SPEAKING OUT OUR CHRISTIAN CONVICTIONS

Readings for Sunday, January 23, 2021

 

 

Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 72

Ir-Raba’ Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena

Reading 1              JEREMIAH 1:4-5, 17-19

The word of the LORD came to me, saying: Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you. But do you gird your loins; stand up and tell them all that I command you. Be not crushed on their account, as though I would leave you crushed before them;  for it is I this day  who have made you a fortified city, a pillar of iron, a wall of brass, against the whole land: against Judah’s kings and princes, against its priests and people. They will fight against you but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you, says the LORD. 

Qari 1             mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Ġeremija 1:4-5,17-19

 Fi żmien Ġosija, ġietni l-kelma tal-Mulej u qalli: “Qabel ma sawwartek fil-ġuf, għaraftek; qabel ma ħriġt minn ħdan ommok, ikkonsagrajtek. Jien qegħedtek profeta fuq il-ġnus. Ħażżem ġenbejk, qum u għidilhom kulma nordnalek. La tibżax minnhom, għax inkella nbeżżgħek jien quddiemhom. Arani, illum se nagħmel minnek belt fortizza, kolonna tal-ħadid, ħajt tal-bronż, kontra l-pajjiż kollu, kontra s-slaten ta’ Ġuda, u l-prinċpijiet tiegħu, kontra l-qassisin tiegħu u l-poplu tal-pajjiż. Huma jeħduha kontrik, imma ma jagħmlulek xejn, għax jien inkun miegħek – oraklu tal-Mulej – biex neħilsek minnhom”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Responsorial Psalm              PSALM 71:1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 15-17

In you, O LORD, I take refuge;
let me never be put to shame.
In your justice rescue me, and deliver me;
 incline your ear to me, and save me.
R. I will sing of your salvation.

Be my rock of refuge,
a stronghold to give me safety,
for you are my rock and my fortress.
O my God, rescue me from the hand of the wicked.
R. I will sing of your salvation.

 For you are my hope, O Lord;
my trust, O God, from my youth.
On you I depend from birth;
from my mother’s womb you are my strength.
R. I will sing of your salvation.

My mouth shall declare your justice,
day by day your salvation.
O God, you have taught me from my youth,
and till the present I proclaim your wondrous deeds.
R. I will sing of your salvation.

Salm Responsorjali              Salm 70(71):1-2,3-4a,5-6ab,15ab,17
R/: Fommi jxandar il-ġustizzja tiegħek.

Fik, Mulej, jien nistkenn;
ma jkolli qatt għax ninfixel.
Għall-ġustizzja tiegħek salvani u ħarisni;
agħtini widen u fittex eħlisni. R/.

Kun sur ta’ kenn għalija;
int wegħedt li tiġi dejjem issalvani,
għax blata u fortizza int għalija.
Alla tiegħi, ħarisni minn id il-ħażin. R/.

Għax inti, Sidi, it-tama tiegħi;
Mulej, inti l-fiduċja tiegħi sa minn żgħożiti.
Fuqek serraħt sa minn twelidi,
sa minn ġuf ommi inti ħadtni. R/.

Fommi jxandar il-ġustizzja tiegħek,
il-jum kollu l-għemejjel tal-għajnuna tiegħek.
O Alla, sa minn żgħożiti int għallimtni;
u jien s’issa għadni nxandar għeġubijietek. R/.

