Aiming for a renewal of our spiritual life

 Readings for Sunday, Febuary 28, 2021 - Year/Sena B

Second Sunday of Lent

Lectionary: 26

It-Tieni Ħadd tar-Randan

 

Reading 1        GENESIS 22:1-2, 9a, 10-13, 15-18
God put Abraham to the test. He called to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am!” he replied. Then God said: “Take your son Isaac, your only one, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah. There you shall offer him up as a holocaust  on a height that I will point out to you.” When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. Then he reached out and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the LORD’s messenger called to him from heaven,  “Abraham, Abraham!” “Here I am!” he answered. “Do not lay your hand on the boy,” said the messenger. “Do not do the least thing to him. I know now how devoted you are to God, since you did not withhold from me your own beloved son.” As Abraham looked about,  he spied a ram caught by its horns in the thicket. So he went and took the ram and offered it up as a holocaust in place of his son. Again the LORD’s messenger called to Abraham from heaven and said: “I swear by myself, declares the LORD, that because you acted as you did in not withholding from me your beloved son, I will bless you abundantly and make your descendants as countless as the stars of the sky and the sands of the seashore; your descendants shall take possession of the gates of their enemies, and in your descendants all the nations of the earth shall find blessing— all this because you obeyed my command.”

QARI 1        mill-Ktieb tal-Ġenesi  22:1-2,9a,10-13,15-18
F’dak iż-żmien, Alla ried iġarrab lil Abraham u qallu: “Abraham!”. U hu wieġbu: “Hawn jien!”. U qallu: “Aqbad lil ibnek il-waħdieni, li inti tħobb, lil Iżakk; u mur lejn l-art ta’ Morija, u hemm offrih b’sagrifiċċju tal-ħruq fuq waħda mill-għoljiet li jien se ngħidlek”. U waslu fil-post li kien semmielu Alla. U Abraham medd idu u qabad is-sikkina biex joqtol lil ibnu. U sejjaħlu l-anġlu tal-Mulej mis-smewwiet u qallu: “Abraham, Abraham!”. U dan wieġbu: “Hawn jien”. U qallu: “La tmiddx idek fuq iż-żagħżugħ u tagħmillu ebda ħsara; għax issa naf li inti tibża’ minn Alla, u ma ċaħħadtnix minn ibnek il-waħdieni”. U Abraham rafa’ għajnejh, ta ħarsa madwaru, u ra muntun warajh maqbud minn qrunu fil-friegħi. U Abraham mar u qabad il-muntun, u offrieh b’sagrifiċċju tal-ħruq minflok ibnu. U għat-tieni darba l-anġlu tal-Mulej sejjaħ lil Abraham mis-smewwiet u qallu: “Naħlef fuq ruħi – oraklu tal-Mulej – ladarba int għamilt ħaġa bħal din, u ma ċaħħadtnix minn ibnek il-waħdieni, jien inbierkek żgur u nkattarlek sewwa lil nislek bħall-kwiekeb tas-sema u bħar-ramel f’xatt il-baħar; u nislek għad jiret bwieb l-għedewwa tiegħu. U jitbierku b’nislek il-ġnus kollha tal-art talli smajt minn kelmti”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Responsorial Psalm        PSALM  116:10, 15, 16-17, 18-19
I believed, even when I said,
    “I am greatly afflicted.”
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
    is the death of his faithful ones.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

O LORD, I am your servant;
    I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
    you have loosed my bonds.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
    and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

My vows to the LORD I will pay
    in the presence of all his people,
In the courts of the house of the LORD,
    in your midst, O Jerusalem.
R. I will walk before the Lord, in the land of the living.

SALM RESPONSORJALI        Salm 115(116):10,15-19
R/. (9): Jien nimxi quddiem il-Mulej f’art il-ħajjin.

Bqajt nemmen, imqar meta għedt:
“Jien imdejjaq ħafna!”.
Għażiża f’għajnejn il-Mulej
hi l-mewt tal-ħbieb tiegħu. R/.

Iva, Mulej, jien qaddej tiegħek,
jien qaddej tiegħek, bin il-qaddejja tiegħek.
Int ħallejtli l-irbit tiegħi.
Lilek noffri sagrifiċċju ta’ radd il-ħajr,
u isem il-Mulej insejjaħ. R/.

Intemm lill-Mulej il-wegħdiet tiegħi,
quddiem il-poplu tiegħu kollu,
fil-btieħi ta’ dar il-Mulej,
ġo nofsok, Ġerusalemm! R/.

Reading 2        ROMANS 8:31b-34
Brothers and sisters: If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son  but handed him over for us all, how will he not also give us everything else along with him? Who will bring a charge against God’s chosen ones? It is God who acquits us, who will condemn? Christ Jesus it is who died—or, rather, was raised— who also is at the right hand of God, who indeed intercedes for us.

