Readings for Sunday, July 31, 2022
Eighteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 114
It-18-il Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena (Ċ)
Reading 1 ECCLESIASTES 1:2; 2:21-23
Vanity of vanities, says Qoheleth, vanity of vanities! All things are vanity! Here is one who has labored with wisdom and knowledge and skill, and yet to another who has not labored over it, he must leave property. This also is vanity and a great misfortune. For what profit comes to man from all the toil and anxiety of heart with which he has labored under the sun? All his days sorrow and grief are his occupation; even at night his mind is not at rest. This also is vanity.
Qari 1 mill-Ktieb ta’ Qoħelet 1:2; 2:21-23
O
frugħa tal-frugħat, jgħid Qoħèlet. O frugħa tal-frugħat! Kollox frugħa!
Għax dan jiġri: wieħed, li jkun ħadem bl-għaqal u l-ħila u b’suċċess,
ikollu jgħaddi sehmu lil ħaddieħor li xejn ma tħabat għalih. Dan ukoll
frugħa u ħaġa mill-agħar. Għax x’se jmissu l-bniedem mit-taħbit u
l-kedda li jkun ħa taħt ix-xemx? Għomru kollu jbati u jinħaqar bil-kedda
u lanqas billejl ma jserraħ rasu. Dan ukoll hu frugħa! Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 90:3-4, 5-6, 12-13, 14 and 17
You turn man back to dust,
saying, “Return, O children of men.”
For a thousand years in your sight
are as yesterday, now that it is past,
or as a watch of the night.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
You make an end of them in their sleep;
the next morning they are like the changing grass,
Which at dawn springs up anew,
but by evening wilts and fades.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Teach us to number our days aright,
that we may gain wisdom of heart.
Return, O LORD! How long?
Have pity on your servants!
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Fill us at daybreak with your kindness,
that we may shout for joy and gladness all our days.
And may the gracious care of the LORD our God be ours;
prosper the work of our hands for us!
Prosper the work of our hands!
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.
Salm Responsorjali Salm 89(90):3-4,5-6,12-13,14,17
R/.(1): Mulej, int kont għalina kenn minn nisel għal nisel.
Int traġġa’ l-bnedmin lejn it-trab,
u tgħidilhom: “Erġgħu lura, intom bnedmin!”.
Elf sena huma għalik bħal jum tal-bieraħ li għadda,
jew bħal sahra tal-lejl. R/.
Int taħsadhom, u jsiru bħal ħolma.
Huma bħall-ħaxix li jinbet filgħodu;
filgħodu jwarrad u jħaddar,
filgħaxija jidbiel u jinxef. R/.
Għalhekk għallimna ngħoddu jiem ħajjitna,
sabiex aħna nimxu bil-għaqal.
Dur lejna, Mulej! Kemm se ddum?
Ħenn għall-qaddejja tiegħek! R/.
Imliena kmieni bit-tjieba tiegħek,
biex nifirħu u nithennew ħajjitna kollha.
Ħa tkun fuqna l-grazzja ta’ Alla Sidna!
Wettqilna inti x-xogħol ta’ jdejna,
wettaq, iva, xogħol idejna. R/.
Reading 2 COLOSSIANS 3:1-5, 9-11
Brothers and sisters: If you were raised with Christ, seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ your life appears, then you too will appear with him in glory. Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry. Stop lying to one another, since you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed, for knowledge, in the image of its creator. Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcision and uncircumcision, barbarian, Scythian, slave, free; but Christ is all and in all.
Qari 2 mill-Ittra lill-Kolossin 3:1-5,9-11
Ħuti,
jekk intom irxuxtajtu ma’ Kristu, fittxu l-ħwejjeġ tas-sema, fejn
Kristu qiegħed fuq il-lemin ta’ Alla. Aħsbu fil-ħwejjeġ tas-sema, mhux
f’dawk tal-art. Għax intom mittu, imma ħajjitkom hi moħbija flimkien ma’
Kristu f’Alla. Meta jidher Kristu, li hu l-ħajja tagħkom, imbagħad
intom ukoll tidhru flimkien miegħu fil-glorja. Mewtu ġo fikom dak kollu
li hu tal-art: żína, faħx, ġibdiet, xewqat ħżiena, u r-regħba li hi
idolatrija. Tigdbux lil xulxin, intom li nżajtu l-bniedem il-qadim
bl-għemil kollu tiegħu, u lbistu l-bniedem il-ġdid, li jiġġedded dejjem
skont ix-xbieha ta’ min ħalqu, u jikber fl-għerf. Fih ma hemmx Grieg jew
Lhudi, ċirkonċiż jew mhux, Barbaru jew Skita, ilsir jew ħieles, iżda
Kristu f’kollox u f’kulħadd. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel LUKE 12:13-21
Someone in the crowd said to Jesus, “Teacher, tell my brother to share the inheritance with me.” He replied to him, “Friend, who appointed me as your judge and arbitrator?” Then he said to the crowd, “Take care to guard against all greed, for though one may be rich, one’s life does not consist of possessions.” Then he told them a parable. “There was a rich man whose land produced a bountiful harvest. He asked himself, ‘What shall I do, for I do not have space to store my harvest?’ And he said, ‘This is what I shall do: I shall tear down my barns and build larger ones.There I shall store all my grain and other goods and I shall say to myself, “Now as for you, you have so many good things stored up for many years, rest, eat, drink, be merry!”’ But God said to him, ‘You fool, this night your life will be demanded of you; and the things you have prepared, to whom will they belong?’ Thus will it be for all who store up treasure for themselves but are not rich in what matters to God.”
