Experiences

[:mt]Nagħmlu kollox flimkien[:en]Living the Gospel: Don’t miss the opportunity[:]

[:mt]Esperjenzi dwar l-għajxien tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja

Familja ġdida

Żewġi u jiena sirna nafu mingħand soru ħabiba tagħna li tfajla li kellha tmin xhur tqala kienet qed tgħaddi l-ljieli f’toilet publiku. Din l-istorja niktitna għall-aħħar; morna nkellmu social worker iżda konna lesti li noffru kenn fid-dar tagħna lil din it-tfajla wara li nkellmu lil uliedna. Meta rajna li l-biċċa tas-social worker kienet ser tieħu fit-tul, iddeċidejna li mmorru nfittxuha.

Familja oħra għenitna u sibnieha f’video games aracade fejn bosta drabi kienet tqatta’ l-ġurnata tagħha. Kelllha storja tal-biki: ommha kienet tgħix bil-prostituzzjoni u sakemm kellha 14-il sena għexet ġo home. Ftit wara li marret lura tgħix ma’ ommha, ħarbet mid-dar għax ma riditx tagħmel ix-xogħol li kienet tagħmel ommha.

Bil-kemm setgħet temmen meta għidnielha li setgħet tiġi toqgħod magħna. Grazzi għall-passparola li nirċievu kuljum, il-ħbieb tagħna għamlu minn kollox biex din it-tfajla u t-tarbija li kienet qed tistenna jkollhom dak kollu li jeħtieġu. It-tarbija twieldet, u issa b’ħafna delikatezza qed ngħinuha tieħu ħsiebha. Illum din tqisna bħala l-familja tagħha. (L.A.G.mill-Italja)

Nagħmlu kollox flimkien
Indunajt li biex neħles lit-tfal tagħna mill-periklu li jqattgħu ħafna ħin quddiem it-TV kelli nitgħallem “naħli” l-ħin magħhom. Aktar milli nisfurżhom biex jitfu t-TV, kelli nipproponilhom li jagħmlu xi attivitajiet oħra, għalkemm dan kien jitlob aktar sforz minni. Wara li tkellimt ma’ żewġi u ma’ wliedi ddeċidejna li kull filgħaxija nibdew nagħmlu attivita’ differenti: it-Tnejn nagħmlu kitba u tpinġija; it-Tlieta nilagħbu xi games, l-Erbgħa naraw it-TV, il-Ħamis nagħmlu xi tindif tad-dar, il-Ġimgħa mmorru nagħmlu mixja flimkien, eċċ..

Aktar ma bdejna nidħlu fir-realtajiet li jgħixu wliedna, aktar bdejna niskopru kemm hemm affarijiet x’nitgħallmu biex ngħinuhom jikbru. Kemm ilna li bdejna dan l-eżerċizzju bdejt ninduna kemm tassew jieħdu gost jiktbu jew jaqraw xi storja qasira; kemm jieħdu gost jirranġaw xi kexxun jew ipoġġu t-toys f’posthom, u kemm ikunu kuntenti li jagħmlu dan flimkien.

Wara li konna ilna xi ftit ġimgħat għaddejjin b’dawn l-attivitajiet, it-tifel il-kbir issuġġerixxa li nibdew nużaw il-ġurnata ddedikata għat-TV biex insajru xi ħaġa flimkien. Allura issa minflok naraw xi film, spiċċajna nippreparaw flimkien l-ikla ta’ fil-għaxija għal dik il-ġurnata. Tasssw li flimkien mal-oħrajn, anki t-tindif tad-dar jew it-tisjir isir opportunita’ biex wieħed jieħu gost!
(S.J. – Brażil)

L-anzjani
Meta żżewwiġna, tant konna meħuda bl-imħabba tagħna lejn xulxin li bil-kemm konna nagħtu kas il-pariri tal-ħbieb jew dawk li jiġu minna. Żewġi għandu zija anzjana, armla, li tħobb lin-neputijiet daqslikieku kienu wliedha. Meta tlabnieha tiġi toqgħod magħna, kienet tassew kuntenta, u.l-preżenza tagħha fil-familja tagħna ġabet magħha ħafna mħabba.

Ġurnata minnhom, din iz-zija ħasset li bejni u bejn żewġi kien hemm xi ħaġa li ma kenitx sejra sew, u mill-ewwel iddeċidiet li tkellimni b’mod miftuħ; “Il-passjoni tispiċċa, imma l-imħabba tibqa’”, qaltli. Stajt nara li kienet qed tbati u b’ħafna delikatezza kompliet tgħidli: “Int tista’ twelled imħabba ġdida: dan hu li żewġek għandu bżonn. Jien ma nista’ nagħmel xejn ħlief ngħinek bit-talb tiegħi”.

