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Missier it-tifel minnufih beda jgħajjat u jgħidlu: ‘Jiena nemmen! Għinni fil-fidi nieqsa tiegħi’ (Mk 9:24).
Ġesù, flimkien mad-dixxipli tiegħu, beda miexi lejn Ġerusalemm. Hu diġà qed iħejjihom għal appuntament deċiżiv: l-awtoritajiet reliġjużi kienu se jiċħduh, ir-Rumani kienu se jikkundannawh għall-mewt u jsallbuh. Imbagħad, wara dan kollu, Hu kien se jirxoxta.
Ma kienx faċli għal Pietru u għad-dixxipli l-oħra li jifhmu dak li kien qed jgħidilhom Ġesù, imma ftit ftit il-Vanġelu ta’ San Mark iwassalna biex niskopru l-missjoni ta’ Ġesù: hu kellu jwettaq il-fidwa tal-bnedmin permezz tat-tbatija.
Huwa u miexi, Ġesù jiltaqa’ ma’ ħafna nies; jersaq qribhom u jara l-bżonnijiet tagħhom. Hawnhekk narawh jilqa’ l-karba ta’ missier, li talbu jfejjaqlu ‘l ibnu li kien jinsab f’diffikultajiet serji. Aktarx li kien epilettiku.
Biex seta’ jseħħ dan il-miraklu, Ġesù talab xi ħaġa minn dan il-missier: il-fidi.
Missier it-tifel minnufih beda jgħajjat u jgħidlu: ‘Jiena nemmen! Għinni fil-fidi nieqsa tiegħi’.
It-tweġiba ta’ dan il-missier, li qalha b’leħen għoli quddiem il-folla miġbura madwar Ġesù, tidher kontraditorja. Kif spiss jiġri lilna, dan ir-raġel ħass li l-fidi tiegħu kienet dgħajfa, li ma kienx kapaċi jintelaq għal kollox fl-imħabba t’Alla, fil-pjan tiegħu ta’ ferħ li Hu għandu għal kull wieħed minn uliedu.
Iżda Alla jafda fil-bniedem u ma jagħmel xejn mingħajr is-sehem tiegħu, mingħajr il-kunsens tiegħu. Hu jitlob is-sehem tagħna, anki jekk dan ikun ċkejken: jitlobna nagħrfu leħnU fil-kuxjenza tagħna, nafdaw fiH u nintefgħu nħobbu.
Missier it-tifel minnufih beda jgħajjat u jgħidlu: ‘Jiena nemmen! Għinni fil-fidi nieqsa tiegħi’.
Il-biċċa l-kbira tal-kultura li ngħixu fiha, tfaħħar l-aġir aggressiv, għax skont hi din hi l-arma rebbieħa li biha nilħqu s-suċċess.
Filwaqt li l-Vanġelu jippreżentalna xi ħaġa li tidher bla sens: nagħrfu n-nuqqas ta’ ħila tagħna, bħala punt li minnu rridu nitilqu biex nidħlu f’rabta m’Alla u flimkien miegħu naslu għall-akbar rebħa: li l-bnedmin kollha jagħrfu li huma aħwa ta’ xulxin.
F’ħajtu, Ġesù għallimna kemm jagħmel sens li naqdu lill-oħrajn u li nagħżlu l-aħħar post. Dan hu l-aħjar mod biex dak li jidher telfa jinbidel f’rebħa, li la taħseb fiha nfisha u lanqas tispiċċa malajr, imma waħda li nistgħu naqsmuha mal-oħrajn u li tibqa’ għal dejjem.
Missier it-tifel minnufih beda jgħajjat u jgħidlu: ‘Jiena nemmen! Għinni fil-fidi nieqsa tiegħi’.
Il-fidi hi rigal li nistgħu u għandna nitolbuh bla waqfien, biex inkunu nistgħu naħdmu id f’id m’Alla ħalli jiftaħ toroq ta’ tama għal ħafna oħrajn.
