« July 28, 2019 »
Seventeenth
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary:
111
Is-Sbatax-il Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 Genesis 18:20-32
In those days, the
LORD said: "The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their
sin so grave, that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully
correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out."
While Abraham's visitors walked on farther toward Sodom, the LORD remained
standing before Abraham. Then Abraham drew nearer and said: "Will you sweep away the innocent with the guilty? Suppose there were fifty innocent people in
the city; would you wipe out the place, rather than spare it for the sake of
the fifty innocent people within it? Far
be it from you to do such a thing, to make the innocent die with the guilty so
that the innocent and the guilty would be treated alike! Should not the judge of all the world act with
justice?" The LORD replied, "If I find fifty innocent people in the
city of Sodom, I will spare the whole place for their sake." Abraham spoke up again: "See how I am
presuming to speak to my Lord, though I am but dust and ashes! What if there
are five less than fifty innocent people? Will you destroy the whole city
because of those five?" He answered, "I will not destroy it, if I
find f rty-five there." But Abraham persisted, saying "What if only
forty are found there?" He replied, "I will forbear doing it for the
sake of the forty." Then Abraham said, "Let not my Lord grow
impatient if I go on. What if only thirty are found there?" He replied, "I will forbear doing it if I
can find but thirty there." Still Abraham went on, "Since I have thus
dared to speak to my Lord, what if there are no more than twenty?" The
LORD answered, "I will not destroy it, for the sake of the twenty." But
he still persisted: "Please, let not my Lord grow angry if I speak up this
last time. What if there are at least ten there?" He replied, "For the sake of those ten, I
will not destroy it."
Qari I mill-Ktieb tal-Ġenesi 18, 20-32
F’dak
iż-żmien
il-Mulej qal: “L-għajta ta’ Sodoma u Gomorra hi tassew
qawwija, u t-toqol ta’ dnubhom hu kbir. U issa se ninżel u
nara jekk għamlux għalkollox skont l-għajta tagħhom li waslet għandi. Jekk le, inkun naf”. Dawk
l-irġiel kisru minn hemm, u rħewlha lejn Sodoma; imma l-Mulej baqa’ wieqaf quddiem Abraham. Abraham
resaq lejn il-Mulej u staqsieh: “U int se teqred it-tajjeb mal-ħażin? U jekk hemm ħamsin bniedem ġust f’nofs il-belt, jaqaw lil
dawn se teqridhom u ma taħfirx
lill-pajjiż minħabba l-ħamsin ġust li hemm f’nofsha? Ma jkun qatt li
inti tagħmel ħaġa bħal din, li toqtol il-bniedem ġust
mal-ħażin,
u l-ġust u l-ħażin tmisshom l-istess xorti. Ma jkun qatt minnek, l-imħallef
tal-art kollha, li ma tagħmilx ġustizzja”. U l-Mulej
wieġeb: “Jekk jiena nsib ħamsin
bniedem ġust f’nofs il-belt, jien naħfirha
lill-post kollu minħabba fihom”. Wieġeb
Abraham u qal: “Arani, jien issugrajt nitkellem mal-Mulej, għalkemm jien trab u
rmied. U jekk hemm nieqsa ħamsa għall-ħamsin ġust, minħabba ħamsa u erbgħin se teqred il-belt kollha?”. U
wieġbu l-Mulej: “Ma neqridhiex jekk insib fiha ħamsa u
erbgħin”. Imma
Abraham kompla jitkellem miegħu u
jgħidlu: “U jekk issib
hemm erbgħin?” U wieġbu: “Ma
nagħmilx dan, minħabba l-erbgħin”.
Qal Abraham: “La
tagħdabx, Sidi, jekk nerġa’
nitkellem: u
jekk jinstabu tletin?” U hu wieġeb: “Ma nagħmilx dan, jekk insib hemm
tletin”. U raġa’ qallu: “Ara kif nissogra nkellem lil Sidi: U jekk
jinstabu hemm għoxrin?” U l-Mulej wieġeb: “Ma neqridhiex minħabba l-għoxrin”. U
wieġeb: “La tagħdabx, Sidi, jekk nerġa’ nitkellem darba oħra
biss: U jekk jinstabu hemm għaxra?” U hu qallu:
“Ma neqridhiex minħabba l-għaxra”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial
Psalm Psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6-7, 7-8
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you
answered me.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you
answered me.
