INURI - M A L T A ORDNI TAL-PATRIJIET ATRIJIET MINURI PROVINĊJA FRANĠISKANA TA SANS PAWL APPOSTLU http://www.ofm.org.mt NRU.. 198 MARM 14 Il-preżenza tagħna f Malta Knisja u Kunvent Madonna tas-sacro Cuor, Tas-Sliema KAPITLU PROVINĊJALI - 12 sas-16 ta Mejju Nkomplu nitolbu lil Alla biex jgħenna ħalli nkomplu niskopru xi jrid minna bħala Provinċja OFM LINK MARZU 2014 1
200 sena Din is-sena jaħbat il-200 sena mit-twelid tal-beatu Ludovik ta Casoria O.F.M. Hawn se nġiebu ftit hjiel fuq ħajtu. 11 ta Marzu 1814 - Arcangelo twieled f Casoria (Napli) minn Vincenzo Palmentieri u Candida Zenga. 17 ta Ġunju 1832 - Huwa beda n-novizzjat ġewwa l-kunvent ta Giovanni del Palco f Taurano (Avellino). 4 ta Ġunju 1837 - Ġie ordnat saċerdot u beda jitgħallem u jgħallem ilchemistry, il-mathematics u l-physics. 1847 - Fil-knisja ta S. Giuseppe dei Ruffo waqt it-talb, hass li l-mulej riedu jagħti ħajtu għall-foqra u l-morda. Akwista villa La Palma, biex fiha beda jsservi lill-patrijiet morda. Fiha waqqaf l-opera dei moretti/e - maskili u oħra femminili - biex jeduka zagħzagħ afrikani biex jħejjihom halli evanġelizzaw l-afrika għax kien jgħid L-Afrika għandha tikkonverti l-afrika. Ried li jkollu miegħu s-sorijiet Stimmatine u l-membri tal-o.f.s. 1859 u 1862 - Waqqaf żewġ kongregazzjonijiet ta terzjarji franġiskani - Frati della Carita o Bigi ( minħabba l-kulur tat-tonka) u Suore Elisabettine o Bigie. Waqqaf ukoll aktar opri ta għajnuna. Fosthom Opera degli Accattoncelli - li fiha ġabar tant tfal, li ma kellhomx min jieħu ħsiebhom, bosta djar għallanzjani, skejjel, baned, stamperji, ħidmiet kulturali eċċ. 1871 - F Assisi fetaħ dar għall-għomja u torox ( Papa Franġisku żarha nhar l- 4 t Ottubru 2013) u sitt snin wara f Firenze bena l-ewwel knisja ddedikata lil Qalb ta Ġesu. Fl-istess waqt għamel ħbieb ma bosta persuni qaddisin u famuzi. 30 ta Marzu 1885 - Huwa miet f Napli, f dar li hu stess waqqaf għas-sajjieda xjuħ. Jinsab midfun fiha stess. 18 t April 1993 - Ġie beatifikat mill-b. Papa Gwanni Pawlu II. - Mulej, mingħajrek ma nistgħu nagħmlu xejn: għinna nsibu mezzi u triqat ġodda bilex il-provinċja tagħna tiġġedded spiritwalment OFM LINK MARZU 2014 2
S. Franġisk u l-papa Pawlu VI N.B. Din hija parti minn intervista li saret mill-gurnalist Paolo Mieli lil P. Pietro Messa O.F.M., li huwa l -preside tal-istudji medjevali u franġiskani. Paolo Mieli: Tornando a Francesco d Assisi, io ricordo un discorso di Giovan Battista Montini Arcivescovo di Milano nel 1958 circa che si chiedeva è possibile maneggiare i beni di questo mondo senza restare prigionieri e vittime?, parlando appunto di san Francesco. Che voleva domandarsi il futuro Papa Paolo VI? P. Pietro Messa: Montini è un grande intellettuale. Paolo Mieli: E il più grande intellettuale della Chiesa del novecento, lo ripeto spesso perchè è un papa ingiustamente sottovalutato, è un grandissimo papa ed è uno dei grandi della Chiesa del 900. P. Pietro Messa: Dico una cosa che ho per testimonianza diretta: Papa Giovanni XXIII aveva dato ordine all entourage di Montini a Milano di fare in modo che il meno gente possibile potesse andare a disturbarlo perché lui doveva prepararsi a condurre il Vaticano; si erano incontrati poco prima dell elezione di Roncalli al papato e Montini, futuro papa, si trova nella Milano degli anni cinquanta, la Milano intraprendente. Paolo Mieli: Perché va ad attingere alla sorgente di Francesco d Assisi? P. Pietro Messa: Va nel 1958 perché ogni anno, e ancora adesso è così, ogni regione d Italia porta la lampada che arde davanti alla tomba di San Francesco. Nel 1958 va la Lombardia e lui come metropolita di Milano presiede le liturgie e quindi fa questa omelia bellissima, dove dice possiamo coniugare Madonna Povertà con Madonna Economia?. Tante immagini di San Francesco che sono circolate anche tra fine 800 inizio 900 e che ancora abbiamo anche nel mondo cinematografico, pensiamo a Fratello sole, Sorella Luna di Zeffirelli, nascono anche da un mondo romantico, utopico, un mondo di sogno: lì Montini si trova con la realtà e quindi chiede questo Francesco ha qualcosa da dirmi in questa realtà concreta, manageriale, di denaro, di