Readings for Sunday, September 3, 2023
Lectionary: 124
It-Tnejn u Għoxrin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 JEREMIAH 20:7-9
You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped; you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. All the day I am an object of laughter; everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I must cry out, violence and outrage is my message; the word of the LORD has brought me derision and reproach all the day. I say to myself, I will not mention him, I will speak in his name no more. But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart, imprisoned in my bones; I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.
Qari 1 mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Ġeremija 20, 7-9
Qarraqtni Mulej, u jien tqarraqt: kont aqwa minni, u għelibtni. Jien sirt id-daħka ta’ kuljum, kulħadd jiddieħak bija. Kull meta niġi nitkellem, jien ngħajjat, u nxandar, “Moħqrija u ħsara!”. Il-kelma tal-Mulej saret għalija tagħjir u tmaqdir kuljum. U jien għedt: “Ma nsemmihx aktar, ma nitkellimx aktar f’ismu”. Iżda f’qalbi hemm bħal nar jaqbad, magħluq f’għadmi. Għejejt inżommu magħluq ġo fija, ma niflaħx aktar għalih. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
for your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.
R. My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
R/. (2b): Għalik imxennaq jiena, Mulej, Alla tiegħi
Alla, Alla tiegħi int; lilek ħerqan infittex.
Ruħi bil-għatx għalik,
għalik imxennaq jiena,
bħal art niexfa, maħruqa, bla ilma. R/.
Għalhekk ġejt narak fit-tempju mqaddes tiegħek,
biex nitgħaxxaq bis-setgħa u l-glorja tiegħek.
Għax it-tjieba tiegħek aħjar mill-ħajja,
xufftejja jxandru t-tifħir tiegħek. R/.
Għalhekk inbierkek tul ħajti kollha;
ngħolli idejja u nsejjaħ ismek.
Bħal b’ikel mill-aħjar li jsemmen nimtela,
u jgħannilek fommi b’xufftejn ferrieħa. R/.
Għax int kont għajnuna għalija,
għad-dell ta’ ġwenħajk ngħanni bil-ferħ.
Miegħek tingħaqad ruħi,
int tweżinni bil-leminija tiegħek. R/.
Reading 2 ROMANS 12:1-2
I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship. Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect.
QARI 2 mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 12, 1-2
Nitlobkom ħuti, għall-ħniena ta’ Alla, offru ġisimkom b’sagrifiċċju ħaj, qaddis, jogħġob lil Alla, jiġifieri l-qima spiritwali tagħkom. Timxux max-xejra ta’ din id-dinja, iżda nbidlu skond it-tiġdid ta’ fehmietkom, biex iseħħilkom tagħrfu x’inhi r-rieda ta’ Alla, x’inhu ttajjeb li jogħġbu, x’inhu perfett. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel MATTHEW 16:21-27
Jesus began to show his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised. Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him,"God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you." He turned and said to Peter, "Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me. You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do." Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life? Or what can one give in exchange for his life? For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father's glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct."
EVANĠELJU Qari skond San Mattew 16, 21-27
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù beda juri lid-dixxipli tiegħu li kien meħtieġ għalih li jmur Ġerusalemm, isofri ħafna mix-xjuħ u l-qassisin il-kbar u l-kittieba, joqtluh, u fit-tielet jum iqum. Pietru ġibdu lejh u beda jlumu u jgħidlu: “Allaħares, Mulej! Ma jkun qatt li dan jgħaddi minn għalik!”. Iżda Ġesù dar u qal lil Pietru: “Itlaq minn quddiemi, ja xitan! Int tfixkil għalija, għax m’intix tqis il-ħwejjeġ ta’ Alla, imma qiegħed taħsibha ta’ bniedem li int!”. Imbagħad qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: “Jekk xi ħadd irid jiġi warajja, għandu jiċħad lilu nnifsu, jerfa’ salibu, u jimxi warajja. Għax min irid isalva ħajtu, jitlifha, imma min jitlef ħajtu għall-imħabba tiegħi, isibha. Għax xi jkun jiswielu l-bniedem jekk jikseb id-dinja kollha u mbagħad jitlef ħajtu? Jew xi prezz se jagħti l-bniedem biex isalva ħajtu? Għax Bin il-bniedem għandu jiġi fil-glorja ta’ Missieru flimkien ma’ l-anġli tiegħu, u mbagħad irodd lil kull wieħed skond ma wieħed ikun għamel”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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Eight-minute Homily by Fr Tony Kadavil
Introduction:
This coming Sunday’s Gospel passage reminds us that Christian discipleship demands self-control (“Deny yourself”), the willingness to suffer (“take up your cross”), the readiness to follow Jesus by obeying his commandment of love, and generosity in surrendering our lives to God (“to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to God” (Rom 12:1).(An anecdote may be added)
Scripture lessons summarized:
Sunday’s readings explain how we should practice true, dynamic Christian discipleship. Jeremiah, in the first reading, is certainly a prototype of the suffering Christ. In the Responsorial Psalm (Ps 63), the Psalmist manifests his profound trust in God, just as Jeremiah himself does.
In the second reading, Paul advises the Romans and us (Rom 12:1-2): to ‘’offer our bodies as a living sacrifice” to God by explicitly rejecting the ungodly behaviour of the world around us and by discerning and doing the will of God. In today’s Gospel, Jesus takes his disciples by surprise when, after Peter’s great confession of Faith, Jesus announces that he “must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests and the scribes, and be killed and on the third day be raised.”
After correcting Peter’s protest, Jesus announces the three conditions of Christian discipleship: “Deny yourself, take up your cross and follow me.”
Life messages:
# 1: We need to be “extremophiles” for Christ: True disciples of Christ are:
a) truly compassionate: they are willing to visit and help the infected and the sick in hospitals, the incontinent elderly, the handicapped, and those who suffer dementia in nursing homes, and AIDS patients in hospices;
b) truly humble: they areable to see that every good gift comes from God alone, and that His gifts to us of time, personal talents, and resources should inspire gratitude, not pride;
c) truly patient: they are committed to working with challenging children, adolescents with problems, young adults who are struggling with their Faith, with the intellectually challenged and with those suffering dementia;
d) truly forgiving: they are willing to forgive not just once, or twice, but again and again, because they know that God has forgiven them again and again; e) truly loving: they willingly visit people in prisons, in retirement homes, and in homeless shelters; and f) truly faithful: they are living out a committed, trusting relationship with God, with spouse, with family and friends.
# 2: We need to ask these questions as we examine our conscience. A true disciple examines his or her conscience every day, asking three questions about discipleship:
a) Did I sacrifice a part of my time, talents, and income for my parish and the missionary activities of the Church?
b) Did I practice self-control over my thoughts, words, deeds, and use of mass media, and put loving restriction on the cell phone and Internet activities of my children?
c) Did I train my children in my Faith in a loving, providing, redeeming God by encouraging them, as we spend some time together as a family, praying and reading the Bible, and by teaching them through example and word to pardon each other, to ask for God’s pardon for our own sins and failures, to thank God for His blessings, and to participate in the Sunday school classes and youth programs?
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