OORDNIRDNI TALTAL--PPATRIJIETATRIJIET MMINURIINURI -- M A L T AM A L T A PPROROVINĊJAVINĊJA FFRANĠISKANARANĠISKANA TATA’ S’ SANAN PPAWLAWL AAPPOSTLUPPOSTLU

http://www.ofm.org.mthttp://www.ofm.org.mt NNRURU. 197 FRAR 14. 197 FRAR 14

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Il-preżenza tagħna f’ Malta

KAPITLU PROVINĊJALI - 12 sas-17 ta’ Mejju 2014

Knisja u Kunvent S. Marija ta’ Ġesu - Belt Valletta

275 sena ilu

Din is-sena jaħbat il-275 sena mit-twelid ta’ S.Antonio di Sant’Anna Galvao (magħruf bħala Frei Galvao) O.F.M. Hawn se nagħtu xi ħjiel dwar ħajtu. 1739 - Antonio Galvao de Franca twieled f’ Guaratingueta’ fl-istat ta’ Sao Paulo fil-Brazil minn Antonio u Izabel Leite do Barros. Kien ir-raba wieħed fost ħdax aħwa. Studja għand il-Gizwiti f’Belem. Huwa xtaq jidħol magħhom, imma missieru ma riedx. 1760 - Daħal franġiskan u beda n-novizzjat tiegħu f’ Macacu.

11 ta’ Lulju 1762 - Ġie ordnat saċerdot u beda l-istudji tiegħu. 1768 - Maħtur predikatur, konfessur u purtinar tal-kunvent San Francesco f’ Sao Paulo. 2 ta’ Frar 1774 - Waqqaf il-Recolhimento de Nossa Senhora de Conceicao da Luz de Divina

Providencia jew Mosteiro da Luz ( grupp ta’ nisa li jgħexu flimkien mingħajr voti reliġjużi). 1780 - Ġie eżiljat għaliex ipprotesta fuq mewt ta’ suldat. Imma l-poplu qam biex jiddefendih. 1781 - Ġie maħtur President u Mastru tan-novizzi, imma l-isqof ma riedux jħalli l-kunvent tiegħu. 1798 - Minkejja li saru xi protesti, huwa ġie maħtur Gwardjan. 1802 - Elett definitur u wara Kummissarju Viżitatur Delegat u President tal-Kapitlu. Imma dawn l-aħħar ħatriet m’ aċċettahomx minħabba saħħtu. 1811 - Waqqaf il-Recolhimento de Santa Clara ġewwa Sorocaba. Wara huwa waqqaf kunvent ieħor f’ Sao Paulo. Huwa għen ħafna li Suor Helena Maria do Espirito Santo, li għenitu fit-twaqqif tal-opra tiegħu. Huwa baqa’ magħruf għall-ħajja eżemplari u għall-pariri siwja li kien jagħti. Tant li ħafna nies kienu jiġu mil-bogħod biex jitolbuh halli jgħenhom. Fejjaq ukoll ħafna nies. Fl-aħħar snin ta’ ħajtu, bil-permess tal-isqof u tal-provinċjal, mar jgħex fil-kunvent tal-fundazzjoni li waqqaf. 23 ta’ Diċembru 1822 - Huwa miet u ġie midfun quddiem l-altar maġġur tal-knisja tar-Recolhimento da Luz, li kien bena hu stess. 25 t’Ottubru 1998 - Il-B. Papa Gwanni Pawlu II ibbeatifikah. 11 ta’ Mejju 2007 - Il-Papa Benedittu XVI ikkanonizzah fil-belt ta’ Sao Paulo fil-Brazil quddiem 10 kardinali, 400 isqof u folla ta’ 1,500,000 bħala l-ewwel qaddis li twieled il-Brazil. Kienet l-ewwel kanonizazzjoni li dan il-Papa għamel barra mill-Vatikan.

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Id-diskors li għamel Papa Franġisku

lill-Klarissi fil-kappella tal-Kurċifiss ta’ S. Damjan fil-Bażilika ta’ S. Klara - Assisi - 4.10.2013

“I thought that this meeting was going to be as it was twice at Castel Gandolfo, in the Chapter Room, alone with the Sisters, but I confess to you, I don’t have the courage to send the Cardinals away. So let’s hold it like this.

