When Faith Prevails

Since we will be off-line from now and all the coming week, we have uploaded the Readings for Sunday, September 14 early.  If you need the Readings for Sunday, September 7th, please scroll down to the bottom of this post, and you'll find them there!

24^th Sunday In Ordinary Time, Year A – Exaltation of the Cross

Lectionary: 638

L-24 Hadd tas-sena A – Esaltazzjoni tas-Salib

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. This is the Word of The Lord.

1 Qari   -  NuMri 21:4B-9

Il-poplu ddejjaq jimxi, u beda jgerger kontra Alla u kontra Mosè: ̋Ghala tellajtuna mill-Egittu biex immutu fid-deżert? M'hawnx hobż u lanqas ilma; ahna xbajna b'dan l-ikel  hafif.̏  U l-Mulej baghat sriep velenużi f'nofs il-poplu u bdew jigdmuhom; u mietu hafna mill-poplu ta' Iżrael.  U l-poplu mar ghand Mosè, u qalulu: ̋Dnibna ghax tkellimna kontra l-Mulej u kontra tieghek. Itlob lill-Mulej ha jwarrab is-sriep minn fostna.̏ U Mosè mar jitlob ghall-poplu.  U l-Mulej kellem lil Mosè u qallu: ̋Aghmel serp tal-bronż velenuż, u arbulah bhal stendard; u kull min jingidem u jhares lejh ifiq u jghix.̏  U Mosè ghamel serp tal-bronż, u arbulah bhal stendard. U gara li kull min kien jigdmu s-serp kien ihares lejn is-serp tal-bronż, u kien ifiq u jghix.    Kelma tal-Mulej.

Responsorial Psalm   -  PSalm 78:1BC-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

Hearken, my people, to my teaching;
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 hi s wrath be roused.
R. Do not forget the works of the Lord!

Salm   Responsorjali -  Salm 78:1BC-2, 34-35, 36-37, 38

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. Ftakru f’kull m’ghamel maghkom il-Mulej!

Mbagħad kienu jfittxuh meta kien jeqridhom,

kienu jindmu  u jfittxu 'l Alla bil-ħerqa;

kienu jiftakru li Alla l-blata tagħhom,

Alla l-Għoli l-feddej tagħhom.

R. Ftakru f’kull m’ghamel maghkom il-Mulej!

Imma kienu jqarrqu bih bi kliemhom,

kienu jigdbulu bi lsienhom.

Għax qalbhom ma kinitx sewwa miegħu,

ma kinux fidili mal-patt tiegħu.

R. Ftakru f’kull m’ghamel maghkom il-Mulej!

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. Ftakru f’kull m’ghamel maghkom il-Mulej!

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.  This is the Word of The Lord.

2 QARI    -  FILippini 2:6-11

Gesu Kristu, hu li għad 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 żejjnu 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?".  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.   This is the Word of The Lord.

Vangelu  -  GWANNI  3:13-17

Gesu 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.

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When Faith Prevails

Gospel Commentary for the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross – by Fr Raniero Cantalamessa ofm conv

The suffering of the cross, its hard necessity in life, its reality as a way of following Christ is not presented to the faithful on Sunday, the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross. Instead the glory of the cross, the cross as a reason for boasting and not for weeping is given pride of place.

Let us first say something about the origin of this feast. It recalls two events, distant from each other in time. The first is Constantine’s founding in 325 of two basilicas, one at the site of Golgotha and one over Christ’s sepulcher. The other event, in 628, is the Christians victory over the Persians, which led to the recovery of relics of the cross and their triumphal return to Jerusalem. With the passing of time, however, the feast came to take on a new meaning. It became a joyous celebration of the mystery of the cross, which Christ transformed from an instrument of shame and judgment to an instrument of salvation.

The readings reflect the latter significance of the feast. The second reading contains the celebrated hymn from St. Paul’s Letter to the Philippians in which the cross is seen as the cause of Christ’s “exaltation”: “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.” The Gospel too speaks of the cross as a moment in which the Son of Man is lifted up “so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.”

In history there have been two basic ways of representing the cross and the crucified. For the sake of convenience we will call them the “ancient” and the “modern.” The ancient way, which we can admire in the mosaics of the old basilicas and in the crucifixes of Romanesque art, is the festive way, full of majesty. The cross, often without a corpus, is spangled with gems and set against a starry sky with the following inscription below: “Salus Mundi” -- “Salvation of the World,” as one sees in the celebrated mosaic of Ravenna.

In the wooden crucifixes of Romanesque art, this same type of representation is expressed in the Christ who is enthroned on the cross in royal and sacerdotal vestments, with eyes open, without a shadow of suffering but radiating rather majesty and victory, no longer crowned with thorns but with gems. It is the translation into visible form of the Psalm verse “God has ruled from a tree” -- “regnavit a ligno Deus.” Jesus speaks of his cross in these same terms: it is the moment of his “exaltation”: “When I am exalted I will draw all to myself” (John 12:32).

