"I HAVE COME TO SET THE WORLD ON FIRE...!

 Readings for Sunday, August 7, 2022

Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 120

L-Għoxrin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena


Reading 1               JEREMIAH 38:4-6, 8-10

 In those days, the princes said to the king: "Jeremiah ought to be put to death; he is demoralizing the soldiers who are left in this city, and all the people, by speaking such things to them; he is not interested in the welfare of our people, but in their ruin." King Zedekiah answered: "He is in your power"; for the king could do nothing with them. And so they took Jeremiah and threw him into the cistern of Prince Malchiah, which was in the quarters of the guard, letting him down with ropes. There was no water in the cistern, only mud, and Jeremiah sank into the mud. Ebed-melech, a court official, went there from the palace and said to him: "My lord king, these men have been at fault in all they have done to the prophet Jeremiah, casting him into the cistern. He will die of famine on the spot, for there is no more food in the city." Then the king ordered Ebed-melech the Cushite to take three men along with him, and draw the prophet Jeremiah out of the cistern before he should die.

Qari 1                 mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Ġeremija 38:4-6,8-10

F’dak iż-żmien, il-prinċpijiet marru jgħidu lis-sultan: “Ħalli jiġi maqtul Ġeremija, għax b’dan il-kliem li qiegħed jgħidilhom qiegħed jaqta’ qalb is-suldati li fadal f’din il-belt u qalb il-poplu kollu. Tassew, bniedem bħal dan mhuwiex ifittex il-ġid ta’ dan il-poplu, imma l-qerda tiegħu”. U s-sultan Sedekija qalilhom: “Araw, f’idejkom, hu! Għax is-sultan ma jista’ jagħmel xejn magħkom”.  U ħadu lil Ġeremija u xeħtuh fil-bir ta’ Malakija, bin is-sultan, li kien fil-bitħa tal-għassa; imbagħad lil Ġeremija niżżluh bil-ħbula f’dan il-bir; ilma ma kienx fih, imma ħama biss; u Ġeremija għodos fil-ħama. Għebed-melek ħareġ mill-palazz tas-sultan, mar ikellmu u qallu: “Sidi s-sultan, dawn in-nies ġiebu ruħhom ħażin f’kulma għamlu lil Ġeremija, il-profeta, li xeħtuh fil-bir, u dalwaqt imut bil-ġuħ, għax ma baqax ħobż fil-belt”. Is-sultan imbagħad ordna lil Għebed-melek, il-Kusi, u qallu: “Ħu miegħek tlitt irġiel minn dawn u mur tella’ lil Ġeremija, il-profeta, mill-bir, qabel ma jmut”.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Responsorial Psalm                PSALM 40:2, 3, 4, 18

I have waited, waited for the LORD,
and he stooped toward me.
R. Lord, come to my aid!

The LORD heard my cry.
He drew me out of the pit of destruction,
 out of the mud of the swamp;
he set my feet upon a crag;
 he made firm my steps.
R. Lord, come to my aid!

And he put a new song into my mouth,
 a hymn to our God.
Many shall look on in awe
 and trust in the LORD.
R. Lord, come to my aid!

Though I am afflicted and poor,
 yet the LORD thinks of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
 O my God, hold not back!
R. Lord, come to my aid!

Salm Responsorjali               Salm 39(40):2,3,4,18

R/.(14b): Mulej, fittex għinni.

Ittamajt b’tama qawwija fil-Mulej;
hu niżel ħdejja
u sama’ l-għajta tiegħi. R/.

Minn bir waħxi tellagħni,
minn qalb il-ħama u t-tajn;
fuq il-blat qegħedli riġlejja,
u saħħaħli l-mixi tiegħi. R/.

Qegħedli fuq fommi għanja ġdida,
għanja ta’ tifħir lil Alla tagħna.
Ħafna jaraw u jimtlew bil-biża’ tiegħu,
u jittamaw fil-Mulej. R/.

Jien, fqajjar u msejken,
għandi ’l Sidi jaħseb fija.
Inti l-għajnuna u l-ħelsien tiegħi;
iddumx ma tgħinni, Alla tiegħi! R/.

Reading 2               HEBREWS 12:1-4

Brothers and sisters: Since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us rid ourselves of every burden and sin that clings to us and persevere in running the race that lies before us while keeping our eyes fixed on Jesus, the leader and perfecter of faith. For the sake of the joy that lay before him he endured the cross, despising its shame, and has taken his seat at the right of the throne of God. Consider how he endured such opposition from sinners, in order that you may not grow weary and lose heart. In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding blood.

