« Sunday, November 3 »
Thirty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 153
Il-Wieħed u Tletin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’
Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 Wisdom 11:22-12:2
Before the LORD the whole universe is as a grain from a balance or a drop of morning dew
come down upon the earth. But you have mercy on all, because you can do all
things; and you overlook people's sins that they may repent. For you love all
things that are and loathe nothing that you have made; for what you hated, you
would not have fashioned. And how could a thing remain, unless you willed it;
or be preserved, had it not been called forth by you? But you spare all things,
because they are yours, O LORD and lover of souls, for your imperishable spirit
is in all things! Therefore you rebuke offenders little by little, warn them
and remind them of the sins they are committing, that they may abandon their wickedness and
believe in you, O LORD!
Qari I mill-Ktieb
tal-Għerf 11, 22 – 12, 2
Mulej, quddiemek id-dinja kollha qisha traba fil-miżien, jew qatra
nida tal-għodwa li tinżel fuq l-art. Iżda int tħenn għal kulħadd, għax tista’
kollox; int tagħlaq għajnejk għal dnubiet il-bnedmin biex huma jindmu. Għax int
tħobb il-ħlejjaq kollha, u xejn ma tistmell minn kulma għamilt; li kien hemm xi
ħaġa li stajt tobgħodha, int ma kontx tagħmilha. Kif setgħet tibqa’ xi ħaġa
fid-dinja kieku int ma ridthiex? Jew kif setgħet iżżomm, kieku int ma
sejjaħtilhiex? Imma int, o Sid li tħobb kulma jgħix, lil kulħadd tagħder, għax kollox huwa
tiegħek. Għax f’kulħadd hemm nifsek bla ma qatt jintemm. Għalhekk int twiddeb
bil-ftit il-ftit lil dawk li jonqsu, twissihom u tfakkarhom fejn dinbu, biex
jerġgħu lura mill-ħażen tagħhom, u fik, Mulej, iqiegħdu t-tama tagħhom. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13, 14
I will extol you, O my God and King,
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
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. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
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. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
Salm Responsorjali Salm 144 (145), 1-2.8-9.10-11. 13ċd-14
R/. (1) Mulej, inbierek ismek għal dejjem ta’ dejjem.
Ħa nkabbrek, Alla tiegħi, sultan,
u nbierek ismek għal dejjem ta’ dejjem.
Kuljum irrid inbierkek,
u nfaħħar ismek għal dejjem ta’ dejjem. R/.
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/.
Ta’ kelmtu l-Mulej fil-wegħdiet tiegħu kollha,
twajjeb f’dak kollu li għamel.
Iwieżen il-Mulej ’il kull min se jaqa’,
iqajjem ’il kull min hu mitluq. R/.
Reading 2 2
Thessalonians 1:11-2:2
Brothers and sisters: We always pray for you, that our God may
make you worthy of his calling and powerfully bring to fulfillment every good
purpose and every effort of faith, that the name of our Lord Jesus may be
glorified in you, and you in him, in accord with the grace of our God and Lord
Jesus Christ. We ask you, brothers and sisters, with regard to the coming of
our Lord Jesus Christ and our assembling with him, not to be shaken out of your
minds suddenly, or to be alarmed either by a "spirit," or by an oral
statement, or by a letter allegedly from usto the effect that the day of the
Lord is at hand.
Qari II mit-Tieni Ittra lit-Tessalonikin 1, 11 – 2,
2
Ħuti, aħna dejjem nitolbu għalikom li Alla tagħna jagħmilkom denji
tas-sejħa tiegħu, u jagħmel li bil-qawwa tiegħu sseħħ kull rieda tajba tagħkom
għall-ġid u kull ħidma tal-fidi tagħkom. U hekk l-isem ta’ Sidna Ġesù Kristu
jkun igglorifikat fikom u intom fih skont il-grazzja ta’ Alla tagħna u
tal-Mulej Ġesù Kristu. Ħuti, għal dak li għandu x’jaqsam mal-miġja ta’ Sidna
Ġesù Kristu u l-ġemgħa tagħna biex ningħaqdu miegħu, nitolbukom biex ma
toqogħdux tħawdu raskom malajr u tinħasdu bħallikieku l-miġja ta’ jum il-Mulej
qorbot, u la jekk tkunu mnebbħin mill-ispirtu u lanqas jekk tisimgħu xi kelma
jew taqraw xi ittra taparsi mingħandna. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel Luke 19:1-10
At that time, Jesus came to Jericho and intended to pass through
the town. Now a man there named Zacchaeus, who was a chief tax collector and
also a wealthy man, was seeking to see who Jesus was; but he could not see him
because of the crowd, for he was short in stature. So he ran ahead and climbed
a sycamore tree in order to see Jesus, who was about to pass that way. When he
reached the place, Jesus looked up and said, "Zacchaeus, come down
quickly, for today I must stay at your house." And he came down quickly
and received him with joy. When they all saw this, they began to grumble,
saying, "He has gone to stay at the house of a sinner." But Zacchaeus
stood there and said to the Lord, "Behold, half of my possessions, Lord, I
shall give to the poor, and if I have extorted anything from anyone I shall
repay it four times over." And Jesus said to him, "Today salvation
has come to this house because this man too is a descendant of Abraham. For the
Son of Man has come to seek and to save what was lost."
