MAY THE LOVE OF JESUS CHRIST, BE ALWAYS IN OUR HEART TO KEEP US HUMBLE, GRATEFUL, MERCIFUL, FORGIVING --- O GOD, BLESS ALL THAT IS COMING FROM YOU AND BREAK ALL THAT IS NOT COMING FROM YOU, AMEN --- This site is just a drop from the immeasurable ocean in JESUS, THE IMAGE OF THE INVISIBLE GOD, HOLY TRINITY ONE GOD - HE IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE - TEACHER, HEALER, REDEEMER --- The main purpose of this site is to make an easier access to Catholic Religion-related links.
Christians in pagan courts: "If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?" (1 Cor. 6:1)
First Reading --- 1 Corinthians 6:1-11
How dare one of your members take up a complaint against another in the law courts of the unjust instead of before the saints? As you know, it is the saints who are to ‘judge the world’; and if the world is to be judged by you, how can you be unfit to judge trifling cases? Since we are also to judge angels, it follows that we can judge matters of everyday life; but when you have had cases of that kind, the people you appointed to try them were not even respected in the Church. You should be ashamed: is there really not one reliable man among you to settle differences between brothers and so one brother brings a court case against another in front of unbelievers? It is bad enough for you to have lawsuits at all against one another: oughtn’t you to let yourselves be wronged, and let yourselves be cheated? But you are doing the wronging and the cheating, and to your own brothers.
You know perfectly well that people who do wrong will not inherit the kingdom of God: people of immoral lives, idolaters, adulterers, catamites, sodomites, thieves, usurers, drunkards, slanderers and swindlers will never inherit the kingdom of God. These are the sort of people some of you were once, but now you have been washed clean, and sanctified, and justified through the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and through the Spirit of our God.
1 Corinthians 6:1-11 --- 1 Korintin 6:1-11
6. Quddiem il-qrati pagani
[1Kor:6:1] Hemm xi
ħadd fostkom li, meta jkollu xi jgħid ma' ħaddieħor, għandu l-ħila jfittex
il-ġustizzja għand il-pagani u mhux għand il-qaddisin? [1Kor:6:2] Jaqaw
ma tafux li l-qaddisin għad jagħmlu ħaqq mid-dinja? U jekk id-dinja għad irid
isirilha ħaqq minnkom, ma jixirqilkomx intom tagħmlu ħaqq minn ħwejjeġ ta'
xejn? [1Kor:6:3] Ma tafux li aħna għad nagħmlu ħaqq mill-anġli? Kemm
iktar, mela, mill-ħwejjeġ ta' din
il-ħajja! [1Kor:6:4] Mela, meta intom ikollkom xi tgħidu bejnietkom fuq
ħwejjeġ ta' din il-ħajja, tqegħdux imħallfin lil dawk li huma mistmerra
mill-Knisja! [1Kor:6:5] Dan qiegħed ngħidu għall-mistħija tagħkom; jaqaw
ma għandkomx fostkom xi ħadd għaref li jista' jagħmel ħaqq bejn l-aħwa? [1Kor:6:6]
Imma l-aħwa jħarrku 'l xulxin, u dan quddiem il-pagani! [1Kor:6:7] U
m'hux ġa nuqqas għalikom li jkollkom kawżi bejnietkom? L-għala ma ssofrux
l-inġustizzja? L-għala ma tagħżlux li tħallu min iqarraq bikom? [1Kor:6:8]
Mhux dan biss, imma l-inġustizzja tagħmluha intom stess, u tqarrqu bl-oħrajn, u
dan lil ħutkom! [1Kor:6:9] Ma tafux li l-inġusti ma jirtuhiex is-saltna
ta' Alla? La titqarrqux! La żienja, la idolatri, la adulteri, la effeminati, la
omosesswali, [1Kor:6:10] la ħallelin, la rgħiba, la skaren, la qassiesa
fuq in-nies, la ħattafa, ma jirtu s-saltna ta' Alla! [1Kor:6:11] U minn
dawn kienu xi wħud minnkom. Imma issa tnaddaftu, tqaddistu u ġejtu ġġustifikati
fl-isem ta' Sidna Ġesù Kristu u fl-Ispirtu ta' Alla tagħna.
