Il-Qalb ta’ Ġesù

Meta naraw xbiha tal-Qalb ta’ Ġesù, x’aktarx li fil-pittura dejjem ikun hemm il-fjammi, id-dawl, il-vleġeġ u l-kuruna tax-xewk. Hemm pitturi li juru qtar tad-demm nieżla f’kalċi.  Din ix-xena hija fost l-aktar devoti li għandna bħala nsara.  Għal min ma jkunx jaf xi jfisser, is-simboliżmu li hi miżgħuda bih din is-“ Sacratissimum Cor Iesu” jidher stramb.

Inħarsu lejn il-Qalb ta’ Ġesù, u niftakru fil-Passjoni ta’ Kristu fuq is-salib. Hemm il-kuruna tax-xewk, is-salib, u l-ferita tal-lanza, li tul iż-żmien, qaddisin bħal Santa Ludgarda u Santa Mechtilde u Santa Gertrude, ikoll fissrulna xi tjisser dan is-simboliżmu.

Iżda għaliex il-Qalb ta’ Ġesù dejjem tkun isserraħ fuq il-fjammi?

Hemm tliet raġunijiet għal dan. L-ewwel, irridu niftakru li Ġesù offra lilu nnifsu għalina; it-twettiq tas-sagrifiċċji kollha tat-Testment il-Qadim. Ma ninsewx li f’dawk iż-żminijet tal-qedem, l-offerti maħruqa kienu l-ogħla forma ta’ sagrifiċċji f’Iżrael.

Fit-Testment il-Qadim, in-nar huwa dejjem assoċjat mad-divinità. Alla kellem lil Mosè minn arbuxell jaqbad; kien hemm bħal nixxiegħa tan-nar li straħet fuq is-Sinaj, u kien emm il-fjammi li kkunsmaw is-sagrifiċċju ta’ Elija.  Ma ninsewx li meta is-suldat knifed il-kustat ta’ Ġesù bil-lanza, fl-istess ħin iċcartet il-purtiera tat-tempju, u deher fejn kien ikun il-Qodos. In-nar jibdel, u jippurifika.

Qalb imkebbsa bl-imħabba turina kemm iħobbna Ġesù, tant li kien lest jgħaddi mill-passjoni għalina. Fil-fatt, aħna nkantaw, “Ħeġġeġ qlubna bil-fjammi ta’ mħabbtek…” bħal mal-qlub tad-dixxipli lejn it-triq lejn Emmaus ħassew il-qlub tagħhom jaħarqu wara li ltaqgħu ma’ Ġesù .

Fl-immaġni tal-Qalb Qaddisa, naraw ir-raġġi; Ġesù huwa d-dawl tad-dinja. Id-dawl, bħan-nar, huwa simbolu tad-divinità. Kemm fit-Trasfigurazzjoni, u kemm fil-konverżjoni ta’ San Pawl fit-triq lejn Damasku, insibu d-dawl. Bħala ma hu d-dawl tad-dinja, Ġesù huwa  dak li jdawwalna, u njurina t-triq lejn Alla.

Il-kuruna tax-xewk u l-lanza huma l-vleġeġ tad-dnubiet tagħna. Ġesù spjega dan f’rivelazzjoni privata lil Santa Marija ta’ San Pietru. Il-vleġġa hija wkoll metafora għall-imħabba.

Il-kuruna tax-xewk, li tidher fl-immaġini tradizzjonali tal-Qalb ta’ Ġesù, tfisser li kull darba li niċħduh, Ġesù isofri minħabba fina. Fid-duttrina ta’ meta konna żgħar kienu jgħidulna li l-      kuruna tax-xewk tkun trasferita minn ras Ġesù  għal qalbu, u li hu jħoss il-feriti hemm. Wara l-qawmien, il-kuruna tax-xewk issir il-kuruna tar-rebħa.

Skont Santa Margerita Marija Alacoque, il-ponta ta’ kull xewka hija dnub, u kull xewka tinfed il-qalb ta’ Ġesù u tikkawżalu tbatija liema bħala. Tgħidilna, meta tirrakkonta l-viżjoni tagħha, “Rajt lill-Qalb Divina fuq tron ​​ta’ fjammi, jilma’ iżjed mix-xemx, u jleqq u trasparenti bħall- kristall…”

Is-salib huwa iżgħar mill-Qalb ta’ Ġesù. Naraw kif il-bażi tas-salib hija mdeffsa, imħawla, fil-qalb. Il-Qaddisja tgħidilna li blfors huwa hekk, għax din hija r-rejalta tal-kroċifissjoni: Ġesù  bata għalina għax iħobbna.  Lezzjoni oħra tad-duttrina kienet li l-Qalb ta’ Ġesù  terfa’ il-piż tas-Salib.

