The Miracle of Forgiveness

(Sunday, October 13, 2019)

Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 144

It-Tmienja u Għoxrin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena

Reading 1     2 Kings 5:14-17

Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the word of Elisha, the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he was clean of his leprosy. Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of God. On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant." Elisha replied, "As the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it;" and despite Naaman's urging, he still refused. Naaman said: "If you will not accept, please let me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the LORD."

Qari I     mit-Tieni Ktieb tas-Slaten 5, 14-17

F’dak iż-żmien, Nagħman, il-kmandant tal-eżerċtu tas-Sultan ta’ Aram, niżel fil-Ġordan, u għodos seba’ darbiet, bħalma qallu Eliżew, il-bniedem ta’ Alla, u ġismu raġa’ sarlu qisu l-ġisem ta’ tfajjel żagħżugħ, u ndaf mil-lebbra tiegħu. U raġa’ lura għand Eliżew, il-bniedem ta’ Alla, hu u kull min kellu miegħu; daħal, waqaf quddiemu u qallu: “Ara, issa naf, iva, li ma hemmx Alla ieħor fid-dinja kollha, ħlief f’Iżrael. Ilqa’, nitolbok, dan ir-rigal mingħand il-qaddej tiegħek”. U qallu Eliżew: “Daqs kemm hu ħaj il-Mulej li lilu naqdi, jien ma nieħu xejn”. U ma ħadhulux, għad li l-ieħor issikkah ħafna. Għalhekk Nagħman qallu: “La ma tridx, nitolbok li tingħata lill-qaddej tiegħek tagħbija ta’ żewġ bgħula ħamrija; għax il-qaddej tiegħek mhuwiex se jagħmel iżjed sagrifiċċji tal-ħruq u offerti lil allat oħra, jekk mhux lill-Mulej”.Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm      PSALM 98:1, 2-3, 3-4.

Sing to the LORD a new song,

for he has done wondrous deeds;

his right hand has won victory for him,

his holy arm.

R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

The LORD has made his salvation known:

in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.

He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness

toward the house of Israel.

R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

All the ends of the earth have seen

the salvation by our God.

Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands:

break into song; sing praise.

R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.

Salm Responsorjali       Salm 97 (98), 1.2-3ab.3ċd-4  

R/. (ara 2b): Il-Mulej għarraf is-salvazzjoni lill-ġnus

Għannu lill-Mulej għanja ġdida,

għax għamel ħwejjeġ tal-għaġeb.

Ġibitlu r-rebħa l-leminija tiegħu,

u d-driegħ imqaddes tiegħu. R/.

Għarraf il-Mulej is-salvazzjoni tiegħu,

f’għajnejn il-ġnus wera l-ġustizzja tiegħu.

Ftakar fit-tjieba u l-fedeltà tiegħu

mal-poplu ta’ Iżrael. R/.

L-art kollha, minn tarf għall-ieħor,

rat is-salvazzjoni ta’ Alla tagħna.

Għajtu bil-ferħ lill-Mulej fl-art kollha,

infexxu fil-hena, ifirħu u għannu! R/.

Reading 2     2 Tm 2:8-13

Beloved: Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together with eternal glory. This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if we deny him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he cannot deny himself.

Qari II       mit-Tieni Ittra lil Timotju 2, 8-13

Għażiż, ftakar f’Ġesù Kristu,i qam mill-imwiet, li hu min-nisel ta’ David, skont l-Evanġelju li ħabbart ien. Għalih jien qiegħed inbati  l-irbit tal-ktajjen bħallikieku għamilt xi delitt. Imma l-kelma ta’ Alla mhijiex marbuta! Għalhekk kollox nieħu bis-sabar għall-imħabba ta’ dawk li Alla għażel, biex huma wkoll jiksbu s-salvazzjoni, li hi ta’ glorja għal dejjem fi Kristu Ġesù. Din hi kelma ta’ min joqgħod fuqha: Jekk aħna mitna miegħu, għad ngħixu miegħu wkoll; jekk insofru bis-sabar, għad insaltnu miegħu wkoll; jekk niċħduh, jiċħadna hu wkoll; jekk nonqsu mill-kelma li tajna, hu jibqa’ jżomm kelmtu; għax hu ma jistax iqarraq bih innifsu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel     Luke 17:11-19

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master!  Have pity on us!" And when he saw them, he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going they were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, "Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."