Knisja Arċipretali tat-Twelid tal-Verġni Marija, il-Mellieħa 7 ta’ Settembru 2019
Ikollu xi ħadd minkom jistaqsini: ‘imma għaliex qegħdin nagħmlu din il-festa llum? X’inhu l-ħsieb profond li tfakkarna?’ Inħoss li risposta tajba, adegwata tista’ tkun propju l-aħħar frażi ta’ dan l-Evanġelju li qara d-djaknu minn San Mattew: “Ix-xebba tnissel u jkollha iben, u jsemmuh Għimannu-El li bi lsienna jfisser ‘Alla magħna’.” (Mt 1:23)
Il-poplu Malti dejjem, b’mod speċjali wara l-Assedju l-Kbir tal-1565 imbagħad b’mod speċjali meta bħal-lum fl-1943 il-flotta Taljana kkapitulat propju fil-Port il-Kbir tagħna, minn dejjem għaqqad din il-festa ma’ sinjal ċar li għalkemm il-Mulej fl-istorja, fin-narrattiva li tagħmilna dak li aħna u li tagħmilna poplu, għaddiena minn mumenti ta’ diffikultajiet mhux żgħar, imma Alla kien dejjem Alla magħna, mhux Alla mbiegħed.
Dawk il-familji kollha li fix-xelters fi żmien il-gwerra dinjija kienu mbeżżgħin, imregħdin, itturufnati jitolbu r-rużarju, ma kinux marbuta biss ma’ superstitizzjoni imma kienu marbuta ma’ fidi antika b’għeruq profondi li Alla huwa magħna, li ismu mhux biss Għimmanu-El imma Jeshua – Alla jsalva, Alla Salvatur.
Dawn iż-żewġ ismijiet daħlu fil-profond tal-immaġinarju kollettiv tagħna u huma parti mis-sinsla li tagħmilna min aħna. Il-persważjoni li Pawlu, l-appostlu Missierna laqqagħna ma’ Alla, għax aħna kellna allat qabel, kemm irridu, bil-gzuz u għalihom bnejna tempji kbar, imma Pawlu l-Appostlu Missierna laqqagħna ma’ Alla li huwa Salvatur, ma’ Alla li huwa magħna, mhux imbiegħed. Ma jsalvaniex kif inħobb ngħid liż-żgħażagħ bir-remote control, imma sar wieħed minna. La bagħat kummissjoni u lanqas ambaxxatur, imma ġie hu, l-Iben t’Alla.
It-twelid ta’ ommu huwa din it-tieqa miftuħa fuq din ir-realtà kbira, għaliex m’hemm ebda iben li m’għandux omm u l-omm hija omm minħabba l-iben. Aħna llum qegħdin nifirħu fit-twelid ta’ din iċ-ċkejkna tarbija, tifla, minn żewġ ġenituri li t-tradizzjoni tgħidilna kienu Anna u Ġwakkin, u qed nifirħu għaliex twieldet Omm il-Feddej.
