(Sunday, October 13, 2019)
Twenty-eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 144
It-Tmienja u Għoxrin Ħadd taż-Żmien ta’ Matul
is-Sena
Reading 1
2 Kings 5:14-17
Naaman went down and plunged into the Jordan seven times at the
word of Elisha, the man of God. His flesh became again like the flesh of a little child, and he
was clean of his leprosy. Naaman returned with his whole retinue to the man of
God. On his arrival he stood before Elisha and said, "Now I know that there is no God in all the earth, except in
Israel. Please accept a gift from your servant." Elisha replied, "As
the LORD lives whom I serve, I will not take it;" and despite Naaman's
urging, he still refused. Naaman said: "If you will not accept, please let
me, your servant, have two mule-loads of earth, for I will no longer offer
holocaust or sacrifice to any other god except to the LORD."
Qari I
mit-Tieni Ktieb tas-Slaten 5, 14-17
F’dak iż-żmien, Nagħman, il-kmandant tal-eżerċtu tas-Sultan ta’
Aram, niżel fil-Ġordan, u għodos seba’ darbiet, bħalma qallu Eliżew, il-bniedem
ta’ Alla, u ġismu raġa’ sarlu qisu l-ġisem ta’ tfajjel żagħżugħ, u ndaf
mil-lebbra tiegħu. U raġa’ lura għand Eliżew, il-bniedem ta’ Alla, hu u kull
min kellu miegħu; daħal, waqaf quddiemu u qallu: “Ara, issa naf, iva, li ma
hemmx Alla ieħor fid-dinja kollha, ħlief f’Iżrael. Ilqa’, nitolbok, dan
ir-rigal mingħand il-qaddej tiegħek”. U qallu Eliżew: “Daqs kemm hu ħaj
il-Mulej li lilu naqdi, jien ma nieħu xejn”. U ma ħadhulux, għad li l-ieħor
issikkah ħafna. Għalhekk Nagħman qallu: “La ma tridx, nitolbok li tingħata
lill-qaddej tiegħek tagħbija ta’ żewġ bgħula ħamrija; għax il-qaddej tiegħek
mhuwiex se jagħmel iżjed sagrifiċċji tal-ħruq u offerti lil allat oħra, jekk
mhux lill-Mulej”.Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
Responsorial Psalm PSALM
98:1, 2-3, 3-4.
Sing to the LORD a new song,
for he has done wondrous deeds;
his right hand has won victory for him,
his holy arm.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
The LORD has made his salvation known:
in the sight of the nations he has revealed his justice.
He has remembered his kindness and his faithfulness
toward the house of Israel.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
All the ends of the earth have seen
the salvation by our God.
Sing joyfully to the LORD, all you lands:
break into song; sing praise.
R. The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
Salm Responsorjali Salm 97 (98), 1.2-3ab.3ċd-4
R/. (ara 2b): Il-Mulej għarraf is-salvazzjoni lill-ġnus
Għannu lill-Mulej għanja ġdida,
għax għamel ħwejjeġ tal-għaġeb.
Ġibitlu r-rebħa l-leminija tiegħu,
u d-driegħ imqaddes tiegħu. R/.
Għarraf il-Mulej is-salvazzjoni tiegħu,
f’għajnejn il-ġnus wera l-ġustizzja tiegħu.
Ftakar fit-tjieba u l-fedeltà tiegħu
mal-poplu ta’ Iżrael. R/.
L-art kollha, minn tarf għall-ieħor,
rat is-salvazzjoni ta’ Alla tagħna.
Għajtu bil-ferħ lill-Mulej fl-art kollha,
infexxu fil-hena, ifirħu u għannu! R/.
Reading 2
2 Tm 2:8-13
Beloved: Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant
of David: such is my gospel, for which I am suffering, even to the point of
chains, like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore, I bear with everything for the sake of those who are
chosen, so that they too may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, together
with eternal glory. This saying is trustworthy: If we have died with him we
shall also live with him; if we persevere we shall also reign with him. But if
we deny him he will deny us. If we are unfaithful he remains faithful, for he
cannot deny himself.
Qari II
mit-Tieni Ittra lil Timotju 2,
8-13
Għażiż, ftakar f’Ġesù Kristu,i qam mill-imwiet, li hu min-nisel
ta’ David, skont l-Evanġelju li ħabbart ien. Għalih jien qiegħed inbati l-irbit tal-ktajjen bħallikieku għamilt xi
delitt. Imma l-kelma ta’ Alla mhijiex marbuta! Għalhekk kollox nieħu bis-sabar
għall-imħabba ta’ dawk li Alla għażel, biex huma wkoll jiksbu s-salvazzjoni, li
hi ta’ glorja għal dejjem fi Kristu Ġesù. Din hi kelma ta’ min joqgħod fuqha: Jekk
aħna mitna miegħu, għad ngħixu miegħu wkoll; jekk insofru bis-sabar, għad
insaltnu miegħu wkoll; jekk niċħduh, jiċħadna hu wkoll; jekk nonqsu mill-kelma
li tajna, hu jibqa’ jżomm kelmtu; għax hu ma jistax iqarraq bih innifsu. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej
Gospel
Luke 17:11-19
As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem, he traveled through
Samaria and Galilee. As he was entering a village, ten lepers met him. They
stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying, "Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!" And when he saw them,
he said, "Go show yourselves to the priests." As they were going they
were cleansed. And one of them, realizing he had been healed, returned, glorifying God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet
of Jesus and thanked him. He was a Samaritan. Jesus said in reply, "Ten
were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?" Then
he said to him, "Stand up and go; your faith has saved you."
