Holy MassReadings ( In 2018 on Thursday, 8th February )
http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/020818.cfm
Thursday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
Lectionary: 332
Reading 1 1 Kgs 11:4-13
When Solomon was old his wives had turned his heart to strange gods,
and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God,
as the heart of his father David had been.
By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians,
and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites,
Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD;
he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.
Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab,
and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites,
on the hill opposite Jerusalem.
He did the same for all his foreign wives
who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
The LORD, therefore, became angry with Solomon,
because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel,
who had appeared to him twice
(for though the LORD had forbidden him
this very act of following strange gods,
Solomon had not obeyed him).
So the LORD said to Solomon: "Since this is what you want,
and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes
which I enjoined on you,
I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant.
I will not do this during your lifetime, however,
for the sake of your father David;
it is your son whom I will deprive.
Nor will I take away the whole kingdom.
I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David
and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."
and his heart was not entirely with the LORD, his God,
as the heart of his father David had been.
By adoring Astarte, the goddess of the Sidonians,
and Milcom, the idol of the Ammonites,
Solomon did evil in the sight of the LORD;
he did not follow him unreservedly as his father David had done.
Solomon then built a high place to Chemosh, the idol of Moab,
and to Molech, the idol of the Ammonites,
on the hill opposite Jerusalem.
He did the same for all his foreign wives
who burned incense and sacrificed to their gods.
The LORD, therefore, became angry with Solomon,
because his heart was turned away from the LORD, the God of Israel,
who had appeared to him twice
(for though the LORD had forbidden him
this very act of following strange gods,
Solomon had not obeyed him).
So the LORD said to Solomon: "Since this is what you want,
and you have not kept my covenant and my statutes
which I enjoined on you,
I will deprive you of the kingdom and give it to your servant.
I will not do this during your lifetime, however,
for the sake of your father David;
it is your son whom I will deprive.
Nor will I take away the whole kingdom.
I will leave your son one tribe for the sake of my servant David
and of Jerusalem, which I have chosen."
Responsorial Psalm PS 106:3-4, 35-36, 37 and 40
R. (4a) Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Blessed are they who observe what is right,
who do always what is just.
Remember us, O LORD, as you favor your people;
visit us with your saving help.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
But they mingled with the nations
and learned their works.
They served their idols,
which became a snare for them.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons.
And the LORD grew angry with his people,
and abhorred his inheritance.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Blessed are they who observe what is right,
who do always what is just.
Remember us, O LORD, as you favor your people;
visit us with your saving help.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
But they mingled with the nations
and learned their works.
They served their idols,
which became a snare for them.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
They sacrificed their sons
and their daughters to demons.
And the LORD grew angry with his people,
and abhorred his inheritance.
R. Remember us, O Lord, as you favor your people.
Alleluia Jas 1:21bc
R. Alleluia, alleluia.Humbly welcome the word that has been planted in you
and is able to save your souls.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel Mk 7:24-30
Jesus went to the district of Tyre.
He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.
He entered a house and wanted no one to know about it,
but he could not escape notice.
Soon a woman whose daughter had an unclean spirit heard about him.
She came and fell at his feet.
The woman was a Greek, a Syrophoenician by birth,
and she begged him to drive the demon out of her daughter.
He said to her, “Let the children be fed first.
For it is not right to take the food of the children
and throw it to the dogs.”
She replied and said to him,
“Lord, even the dogs under the table eat the children’s scraps.”
Then he said to her, “For saying this, you may go.
The demon has gone out of your daughter.”
When the woman went home, she found the child lying in bed
and the demon gone.
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Mk 7:24-30 -- The astuteness of the Syro-Phoenician woman - Il-fidi tal-mara Sirofeniċja
Pope Francis at Santa Marta: A weak heart is a defeated heart - Published on 8 Feb 2018
Pope\'s Mass: believers can lose their faith from passion and vanity - Published on 13 Feb 2014
In the Maltese language ...
http://www.laikos.org/QQ/Qari_Quddies.php
Il-Ħames Ġimgħa taż-Żmien ta’ Matul is-Sena
Il-Ħamis
Qari I
Ladarba ma ħaristx il-patt tiegħi, jiena se nċarrat is-saltna minn fuqek; ikun hemm tribù, wieħed biss, li lil ibnek inħallihulu, minħabba l-qaddej tiegħi David.
