25th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 134
Il-25 Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul
is-Sena
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
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.
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 minn
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
Evanġelju
skont San Mark 9, 30-37
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù u
d-dixxipli tiegħu għaddew minn minn
/////////////////////////////////
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
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
"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.
////////////////////////////
No comments:
Post a Comment