Readings for Sunday, December 3, 2023
First Sunday of Advent
Lectionary: 2
L-Ewwel Ħadd tal-Avvent
Reading 1
ISAIAH 63:16B-17, 19B; 64:2-7
You, LORD, are our father, our redeemer you are named forever. Why do you let us wander, O LORD, from your ways, and harden our hearts so that we fear you not? Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your heritage. Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down, with the mountains quaking before you, while you wrought awesome deeds we could not hope for, such as they had not heard of from of old. No ear has ever heard, no eye ever seen, any God but you doing such deeds for those who wait for him. Would that you might meet us doing right, that we were mindful of you in our ways! Behold, you are angry, and we are sinful; all of us have become like unclean people, all our good deeds are like polluted rags; we have all withered like leaves, and our guilt carries us away like the wind. There is none who calls upon your name, who rouses himself to cling to you; for you have hidden your face from us and have delivered us up to our guilt. Yet, O LORD, you are our father; we are the clay and you the potter: we are all the work of your hands.
Qari 1 mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Isaija 63, 16b-17.19b; 64, 2-7
Int, Mulej, missierna, ismek il-Feddej tagħna minn dejjem. Għaliex, Mulej, iġġegħelna nwarrbu minn triqatek, u twebbsilna qalbna biex ma nibżgħux minnek? Erġa’ lura minħabba l-qaddejja tiegħek, it-tribujiet li huma wirtek. Mhux li kont iċċarrat is-smewwiet u tinżel minn hemm! U jitheżżu l-muntanji quddiemek meta int tagħmel għeġubijiet li ma konniex nistennew, u sa mill-qedem qatt ma smajna bihom! Widna qatt ma semgħet, għajn qatt ma rat Alla bħalek, Alla li jħabrek għal min jittama fih. Int tilqa’ lil min jagħmel is-sewwa bil-ferħ, lil dawk li jiftakru fi triqatek. Ara! Int kont mgħaddab għalina, u aħna dnibna. Domna fi dnubna, u kontrik qomna għal ħafna żmien. Tniġġisna lkoll kemm aħna, bħal ċarruta maħmuġa l-aħjar għemejjel tagħna; bħal werqa lkoll dbilna u ħżunijietna bħal riħ ġarrewna. Ħadd ma hawn li jsejjaħ ismek, li jitħarrek biex iżomm miegħek. Għax int ħbejt wiċċek minna, u rħejtna f’idejn ħżunijietna. Madankollu, Mulej, int missierna; aħna t-tafal, u inti l-fuħħari; aħna lkoll għemil idejk. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19
from your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power,
and come to save us.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
May your help be with the man of your right hand,
with the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.
R. Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
SALM RESPONSORJALI Salm 79 (80), 2aċ.3b.15-16.18-19
Int li qiegħed fuq il-kerubini, iddi:
Qajjem il-qawwa tiegħek,
u ejja ħa ssalvana. R/.
Erġa’ ejja, Alla tal-eżerċti;
ħares mis-sema, u ara,
u żur ’il din id-dielja.
Ħu ħsieb dak li ħawlet lemintek,
ir-rimja li int kabbart għalik. R/.
Ħa tkun idek fuq il-bniedem ta’ lemintek,
fuq il-bniedem li int saħħaħt għalik.
Aħna ma nitbegħdux minnek;
roddilna l-ħajja, u aħna nsejħu ismek. R/.
