Second Sunday of
Easter
(Or
Sunday of Divine Mercy)
Lectionary:
45
It-Tieni Ħadd
tal-Għid
(Jew
il-Ħadd tal-Ħniena Divina)
Reading 1 Acts 5:12-16
Many
signs and wonders were done among the people at the hands of the apostles. They
were all together in Solomon's portico. None of the others dared to join them,
but the people esteemed them. Yet more than ever, believers in the Lord, great
numbers of men and women, were added to them. Thus they even carried the sick
out into the streets and laid them on cots and mats so that when Peter came by,
at least his shadow might fall on one or another of them. A large number of
people from the towns in the vicinity of Jerusalem also gathered, bringing the
sick and those disturbed by unclean spirits, and they were all cured.
QARI I mill-Ktieb tal-Atti tal-Appostli 5, 12-16
Bis-saħħa
tal-appostli kienu jsiru ħafna sinjali u mirakli fost il-poplu. U huma lkoll
qalb waħda kienu jinġabru flimkien fil-portiku ta’ Salamun, u ħadd mill-oħrajn
ma kien jissogra jissieħeb magħhom; imma kulħadd kien ifaħħarhom ħafna. L-għadd
ta’ dawk li kienu jemmnu fil-Mulej, kemm irġiel kemm nisa, kien dejjem jiżdied
u joktor, hekk li kienu wkoll iġorru l-morda tagħhom fuq sodod u mtieraħ u jqegħduhom
fil-pjazez biex, xħin jgħaddi Pietru, jaqa’ mqar id-dell tiegħu fuq xi ħadd
minnhom. In-nies kienu jiġu mill-ibliet ta’ madwar Ġerusalemm, iġorru l-morda u
lil dawk li kienu maħkuma mill-ispirti mniġġsa; u lkoll kienu jitfejqu. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej
Responsorial
Psalm PSALM 118:2-4, 13-15, 22-2
Let
the house of Israel say,
"His
mercy endures forever."
Let
the house of Aaron say,
"His
mercy endures forever."
Let
those who fear the LORD say,
"His
mercy endures forever."
R.
Alleluia.
I
was hard pressed and was falling,
but
the LORD helped me.
My
strength and my courage is the LORD,
and
he has been my savior.
The
joyful shout of victory
in
the tents of the just:
R.
Alleluia.
The
stone which the builders rejected
has
become the cornerstone.
By
the LORD has this been done;
it
is wonderful in our eyes.
This
is the day the LORD has made;
let
us be glad and rejoice in it.
R.
Alleluia.
Salm
Responsorjali Salm 117 (118),
2-4.22-24.25-27a
R/. Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah
Ħa
jgħidu wlied Iżrael:
“Għal
dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu”.
Ħa
tgħid dar Aron:
“Għal
dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu”.
Ħa
jgħidu dawk li jibżgħu mill-Mulej:
“Għal
dejjem it-tjieba tiegħu”. R/.
Il-ġebla
li warrbu l-bennejja
saret
il-ġebla tax-xewka.
Bis-saħħa
tal-Mulej seħħ dan:
ħaġa
tal-għaġeb f’għajnejna.
Dan
hu l-jum li għamel il-Mulej;
ħa
nifirħu u nithennew fih! R/.
Ejja,
nitolbuk, Mulej, salvana!
Ejja,
nitolbuk, Mulej, agħtina r-riżq!
Imbierek
minn ġej f’isem il-Mulej!
Inberkukom
minn dar il-Mulej.
Jaħweħ
hu Alla; hu d-dawl tagħna. R/.
Reading 2 REVELATIONS 1:9-11a, 12-13, 17-19
I,
John, your brother, who share with you the distress, the kingdom, and the endurance
we have in Jesus, found myself on the island called Patmos because I proclaimed
God's word and gave testimony to Jesus. I was caught up in spirit on the Lord's
day and heard behind me a voice as loud as a trumpet, which said, "Write
on a scroll what you see." Then I turned to see whose voice it was that
spoke to me, and when I turned, I saw seven gold lampstands and in the midst of
the lampstands one like a son of man, wearing an ankle-length robe, with a gold
sash around his chest. When I caught sight of him, I fell down at his feet as
though dead. He touched me with his right hand and said, "Do not be
afraid. I am the first and the last, the one who lives. Once I was dead, but
now I am alive forever and ever. I hold the keys to death and the netherworld. Write
down, therefore, what you have seen, and what is happening, and what will
happen afterwards." Alleluia.
