Id-Dsatax- il Ħadd matul is-Sena
Missalin A
p348
1 Kings 19:9a, 11-13a
At the mountain of God
L-Ewwel Lezzjoni
Qari mill-Ewwel Ktieb tas-Slaten 19, 9a, 11-13a
Fdak iż-żmien, Elija wasal fil-Ħoreb,
il-muntanja tal-Mulej. Hemmhekk daħal fl-għar u għadda l-lejl ġo fih. U Alla
qallu: “Oħroġ u oqgħod fuq il-muntanja quddiem il-Mulej” U ara, il-Mulej
għadda. Riħ qawwi, b’saħħa li jofroq il-muntanji u jfarrak il-blat, għadda
quddiem il-Mulej, imma l-Mulej ma kienx f’dan ir-riħ. U wara dan ir-riħ
theżhżet l-art imma l-Mulej ma kienx f’din it-theżhiża. U wara t-theżhiża kien
hemm in-nar, imma l-Mulej ma kienx fin-nar. Wara n-nar inħasset żiffa ħelwa.
Elija, kif ħassha, għatta wiċċu bil-mantell, ħareġ barra, u waqaf f’bieb
l-għar. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm
Psalm 85:9, 10, 11-12, 13-14
I will hear
what God proclaims;
the LORD —
for he proclaims peace.
Near indeed
is his salvation to those who fear him,
glory
dwelling in our land.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness,
and grant us your salvation.
Kindness
and truth shall meet;
justice and
peace shall kiss.
Truth shall
spring out of the earth,
and justice
shall look down from heaven.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness,
and grant us your salvation.
The LORD
himself will give his benefits;
our land
shall yield its increase.
Justice
shall walk before him,
and prepare
the way of his steps.
R. Lord, let us see your kindness,
and grant us your salvation.
Salm Responsorajli
Salm 84 (85)
R/ Uri lilna, Mulej, it-tjieba
tiegħek.
Ħa nisma’
xi jgħid Alla;
il-Mulej
is-sliem ixandar
għall-poplu
u l-ħbieb tiegħu.
Qrib hi
tassew is-salvazzjoni tiegħu
għal dawk
li jibżgħu minnu,
biex
jgħammar is-sebħ f’artna. R/
It-tjieba u
l-fedelta' jiltaqgħu,
il-ġustizzja
u s-sliem jitbewsu.
Il-fedelta’
mill-art tinbet,
u
l-ġustizzja mis-sema tixref. R/
Il-Mulej
ukoll jagħti l-ġid tiegħu,
u artna
tagħti l-frott tagħha.
Il-ġustizzja
quddiemu timxi,
u s-sliem
fuq il-passi tiegħu. R/
Reading II
Romans 9:1-5
Brothers
and sisters: I speak the truth in Christ, I do not lie; my conscience joins
with the Holy Spirit in bearing me witness that I have great sorrow and
constant anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and
cut off from Christ for the sake of my own people, my kindred according to the
flesh. They are Israelites; theirs the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the
giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; theirs the patriarchs, and
from them, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is over all, God blessed
forever. Amen. This is the Word of the Lord.
It-Tieni Lezzjoni
Qari mill-Ittra ta’ San Pawl Apposltu lir-Ruman. (Rum
9, 1-5)
Ħuti,
ngħidilkom is-sewwa fi Kristu, m’iniex nigdeb, tixhidli l-istess kuxjenza
tiegħi fl-Ispirtu s-Santu, li jiena mnikket għall-aħħar, u dejjem qalbi
maqsuma; nixtieq li kont jiens stess maqtugħ minn
Gospel
Matthew 14:22-33
After he
had fed the people, Jesus made the disciples get into a boat and precede him to
the other side, while he dismissed the crowds. After doing so, he went up on
the mountain by himself to pray. When it was evening he was there alone. Meanwhile
the boat, already a few miles offshore, was being tossed about by the waves,
for the wind was against it. During the fourth watch of the night, he came
toward them walking on the sea. When the disciples saw him walking on the sea
they were terrified. “It is a ghost,” they said, and they cried out in fear. At
once Jesus spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” Peter said
to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He
said, “Come.” Peter got out of the boat and began to walk on the water toward
Jesus. But when he saw how strong the wind was he became frightened;
and,
beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched
out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did
you doubt?” After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in
the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” This is
the Word of the Lord.