Reading 2 1 CORINTHIANS 1:3-9
Brothers and sisters: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always on your account for the grace of God bestowed on you in Christ Jesus, that in him you were enriched in every way, with all discourse and all knowledge, as the testimony to Christ was confirmed among you, so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. He will keep you firm to the end, irreproachable on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, and by him you were called to fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
QARI 2 mill-Ewwel Ittra lill-Korintin 1, 3-9
Ħuti: Grazzja u sliem mingħand Alla Missierna u l-Mulej Ġesù Kristu! Jiena niżżi ħajr dejjem lil Alla tiegħi minħabba fikom għall-grazzja li Alla takom, lilkom fi Kristu Ġesù; fih intom stagħnejtu f’kollox, f’kull kelma, f’kull għerf daqs kemm ix-xhieda ta’ Kristu kienet imwettqa fikom. Għalhekk m’intom nieqsa minn ebda don, intom u tistennew id-dehra ta’ Sidna Ġesù Kristu. Huwa hu li jwettaqkom sal-aħħar biex tkunu bla ħtija fil-jum ta’ Sidna Ġesù Kristu. Alla jżomm kelmtu, minnu kontu msejħin biex tidħlu fix-xirka ta’ Ibnu Sidna Ġesù Kristu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel MARK 13:33-37
Jesus said to his disciples: “Be watchful! Be alert! You do not know when the time will come. It is like a man traveling abroad. He leaves home and places his servants in charge, each with his own work, and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch. Watch, therefore; you do not know when the lord of the house is coming, whether in the evening, or at midnight, or at cockcrow, or in the morning. May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping. What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”
EVANĠELJU Qari skond San Mark 13, 33-37
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: “Kunu għajnejkom miftuħa, ishru, għax ma tafux meta se jasal il-waqt. Jiġri bħal meta bniedem ikun siefer u telaq mid-dar, iħalli kollox f’idejn il-qaddejja tiegħu, kull wieħed fuq xogħlu, u lil tal-bieb jordnalu biex jibqa’ jishar. Mela ishru, għax ma tafux meta jiġi Sid id-dar, jekk hux filgħaxija, jew f’nofsillejl, jew xħin jidden is-serduk, jew inkella mas-sebħ, li ma jmurx jiġi għal għarrieda u jsibkom reqdin. U dak li qiegħed ngħid lilkom, qiegħed ngħidu għal kulħadd: ishru!”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
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Eight-minute Homily by Fr Tony Kadavil
Introduction:
The central theme of next Sunday’s readings is Jesus’ warning to us to be alert, watchful and prepared because Christ’s Second Coming, coinciding with the end of the world, can occur at any time. People, in general, have a paranoid fear about the end of the world. It was expected in AD 204, 999 and 2000. The title of a best-seller published in 1988 was "101 Reasons Why Christ Returns in 1988". An extremely popular film released in 1999 about Christ’s Second Coming was "Omega Code", and another film released in 2005 was "Left Behind".
Excessive fear of the tribulations accompanying the end of the world led the followers of a religious cult led by Jim Jones (in 1978), and followers of another cult called Heaven’s Gate (in 1997), to commit mass suicide. But Jesus, in Sunday’s Gospel, gives us the assurance that we need not be afraid of the end of the world, Christ’s Second Coming, and the Last Judgment, if we remain alert and prepared.
The Church invites us on this first Sunday of Advent to prepare for Christ’s Second Coming,
1) by properly celebrating during this Christmas season the fond memory of Christ’s first coming 2000 years ago,
2) by experiencing Christ’s daily advent or coming in every Eucharistic celebration, in the Holy Bible, and in the worshipping community, and
3) by preparing daily for Jesus’ Second Coming which, for us, will happen at the unknown moment of our death or the equally unknown moment when the World will end.
Scripture lessons:
In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah prays for God’s active presence so that the Jewish community, returned from Babylonian exile, may remain faithful to their God.
In the second reading, St. Paul prays for the reconversion of Christians in Corinth who have misused their gifts and charisms and remain ill-prepared for Christ’s Second Coming.
In today’s Gospel, using the short parable of the servants and gatekeeper of an absentee master who could return at any time, Jesus instructs his followers to be alert and watchful while doing their Christian duties with sincerity. The gatekeeper and the household servants are expected to be ever vigilant because their master is sure to return. Although the time of his return is uncertain, the reward or punishment is sure and certain.
Life messages:
1) Live in the living presence of Jesus every day. The message of this Sunday’s Scripture is that we should live in the living presence of Jesus every day waiting for his Second Coming. We can experience Christ’s living presence in the Holy Eucharist, in the Holy Bible, in the worshiping community of our parish, in our family, in our own souls, and in everyone around us. The early Christians experienced the living presence and coming of Jesus with absolute certainty. So their mutual greeting was not “Hi!” or “Good Morning!” but the Aramaic, “Maran Atha” which means “Come, Lord Jesus.” This greeting acknowledged Jesus present in each of them and about to return.
May God bless you, and keep you ever prepared for Christ’s second coming.
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