Malti
English (UK)
[:mt]Niżżel il-fuljett tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja bil-Malti
“Għax tara t-tibna f’għajn ħuk, u ma tarax it-travu li għandek f’għajnek int?” (Lq 6, 41).
Kif niżel minn fuq l-għolja, wara li għadda l-lejl jitlob, Ġesù għażel it-tnax-il appostlu. Imbagħad waqaf fil-wita u għamlilhom diskors twil li jibda bil-Beatitudnijiet.
Fil-Vanġelu ta’ Luqa, li hu differenti minn dak ta’ Mattew, insibu li l-beatitudnijiet huma erbgħa. Dawn jitkellmu dwar min hu fqir, min hu bil-ġuħ, imġarrab u dak imwarrab u ppersegwitat. Ma’ dawn insibu twissijiet lill-għonja, lill-imxebbgħin u lil dawk li jidħku1. Dan jurina l-imħabba kbira ta’ Alla għal dawk li huma fl-aħħar postijiet tas-soċjetà, u li Ġesù għamilha l-missjoni tiegħu meta fis-sinagoga ta’ Nażaret2 stqarr li hu kien mimli bl-Ispirtu tal Mulej u ried iwassal il-bxara t-tajba lill-fqajrin, iħabbar il-ħelsien lill-imjassrin u lill-maħqurin.
Fid-diskors tiegħu lid-dixxipli, Ġesù jkompli jħeġġiġhom biex iħobbu saħansitra lill-għedewwa3, għax hekk iġib ruħu magħna il-Missier tagħna tas-Sema: “Ħennu, bħalma hu ħanin Missierkom” (Lq 6, 36).
Dan il-kliem jippreparana wkoll għal dak li qalilhom aktar ʹil quddiem: “Tiġġudikawx, u ma tkunux iġġudikati; tikkundannawx, u ma tkunux ikkundannati; aħfru, u ssibu l-maħfra” (Lq 6, 37).
Imbagħad Ġesù jwiddibna b’tixbiha li tidher xi ftit esaġerata:
“Għax tara t-tibna f’għajn ħuk, u ma tarax it-travu li għandek f’għajnek int?”
Ġesù jaf tassew x’hemm f’qalbna. Kemm-il darba fil-ħajja tagħna ta’ kuljum ngħaddu minn esperjenza ta’ dieqa: nikkritikaw, anki b’mod aħrax, l-iżbalji jew nuqqasijiet ta’ ħutna bla ma nindunaw li qed nagħmlu xi ħaġa li Alla biss jista’ jagħmilha. Jekk irridu nneħħu t-“travu” minn għajnejna, jeħtieġ li nħallu tikber fina l-umiltà li biha nagħrfu li aħna midinbin u li neħtieġu l-maħfra t’Alla l-ħin kollu. L-ewwel ma trid tagħmel hu li bil-kuraġġ kollu tinduna bit- “travu” li hemm f’għajnek, ħalli tkun tista’ tikkonverti u tasal biex tifhem in-nuqqasijiet tiegħek u ta’ l-oħrajn bla ma tiġġudika u tkabbar l-affarijiet tal-oħrajn.
Madankollu, Ġesù mhux qed jgħidilna biex nagħlqu għajnejna u nħallu kollox għaddej. Hu jrid li dawk li jimxu warajh jgħinu ʹl xulxin biex jimxu ʹl quddiem fit-triq ta’ ħajja ġdida. Anki l-appostlu Pawlu jinsisti li rridu nagħtu każ u ngħinu lill-oħrajn: nikkoreġu lil dawk li ma jridux jobdu, inwiddbu lill-għażżenin, nagħmlu l-qalb lill-beżżiegħa, ngħinu lid-dgħajfa u nistabru b’kulħadd4. L-imħabba biss tagħtina l-ħila inkunu ta’ servizz b’dan il-mod.
“Għax tara t-tibna f’għajn ħuk, u ma tarax it-travu li għandek f’għajnek int?”
Issa kif se ngħixuha din il-Kelma tal-Ħajja? Barra minn dak li diġà semmejna, ikun tajjeb jekk nibdew minn dan iż-żmien tar- Randan stess nitolbu ʹl Ġesù jgħallimna naraw lill-oħrajn kif jarahom hu, kif jarahom Alla, għax hu jħares lejna b’ħarsa kollha mħabba. Imbagħad, biex inkunu ta’ għajnuna għal xulxin, nistgħu nibdew nagħmlu dak li kienu jagħmlu l-ewwel grupp ta’ tfajliet tal-Fokolari ta’ Trento.