Well, I thank you so much for your welcome and for your prayer for the Church. When a cloistered Sister consecrates her whole life to the Lord, a transformation occurs that one can never fully understand. Our normal thinking would be that this Sister becomes isolated, alone with the Absolute, alone with God; hers is an ascetic, penitent life. But this isn’t the way of a Catholic cloistered Sister, it is not even Christian. The way goes through Christ Jesus. Christ is always at the centre of your life, of your penance, of your community life, of your prayer and also of the

universality of prayer. And what happens on this way is contrary to what is thought is an ascetic cloistered Sister. When she goes on the path of contemplation of Jesus Christ, of prayer and of penance with Jesus Christ, she becomes greatly human. Cloistered Sisters are called to have great humanity, a humanity like that of Mother Church; human, understanding all things of life, being persons who are able to understand human problems, who are able to forgive, who are able to pray to the Lord for people. Your humanity comes on this way, the Incarnation of the Word, the way of Jesus Christ. And what is the sign of such a human Sister? Joy, joy, when there is joy! It makes me sad when I see Sisters who are not joyful. Perhaps they smile, but with the smile of a flight attendant. But not with the smile of joy, of that which comes from within, always with Jesus Christ. Speaking of the Crucified, I said in the Mass today that Francis contemplated him with open eyes, with open wounds, with the blood that ran down. And this is your contemplation: reality -- the reality of Jesus Christ. Not abstract ideas, not abstract ideas, because they dry the head. Contemplation of the wounds of Jesus Christ! And it carried him to Heaven, it did! It is the way of the humanity of Jesus Christ: always with Jesus, the God-Man. And because of this, it’s so lovely when people go to the parlous of convents and ask for prayers, and express their problems. Perhaps the Sister doesn’t say anything extraordinary, but a word that comes to her in fact from the contemplation of Jesus Christ, because the Sister, as the Church, is on the way of being an expert in humanity. And this is your way: not too spiritual! When they are too spiritual, I think of the founder of the convents of your “competition,” Saint Teresa, for instance. When a sister came to her, ugh, with these things … she said to the cook: “Give her a beefsteak!” Always with Jesus Christ, always. The humanity of Jesus Christ! Because the Word came in the flesh, God became flesh for us, and this will give you a human sanctity, great, beautiful, mature -- the holiness of a mother. And the Church wants you like this: mothers, mother, mother -- to give life. When you pray, for instance, for priests, for seminarians you have a maternal relation with them; with prayer you help them to become good pastors of the People of God. But remember Saint Teresa’s beefsteak! It’s important. And this is the first thing: always with Jesus Christ, the wounds of Jesus Christ, the wounds of the Lord, because it’s a reality that he had and bore after the Resurrection.

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And the second thing I would like to say to you, briefly, is about community life. Forgive each other; support one another because community life is not easy. The devil takes advantage of everything to divide! He says: “I don’t want to speak badly, but …” and division begins. No, this is not on, because it doesn’t lead to anything, <it leads> to division. Look after the friendship between you, family life, love among you. And may the convent not be a Purgatory, but a family. There are problems, there will be problems, but, as handled in a family, with love; seek the solution with love; don’t destroy the latter to resolve the former; don’t have competition. Take care of community life, because when community life is like this, like a family, it is in fact the Holy Spirit who is in the midst of the community. These are the two things I would like to say to you: contemplation always, always with Jesus; Jesus, God and Man. And community life always with a big heart, letting things be, not boasting, enduring everything, smiling from the heart. It is the sign that there is joy. And I ask this joy of you, which is born in fact from true contemplation and beautiful community life. Thank you! Thank you for your hospitality. I ask you, please, to pray for me, don’t forget to do so! Before the Blessing, we pray to Our Lady: Hail Mary …

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P. Tonin Vella O.F.M. Twelid : : 4 t’ Awwissu 1926, Valletta Libes it-tonka franġiskana : 8 ta’ Settembru 1926 L-ewwel wegħdiet : 10 ta’ Settembru 1944 Professjoni Solenni : 28 ta’ Diċembru 1947 Ordinazzjoni saċerdotali : 5 t’ Awwissu 1951 Ħadem bħala missjunarju fil-Honduras, Toronto u l-Awstralja. F’ dawn l-aħħar snin kien qiegħed fil-komunita’ tal-Ħamrun u disponibbli ħafna għall-qrar.