intraprendenza, milanese, lombarda, oppure siamo qui per un momento di evasione dalla realtà per poi ritornare con un sacco di domande senza risposte? Paolo Mieli: Facciamo un salto a oggi. Nel mondo globalizzato la povertà è l incubo, povertà intesa non francescanamente come rinuncia ai beni ma la povertà del Terzo Mondo rischia di risucchiare il mondo globalizzato. Le rifaccio io la domanda che mi ha appena detto: in che modo è possibile coniugare Madonna Povertà e Madonna Economia? P. Pietro Messa: E importante la riflessione che fecero i frati dopo Francesco, soprattutto Pietro di Giovanni Olivi, sul fatto che il problema non è il denaro ma l uso del denaro per cui Olivi arriva a dire anche un mercante può essere santo se usa il denaro per il bene comune. I frati devono avere un uso povero del denaro, oggi diremmo un uso sobrio. I manager, persone che lavorano nella finanza, nel mondo dell economia, devono fare un uso del denaro per il bene comune. Il-Papa Pawlu VI qiegħed jbus il-blata, li jingħad li fuqha Gesu qal lil S. Pietru: Pietru tħobbni aktar minn dawn?. Dan għamlu waqt pelegrinaġġ fl-art Imqaddsa fl-1964 OFM LINK MARZU 2014 3
Paolo Mieli: Mi allaccio a questa sua osservazione per farle l ultima domanda. Veniamo a papa Francesco. Sono proprio i suoi gesti poveri che colpiscono in maniera crescente l opinione pubblica, una serie di gesti da persona semplice, da persona che si comporta il più possibile come l ultimo degli abitanti del pianeta? Hanno un significato questi gesti, sono gesti studiati, voluti, che vogliono comunicare qualcosa o sono semplicemente gesti naturali di una persona che viene da quel mondo? Pietro Messa: Sono gesti naturali da parte di una persona che viene da quel mondo. Ad esempio, per comprendere papa Francesco bisogna comprendere bene la Chiesa in Argentina e credo uno dei personaggi purtroppo trascurati, ma che è un gigante, è il Cardinal Francisco Eduardo Pironio ( 1920-1998) ; se uno va a leggere e va a vedere il modo di comportarsi di Pironio scopre che è uguale a come si comporta oggi Papa Francesco. Il-Kardinal Pironio mal-ex Ministru Ġeneral P. Giacomo Bini O.F.M. waqt il-kapitlu Ġeneral f Mejju 1997. Viżta kanonika fi Tripli u Benghazi Nitolbu għalihom OFM LINK MARZU 2014 4
Tlett snin wara - Mons. Jose Bonello O.F.M. 22 ta Novembru 2013 - tlett snin mill-jum tat-tħabbira tal-għażla (nomina) 12 ta Frar 2014 - tlett snin mill-jum tal-konsagrazzjoni episkopali 2 ta Frar 2014 - sentejn mill-jum tas-suċċessjoni Xi drabi Alla ma jagħżilx lill-imħarġa imma iħarreġ lill-magħżula. Dawn il-kelmiet sbithom, lissinthom, ktibthom 3 snin ilu, imqanqal minn taħlita ta sentimenti, fosthom: umilta biża, ubbidjenza u fiduċja. Dawn l-istess kliem nikkonfermhom illum, tlett snin wara. Din id-darba imqanqal minn taħlita ta sentimenti, kuraġġ, ħidma u fidi. Iż-żmien ittir. Miegħu kollox jibda joqgħod f postu. Ħafna jistaqsuni: Kif int sejjer Olancho (il-missjoni tal-isqof)? Qatt ma nwieġeb li sejjer tajjeb, pero lanqas li sejjer ħażin. Li nwieġeb hu : Alli vamos apriendiendo jiġifieri: Nitgħallmu ħabib, dejjem nitgħallmu. B hekk nifhem ngħid li bħalma swewli tnejn u għoxrien sena ta taħriġ kontinwu, stajt qdejt mhux ħażin il-missjoni ta kappillan f parroċċa relativament żgħira. Issa neħtieġ id-doppju biex nagħmel dan bħala isqof fi djoċesi enormi. Barra minn hekk, għad-drabi li nizloq fin-niexef, forsi ikun jistħoqqli il-mogħdrija ta xi hadd li jgħid: Hallih miskin, dak għadu jitgħallem. Naħseb li kieku mhux hekk, wisq probabbli li tiġġenen. F Jannar 2011, ġarrejt minn La Libertad (il-parroċċa) għal Olancho (id-djoċesi). F dar żgħira biswit ilkatidral, id-dar tal-isqof. Hu kunvent żgħir mibni madwar 70 sena ilu għal 3 patrijiet. Mingħajr ma sar l- ebda tibdil jew żieda ta bini. It-tlett isqfijiet ta qabli għexu mal-patrijiet, sakemm dawn ħallew iddjoċesi fis-snin sebgħajn. Invażat mill-ħamiem u nies deħlin u ħerġin. Konna b kollox 4. l-isqof Mawro, franġiskan Amerikan, P. Bertu Gauci, Malti bħali u iżjed minni, u P. Nicholas. Dan tal-aħħar kien gizwita xiħ, għaref fl-iskrittura u espert ma nafx f kemm il-lingwa. F żogħżitu ħalla kollox u lil kulħadd u ġie hawn