The Lord Is on High but Cares for the Lowly

                                     

Readings for December 23, 2012          

 Fourth Sunday of 
Advent Year C

Ir-Raba' Ħadd ta’

l-Avvent                                           

Messalin  C pp 91

Reading 1 - Michaea 5:1-4a

Thus says the LORD: You, Bethlehem-Ephrathah too small to be among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, and the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel. He shall stand firm and shepherd his flock by the strength of the LORD, in the majestic name of the LORD, his God; and they shall remain, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth; he shall be peace. This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari - mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Mikea 5, 1-4a

Dan jgħid il-Mulej: "Int, Betlehem ta' Efrata, ċkejkna fost il-familji ta' Ġuda, minnek għad joħroġli dak li jkun prinċep f'Iżrael; hu għandu l-bidu tiegħu mill-qedem, sa minn dejjem ta' dejjem. Għalhek il-Mulej jitlaqhom sa meta teħles dik li hi fl-uġigħ tal-ħlas; imbagħad  il-bqija ta' ħutu jerġgħu lura fost ulied Iżrael. U hu joqgħod jirgħa l-merħla tiegħu bil-qawwa tal-Mulej, bil-glorja ta' isem il-Mulej, Alla tiegħu. U huma jgħammru fiż-żgur, għax issa tkun kbira setgħetu, sa trufijiet l-art. U dan ikun is-sliem!" Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 80:2-3, 15-16, 18-19.

            R. (4) Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.

O shepherd of Israel, hearken,
from your throne upon the cherubim, shine forth.
Rouse your power,
and come to save us.                                                     R/

Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.               R/

May your help be with the man of your right hand,
with the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.            R/

Salm Responsorjali       -  Salm 79(80)

            R/   Mulej, ifta fuqna d-dija ta' wiċċek, u nkunu salvi.

O Ragħaj ta' Iżrael, agħti widen,

int li qiegħed fuq il-kerubini, iddi.

Qajjem il-qawwa tiegħek,

u ejja ħa ssalvana.                                            R/

Erġa' ejja, Alla tal-eżerċti;

ħares mis-sema,  u ara,

u żur 'il din id-dielja.

Ħu ħsieb dak li ħawlet lemintek,

ir-rimja li int kabbart għalik.                              R/

Ħa tkun idek fuq il-bniedem ta' lemintek,

fuq il-bniedem li int saħħaħt għalik.

Aħna ma nitbegħdux minnek;

roddilna l-ħajja, u aħna nsejħu ismek.                 R/

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Reading 2 - Hebrews 10:5-10

Brothers and sisters: When Christ came into the world, he said: "Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me; in holocausts and sin offerings you took no delight. Then I said, 'As is written of me in the scroll, behold, I come to do your will, O God.'" First he says, "Sacrifices and offerings, holocausts and sin offerings, you neither desired nor delighted in." These are offered according to the law. Then he says, "Behold, I come to do your will." He takes away the first to establish the second. By this "will," we have been consecrated through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Qari-  mill-Ittra lil Lhud 10, 5-10

Ħuti:   Kristu meta daħal fid-dinja qal: "Sagrifiċċju u offerta int ma ridtx, imma ġisem int ħejjejt għalija; vittmi maħruqa u vittmi għad-dnubiet lilek ma għoġbukx. Jien imbagħad għedt:  "Hawn jien, ġejt biex nagħmel ir-rieda tiegħek, O Alla, kif fil-ktieb hemm miktub fuqi." L-ewwel qal:  "Sagrifiċċji u offerti, vittmi maħruqa u  vittmi għad-dnubiet,   la ridthom u lanqas għoġbuk", għalkemm dawn titlobhom il-Liġi. Imbagħad qal:  "Hawn jien, ġejt biex  nagħmel ir-rieda tiegħek". B'hekk Alla neħħa s-sagrifiċċji tal-ewwel biex  iqiegħed flokhom tat-tieni. Bis-saħħa ta' din ir-rieda aħna  konna mqaddsin, permezz tal-offerta tal-ġisem ta' Ġesu' Kristu magħmula għal dejjem. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Gospel - Luke 1:39-45

Mary set out and traveled to the hill country in haste to a town of Judah, where she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the infant leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried out in a loud voice and said, "Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb. And how does this happen to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For at the moment the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the infant in my womb leaped for joy. Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled."  This is the Word of The Lord. 

