Readings for Sunday, February 20, 2022
First Sunday of Lent
Lectionary: 24
L-Ewwel Ħadd tar-Randan
Reading 1 DEUTERONOMY 26:4-10
Moses spoke to the people, saying: “The priest shall receive the basket from you and shall set it in front of the altar of the LORD, your God. Then you shall declare before the Lord, your God, ‘My father was a wandering Aramean who went down to Egypt with a small household and lived there as an alien. But there he became a nation great, strong, and numerous. When the Egyptians maltreated and oppressed us, imposing hard labor upon us, we cried to the LORD, the God of our fathers, and he heard our cry and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. He brought us out of Egypt with his strong hand and outstretched arm, with terrifying power, with signs and wonders; and bringing us into this country, he gave us this land flowing with milk and honey. Therefore, I have now brought you the firstfruits of the products of the soil which you, O LORD, have given me.’And having set them before the LORD, your God, you shall bow down in his presence.”
Qari 1 mill-Ktieb tad-Dewteronomju 26:4-10
Mosè
kellem lill-poplu u qal: “Il-qassis imbagħad jilqa’ minn idejk
il-qoffa, u jqegħedha quddiem l-altar tal-Mulej, Alla tiegħek. Inti
mbagħad tgħid hekk quddiem il-Mulej, Alla tiegħek: ‘Missieri kien minn
Aram, jiġġerra minn post għal ieħor; imbagħad niżel l-Eġittu u għammar
hemm. Żgħir kien l-għadd ta’ niesu, iżda hemmhekk sar poplu kbir, qawwi u
kotran. L-Eġizzjani ħaqruna, għakksuna, għabbewna b’xogħol iebes; imma
aħna għajjatna lill-Mulej, Alla ta’ missirijietna, u l-Mulej sama’
l-għajta tagħna, ra t-tgħakkis u t-tbatija u d-dwejjaq tagħna, u ħariġna
l-Mulej mill-Eġittu, b’id qawwija, bi driegħ merfugħ, b’biża’ kbir,
b’sinjali u b’għeġubijiet, u daħħalna f’dan il-post, tana din l-art, art
tnixxi ħalib u għasel. U issa, ara, jiena ġibt l-ewwel frott tal-art li
tajtni int, Mulej’. U int tqiegħdu quddiem il-Mulej, Alla tiegħek, u
tadura lill-Mulej, Alla tiegħek”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 91:1-2, 10-11, 12-13, 14-15.
You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
say to the LORD, “My refuge and fortress,
my God in whom I trust.”
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
No evil shall befall you,
nor shall affliction come near your tent,
For to his angels he has given command about you,
that they guard you in all your ways.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Upon their hands they shall bear you up,
lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the asp and the viper;
you shall trample down the lion and the dragon.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Because he clings to me, I will deliver him;
I will set him on high because he acknowledges my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in distress;
I will deliver him and glorify him.
R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.
Salm Responsorjali Salm 90 (91) :1-2,10-11,12-13,14-15
R/.(ara 15): Kun miegħi, Mulej, fid-dwejjaq.
Int li tgħix għall-kenn tal-Għoli,
li tgħammar għad-dell ta’ dak li jista’ kollox,
għid lill-Mulej: “Kenn tiegħi u qawwa tiegħi int,
Alla tiegħi, jien fik nittama”. R/.
Ebda deni ma jiġrilek,
ebda ħsara ma tersaq lejn darek.
Għax l-anġli tiegħu hu jibgħatlek,
u jħarsuk fi triqatek kollha. R/.
Fuq idejhom jerfgħuk,
li ma taħbatx ma’ xi ġebla riġlek.
Fuq l-iljun u l-lifgħa int timxi,
ferħ ta’ ljun u serp int tirfes. R/.
“La tħabbeb miegħi, jien neħilsu;
la għaraf ismi, jiena nħarsu.
Hu jsejjaħli, u jiena nwieġbu;
miegħu nkun fid-dwejjaq tiegħu,
neħilsu u nerfagħlu ġieħu”. R/.
Reading 2 ROMANS 10:8-13
Brothers and sisters: What does Scripture say? The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart —that is, the word of faith that we preach—, for, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For one believes with the heart and so is justified, and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. For the Scripture says, No one who believes in him will be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek; the same Lord is Lord of all, enriching all who call upon him. For “everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”
Qari 2 Qari mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 10:8-13
Ħuti,
xi tgħid l-Iskrittura? “Il-kelma qiegħda ħdejk, f’fommok u qalbek”;
jiġifieri, il-kelma tal-fidi li aħna nxandru. Għax jekk inti tistqarr
b’fommok: “Ġesù hu l-Mulej!”, u temmen b’qalbek li Alla qajmu
mill-imwiet, inti ssalva. Wieħed jemmen f’qalbu biex ikollu l-ġustizzja u
jistqarr b’xufftejh biex ikollu s-salvazzjoni. L-Iskrittura tgħid:
“Kull min jemmen fih ma jintilifx”. Ma hemmx għażla bejn Lhudi u Grieg;
hu s-Sid ta’ kulħadd u għani ma’ dawk kollha li jsejħulu. Għax: “Kull
min isejjaħ isem il-Mulej isalva”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel LUKE 4:1-13
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil. He ate nothing during those days, and when they were over he was hungry. The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.” Jesus answered him, “It is written, One does not live on bread alone.” Then he took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a single instant. The devil said to him, “I shall give to you all this power and glory; for it has been handed over to me, and I may give it to whomever I wish. All this will be yours, if you worship me.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It is written - You shall worship the Lord, your God, and him alone shall you serve.” Then he led him to Jerusalem, made him stand on the parapet of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, for it is written: He will command his angels concerning you, to guard you, and: With their hands they will support you, lest you dash your foot against a stone.” Jesus said to him in reply, “It also says, You shall not put the Lord, your God, to the test.” When the devil had finished every temptation, he departed from him for a time.
