Readings for Sunday, July 7, 2024
Lectionary: 101
L-Erbatax-il Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 EZEKIEL 2:2-5
As the LORD spoke to me, the spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard the one who was speaking say to me: Son of man, I am sending you to the Israelites, rebels who have rebelled against me; they and their ancestors have revolted against me to this very day. Hard of face and obstinate of heart are they to whom I am sending you. But you shall say to them: Thus says the LORD GOD! And whether they heed or resist—for they are a rebellious house— they shall know that a prophet has been among them.
QARI 1 mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Eżekjel 2:2-5
F’dak iż-żmien, daħal fija l-ispirtu u waqqafni fuq riġlejja; u smajt x’kien qiegħed jgħidli. Qalli: “O bniedem, qiegħed nibagħtek għand ulied Iżrael, ġens ta’ nies rashom iebsa, li rvellaw kontra tiegħi; dinbu kontra tiegħi, huma u missirijiethom sal-lum stess. Huma nies wiċċhom sfiq u qalbhom iebsa. Se nibagħtek għandhom, biex tgħidilhom: ‘Dan jgħid Sidi l-Mulej’. Jisimgħu u ma jisimgħux – nies ta’ ras iebsa huma – ħa jkunu jafu li hemm profeta f’nofshom”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
To you I lift up my eyes
who are enthroned in heaven —
As the eyes of servants
are on the hands of their masters.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
As the eyes of a maid
are on the hands of her mistress,
So are our eyes on the LORD, our God,
till he have pity on us.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
Have pity on us, O LORD, have pity on us,
for we are more than sated with contempt;
our souls are more than sated
with the mockery of the arrogant,
with the contempt of the proud.
R. Our eyes are fixed on the Lord, pleading for his mercy.
SALM RESPONSORJALI Salm 122(123):1-2a,2bċd,3-4
R/. (2ċd): Għajnejna lejn il-Mulej, sa ma jkollu ħniena minna.
Lejk nerfa’ għajnejja,
int li tgħammar fis-smewwiet.
Ara, bħal għajnejn il-qaddejja
lejn id sidhom; hekk għajnejna lejn il-Mulej. R/.
Bħal għajnejn il-qaddejja lejn id sidtha;
hekk għajnejna lejn il-Mulej, Alla tagħna,
sa ma jkollu ħniena minna. R/.
Ħenn għalina, Mulej, ħenn għalina,
għax mitmugħa sax-xaba’ bit-tagħjir.
Imxebbgħa għall-aħħar ruħna
biż-żebliħ tal-għonja, bit-tagħjir tal-kburin. R/.
Reading 2 2 CORINTHIANS 12:7-10
Brothers and sisters: That I, Paul, might not become too elated, because of the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, an angel of Satan, to beat me, to keep me from being too elated. Three times I begged the Lord about this, that it might leave me, but he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” I will rather boast most gladly of my weaknesses, in order that the power of Christ may dwell with me. Therefore, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and constraints, for the sake of Christ; for when I am weak, then I am strong.
QARI 2 mit-Tieni Ittra lill-Korintin 12:7-10
Ħuti, biex ma mmurx nintefaħ bija nnifsi minħabba fil-kobor tar-rivelazzjonijiet, tqegħditli xewka f’ġismi, messaġġiera tax-Xitan, biex toqgħod tniggiżni ħalli ma nintefaħx. Fuq hekk tliet darbiet tlabt il-Mulej biex hi titbiegħed minni. Iżda hu weġibni: “Biżżejjed għalik il-grazzja tiegħi; għax il-qawwa tiegħi tidher fl-aqwa tagħha fejn hemm id-dgħajjef”. Għalhekk niftaħar minn qalbi l-aktar bid-debbulizzi tiegħi biex il-qawwa ta’ Kristu tgħammar fija. Mela bil-qalb kollha nitgħaxxaq bid-debbulizzi tiegħi, bit-tagħjir, bl-għaks, bil-persekuzzjonijiet, bid-dwejjaq minħabba Kristu; għax meta nkun dgħajjef, inkun qawwi. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel MARK 6:1-6
Jesus departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, “Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honour except in his native place and among his own kin and in his own house.” So he was not able to perform any mighty deed there, apart from curing a few sick people by laying his hands on them. He was amazed at their lack of faith.