1 Slaten 11, 4-13
Qari mill-Ewwel Ktieb tas-Slaten
Ġara li meta Salamun kien imdaħħal sewwa fiż-żmien, in-nisa li kellu dawrulu tassew qalbu għal wara allat oħra, hekk li qalbu issa ma baqgħetx kollha kemm hi mal-Mulej, Alla tiegħu, bħalma kienet qalb David missieru. Salamun beda jqim lil Għastoret, alla tan-nies ta’ Sidon, u lil Milkom, l-idolu mistkerrah li kienu jqimuh in-nies ta’ Għammon. Din l-imġiba ta’ Salamun, li ma baqax ħaġa waħda mal-Mulej sal-aħħar, lill-Mulej xejn ma għoġbitu. Kemm kien xorta oħra David missieru!
Imbagħad Salamun bena fuq l-għolja biswit Ġerusalemm santwarju lil Kemos, l-għajb ta’ Mowab, u lil Molok, l-għajb tal-Għammonin. U hekk għamel għan-nisa l-oħra kollha barranin, li kienu jaħarqu l-inċens u joffru s-sagrifiċċji lil allathom.
Il-Mulej kien issa inkurlat għal Salamun talli ħalla qalbu tinfired minn miegħu, wara li dan Alla ta’ Iżrael kien ġa deherlu darbtejn, u wissieh biex ma jmurx wara allat oħra. Iżda Salamun ma qagħadx għat-twissijiet li l-Mulej kien għamillu. U għalhekk qal il-Mulej lil Salamun: “Ladarba ġibt ruħek hekk, u ma ħaristx il-patt tiegħi, u l-liġijiet li tajtek int ma ħaristhomx, jiena se naħtaf u nċarrat issaltna minn fuqek u nagħtiha lil wieħed li hu qaddej tiegħek. Imma minħabba f’David missierek din il-ħaġa ma nagħmilhiex fi żmienek. Minn id ibnek naħtaf is-saltna. Iżda ma naħtafhilekx kollha kemm hi; ikun hemm tribù, wieħed biss, li lil ibnek inħallihulu, kemm minħabba l-qaddej tiegħi David, kemm minħabba Ġerusalemm li jien għażilt”.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
R/. Irroddu ħajr lil Alla
Salm Responsorjali
Salm 105 (106), 3-4.35-36.37 u 40
R/. (4): Ftakar fija, Mulej, fi mħabbtek għall-poplu
Hieni min jimxi bid-dritt,
min jagħmel dejjem is-sewwa.
Ftakar fija, Mulej,
fi mħabbtek għall-poplu tiegħek;
aħseb fija bis-salvazzjoni tiegħek. R/.
Huma tħalltu mal-ġnus,
u tgħallmu d-drawwiet tagħhom.
Taw qima lill-idoli tagħhom,
li saru bħal nassa għalihom. R/.
Qatlu b’sagrifiċċji lix-xjaten
lil uliedhom subien u bniet.
Għalhekk inkorla l-Mulej għall-poplu tiegħu,
u stmell il-wirt tiegħu. R/.
Akklamazzjoni qabel l-Evanġelju
Ġak 1, 21bċ
Hallelujah. R/. Hallelujah
Ilqgħu bil-ħlewwa l-kelma mħawla fikom,
li tista’ ssalvalkom ruħkom.
R/. Hallelujah
Evanġelju
Taħt il-mejda l-ġriewi wkoll jieklu l-frak mill-ħobż tat-tfal.