L-Evanġelju
Qari skond San Mattew 14, 22-33
Wara
lin-nies kielu u xebgħu, Ġesu’’’minnufih ġiegħel lid-dixxipli jitilgħu fuq
id-dgħajsa u jmorru qablu x-xatt l-ieħor, sakemm jibgħat lin-nies. Wara li
bagħat lin-nies, tela’ waħdu fuq l-għoljiet biex jitlob. Xħin sar filgħaxija kien
għadu hemm fuq, waħdu. Id-dgħajsa kienet diġa’ f’nofs il-baħar titħabat
mal-mewġ, għax kellhom ir-riħ kontra tagħhom. Fir-raba’ sahra tal-lejl mar lejn
in-naħa tagħhom miexi fuq il-baħar. Huma rawh miexi fuq il-baħar u twerwru. “Dan
xi fantażma!” qalu; u qabdu jgħajtu
bil-biża’. Iżda hu minnufih kellimhom u qalilhom: “Agħmlu l-qalb, Jien hu,
tibżgħu xejn!” Wieġeb Pietru u qallu: “Mulej, jekk huwa int, ordnali niġi ħdejk
fuq l-ilma”; “Ejja” qallu Ġesu. Pietru niżel mid-dgħajsa, u qabad jimxi fuq
l-ilma u jersaq lejn Ġesu’. Iżda meta ra li r-riħ kien qawwi, baża’, ħabat
jegħreq, u beda jgħajjt u jgħid: “Salvani, Mulej!” Malajr Ġesu medd idu u qabdu;
“Bniedem ta fidi zgħira” qallu, “għaliex iddubitajt?” Meta
mbagħad it-tnejn telgħu fid-dgħajsa, ir-riħ waqaf. Dawk li kienu fid-dgħajsa
nxetħtu jqimuh u qalulu: “Tassew, int Bin Alla!”. Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
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A reflection on Sunday’s Readings
A Prophet’s Depression, an Apostle’s Grief and a Disciple’s
Fear
Chapter 19 of the First Book of Kings presents us with the aftermath of
Elijah’s brilliant victory in the contest with Jezebel and the priests of Baal
atop Mount Carmel . Just when Elijah should
have been triumphant, he receives a message telling him of Jezebel’s murderous
intentions, and is “afraid” (19:3). The exceedingly exemplary servant of God is
now in a rut – believing that all of his efforts are in vain! In chapter 18,
Elijah was at the height of success; in chapter 19 he is in the depths of
despair. In chapter 18 he is on the mountain peak of victory; in chapter 19 he
is in the valley of defeat. In chapter 18 he is elated; in chapter 19 he is
completely deflated.
Mountaintop experiences
In Sunday’s first reading from 1 Kings 19:9, 11-13, Elijah must learn
that God is not encountered in the sound and fury of loud and spectacular
events. God will not be conjured up by the zealous or boisterous activity of
the prophet who now stands quiet and distressed atop the Lord’s mountain.
Though various phenomena, such as wind, storms, earthquakes, and fire (Exodus
19:18-19), may indeed herald the divine presence, they do not constitute the
presence itself which, like the tiny whispering sound, is imperceptible and
reveals in a deep way the true face and presence of God.
The Hebrew expression “still small voice” (1 Kings 19:12) literally
means “a voice of low whispers, a sound of gentle stillness.” Though the
wretched Jezebel was thundering, she was not in control. Though God was silent,
he was not absent. Elijah’s God and our God is the God of signs and wonders but
he is also the God of whispers and gentleness. Only when Elijah’s mind and
heart are finally depleted of ambition and self-promotion, is God ultimately
heard.
Elijah’s struggle with depression
Elijah’s depression wasn’t due to one single cause: it was the
culmination of several factors. At the root of depression is almost always some
form of fear. The great, fiery prophet of Israel
The second factor is failure. Elijah had a very low self-esteem. Elijah
was in a long line of prophets who also tried to address Israel
The third factor is fatigue, exhaustion, burnout. Elijah was physically
exhausted and emotionally empty. This is the great danger of peak experiences.
It is the risk of those who get lost in their work and mission, who are blinded
by their own zeal, and have become crusaders and saviours bound for burnout
rather than humble disciples and ministers who are poor servants, simply doing
their tasks. Elijah didn’t take time to rest and relax, to sit back and see
what God was doing around him.