 L-Evanġelju - skond San Luqa 1, 39-45

F'dawk  il-ġranet Marija qamet u marret tħaffef lejn l-għoljiet, f'belt tal-Lhudija. Daħlet għand Zakkarija u sellmet lil Eliżabetta. Malli Eliżabetta semgħet lil Marija ssellmilha, it-tarbija qabżet fil-ġuf tagħha u Eliżabetta mtliet bl-Ispirtu s-Santu: u nfexxet f'għajta kbira u qalet: "Imbierka inti fost in-nisa, u mbierek il-frott tal-ġuf tiegħek! U minn fejn ġieni dan li omm il-Mulej tiegħi tiġi għandi? Għax ara, malli smajt f'widnejja leħen it-tislima tiegħek, it-tarbija li għandi fil-ġuf qabżet bil-ferħ. Iva, ħiena dik li emmnet li jseħħ kulma bagħat igħidilha l-Mulej." Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY

Father Cantalamessa on Fourth Sunday of Advent

Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on this Sunday's liturgical readings.

He has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness

The last Sunday of Advent is the one that must prepare us immediately for Christmas. By now we should be done with our shopping and be more open to also think about the religious meaning of this festive time.

Today's Gospel is the one that recounts Mary's visit to Elizabeth, which ends with the Magnificat: "My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord; my spirit rejoices in God my savior. For he has looked upon his handmaid's lowliness."

With the Magnificat Mary helps us to take in an important aspect of the Christmas mystery on which I would like to insist: Christmas as the feast of the lowly and as the ransoming of the poor.

Mary says: "He has cast down the powerful from their thrones and has lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things and the rich he has sent away empty."

In today's world there are two new emerging social classes which are no longer the ones we knew in the past. On one hand, there is the cosmopolitan society that knows English, that moves easily in the airports of the world, that knows how to use computers and to "navigate" the internet. For this group the world is already a "global village."    

On the other hand, there is the great mass of those who have just left the country of their birth and have limited and only indirect access to the great means of social communication. It is these two groups which today are, respectively, the new "powerful" and the new "lowly."

Mary helps us to put things right again and to not let ourselves be deceived. She tells us that often the deepest values are hidden among the lowly; that the more decisive events in history (such as the birth of Jesus), takes place among the lowly and not on the world's great stages.

Today's first reading tells us that Bethlehem was "a little one among the towns of Judea," and yet in her the Messiah was born. Great writers, like Manzoni and Dostoyevsky, have immortalized, in their works, the values and stories of the "lower class."

The "preferential option" for the poor was something that God decided on well before the Second Vatican Council. Scripture says that "the Lord is on high but cares for the lowly" (Psalm 138:6); he "resists the proud but gives his grace to the humble" (1 Peter 5:5).

In revelation God continually appears as one who pays attention to the wretched, the afflicted, the abandoned and those who are nothing in the eyes of the world. All of this contains a lesson that is extremely relevant for us today. Our temptation is to do exactly the opposite of what God does: to want to look to those who are on top, not at those who are on the bottom; to those who are prosperous, not to those who are in need.

We cannot be content just remembering that God considers the lowly. We ourselves must become little, humble, at least in our hearts.
The Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem has only one entrance, and you cannot pass through it without bending down. Some have said that it was built this way so that the Bedouins could not enter seated on their camels. But there is another explanation that has always been given, and which, in any case, contains a deep spiritual truth. This door is supposed to remind pilgrims that in order to penetrate the deep meaning of Christmas it is necessary to humble oneself and become little.

In the days that follow we will hear our old Italian carol sung: "Tu scendi dalle stelle, o re del cielo…" (You descend from the starry skies, O King of heaven…). But if God has descended "from the starry skies," should we not also come down from our pedestals of superiority and power and live together as brothers reconciled?

We too must climb down from the camels to enter into the stable of Bethlehem.

