"I make all things new"

May 19, 2019

Fifth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 54

Il-Ħames Ħadd tal-Għid

Reading 1    Acts 14:21-27

After Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed the good news to that city and made a considerable number of disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch. They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, "It is necessary for us to undergo many hardships to enter the kingdom of God." They appointed elders for them in each church and, with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put their faith. Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now accomplished. And when they arrived, they called the church together and reported what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

Qari I          mill-Ktieb tal-Atti tal-Appostli  14, 21b-27

F’dak iż-żmien, Pawlu u Barnaba reġgħu lura lejn Listra, Ikonju u Antjokja, jagħmlu l-qalb lid-dixxipli u jħeġġuhom biex jibqgħu fil-fidi, għaliex, kif kienu jgħidulhom, “jeħtiġilna nbatu ħafna biex nidħlu fis-Saltna ta’ Alla”. Għamlulhom ukoll presbiteri f’kull Knisja, u bit-talb u s-sawm ħallewhom f’idejn il-Mulej, li fih kienu emmnu. Imbagħad għaddew minn Pisidja u ġew fil-Pamfilja. Wara li xandru l-kelma f’Perġe, niżlu Attalija; minn hemm marru bil-baħar lejn Antjokja, mnejn kienu bagħtuhom u rrikkmandawhom f’idejn il-grazzja ta’ Alla għax-xogħol li temmew. Meta waslu, laqqgħu l-membri tal-Knisja u qagħdu jgħarrfuhom b’dak kollu li Alla għamel magħhom, u wrewhom kif fetaħ il-bieb tal-fidi għall-pagani.

Responsorial Psalm    PSALM  145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13

The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. Alleluia.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
 and speak of your might.
R. Alleluia.

Let them make known your might to the children of Adam,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R. Alleluia.

Salm Responsorjali       Salm 144 (145), 8-9.10-11.12-13ab

R/. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah

Twajjeb u ħanin il-Mulej,

idum biex jagħdab u kollu tjieba.

Twajjeb ma’ kulħadd il-Mulej,

tjubitu fuq kulma għamel. R/.

Kulma għamilt iroddlok ħajr, Mulej;

iberkuk il-ħbieb tiegħek kollha.

Is-sebħ tas-saltna tiegħek ixandru,

fuq is-setgħa tiegħek jitkellmu. R/.

Jgħarrfu lill-bniedem il-qawwa tiegħek,

u s-sebħ u l-ġmiel tas-saltna tiegħek.

Saltnatek hi saltna għaż-żminijiet kollha,

minn nisel għal nisel il-ħakma tiegħek. R/.

Reading 2    Revelations 21:1-5a

Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven rom God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Behold, God's dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away." The One who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new."

Qari II       mill-Ktieb tal-Apokalissi 21, 1-5a  

Jiena, Ġwanni, rajt sema ġdid u art ġdida, għax is-sema ta’ qabel u l-art ta’ qabel għabu, u ma kienx hemm iżjed baħar. U l-Belt il-qaddisa, Ġerusalemm il-ġdida, rajtha nieżla mis-sema mingħand Alla, imħejjija bħal għarusa mżejna għall-għarus tagħha.  U smajt leħen qawwi ġej mit-tron jgħid: “Din hi l-għamara ta’ Alla mal-bnedmin! Hu jgħammar magħhom, u huma jkunu l-poplu tiegħu, u Alla nnifsu jkun magħhom, Alla tagħhom. Hu jixxuttalhom kull demgħa minn għajnejhom; ma jkunx hemm iżjed mewt, anqas biki jew għajjat jew tbatija ma jkun hemm iżjed, għax għabu l-ħwejjeġ ta’ qabel”. Imbagħad dak li hu bilqiegħda fuq it-tron qal: “Ara, se nġedded kollox”.

Gospel     John 13:31-33a, 34-35

When Judas had left them, Jesus said, "Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and God will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

Evanġelju         Qari skont San Ġwann  13, 31-33a.34-35

Kif ħareġ Ġuda miċ-ċenaklu, Ġesù qal: “Bin il-bniedem huwa gglorifikat issa, u permezz tiegħu huwa gglorifikat Alla. Jekk Alla huwa gglorifikat permezz ta’ Bin il-bniedem, Alla wkoll permezz tiegħu nnifsu għad jigglorifika lilu, u dalwaqt jigglorifikah. Uliedi, ftit ieħor se ndum magħkom. Nagħtikom kmandament ġdid, li tħobbu lil xulxin. Bħalma ħabbejtkom jien, hekk ukoll ħobbu intom lil xulxin. Minn dan jagħraf kulħadd li intom dixxipli tiegħi, jiġifieri, jekk ikollkom l-imħabba bejnietkom”. 

/////////  Father Cantalamessa on What’s New

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

A New Commandment

The word “new” belongs to that restricted number of magic words that always and only evokes positive feelings. “Brand new,” “new clothes,” “new life,” “new year,” “new day.” The new makes news. They are synonymous. The Gospel is called “good news” precisely because it contains the new — par excellence.

Why do we like the new so much? It is not only because the new, the unused (a car, for example), generally works better. If this were the only reason, why do we welcome the New Year and a new day with such joy? The deepest reason is that the new, that which is still unknown, inexperienced, leaves more room for expectation, surprise, hope, dreams. And happiness is the child of these. If we were sure that the New Year would bring exactly the same things as the past year, no more and no less, we would not be very pleased about it.

The new is not opposed to the “ancient” but to the “old.” “Antique,” “antiquity,” “antique dealer,” are positive terms. What is the difference? The old is that which with the passing of time gets worse and loses its value; an antique is that which gets better and acquires value with the passing of time. That is why today Italian-speaking theologians try to avoid the expression “Vecchio Testamento” (“Old Testament”) and prefer to speak of the “Antico Testamento” (“Ancient Testament”).

Now, with these premises, let us draw near to the word of the Gospel. A question arises immediately: Why is a commandment that was already known in the Old Testament (cf. Leviticus 19:18) called “new”? Here the distinction between “ancient” and “old” proves useful. In this case “new” is not opposed to “ancient,” but to “old.”

The same Evangelist, John, writes in another place: “Dear ones, I do not propose to you a new commandment, but an ancient one. … Nevertheless it is a new commandment about which I write to you” (1 John 2:7-8). Is it a new commandment or an ancient one? Both.

Literally speaking, it is an ancient one because it was promulgated some time ago; but according to the Spirit it is new, because only in Christ is the strength to put it into practice also given. As I said, new is not opposed here to the ancient but to the old. The commandment to love one’s neighbour “as yourself” had become an old commandment, that is, weak and worn, on account of its being transgressed since the law imposed the obligation to love but did not give the strength to do so.

For this, grace is necessary. And in fact it was not when Jesus formulated the commandment of love during his life that it became a new commandment but when, dying on the cross and giving us the Holy Spirit, he makes us able to love each other by infusing in us the love he has for everyone.
Jesus’ commandment is new in an active and dynamic sense, because it “renews,” makes new, transforms everything. “And this love renews us, rendering us new persons, heirs of the New Testament, singers of a new song” (St. Augustine). If love could speak, it could make the words that God speaks in today’s second reading its own: “Behold, I make all things new.”  //////////////