God’s Ultimate Justice

« Sunday, February 17 »

Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time 

 Lectionary: 78

Is-Sitt Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena

Reading 1     Jeremiah 17:5-8

Thus says the LORD: Cursed i s the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season, but stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth. Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit. 

QARI  1       mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Ġeremija 17, 5-8  

Dan jgħid il-Mulej: “Misħut il-bniedem li jittama fil-bnedmin, li jfittex il-qawwa tiegħu fil-ġisem, u titbiegħed qalbu mill-Mulej. Ikun bħal siġra tal-għargħar fix-xagħri, li ma tara ebda ġid ġej, li tgħammar f’art tikwi fid-deżert, art mielħa fejn ħadd ma jgħammar. Imbierek il-bniedem li jittama fil-Mulej, u l-fiduċja tiegħu fil-Mulej. Ikun bħal siġra ħdejn l-ilma mħawla, b’għeruqha mxenxla lejn il-wied; ma tibżax meta tiġi s-sħana, il-weraq tagħha jibqa’ jħaddar; fis-sena tan-nixfa ma tinkeddx, u ma tehdiex milli tagħmel il-frott”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm         PSALM 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6

Blessed the man who follows not 

the counsel of the wicked,                    

nor walks in the way of sinners,                                                                                     nor sits in the company of the insolent,

but delights in the law of the LORD

and meditates on his law day and night.

R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

He is like a tree                                                                                                           planted near running water,                                                                                           that yields its fruit in due season,              

and whose leaves never fade. 

 Whatever he does, prospers.

R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

Not so the wicked, not so;  

they are like chaff which the wind drives away.

For the LORD watches over the way of the just,   

But the way of the wicked vanishes.

R. Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.

 

SALM RESPONSORJALI         Salm 1, 1-2.3.4 u 6

R/. (Salm 39 (40), 5a):

Hieni l-bniedem li jqiegħed fil-Mulej it-tama tiegħu

Hieni l-bniedem li ma jimxix fuq il-pariri tal-ħżiena, 

li ma jiqafx fi triq il-ħatjin, 

li ma joqgħodx fil-laqgħat taż-żeblieħa;  

imma fil-liġi tal-Mulej hi l-għaxqa tiegħu,  

lejl u nhar jaħseb fil-liġi tiegħu. R/.

Hu bħal siġra mħawla ħdejn nixxigħat tal-ilma   

li tagħmel il-frott fi żmienha,

u l-weraq tagħha ma jidbielx;

hu jirnexxi f’kulma jagħmel. R/.

Mhux hekk il-ħżiena, mhux hekk;

iżda huma bħal tibna li jtajjarha r-riħ. 

Għax triq it-tajbin il-Mulej jafha;  

imma triq il-ħżiena tintemm fix-xejn. R/.

Reading 2      1 Corinthians 15:12, 16-20

Brothers and sisters: If Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished.  If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of  all. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep.

QARI II         mill-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 15, 12.16-20

Ħuti, jekk Kristu hu mxandar li qam mill-imwiet, kif jgħidu xi wħud minnkom li ma hemmx qawmien tal-mejtin? Għax jekk il-mejtin ma jqumux, anqas Kristu ma kien imqajjem. U jekk Kristu ma kienx imqajjem, fiergħa l-fidi tagħkom, u intom għadkom fi dnubietkom. U mitlufa wkoll huma dawk li raqdu fi Kristu. Jekk għandna tama fi Kristu għal din il-ħajja biss, aħna l-aktar nies imsejkna fost kemm huma l-bnedmin. Imma Kristu kien imqajjem tassew mill-imwiet, l-ewwel frott fost dawk li raqdu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel    Luke 6:17, 20-26

Jesus came down with the twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground with a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation. Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”

EVANĠELJU    Qari skont San Luqa Lq 6, 17.20-26  

F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù niżel mat-Tnax u waqaf f’wita, flimkien ma’ kotra kbira ta’ dixxipli u folla kbira ta’ nies minn kull naħa tal-Lhudija u Ġerusalemm u mix-xtajta ta’ Tir u Sidon. Ġesù rafa’ għajnejh lejn id-dixxipli tiegħu u qal: “Henjin intom il-foqra, għax tagħkom hija s-Saltna ta’ Alla. Henjin intom li għalissa bil-ġuħ, għax għad tkunu mxebbgħin. Henjin intom li għalissa tibku, għax għad tithennew. Henjin intom meta minħabba Bin il-bniedem in-nies jobogħdukom, jaqtgħukom minn magħhom, jgħajrukom u jwarrbu isimkom bħallikieku kien xi ħaġa ħażina. Dakinhar li jiġrilkom hekk, ifirħu u aqbżu bil-ferħ, għax araw, ħlaskom kbir ikun fis-sema. L-istess għamlu missirijiethom lill-profeti. Imma ħażin għalikom, intom l-għonja, għax il-faraġ tagħkom ħadtuh. Ħażin għalikom intom li għalissa mxebbgħin, għax għad tkunu bil-ġuħ. Ħażin għalikom intom li għalissa tidħku, għax għad tnewħu u tibku. Ħażin għalikom meta kulħadd isemmikom fil-ġid. Għax l-istess għamlu missirijiethom lill-profeti foloz!”.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Beatitudes and God’s Ultimate Justice

REFLECTION by  Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB

Sunday’s Gospel presents us Luke’s Beatitudes taught on the plain where people from all walks of life intermingle (6:17, 20-26).  Jesus’ entire ministry, which was centred on the proclamation of the Kingdom of God, took place around the northern shore of the Sea of Galilee, in an area noted for its violence and warring factions. Jesus seeks to bring justice into the intense violence of this area. 

