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[:mt]Niżżel il-fuljett tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja bil-Malti
“Għixu ta’ wlied id-dawl li intom; frott id-dawl jinsab f’kull ma hu tjieba, f’kull ma hu ġustizzja, f’kull ma hu veru” (Ef 5,8-9).
San Pawl qed jikteb lill-komunità ta’ Efesu, belt kbira ħafna, fejn kien għex biex jgħammed u jwassal il-Vanġelu. Aktarx li meta kiteb din l-ittra kien jinsab il-ħabs f’Ruma, madwar is-sena 62. Pawlu kien qed jgħix żmien ta’ tbatija, imma qed jikteb lill-Insara mhux biex isolvi xi problemi ta’ dik il-komunità, imma biex iħabbrilhom is-sbuħija tal-pjan t’Alla għall-Knisja li kienet qed titwieled.
Lill-Efesini qed ifakkarhom li, bid-don tal-Magħmudija u tal-fidi, huma kienu għaddew minn “żmien ta’ dlam” għal “żmien ta’ dawl” u qed iħeġġiġhom biex iġibu ruħhom skont it-twemmin tagħhom.
Għal Pawlu dan ifisser li rridu nimxu minn triq li fiha l-ħin kollu nikbru fl-għarfien t’Alla u tar-rieda Tiegħu ta’ mħabba, fejn kuljum irridu nibdew mill-ġdid.
Għalhekk jixtieq iħeġġiġhom biex jgħixu l-ħajja tagħhom ta’ kuljum skont l-għażla li kienu għamlu: li jkunu “jixbhu lil Alla-Missier”(1) bħala “wlied mill-aktar għeżież”: qaddisa u kollhom ħniena.
“Għixu ta’ wlied id-dawl li intom; frott id-dawl jinsab f’kull ma hu tjieba, f’kull ma hu ġustizzja, f’kull ma hu veru.”
Aħna wkoll, Insara tas-seklu wieħed u għoxrin, imsejħin biex “inkunu dawl”, imma nistgħu nħossuna bla ħila, ikkundizzjonati mil-limiti tagħna jew imkaxkrin miċ-ċirkustanzi li nsibu ruħna fihom.
Kif nistgħu nimxu bit-tama, minkejja d-dlamijiet u l-inċertezzi li xi drabi nħossuhom jaħkmuna?
Pawlu jkompli jqawwilna qalbna: jekk ngħixu l-Kelma t’Alla, hi ddawwalna u tagħtina l-ħila “niddu fid-dinja bħal kwiekeb”(2), fost il-bnedmin mifxula ta’ żmienna.
“Kull Nisrani jista’ jkun bħal Kristu ieħor u jagħti sehemu […] fl-oqsma kollha tal-ħajja: fix-xjenza, fl-arti, fil-politika. […] Jekk aħna nilqgħu Kelmtu, insiru ħaġa waħda mal-ħsieb, mas-sentimenti u t-tagħlim Tiegħu. Kelmtu ddawwal kull ma nagħmlu, tmexxina fis-sewwa u tikkoreġina. […] Il-“bniedem il-qadim tagħna” iħajjarna nagħmlu dak li jaqblilna, ninqatgħu għalina nfusna u ninsew lill-oħrajn; jagħmilna indifferenti għall-bżonnijiet ta’ dawk qrib tagħna. Mela ejjew inkebbsu f’qalbna l-ħuġġieġa tal-imħabba u hekk ikollna għajnejn ġodda biex inħarsu madwarna”(3).
“Għixu ta’ wlied id-dawl li intom; frott id-dawl jinsab f’kull ma hu tjieba, f’kull ma hu ġustizzja, f’kull ma hu veru.”
Meta ngħixu l-Vanġelu, kemm bħala individwi kif ukoll bħala komunità, niksbu d-dawl meħtieġ sabiex insaħħu r-rabtiet ta’ bejnietna, anki meta xi pandemija bħall-Covid iġġib magħha tbatija u tkabbar il-faqar tan-nies.
John jirrakkonta li fil-Filippini, fl-eqqel tal-pandemija, kien hemm komunità li ġarrbet ħsarat kbar bin-nirien li ħakimhom u ħafna familji tilfu kull ma kellhom: “Avolja aħna foqra, marti Flor u jien kellna xewqa kbira sabiex nagħtu l-għajnuna tagħna. Din ix-xewqa qsamtha ma’ sħabi li jsuqu l-muturi, avolja kont naf li kienu qed ibatu bħalna. Imma dan ma waqqafniex milli naraw xi stajna nagħmlu; ġbarna bottijiet tal-ikel, għaġin, ross u ikel ieħor li qassamnieh lil dawk li sfaw vittmi ta’ dak il-ħruq.
Marti u jien sikwit nitilfu kull kuraġġ meta naħsbu fuq dak li jista’ jiġri għada, imma dejjem niftakru f’dak li qal Ġesù: “Min irid isalva ħajtu, jitlifha; imma min jitlef ħajtu għall-imħabba tiegħi u tal-Bxara t-tajba, isalvaha”. (4) Avolja m’aħniex għonja, nemmnu li dejjem ikollna xi ħaġa x’naqsmu bl-imħabba għal Ġesù fl-oħrajn. Hi din l-imħabba lejn il-proxxmu li tħeġġiġna nkunu ġenerużi u nibqgħu nittamaw fl-imħabba t’Alla”.