The fourth factor can be described as plain futility. Elijah feels
alone, hopeless, and has little hope for the future. He suffers from paranoia,
thinking that everyone is out to get him. He looks at the world through very
dark glasses. He doesn’t see any way out of his existential conundrum. How many
of us are afraid, lonely, exhausted, burned out, and without any hope? How many
of us have given in to despair, cynicism, meanness of spirit, and smallness of
heart? How many of us have lost our faith in a God who can reverse barren wombs
and empty tombs?
Elijah’s therapy
In order for Elijah to revive and renew his strength, he needed to get
away. He needed physical, emotional, and spiritual rejuvenation. He had been so
busy taking care of the needs of the nations that he had neglected the needs
and concerns of Elijah the Tishbite. Elijah talked through his frustrations as
he sat in the cave atop the mountain. In the midst of his feeling sorry for
himself, God asked him point blank: “What are you doing here, Elijah?” God knew
full well what Elijah was doing there. In fact, God helped him to get there!
God listened patiently and non-judgmentally as Elijah poured out his feelings
of anger, bitterness, and self-pity. Notice what God didn’t say to the pathetic
prophet: “Elijah, my prophets don’t talk like that!” God didn't make him feel
guilty for his feelings. Instead God accepted him and listened to him.
What happened to Elijah happens to us, especially when we pay much more
attention to negative events than to all the good that is happening around us.
It happens when we are very hard on ourselves, and take ourselves far too
seriously, and God not seriously enough! God intervened in Elijah’s sorry state
and reminded him that his vision of life, his understanding of events, his view
of God were terribly distorted.
Elijah needed to know that God was there and that there were in fact
others who had not bowed down to Baal. Elijah thought he was the only one who
was still faithful to God. God allowed Elijah to sit in the dark cave of
self-pity for only so long. There was a new king of Israel
Great sorrow and anguish
Sunday’s second reading (Romans 9:1-5) presents us with Paul, a man who
had an unbelievable willingness to be sacrificed for his people. He was willing
to be accursed, separated from Christ, if it would save his people. He was
willing to swap his salvation for their doom if it would lead to their
salvation. Paul felt the deepest emotion, love, and concern for his own people.
He avails himself to the essential question of how the divine plan could be
frustrated by Israel
Paul speaks in strong terms of the depth of his grief over the unbelief
of his own people. Israel Israel Israel Israel
The reading from Romans 9 raises some significant questions for us. When
was the last time you pleaded with a lost person to accept Christ? How does the
possibility of being rejected affect the passion with which you share the
Gospel? When you share the gospel, how convinced are you about its power to
save the lost? About its ability to change the habits of sinners? About its
real need in today’s modern society? What sacrifices are you willing to make in
order to see the lost members of your family, your friends, or members of your
faith community return to Christ or perhaps come to him for the first time?
“Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
In Sunday’s moving Gospel story (Matthew 14:22-33) set on the lake, the
disciples, labouring against the turbulent sea, are saved by Jesus. Jesus’
power is expressed by his walking on the choppy waters (Matthew 14:25; Psalm
77:20; Job 9:8). Jesus challenges Peter also to walk on the waters! Because of
Peter’s fear and weak faith, he begins to sink. When Jesus stretches out his
hand and catches Peter, he reminds his disciples and the Church in every
generation of his constant care for us. He teaches us that no storm will
overturn the boat in which we sail, and no water will swallow us up in
darkness.
At certain times in the contemporary history of our Church, everything
seems to indicate shipwreck, fear, drowning, and death. But let us be honest
and realize that the Church goes on, saving souls and journeying forward to its
final harbour. In that blessed realm, beyond the seas of this life, all of the
things that threaten God’s Church in this world will be gone forever. At times
of turbulence, we must listen to the Lord, as Peter did, and cast our nets
again into the deep; for it is our faith that is being tested – not as to
whether we profess it or not, but as to whether we are ready to do something
about it or not.
He calms the storms of life
Let us never forget this fact: we are on the waters with Jesus. He is in
the boat with us, during the night and during the storms. The Lord does not
abandon those who come seeking his mercy and his forgiveness. He walks upon the
waters. He calms the storm. He guides the boat into safe harbour, and brings
with him the great catch, the great feast, to which we are all summoned – the
daily feast of his very self, his Body and Blood, our food for eternal life.
This is cause for rejoicing!
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