Agħtih, o Mulej, il-mistrieħ ta’ dejjem

Mulej, mingħajrek ma nistgħu nagħmlu xejn : għinna nsibu mezzi u triqat ġodda biex il-Provinċja tagħna tiġġedded spiritwalment

"Francis of Assisi and the Reform of the Church by the Way of Holiness." (2)

3. Francis and the Return to the Gospel

If he did not wish to be a reformer, what then did Francis want to be and do? In regard to this we also have the good fortune of having the direct testimony of the Saint in his Testament:

“And after the Lord gave me friars, no one showed me what I should do; but the Most High Himself revealed to me that I must live according to the way of the holy Gospel. And I with few words and sim-ply, had it written, and the Lord Pope confirmed it to me.”

He alludes to the moment in which, during a Mass, he heard the passage of the Gospel where Jesus sends his disciples: “He sent them out to preach the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. And he said to them, ‘Take nothing for your journey, no staff, no bag, nor bread, nor money; and do not have two tunics” (Luke 9:2-3). [vi] It was a dazzling revelation of those that give direction to a whole life. >From that day on his mission was clear: a simple and radical return to the real Gospel lived and preached by Jesus. To restore in the world the way and style of life of Jesus and of the Apostles described in the Gospels. Writing the Rule for his friars, he began thus: “The Rule and life of the friars is this, namely to observe the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ”.

Francis did not theorize his discovery, making it a programme for the reform of the Church. He fulfilled the reform in himself and thus pointed out tacitly to the Church the only way to come out of the crisis: to draw near again to the Gospel, to draw near again to men and, in particular, to the humble and the poor.

This return to the Gospel is reflected first of all in Francis’ preaching. It is surprising, but everyone noted it: the Poverello speaks almost always of “doing penance.” Henceforth, narrates Celano, he began to preach penance with great fervor and exultance, edifying all with the simplicity of his word and the magnificence of his heart. Wherever he went, Francis said, recommended, implored that they do pen-ance. [vii]

What did Francis intend with this word which he had so much at heart? On this matter we fell (at least I fell for a long time) into error. We reduced Francis’ message to a simple moral exhortation, to a beating of the breast, afflicting and mortifying oneself to expiate sins, while it has all the vastness and breath of the Gospel of Christ. Francis did not exhort to do “penances,” but to do “penance” (in the singular!) which, we will see, is altogether another thing.

With the exception of a few cases that we know, the Poverello wrote in Latin. And what do we find in the Latin text of his Testament when he writes: “The Lord gave me, friar Francis, to begin thus to do penance”? We find the expression “poenitentiam agere.” It is known that he loved to express himself with the very words of Jesus. And that word – to do penance – is the word with which Jesus began to preach and that he repeated in every city and village where he went:

“After John was arrested, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the Gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent, and believe in the Gospel” (Mark 1:15).

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The word that today is translated as “be converted” or “repent,” in the text of the Vulgate used by the Poverello sounded as “poenitemini” and in Acts 2:37 yet more literally “poenitentiam agite,” do pen-ance. Francis did nothing other than re-launch the great appeal to conversion with which Jesus’ preach-ing is opened in the Gospel and that of the Apostles on the day of Pentecost. What he meant by conver-sion he did not need to explain: his whole life showed it.

Francis did in his time what was intended at the time of Vatican Council II with the motto: “pull down the bastions”: break the isolation of the Church and bring her back to contact with the people. One of the factors of the obscuring of the Gospel was the transformation of authority understood as service, to authority understood as power, which produced infinite conflicts within and outside the Church. Fran-cis resolved the problem on his own in an evangelical sense. In his Order, an absolute novelty, the Su-periors would be called ministers, that is, servants, and all the other friars, namely, brothers.

