Jesus and Sinners

Sunday, March 31 2019 - Year C

Fourth Sunday of Lent –

Lectionary: 33

Ir-Raba’ Hadd tar-Randan

Reading 1     Joshua 5:9a, 10-12

The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.” While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth of the month. On the day after the Passover, they ate of the produce of the land in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain. On that same day after the Passover, on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased. No longer was there manna for the Israelites, who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan. 

QARI I      mill-Ktieb ta’ Gozwè 5, 9a.10-12

F’dak iz-zmien, il-Mulej qal lil Gozwè: “Illum jien nehhejtilkom minn fuqkom l-ghajb tal-Egittu”. Ulied Izrael waqqfu l-kamp taghhom f’Gilgal. Hemm, fil-witat ta’ Geriko, ghamlu l-Ghid filghaxija tal-erbatax tax-xahar. U sewwa sew l-ghada tal-Ghid, huma kielu mill-frott tal-art: hobz azzmu u qamh inkaljat. Minn dakinhar, wara li kielu mill-frott tal-art, il-manna waqfet. Ulied Izrael ma kellhomx aktar manna, imma minn dik is-sena bdew jieklu milli bdiet taghtihom l-art ta’ Kanghan. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm    PSALM 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7.

I will bless the LORD at all times
his praise shall be ever in my heart.
Let my soul glory in the LORD; 
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Glorify the LORD with me, 
 let us together extol his name. 
 I sought the LORD, and he answered me    
 and delivered me from all my fears. 
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,  
 and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him. 
 R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.

SALM RESPONSORJALI       Salm 33 (34), 2-3.4-5.6-7

R/. (9a): Duqu u taraw kemm hu tajjeb il-Mulej

Kull hin inbierek il-Mulej;

tifhiru dejjem fuq fommi.

Bil-Mulej tiftahar ruhi;

jisimghu l-fqajrin u jifirhu. R/.

Xandru l-kobor tal-Mulej mieghi;

ha nghollu ismu flimkien.

Jien fittixt il-Mulej, u wegibni,

minn kull biza’ tieghi helisni. R/.

Harsu lejh u jiddi bil-ferh wicckom,

u ma jkollkomx ghax tisthu.

Dan il-fqajjar sejjah u l-Mulej semghu,

u mid-dwejjaq tieghu kollha helsu. R/.

Reading 2        2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-21

Brothers and sisters: Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So, we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin, so that we might become the righteousness of God in him. 

QARI II        mit-Tieni Ittra lill-Korintin  5, 17-21

Huti, meta wiehed jinghaqad ma’ Kristu, isir holqien gdid; il-qadim ghadda u dahal il-gdid. Kollox gej minn Alla li habbibna mieghu nnifsu permezz ta’ Kristu u tana l-ministeru ta’ din il-hbiberija tal-bnedmin ma’ Alla. Alla kien li habbeb il-holqien mieghu nnifsu permezz ta’ Kristu, bla ma qaghad izomm il-kont ta’ dnubiethom, u fdalna l-ministeru ta’ din il-hbiberija. Ahna naghmluha ta’ ambaxxaturi ta’ Kristu bhallikieku Alla stess qieghed isejjah permezz taghna, nitolbu fuq li nitolbu f’gieh Kristu: Hallu lil Alla jhabbibkom mieghu. Dak li ma kienx jaf x’inhu dnub, Alla ghamlu dnub ghalina sabiex ahna nsiru fih gustizzja ta’ Alla. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel     LUKE 15:1-3, 11-32

Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them Jesus addressed this parable: “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So, the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So, he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’ So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’”

