Readings for Sunday, February 13, 2022
Lectionary: 78
Is-Sitt Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 JEREMIAH 17:5-8
Thus says the LORD: Cursed is the one who trusts in human beings, who seeks his strength in flesh, whose heart turns away from the LORD. He is like a barren bush in the desert that enjoys no change of season, but stands in a lava waste, a salt and empty earth. Blessed is the one who trusts in the LORD, whose hope is the LORD. He is like a tree planted beside the waters that stretches out its roots to the stream: it fears not the heat when it comes; its leaves stay green; in the year of drought it shows no distress, but still bears fruit.
QARI 1 mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Ġeremija 17:5-8
Dan
jgħid il-Mulej: “Misħut il-bniedem li jittama fil-bnedmin, li jfittex
il-qawwa tiegħu fil-ġisem, u titbiegħed qalbu mill-Mulej. Ikun bħal
siġra tal-għargħar fix-xagħri, li ma tara ebda ġid ġej, li tgħammar
f’art tikwi fid-deżert, art mielħa fejn ħadd ma jgħammar. Imbierek
il-bniedem li jittama fil-Mulej, u l-fiduċja tiegħu fil-Mulej. Ikun bħal
siġra ħdejn l-ilma mħawla, b’għeruqha mxenxla lejn il-wied; ma tibżax
meta tiġi s-sħana, il-weraq tagħha jibqa’ jħaddar; fis-sena tan-nixfa ma
tinkeddx, u ma tehdiex milli tagħmel il-frott”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 1:1-2, 3, 4 and 6
Blessed the man who follows not
the counsel of the wicked,
nor walks in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the company of the insolent,
but delights in the law of the LORD
and meditates on his law day and night.
R Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
He is like a tree
planted near running water,
that yields its fruit in due season,
and whose leaves never fade.
Whatever he does, prospers.
R Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
Not so the wicked, not so;
they are like chaff which the wind drives away.
For the LORD watches over the way of the just,
but the way of the wicked vanishes.
R Blessed are they who hope in the Lord.
SALM RESPONSORJALI Salm 1:1-2,3,4,6
R/: Hieni l-bniedem li jqiegħed fil-Mulej it-tama tiegħu.
Hieni l-bniedem li ma jimxix fuq il-pariri tal-ħżiena,
li ma jiqafx fi triq il-ħatjin,
li ma joqgħodx fil-laqgħat taż-żeblieħa;
imma fil-liġi tal-Mulej hi l-għaxqa tiegħu,
lejl u nhar jaħseb fil-liġi tiegħu. R/.
Hu bħal siġra mħawla ħdejn nixxigħat tal-ilma
li tagħmel il-frott fi żmienha,
u l-weraq tagħha ma jidbielx;
hu jirnexxi f’kulma jagħmel. R/.
Mhux hekk il-ħżiena, mhux hekk;
iżda huma bħal tibna li jtajjarha r-riħ.
Għax triq it-tajbin il-Mulej jafha;
imma triq il-ħżiena tintemm fix-xejn. R/.
Reading 2 1 CORINTHIANS 15:12, 16-20
Brothers and sisters: If Christ is preached as raised from the dead, how can some among you say there is no resurrection of the dead? If the dead are not raised, neither has Christ been raised, and if Christ has not been raised, your faith is vain; you are still in your sins. Then those who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are the most pitiable people of all. But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.
QARI 2 mill-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 15:12,16-20
Huti,
jekk Kristu hu mxandar li qam mill-imwiet, kif jgħidu xi wħud minnkom
li ma hemmx qawmien tal-mejtin? Għax jekk il-mejtin ma jqumux, anqas
Kristu ma kien imqajjem. U jekk Kristu ma kienx imqajjem, fiergħa l-fidi
tagħkom, u intom għadkom fi dnubietkom. U mitlufa wkoll huma dawk li
raqdu fi Kristu. Jekk għandna tama fi Kristu għal din il-ħajja biss,
aħna l-aktar nies imsejkna fost kemm huma l-bnedmin. Imma Kristu kien
imqajjem tassew mill-imwiet, l-ewwel frott fost dawk li raqdu.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel LUKE 6:17, 20-26
Jesus came down with the Twelve and stood on a stretch of level ground with a great crowd of his disciples and a large number of the people from all Judea and Jerusalem and the coastal region of Tyre and Sidon. And raising his eyes toward his disciples he said: “Blessed are you who are poor, for the kingdom of God is yours. Blessed are you who are now hungry, for you will be satisfied. Blessed are you who are now weeping, for you will laugh. Blessed are you when people hate you, and when they exclude and insult you, and denounce your name as evil on account of the Son of Man. Rejoice and leap for joy on that day! Behold, your reward will be great in heaven. For their ancestors treated the prophets in the same way. But woe to you who are rich, for you have received your consolation.Woe to you who are filled now, for you will be hungry. Woe to you who laugh now, for you will grieve and weep. Woe to you when all speak well of you, for their ancestors treated the false prophets in this way.”
