Readings for Sunday, January 14, 2024
Lectionary: 65
Qari tat-Tieni Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 1 SAMUEL 3:3b-10, 19
Samuel was sleeping in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was. The LORD called to Samuel, who answered, "Here I am." Samuel ran to Eli and said, "Here I am. You called me." "I did not call you, " Eli said. "Go back to sleep." So he went back to sleep. Again the LORD called Samuel, who rose and went to Eli. "Here I am, " he said. "You called me." But Eli answered, "I did not call you, my son. Go back to sleep." At that time Samuel was not familiar with the LORD, because the LORD had not revealed anything to him as yet. The LORD called Samuel again, for the third time. Getting up and going to Eli, he said, "Here I am. You called me." Then Eli understood that the LORD was calling the youth. So he said to Samuel, "Go to sleep, and if you are called, reply, Speak, LORD, for your servant is listening." When Samuel went to sleep in his place, the LORD came and revealed his presence, calling out as before, "Samuel, Samuel!" Samuel answered, "Speak, for your servant is listening." Samuel grew up, and the LORD was with him, not permitting any word of his to be without effect.
QARI 1 mill-Ewwel Ktieb ta’ Samwel 3:3b-10,19
F’dak iż-żmien, Samwel kien mimdud fit-tempju tal-Mulej, fejn kien hemm l-arka ta’ Alla. Il-Mulej sejjaħ: “Samwel!”. U dan wieġeb: “Hawn jien!”. U mar jiġri għand Għeli. “Hawn jien”, qallu, “għalfejn sejjaħtli?”. “Ma sejjaħtlekx”, wieġeb, “erġa’ mur imtedd”. U raġa’ mar jorqod. U ssokta l-Mulej isejjaħ: “Samwel!”. U Samwel qam u mar għand Għeli u qallu: “Hawn jien! Għalfejn sejjaħtli?”. “Ma sejjaħtlekx, ibni”, wieġeb, “erġa’ mur orqod”. Samwel kien għadu ma għarafx il-Mulej, u anqas kienet għadha ma ttgħarrfitlu l-kelma tal-Mulej. U ssokta l-Mulej isejjaħ: “Samwel!” għat-tielet darba. U dan qam, u mar għand Għeli, u qallu: “Hawn jien! Għalfejn sejjaħtli?”. U Għeli fehem li l-Mulej kien qiegħed isejjaħ iż-żagħżugħ. U qal lil Samwel: “Mur orqod. Jekk jerġa’ jsejjaħlek, wieġeb: ‘Tkellem, Mulej, għax il-qaddej tiegħek qiegħed jisma’’”. U Samwel mar jorqod f’postu. U l-Mulej ġie, waqaf ħdejh, u sejjaħ bħal drabi oħra: “Samwel! Samwel!”. U Samwel wieġeb: “Tkellem, għax il-qaddej tiegħek qiegħed jisma’”. Samwel kiber, u l-Mulej kien miegħu, u ma ħalla ebda kelma milli qal tmur fix-xejn. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 40:2, 4, 7-8, 8-9, 10
and he stooped toward me and heard my cry.
And he put a new song into my mouth,
a hymn to our God.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
Sacrifice or offering you wished not,
but ears open to obedience you gave me.
Holocausts or sin-offerings you sought not;
then said I, "Behold I come."
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
"In the written scroll it is prescribed for me,
to do your will, O my God, is my delight,
and your law is within my heart!"
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
I announced your justice in the vast assembly;
I did not restrain my lips, as you, O LORD, know.
R. Here am I, Lord; I come to do your will.
R/. (8a.9a): Hawn jien, Mulej, ġej nagħmel ir-rieda tiegħek.
Ittamajt b’tama qawwija fil-Mulej;
hu niżel ħdejja u sama’ l-għajta tiegħi.
Qegħedli fuq fommi għanja ġdida,
għanja ta’ tifħir lil Alla tagħna. R/.
Int ma titgħaxxaqx b’sagrifiċċji u offerti;
imma widnejja inti ftaħtli;
ma tlabtnix vittmi tal-ħruq u tat-tpattija.
Imbagħad jien għedt: “Hawn jien, ġej”. R/.
“Fil-bidu tal-ktieb hemm miktub fuqi
li nagħmel ir-rieda tiegħek.
Alla tiegħi, dan jogħġobni;
il-liġi tiegħek ġewwa qalbi”. R/.
Xandart il-ġustizzja f’ġemgħa kbira;
xufftejja ma żammejthomx magħluqa.
Mulej, dan inti tafu. R/.
Reading 2 1 CORINTHIANS 6:13c-15a, 17-20
Brothers and sisters: The body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body; God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one Spirit with him. Avoid immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the immoral person sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been purchased at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.