Another wall of separation between the Church and the people was the science and culture of which the clergy and monks had, in practice, a monopoly. Francis knew this and that is why he took the dras-tic position that we know on this point. He was not concerned with science-knowledge, but with sci-ence-power; that which privileged one who could read over one who could not read and allowed him to command his brother haughtily: “Bring me the Breviary!” During the famous chapter of the reed mats he answered some of his friars, who wanted to push him to adapt himself to the attitude of the learned “Orders” of the time, with words of fire that, we read, left the friars penetrated by fear:

“Brothers, my brothers, God has called me to walk on the path of simplicity and he showed it to me. Hence I do not want you to mention to me other Rules, not that of Saint Augustine, not that of Saint Bernard or of Saint Benedict. The Lord revealed to me his wish that I be a madman in the world: this is the science to which God wants us to dedicate ourselves! He will confound you through your very sci-ence and learning.” [viii]

He always had the same coherent attitude. He wanted for himself and his friars the most rigid poverty, but, in the Rule, he exhorts them “not to show contempt and to judge the men that they see dressed in soft and colorful clothes and using delicate food and drinks, but rather each one should judge and de-spise himself.” [ix] Choose to be an illiterate, but do not condemn science. Once he was assured that science would not extinguish “the spirit of holy prayer and devotion,” he himself allowed friar An-thony (the future St. Anthony of Padua) to dedicate himself to teaching theology and Saint Bonaven-ture did not believe he was betraying the spirit of the founder, opening the Order to studies in the great universities.

Yves Congar sees in this one of the essential conditions of “true reform” in the Church, the reform, that is, that remains such and is not transformed into schism: in other words, the capacity not to absolutize one’s intuition, but to remain in communion with the whole that is the Church. [x] The conviction, says Pope Francis in his recent Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, that “the whole is greater than the part.”

4. How to Imitate Francis

What does Francis’ experience say to us today? What can we all imitate of him right now? Be it those that God calls to reform the Church by the way of holiness, be it those who feel called to renew her by way of criticism, be it those who he himself calls to reform her by way of the office that they hold? The

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same thing from which Francis’ spiritual adventure began: his conversion from the I to God, his denial of self. It is thus that true reformers are born, those who really change something in the Church, people who are dead to themselves. Better still, those who decide seriously to die to themselves, because it is an enterprise that lasts the whole of life and also beyond, if, as Saint Teresa of Avila said jokingly, our self-love dies 20 minutes after us.

Silvanus of Mount Athos, a holy Orthodox monk, said: “To be truly free, it is necessary to begin to bind oneself.” Men such as these are free with the freedom of the Spirit; nothing stops them and noth-ing frightens them anymore. They become reformers by way of holiness, and not only by way of of-fice.

But what does Jesus’ proposal mean to deny oneself? Can it still be proposed to a world that speaks only of self-realization, self-affirmation? Denial is never an end in itself, or an ideal in itself. The most important thing is positive: If one wants to follow me; it is the following of Christ, to possess Christ. To say no to oneself is the means; to say yes to Christ is the end. Paul represents it as a sort of law of thespirit: “If with the help of the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body you will live” (Romans

8:13). This, as we see, is a dying to live; it is the opposite of the philosophical vision according to which human life is “a living to die” (Heidegger).

It is about knowing which foundation we want to give to our existence: if our “I” or “Christ”; in Paul’s language, if we wish to live “for ourselves” or “for the Lord” (cf. 2 Corinthians 5:15; Romans 14:7-8). To live “for oneself” means to live for one’s own comfort, one’s own glory, one’s own advancement; to live “for the Lord” means to always put in the first place, in our intentions, the glory of Christ, the interests of the Kingdom and of the Church. Every “no,” small or big, said to oneself out of love, is a yes said to Christ. We must avoid deluding ourselves. It is not about knowing everything about Chris-tian denial, its beauty and necessity; it is about passing to the act, to practice it. A great ancient spiritual teacher said: “It is possible to break ten times one’s will in a very brief time; and I will tell you how. One is strolling and sees something; his thought tells him: “Look there,” but he answers his thought: “no, I will not look,” and thus he breaks his own will. Then he meets others who are talking evil about someone and his thought tells him: “You, too, say what you know,” and he breaks his will by being silent,” [xi]