Fil-boll Auctorem Fidei, il-Papa Piju VI faħħar id-devozzjoni lejn il-Qalb Qaddisa ta’ Ġesù. Fl-enċiklika Haurietis Aquas (1956), il-Papa Piju XII jgħid: “[Ġesù] iħobbna lkoll b’qalb tal-bniedem…[u naraw]…l-imħabba li r-Redentur divin iħobb kontinwament lill-Missier etern u lill-bnedmin…”

Fil-Ġudaiżmu li l-kelma ‘qalb’ kienet tassew tfisser “il-qalba”, mhux biss bħala l-organu ewlieni tal-ħajja, iżda wkoll iċ-ċentru tal-attività spiritwali kollha; is-sede tal-emozzjonijiet kollha.

Ta’ min ifakkar li fl-1873, fuq petizzjoni tal-President Gabriel García Moreno, l-Ekwador kien l-ewwel pajjiż fid-dinja li kien ikkonsagrat lill-Qalb Qaddisa.

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Tazza Kważi Mimlija?

Tazza Kważi Mimlija?

Ir-rejalist u l-utopist iħarsu lejn it-tazza b’mod differenti.

 

Hemm dik il-mistoqsija jekk it-tazza tkunx nofsha vojta jew nofsha mimlija. L-ottimist jgħidlek li nofsha mimlija, iżda l-passimist jgħidlek li nofsha vojta.

Hemm ukoll il-varjazzjonijiet. Ir-rejalist jgħidlek li dak għandu, u daqshekk jista’ jixrob. Is-surrejalist, b’xi mod, jirnexxilu jifred il-likwidu u l-vojt, b’mod vertikali, u l-utopist itella’ n-nofs tal-ilma fil-parti ta’ fuq tat-tazza biex ikun jista’ jixrob mill-ewwel, u ma jarax il-vojt. Ix-xjentist jgħidlek li n-nofs li ma fihx likwidu, huwa gass. Ir-relativist jgħidlek li t-tazza hija nofsha vojta, u nofsha mimlija. Ix-xettiku jistaqsi jekk dak li triduh jixrob hux ilma, ħall, jew ġnibru.

L-artist ma jitkellem xejn. Jaqbad il-pniezel, u jlaħlaħom fl-ilma, għax jixtieq ipitter… tazza mimlija b’xi liquid sa nofsha.  

Issa nagħmlu mod li int għandek quddiemek tazza tè li ilek miklub għaliha xi sagħtejn… u jiġi xi ħadd li biex mingħalih jiċċjata, jagħti skoss lill-mejda, u t-tazza tinqaleb…

Hawn min jara tazza nofsha vojta, u hawn min  hu pożittiv u jaraha nofsha mimlija. Mela – għandek ħafna għażliet quddiemek…

Tirrabja għax ċaħħdek mit-tè; tgħoddha b’waħda għax ma nstmattx; tgħidlu jagħmillek tè ieħor; tqum tagħmel tè, u saħansitra toffri li tagħmel ieħor għall-persuna li tellfitek il-gost kollu.

Imma jibqa’ l-fatt, li fit-tazza, xi darba, kellek it-tè. It-tazza ma kienetx vojta. Kien fiha t-tè. Kieku kien fiha l-ilma, il-kafè, jew il-luminata, kien ikun dak, il-likwidu li nxtered.

Mela, fil-ħajja tagħna, huwa dak li għandna fina li minħabba fih nagħmlu l-għażla ta’ kif inġibu ruħna. Nirrabjaw għax waqa’ t-tè, għax fina għandna r-rabja u din id-darba ma kellniex kontroll fuqa; jew offrejna li nagħmlu t-tè lil min ikkawża l-inċident, għax fina għandna l-paċi, u mhux ser inħallu ħmerija ttellifhielna.

Huwa tajjeb, għalhekk, li kultant nistaqsu x’għandna f’qalbna… x’nistgħu inferrgħu jekk xi ħadd jaqilbilna t-t-tazza. Meta ftaħt l-armarju biex tagħmel “xi ħaġa x’tixrob”, x’għażilt? Ghira? Mibgħeda? Ferħ? Paċi? Umiltà? Imħabba? Rabja?