The modern way of representing the cross and the crucified begins with Gothic art. An extreme example is Matthias Grünewald’s depiction of the crucifixion in the Isenheim altar piece. The hands and feet are contorted around the nails like thorn bushes, the head is in agony beneath the crown of thorns, the body full of wounds. Even the crucifixes of Velasquez and Salvador Dalì and many others belong to this type.

Both of these ways of depicting the cross and the crucified shed light on true aspects of this mystery. The modern way -- dramatic, realistic, excruciating -- represents the cross in its crude reality, in the moment in which Christ dies upon it. It is the cross as symbol of evil, of suffering in the world and of the tremendous reality of death. The cross is represented here “in its causes,” so to speak, that which produces it: hatred, wickedness, injustice, sin.

The ancient way sheds life not on the cross’ causes but on its effects; not that which creates the cross, but that which the cross itself creates: reconciliation, peace, glory, security, eternal life. This is the cross that Paul defines as the “glory” or “boast” of believers. The Sept. 14 feast is called the “exaltation” of the cross, because it celebrates precisely this “exalted” aspect of the cross.

To the modern approach, the ancient should be united: rediscover the glorious cross. If when we were suffering it was helpful to think of Jesus on the cross in pain so that we could feel closer to him, it is now necessary to think of the cross in a different way. I will explain what I mean by an example. Suppose we have recently lost a loved one, perhaps after months of terrible suffering. It is good not to continue to think of her as she was then, torturing ourselves perhaps in our heart and mind, feeding a useless sense of guilt. All of that is over, it does not exist, it is unreal. If we continued in this way, we would only prolong the suffering and keep it alive artificially.

There are mothers (I don’t say this to judge but to help them) who, having accompanied a child for years in his or her Calvary, after the Lord has called the child to himself, refuse to live differently. In their house everything must be kept as it was when the child died; everything must speak of the child; there are constant visits to the cemetery. If there are other children in the family, they must adapt themselves to this muffled climate of death, and suffer grave psychological damage. Every display of joy in the house seems to be disrespectful. These are the people who are most in need of discovering the meaning of Sunday’s feast: the exaltation of the cross. It is no longer you who carry the cross the cross that carries you; the cross does not crush but exalts you.

We must now think of the loved one as he or she is now that “everything is finished.” This is what those ancient artists did with Jesus. They contemplated as he is now: risen, glorious, happy, serene, seated on the throne itself of God, with the Father who has “wiped away every tear from his eyes” and has given him “all power in heaven and on earth.” He is no longer in agony and spasms of death. I do not say that we can always command our heart and stop it from hurting over what has happened, but it is necessary to let faith finally prevail. If you do not do this, what use is faith?
[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]

Fraternal love

Readings for Sunday, September 7, 2014

Twenty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time

It-23 Ħadd matul is-Sena

Messalin A 368

Reading 1                                         EZekiel 33:7-9

Thus says the LORD: You, son of man, I have appointed watchman for the house of Israel;  when you hear me say anything, you shall warn them for me.  If I tell the wicked, “O wicked one, you shall surely die, ”  and you do not speak out to dissuade the wicked from his way, the wicked shall die for his guilt,  but I will hold you responsible for his death. But if you warn the wicked, trying to turn him from his way,  and he refuses to turn from his way, he shall die for his guilt,  but you shall save yourself. This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni    -    Eżekjel 33, 7-9

Dan jgħid il-Mulej:  "Lilek, o bniedem, qegħedtek għassies ta' dar Iżrael. Meta tisma' minn fommi xi kelma,  għandek twiddibhom f'ismi.  Jekk jien ngħid lill-midneb:  "Int tmut żgur,"  u  int ma tkellmux u ma twiddibux biex jitlaq triqtu,  hu, il-midneb, imut fi ħżunitu, imma demmu nfittxu minn idejk. Imma jekk inti twiddeb il-midneb dwar triqtu biex  jerġa' lura minnha u ma jerġax, hu jmut fi dnubu,  imma int tkun salvajt ħajtek. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                    PSalm 95:1-2, 6-7, 8-9

R/ (8) If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.

Come, let us sing joyfully to the LORD;
let us acclaim the rock of our salvation.
Let us come into his presence with thanksgiving;
let us joyfully sing psalms to him.                                                           R/

Come, let us bow down in worship;
let us kneel before the LORD who made us.
For he is our God,
and we are the people he shepherds, the flock he guides.         R/

Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
“Harden not your hearts as at Meribah,
as in the day of Massah in the desert,
Where your fathers tempted me;
they tested me though they had seen my works.”                           R/

Salm Responsorjali    -   Salm 94(95)

                R/   Isimgħu leħen il-Mulej u la twebbsux qalbkom.

