Readings for Sunday, July 23, 2023
Lectionary: 106
Is-Sittax-il Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 WISDOM 12:13, 16-19
There is no God besides you who have the care of all, that you need show you have not unjustly condemned. For your might is the source of justice; your mastery over all things makes you lenient to all. For you show your might when the perfection of your power is disbelieved; and in those who know you, you rebuke temerity. But though you are master of might, you judge with clemency, and with much lenience you govern us; for power, whenever you will, attends you. And you taught your people, by these deeds, that those who are just must be kind; and you gave your children good ground for hope that you would permit repentance for their sins.
Qari 1 mill-Ktieb tal-Għerf 12, 13.16-19
M’hemmx Alla ieħor ħliefek, li jieħu ħsieb kollox biex ikollok turih li ma qtajtx il-ħaqq ħażin. Għax is-setgħa tiegħek hi l-għajn tal-ġustizzja, u, għax int Sid ta’ kollox, lil kulħadd tagħder. Int turi saħħtek ma’ min ma jemminx fil-kobor ta’ setegħtek: u trażżan ’il dawk li, għalkemm jafuha, iqumu kontriha. Għax sid il-qawwa, int tagħmel il-ħaqq bil-ħniena; lilna tmexxina bi tjieba kbira. Għalkemm għandek is-setgħa, issibha wkoll meta tridha. B’dan l-għemil int għallimt lill-poplu tiegħek, li l-ġust għandu jkun twajjeb. Din hi t-tama sabiħa li inti tajt lil uliedek, li inti tagħti żmien għall-indiema ta’ dnubiethom. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 86:5-6, 9-10, 15-16
abounding in kindness to all who call upon you.
Hearken, O LORD, to my prayer
and attend to the sound of my pleading.
R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.
All the nations you have made shall come
and worship you, O LORD,
and glorify your name.
For you are great, and you do wondrous deeds;
you alone are God.
R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.
You, O LORD, are a God merciful and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in kindness and fidelity.
Turn toward me, and have pity on me;
give your strength to your servant.
R. Lord, you are good and forgiving.
Salm Responsorjali Salm 85 (86), 5-6.9-10.15-16a
R/. (5a): Mulej, inti twajjeb u taħfer
kollok tjieba għal kull min isejjaħlek.
Agħti widen, Mulej, għat-talba tiegħi,
isma’ l-leħen tal-ilfiq tiegħi. R/.
u jsebbħu ismek, Sidi.
Għax kbir int, u għemejjel tal-għaġeb tagħmel;
int waħdek Alla! R/.
iddum biex tagħdab, kollok tjieba u fedeltà.
Ħares lejja u ħenn għalija,
agħti qawwa lill-qaddej tiegħek. R/.
Reading 2 ROMANS 8:26-27
Brothers and sisters: The Spirit comes to the aid of our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes with inexpressible groanings. And the one who searches hearts knows what is the intention of the Spirit, because he intercedes for the holy ones according to God's will.
Qari 2 mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 8, 26-27
Ħuti, l-Ispirtu, min-naħa tiegħu, jgħinna fin-nuqqas ta’ ħila tagħna. Għax aħna anqas biss nafu nitolbu kif imiss, imma l-Ispirtu stess jidħol għalina bit-talb tiegħu bi tnehid li ma jistax jitfisser bil-kliem; u Alla, li l-ħarsa tiegħu tinfed il-qlub, jaf x’inhi x-xewqa tal-Ispirtu; bit-talb tiegħu jidħol għall-qaddisin skond ma jrid Alla. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel MATTHEW 13:24-43
Jesus proposed another parable to the crowds, saying: "The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field. While everyone was asleep his enemy came and sowed weeds all through the wheat, and then went off. When the crop grew and bore fruit, the weeds appeared as well. The slaves of the householder came to him and said, 'Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? Where have the weeds come from?' He answered, 'An enemy has done this.' His slaves said to him, 'Do you want us to go and pull them up?' He replied, 'No, if you pull up the weeds you might uproot the wheat along with them. Let them grow together until harvest; then at harvest time I will say to the harvesters, "First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles for burning; but gather the wheat into my barn."'" He proposed another parable to them. "The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field. It is the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants. It becomes a large bush, and the 'birds of the sky come and dwell in its branches.'" He spoke to them another parable. "The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed with three measures of wheat flour until the whole batch was leavened." All these things Jesus spoke to the crowds in parables. He spoke to them only in parables, to fulfill what had been said through the prophet: I will open my mouth in parables, I will announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world. Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, "Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field." He said in reply, "He who sows good seed is the Son of Man, the field is the world, the good seed the children of the kingdom. The weeds are the children of the evil one, and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels. Just as weeds are collected and burned up with fire, so will it be at the end of the age. The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will collect out of his kingdom all who cause others to sin and all evildoers. They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth. Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears ought to hear."
