Readings for Sunday, October 1, 2023
HE GUIDES THE HUMBLE TO JUSTICE
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 136
Is-Sitta u Għoxrin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 EZEKIEL18:25-28
Thus says the LORD: You say, "The LORD's way is not fair!" Hear now, house of Israel: Is it my way that is unfair, or rather, are not your ways unfair? When someone virtuous turns away from virtue to commit iniquity, and dies, it is because of the iniquity he committed that he must die. But if he turns from the wickedness he has committed, and does what is right and just, he shall preserve his life; since he has turned away from all the sins that he has committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.
QARI 1 mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Eżekjel 18, 25-28
Dan jgħid il-Mulej: “Intom tgħidu: “M’hijiex sewwa l-imġiba tal-Mulej!”. Issa isimgħu, dar Iżrael: Forsi l-imġiba tiegħi m’hijiex sewwa? Mhux l-imġiba tagħkom li m’hijiex sewwa? Jekk wieħed ġust jitbiegħed mill-ġustizzja tiegħu u jagħmel il-ħażen, u jmut minħabba dan, minħabba ħżunitu jkun miet. Imma jekk il-midneb jerġa’ lura mid-dnub li jkun għamel, u jagħmel il-ħaqq u l-ġustizzja, hu jsalva ruħu. Għax ikun intebaħ u reġa’ lura mid-dnubiet kollha li jkun għamel, u jibqa’ ħaj u ma jmutx”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 25:4-5, 6-7, 8-9
teach me your paths,
guide me in your truth and teach me,
for you are God my saviour.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Remember that your compassion, O LORD,
and your love are from of old.
The sins of my youth and my frailties remember not;
in your kindness remember me,
because of your goodness, O LORD.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
Good and upright is the LORD;
thus he shows sinners the way.
He guides the humble to justice,
and teaches the humble his way.
R. Remember your mercies, O Lord.
R/. (6a): Ftakar fil-ħniena u t-tjieba tiegħek, Mulej
Triqatek, Mulej, għarrafni,
il-mogħdijiet tiegħek għallimni.
Mexxini fis-sewwa tiegħek u għallimni,
għax int Alla tas-salvazzjoni tiegħi.
Għalik nixxennaq il-jum kollu. R/.
Ftakar fil-ħniena u fit-tjieba tiegħek,
għax huma minn dejjem, Mulej.
Tiftakarx fil-ħtijiet u fid-dnubiet ta’ żgħożiti:
inti tajjeb, Mulej;
ftakar fija skond it-tjieba tiegħek. R/.
Tajjeb u sewwa l-Mulej;
għalhekk juri triqtu lill-ħatja.
Imexxi l-imsejkna fis-sewwa,
jgħallem lill-fqajrin it-triq tiegħu. R/.
Reading 2 PHILIPPIANS 2:1-11
Brothers and sisters: If there is any encouragement in Christ, any solace in love, any participation in the Spirit, any compassion and mercy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, with the same love, united in heart, thinking one thing. Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others. Have in you the same attitude that is also in Christ Jesus, Who, though he was in the form of God,did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
QARI 2 mill-Ittra lill-Filippin 2, 1-11
Ħuti, jekk hemm fikom xi faraġ fi Kristu; jekk hemm xi kelma ta’ ħlewwa fl-imħabba; jekk hemm xi xirka fl-Ispirtu; jekk hemm xi ħniena u mogħdrija; kunu fehma waħda u mlewni bil-ferħ! Ħa jkollkom l-istess imħabba, u ruħ waħda u ħsieb wieħed. Tagħmlu xejn b’pika ta’ partit, anqas għall-ftaħir fieragħ; imma kunu umli u kull wieħed minnkom iqis lill-ieħor aħjar minnu. Ħadd minnkom ma għandu jfittex li jaqbillu, imma li jaqbel lil ħaddieħor. Aħsbu bħalma kien jaħseb Kristu Ġesù: hu li għad li kellu n-natura ta’ Alla, ma qagħadx ifittex tiegħu li hu daqs Alla, iżda xejjen lilu nnifsu billi ħa n-natura ta’ lsir; sar jixbah lill-bnedmin, u deher minn barra bħala bniedem; ċekken lilu nnifsu, billi obda sal-mewt, anzi sal-mewt tas-salib. Għalhekk Alla għollieh sas-smewwiet u żejnu bl-isem li hu fuq kull isem, biex fl-isem ta’ Ġesù – fis-sema, fl-art u f’qiegħ l-art – il-ħlejjaq kollha jinżlu għarkubbtejhom, 11u kull ilsien jistqarr: “Ġesù Kristu hu l-Mulej”, għall-glorja ta’ Alla l-Missier. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel MATTHEW 21:28-32
Jesus said to the chief priests and elders of the people: "What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, 'Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.' He said in reply, 'I will not,' but afterwards changed his mind and went. The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, 'Yes, sir, 'but did not go. Which of the two did his father's will?" They answered, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him."
