Arise!

« March 29, 2020 »

Fifth Sunday of Lent

Lectionary: 34

 

Il-Ħames Ħadd tar-Randan

Reading 1    Ezekiel 37:12-14

Thus says the Lord GOD: O my people, I will open your graves and have you rise from them, and bring you back to the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the LORD, when I open your graves and have you rise from them, O my people! I will put my spirit in you that you may live, and I will settle you upon your land; thus you shall know that I am the LORD. I have promised, and I will do it, says the LORD.

Qari I      Ktieb tal-Profeta Eżekjel 37, 12-14

Hekk qal Sidi l-Mulej: “Ara, jiena niftaħ l-oqbra tagħkom, poplu tiegħi, u nġibkom lura f’art Iżrael. Imbagħad tkunu tafu li jiena l-Mulej, meta niftaħ l-oqbra tagħkom u ntellagħkom mill-oqbra tagħkom, poplu tiegħi. U jiena nqiegħed ruħi fikom, u terġgħu tieħdu l-ħajja. nqegħedkom f’artkom u tkunu tafu li jiena l-Mulej. Hekk għedt, u hekk nagħmel”. Oraklu tal-Mulej. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej   

Responsorial Psalm    Psalm 130:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8.

R. (7) With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Out of the depths I cry to you, O LORD;

LORD, hear my voice!

Let your ears be attentive

to my voice in supplication.

R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

If you, O LORD, mark iniquities,

LORD, who can stand?

But with you is forgiveness,

that you may be revered.

R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

I trust in the LORD;

my soul trusts in his word.

More than sentinels wait for the dawn,

let Israel wait for the LORD.

R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

For with the LORD is kindness

and with him is plenteous redemption;

And he will redeem Israel

from all their iniquities.

R. With the Lord there is mercy and fullness of redemption.

Salm Responsorjali       Salm 129 (130), 1-2.3-4ab.4c-6.7-8

R/. (7): Għand il-Mulej hemm it-tjieba

Minn qiegħ l-art insejjaħlek, Mulej:

isma’, Sidi, il-leħen tiegħi!

Ħa jkunu widnejk miftuħa,

jiena u nitolbok bil-ħniena. R/.

Jekk tal-ħtijiet int tagħti kas, Mulej,

Sidi, min jista’ jżomm sħiħ?

Imma għandek hemm il-maħfra,

biex hekk inqimuk fil-biża’ tiegħek. R/.

Jien lill-Mulej nistenna,

ruħi f’kelmtu tittama.

Tistenna ruħi lil Sidi,

aktar milli l-għassiesa s-sebħ. R/.

Jistenna Iżrael lill-Mulej!

Għax għand il-Mulej hemm it-tjieba,

u l-fidwa għandu bil-kotra.

Hu li jifdi lil Iżrael

minn ħtijietu kollha. R/.

Reading 2   Romans 8:8-11

Brothers and sisters: Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the spirit is alive because of righteousness. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit dwelling in you.

Qari II        mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 8, 8-11

Ħuti, dawk li jgħixu skond il-ġisem ma jistgħux jogħġbu lil Alla. Issa intom ma intomx taħt il-ħakma tal-ġisem, imma tal-Ispirtu, ladarba hemm l-Ispirtu ta’ Alla jgħammar fikom. Jekk xi ħadd ma għandux fih l-Ispirtu ta’ Kristu, dan mhuwiex tiegħu. Jekk Kristu jgħammar fikom, għalkemm il-ġisem hu mejjet minħabba fid-dnub, imma l-Ispirtu hu ħajjitkom minħabba l-ġustizzja. Jekk l-Ispirtu ta’ dak li qajjem lil Ġesù mill-imwiet jgħammar fikom, Alla stess li qajjem lil Kristu mill-imwiet iqajjem għall-ħajja wkoll il-ġisem mejjet tagħkom, bis-saħħa tal-Ispirtu li jgħammar fikom.Il-Kelma tal-Mulej  