The crowds that listened to Jesus were awestruck because he spoke with authority, with the force of someone who knew the truth and offered it freely to others. The Beatitudes reveal God’s ultimate justice. They outline Jesus’ prophetic outreach to those who live on the fringes of society. In this awesome Gospel scene overlooking the Sea, Jesus puts biblical justice into practice by proclaiming the Beatitudes. Authentic justice is a binding of one’s self with the sick, the disabled, the poor, and the hungry. 

New code of holiness     

The Beatitudes are not an abstract code of behaviour. Jesus himself is the poor in spirit, the meek, the persecuted, and the peacemaker. He is the new “code of holiness” that must be imprinted on our hearts and that must be contemplated through the action of the Holy Spirit. His Passion and Death are the crowning of his holiness. 

Holiness is a way of life that involves commitment and activity. It is not a passive endeavour but rather a continuous choice to deepen one’s relationship with God and to then allow this relationship to guide all of one’s actions in the world. Holiness requires a radical change in mindset and attitude. The acceptance of the call to holiness places God as our final goal in every aspect of our lives. This fundamental orientation towards God even envelops and sustains our relationship with other human beings. 

Saintly Pope exhorts World Youth        

I cannot read, pray, or hear the Beatitudes proclaimed without recalling with great emotion the voice of Pope John Paul II speaking about the Beatitudes to hundreds of thousands of young people who were gathered in Toronto for World Youth Day 2002. The theme of the Beatitudes guided this World Youth Day experience and has deeply marked us in Canada, born on the wings of that blessed event. Let us recall with gratitude the words of Saint John Paul II: 

“Dear young people, [...] People are made for happiness. Rightly, then, you thirst for happiness. Christ has the answer to this desire of yours. But he asks you to trust him. True joy is a victory, something that cannot be obtained without a long and difficult struggle. Christ holds the secret of this victory. [...] 

“The Sermon on the Mount marks out the map of this journey. The Eight Beatitudes are the road signs that show the way. It is an uphill path, but he has walked it before us. He said one day: “He who follows me will not walk in darkness” (John 8:12). And at another time he added: “These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full” (John 15:11). [...] 

“Gathered around the Lord’s Cross, we look to him: Jesus did not limit himself to proclaiming the beatitudes, he lived them! Looking at his life anew, re-reading the Gospel, we marvel: the poorest of the poor, the most gentle among the meek, the person with the purest and most merciful heart is none other than Jesus. The beatitudes are nothing more than the description of a face, his face! 

“At the same time, the beatitudes describe what a Christian should be: they are the portrait of Jesus’ disciple, the picture of those who have accepted the Kingdom of God and want their life to be in tune with the demands of the Gospel. To these Jesus speaks, calling them “blessed.” [...] 

“The joy promised by the beatitudes is the very joy of Jesus himself: a joy sought and found in obedience to the Father and in the gift of self to others. [...] By looking at Jesus you will learn what it means to be poor in spirit, meek, and merciful; what it means to seek justice, to be pure in heart, to be peacemakers. [...] 

“Dear friends, the Church today looks to you with confidence and expects you to be the people of the Beatitudes. Blessed are you if, like Jesus, you are poor in spirit, good, and merciful; if you really seek what it just and right; if you are pure of heart, peacemakers, lovers of the poor, and their servants. Blessed are you!

“Only Jesus is the true Master, only Jesus speaks the unchanging message that responds to the deepest longings of the human heart, because he alone knows “what is in each person” (cf. John 2:25). Today he calls you to be the salt and light of the world, to choose goodness, to live in justice, to become instruments of love and peace. His call has always demanded a choice between good and evil, between light and darkness, between life and death.” 

He makes the same invitation today to you who are reading this.

A mirror   

We must hold up the Beatitudes as a mirror in which we examine our own lives and consciences. 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. 

How can we be disciples of Jesus and put into practice Christ’s teaching of the Beatitudes? This week, let us ask ourselves some tough questions about Jesus’ powerful lesson on a Galilean hillside. 

Does the difference between the Beatitudes in Matthew and Luke provide any special insights for me? Which of the Beatitudes speaks most powerfully to me? Why? Am I poor in spirit? Am I humble and merciful? Am I pure of heart? Do I bring peace? Am I “blessed,” in other words, happy? What is my understanding of biblical justice? How do I practice it in my life? 

Together let us pray with Saint John Paul II:

Lord Jesus Christ, proclaim once more your Beatitudes in the presence of these young people, gathered in Toronto for the World Youth Day. Look upon them with love and listen to their young hearts, ready to put their future on the line for you. You have called them to be the “salt of the earth and light of the world”. Continue to teach them the truth and beauty of the vision that you proclaimed on the Mountain. Make them men and women of the Beatitudes! Let the light of your wisdom shine upon them, so that in word and deed they may spread in the world the light and salt of the Gospel. Make their whole life a bright reflection of you, who are the true light that came into this world so that whoever believes in you will not die, but will have eternal life! (cf. John 3:16).

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