Evanġelju
Qari skont San Luqa 17, 11-19
Ġara li huwa u sejjer lejn Ġerusalemm, Ġesù għadda minn bejn
is-Samarija u l-Galilija. Kif kien dieħel f’raħal, iltaqgħu miegħu għaxart
irġiel morda bil-lebbra. Waqfu ’l bogħod minnu, għollew leħinhom u qalulu:
“Ġesù, mgħallem, ikollok ħniena minna!”. Kif rahom, qalilhom: “Morru uru
rwieħkom lill-qassisin”. U ġara li, huma u sejrin, fiequ mill-marda tagħhom.
Wieħed minnhom, kif ra ruħu mfejjaq, raġa’ lura jgħajjat u jfaħħar lil Alla,
inxteħet wiċċu fl-art f’riġlejn Ġesù u raddlu ħajr. Issa dan kien Samaritan. U
Ġesù qabad u qal: “Mhux l-għaxra fiequ mil-lebbra? Fejn huma d-disgħa l-oħra?
Ma kien hemm ħadd minnhom li raġa’ lura biex jagħti glorja lil Alla ħlief dan
il-barrani?”. Imbagħad qallu: “Qum, mur; il-fidi tiegħek salvatek”. Il-Kelma
tal-Mulej
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What
Use Are Miracles?
Commentary for the 28th Sunday in Ordinary
Time by Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap, pontifical preacher.
While Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem, 10 lepers met him at the
entrance to a village. Staying at a distance they call out to him, “Jesus,
Master, have pity on us!” Jesus has pity on them and says to them: “Go and show
yourselves to the priests.”
Along the way the 10 lepers discover themselves to be miraculously
cured. The first reading also tells of a miraculous healing of a leper: that of
Naaman the Syrian by the prophet Elisha. The liturgy’s intention is clearly to
invite us to reflect on the meaning of miracles and in particular of miracles that
bring about the cure of a sickness.
Let us say that prerogative to do miracles is one of the most
attested in Jesus’ life. Perhaps the most dominant idea that the people had of
Jesus during his life, more dominant than that of a prophet, was that of a miracle
worker. Jesus himself presents this fact as proof of the Messianic authenticity
of his mission: “The blind see, the lame walk, the lepers are healed, the deaf
hear, the dead are raised” (cf. Matthew 11:5). Miracles cannot be eliminated
from Jesus’ life without destroying the plot of the whole Gospel.
Together with accounts of the miracles, Scripture offers us
criteria for judging their authenticity and purpose. In the Bible, miracles are
never ends in themselves; much less are they supposed to elevate the person who
does them and show off his extraordinary powers, as is almost always the case
with healers and wonder workers who advertise themselves. Miracles are rather
an incentive for and a reward of faith. It is a sign and it must serve to draw attention
to what it signifies. This is why Jesus is saddened when, after having
multiplied the loaves of bread, he sees that they did not understand what this
was a sign of (cf. Mark 6:51).
In the Gospel itself, miracles are ambiguous. Sometimes they are regarded
positively and sometimes negatively — positively, when they are welcomed with
gratitude and joy, when they awaken faith in Christ and hope in a future world
without sickness and death; negatively, when they are asked for or demanded for
faith. “What sign do you do that we might believe in you?” (John 6:30). This
ambiguity continues in a different form in today’s world. On the one hand,
there are those who seek out miracles at all costs; it is always a hunt for the
extraordinary, and people stop at their immediate utility. On the other hand,
their are those who deny miracles altogether; indeed they look upon miracles
with a certain irritation, as if it were a manifestation of degenerate
religiosity, without recognizing that in doing so they are pretending to teach
God himself what is true religiosity and what isn’t.
Some recent debates that have arisen around the Padre Pio
phenomenon have shown how much confusion is still around today about miracles.
It is not true, for example, that the Church considers every unexplainable
event a miracle (we know that even the medical world is full of this!). It
considers as miracles only those unexplainable facts that, because of the
circumstances in which they take place (which are rigorously ascertained), have
the character of a divine sign, that is, they give confirmation to someone or
an answer to a prayer. If a woman, who is without pupils from birth begins to
see at a certain point while still being without pupils, this can be cataloged
as an unexplainable fact. But if this happens while she is confessing to Padre
Pio, as did in fact happen, then it is no longer possible to speak simply of an
unexplainable fact.
Our atheist friends with their critical attitude in regard to
miracles make a contribution to faith itself because they make us attentive to
easy falsifications in this area. But they too must guard against an uncritical
attitude. It is just as mistaken always to believe whatever is claimed as a
miracle as it is always to refuse to believe without looking at the evidence.
It is possible to be credulous but it is also possible to be … incredulous,
which is not very different.
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