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“Intom ġa ndaf minħabba l-kelma li għidtilkom” (Ġw 15,3).
Wara l-aħħar ċena mal-appostli, Ġesù ħareġ miċ-Ċenaklu u beda miexi lejn l-Għolja taż-Żebbuġ. Miegħu kellu l-Ħdax: Ġuda l-Iskarjota kien ġa telaq u ftit tal-ħin wara kien se jittradih.
Dak kien mument drammatiku u solenni. Ġesù għamel diskors twil għax lil ħbiebu ried jgħidilhom affarijiet importanti, huwa u jsellmilhom għall-aħħar darba. Ried jgħidilhom kliem li jibqgħu jiftakruh.
L-appostli kienu Lhud u kienu jafu l-Iskrittura. Ġesù fakkarhom fi xbieha li huma kienu midħla sew tagħha: id-dielja. Fil-Kotba Mqaddsa, id-dielja tirrappreżenta lill-poplu Lhudi, li Alla tant ħa ħsiebu bħalma jagħmel bidwi tal-affari tiegħu. F’dan il-mument, Ġesù 1 kien qed ikellimhom fuqu nnifsu; qabbel lilu nnifsu ma’ dik id-dielja li minnha toħroġ il-ħajja kollha mħabba tal-Missier għad-dixxipli tiegħu. Għalhekk, kien meħtieġ li huma jibqgħu magħqudin ħaġa waħda Miegħu.
“Intom ġa ndaf minħabba l-kelma li għidtilkom”.
Mod kif nibqgħu magħqudin ma’ Ġesù hu li nilqgħu Kliemu. Permezz tal-Kelma, Alla jista’ jidħol f’qalbna biex “isaffiha”, jiġifieri Hu jista’ jeħles lil qalbna mill-egoiżmu, biex hekk tagħti frott abbundanti u bnin.
Il-Missier tagħna jħobbna u jaf aktar minna x’neħtieġu biex inkunu ħielsa u nimxu mingħajr it-toqol żejjed tar-rabtiet tagħna, tal-ġudizzji negattivi, tal-ġirja kontinwa biex infittxu dak li jaqblilna, u nżommu ‘l kollox u ‘l kulħadd taħt il-kontroll tagħna. F’qalbna nsibu wkoll xewqat u proġetti pożittivi, iżda li jistgħu jieħdu post Alla u ma jħalluniex ngħixu b’ħ eġġa l-ħajja tal-Vanġelu. Għalhekk, Hu jidħol f’ħ ajjitna permezz taċ-ċirkustanzi, u jippermetti wkoll li ngħaddu mit-tbatija, li warajha hemm dejjem il-ħarsa ta’ mħabbtu.
U l-frott mill-aktar bnin li jwiegħed il-Vanġelu ‘l dawk li jħallu l-imħabba t’Alla tinfed f’ħ ajjithom hu l-milja tal-ferħ 2. Dan hu ferħ speċjali li jimla ‘l qlubna u jfawwar fuq dawk ta’ madwarna, anki meta nxerrdu d-dmugħ tan-niket. Hu ferħ li bih induqu minn qabel il-qawmien mill-imwiet.
“Intom ġa ndaf minħabba l-kelma li għidtilkom”.
Meta aħna ngħixu l-Kelma, noħorġu barra minna nfusna biex mimlijin bl-imħabba nilqgħu ‘l ħutna, ibda minn dawk ta’ madwarna: fl-ibliet tagħna, fil-familja u kulfejn inkunu. B’hekk nibnu ħbiberija li tinseġ xibka ta’ rabtiet pożittivi, illi f’moħħna nżommu dejjem li rridu nħobbu ‘l xulxin b’imħabba li tibni dinja li fiha l-bnedmin jgħixu lkoll bħala aħwa ta’ xulxin.
Dwar din il-Kelma mill-Vanġelu ta’ San Ġwann, Chiara Lubich kitbet hekk: “Mela, kif għandna ngħixu anki aħna biex ikun jistħoqqilna kliem ta’ tifħir mingħand Ġesù? Irridu ngħixu kull Kelma ta’ Alla, nitrejqu biha kull mument, filwaqt li kontinwament nagħmlu minn ħajjitna opra ta’ rievanġelizzazzjoni, jiġifieri f’ħ ajjitna dejjem ngħixu dak li jgħidilna l-Vanġelu. Jekk nagħmlu hekk ikollna l-istess ħsibijiet u sentimenti ta’ Ġesù, biex ngħixuH f’ħ ajjitna, biex nuru s-safa t’Alla, it-trasparenza li jagħtina l-Vanġelu, lil din is-soċjetà mtebbgħa bil-ħażen u d-dnubiet.