This ancient Father gives, as we see, all examples drawn from the monastic life. But they can be easily updated and adapted to the life of each one, clergy and laity. You encounter, if not a leper as Francis, a poor man that you know will ask you for something; your old man pushed you to go to the opposite side of the street, but, instead, you do violence to yourself and go to meet him, perhaps giving him only a greeting or a smile, if you cannot do more. You are given the occasion for an illicit profit: you say no and you have denied yourself. You are contradicted in an idea; wounded in your pride, you want to fight back energetically, be silent and wait: you will have broken your I. You think you have received a wrong, a mistreatment or an office inadequate to your merits: you would like to have everyone note it, closing yourself in a tacit reproof. You say no, you break the silence, smile and reopen the dialogue. You have denied yourself and saved charity. And so on.

A sign that one is at a good point of the struggle against one’s I is the capacity or at least the effort to rejoice for the good done or the promotion received by another, as if it were for oneself.

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Mixgħela ta’ kuluri

Żgur li kull pellegrin, hekk kif jidħol fil-Bażilika ta’ Santa Marija tal-Anġli, l-ewwel ħarsa tiegħu tmur dritt fuq il-kappella ċkejkna li hemm taħt il-famuża koppla tal-istess Bażilika. Hekk kif tmidd saqqajk tara l-kliem mal-art hic locus sanctus est - dan hu post qaddis - u trid jew ma tridx tħossok dieħel f’post misterjuż. Hija ġiet mibnija bil-ġebel tas-Subasio u għandha forma ta’ sala b’abside, b’volta tas-saqaf oġivali (ġejja għall-ponta). Hija tipikament forma ta’ sempliċita franġiskana primittiva, li tħalla hekk biex aktar ikun post ta’ talb u ġabra.

Mal-ħajt fuq altar sempliċi żgur se tolqtok pittura kbira, li ġiet kkumissjonata mill-patri Francesco da Sangemini lill-pittur Ilario Zacchi da Viterbo, magħruf bħala Prete Ilario fl-1393, kif wieħed jista jaqra fl-iskrizzjoni, magħmula minn ittri gotiċi tad-deheb, li ddur mal-korniċun: Istam tabulam fecit fieri

frate Franciscus de Sancto Gemino de helemosynis procuratis. Anno Domini MCCCLXXXXIII. Incepta

de mense Augusti completa de mense Novembris. In istis partibus durante guerra et carestia. Presbyter

