Readings for Sunday, June 2, 2024
Is-Solennità tal-Ġisem u d-Demm Imqaddes ta’ Kristu
Reading 1 EXODUS 24:3-8
When Moses came to the people and related all the words and ordinances of the LORD, they all answered with one voice, "We will do everything that the LORD has told us." Moses then wrote down all the words of the LORD and, rising early the next day, he erected at the foot of the mountain an altar and twelve pillars for the twelve tribes of Israel. Then, having sent certain young men of the Israelites to offer holocausts and sacrifice young bulls as peace offerings to the LORD, Moses took half of the blood and put it in large bowls; the other half he splashed on the altar. Taking the book of the covenant, he read it aloud to the people, who answered, "All that the LORD has said, we will heed and do." Then he took the blood and sprinkled it on the people, saying, "This is the blood of the covenant that the LORD has made with you in accordance with all these words of his."
QARI 1 mill-Ktieb tal-Eżodu 24:3-8
F’dak iż-żmien, Mosè niżel jgħid lill-poplu kulma qallu l-Mulej u kulma ordnalu. Il-poplu wieġeb b’leħen wieħed u qal: “Kulma qalilna l-Mulej nagħmluh”. Mosè kiteb il-kliem kollu tal-Mulej, u filgħodu qam, bena altar taħt il-muntanja, u waqqaf tnax-il plier għat-tnax-il tribù ta’ Iżrael. Imbagħad bagħat xi żgħażagħ minn ulied Iżrael biex joffru sagrifiċċji u joqtlu għoġiela bħala sagrifiċċji tas-sliem lill-Mulej. Mosè ħa nofs id-demm u qiegħdu fi bwieqi, u xerred in-nofs l-ieħor fuq l-altar. Imbagħad ħa l-ktieb tal-patt, u qara minnu hekk li seta’ jisimgħu l-poplu. U huma qalu: “Kulma qalilna l-Mulej nagħmluh, u nisimgħu minnu”. Mosè mbagħad ħa d-demm u, hu u jroxxu fuq il-poplu, qal: “Hawn hu d-demm tal-patt li l-Mulej għamel magħkom skont dan il-kliem kollu”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 116:12-13, 15-16, 17-18
for all the good he has done for me?
The cup of salvation I will take up,
and I will call upon the name of the LORD.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or: R. Alleluia.
Precious in the eyes of the LORD
is the death of his faithful ones.
I am your servant, the son of your handmaid;
you have loosed my bonds.
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or: R. Alleluia.
My vows to the LORD I will pay
in the presence of all his people.
To you will I offer sacrifice of thanksgiving,
R. I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
or: R. Alleluia.
R/. (13): Ngħolli l-kalċi tas-salvazzjoni,
u isem il-Mulej insejjaħ.
Xi rrodd lill-Mulej
għall-ġid kollu li għamel miegħi?
Ngħolli l-kalċi tas-salvazzjoni,
u isem il-Mulej insejjaħ. R/.
Għażiża f’għajnejn il-Mulej
hi l-mewt tal-ħbieb tiegħu.
Jien qaddej tiegħek, bin il-qaddejja tiegħek.
Int ħallejtli l-irbit tiegħi. R/.
Lilek noffri sagrifiċċju ta’ radd il-ħajr,
u isem il-Mulej insejjaħ.
Intemm lill-Mulej il-wegħdiet tiegħi,
quddiem il-poplu tiegħu kollu. R/.
Reading 2 HEBREWS 9:11-15
Brothers and sisters: When Christ came as high priest of the good things that have come to be, passing through the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made by hands, that is, not belonging to this creation, he entered once for all into the sanctuary, not with the blood of goats and calves but with his own blood, thus obtaining eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the sprinkling of a heifer's ashes can sanctify those who are defiled so that their flesh is cleansed, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to worship the living God. For this reason he is mediator of a new covenant: since a death has taken place for deliverance from transgressions under the first covenant, those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance.