Chiara Lubich kitbet hekk: “Temmen tfisser tħoss li inti mmexxi u maħbub minn Alla; tfisser li Alla jagħti kas ta’ kull talba tagħna, kull kelma, kull mossa, kull ġrajja ta’ swied il-qalb, ta’ ferħ jew indifferenti, kull marda; Alla jieħu ħsieb ta’ kollox. (…) U la Alla hu Mħabba, il-fiduċja sħiħa fiH mhix għajr konsegwenza loġika. Imbagħad inkunu nistgħu nafdaw fiH u nitkellmu mieghU ta’ spiss, nuruH dak li nkunu qed nagħmlu, il-progetti tagħna. Kull wieħed u waħda minna jista’ jintelaq għal kollox f’imħabbtu, żgur li Hu jifhmu, ifarrġu u jgħinu. (…) Nistgħu nitolbuH hekk: ‘Mulej, agħmel li jiena nibqa’ f’imħabbtek. Agħmel li jiena dejjem inħoss, ninduna u nagħraf il-fidi fl-imħabba tiegħek lejja, fl-imħabba tiegħek lejna.’
Imbagħad inkomplu nħobbu; u aktar ma nħobbu ‘l oħrajn, il-fidi tagħna aktar tissaħħah. Mhux biss nemmnu fl-imħabba t’Alla, iżda nħossuha fil-qalb tagħna u naraw ‘mirakli’ jseħħu madwarna”. 1
Letizia Magri
1: C. Lubich, Kelma tal-Ħajja, Ottubru 2004, fil-ktieb Parole di Vita, ta’ Fabio Ciardi (Opere di Chiara Lubich 5; Città Nuova, Ruma 2017) pp. 732-734.
for ages 4-8 | for ages 9-17 | Print | Audio
Jesus was making his way to Jerusalem. He was with his disciples who he had begun to prepare for this decisive appointment. He was going to meet with rejection by the religious authorities, be condemned to death by the Romans and then be crucified and rise again. This was very difficult for Peter and his other followers to understand but Mark’s Gospel enables us to gradually comprehend Jesus’ mission. The vulnerability of his suffering will be the means of salvation for humankind. On the journey, Jesus met many people and because of his openness, he understood their needs. Here we see him responding to a father who was crying out and asking him to heal his son who had serious difficulties. The child was probably suffering from epilepsy. For the miracle to happen, Jesus had to make a request. He asked the father to have faith.
Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!“
The father shouted his answer in front of the crowd that had gathered around Jesus. His words seemed almost contradictory. This man, like us, understood how fragile faith can be; it was difficult for him to trust completely in God’s love and in his plans for each of his children. However, it is also true that God trusts us all and does nothing without our contribution, without our freely given “yes” to him. He asks us to do our part even though this may be very small. He asks us to recognise his voice that speaks through our conscience, to trust him and, as a consequence, to begin to love.
Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!“
We are often immersed in a culture than regards aggression as the key to success. This aggression can be expressed in a variety of ways. In contrast, the Gospel presents us with a paradox. We can look on our weaknesses, our limits and our fragility as the starting point in relating to God and in participating with him in the greatest of challenges – the unity of the entire human family. Throughout his life, Jesus taught us about the logic of service and of taking the “lowest” place. This is the perfect position to transform what could seem defeat into victory that is not transitory and selfish but enduring and shared by all.
Immediately the father of the child cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!“
Faith is a gift. We can and must persevere in asking for it so that we can collaborate with God in giving hope to others. Chiara Lubich, the founder of the Focolare, wrote, “To believe and to feel that God looks at us and loves us means that every prayer, everything that happens whether good, bad or indifferent, every illness, every single thing […] is seen by God. If God is Love, then the most logical thing we can do is trust him completely. We can confide in him often and tell him about our concerns, our proposals and all the things we plan to do. Each one of us can abandon ourselves to his love with complete confidence that we will be understood, comforted and helped. […] We can say to him, ‘Lord, let me stay in your love. Don’t let me live for a single moment without feeling, recognising and knowing – through faith or from experience – that you love me and you love everyone.’ Then, we can continue to love. Loving makes our faith become solid and steadfast. We will not only believe in God’s love, we will also feel it within our souls and we will see ‘miracles’ happen around us.” [i]
Letizia Magri
[i] C. Lubich. Word of Life October 2004
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