Ylarius de Viterbo pinxit. (Dan il-kwadru ġie kkumissjonat minn frate Francesco da Sangemini, wara li sar ġbir għalih fis-sena tal-Mulej 1393. Bdih fix-xahar t’ Awwissu u temmu fix-xahar ta’ Novembru, waqt li f’dawn l-inħawi kien hawn il-gwerra u l-ġuħ. Pittru Prete Ilaro da Viterbo). Tagħrif dwar dan il-pittur kważi m’għandna xejn. Xi whud jaħsbu li dak iż-żmien kien qiegħed jgħex eżiljat minn beltu, peress li fl-iskrizzjoni huwa jsemmi ‘l-gwerra u l-ġuħ’. Hemm min jaħseb li l-awtur kien prijur ta’ S. Angelo de Spatha ġewwa Viterbo. Fil-fatt hemm xi pittura ġewwa Viterbo, li jingħad li għamilhom dan ir-reliġjuż. Forsi l-kwadri l-oħra intilfu jew tkissru. Fi’ żgur li hu, illi din il-pittura, li tinsab ġewwa l-Porzjunkola, hija l-unika waħda li għandha fuqha l-firma u d-data. Jista’ jkun ukoll li f’din l-opra huwa ġie megħjun minn oħrajn, per-ess li li hemm xi dubbji dwar jekk l-istil li ġiet impittra l-parti ċen-trali hijiex differenti mill-partijiet l-oħra ta’ madwarha. Fil-fatt hija opra kbira ħafna u magħmula minn bosta biċċiet ta’ injam skur maqgħdin flimkien f’forma oġivali u imtawla. Hija maqsuma fi tlett partijiet: il-wiċċ tagħha huwa lixx u kbir, minn korniċun estern u dekorattiv u bradella b’forma rettangulari. Fin-nofs, b’mod ċentrali, naraw it-tħabbira tal-arkanġlu Gabriel lil Marija - b’Marija bilqegħda, waqt li kienet qed timmedita l-Bibbja, l-Ispirtu s-Santu mibgħut mill-Missier u l-anġlu għarkuptejh. Wieħed jinnota li fil-vażun hemm tlett ġilji, li forsi biex jfakkruna fil-verġinita’ tagħha: qabel, waqt u wara t-twelid ta’ Ġesu’ - ħaġa li tispikka fil-marjolioġija franġiskana. Din l-idea ta’ xebh bejn il-Porzjunkola u l-Lunzjata tidher f’ S. Bonaventura (LM 3,1 {FSF 1149}). Hemm min jgħid li b’mod artistiku hija tal-iskola senese, ispirata lejn Simone Martini. Fil-fatt hemm pittura dwar l-istess fatt, impittra fl-1333 minn Simone Martini u Lippo Memmi, li tixbaħha ħafna (ara ritratt). Madwar din il-pittura jidhru dawn il-qaddisin : S. Anton Abbati ; S. Gilormu ; S. Rokku ; Santu Wistin ; S. Lawrenz ; S. Klara ; S. Benedittu u S. Anjeze, martri. Huma qaddisin li f’dak iż-żmien kien hemm devozzjoni kbira lejhom. Taħt dawn il-qaddisin jidhru żewġ persuni qosra, li milli jidher

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Madwar ix-xena ta’ Nazaret jidhru dawn il-ġrajjiet ta’ ħajjiet Franġisku: fil-lemin minn isfel - Franġisku jiġi mġarrab mix-xitan, Franġisku jittie-ħed minn żewġ anġli lejn il-Porzjunkola; fil-lemin fil-għoli, il-Papa Onorju jagħti lil Franġisku l-Indulgenza tal-Porzjunkola, Franġisku jħab-bar din l-indulgenza lill-poplu flimkien ma’ seba isqfijiet tal-Umbrija. Fuq nett - l-ikbar biċċa - Franġisku qiegħed joffri bukett ta’ ward bojod u ħomor lil Ġesu u Marija, li jinsabu mdawwrin b’ qtajja kbira ta’ anġli (hemm mas-60 anġlu). Għal żmien twil dan il-pittura kienet miksija b’kisja tal-fidda bħala protezzjoni mid-duħħan tax-xemgħa biex hekk ma ssirlx ħsara. Dan l-aħħar reġa sar restawr b’tant eżattizza biex il-kuluri oriġinali jistgħu jidhru aħjar.

N.B. Għal aktar tagħrif ara : Il perdono di Assisi nella pala di Prete Ilario da Viterbo, Ed. Basilica S. Maria degli Angeli in Porziuncola.

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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“Blessed is that servant,” writes Francis in one of his Admonitions, “who does not become proud over the good that the Lord says and works through him more than for the good that He says and does through another.”

A difficult aim (I certainly do not speak about it as one who has arrived there) but Francis’ life has showed us what can be born from the denial of oneself made in response to grace. The final aim is to be able to say with Paul and with him: “It is no longer I who live, Christ lives in me.” And it will mean full joy and peace, already on this earth. With his “perfect happiness” Francis is a living witness to “the joy of the Gospel”, the Evangelii gaudium.

i Y. Congar, True and False Reform of the Church, Milan, Jaca Books, 1972, p. 194. ii Celano, Vita Prima, VOO, 17 (FF 348). iii Cf. Celano, Vita Seconda, V, 9 (FF592). iv Cf. Celano, Vita Prima, III, 7 (FF, 331). v Bihhmeyer – Tuckle, II, p. 239. vi Legend of the Three Companions, VIII (FF 1431, f.). vii FF, 358; 1436 f.; 1508. viii Legenda Perugina 114 (FF 1673). ix Sealed Rule, chapter II. x On the conditions of a true reform see Congar, op, cit., pp. 177 ff. xi Dorotheus of Gaza, Spiritual Works, I, 20 (SCH 92, p. 177).