Rejoice Always

Readings for December 16

Third Sunday of Advent

It-Tielet Ħadd ta’ l-Avvent   

Messalin C 86

FIRST READING - Zephaniah 3:14-18

Sing, daughter of Zion! Shout, Israel! Be glad and rejoice with all your heart, daughter of Jerusalem. YHWH has taken away your judgments. He has thrown out your enemy. The King of Israel, YHWH, is in the midst of you. You will not be afraid of evil any more. In that day, it will be said to Jerusalem, “Don’t be afraid, Zion. Don’t let your hands be weak.”  YHWH, your God, is in the midst of you, a mighty one who will save. He will rejoice over you with joy. He will calm you in his love. He will rejoice over you with singing.  I will remove those who grieve about the appointed feasts from you. They are a burden and a reproach to you.

L-EWWEL QARI - mill-Ktieb tal-Profeta Sofonija 3:14-18a

Ghajjat bil-ferh ta’ qalbek, bint Sijon, Israel, samma’ lehnek! Infexx fl-hena u ifrah b’qalbek kollha, bint Gerusalemm! Nehha l-Mulej minn fuqek is-sentenza li kellek kontrik, kecca l-ghedewwa tieghek. Is-sultan ta’ Israel, il-Mulej, hu f’nofsok; ma jkollokx izjed hsara minn xiex tibza’ Dakinhar jghidu lil Gerusalemm: «Tibzax, Sijon, thallix idejk jintelqu! Il-Mulej, Alla tieghek, qieghed f’nofsok, gwerrier li jsalva; minhabba fik jithenna b’hena kbir, fi mhabbtu jgeddek, jinfexx minhabba fik f’ghajjat ta’ ferh, bhallikieku f’jum ta’ festa.

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RESPONSORIAL PSALM – ( Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6)

R. (6) Cry out with joy and gladness: for among you is

the great and Holy One of Israel.
God indeed is my savior;
I am confident and unafraid.
My strength and my courage is the LORD,
and he has been my savior.
With joy you will draw water
at the fountain of salvation.                               R/

Give thanks to the LORD, acclaim his name;
among the nations make known his deeds,
proclaim how exalted is his name.                      R/         

Sing praise to the LORD for his glorious achievement;
let this be known throughout all the earth.

Shout with exultation, O city of Zion,
for great in your midst
is the Holy One of Israel!                                    R/

 

SALM RESPONSORJALI   -  (Isaija 12:2-6)

        R/: Kbir hu f’nofsok il-Qaddis ta’ Israel!

Alla s-salvazzjoni tieghi,

jiena nittama u ma jkollix mniex nibza’.

Ghax qawwieti u ghanjieti hu l-Mulej,

ghalija sar is-salvazzjoni.

Kollkom ferhana

timlew l-ilma mill-ghejjun tas-salvazzjoni.  R/…

Roddu hajr lill-Mulej, sejhu ismu,

gharrfu lill-gnus bl-ghemejjel tieghu,

xandru li ismu huwa fl-gholi.                      R/…

Ghannu lill-Mulej ghax ghamel hwejjeg kbar;

ha jkun dan maghruf mal-art kollha.

Aqbez bil-ferh, ghanni,

int li tghammar f’Sijon,

ghax kbir hu f’nofsok il-Qaddis ta’ Israel.   R/…

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SECOND READING -  Philippians 4:4-7

Be joyful with God. I tell you again, be full of joy. Let everyone know you are peaceful. After all, the Lord will be here soon. So, don’t get anxious about anything. Instead, let God know all that you need. Pray to him with a heart full of thanks. God’s peace is greater than everything we know. With Christ Jesus at our side, his peace will guard our minds and hearts from worry.

T-TIENI QARI    -  mill-Ittra ta’ San Pawl lill-Filippin 4:4-7 

Huti, ifirhu dejjem fil-Mulej; nerga’ nghidilkom, ifirhu. Il-hlewwa taghkom, ha jkunu jafuha l-bnedmin kollha. Il-Mulej qorob! Thabbtu raskom b’xejn. Fit-talb kollu taghkom itolbu u uru lil Alla xi jkollkom bzonn, u izzuh hajr. U s-sliem ta’ Alla, sliem li jghaddi kulma l-mohh jista’ jifhem, izommilkom qalbkom u mohhkom shah fi Kristu Gesù.  

