Readings for Sunday, August 31, 2025
Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 126
Reading 1 Sirach 3:17-18, 20, 28-29
My child, conduct your affairs with humility, and you will be loved more than a giver of gifts. Humble yourself the more, the greater you are, and you will find favor with God. What is too sublime for you, seek not, into things beyond your strength search not. The mind of a sage appreciates proverbs, and an attentive ear is the joy of the wise. Water quenches a flaming fire, and alms atone for sins.
QARI 1 mill-Ktieb ta’ Bin Sirak 3:17-20,28-29
Ibni, kun ġwejjed fix-xogħol li tagħmel, u tkun maħbub iktar minn wieħed milqugħ min-nies. Akbar m’int, iktar għandek iċċekken ruħek, u ssib grazzja quddiem il-Mulej. Ħafna huma l-imkabbrin u l-imsebbħin, imma l-Mulej jikxef lill-umli l-misteri tiegħu. Għax kbira hi s-setgħa tal-Mulej, imma hu msebbaħ min-nies umli. M’hemmx duwa għall-bniedem kollu kburija, għax din ħaxixa ħażina b’għeruqha mxenxla fih. Min għandu l-għerf jifhem il-proverbji u l-għaref ħerqan li jkollu min jisimgħu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 68:4-5, 6-7, 10-11
they are glad and rejoice.
Sing to God, chant praise to his name;
whose name is the LORD.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
The father of orphans and the defender of widows
is God in his holy dwelling.
God gives a home to the forsaken;
he leads forth prisoners to prosperity.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
A bountiful rain you showered down, O God, upon your inheritance;
you restored the land when it languished;
your flock settled in it;
in your goodness, O God, you provided it for the needy.
R. God, in your goodness, you have made a home for the poor.
SALM RESPONSORJALI Salm 67(68):4-5aċ,6-7ab,10-11
R/. (ara 11b) O Alla, int ħejjejt dar għall-fqajjar.
Il-ġusti jithennew quddiem Alla,
jifirħu u jaqbżu bil-ferħ.
Għannu lil Alla, faħħru ismu.
Tgħaxxqu fil-Mulej, aqbżu bil-ferħ quddiemu. R/.
Missier l-iltiema u difensur tar-romol,
hekk hu Alla fl-għamara mqaddsa tiegħu.
Alla jagħti d-dar lil dawk li huma weħidhom,
u lill-ħabsin bir-riżq joħroġhom. R/.
Xita bil-kotra inti bgħatt, o Alla, fuq l-art, wirt tiegħek,
u meta kienet bil-għatx inti ħjejtha.
Il-poplu tiegħek għammar fiha,
fi tjubitek, o Alla, għall-fqajjar ħejjejtha. R/.
Reading 2 Hebrews 12:18-19, 22-24a
Brothers and sisters: You have not approached that which could be touched and a blazing fire and gloomy darkness and storm and a trumpet blast and a voice speaking words such that those who heard begged that no message be further addressed to them. No, you have approached Mount Zion and the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and countless angels in festal gathering, and the assembly of the firstborn enrolled in heaven, and God the judge of all, and the spirits of the just made perfect, and Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and the sprinkled blood that speaks more eloquently than that of Abel.
QARI 2 mill-Ittra lil-Lhud 12:18-19,22-24a
Ħuti, intom ma rsaqtux lejn in-nar materjali u jħeġġeġ tas-Sinaj; lejn dak is-swied u d-dlam u r-riefnu; lejn dak id-daqq ta’ tromba u ħoss ta’ kliem li dawk li kienu jisimgħuh talbu bil-ħerqa biex ma jkellimhomx aktar. Imma intom ersaqtu lejn il-muntanja ta’ Sijon u lejn il-belt ta’ Alla l-ħaj, li hi Ġerusalemm tas-sema; ersaqtu lejn eluf ta’ anġli f’ġemgħa ferrieħa; lejn il-ġemgħa tal-ulied ewlenin li isimhom hu miktub fis-sema; lejn Alla l-imħallef ta’ kulħadd; lejn l-erwieħ ta’ nies tajba u perfetti; lejn Ġesù l-medjatur ta’ patt ġdid. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel Luke 14:1, 7-14
On a sabbath Jesus went to dine at the home of one of the leading Pharisees, and the people there were observing him carefully. He told a parable to those who had been invited, noticing how they were choosing the places of honour at the table. "When you are invited by someone to a wedding banquet, do not recline at table in the place of honour. A more distinguished guest than you may have been invited by him, and the host who invited both of you may approach you and say, 'Give your place to this man,' and then you would proceed with embarrassment to take the lowest place. Rather, when you are invited, go and take the lowest place so that when the host comes to you he may say, 'My friend, move up to a higher position.' Then you will enjoy the esteem of your companions at the table. For every one who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted." Then he said to the host who invited him, "When you hold a lunch or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or your wealthy neighbours, in case they may invite you back and you have repayment. Rather, when you hold a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind; blessed indeed will you be because of their inability to repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."
