1st Sunday of Lent – Reading at Mass Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus was led by the Spirit out into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, after which he was very hungry, and the tempter came and said to him, ‘If you are the Son of God, […]

Bejn ilbierah u llum qrajna, fl-ewwel qari tal-quddiesa, il-kapitlu 58 mill-ktieb tal-Profeta Izaija. Dan il-kapitlu ikellimna dwar is-sawm tassew u huwa mimli ezortazzjonijiet, wahda wara l-ohra, biex ahna ninzghu il-libsa tal-hazen biex nghidu hekk. Izaija huwa mizmum bhala l-profeta tas-salvazzjoni u tal-fidwa u f’dan il-kapitlu jifthilna ghajnejna sabiex ma naqghux ilsiera tal-wicc b’iehor, tal-formalizmi, tal-qalb […]

Popolarment meta nghidu li xi hadd huwa Farizew, inkunu qed infissru li huwa wicc b’iehor, u ghaldaqstant nimmaginaw li l-Farizej ta’ zmien Gesù kienu hekk ukoll. L-ewwelnett ma nistghux nitfghu il-Farizej f’keffa wahda u niggeneralizzaw. Li hu zgur hu li kienu nies religjuzi hafna u osservanti. Ghaldaqstant bhal kull kategorija ta’ nies religjuzi kont issib fihom […]

Fit-talba tal-bidu tal-quddiesa ta’ llum nitolbu lil Alla jispirana sabiex dak kollu li naghmlu jibda u jintemm fih. Nitolbuh jimxi maghna wkoll halli nibqghu dejjem fih, f’kull ma nahsbu, nghidu, naghmlu. Li nghixu fih, anzi li nindunaw li ahna fih u hu fina, huwa wiehed mill-ghanijiet tar-Randan: f’kelma wahda li nkunu konxji. Minn xhiex? L-ewwelnett […]

Il-wasla tar-Randan iġġib dejjem magħha f’moħħi l-kwestjoni tas-sawm u l-astinenza. Kull sena f’dan iż-żmien waqt iċ-ċelebrazzjoni tal-liturġija, aħna u nsemmu s-sawm u l-penitenza, inħossni xi ftit skomdu, għax l-impressjoni li nieħu bħala saċerdot hija, li dan hu kliem li ma jirriflettix ir-realtà. Ma naħsibx li nkun qed niżbalja jekk ngħid li s-sens tas-sawm u l-prattika […]

For the Lenten Season you can download for free ‘The Ladder of Divine Ascent’ by St. John Climacus, translated by Archimandrite Lazarus Moore (Harper & Brothers, 1959). John Climacus (c. 579-649) was abbot of the monastery of Catherine on Mount Sinai. His Ladder was the most widely used handbook of the ascetical life in the ancient […]

Is-Smiegħ tal-Kelma ta’ Alla u r-riflessjoni dwar ħajjitna huma parti essenzjali mill-mixja tar-Randan. Fil-Karmnu tal-Mdina, apparti s-smiegħ attent tal-Kelma ta’ Alla kuljum fil-komunita’, matul ir-Randan nidħlu aktar fil-fond tas-smiegħ tal-Kelma ta’ Alla għall-konverżjoni tagħna billi 1. matul ir-Randan fil-komunita’ tinżamm id-drawwa monastika li jinqara kuljum mill-patrijiet “Is-Sellum tal-Perfezzjoni” ta’ San Ġwann Klimaku. Inħeġġukom tissieħbu magħna […]