Twenty-sixth
Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary:
138
Is-Sitta u Għoxrin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul
is-Sena
Reading
1 Amos 6:1a, 4-7
Thus says
the LORD the God of hosts: Woe to the complacent in Zion! Lying upon beds of ivory,
stretched comfortably on their couches, they eat lambs taken from the flock,
and calves from the stall! Improvising to the music of the harp, like David,
they devise their own accompaniment. They drink wine from bowls and anoint
themselves with the best oils; yet they are not made ill by the collapse of
Joseph! Therefore, now they shall be the
first to go into exile, and their wanton revelry shall be done away with
Qari
I mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Għamos 6,
1a. 4-7
Dan jgħid
il-Mulej li jista’ kollox: “Ħażin għalihom dawk li f’Sijon għandhom moħħhom
mistrieħ, dawk li qalbhom qawwija fil-muntanja tas-Samarija! Fuq sodod
tal-avorju mimduda, jitmattru fuq il-friex; u ħrief il-merħla jieklu, għoġiela
mill-istalla.Mal-arpa jqabblu l-għana, bħal David strumenti jivvintaw. L-inbid
ilegilguh minn bwieqi kbar, u bl-ifjen żjut jindilku, bla xejn ma jsewdu
qalbhom għall-qerda ta’ Ġużeppi. Għalhekk ikunu l-ewwel fost dawk li jittieħdu
fl-eżilju, u tintemm imbagħad l-għajta tal-imhejmin”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial
Psalm PSALM 146:7, 8-9, 9-10
Blessed he
who keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD
sets captives free.
R. Praise
the Lord, my soul!
The LORD
gives sight to the blind;
the LORD raises up those who were bowed down.
The LORD
loves the just;
the LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise
the Lord, my soul!
The
fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts.
The LORD
shall reign forever;
your God, O Zion, through all generations.
Alleluia.
R. Praise
the Lord, my soul!
Salm
Responsorjali Salm 145 (146),
7.8-9a.9bċ-10
R/. (1b):
Faħħar, ruħ tiegħi, il-Mulej!
Il-Mulej
li jagħmel ħaqq lill-maħqurin,
u jagħti
l-ħobż lill-imġewħin.
Il-Mulej
li jeħles lill-imjassrin. R/.
Il-Mulej
li jiftaħ għajnejn l-għomja;
il-Mulej
li jerfa’ lill-milwijin;
il-Mulej
li jħobb lill-ġusti;
il-Mulej
li jħares lill-barranin. R/.
Il-Mulej
iżomm lill-iltim u lill-armla,
imma
lill-ħżiena jħarbtilhom triqathom.
Il-Mulej
isaltan għal dejjem;
Alla
tiegħek, Sijon, minn nisel għal nisel. R/.
Reading
2 1 Tm 6:11-16
But you,
man of God, pursue righteousness, devotion, faith, love, patience, and
gentleness. Compete well for the faith. Lay hold of eternal life, to which you
were called when you made the noble confession in the presence of many
witnesses. I charge you before God, who gives life to all things, and before
Christ Jesus, who gave testimony under Pontius Pilate for the noble confession,
to keep the commandment without stain or reproach until the appearance of our
Lord Jesus Christ that the blessed and only ruler will make manifest at the
proper time, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality,
who dwells in unapproachable light, and whom no human being has seen or can
see. To him be honor and eternal power.
Amen.
Qari
II mill-Ewwel Ittra lil Timotju 6,
11-16
Int,
bniedem ta’ Alla, fittex li jkollok il-ġustizzja, it-tjieba, il-fidi,
l-imħabba, is-sabar, il-ħlewwa. Tqabad it-taqbida t-tajba tal-fidi; qis li
tirbaħ il-ħajja ta’ dejjem li għaliha kont imsejjaħ u li tagħha għamilt
l-istqarrija sabiħa quddiem ħafna xhieda.Inwissik quddiem Alla li jagħti
l-ħajja lill-ħlejjaq kollha, u quddiem Kristu Ġesù li xehed u għamel
l-istqarrija sabiħa quddiem Ponzju Pilatu. Inwissik biex tħares
l-istruzzjonijiet li rċevejt u żżomm ruħek bla tebgħa u bla ħtija sa jum
id-dehra ta’ Sidna Ġesù Kristu, li għad juriha f’waqtha. Dak li hu l-hieni u
waħdu setgħani, is-Sultan tas-slaten u s-Sid tas-sidien, li hu biss ma jmut
qatt u jgħammar f’dawl li ħadd ma jista’ jersaq lejh, hu li ebda bniedem qatt
ma rah u anqas qatt jista’ jarah. Lilu ġieħ u setgħa għal dejjem! Ammen.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel Lk 16:19-31
Jesus said
to the Pharisees: "There was a rich man who dressed in purple garments and
fine linen and dined sumptuously each day. And lying at his door was a poor man
named Lazarus, covered with sores, who would gladly have eaten his fill of the
scraps that fell from the rich man's table. Dogs even used to come and lick his
sores. When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of
Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried, and from the netherworld, where
he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at
his side. And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to
dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering
torment in these flames.' Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you
received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received
what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone
from crossing who might wish to go from
our side to yours or from your side to ours.' He said, 'Then I beg you, father,
send him to my father's house, for I have five brothers, so that he may warn
them, lest they too come to this place of torment.' But Abraham replied, 'They
have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.'He said, 'Oh no, father
Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'Then
Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will
they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"
Evanġelju Qari skont San Luqa 16, 19-31
F’dak
iż-żmien, Ġesù qal lill-fariżej: “Mela kien hemm raġel għani, jilbes il-porpra
u għażel mill-ifjen; l-hena tiegħu kien li kuljum jagħmel ikla mill-aħjar. U
wieħed fqir jismu Lazzru, li kellu ġismu ġerħa waħda, kien imur jinxteħet ħdejn
il-bieb ta’ daru, bix-xewqa li jixba’ b’dak li jaqa’ mill-mejda tal-għani.
