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Malti
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“Mela jekk jien, li jien il-Mulej u l-Imgħallem, ħsiltilkom saqajkom,
hekk intom għandkom taħslu saqajn xulxin” (Ġw 13, 14).
Download: KtĦ-April-2019.pdf
Waqt li jfakkarna fl-aħħar siegħat li għex ma’ Ġesù qabel ma miet, San Ġwann l-evanġelista jpoġġi fil-qalba tar-rakkont tiegħu l-ħasil ta’ riġlejn l-appostli. Fl-antik, dan kien sinjal ta’ merħba li bih in-nies tal-Lvant kienu jilqgħu `l-mistednin wara mixja fit-toroq mimlija trab. Is-soltu dan il-ħasil kien isir mill-qaddejja. Kien propju għalhekk li għall-ewwel id-dixxipli ma ridux li l-Imgħallem tagħhom jaħslilhom riġlejhom, iżda mbagħad hu qalilhom:
“Mela jekk jien, li jien il-Mulej u l-Imgħallem, ħsiltilkom saqajkom, hekk intom għandkom taħslu saqajn xulxin.”
B’dan il-ġest li jfisser ħafna, San Ġwann ried jurina xinhi l-missjoni sħiħa ta’ Ġesù: Hu, l-Imgħallem u l-Mulej, daħal fl-istorja tal-bnedmin biex jiltaqa’ ma’ kull wieħed u waħda minna, biex jaqdina u jlaqqagħna mill-ġdid mal-Missier. Jum wara jum, matul ħajtu kollha fuq din l-art, Ġesù tneżża’ minn kull sinjal tal-kobor tiegħu, u issa kien qed iħejji ruħu biex jagħti ħajtu għalina fuq is-salib. Propju f’dan il-ħin, hu kien qed iħalli bħala wirt lid-dixxipli kliem li tant kien għal qalbU:
“Mela jekk jien, li jien il-Mulej u l-Imgħallem, ħsiltilkom saqajkom, hekk intom għandkom taħslu saqajn xulxin.”
Din hi stedina ċara u sempliċi; ilkoll nistgħu nifhmuha u ngħixuha minn issa stess, f’kull sitwazzjoni ta’ ħajjitna u kulfejn inkunu. L-insara rċevew ir-rivelazzjoni tal-Imħabba t’Alla permezz tal-ħajja u l-kliem ta’ Ġesù. Għalhekk, sabiex huma wkoll ikunu ħabbara ta’ Mħabbtu, huma għandhom id-dejn mal-oħrajn għax iridu jimitaw lil Ġesù billi jilqgħu u jaqdu `l kulħadd. Bħal Ġesù: l-ewwel irridu nħobbu b’mod konkret u mbagħad inlissnu kliem ta’ tama u ħbiberija.
Aktar ma nkunu attenti għall-fqir u nħobbu bla ma nistennew xejn lura, u aktar ma nwarrbu dik l-imġiba servili lejn min hu magħruf u setgħan, aktar ix-xhieda tagħna jkollha effett. Anki fis-sitwazzjonijiet ikkumplikati u traġiċi, li ma jkollniex kontroll fuqhom, nistgħu u għandna nagħmlu xi ħaġa biex nagħtu sehemna ħalli jsir il-“ġid”. B’ġenerosità u responsabbilità, irridu nħammġu jdejna mingħajr ma nistennew xejn lura. Barra minn hekk, Ġesù jitlobna nkunu xhieda ta’ mħabbtu mhux biss aħna personalment fil-postijiet fejn ngħixu, imma wkoll bħala komunità, bħala poplu t’Alla, li jrid jibni kollox fuq il-liġi tal-imħabba lejn xulxin.
“Mela jekk jien, li jien il-Mulej u l-Imgħallem, ħsiltilkom saqajkom, hekk intom għandkom taħslu saqajn xulxin.”
Wara li qal dan il-kliem, Ġesù żied jgħid: “Jien tajtkom eżempju, biex kif għamilt jien magħkom, hekk tagħmlu intom ukoll… Jekk dawn il-ħwejjeġ tafuhom, henjin intom jekk tagħmluhom” (1).