Ejjew, ħa nfaħħru bl-hena l-Mulej,

ħa ngħajtu bil-ferħ lill-blata tas-salvazzjoni tagħna!

Nersqu quddiemu b'għana ta' radd il-ħajr,

ngħannulu b'għajat ta' ferħ.                                                                       R/

Ejjew inqimuh u ninxteħtu quddiemu,

għarkubbtejna quddiem il-Mulej li ħalaqna!

Għaliex hu Alla tagħna,

u aħna l-poplu tal-mergħa tiegħu u n-nagħaġ tiegħu.                   R/

Mhux li kontu illum tisimgħu leħnu!

"La twebbsux qalbkom bħal f'Meriba,

bħal dakinhar f'Massa, fid-deżert,

meta ġarrbuni u ttantawni missirijietkom,

għalkemm raw dak li jien għamilt."                                                        R/

Reading 2                         ROMans 13:8-10

Brothers and sisters:  Owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another;  for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. The commandments, “You shall not commit adultery;  you shall not kill; you shall not steal; you shall not covet, ”  and whatever other commandment there may be,  are summed up in this saying, namely,  “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  Love does no evil to the neighbor;  hence, love is the fulfillment of the law.  This is the Word of The Lord. 

It-Tieni Lezzjoni   -   mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 13, 8-10

Ħuti, tkunu obbligati lejn ħadd ħlief li tħobbu lil xulxin.  Kull min iħobb ikun iħares il-bqija tal-Liġi. Għax il-Kmandamenti:  "La tagħmilx adulterju, la toqtolx,  la tisraqx, la tkunx rgħib,"  u kull preċett ieħor, hu liema hu, kollha jinġabru f'kelma waħda:  "Ħobb il-proxxmu tiegħek  bħalek inifsek."  L-imħabba ma tagħmilx deni lill-proxxmu; mela l-imħabba  hi l-milja tal-Liġi. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                                                MatThew 18:15-20

Jesus said to his disciples:  “If your brother sins against you,  go and tell him his fault between you and him alone.  If he listens to you, you have won over your brother. If he does not listen,  take one or two others along with you,  so that ‘every fact may be established  on the testimony of two or three witnesses.’  If he refuses to listen to them, tell the church.   If he refuses to listen even to the church,  then treat him as you would a Gentile or a tax collector. Amen, I say to you,  whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven,  and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.  Again, amen, I say to you,  if two of you agree on earth  about anything for which they are to pray, it shall be granted to them by my heavenly Father.  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”  This is the Word of The Lord.

Evanġelju  -   skond San Mattew  18, 15-20

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu: "Jekk ħuq jaqa' f'xi dnub, mur sibu waħdu u widdbu. Jekk jisma' minnek, tkun irbaħt lura lil ħuk. Jekk ma jismax, erġa' mur u ħu miegħek weħed jew tnejn oħra, biex kull ma jingħad jissaħħaħ bil-kelma ta' żewġ xhieda jew tlieta.  Jekk imbagħad anqas minnhom ma jkun irid jisma',  mur għid lill-knisja.  U jekk anqas mill-knisja ma jkun irid jisma' żommu b'wieħed pagan jew pubblikan.  Tassew ngħidilkom, li kull ma torbtu fuq l-art  ikun marbut fis-sema, u kull ma tħollu fuq l-art  ikun maħlul fis-sema.  Ngħidilkom ukoll li jekk tnejn minnkom fuq l-art  jgħollu leħinhom flimkien biex jitolbu xi ħaġa,  Missieri li hu fis-smewwiet, jagħtihielom. Għax fejn tnejn jew tlieta jkunu miġbura f'ismi  hemm inkun jien f'nofshom."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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The Duty of Fraternal Correction

Gospel Commentary by Fr Raniero Cantalamessa ofm conv   

In the Gospel this Sunday we read: “Jesus said to his disciples: ‘If your brother sins, go and admonish him privately; if he listens to you, you have gained your brother.’”  Jesus speaks of all sins; he does not restrict the field to sins committed against us. In this latter sort of case, it is hard to know whether what moves us is zeal for truth or our own wounded pride. In any case, it would be more of a self-defence than a fraternal correction. When the sin is against us, the first duty is not correction but forgiveness. 

Why does Jesus say to admonish your brother privately? Above all, this injunction has respect for your brother’s good name, his dignity in view. 

The worst thing would be to want to correct a husband in the presence of his wife or a wife in the presence of her husband, a father in front of his children, a teacher in front of pupils, or a superior in the presence of inferiors; in other words, in the presence of those whose esteem is important for the person in question. The situation will soon become a public trial. It would be very difficult for the person to accept the correction well. His dignity would be compromised.

