Readings for Sunday, July 14, 2024
Lectionary: 104
Qari tal-Ħmistax-il Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 AMOS 7:12-15
Amaziah, priest of Bethel, said to Amos, “Off with you, visionary, flee to the land of Judah! There earn your bread by prophesying, but never again prophesy in Bethel; for it is the king’s sanctuary and a royal temple.” Amos answered Amaziah, “I was no prophet, nor have I belonged to a company of prophets; I was a shepherd and a dresser of sycamores. The LORD took me from following the flock, and said to me, Go, prophesy to my people Israel.”
QARI 1 mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Għamos 7, 12-15
F’dak iż-żmien, Amasija, qassis ta’ Betel, qal lil Għamos: “Mur, bniedem veġġenti, itlaq lejn l-art ta’ Ġuda, u ħobżok kulu hemm, u ħabbar hemm; u tkomplix iżjed tħabbar ġo Betel, għaliex Betel santwarju tas-sultan, it-tempju tas-saltna”. Wieġeb imbagħad Għamos u qal lil Amasija: “Jien m’iniex profeta, lanqas bin profeta; jiena biss ragħaj u niżbor il-ġummajż. Iżda l-Mulej qabadni minn wara l-merħla, u l-Mulej qalli: Mur, ħabbar lill-poplu tiegħi, Iżrael”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 85:9-10, 11-12, 13-14
the LORD —for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory dwelling in our land.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
Kindness and truth shall meet;
justice and peace shall kiss.
Truth shall spring out of the earth,
and justice shall look down from heaven.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
The LORD himself will give his benefits;
our land shall yield its increase.
Justice shall walk before him,
and prepare the way of his steps.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
SALM RESPONSORJALI Salm 84 (85), 9ab-10. 11-12. 13-14
R/. (8): Uri lilna, Mulej, it-tjieba tiegħek, u s-salvazzjoni tiegħek agħtina
Ħa nisma’ xi jgħid Alla;
il-Mulej is-sliem ixandar.
Qrib hi tassew is-salvazzjoni tiegħu
għal dawk li jibżgħu minnu,
biex jgħammar is-sebħ f’artna. R/.
It-tjieba u l-fedeltà jiltaqgħu,
il-ġustizzja u s-sliem jitbewsu.
Il-fedeltà mill-art tinbet,
u l-ġustizzja mis-sema tixref. R/.
Il-Mulej ukoll jagħti l-ġid tiegħu,
u artna tagħti l-frott tagħha.
Il-ġustizzja quddiemu timxi,
u s-sliem fuq il-passi tiegħu. R/.
Reading 2 EPHESIANS 1:3-14 or 1:3-10
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens, as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before him. In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ, in accord with the favor of his will, for the praise of the glory of his grace that he granted us in the beloved. In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us. In all wisdom and insight, he has made known to us the mystery of his will in accord with his favour that he set forth in him as a plan for the fullness of times, to sum up all things in Christ, in heaven and on earth. In him we were also chosen, destined in accord with the purpose of the One who accomplishes all things according to the intention of his will, so that we might exist for the praise of his glory, we who first hoped in Christ. In him you also, who have heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and have believed in him, were sealed with the promised holy Spirit, which is the first instalment of our inheritance toward redemption as God’s possession, to the praise of his glory.