Chiara Lubich ikkummentat fuq dan il-kliem tal-Vanġelu u qalet hekk: “[…] ‘Henjin intom…’. Mela, il-qadi u l-imħabba lejn xulxin li għallem Ġesù meta ħasel saqajn l-appostli, hi waħda mill-beatitudnijiet tiegħu. […] Kif se ngħixuha din il-Kelma matul dan ix-xahar? Ġesù qed jgħidilna nagħmlu kif għamel Hu. Dan ma jfissirx li rridu naħslu saqajn ħutna, għalkemm irridu nżommu quddiem għajnejna dan l-eżempju mill-aktar ċar. Nimitaw lil Ġesù jfisser nifhmu li l-ħajja tagħna ta’ Nsara tagħmel sens jekk ngħixu għall-oħrajn, jekk naqdu `l ħutna, jekk ħajjitna tkun kollha kemm hi mibnija fuq dan il-pedament. Jekk nagħmlu hekk inkunu wettaqna dak li hu tant għal qalb Ġesù. Inkunu fhimna sew il-Vanġelu. Inkunu tassew hienja” (2).
Letizia Magri
1. Ara Ġw 13, 15-17.
2. C. Lubich, Kelma tal-Ħajja April 1982, fil-ktieb Parole di Vita, miktub minn Fabio Ciardi (Opere di Chiara Lubich)
5, Città Nuova, Roma 2017, pp. 233, 235.
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Word of Life
for ages 4-8 | for ages 9-17 | Print | Audio
When recalling the last few hours spent with Jesus before his death, John the Evangelist focuses on the washing of the feet. In the past, in the Middle East, this was a sign of welcome towards guests who had arrived after travelling on dusty roads. It was an action usually performed by servants. It was for this very reason that the disciples at first did not want to let their teacher do this. However, he then explained,
“So if I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet”
Through this very meaningful image, John reveals the whole of Jesus’ mission: he who is Lord and teacher entered into human history to meet every man and woman, to serve us and lead us back to the encounter with the Father.
Day after day, throughout his earthly life, Jesus had constantly set aside every sign of his greatness, and that evening he was preparing to freely give his life on the cross. It was then that, as his legacy, he gave his disciples this teaching about which he felt so deeply:
“So if I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet”
It is a clear and simple invitation, one that we can all understand and put into practice immediately, in every situation and in all social and cultural contexts.
Having received the revelation of God’s love through the life and words of Jesus, Christians “owe” something to their neighbours. They strive to imitate Jesus by welcoming and serving their brothers and sisters, thus becoming ambassadors of Love. They aim to do as Jesus did: first by loving in practical ways and then by accompanying what they have done with words of hope and friendship.
Our witness is all the more effective the more we selflessly and freely turn our attention to the poor, while at the same time rejecting servile attitudes towards people who have power and prestige.
Even when we are faced with complex and tragic situations that are beyond our control, there is something we can and must do to contribute to the “good” of society. We can still engage with an attitude of generosity and responsibility, without expecting any kind of reward.
Moreover, Jesus asks us to bear witness to love not only personally, in all that we do, but also as a community, as a people of God whose fundamental law is mutual love.
“So if I, your Lord and teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet”
After these words, Jesus added, “For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”[i]
Reflecting on this phrase of the Gospel, Chiara Lubich wrote: “‘You are blessed…’. The mutual service and reciprocal love that Jesus taught through this surprising action is, therefore, one of his beatitudes. How then will we live the word during this month? Jesus does not ask us to imitate him by blindly copying what he did, even though it remains as a shining and unbeatable example. Doing what Jesus did means understanding that our Christian life has meaning if we live “for” others, if we consider our existence as a service to our brothers and sisters and base our whole lives on this. Then we will have achieved what Jesus has most at heart. We will have lived the Gospel and will be truly blessed”.
[i] 1 Cf. Jn 13:15-17.
https://soundcloud.com/user-63571203/word-of-life-april2019
Letizia Magri
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