Niżżel il-fuljett tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja bil-Malti
“Kif il-Missier bagħat lili, hekk jiena nibgħat lilkom”. Kif qal hekk, nefaħ fuqhom u qalilhom: “Ħudu l-Ispirtu s-Santu” (Ġw 20, 21-22).
F’jum l-Għid filgħodu, Ġesù li qam mill-mewt deher lil Marija ta’ Magdala u filgħaxija stess deher għall-ewwel darba lid-dixxipli tiegħu. Kif rawh imtlew kollhom ferħ u paċi kbira, dik il-paċi vera li hu biss jaf jagħti (1): “Is-sliem għalikom” (vers: 21). Il-ferħ u s-sliem huma frott tal-Ispirtu (2). Fil-fatt minnufih Ġesù qalilhom: “Ħudu l-Ispirtu s-Santu” (vers: 22).
“Kif il-Missier bagħat lili, hekk jiena nibgħat lilkom”.
Kif qal hekk, nefaħ fuqhom u qalilhom: “Ħudu l-Ispirtu s-Santu.”
L-Ispirtu s-Santu mhux biss ta l-ħila lid-dixxipli biex jibdew iwettqu l-istess missjoni li l-Missier kien ta lil Ġesù, imma “ħalaqhom mill-ġdid”, għamilhom bnedmin ġodda. Kristu li qam mill-mewt nefaħ fuqhom, l-istess kif għamel il-Ħallieq meta sawwar lill-bniedem mit-trab tal-art u nefaħ f’imnifsejh (3). Kif l-imħabba tal-Missier tibqa’ dejjem tagħti l-ħajja lill-ħolqien kollu, l-istess jagħmel Kristu wara l-qawmien mill-mewt: hu jsostni lill-bnedmin kollha biex bil-ħidma tal-Ispirtu s-Santu huma jkomplu l-mixja tagħhom lejn is-Saltna.
Il-Kelma tal-Ħajja ta’ dan ix-xahar tfakkarna li għandna possibbiltà kbira fil-ħajja tagħna: “aħna nistgħu insiru Kristu ieħor”. Dan hu veru għal kull wieħed u waħda minna, imma aktar u aktar għalina lkoll bħala komunità waħda. Ġesù kellem lid-dixxipli fil-plural; fil-fatt, aħna nistgħu inkunu l-ġisem mistiku ta’ Kristu biss meta nkunu l-membri kollha flimkien.
“Kif il-Missier bagħat lili, hekk jiena nibgħat lilkom”.
Kif qal hekk, nefaħ fuqhom u qalilhom: “Ħudu l-Ispirtu s-Santu.”
Mela, bħala wlied fl-Iben, aħna għandna l-istess vokazzjoni ta’ Ġesù. Aħna ħriġna minn ħdan il-Missier u msejħin biex nerġgħu lura għandu, filwaqt li aħna rridu nwettqu dak li għamel u qal Ġesù akkumpanjati mill-grazzja tal-Ispirtu s-Santu. Jekk ninfetħu għal dan id-don, aħna wkoll nistgħu nistqarru ma’ Pawlu: “Ngħix, imma mhux jien, iżda jgħix fija Kristu”(4).
Għalhekk, din il-Kelma qed tistedinna biex ninżlu fil-fond tar-rabta tagħna mal-Ispirtu s-Santu, kemm fit-talb kif ukoll fil-ħajja tagħna ta’ kuljum. Tistedinna nisimgħu “dak il-leħen”, u niftakru li: “mingħajr l-Ispirtu s-Santu, Alla jibqa’ ‘l bogħod minna, Kristu jibqa’ xi ħaġa tal-imgħoddi, il-Vanġelu jkun kliem bla ħajja, il-Knisja ssir sempliċi organizzazzjoni, il-missjoni tkun biss propaganda. Imma bil-ħidma tal-Ispirtu s-Santu l-ħolqien jintrefa’ ‘l fuq (…) u Kristu Rxoxt ikun preżenti magħna, il-Vanġelu jkun qawwa li tagħti l-ħajja, il-Knisja tkun tfisser komunjoni trinitarja, il-missjoni ssir l-Inżul tal-Ispirtu s-Santu” (5).
“Kif il-Missier bagħat lili, hekk jiena nibgħat lilkom”.
Kif qal hekk, nefaħ fuqhom u qalilhom: “Ħudu l-Ispirtu s-Santu.”
Andrea, żagħżugħ li kien għaddej minn kriżi kbira tal-ħajja, kellu dubji fuq is-sens tal-ħajja u biża’ mill-futur tiegħu. Kien iħares lejn id-dgħufijiet tiegħu bħala muntanji għolja wisq biex jitlagħhom u spiss kien iħossu bla ħila u mdejjaq. Xi ħadd kien issuġġerielu biex jitkellem ma’ Chiara Lubich. Ftit qabel ma ltaqa’ magħha, Andrea sema’ lil Chiara tlissen minn taħt l-ilsien il-kelma: “Spirtu s-Santu”, u fehem li Chiara dak il-ħin kienet qiegħda titlob.
