Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary
Time
Il-Ħdax-il Ħadd matul
is-Sena (B)
Messalin
'B' pp393
Reading 1 Eziekiel
17:22-24
Thus
says the Lord GOD: I, too, will take from the crest of the cedar, from its
topmost branches tear off a tender shoot, and plant it on a high and lofty
mountain; on the mountain heights of Israel
L-Ewwel Lezzjoni
= mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta
Eżekjel 17, 22-24
Dan
jgħid Sidi l-Mulej: "Jien naqta' mill-quċċata taċ-ċedru l-għoli, minn
Responsorial Psalm PSALM
92:2-3, 13-14, 15-16
R. (cf. 2a)
Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
It
is good to give thanks to the LORD,
to
sing praise to your name, Most High,
To
proclaim your kindness at dawn
and
your faithfulness throughout the night. R.
The
just one shall flourish like the palm tree,
like
a cedar of Lebanon shall he grow.
They
that are planted in the house of the LORD
shall
flourish in the courts of our God. R.
They
shall bear fruit even in old age;
vigorous
and sturdy shall they be,
Declaring
how just is the LORD,
my
rock, in whom there is no wrong. R.
Salm Responsorjali Salm
91(92)
R/ Tajjeb li nfaħhru l-Mulej.
Tajjeb
li nfaħħru l-Mulej,
li
ngħannu lil ismek, into l-Għoli,
inxandru
filgħodu t-tjieba tiegħek,
u
billejl il-fedela' tiegħek. R/
Il-bniedem
ġust bħall-palma jħaddar,
bħal
ċedru tal-Libanu jikber.
Imħawlin
f'dar il-Mulej,
Iħaddru
fil-btiħi tat-tempju ta' Alla tagħna. R/
Sa
fu xjuħithom il-frott jagħmlu,
kollhom
ħajja u ħdura,
bieix
ixandru li ġust hu l-Mulej, blata tiegħi,
u
ebda qerq ma jinsab fih. R/
Reading 2 2Corinthians
5:6-10
Brothers
and sisters: We are always courageous, although we know that while we are at
home in the body we are away from the Lord, for we walk by faith, not by sight.
Yet we are courageous, and we would rather leave the body and go home to the
Lord. Therefore, we aspire to please him, whether we are at home or away. For
we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each may receive
recompense, according to what he did in the body, whether good or evil. This is the Word of the Lord.
It-Tieni Lezzjoni
Qari mit-Tieni Ittra
lill-Korintin 5, 6-10
Ħuti,
aħna dejjem qalbna qawwija u nafu li sakemm
indumu mlibbsa b'dan il-ġisem, nibqgħu 'l bogħod mill-Mulej – għahx aħna
ngħixu bil-fidi u mhux bil-viżjoni. Aħna qalbna qawwija u persważi li aħjar
noħorġu minn minn
Gospel Mark
4:26-34
Jesus
said to the crowds: "This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as
if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and
day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how. Of its
own accord the land yields fruit, first the blade, then the ear, then the full
grain in the ear. And when the grain is ripe, he wields the sickle at once, for
the harvest has come." He said, "To what shall we compare the kingdom
of God, or what parable can we use for it? It is like a mustard seed that, when
it is sown in the ground, is the smallest of all the seeds on the earth. But
once it is sown, it springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth
large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade." With
many such parables he spoke the word to them as they were able to understand
it. Without parables he did not speak to them, but to his own disciples he
explained everything in private. This is
the Word of the Lord.
L-Evanġelju
Qari skont San Mark 4, 26-34
F'dak
iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lill-kotrao tan-nies:
"Is-Saltna ta' Alla hi bħal meta raġel ikun xeħet iż-żerriegħa
fl-art. Rieqed jew imqajjem, billejl jew binhar, iż-żerriegħa tinbet u tikber,
bla ma jaf kif. L-art trodd minnha
nfisha l-ewwel il-barma, imbagħad
is-sbula, imbagħad il-qamħ mimli
fis-sbula. U meta l-frott isir, malajr
il-bidwi jmidd idu għall-minġel, għax
ikun wasal żmien il-ħsad. U qal:
"Ma xiex sejrin inqabbluha s-Saltna ta' Alla, jew b'liema parabbola
nifssurha? Qisha żerriegħa
tal-ressquhom lejk mill-gdid.
