With this in mind, I answered the young girl: “Yes, God sends fire on
earth”. “But why, father?” she asked me with fear in her eyes. Smiling I told
her: “Yes, God sends fire on earth, for us to get warm during cold winter days,
for us to have light during dark nights, and for us to cook our meals, among
other things.” “Oh, Father, that’s OK”, she told me with a nice bright smile on
her face.
A reading from the holy gospel according to Luke. (Lk 24, 46-53)
Jesus said to his disciples: “Thus it
is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the
dead, and that repentance and forgiveness of sins should be preached in his
name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these
things. And behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the
city, until you are clothed with power from on high.” Then he led them out as
far as Bethany, and lifting up his hands he blessed them. While he blessed
them, he parted from them and was carried up into heaven. And they worshiped
him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the
temple blessing God”. The Word
of the Lord.
Who is wise and understanding among you?
By his good life let him show his works in the meekness of wisdom.
But if you have bitter jealousy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast and be false to the truth.
This wisdom is not such as comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, devilish. For where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.
But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity.
And the harvest of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.
Letter of St. James 3, 13-18
When the angels went away from them into heaven, the
shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing
that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe
lying in a manger. And when they saw it they made known the saying which
had been told them concerning this child; and all who heard it wondered at
what the shepherds told them. But Mary kept all these things, pondering
them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and
praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them. This is the Word of the Lord.
“A light will shine on us this day”. Psalm 97 today makes us repeat the good news, “A light will shine on us this day”. Meditating on this verse, I asked myself if this was just a repetition of words written by the Psalmist, a promise made many centuries ago? Or is it good news being promised to us in our days, today? As Christmas is not just a commemoration of something glorious and important that belongs to history, our celebration ‘this day’ makes it very real, and we are invited to pay attention. “A light will shine on us this day” the Psalmist says, and we ask: “What light is this?”. The Psalmist answers us: “It is the Lord, born for us”. So we ask again: “Who is this light?” It is Christ the Lord.
The angels who
gave the good news to the shepherds who were keeping
watch over their flock by night said to them if you go to Bethlehem to see this thing that has happened
“You will find a babe wrapped in swaddling
cloths and lying in a manger”. This is good news of a great joy which will
come to all the people. Indeed, this is “Good News” wrapped in a human body, in human history,
and it is good news that comes to us today.
This good news
comes through the celebration of the Holy Eucharist during which Our Lord comes
to us every day through his Words and in the outer signs of bread and wine,
small things that hide from our sight the immense beauty of Christ’s glory,
that our heart and our mind and our whole being are unable to experience while still
alive on earth. “This is the mystery of faith” we are reminded in every Mass we
celebrate. It is the same mystery of faith that Mary and Joseph and the
shepherds faced when holding the child Jesus in their arms. It is the same
mystery we face when we look at the crucified Jesus, the risen Lord, now in his
Father’s glorious embrace. Small things in God’s hands bring to us splendid
mysteries: a new born Child, consecrated Bread and Wine, a crucified and resurrected
Man.
Who is the
light that will shine on us today? It is the Man/God in the mystery of the
Incarnation, the Eucharistic mystery, and the mystery of our redemption.
But today he
will also shine on us in this threefold mystery through the Good News we read
in today’s gospel selection. In it we meet with two main personages: the
shepherds and the Child’s mother, Mary.
Luke tells us
that the shepherds went to Bethlehem and they
made known to Mary, Joseph
and others who could hear them, the message which had been told them concerning this child. In this, the humble
shepherds became preachers of the Word, through whom God wanted to share his message
of endless love that knows no limits. In a way the angels sent them on mission
to announce the Good News, to bring Joy to all mankind, a message Jesus himself
would repeat later, as reported by John: “I
came that they may have life, and have it abundantly” (Jn 10, 10). It is the same mission the Risen Lord gave to his
disciples: “Go therefore and make disciples of all
nations … teaching them … everything that I
have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always…” (cfr Mt 28, 19-20).