EVANGELJU      Qari skond San Luqa 15, 1-3.11-32

F’dak iz-zmien, il-pubblikani u l-midinbin kienu jersqu bi hgarhom lejn Gesù biex jisimghuh. U kemm il-Farizej u kemm il-kittieba kienu jgemgmu u jghidu: “Nies midinba jilqa’ ghandu dan u jiekol maghhom!”. U Gesù qabad u qalilhom din il-parabbola: “Kien hemm ragel li kellu zewg ulied. Iz-zghir qal lil missieru: “Missier, aghtini s-sehem li jmiss lili mill-gid”. U dak qassmilhom il-gid. Ma kinux ghaddew wisq granet, meta z-zghir sarr kollox u telaq minn beltu lejn pajjiz imbieghed, u hemmhekk berbaq gidu kollu f’hajja mtajra. Meta hela kulma kellu, fuq dak il-pajjiz waqa’ guh kbir, u beda jhoss ruhu fil-bzonn. U mar dahal ma’ wiehed minn dak il-pajjiz, li baghtu fir-raba’ tieghu jirgha l-hniezer. Kien jixtieq kieku jimla zaqqu mqar bil-harrub li kienu jieklu l-hniezer, imma hadd ma kien jaghtih. Imbaghad dahal fih innifsu u qal: “Kemm lavranti ma’ missieri ghandhom hobz bix-xaba’, u jien qieghed hawn immut bil-guh! Ha nqum u mmur ghand missieri, u nghidlu: Missier, dnibt kontra s-sema u kontra tieghek; ma jisthoqqlix izjed nissejjah ibnek; zommni b’wiehed mil-lavranti tieghek”. Qam, u telaq ghal ghand missieru. Izda kif kien ghadu fil-boghod missieru lemhu u thassru, u b’girja wahda mar inxtehet fuq ghonqu u biesu. It-tifel qallu: “Missier, dnibt kontra s-sema u kontra tieghek; ma jisthoqqlix izjed nissejjah ibnek”. Izda l-missier qal lill-qaddejja tieghu: “Isaw! Gibulu l-isbah libsa u xidduhielu, libbsulu c-curkett f’sebghu u s-sandli f’riglejh! Gibu l-ghogol l-imsemmen u oqtluh, ha nieklu u naghmlu festa, ghax dan ibni kien mejjet u raga’ qam, kien mitluf u nstab!” U ghamlu festa. Mela ibnu l-kbir kien fl-ghalqa. Huwa u riega’ lura, kif wasal qrib id-dar sama’ daqq u zfin. Sejjah wiehed mill-qaddejja u staqsieh dak x’kien. Dak qallu: “Hawn huk u missierek qatillu l-ghogol l-imsemmen, ghax raga’ kisbu qawwi u shih”. Hu inkorla, u ma riedx jidhol gewwa, izda missieru hareg jitolbu jidhol. Izda hu qal lil missieru: “Ara, ili dawn is-snin kollha naqdik, kelmtek ma ksirthielek qatt, u kieku qatt tajtni gidi lili biex naghmel ikla u nifrah ma’ hbiebi! Imbaghad jigi dan ibnek, li belaghlek gidek man-nisa zienja, u lilu toqtollu l-ghogol l-imsemmen”. Qallu missieru: “Ibni, inti dejjem mieghi, u kulma hu tieghi huwa tieghek. Imma kien mehtieg li naghmlu festa u nifirhu, ghax dan huk kien mejjet u raga’ qam, kien mitluf u nstab!”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Jesus and Sinners

Father Cantalamessa reflects  

on the 

Prodigal Son 

Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raneiro Cantalamessa, on the readings for this Sunday’s liturgy.                                          

The Gospel for the Fourth Sunday of Lent is one of the most celebrated pages of Luke’s Gospel and of all four Gospels: the parable of the prodigal son. Everything in this parable is surprising; men had never portrayed God in this way. This parable has touched more hearts than all the sermons that have been preached put together. It has an incredible power to act on the mind, the heart, the imagination, and memory. It is able to touch the most diverse chords: repentance, shame, nostalgia.

The parable is introduced with these words: “All the tax collectors and sinners were drawing near to him to listen to him. The Pharisees and scribes murmured, saying, ‘This man receives sinners and eats with them.’ So he told them this parable …” (Luke 15:1-2). Following this lead, we would like to reflect on Jesus’ attitude toward sinners, going through the whole Gospel, guided also by our plan for these Lenten commentaries, that is, to know better who Jesus was, what can be historically known about him.

The welcome that Jesus reserves for sinners in the Gospel is well known, as is the opposition that this procures him on the part of the defenders of the law who accuse him of being “a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners” (Luke 7:34). Jesus declares in one of his better historically attested to sayings, “I have not come to call the just but sinners” (Mark 2:17). Feeling welcomed and not judged by him, sinners listened to him gladly.

