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[:mt]Niżżel il-fuljett tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja bil-Malti
“Għal Alla ma hemm xejn li ma jistax isir” (Lq 1, 37).
Dan il-kliem insibuh fir-rakkont ta’ meta l-Arkanġlu Gabriel ħabbar lil Marija ta’ Nazaret bil-pjan li Alla kellu għaliha: hi kellha tnissel iben, twelldu u ssemmieh Ġesù, “Hu jkun kbir, u jkun jissejjaħ Bin il-Għoli”[1]. Twelid tal-għaġeb insibuh fi ġrajjiet oħra tat-Testment il-Qadim, fejn nisa li ma setax ikollhom tfal jew li kienu kibru fl-età, kienu jwelldu trabi li mbagħad kien se jkollhom post importanti fl-istorja tal-fidwa. Għalkemm Marija kienet lesta li twettaq b’mod sħiħ il-missjoni li ssir omm il-Messija, imma hi staqsiet lill-anġlu kif seta’ jseħħ dan, ladarba kienet verġni. Gabriel serrħilha rasha u qalilha li dan ma kienx se jseħħ permezz ta’ bniedem: “L-Ispirtu s-Santu jiġi fuqek, u l-qawwa tal-Għoli tixħet id-dell tagħha fuqek”[2]. Imbagħad qalilha: “għax għal Alla ma hemm xejn li ma jistax isir”[3].
“Għal Alla ma hemm xejn li ma jistax isir”.
Dan il-kliem li jagħti serħan il-moħħ, ifisser li m’hemm ebda wegħda u stqarrija t’Alla li tibqa’ ma sseħħx, għax għalih ma hemm xejn li ma jistax isir. Nistgħu wkoll ngħiduh bi kliem ieħor: flimkien ma’ Alla ma hemm xejn li ma jistax isir. Fil-fatt, il-kliem Grieg “ma’”, jew qrib jew flimkien ma’ Alla, juri kemm Alla jinsab qrib tagħna l-bnedmin. Dawn, meta jaħdmu ma’ Alla jew ikunu jaqblu miegħu f’kollox, ma jkun hemm xejn li ma jistax isir.
“Għal Alla ma hemm xejn li ma jistax isir”.
Kif se ngħixuha din il-Kelma tal-ħajja? Qabelxejn irid ikollna fiduċja sħiħa f’Alla u nemmnu li hu jista’ jwettaq affarijiet anki fejn ikun hemm il-limiti u d-dgħufija tagħna, kif ukoll fis-sitwazzjonijiet l-aktar mudlama tal-ħajja.
Din kienet l-esperjenza ta’ Dietrich Bonhoeffer, li safa priġunier u wara ħalla ħajtu f’kamp ta’ konċentrament. Hu kiteb hekk: “Jekk irridu nagħrfu dak li Alla jwiegħed jew iwettaq, irridu dejjem nerġgħu ninżlu aktar fil-fond fil-ħajja, fil-kliem, fit-tbatijiet u l-mewt ta’ Ġesù. Aħna ċerti (…) li xejn aktar ma jkun impossibbli għalina, għax għal Alla ma hemm xejn li ma jistax isir. (…) żgur li aħna m’għandna nippretendu xejn imma madankollu nistgħu nitolbu kollox; żgur li fit-tbatija hemm moħbi l-ferħ tagħna u f’mewtna hemm moħbija l-ħajja kollha tagħna (…). Għal dan kollu, Alla qal “iva” u “Ammen” fi Kristu. Din l-“iva” u dan l-“Ammen” huma l-pedament b’saħħtu li fuqu ngħixu”[4].
“Għal Alla ma hemm xejn li ma jistax isir”.
Meta niġu biex negħlbu dak li jidher “impossibbli” minħabba n-nuqqas ta’ ħila tagħna, u biex nistinkaw ħalli naslu għal dak li hu “possibbli”, il-ħajja fil-komunità għandha rwol deċiżiv. Fil-komunità nistgħu nsibu għajnuna kbira biex nippruvaw negħlbu dak li verament jidher “impossibbli” minħabba n-nuqqas ta’ ħila tagħna, biex naslu għal dak li hu “possibbli” f’ħajja retta mgħixa sew. Il-komunità tikber fejn id-dixxipli jgħixu l-kmandament il-ġdid ta’ Ġesù u jħallu l-qawwa ta’ Kristu Rxoxt tgħix fihom u fosthom. Fl-1948 Chiara Lubich kitbet hekk lil grupp ta’ reliġjużi żgħażagħ: “Irridu nibqgħu dejjem mixjin ʹil quddiem! Mhux bil-forza miskina u dgħajfa tagħna, imma bil-qawwa tal-għaqda ta’ bejnietna li tista’ kollox. Indunajt u missejt b’idejja li Alla fostna jwettaq dak li hu impossibbli: jagħmel il-mirakli! Jekk aħna nibqgħu fidili għas-sejħa li għamlilna […], imbagħad id-dinja tara l-unità u magħha l-milja tas-Saltna ta’ Alla”[5].