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GOSPEL -  Luke 3:10-18

After John told the people around him that simply being Jewish was not good enough to please God, 10 people kept asking him, "What should we do then?" "The person who packed extra clothes should share with the person who needs clothing to stay warm at night," John kept saying. "The person with food should share with the hungry."  Tax men came to be baptized by John. "What should we do?" they asked John.  "Don't collect more money from the people than the Romans tell you to collect," John answered. Even the Roman soldiers kept asking him, "What should we do, too?" "Don't beat up people for their money. Don't threaten to lie about people in court so they will give you their money. Be happy with your pay," John replied. The crowds around John wondered if John was the Messiah. After all, they waited eagerly for the coming of God's savior.  But John said to everyone, "Listen! I baptize you with water. But there is someone coming who is greater than I am. He is so great, I am not even fit to untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire!  His baptism will be like a great grain harvest. He will clear off the floor where he separated the grain from the rest of the plant. Then, he will store the good grain in his barn. But he will burn up the rest of the plant in a never ending fire!"  John kept encouraging the people talking about changing their lives and about the coming Messiah. In this way, John spread the Good News to everyone who heard him.

IL-VANGELJU  - Luqa 3:10-18

F’dak iz-zmien, in-nies kienu jistaqsu lil Gwanni u jghidulu: «Mela x’ghandna naghmlu?» U huwa kien iwegibhom: «Min ghandu zewg ilbiesi, jaqsam ma’ min ma ghandu xejn, u min ghandu x’jiekol jaghmel l-istess.» Resqu wkoll xi pubblikani biex jitghammdu u qalulu: «Mghallem, x’ghandna naghmlu ahna?» U huwa wegibhom: «Tissikkaw lil hadd biex jaghtikom taxxi izjed milli jmisskom tiehdu.»  Staqsewh ukoll xi suldati u qalulu: «U ahna, x’ghandna naghmlu?» U huwa wegibhom: «Tisirqu lil hadd bit-tehdid jew bil-qerq taghkom, u kkuntentaw ruhkom bil-paga li ghandkom.» Il-poplu kien qieghed jistenna herqan, u kulhadd kien jistaqsi lilu nnifsu dwar Gwanni, jekk kienx hu l-Messija. Ghalhekk Gwanni qabad u qal lil kulhadd: «Jien, nghid ghalija, nghammidkom bl-ilma, imma gej wiehed aqwa minni, li ma jisthoqqlix inhollu l-qfieli tal-qorq tieghu. Hu jghammidkom bl-Ispirtu s-Santu u n-nar. Il-midra qieghda f’idu, biex iderri l-qiegha u jigbor il-qamh fil-mahzen tieghu, imma t-tiben jaharqu b’nar li ma jintefiex.» U b’hafna twissijiet ohra kien ixandar lill-poplu l-bxara t-tajba.

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COMMENTARY

Father Cantalamessa on Kindness

Here is a translation of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on this Sunday's liturgical readings.

"A Balm in Human Relationships"

The third Sunday of Advent is pervaded by the theme of joy. This Sunday is traditionally called "Laetare" Sunday, that is, the Sunday of "rejoicing," from the words of St. Paul in the second reading: "Rejoice in the Lord always; I say again, rejoice."

In the first reading we hear the words of the prophet Zephaniah: "Rejoice, O daughter Zion! Sing joyfully, O Israel! Be glad and exult with all your heart, O daughter Jerusalem!" In the responsorial psalm this extraordinary vocabulary of joy is enriched with still other terms: "My strength and my courage is the Lord, and he has been my salvation. With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation. … Shout with exultation, O city of Zion."

Let us remain for a while with this word. (The Gospel passage continues the message of John the Baptist that we commented on last Sunday.) In the poem "Il sabato del villaggio" ("The village sabbath") Giacomo Leopardi has expressed the idea that in the present life the only authentic and possible joy is the joy of expectation, the joy of the sabbath. It is a "day full of hope and joy," full of joy precisely because it is full of hope. The expectation of the feast is better than the feast itself.

