« Sunday, December 29 »
The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph
Lectionary: 17
Il-Familja Mqaddsa ta’ Ġesù, Marija u Ġużeppi
Reading 1
Sirak 3:2-6, 12-14
God sets a father in honour over his children; a mother's
authority he confirms over her sons. Whoever honors his father atones for sins,
and preserves himself from them. When he prays, he is heard; he stores up
riches who reveres his mother. Whoever honors his father is gladdened by
children, and, when he prays, is heard. Whoever reveres his father will live a
long life; he who obeys his father brings comfort to his mother. My son, take
care of your father when he is old; grieve him not as long as he lives. Even if
his mind fail, be considerate of him; revile him not all the days of his life;
kindness to a father will not be forgotten, firmly planted against the debt of
your sins —a house raised in justice to you.
Qari
I mill-Ktieb ta’ Bin Sirak 3, 2-6.
12-14
Il-Mulej għolla l-missier fuq it-tfal, u saħħaħ dritt l-omm fuq
l-ulied. Min jibża’ minn missieru jagħmel tajjeb għal dnubietu, u min iweġġaħ
lil ommu qisu qed jiġma’ f’teżor. Min jibża’ minn missieru jifraħ b’uliedu, u
meta jitlob jinstama’. Min iweġġaħ lil missieru jkollu għomor twil, u min
iserraħ lil ommu jkun qed jisma’ mill-Mulej. Ibni, ieqaf ma’ missierek fi
xjuħitu, u matul ħajtu tweġġagħlux qalbu. Ukoll jekk moħħu jeħfief, agħdru, u
tonqsux mill-ġieħ meta għadek f’saħħtek, għax il-ħniena ma’ missierek ma
tintesiex, imma tingħaddlek bi ħlas għal dnubietek.Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 128:1-2, 3, 4-5.
Blessed is everyone who fears the LORD,
who walks in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. Blessed are those who fear the Lord and walk in his ways.
Salm Responsorjali Salm 127
R/. Hieni kull min jibża’ mill-Mulej!
Hieni kull min jibża’ mill-Mulej,
kull min jimxi fit-triqat tiegħu!
Mix-xogħol ta’ idejk inti tiekol;
hieni int, u riżqek tajjeb! R/.
Martek tkun bħal dielja għammiela
fl-irkejjen ta’ darek;
uliedek bħal xitel taż-żebbuġ
madwar il-mejda tiegħek. R/.
Ara, kif ikun imbierek il-bniedem
li jibża’ mill-Mulej!
Ibierkek il-Mulej minn Sijon!
Jalla tara l-ġid ta’ Ġerusalemm
tul ħajtek kollha! R/.
Reading 2
Colossians 3:12-21
Brothers and sisters: Put on, as God's chosen ones, holy and
beloved, heartfelt compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience,
bearing with one another and forgiving one another, if one has a grievance
against another; as the Lord has forgiven you, so must you also do. And over
all these put on love, that is, the bond of perfection. And let the peace of
Christ control your hearts, the peace into which you were also called in one
body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, as in all
wisdom you teach and admonish one another, singing psalms, hymns, and spiritual
songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, in word or in
deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the
Father through him. Wives, be subordinate to your husbands, as is proper in the
Lord. Husbands, love your wives, and avoid any bitterness toward them.
Children, obey your parents in everything, for this is pleasing to the Lord.
Fathers, do not provoke your children, sso they may not become discouraged.
Qari II
mill-Ittra ta’ San Pawl lill-Kolossin 3: 12-21
Ħuti, intom il-magħżulin ta’ Alla, il-qaddisin u l-maħbubin
tiegħu. Ilbsu mela sentimenti ta’ ħniena, tjieba, umiltà, ħlewwa u sabar.
Stabru b’xulxin, u, jekk xi ħadd minnkom ikollu xi jgħid ma’ ħaddieħor, aħfru
lil xulxin; bħalma l-Mulej ħafer lilkom, hekk agħmlu intom ukoll. U fuq kollox
ilbsu l-imħabba, li hi l-qofol tal-perfezzjoni. Ħalli s-sliem ta’ Kristu
jsaltan fi qlubkom, dak issliem li għalih kontu msejħa biex issiru ġisem
wieħed. U ta’ dan roddu ħajr lil Alla.Ħalli l-kelma ta’ Kristu tgħammar sħiħa
fikom; għallmu bl-għerf kollu u widdbu lil xulxin b’salmi u innijiet u b’għana
spiritwali, u b’radd il-ħajr kantaw f’qalbkom innijiet lil Alla. Kulma tagħmlu
jew tgħidu, agħmlu kollox f’isem il-Mulej Ġesù, u roddu ħajr lil Alla l-Missier
permezz tiegħu. Intom, nisa miżżewġa, obdu lil żwieġkom, kif għandu jkun
fil-Mulej. Intom imbagħad, irġiel miżżewġa, ħobbu n-nisa tagħkom, u tkunux
iebsa magħhom. Intom, tfal, isimgħu millġenituri tagħkom f’kollox, għax dan hu
li jogħġob lill-Mulej. Intom missirijiet, la ddejqux lil uliedkom, għax inkella
jistgħu jaqtgħu qalbhom. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel
Matthew 2:13-15, 19-23
When the magi had departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared
to Joseph in a dream and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother, flee
to Egypt, and stay there until I tell you. Herod is going to search for the
child to destroy him." Joseph rose and took the child and his mother by
night and departed for Egypt. He stayed there until the death of Herod, that
what the Lord had said through the prophet might be fulfilled, Out of Egypt I
called my son. When Herod had died, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared in a
dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, "Rise, take the child and his mother
and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the child's life are
dead."He rose, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel.
