Thirty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 156
It-Tnejn u Tletin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 2 MACCABEES 7:1-2, 9-14
It happened that seven brothers with their mother were arrested and tortured with whips and scourges by the king, to force them to eat pork in violation of God's law. One of the brothers, speaking for the others, said: "What do you expect to achieve by questioning us? We are ready to die rather than transgress the laws of our ancestors." At the point of death he said: "You accursed fiend, you are depriving us of this present life, but the King of the world will raise us up to live again forever. It is for his laws that we are dying." After him the third suffered their cruel sport. He put out his tongue at once when told to do so, and bravely held out his hands, as he spoke these noble words: "It was from Heaven that I received these; for the sake of his laws I disdain them; from him I hope to receive them again." Even the king and his attendants marveled at the young man's courage, because he regarded his sufferings as nothing. After he had died, they tortured and maltreated the fourth brother in the same way. When he was near death, he said, "It is my choice to die at the hands of men with the hope God gives of being raised up by him; but for you, there will be no resurrection to life."
Qari 1 mit-Tieni Ktieb tal-Makkabej 7:1-2,9-14
F’dak
iż-żmien, qabdu sebat aħwa u ’l ommhom; u s-sultan beda biex
jisfurzahom bid-daqqiet tas-swat u tan-nerv biex jieklu l-laħam
tal-majjal li ma jiswiex. Wieħed minnhom beda jitkellem f’isem l-oħrajn u
qal: “X’int tfittex tistaqsi u trid taf minna? Aħna lesti mmutu, imma
m’aħniex lesti niksru l-liġijiet ta’ missirijietna”. U t-tieni wieħed,
kif kien fl-aħħar nifs, qallu: “Int, bniedem mill-agħar, int se
ċċaħħadna mill-ħajja ta’ issa, imma s-sultan tad-dinja għad iqajjimna
għall-ħajja ta’ dejjem, lilna li se mmutu għal-liġijiet tiegħu”.
Imbagħad wara dan bdew jittorturaw it-tielet wieħed u malli talbuh ħareġ
minnufih ilsienu u bla biza’ ta’ xejn midd idejh u ta’ qalbieni li kien
għajjat: “Mis-sema ksibthom dawn, u għal-liġijiet tiegħu jien
nistmerrhom, għax mingħandu nittama li għad nerġa’ niksibhom”.
Saħansitra s-sultan u dawk ta’ madwaru stagħġbu bil-qawwa ta’ dan
iż-żagħżugħ, kif l-uġigħ ma kien iqisu xejn. Meta miet dan, bdew
jittorturaw u jbiċċru r-raba’ wieħed bl-istess mod. Meta wasal fl-aħħar
qal: “Aħjar li wieħed imut b’idejn il-bnedmin meta jkollu t-tama
mingħand Alla li għad iqajmu mill-ġdid. Imma għalik m’hemmx qawmien
għall-ħajja”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 17:1, 5-6, 8, 15
Hear, O LORD, a just suit;
attend to my outcry;
hearken to my prayer from lips without deceit.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
My steps have been steadfast in your paths,
my feet have not faltered.
I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
incline your ear to me; hear my word.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Keep me as the apple of your eye,
hide me in the shadow of your wings.
But I in justice shall behold your face;
on waking I shall be content in your presence.
R. Lord, when your glory appears, my joy will be full.
Salm Responsorjali Salm 16(17):1,5-6,8b,15
R/.(15b): Meta nqum, nithenna bid-dehra tiegħek.
Isma’, Mulej, il-kawża ġusta tiegħi,
ilqa’ l-għajta tiegħi,
agħti widen għat-talb tiegħi;
bla qerq huma xufftejja. R/.
Il-mixi tiegħi żammejt fi triqatek,
qatt ma għotru riġlejja.
Insejjaħlek, għax int tweġibni, o Alla;
ressaq widintek lejja, isma’ kliemi. R/.
Għad-dell ta’ ġwenħajk kenninni.
Jien, fil-ħaqq, għad nara ’l wiċċek;
meta nqum, nithenna bid-dehra tiegħek. R/.
Reading 2 2 THESSALONIANS 2:16-3:5
Brothers and sisters: May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting encouragement and good hope through his grace,
encourage your hearts and strengthen them in every good deed and word. Finally, brothers and sisters, pray for us, so that the word of the Lord may speed forward and be glorified, as it did among you, and that we may be delivered from perverse and wicked people, for not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful; he will strengthen you and guard you from the evil one. We are confident of you in the Lord that what we instruct you, you are doing and will continue to do. May the Lord direct your hearts to the love of God and to the endurance of Christ.
Qari 2 mit-Tieni Ittra lit-Tessalonikin 2:16–3:5
Ħuti,
Sidna Ġesù Kristu stess u Alla Missierna, li ħabbna u tana l-kuraġġ ta’
dejjem u t-tama sħiħa bil-grazzja, iqawwilkom qalbkom u jsaħħaħkom
f’kull għemil u kelma tajba. Mill-bqija, ħuti, itolbu għalina biex
il-kelma tal-Mulej tiġri l-ġirja tagħha u tkun milqugħa bil-ġieħ bħalma
ġara fostkom. Itolbu biex inkunu meħlusa minn nies ħżiena u bla liġi.
