A QUESTION OF LOVE...

Readings for Sunday, May 15th, 2022

Fifth Sunday of Easter
Lectionary: 54

Il-Ħames Ħadd tal-Għid

Reading 1               ACTS OF THE APOSTLES 14:21-27

After Paul and Barnabas had proclaimed the good news to that city and made a considerable number of disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch. They strengthened the spirits of the disciples and exhorted them to persevere in the faith, saying, “It is necessary for us to  with prayer and fasting, commended them to the Lord in whom they had put their faith. Then they traveled through Pisidia and reached Pamphylia. After proclaiming the word at Perga they went down to Attalia. From there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work they had now accomplished. And when they arrived, they called the church together and reported what God had done with them and how he had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.

 Qari 1                mill-Ktieb tal-Atti tal-Appostli  14:21b-27

F’dak iż-żmien, Pawlu u Barnaba reġgħu lura lejn Listra, Ikonju u Antjokja, jagħmlu l-qalb lid-dixxipli u jħeġġuhom biex jibqgħu fil-fidi, għaliex, kif kienu jgħidulhom, “jeħtiġilna nbatu ħafna biex nidħlu fis-Saltna ta’ Alla”. Għamlulhom ukoll presbiteri f’kull Knisja, u bit-talb u s-sawm ħallewhom f’idejn il-Mulej, li fih kienu emmnu. Imbagħad għaddew minn Pisidja u ġew fil-Pamfilja. Wara li xandru l-kelma f’Perġe, niżlu Attalija; minn hemm marru bil-baħar lejn Antjokja, mnejn kienu bagħtuhom u rrikkmandawhom f’idejn il-grazzja ta’ Alla għax-xogħol li temmew.
Meta waslu, laqqgħu l-membri tal-Knisja u qagħdu jgħarrfuhom b’dak kollu li Alla għamel magħhom, u wrewhom kif fetaħ il-bieb tal-fidi għall-pagani. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.      

 Responsorial Psalm               PSALM 145:8-9, 10-11, 12-13

The LORD is gracio us and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R/ I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or: R/ Alleluia.

Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R/ I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or: R/ Alleluia.

Let them make known your might to the children of Adam,
and the glorious splendor of your kingdom.
Your kingdom is a kingdom for all ages,
and your dominion endures through all generations.
R/ I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
or: R A/lleluia.

 Salm Responsorjali               Salm 144(145):8-9,10-11,12-13ab

R/. Imbierek ismek għal dejjem, Mulej.
jew  R/. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah.

Twajjeb u ħanin il-Mulej,
idum biex jagħdab u kollu tjieba.
Twajjeb ma’ kulħadd il-Mulej,
tjubitu fuq kulma għamel. R/.

Kulma għamilt iroddlok ħajr, Mulej;
iberkuk il-ħbieb tiegħek kollha.
Is-sebħ tas-saltna tiegħek ixandru,
fuq is-setgħa tiegħek jitkellmu. R/.

Jgħarrfu lill-bniedem il-qawwa tiegħek,
u s-sebħ u l-ġmiel tas-saltna tiegħek.
Saltnatek hi saltna għaż-żminijiet kollha,
minn nisel għal nisel il-ħakma tiegħek. R/.

Reading 2               REVELATIONS 21:1-5a

Then I, John, saw a new heaven and a new earth. The former heaven and the former earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. I also saw the holy city, a new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, God’s dwelling is with the human race. He will dwell with them and they will be his people and God himself will always be with them as their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death or mourning, wailing or pain, for the old order has passed away.” The One who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.”