Disa’ xhur ilu, fit-8 ta’ Diċembru, aħna fraħna fit-tnissil tagħha. Nagħmlu hekk ukoll għal binha; fil-25 ta’ Diċembru niċċelebraw it-twelid tiegħu u disa’ xhur qabel, fil-25 ta’ Marzu niċċelebraw it-tnissil tiegħu. U dan huwa wkoll privileġġ tal-mamà ta’ Ġesu li bħalma nagħmlu għal binha nagħmlu anke għaliha, li aħna ċerta kalendarju preċiż preċiż għax in-natura ma tantx hi daqshekk preċiża preċiża - jgħallimna l-President. Imma nikkalkulaw disa’ xhur u l-istatement huwa ċar: din it-tifla li twieldet illum tnisslet disa’ xhur ilu. Min irid statement antik tal-fidi tagħna bid-dinjità tal-ħajja umana sa mit-tnissil tagħha, jifhem li aħna niċċelebraw it-tnissil tal-Iben u t-tnissil ta’ ommu. Imma niċċelebraw ukoll it-twelid tal-Iben u t-twelid ta’ ommu disa’ xhur ilu. Hawn min jgħidlu tabù dan. Ippermettili ngħid li jgħidu x’jgħidu, it-talba tiegħi bl-interċessjoni tal-Madonna hija li aħna nibqgħu persważi bid-dinjità ta’ kull ħajja umana sa mit-tnissil tagħha.
Għax fl-1565, fl-1943, aħna konna qed nikkonfrontaw għedewwa ħa nsejħilhom fiżiċi. It-taqtigħa kienet tremenda, kiefra; imma llum ukoll għandna sfidi kbar. Għandna sfidi kbar li jippruvaw jisirqulna mhux biss dak li għamilna min aħna, imma wkoll id-dinjità tagħna bħala bnedmin. Għax li temmen li tarbija tibda tgħix mit-tnissil mhix kwistjoni ta' reliġjon Kattolika, hija kwistjoni ta’ xjenza. M’iniex qiegħed hawn nirrepeti d-domma tal-fidi għax il-fidi tgħallmek tħares lejn l-affarijiet li ma tistax tarahom. Imma jiena qed insellem il-kontribut tax-xjenza li tgħallimni li dak li niċċelebraw huwa vera.
X’inhuma dawn l-ismijiet kollha strambi li smajna llum? (ara Mt 1:12-16). Huma verżjoni - għax hemm tnejn differenti - tal-arblu tar-razza ta’ Ġesù. Mattew li kiteb għall-komunità Lhudija ried jinsisti li t-tifel ta’ Marija, anzi t-tifel ta’ Ġużeppi, kien nisel David u nisel Abraham; kien wieħed mill-poplu Lhudi. Issa f’din il-lista hemm qaddisin imma hemm ukoll kriminali kbar, u tfakkarni dak li aħna ngħidu fit-talba antika tat-Te Deum: “Ma stmerrejtx tinżel f’ġuf ta’ verġni”. Rajtna u rajt is-sbuħija tagħna, rajtna kemm infuħu u kif ngħiduha kemm nintnu, imma ma stmerrejtniex, ma tqażżiżtx issir wieħed minna għax inti Alla magħna.
Il-Papa aċċetta li Malta u Għawdex il-Bambina tkun solennità, l-ogħla grad ta’ festa li għandna fil-Knisja. Hekk biex jekk tiġi l-Ħadd ma nitilfuhiex
Fit-twelid ta’ dik it-tarbija aħna niċċelebraw dan Alla li tant iħobbna li ma jiskandalizzax ruħu, la bid-difetti tagħna, la bid-dnubiet tagħna u lanqas bl-insuċċessi tagħna. Imma jaħjina, jerfagħna billi jsir wieħed minna, u llum niċċelebraw it-twelid ta’ dik li ġiet magħżula sa mit-tnissil tagħha li tkun ommu, għamara l-iżjed sabiħa.
U din is-sena bħalma għamilna erba’ snin ilu, bl-ogħla awtoritajiet tal-Istat, qegħdin f’dan il-post qaddis għall-memorja Marjana fil-Gżejjer tagħna. Għax hawnhekk għandna dik li x’aktarx hija l-eqdem xbieha tal-omm u l-iben, propju mpittra fuq il-blat u miktub madwarha l-kliem: ‘Mater ‘Dei - mhux għall-isptar - imma għax hi omm Alla.
