Malti
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[:mt]Niżżel il-fuljett tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja bil-Malti
“Mulej, xi kemm-il darba jrid jonqosni ħija biex jien naħfirlu? Sa seba’ darbiet?”(Mt 18, 21).
Hemm ħafna x’wieħed jitgħallem fil-kapitlu 18 tal-Vanġelu ta’ San Mattew. Fih insibu ʹl Ġesù jgħallem lid-dixxipli kif għandhom iġibu ruħhom fi ħdan il-komunità li kienet qed tinbet. Il-mistoqsija li għamillu Pietru tkompli ma’ dak li ftit qabel kien qal Ġesù: “Mulej, xi kemm-il darba jrid jonqosni ħija…”[1]. Waqt li Ġesù kien qed jitkellem, Pietru waqqfu bħallikieku ried juri li ma kienx fehem sew dak li l-Imgħallem kien għadu kemm qal. U għamillu waħda mill-mistoqsijiet l-aktar importanti dwar kif għandhom iġibu ruħhom id-dixxipli tiegħu. Kemm-il darba għandna naħfru?
“Mulej, xi kemm-il darba jrid jonqosni ħija biex jien naħfirlu? Sa seba’ darbiet?”.
Fil-mixja tagħna tal-fidi jinbtu f’moħħna ħafna mistoqsijiet. Min jemmen ma jkunx jaf it-tweġibiet kollha, imma jibqa’ fidil minkejja l-mistoqsijiet tiegħu. Il-mistoqsija ta’ Pietru mhijiex dwar id-dnub kontra Alla, imma aktarx dwar xi jrid isir meta ħuk jonqos kontra xi ħadd. Pietru jaħseb li hu dixxiplu bravu li jista’ jaħfer sa seba’ darbiet[2]. Żgur li dik it-tweġiba ta’ Ġesù ma kienx qed jistennieha: “Ma ngħidlekx sa seba’ darbiet, imma sa sebgħa u sebgħin darba” (Mt v. 22). Id-dixxipli kienu jafu sew dak li Lamek, l-iben qattiel ta’ Kajjin kien qal, fejn hu jkanta l-vendetta sa sebgħa u sebgħin darba[3]. Ġesù kien qed jitkellem eżattament fuq din l-istqarrija, imma minflok il-vendetta jsemmi l-maħfra bla tmiem.
“Mulej, xi kemm-il darba jrid jonqosni ħija biex jien naħfirlu? Sa seba’ darbiet?”.
Mhux qed insemmu l-maħfra ta’ meta xi ħadd joffendina l-ħin kollu, imma li f’qalbna rridu naħfrulu u nerġgħu naħfrulu. Il-vera maħfra, dik li tagħmel minna nies ħielsa, is-soltu sseħħ bil-mod il-mod. Il-maħfra ma tfissirx sentiment, mhijiex li wieħed jinsa: hi l-għażla li jridu jagħmlu dawk li jemmnu, mhux biss meta l-offiża tirrepeti ruħha, imma wkoll kull darba li niftakru fiha. Għalhekk irridu naħfru għal sebgħa u sebgħin darba.
Hekk kitbet Chiara Lubich: “Ġesù (…) kellu f’moħħu l-aktar ir-rabta li jrid ikun hemm bejn l-insara, bejn il-membri tal-istess komunità. Għalhekk qabelxejn irridu nġibu ruħna hekk ma’ ħutna l-insara: fil-familja, fuq il-lant tax-xogħol, l-iskola jew fil-komunità fejn ngħixu. Taf li meta joffenduna nkunu rridu npattu bl-istess mod għall-azzjoni li nirċievu, b’xi kelma li tkun tixraq lil dak li jkun. Taf kif minħabba li aħna ta’ karattru differenti, jew għax nervużi, jew għal xi raġuni oħra, in-nuqqasijiet ta’ mħabba jiġru spiss bejn nies li jgħixu flimkien. Għalhekk ftakar li dik li tista’ żżomm il-paċi u l-għaqda bejn l-aħwa hi biss il-maħfra, li trid tiġġedded il-ħin kollu. F’moħħok dejjem jiġuk id-difetti li għandhom ħutek, tiftakar fl-imgħoddi tagħhom, tixtieqhom kieku kienu differenti milli huma… Trid tidra tħares lejhom b’għajnejn ġodda u tarahom bħala nies ġodda, billi taċċettahom dejjem u mill-ewwel, anki jekk huma ma jindmux milli jkunu għamlu”[4].
“Mulej, xi kemm-il darba jrid jonqosni ħija biex jien naħfirlu? Sa seba’ darbiet?”.
Ilkoll kemm aħna nagħmlu parti minn komunità ta’ “nies maħfura”, għax il-maħfra hi don t’Alla, li neħtiġuha l-ħin kollu. Dejjem għandna għax nistagħġbu bil-kobor bla tarf tal-ħniena divina li aħna nirċievu mingħand il-Missier. Hu jaħfrilna jekk aħna wkoll naħfru ʹl ħutna l-bnedmin[5].
Xi drabi tiġi f’sitwazzjonijiet meta ma jkunx faċli taħfer, minħabba kwistjonijiet politiċi, soċjali, ekonomiċi li fihom il-maħfra tista’ tieħu xejra komunitarja. Għandna ħafna eżempji ta’ nisa u rġiel li, bl-għajnuna ta’ xi komunità, irnexxielhom jaħfru anki f’sitwazzjonijiet iebsa.
Osvaldo, mill-Kolombja heddewh bil-mewt u ra lil ħuh jinqatel. Illum imexxi għaqda ta’ raħħala li fiha jgħinu ʹl min kellu x’jaqsam mal-ġlied li kien hemm f’pajjiżu.
