Readings for Sunday, August 18, 2024
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 119
l-Għoxrin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 PROVERBS 9:1-6
Wisdom has built her house, she has set up her seven columns; she has dressed her meat, mixed her wine, yes, she has spread her table. She has sent out her maidens; she calls from the heights out over the city: "Let whoever is simple turn in here; To the one who lacks understanding, she says, Come, eat of my food, and drink of the wine I have mixed! Forsake foolishness that you may live; advance in the way of understanding."
QARI 1 mill-Ktieb tal-Proverbji 9:1-6
L-għerf bena d-dar tiegħu, waqqaf is-seba’ kolonni tagħha; qatel il-bhejjem imsemmna, ħejja l-inbid u l-mejda tiegħu. U bagħat il-qaddejja jxandru l-istedina minn fuq l-imkejjen għolja tal-belt: “Min hu ċkejken ħa jiġi għandi!”. U lil min hu bla moħħ jgħidlu: “Ejjew, kulu l-ħobż tiegħi u ixorbu l-inbid li ħejjejt għalikom. Warrbu l-bluhat tagħkom, u tgħixu, u timxu ’l quddiem fl-għaqal”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
R. (9a) Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
I will bless the LORD at all times;
his praise shall be ever in my mouth.
Let my soul glory in the LORD;
the lowly will hear me and be glad.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Glorify the LORD with me,
let us together extol his name.
I sought the LORD, and he answered me
and delivered me from all my fears.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
Look to him that you may be radiant with joy,
and your faces may not blush with shame.
When the poor one called out, the LORD heard,
and from all his distress he saved him.
R. Taste and see the goodness of the Lord.
SALM RESPONSORJALI Salm 33(34):2-3,10-11,12-13,14-15
R/. (9a): Ippruvaw u taraw kemm hu tajjeb il-Mulej.
Kull ħin inbierek il-Mulej;
tifħiru dejjem fuq fommi.
Bil-Mulej tiftaħar ruħi;
jisimgħu l-fqajrin u jifirħu. R/.
Ibżgħu mill-Mulej, qaddisin tiegħu;
xejn ma jonqsu min jibża’ minnu.
Is-setgħana jiftaqru u jbatu l-ġuħ;
min ifittex lill-Mulej xejn ma jkun jonqsu. R/.
Ejjew, uliedi, isimgħu lili;
jiena l-biża’ tal-Mulej ngħallimkom.
Min hu l-bniedem li jħobb il-ħajja,
u jixtieq jara għomru kollu riżq? R/.
Ħares ilsienek mill-ħażen,
u xufftejk minn kliem il-qerq.
Tbiegħed mill-ħażen u agħmel it-tajjeb,
fittex is-sliem u imxi warajh. R/.
Reading 2 EPHESIANS 5:15-20
Brothers and sisters: Watch carefully how you live, not as foolish persons but as wise, making the most of the opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore, do not continue in ignorance, but try to understand what is the will of the Lord. And do not get drunk on wine, in which lies debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts, giving thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father.
QARI 2 mill-Ittra lill-Efesin 5:15-20
Ħuti, qisu sewwa kif iġġibu ruħkom, mhux bħal nies bla dehen, iżda bħal nies għorrief, li jgħożżu ż-żmien, għaliex ħżiena huma l-jiem. Għalhekk tkunux bla għaqal, imma fittxu x’inhi r-rieda tal-Mulej. U tiskrux bl-inbid, li fih hemm ħajja bla lġiem, iżda mtlew bl-Ispirtu. Kantaw flimkien salmi, innijiet u għana spiritwali; kantaw u għannu minn qalbkom lill-Mulej. Roddu dejjem ħajr għal kollox lil Alla u l-Missier, f’isem Sidna Ġesù Kristu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel JOHN 6:51-58
Jesus said to the crowds: "I am the living bread that came down from heaven; whoever eats this bread will live forever; and the bread that I will give Is my flesh for the life of the world." The Jews quarreled among themselves, saying, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" Jesus said to them, "Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever."
