Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
It-28 Ħadd matul is-Sena
Messalin B p
487
Wisdom
7:7-11
I prayed, and prudence was given me; I pleaded, and the
spirit of wisdom came to me.
I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,
and before her, silver is to be accounted mire. Beyond health and comeliness I loved her,
and I chose to have her rather than the light, because the splendor of her never yields to sleep. Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands. This is the Word of the Lord.
I preferred her to scepter and throne, and deemed riches nothing in comparison with her,
nor did I liken any priceless gem to her; because all gold, in view of her, is a little sand,
and before her, silver is to be accounted mire. Beyond health and comeliness I loved her,
and I chose to have her rather than the light, because the splendor of her never yields to sleep. Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands. This is the Word of the Lord.
L-Ewwel Qari
mill-Ktieb
tal-Għerf 7, 7-11
Jien tlabt
u qlajt għaqal; Sejjaħt, u ġie fuqi
l-ispirtu tal-għerf. Dan l-għerf qistu
aqwa minn għana
Responsorial
Psalm
pSALM 90:12-13, 14-15, 16-17
R. (14) Fill us with your love, O Lord, and we
will sing for joy!
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants! R/
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants! R/
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
Make us glad, for the days when you afflicted us,
for the years when we saw evil. R/
Let your work be seen by your servants
and your glory by their children;
and may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands! R/
Salm Responsorjali
Salm 89 (90)
R/ Imliena bit-tjieba tiegħek,
Mulej.
Għalliemna ngħoddu
jiem ħajjitna,
sabiex aħna nimxu
bil-għaqal.
Dur lejna,
Mulej! Kemm se ddum?
Ħenn għall-qaddejja
tiegħek. R/
Imliena kmieni
bit-tjieba tiegħek,
biex nifirħu u
nithennew ħajjitna kollha.
Ferraħna daqskemm
għakkistna,
għas-snin li fihom
rajna l-ħsara. R/
Ħa jidher għemilek
quddiem il-qaddejja tiegħek,
u l-kobor tiegħek
quddiem uliedhom.
Ħa tkun fuqna
l-grazzja ta' Alla Sidna!
Wettqilna inti x-xogħol ta' idejna,
Wettaq,
iva, xogħol idejna. R/
Hebrews 4:12-13
Brothers and sisters: Indeed the word of God is living
and effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul
and spirit, joints and marrow, and able to discern reflections and thoughts of
the heart. No creature is concealed from him, but everything is naked and
exposed to the eyes of him to whom we
must render an account. This is the Word
of the Lord.
It-Tieni Qari
mill-Ittra
lill-Lhud 4, 12-13
Ħuti, l-Kelma ta'
Alla hi ħajja u qawwija, taqta' aktar minn xabla b'żewġt ixfar; hija tinfed
sa jinfirdu minn xulxin ir-ruħ u
l-ispirtu, u l-ġogi u l-mudullun; u
tgħarbel il-ħsibijiet u l-fehmiet tal-qalb.Xejn ma hemm fil-ħolqien li hu moħbi
għalih, imma kollox hu miftuħ għal
għajnejn Alla, li lilu rridu nagħtu kont. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej.
Gospel
Mark 10:17-30
As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt
down before him, and asked him, "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit
eternal life?" Jesus answered him, "Why do you call me good? No one
is good but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall
not steal; you shall not bear false witness; you shall not defraud; honor your
father and your mother."He replied and said to him, "Teacher,
all of these I have observed from my youth." Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said to
him, "You are lacking in one thing. Go, sell what you have, and give to
the poor and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me." At
that statement his face fell, and he went away sad, for he had many
possessions. Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, "How hard it
is for those who have wealth to enter the kingdom of God kingdom of God kingdom of God
L-Evanġelju
Qari
skont San Mark 10, 17-30
F'dak
iż-żmien, Ġesu' kien se jaqbad it-triq lejn Ġerusalem, meta mar fuqu wieħed
jgħaġġel, niżel għarkupptejh quddiemu u qallu: "Mgħallem tajjeb, x'għandi
nagħmel biex nikseb il-ħajja ta' dejjem? Qallu Ġesu': " Għaliex qiegħed issejjaħli tajjeb'? Ħadd m'hu tajjeb ħlief Alla biss. Inti
l-kmandamenti tafhom: la toqtolx, la tiżnix,
la tisraqx, la tixhedx fil-falz, la tiħux bil-qerq dak li hu ta' ħaddieħor;
weġġaħ lil missierek u 'l ommok".U dak wieġbu u qallu: "Mgħallem, jiena dan kollu ili nħarsu minn minn
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How to Inherit Eternal Life
A reflection by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB
Mark's Gospel story of Jesus' encounter with the man
seeking eternal life is essentially a vocation story (Mark 10:17-30). It is the
only story in Mark in which the individual called responds not by following but
by going away.
The story is narrated in all three Synoptic Gospel
accounts. Matthew (19:16-22) tells us that the man was young; only Luke
(18:18-23) tells us he was ruler. The three evangelists agree that the man was
rich, and in Mark, this is the only description given. The rich man's concern
is to "inherit eternal life."
Let us consider several aspects of Mark's account of the
Gospel episode. First of all, Jesus repudiates the term "good" for
himself and directs it to God, the source of all goodness, who alone can grant
the gift of eternal life.
Is Jesus' directive to this man with many possessions a
requirement for all who wish to inherit eternal life? Is it true that Jesus did
not ask other disciples to sell their possessions (1 Tim 6:17-19)? Wasn't Peter
able to keep his house and boat for a short period of time (Mark 1:29; John
21:3)? Didn't the women of Galilee continue to
have access to their personal, material resources (Mark 15:41), just as Joseph
of Arimathea did (15:43)?