Gospel     John 11:1-45

Now a man was ill, Lazarus from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. Mary was the one who had anointed the Lord with perfumed oil and dried his feet with her hair; it was her brother Lazarus who was ill.  So the sisters sent word to him saying, “Master, the one you love is ill.” When Jesus heard this he said, “This illness is not to end in death, but is for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.” Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. So when he heard that he was ill, he remained for two days in the place where he was. Then after this he said to his disciples, “Let us go back to Judea.” The disciples said to him, “Rabbi, the Jews were just trying to stone you, and you want to go back there?” Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in a day? If one walks during the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world. But if one walks at night, he stumbles, because the light is not in him.”  He said this, and then told them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep, but I am going to awaken him.” So the disciples said to him, “Master, if he is asleep, he will be saved.” But Jesus was talking about his death, while they thought that he meant ordinary sleep. So then Jesus said to them clearly, “Lazarus has died. And I am glad for you that I was not there, that you may believe. Let us go to him.” So Thomas, called Didymus, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go to die with him.” When Jesus arrived, he found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. Now Bethany was near Jerusalem, only about two miles away. And many of the Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them about their brother. When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went to meet him; but Mary sat at home. Martha said to Jesus, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you.” Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise, in the resurrection on the last day.” Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, the one who is coming into the world.” When she had said this, she went and called her sister Mary secretly, saying, “The teacher is here and is asking for you.” As soon as she heard this, she rose quickly and went to him. For Jesus had not yet come into the village, but was still where Martha had met him. So when the Jews who were with her in the house comforting her saw Mary get up quickly and go out, they followed her, presuming that she was going to the tomb to weep there. When Mary came to where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said to him, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” When Jesus saw her weeping and the Jews who had come with her weeping, he became perturbed and deeply troubled, and said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Sir, come and see.” And Jesus wept. So the Jews said, “See how he loved him.” But some of them said, “Could not the one who opened the eyes of the blind man have done something so that this man would not have died?” So Jesus, perturbed again, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay across it. Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Martha, the dead man’s sister, said to him, “Lord, by now there will be a stench; he has been dead for four days.” Jesus said to her, “Did I not tell you that if you believe you will see the glory of God?” So they took away the stone. And Jesus raised his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you for hearing me. I know that you always hear me; but because of the crowd here I have said this, that they may believe that you sent me.” And when he had said this, He cried out in a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out!” The dead man came out, tied hand and foot with

burial bands, and his face was wrapped in a cloth. So Jesus said to them, “Untie him and let him go.” Now many of the Jews who had come to Mary and had seen what he had done began to believe in him

.

Evanġelju         Qari skond San Ġwann 11, 1-45

F’dak iż-żmien, 1kien hemm wieħed marid, Lażżru minn Betanja, ir-raħal ta’ Marija u oħtha Marta. Marija kienet dik li dilket il-Mulej b’żejt ifuħ u xxuttatlu riġlejh b’xuxitha; u Lażżru, il-marid, kien ħuha. Iż-żewġ nisa bagħtu jgħidu lil Ġesù: “Mulej, ara, ħabibek marid”. Meta sama’ l-aħbar Ġesù qal: “Din m’hijiex marda tal-mewt, iżda hi għall-glorja ta’ Alla, biex biha tingħata glorja lill-Iben ta’ Alla”.  Ġesù kien iħobbhom lil Marta u lil oħtha u lil Lażżru. Meta sama’ li dan marad, baqa’ jumejn oħra fejn kien, u mbagħad qal lid-dixxipli: “Ejjew nerġgħu mmorru l-Lhudija”. Qalulu d-dixxipli: “Rabbi, il-Lhud għadhom kemm kienu qegħdin ifittxu li jħaġġruk, u int rieġa’ sejjer hemm?”. Weġibhom Ġesù: “Mhux tnax-il siegħa fiha l-ġurnata? Sakemm wieħed jimxi binhar, ma jitfixkilx, għax ikun qiegħed jara d-dawl ta’ din id-dinja. Imma jekk jimxi bil-lejl, jitfixkel, għax ma jkollux dawl”. Qalilhom hekk u mbagħad issokta jgħidilhom: “Ħabibna Lażżru rieqed, iżda ħa mmur u nqajmu”. Qalulu d-dixxipli: “Mulej, jekk inhu rieqed, jiġifieri se jfiq”. Iżda Ġesù kien tkellem mill-mewt tiegħu, u huma ħaduha li kien qalilhom fuq l-irqad ta’ meta wieħed ikun bin-ngħas. Imbagħad qalilhom ċar u tond: “Lażżru miet. U jiena nifraħ minħabba fikom li ma kontx hemm, ħalli temmnu. Iżda ejjew immorru sa ħdejh”. Tumas, imlaqqam it-Tewmi, qal lil sħabu d-dixxipli: “Immorru aħna wkoll ħa mmutu miegħu”. Meta wasal, Ġesù sab li Lażżru kien ġa ilu erbat ijiem fil-qabar. Betanja kienet qrib Ġerusalemm, xi ħmistax-il stadju ’l hemm minnha. Ħafna Lhud kienu ġew għand Marta u Marija biex ifarrġuhom minħabba ħuhom. Kif, mela, semgħet li kien ġej Ġesù, Marta ħarġet tilqgħu, iżda Marija baqgħet id-dar. Marta qalet lil Ġesù: “Mulej, kieku kont hawn, ħija ma kienx imut. Imma wkoll issa, jiena naf li kull ma int titlob lil Alla, Alla jagħtihulek”. Ġesù qalilha: “Ħuk jerġa’ jqum!”. Qaltlu Marta: “Jiena naf li jerġa’ jqum, fil-qawmien mill-imwiet fl-aħħar jum”. Qalilha Ġesù: “Jiena hu l-qawmien u l-ħajja. Kull min jemmen fija, ukoll jekk imut, jgħix; u kull min jgħix u jemmen fija, dan ma jmut qatt. Temmnu inti dan?”. Weġbitu: “Iva, Mulej, jiena nemmen li inti l-Messija, l-Iben ta’ Alla, dak li ġie fid-dinja”. Kif qalet dan, marret issejjaħ lil oħtha Marija u minn taħt l-ilsien qaltilha: “L-Imgħallem hawn, u qiegħed isejjaħlek”. Dik, malli semgħetha, qamet minnufih u marret ħdejh. Ġesù kien għadu ma daħalx fir-raħal, imma baqa’ fejn kienet ġiet tiltaqa’ miegħu Marta. Il-Lhud li kienu d-dar ma’ Marija biex ifarrġuha, kif rawha tqum malajr u toħroġ, marru warajha, għax stħajluha sejra lejn il-qabar biex toqgħod tibki hemm. Meta Marija waslet fejn kien Ġesù u ratu nxteħtet f’riġlejh, tgħidlu: “Mulej, kieku kont hawn ħija ma kienx imut”. Ġesù, kif ra lilha tibki u l-Lhud, li ġew magħha, jibku wkoll, ħass ruħu mqanqal u tħawwad ħafna. “Fejn qegħedtuh?”, staqsiehom. Huma weġbuh: “Mulej, ejja u ara”. U Ġesù beka. Għalhekk il-Lhud qalu: “Ara kemm kien iħobbu!”. Iżda xi wħud minnhom qalu: “Ma setax dan ilbniedem, li fetaħ għajnejn l-agħma, jagħmel ukoll li dan ma jmutx?”. Ġesù ħass ruħu mqanqal għal darb’oħra u resaq lejn il-qabar. Dan kien għar magħluq bi blata fuqu. Ġesù qal: “Neħħu l-blata”. Marta, oħt il-mejjet, qaltlu: “Mulej issa beda jrejjaħ; ġa ilu erbat ijiem mejjet”. Qalilha Ġesù: “Ma għedtlekx li jekk inti temmen, tara l-glorja ta’ Alla?” Imbagħad neħħew il-blata. Ġesù rafa’ għajnejh ’il fuq u qal: “Missier, irroddlok ħajr li smajtni. Kont naf li inti dejjem tismagħni, imma għidt dan minħabba n-nies li hawn madwari, biex huma jemmnu li inti bgħattni”. Kif qal hekk, għajjat b’leħen għoli: “Lażżru, oħroġ!”. U dak li kien mejjet ħareġ, b’idejh u riġlejh infaxxati u b’maktur ma’ wiċċu. Ġesù qalilhom: “Ħollulu l-faxex u ħalluh imur”. Ħafna mil-Lhud, li kienu ġew għand Marija u raw dak li għamel Ġesù, emmnu fih. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