EVANĠELJU Qari skond San Ġwann 6:51-58
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù qal lin-nies: “Jiena hu l-ħobż il-ħaj, li niżel mis-sema. Jekk xi ħadd jiekol minn dan il-ħobż jgħix għal dejjem. U l-ħobż li jiena nagħti huwa ġismi għall-ħajja tad-dinja”. Fuq hekk il-Lhud tlewmu bejniethom, u bdew jgħidu: “Kif jista’ dan jagħtina ġismu biex nikluh?”. Ġesù mela qalilhom: “Tassew tassew ngħidilkom, jekk ma tiklux il-ġisem ta’ Bin il-bniedem u ma tixorbux demmu, ma jkollkomx il-ħajja fikom. Min jiekol ġismi u jixrob demmi għandu l-ħajja ta’ dejjem, u jiena nqajmu mill-imwiet fl-aħħar jum. Għax ġismi huwa tassew ikel, u demmi hu tassew xorb. Min jiekol ġismi u jixrob demmi jibqa’ fija u jiena fih. Bħalma bagħatni l-Missier, li hu ħaj, u jiena ngħix b’Missieri, hekk ukoll min jiekol lili, hu wkoll jgħix bija. Dan huwa l-ħobż li niżel mis-sema; mhuwiex bħal dak li kielu missirijietkom u mietu; min jiekol dan il-ħobż jgħix għal dejjem”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
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An 8-minute Reflection on Sunday's Readings by Fr Anthony Kadavil
WISDOM AND THE SACRAMENT OF THE EUCHARIST
Introduction:
Sunday's readings stress the fact that the Holy Eucharist, the perfect fulfillment of the symbol of the manna of the Old Testament, is the Food that gives us life forever. In last Sunday’s Gospel, Jesus declared that the Bread he gives is his Flesh. This Sunday, Jesus asserts that to eat this Bread is to have eternal life.
Scripture lessons:
In today’s first reading, taken from the Book of Proverbs, Lady Wisdom, representing God, offers wisdom and understanding in the form of a rich banquet to all those who are willing to heed her invitation. The early Christians often identified Jesus as the Wisdom of God. They regarded the Eucharist as Wisdom’s banquet, where they shared in the Divine Wisdom now Incarnate in Jesus.
The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 34), thanks God for His providential care and His close association with His people, and invites all to “taste and see the goodness of the Lord.” In the second reading, Paul advises the Gentile Christians to show their gratitude to God for calling them, along with the Jews, to Christianity, and for giving them a share in Christ’s life. They will be able to receive this life by avoiding their former foolish ways, like getting drunk on wine. Instead, they are to be Spirit-filled with their talk edifying, always trying to discern and do the will of God.
In Sunday’s Gospel passage, Jesus asserts that eating the Living Bread, himself, allows us to participate in his life and to grow here and now in our eternal life with God. Jesus emphasizes the eternal-life dimensions of eating his Body and drinking his Blood – that those who have faith in Jesus and do so have already stepped into Heaven in this life, sharing in God’s own life and therefore in eternal life. Our participation in the Eucharist also concretizes and energizes our relationship with Christ and with one another. When we share in the Body and Blood of Christ in the Holy Eucharist, Jesus himself comes to dwell within us. This communion with the Lord makes us one Body, brings us eternal life, and sends us forth to be Christ’s Body for the life of the world.
Life messages:
# 1: We need to allow our body to be broken and our blood to be shed for others as Jesus did. That is why, at the end of the Mass, we are sent out to announce the Gospel of the Lord by our humble service and exemplary lives, radiating Jesus’ love, mercy, forgiveness and spirit of service all around us. Let us say with Jesus, “This is my body, given over for you” and “This is my blood, poured out for you,“ and live out these words by living for others.
#2: We need to keep the hunger and thirst for God alive in our hearts: Every human being is blessed at creation with an insatiable longing for God. We want God as our Father to hold us gently in His arms, keeping us safe throughout the dangers we face. But often we use substitutes as an escape from that need: fast living, fast-food, fast cars, needless luxuries, unrestricted sexual fulfillment. We demand the right to do whatever we want to do whenever we want. But let us remember the truth that unless we keep the hunger for God strong in our hearts, we will eventually realize the emptiness of our lives without Him.
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