il-missjoni. Wara 40 sena sena fil-qalba tal-ġungla, issa kwazi trux u għama (għalkemm mhux dejjem) inġabar mal-isqof, għax l-amerika, pajjiżu, ma ridtx imur. Miskin kwiet u ma jagħti fastidju lil hadd. Kull darba li niltaqgħu, it-tnejn li aħna u fl-istess ħin, konna npoġġu subgħajna fuq xofftejna b sinjal ta skiet. Ma konna ngħidu xejn, imma kemm konna nifteħmu! Magħhom inġbart jien, li ma nafx kif u għaliex, issa l-eċċelenza tiegħu, l-isqof koadjutur (bi dritt tas-suċċessjoni) u naturalment l-awżiljarju (qabli, għal xi 26 sena kien P. Bertu). Inħaltu u naqsmu. Għalija kienet bidla radikali. Filli dak il-ġiri kollu, attivita u taħbit u f daqqa waħda magħluq bejn erba ħitan, nara kif ser jgħaddi l-ħin. In-nies tarhom biss mit-tieqa. ma naf lil hadd u hadd ma jafni. Talb, qari u nistenna bil-ħniena li x-xemx tbagħtti, halli noħroġ nimxi. L-ambjent tal-belt hu differenti minn dak li kont għext fih qabel. Irranġajt ma P. Bertu biex nibda nakkumpanjah fiż-żjajjar fl-adeas (irħula talparroċċa). Almenu noqgħod inqarar. Hekk tiltaqa man-nies. Biex tgħaqqad kien żmien ikrah ħafna. Infern. Joqtlu kuljum. Sparar qiesu musketterija tal-festa. Ġew mumenti fejn għedt bejni u bejn ruħi: Ara fejn ġabuni ukoll!. L-ikrah bħas-sabiħ jgħaddi wkoll jew aħjar jindara. Ħadt deċizjoni. Jien ma ġejtx biex ningħalaq filkamra. Qatt ma kien l-istil tiegħi. Qatt ma xtaqtu jew ħlomtu. Għalhekk bdejt inżur il-parroċċi, bil-ħsieb li napprofitta miż-żmien ta qabel ma jafdawli t-tmexxija. Nara, napprezza u naħseb x wieħed jista jagħmel, meta jasal il-waqt. Żort il-komunitajiet tar-reliġjużi nisa, is-sorijiet, is-seminaristi u l-proġetti kbar u żgħar li għandha d-djoċesi. F Awissu ħadt sehem fil-kors li jagħmlu l-isqfijiet l-ġodda f Ruma. L-isqof awżiljarju, Mons. Charles Scicluna, kien wieħed mill-aħjar kelliema. Kienet esperjenza sabiħa. Ġimgħa wara, ġewwa Assisi, iltqajna madwar 120 isqof franġiskani. F Novembru ġejt mistieden, fi Brooklyn, mill-franġiskani biex namministra s-sagrament tal-ġriżma. Ħadt l-okkażjoni biex inżur id-djoċesi ta Forth Worth f Texas, biex insir naf lill-isqof, lis-saċerdoti u lill-lajċi. Sa minn meta tħarbatna mill-urgan Mitch, bejn iż-żewġ djoċesijiet teżisti rabta t aħwa u kooperazzjoni, anke f dak li huwa spiritwali u soċjali. OFM LINK MARZU 2014 5
Fi Frar ta sena ta wara jiġifieri fil-festa tal-kandlora (2012) ġiet ippublikata l-aċċettazzjoni tar-riżenja talisqof Mawro, u 20 jum wara, dan halla d-djoċesi. Illum qiegħed jgħex f kunvent f boston. Kien ilu isqof f olancho 28 sena. Storja twila ta preżenza, xhieda, dedikazzjoni u hidma. Billi lili tawni s-suċċessjoni, ippreferjet li din isir mingħajr ħafna storbju. U hekk kien! Inkomplu x nagħmlu għandna ħafna, li ma għandhiex żmien x nitilfu! Tlett affarijiet. Tlett prijoritajiet. Waħda : dar tal-isqof suriet in-nies. Tnejn : pastorali vokazzjonali u attenzjoni lis-seminaristi. Tlieta: żjajjar fil-parroċċi u attenzjoni u ħin għas-saċerdoti. U hekk kien! Irranġajna dar, li kienet għall-użu tal-parroċċa. Kienet ġiet mixtrija fl-1970 bil-għan li xi darba tkun ilkurja tal-isqof. Ma saritx. L-isqof kellu jaħrab, għax kien żmien ikrah ħafna. Kellhom jgħaddu 40 sena. Dar spazjuża u fuq kollox ftit imbegħda mill-istorbju taċ-ċentru. Għalija ma tistax tkun aħjar. Djoċesi immensa - territorju ta 86 darba ikbar minn Malta. Ħawn iktar minn biżżejjed fejn wieħed jippassiġġa, jiġri u anke jekk ma toqgħodx attent, fejn tintilef. Ħawn nies jiġu minn kull rokna tal-pajjiż. Il-biċċa l-kbira biex jiskansaw il-liġi jew jitbegħdu minn xi periklu. Olancho jilqa lil kulħadd. Siegħat ta sewqan fejn ma tarx ruħ. Xi kultant tara l-baqar. Bis-saħħa tal-baqar tista tara xi ruħ. Xmajjar ħawn kemm trid. Pontijiet fis-sajf biss jidhru. Meta tibda x-xitwa jew aħjar iż-żmien tax-xita, iżarmawhom. Jekk le, jitilfuhom għax l-ilma tax-xita kollox iġorr. Xortija tajba. Ġejt milqgħuh tajjeb. Aktar milli ħsibt. P. Bertu ippreparli t-triq u milli nara irnexxielu. Grazzja kbira. Kieku x tagħmel? Is-saċerdoti nofshom djoċesani u nofshom reliġjużi, kollha franġiskani. 