QARI 2 mill-Ittra lill-Efesin 1, 3-14
Imbierek Alla u Missier Sidna Ġesù Kristu, li berikna b’kull xorta ta’ barka spiritwali, fis-smewwiet fi Kristu. Hekk hu għażilna fih, sa minn qabel il-ħolqien tad-dinja, biex inkunu qaddisa u bla tebgħa quddiemu fl-imħabba. Iddestinana minn qabel li nkunu għalih ulied adottivi permezz ta’ Ġesù Kristu; hekk għoġob lir-rieda tajba tiegħu, għat-tifħir tal-glorja tal-grazzja tiegħu, li biha mliena fil-Maħbub tiegħu. Fih aħna għandna l-fidwa bid-demm tiegħu, il-maħfra tad-dnubiet, skont l-għana tal-grazzja tiegħu. Biha fawwarna fl-għerf u l-għaqal kollu. Hu għarrafna l-misteru tar-rieda tiegħu; il-pjan li għoġbu jfassal fih minn qabel, u li kellu jseħħ meta tasal il-milja taż-żminijiet; jiġifieri, li kollox jinġabar taħt Ras waħda, li hu Kristu, kulma hu fis-sema u kulma hu fl-art. Fih aħna wkoll konna magħżula, iddestinati minn qabel, skont il-pjan imfassal minn qabel minn min imexxi kollox skont il-fehma tar-rieda tiegħu, sabiex inkunu għat-tifħir tal-glorja tiegħu, aħna, li, sa minn qabel, konna nittamaw fi Kristu. U fih intom ukoll smajtu l-Kelma tal-Verità, l-Evanġelju tas-salvazzjoni tagħkom, u emmintu fiha. Kontu ssiġillati bl-Ispirtu s-Santu li kien imwiegħed; li hu r-rahan tal-wirt tagħna sakemm għadna nistennew il-fidwa sħiħa tal-Poplu li Alla kiseb għalih, għat-tifħir tal-glorja tiegħu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Gospel MARK 6:7-13
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two and gave them authority over unclean spirits. He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick— no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic. He said to them, “Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave. Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you, leave there and shake the dust off your feet in testimony against them.” So they went off and preached repentance. The Twelve drove out many demons, and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
EVANĠELJU Qari skond San Mark 6, 7-13
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù sejjaħ it-Tnax, u beda jibgħathom tnejn tnejn, filwaqt li tahom is-setgħa fuq l-ispirti ħżiena. U wissiehom biex ma jieħdu xejn magħhom għat-triq ħlief ħatar: la ħobż, la ħorġa, lanqas flus fi ħżiemhom; imma li jilbsu l-qrieq u ma jxiddux żewġ ilbiesi. Qalilhom: “Fejn tidħlu f’xi dar, ibqgħu fiha sa ma titilqu minn hemmhekk. U jekk xi post ma jilqagħkomx u ma jisimgħukomx, itilqu minn hemm u farfru t-trab minn taħt saqajkom bħala xhieda kontrihom”. Ħarġu mela jxandru biex in-nies jindmu; u keċċew bosta xjaten, u dilku ħafna morda biż-żejt u fejquhom. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
/////////////////////////////////////////////// An 8-minute Reflection on Sunday's Readings by Fr Anthony Kadavil
Introduction:
Sunday’s readings remind us of our Divine adoption as God’s children and of our call to preach the Good News of Jesus by bearing witness to God’s love, mercy, and salvation, as revealed through Jesus: “God chose us in Christ before the foundation of the world.” (Eph 1:4).
Scripture lessons summarized:
The first reading (Am 7:12-15), warns us that our witnessing mission will be rejected, as happened to the Old Testament prophets like Amos. He was ordered by Amaziah, the angry chief priest serving in the Northern Kingdom of Israel at Bethel, to take his prophesying back to his own country, the Southern Kingdom of Judah. Amos defended his prophetic role with courage, clarifying that it was not his, but God’s choice to elevate him from a shepherd and tree-dresser to a prophet. Like Amos, we are chosen by God, through the mystery of Divine adoption in Jesus, to become missionaries and to preach the “Good News,” mainly by Christian witnessing.
The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 85) Refrain has us begging God for that Salvation, singing “Lord, let us see Your Kindness, and grant us Your Salvation.”
In the second reading (Eph 1:3-14), St. Paul explains the blessings that we have received through our Baptism and the responsibility we have to become missionaries. Then Paul reveals the Divine secret that it is God’s eternal plan to extend salvation, through Jesus, to all mankind — first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. Hence, the Jewish and the Gentile Christians need to love, help, and respect one another, and thus, to proclaim Jesus, giving true witness to him by their lives.
In today’s Gospel (Mk 6:1-13),the evangelist tells the story of Jesus’ commissioning of the twelve apostles to preach the “Good News” of repentance, forgiveness of sins, liberation, and salvation through Jesus. Just as God sent the prophet Amos to preach repentance to ancient Israel and St. Paul to preach the Good News of salvation to the Gentiles, so Jesus sends forth the Twelve to proclaim the Good News of God’s Kingdom and to bring healing to those who need it most. Today’s Gospel reports the instruction Jesus gave the apostles for their first mission. They are to be walking illustrations of God’s love and providence in action. They are to preach repentance — a change of heart and a change of action taking people from a self-centred life to a God-centred life.
Life Messages:
# 1): We, too, have a witnessing mission: We are called to be witnessing disciples and evangelizing apostles. As witnessing disciples, we need to follow, imitate, reflect, and radiate only Jesus. As apostles, we need to evangelize the world by sharing with others our experience of God and His Son, Jesus, by proclaiming Jesus’ Gospel and promised salvation through our transparent Christian lives and words, radiating the love, mercy, forgiveness, spirit of humble service and concern of Jesus to the people around us.
# 2): We also have the liberating mission of helping to free people from the demons of nicotine, alcohol, drugs, gambling, pornography, promiscuous sex, hatred, jealousy, racial prejudice, and consumerism. We need the help of Jesus to liberate both ourselves and others from these things.
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