Imbagħad, matul dan ix-xahar, jekk ikun possibbli (jiġifieri jekk l-oħrajn ikunu tal-istess fehma tagħna), ejjew ngħixu b’mod partikulari dik il-Kelma li tesprimi l-kmandament tal-imħabba lejn xulxin. Infatti, kif jgħid l-evanġelista San Ġwann, jekk inħobbu ‘l xulxin ngħixu kliem Ġesù bl-effetti kollha li jħallu fina: nissaffew, nitqaddsu, nindafu min-nuqqasijiet tagħna, nagħmlu l-frott, nersqu aktar qrib t’Alla. Il-bniedem maqtugħ għalih waħdu m’għandux ħila jirreżisti fit-tul għat-tentazzjonijiet tad-dinja, filwaqt li jekk inħobbu ‘l xulxin inkunu mdawra minn ambjent b’saħħtu li kapaċi jħarsilna ħajja nisranija awtentika” 3.
Letizia Magri
1: Ara Ġ w 15, 1-2.
2: Ara Ġ w 15, 11.
3: C. Lubich, Parola di Vita, Mejju 1982, ta’ Fabio Ciardi (Opere di Chiara Lubich 5; Città Nuova, Ruma 2017), p. 237.
Audio of the Word of Life (English)
https://soundcloud.com/user-63571203/may-2020
[:en]
“You have already been cleansed by the word I have spoken to you” (Jn 15:3).
for ages 4-8 | for ages 9-17 | Print | Audio
After the Last Supper with the apostles, Jesus left the Upper Room and walked towards the Mount of Olives. The Eleven were with him: Judas Iscariot had already gone away and was soon to betray Jesus.It was a solemn and dramatic moment. During the supper, Jesus had given a long farewell speech because he had wanted to say important things to his closest followers and deliver words not to be forgotten. His apostles were Jews who knew the Scriptures and Jesus had reminded them of the very familiar image of the vine. In the sacred texts, this represents the Jewish people who were the object of God’s care. In fact, God is an attentive and expert farmer. Now it is Jesus who speaks of himself as the vine that transmits the lifeblood of the Father’s love to his disciples. [1] They must, therefore, focus above all on remaining united to him.
“You have already been cleansed by the word I have spoken to you.”
One way to remain united to Jesus is to welcome his Word. It allows God to enter into our hearts to make them “pure”,that is, cleansed of selfishness, fit to bear an abundance of quality fruit. The Father loves us and knows better than we do what makes us feel unburdened and free from the useless weight of all the unnecessary things to which we are attached, from negative judgements, from the anxious search to make everything work to our advantage and from the illusion of keeping everything and everyone under control. In our hearts there are also positive aspirations and projects but these too could take the place of God himself and make us lose the generous momentum of evangelical life. That is why he sometimes intervenes in our life through circumstances and painful experiences, behind which there is always his gaze of love. The fullness of joy is the fruit that the Gospel promises to those who allow themselves to be pruned and renewed by God’s love.[i] This is a special joy that blossoms even in the midst of tears and overflows from the heart, flooding the surrounding soil. It is like a small foretaste of resurrection.
“You have already been cleansed by the word I have spoken to you.”
Living the Word makes us step outside ourselves and meet our brothers and sisters with love, beginning with those nearest to us: in our families, in our cities and in every area of life. It enables us to create friendships that form a network of positive relationships, aiming at the fulfilment of the commandment of mutual love which builds fraternity.
Meditating on this phrase from John’s Gospel, Focolare founder, Chiara Lubich wrote, “How can we live, then, so we too can deserve Jesus’ praise? We can put every Word of God into practice, feeding on it moment by moment and making our existence a work of continuous re-evangelization. Doing this, we will have the same thoughts and feelings as Jesus, we will relive him in the world and show the divine purity and transparency that the Gospel gives to a society that is often caught up in evil and sin.
During this month, then, if it is possible (that is, if other people share our intentions), let us try, in a particular way, to put into practice that word which expresses the commandment of mutual love. For the evangelist John, […] there is a link between the Word of Christ and the new commandment. According to him, it is in mutual love that we live the Word with its many effects – purification, holiness, sinlessness, fruitfulness and closeness to God. If we live in isolation from one another, we cannot resist the pressures of the world for long, whereas, in mutual love we find an environment capable of protecting an authentic Christian life”.[ii]
[i] Cf. Jn. 15:11
[ii] Chiara Lubich Word of Life, May 1982
Letizia Magri
https://soundcloud.com/user-63571203/may-2020[:]
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