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“Aħna nafu li Alla, ma’ dawk li jħobbuh, f’kollox jaħdem id f’id għall-ġid tagħhom” (Rum 8, 28).
Il-Kelma tal-Ħajja li qed nissuġġerixxu għal dan ix-xahar hi meħuda mill-ittra tal-appostlu San Pawl lir-Rumani. Hi ittra twila li fiha ħafna ħsibijiet sbieħ u tagħlim, li Pawlu kiteb qabel ma telaq lejn Ruma biex iħejji għaż-żjara li kien ser jagħmel lil dik il-komunità li kien għadu ma jafhiex.
Il-kapitlu 8 jisħaq l-aktar fuq il-ħajja ġdida skont l-Ispirtu u fuq il-wegħda tal-ħajja eterna li hemm tistenna lil kull bniedem, lill-ġnus u lill-ħolqien kollu.
“Aħna nafu li Alla, ma’ dawk li jħobbuh, f’kollox jaħdem id f’id għall-ġid tagħhom”.
Kull kelma ta’ din silta fiha tifsira qawwija. San Pawl qed jistqarr li, bħala Nsara, aħna nagħrfu l-imħabba t’Alla u nafu li kull esperjenza tagħna ta’ bnedmin hi sehem mill-pjan t’Alla ta’ salvazzjoni.
Hu jgħid li kollox jgħin biex iseħħ dan il-pjan: it-tbatijiet, il-persekuzzjonijiet, il-fallimenti u d-dgħufijiet personali, imma fuq kollox jaħdem l-Ispirtu t’Alla f’qalb dawk li jilqgħuh. L-Ispirtu għadu jgħinna fin-nuqqas ta’ ħila tagħna u jagħmel tiegħu t-tnehid tagħna l-bnedmin u tal-ħolqien[1] u din hi l-garanzija li l-pjan t’Alla għad iseħħ.
Min-naħa tagħna hemm bżonn li nwieġbu għal din l-imħabba billi nħobbu, fil-waqt li nintelqu b’fiduċja sħiħa fil-Missier u nagħtu xhieda ta’ tama fi smewwiet ġodda u art ġdida[2] li Hu qed iħejji għal dawk li jafdaw fiH.
“Aħna nafu li Alla, ma’ dawk li jħobbuh, f’kollox jaħdem id f’id għall-ġid tagħhom”.
Mela kif se nagħmlu biex kuljum nilqgħu f’ħajjitna din il-proposta qawwija? Chiara Lubich tissuġġerixxi li: “L-ewwelnett qatt m’għandna nieqfu quddiem dak li jidher minn barra, dak li hu materjali u profan, imma nemmnu li kull ma jiġri hu messaġġ li bih Alla jrid jurina mħabbtu. Hekk naraw kif il-ħajja, li tista’ tidher bħala nisġa b’ħafna għoqiedi u ħjut, hi realtà oħra: hi pjan mill-isbaħ li l-imħabba t’Alla tkun qed tinseġ fuq il-fidi tagħna.
It-tieni: kull mument irridu nintelqu b’fiduċja sħiħa f’din l-imħabba, kemm fl-affarijiet iż-żgħar kif ukoll dawk kbar. Jekk nagħrfu nafdaw fl-imħabba t’Alla fiċ-ċirkustanzi komuni tal-ħajja, Hu jagħtina l-qawwa biex nafdaw fiH anki fil-mumenti l-aktar diffiċli, bħal f’xi prova kbira, f’xi marda jew fil-ħin stess tal-mewt.
Mela, ejjew nippruvaw ngħixu b’dan il-mod, mhux għax jaqblilna, jiġifieri mhux biex Alla jurina l-pjanijiet tiegħu u jfarraġna, imma biss b’imħabba, u hekk għad naraw li dan l-abbandun fiduċjuż hu għajn ta’ dawl u sliem li ma jintemm qatt, għalina u għal ħafna nies oħra”[3].
