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MEJJU 2010

Vocations e-newsletter

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MESSAGG TAD-DIRETTUR TAC-CENTRU TAL-VOKAZZJONIJIET

FINAL ANALYSIS

VOCATIONS FAQS

NEW WEBSITES

VOCATIONS FAQS

MESSAGG TAD-DIRETTUR TAC-CENTRU TAL-VOKAZZJONIJIET

Fr. Michael

<dunkilin@catholic.org> Dawk l-idejn! L-imħabba ta' omm lejn uliedha spiss hija l-kejl ta’ kemm hi kbira u sa fejn kapaċi tasal l-imħabba. Imma isimgħu din il-ġrajja u ddeċiedu għalikom: Tifel ta' xi 13-il sena, li dan l-aħħar kien beda’ jmaqdar bl-addoċċ lill-ġenituri tiegħu, induna li ommu kellha jdejha ħorox u qishom ta’ mara xiħa. Spiss kien jgħidilna: “Mà, inti moħħok biex tidher iżgħar. Imma ma tindunax li għandek idejk daqshekk koroħ?” Jgħidu li t-tfal ma jafux jaħbu, imma hemm mod u mod kif titkellem il-verità. Tassew li dik l-omm kellha jdejha kollha mtebbgħin u mkemmxin. Kliem binha kien iweġġagħha mhux ftit, tant li kienet tmur f'kamra oħra biex tkun tista' tixxotta d-dmugħ. It-tifel kien baqa’ jirrepeti dawn il-kelmiet lil ommu, sakemm darba semgħu missieru. Dan, meta darba nzerta waħdu mat-tifel, qallu li xtaq igħidlu storja: “Kien hemm tifel li meta kien għadu żgħir ħafna, hekk kif beda’ jitgħallem jimxi, kien involut f’inċident li kellu konsegwenzi serji. Dan id-daqsxejn ta' tifel kien fil-kċina, jiggranfa mal-cupboards biex iżomm wieqaf. F’ħin minnhom beda’ riesaq lejn il-cooker li fuqu kien hemm borma bil-misħun jagħli. Bla ħsieb ta' xejn, it-tifel ċaqlaq il-borma u din inqalbet. Ommu, li kienet fil-viċin, mal-ewwel intebħet bil-periklu. Ġriet biex tneħħi 'l binha minn taħt il-borma. Irnexxielha. Iżda l-misħun jagħli waqa' kollu fuq idejha.” Hawn il-missier waqaf għal ftit sekondi. Imbagħad ħares f’għajnejn ibnu, u spiċċa l-istorja hekk: 'Dak it-tifel hu int, u dik l-omm il-mummy tiegħek.” It-tifel inħasad bl-istorja ta' missieru. Malajr għamel paragun bejn il-kuraġġ tagħha u l-kummenti vojta li spiss kien qed jgħaddi biex mingħalih iħossu adult. Dak l-ħin stess mar sab lil ommu, talabha taħfirlu u għannaqha.

Kemm jiġrilna li nikkalkulaw lil ħaddieħor skont l-ewwel impressjoni li nieħdu. “Ara dak kemm qiegħed sew...” U mbagħad erħilna nżidu xi kumment negattiv fuq il-persuna, forsi bla ma nindenjaw ruħna niċċekkjaw hux veru jew le. Dak li smajna (jew rajna) nqisu li għandna l-permess inxandruh! Ovvjament, dak li jagħmlu lil ħaddieħor jistgħu jagħmluh lilna wkoll, imma dik storja oħra! U xi ngħidu għall-ġenituri tagħna? Hadd m’hu perfett. Kull omm u kull missier jitgħallmu mill-iżbalji tagħhom. Imma jien