But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling over Judea in place of his father
Herod, he was afraid to go back there. And because he had been warned in a
dream,he departed for the region of Galilee. He went and dwelt in a town called
Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled,
He shall be called a Nazorean.
Evanġelju
Qari skont San Mattew 2: 13-15.19-23
Meta telqu l-Maġi, deher anġlu tal-Mulej f’ħolma lil Ġużeppi u
qallu: “Qum, ħu miegħek lit-tifel u lil ommu, u aħrab lejn l-Eġittu. Ibqa’ hemm
sa ma ngħidlek jien, għax Erodi se jfittex lit-tifel biex joqtlu”. Ġużeppi qam,
ħa miegħu lit-tifel u lil ommu bil-lejl u telaq lejn l-Eġittu, u baqa’ hemmhekk
sal-mewt ta’ Erodi, biex hekk iseħħ dak li kien qal il-Mulej permezz
tal-profeta, meta qal: “Mill-Eġittu sejjaħt lil ibni”. Meta miet Erodi, deher
l-anġlu tal-Mulej f’ħolma lil Ġużeppi fl-Eġittu u qallu: “Qum ħu miegħek
lit-tifel u lil ommu, u erġa’ lura lejn l-art ta’ Iżrael, għax mietu dawk li
kienu jfittxu l-ħajja tat-tifel”. Ġużeppi qam, ħa miegħu lit-tifel u lil ommu,
u mar fl-art ta’ Iżrael. Imma billi sama’ li fil-Lhudija kien qiegħed isaltan
Arkelaws flok Erodi missieru, baża’ jmur hemm. Fuq twissija li kellu fil-ħolm,
telaq lejn l-inħawi tal-Galilija, u mar joqgħod f’belt jisimha Nażaret, biex
hekk iseħħ dak li kien ingħad permezz tal-profeti, “Ikun jissejjaħ Nażri”. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej.
//////////////////////////
Gospel reflection by Veronica Lawson RSM
Fathers, mothers, children.... a holy family too!
Dreaming is an important part of life, both the dreaming we do at
night and the “day dreaming”we
engage in as we
look to the future. In today’s gospel story, Joseph is again a dreamer who listens to
his dreams and hears the voice of God directing him to
go where he may not
have chosen to
go. The visit
of the wise ones or astrologers from the east has left
him with some questions.
Now the pieces begin to fall into place. In his dream, he becomes
aware of the danger that is threatening the family. The new born child is at risk. Steps must be taken to
protect the child and his mother. The
desert road to Egypt
had long been the place
of refuge for
Joseph’s ancestors. It is
still a place of refuge
and asylum, away
from the centre
of international affairs. Although the gospel presents a patriarchal
image of family with the husband as
head of the
household, there is no
sense that family leadership resides in the exercise of power
over others. It resides
rather in constant
vigilance and in care and
protection of the
most vulnerable.
The reader of the
gospel has already been told that
Joseph is “just”: he has acted with integrity and will continue to do so. The
story-teller uses a literary device, that of “formula-citation”, to locate the
story of this special family within Israel’s bigger faith story. Centuries
before, Israel (Jacob’s family) had fled into Egypt in time of famine. Their
descendants were later rescued from slavery in Egypt. This new-born child will also go down into
Egypt for protection and be
led out to
safety through God’s
providence.
There is no
neat correspondence of character
to character or
event to event,
simply allusions to the
power of
God at work in
the great saving
events in the lives of God’s people. The reader
is being prepared
for the momentous
destiny in store
for the world through the agency
of a child at risk.
The child’s mother receives little attention in the telling of
this story. We may like to retell the story through the lens of her fears and
hopes or through the lens of the fears and hopes of the millions of refugees
and asylum seekers of our time.God is just as much at work in the lives of
those who are threatened now as was the case in the life of the family we name
as “holy”.
God worked through the agency of Mary and Joseph
and other wisdom
figures to protect
the child. God works
in our times through
those who imagine
or dream of
a different future
for the homeless
and bereft and act
to achieve those
dreams. As we
move into a
new year, we
need to ensure we are among
them. And let’s not forget the other-than-human families
at risk on our planet.
Let us recall what Jesus said one day: “He who welcomes a child in
my name welcomes me.” This also holds for whoever welcomes a poor and abandoned
child, for whoever adopts and feeds a child of the Third World; but it holds
above all for two Christian parents who, loving each other, in faith and hope,
open themselves to a new life. Many couples who are lost in joy at the moment
the pregnancy announces itself are certain to then make their own the words of
Isaiah’s Christmas prophecy: “You have spread joy, you have made happiness
increase, because a child is born for us, a son is given us!”
/////////////////