F’laqgħa ma’ Musulmani ħbieb tal-Moviment, Chiara qalet hekk: “Fil-bidu ma kienx dejjem faċli li ngħixu l-imħabba b’mod profond. […] Anki fir-rabtiet ta’ bejnietna kien ikun hemm xi ftit għabra, u b’hekk l-għaqda kienet tixxellef. Per eżempju, dan kien jiġri meta konna nindunaw bid-difetti ta’ xulxin u nibdew niġġudikaw. B’hekk, l-imħabba ta’ bejnietna kienet tiddgħajjef.
Darba minnhom ġie f’moħħna li nagħmlu patt bejnietna biex inkunu nistgħu negħlbu din is-sitwazzjoni. Dan il-patt sejjaħnielu ‘patt tal-ħniena’. Iddeċidejna li kull filgħodu, nibdew naraw b’mod ġdid lil kull persuna li niltaqgħu magħha fid-dar, fl-iskola, fuq il-post tax-xogħol eċċ, li nibdew inħarsu lejha b’dik l-imħabba li tgħatti kollox u ma tiftakar xejn mid-difetti tagħha. […] Dan kien impenn tassew b’saħħtu, li ħadnieh flimkien, u għinna biex inkunu aħna l-ewwel li nħobbu u biex nimitaw lil Alla mimli ħniena, li jaħfer u jinsa”5.
Kitba ta’ Augusto Parody Reyes
u tal-grupp tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja
1: Cf. Lq 6, 20-26
2: Cf. Lq 4, 16-21
3: Cf. Lq 6, 27-35
4: Cf. 1 Tess 5, 14
5: C. Lubich, L’amore al prossimo, Conversazione con gli amici musulmani, Castel Gandolfo, 1° novembre 2002. Cf. C. Lubich, L’Amore reciproco, Città Nuova, Roma 2013, pp. 89-90.[:en]
Illustrated Children’s Word of Life | Print | Audio
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Lk 6:41).
Jesus had come down from the mountain where he had spent the night in prayer and then had chosen his apostles. When he reached a flat place, he began to preach to them, beginning with the proclamation of the Beatitudes. Luke’s and Matthew’s gospels differ: in Luke’s text there are only four Beatitudes and they concern the poor, the hungry, the suffering and the afflicted, with the addition of as many admonitions against the rich, the satiated and the arrogant. (i)
Jesus revealed God’s special love for the poor when he was in the synagogue at Nazareth (ii) and, filled with the Spirit of the Lord, he proclaimed that his mission was to bring glad tidings to the poor, deliverance to the captives and freedom to the oppressed. Jesus went on to exhort the disciples to love even their enemies; (iii) a message that finds its ultimate inspiration in the behaviour of the heavenly Father: ‘Be merciful, as your Father is merciful’ (Lk 6:36). This statement is also the starting point for what follows: ‘Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven’ (Lk 6:37). Jesus then goes on to reprimand the listeners by using a deliberately disproportionate image:
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
Jesus truly knows our heart. How often in everyday life do we have the sad experience of finding it easy to harshly criticise other people for their errors and weaknesses without taking into account that in doing so, we attribute to ourselves a prerogative that belongs to God alone? The fact is that in order to ‘remove the plank’ from our own eye, we need that humility that comes from the realisation that we are sinners continually in need of God’s forgiveness. Only people who have the courage to notice their own ‘plank’ and what they personally need in order to change for the better, will be able to understand without judging or exaggerating, the frailties and weaknesses in themselves and in other people.
Nonetheless, Jesus does not invite us to close our eyes to what is happening around us and just let things run their course. He wants his followers to help each other as they progress along the path to a new life. The apostle Paul also frequently reminds us to show concern for and correct those who are idle and disruptive, to encourage the disheartened, to help the weak and to be patient with everyone. (iv) Only love is capable of serving others this way.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
How can we put this word of life into practice? In addition to what has already been said, during this Lenten season we can ask Jesus to teach us to see others as he sees them, as God sees them. And God sees with the eyes of the heart because he always gazes upon us with love. To help each other even more, we could restore a practice that was decisive for the first group of women focolarini in Trent.