The possession of the good that was longed for brings nothing but disillusionment and boredom, because every finite good reveals itself to be inferior to what was desired and is tiresome; only expectation is the bearer of living joy. But this is precisely what Christian joy is in this world: the joy of the sabbath, the prelude to the Sunday without end, which is eternal life. St. Paul says that Christians must be "joyful in hope" (Romans 12:12), which does not mean that we must "hope to be happy" (after death), but that we must be "joyful in hope," already happy now by the simple fact of hoping.

The Apostle does not limit himself only to the command to rejoice; he also indicates how a community that wants to bear witness to joy and make it credible to others must conduct itself. He says: "Your affability should be known by all men."

The Greek word that we translate as "affability" signifies a whole complex of attitudes that runs from clemency to the capacity to know how to believe and to show oneself to be lovable, tolerant, and hospitable. We could translate it with the word "kindness." It is necessary that we first of all rediscover the human value of this virtue. Kindness is a virtue which is at risk, or, more exactly, it is a virtue that is extinct in the society in which we live.

Gratuitous violence in films and on television, language that is intentionally vulgar, the competition to go beyond the limits in regard to brutality and explicit sex is making us used to every expression of ugliness and vulgarity.

Kindness is a balm in human relationships. Family life would be so much better if there were more kindness in our gestures, in our words, and above all, in the sentiments of our hearts. Nothing extinguishes the joy of being together more than a certain vileness in our behavior. "A kind answer," says Scripture, "calms wrath, but a barbed one brings ire" (Proverbs 15:14). "A kind mouth multiplies friends, and gracious lips prompt friendly greetings" (Sirach 6:5). A kind person generates fond feelings and admiration wherever he goes.

Alongside this human value we must also rediscover the Gospel value of kindness. In the Bible the terms "meek" and "mild" do not have the passive sense of "subjected," "repressed," but the active sense of a person who acts with respect, courtesy, clemency toward others.

Kindness is indispensable above all for those who want to help others find Christ. The Apostle Peter recommends to the first Christians to be "ready to give a reason for their hope," but adds immediately: "But this must be done with sweetness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15 ff), which is to say, with kindness.

Readings for December 9, 2012

2nd Sunday of Advent -Year C

It-Tieni Hadd ta’ l-Avvent

Sena C                                                           

Messalin C 80   

Reading 1- Baruck 5:1-9

Jerusalem, take off your robe of mourning and misery; put on the splendor of glory from God forever: wrapped in the cloak of justice from God, bear on your head the mitre that displays the glory of the eternal name. For God will show all the earth your splendor: you will be named by God forever the peace of justice, the glory of God's worship. Up, Jerusalem! stand upon the heights; look to the east and see your children gathered from the east and the west at the word of the Holy One, rejoicing that they are remembered by God. Led away on foot by their enemies they left you: but God will bring them back to you borne aloft in glory as on royal thrones. For God has commanded that every lofty mountain be made low, and that the age-old depths and gorges be filled to level ground, that Israel may advance secure in the glory of God. The forests and every fragrant kind of tree have overshadowed Israel at God's command; for God is leading Israel in joy by the light of his glory, with his mercy and justice for company. This is the Word of the Lord.

L-Ewwel Qari - mil-Ktieb tal-Profeta Baruk 5, 1-9

Neħħi minn fuqek, Ġerusalemm, ilbies il-vistu u n-niket tiegħek, u ilbes għal dejjem id-dija tal-glorja ta' Alla. Ilbes mantar il-ġustizzja ta' Alla, qiegħed fuq rasek id-dijadema tal-glorja ta' Alla ta' dejjem. Għax Alla għad juri sbuħitek lid-dinja taħt ix-xemx, Alla jsemmik għal dejjem: "Sliem tal-Ġustizzja" u "Glorja tal-Qima ta' Alla." Qum, Ġerusalemm, itla' fl-għoli, u ħares madwarek lejn il-Lvant, ara 'l uliedek miġmugħa,  minn fejn tinżel ix-xemx sa fejn titla', għall-kelma tal-Qaddis, ferħana li Alla ftakar fihom. Telqu mingħandek bil-mixi, imkarkra mill-għedewwa, u issa Alla se jġibhomlok, merfugħin fil-ġieħ bħalkieku fuq tronijiet is-slaten. Għax Alla ordna:  jitniżżlu l-muntanji għolja, u l-għoljiet ta' dejjem, jimtlew il-widien u titwitta l-art, biex  hemm Iżrael jimxi 'l quddiem, bla tfixkil ta' xejn, taħt il-ħarsien ta' Alla. U l-foresti u s-siġar tal-fwieħa, jixħtu dellhom għal fuq Iżrael, bl-ordni ta' Alla.  Għax Alla jmexxi lil Iżrael ferħan, b'dawk il-glorja tiegħu, imsieħba mill-ħniena, u l-ġustizzja ħierġa minnu. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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Responsorial Psalm - Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6.

