Twenty-first
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Il-21 Ħadd
matul is-Sena B
Messalin B pp446
JOSHUA
24:1-2a, 15-17, 18b
Joshua gathered together all the tribes of Israel land
of Egypt
L-Ewwel Qari
mill-Ktieb ta' Ġożwe 24, 1-2; 15-17)
F'dak iż-żmien: Ġożwe' ġema'
t-tribujiet kollha ta' Israel minn dar il-jasar, u
li għamel quddiemna stess dawk il-ħwejjeġ kbar, u ħarisna matul it-triq
kollha li minna għaddejna u fost il-popli li minn
Responsorial
Psalm
PSALM 34:2-3,
16-17, 18-19, 20-21
R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad. R/
The LORD has eyes for the just,
and ears for their cry.
The LORD confronts the evildoers,
to destroy remembrance of them from the earth. R/
When the just cry out, the LORD hears them,
and from all their distress he rescues them.
The LORD is close to the brokenhearted;
and those who are crushed in spirit he saves. R/
Many are the troubles of the just one,
but out of them all the LORD delivers him;
he watches over all his bones;
not one of them shall be broken. R/
Salm Responsorjali
Salm 33 (34)
R/ Ippruuvaw u taraw kemm hu tajjeb il-Mulej.
Kull ħin imbierek il-Mulej,
tifħiru dejjem fuq fommi.
Bil-Mulej tiftaħar ruħi;
jisimgħu l-fqajrin u jifirħu! R/
Għajnejn il-Mulej lejn il-ġusti,
u widnejh miftuħa għall-għajta tagħhom.
Il-ħarsa tal-Mulej fuq il-ħżiena,
biex eqred minn
Jgħajtu l-ġusti għall-għajnuna, u
l-Mulej jismagħhom;
mid-dwejjaq kollha tagħhom jeħlishom.
Qrib il-Mulej lejn dawk b'qalbhom maqsuma,
jgħin lil dawk b'ruħhom mifnija. R/
Kbar huma l-ħsarat tar-raġel sewwa,
iżda minnhom kollha jeħilsu l-Mulej.
Iħarislu għadmu kollha,
ebda waħda ma titkissirlu. R/
Il-ħażin ħżunitu teqirdu;
min jobgħod il-ġust iħallas għall-ħtija.
Jifdi l-Mulej il-ħajja tal-qaddejja tiegħu;
kull min jistkenn fih ma jkollux ħtija xi jpatti. R/
EPHESIANS
5:21-32
Brohers and sisters: Be subordinate to one another
out of reverence for Christ.Wives should be subordinate to their husbands as to
the Lord. For the husband is head of his wife just as Christ is head of the
church, he himself the savior of the body. As the church is subordinate to
Christ, so wives should be subordinate to their husbands in everything.
Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church ad handed himself
over for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the bath of water with the word,
that he might present to himself the church in splendor, without spot or
wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. So also
husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife
loves himself. For no one hates his own flesh but rather nourishes and
cherishes it, even as Christ does the church, because we are members of his
body. For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother and be joined
to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. This is a great mystery, but I
speak in reference to Christ and the church.
It-Tieni Qari
mill-Ittra lill-Efesin 5, 21 -32
Ħuti, oqogħdu għal xulxin
fil-biża' ta' Kristu:Intom in-nisa oqogħoduu
għal żwieġhom, bħallikieku għall-Mulej, għax ir-raġel hu r-ras il-mara bħalma Kristu hu r-ras
il-Knisja, s-Salvatur tal-Ġisem tiegħu.
Għallhekk, bħalma l-Knisja toqgħod għal Kristu, hekk ukoll
in-nisa għandhom joqogħdu għal żwieġhom f'kollox. Intom, l-irġiel, ħobbu
n-nisa tagħkom, kif Kristu ħabb
il-Knisja u ta ħajtu għaliha. U dan
għamlu biex iqaddisha u jnaddafha bil-ħasil ta' l-ilma u l-kelma u biex iressaqha quddiemu, din il-Knisja, sabiħa, bla tebgħa, bla tikmix, bla għajb, u b'xejn minn dan, imma
qaddisa u bla tmaqdir minn
Gospel
JOHN 6:60-69
Many of Jesus' disciples who were listening said,
"This saying is hard; who can accept it?" Since Jesus knew that his
disciples were murmuring about this, he said to them, "Does this shock
you? What if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before?
It is the spirit that gives life, while the flesh is of no avail. The words I
have spoken to you are Spirit and life. But there are some of you who do not
believe." Jesus knew from the beginning the ones who would not believe and
the one who would betray him. And he said, "For this reason I have told
you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by my Father." As
a result of this, many of his disciples returned to their former way of life and no longer accompanied
him. Jesus then said to the Twelve, "Do you also want to leave?" Simon
Peter answered him, "Master, to whom shall we go? You have the words of
eternal life. We have come to believe and are convinced that you are the Holy
One of God."
L-Evanġelju
Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Ġwann 6, 60
–69)
F'dak iż-żmien:, Ġesu' tkellem fuq
il-ħobż tal-ħajja. Hafna dixxipli
tiegħu, kif semgħuh, qalu: "Iebes dan il-kliem! Min jiflaħ jisimgħu?" Ġesu'
ntebaħ waħdu li d-dixxipli tiegħu
kienu qiegħdin igergru fuq hekk,
u qalilhom: "Dan il-kliem qiegħed ifixkilkom? Mela xi tgħidu kieku kellkom taraw lil Bin il-bniedem tiela' fejn kien qabel? Hu l-Ispirtu
li jagħti l-ħajja, il-ġisem ma jiswa għal xejn. Il-kliem li jien għedtilkom huwa spirtu u ħajja.
