“YOU ALSO MUST BE PREPARED.... "

Readings for Sunday, August 7, 2022

Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 117

Id-Dsatax-il Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena

 
Reading 1                WISDOM 18:6-9

The night of the passover was known beforehand to our fathers,  that, with sure knowledge of the oaths in which they put their faith,  they might have courage.  Your people awaited the salvation of the just  and the destruction of their foes.  For when you punished our adversaries,  in this you glorified us whom you had summoned.  For in secret the holy children of the good were offering sacrifice  and putting into effect with one accord the divine institution.

Qari 1                mill-Ktieb tal-Għerf 18:6-9

Dak il-lejl tal-ħelsien tħabbar minn qabel lil missirijietna, biex, wara li għarfu sewwa f’liema wegħdiet emmnu, aktar iqawwu qalbhom. Il-poplu tiegħek stenna l-ħelsien tal-ġusti, u l-qerda tal-għedewwa tagħhom, għax kif int ikkastigajt l-għedewwa tagħna,  hekk sebbaħt lilna meta sejjaħtilna għalik.  L-ulied twajba tal-ġusti offrew sagrifiċċju bil-moħbi, u lkoll fehma waħda qagħdu għal-Liġi ta’ Alla: li l-qaddisin tiegħek jaqsmu xorta bejniethom kemm il-ġid u kemm id-deni; għalhekk minn qabel għannew tifħir missirijiethom. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej. 

Responsorial Psalm               PSALM 33:1, 12, 18-19, 20-22

Exult, you just, in the LORD;
 praise from the upright is fitting.
Blessed the nation whose God is the LORD,
 the people he has chosen for his own inheritance.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

See, the eyes of the LORD are upon those who fear him,
 upon those who hope for his kindness,
To deliver them from death
 and preserve them in spite of famine.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Our soul waits for the LORD,
 who is our help and our shield.
May your kindness, O LORD, be upon us
 who have put our hope in you.
R. Blessed the people the Lord has chosen to be his own.

Salm Responsorjali                Salm 32 33):1,12,18-19,20,22

R/.(12b): Hieni l-poplu li l-Mulej għażel b’wirtu.

Għannu, ġusti, bil-ferħ lill-Mulej;
jixirqilhom ifaħħruh in-nies sewwa.
Hieni l-ġens li l-Mulej hu Alla tiegħu,
il-poplu li hu għażel b’wirtu. R/.

Ara, għajnejn il-Mulej fuq dawk li jibżgħu minnu,
fuq dawk li jittamaw fit-tjieba tiegħu,
biex jeħilsilhom mill-mewt ħajjithom,
u jaħjihom fi żmien il-ġuħ. R/.

Ruħna tixxennaq għall-Mulej,
hu l-għajnuna u t-tarka tagħna.
Ħa tkun, Mulej, it-tjieba tiegħek fuqna,
kif fik hi t-tama tagħna. R/.

 
Reading 2               HEBREWS 11:1-2, 8-19

Brothers and sisters: Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen.BVBecause of it the ancients were well attested. By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to a place that he was to receive as an inheritance; he went out, not knowing where he was to go. By faith he sojourned in the promised land as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, heirs of the same promise;  for he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and maker is God. By faith he received power to generate, even though he was past the normal age —and Sarah herself was sterile— for he thought that the one who had made the promise was trustworthy. So it was that there came forth from one man, himself as good as dead, descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sands on the seashore. All these died in faith. They did not receive what had been promised but saw it and greeted it from afar and acknowledged themselves to be strangers and aliens on earth, for those who speak thus show that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of the land from which they had come, they would have had opportunity to return. But now they desire a better homeland, a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them. By faith Abraham, when put to the test, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises was ready to offer his only son, of whom it was said, “Through Isaac descendants shall bear your name.” He reasoned that God was able to raise even from the dead, and he received Isaac back as a symbol.

