« February 23 2020 »
Seventh Sunday in
Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 79
Is-Seba’ Ħadd taż-Żmien
ta’ Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 Levitikus
19:1-2, 17-18
The
LORD said to Moses, “Speak to the whole Israelite community and tell them: Be
holy, for I, the LORD, your God, am holy. “You shall not bear hatred for your
brother or sister in your heart. Though you may have to reprove your fellow
citizen, do not incur sin because of him. Take no revenge and cherish no grudge
against any of your people. You shall love your neighbour as yourself. I am the
LORD.”
Qari I mill-Ktieb tal-Levitku 19, 1-2.17-18
Il-Mulej
kellem lil Mosè u qallu: “Għid lill-ġemgħa kollha ta’ wlied Iżrael: “Għandkom
tkunu qaddisin, għax qaddis jien, il-Mulej Alla tagħkom. La tbejjitx lil ħuk
f’qalbek, imma lil għajrek wissih u erġa’ wissih, biex ma tkunx ħati tiegħu. La
titħallasx b’idejk, u la żżommx f’qalbek għal ulied niesek, imma ħobb lil
għajrek bħalek innifsek: Jiena l-Mulej””.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 103:1-2, 3-4, 8, 10, 12-13
Bless
the LORD, O my soul;
and
all my being, bless his holy name.
Bless
the LORD, O my soul,
and
forget not all his benefits.
R.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
He
pardons all your iniquities,
heals
all your ills.
He
redeems your life from destruction,
crowns
you with kindness and compassion.
R.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
Merciful
and gracious is the LORD,
slow
to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not
according to our sins does he deal with us,
nor
does he requite us according to our crimes.
R.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
As
far as the east is from the west,
so
far has he put our transgressions from us.
As
a father has compassion on his children,
so
the LORD has compassion on those who fear him.
R.
The Lord is kind and merciful.
Salm Responsorjali Salm 102 (103), 1-2.3-4.8.10.12-13
R/. (8a): Ħanin u twajjeb il-Mulej
Bierek,
ruħ tiegħi, lill-Mulej!
B’qalbi
kollha nbierek l-isem qaddis tiegħu.
Bierek,
ruħ tiegħi, lill-Mulej,
u
la tinsiex il-ġid kollu li għamel miegħek. R/.
Hu
li jaħfer dnubietek kollha;
ifejjaq
il-mard tiegħek kollu;
jifdi
lil ħajtek mill-qabar;
iħaddnek
bit-tjieba u bil-ħniena. R/.
Ħanin u twajjeb il-Mulej,
idum
ma jagħdab u kollu mogħdrija.
Ma
mexiex magħna skond ma ħaqqhom ħtijietna;
ma
ħallasniex skond ma ħaqqha ħżunitna. R/.
Daqs
kemm hu mbiegħed il-Lvant mill-Punent,
hekk
hu jbiegħed minna ħtijietna.
Bħalma
jħenn il-missier għal uliedu,
hekk
iħenn il-Mulej għal min għandu l-biża’ tiegħu. R/.
Reading 2 1 Corinthians 3:16-23
Brothers
and sisters: Do you not know that you are the temple of God,
and
that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will
destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy. Let no one
deceive himself. If any one among you considers himself wise in this age, let
him become a fool, so as to become wise. For the wisdom of this world is
foolishness in the eyes of God, for it is written: God catches the wise in
their own ruses, and again: The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they
are vain. So let no one boast about human beings, for everything belongs to
you, Paul or Apollos or Cephas, or the world or life or death, or the present
or the future: all belong to you, and you to Christ, and Christ to God.
