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[:mt]Niżżel il-fuljett tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja bil-Malti
“Dak li ma jħobbx ma għarafx lil Alla, għax Alla hu mħabba” (1 Ġw 4, 8).
San Ġwann kiteb l-ewwel ittra tiegħu lill-komunità ta’ Nsara fl-Asja Minuri biex jagħmlilhom il-qalb ħalli jerġgħu jiffurmaw komunità waħda, għax fosthom kellhom x’jifridhom. L-awtur qed iħeġġiġhom biex iżommu quddiem għajnejhom dak li “sa mill-bidu” tħabbar fil-predikazzjoni Nisranijia. Hu jtennilhom dak li l-ewwel dixxipli kienu raw, semgħu u messu b’idejhom meta kienu għadhom jgħixu mal-Mulej, biex anki din il-komunità tkun tista’ terġa’ tingħaqad ħaġa waħda flimkien, u għalhekk anki ma’ Ġesù u l-Missier 1.
“Dak li ma jħobbx ma għarafx lil Alla, għax Alla hu mħabba”.
Biex ifakkar il-qalba tat-tagħlim li kienu ħadu, Ġwanni jisħaq li f’Ġesù kien Alla li beda jħobbna l-ewwel, u dan għamlu billi sar bniedem bħalna u sar jixbahna fil-limiti u n-nuqqas ta’ ħila tagħna.
Meta nħobbu kif ħabbna Ġesù, ninħelsu mill-egoiżmu li jtellef l-għaqda tagħna ma’ ħutna l-bnedmin u ma’ Alla. Imbagħad inkunu nistgħu nħossu din l-imħabba ġewwa fina.
“Dak li ma jħobbx ma għarafx lil Alla, għax Alla hu mħabba”.
Forsi bla ma nindunaw, li nagħrfu ʹl Alla, lil Dak li ħalaqna u li jaf lilna u l-aktar veritajiet profondi ta’ kollox, minn dejjem kienet xewqa kbira tal-bniedem.
La Alla hu mħabba, meta nħobbu kif iħobb Hu, nistgħu nintebħu xi ftit b’din il-verità. Nistgħu nikbru fl-għarfien tagħna ta’ Alla għax inkunu qed ngħixu xi ftit kif jgħix Hu, u Hu jdawlilna t-triq tagħna.
Dan iseħħ b’mod sħiħ meta nħobbu ʹl xulxin. Infatti, jekk inħobbu ʹl xulxin “Alla jibqa’ fina” 2. Jiġri bħal meta żewġ wajers tad-dawl imissu ma’ xulxin biex id-dawl jixgħel u jdawwal kullimkien.
“Dak li ma jħobbx ma għarafx lil Alla, għax Alla hu mħabba”.
Chiara Lubich tgħid li meta nagħtu xhieda li Alla hu mħabba, din tkun “l-akbar rivoluzzjoni li aħna msejħin nagħtu lid-dinja tallum, li tinsab mimlija kull fejn tħares bit-tensjoni”, l-istess kif “l-ewwel Insara kienu jagħmlu fid-dinja pagana ta’ żmienhom” 3.
X’irridu nagħmlu? Kif ngħixu din l-imħabba li ġejja m’għand Alla? Billi nitgħallmu minn Ibnu, b’mod partikulari “[…] fil-qadi lejn ħutna, l-aktar dawk li jgħixu qrib tagħna, ibda mill-affarijiet iż-żgħar u umli. Irridu nagħmlu ħilitna kollha biex nimitaw lil Ġesù, billi nibdew inħobbu aħna l-ewwel, niċċaħħdu minna nfusna u ngħannqu magħna s-slaleb kollha, żgħar jew kbar. Jekk nagħmlu hekk ma ndumux biex nagħmlu esperjenza t’Alla, ningħaqdu miegħU, ikollna l-milja tad-dawl, ta’ sliem u ferħ f’ruħna, naslu fejn irid iwassalna Ġesù” 4.
“Dak li ma jħobbx ma għarafx lil Alla, għax Alla hu mħabba”.
Anna sikwit tmur iżżur dar tax-xjuħ, f’ambjent Kattoliku. “Darba, ma’ Roberta, iltaqgħet ma’ Aldo, raġel twil, studjuż u sinjur. Aldo ta ħarsa mnikkta lejn iż-żewġ żgħażagħ: “Imma għalfejn toqogħdu tiġu hawn? Xi tridu minn għandna? Ħalluna mmutu fil-paċi!”. Anna ma qatgħetx qalbha u qaltlu: “Niġu hawn għalik, biex inqattgħu ftit ħin flimkien, biex insiru nafu lil xulxin u nsiru ħbieb”. […] Marru drabi oħra. Roberta tirrakkonta li: “Dak ir-raġel kien prattikament magħluq fih innifsu u mnikket għall-aħħar. Ma kienx jemmen f’Alla. Anna kienet l-unika persuna li b’mod delikat ħafna rnexxielha tidħol f’qalbu, u damet tisimgħu għal ħin twil”. Kienet titlob għalih, u darba fost l-oħrajn tagħtu kuruna tar-Rużarju, li hu aċċetta. Anna mbagħad saret taf li Aldo kien miet b’isimha fuq fommu. Id-dulur għal mewtu ttaffa għax saret taf li kien miet fil-paċi, u f’idu kien qed iżomm ir-Rużarju li darba kienet tagħtu” 5.