23 b kollox! Żagħażagħ u ħaddiema. Issir tafhom bil-mod. Tiflihom... ftit diffiċli. Il-biċċa l-kbira jgħexu weħidhom. Rajt li l-aktar li għandhom bżonn hu li tkun qribhom, taċċetthom, tirrispetthom u tħobbhom. Aħna niltaqgħu darba kull xahrejn. S issa dejjem f ambjent ta festa. Hekk għandu jkun, almenu qed nippruvaw. Is-seminarju hu inter-djoċesan, jiġifieri seminarju wieħed li jiġbor u jifforma s-saċerdoti mid-djoċesijiet kollha tal-honduras, barra dik ta Comayagua, immexxija minn Mons. Roberto Camilleri O.F.M. Biċċa xogħol oħra din! Jien ħdimt għal ftit snin fil-formazzjoni matul l-ewwel snin tas-saċerdozju f Malta. Illum huwa differenti. U ħawn iżjed! Mentalita, trobbija, kultura eċċ. Minn ħafna forsi jibqgħu ftit u bilftit trid taħdem. Investiment kbir. Il-providenza trid tkun u din s issa qatt ma naqset. Jiena u erba saċerdoti oħra nċekċku xi ħaġa bl-ingliż. Kull sena nmorru nżuru xi parroċċi fl-amerika biex indabru xi ħaġa (mission appeals). Għandna benefatturi wkoll minn Malta. Kull qatra tgħen! Sibt ħafna affarijiet tajbin. Nippruvaw intejbuhom. Proġetti fil-qasam tas-saħħa, edukazzjoni u formazzjoni. Nemmen li t-tajjeb trid tapprezzah u ssaħħu. Xortija tajba! Ħawn erġajt saħħaht il-vokazzjoni tiegħi ta saċerdot u franġiskan. Id-djoċesi twieldet u kibret franġiskana. L-isqfijiet, jien ir-raba wieħed, kollha kienu franġiskani. It-tislima ta Paz y Bien tidwi kullimkien. Is-saċerdoti djoċesani trabbew mal-franġiskani. Erba mit-tnax il-parroċċa huma immexxija mill-franġiskani. Il-biċċa kbira tas-sorijiet huma franġiskani. Grazzja kbira li għandna ukoll ilpreżenza tas-sorijiet Klarissi monasteru tal-klawsura. Il-ħajja mhiex wisq kumplikata. Ukoll bħala isqof. Jiena nirraguna li fil-ħajja hemm affarijiet essenzjali, oħrajn importanti u il bqija. Fuq ċerti affarijiet mhux il-lant, li la tkisser rasek u wisq anqas ras l-oħrajn. Il Papa Franġisku, li hu minn din il-parti tal-globu, qed jgħen lid-dinja u lil knisja tipprova tifhem dan. Nippruvaw ngħenu dejjem. Imma qabel nifhmu u nagħdru. Imbgħad wieħed jagħmel li jista, kif jista OFM LINK MARZU 2014 6
u kemm jista. Wara kollox hu Alla li jagħmel kollox. Aħna l bqija. Fejn ma jirnexxilniex... Paċenzja. Ħawn il-paċenzja hija l-akbar virtu. Jekk ma jkollokx, trid trawwimha. Jekk le... Tlett snin. Żmien biżżejjed biex tara, tisma, tgħix u tifforma ġudizzju. Hu l-mulej li jaf il-bidu, kif ukoll it-tmiem. Aħna niskopru l bqija. Żgur li qatt ma ser jħallina weħedna. Paċi u Ġid. ==================================================== P. Joseph Ciappara jakkwista liċenzjat fl-iskrittura Nhar it-tnejn 3 ta' Frar 2014, fl-10 am, fl-aula "Padre Bellarmino Bagatti" talistudium Biblicum Franciscanum ta' Ġerusalemm, P. Joseph Ciappara għamel l-eżami finali tal-istudji tiegħu biex jakkwista l-licenzja (Licentia Docendi) fis-sagra Skrittura fil-fakultà tax-xjenzi Biblici u Arkeoloġija li l-franġiskani tal-kustodja tal-art Imqaddsa jmexxu f'ġerusalemm. P. Joseph iddiskuta t-teżi bit-titlu: "Il Sistema Verbale del Fenicio: Analisi di Iscrizioni Scelte". Kellu bħala Moderatur tat-teżi lil P. Gregor Geiger, professur tal-ebrajk Bibliku, u bħala korrelatur lil Fra Rosario Pierri, professur tal-grieg Bibliku, fl-istess Fakultà. Għad-difiża tat-teżi kien preżenti P. Massimo Pazzini, Dekan tal-fakultà, flimkien ma' diversi studenti u professuri tal-istess istituzzjoni akkademika. Kienu preżenti wkoll numru sabiħ ta' reliġjużi nisa Maltin, flimkien ma' P. Noel Muscat, li ġew biex jifirħu lil P. Joseph f' dan il-jum importanti għalih. L-għażla tas-suġġett kienet tassew waħda oriġinali. P. Joseph sab kuraġġ biex jaffronta suġġett diffiċli mill-professur li segwih, P. Gregor Geiger. Il-Feniċju hi lingwa reġjonali Kangħanija, li kienet mitkellma f' Tir, Sidon, Biblos, fuq il-kosta tal-libanu, u li infirxet mal-mediterran, l-aktar f' Kartaġni u wkoll filgżira tagħna ta' Malta, li kienet kolonja Feniċja, fejn kienet magħrufa bħala Puniku. F' Malta hemm skrizzjoni importanti li minnha ġie deċifrat il-feniċju. Id-diffikultà li kellu quddiemu P. Joseph kienet dik li jagħmel interpretazzjoni tas-sistema verbali tal-feniċju, u jqabbilha mal-ebrajk Bibliku, meta l-feniċju hu misjub biss fuq skrizzjonijiet, li ħafna minnhom huma lakunużi. Nawguraw kull suċċess lil P. Joseph, li ġie mfaħħar