[:mt]Kelma tal-Ħajja ta’ Frar 2026[:en]February Word of Life[:]

[:mt]Niżżel il-fuljett tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja bil-Malti

“Ara, ser inġedded kollox” (Ap. 21,5).

Din il-Kelma tal-Ħajja hi meħuda miIl-Ktieb tal-Apokalissi, l-aħħar ktieb tat-Testment il-Ġdid. It-titlu tiegħu jfisser rivelazzjoni, u min kitbu ried li jfiehem dak li għandu jiġri meta fl-aħħar taż-żmenijiet Kristu jerġa’ jiġi fuq din l-art, isseħħ ir-rebħa aħħarija fuq il-ħażen, u d-dinja tkun tista’ tara smewwiet ġodda u art ġdida.

Mhux faċli tifhem din il-kitba. Jeħtieġ li mmorru lura lejn is-snin 81-96 wara Kristu, meta l-persekuzzjoni kontra l-Insara kienet fl-aqwa tagħha. Il-komunitajiet Insara kienu jgħixu fil-biża’: x’ser isir minna u mill-messaġġ li ġie fdat lilna? Għaliex Alla ma jidħolx għalina?

Din kienet is-sitwazzjoni. Ir-Rumani kienu eżiljaw lill-awtur tal-ktieb u bagħtuh jgħix fil-gżira ta’ Patmos, fejn kellu sensiela ta’ dehriet li kien ordnat jikteb dwarhom.

“Ara, ser inġedded kollox.”

Il-Ktieb tal-Apokalissi ried li jagħti tama lill-komunitajiet ippersegwitati; ried jurihom li għalkemm il-preżent kien diffiċli u mimli vjolenza u li l-ġejjieni ma kienx ċert, iżda fl-aħħar it-tajjeb jirbaħ u Alla jġedded kollox.

Illum ukoll meta nisimgħu “l-aħbarijiet jew naqraw il-gazzetti nsibu ħafna traġedji; jirrapurtaw ħafna aħbarijiet ta’ gwaj u hemm ir-riskju li nidraw nisimgħuhom. […] Iżda hemm Missier li qed jibki magħna, li jxerred dmugħ ta’ ħniena bla qies għal uliedu. Hemm Missier li qed jistenniena biex ifarraġna għax hu jagħraf it-tbatija tagħna u ħejja għalina ġejjieni differenti. Din hi d-dehra tat-tama nisranija, li qiegħda hemm għalina lkoll fil-ġranet kollha ta’ ħajjitna u trid tfarraġni”¹.

“Ara, ser inġedded kollox.”

Ma nafux meta u kif dan għad iseħħ, u għalxejn infittxu biex inkunu nafu. Ħaġa waħda hi żgur: dan għad iseħħ.

“L-aħħar paġni tal-Bibbja juru x-xefaq aħħari tal-mixja għal dawk li jemmnu: Ġerusalemm tas-Sema. Qabelxejn, din nistħajluha għarix kbir fejn Alla jilqa’ lill-bnedmin kollha biex jgħammar għal dejjem magħhom (Ap. 21,3). Din hi t-tama tagħna. U x’ser jagħmel Alla meta fl-aħħar inkunu lkoll miegħu? Jimxi magħna bi ħlewwa liema bħalha, jilqa’ lil uliedu kollha li jkunu tħabtu u batew għal żmien twil. ‘Din hi l-għamara ta’ Alla għall-bnedmin! […] Hu jixxuttalhom kull demgħa minn għajnejhom; ma jkunx hemm iżjed mewt, anqas biki jew għajjat jew tbatija, ma jkun hemm xejn iżjed għax il-ħwejjeġ ta’ qabel għabu. […] Ara, ser inġedded kollox’ (Ap. 21,3-5). Alla tal-ġdid!”²

“Ara, ser inġedded kollox.”

Kif ser ngħixu l-Kelma tal-Ħajja għal dan ix-xahar? “Din il-Kelma tiżgurana li aħna mexjin lejn dinja ġdida li qed inħejjuha u nibnuha sa minn issa stess. Żgur li mhijiex stedina biex naħarbu mid-dinja u ma ngħixux l-impenn tagħna. Alla jrid li jġedded kollox: il-ħajja personali tagħna, il-ħbiberija, l-imħabba fiż-żwieġ, il-familja, l-iskola, il-kultura, il-mistrieħ, is-saħħa, l-ekonomija, il-politika, eċċ, f’kelma waħda hu jrid li jġedded l-aspetti kollha tal-ħajja tal-bniedem. Iżda biex jagħmel dan hu għandu bżonn lilna. Għandu bżonn ta’ nies li jħallu l-Kelma tgħix fihom, li jkunu l-Kelma ħajja, li jkunu Ġesù ieħor fl-ambjent fejn jgħixu”³.