Evanġelju Qari skont San Luqa 4:1-13
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù, mimli bl-Ispirtu s-Santu, raġa’ lura mill-Ġordan u l-Ispirtu ħadu fid-deżert. Hemm għal erbgħin jum Ġesù kien imġarrab mix-Xitan. Matul dawk il-jiem ma kiel xejn; u mbagħad, meta għaddew dawk il-jiem, ħadu l-ġuħ. U x-Xitan qallu: “Jekk inti Bin Alla, għid lil din il-ġebla ssir ħobż”. Wieġbu Ġesù: “Hemm miktub: Il-bniedem mhux bil-ħobż biss jgħix”. Imbagħad ix-Xitan ħadu fl-għoli u wrieh is-saltniet tad-dinja kollha f’daqqa. Qallu x-Xitan: “Nagħtik is-setgħa fuq dawn kollha, bil-glorja tagħhom ukoll għax hija ngħatat lili, u jiena nagħtiha lil min irrid. Jekk tinxteħet quddiemi tagħtini qima, kollha tiegħek tkun”. Ġesù wieġbu u qallu: “Hemm miktub: Lill-Mulej, Alla tiegħek, tadura, u lilu biss taqdi”. Imbagħad ix-Xitan ħadu Ġerusalemm, qiegħdu fuq il-quċċata tat-tempju, u qallu: “Jekk inti Bin Alla, inxteħet minn hawn għal isfel. Għax hemm miktub: “Lill-anġli tiegħu jordnalhom biex jieħdu ħsiebek sewwa”, u li: “fuq idejhom jerfgħuk, ħalli ma taħbatx riġlek ma’ xi ġebla”. Wieġeb Ġesù u qallu: “Jingħad: Iġġarrabx lill-Mulej Alla tiegħek”. Imbagħad ix-Xitan, meta temm dan it-tiġrib kollu, telaq minn ħdejh sa ma wasal il-waqt. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
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Eight-minute Gospel reflection by Fr Antony Kadavil
OUR TEMPTATION CHALLENGES
Central theme:
Lent begins with a reflection on the Temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. The Church assigns temptation stories to the beginning of Lent because temptations come to everybody, not only to Jesus, and we seem almost genetically programmed to yield to them.
Scripture lessons:
The first reading describes the ancient Jewish ritual of presenting the first fruits and gifts to God during the harvest festival in order to thank Him for liberating His people from Egypt and for strengthening them during the years of their trials and temptations in the desert.
The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 91), points to Satan’s third temptation of Jesus in the desert as recorded in Luke’s Gospel. In the second reading, St. Paul warns the early Christians converted from Judaism not to yield to their constant temptation to return to the observances of the Mosaic Laws. He reminds them that they will be saved only by acknowledging the risen Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
Bible scholars think that the graphic temptations of Jesus described by Matthew and Luke in their Gospels are the pictorial and dramatic representations of the inner struggle against a temptation that Jesus experienced throughout his public life. The devil was trying to prevent Jesus from accomplishing his mission of saving mankind from the bondage of sin, mainly through a temptation to become the political Messiah of Jewish expectations, and to use his Divine power first for his own convenience and then to avoid suffering and death.
Life Messages:
1) We need to confront and conquer temptations as Jesus did, using the means he employed: Like Jesus, every one of us is tempted to seek sinful pleasures, easy wealth, and a position of authority, and is drawn to the use of unjust or sinful means to attain good ends. Jesus is our model for conquering temptations through prayer, penance, and the effective use of the ‘‘word of God.”
Temptations make us true warriors of God by strengthening our minds and hearts. We are never tempted beyond the strength God gives us. In his first letter, St. John assures us: “The One Who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). Hence during Lent, let us confront our evil tendencies with prayer (especially by participating in the Holy Mass), with penance, and with the meditative reading of the Bible.
Knowledge of the Bible prepares us for the moment of temptation by enabling us “to know Jesus more clearly, to love him more dearly and to follow him more nearly, day by day,”as William Barclay puts it.
2) We need to grow in holiness during Lent by prayer, reconciliation, and sharing. We become resistant and even immune to temptations as we grow healthier in soul by following the traditional Lenten practices:
a) by finding time to be with God every day of Lent, speaking to Him, and listening to Him;
b) by repenting of our sins and renewing our lives, uniting ourselves with God both by the Sacrament of Reconciliation and by forgiving those who have hurt us while asking forgiveness of those whom we have hurt; and
c) by sharing our love with others through our selfless, humble service, our almsgiving, and our helping of those in need.
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