Mk 7, 24-30
Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Mark
F’dak iż-żmien, Ġesù mar fl-inħawi tal-belt ta’ Tir. Daħal joqgħod f’dar, u ried li ħadd ma jsir jaf. Iżda ma setax ikun li jinħeba, għax malajr semgħet bih waħda mara li kellha lil bintha maħkuma minn spirtu ħażin, u marret tinxteħet f’riġlejh. Issa din il-mara kienet Griega, Sirofeniċja min-nisel tagħha. Bdiet mela titolbu biex ikeċċi x-xitan minn ġo bintha. U hu qalilha: “L-ewwel ħa jixbgħu l-ulied, għax mhux sewwa tieħu l-ħobż tal-ulied u tixħtu lill-ġriewi”. Iżda hi weġbitu u qaltlu: “Hekk hu, Mulej; imma taħt il-mejda l-ġriewi wkoll jieklu l-frak mill-ħobż tat-tfal”. Imbagħad qalilha: “Għal din il-kelma li għedt, mur, ix-xitan ħareġ minn bintek”. U xħin marret id-dar, sabet it-tifla mimduda, u x-xitan kien ħareġ minnha.
Il-Kelma tal-Mulej
R/. Tifħir lilek Kristu
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http://www.vaticannews.va/en/pope-francis/mass-casa-santa-marta/2018-02/pope-francis-mass-casa-santa-marta.html
Pope Francis: sinners can become saints, but the corrupt cannot
Be watchful, every day, so that you don’t end up far from the Lord. That was the invitation of Pope Francis during his homily at the morning Mass at Casa Santa Marta on Thursday. The Pope spoke of the risk, to which we are all exposed, of weakness of the heart.
David is a saint, even if he was a sinner; the great and wise Solomon, on the other hand, was rejected by the Lord because he was corrupt. Pope Francis focused on this apparent paradox in his homily at the daily Mass at the Casa Santa Marta. The first Reading in the day’s liturgy, taken from the First Book of Kings, speaks about Solomon and his disobedience. “We have heard about something a bit strange,” the Pope said. “The heart of Solomon was not entirely with the Lord, his God, as the heart of David, his father, had been.”
The problem of weakness of the heart
He explained that it was strange because we do not know that Solomon had committed great sins, he was always very balanced; while we know that David had had a difficult life, that he was a sinner. And yet David is a saint, while it is said of Solomon, who had been praised by the Lord for seeking wisdom rather than riches, that his heart was “turned away from the Lord.” How can we explain this? the Pope asked. It is because David, knowing that he had sinned, always asked for forgiveness, while Solomon, who was praised throughout the world, distanced himself from the Lord to follow other gods, but did not recognize his fault.
And here is the problem of “weakness of the heart.” When the heart begins to weaken, it is not like a situation of sin: you commit a sin, and you realize it immediately. “I have committed this sin”; it’s clear. Weakness of the heart is a slow journey, that slides along step by step, step by step, step by step… And Solomon, adorned in his glory, in his fame, began to take this road.
Solomon became tranquil in his corruption
Paradoxically, “the clarity of a sin is better than weakness of the heart,” the Pope said. “The great king Solomon wound up corrupted: tranquilly corrupt, because his heart was weakened”:
And a man and a woman with weak hearts, or weakened hearts, is a defeated woman, a defeated man. This is the process of many Christians, of many of us. ‘No, I haven’t committed grave sins.’ But how is your heart? Is it strong? Does it stay faithful to the Lord, or does is it slowly sliding away?
Guard your heart at all times
The drama of the weakness of the heart can happen to all of us in life. What do we do then? The answer, Pope Francis said, is vigilance: “Be watchful. Guard your heart. Be watchful. Every day, be careful about what is happening in your heart. He concluded:
David was a saint. He was a sinner. A sinner, and he became a saint. Solomon was rejected because he was corrupt. Someone who is corrupt cannot become a saint. And one becomes corrupt by following the path of weakness of the heart. Vigilance! Guard your heart at all times. How is my heart doing? How is my relationship with the Lord? And enjoy the beauty and the joy of fidelity.
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