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Lectionary: 638
Festa tal-Eżaltazzjoni tas-Salib Imqaddes
Reading 1 Numbers 21:4b-9
With their patience worn out by the journey, the people complained against God and Moses, "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water? We are disgusted with this wretched food!" In punishment the Lord sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them died. Then the people came to Moses and said, "We have sinned in complaining against the LORD and you. Pray the Lord to take the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people, and the Lord said to Moses, "Make a saraph and mount it on a pole, and if any who have been bitten look at it, they will live." Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.
QARI 1 mill-Ktieb tan-Numri 21:4b-9
F’dak iż-żmien, x’ħin refgħu il-kamp u telqu minn ħdejn il-muntanja Ħor, l-Iżraelin għaddew mat-triq tal-Baħar tal-Qasab biex jeħduha bid-dawra mal-art ta’ Edom, imma l-poplu ddejjaq jimxi, u beda jgerger kontra Alla u kontra Mosè: «Għala tellajtuna mill-Eġittu biex immutu fid-deżert? M’hawnx ħobż u lanqas ilma; aħna xbajna b’dan l-ikel ħafif.» U l-Mulej bagħat sriep velenużi f’nofs il-poplu u bdew jigdmuhom; u mietu ħafna mill-poplu ta’ Iżrael. U l-poplu mar għand Mosè, u qalulu: «Dnibna għax tkellimna kontra l-Mulej u kontra tiegħek. Itlob lill-Mulej ħa jwarrab is-sriep minn fostna.» U Mosè mar jitlob għall-poplu. U l-Mulej kellem lil Mosè u qallu: «Agħmel serp tal-bronż velenuż, u arbulah bħal stendard; u kull min jingidem u jħares lejh ifiq u jgħix.» U Mosè għamel serp tal-bronż, u arbulah bħal stendard. U ġara li kull min kien jigdmu s-serp kien iħares lejn is-serp tal-bronż, u kien ifiq u jgħix. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 78:1bc-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38
incline your ears to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth in a parable,
I will utter mysteries from of old.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
While he slew them they sought him and inquired after God again,
Remembering that God was their rock and the Most High God, their redeemer.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
But they flattered him with their mouths
and lied to him with their tongues,
Though their hearts were not steadfast toward him,
nor were they faithful to his covenant.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
But he, being merciful, forgave their sin
and destroyed them not;
Often he turned back his anger
and let none of his wrath be roused.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!
SALM RESPONSORJALI Salm 77, 1-2, 34-38
R/. Tinsewx l-għemejjel kbar ta’ Alla.
Poplu tiegħi, agħtu widen għal-liġi tiegħi,
iftħu widnejkom għal kliem fommi.
Niftaħ fommi biex inxandar kliem l-għerf;
nitkellem fuq ħwejjeġ moħbija mill-qedem. R/.
Kienu jfittxuh meta kien jeqridhom,
kienu jindmu u jfittxu lill Alla bil-ħerqa;
kienu jiftakru li Alla l-blata tagħhom,
Alla l-Għoli l-feddej tagħhom. R/.
Imma kienu jqarrqu bih bi kliemhom,
kienu jigdbulu bi lsienhom.
Għax qalbhom ma kinitx sewwa miegħu,
ma kinux fidili mal-patt tiegħu. R/.
Iżda hu kien iħenn u jaħfrilhom il-ħtija,
ma kienx jasal biex jeqridhom;
ħafna drabi kien iżomm il-korla,
ma kienx jixgħel qilltu kollha. R/.
Reading 2 Philippians 2:6-11
Brothers and sisters: Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. Because of this, God greatly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend, of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
QARI 2 mit-2 Ittra lil Filippin 2:6-11
Ġesù Kristu li kellu n-natura ta’ Alla, ma qagħadx ifittex tiegħu li hu daqs Alla, iżda xejjen lilu nnifsu billi ħa n-natura ta’ lsir; sar jixbah lill-bnedmin, u deher minn barra bħala bniedem; ċekken lilu nnifsu, billi obda sal-mewt, anzi sal-mewt tas-salib. Għalhekk Alla għollieh sas-smewwiet u żejnu bl-Isem li hu fuq kull isem, biex fl-isem ta’ Ġesù fis-sema, fl-art u f’qiegħ l-art – il-ħlejjaq kollha jinżlu għarrkubbtejhom, u kull ilsien jistqarr: «Ġesù Kristu hu l-Mulej, għall-glorja ta’ Alla l-Missier.» Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.
