Readings for Sunday, September 22, 2024
Twenty-sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 137
Is-Sitta u Għoxrin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 BOOK OF NUMBERS 11:25-29
The LORD came down in the cloud and spoke to Moses. Taking some of the spirit that was on Moses, the LORD bestowed it on the seventy elders; and as the spirit came to rest on them, they prophesied. Now two men, one named Eldad and the other Medad, were not in the gathering but had been left in the camp. They too had been on the list, but had not gone out to the tent; yet the spirit came to rest on them also, and they prophesied in the camp. So, when a young man quickly told Moses, "Eldad and Medad are prophesying in the camp, " Joshua, son of Nun, who from his youth had been Moses' aide, said, "Moses, my lord, stop them." But Moses answered him, "Are you jealous for my sake? Would that all the people of the LORD were prophets! Would that the LORD might bestow his spirit on them all!"
QARI 1 mill-Ktieb tan-Numri 11:25-29
F’dak iż-żmien, il-Mulej niżel fi sħaba jkellem lil Mosè, u ħa mill-ispirtu li kellu fih, u tah lis-sebgħin xiħ; u ġara li, hekk kif l-ispirtu qagħad fuqhom, bdew jipprofetizzaw, imma ma ssuktawx. Issa fil-kamp kien baqa’ żewġt irġiel, wieħed jismu Eldad u l-ieħor Medad, u fuqhom ukoll niżel l-ispirtu. Hekk dawn ġew magħduda mal-magħżulin għax, għalkemm ma marrux fit-tinda, bdew jipprofetizzaw fil-kamp. Dlonk mar wieħed żagħżugħ jgħarraf b’dan lil Mosè, u qallu: “Eldad u Medad qegħdin jipprofetizzaw fil-kamp”. U Ġożwè bin Nun, li minn ċkunitu kien qaddej ta’ Mosè, qabad u qal: “Sidi Mosè, tħallihomx aktar”. Iżda Mosè wieġbu: “Jaqaw qiegħed tgħir minħabba fija? Jalla l-poplu tal-Mulej ikun kollu profeti, u jalla l-Mulej iqiegħed fuqhom l-ispirtu tiegħu!”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 19:8, 10, 12-13, 14
refreshing the soul;
the decree of the LORD is trustworthy,
giving wisdom to the simple.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
The fear of the LORD is pure,
enduring forever;
the ordinances of the LORD are true,
all of them just.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
Though your servant is careful of them,
very diligent in keeping them,
yet who can detect failings?
Cleanse me from my unknown faults!
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
From wanton sin especially, restrain your servant;
let it not rule over me.
Then shall I be blameless and innocent
of serious sin.
R. The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart.
SALM RESPONSORJALI Salm 18(19):8,10,12-13,14
R/.(9a): Il-preċetti tal-Mulej dritti, u jferrħu l-qalb.
Il-liġi tal-Mulej perfetta,
u tagħti l-ħajja;
ix-xhieda tal-Mulej hi sewwa,
u tgħallem lil min ma jafx. R/.
Il-biża’ tal-Mulej sinċier,
u jibqa’ għal dejjem;
il-ġudizzji tal-Mulej sewwa,
u mseddqa għalkollox. R/.
Fehemhom sewwa l-qaddej tiegħek;
ħlas tajjeb għandu min iħarishom.
In-nuqqas min jista’ jagħrfu?
Minn dak li ma nafx bih saffini. R/.
Mill-kburija wkoll ħares il-qaddej tiegħek,
tħalliha qatt taħkimni.
Imbagħad inkun bla ħtija
u ħieles minn dnub kbir. R/.
Reading 2 JAMES 5:1-6
Come now, you rich, weep and wail over your impending miseries. Your wealth has rotted away, your clothes have become moth-eaten, your gold and silver have corroded, and that corrosion will be a testimony against you; it will devour your flesh like a fire. You have stored up treasure for the last days. Behold, the wages you withheld from the workers who harvested your fields are crying aloud; and the cries of the harvesters have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts. You have lived on earth in luxury and pleasure; you have fattened your hearts for the day of slaughter. You have condemned; you have murdered the righteous one; he offers you no resistance.
QARI 2 mill-Ittra ta’ San Ġakbu Appostlu 5:1-6
Ejjew issa, intom il-għonja, ibku u ixhru fuq l-għawġ li ġej fuqkom! Ġidkom tħassar, ħwejjiġkom kilithomlkom il-kamla. Id-deheb u l-fidda tagħkom rabbew is-sadid, u s-sadid tagħkom għad jixhed kontra tagħkom u jiklilkom ġisimkom bħan-nar. Ħżintu l-ġid fl-aħħar jiem! Ara, il-ħlas tal-ħaddiema li ħasdu l-għelieqi tagħkom – ħlas li intom żammejtuhulhom bil-qerq – qiegħed jgħajjat kontra tagħkom, u l-biki ta’ dawk li ħasdu wasal f’widnejn il-Mulej tal-eżerċti. Fuq l-art għextu fix-xalar u l-lussu; qgħadtu tissemmnu għall-jum tal-qatla. Intom ikkundannajtu l-ġust, qtiltuh għax ma jistax jiqfilkom! Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel MARK 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
At that time, John said to Jesus, "Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name, and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us." Jesus replied, "Do not prevent him. There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name who can at the same time speak ill of me. For whoever is not against us is for us. Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink because you belong to Christ, amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward. "Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were put around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed than with two hands to go into Gehenna, into the unquenchable fire. And if your foot causes you to sin, cut if off. It is better for you to enter into life crippled than with two feet to be thrown into Gehenna. And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. Better for you to enter into the kingdom of God with one eye than with two eyes to be thrown into Gehenna, where 'their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched.'"