Qari 2               mill-Ktieb tal-Apokalissi ta’ San Ġwann Appostlu 21:1-5a

Jiena, Ġwanni, rajt sema ġdid u art ġdida, għax is-sema ta’ qabel u l-art ta’ qabel għabu, u ma kienx hemm iżjed baħar. U l-Belt il-qaddisa, Ġerusalemm il-ġdida, rajtha nieżla mis-sema mingħand Alla, imħejjija bħal għarusa mżejna għall-għarus tagħha. U smajt leħen qawwi ġej mit-tron jgħid: “Din hi l-għamara ta’ Alla mal-bnedmin! Hu jgħammar magħhom, u huma jkunu l-poplu tiegħu, u Alla nnifsu jkun magħhom, Alla tagħhom. Hu jixxuttalhom kull demgħa minn għajnejhom; ma jkunx hemm iżjed mewt,anqas biki jew għajat jew tbatija ma jkun hemm iżjed, għax għabu l-ħwejjeġ ta’ qabel”. Imbagħad dak li hu bilqiegħda fuq it-tron qal: “Ara, se nġedded kollox”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

  Gospel               JOHN 13:31-33a, 34-35

When Judas had left them, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and God will glorify him at once. My children, I will be with you only a little while longer. I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
 
Evanġelju               Qari skont San 13:31-33a,34-35

Kif ħareġ Ġuda miċ-ċenaklu, Ġesù qal: “Bin il-bniedem huwa gglorifikat issa, u permezz tiegħu huwa gglorifikat Alla. Jekk Alla huwa gglorifikat permezz ta’ Bin il-bniedem, Alla wkoll permezz tiegħu nnifsu għad jigglorifika lilu, u dalwaqt jigglorifikah. Uliedi, ftit ieħor se ndum magħkom. Nagħtikom kmandament ġdid, li tħobbu lil xulxin. Bħalma ħabbejtkom jien, hekk ukoll ħobbu intom lil xulxin. Minn dan jagħraf kulħadd li intom dixxipli tiegħi, jiġifieri, jekk ikollkom l-imħabba bejnietkom”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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Eight-minute  Gospel reflection by Fr Antony Kadavil   

RENEWAL AND NEW THINGS

Introduction:

Sunday’s readings are about renewal and new things: The New Jerusalem, a new Heaven and a new earth, and a new commandment. 

 Scripture lessons: 

The first reading, taken from the Acts of the Apostles, describes how the small Christian communities helped the work of renewal in their members by their agápe love, imitating the agápe love of Paul and Barnabas. The second reading, from the Book of Revelation, explains how God renews His Church, the New Jerusalem, by being present in her members, in their parish communities, and in their liturgical celebrations. “See, I am making all things new.” 

Today’s Gospel passage gives us the secret of Christian renewal as the faithful practice of Jesus’ new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” (Jn 13:35). Jesus has added a new element to the Old Testament command of love by teaching us that the true test of discipleship is to love other people in the same way that he has loved us, with sacrificial, selfless, self-giving, unconditional, agápe love. 

Hence, the renewal of Christian life means a radical change of vision and a reordering of our priorities in life. Such a renewal brings us to embrace new attitudes, new values, and new standards of relating to God, to other people and, indeed, to our whole environment.

Life messages:

1)   Let us learn to love ourselves so that we may learn to love each other. The old commandment (Lv 19:1-2, 9-18) says: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” We cannot learn to cherish others and care for them if we have never learned to do the same for ourselves. We live in a world that denies our basic human worth. How do we reclaim our basic worth? 
We can become whole and holy only when we learn to love ourselves properly, acknowledging the fact that we are children of God and that the Triune God resides in our souls, making our bodies the “temple of the Holy Spirit.”

2)   Let us love others in our daily lives: We are asked to love as Jesus loved, in the ordinary course of our lives. We love others by responding to their everyday needs with love and compassion. We love others by comforting and protecting those who have experienced loss. We love others by serving others in every possible way, no matter how small, seeing the face of Jesus in them. We love others by forgiving rather than condemning, by challenging rather than condoning. Finally, we love others by sacrificially sharing our time, talents, and blessings with them.

3)   Let us demonstrate our love for others in our gatherings and parish assemblies: When we are assembled as a religious or social community, we have an opportunity to demonstrate our love for one another. People must see Christians as people who interact with a love and concern for one another that reveals their strong love and appreciation for each other. They should see in us a quickness to appreciate and readiness to forgive, even as Christ has forgiven us.

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