mustarda; din meta tinżara fil-ħamrija,
hi l-iċken fost iż-żrieragħ kollha fuq l-art;
imma wara li tinżara' tikber u
ssir l-akbar waħda fost il-ħxejjex kollha, u toħroġ friegħi wesgħin, hekk li
l-għasafar tal-ajru jkunu jistgħu jistkennu għad-dell tagħha." B'ħafna parabboli bħal dawn
kien ixandrilhom il-kelma, kif kienu jistgħu jifhmuha huma, u mingħajr xi
parabbola ma kienx ikellimhom; imma
lid-dixxipli tiegħu, meta kien ikun waħdu
magħhom, kien ifissrilhom kollox.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
///////////////////////////////////////// A reflection by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB
The Slow Progress in the Growth of
God’s Kingdom
The
growth of plants, trees, flowers, and grass takes place very quietly and
slowly, without our knowing. This growth permeates three of the four readings
for this Sunday (Ezekiel 17:22-24, Psalm 92, Mark 4:26-34). Let us look at each
of these three readings, then apply the plant images to the growth of God’s
kingdom in our midst.
This
Sunday's first reading from Ezekiel (17:22-24) is part of a lengthy allegory
that combines fables from nature with concrete historical judgments, thus
enabling the prophet to include the promise of future restoration in the
historical framework of Judah’s own experience. In the midst of Israel Judah Mount Zion
in Jerusalem Jerusalem , atop the highest mountain of Israel
The
God of Israel always does the unexpected – bringing low the high tree and
making high the low. God makes desert areas bloom and makes what may be
superficially blooming wither (Ezekiel 17:24). God restores broken hearts and
decimated hopes. Though the prophet Ezekiel's words referred at first to the
hopes of ancient Israel
We
believe that the full realization of God’s kingdom is found in Jesus of
Nazareth, Son of Abraham and Son of David, who came to establish the kingdom in
our midst. God’s kingdom in Jesus grows in a hidden, mysterious way,
independently of human efforts. The prophet Ezekiel’s words stir our hearts and
minds, and remind us of God’s constant fidelity, especially when growth seems
delayed or even impossible: “I the Lord have spoken, and I will do it” (17:24).
Our homeland is the Lord
So
too with us - God is mysteriously drawing us towards our heavenly homeland.
From this earthly home we prepare for our heavenly home; heaven is constantly
calling us forward, instilling within us a deep longing to be with the Lord
while we are still in the flesh here below. Paul's message speaks to us today:
it is only from this earthly home that we will learn and prepare for the
heavenly home; the way that we live our lives here and now with the Lord will
be a very good indication of how we will spend our eternity with Him.
The
assurance of the harvest
In
today’s well-known Gospel story of the sower, Jesus announces the fulfillment
of Ezekiel's hopes, though with a kingdom even more unexpected than Ezekiel
could ever imagine. This new kingdom would not be rooted in a geographical or
political reality, but rather in human hearts. In today's parable of the sower,
Mark (4:26-34) links two of Jesus' parables, featuring the image of a growing
seed to speak of the kingdom
of God kingdom
of God
The
mustard seed
The
second parable is better known. Jesus uses the mustard seed to show the
beginnings of the kingdom, exaggerating both the smallness of the mustard seed
and the size of the mustard plant. The mustard seed is really not the smallest
seed and the plant is only bush, not a tall tree. Jesus used this image to show
that the kingdom will grow and flourish even though its beginnings seem very
small and insignificant. The seed in Jesus' hand is tiny, simple, and
unimpressive. Yet the Kingdom
of God
From
these small seeds will arise the great success of the Kingdom of God kingdom of God
The
Lord uses the vivid image of the mustard seed to speak about our faith. When we
have faith, the Lord will accomplish great things in us. Whenever and wherever
we take ourselves and our efforts too seriously, seeking by our plans and
programs to “bring forth the kingdom
of God
The silent and vigorous growth of
the Church
I
was very struck by Pope Benedict XVI’s use of the mustard seed imagery in his
interview with journalists aboard the Papal flight to Madrid , Spain
“God
always sows in silence. The results are not immediately apparent in the
statistics. And the seed the Lord scatters on the ground with the World Youth
Days is like the seed of which he speaks in the Gospel: some seeds fell along
the path and were lost; some fell on rocky ground and were lost, some fell upon
thorns and were lost; but other seeds fell on good soil and brought forth
abundant fruit.
It
is exactly like this with the sowing of the WYDs: a great deal is lost — and
this is human. To borrow other words from the Lord: the mustard seed was small,
but it grew and became a great tree. And with yet other words: of course, a
great deal is lost, we cannot say straight away that there will be an immense
growth of the Church tomorrow. God does not act in this way. However, the
Church grows in silence and vigorously. I know from other World Youth Days that
a great many friendships were born, friendships for life; a great many
experiences that God exists. And let us place trust in this silent growth, and
we may be certain, even if the statistics do not tell us much, that the Lord’s
seed really grows and will be for very many people the beginning of a
friendship with God and with others, of a universality of thought, of a common
responsibility which really shows us that these days do bear fruit.”
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