Il-Papa ddeċieda, wara li aħna l-Isqfijiet - jiena, l-Isqof Mario u l-Isqof Joseph - tlabnieh u aċċetta li Malta u Għawdex il-Bambina tkun solennità, l-ogħla grad ta’ festa li għandna fil-Knisja. Hekk biex jekk tiġi l-Ħadd, ma nitilfuhiex, bħalma kieku konna se nagħmlu din is-sena. Jiena nixieq nawgura lill-membri ta’ din il-parroċċa għażiża, festa sabiħa u nixtieq – għalhekk ma semmejtux fil-bidu – insellem lir-rappreżentant tal-Papa. Eccellenza, voglio concludere questamia breve riflessione con un particolare saluto alla sua persona come Nunzio Apostolico e al Papa Francesco che in questi giorni sta in un pellegrinaggio in Africa, e voglio chiedere a vostra eccellenza di portare la gratitudine di noi popolo Maltese e Gozitano per la decisione del Papa di concedere alla provincia ecclesiastica Maltese di poter celebrare in tuttte le chiese questa celebrazione della nascita della mama di Gesù come solennità.
Il-fatt li aħna niftħu qalbna, moħħna, djarna, pajjiżna għal ħaddieħor li ġej minn kultura differenti, ma jfissirx li aħna ninsew minn fejn ġejna jew min aħna
U għalhekk lin-Nunzju qed nitolbu jwassal il-gratitudni tagħna għaliex din il-festa hija għażiża anke fl-istorja tagħna, dejjem tfakkarna fl-għeruq tagħna. U meta l-Maltin kienu qed ifittxu li jkollhom id-drittijiet tagħhom u l-jedd tagħhom f’idejhom, dejjem ftakru f’din il-ġurnata bħala l-ġurnata li tagħmilhom dak li huma. Mhux biex tagħlaqna bejn l-erba’ ħitan ta’ djarna imma min mhux konxju mill-identità tiegħu, ma jistax jilqa’ lil ħaddieħor. Il-fatt li aħna niftħu qalbna, moħħna, djarna, pajjiżna għal ħaddieħor li ġej minn kultura differenti, ma jfissirx li aħna ninsew minn fejn ġejna jew min aħna, imma dan jista’ jsir, din il-laqgħa tista’ ssir, jekk aħna nagħrfu l-għeruq tagħna kemm huma profondi. U jien nitlob l-interċessjoni ta’ Marija biex l-għeruq tagħna tibqa’ taħsilhom bl-imħabba u l-ħarsa tagħha.
Fr Terrance gives the homily at Bloomington, IN on Sep 08 the Feast of the Birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary and how this relates to our salvation, our covenant with God.
Pope's Mass: Do I allow God to walk by my side or do I push Him away?
The Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos (Mother of God) and Ever Virgin Mary
Nativity of the Blessed Mother
September 8 falls nine months after the Blessed Virgin Mary's Immaculate Conception in Saint Anne's womb, the feast celebrated on 8th December. September 8 makes today the traditional date of the Blessed Virgin Mary's birth
The Most Holy Virgin Mary was born at a time when people had reached such a degree of moral decay that it seemed altogether impossible to restore them. People often said that God must come into the world to restore faith and not permit the ruin of mankind.