mill-professuri li segwewh għas-serjetà akkademika tar-riċerka xjentifika tiegħu fuq suġġett diffiċli u talli ipproduca teżi li hi diġà bidu ta' riċerka dottorali. L-awtoritajiet akkademici tal-istudium Biblicum awguraw lil P. Joseph li jkompli l-analiżi tiegħu bl-iskop li jaffronta issa teżi dottorali, li biha jkun awtorità fil-qasam tal-istudju tal-feniċju u r- rabta tiegħu mal-ebrajk. P. Joseph irringrazzja lill-awtoritajiet akkademiċi u wkoll lill- Provincja Franġiskana Maltija tal-appoġġ li dejjem tatu biex ikun jista' jasal għall-konklużjoni ta' din l- ewwel fażi tal-istudji tiegħu ta' speċjalizzazzjoni biblika. Nawguraw futur mimli success lil P. Joseph u nagħtuh kuraġġ biex ikompli jistudja għas-servizz tal-ordni Franġiskan u tal-istituzzjonijiet akkademici tiegħu. - Inħobb ħafna ngħin lill-bnedmin l-oħra; huwa fil-proxxmu tiegħi li nara lil Alla u Alla, min-naħa tiegħu, jgħini ħafna f ħajti. B. Papa Ġwanni XXIII OFM LINK MARZU 2014 7
Humility as truth and service in St. Francis of Assisi (1) P. Raniero Cantalamessa O.F.M. Cap. 1. Objective and Subjective Humility Last time we saw that Francis of Assisi is a living demonstration that the most useful reform of the Church is that of the way of holiness, which always consists in a courageous return to the Gospel and which must begin from oneself. In this second meditation I would like to reflect further on an aspect of the return to the Gospel, a virtue of Francis. According to Dante Alighieri, all the glory of Francis depends on his having made himself little, [1] namely, on his humility. However, in what did Saint Francis proverbial humility consist? In all the languages the Bible has gone through to reach us, namely Hebrew, Greek, Latin and English, the word humility has two fundamental meanings: one objective, which indicates in fact lowliness, littleness or poverty and one subjective, which indicates the feelingand recognition that one has of one s own littleness. The latter is what we understand by the virtue of humility. When Mary says in the Magnificat: He has regarded the humility (tapeinosis) of his handmaid, she means humility in the objective sense, not the subjective! Because of this, very appropriately the term is translated in many languages as littleness, not as humility. Moreover, how can one think that Mary exalts her humility and attributes God s choice to it without by that fact alone destroying Mary s humility? And yet at times it has been written rashly that Mary does not recognize in herself any virtue other than that of humility, as if, in this way, she did herself a great honor, and not instead a great wrong to this virtue. The virtue of humility has an altogether special statute: it is possessed by those who think they do not have it, and it is not possessed by those who think they have it. Jesus alone can declare himself lowly of heart and truly be so; this, we will see, is the unique and unrepeatable characteristic of the humility of the Man-God. Did Mary, therefore, not have thevirtue of humility? She certainly did have it, and to the highest degree, but only God knew this, she did not. Precisely this, in fact, constitutes the unequaled merit, of true humility: that its perfume is received only by God, not by the one who emanates it. Saint Bernard wrote: The true humble person wants to be regarded as vile, not proclaimed humble. [2] Francis humility is in this line. In this regard, The Little Flowers refer to a significant episode and, in its core, certainly historical. Once when Saint Francis was returning from the forest and from prayer, being on the way out of the forest, the one called Friar Masseo wanted to test how humble he was, and encountering him he said almost provocatively: Why to you, why to you, why to you? Saint Francis answered: What is it that you want to say? Friar Masseo said: I say why does the whole world follow you, and every person seems to want to see you, to hear you, and to obey you? You are not a good looking man in body, you are not of great learning, you are not noble, why then does everyone want to follow you? Hearing this, Saint Francis, altogether overjoyed in