[:mt]Kelma tal-Ħajja ta’ Ottubru[:en]October Word of Life[:]

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

“Min irid ikun kbir fostkom, għandu jkun qaddej tagħkom, u min irid ikun l-ewwel fostkom, għandu jsir ilsir ta’ kulħadd” (Mk 10, 43-44).

Fi triqtu lejn Ġerusalemm, Ġesù beda jħejji d-dixxipli għall-passjoni u l-mewt tiegħu, iżda kienu propju dawk li mxew warajh mill-qrib li ma setgħux jifhmu dak li kien hemm lest għalih.

Anzi, l-istess appostli bdew jitlewmu bejniethom: Ġakbu u Ġwanni talbuh jagħtihom  post ta’ unur “fil-glorja tiegħu”1, u kif l-għaxra l-oħra semgħu dan, saħnu għalihom u l-grupp deher mifrud. Imbagħad, bis-sabar kollu, Ġesù sejħilhom ħdejh u reġa’ fissrilhom il-messaġġ ġdid li ried iwasslilhom:

“Min irid ikun kbir fostkom, għandu jkun qaddej tagħkom, u min irid ikun l-ewwel fostkom, għandu jsir ilsir ta’ kulħadd”.

F’dan il-kliem, meħud mill-Vanġelu ta’ San Mark, toħroġ dejjem aktar il-figura tal-qaddej-ilsir. Ġesù jurina t-triq biex ma nibqgħux naqdu biss fil-grupp limitat li fih inħossuna komdi, imma biex naqdu ʹl kulħadd bla ma nħallu lil ħadd barra.

Din hi proposta  ġdida li tmur kontra l-mod ta’ kif aħna l-bnedmin nifhmu x’jiġifieri l-awtorità, li forsi kienet issaħħar lill-istess appostli, u għandu mnejn issaħħar lilna wkoll.

Tgħid hawnhekk jinsab is-sigriet tal-imħabba Nisranija tagħna?

“Insibu kelma fil-Vanġelu li forsi ma tantx nagħtuha importanza: il-qadi. Naħsbu li hi xi kelma antikwata u ma tixraqx id-dinjità tal-bniedem, li għandu d-dritt jagħti u jirċievi. Madankollu, il-messaġġ tal-Vanġelu qiegħed kollu hawn. U li tħobb tfisser taqdi. Ġesù ma ġiex biex jikkmanda imma biex jaqdi. […] Il-Kristjaneżmu jfisser qadi, li naqdu lil xulxin, u min sempliċiment jagħmel dan – u din hi xi ħaġa li kulħadd jista’ jagħmilha – ikun għamel kollox. Issa dan il-‘kollox’ fih innifsu hu Kristjaneżmu ħaj, u b’hekk jibda jinbidel u jaqbad f’ħuġġieġa sħiħa”2.

“Min irid ikun kbir fostkom, għandu jkun qaddej tagħkom, u min irid ikun l-ewwel fostkom, għandu jsir ilsir ta’ kulħadd”.

Meta niltaqgħu ma’ Ġesù fil-Kelma tiegħu, għajnejna jinfetħulna. Kif ġralu Bartilmew, kif naqraw fil-versi ta’ wara3. Il-laqgħa tagħna ma’ Ġesù teħlisna mil-limiti ta’ kif naħsbuha, nibdew naraw il-kobor ta’ Alla nnifsu, il-proġett tiegħu għal “smewwiet ġodda u art ġdida”4.

L-eżempju li jagħtina l-Mulej li ħasel riġlejn l-appostli5, jeħodha kontra l-mod riġidu li ħafna drabi l-komunitajiet ċivili, u xi drabi anki dawk reliġjużi, jirriżervaw għal min jinsab fl-aħħar post tas-soċjetà.

Għalhekk, il-qadi Nisrani jfisser li nimitaw dak li għamel Ġesù, nitgħallmu minnu dan l-istil ġdid ta’ kif ngħixu fis-soċjetà tagħna: irridu ngħixu qrib kull bniedem, hi xinhi l-kundizzjoni tiegħu fis-soċjetà.

Giovanni Anziani, qassis Metodista tal-Knisja Valdese, jgħid: “[…] meta nqiegħdu l-fiduċja u t-tama tagħna kollha fil-Mulej li hu qaddej ta’ kulħadd, il-Kelma tiegħu titlob minna li nġibu ruħna fid-dinja bil-kontradizzjonijiet kollha tagħha, ta’ bnedmin li jġibu l-paċi u l-ġustizzja, bħala bennejja ta’ pontijiet għall-ftehim bejn il-ġnus”6.

Hekk għex Igino Giordani, li kien kittieb, ġurnalista, politiku u missier ta’ familja, fiż-żmien meta l-Italja kienet immexxija minn dittatur. Biex ifisser l-esperjenza tiegħu, kiteb hekk: “Il-politika hi fis-sens dinjituż u Nisrani tagħha, qaddejja u m’għandhiex tkun sid: ma tridx tkun mezz ta’ abbuż, lanqas ta’ setgħa fuq kulħadd jew xi domma. Il-funzjoni u d-dinjità tagħha għandha tkun li taqdi lis-soċjetà, li tħobb b’mod konkret. Hi l-ewwel forma ta’ mħabba lejn art twelidna”7.