Qari 2                mill-Ittra lil-Lhud  11:1-2,8-19

Ħuti, il-fidi hija pedament tal-ħwejjeġ li għandna nittamaw, hija l-prova tal-ħwejjeġ li ma narawx. In-nies tal-imgħoddi għoġbu lil Alla sewwasew għax kellhom il-fidi. Kienet il-fidi li ġagħlet lil Abraham jobdi s-sejħa ta’ Alla, meta dan qallu biex imur f’art li kien se jagħtih b’wirt; u telaq, bla ma kien jaf fejn kien sejjer.  Kienet il-fidi li ġagħlitu jgħammar fl-art imwiegħda, qisu barrani f’art barranija, u jgħix taħt it-tined flimkien ma’ Iżakk u Ġakobb, li kienu werrieta miegħu tal-istess wegħda; għax hu kien iħares ’il quddiem, lejn il-belt mibnija fis-sod, li l-imgħallem u l-bennej tagħha huwa Alla.  Kienet ukoll il-fidi li biha Sarah, mara mdaħħla fiż-żmien, setgħet titqal, għax hija għarfet li ta’ kelmtu kien dak li għamlilha l-wegħda. Kien għalhekk li minn bniedem wieħed, li kien tista’ tgħid mejjet, twieldu nies bil-kotra daqs il-kwiekeb tas-sema u daqs ir-ramel ta’ xatt il-baħar, li ħadd ma jista’ jgħoddu.  Kollha bil-fidi mietu dawn in-nies. Kienu għadhom ma ħadux dak li kien imwiegħed, iżda huma rawh mill-bogħod u sellmulu, waqt li għarfu li huma kienu barranin u għorba fuq l-art. Tabilħaqq, dawk li jitkellmu b’dan il-mod juru ċar li huma qegħdin ifittxu pajjiż għalihom. Li kieku kellhom fi ħsiebhom il-pajjiż li minnu kienu ħarġu, kellhom żmien biżżejjed biex jerġgħu lura fih. Imma issa huma jixtiequ pajjiż aħjar, jiġifieri, dak tas-sema. Huwa għalhekk li Alla ma jistmellx jissejjaħ Alla tagħhom, għax hu ħejja belt għalihom.  Kienet il-fidi li ġagħlet lil Abraham joffri ’l Iżakk meta Alla ġarrbu; u kien se joffri lil ibnu l-waħdieni sewwasew dak li kien ħa l-wegħdiet, hu li Alla kien qallu: “Minn Iżakk int għad ikollok nisel”. Huwa fehem li Alla kellu s-setgħa saħansitra li jqajjem mill-mewt; u, fis-sens ta’ tixbiha, ħadu tabilħaqq lura mill-mewt.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel               LUKE 12:32-48

Jesus said to his disciples: “Do not be afraid any longer, little flock, for your Father is pleased to give you the kingdom. Sell your belongings and give alms. Provide money bags for yourselves that do not wear out, an inexhaustible treasure in heaven that no thief can reach nor moth destroy. For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be. “Gird your loins and light your lamps and be like servants who await their master’s return from a wedding, ready to open immediately when he comes and knocks. Blessed are those servants whom the master finds vigilant on his arrival.  Amen, I say to you, he will gird himself, have them recline at table, and proceed to wait on them. And should he come in the second or third watch and find them prepared in this way, blessed are those servants. Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.”  Then Peter said, “Lord, is this parable meant for us or for everyone?” And the Lord replied, “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent steward whom the master will put in charge of his servants to distribute the food allowance at the proper time? Blessed is that servant whom his master on arrival finds doing so. Truly, I say to you, the master will put the servant in charge of all his property. But if that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming,’ and begins to beat the menservants and the maidservants, to eat and drink and get drunk, then that servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour and will punish the servant severely and assign him a place with the unfaithful. That servant who knew his master’s will but did not make preparations nor act in accord with his will shall be beaten severely; and the servant who was ignorant of his master’s will but acted in a way deserving of a severe beating shall be beaten only lightly. Much will be required of the person entrusted with much, and still more will be demanded of the person entrusted with more.”