Li jkollok perspettiva pożittiva jgħinek biex ma tieħux kollox bi kbir. Jonqoslok l-istress, u tħossok aħjar, u tagħmel il-ħajja iżjed faċli għal ħaddiehor, u r-relazzjonijiet interpersonali tiegħek jitjiebu. Tifhem li kif jgħid il-proverbju, “li kien kien, u li sar sar”, u tgħaraf li am tistax tbidddel il-passat, filwaqt li tiżviluppa l-kalma u r-reżiljenza.

B’mentalità pożittiva, ma tkunx il-ħin kollu għassa għal ħaddieħor, għax taħseb li qed jiddieħqu bik. Ikollok moħħok iżjed ċar, u tkun tista’ taħseb aħjar kif tista’ sssolvi l-problemi, u tkun tista’ ssib il-bakiet żgħar ta’ kuljum.

Hawn min, jekk jitlef tazza tè, ma jkollux il-possibilta li jagħmel oħra.

Xejn mhu b’xejn!

Spring Cleaning – fis-Sajf

When Butter Will Melt…

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

The Girl with the Pearl Earring.

The Girl with the Louding Voice…

And now, Ladies and Gentlemen, we have the all-Maltese drama…

The Girl with the (Butter) Knife.

I am amazed – and disgusted – at what passes for news coverage these days. Reading the so-called reportage, I squirmed. Then, I shuddered. By the time I got to the end of the sorry patchworks, I was nearly throwing up.

It is not just the atrocious English; the girl ran after a ‘peer’, not a ‘colleague’ – this was the least of the grammar gaffes, and factual errors some of which, I am sure, owed much to the haste to scoop other media.

Just like reports of Mark Twain’s death, this incident has been grossly over-inflated for schlock value and political mileage.

We have the schoolyard fight, in which one of the two pre-teens involved ‘lost a fistful of hair’, although, another report says, the fight was ‘immediately’; stopped. So was the girl’s hair stuck on, as we say in Maltese, with spittle?

Then we were regaled with visions of one girl chasing the other while brandishing a butter knife she had taken from the staff kitchen.  Oh, no – wait. The girl grabbed the knife when she was taken to the office to be hauled over the coals, and was relieved of it, again, ‘immediately’.

We are being told that it would be good to have students scanned, lest they are armed and potentially dangerous. Oh, yes – all manner of things have been found in backpacks and pockets – but all those who work in schools know that a pencil can wreak serious damage, too.

We had unnamed teachers telling us that the girl had often caused trouble before this incident. Yes, that’s right, tar and feather a lass who is involved in a fight, because, presumably, the other one is a poor defenceless kid who would not say boo to a fly, to mix metaphors.

Do we know what the fight was about?  No. Do we know who began it?  Neither. Do we care? No – not unless the alleged perp is the victim, who finds herself in a position of being guilty until proven innocent.

“The girls were (summarily) sent home.” Alone?  Or did an adult pick them up?  What if they did not have a key to their house, and no one was at home to let them in?  So, the thoughts start churning on a loop… What if something happened to them on the way?  What if they had a long way to go, because the bus route is not along the way from school to their houses?  What if, perish the thought, the sight of a girl in a school uniform trigged some pervy psycho, who then waylaid her, and raped her?

I know I am going to be told I “didn’t read the article” or that I am “exaggerating”, but, again, I say that it is my duty to sow reasonable doubt, and to set the cat among the pigeons, in one fell swoop… because… yes, I have seen unaccompanied students out in the street, and the teachers did not even know they were missing, when I called the respective schools.

We have the two girls being ‘sent’ to the office of the Head of School, and we also have them being accompanied there. The first statement does not make sense, because, since they were both still obviously hot under the collar, they would have had another go at each other, along the way.

Then… oil was poured on troubled waters.  We were told that both sets of parents were called in and disciplinary action was immediately taken against both students… I assume that the two things happened in reverse order.

The wording in some of the reports intimates that both staff and students feared that they might be attacked, or that the girls would cause GBH to each other. There was mention of trauma and psychological counselling.

This is neither the first, nor is it going to be the last, incident of fisticuffs in a school yard. One wonders whether children are falling through the cracks of the system, and hence the misbehaviour.

Let us take this sentence – “Eyewitnesses said the incident caused a considerable amount of fear among students and staff.” Aren’t the eye-witnesses, and the students and staff, one and the same thing? Why do hacks feel they have to pad out their pieces in order to make the word-count?

We have always had a bullying problem in schools – and, just for the record, it has always been all permutations of staff and students, and not just students on students… and sometimes you have to include parents in the equation. I have known teachers who take their classes out for recreation at times different from those that the other children are in the yards, exactly because of this reason.

Some teachers patrol the yards, but others prefer to stand around and gossip.

