HOW "FAITH" WORKS IN OUR LIVES

Readings for Sunday, OCTOBER 2, 2022

 

Twenty-seventh Sunday in Ordinary Time

Lectionary: 141


Is-Sebgħa u Għoxrin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena

 

 Reading 1                HABAKKUK 1:2-3; 2:2-4

How long, O LORD?  I cry for help but you do not listen!  I cry out to you, "Violence!"  but you do not intervene.  Why do you let me see ruin;  why must I look at misery?  Destruction and violence are before me;  there is strife, and clamorous discord.  Then the LORD answered me and said:  Write down the vision clearly upon the tablets,  so that one can read it readily.  For the vision still has its time,  presses on to fulfillment, and will not disappoint;  if it delays, wait for it,  it will surely come, it will not be late.  The rash one has no integrity;  but the just one, because of his faith, shall live.

Qari 1                mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Ħabakuk 1:2-3; 2:2-4

Mulej, kemm se ndum nokrob għall-għajnuna u int ma tismax, jew ngħajjat: “Vjolenza!” u int ma ssalvax? Għaliex turini l-ħażen, u inti toqgħod tħares lejn il-ħtija? Quddiemi qerda u vjolenza, hemm it-tilwim, u l-ġlied dejjem jiżdied. Imbagħad il-Mulej wieġeb u qalli: “Ikteb id-dehra, onqoxha fuq tavlozzi, hekk li jkun jista’ jħaffef min jaqraha. Għax id-dehra sseħħ meta jkun waqtha, tistenna sa ma ttemm, u ma tqarraqx. Jekk hija ddum ma tasal, int stennieha, għax tiġi żgur, ma tiddawwarx ma tasal! Arah jinfena min mhux ruħu sewwa, iżda l-ġust jgħix bil-fedeltà tiegħu”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Responsorial Psalm               PSALM 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
 let us acclaim the Rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
 let us joyfully sing psalms to him.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us bow down in worship;
 let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
 and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

 "Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
 as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
 they tested me though they had seen my works."
R. If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Salm Responsorjali               Salm 94(95):1-2,6-7,8-9

R/. (ara 8): Isimgħu leħen il-Mulej, u twebbsux qalbkom.

Ejjew, ħa nfaħħru bl-hena l-Mulej,
ħa ngħajtu bil-ferħ lill-blata tas-salvazzjoni tagħna!
Nersqu quddiemu b’għana ta’ radd il-ħajr,
ngħannulu b’għajat ta’ ferħ. R/.

Ejjew inqimuh u ninxteħtu quddiemu,
għarkupptejna quddiem il-Mulej li ħalaqna!
Għaliex hu Alla tagħna,
u aħna l-poplu tal-mergħa tiegħu u n-nagħaġ tiegħu. R/.

Mhux li kontu llum tisimgħu leħnu!
“La twebbsux qalbkom bħal f’Meriba,
bħal dakinhar f’Massa, fid-deżert,
meta ġarrbuni u ttantawni missirijietkom,
għalkemm raw dak li jien għamilt”. R/.

Reading 2               2 TIMOTHY 1:6-8, 13-14

Beloved:  I remind you, to stir into flame the gift of God that you have through the imposition of my hands. For God did not give us a spirit of cowardice but rather of power and love and self-control. So do not be ashamed of your testimony to our Lord, nor of me, a prisoner for his sake; but bear your share of hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God. Take as your norm the sound words that you heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Guard this rich trust with the help of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.

Qari 2                mit-Tieni Ittra lil Timotju 1:6-8,13-14

Għażiż, infakkrek biex tqajjem fik id-don ta’ Alla, li jinsab fik bit-tqegħid ta’ jdejja; għax Alla ma taniex spirtu ta’ biża’, imma Spirtu ta’ qawwa, ta’ mħabba u ta’ rażan. Mela tistħi xejn minħabba fix-xhieda għal Sidna, anqas minħabba fija, priġunier tiegħu, imma aqsam miegħi t-tbatija għall-Evanġelju, u afda fil-qawwa ta’ Alla. Żomm quddiem għajnejk l-eżempju tat-tagħlim sħiħ li smajt mingħandi, fil-fidi u fl-imħabba li huma fi Kristu Ġesù. Ħares bl-għajnuna tal-Ispirtu s-Santu li jgħammar fina t-teżor sabiħ li kien fdat f’idejk.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