Luke tells us
that: “Mary kept all these things, pondering
them in her heart” and this is
contemplation of the mystery in order to be able to play her part in it, for
she is the first and foremost disciple. Her share in the wedding feast at Cana
at the beginning of her Son’s ministry, was to tell the servers: “Do whatever my son tells you” (Jn 2, 5). This is the preaching
Mary is repeating in these and other words from that day in Cana up to our days.
All this brings
to my mind the motto Dominicans treasure so much and which is the leading light
of their religious life: “To contemplate and to give to others the fruit of their
contemplation”. This Mary did with words and deeds. This the shepherds did in
their share in the Christmas Story. This the apostles and other disciples did
in a way that, notwithstanding their limitations, but filled with the Holy
Spirit, Christ’s message was spread among all nations.
We are called
to do the same thing and accept the light that shines on us today in order to
become disciples who contemplate God’s mysteries and share the fruits of our
own contemplation to the world around us.
A reading from the holy gospel
according to Matthew (Mt 6:7-15)
Meta rġajna bdejna ż-żmien liturġiku li nsejħulu
ta’ Matul is-Sena, il-Knisja stednitna biex fl-ewwel Ħadd niċċelebraw il-festa
tat-Trinità. Hekk infakkru lilna nfusna li s-salvazzjoni tagħna hi kollha kemm
hi ħidma ta’ Alla l-Missier, u tal-Iben u tal-Ispirtu s-Santu, li għalkemm kull
waħda minn dan il-Persuni hi Alla, m’humiex tliet Allat iżda Alla wieħed.
Dan hu l-misterju li qed niċċelebraw illum. Ma
nifhmuhx, għax moħħna ma jwassalx daqshekk. Iżda l-intelliġenza tagħna tgħidilna
li jekk ħaġa ma nifhmuhiex, nistgħu nemmnu lil dak li jgħidhielna, jekk
jistħoqqlu l-fiduċja tagħna.
Fil-misterju tat-Trinità fil-fatt aħna niċċelebraw żewġ misterji.
L-ewwel wieħed hu l-misterju ta’ Alla wieħed. Minn
fost il-popli li kienu jqimu ħafna allat, Alla l-imbierek għażel għalih poplu u
għallmu li għandu jqim u jobdi lilu biss. Fl-ewwel qari smajna lil Mosè li,
mibgħut minn Alla, qal lill-Lhud, poplu digà meħlus mill-jasar tal-Eġittu:
“Mela, kun af illum, u żommha f’moħħok, li l-Mulej hu tassew Alla, kemm
fl-għoli tas-sema kemm hawn isfel fuq l-art, u li ma hawnx ieħor għajru”.
Mose’ kien jistħoqqlu l-fiduċja tal-poplu? Dażgur,
għax Alla wera li kien tassew miegħu permezz ta’ ħafna sinjali u għeġubijiet.
Għalhekk il-poplu tal-Antik u tal-Ġdid Testment baqa’ sallum jgħożż f’moħħu
l-kliem għażiż: “Isma', Iżrael: Wieħed hu l-Mulej, il-Mulej Alla tagħna.
Ħobb, mela, lill-Mulej, Alla tiegħek, b'qalbek kollha, b'ruħek kollha u
b'saħħtek kollha. Żomm f'qalbek dawn it-twissijiet li jiena qiegħed nagħtik
illum; għallimhom lil uliedek u kellimhom fuqhom” (Dewt 6:4-7).
Għaliex għandna nħobbu lil Alla b’qalbna kollha?
Għax għandna nobduh? Għaliex kif qalilna San Ġwann l-appostlu Alla huwa mħabba,
u għalkemm jista’ kollox, fl-aħħar mill-aħħar ma’ jistax ħlief iħobb, u
għalhekk jikkmandana li nħobbu lilu u lil xulxin, għax aħna xbiha tiegħu.