QARI II mill-Ktieb tal-Apokalissi 1,
9-11a.12-13.17-19
Jiena,
Ġwanni, ħukom u sieħeb tagħkom fit-taħbit u fis-saltna u fis-sabar ma’ Ġesù,
jien sibt ruħi fil-gżira jisimha Patmos minħabba l-Kelma ta’ Alla u x-xhieda
ta’ Ġesù. Darba, f’jum il-Mulej, ħassejtni merfugħ fl-Ispirtu, u minn warajja
smajt leħen qawwi, bħal ta’ tromba, jgħidli: “Kulma tara niżżlu fi ktieb u
ibagħtu lis-seba’ knejjes”. U jiena dort biex nara min kien qiegħed ikellimni;
u, kif dort, rajt seba’ kandelabri tad-deheb, u f’nofs il-kandelabri kien hemm
wieħed qisu Iben ta’ bniedem, liebes libsa twila sa wiċċ saqajh, b’sidru
mħażżem bi ħżiem tad-deheb. Jien, kif rajtu, waqajt qisni mejjet f’riġlejh.
Iżda hu ressaq idu l-leminija fuqi u qalli: “Tibżax! Jien hu l-Ewwel u l-Aħħar,
jiena l-Ħaj; jien kont mejjet, u ara, jien issa ħaj għal dejjem ta’ dejjem, u
għandi jinsabu l-imfietaħ tal-Mewt u ta’ Post il-Mejtin. Ikteb kulma ara, kemm
il-ħwejjeġ li hawn issa u kemm dawk li se jiġru ’l quddiem”. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej
Gospel JOHN 20:19-31
On
the evening of that first day of the week, when the doors were locked, where
the disciples were, for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in their midst and
said to them, "Peace be with you." When he had said this, he showed
them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus
said to them again, "Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I
send you." And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to
them, "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them, and
whose sins you retain are retained." Thomas, called Didymus, one of the
Twelve,was not wi th them when Jesus came. So the other disciples said to him,
"We have seen the Lord." But he said to them, "Unless I see the
mark of the nails in his hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my
hand into his side, I will not believe." Now a week later his disciples
were again inside and Thomas was with them. Jesus came, although the doors were
locked, and stood in their midst and said, "Peace be with you." Then
he said to Thomas, "Put your finger here and see my hands, and bring your
hand and put it into my side, and do not be unbelieving, but believe." Thomas
answered and said to him, "My Lord and my God!" Jesus said to him,
"Have you come to believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who
have not seen and have believed." Now Jesus did many other signs in the
presence of his disciples that are not written in this book. But these are
written that you may come to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and
that through this belief you may have life in his name.
EVANĠELJU mill-Evanġelju skont San Ġwann 20, 19-31
Dakinhar
filgħaxija, fl-ewwel jum tal-ġimgħa, meta d-dixxipli kienu flimkien imbeżżgħa
mil-Lhud, bil-bibien magħluqa, ġie Ġesù u qagħad f’nofshom; u qalilhom:
“Is-sliem għalikom!” Kif qal hekk, uriehom idejh u ġenbu. Id-dixxipli ferħu
meta raw lill-Mulej. Imbagħad Ġesù tenna jgħidilhom: “Is-sliem għalikom! Kif
il-Missier bagħat lili, hekk jien nibgħat lilkom”. Kif qal hekk, nefaħ fuqhom u
qalilhom: “Ħudu l-Ispirtu s-Santu. Dawk li taħfrulhom dnubiethom ikunu maħfura,
u dawk li żżommuhomlhom ikunu miżmuma”. Tumas, wieħed mit-Tnax, jgħidulu
t-Tewmi, ma kienx magħhom meta ġie Ġesù. Għalhekk id-dixxipli l-oħra qalulu:
“Rajna lill-Mulej”. Iżda hu qalilhom: “Jekk ma narax f’idejh il-marka
tal-imsiemer u ma nqigħedx sebgħi fuq il-marka tal-imsiemer u idi fuq ġenbu,
jien ma nemminx”. Tmint ijiem wara, id-dixxipli reġgħu kienu ġewwa, u Tumas
magħhom. Il-bibien kienu magħluqa, imma Ġesù daħal, qagħad f’nofshom, u
qalilhom: “Is-sliem għalikom!” Imbagħad qal lil Tumas: “Ġib sebgħek hawn u ara
idejja, u ressaq idek u qegħedha fuq ġenbi; tkunx bniedem bla fidi, iżda
emmen”. Wieġeb Tumas u qallu: “Mulej tiegħi u Alla tiegħi!” Qallu Ġesù: “Emmint
għax rajtni! Henjin dawk li ma rawx u emmnu”. Hemm ħafna sinjali oħra li Ġesù
għamel quddiem id-dixxipli tiegħu u li mhumiex imniżżla f’dan il-ktieb. Iżda
dawn inkitbu sabiex intom temmnu li Ġesù hu l-Messija l-Iben ta’ Alla, u biex
bit-twemmin tagħkom ikollkom il-ħajja f’ismu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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Father Cantalamessa on
Preaching to the World
Here is a translation of a
commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero
Cantalamessa, on the readings from today’s liturgy.