Jiġifieri dan id-dawl irid idawlilna qalbna. Il-frott ta’ din il-mixja: tjieba, ġustizzja u sewwa jogħġbu lill-Mulej u jsiru xhieda tal-ħajja tal-Vanġelu, aktar minn kull diskors ieħor. U ma rridux ninsew l-għajnuna li nierċivu minn dawk kollha li jaqsmu magħna dan il-vjaġġ qaddis tal-ħajja.(5) Il-ġid li naqilgħu, il-qsim tal-ġid materjali u spiritwali mal-oħrajn u l-maħfra lil xulxin, huma kollha għajnuniet prezzjużi li jiftħuna għat-tama u bihom nagħtu xhieda tal-imħabba t’Alla.
Hekk wegħidna Ġesù: “Jiena magħkom dejjem, sal-aħħar taż-żmien”(6). Ġesù Rxoxt, l-għajn tal-ħajja Nisranija, jinsab dejjem magħna fit-talb tagħna u fl-imħabba lejn xulxin, biex isaħħilna qalbna u jdawlilna moħħna.
Letizia Magri
u t-team tal-Kelma tal-ħajja
1. Ara Ef 5, 1.
2. Ara Fil 2, 15.
3. Ara C. Lubich, Parola di Vita Settembru 2005, fil-ktieb Parole di Vita, ta’ Fabio Ciardi (Opere di Chiara Lubich 5; Città Nuova, Ruma 2017) pġ. 760
4. Ara Mk 8, 35.
5. Chiara Lubich kienet tqis il-ħajja bħala vjaġġ qaddis, fejn ilkoll flimkien qegħdin riesqa fi ħdan il-Missier.
6. Ara Mt 28, 20.
https://soundcloud.com/user-63571203/march-2023-word-of-life?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing[:en]
“Live as children of light: for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right
and true” (Eph. 5:8-9).
for ages 4-8 | for ages 9-17 | Print| Audio
Paul is writing to the community in Ephesus, a large and imposing city where he had lived while baptizing and evangelizing He is probably imprisoned in Rome in about the year 62 AD. He is in distress and yet he writes to these Christians, not so much to solve problems within the community, but to proclaim to them the beauty of God’s plan for the developing Church. He reminds the Ephesians that through the gift of baptism and faith, they have gone from ‘being darkness’ to ‘being light’ and he encourages them to behave in a way that reflects this. For Paul, it is about pursuing a journey, an experience of continuous growth in the knowledge of God and his will of love. Furthermore, it means starting again each day. Therefore, he wants to encourage them to live always according to the call they have received: to be ‘imitators of the Father’ [i] as ‘beloved children’: holy and merciful.
Live as children of light: for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.
We, twenty-first century Christians, are also called to ‘be light,’ but we may feel inadequate and conditioned by our limitations or overwhelmed by external circumstances. How do we walk with hope, despite the darkness and uncertainties that sometimes seem to assail us? Paul continues to encourage us: it is the lived Word of God that enlightens us and enables us to ‘shine like stars’ in this lost humanity. ‘As another Christ, every man and woman can make a contribution … in all fields of human activity: in science, in art, in politics. … If we welcome his Word we become more and more attuned to his thoughts, his feelings and his teachings. It illuminates our every activity, straightens and corrects every expression of our life… But our ‘old man’ is always ready to affect our personal private lives and, consequently, we may be drawn to cultivating our own interests and forgetting about the people who pass us by. We may even remain indifferent before the common good and the needs of humanity around us. Let us therefore rekindle the flame of love in our hearts and we will have new eyes to look around us.’ [ii]
Live as children of light: for the fruit of the light is found in all that is good and right and true.
The light of the Gospel, lived out by individuals and communities, brings hope and strengthens social bonds, even when calamities like covid cause pain and exacerbate poverty. Jun who lives in the Philippines recounts that at the height of the pandemic, a community he knows was devastated by fire and many families lost everything: ‘Even though we are poor, my wife Flor and I really wanted to help. I told the members of the motorcycle group to which I belong about this situation. even though I knew they too were struggling as much as we were. This did not stop my friends from taking action; we collected tins of sardines and packets of noodles, rice and other food that we donated to the victims of the fires. Often, my wife and I feel discouraged at the thought of what the future may hold, but we always remember the phrase in the Gospel that says, “For those who want to save their life will lose it and those who lose their life for the sake of the gospel will save it.” [iii] Even though we are not rich, we believe that we always have something to share out of love for Jesus in the other person, and it is this love that motivates us to continue to give sincerely and to trust in God’s love.’ It is therefore a matter of allowing this light to shine out from the depths of our hearts. The fruits of this way of life – goodness, justice and truth – are pleasing in the eyes of the Lord and bear greater witness to the the Gospel than any words we may use. And let us not forget the support we receive from all those with whom we share this Holy Journey of life. The goodness of others, the mutual forgiveness we experience and the sharing of material and spiritual goods are a valuable source of help that enables us to be witnesses of hope. Jesus promised, ‘Remember, I am with you all days, until the end of the age’. [iv] He, the Risen One, the source of our Christian life, is always with us in prayer and mutual love, warming our hearts and enlightening our minds.
Edited by Letizia Magri and the Word of Life team
[i] Cf. Phil 2:15
[ii] C. Lubich Word of Life Sept 2005
[iii] Mk. 8:35
[iv] Matt. 28:20
https://soundcloud.com/user-63571203/march-2023-word-of-life?utm_source=clipboard&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=social_sharing[:]
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