Iżda hemm xi wħud fostkom li ma jemmnux." Għaliex Ġesu' kien jaf sa mill-bidu min
kienu dawk li ma emmnux u min kien dak li kien sejjer jittradih. U ssokta jgħidilhom: "Kien għalhekk li jiena għidtilkom li ħadd ma jista'jiġi għandi jekk il-Missier
ma jgħtix li jiġi." Minn
///////////////////////////
A reflection by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB
Do You Also Wish to Go Away?
In Sunday's Gospel (John 6:60-69), we hear of the
mixed reactions of Jesus' disciples to the Bread of Life discourse that we have
heard over the past weeks. Jesus provided bread, but his bread is not like the
manna that God provided in the wilderness; this bread is himself, his very
life; and those who eat it "will live forever."
As is often the case in John's Gospel, small,
ordinary words such as bread and life are loaded with theological meaning.
Centuries of Eucharistic theology and reflection give us a way to understand
these words, but at the time they were first spoken, they were more than
puzzling -- they probably were offensive to some people. Rightly reading the
mood of his audience, Jesus says, "Does this offend you?"
Jesus' challenge sets up a critical turning point in
the Gospel. Not only are we told that one of Jesus' followers would betray him;
we also learn that some of those who had been following Jesus "turned back
and no longer went about with him."
The group gets smaller as the stakes get higher.
Whatever explanation Jesus gives, some choose to walk away, thus revoking their
loyalty. John uses the word "disciples" for those who turn back.
These were not casual or seasonal listeners: They were disciples who knew him
and were most likely known by him.
You too?
Then Jesus called the Twelve together and put the
question to them straightforwardly: "Do you also wish to go away?"
Peter plays the role of spokesperson, just as he
does in the other Gospels: "Lord, to whom can we go? You have the words of
eternal life." While the words are different, this exchange is much the
same as Peter's confession at Caesarea Philippi. There, Jesus asks, "Who
do people say that I am?" -- to which Peter responds, "You are the
Messiah" (Mark 8:27-30). In both cases, the miracle of the feeding is the
backdrop for the crucial question: who is Jesus really?
Paul's marriage challenge
If we want to find out how the relationship between
a man and woman in marriage should be according to the Bible, we must look at
the relationship between Christ and the Church. In today's second reading from
the letter to the community at Ephesus
At the origin and centre of every Christian
marriage, there must be love: "You, husbands, love your wives, as Christ
loved the Church and gave himself up for her." Paul's teaching on
Christian marriage was difficult then as it is today.
Holding with Genesis 2:24 that marriage is a divine
institution (Ephesians 5:31), Paul sees Christian marriage as taking on a new
meaning symbolic of the intimate relationship of love between Christ and the
Church. The wife should serve her husband in the same spirit as that of the
Church's service to Christ (Ephesians 5:22, 24), and the husband should care
for his wife with the devotion of Christ to the Church (Ephesians 5:25-30).
Paul gives to the Genesis passage its highest
meaning in the light of the union of Christ and the Church, of which
Christ-like loyalty and devotion in Christian marriage are a clear reflection
(Ephesians 5:31-33).
Parts of Sunday's Ephesians reading can be
problematic, especially when one takes the line, "wives should be subordinate
to their husbands," out of context. Some have justified abuse of their
spouse by taking this line (Ephesians 5:22) completely out of context. They
have justified their bad behaviour, but the passage (v. 21-33) refers to the
mutual submission of husband and wife out of love for Christ: "Husbands
should love their wives as they love their own body, as Christ loves the
Church."
The Scriptures cannot be used to justify violence
toward, or abuse of, any other human being. The Gospel calls all of us to show
mutual care and respect to one another. This must be present in any healthy
marriage or other committed relationship.
This mutual love and respect must also extend to
relationships between nations and other groups of people. It must be reflected
in the structures and rules of our society. Mutuality and loving, selfless
service are the keys to an authentic, loving marriage, and of just
relationships.
A scandalous teaching
The depth and significance of Christ's message, and
the teaching of the Church, scandalizes, in the sense that it is often a
stumbling block for the disbeliever and it is a test for the believer.
The theme of scandal in the New Testament is
connected with faith as free acceptance of the mystery of Christ. Before the
Gospel we cannot remain indifferent, lukewarm, or evasive: The Lord calls each
of us personally asking us to declare ourselves for him (cf. Matthew 10:32-33).
When we are faced with the difficult teachings of
Jesus and the Church, do we also wish to go away? Is it not true that many
times, because of the complexity of the issues and the pressures of the society
around us, we may wish to "go away"?
Peter's response to Jesus' question -- "Do you
also wish to go away?" -- in today's Gospel is striking. He doesn't say,
"yes, of course," but he doesn't quite say "no" either.
Instead, in good Gospel-style, he answers back with
another question: "To whom else can we go?" It is not the most
flattering answer in the world, but it is honest. Peter and the others stay
with Jesus precisely because he has been a source of life for them. Jesus has
liberated them and given them a new life.
Following Jesus and the teaching of the Church may
not always be easy or pleasant or even totally comprehensible, but when it
comes to the eternal-life business, there's not much out there in the way of
alternatives.
This week let us not forget the words of Jesus:
"Whoever eats me will live because of me." Let us give witness to our
Catholic faith and to God's plan that marriage be the sacred union of one man
and one woman, to family life as the foundation of our society.
Blessed are we if we do not take offense but are led
by these words to abundant life.
///////////////////////////////////////
No comments:
Post a Comment