EVANĠELJU Qari skont San Mark 9:38-43,45,47-48
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġwanni qal lil Ġesù: “Mgħallem, wieħed raġel, li s-soltu ma jkunx magħna, rajnieh ikeċċi x-xjaten f’ismek u ridna nżommuh, għax hu mhuwiex wieħed minn tagħna”. Imma Ġesù qal: “La żżommuhx, le, għax ma hemm ħadd li se jagħmel miraklu f’ismi u mbagħad malajr se jkollu ħila jgħid kontra tiegħi. Għax min mhuwiex kontra tagħna, huwa magħna. Min jagħtikom tazza ilma x’tixorbu għax intom tal-Messija, ngħidilkom is-sewwa li ma jibqax mingħajr il-ħlas tiegħu. Imma min jagħti skandlu lil wieħed minn dawn iċ-ċkejknin li jemmnu fija, ikun jaqbillu jekk jorbtulu ma’ għonqu ġebla tat-tħin minn dawk li jdawru l-ħmir u jixħtuh fil-baħar. U jekk idek hija għalik okkażjoni ta’ dnub, aqtagħha barra; jaħbatlek aħjar li tidħol b’id waħda fil-ħajja, milli tmur b’idejk it-tnejn fl-infern, fin-nar li ma jintefiex. U jekk riġlek hu għalik okkażjoni ta’ dnub, aqtgħu barra; jaħbatlek aħjar li tidħol b’riġel wieħed fil-ħajja, milli tinxteħet b’riġlejk it-tnejn fl-infern. U jekk għajnek hi għalik okkażjoni ta’ dnub, aqlagħha barra; jaħbatlek aħjar li tidħol b’għajn waħda fis-Saltna ta’ Alla milli tinxteħet b’għajnejk it-tnejn fl-infern, fejn id-dud tagħhom ma jmutx u fejn in-nar ma jintefiex”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
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An 8-minute Reflection on Sunday's Readings by Fr Anthony Kadavil
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THE DANGER OF ALLOWING SIN INTO YOUR LIFE
Introduction:
Sunday’s Scripture readings give us a strong warning against jealousy, intolerance, and giving scandal.
Scripture lessons summarized:
In the first reading, we find jealousy, in its destructive form of envy, raising its ugly head in Moses’ assistant and successor, Joshua. Moses and seventy future helpers were called by the Lord God to the Tent of Meeting for the Spirit-giving Ordination ceremony. But two of the invitees were absent, and Joshua could not tolerate these absent men prophesying in the camp without receiving God’s Spirit in the Tent of Meeting. Moses had to instruct Joshua to be tolerant. This selection is intended to provide a Biblical background for Jesus’ response to the same kind of jealousy apparent in the apostles.
The Refrain for today’s Responsorial Psalm (Ps 19), “The precepts of the Lord give joy to the heart,” reminds us that obedience to the spirit of the Law will draw us closer to God and so give us lasting joy. In the second reading, James warns the rich against giving scandal by their denial of social justice to their workers in refusing to give them a living wage, by ignoring the needs of others, and by condemning and murdering the innocent, and the righteous. Withholding a day-labourer’s wage was a terrible act of injustice, tantamount to murder in the agricultural economy of the ancient Middle East. Baptism commits every Christian to work for social justice through peaceable, rather than violent, means.
In the Gospel, we find intolerance among the apostles of Christ. John complains to Jesus that a man outside their group of selected disciples has been exorcising demons in Jesus’ Name, despite their attempt to prevent him from doing so. Jesus responds by giving the Apostles lessons in his own kind of tolerance and in the reward to be given to outsiders for good deeds they have done for the apostles because they are the disciples of Jesus.
We also hear the strong warning of Jesus against giving scandal, especially to innocent children, to vulnerable members of the community, and to beginners in the Faith. Jesus instructs the Apostles, and us, that, just as a doctor might remove by surgery a limb or some part of the body to preserve the life of the whole body, so we must be ready to part with anything that causes us, or others, to sin and so leads to spiritual death.
Life messages:
#1): Let us avoid conduct that can lead to giving scandal. We give scandal and become stumbling blocks to others: a) when we are unkind or unjust in our treatment of them; b) when we humiliate them by hurting their pride and damaging their self-image; c) when we discourage, ignore, or refuse to accept them; and d) when we become judgmental about those who are still struggling to reach a level of commitment that we feel is too low to be useful.
#2): Let us learn the Christian virtue of tolerance: Christian tolerance asks that we bear with the weaknesses of others (without condoning the evil they do), by:
a) remaining true to our conscience and beliefs;
b) respecting the differences we encounter;
c) working together on projects of common interest;
d) affirming what is good in the other person’s position, even when we disagree on certain things; and
e) allowing the light of Christ to shine through our loving words and deeds.
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