* * *
The
Gospel of this Sunday “in Albis” tells of the two appearances of the risen
Jesus to the apostles in the cenacle. In this first appearance Jesus says to
the apostles: “‘Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, so I send you.’
After having said this he breathed on them and said: ‘Receive the Holy
Spirit.'” It is the solemn moment of sending. In Mark’s Gospel the same sending
is expressed with the words: “Go and preach the Gospel to every creature” (Mark
16:15).
Luke’s
Gospel, which has accompanied us this year, expresses this movement from
Jerusalem to the world with the episode of the two disciples who travel from
Jerusalem to Emmaus with the risen Christ, who explains the Scriptures to them
and breaks bread for them. There are three or four villages that claim to be
the ancient Emmaus of the Gospel. Perhaps even this particular town, like the
whole episode, has a symbolic value. Now Emmaus is every town; the risen Jesus
accompanies his disciples along all the roads of the world and in all
directions.
The
historical problem that we will deal with in this last conversation of the
series has precisely to do with Christ’s commission of the apostles. The
questions that we ask ourselves are: Did Jesus really order his disciples to go
into the whole world? Did he think that a community would be born from his
message, that this message would have a following? Did he think that there
should be a Church? We ask ourselves these questions because, as we have done
in these commentaries, there are those who give a negative answer to these
questions, an answer that is contrary to the historical data.
The
undeniable fact of the election of the Twelve Apostles indicates that Jesus had
the intention of giving life to a community and foresaw his life and teaching
having a following. All the parables whose original nucleus contains the idea
of an expansion to the Gentiles cannot be explained in another way. One thinks
of the parable of the murderous tenants of the vineyard, of the workers in the
vineyard, of the saying about the last who will be first, of the “many who will
come from the east and west to the banquet of Abraham,” while others will be
excluded — and countless other sayings.
During
his life Jesus never left the land of Israel, except for some brief excursion
into the pagan territories in the north, but this is explained by his
conviction that he was above all sent for the people of Israel, to then urge
them, once converted, to welcome the Gentiles into the fold, according to the
universalistic proclamations of the prophets.
It is
often claimed that in the passage from Jerusalem to Rome, the Gospel message
was profoundly modified. In other words, it is said that between the Christ of
the Gospels and the Christ preached by the different Christian churches, there
is not continuity but rupture.
Certainly
there is a difference between the two. But there is an explanation for this. If
we compare a photograph of an embryo in the maternal womb with the same child
at the age of 10 or 30, it could be said that we are dealing with two different
realities; but we know that everything that the man has become was already
contained and programmed into the embryo. Jesus himself compared the kingdom of
heaven to a small seed, but he said it was destined to grow and become a great tree
on whose branches the birds of the sky would come to perch (Matthew 13:32).
Even if
they are not the exact words that he used, what Jesus says in John’s Gospel is
important: “I have many other things to tell you, but you are not ready for
them now (that is, you are not able to understand them); but the Holy Spirit
will teach you all things and will lead you to the whole truth.” Thus, Jesus
foresaw a development of his doctrine, guided by the Holy Spirit. It is plain
why in today’s Gospel reading the sending on mission is accompanied by the gift
of the Holy Spirit.
But is it
true that the Christianity that we know was born in the third century, with
Constantine, as is sometimes insinuated? A few years after Jesus’ death, we
already find the fundamental elements of the Church attested to: the
celebration of the Eucharist, a Passover celebration with a different content
from that of Exodus (“our Passover,” as Paul calls it); Christian baptism that
will soon take the place of circumcision; the canon of Scripture, which in its
core stems from the first decades of the second century; Sunday as a new day of
celebration that quite early on will take the place of the Jewish Sabbath. Even
the hierarchical structure of the Church (bishops, priests and deacons) is attested
to by Ignatius of Antioch at the beginning of the second century.
Of
course, not everything in the Church can be traced back to Jesus. There are
many things in the Church that are historical, human products, as well as the
products of human sin, and the Church must periodically free itself from this,
and it does not cease to do so. But in essential things the Church’s faith has
every right to claim a historical origin in Christ.
We began
the series of commentaries on the Lenten Gospels moved by the same intention
that Luke announces at the beginning of his Gospel: “So that you may know the
truth of the things about which you have been instructed.” Having arrived at
the end of the cycle, I can only hope to have achieved, in some measure, the
same purpose, even if it is important to recall that the living and true Jesus
is properly reached not by history but through the leap of faith. History,
however, can show that it is not crazy to make that leap.
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