QARI 2 mill-Ittra lil-Lhud 9: 11-15
Ħuti, Kristu ġie bħala l-qassis il-kbir tal-ġid li diġà ġie. Hu daħal minn tinda aqwa u aktar perfetta li mhijiex maħduma b’idejn il-bnedmin, jiġifieri mhijiex ħolqien ta’ din l-art; hu daħal darba għal dejjem fis-Santwarju, mhux bis-saħħa tad-demm tal-mogħoż u tal-għoġiela, imma bis-saħħa ta’ demmu stess, u hekk kiseb fidwa għal dejjem. Jekk id-demm tal-mogħoż u tal-gniedes u l-irmied tal-għoġla mraxxax fuq dawk li huma mniġġsa jista’ jqaddishom billi jagħtihom l-indafa tal-ġisem, kemm aktar id-demm ta’ Kristu, li bl-Ispirtu ta’ dejjem offra lilu nnifsu vittma safja lil Alla, jista’ jnaddaf il-kuxjenza tagħkom mill-għemil mejjet biex taqdu lil Alla ħaj! U għalhekk hu medjatur ta’ patt ġdid, testment ġdid, biex, wara li seħħet il-mewt għall-fidwa tal-ħtijiet li saru fi żmien il-patt ta’ qabel, dawk li huma msejħa minn Alla jiksbu l-wirt ta’ dejjem li hu wegħedhom. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Lo! the angel’s food is given
To the pilgrim who has striven;
see the children’s bread from heaven,
which on dogs may not be spent.
Isaac bound, a victim willing,
Paschal lamb, its lifeblood spilling,
manna to the fathers sent.
Jesu, of your love befriend us,
You refresh us, you defend us,
Your eternal goodness send us
In the land of life to see.
Who on earth such food bestow,
Grant us with your saints, though lowest,
Where the heav’nly feast you show,
Fellow heirs and guests to be. Amen. Alleluia.
SEKWENZA
Dan ħobż l-anġli, magħmul ikel
għall-bnedmin fit-triq tal-ħajja,
ikel bnin għall-ulied kollha,
li m’għandux fix-xejn jintrema.
Bi xbihat kien ilu mħabbar,
f’dik l-offerta ta’ Iżakk,
fil-ħaruf li nqatel fl-Għid,
u fil-manna tad-deżert.
Int ragħaj tajjeb, ħobż tassew,
Ġesù tagħna, ħenn għalina;
int itmagħna u ħarisna:
inti lilna l-ġid urina
fl-art imbierka tal-ħajjin.
Int li taf u tista’ kollox,
li titmagħna hawn f’dil-ħajja,
hemm agħmilna lkoll imsieħba,
f’għaqda waħda lkoll werrieta
mal-qtajjiet tal-qaddisin.
Amen. Hallelujah.
Gospel MARK 14:12-16, 22-26
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, Jesus’ disciples said to him, "Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?" He sent two of his disciples and said to them, "Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him. Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, 'The Teacher says, "Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?"' Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the preparations for us there." The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover. While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, gave it to them, and said, "Take it; this is my body." Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. He said to them, "This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God." Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
EVANĠELJU Qari skond San Mark 14:12-16,22-26
Fl-ewwel jum tal-Ażżmi, meta kienu jissagrifikaw il-ħaruf tal-Għid, id-dixxipli tiegħu qalu lil Ġesù: “Fejn tridna mmorru nħejju biex tiekol l-ikla tal-Għid?”. Imbagħad hu bagħat tnejn mid-dixxipli tiegħu u qalilhom: “Morru l-belt, u tiltaqgħu ma’ raġel iġorr ġarra ilma. Morru warajh, u għidu lil sid id-dar ta’ fejn tarawh dieħel: ‘Qallek l-Imgħallem: Fejn hi l-kamra tiegħi li fiha nista’ niekol l-ikla tal-Għid mad-dixxipli tiegħi?’. U hu jurikom kamra kbira fuq, imgħammra u lesta. Ħejjulna hemmhekk”. U d-dixxipli marru u daħlu fil-belt, u sabu kollox kif kien qalilhom hu; u ħejjew l-ikla tal-Għid. Huma u jieklu, ħa l-ħobż f’idejh, qal il-barka, qasmu, newwilhulhom u qal: “Ħudu, dan hu ġismi”. Imbagħad ħa kalċi f’idejh, radd il-ħajr, u newwilhulhom, u lkoll xorbu minnu. U qalilhom: “Dan huwa demmi, id-demm tal-patt, li jixxerred għal ħafna. Tassew ngħidilkom, li ma nixrobx iżjed mill-frott tad-dielja sa dakinhar li nixrob inbid ġdid fis-Saltna ta’ Alla”. Imbagħad kantaw is-salmi u ħarġu lejn l-Għolja taż-Żebbuġ. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