Jesus says that the admonishment should take place privately to give the person the chance to defend himself and explain his actions in complete freedom. Many times what appears to an outside observer to be a sin is not in the intention of the person who committed it. A frank explanation clears up many misunderstandings. But this is no longer possible when the person is publicly redressed and the incident brought to the awareness of others.

When, for whatever reason, fraternal correction is not possible in private, there is something that must never be done in its place, and that is to divulge, without good reason, one’s brother’s fault, to speak ill of him or, indeed, to calumniate him, proposing as fact something that is not, or exaggerating the fault. “Do not speak ill of one another,” Scripture says (James 4:11). Gossip is not something innocent; it is ugly and reprehensible.

A woman once went to St. Philip Neri for confession, accusing herself badmouthing people. The saint absolved her but gave her a strange penance. He told her to go home, get a hen and come back, plucking the bird’s feathers as she walked along the street. When she had returned to him he said: “Now go back home and, as you go, pick up each feather that you plucked on the way.” The woman told him that it would be impossible since the wind had almost certainly blown them away in the meantime. But St. Philip was prepared: “You see,” he said, “just as it is impossible to pick up the feathers once the wind has scattered them, it is likewise impossible to gather gossip and calumnies back up once they have come out of our mouth.”

Returning to the theme of the correction, we should say that the good outcome of the correction does not always depend on us; despite our best intentions, the other may not accept the correction, he may harden. But this can be compensated for: When we ourselves are corrected, the good outcome does depend on us! Indeed, I could very well be the person who “who has sinned” and the “corrector” could easily be someone else: husband, wife, friend, confrere or father superior. 

In sum, there is not only active correction but passive correction; there is not only the duty to correct but the duty to allow yourself to be corrected. And it is precisely here that we can see whether someone is mature enough to correct others. Whoever wants to correct someone must be ready, in turn, to be corrected. When you see someone accept an observation and you hear him or her answer with simplicity: “You are right. Thanks for letting me know!” Doff your cap because you are in the presence of a true man or true woman.

Christ’s teaching about fraternal correction must always be read together with what he says on another occasion: “Why do you regard the speck in your brother’s eye and ignore the bean in your own? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’ when you do not see the beam that is in yours” (Luke 6:41)?

What Jesus has taught us about correction can be very useful in raising children too. Correction is one of the parent’s fundamental duties. “What son is not disciplined by his father?” Scripture says (Hebrews 12:7); and again: “Straighten the little plant while it is still young if you do not want it to be permanently crooked.” Completely renouncing every form of correction is one of the worst things that you can do to your children and unfortunately it very common today.

You must simply take care that the correction itself does not become an accusation or a criticism. In correcting you should just stick to reproving the error that was committed; don’t generalize it and reproach everything about the child and his conduct. Instead, use the correction to point out all the good things that you see in the child and how you expect much better from him, in such away that the correction becomes encouragement rather than disqualification. This was the method that St. John Bosco used with children.

It is not easy in individual cases to know whether it is better to correct something or let it go, speak or be silent. This is why it is important to remember the Golden Rule, valid in all cases, that St. Paul offers in the second letter: “Owe each other nothing but the debt of mutual love. […] Love does evil to no one.” Augustine synthesized everything in the maxim, “Love and do what you will.”

You must make sure above all that in your heart there is a fundamental disposition of welcome toward other persons. If you have this, then whatever you do, whether you correct or remain silent, you will be doing the right thing, because love “does evil to no one.”

[Translation from the Italian by Joseph G. Trabbic]

THE LANGUAGE OF LOVE

Readings for August 31, 2014

Twenty-second Sunday in Ordinary Time

                                        It-Tnejn u Għoxrin Ħadd matul is-Sena                                        

Missalin A  p 363

Reading 1                           jeremiah 20:7-9

You duped me, O LORD, and I let myself be duped;  you were too strong for me, and you triumphed. All the day I am an object of laughter;  everyone mocks me. Whenever I speak, I must cry out,  violence and outrage is my message;  the word of the LORD has brought me  derision and reproach all the day.  I say to myself, I will not mention him,  I will speak in his name no more.  But then it becomes like fire burning in my heart,  imprisoned in my bones;  I grow weary holding it in, I cannot endure it.  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni   -   Profeta Ġeremija  20, 7 -9