So much for Zero Tolerance. This is ironic, seeing that we send our children to school to learn, in a safe environment.

Each incident brings out the worms from the woodwork, with agendas and political mileage vying for attention; this is both pathetic and puerile. But at least these days, we are throwing counselling of perps and victims into the mix; small mercies.

This is an appeal for responsible journalism, apart from a call for support to educators, who have to do much more than just teach.

Meta l-Għażż Balzmu

Sajjied ta’ Xewqtu; qabad biżżejjed, mela kuntent.

Darba, kien hemm sajjied u negozjant. Heinrich Theodor Böll, awtur Ġermaniż tas-snin ħamsin, irrakkonta storja dwarhom.

In-negozjant mar vaganza, u nzerta fuq il-moll meta s-sajjied qadef lejn ix-xatt, filgħodu kmieni. Kellu qabda tonn mhux ħażin.

“Kemm domt biex tellajthom, dawk?” staqsa n-negozjant.

“Siegħa, sagħtejn l-iżjed?” wieġeb is-sajjied.

“Għadu l-ħin. Għax ma bqajtx taqbad iżjed ħut?”

“M’għandix għalfejn. Għandi biżżejjed biex inbiegħ ftit, u jibqali biex nieħdu d-dar għalina…”

“Għandek ġurnata sħiħa quddiemek. Issa x’ser toqgħod tagħmel?”

“Nieħu nagħsa, nilgħab maʼ wliedi, mmur mixja, niekol, naqra, ngħum, ndoqq il- kitarra mal-ħbieb… u taf kif itir il-ħin, señor!”

In-negozjant qallu, “Isma’, jien Konsulent Finanzjarju; nista’ ntik parir siewi. Jekk iddum iżjed fuq il-baħar, taqla’ iżjed, u tixtri dgħajsa akbar, u bil-mutur. Forsi tixtri flotta dgħajjes u tħaddem in-nies miegħek… imbagħad, minflok tbigħ il-qabdiet tal-ħut tiegħek lil pitkal, tibda’ tbigħ direttament lilt al-ħwienet, u tfur bil-flus għax ma tħallasx il-persentaġġ. Int u l-familja titilqu minn dan ir-raħal żgħir, u tixtri dar kbira fil-Belt…”

“Imma dan ma jiġrix mill-lum għal għada, hux?”

“Forsi trid 15-il sena?  Imbagħad, tkun tista’ tirtira. Tieħu l-ħajja bil-mod, il-mod… tilgħab mat-tfal, tgawdi n-natura…”

“Imma, señor, mhux hekk qed nagħmel, bħalissa?”

In-negozjant ta parir skont ir-raġunament tal-karriera tiegħu. Is-sajjied wieġeb b’għerf missirijietu… imma it-tnejn ma kellhomx raġun għal kollox.

1. Erfa’ u sorr, u investi, għal meta tiġi bżonn, mitt darba u elf – imma mhux akkost li anqas tiekol sakemm tixba’, issa.
2. Ħaddan bis-sħiħ u gawdi l-ħajja u lil ta’ madwarek, llum, għax il-vjaġġ important daqs id-destinazzjoni.
3. Jekk għandek il-pjaċir tal-anteċipazzjoni, tkun qed tgawdi l-ħajja t’isssa, xorta; basta żżom f’moħħok li kollox jista’ jisfaxxa.
4. Jekk tgħix nofs kedda’, bla motivazzjoni, titlef nofs il-gost tal-ħajja.
5. Jekk tkun kuntent b’li għandek, tkun għani.
6. … Ma jistax ikun li tintilef fuq ħaġa waħda, u tħalli l-bqija.
7. Li taqlagħha u tiekolha huwa riskju kbir. X’jiġri jekk ma tkunx tista’ tkompli taħdem, jew tinqala’ xi spiża kbira?
8. Meta tibqa’ nieqes biex tfaddal għal li jista’ jinqala’, u ma jinqala’ xejn, jiddispjaċik.
9. Mhux il-flus u l-infieq huma li jagħmluk kuntent, iżda li tkun taf tużahom sewwa.
10. Qabbel l-istress, jew il-kalma, ta’ issa, ma li jista’ ma jirnexxix, fil-futur.

L-ekonomista fassal roadmap biex lis-sajjied iwasslu ghad-destinazzjoni li kien diġà wasal fiha, b’rotta diretta, u mhux għax kien qed jitgħażżen, kif ried jinsinwa l-ieħor. Kien jistma’ l-ħin, it-talenti, u l-familja tiegħu aktar mill-ġid.