“Kienet tkun ħaġa faċli twieġeb bil-vendetta għall-vjolenza, imma jien għidt le”, jgħid Osvaldo: “Diffiċli, diffiċli ħafna li wieħed jitgħallem l-arti tal-maħfra, imma l-armi u l-gwerra qatt ma jistgħu jkunu għażla tajba biex tibdel ħajtek. Mhux hekk irridu nagħmlu biex nibdlu ħajjitna. Irridu mmissu l-qalb ta’ ħaddieħor u biex nagħmlu dan m’għandniex bżonn is-suppervja jew xi setgħa oħra: għandna bżonn l-umiltà li hi l-aktar virtù diffiċli biex tinbena”[6].
Letizia Magri
[1] Mt 18, 21.
[2] In-numru sebgħa jfisser kollox, kull ħaġa: Alla ħalaq id-dinja f’sebat ijiem (ara Ġen 1, 1-2.4). Fl-Eġittu kien hemm seba’ snin ta’ xabgħa kbir u seba’ snin ta’ ġuħ (Ġen 41, 29-30).
[3] “Seba’ darbiet jitħallas Kajjin, imma Lamek sebgħa u sebgħin darba”. (Ġen 4, 24).
[4] C. Lubich, Parola di Vita Ottubru 1981, fil-ktieb, Parole di Vita, ta’ Fabio Ciardi (Opere di Chiara Lubich 5; Città Nuova, Roma 2017), p. 219.
[5] Ara Talba tal-Missierna, Mt 6, 9-13.
[6] L-isem tal-paċi hu għaqda: L-istrateġija ta’ Chiara Lubich, miktub minn Maddalena Maltese, Città Nuova, Roma, 2020, pġ.37
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“Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?” (Mt. 18:21)
Illustrated Word of Life for ages 4-8 | for ages 9-17 | Print| Audio
Chapter 18 of Matthew’s Gospel is a very rich text in which Jesus gives instructions to the disciples regarding how to live out relationships within their newborn community. Peter’s question refers back to what Jesus had said a little earlier: “If your brother or sister sins against you…”.[i] As Jesus is speaking, Peter interrupts him as if he realises that he has not fully understood what his Master has just said. He asks Jesus a question that is very relevant to understanding the pathway that Jesus’ disciples should follow. How many times must we forgive?
Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?
Questioning is part of the journey of faith. Those who believe do not have all the answers, but remain faithful despite the questions. Peter is not asking about sin against God, but rather about what to do when a member of the community commits a sin against another. He thinks he is a good disciple who can forgive up to seven times. [ii] He does not expect such an immediate response from Jesus and this shakes his confidence: “I tell you, not seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Mt. 18: 22). The disciples were familiar with the words of Lamech, the bloodthirsty son of Cain, who sings of the repetition of vengeance seventy times seven. [iii] Jesus, alluding to this very statement, contrasts unlimited vengeance with infinite forgiveness.
Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?
It is not a question of forgiving a person who continually offends, but rather of always having an attitude of forgiveness in our hearts. True forgiveness, the kind that makes us feel free, usually comes in stages. It is not a feeling, it is not forgetting: it is the choice that the believer should make, not only when the offence is repeated, but also every time it comes to mind. This is why it is necessary to forgive seventy times seven.
Chiara Lubich writes: “Jesus … above all, was thinking about the relationships among Christians, among members of the same community. Therefore, first of all, we are called to behave in this way with our brothers and sisters in faith – in the family, at work, at school or in our communities if we are involved. You know how people often want to react to or “pay back” an offence with a negative action or remark. You know how differences of character or impatience, or other causes, can lead to a lack of love among people who live together. Well, remember that only a constant attitude of forgiveness, renewed each day, can maintain peace and unity among neighbours. We will always have a tendency to think about the faults of our brothers and sisters, to remember their past and want them to be different from the way they are… We need to acquire the habit of seeing them with new eyes and as new people and show them total acceptance even if they are not sorry for what they have done.”[iv]
Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother or sister who sins against me? Up to seven times?
We are all part of a community of people who are ‘forgiven’ because forgiveness is a gift from God which we always need. We should be amazed by the immensity of the Father’s mercy: he forgives us if we also forgive our brothers and sisters. [v] There are situations in which it is not easy to forgive, situations that arise from political, social and economic conditions in which forgiveness can take on a communitarian dimension. There are many examples of women and men who have managed to forgive even in the most difficult contexts, helped by the community that has supported them.
Osvaldo is Colombian. He received death threats and he saw his own brother being killed. Today he is the head of a farmers’ association, where he works to rehabilitate people who have been directly involved in his country’s armed conflict. “It would have been easy to respond to revenge with more violence, but I said no,” explains Osvaldo. “Learning the art of forgiveness is very, very difficult, but weapons and war are never an option for transforming lives. The road to transformation is another. It is being able to touch the human soul in another other person, and to do this you don’t need pride or power: you need humility, which is the most difficult virtue to acquire.”[vi]
Letizia Magri
[i] Mt.18:15
[ii] The number seven indicates totality, completeness: God creates the world in seven days (cf. Gen 1:1-2.4). In Egypt there are seven years of abundance and seven of famine (Gen 41:29-30).
[iii] “ If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.” (Gen. 4:24)
[iv] C. Lubich Word of Life Oct 1981
[v] Cf. The Our Father prayer Mt. 6:9-13
[vi] Unità è il nome della pace: La strategia di Chiara Lubich, edited by Maddalena Maltese, Città Nuova, Rome, 2020, p.37.
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