Gospel               LUKE 17:5-10

The apostles said to the Lord, "Increase our faith." The Lord replied, "If you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you would say to this mulberry tree, 'Be uprooted and planted in the sea,' and it would obey you. "Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here immediately and take your place at table'? Would he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished'? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'"

Evanġelju                Qari skont San Luqa 17:5-10

F’dak iż-żmien, l-appostli qalu lill-Mulej: “Kattar fina l-fidi!”. Weġibhom il-Mulej: “Kieku kellkom fidi mqar daqs żerriegħa tal-mustarda, kontu tgħidu lil din is-siġra tat-tut: “Inqala’ u mur tħawwel fil-baħar”, u hi kienet tisma’ minnkom.  Wieħed minnkom ikollu qaddej qiegħed jaħrat jew jirgħa; meta jidħol mill-għalqa x’se jgħidlu: “Ejja, isa, u oqgħod għall-ikel”? jew: “Lestili x’niekol, ilbes il-fardal u newwilli sa ma niekol u nixrob jien, u mbagħad tiekol u tixrob int”? Jaqaw se jroddlu ħajr lill-qaddej talli jkun għamel li ordnalu? Hekk ukoll intom, meta tagħmlu kulma tkunu ordnati, għidu: “Aħna qaddejja li ma niswew għal xejn; għamilna biss dak li kellna nagħmlu”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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Eight-minute  Gospel reflection by Fr Antony Kadavil   

Trusting in God and faithfully living out His Covenant     

Introduction:  

All three readings for the 27th Sunday in Ordinary Time speak a lot about “Faith” and how it works in our lives. “To one who has Faith, no explanation is necessary. To one without Faith, no explanation is possible.” (St. Thomas Aquinas). It is this Faith that is the nucleus of all of our readings today. They give us three dimensions of Faith. The theological virtue of Faith enables us to believe something to be true and therefore worthy of trust simply because it has been revealed to us by God.

In his instructions to Timothy, Paul, who elsewhere defined Faith as, “the assurance of the things hoped for,” shows Faith operating as a believing, trusting, loving relationship with Christ, Finally, Christian Faith is that trusting Faith in God in action, expressed by steadfast loyalty, fidelity and total commitment to Him, resulting in our offering ourselves to Him in those we encounter, through our humble, loving service.

Scripture lessons, summarized:

The first reading presents Faith as trusting in God and faithfully living out His Covenant with us. Here, Faith is shown as hope and steadfast expectation in the face of suffering and delay. God assures the prophet that Faith gives us access to Divine power, and, hence, the just will live righteous lives in the midst of encircling evil because of their Faith.  

In Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 95), God is characterized as a sturdy rock and a caring shepherd, surely worthy of our trusting Faith. In the second reading, Paul presents Faith as our acceptance of Jesus as the fulfillment of the promises of God.  Paul stresses the need for a living Faith in, and loyalty to, Christ’s teachings handed down to us by the Church. Hence, Faith is belief in, and acceptance of, revealed truths based on the authority and veracity of God, and Hope is trust in God.

In today’s Gospel, Jesus teaches his Apostles that Faith is sharing in God’s power, and, hence, even in small quantities, it allows God to work miracles in our lives and in the lives of others. It is Faith, meaning reliance on, or confidence in, God, which makes one just, putting him into right relation with God and neighbor.  While the Apostles ask for an increase in the quantity of their Faith Jesus reminds them, and so us, that the quality of one’s Faith is more important than the quantity.

A small amount of deep Faith can accomplish great things if that small amount of Faith is placed in a great, mighty, and all-powerful God. Using a master-servant parable, Jesus also teaches them, and us, that for Faith to be effective, it must be linked with trust, obedience and total commitment — an active submission to God with a willingness to do whatever He commands.

Life messages:

1) We need to thank God, giving Him the credit for our well- being.  Most of us are inclined to forget God’s providence when our earthly affairs are going well.  We pray to Him only when trouble strikes.  In His Infinite Goodness, God often answers such prayers. Stronger Faith enables us to accept the adversities and the trials of life asking God, “Increase our Faith, Lord!” at all times.

 2) We need to increase our Faith by becoming dutiful servants of God.   We grow in Faith as we act in Faith. A sincere Christian can find many ways to help to make Christ known to his neighbor.  A quiet word, a charitable gesture, an unselfish interest in a neighbor’s troubles can do more good than a series of sermons given by some renowned theologian.

3) We need to grow in Faith by using the means Christ has given us in his Church.  We must cultivate our Faith through prayer, Bible study, participation in the Holy Mass (‘the mystery of Faith”) and leading a well-disciplined spiritual life.

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