Qari 2                  mill-Ittra lil-Lhud12:1-4

Ħuti, ladarba aħna wkoll għandna madwarna sħaba hekk kbira ta’ xhieda, ejjew inwarrbu minna kull xkiel u kull dnub li malajr ifixkilna, u b’qalbna qawwija nibqgħu niġru t-triq tal-prova li għandna quddiemna. Inżommu għajnejna merfugħa lejn Ġesù, li minnu tibda u fih tintemm il-fidi tagħna; hu li, flok l-hena li kellu quddiemu, qagħad għas-salib bla xejn ma qies l-għajb tiegħu, u issa qiegħed fuq in-naħa tal-lemin tat-tron ta’ Alla. Aħsbu mela fih, li qagħad għal oppożizzjoni hekk kbira min-naħa tal-midinbin, biex ma tegħjewx u ma taqtgħux qalbkom. Sa issa fil-ġlieda tagħkom kontra d-dnub, għad ma żammejtux hekk iebes li wasaltu biex xerridtu demmkom.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel                LUKE 12:49-53

Jesus said to his disciples: "I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do you think that I have come to establish peace on the earth? No, I tell you, but rather division. From now on a household of five will be divided, three against two and two against three;  a father will be divided against his son and a son against his father,  a mother against her daughter and a daughter against her mother, a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law."

Evanġelju                Qari skont San Luqa 12:49-53

F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: “Nar ġejt inqiegħed fuq l-art, u kemm nixtieq li diġà qabad! Iżda hemm magħmudija li biha għandi nitgħammed, u x’diqa għandi sa ma dan iseħħ! Taħsbu intom li jien ġejt inġib il-paċi fid-dinja? Le, ngħidilkom, imma l-firda; għax mil-lum ’il quddiem ħamsa min-nies f’dar waħda jkunu mifruda bejniethom, tlieta kontra tnejn u tnejn kontra tlieta; jinfirdu l-missier kontra l-iben u l-iben kontra l-missier, l-omm kontra l-bint u l-bint kontra l-omm, omm ir-raġel kontra mart binha u mart l-iben kontra omm żewġha”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
 
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Eight-minute  Gospel reflection by Fr Antony Kadavil   

Are we practicing “inoffensive Christianity?”

Introduction:

The central theme of Sunday’s readings is that we should courageously live out our religious convictions and principles in our lives, as Jeremiah, Paul, and Jesus did, even if doing so should result in our martyrdom and turn society upside down. If no one is ever offended by the quality of our commitment to Christ, then perhaps we are practicing “inoffensive Christianity.”

Scripture lessons summarized:

Jeremiah, in our first reading, is presented as experiencing the consequences of the burning word of God within him. Jeremiah’s preaching divided the city and incited such opposition that people sought his death. He showed the courage of his prophetic conviction by telling the king that he had to surrender to the mighty army of Babylonian empire to save Israel. The result was that Jeremiah was thrown into a deep, muddy unused cistern to die for his “treason.”

The refrain for today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 40), has us sing what could have been Jeremiah’s plea to God, “Lord! Come to my aid!” Standing in this prophetic tradition, Paul, in the second reading, challenges the Judeo-Christians to stand firm in their Faith in Jesus, ignoring the ostracism imposed on them by their own former Jewish community.

In Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus, too, preaches the word of God which continues to divide families, a word which, he knew, would lead ultimately to his death. The fire Jesus brings is the fire of love and the fire of hope. The disruption, division, and revolution, which Jesus and his true followers cause in society by the fire of sacrificial love and the fire of justice, are necessary to re-set what’s fractured, put right what’s dislocated and cleanse what’s infected. 

In other words, the curative pain caused by Jesus’ ideas and ideals is necessary for the establishment of real shalom of God. Even though Jesus brings a sword and causes division, he is the bringer of true and lasting peace. In pursuing his mission, Jesus brings division because some follow him and others oppose him. We must make a decision to follow him or not, to share his “baptism” or not. This choice can result in division, even within families.

Life messages:

#1: Let us learn to appreciate the contemporary prophets in the Church: The Jesuit Cardinal Avery Dulles, writing about the role of prophecy in the modern Church communities in his book Models of the Church, remarks: “Christianity is not healthy unless there is room in it for prophetic protest against abuses of authority.” God continues to send such prophets to every parish community, and it is the duty of the bishop, pastor, and parish council to listen to the well-intended, constructive criticisms of such Jeremiahs.

# 2: We should have fire in our hearts: On the day of our Baptism, we received the light of Christ and were instructed to keep that torch burning brightly until the return of Christ Jesus. In addition, the Holy Spirit was sent into our hearts at Confirmation to help set us on fire. “One who is on fire cannot sit on a chair.” So, as Christians on fire, we have to inflame people to care, to serve, and to bless one another with all the gifts of Faith. We should allow that fire to burn off the impurities in us and to bring out the purity of the gold and silver within us.

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