10 ta’ April 2020
Mument ta’ talb tal-bidu u avviżi
Wara mument qasir ta’ talb, saret preżentazzjoni qasira tal-għan tas-sessjoni.
Iż-żmien tal-Covid-19 ġabna aktar konxji tar-realtà diġitali fil-ħajja tagħna ta’ kuljum u min-naħa l-oħra tal-limiti tagħha. L-għeluq tal-knejjes għall-quddies – flimkien ma restrizzjonijiet oħra – ġab miegħu ukoll kreattività min-naħa ta’ diversi saċerdoti, parroċċi u entitatijiet oħra sabiex tissaħħaħ il-presenza tal-Knisja viċin tan-nies fir-realtajiet diversi: minn akkumpanjament quddiem l-isfidi – per eżempju fuq livell ta’ saħħa mentali – għal celebrazzjoni tal-fidi u katekeżi.
Din l-għażla ta’ preżenża diġitali titlob ukoll riflessjoni sabiex ma nkunux “ġebla” ta’ ostaklu iżda noqorbu dejjem aktar għal preżenza ta’ fidi għax mibnija fuq il-blata li hu Kristu (ara l-ewwel sessjoni – talk Fr Paul).
Rev. Dr Pete Phillips
Direttur tal-CODEC Research Centre for Digital Theology
Wara li offra perspettiva ħafifa tal-letteratura marbuta mat-tema, identifika numru ta’ elementi neċessarji sabiex nesprimu aħjar x’nifhmu bi preżenza diġitali u l-limitazzjonijiet li hemm.
- Preżenza fi żmien diġitali iġġib magħha l-faċilità li wieħed jaħbi l-identità tiegħu, dak li jpoġġi jixtered ma’ kullimkien, u t-tendenza li wieħed jipprova jpenġi l-aħjar stampa tiegħu innifsu. Kif ser inkunu presenza awtentika?
- Preżenza f’dinja diġitali tista’ timplika kemm konnessjoni ma’ nies minn kull post tad-dinja (global village) kif ukoll solitudni minkejja li connected. Kif ser niżviluppaw rabtiet li jibnu t-tajjeb? (Connected for good)
- Kif ser niċċelebraw is-sagramenti f’dinja diġitali? (Connected toward communion).
- Ċertu tip ta’ preżenza diġitali tpoġġi emfasi fuq kultura ta’ esperjenza u rikreazzjoni. Kif ma nimbelgħux u nwaqqgħu il-ministeru għal dak li hu superfiċjali jew ridikolu?
- F’dinja li faċli twassal għal selfie generation, il-presenza tagħna x’ser twassal? Idols or Icons?
Dr Nadia Delicata
Delegat Episkopali għall-Evanġelizzazzjoni
Dr Nadia Delicata fissret kif Covid-19 għinitna nindunaw aktar kemm il-kultura inbidel. L-istess realtà konna ngħixu b’mod differenti f’era fejn d-dinja diġitali ma kienetx teżisti. M’għandniex għażla jekk inkunux konnessi jew le.
- Pero għandna għażla fuq il-kwalità tal-presenza tagħna: “intelligently digital” – “meaningfully connected”.
- Kif se nkun “xhud ta’ Kristu” f’din il-kultura ġdida? Kif se nieħdu responsabbiltà fuq livell personali u komunitarju?
- F’dinja fejn kulħadd konness (b’xi mod qrib) kif se nikkontribwixxu għal ħbiberija awtentika, fi ftuħ għad-djalogu, b’lingwaġġ aktar universali ta’ solidarjetà umana? (ara Knisja Waħda, Vjaġġ Wieħed, 6.6).
- F’dan il-kuntest ġdid niskopru kif ser nesprimu b’mod dejjem aktar sabiħ ix-xhieda tagħna fil-mod kif inqimu lil Alla, fit-tagħlim profetiku mhux minn fuq għal isfel iżda f’kuntest ta’ akkumpanjament, fil-mod konkret kif ngħixu l-karità.
Din ir-riflessjoni trid tgħinna biex insibu l-aħjar modi kif ngħixu l-umanità tagħna b’mod awtentiku skont il-possibilitajiet li għandna f’dan iż-żmien. (Ara Evangelii Gaudium 224).
Rev. Prof. Saviour Chircop
Fr Saviour Chircop għamel kumment fit-tul dwar il-kultura diġitali.
