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“B’xejn ħadtu, b’xejn agħtu” (Mt 10, 8).
Fil-Vanġelu ta’ San Mattew insibu din l-istedina qawwija li Ġesù għamel lil ħbiebu, lill-“mibgħutin tiegħu”. Hu kien iltaqa’ ma’ nies li kienu jħossuhom mitlufin u qed ibatu. Tħassarhom, u ried li permezz tal-appostli, ikompli jkattar il-ħidma tiegħu ta’ salvazzjoni, fejqan u ħelsien. L-appostli għexu madwar Ġesù, semgħu kliemu u rċevew missjoni li saret l-iskop ta’ ħajjithom. Għalhekk bdew il-mixja biex ikunu xhieda tal-imħabba li Alla għandu għal kull bniedem.
“B’xejn ħadtu, b’xejn agħtu.”
Imma dawn x’kienu rċevew “b’xejn” li setgħu jagħtuh lil ħaddieħor? L-appostli kienu ħassew il-ħniena t’Alla tidħol f’ħajjithom permezz tal-kliem li semgħu mingħand Ġesù, ta’ dak kollu li għamel, tal-għażliet tiegħu u ta’ ħajtu kollha. Minkejja d-dgħufija u l-limiti tagħhom, huma rċevew il-Liġi ġdida tal-imħabba lejn xulxin. Fuq kollox, ġew mogħtija d-don li Alla jrid jagħti `l kull bniedem: tahom lilu nnifsu, mexa magħhom fit-toroq ta’ ħajjithom, tahom id-dawl biex jagħmlu l-għażliet tagħhom. Dawn huma doni imprezzabbli; huma ħafna aktar minn dak li nistgħu nagħtu aħna biex inpattu għalihom; tassew huma rigali “mogħtija lilna b’xejn”. Dawn huma doni li ngħataw lill-appostli u lill-insara kollha biex imbagħad ikunu jistgħu jwassluhom `il dawk kollha li jiltaqgħu magħhom jum wara l-ieħor.
“B’xejn ħadtu, b’xejn agħtu.”
Fl-2006, Chiara Lubich kitbet hekk: “Fil-Vanġelu, Ġesù jistedinna nagħtu: nagħtu lill-foqra, lil min jitlobna xi ħaġa, lil min hu fil-bżonn. Hu jridna nitimgħu `l min hu bil-ġuħ, inlibbsu `l min jitlobna l-ilbies; iridna nagħtu b’xejn u mingħajr ma nistennew xejn… Hu kien l-ewwel wieħed li għamel hekk: ta s-saħħa lill-morda, il-maħfra lill-midinbin, ta l-ħajja lilna lkoll. Jekk ngħixu l-ġenerożità nkunu nistgħu nrażżnu l-egoiżmu tagħna; jekk inkunu attenti għall-ħtiġiet tal-oħrajn, ma nibqgħux naħsbu biss fil-bżonnijiet tagħna. B’hekk, minflok ma tikber il-kultura tal-ħtif talġid, tikber il-kultura tal-qsim tal-ġid […]. Il-Kelma tal-ħajja ta’ dan ix-xahar tgħinna nerġgħu niskopru l-valur ta’ kull ħaġa li nagħmlu: fid-dar, fl-għalqa, fuq il-post tax-xogħol, l-iskola, u f’kull ħidma ta’ responsabiltà fil-qasam ċivili, politiku u reliġjuż. Kollox jista’ jinbidel f’servizz attent u mimli ħeġġa. L-imħabba tagħtina għajnejn ġodda biex nagħrfu l-bżonnijiet tal-oħrajn u ngħinuhom bl-aħjar mod li nistgħu. Xi jkun ir-riżultat ta’ dan kollu? Joktor ittqassim tal-ġid, għax l-imħabba ġġib magħha aktar imħabba. U jiżdied ukoll il-ferħ għax ‘Min jagħti hu aktar hieni minn min jieħu’ (Atti 20, 35)” (1).
“B’xejn ħadtu, b’xejn agħtu.”