Evanġelju Qari skond San Mattew 13, 24-43
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù qal lin-nies din il-parabbola: “Is-saltna tas-Smewwiet tixbah lil wieħed raġel li żara’ żerriegħa tajba fl-għalqa tiegħu. Iżda xħin in-nies kienu reqdin, ġie l-għadu tiegħu, żara’ s-sikrana qalb il-qamħ u telaq. Meta mbagħad il-qamħ nibet u ħareġ is-sbul, tfaċċat ukoll is-sikrana. Resqu l-qaddejja fuq sid l-għalqa u qalulu: “Sinjur, int mhux żerriegħa tajba żrajt fl-għalqa tiegħek? Mela dis-sikrana mnejn ġiet?”. Iżda hu qalilhom: “Dil-biċċa għamilhieli xi għadu tiegħi”. “Tridx immorru niġbruha?”, qalulu l-qaddejja. “Le, qalilhom, għax intom u tiġbru s-sikrana għandkom mnejn taqilgħu magħha l-qamħ ukoll. Erħulhom jikbru t-tnejn flimkien sal-ħsad; meta mbagħad jasal il-ħsad, ngħid lill-ħassada: Iġbru s-sikrana l-ewwel, u orbtuha qatta qatta għall-ħruq, imbagħad qiegħdu l-qamħ fil-maħżen tiegħi””. Ġibilhom parabbola oħra u qalilhom: “Is-Saltna tas-Smewwiet tixbah lil żerriegħa tal-mustarda li wieħed raġel ikun qabad u żeragħha fl-għalqa tiegħu. Hija tabilħaqq l-iżgħar waħda fost iż-żrieragħ kollha, iżda meta tikber, tkun l-akbar waħda fost il-ħxejjex u ssir siġra, hekk li l-għasafar tal-ajru jiġu jbejtu fil-friegħi tagħha”. Qalilhom parabbola oħra: “Is-Saltna tas-Smewwiet tixbah lil ftit ħmira li waħda mara tkun qabdet u ħalltet ma’ tliet sigħan dqiq sa ma tkun għoliet l-għaġna kollha”. Dan kollu Ġesù qalu bil-parabboli lin-nies, u mingħajr xi parabbola ma kienx ikellimhom, biex hekk iseħħ dak li kien ingħad permezz tal-profeta, meta qal: “Niftaħ fommi bil-parabboli, nitkellem fuq ħwejjeġ moħbija sa mit-twaqqif tad-dinja”. Imbagħad ħalla n-nies u mar id-dar. Resqu lejh id-dixxipli tiegħu u qalulu: “Fissirhielna l-parabbola tas-sikrana fl-għalqa”. U weġibhom: “Dak li jiżra’ ż-żerriegħa t-tajba huwa Bin il-bniedem. L-għalqa hija d-dinja; iż-żerriegħa t-tajba huma wlied is-Saltna; is-sikrana huma wlied il-Ħażin, u l-għadu li żeragħha huwa x-Xitan. Il-ħsad ifisser tmiem id-dinja, u l-ħassada l-anġli. Mela bħalma s-sikrana jiġbruha u jaħarquha fin-nar, hekk isir fi tmiem id-dinja. Bin il-bniedem jibgħat l-anġli tiegħu, u huma jiġbru barra mis-Saltna tiegħu kull ma jġib it-tfixkil u kull min jagħmel il-ħażen, u jixħtuhom fil-ħuġġieġa tan-nar; hemmhekk ikum hemm il-biki u t-tgħażżiż tas-snien. Imbagħad il-ġusti jsiru jiddu bħax-xemx fis-Saltna ta’ Missierhom. Min għandu widnejn, ħa jisma!”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
///////////////////////////////////////////////
Eight-minute Homily for the Sixteenth Sunday of Year A - by Fr Tiny Kadavil
Introduction:
Sunday’s readings tell us about a very patient and compassionate God Who is hopeful that the so-called “weeds” among us will be converted. They warn us that we should not be in a hurry to eliminate such elements from the Church or society or the family based on unwarranted and hasty judgment.
Scripture lessons summarized:
The first reading from the Book of Wisdom shows us a merciful and patient God, rather than the disciplining and punishing God presented in the book of Genesis. The second reading, taken from Paul’s letter to the Romans, reminds us that the Spirit of God constantly empowers us in our prayers and in our weakness. So, we should be patient with ourselves and with others.
Finally, in the Gospel parable of the wheat and the weeds, Jesus presents a wise and patient God who allows the good and the evil to coexist in the world until the harvest, and blesses the evil ones for the little good they may have done, so that they may come to conversion before their time ends: “Let the wheat and the weeds [darnel] grow together till the harvest time.” In other words, God is “delaying” the end of the world for repentant sinners, giving them more time, and offering them the graces of strength and good will so that they may get reconciled with Him. God calmly recognizes that there is evil in the world, but He sees that evil is no excuse for the good people not to do good with the power of God at their disposal. Through the parable of the wheat and the weeds in today’s Gospel, Jesus calls us to be patient with those who seem to us to fail to meet the high ethical standard expected of a Christian.
Life messages:
1) We need to practice patience and show mercy. Let us patiently and lovingly treat the “weeds” in our society as our brothers and sisters and do all in our power to put them back on the right road to Heaven, especially by our good example, encouragement and our fervent prayer for their conversion. Let us remember that most of us have been “weeds” in God’s field more than once, and God has showed us mercy. God is so merciful that He allows evil to exist in order that what is good may grow. He allows evil to exist also because He can turn it into good. Through the power of the Spirit, God can change even the ugliest thorn into a blossom of Faith. In God’s field, we have two responsibilities: to grow in grace, God’s favour, and to share His Word and love with others.
2) We need to grow up as healthy wheat in God’s field, leaving the “weeds” for God to take care of. The Good News is that growth and maturity are probably the most effective forms of weed control. Our transparent and exemplary Christian lives will be a compelling challenge and a forceful invitation to evildoers to repent of their sinful lives and turn to a loving and forgiving God. Our acts of charity, kindness, mercy, encouragement, loving correction, and selfless service can prompt the “weeds” in our society to reassess their lives, modify them, and grow into useful members of society.
////////////////////////////////////// © https://frtonyshomilies.com
No comments:
Post a Comment