WHEN GOD CALLS...

 Readings for Sunday, June 26, 2022

Thirteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 99

 It-Tlettax-il Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena

  Reading 1               1 KINGS 19:16b, 19-21

The LORD said to Elijah: “You shall anoint Elisha, son of Shaphat of Abelmeholah, as prophet to succeed you.” Elijah set out and came upon Elisha, son of Shaphat, as he was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen; he was following the twelfth. Elijah went over to him and threw his cloak over him. Elisha left the oxen, ran after Elijah, and said, “Please, let me kiss my father and mother goodbye, and I will follow you.” Elijah answered, “Go back! Have I done anything to you?” Elisha left him, and taking the yoke of oxen, slaughtered them; he used the plowing equipment for fuel to boil their flesh, and gave it to his people to eat. Then Elisha left and followed Elijah as his attendant. 

Qari 1              i mill-Ewwel Ktieb tas-Slaten 19, 16b. 19-21

F’dak iż-żmien, il-Mulej qal lil Elija: “Lil Eliżew bin Safat, ta’ Abel-mehola, idilku profeta flokok”. Elija telaq minn hemm u sab lil Eliżew bin Safat, waqt li kien qiegħed jaħrat bi tnax-il żewġ gniedes quddiemu; u hu kien qiegħed imexxi t-tnax-il wieħed. Resaq lejh Elija, u xeħet fuqu l-mantell tiegħu. Dan ħalla l-gniedes u mar jiġri wara Elija jgħidlu: “Ħallini mmur insellem lil missieri u ’l ommi, imbagħad niġi warajk”. Qallu Elija: “Mur u erġa’ ejja; għaliex x’għamiltlek jiena?”. Eliżew tbiegħed minnu, qabad żewġ gniedes, qatilhom u offriehom sagrifiċċju. U bl-għodda tal-ħrit sajjar il-laħam, qassmu lin-nies, u kielu. U hu mar wara Elija, u beda jservih. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

 Responsorial Psalm               PSALM  16:1-2, 5, 7-8, 9-10, 11

Keep me, O God, for in you I take refuge;
I say to the LORD, “My Lord are you.
O LORD, my allotted portion and my cup,
you it is who hold fast my lot.”
R You are my inheritance, O Lord.

I bless the LORD who counsels me;
even in the night my heart exhorts me.
I set the LORD ever before me;
with him at my right hand I shall not be disturbed.
R You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Therefore my heart is glad and my soul rejoices,
my body, too, abides in confidence
because you will not abandon my soul to the netherworld,
nor will you suffer your faithful one to undergo corruption.
R You are my inheritance, O Lord.

You will show me the path to life,
fullness of joys in your presence,
the delights at your right hand forever.
R You are my inheritance, O Lord.

Salm Responsorjali               Salm 15 (16), 1-2a u 5. 7-8. 9-10. 11

R/. (5a): Mulej, inti s-sehem tal-wirt u r-riżq tiegħi

Ħarisni, o Alla, għax fik jien nistkenn.
Jien għedt lill-Mulej: “Int Sidi,
m’għandix ġid ieħor ħliefek”.
Mulej, inti s-sehem tal-wirt u r-riżq tiegħi,
inti żżomm f’idejk xortija. R/.

Imbierek lill-Mulej li tani l-fehma;
imqar billejl qalbi tgħallimni.
Inżomm il-Mulej dejjem quddiemi,
għax bih f’leminti qatt ma nitħarrek. R/.

Hekk tifraħ qalbi u tithenna ruħi,
u ġismi wkoll jistrieħ fil-kwiet.
Għax int ma titlaqnix fl-imwiet,
ma tħallix il-maħbub tiegħek jara l-qabar. R/.

Int tgħallimni t-triq tal-ħajja;
hemm il-milja tal-ferħ quddiemek,
hemm l-għaxqa għal dejjem f’lemintek. R/.

Reading 2                 GALATIANS 5:1, 13-18

Brothers and sisters: For freedom Christ set us free; so stand firm and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery. For you were called for freedom, brothers and sisters. But do not use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh; rather, serve one another through love. For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement, namely, You shall love your neighbor as yourself. But if you go on biting and devouring one another, beware that you are not consumed by one another. I say, then: live by the Spirit and you will certainly not gratify the desire of the flesh. For the flesh has desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you may not do what you want. But if you are guided by the Spirit, you are not under the law.

Qari 2               mill-Ittra ta’ San Pawl lill-Galatin 5, 1.13-18

Ħuti, Kristu ħelisna biex ngħixu ta’ nies ħielsa. Żommu sħiħ, u terġgħux tmiddu għonqkom għall-madmad tal-jasar. Intom imma, ħuti, intom ġejtu msejħa għall-ħelsien; imma tinqdewx b’dan il-ħelsien għall-ġisem, iżda aqdu lil xulxin fl-imħabba. Il-Liġi kollha tinġabar f’liġi waħda: “Ħobb lil għajrek bħalek innifsek”. Jekk intom tgiddmu u tieklu lil xulxin, oqogħdu attenti li ma tikkunsmawx lil xulxin! Jien ngħidilkom, imxu fl-Ispirtu u taqgħux għall-passjonijiet tal-ġisem. Il-passjonijiet tal-ġisem huma kontra l-Ispirtu, u l-Ispirtu hu kontra l-ġisem; dawn it-tnejn huma kontra xulxin, biex ma jħallukomx tagħmlu dak li tixtiequ. Jekk lilkom imexxikom l-Ispirtu, m’intomx taħt il-Liġi. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel               LUKE 9:51-62