Evanġelju      Qari skont San Luqa 17, 11-19

Ġara li huwa u sejjer lejn Ġerusalemm, Ġesù għadda minn bejn is-Samarija u l-Galilija. Kif kien dieħel f’raħal, iltaqgħu miegħu għaxart irġiel morda bil-lebbra. Waqfu ’l bogħod minnu, għollew leħinhom u qalulu: “Ġesù, mgħallem, ikollok ħniena minna!”. Kif rahom, qalilhom: “Morru uru rwieħkom lill-qassisin”. U ġara li, huma u sejrin, fiequ mill-marda tagħhom. Wieħed minnhom, kif ra ruħu mfejjaq, raġa’ lura jgħajjat u jfaħħar lil Alla, inxteħet wiċċu fl-art f’riġlejn Ġesù u raddlu ħajr. Issa dan kien Samaritan. U Ġesù qabad u qal: “Mhux l-għaxra fiequ mil-lebbra? Fejn huma d-disgħa l-oħra? Ma kien hemm ħadd minnhom li raġa’ lura biex jagħti glorja lil Alla ħlief dan il-barrani?”. Imbagħad qallu: “Qum, mur; il-fidi tiegħek salvatek”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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 What Use Are Miracles?

Commentary for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary Time by Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, pontifical preacher.

While Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, 10 lepers met him at the entrance to a village. Staying at a distance they call out to him, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” Jesus has pity on them and says to them: “Go and show yourselves to the priests.”

Along the way the 10 lepers discover themselves to be miraculously cured. The first reading also tells of a miraculous healing of a leper: that of Naaman the Syrian by the prophet Elisha. The liturgy’s intention is clearly to invite us to reflect on the meaning of miracles and in particular of miracles that bring about the cure of a sickness.

Let us say that prerogative to do miracles is one of the most attested in Jesus’ life. Perhaps the most dominant idea that the people had of Jesus during his life, more dominant than that of a prophet, was that of a miracle worker. Jesus himself presents this fact as proof of the Messianic authenticity of his mission: “The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are healed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised” (cf. Matthew 11:5). Miracles cannot be eliminated from Jesus’ life without destroying the plot of the whole Gospel.

Together with accounts of the miracles, Scripture offers us criteria for judging their authenticity and purpose. In the Bible, miracles are never ends in themselves; much less are they supposed to elevate the person who does them and show off his extraordinary powers, as is almost always the case with healers and wonder workers who advertise themselves. Miracles are rather an incentive for and a reward of faith. It is a sign and it must serve to draw attention to what it signifies. This is why Jesus is saddened when, after having multiplied the loaves of bread, he sees that they did not understand what this was a sign of (cf. Mark 6:51).

In the Gospel itself, miracles are ambiguous. Sometimes they are regarded positively and sometimes negatively — positively, when they are welcomed with gratitude and joy, when they awaken faith in Christ and hope in a future world without sickness and death; negatively, when they are asked for or demanded for faith. “What sign do you do that we might believe in you?” (John 6:30). This ambiguity continues in a different form in today’s world. On the one hand, there are those who seek out miracles at all costs; it is always a hunt for the extraordinary, and people stop at their immediate utility. On the other hand, their are those who deny miracles altogether; indeed they look upon miracles with a certain irritation, as if it were a manifestation of degenerate religiosity, without recognizing that in doing so they are pretending to teach God himself what is true religiosity and what isn’t.

Some recent debates that have arisen around the Padre Pio phenomenon have shown how much confusion is still around today about miracles. It is not true, for example, that the Church considers every unexplainable event a miracle (we know that even the medical world is full of this!). It considers as miracles only those unexplainable facts that, because of the circumstances in which they take place (which are rigorously ascertained), have the character of a divine sign, that is, they give confirmation to someone or an answer to a prayer. If a woman, who is without pupils from birth begins to see at a certain point while still being without pupils, this can be cataloged as an unexplainable fact. But if this happens while she is confessing to Padre Pio, as did in fact happen, then it is no longer possible to speak simply of an unexplainable fact.

Our atheist friends with their critical attitude in regard to miracles make a contribution to faith itself because they make us attentive to easy falsifications in this area. But they too must guard against an uncritical attitude. It is just as mistaken always to believe whatever is claimed as a miracle as it is always to refuse to believe without looking at the evidence. It is possible to be credulous but it is also possible to be … incredulous, which is not very different.

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