Readings for Sunday, August 15, 2021 - Year/Sena B

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Mass during the Day
Lectionary: 622

It-Tlugħ fis-Sema tal-Verġni Mqaddsa Marija
Solennità



 

 

Reading 1          REVELATIONS 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab

God’s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. She was with child and wailed aloud in pain as she labored to give birth. Then another sign appeared in the sky; it was a huge red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on its heads were seven diadems. Its tail swept away a third of the stars in the sky and hurled them down to the earth. Then the dragon stood before the woman about to give birth, to devour her child when she gave birth. She gave birth to a son, a male child, destined to rule all the nations with an iron rod. Her child was caught up to God and his throne. The woman herself fled into the desert where she had a place prepared by God. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: “Now have salvation and power come, and the Kingdom of our God and the authority of his Anointed One.”
 
QARI  1          mill-Ktieb tal-Apokalissi 11:19a; 12:1-6a,10ab
         
Infetaħ it-Tempju ta’ Alla, li hemm fis-sema, u dehret l-arka tal-patt tiegħu fit-Tempju tiegħu. U deher sinjal kbir fis-sema: mara, liebsa x-xemx, bil-qamar taħt riġlejha, u b’kuruna ta’ tnax-il kewkba fuq rasha. Hija kienet fit-tqala, u bdiet tgħajjat bl-uġigħ tal-ħlas u tbati biex teħles. Imbagħad fis-sema deher sinjal ieħor: ara, Dragun kbir minn lewn in-nar, b’sebat irjus u għaxart iqrun, u b’seba’ djademi fuq irjusu. U b’denbu kines waħda mit-tlieta tal-kwiekeb tas-sema u waddabhom lejn l-art. U d-Dragun mar qagħad quddiem il-mara li kienet sa tiled, biex kif tiled lil binha jibilgħu. U hi wildet iben, tifel, li kien għad irid jirgħa l-ġnus b’xettru tal-ħadid. U binha ġie maħtuf għal quddiem Alla u quddiem it-tron tiegħu. U l-Mara ħarbet fid-deżert. U smajt leħen qawwi fis-sema jgħid: “Issa ġiet is-salvazzjoni u l-qawwa u s-saltna ta’ Alla tagħna u s-setgħa tal-Messija tiegħu”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Responsorial Psalm          PSALM 45:10, 11, 12, 16

Hear, O daughter, and see; turn your ear,
    forget your people and your father’s house.
R.    The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

So shall the king desire your beauty;
    for he is your lord.
R.    The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.

They are borne in with gladness and joy;
    they enter the palace of the king.
R.    The queen stands at your right hand, arrayed in gold.


SALM RESPONSORJALI          Salm 44:10bc,11-12ab,16
R/.  F’lemintek is-Sultan, fid-dawl tal-glorja!

Ulied is-sultan jiġu jilqgħuk,
f’lemintek is-sultana mżejna b’deheb ta’ Ofir.
Isma’, binti, ħares u agħti widen,
insa ’l niesek u ’l dar missierek. R/.

Jixxennaq is-sultan għal ġmielek;
u għax hu sidek, agħtih qima.
Ix-xebbiet jiġu b’għana ta’ ferħ u għajat,
jidħlu fil-palazz tas-sultan. R/.

Reading 2          1 CORINTHIANS 15:20-27

Brothers and sisters: Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through man, the resurrection of the dead came also through man. For just as in Adam all die, so too in Christ shall all be brought to life, but each one in proper order: Christ the firstfruits; then, at his coming, those who belong to Christ; then comes the end, when he hands over the Kingdom to his God and Father, when he has destroyed every sovereignty and every authority and power. For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. The last enemy to be destroyed is death, for “he subjected everything under his feet.”

QARI 2           mill-Ewwel Ittra ta’ San Pawl Appostlu lill-Korintin 15:20-26
Ħuti, Kristu kien imqajjem tassew mill-imwiet, l-ewwel fost dawk li raqdu. Għaliex jekk permezz ta’ bniedem feġġet il-mewt, bi bniedem ukoll iseħħ il-qawmien mill-imwiet. Għax bħalma l-bnedmin kollha jmutu f’Adam, hekk ilkoll jiksbu l-ħajja fi Kristu. Imma kulħadd skont kif imissu: l-ewwel, Kristu; wara, dawk li huma ta’ Kristu, meta jerġa’ jiġi. Imbagħad it-tmiem, meta Kristu jerħi s-saltna f’idejn Alla l-Missier, wara li jkun qered kull ħakma u kull setgħa u kull qawwa. Għax jeħtieġ li hu jsaltan “sa ma jqiegħed l-għedewwa kollha taħt riġlejh”. L-aħħar għadu li jinqered il-Mewt.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel          LUKE 1:39-56

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”  And Mary said: “My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour for he has looked with favor on his lowly servant. From this day all generations will call me blessed:the Almighty has done great things for me and holy is his Name. He has mercy on those who fear him  in every generation. He has shown the strength of his arm, and has scattered the proud in their conceit.  He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,  and has lifted up the lowly. He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty. He has come to the help of his servant Israel for he has remembered his promise of mercy, the promise he made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.” Mary remained with her about three months and then returned to her home.