QARI 2 mill-1 Ittra lill-Korintin 6:13c-15a,17-20
Ħuti, il-ġisem mhuwiex għaż-żína iżda għall-Mulej, u l-Mulej huwa għall-ġisem. U Alla qajjem il-Mulej u jqajjem lilna wkoll bil-qawwa tiegħu. Ma tafux li l-iġsma tagħkom huma membri ta’ Kristu? Min jingħaqad mal-Mulej hu ruħ waħda miegħu. Aħarbu ż-żína! Kull dnub li wieħed jagħmel hu ’l barra minn ġismu, iżda min jagħmel iż-żína jkun qiegħed jidneb kontra ġismu stess. Jew ma tafux li ġisimkom hu tempju tal-Ispirtu s-Santu, li jinsab jgħammar fikom, li għandkom minn Alla? Ma tafux li intom m’intomx tagħkom infuskom? Bil-għoli kontu mixtrija! Mela agħtu ġieħ lil Alla permezz ta’ ġisimkom. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel JOHN 1:35-42
John was standing with two of his disciples, and as he watched Jesus walk by, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God." The two disciples heard what he said and followed Jesus. Jesus turned and saw them following him and said to them, "What are you looking for?" They said to him, "Rabbi" — which translated means Teacher —, "where are you staying?" He said to them, "Come, and you will see." So they went and saw where Jesus was staying, and they stayed with him that day. It was about four in the afternoon. Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who heard John and followed Jesus. He first found his own brother Simon and told him, "We have found the Messiah" — which is translated Christ —. Then he brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, "You are Simon the son of John; you will be called Cephas" — which is translated Peter.
EVANĠELJU Qari skont San Ġwann 1:35-42
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġwanni kien hemm ma’ tnejn mid-dixxipli tiegħu. Ħares lejn Ġesù li kien għaddej minn hemm, u qal: “Araw il-Ħaruf ta’ Alla”. Iż-żewġ dixxipli semgħuh jgħid dan, u marru wara Ġesù. Ġesù dar u rahom mexjin warajh, u qalilhom: “Xi tridu?”. Iżda huma staqsewh: “Rabbi” – li tfisser, Mgħallem – “fejn toqgħod?”. Hu weġibhom: “Ejjew u taraw”. U marru miegħu u raw fejn kien joqgħod, u dakinhar baqgħu miegħu. Kien ħabta tal-erbgħa ta’ waranofsinhar. Wieħed mit-tnejn li semgħu x’kien qal Ġwanni u marru wara Ġesù kien Indrì, ħu Xmun Pietru. L-ewwel ma għamel mar isib lil ħuh Xmun, u qallu: “Sibna l-Messija” – li tfisser Kristu. U ħadu għand Ġesù. Ġesù ħares lejh u qallu: “Inti Xmun, bin Ġwanni. Inti tissejjaħ Kefa” – jew Pietru. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
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Eight-minute Homily by Fr Tony Kadavil
Introduction:
The main theme of Sunday’s Scripture readings is Divine vocation – that everyone is called by God to be a witness for Christ by doing something for others with his or her life, using his or her unique gifts and blessings. Hence, today’s readings remind us of our personal and corporate call to become witnesses for Jesus, the Lamb of God, by leading lives of holiness and purity.
Scripture lessons summarized:
The first reading describes how Yahweh called Samuel to His service and how the boy Samuel responded to Him, saying, “Speak, Lord, your servant is listening.” Hence, God blessed him in the mission entrusted to him, and Samuel became an illustrious figure, ranking with Moses and David as a man of God.
The Refrain for today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 40), has us sing, “Here am I Lord! I come to do Your Will!” indicating that our vocation is to obey, to do what God commands us to do. In the second reading, St. Paul explains to the Corinthians that their Divine call is a call to holiness. Hence, they need to keep their bodies pure and their souls holy, because by Baptism they have become parts of Christ’s Body and the temples of the Holy Spirit.
In the Gospel, John the Baptist claims that his vocation is to introduce Jesus to two of his own disciples as the “Lamb of God,” suggesting Jesus’ vocation to become a sacrificial lamb to atone for our sins. The disciples followed Jesus to his residence, accepting his invitation to “come and see.” They stayed with him that day. Then Andrew brought his brother Simon to Jesus, presenting him to Jesus as the Messiah.
Thus, today’s Gospel also describes the call or vocation of the first apostles and challenges us to invite others to Christ by our Christian witnessing.
Life messages:
1) Our Christian vocation is to live and die like the Lamb of God. We live like the Lamb of God: a) by leading pure, innocent, humble, selfless lives, obeying Christ’s commandment of love; b) by appreciating the loving providence and protecting care of the Good Shepherd for his Church; c) by partaking of the Body and Blood of the Good Shepherd in the Holy Eucharist and deriving spiritual strength from the Holy Spirit through prayer and the Sacraments.
2) We are called to die like the Lamb of God:
a) by sharing sacrificially our blessings of health, wealth, and talents with others in the family, parish, and community;
b) by bearing witness to Christ in our illness, pain, and suffering through our graceful acceptance of all of it;
c) by offering our sufferings for God’s glory, as penance for our sins, and for the conversion of sinners.
3) Our call is to bear witness to the Lamb of God. Doing this requires a personal experience of Jesus as our Lord and Saviour.
a) We get this personal experience of Jesus in our daily lives through the meditative reading and study of the Bible, through personal and family prayers, and through our active participation in the Eucharistic celebration.
b) Once we have experienced the personal presence of Jesus in our daily lives, we will start sharing with others the Good News of love, peace, justice, tolerance, mercy, and forgiveness preached and lived by Jesus.
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