January 20
2019
Second
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary:
66
It-Tieni
Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 ISAIAH 62:1-5
For
Zion's sake I will not be silent, for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet,
until her vindication shines forth like the dawn and her victory like a burning
torch. Nations shall behold your vindication, and all the kings your glory; you
shall be called by a new name pronounced by the mouth of the LORD. You shall be
a glorious crown in the hand of the LORD, a royal diadem held by your God. No
more shall people call you "Forsaken, "or your land "Desolate,
" but you shall be called "My Delight, " and your land
"Espoused." For the LORD delights in you and makes your land his
spouse. As a young man marries a virgin, your Builder shall marry you; and as a
bridegroom rejoices in his bride so shall your God rejoice in you. This is
the Word of The Lord
QARI I mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Isaija 62, 1-5
Minħabba
f’Sijon ma nehdiex, minħabba f’Ġerusalemm ma niskotx, sa ma tfeġġ bħal dija l-ġustizzja
tagħha, tħeġġeġ bħal torċa s-salvazzjoni tagħha. Il-ġustizzja
tiegħek għad jarawha l-ġnus, u s-sebħ tiegħek jarawh is-slaten kollha. B’isem ġdid
għad isejħulek, isem li għad jagħżlu fomm il-Mulej. Għad tkun kuruna ta’ ġmiel
f’id il-Mulej, u dijadema ta’ sultan f’id Alla tiegħek.
Ma jgħidulekx aktar l-Abbandunata, lanqas lil artek l-Imħarbta. Lilek għad isejħulek
Għaxqti Fiha, u lil artek għad jgħidulha Għarusa, għax l-għaxqa tal-Mulej fik,
u artek għad titgħarras. Bħalma għarus jitgħarras xebba, hekk jitgħarrsek
il-Bennej tiegħek; u bħalma l-għarus jitgħaxxaq b’għarustu, hekk jitgħaxxaq bik Alla tiegħek. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 96:1-2, 2-3, 7-8, 9-10
Sing
to the LORD a new song; sing to the LORD, all you lands. Sing to the LORD;
bless his name.
R. Proclaim his marvellous
deeds to all the nations.
Announce
his salvation, day after day. Tell his glory among the nations; among all peoples, his wondrous deeds.
R. Proclaim his marvellous
deeds to all the nations.
Give
to the LORD, you families of nations, give to the LORD
glory and praise; give to the LORD the
glory due his name!
R. Proclaim his marvelous
deeds to all the nations.
R. Proclaim his marvellous
deeds to all the nations.
Salm Responsorjali Salm 95, 1-2a. 2b-3. 7-8, 9-10
Għannu
lill-Mulej għanja ġdida; għannu lill-Mulej fl-art kollha! Għannu lill-Mulej,
bierku ismu!
R/. (3): Xandru fost il-popli kollha
l-għeġubijiet tal-Mulej
Ħabbru
minn
R/. (3): Xandru fost il-popli kollha
l-għeġubijiet tal-Mulej
Agħtu
lill-Mulej, familji tal-popli, agħtu lill-Mulej sebħ u qawwa; agħtu lill-Mulej
is-sebħ ta’ ismu!
R/. (3): Xandru fost il-popli kollha
l-għeġubijiet tal-Mulej
Inxteħtu
quddiem il-Mulej b’tiżjin qaddis; triegħdu quddiemu, nies kollha tal-art! Għidu fost il-ġnus: “Il-Mulej
isaltan!” Hu jiġġudika l-popli bis-sewwa.
