosy, uncleanness caused by bodily discharges, and impurity resulting from
contact with the dead (Num. 5:2-4). The woman in Mark 5 had a disease that made
her ritually unclean (Leviticus 15:25-27). It would have excluded her from most
social contact and worship at the temple. She desperately wanted Jesus to heal
her, but she knew that her bleeding would cause Jesus to become ritually
unclean under Jewish law.
Anyone who had one of the
diseases was made unclean. Anything or anyone that one touched became unclean.
Those who were unclean also suffered from estranged relationships with others
and with God. Anything unclean was unfit or unworthy to be in the presence of a
God who was holy. Those deemed unclean had to go through a rite of purification
or cleansing in order to be welcomed back into society and into the presence of
God.
The woman’s bold invasion of
Jesus' space, and her touching of Jesus' garment, thus making Jesus unclean,
could have put him off. On the contrary, Jesus not only heals the woman but
also restores her relationships with others. When Jesus calls the woman
"daughter," he established a relationship with one with whom he
should not have a relationship.
Jairus’ daughter
The very touching story of
Jairus' Daughter is “sandwiched” in the story about the hemorrhaging woman.
Jairus was an elected leader of the local synagogue, responsible for
supervising the weekly worship, operating the school, and caring for the
building. Some synagogue leaders had been pressured not to support Jesus but
Jairus had not caved into that pressure. Jairus bowed before Jesus and uttered
his anguished request for help: "My daughter is at the point of death.
Please, come lay your hands on her that she may get well and live."
Jairus’ gesture was a significant and daring act of respect and worship.
The story continues: “Jesus
took the child by the hand, and said to her, 'Talitha koum,' which means,
'Little girl, I say to you, arise!' The girl arose immediately and walked
around" (5:41-42). By calling her "little girl," he established
the same kind of relationship with her as Jairus has with his daughter.
In each situation, Jesus'
holiness transforms the person’s uncleanness. The flow of blood is stopped. The
woman is healed. The corpse comes back to life. The young girl gets out of bed.
Jesus raises each person up to his level, making that individual worthy to be
in the presence of God.
Jesus,
the healer
In so many of the healing
stories, Jesus manifests the power to give people health, healing and even to
bring the dead back to life. Remember the young man of Nain in Luke 7 who had
died. Jesus said, "'Young man, I tell you, arise!' The dead man sat up and
began to speak." Jesus responded to the cries of the leper who begged him,
"If you will, you can cure me!" Moved with compassion, Jesus gave a
word of command which was proper to God and not to a mere human being: "'I
do will it. Be made clean!' The leprosy left him immediately, and he was made
clean" (cf. Mk 1:40-42). How can we forget the case of the paralytic who
was let down through an opening made in the roof of the house, Jesus said,
"I say to you, rise, pick up your mat, and go home" (cf. Mk 2:1-12).
Jesus’ story continues in
the Acts of the Apostles when we hear about people who "carried the sick
out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by,
at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them" (Acts 5:15).
These "wonders and signs" were performed by the Apostles not in their
own name, but in the name of Jesus Christ, and were therefore a further proof
of his divine power.
"Talitha koum"
The story of Jairus’
daughter not only speaks about the death of a child and the raising of that
young girl back to life, but it also speaks about death of the heart and
spirit, a disease that affects so many young people today. Those powerful words
: "Talitha koum," "Little girl, arise," are not only
addressed to this little girl in Mark’s story, but also to many young people,
perhaps to each one of us. How many young children live with fear and sadness
because of divided family situations, tragedy and loss! How many young people
are caught up in vicious cycles of death : drugs, abortion, pornography,
violence, gangs and suicide. Today our young people are afflicted with anxiety,
discouragement and other serious psychological and even physical illnesses in
alarming ways. Many don’t know what joy, love hope and truth really mean any
more.
Sadness, pessimism,
cynicism, meaninglessness, the desire not to live, are always bad things, but
when we see or hear young people express them, our hearts are even more heavy
and sad. Living in a big city like Toronto
Jesus continues today to
resurrect those dead young people to life. He does so with his word, and also
by sending them his disciples who, in his name, and with his very love, repeat
to today's young people his cry: "Talitha koum," "young man,
young woman, arise! Live again! Love again! You are loved!"
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