Readings for Sunday, March 27th, 2022
Lectionary: 33
Ir-Raba’ Ħadd tar-Randan
Reading 1 JOSHUA 5:9a, 10-12
The LORD said to Joshua, “Today I have removed the reproach of Egypt from you.” While the Israelites were encamped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated the Passover on the evening of the fourteenth of the month. On the day after the Passover, they ate of the produce of the land in the form of unleavened cakes and parched grain. On that same day after the Passover, on which they ate of the produce of the land, the manna ceased. No longer was there manna for the Israelites, who that year ate of the yield of the land of Canaan.
Qari 1 mill-Ktieb ta’ Ġożwè 5:9a,10-12
F’dak iż-żmien, il-Mulej qal lil Ġożwè: “Illum jien neħħejtilkom minn fuqkom l-għajb tal-Eġittu”. Ulied Iżrael waqqfu l-kamp tagħhom f’Gilgal. Hemm, fil-witat ta’ Ġeriko, għamlu l-Għid filgħaxija tal-erbatax tax-xahar. U sewwasew l-għada tal-Għid, huma kielu mill-frott tal-art: ħobż ażżmu u qamħ inkaljat. Minn dakinhar, wara li kielu mill-frott tal-art, il-manna waqfet. Ulied Iżrael ma kellhomx aktar manna, imma minn dik is-sena bdew jieklu milli bdiet tagħtihom l-art ta’ Kangħan. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 34:2-3, 4-5, 6-7.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Salm Responsorjali Salm 33(34):2-3,4-5,6-7
R/.(9a): Duqu u taraw kemm hu tajjeb il-Mulej.
Kull ħin inbierek il-Mulej;
tifħiru dejjem fuq fommi.
Bil-Mulej tiftaħar ruħi;
jisimgħu l-fqajrin u jifirħu. R/.
Xandru l-kobor tal-Mulej miegħi;
ħa ngħollu ismu flimkien.
Jien fittixt il-Mulej, u weġibni,
minn kull biża’ tiegħi ħelisni. R/.
Ħarsu lejh u jiddi bil-ferħ wiċċkom,
u ma jkollkomx għax tistħu.
Dan il-fqajjar sejjaħ u l-Mulej semgħu,
u mid-dwejjaq tiegħu kollha ħelsu. R/.
Reading 2 2 CORINTHIANS 5:17-21
Brothers and sisters: Whoever is in Christ is a new creation: the old things have passed away; behold, new things have come.And all this is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and given us the ministry of reconciliation, namely, God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting their trespasses against them and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. So we are ambassadors for Christ, as if God were appealing through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin,so that we might become the righteousness of God in him.
Qari 2 mit-Tieni Ittra lill-Korintin 5:17-21
Ħuti, meta wieħed jingħaqad ma’ Kristu, isir ħolqien ġdid; il-qadim għadda u daħal il-ġdid. Kollox ġej minn Alla li ħabbibna miegħu nnifsu permezz ta’ Kristu u tana l-ministeru ta’ din il-ħbiberija tal-bnedmin ma’ Alla. Alla kien li ħabbeb il-ħolqien miegħu nnifsu permezz ta’ Kristu, bla ma qagħad iżomm il-kont ta’ dnubiethom, u fdalna l-ministeru ta’ din il-ħbiberija. Aħna nagħmluha ta’ ambaxxaturi ta’ Kristu bħallikieku Alla stess qiegħed isejjaħ permezz tagħna, nitolbu fuq li nitolbu f’ġieħ Kristu: Ħallu lil Alla jħabbibkom miegħu. Dak li ma kienx jaf x’inhu dnub, Alla għamlu dnub għalina sabiex aħna nsiru fih ġustizzja ta’ Alla. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel LUKE 15:1-3, 11-32
Tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to listen to Jesus, but the Pharisees and scribes began to complain, saying, “This man welcomes sinners and eats with them.” So to them Jesus addressed this parable: “A man had two sons, and the younger son said to his father, ‘Father give me the share of your estate that should come to me.’ So the father divided the property between them. After a few days, the younger son collected all his belongings and set off to a distant country where he squandered his inheritance on a life of dissipation. When he had freely spent everything, a severe famine struck that country, and he found himself in dire need. So he hired himself out to one of the local citizens who sent him to his farm to tend the swine. And he longed to eat his fill of the pods on which the swine fed, but nobody gave him any. Coming to his senses he thought, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have more than enough food to eat, but here am I, dying from hunger. I shall get up and go to my father and I shall say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I no longer deserve to be called your son; treat me as you would treat one of your hired workers.”’ So he got up and went back to his father. While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.’ But his father ordered his servants, ‘Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast, because this son of mine was dead, and has come to life again; he was lost, and has been found.’ Then the celebration began. Now the older son had been out in the field and, on his way back, as he neared the house, he heard the sound of music and dancing. He called one of the servants and asked what this might mean. The servant said to him, ‘Your brother has returned and your father has slaughtered the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.’ He became angry, and when he refused to enter the house, his father came out and pleaded with him. He said to his father in reply, ‘Look, all these years I served you and not once did I disobey your orders; yet you never gave me even a young goat to feast on with my friends. But when your son returns who swallowed up your property with prostitutes, for him you slaughter the fattened calf.’ He said to him, ‘My son, you are here with me always; everything I have is yours. But now we must celebrate and rejoice, because your brother was dead and has come to life again; he was lost and has been found.’”
Evanġelju Qari skont San Luqa 15:1-3,11-32
F’dak iż-żmien, il-pubblikani u l-midinbin kienu jersqu bi ħġarhom lejn Ġesù biex jisimgħuh. U kemm il-Fariżej u kemm il-kittieba kienu jgemgmu u jgħidu: “Nies midinba jilqa’ għandu dan u jiekol magħhom!”.U Ġesù qabad u qalilhom din il-parabbola: “Kien hemm raġel li kellu żewġ ulied. Iż-żgħir qal lil missieru: ‘Missier, agħtini s-sehem li jmiss lili mill-ġid’. U dak qassmilhom il-ġid. Ma kinux għaddew wisq ġranet, meta ż-żgħir sarr kollox u telaq minn beltu lejn pajjiż imbiegħed, u hemmhekk berbaq ġidu kollu f’ħajja mtajra. Meta ħela kulma kellu, fuq dak il-pajjiż waqa’ ġuħ kbir, u beda jħoss ruħu fil-bżonn. U mar daħal ma’ wieħed minn dak il-pajjiż, li bagħtu fir-raba’ tiegħu jirgħa l-ħnieżer. Kien jixtieq kieku jimla żaqqu mqar bil-ħarrub li kienu jieklu l-ħnieżer, imma ħadd ma kien jagħtih. Imbagħad daħal fih innifsu u qal: ‘Kemm lavranti ma’ missieri għandhom ħobż bix-xaba’, u jien qiegħed hawn immut bil-ġuħ! Ħa nqum u mmur għand missieri, u ngħidlu: Missier, dnibt kontra s-sema u kontra tiegħek; ma jistħoqqlix iżjed nissejjaħ ibnek; żommni b’wieħed mil-lavranti tiegħek’. Qam, u telaq għal għand missieru. Iżda kif kien għadu fil-bogħod missieru lemħu u tħassru, u b’ġirja waħda mar inxteħet fuq għonqu u biesu. It-tifel qallu: ‘Missier, dnibt kontra s-sema u kontra tiegħek; ma jistħoqqlix iżjed nissejjaħ ibnek’. Iżda l-missier qal lill-qaddejja tiegħu: ‘Isaw! Ġibulu l-isbaħ libsa u xidduhielu, libbsulu ċ-ċurkett f’sebgħu u s-sandli f’riġlejh! Ġibu l-għoġol l-imsemmen u oqtluh, ħa nieklu u nagħmlu festa, għax dan ibni kien mejjet u raġa’ qam, kien mitluf u nstab!’