Xi snin ilu, meta kont fl-Afrika, sikwit kont niltaqa’ ma’ żgħażagħ li kienu jridu jgħixu ta’ Nsara. Kienu jgħiduli bid-diffikultajiet li kienu jiltaqgħu magħhom kuljum fil-post fejn jgħixu, biex ħajjithom tkun taqbel mal-fidi u skont it-tagħlim tal-Vanġelu. Konna ndumu nitkellmu għal sigħat sħaħ, u fl-aħħar konna dejjem naslu għall-istess konklużjoni: “Waħedna nħossuha iebsa, imma flimkien jirnexxielna”. Ġesù stess iwegħidna li “Fejn tnejn jew tlieta jkunu miġbura f’ismi (fl-imħabba tiegħi), hemm inkun jien f’nofshom”[6]. U miegħU kollox jista’ jseħħ.
Augusto Parody Reyes
u t-team tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja
[1] Lq 1, 32.
[2] Ibid, 35.
[3] Ibid, 37.
[4] Bonhoeffer, Resistenza e resa, edizzjoni San Paolo, Cinisello Balsamo 1988, pġ. 474. Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906-1945) kien teologu u qassis Luteran Ġermaniż, li kien fost dawk li ħaduha kontra n-Naziżmu.
[5] C. Lubich, Lettere dei primi tempi. Città Nuova, Ruma 2010, pġ. 164.
[6] Ara Mt 18, 20.
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[:en]
Children’s Word of Life | Print | Audio
“For nothing will be impossible with God” (Lk. 1: 37).
This sentence is taken from the story of the Annunciation. The angel Gabriel appears to Mary of Nazareth and makes known God’s plans for her: she will conceive and give birth to a son, Jesus, who ‘will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.’[1] The episode is in continuity with other events in the Old Testament whereby barren or very old women gave birth to children who were to play an important role in salvation history. Here, Mary, while wishing to fully and freely adhere to the call to become the mother of the Messiah, wonders how this will happen because she is a virgin. Gabriel assures her that it will not come about through the work of man: ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you.’[2] And he adds: ‘Nothing will be impossible with God.’
Such reassurance, which means that no declaration or promise made by God will remain unfulfilled, can also be expressed in this way: nothing is impossible with God. In fact, the nuance of the Greek text ‘with, or near, or together with God’ highlights his closeness to men and women. In fact, when human beings are together with God and freely adhere to him, nothing is impossible.
How can we put this word of life into practice? We can do so by being confident in the belief that God can act even within and beyond our limitations and weaknesses and during the darkest periods of our lives.
This was the experience of Dietrich Bonhoeffer.[3] Whilst in prison before being tortured, he wrote: ‘We must immerse ourselves again and again in the living, speaking, acting, suffering and dying of Jesus in order to recognise what God promises and fulfils. It is certain […] that for us nothing impossible exists any more, because nothing impossible exists for God; […] it is certain that we must not expect anything and yet we can ask everything; it is certain that in suffering our joy is hidden and in death our life… To all this God has said “yes” and “amen” in Christ. This “yes” and this “amen” are the solid ground on which we stand.’
In trying to overcome the apparent ‘impossibility’ of short-comings and in striving to reach the ‘possibility’ of a sound and consistent life, the community dimension plays a decisive role. This developed when, as a group, the disciples lived Jesus’ new commandment and allowed the power of the risen Lord to dwell within them, both collectively and individually. In 1948, Chiara Lubich wrote to a group of young members of religious communities: ‘Let’s go ahead, not relying on our own strength which is petty and weak but with the omnipotence of unity. I have seen and touched with my own hands that God among us does the impossible: he performs miracles! If we are faithful to our task […] the world will see unity and with it the fullness of the kingdom of God.[4]
Years ago, when I was in Africa, I often met young people who wanted to live as Christians and who told me of the many difficulties they faced each day in trying to be faithful to the commitments of faith and the teachings of the Gospel. We would talk about this for hours and, in the end, we always came to the same conclusion: ‘It is impossible if we are alone but not if we are together.’
Jesus himself guarantees this when he promises: ‘Where two or three are gathered in my name (in my love), there am I in the midst of them.’[5] And with him all things are possible.
and the Word of Life Team
Listen on SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/user-63571203/december-2024-word-of-life/[:]
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