Readings for Sunday, October 6, 2024
Qari tas-Sebgħa u Għoxrin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Reading 1 GENESIS 2:18-24
The LORD God said: "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a suitable partner for him." So the LORD God formed out of the ground various wild animals and various birds of the air, and he brought them to the man to see what he would call them; whatever the man called each of them would be its name. The man gave names to all the cattle, all the birds of the air, and all wild animals; but none proved to be the suitable partner for the man. So the LORD God cast a deep sleep on the man, and while he was asleep, he took out one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The LORD God then built up into a woman the rib that he had taken from the man. When he brought her to the man, the man said: "This one, at last, is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; this one shall be called 'woman, ' for out of 'her man’ this one has been taken." That is why a man leaves his father and mother and clings to his wife, and the two of them become one flesh.
QARI 1 mill-Ktieb tal-Ġenesi 2:18-24
Il-Mulej Alla qal: “Mhux sewwa li l-bniedem jibqa’ waħdu. Ħa nagħmillu għajnuna tgħodd għalih”. U l-Mulej Alla sawwar mill-art annimali selvaġġi u t-tajr kollu tal-ajru, u ġiebhom quddiem il-bniedem biex jara xi jsemmihom; u skont ma jkun il-bniedem semma lil kull ħliqa ħajja, dak ikun isimha. U l-bniedem ta isem lil kull bhima u ’l kull tajra tal-ajru, u ’l kull annimal selvaġġ; imma għall-bniedem ma nstabet ebda għajnuna tgħodd għalih. U l-Mulej Alla tefa’ nagħsa tqila fuq il-bniedem; u dan raqad. U ħadlu waħda minn kustiljih u flokha mlieh bil-laħam. U l-Mulej Alla sawwar il-kustilja, li kien ħa mill-bniedem, f’mara u ġiebha lill-bniedem. Imbagħad il-bniedem qal: “Din id-darba din hi għadma minn għadmi, u laħam minn laħmi, għalhekk tissejjaħ mara,għax mir-raġel ittieħdet hi”. Għalhekk ir-raġel iħalli lil missieru u lil ommu u jingħaqad ma’ martu u jsiru ġisem wieħed. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm PSALM 128:1-2, 3, 4-5, 6
who walk in his ways!
For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;
blessed shall you be, and favored.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine
in the recesses of your home;
your children like olive plants
around your table.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
Behold, thus is the man blessed
who fears the LORD.
The LORD bless you from Zion:
may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem
all the days of your life.
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
May you see your children's children.
Peace be upon Israel!
R. May the Lord bless us all the days of our lives.
R/. (ara 5): Iberikna l-Mulej il-jiem kollha ta’ ħajjitna.
Hieni kull min jibża’ mill-Mulej,
kull min jimxi fit-triqat tiegħu!
Mix-xogħol ta’ jdejk inti tiekol;
hieni int, u riżqek tajjeb! R/.
Martek tkun bħal dielja għammiela
fl-irkejjen ta’ darek;
uliedek bħal xitel taż-żebbuġ
madwar il-mejda tiegħek. R/.
Ara kif ikun imbierek
il-bniedem li jibża’ mill-Mulej!
Ibierkek il-Mulej minn Sijon! R/.
Jalla tara l-ġid ta’ Ġerusalemm
tul ħajtek kollha!
Jalla tara wlied uliedek!
Sliem għal Iżrael! R/.
Reading 2 HEBREWS 2:9-11
Brothers and sisters: He "for a little while" was made "lower than the angels, " that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. For it was fitting that he, for whom and through whom all things exist, in bringing many children to glory, should make the leader to their salvation perfect through suffering. He who consecrates and those who are being consecrated all have one origin. Therefore, he is not ashamed to call them “brothers.”
QARI 2 mill-Ittra lil-Lhud 2:9-11
Ħuti, lil dak li għal ftit taż-żmien kien imniżżel ftit inqas mill-anġli, lil Ġesù, aħna issa qegħdin narawh imżejjen fil-glorja u l-ġieħ minħabba fil-mewt li hu bata, biex, għall-grazzja ta’ Alla, il-mewt li daq tkun għall-ġid ta’ kulħadd. Għax kien jixraq li Alla, li għalih u bih sar kollox, waqt li jwassal ħafna wlied għall-glorja, jagħmel li l-Awtur tas-salvazzjoni tagħhom ikun perfett bis-saħħa tas-sofferenzi. Għax kemm dak li jqaddes, u kemm dawk li jiġu mqaddsin, ilkoll huma mill-istess wieħed. U għalhekk Ġesù ma jistħix isejħilhom ħutu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel MARK 10:2-16 or 10:2-12
The Pharisees approached Jesus and asked, "Is it lawful for a husband to divorce his wife?" They were testing him. He said to them in reply, "What did Moses command you?" They replied, "Moses permitted a husband to write a bill of divorce and dismiss her." But Jesus told them, "Because of the hardness of your hearts he wrote you this commandment. But from the beginning of creation, God made them male and female. For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, no human being must separate." In the house the disciples again questioned Jesus about this. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." And people were bringing children to him that he might touch them, but the disciples rebuked them. When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them, "Let the children come to me; do not prevent them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it." Then he embraced them and blessed them, placing his hands on them.