It-tieni misterju hu t-Trinità Qaddisa, jiġifieri
li f’Alla hemm tlett persuni li aħna nafhuhom b’ismijiet umani. Allura ngħidu
li l-Missier hu Alla, l-Iben hu Alla u l-Ispirtu hu Alla, iżda ma nqimux tliet
Allat, imma Alla wieħed.
Kif nafuh dan? Għaliex Ġesù, l-Iben t’Alla li sar
bniedem, għarrafulna. B’moħħna biss ma stajna qatt insiru nafuh dan il-misterju.
Diversi drabi fl-evanġelji Ġesù tkellem dwar il-Missier u dwar l-Ispirtu u li
huma ħaġa waħda. Fl-aħħar diskors tiegħu qabel il-passjoni Ġesù qal lill-appostli
li kienu kielu l-Aħħar Ċena miegħu: “Jekk xi ħadd iħobbni, iħares kelmti, u Missieri jħobbu, u aħna
niġu u ngħammru għandu”. Din il-wegħda tinkludi
wkoll lill-Ispirtu li Ġesù kien għadu kif wegħedhom li jibgħathilhom mingħand
il-Missier.
Tajjeb
niftakru li meta Ġesu’ tkellem dwar il-persuni tat-Trinità, billi jaf
li m’aħniex kapaċi nifhmu dan il-misterju, uża xbiha li aħna lkoll nifhmu u
għandna l-esperjenza tagħha. Din ix-xbiha hi l-familja, li hi l-akbar għaqda
ta’ mħabba li aħna, ta’ bnedmin li ahna, kapaċi nimmaġinaw. Billi l-familja hi
magħmula minn bnedmin, allura mhix perfetta. Għalhekk San Pawl wissiena: ”Bħalissa
naraw bħallikieku f’mera, imċajpar, imma mbagħad naraw wiċċ imb wiċċ” (1 Kor 13,12).
Għalissa ma nifhmux, iżda nistgħu nemmnu dak li għallimna Ġesu’.
Tajjeb li nżommu quddiem għajnejna dak li fakkarna
l-evanġelju li qrajna llum : “Lili ngħatat kull setgħa fis-sema u fl-art.
Morru, mela, agħmlu dixxipli mill-ġnus kollha, u għammduhom fl-isem tal-Missier
u tal-Iben u tal-Ispirtu s-Santu, u għallmuhom iħarsu dak kollu li ordnajtilkom
jien. U ara, jiena magħkom dejjem, sal-aħħar taż-żmien”. Dawn huma l-aħħar
kelmiet ta’ Ġesù meta bagħat lill-appostli bħala missjunarji mad-dinja kollha.
L-aħħar ħaġa li rrid insemmi hi li quddiem il-misterju
tat-Trinità jistgħu jiġuna xi dubji, mhux għax ma nemmnux kliem Kristu jew
it-tagħlim tal-Appostli kif twassalulna l-Knisja llum, iżda għax aħna bnedmin u
jekk jiġuna dubbji, nistaqsu, u jekk nistaqsu, nitgħallmu.
Fit-tieni qari San Pawl qallilna: ”Ħuti, dawk
kollha li jmexxihom l-Ispirtu ta’ Alla huma wlied Alla. Għax intom ma rċevejtux
l-ispirtu li jwassalkom għall-jasar biex terġgħu taqgħu fil-biża’, imma
rċevejtu l-Ispirtu li jagħmel minnkom ulied adottivi; u li bih aħna nistgħu
ngħajtu: “Abbà! Missier!”.
Mela, meta nimmeditaw il-misterju tat-Trinita’
ejjew nirringrazzjaw u nifirħu, għax għalkemm ma nifhmuhx, nemmnu li dħalna
f’din il-Familja Qaddisa u li aħna wlied maħbuba ta’ Alla anke jekk xi drabi
jew sikwit nidinbu. Jekk nitolbuh, jaħfrilna dejjem. Ma jistax jagħmel mod
ieħor, għax Alla hu kollu kemm hu mħabba, imħabba perfetta u bla qjies.
