Readings for Sunday, July 9, 2023
Reading 1 ZECHARIAH 9:9-10
Thus says the LORD: Rejoice heartily, O daughter Zion, shout for joy, O daughter Jerusalem! See, your king shall come to you; a just savior is he, meek, and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass. He shall banish the chariot from Ephraim, and the horse from Jerusalem; the warrior's bow shall be banished, and he shall proclaim peace to the nations. His dominion shall be from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Qari 1 mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Żakkarija 9, 9-10
Dan jgħid il-Mulej: “Ifraħ kemm tiflaħ, bint Sijon, għajjat bil-ferħ, bint Ġerusalemm! Ara, is-sultan tiegħek ġej għandek; ġust u rebbieħ, umli u riekeb fuq ħmar, fuq felu ta’ ħmara. Hu jeqred il-karru minn Efrajm u ż-żiemel minn Ġerusalemm; jinqered il-qaws tal-gwerra. Hu jxandar il-paċi lill-ġnus, il-ħakma tiegħu tkun minn baħar sa baħar, u mix-xmara tal-Ewfrat sat-trufijiet”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 145:1-2, 8-9, 10-11, 13-14
and I will bless your name forever and ever.
Every day will I bless you,
and I will praise your name forever and ever.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
The LORD is gracious and merciful,
slow to anger and of great kindness.
The LORD is good to all
and compassionate toward all his works.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
Let all your works give you thanks, O LORD,
and let your faithful ones bless you.
Let them discourse of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
The LORD is faithful in all his words
and holy in all his works.
The LORD lifts up all who are falling
and raises up all who are bowed down.
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
Salm Responsorjali Salm 144 (145), 1-2.8-9.10-11.13cd-14
R/. (1): Mulej, inbierek ismek għal dejjem
u nbierek ismek għal dejjem ta’ dejjem.
Kuljum irrid inbierkek,
u nfaħħar ismek għal dejjem ta’ dejjem. R/.
Twajjeb u ħanin il-Mulej,
idum biex jagħdab u kollu tjieba.
Twajjeb ma’ kulħadd il-Mulej,
tjubitu fuq kull ma għamel. R/.
Kull ma għamilt iroddlok ħajr, Mulej;
iberkuk il-ħbieb tiegħek kollha.
Is-sebħ tas-saltna tiegħek ixandru,
fuq is-setgħa tiegħek jitkellmu. R/.
Ta’ kelmtu l-Mulej fil-wegħdiet tiegħu kollha,
twajjeb f’dak kollu li għamel.
Iwieżen il-Mulej lil kull min se jaqa’,
iqajjem lil kull min hu mitluq. R/.
Reading 2 ROMANS 8:9, 11-13
Brothers and sisters: You are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. If the Spirit of the one who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, the one who raised Christ from the dead will give life to your mortal bodies also, through his Spirit that dwells in you. Consequently, brothers and sisters, we are not debtors to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.
Qari 2 mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 8, 9.11-13
Ħuti, intom ma intomx taħt il-ħakma tal-ġisem, imma tal-Ispirtu, ladarba hemm l-Ispirtu ta’ Alla jgħammar fikom. Jekk xi ħadd ma għandux fih l-Ispirtu ta’ Kristu, dan mhuwiex tiegħu. Jekk l-Ispirtu ta’ dak li qajjem lil Ġesù mill-imwiet jgħammar fikom, Alla stess li qajjem lil Kristu mill-imwiet iqajjem għall-ħajja wkoll il-ġisem mejjet tagħkom, bis-saħħa tal-Ispirtu li jgħammar fikom. Hekk mela, ħuti, aħna m’aħniex midjunin mal-ġisem biex ngħixu skond il-ġisem. Għax jekk tgħixu skond il-ġisem, tmutu; imma jekk tmewtu l-għemil tal-ġisem bl-Ispirtu, tgħixu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel MATTHEW 11:25-30
At that time Jesus exclaimed: "I give praise to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, for although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to little ones. Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." "Come to me, all you who labour and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."