Qari II mill-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 3, 16-23
Ħuti,
ma tafux li intom tempju ta’ Alla, u li l-Ispirtu ta’ Alla jgħammar fikom? Jekk
xi ħadd jeqred it-tempju ta’ Alla, Alla jeqred lilu. Għax qaddis hu t-tempju
ta’ Alla, li huwa intom. Ħadd ma għandu jitqarraq! Jekk xi ħadd fostkom jaħseb
li hu għaref f’din id-dinja, ħa jiblieh, biex isir għaref. Għax l-għerf ta’ din
id-dinja hu bluha quddiem Alla. Għax hemm miktub: “Hu li jaqbad l-għorrief
fil-ħażen tagħhom”; u terġa’: “Il-Mulej jaf li fiergħa huma l-ħsibijiet
tal-għorrief”. Għalhekk ħadd ma għandu jiftaħar bil-bnedmin, għax kollox hu tagħkom:
sew jekk Pawlu, sew jekk Apollo, sew jekk Kefa, sew jekk id-dinja, sew jekk
il-ħajja, sew jekk il-mewt, sew jekk iż-żmien ta’ issa, sew jekk li ġej; kollox
hu tagħkom, u intom ta’ Kristu, u Kristu ta’ Alla. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel Matthew 5:38-48
Jesus
said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and
a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When
someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one as well. If anyone
wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand over your cloak as well. Should
anyone press you into service for one mile, go for two miles. Give to the one
who asks of you,and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow. “You have
heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. But
I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you
may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad
and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you love
those who love you, what recompense will you have? Do not the tax collectors do
the same? And if you greet your brothers only, hat is unusual about that? Do
not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is
perfect.”
Evanġelju Qari skond San Mattew 5, 38-48
F’dak
iż-żmien, Ġesù qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: “Smajtu xi ntqal: “Għajn b’għajn u
sinna b’sinna”. Imma jiena ngħidilkom biex bniedem ħażin ma tiqfulux; anzi jekk
xi ħadd jagħtik daqqa ta’ ħarta fuq ħaddek tal-lemin, dawwarlu l-ieħor ukoll; u
lil min ikun irid itellgħek il-qorti u jeħodlok il-libsa, ħallilu wkoll
il-mantar. U jekk xi ħadd iġagħlek timxi miegħu mil wieħed, mur miegħu tnejn.
Agħti lil min jitolbok u ddawwarx spallejk lil min ikun irid jissellef
mingħandek. Smajtu xi ntqal: “Ħobb lil għajrek, u obgħod lill-għadu tiegħek”.
Imma jiena ngħidilkom: Ħobbu lill-għedewwa tagħkom, u itolbu għal dawk li
jippersegwitawkom, biex tkunu wlied Missierkom li hu fis-smewwiet; għax hu
jtalla’ x-xemx tiegħu sew fuq il-ħżiena u sew fuq it-tajbin, u jniżżel ix-xita
sew fuq min hu tajjeb u sew fuq min mhuwiex. Għax jekk intom tħobbu lil min
iħobbkom, xi ħlas jistħoqqilkom? Mhux il-pubblikani wkoll jagħmluh dan? U jekk
issellmu lil ħutkom biss, xi tkunu tagħmlu żejjed? Mhux il-pagani wkoll
jagħmluh dan? Kunu mela perfetti, bħalma hu perfett Missierkom li hu
fis-smewwiet”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
//////////////////////////////
Set No Limits to Your
Love
A
reflection by Fr Paul Hinnebusch, OP:
You
have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth .'But I
say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on
(your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to
law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press
you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who
asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow. You have
heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbour and hate your enemy. 'But
I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you ,that you
may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad
and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust. For if you
love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do
not the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brothers only, what
is unusual about that? Do not the pagans do the same? So be perfect, just as
your heavenly Father is perfect. “You are to set no limits to your love, just
as your heavenly Father sets no limits to His.”
That is how the New Jerusalem Bible translates the words: “You therefore
must be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Matt 5:48)
This
is a very good translation. Why? Because the word “perfect” in the Bible
really means “wholehearted.” To be
perfect, in biblical thinking, is to be wholehearted just as God is
wholehearted. We are to be as
wholehearted towards God and one another as God is wholehearted towards us
–wholehearted in love. To be wholehearted is to put no limits on your love.