EVANĠELJU Qari skont San Mark 10:2-16
F’dak iż-żmien, resqu xi Fariżej lejn Ġesù u biex iġarrbuh staqsewh jekk raġel jistax jitlaq lil martu. Weġibhom u qal: “X’ordnalkom Mosè?”. Qalulu: “Mosè ta l-permess li wieħed jagħmel il-kitba tad-divorzju, u jibgħatha”. Imbagħad weġibhom Ġesù: “Minħabba l-ebusija ta’ qalbkom kitbilkom dan l-ordni. Iżda sa mill-bidu tal-ħolqien Alla għamilhom raġel u mara. Għalhekk mela raġel iħalli lil missieru u ’l ommu u jingħaqad ma’ martu, u t-tnejn isiru ġisem wieħed. Għalhekk mhumiex iżjed tnejn, imma ġisem wieħed. Mela dak li għaqqad Alla ma għandux jifirdu l-bniedem”. Xħin daħlu d-dar id-dixxipli reġgħu staqsewh fuq dan, u hu qalilhom: “Min jitlaq lil martu u jiżżewweġ oħra jkun ħati ta’ adulterju kontra l-ewwel waħda; u jekk mara titlaq lil żewġha u tiżżewweġ ieħor tkun ħatja ta’ adulterju”. Ġibulu quddiemu xi tfal ċkejknin biex iberikhom, iżda d-dixxipli tiegħu qabdu jgħajtu magħhom. Ġesù, meta ra hekk, inkorla u qalilhom: “Ħalluhom it-tfal żgħar jiġu għandi; iżżommuhomx, għax ta’ min hu bħalhom hija s-Saltna ta’ Alla. Tassew ngħidilkom, li min is-Saltna ta’ Alla ma jilqagħhiex bħal tifel ċkejken ma jidħolx fiha”. Imbagħad ħaddanhom miegħu u qiegħed idejh fuqhom u berikhom. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
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An 8-minute Reflection on Sunday's Readings by Fr Anthony Kadavil
Introduction:
Today’s Scripture readings are about the bond of love that marriage creates between a man and a woman, a bond that God intends to be permanent. These readings challenge the spouses to practice the fidelity of their ever-faithful God, honouring their holy covenant commitment before Him.
Scripture lessons:
The First Reading, taken from Genesis, explains God’s original plan concerning sex and marriage. It teaches us that God made man and woman for each other. Hence, in marriage they are no longer two but one, united by an unbreakable bond. The reading also describes the institution of marriage and shows that monogamy was God’s intention from the very beginning. The Responsorial Psalm (Ps 128) expands the marital theme of the first reading and the Gospel to include the children born of the union. Since the children enrich the lives of their parents, the Psalmist prays: “May you see your children’s children.”
The Second Reading, taken from the Letter to the Hebrews, reminds us that Jesus became one of us, bone of our bone and flesh of our flesh. As one of us, Jesus “tasted death for everyone.” He was not only the Sacrifice, but also the High Priest. We are now Jesus’ brothers and sisters, bonded with Him, and through Him bonded with God. Thus, Christ became the Saviour of all people – the good, the bad, the divorced, gays, lesbians – everyone, and received all of us as brothers and sisters. Jesus’ prohibition of divorce can be a source of suffering for those who face difficult married lives. Paul suggests that we have to accept pain as Jesus did, as part of the suffering we all have to endure on the way to glory.
Sunday’s Gospel gives Christ’s explicit teaching on marriage and divorce, the Divine origin of marriage, the sacredness of family life, and the indissolubility of marriage. These are difficult messages to preach in a society that embraces co-habitation and ignores both the escalating divorce statistics and the dangerous consequences of divorce. The Gospel teaches that family life is sacred, that husband and wife are partners with equal rights, and that the destruction of the family by divorce is producing the destruction of society.
Life messages:
1) Both spouses need to work hard to create a good marriage: Marriage demands that they should become the right persons for each another as God-given gifts. Marriage is a union based on committed sharing, and forgiving, sacrificial, agape love. It requires many mutual adjustments; much mutual generosity, and great good will, to forgive and ask for forgiveness; sincere cooperation in training children and raising them as practising Catholic Christians; and daily strength from God obtained through personal and family prayers and punctual, at least weekly, participation in the parish liturgy.
2) We need to reach out with Christian sympathy to the divorced and to troubled families. The parish community needs to accept these brothers and sisters with respect, compassion, sensitivity, love, and support, sharing the depth of their pain from a failed, or failing, marriage. The Church cannot sanction a second marriage for either spouse unless the previous marriage has been declared annulled by the Diocesan Marriage Tribunal. In the meantime, “…they should be encouraged to listen to the Word of God, to attend the Sacrifice of the Mass, to persevere in prayer, to bring up their children in the Christian Faith” (CCC #1651).
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