EVANĠELJU Qari skond San Mark 6:1-6
F’dak iż-żmien Ġesù mar lejn pajjiżu u d-dixxipli tiegħu marru miegħu. Meta wasal is-Sibt, daħal jgħallem fis-sinagoga, u l-ħafna li semgħuh bdew jistagħġbu u jgħidu: “Mnejn kisbu dan kollu? U x’inhu dan l-għerf li ngħatalu biex saħansitra qegħdin isiru dawn l-għeġubijiet kbar b’idejh? Dan mhuwiex il-mastrudaxxa bin Marija u ħu Ġakbu u Ġożè u Ġuda u Xmun? U ħutu l-bniet mhumiex hawn magħna?”. U huma skandalizzaw ruħhom minħabba fih. Qalilhom Ġesù: “Ebda profeta ma hu bla ġieħ jekk mhux f’pajjiżu u fost qrabatu u f’daru stess”. U hemmhekk ma sata’ jagħmel ebda miraklu, ħlief li qiegħed idejh fuq ftit morda u fejjaqhom; u baqa’ mistagħġeb bin-nuqqas ta’ fidi tagħhom. U mar idur l-irħula ta’ dawk l-inħawi jgħallem. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
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An 8-minute Reflection on Sunday's Readings by Fr Anthony Kadavil
Introduction:
Sunday’s readings introduce Jesus as a prophet and explain how prophets and other messengers from God inevitably suffer rejection. The readings challenge us to face rejection and hardship with prophetic courage.
Scripture lessons:
The first reading, taken from the book of the prophet Ezekiel, tells us about his call from God to be a prophet. Yahweh warns Ezekiel that he is being sent to obstinate and rebellious Israelites in exile in Babylon. Hence, as God’s prophet, he will have to face rejection and persecution for giving God’s message The reading gives us the warning that, as Christians who accept the Way of Jesus and seek to follow it, we also may face indifference, hostility, contempt, scorn, weakness, hardship, persecution, insults, and rejection.
In the Second reading Paul confesses that God has given him a share in Christ’s suffering – a chronic illness which causes physical suffering — a “thorn in the flesh,” so that he might rely solely on God’s grace in all his work and might glory in the power of the strengthening God Who alone sustains him. The apostle invites us to rise above our own weaknesses and disabilities, cooperating with the grace of God and proclaiming His message by word and example as Paul did.
Today’s Gospel passage, Mark 6:1-6, tells us that the first reaction of the people in the synagogue to Jesus’ words was one of astonishment. Luke says they were “amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.” But in spite of their amazement, many people of Jesus’ hometown of Nazareth did not accept him as a prophet because they “knew” Jesus and the family. They also “knew” that this “son of the carpenter” could not be the promised Messiah because he had not (as far as they knew), come from Bethlehem as a descendant of David’s royal family. They knew Jesus only as a carpenter from a poor family, with no formal training in Mosaic Law.
Jesus’ neighbours did not expect this “carpenter’s son,” to be skilled in interpreting the Scriptures. They also could not understand how a mere carpenter could be their wealthy, powerful, political Messiah who would liberate them from Roman rule and re-establish the Davidic kingdom of power and glory. Besides, they were angry when Jesus not only did not work any miracles in Nazareth but chided them with prophetic courage for their lack of Faith, then left them, going to proclaim God’s message through a preaching, healing ministry to those who would receive it and believe.
Certainly, they thought Jesus had gone far beyond the proper place of a humble carpenter. The apostle John wrote of Christ in John 1:10–11, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.... He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.”
Life message:
Sunday’s Scriptures challenge us to face rejection with prophetic courage and optimism. Very often our friends, families, or childhood companions fail to listen to us and refuse to accept the words of grace, love, and encouragement that we offer to them because they are so familiar with us that they are unable to see us as God’s appointed instruments, the agents of God’s healing and saving grace for them. But we have to face such rejection with prophetic courage because by our Baptism we are called to be prophets like Jesus, sharing Jesus’ prophetic mission.
As prophets, our task is to “speak the truth in love,” and to oppose the evils in our society, refusing to condone or encourage sinful behavior even in our dear ones. Let us also acknowledge, appreciate, and encourage the prophets of our time who stand for Truth and Justice in our society with the wisdom of God in their heads, the power and love of the Holy Spirit in their hearts and words, and the courage of God in their actions.
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