Sal-klieb kienu jmorru jilagħqu l-ġrieħi tiegħu.Ġara li l-fqir miet, u l-anġli
ħaduh fi ħdan Abraham. Imbagħad miet ukoll l-għani, u difnuh. Dan, kif sab ruħu
fi tbatijiet ħorox f’Art l-Imwiet, rafa’ ħarstu, u mill-bogħod lemaħ lil
Abraham, b’Lazzru fi ħdanu. U għolla leħnu u qallu: “Missier Abraham, ikollok
ħniena minni u ibgħat lil Lazzru jbill tarf sebgħu fl-ilma ħa jtaffili n-nixfa
li għandi fi lsieni, għax qiegħed ninħaqar wisq f’dan in-nar”. Iżda Abraham
qallu: “Ibni, ftakar li t-tajjeb tiegħek irċevejtu f’ħajtek; hekk ukoll Lazzru,
il-ħażin irċevieh f’ħajtu. Imma issa hu hawnhekk qiegħed jitfarraġ, waqt li inti
qiegħed tbati. Barra minn dan, hemm vojt bla qjies bejnkom u bejnna, biex min
ikun irid jaqsam minn hawn għal għandkom ma jkunx jista’, u anqas ma jgħaddu
minn hemm għal għandna”. Qallu l-għani: “Mela nitolbok, missier, ibagħtu f’dar
missieri, għax għandi ħames aħwa, ħalli jagħmlilhom twissija kif imiss, li ma
jmorrux huma wkoll jiġu f’dan il-post ta’ tbatijiet ħorox!”. Qallu Abraham:
“Għandhom lil Mosè u l-Profeti; jisimgħu lilhom”. Qallu dak: “Le, missier
Abraham, imma jekk imur għandhom xi ħadd mill-imwiet, jindmu”. Iżda wieġbu
Abraham: “Jekk ma jisimgħux lil Mosè u l-Profeti, anqas jekk iqum xi ħadd
mill-imwiet ma jemmnu”.Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
//////////
Fr
Cantalamessa on the
First World and Lazarus
First World and Lazarus
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
Rich Man who Dressed in Purple Garments and Fine Linen
The
principal thing to bring to light in regard to the parable of the rich man in
this Sunday’s Gospel is his contemporary relevance. At the global level the two
characters are the two hemispheres: The rich man represents the northern
hemisphere (western Europe, America, Japan) and the poor man, Lazarus, with a
few exceptions, represents the southern hemisphere. Two characters, two worlds:
the first world and the Third World. Two demographically and geographically
unequal worlds: The one that we call the Third World in fact represents
two-thirds of the world. This is a usage that is beginning to take hold. The
third world is beginning to be called the “two-thirds world.”
The same
contrast between the rich man and Lazarus exists also within both worlds. The
rich live side by side with the poor Lazaruses in the third world — and the
solitary luxury that exists in these countries stands out all the more in the
midst of the miserable majority — and there are the poor Lazaruses who live
side by side with the rich in the first world. Some persons in the
entertainment business, in sports, finance, industry, and commerce have
contracts worth millions, and all of this is in the sight of millions of people
who, with their meagre wages or unemployment subsidy, do not know how they are
going to be able to pay the rent or pay for medicine and education for their
children.
The most
detestable thing in the story that Jesus tells is the rich man’s ostentation,
the way he makes a show of his wealth with no consideration for the poor man.
His life of luxury is manifested in two areas, in dining and in clothing: The
rich man feasted sumptuously and dressed in purple garments and fine linen,
which in those days was the vesture of kings. The contrast is not only between
a person who stuffs himself with food and a person who dies of hunger but also
between one who changes his clothes every day and one who does not own a
thread.
Here in
Italy there was once a piece of clothing presented at a fashion show that was
made of gold coins and cost over a billion lira. We have to say this without
hesitation: The global success of Italian fashion and the business it has
created have gone to our heads. We do not care about anything anymore.
Everything that is done in the fashion sector, even the most obvious excesses,
enjoys special treatment. Fashion shows that sometimes fill television news so
much that other more important news is put aside, bring to mind the scenes in
the parable of the rich man.
But so far
we have not touched on anything new. What is novel and unique in this
evangelical denouncement has to do with the perspective from which the events
are seen. Everything in the parable is seen retrospectively from the epilogue
to the story: “When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the
bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried.” If we put this story
on the screen we could very well begin with this ending beyond the grave and
then return to the previous events in a kind of “flashback.”
Many
similar denouncements of wealth and luxury have been made over the centuries
but today they sound rhetorical and resentful or pietistic and anachronistic.
But Jesus’ denouncement, after 2,000 years, retains intact its explosive power.
Jesus does not belong to either party in this matter but is one who is above
rich and poor and is concerned with both — and perhaps more with the rich since
the poor are less in danger!
The
parable of the rich man is not motivated by any resentment toward the wealthy,
by a desire to take their place, as are many human denouncements, but by a
sincere concern for their salvation. God wants to save the rich from their
wealth.
////////////////////////////////////
No comments:
Post a Comment