Meta Alla ma jinstabx
ENGLISH VERSION
Preżenza:
• Nimmaġina lil Ġesù ta’ tnax-il sena… kif jidher? kif iġib ruħu ma’ Marija u Ġużeppi?
• Nimmaġinah miexi lejn Ġerusalemm mal-ġenituri tiegħu u pellegrini oħra. Ħin minnhom idur lejja u jistidinni ningħaqad magħom fil-vjaġġ lejn it-Tempju.
Nitlob dak li nixtieq: Nitlob li infittex lil Ġesù bil-ħerqa sakemm insibu.
Eżerċizzju tal-ftuħ: Aħseb f’mument meta tlift xi ħaġa importanti u rnexxielek issibha. Kif ħassejtek meta tliftha? Kif ħassejtek meta erġajt sibtha?
Naqra darbtejn: Lq 2:41–52 It-tfajjel Ġesù fit-tempju
41Ta’ kull sena l-ġenituri ta’ Ġesù kienu jmorru Ġerusalemm għall-festa tal-Għid. 42Meta kellu tnax-il sena telgħu wkoll, skont id-drawwa ta’ dik il-festa. 43Wara li għaddew dawk il-ġranet qabdu t-triq lura, imma t-tfajjel Ġesù baqa’ Ġerusalemm bla ma kienu jafu l-ġenituri tiegħu. 44Huma ħasbuh qiegħed ma’ xi wħud li kienu fit-triq magħhom; iżda meta wara jum mixi fittxewh fost qrabathom u n-nies li kienu jafuhom, 45ma sabuhx, u għalhekk reġgħu lura Ġerusalemm ifittxuh.
46Wara tlitt ijiem sabuh fit-tempju, bilqiegħda f’nofs l-għalliema, jismagħhom u jistaqsihom; 47u kull min semgħu baqa’ mistagħġeb bid-dehen u t-tweġibiet tiegħu. 48Kif rawh, instamtu, u ommu qaltlu: “Ibni, dan għaliex għamiltilna hekk? Ara, missierek u jiena konna qegħdin infittxuk b’qalbna maqsuma!” 49U hu qalilhom: “U għaliex kontu qegħdin tfittxuni? Ma tafux li jiena għandi nkun f’dak li hu ta’ Missieri?” 50Iżda kliemu ma fehmuhx. 51Imbagħad niżel magħhom u raġa’ mar Nazaret; u kien jobdihom. U ommu kienet tgħożż f’qalbha dawn il-ħwejjeġ kollha. 52U hekk Ġesù baqa’ jikber fl-għerf, fis-snin u fil-grazzja, quddiem Alla u quddiem il-bnedmin.
Punti għar-riflessjoni:
• Fejn nara lil Ġesù f’ħajti? – forsi f’xi persuna li ltqajt magħha, fil-Kelma, fit-talb, eċċ.
• Marija u Ġużeppi fittxew lil Ġesù fil-folla. X’inhi l-“folla” li fiha nħoss li Ġesù jintilef f’ħajti? Tista’ tkun l-ħajja mgħaġġla ta’ kuljum, attivitajiet li ma jagħtux ħajja, distrazzjonijiet mill-affarijiet essenzjali. Kif nista’ niffoka aktar fuq li inkun ma’ Ġesù aktar milli fuq li nagħmel?
• Marija u Ġużeppi qattgħu tlett ijiem ifittxu lil Ġesù. Komplew ifittxuh b’impenn u b’rieda soda minkejja l-ansjetà. Kif nista’ inkompli nfittex lil Ġesù bit-tama, anke meta ma nħossx li qiegħed miegħi?
• Fl-aħħar sabuh Ġerusalemm u indunaw li fil-verità Ġesù qatt ma kien mitluf… huma kienu qed ifittxuh fil-post żbaljat. Hu possibbli li meta nħossni ’l bogħod minn Ġesù, ikun għax jiena tbiegħedt minnu u mhux hu? Kif nista’ nafda li Ġesù qed jaħdem fija minkejja li jien mhux dejjem inħossu?
• Ġesù ħaseb li l-missjoni tiegħu kienet li jkun Ġerusalemm, iżda permezz tal-ġrajjiet ta’ dawk it-tliet ijiem u tal-laqgħa tiegħu ma’ Marija u Ġużeppi, skopra li r-rieda ta’ Missieru kienet li jerġa’ lura magħhom Nazaret, fil-ħajja ordinarja ta’ kuljum. Kif nista’, bħalma għamel Ġesù, infittex b’mod konkret li nagħmel ir-rieda tal- Missier?
Konverżazzjoni:
Nitkellem ma’ Ġesù dwar dak li ġara, u nħalli mumenti ta’ silenzju biex ngħożż dan il-mument ta’ talb f’qalbi.
Xhud: San Pietru Favre SJ
Peter Favre was a shepherd in France when he was young but at the age of 19 he entered Unviersity to study in Paris. Here he met Francis Xavier and Ignatius of Loyola. These three became roommates and Peter tutored Ignatius in philosophy. In the room they shared, they spoke of God, serving the Church and of working in the Holy Land. Peter was the first of the three to be ordained to the priesthood first. They tried to go to the Holy Land but failed due to unrest in the region, so they decided to place themselves at the service of the Pope. Pope Paul II sent Peter to Germany where only two decades before, Martin Luther had divided the Church.
He was deeply shaken by what he encountered. The Church was not only fractured by the momentum of the Reformers, but also by the very realities that had provoked their protest: the lack of spiritual depth among parts of the clergy, widespread abuses, and a troubling mediocrity in Christian living. It became clear to him that reform was indeed necessary – yet not in the manner proposed by Martin Luther.
While faithfully carrying out the responsibilities entrusted to him by the Pope – including participating in the Protestant-Catholic dialogue convened by the Emperor – Fr. Peter discerned that the deeper need was for an interior renewal within the Catholic Church. Rather than beginning with structures or arguments, he began with hearts.
Through gentleness and authentic friendship, he reached people across every social rank and state of life. He guided them toward the profound conversion to Christ that lies at the heart of Ignatius of Loyola’s Spiritual Exercises. The hunger for this spiritual renewal grew rapidly. So many sought the Exercises, and so respected was he as a guide of souls, that he wrote to Ignatius saying there was enough work in Germany for ten more Jesuits.
God seemed lost when he went to Germany. However, he was able to trust in God’s work and worked in obedience and through perseverance.
Reference: https://www.vaticannews.va/en/saints/08/01/st-peter-faber–jesuit.html
From Pierre Favre’s Memorial:
“Previously, on the contrary, I mean before I had set the direction of my life thanks to the help God gave me through Inigo, I had always walked very uncertainly, tossed about by every wind, wanting one day to get married, another day to become a doctor, or a lawyer, or a regent, or a doctor of theology, or a cleric without rank, and sometimes even wanting to be a monk; I was driven by these winds, according to whatever prevailed, that is, according to the attraction of the moment. As I said, the Lord delivered me from all these impulses through the consolations of his Spirit, and he led me to make the decision to become a priest, to be wholly devoted to his service…”
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