The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,and the proud he knows from afar.
Though I walk amid distress, you preserve me;
against the anger of my enemies you raise your hand.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you
answered me.
Salm Responsorjali Salm 137 (138), 1-2a.
2bċ-3. 6-7ab. 7ċ-8
R/.
(3a): Meta sejjaħtlek,
int weġibtni,
Mulej
Irroddlok
ħajr, Mulej, b’qalbi kollha,
għaliex int smajt kliem fommi.
Quddiem
l-allat irrid ngħannilek.
B’wiċċi fl-art ninxteħet quddiem is-santwarju tiegħek. R/.
Irroddlok
ħajr għat-tjieba u l-fedeltà
tiegħek,
għax int kabbart ismek u kelmtek fuq
kollox.
Meta
sejjaħtlek, int weġibtni,
kattarli
l-qawwa f’ruħi. R/.
Kbir
il-Mulej, imma jieħu ħsieb iż-żgħar;
u, għalkemm fl-għoli, jagħraf mill-bogħod.
Jekk
insib ruħi fl-għali, inti tħarisli ħajti;
terfa’
idek kontra l-għedewwa tiegħi. R/.
Il-leminija
tiegħek issalvani mill-qilla tagħhom.
Il-Mulej
iżomm kelmtu miegħi.
It-tjieba
tiegħek, Mulej, tibqa’ għal
dejjem;
la
titlaqx għemil idejk! R/.
Reading
2 Colossians 2:12-14
Brothers and
sisters: You were buried with him in baptism, in which you were also raised
with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. And even when
you were dead in transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, he
brought you to life along with him, having forgiven us all our transgressions; obliterating
the bond against us, with its legal claims, which was opposed to us, he also
removed it from our midst, nailing it to the cross.
Qari II
mill-Ittra
lill-Kolossin 2, 12-14
Ħuti, intom indfintu ma’ Kristu bil-magħmudija u rxuxtajtu miegħu permezz
tal-fidi tagħkom fil-qawwa ta’ Alla li qajmu mill-imwiet. Kontu mejta minħabba
dnubietkom u għax ma kellkomx iċ-ċirkonċiżjoni f’ġisimkom;
imma issa Alla takom il-ħajja
flimkien ma’ Kristu: Ħafrilna dnubietna kollha. Ħassar il-kont tad-dejn li kellna bl-obbligi li kien hemm kontrina; neħħieh min-nofs u sammru mas-salib. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel Luke 11:1-13
Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples." He said to them, "When you pray, say: Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread and forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us, and do not subject us to the final test." And he said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend to whom he goes at midnight and says, 'Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, for a friend of mine has arrived at my house from a journey and I have nothing to offer him,' and he says in reply from within, 'Do not bother me; the door has already been locked and my children and I are already in bed. I cannot get up to give you anything.' I tell you,if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence. "And I tell you, ask and you will receive; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?"
Evanġelju Qari skont San
Luqa 11, 1-13
Darba
Ġesù
kien qiegħed xi mkien jitlob. Kif
spiċċa mit-talb, wieħed mid-dixxipli
tiegħu qallu: “Mulej, għallimna nitolbu, bħalma Ġwanni wkoll
għallem lid-dixxipli tiegħu”. U
qalilhom: “Meta
titolbu, għidu: “Missier,
jitqaddes ismek, tiġi Saltnatek. Ħobżna
ta’ kuljum agħtina kuljum. U aħfrilna dnubietna, għax aħna wkoll naħfru lil kull min hu ħati għalina, u la ddaħħalniex
fit-tiġrib”.“ Qalilhom
ukoll: “Wieħed minnkom ikollu ħabib li jiġih f’nofs ta’
lejl u jgħidlu: “Ħabib, islifni tliet ħobżiet, għax ġie għandi wieħed ħabib tiegħi mill-vjaġġ u ma għandix x’nagħtih”. U l-ieħor iwieġbu minn ġewwa u jgħidlu: “Iddejjaqnix;
issa l-bieb magħluq, u wliedi qegħdin fis-sodda
miegħi; ma nistax inqum nagħtik”. Ngħidilkom jien, li jekk ma jqumx jagħtih għax ħabib tiegħu, iqum u jagħtih kulma jkollu bżonn minħabba l-wiċċ sfiq tiegħu. U jiena ngħidilkom: Itolbu u jingħatalkom, fittxu u ssibu, ħabbtu u jiftħulkom. Għax min jitlob, jaqla’;
min ifittex, isib; u min iħabbat, jiftħulu. Min hu dak il-missier fostkom li,
jekk ibnu jitolbu ħuta, minflok ħuta jagħtih serp? Inkella jekk jitolbu bajda
jagħtih skorpjun? Mela jekk intom, nies ħżiena
bħalkom, tafu tagħtu lil uliedkom ħwejjeġ tajba, kemm aktar il-Missier
mis-smewwiet jagħti spirtu qaddis lil dawk li jitolbuhulu!” Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
///////// Father Cantalamessa on Jesus’ Prayer
Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household
preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on the readings from this
Sunday’s liturgy.