Huwa u jkellimha ħass li hi kienet qed tifhmu, tisimgħu u tilqgħu kif inhu. U reġa’ sab il-paċi: mhux għax il-problemi tiegħu kienu għabu għalkollox, imma għax kien sab persuna li seta’ jaqsamhom magħha.
Snin wara stqarr: “Chiara ma tagħtnix biss mod konkret, imma għallmitni stil ġdid ta’ ħajja: li jersaq qrib min ikun qed ibati, b’mod delikat u li jifhem bla ma jiġġudika, eżattament kif kien jagħmel Ġesù”.
Dan jista’ jwettqu biss l-Ispirtu s-Santu, jekk aħna nilqgħuh u nħalluh jaħdem fina.
Claudio Cianfaglioni
u il-grupp tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja
1. Ara Ġw 14, 27.
2. “Il-frott tal-Ispirtu huma: l-imħabba, il-hena, is-sliem, is-sabar…” (Gal 5, 22).
3. Ara Ġen 2, 7.
4. Gal 2, 20.
5. Injazju, metropolita di Laodicea, Assemblea ġenerali tal-Kunsill ekumeniku tal-Knejjes, 5 ta’ Lulju 1968, li semmieh Papa Franġisku flOmelija tal-festa ta’ Pentekoste, 31 ta’ Mejju 2020.[:en]Download the Word of Life Leaflet
“As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Having said this, he breathed on them and said,’Receive the Holy Spirit’ ” (Jn. 20:21-22).
On Easter day, the Risen Lord appeared first to Mary Magdalen in the morning and then to his disciples that same evening. When they saw him, they reacted with great joy and were enriched by the true peace that only the Lord
could give. (i) “Peace be with you” (v. 21). Joy and peace are fruits of the Spirit. (ii)
In fact, Jesus immediately said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” (v. 22). As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Having said this, he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”
The Holy Spirit not only enabled the disciples to carry out the same mission given to Jesus by the Father but also “re-created” them and renewed their humanity. The Risen Lord breathed on them and this gesture is the same
as the action of the Creator who breathed into the nostrils of the man formed from the dust of the ground. (iii) Just as creation is the continuous work of the Father’s love that sustains the entire universe, so the new creation wrought by the Risen One through the Holy Spirit continually sustains humanity on its journey toward the Kingdom.
This month’s Word of Life reminds us that we have the opportunity to become like Jesus. This is true for each of us individually, but even more so as a community. Jesus spoke to his disciples in the plural. In fact, it’s only together that all the different members form the mystical body of Jesus.
As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Having said this, he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’
Having been made children in the Son, we have the same vocation as Jesus. We have come from the Father, and will return to him. We are called to repeat his actions and words in the world and are accompanied by the grace of
the Holy Spirit. If we open ourselves to this gift, we too can affirm with Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.” (iv)
This Word, therefore, invites us to deepen our relationship with the Holy Spirit, both in prayer and in everyday life, “listening to that voice” and remembering that, “Without the Holy Spirit, God is distant, Christ remains in the past, the Gospel is a dead letter, the Church is a mere organization and its mission is propaganda. But in the Holy Spirit, the cosmos is lifted up and groans in the gestation of the Kingdom, the risen Christ is present, the Gospel is the power of life, the Church means Trinitarian communion and Pentecost is its mission.” (v)
As the Father has sent me, so I send you. Having said this, he breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit.’
Andrea was a teenager in crisis. He had doubts about the meaning of life, fear of the future, the fragility he experienced seemed insurmountable and he often felt discouraged and unhappy. Someone suggested that he talk to Chiara Lubich. Shortly before actually meeting her, Andrea heard Chiara whisper the words “Holy Spirit” and realized that she was praying.
During the conversation, he felt deeply understood and completely accepted. He found peace again not because his problems had suddenly disappeared but because now there was someone with whom he could share them. Years later, he confided “I not only received concrete help from Chiara but I also learned how to live – that is to be close to those who suffer and to have a sensitive and understanding attitude, without judging – just as Jesus would do.”
Only the Holy Spirit can make this happen, if we welcome him and allow him to work in us.
by Claudio Cianfaglioni
and the Word of Life Team
(i) Cf Jn. 14:27
(ii) Gal. 5:22
(iii) Cf Gen. 2:7
(iv) Gal. 2:2
(v) Ignatius, Metropolitan of Laodicea 1968, quoted by Pope Francis in Pentecost homily 31 May 2020
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