Evanġelju Qari skont San Luqa 19, 1-10
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù daħal Ġeriko u kien għaddej mit-triq. Mela
jkun hemm raġel, jismu Żakkew; dan kien wieħed mill-kapijiet tal-pubblikani, u
kien għani. Kellu xewqa li jara min kien Ġesù, imma ma setax minħabba l-folla,
billi kien raġel qasir. Għalhekk mar jiġri ’l quddiem u xxabbat ma’ siġra
tat-tin selvaġġ, għax minn dik in-naħa kien se jgħaddi. Ġesù, kif wasal hemm,
ħares ’il fuq u qallu: “Żakkew, isa, inżel minn hemm, għax illum jeħtieġli
noqgħod għandek”. Dak niżel bla telf ta’ żmien, u kollu ferħan laqgħu għandu.
In-nies, meta rawh, ilkoll bdew igemgmu bejniethom u jgħidu li għand wieħed
midneb daħal jistrieħ. Imma Żakkew, wieqaf, qal lill-Mulej: “Ara, Mulej, nofs
ġidi se nagħtih lill-foqra, u jekk jien qarraqt b’xi ħadd irroddlu għal erba’
darbiet iżjed”. Qallu Ġesù: “F’din id-dar illum daħlet is-salvazzjoni, għax dan
ir-raġel ukoll huwa bin Abraham. Għax Bin il-bniedem ġie jfittex u jsalva
l-mitluf”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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On Zacchaeus the Tax Collector -
“Love … Is the Force That Renews the World”
Here is a Vatican translation of the address
Benedict XVI delivered in 2007 before reciting the midday Angelus with several
thousand people gathered in St. Peter’s Square.
* * *
Dear Brothers and Sisters. Today, the liturgy
presents for our meditation the well-known Gospel episode of Jesus’ meeting
with Zacchaeus in the city of Jericho. Who was Zacchaeus? A rich man who was a
“publican” by profession, that is, a tax collector for the Roman authorities,
hence, viewed as a public sinner. Having heard that Jesus would be passing
through Jericho, the man was consumed by a great desire to see him, and because
he was small of stature, he climbed up into a tree. Jesus stopped exactly under
that tree and addressed him by name: “Zacchaeus, make haste and come down; for
I must stay at your house today” (Lk 19: 5). What a message this simple
sentence contains! “Zacchaeus”: Jesus called by name a man despised by all.
“Today”: yes, this very moment was the moment of his salvation. “I must stay”:
why “I must”? Because the Father, rich in mercy, wants Jesus “to seek and to
save the lost” (Lk 19: 10). The grace of that unexpected meeting was such that
it completely changed Zacchaeus’ life: “Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I
give to the poor; and if I have defrauded anyone of anything, I restore it
fourfold” (Lk 19: 8). Once again, the Gospel tells us that love, born in God’s
heart and working through man’s heart, is the power that renews the world.
This truth shines out in a special way in the
testimony of the Saint whose Memorial is celebrated today: Charles Borromeo,
Archbishop of Milan. His figure stands out in the 16th century as a model of an
exemplary Pastor because of his charity, doctrine, apostolic zeal and above
all, his prayer. “Souls are won”, he said, “on one’s knees”. Charles Borromeo
was consecrated a Bishop when he was only 25 years old. He enforced the
teaching of the Council of Trent that obliged Pastors to reside in their
respective dioceses, and gave himself heart and soul to the Ambrosian Church.
He travelled up and down his Diocese three times; he convoked six provincial
and 11 diocesan synods; he founded seminaries to train a new generation of
priests; he built hospitals and earmarked his family riches for the service of
the poor; he renewed religious life and founded a new congregation of secular
priests, the Oblates. In 1576, when the plague was raging in Milan, he visited,
comforted and spent all his money on the sick. His motto consisted in one word:
“Humilitas”. It was humility that motivated him, like the Lord Jesus, to
renounce himself in order to make himself the servant of all.
Recalling my venerable Predecessor John Paul
II who bore his name with devotion – today is his name day – let us entrust to
St Charles’ intercession all the Bishops of the world, for whom we invoke as
always the heavenly protection of Mary Most Holy, Mother of the Church.
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