Meta niġu biex nagħmlu għażliet diffiċli jeħtieġ nintelqu b’fiduċja sħiħa f’Alla, kif tirrakkonta waħda mara mill-Gwatemala: “Kont naħdem bħala koka f’dar tax-xjuħ. Darba, waqt li kont għaddejja mill-kuritur, smajt waħda xiħa titlobni l-ilma. Għalkemm kellna ordni biex waqt ix-xogħol ma noħorġux mill-kċina, jien irriskjajt u b’għożża kbira mort innewlilha tazza ilma. Għajnejn dik ix-xiħa xegħlu. Meta xorbot nofs l-ilma li tajtha, qabditli idi u qaltli: ‘Ibqa’ ħdejja għaxar minuti!’. Għidtilha li ma stajtx għax kont nitkeċċa mix-xogħol. Imma dik il-ħarsa… Bqajt ħdejha. Qaltli biex nitolbu flimkien: ‘Missierna…’. U fl-aħħar talbitni nkantalha xi ħaġa. Ġiet f’moħħi din: ‘Xejn m’hu se nieħdu magħna, l-imħabba biss…’. Ix-xjuħ l-oħra baqgħu jħarsu lejna. Ix-xiħa dehret ferħana u qaltli: ‘Binti, Alla jbierkek’; wara ftit tal-ħin mietet.
Ġara li keċċewni mix-xogħol għax kont ħriġt mill-kċina. Il-familja tiegħi li tgħix ʹil bogħod minn fejn ngħix jien għandha bżonn l-għajnuna tiegħi, imma jiena ninsab fil-paċi u ferħana: weġibt lil Alla u dik ix-xiħa m’għamlitx l-aktar pass importanti ta’ ħajjitha waħedha”.
Letizia Magri
[1] Cf. Rum 8, 22-27.
[2] Cf. Ap 21, 1.
[3] C. Lubich, Parola di Vita agosto 1984, in eadem, Parole di Vita, a cura di Fabio Ciardi (Opere di Chiara Lubich 5; Città Nuova, Roma 2017) p. 299
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“We know that all things work together for good for those who love God” (Rom 8:28).
The Word we are proposing to live this month is taken from Paul’s letter to the Romans. This is a long text, full of reflections and teachings and was written before his departure for Rome. Its purpose was to prepare the community that he did not know personally for his visit. Chapter 8 in particular emphasises new life according to the Spirit and the promise of eternal life that awaits individuals, peoples and the entire universe.
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God
Every word of this sentence is full of meaning. Paul proclaims that, first and foremost, as Christians we have come to know God’s love and are aware that every human experience is part of God’s great plan of salvation. Everything – Paul says – contributes to the fulfilment of this plan: suffering, persecution, personal failures and weaknesses, but above all, the action of God’s Spirit in the hearts of the people who welcome him. The Spirit still gathers up the cries of humanity and all of creation [i] and makes them his own: this is the guarantee that God’s plan will be fulfilled.Our part, should be to actively respond to God’s love by loving and entrusting ourselves and all our needs to the Father. We should witness to the hope in the new heavens and new earth [ii] that he prepares for those who trust in him.
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God.
How, then, should we welcome and accept this demanding proposal in our everyday lives?
Focolare founder, Chiara Lubich, suggested: ‘First of all, we must never stop at the purely external, material or worldly aspect of things, but believe that every fact is a message with which God expresses his love for us. We will then see how life which may seem to us like a piece of material that is full of knots and threads woven together in a haphazard way, is, in reality, something else: it is the marvellous design that God’s love is weaving on the basis of our faith. Secondly, we must trustingly and totally abandon ourselves to this love at all times, both in small and large things that happen in life. Indeed, if we know how to entrust ourselves to God’s love in ordinary circumstances, he will give us the strength to entrust ourselves to him even in the most difficult moments, such as when we suffer or experience illness or at the very moment of death.
So let us try to live in this way, not out of self-interest – so that God can show us his plans and we find consolation from him – but only out of love. We will see how this trusting abandonment is a source of light and infinite peace for us and for many others.’ [iii] Let’s trust in God when we have difficult choices to make, just as O.L. from Guatemala did. ‘I was working as a cook in an old people’s home. From down the corridor, I heard an old lady asking for a drink of water. I knew the regulations stated that I should not leave the kitchen but I poured some water and gently offered it to her. The old lady’s eyes lit up.
Halfway through the glass, she took my hand and said, “Stay with me for ten minutes!” I explained that I shouldn’t and that I risked being fired from my job. But that look of hers … I stayed. She asked me to pray together: “Our Father…”. And at the end she said, “Sing something please.” I remembered the words of “We will take nothing with us, only love…”. The other residents stared at us.
The woman was happy and said, “God bless you, my daughter,” and died shortly afterwards. I lost my job because I had left the kitchen. My extended family needed my financial support, but I was happy and at peace. I had responded to God and that woman was not alone when she took the most important step in life.’
Letizia Magri
[i] Cf. Rom 8:22-27
[ii] Cf. Rev 21:1
[iii] Chiara Lubich Word of Life Aug 1984
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