Chiara Lubich once told a group of Muslim friends, “At the beginning, it was not always easy to love in a radical way. Even among us, dust could settle on our relationships and unity could weaken. This happened, for example, when we became aware of the faults, the imperfections of others and we judged them and so our mutual love diminished. One day, we decided that we should try to counter this situation. We made an agreement among ourselves and called it a ‘pact of mercy’. We decided that every morning we would see the people we met – at home, at school, at work, etc. as new – new – not calling to mind their faults at all but covering everything with love. It was a strong and challenging commitment, made by all of us together, that helped us to always be the first to love, in imitation of the merciful God, who forgives and forgets.” (v)
by Augusto Parody Reyes
and the Word of Life Team
i Cf. Lk: 6:20-26
ii Cf. Lk. 4:16-21
iii Cf. Lk. 6:27-35
iv Cf. 1 Ts 5:14
v C. Lubich, “Love for Neighbour.” Conversation with Muslim Friends . Castel Gandolfo, 1 Nov 2002
Illustrated Children’s Word of Life | Print | Audio
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?” (Lk 6:41).
Jesus had come down from the mountain where he had spent the night in prayer and then had chosen his apostles. When he reached a flat place, he began to preach to them, beginning with the proclamation of the Beatitudes. Luke’s and Matthew’s gospels differ: in Luke’s text there are only four Beatitudes and they concern the poor, the hungry, the suffering and the afflicted, with the addition of as many admonitions against the rich, the satiated and the arrogant. (i)
Jesus revealed God’s special love for the poor when he was in the synagogue at Nazareth (ii) and, filled with the Spirit of the Lord, he proclaimed that his mission was to bring glad tidings to the poor, deliverance to the captives and freedom to the oppressed. Jesus went on to exhort the disciples to love even their enemies; (iii) a message that finds its ultimate inspiration in the behaviour of the heavenly Father: ‘Be merciful, as your Father is merciful’ (Lk 6:36). This statement is also the starting point for what follows: ‘Do not judge and you will not be judged; do not condemn and you will not be condemned; forgive and you will be forgiven’ (Lk 6:37). Jesus then goes on to reprimand the listeners by using a deliberately disproportionate image:
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
Jesus truly knows our heart. How often in everyday life do we have the sad experience of finding it easy to harshly criticise other people for their errors and weaknesses without taking into account that in doing so, we attribute to ourselves a prerogative that belongs to God alone? The fact is that in order to ‘remove the plank’ from our own eye, we need that humility that comes from the realisation that we are sinners continually in need of God’s forgiveness. Only people who have the courage to notice their own ‘plank’ and what they personally need in order to change for the better, will be able to understand without judging or exaggerating, the frailties and weaknesses in themselves and in other people.
Nonetheless, Jesus does not invite us to close our eyes to what is happening around us and just let things run their course. He wants his followers to help each other as they progress along the path to a new life. The apostle Paul also frequently reminds us to show concern for and correct those who are idle and disruptive, to encourage the disheartened, to help the weak and to be patient with everyone. (iv) Only love is capable of serving others this way.
“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?”
How can we put this word of life into practice? In addition to what has already been said, during this Lenten season we can ask Jesus to teach us to see others as he sees them, as God sees them. And God sees with the eyes of the heart because he always gazes upon us with love. To help each other even more, we could restore a practice that was decisive for the first group of women focolarini in Trent.
Chiara Lubich once told a group of Muslim friends, “At the beginning, it was not always easy to love in a radical way. Even among us, dust could settle on our relationships and unity could weaken. This happened, for example, when we became aware of the faults, the imperfections of others and we judged them and so our mutual love diminished. One day, we decided that we should try to counter this situation. We made an agreement among ourselves and called it a ‘pact of mercy’. We decided that every morning we would see the people we met – at home, at school, at work, etc. as new – new – not calling to mind their faults at all but covering everything with love. It was a strong and challenging commitment, made by all of us together, that helped us to always be the first to love, in imitation of the merciful God, who forgives and forgets.” (v)
by Augusto Parody Reyes
and the Word of Life Team
i Cf. Lk: 6:20-26
ii Cf. Lk. 4:16-21
iii Cf. Lk. 6:27-35
iv Cf. 1 Ts 5:14
v C. Lubich, “Love for Neighbour.” Conversation with Muslim Friends . Castel Gandolfo, 1 Nov 2002
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