It seems that in the case of this man with many
possessions in Mark's story, Jesus issued a very personal invitation for very
specific reasons. Why does this young man find the teaching of Jesus so
difficult to accept? In the Old Testament, wealth and material goods are
considered a sign of God's favor (Job 1:10; Psalm 128:1-2; Isaiah 3:10).
Religious Jews believed that wealth was a sign of God's
blessing. Rich people were regarded as those God had blessed, and poor people
were regarded as those God had cursed.
Power of
possessions
The words of Jesus in Mark 10:23-25 provoke astonishment
among the disciples because of their apparent contradiction with the Old
Testament concept (Mark 10:24.26). Since wealth, power, and merit generate false
security, Jesus rejects them utterly as a claim to enter the kingdom. The
negative outcome of the man's choice to walk away strikes a note of realism.
It also attests the special power of possessions to
hinder Christian discipleship. Jesus uses the rich man's departure as a
teaching moment to instruct his disciples about the dangerous snare that
earthly possessions, success, and prosperity can have. Total detachment from
one's possessions is required of every authentic disciple. Jesus saw the danger
of material possessions. They can fix our heart to the world and make us think
of everything in terms of price rather than value.
Jesus was trying to completely overturn what the apostles
and all other good Jews had been taught. But his teaching on wealth and
richness was incomprehensible to the listeners. When Jesus said, "How hard
it would be for rich people to enter the Kingdom of God," the Gospel says,
"They, the disciples, were exceedingly astonished, and said to him, 'Then
who can be saved?'" (v.26).
Any one of us would naturally ask the same question!
Jesus reminded them that salvation is purely a gift from God. Grace is God's
gift, and only those whose arms and hands are empty of self can stretch out to
receive the gift of grace. The achievement of salvation is beyond human
capability and depends solely on the goodness of God, who offers it as a gift
(Mark 10:27).
A Christian
contradiction
In many societies, wealth is a sign of God's approval,
and poverty and hardship are the signs of God's disapproval. Every Christian is
challenged by the teaching of Jesus and the values of the society which upholds
the principle that worth really does come from material wealth: for example,
from the number of cars we own, the size of our homes, the amount in our investment
portfolios.
When capitalist systems are solely market-driven,
heartless, and materialistic, they contradict the Gospel teachings of Jesus.
The Gospel of Jesus challenges the "prosperity gospel mentality."
Jesus is not speaking against material wealth but condemns being enslaved to
and enchained by wealth. It becomes a blessing when it is shared with others,
and it becomes an obstacle and a prison for those who do not have the wisdom to
share it with others.
As Jesus looked at the rich young man, he looks at each
one of us with love. He is reminding us to do "one thing more." We
have to allow his loving gaze to penetrate us to the core, and unlike the young
man we must open ourselves to transform our lives, upset our values, and rearrange
our priorities.
When, considering his language too demanding, many of his
disciples left him, Jesus asked the few who had remained: "Will you also
go away?"
Peter answered him: "Lord to whom shall we go? You
have the words of eternal life" (John 6:67-68).
And they chose to remain with him. They stayed because
the Master had "the words of eternal life," words that promised
eternity and also gave full meaning to life here and now.
Wisdom and
happiness
King Solomon, as seen in the first reading (Wisdom
7:7-11), realized that only true wisdom could bring happiness. He prayed for it
and it alone, rather than power, riches, health, or good looks. God gave him
everything.
For us, wisdom has become a person, and his name is
Jesus. Wisdom was born in a manger and died on a cross and in between said that
our only shot at ever being filled up is if we follow him in the life of
self-emptying love.
Looking at Jesus, we see what it means to be poor in
spirit, gentle, and merciful, to mourn, to care for what is right, to be pure
in heart, to make peace, to be persecuted. This is why he has the right to say
to each of us, "Come, follow me!"
He does not say simply, "Do what I say." He
says, "Come, follow me!"
In the end, Jesus looks intently and lovingly at each one
of us and reminds us that life is to be had in its fullness not by accumulating
things, honours, privileges, reputations, and prestige but by letting go of
things.
Initially, his invitation might surprise, upset, shock,
and grieve us. With God's grace, may we realize that Jesus' word is living and
effective, sharper than any two-edged sword, penetrating even between soul and
spirit, joints and marrow and able to discern reflections and thoughts of the
heart (Hebrews 4:12-13). Hopefully, we will not go away sad.
Ordinary life
Following Sunday's Gospel, I encourage you to consider
three important teachings of our Catholic tradition, from The Catechism of the
Catholic Church and Benedict XVI's encyclical, Caritas in Veritate.
1) The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches
(2404-2405) that our material goods are entrusted to us by God not for our own
personal advantage but for the privilege of using them for the good of others.
"The ownership of any property makes its holder a steward of Providence
2) "The second truth is that ... authentic human
development concerns the whole of the person in every single dimension. Without
the perspective of eternal life, human progress in this world is denied
breathing space. Enclosed within history, it runs the risk of being reduced to
the mere accumulation of wealth; humanity thus loses the courage to be at the
service of higher goods, at the service of the great and disinterested
initiatives called forth by universal charity.
"Man does not develop through his own powers, nor
can development simply be handed to him. In the course of history, it was often
maintained that the creation of institutions was sufficient to guarantee the
fulfillment of humanity's right to development" (No. 11, Caritas in Veritate).
3) "While the poor of the world continue knocking on
the doors of the rich, the world of affluence runs the risk of no longer
hearing those knocks, on account of a conscience that can no longer distinguish
what is human. God reveals man to himself; reason and faith work hand in hand
to demonstrate to us what is good, provided we want to see it; the natural law,
in which creative Reason shines forth, reveals our greatness, but also our
wretchedness insofar as we fail to recognize the call to moral truth" (No. 75, Caritas in Veritate).
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