The Son of God chose to take on human nature for the salvation of mankind, and chose as His Mother the All-Pure Virgin Mary, who alone was worthy to give birth to the Source of purity and holiness. The Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary is celebrated by the Church as a day of universal joy. Within the context of the Old and the New Testaments, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary was born on this radiant day, having been chosen before the ages by Divine Providence to bring about the Mystery of the Incarnation of the Word of God. She is revealed as the Mother of the Saviour of the World, Our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Most Holy Virgin Mary was born in the small city of Galilee, Nazareth. Her parents were righteous Joachim of the tribe of the Prophet-King David, and Anna from the tribe of the First Priest Aaron. The couple was without child, since St Anna was barren. Having reached old age, Joachim and Anna did not lose hope in God’s mercy. They had strong faith that for God everything is possible, and that He would be able to overcome the barrenness of Anna even in her old age, as He had once overcame the barrenness of Sarah, spouse of the Patriarch Abraham. Sts Joachim and Anna vowed to dedicate the child which the Lord might give them, to the service of God in the Temple. Childlessness was considered among the Hebrew nation as a Divine punishment for sin, and therefore the righteous Sts Joachim and Anna had to endure abuse from their own countrymen. On one of the feastdays at the Temple in Jerusalem the elderly Joachim brought his sacrifice to offer to God, but the High Priest would not accept it, considering him to be unworthy since he was childless. St Joachim in deep grief went into the wilderness, and there he prayed with tears to the Lord for a child. St Anna wept bitterly when she learned what had happened at the Jerusalem Temple. Never once did she complain against the Lord, but rather she prayed to ask God’s mercy on her family. The Lord fulfilled her petitions when the pious couple had attained to extreme old age and prepared themselves by virtuous life for a sublime calling: to be the parents of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the future Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. The Archangel Gabriel brought Joachim and Anna the joyous message that their prayers were heard by God, and of them would be born a most blessed daughter Mary, through whom would come the Salvation of all the World. The Most Holy Virgin Mary surpassed in purity and virtue not only all mankind, but also the angels. She was the living Temple of God. The Nativity of the Theotokos marks the change of the times when the great and comforting promises of God for the salvation of the human race from slavery to the devil are about to be fulfilled. This event has brought to earth the grace of the Kingdom of God, a Kingdom of Truth, piety, virtue and everlasting life. The Theotokos is revealed to all of us by grace as a merciful Intercessor and Mother, to whom we have recourse with filial devotion.
The ’12 Principal Virtues of the Wondrous Childhood of the Blessed Virgin’ are the following –
1. Innocence: The most perfect after Jesus Christ,
Mary’s innocence is rooted in the fact that she was free from all sin,
both original and actual. She is the Immaculate Conception.
2. Simplicity: Curiosity and duplicity were foreign
to her. Mary had one simple will in mind for her life and that was to
please God and align her will with His will.
3. Humility: Because she was so humble, she treated herself least among all creatures.
4. Obedience: Because she was free from all sin, she obeyed God, her parents, and all superiors with perfect obedience.
5. Patience: Since she knew that her Son would
endure great pains of suffering, she learned to practice patience from
her childhood which would prepare her to endure patiently the agonies of
Jesus Christ.
6. Love for God: She loved God so much that she
would have rather been “annihilated” than give any other creature the
love that God Himself deserved. All that she did was for Him alone. Her
will was His will – this is the supreme test of divine love.
7. Charity towards her neighbor: Mary had so much
love for her neighbor. Even in the cruel and merciless actions of the
soldiers that tortured Jesus, Mary petitioned for mercy and love. As His
Mother, she offered up his innocent blood, which was being shed for
them as well.
8. Contempt of and disengagement from the world and from herself:
From the beginning of her life, Mary died to her self in all things,
her will was the Will of God, all material things were forsaken for the
love of God – He is who she would love above all.
9. Virginal Purity: The Early Church Fathers and
Doctors of the Church – St. Gregory of Nyssa and St. Augustine of Hippo
believed that Mary made a vow of virginity early in her life. They also
tell us if Mary had been given a choice to choose whether to be a mother
or remain a virgin, she would have chosen virginity.
10. Silence: Mary’s silencing was deafening that
nowhere in the Sacred Scriptures, Sacred Tradition, or any other author
records a word from her at home with her parents, in the Temple, or any
time after.
11. Gentleness and Meekness: Mary is the only human
being to exemplify and perfect gentleness and meekness. The sweetness
that Mary evokes is not something just of our childhood, but she retains
it and shares it with sinners, even the most horrific of sinners. She
is always there to bring them back to Jesus Christ.