nipprova nkun tolleranti? Malli jkollhom jgħiduli “le” (għall-ġid tiegħi) ninsa kemm ikunu għamlu sagrifiċċju u kemm jitħabtu biex jaqduni lejl u nhar! Allaħares xi ħadd joffendini b’ommi! Imma mbagħad lil ommi kemm-il darba nkellimha iebes, ngħolli leħni magħha, jew forsi anke nipprova nerfa’ jdejja fuqha? U l-ġenituri ħafna drabi ma jirritaljawx. Ma jpattux. Ma jaqtgħux qalbhom. Avolja bnedmin, nistħajluhom tal-ħadid. U b’dan il-mod ikunu jgħallmuna nkunu kuntenti anke bl-iċken affarijiet possibbli – bħal tbissima, jew kumment ta’ apprezzament – kultant anke bix-xejn! Jgħallmuna nkunu kuraġġjużi quddiem sitwazzjonijiet li jidhru akbar minna. Jgħallmuna li s-saħħa mhux li tasal waħdek imma li tasal billi tħalli lil ħaddieħor jgħinek (u tgħin int lil ħaddieħor). Jgħallmuna li hu sabiħ taħseb f’Alla u jipprovaw juruna fejn qiegħed kull meta jaqsmu magħna mumenti sbieħ. Il-ġenituri tagħna huma dawk li jsawwru l-ġejjieni tas-soċjetà mingħajr daqq tat-trombi u ftaħir. Din ir-rejaltà l-Knisja tagħrafha tant li fit-tagħlim tagħha naqraw: “Ġenituri, intom li fis-skiet ta' djarkom tagħtu l-ewwel tagħlim, fittxu li tgħaddu lil uliedkom dawk it-tradizzjonijiet ta' missirijietkom, filwaqt li tkunu qegħdin tippreparawhom għal ġejjieni mhux magħruf. Ftakru dejjem li intom, permezz ta’ wliedkom, tagħmlu parti mill-ġejjieni, għad li forsi ma tarawhx.” Din hija l-vera ġenerożità li tagħmel minn kull omm u minn kull missier, mudell- eroj fil-bini tas-soċjetà u ta' kultura favur il-ħajja. Fejn is-soċjetà tfalli, l-ġenituri ma jaqtgħu qalbhom qatt. Għalhekk huma meħtieġa flimkien. Li tkun omm u missier hija sejħa nobbli u tfakkarna meta Ġesù bagħat lid-dixxipli tiegħu “tnejn tnejn”. Aħna obbligati lejhom b'ġustizzja li nirrikonoxxu l-ħidma umli u prezzjuża tal-ġenituri fid-dinja kollha.

Fr Mike

Vocations FAQ’S

How do you know you have a vocation to the priesthood? Through Baptism every Christian has a vocation, that is, a call to holiness from God. The

Holy Spirit invites all of us to share our gifts, talents and lives in some unique way. It may

be as a single person giving witness to Christ by living a life directed by the Gospel mes-

sage. It may be as a married person dedicating one’s life and love to another and sharing in

faith within a family. It may be as a religious brother or sister dedicating one’s life to ser-

vice and ministry in the Church. Or, it may be as a priest, leading the community of the

faithful through the sacraments and sharing in the life-journey of God’s people. You may

feel Christ calling you to serve the people of God. Christ doesn’t call us in the same direct

way he called the apostles. Christ often calls us from a silent voice deep within: “Come and

follow me. Dedicate your life to me and to the spread of the Gospel.”

What does a priest do all day? What a priest does with his day is so varied and complex that only a sampling can be given

here. Prayer, work, exercise and leisure are all necessary for a healthy life. We try to make

sure we have a balance of all these – but we don’t always succeed.

In the area of work (ministry), many of us have one main occupation, such as teaching,

parish ministry, social work, or hospital work, all of which have somewhat regular hours

and predictable demands.

The unpredictable demands are also interesting and challenging. They center on meeting

the needs of people: the sick, old, angry, hurt, hungry, imprisoned, excited, happy. We

share with them our understanding, encouragement, and support. We rejoice, cry, and cele-

brate with them. Such events are both painful and rewarding, fatiguing and empowering

Can priests date? No, because dating is meant to lead one to marriage, and as celibates, marriage is not our

vocation. However, we can and do have close friends.

Do you ever get lonely? As in any way of life, there are times of loneliness for priests. When we feel lonely, this can

be an invitation to focus our attention on Christ, and to seek out those healthy friendships

which will sustain us throughout our lives.

Do you have to be an "A" student in the seminary? A seminarian should be an average or above average student. A priest need not

be a “brain,” but on the other hand a priest must have the ability to pass the

graduate-level courses the seminary requires in order to serve the Christian

community well.

What is the difference between a diocesan priest and a religious priest? A diocesan priest ordinarily serves the Church within a geographical area of the church,

known as a “diocese.” He ordinarily serves the people as a parish priest, but he may also be

involved in many other forms of ministry: teaching, Chaplain in hospitals, prisons, campus

ministry, etc. A religious priest, on the other hand, is a member of a community that goes

beyond the geographical limits of any diocese. For the diocesan priest, the people of his par-

ish become his primary “faith community.” For a religious priest, the other members of his

order constitute the primary community in which he lives and worships.

Frequently asked questions

WEBSITES

www.thinkingfaith.org http://www.cin.org/