. U għamlu festa. Mela ibnu l-kbir kien fl-għalqa. Huwa u rieġa’ lura, kif wasal qrib id-dar sama’ daqq u żfin. Sejjaħ wieħed mill-qaddejja u staqsieh dak x’kien. Dak qallu: ‘Hawn ħuk u missierek qatillu l-għoġol l-imsemmen, għax raġa’ kisbu qawwi u sħiħ’. Hu inkorla, u ma riedx jidħol ġewwa, iżda missieru ħareġ jitolbu jidħol. Iżda hu qal lil missieru: ‘Ara, ili dawn is-snin kollha naqdik, kelmtek ma ksirthielek qatt, u kieku qatt tajtni gidi lili biex nagħmel ikla u nifraħ ma’ ħbiebi! Imbagħad jiġi dan ibnek, li belagħ ek ġidek man-nisa żienja, u lilu toqtollu l-għoġol l-imsemmen’. Qallu missieru: ‘Ibni, inti dejjem miegħi, u kulma hu tiegħi huwa tiegħ. Imma kien meħtieġ li nagħmlu festa u nifirħu, għax dan ħuk kien mejjet u raġa’ qam, kien mitluf u nstab!’”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
THE BASIS OF OUR FAITH
Introduction:
Traditionally, the Fourth Sunday of Lent is called Laetare Sunday (Rejoice Sunday). Anticipating Easter joy, this Sunday’s readings invite us to rejoice by being reconciled with God through repentance and the confession of our sins and by celebrating our coming home to be with our loving and forgiving God.
Scripture lessons summarized:
In the first reading, the Chosen People of God are portrayed as celebrating, for the first time in their own land, the feast of their freedom, by using wheat that had grown in the Promised Land. In today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 34), a rejoicing Psalmist invites us, “Glorify the Lord with me; let us together extol His Name!” In the second reading, St. Paul invites the Corinthian Christian community to rejoice because Jesus has reconciled them with God by his suffering and death.
Today’s Gospel celebrates the joy of the prodigal son on his “homecoming” where he discovers his father’s forgiving and overflowing love. It is also the story of the rejoicing of a loving and forgiving father who celebrates the return of his prodigal son by throwing a big party in his honour, a banquet celebrating the reconciliation of the son with his father, his family, his community, and his God.
At the same time, by presenting a self-righteous elder brother, the parable invites us to avoid self-righteousness and self-justification by imitating the repentant younger brother. Let us admit the truth that we are an assembly of sinful people, repentant, and now we are ready to receive God’s forgiveness and to experience Jesus’ Personal Presence in the Holy Eucharist as our loving and forgiving God.
Life messages:
1) Let us return to our Heavenly Father with repentant hearts: As prodigal children, we face spiritual famine all around us in the form of drug and alcohol abuse, fraud and theft in the workplace, murders, abortions and violence, premarital sex, marital infidelity and priestly infidelity, as well as in hostility between and among people. All of these evils have proliferated because we have been squandering God’s abundant blessings, not only in our country and in our families, but also in our personal lives. Hence, let us repent and return to our Heavenly Father’s home.
2) Holy Mass enhances our “pass over,” from a world of sin to a world of reconciliation. At every Mass, we come to our loving Heavenly Father’s house as prodigal children acknowledging that we have sinned (“I confess to Almighty God”). In the Offertory, we give ourselves back to the Father, and this is the moment of our surrendering our sinful lives to God our Father. At the consecration, we hear God’s invitation through Jesus: “… this is My Body, which will be given up for you… this is the chalice of My Blood … which will be poured out for you…” (= ”All I have is yours”). In Holy Communion, we participate in the banquet of reconciliation, thus restoring our full relationship with God and our fellow human beings.
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