R/. (3): Xandru fost il-popli kollha
l-għeġubijiet tal-Mulej
Reading 2 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
Brothers
and sisters: There are different kinds of spiritual gifts but the same Spirit;
there are different forms of service but the same Lord; there are different
workings but the same God who produces all of them in everyone. To each
individual the manifestation of the Spirit is given for some benefit. To one is
given through the Spirit the expression of wisdom; to another, the expression
of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another, faith by the same
Spirit; to another, gifts of healing by the one Spirit; to another, mighty
deeds; to another, prophecy; to another, discernment of spirits; to another,
varieties of tongues; to another, interpretation of tongues. But one and the
same Spirit produces all of these, distributing them individually to each
person as he wishes. This is the Word of The Lord
QARI II mill-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 12, 4-11
Ħuti,
hemm diversi doni, imma l-istess wieħed hu l-Ispirtu; hemm diversi ministeri,
imma l-istess wieħed hu l-Mulej; hemm diversi ħidmiet, imma l-istess Alla, li
jaħdem kollox f’kulħadd. Lil kull wieħed tingħata r-rivelazzjoni tal-Ispirtu għall-ġid
ta’ kulħadd: lil wieħed kliem l-għerf, mill-istess Spirtu; lil ieħor il-kelma
tas-sapjenza mill-istess Spirtu; lil ieħor il-fidi mill-istess Spirtu; lil ieħor
id-don tal-fejqan mill-istess Spirtu; lil ieħor is-setgħa
tal-mirakli; lil ieħor id-don tal-profezija; lil ieħor id-don tal-għażla
tal-ispirti; lil ieħor diversi ilsna; lil ieħor it-tifsir tal-ilsna. Dan kollu
jaħdmu l-istess Spirtu wieħed, li jqassam lil kull wieħed kif jogħġbu.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel John 2:1-11
There
was a wedding at Cana in Galilee , and the
mother of Jesus was there. Jesus and his disciples were also invited to the
wedding. When the wine ran short, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They
have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, how does your concern
affect me? My hour has not yet come." His mother said to the servers,
"Do whatever he tells you." Now there were six stone water jars there
for Jewish ceremonial washings, each holding twenty to thirty gallons. Jesus
told the them, "Fill the jars with water." So they filled them to the
brim. Then he told them, "Draw some out now and take it to the
headwaiter." So they took it. And
when the headwaiter tasted the water that had become wine, without knowing where it came from — although
the servers who had drawn the water knew — the headwaiter called the bridegroom
and said to him, "Everyone serves good wine first, and then when people
have drunk freely, an inferior one; but you have kept the good wine until
now." Jesus did this as the beginning of his signs at Cana in Galilee and so revealed his glory, and his disciples
began to believe in him. This is
the Word of The Lord
EVANĠELJU Qari skont San Ġwann 2, 1-11
F’dak
iż-żmien, sar tieġ f’Kana tal-Galilija, u omm Ġesù
kienet hemm. Ġesù kien mistieden għat-tieġ hu wkoll flimkien mad-dixxipli tiegħu.
Billi ma kienx fadal iżjed inbid, omm Ġesù
qaltlu: “Ma għandhomx inbid”. U Ġesù qalilha: “X’hemm bejni u bejnek, mara?
Is-siegħa tiegħi għadha ma waslitx”. Omm Ġesù qalet lill-qaddejja: “Agħmlu
kulma jgħidilkom hu”. Issa kien hemm sitt ġarar tal-ħaġar, imqiegħda hemm għar-rit
tal-purifikazzjoni tal-Lhud, kull waħda minnhom tasa’ xi mitt jew mija u għoxrin
litru. Ġesù qal lill-qaddejja: “Imlew il-ġarar bl-ilma”. U dawk imlewhom
sax-xifer. Imbagħad qalilhom: “Issa ħudu minnu u newluh lil dak li qiegħed jieħu
ħsieb il-mejda”. U huma marru jagħtuhulu. Hu daq l-ilma mibdul fi nbid; u billi
ma kienx jaf mnejn ġie, għalkemm il-qaddejja li ħadu mill-ilma kienu jafu,
sejjaħ lill-għarus u qallu: “Kulħadd l-inbid it-tajjeb iservi l-ewwel; meta
mbagħad ikun ħadhom iġibu dak li jkun inqas tajjeb. Imma int l-inbid it-tajjeb
erfajtu sa issa”. Dan li għamel Ġesù f’Kana tal-Galilija kien l-ewwel wieħed
fost is-sinjali tiegħu. Bih wera l-glorja tiegħu u d-dixxipli tiegħu emmnu fih.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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A reflection by Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB
Last Sunday gave us an
opportunity to reflect on Jesus’ baptism in the Jordan
The evocative text from Evening
Prayer on the Feast of the Epiphany reads: “Three mysteries mark this holy day:
today the star leads the Magi to the infant Christ; today water is changed into
wine for the wedding feast; today Christ wills to be baptized by John in the
river Jordan to bring us salvation.”
Each event is accompanied by a
theophany, by startling evidence of divine intervention; the star, the water
into wine, the voice from heaven and the dove.
The story of the wedding feast in
Cana may have been constructed from a real
event in Jesus’ life. A careful reading of the text allows us to recognize the
hand of the evangelist John reconstructing the scene, embedding multiple layers
of symbolic meaning. Today we look at the water becoming wine, the ordinary
becoming extraordinary, and the beginnings of the Messianic age. The miracle at
Cana also foretells the way in which Jesus
will accomplish his mission – by shedding his blood on the Cross.
Let us consider several key
points of this highly symbolic Gospel story that has no parallel story in the
other Gospels. “Sign” (semeion) is John’s symbolic term for Jesus’ wondrous deeds.
John is interested primarily in what the “signs” (semeia) signify: God’s
intervention in human history in a new way through Jesus. At Cana ,
symbol and reality meet: The human marriage of two young people is the occasion
to speak of another marriage, the one between Christ and the Church, which will
be achieved in “his hour” on the Cross. At Cana in Galilee ,
we encounter the first sign when Jesus manifests his glory and the disciples
believe.
