THE LESSON OF THE FIG TREE

Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 158

It-Tlieta u Tletin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena

Reading 1             DANIEL 12:1-3

In those days, I Daniel, heard this word of the Lord: "At that time there shall arise Michael, the great prince, guardian of your people; it shall be a time unsurpassed in distress since nations began until that time. At that time your people shall escape, everyone who is found written in the book. “Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake; some shall live forever, others shall be an everlasting horror and disgrace. “But the wise shall shine brightly like the splendor of the firmament, and those who lead the many to justice shall be like the stars forever."

QARI 1             mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Danjel 12:1-3 

F’dak iż-żmien iqum Mikiel, il-prinċep il-kbir, dak li qiegħed fuq ulied il-poplu tiegħek. Imbagħad jiġi żmien ta’ għawġ, li qatt ma jkun deher ieħor bħalu minn mindu ġens kien ġens sa dak iż-żmien. Imma jkun żmien li fih il-poplu tiegħek jinħeles, dawk kollha li jkunu nstabu miktuba fil-ktieb. U ħafna minn dawk li huma rieqda fit-trab tal-art jistenbħu, min għall-ħajja ta’ dejjem u min għall-għajb u l-istmerrija għal dejjem. Il-bnedmin bil-għaqal ikollhom fuqhom dija bħal dik tas-sema, u dawk li jkunu wasslu ’l ħafna fis-sewwa jkunu jiddu bħal kwiekeb għal dejjem ta’ dejjem. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Responsorial Psalm            PSALM 16:5, 8, 9-10, 11

O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
    you it is who hold fast my lot.
I set the LORD ever before me;
    with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
    my body, too, abides in confidence;
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
    nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

You will show me the path to life,
    fullness of joys in your presence,
    the delights at your right hand forever.
R. You are my inheritance, O Lord!

SALM RESPONSORJALI            Salm 15(16):5,8,9-10,11

R/.(1): Ħarisni, o Alla, għax fik jien nistkenn.

Mulej, inti s-sehem tal-wirt u r-riżq tiegħi,
inti żżomm f’idejk xortija.
Inżomm il-Mulej dejjem quddiemi,
għax bih f’leminti qatt ma nitħarrek. R/.

Hekk tifraħ qalbi u tithenna ruħi,
u ġismi wkoll jistrieħ fil-kwiet.
Għax int ma titlaqnix fl-imwiet,
ma tħallix il-maħbub tiegħek jara l-qabar. R/.

Int tgħallimni t-triq tal-ħajja;
hemm il-milja tal-ferħ quddiemek,
hemm l-għaxqa għal dejjem f’lemintek. R/.

Reading 2            HEBREWS 10:11-14, 18

Brothers and sisters: Every priest stands daily at his ministry, offering frequently those same sacrifices that can never take away sins. But this one offered one sacrifice for sins, and took his seat forever at the right hand of God; now he waits until his enemies are made his footstool. For by one offering he has made perfect forever those who are being consecrated. Where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer offering for sin.

 QARI 2            Qari mill-Ittra lil-Lhud 10:11-14,18

Kull qassis ieħor imur kuljum biex jaqdi l-ministeru tiegħu, u joffri u jerġa’ joffri l-istess sagrifiċċju, bla ma jistgħu qatt ineħħu d-dnubiet. Imma Kristu, wara li offra sagrifiċċju wieħed għad-dnubiet, qagħad għal dejjem fuq in-naħa tal-lemin ta’ Alla, fejn qiegħed jistenna sa ma l-għedewwa tiegħu jitqiegħdu mirfes taħt riġlejh. Għax hu b’offerta waħda għamel perfetti għal dejjem lil dawk li huwa jqaddes. Issa, fejn hemm il-maħfra tad-dnubiet, ma hemmx għalfejn issir aktar l-offerta għad-dnubiet. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel             MARK 13:24-32

Jesus said to his disciples: "In those days after that tribulation the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will be falling from the sky, and the powers in the heavens will be shaken. "And then they will see 'the Son of Man coming in the clouds' with great power and glory, and then he will send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the end of the earth to the end of the sky. "Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. In the same way, when you see these things happening, know that he is near, at the gates. Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. "But of that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father."