spirit [ ] turned to Friar Masseo and said: Do you want to know why me? Do you want to know why me? Do you want to know why the whole world follows me? This I learned that the most holy eyes of God did not see among sinners any one more vile, more insufficient, or a greater sinner than me. [3] 2. Humility as Truth Francis humility has two sources of illumination, one of a theological nature and one of a Christological nature. Let us reflect on the first. We find in the Bible acts of humility that do not come from man, from the consideration of his misery or his own sin, but which have as their sole reason God and his holiness. Such is Isaiah s exclamation, I am a man of unclean lips, in face of the sudden manifestation of the glory and holiness of God in the Temple (Isaiah 6:5 f); such, also is Peter s cry to Jesus after the miraculous catch: Depart from me, for I am a sinful man! (Luke 5:8). OFM LINK MARZU 2014 8
We are before essential humility, that of the creature who becomes conscious of himself in the presence of God. As long as a person measures himself with himself, with others or with society, he will never have the exact idea of what he is; he is lacking the measure. What an infinite accent, wrote Kierkegaard, falls on the I the moment it obtains God as measure! [4] Francis had this humility in an eminent way. A saying that he repeated often was: What a man is before God, that he is, and nothing more. [5] The Little Flowers recount that one night Friar Leo wanted to watch from afar what Francis was doing during his night prayer in the forest of La Verna and from a distance he heard him murmur some words for a long time. The next day the Saint called him and, after having reproved him courteously for having contravened his order, revealed to him the content of his prayer: You know, friar sheep of Jesus Christ, that when I was saying those words that you heard, my soul was shown two lights, one of information and knowledge of myself, the other of information and knowledge of the Creator. When I said: Who are you, O most sweet God of mine? Then I was in a light of contemplation, in which I saw the abyss of the infinite goodness and wisdom and power of God; and when I said: Who am I? I was in the light of contemplation, in which I saw the sad depth of my vileness and misery? [6] It was what Saint Augustine asked God and which he considered the height of all wisdom: Noverim me, noverim te. Let me know myself and let me know You; let me know myself to humble myself and let me know You to love You. [7] Friar Leo s episode is certainly embellished, as always in The Little Flowers, but the content corresponds perfectly with the idea that Francis had of himself and of God. Proof of it is the beginning of the Canticle of creatures with the infinite distance that he puts between God, Most High, Omnipotent, Good Lord, to whom is owed praise, glory, honor and blessing, and the miserable mortal who is not even worthy of mentioning, that is of pronouncing his name. In this light, which I have called theological, humility appears to us essentially as truth. I asked myself one day, wrote Saint Teresa of Avila, why the Lord so loves humility and suddenly there came to my mind, without any reflection on my part, that it must be because he is total Truth, and humility is truth. [8] It is a light that does not humiliate but, on the contrary, gives immense joy and exalts. To be humble in fact does not mean to be unhappy with oneself or to recognize one s own misery, or even one s littleness. It is to look at God before oneself and to measure the abyss that separates the finite from the infinite. The more one realizes this, the more one becomes humble. Then one begins to enjoy one s own nothingness, because it is thanks to it that a face can be offered to God whose littleness and misery has fascinated the heart of the Trinity from eternity. Angela of Foligno, a great disciple of the Poverello, whom Pope Francis has recently proclaimed Saint, exclaimed when close to death: O nothingness unknown, O nothingness unknown. The soul cannot have a better vision in this world than to contemplate its nothingness