Reading 2              1 CORINTHIANS 12:31—13:13

Brothers and sisters: Strive eagerly for the greatest spiritual gifts. But I shall show you a still more excellent way. If I speak in human and angelic tongues, but do not have love, I am a resounding gong or a clashing cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and comprehend all mysteries and all knowledge; if I have all faith so as to move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away everything I own, and if I hand my body over so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It is not jealous, it is not pompous, It is not inflated, it is not rude, it does not seek its own interests, it is not quick-tempered, it does not brood over injury, it does not rejoice over wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails. If there are prophecies, they will be brought to nothing; if tongues, they will cease;  if knowledge, it will be brought to nothing. For we know partially and we prophesy partially, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I used to talk as a child, think as a child, reason as a child; when I became a man, I put aside childish things. At present we see indistinctly, as in a mirror, but then face to face. At present I know partially; then I shall know fully, as I am fully known. So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Qari 2               mill-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 12:31–13:13

Ħuti, intom ħabirku għal doni ogħla. Imma jien nurikom triq li tgħaddihom ilkoll. Li kont nitkellem bl-ilsna tal-bnedmin u tal-anġli bla ma kelli l-imħabba, kont inkun qisni strument tar-ram iżarżar jew platti jċekċku. U kieku kelli d-don tal-profezija u kont naf il-misteri kollha u l-għerf kollu, kieku kelli l-fidi tiegħi sħiħa li nqanqal il-muntanji, imma ma kellix imħabba, jiena ma kont inkun xejn. U kieku kelli nqassam ġidi kollu fil-karità u nagħti ġismi għall-ħruq bla ma jkolli mħabba, xejn ma jkun jiswieli ta’ ġid. L-imħabba taf tistabar u tħenn; l-imħabba mhijiex għajjura, ma tintefaħx biha nfisha, ma titkabbarx fuq l-oħrajn; ma tagħmilx dak li mhux xieraq; ma tfittixx dak li hu tagħha, xejn ma tinkorla; ma żżommx f’qalbha għad-deni, ma tifraħx bl-inġustizzja, imma tifraħ bil-verità; kollox tagħder, kollox temmen, kollox tittama, kollox tissaporti. L-imħabba ma tintemm qatt. Jgħibu l-profeziji, jisktu l-ilsna, jgħib l-għerf. Għalissa nafu biċċa, u l-profezija tagħna hi nieqsa; imma meta jfeġġ dak li hu sħiħ, jgħib dak li hu nieqes. Meta kont tarbija, kont nitkellem ta’ tarbija, inħoss ta’ tarbija, naħseb ta’ tarbija. Meta sirt raġel warrabt dak li hu ta’ tarbija. Bħalissa naraw bħallikieku f’mera, imċajpar, imma mbagħad naraw wiċċ imb wiċċ. Issa nagħraf biċċa, imbagħad nagħraf bħalma jien magħruf issa. Issa hawn fidi, tama u mħabba, it-tlieta jibqgħu. Il-kbira fosthom l-imħabba! Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel             LUKE 4:21-30

Jesus began speaking in the synagogue, saying: “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing.” And all spoke highly of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his mouth.  They also asked, “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” He said to them, “Surely you will quote me this proverb, ‘Physician, cure yourself,’ and say, ‘Do here in your native place the things that we heard were done in Capernaum.’” And he said, “Amen, I say to you, no prophet is accepted in his own native place. Indeed, I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah when the sky was closed for three and a half years and a severe famine spread over the entire land. It was to none of these that Elijah was sent, but only to a widow in Zarephath in the land of Sidon. Again, there were many lepers in Israel during the time of Elisha the prophet; yet not one of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” When the people in the synagogue heard this, they were all filled with fury. They rose up, drove him out of the town, and led him to the brow of the hill on which their town had been built, to hurl him down headlong. But Jesus passed through the midst of them and went away.