Eżattament kif tirrakkonta Vergence, tifla mill-Kongo: “Jiena u sejra l-iskola kelli ħafna ġuħ. Fit-triq iltqajt maz-ziju, li tani xi flus biex nixtri sendwiċ, imma ftit aktar ‘il quddiem ilmaħt raġel fqir ħafna. Mill-ewwel ġieni f’moħħi li nagħtih il-flus li kont qlajt, iżda ħabibti li kienet miegħi qaltli biex inżomm il-flus u naħseb għalija nnifsi! Bejni u bejn ruħi għidt: għada jien ikolli xi ħaġa x’niekol, imma dak miskin? Għalhekk qbadt il-flus li kont qlajt u tajthomlu, u wara tgħidx kemm ħassejtni ferħana!”.
“B’xejn ħadtu, b’xejn agħtu.”
Il-loġika ta’ Ġesù u tal-Vanġelu tissuġġerixxi li għandna dejjem naqsmu mal-oħrajn dak li nirċievu, u li qatt m’għandna nżommuh għalina biss. Din hi stedina biex nagħrfu aħna x’irċevejna: enerġija, talenti, ħiliet, ġid materjali, u mbagħad biex naqsmu dan kollu maloħrajn. Din il-loġika tisboq sew il-loġika tas-suq, tal-konsumiżmu u tal-individwaliżmu, u twassalna biex naqsmu l-ġid tagħna mal-oħrajn, biex ngħixu bħal aħwa u noħolqu kultura ġdida. L-esperjenza tgħallimna li meta nħobbu ‘l-oħrajn bla ma nistennew xejn lura, inkunu qed nagħtu eżempju li jkaxkar, b’konsegwenzi pożittivi mhux mistennija li jinfirxu u jħallu l-marka tagħhom anki fis-soċjetà.
Hekk ġara fil-Filippini, b’inizjattiva li bdiet fl-1983. Kien żmien meta s-sitwazzjoni politika u soċjali tal-pajjiż kienet diffiċli ħafna u bosta kienu impenjati biex tinstab soluzzjoni pożittiva. Grupp ta’ żgħażagħ iddeċidew li jagħtu sehemhom b’mod oriġinali: fetħu l-armarji tagħhom u ħarġu minnhom dak li ma kellhomx aktar bżonnu. Biegħu dan kollu fis-suq tal-affarijiet użati u bil-ftit flus li daħħlu taw bidu għal ċentru soċjali li semmewh Bukas Palad, li fil-lingwa tagħhom tfisser: “B’Idejn Miftuħa”. Huma kienu ispirati mill-kliem tal-Vanġelu: “B’xejn ħadtu, b’xejn agħtu” (Mt 10, 8), li sar il-motto f’din l-inizjattiva tagħhom.
Kien hemm ukoll xi tobba li ngħaqdu magħhom u offrew is-servizz professjonali tagħhom b’xejn, kif ukoll ħafna oħrajn li fetħu qalbhom, dirgħajhom u l-bibien ta’ djarhom. Hekk twieldet u żviluppat azzjoni soċjali mill-aktar wiesa’ b’risq l-ifqar fost il-fqar, li għadha toffri s-servizzi tagħha f’ħafna bliet tal-Filippini. Tul dawn is-snin dan il-proġett laħaq ilmira importanti tiegħu u qed ikompli jissaħħaħ: dawk li għalihom twaqqaf dan il-proġett qed ikunu huma stess li jagħtu sehemhom għall-ħelsien mill-faqar.
Tant hu hekk li huma jħossu li sabu mill-ġdid id-dinjità tagħhom u qed jibnu rabtiet ta’ stima u solidarjetà. Bl-eżempju u l-impenn tagħhom, qed jgħinu `l ħafna nies oħra joħorġu mill-faqar u jerfgħu r-responsabiltà ta’ ħajja ġdida għalihom u għall-familji tagħhom, għallpostijiet u l-komunitajiet fejn jgħixu u għad-dinja kollha. (2)
Letizia Magri
1. C. Lubich, Kelma tal-Ħajja ta’ Ottubru 2006, fil-ktieb Parole di Vita, ta’ Fabio Ciardi (Opere di Chiara Lubich 5, Città Nuova, Roma, 2017) pp. 791-793.