12. Modesty: Mary’s modesty was so great that some may have mistaken her to be an Angel incarnate.
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SEPTEMBER 8 - Victory Day in the Maltese History
The Church in Malta celebrates the Feast of the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary and festivities take place in Senglea, Naxxar, Mellieha and in Xaghra Gozo.
Since 1878, the big harbour basin hosts a rowing regatta every year between six teams of Malta’s biggest harbour areas – a huge spectacle!
Victory Day, , is a national holiday in Malta. It is locally known as il-Vitorja (the Victory) and il-Bambina (Baby Mary).It marks the following events:
1565 - the Turkish army retreated from Malta following its defeat at the hands of the Maltese and the Knights in the Great Siege. It was a costly victory for the Christian defenders, the last bastion against the Ottoman attack on Europe. After four months of bitter hand-to-hand fighting, the Turks finally called it a day, in view of the approaching winter, and went back home. The victory led to the establishment of the Order of St. John for good in Malta and the rise of a new city, Valletta, which is the capital of modern Malta.
1814 - Sir Thomas Maitland Governor of Malta, declared that Malta was eradicated of the plague
1943 - During the Second World War, Fascist Italy surrendered to the Allies and the Italian Fleet came to anchor at St. Paul’s Bay. Italy had declared war on Britain on the 10th of June 1940. As a result, the first Italian bombs fell on the British colony of Malta the next day. The Italian and German air force and navy besieged Malta, which soon became one of the most heavily bombed places on earth. However the Maltese and the British held on and fought back until vital supplies came through in convoys - on September 15.Italy, worn out by the war, surrendered to the allies on the 8th of September 1943 and turned against its former ally, Nazi Germany.
Pontifikal tal-Vġili tas-Solennità tat-Twelid tal-Verġni Marija u
Kommemorazzjoni ta' Jum il-Vittorji, immexxija mill-E.T. Mons. Anton
Teuma, Isqof ta' Għawdex, bis-sehem tal-Awtoritajiet tal-Istat,
fil-Bażilika ta' Marija Bambina, ix-Xagħra - 07/Sett/2020
Quddiesa fil-festa ta' Marija Bambina mill-Kolleġġjata tan-Naxxar - 8 ta' Settembru, 2020
Saturday morning Gospel of week 22 in Ordinary Time
Lk 6:1-5 -- Jesus Is Lord of the Sabbath - Dan kif qegħdin tagħmlu dak li ma jiswiex nhar ta’ Sibt?
SATURDAY MORNING GOSPEL OF WEEK 22 IN ORDINARY TIME
Evanġelju Dan kif qegħdin tagħmlu dak li ma jiswiex nhar ta’ Sibt? Lq 6, 1-5
Qari mill-Evanġelju skont San Luqa
[Lq:6:1] Ġara li darba s-Sibt Ġesù kien għaddej minn għalqa miżrugħa, u d-dixxipli tiegħu bdew jaqtgħu s-sbul, ifarrkuh b'idejhom u jikluh. [Lq:6:2] Xi wħud mill-Fariżej qalulhom: "Dan kif qegħdin tagħmlu dak li ma jiswiex nhar ta' Sibt?" [Lq:6:3] Qabeż Ġesù u weġibhom: "Anqas dan ma qrajtu, x'għamel David meta ħadu l-ġuħ, huwa u dawk li kienu miegħu? [Lq:6:4] Ma qrajtux kif daħal fid-dar ta' Alla u ħa l-ħobż tal-preżenza ta' quddiem il-Mulej, u kiel minnu hu u ta lil dawk li kienu miegħu? U madankollu ħadd ma kien jista' jiekol minnu ħlief il-qassisin biss!" [Lq:6:5] U qalilhom: "Bin il-bniedem huwa sid is-Sibt ukoll."
