Niżżel il-fuljett tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja bil-Malti
“Mulej, int taf kollox, inti taf li nħobbok” (Ġw 21, 17).
L-aħħar kapitlu tal-Vanġelu ta’ San Ġwann jeħodna lejn il-Galilija, fejn wara l-mewt ta’ Ġesù, Pietru, Ġwanni u d-dixxipli l-oħra kienu reġgħu lura għax-xogħol tagħhom ta’ sajjieda. Wara lejl jistagħdu fl-għadira ta’ Tiberija, dakinhar sfortunatament ma kienu qabdu xejn.
Ġesù mqajjem mill-mewt reġa’ dehrilhom hemmhekk; ħeġġiġhom biex jerġgħu jkalaw ix-xbiek fil-baħar, u din id-darba qabdu ħafna ħut. Imbagħad stedinhom biex jieklu xi ħaġa flimkien fuq ix-xatt. Pietru u l-oħrajn għarfu li kien il-Mulej, imma ma kellhom il-ħila jgħidulu xejn.
Ġesù ħa l-inizzjattiva, dar fuq Pietru u għamillu mistoqsija impenjattiva ħafna: “Xmun, bin Ġwanni, tħobbni int aktar minn dawn?”. Kien mument mill-aktar solenni: Ġesù sejjaħ lil Pietru1 u għal tliet darbiet talbu jirgħa l-ħrief tiegħu, li hu stess hu r-Ragħaj2 tagħhom.
“Mulej, int taf kollox, inti taf li nħobbok”.
Pietru jaf li kien ċaħad lil Ġesù, imma din l-esperjenza iebsa ma ħallitux iwieġeb iva għall-mistoqsija li għamillu. B’umiltà wieġbu: “Inti taf li nħobbok”.
Kemm damu jitkellmu, Ġesù la semma’ ċ-ċaħda u lanqas l-iżball li Pietru kien għamel. Kellmu b’mod li seta’ jifhmu, u ried jurih ħbiberija li tmiss lil qalbu u tfejjaq il-ġerħa li kellu. Hu talbu biss rabta ta’ fiduċja sħiħa.
Minn fomm Pietru toħroġ stqarrija li fiha jammetti li hu dgħajjef, imma fl-istess ħin juri fiduċja bla tarf fl-imħabba tal-Imgħallem u l-Mulej:
“Mulej, int taf kollox, inti taf li nħobbok.”
Ġesù jagħmel l-istess mistoqsija lilna wkoll: inti tħobbni? Trid insiru ħbieb?
Hu jaf kollox: jaf bid-doni li tana huwa stess; jaf ukoll in-nuqqas ta’ ħila u l-ġrieħi tagħna, li xi drabi jnixxu d-demm. Madankollu, hu jġedded il-fiduċja tiegħu, mhux fil-ħila tagħna imma fil-ħbiberija miegħu.
F’din il-ħbiberija, Pietru jerġa’ jsib il-kuraġġ li jagħti xhieda għal Ġesù, sa ma ħalla ħajtu għalih.
“Jiġrilna li xi drabi nħossuna dgħajfa, frustrati, u nibdew naqtgħu qalbna: (…) meta naraw kollox ġej kontrina, meta ngħaddu minn sitwazzjonijiet ta’ tbatija, mard, mwiet, provi spiritwali, nuqqas ta’ ftehim, tentazzjonijiet, fallimenti (…) Meta nħossu li m’aħniex kapaċi negħlbu ċerti provi li jkunu qed ikissruna fir-ruħ u fil-ġisem, u meta nagħrfu li ma nistgħux inserrħu fuq il-ħila tagħna, propju hemmhekk insibu ruħna fis-sitwazzjoni li rridu nafdaw biss f’Alla. U hawn jidħol hu meta jara din il-fiduċja tagħna fih. U hu jagħmel ħwejjeġ kbar, li jkunu jidhru akbar propju għax ikunu ħerġin miċ-ċokon tagħna” 3.Fil-ħajja tagħna ta’ kuljum nistgħu npoġġu ruħna quddiem Alla kif aħna u nitolbu l-ħbiberija tiegħu, li tfejjaqna. Meta nintelqu b’fiduċja sħiħa fil-ħniena tiegħu, aħna nkunu nistgħu nidħlu f’relazzjoni intima mal-Mulej u nkomplu mixjin fit-triq tagħna miegħu.
“Mulej, int taf kollox, inti taf li nħobbok.”
Din il-Kelma tal-ħajja tista’ wkoll issir it-talba personali tagħna, it-tweġiba tagħna li biha nintelqu għal kollox f’Alla bil-ftit forzi tagħna, u nirringrazzjawh għas-sinjali li tagħtina mħabbtu:
“(…) Inħobbok, għax inti dħalt f’ħajti iżjed mill-arja fil-pulmuni tiegħi, iżjed mid-demm li għandi jiġri fil-vini tiegħi. Inti dħalt fejn ħadd ma kellu l-ħila jidħol, meta ħadd ma seta’ jgħinni, kull darba li ħadd ma seta’ jfarraġni. (…) Agħmel li matul iż-żmien li għad fadalli ngħix, inkun xi ftit aktar grata lejk, għal din l-imħabba li inti xerridt fuqi, u li ġegħlitni ngħidlek: InħobboK” 4.