QARI 2        mill-Ittra ta’ San Pawl lir-Rumani 8:31b-34
Ħuti, jekk Alla hu magħna min jista’ jkun kontra tagħna? Hu, li lanqas lil Ibnu stess ma ħafirha, imma tah għalina lkoll, kif ma jagħtiniex ukoll kollox miegħu? Min se jakkuża l-magħżulin ta’ Alla? Alla stess hu dak li jiġġustifikahom. Min se jikkundannahom? Kristu Ġesù li miet, jew aħjar, li qam mill-imwiet, jinsab fuq il-lemin ta’ Alla, hu li jidħol għalina. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel        MARK 9:2-10
Jesus took Peter, James, and John and led them up a high mountain apart by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his clothes became dazzling white, such as no fuller on earth could bleach them. Then Elijah appeared to them along with Moses, and they were conversing with Jesus. Then Peter said to Jesus in reply, “Rabbi, it is good that we are here! Let us make three tents: one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He hardly knew what to say, they were so terrified. Then a cloud came, casting a shadow over them; from the cloud came a voice, “This is my beloved Son.  Listen to him.” Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone but Jesus alone with them. As they were coming down from the mountain, he charged them not to relate what they had seen to anyone, except when the Son of Man had risen from the dead. So they kept the matter to themselves, questioning what rising from the dead meant.

EVANĠELJU        Qari skont San Mark 9:2-10
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù ħa miegħu lil Pietru u lil Ġakbu u lil Ġwanni, tellagħhom weħidhom fuq muntanja għolja, u tbiddel quddiemhom.  Ilbiesu sar abjad u jgħammex b’dija tal-għaġeb: ebda ħassiel fid-dinja ma jista’ jġib il-ħwejjeġ bojod daqshekk. U dehrilhom Elija ma’ Mosè, jitkellmu ma’ Ġesù. Qabad Pietru u qal lil Ġesù: “Mgħallem, kemm hu sew li aħna hawn! Ħa ntellgħu tliet tined, waħda għalik, waħda għal Mosè, u waħda għal Elija”. Dan qalu għax ma kienx jaf x’jaqbad jgħid bil-biża’ kbir li waqa’ fuqhom. Imbagħad ġiet sħaba u għattiethom, u minn ġos-sħaba nstama’ leħen jgħid: “Dan hu Ibni l-għażiż, isimgħu lilu”. Minnufih taw ħarsa madwarhom, u ma raw lil ħadd iżjed magħhom ħlief lil Ġesù waħdu. Huma u neżlin minn fuq il-muntanja, tahom ordni biex ma jitkellmu ma’ ħadd fuq li kienu raw qabel ma Bin il-bniedem ikun qam mill-imwiet. Huma żammew kollox moħbi, iżda bdew jistaqsu lil xulxin x’kien ifisser tqum mill-imwiet. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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Eight-minute  

Gospel reflection 

by Fr Antony Kadavil 

  

//  LENT 2  

Our Transformation

Introduction: 

The common theme of today’s readings is challenge for metamorphosis or transformation, especially during this Lent season. How? We have to transform our dull and sleepy spiritual life into dynamic Christian life during Lent. How? By cooperating with the grace of God or the strengthening of the Holy Spirit by prayer, fasting and sharing our blessings. Result expected? A renewal of our spiritual life during Lent by our Spirit-filled lives radiating Christ’s love and mercy around us.

Scripture lessons: 

The first reading explains how his trusting faith in his God’s mercy and power and his blind obedience to his God’s order to sacrifice his only son of his old age, transformed the life of Abraham, making him the supreme model of Faith. Second reading: God showed His love for us by allowing the transformation of the glorious preaching and healing ministry of His Son to a tragic end, proving that God’s love has no limits. 

Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 116) speaks of God’s distress at the death of anyone. “Too costly in the eyes of the LORD is the death of His faithful.” In the Transfiguration story in today’s Gospel, Jesus is revealed in His Heavenly glory, superior to Moses and Elijah. The primary purpose of Jesus’ Transfiguration was to allow him to consult his Heavenly Father and ascertain His plan for His Son’s suffering, death and Resurrection.  

God’s secondary aim was to make Jesus’ chosen disciples aware of Jesus’ Divine glory, so that they might discard their worldly ambitions and dreams of a conquering political Messiah and might be strengthened in their time of trial. 

A third aim was to give Jesus the conviction that he will be the Son of God his loving Father even during his suffering and death. Finally, by describing the theophany of Jesus’ Transfiguration, the Gospel gives us a glimpse of the Heavenly glory awaiting those who do God’s will by putting their trusting Faith in Him.

Life messages:

 (1) Every sacrament we receive transforms our lives: for example, Baptism transforms us into children of God and heirs of heaven. Confirmation transforms us to brave witnesses of and warriors for Christ. Reconciliation transforms sinners to saints. 

(2) The “transfiguration” in the Holy Mass is the source of our strength: In each Holy Mass, the bread and wine we offer on the altar are transformed into the crucified and risen, living body and blood of Jesus by transubstantiation. Just as Jesus’ transfiguration strengthened the apostles in their time of trial, each holy Mass should be our source of Heavenly strength against temptations, and our renewal during Lent. In addition, our Holy Communion with the living Jesus should be the source of our daily “transfiguration,” transforming our minds and hearts so that we may do more good, by humble and selfless service to others. 

(3) Christ’s transfiguration gives us the message of encouragement and hope: In moments of doubt and during our dark moments of despair and hopelessness, pains and suffering, the thought of our future transformation in Heaven will help us to reach out to God and to listen to His consoling words: “This is my beloved son.” 

Let us offer our Lenten sacrifices to our Lord so that, through these practices of Lent and through the acceptance of our daily crosses, we may grow closer to him in his suffering, may share in the carrying of his cross and finally may share the glory of his second “transfiguration,” namely, his Resurrection.

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