R./ The Lord has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.

When the LORD brought back the captives of Zion,
we were like men dreaming.
Then our mouth was filled with laughter,
and our tongue with rejoicing.                           

R/

Then they said among the nations,
"The LORD has done great things for them."
The LORD has done great things for us;
we are glad indeed.                                                      

R/ 

Restore our fortunes, O LORD,
like the torrents in the southern desert.
Those who sow in tears
shall reap rejoicing.                                                      

R/

Although they go forth weeping,
carrying the seed to be sown,
They shall come back rejoicing,
carrying their sheaves.                                     

R/

Salm Responsorajli - Salm 125 (126)

            R/        Kbir f'għemilu l-Mulej magħna!

Meta l-Mulej  reġġa' lura l-imjassra ta' Sijon,

konna qisna mitlufa f'ħolma;

imbagħad bid-daħk imtela fommna,

u bl-għajjat ta' ferħ ilsienna.                              R/

Imbagħad bdew igħidu fost il-ġnus:

"Kbir f'għemilu l-Mulej magħhom!"

Kbir f'għemilu  l-Mulej magħna!

U aħna bil-ferħ imtlejna.                                    R/

Biddel, Mulej, xortina

bħall-widien tan-Neġeb!

Dawk li jiżirgħu fid-dmugħ

jaħsdu bl-għana ta' ferħ.                                    R/

Huma u sejrin, imorru jibku,

iġorru ż-żerriegħa għaż-żrigħ.

Iżda huma u ġejjin lura,

jiġu b'għana ta' ferħ, iġorru l-qatet f'idejhom.    R/

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Reading 2 - Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11

Brothers and sisters: I pray always with joy in my every prayer for all of you, because of your partnership for the gospel from the first day until now. I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Christ Jesus. God is my witness, how I long for all of you with the affection of Christ Jesus. And this is my prayer: that your love may increase ever more and more in knowledge and every kind of perception, to discern what is of value, so that you may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ for the glory and praise of God. This is the Word of the Lord.

It-Tieni Qari – mill-Ittra ta' San Pawl Appostlu lill-Filippin 1, 4-6.8-11

Ħuti:   nitlob dejjem ferħan fit-talb tiegħi għalikom, minħabba  s-sehem li intom ħadtu fix-xandir tal-Evanġelju, mill-ewwel jiem sal-lum. Jiena żgur minn dan:  li dak li beda din l-opra tajba fikom, iwassalha għat-tmiem tagħha sa ma jasal il-jum ta' Kristu Ġesu'. Iva, jixhidli Alla kemm jien miġbud lejkom bil-qalb ta' Kristu Ġesu'! U jien dan nitlob:  li l-imħabba tagħkom tikber u toktor dejjem iżjed fl-għerf u b'kull dehen, biex tistgħu tagħrfu tagħżlu l-aħjar, u mbagħad  tkunu safja u bla ebda ħtija fil-jum ta' Kristu, mimlijin bil-frott tal-ġustizzja li ġejja permezz ta' Ġesu' Kristu, għall-glorja u l-foħrija ta' Alla.        Il-Kelma tal-Mulej.

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Gospel - Luke 3:1-6

In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the desert. John went throughout the whole region of the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah: A voice of one crying out in the desert: "Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his paths. Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill shall be made low. The winding roads shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth, and all flesh shall see the salvation of God."

This is the Word of the Lord.  