Tlabtha ngħidu talba flimkien u tant ħadet gost. Kif spiċċajna t-talba, mill-ewwel ħassejt f’qalbi paċi kbira, u dan malajr kellu effett fuq żewġi u wliedi li huma teenagers. Il-preżenza ta’ din iz-zija fil-ħajja tagħna, tgħinni nifhem għaliex Papa Franġisku jagħti daqshekk valur lill-anzjani. Hi l-aktar ħaġa prezzjuża li għandna fil-familja tagħna.
(Sz.K. – Slovakkja)

Imħabba li tgħaqqadna
Ili naf lis-Sur Walid li hu Musulman għal xi snin u hemm relazzjoni tassew sabiħa bejnietna. Xi ġranet ilu ġie il-parroċċa biex jagħmel donazzjoni għall-bżonnijiet li jkun hemm fil-komunita’. U stedinni biex immur niekol għandu. Aċċettajt din l-istedina bil-qalb. Kienet ikla pjuttost sempliċi f’dar tassew lussuża. Iltqajt ma’ martu li hi Taljana u mal-erba’ wliedu, li bħala missier jixtieq jedukhom skont il-kultura ta’ pajjiżna.

Mingħajr ma kont qed nistenna, kelli l-opportunita’ li nirrakkuntalu xi ftit dwar ħajti, dwar id-distakk mill-ġid u fuq kollox dwar il-qsim tal-ġid li nipprova ngħix flimkien ma’ Nsara oħrajn. F’ħin minnhom smajtu jgħid: “Alla hu miegħek!” Meta kont ser nitlaq ġie jwassalni sa fejn ix-xatba li hemm barra l-bieb u qalli: “Jekk tkun taf b’xi familja li jkollha diffikulta’, għarrafni. Jien ukoll nista’ nieħu l-impenn li nagħti s-sehem tiegħi kull xahar”.
(T.P. – l-Italja)[:en]

In one of her meditations Chiara Lubich writes “mercy is the ultimate expression of charity, the one that fulfills it[1]. It is not a feeling, therefore, but a concrete action that, united with an inner intention, pushes us to distance ourselves from ourselves and turn our gaze to the other. A revolutionary movement that heals and generates life.”

Don’t miss the opportunity
At the station, I had just bought a return ticket to a certain city. I rushed to the platform but was disappointed to discover the train had just left. I went back to the ticket office to try and get a refund and further information but the lady in charge told me she couldn’t spend time on me with so many people in the queue. Disgruntled, I walked away feeling really angry but as I was putting my tickets in my diary, a phrase I had written down that morning caught my eye: ‘Don’t miss any opportunities’. I stopped, reflected, then made up my mind: “I must not miss the opportunity to love!”.

I walked back to the lady at the ticket office, and when it was my turn I told her I was sorry if I was too demanding with her and that I understood her reaction. The expression on her face and her tone of voice changed and, without persuasion, she started to deal with my situation. She even started looking for alternative routes to enable me to reach my destination in time. It really doesn’t take much to restore harmony in relationships.
(R.J. – Romania)

The list of enemies
As his followers Jesus wants us to love our enemies.  He wants us to forgive. For a long time I didn’t think this concerned me. I live a quiet life, have a good position in society and a calm family. We don’t hurt anyone and try to protect ourselves from the negative in society. Nevertheless, that phrase troubled me. Enemies?  When I really thought about it, I realised I still did have some but had relegated them to a part of my brain where they would not bother me. One by one, situations came to mind in which, rather than face the opposition of an ‘enemy’, I fled. Running away had become a real habit. But Jesus was asking something else of me.

So I made a list of all the ‘enemies’ for whom I had to do something: with a phone call, a message or a meeting to let each of them know they were part of my life. It really wasn’t easy – obstacles and reasonings kept holding me back.  Now that I have overcome myself, I can truly say that Jesus’ commandment has achieved its purpose – it has made me feel alive.
(G.R. – Portugal)

Edited by Maria Grazia Berretta

 (taken from Il Vangelo del Giorno, Città Nuova, year VIII, n.1, January-February 2022)

[1] C. Lubich, “When you have known suffering”, in  Essential writings, Città Nuova, Rome 2006, pp. 140-141

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