2. http://bukaspaladfoundation.org
“You received without payment; give without payment (Mt 10:8).”
for ages 4-8 | for ages 9-17 | Print | Audio
In Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus addresses these powerful words to his followers, to those he “sends out”. He had encountered a lost and suffering humanity and had felt compassion for them. That is why, through the apostles, he wanted to extend his work of salvation, healing and liberation. They had gathered around him, heard his words and received a mission and purpose for their lives. They had then set out on this path: to bear witness to God’s love for every person.
“You received without payment; give without payment.”
But what did they receive “without payment” that they ought to give back? Through Jesus’s words and deeds, through the choices he made and his whole life, the apostles experienced the mercy of God. Despite their weaknesses and limitations, they received the new law of love, of mutual acceptance. Above all, they received the gift that God wants to give to all people: he himself; his being with them on the path of life; and his light to help them make their choices. These priceless gifts, which go far beyond our ability to repay, are given freely. These gifts were given to the apostles but they are also given to all Christians, so that they can become channels of these same gifts for the people they meet day by day.
” You received without payment; give without payment.”
In the Word of Life for October 2006 Chiara Lubich wrote: ‘Throughout the Gospel, Jesus invites his disciples to give: to “give to the poor” (Mk 10:21). “Give to the one who asks of you and…to one who wants to borrow” (Mt 5:42). “If anyone wants… your tunic, hand them your cloak as well” (Mt 5:40); to give without payment. Jesus was the first to give, restoring health to the sick, forgiving sinners and giving his life for us all.
To counteract our instinct to hoard, Jesus calls for generosity; to overcome our inclination to worry about our own needs, he shifts the focus to our neighbours, and in place of the culture of having, he puts the culture of giving.
This month’s word of life can help us rediscover the value of everything we do. This might be household chores, factory work or farming. It might be office administration or school homework, or it might be our civic, political, and religious duties. Everything can be transformed into attentive and thoughtful service for others. Love will help us see what other people need, and love will show us how to respond creatively and generously. What will be the outcome? Gifts will circulate, because love generates more love. Joy will be multiplied since, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35) ‘.
This is exactly what happened to Vergence, a little girl from Congo. She said, “On my way to school, I was really hungry. Then I met my uncle who gave me money to buy a sandwich, but a little further on I saw a very poor man. At once I thought of giving him the money. My friend, who was with me, told me not to do it and that I should think of myself. But I said to myself: I will find food tomorrow, but will he? So I gave him my sandwich money and I felt great joy in my heart.”
“You received without payment; give without payment.”
The logic of Jesus and of the Gospel is that we always receive in order to share and never hoard things for ourselves. It is also an invitation to all of us to recognize what we have received: energy, talents, skills and material goods, and put them at the service of others.
According to the economist Luigino Bruni, “Gratuitousness meaning ‘being free of charge,’ is an attitude that can accompany any act. It is not that something needs to be ‘free’; quite the opposite. Because gratuitousness does not mean that something costs nothing but it represents an infinite cost, to which we can only respond by doing the same ourselves.”
Therefore, giving freely overcomes the logic of the market, of consumerism and individualism and opens us up to sharing, to social interaction, to a sense of family and the new culture of giving. Our experience confirms that selfless love is a real challenge, but one that has positive and unexpected consequences that spread through society. This is what happened in the Philippines, through a project that began in 1983.
At the time, the political and social situation in the country was very difficult and many people were committed to finding positive solutions. A group of young people decided to make their contribution in a different way: they opened their cupboards and took out everything they no longer needed. They sold it all in a jumble sale and, with the little capital that they had raised, they opened a social centre called Bukas Palad, which means “with open hands” in the local language. The sentence in the Gospel that inspired them was: “You received without payment; give without payment” (Mt 10:8),” and it became the project’s motto from then on. Some doctors joined in, offering their professional services without wanting anything in return, and there were many others who opened their hearts, their hands or the doors of their homes.
That was how a wide-ranging social action developed helping the poorest people. It still offers various types of service in a number of cities in the Philippines today. However, the most important goal that has been achieved and consolidated over the years is that of enabling those who receive help to become the very ones who free themselves from enslavement to poverty. In fact, they rediscover their dignity as people and thus build relationships of esteem and solidarity. Their example and commitment helps many others to escape from poverty and take on responsibility for a new way of life for themselves and their families, for their neighbourhood and their communities, and for the world.
Letizia Magri
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