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Mill-gazzetti

Intervista ma’ P. Marcello Ghirlando O.F.M.

N.B. Hawn qed jidhru xi partijiet minn intervista li saret lil P. Marcello Ghirlando u li dehru fir-rivista Dawl Franġiskan tul is-sena 2013. Kemm ilek eżorċista? Kien hemm xi ħadd li għamilt esperjenzi miegħu jew għallmek? Ilni eżorċista mill-1995. Għamilt tliet snin naħdem darba fil-ġimgħa ma’ Don Gabriele Amorth (ndr. eżorċista taljan magħruf, li ppublika ukoll bosta kotba fuq dan). Min dakinhar tħarriġt xi ftit u bdejt naqra letteratura li għandha x’taqsam ma’ dan il-ministeru ta’ fejqan u ħelsien tal-Knisja. Illum ngħal-lem ukoll kors fl-Universita tagħna rigward dan is-suġġett. Għaliex ix-xitan jaħkem persuna? Jista’ jkun li l-persuna tiftaħlu l-bieb, kif ngħidu aħna: bid-dnub, bil-parteċipazzjoni fid-diversi forom tal-okkult u s-sataniżmu. Bniedem jista’ jagħmel esperjenza tal-ħakma tax-xitan, jekk ikun vittma tal-okkult li jaħdem ħaddieħor, bħal fil-każi rari tal-magħmul. Xi kultant Alla jippermetti dan it-tip ta’ tbatija f’ persuna biex joħroġ ġid akbar fiha stess u f’dawk ta’ madwarha. Saħansitra anki xi qaddisin għaddew minn din l-esperjenza ta’ tbatija. Fuq liema livelli jista’ jaħkem persuna? Ix-xitan jista’ jattakka lill-bniedem fuq livell psikoloġiku, psikiku u fiżiku. Jista’ jattakka dawk il-bnadi tal-ħajja tal-bniedem li huma l-aktar għeżież għalih : ir-relazzjoni tal-bniedem ma’ Alla, ir-relazzjonijiet familjari, ir-relazzjonijiet ta’ mħabba, eċċ. Il-fatt li s-sens ta’ Alla naqas u qegħdin ngħixu f’ dinja li qegħda twarrab lil Alla, jista jagħti lok għal aktar każi ta’ possessjoni? Iva. Anki jekk ix-xitan ‘jippreferi’ jattakka lil dawk li qegħdin jippruvaw jgħixu tajjeb bħala dixxipli ta’ Ġesu’. Min iwarrab direttament lil Alla diġa qiegħed fil-għalqa tiegħu u ma tantx jeħtieġ sforz biex jaħdem fuqu. X’inhuma l-armi li għandna f’idejna biex niddefendu ruħna kontra x-xitan? L-Iskrittura hija ċara: l-armi tagħna huma l-imħabba; l-imħabba lejn Alla u lejn il-bnedmin; l-ubbidjenza lejn il-pjan ta’ Alla; il-prattika tal-maħfra tal-qalb; it-talb; li noqorbu lejn l-Iskrittura u s-sagramenti, speċjalment il-Qrar u l-Ewkaristija; il-qawwa tal-Ispirtu s-Santu fina, l-interċessjoni tal-Madonna u tal-qaddisin.

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Dan il-ktieb, li inkiteb minn P. Marcello Ghirlando u Mr David Zammit jidħol aktar fid-dettal fuq dan is-suġġett. Huwa ġie ppublikat mill-Edizzjoni TAU fl-1997 u jista’ jinxtara mingħand il-librara ewlenin.

