English
Malti
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Ġesù temm jgħallem lin-nies u waqt li kien bilqiegħda fid-dgħajsa ta’ Xmun, talab lil Xmun u lil sħabu biex ikalaw ix-xbiek. Kienu għamlu lejl sħiħ jitħabtu u ma qabdu xejn, iżda Xmun wieġeb: “La qiegħed tgħid int ħa nkala x-xbiek”.
U hekk għamlu u qabdu kotra kbira ta’ ħut, tant li x-xbiek kien għoddu nqasam (…). Wara lejl jistadu għalxejn, Pietru li kien sajjied gwapp seta’ beda jitbissem meta sama’ l-proposta ta’ Ġesù u ma aċċettahiex, speċjalment meta kien jaf li matul il-jum iċ-ċans li jaqbdu l-ħut kien ferm anqas. Iżda ma qagħadx jirraġuna u wera fiduċja f’Ġesù.
Illum ukoll, kull min jemmen hu msejjaħ biex jgħaddi minn sitwazzjoni bħal din. Il-fidi ta’ min jemmen tgħaddi minn ħafna provi. Nimxu wara Ġesù jfisser deċiżjoni, impenn u perseveranza, meta qed ngħixu f’dinja fejn kollox qisu jistedinna biex ma nagħtux kas, biex inkunu nies ta’ nofs kedda, biex inħallu kollox għaddej.
Dak li jeħtieġ inwettqu jidher kbir wisq, jidher impossibbli li nwettquh, naħsbu li ser infallu qabel biss inkunu bdejna. Għalhekk għandna bżonn tal- qawwa biex nibqgħu mexjin ‘l quddiem, biex nirreżistu l-ambjent fil-kuntest soċjali, mal-ħbieb, fejn jidħlu l-mass media. Il-prova li għandna quddiemna hi iebsa ħafna, iżda jekk niffaċċawha u nilqgħuha, din isservina biex nindunaw li l-kliem ta’ Ġesù huwa veru, li l-wegħdiet tiegħu jitwettqu.
Alla jimla b’kull ġid lil dawk li jimxu warajh: jagħtihom il-mitt darba aktar f’din id-dinja u l-ħajja ta’ dejjem. Terġa’ tiġġedded is-sajda. “La qiegħed tgħid int, ħa nkala x-xbiek”.
Kif ser ngħixuha din il-kelma?
L-għażla ta’ Pietru rridu nagħmluha tagħna: “La qiegħed tgħid int….”. Irridu npoġġu l-fiduċja tagħna fil-kelma tiegħu u ma niddubitawx dak li Hu jitlob minna. Anzi: irridu nibnu l-imġiba tagħna, dak li nagħmlu, dak li ngħixu fuq il-Kelma tiegħu.
U hekk inkunu qed nibnu ħajjtna tassew fis-sod, fiż-żgur, u nistagħġbu meta naslu biex nikkontemplaw li propju fejn tonqos kull riżorsa umana, jidħol Hu, u fejn kollox jidher umanament impossibli, titwieled il-ħajja.
Chiara Lubich (Kelma tal-ħajja, Frar 1983)
Watch video (Italian with English subtitles):
Rocca di Papa, Rome, 21st December 1982. From the recording of Chiara Lubich’s commentary on the Word of Life for February 1983.[:en]
When Jesus had finished teaching, he sat down in Simon Peter’s boat and told him and his companions to lower their nets for a catch. Although Peter said they’d fished all night and caught nothing, he added, “But, if you say so, I will lower the nets.” When they had done this, they caught such a great number of fish that the nets began to tear.
After a fruitless night, Peter, who was an expert at fishing, could have smiled and refused Jesus’ invitation to lower the nets in broad daylight, a far worse time for fishing. Instead, going beyond his own reasoning, he trusted Jesus.
This is a typical situation that all believers are called to face. … Their faith is tested in a thousand different ways.
Following Jesus calls for decisiveness, commitment and perseverance whereas everything in the world we live in seems to invite us to take things easy, to be mediocre, and to take no notice. The task seems too great; it can’t be achieved; it’s doomed to failure from the start.
What we need is the strength to go ahead and resist the world around us, the social context, our friends and the media. It is a hard struggle … But, if we take on and welcome this struggle, we will experience that Jesus’s
extraordinary words are true and what he promised does happen. … God fills those who follow him with an abundance of gifts; he gives the hundredfold in this life as well as eternal life. It is the miraculous catch of fish being repeated.
If you say so, I will lower the nets.”
How can we put this word of life into practice? We too can make the choice that Peter made — “If you say so . . .” We can have faith in Jesus’ words and not have doubts about what he is asking of us. Quite the opposite, our whole life, our behavior and our actions can be based on his word.
Chiara Lubich
(Word of Life, February 1983)
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