Lessons for our lives

SEPTEMBER 23, 2018

25^th  Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 134

Il-25 Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena

Reading 1                                                                                                            

WISDOM 2:12, 17-20

The wicked say: Let us beset the just one, because he is obnoxious to us; he sets himself against our doings, reproaches us for transgressions of the law and charges us with violations of our training. Let us see whether his words be true; let us find out what will happen to him. For if the just one be the son of God, God will defend him and deliver him from the hand of his foes. With revilement and torture let us put the just one to the test that we may have proof of his gentleness and try his patience. Let us condemn him to a shameful death; for according to his own words, God will take care of him. This is the Word of the Lord.

Qari I

mill-Ktieb tal-Għerf 2, 12.17-20

In-nies il-ħżiena qalu: “Nonsbulu lill-ġust għaliex hu ta’ xkiel għalina fi triqitna, hu kontra l-għemejjel tagħna, iċanfarna għax niksru l-Liġi, jixlina għax immorru kontra t-tagħlim li ħadna. Ħa naraw hux veru kliemu, naraw fl-aħħar x’se jsir minnu. Jekk il-ġust hu iben Alla, jaqbeż għalih Alla, u jeħilsu minn id l-għedewwa tiegħu. Inġarrbuh bit-tagħjir u l-moħqrija, biex naraw xi tjubija għandu u nkejlu sa fejn jasal sabru. Naqtgħuhielu għall-mewt b’mistħija, għax, kif jgħid hu, għandu min iħarsu”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                                                      

PSALM 54:3-4, 5, 6 AND 8

O God, by your name save me,

and by your might defend my cause.

O God, hear my prayer;

hearken to the words of my mouth.

R. The Lord upholds my life.

For the haughty men have risen up against me,

the ruthless seek my life;

they set not God before their eyes.

R. The Lord upholds my life.

Behold, God is my helper;

the Lord sustains my life.

Freely will I offer you sacrifice;

I will praise your name, O LORD, for its goodness.

R. The Lord upholds my life.

Salm Responsorjali

Salm 53 (54), 3-4.5.6.8

B’ismek, o Alla, salvani;

agħmilli ħaqq bil-qawwa tiegħek.

Isma’, o Alla, it-talba tiegħi;

agħti widen għal kliem fommi.

 R/. (6b): Il-Mulej hu dak li jżommni

Għax nies kburin qamu kontrija,

nies kefrin jonsbuli ħajti;

ma jżommux ’l Alla quddiem għajnejhom.

 R/. (6b): Il-Mulej hu dak li jżommni

Ara, Alla l-għajnuna tiegħi;

il-Mulej hu dak li jżommni.

Minn qalbi noffrilek is-sagrifiċċju;

irrodd ħajr lil ismek, għax hu tajjeb.

R/. (6b): Il-Mulej hu dak li jżommni

Reading 2                                                      

JAMES 3:16—4:3

Beloved:  Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice.  But the wisdom from above is first of all pure, then peaceable, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without inconstancy or insincerity.  And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace for those who cultivate peace. Where do the wars and where do the conflicts among you come from? Is it not from your passions that make war within your members?  You covet but do not possess.  You kill and envy but you cannot obtain; you fight and wage war.  You do not possess because you do not ask. You ask but do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.  This is the Word of the Lord.

Qari II

mill-Ittra ta’ San Ġakbu Appostlu 3, 16 – 4, 3

 Għeżież, fejn hemm l-għira u l-ġlied, hemm issib it-taqlib u kull xorta ta’ ħażen. L-għerf li ġej mis-sema, qabel kollox hu għerf safi, imbagħad hu għerf li jfittex is-sliem, it-tjubija u l-ħlewwa; huwa kollu ħniena u frott tajjeb, bla ma jħares lejn l-uċuħ u bla qerq. Dawk li jfittxu s-sliem jiżirgħu fis-sliem u jkollhom il-frott tal-ġustizzja. Mnejn hu ġej il-ġlied u t-tilwim bejnietkom? Jaqaw mhux minn dan, mill-passjonijiet li hemm jitqabdu f’ġisimkom? Tixtiequ, u ma ssibu xejn; imbagħad toqtlu, u tgħiru, bla ma tistgħu tieħdu xejn; imbagħad tiġġieldu u titqabdu. Ma għandkom xejn għax ma titolbux. Titolbu, u ma tiksbux, għax titolbu ħażin: titolbu ħa jkollkom xi tberbqu fix-xalar.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                                            

MARK 9:30-37

Jesus and his disciples left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, “The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death the Son of Man will rise.” But they did not understand the saying, and they were afraid to question him. They came to Capernaum and, once inside the house, he began to ask them, “What were you arguing about on the way?”  But they remained silent. They had been discussing among themselves on the way who was the greatest.  Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them, “If anyone wishes to be first, he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”  Taking a child, he placed it in their midst, and putting his arms around it, he said to them, “Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives not me but the One who sent me.”  This is the Word of the Lord.