* * *
Sunday’s Gospel
begins with these words: “Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had
finished, one of his disciples said to him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray just as
John taught his disciples.’ He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Father,
hallowed be your name, your kingdom come.'”
We can get an
idea of what Jesus’ countenance and his whole person looked like when he prayed
by considering the fact that his disciples, just watching him pray, fell in
love with prayer and asked the Master to teach them to pray. Jesus responds to
them, as we have just now heard, by teaching them the Our Father.
Again in our
commentary for this Sunday we will draw inspiration for our reflections on the
Gospel from Benedict XVI’s book on Jesus. “Without the rootedness in God,” the
Pope writes, “the person of Jesus remains elusive, unreal and inexplicable.
This is the point on which my book is based: It considers Jesus from the
perspective of his communion with the Father. This is the true center of his
personality.”
These claims
are amply justified by the Gospels. Therefore, no one can deny that
historically the Jesus of the Gospels lives and works in continual reference to
the heavenly Father, that he prays and teaches how to pray, that he bases
everything on faith in God. If this dimension is taken away from the Jesus of
the Gospels, nothing is left of him.
From this
historical evidence there follows a fundamental consequence and that is that it
is not possible to know the true Jesus if we detach from faith, if we try to
approach him as nonbelievers or declared atheists. I am not speaking at this
point of faith in Christ, in his divinity (which comes later), but of faith in
God, in the most common understanding of the term.
Many
nonbelievers today write about Jesus, convinced that they are the ones who know
the real Jesus, not the Church, not the believers. I do not have the intention
of saying — nor does the Pope, I believe — that nonbelievers have no right to
concern themselves with Jesus. Jesus is the “patrimony of humanity” and no one,
not even the Church, has a monopoly on him. The fact that even nonbelievers write
about Jesus and are passionate about him can only give us pleasure.
What I want to
draw attention to are the consequences that follow from such a point of
departure. If we detach from or deny faith in God, it is not only divinity that
is eliminated or the so-called Christ of faith, but the historical Jesus is
also completely eliminated, not even the man Jesus is left.
If God does not
exist, Jesus is only one of the many deluded people who have prayed,
worshipped, and spoken to their own shadow or the projection of their own
essence, as Feuerbach would say. But how do we explain the fact that the life
of this man “changed the world”? It would be like saying that truth and reason
did not change the world but illusion and irrationality. How do we explain that
after 2,000 years this man continues to affect us like no one else? Can all of
that be the fruit of an equivocation, of an illusion?
There is but
one way out of this dilemma and we must acknowledge the consistency of those
(especially in the circle of the “Jesus Seminar” of California) who have taken
that route. According to them, Jesus was not a Jewish believer; at bottom he
was a philosopher of the Cynic type; he did not preach the kingdom of God, or
an immanent end of the world; he only pronounced wise maxims in the style of a
Zen master. His purpose was to restore in men their self-awareness, to convince
them that they did not need him nor another god, because they themselves
possessed a divine spark. These are the things, however, that the New Age
movement has been preaching for decades.
The Pope
understood it correctly: Without the rootedness in God, the figure of Jesus is
elusive, unreal, and, I would add, contradictory. I do not think that this must
be taken to mean that only those who interiorly adhere to Christianity can
understand something about it; but it should put those on guard who think that
only by being outside of it, outside the dogmas of the Church, can something
objective be said about it. /////////