Evanġelju                Qari skont San Luqa 12:32-48  

F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: “Le, merħla ċkejkna, tibżgħu xejn, għax Missierkom għoġbu jagħtikom is-Saltna! Bigħu ġidkom u agħtuh karità u fittxu għalikom infuskom boroż li ma jitmermrux, teżor li ma jiġix nieqes fis-sema, fejn la l-ħalliel ma jersaq u lanqas il-kamla ma tħassar. Għax fejn hemm it-teżor tagħkom, hemm tinsab qalbkom ukoll. Żommu ġenbejkom imħażżma u l-imsiebaħ tagħkom mixgħula; kunu bħal nies jistennew lil sidhom lura mill-festa tat-tieġ, biex malli jiġi u jħabbat jiftħulu minnufih. Henjin dawk il-qaddejja li meta jiġi sidhom isibhom jishru! Tassew ngħidilkom, li hu jitħażżem, iqegħedhom madwar il-mejda, u jgħaddi quddiemhom iservihom. U kieku kellu jiġi fil-ħin tat-tieni sahra, jew tat-tielet, u jsibhom xorta waħda fuq dmirhom, henjin huma! Kunu afu dan, li kieku sid id-dar kellu jkun jaf xħin ikun ġej il-ħalliel, ma kienx se jħalli min jinfidlu l-ħajt ta’ daru. Mela kunu lesti intom ukoll, għax qatt ma tistgħu tobsru s-siegħa li fiha jiġi Bin il-bniedem”.  Qallu Pietru: “Mulej, din il-parabbola qiegħed tgħidha għalina, jew għal kulħadd?”. Wieġbu l-Mulej: “Int min tgħid li hu l-qaddej fidil u għaqli? Min hu dak li s-sid iqiegħdu fuq in-nies tad-dar biex jagħtihom sehemhom f’ħin l-ikel? Hieni dak il-qaddej li sidu jiġi u jsibu jagħmel dan. Ngħidilkom is-sewwa, li jafdalu ġidu kollu f’idejh. Imma nagħmlu mod li dak il-qaddej jibda jgħid f’qalbu: ‘Sidi jiddawwar ma jiġi’, u jaqbad isawwat lill-qaddejja kollha, irġiel u nisa, u jiekol u jagħtiha għax-xorb u s-sokor; sid dak il-qaddej jasal f’jum meta ma jkunx jistennieh, f’siegħa li fiha jieħdu għall-għarrieda, u jagħmlu bċejjeċ u jagħtih dak li ħaqqhom in-nies li mhumiex fidili. U dak il-qaddej li jkun jaf xi jrid sidu, u madankollu ma jħejjix jew ma jagħmilx li jrid sidu, swat kbir jaqla’. Min imbagħad, bla ma jkun jaf xi jrid sidu, jagħmel xi ħaġa li jkun ħaqqha s-swat, dan ftit jissawwat. Għax lil min tawh ħafna, ifittxu li jieħdu ħafna mingħandu; u min ħallewlu ħafna f’idejh, iżjed jippretendu mingħandu”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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Eight-minute  Gospel reflection by Fr Antony Kadavil   

The necessity for trusting in God’s promises

Introduction:

The central theme of today’s readings is the necessity for trusting Faith in God’s promises and vigilant preparedness among Christ’s followers to meet their God as their Judge and Rewarder, at the time of their death. Fidelity in doing God’s will is the best preparation for our death.

Scripture lessons summarized:

The first reading cites the Faith-filled preparedness of the ancient Hebrew slaves in Egypt before their mass exodus to the Promised Land. Their trusting Faith in their God’s promises gave them hope. We are told how their Faith and Hope resulted in their liberation. With expectant Hope, the Hebrews sacrificed the first Passover lamb and ate the first ritual meal, as prescribed by their God through Moses. They awaited their imminent release and were prepared for it.

Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 33) invites us to express our own confidence in God and to declare our trust in His Providence. In the Second Reading, taken from the last chapter of the letter to the Hebrews, the author defines Faith as “the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen” (Heb 11:1). He tries to bolster the Faith of the Jewish Christians (the Hebrews), by appealing to the example of their ancestors, starting with Abraham, and reviewing the things they accomplished by Faith.

In the Gospel, Jesus challenges his disciples to trust the Father’s promise to give them eternal happiness in His kingdom. But they are to be prepared at all times, because the Son of Man will come at an unexpected hour, either at the moment of their death or at the end of the world, whichever is comes first. Using the master-thief parable, Jesus warns us to be on our guard so that the thief (the devil), may not steal our treasure of Divine grace or our relationship with God by his temptations. Using the master-servant parable, Jesus reminds us always to do the will of God by obeying Jesus’ commandment of love and offering humble and sacrificial service to others.

Life message:

We always need to be prepared to meet Our Lord as our judge:

    1) Let us always remember the words of the Book of Revelation: “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will enter his house and dine with him and he with me” (3:20). Since nobody is sure about the time and circumstances of his or her death, we must be ever prepared to face Jesus our Lord and Savior as our Judge at the moment of our death to give an account of our lives. He wants to see that we have kept our personal relationship with him by growing in holiness.

    2) Such a growth is assisted by daily talking to him and listening to him in Bible reading; by asking for the guidance of the Holy Spirit every day; by recharging our spiritual batteries through offering our lives on the altar and getting spiritual nourishment in Holy Communion during the Holy Mass; by getting reconciled with God every day, asking for His pardon and forgiveness with a repentant heart, and seeking His forgiveness through the Sacrament of Reconciliation for serious sins; and by obeying Jesus’ commandment of love by serving all the people around us, sacrificially sharing our blessings with them, seeing the face of Jesus in everyone.

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