Qarraqtni Mulej, u jien tqarraqt:  kont aqwa minni, u għelibtni.  Jien sirt id-daħka ta'  kuljum, kulħadd jiddieħek bija.  Kull meta niġi nitkellem, jien ngħajjat, u nxandar, "Moħqrija u ħsara!" Il-Kelma tal-Mulej saret għalijaj  tagħjir u tmaqdir kuljum. U jien għedt:  "Ma nsemmihx aktar,  ma nitkellimx aktar f'ismu."  Iżda f'qalbi hemm bħal nar jaqbad,  magħluq f'għadmi.  Għejejt inżommu magħluq ġi fija, ma niflaħx aktar għalih.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm                psalm 63:2, 3-4, 5-6, 8-9

R/ (2b) My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord my God.
O God, you are my God whom I seek;
for you my flesh pines and my soul thirsts
like the earth, parched, lifeless and without water.        R/

Thus have I gazed toward you in the sanctuary
to see your power and your glory,
For your kindness is a greater good than life;
my lips shall glorify you.                                                              R/

Thus will I bless you while I live;
lifting up my hands, I will call upon your name.
As with the riches of a banquet shall my soul be satisfied,
and with exultant lips my mouth shall praise you.          R/                                                           

You are my help,
and in the shadow of your wings I shout for joy.
My soul clings fast to you;
your right hand upholds me.                                                     R/

Salm Responsorjali    -    Salm 62 (63)

    R/   Għalik imxennaq jiena, Mulej, Alla tiegħi.

Alla,  Alla tiegħi int; lilek ħerqan infittex.

Ruħi bil-għatx għalik,

għalik imxennaq  jiena,

bħal art niexfa, maħruqa, bla ilma.                          R/

Għalhekk ġejt narak fit-tempju mqaddes tiegħek,

biex nitgħaxxaq bis-setgħa u l-glorja tiegħek.

Għax it-tjieba tiegħek aħjar mill-ħajja,

xufftejja jxandru t-tifħir tiegħek.                              R/

Għalhekk inbierkek tul ħajtikollha;

ngħolli idejja u nsejjah ismek.

Bħal b'ikel mill-aħjar li jsemmen nimtela,

u jgħannilek fommi b'xofftejn ferrieħa.                                R/

Għax int kont għajnuna għalija,

għad-dell ta' ġwenħajk ngħanni bil-ferħ.

Miegħek  tingħaqad ruħi,

int tweżini bil-leminija tiegħek.                                              R/

reading 2                                       romans 12:1-2

I urge you, brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God,  to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice,  holy and pleasing to God, your spiritual worship.  Do not conform yourselves to this age but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and pleasing and perfect. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni  -  mill-Ittra lir-Rumani 12, 1-2

Nitlobkom ħuti, għall-ħniena ta' Alla, offru ġisimkom b'sagrifiċċju ħaj, qaddis, jogħġob lil Alla, jiġifieri l-qima spiritwali tagħkom.  Timxux max-xejra ta' din id-dinja, iżda nbidlu skond it-tiġdid ta' fehmietkom,  biex iseħħilkom tagħrfu x'inhi r-rieda ta' Alla, x'inhu t-tajjeb li jogħġbu,  x'inhu perfett.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel                     matthew 16:21-27

Jesus began to show his disciples  that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer greatly from the elders, the chief priests, and the scribes,  and be killed and on the third day be raised.  Then Peter took Jesus aside and began to rebuke him, “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you.”   He turned and said to Peter,  “Get behind me, Satan! You are an obstacle to me.  You are thinking not as God does, but as human beings do.”  Then Jesus said to his disciples,  “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself,  take up his cross, and follow me.  For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it,  but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?  Or what can one give in exchange for his life?  For the Son of Man will come with his angels in his Father’s glory, and then he will repay all according to his conduct.” This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju   -   skond San Mattew 16, 21 – 27

F'dak iż-żmien, Ġesu' beda juri lid-dixxipli tiegħu li kien meħtieġ għalih li jmur Ġerusalemm, isofri ħafna mix-xjuħ u l-qassisin il-kbar u l-kittieba, joqtluh, u fit-tielet jum iqum. Pietru ġibdu lejh u beda jlumu u jgħidlu: "Allaħares, Mulej!  Ma jkun qatt li dan jgħaddi minn għalik!"   Iżda Ġesu' dar u  qal lil Pietru:   "Itlaq minn quddiemi, ja xitan! Int tfixkil għalija, għax m'intix tqis il-ħwejjeġ ta'  Alla, imma qiegħed taħsibha ta' bniedem li int!"  Imbagħad qal lid-dixxipli tiegħu:  "Jekk xi ħadd irid jiġi warajja, għandu jiċħad lilu nnifsu, jerfa'  salibu, u jimxi warajja.   Għax min irid isalva  ħajtu, jitlifha,  imma min jitlef ħajtu għall-imħabba  tiegħi, isibha.   Għax xi jkun jiswielu l-bniedem jekk jikseb  id-dinja kollha u mbagħad jitlef ħajtu?  Jew xi  prezz se jagħti l-bniedem biex isalva ħajtu? Għax Bin il-bniedem għandu jiġi fil-glorja ta'  Missieru flimkien ma' l-anġli tiegħu, u mbagħad irodd lil kull wieħed skond ma wieħed ikun għamel."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

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The Language of Love

Gospel Commentary 

by Fr Raniero Cantalamessa ofm cap

In this Sunday’s Gospel we hear Jesus who says: “Whoever wants to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross and follow me. Because whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.”