and dwell in it as in a prison cell. [9] There is a secret in this counsel, a truth that is experienced by testing it. One then discovers that this cell really exists and that one can really enter it every time one wishes. It consists in the quiet and tranquil sentiment of being nothing before God, but a nothing loved by Him! When one is inside the cell of this luminous prison, one no longer sees one s neighbor s defects, or they are seen in another light. One understands that it is possible, with grace and exercise, to realize what the Apostle says, which at first glance seems excessive, namely, to consider all others better than oneself (cf. Philippians 2:3), or at least one understands how this was possible for the saints. To be locked in that prison is, therefore, altogether different from being locked in oneself; instead, it is to open oneself to others, to being, to the objectivity of things, the opposite of what the enemies of Christian humility have always thought. It is to close oneself to egoism, not in egoism. It is the victory over one of the evils that modern psychology also judges ruinous for the human person: narcissism. In that cell, moreover, the enemy does not come in. One day Anthony the Great had a vision : he saw in an instant OFM LINK MARZU 2014 9
all the infinite snares of the enemy spread out over the earth and, moaning, he said: Who then will be able to avoid all these snares? And he heard a voice answer him: Anthony, humility! [10]. Nothing, writes the author of the Imitation of Christ, will succeed in puffing up one who is firmly fixed in God. [11] 3. Humility as Service of Love We have talked about humility as the truth of the creature before God. Paradoxically, however, what most fills Francis soul with wonder is not God s greatness but his humility. In the Praises of God Most High, which are handwritten by him and kept in Assisi, among God s perfections You are Holy, You are Strong. You are Triune and One. You are Love, Charity. You are Wisdom at a certain point Francis inserts an unheard of: You are humility! It is not a title put there by mistake. Francis grasped a most profound truth about God which should also fill us with wonder. God is humility because He is love. In face of human creatures, God finds himself lacking in every capacity not only constrictive but also defensive. If human beings choose, as they have done, to reject his love, He cannot intervene with authority to impose Himself on them. He can do nothing other than respect the free choice of men. One can reject Him, eliminate Him: He will not defend Himself, He will let them do it. Or better, his way of defending himself and of defending men against their very annihilation, will be that of loving again and always, eternally. By its nature love creates dependence and dependence creates humility. So it is, also, mysteriously, in God. Love furnishes, therefore, the key to understand God s humility: one needs little power to show off, instead one needs a lot to put oneself aside, to cancel oneself. God is this unlimited power of concealment of himself and as such He reveals himself in the Incarnation. One has the visible manifestation of God s humility by contemplating Christ who kneels before his disciples to wash their feet and they were, we can imagine it, dirty feet and even more so, when, reduced to the most radical impotence on the cross, He continues to love, without ever condemning. Francis grasped this very close connection between God s humility and the Incarnation. Here are some of his fiery words: Look, he humbles himself every day, as when from the royal seat he descended into the womb of the Virgin; every day He himself comes to us in humble appearance; every day He descends from the bosom of the Father on the altar in the hands of the priest. [12] O sublime humility! O humble sublimity, that the Lord of the universe, God and Son of God, so humiliates himself as to hide himself for our salvation, under the little appearance of bread! Look, brothers, at the humility of God and open your hearts before Him. [13] Thus we have discovered the second reason for Francis humility: the example of Christ. It is the same reason that Paul indicated to the Philippians when he recommended that they have the same sentiments of Christ Jesus who humbled himself and became obedient unto death (Philippians 2:5.8). Before Paul, it was Jesus himself who invited the disciples to imitate his humility: Learn from me, who am gentle and humble in heart! (Matthew 11:29). In what thing, we could ask ourselves, does Jesus tell us to imitate his humility? In what was Jesus humble? Running through the Gospels we do not find even the most minimal admission of fault on Jesus lips, not when he converses with men, or when he converses with the Father. This said incidentally in one of the most hidden but also most convincing proofs, of the divinity of Christ and of the absolute unicity of his conscience. In no saint, in no great one in history and in no founder of religion, does one find such an innocent conscience ikompli fil-ħarġa li jmiss OFM LINK MARZU 2014 10
AĦBARIJIET MILL-PROVINĊJA TAGĦNA Nhar it-tnejn 3 ta' Frar fl-aula "Padre Bellarmino Bagatti" tal-istudium Biblicum Franciscanum ta' Ġerusalemm, ħuna P. Joseph Ciappara ha l-licenzja (Licentia Docendi) fis-sagra Skrittura fil-fakultà tax- Xjenzi Biblici u Arkeoloġija, li l-franġiskani tal-kustodja tal-art Imqaddsa jmexxu f'ġerusalemm. Minn din il-paġna, bħala provinċja nitoobu għalih u nawgurawlu. Ara aktar f paġna 7. Bejn it-3 u s-6 ta Frar il-provinċjal, flimkien ma P. Alex, kompla il-viżta kanonika fi Tripli, il-libja. Nhar il-5 tax-xahar ħadu sehem fil-konċelebrazzjoni li saret fl-4.30 pm ad unur tal-isqof Giovanni Martinelli O.F.M., Vigarju Appostoliku, fl-okkażjoni tal-birthday tiegħu. L-isqof stieden lill-provinċjal biex jgħamel l-omelija. Bħalissa P. Marcello Ghirlando qiegħed jagħmel parti minn din il-fraternita. Imbgħad bejn il-25 u s-27 tax-xahar marru Benghazi, fejn ġew milqugħa mill-isqof Silvestru Magro O.F.M. Hemm ukoll iltaqgħu mal-patrijiet, sorijiet u lajċi. Tajjeb li nkomplu nitolbu għalihom! Fuq inizjattiva ta P. Marcello, il-vigarjati ta Tripli u Benghazi għandhom website ġdida. Għal aktar tagħrif żur il-website tal-provinċja tagħna. Huwa ġie mgħejjun minn P. Joseph Magro. Nhar l-10 ta Frar ġewwa Ruma fil-knisja ta S. Giorgio al Velabro ġiet ċċelebrata l-festa ta S. Pawl fuq inizjattiva tal-ambaxxata Maltija. Fost l-oħrajn kien hemm preżenti P. George, P. Joseph, P. Walter, Fra Clive u Fra Ramon. Il-patrijiet tagħna ta Londra ċċelebrawha nhar id-9 tax-xahar fil-knisja ta Our Lady of the Rosary. Nhar it-13 waslu Malta l-viżitatur Ġenerali, P. Salvatore Ferro, flimkien mas-segretarju tiegħu, Fra Antonio Iacona. Huma marru direttament ir-rabat, fejn bdew il-viżta kanonika. Wara komplew jżuru l- fraternitajiet tal-belt, Tas-Sliema, Għawdex, Baħar iċ-ċagħaq, Ħamrun, Ħal-Far u Marsacala. Barra li l- Viżitatur kellem lil kull patri, kellu ċ-ċans ukoll li jiltaqa mal-isqfijiet u man-nies, li jattendu l-knejjes tagħna. Nhar it-22 il-papa Franġisku ħatar lil Mons. Peter Baldacchino, bħala awżiljarju ta Miami, U.S.A. Mons. Peter tgħammed fil-knisja parrokkjali tagħna ta Tas-Sliema nhar il-5 ta Diċembru 1960 minn P. Karm Frendo(+), għax għamel żmien joqgħod fil-parroċċa tagħna. Nitolbu għalih u nifirħulu!!! OFM LINK MARZU 2014 11
FESTI APRIL 2014 BIRTHDAYS 19. P. Walter Vassallo 1. P. Dionysius Mintoff 23. P. Gorg Bugeja 2. Fra Loreto Zerafa 25. P. Mark Enriquez 3. P. Twanny Chircop P. Mark Ciantar 4. Mons. Jose Bonello 7. Fra Guzepp Debono 12. P. Marcello Ghirlando 23. P. Guzepp Camilleri 24. Mons. Robert Camilleri 26. Fra Ramon Farrugia Xewqat qaddisa!!!!! Pellegrinaġġi fl-art Imqaddsa magħna l-franġiskani 28 Mejju - 5 Ġunju 16 24 ta Lulju 6-14 Awwissu 10-17 Settembru 24 Settembru - 2 Ottubru P. Twanny Chircop O.F.M. Tel. 21 24 22 54 E-mail : comalt@ ofm.org.mt WERREJ 200 sena ilu 2 S. Franġisk u Papa Pawlu VI 3-4 Tlett snin wara 5-7 Humility 8-10 Intervista 10 Aħbarijiet mill-provinċja 11 OFM - LINK L-Editur P. Alexander Borg O.F.M. Patrijiet Franġiskani Triq Dun Pawl Vella Tas-Sliema SLM 3200 Tel. 21 33 11 83 Għall-aħħar aggornamenti hhtp://www.ofm.org.mt Grazzi lil P. Joseph Magro O.F.M. OFM LINK MARZU 2014 12