But who were the sinners, what category of persons was designated by this term? Someone, trying to completely justify Jesus’ adversaries, the Pharisees, has argued that by this term is understood “the deliberate and impenitent transgressors of the law,” in other words, the criminals, those who are outside the law. If this were so, then Jesus’ adversaries would have been entirely right to be scandalized and see him as an irresponsible and socially dangerous person. It would be as if a priest today were to regularly frequent members of the mafia and criminals and accept their invitations to dinner with the pretext of speaking to them of God.

In reality, this is not how things are. The Pharisees had their vision of the law and of what conformed to it or was contrary, and they considered reprobate all those who did not follow their rigid interpretation of the law. In their view, anyone who did not follow their traditions or dictates was a sinner. Following the same logic, the Essenes of Qumran considered the Pharisees themselves to be unjust and violators of the law! The same thing happens today. Certain ultraorthodox groups consider all those who do not think exactly as they do to be heretics.

An eminent scholar has written: “It is not true that Jesus opened the gates of the kingdom to hard-boiled and impenitent criminals, or that he denied the existence of ‘sinners.’ What Jesus opposed were the walls that were erected within Israel and those who treated other Israelites as if they were outside the covenant and excluded from God’s grace” (James Dunn).

Jesus does not deny the existence of sin and sinners. This is obvious from the fact that he calls them “sick.” On this point he is more rigorous than his adversaries. If they condemn actual adultery, Jesus condemns adultery already at the stage of desire; if the law says not to kill, Jesus says that we must not even hate or insult our brother. To the sinners who draw near to him, he says “Go and sin no more”; he does not say: “Go and live as you were living before.”

What Jesus condemns is the Pharisees’ relegating to themselves the determination of true justice and their denying to others the possibility of conversion. The way that Luke introduces the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector is significant: “He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous and despised others” (Luke 18:9). Jesus was more severe with those who condemned sinners with disdain than he was with sinners themselves.

But the novel and unheard of thing in the relationship between Jesus and sinners is not his goodness and mercy toward them. This can be explained in a human way. There is, in his attitude, something that cannot be humanly explained, that is, it cannot be explained so long as Jesus is taken to be a man like other men. What is novel and unheard of is Jesus’ forgiveness of sins.

Jesus says to the paralytic: “My son, your sins are forgiven you.”

“Who can forgive sins but God alone?” Jesus’ horrified adversaries cry out. And Jesus replies: “‘So that you might know that the Son of Man has the authority to forgive sins, Get up!’ he said to the paralytic, ‘Pick up your mat and go home.'” No one could verify whether the sins of that man were forgiven but everyone could see that he got up and walked. The visible miracle attested to the invisible one.

Even the investigation of Jesus’ relationship with sinners contributes therefore to an answer to the question: Who was Jesus? A man like other men, a prophet, or something different still? During his earthly life Jesus never explicitly affirmed himself to be God (and we explained why in a previous commentary), but he did attribute to himself powers that are exclusive to God.

Let us now return to Sunday’s Gospel and to the parable of the prodigal son. There is a common element that unites the parables of the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son, which are told in succession in Chapter 15 of Luke’s Gospel. What do the shepherd who finds the lost sheep and the woman who finds her coin say? “Rejoice with me!” And what does Jesus say at the end of each parable? “There will be more joy in heaven for a converted sinner than for ninety-nine just people who do not need to convert.”

The leitmotiv of the three parables is therefore the joy of God. (There is joy “before the angels of God,” is an entirely Jewish way to speak of joy “in God.”) In our parable joy overflows and becomes a feast. That father is overcome with joy and does not know what to do: He orders the best robe for his son, a ring with the family seal, the killing of the fatted calf, and says to all: “Let us eat and make merry, for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.”

In one of his novels Dostoyevsky describes a scene that has the air of having been witnessed in reality. A woman holds a baby a few weeks old in her arms and — for the first time, according to her — he smiles at her. All contrite, she makes the sign of the cross on his forehead and to those who ask her the reason for this she says: “Just as a mother is happy when she sees the first smile of her child, God too rejoices every time a sinner gets on his knees and addresses a heartfelt prayer to him” (“The Idiot”).

Who knows whether a person who is listening does not decide finally to give this joy to God, to smile at him before he dies …

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