How to be holy and true

« 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

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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)