When the days for Jesus’ being taken up were fulfilled, he resolutely determined to journey to Jerusalem, and he sent messengers ahead of him. On the way they entered a Samaritan village to prepare for his reception there, but they would not welcome him because the destination of his journey was Jerusalem. When the disciples James and John saw this they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven to consume them?” Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they journeyed to another village. As they were proceeding on their journey someone said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus answered him, “Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.” And to another he said, “Follow me.” But he replied, “Lord, let me go first and bury my father.” But he answered him, “Let the dead bury their dead. But you, go and proclaim the kingdom of God.” And another said, “I will follow you, Lord, but first let me say farewell to my family at home.” To him Jesus said, “No one who sets a hand to the plow and looks to what was left behind is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Evanġelju               Qari skont San Luqa 9, 51-62

Meta Ġesù qorob għalih iż-żmien li fih kellu jittieħed mid-dinja, b’rieda sħiħa dar u telaq lejn Ġerusalemm. U bagħat xi messaġġiera qablu li, huma u sejrin, daħlu f’raħal tas-Samarija biex iħejjulu fejn joqgħod. Iżda hemmhekk ma laqgħuhx, billi hu kien sejjer Ġerusalemm. Meta raw dan, id-dixxipli Ġakbu u Ġwanni qalulu: “Mulej, tridx ngħidu lin-nar jinżel mis-sema u jeqridhom?”. Iżda hu dar fuqhom u ċanfarhom. U marru f’raħal ieħor. Huma u miexja fit-triq kien hemm wieħed li qallu: “Tmur fejn tmur, jiena niġi warajk”. U qallu Ġesù: “Il-volpijiet għandhom l-għerien tagħhom u l-għasafar tal-ajru l-bejtiet, iżda Bin il-bniedem ma għandux fejn imidd rasu”. Lil wieħed ieħor qallu: “Imxi warajja”. Iżda dak wieġbu: “Ħallini l-ewwel immur nidfen lil missieri”. Iżda hu wieġbu: “Ħalli l-mejtin jidfnu l-mejtin tagħhom; iżda int mur u xandar is-Saltna ta’ Alla”. U ieħor ukoll qallu: “Jien niġi, Mulej, warajk, imma l-ewwel ħallini nsellem lil tad-dar”. Qallu Ġesù: “Min iqiegħed idu fuq il-moħriet u jħares lura mhuwiex tajjeb għas-Saltna ta’ Alla”.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Eight-minute  Gospel reflection by Fr Antony Kadavil   

OUR RESPONSE TO GOD'S CALL

Introduction:

Sunday’s readings are about God’s call and man’s commitment in answer to that call. They ask one for total commitment made in total freedom with the spirit of patient love, — that is, to say an unconditional “Yes” to Jesus and to the Christian life, as a true disciple of Christ.

Scripture lessons:

The first reading describes how Elisha committed himself whole-heartedly to answer God’s call to be a prophet, in spite of his initial hesitation, when God called him through the prophet Elijah. The Responsorial Psalm, (Psalm 16), offers us the refrain, “You are my inheritance, O Lord.” This Psalm has traditionally been used to exemplify commitment to the ordained ministry or to religious profession. But it more accurately reflects the commitment made by all Christians in their Baptism.

The second reading, taken from Paul’s letter to the Galatians, reinforces the commitment message of the first reading and the Responsorial Psalm. Paul warns that true freedom is not meant to be a license for self-indulgence, but to be a way to show God, ourselves, and other human beings our commitment to God and to His service.

The first part of Sunday’s Gospel records Jesus’ teaching on Christian tolerance, given after he had observed an angry response of two of his apostles., James and John, who were angry at the Samaritans who had refused to receive Jesus as a prophet and allow him to travel through their village because Jesus was travelling to Jerusalem. They asked Jesus if he wanted them to bring down fire from Heaven to destroy them!

In the second part of today’s Gospel, Luke introduces three potential disciples who offered lame reasons that made Jesus’ call to ministry “impossible” for them to accept, after Jesus had told them plainly what the commitment required, and the cost involved. They were found unfit and unprepared to follow Jesus as his disciples. We too, are asked to follow Jesus, totally and immediately, without any reservations, both by giving priority to him and to his cause and by surrendering our lives to God in humble and dedicated service to others.

Life messages:

As Christians, we should have the courage of our convictions and so honor our commitments:

    a) The marriage commitment. The spouses are expected to honor their marriage commitment, that is, to remain in mutual love and respect till their death and to raise their children to be zealous Christians.

    b) The priestly and religious commitment: Priests, Deacons and religious should honor the commitment they have made to obey their lawful superiors, to keep their vows, and to spend their lives serving God’s people faithfully.

    c) The Christian commitment: As Christians, all of us should honor our Baptismal commitmen, and to bear witness to him through ideal and transparent Christian lives.

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