Għax mhux kulħadd għandu l-fidi. Iżda l-Mulej hu fidil: hu jwettaqkom u
jħariskom mill-Ħażin. Aħna żguri minnkom fil-Mulej, jiġifieri, li intom
qegħdin tagħmlu u għad tagħmlu dak li ordnajnielkom. Jalla l-Mulej
iwassal lil qlubkom għall-imħabba ta’ Alla u s-sabar ta’ Kristu.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel LUKE 20:27-38
Some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, came forward and put this question to Jesus, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us, If someone's brother dies leaving a wife but no child, his brother must take the wife and raise up descendants for his brother. Now there were seven brothers; the first married a woman but died childless. Then the second and the third married her, and likewise all the seven died childless. Finally the woman also died. Now at the resurrection whose wife will that woman be? For all seven had been married to her." Jesus said to them, "The children of this age marry and remarry; but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage. They can no longer die, for they are like angels; and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise. That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush, when he called out 'Lord, ' the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob; and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive."
Evanġelju Qari skond San Luqa 20:27-38
F’dak iż-żmien, resqu fuqu xi wħud mis-Sadduċej, dawk li jiċħdu l-qawmien mill-imwiet, u staqsewh: “Mgħallem, Mosè ħallielna miktub: ‘Jekk wieħed imutlu ħuh miżżewweġ u dan ikun bla tfal, dak ikollu jiżżewweġ l-armla biex inissel ulied lil ħuh’. Issa jkun hemm sebat aħwa, u l-kbir iżżewweġ u miet bla tfal. It-tieni wieħed, u mbagħad it-tielet, f’kelma waħda, is-sebgħa li kienu, ħadu l-armla, u mietu bla ma ħallew tfal. Fl-aħħar mietet il-mara wkoll. Issa din, fil-qawmien tal-imwiet, mart min minnhom tkun? Għax is-sebgħa jkunu żżewġuha”. Weġibhom Ġesù: “Il-bnedmin f’din id-dinja jiżżewġu u jżewġu; imma dawk li jkun jistħoqqilhom jgħaddu għad-dinja l-oħra u jqumu mill-imwiet, dawn la jżewġu u lanqas jiżżewġu. Għax anqas jistgħu jmutu iżjed, għaliex ikunu bħall-anġli, u huma wlied Alla ladarba qamu mill-imwiet. U li l-mejtin iqumu, Mosè wkoll urieh, fir-rakkont tax-xitla tal-għollieq, għax lill-Mulej isejjaħlu Alla ta’ Abraham, Alla ta’ Iżakk, u Alla ta’ Ġakobb. Issa hu mhuwiex Alla tal-mejtin, iżda tal-ħajjin, għax għalih kulħadd jgħix”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
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Eight-minute Gospel reflection by Fr Antony Kadavil
As we near the end of the Church’s liturgical year, the readings become more eschatological — having to do with the end times. The main theme of Sun/day’s readings is the reality of life after death and of the relationship between our lives on earth and the life of glory or punishment that will follow. The readings invite us to consider the true meaning of the Resurrection in our lives.
Scripture lessons summarized:
The first reading describes a Jewish family, consisting of a mother and her seven sons, who refuse their conqueror’s command to eat pork, forbidden as “unclean” by Jewish Law. Because of their obedient Faith in God, they endure suffering and accept martyrdom. During their torture, three of the brothers speak, and each of them finds strength in the belief that he will eventually be raised and rewarded by God.
In the refrain for today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 17) we proclaim our Faith: “Lord, when Your glory appears, my joy will be full!” The second reading encourages the Thessalonians who were waiting for the Parousia or the second coming of Christ, to trust in the fidelity of God Who would strengthen their hearts in every good work and word.
Thie same belief in the resurrection of the dead is the basis of the confrontation described in Sunday’s Gospel passage. In this confrontation, Jesus ingeniously escapes from a doctrinal trap set for him and explains the doctrine of the resurrection of the dead, supported by the Pharisees and denied by the Sadducees. Jesus speaks of God as the God of the living and declares that heavenly life with God in glory is totally different from earthly life, explaining that there is no marriage in Heaven in the earthly sense.
Life messages:
1) We need to live as people of the Resurrection This means that we are not to lie buried in the tomb of our sins and evil habits. Instead, we are to live joyful and peaceful lives, constantly experiencing the real Presence of the Risen Lord. In addition, the hope of our resurrection to eternal life with God provides us with lasting peace and celestial joy to counter the boredom and tension of our day-to-day lives. Cultivating our awareness of the all-pervading Presence of the Spirit of the living God will help us to control our thoughts, desires, words, and behavior.
The salutary thought of our own resurrection and eternal glory, or eternal punishment, should also inspire us to honor our bodies, keeping them holy, pure, and free from evil habits, and to respect those with whom we come in contact, rendering them loving and humble service.
2) We need to offer living worship to a living God. If our God is the God of the living, our worship of this living God also has to be alive. That means our participation in prayers and songs during the Holy Mass should be active and our behavior in Church reverent, as we offer our lives and all our activities to our living God on the altar with repentant and grateful hearts.
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