Alice, żagħżugħa nisranija fehmet li biex tgħix il-vokazzjoni tagħha kien hemm bżonn ta’ bidla profonda ħalli Alla jkun jista’ jaħdem f’ħajjitha u jġeddidha. Kellha l-opportunità li tagħmel esperjenza fl-Indja. Hemmhekk hi daqet il-veru ferħ u ħassitha mgħaddsa tassew fil-grazzja t’Alla, anki meta għexet mumenti diffiċli. Iddedikat il-ġranet tagħha għat-talb, għall-ħajja komunitarja u għall-qadi fil-volontarjat. Kienet milquta ħafna mit-tfal fl-orfanatrofju: għalkemm ma kellhom xejn, dawn kienu mimlija entużjażmu li bilkemm jitwemmen, u għallmuha ħafna dwar il-ħajja. Ma għamlitx biss vjaġġ, għamlet pellegrinaġġ, mixja ta’ tlugħ u nżul li wasslitha biex teħles minn dak kollu li kien qed itaqqalha u ssib dak li jagħmilha tassew sinjura u ħielsa.

 Augusto Parody Reyes
u il-grupp tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja

REFERENZI

1: Cf., Papa Franġisku, Udjenza Ġenerali tat-23 ta’ Awwissu 2017. Katekeżi fuq it-Tama Nisranija
2: Ibid
3: Cfr. C.Lubich, Kelma tal-Ħajja, ta’ Fabio Ciardi, (Opere di Chiara Lubich 5), Citta Nuova, Ruma, 2017, pġ. 429

Photo credit: Pixabay[:en]Download February Word of Life

“Behold, I am making everything new!” (Rev 21:5).

This word of life is taken from the book of Revelation, the text that concludes the collection of writings that are found in the New Testament. As the name implies, it unveils and reveals: in fact, the aim of the author was to help
the reader understand the significance of the last things that will occur at the end of time: the return of Christ to earth, the definitive defeat of evil and the rising up of a new heaven and a new earth.

It is not an easy text to understand. It dates back to the years 81-96 AD when Christians were facing fierce persecution and there was an atmosphere of fear in their communities. They had begun to wonder what would become of
them and the message that had been entrusted to them? Some were asking why did God not intervene?
This was the situation when the author was sent into exile by the Romans to the island of Patmos. While he was there, he began to have a series of visions and was commanded to write them down.

“Behold, I am making everything new!”

The book of Revelation sought to bring hope to persecuted communities: despite the difficulties and violence they were experiencing at the time and the uncertainty of the future, it conveyed the message that good will ultimately
triumph and God will make all things new.

Today too, when we watch the news or read the headlines, we see so much tragedy and distress in the world that we risk becoming desensitised to it all… But there is a Father who weeps with us; there is a Father who sheds tears
of infinite compassion for his children. We have a Father who waits in order to console us, because he knows our sufferings and has prepared a different future for us. This is the great vision of Christian hope, which stretches over all the days of our life, every day of our existence, and seeks to raise us up once more.” (i)

“Behold, I am making everything new!”

We cannot know when and how this will happen and there is no point in searching for the answers. What is certain, however, is that it will happen. “The final pages of the Bible show us the ultimate panorama towards
which a believer is travelling: the Jerusalem of Heaven, the heavenly Jerusalem. It is described as an immense ‘tent’ where God will welcome all people and dwell with them forever (Rev 21:3). This is our hope. What will God
do when we are finally with him? He will show us infinite tenderness, like a Father who welcomes his children who have long struggled and suffered. Behold, the tent of God is with all men and women! … He will wipe away every
tear from their eyes, and there shall be no more death, nor mourning, nor weeping, nor pain, for the former things have passed away… Behold, I am making all things new!’ (Rev 21:3-5). The God of newness!” (ii)

“Behold, I am making everything new!”

How can we live this month’s Word of Life? “It assures us that we are on our way to a new world that we are
preparing and building right now. Therefore, this is not a mere invitation to disengage and escape from the world of the present. God wants to renew all things: our personal lives, friendships, married love, families; he wants to renew social life, the world of work, school, culture, leisure, health, the economy and politics… in a word, all areas of human activity. But to do this, he needs us. He needs people who let his Word live in them, who are his living Word and are like Jesus wherever they are.” (iii)

A young Christian woman called Alice understood that following God’s call meant that she needed to change many aspects of her behaviour and allow God to act more fully in her life and so renew it from within. She received the
‘immense gift,’ of the opportunity to spend some time in India. There, she began to understand real joy and she felt immersed in God’s grace, even during difficult times. She spent time in prayer, community life, and volunteer service.
She was deeply touched by the children she met in the orphanage because even though they had nothing, they were incredibly enthusiastic and taught her a lot about life. Alice’s time in India was not just a trip, but a pilgrimage, a journey of ‘ups and downs’, where she had to ‘empty her rucksack’ but found enrichment and freedom.

by Augusto Parody Reyes & the Word of Life Team.

(i) Cf. Pope Francis, General Audience 23 Aug 2017.
(ii) Ibid.
(iii) Cfr. C. Lubich, Word of Life.

Photo credit: Pixabay[:]