Bix-xhieda li Ġesù tana f’ħajtu, hu jistedinna nagħmlu għażla ħielsa: li ma ngħixux aktar magħluqin fina nfusna u ħsiebna biss fl-interessi tagħna, imma li ngħixu għall-oħrajn, u li nġorru fuqna kulma jtaqqalhom, u hekk il-ferħ jinqasam bejn kulħadd.

Ilkoll kemm aħna għandna xi responsabiltà żgħira jew kbira, jew xi setgħa fuq l-oħrajn: fil-politika jew fis-soċjetà, kif ukoll fil-familja, l-iskola, fil-komunità ta’ dawk li jemmnu. Ejjew naħtfu l-okkażjoni ta’ dawn il-“postijiet ta’ unur” li għandna biex naqdu u nibnu rabtiet ġusti bejn kulħadd.

            Letizia Magri u t-team tal-Kelma tal-Ħajja

Ritratt: @Pixabay

1. Ara Mk 10, 37.
2. C. Lubich, Servire, rivista «Città Nuova» 17 (1973/12), pġ. 13.
3. Ara Mk 10, 46-52.
4. Ara Is 65, 17 u 66, 22, kif ukoll 2 Pt 3, 13.
5. Ara Ġw 13, 14.
6. https://www.chiesavaldese.org/aria_covers.php?ref=111
7. P. Mazzola, Perle di Igino Giordani, Effatà editrice, Torino 2019, pġ. 112

https://soundcloud.com/user-63571203[:en]

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” (Mk 10: 43-44).

Jesus is on his way to Jerusalem and, for the third time, he tries to prepare his disciples for the dramatic event of his passion and death but those who have followed him most closely are the very ones who seem unable to understand what is about to happen.

In fact, conflict arises among the apostles themselves: James and John ask to occupy places of honour ‘in his glory’[i] and the other ten become indignant and start to complain. In short, the group is divided.

Then Jesus patiently calls them and repeats what he has proclaimed. His words are so new that they create a sense of shock. 

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.”

In this phrase from Mark’s gospel, the image of the servant-slave reaches a crescendo. Jesus leads us from having an attitude of simple availability within the limited and affirming groups to which we may belong to being totally dedicated to everyone, with no exception.

This is a completely alternative and counter-cultural proposal when compared to the usual human understanding of authority and governance which possibly fascinated the apostles themselves and impacts upon us too. Perhaps this is the secret of Christian love?

‘One word in the gospel that is not emphasized enough by Christians is “serve”. It may seem old-fashioned to us, unworthy of the dignity of human beings who both give and receive. Yet it is central to the gospel which is all about love. And to love means to serve. Jesus did not come to command but to serve. To serve, to serve one another is the heart of Christianity, and whoever lives this with simplicity – and everyone can do so – has done all that is necessary. Doing so ensures that people do not remain alone because since love is the essence of Christian life, it spreads like fire.’[ii]

“Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.”

The encounter with Jesus in his word opens our eyes, just as it did for the blind man, Bartimaeus, whose story is found immediately after this verse.[iii] Jesus frees us from our narrow vision and allows us to contemplate the horizons of God himself, of his plan for ‘new heavens and a new earth.’[iv]

Jesus washed the feet of others[v] and by his example overturned the often rigid practice in society, and even in religious environments, of relegating the task of practical service to a certain class of people. Christians, therefore, should imitate Jesus’ example and learn from him a new style of life in society. This means being a ‘true neighbour’ to each person we encounter, whatever their social or cultural condition may be.

As John Anziani, a Methodist pastor of the Waldensian Church, suggests, ‘By agreeing to place our trust and our hope in the Lord, who is the servant of many, the Word of God asks us to act in our world and in the midst of all its contradictions, as people who work for peace and justice, as bridgebuilders who facilitate reconciliation among nations.’[vi]

This is also how Igino Giordani, writer, journalist, politician and family man, lived during a time marked by dictatorship. To describe his experience, he wrote: ‘Politics is – in the most dignified Christian sense – a “servant” and must not become a “master”; nor should it abuse, dominate or dictate. Its function and dignity are to be of service to society, to be charity in action, to be the highest form of love for one’s homeland.’[vii]

Through the witness of his life, Jesus proposes to us a conscious and free choice. Rather than living closed in on ourselves and our own interests, we are asked to ‘live the life of the other person,’ feeling what they feel, carrying their burdens and sharing their joys. We all have small or large responsibilities and spheres of authority. These may be in the field of politics or in other areas of society such as within our families, schools or faith communities. Let’s take advantage of our ‘places of honour’ to put ourselves at the service of the common good, creating just and compassionate human relationships with everyone.

Edited by Letizia Magri and the Word of Life Team

Photo: @Pixabay

[i] Cf. Mk 10: 37.

[ii] Chiara Lubich, Servire, Città Nuova, XVII, 11-12, 1973, p.13.

[iii] Cf. Mk 10: 46-52.

[iv] Cf. Is. 65: 17 & 66: 25, rep. 2Pet. 3: 13.

[v] Cf. Jn 13: 14.

[vi] https://www.chiesavaldese.org

[vii] P. Mazzola, Perle di Igino Giordani, Effatà, 2019

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