////////////////////////////////////////////////       Reflection                      

 Resurrection of the Heart

Gospel Commentary 
by Father Raniero Cantalamessa, 
OFM Cap

The stories in the Gospel were not only written to be read, but also to be relived.

The story of Lazarus was written to tell us: There is a resurrection of the body and there is a resurrection of the heart; if the resurrection of the body will happen “on the last day,” that of the heart happens, or can happen, every day.

This is the meaning of the resurrection of Lazarus that the liturgy wishes to point out to us in the first reading from Ezekiel about the dry bones.

The prophet has a vision: He sees a vast field of dried bones and understands that they represent the low morale of the people. People were saying: “Our hope has vanished, we are lost.” God’s promise is directed to them: “Behold, I open your tombs, I raise you from your tombs. […] I will fill you with my spirit and you shall live again.”

This example is also not dealing with the final resurrection of the body, but the resurrection of the heart to hope. Those cadavers, it is said, came back to life, began walking and were “a great army, exterminated.” It was the Israeli people who began hoping again after their exile.

From all of this we can deduce something that we also know from experience: That we can be dead, even before we die, while we are still in this life. And I am not only speaking of the death of the soul caused by sin; I speak also of that state of a total absence of energy, of hope to fight and to live that one can only call: death of the heart.

To all those who for various reasons — a failed marriage, spousal infidelity, the sickness of a child, financial ruin, depression, alcoholism, drug abuse — find themselves in this situation, the story of Lazarus should resound like the bells on Easter morning.

Who can give us this resurrection of the heart? For certain afflictions, we know that there exists no human remedy. Words of encouragement often fail to suffice.

Even at the house of Martha and Mary there were “Jews who came to console them,” but their presence didn’t help. We need to “call for Jesus,” as Lazarus’ sisters did. To invoke him as people buried under an avalanche or under the ruins of an earthquake who, with their cries, get the attention of the rescuers.

Oftentimes people in these situations are not able to do anything, not even pray. They are like Lazarus in the tomb. They need others to do something for them. Jesus once spoke these words to his disciples: “Heal the sick, raise the dead” (Matthew 10:8).

What did Jesus mean? That we must physically raise the dead? If that were the case, history shows us that the number of saints who put this into practice could be counted on our fingers.

No, Jesus meant, above all, those whose hearts are dead, the spiritually dead. Speaking of the prodigal son, the father said: “He was dead and has come back to life” (Luke 15:32). He could not have been talking about physical death, if he had come back home.

The command to “raise the dead” is addressed to all of Christ’s disciples. Even us! Among the works of mercy that we learned as children, there was one that told us “to bury the dead.” Now we know that we must also “raise the dead.”    [Translation by Mary Shovlain]

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