EVANĠELJU Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Luqa Lq 14:1,7-14
Darba, kien is-Sibt, Ġesù daħal għand wieħed mill-kapijiet tal-Fariżej biex jiekol għandu, u huma qagħdu għajnejhom fih. Billi ra b’għajnejh kif il-mistednin bdew jagħżlu l-postijiet ta’ quddiem fil-mejda, qalilhom din il-parabbola: “Meta wieħed jistiednek għal xi festa ta’ tieġ, tmurx toqgħod fil-post ta’ quddiem, li ma jkunx hemm xi mistieden aqwa minnek, u dak li jkun stieden lilek u lilu jiġi fuqek jgħidlek: ‘Agħti l-post lil dan’, u int imbagħad, b’regħxa ta’ mistħija fuqek, ikollok tieħu l-post tal-aħħar. Għall-kuntrarju, meta tkun mistieden, mur inxteħet fil-post tal-aħħar, biex meta jiġi dak li stiednek jgħidlek: ‘Ħabib, itla’ f’post aktar ’il fuq’. U dan ikun ta’ ġieħ għalik quddiem dawk kollha li jkunu fil-mejda miegħek. Għax kull min jitkabbar, jiċċekken; u min jiċċekken, jitkabbar”. Imbagħad qal ukoll lil dak li kien stiednu: “Meta tagħti ikla jew pranzu, tistedinx lil ħbiebek jew lil ħutek jew lil qrabatek, u anqas ġirien għonja, għax għandhom mnejn imbagħad jistiednu lilek huma, u hekk iroddulek il-pjaċir li tkun għamiltilhom. Għall-kuntrarju, meta tagħmel ikla, stieden il-foqra, il-magħtubin, iz-zopop u l-għomja, u hieni int, għax dawn ma għandhomx minn fejn iroddulek pjaċir bi pjaċir, imma jroddhulek Alla meta l-ġusti jqumu għall-ħajja”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
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An 8-minute Reflection on Sunday's Readings by Fr Anthony Kadavil
Introduction:
The common theme of next Sunday’s readings is the importance practicing humility and avoiding self-glorification or pride.
1) Humility enables us first to accept others as God’s children, our brothers and sisters, redeemed by the blood of Jesus.
2) Humility also encourages us to offer them loving and sacrificial service through acts of charity, mercy and forgiveness.
3) Humility enables us to accept ourselves as we are before God, with all our defects and demerits.
4) Humility also prompts us to be thankful to God for giving us blessings, talents, and capabilities, for our own use, for serving our brothers and sisters and so for giving Him glory and for strengthening us every day by His grace.
5) It is humility which opens our eyes, ears, hearts and minds to the poor, the needy, the disadvantaged, and the marginalized people in our society, thus practicing Christ’s option for the poor. Sunday’s Gospel teaches us that we must act with humility and see ourselves as the servants of the community rather than those whom the community might feel honored to serve
Scripture lessons:
The first reading, taken from the book of Sirach, reminds us that if we are humble, we will find favour with God, and others will love us. The second reading, taken from the letter to the Hebrews, gives us another reason to be humble, comparing and contrasting the frightening majesty of the Old Testament God with the meek and humble New Testament God in the person of Jesus. Jesus, the Only-begotten Son of God, humbled Himself by taking on human flesh and choosing to die the most humiliating death of crucifixion. The Letter to the Hebrews challenges us to imitate Jesus in his humility. In today’s Gospel, Jesus explains the practical benefits of humility, connecting it with the common wisdom about dining etiquette. Jesus advises the guests to go to the lowest place instead of seeking places of honor, so that the host may give them the place they really deserve. Jesus’ words concerning the seating of guests at a wedding banquet should prompt us to honor those whom others ignore, because if we are generous and just in our dealings with those in need, we can be confident of the Lord’s blessings.
Life Message:
We need to practice humility in personal and social life: In our personal lives we grow into humility as we come to realize that everything we have is a loving gift from God and, therefore, we have no reason to elevate ourselves above others. True humility requires that we neither overestimate us nor underestimate our worth. We must admit the truths that we are sinners, that we do not know everything, and that we do not always act properly. Nevertheless, we must also recognize that we are made in the image and likeness of God, and that we are called to help build the kingdom of God with our God-given gifts.
We are of value, not because of those gifts, but because we are loved by God as His children and redeemed by the precious blood of His son Jesus. In our social life, such a conviction should lead us to associate ourselves with the so-called marginalized or "lower classes" of the society -- even the outcasts, because they too are the children of the same God. This change of attitude will in turn, change our social patterns. We will begin to connect with and serve the homeless, the handicapped, the elderly, and the impoverished - the "street people" of the world - with agápe love.
Our family life also becomes holier and more enjoyable when the husband and wife, in all humility, accept themselves as they are, accept each other as God’s personal gift to them as a couple-made-one, and show the generosity and good will to serve each other, forgive each other, and offer their lives prayerfully and sacrificially for the welfare of their children.
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