EVANĠELJU Qari skond San Mattew 21, 28-32
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù qal lill-qassisin il-kbar u lix-xjuħ tal-poplu: “Intom x’jidhrilkom? Kien hemm raġel li kellu żewġ ulied. Resaq fuq il-kbir u qallu: “Ibni, illum mur aħdem l-għalqa tad-dwieli”. U dak qallu: “Ma rridx”. Iżda mbagħad biddel il-fehma u mar. Resaq fuq l-ieħor u qallu l-istess. “Arani sejjer, sidi,” qallu dan, u ma mar xejn. Min minnhom it-tnejn għamel kif ried il-missier?”. “L-ewwel wieħed”, weġbuh. U qalilhom Ġesù: “Tassew, ngħidilkom, li l-pubblikani u n-nisa tat-triq deħlin qabilkom fis-Saltna ta’ Alla. Għax Ġwanni ġie għandkom miexi fit-triq tal-ġustizzja, u intom ma emmintuhx iżda l-pubblikani u n-nisa tat-triq emmnuh; u għalkemm intom rajtu dan kollu, bqajtu sa la ħħar ma biddiltux il-fehma tagħkom, u ma emmintuhx”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
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Eight-minute Homily by Fr Tony Kadavil
Introduction:
What will decide our eternal reward or punishment? Our final decision for or against God — our choosing to obey Him gracefully by doing His will or our choosing to go against His will! Gifted with free will, we are the ones who choose our eternal destiny.
Scripture lessons summarized:
In the first reading, Ezekiel, corrects two incorrect Jewish beliefs -
i) Children inherit the guilt of their ancestors and are punished for their sins.
ii) God is more strict than merciful.
Jesus explains through the gospel parable that God will punish us only for our sins and that God’s mercy overrules strict justice. This Sunday’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 25) appeals to God’s compassion and mercy, begging Him to wipe away our sins and to extend mercy to us. The second reading: Our final choice for God, made by perfect obedience to Him, will be rewarded. Example: It is because of Christ’s perfect obedience to God’s will in “emptying himself, taking human form” and humbling himself by accepting “even death, death on a cross,” that God the Father “exalted Christ, bestowed on him the Name above every other name,” and made Jesus the recipient of universal adoration.
In today’s Gospel parable, a man with two sons tells both to go out to work in the vineyard. The first son says he will not go, but later he regrets his refusal and goes to work. He represents tax collectors and public sinners who refused to obey God’s commandments, but, after listening to John the Baptist and Jesus, repented and became eligible for eternal reward.
The second son says that he will go but does not. He represents the chief priests and the elders, the Scribes, and the Pharisees. By their pride, and their refusal to obey God’s call to repentance through John the Baptist and Jesus, these so-called “religious” people excluded themselves from eternal reward. The lesson taught: The necessity for offering a continual “yes” to the saving act of God.
Even when we say no, God gives us many chances of conversion, repentance, and doing His will.
Who are these two sons at present? The first son:
1) A repentant alcoholic, drug addict, chronic gambler, sexual-deviant.
2) Members of a poor village parish who reach out to the needy in the community.
3) A Pastor who calls parishioners to true repentance.
4) A Church member who decides to tithe or a young person who decides to remain abstinent until marriage. All these choose to obey Christ sacrificially.
The second son:
1) A regular church goer who refuses Christ entry into his or her heart and life and lives a pagan life on weekdays.
2) A Christian who refuses to obey Christ in the sensitive areas of sex, money, and power.
3) A priest whose sermon is designed to please people rather than to please God.
4) A Church that ignores issues of justice and mercy.
5) A Sunday School that neglects to teach children the great Biblical stories — in short, all people who appear to be faithful but, deep down in their hearts, are not.
Life messages:
(1) We need to do God’s will every day: Each one of us is responsible to God for every action, and the just God will punish or reward one according to one’s actions. Since we are not sure about the moment of our death, our only guarantee of dying in God’s friendship is to live in that friendship always, saying “Yes,” to God by doing His will cheerfully and daily.
2) It is never too late for us to repent, be converted, and allow the Holy Spirit to renew our life: If we have been disobedient to God in our past life, we need to knock at the door of God’s mercy. God can, and will, do for us what, in his mercy, He, did for the repentant tax-collectors and harlots in the parable. Hence, every morning we must pray for the strengthening power of the Holy Spirit to do God’s will and every night we need to repent of our sins and ask God’s pardon and forgiveness.
May the huge number of Covid deaths serve us as a strong warning that we may not get a chance to be anointed before our death. If we are in serious sin we need to get reconciled with God, the Church and our brothers and sisters through the Sacrament of Reconciliation as soon as possible. Let us remember that it is never too late for us to turn back to God, ready to do His will.
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