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Wara li ħarisna lejn it-titli mogħtija lil Marija fit-talba antika tas-Sub Tuum Praesidium, imiss nirriflettu dwar minn huma l-“aħna” li qegħdin jitolbu li jistkennu taħt il-mant tagħha. Bħal fit-talba tal-Missierna, f’din it-talba, lil Marija ma nindirizzawhiex fis-singular—“ħarisni”—imma fil-plural, kollettiv, bħala aħna—ngħidulha, “ħarisna”. Min huma dawn l-“aħna”? Sempliċiment massa ta’ individwi? Jew hemm xi ħaġa lil hinn mis-sempliċiment il-“jien” u li tgħaqqadna lkoll flimkien?
Lil Marija ma nitolbuhiex biss bħala individwi imma fuq kollox nersqu f’riġlejha bħala komunità, bħala Knisja. L-“aħna” hija l-“aħna” tal-Knisja. Il-karba “ħarisna” hija l-karba tal-ġemgħa ta’ dawk li jistqarru l-isem ta’ Ġesù, li fih aħna lkoll ulied l-istess Missier u aħna lkoll ħutu—ħut Ġesù. Konsegwenza ta’ hekk, ma’ Ġesù, aħna wkoll ulied Marija, hekk li nistgħu b’wiċċna minn quddiem insejħu lil Marija wkoll bħala Omm il-Knisja.
Kien f’dan l-ispirtu li, nhar il-21 ta’ Novembru tal-1964, fi tmiem it-tielet sessjoni tal-Konċilju Vatikan it-Tieni, San Pawlu VI sejjaħ lil Marija bħala “Omm il-Knisja”. U kien f’dan l-istess spirtu li l-Papa Franġisku, nhar il-11 ta’ Frar 2018, daħħal din il-qima lejn Marija fil-kalendarju liturġiku, proprju l-għada tas-Solennità ta’ Pentekoste, li fiha l-Knisja tfakkar l-inżul tal-Ispirtu s-Santu fuq l-Appostli li kienu miġbura fiċ-ċenaklu “flimkien ma’ xi nisa u ma’ Marija, omm Ġesù, u ma’ ħutu” (Atti 1, 14).
Waqt li ntennu l-kliem ta’ din it-talba li dewa tul għal sekli sħaħ, ejjew nitolbu lil Marija biex illum ukoll tkompli tifrex il-mant tagħha fuqna, fuq il-Knisja f’Malta u fuq il-Knisja kollha, hekk kif ninsabu fuq l-għatba tas-Sena Mqaddsa tal-2025. Nitolbuha li dan il-mant ikun bħal tinda li taħtu jinġabar il-Poplu ta’ Alla mit-trufijiet kollha tal-art. Nitolbuha titfa’ l-ħarsa tagħha ta’ Omm fuq dawk ħutna li jistqarru ’l Kristu imma mhumiex magħqudin magħna sabiex huma wkoll jaslu li jinġabru fil-Knisja waħda ta’ Kristu, it-tinda mwaqqfa fuq l-art bħala kenn għall-popli. U nitolbuha wkoll biex, kif fuq is-salib hi saret Omm l-umanità kollha mifdija bid-demm ta’ Ġesù, hekk ukoll twassal għand Binha lil dawk kollha li għadhom ma għarfuhx.