The Mother of
Jesus
The principal guest on the
occasion of this wedding was not Jesus himself but his mother, and the Gospel
says that Jesus was also there as well as his Apostles (2:1-2). The mother of
Jesus is never named in John’s Gospel. The title “Woman,” used by Jesus for his
mother is a normal, polite form of address but unattested in reference to one’s
mother (see John 19:26, where she is referred to as both “Woman” and “Mother.”)
Mary appears symbolically; her
function is to complete the call of the disciples. She is the catalyst for the
sign that leads to the disciples’ expression of faith. Her words to the
servants at the wedding banquet: “Do whatever He tells you” (2:5), are an
invitation to all peoples to become part of the new people of God. Both at Cana
and at Calvary in the fourth Gospel, Mary
represents not only her maternity and physical relationship with her Son but
also her highly symbolic role of “Woman” and “Mother” of God’s people.
Jesus’ response to Mary’s request
is: “My hour has not yet come” (2:4). In other words, it was not yet time to
completely reveal his glory. That would happen on the Cross. But Jesus’ words
to Mary are not the only indication to what this story is really about. The
miracle itself, the changing of water into wine, means that the old covenant
between heaven and earth will be changed into something entirely new. At Mary’s
word to her Son, a sad situation is transformed. At Jesus’ words to the
servants at the wedding feast, the miracle takes place.
The “hour”
An important aspect of the Cana story is the use and meaning of “the hour.” In
the New Testament, the Greek word for hour, hora, is
more often used in reference to kairos time than to chronos time: “The hour [hora] is
coming and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in
spirit and in truth…” (4:23). Hora is used in many Gospel stories of
mighty works to identify the moment of healing, and in those cases it is
usually translated as “instantly.” The “hour” spoken of by Jesus at Cana is that of his passion, death, resurrection, and
ascension (John 13:1).
Chronos time measures ordinary
occurrences and leaves the impression – often false – that we can control it.
We can enter it into our tablets, smartphones, and agendas and deal with time
and events on our own terms.
Kairos time, on the other hand,
represents discontinuity, when an unexpected barrier forces one to move off a
planned course and adjust to new realities. Jesus’ hour, his appointed time or kairos moment, appeared before he wanted or
expected it. Jesus had one schedule in mind; circumstances pushed him in
another direction.
Breakthrough
moments
So often in our individual and
community lives, in our various ministries, parishes, and daily lives, we
simply plod along from day to day, living with a sense of hopelessness,
monotony, or heaviness. We are locked into a chronos time and cannot see how God wishes to
break through the ordinary moments of life and transform our existence and our
history into something extraordinary. The Lord invites us to allow him to fill
the structures and jars of our existence with the new wine of his presence.
When we listen to the Lord and do whatever he tells us, the ordinariness of our
lives becomes extraordinary, the empty jars of water become filled with new
wine, and we literally become the feast for one another.
The Cana Gospel episode points
out to the couple a way of avoiding this situation or escaping it if they are
already in it: invite Jesus to your wedding! What happens in all marriages
happens in the wedding feast at Cana . It
begins with enthusiasm and joy (symbolized by the wine); but the initial
enthusiasm, like the wine at Cana , comes to
wane with the passage of time. Then things are done no longer for love and with
joy but out of habit and routine. It descends upon the family, if we are not
careful, like a cloud of sadness and boredom. Of such couples it must sadly be
said: “They have no more wine!” (2:3)
Today’s marvellous Gospel story
is neither about Mary’s intercession nor about Jesus’ rebuke of his Mother. The
story is ultimately about the disclosure in ordinary festive family
circumstances of the hidden glory of Jesus the Son. It is also not about
excessive drinking at Jewish weddings! It is neither about the norms,
traditions, and rules of family life nor even about marriage. Neither is it
about Judaism as emptiness and Christianity as being full.
John’s story of the wedding at Cana invites us to consider seriously whether we think
that the Master of the feast who gives the command: “Fill the jars with water”
can make all things new in our own lives (2:7). One’s hour comes – thekairos moment presents itself – at the
intersection of frustrated plans and openness to the Divine. Cana
teaches us that the Messiah of the world had to adjust his schedule when events
took a surprising turn. The story of Jesus’ coming-out event as told by John
demonstrates his spiritual flexibility. How can our chronos time be transformed into kairos – a real moment of breakthrough and
hope, of promise and new possibility?
Today let us beg the Lord and his
Mother to make us faithful stewards, ready to do whatever Jesus tells us and
eager to share with others the wine he provides. When we listen to the Lord and
do whatever he tells us, the ordinariness of our lives becomes extraordinary,
the empty jugs of water become filled with new wine, our chronos moments are transformed into kairos moments, and we become the feast for
one another.
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