Gospel John 3:13-17
Jesus said to Nicodemus: "No one has gone up to heaven except the one who has come down from heaven, the Son of Man. And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life." For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.
EVANĠELJU Qari skont San Ġwann 3:13-17
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù qal lil Nikodemu: «Ħadd ma tela’ s-sema ħlief Bin il-bniedem, li niżel mis-sema. U kif Mosè rafa’ s-serp fid-deżert, hekk jeħtieġ li jkun merfugħ Bin il-bniedem, biex kull min jemmen fih ikollu l-ħajja ta’ dejjem. Għax Alla hekk ħabb lid-dinja li ta lil Ibnu l-waħdieni, biex kull min jemmen fih ma jintilifx, iżda jkollu l-ħajja ta’ dejjem.» Għax Alla ma bagħatx lil Ibnu fid-dinja biex jagħmel ħaqq mid-dinja, imma biex id-dinja ssalva permezz tiegħu.» Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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An 8-minute Reflection on Sunday's Readings by Fr Anthony Kadavil
Introduction:
We celebrate this feast of the Exaltation of the Cross for two reasons:
(1) to understand the history of the discovery and recovery of the True Cross and
(2) to appreciate better the importance of the symbol and reality of Christ’s sacrificial love, namely, the cross in the daily life of every Christian.
History:
The Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross is one of twelve “Master feasts” celebrated in the Church to honour Jesus Christ, our Lord and Master. This feast is celebrated to memorialize the first installation of the remnants of the true cross of Jesus in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Mount Calvary, September 14, AD 335, and its reinstallation on September 14, AD 630.
The original cross on which Jesus was crucified was excavated in AD 326 by a team led by St. Helena, the mother of the first Christian Roman Emperor, Constantine. The Emperor built the Church of the Holy Sepulchre on Calvary, it was consecrated on September 14, AD 335, and the remains of the cross were installed in it by Archbishop Maccharios of Jerusalem.
After three centuries, the Persians invaded Jerusalem, plundered it of all valuables and took with them the relic of the Holy Cross. In AD 630, Emperor Heraclius II defeated the Persians, recaptured the casket containing the holy relic, and reinstalled it in the rebuilt Church, which was destroyed by Muslims in 1009. The crusaders rebuilt it as the present Church of the Holy Sepulchre in 1149. The largest fragment of the holy cross is now kept in Santa Croce Church in Rome.
The cross immediately became an object of veneration. At a Good Friday celebration in Jerusalem toward the end of the fourth century, according to an eyewitness, the wood was taken out of its silver container and placed on a table together with the inscription Pilate ordered placed above Jesus' head: Then "all the people pass through, one by one; all of them bow down, touching the cross and the inscription, first with their foreheads, then with their eyes; and, after kissing the cross, they move on."
To this day, the Eastern Churches, Catholic and Orthodox alike, celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on the September anniversary of the basilica's dedication. The feast entered the Western calendar in the seventh century after Emperor Heraclius recovered the cross from the Persians, who had carried it off in 614, 15 years earlier. According to the story, the emperor intended to carry the cross back into Jerusalem himself, but was unable to move forward until he took off his imperial garb and became a barefoot pilgrim.
The Scripture readings summarized:
The first reading next Sunday (Nm 21:4b—9) describes how God healed the complaining Israelites through the brazen serpent. The second reading (Phil 2:6-11) reminds us that Jesus, “… humbled himself, becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross,” In today’s Gospel, answering the question raised by Nicodemus, Jesus cites the example of how, when the Israelites were in the desert, the impaled brazen serpent (representing the healing power of God), which God commanded Moses to raise, saved from death the serpent-bitten Israelites who looked at it (Nm 21:4-9). Then Jesus explains how He is going to save the world by dying on the cross.
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