EVANĠELJU            Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Mark 13:24-32

F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: “Wara jiem ta’ dwejjaq kbar, ix-xemx tiddallam, il-qamar jitlef id-dija tiegħu, il-kwiekeb jibdew jaqgħu mis-sema, u l-qawwiet tas-smewwiet jitqallbu. Imbagħad jaraw lil Bin il-bniedem ġej fis-sħab b’qawwa kbira u bi glorja. U mbagħad jibgħat l-anġli biex jiġbor flimkien il-maħturin tiegħu mill-erbat irjieħ, minn tarf l-art sa tarf is-sema. Mis-siġra tat-tin tgħallmu din il-parabbola. Meta l-fergħa tagħha tirtab u tarmi l-weraq, intom tintebħu li s-sajf fil-qrib. Hekk ukoll meta taraw dan jiġri, kunu afu li hu fil-qrib, fil-bieb. Tassew ngħidilkom, li ma jgħaddix dan in-nisel qabel ma jiġri dan kollu. Is-sema u l-art jgħaddu, imma kliemi ma jgħaddix. Dwar dak il-jum u s-siegħa ħadd ma jaf meta se jaslu, anqas l-anġli fis-sema, u anqas l-Iben; ħadd ħlief il-Missier”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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Eight-minute  Gospel reflection by Fr Antony Kadavil   

SURRENDERING TO GOD

Central theme: 

Sunday’s readings give us the assurance that our God will be with us all the days of our lives and that we will have the ongoing presence of the Holy Spirit in our midst, guiding, protecting, and strengthening us in spite of our necessary uncertainty concerning the end time when “Christ will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead.” Each year at this time, the Church asks us to consider the “four last things” – Death, Judgment, Heaven and Hell – as happening to ourselves.

Scripture lessons summarized: 

The readings invite us to focus our attention on the threefold coming of Jesus: 

1) His first coming according to the flesh, as Redeemer. 

2) His second coming, either at our death, or at the end of time and the world, which will bring our salvation to completion. 

3) His coming into our lives each time we step forward in genuine Christian living.

The first reading, taken from the prophet Daniel (167 BC), was originally given to comfort and give hope to the Jewish people persecuted by a cruel pagan king. It advises us to live wisely and justly in the present time, instead of worrying about the unknown future. 

Through the Psalm Response for Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 16), the Holy Spirit has us sing our Faith affirmation, “You are my inheritance, O Lord!” In today’s second reading, the author of the Letter to the Hebrews challenges us to look to the future with hope and serenity because Jesus, having secured the forgiveness of our sins and our sanctification through the sacrifice on the cross, sits forever at God’s right hand as the one Mediator between man and God.

Sunday’s Gospel, taken from Mark (AD 69), offered hope to early Christians persecuted by the Roman Emperor Nero, by reminding them of Jesus’ words about His glorious return to earth with great power and glory as Judge to gather and reward the elect. Daniel and Mark continue to remind us that God will ensure that the righteous will survive the ordeal and will find a place with Him. Through the parable of the fig tree, Jesus warns us all to read the “signs of the time,” reminding us that we must be ever prepared to give an account of our lives to Jesus when He comes in glory as our Judge, because we cannot know “either the day or the hour” of His Second Coming.

Life messages: 

1) Let us recognize the “second coming” of Jesus in our daily lives through everyday occurrences, always remembering that Jesus comes without warning. But let us not get frightened at the thought of Christ’s Second Coming, because Jesus is with us every day, abiding with the Father and the Holy Spirit in our hearts, dwelling in our Church in the Holy Eucharist, teaching us in the Holy Bible, and unifying us with Him and each other in our worshipping communities. 

We will be able to welcome Jesus in His Second Coming as long as we faithfully do the will of God by daily serving our brothers and sisters, recognizing Christ’s presence in them, and by being reconciled with God and with our brothers and sisters every day.

2) We need to “learn the lesson from the fig tree.” This means that we are to watch and wait in a state of readiness. Instead of worrying about the end time events, we are asked to live every day of our lives loving God living in others, by our committed service to them with sacrificial agape love.