What does it mean to “deny" yourself? And why should you deny yourself? We know about the indignation of the philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche over this the request of this Gospel.

I will begin answering these questions with an example. During the Nazi persecution, many trains full of Jews travelled from every part of Europe to the extermination camps. They were induced to get on the trains by false promises of being taken to places that would be better for them, when, in fact, they were being taken to their destruction. It happened at some of the stops that someone who knew the truth, called out from some hiding place to the passengers: “Get off! Run away!” Some succeeded in doing so.

The example is a hard one, but it expresses something of our situation. The train of life on which we are travelling is going toward death. About this, at least, there are no doubts. Our natural “I,” being mortal, is destined for destruction. What the Gospel is proposing to us when it exhorts us to deny ourselves, is to get off this train and board another one that leads to life. The train that leads to life is faith in him who said: “Whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live.”

Paul understood this transferring from one transport to another and he describes it thus: “It is no longer I who lives, Christ lives in me.” If we assume the “I” of Christ we become immortal because he, risen from the dead, dies no more. This indicates the meaning of the words of the Gospel that we have heard. Christ’s call for us to deny ourselves and thus find life is not a call to abuse ourselves or reject ourselves in a simplistic way. It is the wisest of the bold steps that we can take in our lives.

But we must immediately make a qualification. Jesus does not ask us to deny “what we are,” but “what we have become.” We are images of God. Thus, we are something “very good,” as God himself said, immediately after creating man and woman. What we must deny is not that which God has made, but that which we ourselves have made by misusing our freedom -- the evil tendencies, sin, all those things that have covered over the original.

Years ago, off the coast of Calabria in southern Italy, there were discovered two encrusted masses that vaguely resembled human bodies. They were removed from the sea and carefully cleaned and freed. They turned out to be bronze statues of ancient warriors. They are known today as the Riace Warriors and are on display at the National Museum of Magna Grecia in Reggio Calabria. They are among the most admired sculptures of antiquity.

This example can help us understand the positive aspect of the Gospel proposal. Spiritually, we resemble the condition of those statues before their restoration. The beautiful image of God that we should be is covered over by the seven layers of the seven capital sins.

Perhaps it is not a bad idea to recall what these sins are, if we have forgotten them: pride, greed, lust, wrath, gluttony, envy and sloth. St. Paul calls this disfigured image, “the earthly image,” in contrast to the “heavenly image,” which is the resemblance of Christ.

“Denying ourselves,” therefore, is not a work of death, but one of life, of beauty and of joy. It is also a learning of the language of true love. Imagine, said the great Danish philosopher Kierkegaard, a purely human situation. Two young people love each other. But they belong to two different nations and speak completely different languages. If their love is to survive and grow, one of them must learn the language of the other. Otherwise, they will not be able to communicate and their love will not last.

This, Kierkegaard said, is how it is with us and God. We speak the language of the flesh, he speaks that of the spirit; we speak the language of selfishness, he that of love.

Denying yourself is learning the language of God so that we can communicate with him, but it is also learning the language that allows us to communicate with each other. We will not be able to say “yes” to the other -- beginning with our own wife or husband -- if we are not first of all able to say “no” to ourselves.

Keeping within the context of marriage, many problems and failures with the couple come from the fact that the man has never learned to express love for the woman, nor she for the man. Even when it speaks of denying ourselves, we see that the Gospel is much less distant from life than it is sometimes believed.
[Translation by Joseph G. Trabbic]

WHO DO YOU SAY I AM?

readings for August 24, 2014

 Twenty-first Sunday in Ordinary Time

Il-21 Ħadd matul is-Sena

Missalin A  p 358

Reading 1    -     isaiah 22:19-23

Thus says the LORD to Shebna, master of the palace: I will thrust you from your office nd pull you down from your station. On that day I will summon my servant Eliakim, son of Hilkiah; I will clothe him with your robe, and gird him with your sash, and give over to him your authority. He shall be a father to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to the house of Judah. I will place the key of the House of David on Eliakim’s shoulder; when he opens, no one shall shut when he shuts, no one shall open. I will fix him like a peg in a sure spot, to be a place of honor for his family.”  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Ewwel Lezzjoni  -- Profeta Isaija 22, 19-23