EVANĠELJU           Qari skond San Luqa 11:39-56

F’dawk il-ġranet Marija qamet u marret tħaffef lejn il-għoljiet, f’belt tal-Lhudija. Daħlet għand Żakkarija u sellmet lil Eliżabetta. Malli Eliżabetta semgħet ’il Marija ssellmilha, it-tarbija qabżet fi ħdanha, u Eliżabetta mtliet bl-Ispirtu s-Santu; u nfexxet f’għajta kbira u qalet: “Imbierka inti fost in-nisa, u mbierek il-frott tal-ġuf tiegħek! U minn fejn ġieni dan li omm Sidi tiġi għandi? Għax ara, malli smajt f’widnejja leħen it-tislima tiegħek, it-tarbija qabżet u tqanqlet bil-ferħ fi ħdani. Iva, hienja dik li emmnet li jseħħ kulma ntqalilha min-naħa tal-Mulej”. Imbagħad qalet Marija: “Ruħi tfaħħar il-kobor tal-Mulej, u l-Ispirtu tiegħi jifraħ f’Alla s-Salvatur tiegħi, għax hu xeħet għajnejh fuq iċ-ċokon tal-qaddejja tiegħu. Iva, minn issa ’l quddiem kull nisel jibda jsejjaħli hienja, għax is-Setgħani għamel miegħi ħwejjeġ kbar; qaddis hu l-isem tiegħu. Il-ħniena tiegħu tinfirex f’kull żmien fuq dawk li jibżgħu minnu. Hu wera l-qawwa ta’ driegħu, xerred lil dawk li huma mkabbra f’qalbhom. Niżżel is-setgħana minn fuq it-tron tagħhom, u għolla ċ-ċkejknin. Mela b’kull ġid ’il min hu bil-ġuħ, u l-għonja bagħathom ’il barra b’xejn. Ħa ħsieb Iżrael, qaddej tiegħu, għax ftakar fil-ħniena tiegħu – bħalma wiegħed ’il missirijietna – b’riżq Abraham u nislu għal dejjem”.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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Eight-minute  Gospel reflection by Fr Antony Kadavil   

 

ASSUMPTION OF THE BLESSED VIRGIN MARY

Introduction:  

We honour Mary, venerate her, express our love for her and never worship her. So, why do we honour her?

1) Mary herself gives the most important reason in her “Magnificat:” “All generations (ages) will call me blessed because the “The Mighty One has done great things for me” a) by choosing Mary as the mother of Jesus b) by filling her with His Holy Spirit twice, namely at the Annunciation and at Pentecost, c) by making her “full of grace,” the paragon or embodiment of all virtues, d) by allowing her to become the most active participant with Christ, her Son, in our Redemption, suffering in spirit what Jesus suffered in body.

2) Mary is our Heavenly Mother. Jesus gave us His Mother as our Mother from the cross: “Woman, behold your son.” … “Behold your mother” (John 19: 26-27).

3) Mary is the supreme model of all virtues and hence our role model, especially in holiness of life (“full of grace”), obedience to the will of God (“fiat”) and true humility (“Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me as you have said”).

Reasons why we believe in the dogma of Assumption:

Pope Pius XII in the papal document Munificentimus Deus gives four reasons for our belief in the Dogma of Assumption of Mary.

1) The uninterrupted tradition about Mary’s death and Assumption starting from the first century. 

2) The belief expressed in all the ancient liturgies of the Church. 

3) The negative evidence — the absence and veneration of a tomb of Mary while most of the apostles have their tombs. 

4) The possibility of bodily assumption warranted in the Old Testament in the cases of Enoch (Gn 5:24), perhaps Moses (Dt 34:5), and especially Elijah (II Kgs 2:1).

5) The theological reasons: a) The degeneration of the body after death is the consequence of “original sin,” and Mary, as “Immaculately Conceived,” is exempted from the post-mortem decay of the body. b) As receiver of the fullness of grace and holiness because she is mother of Jesus and co-redeemer with Him, Mary’s place is with her son, God’s Son Jesus, the Redeemer, in the abode of holiness, Heaven.

Life messages:

1)  As Mary’s Assumption was a reward for a holy life, this feast invites us to keep our bodies pure and holy. Paul gives three additional reasons: a) our bodies are the temples of the Holy Spirit, b) our body parts are the members of Christ’s Body, and c) our bodies are to be glorified on the day of the Last Judgment.

2) We are given an assurance of hope in our resurrection and a source of inspiration during moments of despair and temptations.

3) We receive a message of total liberation from all our bondages: impure, unjust, uncharitable thoughts, desires, words, actions, and neglects, addiction to evil habits, drugs, alcohol, gambling, pornography and sexual aberrations.

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There is a legend about the Assumption of the Virgin Mary – The tradition holds that Blessed Virgin Mary died in Jerusalem (or Ephesus?) and during the last moments of her earthly life all surviving Apostles were present there except St. Thomas, who was then preaching in India. He then was miraculously brought there, and he insisted on seeing the dead body of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But to everyone’s surprise, her tomb was found empty, excepting her clothes.

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