Silvano Malini u t-team tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja
1: Cf. 1 Ġw 1, 1-3.
2: Cf. 1 Ġw 4, 12.
3: C. Lubich. Conversazioni, xogħol ta’ M. Vandeleene (Opere di Chiara Lubich 8/1); Città Nuova, Ruma 2019, pġ. 142.
4: C. Lubich, Parola di Vita di maggio 1991, fil-ktieb Parole di Vita, xogħol ta’ Fabio Ciardi (Opere di Chiara Lubich 5), Città Nuova, Ruma 2017, pġ. 477.
5: P. Lubrano, Un volo sempre più alto. La vita di Santa Scorese, Città Nuova, Ruma 2003, pġ. 83-84,107
https://soundcloud.com/user-63571203/may-2024-word-of-life[:en]
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love” (1 John 4:8).
for ages 4-8 | for ages 9-17 | Print | Audio
The first letter of John is addressed to Christians who live in a community in Asia Minor and it encourages them to restore fellowship because they are divided by different doctrines. The author exhorts them to keep in mind what has been proclaimed ‘from the beginning’ of Christian preaching and repeats what the first disciples saw, heard and touched when they lived together with the Lord. By doing this, the community will be in communion with the first disciples and, therefore, with Jesus and the Father. [i]
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
The author gives a reminder of the very essence of the revelation received by believers: he emphasizes that, in Jesus, God first loved us and totally took upon himself human existence with all its limitations and weaknesses. On the cross, Jesus shared in our separation from the Father, experiencing it in his own flesh. He brought healing through the total gift of himself, in loving without limits or conditions. His words and his life show us what love truly is. From Jesus’ example we understand that to truly love involves courage, hard work and the risk of facing adversity and suffering. But those who love in this way, participate in God’s life and experience his freedom and the joy of self-giving. By loving as Jesus loved us, we become aware that we become free from ourselves and from the selfishness that closes the door to communion with our brothers and sisters and with God.
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
The human heart has always longed, perhaps unconsciously, to know God who created us and who knows us in the deepest way possible. If God is love, by loving like him we can glimpse something of this truth. We can grow in the knowledge of God because we essentially live his life and walk in his light. And this is fully accomplished when love is mutual. For if we love one another, ‘God abides in us.’ [ii] When this happens, it is similar to two electric poles coming into contact and producing light.
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Chiara Lubich said, ‘To witness that God is love is the great revolution we are called to offer to the modern world which is experiencing extreme tension just as the early Christians bore testimony to this in the pagan world of their time’. How can we do this? How can we live this love that comes from God?
‘By learning from his Son to put it into practice… in particular, let us focus on serving our neighbours, especially those closest to us, beginning with little things, with the most humble kinds of service. Let us make the effort, following Jesus’ example, to take the initiative in loving, being detached from ourselves and embracing all the small or big crosses that this might entail. In this way, we too will soon reach that experience of God, that communion with him, that fullness of light, peace and inner joy which Jesus wants us to have.’[iii]
“Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.”
Santa often visited a care home for the elderly that was run by a Catholic association. One day she and a colleague called Roberta met Aldo, a tall, very cultured and very wealthy man. Aldo looked sternly at the two young women and said, ‘Why do you always come here? What do you want from us? Why don’t you just let us die in peace?’ Santa didn’t lose heart and told him, ‘We are here for you, to spend some time together, to get to know each other and become friends.’
They continued to visit the home regularly. Roberta recounts, ‘That man was particularly closed in on himself and dejected. He did not believe in God. Santa was the only one who was able to get close to him, gently listening to him for hours. She prayed for him and, on one occasion, gave him a rosary which he accepted.’ Later, Santa learnt that he had spoken her name as he was dying. The pain of his death was lessened by the fact that he died peacefully, holding the rosary she had given him.’
Compiled by Silvano Malini and the Word of Life Team
[i] Cf. 1Jn 1:1-3
[ii] Cf 1Jn 4:12
[iii] C. Lubich Word of Life May 1991
https://soundcloud.com/user-63571203/may-2024-word-of-life[:]
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