 Dan jgħid il-Mulej lil Sebna,  dak li jieħu ħsieb il-palazz tas-sultan; Inwarrbek minn postok, u nneħħik minn fejn qiegħed. Dak inhar insejjaħ lill-qaddej tiegħi Eljakim, bin Ħilkija, inlibbsu l-libsa tiegħek, u nħażżnu bit-terħa tiegħek,  nagħtih f'idejh il-ħakma tiegħek.  U jkun missier għal min jgħammar f'Ġerusalemm,  għad-dar ta' Ġuda.  Inqiegħed muftieh dar David fuq spallejh. Jiftah hu, u ħadd ma jiftaħ. U nwaħħlu bħal musmar ma' ħajt fis-sod,u jkun tron glorjuż għal dar missieri."  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Responsorial Psalm      -     psalm 138:1-2, 2-3, 6, 8

R/ (8bc) Lord, your love is eternal; do not forsake the work of your hands.

I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple.                                         R/

I will give thanks to your name,
because of your kindness and your truth:
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.                                             R/

The LORD is exalted, yet the lowly he sees,
and the proud he knows from afar.
Your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.                                        R/

Salm Responsorjali       -   Salm 137 (138)

                R/   It-tjieba tiegħek, Mulej, tibqa' għal dejjem.

Irroddlok ħajr, Mulej, b'qalbi kollha,

għaliex int smajt kliem fommi.

Quddiem l-allat irrid ngħannilek.

B'wiċċi fl-art ninxteħet

quddiem is-santwarju tiegħek.                                 R/

Irroddlok ħajr għath-tjieba u l-fedelta' tiegħek,

għax int kabbart ismek u kelmtek fuq kollox,

Meta sejjaħtlek, int weġibtni,

kattarli l-qawwa f'ruħi.                                                  R/

Kbir il-Mulej imma jieħu ħsieb iż-żgħar;

u, għalkemm fl-għoli, jagħraf mill-bogħod.

Il-Mulej iżomm kelmtu miegħi.

It-tjieba tiegħek, Mulej, tibqa' għal dejjem.       R/

Reading 2    -     romans 11:33-36

Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How inscrutable are his judgments and how unsearchable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord or who has been his counselor? Or who has given the Lord anything that he may be repaid? For from him and through him and for him are all things.  To him be glory forever. Amen. This is the Word of The Lord.

It-Tieni Lezzjoni   --  Ittra lir- Rumani 11, 33-36

Ħuti, kemm huma kbar l-għana, l-għerf u l-għaqal ta' Alla! Kemm tassew ħadd ma  jista' jgħarbel il-ġudizzju tiegħu u jifhem it-triqat tiegħu! Għax min  qatt għaraf moħħ il-Mulej?  Min qatt kien il-kunsullier tiegħu?  Min qatt tah l-ewwel biex jistħoqqlu l-ħlas?  Kollox ġej minnu, kollox permezz tiegħu, kollox għalih.  Lilu l-glorja għal dejjem ta' dejjem.  Amen!  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej

Gospel            -         matthew 16:13-20

Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi and he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?”  They replied, “Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, still others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”  He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”  Simon Peter said in reply, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”  Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.  For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.  And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.  I will give you the keys to the kingdom of heaven.  Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”  Then he strictly ordered his disciples to tell no one that he was the Christ.  This is the Word of The Lord.

L-Evanġelju   --  skond San Mattew  16, 13 -20

F'dak iż-żmien, meta wasala fl-inħawi ta' Ċesarija ta' Filippu, Ġesu' staqsa lid-dixxipli tiegħu u qalilhom:  "Min jgħidu n-nies li hu Bin il-bniedem?"  U huma wieġbuh:  "Xi wħud, Ġwanni l-Battisita;  oħrajn, Elija, u oħrajn, Ġeremija jew wieħed mill-profeti."  "Imma intom min tgħidu li jien?"  staqsiehom.  U qabeż Xmun Pietru u qallu:  "Inti l-Messija, Bin Alla l-ħaj."  U Ġesu' wieġbu u qallu:  "Ħieni int, Xmun bin Ġona,  għax mħux bniedem tad-demm u l-laħam uriek dan,  imma Missieri li hu fis-smewwiet.   U jiena ngħidlek:  Inti Pietru, u fuq din il-blata jiena nibni l-Knisja tiegħi, u s-setgħat ta' l-infern  ma jegħlbuhiex.   Jiena nagħtik  l-imfietaħ tas-Saltna tas-Smewwiet, u kull ma torbot fuq  l-art ikun marbut fis-Smewwiet, u kull ma tħoll fuq  l-art ikun maħlul fis-smewwiet." Imbagħad lid-dixxipli tiegħu wissiehom biex ma jitkellmu ma' ħadd fuq il huwa l-Messija.  Il-Kelma tal-Mulej  

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GOSPEL COMMENTARY by Fr Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap

There is a practice in today’s culture and society that can help us toward understanding this Sunday’s Gospel: opinion polls.