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An 8-minute Reflection on Sunday's Readings by Fr Anthony Kadavil
Importance:
1) The last two precious gifts given to us by Jesus are the Holy Eucharist as our spiritual food on Holy Thursday and Jesus’ mother Mary as our spiritual mother on Good Friday
2) Corpus Christi is the celebration of the abiding presence of a loving God as Emmanuel – God with us – in order to give collective thanks to our Lord for his living with us in the Eucharist.
3) The feast also gives us an occasion to learn more about the importance and value of the “Real Presence” so that we may appreciate the Sacrament better and receive maximum benefit from the Eucharist
We believe in the “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist because
1) Jesus promised it after miraculously feeding the 5000.
2) Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist during his Last Supper.
3) Jesus commanded his disciples to repeat it in his memory.
4) “Nothing is impossible with God.”
We explain the real presence of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist by “transubstantiation” which means that the substance of the consecrated bread and wine is changed to the substance of the risen Jesus’ glorified Body and Blood by the action of the Holy Spirit, and its accidents (like color, shape, taste etc.), remain the same.
Scripture lessons:
This year’s readings for the Feast emphasize the theme of Covenant blood because the ancient peoples sealed Covenants with the blood of ritually sacrificed animals, and Jesus sealed his New Covenant with his own Blood shed on Calvary. Sunday’s first reading describes how Moses, by sprinkling the blood of a sacrificed animal on the altar and on the people, accepted the Covenant Yahweh proposed and made with His People. In the second reading, St. Paul affirms that Jesus sealed the New Covenant with his own Blood, thereby putting an end to animal sacrifices. Today’s Gospel details how Jesus converted this ancient ritual into a Sacrament and sacrifice. Instead of the lamb’s blood, Jesus offered his own Divine/human Body and Blood, and instead of sprinkling us with blood, Jesus put It into our hands as food and drink: “Take … eat … this IS my Body which will be given up for you” (He did not say “This represents my body”), and “Take … drink …This IS … my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal Covenant, which will be poured out for you many (nor did He say,“This represents my blood…”) for the forgiveness of sins”.
A Sacrament and a sacrifice:
Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist both as a sacramental banquet and a sacrificial offering.
As a Sacrament,
a) the Eucharist is a visible sign that gives us God’s grace and God’s life and,
b) as a Meal, The Eucharist nourishes our souls.
As a Sacrifice, it is
a) the Eucharistic celebration is a re-presentation or re-enactment of Jesus’ sacrifice on Calvary, completed in His Resurrection and Ascension.
b) We offer Jesus’ sacrifice to God the Father for the remission of our sins, using signs and symbols.
Life messages:
1) Let us appreciate the “Real Presence” of Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, by receiving Him with true repentance for our sins, due preparation and reverence.
2) Let us be Christ-bearers and conveyers: By receiving Holy Communion, we become Christ-bearers as Mary was, with the duty of conveying Christ to others at home, in the workplace, and everywhere else, through love, mercy, forgiveness, and humble, self-giving, sacrificial service.
3) Let us offer our lives on the altar along with Jesus’ sacrifice, asking pardon for our sins, expressing gratitude for the blessings we have received and presenting our needs and petitions on the altar.
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