EVANGELJU Qari skont San Luqa 6:17,20-26
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù niżel mat-Tnax u waqaf f’wita, flimkien ma’ kotra kbira ta’ dixxipli u folla kbira ta’ nies minn kull naħa tal-Lhudija u Ġerusalemm u mix-xtajta ta’ Tir u Sidon. Ġesù rafa’ għajnejh lejn id-dixxipli tiegħu u qal: “Henjin intom il-foqra, għax tagħkom hija s-Saltna ta’ Alla. Henjin intom li għalissa bil-ġuħ, għax għad tkunu mxebbgħin. Henjin intom li għalissa tibku, għax għad tithennew. Henjin intom meta minħabba Bin il-bniedem in-nies jobogħdukom, jaqtgħukom minn magħhom, jgħajrukom u jwarrbu isimkom bħallikieku kien xi ħaġa ħażina. Dakinhar li jiġrilkom hekk, ifirħu u aqbżu bil-ferħ, għax araw, ħlaskom kbir ikun fis-sema. L-istess għamlu missirijiethom lill-profeti.Imma ħażin għalikom intom l-għonja, għax il-faraġ tagħkom ħadtuh. Ħażin għalikom intom li għalissa mxebbgħin, għax għad tkunu bil-ġuħ. Ħażin għalikom intom li għalissa tidħku, għax għad tnewħu u tibku. Ħażin għalikom meta kulħadd isemmikom fil-ġid. Għax l-istess għamlu missirijiethom lill-profeti foloz!”.Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
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Eight-minute Gospel reflection by Fr Antony Kadavil
OUR TRUE HAPPINESS - FROM A GOD WHO LOVES US
Introduction:
Sunday’s readings teach us that true hap
piness, or beatitude, lies in the awareness that we are all children of a loving Heavenly Father and that we will be happy only when we share our blessings with our brothers and sisters in need, and when we work to uplift them, thus declaring our “option for the poor,” as Jesus did. Contrary to the popular belief, wealth, health, power, and influence are not the sources of true happiness. The word “beatitude” means “blessedness” in a double sense: both enjoying God’s favor and enjoying true or supreme happiness.(A homily starter anecdote may be added here)
Scripture lessons:
In the first reading, Jeremiah tells us that true happiness consists in our placing our trust in God and in putting our trust in His promises. The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 1) finds beatitude in keeping God’s Law. In the second reading St. Paul warns us that true beatitude is obtainable only in Heaven, and that Christ’s Resurrection gives us our assurance of reaching Heaven for an everlasting life of happiness.
In today’s Gospel, Jesus instructs his disciples in the paradoxical blessedness of poverty, hunger, sorrow, and persecution. “Blessed are those who are poor, hungry, weeping, hated, excluded, insulted and denounced,” because in poverty, we recognize our dependence on God; in hunger, God’s providence; in sorrow for sins, reconciliation with God; and in persecution, the true joy of standing for the Faith with heroic convictions.
What makes one blessed is not simply poverty or hunger or sadness or suffering for the Faith but living these in the context of one’s commitment to Jesus and his spirit of sharing. Beatitudes consist in humble selflessness and compassionate, generous sharing of our blessings with the needy. The beatitudes must be understood as eschatological statements which see and evaluate the present in terms of the future glory and everlasting happiness.
Life Messages:
1) We need to respond to the challenge of the Beatitudes in our daily life. Millions are starving, persecuted, homeless, and leading hopeless lives. The only way the promises of the Beatitudes can become a reality for them is through the efforts of people like us. Hence, let us remember that each time we reach out to help the needy, the sick, or the oppressed, we share with them a foretaste of the promises of the Beatitudes here and now.
2) Let us light a candle instead of blaming the political set-up. God knows that 50% of His children are hungry, 80% live in substandard housing and 70% have no education. If over half our children were hungry, cold and uneducated, how would we respond to their suffering? God wants us to live as brothers and sisters who care for one another.
3) We must take care to choose our way wisely. “There are two Ways, one of Life and one of Death, and there is a great difference between the two Ways.” These are the opening lines of the “Didache” a first century Christian catechism used to teach new Christians the essence of the Christian Faith. The way of life and true happiness is the way of Jesus, the way of the beatitudes, the way of rendering loving service to God by serving our brothers and sisters.
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