These are conducted everywhere, especially in the political and commercial spheres. One day Jesus also wanted to do an opinion poll, but, as we shall see, for a different purpose. He did it not for political reasons, but for educational ones.

Having arrived in Caesarea Philippi, that is, in the northernmost region of Israel, and taking a little rest alone with the apostles, Jesus asks them, point blank, “Who do people say that the son of man is?”

It seems that the apostles were not expecting to be asked more than to report what people were saying of him. They answered: "Some say John the Baptist, others Elijah, others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”

But Jesus was not interested in measuring his popularity or in looking for an index of how well he was regarded by the people. His purpose was entirely different. So he immediately followed his first question with a second: “Who do you say that I am?"

This second, unexpected question catches them completely off guard. There is silence and they stand looking at each other. In the Greek it makes it clear that all of the apostles together responded to the first question and that only one person, namely, Simon Peter, responded to the second question: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

Between the two responses there is a leap over an abyss, a “conversion.” To answer the first question it was only necessary to look around, to have listened to people’s opinions. But to answer the second question, it was necessary to look inside, to listen to a completely different voice, a voice that was not of flesh and blood but of the Father in heaven. Peter was enlightened from on high.

It is the first clear recognition of the true identity of Jesus of Nazareth in the Gospels. The first public act of faith in Christ in history! Think about the wake that a big ship makes in the sea. It widens as the ship goes forward until it is lost on the horizon. But it begins at a single point, which is the ship itself. Faith in Jesus Christ is like this. It is as a wake that widens as it moves through history, and travels to “the very ends of the earth.” But it starts at a single point. And this point is Peter’s act of faith. “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God!”

Jesus uses another image, which implies stability rather than movement. It is a vertical instead of a horizontal image. It is that of a rock: “You are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church.”

Jesus changes his name -- as often happens in the Bible when someone receives an important mission -- from Simon to Cephas, or Peter -- “rock.” The true rock, the “cornerstone” is, and remains, Jesus himself. But once he has risen and ascended into heaven, this “cornerstone,” though present and active, is invisible. It is necessary for a sign to represent him, a sign that makes Christ, who is the “unshakable foundation,” visible and efficacious in history. And this sign is Peter and, after him, his vicar, the Pope, successor of Peter, as head of the college of apostles.

But let us return to the idea of polling. Jesus' poll, as we saw, has two parts, which have two distinct questions. First, “Who do people say that I am?” And second, “Who do you say that I am?”

Jesus does not seem to value very much what the people think of him. He wants to know what his disciples think of him. He immediately asks them to speak for themselves. He does not let them hide behind the opinions of others. He wants them to speak of their own opinions. Almost the identical situation repeats itself today.

Today as well “people,” “public opinion,” has its ideas about Jesus. Jesus is in vogue. Just look at what is going on in the world of literature and entertainment. A year does not go by in which there does not appear a novel or a film with its own distorted and sacriligious vision of Christ. Dan Brown’s “Da Vinci Code” has been the most well-known one of late and has produced many imitators.

Then there are those who are middle-of-the-road, like the people of Jesus’ time, who believe Jesus to be “one of the prophets.” He is regarded as a fascinating person and placed alongside Socrates, Gandhi and Tolstoy. I am sure that Jesus does not scorn these responses to him, because the Bible says of him that he does not “quench the smoldering wick and does not break the bruised reed,” that is, he appreciates every honest effort on the part of man.

But, the truth be told, this view of Jesus does not seem quite right even from a human point of view. Neither Gandhi nor Tolstoy ever said: “I am the way, the truth and the life,” or “Whoever loves father and mother more than me is not worth of me.”

With Jesus you cannot not be middle-of-the-road. Either he is what he claims to be, or he is not a great man, but rather a great lunatic lifted up by history. There are no half-measures. There are buildings and structures made of steel -- I believe that the Eiffel Tower in Paris is one -- made in such a way that if you touch a certain point or remove a certain element, everything will come down. The edifice of the Christian faith is like this, and this neuralgic point is the divinity of Jesus Christ.

But let us leave aside the responses of the people and consider the nonbelievers. Believing in the divinity of Christ is not enough; you must also bear witness to it. Whoever knows him and does not bear witness to this faith, indeed even hides it, is more responsible before God that those who do not have this faith.

In a scene in Paul Claudel’s play “The Humiliated Father,” a Jewish girl, beautiful but blind, alluding to the double meaning of light, asks her Christian friend: “You who see, what use have you made of the light?” It is a question that is asked of all of us who claim to be believers.

[Translation from the original Italian  by Joseph G. Trabbic]