Evanġelju Qari skont San Luqa 12:13-21
F’dak iż-żmien, xi ħadd mill-folla qal lil Ġesù: “Mgħallem, għid lil ħija jaqsam il-wirt miegħi”. Wieġbu Ġesù: “Ħabib, min qegħedni mħallef fuqkom, jew qabbadni nqassmilkom il-ġid bejnietkom?”. Imbagħad qal lin-nies: “Iftħu għajnejkom u ħarsu rwieħkom minn kull regħba, għax imqar jekk wieħed ikollu bir-radam, ħajtu ma tiddependix mill-ġid li jkollu”. U qalilhom parabbola: “Wieħed raġel għani ġabar kotra ta’ frott mir-raba’ tiegħu. U beda jaħseb u jgħid bejnu u bejn ruħu: ‘X’se nagħmel? Għax dan il-frott kollu ma għandix fejn naħżnu! Ara x’nagħmel’, qal, “inħott l-imħażen li għandi u nibni oħrajn akbar, u naħżen fihom il-qamħ u l-ġid kollu li għandi. Imbagħad ngħid lili nnifsi: Ruħi, għandek ħażna kbira ta’ ġid għal bosta snin; mela strieħ, kul, ixrob, ixxala!’. Iżda qallu Alla: ‘Iblah li int! Dan il-lejl stess jitolbuk ruħek lura. U l-ħwejjeġ li ħejjejt għalik, ta’ min ikunu?’. Hekk jiġrilu min jiġma’ l-ġid għalih innifsu bla ma jistagħna quddiem Alla”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
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Eight-minute Gospel reflection by Fr Antony Kadavil
Introduction:
The common theme of Sunday’s Readings is the futility of the greedy acquisition of wealth and power because everything and everyone is “here today and gone tomorrow.” So, the meaning of life cannot be found in selfishly hoarding wealth and possessions, but only in sharing these with the needy.
Scripture lessons:
The first reading, taken from Ecclesiastes, reminds us that the greedy acquisition and hording of material wealth is useless because when the hoarder dies, he goes to eternity empty-handed, and his heir gains, and perhaps squanders, his riches.
In the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 90), the Psalmist challenges us to listen to God and allow Him to soften our hearts that we may share our blessings with others. The Psalm Response urges, “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts” (Ps 95:8).
In the second reading, Paul directs our attention to lasting, Heavenly treasures and warns that greed (pleonexia) for wealth and influence is idolatry. He advises, “Put to death, your parts that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry” (Col 3:5).
In today’s Gospel, Jesus, telling the parable of the foolish rich man, warns us against all types of greed, because greed takes our life’s focus away from God and away from serving and loving Him in Himself and in other people. Jesus says that God calls the greedy rich man a fool because the man thought he would not die soon and that he was not accountable for the way he used his riches. Besides, the rich man forgot the fact that his wealth had been lent to him by God for sharing with the needy. Jesus also warns us that our eternal life does not consist of earthly possessions (Lk 12:15), which we should share to gain eternal life.
Life messages:
1) We are invited to share our blessings with others. The parable of the rich fool gives us a warning as well as an invitation. It reminds us that our possessions are merely lent to us by God, and that we are accountable for their use. We must be generous in sharing our time, our treasure, and our talents in Christian stewardship. Even if we are poor financially, we may be blessed with intelligence, good will, a sense of humor, or the ability to console, encourage, inspire, support, and help others. God expects us to give our thanks to Him for all these blessings by sharing them with others for His glory. The Old Testament Scriptures are clear about tithing – giving 10% of our income for God’s cause and for helping the needy. God never allows tithers to regret their generosity.
2) Let us control our greed. Our greed takes different shapes and forms. For some, it may be the desire for the approval and praise of others. For others, it is the uncontrolled desire for power, control, or fame. For still others, greed takes the form of excessive and sinful indulgence in eating, drinking, gambling, drugs, or sexual activities. Greed also turns our life away from God and away from loving and serving Him in Himself and in other people. As greed directs all our energy and attention to fulfilling the self, its objects become our false gods, and they will consume us, unless we become rich in the sight of God.
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