Jekk id-dinja qed issawwar għamliet ġodda ta’ kommunikazzjoni dan jaffetwa l-ħajjitna u l-ħidmietna bħala mexxejja fil-fidi? Mistoqsija f’waqtha għax: a) aħna mistiedna nidħlu fi djalogu ma’ Alla, u b) aħna nwettqu ħidmietna fi ħdan kommunikazzjoni bejn il-bniedem u Alla li jersaq lejna.
(ara n-nota aktar dettaljata annessa)
Kummenti waqt is-sessjoni:
Fid-diskussjoni tqajmu diversi punti importanti: kif nibnu komunità, s-sagrament ta’ rikonċiljazzjoni u r-realtà online, kif inkunu għas-servizz tal-misteru tal-fidi u mhux performance/iffukati fuqna nfusna, kif inunu konxji tar-realtà tad-dnub li timmarka l-esperjenza online (per eżempju x’jasal u ma jasalx għandna skont il-forzi ta’ poter li jikkontrollaw).
• From Fr Joe Mizzi : Rev Phillipps: What can we do in our transmitted celebrations to present an icon and not an idol?
Pete Phillips : Fr Joe Mizzi – perhaps we need to focus on the mystery of faith rather than providing a focus on performance? How do we engage the body of Christ both as the congregation but also as the universal body of Christ. We shouldn’t see it as an opportunity to draw attention to ourselves???
• From Sebastian Caruana : saret referenza għas-sagramenti; fir-rigward tas-sagrament tar-rikonċiljazzjoni nafu li għandu isir fil-preżenza fiżika tal-persuna. X’inhuma d-diffikultajiet teoloġiċi li jżommu li dan is-sagrament isir wkoll permezz ta’ social media? Fil-każ ta’ persuni li ma jkunux jistgħu jiltaqgħu mal-oħrajn taħseb li tista’ tkun ta’ għajnuna biex dawn jesperjenzaw l-maħfra anke jekk tintuża s-social media?
Pete Phillips : Sebastian. Hope I have translated your question adequately. I think that in extremis we need to allow people to connect with God as much as possible. That perhaps means we ar seeing more need to be fluid in our responses. God’s grace goes beyond the church’s rules…for me. So the more we can get people to connect with God the better. Idols of Grace – not icons of rules.
• From Dun Frans : How can community building be created in digital form? Francis Bonnici to Rev. Phillips
Pete Phillips : Duns Frans – social media is great at creating social engagement. Zoom meetings are popular in the UK – where people can see one another – meeting for coffee and chat. But I know Matthew Pulis does Rosaries online with families.
• From Hector Scerri : To Dr Pete and Dr Nadia: I am fascinated by all these wonderful means of interaction. But the human warmth, the eye-contact and easily perceptible body language are missing or drastically reduced. What is your take at my reaction?
• From Keith Bonnici : Thanks Nadia. You are speaking about doing things in a distinctively Maltese way to connect with the people of God who lives in Malta. What do you see as characteristics of doing things in a distinctively Maltese way? Pete you might have ideas on this too – which would be interesting! I appreciate reverence, authenticity and faithfulness in our hearts, but the Maltification of this??
• From Paul Sciberras : Maybe I can have my take from the Bible itself: some parts were written 3,000 or 2,000 years ago. Definitely, what was said in the Bible took place so much out of my concrete and contemporary context. Yet I know, I feel and I believe that God IS speaking to ME, HERE and NOW. It’s a kind of a particular virtual communication between me and God. When I read the Bible, I can “see” my life written in what was written so many years ago. I can then understand my life when I “see” what is written in the Bible so many years ago… and I can understand what is written in the Bible because I see my own life written there in the Bible itself.
• From Dun Frans : Phoning to priests less present in the community because of age, near collaborators who are at a spatial and psychological distance, priests known only in the seminary is the first witness which we must aim at! Dr Delicata can you comment! Dun Frans
Pete Phillips : Yes – always need to focus on who we are and present something real and authentic. We do not conform to the culture first. Be yourself at all times.
Min jixtieq jaqsam ma’ saċerdoti oħra xi riflessjonijiet li jistgħu isaħħuna f’dan li ġie diskuss, jista’ jikteb f’dan il-link. Dawn jinġabru u jitqassmu lil kulħadd. Kull saċerdot għandu don x’jgħaddi lil ħaddieħor. (Ħossok liberu jekk tixtieqx tniżżel ismek).
Fuq kollox inkomplu nakkumpanjaw lil xulxin bil-preżenza u t-talb.