AĦBARIJIET MILL-PROVINĊJA TAGĦNA Fil-Gazzetta tal-Gvern ġiet ppublikat l-avviż, li l-aħħar parti ta’ Triq Villambrosa - Ħamrun, mill-wesgħa ta’ quddiem il-Knisja tagħna ta’ S. Franġisk lejn l-Imsida, se tibda tissejjaħ TRIQ IL-FRANĠISKANI. Fit-30 ta’ Diċembru saret quddiesa u laqgħa soċjali għall-patrijiet u l-familjari tagħhom ġewwa d-Dar tal-Irtiri Porzjunkola. Fis-6 ta’ Jannar 2014 saret quddiesa konċelebrata mill-Provinċjal u xi aħwa fil-kappella tal-monasterju tal-Klarissi fl-okkażjoni tas-solennita’ tal-Epifanija tal-Mulej. Fit-8 ta’ Jannar miet ħuna P. Tonin Vella fil-kunvent tal-Ħamrun. Il-funeral sar l-għada filgħodu fil-knisja tagħna tal-Ħamrun. Agħtih, o Mulej, il-mistrieħ ta’ dejjem. Ara p. 4 Fid-9 ta’ Jannar beda kors bibliku ieħor ta’ 5 laqgħat miftuħ għal kulħadd, organizzat mill-Kummissarjat tal-Art Imqadddsa, dwar il-Profeti. Il-kors tmexxa minn Sr. Marie Scicluna RSCJ. Dan huwa impenn ieħor li l-Kummissarjat joffri mhux biss pelegrinaġġi għall-Art Imqaddsa, imma korsijiet simili bħala formazzjoni biblika. Fl-10 ta’ Jannar, bħala parti mill-Valletta International Baroque Festival 2014, fil-knisja tagħna tal-Belt ittelegħet il-Messiah ta’ Handel, b’solisti, mużiċisti u kor. Fl-20 ta’ Jannar saret il-laqgħa tad-Definitorju fil-kunvent ta’ Tas-Sliema, fejn fiha ġew mistiedna l-Gwardjani tal-fraternitajiet tagħna. Flimkien taw harsa lejn is-sitwazzjoni preżenti tal-Provinċja u x’jista jsir fix-xhur li ġejjin. Fil-fatt il-fraternitajiet se jorganizzaw irtir fi Frar u Marzu biex jirflettu dwar is-sehem tagħna fid-dinja tal-lum skond l-enċiklika Evangelii Gaudium.

Fil-21 ta’ Jannar reġa wasal fostna l-Viżitatur Ġenerali, fejn fost l-oħrajn, kien preżenti għal-ftuħ tal-voti li rċeva mill-patrijiet. Ir-riżultat tal-ewwel vot preliminarju għas-servizz ta’ Provinċjal ġie mħabbar f’ jiem ta’ wara.

Fil-25 ta’ Jannar ġewwa l-kappella tad-Dar tal-Irtiri Porzjunkola saret quddiesa konċelebrata mill-Isqof Mons. Silvestru Magro O.F.M., bħala l-ewwel isqof tal-Provinċja flimkien mal-Viżitatur Ġenerali, l-Provinċjal u numru sabiħ ta’ aħwa. Il-Provinċjal għamel kelmtejn ta’ inkuraġġiment. Wara r-ritratt tal-grupp, saret ikla fraterna. ( ara ritratt p. 12 )

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P. George Bugeja flimkien mal-Papa Franġisku, waqt laqgħa li fiha l-Papa jiltaqa’ mal-membri

tal-Kongregazzjoni għall-Evanġelizazzjoni tal-Popli

FESTI MARZU 2014 BIRTHDAYS 19. P. Ġużepp Camilleri 11. P. Joseph Magro P. Joe Caruana 15. P. Paul Attard Mons. Joe Bonello 21. P. Walter Vassallo Fra Ġużepp Debono 24. P. Gabriel Micallef P. Joseph Magro 29. Fra Clive Camilleri P. Joseph Ciappara

Xewqat qaddisa !!!!!!

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WERREJ

275 sena ilu 2 Diskors tal-Papa 3 - 4 Francis of Assisi and Reform 5 - 7 Mixgħela ta’ kuluri 8 - 9 Intervista 10 Aħbarijiet mill-Provinċja 11

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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.

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ta’ Jannar 2014

Ara p. 11