Evanġelju Qari skond San Mattew 11, 25-30
F’dak iż-żmien Ġesù qabad u qal: “Infaħħrek, Missier, Sid is-sema u l-art, għax inti dawn il-ħwejjeġ ħbejthom lil min għandu l-għerf u d-dehen u wrejthom liċ-ċkejknin. Iva, Missier, għax lilek hekk għoġbok. Kollox kien mogħti lili minn Missieri, u ħadd ma jagħraf lill-Iben jekk mhux il-Missier, kif ħadd ma jagħraf lill-Missier jekk mhux l-Iben u dak li lilu l-Iben irid jgħarrafhulu. Ejjew għandi, intom ilkoll li tinsabu mħabbtin u mtaqqlin, u jiena nserraħkom. Ħudu fuqkom il-madmad tiegħi u tgħallmu minni, għaliex jiena ta’ qalb ħelwa u umli, u intom issibu l-mistrieħ għal ruħkom. Għax il-madmad tiegħi ħelu u t-toqol tiegħi ħafif”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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Eight -minute Reflection on Sunday's Readings by Fr. Tony Kadavil
Introduction:
During the U. S. Independence Day celebrations (held on Saturday), Americans probably heard all - or part - of Emma Lazarus’ poem inscribed on the base of the Statue of Liberty: “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free…. Send these, the homeless tempest-tossed to me.” (https://youtu.be/rsRemx7ANg4) This Sunday’s readings, especially the Gospel, give the same message in a more powerful way: “Take my yoke . . . and you will find rest.”
Scripture lessons summarized:
In the first reading, the prophet Zechariah consoles the Jews living in Palestine under Greek rule, promising them a “meek” Messianic King of peace riding on a donkey, who will give them rest and liberty. The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 145) praises and thanks a kind and compassionate God Who “raises up those who are bowed down” under heavy yokes.
In the second reading, Paul tells the first-century Christian community in Rome about two yokes, namely, the “flesh” and the “Spirit,” and he challenges them to reject the heavy and fatal yoke of the flesh and accept the light yoke of the Spirit of Jesus. Christian spirituality, according to Paul, proceeds from the initiative of the Holy Spirit and means living in the realm of the “Spirit” as opposed to the “flesh.”
In the Gospel, Jesus offers rest to those “who labour and are burdened” if they will accept his “easy yoke and light burden.” By declaring that his “yoke is light,” Jesus means that whatever God sends us is made to fit our needs and our abilities exactly. The second part of Jesus’ claim is: “My burden is light.” Jesus does not mean that the burden is easy to carry, but that it is laid on us in love, that it is meant to be carried in love, and that love makes even the heaviest burden light.
Life messages:
1) We need to unload our burdens on the Lord. This “unloading” is the main purpose of our personal and family prayers and is one of the functions of Divine Worship in the Church. During our daily prayers in the evening, we ask God’s forgiveness for the sins and failures of day and receive the consoling assurance that we are reconciled with God and our fellow human beings. During the Holy Mass in our parish Church, we place our stress-filled lives on the altar and allow Jesus to cool down the overheated radiators of our hectic lives. We also unload the burdens of our sins and worries on the altar and offer them and ourselves to God during the Holy Mass.
2) We need to be freed from unnecessary burdens: Jesus lays the light burden of his commandment of love on us and yokes us with himself, giving us his strength through the Holy Spirit to fulfill that commandment. Jesus is also interested in lifting off our backs the burdens that suck the life out of us, so that he can place around our necks his own yoke that brings to us and to others through us, new life, new energy, and new joy. We are called, not only to find peace, refreshment and rest for ourselves, but also to live the kind of life through which others, too, may find God's peace, God's refreshing grace, and the joy of placing their lives in God's hands.
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