Evanġelju

skont San Mark 9, 30-37

F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù u d-dixxipli tiegħu għaddew minn nofs il-Galilija, u ma ried li ħadd ikun jaf, għax beda jgħallem lid-dixxipli tiegħu u jgħidilhom: “Bin il-bniedem se jingħata f’idejn il-bnedmin u joqtluh; u meta jkun maqtul, wara tlitt ijiem iqum mill-mewt”. Iżda huma ma fehmuhx dan il-kliem, u beżgħu jistaqsuh. Waslu Kafarnahum; u meta kienu d-dar staqsiehom: “X’kontu qegħdin titħaddtu bejnietkom fit-triq?” Iżda huma baqgħu siekta, għax fit-triq kienu qagħdu jitħaddtu bejniethom fuq min kien l-akbar. Imbagħad qagħad bilqiegħda, sejjaħ it-Tnax, u qalilhom: “Jekk xi ħadd irid ikun l-ewwel wieħed, għandu joqgħod wara kulħadd u jkun qaddej ta’ kulħadd”. U ressaq lejh tfajjel ċkejken, qiegħdu f’nofshom, ħaddnu bejn dirgħajh u qalilhom: “Kull min jilqa’ wieħed minn dawn iċ-ċkejknin minħabba f’ismi, ikun jilqa’ lili; u min jilqa’ lili, ikun jilqa’ mhux lili, imma lil dak li bagħatni”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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The Meaning of Christian Wisdom

A reflection by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB

Ingredients…..

Next Sunday's Gospel passage (Mark 9:30-37) is the second of the Passion predictions of Jesus in Mark's Gospel. Jesus' announcement of his passion and death leaves the disciples without words. In the meantime, they argue who was the most important among them. We find the same pattern as in last week's Gospel -- the prediction, misunderstanding, and instruction on the nature of discipleship.

For Mark, these scenes contain all the ingredients of Christian wisdom. Like the other predictions, today's passage is followed by a series of sayings on discipleship (9:30-37). In this brief discussion with Jesus, three features of the disciples are revealed.

First, even after failure, the disciples are singled out for special instruction. The immediate preceding incident details the inability of the disciples to help the father and his son who was troubled with an unclean spirit (9:14-29). Jesus scolds them harshly, since their failure has led to another confrontation with the scribes: "How much longer must I put up with you?" (9:19). Yet the weakness of the disciples has not diminished his zeal to prepare them for life in the Kingdom of God.

Second, the disciples find Jesus' message baffling. This is the second time that Jesus predicts his destiny in Jerusalem, yet the disciples fail to understand and are so intimidated that they will not even ask any questions (9:32). When Jesus asks them what they are arguing about on the road, they were so embarrassed that they had nothing to say. They may not have understood much but they knew enough that their argument was completely out of order. They are baffled and humiliated. But Jesus has not given up on them yet.

The third thing that happens to the disciples is that they learn a profound lesson about what it means to be servant. When Mark uses the word "servant" in today's Gospel, he is using the Greek word which also means deacon. This word is first used of the waiters who serve the water-made-wine at the wedding feast at Cana (John 2:5,9). Matthew uses it for the king's servants in the parable of the marriage feast (Matthew 22:13). St. Paul describes himself as a servant of the Gospel (Colossians 1:23; Ephesians 3:7), servant of the Church (Colossians 1:25), servant of the new covenant in the Spirit (2 Corinthians 6:4). John uses it of Jesus' adherents in general; they are his "deacons," his servants (John 12:26).

Jesus tells us that he himself did not come on earth to be served; he came to serve [Mt 20:28; Mk 10:45]. The previous words on cross-bearing and losing one's life (8:34-38) are given added meaning and specificity when Jesus speaks of being last of all and servant of all (9:35).

Greatness redefined…..

The whole notion of greatness is redefined for the disciples. New categories are established for determining success and failure, winning and losing, achievement and unfulfillment. At this point Jesus introduces the child into their midst. It is not the child's naïveté or innocence, trustfulness or playfulness that is highlighted here, but the child's lowly status, as one always under the authority of another and without rights. Jesus forges a new system of relationships: welcome the little child in my name and you welcome me; welcome me and you are welcoming no less than God himself. A communion of hospitality is established between the little child, Jesus, and God.

The child is an apt symbol for powerlessness and total reliance on others. Mark teaches us to welcome the powerless and the disenfranchised. Through this gesture, Jesus illustrates the qualities of the little child within each of us. Jesus possessed the child within in himself and he expects nothing less than these childlike qualities from his disciples.

The disciples become mirrors in which we see ourselves all too clearly. Their failures, their inability to understand typify the patterns of future generations of disciples like us who are also slow to understand the radical message of Jesus.

Wisdom and virtue……

One of the profound, universal lessons about acquiring true wisdom was taught by Saint John Paul II during his historic address to the General Assembly of the United Nations in New York City on Oct. 5, 1995. Those words still ring in my heart and mind today. Addressing the leaders of the nations of the world, the Holy Father said:

"We must overcome our fear of the future. But we will not be able to overcome it completely unless we do so together. The 'answer' to that fear is neither coercion nor repression, nor the imposition of one social 'model' on the entire world. The answer to the fear which darkens human existence at the end of the 20th century is the common effort to build the civilization of love, founded on the universal values of peace, solidarity, justice, and liberty. And the 'soul' of the civilization of love is the culture of freedom: the freedom of individuals and the freedom of nations, lived in self-giving solidarity and responsibility.

"We must not be afraid of the future. We must not be afraid of man. It is no accident that we are here. Each and every human person has been created in the 'image and likeness' of the One who is the origin of all that is. We have within us the capacities for wisdom and virtue. With these gifts, and with the help of God's grace, we can build in the next century and the next millennium a civilization worthy of the human person, a true culture of freedom. We can and must do so! And in doing so, we shall see that the tears of this century have prepared the ground for a new springtime of the human spirit."

Let us pray that the Lord will bring to harvest the seeds of righteousness, wisdom and virtue sown in human hearts. Without these gifts, the civilization of love and the culture of freedom for which we all long will not be possible.

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