 Evanġelju              Qari skond San Luqa 4:21-30

F’dak iż-żmien Ġesù qal lin-nies fis-sinagoga: “Din il-kitba seħħet illum, intom u tisimgħu”. U lkoll laqgħu kliemu u stagħġbu għall-kliem mimli ħlewwa li kien ħiereġ minn fommu u bdew jgħidu: “Dan mhuwiex bin Ġużeppi?”. Iżda hu qalilhom: “Żgur li se tgħidu għalija dan il-proverbju: ‘Tabib, fejjaq lilek innifsek. Dak kollu li smajna li ġara f’Kafarnahum agħmlu hawn f’pajjiżek ukoll!’”. U żied jgħidilhom: “Tassew, ngħidilkom, ebda profeta ma jilqgħuh tajjeb f’pajjiżu. Għax, ngħidilkom is-sewwa, kien hemm bosta romol f’Iżrael fi żmien Elija meta s-sema baqa’ tliet snin u sitt xhur magħluq u waqa’ ġuħ kbir fil-pajjiż kollu; madankollu għand ħadd minnhom ma ntbagħat Elija, imma għand waħda armla minn Sarefta ta’ Sidon. U kien hemm bosta lebbrużi f’Iżrael fi żmien il-profeta Eliżew, imma ħadd minnhom ma ġie mfejjaq ħlief Nagħman tas-Sirja”. Meta semgħu dan fis-sinagoga kulħadd imtela bil-korla; qamu, u ħarġuh ’il barra mill-belt, ħaduh fuq xifer ta’ rdum tal-għolja li fuqha kienet mibnija l-belt tagħhom, u riedu xħtuh minn hemm fuq għal isfel. Iżda hu għadda minn ġo nofshom u baqa’ sejjer. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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Eight-minute  Gospel reflection by Fr Antony Kadavil   

EQUIPPED TO FACE OPPOSITION

Introduction:

The central theme of Sunday’s readings is that we should have, and show in our communities, the courage of our Christian convictions in our Faith and in its practice, even when we face hatred and rejection because of them.

Scripture lessons:

The first reading tells us how God called Jeremiah as His prophet and equipped him to face opposition and rejection. In living out his prophetic vocation while encountering rejection and persecution, Jeremiah prefigured Jesus, the greatest of all prophets. The Responsorial Psalm, Ps 71, offers us a prayer in time of persecution and a declaration of our trust in God with its foundation in Him. 

In the second reading, we hear Paul speaking with the courage of his Christian convictions in correcting the Corinthian Christian community where the exercise of God’s gifts was causing competition, jealousy, and divisiveness. He courageously presents to them a “way” which surpasses all others, namely, the way of love, and instructs them to exercise their gifts with love. 

Today’s Gospel is a continuation of last Sunday’s Gospel presenting his own people’s negative reaction to Jesus’ “Inaugural Address” at the synagogue of Nazareth when Jesus applied to himself the words of Isaiah 61, announcing a new time of jubilee, liberation, and healing in God’s name. The passage shows us how Jesus faced skepticism and criticism with prophetic courage. Jeremiah, Paul, and Jesus believed that they were commissioned by God to proclaim a disturbing prophetic message (Jer 1:4-5, 17-19). No matter how strong the opposition, the three had the conviction that God was with them.

Life messages:

1) We need to face rejection with prophetic courage and optimism. Perhaps we have experienced the pain of rejection, betrayal, abandonment, violated trust, neglect, or abuse, even from friends and family members, when we reached out to them as God’s agents of healing and saving grace. Perhaps we ourselves are guilty of offering such rejection. Perhaps we, too, have been guilty of ignoring or humiliating people with our arrogance and prejudice. Let us learn to correct our mistakes and face rejection from others with courage.

2) Let us not, like the people in Jesus’ hometown, reject God in our lives. We reject God when we are unwilling to be helped by God, or by others. Such unwillingness prevents us from recognizing God’s directions, help, and support in our lives through His words in the Bible, through the teaching of the Church, and through the advice and examples of others. 

3) We need tofollow Christ, not political correctness, and to speak the truth of Christ in love, without being hypocritical or disrespectful. We must never remain silent in the face of evil for fear of being thought “politically incorrect.” Jesus taught us to love and respect others without condoning or encouraging sinful behavior. We need to be kind, charitable, honest, — forgiving, but clear, in speaking out our Christian convictions as Jesus was when he spoke in the synagogue at Nazareth.

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