L-Evanġelju  -  San Luqa 3,1-6

Fis-sena ħmistax il-ħakma ta' Tiberu Ċesari, meta Ponzu Pilatu kien gvernatur tal-Lhudija, Erodi, tetrarka tal-Galililja, ħuh Filippu tetrarka tal-artijiet  tal-Iturija u t-Troakonija, u Lisanja tetrarka ta' Abeleni, fiż-żmien meta l-uffiċċju ta' qassis il-kbir  kien f'idejn Anna u Kajfa,  il-kelma ta' Mulej ġiet fuq Ġwanni bin Żakkarija, fid-deżert.U ġie fl-inħawi kollha ta' madwar il-Ġordan, ixandar magħmudija ta' ndiema għall-maħfra tad-dnubiet, kif  hemm imniżżel fil-ktieb tal-profeziji ta' Isaija: "Leħen ta' wieħed igħajjat fid-deżert: Ħejju t-triq tal-Mulej,iddrittaw il-mogħdijiet tiegħu. Kull wied jimtela, kull muntanja u għoja titbaxxa, il-mogħdijiet mgħawwġa jiddrittaw, u t-triqat imħarbta jitwittew. U l-bnedmin kollha jaraw is-salvazzjoni ta' Alla!"

Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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COMMENTARY

Father Cantalamessa on John the Baptist

Here is a translation by Zenit.org of a commentary by the Pontifical Household preacher, Capuchin Father Raniero Cantalamessa, on the readings from this Sunday's liturgy.John the Baptist: Prophet of the Most High

This Sunday's Gospel is concerned entirely with the figure of John the Baptist. From the moment of his birth John the Baptist was greeted by his father as a prophet: "And you, child, will be called prophet of the Most High because you will go before the Lord to prepare the ways for him" (Luke 1:76).  What did the precursor do to be defined as a prophet, indeed, "the greatest of the prophets" (cf. Luke 7:28)? First of all, in the line of the ancient prophets of Israel, he preached against oppression and social injustice. In Luke's Gospel we can also hear him say: "He who has two tunics must give one to him who has none; and he who has something to eat must do likewise."
To the tax collectors who so often drained away the money of the poor with arbitrary requests, he says: "Do not mistreat anyone or commit extortion" (Luke 3:11-14). There are also the sayings about making the mountains low, raising up the valleys, and straightening the crooked pathways. Today we could understand them thus: "Every unjust social difference between the very rich (the mountains) and the very poor (the valleys) must be eliminated or at least reduced; the crooked roads of corruption and deception must be made straight."

Up to this point we can easily recognize our contemporary understanding of a prophet: one who pushes for change; who denounces the injustices of the system, who points his finger against power in all its forms – religious, economic, military – and dares to cry out in the face of the tyrant: "It is not right!" (Matthew 14:4).

But there is something else that John the Baptist does: He gives to the people "a knowledge of salvation, of the remission of their sins" (Luke 1:77). Where, we might ask ourselves, is the prophecy in this case? The prophets announced a future salvation; but John the Baptist does not announce a future salvation; he indicates a salvation that is now present. He is the one who points his finger toward the person and cries out: "Behold, here it is" (John 1:29). "That which was awaited for centuries and centuries is here, he is the one!" What a tremor must have passed though those present who heard John speak thus!

The traditional prophets helped their contemporaries look beyond the wall of time and see into the future, but John helps the people to look past the wall of contrary appearances to make them see the Messiah hidden behind the semblance of a man like others. The Baptist in this way inaugurated the new Christian form of prophecy, which does not consist in proclaiming a future salvation ("in the last times"), but to reveal the hidden presence of Christ in the world.

What does all of this have to say to us? That we too must hold together those two aspects of the office of prophet: On one hand working for social justice and on the other announcing the Gospel. A proclamation of Christ that is not accompanied by an effort toward human betterment would result in something disincarnate and lacking credibility. If we only worked for justice without the proclamation of faith and without the regenerative contact with the word of God, we would soon come to our limits and end up mere protestors.

From John the Baptist we also learn that proclamation of the Gospel and the struggle for justice need not remain simply juxtaposed, without a link between them. It must be precisely the Gospel of Christ that moves us to fight for respect for human beings in such a way as to make it possible for each man to "see the salvation of God." John the Baptist did not preach against abuses as a social agitator but as a herald of the Gospel "to make ready for the Lord a people well prepared" (Luke 1:17).

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