Jesus was wholehearted, and Jesus has just told us how wholehearted our love
has to be. It has to go so far as to
love even enemies.
“You
are to set no limits to your love, just as your heavenly Father sets no limits
to His.”(Mt 5:48) Why does God treat the good and the wicked alike, sending
sunshine and rain on both? Why doesn’t
He destroy the wicked? Are they not His
enemies? God did not create in order to destroy. By His fatherly love and patience with
sinners He hopes to win the hearts of sinners so that they may change and
become His sons and daughters.
The
Book of Wisdom says all this in beautiful and powerful words: O Lord, “You have
mercy on all, because you can do all things: and you overlook the sins of men
that they may repent; for you love all things that are, and despise 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.”(Wis 11:23-12:2)
God
did not create us to destroy us. He
created us to be His sons and daughters.
So He sends sunshine and rain on good and bad people alike, hoping to
win the love of all. God is patient with sinners. “Merciful and gracious is the
Lord, slow to anger and abounding in kindness.
Not according to our sins does He deal with us, nor does He requite us
according to our crimes. (Ps 103:8-10)
“I
gave my back to those who beat me; my cheeks to those who plucked my
beard. My face I did not shield from
buffets and spitting.” (Isaiah 50:5-7)“ As a father has compassion on his children,
so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him,”(Ps 103:13). We are called to be just like God in all
this.
God
spoke to us through Moses in today’s first reading. “Be holy, for I the Lord your God am
holy!”(Lev 19:2) And Jesus said in
today’s gospel, “You must therefore be perfect as your heavenly Father is
perfect.”(Matt 5:48) Those who are not
really children of God think that all this is foolishness and stupidity. They say it is stupid to let another strike
you and not strike back. It is
foolishness/stupidity to let another have your coat as well when he wants to
take your shirt .But is God stupid? Is
He a fool for putting up with sinners?
To say that it is foolishness to turn the other cheek is to say that
Jesus Christ is a fool, because that is what He did. He forgave and prayed for those who crucified
Him, saying, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Lk 23:34)
So Jesus has every right to say, “Love your enemies, pray for your persecutors.”(Mat
5:44) And He expects you to do this, so that you may be children of your Father
in heaven.
Is
God a fool?
St.
Paul says, “God’s foolishness –the foolishness of Christ crucified –is wiser
than men.” (1 Cor 1:25) Christ is the
wisdom of God! In today’s second reading, Paul speaks to those who think that
whoever turns his other cheek is a fool. “If anyone of you thinks He is wise in
a worldly way, He had better become a fool.
In this way he will really be wise, for the wisdom of this world is
foolishness with God.” (1 Cor 3:19) Are
anger and hatred really wisdom? Look at what vengeance has done in (countries
torn by ethnic strife). It has brought
endless destruction. (One ethnic group) taking
revenge on (another ethnic group), and (each group) retaliating with revenge
has brought only ruin. Violence and vengeance can only escalate.
Do
you call violence and terrorism and war, wisdom? Is it wisdom to follow a policy of
destruction? Do you ever seek revenge in
your daily life? Even now are you trying
to get even with someone? If you strike
your brother, if you use violence against him, then you are no better than a
terrorist. Violence on your small scale
easily escalates to violence on a large scale. Make no bones about it! Only Christ’s foolishness works –the
foolishness of the cross.
The
wisdom of violence and terrorism and hatred and revenge brings only
destruction. But has God’s foolishness –the foolishness of the cross, had any
success? Are you part of the success of
God’s unlimited, unconditional love? Do
your lives show that the way of love and forgiveness really is wisdom? Are you
not ministers of God’s unlimited love?
Are you not sons and daughters of the heavenly Father who makes His sun
to shine and His rain fall on both the good and the wicked? You must, therefore,
be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.
You are to set no limits to your love just as your heavenly Father sets
no limits to His.(Matt 5:48) As Christians, be wholehearted in belonging to
Him, in response to God’s wholeheartedness towards us. (© http://www.FrPaulHinnebusch.org)
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