Nistgħu nitgħallmu kif iħobb Ġesù, anki fir-relazzjonijiet tagħna fil-familja, fis-soċjetà u fil-knisja: inħobbu ʹl kulħadd, inkunu aħna li nħobbu l-ewwel, “naħslu saqajn”5 ħutna, l-aktar ta’ dawk li huma ċkejknin u dgħajfin. Imbagħad nitgħallmu wkoll nilqgħu ʹl kulħadd b’umiltà u sabar, bla ma
niġġudikaw, lesti li nitolbu l-maħfra u li nilqgħu l-maħfra, biex hekk nifhmu flimkien kif irridu nimxu qrib xulxin f’ħajjitna.
Letizia Magri
u l-grupp tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja
1: Ara Mt 16, 18-19
2: Ġw 10, 14
3: C. Lubich, Kelma tal-Ħajja Lulju 2000, mill-ktieb, Kliem il-Ħajja, ta’ di Fabio Ciardi, (Opere di Chiara Lubich 5), Città Nuova, Roma, 2017, pġ. 629
4: Gratitudine, C. Lubich, La dottrina spirituale, Mondadori 2001, pġ. 176
5: Ara Ġw 13, 14.
for ages 4-8 | Print | Audio
“Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you” (Jn 21:17).
The last chapter of John’s Gospel takes us to Galilee where Peter, John and the other disciples have returned to their work as fishermen. They have spent the entire night on Lake Tiberias but, unfortunately, their efforts have been fruitless.
The Risen Lord appears for the third time and encourages them to cast out their nets once more and this time they gather a large number of fish. The Lord invites them to join him on the shore and to share their food but though Peter and the others have recognized him, they dare not speak to him directly.
Jesus takes the initiative and asks Peter a very challenging question, ‘Simon son of John, do you love me more than these men?’ The tone seems solemn as Jesus continues by asking Peter three times (i) to care for his sheep.
“Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
However, Peter knows he has betrayed the Lord, and the memory of this tragic experience prevents him from responding positively to Jesus’ question. He humbly replies, ‘You know that I love you.’
During their conversation, Jesus does not hold the betrayal against Peter; nor does he point out the mistakes he made. He reaches out to him in a way which makes Peter feels at ease and Jesus’ friendship heals his painful wound. The only thing he asks is to rebuild their relationship with an attitude of mutual trust.
Peter responds by showing not only an awareness of his own weakness but also a sense of unlimited trust in the welcoming love of his Master and Lord:
“Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
Jesus asks each of us the same question: do you love me? Do you want to be my friend?
He knows everything: he knows the gifts we have received from him and he knows our weaknesses and wounds that may still be raw and unhealed within us. Yet he renews his trust, not in our strengths, but in our friendship with him.
This friendship gives Peter the courage to witness to his love for Jesus to the point of giving his life.
‘We all experience moments of weakness, frustration, and discouragement… adversity, painful situations, illness, deaths, inner trials, misunderstandings, temptations and failures… When people feel unable to overcome certain physical or spiritual challenges by relying on their own strength, they are forced into the position of having to trust in God. And he intervenes because he is attracted by this trust. He can achieve great things which seem all the more
powerful because they spring from an awareness that we are small and incapable.’ (ii)
Everyday we can stand before God just as we are and ask for his healing friendship. In this trusting surrender to his mercy we can return to intimacy with the Lord and resume our journey with him.
“Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”
This word of life can also become a personal prayer as we acknowledge the limits of our strength but place our trust in God and thank him for all the signs of his love:
‘I love you because you have entered my life more than the air in my lungs, more than the blood in my veins. You entered where no one could enter, when no one could help me, when no one could comfort me… Enable me to be grateful to you – at least a little – in the time I have left, for this love that you poured out on me, and forced me to say to you: I love you.’ (iii)
We can follow Jesus’ style of loving in our relationships in the family, society and the Church. Jesus loved everyone, he was the first to love and he ‘washed the feet’ (iv) of our brothers and sisters, especially the least and most fragile. By doing this, we will learn to welcome everyone with humility and patience, without judging, open to asking and accepting forgiveness and understanding together how to walk side by side through life.
by Letizia Magri & the Word of Life Team
Translation by Patricia Whitney and Paul Gateshill
i Cf. Mt. 16:18-19
ii C. Lubich, Word of Life, July 2000
iii C. Lubich ‘Gratitudine’ Dottrina Spirituali, 2001
iv Cf. Jn. 13:14
[:]
